Once we filmed our opening sequence we started going into the editing stage in the production. Before adding any effects to our opening sequence we made sure that we added all the clips that we filmed scene by scene in a correct order. This gave the film a continuity and made it more easier to get suggestions from our fellow students. Once we got our film together the total running time was 57 seconds. I reviewed the marking criteria which asks us students to have the opening sequence over 2 minutes. We soon realized that we didn't have enough footage to add to our thriller opening. While Drew continued with editing me and Becky came up with an extra 1 minute to our thriller opening. We quickly jot the ideas down on a piece of paper. As a group we then decided on what to include in that 1 minute of our opening. Once the ideas were finalized. I drew the storyboard and jot the idea scene by scene. We organized a filming time and carried out the filming. Below is the extra storyboard :
Sound is an important factor of any type of film. Audiences will often put up with the imperfect images but they are unforgiving if the audio quality isn't right. A film and video production doesn't include the dialogue but it includes different types of music and parallel sounds. The audience will pay attention to it because it creates the mood of the scene. It is important to edit the audio with the right scene but if the sound doesn't match with the scenes then it can make a film look cheap. Sound adds emotion and rhythm to a film. There are two types of sounds diegetic that both the audiences and the characters can hear and non-diegetic that only the audience can hear. this is usually a soundtrack or tension building music played at the back. Sound is a very powerful element for any type of film. It engages the audience with the scene and makes them feel the emotions that the characters might feel, For example loud music would make the audience tense. Sound can easily direct audiences attention.
Weeping/screaming sounds
This comes under diegetic sounds. The female character would be scene weeping and screaming. She would be screaming for help when the male character catches the female character and she is crying out loud for help. this will be another element that would create tension within the audience. The audience would feel sympathy for her as she is in a situation where she is helpless.
Creaking
I will be adding the creaking sound to my thriller opening. This sound will be used to add tension when the villain enters the scene. The door would slowly open which will create tension and nervousness in the audience. The constant creaking sound will create tension and will create tension between the audience and the character.
Footsteps
I would be using sounds of footsteps when the villain enters the scene. The villain wouldn't be seen on screen but the audience and the character would hear footsteps. This will create tension between both the characters and the audience. The footsteps would create dramatic effect and set the mood of the scene.
Suspenseful music
I would also be using suspenseful music in the background at the beginning of my thriller opening this music will set the mood of the opening and will tell the audience what's to come next as the suspenseful music will create tension.
How is it conventional ?
Sound engages a distinct sense which can lead to a synchronization of senses. Sound helps to clarify image or events. The above sounds are very conventional to a thriller film. All sounds gives us clues as to what to expect. Foe example the creaking sound used in my thriller will make the audience expect that someone or something has entered the room. Sound can help the audience or redirect the viewer's expectations. The footsteps will also indicate that someone's coming this will create tension and suspense as to who it might be. The weeping sound is conventional as the victim is in a situation that is playing with her emotions. Her emotions come out ; she weeps as she is helpless. This will make the audience feel for you. The soundtrack used to set mood of a scene.
Editing involves turning raw material into a finished product. It is one of the most important components of the entire film industry. editing is when all the shots are put together to give it a continuous feel. The development in technology these days have allowed filmmakers to make CGI ( computer generated images ) to include in their films. These days people can film a movie in a small room and polish it using the latest technology. It allows them to get rid of any unwanted audio , audio retouching , adding transitions and effects and the credits and titles at the end. Following are some of the editing styles we will be using :
Slow editing
Fade
Jump cut
Slow editing :Me and my group members decided to use slow editing for the first shot ; this involves the female character sitting in the chair weeping. The reason i choose slow editing is because it created dramatic effect and sympathy for the character through the slow motion. This is a very conventional type of editing style. It involves in the character doing something in slow motion. The slow motion adds effect to a scene. For example in the movie 'strangers' the female character is walking towards the door slowly.This makes the audience worry about what is going to happen. It makes the scene dramatic. The dramatics of the scene keeps the audience wondering what's going to come next. This feeling will keep them interested in the film so they can find out what was there. Slow editing is the most conventional form of editing. Slow editing adds to suspense and this involves the audience into the film and they want to continue watching to find what might happen next.
Fade :We choose to use fade editing style at the end of our opening sequence. This is because the ending shot involves the female character sitting in he chair and male protagonist with a knife near the female characters legs. We can see the female characters blood running down near her legs. Ending the scene on fade would leave the audience wondering about what happened to the young girl. What did the male character did with her.This is another conventional editing style. It involved an ending of a scene with a fade. A black screen. This leaves the audience thinking of what happened to a character in the scene. It is a mystery and it makes the audience to carry on watching to find out. this keeps the audience interested in the film and makes them want to continue watching.b A fade usually means an ending of a scene or the film. Fade can be used both ways an end to a scene or leaving a scene on a cliffhanger. This is another conventional type of editing as it leaves audience thinking and they want to continue watching to find out what happened.
Jump cut :Jump cut is an abrupt transition between shots.We used jump cut editing style when the young girl is running from the make character. The camera is focusing on her when from behind the male protagonist grabs her. The camera suddenly focuses on the male character. Jump cut is a change in focusing of a subject. The point of editing is to give a film a continuous feel. But a jump cut makes the camera focus from something to something else. This is conventional to a thriller film because it leaves the audience guessing on what happened to a previous subject. It involves the audience in the film and leaves them guessing on what happened to the character in the previous scene. This is another conventional type of editing as it leaves the audience guessing. Jump cut involves cutting through a shot to another one. It leaves the audience in suspense on what happened in the previous scene.
Conclusion
Using the above editing styles will make our thriller film conventional to the common factors of a thriller film. I have decided to use the above editing techniques for my thriller film. Every type of editing technique complements the conventions of a thriller film. The slow editing is the most conventional form of editing. This type of editing creates dramatic effect that involves the audience and creates suspense as the audience doesn't know what is about to happen. This creates the common factors of conventions suspense and surprise. The audience expects something else and something different happens. Fade is another editing style that can leave the audience in suspense. It leaves the audience thinking about what might had happened. Fade involves a blank screen that can be edited to indicate an end of the scene or to leave a mystery.
The opening credits is at the beginning of the film this introduces the important roles in that film. In some cases it underlines the famous actors or actresses within the film. The opening credits can be presented in number of ways. Usually there is a background to the credits and a soundtrack. this is usually the opening scene or a part of the film. The opening scene sets the foundation of the film it hints what may the film be about. Having the credits at the beginning of the film is a traditional way but some of the films have changed that to the end of the film. One example of this type of film is ''around the world in 80 days 1956 ''.
Order of the opening credits :
Name of the studio
Name of the production company
Producer name
Director name ''A film by ... ''
starring ''main actors and actresses ''
The name of the film
Seven opening credits
color : The use of color is important in a film. This opening credit has used black and white. This use of black and white has given it a scary look and make it look full of suspense. The black and white use of color makes the opening sequence have a scary mood. Shadows are created as-well this makes the audience think of what maybe the shadow is coming from. This creates enigma which is a common aspect of a thriller film.
style of the credits: The font used is in white color to make it stand out from the dark background. The font seems like it is carved this can be compared to n intimidating look. It looks spooky this complements the genre of the film. The style of the credits are very conventional and the color scheme of the font and the style is conventional.
conventions of thriller : The sounds used are full of suspense and go with the genre of the film. The sounds are alarming. Disturbing images are created that are common to a thriller film. We can only see the persons hands and shadows . His identity has been hidden. Hidden identity is a common convention of a thriller. There is a use of range of iconography used like pins , needles , and blades. These are common conventions of a thriller. This builds up tensions and hints what might the film be about.
order of appearance : Following is the order that it came in :
production company name
A film by David Fincher
Brad Pitt
Morgan Freeman
Name of the film ''Se7en''
Gwyenth Paltrow
Directed by David Fincher
The production company has been stated at the beginning. David Fincher has been shown many times as he is famous for creating suspense and shock in his films. We can see the names of the actors as they are top Actors ( brad pitt and Morgan Freeman ). The name of the film is written in the middle of the opening sequence. The name flickers which creates suspense. David Fincher is said at the end as well for emphasis as he is one of the top thriller filmmaker.
Sixth Sense opening Credits
color : The background is plain black and the credits are white. The white is used to make the credits stand out. There is a contrast of black and white to give it a suspenseful look.
Style of credits : The font style is plain and simple. The credits come and go. This creates suspense. The credits come in and fade out. The credits come and go quickly. This creates mystery through the credits.
conventions of a thriller : The comparison of black and white is conventional to a thriller film as black and white creates suspense. The music is loud it startles the audience. These create shock and suspense and are the common conventions of thriller films.
order of appearance : Following is the other it comes in :
production company
producers
actor
title name
casting by
Editor
Director
Group Discussion
As a group we looked at different types of thriller opening sequences. this helped us to gather ideas for our thriller opening. The film se7en opening sequence was very conventional to the thriller genre. The use of font, style , images and sound all went perfectly to gather and created the elements of shock and suspense. This film sequence has inspired us for our thriller film. The font style in the opening sequence is conventional to a thriller and we will be using something similar to the font. The sound effects used created suspense an a thrill. The sounds startled the audience. We will be using sounds similar to startle the audience.
Our thriller film
Me and my group members decided on the following :
The size : Small and subtle
The color : Grey with glow around the edges. The glow will create effect. This will be conventional to the thriller genre.
The order in which they will appear : production name , directors , actors , editor and the title of the film
The style of font : Carved on a tree ( title ) Rest of the credits will be bold and scribbly
Having a filming schedule is important. It allows the filmmaker to be more organized. The filming schedule made us complete our filming routine in time. The schedule had details of what we need and what type of camera shot that we need to use. Me and my group members came up with the schedule. While filming our thriller we made some changes. We shot more clips using different camera angles. We filmed extra clips so we have choice when we are editing. Below is our filming schedule:
It is important to consider the risks that are involved while filming because it helps the filmmaker to know before hand what could go wrong. the risk assessment allows you to identify ay risks that are involved while filming. The risk assessment allows us to be aware when we are filming our thriller film. It allows us to be careful of our surroundings. Me and my group members visited our choose locations. We visited the forest that we choose to film. We went all around the forest to look at the possible risks that can be involved in filming. Drew and me identified the possible risks while Becky jot the points down.We got rid of any possible obstacles be fore we started filming. Below is the risk Assessment we carried out.
Description of Hazard
Prevention of Hazard
Trailing leads while filming
Use of gaffer tape to secure leads
Trip over roots/stones in the forest
Clear the location of anything that can cause
an accident, choose a location with a clearing, nothing too dense and
crowded.
Iconography could fall and injure somebody
Make sure all iconography is kept in a safe
place when not filming, do not leave anywhere.
Slipping on muddy ground and injuring
themselves
Choose a location with ground that is not wet
and soggy so there will be minimal risk of anybody being injured.
The group storyboard is important as me and my group members all had an input in the storyboard. The storyboard is conventional to a thriller film as i have used the common conventions that are involved in a thriller. The storyboard included the camera shot , location , iconography , lightening , sound , editing and the narrative description. The storyboard also includes a hand drawn picture of what the scene will involve where the object and characters will be placed. Me and my group members had a discussion when we all sat down to brainstorm ideas for the storyboard of our thriller opening. Me and my group members had different suggestions we reconsidered each suggestions. We also created individual storyboards that will allow us to express our individual ideas. In the meeting we had detailed discussions where we discussed the pro and cons of using each of the suggestions that we came up with in our individual storyboards. During the meeting we all had our individual storyboard ideas. We took ideas from the individual ideas and the suggestions and came up with the storyboard below.
Camera shot is the amount of space seen in a shot or frame. These camera shots and angles are used to demonstrate the characters , settings and themes. These camera angles complement the mies-en-scene , the representation of characters etc. the camera shots create effect and leaves an impact on the Audience. The camera shots allows film makers to shape meaning of the film. Each camera shot has its own meaning.
Close up :In a close up shot a certain feature takes most of the frame. for example to concentrate on the persons face the entire shot would be just the persons face. Close up allows the filmmaker to exaggerate a scene and make it seem more dramatic. The camera shot ''close up '' is very conventional as the mid-shot allows the audience to see the characters faces and look at their expressions in detail. This allows the audience to have sympathy for the character and feel personally connected with the character. This creates suspense and makes the audience want to continue watching. Suspense is major convention of a thriller film and it involves the audience in the film. We will be using close up shot to end our thriller film because the end of the opening is when the antagonist pulls a knife out to the young blonde female character's neck. This camera shot will allow the audience to focus on the expressions of the female character and how she feels. The reason we will be using close- up shot to end our thriller opening is because a close-up allows the audience to clearly see what's going on in the scene. This includes the body language , the expressions and what the character is actually doing or what is happening with the main character. The close up shot is also conventional as it will allow the audience to clearly see what is going on in the scene and relate to the characters and feel for the character.
Mid- Shot:A mid shot shows some part of the subject. At the same time showing enough for the audience to concentrate on certain features. It focuses on the upper body rather than the lower body. This is how one would see the person ''in the flesh ''. When speaking to someone would focus on the upper body rather than the lower body. This is also conventional to a thriller film because a mid shot allows the audience to see the upper body of the characters. This will allow the audience to focus on the expressions of the character as well as the body language. It is conventional to a thriller as-well because the scene will show the audience the expressions as-well as the body language as this will create suspense and tension. I will be suing mid-shot in the scene of my thriller opening when the female character is running through the forest and the male character catches her from the back. The mid-shot will allow the audience to see the male characters expressions and the rage on his face and the female characters expressions and how hopeless she feels.
Long-Shot :This is when the image is shown as a life size. This corresponds the real distance between the audience in the cinema. in a long shot the characters are shown from top to bottom and we can see the background but the background is not detailed enough. This shot is conventional to a thriller film as it lets the audience clearly see the body language and the expressions of the characters. It allows the audience understand the personalities of these characters and relate to them. It also allows the audience to see what clearly is going on in the scene as in a mid shot the audience cannot see the details. We will be using long shot when our thriller film opening starts. The shot will begin in the abandoned room where the female character would be sitting in the middle with a lamp on the side. The audience can see the background as well as the characters.
Deep-focus : This type of shot keeps both distant and close subjects in focus. It involves placing object and characters at different lengths while keeping them in focus. This draws attention on all of the characters or objects. This type of shot is conventional to a thriller film is because a deep focus allows you to see the entire scene and clearly see what's going on in the scene. It also allows the filmmaker to make the audience focus on different characters or objects. I will be using deep focus is when the female character is sitting in the chair all tied up and the victim enters the scene. This scene will focus on the victim as well as the villain in the scene. This shot will draw attention on both the characters and their body language. The image on the left is an image from citizen Kane a popular film which was the first use this type of camera shot. I would use deep focus when the antagonist enters the scene. The camera shot will be used to make the audience focus on both subjects on the scene. It shows that both characters on the screen are important. In my thriller opening both characters the villain as-well as the victim will be in the scene. These characters are equally.
This is an example of my idea of the thriller opening. Me and my group members had to come up with our own idea of what our thriller opening would include. We all came up with our individual ideas. Me and my group members took different ideas from each of our individual storyboard and turned into one final group storyboard. Making a storyboard is an important part of filming any genre film wether it is thriller , romance or action. The storyboard allows a any filmmaker to plan out as to what might each shot in their film include. They need to consider the camera shot type , location , iconography used , lightening , actors available on screen , types of sound used , editing techniques that are going to be used and what will actually go on in the scene. Me and my group members came up with our individual ideas for our thriller opening. Me and my group members shared this information between us. We took brief information for every shot from the group members individual storyboards. We had a group discussion ; where we put different ideas together and came up with our thriller openings group storyboard.
The opening sequence will begin with a young girl isolated in an abandoned room. She is in the middle sitting on a chair all tied up. She would be fidgeting trying to flea but is unable. She would be crying the audience will be able to see her frustration and her hopelessness. The room is dirty and messy it is an abandoned room. There would be a lamp on one side that would create the low key lighting and create an effect in the room that make the room seem appealing. The camera shot that i would be using is long shot which will allow the camera to film her feelings in the room and how she wants to disappear from the situation. The shot is changed and we see a flashback that the female victim has. The flashback is shot in the forest. The forest is empty and we can see the female victim running wearing a white ripped dress which is dirty and she is barefoot. She is in panic and seems to be running from something. This shot will solve the mystery of why the young girl was in a room tied up. We would see the shot of her running and suddenly the audience finds out what she is running from ; she then gets caught.
The scene changes again and we are back in the abandoned room. The camera would pan the entire room and we will see the girl back in the room weeping and struggling to get out. The lightening in the room is still low-key because this adds to the effect of the room. The scene of her in the room will go on for 6 - 7 seconds when we would see the villain enter the room in a hood. His identity is hidden and the audience cannot tell who he is. The camera shot that we will be using is deep focus. This shot will allow us to focus on both subjects. this means the hooded man as-well as the girl in the background. the girl in the background will be fearful and the hooded man would appear intimidating. The next shot will be a mid-shot where the man would come closer to the girl and walk around her to scare her. He keeps going round with a knife in his hand. He will be doing this to scare the girl and watch her reaction. these are the common conventions of thriller films.
The last shot is a close-up. this close-up will show her and the hooded man in the frame together. The man will pull the knife closer to her neck and this is where the opening sequence would end.
Representation of characters is a major aspect of a thriller film. Creating good and convincing character types is a major convention of a thriller film. This is because one if the very important convention of thrillers is the victim and the villain. These are the two character types that people look forward to watch in a thriller film. To convince the audience about a character it is important to represent a character by its appearance that the character looks how the film writer perceives it to be. The characters in a film represent true human nature . It shows the things that humans are capable of doing. The representation shows different emotions like anger , hate , jealousy , sadness , hypocrisy and vengeance. The audience should be able to identify common thriller conventions in a character by the way they look and act.
My thriller film will have two characters 'The Victim' and the 'The villain'. The victim is the a young blonde girl and the villain is an old man whose identity would be hidden. these are all common conventions of a thriller. The characters are discussed below :
Character 1
Name : Rowan
Age : 15
Gender : Young female blonde girl in a white dress (denotes purity )
Race : White
Background : She belongs to a middle class family. She is innocent and vulnerable. She is down to earth. She is the only child and belongs to a family that is caring and trustworthy.
Purpose to the narrative : She is the victim in the opening scene and is kidnapped by the man who takes her away. She is shown as a weak vulnerable 15 year old whose very innocent. She gets kidnapped by the villain. She fits in the right conventions of a thriller film the victim being weak , innocent and pure.
How will the character appeal to the audience : The young girls dressing. She would be wearing a white dress that makes her look inncoent and pure her expressions and reaction will also add to the affect. The audience would feel sympathy for her and her surroundings and how helpless she is.
Character 2
Name : Reggie
Age : 30
Gender : 30 year old male
Race : white
Background : He is a man who is obsessed with young blonde girls. He has committed crimes like that before , this is not his first time. He has been to the jail a couple of times. Belonged to a drug taking family. Was given by his parents at the age of 7. He did whatever he wants. never knew the rules of how to live in the society. Purpose in the narrative : He is the villain and the protagonist in the opening sequence. He has obsession with young blonde girls. He kidnaps theme and tortures them and kills them. He is the main subject of the film.
How will the character appeal to an audience : He is an appealing character as his identity would be hidden in the film. this would make him look mysterious and the audience would want to watch more to find out what he is at the end. This is an enigma which will make the audience continue watching to find out his real identity.
Me an my group members had a discussion on the location of our thriller film. We all negotiated and came up with the location of our thriller film. Our chosen location is conventional to a thriller film. Our chosen location is an abandoned room and a forest. The mies-en-scene of a film tells an audience a lot about a film and what it might be about. The location of a film adds affects and gives meaning to a film. For example if there is a happy scene the location could be a garden in the open air , birds chirping. This builds a happy image. The 5 areas of mies-en-scene are setting + iconography , Costume, hair and makeup , facial expressions, body language and positioning of characters and objects.
Abandoned Room
Setting + iconography
After having a discussion with my group members we decided to use an abandoned room to show the female character tied up in. An abandoned room is one of the conventions of a thriller film. It shows isolation. The female character is tied up and is hopeless and helpless. The room would be completely empty. It would only have a chair in the middle of the room and a lamp. The lamp would create the low key lighting adding effect to the room. The room would have broken windows and nothing else. And abandoned room is a quiet conventional location as it is room that isn't been used. This creates a suspenseful ambience.
Costume + hair and makeup
The female character in the scene will be wearing a white dress that would be ripped and dirty. The dress would be white. this is another convention of a thriller film. The female is the victim and is wearing white which connotes purity and innocence. This will make the audience have sympathy for the character. White denotes purity this is another convention for thrillers. As a victim in a thriller is shown pure and innocent.
Facial expressions and body language
The female character would be weeping. Another common thriller film convention. The female weak and crying because she feels helpless. the body language will add effect to the mies-en-scene as-well. She would be tied up and would try to escape but is helpless. This will allow the audience feel for the female character. The expression on the female characters would be full of worry this will create sympathy for the female character.
Positioning of the characters / objects
The chair that the female character will be sitting in the middle of the scene. This will allow the audience to clearly see how she feels. Her expressions would be clear as-well as her body language. This will add to the effect of sympathy. The lamp will be placed on the side which will create the scary feel in the room and create shadows.
Forest
Setting + iconography
After having the discussion with my group members we decided our second location for the other shots of our thriller film. A forest adds to the conventions of a thriller film. A forest has a scary feeling and adds fear.A forest during the night can be very petrifying. The forest is vacant which makes the forest a horrifying experience. This is very conventional and covers the common conventions of thriller films.
Costume + hair and makeup
The female character in this scene is wearing a white dress that is ripped and dirty. She will have are face and her hair would be down. She will have long curly hair. Her bare face would show how simple she is. This is a common convention of a thriller film the victim being simple. She would also be wearing a white dress that shows her purity and innocence. Thriller convention of the victim being angelic.
Facial Expressions and body language
The female victim would be running from the Protagonist. She would be breathing heavily and crying at the sane time. She wants to give up. She feels hopeless as she is wanting to escape from reality. These are all common conventions of a thriller.
Positioning of the characters and objects
This shot will show everything going in the scene. This means the background as well as the characters. The character would be running. The audience could clearly see the expressions as well as the body language of the character. There is a use of iconography which includes ''a knife ''. The knife is a common convention of a thriller
There are different things that are involved in a film production. Different people are hired that have different responsibilities. Every type of film genre wether it is action , adventure , comedy , sci-fi or thriller the same people are behind a production of a film. These group of people are called the film crew.The film crew consists of the following people :
Film director
Location Manager
Storyboard Organizer
Camera operators
Actors
Sound Technician
Editors
Film Director : A film directors responsibilities is to direct everyone involved in a film. This means watching over the content of the plot , the performance of the actors which includes where they are positioned as-well as the emotions they need to show and handling the films entire artistic and dramatic factors. the film director visualizes the entire film. He hands out different responsibilities to other people that are present in a film crew. He is responsible of directing different steps involved in making a film. Also involved planing locations , shots , pacing , acting styles and anything else that adds effect and feel to a movie. the director os the boss of the film.
Location Manager :The location Manager is responsible of finding a suitable location for particular scenes in the film and making sure that the location is secure and available when needed to be used. they are also responsible for dealing with any type of issues that are aroused by the community because of the production of the film. Any types of issues that can effect the community because of the filming. they are involved with working with the production team. Location managers are also responsible for researching , identifying and organizing access to appropriate sites.
Storyboard organizer: The storyboard organizer is responsible for making the storyboard. Designing the each scene in the storyboard. Every shot needs to be put down on the storyboard. the storyboard allows one to understand the concept behind every scene and the film director maybe trying to achieve. The storyboard organizer states what are the things that are involved in every scene this means camera angle , actor , lightening , props and mies-en-scene.
Camera Operators : A camera operator is someone who is professionally trained to operate a film or video camera. The camera operator is responsible for physically dealing with the camera. The camera operators are responsible for the camera shots and camera angles that are involved in each scene. The camera operator will work with the director to decide what camera shot and angle will go with what shot. The director would assist.
Actors : The actors are responsible to get the best out of a film script. They are responsible to listen to the director and follow his suggestions. They are responsible to give the right emotions and body language that is needed in every scene.
Sound Technician :The sound technician is involved in everything in a film that involves audio. Wether it is diegetic or non-diegetic sound. this means all the sound recordings needed on the location. the post production which involves balancing , mixing , editing and enhancing a pre-recorded audio. Adding and getting rid of any audio that isn't needed,
Editors : The editors are responsible for taking all the raw materials and turning into a finished product. They manipulate plot, score, sound, and graphics to refine the overall story into a continuous and enjoyable whole. They edit the raw materials using different softwares that are used for example final cut.
As a group we have decided on roles that would be
best suited to our skills. We will work well, and help each other with
our tasks so that everyone is doing well in what they are supposed to be
doing.
Beckie will be location manager and be
responsible for finding locations in which we can film well in. This
will be an important role as it will effect our filming. Beckie is
taking on this role because she can find good locations and
is good at making a final decision.
Sumbal is the Director, this is because she is
very organized and will be able to give out tasks well. This is a very
important role as she will be able to decide what footage to use and put
forward important ideas that will effect our
work.
I am taking on the role as camera operator and
set designer. This is for a number of reasons, as i have experience with
handling cameras and have a good eye for design. I will be in charge of
mise-en-scene and iconography. This is important
as I will be responsible for everything within the shot to come together
well and insure our group has the best footage in which we can all
edit.
We will all take part in sound editing and story
board organizing. This is so we can all put our ideas across and be
completely happy with our final piece.
Thriller genre usually revolves around suspense tension. These are the main elements of a thriller genre film. This genre is also has themes of horror. There is another type of thriller that is very common Physiological thrillers, These thrillers play with your minds. Thriller films aim to change the moods of its audience like tension , expectation , suspense and anxiety.
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock is known as the person who invented the thriller genre. He is known as the master of suspense. He manipulates his audiences fears and desires. He was an expert in playing with peoples minds. He made ''The Lodger '' basing it on 'Jack the Ripper' Murders. His film ''The lodger '' which is a 1927 classic thriller film by Alfred Hitchcock. The story involves around a Psychotic killer who targets young blond women and kills them. This is a silent film which was a hit in the 1920's. In the clip below are the elements that Hitchcock uses suspense , tension and sympathy
Another Hitchcock Masterpiece was Psycho which was more of a Physiological thriller. This films involves a person who dresses up as his mother who is dead and kills people. This film included the horror part in a thriller film. There was a use of blood. This is a black and white film. One of the scenes from this movie is particularly famous 'The shower scene''. The 'shower scene' i when the female character is in the bathroom when the protagonist appears his identity is hidden. He comes in and stabs the female character. This scene is moderately violent and there is a little use of blood.
In the 1940's Director called created another Thriller film that was a big hit. This film was called ''Gaslight''. This film explored the different sub-genre's within thriller genre. This film was about a guy who plot's against her wife to gain her inheritance. The thriller genre developed over the years and become more and more better and started using more elements that complements thriller genre.
In the 1970's thriller films had more violent themes. Alfred Hitchcock made the film called 'Frenzy' . This film was an R rated film ; it had explicit violent scenes. Extreme Strangulation. These films were rated R because of the extreme topics that can exploit people. especially young children's mind can be exploited with these particular scenes.
Over the years the different elements of thriller e.g. suspense , mystery , tension horror , gore etc has become more graphic.
There are many films and scenes that are taken out or banned to be played in certain countries for various reasons. These reasons may include religious beliefs , maturity , extreme graphic , extreme mature themes etc.
A film called ''They callher one eye ) ( the cruel picture) .This was a Swedish film that evolved explicit content. These films are usually called 'B movies '' as these films have a low budget and they exploit different themes such as sex , violence crime etc to gain attention . This particular film had graphic content regarding rape and revenge. This film was originally 107 minutes it was then banned by the Swedish film censorship board ; this was then cut down to 104 minutes and then to 86 minutes but was till banned for playing. It was then finally cut down to 82 minutes in Sweden as well as USA. The contentof this film was quite explicit.The narrative of this film involves a young innocent girl who is sexually asulted as a young girl. The trauma makes hermute
From the 90's to present day
Thrillers of the 90's and present day have different topics that the thrillers are based on like mental illnesses , obsession and violence. A thriller that turn out to be massive was '' The silence of the lambs '' , This film involved a FBI agent dealing with a cannibalistic Psychiatrist. This films is mixture of thriller horror and crime. This film is known as one of the top thriller films and it received Oscars in the top five categories Best Actor , Best Actress , Best Director, Best Adapted, screenplay and Best film. This film gave the audience list of different conventions of a thriller film and different themes that a thriller can have. This film stars one of the biggest actors living '' Anthony Hopkins '' and is best known for playing the Protagonist in this film. THe content of this film is quite explicit.
Another Modern day film staring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt which is about two agents trying to track down a serial killer who relates its murder's to the seven deadly sin's.
Thrillers nowadays have conventions that include bloodshed , gore mass murders violence etc. These conventions are used to lure the audience and make them want to desire these themes as this is what people search for in thrillers. Thrillers always have some kind of twists that can change the entire context of the film and the outcome would be different to what the audience imagines.
Nowadays the themes of thrillers are extreme and more descriptive and graphic. The development in technology also plays a big part as it has allowed filmmakers to make more complex films and make these film seem real to the viewers. Most of thrillers today have themes of horror in them as that is what the audience looks for. These films can be based on real life events as well as fiction. These themes are being increased day by day.
