Planning Mise-En-Scene

Planning Mise-En-Scene

Mise-En-Scene has five sections to it which are :

• Setting location and Iconography
• Facial Expressions and Body Language
• Costume Hair and make-up
• Lighting and Colour
• Positioning of characters

All these five mise-en-scene sections are very important to the conventions of a thriller film that's why my group and I have used all five sections within our thriller so we can make it as conventional as possible. 

My group and I felt that the most important aspect of the planning the mise-en-scene was the setting location and Iconography. We have decided to have two locations these are a residential road and an empty field. We have used a residential road as the four girls have left school and are walking home, we felt tat using a residential road will give a realistic feel for the audience. It will also show the audience how happy the girls are and oblivious what is going to happen, we then decided to use an empty field as this location can create a lot of suspense and tension as the audience don't know where the attacker could be and where he is going to come out of. The empty field will also give my group and I and good space to use a lot of different camera shots to show the surroundings that the girl is walking in to create the aspect of mystery and nobody knows where the attacker is within these surroundings. The iconography that my group and i have chosen to use is the girls are all wearing school uniform, this will be a conventional to a thriller film as this will show the innocence of the girl as it shows that she is young and vulnerable, we have also used the girl wearing earphones as this means she will not be able to hear anything around her and this again will be able to create suspense as the audience will be able to hear the surroundings but the victim will not, also it will create empathy for the girl when she gets attacked. My group and I ten decided to have the attacker a dark tracksuit and his face covered, we decided to do this as it would can exaggerate to the audience where the attacker will be and will create a mystery as who the man is and why is his face covered. We also decided that the attacker should have a baseball bat as he wants to attack and kill the girl this will give the impression to the audience that he is angry and wants to hurt the girl with the baseball bat.

My group and I felt that the school girls body language should show her innocence, vulnerability and helplessness as this is conventional to a thriller film. We felt that her body language set in this way then the audience would feel more empathy for her and connect with the character emotional as she was helpless and couldn't do anything about what was going to happen to her. The facial expressions of the girl should show her always laughing and smiling this will show her innocence and happiness to the audience. She will stay this way until she feels like she is being watched by the attacker then she becomes to look worried and scared, this will show the audience that she is helpless and frightened. My group and I felt that the body language of the attacker should be very dominant and overpowering as this again is conventional to a thriller film, the attacker should be stronger than the girl meaning he will overpower her with ease. The attackers face is never seen therefore there will be no facial expressions from this character, this will create suspense as the identity of the attacker will be unknown to the audience, this will also create an element of mystery to the thriller.

My group and I felt that the girl should have her hair down and straightened as this shows the signs of a normal school girl and shows her innocence as the audience will again feel empathy for her. We also decided that the girl should not wear any make up as this would mean that it shows her in another light as it will make her look older and therefore if she did then the audience will not believe she is innocent and helpless. The girl should be wearing her school uniform as she has just left school, this will show the audience that she is young and innocent. The attacker will be wearing a dark track suit with his face covered this will create a sense of mystery as the audience will not know the identity of the attacker a therefore will add suspense every time the attacker appears. This is also conventional to a thriller film as in the many films that I have analysed most of the attackers are unknown until they either show their identity or they unmask themselves to their victim when they are about to kill them. The attacker will have his hood up and his face covered therefore there will be no need for hair or make-up, this again will hide the identity of the attacker while also creating tension.

My group and I decided that there will be high key lighting when there are all 4 girls together and they are talking, this will show the audience that they are happy and oblivious to what is going to happen and this will give the audience hope that there will be nothing happening to any of the girls. When the victim then leaves the other girls the lighting starts to become darker and slowly turning into a low key lighting this is because it will show the audience that the attacker is getting closer and closer to the victim this will create suspense as the audience doesn't now where or when the attacker will expose himself. The girl will be wearing a standard school uniform of black blazer and black trousers while the attacker will be wearing a dark blue tracksuit and a balaclava covering his face. This is conventional to a thriller as every thriller film that I have anaylsed use these two different types of lighting as it will exaggerate what happens within each shot and ca show the emotions of the characters within each frame that the lighting has been changed.

My group and I decided that the positioning of the characters should exaggerate the innocence and helplessness of the girl and the dominance and overpowering nature of the killer. All camera shots that shows the victim should be above her looking down on her as when the victim is getting looked down on this shows a sign of a less domineering person and this will again show the innocence of this character. Whereas every shot that the attacker is in the camera should be looking up at him as when somebody is getting looked up on then it makes them the more dominating character within the thriller film, this will show the audience how the attacker is more domineering than the victim therefore making it easy for him to attack her. Then when the attacker catches up with the girl the camera shots should show the girl on the floor at the feet of the attacker and the attacker standing up as this will show the audience that the victim has been dominated by the attacker by being the more domineering person.

Production Roles

Production Roles

There are various people that have certain roles that are all needed to ensure a full working motion picture. But here are some of the most important:

The Film Director is one of the most important roles in the whole of the production of a film, as this is the person who interprets the script that has been written and then making it into a film, they also choose what camera shots that want to use to ensure the best shot can be chosen for each frame. Lastly the director coaches the actors and tells them what he/she wants as he is the one who interpreted the script, lastly the director draws up a timetable and makes sure all the deadlines that were set are met by everyone. The role of director has been taken on by Amy Fountain as the group felt she had could easily interpret the script and tell the actors how she would want them to portray themselves within the play and lastly we felt she had the biggest grasp of the best camera angle shots to use within our thriller film.

The camera operator is another extremely important position within the making of a film, camera operators will have to operate the camera while listening to the commands of the director but at the same time choose which lens will be most suitable for the frame as this will ensure that the shot could look the best. While operating the camera they will also have to operate other camera equipment such as dollies, cranes. The role of camera operator has been taken on by Hannah Waugh as the group felt she had the most experience using a camera making her the best at using the camera and also we felt she would know what lens to use to make the frame the best it can be.

The role of the actor is to listen to the director and portray the person that they are playing in the way that the director would like as the director had interpreted the script. The role of the actor who will be playing the masked attacker will be me as the group felt that I was the best option for this as I'm the best  actor within the group.

The role of the location manager is needed to choose the best possible location that there can be for the film as the location is very important within thriller films as locations can create suspense and erroneous this will allow the audience to feel emotions for the characters. For example the location manager needs to make sure that the a road has been closed down if the group needs to film on a road as there needs to be no noise or other people in the shot. The role of location manager has been taken by George Hoy as we felt that he will be most relevant to the group as we will all have different ideas and he could take the ideas and come up with a location that we all agreed on. 

The role of storyboard organiser is the person who writes and draws the storyboard out, this again is another very important role as this will determine what is going to happen within the thriller film and it gives an aspect of narrative. Also this would decide the iconography that will be used within each frame. Again the role of Storyboard Organiser had been taken by all our group as we again felt that we all have different idea and they would be better than one person ideas.

The editor is the role that edits the film to make use different editing styles within each frame to either exaggerate or not a frame to emphasise to the audience about what is happening within the scene. They also choose what parts of the film that has been recorded so they finalise and polish off the final cut of the film. Again the role of editor had been taken by all our group as we again felt that we all have different idea and they would be better than one person ideas.

Group story boards

Group Story Boards

My group and I put our ideas together and discussed what we was going to do for our storyboards and how we are going to set our film out, we did this by all doing an individual narrative and storyboards so then we could al put our ideas together in a group storyboard as this would be much better than using only one persons storyboard as we could incorporate more conventions of a thriller and create more camera shots that would be relevant to each frame. We have all decided that using a young school girl victim would be the most conventional to do in our thriller film as it shows innocence and makes the audience feel empathy for her when she is going to be attacked. We then decided to use a masked attacker as this would be the most conventional and suitable attacker to use for our thriller film as it gives a sense of mystery as the audience never sees his face and therefor doesn't know what he looks like and also why he is attacking the girl. We then decided to not show the victim getting killed by the attacker this was because we felt the audience will be left in suspense as they will not see her get murdered by only hear it, this will also create a feeling of anger towards the attacker. My group and I have decided to use a number of camera shots as each of the camera shots will show a different perspective of the attacker and the victim and will show the audience different emotions that each of the two people may have. Lastly we again decided to use suitable and different editing styles as the same editing style would not have been conventional to a thriller film as thriller films use a number of editing styles to exaggerate the important scenes and his works well as the audience will know and understand why the editor as edited it in this way.
The group individually had produced there own individual story board as we thought that it would be better if everyone put different parts from their storyboards into a group story board and therefore it would be a much more conventional thriller film. We each proposed the ideas that we had within our individual storyboards and discussed who's storyboard was best and that's the one that we would take most of the conventions from. Then we would add in different parts from everybody's individual storyboard and then produce a larger group story board.

Planning Editing Styles

Planning Editing Styles

Editing is important to use within a thriller film as its one of the most vital parts of a film as it gives the film coherence and continuity. The editing gives the film a final polish. Editing links each scene and shot together but some different editing types can do this in different ways e.g. a straight cut is where the scene before cuts straight into the next scene this is the most simplistic type of editing there is. Editing could also be used to create tension and suspense to the film as they can speed up or slow down the editing to create an effect of going slow or fast.


The first out of four different types of editing styles was; jump cut, this editing style is used to break the continuity of the timing used by jumping forward from one part of action to another. This editing style is conventional to be used within a thriller film as it will engage the audience more as they would want to see more action scenes throughout the thriller film. Within my groups and I thriller film we will be using this editing style when the attacker is seen by the victim when he's behind her then he appears from behind a bush in front of her. This created suspense as the audience will not know how the attacker got there. This is conventional to a thriller film as there us always an attacker within a thriller film and also the suspense is conventional as it leaves the audience holding their breath as they want to know what is coming next.

The second editing style is, the Kuleshov effect this is where the editor puts two shots together to give the audience a third meaning. This will give the audience more of an idea what is happening within this scene and makes the audience feel they have more idea of what is going on than the vicim. Within our thriller film we will be using a Kuleshov effect when there are 4 girls walking home then a flashback of the attacker is the next scene and this gives the audience a third meaning as they now know who the attacker is and also shows that the attacker is ready to attack the victim and the attack is imminent. This is conventional to a thriller film as there is always an attacker in a thriller film and this then shows the audience that there is going to be an attack within the thriller film.

The third editing style that my group and I used was, Dissolve this is where the editor blends one image into another image, this is used by the editor and this is makes the thriller film connect together and make sense to the audience. Within my groups and I thriller film we will be using this editing style when the attacker has a flashback, this will give more idea and background of who the killer is and why he is trying to attack the girl. This is conventional to a thriller film as it informs the audience more about the attacker and gives the audience a sense of what his motives are.

the final editing cut that my group and I will be using is, Fade this is where the screen fades to black and this often means an ending to a scene. This will create tension as the audience will not know what is going to happen within the next scene and this will mean the audience will be scared or worried for the victim for what is coming next for her. My group and I will be using this editing style when the attacker has grabbed the victim then it goes black and you can hear the victim panicking and the attacker breathing and getting more and more angry. This editing style is conventional within a thriller film as it will create suspense as the audience cannot see what is going on when the screen is black but they can hear what is going on.

All four of these editing styles would be the most relevant to use as they are the most suitable ones to use for our target audience and the conventions of a thriller that we would like to add in. The style of jump cutting from frame to frame would be good as our target audience would want to see more action in the film as they would want to be entertained at all times. The Kuleshov effect would again be very relevant style to use within our thriller film as our target audience would not want everything to be so straight forward, they would want the film to make them think. This would mean the film would attract and appeal to our target audience and this is what my group and I have been trying to do thoroughout this process.

Overall my groups and I editing styles are conventional to a thriller film as they create suspense for the audience e.g. when there is a fade and the victim can be heard but not seen panicking and screaming, this creates suspense as he audience cannot se the victim being attacked but can still here her being hurt and killed, this will create sympathy for the victim but will also create a sense of anger towards the killer. We have used different types of editing styles and felt that it would be more conventional to do this as many thriller films use many different editing styles, it will be more engaging for the reader but will also be more conventional by creating lots more suspense and tension moments but will also make the audience feel emotions towards each actor.

Opening Credits

Opening Credits

Opening credits are important at the beginning of the film are important as they show in the cast and camera crew who has done what job, e.g. George Hoy - Director. Also the opening credits give the audience an idea of what the film is going to be about and what type of genre it's going to be also the music that accompanies the opening credits will also tell the audience more about the film. For example if the opening credits were red and bloody then the audience will know that the film is a horror film then if the music that accompanies the credits is eerie then is creates suspense for the audience as they will not know what is going to come next.

I analyzed the opening credits of the thriller film se7en, the colours of the film were all dark dull boring colours, however half way through the opening credits a drop of red blood covers the screen. This creates tension for the audience as they know that the man who is doing all these things at the beginning is anger and wants to hurt somebody and the colour red and blood are connotations of this. This shows the audience that there will be bloodshed within the film and anger and passion will also run alongside the bloodshed.

The writing on this opening credits are all white, crocked and all the letters are different sizes, the credits look like they have been scratched onto the screen and not written. This will create tension for the audience as the credits show a sense of mentally instability as they look like they have been scratched on.

The conventions of a thriller film that are within this opening credits are the digetic sounds that have been exaggerated by the director to create a sense of suspense as the loud noise of pages turning and sticking things down are eerie sound as none of the audience knows why and what he is doing. The music that accompanies the opening credits is also very eerie changing from loud music to quiet music during the opening scene this also creates tension as it makes the audience again think of mental instability as the person could go from a normal person to an evil exaggerated killer in a matter of seconds. All these conventions of a thriller exaggerate what the actor is doing within the film and makes the audience think more about what he is doing and his mental state. The man is also mysterious and this again builds up suspense as the audience do not know who he is and why he is sharpening up blades but they do know that he is angry and wants to kill nut the audience do not know who are why he wants to do it.  

The order appearance in this opening credits; production company, director, actor, title of film, actors continued, casting, music costumes, editors, production, camera operator, co-producer, producer, writing and director. The director is mentioned twice within the opening credits as it emphasises the director of a film as he is one of the best thriller directors and his name is last because he is the most important person within the credits as he makes the film. The title of the film is the middle of the credits, this is not conventional for a thriller film as the title is normally at the end of the play. The title being at the middle of the play doesn't create suspense as the audience know half way through the play the name of the film whereas the title being at the end of the film will be more conventional and will also create more suspense as the audience will no know for the whole opening credits what the film is called.

The second thriller films opening credits that I have analyzed is The birds by Alfred Hitchcock, the colours used in the opening credits are again quite plain and dull it creates the sense of eeriness as this type of opening credits doesn't really give you many clues about what the film is about except for the birds flying across the screen at the beginning. 

The writing being on a dull white background creates tension for the audience as they do not find a lot out about the film and what's it about this therefore lets them use their own imagination for what the film is about. However the writing within the opening credits are light blue, this creates a sense of hopefulness and this bright colour is happy, this will let the audience know that there is some hope for the people within the film this creates a sense of enigma as the people will be puzzled why there is dark dull colours then the writing is bright and hopeful.

Conventions of a thriller film are used to specify thriller films from any other genre of film. Within these opening credits the conventions of a thriller film consist where the dark, black birds fly across the screen at the beginning this creates suspense as the audience know that the film is going to be about birds however they do not know what they are doing. The birds are black and it almost symbolises a funeral as the music is eerie and a violinist, it sounds like something that would be played at a funeral or when somebody has just died. The black birds also exaggerate this as black is associated with funerals and the birds are flying around aimlessly and looked distressed, this would evoke the idea that there is a lot of unorganised chaos and also distress, the audience will pick up on this and they ill realise that the birds are a lot to do with the distress they cause.

The order of appearance this opening credits; Director, Film Title/ Writer, Actors, Director of Photography, Production Designer, Assistant director, Costume designer, Editor, Production Manager, Special Photographic Advisor, Special effects, Pictorial designer, Sound Recorder, Make up, Hairstylist, Assistant, Set decorator, Script supervisor, Wardrobe supervisor, Title maker, Electronic sound production, Composer, Sound consultant, Colour technician, Screenplay and Director. The director chose again to put his name at the beginning and the end of the opening credits as he is the most important person within the whole credits as he directed the film. The title is the second credit to come up his again is not a normal convention of a thriller film as they are normal at the end of the credits, but the film title being at the beginning of the opening credits doesn't create enough suspense as it would have if the film title was at the end of the opening credits, this would create suspense as the audience wouldn't now what the title is and wouldn't give them any clues what the film is about.

For the opening credits of our group thriller film, we collectively discussed our ideas for the text size, colour and the font style. 

Using different films as our inspiration, we decided that we would want the font to appear fragmented (as it does in Psycho) or to flicker, (as in Se7en) as though the mind of the attacker is mentally unstable. 

We also decided that the size of the font for our title should be the biggest, as this is one of the most important elements within this opening credits sequence. The size of the font will gradually decrease as the different names appear on the screen, to connote both the importance of the members of the production team, and also hold connotations about the fading sanity of the attacker, as the unstable and twisted part of his mind consumes him, just like the size of the font decreases.

The order of appearance that we will use is:

• Production Company
• Director
• Editors
• Music
• Actors
• Casting
• Storyboards / screenplay
• Costume / make up
• Location manager
• Safety manager
• Director

We will also use a mixture of natural sounds and dramatic music as the soundtrack for our opening credits. As in Se7en, the natural sounds will be enhanced, and play over the top of the dramatic music. This will enable us to make the film appear as realistic, and therefore as threatening as possible.

I will suggest this font to my group as I feel this is a good way to start our thriller film, this shows signs of a conventional thriller film opening credits as it looks fragmented and this then gives the impression of mental instability, it also looks like it has been shaded and coloured in this would Give the impression to the audience that somebody has spent a lot of time on this and drew it out. But at the same time shows the good and neat writing this will show the audience that there are two sides to the person who has written this a mentally unstable and also very neat and tidy.

I will also give this as a suggestion to the group as I feel this will give a good indication to the audience what is going to happen within the thriller film and almost foreshadows it as it looks like that the writing has been written in blood. It will then show the audience that within the film there is death this is very conventional of a thriller film as every thriller films opening credits that I have anaylsed give clues to the audience within the opening credits about what is going to happen within the film.

History of Thriller Films

History of Thriller Films

   

Alfred Joseph Hitchcock

Born: 13 August 1899

Leytonstone, London, England

Died: 29 April 1980 (aged 80)

Bel Air, California, United States

Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was the most iconic and influential person in the world of thriller films, he was way beyond his times and produced some of the most best and well-known thriller films there are and are even still loved and admired today by many people. Hitchcock was known as the master of suspense as he would always have the audience in the cinema on the edges of their seats as he would always keep the audience guessing and with his great editing skills and narrative Hitchcock perfected the best thriller convention of suspense. Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most renowned and influential film directors and in his career he ushered the two most important periods of cinema history – the arrival of sound and the introduction of colour. He perfected his art in both disciplines, reverting back to black and white when he felt the need, and mastering not only silent pictures but sound and colour ones too. However even though he did so much to move thriller films on and make them better for the audience he unfortunately never won an oscar for best director, this was disappointing for him but he said he was not in the film industry for the accolades but he was instead in it for the viewers pleasure.

Over many years of his directing career Hitchcock directed a number of films and here are his all top 10 which was most critically acclaimed:

10. Lifeboat

9. Dial M for Murder

8. Rope

7. Psycho

6. The 39 Steps

5. Shadow of a Doubt

4. North by Northwest

3. Notorious

2. Vertigo

1. Rear Window

Hitchcock was known for his watershed and uncensored films that led him to have to change numerous shots and edits within many of his films. Hitchcock had to re-shoot the kissing scene from Notorious as at this time there was a kissing law that there could not be a kiss longer than 3 seconds to be shown within cinemas. 

Alfred Hitchcock always featured within his film, he was always at the beginning of the film, he would show himself and explain to the audience what the film would be about and explain why he wrote the film. this would give the audience a sense of him wanting their best interests at heart and really caring about the audience more than any other reader.

This the the thriller film The Birds, this one of Alfred Hitchcock's iconic films. He decided that he would direct a film about birds as this was one of his fears and thought this was going to happen in the future. Hitchcock used school children within in this clip as he has realeased that young school children show the audience innocence and this will appeal to the audience, he added this within his film so the audience would feel the emotions of the characters. Also as Hitchcock was the genius of cinematic tension he would incorporate this within his film and keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

This is the film Psycho and this clip shows the most iconic scene that everybody knows Hitchcock for which is the shower scene. Hitchcock again has incorporated this within the film as Hitchcock is afraid of water and what would happen while he was in the shower. However again Hitchcock had crossed the line within this film as at the time there was no nudity within any film and this was seen as too inappropriate but Hitchcock still decided to add this within his film to create the effect that it had on many people. If there was no nudity in the scene then it may not have been remembered even today

A modern day well known thriller director is James Collet-Serra is most well known for writing the thriller Orphan. This was a psychological thriller as it would scare the audience but at the same time make them think and try to work out what has happened. 

In the film, ate and John are grief-stricken with the loss of their unborn child. However, they rebuild their troubled marriage as Kate goes into therapy, and is sober for one year from her alcoholism. The couple adopts a nine year old Russian girl named Esther, and they welcome her home but their son is less welcoming. However, Kate begins to suspect that Esther is not an angelic little girl after all, and harbors a sinister secret.

James Collet-Serra, has directed this spectacularly it creates a lot of suspense for the audience as they do not know the true extent of Esther troubles and also that the story will not make sense until the end of the story. Serra has directed this film to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and keep them guessing and entertained throughout.

Individual Storyboards

Individual Storyboards

After completing our group narrative where we each put our own ideas together and came up with our thriller film narrative, we first decided to use a 16 year old girl as this shows her innocence and is a convention of a thriller film. We then each separately drew our own storyboards so we could show each other what we feel our thriller film would look like. The story boards will also help our groups by in what camera shots we will use for which frames to make the film seem most conventional and professional. My storyboard shows the girl walking home with her friends, she takes the way through the forest but she doesn't realize she's being watched by a man. The man then creeps up on her and kills her. However in our thriller film we decided not to show the girl getting killed and instead the screen just go black. 

I then came up with the attack sequence for our thriller film, the attacker comes in front of the girl and she is frightened and scared, then there is a close up of the girls reactions and emotions and this gives an idea of what she is going through to the audience. Then girl tries to run away from the attacker but then the attacker catches up with her and strikes her but before you see her hit the floor the screen goes black.

I then came up with the scene where the attacker catches the girl, within in this sequence I have used a lot of close ups as it will show the emotions of the girl and the killer. I have also used mid-shows as it shows the girls surroundings, the editing styles have varied throughout this sequence as it would give a different feeling from one frame to another, this was because each frame has different types of emotions.

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

As a group we felt it was very important to consider certain risks that may occur during our filming as my group and I need to put the our health and safety first before everything, we feel we need to be prepared for any risk that may occur when were filming.
This risk assessment will help my group in filming and I believe that if we assess every risk possible it will then help us to get on and make the best thriller film we can without worrying about the risks that will occur. It will also let us get on with our filming as we know what risks may occur when filming in the location, our props etc, and how to overcome them.

Filming Schedule

Filming Schedule

My group and I discussed and planned our filming schedule, we feel that it is important to have a filming schedule as we can set times to finish each scene and can have a time we are finished our film. This can also help us to see if we are behind at any point and then we could correct it and then speed up. We each discussed what sort of camera shots and iconography we need to use and incorporate within our thriller as this would be noticed by the audience and the better the iconography the more the audience will pay attention. The iconography needs to make sense to the audience otherwise there will be no relevant reason for it to be there.

My group and I tried to follow our filming schedule but we found it hard and had to alter some of the components that we had written down as we felt the timings we had written down were too short and each frame we was creating was longer than we anticipated, we felt that we hadn't analysed enough of the shots and frames that we were using as we felt that the duration of frames and shots had to change if the frame was more important than the rest. We also changed a part of the iconography as we had the girl victim taking off her headphones so now she would not be using her headphones as she walking through the forest while being followed by the attacker. Lastly instead of using one flashback me and my group decided that we would use two as we felt that the audience needed to have more information about the attacker as the audience had not seen the attackers identity throughout the thriller film.

Health and Safety

Health and Safety

Planning Cinematography

Planning Cinematography

Camera shots are important in thrillers to give different perspectives of what is going on and to set the tone of the film. Different camera shots make the audience feel like they are there but it can also make the audience feel like they’re spectating what is going on within the film.  This engages the audience and makes them want to continue watching. Also the different camera angles show the audience different emotions within thrillers whether it is anger or just being scared the audience will feel the emotions with the character.

Within my thriller the four main camera shots we will be using are:

• Mid Shot - Mid shots are used to show the part of the girl but still showing the audience in some detail of the whole surroundings. I will be using this shot when she is talking to her friends and not paying much attention.
• Long Shot - I will be using this camera angle to show the girl walking along with her friends, we have decided to use this shot as it as show the girls surroundings but also as it will show her body language from far away.
• Over the Shoulder Shot - We are using over the shoulder view as it gives the audience a perspective look at what the person is seeing. We will be using his shot when the attacker is walking behind her and the girl cannot see him. This shot builds up suspense for the audience as they know what there is someone behind the girl but the girl does not.
• Close Up - Close ups are used to emphasize the emotional state of the person, this draws the audience into the persons personal space and this lets the audience share the emotions with the person.

The target audience I have chosen will build relationships with the characters as the I have varied the camera shots and the audience will be able to connect to the innocence of the girl and the beastly nature of the attacker. The audience will feel sorry for the victim due to the close up it will show the innocence and all the emotions of the girl also the audience will be feeling a sense of despair as they know what is going to happen to her before she does due to the over the shoulder shot, this creates suspense for the audience as they don't want the innocence of the girl to be taken. The girl is around the same age of my target audience so the victim will be able to connect with the audience on a peer level and they will understand what is going on in her normal day to day life. Also the audience will build a relationship with the attacker as they will want to know who he is and why he is attacking the girl, this creates a sense of tension due to the unknown nature of the attacker. 

Opening Scene Narrative

Opening Scene Narrative

Frame 1
There will be 4 girls walking down a residential road after leaving school, this would mean that they would be in their school uniform, this will be a good convention of a thriller film as they are all girls and show innocence that young girls have. A long shot will be used as it can easily show all four girls and this will inform the audience of what they are doing. We will be using high key lighting as the girls are happy with no cares in the world, there will be natural sounds from the road and the girls talking and laughing, but they don't know that they are being watched by the attacker. The kuleshov effect will be used when editing as it will hint with the girls emotion and bring the first two frames together to make a small montage.

Frame 2
One of the four girls will leave the other girls on the residential road and then walk through a forest pathway not knowing that there is a masked attacker that is hiding in the bushes. over the shoulder shot will be used in this frame as the audience will see the masked attacker but the girl will not, this will create a sense of suspense as the audience do not know why the attacker is there and what he is going to do. Again I will be using high key lighting as all 4 girls are oblivious to the fact there is a masked attacker in the bushes meaning that the girl walking by herself is still happy listening to her music. The sound of heavy breathing will be accompanied to the frame when the girl is walking past the masked attacker this shows the audience that he is angry and wants to hurt her, there is also natural sounds of the trees whistling in the wind and the cars going past on the road. The kuleshov effect will be used when editing as it will hint with the girls emotion and bring the first two frames together to make a small montage.

Frame 3
Another frame of the girl walking in the forest path, shot I will be using is a mid-shot as it will show all the surroundings that the girl is walking in and this will create tension as the audience know that she is being followed by a masked attacker by the girl doesn't know, also the audience will not know where or when the attacker will show himself. There will still be high key lighting as the girl is happy still walking listening to her music, there will still be natural sounds of the trees and cars but also the fading voices of her friends as she gets further and further into the forest. A straight cut will be used when editing and will go straight to the next scene.

Frame 4
The girl is now in the middle of an empty field and is still walking oblivious to her is following her. The lighting will start becoming low key lighting as it shows the audience that the attacker is now getting closer because when the light becomes darker this will set almost a horror tone to this frame. The sounds of muffled music from the girls headphones will be heard by the audience, then the editing style of shallow focus will be used when the girl is walking and the attacker appears out of the bushes behind the girl but the girl cannot see or he hear him.

Frame 5
This frame will be a flashback of the attacker using a mid-shot to show the surroundings that the attacker is in to show the audience more about him, the attacker is looking at a picture of the girl and remembers conversations that they've had, this will inform the audience that this is not just a random stalking but they know each other, this will create tension as the audience do not know how they know each other and why he wants to attack her and angry with her. Low key lighting will be used to give a dampening the mood as the audience have now got background information about the mask attacker and now know that he wants to hurt the girl for an unknown reason. The sound of laughter from the girl would be heard in this scene and the conversation that the attacker and the girl are having, a straight cut editing style will be used just to move straight onto the next scene as it could show the audience the mental instability of the attacker as he can just move from one flashback straight back to reality.

Frame 6
The girl is now walking through the empty field and the mid-shot will be used to again show all her surroundings to see if the attacker is anywhere in the frame, but now the girl feels like she is being watched and keeps looking over her shoulder to see if she is actually being watched. The lighting is getting lower and lower as it's getting dark outside by also to inform the audience that the masked attacker is getting closer and closer. Only muffled music from the headphones can be heard. Straight cut again will be used to go straight onto the next scene.

Frame 7
There is another flashback of the attacker a mid-shot will be used to show his surroundings but also an over the shoulder shot will be used to show what he is looking at. The masked attacker is in a dark room with a baseball bat in his hand, this will again show the mental instability of the attacker, the sound of heavy breathing from the attacker will also show the audience the anger that he has for the girl. Then the attacker leaves the dark room with a baseball bat in his hand and this shows to the audience that the attacker is now going to go and get the girl. A dissolve editing style will be used as it will be putting two images together, we have decided to use this as it shows the audience what he wants to do and then puts the image of him walking out of the dark room and the girl still walking through the empty field.

Frame 8
The girl again walking through the field more quickly than before as she is now frightened as she feels she is being watched more closely than before, mid-shot will be used as when the girl is looking round for the attacker his will show the audience that there is nobody there that she can see, she looks behind then looks in front of her many times. Low key lighting used as the attacker is close and ready to attack her this foreshadows the next scene as the audience know what is going to happen next.

Frame 9
When the girl looks in front of her again she sees the attacker close to her with a baseball bat with a mask on his face, my group and I will be using a mid-shot to show the audience what the attacker looks like. Low key lighting was used as the attacker dampens the emotions and mood of the film as now the girl is going to feel scared and frightened. The only sound that can be heard is the sound of the music that the girl is listening too, a straight cut editing style will be used to go straight to the next scene as the audience will want to see what happens next and how the girl reacts.

Frame 10
There is a close up of the girl and the emotions that she has and how scared she is, she is still in the empty field but now with the attacker in front of her, she is now scared with fright. Low key lighting will be used as the lighting will match the girls emotions as she is scared of the attacker, the sound of the girl screaming will be heard in this frame.  Another straight cut used to go straight onto the next scene as the audience will want to know what happens after the girls reaction.

Frame 11
Victim backs away from the attacker in fear, over the shoulder shot will be used showing what the attacker can see the girl doing, the attacker begins to raise his baseball bat slowly, this will create tension as the audience knows that the he is going to hit and try and kill her. Low key lighting used again to show the emotions of the girl as she's scared, again only sound heard is the girl still screaming. Then another straight cut is used.

Frame 12
There is then a panning shot downwards used to emphasize the attacker having a baseball bat, then the attacker raises the bat and the strikes it, then the screen goes black. This will create suspense as the audience doesn't know what's happened to the girl. Low key lighting used for half the scene until the attacker strikes the girl then the whole screen goes black. Dramatic music can be heard when the killer and girl are both in the shots but only can be faintly heard and the girl is still screaming but then when the screen goes black the music becomes louder and then the screaming stops. Straight cut used to the end ending of the film.

Character Description

Character Description

Within a thriller film it is very important to have a variety of different characters as it allows the audience to understand your narrative of the film, it also lets the audience feel they have formed a relationship with the characters. This then lets the audience feel sympathy or anger towards different types of character.

The name of the attacker is unknown within our thriller film we have used this to create suspense and mystery as the audience don't know anything about the attacker. The age of the attacker is 20 years old, even though you cannot see the face of the attacker you can tell by his build what his age is, we have also used a male killer as we want our thriller film to be conventional to a normal thriller film and the race of the killer is white british. The background of the killer is that he has loved the victim since they were little and were best friends until they got to High School where the killer and victim parted their separate ways as the girl became popular and the killer became an outcast of his school and then when he left school he felt more hatred for this girl and blamed her for ruining her night. The killer is still in love with her and believes if he cannot have her then nobody can, he is also jealous as she is loved by so many people within the school. then he stalks her gets her by herself and kills her. The purpose of this character within our thriller is to seek his revenge for the victim leaving him becoming popular and not being in love with him. The character is perceived by the character as a person who is mentally unstable and a person who is very jealous and controlling.

The main character of our thriller film is called Caroline she is a white 16 year old school girl, we have decided to use this type of girl as 16 year olds still have a bit of innocence but at the same time has a sense of adulthood. Caroline is going to be a middle class girl who is well spoken and a bit snobby. She goes to a well renowned school and is a straight A student, who is friends with everybody and has no enemies. She is innocent and didn't mean to hurt the killers feelings.  The purpose of this character of the victim is used by us to be a helpless girl that cannot look after herself and relies on others we have used  a girl as the victim this is not only a convention of a thriller but we have also used it so the audience can sympathize with the victim. This character will appeal to the audience as they will feel sympathy for the victim as they know she's helpless and she has nobody to save her.

The extras are used within our thriller film to emphasize the fact that she is a popular girl and shows she is having a good time and the audience would not expect their to be a killer stalking her and wanting to kill her as she is so innocence and helpless.

Preliminary Task

Our group decided to use the preliminary task, we did this so we could see how the cameras tripods and editing work as this was the first time we will be using the cameras. We also used this as a way to see how our group would react when being filmed by a camera. We tried to use a number of different camera shots for example panning shot, reaction shot and close up. We decided to locate our task within the hall as it was a quiet location to film and gave us a lot of space to change the camera angle, through this process our group learnt that the cameras and tripods are not very hard to work and is a very easy way to shoot panning shots but also close ups we also found out what worked and didn't work when it came to filming the task. After discussing with my group we have decided that the two boys are going to be the actors and the two girls are going to be the directors as we were all better at our designated roles, we have also found out that we will need a quiet location as the cameras can pick up on a little bit of noise and can ruin the take so this is why we have decided to film our thriller in a forest.

Evaluation

A target audience is important to a film as the film maker knows what to put into the film to meet the expectations and wants of their target audience to make them want to watch the film and continue watching throughout the whole film and also we know what plot and characters we could use. The target audience also helps what certificate age the film would get as the film would hopefully be more appealing to the target audience than anybody else. Me and my group have decided to use a target audience of 15-20, and the age certificate that we would use is 15 as 15 years and below would not appreciate or understand the concept of our film as much as people above the age of 15.

Me and my group carried out a questionnaire, we decided to use a questionnaire as we believed when we came to look at the data we obtained it would be more clear and quick as it is a paper based self-report meaning it would be very quit to analyze the data and make pie charts and bar charts. We surveyed 40 people and we each had 10 questionnaires each to share the workload around the group. We also made sure that we each handed out a questionnaire to 5 males and 5 females so we could get the views of both males and females so then we could make a thriller for both genders and not just one. We handed out the questionnaires to people of various ages (12-45) as we wanted to see what target audience we would want to use as the information we collected let us make an educated decision.

We have also done vox pops, we video interviewed 5 people of many ages (14-45) with 4 males and 1 female. We decided to use vox pops and we could look over their answers that they gave us and take them into consideration for our thriller film to appeal to as many people as possible. We asked 5 questions to each participant and after detailed analyze of the interviews we incorporated many things into our group narrative and what conventions we are going to use within the thriller, our vox pop was very successful and it helped us a lot to see what we need within our thriller to appeal to our target audience.

All together in our vox pops we asked 5 questions to each participant. One of the questions were 'how old are you? and are you male or female?' this question helped us to see if our target audience had the same idea of what to incorporate into a thriller as we did and if they did not then we would have to change our idea it also helped us see if both males and females liked the same things, if they didn't then we would have to incorporate scenes for males and females. Another question is 'what conventions of a thriller are important to you? for example a female attacker. enigmatic opening or a violent opening scene' This question helped us to choose what conventions of a thriller that people like the most so when we are filming our thriller film the conventions that are most loved are in our thriller film to appeal to the wide variety of people. We also asked 'what is your favourite thriller film' this question helped us to see what sub-genre to use and what sort of acting they like so our group can try and act like them.

As a group we had to change our idea of what sub-genre to use as we were going to use extreme gore as our target audience was 15-18 and both males and females but we found out that females do not like extreme gore very much and we decided to change it but we decided to not be so gory and only a little bit a gore in our film this would mean that our thriller film would be appealing to our target audience and both males and females.

Vox Pops

Me and my group decided to use a vox pop as part of our research because we believed that it would help us decide what to use in our thriller film as we would be looking over the results we obtained from the questionnaires. This would allow us to analyze the results that we got from the questionnaires and again look over the interviews that we had taken to analyze more closely what we want to find out. My group interviewed a wide variety of age differences we asked a number of students but also a number of teachers to see what differences ages of people look for within thrillers, this helped us as we tried to make the target audience based around the ages of different people we asked.

Results for Questionnaire

We decided to use bar and pie charts to show the data we got from the questionnaires that we handed out as we thought these are the most easiest way to show our results and it's also the most clear, we also believed that if the results were presented clearly we would be able to see what we could use in our thriller film and gives us a better overview of the results. It gives us a simple view of what our participants enjoy in the thrillers they have seen and also will show us the sub-genre we could use within our thriller that could be most appreciated.

Questionnaire

Questionnaires are good to use for getting the opinion of the public and taking into account what they like about thriller films. This gives an insight into what conventions and aspects that people most enjoy in a thriller film this will help me and my group in making our thriller film so we can incorporate this into our film to appeal to our target audience and let them enjoy the film.

During our questionnaire our group gave out 40 questionnaires, we chose the number of people so we can get a better understanding of what people like and gives us a wider variety of people that answered our questionnaire. There are four people in our group and we each gave out 10 questionnaires each to make the work load fair on each person, we made sure we gave 5 questionnaires to females and 5 questionnaires to males so we get both the opinions of males and females. We carefully chose our our questions so we could see what we could add within our thriller films to make it more enjoyable for all genders and all ages, also what to add in to make our film as best as possible and most enjoyable.

What Is A Thriller Film

There are many conventions that make up a thriller film and make the audience want to watch on they are also used to scare and make the audience think. Here are just some elements that do this:

• Enigma - This is a the mystery that happens within the film and is always used in a thriller.
• Representation of characters - Victims in thriller films are usually represented as weak and helpless but also the victims are normally female.
• Violence - There is always violence within thriller films. For example the killer may attack the victim by using their fists.
• Dramatic Irony - This is where the audience knows there is a killer behind the victim but the victim doesn't know. This is used within thrillers to make the audience think they know more than the victim.
• Intensity of sound - Volume goes up when something is going to happen and goes down when something is just about to happen. In thrillers all volume is parallel to the images.
• Lighting - Low key lighting is used to create shadows, thriller films also use this technique to create suspense so the audience doesn't know what is beyond the darkness. Whereas High key lighting is used in thriller films to show happiness or irony.
• Editing - Slow editing is the main type of editing in thriller films as is creates suspense for the audience as they know something is about to happen within the film but they don't know what.
• Iconography - Thriller films use iconography to show the audience which characters are good and evil, they are also used to show when the victim is going to be attacked.
• Sounds - Non-digetic sounds when there is a sound and you cannot see where the sound is coming from within thriller films this creates tension as the audience doesn't know where the sound is coming from. Also there is digetic sounds this is where the sound can be seen coming from an object.
• Setting - Many thriller settings are the same, they're a dark, unknown place. Thriller films use this to create an eerie atmosphere for the audience to watch it and know something at some point is going to happen.
• Narrative - Again many thrillers have the same narrative aspect to their film where a helpless person is somewhere by themselves and weird and eerie things start to happen, then they get attacked by the killer.
• Themes - There are three main themes in every thriller shock, surprise and suspense these themes engage the audience and make them frightened.

The opening sequence of Saw 1 has many conventions of a thriller film. The enigma within this clip is a man waking up in a bath in an unknown place it's dark and eerie, this effect has been created by the use of low key lighting. When the man steps out of the bath there is an intensity in volume to show that he is scared and frightened as he doesn't know where he is. The director has used this type of lighting as it creates shadows on the walls and this means the audience doesn't know whether there is anybody else within the room and again creates an eerie atmosphere. The he uses a non-digetic sounds when another voice of a man is telling him what to do, however the audience doesn't know whether the sound is coming from the room or from outside the room. Then when the lights are turned on the man is dazed and the director shows this by using a shallow focus and a blurred camera he also uses a high key lighting. When the light is turned on the setting is revealed, the setting is a mysterious bathroom that is extremely dirty with many pipes around the walls of the bathroom, the setting looks like it has been used for tortures before as it looks like there are remains of other peoples blood on the walls. The two men 

Narrative Theory

There are three different types of narrative theories that are widely used within films.

The first theory that was used was proposed by Vladimir Propp, his theory suggested that in a narrative it's not important about the storyline, it's all about the characters and the role they play within the film for example there is a hero. This a character that tries to find a killer who opposes or actively blocks the heroes quest. A false her is somebody who disrupts the heroes success by making false claims who provides an object with magical properties. This creates and makes the film in the theory of Vladimir Propp. Propp's theory is mainly based on folk tails. 
There are 8 types of characters that all have a different function that they use:
1. The Hero – a character that seeks something

2. The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest

3. The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties

4. The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message

5. The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims

6. The Helper – who aids the hero

7. The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots

8. Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

Within Propp's theory there are 5 stages that a film goes in;

Complication - There is a state of disorder within the kingdom/community/family or the kingdom/community/family desire something that they cannot find. The hero is sent to get what is desired and then the hero plans action against the villain

Transference - The hero then leaves home to get what is desired, the hero is then tested or attacked. The hero meets the test and is either given a magical gift or a helper and this then helps the hero arrive at the place to fulfill his quest.

Struggle - There is a struggle between the villain and the hero, the hero then defeats the villain and the state of disorder is settled within the film.

Return - The hero returns but is pursued, he then escapes or rescued then the hero arrives home and is not recognised. A false hero then claims the rewards the real hero is supposed to be getting. A task is then set for the hero and then the hero accomplishes it with ease.

Recognition - The hero is then recognised, the false hero or villain is then unmasked and punished for his actions. The hero attains the reward E.g. princess/kingdom.

However this theory does have some criticisms, Propp's theory is mainly male orientated environment and as such critics dismiss the theory in regards to a film. However it still may be applied because the function of the characters is the basis of the theory.

Critics have also argued that Propp’s strict order of characters and events is restrictive. We should rather apply the functions and events randomly as we meet new narratives. This happens when a director begins to change the traditional format will change the whole way a film is received.

Some critics claim there are many more character types than Propp suggests. E.g. the stooge in a sci-fi film, who is usually nameless and usually killed early on to suggest the power of the alien force, is a typical modern character type that Propp does not explain.

Propp's theory only applies to fairy tales and to other similar narratives that are base on quests, it doesn't apply to every narrative there is. 

The second theory was created by Tzvetan Todorov, his theory is all about the narrative and equilibrium and disequilibrium within the narrative of the film. At the beginning of a film the fictional environment begins with a state of equilibrium but then it is disrupted by something and a new equilibrium is produced at the end of the narrative.

There are 5 stages that the narrative can progress through: 

• A state of equilibrium
• A disruption of that order by an event
• A recognition that the disorder has occurred
• An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption
• A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium

In Todorov's theory the narrative is not seen as a linear structure but a circular one. The narrative then attempt to restore the equilibrium. However the equilibrium at the end of the story is not identical to the equilibrium at the beginning of the narrative. Todorov explained that the narrative involves a transformation for the characters or situations, they are transformed through a progress of disruption. The disruption itself usually takes place outside the 'normal' social events that take place within the narrative. 

Headings that are used by some producers and screenwriters include:

• Inciting Incident
• Dramatic Question
• Character Goal
• Antagonist/Protagonist
• Resolution
• Sympathy/Empathy

These headings are very close to those that were suggested by the father of narration theory, Aristotle. Aristotle's literary criticism is probably most famous for the "unities": time, place and action. Aristotle's most complete analysis is of 'tragedy', which is arguably the basis of the most 'serious drama.'