Feedback from Class

Positives:

+ Editing is good,
+ Well put together e.g. jump cuts put together
+ Filters on clips work well
+ Good use of photo montages
+ Colour works well
+ Music was effective and suited the thriller
+ Good costumes
+ Sound fits well with footage
+ A good mixture of shots

Negative:


- Credits weren't to a high standard
- Music was too loud?
- Pictures weren't effective enough
- Sound was too repetitive

Summary of feedback

Our targets for next week is to add the music as it will help create an atmosphere and link to the storyline. We will also add more footage so that it develops the storyline more. We need to create the credits and include these within our clip. And finally we will add our production logo.

Skills we haven't used yet.

The skill/technique which we haven't used yet but we felt worked extremely well was the specific camera angle used so that you could see the map through the magnifying glass. It works well as it enables you to be in the characters point of view.

Rough cut upload

We still need to add the soundtrack and the credits. We also need to include the scene featuring a magnifying glass and map.

We think the audience will enjoy the film and empathise with the protagonist and understand the film. However they will realise quickly that scenes need to be added to make it longer and to add music to build to the tension.

Fake blood

Gothika poster analysis

This is the poster for the psychological thriller called 'Gothika' which is based on a ghost story in which a repressed female psychiatrist wakes up as a patient in the very asylum where she worked with no memory of why she is there and what she has done. The two tag line's is clearly represented in the poster, one on the females arm; 'Not Alone' and the other one which is just underneath; 'Because someone is dead doesn't mean they're gone.' This is effective in catching the audience's attention as they are very emotive and powerful statements and it also helps to link to the films narrative.
The protagonists name is also presented on the poster. Due to the protagonist being a well known actress helps the audience to want to see the film as they know the actress in it. Also helps to convey the idea the film is a big production and popular due to Halle Berry being a part of it.
The use of the dark colours helps to show that the film belongs to the Thriller genre and the idea that the film links with a mysterious and eerie theme. Also the colours are also mysterious and fanatsy like which conveys the fact that its based on a person's mental state and is it all reality or fantasy.
'Gothika' has chosen to be presented in a font that links to the idea that someone had scratched the word 'Gothika' out. This is a representation of the plot of the film as the protagonist is based in an asylum so the idea that she is trying to escape and find herself is shown. Halle Berry's facial expression is very dazed and confused which provides the idea that she is the protagngonist as she is the only character on the poster but also she is the one suffering with her mental state.

Polictical thriller analysis - Munich Massacre

Conventions of a political thriller:
- Uses many locations, often focuses on different cultures or countries.
- False heroes, characters we think are good reveled not to be.
- "Helper", character who provides the protagonist with something useful.
- Threat is set against a backdrop of political power struggle.
- Plots are designed to give political power to someone while opponents try and prevent this.
- Innocent people drawn in to the political world.
- Trying to prove innocence.

Munich

Munich Massacre focuses on culture and countries as it is a film of the true story of the 1972 Munich Olympics, 8 terrorists from the organisation "Black September" raided the apartments of 11 Israelis and killed. It is a typical convention of a political thriller to be based on a true story.
The film uses many different locations which is also typical of a political thriller, these locations include the apartments and the Olympic stadium, and sets of where the police do their work.
The treat is set against a backdrop of a political power struggle. the plot line is designed to focus on a political power to the group of terrorists, while the police try to figure out the best way to control the situation.
Innocent people had been drawn in to the political world and have had their lives taken due to some other people's political power struggle.

Thursday 10th February (unable to film)

We had planned previous to today than we were going to film after college however, due to the weather we have decided to postphone our filming.

So the new date for filming be a week today (Thursday 17th February). This allows use to be more organised before the shoot as there is still a few things we need to organise such as finding squibs and creating props so this gives us the chance to be able to organise our shoot more effectively.

Checklist for filming

Thursday 10th February 2011

- Characters (Protagonist and Antagonist)
- Camera
- Tripod
- Batteries/Charger
- Mobile Phones (in case of an emergency)
- Squibs + (make up)
- Black Coat
- Ensure antagonist is wearing black
- Money in case of an emergency + for food and drinks
- Protagonist must have appropriate footwear


Monday 14th February 2011

- Magnifying glass
- Newspaper Article
- Map
- Books
- Black and white photos
- Weapon

Storyboards

Call Sheets

A call sheet is issued to the cast and crew before filming. It contains a production schedule and contact information for the duration of the filming.

Our production schedule:

4.10pm- We all collect specific equipment from Holly and we then go to Reception and wait for the cast members.
4.20pm- cast and crew all meet up at Reception.
4.25pm- Leave college on the bus to go to the town centre.
4.50pm/5.00pm- Arrive at filming location and set equipment up, also brief the cast members of their task and the basic storyline.
5.15pm- Film shots.
6.00pm- Finish shooting (break)
6.30pm- (if need to film more shoots) break finishes at 6.30pm
7.30pm- Shooting finishes.

Who's collecting the equipment?
-Nicola collects and returns the tripod
-Georgina collects and returns the dolly
-Jade collects and returns the camera


What Bus are we going to get?
The citi7 bus from outside college to Mid-summer common.

 The weather:
We have checked what the weather will be like on the day we are planning to film, and it is appropriate filming weather: It is cloudy which will match the theme of our thriller and add pathetic fallacy. It will also not rain which means that we don't have to worry about the equipment getting damaged.


Sound:
Our filming location is surrounded by noise such as the public and traffic. However, this will not be a problem for us as we do not have any dialogue in our opening sequence. Also, during editing we will mute the sound that the camera has picked up, and make music on garage band to go play during the whole opening sequence.

Shot Lists

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.