Feedback

Positive:
 - Credits.
 - Sound
 - Shot types and angles
 - Music Fits


Negative:
 - Repetitive music and images
 - more variety of shots
 - Blurry images

Thriller Final Cut

16th and 17th March

In these two lessons we will be putting the finishing touches into our project. We have finished our editing however we will be looking over the final project many times to pick out any mistakes or faults in the clips, images or music.

Overall we are happy with our final project because we have covered all the aspects we wanted to and we agree that the story makes sense.

After the comments from other groups we decided that we would change and fade the music into the clips better as the music jumped from one sequence of music to another very quickly without a fade.
After completing the music we discussed our final image montage and decided that the transitions between each image was too slow so we made the montage faster. The only problem with this was that it cut the final project time down by approximately 3 seconds so we repeated the montage so it was longer and this made it more effective.

Editing - What we have learned

After nearly completing our editing process we have learnt that if we organise our time better we can be more relaxed throughout our project and finish before or on the deadlines.

This project we have included many techniques such as picture montages and repeating clips to add suspense and to draw the audience in.

We decided that some clips would look effective in black and white. This also shows that it could be a flashback or vision from one character.

Credits Font

Making our credits:

• Opened www.dafont.com
• Typed in "Paradox" into the word box and selected submit
• Found the font we wanted
• Screen shot the font
• Saved on the desktop
• Opened a new project in photoshop which is the size of a landscape A4 piece of paper
• Open the "Paradox" screen shot
• Drag onto the blank file
• Transform to size we wanted
• Experimented with colour of the text and background and ended up with 3 final ideas

Out of the three final designs we decided we would use the red font with the black background as it keeps with the thriller theme and plain yet effective.
Our other credits link up with the main paradox title.

Feedback response

We liked the technique of a range of shot types, we also like how the film can darken by using a filter at the beginning, this would then make the film more of thriller by the use of dark colours.

We agree with most of the comments made such as; using more shot types. But some comments we disagree with such as how the sound changed in them middle, but we did this to create more tension of the individual shot. We also disagree with the use of black and white as we did use this effect to show a flashback and to make the opening more interesting.

feedback from group t2-52

The music in the thriller was very good and we felt as if it fit the clips well. We were able to tell it was a crime thriller because of the shots of the fingerprints etc. We also liked the tilted camera because its not something you would usually find in a film so it added a creative effect to the thriller.

Feedback from T2-53

We overall enjoyed this opening sequence. We liked the montage and the music worked well as the music fitted to the clip well. We like the shot choice of the man walking across the woods as it builds tension and suspense. Also as its quite unusual it captures the audiences attention.

To improve this clip we suggest that you put a video filter at the beginning to darken the clip. Also we would vary the shot types more. We would also review the music slightly as the volume level alters randomly but it needs to stay at a constant level throughout. Also the title worked well to link to the genre.

feedback from T2 54

was good overall but could improve on the editing i.e you could perhaps add a black and white effect when   the shots of lewis looking at the papers.
the credits were really effective and good use of editing on the text and the cuts.
The sequence met most of the conventions, although, they could be made clearer.
We did enjoy watching the sequence though.

T2 49 comments

very good opening but a bit repetitive with some shots used more than once, the continuity wasn't too good as the clip of the person walking away in the woods was in colour the first time and then black and white the second time round.

It is clear the clip is about a crime as a lot of shots used related to crime by using finger prints and papers showing crime. the music used suited the concept of crime which brought idea across more. Whether the person is a protagonist or an antagonist isn't clear but this may not be imperative to the narrative.

Group T2-50

Opinions on your opening sequence.

We thought the music was very affective and empathetic as it suited the genre perfectly. It built as the cuts sped up which made it seem more tense also.
The narrative centers around a crime as there is a really good photomontage showing pictures of finger prints and shots of a few prisoners.
However we don't see if the protagonist has a weakness or what the case is to do with, who is the victim.
There isn't a good variety of shot distances in the opening which makes it a little less interesting to watch.
The cantered camera angle used was very good and added confusion to the mix.

rough cut

So far we feel that the music fits well with the shots we got, also the credits work well with the music and also the conventions of a thriller film.

Although it took a while to get all the editing done, due to the montage. Although we didn't get all the shots we needed, we feel we can do this soon.

Deadlines

Monday 7th March 9am:
Filming deadline

Wednesday 9th March 12:20pm:
Rough cut deadline

Thursday 10th March:
Watching each others rough cut and offering advice etc

Wednesday 16th March 12:20pm:
Final cut deadline

Monday 21st March 9am:
Draft evaluation due in via email

Top tips for filming.

Top tips for filming your project:

• Make sure your camera is fully charged
• If possible take an extra battery with you as cold weather can drain your battery quickly
• Make sure you are familiar with most or all of the functions on your camera
• Make sure you have enough space on your memory card to capture all your footage and you will need to take more than one shot of each scene
• Allow yourself to get to the location to set your equipment up
• Make sure you have your shot list with you so you know what and how long it should take you to film a certain shot
• Make sure you do a location recce so you are familiar with your surroundings
• Make sure you have permission to film in your location 
• eg:
• car parks
• public parks
• shopping centres
• college classrooms
• college after hours
• resturants
• cafes
• private property
• Make sure someone knows where you are and when in case of an emergency
• Make sure all cast and crew know where to be and when
• Make sure you have back up cast so you can definitely film when planned to

Test Footage

This is our test footage for our opening sequence thriller movie.
this is just a very simple version of what our opening sequence would be, we also missed out some scenes as we couldn't go outside due to the rain so it was hard to show the entire sequence.
We have also shortened it down just showing the basic camera shots we will be using.

Target Audience Research.

Our film will be certificate 15 as it within the BBFC certificate guidelines.

-The film will be based around violence but the violence is unseen and does not dwell on pain or injury.
-There may be strong language but it will not be aggressive or repeated.
- There will be no explicit scenes of sexual activity o sexual assault.

Our target audience will be people aged 15 or under. We expect our target audience to be mostly boys, this film would appeal to them as it focuses around a crime commit and a detective solving it and many others. We think this would appeal more to boys than girls as girls would be more interested in a comedy or romance film.

Our target audience may also be interested in movies such as;
- The Prestige
- Memento
- The Terminator
- Die Hard
- The Sixth Sense

In our film we will be taking different elements of each movie.

       Location Recce 

We decided to film in the woods as it is a common location for thrillers.

It is good as it builds suspense as it is very eary and scary. 

It is on site so it easy to access and we can go film when convenient for us. 

Good Points: 

- Easy access.

- Gives a good backdrop and effect.

- Ambient sound available.

Bad Points:

- Train track near by which goes past regularly. If this is problem then we could mute the audio and record dialogue over the top. 

- When sun is out can see shadow of camera and persons.

- Because the terrain is rough and bumpy people could trip and hurt themselves.

- Could be a popular location for thriller filming so would have to find a quiet spot. 

                                                      

Evaluation of Childrens Film

After watching our Children's Film we spotted a number of things that we could improve on in our Thriller project.

Such as;

- Allowing more time to edit the clips together.

- Making sure the shots run smoothly and link together well.

- The use of the match on action shot wasn't smooth which affected the continuity of the opening sequence. 

-  The music was not empathetic; allow more time to compose any music or soundtrack needed and to make sure it fits in with the appropriate scene.

- To develop and make our titles more complex and enable them to link with the genre or plot well.

(The points marked in red are the things that I feel I really need to concentrate on and improve for my thriller opening sequence)

However in our clip we also managed to spot any skills or aspects that was positive within our opening sequence:

- The acting from the characters within the clip was realistic.

- There was a good amount of simple dialogue which helped to represent the storyline.

- The credits were colourful; links well to the children's film genre.

- The storyline wasn't too complicated for the target audience.

- We used a variety of shot distances including close up, establishing shot, long shots and pans.

(The points marked in green is what I feel were my strengths in my childrens opening sequence)

Childrens film Evaluation

After watching our Children's Film we spotted a number of things that we could improve on in our Thriller project.

Such as;
- Allowing more time to edit the clips together
- Making sure the shots run smoothly and link together well
- Allow more time to compose any music or soundtrack needed and to make sure it fits in with the appropriate scene.
- To develop and make our titles more complex and enable them to link with the genre or plot well.



However in our clip we also managed to spot any skills or aspects that was positive within our opening sequence:
- The acting from the characters within the clip was realistic.
- The storyline wasnt too complicated for the target audience.
- We used a variety of shot distances including close up, establishing shot, long shots and pans.

Story Board and Shot List.

"How to Prepare for Film Shoot" Presentation

• "How to Prepare for Film Shoot"

Layers to final product:

• Preparation and good planning
• Script writing
• Test shooting
• Shooting
• Editing

• Script Writing
• write all ideas down
• simple with actions and emotions
• determine whether the shot is external or internal (inside or outside)
• ext - college during the day
• int - bedroom at night

• Walk through
• act it out
• walk though your script
• identify problems

• Location recce
• find location
• find any problems
• make notes on what you see or hear
• take photographs

• Digital storyboard
• take photos of different frames
• take photos of different actions
• take photos of different shot types

• Shot list
• annotate your script

• Test your shots
• get familiar with your location
• get used to equipment
• identify props and costumes 

• Organise your shooting
• what restrictions do you have?

Call Sheet Research

Call sheet:

• The daily call sheet is a filmmaking term for a sheet of paper issued to the cast and crew of a production,  informing them where and when they should report for a particular day of shooting.

• Call sheets also include other useful information such as contact information such as phone number and other contact details, the schedule for the day, which scenes and script pages are being shot and the address of the shoot location. 

• Call sheets may also provide logistical information in regards to the location. 

• It is common to find weather information, sunrise/sunset times, local hospitals, restaurants, and hardware stores. 

• Call sheets also detail information about cast transportation arrangements, parking instructions and safety notes.

Examples:

Lesson time planning

We have decided to film where our media lesson would be. This would be on a monday, wednesday and thursday.
We also have some free periods we could work in and lunch time if necessary.

We plan to film all the location shots together,
for example; we will film all the scenes that are in the detectives office together and then scenes in the forest and then edit them together.

We hope to film around 1-4 scenes within our filming slots.

Political Thriller

Some conventions of a political thriller include:

• Uses many locations - often focuses on different cultures or countries.
• False heroes - characters we think are good reveal not to be.
• 'Helpers' - Characters who provides the protagonist with something useful.
• Threat is set against a back drop of political power struggle.
• Plots are designed to give political power to someone while opponents try and prevent this.
• Innocent people drawn into the political world.
• Trying to prove innocence.

One example of a political thriller is Vantage point.
This includes a president and terrorism, which is a big thing in places like America  and is very political. As it has lots of clues to find and obviously different points of view hence the name 'Vantage Point' there are heroes and false heroes, innocent people being drawn into the political world and plots that can mislead the viewer.

Cast & Crew

CREW:

Director - Lewis Mills
Sound/music -Louella
Filming - Sami
Editing - Sami, Lewis, Louella

CAST:

Detective -Lewis Mills
Running Girl - Emily Grinnel

Class Pitch Questions.

What Classification is it?

We decided to rate our film as a 15 as we will not be showing violence in the opening sequence just the after effects.

For example; The audience will hear a gun shot but will not see the victim.     

What is the story line?

The outline of the story is the typical narrative of a thriller. There will be a girl, who is the victim, and an antagonist who follows her and eventually kills her. There will be a detective, the protagonist, who follows the murder and tries to discover how it happened by following clues.

What is the name of the thriller?

The name of our thriller is 'Paradox'. We decided on this name as it means something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained. This links into the web of clues that will be left and how the detective tries to unravel and solve them.

How will flashbacks be shown?

Flashbacks will be shown in black and white and maybe a blurred transaction.

How will the credits be shown?

The credits will be shown in a typewriter effect and not as in your face as other movies, it will be more distract as the opening sequence is drawing the viewers in.

Six feet under title analysis.

In Six Feet Under the credits are pretty small and not in the viewers face. They blend in with the opening of the film and the set, for example; credits are shown on a jar making it look like a label.

They also fit with the music and fade in and disintegrate. One of the credits disappears by the crow flapping it wings to blow it out the way.

Mise-en-Scene research "Identity"

Lighting: The lighting used in this opening scene of Identity is quite dark but highlights the props that the produces wish the audience to focus on at that time. The darkness used in the clip increases the intensity of the scene. 

Our group could include this to our opening thriller scene to also create tension in the audience watching. Like in the clip above we could used specific lighting to create a focus point within the opening clip.
 

Sets: The set used in the clip is quite small and secluded. This also allows the audience to feel tense but also have an open mind about what could happen in the rest of the film.

The sets we have planned to use are quite similar to the sets used in the clip above. We will use a small dark room to show the vulnerability of our protagonist. Also we will use dark place to reflect the genre.

Props: The props are the first thing you see in this clip. The tape player shows that the talking is set in the past but also leaves the question bout who is listening to the tape. As the tape scratches the audience sees the horrific drawings that are laid on the desk. This implies that the person listening to the tape and looking that the drawings and mug shots is the protagonist allowing himself to be drawn in by the mystery. 

Also as the tape is replayed we hear the person talking about the patients mother and as we are listening to that we see the reports of the mother being looked through by the character. This allows the audience to follow what's happening.

Costumes: the costumes used are all quite dark. Stereotypically the police/detectives are all dressed in shirt, tie and long dark coat. This also reflects the genre of the film.

Make-up: During the clip there was no heavy makeup used allowing the characters to look natural but tired looking. This shows the audience that they could feel drained from the case about the character we heard on the tape.

Colour: The fact the clip does not have any bright colours that could draw the audience's attention away from the main props or characters also increases the intensity of the clip.

10 second sections planning

0-10 : girl running and start of credits - for 3 seconds, heavy breathing, quiet tense music. cuts to over shoulder shot at detectives notes.

10-20 : same again but pan over over the note, zoom in on notes, music gets slightly louder. credits phase in.

20-30 : long shot of girl running through forest really fast, back to notes and zoom in on newspaper. music louder, credits.

30-40 : point of view shot of chaser, heavy breathing.  maybe looking at notes again.

40-50 : back to point of view.


50-90 : credits showing, we hear the number being typed in, '999 whats your emergency' girls says ' help!' hear phone drop.

90-100 : see phone on floor, emergency call is shown on screen. We hear 999 speaker asking if she is still there? zoom in on phone.

100-110 : camera on floor, shows chaser walking away.

110-120 : detective's phone rings he answers says hello and ends.

Thriller Pitch

The title we have decided for our thriller is 'Paradox' we decided this as we brainstormed some ideas and came up with Enigma, but we thought this was too common and we decided to look for something similar.
We have decided to do a crime thriller, based around a murder and a detective. But also have moments of psychological thriller as well, as this case may turn him into a different person to what he is. We have decided to have a male detective whose life revolves around his job and the killings that have happened (usually female so we may integrate this into our film) 

 This is our mood board, some exmaples of inspiration are:

• Identity.
• Se7en.
• And things such as newspaper headlines, finger prints and lots of handwritten notes. 

Possible Locations - Thriller

For our thriller opening our main idea was to focus mainly on our victim and protagonist so the location would have to be quiet. We were planning to film our victim running through grass or leaves so that could be filmed on the college grounds. Also our protagonist could also be filmed in college because they will be filmed at a desk looking through papers.
 We believe that filming will be easy in college because it will be incredibly easy for our whole group and our actors to be in the same place at the same time. Also the fact that all members of our group live over 10 miles away from each other meaning it will be time and money consuming. This also means we would have more time to edit and finish our film.

 

thriller logos

We decided to call our company 'lls Pictures' as its the first letter of our names put together making it ours and unique. We also decided to use a picture of a foggy woods as that is where are film is set mostly, and the fog makes it more mysterious and thriller like.

Columbia picture intro analysis

The women is meant to represent the statue of liberty.
The statue of liberty is in America and is seen as a powerful statue. This gives off the impression that this company is a powerful and successful one and that it produces good quality films.

P2 - 38 Thriller Opening

• I think that even when handheld was used they kept it relitively steady, this is good as it doesnt look too messy but still adds suspense.
• There is not many effects used in this opening but i feel if there was too many it would look a bit tacky.
• There is a good range of distances used, such as mid shots and close ups for example the news paper and the knife.
• They showed a lot of material used and that relates to murder, for example the knife and the newspaper mentioning death.
• Showing the female character in her own house alone makes her seem very vulnerable, also the lighting is dark and a bit gloomy.

 

P3-72 video

• They held a shot well and steady. No handheld camera work, makes it easier to keep steady.
• When filming they thought about the mise-en-scene and micro elements.
• They used a variety of shots that worked well within the opening.
• Good use of sound.
• The titles looked good as they were shown at apporiate times.

 The thing that didn't work as well is that it wasn't clear that the detective was having a flashback/dream or if the crimes were happening in the present.

There Blog :

I think its good how they collected feedback from there peers and took that feedback to improve there video. By making their own props they have made it exactly how they saw it. It looks like they have thought well about what they want in the newspaper article and the pictures shown. It looks like they have thought hard about their timings and when titles will be shown, this worked well as the titles come up apporiately. You can tell that they have researched alot about already existing thriller videos as they have viewed alot and then written an analysis  of all mise-en-scene and micro elements. They have also researched about certificate ratings, i think this is good because then you known what can and cannot be shown within your film. I think that because they have taken alt of time into their research this is why their opening worked well.

Conventions of a crime thriller

• protagonist with tro0ubled past and vulnerable family.
• Revolves around secret organisation.
• Binary opposites.
• dark lighting.
• screen time focuses on good and bad characters.
• few locations but within the same country.
• music important as it as it builds up tension.

Sub-Genres Action Thriller

Taken

1a) Some of the conventions we think are in an action thriller are things such as: Mature cast, binary opposites (Antagonist and Protagonist), clues which lead to focus of storyline and helps viewer follow, objectification of females.
The main character is called Brian Mills, he is a father of a 17 year old girl who wants to travel Europe with her friend. He is seen as the protagonist this is because he has weaknesses he is isolated and his job was preventing dangers for the government which also emphesises why he was isolated. Binary opposites are used with the main character and the people who have taken his daughter, they are completely different as one works to prevent crime and the other causes crime also their race is very different and culture.  Many clues are shown to help Brian find his daughter, for example he plugs his phone into something to record the Antagonists voice this helps the audience see that he has what he might need to find his daughter.

b) The main character that was introduced properly first was Brian Mills, who we think is retired, and once worked for the government to prevent danger. he is a typical protagonist as he is isolated from a lot of people, most notably his daughter and this is blamed on his job and comes across to be very paranoid. His paranoia is one of his main weaknesses as it drives his family away.
Another character shown as plays a very big part in the film is his daughter 'Kimmy' a montage is shown of her at the start of the film and this makes a  big point of time lost. We can see this as Brian is looking through old pictures and you get the impression that he wasn't there for her for a large period of her life and doesn't fully see her enough now. The female characters also shows objectification of females, for example another character called 'Peter' later on shows that he only started talking to them as they were young, vulnerable and attractive.

c) One of the main editing techniques that had a big impact on the viewer would be sound, music was played at emotional parts for either the daughter or the father character, this helps the viewer relate to the father especially. We feel this is typical of a thriller as it builds suspense, especially when she was hiding under the bed and thought the people had gone away.
Also parallel editing was used to film the father and daughter on the phone, this shows their distance as he is in America and she is in France, this shows how helpless he is and he could be feeling that he is letting her down again. The quick shots between different locations build tension as they are fast moving.

Psychological conventions.

The conventions of a psychological thriller are;

• There is normally a character with danger on mental level rather than a physical.
• Misleading stories, tricks and twists in the storyline.
• Unusual happenings - meaning some characters may hear voices, etc.
• Clever character who thinks ahead of everyone else - leads to isolation.
• Builds up to a final shocking reveal.
• Normally 2 or more characters prey on each others sanity - play tricks with each others mind.

Some psychological thrillers are;

• Mr Ripley
• Sixth Sense
• American pyscho
• Usual suspects 
• Fight club   

Seven Notes.

• Cast is more mature.
• 7 people die, this links to the title of Seven.
• Focuses on  certain crime. 
• The first person introduced is the detective (Morgan Freeman)
• Binary opposite characters, detectives, -
               Morgan Freeman - Seen as older, wiser and organised.
                                              Wants to be in control by the comments he makes.
                                              Can tell he wants to be in control - has a metronome to help block out                                               his thoughts and help him get to sleep.
               Brad Pitt - Young, messy and cocky towards the other detective.
• Questions - What are they looking for?
• Introduced to an unknown character in the beginning, writing pages of words, cuts his fingers so he has no finger prints. 
• Lighting is dark and gloomy - Can't see whats going on, this links to the detectives' work. 
• Montage editing in the credits.
• Music builds up suspense.
• Morgan Freeman is seen as the protagonist at the start - more screen time.
        His weakness is that he looks at the non obvious details, this makes him isolated from the other
        detectives.

Differences between Horror and Thriller

Thriller

• More mature cast
• Often highly recognised (expensive) actors or actresses 
• focus is on crime- Who did it? Why? How?
• Often detective as the lead - victim is not always known to audience 

Horror

• Young cast - often teens
• Violence - blood/guts
• Focus of narrative is the violence (not the crime)
• Multiple victims
• Lead victim often become detective.
• Suburban setting
• Adults are absent

Conventions of a Thriller

• Narrative centres around a crime
• Binary opposite characters 
• Protagonist
• Will have a weakness, often shown in the title
• Will be seen in peril
• Antagonist
•  Complex web of clues/conventions
• Leads to them being isolated
• Themes of mistaken identity
• Mirroring and illusions
• Objectification of females
• Viewer becomes voyeur
• Voyeurism - Pleasure of looking but not being involved or seen
• Micro elements build suspense

The opening on The Prestige.

The Prestige is about to friends, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) who are assistants of a magician along with Roberts’s wife, Julia Angier (Piper Perabo).
Julia dies in one of the magicians’ acts and Robert blames Alfred for her death. This spirals into a rivalry between them two, and as they become professional magicians they sabotage each others performances.

The first location we see are the woods. The lighting is very dark making them seem very spooky and eary. On the floor there are many black tops hats, this gives of a sense of mystery and draws in the audience immediately making them wonder what has happened.

The theatre is decorated with red and gold and although these are commonly known to be fairly bright colours they have been dulled down, this sets the scene to be quite gloomy. The spotlight is the only light which is seen which again draws the audience in as the act is now the focus point, this gives off a clue that something may go wrong and this is going to be the storyline of the film.

Underneath the stage there is a dark basement like room. Steam is evaporating from the wall which makes the room seem old and unsafe; it could also be seen as quite scary as steam is like mist which people associate with scary films. There is no main light just the electricity that is being used in the magicians’ act, which flashes through the floor boards again and again. This then lights’ up the old mans face that is down there which is scary looking as one of his eyes is pure white.

It shows the theatre again where the electricity lights up the audiences faces, we see that they are very interested in the performance and can see the tension in their faces.

The costumes are pretty plain. We see a little girl at the start who is in an old fashioned dress from the nineteenth century which sets the time period they are trying to portray. The old man she is watching, Cutter (Michael Caine), is in a tattered waistcoat over a shirt. His sleeves are rolled up and he is wearing a tie which is loose, this gives of the impression he is a working man.  The people in the audience are dressed in casual suits and dresses, indicating that they may be of a high class. The magician and his assistant are in the traditional outfits. The magician is in a suit with a top hat and cane and his assistant is in the stereotyped 'glamorous assistant' outfit which makes her stand out as she is dressed in a very bright and sparkly outfit.

The magicians body language gives off that he is very proud of his act as at the beginning he holds out his arm and presents his equipment he is about to use in his act. He stands up straight and keeps eye contact with the audience; also his face is very serious which tells us that he takes his act seriously.
Cutter seems like a much laid back man as he has a slight smile all the time and has calm eyes.

The man with the beard who walks off stage walks very stiff and is shifty looking, this gives the impression to the viewers that he may be behind what is about to happen.

The make-up is very plain as the main characters we see are all men, this keeps is very realistic and natural.

The main props used are the water tank and padlock, bird cages and the equipment the magician uses in his act. The water tank gives of a sense of despair and panic as this is position that no one wants to be in. This adds to the drama and the viewers have sympathy for the magician. The bird cages makes Cutter seem lonely, they also add to the time period as they are old fashioned looking. The equipment used in the act is big and bold, it is also scary looking as it uses electricity which we associate with lightning.

The colours used in the opening are very dull, dark, neutral colours. The assistant is the only one dressed in bright colours so she stands out, pointing out what the part she plays is.

preliminary Task

The preliminary task was about different types of shots that can be used in a film and if we could achieve them.  We feel that we got all the shots we needed quickly and efficiently although we did go wrong at one point and had to re-do our conversation shots.

Preliminary Task