Soundtrack

When choosing the soundtrack I wanted a track that contrasted with the shots. Unlike the fast cuts of the video, I wanted the audio to be quite slow and to gradually build up tension before reaching its climax. Although this technique opposes key thriller conventions and is therefore risky, I felt that, should it be carried out correctly, it would be much more effective than a more obvious use of soundtrack.

This inspiration came from a song I heard in the film 'This is England' by Shane Meadows. The song had a big effect on me because it made me very intrigued into what was happening and even created a sense of anxiety because of its gradual build-up. The sost music was unexpected alongside the fast cutting action in the film - it was this juxtaposition that gave the dramatic effect I am addressing. Below is the official video of this track:

I eventually decided on a track from http://www.mobygratis.com/ called 'brandish'. Although quite different to the track above, it still gives the same effect and so I was very pleased with this track and how it sounds in my edit. I feel that the juxtaposing audio to video can really allow the audience to focus on the content within the film and the slow pace of the music forces them to think more thoroughly about closer details.

Preliminary task evaluation

What planning did you do for your filming task, and how did this planning aid the filming?

A script was written and a storyboard was drawn-up. We looked at both together and this allowed us to really see whether or not our shoot was going to work.
We also researched into other preliminary tasks carried out previously on the youtube channel. This allowed us to see what worked and what did not, meaning we could incorporate any successful aspects in to our own and ensure we left out any unsuccessful parts.

What is the 180 degree rule, and how is this rule important to the filming of the task?

The 180 degree rule is a basic guideline in media that explains how two characters in one scene must always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera breaks this rule and passes over the imaginary line between the two characters, it is called crossing the line.
This rule is important because it enables the audience watching, to visually connect with unseen movement happening around and behind the characters.

What shot types and camera angles did you use in your filming task, and to what effect?

• High angle shot - shows vulnerability of the character in the shot.
• Over the shoulder shot - shows somebody following OR puts the audience in the perspective of the character.
• Birds eye view - Adds to audience appeal giving the audience a different view of the action

Question 6

What Have You Learnt About Technologies From the Process of Constructing This Product

Props

We deliberately chose not to include many props in our thriller. We felt that this would allow sole focus to be on the characters, and the enigma they produce, as they prove the key feature in our opening. We did however, choose to use a couple of props that we feel would successfully connote the topic of violence, a key theme of the thriller genre. The use of these props came from an inspiration of other thriller films which have used the same objects.


Wallet:
This proves a key prop to our thriller opening. It creates something out of the ordinary. Robbie finds a wallet on the floor of an isolated public bathroom. He is intrigued and eventually it results in his fate.
The wallet also proves an enigma in our thriller opening because we do not know how the wallet has come to be on the floor of these toilets, and we dont not why.
Money is often the cause of violence which proves a key theme throughout many thrillers. The shot which involves the wallet will be edited using slow motion as I feel this will successfully highlight the disorientated feel I am attempting to show through my video. It will also foreshadow the fate of the character of Robbie. 

                                                                                    
                                                                                    Car:
Although only at the start of our thriller, the car plays a key role in determining power. Because of its sheer size, we assume that the person in the car is in control, as opposed to the young, vulnerable boy walking alongside it. An enigma is also created with this object because we are unable to see who is inside.
Cars have been used throghout many thriller films to symbolise different things. For example, in Jackie Brown by Quentin Tarantino, Ordell is forced to get into the trunk of the car and then goes on to be murdered shortly after - here the car is playing the role of angel of death. Also, in Thelma and Louise, the size of vehicle gives us an understanding of power and authority - Thelma and Louise are in a little car that is driving between two huge lorries. Other films that use this object/prop are Taxi Driver starring Robert De Niro and more notably Essex Boys starring Sean Bean.

Original Pitch

In our opening lesson we were handed a worksheet to fill out with a base idea for a thriller. Although a lot of the information has changed, the base ideas have remained the same.

Original Pitch

Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Preliminary Task:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFN9f-1zpus&list=PL41C7588BE5F684A3&index=12&feature=plpp_video

Thriller Opening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io2aW0nfXzs&context=C484766dADvjVQa1PpcFPBcYQ9ZoE2HQ8etHEgfitOHDu99hgDsOI=


It is important to understand the dramatic contrast in criteria for these two tasks. From the preliminary task, we were expected mainly to grab a vague understanding of how the camera we will be using works as well as the editing software. A small range of camera angles were to be used in order for us to begin to understand the different shots that can be achieved with the equipment we are given. Other tasks included applying the 180 degree rule, successfully demonstrating match on action and using shot/reverse shot - all very simple aspects of the camera 'world'.
The expectations of our thriller was much more advanced. We were expected to successfully utilise and develop all aspects of mis-en-scene including location, characters, costume, lighting, camera shots, sound etc. We had to use independent research to gain the knowledge of how, when, why and where to use these techniques in order to demonstrate, symbolise and represent certain messages to our chosen target audience.

Although the preliminary task did not fully prepare us for what we had to come, I feel that the planning and research we carried out to support our practical work aided us in creating successful thriller projects. Many thriller films and the symbolism they contain were drilled into us, as well as our own independent research.
The step from preliminary to final was drastic and the main difference was from using different aspects of a generic thriller mis-en-scene to gaining an understanding of why we were using these conventions.
Our research for our preliminary task was very basic. Because we were only just getting to grips with media and the different shots used in a film, we focused on using a wide range of shots and getting them just right, rather than choosing them for a specific reason.
The research for our thriller opening was of course much more advanced and required more time and effort. To develop our knowledge of the genre, we produced many case studies into different films from the genre as well as certain scenes within the films. In order for to make the most out of the project I saw it as necessary to carry out independent research also. With the preliminary task providing us with a basic understanding of the majority of aspects within the mis-en-scene, we were now able to use these as a base to expand on and ensure we knew 'why' these aspects will be used. The research process was arguably the most vital in determining a successful project and without it and with just the understanding we had at the preliminary stage, our films would have no significance as a thriller.

Our preliminary task required us to tell a very simple story. This did not need much thought and no meaning was needed for the camera angles, mis-en-scene, editing techniques, sound, location, costume, casting roles... I could go on. On the contrary, in our thriller, it was essential that every, tiny, little detail of the project was thoroughly examined to ensure that the symbolism of each second of the film was present. Each camera angle used was symbolic and had a meaning. Each location was chosen for a specific reason. Each character was played by an actor for a valid reason and the costume on each of them symbolised something individual. All editing techniques were used for effect and not just to look cool. See below a few of my favourite examples of how we used different aspects to symbolise and represent different messages in our thriller.

The obvious comparison here between car and man shows a juxtaposition in size. The huge car compared to the small teenager signifies the boys vulnerability.

Only half of the boys body is showing here and his face is not on screen. This presents an enigma and questions can be raised as to whether or not the boy is as he seems. (Suggesting homosexuality).

The stairs used in this shot symbolise the struggle that Robbie has as a homosexual within the youth of today's society. This technique is also used in Carol Reed's 'The Third Man' .

The bars in this shot represent prison cell bars which signify both crime and violence - a key theme associated with the youth's of todays society. This technique is used by Quentin Tarantino in 'Jackie Brown'.

The dramatic contrast in lighting to the previous setting here symbolises how the character of Robbie has entered a 'whole new world' much like in Peter Weir's film 'Witness'.

The cross dissolve transition used here shows an advance in time.

The dirtiness of the sink here shows the disgusting representation that our society of today is stereotyped as. The dirt on the side could also be otherwise viewed as blood - therefore connoting violence.

This close up shot of a symbolic prop here draws focus solely to this object and forces the audience to concentrate on the more thorough detail and meaning behind the shot as it is the only thing within this shot.

When viewed in video, this shot appears in slow motion which creates the feel of disorientation amongst the audience consuming.

The titles we used for our thriller required serious thought. It is important to strike a balance between something that stands out and is easy to read as well as something quite different.

This low angle shot makes the audience feel vulnerable as they are looking up at the attack/violence. It also means we sympathise with the character of Robbie as he is the victim of the attack.

Just these few examples clearly show how every aspect of the film are thoroughly considered in order to portray the message intended by me, the director, to my audience.


Our preliminary task did not require much thought into casting decisions. There was no acting as such rather than two figures needed in order to shoot a compilation of shots used in media.
Our thriller opening on the other hand was the opposite. Great thought was required in order to determine who was perfect for each role. Our research helped us to do this. Looking at successful thrillers and pin-pointing how and why the characters did what they did allowed us to see how they did it, highlighting once again how important and useful the research element of the project was. A full analysis of our casting decision can be found here:
http://charlieclarkemedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/character-profilescasting-decisions.html

The preliminary task did allow us to improve our skills of working as a group and gave us the challenge of a deadline to meet - much like our final project. We each began to understand how the media industry provides tough competition and not everybody will always agree. The preliminary task forced us to deal with these dilemmas so that we were able to oversee them when it mattered, our thriller opening.This prepared us well for our main project.
We had to be mature from the first day we began to plan. Having a slightly larger group than what we did in the preliminary task had both its positives and negatives. At some points it was harder to control and take in all input from everybody. However, at the same time it was good to receive a wider range of ideas. Tasks could also be carried out more easily simply because of the fact we had more people. Since the preliminary task we have all learnt to adapt to each other's way of working which is essential in this industry and without a versatile method of working the process would be impossible.

Question 3

What Kind of Media Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product And Why?

Mock Exam and Feedback

Survey

Posting an online survey onto my blog has allowed me to receive feedback from the people who have watched my thriller opening, and therefore enabling me to determine whether or not it has been successful with my target audience.

Part 1

Click here to take survey

Part 2

Click here to take survey

Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?



We spent time together and sat down as a group to determine our target audience for our thriller film. After some thorough research into the genre, we finally came to a conclusion. Here's what we did:

1. Brainstorm - Before deciding on any specific aspects of our film, we first had to come up with a plot so that we had a basis for our project. As a group we each had our own individual input into what we wanted our film to be about. There would be times where we had similar ideas which would mean that that particular aspect of the film would be included, and also times when contrasting ideas would lead to research in order to determine what would work best in attracting our chosen target audience.
2. Research - Once we had a rough idea of what kind of thriller we were going to shoot (crime, drama) we then researched into this very specific genre. The film we found that best gave the effect on its audience that we aspired to, was 'This is England' by Shane Meadows. Although not your classic thriller, its gritty feel correlated perfectly with the idea we had produced as a group.
3. Associations - We then researched further into this film alone. We looked at different reviews from users of the website http://www.imdb.com/ in order to determine why they enjoyed the film and what they felt could be improved to make it that little bit better. As well as this, we also looked at what other films the same audience enjoyed, and looked into what made these different films a success.
4. Decision - After a long and thorough research process, we eventually came to a decision on who our specific target audienece would be. We wanted to attract a younger audience (15-30), prodominantly male. We also felt that a British audience would be more interested than others.
5. Production - We then began to incorporate the different elements of the research we had found into the production of our own thriller.

Finding your audience is one thing, but the key part to a successfull production is ensuring that you attract that audience. We therefore had to base each and every aspect of our thriller around this target audience and what best suits it.



We deliberately chose characters who are easily relatable to the younger generation in todays society. This meant that their look as well as their actions had to be much similar to what we see in everyday society. We based our characters around those from 'This is England'. However, not too much detail was needed to go into the characters purely because we only shot two minutes of footage and so not much is given away about each character. To see full character profiles click this link: http://charlieclarkemedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/character-profilescasting-decisions.html





We felt that relating the camera work to the general feel of the younger generation in modern day society would enable a successful project. Therefore we chose to use a large quantity and range of shots as well as a mixture of transitions so that a wild, jumpy feel was given - correlating to the lifestyle of many youths in todays society.
Close-up shots were also vital for us in attracting our target audience. Close-up shots allow the audience to identify with the character's emotion, which in this case could be similar to those of their own due to the relatability in age. However, in our thriller we focused or close-ups more on objects than characters and so our extreme close-up of a wallet was the significant shot. Youths of today all wish to have money and a lot of the time this is to aid their drug use. The audience can therefore relate to the theme presented with this shot.
We also had the camera work as quite shaky at various points in the film in order to symbolise the disorientation and confusion that many youths feel through their adolescence. In a more detailed evaluation, the confusion surrounds the life of a youth experiencing difficulties with their sexuality - a key theme in our thriller.




We decided to challenge the conventions of the thriller genre with our soundtrack to an extent, whilst also ensuring that the eerie/mysterious feel that many thriller soundtracks give off, remained. We wanted our soundtrack to contrast with the camera work. However, we needed to make sure that the soundtrack proved fitting for our chosen target audience. We again researched into films that we saw as similar to our own and after some research into music used in Shane Meadows later films 'This is England 86' and 'This is England 88' we saw that he used a similar technique. We felt that by slightly contrasting visuals and audio, confusion would be present amongst our audience because of the juxtaposition between the fast cutting camera work and the slow, mysterious, non-diagetic sound. This unusual approach would be sure to hook them. After a thorough search we finally found what we thought was the best piece of music to compliment our film. Although quite soft in tone and rythm, the music still has an eerie feel to it - fitting suitably with a conventional thriller soundtrack. The track name is 'brandish' - it was downloaded from the website http://www.mobygratis.com/



The harsh reality of our British modern day society is that a lot of youths spend much of their time on the streets. As a group we felt passionate about this and therefore chose to reinforce this assumption and stereotype of our youths. The first part of our thriller opening is set in a location much similar to what many see in reality, this again allows them to relate to our film and get more from their consumption as a result. Our opening would suggest that much more of the film will be set in similar locations and as this setting is now relatable to our audience, they would be intrigued to watch the rest of the film. The public toilet in which the second half of our thriller is filmed is very 'grubby' this suggests vandalism - another connotation of the youth society of today. All of these stereotypes that we have addressed through our location enable our audience to relate to our film.



I conclusion, we carried out useful research into what we saw as our specific target audience and used this research, along with further information we had found, in order to make our project as successful as possible - we knew that several aspects would need to be focused on in order to achieve this and we worked to cover all of these aspects, both in our shoot and our edit so that we could have a good chance of doing this.

Question 2

How does our media product represent particular social groups?

We focused on two different social groups in our thriller and researched into numerous other films prior to the project in order to gain an understanding of how they have previously been represented. The two social groups we focused on were youths and homosexuals.

Youths

In modern day society, youths can sometimes be portrayed in the media as more mature and sophisticated than in reality. With actors in their 20's often playing the role of a teenager, the intellect is further emphasised, even though it is untrue. A perfect example of this would be the character 'Kim' in the film 'Taken’ by Pierre Morel. She plays a teenager who travels with her friend to Paris, suggesting a sensible and reliable attitude. This is unrealistic and would be

unlikely to take place in reality. This false representation is further emphasised by the fact -as previously stated - that the actress who plays 'Kim' was in fact, at the time, 25, almost a whole decade older than her character. As a result, we can conclude that the representation of youths is often a positive one even though it may not necessarily be correct; perhaps the writer and director are collectively trying to falsely represent the youth in a positive light in order to present hope surrounding this social group. 

This is not always the case however. Other films such as 'This is England' by Shane Meadows adopt a different approach and portray youths in a very different light. The main character in this film is young Shaun, played by Thomas Turgoose who was in his early teen years when taking on the role. His character, along with his friends in the film, act in a very immature way, finding themselves in lots of mischief. This film, although set in the past, challenges a typical portrayal of youths of today who we wrongly assume to be 'young adults'.

Shane Meadows film was an inspiration to us and many aspects of his film are also included in our own (e.g. costume, setting). As a result, we decided to reinforce Meadows' representation in our own thriller and ensure that youths, who dominate our cast, are represented in a negative way, as we strongly believed that this was realistic and the truth in a modern day society. We focused on a clever use of camera angles in order to support the representation we were attempting to convey:

• A regular use of close-ups enables the audience to take a closer look at what is in the shot. We felt that by showing the character of Robbie on screen through use of this shot it would highlight any 'boy-ish' features and therefore make the audience realise that this character is just a, young, naive, immature teenager. This shot of the character Shaun from 'This is England' shows his hand very close to the camera. The close-up shot allows the audience to see the smallness of his features and how he is still 'un-developed'. The irony of the shot is how the action that the boy is performing is very grown up but he is not. We come to the automatic conclusion that although he puts on a grown-up act, deep down he is still a child. We used a slightly similar shot in our own thriller opening. We had an extreme close-up shot of our character, 'Robbie's', hand when being washed in a toilet sink. This (much like the shot above from 'This is England') allows us to see, due to some child-like features that this person in the shot is just a teen. He is not powerful or dominant, but instead, an un-important, irrelevant youth.

• We regularly used a high-angle shot. This displays the character(s) in the mis-en-scene as inferior and lower in a social hierarchy, simply because they are lower in the shot. It can also be seen to give the impression that somebody is watching over you, in this case the high angle shot could symbolise the youths being under the watchful eye of their superiors (police), thus underlining that their immature behaviour that needs supervision. As well as highlighting Robbie’s inferiority and vulnerability, this high angle shot

also allows us to establish location. In this case, Robbie has entered a bathroom, which is small and confined compared to the outside where he has just come from. This claustrophobic feel is a key thriller convention and is used throughout several thriller films, such as in Peter Weir’s ‘Witness’ where the young Amish boy enters a bathroom, much like in our own thriller. By establishing location in our thriller it enabled us to highlight how Robbie is tiny and irrelevant to his wide surroundings, thus emphasising the inferiority of youths.

• A mixture of camera angles/techniques (tilt shot, shaky camera work) and editing processes (slow motion, mixed transitions) helped to represent a feel of disorientation. This theme attempts to display how the youth of today as a general group are fractured due to the broken environment that they have been brought up in.

• Location was an important factor to consider when attempting to represent youths in the way we intended. We needed to include some rural/gritty areas in order to show the kind of environment that many are forced to grow up in. The dark, gloomy exterior shots show the streets in the most dingiest way possible and I feel successfully show the grim reality that many youths of today consider as their everyday life.

• Costume had to be thoroughly assessed in order to enforce the negative representation we were attempting. Scruffy clothes highlighted the carelessness of the social group and truly emphasised the juxtaposition between this very distinct social group and the higher class youths of the world who dress smartly all the time.

Homosexuality

Although not explained in our project, we originally came up with the idea that the reason for the attack in our thriller opening was due to homophobia. It is a subject that is often not highlighted in the media, however when it is it can cause speculation and controversy surrounding the subject. Brokeback Mountain (although a drama rather than a thriller) attempts to make people more aware of homosexuality and encourage its audience to accept it as a result. After thorough research into this social group, we found that Brokeback Mountain was one of very few films that surrounded this. We therefore decided to challenge the representation in that film in our own project by portraying homosexuality in a negative way. There were not many ways in which we could give this portrayal to our audience due to the fact that it was only a two minute opening to a thriller and not a whole film. Also, it is not confirmed that this as the reason for the attack in the opening and therefore it was a difficult task. Were we ever to go on to film the rest of this project, various different techniques could be used within each mis-en-scene regarding homosexuality in order to give it a negative portrayal. For example, use of camera angles would be vital; much the same as when giving a negative portrayal to youths, high angle shots would be essential to display any homosexual characters as minors. Cast would also be vital. The vast majority would be heterosexual so that any homosexual references were minority and seemed abnormal as a result.

Catch it, Kill it - final cut

Thriller Films I Have Watched

• The Butterfly Effect (2004)
• Phone Booth (2002)
• The Sixth Sense (1999)
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)
• Taken (2008)
• A Clockwork Orange (1971)
• The Others (2001)
• Jaws (1975)
• Man On Fire (2004)
• Derailed (2005)
• Butterfly On A Wheel (2007)
• The Departed (2006)

Character profiles/Casting decisions

Because we were only asked to film and edit just the opening of a thriller film, we made the decision to keep character numbers low so that no confusion was caused. Therefore only two characters play a significant role in our thriller opening. Their character profiles and casting decisions for their role are below.

Character Name: Robbie

Actor Name: Charlie Soffe

Decision: We decided to cast Charlie as the character Robbie because we felt his look matched our original interpretation of the character perfectly. The clothes worn by Charlie are much similar to the costume worn by the cast of 'This is England' which was the film that originally inspired our costumes and his general look also replicates this interpretation.

We also felt that Charlie's long, curly hair which partly covered his face, would help to emphasise the enigma behind his character and would create suspense and mystery as a result, which is exactly what we wanted to get from this project.

On top of this, Charlie was also a successful GCSE drama student which meant his acting history also helped us to determine that he was perfect for the role.

Accessibility was also easy with Charlie acting in our film because of the fact that he was also in our filming group.

Character Name: Damien

Actor Name: Will Spalding

Decision: This character was, at different times, played by several different actors. However, once editing we realised that Will was perfect.

His look of a classic, viscious, mischievous teenager/young adult was exactly what we wanted.

The majority of the clothes Will is wearing here are from well known, high-street shops. We thought that this would allow our target audience to relate to our film, which would therefore potentially make it more successful. The clothes are also very plain and dark which mean that they are not giving too much away about his character and therefore keeping the enigma of the character in tact. 

Will also has quite a 'hard to read' face. This allows us to re-inforce our enigmatic theme to the thriller. Hard to read faces are something we researched when planning our thriller and they are used in many successful thriller films such as with the chracter, Louis in 'Jackie Brown' and several characters in the classic thriller, 'The Third Man'.

Also like Charlie, will was in our group which of course made it easy to have him for all shoots.

Shot List - Worded

Below is a rough draft of the shot list for our thriller film. I chose to make it not too detailed because it is likely that much will be changed through the filming and editing process depending on how things work out.


Catch it, Kill it.

• The opening shot for our thriller will be of a wet, dim street. It will be a straight shot and a vanishing point will be in the distance.

(dip to black)

• Medium shot of the same street. A teenager walks on the path with a car driving alongside him. They walk directly towards the camera and the shot ends up with a close-up of the cars headlight as the boy exits the shot.

Titles: bottom right of the screen, reads 'Dench Productions' in white writing.

(dip to black)

• Medium shot of teenager turning corner.

(Straight Cut)

• Medium shot of teenager walking along another wet path. We can only see the lower half of his body.

Titles: bottom left of the screen, reads 'Film by Charles Clarke' in white writing.

(dip to black)

• Medium shot of teenager continuing to walk. He begins to walk up a set of steps.

(Straight cut)

• Close-up shot from underneath the steps of only the teenagers feet walking up the steps.

(Long dip to black)

• Close up shot of who we assume to be another teenager following the first character up the same set of steps. The shot this time is from the opposite side of the steps with the railing of these steps being the focus of the shot.

Titles: bottom centre of the screen, reads 'Charlie Soffe'

(Long dip to black)

Location changes to public toilets.

• High angle medium shot of first teenager walking in through the door.

(Straight cut)

• Low angle close-up shot of teenager turning corner in the public toilets.

(Straight cut)

• Medium tilt-shot of teenager entering shot from the right. A wall was originally blocking view of him. He walks into a cubicle.

(Dissolve)

Time jumps to when the boy has finished.

• Close-up shot of teenager washing his hands.

Titles: middle right of the screen, read 'Will Spalding' in white writing.

(Straight cut)

• Long, point of view shot (from seecond teenager) of first teenager leaving the sink and walking towards the hand drier. The camera shakes slightly.

(Straight cut)

• Low angle, tilt shot of boy trying to dry his hands. The drier does not work.

(Straight cut)

• Medium shot of boy turning around and walking towards something we cannot see.

(Dip to black)

• Close-up, slow motion shot of a wallet on the floor. The teenager picks the wallet up.

(Dip to black)

• Low angle, slow motion, medium shot of teenager looking at the cubicle ahead of him. He begins to reach out for it.

(Dip to black)

• Medium, slow motion, point of view shot (from somebody inside the cubicle) of teenager opening the door. Reaction shot of teenager. He is shocked at what he has revaled.

(Dip to black)

• Low angle, slow motion, close-up shot of another young man who appears to be dead or unconscious, sitting on the toilet.

(Dip to black)

Title shot: Black Background with text central, reads 'CATCH IT' in white writing.

(Dip to black)

• Long, slow motion shot of second teenager stadning at the entrance door of the public toilets. First teenager's leg is out of focus at the front of the shot. Second teenager begins to wlak towards the camera ferociously.

(Dip to black)

Title shot: Black Background with text central, reads 'KILL IT' in white writing.

(Dip to black)

• Low angle, slow motion shot of second teenager pushing first teenager.

(Straight cut)

• High angle, slow motion shot of the push being completed. Shot ends with first teenager up against the wall.

(Fades to black)

Storyboards

I drew up several storyboards in order to gain feedback from others. Their reflection on a basic outline of storyline and shot list will allow me to debate what does and doesn't work.

Below is a brief storyboard of what key shots my thriller will consist of and when, where, how and why they will be used.

Shots 1-6

Shots 7-12

Shots 13-16

Heavenly Creatures - Murder Scene

Title: Heavenly Creatures
Director: Peter Jackson
Year: 1994
Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse

A key thriller convention is time. Often crimes revolve around time ehther it be how long befor the deed is done, or how long a punishment is etc. In this scene the camera pans and zooms in to the clock to highlight the time and to emphasise the nervousness and anxiety of the scene. It also uses the same effect later on  in the clip in a cafe, and the camera focuses on a watch later on also.

In some ways, this film challenges aspects of key thriller conventions. Usually we would associate crimes (murders) with a dark surrounding because this is, more commonly than not, the type of place that they occur. However, the setting in this film is much the opposite. There is brightness throughout the entire clip. This could be seen to highligh the ruthlesness of the crime and explains to us how psychologically damaged these girls must be in order to carry out this horrific ordeal in broad daylight. A similar technique is used by Quentin Tarantino in his film 'Jackie Brown'. The character Louis, murders a woman in a public car park, also in broad daylight, showing his ruthless attitude. This clip form 'Jackie Brown' can be seen on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYyolVOqi90

For a long period of time in this clip, the action is in slow motion. This could be seen to represent and connote a dream like feel. It allows us to see every specific element of this scene in more detail also. A clever use of cloe-ups in this slow motion phase, allows us to gain a greater understanding of the each characters feelings and emotions. In this case, we see the trauma and anxiety the two girls are going through because of the crime they are about to commit.
The slow motion come to an end which could be seen to symbolise reality. Soon after the murder is commited, perhaps showing that in reality, bad things just like this occur.

Preliminary Final - The Forgotten Birthday

The Forgotten Birthday

Starring: Georgia Irving, Billie Kemp.

Camera Work: Charlie Clarke.

Location: CNS school.



The Forgotten Birthday Script

(Numerous different shots of Georgia walking to her destination)

(Georgia opens door, walks into room and sits down opposite Billy)

Billy: Hey, you alright?

Georgia: Yep.

Billy: What’s the matter?

Georgia: Nothing.

Billy: Come on, I’m your best friend, you can tell me.

Georgia: Don’t you think a best-friend would remember something like… Oh I dunno’… a birthday?!

Billy: Who’s birthday?!

Georgia: Mine!

Billy: When?!

Georgia: Today!

(Georgia gets up and begins to walk away)

Billy: Georgia wait!

(Billy sings happy birthday but Georgia interrupts her)

Georgia: It’s too late for that Billy.

(Georgia walks out)

Witness - Toilet Scene

Title: Witness

Director: Peter Weir
Year: 1985

Starring: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas

The film 'Witness' by Peter Weir surrounds the story of a young amish boy and his traumatic encounter. He is intending to travel on a train with his mother for the first time. When using the toilet at the station, the young boy

The toilet scene in witness is the key scene in the film and has a huge impact on the audience when watching. Many different aspects of the scene give a severely intense feel to the film and create suspense throughout.

The scene begins with the boy walking towards the toilets. This is a very clever shot because it shows both the boy and the spacious area that surrounds him. He is in an isolated train station with nobody around him. The long shot puts in perspective the fact that he is a young, naive child and his innocence and inferiority are emphasised. The door of the toilet is visible in the distance and creates a vanishing point in the shot. It suggests to us that the child is going to enter what could seem like 'a whole new world'. We assume that he is about to encounter something that no boy of his age should.

The shot as the young boy walks into the toilet also proves powerful in several ways. There is a difference in lighting which emphasises the contrast between where he has come from to where he is now. The lighting is unusually bright for this type of scene. Peter Weir is challenging generic conventions from the thriller genre here, he purposely chooses the light in the bathroom to be considerably bright so that the crime that is going to be commited there seems more brutal and shocking. Many murders that take place in thrillers happen in dark, isolated places, so that nobody is around to see, however, in this case it is very different. It can be compared to the shooting of the Melanie by Louis in Jackie Brown. The murder is commited in broad daylight, which emphasises his brutality because he is not afraid to do this sort of thing, even in daylight.

The boy is dressed in all black and because of the way the light surrounds him in the mis-en-scene, it is difficult to make out any great detail on the boy. He almost looks like a silhouette or shadow. A shadow symbolises another presence which is exactly the role the boy plays in this scene. He is witness to a murder and see's every detail, although the villain is unaware of this. Shadows have been cleverly used in the past to portray another presence in many thriller films, perhaps best in Carol Reed's film 'The Third Man'.

Later on in the scene, after the boy has witnessed the murder, there is a very powerful shot which creates great impact amongst its audience. An extreme close up on only the boys eye almost forces us to show sympathy towards him which we do to an extent already. Any further sympathy allows us to relate to the boy and put ourselves in his shoes. We become increasingly nervous and tense as a result, something which all great thrillers include.