Character ideas/Casting

Below in order:

Nathan Bedford:

-Main character/ killer in the film, he will be the focus of most shots in our film, this is due to the fact that he owns a suit, this will make him a lot more believable as a middle class businessman (the character type that we are aiming for.) the businessman in our thriller film is obviously very upper class tis can be seen through the fact that he wears a suit and carries himself with a lot of confidence (as shown through Nathan's acting.) This goes against a lot of the stereotypes created around businessmen, as they are usually quiet conserved. however the cold nature of that job would fit in with this type of film.

Kayleigh Hobbs:

-This is a side character from the main characters past, she triggers the flashback which is the main part of our opening sequence, as such she is a key character in the opening sequence, she is very mysterious, as such she will be wearing plain clothes on the day of filming to not give anything away about the character. Her being the victim does also go along with the conventions of a thriller, as she has blonde hair and blue eyes she is seen as weak and therefore the perfect type of person to be a victim.

Shooting Schedule

The shooting schedule shows the time place and the shots we will shoot in the specific places, this will help us be more organised when filming.

House- we will be filming here on Thursday 27th of January, this will be the opening shots of the main character packing his bags, this in itself will introduce the characters type in what he packs. This part of the filming will include a lot of normal shots (mid shots, longs shots, high/low angles etc) This will make the viewers of the film very accustomed to the main characters lifestyle, his class, job etc. it will also give us a chance to use a lot of media techniques, match on action, tracking shots, 180 degree rule etc.

London- we will be filming here on tuesday the 25th of january, the shots we do in London will make up the bulk of our film, this will set the scene as a very modern middle class man as he clearly has money (as he will be wearing a suit) and he is a modern man as he clearly lives in the city, this will make it appeal to our target audience (younger generations) as it will make sure it appears to be a modern thriller. the shots we will do here will vary as we have the flashback to film here as well, so we will be doing from mid shots to tilted shots all the way up to extreme long/close shots, these 2 extremities will make the opening sequence more hectic, making the thriller genre very clear to the viewer.

Morden train station- we will be filming here on the same day as we film in London, this will be difficult but i think we can manage it. We may film in Sutton station depending on which station is more accommodating to 3 students filming there. These shots will be making the film a lot more for the ordinary person, as most people use the trains, this will make our film a lot more relatable for a modern audience, this will make the suspense to come more affective, and the theme of death to really shine through. It will also make the viewer ask questions, where is he going?, who is he?, this will draw in the audience very well.

what does an opening sequence look like?

Kill your friends-

This shows what a title sequence actually looks like, in this particular one we have the titles shown within objects in the room, this is very individual to this title sequence, but does show a necessity that is needed in the title sequences, titles. Titles are obviously needed, this tells the viewer a lot abut the film and the people who worked on it. The primary objective of a title sequence is to make the viewer ask questions, this is done very well here in that it makes the viewer ask :what has happened??" "who is this man??" "when is this flashback??" this causes an interest right from the start in the film, this means that many of the viewers will be eager to continue watching the film, and may take an interest in a series as a whole. This is another vital part of what an opening sequence does, it has to provide a hook for the viewer or they will not enjoy watching the film. Establishing shots are used a lot in the opening sequences of films, this is due to the fact that they set the scene very well, it also provides a visual hook for the setting. This fits in with my genre (Thriller) as establishing shots are often used here to introduce new places/settings in the film. The mood in a title sequence must create an equilibrium (a normal setting) in a thriller, this helps to make the horror of the dark themes to come (death, destruction etc otherwise known as dis-equilibrium) a lot more affective on the audience.

Analysis of results

This shows very clearly that most people would like a thriller to be underground, this does fit in well with the thriller genre, as it would be a very dark place to film, however this could provide problems for practically filming, an underground set would be limited to a tube station or two, this could be an interesting idea for a film but the practicality of it constricts me from going through with it.

The second choice was a city, this can be made to fit in with thrillers, it could be a modern thriller which would allow for the audience to have a deeper connection with the film as they can relate to it. The city is also a very viable place to film as London is only a short train ride away, a city will probably be the setting of the film as it is practical and there are a lot of opportunities for beautiful shots.

Conventions of a Thriller

Conventions of a Thriller-

-Typically a thriller uses a lot of close ups, this is due to the conflicting feelings shown in many of the genres films, this use of the close up shows these emotions very vividly, making them a lot more affective on the viewer.

-Another shot type that has been used in the past is the tracking shot, this follows the action/focus of the scene, this is used in thrillers and action film, this is due to the fact tat many of the scenes are very fast paced. As most of these scenes are very high tension the focus must be maintained or the audience will lose interest.

-The mise-en-scene is usually very dark and cold, this helps to make the thriller genre full of tension and it makes the viewer ask questions. The darkness of most thrillers also connotes to the viewer a very dark theme, as death and sadness are main themes in most thrillers this is to be expected.

-Most of the thrillers i have been watching use death as a key theme, this is most definitly a convention of a thriller, the death is heightened by tension that is often created by the previous scenes in the film.

Locations

Story boards

Shot Lists

Key Props

Thriller Initial Ideas

Ideas for creating a Thriller

Brick Opening Sequence

Brick

Cinematography-
The great shots used in this sequence are the end shots where the female character (The one who is dead at the end) reaches into into her locker, this is the sort of shot that i would use. The close up of the male characters face at the beginning really helped to set the tone for the entire opening sequence, it helped to show that there was clearly a rapore between the two characters (before the girl died) this helps to make the viewer ask questions about the rest of the film, meaning that they will continue to watch the film.


Sound-
The music in the opening provides a very eerie atmosphere in the sequence, this heightens the major themes of; death, Sadness and loss. The music helps to reinforce the work that the shots do. This contrasted with the daily sounds of school life connotes a return to normality for the character, This also helps to show the time jump backwards, indicating that the film takes place before the events of the death, this makes the viewer ask more questions about the film.


Editing-
Match-on-action is a very prominant peice of editing used in this peice, it is used very vividly when the male character is scanning the girls body,(sees the guys face, then flicks to what he is looking at.) Apart from this the editing is very scarce this in its self could mean something, it could represent the nitty gritty nature of the film, and the fact that the film is meant to be realistic to the viewer, this increases the shock factor of the sequence.


Mise-en-scene-
The Mise-en-scene differs throughout the opening sequence, in the the first section of the opening, the Mise-en-scene is very dark and eerie, this is the convention of the thriller genre, this fits the conventions of the genre. The school has a completely different mise-en-scene, this is due the the bright colors used and the fact that it is during the day, both of these aspects directly contrast with the mise-en-scene of the previous part of he film. the new "happy" mise-en-scene creates an equilibrium, this means that more things could go wrong.

Questionarre

Questionnaire About Thrillers

This questionnaire is about thrillers, and will help students who study media produce their film opening sequence. We thank you for your participation in this questionnaire. Circle your answer when appropriate.

1. What is your age?

a. 17 - 21 b. 22 – 25 c. 26 – 30 d. 30+

2. What is your gender?

a. Male b. Female

3. How regularly do you watch thrillers?

a. Once a year b. Once a month c. Once a week d. More than once a week

4. a. Can you name a thriller that you enjoyed and why you enjoyed it so much?

5. What type of thriller do you enjoy?

a. Psychological thriller b. Mystery thriller c. Crime thriller

d. Horror thriller e. Other (please specify) ………………………

6. What type of location would be effective to film a thriller?

a. City

b. Town

c. Countryside

d. Underground

e. None of the above

7. Do you prefer a slow paced lead into the film or a faster paced action scene to begin with?

a. Slow paced b. Fast paced c. Don’t mind

8. What elements of a thriller appeal to you?

a. Tension b. Mystery c. Violence d. Twist in the plot e. None (please specify) ………………………………….