Finalisation of Thriller Idea

We first put each of our ideas together and attempted to find a way to mix them all into the idea. However, one idea which particularly stuck out for the group was a thriller about 'Silk Road', a website that deals with drugs. This seemed like the most attractive idea because it was a well-known scandal which we thought could make the thriller all the more interesting. We also thought that this idea had a lot of opportunity for inventive editing (e.g shots of the screen, cutting to shots of action) We decided to focus on this one would be the simplest thing to do because we were all drawn to this idea and decided that less is more.

From this, we thought about what kind of action we could have with this idea. We decided that we should have young people buying drugs from the website to show the influence of drugs on young people in England today. We also decided we wanted some scenes in the warehouse where the drugs would be stored, to give the audience a view of the drug world they probably never would have scene and make the thriller interesting. Finally, we decided that so far we hadn't made it sound enough like a thriller so to conform it to the thriller genre, we thought that having the police involved somehow would make the thriller exciting. We then came up with a basic storyline:

1. Young person in room tries to order drugs on Silk Road website.
2. We see the delivery service and the labour in the warehouse where the drugs are stored.
3. Something goes wrong, the police are onto the company and try to track them. Before delivery has a chance to happen, police have arrested Silk Road employees.

Filming the Prelim

Evaluation of the prelim shoot

         The set was a classroom, which usually evokes a feeling of fun and mischief. We didn't pay specific attention to detail for mise-en-scene in order to keep it looking as natural as possible. We wanted no indication of suspicion from either character no from their surroundings. This takes the plot away from any specific genre and makes the meaning of the story ambiguous.

         

          The action centered around a chair at a desk and the door of the classroom. We set our tripod up in the middle of the room in order to get a good wide shot and to get our bearings of how the action’s generally going to go with the set. After our wide shot of the action, we got a general idea of how it looked and what we wanted to emphasize through use of different shots. We then went for middle shots on each character so we could get a better view of each individual actor so we at least had something more interesting to fall back on if the close ups didn't work. We also wanted to be able to catch some ‘juicy bits’ in the action in more detail.

          We then used close ups of each of the actor’s faces so we could have more detail on facial expression. Afterwards, we took a separate close-up shot of the memory stick being inserted to signify how that is important. Finally we took a closer shot of the door being kicked to keep a vibrant effect.

          People very easily fit in to their roles. Being very bossy, I found it a little difficult when I was director and wanted to be in control of what happened on set but other students were giving commands such as ‘action’ and ‘cut’ to try and join in. One student said ‘cut’ before I wanted the cut, which meant I didn't get more of a shot I wanted. However, I very much liked having control of the ‘ship’ and being able to use my ideas for shots. We swapped roles a few times and soon learnt that some of us are better at some tasks than others. I, for instance, was useless at continuity because my spatial judgment is not particularly strong.

          Besides continuity, I felt that generally I enjoyed the task because of the responsibility required. It teaches you to be attentive to what’s going on on set.

The task really made me interested in exploring different camera angles and more exciting shots such as tracking shots.

Introduction to Using Cameras

When learning to use the cameras, we learnt to:

• take out the tripod and adjust the height according to the kind of shot you want,
• slide camera onto the slot at the top until a click is heard,
• adjust the angle of the part the camera sits on so that the bubble aligns properly,

and that:

• the barrel nearest the lens adjusts the focus,
• the barrel immediately behind it acts as a zoom (so to focus the image you would zoom in on an object with specific detail in order to get the best possible focus,
• you can set the white balance on the camera.

We were also taught about different kinds of possible shots and the order in which they should be taken. First, you take a wide screen shot of the action so that you always have a back-up shot in case anything goes wrong and so that the crew have a better idea about how the whole scene is going to go. Before taking the next shot, you need to always be aware of continuity. Someone needs to be in charge of making sure that each shot runs smoothly by marking where the actors have to stand about making sure that the position of the objects are always the same to begin with. After the wide screen shot, you can then take a closer shot of each actor throughout the scene, and later cut and used where deemed appropriate. Once you have the most important shots out of the way, you can then experiment with close-ups on actors' faces as well as other quirky shots such as low angle or high angle shots or wherever else imagination takes you.

We then tried to shoot an action using different shots to get better acquainted with the use of a camera so we got two students to meet each other halfway through the shot and acknowledge each other with a gesture. We learnt to automatically check the focus each time we took a different shot. We found it difficult when trying to take a close-up of the gesture one of the students made with their hand because we could never figure out how to mark where the hand should make the gesture. We also however used shots that we normally wouldn't have thought of, such as a shot of the students' feet walking.

Here are some pics:

Initial Ideas for Thriller

1. 2 minutes: the character/s have 2 minutes to complete a task. Cuts go to other action happening as well in those 2 minutes which are related to the main action. The main element of this idea is the idea of a countdown and to show how much can happen in the space of two minutes.

2. Silk: A thriller about a drug deal which goes wrong, based on Silk Road

3. Medical revolution ends up in a disaster.

4. Love story where both parties do not realise the other are spies until they are assigned a mission.

Development as a Group

We first put each of our ideas together and attempted to find a way to mix them all into the idea. However, one idea which particularly stuck out for the group was a thriller about 'Silk Road', a website that deals with drugs. This seemed like the most attractive idea because it was a well-known scandal which we thought could make the thriller all the more interesting. We also thought that this idea had a lot of opportunity for inventive editing (e.g shots of the screen, cutting to shots of action) We decided to focus on this one would be the simplest thing to do because we were all drawn to this idea and decided that less is more.

From this, we thought about what kind of action we could have with this idea. We decided that we should have young people buying drugs from the website to show the influence of drugs on young people in England today. We also decided we wanted some scenes in the warehouse where the drugs would be stored, to give the audience a view of the drug world they probably never would have scene and make the thriller interesting. Finally, we decided that so far we hadn't made it sound enough like a thriller so to conform it to the thriller genre, we thought that having the police involved somehow would make the thriller exciting. We then came up with a basic storyline:

1. Young person in room tries to order drugs on Silk Road website.
2. We see the delivery service and the labour in the warehouse where the drugs are stored.
3. Something goes wrong, the police are onto the company and try to track them. Before delivery has a chance to happen, police have arrested Silk Road employees.

My Idea for a Thriller

Initially I had trouble trying to think of a good thriller story. 'Time' seemed an interesting concept so I thought of what I could do with 'time'. I had an idea which didn't focus on the actual storyline as much as it did the concept of the video: The whole thriller could be timed for some reason from start to finish of the thriller (e.g a bomb is counting down throughout the thriller and the characters have some sort of goal they need to achieve). This idea intrigued me because I could see a lot of opportunity for interesting editing, such as close ups on the timer at the very beginning and at the very end of the thriller. I associated bombs with police crimes and ransoms and thought maybe the story could be about a police officer trying to save a loved one, such as a wife or child, and having only a short amount of time to do it. Then I thought of ways of making the thriller particularly interesting so decided it needed a cliffhander: a close up of the clock counting the last few seconds at the very end of the thriller but cutting to the credits at 3 to leave the audience wondering of the policeman solved the crime in the end.

My idea is similar to rush hour where the characters have to save a kidnapped daughter who is forced to wear dynamite for a ransom against her father.

Thriller Opening Analysis: Cape Fear

Conventions of an opening sequence to a Thriller

Traditional title sequence. 


-Sixth Sense: We simply see the names of the cast, crew and production company on a black background. This gives the audience a moment to settle down and anticipate the film. Since the title itself is intriguing, this successfully creates suspense for the film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyCqv7ReKz4

Straight into the film with titles at the top. 

-Reservoir dogs: We go straight into the film where the main characters are talking around a table in a diner. Later when they're all walking the actor's names appear with shots of the actors. This puts more emphasis on the individual characters as opposed to just the film in general.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Xi3ioasik

Discrete.

-Cape Fear: The titles appear over a long sequence showing water and various ominous images over it. This indicates that part of the film happens around water without giving away the plot. The images that appear (the eagle, the teeth, the eye, the drop of blood) all conjure up a feeling of being hunted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCTdL1Yf6DE

Stylised.

-Diamonds are Forever: Abstract images such as cat's eyes, diamond necklaces and female silhouettes are cut together very surreally to captivate the audience with a charming strangeness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPeSPB68i2c

Different Kinds of Thrillers

 Crime thriller

Focusing on crime, this genre is usually from the criminal's point of view where they try to escape the police. There is usually more emotional depth here than in action thrillers.

Psychological thriller

Made particularly famous by Alfred Hitchcock, this subgenre a lot of the conflict is mental, rather than physical. The protagonist has become involved in a dangerous situation which literally threatens their sanity. They must use mental prowess to overcome their opponent, whether the battle is inside their own head or it a battle of wits.

Comedy thriller

Usually a thriller that mocks politics or other prominent features of society. Or can be a parody of other thrillers.

Action Thriller

Tends to focus more on the action rather than the narrative, depth of characters. Generally touch on mostly superficial issues, such as sex rather than love or violence rather than personal issues.

Conspiracy Thriller

In this subgenre the protagonist must confront a large, powerful organization whose threat only he sees. Usually he must do so alone.

Disaster Thriller

In this subgenre a (usually) natural disaster is taking place, and the antagonist is either trying to stop the disaster, the extent of the disaster, or just save themselves before time runs out and the disaster has run its course.

Mystery Thriller

This is a subgenre of both mysteries and thrillers. It differs from a regular mystery by being much more fast-paced, with the protagonist on the run and the threat of another crime serving as the “ticking clock.”

Romantic Thriller

This is a subgenre of both thrillers and romantic novels. The plot line follows a typical thriller’s tension, suspense, and excitement, but a main element is the growing relationship between two characters.

Spy Thriller

It’s hard to call this a genre mash-up when spy novels almost have to be thrillers. At any rate, this subgenre focuses on the high adventures of field agents. It is usually set against the backdrop of some war.

Supernatural Thriller

In this subgenre otherworldy elements are introduced, usually as an antagonistic force, but just as in the romantic thriller, the plot line and feel or distinctly that of thrillers. Some characters may have psychic abilities and other supernatural novel elements may be present.

Techno-Thriller

This genres is a cross between near-future science fiction and thrillers. Cutting-edge technology plays an important role, either as something to obtain, or working for or against    the protagonist.

The Thriller Genre

The genre of a film is the type of film it is, judging by the characteristics it shares with other similar films. This can be a comedy, romantic comedy, romance, thriller, psychological thriller, horror, action, historical... Films in the same genre might share a similar storyline, similar editing techniques, and similar kinds of mise-en-scene.

In the thriller genre there are also plenty of sub-genres (e.g romantic thriller, psychological thriller, horror thriller...) Though thrillers generally share similar characteristics; such as guns, chases, fear, victims and offenders; little things can make a big difference between sub-genres. For instance, crime thrillers such as The Departed or Reservoir Dogs have certain elements such as guns, criminals and police while psychological thrillers such as Black Swan tend to have surreal aspects or give a closer study of the human mind. Then of course there are films with both crime-thriller and psychological-thriller aspects, such as the film Trance.

Quentin Tarantino, my favourite thriller director

In each case, a thriller is a film that 'thrills' its audience. This is usually using fear, suspense and/or  intensity. There is usually a protagonist who is hunted, chased or threatened by a villain. The 'villain' can have different forms such as an actual person who means harm to the protagonist or maybe something more abstract like a part of the protagonist's mind, as in Black Swan.

The thriller genre was especially made famous by movie Director Alfred Hitchcock, 'the master of suspense  thrillers', who began shaping the modern-day thriller with his early silent film The Lodger (1926) about Jack the Ripper. He was famous for making a signature cameo appearance in his feature films.
He would often place an innocent victim (an average, responsible person) into a strange, life-threatening or terrorizing position, in a case of mistaken identity (e.g. The 39 Steps), misidentification or wrongful accusation.
He used various cinematic techniques and also specialise in visually-expressive motifs. One of his most famous works is Psycho (1960)famous for the shower scene which created a huge impact on its audience at the time because of the montage in the shower sequence accentuated with composer Bernard Hermann's screeching violin score. He is also well known for the dolly-zoom shots in Vertigo (1958), or the heightening of anticipation with the long pull-back shot from inside a building to the outside and corss the street in Frenzy (1972)

Movie Poster Evaluation: Trance

Trance

Elizabeth is placed further forward than the men, which signifies that she has power over the other two men. The fact that she is between them shows how she is stuck between them, she is not particularly on either of the two men’s side. They are all very close together which shows that all three characters have a very close relationship around which the movie revolves. She is looking at Simon (left), which signifies that she has a closer relationship with him.

The two men are looking in opposite directions. This implies that they are on the lookout and are feeling defensive. They clearly have some kind of competition, which is implicitly over Elizabeth.

The background has bright colours and a circular pattern which symbolizes the hypnotic state. This signifies that the story has elements of hypnosis, showing that the movie is quite psychological. The circular patterns also resonate an idea of fingerprints, putting the audience into the mind-set of police work and crime. The fact that Elizabeth is presented as bigger than the other two men establishes her power and implies that she probably hypnotizes them and has power over their minds.

The gun that Frank is holding is a phallic symbol, showing how dominant that character is. It also signifies that he is the most violent and bloodthirsty of the three. It also categorizes the film as a thriller. The tagline, ‘Inside the mind. Outside the law’ gives an indication of the general direction of the film and how crime and hypnosis are linked in the story. ‘Inside the mind’ signifies that it’s a psychological thriller and ‘Outside the law’ signifies it being a crime thriller.

Movie Poster Evaluation: Children of Men

Children of men

 

The blue colouring is commonly used for science fictions and based on what the heading says about ‘The year 2027: the last days of the human race’ tells us that the film is set in the dystopian future. ‘No child has been born for 10 years, we must protect our only hope’ is powerful because of the devastating idea of the human race coming to a stop. The softer colour on Clive Owen’s face contrasted with the darker colouring of the rest of the poster signifies clearly that he is the good guy and puts the audience on his side.

The red colour of the lettering symbolizes blood being spilt, giving the audience a sense of fear and signifying that there are some horror elements in the film.

The broken glass gives the feeling of destruction and wreckage showing that in the film the film has lots of action that is destructive, signifying that it is a thriller. The broken glass also shows us how broken society is in the film.

 The low-angle camera shot symbolizes that Clive Owen’s character is the hero of the film. His expression is very forlorn and serious, reflecting on the hard work he has to do to try to make things right. It also tells us that he is the type of hero we need more than the hero we want.

The picture of the bleeding world also signifies that the film is about the harm inflicted on the planet. The bleeding represents how we’re ‘bleeding’ the world of its resources. It tells us that the Earth is ‘in pain’ in the film, which signifies that nature is unbalanced, presumably by human activity.