Tuesday, 17 November 2015
Planning the pitch
Planning the Pitch
1) Who are we and what are our amis, tell the audiance about us and our ident- how we got to the ident, where did our inspiration come from?
2) What is the concept or our film and what is our unique selling pouint. Tell the Audiance what we want to acheve and how we want to get there.
3) Shot list, this will show the audiance exactly how we plan to produce thriller and what will happen in it.
4) Mise-en-scene, tell the audicance about the location, make-up, costume, use of props. how will they be affective?
5)the filming of the opening- how will we film it, what will we use, and where is our fiming inspiration from?
6)the typography we will be using and why
7) Music and Sound- where will it come from, what will it include and consist of?
8) Health and Safter risk assesment. what things will we need to be aware of?
1) Who are we and what are our amis, tell the audiance about us and our ident- how we got to the ident, where did our inspiration come from?
2) What is the concept or our film and what is our unique selling pouint. Tell the Audiance what we want to acheve and how we want to get there.
3) Shot list, this will show the audiance exactly how we plan to produce thriller and what will happen in it.
4) Mise-en-scene, tell the audicance about the location, make-up, costume, use of props. how will they be affective?
5)the filming of the opening- how will we film it, what will we use, and where is our fiming inspiration from?
6)the typography we will be using and why
7) Music and Sound- where will it come from, what will it include and consist of?
8) Health and Safter risk assesment. what things will we need to be aware of?
Location Scouting
Location scouting was a very simple process for us, we had three options of where to film, my house, Georges house and Eloises house. Georges house was immediately ruled out as it is located in Rippingale, and there was no reason for us to travel out of Bourne when both me and Eloise live here. We then made the decision to choose my house as we wanted to use the most generic house possible to show how the characters are just normal people, and my house is the most modern and normal. Pictures of all of our houses are shown below, as well as the consent form (signed by my parents) for permission to use their house.
Job Roles
Matt Olver
We chose Matt to be director, music and sound director and to timeline and document the filming of our Thriller opening. This is because he is the most organised in the group and is a good leader, who makes quick decisions. His weakness lies in the filming and technical aspects of film making. So that has been assigned to other members of the group. However plays multiple instruments and has experience producing music, hence his selection for this role.
George Davison
As an experienced photographer, George has the equipment and know-how to lead the filming and real life artistic elements of our production, he assisted in the writing of the shot list and contributed many of the ideas for our film, including pull-focus, split-screen and in the risk assessment as he is the most active member of our group, so is more aware of his surroundings.
Eloise Preen
Eloise is the most visually artistic member of our group, so she mastered the role of ident and typography designer very well. She has experience in Adobe Photoshop so she will utilise her skills in this program to create a professional looking ident. Eloise is also in control of mise-en-scene for our production, as she has a wide selection of clothes and props at home (she has two brothers), and again, is the most visually artistic.
We chose Matt to be director, music and sound director and to timeline and document the filming of our Thriller opening. This is because he is the most organised in the group and is a good leader, who makes quick decisions. His weakness lies in the filming and technical aspects of film making. So that has been assigned to other members of the group. However plays multiple instruments and has experience producing music, hence his selection for this role.
George Davison
As an experienced photographer, George has the equipment and know-how to lead the filming and real life artistic elements of our production, he assisted in the writing of the shot list and contributed many of the ideas for our film, including pull-focus, split-screen and in the risk assessment as he is the most active member of our group, so is more aware of his surroundings.
Eloise Preen
Eloise is the most visually artistic member of our group, so she mastered the role of ident and typography designer very well. She has experience in Adobe Photoshop so she will utilise her skills in this program to create a professional looking ident. Eloise is also in control of mise-en-scene for our production, as she has a wide selection of clothes and props at home (she has two brothers), and again, is the most visually artistic.
Actor Auditions
Actor Auditions
For our male role, physically we desire a tall and strong person, preferably attractive as this adds to the feeling of wealth and attracts a female audience. They also need to be able to act dramatically but also effectively perform physical humour. They also need to look old enough to drive.
For our female role, again we require tall and fit looking female. One who can move fluently and looks old enough to drive.
We selected 6 potential actors and actresses and instructed them to re-enact a very short dialogue and movement. Although our film does not contain any dialogue, it is a good test of an actor, as it quickly shows any weaknesses in confidence and physical ability. There performances and analysis' are below.
For our female role, again we require tall and fit looking female. One who can move fluently and looks old enough to drive.
We selected 6 potential actors and actresses and instructed them to re-enact a very short dialogue and movement. Although our film does not contain any dialogue, it is a good test of an actor, as it quickly shows any weaknesses in confidence and physical ability. There performances and analysis' are below.
Music for Thriller
Matt will be responsible for the music in our production, for this task he will be using samples and virtual instruments from Ableton Live and Logic Pro X as he ais familiar with them. he will also be using real instruments, mostly guitars.
Matt is taking inspiration from the Dick Dale track Miserlou, and the Mission Impossible soundtrack. He will be fusing rock guitar and drums (to create a violent and 'cool' feel) with String and Horn Sections to add Drama. He is also going to use studio microphones to add sound effects such as clocks ticking and a kettle to augment what is being seen on screen. Additionally he will be using synthesisers and other modern sounds to hint at the characters 'spy' lifestyle.
Below is some of the score for the guitar part. He has used simple theory for the main lick, with the pentatonic scale, as these are known as the five most audibly pleasing notes when played together, We hope this instinctively pleases the audience and compliments the visuals they will accompany.
Matt is taking inspiration from the Dick Dale track Miserlou, and the Mission Impossible soundtrack. He will be fusing rock guitar and drums (to create a violent and 'cool' feel) with String and Horn Sections to add Drama. He is also going to use studio microphones to add sound effects such as clocks ticking and a kettle to augment what is being seen on screen. Additionally he will be using synthesisers and other modern sounds to hint at the characters 'spy' lifestyle.
Below is some of the score for the guitar part. He has used simple theory for the main lick, with the pentatonic scale, as these are known as the five most audibly pleasing notes when played together, We hope this instinctively pleases the audience and compliments the visuals they will accompany.
Mise en Scene
Mise-en-Scene
Props
In our thriller opening we will be using a replica gun as a prop, to insinuate the nature of these two characters work. The guns we will be using are being borrow from a member of the groups family and are safe replicas. We are using them to create tension and excitement in the audience, and to also create an enigma of who these people are and their relationship.
We are also using expensive objects as props to create a sense of wealth and professionalism, these include sports cars, jewellery and clothes and they will further enhance the previously mentioned enigmas.
Costume
We are going to use the nicest looking suit we have for the male character, again to enhance the feeling of wealth. For the female character we will be using heeling boots, black trousers and a button up shirt, this is to show both power and action ready (in the trousers).
We will be using striking make up for the female lead, such as dark red lipstick and eye shadow.
We are filming in my house as we want to create a common scene, to show that people like this could be living in your area. My house creates the perfect urban setting for this, as it is a fairly modern and stereotypical of a British house.
In our thriller opening we will be using a replica gun as a prop, to insinuate the nature of these two characters work. The guns we will be using are being borrow from a member of the groups family and are safe replicas. We are using them to create tension and excitement in the audience, and to also create an enigma of who these people are and their relationship.
We are also using expensive objects as props to create a sense of wealth and professionalism, these include sports cars, jewellery and clothes and they will further enhance the previously mentioned enigmas.
Costume
We are going to use the nicest looking suit we have for the male character, again to enhance the feeling of wealth. For the female character we will be using heeling boots, black trousers and a button up shirt, this is to show both power and action ready (in the trousers).
We will be using striking make up for the female lead, such as dark red lipstick and eye shadow.
For our lighting we will be using industrial lighting to increase to quality of image we procure and to enhance the excitement of the piece.
We are filming in my house as we want to create a common scene, to show that people like this could be living in your area. My house creates the perfect urban setting for this, as it is a fairly modern and stereotypical of a British house.
Presentation for Thriller
This is our presentation to show our ideas for our thriller opening sequence. We did not have enough time to do a company ident for our thriller, therefore we have put together a PowerPoint presentation showing what we are aiming to do.
Sunday, 1 November 2015
Vox Pops & Analysis
Vox Pops Analysis:
To film our vox pops our group needed to find 5 people to be questioned about thriller movies and the thriller genre. All the people we questioned on the subject of thrillers told us that they would expect stereotypical conventions and plots. This includes the James Bond films for example, since they incorporate action, however maintain a high level of suspense all throughout the films. James Bond would be divided into the sub genre of action thriller, this is because the plot has a protagonist and antagonist who fight over loved ones or the safety/destruction of the general public. Other popular thriller films include Se7en, Psycho and Limitless.
Typography is a very important aspect amongst films, especially Thriller movies. This is because if it is not the right style/font, the audience can immediately lose interest in the film. It is important to keep the viewers entertained and also to maintain a high level of tension and suspense. This can usually be created by using stereotypical fonts for thriller movies, like Serif or Sans Serif. I would say that Serif is normally more appealing for thriller films since its more old fashioned and gives off a period atmosphere, however films like Limitless have used Sans Serif well since it's a film about modern times and has a futuristic feel.
I think that our group worked well during this task and we all cooperated together in a good manner. Matt took the editing role for the assignment, whilst George, Nat and I filmed and starred in the questioning. If I was to do this task differently, I would make sure that the people being questioned didn't look into the camera at all, as that makes the video seem unreal and fake.
Friday, 23 October 2015
Thriller Trailers
Thriller Trailers:
What sort of narratives/themes is typical to thrillers?
- Sicario - Drug/Crime
related, Some sort of quest
- The Walk - lots of
suspense, idea of doubt/uncertainty, back story featuring romance, ticking
clock scenario, pre-determined identities
- San Andreas - Disaster/Eco
Thriller, worst case scenario and mildly realistic
- Legend - Typical gangster
styled film - period (1960's in America)
- Bridge of Spies -
Spy/Legal/Political
What enigmas are created/resolved?
- The Walk - Plays on fears,
life/death scenario
- Crimson Peak - Past coming
to life, haunted
- Bridge of Spies -
War/conflict/espionage
What mise-en-scene is typical?
- Sicario - Mexico, desert,
urban, realistic, guns for props
- Crimson Peak - Creepy,
deserted old house full of mystery's
- Legend - 1960's in America,
American Mafia involved, stereotypical props used in that period
- Bridge of Spies - 1960's,
true story
What sort of roles do the characters play?
- Sicario - Female lead,
Crime, Resourceful, good cop/bad cop
- Crimson Peak - Heroic male,
Female lead: not very powerful
- Legend - 2 characters, 1
actor, mischief causing
Trailers
of Thriller movies:
SpectreThe Walk
Legend
Kill Your Friends
BBFC and Target Audience
The BBFC and the Thriller Genre
The BBFC is the British Board of Film Classification. It controls all censorship on films throughout the UK, and has been doing this since 1912.
Films are marked/rated on:
The BBFC is the British Board of Film Classification. It controls all censorship on films throughout the UK, and has been doing this since 1912.
- U - Universal - All ages admitted
- PG - Parental Guidance - All ages admitted, some scenes not ideal though
- 12A - Should be 12 years of age, with an adult
- 12 - Only suitable for people 12 years +
- 15 - Only suitable for people 15 years +
- 18 - Only suitable for adults (18)
- R18 - Restricted 18 - Can only be shown at licensed adult cinemas
Films are marked/rated on:
- Context
- Theme
- Tone/Impact
- Discrimination
- Drugs
- Imitable Behaviour
- Language
- Nudity
- Sex
- Threat
- Violence
Monday, 19 October 2015
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
Limitless Opening Sequence Analysis
The previous shot then escalates into showing the title of the film. It has used modern, bold sans serif font in white, to contrast against the dark background. It once again incorporates the busy city life into the shot, depicting the setting which the characters will act in. Since it is set in a very busy city, it determines the budget of the film, since New York is a city filled with wealth and notoriety.
This shot zooms in from the city to brain cells. This depicts that the film is about accessing 100% of your knowledge, instead of only '20%'. It uses warm colours, relating to blood to entice the audience. The writing also carries on being a modern, bold sans serif font, showing the cast and producers who worked on this film.
After looking into the depth of brain cells, it zooms in further, which morphs into looking down at New York city. This show is another birds eye view, which is extremely high up and shows the massive scale of the setting. This shot is also showing who has produced the film, and still uses sans serif font. It uses this font to depict with the modern, up to date lifestyle, especially when in such a high powered city like New York.
Friday, 9 October 2015
Conventions of Opening Title Sequences
Conventions of Opening Title Sequences
Independent: Not a huge company, going against the mainstream
Mainstream: Typical, large budget Hollywood movie
Napoleon Dynamite:
Independent: Not a huge company, going against the mainstream
Mainstream: Typical, large budget Hollywood movie
- Introduces the main actors, director and production roles
- Sets the scene and time of the film
- Music sets the genre - action film: loud, bold string & brass instruments
- Name of the film
- Production Company
- Name of the studio
- Featuring
- Casting by
- Music Composed
- Story by
- Based on the characters by
- Written by
- Opening uses snap shots
- Super imposed titles over video
- Action Gangster styled film
Napoleon Dynamite:
- Props used to introduce the cast and crew
- Indie Comedy
- Low budget
- Low budget, indie movie
- Uses cartoons to show titles
- Many, collaborated shots to create a moving picture
- Country music in the background, in time with the scene
- Super imposed
Script for Preliminary
Preliminary Task - Script
Teacher - Right Norman, we know you've been graffitiing the maths block, what have you got to say for yourself?
Norman - It wasn't me.
Teacher - That's not good enough Norman! You're gonna have to sort this out, you're gonna have to do overtime for this!
Norman - Why don't you just suspend me?
Teacher - That's it! Suspended, for a week!
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Thursday, 1 October 2015
Preliminary Task Evaluation
Preliminary Task Evaluation
For this task, we had to organise ourselves into a group of
4 (max.) and shoot a short sequence to show we understand the basics of
recording, editing and keeping continuity. This film had to include a character
opening a door, crossing the room, sitting down in a chair opposite another
character and have those two characters exchange dialogue. Continuity was key
for this task.
I was in a group with Matt, George and Nat, and at the
beginning of this task we struggled for ideas. However, we came up with a
solution of a student getting in trouble at school for painting on some of the
walls. Filming the actual scenario was probably the most accurate part of this
task, since we knew what we had to do. Challenges our group had to overcome
were the continuity errors, because the two actors – George and Matt were not
wearing the same clothes as the day before, so we had to re-film some of it.
All of the footage we got was of a good quality. This is
because we were able to use George’s Nikon camera, which we mounted to a dolly
so we could maintain a steady shot. The lighting was rather light, which
doesn’t fit in exceptionally well when it comes to thriller films, so that
would be something to change for next time.
We edited these shots by using IMovie. This was quite a
difficult task since most of us have never used the software before. However,
we had a look on YouTube to find tutorials on how to develop our film. Our
entire scene was then edited in black and white. This is because we wanted it
to fit in with stereotypes of thriller movies and typical conventions. We also
edited in non-diegetic and diegetic sounds. The non-diegetic sound was a
classical piece to create a sense of tension amongst the audience, and we
wanted the shots to be in time with music. The diegetic sound was the slap on
the table, which was echoed and turned up to show anger from the actor.
I personally thought this task went successfully, however could’ve
be improved with more time. Our continuity kept thorough throughout and we did
not go beyond the 180-degree rule. Furthermore, our planning was consistent and
we kept to our original idea without changing anything.
Throughout this task, I have learnt that if the continuity is
not correct, then the whole of the scene will not make sense. Additionally, to
ensure that the shots are processed well, the editing process needs to have
quite a lot of time. I enjoyed this preliminary task too, since it has created
a sense of teamwork and has taught me how to shoot shots well.
Thursday, 24 September 2015
Friday, 18 September 2015
Thriller Sound Notes
Sound in Thrillers
Diegetic – sound occurring from the film
Non-diegetic – Sounds created in post-production
Synchronous sound – which goes with the action and events occurring in the scene
Asynchronous sound – which contradicts the events occurring
Psycho:
§
Strings – cello/violin – very high timbre & ‘scratchy’
§
Non-diegetic
§
Chase scene from a horror/thriller
§
Closing in on the victim
§
Building up to the climax
§
Fast paced
§
Edited in to the video
§
Repetitive notes
Cape
Fear:
§
Trumpet – horn instruments
§
Added in strings – high pitched screeching
§
Strings create tension and add to build up of a climax
§
Repetitive notes played
§
Drops half a tone to create more anxiety
§
Non-diegetic and synchronous
§
Dramatic & ominous fear
§
Bass – depicts a mood of sadness
§
Electric and acoustic guitar
§
Anxiety and tension builds
§
A bass drum is then added to give the scene more of a pace
§
Asynchronous
§
Heart felt beat
What makes a good thriller soundtrack?
§
Crescendo with the climax (gets louder)
§
Always in the minor key
§
Strings (often high pitched)
§
Percussive heart beat sound (usually in the bass)
§
Sense of enigma
§
Nursery rhyme themes
§
Tri-tones
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