Script

We did not have a complete and in depth script before we shot the thriller but of course we had a good idea of how we wanted it to go. Looking back, there were some changes we had to make after having been to the location and noticing there were things we could not do that were planned. For example, the pool wasn't clean or prepared for use so Emily could not get in.

Delivery boy bikes down the driveway
Sees the girl laying in the pool looking as though she is dead
Boy runs over but when he gets there the body is gone
The boy then makes his way to the house, on the way, he sees a girl in the top window
Knocks on the door and mentions to the man who answers the door that his daughter is awake and thought perhaps she should be in bed
The father then says that his daughter has been dead for 9 years
The camera then shows the girl behind her father

As you can see in the rough edit and the final edit there were a few differences but it still has the same outline and has the same and hopefully successful effect

Thriller Opening Shot List

The first shot was planned to be a low angle shot of the driveway which would then show me from behind as I cycle towards the house. We successfully incorporated this into our rough edit and final edit. I think it does well in establishing the location and it's size. Also, the camera is slightly faced towards the fence, this shows that as I cycle past, I am trapped in the location.

We then planned to do a point of view shot as I see the pool and the girl, this was done but not with Emily in the pool, instead, she was standing beside it and could be seen through the window. I don't think this alters the quality of the choice of shot. Then, differing with the plan, we done a wide shot showing me as I get off the bike and see something in the pool house. The transition then brings us to a wide shot showing me walk past and seeing the girl in the pool house. It then pans back and forth showing the window empty with the girl mysteriously gone.

Along with quite a few others, these are examples of how we differed our filming to the original storyboard. But we knew that this would be likely to happen, as shown at the top of the storyboard 'All shots subject to change.' Although, we have also used many shots that we planned to, for example, the over-the-shoulder shot  we planned to used during the conversation at the end, which we then reversed to use over both the characters shoulders to show the opposite view.

Shotlist
* D&F Productions
Home-video (many varying shots that quickly change, using shots that are difficult to recognise)
* In association with Warp Films
Very Wide Shot
Wide Shot-
Wide Shot
Wide Shot
Panning Shot
Panning Shot
Wide Shot
Panning Shot
Cutaway
Wide Shot
Wide Shot
Cutaway
Sideways Track
Close Up with Tracking Shot
Sideways Track
Wide Shot
Point-of-View Shot
Wide Shot
Tilt Shot
Close Up
Zoom In
Mid-Shot
Point-of-View Shot
Close Up with Tracking Shot
Over-the-Shoulder Shot
(Reverse Shot) Over-the-Shoulder
Medium Close Up

Thriller Opening- Location

Click here to see the location post on Jack's blog..

I think this location will be very good in creating suspense via many factors. For example, the long drive helps to give time for audience to imagine what may happen to this vulnerable character as they see the overwhelming building at the end of it. Also, there are many trees surrounding the house, many of them without leaves. This makes the place quite unapproachable with the sharp and ragged shapes of the trees with no friendly green covering them. Also, the fence that runs along the drive gives a feeling of confinement once somebody has entered. Also, the building has pillars at the front, these connote power and strength, suggesting the superiority of the character(s) living there over the boy.

An example of a similar location is in the film 'The Others', amongst other thrillers. Within this film the family the audience follows is trapped inside this building. The ventures they take outside into the misty gardens, that have similar features to ours, end up unsuccessful and there seems to be no way out. With stories like this surrounding locations such as this, some of the audience will expect something to be lurking inside the building in our thriller. This is helped with the sighting and flashes of the girl. So, with the story not surrounding the characters inside, instead following the pizza delivery boy, they are in suspense as they hope he does not go near or inside the house due to threats that they suspect.

Thriller Questionnaire

Click here to see the questionnaire on Emily's blog

By giving people this questionnaire and showing them our thriller opening rough edit, we hope to gain better understanding of our audience. So, Emily made one which we handed out at a viewing.

We have asked questions, amongst others, referring to their feelings during the film and whether certain bits should be altered. We hope the answers will help us to make effective improvements in our final edit. We were successful in gaining some constructive criticism from most of the audience who gave sensible answers. For example, the majority of the audience said that the bit where I see Emily standing in the window should be sped up; previously, we had quite a slow panning shot. Because of this feedback, we changed it in our final edit.

Audience Feedback

'?' means that the person did not answer that question.

This is our feedback to our questionnaire given to people at a viewing of our rough edit. The feedback was very useful in helping us to understand what changes could be made to it to improve it. For example, we were not sure about the bit at the swimming pool with the slow motion panning, the feedback told us that it should be sped up, which we did. Also, many people thought that the transitions could be improved. We have done this for the final edit through methods such as making them more consistent. Due to the feedback we have also made the effects more consistent, for example, when we see flashes of the girl, they are all the same colour.

Although we received constructive criticism, we also had positive comments about things already in the rough edit. Many people liked the use of the home video at the beginning, the colours used and the effects.

Thriller Opening Final Edit

Thriller Opening Effect Pt. 2

This is a picture showing how we added the effect 'Dream' on to the beginning clips of our opening. Click on to the clip then click on clip adjustments.

Then, using the video effect tool, choose 'Dream.

This screen-shot shows one of the clips but without the effect. As you can see there is quite a big difference. Although, there are other colour edits we done to make the red come out a bit more as it works well with 'Dream' and the red holds connotations of danger and blood.

Having the 'Dream' effect I think is useful in giving a sense of age to this part of the film, this is also why we chose to do it in a home video style.

Magazine Deconstruction

The magazine is called Radio Times. The colour is one of the things that calls for analysis first due to its three main bold contrasting colours. Due to the simplicity in the colour the audience may prefer things that are straight to the point but still aesthetically pleasing. The audience will be very interested in television and radio in that the magazine contains not only listings but news on the people involved in television and radio aswell. Conclusions can be drawn from the person used on the front. Gary Barlow is a very respectable and established artist, this suggests the audience take it may take it quite seriously and want to read about people higher up. The way Gary Barlow is dressed in the picture also implies the audience may take it seriously and want quality in the news in that he is dressed very smartly and respectably. These things are usually associated with older people.

Thriller Opening- Rough Edit

This is the first draft of our thriller made by me and Emily. There were many things that have changed since this whilst creating the final edit, these are due to comments made in the audience research and people in the class.

Thriller Opening Analysis- Law Abiding Citizen

Institutions:
Law Abiding Citizen was directed by F. Gary Gray. Production companies include The Film Department and Warp Film. It was shot in Pennsylvania, USA. In the UK it was released on the 27th November 2009, with a gross of £5,737,117 on the 27th December 2009. In the USA it was released on the 16th October 2009 with a gross of $73,343,413 on the 31st January 2010. The budget for the film was an estimated $40,000,000.

Audience:
I think looking at the story line and the violent scences (which are shown through the age rating), this film is not for very sensitive, feint hearted or squeamish. Adults with children may empathise with the main character in that he has lost his family and the viewers could understand his feelings through the tough situation. Although of course the audience may not go to such lengths for revenge if they were to go out for revenge at all. Many other adults may just enjoy the film for it's action and tension, helped by the actors of high calibur in Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. This film is quite unique in that this kind of story line and technique of violent character has not been seen before, for this, the film has had some good reviews, although still with some flaws. Here is a review from IMDB..

'This is a great idea. A technical genius who is somehow able to commit revenge murders from his jail cell. He doesn't hide the fact he's a killer; in fact he announces each murder just before it happens.

Technically everything was possible and the method very cleverly hidden so I was kept in suspense until the last 20 minutes when the cat was let out of the bag too early. The ending is a let down. It's true Hollywood: Technically improbable, illogical, and in my opinion it spoils all the character development made until that point and wastes the opportunity for a much darker ending with a more satisfying outcome.

All that said I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone not disturbed by moderate violence. Go see it!'


This review gives compliments towards the idea behind the film. Also the reviewer mentions that the film was successful in creating suspense for them, this shows that, at least from that aspect, it is a good film in fitting in to the thriller genre, as opposed to just providing non-stop action leaving nothing for the audience to work out. Despite its unique aspects, this reviewer suggests that it conforms to the typical 'Hollywood' film in that it is 'improbable' and 'illogical', I think this is true although this sometimes needs to happen to create a good film. Also, after there being so many films released over the years, it is difficult to match or better their quality with a film that is completely realistic with no shocking story lines. Taking into account all of this I think there are aspects of the film that hold realism, not all with regards to the story itself but definitely ideas behind it. For example, crime does leave people scarred and upset such as in the film, but to add effect to enable the film to be a hit, the makers needed to add emphasis on it and build on that idea. In addition, many people find the justice system very flawed and can be angered by it, this is shown in the main character of the film (Butler).


Here is another review from IMDB..
'This is a movie that's extremely fun to watch in the theaters because you get to hear and see everyone's reaction to each of his killings. The best one had people actually saying loudly "wow" and "oh my god!". What drew me to the movie was the fact that the hero isn't going around killing people with his bare hands or face to face. He was doing it with his mind, with careful planning, and deft precision. That was something refreshing to see. I can totally relate to his feelings of anger over the flaws in the justice system and his desire to take matters into his own hands - to make things right. The ending was disappointing but the rest of the film was not and I liked it overall.'

The effect of the film is shown very well in this review as they mention the reactions of the fellow audience. This review also expresses positive opinion as to the uniqueness of the film in the killing technique of the main character. It also reinforces the idea of the audience being able to relate to the emotions of the character after his upsetting experience, this shows that although the reaction to it was emphasised to create the film, it was not done to the extent that would forget the idea and focus on the action, this allows the audience to relate to the emotions of the character. This, along with other reviews suggests that the ending to the film was unsatisfactory, but, I think that it was potent in that it brings the audience back to why it has happened, and disputes a comment made in the first review saying that it was too 'Hollywood', it does not end with a fiery battle and chaos that does not let the provoke emotion in the audience or allow them to think.

Technology:
Being released in 2009, this film has had the opportunity to use modern technology in order to increase the audience's awareness of the film and access to it. Technology also helps to improve the film with regards to such things as CGI which show good effects for the audience. Although it is not used greatly in relation to other films, this helps add to the verisimilitude of the film in that some action does not seem too far fetched. This adds to the effect of the film on the audience in that the situation seems more believable that it would happen in reality, increasing the shock and suspense throughout.

Websites such as Youtube provide the opportunity for the audience to view clips and view comments about the film allowing them to decide upon watching it or to show the film to friends. IMDB is also useful in giving people in depth information about the film, it also has some pictures and clips. Films made before this technology was available will have found it much harder to raise awareness of the film.

Codes/forms and conventions of the thriller genre: The music/sound effects used over the logos of the production companies gives a warm and pleasant feeling. Mainly the first one (Overture Films), the sound effect for The Film Department reminds me of the old fashioned film with an audience sat by a projector, this sense suggests the characters/their situation at the beginning of the film is happy and innocent. Text is then used, chosen by the filmmakers, showing both the previous companies' names. The font is sharp edged and cracked. This implies the innocence and solidity of the situation is, or is going to be in danger of falling apart. This helps create suspense, the suspense aspect shows the film is utilising the common features of the thriller genre. The first image is of a box with various compartments filled with cubes covered in letters and colourful pictures. The box is pink and a hand is over the box which looks like a girls. This image reinforces the idea of normality and happiness in that it is a common hobby of young females to create things, in this case, we then find out in the next shot that she is creating a necklace. The idea of creation connotes ambition and possibly hope. This adds to the innocence and aspiration of this character that we have cleverly been told a lot about already. This impression we have of her allows us to sympathise with her and want her to be safe, adding to the suspense in that due to the change from the happy music to the rough and cracked font then to the picture of the girl enjoying herself, we have a suspicion something bad is going to happen.

We then see someone else making something. Due to the change from bright colours to dark, and the object in the characters hand, we can assume it is male and probably the girls father. Because they are both making something at the same time it shows their bond in that they indulge in similar things and enjoy each others company. Soon after we hear a knock at the door and the mother calling the father. A pleasant family scene is created here with normal things you would expect to see and hear. Although, the multiple knocks that interrupt the conversation of the father and daughter show a disturbance in their home, this suggests their normality and happiness is about to be made unstable.

As the father opens the door the over the shoulder shot changes to a point of view shot of the person looking in. This shows the good family life is being peered in to and vulnerable to these people. Also the music changes, sounding evil and dangerous. The camera shots once the house is breached are quick, this contrasts with the longer lasting shots before the knock on the door, this shows instability and the start of chaos.

When the mother comes through, her scream has been edited so it is echoed. This shows the life that has so quickly changed for them is drifting away, and the hope of both the characters and the audience for the family's wellbeing has nearly non-existent. Also, the picture is now darker, the dark connotes the evil that is now in control of this home. When one of the attackers is on top of the father, the camera is facing up at the attacker with a slight view of the fathers head, this shows the attacker to be in control. This contrasts with the previous shots when an over the shoulder shot of behind the father was used looking at the girl, this showed the father to be in control. This shows the life in this home has been turned upside down. This is very tense for the audience as they hope for the family to survive and are saddened by their sudden switch from a happy and controlled situation to being subordinated.

The sounds such as the sobbing, shouting and the music all fade down low as the camera focuses on the little girl who has just entered the room. She is standing very innocently and timidly, creating suspense for the audience as they know she is about to come to harm and feel sorry for her as her stance and facial expression show she is confused. A point of view shot is then used from the view of the father as one of the attackers walks towards the girl. This is done very well as the fathers view is gradually blocked by the dark figure of the attacker, showing that this sinister character is taking is daughter away from him. As the attacker takes her away, the camera then looks back at the father to help show his despair and desperation for his daughter.

The film, already in the opening, has shown many aspects commonly seen in thrillers, and has done so to good effect. For example, a common narrative amongst thrillers is death, this is shown here as the mother and daughter are killed. Also, linking into the narrative, common characters are victims and criminals, clearly shown in this opening. These things, with the good use of mise-en-scene, camera angles and sounds to create suspense, help to immediately establish the film as a thriller.

Representation:
I think that although it is not a major message of the film, it is implied that women may be weaker than men in that in the opening the man stays alive but the mother and daughter are killed. I think the idea that there is corruption within the justice system is a message trying to be put across with this film. By putting the audience in the fathers situation at the beginning of the film, we empathise with him throughout, because of this we see his point of view more than others and find ourselves agreeing with his idea that the justice system is corrupted. This makes the audience think about this in reality and question the decisions made in courts.

Thriller Opening- Editing

Have made some changes to the thriller opening after having looked at the audience feedback. For example, many people answered that they would like to see a certain part sped up which we had made quite slow. Because of this I made it slightly quicker.

Thriller Opening Analysis- Panic Room

Institutions:
The film is called 'Panic Room', it was directed by David Fincher. One of the production companies was Columbia Pictures Corporation. The film was made in  multiple locations within both New York and California. It was released in 2002. By the 9th June 2002 in the USA, the film had made $95,308,367 gross. In the UK, by the 16th June 2002, it had made £8,202,281 gross.

Audience:
I think with regards to gender this film has no specific target; the cast is not dominated by a gender and the film does not delve into aspects commonly associated with either males or females interests. Certain actors and actresses cast in the film may provide an incentive for both genders to watch the film, Jodie Foster is a very successful female actress and many of her characters come across as strong and assured women, therefore women may be persuaded to watch. Forest Whitaker is a very successful actor whom many males like in his films such as Platoon, which is a film mostly liked by males as it is violent and male dominated. Females may also be drawn to this film due to the main character (Foster) being trapped with her child, women are seen as the main carer for children and generally worry more about the safety of their child, so they can relate to the hardship of the character and be engaged by the film. Due to this, most women watching may be around 25+ as they will be of childbearing age. This is a quote from imdb which shows a users opinion of the film including compliments and criticisms.

David Fincher directs this cleverly conceived thriller about a mother and daughter trapped inside a panic room by three criminals. The film is well-paced and the camera work is slick. The film does well in exploring the confines of the house. Jodie Foster is effective and maintains a high intensity throughout. Kristen Stewart is decent as her daughter. Forest Whitaker plays a slightly sympathetic criminal and does well. Unfortunately, after an engrossing game of cat and mouse, the conclusion is weak. Staple clichés crop up and the film goes for a crowd-pleasing finale that doesn't quite feel right. Still watchable


Technology:
Being released in 2002 gave the film opportunity to gain good access due to the availability of technologies such as the internet. Like most other films released at the time and films since then, there is a website dedicated to the film created by Sony Pictures, giving the audience good insight and access into the film which would not have been available not long ago. By looking through this website, people can gain knowledge of the cast and crew and read reviews to find out (if they have not seen the film) whether they will like it or not. This is something that is very important in helping the film to gain viewers. People can easily see reviews which may help persuade them to see the film. The website does not contain clips of or the full film. But, other websites such as youtube give the audience opportunity to view the film. Also, people can communicate via email and send files with pictures, reviews or clips about the film, helping to gain access and knowledge of the film.

Codes/forms & conventions of the thriller genre:
Something very commonly found in thrillers is bars on windows, or something with the same effect giving an idea of entrapment/danger. This is seen in this opening sequence from the tall overpowering buildings that surround us as we get a low angle view of the buildings making the city seem powerful and possibly dangerous. Even the buildings themselves have features giving the effect of bars with their vast amounts of windows.

Joining with the buildings, the writing style used for the credits show them to be solid, secure and powerful. This could connote the strength of something within the film, possibly a character or even the seriousness of the storyline.

Another way in which the buildings and the city as a whole a shown to be powerful and superior is the camera movement, it is slow, steady and takes has no sudden changes. It shows the city, possibly certain inhabitants of it, to be assured and calm whilst having hold over something or someone. Also, the way in which the camera at certain points seems to peer round the corners of buildings gives the feeling of being followed, a common thriller narrative, it also shows there to be confined spaces, which connote danger, which engages the audience.

The non-diegetic sound helps to emphasise the power of the buildings in that as camera shows a building or looks up to the top of one the music heightens in intensity and adds to the enormity of the buildings. The fact that we can hear the diegetic sound of things such as cars even though we can hear music and are high up in the air suggests the chaos and danger of the city in that if it is that bad, when we are then taken to the middle of it all it must not be a nice place to be.

The narrative structure of the film is linear which I think is suitable and effective as it keeps the audience indulged in the situation rather than heightening the tension and then detracting to a things such as flashbacks which usually relax the audience and lose the effect of the storyline.

I think although the location is lit very well, and we can still see dark areas and quite hidden away places, it adds to the tension as we think that wherever you are, you are in danger. This adds to the power that the music and camera movement has given to the city and its buildings in that it has the inhabitants in a hold and can do something to anyone at any time. This is effective as the audience is made suspicious of a lot of the characters that appear which heightens the tension and suspense. This suspense helps the film become a thriller.

Representation:
I think in this film women are depicted as the main carer of the child, although they are trapped and cannot really help being together the makers of the film must have chosen to have the mother trapped with the child as opposed to the father for some reason. Due to the women being seen as the main carer for the child, as we watch them trapped together their bond is made stronger and the audience can feel it and it adds to the tension as we sympathise with the two characters and want them to get through the situation.

Addition after teacher's comment:
The colour in general seems to be grey, usually this is given out by the buildings. This colour suggests it is not a pleasant place to be and there is little hope for people who may be in danger. Also, working with the idea of the bars created by the tall stature of the surrounding buildings, the grey gives the feeling of a prison, making the inhabitants trapped in this area. 

I think this is done effectively and gives the audience the idea that something bad is going to happen within the confines of this city. Also, this prison-like feeling may make the audience feel trapped, increasing the tension of the film.

Thriller Evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In the planning and construction of our thriller opening, we have taken inspiration from many of the thriller conventions relating to location, costume and characters.

The house used in the opening is at the end of a very long driveway, the establishing shot used at the beginning was aimed at the house showing the scale of it and the long journey towards the overwhelming building. I think it does well in introducing the audience to the location. It gives a sense of isolation and danger for the character involved, the pizza delivery boy. This helps to add suspense to the film immediately as we sense something may happen to the character, these things conform to typical thriller films in that there is suspense, isolation and possibly death. Something seen in thrillers quite often is the sense of confinement/entrapment leading to suspense, we have tried to show this through the camera work. For example, at the beginning we angle the camera slightly so as to make the fence significant, it seems as though as I cycle down the driveway I am being trapped inside. Also, the sign of the bare trees symbolises time passing and death, which are very significant in our film, as time has passed since the home video at the beginning and the girl has died. Moreover, running water is quite common amongst thriller films, we have incorporated this in a sense in using the swimming pool. But, instead of the usual running water, ours is still, so this slightly develops this convention of the thriller genre. It is seen just after the girl is seen so it suggests there is no longer a happy and energetic girl, her life came to a halt and she is a ghost of her former self. It could also connote the stillness and emptiness of her fathers life after she passed away.

As mentioned in another post, the location is quite similar to that of The Others, with a large building and large surrounding gardens. This location is daunting and adds to the suspense as the audience will see the location as mysterious and maybe evil.

The sinister character of the girl is quite a common character in thrillers and horrors, an example of a film including this character is REC. This is an unusual character in that  is the shell of a dead girl, with an evil and vengeful mind. There is commonly an evil character in thrillers, bringing about death and suffering. But, to make the film more tense and believable, a more relatable character had to be involved, the pizza delivery boy. This helps to add to the suspense and tension as he is seen as vulnerable and as the audience can relate to him, the sinister situation seems more scary and tense.

In the thriller genre, many scenes seem to be quite dark, adding to the tension. For example, the opening scene of Vacancy, the surrounding darkness of the car gives a sense of the unknown and suggests that something is lurking within it. We wanted to do this although the darkness in our opening is artificial, using an effect on iMovie to make it seem like night. I think this is good in that it makes the location seem more mysterious and sinister, it also makes the delivery boy seem more vulnerable.

In addition, a tool very commonly used in thrillers to help create tension and suspense is non-diegetic sound. We have incorporated this in our opening in the form of a soundtrack. I think this is very good in adding to the atmosphere and this is agreed to be successful in the audience feedback.

Finally, conforming to the features of many thriller films, we tried to include many polysemic objects/effects, to add to the atmosphere of the film. For example, in the home video at the beginning, we decided to increase the intensity of the red colour in the picture. This colour connotes warmth, stability, success and emotion, but it also holds connotations of blood, danger and death. This is effective because in this warm and happy time, it is suggested to the audience that dangers are lurking around this young girl, creating suspense.

Throughout the genre there are various modes of address used to communicate to the audience, for example, some have a narrator, usually one of the main characters. In our opening, although it probably would have changed as the film progressed, the main communication to the audience is through camera shots and effects,  very little dialogue is used. I think this adds to the tension in that it helps to create a sense of isolation whilst the boy is walking or cycling around the location on his own.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
One of the characters, the pizza delivery boys, is quite a normal character, around the age of 16. We have this character as the delivery person as the difference in height between I and Ed, the father, shows him to be vulnerable. But, also, it is quite usual to see young people in jobs such as these, simple jobs that gives them some income in order to buy products and services the youth are interested in. This is quite a current character, it does not referring to a social group seen in the past. This character is quite recognisable through the iconography around him, the bike and the bag. The character is quite common in the thriller genre, not necessarily with all these specific attributes, but with the same essential factors. Many thrillers have young characters that are established as quite innocent and vulnerable, as in ours. For example, the young girl at the beginning of Law Abiding Citizen. She is taking part in the usual activities of her social group, like the boy in our thriller. The audience can relate to her in that they will recognise the type of person she is. We have used this character for varying reasons, a main one was because he is around the same age as the bulk of our target audience, 16-18 year olds, therefore they can relate to him.

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I do not think it would be released in cinemas as films released in this way are mostly new and exciting films, contributing to the film industry with features not commonly seen. On the other hand, our film very much conforms to the conventions of its genre with not really anything new to offer to the audience. So, being against the method immediate cinema release, I think it would be released onto DVD for the audience to purchase. Also, I think it would be shown on television, late at night to conform to its sinister nature, not suitable for young children therefore a certain classification would be needed. Older teenagers and adults interested in film would watch film channels that would show the film and be interested to see new releases, therefore watch our film.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
I think our target audience, with the help of our audience research, are people around the ages of 15-18, both male and female. The full production of our thriller, done well, would probably demand an age 15 restriction. I think many other people, older than this age range would also enjoy our film. The audience would need to be quite intelligent, but not greatly. As shown in our feedback to the rough edit, I think we have quite successfully created the beginning of a film that is enjoyable for this age range. They need to be able to think and understand the story which, already showing an abnormal twist, would show many complications demanding the audience to figure out what is happening. Our audience would enjoy thrillers/horrors with paranormal experiences. For example, Paranormal Activity, The Others and Inception.

Here is our audience feedback.

I think films demanding thought from the audience are generally more successful, especially with today's audiences as they want something different from basic storylines seen in the past. Psychological thriller is now a very popular sub-genre. An example of a recent film demanding careful thought and focus is Inception. Audiences today have a very big impact on the films produced due to their needs and demands, they express these through new media such as Youtube, on to which they can argue what should be made or even created something of their own. Gauntlett (2007) says that the boundary between producer and audience is eroded by new media to the extent that it is makes little sense to talk about media audiences anymore- 'Media Studies 2.0'.

Referring to data on imdb.com, people aged under 18 rated The Others 7.9. I chose this data as this film is reasonably similar to ours so this shows how this age demographic may respond to our media product. The response is quite successful and hopefully ours would attract similar attention. Although this shows data from all the ages below 18, it is likely that these people are no younger than about 15; people younger than this probably do not get involved in things like this.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?
We utilised many of the typical thriller conventions in the attempt to engage our target audience and comply with their preferences. For example, to increase the tension and suspense, we had very little dialogue, with eery music in the background as the delivery boy travels through the dark location. This suggests to the audience something is going to happen, danger is exciting for young audiences so hopefully it is successful in maintaining their attention as they wait to see what happens. Also, the delivery boy is around the same age as our target audience making him relatable and therefore the situation is more tense. Finally, to keep the audience interested and thinking, we included the flashes of the girl, these hopefully will have raised questions in their mind, 'Is the boy in danger?', 'Has something happened to the girl?' etc.

Features in the final edit were included, in some cases kept from the rough edit, as we knew they successful because of the audience feedback. We conducted a viewing with a group of our target audience and they filled out a questionnaire. For example, the effects we used were very popular amongst the audience. This, as well as many other things were successful in creating tension and invoking emotion in the audience, this is seen in the answers of the question 'What did you feel when watching it?'. 4 people said fear, 3 said intrigue and 2 said tense.

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Before the project I had no experience with the use of camcorders or editing. But, as we used them throughout the preliminary and the final project, I felt a growing confidence with both and now have no problems with either. I can now record confidently and import videos on to computers with ease. My group used iMovie as our editing program so I am not familiar with Final Cut. To begin with, I was quite anxious to use iMovie with its various tools that I suspected I would find difficult to remember the location and purpose of, but with the help of others I became comfortable with it quite quickly. I can now confidently do things such as edit clip lengths, add effects, add text and add music. These techniques were very useful in improving the film and making it more effective, for example, adding the light to dark effect was very helpful; if it was left in daylight it would be no where near as tense as darkness is always much scarier as evil things can hide and wait to attack the character being watched by the audience.

Another new experience for me was the iMacs. I have used the windows operating system for as long as I can remember so it was quite strange using this new system. There were many very slightly problematic differences for me in the different layout of the keyboard, but that was quite quickly gone with help from other students and teachers with experience with them. Also, the use of the system itself on the computer took quite long to get used to with things such as the different location of saving tools confusing me slightly until I got used to it.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I think that although our preliminary task product turned out to be alright, our preparation could have been quite a lot better. For example, group discussion is vital, as I learnt through the lack of it in the preliminary and the success of it in the final project. By making the mistake of not having enough discussion in the preliminary, I tried to contribute as best I could and tried to encourage the group to discuss the project. Discussion is very helpful in many areas, not only in planning. For example, when editing there are many opinions which we didn't always express, especially me. So in the final project, I was sure to give my ideas in planning and construction.

Also, in the preliminary task, we put quite a lot of effort and people onto one task, instead of spreading the work and therefore getting more done. In the final product we learnt from that and it seemed more like a group effort. I now realise how important it is that you utilise the people you have and also make the most of thew time you have. In the preliminary, through the lack of the things mentioned above, quite a lot of work was left quite late, leaving the final push quite hard and stressful, well, it wasn't as stressful as it would have been in the final project, which is why we made changes in our method in the final project and we were far
calmer and more confident with our product.

We all had many different individual tasks. I created a post about the conventions we aimed to include in our opening and I also created a synopsis. And I made a shooting schedule. Also, I played the pizza delivery boy and brought in the costume, the bag and the bike, with Ed providing the pizza box we used. Ed created the plot for the rest of the film, and a characters post containing information on all the characters in our opening. Also he played the girls father, and brought in all the things needed for his character. Jack created a post on the location and he created the soundtrack on GarageBand. He filmed the opening and with some help from the rest of the group, made decisions on the shots used and what the characters done. Emily made a post about the costumes props and objects and she played the girl in the opening. She brought in all the things she needed for her character.

I also learnt how important it was for individuals in the group to share ideas and knowledge, I feel this was not done as well as possible in the preliminary but when done in the final project we seemed to be making good progress and coming up with more ideas, and supporting members when they done so. Because we contributed more, we had a larger variety of things to choose from to include in our product, giving it a better chance of success.

In the preliminary, with the advice from Ed, we recorded many shots multiple times so as to make sure we would have at least one that was satisfactory. This was a very successful method which proved to be worthwhile when editing so we carried it through to the final project.

Whilst editing the preliminary project, we realised how important the music was and to choose an appropriate soundtrack. After having looked for quite a long time, we found a successful song and felt that it had a huge impact on the film and its effect. So, in the final project I knew music would be important. With Jack's expertise he was confident enough to create it himself, so we had music specifically for film, so the effect was more likely to be successful in making the film more tense.

I think the audience feedback went quite well and we learnt many of the audiences thoughts towards our film. For me it was very helpful, as I expected. I thought there would be quite a lot of silly answers but there were very few. I felt the audience understood our films story and grasped its intentions for the rest of the film.

I think a strength of our opening is the effects that we used. I think it makes certain parts much better and helps to make it more tense. Including the effects of the flashes of the girl, the day to night effect, the effect used on the point of view shot from the girl and the effect used when we see the girl behind her father. A weakness of our production is the poor continuity at the end during the conversation, I think this makes it look poor and very amateur. Another strength I believe it has is the location. It is very compliant with our needs to make it conform to thriller conventions.

The most important thing that I have learnt in this process is how vital group cooperation and effort is. I had an idea that this would be needed but underestimated how important it is in successfully planning and constructing a film product. It is needed to get the multiple tasks done and compare and choose different ideas. Without doing this successfully, we probably would have turned up at the location (if we had decided on one) with barely anything to work from and not really know what we would film or how we would do it.

Thriller Opening Effect

During planning, we had thought about using the old fashioned footage effect with flickering lines and dots on the screen. But we changed our mind thinking that it was too common and we would rather be more original with our film. So, we have found an effect called 'Dream', which gives the feel of just that. It suggests that although it was quite a long time ago, it is still in someones mind. And because it is filmed in a home video style, it suggests that it is playing over and over in the persons head.

Shutter Island Case Study

i) Institutions
The film is named 'Shutter Island'. Production companies for this film include Paramount Pictures, Phoenix Pictures and Sikelia Productions. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and starts Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer and Mark Ruffalo. The release date for this film in the UK was the 12th March 2010, in the USA it was released on the 19th February 2010. The film was made in the USA, filming locations include:

• Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Hull, Massachusetts, USA
• Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA

The film was predominantly made in Massachusetts. The budget of the film was an estimated $80,000,000. On the 25th April 2010, in the UK, the gross for the film was £10,599,763. In the USA, on the 10th June 2010, the gross was $128,012,934.

ii) Audience

With reference to gender, I think there is no particular choice the creators of the film have made within the gender category. The film appeals to both males and females. Although the cast largely consists of males which usually is a factor that contributes to the film being male orientated and targeted at that gender, females can also enjoy the storyline. From previous media exposure, I know that some films have language and actions that can be offensive towards the opposite gender, or that which implies offensive things towards that gender, 'RocknRolla' is an example of this. But this film does not involve things such as that.

Taking into account the age rating for this film, I would say the target audience is mid teens to around 50's. I say this because the younger people will enjoy the tense, suspense and sometimes violent nature of the film, whilst older people up to about 50, will not only enjoy those aspects, possibly to different extents, but also enjoy using their intelligence and vaster media experience to figure out the mystery the character faces in the film. I ended the target audience at around 50 because people older than that tend to prefer films that are based around real world events and experiences, such as war and historical films.

Having looked at the reviews and ratings shown on www.imdb.com, the film seems to be extremely successful, from 204,512 users it has gained an average of 8.0/10. This review is from www.imdb.com:

'No one likes to be messed with., 21 February 2010
Author: Connor Stednitz from United States 

Shutter Island. A film that will divide the film community. A film that will leave many upset, and hating it. A film that has already completely split the critics. A movie that messes with you. And no one likes to be messed with. And that is exactly where it exceeds. Think I'm contradicting myself? 

Shutter Island is one of the most well crafted psychological thrillers to come by since Silence Of The Lambs. And it is no coincidence both were brilliantly written novels. Shutter Island is adapted by a book written by Dennis Lehane (wrote gone baby, gone and mystic river). It is a book filled with twists and turns, that will leave the reader dizzy. And, that is what it's film counterpart does to the fullest. Martin Scorsese helms the director chair, in a movie where he is more free than any before. This is Scorsese at his most unrestrained. 

Marty takes what he has learned from the great films of the past and puts it into his. The master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock's influence is everywhere you look in this film. And it is no wonder, considering Scorsese even showed one of his greatest works to the crew: Vertigo. And many of those ideas are present in Shutter Island; the cliff scenes scream Hitchcock. This is a film that creeps and crawls, and is filled with dark corners. And it is all heightened by the coming storm that looms over the island. This is classic film noir. 

The story follows Teddy, a federal Marshall, and his partner Chuck (Played by DiCaprio and Ruffulo). They go to this mysterious island enveloped in fog to investigate an escape. From these opening scenes, Marty has set up a dark and creepy premise.

Almost the whole movie incorporates this story as Teddy desperately tries to find the truths he seeks. Teddy is shown as a scared man; a man of war and violence as portrayed in various flashbacks. These will go on to be increasingly important as the story progresses. We follow Teddy on his quest, through every dark corridor and perilous confrontations. Slowly, we are given pieces to the puzzle, but the audience does not even realize it. For we, like Teddy, are blind. For the moment at least. It is because of this that the thrilling conclusion will leave many blindsided. But, you see, that is where this thriller becomes something more. We as the audience are put in Teddy's shoes, and we feel all the things he feels. It is a complete assault on the senses, and it works beautifully. 
This is a film you must watch carefully. That is another thing that sets this apart, it is a horror film that makes you actually think. In this day and age, I'm not surprised some found it terrible esp. after their brains have been turned to mush by these new gore filled horror films. Scorsese's ultimate goal here is to wake you up. And trust me, you probably wont like it.

This is also a film I would recommend seeing a second time. In fact, it is even better the second time. All those pieces of that puzzle you didn't catch the first time, you will the second. You see, we as the audience are first put in the shoes of Teddy. The second? Well, without giving too much away, lets just say you are put in someones else's shoes entirely during the second viewing.

Shutter Island. A film that will make you question your own sanity. A film that will leave you breathless. A film that has re-ignited the thriller genre. A film that will leave you, and the main character, searching for answers. 

10 out of 10 
-CLS'

This review is frequently complimentary of the film, saying things such as '...re-ignited the thriller genre.' and '...will leave you breathless.'. The postive feedback this review gives is in agreeance with a lot of the other reviews. Although, as with any film, there are also people who have given negative feedback, calling it a 'let down' and 'unadulterated rubbish'. But I think on the whole, and shown by the overall rating, it is a successful film.

iii) Technology
An example of new technology improving the audience's access to, and knowledge of the film is the internet, it is full of features that offer various features with regards to the film. For example, the film has it's own website (www.shutterisland.com) which offers information about the cast and filmmakers, including details of the actors' and actress' previous work and achievements. Also the website provides downloads for the audience, there is a selection of wallpapers for a computer desktop. In addition, there is an 'About' section which gives a brief synopsis of the film. Finally, there is a pages containing videos about such things as specific characters, the film trailer and a 'Scorsese Featurette'.

All of the things provided give the audience a very good insight into the film, giving them details on how the film was made and thoughts of the people involved with the making of the film. But, the website does not have clips of the film allowing people to actually view 'Shutter Island' itself. Although the film's website does not offer this, other technology does, a main provider of scenes if Youtube.

Youtube users provide people with a vast range of videos about the film. And not only do they show scenes from it but some people also make videos providing their take on the film, this may help increase the audience's knowledge of the film in that reviews and comments may give them an insight into what their opinion of the film may be before they have seen it. Although, Youtube does not have a background information and behind the scenes insight to the extent of websites such as www.shutterisland.com.

Apart from watching scenes on sites such as Youtube, the internet also offers a vast range of websites on which people can buy the film on DVD. The film's official site contains links to a www.amazon.com page containing copies of the film available to buy.

As the film was released in 2010, it was immediately amongst methods such as these whereby people can gain access and knowledge to the film, these will have helped the film's success quite significantly seeing as the internet is such a commonly used thing nowadays and will have provided all of the things mentioned above and much more to help with advertisement, sales, etc.

iv) Codes/forms and conventions of the thriller genre
While we see the opening credits, we can hear some eery music. This straight away prepares us for a tense film carrying reasonable suspense. Then the music becomes slightly louder as the title appears giving emphasis to it, this, without even showing us the island, suggests to the audience its power and significance. Next, we see the boat come in to the camera shot through the fog, as it comes through the fog it suggests the boat and the people on it are trapped inside the encircling white wall. This also adds emphasis on the island as being trapped is obviously against your will, so it is not a place people would like to be for a prolonged period of time. Also, coming through the thick wall of fog could show that they are trespassing, therefore, once again, showing their welcome on the island may not be pleasant, adding suspense.

We can see when the camera is showing the inside of the boat, but it is also shown on the outside as well, that it is not a boat of the highest quality. Its poor appearance shows it to be not very strong or reliable, this suggests that the people on it are not well equipped to cope with the obstacles that lay ahead on the island. Moreover, after we have seen a close-up of DiCaprio looking into the mirror, he turns around and we can see that he is wearing a rather abnormal tie, this could show that he is not completely normal character, this could be in is thoughts, actions or mental state.This provides questions to the audience such as how will he  behave throughout the film? will he risk the investigation?

In addition, by giving us a point of view shot when Daniels is looking in the mirror, it is a subtlle and almost unnoticable way of allowing the audience and the character to be empathetic and joins them together in a 'team' to investigate together as we see things from Daniels' perspective.

When he walks out of the room the camera is peering through chains hanging from above. These connote death and being trapped (common features in the thriller genre). This also creates suspense as the audience may wonder who is going to suffer, and for what reason. Still, the music is playing, this suggests that even on the boat, which may be considered as safe for the people on it, they are in danger, possibly already under the influence of the island and its inhabitants.

When Teddy Daniels walks out on to the deck of the ship he and Chuck exchange glances through a fence. This suggests that they are not quite on the same level, they are in some way different or don't see eye to eye. This keeps the audience interested by creating a sense of instability or uncertainty around their partnership. As they begin to indulge in conversation, from their dress and stance it is suggested that Chuck is more of a stable, organised and level-headed person, whereas Teddy seems a little on edge and not quite focused on his current environment; some of his attention seems to be elsewhere. This provides questions to the audience with regards to his background and possible problems caused by it.

We are then shown a flashback of Teddy with a woman that appears to be his wife. The colours in this scene are much brighter and vibrant as opposed to the dull blues and greys seen in and around the boat. This implies that the present time is dark and disheartening compared to the happy and joyful times in Teddy's memory. The flashback is then abruptly cut out by a wave crashing against the side of the boat. This suggests that Teddy is constantly trying to wash it out of his memory, but the wave will always come, and so the memory will always return. This could be a cause of his uneasiness.

We are then shown a wide shot of the island, with it taking up a very large proportion of the screen and seeming very powerful and overwhelming. It is very effective in quickly establishing it's prominence in the film. Also, some low-pitched music kicks in as we see it, helping to emphasise it's significance. By using non-diegetic sound, it implies that the island is quite abnormal and has unusual qualities.

We are then reverted back to the ship as the captain relays instruction to Teddy and Chuck. By the captain standing behind them, it shows the partners are trapped, between the captain eager for them to get off his ship, and the relentless presence of the island itself. This helps to build tension and shows that the island is not where an individual would want to be. This creates suspense as the audience aren't sure what to expect when they dock on the island.

Such emphasis on an island in film is not only seen in 'Shutter Island'. For example, in 'King Kong', the last leg of the journey on the boat as they near the island is, quite a lot more exciting than in 'Shutter Island', but there is a sense of tension as the knowledge of what lurks on the island is very minimal.

The narrative structure of 'Shutter Island' I think is very effective, it is largely linear but contains frequent flashbacks. The flashbacks add to the audiences interest as they are trying to figure out the characters (Daniels') background as very little is given away.

v) Representation
In the film, the disabled are shown in a negative way. We are shown this by the fact that they are separated from the rest of the world by being locked away on an island. Also them being locked away suggests that they don't deserve or have the ability to have control over their own lives, and are in some way inferior. In reality the thoughts towards this group do not go to this extent but there are a lot of people who are not sensitive about their disabilities and see them as weak. Finally, the doctors living on the island are shown in the traditional way as they live in large houses and have a lot of control and power over the people around them.

By emphasising the extents to which the upper class and the mentally disabled are dominant and inferior, it helps the audience to gain opinion about each group and empathise who disagree with them. I think by showing ths suffering towards the disabled in the film it helps the audience to put in perspective how discriminated this group are in reality and may  make them think about trying to change that.

Our complete thriller plot

Click here to see our complete thriller plot

What is a thriller?

The thriller genre has many aspects contributing to it''s overall individual identity, they come in the forms of iconography, themes, narratives and characters.

Characters
The types of characters include psychos, they may be genuinely mentally unstable or just have many erratic and unusual qualities. Another is detective, again they may be an official detective working for some form of investigative agency or just a character that is in some way linked in to an event that has happened and is determined to figure out what has happened and catch the culprit. Also, there are usually criminals involved, this links in to the common thriller character of victim. In summary, the majority if not all thriller films involve some form of unusual or illegal act involving a culprit and a victim of the event and is then followed by someone trying to put a stop to it and save the victim(s) from harm.

This character is an example of a detective, and in some ways a victim but  there is not as much emphasis on the victimised side of him in the film as the film follows him as he tracks down the kidnapper of his daughter. The film is 'Taken'.



Narratives
The 5 most common narratives are death, red herrings, being watched or followed and deception. With further reference to 'Taken' there is a lot of death involved in the film as he kills all opposing characters who get in his way. Suspense and tension are very common in films, this is usually due to a character being unknowingly watched or followed, the audience have a view of what is happening and they build questions on what is going to happen to this person  being watched/followed. This links in to the common thriller characters as the person may become a victim of murder if the follower has such intentions. The narrative of deception also links into the character of victim for obvious reasons, and possibly criminal.

Themes
The narrative of deception intertwines with the themes of revenge and gain, although not in all cases. It has been known in thriller films for characters to be deceptive and for the victim of it to seek revenge, these things link in to death in that violence is usually incurred causing some characters to die. We can now see an emerging running pattern through all of these aspects, there always seem to be opposing characters and events are seen because of the nature of their relationship. For example, in 'Law Abiding Citizen', the main character played by Gerard Butler feels a victim of deception and is out for revenge for the majority of the film, he causes death and destruction on his way whilst opposing the police and the general idea of authority after having seen the criminal (another previously mentioned thriller character) slip away from justice with ease.

Iconography
Commonly used items, now seen as icons of the thriller genre include, bars, running water and confined spaces. To begin, bars may not necessarily mean actual metal bars, they may be symbolised by other objects on bigger or smaller scales, for example, in 'Panic Room', during the opening many tall buildings are shown and we occasionally end up nearing the bottom with a poor view of something other than the buildings, feeling trapped. And of course being trapped is a connotation of bars. This links into confined spaces, these may be shown in places such as jails or a victim/criminal being surrounded by people.

Thriller- Character

We came up with the idea of the little girl character as we were all familiar with it, after having seen it in other horror/thrillers. An example is the little girl in the horror/thriller 'REC'.

We thought this character would be effective in creating tension and suspense. The age-stage of the character provides a sense of innocence about her but, in our thriller, the altered, after-life version of the girl raises questions for the audience, such as what is she capable of? does she have sinister intentions?

Thriller Opening- Costumes, Props and Objects

Click here to see the costumes, props and objects post.

Thriller Schedule

We have been discussing a schedule and I have made this post to give an overview of our group's intentions with regards to filming times. We have agreed that Emily, Ed and I will use one lesson on monday 14^th to film the prologue clip showing the girl alive and playing. For this we will just need a camera as we will be filming it handheld. We may also use Ed's phone to help it give a more homemade effect. Then we are using a Media double lesson on thursday 17^th to film the rest of the thriller opening. Ed is collecting the equipment at the end of the day on wednesday. We are meeting at the school at 8:30 and then biking to the house we are filming at. We should be able to get the filming done in the just over 2 hours that we have.

Thriller Opening- Conventions

I have made this post for our group regarding the typical thriller conventions which we have tried to incorporate in our thriller. In our opening we aim to incorporate many of the conventions of the thriller genre. With only the opening to go by, the girl could be a choice of characters, she could be a victim, in that she could have been killed and merely wants people to understand her and help her. But also she could be evil, a criminal in that in the opening she seems quite vicious and it looks like she aims to harm the other characters, so she may be a killer.

We also aim to make sure the narrative conforms to the conventions of a thriller, we are going to attempt to get across to the audience that someone is being watched i.e. the pizza delivery boy, also death is shown in the opening, both by the dead body in the swimming pool in the implication of death when the girl is standing behind the father, with her body language showing sinister intent.

In addition, we aim to include the usual themes of the thriller genre, one of which being revenge, at least that is what could be suggested to the audience in that we see the girls body and then she seems to be out to make someone suffer when she is suspiciously standing behind her father in the shadows. Linking in to that, shadows is part of the thriller iconography we want to use, this helps to create suspense and tension, it also adds to the malice of whatever is in the shadows, in this case the girl. To help with the darkness we plan to edit our filming on a computer so that it has a night time effect. This is easier, and leaves the film with better quality, than filming in quite dark conditions.

Following on from the shadows iconography, we also plan to use water in the film, both by the swimming pool and rain, which, unless raining anyway, we plan to use a hose to create.

All these things we have decided to include I think will help us greatly in creating an effective thriller.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Thriller Opening- Soundtrack

Click here to see the soundtrack post

I think the soundtrack is very good in that it suits the purpose of the thriller genre, helping to create tension, also parts of the soundtrack will be useful in emphasising particular parts of the opening, for example the short sharp sound after a period of quite quiet sound could be used when the pizza delivery boy sees the dead body to put emphasis on the shock and suspicion of the sight of her. Moreover, the music is effective in building emotion in the audience, for example, simply a boy cycling up someone's drive is not particularly tense or scary, but when the music is added to it, although we have not actually made this mixture yet, it should be very effective in adding tension/suspense to the opening, and therefore help it fit into the thriller genre.

Jack made the soundtrack on GarageBand.

Addition after teacher's comment:
I think one of the main aspects of this soundtrack is much alike many other thriller music. For example, in the Se7en opening, the sound that is heard from the start gives the feeling of eery emptiness, with sharp sounds in the background. The sound heard from the beginning of the soundtrack created by Jack is quite similar, with the eeryness accompanied by sharp sounds coming in as it progresses, suggesting pain/danger is lurking in an isolated area.

Thriller Opening- Characters

Click here to see the Thriller Characters Post

I think the casting of the characters helps the thriller effect and the realism of it. I am cast as the pizza delivery boy because the height difference between me and the father of the supposedly dead daughter is quite big, emphasising the youth of the pizza delivery boy, and with youth could come vulnerability, so any danger shown in the film holds special presence when the boy is involved.

Profile
Male
16 Years Old
Friendly
Innocent, just trying to get his job done



Emily is cast as the daughter of the owner of the house, we chose to use a young girl character as it is a common character in thrillers, as it is can be scary. So we chose Emily as of course she is a girl and she is quite small, helping to show how young the character is. This character is seen near the beginning of the film, seemingly floating dead in the swimming pool. She is then spotted in an upstairs window, and again behind her father looking as though as is about to harm or shock the other characters. This character is very significant in the film in helping to create tension and suspense.

Profile
Female
Very young, about 7 years old
This is a ghost of the dead girl, haunting her house and seems intent on harming somebody, possibly in revenge for her death


Ed is the father of the girl, we are using him for this character as his large build is best suited to an older, father figure and the contrast in height with the boy adds to the boys vulnerability. He is wearing a shirt and tie to make him seem older and more sophisticated; somebody living in such a nice and large property would take pride in their appearance, this is shown in the well-kept gardens. Also the formal dressing makes him seem more intelligent, which the character would be in order to afford such a large property.

Profile
Male
About 45 years old
Living alone after his daughter died, quite vulnerable
Intelligent, polite and friendly

Thriller Opening- Synopsis

I have made a synopsis for our group's project to get across the main story of our thriller opening. It begins with the girl playing in the garden with her father, with an old fashioned footage effect showing that it was in the past. Then it skips to the present time with a pizza delivery boy cycling up the drive of the father's house, as he approaches the house he notices a girl's body floating on the swimming pool, but when he runs closer to investigate there is no body in the pool. He then notices the same girl standing in a top window of the house with a teddy bear, wearing a night gown. He knocks on the door and whilst making the delivery to the man who lives there he mentions that he saw his daughter in the window. The man's response then shows the audience that the girl has in fact been dead for a long time. The girl is then seen behind her father, the film then ends leaving it open to many possible storylines.

Analysis:
The old footage effect not only shows that it was in the past, but also implies many other things. Maybe for the father, the happy and carefree times such as that are sorely missed by him and they are playing over and over in his mind. It also suggests to the audience that something has happened since then, to completely change the lives of the people involved, urging them to keep watching and find out.

By there being a body in the pool, it shows that this place may be dangerous and something is going to happen, but also because the body is then gone, many questions are asked by the audience, and the thing behind all of this is completely unknown, possibly supernatural, this creates suspense and tension.

By having the girl standing behind her father and out of sight of the pizza delivery boy, she is under the radar and is, in a sense, in control of the situation, with the ability to cause harm to these characters, well that is what is implied by the recent events. Also with the experience of media exposure the audience will have, this type of character features quite a lot in films and can be quite vicious. And, as we assume she is dead, she seems even more powerful in that how could she be harmed by anybody??


In the making of the plot, we tried to involve conventions of a thriller, for example, death, victims, criminals, being watched, running water and shadows, For greater detail, see the conventions post.

Thriller Opening- Storyboard

This is a preliminary storyboard outlining the key events and basic camera shots we intend to involve. We will create an updated one to show more in depth information with regards to camera shots, transitions and timings.

Thriller Opening Analysis- Se7en

Institutions: The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey. The production companies include Cecchi Gori Pictures and New Line Cinema. In the UK it was released in January 1996, in the USA it was released in September 1995. The estimated budget for this film is $33,000,000, and the gross worldwide is $316,400,000.

Sound: The opening has a strong and constant beat to accompany the visuals, it sounds metallic, forceful and makes the scene eery. The metallic effect in the sound gives the effect of construction, materials being scraped together and dragged along machinery, giving it a sinister edge in that the dragging holds connotations of someone being attacked, and possibly someone suffering, therefore straight away creating tension for the audience. The constant sound of this construction, along with the suspicious actions shown on camera, suggest that the character is spending endless hours concocting evil plots, or building some form of weapon. The constant beat in the background of the music, when added to the rest of the non-diegetic sound, provides a feel of lots of things coming together to construct something, almost like being inside an unusual, evil factory. One of the sounds reminds me of screaming, suggesting that this work being done is ultimately for the pain and suffering of others, giving the audience the idea that the character shown (small parts of the character anyway) is sinister, creating further tension for the audience. This relates to the thriller as a genre in that it suggests there will be a victim, therefore I assume there will be some form of detective, the way the character is shown in this clip says that he is a psycho, his activities and environment show this.

Credits: The style of writing used for the credits connotes many things to the audience helping them to draw ideas on what plot and characters the film contains. It is erratic and scruffy, suggesting the character shown, and possibly others shown further on in the film are rough, unapproachable and have an evil side. As opposed to writing that fades in, is bold and the movement of it, if any, is very slow, this would connote calm, kindness and reliability.

Mise-en-scene: One of the objects shown is photos of people, suggesting that they are a target of the person being filmed, also the character seems to be making some sort of book so maybe the person in the photos has already fallen prey to this person and is being recorded in this book, suggesting this person is a serial killer, keeping record of all his 'achievements'. This possible personality of the character relates to the usual conventions of the thriller genre, in that there is an assassin/psycho. Also, typical thriller narratives include being watched, (or voyeurism), this is included by showing photos of the target/victim. The colours used in the opening are very dark; greys and blacks. These colours can represent age, death and emptiness. This represents the character as being hollow in emotion and compassion, his life and aims are centred around death, bringing it on other people. This creates an atmosphere around this character and his environment of danger, leaving the audience in suspense as they don't know what this character is going to do and what disgusting things will happen in that dark and evil place. This aura around the character is also connoted in the picture of the ugly, disfigured hands. This suggests his mind is bent and far different from a normal person, and that his way of thinking is sick and twisted.

Semiology: The camera angles represent the erraticness of the character, both in actions and mind; the evil he is capable of and his ability to not get caught. This is all shown through short and sometimes scratched, blurred and just generally distorted camera shots. This representation also shows he is hard to get a fix on, understand his thoughts, have an idea of what he will do next. This creates fear and tension in that the audience feel any innocent person in the film could get hurt due to this characters unstable mental state, not only can we not grasp the character in these ways but it is hard to even imagine the things he will do to make people suffer. As mentioned above, this also represents one of the thriller genre's key narratives; death, also we can make an estimation that most deaths, at least the ones caused by the character shown in the opening, are pre-determined, adding to both the evil and twisted personality of the character, and the tension of the film, in that the audience know the deaths will be quite horrific, therefore the film will carry suspense in that they have to wait and see what kind of suffering people have to endure at the hands of this character. The idea of pre-determined murders are also shown in that the only part of the character shown on camera is his hands, connoting a 'hands on' approach and desired detail and planning in his activities i.e. murders.