Screen Grabs [1]

Feedback from all groups

Positive:

"you used a variety of shots including match-on-action, close ups, high angle shot and you never revealed the characters face which i liked"

"I like the titles, the music you picked for the beginning is a lot better than the original. The ending is very effective"

"'Vengeance' title with the type-writer effect + sound"

"Titles are brill. Well edited and engaging"

"I like the use of panning around the setting I also like the unknown sense with only the feet being shown while walking"

"I liked how the lighting and music added a really good slow pace, which made it really dramatic"

"Camerawork - of looking down on the feet + match on action shots"

"Maintains an eerie atmosphere"

"Camerawork was good --> match on action"

"Nice use on match-on-action and nice saturation of the footage"

"I like the shot where the camera followed the characters feet to where the place he was going"

"I like use of the shots"

"The music is good as it helps you realise that the thriller is about someone remembering someone and adds to the tense atmosphere"

"I like the titles at the beginning there is movement and they are introduced very well with sounds"

"I like the use of keeping everything black and white which makes the piece look darker and more intense."

Improvement:

"The photographs could be a bit clearer, also the first scene seems to go on too long. The scene where the camera pans around the room is a bit pointless."

"In the second scene the shot is a bit pointless going back and forth."

"The change in music could have been more linked and flowed better"

"Not so sure about the choice of music and the pan shot is a little jumpy."

"It doesn't give an insight to the storyline at all not giving the viewer much information"

"Music didn't really go with the filming"

"Slightly unrealistic having an unattended crime scene in a bedroom"

"Lighting was spelt incorrectly, Victim has very small legs"

"The music doesn't really fit together (titles --> film) ((however music's really good though!)"

"Maybe add more shots so we see the characters face, or victim as the viewer could switch off during the clip"

"i think the music could build up to make it more dramatic and build up tension more and i think the ending could be improved"

"I think the ending is a bit boring and confusing and didn't really have a plot"

"It ends too suddenly, maybe use a long fade with a title at the end so it doesn't end too suddenly"

picture 1 = lighting showed, we used colour corrector to improve the lighting this sequence also to add to the emotional atmosphere created.
picture 2 =  showing the location of the film and set the scene.
picture 3 = showing a key prop to the audience, photo book showing memories before his sons tragic death.
picture 4 = showing a match-on-action (with use of a close-up)
Picture 5 = displaying the thriller convention, which is the psychological state of the character's mind, being displayed by the title.
picture 6 = this is a screen grab of the costume of the main actor in the film.
picture 7 = The narrative presents ordinary situations in which extraordinary things happen.
picture 8 = The narrative centres around a crime
picture 9 = hand held shot of the main actor walking.

Final Thriller Video

Rough Cut Video

Rough Cut Video

Jake's Evaluation Notes

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?


The king of media institution that might distribute my media product is a company such as Newmarket. This company called Newmarket is likely to distribute our product because it has numerous thriller films, such as Donnie Darko. But they have distributed a well-known thriller which fits into the same categories as ours, this is called Memento. This film is a Crime Thriller


{{list some media institutions like; Warner Studios,  Fox Searchlight, Newmarket and }}}} {{{{Paramount Pictures. list some of their films like Newmarket-Memento and say why}}} {{{{the film company have made films similar to ours, or what is different/appealing.}}}}

Evaluation Questions

Evaluation Questions

Evaluation Questions

The following questions must be answered in your evaluation PowerPoint:
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
7. Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

1. talk about conventions of a thriller and if we used them in the way they are normally used or if we changed them.

2. talk about if we have different social groups in our film and how they are represented, such as; genders, ethnicity, sexuality and age.

3. list some media institutions like; Warner Studios,  Fox Searchlight, Newmarket and Paramount Pictures. list some of their films like Newmarket-Memento and say why the film company have made films similar to ours, or what is different/appealing.

4. think about an age group or gender, maybe mostly males form the age of 16+.

5. ----------------------

6. talk about Final Cut and how we used different effects such as the fade in fade out tools and flickering our text for out opening credits. flickr and photoshop and how we uploaded pictures and edited them. the camera that we used was different so talking about how we learnt to use the new HD camera effectively.

7. what we did in our preliminary and what we changed for our real product. talk about time managment, organisation, technology and team skills.

Research - memento opening.

The film Memento starts with a lens flare effect and the opening credits. The production company 'Newmarket' and the rest of the credits are all in blue writing fades in and out into white. After the credits the main character 'Lenny' is holding a photo as a memory which fades in, this along with the slow string music creates a calm dramatic sense of feeling. As Lenny shakes the picture up until we see him kill 'Teddy' the scene moves very slowly with no cuts, and is showing the motion of time roll backwards which gives the feeling of disorientation and confusion (non-linear). In the scene there are loads of extreme close ups and close ups on important objects, such as the gun, blood, bullet, glasses, photo. as the scene changes we hear a voice over describing the room and see a black and white hotel room and get a close up of lenny's eye, (a convention of the thriller genre).

animated thunder

http://www.layoutsparks.com/myspace-layouts/thunder_1 idea for use in the production logo.

finalcut testing title

 

This is me adding in fade in and outs which create the effect like in Deja Vu and Seven creating the effect of a thriller and a great title sequence.

This example is shown below and the effect it has.

opening credits analysis.

Final destination is a psychological thriller where people doing everyday things get hurt in unfortunate ways. final destination 3 is directed by James Wong and made in 2006.

The opening credits are very typical of a thriller with a murky shadow of colour around the writing to create and eary feeling.

The film title with a slight orange shadow around the writing

production company name with a blue shadow around the writing

opening credits from the film memento by Christopher Nolan in 2000, a psychological thriller. they use normal blue writing that fades in and out.

The writing fading out.

opening title ideas - deja-vu (2006)

http://www.putlocker.com/file/EWIVVL6GNWG0SWG# for the opening titles = 00:34
Below are screenshots of the film Deja Vu with the highlighting/ghosting effect of text with more then one layer, and a box coming in and surrounding the text, and at times the text flying off one letter by letter. This generates the effect of a crime thriller as its spotting staff/actors of the film like you'd see with a picture spotting a person in the picture and surrounding/boxing it.

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan has directed many thriller films that have taken off in the Box Office in the Uk and in America. These films include: Batman Begins (2005) starring Christian Bale, Michael Cane and Morgan Freeman. The film had a Budget of around $150,000,000 and Grossed just over $200,000,000  3 months after it's release.

One of his more famous films Memento (2000) was a classic thriller that has gone down as one of the best ever. The film cost 5,000,000 to make (approximately) and in just over a year has grossed over 25,000,000. Memento was such a success as Nolan played with the genre of psychological thrillers while playing around with the memory of the protagonist, who cannot make any new memories.




Nolan is well know for typically ending his films with one os his characters giving a philosophical monologue. Also all of his films are known to give a reference to the film before it. He almost always employs a non-linear narrative which is one that does not go in chronological order and skips between the present time, the past and the future Frequently uses hard cuts when transitioning to the next scenes. This is most prominent in his films from 'Batman Begins' onward, especially in 'The Dark Knight', where, in some instances, the hard cuts he uses will go so far as to nearly cut off character's lines in order to quickly and efficiently get to the next scene.

Thriller Director - Brian De Palma

Brian De palma is one of the most well-known thriller directors in Hollywood today and years before. Brian has done many successful films such as Scarface (1983), Mission Impossible (1996) and Mission to Mars (2000).
Brian De Palma is well-known from going from extreme violent scenes such as Scarface, to the original style of thrillers by Alfred Hitchcock.


Types of camera/editing skills Brian uses; he often uses the split-screen technique, which is used optically or a split diopter (this is where the lens has a semicircular half of a close up lens in a normal filter old. This allows a close up object and a much more distant background, but everything in sharp focus).

split diopter

Brian uses this to build up suspense as it allows you to see what the cast can't generally seem to see as well. As well as engaging the viewers more further into the story.
Brian De Palma also likes to use Alfred Hitchcock's style of work, this is generally seen by others as he uses the same style of scenes, same camerawork and camera techniques, as well as using blonde girls as 'leading ladies'.


Another trade mark Brian De Palma is recognised for is the use of doppelgangers as femme fatales appear in his film a lot.
Brian shoots 'tense' moments without any filters or wide lens or zooming in, when he pairs this up with his reconisable extended shot it gives the viewer the feeling that they are in the scene.


Another trademark Brian has created of him self is the voyeurism (this is where is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature). These are generally used in his films as a protagonist who is voyeuristic by nature (can't help it), by profession (he/she's job) and by circumstance (opportunity occurs)

Production Company Research

There a many big production companies that could distribute our film. these include

Paramount Pictures who have made films such as: Vertigo, Italian Job, Mission impossible, Rosemary's Baby, Beverly Hills Cop.

Another production company that have made some successful thrillers is Fox Searchlight pictures who have made films such as: Black Swan, 28 Days later, One Hour Photo.

New line also make thriller films such as: Final Destination series, Se7en.

Fonts

Type of Fonts we'd like to use, listen below:

Example - OCR A Std

Example - Herculanum

Example - Handwriting - Dakota

Example - Andale Mono

Example - Lucida Calligraphy

Example - Matura MT Script Capitals

Example - Orator Std (italic)

Example - Monotype Corsiva

These fonts would possibly look good in red, which is also shown above. The titles will be in red, and will fade in and out, without the typewriter sound effects as this will not make it as effective for a thriller as it appears on the photo on the storyboard. The font we want to use is Handwriting - Dakota 'Example' which fits into our film setting and also creates more of the thriller feeling

Test shots.

We tested out two different ways of shooting our vertical foot shot; using a dolly and tripod, and then handheld.
We feel as a group that for our sequence the handheld footage will work better as we want to show the fact that he is walking is more significant and using the dolly didn't give us a smooth flowing shot.

We also used the colour corrector tool in final cut to give the two shots a more textured feel. it also made our shots seem darker and added to the creation of the atmosphere we would like.

Sonic Moodboard

Vengeance 

Thriller Storyboard

shot 1

Info: Panning across slowly over the photos on the clipboard

shot 2

 Info: Man walking down the hallway looking down with footsteps emphasised.

shot 3

 Info: Man standing in doorway of crime scene, looking down at body outlines

shot 4

 Info: Detective taking a photo of the dead body out line

shot 5

 Info: How the room looks like

shot 6

Info: The room according to the photo taken (different/missing objects in photo)

Risk Assessment/Health and Safety issues

Area; in a house so we need to make sure there are no other objects e.g toys that will be in the way on the floor when we film. we also need to be careful going up and down the stair if we are filming. both of these could damage the camera in case we drop it, or could harm the camera man and actors if they fall/trip over. 

Filming: we need to make sure we don't drop the camera or any of the equipment, e.g; tripod. we also need to make sure when we are not using the equipment that we store it somewhere where it will not be damaged.

thriller opening script...

Script

Starts in a boys room on a clipboard of pictures panning along the pictures of the father and his son who is dead and may have been murdered. after seeing all of the photos of memories the man walks along the hallway into another room(mid shot/point of view) and looks down at the floor where he sees a messed up room with a body outline on the floor:(high angle/point of view)

there is a detective in a dark long coat with a hat standing to the side of the room (long shot/establishing shot) and he takes a picture with a polaroid camera we see the room again and then the picture that was taken is different.(zoom/close-up) in the picture the room will be tidy and the body outline will be gone.

Shot-list

tracking

C/U

establishing shot

point of view

zoom

low angle

high angle

mid shot

long shot

Tops Things Learned from Amars Speech

Preparation is Key
Location Reece
Keys Things:

• Take Photographs 
• Diagnose any problems with that location
• Make notes about the location
• Source information about the location

Digitals Storyboard

• Use stills - take pictures of different shots to shows what it is likely to look like
• Print them for use when making your actual opening to help
• Possibly use google earth to get an overview of the location

Shot List

• Always have a shot list
• Helps to organise what needs to be filmed
• Be detailed and cover most aspects of your script

Test Shots

• Get a feel for the location your going to use
• Get used the equipment being used
• Identify any props/ costumes needed
• Doing test shots helps during the edit process

Shooting Schedule

• Make you aware of any restrictions people have
• Knowing what your filming, when
• Make sure everyone is available 

Improvements.

we need to put together our main ideas with do-able filming. come up with a setting and a way of putting our ideas into context.

characters:who is going to be playing the man in our opening.
how to film the flashbacks and who will be in them, maybe use pictures.

Thriller Opening

Thriller Opening

Our story is about a man who is trying to find the killer of his lost son. our opening will include flashbacks of the son and the father.
Title Idea
Font - Dakota Handwriting:

The Lost Son

Our sub-genre is going to crime-thriller as the story is set around a suspected murder.

picture from Black Swan a new thriller. We are going to use a lot of black and white coloured shots with Chiaroscuro lighting (contrasts of dark and light.) this gives a good affect during a flashback as it emphasises the difference between real time and the past.
We are going to use a non-linear narrative showing scenes from the past inter-twined with the harsh reality our character is experiencing. to show our protagonist's feeling of vulnerability we will use point of view shots to enhance the disorientated and confused state of mind of our main character and display this to our audience. we will also use extreme close ups; on our characters eye (a convention of thrillers)

for our music soundtrack we have decided to use a mixture of deep beats to intensify situations, and highly pitched string instruments to add tension and a feeling of suspense.

Student Film Opening Analysis

This Train Terminates
The thriller film opening of This Train Terminates was very good. The action centers around this crime that is building up in the train station. This follows the conventions of extraordinary things happening in ordinary situations.

There is good use of parallel editing when google it cuts between the station and the people behind the crime. This helps to build the suspense as the viewer feels that the crime is about to happen. They also use lots close ups and medium shots in the station which gives us this sense of not knowing what is going on or who's behind it.


Fenland 
The opening titles to Fenland work well to introduce the thriller. The antagonist is immediately viewed in the scene however nothing of his identity is shown. The viewer is given constant hints throughout about what this person has done by using close ups of newspaper articles. This adds a mysterious feel to the scene and makes the watcher want to carry on. Also the soundtrack fits well with the action on screen.

The Recruit

The opening sequence of The Recruit shows that the main characters father has been killed in a plane crash. The fathers death is shown through a series of newspaper articles. This follows more of the classic thriller conventions in the opening and immediately gives the protagonist a flaw as it must be traumatic to lose your father. The film continues and very few details about the death of his father are revealed.

The main character, James Clayton, is an ordinary guy going about his day. This character is isolated and appears not to trust many people. This also shows him as a protagonist.

Another main character, Walter Burke,

Crime Thrillers

Crime

->  Protagonist

        - Outsider

        - Often have characteristics of antagonist

-> tragedy

        - motivation

              - Line between right and wrong is blurred

-> variety of characteristics 

        - gangs or duo's of criminals

              - dopey sidekick

              - eccentric

-> Central topics often include a crime or a number of crimes

              - Murder

              - Kidney

              - Robbery

        - Narrative follows the planning and execution of crimes - not always successfully

famous Crime thriller:

Ocean's 11

Action Thrillers

Action

-> Protagonist = traditional action hero. Sometimes framed or mistaken for someone else

-> Quite a lot of violence
         - more blood than your average thriller
         - weapons
         - brute force
                - Used to escape

-> Flaws are unlikely to be physical 
         - more likely to be emotional

-> contrapuntal sound
         - non diegetic sound is vital to enhance sound

-> High Value Motive
         - money
         - secrets

-> lots of fast paced action form the start

-> manipulation
         - possibly government or people

famous action thriller:
James Bond

Memento Opening Analysis

At the start of the film we see a reverse of time giving the sense of a flashback (non-linear narrative) this flashback is not immediately perceptible and disrupts the continuity of the scene and also our sense of time is confused. we then see the protagonist in his motel room he has a sense of disorientation and seems not to know whats happening. This scenes also has a voice over from this character which is used as a stream of consciousness to give an insight into the psyche of the protagonist.

 Our view of the main protagonist is manipulated within the opening scenes as we get an understanding of his achilles heel and flaw, this is his memory as he cannot develop new memories, he is made to seem vulnerable, heartless and dangerous. 

Another highlighted convention of this psychological thriller is the character's dual identity. In one scene he is murdering a man and the next he has woken up in a motel room and doesn't seem to know what he's done. one side of him is vulnerable whilst the other could be potentially dangerous and unpredictable.

The narrator is also unreliable because of his state of mind and unstable psyche. Because of this the viewer is invited to identify with him and his character.

The string based soundtrack at the beginning and throughout the opening creates the theme of suspense and adds to the tension already starting to unfold. the use of the long notes contrasts with what is actually happening. This feeling of tension is emphasised with the uncertainty in the narrative. 

Psychological Thriller Conventions

Doppelganger - Black Swan

Central theme of identity - mistaken identity, stolen identity, dual identity, doppelgangers, confused identity, amnesia

Donnie Darko - Thinks the rabbit is
real

Perception and reality - seeing the narrative from the perspective of multiple characters of what is and isn't real compared to the norm establishes in the film.

Memory - the torture of an individual with a traumatic memory. The trauma of a specific lost memory.

unreliable narrator - Momento

Stream of consciousness - this is a device often used in psychological thrillers to give an insight into the psyche of a particular character, this is usually the main protagonist.


unreliable narrator - Psychological thrillers often play on the ideal of the inherit trust placed in the narrator or the central character that the narrative follows

Flashbacks - beguiled

Technical devices - Flashbacks and repetition in editing is common

use of eye imagery - the butterfly effect

Imagery - eyes are a frequent motif