Planning of titles

Research into conventions of the genre

Thriller Conventions

1. A crime at the core of the narrative (Often murder not always)
2. A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions
3. A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas(problems) which the viewer expects to be resolved.
4. A protagonist who is systematically, disempowered and drawn into complex web of intrigue by an antagonist. 
5. Extraordinary events happening in an ordinary situation
6. Themes of identity
7. Themes of Mirroring 
8. Themes of voyeurism
9. Protagonist with a "flaw" which is exploited by the antagonist
10. Titles often reflect an aspect of the protagonist/antagonist's psychological state.
11. There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril
12. Mise-en-Scene which echoes the protagonist plight

Analyses of Audience Research

In the survey that was taken by people i found out that most thriller films are normally popular with young people 17 or younger. I also found out that thrillers are mostly commonly watched by males than females, However it is not always the people favorite genre of film. The main reason that the people liked thrillers was because of the thrill that they gave them.

Target audience research (using survey monkey)

In order for me to carry on my research. I had to make a survey to find out who and what type of people watch thrillers.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PLCHM3J

Understanding of film Language

Camera

There are different type of camera angles to create an effect. The camera angle portrays an object in a particular way. An example if you wanted a building or a character to be presented as mighty or tall, then you would use a low-angle shot. 

Editing

Editing is used to merge together different shots. It is a way of making a visual and creative story. For an action scene for example there would be fast/ quick editing to make the fight seem quick and 'epic'. In a long shot it would normally be used in a western film duel there would be that long editing of who is going to draw the weapon first as they are staring each other down.

Sound

The sound in a film is not always the music in the film, it is also the dialogue. If there is not speaking between two characters or there is a long pause it creates the effect of awkwardness. 

Mise-en-scene

In a film there are lots of aspects that make a film what it is. A typical western thriller, there would be cowboys, shooting/Guns, horses etc. The lighting would be sketchy and look as if it is dusk. 

Music

Here I had to get license from the music provider by mobygratis.com to use their non copy righted music.

Analysis of Scenes

North by North-West

Conventions - Chase, explosion, walk away shot, Death, protagonist 


Camera - P.O.V


Editing - long take to reflect the idea of him being in the middle of no where no sign of action.


Sound - Hardly any dialogue, no music mostly natural sounds


Mise-en-scene - daytime but dusk, blue/grey suit. Dull makes this scene seem boring until the plane comes.

Consideration of target audience

Most 18+ rating films in the cinema have now been reduced to 16+. The reason Film directors and reasearchers have decided to lower their certificate rating is because of what they have researched. They did a reasearch on who goes to the cinema more often between teenagers and adults. They found carried out surveys and other forms of research and found out that people from ages 16+ go to the cinema. This is a way of the films reaching a broader audience.

Me and my colligues have started to decide on what our target audience should be. One of the ideas was that we would appeal to 16+ year old as it is something that would reach a broader audience. We wanted the thriller to just be done for one set audience.

Analysis of Scenes

Sabotage

Conventions - Explosions, urban area, suspense(build up of suspense through the music and the clock ticking, Death


Camera - shot reverse shot


Editing - Quick shots when the bomb was about to go off. Also slow shots when building the tension because the bomb was about to go off the editing was quite slow cut to make the audience feel like time is running out.


Sound - The clock was ticking at the same time was the music building up the suspense


Mise-en-scene - Gangster/ terrorist film - bomb, suites, hats. 

Analysis of Scenes

Shadow Of A Doubt

Conventions - Urban area, chase, Protagonist, Antagonist, suspense

Camera - Crain shot, P.O.V,

Editing - there were some fast paced editing to make the chase more jumpy, some long editing

Sound - Chase music building up as the chasewent on andthey nearly catch him, no dialogue

Mise-en-scene - gangster film: slick hair suites, hats

Animatic

This is my animatic story board that i made using final cut express. 

Here is my screen shot of putting it together 

Here is the finished product

Mood board/Brainstorm

My Group members and I all came up with possible concepts and ideas that we could base our thriller upon. Each person contributed an idea and we all had different ideas.

Chuck Jones & 'The Rules'

In every looney tunes cartoon there is the protagonist and antagonist. In the Looney tune 'Road Runner and Cyote, we see that the Cyote is the antagonist and road runner the protagonist. Cyote always comes back each time with a better weapon but at the point where he goes and catches the road runner the weapon never seem to work or, the road runner gets trapped and somehow manages to escape. Normally the protagonist gets trapped and instead of the villain or antagonist to kill the protagonist instantly instead they make a trap that the protagonist could escape from.

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment Sheet Film Title: Red Nation Writer: Rasheed Fakrouni, Simon Akinwunmi, Michael Mensah-Afram, Femi Azaka  Producer: Rasheed Fakrouni, Simon Akinwunmi, Michael Mensah-Afram, Femi Azaka Director: Rasheed Fakrouni, Simon Akinwunmi, Michael Mensah-Afram, Femi Azaka Date: 20-1-12

Major Issues: Filming at: 1. We would be filming at Althorne way – Braduel Avenue – There is a danger that something might happen, as we would be filming at night or twilight. 2. In one of our group members house (Possibly) 3.Possibly on the high street – Dangerous as there would be cars going up and down. Solutions: 1.     We could make sure there is various people with us when were are going out to film that way there is a small chase that something would happen with anyone or the camera. We could also make sure that we check the area that it is a safe place that we could go and record at. 2.     We would need to get permission from one of the parents that we would be filming in and ask them if it is possible for us to film inside there house. 3.     We would have to check for the safety on the high street, as there would be cars and people at the same time. This is needed because we would then end up injuring ourselves or breaking the camera. Contacts: All four parents Miss and Sir  Personal number - 07983822407 Emergency services: On Site Services: Local Police:999 Local Fire:999 Local Hospital:999

Analysis of past students' work

To create an affective thriller opening we hand to look back at past students work. One of them that was effective was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ43CqyqC24&list=PL831191973A7A1B5C&index=2&feature=plpp_video 'The Night walker'. This thriller opening was very effective, the fact that they had the title screen interupting the actual film opening was really effective. Another  thing which was good was the building of tension and suspense as the girl was being chased. When she got into the car the audience is wondering whether she would be able to get away then when she drops the keys it has the audience at the edge of their seats at this point again wondering if she'd be able to pick them up in time.

Another opening that we looked at was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqp_-IOprj8&list=PL831191973A7A1B5C&index=1&feature=plpp_video 'Hide and Seek'. Again very effective due to the use of music that builds up the tension. The fact that we see a shadow running past makes the audience wonder and discuss what is that that just went past. Some may be discussing saying that she shouldn't go in. 

Analyzing Thriller Openings

Zodiac

Convention - Tension, shock, death 


Camera - Square shot


Editing - Quick shots, slow shots for intimacy


Sound - No music just dialogue


Mise-en-scene - Shooting, Guns


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBu8BdhUnmE

Analyzing Thriller Openings

Brick

Conventions - Dramatic music 


Camera - P.O.V, middle shot 


Editing - Flash back, Slow and quick shots


Sound - Dramatic Sound, No dialogue 


Mise-en-Scene - Dead Body, No one around 

Analyzing Thriller Openings

Memento

Conventions - Plot twist, Death, mind games with the audience, Protagonist, antagonist 

Camera - Quick shots, close up shots, mid shots

Editing - Flash back: done in black and white

Sound - Dramatic music, Voice over narrative

Mise-en-scene - Guns, blood, broken window

Thriller Treatment

This is a copy of my treatment sheet.

Storyboard

This is my storyboard that i have produced.(Flashback)

Types of Thrillers

There are different types of genres that thrillers are also linked to. This is used when it you are finding it hard to categorize a particular film as JUST thriller. Alfred Hitchcock mostly made thriller films. However now there are not just thriller films but there are other genres that its linked to These are called sub genres. The sub genres for thrillers are:

• Action thriller - films like The A team, I am Mr. 4 etc are seen to be categorized in this sub genre but it is argued that films sub-genre categorized are more action than thriller.

• Conspiracy thriller - Films like Enemy of the state, S.A.L.T etc

• Crime thriller - Films like Takers, twelve etc

• Erotic thriller - Films like Secret Love, swimming pool 

• Legal thriller - The client, Michael Clayton 

• Political thriller - The Hunting party, Spy Game

• psychological thriller - Blink, Boot camp, 7 days  

'Red Herring'

A red herring is a device in the film that tries to divert the audience from the truth or an item of significance in the thriller. 

It is normally interlinked with 'Enigmas' which creates more suspense for the audience. 

In the film 'The Resident' there is a scene in the movie where we think (Christopher Lee) Albert is planning to do something to Hilary Swank)Dr Juliet Devereau with his dark and mysterious appearance but in actual fact he isn't the real Protagonist. This did divert from the actual plot because we were concentrating on Albert but forgetting about the other character who was going to do something.

Enigmas

What is an Enigma?
An enigma is something like a puzzle, a riddle, something mysterious etc that has to be solved. It is in most genres in film not just thrillers.


The enigmas in thrillers however, is something that the protagonist has to try to find out and or solve before the story is resolved and the film has come to a close.

Coursework Brief

On to the Coursework - In the coursework that we would be producing we would have to include a title screen and an opening of a new fiction film in the thriller genre to last a maximum of two minutes. The over all percentage grade of the coursework is 50%. The maximum people in the group is 4 however we could include some outside people that do not take media studies within reason. The production itself is worth 60% of our final grade.

Narrative - Structure, Formulas and Devises

The automatic use of 'Continuity editing'.

The clear establishment of 'cause and effect' plotting which establishes a characters motives and helps tell an interesting story line which continues logically and steadily.

First person narratives is a a mode that a character tells a side of the story line at a time. Normally about and for themselves themselves. First person narrative may be in a reliable or deceptive voice and represent a point of view in the writing.

The Psychological Thriller

In our previous discussion of the different types of thriller genres, Physiological thrillers involves two or more characters praying upon each other with mind/ deceptive games. The suspense of this genre comes from within the characters' mind. This could be an effort to work out what happened to the character.


Some films that are categorized in this sub-genre are:

• Strangers on a Train (1951)

• Psycho (1960)

• Phone Booth (2003)

• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Hitchcock Introduces 'Maguffin'

Definition: A MacGuffin, sometimes spelt McGuffin or maguffin, is a plot device that motivates the characters story but has other relevance to the story. Some popular examples of a MacGuffin are money, power, glory etc.

"We have a name in the studio and we call it 'MacGuffin' it is the mechanical element that usually pop up in any story. In crook stories it is always the necklace and in sky stories it is always the papers" - Hitchcock

SHOCK!

An example we discussed in class: Imagine the same snare execpt that instate of the camera reveling the bomb under the table it automatically explodes and kills everyone. 

The reason this is shock is because we the audience is not expecting to see something explode out of the blue which makes it 'Shock' as it leaves the audience jumping out of their seats.

This shock is shown in the opening of the film 'Children of Men'

The reason this opening makes the guy goes into the shop we hear something about a little child he walks out and a bomb goes off.

SUSPENSE!

An example of suspense we discussed in class: Imagine a scene in a film similar to a classroom,with teachers and students. The camera reveals that there is a bomb under the table to the audience but the (students and the teacher) are unaware of it. This is called Dramatic irony , which was famous in Shakespeare's plays. 

The reason this makes this suspense is because it raises questions from the audience whether the class would be saved? or when would the bomb go off?

An example of suspense is seen in one of Alfred Hitchcocks films 'Sabotage (1935)'

We in the audience knows something is going to happen by the building of music crating tension.