evaluation

2. In my film sequence the main character is an older woman in her forties who is battling with a physiological problem, this problem is due to past events. The social group represented in the sequence is middle aged women. Our character is similar to the character in the 1987 film ‘Fatal Attraction’ where a man who has a family has an affair with a colleague, the colleague is then obsessed by the male character and ends up having lots of physiological problems which lead to lots of terrible events.

This image represents the same social group and also is very similar to the character in our sequence, fed up, mental confliction, on edge and also it looks like she has done something terrible and she is now plagued by guilt. One way the social group we have used and from the film fatal attraction have been represented is as being weak minded and obsessive. Even though events which have occurred are bad and should leave characters guilty should their whole lives come crashing down upon them because of it?

The lady pictured above was a serial killer in the nineties and ended up being executed in 2002. Although her actions and personality do not match exactly to our character, I feel that her appearance is just what we were looking for in representing our character as deranged, psychotic and unstable.

3. I feel that if our film were to be distributed by a company it would be 20^th Century Fox, this is because they are a well known, popular and have experience within the thriller film industry with films such as ‘In time’ (2011) and ‘Chronicle’ (2012).

4. The audience for our film would be all ages but mainly aimed at the older audience 30+ and particularly women (because of the main character, it is relatable) however the film is aimed completely at one audience social group so a male teenager will be able to enjoy the film. I feel that it relates to an older audience easier as it deals with lots of physiological issues which may be hard to understand for a younger audience.

If our film were to be publicised by means of media I think that the best way by using magazine would be to publish a copy ‘Empire magazine’ with our film as the main article/cover page. This publicity would be a great way of advertising as it would reach all of Empire’s established audience from all around the world. This is proven from the company’s slogan “the world’s biggest movie magazine” this is one of the best selling magazines in the world and its reputation is of the highest standard. Any film they publish on the cover page will be known across the world just through this form of media.

Another way in which an article would be good for publicisation would be that the publishers of this magazine have a lot of influence over the audience that read it. Therefore if they write a review about a new film (for example ours) and their critics call it bad and don’t recommend it then the readers of the magazine from all over the world will not go and watch the film/buy it because of what they read. However if they write a positive review then all of the readers will go and watch/buy the film and in this way we would have to be very careful about our film and whilst shooting/editing make sure there is no points that are easy to criticise and will end up making the overall sequence as being bad and amateur. 

If Empire were to include our film in their magazine they would write a review and it would be something like “ After watching the film “Delirium” I feel that I no longer know the way a human mind usually functions, this is partly due to the fact that the main character in this film is having a lot of physiological problems and also partly due to the fact that a lot of the scenes in this film are uncomfortable to watch for me personally as there is a lot of parts which make me feel unstable and insecure about my own way of thinking.

However this film is a good watch and I would recommend it to any of you reading this now, the plot is very simple: an ordinary woman ends up getting in a situation were killing someone saves herself. 6 months down the line she cannot bear the guilt and is plagued by thoughts of what happened, she is about to dive off the cliff of sanity which will no doubtedly end unwell. The main character in this film is portrayed in the opening sequence as being deranged and crazy, the transition into the main body of the film is simply the text “six months later” then for the first section of the film we are shown the lady as she was before this terrible event happened and as a spectator you forget that when you were first introduced to her you thought she was deranged and crazy. You build a relationship with her character and you feel comfortable watching her go about her routine but then it all changes and you ask yourself how would you cope in her situation. A must watch.”

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?

I have learnt lots from using different technologies to create the opening sequence. The two main applications I used on the computer to create the sequence were Final cut and Garageband. Without these there would be no video.

Final cut: From using final cut to edit our actual video I have learnt lots of techniques. The first being how to slow down/speed up clips. For example when the camera goes sketchy in the scene where the audience is purposely disorientated I had to speed this up because we had split the clip up into around 100 parts and deleted half of them. This slowed the clip down by half its original time and created the ‘sketchy’ effect.  I also learnt how to add custom text but with a transparent background to create a professional effect. I done this by typing the specified text in on Photoshop (using a chosen, downloaded font) I then deleted all of the white space and saved it as a .png file. This was added to final cut and played over the appropriate clip. After I did this I learnt how to animate the text so that it would appear as the page was turned and look like the text is on one page of the book. One drawback I found with final cut is that it had a very limited number of fonts available and when writing a lot of text it would be very hard to get it all to fit in a small box meaning I would have to condense what I was trying to write. However I did learn how to zoom in on final cut which made editing clips a lot easier because at first I was struggling to find the right moment to edit and it was frustrating to work with.

Garageband: I learnt a lot of techniques from Garageband also. I learnt how to incorporate our video from final cut into Garageband so that creating a soundtrack is a lot easier. This is because we could watch the clip and add sound effects/edit background music whenever necessary. I also learnt how to finely edit the soundtrack by opening a menu which would enhance the visual of the soundtrack allowing me to precisely cut/edit the clip. This was helpful with timings for sound effects/background music. Another technique I learnt from Garageband was how to edit the volume of a clip/track. This was helpful as I could now make certain noises louder than others or increasingly get louder and the main reason so I could fade in/out clips making the whole transition process a lot smoother and comfortable for the audience.

Equipment: We used lots of pieces of equipment when creating this sequence. The main was the HD video recorder which would capture the video + sound of our clip (although the original sound was not used) this video recorder was very easy to use and once we were finished filming we would plug it into the computer and sync it with final cut. We also used the fisheye lens attachment for the recorder  this would created an effect that would look circular to the audience we didn’t get to use this in a final piece which was unfortunate but it was still a new feature for me and I will be using it in the future. Another piece of equipment we used was a voice recorder, we used this to create our own sound effects (screaming, whispering and moaning) these were uploaded to a computer but unfortunately lost or deleted.

Interview

recently i conducted an interview with a teenage boy who was 17 years old. i asked him what he thought a thriller was, what the conventions of a thriller film were and ask him what he thought of the thriller genre.

what do you think a thriller film is?

A thriller film is a movie that has lots of mysteries running throughout the story. a thriller film will have in it at some point, death crime or abuse (mental or physical) lots of thriller films have multiple story lines and have lots of red herrings to off put the audience from the main storyline which usually has lots of enigmas which are puzzles which the audience needs to solve and the main character in order to figure out who the main antagonist is.

what are the conventions of a thriller?

A typical thriller film will have lots of puzzles to solve (enigmas) and lots of red herrings which will distract the audience into thinking something eg that the who the antagonist is. the antagonist (unless clearly stated) is always a surprise to the audience.  also a typical thriller will have murder in it from both the antagonist and protagonist.

What do you think of thriller films?

i like thriller films because they keep us (the audience) guessing about the plot and the antagonist's motives. i will always try and watch thriller films as they are exciting and enthralling. my personal favourites are LA confidential and psycho.

Idents

Idents can be key to creating the right setting/feeling for the audience within the opening sequence, here are two common ones from big production companies and how we will be using factors from theirs in our own ident.

This ident is from the company 'Paramount' this is a well known brand and the ident connotes lots of things to the audience. The main thing this ident makes the audience think is that this company is majestic. this is shown by the use of a peak of a mountain, towering above the clouds and is clearly the highest and biggest thing around that particular area (can relate to the film industry) this is also emphasised by the use of stars around the main logo. the stars can relate to the company's success. the typography used in the logo is also very majestic and royal. 

This ident is for 20th century fox, a film company which has lots and lots of films/tv programs under its name. this ident is a very powerful one and instantly tells the audience that this company is a 'big deal' this is shown to the audience by the logo being a big golden statue with spot lights shining on it. this also shows the audience what the film company may think of it self as this ident is almost boasting.

in our ident we are going to incorporate things such as majestic typography and making our logo a big deal. but we are going to stick to the creepy side of things and use a creepy eye (relating to our film/voyeurism) which moves and then our logo will appear. this will relate to our film and will set the scene for the opening sequence. the audience will not feel uncomfortable with the change from ident to opening sequence.

Filming + mise-en-scene

A week ago we started and completed the filming process of our sequence, we all agreed on everything such as lighting we would all check to see if it looks ok and the position of the camera for each shot. everyone had a word in everything. we used a tripod and a variety of shots such as a high angle, low angle, panning, tracking and zooming.

Our setting (mise-en-scene) was simple. we used Sam's living room and we covered the window so it was dark and we could use our own lighting, we then added props such as an old rocking chair, a wooden table, candles and books to give a whole creepy, mistreated setting. most of the filming was done in a small corner of the room which meant we could easily change the camera angle and never break the 180 degree rule. some filming was also completed outside in the street/garden. effects will be added on final cut to this so it matches the rest of the sequence.

Target Audience

Suitable only for adults

No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema.

No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.

In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC’s public consultations and The Human Rights Act 1998, at ‘18’ the BBFC’s guideline concerns will not normally override the principle that adults should be free to choose their own entertainment. Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:

• where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence
• where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sexual or sexualised violence which might, for example, eroticise or endorse sexual assault
• where there are more explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context. Such images may be appropriate in ‘R18’ works, and in ‘sex works’ (see below) would normally be confined to that category.

In the case of video works (including video games), which may be more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.

Sex education at ‘18’

Where sex material genuinely seeks to inform and educate in matters such as human sexuality, safer sex and health, explicit images of sexual activity may be permitted.

Sex works at ‘18’

Sex works are works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation. Sex works containing only material which may be simulated are generally passed ‘18’. Sex works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images, or other very strong sexual images will be confined to the ‘R18’ category. Material which is unacceptable in a sex work at ‘R18’ is also unacceptable in a sex work at ‘18’.

I thought i would talk about the 18 rating because as a thriller there is a chance this film could be rated 18 even though we are aiming for a 15 rating. Because in the film overall there could be a sex scene which could be a factor of an 18 rated film. this video is an example of an 18 films content.

Actors

in our sequence we are planning on only using a single actor. this will be sam's mum and she will portray a woman who is going insane due to the fact she has killed someone in the past. we thought it would be better to use a seperate actor from ourselves and one who is an adult to make the sequence look alot more professional. we want to make it so that if people anonymously watched it they would not have any idea it is a student sequence.

in the sequence i will also show my hand twitching instead of sams mum as this is easier for us and i can do exactly what we need as i have been discussing shots/storyboards for weeks.

Use of light filters

i have been researching the use of light filters in films and my favorite sequences in which a light filter is used are generally where the effect of blood is produced as it plays on the audiences emotions and makes them feel uncomfortable. Usually with sequences that use this effect the cause of the blood or the antagonist is not revealed therefore makes the audience beg the question "who has done this" or "why has this happened" in the two examples i have chosen (James bond sequence & the alternative trailer to "the Shining") the antagonist is not revealed but draws in the audience as to wonder if the antagonistic presence will be revealed (which is most likely) during the course of the film.

Use of lighting

In our sequence we would like to use lights to emphasise the thrill of the clip. what we would like to do is light up the house we will be filming in or around. the house will be run down and abandoned and the environment surrounding the house will be dark, gloomy and not really visible to the audience.  The use of low key lighting will emphasise this location's creepiness and match our actual sequence. something a bit like this but more visible.

Saul Bass

Saul bass was a graphic designer and film maker, famous for his thriller opening sequences seen in films such as psycho, oceans eleven and vertigo. Saul was born in 1920 in New York. In his great career he worked with hollywood's finest directors such as Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock and Stanely Kubrick.

Saul did not only create opening sequences but also did company logos, and also film posters. Here are some examples:

One of Saul's most famous quotes was: "There is nothing glamorous in what I do. I'm a working man. Perhaps I'm luckier than most in that I receive considerable satisfaction from doing useful work which I, and sometimes others, think is good."

Planning Evidence

Photos - actors, make - up, costume, locations, lighting equipment (dolly)


Dates and times of filming


Roles and responsibilities


Description of mise-en-scene, how will you achieve the look you want? (lighting, costume, colour etc)


Risk assessment - possible things that could go wrong/cause harm and how to prevent it.


Influences - how to film a certain sequence etc.


Special effects - often overlooked in planning stage. any coloured filters? gels? past production? research names of effects?


Practise - dress rehearsal.


Test shots + footage (replications of some shots on storyboard or style of lighting.)

Heres johnny!

We like the eyes in this sequence

Tyler the creator

We like the silhouette effect and the depth of field effect used in this video and we are trying to incorporate it into our sequence.

Logo for film

we are looking at designs for our thriller sequence's title. we need to make a title that is simple yet effective in matching the films persona.

Fish Eye Camera

This is a fish eye lens, we are thinking about using this in out film. This could be effective because it can show a characters perspective of the scene/location and give the viewers a freaky sense of where they are.

Insane eyes

we are going to try and put some scary/insane close ups of eyes in our sequence revealing to the audience that a character in the film could have a problem and but would not reveal to much. is this character the protagonist or the antagonist? this is the image we would like to create in the audience's minds.

The big shave

'The big shave' (Martin Scorscese, 1967) is a short film showing a young man in his bathroom shaving. however he does not stop shaving and ends up cutting all of his face/neck. In modern day culture this short represents people's obsession to look perfect and going to extreme lengths to do so. This is emphasised when the young man reapplies the shaving foam to his face. However in its time this short film was symbolic of the vietnam war in which 475,000 american soldiers were serving. This short film shows a young man wasting his life for no good reason, this represented what was actually happening with the war, lots of young men wasting their lives fighting for a no good cause.

The music in this short is very contrasting to the pictures shown. the score was upbeat, happy and jazzy. this represented the governments attitude to what was happening at the time, they acted as if everything was fine and what was happening was good. in this clip the music makes the clip feel less gruesome and makes it more bearable to watch. 

The use of editing in this short is also good as the cuts are relevant to the beats in the music. this again makes the whole scene feel upbeat. towards the end of the clip everything becomes extremely surreal and the camerawork shows this. there is lots of POV shots and extreme close ups. a shot of the mans chest as blood drips down and a POV of the sink as blood is dripping.

sub genres of thriller

there are many sub genres for the 'thriller' genre, but mainly what we see is a 'hybrid genre'. A hybrid genre is a mix of two or more genres for example the 'Bourne Identity' (2002) which is an action thriller.

List of sub genres:

Conspiracy thriller: A thriller where the protagonist confronts an organisation or group of antagonists whose true extent only the protagonists recognises. eg. The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Crime thriller: A film that offers suspenseful accounts of crimes and focuses on the antagonist (usually committing the crime) these films chose action over psychological aspects usually resulting in murders/deaths. Eg. Seven (1995)

Political thriller: In which the hero must ensure the stability of the government that employs them. eg the manchurian candidate (1959)

Psychological thriller: A film in which the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional rather than physical. characters are dragged into dangerous situation which they are not prepared for. characters rely on the mental resources to beat one another (out witting etc) Eg. Phone booth (2003)

Legal Thriller: in which the hero is a lawyer confront antagonists inside and outside of the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. eg. the runaway jury (2003)

Preliminary Task