screen shots

Feedback from R2-46

R2-46

'Love the use of sound, particularly up to 0:49. Really effective within the location.
Perhaps more of an explanation of the narrative, didn't understand the 'X'in her diary at 1:43.'

'Titles look professionl and looks like an opening not a trailer.
The letter she looks at is unclear 1:16'

Our opinion:
The 'X' on the diary is to show the day something important to her is, this gets the audience thinking. The letter is not particularly important, we tried to show the protagonist acting like a normal adult getting ready for work, most adults behavious would be to check letters and get lunch ready etc.
Thank you for the comments.

Feedback from Group R2-47

Feedback from Group R2-47

Good -

Good variety of shots.
The use of lighting was very good, its made the clip mysterious.
Good use of costumes

Improvements -

Didn't really understand what was happening.
There may have been more dialogue in the house scene.
Not sure whats going on.

Feedback from Group R2-48

Feedback from Group R2-48:

Good -

Effective use of ambient sounds in contrast to the upbeat music.
Good use of panning shot for titles.
I like the contrast in location and lighting.
Nice sound at the start.
The use of loads of close-ups is effective.
The makeup on the eye looks really good and realistic.
I really like the opening shot when it is moving down the wall, it creates a really good effect.
The music in the background is just the right volume, so that it is not too loud.
Really bold font for titles is used
Light music contrasts well.
Interesting opening scene with cellar walls.
Dramatic title effects.

Improvements -

Zoom on tap is a little unsteady.
Jumps a bit from when she leaves for the X.
Some of the shots are not very still.
You could use some still shots instead of zooms and tracking to make a variety.
To make it better you should find a way to make the relevant information on the letter readable.
Could use a tripod to make a few of the shots steadier.

Feedback from R2-45

 R2-45
 'The camerawork is really good, especially with the slow zoom on the girl. Also, i got the ideaof your sequence straight away- well done.
I would criticize the amount of light used at the start as it is dark and fuzzy, but it does give a good effect.'

'Need to spread the subtitles out. Great use of camera angles.'

'Sound is very effective throughout the clip.
Camerawork to be less hand help, a tripod could have been used more.'

Our opinion:
We appreciate the feedback given from this group and think the opinions were reasonable and constructive.
We agreed that the lighting would need to be altered as an improvement as we all agree it is really dark at the beginning.
In reply to the comment of the hand held camera being too much, we thought the hand held camera was necessary in the cellar as it created tension and helped with continuity editing. However we agree a tripod would of been good for the kitchen scene.

Rough Cut Analysis

Sound:
The sequence starts of with non-diegetic music to set the scene, the music uses a range of lower and higher tones.This creates a creepy and mysterious effect which makes the viewer intrigued as to what the sequence is about. This music then quickly cuts into silence and the first shot of the sequence, this causes all of the viewers attention to what's happening in the shots. In the Kitchen scene we hear diegetic music which the character in the scene is listening to herself, there is also diegetic sounds of the tap and the plated hitting eachother, this is a contrast to the music which introduced the scene. We then hear speech from another character which straight away cuts to the kitchen where the telephone is ringing which again is diegetic sound, we also hear speech through the answer phone which cuts from both locations to hear the speech from two different places. When it switches back to the barn we hear heavy footsteps walking towards the protagonist. The scene ends using non-diegetic music which links back to the music used in the kitchen scene.

Thriller Conventions:
Often in thrillers there is one character who is a 'helpless, innocent female' and occasionally is in need of rescue, this has been used effectively as the female in need of help appears young and vulnerable which instantly makes the viewers sympathise with her and wonder why she has been taken away. Another convention used is that many thrillers are set in isloated places, this has been done effectively in this opening as the kidnapped protagonist appears to be tied up and not knowing where she is.

Analysis of thriller opening - The Prestige.

The camerawork in this opening sequence is used to create a confusion for the viewer although some shots are shown as a sense of normality which contrasts with one another. We are shown a mid shot of an older man who appears to be telling the story, this is for the viewer to become familiar with who this old man is and why he is telling a story. Throughout the scene we are shown mid shots/ close ups of the main characters in the sequence, this is done to show the viewer a clearer image of the protagonists. We are also shown an extreme long shot of the hall and stage in which the magic tricks are being peformed, this just widens the view of the location and who is involved in this particular scene. Many shots are quick and they tend to switch from one another often, this is typical of a thriller as it creates confusion and mystery for the viewers, it draws them in and makes them want to watch more.

The editing in this sequence is continuity editing as it mainly uses cuts to switch from one scene into another, however it doesnt seem to use any fades or dissolves. This is done so it feels as though the sequence is quite quick and the transitions move from one to another quickly. As the sequence swithes from one location to another without any transition it feels as though it's going back in time and showing a flashback of the past. By doing this the viewer feels disorientated, they feel as though the sequence is being rushed, or even missing out parts of the story, this intregues the viewer which is sterotypical of a thriller as they now want to watch the rest of the sequence to find out what's happening. Tracking is used in this sequence to follow movements made by a man who appears to be suspicious, this is done to feel as though they need to be followed to whereever they are planning on going. This makes the reader feel as though they are invading the privacy of whoever the camera is following as they do not know they are being followed. Zooms are often used in this sequence, usually to show something from a larger view and then zoom in to see it in more detail.

Mise-en-scene is used in this sequence also. The first shot we see in the opening sequence is a shot of many identical top hats, these are shown in a forest. Top hats are usually connected with magicians, so straight away we think that a magic trick may have been taken place to duplicate all of these top hats. There is a slight bit of mystery as to why the hats are in the middle of a dull forest though, this could link to the mystery part of the sequence.

The scene then swaps to an indoor location, the first character we are shown is a man who appears to be a sterotypical granddad. He has very little grey hair, a grey beard and is wearing a shirt and a waistcoat. The clothes he is wearing appears to be very old fashioned which suggest it is set in an earlier time peirod rather than the present day. We are then shown a young girl who could be the granddaughter of the old man, she is wearing and old fashioned dress which is a light pink with ruffles and lace on the neck. After this the scene swaps again to a hall and a stage with a man on who appears to be an entertainer, i say this because he is wearing a suit and bow tie so he appears to be professional and know what he is doing. In his left hand he appears to be holding a walking stick, this could suggest that he needs it for part of his trick.

The lighting in the sequence is very dull and dim, this is done to create atmosphere for the trick on stage and most likely it would have been set to take place in the evening time. But the lighting could also suggest the mood, it could make the audience feel uneasy and think that something bad is going to take place. There is one spotlight on the stage which is pointed at the magician, this shows that he is of higher authority than everyone else but it could also suggest that when the audience all have their eyes on him, something could be taking place elsewhere.

Sound is the last micro element in which uses and explores the thriller conventions. At the start of the sequence there is non-diegetic speech in a low tone which appears to be a mans voice, this makes the audience wonder who's voice it is and why it is done in this way. Throughout the sequence there is speech, the old man speaks the whole way through the sequence, this again is non diegetic speech. This makes the viewer think that the old man is telling a story, maybe to his granddaughter. We also hear diegetic sound which sounds like electric supply and occasionally sounds like thunder, this is done when the helper switches on the big machine in the middle of the stage, the sound is added to make the machine appear scarey and dangerous to the audience which it certianly does. At this point the audience wonder what trick the magician will be carrying out and wether it is safe or not. There is some ambient sound in the sequence, which is a light sound of a machine.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH FLICKERING LIGHTBULB SHOT

The location we are using is a cellar which we need to be almost pitch black. We had decided on using a flickering light bulb as it would be effective for the illusion we wanted to create. We originally wanted a close up of the light bulb, but after discussing it we found that it would be extremely hard and would cause danger to make a light bulb flicker. When carrying out our test shots we found that using a camera torch and swaying it vigerously it gives off a great effect. Also instead of showing a close-up shot of a light bulb we had a idea of using a candle in a lantern which could be flickering by a gush of wind and would eventually blow it.

Moodboard

This is our moodboard, we have used two very different sounds and images to give an idea of the two different settings in which we are going to use in the opening sequence. The first set of images are things you would see in a normal family kitchen on a morning before work/school for example; a kitchen table and a kitchen sink. The music is used as we want to create a happy atmosphere to contrast with the dull cellar. The second set of images and sound are complete opposites to the first set as the cellar will be almost pitch black with dull ambient sound and echos. The images used are ideas of shots that we will use for the opening, shot of the eye and tied up hands.

Writing for the thriller opening sequence

I quite like this font to be used in the opening sequence of the thriller as it is bold yet mysterious, it has a slight curl to it which could suggests that everything isn't as it seems and there is something 'hidden' behind the corner.



This font looks slightly like blood splattered which i like a lot as is gives a clue as to what the opening sequence is about. It is a little cliche for a thriller but i think it would fit into our story very well but without giving too much away.


 

This font is similar to the first font but slightly more sophisticated, this text is quite sharp and pointed which gives off an impression that the sequence will be slightly gory.


 

I found this font from an opening sequence on YouTube, this font looks very creepy. I like the way the writing is very square and the white blobs almost make the writing hard to read which makes the viewer pay more attention to the screen. On the video it blurs in and out which I had already imagined our group doing with some writing in the sequence as it would fit in well in the lead up to the cellar scene, this would link to the candle/lantern we are going to use which will be flickering. The stripe down the side looks similar to what the police use to identify finger prints which hints that something suspicious is going to happen which would also fit in with our sequence. This writing is my favourite so far.



 

Test Footage

We carried out some test shots before filming our thriller. Part of the opening sequence is going to be set in a dark cellar which is why we chose to do our test shots in a dark room to get the feel of how the shots will look with only a very small amount of lighthing.
In order to create the tension and uncertainty for the audience, we've set the scene in a dark area. The dark room enables the audience to question themselves what is going on and helps set the scene of the girl being vulnerable by not being able to see where she is and being tied up.
The limited light enables the audience to view the protagonist and the main features like the tied hands and feet along with the blood which shows she has been physically harmed and locked up, this creates the effect of the audience being causious of the girls condition making them eel tense, however the audience know sub-consiously that they are safe themselves in reality which is a key feature that thrillers need to include.
The flickering light creates the effect of the light either faiding or about to faid into darkness which helps build the tension for the over all scene. Along with the close up of her face and eye, the flickering light helps create an anxious tension for the audience and helps piece p the scene over all for a thriller as it is subtle.

The ambient sound helps blend in the continuity editing which enables the audience to feel like they're participating in the scene. The dripping water echoing in the background helps set the location of a dark lonely spaced cellar as it echos which makes the location seem very open, this enhances the girl's vulnerability because she is tied in a little space but is kept in a large area. The ambient sound will make the audience feel the echoing is near them like they're there, this effect of continuity editing will help make the "thrill" the audience is hoping to get out of the scene.
Hearing nothing but her breathing and the echoing of the water dripping causes an awkward tension, this blends in with the genre of the sequence because thrillers create and uncertainty to what is and is going to happen, you're never quite sure compared to a horror.

The zoom into a close up of the girl's hands and feet helps show all the main aspects towards the point of the scene which is that she is being held in a cellar tied up.
The mid shot of the girl's face zooming into a close up of just her eye creates tension for the audience as the effect of only seeing one feature of the girl's face, not being able to see her facial expression or where she is creates that uncertainty and curiosity for the audience to build up the effect of the "thrill" that may or not happen at that precise moment. The flickering light and echoing sound effect of dripping water helps to build that effect for the audience as it all fits the scene together.
 The scene shows a shadow over the girl's face which looks at first, like an over the shoulder shot, however the shadow is over the girl's face and you don't see anyone's shoulder, this creates the "thrill" for the audience as it's unexpected, to see a shadow of another person appear on the wall and across the girl's face. The audience will because anxious and unsure of what's happening but still sub-consiously know they're not in danger in reality, however the way the camera is shot close to the girl and then shown a shadow of another person makes the audience feel like the shadow is behind them with the effect of continuity editing which enables the audiences to feel they're part of the action.

PROPS AND COSTUMES

Our opening sequence only involves only one main character, but this character is shown in two different locations. For each of these locations the character will need two different costumes.

The main character Lola - For the first location which will be the cellar. Lola will be dressed in old and worn clothes which will be dirty and have holes/ rips in them. The clothes she will be wearing will be a pair of black leggings and a t-shirt. She will have bruises on her face and body and will be dirty all over as well. She will be bare foot in the cellar to show the dirtiness of the environment. Her hair will be down and messy to show she has been neglected for a while.

For the kitchen location Lola will look very smart and sophisticated, she will be wearing a black pencil skirt, a shirt, tights and a pair of heels. She will be carrying a large handbag which shows she is off to work. Her make up will be natural and her hair will be down and straight. This will contrast completely to Lola's cellar look and confuse the audience, and leave them unsure whether it is the same character.

 

Character no2: This character will have a casual everyday look to contrast with the smartness and sophistication of Lola's look. This will also make the character appear more laid back, and casual compared to the protagonist who appears more in a hurry to show her busy lifestyle. The character could also possibly be a younger child around the age of 1, and in this instance this child will be used to again portray the busy everyday lifestyle of a working mother and wife and give across a sense of normality to the audience.

Test shot pictures

This photo is an example of the shot we will show of the protagonist when we switch back to the cellar scene, it will show the protagonists face which will have a worried expression on it. We tested out lighting to find out what effect looked better with this shot and we found that the lighting used in the picture above would be appropriate.























This shot was tested as we wanted to show close up shots of the eye at the very start of the opening of the sequence. This shot ended up blurry but we liked the effect of this photo so it may be used in the opening. The one below shows a similar shot but it is not blurry, this gives off a mysterious effect which is the effect we want to give off in the opening of the sequence .












This is a high angle shot shown of the protagonist which we tested as we wanted the setting to be pitch black but we wanted to show part of the protagonists face. We liked the darkness of this as only parts of the protagonists face are shown.



 
 This is a shot of the protagonists hands which will be tied up by rope in the shooting of the opening. This is going to be shown in a flash with the close up of the eye to show a disorientated effect.

SHOT LIST

Here is a rough shot list that we will use in our Thriller.

SHOT 1: INT. Close-up shot of a flickering light bulb (this will be in the cellar - the audience will be unaware of this) - diegetic music of a light bulb flickering.
SHOT 2: Switch to a close-up shot of a wall with blood and dirt splattered all over it, not a focused shot so the viewers are not sure what to think. Here will be a non-diegetic ambient humming sound which the viewers are unsure of what it is/where its from
SHOT 3: diegetic music of a tap dripping in the background of the scene. Here to accompany this sound will be a close-up of a drip, and it hitting the floor.
SHOT 4: Another close-up but this time it would also be a canted angle. It will be of some tied up rope around the protagonists wrists but the shot will not show anything else. The diegetic music of the dripping tap will be carried on throughout this scene.
SHOT 5: The last shot will be an extreme close-up of the protagonists eye, battered and bruised, and with blood running from a cut underneath. The extreme close up will show the detail of the eye, and it twitching and staring blankly into the camera. This will scare the audience and leave them feeling uneasy. The sound here will either be a diegetic ambient sound, or dripping sound.

SHOT 6: The next shot will change the location to the kitchen where we will do an close-up shot of a dripping tap into a sink, this will cause distortion for the viewer so they think that maybe it is the same location as before but in a different time period.
SHOT 7: A close up shot of the radio will be shown so the viewers know where the music is coming from.
SHOT 8: The next shot will change to the kitchen table where there will be a medium shot of the protagonist sat at eating breakfast and talking to a family member/ friend. The music will be diegetic music of a radio which is also sat at the table. This shot will create a sense of normality for the viewer.
SHOT 9: This will show an over the shoulder shot as a conversation between the two characters sat at the kitchen table will be taking place.
SHOT 10: There will then be a tracking shot of the protagonist walking to the sink to put her bowls into the sink and then makes her way out of the house on her way to work.
SHOT 11: When the protagonist has walked out of the house the shot will move to a close up of the calender on the wall with the date monday 9th of March circled and all the days leading up to it crossed out, which shows today is a significant day.

SHOT 12: The location then switches back to the cellar with the protagonist tied up and a medium/close up shot of the protagonists face is shown with dirt over it and looking like a gorm. The protagonist stares into the camera lifelessly.
SHOT 13: A medium high angle shot of the protagonist sitting/lying on the floor is used to show her surroundings in more detail.
SHOT 14: We then hear a non-diegetic sound of footsteps upon the floorboards above, and the the camera switches to point of view shot, showing the protagonists viewpoint and how her vision darts around the room following the movement of the footsteps etc.
SHOT 15: A Close-up shot of the bottom of the door and the light that peaks through from underneath it is shown. We see some of this light blocked, which is presumed to be somebody who lurks behind the door.
SHOT 16: The shot then switches back onto the protagonist with a medium/close-up shot showing her with her head covered by her hands/knees/hair. There will be a diegetic sound of the door open and somebody walking into the room slowly. From the light reflected on the wall behind the protagonist we see the figure of a shadow.

MEMENTO - OPENING SEQUENCE ANALYSIS

Throughout the opening sequence of memento all of the psychological thriller conventions are explored in one way or another. The central theme of identity is explored to some extent. In the opening sequence the characters identity is exploited through inking on his skin which  is shown. This inking signifies the characters flaw of having a bad memory and also the mystery surrounding why the character has these inkings. The point of view shots which are used at the beginning of the opening sequence when the character is in the hotel room build suspense and draw the viewer in. It also makes them question what is happening and the reasons behind it. It also portrays the main character to be confused having a loss of memory, and also makes the viewer wonder if the central character even knows his own identity.

Memory is portrayed in Memento in an interesting way. The main character is shown having pieces of information written on his hands. Although the viewer can't actually read what is written it makes them question what is written and draws them in. It also signifies that he does have a memory problem and therefore uses his body as a canvas for these tattoos in order to remember things that he would not remember. Also in the opening sequence close-up shots are used of the main characters face and these show cuts and bruises which he has on it. These cuts and bruises suggest that the character is vulnerable and suggests his weakness of having no memories, as he would not be able to remember why he got these cuts and bruises or what happened to him for them to appear.


A stream of consciousness is shown in Memento as a voice over, this is shown when the protagonist is in the hotel room alone and the voice over is shown as his internal thoughts. This makes us as the viewer feel as though we are getting an insight into things we shouldn't be, so we feel very privileged.

In memento music is a key convention as it sets the atmosphere, the music is very dramatic and mysterious which makes the viewer feel unsure of what is going to happen. It is also used to build up suspense which most thrillers do, the music will start off quiet and slow and gradually build it up until it is at a point in which makes the viewer feel tense and wanting to watch more of the film. String instruments are often used in the music.

In memento mise en scene is giving the audience hints as to what the protagonist is like, the portagonist is shown with writing all over his hand which suggests that he is forgetful and has to make a note on an obvious place to remember important things. Not just does he write things on himself but also he has them tattoed, this is a big clue which makes the audience think that the protagonist has some kind of memory loss an feels the need to tattoo important dates onto his body which is very odd characteristic.

Memento sets up something which is called a 'set of intrigues' this means clues which eventually lead to a bigger puzzle, examples of this is the tattoos he has on himself and the cuts and bruises on his face which suggests he has been fighting. The cuts could either mean that he is a vulnerable character or a strong, tough character; these are made obvious with the other things in which he does and how he is portrayed.

In memento there are many 'point of view' shots used, the reason for this is so the viewer can see through the protagonist's eyes and make themselves feel as though they are in that situation. When the protagonist is shown in the hotel room we are made to think that the protagonist is confused of where he is and maybe even who he is.
 
Later in the sequence we are shown a close up of a photograph which is in the protagonists hand, this gives the viewer a voyeuristic feel and makes us feel privilaged to be seeing this photograph.

In memento the sense of time is disrupted which makes the viewer feel confused as to what's happening at what time. It even makes the viewer question whether the protagonist is aware of what the time is and where he's going.

In the opening sequence it signals to the viewer what the rest of the film will be about and what to expect, in memento these are:
- distortion of reality
- disruption of time
- repitition
- loss of memory

The fact that the protagonist corrects his name in the opening sequence makes us think that maybe he has a dual identity as people know him as two different names. We also question wether the narrator is reliable as they are asking alot of questions which confuse the viewer. 

RISK ASSESSMENT

 

This is an image of our risk assessment sheet.

key points of 'why thrillers thrive'

We have to experience thrills artificially and the screen is the best medium for us to do this. For us to appreciate what a character on stage is going through we have to receive thrills vicariously, which is not the best method. The cinema can leave the spectator with a subconscious assurance of safety and yet surprise his/her imagination into playing tricks on them. Scenes in which set the blood pounding through the veins are highly beneficial for indigestion, gout, rheumatism, sciatica and premature middle age. But the 'horror' film has been loosely applied to films which exploit sadism, perversion, bestiality and deformity. This is wrong, being vicious and dangerous. A film can fully well be horrific, but not horrible. Producers of horrible films realize that there is a growing body of opinion inside and outside the film industry so they 'tone down' their product to make it acceptable. A 'thriller' must be whole hearted, the more exciting the better. That is why the authentic 'thriller' will live and thrive and the 'horror' film will die.

What we learnt from Amar

Today from Amar we learnt how to prepare for a film shoot through several steps. His presentation taught us how to prepare for shooting our film, and how to be organised and prepared in order to make it as successful as possible. Amar talked us through several points such as Script Writing, Storyboarding and setting the scene, Location Recce's, Shot List, Test Shots, Final Shooting, Editing and more. in order to be really prepared and organised to create a really successful film when we go to shoot.

We found the point about location recces really useful as we felt that by doing this it will enable us to get a feel for our possible locations through photographs and also being there in person, helping us to decide which location(s) to use.
We have decided to set the location in a cellar, this location is practical and reliable as it is one of the group members who has a cellar in her house. We will think of safety precautions to make sure it is safe, we also have adult supervision who will be on hand to help with any problems we may need help with.

Feedback of final idea

During our presentation of our final idea we were asked questions about the filming of our idea and the concerns the class had about our idea.
The questions asked included:

• Do you have a cellar to film the thriller in and is it safe? ANSWER: Yes, one of our group members has a cellar and it is safe and stable to film inside it.
• Is the protagonist going to be the same person in the cellar as well as in the kitchen? ANSWER: The protagonist will be the same person, it'll become clear to the viewer when it flashes back to the cellar after the kitchen scene as the protagonist will be revealed more in the second scene of the cellar. 
• The idea seems confusing because you're flashing backwards and forwards how are you going to make it all fit? ANSWER: In order to fit it all in so the thriller opening flows smoothly we are going to do smooth cuts and fades to change the scene, the lighting will be different as the scene in the kitchen will be in daylight with the protagonist in the kitchen, this shows the scenes are at different times as the protagonist has moved location. The dripping of the tap in the cellar scene will help create the psychological thriller theme as the diegetic sound of the tap will continue to the tap in the kitchen dripping as well, this creates a good effect to make the viewer uneasy and tense, the flash back of the different scenes will run smoothly which makes the viewer think of different questions to ask themselves which is what a psychological thriller should do.
• Will the kitchen and the cellar be filmed in the same location? ANSWER: Yes to save time and traveling, however it'll not be made obvious in the thriller opening.