Test Filming

After the test filming we have had a few more ideas on how to go about filming the opening to our thriller and have also learnt how to create some effects through the editing on Final Cut.

We have also realized some problems we  may face when we are filming in the forrest/field area, as some shots which require the dolly to film a well framed shot may become shakey if we film the shot hand held becuase of the uneven surface. We have also noticed that we need to make a few shots longer due to some of the dialogue in our shot list

Target Audience

For our thriller opening we are looking to attract a teenage / young adult audience as this age group are most likely to be interested in the genre and are who watch more television compared to other audiences.

Se7en (1995)

The genre will attract our target audience due to other similar television programmes such as Midsomer Murders and CSI that are currently popular in they're genre. Films such as Se7en and Law Abiding Citizen are films i believe attract this current audience due to the violence in both films so we should look to learn something from both films and take features from the films aswell as similar films and corperate elements into the opening of our thriller.

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

We will look to enage our audience by making the opening mysterious as possible by not giving any clues as to who the murderer is or why he is killing. The film will be shot near nightfall to help create an atmosphere and help to build the tension leading up to the murder. The shot types we use will also not reveal much of the murders identity, so shots will consist of close ups of things such as the murder weapon and silowette effect of the murderer. The opening will feature and character at walking alone at night time on a walkpath near a line off trees so this will enage the audience by putting them in the victims shoes and if done correctly scare the audience.

Convections for Thriller - Sub Genres

Crime Thriller

Murder By Numbers (2002)

In a crime thriller such as 'Murder By Numbers' the introduction introduces the protangonists of the film which generally are an Investigator and their partners through a scene of a crime.
Questions are usually raised straight away in the viewers mind such as 'Who is the criminal?' and 'What motive does the criminal have?'
Use of flashbacks in common in crime thrillers as they are usually used to unfold the story as to how things hav happened and why. In the case of 'Murder By Numbers', the flashbacks are used to show something in the past that is effecting the investigator personaly.

 Action Thriller

Action thrillers are introduced at a fast pace by going straight into an action sequence and are sometimes more violent compared to the typical thriller.

Bangkok Dangerous (2008)

The main characters in action thrillers are generally difficult to understand at the start of the film and are usually skilled in fighting / combat.
Action thrillers generally have a high budget to work with, and many films take place in a foreign country. These convections are shown in the film 'Bangkok Dangerous' where main character Joe is a hitman on a month long job to kill four people.


Political Thriller

Valkyrie (2008)

Political thrillers usually feature a main character who tries to ensure the stability of a country or government. An example of this is 'Valkyrie' which follows the main character Stauffenberg and his followers plot to kill and overthrow the government in order to stop the war.
Political thrillers are generally slow paced and do not feature as many action sequences as other thrilelrs  due to the plots are more focused around the ruling of a country or organisesation.


Psychological Thriller

Shutter Island (2010)

Psychological thrillers vary with different themes such as: Reality - Existence - Death - Mind - Perception - Identity

Psychological thrillers like to play with the viewers mind throughout the film and builds up the question that are being asked by the viewers. In 'Shutter Island' the film all unfolds at the end of the film and features alot of twists in the story which is very typical of the sub genre.

Mise - En - Scene Research

Props - The props involved with our filming will include the murderer's weapon, which shall be a cane. This is supposed to be a strange weapon for a murderer to carry, and will raise suspicions in the audience.  Also, we are going to be using earphones for the victim, this will make the victim seem more vulnerable as he will not know what is going on around him; the audience will clearly hear the music that the victim is listening to, to put more emphasis on this.

Lighting - We will film the opening around sun down, to create a dark and gloomy effect and also to hide the murderers identity.  We aim to create some silhouette effects by taking advantage of the lighting of the location.

Costume - The murder shall be wearing all black clothing to hide his/her's identity and also help to create some of the silhouette effects. The victim will be wearing everyday clothing but a lighter colour to portray him as more vulnerable to the murderer.

Setting - The opening will be set at Odin's house which is located in a isolated rural area which will add to the dark and gloomy effect which will be created by the low key lighting created by the time of day.

Colours - Trying to keep to the dark and gloomy effect we are looking for, we will try to avoid using bright colours which would ruin the mood of the opening, apart from the victim, who will have delibarately bright clothing on.

Warner Bros Production Logo - Sherlock Holmes

(Logo shown at 0:37)

The Warner Bros logo varies through the different films its involved in. In Sherlock Holmes the logo of Warner Bros is made to fit the mood of the film. Set in the 1800's the Warner Bro's logo is coloured in dull colours such as grey suggesting a dark and dull time. The logo also has a metallic look to it to represent the up coming industrial revolution which started in the UK in the period of the 18th and 19th Century. Overall the Warner Bro's logo for this film matches the mood captured in the film and the history at the current time.

Past Group Evaluation

http://64thriller10.blogspot.com/

From first viewing, this groups thriller opening seems to contain the typical conventions of the thriller genre. The opening starts with a murder and raises questions in the viewers mind as to whhy the girl was murdered. Flashbacks are used in the view of who seems to be the murderer as he's washing blood away from his hands. The music used in the opening matches the type of feel i think they were trying to achieve due to the woodland setting. The music however does stop very quickly and start again which loses the tension that was building. The point of view shot was very well used to stop the viewer from seeing the murderer. I think the film would of benefited if it were filme when the sun was going down jut to help create the mood and atsmosphere that the music suggests.

Thriller Opening Credits - 'The Number 23'

In the opening credits to film 'The Number 23' the camera focuses on paper with the credits written in a typewriters font. The camera scrolls up and down the page very slowly making it seem very mysterious. The camera also cut very jaggeredly to close up of names making it uncomfortable for the audience. The number 23 is also shown next to each name suggesting along with the title of the film that the number will have a lot to play in the course of the film. On a very blank page the scene slowly introduces the viewer to blotches of blood slowly flowing onto the page, which suggests murder and the possiblity of the blood being related to the number. The sound of the opening credits builds tension with the bassline of the soundtrack getting slowly faster to the point where the blood is introduced and again slows down. This is then repeated again but with the music temp this time getting faster and louder, bringing the audience up in tension until it slows down suddenly to start the begining of the film.