Technological convergence is where new technologies are used in the British Film Industry.
With new technologies the Digital Screen Network has been introduced and several cinemas have been provided with screens and projectors. Cinema's like CinemaCity have a digital screen so this lets them stream live events like concerts into their cinema's and this gets them more money because CinemaCity doesn't show many mainstream movies. Odeon also have a Digital Screen so this causes a slight competition between CinemaCity and Odeon. Using the Digital Screen Network makes distributing films much cheaper because you don't need to create several copies of the same film. CinemaCity only have 3 screens and by using the Digital Screen Network they can show a lot of different movies and widen their audiences.
Technology helps produce and distribute movies by using the internet, movies can be put onto iphones, advertised on social networking sites, film rental's, HD, Blu-ray, 3D - all these technologies allow audiences to enjoy other experiences of watching films. However, as new technologies get more advanced the piracy of movies gets higher. People can upload movies on the internet and audiences can watch these movies for free so the film industry cannot make any money this way and people will stop going to the cinema because they can watch the movie for free on the internet. People will also buy pirated copies of dvd's for a cheap price for example £2.50 while in the shops it would be £5.99. The industry makes no money through pirated dvd's.
Most cinema's have invested in 3D screens, which allows audiences to view movies in 3D but have to pay a much higher price to see these movies. Audiences will go and watch movies in 3D because 3D is the new technology so people are interested in this but soon 3D will lose it's appeal.
The advantages of using new technologies is that the film industry can get their movies advertised on social networking sites where people will see them, and the film industry can release their movies on blu ray dvd's which are more expensive so they will make more money. The film industry also allow their movies to be rented from a dvd rental so audiences can watch the movie for a couple of nights and then if they really enjoy the movie they can buy it from a shop.
The disadvantages of technological convergence is that piracy has got more popular. Movies can be filmed at the back of the cinema, or watched online and people who work for the film industry make less money. With new camcorders being introduced, and other ways for a movie to be leaked on the internet the film industry makes less money. Piracy effects independent movies much more because independent movies don't make as much money as mainstream movies because independent movies don't target global audiences but they target certain groups of audiences.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Analysis of Armani Code by Giorgio Armani
The advert for 'Armani Code' by Giorgio Armani suggests that buying this product will make you a glamorous, confident woman, with eyes all on you. The image is a long shot, showing the full body of the woman, and the man is looking at her and focused on her and looks like he is trying to get to her through a crowd of people. The woman's back is to the camera, but with her head over her shoulder with strong eye contact which shows the woman is strong which is represented through her eyesight and her posture shows strength through her arms and her back to the camera shows her bare back to show that she is also sexy. With the man looking at her, and looking through crowd makes the woman seem desirable. The woman's arms are very strong, and her body is open like she is challenging the man to approach her.
The advert is very stylish and sophisticated with the use of the colour black. The people in the advert seem like they are in a private club which seems that they are wealthy which appeals to the audience. So the people in the background of the advert seem important and wealthy as well because they are in the same location as the woman in the advert. Also, the use of the colour neon purple is very feminine and again glamorous.
The advert is very much aimed at women because the woman is very much dominating the advert, and the man is clearly lost to her seductiveness.
The light is flooded over the man's face, and all over the woman which makes them the centre of attention in the advert. This also makes the two people seem like the 'hot couple' or the 'hottest people in the room'. The people in the club are darkened which draws our eye to these two people in the advert.
The dark eye shadow around the woman's eyes emphasizes on the strong eye contact she is making out towards the audience of the advert.
The advert is portraying women as powerful, independent, and glamorous once they buy this product. The setting being in a expensive club seems that once you buy the product you will be sophisticated and stylish.
The woman is dressed in black, and turned away from the camera with a strong expression which makes her seem mysterious. Also, her revealing black dress makes her seem attractive, sexy, desirable and maybe dangerous because of the black dress and the effect she has on the man in the advert.
So the advert is trying to sell the perfume as being desirable, powerful, independent.
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Evaluation of "Eaton Park" thriller opening
1).In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My thriller opening, "Eaton Park", is inspired by quite a few other movies like "Sin City" directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez because in the opening of their movie there is a tracking shot up the body of a girl which I thought was a good way in revealing her character so I decided to put this into my opening by starting at her feet and movie upwards so her face is the last thing to be seen by the audience to create a sense of 'hidden identity'. Another movie my opening is inspired by is "Psycho" directed by Alfred Hitchcock because the actress in the movie who plays Marion doesn't have a lot of dialogue but uses her facial expressions to show how she feels, and what is happening which I asked my actress, Georgia Sinclair, to do because I didn't want hardly any dialogue in the opening except for when the girl speaks at the end. A third movie I was inspired by was "Heat" because they use several over the shoulder shots in the opening of "Heat" which I used in my opening to create the feeling of being watched but also to create the feeling of panic the girl is feeling.
My thriller opening, "Eaton Park", is inspired by quite a few other movies like "Sin City" directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez because in the opening of their movie there is a tracking shot up the body of a girl which I thought was a good way in revealing her character so I decided to put this into my opening by starting at her feet and movie upwards so her face is the last thing to be seen by the audience to create a sense of 'hidden identity'. Another movie my opening is inspired by is "Psycho" directed by Alfred Hitchcock because the actress in the movie who plays Marion doesn't have a lot of dialogue but uses her facial expressions to show how she feels, and what is happening which I asked my actress, Georgia Sinclair, to do because I didn't want hardly any dialogue in the opening except for when the girl speaks at the end. A third movie I was inspired by was "Heat" because they use several over the shoulder shots in the opening of "Heat" which I used in my opening to create the feeling of being watched but also to create the feeling of panic the girl is feeling.
For the opening I used the location of Eaton Park which is a wide space with interesting buildings, and 'eerie' looking trees which look quite scary. The park provides interesting objects for the movie like the bandstand in the park, and the benches which circle the bandstand which reminds me of the 1961 movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" where two men have a conversation together even though "Breakfast at Tiffany's" isn't a thriller movie. I like the wide spaces in Eaton Park as well, the wide stretch of grass which gives a sense of being able to run but if you did the grass is never ending. In the beginning of my thriller opening my character's seem stereotypical because the boy is following the girl, and the girl is blonde and innocent which makes the audience seem to guess what is going to happen and the boy is dressed completely in black. When it came to the casting of the movie I wanted a girl who seemed typical when it came to a thriller, so a blonde who usually ends up being killed in the opening to start off the rest of the movie like the horror movie "Scream" directed by Wes Craven where the blonde is murdered in the opening so when it came to the end of the movie and the actress said that she killed the boy the audience would be totally wrong in their thinking and shocked. When choosing the costume for the girl I wanted a costume which girls watching the thriller opening could relate to like the thriller film "The Uninvited" directed by Charles and Thomas Guard because the main character in the movie, Anna, wears trendy clothes which makes her seem like any other teenage girl but she turns out to be a mentally ill girl after the death of her mother so I wanted my character to wear clothes which were trendy but she turns out to be mentally ill whereas the boy in my thriller opening wears all black so this connotes he is associated with something 'evil' and the audience separate him. The music I chose for the opening creates a creepy atmosphere because of the instruments used and I chose this music because it wasn't the usual music used like jumpy, and loud to make the audience jump but I wanted music which made the audience feel on edge because the music makes you feel tense. I called my thriller "Eaton Park" because it makes the audience wonder what the importance is of the location and at the end you realize its the place where the murder takes place and the rest of the movie would probably be based on this location.
2).How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My thriller opening represents particular social groups like gender and 'cliques' which means the same people will hang out with the same people. For example in my thriller the guy in the hoodie is stereotyped because he is wearing a hoodie which makes the girl scared of him and in modern Britain a lot of teenagers in gangs do wear hoodies which has made people begin to fear people in hoodies because you can't see their identity which is a big reason why I made the male character where a hoodie. With gender I chose a innocent blonde girl to emphasize the femininity of her.
3).What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
My movie would probably be shown in an independent cinema like CinemaCity/picturehouse because my movie isn't mainstream because mainstream usually follow typical plots so the same audiences view the movies so they make money while independent movies experiment with different plots and my plot appears to be a typical plot where a boy stalks a girl but at the end you realize the girl has killed off the boy, which I think makes the movie independent because the plot line changes and challenges typical plot lines. Most independent movies aren't advertised very well, rarely shown on television but will be advertised occasionally. Most of the independent movies I watch are discovered over the internet.
4).Who would be the audience for your media product?
The primary audience for "Eaton Park" would 16-25 year old's because the actors in the opening are 16/17 year old's and the audience will be able to relate to these characters. Also younger people are more aware of the stalker crime rate and are more worried about this because the age of victims would be around this age so the audience can engage in the girl's worry at the start of the movie and the male audience will be able to feel sympathy for the male character at the end because it is usually men that girl's worry about when walking home. In my audience research I asked the audience their preferred gender for the main role and they said either so I have placed a girl and boy so they share the main role, and the people I asked and said they preferred pschyological thrillers were 16-25 year old's.
5).How did you attract/address your audience?
To attract the audience I used issues which are raised in the media regularly like being safe when out alone, and the issue of 'stalkers'. I wanted to turn this on its head, and that not only girls are at risk of being hurt or murdered. The audience can easily relate to the issue of stalking because of how much they read about in the newspapers of this crime. I made three people watch my thriller opening and two of them were 17 year old's, but I also asked a 46 year old to see how they responded to the opening. They said that it was tense and the twist at the end was also shocking but they said one of my weaknesses was the shots where people walked for too long and they started to feel bored.
6).What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Through the process of creating a thriller I have learnt how to use new technologies. I now know how to use blogger.com much better for example how to upload and scan in storyboards, how to embed videos into my blog, and by using a blog I don't lose any work because I have it all saved. Even though I used YouTube a little bit before my thriller opening I have began to understand it much better for example how to upload videos and then embedding them onto my blog. I have learnt how to use a camcorder, whereas before I didn't know how to use them, and I can avoid shaky shots and how to make shots look interesting. I have learnt how to use Adobe Premier to edit my thriller and make it look good by using smooth transitions to the next shot and adding titles like adding the actors names and the name of the thriller at the end of the movie.
7).Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Before filming the thriller opening we filmed a preliminary task to understand how to make storyboards, shooting maps and using camcorders. My preliminary task had shaky shots in, and people talking behind the camera in the shot. By filming a preliminary task I have understood how to use different shots and I am also confident about using these shots. When it came to start planning our thriller film I already understood certain aspects because of the preliminary task like storyboards and camera shots. I improved the storyboards because I made sure the shots were much better, and also the shot list was longer and much better. With the thriller films we planned costumes, lighting and characters whereas with the preliminary task we didn't go into this much detail. With the thriller film we had to cast characters who fitted the character we had created in our minds and on paper so I chose a girl who looked innocent and very girly whereas the boy I chose didn't matter so much because his face is always hidden but the height of the boy I used makes the character seem imposing. For our preliminary task we didn't have to find a soundtrack but for the thriller film we had to which was quite challenging because you had to find music which wasn't copyrighted but you also had to find music which fitted the mood to your thriller opening. The editing was quite easy because of the practice with the preliminary task but during the editing of the thriller opening I learnt new techniques like how to add a voice over the shots.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Music
Silence Await by cdk.
The music isn't a convential thriller song, its more emotional which I think reflects the girl's character.
The music isn't a convential thriller song, its more emotional which I think reflects the girl's character.
Friday, 26 March 2010
Digital Screen Network
1). What is the digital screen network?
Digital screening cuts the cost of releasing films. The UK Film Council and the Arts Council England have created the Digital Screen Network. It's a £12 million investment to equip 240 screens in 210 cinemas across the UK with digital projection technology.
2). How can it help independent producers and exhibitors like picture house?
Places like picturehouse can show a wider range of movies because its cheaper and their audience numbers will increase because of the wider range of movies. They will have a varied audience instead of the same people coming in, and this will also help them get more money.
3). What will it mean for audiences?
The more choice an audience has the more likely they will choose a non-mainstream film like foregin movies, and independent movies. Digital screening helps stream live events like football, or a music concert so audiences will be able to view these from their cinemas.
4). How does your local area benefit?
Digital screening benefits my local area because it allows people in the area to watch specialized movies, and widen their interest in different genre's. Having digital screening in cinemas will increase the use of smaller cinemas like Cinema City because they can show more movies, and some of the movies you cannot watch at Odeon or Vue. For example, Cinema City put Breakfast at Tiffany's on the big screen which gives people a chance to re-watch a certain movie. Odeon also have a digital screen so they can show live events and other things like Cinema City which does cause quite a bit of competition between the two cinemas because Odeon is a bigger cinema than CinemaCity so have the upper hand when it comes to showing specialized movies or live events.
5). How does it impact on your film consumption?
It widens my impact on film consumption because I can go and see a movie at more times but also watch specialized movies which I wouldn't be able to see at a mainstream cinema.
6). What will this technology also provide to cinemas?
The cinemas will gain a bigger audience because of their wider range in movies and this will also increase their profits.
7). What can you suggest this might mean for other technologies?
Instead of using 35mm film you can use digital screening which is much more cheaper, because it costs a lot of money to reproduce a film with 35mm film but also the film can be easily damaged whereas with digital screening they can't. So, with the increase of digital screening 35mm film won't be used as much.
Digital screening cuts the cost of releasing films. The UK Film Council and the Arts Council England have created the Digital Screen Network. It's a £12 million investment to equip 240 screens in 210 cinemas across the UK with digital projection technology.
2). How can it help independent producers and exhibitors like picture house?
Places like picturehouse can show a wider range of movies because its cheaper and their audience numbers will increase because of the wider range of movies. They will have a varied audience instead of the same people coming in, and this will also help them get more money.
3). What will it mean for audiences?
The more choice an audience has the more likely they will choose a non-mainstream film like foregin movies, and independent movies. Digital screening helps stream live events like football, or a music concert so audiences will be able to view these from their cinemas.
4). How does your local area benefit?
Digital screening benefits my local area because it allows people in the area to watch specialized movies, and widen their interest in different genre's. Having digital screening in cinemas will increase the use of smaller cinemas like Cinema City because they can show more movies, and some of the movies you cannot watch at Odeon or Vue. For example, Cinema City put Breakfast at Tiffany's on the big screen which gives people a chance to re-watch a certain movie. Odeon also have a digital screen so they can show live events and other things like Cinema City which does cause quite a bit of competition between the two cinemas because Odeon is a bigger cinema than CinemaCity so have the upper hand when it comes to showing specialized movies or live events.
5). How does it impact on your film consumption?
It widens my impact on film consumption because I can go and see a movie at more times but also watch specialized movies which I wouldn't be able to see at a mainstream cinema.
6). What will this technology also provide to cinemas?
The cinemas will gain a bigger audience because of their wider range in movies and this will also increase their profits.
7). What can you suggest this might mean for other technologies?
Instead of using 35mm film you can use digital screening which is much more cheaper, because it costs a lot of money to reproduce a film with 35mm film but also the film can be easily damaged whereas with digital screening they can't. So, with the increase of digital screening 35mm film won't be used as much.
Monday, 22 March 2010
Film distribution in Norwich
How many films in total are being exhibited?
Vue: 17 movies
Cinema City: 17 movies
Select a range of three different films for each cinema. How many times is each film screened? What does this mean for audiences?
Cinema City: A Single Man, shown once at 18:10. A Prophet shown once at 16:45. Hamlet, shown once at 17:00. Audiences can only see these movies at one time during the day, so if they're busy at this particular time they won't be able to go and see the movie.
Vue: Alice in Wonderland, shown 8 times. Green Zone, shown 10 times. I Love You, Phillip Morris is shown 10 times. Audiences have a range of times to go and see these movies, however the cinema only shows mainstream movies so if you wanted to see an independent movie you would have to go somewhere like Cinema City and they usually show movies only once during the day because of their limited screens.
Identify the total number of films in relation to the total number of screenings
Cinema City is showing 17 movies which are screened 24 times throughout the weekend. Whereas Vue has 17 movies, and they are all screened 84 times throughout the weekend.
Identify the % of hollywood films vs british films for each cinema that weekend
Cinema City: Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll - British, Floods of East Anglia 1912 - 1953 - British, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Swedish, Kick Ass - American.
Vue: The Lovely Bones - American, Shutter Island - American, I Love You, Phillip Morris - American, Green Zone - British.
What conclusions can you draw about how different audiences are catered for in your local area?
In our local area audiences are offered a wide range of films between Cinema City and Vue. Vue show mainstream movies which appeal to mainstream audiences, while Cinema City show British independent movies and other things like documentaries for varied audiences. Vue do show British movies but they are mainstream and have been advertised well and a lot of money have been spent on these movies. Cinema City's movies are less advertised and usually the movies they show have been made with a low budget.
Friday, 5 March 2010
How do 'The Third Man' ,director Carol Reed and 'Insomnia',director Erik Skjoldbjaerg use the conventions of a thriller
The Chase scenes
A 'Femme Fatale' is french for fatal woman. The Femme Fatale is a woman who is seductive and leads men into dangerous and compromising situations. The Femme Fatale uses her beauty, charm and sexual allure. In The Third Man the Femme Fatale is Anna who is an actress and the lover of Harry Lime who faked her a passport so she wouldn't be sent out of Vienna. Anna is a Femme Fatale because she uses Harry Lime's attraction for her to her own advantage because he can help her from being deported, and Martins set up Lime for Anna's freedom and at the end of the movie Anna ignores Holly Martins which shows she used Martins like she did Lime. In Insomnia the Femme Fatale is less obvious because she could be the murdered girl at the beginning of the movie, Tanja, or Tanja's class friend Froya who Jonas seduces in his car on the way to seeing the location of Tanja's murder.
In Insomnia and The Third Man they both have similar chase scenes which involves the detective (Jonas and Holly Martins, even though Holly Martins isn't a professional detective he does take on the role in the movie) chasing after the criminal. In The Third Man they use a sewer to chase the criminal through which creates a maze because there are several places for the criminal to run too and it is difficult for the detectives to find the criminal. Carol Reed uses backlighting to create silhouettes to create the feeling of being followed. In Insomnia they use the fog to create the same feeling The Third Man does. Jonas is lost in the fog while trying to chase the killer, and the effect of the fog creates the feeling of being lost and blind because you can't see anything, so Jonas doesn't know what he is running towards or shooting at which creates suspense.
Femme Fatales
A 'Femme Fatale' is french for fatal woman. The Femme Fatale is a woman who is seductive and leads men into dangerous and compromising situations. The Femme Fatale uses her beauty, charm and sexual allure. In The Third Man the Femme Fatale is Anna who is an actress and the lover of Harry Lime who faked her a passport so she wouldn't be sent out of Vienna. Anna is a Femme Fatale because she uses Harry Lime's attraction for her to her own advantage because he can help her from being deported, and Martins set up Lime for Anna's freedom and at the end of the movie Anna ignores Holly Martins which shows she used Martins like she did Lime. In Insomnia the Femme Fatale is less obvious because she could be the murdered girl at the beginning of the movie, Tanja, or Tanja's class friend Froya who Jonas seduces in his car on the way to seeing the location of Tanja's murder.
The big wheel and the cable car
In The Third Man and in Insomina they use the big wheel and the cable car so the arguments leave the audience in suspense because the big wheel and the cable car create tension and isolation because of the small space and being high off the ground. The arguments which happen inside the big wheel and the cable car make you think that someone is going to be pushed out of the big wheel or the cable car so the audience is left in suspense about what is going to happen.
The use of light and dark
The use of light and dark
In The Third Man Carol Reed uses strong key light to create shadows, and the lighting also makes the black and white much stronger and the white and black contrast really well againist each other. In Insomnia the lighting is very pale, and the palette is a lot of blues and grey's, and later on in the movie when Jonas kills his partner by accident he tries to shut out the light which makes his room totally dark, and in the picture above you can see the light trying to push through which is really effective in the movie. In The Third Man the colour palette is very limited because of the movie being made in black and white but this helps the lighting make the shadows more intense for example in the chase scene in the sewer you see the shadow of Harry Lime but the audience and the chaser aren't sure exactly where he is.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Costumes & Props
I chose the male character to wear a black hoodie and throughout the thriller opening he kept his hood up to keep his identity hidden. I made the male character wear all black to connote darkness and the colour black does represent a 'bad' character. The shoes for the male character were just the actor's ordinary shoes because I wanted the audience to relate to the character and identify with someone the character was wearing. So the character had qualities of just being any other ordinary person and maybe not a stalker like the girl character thinks he is. 
For the girl character I made her wear a white blouse, black skirt with tights, high heels and a coat over the top to show that she is coming home from work so the audience can relate to this character because she is wearing clothes that the audience would wear or the audience would see someone else in their daily lives wearing something similar.
I chose the skirt to emphasize the girl's feminity, and maybe her vulnerability.
The coat is important because I wanted this to signify that she was coming home from work, by putting on the jacket she is covering up her work outfit and showing she is no longer working but also the coat can be used to cover herself up as well.
I chose the heels for the scene where the girl begins to runaway because the heels will slow her down, and the heels again emphasize her feminity.
Sunday, 21 February 2010
'Curtis land'
Richard Curtis is an English director and has directed British films such as Notting Hill, Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral which he made for Working Title films. The term 'Curtis land' comes from Richard Curtis's view on Britain and how he portrays it in his movies. Richard Curtis normally repeats certain themes like actors, weather, work and love in his movies. Curtis has used Hugh Grant in a lot of his movies and the main theme of his movies is usually love. The Americans view Britain through a lot of Richard Curtis' movie's. The character's in Curtis' movies usually have low paid jobs or no jobs at all but live in huge houses which is unrealistic. Curtis reuses several swear words which are traditionally English like 'git' and 'bugger'. In Love Actually and Bridget Jones the holiday Christmas is used because it is essentially very British.
Location Stills
For my thriller opening I decided on the location to be at Eaton Park because it has several interesting buildings, and other things within the park. The trees which line the paths at Eaton look mysterious and eery at night-time, and the pillars around the buildings look interesting. The street lamps in Eaton Park look good againist the blackness of the sky because they create an orangey glow. The park looks interesting within the shots because there is a lot in it like the buildings, and the water in the pond.
Friday, 5 February 2010
Monday, 1 February 2010
audience profile
Age: 16-25 year old's because the lead actors in my thriller opening are 16-17 and the younger audiences will be able to relate to these characters.
Gender: either.
The audience prefer psychological thrillers according to my questionaire and I think most audiences prefer thrillers to be mainstream because a lot of audiences go to the movies because their favourite actor is starring in the movie which I discovered through quotes from people's thoughts about movies.
Expectations from a thriller: From the questionaire audiences are looking for a psychological genre, located somewhere totally unknown to them, and they want the thriller character to remain a mystery until the end. The audiences want the soundtrack to be instrumental, and most of them agreed that the plot was the main aspect of a thriller. The audiences also didn't mind which time period it was set in as long as all the aspects of a thriller were within the film. From the quotes I looked at from different movies some audiences are attracted to the movies because of the actor in the movie, or because of the high quality advert which could always be misleading the audience.
From the questionnaire I did people wanted the killer to be a mystery until the end and a movie which this audience might particularly like would be The Uninvited where the audience think they have guessed who the murderer or wrong doer is but when they reach the end of the movie it is revealed that the audience is wrong and they are left in shock when they leave the cinema. In The Uninvited the main character Anna returns home from a mental institution after trying to commit suicide after her mother's death and when she returns home she sees that her mother's nurse is now her stepmother. Anna and her sister believe that the stepmother killed their own mother and the sisters try to find clues about their mother's death which leads to the truth of what really happened the night of her mother's death. The movie starts to be quite predictable, but then the ending shocks the audience and everything the audience had worked out is wrong and the real truth is revealed. The movie is a psychological thriller which is what the audience wanted from the questionaire, and the killer is also revealed right at the end which is another thing the audience said they liked.
The audience said in the questionaire that they wanted the killer to remain a secret until the end of the film/opening and I will apply this to my own thriller opening. The audience believe they know what is going to happen, and who the killer is but then at the end it is revealed that the victim is in fact the murderer. The plot of opening is the main aspect, even though the girl in the opening is an important factor because she looks small, innocent and you wouldn't think she would kill anybody but it turns out she is the killer. I will provide stereotypical costumes for each of my characters so the girl will be wearing everyday clothes which the audience will relate to, and the boy/"stalker" will wear all black with his hood up so his identity remains hidden.
Gender: either.
The audience prefer psychological thrillers according to my questionaire and I think most audiences prefer thrillers to be mainstream because a lot of audiences go to the movies because their favourite actor is starring in the movie which I discovered through quotes from people's thoughts about movies.
Expectations from a thriller: From the questionaire audiences are looking for a psychological genre, located somewhere totally unknown to them, and they want the thriller character to remain a mystery until the end. The audiences want the soundtrack to be instrumental, and most of them agreed that the plot was the main aspect of a thriller. The audiences also didn't mind which time period it was set in as long as all the aspects of a thriller were within the film. From the quotes I looked at from different movies some audiences are attracted to the movies because of the actor in the movie, or because of the high quality advert which could always be misleading the audience.
From the questionnaire I did people wanted the killer to be a mystery until the end and a movie which this audience might particularly like would be The Uninvited where the audience think they have guessed who the murderer or wrong doer is but when they reach the end of the movie it is revealed that the audience is wrong and they are left in shock when they leave the cinema. In The Uninvited the main character Anna returns home from a mental institution after trying to commit suicide after her mother's death and when she returns home she sees that her mother's nurse is now her stepmother. Anna and her sister believe that the stepmother killed their own mother and the sisters try to find clues about their mother's death which leads to the truth of what really happened the night of her mother's death. The movie starts to be quite predictable, but then the ending shocks the audience and everything the audience had worked out is wrong and the real truth is revealed. The movie is a psychological thriller which is what the audience wanted from the questionaire, and the killer is also revealed right at the end which is another thing the audience said they liked.
The audience said in the questionaire that they wanted the killer to remain a secret until the end of the film/opening and I will apply this to my own thriller opening. The audience believe they know what is going to happen, and who the killer is but then at the end it is revealed that the victim is in fact the murderer. The plot of opening is the main aspect, even though the girl in the opening is an important factor because she looks small, innocent and you wouldn't think she would kill anybody but it turns out she is the killer. I will provide stereotypical costumes for each of my characters so the girl will be wearing everyday clothes which the audience will relate to, and the boy/"stalker" will wear all black with his hood up so his identity remains hidden.
Friday, 22 January 2010
storyboard for thriller
In the first shot we have a vanishing point shot of a girl walking down the road. A view from the back of her, walking on the left hand side of the pavement. In the second shot we have a tracking shot up the body to reveal her costume, and to finish a close up of her face. In the third shot there is a long shot of the girl from the front, after the tracking shot. In the fourth shot there is a close up of the man's feet. In the fifth shot there is an over the shoulder shot of the girl walking into the park. In the sixth shot there is a mid-shot of the girl walking and looking over her shoulder kind of panicked. In the seventh shot there is a mid-shot of the guy walking and the shot is off his side his face still remains hidden. In the eighth shot there is a long shot from behind of the girl walking around the side of the building. In the ninth shot there is a shot through the bandstand railings which creates the feeling of being watched. In the tenth shot there is a side shot of the girl walking past the pond. In the eleventh shot there is a reversal shot between the boy's feet and the girl's feet, and their feet speed up throughout the shot. In the twelth shot there is a close up of her face looking over her shoulder. In the thirteenth shot there is a mid-shot of the girl looking confused, like she is searching for the guy who was following her. For the fourteenth shot there is a long shot of the guy walking away through the trees. For the fifteenth shot there is a close up of the girl taking her shoes off. For the sixteenth shot there is a tilt shot of the girl running away.
Monday, 18 January 2010
Collecting quotes from audiences about relevant thriller films
I have been researching audiences reviews on films which I have linked to my own thriller opening.
SIN CITY:
'think my favorite character is Deadly Little Miho..the only thing more terrifying than someone threatening you till you collapse is someone who doesn't say a word. then, you have no idea what they're thinking and knowing nothing is always scarier than knowing at least something...even if it is a lie...frank miller just kills me' - this reviewer is focusing more on the character aspect of the movie, but also how the actor portrays this certain character.
'Brittany Murphy (1977-2009) R.I.P' – audiences focus on the actors in the mainstream movies, and when something happens in their personal lives the audiences get involved.
'the actor line up is freakin all-star haha, i mean really? come on. insaane' - shows that they are viewing the movie for the actors line up.
Focusing on the song in the movie, a lot of quotes about the trailer's song so they are attracted to the movie because of the song on the trailer heightening it's suspense not what the trailer is showing you.
'best movie! great cast, superior dialogs, excellent camera work, brilliant story' 'Sin City is unique and will be remembered for a long time. It is so atmospheric and beautiful at the same time.' 'This movie was amazing. The plot, the character development, the gore and the brilliant use of colour.' - this quote shows that the reviewers enjoyed different aspects to the mainstream movie.
PSYCHO:
'‘Psycho’ is the original great horror movie. It’s the ultimate spine-tingler, the definitive creep-show, the perfect chiller.' - this reviewer is telling readers that it is the ultimate thriller, but doesn't go into detail about why it is a great thriller but the readers want to see it because they want to see if this review is correct.
'From master of mystery Alfred Hitchcock, ‘Psycho’ is the sort of film that’s simply impossible to forget about.' - this reviewer is focusing on the director of the movie, and the status this director has which is really high in the movie world.
'This isn’t a gory film, and what few instances of violence take place with relatively little actual on-screen violence. In fact, it contains just three big shocks, with the rest of the 110-minute running time devoted to setting scenes, building suspense and playing with our minds. But those three shocks comfortably better practically anything from the modern day canon of horror fair – Hitchcock sees to that nicely.' - this reviewer reveals what sort of movie Psycho is, and the reviewer doesn't like horror movies which Psycho isn't, and Psycho builds up suspense well and sets the scene well too.
HEAT:
'Heat is a masterful cops and robbers tale that shows both sides of the law in exquisite detail. Strong performances by Pacino and DeNiro (the scene of them sitting across the table from each other is possibly 5 of the most memorable minutes in film history). Excellent cinematography and perhaps the best gunfight (if not, one of the most intense) since Hard Boiled. More than worth the 3 or so hours.' - this reviewer points out two extremely famous actors who always bring a strong performance to a movie, so they are attracted to the movie because of the cast but then goes on to say that the movie has good cinematography, and one of the best gunfight scenes which indicates this movie is high budget.
'The human side of the characters is perfectly explored, especially concerning De Niro's character (Neil). His personal conflicts are as strong as his determination and skills as a gangster. This is the magic of this film and only two fantastic actors like Pacino and De Niro could represent it so totally. Congratulations to Val Kilmer that shined and performed exceptionally well under the huge shadow of Pacino and De Niro. A must see !' - this reviewer is also attracted to the two actors in the movie, Pacino and De Niro, and doesn't really discuss conventions of a thriller but does discuss the ways in which the actors portray the characters.
''Heat,' a film of epic proportions on a common placed scale, provides all the essentials of a great crime drama and then some. With a fascinating storyline, involving characters, and Mann's sometimes poetic, sometimes gritty directing, 'Heat' is arguably one of the best crime dramas.' - this reviewer doesn't mention the actors De Niro and Pacino but does mention the characters, but also says that the storyline is appealing which shows that this reviewer thinks that the storyline is the biggest aspect of a movie.
SIN CITY:
'think my favorite character is Deadly Little Miho..the only thing more terrifying than someone threatening you till you collapse is someone who doesn't say a word. then, you have no idea what they're thinking and knowing nothing is always scarier than knowing at least something...even if it is a lie...frank miller just kills me' - this reviewer is focusing more on the character aspect of the movie, but also how the actor portrays this certain character.
'Brittany Murphy (1977-2009) R.I.P' – audiences focus on the actors in the mainstream movies, and when something happens in their personal lives the audiences get involved.
'the actor line up is freakin all-star haha, i mean really? come on. insaane' - shows that they are viewing the movie for the actors line up.
Focusing on the song in the movie, a lot of quotes about the trailer's song so they are attracted to the movie because of the song on the trailer heightening it's suspense not what the trailer is showing you.
'best movie! great cast, superior dialogs, excellent camera work, brilliant story' 'Sin City is unique and will be remembered for a long time. It is so atmospheric and beautiful at the same time.' 'This movie was amazing. The plot, the character development, the gore and the brilliant use of colour.' - this quote shows that the reviewers enjoyed different aspects to the mainstream movie.
PSYCHO:
'‘Psycho’ is the original great horror movie. It’s the ultimate spine-tingler, the definitive creep-show, the perfect chiller.' - this reviewer is telling readers that it is the ultimate thriller, but doesn't go into detail about why it is a great thriller but the readers want to see it because they want to see if this review is correct.
'From master of mystery Alfred Hitchcock, ‘Psycho’ is the sort of film that’s simply impossible to forget about.' - this reviewer is focusing on the director of the movie, and the status this director has which is really high in the movie world.
'This isn’t a gory film, and what few instances of violence take place with relatively little actual on-screen violence. In fact, it contains just three big shocks, with the rest of the 110-minute running time devoted to setting scenes, building suspense and playing with our minds. But those three shocks comfortably better practically anything from the modern day canon of horror fair – Hitchcock sees to that nicely.' - this reviewer reveals what sort of movie Psycho is, and the reviewer doesn't like horror movies which Psycho isn't, and Psycho builds up suspense well and sets the scene well too.
HEAT:
'Heat is a masterful cops and robbers tale that shows both sides of the law in exquisite detail. Strong performances by Pacino and DeNiro (the scene of them sitting across the table from each other is possibly 5 of the most memorable minutes in film history). Excellent cinematography and perhaps the best gunfight (if not, one of the most intense) since Hard Boiled. More than worth the 3 or so hours.' - this reviewer points out two extremely famous actors who always bring a strong performance to a movie, so they are attracted to the movie because of the cast but then goes on to say that the movie has good cinematography, and one of the best gunfight scenes which indicates this movie is high budget.
'The human side of the characters is perfectly explored, especially concerning De Niro's character (Neil). His personal conflicts are as strong as his determination and skills as a gangster. This is the magic of this film and only two fantastic actors like Pacino and De Niro could represent it so totally. Congratulations to Val Kilmer that shined and performed exceptionally well under the huge shadow of Pacino and De Niro. A must see !' - this reviewer is also attracted to the two actors in the movie, Pacino and De Niro, and doesn't really discuss conventions of a thriller but does discuss the ways in which the actors portray the characters.
''Heat,' a film of epic proportions on a common placed scale, provides all the essentials of a great crime drama and then some. With a fascinating storyline, involving characters, and Mann's sometimes poetic, sometimes gritty directing, 'Heat' is arguably one of the best crime dramas.' - this reviewer doesn't mention the actors De Niro and Pacino but does mention the characters, but also says that the storyline is appealing which shows that this reviewer thinks that the storyline is the biggest aspect of a movie.
Friday, 15 January 2010
Notes on 'White Girl'
Genre: Social Realism (also how stereotypes are challenged)
White Girl is a BBC TV Drama from a season called The White Season.
Focus: construction of white working class, ethnic minorities and gender.
The clip opens up with a young girl on a small little girl bike which indicates that she could be quite poor and she cannot afford a new bike.
A shot of the father holding onto the young girl's finger shows he has a lot of control over her and the family by the stare he gives her.
The family runaway from the father which shows he is possibly abusive and not a very nice person to live with.
The young girl is clearly unaware of foriegn people living in England by the expression on her face and the mid-shot of the girl getting a closer look of her new neighbours.
The soundtrack is from an ethnic background which shows that the programme is mixing two worlds together.
The programme shows the older sister, Leah, taking care of her younger sister and this could point to their mother being incapable of looking after them by herself.
When the young children go to school they are the only white children there and they feel lost and confused and the teacher is doing bible teachings from the Qu'ran when the children are Catholic.
In the beginning Leah is rude towards the people who are different from her because she is confused about them and their lifestyle and she is shown to be ignorant towards other things.
There is a two people shot of the children which shows innocence within them because they are too young to be seeing acts of violence from their parents.
Close up of each character's face in the cafe engages us into their emotions and it is revealed that the wife does a lot more for the husband, than he does for her.
Reverse shot between children and the mother shows how hard the mother is trying to cope by herself while the children feel isolated and confused in the new city.
The mother comes home in one clip and she is excited about twenty pounds, this shows that the family have never had a large amount of money because they are excited over this small amount.
Low angle shots of the birds indicates the freedom Leah strives for.
In the programme there is a flipped reality with the white children lost in a school full of muslim children and not the other way around which is how other television programmes portray it.
Sterotypes are broken because the teacher is shown to be wise, while the mother of Leah's family cannot read or write and it is also revealed that she never went to school.
Leah is starting to obey the new school rules, while her younger brother is doing everything he can to break them which shows that he is looking up to his father in a bad way.
There is a tracking shot up Leah's body which shows the annoyance she feels through her body language.
There is a mid-shot of the mother's feet running away and abandoning her children, and the audience feels pity for the mother because the children want to see their dad while she is trying to protect them from him.
Focus on the bottle of alcohol, then the focus on the mother, then focus on a coca-cola can which is filled with alcohol shows that the mother is starting to lose control.
A shot through the eyes of Leah of the mother and father putting the children to bed while Leah is isolated and is just an onlooker.
Leah begins identifying with Islam and using it as a way to escape from the family home, she steals a bible book from the school.
When the mother lets the father back into their lives it shows the mother is falling apart and that she cannot cope by herself.
Leah hides the prayer book from her mother which shows she cannot confide in her or communicate with her.
The pashmina, which Leah wraps around her head, is brighter than most of the things within the mise-en-scene.
Tracking shot around the mosque shows it is different and it is a new discovery for Leah.
Leah is upstairs away from the father downstairs with the young children who are asleep on the sofa which is irresponsible to let children stay up late.
Parents are shown to be racist because of the way they treat them and their beliefs and by throwing away the milk that they give them when they move in.
Blue scarf signifies religious differences, protest, declaration of faith and identity and Leah uses the blue scarf as a weapon againist the parents.
The two houses next to each other has a low wall separating them and through the programme it is like a barrier between the Islams and white people but because the wall is low it can be stepped over. The barrier between them signifies the separation of two cultures and attitudes to family and children.
When the white family moved into the neighbourhood the Asian family accepted their new neighbours for who they are, the acceptance is unconditional. This is illustrated by them offering Leah's family a pint of milk but because of irrational prejudice Leah's family throws the milk away.
White Girl is a BBC TV Drama from a season called The White Season.
Focus: construction of white working class, ethnic minorities and gender.
The clip opens up with a young girl on a small little girl bike which indicates that she could be quite poor and she cannot afford a new bike.
A shot of the father holding onto the young girl's finger shows he has a lot of control over her and the family by the stare he gives her.
The family runaway from the father which shows he is possibly abusive and not a very nice person to live with.
The young girl is clearly unaware of foriegn people living in England by the expression on her face and the mid-shot of the girl getting a closer look of her new neighbours.
The soundtrack is from an ethnic background which shows that the programme is mixing two worlds together.
The programme shows the older sister, Leah, taking care of her younger sister and this could point to their mother being incapable of looking after them by herself.
When the young children go to school they are the only white children there and they feel lost and confused and the teacher is doing bible teachings from the Qu'ran when the children are Catholic.
In the beginning Leah is rude towards the people who are different from her because she is confused about them and their lifestyle and she is shown to be ignorant towards other things.
There is a two people shot of the children which shows innocence within them because they are too young to be seeing acts of violence from their parents.
Close up of each character's face in the cafe engages us into their emotions and it is revealed that the wife does a lot more for the husband, than he does for her.
Reverse shot between children and the mother shows how hard the mother is trying to cope by herself while the children feel isolated and confused in the new city.
The mother comes home in one clip and she is excited about twenty pounds, this shows that the family have never had a large amount of money because they are excited over this small amount.
Low angle shots of the birds indicates the freedom Leah strives for.
In the programme there is a flipped reality with the white children lost in a school full of muslim children and not the other way around which is how other television programmes portray it.
Sterotypes are broken because the teacher is shown to be wise, while the mother of Leah's family cannot read or write and it is also revealed that she never went to school.
Leah is starting to obey the new school rules, while her younger brother is doing everything he can to break them which shows that he is looking up to his father in a bad way.
There is a tracking shot up Leah's body which shows the annoyance she feels through her body language.
There is a mid-shot of the mother's feet running away and abandoning her children, and the audience feels pity for the mother because the children want to see their dad while she is trying to protect them from him.
Focus on the bottle of alcohol, then the focus on the mother, then focus on a coca-cola can which is filled with alcohol shows that the mother is starting to lose control.
A shot through the eyes of Leah of the mother and father putting the children to bed while Leah is isolated and is just an onlooker.
Leah begins identifying with Islam and using it as a way to escape from the family home, she steals a bible book from the school.
When the mother lets the father back into their lives it shows the mother is falling apart and that she cannot cope by herself.
Leah hides the prayer book from her mother which shows she cannot confide in her or communicate with her.
The pashmina, which Leah wraps around her head, is brighter than most of the things within the mise-en-scene.
Tracking shot around the mosque shows it is different and it is a new discovery for Leah.
Leah is upstairs away from the father downstairs with the young children who are asleep on the sofa which is irresponsible to let children stay up late.
Parents are shown to be racist because of the way they treat them and their beliefs and by throwing away the milk that they give them when they move in.
Blue scarf signifies religious differences, protest, declaration of faith and identity and Leah uses the blue scarf as a weapon againist the parents.
The two houses next to each other has a low wall separating them and through the programme it is like a barrier between the Islams and white people but because the wall is low it can be stepped over. The barrier between them signifies the separation of two cultures and attitudes to family and children.
When the white family moved into the neighbourhood the Asian family accepted their new neighbours for who they are, the acceptance is unconditional. This is illustrated by them offering Leah's family a pint of milk but because of irrational prejudice Leah's family throws the milk away.
Representation of Social Class in a clip from 'Monarch of the Glen'
Clue to region (Scotland): Location, accent, title of the show, aspects that are within the mise-en-scene, the soundtrack which goes with the clip which are pipes (non-diegetic)।
Genre of the television programme: Family drama because it is clean with no violence, no sex, no swearing and realistic problems like the girl who runs away from school.
Girl coming up to the Boy sweeping, shows social class because of the job he is doing. The Boy is in a grey jacket, and the colour pallette is dull, dismal and drab.
Within the mise-en-scene there is a washing line with towels which shows that the people are not wealthy, but the terraced housing and a lot of the objects within the mise-en-scene are working class signifiers.
(00:23) The washing line is a symbol of social realism which is always associated with working class. Casting two teenagers for Monarch of the Glen attracts a wider viewing audience for the show.
(00:32) Low angle shot of the boss makes him seem more dominant, and that he is from a higher class because he gives the orders and he stands over everybody else.
(01:34) The headteacher comes looking for the girl which shows she has runaway from a private school because if you ran away from a public school the headteacher wouldn't come looking for you but just contact your parents by letter/telephone. The headteacher coming to look for her also shows she has lied to everyone.
(01:45) Old fashioned representation of the headteacher - tweed jacket, jumper, tie and patches on his jacket which all point to him being traditional.
(01:53) Archie MacDonald is of Upper Class Gentry because he has a lot of money and objects within the mise-en-scene point to all of this. Crystal glasses, well-bound books, panelled walls. Archie MacDonald portrays wealth and authority. Archie MacDonald doesn't fit the 'Monarch of the Glen' because he is dressed down and previous shots show him to be very 'hands on'. Modest dress sense shows Archie is of old money, and doesn't like to show off the money he does have.
Genre of the television programme: Family drama because it is clean with no violence, no sex, no swearing and realistic problems like the girl who runs away from school.
Girl coming up to the Boy sweeping, shows social class because of the job he is doing. The Boy is in a grey jacket, and the colour pallette is dull, dismal and drab.
Within the mise-en-scene there is a washing line with towels which shows that the people are not wealthy, but the terraced housing and a lot of the objects within the mise-en-scene are working class signifiers.
(00:23) The washing line is a symbol of social realism which is always associated with working class. Casting two teenagers for Monarch of the Glen attracts a wider viewing audience for the show.
(00:32) Low angle shot of the boss makes him seem more dominant, and that he is from a higher class because he gives the orders and he stands over everybody else.
(01:34) The headteacher comes looking for the girl which shows she has runaway from a private school because if you ran away from a public school the headteacher wouldn't come looking for you but just contact your parents by letter/telephone. The headteacher coming to look for her also shows she has lied to everyone.
(01:45) Old fashioned representation of the headteacher - tweed jacket, jumper, tie and patches on his jacket which all point to him being traditional.
(01:53) Archie MacDonald is of Upper Class Gentry because he has a lot of money and objects within the mise-en-scene point to all of this. Crystal glasses, well-bound books, panelled walls. Archie MacDonald portrays wealth and authority. Archie MacDonald doesn't fit the 'Monarch of the Glen' because he is dressed down and previous shots show him to be very 'hands on'. Modest dress sense shows Archie is of old money, and doesn't like to show off the money he does have.
Thursday, 14 January 2010
shot list of thriller opening
1. Close up of the girl with her head on her knees.
2. Close up of the girl raising her head and she looks scared and she has a lot of jerky head movements to show she is scared.
goes into a flashback
1. Vanishing point of girl walking down the raod
2. Panning / tracking shot up body
3. Long shot of girl
4. Close up of man's feet
5. Over the shoulder shot of the girl entering the park
6. Mid shot of the girl walking and looking over her shoulder and she appears to be on edge
7. Mid shot of the man on the side in a hoodie under a steet lamp
8. Long shot of girl walking around a building and this will be shot through the railings of the bandstand
9. Side mid shot as she walks past the pond
10. Close up of the man's feet, reverse shot gouing from close up of his feet to hers and when you get to the end of the reverse shot both pairs of feet begin to speed up
11. Close up of the girls face as she looks over her shoulder, the mam has dissapered.
12. She turns completely around, and her expression looks like she is searching for him.
13. Then a long shot of him walking away from her through the trees.
14. Tilt shot of the girl running.
flashback ends
3. close up of the girl looking scared again, and she starts questioning herself and what happened that night.
4. close up of the girl and her head drops back onto her knees.
fade to black
2. Close up of the girl raising her head and she looks scared and she has a lot of jerky head movements to show she is scared.
goes into a flashback
1. Vanishing point of girl walking down the raod
2. Panning / tracking shot up body
3. Long shot of girl
4. Close up of man's feet
5. Over the shoulder shot of the girl entering the park
6. Mid shot of the girl walking and looking over her shoulder and she appears to be on edge
7. Mid shot of the man on the side in a hoodie under a steet lamp
8. Long shot of girl walking around a building and this will be shot through the railings of the bandstand
9. Side mid shot as she walks past the pond
10. Close up of the man's feet, reverse shot gouing from close up of his feet to hers and when you get to the end of the reverse shot both pairs of feet begin to speed up
11. Close up of the girls face as she looks over her shoulder, the mam has dissapered.
12. She turns completely around, and her expression looks like she is searching for him.
13. Then a long shot of him walking away from her through the trees.
14. Tilt shot of the girl running.
flashback ends
3. close up of the girl looking scared again, and she starts questioning herself and what happened that night.
4. close up of the girl and her head drops back onto her knees.
fade to black
Treatment for thriller opening
The scene will open with the girl in her room, and she is clearly traumatized by something. The opening will then go into a flashback of a night where the girl is walking home from work through the park. In the flashback we introduced another character, and through the scene we have used shots to make the boy character seem like a stalker to trick the audience into thinking that is what he is. The boy character goes the same route as the girl to get across the park and the girl thinks he is following her which makes her panicky, but when the boy disappears and he goes another way she looks around like she is searching for him. Then she runs across the field in the same direction she was heading, then the flashback ends and we are back in her room. She lifts her head and then she seems like she is having a conversation with herself saying things like: 'Did I do it?' 'No I didn't do it.' 'He was following me.' 'Of course you did. Its always your fault.' The things she is saying indicates that the girl is not in the right frame of mind, and may also be slightly crazy. The last thing she says will leave the audience in suspense, because they don't know what exactly she did, or what happened next, or was the boy innocent all along?
For the location we are using Eaton Park because at night time it can seem quite mysterious and it has interesting features for filming - like the trees around Eaton Park, and also the streets which run around the perimeter of Eaton, but also the bandstand the railings which we are going to film through. For the costumes we have put the girl in clothes which indicates she has just been to work, so she will be wearing a skirt, blouse, tights, heels and a coat to go over the top so the coat shows she is now heading home. The girl has blonde hair, and brown eyes and is quite short and has a small frame - we chose her because of these features, she seems innocent and you wouldn't suspect of her hurting somebody else. The boy will be wearing all black and a black hoodie which is very important for our filming because this hides his identity but he will also be wearing trainers which shows he could be a teenage boy, maybe the same age as her even. We weren't very particular when it came to choosing an actor because the character's identity will always be hidden. We are using a lot of close ups to engage the audience into the expressions on the actor's faces, and a tilt shot when the girl runs away to create disorder and confusion.
We don't have a particular age group which we are aiming this film at, but if we filmed the rest of the movie the genre would be police/crime which would probably depend on the audience's tastes in movies not their age. The movie would be independent, not mainstream even though the stalker theme does seem quite mainstream and like its been done several times but there aren't many modern police/crimes thriller genre movies which the movie would be if we filmed an entire movie. If I had to link my thriller opening to a movie I would link it to the independent movie 'Brick' where a girl is found murdered and her ex-boyfriend is trying to solve the mystery behind it. The reason it reminds me of it is because someone is found murdered, and even in the opening of my thriller they are questioning a girl about it.
Written by Laura Lewis
For the location we are using Eaton Park because at night time it can seem quite mysterious and it has interesting features for filming - like the trees around Eaton Park, and also the streets which run around the perimeter of Eaton, but also the bandstand the railings which we are going to film through. For the costumes we have put the girl in clothes which indicates she has just been to work, so she will be wearing a skirt, blouse, tights, heels and a coat to go over the top so the coat shows she is now heading home. The girl has blonde hair, and brown eyes and is quite short and has a small frame - we chose her because of these features, she seems innocent and you wouldn't suspect of her hurting somebody else. The boy will be wearing all black and a black hoodie which is very important for our filming because this hides his identity but he will also be wearing trainers which shows he could be a teenage boy, maybe the same age as her even. We weren't very particular when it came to choosing an actor because the character's identity will always be hidden. We are using a lot of close ups to engage the audience into the expressions on the actor's faces, and a tilt shot when the girl runs away to create disorder and confusion.
We don't have a particular age group which we are aiming this film at, but if we filmed the rest of the movie the genre would be police/crime which would probably depend on the audience's tastes in movies not their age. The movie would be independent, not mainstream even though the stalker theme does seem quite mainstream and like its been done several times but there aren't many modern police/crimes thriller genre movies which the movie would be if we filmed an entire movie. If I had to link my thriller opening to a movie I would link it to the independent movie 'Brick' where a girl is found murdered and her ex-boyfriend is trying to solve the mystery behind it. The reason it reminds me of it is because someone is found murdered, and even in the opening of my thriller they are questioning a girl about it.
Written by Laura Lewis
Monday, 11 January 2010
Audience Research Questionaire
1. When watching a thriller where do you prefer the location to be? :
a) A place you recognize (The city, the country etc) - 2
b) Somewhere exotic (Rainforest, desert etc) - 2
c) Somewhere unknown to you (Different planet etc) - 5
2. What do you prefer the soundtrack to be? :
a) Instrumental - 8
b) Soundtrack you recognize -1
c) None
d) Other: - written soundtrack
3. What sub-genre do you prefer a thriller to be? :
a) Action - 2
b) Crime - 1
c) Psychological - 6
d) Drama
e) Spy - 1
f) Other
4. What aspect of a thriller do you think is most important? :
a) Characters - 3
b) Plot - 6
c) Costumes
d) Location - 1
e) Other
5. How should the killer in the movie be presented? :
a) Obvious (You know it's the killer when the movie opens) - 2
b) A mystery (You are unsure of the killer until the ending) - 7
6. What time period do you prefer a thriller to be set in? :
a) Future
b) Past - 1
c) Present - 1
d) Doesn't matter - as long as all the thriller aspects are within the film - 7
The audience who answered my questionaire preferred the location to be somewhere unknown to them, like a different planet or somewhere fictional. Audiences preferred the soundtrack to be instrumental, instead of a soundtrack they recognize. Audiences preferred the genre to be psychological and that the plot is the most important aspect of a thriller. Audiences preferred the killer in a thriller to remain a mystery until the end of the movie. Audiences said that it didn't matter what time period the thriller was set in as long as all the thriller aspects were within the film.
The thriller questionaire will help with my thriller because it has given me an idea on what audiences prefer in a thriller. I won't consider all of the answers when going to plan my thriller because I have my own ideas, but I will take on board what audiences like especially the music because before I didn't know what sort of music to use but from this questionaire I have an idea of what audiences will like.
a) A place you recognize (The city, the country etc) - 2
b) Somewhere exotic (Rainforest, desert etc) - 2
c) Somewhere unknown to you (Different planet etc) - 5
2. What do you prefer the soundtrack to be? :
a) Instrumental - 8
b) Soundtrack you recognize -1
c) None
d) Other: - written soundtrack
3. What sub-genre do you prefer a thriller to be? :
a) Action - 2
b) Crime - 1
c) Psychological - 6
d) Drama
e) Spy - 1
f) Other
4. What aspect of a thriller do you think is most important? :
a) Characters - 3
b) Plot - 6
c) Costumes
d) Location - 1
e) Other
5. How should the killer in the movie be presented? :
a) Obvious (You know it's the killer when the movie opens) - 2
b) A mystery (You are unsure of the killer until the ending) - 7
6. What time period do you prefer a thriller to be set in? :
a) Future
b) Past - 1
c) Present - 1
d) Doesn't matter - as long as all the thriller aspects are within the film - 7
The audience who answered my questionaire preferred the location to be somewhere unknown to them, like a different planet or somewhere fictional. Audiences preferred the soundtrack to be instrumental, instead of a soundtrack they recognize. Audiences preferred the genre to be psychological and that the plot is the most important aspect of a thriller. Audiences preferred the killer in a thriller to remain a mystery until the end of the movie. Audiences said that it didn't matter what time period the thriller was set in as long as all the thriller aspects were within the film.
The thriller questionaire will help with my thriller because it has given me an idea on what audiences prefer in a thriller. I won't consider all of the answers when going to plan my thriller because I have my own ideas, but I will take on board what audiences like especially the music because before I didn't know what sort of music to use but from this questionaire I have an idea of what audiences will like.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Ideas for our thriller opening
Location
Eaton Park, and the streets around Eaton Park. We decided Eaton Park was a good place because it is quite mysterious and has a lot of places where somebody could hide. We are also using a bedroom, doesn't matter which one because that whole scene will just be close ups of the girl's face so you won't actually see the location.
Casting
Girl - Georgia Sinclair. Georgia is very small, and looks very innocent and quite childlike. Somebody who you wouldn't think would be able to defend themselves against someone else.
Boy - I have asked a boy to do this, but it doesn't matter who plays him because his identity will always be hidden by a hoodie, and there are going to be a lot of shots of his feet so he remains a mystery. We want to create a 'stalkerish' feeling around this character to trick the audience into believing he is a stalker.
Costumes
Girl - We have styled the girl to be wearing a knee-length skirt, blouse and black tights with heels. A costume which would suggest the girl has just finished work and she is walking through the park to get home. We are also going to make her wear a jacket over her work clothes to cover her up more, and to also show that the park is cold.
Boy - We are going to make the boy wear all black, and trainers. We chose trainers to show that the boy is like any teenage boy, and the trainers should make him seem less suspicious. The boy will be wearing a hoodie which is important because this will hide his face and make him seem more mysterious because we don't know the identity of the boy.
Plot
The thriller will open where the girl is in her bedroom and she is clearly traumatized then we go into a flashback of a night where she is walking home through the park. There is a boy walking behind her and he follows the same route as she does and she slowly begins to panic and thinks he is following her. Then there is a shot of him walking away from her and then the last shot of the flashback is her running across the grass. The audience believes she is running away to the safety of her home. Then the last shot of the thriller opening will be her face and she say's, 'I didn't mean to do it. I thought he was alive when...' then she stops talking and rests her head on her knees and the opening ends.
Eaton Park, and the streets around Eaton Park. We decided Eaton Park was a good place because it is quite mysterious and has a lot of places where somebody could hide. We are also using a bedroom, doesn't matter which one because that whole scene will just be close ups of the girl's face so you won't actually see the location.
Casting
Girl - Georgia Sinclair. Georgia is very small, and looks very innocent and quite childlike. Somebody who you wouldn't think would be able to defend themselves against someone else.
Boy - I have asked a boy to do this, but it doesn't matter who plays him because his identity will always be hidden by a hoodie, and there are going to be a lot of shots of his feet so he remains a mystery. We want to create a 'stalkerish' feeling around this character to trick the audience into believing he is a stalker.
Costumes
Girl - We have styled the girl to be wearing a knee-length skirt, blouse and black tights with heels. A costume which would suggest the girl has just finished work and she is walking through the park to get home. We are also going to make her wear a jacket over her work clothes to cover her up more, and to also show that the park is cold.
Boy - We are going to make the boy wear all black, and trainers. We chose trainers to show that the boy is like any teenage boy, and the trainers should make him seem less suspicious. The boy will be wearing a hoodie which is important because this will hide his face and make him seem more mysterious because we don't know the identity of the boy.
Plot
The thriller will open where the girl is in her bedroom and she is clearly traumatized then we go into a flashback of a night where she is walking home through the park. There is a boy walking behind her and he follows the same route as she does and she slowly begins to panic and thinks he is following her. Then there is a shot of him walking away from her and then the last shot of the flashback is her running across the grass. The audience believes she is running away to the safety of her home. Then the last shot of the thriller opening will be her face and she say's, 'I didn't mean to do it. I thought he was alive when...' then she stops talking and rests her head on her knees and the opening ends.
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