Our group consists of Kerry Boyne, Meghan Stone and I. However, Meghan was not in for this day so did not help to film the sequence. But we used another person in our class to act in our clip. The purpose of our preliminary task was to get use to the equipment that we would be filming our opening sequence with so that when it came to filming we knew what to do and how to use everything. We learnt how to film and view photos on the cameras, how to attach the cameras to the tripods and also how to move the tripods up and down. Through out this we also experiemented with some of the camera angles we want to include, such as a high angle, low angle, over the shoulder and panning. The task that we was given was to film a short sequence of dialect between two people which included a range of shots to experiment how to use the camera and test shots. The sequence only had to be short, therefore we made ours 40 seconds after being edited together by Kerry. Due to Meghan and I not being in, during the editing lesson Kerry had to edit it. She had to quickly put the sequence together on a software called final cut pro, where she selected the frames that were most successful and put them on a time line. Once all of the best frames had been imported, she then trimmed down the frames so that the sequence flowed and made sense. To do this she repeatedly had to keep watching the clips, slightly altering them each time. After she thought she had finished she watched it through full and then got another member of the class to watch it to see what they thought.
The different camera techniques we had to use while filming the clip was a panning shot, a close up, an over the shoulder shot, a long shot and a shot reverse shot of a conversation. The equipment we used was a tripod to hold the camera so that it was still was shooting, and we used a digital camera to film the clip on.
When filming i think that my group done multiple thing well. This includes quickly deciding a simple narrative for our clip, that allowed us to include all of the desired camera techniques. The positioning of the camera was correct in order to achieve all of the different's shots we wanted and we did not break the 180 degrees rule. I really liked the zooming out shot as it shows what is going on more and our cameras were very smooth while zooming out, which made the shot even better.
As a group we struggled to use the tripod as it is quite big so it was hard to have enough room to do the desired shots, over the shoulders shots were particularly hard. We attempted to out the camera behind the shoulders of one of our actors but realised that there was not enough room so had to swap everything around.And this is why if we done this task again I would make sure we was in a room that was suitable for the size of the equipment, as this will make it easier to film. On the other hand, I did enjoy doing to high angle shots, as I found the camera easy to move up and down. Also I would not film against a red wall as it made the person walking unclear and harsh on the eye. Also we have learnt to refocus the camera by putting a piece of white paper in front of it, therefore I would do this. Additionally, i would change when Kerry is looks at the camera when she begins to speak. As she should not be looking at the camera because it shows she is recognising she's being filmed and it makes the film look very staged. It also makes it look like she doesn't no what she wants to say. Another thing that i would change is the heights of the camera as it would break up the scene a bit more. This task has been very helpful in preparing for filming our opening sequence as we now know that we need to think about the size of our equipment and make sure our camera is in focus otherwise when the sequence is being played on a bigger screen it will be blurred. It has also help to show me the imprtance of different shots and angles to imply meaning to the audience.
To conclude, my group and I have learnt a lot by filming this preliminary task. And it has shown us things we should and shouldn't do to make our opening sequences look professional. For example, looking into the camera when speaking, leaving enough room to film and making sure our actors are comfortable in-front of the camera. When filming my group and I are definitely going to include the shots we used in this task as they give the audience a good view of what is going on through out the whole scene.
My group consists of me, Meghan Stone and Kerry Boyne.
Meghan's idea- " The idea I have for our narrative is to base the sequence on a chase scene in the forest. The start of the opening scene will be a zooming shot of the abandoned house in Buckhurst Hill. This will introduce the setting and highlight the fact that the house is abandoned and isolated, creating a feeling of vulnerability. The inside of the house will then be introduced to the audience, panning around the interior and showing pictures on the wall that are marked as the psychopaths previous victims. The antagonists presence will be shown but his identity will be hidden to create a theme of enigma around thecharacter. Instead of aclear view of the killers face, the camera will showshadows and silhouettes of him, shots that are too close up to see the man at detail and shots from the killers point of view. The audience will not know who the killer is, what they look like and therefore will question their reasons and purpose for carrying out the murderous acts.The antagonist may even be wearing a mask to hide his identity completely. The protagonist will be locked in a room or tied up in the house. She will escape and begin to run away. The antagonist would be chasing the girl through the forest. He would be walking fairly steadily while the protagonist would be running quickly. Eerie music and various sound effects will be used to increase suspense."
Kerry's idea- "A narrative i am interested in for my own opening sequence is to have an abandoned house or building that a psychopath lives in in the middle of a forest. An a girl gets split up from her group and ends up being his next victim that he has been spying on for a while. In the house there will be pictures pinned to the walls and blood splattered up the wall. The antagonist could be masked as its actually somebody she knows and the protagonist gets chased through the forest. I would like part of it to be filmed in the rain so that it gives it an eerie feel and filmed at dusk. The details of my opening sequence are: The representation of characters- having theprotagonist as a young pretty female who will wear a white dress to show her innocence. The antagonist will be represented as a crepy character thats had a bad childhood and is psychologically messed up which causes him to take it out on other people. To help represent the characters i will use low angle shots to show the antagonist as a dominant character and high angle shots to show the protagonist."
My idea- "My idea for a thriller narrative is a couple who go camping in adeserted camp-site for Halloween, get a bigger thrill then they bargained for when they spend the night running away from a masked killer.
The characters I am going to include in my opening sequence are the victims. These are the young couple, they are both going to be 18 and will have small frames so that don't look very intimidating. I have chosen these characters as my victims because they will appear very innocent and unaware of what's happening around them. Therefore it will help to add to the surprise factor of when the killers introduced to them. This leads on to my next character which is the killer. My killer is going to be masked so they have a hidden identity, this is a common feature in a thriller as it adds to the shock and surprise, which overall adds to the tension created. It has been used in very successful thrillers such as scream.
The sequence is going to be based on Halloween night in a deserted camp-site. I have chosen this as my setting as there will be no one around to help the couple when the killer is introduced into the film, therefore it will maximise the tension within the audience as they will feel hopeless for the safety of the characters.
The weapon that I have chosen for my killer to have is a knife. I have chosen this because it is the most commonly used murder weapon within the thriller genre, therefore when the audience see that the killer has a knife it will increase the tension as they know that someone is going to be killed.
As mentioned before my killer will be wearing a mask to conceal their identity, which increase the enigma within the film. The rest of their clothing will be black to imply their evilness, which is supported by that fact the killer is trying to kill two people. In contrary to this the couple will be wearing bright clothing to imply their innocence and vulnerability. It will also help them to stand out as the sequence would be filmed at night.
There will be low key lighting to give the sequence an eery effect. Also all of the colours used will be dark apart from the victims. As this will show that they are in danger. Also the audience will not be able to see what is around the victims which will add to the shock factor. Additionally, the couple will also not be able to see what's around them. Therefore it will make the audience feel more involved."
Group narrative As a group we have decided to use aspects of all of our narrative ideas to produce a final group narrative. Our story line is based on a psychotic serial killer who as a child was sexually abused by his mother, which has damaged him mentally. Because of this he captures and kills young innocent girls with dark hair that resemble his mother in a form of revenge.The opening sequence begins with a high angle shot of an abandoned house showing the antagonists vulnerability as a child and also the vulnerability of his victims. Panning shots show the audience the interior of the house, focusing on iconography such as old photographs of his mother, blood splattered on work surfaces, religious objects and broken glass before the antagonist is introduced. He will be wearing dark scruffy clothes such as a black hooded jumper and dirty trainers. He will also be wearing a mask to conceal his identity. The type of mask we have thought about using is a plain white one, which conveys he has no emotions and the white has connotations of his innocence as a child.A mid shot will then show him looking at many Polaroid photographs on the wall. These photographs are of previous or future victims. The previous victims photographs have a cross-marked on them in red. We will then focus in on one last photograph of his next victim. The camera will zoom into the photograph suggesting she is going to be killed next.After this the camera will suddenly change to a close up of the actual victim who at this point has her eyes closed. This will help to emphasize her emotion. Whilst the camera is slowly zooming out the victim will wake up and realise where she is by looking around and then start to panic. Following this, the camera will zoom out more rapidly so that the audience can see the situation that the girl in is (how she is tied up on the floor with old rope and where she is in the house). The victim will wear a white floaty dress to show her innocence. However it will be dirty due to the circumstances that she has been through such as being dragged through the forest and being captured and kept in an abandon house. The room will be dark and we will use low-key lighting. There will also be blood on the floor along with pieces of clothing from previous victims.The victim will then struggle to try and get free from the rope and eventually break free. Then she tiptoes towards a window or door. Meanwhile the antagonist is dragging his previous victim into a room by her feet when suddenly he hears a noise made by the victim in the other room and suddenly drops the old victims foot and a loud sound effect will happen along side a fast zoom to the door and a close up of the girls face realizing that she has been to loud and then back to the antagonist who suddenly sprints to the door. The victim frantically runs out the house and through the forest- jumping over twigs. The antagonist doesn’t run as fast but instead has a more slow powerful walk with heart beat and footstep sounds. This will make the antagonist appear confident and as though he knows he will eventually capture her. This makes the audience believe there is no chance that she will escape. Eerie music and various sound effects such as happy hunting music (contrapuntal sound) will be used to heighten the suspense. The sequence will end as the victim trips over something in the forest and she physically cant move because of her pain so screams and struggles which gives the antagonist time to catch up with her. She tries to drag herself along the floor to get up but cant. The camera will cut to a low angle shot of the antagonist as he walks slowly towards. The scene goes completely silent and an extreme close up occurs of the victims face where she is breathing heavily. From this reaction shot the timing of the shots speeds up as the victim suddenly gets dragged backwards by the antagonist which is shown by an over the shoulder shot of the protagonist. The antagonist wont be putting much effort in to drag her back whilst she starts struggling. A zoom in shot will then occur showing the antagonists face and then short flash shots of the victims past will occur. If we decide not to use this then the screen will just fade to black where the title of the thriller film appears with a sharp scream followed by silence implying the victim has been killed.
In my group we can up with 10 questions specific to the thriller genre and asked them to 40 members of the public. We done this primary research so that we can find out what we should include in our thriller and what common things people think create tension and suspense within a thriller. Also so we was aware of our target audience and what BBFC guidelines we would have to follow. We asked 40 people because we needed to get a range of views from different genders and age groups as different people have different opinions. This research will help us to create our thriller sequence because we will know what content our target audience wants and therefore we will know what we have to include within the sequence to achieve ultimate tension, surprise, shock and suspense.
As a group we discussed the questions that we wanted to ask, these consisted of a range of open and closed questions so that we could get as much information as possible. The first question that we decided to ask was the age of the person as we wanted to no was sort of BBFC guidelines we would have to stick too. Also what age rating we would make our sequence. Following this we asked the gender of the person so that we could see if males and females had different preferences, which may result in us developing our content to suit a certain gender. After these two closed questions we decided to ask a open question which was what their favourite thriller was and why. From this we could see what films are most popular and what made them the most popular. Also what sort of films not as many people liked. After this, we asked what sub-genre people preferred and this would give us a good idea of what the most popular one is which would result in our sequence being more successful. Following this, we asked what iconography people would expect to see in thrillers, as this allowed us to see how other people identified the genre. This could also help to shape our narrative. Questions 6 was related to sound, as this is what massively impacts the tension built up within our sequence. This gave us an idea of what sound we should use in our sequence, it also shows us what sort of sounds create the most fear and suspense within our audience. During research for our opening sequence we saw that many of the victim were women or children, therefore we asked if our audience found women and child victims more vulnerable. This will help us to decide what victim we are going to have. Then we asked another closed question, which was whether they thought chase scenes created suspense. We asked this as a closed question instead of an open one as we wanted to know whether to include one or not. Similar to this we then asked whether they feel masked antagonists are more threatening as we wanted to know whether our killer should wear a mask. Then we asked whether an isolated setting makes them feel like the victim is in more danger, as we wanted to have our setting as something isolated such as a forest.
Our first question that we asked is the age of the person answering the questions. We asked this so that we know the age classification we should have and therefore we will know the content allowed within out thrillers. From this we can see that 18+ is the most popular age range with 40% and 12 to 14 is the least popular age range with 25%. Therefore we have decided that we are going to give our opening sequence a 15 age classification. This is because is will give us some guidelines to follow whereas an 18 is very open and there would not be any guidelines of what to put in. We didn't want to go as low as a 12 because the content is quite restrictive and we do not think our thriller would create as must tension and suspense if the content is that restricted. It is helpful that 35% of our audience is 15 to 17 as this is the age group we are aiming our film at so their feedback will be helpful for us.
The next question that we asked we the gender. Although we have got some box plots which allow us to see the gender of the audience, we are not doing this for everyone. Therefore this shows us the percentage of males and females. This questions allowed us to find out whether more males or females watch thriller films, so that we could adapt our narrative and content to be more appealing to males or females. But as we can see from the 50/50% which shows an equal gender balance. Meaning, that we do not have to adapt our narrative and content to suit any specific gender. Additionally, we asked an equal amount of males and females as we did not want to have biased results. As males and females like different thrillers conventions that they enjoy to see in thrillers.
The third question that we asked the public was what was their favourite thriller film. We done this research so that we can look into what the favourite films where and then find out why. This would lead to us being able to look into the more popular films to gain influence for our opening sequence. From this pie chart we can see that the most popular film was the conjuring with 15% of the vote, and Halloween is the lowest with on 2%. This has shown us that the sample of people asked prefer films with more effects and like paranormal and physiological thrillers. Therefore we have decided that we are going to follow the physiological thriller route as we have found through this and previous research that this is a popular theme. Where as Halloween creates its tension and suspense by a plot twist and a sense of enigma through out.
From our 'why' bar graph we can see that 27% of people favour a thriller that made them jump, therefore i now know that i need to include many shock elements to make my thriller successful. Also a plot twist had 22% so this would be good to include, however it will be hard to portray this as i'm only doing an opening sequence. Although only 13% of the people said they favored a thriller because there is gore I still think that i should include some of this in my opening scene so that my film is successful with all suitable viewers. However i will not focus on this. Also even though the others do not have as high percentages i will still included them in as they are all thriller conventions.
This is the next question that we asked of surveyors, we asked this so that we know what theme our thriller should follow. A massive 52% prefer a psychological thriller, which shows me that i need to create a sense of enigma within my thriller and have an antagonist with psychotic features to appeal to the audience. A gory thriller was the lowest (23%) which supports the results from my last question. Although a paranormal thriller has a quarter of the percentage it will be hard to add the correct effects to make a successful paranormal thriller therefore there will be no focus on any paranormal happenings.
We asked the public what iconography they would expect to see in the thriller, this will allow us to know what we should include in order for the sequence to be successful. Our results show us that murder weapons are highly expected in thrillers with 35% of the vote. This has shown me that the murder weapons create suspense and tension within the audience as this is what they expect to see. Because it shows them that something bad is going to happen but the audience don't no what. Although the other weapons are not as expected in thrillers, i will still try to incorporate them as they are still conventional iconography.
The next question we asked was what sounds they found most effective. From the results we can see that a stabbing sound was the most effective sound with 25% of the vote, therefore it would be vital to include this in my opening sequence. The second most effective sound is a heart beat so it would also be important to include this, it also helps to create tension within my thriller. Although the other sounds not as many people find them effective, i would still include them as i want the film to be effective for everyone, even the 10% that found screeching the most effective sound.
Another question that we asked the public is whether they find women and child victims more vulnerable. A huge 92% said yes that women and child victims are more vulnerable. This has confirmed to me that i am going to have ether a child or women victim in my thriller as it will have a bigger emotional effect on the audience. Also because i asked my questionnaire to both women and men, the women could just say no because they felt embarrassed to say yes and they didn't want to appear like the weaker sex. This could make up for the 8%.
The next question we asked is if they think chase scenes create suspense. We asked this questions as in most of the thriller films we have watched there is a chase scene between the antagonist and the protagonist. This always created suspense with us when we was watching. So we wanted to know if this is something that we should incorporate in our opening sequence. Way over half (72%) of the people we asked said that a chase scene creates suspense, therefore i will definitely incorporate this in my opening sequence.
The following question we asked was if they find a masked antagonist more threatening. We asked this as from previous research we found masked antagonist are a common thriller convention so we wanted to know whether to include this or not. From our results we can see that over three quarters (80%) said that they find masked antagonists more threatening, therefore i will use these results to see that i should definitely include a masked antagonist to create a sense of suspense and mystery.
Our aim in our thriller is to create as much suspense and tension within the audience as possible therefore, the next question we asked was if they think that an isolated setting would make them feel like the protagonist is in more danger and why. 87% of people said yes it does, therefore our group has decided that we are going to include this in our opening sequence. Isolated settings that we could include is a forest, abandoned house or warehouse.
We wanted this to be an open question so we could find out why people thought this. 32% of people said because no one else is around, this will help to create tension and suspense. The lowest was 22% of people said it was creepier,. which engaged them with the film. These results show that an isolated setting is something we should include in our opening sequence as it will help to create tension within the audience.
Each member in our group then went and did three vox pops each, as proof of our questionnaire. A vox pop is an interview with a member of the public that is usually recorded. This allowed us to analyse there answers.
From Marnie's answers we have found out her favourite thriller is saw because there is a lot of gore, however upon analysing the overall answers to this question my group and I are reluctant to use a lot of gore in our opening sequence. However, she supported our idea that expected iconography in a thriller are murder weapons which has encouraged us to insure we include them.
Cara's vox pop shows us that she prefers the psychological sub-genre, this is mirrored within our overall results, therefore we have chosen this as the sub-genre we are going to follow. Another popular answer that is supported by Cara's answers is footsteps being an affective sound therefore we are aiming to use them in our sequence.
The person answering in this vox pop is not the targeted audience for our thriller sequence and we can see this as her answers differ from the others. Unlike Cara her sub-genre preference is paranormal, which is not the one my group and I have chosen.
This questionnaire has helped me and my group as it has allowed us to see what the public find creates the most tension, suspense, surprise and shock. I found that the questions regarding sub-genres, iconography and chase scenes most useful, this has all made it easier for me and my group to decide what our opening scene should focus on and include. Also because of the clear percentages from my pie charts, we can shape our narrative and content to suit the results. The vox pops gave me a more elaborated view from the pubic making it easier to analyse. The thing that I am definitely going to include after this research are elements such as a masked antagonist, an isolated setting and a young female victim, because the questions to do with these elements support the use of these three things. If I could do anything differently, I would ask more detailed questions which would ensure our sequence was even more successful.
The purpose of an opening scene is to introduce the characters and give background information, which allows the audience to feel more personally and emotionally involved with the characters. It also sets the scene for the rest of the scene and introduces the narrative. This scene should engage the audience, have a jumpy scene, enigma, surprise, suspense, shock and the film title.
Cinematography-the use of different angles and camera shots within a thriller to build up shock, suspense, tension and surprise. A shallow focus is used when the knife is being taken out of the draw. The knife is quite dark which could resemble that its a negative object. It makes the scene a lot more serious as a knife is a weapon used to kill. The focus on the knife builds up tension within the audience as they question the reason
and purpose of the person holding the knife. Also a high angle is also used at the end of the scene, the camera goes above the house looking down at it. This makes the audience paranoid and emphasises the vulnerability of the people in the house. This can be supported as we know the girl inside the house has just been killed. As the young boy was in the house is also shows his vulnerability as a child and how he doesn't realise the true implications of what he has just done. Zooming out is used at the end of the scene, when the parents arrive home and pull the mask of the child's face. This builds up shock and surprise as no one would have expected such a young child to of killed the girl. Which makes the audience question the boy subconsciously and builds up the mystery within the film. This is conventional to a thriller as a it builds up tension, and the different angles and camera shots help the build up suspense and increase the shock and surprise within the scene. It also allows the audience to follow the scene easily and see everything that is going on the whole time.
Editing- different ways in which the producer makes the audience focus of particular things, people and objects. And how scenes follow each other to create shock, suspense, tension and surprise
Slow editing is used. We see this when the killer is walking around and in to the house. Also it is seen when the killer is walking up the stairs. This creates suspense as we know that someone is going to be killed but we don't no when. Also at the end of the sequence a fade is used to show the end of that
sequence, this could represent the end of the girls life. Which creates tension within the audience as an innocent person has just been killed by a little girl and we don't no why. Different timing of shots is also used when the killer is walking up the stairs before the killing it is very slow however after the killing when the killer walks down the stairs the clip goes very fast.Which shows, the killer is trying to run away and get out before anyone sees him or notices. The speed changes to the narrative. This implies the killer knows he has done wrong and could suggest he feels guilty. This all creates suspense within the film as there are many tense and shocking factors in the scene.
Sound Sound was used through out this clip to create suspense and increase the shock factor. Non-diegetic sound effects were used. We hear them when there is a distorted piano sound played over the clip. This helps to create a tense atmosphere. Also the eery and off-key sound matches the films unnatural narrative, this is conventional to the thriller genre. Also there is silence when the camera is panning and zooming into the room. This creates suspense within the audience as it suggests danger for the characters in the room. The silence encourages the audience to watch the film as they wont get any clues from the sound therefore it increases the shock factor. The silence could also relate to the movement of the antagonist as they are trying to not been seen and be as quite as possible. This helps the audience to build up a relationship with the characters as it makes them feel anxious as they are waiting for something to happen, this adds to then shock factor. Additionally there is diegetic sound when the knife is being taken out of the draw by the killer. This it to make the audience feel as if they are in the room with the killer, therefore it builds up tension as we don't no what is going to happen. This also makes the audience feel quite vulnerable as any could be easily overpowered by someone with a knife.These sounds are conventional to a thriller as they all increase the shock factor throughout the film which builds up tension and suspense for the audience.
Conventions
The first convention that was used was the iconography of a knife, we see this when the killer pulls it
out of the door and carries it with him.This is a weapon that can kill easily, therefore we fear the safety of everyone in the house and we don't no who he is planning to kill at this point. It creates suspense as the knife gives the killer a larger sense of power. This is conventional to a thriller as the antagonist can easily over power the protagonist due to thing like gender, size and having a knife.This builds up suspense and tension within a thriller as the victim doesn't have much a chance to survive. The next convention is the timing of shots. We see this when the killer walks up the stairs and its really slow. This increases the fear for the safety of the girl every time he goes up a step as she doesn't no he is coming. This builds up suspense as we are waiting for something to happen and we don't no how close he is to the girl. Also the audience is unaware if the girl will see him and have time to escape, as a result we feel anxious. This could also help the audience to build up a relationship with the victim as it could resemble her slow death. This is conventional to a thriller as it helps to create suspense as even though the antagonist is walking slow he still catches up with his victim. Character representation
The first character that i looked at was the killer with his hidden identity by putting on a clown mask before the killing and only seeing his face at the end of the scene when his parents pull off the mask. The revealing of the little brother at the end of the scene confuses the audience and adds to the shock
factor. The hidden identity engages the audience as they want to know who is behind the mask. This is conventional to a thriller as the sense of enigma creates tension and surprise for the audience. The next character I analysed was the boyfriend. We see him on the sofa with the victim and also walking down the stairs and out of the house. This demolishes little hope for the survival of the girl as he would have given her more of a chance of survival as he was much bigger and stronger then the killer. This confirms to the audience that the girl is going to be killed. As the boyfriend walks straight past the antagonist as he is walking out, it suggests that he knows the killer and did not see him as a threat. This is conventional to a thriller as the killer didn't try to kill the boyfriend as he is bigger and stronger then him, the killer killed the girl, who is a common protagonist in thrillers.
Narrative The opening sequence to Halloween helps to build up suspense, shock, tension and surprise within the audience. As the film is based on the actual night of Halloween the audience as straight away expecting to be scared and made to jump, as this is conventional to this night of the year. Additionally, as we don't no who the killer is we are unaware of whether they are just going to make the girl scared and jump or if they will really kill her. Therefore suspense is built up when the antagonist is getting closer to the girl. However, at the end when we see the little brother walk out with a costume on it could suggest that he was in the house at the same time as the killer and did not actually kill his sister. This is conventional to a thriller as a plot twist with build up shock and surprise.
From watching this scene for Halloween I know no what I need to include in my thriller for it to be successful and create shock, suspense, tension and surprise. I will have to make sure that my opening sequence engages the audience in order create the best thriller. One key factor from Halloween that I want to include in my opening sequence was the hidden identity of the antagonist as it helps to create a sense of enigma within the sequence, which over all helps to add to the shock and surprise. I really like that we never see the killer in the house with the mask on but by using a killer point of view shot we can see the out line of a mask on the screen which shows that they are wearing one. Additionally, I want to use its the timing of shots as it matches the actions of the characters which makes the audience feel more involved with the film. Which will help to create tension.
A narrative is important so that the thriller is easy to follow and a story line gives the film a purpose, making the audience want to watch the whole film.
My idea for a thriller narrative is a couple who go camping in a deserted camp-site for Halloween, get a bigger thrill then they bargained for when they spend the night running away from a masked killer.
The characters I am going to include in my opening sequence are the victims. These are the young couple, they are both going to be 18 and will have small frames so that don't look very intimidating. I have chosen these characters as my victims because they will appear very innocent and unaware of what's happening around them. Therefore it will help to add to the surprise factor of when the killers introduced to them. This leads on to my next character which is the killer. My killer is going to be masked so they have a hidden identity, this is a common feature in a thriller as it adds to the shock and surprise, which overall adds to the tension created. It has been used in very successful thrillers such as scream.
The sequence is going to be based on Halloween night in a deserted camp-site. I have chosen this as my setting as there will be no one around to help the couple when the killer is introduced into the film, therefore it will maximise the tension within the audience as they will feel hopeless for the safety of the characters.
The weapon that I have chosen for my killer to have is a knife. I have chosen this because it is the most commonly used murder weapon within the thriller genre, therefore when the audience see that the killer has a knife it will increase the tension as they know that someone is going to be killed.
As mentioned before my killer will be wearing a mask to conceal their identity, which increase the enigma within the film. The rest of their clothing will be black to imply their evilness, which is supported by that fact the killer is trying to kill two people. In contrary to this the couple will be wearing bright clothing to imply their innocence and vulnerability. It will also help them to stand out as the sequence would be filmed at night.
There will be low key lighting to give the sequence an eery effect. Also all of the colours used will be dark apart from the victims. As this will show that they are in danger. Also the audience will not be able to see what is around the victims which will add to the shock factor. Additionally, the couple will also not be able to see what's around them. Therefore it will make the audience feel more involved.
The age classification that I would give my film is an 15. I would give my film this age classification as the theme and content could be inappropriate for any person of a younger age and could disturb them. However, there will be no focus on sexual behaviour therefore would not need an 18 age classification.
I will share this within my group so that we can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of all of our ideas and then decide on a group narrative.
Conventions are elements that are common and repeated through thrillers and things that we would expect to see in them. Some of the elements that are conventional to thrillers are shock, surprise, suspense, tension, knives, blood, screaming, protagonists (usually female) and antagonists (usually male). I have chosen to analyse the Here's Johnny clip from The Shining. I'm doing this one as I can see that there are lots of thriller conventions in it.
The Shining
A male antagonist and female protagonist is common within thrillers. We see this when a man is walking towards the bathroom where the woman is trying to escape and cry's hysterically. It is commonly thought that men are stronger then women which makes the audience feel anger towards the male as the situation is unfair. This is very common in thrillers as it adds to the tension. The man is clearly stronger then the woman, he walks very dominantly and this makes him appear like an over powering person. Whereas the woman is cowering away, this makes the audience feel tense as we know that if the man gets to the woman that he could easily over power her. The obvious advantage of the man will make the audience feel hopeless for the safety of the victim. This is a common convention to a thriller as the audience are normally hopeful that the victim will get away but we always know realistically that the antagonist will be able to over power them easily. This creates suspense as its a waiting game for when the killer is going to strike.
A knife is a common weapon used within thrillers. We see this when the lady grabs the knife from the bath room sink. This creates hope for the victim as she has a weapon. However, it also shows her vulnerability as she looks reluctant to use the knife. Which also portrays innocence as a result of this we still fear the safety of the girl. As soon as a knife is seen on screen in thriller we know that someone is going to be killed this creates tension within an audience as they won't find out who the person being killed is until it happens. This will lead to an increase in heart rate of the audience as there will be maximum tension created by the use of a knife. A knife is a conventional weapon used in thrillers as it kills people quickly and takes little effort therefore is convenient for killers. Which creates suspense and tension within the thriller.
Another thriller convention used in this clip is an isolated setting. We see this when there is an establishing shot, when the girl is telling the little boy that she cant get out of the window to escape. This creates tension as we see that there is no one around to help the girl. This shows that there is little hope for her escape and the audience feel that she probably wont be able to get away. In this shot is also shows that its snowing outside which supports that she won't be able to get away as snow slows down any means of transport. This is conventional to a thriller as victims are often trapped with little hope of getting away from the antagonist. This makes the audience feel unhopeful of the escape of the girl, which creates suspense as we are waiting for her to be killed.
In addition to this anther thriller convention used in this clip is screaming. We hear this when the antagonist is axing through the door and the girl is screaming by the door holding a knife. This shows the girl is scared and fears her life. It also shows that the girl knows the man could easily over power her and she can't control her emotions knowing this. Which makes the audience feel sorry for the girl and due to it showing the vulnerability of her they audience will feel like they know her more. In turn this creates a larger emotional effect in the tension created. This is conventional to thriller films as the weakness of the victim creates suspense and tension.
This research into thriller conventions has shown me what I need to incorporate in my thriller and what is expected to be seen. These different conventions make thrillers successful and make the audience subconsciously associate the clips with the thriller genre. The convention that I think is the most vital is a knife as it automatically creates a large amount of tension and suspense, this can be shown in my clip from the shining when the girls picks up the knife. Also I am going to use screaming as it relates to fear and vulnerability which will help to add to the tension.
Editing is used in thrillers to increase the suspense, shock, surprise and tension within the audience. Different editing styles are used to create different effects on the audience. It helps to create a sense of enigma within the thriller genre. Some different editing styles are a reaction shot (any shot where a person reacts to the previous shot), a wipe (a part of the screen wipes away to show another part), a shot reverse shot (when a conversation is taking place and shots quickly follow one and another) there are many more.
A linking shot is used when the husband is walking towards the door with scratches on. The different shots include a close up of the mans face, the door, the scratches on the door and the man touching the scratches on the door. It creates tension as we don't no who the scratches are from and we don't no who is behind the door. Therefore this adds to the fear shown by the husband, for he safety of his wife. This sense of enigma is common in thrillers, so that the audience are always shocked and surprised. The flickering of shots from the man to the scratches make the audience fear the safety of the man. This is conventional to a thriller as it creates suspense by showing vulnerability of the characters, and tension is built up here as well as like in most thrillers we are unaware of what the out come for the victim will be.
There is a jump cut in this scene. This happens when the husband walks into the room and there is a sudden focus on the wife swinging a golf club at him. This creates tension as we know that the husband is not trying to harm the wife but she wont listen to him. Which shows the wife as unstable and this is represented by the continuous swinging of the club. As a result the audience fear the safety of both characters. The sudden focus on the wife portrays her emotions as fearful and scared. This is conventional to a thriller as there is a massive sense of enigma from the wife not knowing whether to trust her husband, this helps the audience to feel more involved with the characters as we see her fear someone she use to love.
A shot reverse shot is used when the husband and wife are having a conversation, the wife is backing away saying that the husband is trying to kill her and the husband is trying to convince her that his not. This creates tension as we know the man is trying to help her but she won't listen to him. It also makes the audience question where the actually killer is, as the shots are going back and forth two innocent people and someone else is in the house. This could also show the vulnerability of both characters as they are both trying to do what they think is right but as we know they are making the killing easier for the killer by arguing with each other. This is conventional to a thriller as victims often try to save themselves but end out making the situation more of a struggle for themselves.
A reaction shot is used when the husband sees the killer walking up behind his wife. We see fear in the man's face as he fears the safety of his wife. This creates suspense as the wife doesn't know that the killer is behind her, and the man immediately tries to help her but gets struck down. This lets the audience relate more to the husband as it shows his panic and that he wants to protect his wife not kill her. This is conventional to a thriller as victims mostly are unaware that they are going to be killed. This scene make the audience feel frustrated and tense as the husband was trying to help her but she doesn't believe him which results in her death.
Editing helps thrillers to be successful and create tension within the audience. I now know how to use different editing style to create different affects on the audience and what sort of editing works within different content.
From this research i found lots of different editing styles that are used in all films including thriller. Before i had a limited knowledge about editing styles used in film however now i no a plethora of different styles that i didn't no before. This has helped me to realise and take notice of the techniques that i should use in my thriller opening sequence to help create shock, suspense, surprise and tension. The editing technique that I am definitely going to use in my opening sequence is a reaction shot as this keeps the audience engaged and helps them to feel more involved in the scene. I liked where this sequence used their reaction shot, so I would aim to place one in the same place in my opening sequence. Also I am going to use a jump cut as this creates surprise and shock within the audience, this helps overall to create tension. I could use this when the killer realises that the victim is escaping.
Mes-en-scene are the five different factors which make a thriller film, these factors are the setting and iconography, the costumes, hair and makeup, the facial expressions and body language, the lighting and colour and the positioning of the characters. These five different factors help to create tension and suspense in thriller films. The same techniques are frequently used in thriller films.
Setting and iconography
This clip is set in a closed dry cleaners, the building is completely empty and this is emphasised when the security guard checks the halls and locks the doors. Apart from the girl and the killer. They are both trapped inside and the girl shuts herself into a room, with lots of different costumes and the killer. Abandoned settings are common in thriller films as it increase tension as we know there is no on around to hear the victims cries for help. There is a focus on the knife when the killer reveals it, which creates fear for the victim amongst the audience. This focus of the knife helps to build up the intense climax of the killing. This isolated setting is conventional as it builds up suspense regarding the safety of the victims. An example of another thriller that uses this thriller convention is The Shining, this is seen as it shows the surroundings of the location to show civilisation is not in sight.
Costume, hair and make up
The girl is wearing very bright clothing, however her top is very low cut and revealing, which could suggest there are two sides to her personality. Girls are very common victims in thrillers, this is because they are seem as inferiors to men regarding strength. This makes the viewers feel sympathy for the girl as they would think the fight scene is unfair.
The killer is wearing a black costume with a scream mask. He blends in well as there are many alike costumes hanging up on the rails. The black and use of a mask enforces that he has a hidden identity. This helps to create suspense as the girl doesn't no which one he is and nether do the audience until we see his trainers. Women being portrayed as vulnerable and innocent is a common convention in a thriller film as it builds up tension, most thrillers use women as the victims and use particular hair and make up to imply vulnerability. A mask to portray hidden identity is a common convention in thriller films and is used through all of the scream movies. This helps to build up suspense in the sequence as the killer is never revealed or only right at the end.
Facial expressions and body language
At first her body language is very arrogant, we can see this as she shrugs her shoulders a lot and her faces look almost disgusted in what the killer on the phone saying to her. This make the audience dislike the girl and disregard any fears they had at first for her safety. However we see the vulnerable side come out when the killer starts to say he is going to kill her. She backs away from the phone like it was the phone that was going to hurt her. Then the girls body language changes to be very timid and frightened. She shakes a lot and runs everywhere crouched down trying to hide. This movement allows us as the audience to feel more involved with the film as people generally share the same instincts when they are scared. Her face looks very shocked and scared after the phone call ends with the killer, she screws it up a lot in panic and confusion. The intensity of these emotions are increase by extreme close up of her face. This body language and facial expressions are continued until she sees the killers.She then turns very defensive. She grits her teeth and tries to make herself seem big. This creates tension as we know the killer has a knife and could over power her. The girl appears very flustered with emotion there are parts where she looks angry and tries to fight back but then there are parts where she cowers away, this creates suspense as it shows how vulnerable she really is.
The killers body language is very overpowering and he always stands over the victim. Making himself appear bigger. Additionally, he never appears timid or shys away from the victims attempts to fight back. This makes the audience resent the killer as this body language makes him appear very arrogant. The weakness and cowering shown by the victim is common within thrillers as it adds to the tension as does the over powering antagonist.
Lighting and colour
The lighting at the start of the scene is quite bright when she is in her office on the phone to the killer. This shows the innocence and vunrability of the victim. Also how she's so unaware that anything is going to happen. This is common in thriller films the victims always get caught out be unexpected killings. As she goes into the room she hides in she tries to turn off the light, this could show she feels exposed and that darkness will hide her. And uses darkness as a comfort.
The further into the room she goes there low key lighting increases, this makes her stand out as she is wearing bright clothing. This emphasises her innocence and how something bad is going to happen in the room.
Also the low key lighting in the room creates an eery and creepy effect. The only source of light is from above them (the back light). It helps to create shadows and the knife shimmers in this lighting.
Positioning of characters
When the girl goes into a room to hide, she goes between the scream costumes, this shows she has a child like vunrability as she has resorted to hiding like a kid. The fact that she is between scream costumes shows there is no escape from her and we know that he is behind her, however she doesn't. This creates tension as we don't no when he will make the move to kill her.
When the killer pushes the cart and she falls off, she lays on the floor and the killer is standing over her. The lets the viewers see that the she will be killed as she is inferior to the killer.
Throughout this part of the scene the killer is directing the movement of the victim by his overpowering body language. He pushes her causing her to fall on the floor, and he walks in towards her which directs her a particular way. This shows how dominating he is, also that he has planned the killing as he knows where he wants her to go. This dominating attire of the killer and lack of knowledge from the victim is in thriller films.
To conclude, mise-en-scene has shown me to use the different factors to portray characters in certain ways and create tension within the audience. From this i have decided that I am going to have my antagonists identity hidden with a mask as I think this adds to the shock and surprise within the clip. I will also use low key lighting to show how the scene becomes more dangerous when the antagonist is around. I also want to adopt the dominating nature of the antagonist in this clip because it shows confidence and how assured they are in what there doing. I also want to use the bright clothing of this victim to resemble there innocence.
