Props

For the filming of our Thriller opening, we will need a multiple of props to help bring the theme across (Thriller) and to bring out the key elements of what we are trying to put across during the opening of the film.

The props we will need to include in our filming will be:
- Big Boots - will be worn by the man in the film
- Black bag (with tools inside) - to show that the man is coming from somewhere where he has used weapons.
- Radio - for when the news report come on, to report about the murder
- Clock - to show the time he reaches in, which then relate to the time the murder took place.
- Posters of celebrities - that he has murdered or tortured, (the will have red 'X' on them, to show they have a victim.
- A piece of black hair - of he singer (celebrity) he has just been to.
- Microphone - to show that the girl is a singer
- Make-Up bag - which will be all over the dressing table, to show shes going to do something important and to show that she like to look good.
- Water bottle - to go on the dressing table
- Fruit Bowl -to go on the dressing table
- Document papers - for when she want to find out tour dates as the man walks through the door.

Location Information

For our thriller opening we had to decide on a location. Based on our story line we decided that backstage of a theatre venue would be most suitable for the dressing room scene. Theatre's we have in mind is TheFairfield Halls, Battersea Arts Centre, The Warehouse Theatre or the Brit Schools make up room. We chose these venues because they will have the right format of a dressing room (i.e. with the lights around the mirrors and dressing table). To be able to film with permission in these venues, we will have to get into contact with the right people (as some of them may have showcases/events going on at this time).

In the scene where the fans are outside, we decided to film it backstage of the venue we are successful with. If we get into a professional theatre backstage we will use their corridors to film Meron walking. If we end up with the Brit make up room, we will film outside the Media editing suite (with Meron walking down the stairs) and outside of the make up room.

For the scene with the man at his home, the location was at Shanice'shouse as her house could be transformed to look the part and she had most of the background furniture (e.g. the sofa, white walls and some of the props).

Storyboard

This is the Storyboard for our opening thriller - Serial Celeb, where the shots are named and there is a description of each shot.

Storyboard 1:

Storyboard 2:

Storyboard 3:

Storyboard 4:

Production schedule

This is our Production Schedule, where we specify, where we film, when when we film, what we film & who is included in the filming.

1. The first day of filming
Date: Friday 27th November
Time:4pm-5.30pm
Location: Shanice's House
We will be filming the scene of the man at his home. The character will be played by Ishmail. He will have to wear black/dark clothes (Blackhoodie, black jeans, big boots) to show loneliness and no personality, it also makes him look suspicious (when wearing a hoodie).
The props we will be using on this date is,
- Big boots
- Black bag (with tools)
- Radio
- Pictures of celebrities
- A piece of black hair
- Clock

2. The second day of filming
Date: Tuesday 1stth November
Time: 2pm-4.15pm
Location: The Brit schools Make-Up room
We will be filming the scene when the celebrity is backstage with her bodyguard, making their way to her dressing room. The singer celebrity will be played by Meron (as she it most suitable for the part). The singer (celebrity) in the film is very glamours /(wearing sunglasses and high heals), and dresses in expensive designer clothes. She acts very much like a diva (being bossy & knowing what she wants).
The props used for this scene are:
- Microphone
- Make-Up bag
- Water bottle
- Fruit Bowl
- Documents/papers

3. The third day of filming
Date: Thursday 26th November
Time: 11.30am-1.30pm
Location: The Brit schools Make-Up Room

4. The fourth day of filming
Date: Wednesday 27th November
Time: 2pm-3.30pm
We will be filming the parts that need re-touching.

Thriller outline

For our thriller openings, I am in a group with Meron and Ishmail. Together we planned and put together ideas of what out thriller opening could be about.


We came up with our final idea which is about a mysterious man that murders famous female Singer, Celebrities.
He reaches inside his home (we want to give the impression that he is coming in from doing something suspicious) and put down his bag, washes his hands, and tuns on the radio. When the radio is switched on, the news update is on. The reporter reports that there has been a murder of a well known singer. While the man sits alone in the dark on his sofa, flash backs occur.
The first flash back is of a celebrity with her bodyguard, walking through backstage doors (while her fans are outside, screaming for her). She then tell her bodyguard to go an get something for her. At this point the celebrity is all alone in her dressing room.
A shadow then appears in front of her door, he then enters in. The celebrity then turns and See's him and asks him 'Have you sorted out the Tour dates yet?'.
After, there is then a black out (where her picture drops on the floor, in a black surrounding). The titles then come up.


We had to present our ideas to the rest of our class mates, then receive feedback and ways of improvement. Changes we made to our idea was from having a TV News report to just hearing the news on the radio. This change was suggested because it wasn't going to be easy to make a TV studio. Presenting our idea helped improve our planning , because we received a lot of feedback/new and improved ideas to take into consideration. It also got us thinking about making our ideas possible to do practically.

Character Profiles

There are four main characters in our opening thriller:

1. The celebrity in our thriller is called Mezza, she is about 19 years old and is very diva-like. She is a successful singer who is into her looks. She is also very demanding, especially over her bodyguard.

2. Not much is known about the killers personal life. All we know is that he lives by himself in his flat with pictures of his victims faces on the wall. He wears heavy black clothing to keep himself anonymous. Throughout our whole piece, we never see his face.

3. Mezza's bodyguard is a big, kind hearted character who would do literally anything for her, even if they do sound impossible. He is also pushed around a little by Mezza.

4. News reporter (voice)

Shot list

For our Thriller opening we will have specific shots we use (throughout), which are the following:

1. Close up shot - on the big boots of the murderer as the door opens.
2. Mid-shot - As he drops his bag on the floor
3. Close up - washes his hands under the tap
4. Close up - He turns on the radio (a red light comes on, to indicate the radio is on).
5. Long shot (from the back) - He walks across kitchen, to the living room (to the sofa).
6. Mid-Close up - of him sitting, with is head down (His face is not revealed, as there's a shadow)
Eye Level/panning shot- focus at his pictures (of his victims, he has killed in the past). He looks along the line, to the next victim.

7. (Flash back) mid-shot/high angle - The celebrity comes in through a backstage door
8. Mid-close up shot - of the man sitting in the same position, looking down
9. (Flash back) High angle/point of view - a view as if he's watching watch her and her body guard walk down the corridor
10. Mid shot - of the man sitting, he then reaches for his pocket
11. Close up of him putting his hand in his pocket
12. (Flash back) 2 shot - celebrity tells the body guard to go an get the running order for her, she then walks into her changing room.
13. Mid shot - He is now holding and looking at piece of someones hair.
14. (Flash back) Personal point of view - he walks towards her door (with her name on it), with his shadow outline on the door.
15. Over the shoulder shot - He stands up and puts the hair on the picture
16. (Flash back) Mid shot - The camera is looking through the mirror (while she looks in the mirror) the door opens (mid way).
17. Mid-close up - she turns around, with dialogue saying ' James, What took you so long? Have you confirmed our tour dates yet?'
18. Black out, and with a black surrounding, the picture drops with her face and hair on it. The title comes up.

Music

Music in thrillers is very important as it helps to build the mood in the film, as well as building tension and suspense. Most pieces of music in thrillers follow a certain pattern where they crescendo to get gradually build suspense within the audience. Instruments used aremostly orchestraic, the most popular being a violin.

Actors

Most actors that have starred in a thriller film are now a-list stars and have starred in more than one thriller.

Matt Damon is an american actor who has starred in many hollywood blockbusters including Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen, Stuck On You and Brothers Grimm. In the thriller genre, he is most known for his roles as Jason Bourne in the Bourne trilogy. All three films recieved generally all round good reviews, with some criticising the use of camera work. The highest grossing film was The Bourne Ultimatum, recieving $441.2 million worldwide,each sequel grossing higher than the previous.

Other actors and actresses include Uma Thurman, John Travolta and Denzel Washington.

Directors

Some of the most successful directors in the world have got to there success through a thriller film.



Alfred Hitchcock was a British producer and filmaker who exceled among others in creating suspense and the phycological thriller genre. In his earliest work he made silents films. He directed more than fifty films over sixty years, with his work still living on till today. He is often regarded as the greatest filmaker of all time and in 2007 was ranked #1 by film critics in The Telegraph's list of 21 greatest British directors. Some of his films are Rebecca, Suspicion, Spellbound and most notably Psycho.

D.J. Caruso started off his career directing for TV shows eventually directing his first feature film in 2002, The Salton Sea. He then directed a few other not so successful films, until his big break came in his 2007 hit, Disturbia. Starring Shia LaBeouf, the film grossed over $117 million, only starting on a $20 million budget. He then directed a second film starring LaBeouf called Eagle Eye, which recieved mixed reviews.

Steven Spielberg perhaps one of the world's most known director, producer and screenwriter, has had a run of successful films which have rightly changed the film industry forever. Jaws, E.T., and Jurassic Park just to name a few.

Target audiences

The target audience of a thriller can vary depending on the genre however I would say anyone from 16 or maybe even 18 due to the heavy plot line. I think male adults are the most targeted audience for crime or action thrillers because of the all the action, however females are also catered for because the main chracter in a thriller is usually an a-list Hollywood actor i.e Denzel Washington, Daniel Craig, Matt Damon. Horror thrillers could be for any gender as there is usually a young mixed gender cast which is also suitable for older teens.

Locations, set design, costume and props

Settings and locations play a big part in uncovering the story in thrillers. Especially in genres such as crime and action where they are set in major cities such as London and New York. These are popular locations because of how busy they are, how they look and sound on camera and also because they give us an everyday insight on 'normal' people's lives. Car chases and explosions usually happen on these busy streets which add tension. In crime, action, spy, and some other thrillers, the set designs can vary from being very busy and cramped, to spacious and isolated. If a scene is being shot in a busy set design this can tell us that something big is about to happen or important. A busy set design could contain loads of obstacles, walls, mirrors, etc in. If a director uses a derelict, spacious set, this usually means they don't want to give anything away about the location to create confusion for the character and the audience. These kinds of sets are used mostly in spy and crime thrillers. They could have as little as just four walls, a window, a light and a chair in the corner. The costumes worn are usually smart, formal clothes i.e suits, hats, and overcoats, worn especially in crime, spy and action thrillers to hide and protect identities. The props can be anything but are mostly weapons however can be books, briefcases, papers, etc.

Action thriller in detail

I think one of the most well known sub-genre, action and its elements are in almost everything we view today. They are fast paced and contain alot of violence. Explosions, guns, fast vehicles and a large area for this to all happen in are always present. These films can also contain elements from the mystery and crime genre.

Thriller sub-genres?

Thrillers are sometimes hard to define because of the many sub-genres they include, with even these having other more elements from other genres. These could be action thriller, crime thriller, religious thriller, spy thriller, sci-fi thriller and many more. Perhaps the most popular are crime and action, which have spawned films and books such as the James Bond franchise, Bourne films, Seven and The Godfather.

Prelim Task

This is our final piece after editing. It was really fun filming and editing this. We used extras to add to the atmosphere of a prison visitor's room.

Editing

This was a new experience for me, but an excellent one. It was really fun learning how to edit and seeing our work come together. It took a while to get the hang of it, but we got it in the end. The hardest part of editing was trying to mark in and out the precise frame that you want. We finished our piece, but needs a few more tweeks for perfection!

Prelim Task (Filming)

This was our second time using the camera but this time felt a little more confident eventhough it was me directing and filming the whole film this time. Our brief was to film someone entering a room, walking across, interacting with another person, and then leaving. The overview of our piece was a mum visiting her son in prison,but ending up in the prisoner storming out. We shot this in the school canteen because we felt it resembled a prison visitor's room. However we had a few problems filming it there as it was very loud in the background and people were constantly walking around. To add to the scenery, we included about 10 extras. Our first shot was of the mum looking nervous and agitated, so we made her play with her hands. Then we had a tracking shot of the son entering the room and then sitting down, using a two shot. We continued with the two shot when the two actors were talking, but also used over the shoulder shots and reverse shots,remembering the 180 degrees rule. We also filmed a flashback which showed why he was in prison, using POV and over the shoulder which was successful but needs editing because we wanted to make it black and white.The exit was a long shot, still having both people in shot.

I would improve a few things if we had more time.I felt we planned it out very well. I would try and find a more controlled environment to film. Spend more times on the shots to perfect them.

Now can't wait to edit and see the end product.

1st time using camera

Thiswas afirst using a camera like that but very enjoyable. I learnt how to operate it safely, and with my group, had to film a short piece of someones journey in school, remembering to include many of the shots we had learnt. The first piece of filming we did was of me walking up the stairs, using a close up shot on my shoes. Then we used a two shot of me interacting with someone in the corridor. Our third was one i directed and filmed, and I used a close up of somones hand pressing the button for the lift then a long shot of her getting in the lift. Ending with an establishing shot rising fromthe feet to the face and them leaving the lift.
Doing this wasmoredifficult then I had thought because when youhave a shot in mind, it is sometimes hard to create for real. If I could do this again I would plan the whole thing in more detail. Controlthe situation around a bit better, and speed up.

Se7en

Seven (also marketed as Se7en) is a 1995 American crime film directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. The story follows a retiring detective (Morgan Freeman) and his replacement (Brad Pitt), jointly investigating a series of ritualistic murders inspired by the seven deadly sins*.

Again, this was another good opening three minutes to a film and caught my attention. The titles,which come a little later in the film are very uncomforting and a little disturbing. The scene plays an important part in the film as it contributes to the plot. The font used reflects someone's writing, with the titles constantly flickering,creating unease among the audience. We see pictures of crimescenes and dead people which freak the audience. We hear lots of screaming sounds as we see these pictures which adds to the effect. POV is used alot to bring the audience places they don't want to be.

*source-wikipedia.org

Momento

Memento is a 2000 psychological thriller written and directed by Christopher Nolan, adapted from his brother Jonathan's short story "Memento Mori". It stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance fraud investigator searching for the man he believes raped and killed his wife during a burglary. Leonard has anterograde amnesia, which he developed as a result of the severe head trauma during the attack on his wife*.

I haven't seen many thriller films, but this one instantly grabbed my attention. The opening titles were a blue font which represented cold emotion, and they also faded away which could mean a loss in the film. The titles also kept in time with the poloroid picture that was on screen.

The shots used gave a sense that we were there. POV was used when looking at the picture and then an establishing shot of the murder scene. The firat three minutes were also interesting because you realise that is being played in reverse, which makes you want to watch more.

*source-wikipedia.org

Looking at past students

We got the chance to view some thriller clips of past students, which some were very good. One in paticular I felt had alot of elements that a thriller would have, 'End Of The Line'. Alot of the shots used were quick which made the viewer feel lost and confused. The backing track also gives the audience a nervous feeling. The shot of the clock and the actors eyes also builds tension. It was interesting looking at these videos because it shows that you don't have to have the most experience to create a short thriller that does its job.

Shots

In our first lesson, our task was to match an image to the correct shot name, these shots included:

Extreme Close Up
Close Up
Big Close Up
Medium Close Up
Long Shot
Medium Long Shot
Two Shot
Over The Shoulder Shot
POV

ANGLES

Low Angle
High Angle
Worms Eye
Birds Eye
Canted
Eye Level

The canted angle was new to me. It is a shot where the camera has tilted to make the shot or scene look on an angle. This comes into effect when you want to make the audience feel disorientated and confused. It is also used when someone falls to the floor or when someone is drunk.



MOVEMENTS

Pan
Crab
Tracking
Zooming
Tilt
Ped
Handheld and steady cam

Many of these were new to me as well, pan, crab and ped.

Introduction to Thriller Films

In our introduction to thrillers, we had to brainstorm what we thought the properties of thrillers were. Some of these included:

-Lighting
-POV
-Twist
-Tension

Alot of the thoughts put foward were ones I would also identify with thrillers.

We then got to view past students examples of their thriller films. Many of these I enjoyed as the shots used were interesting and well executed, as well as adding tension. It was interesting to see why and when they used there specific shots. In 'End of the Line', many of the shots used were fast to add that extra tension and suspense to the plot.

My first introduction!

My name is Ishmail Salmon. I am a new student to media studies, but am very keen to learn new things. I enjoy watching all genres of Film and TV, and now want to be part of being behind the cameras, analysing and comparing all aspects of media, as well as broadening my knowledge of what is media. I chose media for many reasons, the most important,gain experience using the cameras and directing.