Group planning - Miss Georgiou

Group planning

My group consists of me, Malu and Bettie we have group meetings every week, we discuss and brainstorm ideas to include in our thriller production. Also by having meetings every single week we can keep improving and adding things that one of us might have thought of.  Our meetings our essential to ensure that when it comes to filming, we have planned how we are going to film our production.


Our first group meeting was on the 13th of october. The meeting allow Bettie, Malu and myself to discuss our own indivdual ideas. After each narrative explained, we then discussed what we thought was good and bad in the narrative and also if it was good if we would try to incoperate it with our group narrative. Once we had heard everyones narratives we started to create a group narrative; my idea for the setting to be a forest was agreed to be used in our group narrative. Then Bettie idea was to have a canniball killer, this would be herself as the antagonist as it would be unexpected, and the location being the forest makes the other characters vunerable.

Our second meeting was held on the 24th of october. We finalised what our group narrative was, it consisted of a group of friends that walk their dog, until it goes missing then the group of friends split up to look for the dog, Bettie is the antagonist and a cannibal killer and she eats me when everyone is looking for the dog. Once Fred finds Bettie once she has killed Kane he has to run for he's life. We also discussed what sort of conventions to include in our production, low key lighting we thought would benefit our film to set an eery, scary setting.

On our third meeting it was focused on mise-en-scene, this included the lighting and colour, costume, iconography, the settings and positions of characters. The lighting and colour was discussed and planned to keep low key as it is a thriller film. The costume of characters are planned to be casual to relate to our target audience who are going to be the same age as the actors 16-20. The only iconography we are using is the stick we throw for the dog because as the killer is a cannibal there are no weapons.

On the 10th of novemeber our fouth meeting took place and this time we discussed the editing techniques. There are loads of different editng techniques, therefor we looked at the sheet we glued in our book to help us decide on what we was going to include. We found the techniques that we thought would set be good for the thriller genre, these were: diegetic and on screen sound to show the fear of the characters, another technique we plan to include will be montage editing, this is to build up tension and will be used on the chase scene. Malu suggested we play about with the fillters when we edit, to ensure that we keep the thriller and scary look to the film.

The next group meeting was on sound. Here we discussed what shots were going to be used and where certain sounds would be effective, for example when Fred walks up behind Bettie once she has killed Kane we thought a eery quite high pitched sound should be used to create tension, and put the audience in fear for Fred. Another sound we plan to scare the audience with, wil be a very high pitch scretch that will happen as Bettie turns round to reveal she is the antagonist. This will shock the audience because she is a female and most antagonist are male. We think the sound will show that Bettie should be feared.

Our last group meeting was on the 12th of novemeber, this meeting was on who and how many characters we plan to include in our production. We planned to have six characters in the film, Bettie and two of her firends and myself and two of my friends. Due to not being able to get everyone to meet at the same time and place because they had other comminents or things to attends to. We actually can only have my friend Fred. But the meeting wasn't all a waste of time because we planned what we wanted the characters to look like, casual tennagers. We also thought the charcters all being the same age as us would be benefical for our target audience 16-20 to be able to relate to the characters.

Group meetings have been very helpful in order to keep updating and amending our group ideas on the film. The only way to ensure our production would look like a real proffesional production, was to keep talking and going through what we have planned. Every single meeting there was a new idea or innovation on the plans we had for the thriller film. I personally think the people in my group, Bettie and Malu are the best people i could have been with in the class because they both are targeting to get high grades, and therefor we are all working very hard to make sure that this media production will be very succesful.

Production Roles - Miss Miller

Production Roles

We thought it was important to split up production roles, so that one person didn't have to much to do. By splitting up the roles each person can take responsibility for one or two roles, therefor can focus on their roles and ensure that each role is done sufficiently.  My roles include: Producer, director and actor. Bettie is the Music producer and editor. Malu roles include Director of Photography, Screenplay writer and the Mise en scene co-ordinates.


Myself being the producer I had to decide the location, supervise the film being made, review each clip after it being filmed to make sure that the clip will work, and arrange days and times for everyone involved to meet. After conducting our questionnaire I went with the most popular typical thriller setting, which was the forest, the drawback of filming in the forest is that it gets dark quickly and there is obviously no lights, therefor minimise our time to film, but the forest is a eery and scary location which is key for our thriller genre. The hardest part of being a producer is arranging for everyone to meet. We have planned to have six actors involved in our film and with people having other commitments such as college, it is hard to find a day and time for everyone to be able to attend. Director is my second role, as a director i will have to position the actors in the correct place for each scene, and ensuring that they know what they're doing. Also to co-ordinate the camera man (Malu) and the cinematography which will include low key lighting, and being in the forest this is vital to keep the lighting the same, as in different parts of the forest it is darker than others.

Bettie's roles are to focus on the editing and music. This will al be done once we have filmed the whole production therefor her only responsibility during the filming is to be a good actor. We have filmed part of the film and Bettie has being looking through the different types of music she can download that will be useful in our film. Bettie, Malu and myself have been editing the parts that we have filmed, but bettie has the final say as to what we are going to do. I think the music/sounds Bettie has chosen are very good for example, the 'house of leaves' music is played through out our production and works well to build tension, it also sets the scene as a thriller genre.

Malus roles are director of photography, screen play writer and the mis en scene co-oridnates. Malu role of being director of photography means she is in control of the camera. Malu has been assigned to camera man as she did not want to act so this role seemed to fall into place with malu. The mis en scene co ordinates, this includes a range of different responsibilities but Malu main ones are hair and make up, this will be when Bettie has her make up done to make it look like she has eaten me. Also the setting and iconography is a important part of Malu's role as she needs to ensure that the actors are using the correct iconography and are positioned in the correct way so the setting can be displayed to the audience, in order to give the film the eery and thriller effect.

Opening scene narration - Miss Miller

Opening scene narration

Our opening scene narration will be around two minutes long. I am going to include the four micro-elements which are: sound, editing, mis-en-scene and cinematography.

The first shot our film starts with is a panning shot of the forest, this shot last around five seconds the editing style we will use is a flicking light to create an eery setting, the sound is of normal forest sounds such as birds, the mis-en-scene at this stage is just to ensure the lighting is low key, the cinematography of this shot is to have a long shot panning the forest. The next shot is when the characters walk into the forest we will use a high angle shot, the sound will be the on screen sound of conversation between the actors, the mis en scene is planned to be the forest surroundings and the whole film is going to be filmed around 3 o clock so the lighting is low key, the only editing taking place at this part may be to cut out anything we don't need.

The next part of the film is the friends standing around and I am going to throw the stick for the dog, after the dog has come back once i am going to throw it again and then she doesn't return. I begin to panic and ask everyone to split up and look for the dog (Bella). The sounds that are going to be used here are natural forest and a sound called 'house of leaves' which builds tension, the camera angles used are going to be close ups and reverse shots to show conversation between the group. The iconography used is going to be the stick that the dog chases, and the camera shot will be panning the dog until she runs far enough so you can not see her. The editing will be transmissions in-between shots that change, or just adding the shots together in the correct order.

Once the group of friends are looking for the dog there are going to be a range of shots to show the group of friends split into pairs, the main focus of this part is to show that Bettie and I have gone together, but to keep the audience unaware that Bettie is the antagonist. The sound of the 'house of leaves' will increase volume to put the audience in suspense. The editing techniques will be done on final cut pro, at this stage it will be including the credits and bringing the clips together in the correct order. The mis-en-scene will be focusing on the position of characters as we need to show that the group split up into different directions. Finally the cinematography will be to include a range of camera angles, the most important shot will be a low angle shot of bettie to suggest that she may be dangerous.

The next part of the film is going to be me screaming in the background, because of bettie eating me, the other actors will panic and start to look for me and Bettie until they come across Bettie leaning over Kane after she has killed him. The sound that are going to be used, are a male screaming and grunting this is going to be used when I am being eaten. The editing style will be transmissions between shots of the different friends walking around the forest. The mis en scene will be focused on the make up of Bettie, which will be the fake blood around her mouth to show she has eaten me. The main camera angle used is going to be a point of view when one of the actors walks upbehind bettie.

The final stage of the film is when Bettie is identified as the antagonist and the whole group are running out of the forest, Bettie will constantly be in the background walking to suggest that they can not escape. One of the editing styles used will be fade when the film ends to leave a cliff hanger. The sounds will be very upbeat chase music to keep the audience in suspence. The mis en scene will be focusing on the low key light to show to characters cant see much into the forest, therefor leaveing a panic effect on the audience, and the cinematography will be the long and medium shots of the characters running out of the forest.

Overall i think we have a good narrative it is just gonna come down to weather the acting and filming is up to standard, in order to make our editing effective. For example the actors must show the same body language and fear as the sounds that are used at that time. Therefor we plan to use our storyboards to ensure we get all the acting done correctly and effectively.

Risk Assessment

 

Risk Assessment 

It is crucial that we consider all the risks that could happen so that we could try to avoid being involved in any risks. To sustain a safe and precautioned filming environment, we have listed the possible risks that could happen such as: falling out of a tree, to prevent this hazard we have decided we are going to try and use a ladder to climb any trees.    

Having a risk assessment outlines all the possible risks that may occur during our filming of the thriller. Their are obviously some risks that may be unavoidable for example: slipping the tripping on the forest floor, the most precaution we can do is just to ensure all actors keep an eye out for any roots or puddles around them. In conclusion this risk assessment had made us think about the location more and come to better ideas, as to where we should film certain scenes, for example their is a tree that has a huge base that would be easy for mall to sit in it safely and film a high angle shot. Another example of a risk that can be prevented is the dog running off, I can bring my lead in order to have her on the lead straight after her scene that she runs off, and have they other characters spread out so they can grab her once she has run off. Overall the risk assessment has ensured that we can have a solution to mainly any problems we face.

Filming Schedule - Miss Georgiou

Filming Schedule

Our Filming schedule includes: Date&time, Location, Content/Action, Shot type and duaration, Costum hair and make up, iconography, Personal and Equipment. This will ensure that our group all know when and where we are filming, and have a clear understanding of what we need on each day. everyday we plan to use casual clothing, which means we will need to wear the exact same thing everyday, to make it the film look realistic.

Although we planned to stick to our filming schedule it has been verry difficult due to some of they other actors letting us down. Due to our film needing all the actors for the most part of the film, this has caused a huge barrior in filming our production. We have filmed the parts that we just need me and Bettie, but for the most part of the film the other actors are crucial. The filming schedule is still very helpful, just the date and time which is not correct, as we have to keep re planning when to film. Malu, Bettie and myself made a what app group chat in order to contact each other easily, this has helped to overide the date and times planned on the filming schedule.

In conclusion the filming schedule has helped us to consider what we should bring to filming set. Also to include more camera angles. Overall the filming schedule is gonna come to good use when we have re planned the days to film, as we can look back at the schedule to see what part we should be up to and use the information that we have planned for that day.

Research into target audience - Miss miller

Research into target audience 

I carried out research to get a better understanding of my target audience befor we create the film, because it would give our group a berrer understanding of what the audience is looking for. We gave out our questionnaire out to 40 people to get a general answer, in my group we made pie charts out of the results to show the majority the answers that people choose. I will use my results to construct my film. For example using the most popular answers to make a film the suits the majority of our target audience.

We made pie charts showing to show the results of each question.

The first question we asked was their age, we thought this would benefit us when setting a target audience and age certificate on the film. From our results you can see the majority is 16-25, so the film we be aimed towards either a 15 or 18 age certificate. Therefor focusing on what 16 and over answeres were to our questionnaire was vital. By using their answers we could include aspects of a thriller sequences that they want to see in our production. Also because we are in this age bracket our ideas are going to more then likely be quite succesful in our production.

Our second question, what gender are you, was important to see the majority of either female or male watching our thriller sequence. In this case we had 75% male, although our film will be aimed at both genders, some aspects of the sequence may be what a typicall male would like to see in a thriller film. This is because our pie chart tells us that mostly males will be viewing our production.

The next question was what thrillers do you like and why, we gave our participants a option of four dirrent thrillers: 'The shinning' 'Saw' 'Insidious' and 'Other' this was an important question because from this we can see what narrative or aspects of a thriller the target audience prefer. The pie chart shows quite an even split but the shinning was most popular. Therefor our production may be influnced by this film, or because it was tight between saw and the shinnign, we may be able to mix the aspects of this films when we create our own production. In order for our target audience to enjoy our thriller sequence.



The next question asked was what type of sub genre do you like, this question was used to identify the most popular sub genre, as most people like a sub genre in a thriller film to keep it intresting. As a result of our pie chart the most popular sub genre was sci fi. This may lead to our production including a sic fi sub genre.

The sixth question we asked was, what do you expect in a thriller film? the options we gave were: death, possession, chase scene and other. The most popular answer to the question is death. Therefor my group plan to include a death, but we have been slightly unconventional as usually the antagonist is a male, but in our production the antagonist is going to be Bettie which will be unexpected, creating more shock and surprise which are vital conventions of a thriller film.

The next question was, what type of music do you expect in a thriller film? the most common answer was eery and second highest jumpy. Therefor during our thriller film we will ensure we use eery music, this will probably be when the characters are entering the forest, so that the audience get an idea that the forest is dangerous for the characters. This will leave an effect on the audience by putting them in suspense and the reason the second highest answer was jumpy, is due to that is what the audience will expect next.

Our next question was what do you think a good narrative is for a thriller film? the most popular answer was a sychopha on the loss. I think this is a typical narrative and is included in most thriller films. Therefor we will try to include it but with a twist. This is so that we ensure the audience can not guess who the antagonist is until the death is revealed. Bettie is not the average sychopha, she is very controlled and plans her killings therefor her friends do not notice that she is an antagonist. 

What weapons do you like to be used, was a question we included but i don't think will apply to our thriller film because bettie is a hannibal; which means she kills by eating people. The most popular answer was knife. We may have one character who has a knife on him which could lead to the audience thinking he is the antagonist. Therefor will lead to a bigger surprise and shock when it is revealed that Bettie is the antagonist. Shock and surprise are very important in making our thriller successful.

Our final question of the questionnaire was what would be a typical setting. The most popular answer was forest, which has had a massive influence on our film, as our whole production has been planned to be filmed in the forest. Our antagonist is to be unknown until the death of Kane, therefor we looked for a normal reason for a group of people to go into the forest. The best idea we came up with was walking a dog. Therefor i am going to walk my dog in the forest with a group of friends and Bettie will be included with the group of friends. Our target audience is our own age group and this to them will look like a normal day for a group of friends, therefor make the revealing of Bettie being the antagonist a massive shock, which is conventional to a thriller film.

In conclusion our questionnaire has helped my group to decide on different factors of our thriller film. The most useful question was the typical setting, as we strongly agreed with the answer being the forest. Therefor the questionnaire has assisted our group in designing a thriller film that should be successful. Also by conducting are questionnaire it gave us an idea of our target audience as 62% of the people we asked were 16-25 and we feel that they gave us the best feedback and therefor we will give our film a 15 certificate.

  

   

Group storyboards - Miss Miller

Group Storyboards

My group is Bettie, Malu and Myself. Before constructing our group storyboards we each made our own individual storyboards of the group narrative. This allowed for each of us to be creative in our on ways then see what we thought was good about each others. After looking at each others individual storyboards we worked together to make a main group storyboard, including all the best features of each others. I made sure we included to shot when someone walks up behind Bettie after she has killed Kane, as i think that will build tension which will ensure our film is in the thriller genre.

The purpose of having a group storyboard is so that everyone in the group has a clear understanding of what the narrative is, and how we are going to film it. The group storyboard gives us a basis to look out when we are film so we ensure we include everything we planned to
                                                      to include. We was inspired by the film Mama to use an isolated location this is why we went for the forest, as it is quite a freaky and a typical thriller genre setting. We have specifically came up with different camera angles in different stages of the film to highlight authority on venerability. An example of this is within our first five frames we have planed to use a high angle shot of the group of friends entering the forest, this is to outline the innocence of the group and also to insinuate the danger of the forest. Overall i think we incorporated everyones ideas well to ensure that our group storyboards had a bit of everyones help and advice to make it a group effort and an interesting narrative.


In conclusion the group storyboards will keep me, Malu and Bettie on track when we are filming our film. It also eliminates any errors that might happen when filming, for example going from a shot on a high road straight to the forest, as the audience may find it hard to follow, therefor keeping an order and planning it is crucial. I am happy with our storyboards but if i had to change something, it would probably be the amount of characters involved; as when it comes to filming if someone lets us down it could lead to not being able to film anything at all that day.

Research - Inspirations Miss Georgiou

Inspiration



We need inspiration to create something because we can get a understanding of what has worked or not worked. Also the inspiration can lead me to combined aspects used in other thriller films and combined them to create my own thriller film. This will be taking inspiration from other successful films that have original feature, which i might want to include in my film. Overall i think to be inspired by a range of films will help me, when i make my own thriller film.


Previously i have looked at the film scream, this was for how sound is used in thriller films. The film scream was inspiring to make a film that has a unidentified killer right up until the murder. The way scream used sound pitch was very successful; being loud and high pitch when the tension is building, the sound gave the film the fear factor. If you watch the film without sound it is boring and dull, when you watch it with sound it makes the film a thriller. This has inspired me to make sure that the sound in my open sequences, has simmilar characteristics of the sound in film.

I also looked at the film Mama, i was focusing on the mis en scene. So seeing the location being set in an abandoned cabin in the forest inspired me to use a isolated location, as it highlights the vulnerability of the characters. The use of the little girls was inspiring as when i come to make my thriller sequences, i think something other than a masked killer will be more scary and a shock to the target audience. To use these idea i might have a cannibal killer, which means when a human eats another human. I got this idea from the little girls in Mama, i believe it could be an unexpected shock to the audience and not very typical, which will make my thriller film unique and successful.

I researched into editing styles looking at the film halloween. I found that editing styles are key to set the pace of a thriller film, also to create tension shock surprise and suspense. as slow edited scenes gradually build up a suspense. Also a fast edited scene may be a chase scene which creates tension both these techniques have inspired me to use them when i come to creating my own thriller production. Also the screenshot during the scene of halloween when the antagonist cant quite reach the victims, the use of the long shot and low key lighting was very effective to ensure the audience can see there is no one else around, therefor shows that if the antagonist does get past the gates he will kill them. This inspired me to keep showing the surroundings when i film my film.

Another inspiring film i looked into was The Shining. I done a research post on the conventions of the shining and found that, the off screen sounds are important to create suspense. During the scene when Johnny is walking to toilet, there is high pitch sound used to let the audience know the victim is becoming more and more in danger. I thought that i could try and incorporate this when i try and produce my own thriller film. I think it would be very difficult to get the correct footage and sound linked together when editing but if i could do it it would be very good.

Finally i looked at cinematography within insidious; i noticed the different camera angle and movements used within the film to ensure the audience were kept on the edge of their seats. I was inspired by the range of different camera angles and movements used in such a short space of time. I never realised be for how many different shots are used to create an atmosphere within the film. Especially when the camera zooms from the boys point of view closer and closer to the man talking to himself, this camera movements puts a weird and eery ghosty feeling on the atmosphere which is vital for insidious, as their film is based around the super natural.

In conclusion looking at different films and there techniques i have been inspired to combined what these films have done, to create a thriller film that has suspense, shock, surprise and tension. My inspiration have lead to have many ideas of what to include and not include in my thriller in order for it to be successfully produced. overall this post has helped to highlight the effort and time that has to go into making a film and how it can effect the audience. Therefor my film is going to take a lot of editing but i think it will pay off with the final result.

 

Individual storyboards - miss miller

Individual Storyboards

The purpose for individual storyboards was to be able to portray how i think our thriller film should be made by the storyboards, therefor Bettie and Malu can see what my ideas are, and we can exchange story boards in order to come up with a group storyboard. Also each story board has a duration section to show how long each part last. Overall the individual storyboards help plan each part that needs to be considered in order to make our film successful. 

Frames 1-4

My first four frames is the opening to my thriller film. This mainly covers introducing the characters to the audience so that relationships can be built. For the very first frame there is no actors involved, just a long shot panning the setting to show that it is set in a forest. We choose to film in the forest as it is a typical thriller location, so the audience can identify from the beginning that this will be a thriller film.  I plan this shot to be done at around 4:30, hopefully it will be starting to get dark which will add to the eery effect of our film. The frames 2, 3 and 4 are to show the friendship between the characters, this is so the audience will not be able to suspect that they antagonist is part of the friends.

Frames 5-8

Frame five begins with a high angle shot of the group this is to show the venerability of the group, we will have low key lighting from the time of day (around 4 ish) this shot is to show the character walking the dog, we don't want the audience to suspect anything suspicious as yet. Frame 6 and 7 is myself throwing the stick for the dog, this is when the dog goes missing so the audience think the dog could be the victim. Frame 8 is myself panicking and shouting for the dog, this is so that audience can believe how devastated i am that i have lost my dog, making the narrative more believable. 

Frame 9-12

Frame 9 carries on from 8, me panicking and running after where i had threw the stick for the dog. The camera being used here is going to be tracking me to show me searching for the dog, and will be a medium shot. By frame 10 is when I ask for my friends help in order to find the dog, i ask everyone to split up into twos to search, during frames 11 and 12 the camera type used is going to be; shot reverse shot, this will help the audience follow conversation and build up the panic in the characters.

Frames 13-16

These frames are when the shock part of our film is revealed. Frame 13 is when Bettie is revealed to the audience but not to me, this puts the audience on the edge of their seats as they don't know when i am going relies, therefor this adds suspense and tension because the audience know more than the characters. Frame 14 is me screaming when i notice Betties eyes are all white, this is unconventional to a thriller film as it is usually a male antagonist, but i choose Bettie to be, in order to add more shock. Frame 15 is Maisy point of view sneaking up behind Bettie because she can not believe what she is seeing and is scared. Therefor this makes the audience nervous for Maisy and builds tension as the audience don't know if Bettie is going to get Maisy. Frame 16 is Bettie turning round to notice Maisy standing there, this is to create shock as Maisy has been spotted and is now in danger.

Frame 17-20

Frame 17 is a shot reverse shot from Bettie to Maisy showing the fear on Maisy's face, this is to highlight that Bettie is clearly they antagonist. Frame 18 is Maisy running from Bettie, but because we can see Bettie walking in the same frame as Maisy running, it gives an effect that there is no escape for Maisy. Frame 19 and 20 is the group trying to escape the forest i have planned to use high angle and point of view shots to highlight the feat of Bettie, and the speed the characters are running at.

Overall individual storyboard is a good practise for when we come to make a group storyboard. Also having three different storyboards, as a group we will be able to pull the best bits of each others to make one good storyboard. The planning has made me considered the time i need to film, how and the different type of camera angles i need to use in order to express panic, fear, tension, suspense, shock and surprise.

Planning credit - Miss Georgiou

Planning Credits

 I analysed the opening to se7en looking for the conventions used during the credits, and how and who was revealed first. To do this i watched the opening a few times and took notes of what stood out to me as a thriller influenced credit. The opening credits used in the thriller film se7en made in 1995 directed by David Fincher. During class we analysed the opening credits which included: the colours used, the style of credits, the use of thriller conventions and the order of appearance.

Colours used

The colours used during the opening credits of seven were white text and the background was low key light, dark and gloomy, which are done on purpose to create a sense of bad and good. The white suggest they may be someone innocent involved and black insinuates the unknown and death. So the colour scheme relates to the thriller genre, and outlines that there is going to be some sort of mysterious narrative to the film, therefor is conventional to a thriller film.

The style of credits

 The way the credits appeared during the opening of se7en were shaky and child like written. The child like handwriting is used for the credits which comes in from different parts of the screen. This gives the audience an understanding as to the mental state of the antagonist. Due the the handwriting we gathered that this antagonist could abnormal. The credits bounce across the screen nervously which puts the audience on edge as it weird creates a psychopathic atmosphere. This can relate to the antagonist as most antagonists have something abnormal about them that makes them kill, but this makes the audience believe that this antagonist is going to be an absolute psychopath.

The use of thriller conventions

The first use of a thriller convention i noticed in the opening credits of se7en was the iconography. The iconography included photographs of possible victims, sharp blade and someone drawing in a book, The use of the photographs adds to the mental side of the antagonist, and obviously a sharp blade the audience recognise as a weapon that the antagonist is likely to use. Drawing in a book highlights that the credits child like handwriting was the antagonist. The fact that the handwriting is childish suggest that this person has never been educated, therefor isolates the antagonist making he's mental state worse.

The order of appearance

The order of appearance is in the form of most recognised names first as if it is someone who is very popular and known to be a good producer or actor, the audience are more likely to watch the film. During the opening credits of se7en the order they used was: the production company, director, actors (only the a list ones) title of film, other actors, casting, music, costumes, editors, production, and ends again with the director to leave the last name David Fincher in the mind of the audience, as he was a popular director at the time of this film being made. The order has an impact on weather on not the audience are going to carry on watching the film or not.






The purpose of having credits is to introduce the style  in this case a thriller genre, also to introduce the film title. The colours can be an insight to what the audience might see in the film. My credit has white text which connotes innocence and because it is surrounded in red means that; the innocent may be surrounded by danger.

My Credit is the top screenshot and the problem with my one is that we cant keep having the animation on every name that comes up, therefor my one will probably not be used, or if it is used it  could maybe be used at the end of the credits when we reveal the film name.

 The credit that will probably end up using will be the middle screenshot, which Bettie designed. Her credits come in from different directions which links to our film, as the group split off into different directions when the dog goes missing. Therefor is conventional to our thriller film.

Finally the bottom screenshot is Malus one. The advantages of Malus was the font as it looked blurry, this leaves an effect on the audience of suggesting that there may be some unexpected scenes. But the drawback is that it is plain and boring so i think as a group we will go for Betties design.

In conclusion the purpose of open credits is so that the audience have a introduction to the actors, actresses, director extra. It is also so the audience can  get a feel of the genre and style of the film by the way the names are produced. The colours give the audience clues as to what is likely to be included in film. Finally the most important part of the credits is to reveal the film name, it is important that we choose a credit style that is conventional to our thriller film, in order for the audience to be able to relate the credits to our film.

Planning Characters - Miss Miller

Planning Characters


Characters  are important in any film to carry out the narrative and give the audience a clearer understanding of the scenario. The planning of characters is to ensure that the people we use to act, will fit the roll of our characters, so the audience will be able to build a relationship with each and every character. Our target audience is target at our own age group (15-25) therefor it should be easy for the audience to relate to a group of 16,17 year olds. Malu is going to be filming to thriller sequences; there are six characters: Me, Bettie, Beck, Maisie, Stacey and Billy. Me and Bettie are the two main characters because Bettie is the antagonist, and I'm the victim.




Kane (Victim)




My role in the thriller sequences is to be the victim and be unaware that Bettie is the antagonist, this is unconventional to a thriller film as usually the male is the antagonist and the female is a victim, but we thought this would be better to increase the shock and surprise effect of our film. We targeted our film at our own age group 15-25 this is because I'm 16 myself so the target audience will be of similar age, which will make it easier for them to build a relationship with me. The beginning of the thriller film is going to consist of normal everyday things such as walking the dog and being with a group of friends. Therefor the audience can engage with the narrative as it is a everyday normal thing to do this is important as we want the audience to believe that this could be them, which will lead to a more on edge and tense audience. I am going to be acting as a normal sixteen year old boy with he's friends so that it will come more as a shock, when it is revealed that my own friend eats me.



Bettie (Antagonist)



Bettie's role in the thriller film is to be the antagonist, we choose Bettie to be the antagonist because it is unexpected for a female to be the killer, so when it is revealed to the audience that she has eaten Kane it will be a huge shock. Bettie is acting as herself; a sixteen year old student. The audience is targeted at the same sort of age as us, so Bettie being herself we make it easy for the audience to relate to her. The costume being used is going to be casual clothing, this is due to the fact that we are walking to dog, and the antagonist is unknown to the audience. Once the dog has gone missing and the group of friends split into pairs to find the dog, Bettie and Kane go together, this is when Bettie is going to put white contacts in her eyes to make it clear to the audience that she is the antagonist. We are going to ensure that the audience can see that I haven't noticed that she is an antagonist so that i look vulnerable and a possible victim.



The rest of the characters are four friends of mine, Malus and Betties to build the numbers up of the group of friends. As we need them for the scene when the everyone is looking for the missing dog. The reason we are including the extra four characters is to make them look like possible victims for Bettie. In conclusion the planning of characters is to ensure that they are conventional to the thriller genre, and obviously to keep the people in character. We have chosen our friends which we think will be good at acting as a normal teenagers to set the scene as a group of friends walking the dog.

Sound planning

Sound planning

As a group we came up with a plan for four different sounds we will use in our thriller film: Non-diegetic, Parallel, Off screen sound, Diegetic/on screen. Sounds are important to create shock, surprise, suspence and tension. sound will represent the genre of a film, it is vital to use the correct types of sound during our film to put the audience on edge. For example during the chase scene we may use high pitch upbeat sound to create suspence.


The first sound my group planned was non diegetic sound. Non diegetic sound is sound which is a sound that is invisible on the screen, this can be narrators commentary, sound effects and mood music. In relation to our film we are going ot include non diegetic sound when Bettie turns around after killing Kane. At this point a high screctching sound effect will be inputted to display that Bettie is the anatagonist and is looking for another victim. We choose this part of the film to use a non diegetic sound in order to show that Bettie is the killer and to highlight that she is a cannibal killer, which the audience should recognise as there will be a close up of Betties mouth covered in blood.

The second sound my group planed was off screen sound. This is a sound that is part of a scene but orginating from a source outside of the visible frame. This is going too be used when a Maisy walks up behind Bettie, you will hear the a tense music, the crunching of leaves on each footstep Maisy takes. This is going to be used to build tension as every footstep will become louder for bettie untill she relieses that someone is behind her. Off screen can be what is behind the camera so when it is a point of view shot, the off screen sound can be the noises behind a character. We have planned for Kane to scream when he Bettie kills me, so when the camera is with one of the groups walking around the forest, and the echo of the scream is heard, this will be off screen which will lead to the characters and audience questionning what has happened.

Thirdly the sound we planned to use is parallel sound. Parallel sound is the sound we hear usually goes hand in hand with the image on screen. Therefor an example of parallel sound that will be involved in our film is casual conversation throught out the film. This is parallel because it is what the audience expect, a young group of teenagers walking the dog are obvousily going to be talking amoungst themselves. Another example of parallel sound in our film will be the screaming of fear from the group of friends when they are trying to escape the forest. Parallel sound is esential to keep the film as realistic as possible, as if there was no parallel sounds the audience would find it extremely difficult to follow the narrative of the film.

Finally we planned to usen diegetic/ on scren sound. Diegetic sound is which is vissible on screen for example voices of charactersm, sounds made by objects which would be the sound of a stick crashing into the pond when i throw one for the dog. On screen sound is very similar it is sound that the audience can see is happening from the images. The diegetic/ on screen sound we expect to use are normal conversation, the sound of footsteps, and the dog barking. The dog barking will be a key on screen sound so the audience recongnise that the dog is alive and well befor it goes missing, so the audience can see the dog (Bella) is full of energy and excited. This will make the dissapperance of the dog more effective to the audience as they would have built up a relationship with the dog.

In conclusion the different sound techniques will impact the audience in different ways, covering suspence, shock, surprised and tension. I think the audience will become more involved and intrested in the film if there are a range of different sound techniques. Therefor me, Bettie and Malu planning our techniques will give us more chance of createing a succesfull and intresting film.

Mis en scene - planning

Mis en scene

The mis en scene is important in any thriller film to ensure that everything in the film is meant to be there. Planning the location, iconography, costumes and more are essential to produce a successful thriller film. If we did not plan the mis en scene the film would got completely wrong, it would be unprofessinal and boring. Our thriller sequences is has been planned throughly to ensure that our genre is easily identified. In this post i am going to show how my group has planned to use: Character representation, setting and iconography, costume and make up.

Lighting and colour

Me, bettie and Malu decided to do the lighting low key and use dark colours, we choose to do this in order to give a dark and gloomy effect. As it is winter and it gets dark around 4 0 clock we have decided to film around this time in order to make it realistic to the thriller genre. Keeping the light and colur dark, lets the audience clearly recongnise that the film is going be full of suspence and keep them on the edge of there seats.

Setting and iconography

Our location is set in the forest. A forest is expected as a convention of a thriller film, therefor making our film based in the forest will satisfy the target audience. We thought the forest would be the perfect location because it is a huge open space making the characters look an easy target for an antagonist, overall making them very vulnerable. Also when we film this it is going to be quite dark (early evening) which give the dark and gloomy effect, this will put the audience on the edge of there seats as they are guessing what might be in the shadows. As the killing is a cannibal attack there was not much iconography to be used for the characters. A prop of ours will be the stick we throw for the dog. This is a traditional thing to do with a pet so the audience will be able to relate to the actions taking place.

Costume and Make up

As a group we planned for the characters to stay as casual as we could so the costume and make up is going to be minimal, just really for what u might expect teenagers to wear on a daily basis. The only make up that will be used is the pretend blood on Bettie and Kane to make the killing looks realistic and professional. The reason we kept the costumes to casual to add to ensure the antagonist is unknown, this will help emphasis the shock factor when it is revealed that it is Bettie.  Overall the only part of costume that is going to be used will be Betties contact lenses to make her eyes look all white, as she has to conduct an antagonist look after the audience know she has killed Kane.  

positioning of characters

The position of characters is vital to make the thriller film beliveable. If the characters jump to a different postion during a clip this could make the audience dis-engange with the film, and lose intrest which could result in a unprofessinal thriller film. Also the during our film the group of characters are going to split into three groups of two; therefor it is crucial that the three groups are shown cleary going different dirrections from each other. This has to be done to show to the audience that when Bettie kills Kane, the others are still out there and not every knows she is a cannibal. Overal the poistioning of characters helps the audience understand the narrative of the film.

facial expression body language

Having to much talking in a film can make it hard to follow for the audience, therefor making the characters emphasis there facial expression when they are shocked, scared, angry and showing there body language clearly will increase the audience intrest in the film. Also I have to show i am scared when i relise Bettie is about to kill me, to show to the audience Betties power as an atagonist. Having a female antagonist is unconventinal to a thriller film but at the same time is a good idea as it is unexpected and will lead to a bigger shock when the audience find out. Overall expressing the body language and facial expressions are key to show how the characters are feeling, especially if they are frightened, which will reflect on the audience being scared for them.

In conclusion the mis en scene is everything that needs to be planned and thought about befor create a thriller film. The facial expression and body language, the positioning of characters, the costume and make up, the lighting and colour and setting and iconography are all so important in constructing a succesful film. If i did not plan just one of these the film could go terribley wrong. Therefor the mis en scene in a film is the grounding and bench mark of making a succesful thriller film.

Cinematography planning

Cinematography Planning

Cinematography is vital within any film as the cinematography effectively keep the audience interested. If the film was filmed just from one camera angle, and used one type of movement the film would be boring and unsuccessful.  Cinematography is defined as the art of photography and camerawork in film-making. Therefor the to use most of the different techniques within cinematography is important to make a successful film.


Our film will consist of a low angle shot, this will be used when Bettie has finished killing Kane, and when she is walking away we will film it as a low angle to make Bettie look intimidating and create the antagonist effect. Also during the low angle we will ensure you can hear the crunching of the leaves, to emphasis the power bettie has.

Also there will be a high angle. A high angle is when the camera is above head height usually to make a character look small or weak. We will use high angle when the group are walking into the forest to show the size of the forest compared to the characters, me, Malu and Bettie thought this would highlight the vulnerabilty of the group of friends, and make the audience question if there is something or someone in the forest who might be the antagonist. Showing the setting (forest) is important to show to audience that it is a thriller film.

Eye levle camera angle is similar to point of view. the camera is at the height of eye levle mostly used during converstation. In our thriller film we will plan to use this camrea shot when the group are just have normal conversation and walking the dog. This used to help the audience build a realationship with the characters, so that when the the group are trying to escape the forest, the audience feel for the characters. Having the audience build a relationship makes it easier for us to build tension, shock, suprise and suspence which is key to make our thriller film succesful.

Zooming in is when the camera zooms in to highlight or draw attention to something important during the film. We are going to include zooming when Bettie she turns round after killing Kane, to show to blood around her mouth. The reason we done this is because we obviously cant film Bettie eating Kane so the blood around the mouth shows that she must of eaten me. The zooming in on the mouth also indicates that she might be after more people, which puts the audience in suspense and questioning who might be next.

Close up is when the camera is zoomed in on and a specific thing. In our thriller film close ups are going to be used to show the characters faces when trying to escape the forest. This is conventional of a thriller film to represent the panic and fear of the antagonist. This ensures the audience are put on edge and worried for the characters. Also we may use close up on Kane's face to show the reaction after seeing the Bettie is an antagonist, this is going to be done to shock the audience.

Panning is when the camera stays in one place and can rotate horizontaly. We plan to use panning when we are throwing a stick for the dog to chase. The camera will only pan so much so the dog runs out of sight, this is so it is clear to the audience that the dog has gone missing. Also panning shows the surrondings which will be a dark forest, this is important to show the that the scenry is eery and scary.

In conclusion the art of photography and camerawork in film is cinematography. Bettie, Male and Myself have made a plan to ensure that we use atleast six different types of cinematography. I think cinematography is vital to conduct as professinal film. I think this plan will remind us when we are making the film where we need to change the camera angle or movement, so we dont just film it all from one point of view, as that would make the film boring and succesful. Overall the cinematography most important part i think is the change in camera angles, to ensure that they audience engange with the charcters and build a realtionship. So that when it comes to the scene where they are trying to escape the forest, the audience will feel tense and scared for each character.

Planning editing styles - miss georgiou

Planning editing styles

The editing styles we have planned to use are: slow editing. shot reverse shot, fade and montage editing. We thought these editing styles are going to be very useful to create shock, surprise, suspense and tension which will be key to making our film a thriller. Editing takes place after having the sequence filmed therefor when filming our thriller, we are going to work out at what stages we are going to fade or slow edit in order to get the right amount of footage for the editing to work.


Slow editing is going to be used during the scene that Maisy walks up behind Bettie after Bettie has just killed me. The reason we thought slow editing would benefit our film here; is to show maisy fear of bettie which will make the audience worried that maisy might get hurt if bettie turns round. Therefor the use of slow editing will build up the tension as the audience are unaware of what is about to happen and leaves the audience on the edge of there seats. Also because the slow editing is taking place when Maisy is walking, it helps the audience to create a relationship with Maisy because they understand that she is scared, which relates to the audience as they are scared for her.

Shot reverse shot is going to be used during our thriller film to help the audience relate to the characters.  During normal conversation, shot reverse shot will help the audience to follow what is going on. Also it can help build the audience build a relationship with each character. The camera keep switching will outline the scenery this will lead to an eery and dark feeling to the film, as the scenery will consist of a forest in the late evening. Finally shot reverse shot can speed up a conversation, which will be used when it is found out that Bettie is a killer. I think the editing will keep the film realistic and professional.

Another technique that will be key for the scene that the characters are running away from Bettie is montage editing. Montage editing will show panic and fear of Bettie which will outline her role as they antagonist. Another reason why we are going to include montage editing is to increase the tenseness of the film so it builds up a bigger shock when it comes. To include montage editing we are going to need to spend a lot of time changing the cameras position and angle, which could take a lot of time but will be effective when it all comes together, in keep the audience entertained and on the edge of their seats.

In conclusion the all of these techniques will be very useful in create the four main features of a thriller: shock, surprise, suspense and tension. Also to ensure that our production is realistic and look like other thriller films that have previously been made. The fade technique is going to be used at the end of the film to leave a cliff hanger. Editing is a major factor of making our production a normal film, to a outstanding film. Therefor editing is going to be a task we ensure we take enough time on to get it correct.

Preliminary Task - Miss Miller

Preliminary Task

For my Preliminary Task i was in a group of three: Bettie, Malu and Myself. The reason for our preliminary task was to get use to the equipment; such as the camera and tripod, because we will be using the same equipment when we create our own thriller sequence. For our clip we had to include a range of different camera angles, including: long shot, P.O.V shot, over the shoulder shot and close ups. Bettie done the filming and me and Malu acted.
The scene had to be a conversation between two people, we decided the narrative would be based around Malu being sent out of lesson, I come to tell her she was allowed back into a lesson again, then we have a conversation as to why she got sent out. The scene had to last around thrity seconds. Once we filmed the scene we had to crop out the moments where Malu and I made mistakes. We used final cut pro to edit our film and this took around thirty minutes as it was only a short clip.

Our clip consited of various camera shots, including close ups, long shot, panning and over the should shot. These shots helped to make the film look realistic, because if you just had one type of camera shot, it would be boring and not interesting to watch. With our different camera angles it intrigues  the audience. The drawback to our preliminary task was that we didn't use the tripod. The camera wouldn't stand on the tripod without shaking, so Bettie filmed it by holding the camera. Therefor at some points the clip was slightly unstable. We will ensure in our thriller sequence that we do use the tri-pod in order to make the filming professional. Also i think the time between shots should be shorter, especially after watching over our clip. From the first shot of me walking into the classroom, to the P.O.V of Malu should have maybe been cut shorter.


In conclusion from this task it has given more knowledge on what it is going to be like to make our production. I will make sure the we keep a range of camera techniques and angles, like we did in our preliminary task. I will also ensure that we have a tripod when filming our thriller sequences. Therefor the preliminary task has been like a practise for our thriller sequences; so now we know how to use the equipment ready for when we go out to film it ourselves.

Research - opening sequence of a thriller - Miss Georgiou

Opening sequence of a thriller film

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The opening sequence of a thriller is used to get the audience interested in the film, it gives them a taste of what the film is about and gives the audience an idea of the genre of the film. It usually will consist of some of the main characters. The beginning is the most important time because it is within the first five minutes, the viewer decides weather or not they are going to watch the whole film. Therefor the opening sequences needs to be exciting and set questions for the audience, for example: why did he/she do that?



Editing
There are many different editing techniques used in the opening sequences of texas chain saw massacre. The 'Timing of shots' is evident during this clip, but mainly when the light keeps flashing on the texas chainsaw massacre body, the timing of showing the body, to the music building up is used to build the tension as to what are we about to see. This makes the audience intrigued to find out what has happened to this person. Another editing technique used in the opening sequences is 'zoom' this is used when there is a  close up of the texas chainsaw massacre, and the camera slowly zooms out. This was used to slowly reveal the antagonist. It creates an element of shock because as the camera zooms out we see a victim tied up with the antagonist.

Cinematography
There was many different types of cinematography in the opening sequences, one being the 'shallow focus' this is when there are flashes of the closes ups of the texas chainsaw massacres hands and face. This is used to show the details of he's skin and how bad it is. This is conventional to a thriller because the antagonist usually has something wrong with them, and in this case its gets the audience in suspense as to what has happened to this person.

Characters
There was two characters shown in the opening sequence of texas chainsaw massacre. This is to give the audience an idea of who to protagonists is and who the antagonists is. obviously the women victim in the opening sequences was the protagonist, but she is dead now so the audience are wondering who the next protagonist is going to be. We do not get to see the antagonist move or talk in this opening clip, therefor it keeps the audience on edge which is an effect ever thriller try's to give. It puts the characters on edge as they don't know if the antagonist is alive,  or how he conducts he's killings. This puts many questions in the audience head and intrigues them to watch more, therefor it is a successful opening sequences.

In conclusion the opening sequences is to introduce the narrative of the film and also show some conventions of a thriller film, to set the scene. This post will help me when i come to make my film, as i will know what to include to get the audience interested in my film. Texas chainsaw massacre was a perfect example of a good opening sequences, as i now want to watch the rest of the film.