Props for our Thriller opening

We have used google earth to find two maps - one satellite and one road map to use in our thriller opening. We shall draw red lines over the map and crosses as "suspected routes" that the 'murderer' in our thriller could have taken as escape routes.






We are also going to use an image that will be classed as our victim and blown up quite big, so that the audience can see clearly that they are dead. This is the image below that we are going to use:



We are also going to have a couple of images of fingerprints in our thriller to make it more realistic. We found these on google which we are going to use:

Costume for our Thriller Opening

This picture shows the costume that the detective will be wearing in the thriller opening. The particular focus is the coat because its is not too stereotypical but quite smart.

Top Tips for Filming

We have a few top tips that we have come across when filming.

• ALWAYS know exactly what and where you are filming -  this way you know if anything will interupt or make an unwanted sound whilst filming.
• check the location first so you can asses any problems you may come across. This way when it comes to the day of your filming it should all run smoothly.
• The best way to keep a steady picture is to use a tripod so that it keeps the camera still and still and focused.
• Check the weather. Depending on the weather you may or may not be able to film outside, if it rains and the camera gets wet then you may have to be buying a new camera.
• Try to know what you are going to film as this way there is no last minute filming in an unknown area that you have not checked, also knowing what you are filming means it wont take more time than needed and things wont get complicated.
• Make a shotlist and stick to it. This way you have a clear plan of what you have to do, and its practicaly a visual check list of your shots.

Target Audience For Our Thriller

Our target audience age is from 15 and up. Not just because we have certified that this is our certificate age for our film, but also because younger people would probably not appreciate or find it as interesting as older people would. The film is aimed at both male and female, as there is no particular gender selected for watching this film as it is not a romance or an action packed man film, it has been made for both genders to watch. People who are most interested in crime thrillers, or crime stories are more likely to enjoy the film more because its something they enjoy watching and could relate to real life news that they are interested in.
We think that the film will appeal to our target audience because a lot of 15 year olds enjoy thrillers because they like the tention and thrill that thrillers give to an audience when they watch. our thriller will appeal to our target audience because the story line isn't too complicated to understand and it's creative, which appeals to a younger audience.

The most similar crime thrillers that relate to our film that our target audience would like are "murder by numbers" due to the story line of a murder, and "Identity", which has a very similar opening to our thriller.

Test Footage

We think that our test shooting went really well. Although we didn't add transitions in the editing, the way we filmed the scenes worked really well.
There are a few things that we are going to change in our footage when we shoot the real thing - such as having a male detecive instead if a female, photographs as 'evidence' and the fact that the detective will have a glass of water and pills and be in a kitchen, rather than in a bathroom where they are sloshing water into their face.
this is our test footage below, we have added titles throughout to annotate the clips where we need to change things or to show what we think has worked best. We didn't add any sound or effects to the footage as this task was only to think mainly about what type of shots we were going to use and how they have worked.

Childrens film Evaluation

After watching our Children's Film we spotted a number of things that we could improve on in our Thriller project.

Such as;
- Allowing more time to edit the clips together.

- Making sure the shots run smoothly and link together well.

- The use of the match on action shot wasn't smooth which affected the continuity of the opening sequence. 

-  The music was not empathetic; allow more time to compose any music or soundtrack needed and to make sure it fits in with the appropriate scene.

- To develop and make our titles more complex and enable them to link with the genre or plot well.
(The points marked in red are the things that I feel I really need to concentrate on and improve for my thriller opening sequence)



However in our clip we also managed to spot any skills or aspects that was positive within our opening sequence:
- The acting from the characters within the clip was realistic.
- There was a good amount of simple dialogue which helped to represent the storyline.

- The credits were colourful; links well to the children's film genre.
- The storyline wasn't too complicated for the target audience.

- We used a variety of shot distances including close up, establishing shot, long shots and pans.

(The points marked in green is what I feel were my strengths in my childrens opening sequence)

Looking back at our Childrens Film

We had to look back at our childrens film and analyse the good things about it and things we needed to change to make it better.

3 things we would like to change are:

•  The sound throughout the film, worked quite well, but could have been better by flowing more and blending in with the scenes.
• It was easy for us to make out the story line, but it may not have been as easy for others to follow and so we could have made it slightly easier to understand.
• We used a lot of the same transitions, and so it would have been more interesting to use a varied type.

3 things we like about our childrens film:

• We matched the sound to certain moments in the film, like the laughing of the bullies and also the shutting of the door, which were exactly in time.
• We feel as though we framed the shots well because we included all the props, and the settings in the scenes, making it easier to understand where Betty is.
• We shot appropriate material to the certificate and rules set by the teacher.

This is the link to our childrens film and blog below:
http://52longroadchildrensfilm10.blogspot.com/ :-)


The group who watched our chidren's film told us three positive things about our childrens film and 2 negatives.
The three positives are;

• All the shots flowed well and were edited together nicely
• The mise-en-scene was well created
• The music was good and linked well with the genre and plot

Two things to improve are;

• Transitions between music clips
• The quality of the opening sequence as it is a bit blurry

The things that we have highlighted in red are things that we believe we really need to improve. The group that looked at our childrens film also though that the sound needed to be better transitioned and we thought that we still thought making the plot easier to understand would be an important point.
The things that we highlighted in green are the things that we believe to be most important positive notes on our childrens film.

What we need to do to improve with our thriller project
After looking at the points we made and feedback from another group, we have decided that the best way of improving is to spend more time editing the clips, so that wecan make things flow better and the sound can be mixed better by fading in and out so that it isnt as jumpy and switches all of a sudden. We must make sure that to make our new projects story line is easier to understand by not changing the setting too quickly, as it will make it simpler for the audience to follow and understand as to where the character/s involved are going next.

Draft Script for our Thriller Opening

Script

The camera scans across rigidly the black and white photographs of the victim as well as the documents typed up by the investigators. Maps are laid out all over the table with red lines and crosses drawn over them, showing routes that the murderer could have taken and the place of the murder. After a while, you see the detective picking up items from the table he is working at and inspecting them closely with the magnifying glass under the lamp. A close-up shot is taken of the detectives face looking very uneasy as he's looking at the case. The camera moves swiftly on back to the case, zooming in even closer on to the evidence and scanning across it. A glass of water will be sitting on a table top with a packet of paracetamol that will be opened. You will only be able to see the hands opening the paracetamol and the glass being picked up when the scene will be cut completely to a black out where the title of the film come across.

the reason that our script is so short is because most of what the audience are going to see will be images and short montaged clips which will make the introduction more interesting and more mysterious.

Our first Call Shot List

Sheet 1

Set A small confined room; a study.

Scene 1,2,3 and 4 (no need to change into a different room because it is all situated in the same place other than when the detective will get up to get a drink with his paracetamol.

Synopsis

For these scenes the camera will video things hand held to make the shots more suspenseful and interesting. The first scene will be videoing the props.

The second scene will be videoing the detective looking at all the props and 'evidence'.

The thrid scene will be videoing a close-up shot of the detectives face looking uneasy as the case is what he has a big fear of and so filming this hand held will add even more suspense.

The forth scene will be videoing more evidence from the scene of the crime that the detective has been looking at.
Location
The location of these shots will be made in one room, where it will be quite dark giving an eerie atmosphere and with only a lamp looking at the images and items on the table making it even more mysterious when the film is put together.

Cast members
Tim will be the only acting member of the cast in the clip as we will only be featuring one main character in our opening credits other than the victim which we will use photographs of.
Costumes
The only needed costume will be Tims' as he is the only character being filmed. He will need to be wearing neat yet slightly casual clothing – a shirt with tidy trousers and his detectives coat so that he does look like he is working and in the proper role of our protagonist.

Props

• Magnifying glass
• Detectives coat
• Maps
• Photographs
• Previous similar cases information
• Glass of water
• 'Paracetamol' (this will not be real medication however we will use something that looks similar.

Any other information:

• The camera will be collected from college at 4:10pm on Friday 11^th February until 9am on Monday. Caroline will collect it and bring it back.
• We will video most of these shoots in college as it will be easier to find a small room to video in and film the drinking of water outside of college in a kitchen.

Six Feet Under - Opening Credits Sequence

The opening sequence to this thriller series is very interesting. The music doesn't really match the clips you see, as i was expecting something slightly more eerie and mysterious rather than eerie and up beat. The shots used are very interesting as i really like the way that things have been filmed, it makes the shots very dramatic and gives it a very clinical and hospitalised feel. I really like the way that the credits names of people who took part are put on the clear flask, because it makes it more interesting to look at rather than just having them at the bottom of the screen sliding across. I also think that the close up shots and jumps in the sound track when the shots are made make things slightly more on edge for the viewer, keeping you on the edge of your seat. When you see the flower die in one of the clips, it is quite an emotional shot as it is quite symbolic to life as well as telling the viewer that a lot of the things you are going to see on screen are going to involve death in a subtle way, which is in forced more into the viewers mind when you see the coffin being carried out of the car and a gravestone. One last thing that i noticed is that at the beginning, you see a tree which is then shown with two hands - one younger than the other, and at the end you see the tree again, almost symbolizing a cycle.

Vantage Point - Political Thriller Clip Analysis

The creepy and mismatched cuttings at the beginning of this film build up suspense as to the plot of this film. The music also adds, being eerie and catchy to listen to, immediately getting the viewers attention as to what the thriller is going to be about. The images are in an almost sepia type of colour tone, making what you are watching even more intriguing. As the title of the film slowly fixes itself into place, the music becomes louder and even more eerie, keeping the viewer locked into what is about to happen. As ambient music is played and  an american voice is heard, its easy to tell that the thriller you are about to watch is not going to involve aliens or something sci-fi and that it is going to be quite realistic. The quick cuts from images and immediate changes in the voices from different people speaking to the public makes things even more interesting to the viewer as they try to understand what exactly is going on as they can never quite tell what the people are talking about and so makes the opening even more mysterious and adds to the eerie effect. The clothing that you see the people wearing in this opening scene is nothing out of the ordinary, making it even more relate-able for the viewer and to help them feel comfortable as people like them are going to be involved in this film. It soon becomes clear that what you can hear is lots of news reports, from when the camera focuses in to one story in particular. The genre of the film also becomes clear very quickly within the first couple of minutes as you find out that what you are about to watch is a Political Thriller due to the news lady's dialogue. Shortly after, the music becomes suspenseful again as the news reporters start to film and focus in on who is arriving with the police guiding their transport. Dialogue helps us to understand that whoever this person is, they are of great importance, and you soon find out that it is in fact the president. The sound becomes even more eerie, especially when one of the presidents important persons look up at what appear to be guards with snipers at the top of the building, looking out for any trouble that can be handled quickly and swiftly. All of a sudden when the president is giving a speech that the news people are filming, he is shot and screams can be heard as well as appearing the background suspenseful and creepy music to the situation. All the characters have no idea what to do, and so you feel for them from their facial expression of shock that helps the audience to feel the same way too.

This is the clip below:

Call Sheet

This is a call sheet that we found on the internet.
"The easiest way to make a schedule is to get a separate piece of paper for each scene and write on it:

• A short description of what happens in it
• Who is in it
• And where it takes place.
• Having them up on a big board or wall allows everyone to see the plan and make suggestions based on any info they might have.

List anything you think is important on the breakdown sheet.
If you have more than one location you could consider using different coloured paper, or a coloured sticker or marker pen to ID each location. Once you have all your scenes onto breakdown sheets you should pin them up on a wall or board already marked up with columns to represent the days you are filming. This is the basis of a Shooting Schedule."

As our location is going to remain indoors, we do not need alternate colours for our location as we are not covering a wide area, and it is all under one roof.
Below we have designed our own on word:

Sheet ___      Set____________________________________________________________________________

Scene ________

Synopsis _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Location
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

Cast members
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

Costumes
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Props
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Any other information:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

shot list and story board.

 Above is our story board. the reason why we have so little shots is because our scenes are going to be quite short and cut a lot so that it gives a feel of suspense and makes our opening mysterious.

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This is our shot list, it has all of our main props we will need, the shot types and what is going to be filmed.

Key points we will need before and during our filming.

Script Writing
write a script and make sure everybody is clear on what the script includes and how it is going to run, don't rely on memory! We all need to nake sure that we have read the script so that we all know exactly what is going on. Also make sure you write it simply, so it is easier to understand. Later when you have tried acting it out, you can fill in emotions and actions so that you know exactly what you need to do and when.

Test shooting
test shoot our ideas and locations so we have a feel of how it is going to look, and we can also see any problems that we may need to overcome.
It will also help us get used to the location, get used to the equipment and help us polish up our script.
Walk through your script and act everything out to get better ideas because it will help you to see if there are any problems and we will learn more about the potential success or failures making making things easier to solve.

Location Recce
we need to go and have a look at the location that we want to film, and analyse any health and safety dangers we may need to over come. also compare our location with another location so we can have a real feel of which one feels best for us.
We should take photo's and wear appropriate clothing when going to look at the locations.

Digital Story Board
stick to the story board as it will give you a plan of what we need to do, and it will make our piece more organised and easier to execute.
Take  variety of different frames shits with a camera to get a feel for angles and shot types. Print them out or keep them on your phone as a reference for filming. You could also use google earth for a birds eye view of our location.
This is a digital story board from the film 'Carmilla':

Lastly, create a time scheme/ schedual so that we can get everything done on time and have the maximum amount of time to produce our piece with as limited stress as possible. This way everyone knows exactly where to be and at what time to be there.
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One problem we have come across with our planning - The Graveyard scene

We have decided that filming a graveyard may be slightly inapropriate as people may feel uncomfortable with us filming their relatives graves and so we have decided to cut this part of our filming just in case we upset anyone.