Wednesday 26 January 2011

Mise En Scene Analysis

Lighting- throughout our opening sequence the lighting and colours will be dark and dull to help represent a gloomy and eerie atmosphere. This also helps to convey that the film is part of the Thriller genre.

Location- we are going to set most of our shots in cambridge town in the evening as it an easy accessible location for all of us and the fact that the use of the old town buildings and spacious fields helps to create a dramatic atmosphere.


Costume- the protagonist will be dressed in casual clothes underneath a black long coat. This helps to create the idea the character is of mature age and the idea that this is part of her daily routine.
The antagonist will not be seen in the clip except for his eyes and hands, however they will be dressed in all black to create a sense of mysteriousness and suspicion.

Props- in our opening sequence we will be using many different props that help to link to the narrative of our film such as; a newspaper article, books, letters, magnify glass, the weapon and pictures. All of these props help to uncover another clue in the story and about the antagonist.

Location, Cast and Crew research

Idea's for locations to shoot-
-Cambridge town in darkness where minimal street light is used. This will be the location for the shots in which we film the protagonist walking on her own. To the left is an image of the midsummer common which we will be filming these scenes at. The image is obviously in daytime but we will be filming at night.

-In college we will shoot the props which will be used in our opening sequence.




Cast and Crew

Cast: 
       protagonist- friend who will be available in the evenings to film
       antagonist- friend who will be available in the evenings to film
Crew:
       Nicola Gutteridge, Georgina Pope and Jade Peters- we will be sharing the responsibilities fairly within the group e.g filming, being responsible for the props and camera equipment, editing, directing and organising costumes and locations.

Classification Research

For our film; Watched we would have given a 15 classification however, when we researched the guidelines for this classification is stated that 'Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.' In our film one of the main weapons which would be used towards the end of the film is an ordinary kitchen knife which is an accessible weapon for all ages and because of this we changed our classification to an 18.

We will be aware of these guidelines below when creating our opening sequence:

18 classification guidelines;

-doesn't breach any area of crime or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence.

-the material used in the film doesn't present a risk to individuals and their morals or their behaviour within society.

-use of explicit images of sexual contact which cannot be justified by the context.


In our opening sequence or the film we will not be using any sexual contact which could not be justified by the context but we will still be keeping our classing our film as an 18 due to the use of crime and weapons.

Opening Sequence- broken down

This is a break down of our opening sequence, music will be played throughout the whole sequence building tension as the sequence develops...

0-10 brief establishing shot of the location; Cambridge fade into the protagonist walking down the street in the dark.

10-20 beginning of the credits, close up shot of one of the props e.g Magnify glass

20-30 end of credits plus a mid-shot of the protagonist walking, point of view shot in the view of the protagonist walking then jump cut to a close up of the protagonists face

30-40 more credits followed by a zoom in to a newspaper article

40-50 close-up of blood dripping down a hand followed by a close up of someones eye

50-60 tracking shot of the protagonists feet while walking, getting faster


60-70 mid-shot of a book flicking the pages followed by a jump cut into a close up of the same view

70-80 montage of photos representing memories followed by mid-shots of the protagonist inbetween

80-90 extreme long shot of the protagonist walking away from the camera with the antagonist near the camera

90-100 jump cuts between the montage of all the props already shown in the sequence

100-110 long shot of the protagonist follwed by an extreme close up of the antagonists eye which would jump cut to the antagonists hand dripping with blood

110-120 zoom in of the weapon followed by the title

Monday 24 January 2011

Mood Board

This our mood board which includes images that have inspired us to use in our Crime Thriller; Watched. There are various images of locations that we are intrested in filming at for example the top left picture shows a street at night with a street lamp. We chose this as it looks mysterious but it is also realistic. We also included a picture of a lake as it represents past of the narrative as it is where the protagonist's sibling died.

We included the main props that we will use within this film such as the weapon that the antagonist will use against the protagonist, and the use of the books, photo of the two sisters, letters and the newspaper that presents the clues.

There is a picture of the protagonist- the female and the antagonist- the male. The pictures help to represent their personality and role within the film. Also the eye represents the antagonists identity as for most of the film he is unseen of, only heard but the audience understand he is watching and stalking the protagonist so the eye is symbolic to this.

Initial outline of narrative and title

Outline of the narrative:

The antagonist kills the protagonist's sibling previous to the film, so now the antagonist is coming after the protagonist as they want to get the rest of the family. However, as the antagonist is stalking the protagonist, they leave clues and hints along the way about their identity and what they're after. 
In the end, the antagonist is revealed to the protagonist just before the final crime takes place.

The title of our film will be 'Watched'. We have chosen this because it reveals to the audience the genre and the type of film it will be and what they can expect. It also helps to represent the theme of stalking in the film but due to it being one word it doesn't give too much away which helps to intrigue the audience. The title is unique, short and snappy which helps the audience to remember the film and it helps to draw their attention.

Thursday 20 January 2011

Production Logo; Must See Films

We chose to call our production company 'Must See Films' due to the use of the eye in our logo and this links together well. The name is short and snappy and easy to remember. It also helps to link to the genre of our film as it has the connotations of a Thriller. For example the colour of the font helps to represent blood and an intense atmosphere. The font is foreseen as an old style so it reflects the idea that this film is will be aimed to a more mature audience.
We chose the eye as it will help to link to the basic plot for our film and it also creates an eerie feeling for the audience. It presents the idea of being watched and unsettled which links to our chosen genre; crime/psychological thriller.
If we have time to animate our logo we will make the eye zoom towards to the viewer to give the effect of being watched and drawn in which links to the idea of watching the film and the events that would be represented within our opening sequence.

New line cinema logo

The use of the dark colours helps to relate to the Thriller genre. The use of black and the blue shadow behind the logo helps to convey mystery to the audience. The use of the old-fashioned font and the film reel relates to the idea that the film is aimed at a mature audience.

The logo itself is very simplistic so it draws the audience's attention to the company name and the use of the colours.
The fact that the music is high-pitched and the pace is fast helps to relate to the Thriller genre and to create tension before the film starts.

Monday 17 January 2011

Analysis of past students work


 I chose to analyse this past thriller opening created by Q1-09 due to the fact I like how simple the opening is but it is very effective.
The shooting material was very simple but specific and it gave clues on what to expect in the film such as; the main themes used within this opening sequence was fire and eyes. This gave a brief insight to what to expect in the film but it didn't give too much away such as the characters or the plot.
The elements of the mise-en-scene help to relate to the thriller genre such as the use of dark colous and the montage of pictures that link to the storyline. The use of jump cuts helps to increase the pace of the opening sequence and create tension and confusion amongst the viewers which helps to persuade them to watch more. Also the use of the pictures in the shot are abstract and weird which helps to create the question 'what are they doing there?' and the idea that un-ordinary events happens within the thriller genre.The soundtrack created was very appropiate and it helped to create suspicion and an eerie atmosphere. It links well with the shots throughout and contributes to the representation of the thriller genre.

Q1-09's blog is also a good representation of their final project. Their blog is organised and their research and planning is detailed. They are able to show they gained a full understanding of the thriller genre and what they wanted to include in their final project. In their blog they cover all aspects of the creation of their thriller opening including what equipment they are going to use and why, the soundtrack they are intrested in using and why, where they got their inspiration from and the different techniques they would like to use which is shown on their storyboard. They also keep a detailed log on what they did every lesson and what they would like to achieve by the next.
Looking at this groups opening sequence and blog gave me some idea's on what my group can include in ours; such as the montage of pictures linking to our plot. I also like how organised and detailed their blog is which makes it easier to keep up to date with the project.

Analysing a past students work

Marking Criteria

- Holding a shot where appropriate
- Framing a shot including + excluding elements.
- Using a variety of shot distances as appropriate.
- Shooting material appropriate to the task
- Selecting mise- en - scene including colour, figure, lighting etc.
- Editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer.
- Using various shot transitions and effects.
- Using sound with image
- Using titles appropriately.




This video fits the marking criteria extremely well in my opinion. They have held shots where appropriate to a very good standard for example when you see the girl on the floor with blood everywhere they hold this shot well which creates tension.


Throughout filming they have thought about shot distances really well as there is a variety throughout this opening sequence. This technique makes the film more interesting to watch.

All the material they have shot is appropriate to the thriller conventions so they have filmed appropriately to the task.

They have thought about the mise-en scene too. You can tell by the wide range of costumes and props used which works really well. The lighting changes at appropriate times to reflect the mood of the sequence and action.

They have edited it together well so it all makes sense to the viewer so this is continuity editing.

They haven't used a wide range of transitions/effects but I think this is good as it makes the sequence seem more realistic.

The sound track behind the sequence works really well too as they have suited it to each mood which exists within. Also the voice over works well as it creates more suspense. And at the point where the speech is repetitive this also works well as it sticks in to your mind more.

They used titles at the start of the film which worked well and looked professional.

Overall I enjoyed watching this film as it was a good time length, and overall it just fits the marking criteria well.

Thursday 13 January 2011

Fargo - Crime thriller

Conventions of a Crime Thriller

From the very beginning the audience see the crime being planned, so this shows the audience that the crime will be the main focus of the film.

You can tell by the amount of screen time who the main characters are going to be and who the binary opposite characters are going to be.

The focus of the scenes are mainly on the person who planned the crime and the reason for it.

There is always mysterious music and features long opening credits to build the tension.

The protagonist always has a partner and that is their weakness.

The locations vary throughout the scenes.

Characters

The protagonist and Antagonists are established at the beginning of the film.
The protagonist is in debt and this links to the crime. From the very beginning you know that he is the one planning the crime and he will go to extreme lengths to get out of debt: even getting his wife kidnapped so this shows us that he is desperate.

The antagonists within this film are shown stereotypically as when you first see them they are both men who are wearing leather jackets and smoking which you would expect them to be like.

From the start when you see the wife you get the impression that she is very family orientated and has a close relationship with her dad. Also she is shown to be quite weak and innocent. This helps the audience identify with her.


Filming/Editing

The editing which is used in this film is quite simple so the only technique which is really used is cuts. So this makes it more realistic so therefore you understand the crime more and that there is less focus on the action. This is not typical of a thriller genre, and has been used in this film to make it more realistic, and focus on the crime. It also suggests that the characters are quite simple, slow and dull. This is also shown through their lifestyle.

Throughout the opening sequence establishing and long shots are used. This makes it clear to the audience where each scene is set so its easier for the audience to understand.

Close ups are shown of the protagonist and antagonists so this shows that they are the main characters and focus of the film.

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Psychological Thriller and example.

Conventions of a Psychological Thriller
- Misleading story; twists and tricks.
- Unusual happenings which are extra-ordinary
- Clever characters thinking ahead of everyone else.
- Isolated characters.
- Film works up to a final shocking reveal.
- Characters have fascinations or the fear of death.
- Danger on a mental level rather than physical.
- Characters try and find their own purpose.
- The idea of characters being in conflict with their minds; they don't know what it is true.
- Two or more characters preying on each others sanity.

An example of a Psychological Thriller is Momento which was directed by Christopher Nolan.
- The main character is suggested to be isolated due to the fact he has lost his memory and his wife has been murdered so he is alone. This is represented as his 'weakness'.
- The film uses a mature cast, links to the target audience being mature.
- The whole film is based on the protagonist's mental state and the death of his wife before the film.
-There are many twists within the Momento storyline and this is represented as the narrative is non-liner.
- He represents a fascination and obsession with his wife's death and avenging her.
- The protagonist throughout the film is in conflict with his own mind. He see's flashbacks from the past but barely remembers these events for long enough to take action and this frustrates and confuses him.
- The use of long term memory allows the audience to identify with him.

Monday 10 January 2011

The difference between a thriller and a horror film

Thriller...

- More mature cast
Example of a Thriller
- Often highly regarded actors/actresses
- Focus on crime - who did it? how? why?
- Often detective is the lead role
- Victim is not always known to the audience


Horror...

- Young cast - often teenagers
- Violence - blood/guts
- Focus of narrative is the violence not the actual crime
- Multiple victims
- Lead victim often becomes detective
- Suburban settings
- Adults are absent or not supportive
Example of a Horror

Conventions of a Thriller

- Creates tension for the audience
- Good and bad characters binary opposites
- Non linear narrative
- A scene that causes questions for the audience that wont be told until the end
- Uses suspense
- Narrative centres around a crime
- Protagonist - lead moral
- Protagonist - will have a weakness - this is often referred to in the titles
- Protagonist will be seen in peril.
- Antagonist - villain

- Complex web of clues and questions. Leads to the protagonist being isolated.
- Themes of mistaken identity, mirroring, illusions.
- Objectification of females.
- Viewer becomes voyeur
- Micro elements build suspense

Sunday 9 January 2011

The prestige

The mise-en-scene fits the conventions of a thriller opening. The lighting is dark and only shows key features in some shots which helps the audience understand which parts are important to the narrative. The props such as the bird cages are often associated with the feeling of being trapped which can make the audience feel tense. The set of the theatre has a red carpet, which has the connotations of danger, this foreshadows a dangerous plot line for the view which creates tension.
The narrative themes are conventional from what an audience expect from a thriller because the narrative is very "dark", such as some of the clip being set in a prison and a man's life could be taken.
The character's social classes are established from the very beginning through things such as the mise-en-scene. Characters who are of a higher social class ate indicated by having rich costume, and characters of a lower social class are wearing much more dull costume. Having characters of different power is typical in thrillers as it helps the narrative such as one character taking control of another.