Risk Assessment

We have looked at the different risks of our filming and understand the dangers involved along with the saftey of our actors and oursleves.
We have obtained permssion for James Menhinick for use of farm equipment with his permission and in some cases, his supervision and direction.

Transportation between locations:

The methods of transportation include a car, quadbike and forklift.

The car and forklift will be driven by qualified and responsible adults.

The quadbike is not registered with the DVLA to be driven on public roads except in the case of crossing a road to access one side of a property from another. To get round this we will use private farm tracks to access our locations. The issue as regards the quadbike is the ditches that skirt the farm tracks.

On location during filming, issues that may arise for actors are:

Injury or falling ill. Falling or tripping is the most likely source of injury during our filming process due to the location.

For both of these possible problems the way of dealing with them is to assess the injury by on site first aider. If injury needs treating locally (ice pack, cold water style treatment) then they will be taken back to James Menhinick's residence either by car or quadbike.

On location during filming, issues that may arise for crew are:

Injury or falling ill. Falling or tripping is the most likely source of injury during our filming process due to the location.

For both of these possible problems the way of dealing with them is to assess the injury by on site first aider. If injury needs treating locally (ice pack, cold water style treatment) then they will be taken back to James Menhinick's residence either by car or quadbike.

However, there is and added risk during the filming for crew due to the opening shot which is being filmed from an elevated and movable platform (forklift) which presents a falling hazard.

All members of crew will have a phone on them at all times and there will always be at least one person on location capable of driving at least the quadbike.

Possible Cast List

We have been discussing a possible cast for our piece under two main categories; suitability and availability. These are some of the people we have considered:


Main Character (Girl): Abi Carsberg; She acts outside of school therefore has natural ability in front of camera. Briony Horner; She has expressed an interest in the part but unfortunately is UNAVAILABLE. WE ARE STILL ON THE LOOK OUT FOR OUR LEAD GIRL. - our main concern is availability so the first thing on our list when looking out for actors is availability.

Deceased Victim: Grace Menhinick; Convenient for time management and not too big a role. She has acted outside of school and is good at special effects wax and is happy to wear it in filming. As it is a minor role we feel that is would waste other peoples time getting to and from the location for such a short period of time.

Killer, Antagonist: Jack Banks; He has a history of working on various theatre productions as an actor most recently as an antagonist in the form of an abusive husband, a psychopathic doctor and a serial killer. With his ability to conform to these roles, he is an ideal choice to star in our thriller. He is available for one evening only but we think we can fit his part into this.

Extras (Around camp fire): Fraser Hill; Joe Menhinick;

Meeting 8 - 22/01/10

All Attended. We finished the storyboard in terms of transitions, lighting and diagetic sound. The only thing left to cover is non-diagetic sound and we have discussed which tracks we like best. We feel that it would be best to leave the sound until we have a better idea of the action and how the music will fit with it.
We also posted the plot summary to the opening and Jonny collected the gels form the drama department for the lighting. Grace ordered the special effects wax from amazon.
Grace and Henry experimented with garage band and worked out how to use it, editing a couple of tracks to use within the opening.
We will look more into character and costumes as well as props and write the risk assessment later today at Grace's.

Plot to the Opening

A group of friends are out camping in a field. The scene starts with an clip of the friends around the fire having a beer and being merry. It cuts to one of the female members staggering off across the field to find somewhere to go to the toilet. She is drunk and doesn't really know where she is going. Her friends are calling her back but she isnt listening and continues to venture into the woods.
She is beginning to feel like she is being followed. She is looking around and the trees are rustling and brushing past her as she picks up her pace.
She begins to run. Through the trees she can see a light and begins to run towards it. She reaches a light which is on in an old abandoned caravan. The door is open and she runs in slamming the door behind her. She slumps against the door and looks about. Her heart is thudding and she is gasping for breath. She looks towards the living area of the caravan and takes in the scene around her. - there is furniture overturned, stuff strewn everywhere, blood all splattered up the walls and then her eyes fix on the body of a young man/woman who is dead on the floor.
She lets out a scream and it then cuts to her friends around the fire hearing this and then back to her backing away from the body. With a flash of light cuts to a mental image she has of a hooded figure with an knife, stabbing the woman in the room.
The opening ends with her hiding in a room in the caravan with the hooded attacker appearing in the window so that the audience can see him but she does not know he is there.

Sound

Just to add to the 8 tracks that we have for sound, if we want any other interesting tracks there are a few on the website below. Although they are titled horror they are not all necessarily for a horror movie.

http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=Horror

Also as you can see at the top there is browse by genre or feel and i am sure we would be able to find some good tracks from here. They are all copyright free so are good for use.

Meeting 7 - 21/01/10

All Attended.
We worked on our storyboard and are on our way to finishing. The only things left to discuss are lighting, sound and transitions. Some of this we decided we would work out from our practise filming we are doing this weekend.
We had a small discussion on some of the people that could be possible actors within our opening and Grace attempted to ring Jack Banks, but there was not answer and text Monique Thapar because they both enjoy and are good at acting and we know that Monique goes to a theatre company outside of school.
We re-listened to our sound tracks that Henry received but need more discussion on which ones to use for each different part of the sequence. We looked at which parts of the track could be edited in and out.

We also looked into what we still needed to cover and have said we will try and work on the following at Grace's house this weekend:
risk assessment
recruiting the actors/cast list - and what we want the characters to look like
Location List

Permissions letter and Chosen Location

Hi all,

I asked my dad to write a permissions letter to say that he gives us permission to use the farm land and buildings in our media film as these are our chosen locations. Below is what he has written and signed.

Sound for thriller (follow-up)

I realise it has already been mentioned in our meeting today, but I just wanted to give an update in more detail on the 'sound for thriller' situation. Following my emails and his reply regarding the use of his tracks, he has agreed to let us use them in our coursework.

We may not be using them all, but this gives us a lot of variation and choice, as to what track to use to create different effects. We will not be totally reliant on these tracks, hopefully we can incorparate some 'home-made' sounds as well.

Meeting 6 - 20/01/10

All Attended. Henry received the (8) tracks for the thriller film, and they are now loaded on to Grace's memory stick ready to use when needed. The main point of this meeting was to continue planning/writing our storyboard. Camera shots, duration of shot, lighting and sound are all being considered during this process.

The storyboard is to be fully completed by friday (22/01/10).

Outline of the whole film

A group of friends are out camping in a field. One of the female members staggers off across the field drunk. She realizes she is lost and she begins to try and find her way back towards the tent. However as she begins to do so, she finds herself venturing into a wooded area. She begins to feel she is being followed. She begins to run through the woods. She reaches an old abandoned caravan which has furniture overturned, stuff strewn everywhere, blood all splattered up the walls and then her eyes fix on the body of a young woman who is dead on the floor. She screams and gets a mental image of a hooded figure with a knife, stabbing the woman in the room.
The girl wakes from a nightmare later that night in the tent once the drama is over and she is back with her friends but wakes up with a start.
Once woken from this nightmare, each night in her head she keeps seeing the same scene over and over again, but each time she sees a bit more of the attacker and feels his presence.
THIS IS THE TWIST IN THE STORY!!! - if she is aware of him, then he is aware of her and he senses her and he is beginning to look for her.
Throughout the days going by she continues to think of him. Strange things begin to happen to her like things begin to go missing and things appear that were never there before. She is the attackers next victim.
Everytime he gets close to finding her, she somehow prevents him from finding her.
The story ends on a cliff hanger with them meeting each other and its up to the audience to decide whether she lives or dies.

Opening Film Credits

I researched what needs to go into film credits. They are usually text shown on a blank screen although, like the James Bond films, some opening credits are built around some sort of animation. Even though this would be interesting and add intrigue to the story, because of time constraints it is virtually impossible to do this. Also we are at risk of deterring away from the story too much.

As we are only making an opening sequence, I researched into what is typically seen in opening credits as the end credits will not apply to us.

Title - The name of the film
Cast/Starring - Main characters (with cameo sometimes added)
In association with
Presented by
Narrated by
Writers/Creators - Based on, Written by
Production - Produced by, Directed by

Meeting 5 - 18/01/10

This message is also posted in our 'Meetings' section. We had a meeting today, Grace and Henry attended, Jonny was unavailable as he was in a lesson. We still thought it necessary to try and get our storyline in order, as we aim to start filming in the upcoming weeks.

We looked over our final plot line and we both made suggestions on how it could be improved, as the original idea was at a basic stage. We now have (pretty much) decided on our final plot line, having taking in to consideration the location, the characters and what is available to us in terms of props.

Our next task is to try and write a more detailed summary of our opening and storyboard this idea thinking about what is seen and heard, the camera shots, transitions and lighting.

Fonts

I was thinking about the different fonts that we could use for our titles. I have a CD with over 1000 different fonts so some of these we may be able to look at using. I have been through all of them and picked out the ones that i think are most interesting. Not all of the ones i have picked out will be suitable but i have done to give you and idea.
Unfortnatly i am unable to get them on the blog as the blog only has its preset fonts so i will print them out and bring them to the next lesson and also try to scan them in as an image to put on the blog.
The only thing we will have to look into is asking the IT department how we can get these onto final cut express if we wish to use them in our coursework. I do have a rough idea because i have imported them onto my laptop so i will bring in the CD and we can have a look at how it may be done.

Edited Story

Here is the beginning that we (Jonny and Grace) have started to edit to show camera angles that we think would work well for each clip.

A group of friends are out camping in a field.
The scene starts with a clip of the friends around the fire being merry and having a beer. – high angle, descending. (moving/diagonal pan/zoom)
Cuts to one of the female members staggering off. – extreme long shot of tent in the background with rowdy people, long shot of girl approaching camera – edge of the woods in view through – walks towards the camera and out of shot.

Timetable of Study Periods

This is posted on the side but you cannot seem to see it so here it is in a large image.

Chosen idea

We have decided to use the following Story idea, however we are going to change things as a group, once we have had discussion on what we would like to include or get rid of.

A group of friends are out camping in a field. The scene could start with an clip of the friends around the fire having a beer and smoking. It cuts to one of the female members staggering off across the field to find somewhere to go to the toilet. She is drunk and doesn't really know where she is going. It cuts to a different angle of her realising she is lost and she begins to try and find her way back towards the tent. However as she begins to do so, she finds herself venturing into a wooded area. A POV shot could be used here.
Cuts to a medium shot so that the woods can be seen. You can see on her face that she is beginning to feel some kind of presence. A long shot can be used to show her looking all around, not sure if it is in front or behind her. The camera can jump cut to a close up of her facial expression, then to a tree or bushes rustling in the wind and branches swiping past her body.
She begins to run. A long shot can be used for this. She is panicky and she is breathing heavily. Through the trees she can see a light and begins to run towards it. She reaches a light which is on in an old abandoned caravan. She runs up to the door banging on it in hysterics. Under the pressure of her leaning on it the door flies open and she stumbles in banging the door shut behind her. A POV shot can be used as she slumps against the door and looks about. Her heart is thudding and she is gasping for breath. When she looks towards the living room of the caravan and takes in the scene around her. - there is furniture overturned, stuff strewn everywhere, blood all splattered up the walls and then her eyes fix on the body of a young man/woman who is dead on the floor.
A close up of her face could be shown when she lets out a scream - it then cuts to her friends around the fire hearing this and then back to her holding her head in her hands, sobbing. It cuts to a mental image she has of a hooded figure with an knife, stabbing the woman in the room.
It then cuts to the girl waking from a nightmare later that night in the tent once the drama is over and she is back with her friends. - This could be a good ending for the opening or we could somehow include the next bit - the next bit is also kind of the rest of the story.

Once woken from this nightmare, in her head she keeps seeing the same scene over and over again, but each time she sees a bit more of the attacker and feels his presence.
THIS IS THE TWIST IN THE STORY!!! - if she is aware of him, then he is aware of her and he senses her and he is beginning to look for her.

Meeting 3 - 15/01/10

Everyone attended this meeting.
Henry told us the most recent news about the sound situation, which is now posted on the blog.
We discussed the questionnaire results and posted these to the blog. - This is some of our audience research.
We all looked at the different ideas that we had come up with and managed to narrow it down to two.
We chose the one that we did because altough we liked both, with the locations we had access to and the actors we have access to we felt that this plot would work better.

Questionnaire feedback

From the questionnaire that we handed out for people to fill in, we have compounded a list of things which people like to be included in a thriller. 

The people questioned were aged from 10 up. 

All 13 interviewed said that they liked thrillers.

Out of the 13 asked, 8 of 13 said that they prefer thriller over any other genre but 5 did not.

From those we spoke to we have also gained a list of films that people have named their favorite thriller:

Sixth Sense

Golden Eye

The Bourne Trilogy

Phonebooth

2 Fast 2 Furious

Quantum of Solace

And 7 more.

The list of things that makes a thriller according to those we asked was:

car chases

fights

suspense

good character backgrounds

sub plots

voyeurism

high paced sequence

POV shots

twists to the plot

and dramatic music

Sound for Thriller

I have been searching for music for to use during our thriller. I realise that the music used has to be copyright free or has to have permission. So, therefore following up on the "Eneti" website, I have emailed him to inquire about the use of his music in our coursework. This is a record of my inquiry and his reply:

My message: I was listening to your work on YouTube as I was in search for music to use in our Media Studies Coursework: the opening sequence of a thriller film, and felt your music was very suitable. It would fit in very well with the genre and feel of the film. I wanted to ask whether it would be possible to use your work in our coursework? 
Thank you

His reply: Thank you for your email and sorry for long delay. I think you can use my music. Originally it’s music from my online library. If you do it for the educational purpose, you can use it. Let me know, which one you like . I would send you clean versions of those song. The ones on youtube have little beep signal every few seconds. 

Another Story idea come from things to bare in mind

I was thinking about things that we should bare in mind when we are thinking about which storyline to take because there is not point in having a storyline if we are unable to to do it because we do not have access to the locations needed, resources we need and the people we have access too as actors.

I think that we need to bare in mind:
- the locations we have access to
- resources we have access to and
- the ages and genders of the people who would be willing to take part.

While considering these i came up with another idea that would fit with the people who are likely to take part and the locations that are available to us.

Idea

A group of friends are out camping in a field. The scene could start with an clip of the friends around the fire having a beer and smoking. It cuts to one of the female members staggering off across the field to find somewhere to go to the toilet. She is drunk and doesn't really know where she is going. It cuts to a different angle of her realising she is lost and she begins to try and find her way back towards the tent. However as she begins to do so, she finds herself venturing into a wooded area. A POV shot could be used here.
Cuts to a medium shot so that the woods can be seen. You can see on her face that she is beginning to feel some kind of presence. A long shot can be used to show her looking all around, not sure if it is in front or behind her. The camera can jump cut to a close up of her facial expression, then to a tree or bushes rustling in the wind and branches swiping past her body.
She begins to run. A long shot can be used for this. She is panicky and she is breathing heavily. Through the trees she can see a light and begins to run towards it. She reaches a light which is on in an old abandoned caravan. She runs up to the door banging on it in hysterics. Under the pressure of her leaning on it the door flies open and she stumbles in banging the door shut behind her. A POV shot can be used as she slumps against the door and looks about. Her heart is thudding and she is gasping for breath. When she looks towards the living room of the caravan and takes in the scene around her. - there is furniture overturned, stuff strewn everywhere, blood all splattered up the walls and then her eyes fix on the body of a young man/woman who is dead on the floor.
A close up of her face could be shown when she lets out a scream - it then cuts to her friends around the fire hearing this and then back to her holding her head in her hands, sobbing. It cuts to a mental image she has of a hooded figure with an knife, stabbing the woman in the room.
It then cuts to the girl waking from a nightmare later that night in the tent once the drama is over and she is back with her friends. - This could be a good ending for the opening or we could somehow include the next bit - the next bit is also kind of the rest of the story.

Once woken from this nightmare, in her head she keeps seeing the same scene over and over again, but each time she sees a bit more of the attacker and feels his presence.
THIS IS THE TWIST IN THE STORY!!! - if she is aware of him, then he is aware of her and he senses her and he is beginning to look for her.

Sound

I had a look at the website that you found on music Henry. As Grace said there is some very good pieces on there. I found a few that I like and would suit a range of possible films. Good shout. What is the deal on using them though? I don't understand.

Storyboard Filming (URGENT)

Monday 11th January

In Miss Rose's lesson we were supposed to do a group story board of one of our possible films. Because you (Grace and Henry) are on study leave I suggest doing your own story board for your best film idea which is possible.

Miss Rose gave a list of things to include for each 'frame' or 'picture' which are:

1. what you see

2. what you ear (music, dialogue, sound effects)

3. how to cut between shots (transitions)

4. props

5. lighting for the shot

6. which type of shot will be used

7. location

(8). Make sure to comment on Camera, Editing, Mise en Scene, Sound (CEMS)

Bring in what you've got to the next lesson we are all hear and we'll see what we like then do a fuller more finalized storyboard. I think the next lesson we're all here is Friday 15th Jan (this week)

Casino Royale Clip Analysis

Camera and editing:

The opening/establishing shot of this sequence of Casino Royale is an aerial shot circling an arena in an urban district of town or city in Madagascar. The camera changes to closer shots (MS) of the crowded arena then jumps to a close up on the ferret and snake in the arena. There is a close up of a bookie taking money off of some of the people for bets.

You the get a medium shot (MS) of the mark, the man Bond and his colleague are tailing. From the MS of the mark the camera then zooms out to a long shot of the mark. The focus of the shot then changes as the 2nd agent walks into the shot turning it into a close up. There are then various cuts of medium shots of Bond, the 2nd agent and the mark. Then there is a close up of the marks phone as he gets a text. As the mark leaves he spots one of the agents and chase begins. The spend of cuts increases and the angle of the shot becomes more extreme with low angle shots and high angles shots and a few canted shots. Then as the mark and Bond leave the arena there is an aerial shot of Bond running almost parallel to the mark.

Then as the action picks up more and more pace the shots start to incorporate fast panning and point of view shots all the way from the market to the building site.

Once on the building site the first 10 or so shots are all extreme long shots of the surroundings. Then it jumps to a close up of the mark drawing his weapon.

Then as Bond comes through a building in a truck a small sequence jumping between Bond and the mark commences with the gun being fired and the bullets impacting the truck glass. This obeys the 180 degree rule throughout and the time between cuts shortens until the mark runs for it.

As they start scaling the building the angles again become more interesting with canted, low and high angle shots.

Sound:

At the start the only sounds are the mob at the animal fighting arena and the two agents talking.

As the chase sequence really begins though there is a low note and pitch orchestral beat which I believe is played on drum and strings. This continues and builds throughout most of the sequence and takes a regular beat which does not change enough to be notice. While the case through the arena continues the mob can still be heard shouting and after the 2nd agent discharges his pistol, that shouting turns to screaming as people scatter. As they leave the arena though the rhythm does change and brings in African drums to the music. Over this the sound of people crashing through their environment can be heard. Silence then ensues as Bond disappears but comes back louder than before as he comes crashing through the building site, work men and machine going along in the background. Then as the chase starts to gain height by going up the building work the music becomes even more tense using higher pitches.

Casino Royale Clip

In this clip I am focusing on analysing the first 3 minutes. However, the entire sequence has potential core idea which could become the basis for something.

Story Plot Ideas

Idea 2

Two detectives turn up at a crime scene and start their investigation. But it all looks familiar, too recognisible. De ja vu. The hunt is on. Can these two detectives uncover this elusive killer who has stalked them over the years. Followed them. Every time they move department and state they think they've taken him off the streets. But he's still out there, biding his time. Can this masterful duo catch this psychopath, or will they out done again......?

This clip opens with the crime scene and the two detectives being called in to investigate. Almost instantly after seeing the body they know that they've seen this before. A long time ago in a state hundreds of miles away, but they've seen this before, far too many times. The film comprises of the two detectives having flash backs to different crime scenes.

Story Plot Ideas

Idea 1

Two agents are on a job. Just watching, observing, waiting for their mark to let their guard down. He has what they need. But suddenly all the rules change and now the hunter, is the hunted.....

In this the tailing of the mark turns into a chase through the city. The guy gets away but the agents get the data he was carrying... or do they. The film revolves around the search for this information between 3 factions all in the search for the same thing. Oil. In this international game of cat and mouse who will come out victorious.

Music

That is some very good music. Well found Henry!!!

As it says on the website if you wish to use the music please contact me so i think we should do so. If we have the oppotunity to use it, then why not. There are some intersting pieces avaliable here to choose from and as of yet i dont know which is my favourite and until we know what our story is about it is hard to tell. For now we could just ask the guy about the use of his music and if he says that is fine later, we can request the tracks that we would like. Since you found the music would you be happy to email the guy about the use?

Story Ideas

Hi guys here are 3 story ideas that i have come up with.

Idea 1: The main character in this story would be a crime scene investigator.
The sequence would start with a long zoom of the crime scene investigators eyes and there is silence to add suspense. Then the eyes blink and noise is heard with the flashes of memories popping up. There should be snippets of memories that seem very confused and they should be short. At this point only the noise of the memory should be heard. The memories should come quick and fast and should show memories that are going to connect to the crime scene that will appear later, for example a teddy seen in a shop window could be the memory and then that teddy is on the floor of the crime scene shown later. An image then appears in his dream/nightmare of the crime scene that he will later visit. The memories should then be interrupted by a phone call and the lights and noise should fade out. The light should then flash back with the sight of red and blue flashing lights. The crime scene investigator should then be seen entering the caravan (we have an old dirty one which is not used) which has blood trailing out of it. The film should then finish on the image of the brutal Crime Scene he is attending only and the noise should go dead as he enters the caravan only his breathing should be heard and once he sees the scene of crime the sequence will end.

Idea 2: The main character in this story would be an ordinary, middle class guy, who has a middle class job. The story is about a nightmare he has and every night something else happens in the nightmare. The clips would jump between him in bed thrashing around and the nightmare he is having. Eventually his nightmare comes true, but on someone else.

Idea 3: The main character in this story would be a young girl. She is playing in the park where her mum can see her from the flat window. Her mum is watching her and she looks away for a second to see what the dog is barking at and when she looks back the girl is gone but the swing is still swinging. The rest of the film is about the hunt for the little girl and the messages that the mother keeps receiving over the following weeks. They never actually find the girl’s body, only bits of her clothing that keep appearing near where she went missing over the following weeks.

Thriller Music

I am aware that our group collectively or individually hasn't done much research on thriller music in films.

So, I have added a link which contains several music clips made for thriller films taken from the Enetiworld website (that not necessarily would be used but more for researched into). This gives me a feel for what kind of music would fit depending on the scenario of the film.

Plot Summary for Thriller Plotline

Here is one plot idea for thriller coursework, in my mind this is very brief and plot twists could be added to make the story more thrilling.

The film begins with a series of murders (in different locations) all with a link between them. The CSI step in. These murder victims have been marked, the killer sending a message.
As the Police start to understand what connects the victims, we cut (in simultaneous time) to the killer's whereabouts and next target. The target is now revealed to the audience, the police soon catch on.
Now it is all about the chase, can he survive?

Narrative Structure

Here is a link to information on narrative structure:

http://www.inpoint.org/pdf/LanguageofFilm01.pdf

Self Evaluation of Skills

The following is how i rate myself in the skills and technical skills i have.

(Out of 5, 1=poor, 5=excellent)
Organisation: 4
Deadlines: 4
Reliability: 5

Why i feel i am good at this and what i could do to improve.

Organisation - I feel i am pretty good at my organisation skills however i feel that maybe i could try and communicate more outside of school with my group to help organise more.
Deadlines - I think that i am good at meeting deadlines however i sometimes leave things until the last minute to do so that i can meet them, so i need to try and get things done ahead of time to ensure that i will meet all deadlines 

Technical skills

Camerawork: 4
Editing: 3
Understanding of Light: 2/3
Understanding of Sound: 2/3

What could I do to improve?

I found in the preliminary task that my camera work was not too bad. I came up with different camera angles that were different from the storyboard to make the scene more effective. I do however feel that there is more that can be improved in just by practice.

Editing i struggled with a bit as i found final cut express complicated to use but once i knew the basics i was OK. I need to do more practice with it to feel more confident with using it.

I understand most of the technical terms for both sound and lighting but do not as of yet feel confident with understanding how to put them into a piece. I understand how to analyse these in other pieces but feel i need to think more about at how to achieve that certain effect in my own piece.

Jonny's Self-evaluation

Out of 5 (5 being the highest; 1 being the lowest) I feel that my 'ability' in particular areas of media studies are as follow:

Personal

Personal Organization: 4

Ability to Meet Deadlines: 3

Reliability: 5

Technical

Camera Work: 4

Editing: 3/4

Understanding of Sound: 3/4

Understanding of Lighting: 5

Things I can Improve

I definitely need to work on meeting deadlines though I feel at the moment I am getting better.
While I am comfortable with the different lighting techniques and uses I need to get more aquainted with sound terminology and techniques.
I also could do with further familiarising myself with Final Cut Express and its more intricate processes though I am confident about editing terminology and techniques.
All I can do to improve my camera work is practice at home.

From the Preliminary Film I have learned ...

... how to use Final Cut Express. In the process of editing we had to do two fairly major things to the text. The main one was synchronizing the visual and audio texts so that they were in time. Originally after uploading the scenes to the computer the sound was 1 second ahead of the visual text. This took a little while to work out but in the end discovered that you can look the visual and audio sequences individually of each other. The other major and in some ways more vital thing I learned to do with Final Cut Express was to actually cut and shorten the sequences and move them around so that they can be placed the correct order in the sequence. While doing this we discovered that you can put the sequences on different lines which meant that we could accurately cut sequence to place another in the middle of it.

... how to use the camera. I know how to use the camera in terms of recording, stopping, pausing and play back. Any additional functions that may be found through the menu I haven't learnt to use yet. In terms of using the camera and tripod I can pan, track, use the zoom function, point of view shot, tilting and using the tripod and handheld to give high angle and low angle shots.

Self Evaluation of Skills

We have been asked to evaluate our skills both physically and technically as part of our pre-production of coursework.

(Out of 5, 5=excellent)
Organisation: 4
Deadlines: 4
Reliability: 5

What could I do to improve/Help needed?

Organisation (Help needed) - To help improve my organisational skills it would be useful if my group delegated to each person what they are to be doing in written form (on paper or blog)
Deadlines (What could I to improve) - Write a personal plan of tasks set, what's involved and when I will do it. I would hope to stick to this plan rigidly so I do not fall behind on deadlines.

Technical skills

Camerawork: 3
Editing: 3
Understanding of Light: 2
Understanding of Sound: 2

What could I do to improve?

During the preliminary task, together as a group we edited the piece on final cut express and I seem to be learning the ins and outs of the software. I believe I am still some way off from being technically sound with the editing process. We syncronised the sound as it was out of time with the piece of film, but we didn't change sound deliberately to create a certain effect. This is something I could improve on - using sound/light in better ways to give different effects e.g. shadows. I can also improve on the editing process by practising using Final Cut Express.

Preliminary Film Evaluation

the film that we produced was about 1 minute long and was very simple. The key shots that were used in the very opening were the Point of View shot through the eyes of the student walking down the corridor. This was done in a silent corridor to enhance the sound of footsteps and the intent was also to enhance suspense. The cut to the close up on the watch was designed to magnify the suspense of the situation.
As the student walked into the room the continuation of the shot i would say was very good. It did seem an almost seemless transition from the Point of View shot looking through the door, to the long shot of the student coming through the door. Through the following conversation using the alternating over the shoulder shots the camera work itself was reasonably well done. However the high of the shot varied slightly during one of the cuts.
The sound throughout the entire text was alright however we didn't use any background music but there was nothing appropriate or short enough for the text. The footsteps were most likely the best and only sound effect and it did work very well.
When it came to the editing the biggest problem was the sound and picture as they were not synchronized. To solve this we had to delay the sound for every frame by 1 second but was simple enough to do. The problem after that was getting the continuity, which we did quite successfully, and also the real time aspect of the text which I feel again was very successful.

'Mission: Impossible 2' Analysis

This film manifests itself as a spy or action thriller. In which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or terrorists.

Aiming more towards action thriller, throughout the film very dramatic kung fu/karate is used based primarily on the influences of director John Woo. This is twinned with very "Hollywood-ised" stunts, influenced by the film's target audience and the film industry. I believe there are some key points that can be drawn from this opening sequence clip that would feed in nicely with our coursework.

The first thing I liked about the clip was the scale difference between the subject (Tom Cruise) and the location, although cleverly our focus is drawn to both. I know that it would be impossible to recreate a setting like that, but my point was that the setting added to the sequence as a whole and to Tom Cruise's character. We can see already (just from the opening clip) the character codes. We can see that he is adventurous, daring, strong and determined. All this information on the character can be drawn from just the setting they are in at that time and we can tell the audience a lot about the character just from the location alone. I believe it is vital to get across a lot information in the shortest space of time, as the trailer/sequence will only last 2/3 minutes.

My next point is on the camera techniques used, which link into the establishing of the scene and character codes. Throughout the clip, there were many close- ups used: head, feet and hands. I believe these shots intensified the portrayal of the character's struggle. This deepens the audience's insight into this character all before the beginning of the film, we see his determination, his drive, and in a way the maverick inside of him along with his constant thrill seeking.
There was another camera shot that was intriguing, the slow motion shot. This shot is short but it is full of tension, it provides the audeince with a heart-racing moment. This brings the reality and nature of the film straight to them. This is a shot I believe we could use or recreate for our coursework, for instance used as a signal of a flashback or important moment. Towards the end of the sequence, the camera pans around his face (almost moving in and out) heavily signifying his relief. This is another shot I believe we could use to show different to convey a sense of panic or uneasyness in our character.

At the very end of the clip, I felt the titles were interesting. The titles entered the screen at a fast pace, helping to signify the speed and tone of the film that is to come. Also, textual effect that was used was literally very explosive, the way the title of the film fragmented or shattered and then carries straight into the main film. I felt the use of these particular titles was (although flashy) quite powerful.

'Mission: Impossible 2' Opening Sequence

Final Questionnaire

The questions we have agreed to use are as follows:

1. How old are you?
2. Are you male or Female?
3.Do you like Thriller films?
4.What do you think makes a good thriller?
5.What is your favourite thriller?
6.Do you prefer thrillers over any other genre?
7. What would you like to see in a thriller?

In the near future, we will send the questionnaire out to various people and then collect results and collaborate on our findings.

Meeting 2 - 05/01/10

Everyone attended.

We discussed what needs uploading from each person

We have discussed and come to the conclusion of the questionnaire that we will ask people about Thrillers, which is posted following this.

The questions will be typed up and given out (10 people each at a minimum) and then next meeting we will come back and discuss what we have found from the questions.

Next time we will come back with story ideas and location setting for discussion as well as this being posted on the blog.

Story Idea

The following is just an idea of a storyline and the camerawork that could be used.

The main character in this story would be a crime scene investigator.
The sequence would start with a long zoom of the crime scene investigators eyes and there is silence to add suspense. Then the eyes blink and noise is heard with the flashes of memories popping up. There should be snippets of memories that seem very confused and they should be short. At this point only the noise of the memory should be heard. The memmories should come quick and fast and should show memories that are going to connect to the crime scene that will appear later, for example a teddy seen in a shop window could be the memory and then that teddy is on the floor of the crime scene shown later. An image then appears in his dream/nightmare of the crime scene, that he will later visit. The memories should then be interupted by a phone call and the lights and noise should fade out. The light should then flash back with the sight of red and blue flashing lights. The crime scene investigator should then be seen entering the caravan (we have an old dirty one which is not used) which has blood trailing out of it. The film should then finish on the image of the brutal Crime Scene he is attending only and the noise should go dead as he enters the caravan only his breathing should be heard and once he sees the scene of crime the sequence will end..

Location

To my photobucket location folder i have added lots of photos of my location. These photos are of all sorts and there are many more that i could have taken but i limited it because i thought that you are going to get the chance to see this for real when we location scout later on.
The only thing i have not included is images of the church which is only a few doors down and so easily accessible if we wanted to use this.

I have permission from my dad to use almost any of the farm which is pictured and with his permission anything we are unsure of. I also have many contacts within the village and i am sure i could get permission to use the church and other features of the village like the cricket pitch if we wanted too.

I was also thinking that if we needed to make anything for our production i have the facility to do so and if we knew in a reasonable amount of time i am sure that we would be able to do so.

Audience Research

I like what Henry has come up with for the questions for the questionnaire. The only one which i would like to change is the last one and instead of saying 'If you were directing', i think it would be better to ask 'What would you like to see in a thriller?'.
I think we should also add in the question 'Which age rated thrillers do you watch most?' to get an idea of whether people under age watch films that are not meant for older ages and if they do watch these what makes them enjoy these. This question could also be changed slightly to find out why people over the age rating still watch younger age rated films.

My Location

Where i live there is no access to a bus unless i am driven to a bus stop and there is no access to any other transport without being driven. My parents are happy to drive me if it is convenient at the time.
My parents are also happy for us to use the house and my dad is happy to allow us to use the farm providing that we a not doing anything stupid or immature towards the animals and the rest of the place.
As i live on a farm there are many atmospheric places in which filming would create an eerie effect. There is broad landscapes and many barns and yards that can be used. There is also a butchers shop which could be used well to create so creepy effects and i am sure that there is the possiblity of using this as well.
The lighting could be a problem however we do have flood lights that would allow us to generate light and also we could probably use this to change the hue. There are not many plug sockets but in most places there is at least one meaning that the use of an extention lead would allow for continuous mains power and charging the camera at certain places while filming. There is also many other benefits of using the farm like we have the animals which can be included and there are easy to access tracks and woods that we do not need permission to use as they are owned by my dad and uncle. Also at night, it is very creepy and eerie as the sounds of the animals squeeling and crashing into gates can make it scary. I know that when i am out there at night by myself i hate it and run through the yard.

Thriller Questionnaire (Ideas/Draft)

As part of the work set by Ms Menzies, I created a questionnaire that could be used to further our audience research. This is my first idea and is at a very basic level and could be changed in anyway.

1. Age?
2. Gender?
3. Do you like thriller films?
4. In your opinion, what makes a good thriller?
5. What is your favourite thriller?
6. Do you prefer to watch thrillers over any other genre?
7. If you were directing a thriller film, what would you include? (props, storyline/ideas, location, characters)

photo bucket

We now have a photobucket account for all our photos. Hit the link to see our collection, though not just yet. We need light to take photos which no longer exists at 4pm.

Certification Research Cont.

Following on from the previous post (All content in this post directly taken from BBFC Website):

12/12A Classification

Discrimination
Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be
endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive
discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely
to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.

Drugs
Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should
not be glamorised or give instructional detail.

Horror
Moderate physical and psychological threat may be
permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not
frequent or sustained.
Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and
self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be
copied, or appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible
weapons should not be glamorised.

Language
Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong
language must be infrequent.

Nudity
Nudity is allowed, but in a sexual context must be brief
and discreet.

Sex
Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed.
Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for
young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely
to be acceptable.

Theme
Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must
be suitable for young teenagers.

Violence
Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on
detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood,
but occasional gory moments may be permitted if
justified by the context.
Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and
discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual
justification.



15 Classification

Discrimination
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory
language or behaviour.

Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not
promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily
accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example,
aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic
or sexualised.

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and
self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be
copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language
There may be frequent use of strong language. The strongest terms may be
acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated
use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without
strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a
non-sexual or educational context.

Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail.
There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour,
but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable
unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is
sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction
of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to
be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also
unlikely to be acceptable.
There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence
but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and
have a strong contextual justification.



18 Classification

• where the material is in breach of the criminal law,
or has been created through the commission of a
criminal offence
• where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to
risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour,
to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of
violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use,
which may cause harm to public health or morals.
This may include portrayals of sexual or sexualised
violence which might, for example, eroticise or
endorse sexual assault
• where there are more explicit images of sexual
activity which cannot be justified by context. Such
images may be appropriate in ‘R18’ works, and in
‘sex works’ (see below) would normally be confined
to that category.

Certification Research

(Taken from BBFC Website) "Consumer Advice" -

"Consumer Advice indicates the strength of individual issues by using the terms ‘mild’, ‘moderate’, ‘strong’ and ‘very strong’, across the categories. For example, language at ‘U’ and ‘PG’ is likely to be ‘mild’ while at ‘15’ and ‘18’ language can be ‘strong’ and ‘very strong’. Where relevant, the frequency with which the issue appears in the work is also indicated".

There are many factors that influence a classification decision at any level when work lies between the borderline of two categories:

1) Context - The following factors, may be taken into account when dealing with context: the expectations of the public in general, the work’s genre (for example, a realistic approach may intensify the effect or a historical, fantasy setting or comic presentation, may soften the effect), the manner in which an issue is presented (for example, language used aggressively), the intention of the film maker (for examplewhether it is for educational purposes or not.

2) Tone and Impact - While the presentation of specific issues, such as sex and violence, may not be problematic at a particular category, if the work has a generally dark or unsettling tone that may disturb the audience.

3) Release Format - Classification decisions may be stricter on video games than on film. This is based on the increased possibility of under-age viewing or game playing recognised in the Video Recordings Act.

Location Scouting

1) Where can you get to readily by foot, train, car or bus?

As I live in a small village it is virtually impossible to get anywhere by foot, so car or a train would be the best options. I can reach Stansted, Bishops Stortford, Newport, Saffron Walden by car (driven by parents) quite easily. I can also get to cambridge by train quite easily as well. I have asked my parents and they seem fine about helping me with transport and travel wherever the location(s) for our coursework is going to be (within reason).

2) Are your parents willing to let you film at your house? What alterations can be made/tolerated?

I have told my parents about the requirements for our coursework and what it would entail. They seem happy to let us film in the house and pretty they will move furniture if needed and we can us lamps if needed as well. Overall, they seemed okay with the idea and would do anything to help really.

3)Where are the atmospheric places in your local area?

There is a farmtrack nearby that could be used (with permission) and it has fields that could be used to run through (like a chase scene) and at night time it has a eerie effect. Also, this set would be plenty big enough to accomodate a camera crew with all the equipment.

4) Sources of power/lighting?

Obviously if we go a certain distance away from the house, battery power will be required for the camera equipment. Natural lighting is not the only lighting that could be used, I have some powerful torches that could be used to create interesting lighting effects. Also, lamps are another source of lighting that could be used, the lamp could be altered to create different effects in the film such as: dimmed lighting or shadowy effects.

Preliminary Coursework Task

For our preliminary coursework task we had to film a character:

- Opening a door
- Crossing a room
- Exchanging a few lines of dialogue

STORY & THE MESSAGES COMMUNICATED
Our storyline involved two characters, a teacher and a student. The student had been late for a detention and the teacher shows his disapproval of this. He then sets the student a task to complete much to the student's disliking.

The first shot we used in the piece was a Point-of-view (POV) Shot which involved shooting from the student's point-of-view. This gave the audience the impression that they were in his shoes, we hoped this shot would create tension, nervousness and anxiety. Especially because of the hand held camera effects, this gave the shot a jagged feel, adding to the realism of the sequence. We then used a close up (CU) on the teacher's watch, this captures his impatience and so adds to the anxiety of the audience as they start to worry for the student's well being. Whilst we see the teacher's watch, we cross cut back to the footsteps in the corridor, slowly building up the tension.

After this, we used a long shot (LS) over the shoulder (OTS) of the teacher, focusing on the students body language and his reaction to the situation he has found himself in. We then use several cross cuts between both teacher and student as dialogue was shared, this gave the audience both points of view and both sides of the argument. This was followed by a close up showing the facial expression of the student as he is being told what to do. Towards the end of the clip, a high angle is used to give the audience some idea of the situation both characters are in and the surroundings (or context) in which they are shown. The video finishes with an over the shoulder shot of the student showing the work he has to complete. This leaves the viewer wondering whether the student will do as he is told and finish the work or revert back to old habits and refuse.

SKILLS I LEARNED AND DEVELOPED
Throughout the making of this preliminary task I learnt several skills that could be developed and then used in the real coursework.
- One of them was the basic functions of the software Final Cut Express as well as learning how to cut and rearrange sequences of the clip.
- I also learnt a new camera technique (unique to me) called the 'wheelchair shot' whereby the camera is placed on my lap and a member of my team pushes me from behind. This echoes the POV shot but using different variations such as height, angle and speed of camera shot.

TEAMWORK EXPERIENCES
During the whole preliminary task I believed our team worked very well together. Our views were shared and I believed we took the best of those ideas and executed them well. There were little (if any) disagreements between us, this task really showed that we can work together as a team and achieve a good piece of work. I enjoyed making this clip for the prelim task and it sets us up nicely for the real thing.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Our piece was about a boy who does not work and is always in detention for something. This sequence shows him arriving at a lunch time detention late and having a conversation with his teacher then being given work to do.

We showed the teachers authority by using a close up of the watch to show that the student is late for his lesson and also that the teacher is impatient.
We used a POV shot for the student walking up the corridor to give the audience a view from the student’s eyes of the school. We have diagetic footsteps in this part to show that the student is in no hurry.
The teacher we left sitting when the student entered the room as we found that a long shot with him sitting gave him more power and authority than if he was standing.
We used an over the shoulder shot to show the students expression then cross cut to the teacher to show his expression.
We then used a close up of the student to show that he does not have a care in the world for what the teacher is saying.
We used the high angle shot at the end of the teachers rant to show the two of them and again because the teacher is ranting while seated it creates a sense of authority.
Finally we used an over the shoulder shot at the work given to show the student actually doing something and to show that he fears the teacher and so is doing the work.

In this preliminary task I learnt how to use the camera in many different ways from standing on a table to produce a high angle shot to doing a hand held shot walking down the corridor.
We worked well as a team and I found that I was able to share ideas well. When it came to the editing we all took it in turns to edit the piece and helped each other to understand how to use the software. I also now have more of an understanding of how to use final cut express (editing software) and will continue to develop this skill in my own time.

Meeting 1 - 14/12/09

Everyone in the group attended.

Contacts were exchanged and study periods posted on the blog.

Everyone is to post their evaluation of the preliminary task on the blog.

Find out from parents about them being a form of transport, researching transport in your area and ask you parents about using the home for filming. Bring your information to the next meeting.

Investigate local area and take photos coming back to the group with this information next meeting.

Character Codes - Phonebooth

At the beginning of the sequence the characters are shown in a large busy street and there are many different types.

These are as follows:

Dancers

Someone playing basket ball

Gangs of people

Gangs.

These are all shown through the way that they are acting and what they are doing. 

The main man is a rich business man and this is shown by his use of dialogue and the fact that he has a PA. He is well known as he has many clients he is chatting with and also has a friend who is a police officer.

Silence of the Lambs analysis

We agree with many of the points made by Grace in both films. 

We want to add to the her views made about 'Silence of the Lambs', I felt the opening sequence was very ineffective when it used the big blocky credits, this in my opinion took the focus away from the story line. I thought the running through the forest lead no where and just confused viewers watching, as to why she was doing it. We also felt the music disturbed the effect of the clip as it was too loud and too bold. 

Other Resources

We have found a very good website that gives detailed information on the conventions of a thriller film

Comparison of One Hour Photo and The Silence of the Lambs Title Sequences

The 'One Hour Photo' titles i found effective because of the way that they were quick and on a black background and so stood out. These titles were not dragged out. They introduced the companies then the film title then went straight into the film.
The special effects used on the text made them more interesting to be viewed. The text flew in from the left and then flew out to the right but as this happened the text changed from white to red. This made it feel as though there could be something bad about this film.
When the title of the film came on 'ONE HOUR PHOTO' it flashed in different colours - went through the colours of the rainbow - and this fitted with the beat in the background, making it feel fast pace and like there was going to be something interesting happen in the rest of the film.

There was not very many titles making the film come in quickly and I liked this because I found that it didnt drag on too long.



The Silence of the Lambs opening title sequence however was very different. I felt that this dragged on a bit and there was nothing interesting about the font, style or effects of the titles.
The text was big and bold and filled the screen in the centre and was displayed while the start of the film was happening. I didnt like this because i felt that it obscured the action. Also the text was in black making it very plain. It seemed to go on for ages, introducing anything and everything making it boring to watch. There were no special effects used so the text just appeared in the centre of the screen and then dissappeared after so many seconds.

Homework on 'The Happening'

My Homework on Techniques in an Opening Sequence in the Happening is posted below

• Music – slow pace but sped up to create suspense
• Midshot of clouds in sky moving at the pace of the music – darkening as the dramatic music picked up and was faster paced
• Credits at the beginning – actors names, producers names e.t.c while clouds are in the background and are speeding up
• Simple bold font to make the text stand out
• Long shot of the people in the park – establishing shot – introducing the setting
• Jump cut to view through the trees of the sky and high rise building giving audience more info of setting
• Two shot of women reading on a bench – diagetic music of people in background, non-diagetic music over to create mystery and suspension
• Dialogue about killers and crippled girl make the viewer curious to know what she is reading
• Screams are heard in the park – voice over
• Close up of knitting needle in woman’s hair and her pulling it out
• Close up of her stabbing herself in the neck with it

Da Vinci Code Class Notes

In lesson we looked at the Da Vinci Code and made notes on CEMS and how the scene is developed   . Here are my class notes

CAMERA - Close ups were used to show the detail of the museum, Birds eye view was used to show the size of the museum and the location and panning was used to show the features of the museum along with the action. These all add atmosphere to the sequence because it made the audience unsure on what was going on

EDITING - Many fast cuts were used along with jump cuts to create a fast pace sequence that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. The use of cross cutting in the conversation creates atmosphere because we can not always see the expression of the other character.

MISE EN SCENE - the dark dull colour and light creates atmosphere because you cannot get the whole idea of what is happening and the shadows on the walls are only outlines of the character so it is more difficult for the audience to start with to develop the character in their minds. The face of the man with the gun is half illuminated and half in shadow with only the prominant features like the nose being obviously seen create a dark and mysterious character for the audience.
The loaction look very rural and most of the action is set inside the museum at night which creates the creepy, empty feeling that makes the audience curious but also a little scared.

SOUND - the music used is very deep and dramatic creating a real tension building atmosphere. Also the diagetic noise of the outside makes it clearer to the audience that it is more rural because of the cars in the distance.

The 'Da Vinci Code' Analysis

(View until 3:07) This 'Da Vinci Code' sequence is very good because it brings you straight into the film and the heart of the action. There are several things I liked about this clip.
Firstly, I liked the voyeurism that is shown when the is running away from (something) and then we see the shadow of hooded character. It makes the audience anxious as well because they are scared for the character who is being chased. So, immediately there is a connection made between the audience and the piece of media itself.

Secondly, I liked the cutting/editing of this clip and it cross-cuts between the man and the religious pictures possibly indicating that they are watching him as well - he cannot escape. This created even more suspense as it swapped between the man (in the action - who is very active) to the painting (which is still - so it is very passive) is great because of the contrast between the two.

Thirdly, I liked the lighting and costumes of the characters. I believe the dark lighting added to the thrilling affect of the opening as you could really see around corners (so things may be hidden) this is feeling of the viewer. If it was daylight in the church the audience would be a lot more relaxed and the film wouldn't conform to the arcitypal thriller films. Also, I like the costumes of the evil character (the hooded coat) as it hides his identity, until he chooses to reveal it. This raises questions in the mind of the viewer who is this man? what are his intentions? why is he doing this?

'Da Vinci Code' Opening Sequence

Entrapment Analysis

This is the scanned images of the analysis of Entrapment that I have done.

Convetions of Thrillers

Spider Diagram of what to include

This is going back to the initial research and class work and here is the spider diagram i mentioned in class today that we did a couple of lessons ago.

Plots, Locations & General Thoughts

VERY GOOD IDEAS. I think you are right its only fair to let Jonny have his say. Lets have a look at our various options for plot/characters/costumes etc after we have had a meeting or established where we want to go with these ideas.

Just briefly I have thought of two different plots that could be used (if you can see the diagram!). One went down the route of crime-murder-suspects-chase and the other sets out as more 'target' based.

After your thoughts of Jonny we should come together to discuss it in more detail, but I think we have some good basic plots unfolding. I like the idea of nightmare/dream scenario, I think that could work as a plot as well as a location for the thriller.

Two Possible Plotlines

Ideas

I like all the ideas that have been putting forward. For now however as we have only just started looking at thrillers we should keep our options open and not make any decisions because we have no idea as of yet what we are going to do. We should wait until we have had some meetings. Also we have only contributed some ideas from me and Henry and we have yet to hear from Jonny.

Just to inform you of my idea it is as follows:
A nightmare that a man is having. There can be jump cuts from him in bed thrashing about to the nightmare. I had the idea of a chase in the dark through woods and farmyard and him ending up trapped and something is going to happen to him then he awakes.
If we had to have the rest of the story in mind it would be something along the lines of each night he has the nightmare and every night that he has it something else happens in it and eventually it comes true because of his lifestyle.

Hope you like this idea........ we will have to discuss this further and maybe we can come up with an idea that combines both Henry's and mine and also anything Jonny has to say. My inspiration comes from the farm that i live on because at night i know that it is very creepy and with the crashing and banging it feels like someone is following me and i have this as an image in my head that i think would make a good thriller.

'Enemy of the State' Analysis, Ideas of Plotline & Characters

Here is part of the opening sequence to 'Enemy of the State'.

Similarly to Grace's idea of Panic Room, I thought this video was particularly interesting and elements of it could be used for our thriller trailer.

IGNORE THE CREDITS/WRITING ON SCREEN, I COULDN'T FIND THIS CLIP WITHOUT THEM ON.

First of all, I originally had the idea of crime linking in with government control. I believe this shows it pretty well, (Jon Voight) the dominating character wants something from the other. He is unwilling to take no as an answer and so takes the 'necessary' actions. I thought in our thriller we could have some sort of confrontation between characters (like the one shown). This could lead into a chase between the two: one trying to get away and one trying to catch them as they have something they want/need. I do not want our film to be solely based on this clip, but characters/dialogue/plot all could be taken from this clip ready to expand on later.
Secondly, I think the music in this clip is something to take note of - it has a melodic and almost 'worried' sound effect adding suspense and building up tension before the clip has actually started. It is good to have in the background as it leads into the camera shots very well, the clip would lose much of its effectiveness if it wasn't there. The is another key element I think we should look at.

Hopefully we can converge many of the ideas & representations shown in 'Se7en', 'Panic Room' & 'Enemy of the State' and many more but I see this as a good starting point.

'Enemy of the State' Opening Sequence

'Panic Room' Analysis, A Specific Thriller Genre

I looked at panic room and believe some elements could be explored further. Obviously, the lighting in that clip was key to the suspense and also the dialogue keep reasonably sort.
It's good that you have found thrillers to research, but I think we need to focus in on what specific genre we want to make. Then we can look at which videos apply to our situation. Instead of looking at action, psychological or crime thrillers, we pick one now and stick to it.
Then we can do further research into the genre, with a view to a plotline and a good location.

Those are some of my views, do you think we should narrow our focus of thillers now?

Panic Room Trailer

Here is the trailer for Panic Room

Ideas

I had the same sort of ideas. Thinking about these we could perhapes do some sort of chase and have the story linked back to crime.

I also had the idea of using a crime thriller but combinding it with a psychological thriller. One of my favourite thrillers is panic room because it keeps you on the edge of your seat by making the audience continually keep wondering what will happen next? Are they going to be ok?
Panic Room is a film that i recommend watching soon.

Thriller Genre, Plotline

There is some good research here. As an initial reaction I liked the crime thriller and action thriller.
The crime thriller could involve agents, gangs (mafia, mobs) - stealing, on the run, government conspiracy.
My inspiration for government conspracy came from the film 'Enemy of the state' where the main character is a target.

Some Thrillers I have heard about

Some of the thrillers we have heard of are listed below and the link at the bottom has many others from other years.

Film.................................................Thriller Genre
Mission: Impossible II....................Action thriller
And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen.Crime thriller
The Bourne Identity.......................Paranoid thriller
Panic Room.....................................Psychological thriller
2 Fast 2 Furious..............................Action thriller
Kill Bill Vol. 1..................................Action thriller
I, Robot...........................................Science fiction crime thriller
Kill Bill Vol. 2.................................Action thriller
Flightplan......................................Paranoid thriller
Hide and Seek................................Psychological thriller
Casino Royale................................Action thriller
Mission: Impossible III.................Action thriller
Snakes on a Plane..........................Crime thriller, Psychological thriller
The Bourne Ultimatum.................Action thriller
Fracture.........................................Psychological thriller, Crime thriller
21....................................................Psychological thriller, Drama
The Happening..............................Psychological thriller
Rambo.............................................Action thriller
Angels & Demons.............................Mystery thriller

Enemy of the State...........................Crime/Government Conspiracy Thriller

Phonebooth.....................................Drama/Mystery thriller 

The Fugitive.....................................Action thriller 

Red Eye...........................................Paranoid thriller


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Thriller_films 

Background information on Thrillers

I was interested in what sorts of Thrillers there were and so did some research into them. Below is some of the information that i have found.

A thriller is a widely expressed genre with a number of sub-genres.
It is used in film, television and literature.
Thrillers are seen as quick paced and fast timed, with lots of action and the hero always tends to outsmart his opponent/villain.
Suspense is constantly used in many thriller films.
In many thriller films cliff hangers are used as it leaves the audience in excitement.
Most thrillers are normally set in public places, cities or deserted or barren land.
The main character is usually a male figure, to be described as ‘tough’, far more superior than his enemy.
They always come into contact with danger that would confront them on their way to seek revenge.

A thriller can include the following sub genres:
 Action thriller- this often is a race against the clock, contains lots of violence and an antagonist, the villain.
James bond is an examples of an action thriller.
 Disaster thriller- the main source of course is natural disaster, e.g. floods, earthquakes.
The day after tomorrow is an example of a disaster thriller.
 Horror thriller- the main object is fear placed throughout, normally fighting something more powerful than themselves. Attracting for example a monster and becoming a victim.
28 days later is an example of a horror thriller.
 Crime thriller- this is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients.
The Godfather is an example of a crime thriller
 Drama thriller- the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involve a great deal of character development along with plot twists.
The Interpreter is an example of a drama thriller.
 Conspiracy thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes.
JFK is an example of a conspiracy thriller.

 Medical thriller: the hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem.
Nonfiction medical thrillers are also a subcategory.
Awake is an examples of a medical thriller.

There are also many other sub-genres for the genre thriller.

Most thrillers are formed in some combination of the above, with horror, conspiracy, and psychological tricks used most commonly to heighten tension. Combinations are highly diverse, including:
• Science fiction thrillers: Jurassic Park, Sunshine.
• Techno/political/conspiracy/military: Robocop, S.M. Stirling's Draka novels.
• Legal/forensic/psychological/: Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs novel, Seven.

Se7en Thoughts

I was not in the lesson but watching this clip I can see where you are both coming from.
After watching the clip one of the things that catches my attention is the build up of diagetic music. The way that it is layed in the small clip before the titles. The clip starts with the sound of the cars outside in the distance and then when the metronone starts ticking this dominates the sound. It ticks like a heart beat creating a creepy and mysterious atmosphere. When the titles appear the music changes and to me it sounds a bit like a music deck because of the scrating noise that is occationally heard. The music has a distinct heart beat base noise to it and this fits with the movement of the titles as they flash on and pulse like a heart.

Suspense is built up throughout the sequence and music contiburtes to much of this. One thing i noticed was the limited colour palette and many of the images have a red hue to them making the sequence seem quite dangerous and this fits in with the images of the fingers and the blade (removing the fingerprints) and the danger of the tools and impliments that are being used within the sequence.

One other feature that caught my eye was the font style of the titles. I noticed that it was like handwriting and this linked with the backgroud images of a handwritten text and the style looked similar. This made the sequence more interseting to watch.

Se7en: Key Plot points & Camera Angles

We watched this title sequence during a lesson this week, this gave me some ideas that could be used for our thriller coursework. Some ideas came to mind.
First of all I liked the metronome used as a continuous focus point in the sequence. This was possibly being used as a 'MacGuffin', whereby the object seems unimportant but actually is used as returning point in the sequence.
My second point was I liked how close-ups were used; focusing on the man's hands. This intrigues the audience by leaving the story unanswered as it cuts between the title text images and the video clip itself.
Also I thought the music was deep and powerful, it helps to set audiences expectation for the film. The opening sequence gives a insight into the characters methods and thoughts, linking in to the film's plot.

When watching the clip some words/phrases came to mind:

Limited Colour - black, white and red (adds to the chilling effect), red - signifying the possible danger and goryness of the film
Creepy
Dark
Thrilling
Disturbing
Mysterious
Cold/Chilling
Methodical/Routine/Planned

Se7en: Thoughts

This is one of the clips that we analysed during a lesson.
There were two particular parts that I thought added a sense of atmosphere to the clip.
One of these was the transition effects and the effect used whenever text was placed across an image. this is superimposition. The text appears in literally a flash, glowing and out of focus. It then snaps into focus so to read it. It happens within 2 seconds and imitates the pulse of a beating heart. This timing and speed enhances the tension of the text building the suspense.
There was another effect used with the text transitions which is something that often is seen on war documentries: that is secondary images behind the main image and lines, blanks and dots scrawled across parts of the tape. A grainy effect. These would usually be caused by damage to the tape.
This affect creates a much darker and mysterious amosphere and to me, creates questions like; what was recorded on this tape before? Where was it filmed? Why is it damaged?
Combined these two effects highten the audiences sense of tension, suspense, fear and intrigue.

Se7en