Planning: Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment 

Trip over the tripod

 As we were using a tripod for filming with, there was a risk that myself or one of the members in the group could trip over the legs of the tripod and cause injury to themselves or others aswell as damaging the tripod itself. We will attempt to avoid this risk by making sure we are aware of when the tripod is in use and to be careful of it and also to make sure we put away the tripod carefully after we have finished using it. 

Dropping equippment 

Dropping the equippment is an issue as it would mean that we damage the camera or tripod or other pieces of equippment which could result in them being damaged or broken. To avoid dropping any of the equippment, we will make sure to always wear the camera straps around our necks and to keep all camera equippment in the correct bags that they belong in to protect them from being damaged.

Tripping over branches, rocks, being aware of loose branches
We plan to do some of our filming in a wooded area, so some risks we might face are tripping over branches of trees, rocks and other folliage. This could result in injuries inflicted on either myself or the others in my group, and also, if conditions were windy, we would have to be mindful of any loose branches that could fall onto our heads whilst filming. To avoid this risk happening, we would be mindful of our location and be careful of where we walked. 

Get lost
The wooded area were want to film in was quite large so there was a possibility that my group could get seperated or confused to where we were and may get lost momentarily. We would make sure this wouldnt happen by not going to far into the wooded area and always be able to contact each other via mobile phones. This risk was unlikely to happen but we decided we still needed to consider the possiblity that this could happen. 

 

Research: The Thriller Sub Genre

• Comedy thriller: A genre that combines elements of comedy and thrillers, a combination of humor and suspense or action. Example: Mr and Mrs Smith 

•  Crime thriller: This particular genre 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. Central topics of these films include serial killers/murders, robberies, chases and double crosses. Example: Seven.  

• Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. Characters, either by accident or their own curiousness, are dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve. Characters are not reliant on physical strength to overcome their brutish enemies, but rather are reliant on their mental resources, whether it be by battling wits with a formidable opponent or by battling for equilibrium in the character's own mind. At times, the characters attempt solving, or are involved in, a mystery. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state. Examples:  David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet, The Taleneted Mr Ripley and Psycho. 

• Supernatural thriller: In which the film brings in an otherworldly element (such as fantasy and/or the supernatural) mixed with tension, suspense and plot twists. Sometimes the protagonist and/or villain has some physhic ability and superpowers. Examples: Fallen, Knowing.

• Techno thriller: A suspense film in which the manipulation of sophisticated technology plays a prominent part. There is a bit of action and science fiction

Questionnaire for thriller research

Questionnaire researching into the type of thrillers each age group enjoys and why?

What is your age? 

12 ///

16 //////

17 ////

22 ///

45 //

47 /

72 //

What is your favorite kind of thriller? Action, horror,  crime, psychological, sci-fi, adventure
Horror ////

Action ///

Crime //

Psychological 

Sci-Fi /

Adventure //

What do you like about thriller movies and why? 
twelve year old responses: we like thriller films that have lots of action and exciting story lines with famous actors that we know and love. We also do enjoy sci-fi thrillers with aliens, similar to the Star Wars movies. 

sixteen & seventeen year old responses: we enjoy thriller movies that keeps us on the edge of our seats and has lots of actions and events that happen in the film that give us that 'thriller' feeling. Action, crime and horror are some of our favorite types of sub-genre for thriller films. 

twenty two year old response: Our favorite types of thriller movies are horror, as they are more interesting and captivating to watch, as well as the fact that you never know whats going to happen next really sets your heart racing and makes them great films to watch. 

forty five & forty seven response: Our favorite type of thriller movies are sci-fi related, because it offers us viewers the feeling of escapism, allows us to escape the day to day normal story and there are characters that are fantastic and the unbelievable is achieved, making us want to watch these types of films over and over again.  

seventy two year old response: we don't really watch thriller movies, but when we do we enjoy films with entertaining elements, films that make you laugh as well as thrill and shock you. Crime thrillers are also very interesting to watch. 

Which do you think sounds like a better title for a thriller?

The missing ///
Stolen //

Diverted ///////////

The Abscent  /////

Research: Thriller opening analysis (Psycho)

Thriller Research Task

Psycho
Psycho is a 1960 psychological thriller-horror directed by Alfred Hitchcock staring Antony Perkins and Vera Miles, John Gavin and Janet Leigh. The film was made iconic by the infamous shower scene where Leigh's character is brutally murdered by being repeatedly stabbed to death, and when the film was released, it caused a huge thrill amongst audiences and also created a irrational fear of showers.

Clip duration- 1.57 (opening credits)

The clip begins when it fades from the old fashioned paramount film company's logo with the mountain and stars to the long opening credits that were common in films during this time period, the harsh, scratchy music written by Bernard Herrman, that is similar to the sound used during the stabbing in the shower scene. The music is high pitched and very unsettling which is what Hitchcock wanted to portray in this opening section, that the film itself is very unnerving and unsettling. The credits are very simple, grey and black lines (as the film was featured in only black and white as technology had not yet evolved to have colour television) crossing over each other in time to the tempo of the music and very plain white credits for the names of actors and people who worked on the film, which stands out against the dark black background. The title 'psycho' is shown on screen and then almost glitches and shifts and becomes disorientated which perhaps is a link to Perkins' characters schizophrenic persona.
The music builds quickly and becomes fast and the pitch remains high which also builds tension and intrigues the audience to what might happen in the film, it is a very bold and gripping start to the film.
Similarly to the way the title Pyscho text shifts and glitches, the same effect is used again when Alfred Hitchcock's name is repeated as the director, his name changes shape as well, and grey lines move outwards away from his name in time with the music before the credits fade to an aerial shot of a city, which in contrast seems very dull and simple after the opening credits but also creates perhaps the sense of fear that something horrific and creepy might be about to take place in a very normal everyday location, which would have been very thrilling and seat gripping for audiences watching this. 

Research: Thriller opening analysis (Transformers)

Thriller Research Task 

Transformers
Transformers is a science-fiction thriller directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg in 2007 staring Shia LaBeof and Megan Fox. The section of the film I analysed is just after the film has begun, but it is where the thriller element and the most action begins to take place and I felt this was a more relevant clip to analyse for the thriller research task.

Clip duration- 5.03

The clip begins with the amplified noise of the helicopters wings, which matches the quieter undertone of the music being played in the background, this already begins to build tension and suggests that something is about to happen. The black helicopter stands out boldly against the stark blank background of the desert, and the colour of the helicopter, black, is also synonyms with danger and evil. The shot quickly cuts to the US military base and the cuts sharply back to the helicopter again. The quick and sharp cuts between the soldiers and the helicopter shows that despite the military's warnings, the helicopter is still moving forward and poses a threat to the area. The noise of other aircraft taking off is also exemplified for greater effect. The cuts between shots continue to move quickly, cutting from the helicopter, to inside one of the US planes and back to the base again, which increases to mount the tension and the quick fast shots creates the impression that this is an intense situation. The close up of the black helicopter against the bright orange and red background of the setting of the sun is very ominous.
The pace of the clip changes slightly, (1.14) showing a Skype conversation between a captain (one of the protagonists of the film) and his wife and baby daughter,  which shows the innocents that are at risk here, which increases the danger of the situation that the captain does not know of yet.
The pace of the clip resumes again as the helicopter lands, quick cuts again from ground level, point of view shots, to high angle aerial shots of the craft landing, showing soldiers and tanks closing in around it. The close up of the man flying the helicopter glitches out, suggesting that all is not normal inside this aircraft. As the helicopter begins to change, the iconic metallic, cyber sounding noise of the transformers can be heard. The camera pans backwards away from the action (2.50) as the transformer opens fire on the soldiers and there is bright flashes of gun shots and fire. The background music is played over again as action comes to a head, the camera angle also tracks along one of the soldiers running and shouting.  

What makes Se7en a thriller?

What makes Se7en a thriller?

Se7en is a neo-noir thriller film that blends together the genres of crime and horror. Neo-noir is a style often used in modern films and other forms that prominently utilise elements of film noir but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media.

The film Se7en features all the conventions and aspects the audience expects a thriller to be like. It has the force of good, represented in the characters Detective William R Somerset and Detective David Mills, the first being a well seasoned police detective looking to retire, and the latter being they stereotypical 'rocky' 'hot head' looking to prove himself worthy of his role, thriller films often include this element of the old replacing the new, which often produces conflict. It also includes the light to the dark, the unknown killer who constantly undermines the protagonists of the film, and whose identity is only revealed at the end, similarly to the horror genre where the antagonist is often only discovered towards the end of the film.

As thriller, the director David Fincher brings a whole new meaning the the thriller genre, by choosing instead to not show the brutal and violent murders of the victims according to the seven deadly sins, but instead showing the aftermath that builds and builds as the victims being to mount up, which creates a more sinister and creepy and most importantly thrilling feel and excitement to the film that I believe audiences that watch this film and enjoy the thriller genre will enjoy. 

Analysis and refelction of Preliminary Task

                                            Analysis of Preliminary Task

The lighting in the Preliminary Task worked best when my character walks through the corridor, the light that shines through the glass windows in the door casts an eery light on the corridor, meaning that my character is silhouetted and very dark, which ties in with our idea that at this point my characters identity is concealed at this point, at 0.07 seconds of the clip. The lighting is less effective when the shot cuts to a close up of my hand pushing open the door (0.08), but the most notable shift in lighting is at 0.17 where there is an over the shoulder shot focusing on my character, the lighting is very poor, making everything in the shot very grainy and poor quality, my face is very darkly lit and it is hard to see any facial expressions and again when there is a close up, point of view (0.25) where my face is very poorly lit and hard to make out, this is something my group said we would work on if we were to redo this task, we would improve the lighting in these sections of the clip.

One thing that I think worked well after watching back the completed task is the editing of the camera angles and shots together and also the movement of the camera. In one shot where the camera slowly pans up from the table to show my character sitting down (0.10-0.12) I think that this was a very effective and good idea as it moved well with the movement of the scene. I also think that the way the camera panned along and tracked my character as I walked through the corridor was effective and helped to set the scene for the clip.

Analyzing the sound of the preliminary task, I noticed that in certain parts of the clip, there was some diajetic from other classrooms surrounding the location we shot at, that we were unable to edit out, which was unfortunate as it detracted from some of the tension we were trying to create. I also thought that some of the dialogue spoken was perhaps not as loud as it could have been which is something we would again look at redoing. However I do think the sound of the gun firing at the end with the cut to a black screen worked well and was an effective end to our preliminary task.

I think some of the choices we made prior to filming our preliminary task whilst planning were very in keeping of meanings and representations of thriller films. I think our choice to have my character dressed in dark clothing and hooded clearly showed that I was portraying the antagonist in this story and that harry's character dressed in lighter clothing, and with his character being better lit helped to convey him as the protagonist, or in this case, the victim. We found threw research that thriller films often clearly show who are the 'good' guys and who are the 'bad' guys threw similar ways that we tried to recreate. 

Inital Planning for Thriller task

Planning for Thriller task

The task we were set was to film a short introduction to a thriller feature.We had to work in small groups of three or four and had to begin planning and creating storyboards for our ideas before we began filming.

Group

Olivia Whyley

Ellie Harper

Megan Fennell

 

We began planning for our thriller task by brain storming ideas about what our theme would be for our thriller. I was working in a small group of myself and two other people and despite initally struggling to think of ideas, we came up with our first idea of a possible 'murder' theme and from there we began to develop and change our ideas from there.We decided to keep the murder theme, but changed it slightly, deciding we wanted to have a more twisited idea of a paedophile at large, who has kidnapped a small child and is looking for more victims, we brainstormed this idea and decided we would convey this idea through a presenter talking through a radio. We quite liked the radio idea so we decided we would have the noise of old analogue radio playing just before the thriller begins as we thought this would create an unnerving noise which tied in with the unerving ideas of our thriller.

As well as planning the main idea for our thriller and how we would edit and film it afterwards, we wanted to create filming company names that would have 'produced' our thriller, to make it more believeable. In keeping with the spooky and unverving theme, I suggested and came up with 'Black Cat Productions' to which the other memebers of my group liked and we decided to use. In this lesson, we created this logo. We also came up with another fake film producers 'Firewalk Entertainment' and planned to edit a sequence for this company on Afterlight in our next lesson.

Filming the Preliminary task

Review of the preliminary filming task

 After filming the preliminary task, I found that me and my group worked fairly well together, however there were some personality differences and also, we found we had clashes in ideas, but after talking about it and working together we found positive ways around situations and managed to get our project finished fairly quickly and were on the whole happy with the result

We found that after filming our choice of lighting meant that the footage we had shot was very dark and grainy as initially we wanted to use low key lighting to create suspense and a slight eeriness to the piece, and meant that we would have more work to do when we began editing to improve our footage. However this was also helpful as we learned a crucial lesson in what we would try and avoid if we were to re film the project, or on later projects. We also found that the dialect from our clips weren't very audible, but we like the way our clips fitted together and they made sense as a short film all together, we felt our ideas for the prelim task were strong. 

At the start of our short film, I took on the one of the acting roles, and the first clip showed myself walking through some double doors, face concealed by the hood of my coat to hide my identity, and the camera tracked my movements round a corner and cut as I walked through the door. We found when we watched the footage back we found this to be quite effective. We then shot several short sequences showing me walking through the door, including a close up of my hand pushing open the door, which when put together, added a dramatic effect and created a slight feeling of suspense.

The climax of our preliminary task is the shooting of one the other actor who is shown sat at a desk in the room my character enters. We choose to film a close up of the barrel of the gun we used as a prop before cutting to a plain black screen where we then edited the noise of the gun shot and found this to be far more effective than actually showing the shooting itself, more eluding the audience that the character had just been shot, which we felt tied in well with the 'Thriller' theme we have been studying in class.

Overall I am pleased with the final piece and thinking myself and my group worked well not only coming up with ideas but also in our filming and editing of the footage, as well as looking at what we could have done better.   

Preliminary Planning

Preliminary Task Planning 

The task we were set was to film a short sequence, focusing mainly on different camera angles and shots, and also to practice editing and making changes to our film in preparation for our thriller work. 

Group

Olivia Whyley

Ben Hall

Sam Weeks

Harry Edwards

For the preliminary task, I worked in a group with three other people and we began to devise ideas for our sequence, we did this by creating a story board which depicted what the actors would do in each cut and what shots and camera angles we would use. We found this very helpful and useful to get all our ideas written down in a systematic order before we actually began filming.

We decided that we were going to use only two locations for our preliminary task, a corridor and a small classroom as the main setting, we wanted to keep the sequences as simple as possible so that it wouldn't detract from the camerawork, which we wanted to be the main focus of the piece. 

When writing the script for the scenes we had some conflict with members of the group over what dialogue we were going to use, but we managed to work through this and come to a mutual decision and in the end, all members of the group were happy with the script we devised together.

Narrative of Seven

Narrative of Seven 

 

Seven is a thriller set in a nameless city staring Brad Pitt (Detective David Mills) and Morgan Freeman (Detective William R Somerset) as two detectives desperatley searching for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as adsolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. Together they trace the killers every step, witnessing the aftermath of his horrific crimes one by one as the victims pile up at an alarming rate, all the while moving closer unknowingly towards a gruesome fate neither of them could have predicted. The sins of Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy and Wrath are shown in this order resulting in more and more gruesome and sadistic murders each time.

Conventions of a thriller

A thriller is a film that relentlessly pursues a single-minded goal- to provide thrills and keep the audience 'cliff-hanging' and at 'the edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. Tensions usually arises when the main character(s) is placed in a threatening situation, mystery, or a dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible. Life itself is also often threatened, usually because the main character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Thrillers often always features a protaganist fighting against the often mysterious antagonist. 

 

Types of Characters feautured in a thriller: 

Convicts

Soliders

Spies

Law enforcement officers e.g. Detective Mills & Detective R Somerset

stalkers 

Men associated with danger

Criminals

Assassins 

Innocent civilians dragged into dangerous circumstances 

Psychotic characters e.g. serial killers such as John Doe

Prison inmates