Evaluation on Prezi
Monday, 26 March 2012
Saturday, 24 March 2012
First draft and feedback
This is the first draft of our thriller opening. The initial change from this version to our final one may not be very visible, but we felt as though a few changes had to be made. The first change that was made was the font used. We felt as though the old font wasn't scary enough to be in a thriller film. Also, the outlining of the letters made the font less effective. Therefore, we changed the font and removed the outline around the letters. The second change we made was the credits. We didn't use technical words such as 'directed by' and 'edited by', as we thought this would look tacky and take up too much space. Therefore, in our final piece, we have not included these words, but just our names to show we were all involved in the production. Finally, we cut a small amount out. We cut the zoom into the phonebox because we firstly thought it would just waste time, as before our piece was 2:02 (now 1:59), and secondly because it zoomed into the wrong place. The significance of cutting the phonebox not only saves time but it makes our opening look professional and clean.
Friday, 23 March 2012
Directors film
This short clip was taken during one of the filming sessions. We did this in order to show how the director and the rest of the group put together this scene. It shows how we worked together as a team to produce our thriller opening but also how the roles were clearly established within our group.
Friday, 2 March 2012
Filming Log
24th February 2012
Today we filmed one of the scenes in our thriller opening. The scene that we filmed took place in the study area of our school, and the props we used were newspapers and paper. We cut articles about murder and deaths out from newspapers, and stuck them to the board in the room. We then drew red circles around letters in the newspaper articles to spell a name. This name would be the name of the woman who the man is targeting to eventually kill. After we had done this, we filmed the board which was an effective shot, as it didn't look as though it had been filmed in a school. Although there were problems such as trying to not make it look as though it was in a classroom, however, we overcame this problem by changing the position of the camera; holding it a different way. We also filmed pictures of people on paper, with their names below and a red cross across their picture, apart from one girl- the girl he is targeting to kill. We filmed this in the same room on the desk, and closed the curtains to make it darker and thus more effective. We re-filmed this part- filming it in a different location- the same props were used and the same storyline was used, but we used a different location and the layout of the room was slightly different.
2nd March 2012
Today we filmed some shots that we are going to use for the title sequences. The scene we filmed was of a hand covered in blood. We filmed this in our school. We used paint to achieve the 'blood stained' look. The problems we faced was we wasn't sure if it would look real- but it did. The sink shot was accidental, and I discovered it when I washing the paint off my hand. We think this would be effective because it doesn't look planned- it looks as though blood has literally been splattered over the sink, as though the killer has been here. However, despite the fact it looked effective, we didn't use this in our final. This was because afterwards we realised it didn't really have any significance to our storyline. It wasn't a huge loss as we had other shots that also looked effective and had more significance to the storyline.
Here, there is a close up of the antagonist (Clare-Louise) to show what Arthur does to his victims. We used the hat as a prop on the character to show it was Arthur- it represents him.
7th March 2012
Because we have finished filming, we moved onto the editing process. Here, we would cut parts of our piece out and add a soundtrack to make our opening more effective. This was the hardest part of our project, because it took the longest amount of time. I learnt how to use new technology such as iMovie and Garageband. Once we had finished this, we uploaded our opening onto YouTube, and began to work on our evaluation.
Today we filmed one of the scenes in our thriller opening. The scene that we filmed took place in the study area of our school, and the props we used were newspapers and paper. We cut articles about murder and deaths out from newspapers, and stuck them to the board in the room. We then drew red circles around letters in the newspaper articles to spell a name. This name would be the name of the woman who the man is targeting to eventually kill. After we had done this, we filmed the board which was an effective shot, as it didn't look as though it had been filmed in a school. Although there were problems such as trying to not make it look as though it was in a classroom, however, we overcame this problem by changing the position of the camera; holding it a different way. We also filmed pictures of people on paper, with their names below and a red cross across their picture, apart from one girl- the girl he is targeting to kill. We filmed this in the same room on the desk, and closed the curtains to make it darker and thus more effective. We re-filmed this part- filming it in a different location- the same props were used and the same storyline was used, but we used a different location and the layout of the room was slightly different.
2nd March 2012
Today we filmed some shots that we are going to use for the title sequences. The scene we filmed was of a hand covered in blood. We filmed this in our school. We used paint to achieve the 'blood stained' look. The problems we faced was we wasn't sure if it would look real- but it did. The sink shot was accidental, and I discovered it when I washing the paint off my hand. We think this would be effective because it doesn't look planned- it looks as though blood has literally been splattered over the sink, as though the killer has been here. However, despite the fact it looked effective, we didn't use this in our final. This was because afterwards we realised it didn't really have any significance to our storyline. It wasn't a huge loss as we had other shots that also looked effective and had more significance to the storyline.
4th March 2012
Today we filmed in our local area. We filmed the scenes that will be used for the title credits of our opening sequence. We did two shots of the telephone box because we wanted it to seem isolated, and that the killer lived in a quiet, low key area. We achieved this by filming the interior of the phone box, and then filming it from across the road. We also filmed the train scene. We wanted to show the train going away from the camera, to show the end of something and the start of something else. It was to show how the killer was travelling to a new place- we achieved this by putting the phone box scene afterwards to show this was the area he travelled to. At first we saw the cars going past as a problem, however afterwards we realised it may actually look effective- to show that this is a normal place and cars just go past as usual. Therefore, we kept it in but shortened it down a little bit.
Today we filmed in our local area. We filmed the scenes that will be used for the title credits of our opening sequence. We did two shots of the telephone box because we wanted it to seem isolated, and that the killer lived in a quiet, low key area. We achieved this by filming the interior of the phone box, and then filming it from across the road. We also filmed the train scene. We wanted to show the train going away from the camera, to show the end of something and the start of something else. It was to show how the killer was travelling to a new place- we achieved this by putting the phone box scene afterwards to show this was the area he travelled to. At first we saw the cars going past as a problem, however afterwards we realised it may actually look effective- to show that this is a normal place and cars just go past as usual. Therefore, we kept it in but shortened it down a little bit.
5th March 2012
This was the final day of filming. We filmed the main part of our opening sequence in school. We used Karuhn to play the part of Arthur, and we used the props which were a black hat, black coat, black briefcase, newspapers and a syringe. We found it difficult to make the shots look effective, because of the position we were standing in, but afterwards we found that a handheld shot actually looked effective- adding to the tension. The final shot we use is of the killers hat, gloves and weapon. This is to show that he's gone to murder Jade, like he was planning. It also adds to the suspense, making the audience wonder what has happened to him and Jade. We wanted to achieve this effect so as it would make the audience want to carry on watching. Initially I was against the idea of voyeurism, as I thought we had enough Film Noir conventions in our piece, and that it wouldn't fit in with our storyline. However, Karuhn, Gamze and Rabia convinced me that it might be an effective idea to put it in. We filmed it, and afterwards when we watched it, it looked effective, so we all agreed to keep voyeurism in our opening. We re-filmed this again, because we didn't think it looked effective the first time around- so we shot it in a different location, as the lighting was more suitable and matched a thriller genre more than the other location did.
Here, the protagonist (Arthur-Karuhn) is standing in a mirror looking at his reflection, and the reflection of a dead body is shown which surprises the audience.
Here, the protagonist (Arthur-Karuhn) is standing in a mirror looking at his reflection, and the reflection of a dead body is shown which surprises the audience.
Here, there is a close up of the antagonist (Clare-Louise) to show what Arthur does to his victims. We used the hat as a prop on the character to show it was Arthur- it represents him.7th March 2012
Because we have finished filming, we moved onto the editing process. Here, we would cut parts of our piece out and add a soundtrack to make our opening more effective. This was the hardest part of our project, because it took the longest amount of time. I learnt how to use new technology such as iMovie and Garageband. Once we had finished this, we uploaded our opening onto YouTube, and began to work on our evaluation.
The printscreen above is a screen layout of GarageBand. Here, we selected a variety of different sounds ideal for our thiller opening, and edited them alongside our video, so as they ran in time with each other. This took quite a while, as we had to select suitable thriller music, as well as choose some sound effects such as thunder and a door creaking. However, Rabia, who was the main person in charge of music, did the base of the soundtrack, and we all took it in turns to add parts to it. We then listened all together, and if we didn't think something sounded effective, we agreed as a group and removed it. I think this was effective as not only did we work as a team to achieve something, we successfully created a soundtrack which works effectively with our opening.
In addition to this, we had to cut our video and select the parts we wanted the most. Our opening was only allowed to be two minutes long, and so we chose the most important parts to feature in our opening. As mentioned, we used iMovie to do this, and after learning how to do this properly, it didn't take that long. 
As you can see in the print screen, not only did we use Garageband to make our soundtrack, we used some music from iMovie, such as the heartbeat effect used for when Jade's name is spelt out. This sound effect was not featured on GarageBand, so we were either going to download it from YouTube, or use it from iMovie. We came to the majority decision that we were going to use it from iMovie, as we would have to covert the YouTube clip into MP3. Furthermore, we had to use transitions in our piece. This was particularly difficult as it wasn't just a matter of using any transition, we had to select the ones that were most suitable for a thriller film.
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
GarageBand Experiment
In today's lesson we experimented with the software GarageBand. We did this to firstly learn how to use it, but also to see what kind of sounds we could add to our thriller opening. This won't be used for our final thriller opening, but at the end we will all put our compositions together and make a composition which is suitable for what we have filmed. Over the course of the lesson, we experienced several technical problems, due to not knowing how to upload it onto YouTube or onto our blogs, however, we worked as a team and came to a solution and worked it out. We did this by firstly saving it and editing it with iMovie, and then saved it as a Quicktime file, which we then uploaded onto Karuhn's YouTube channel. Despite the fact we went through a variety of technical issues, we have now learnt how to use GarageBand, and will use it to create a soundtrack for our final thriller opening.
Friday, 24 February 2012
Additional group information
In today's lesson we allocated ourselves with the jobs we are responsible for, we also did a list of the locations, cast list and props list.
Job Allocation:
Gamze Kaya - Director
Rabia Jawaid - Music
Louise O'Loughlin - Editor
Karuhn Nahar - Camera
Props & costume:
Syringe
Photos
Newspaper
Red paint
Gloves
Telephone
Arthur: Black blazer, black hat, mobile phone.
Cast List:
Karuhn Nahar - Arthur
Louise O'Loughlin- Clare
Locations:
Hanworth Bridge
Exterior Edgar Road
Interior Apartment/Flat- School.
Telephone Booth
Job Allocation:
Gamze Kaya - Director
Rabia Jawaid - Music
Louise O'Loughlin - Editor
Karuhn Nahar - Camera
Props & costume:
Syringe
Photos
Newspaper
Red paint
Gloves
Telephone
Arthur: Black blazer, black hat, mobile phone.
Cast List:
Karuhn Nahar - Arthur
Louise O'Loughlin- Clare
Locations:
Hanworth Bridge
Exterior Edgar Road
Interior Apartment/Flat- School.
Telephone Booth
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Film treatment
Obsession
TeamYoung Productions presents Obsession. Obsession tells the story of a man and his need and obsession to kill. The opening focuses on the protagonist in his flat, figuring out what his next move will be. We see that he has already killed a number of people, because he has stuck articles about homicide and murder on his mirror. The headlines on the articles spell out a name: JADE. Jade is the name of the woman who is his next target. He then moves onto his desk, where we see a number of photographs with crosses through their pictures. There is a picture of a young, blonde woman- this is Jade. He draws a circle around her picture. We then see his reflection in the mirror, but there's another reflection too... of a girl. The girl is Clare- someone who's already been killed by him (as seen in one of the newspaper articles he has circled). In the end, his plan fails. As he goes to kill Jade, his plan is ruined- Jade kills him.
Script
EXT: HANWORTH BRIDGE
High angle shot of the train, film noir effect, credits will run down the train as it's moving, FADE transition into the next sequence.
EXT: PHONE BOX
MLS, credits will appear at the side of the phone box, sound of the 'engaged' tone. JUMP CUT to the next sequence.
INT: DARKENED ROOM
Close up shot of a hand covered in blood. Last of the title credits are shown next to the hand in red blood font. Dur: 4 secs. Normal transition to next sequence.
EXT: EDGAR ROAD
Still shot of a single window. MCU followed by zoom into one window. JUMP CUT to next sequence.
INT: FLAT
CU shot of a mirror with newspaper articles on. 20 second shot of mirror. Normal transition to next sequence.
INT: FLAT
Pan shot of a desk. Desk contains syringe, a phone, photographs of people with crosses through their pictures. JUMP CUT to next sequence.
INT: FLAT
MLS of door with blood on. Duration of 10 seconds, closing credits appear.
Shooting schedule- first and second draft
This was our first shooting schedule, it is quite basic because at this point we were not sure if we were going to keep this storyline. However, it contains all the details of what days we would have been filming, what we were going to film, who we needed in the scene, and what props we needed.
This is our final shooting schedule, this is the schedule we are going to stick to when we make our thriller opening. We have written the dates and all the details of everything we need when we film, so as we are organised and get everything done in the most efficient way.
First draft, final draft and whole film storyboards
This was the first draft of our storyboard, which we have made many changes to, as we didn't want this story anymore. We kept the first two stages the same, but changed the rest, because we didn't feel as though this was much of a thriller. Our new storyboard suits the thriller genre more, and we made these changes to show the progress we have made and our reasons for changing them. Some aspects have been kept the same, for example the title credits- we kept them the same as well as adding new titles because we thought they matched with a thriller genre, even if the rest of the opening didn't.
This is our final draft of our storyboard. It is quite different to the original storyboard, because we felt that this storyline matches a thriller genre more than the old one did. Although there is no speech used, we feel as though this will be effective because our first scene is in film noir- an effective technique used by many film makers. It also makes it more mysterious and the viewer want to watch the rest of the film. I am confident that this is better than our first draft, and that we will be able to film all the scenes as we imagine them.
This is our storyboard of our whole film. We decided to make the ending of the film unexpected, as at the end we made it seem as though the man was going to kill the girl in the picture. This shows the examiner what our plan for the whole movie was, and how we weren't going to do an expected storyline.
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Preliminary task
Preliminary task planning
In our first lesson back, we were told what our preliminary task was going to be. The preliminary task is to film a simple sequence of actions (someone walking in a room, dialogue with another character, walk out). This is the task we must do before our actual film. We were told our opening sequence was going to be a thriller, and so got to work on researching different themes and how they compare with each other. We watched the openings of Casino Royale- an action film, a thriller- fargo, and another thriller and romance film. We drew a Venn diagram showing the main differences between the opening sequences of the different genres. This allowed us to analyse the different things we could use for our opening sequence of a thriller. We also watched other A-level thriller openings to help us understand the type of things that would be acceptable.
Another way in which we started to plan for our preliminary task was through the use of storyboards. We received a sheet with eight gaps in order for us to fill in with annotated diagrams of what our preliminary task was going to be like. In the boxes, we drew rough sketches of the sort of camera angles we are going to use, and the compulsory sequences (match on action shot, conversation/shot reverse shot, and somebody walking in and out again. We will follow this for when we shoot our preliminary task so as things run smoothly. Furthermore, in order for us to establish what shots we may use in our preliminary task as well as our real task, we filled in a sheet which contained various types of camera shots with the definition filled in- our job was to write down the effect of each shot. This was to help us establish when we should use a certain shot and what effect it would have on our piece.
Another way in which we started to plan for our preliminary task was through the use of storyboards. We received a sheet with eight gaps in order for us to fill in with annotated diagrams of what our preliminary task was going to be like. In the boxes, we drew rough sketches of the sort of camera angles we are going to use, and the compulsory sequences (match on action shot, conversation/shot reverse shot, and somebody walking in and out again. We will follow this for when we shoot our preliminary task so as things run smoothly. Furthermore, in order for us to establish what shots we may use in our preliminary task as well as our real task, we filled in a sheet which contained various types of camera shots with the definition filled in- our job was to write down the effect of each shot. This was to help us establish when we should use a certain shot and what effect it would have on our piece.
This is our preliminary task. It meets all the requirements of what was needed. It isn't the best piece of work but this is good, so we can show the examiner how we have improved when we post our final thriller opening.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Film noir research task
Film noir is a cinematic term used mostly to describe American crime dramas. The first film noir productions came about in the 1940's, and this period ended in the late 1950's. It refers to a black and white visual style, and is most associated with the genre of crime. In terms of iconography, dark pavements, guns, cigarettes and rain represent film noir. The settings usually take place in bars, clubs, urban or industrial settings, or typically 'dodgy' locations. Film noir is often narrated by a voiceover, and contains flashbacks from a person's view. A few examples of film noir are:
- Maltese falcon (1941)- A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.
-Build my gallows high (1947) - A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses and duplicitous dames
- The Night of the Hunter (1955)- A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.
-Touch of Evil (1958)- Stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in Mexican border town
- Maltese falcon (1941)- A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.
-Build my gallows high (1947) - A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses and duplicitous dames
- The Night of the Hunter (1955)- A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.
-Touch of Evil (1958)- Stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in Mexican border town
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Thursday, 2 February 2012
the 180 Degree rule
The 180 degree rule is when the camera must stay on one side or the other of an imaginary line, and must be kept within a field of 180 degrees. It is sometimes seen as very confusing, since the directions established for the viewer is changed. An example of this would be like watching a football game, with the runner going to the right, and all of a sudden we cut to him running to the left. It would make the viewer wonder if he was running the right way or not.
Camera movement
| Movement | Explanation | When would you use it? |
| Dolly | The camera is mounted on a cart which travels along tracks for a very smooth movement. Also known as a tracking shot or trucking shot. | To involve viewers and show something from all angles. |
| Dolly zoom | A technique in which the camera moves closer or further from the subject while simultaneously adjusting the zoom angle to keep the subject the same size in the frame. | To portray sudden realisation or reaction to a dramatic event. |
| Pan | Horizontal movement, left and right. | To follow action or movement, or even a character to represent a certain theme. |
| Pedestal (ped) | Moving the camera position vertically with respect to the subject. | To follow something smoothly and combine with other shots to create an effective scene. |
| Tilt | Vertical movement of the camera angle, i.e. pointing the camera up and down ( as opposed to moving the whole camera up and down) | To show the size of something in relation to a character or another object. |
| Track | Roughly synonymous with the dolly shot, but often defined more specifically as movement which stays a constant distance from the action, especially side-to-side movement. | To make viewers feel part of the action- active viewers instead of static observers. |
| Zoom | Technically this isn’t a camera move, but a change in the lens focal length with gives the illusion of moving the camera closer or further away. | To give extreme detail on something/someone and to create a mood depending on the speed of the zoom. |
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Questionnaire
In order for us to decide what would make our thriller opening effective, we decided to conduct a questionnaire to find out what aspects of thriller people like. We did this questionnaire on ten people, a mixture of males and females. The questions we asked are shown below.
Suspense ☐
Ordinary day ☐
Other ☐
1) What is your age?
15-18 ☐
19-23 ☐
24-30 ☐
2) What is your gender?
Male☐
Female☐
3) What
do you like about thriller films?
Suspense ☐
Mystery
☐
Confusion
☐
Other ☐
4) What
type of music do you think is best suited to thriller opening?
Sharp
sound ☐
Slow ☐
Upbeat ☐
Build
up ☐
Tensions
☐
5) What
events do you think an opening of a thriller should start with?
Flashback
☐
Ordinary day ☐
Chase
scene ☐
Death ☐
Other ☐
Intimidating
person ☐
6) What
types of colour would be best suited in a thriller opening scene?
Red and
black ☐
Blue
and white ☐
Black
and yellow ☐
Purple
and Green ☐
Other ☐
7) What
do you like about opening sequences of thriller films and why?
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Monday, 30 January 2012
Thriller films comparison
Friday, 27 January 2012
Original stills against our stills
This image is an extreme close up.
This image is a medium long shot.
This imagine is a medium close up shot.
This is a high angle shot.
This is a low angle shot.
This image is a medium shot.
This image is a close up.
OUR SHOTS
Close up shot 
Extreme close up
Medium long shot
High angle shot
Low angle shot
Medium shot
Our actual photos differed slightly to the original photos. Instead of an extreme close up of a mouth, we used an eye. It was still effective because the camera was the same distance away from the object being used. This was the case for most of our photos, apart from the medium close up. We kept this the same as we thought this was an effective photo. To achieve our shots, we used a higher platform for when we took the high angle shots, which was the stairs, and we filmed from there. Furthermore we used the tripod to achieve the low angle shots, as well as the medium, close and long shots. We did this because the tripod secured the camera, meaning we could move it any way we wanted to in order to achieve our shot. In our still of an extreme close up, we were worried that the focus would blur, but it didn't and we were able to control it. Also, we effectively used the zoom to achieve our different shots. In particular, the high angle shot. We wanted it to be an effective high angle shot, however we didn't want the people in the still not to be seen, so we used the zoom to achieve both things. Things that could have been improved upon is the steadiness of our hands when using the camera. This will take practice and possibly relying on the tripod more, to help us secure the camera. Also, I think we could be more professional when filming, and use more appropriate stills for each shot. In terms of camera, character and misé en scene, we tried to match the original stills as best as we could. For example, we found that close ups were often used for conversations between people, as they show people's emotions. We also found that extreme close ups were used for a certain object, as it goes into extreme detail of an important object. Therefore, in terms of characters, we used the original still, and used a boy and a girl for the medium close up. This is also why we used an individuals eye for the extreme close up, as you could see detail within it. We also realised that the best type of lighting for a close up shot is not too bright, but not too low key either. It should be in the middle, so as you can see the emotions clearly, but not too dark so as a low mood is set. There's no point in using low key lighting for a long shot, because you can't see any detail or perhaps any of the objects in the scene. We have learnt all of the above things and will take this into consideration when we film our preliminary and our real film.
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Essay question on thriller openings.
Today we looked at the opening sequence of two thriller films. The films were Insomnia and Fargo. We were looking at the conventions in a thriller film. Our essay question was:
Analyse a thriller opening you have recently seen. What conventions does it use to engage the viewer?
There are many conventions in thriller films which help to engage the viewer. This is done through the use of music, lettering, images, colours and camera shots. They have different effects on a viewer, and can trigger certain emotions and feelings onto the viewer. Firstly, the use of soft, deep mellow music in Insomnia may create a tense atmosphere. It may also make the viewer feel uneasy, and feel uncomfortable in what they are watching. It sets the tone of the film, and sets up an important enigma for the film. The elongated notes may add to this atmosphere. Similarly, in Fargo, the music is soft and slow, and suggests a feeling of innocence. As the opening title progresses, the music portrays itself as more heroic, and as if the protagonist is going to play a huge part in solving the enigma that has been set up.
Secondly, the use of lettering and credits helps engage the viewer. The two films differ in terms of their opening credits, the main difference being that one is substantially longer than the other. Insomnia has blotted writing for its opening credits, and the words blur into each other. The writing could also be described as a 'ghostly imprint', as they don't stay on the screen for long before they disappear. The words are positioned centre screen, and the credits in this opening sequence are never combined with an important scene. This is so as the words don't distract the viewer away from the important scene going on. In a less important scene, the credits appear on the screen, as not much is going on. The font is fairly simple, and varies between a black font and a white font. The colours are varied so as they match the background, which is effective as it makes the words really stand out. In contrast with Fargo, the background in Fargo is constantly black, and so has a consistent font colour of black. The font in this film fades, which adds to create a tense atmosphere.
Thirdly, images help to keep the audience engaged. The most effective images are used in Insomnia. There is a denotation of blood in the opening sequence. There are many reasons as to why this is effective, and one of the reasons is because it connotes an enigma. It creates questions by the reader such as "who is that?" and "who's blood is that?". This is a main convention of thriller films, with the problem being shown at the start of the film, and then usually solved by the end of the film. It looks as though the blood is fresh, and so this adds even more suspense to the viewer, and makes them wonder what is happening. The theme of voyeurism is also introduced at this point, reinforced by the camera angles, which I will talk about later in the essay. As well as introducing this, it also suggests that the protagonist is fallible, and that his weakness is that he has done something he's ashamed of and feels the need to hide it. This makes the viewer even more engaged in the film.
In addition to images, colours are also used to help engage the viewers in the opening scene. In Insomnia, a lot of dark, dreary colours are used in the opening sequence to help set the mood of the film. The fact the font colours alternate between black and white helps the viewer to see the writing more clearly, as well as setting a mood of seriousness and intensity. Also, the fact that red is used in the opening sequence (not the blood) portrays a feeling of danger and that something bad is going to happen. Also, the man in the film is wearing a white shirt, which not only helps the blood to stand out, but it triggers a lot of questions within the viewer. If a man is seen wearing a shirt, he seems like a formal, respectable, smart man, however the fact he is cleaning blood off his shirt triggers questions about his status and what he is doing. However, on second viewing, I realised that the blood actually drops onto his cuff, which is what he was trying to clean blood off later on in the opening sequence. Similarly, in Fargo, the colours help to represent a certain feeling or emotion. The blue background denoted in the opening sequence connotes a 'cold' feeling, as blue is usually associated with a lack of oxygen or coldness. This can help establish an enigma as it suggests the storyline may be eerie and so makes the viewer want to keep watching.
Finally, the use of camera shots and angles help keep the audience engaged, and are probably the second most important way in which the audience is kept interested. In Insomnia, there are slow camera angles used, such as a slow pan effect when the camera is moving across the mountains. It suggests that the viewers are 'following' the protagonist as he's going to be the hero in the film. Subsequently, a close up of the protagonists face is shown, but at first just his eyes. They look tired- linking in to the title of 'insomnia'. It also makes the audience think that maybe that was the man who was cleaning blood off of his cuff, and that the audience may possibly feel sorry for him.
Before this, a medium shot was used, showing the man's back to the camera. These micro elements give the audience a snippet of information about the characters and the film. The fact his back is to the camera connotes that he is ashamed and that this is the protagonists main flaw. There are a lot of high angles used in this opening sequence, possibly making the characters feel small or vulnerable. However, unlike Insomnia, Fargo uses a lot of long shots. For example, the car at the start of the sequence is coming towards the camera, and shows a shot of it pulling another car. This triggers questions within the viewer such as "why is the car being pulled?". The fact the car slowly eases into the picture through snow makes the audience almost squint to see it, possibly suggesting the film will use subtle techniques to show an enigma.
In conclusion, the music, lettering, images, colours and camera shots all work together to help the viewer stay interested into the film. It helps portray important messages about the enigma of the film, and also important information about the character of the protagonist, and on occasion, the antagonist. The theme of voyeurism is very effective as it may evoke feelings of guilt in the viewer- the feeling they shouldn't be watching, and sometimes shows the protagonist as a fallible character.
Analyse a thriller opening you have recently seen. What conventions does it use to engage the viewer?
There are many conventions in thriller films which help to engage the viewer. This is done through the use of music, lettering, images, colours and camera shots. They have different effects on a viewer, and can trigger certain emotions and feelings onto the viewer. Firstly, the use of soft, deep mellow music in Insomnia may create a tense atmosphere. It may also make the viewer feel uneasy, and feel uncomfortable in what they are watching. It sets the tone of the film, and sets up an important enigma for the film. The elongated notes may add to this atmosphere. Similarly, in Fargo, the music is soft and slow, and suggests a feeling of innocence. As the opening title progresses, the music portrays itself as more heroic, and as if the protagonist is going to play a huge part in solving the enigma that has been set up.
Secondly, the use of lettering and credits helps engage the viewer. The two films differ in terms of their opening credits, the main difference being that one is substantially longer than the other. Insomnia has blotted writing for its opening credits, and the words blur into each other. The writing could also be described as a 'ghostly imprint', as they don't stay on the screen for long before they disappear. The words are positioned centre screen, and the credits in this opening sequence are never combined with an important scene. This is so as the words don't distract the viewer away from the important scene going on. In a less important scene, the credits appear on the screen, as not much is going on. The font is fairly simple, and varies between a black font and a white font. The colours are varied so as they match the background, which is effective as it makes the words really stand out. In contrast with Fargo, the background in Fargo is constantly black, and so has a consistent font colour of black. The font in this film fades, which adds to create a tense atmosphere.
Thirdly, images help to keep the audience engaged. The most effective images are used in Insomnia. There is a denotation of blood in the opening sequence. There are many reasons as to why this is effective, and one of the reasons is because it connotes an enigma. It creates questions by the reader such as "who is that?" and "who's blood is that?". This is a main convention of thriller films, with the problem being shown at the start of the film, and then usually solved by the end of the film. It looks as though the blood is fresh, and so this adds even more suspense to the viewer, and makes them wonder what is happening. The theme of voyeurism is also introduced at this point, reinforced by the camera angles, which I will talk about later in the essay. As well as introducing this, it also suggests that the protagonist is fallible, and that his weakness is that he has done something he's ashamed of and feels the need to hide it. This makes the viewer even more engaged in the film.
In addition to images, colours are also used to help engage the viewers in the opening scene. In Insomnia, a lot of dark, dreary colours are used in the opening sequence to help set the mood of the film. The fact the font colours alternate between black and white helps the viewer to see the writing more clearly, as well as setting a mood of seriousness and intensity. Also, the fact that red is used in the opening sequence (not the blood) portrays a feeling of danger and that something bad is going to happen. Also, the man in the film is wearing a white shirt, which not only helps the blood to stand out, but it triggers a lot of questions within the viewer. If a man is seen wearing a shirt, he seems like a formal, respectable, smart man, however the fact he is cleaning blood off his shirt triggers questions about his status and what he is doing. However, on second viewing, I realised that the blood actually drops onto his cuff, which is what he was trying to clean blood off later on in the opening sequence. Similarly, in Fargo, the colours help to represent a certain feeling or emotion. The blue background denoted in the opening sequence connotes a 'cold' feeling, as blue is usually associated with a lack of oxygen or coldness. This can help establish an enigma as it suggests the storyline may be eerie and so makes the viewer want to keep watching.
Finally, the use of camera shots and angles help keep the audience engaged, and are probably the second most important way in which the audience is kept interested. In Insomnia, there are slow camera angles used, such as a slow pan effect when the camera is moving across the mountains. It suggests that the viewers are 'following' the protagonist as he's going to be the hero in the film. Subsequently, a close up of the protagonists face is shown, but at first just his eyes. They look tired- linking in to the title of 'insomnia'. It also makes the audience think that maybe that was the man who was cleaning blood off of his cuff, and that the audience may possibly feel sorry for him.
Before this, a medium shot was used, showing the man's back to the camera. These micro elements give the audience a snippet of information about the characters and the film. The fact his back is to the camera connotes that he is ashamed and that this is the protagonists main flaw. There are a lot of high angles used in this opening sequence, possibly making the characters feel small or vulnerable. However, unlike Insomnia, Fargo uses a lot of long shots. For example, the car at the start of the sequence is coming towards the camera, and shows a shot of it pulling another car. This triggers questions within the viewer such as "why is the car being pulled?". The fact the car slowly eases into the picture through snow makes the audience almost squint to see it, possibly suggesting the film will use subtle techniques to show an enigma.
In conclusion, the music, lettering, images, colours and camera shots all work together to help the viewer stay interested into the film. It helps portray important messages about the enigma of the film, and also important information about the character of the protagonist, and on occasion, the antagonist. The theme of voyeurism is very effective as it may evoke feelings of guilt in the viewer- the feeling they shouldn't be watching, and sometimes shows the protagonist as a fallible character.
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Preliminary task planning
In our first lesson back, we were told what our preliminary task was going to be. The preliminary task is to film a simple sequence of actions (someone walking in a room, dialogue with another character, walk out). This is the task we must do before our actual film. We were told our opening sequence was going to be a thriller, and so got to work on researching different themes and how they compare with each other. We watched the openings of Casino Royale- an action film, a thriller- Fargo, and another thriller and romance film. We drew a Venn diagram showing the main differences between the opening sequences of the different genres. This allowed us to analyse the different things we could use for our opening sequence of a thriller. We also watched other A-level thriller openings to help us understand the type of things that would be acceptable.
Another way in which we started to plan for our preliminary task was through the use of storyboards. We received a sheet with eight gaps in order for us to fill in with annotated diagrams of what our preliminary task was going to be like. In the boxes, we drew rough sketches of the sort of camera angles we are going to use, and the compulsory sequences (match on action shot, conversation/shot reverse shot, and somebody walking in and out again. We will follow this for when we shoot our preliminary task so as things run smoothly. Furthermore, in order for us to establish what shots we may use in our preliminary task as well as our real task, we filled in a sheet which contained various types of camera shots with the definition filled in- our job was to write down the effect of each shot. This was to help us establish when we should use a certain shot and what effect it would have on our piece.
Another way in which we started to plan for our preliminary task was through the use of storyboards. We received a sheet with eight gaps in order for us to fill in with annotated diagrams of what our preliminary task was going to be like. In the boxes, we drew rough sketches of the sort of camera angles we are going to use, and the compulsory sequences (match on action shot, conversation/shot reverse shot, and somebody walking in and out again. We will follow this for when we shoot our preliminary task so as things run smoothly. Furthermore, in order for us to establish what shots we may use in our preliminary task as well as our real task, we filled in a sheet which contained various types of camera shots with the definition filled in- our job was to write down the effect of each shot. This was to help us establish when we should use a certain shot and what effect it would have on our piece.
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Introduction
This is my AS Media coursework blog. I am doing film. and my objective is to make a thriller opening, so this portfolio will contain planning work for the film, the actual film, any changes we've made, and the evaluation.
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