Planning Sound

Sound is important as it is used in films to manipulate the audiences emotions and to build a greater understanding. It is responsible for making the thriller more engaging as it creates more meaning about the characters and their emotions.

When thinking about what sounds to include within our thriller, my group and I need to make sure that we correctly connect the sound to the scene, helping to build suspense. Below I will be adding some examples of sounds we may possible use to make our thriller conventional, making the narrative more clear to the audience.

• http://ccmixter.org/files/nickleus/28581- I would like to include this within my thriller when Ruby (victim) directs her route into the dark forest. I feel this is conventional as it is extremely eery which builds tension, therefore giving the audience a greater understanding as it forebodes that something bad is going to happen as a result. This is conventional and suits the setting, as it gives the feeling of the unknown, not knowing what is to happen or what to expect. The audience get this feeling through the strings within.
• http://ccmixter.org/files/nickleus/29887- I found this sound the most interesting, due to the fact that the suspense builds up and up, but then lowers again. This gives the effect that more action and drama is to come within the scene, which can be seen as quite exciting from the audiences prospectus. I would like this to be included within the abduction/murder scene where Ruby is being dragged, as her mother listens to the screams on the other end of the phone line. The type of tune makes the audience aware that this is the attack scene, giving an idea that Ruby is vulnerable. I feel this is conventional as continual suspense is built throughout, therefore making the audience nervous on what is going to happen to Ruby once she is taken away.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT194IQMBzQ- This song I have looked at was used in the film 'Taken 2'. I would like this to be a possible song choice for the on-screen sound that Ruby is shown listening to through her earphones. I feel it is a very uptempo song, that contrasts to her surrounding and what is to come. This would show the audience that Ruby has no expectation of anything to happen to her during the dog walk. I feel it is conventional and would help our thriller, due to the fact that the music contrasts; it could put the audience into a relaxed mood, that when Ruby is to be attacked they are shocked, as it is the unexpected.

In conclusion, the sounds that may be possible choices, will assist my group when we want to portray certain ideas and to draw in the audience emotionally. The sounds help to connect the narrative, therefore all coming together to build suspense and create a clear understanding for the audience. Each sound is used for different aspects of our thriller with the one that contrasts, yet still complimenting the opening scene as a whole. I feel that this selection, plus other sounds will make the thriller come together significantly and add great effect, making it enjoyable for an audience to watch.

Other ideas:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-wVfpZmEcA
• http://www.youtube.com/user/taken2ost
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWD7k6TrJ-g
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54zpFh0KuK0
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyqQ4iT4IeU

Group Storyboard

As a group we have created a group storyboard. We have based it upon mainly my ideas from my individual storyboard, but have made a few correction making it more realistic to the resources available. The photos below shows evidence of what we would like each frame to consist of:

As a result of completing an group storyboard, my group were able to clearly show what our ideas are for our thriller, and what we want it to consist of. I have learnt that within the frames a lot of thought and depth has to be put into them so that the audience have a clear understanding of the narrative. When deciding as a group each shot that was going to be included, we made sure that they all flow well  making it enjoyable to watch. In summary, our group storyboard clearly portrays all the conventions of a thriller that we will include such as; the lighting being low key during the murder scene, having non- diegetic suspense building track playing throughout most of the 2 minutes, using a knife as part of our iconography, having the clear differentiation between victim and villain and so on.

Planning Editing Styles

Editing is important as it is the way in which a film is put together through different shots. It is responsible for making the thriller run smoothly to create a variety of different emotions and effects. It gives the audience a greater understanding of the narrative and conventions of the thriller.

When thinking of what editing styles to include a lot of in depth thought has to go into it; making sure it run smoothly and that each editing style compliments the following one. 
Below I will be portraying a few examples of the types of editing styles my group have used within our thriller:

• Flashback- A flashback is one of our main editing styles that features in our thriller. Our flashback consists of the Mother thinking about a past memory for the events on the day her daughters disappearance. In order to portray this feature, it will be played in black and white to show the audience it is not in the present tense. We felt that having a flashback gives the thriller more realism as it informs the audience of a past event. This gives a greater understanding of the narrative, as the audience then realise why the mother was staring deeply into a photograph of Ruby in the first shot. 

• Montage- Within our thriller we used the editing technique montage. Montage is a series of short shots that are edited into a sequence to suggest the passage of time and to build suspense. We have many frames that we have used montage for; one being for a series of shots that switch from one location to the other, as Ruby is being dragged and her mother picking up her phone call realising that she is in trouble. Showing what is happening to Ruby, as the audience witness the reaction of her mother receiving the disturbed call, enables the audience to understand the narrative as the point of view from each character is shown. The audience develop the overall emotion of sympathy as both  parties are distraught. 

• Fade out- We use the fade technique as the very end shot within our thriller, so that it makes it clear when the sequence has finished. A fade out is a transitional devise consisting of a drastic change from an image to a blank screen. Within this shot we have chosen a fade-to-black. This consists of the camera at a canted, low angle directly facing a brightly lit torch, an unknown character then approaches and turns the light switch off. The colouring of clothing and shoes that are conventional to a thriller and the villain character, makes it clear that it is the villain that has switched off the light. This shot gives the audience a clear understanding of the narrative and that the villain is trying to clear up the evidence of Ruby's death.

In conclusion, the editing styles that I have included within our two minute thriller opening, will assist my group in making the audience have a clear understanding of the narrative. The choice of editing styles that we have included have been well thought through so that each and every one flows and compliments eachother. Each style builds suspense and develops the audiences emotions, making it conventional to the thriller genre.

Individual Storyboard

I have created my own personal storyboard. I have based it upon my original ideas of how I would like my thriller to turn out. The photos below shows evidence of what I would like each frame to consist of: 

 

As a result of completing an individual storyboard, I am able to clearly show what my ideas are for the thriller to my group, they are then also able to share theirs, enabling us to collaborate all of ideas into one in order to create a group storyboard. I have learnt that within the frames a lot of thought and depth has to be put into them so that they are specific and clear. When deciding each shot you have to consider the following one to make sure they compliment each other so that it has a flow.







Opening Credits

The purpose of the film credits within a film are to portray the important members that are part of the production. Credits identify the main characters and crew that have made the film come together. They inform the audience of the type of genre the film is, as the credits resemble the significance of the narrative.

Se7en - Opening Titles

• The colours used
• The style of credits
• The use of generic conventions in a thriller film
• The order of appearance 

The credits within 'Se7en' are shown in white  on a black background. Both are contrasting colours, therefore making it stand out. The text helps to portray the type of genre the film is and with the effect of the lettering being slanted, with a jumpy effect  reflects that the character is clearly unstable. This is conventional it promotes unstable characters.

There is a specific order of appearance in which the credits are shown in:
Production company, director, actor, title of film, actors continued, casting, music costumes, editors, production, camera operators, co-producer, producer, writing, director.

Within the opening the scene between the viewing of credits, an unknown character is shown in a black and white/ sepia effect. This makes the scene very dull, but his actions portray that he is planning to take some form of action. A flash of red within, tells the audience that the film in going to involve blood and death, therefore giving an insight of what his plan consists of. The fact that one character is shown throughout the opening scene promotes he is the main character. This is conventional to a thriller film as it tells the audience that the film involves death, and with the amount of planning the character does, shows that it needs to be well thought about in order for it to come off.

There is a mixture of non-diegetic and diegetic sound which compliment each other throughout the scene. The suspense building soundtrack collaborates with with the sound of his actions (eg. turning a page). This is conventional as as a result it continues to build tension making the audience feel eager for the character to reveal himself, they want to know what he is planning to do and who may die.

Psycho (1960) - Opening Credits














The credits within 'Psycho' are shown in white  on a black background with grey lines crossing through, blocking out part of the word, to then becoming clear. Both are contrasting colours and the boldness and size of text, makes it clear for the audience to read.

The order of appearance in which the credits are shown in are:
Director, title, characters, co-stars, screen play, directors, production group and music.

Within this opening scene it doesn't include any action between the credits. This makes it extremely dull and doesn't give an inside to the film itself, therefore the audience have to watch a relatively simple screen for a couple of minute which can be boring. This is an example of how new and old films contrast, and how they have improved over a period of years.

With the background being black portrays mystery, and the text in white gives the idea of innocence. The grey lines that continuously cross over the screen, revealing sections of the word within a credit. These lines suggest hidden identity and the feeling of being trapped. This is conventional as it gives a basic outline to what codes and conventions will included which suits the thriller genre, it gives an insight to what roles characters play.

This scene only includes non-diegetic sound, but what a very well chosen track it is. It is an extremely upbeat, suspense building track that plays throughout, that possibly could relate to a murder scene within the film. This in conventional as all the colouring, sound and the way it is presented, all compliment each other in portraying certain scenes that the film includes. All aspects continually build suspense for the audience as they become anxious of what is to come.

As a group, we decided that the credits in 'Se7en' were better, as we felt that there was more action in the background to feed off of, in order to get an idea of the film before it begins. It has the effect of building a greater suspense and understanding for an audience, and this is what we are going to try and aim towards when creating the credits within our thriller opening scene. I found Se7en inspirational as the colours, style of credits, sound and the generic conventions all mix and compliment each other, therefore ticking all the correct boxes in making a good opening scene.

In discussion with my group we have come to a conclusion of the type of credits that we would like to include in our opening scene:

Size:
Title- Large
Characters- Medium
Crew- Small/medium

Colours:
Background- Black
Text- White
A very sterotypical choice of colours which i feel is conventional, to portray the contrast between the mystery from the villain and the innocence of the victim.

Order in which they appear:
1st- Title
2nd- Characters
3rd- Crew
I felt this in my view came under the order of importance for when an audience is watching, with the main focus of what film it is and who's in it.

Style of font:
At a slanted angle, slightly jagged with a mixture of bold and normal lettering. Our reasoning behind our choice is to try and portray to our target audience instability of characters. It also connects with our generic conventions that we have included within our opening scene.

Film schedule

A filming schedule is important to have, as it gives a clear outline to exactly what our group is planning to do within our two minute thriller. It portrays what shots we will include, who is in each shot, what the characters will be wearing, how their hair and makeup up will be and so on. When it came to our filming we used our film schedule as a strict guide to remember all the particular camera shots, this enabled us to stay on track.

On a ranking out of 10 on how we followed the schedule when filming, I predict around 9/10. We did make some small changes; during the end we took out the last two shots of the mother finding Ruby's torch and phone on the floor and replaced it with Sam, the villain turning the torch light off, almost asif he's removing all evidence of Ruby's death. We made this change in order to emphasis the ending a little more to make it more dramatic. We also took out a few shots of the mother after Ruby's phonecall and replaced them with voice notes, so that the shots wern't too jumpy between the two locations.

Risk assessment

It is important to consider risks before filming, as this is part of a health and safety procedure that is vital to the film world. It is done to reduce the chance of anyone on set to become injured. As a group we need to spot the potential risk, consider a plan to reduce the risk and document the process. When working in a place where bad whether has made the ground particularly wet, we would analyse the risk and think of ways to reduce it, such as making sure everyone is in suitable footwear.

A risk assessment will assist me when filming as there will then be the reduced chance of anyone; either myself the camera operator, or any actors to become injured during the process of filming. It is also clarification that you can't be responsible for any accidents, unless its a risk that has not been analysed.





 

Planning cinematography

Camera shots are important to include within a thriller film as it gives the audience a greater understanding of the characters feelings and emotions, therefore making an emotional connection, such as sympathizing for the victim whilst under attack.

Point of view shot in shallow focus
I will be including this shot within my two minute thriller early on, as the audience can see exactly what the character is focusing on, therefore making it conventional as it creates curiosity and tension as she becomes closer to the mysterious objects.

Panning and mid shot
This specific camera shot focuses on the victim, Ruby as she places her earphones in her ears cutting one of her senses; the ability to hear her surroundings. Making sure that the audience are aware of this feature makes it conventional, as it forebodes that due to her decision of doing so, something bad is going to happen.

High angle and establishing shot
I include this shot within, as it sets the scene; showing the audience the type of location it is, being very open and isolated, with nothing but the occasional train passing. This shot is particularly conventional as it foreshadows that it is the ideal location for a villain to carry out an attack, due to that fact of being heard by no one. Although there is no focus on Ruby herself, the audience can see that she is alone making herself seem very vulnerable.

Hand held and point of view shot
This shot I find the most interesting. I chose to include both shots, due to when Ruby begins to run, because of feeling a presence around her that is unseen. The fact that the camera is held unsteadily with a jerky, bouncy image creates a sense of chaos and gives the impression that the character is also unstable. This makes it conventional as the audience emotionally connect as they feel how scared she is, and due to the camera not being in good focus, it builds tension as the audience are waiting for something/someone to pop out.

My target audience of 15 will build a relationship with the characters within my thriller, through my variety of camera shots, as it closely connects the audience to the characters emotions. The fact that Ruby is not far from my target audiences age, the audience put themselves into Ruby's shoes to imagine what it may be like, therefore sympathizing. Overall this is conventional as it portrays Ruby's emotions; scared, vulnerable and unsure of what to do. This creates suspense and tension as the scene plays and the audience begin question what is to come next.

Opening scene narration

My opening sequence to a thriller film will begin with a mid shot in the living room, that will consist of the mother looking at an old photograph. Within this shot the deep  focus into the phone, almost as if she's in a daydream. This will give the impression as if shes remembering a memory, something that she stuggles coping with. The sounds that will be heard, will gradually develop from nothing into non-diegetic sound. The sound played will enhance the idea that she's having some sort of flashback involving Ruby is some form, by her facial expression, it seems it is not a good memory. The editing style I used within this scene was slow editing. I chose this particular technique as it portrays the characters emotion to the full potential, then to create a connection with the audience.

When moving on to my next scene the camera jump cuts to focus on the picture frame, focusing on the picture of Ruby to give the audience a clear view of her identity. The camera then zooms in untill it blurs and fades out, therefore opening in the following location, showing that a new scene has begun.

The second location that I have chosen to include opens in the kitchen, to portray the start of a new sceen. It is shown as central location of the house where day to day conversations take place; a place for family time. As a group we have decided that the second scene will change from originally being in colour, to now being in black and white. The meaning behind this decision to portray to the audience it's a flash back: something that's happening in the past.

Representation of characters

I feel it is important to have a variety of characters and various representations within a thriller, to allow the audience to have a good understanding of the narrative itself. It enables them to follow the plot and for them to have an idea of what is to come next in each scene. Different representation of characters helps to emotionally connect the audience, as they are most likely to feel sympathy for the victim and their family, as their presented to be innocent and young, undeserving of what is to come.  

My group consists of 3 characters:

Villain
Name: Sam
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Race: White
Background: Unfound criminal, being hunted for by police to arrest for mass murders of young children. He is well known for being always 1 step ahead and covering up all evidence, leaving just the body behind. His choice of location is always advantageous where the victim can be unheard.
Purpose of narrative: His purpose is to kidnap and murder ruby in the chosen location of the forest. A trap is set for her to take a different route consisting of going into the dark forest. He has the advantage of Ruby being unheard, therefore able to get away scot-free yet again.
How will the character appeal to the audience: The villains identity is never revealed within the two minute clip, however this creates curiosity and makes the audience question who it may be.

 

Victim
Name: Ruby
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Race: Mixed
Background: A typical 14 year old school girl, brought up in a good family that sam has taken interest to. She has a continuous routine that is watched, consisting of coming home from school and taking her dog for a walk usually with her mother, until the day of the attack.
Purpose of narrative: The child that is kidnapped and killed by sam. She plays the bait to his plan in noticing a suspicious object, therefore making her choose a different route as her instinct tells her something isn't right. She begins to hear unusual sounds and in panic begins running, then becoming out of breath and lightheaded.
How will the character appeal to the audience: Her character will be portrayed as an innocent, young child that has never sinned. The audience feel sympathy as her character is undeserving of the actions that are about to take place.

Victims mother
Name: Mum
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Race: White
Background: A normal, caring mother that has a close bond with her child Ruby. Being a single parent her life has become very busy in order to provide, but will always puts Ruby first.
Purpose of narrative: On the day of the attack, she is unable to attend the usual dog walk, but Ruby offers to go alone. Before leaving she warns Ruby to be careful, therefore foreshadowing that something bad is going to happen on the one day she is not there. When she receives a disturbed call, she rushes out straight away to find her. Ruby's phone and torch are found but she is not to be seen.
How will the character appeal to the audience: Her personality characteristics portray to the audience that she is very caring for Ruby, and that she will do anything for her. They also begin to feel sympathy as she has lost the only thing that she cares about, and that she is unable to find her.

Planning the mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is everything that is put into a scene or frame. It involves a lot of hidden meaning which creates an understanding for the audience of the characters feelings and emotions. During my two minute thriller opening, myself and the group have decided to set it in a isolated field, with nothing but the occasional train passing by, which then leads into a dark forest. During the scene when Ruby is seen to be walking her dog, she comes across suspicious iconography of a top crumpled up on the ground, with a knife positioned underneath. Ruby is shocked and decides to direct her route into the dark forest. The change from high to low-key lighting foreshadows bad events to come. Other iconography that is used within our thriller is a torch, phone and lead all held by Ruby. The torch was used after Ruby felt a presence from an unknown location within the dark forest. The phone was the only way of communication, which only used the once to phone her mother to inform her that there was something wrong. Once Ruby's mum answered the phone call, Ruby is attacked from behind and her mother hears her screams, knowing that something is wrong. Both setting and iconography are conventional to a thriller; with the location being abandoned with no one else to be seen, suggests to the audience that if a bad event were to occur, no one is around to hear the screams and attempt to help, therefore the villain being at a strong advantage. The knife is a commonly used weapon within a thriller during a murder scene; something small, that is easily hidden. The iconography used by Ruby are resources that could be put to use, in terms of survival with the target audience being aware of this, but due to Ruby's timing and her vulnerability these are of no use. This makes the audience feel sympathetic towards Ruby as she is helpless. How the lighting changes from high to low key, the iconography used and where the thriller is set is all conventional. This is because it follows all of the thriller codes and conventions, which all come together to make it clear that a bad event is to come when Ruby enters the forest.

Facial expressions within a film provide a clear indicator of how a character is feeling. Body language also has this effect, as well as indicating the relationship between two or more characters. During our thriller we made sure that our characters emotions were clear to the audience and they're trail of thought is understandable. Once Ruby prepares her dog for their walk and are ready to leave, she opens the door, looks round at her mother, smiles and says good bye. The way in which she turns around and has clear smile on her face portrays to or target audience that she is a perfectly happy child that is innocently doing her mother a favor. Once Ruby comes across the knife and top placed on the floor, she looks around for somewhere to turn; this portrays to the audience that she wants to change her route, away from the main path that goes around the forest. This foreshadows that her choice of going into a more icolated area, that she digging herself a bigger whole for any chance of survival for the events to come. Through her facial expression, showing worry the audience are aware that even Ruby is unsure if doing so was such a good idea. Ruby's body language; focusing her attention entirely on her phone once she suddenly comes to a hult, after running,  shows that she is dependant on the phone call that she makes to her mother in order to get some form of help or advise of what to do next. This backs up the idea of her vulnerability, as she is able to think for herself. The particular facial expressions and body language shown is conventional as the audience have a greater understanding of her thought and feelings she goes through before and during the attack. 

Within our thriller a lot of thought went into the decisons behind what the characters were to wear and the colour they would be wearing. Through the colour of clothing we have chosen, we have made sure it compliments the characters role and emotions. The victims mother that is focused on looking at a photo before the flashback, is seen to be wearing blue clothing. We decided blue was a sensible choice, as it reveals the hidden emotion of sadness due to her facial expression not being shown on camera. This makes it clear to the audience something bad has happened to the young girl in the photo. Ruby is seen to be wearing a variety of colours, with the main one being white. White portrays innocence and vulnerability, matching her role of being victim. Last but not least, we clothed sam in black and grey clothing. Dark colours such a black suggest dominance and power when comparing the victim and villain, therefore helping our target audience to have a clear understanding of who is who. This is conventional as the colouring of clothing links to the specific role each character plays, portraying their emotions clearly.

Positioning of characters within a frame is vital in order to draw attention to particular characters at certain times. It also helps the audience to determine relationships between characters. Ruby, the character that plays the role of the victim is often shown at a high key angle. During the opening scene, Ruby leaves the house to take her dog for a walk. One shot consists of clearly portraying the setting of an abandoned field from a high angle. Ruby is seen to be particularly small due to the shot being so high up, this suggest vulnerability especially as the audience are aware she is alone. The scene consisting Rubys attack is shown as a point of view shot, from her point of view. It portrays that she is being dragged from behind having no recolection of who is behind her. The fact that her feet are shown being dragged on the floor as she attempts to kick her way to freedom, the audience are aware that she is powerless; due to Ruby being closer to the ground, with the villain in full control standing. After Rubys murder sam, the villain is shown from his knees downwards at a low key angle, making his character seem powerful. He is seen to be turning off Rubys torch, which suggests he's covering up all possible evidence of the muder. Although his identity is still not revealed, building tension, the audience have a clear understanding that he is the villain that holds all the power and will get away with his actions. The positioning of characters are conventional as it creates clarity of what character plays which role, and who has the dominating power over the weak.

Production roles

Camera operator: a photographer who operates a movie camera.

I will be taking the full role of camera operator. I have chosen a variety of expressive and appropriate camera shots when filming the other actors. The camera shots are vital when making a thriller, as it's what brings it together to build a story.

Actors: An actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity.

Within our thriller we include 3 characters; victim, victims mother and villain. Each role will be played by three members in our group, with one played by a friend. Ruby deGallery will be playing victims mother, Martha Corton will be playing victim, and Sam pearl will be playing the villain.

Sound technicians: Ensure that the best sound possible is available in a variety of venues for performances. They prepare, operate and maintain technical equipment to amplify, enhance, mix or reproduce sound.

Editors: are part of the creative post-production process of film making. The film editor works with the raw footage, selecting shots and combining them into sequences to create a finished motion picture.

All members of my team will be participating when it comes to the editing and taking turns in being the sound technician. This will be a group input portraying how well we work as a team in putting our thriller together.

Film director: A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in film making. They control a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors.

I feel that no one should specifically take on the whole role of being film director, as input from the team is what has made it come together. We all have sections within the thriller that we specialise in, to portray certain ideas.

Location manager: The location manager is responsible for the finding and securing locations to be used and coordinating the logistics involved for the production to successfully complete its necessary work.

I will taking on the role as location manager, due to my choice of location. I will be making sure that it is relative and connects to our plot well, this will help us portray certain emotions so that the audience have a full understanding of the thriller.

Storyboard organisers: Storyboard organiser is a profession specialised in creating storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions.

Myself and Ruby are in charge of being the storyboard organiser, with me helping to develop ideas along the way. We will be making sure that the thriller flows with the correct camera shots in place. This will be beneficial when trying to build suspence and portraying certain emotions to draw in the audience.

Actors:

• Villain- Sam
• Victim- Martha
• Parent of victim- Ruby

All the actors including Martha, Ruby and Sam play vital parts in order to bring the thriller together itself. Making sure that the audience have a full understanding of what is trying to be conveyed, and sympathising when the victim is taken. My role is minimal so that I can assist with camera operating, Martha volunteering to play victim and Sam was chosen to play the role of the villain as he was the only male, therefore able to show dominance; a typical stereotype.

History of a thriller

The thriller genre's main aim is to create suspense, tension and anticipation, in order to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, as what is next to come is always unknown. The history of a thriller is very important when focusing on it as a topic. I find it very interesting to see the difference in how much thrillers have changed over the years with specific elements.

One of the first ever thrillers made was the silent film, 'The Lodger' made in 1926 by Alfred Hitchcock, which was then followed by 'Blackmail', made in 1929 which was Britain's and his first sound film. In the 1950's Hitchcock then began to add technicolour to his thriller. These examples are exactly what to look at when focusing on the changes within the history of thrillers. Hitchcock had a strict rule that no one was to turn up to a viewing of his film late, as he had an on-going suspense buildup throughout, that no features could be missed. In the 1960's Hitchcock produced a film called 'Psycho'. One particular scene within the film had to be continuously edited, due to a clear view of a naked women. Within the 1960's this was seen to be unacceptable, therefore having to cut it out.

The Lodger, 1926

Blackmail, 1929



Already there is a huge difference between the two thrillers, within the 3 years the use of sound is included, therefore the audience are able to have more of an understanding of the plot, emotions of the characters and so on, through hearing characters conversations.

 JAWS, 1975

'JAWS' is an American thriller that was filmed in 1975, and is a prime example of how thrillers have changed throughout the years. It is about continuous shark attacks occurring on Amity Island. Within this clip the audience can see that the shark is incredibly unrealistic, although still managing to create a jumpy atmosphere.

Comparing 'JAWS' to 'The Lodger' and 'Blackmail' there is a clear contrast between the amount of blood and gore shown on screen, editing techniques have widened in variety, as well as including high maintenance props such as the sharks.

 Orphan, 2009

Orphan is also an American thriller, that was created in a more recent time; 2009, where technology had significantly changed. In contrast to the films above, it includes a more intense murder from one character to another, showing visual emotions during continuous stabbings. The editing is phenominal in the way it portrays the murder to look so real, with the intense blood and gore.

Psycho, 1960

The film Psycho, made by Hitchcock is an example of a film that have scenes cut out of it. The scene used to consist of a shower scene, this scene was cut due to too much violence and the victim being in the nude. In the 1960's nudity was seen as unappropriated, and violence was not shown to such an extent.

Vox Pops

My group decided to undertake 4 vox pops as part of my research, in order to further my primary reasearch.




Recording the vox pops themselves went very well, we selected a wide range of ages which gave us a variety of opinions from our interviewees.As a result of us completing this task, my group are able to have an understanding of the types of thrillers that each age category are more likely to watch, and what makes it enjoyable to watch. We can identify what thrillers are popular, what an audience expects to see within, and what unique aspects might attract them. All these features help my group in determining what we need to include within our thriller ,to attract an audience with a wide range of ages included.

Preliminary Task

The main purpose of doing the preliminary task was to test our skills for the first time; the idea of what the scene is going to consist of, thinking about particular codes and conventions that assist the scene, selecting the appropriate location, the range of camera shots used, playing a characters role, how well it is performed, editing techniques and so on.

I found this task very interesting as I learnt for the first time, the correct camera settings to be on during certain features of a scene, in order to assist in portraying different emotions. The use of a tripod to keep the camera straight and in focus during a variety of camera shots. I was able to try out the editing program for the first time, and begin to take in what does what; how to join camera shots together without the picture just suddenly jumping to the next.

Groups Preliminary task














I feel completing the preliminary task is going to help me significantly when making my own 2 minute thriller. I felt this way due to the amount I've learnt about the camera when filming, and the editing stages after. This enables my group to blend camera shots to help create our thriller itself. For myself taking on the role of camera operator, it gave me a better understanding of the range of shots you can use, for the scene to flow nicely. This task also helps myself and my team in learning how use different editing features; knowing what does what. Within this preliminary task I feel we could of thought of a better story line, maybe have spent more time planning; making it more dramatic and serious, although I did feel the shots we edited flowed and complimented each other, making it more enjoyable to watch.

Evaluation

Within this evaluation I will be portraying my findings from my research into target audience. The purpose of a target audience in a thriller is to know the boundaries of what can be included, without causing psychologically disturbance within the audience. When targeting a specific age one has to consider abiding by certain legal rules. For example for adults 18 and above real life situations are allowed to be included: swearing, explicit scenes, violence and so on. Where as for a target audience of young children, none of the above is to be included; only unrealistic and happy scenes. Target audience can also help us to develop certain features that that age group expect to see and want, in order to keep them on the edge of their seats as a result of the suspense built.

As a group we carried out a wide range of primary research, therefore having information that is valid and recent, giving us a good understanding of what our audience would like to see in a thriller. We conducted a 10 question questionnaire giving a range of multiple choice answers of which they could choose from, this enabled us to analyse and record our findings in a simple and straight forward format. As a result of doing this questionnaire we were able to find out appropriate information specifically on thrillers.

Within my group we chose to question 40 people, as we felt it was an appropriate number, in order to enable us to get a good variety of opinions through randomly aged individuals, that then came under certain age categories. Due to our group having 4 members, we equally split and were responsible of conducting and interviewing 10 people. We then combined all of our findings, then created pie charts to portray the information clearly, helping us to analyse the statistics and being aware of the demand for the individual elements of a thriller, that want to be shown by certain age groups.

We carried out a series of vox pops to further our primary research. I feel they were very successful due to being easily accessible information that didn't take up too much time. It will assist when planning our thriller, as I know what features different age groups what to see when watching in order to enjoy, therefore their feedback to friends and family are positive and attracts more viewers.

What do you expect to see in thriller films?
Weaponry   Flashbacks  Gore  Death  Other

The question above was taken out from the questionnaire that we carried out, and the graph below shows our results. Our findings show that the biggest percentage consisted of the answer 'Death' and use of iconography of 'Weaponry'. These two seemed to be the most popular, with flashbacks and gore. Within our thriller it will consist of death but minus the gore. Weaponry is not focused on, but we are still planning to include good iconography which could be seen as a good source, but not used in that context. To compensate, we emphasis on portraying a characters flashback.

What characters do you like to watch in a thriller film?
One main character   Group of people   Young girl/boy   Vulnerable woman

This question above was also taken from our groups questionnaire, and results are shown in the form of a pie chart below. Feedback shows that over 20 interviewees choose to watch thrillers which involve a vulnerable woman to play the role of victim. As a group we took this result on board and responded; choosing to feature a vulnerable female, although of a very young age. We collaborated both of the top choices as we felt it was well suited to our thriller.

What colour of clothing do you expect the victim and villain to be wearing?
Black/ grey and white   Blue and pink   Orange and green   Purple and black

Again this question was taken from our questionnaire, and the results are displayed below. The findings from this question were incredible, as we can see a  vast amount of our interviewees can distinguish the difference of clothing worn by a victim and villain; villain wearing black/grey to portray dominance and authority, and the victim wearing white to show innocence. For our group it is important knowing that they have this ability of understanding which characters playing which role, which enable us to use the typical colours with our characters and not have to worry that they will in any way struggle with differentiation.    

As a result of carrying out the two forms of primary information, we were able to as a group find out exactly what our interviewees like to see within a thriller, so that our audience enjoy our two minute thriller that we will soon be making. Having these results enables us to take into consideration and analyse the findings and include any features that we may have missed out, or emphasis on the ones we have that came back as a particularly popular answer, this is all part of fulfilling the audience expectations.