The Key Elements of our Thriller Opening

  In our Thriller movie the key elements we are going to be using some codes and conventions to help build up suspense before the film begins.

• Fast paced quick cuts - We know that this is an element that the audience will be used to and is effective for building tension and suspense in a film.
• Mirrors - Mirrors are another commonly used convention in a thriller. The connotations of mirrors are reflection, double meanings and tricks on the audience. We are going to use mirrors in our opening to show the fractured personality of our character and to build mystery about his identity.
• Black and white CCTV footage - This will allow us to create a dark and eerie atmosphere at the same time CCTV footage has connotations of reality making the film feel more real and creepy.
• Non diegetic music - We are going to use non diegetic music to allow the audience to identify that is something not right, so that we can build suspense for them and make them aware that something bad is about to happen.

Age Classification.

As part of our production we have to classify the minimum age limit to either watch our film in the cinema or to purchase it. In order to do this we had to do some research on it to gain more marks. One key website that we found useful was the British Board of film classification  (BBFC) because it give us detailed information about each age classification and the what should and should not be included.

The age classification we have agreed on is '15' because on BBFC it states that a this classification could include:

• strong violence
• frequent strong language (eg 'f***').
• portrayals of sexual activity
• strong verbal references to sex
• sexual nudity
• brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
• discriminatory language or behaviour
• drug taking

But the only the element from this we are using is strong violence because of the fact that there is going to be a murder and we feel this is too serious to classify as a '12' and it would not be an '18' because we are not dwelling on the infliction of pain and injury.

 

Film Synopsis

For our coursework production we have decided to make a psychological thriller film opening, we are currently working on a name for our film but we have got our story line.

Levi is the protagonist in the film, and is being portrayed as a mentally-ill patient who has been sectioned off into a mental institute for murder instead of going to prison. During his time in the mental institution, Levi has made a kill list containing 3 women- one he has already killed and another he kills in the opening sequence. The third woman will be Levi's target for the rest of the film. In the sequences following our opening sequence, the likability of Bonnie's character will be established in order to create tension and anxiety amongst the audience for the remainder of the film. A cat and mouse pursuit of Levi and Bonnie will dominate most of the film, ending with a plot twist in which Levi learns that he is the father of Bonnie's child but he is shot by the police. The final sequence will be an ariel shot of Bonnie lying over Levi's body whilst uncontrollably crying.

Our Logo Design

We decided on a logo and came up with the name 'EVIL Productions' we decided to use this name because it fits in well with the thriller genre and our plans for our final piece. I also think this a good name because if you rearrange my name 'LEVI' it can spell EVIL so it gives me a direct input in this and I am the protagonist in our film opening so therefore I could be seen as evil.

 

 

Mood board.

For our foundation portfolio, we had to create a mood board to set the tone and show some initial ideas for our thriller film opening.

Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre.

For our foundation portfolio we had to research key codes and conventions of the thriller genre. To show some of the codes and conventions we discovered, we decided as a group to create a production piece in the style of a TV interview. The codes and conventions the we feel are relevant for our own coursework production are included in this interview.

 

Script Abbreviations

ELS extreme long shot
MLS medium long shot
LS long shot
MS medium shot
MCU medium close-up
CU close-up
ECU extreme close-up
OS over-the-shoulder shot
2-S or 3-S two-shot or three-shot
POV point of view shot
ZI or ZO zoom in or zoom out
INT interior
EXT exterior
SOT or SOF sound on tape or sound on film
BG background
SFX or F/X special effects (can be either sound or visual)
VO voice-over
OSV off-screen voice
DIS dissolve


Knowing the abbreviations for the different shots would help in our research and planning because it would make the process much quicker.

Narrative Theories

Vladimir Propp: Propp is a Russian Critic and literary Theorist, he has analysed over 100 Russian fairy tales in the 1920's. Vladimir proposed that it was possible to classify the characters and their actions into clearly defined roles and functions. An example that fits Propp's model perfectly is Star Wars. However more recent films such as Pulp Fiction do not fit the model. The model is useful as it highlights the similarities between different stories.

Propp's Character Roles:

The hero (seeks something

The Villain (opposes the hero)

The donor (helps the hero by providing a magical object)

The dispatcher (sends the hero on his way)

The false hero (falsely assuming the role of hero)

The helper (gives support to the hero)

The princess (the reward for the hero, but also needs protection from the villain)

Her Father

Tzvetan Todorov: Todorov is a Bulgarian Literary Theorist, he suggests that most narratives start with a state of equilibrium in which life is normal and the protagonists are happy. This state of normality is then disrupted by an outside force, which has to then be fought against in order to return to the state of equilibrium. This model that Todorov has theorized can be applied to a wide range of movies.

Equilibrium -> Disequilibrium -> New Equilibrium

Claude Levi-Strauss: Levi-Strauss is a Social Anthropologist, he studied the myths of tribal creatures. Levi-Strauss also examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs, and myths of a culture. These are usually expressed in the form of binary oppositions. His research has been adapted by media theorists to reveal underlying themes and symbolic oppositions in media text.

Binary Oppositions: A conflict between two qualities or terms.

Hunger Games in terms of Narrative Theory:

Beginning: The beginning is like the calm before the storm, it usually shows what life is like before everything is turned upside down. In The Hunger Games, this is what life is like before the storm begins. This is the beginning of the movie.

Complication: The complication is effectively the storm, however it only lays the path to the action. In this screenshot, the complication is shown clearly as Primrose Everdeen is reaped for The Games.

Climax: The climax is where the majority of the action takes place, here in this screenshot Katniss Everdeen - who volunteered in her sisters place for The Hunger Games is caught in a fire in the arena. This is one of many examples of actions that lead to the resolution of the movie.

Resolution: A resolution doesn't always turn out to be positive, it can be negative too. This screen shot here shows Katniss and Peeta preparing themselves to take their own lives and effectively humiliating the Capitol. However, right before they take the night-lock berries they are both declared the winners which concludes the movie leaving a mixed resolution.

Location Shoot

We got in contact with Dawn Martin, The head of alternative education at our school and she is also of this house which is used as a learning annex and is situated on the school grounds. She is fine for us to use this house as our location for making our production.

 

This is a shot of the high gate and fence that is surrounding the house we are going to use as a mental institute.

 

 

This is a shot of a CCTV camera that is situated on the outside of the house; which is good because makes the house feel more like a 'mental home' or institute.

 

This is a shot of the house we are going to use as the mental institute. We think this is a good location because it is surrounded by a big field a high fencing with a gate that can be locked. It is also a good location to use because the house has various CCTV cameras in and around the house that can make it feel more like a mental institute.

 

This a shot showing part of the field and the high fence that surrounds it. It also shows a CCTV camera on a high post. This could show that its an area that needs to be closely watched.

 

This a shot of the field surrounding the house.

 

This is a shot of the house showing part of the field and fencing.

 

This is a shot of an office that can be re arranged and used as the mental institute officer's office.

Original Storyboard

Page 1 of our story board

Page 2 of story board

Page 3 of our storyboard

Page 4 of our storyboard



Page 5 of our storyboard

 

 

 

This is our 5 page story board for the production of 'Reprisal'. However when we finished shooting to this storyboard, we did not really like how it came out, so therefore we decided to go and reshoot the whole production. This had to be completed quickly and due to health and safety measurements, there were shots that we could not use. However majority of our production is the same as the storyboard but there is some slight differences in the final production.



Alfred Hitchcock

AS Media Blogs

From looking at the blogs I would grade:

Anujan's Blog- D grade because the blog posts are minimal and the quality of the final piece is not brilliant.

Snehal's Blog- High C grade because the final piece was really good and built tension but the reseach was not so good.

Kamini's Blog- B/A grade becuase the final piece was good and used a lot of key conventions and the candidate has shown detailed research blog posts from different media formats including slide shows and films.

Sound

Diegetic Sound

Diegetic sound is the sound that is part of the film or media text and the actors in it can hear the sound.

Non-diegetic Sound

Non-diegetic sound is sound that we do not recognise as part of the film and the actors in the media text would not hear it.

Sound Bridges.

A sound bridge is when the sound from one scene will continue in another creating a smooth transition to each scene.

Parallel and Contrapuntal Sound.

When we watch a film, the sound that we hear usually complements the image that we see on the cinema screen. This is parallel sound.

Contrapuntal sound is when the sound doesn't fit the image.

Theme

A key passage of music related to the subject matter.

Sting

A sting is basically musical punctuation to highlight a moment, it is also used for emphasis.

Sound Motif

Sound motif is when sound is associated with a particular character.

 

 

Editing.

Editing

 

The post-production selection, sequencing and joining together of camera shots, sound and/or text.

Editing for Realism

To construct the illusion of reality through 'invisible' processes such as:

• Continuity editing
• The 180-degree rule
• Shot reverse shot
• Match on action
• Eyeline match.

Editing to show a passage of time

To  show the passage of time through visual effects or transitions such as:

• Dissolve
• Fade in and fade out or fade to black.
• Wipe, slow motion or fast-forward.
• Short or long takes.
• Flashback