Prop Research and Justification in Terms of Character and Story- Candice Tyson

In our thriller opening we plan to use a number of props such as:

• a baseball bat- at the beginning of our sequence we plan to use a baseball bat as a weapon for two of our attackers in the film, this will make the attackers appear dangerous. We also plan to use fake blood to drip off the baseball bat to make it appear that the girl has been badly beaten.

• duct tape- this is another piece of equipment that will be used by the attackers,  this shows the attackers control over the girl they have attacked with a baseball bat. We are going to put masking tape on the inside of the duct tape when putting this on the girls face as we don't want to hurt our actor when filming this shot.

• car- the use of the car in our sequence will be to dump the girls body in.
• rope- this prop will be used to tie the victims hands
• bag- a bag will be seen throughout our sequence to leave the audience questioning whats inside the bag and what is significant about it.
• red filters - we will use this to create the effect of car lights

Animatics with voiceover

Synopsis of the whole film- Pre production planning

• The film opens with the night of the attack, with a mixture of flashbacks of 'previous scenes' one of which includes a 'suspicious' male character sitting in his car watching the girls
• Three best friends happily living their lives, but, everything is not as it seems...
• The film begins with their backgrounds, how they met and their college life
• Gabi didn't go to the same school before college unlike the other two, therefore
• Behind Gabi's back they plot to kill her, as they are aware of her past and previous identity which nobody else is aware of
• The girls act as normal as possible in front of Gabi
• Gabi's previous identity was different, she in fact was involved in Georgia's cousins gruesome murder but due to her age her identity needed to be protected from the public once released from youth offenders
• later on in the film we see that the 'suspicious' male character was actually a police officer checking up on Gabi due to her past conviction
• Georgia recognised her immediately and ever since that moment plots the murder of Gabi along with Livi's help 
• By the end of the film Gabi gets killed, when Georgia reaches the final straw, but at this moment she realised Gabi was falsely accused but realised she would get in trouble either way now it had gone that far so realised it was her only choice

Animatics- no sound Mae & Charlotte

Here's us creating the storyboard and putting ideas together before the animatics:

Misery (1990) - Candice Tyson

 Camera work-
  The opening sequence begins with a number of close up shots, in these three shots shown on the left the objects are shown in a shallow depth of field- this makes the person watching focus on the object in the shot rather than the background. Each of the shots are at eyelevel showing repetition  in the camera work, this could have been done to put the audience at the same level as the objects. The questions asked at the beginning of the sequence are what are these objects and why are they significant in the clip as champagne is often something you celebrate with , so what is he celebrating?













Sound-
In the first shot on the right non-diegetic music begins to play as he writes what looks like a story, the music is a gentle piano being played and makes the whole atmosphere feel gloomy and blue, suggesting that maybe what he has written is sad and that maybe it includes something that means a lot to him. Also with piano music, it is often associated with romance or sadness so this is what makes me think this.

The diegetic sound is played over the top of the non-diegetic sound and is made louder when it comes to the extreme close up shots to emphasize the actions taking place for example when he opens the champagne, pours it into his glass and also the shot when he opens his bag and puts in the paper. This raises questions like, who is he writing about? What is he writing about?









Mise en Scene-
The lighting in this scene is quite low, the natural lighting coming in through the window allows the person to see the male characters face. He appears to be deep in thought as he organises what looks like a story he has written. In the second shot I've chosen the man is outside clearing the snow off his car. It is a wintery day making the mood and atmostphere of shot feel cold, this could be used as pathetic fallacy to make the audience feel a certain way whilst watching this. Questions are raised such as, where are you going?













Editing-
The director uses continuity editing in the opening sequence to his film. There is no variety in transitions instead there is just a simple cut between shots, this keeps the film choppy and gets to the point quicker.

The director uses a variety of shots however tends to return to the same shot for example shown in the shots on the right- this shows consistency and also by using a number of shots keeps the audience interested in what they are watching.

Health & Safety: Pre-Production Planning- Charlotte Hudson

The risks of our filming location (Mansion) are: 
the stoney drive- someone could cut their knee or back when being dragged across the floor
tripping on the stairs up to the house
car- get stuck in the car boot
the weather- getting too cold as we are filming at night
scaffolding on the house- dangerous to climb on 

The risks of filming in Brighton are:
the busy traffic- could get run over by a car, buses etc
pedestrians- could get in people's way and cause an accident, if they trip over anything
cafe- there could be a fire in the kitchen whilst filming
cafe- people in the cafe, could trip over our wires
weather- could be really cold when filming, or break camera due to rain etc
train



Our letter of permission for filming: 

We are here today to film our media thriller opening for our AS course at Haywards Heath Community College. We would like to, with your permission, to film in this area.

The owner of…………………………………..

Gives permission for Mae, Candice, Charlotte and Imogen to film in……………………………

for a couple of days.

Please specify any rules or regulations that we have to follow:…………………………………………………………………………

Many thanks,

                      Mae, Candice, Charlotte and Imogen

Owners Signature ………………………………………….

 

Sound decisions - pre production planning - Mae Webb

We originally made the decision not to include any dialogue as we feel it would be more effective without because it gives less away to the audience and raises more questions. We feel this would make the audience want to find out more and draw them in. 
We will compensate for the lack of dialogue by having eerie non-diagetic music throughout the opening to create mystery and a sinister atmosphere.

 However, on second thoughts we decided to include vague dialogue between the girls: lines such as "oh I like this one" or "that would look good on you" when shopping, and perhaps the diagetic sound of laughter over the clips, we would make this dialogue echoed to give it a creepy effect. We would still include the non-diagetic music.

This would make them appear happy and would make the music contrapuntal to what's being shown on screen. We feel this would be effective as it creates an uneasy mood and gives the impression that during the "happy" scenes there is something dark going on.
 In addition we will have the diagetic sound of a scream and the beginning of the opening to shock the audience.

Locations: pre-production planning- Charlotte Hudson)

 This location is going to the base location for our film. Here we start and end our opening as it creates an intense atmosphere as this is where our character is going to be attacked. 
This setting is great for filming as it is in a big open countryside, therefore no pedestrians etc are going to get in our way whilst filming and therefore no disruptions. As well as this, the lighting on the porch and in the front 3 windows create a great atmosphere for an opening as the audience question- who lives here? how come the girls are here? and what's going on?

One side of the building is covered in scaffolding, this suggests that the building could be derelict however having the lights on creates tension as it shows some sort of life. This creates irony as there seems to be some life yet here a girl is going to be murdered.

This setting is a brilliant contrast from the rest of the opening as that will be set in Brighton, a busy city. So we have a range of settings to create a range of shots and to create different moods throughout the opening to keep the audience guessing and intrigued. 

For the memory scenes whilst our character is coming in and out of consciousness, we are mainly filming in Brighton. 
We have chosen to film in the shopping centre and in a Cafe in the lanes. 

Here is a video clip of Brighton and we will be filming in some of the lanes: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7IzWqn1s1Y 

Characters and Costume- Pre- production planning (Imogen Salmon)

Gabi- (Gabriella Montarona)

Gabi is the character in the film that is seen to many as the odd one out in the group of the three 'bestfriends', she is the victim in the opening sequence, and this is supported by representation in the opening sequence. She is not very tall and wears more distcrete makeup then the other two, she appears more shy and reserved, often feeling unease, but just trying to fit in coming from a different background from her two new friends from another secondary school to them. She has light, ginger hair, and wears similar clothing to the other two, slightly preppy and fashionable, obviously caring about her image. 

 Georgia - (Georgia Frost)Georgia is the 'ring leader' of the friends, she is the trend-setter and is never outspoken, she is confident and doesnt care what others think of her, but she does have another side which would be revealed in the film, she is sly and comes up with the idea of the torture. She is fashionable and appears as a typical teenager as do the other two in both the way the dress and act. 

Livi- (Olivia Lower)
Livi is too one of the three of the female main charcters the film would be based on, her character is a mixture between the other too, but primarily seen as Georgia's follower, she is too dressed similarly to the other two and represented similarly, she is the most easy going and just likes to get along with everybody.

Man- (Jamie)
This man is not a significant figure in the opening scene other then appearing in a background and looking through the window at the girls, he is used to raise questions to the audience as to who he is and what relevance he has. In fact he is just a passer by and used as a 'false-suspect' to the audience.

Kidnap scene-

 

Here both Georgia and Livi are dressed in black baggy clothing, trying not to reveal there identity, Gabi is dressed up as if been out somewhere in girly clothing, and significant injuries shown on her body of grazes and bruises.

Target Audience - Pre- production planning (Imogen Salmon)

We decided our target audience will be aimed for teenage girls over the age of 15, therefore giving it a 15 certificate rating. The reasons for this is firstly, we will include violence which 'may be strong' in the opening scene and this would be continued throughout the film. We also feel that there would be a 'frequent use of strong language' and although restricted this would also be in the film. Finally, due to the 'bullying' theme 'strong threat and menace' would be included, also suitable for a 15 certificate rating.

Here is a link to the definition and some guidelines to a 15 certificate rating.

We have chosen teenage girls as the target audience, due to them being the main characters throughout the film, therefore, they can find it easy to relate to them and empathise with the situation of a girl getting bullied in the frienship group, being singled out. The audience being able to empathise with the film will enable us to affect their emotions when viewing, with fear (of the pain the girl will experience and what the bullies are going to do) and confusion (due to the questions arisen as to why this situation came about which would be explained in the film by the end).

Femininity will be represented throughout the flashbacks (supposedly happy and vibrant scenes), the girls will be dressed in casual, girly clothing and will walk around linking arms.
Youth will be represented by the bullying theme, bullying is known to be most common in the teenage years.

Initial ideas (Imogen Salmon)

Thriller Ideas

Setting: Countryside (Mansion) + City (Brighton)

1. Establishing shot of house, car in the foreground, shot at night, hard, low key lighting – ELS

Piercing scream as sound bridge to next shot

2. LS- Girl 2 with bat in background, girl 1 on floor (knocked out) in foreground, eerie music, parallel sound

3. BCU- Girl 1 lying on floor, blood dripping down face (looks dead)

4. fade to white, sound contrapuntal, high pitched, shot of 3 girls walking along street, linked arms, appear to be best friends, bright colours, high saturation, high key lighting, laughing, camera tracking in opposite direction

5. MS, girls outside shop, speech echoing, ‘oh I like this one’ laughing, Fade to white

6. ELS- LS girl being dragged by two figures (not giving away identity)

7. Pan to the left, match on action of the two figures dragging body over to the car boot, MLS

8. Fade to white, sound bridge of car boot closing (suggests girl is now in the car boot)

9. Girls in cafe, sitting together LS- MS- CU's , Shots of them socialising, seeming friendly and then CU's of the two girls looking suspiciously at once another

10. BCU final shot of girl in boot with taped mouth, face lit, makeup down her eyes

Hello it's Imogen!

I have now joined Mae, Candice and Charlotte after completing the preliminary task with my previous group with Ellie and Ziaul.

Here is my old blog's URL : http://foundationportfolio1333.blogspot.co.uk/

Both my preliminary video and sound task is on this blog, but i completed the lighting task with my new group.

Research Task - Mae Webb

The Book Of Eli - the narative structure begins with a dis-equilibrium which goes against Todorov's theory of classic narative. This draws the audience in as they want to know what has caused it. Includes many of the conventions of a thriller such as: low-key lighting, eerie non-diagetic music, iconography of guns/weapons and slow motions which creates tension the whole way through and raises loads of questions.

Here is a video of the full opening scene

• sequence begins with a Fade In from white, which is seen as a pure colour and often represents someone's death and perhaps ascending to heaven, therefore it creates juxtaposition when a dark forest is revealed. 
• sound also adds to this - hear a non-diagetic explosion-like bang when the white flash appears and creaking noises creating an uneasy atmosphere.

• establishing shot of a forest - typical setting for a thriller. 
• lighting is very low key and there is barely any colour creating a dark atmosphere. 
• see what appears to be ash falling down - suggests there has been a fire or explosion, which links back to the sound at the beginning. 
• creates restricted narration as audiences doesn't know what happened
• underlying eerie non-diagetic music throughout - also diagetic sound of ash hitting the floor. creates intense mood.

•  The camera then pans down where we see a CU of  a prop (a gun) and then the first character, the body of a man, with a shallow depth of field drawing attention to him and creating restricted narration raising questions who is he? how did he die? why did he have a gun?
• we see he has ash on his body suggesting he has been there a while.

•  the camera pans right revealing a dirty looking, hairless cat sniffing around the dead man - rather than cute fluffy cat creates eerie feel - people tend to dislike them
• raises questions who does the cat belong to? why is it there? why aren't there other animals?

• camera continues to pan right and reveals another man with a prop, an arrow in a crossbow, making him seem bad - adds to characterization
• his costume, a gas mask, gloves and camouflaged jacket suggests he was prepared for whatever happened to cause the ash. 
• there is non-diagetic sound of the man breathing and the noise as he draws back the arrow which builds suspense.

• see ECU of the head of the arrow and focus pull is used to draw attention to it
• makes the audience feel nervous as it is like it's being pointed at them.
• hear man trying to get the cats attention creating unrestricted narration as the audience knows the cat will be shot but the cat does not.

• the camera cross-cuts back to the cat and we then see a POV shot from the cat, adding to the suspense of the unrestricted narration as the audience sees that the cat does not notice the man.
• makes the audience on the edge of their seat as the suspense builds

• the non-diagetic music builds up to this point when we see a BCU of the man. 
• music then cuts off creating a false climax and we hear the man breathing loudly (diagetic sound) keeps audiences attention and throws them as it is unexpected.

• cross-cutting is used as we then see an ECU of the cat creating a 'stand-off' between the two characters. creates more suspense.

• we see an ELS of the man from a Birds Eye view angle as he releases arrow 
• then see an ECU of the arrow when it is released and slow motion is used 
•  allows the audience time to process what has happened and raises question of if it will hit the cat or not - tension is created as they wait
• diagetic sound of arrow going through the air, enhances it and creates intense atmosphere

• see a MCU of the man from a worms eye view angle
• makes him seem superior and big, may make audience feel intimidated
• non-diagetic music comes back but still hear diagetic sound of him breathing and his footsteps

• ECU of the man pulling arrow out of the cat, shows the blood and makes audience focused on it
• hear diagetic sound of arrow being pulled out may make audience feel uneasy. 

• ELS of man holding cat and walking away - raises questions: where is he going? why did he shoot the cat? what will he do with it?
• Sequence fades out to white - suggesting this was a past event/a dream and it is going back to normality

4.3.2.1 - the narrative structure starts with the equilibrium which makes the audience want to keep watching to find out how it gets to that point. this uses shock and restrictive narrative to keep the audience feeling suspense and uses low key lighting and iconography to create a dark atmosphere which makes it work as a thriller.

• BCU of girl, hand held camera which is shakey creating nervous feeling- clue that something is wrong (action code)
• see her facial expression - sad/worried, shows she's been crying
• tight framing raises questions as can't see surroundings - where is she? why is she sad?
• non-diagetic music creates eerie atmosphere
• no non-diagetic sound shows she's not focused on whats going on around her
• camera quickly tracks out to an ELS
  (establishing shot) reveals where she is, on a bridge in London (composition shows iconic london eye)
• still no diagetic sound which adds to atmosphere as there would be a lot of sound there.

• CU of girl shows her facial expression again looking more distressed than before.
• day and time revealed- they are of importance - suggests this is in the future
• non-diagetic sound of clock ticking - suggests her time is up? something's going to happen?
• composition shows a car pull up behind her and people getting out
• lighting allows you to see her face

• ELS shows she is standing at the edge of bridge - this creates shock as the audience did not know this before (restriced narration)
• composition makes her look small and weak
• lighting is low-key creating dark atmosphere

• MCU of another character holding a prop (a gun) iconographicy as guns are often in thrillers - shows first sign of danger - establishes bad from good characters
• creates enigma as audience does not know why she has the gun - raises questions

• MS of three characters, dialogue begins as character with gun speaks - reveals they want something the other girl has
• make up shows cut on her head suggesting she has been previously in a fight
• raises questions - who are they?       
• cross cuts between them - creates suspense

• CU of her hand - revealing what it is the other characters want 
• shallow depth of field focuses on them. draws the audiences attention to them - significant.                                                                                                       

• diagetic sound of her breathing - creates tension
• see her facial expression - thinking about what to do
• raises questions as audience do not know what she will do
• see her stumbling at the end of this shot - clue that she may fall (action code) 

• MLS of her, camera shakes as she falls down
• the shot is very fast pace creating shock as audience don't have time to take it in
• non-diagetic music cuts off when she falls - dramatic
• discontinuity editing - shock cut - audience doesn't know what happened

• sequence cuts to black -title appears
• upbeat non-diagetic music begins to play - contrupuntal to what has just happened - showing that this hasn't happened yet as it goes back to normality.
• raises questions as we don't know if she falls or not (restricted narration) audience want to find out what caused this to happen

44 Inch Chest - again this begins with the equilibrium allowing the audience to think for themselves how this happened. 

this works as a thriller because the contrapuntal sound creates a completely different mood to what is expected which makes it interesting to watch because it toys with your emotions, and it raises loads of different questions throughout .

Here is a video of the full opening scene

Sound

• Throughout the whole opening sequence there is non-diagetic music of the well known song Without You - Harry Nilson. 
• music is contrupuntal - as it's a slow, sad love song and the scene shows the damage of an attack and the audience are led to believe a murder has occurred
• creates a calm atmosphere to what should be hectic and panicked
• may be a clue that love has something to do with the wrecked apartment

• sequence begins with a dissolve in - focuses on an ECU of some smashed glass
• tight framing restricts the view 


• Close Ups of smashed furniture/objects  - raises questions - what has happened? who did this?
• the shots are slow pace - focuses on the objects - gives audience time to think for themselves what has happened.

• LS of a dog - body language shows it looking scared - hiding under chair
• looks innocent - draws audience in as they like the dog and feel sorry for it
• creates juxtaposition showing a sweet innocent dog in this setting with danger all around

• LS of sofa - reveals it has been ripped up
• still camera work used for observation
• raises question - why did someone rip up the sofa?
• may suggest someone was looking for something as they've ripped the pillows
• frontal key lighting only creates a gloomy atmosphere

• Camera slowly tracks into this shot revealing a body on the floor - raises questions who is he? is he dead? if so how did he die? who killed him?
• composition shows that the door is open - suggests there was a break in
• wide shot shows the extent of the damage 
• low-key lighting with only lamps on - creates mysterious mood - lots of shadows
• shot is slow pace so audience have time to register it - creates suspense

• CU of the characters hand - shows he is not moving suggesting he is dead
• the hand on the floor is quite iconic of thrillers
• tight framing creates suspense - haven't revealed his face

• Birds eye view CU shot of the man's face - he still appears to be dead as his facial expression does not move
• his hair is stuck to his forehead with sweat - suggests he had been moving around - perhaps fighting someone?
• shot is very long - leaves audience waiting for something to happen
• raises more questions - how did he die?

• after a while facial expression changes as he closes his eyes and mouth revealing he is not dead
• throws the audience - makes them re-evaluate what has happened
• different questions raised - why is he laying there? is he hurt?

• title appears - plain writing doesnt give much away - keeps audience guessing
• discontinuty editing - shock cut audience are left wondering what happened

Limitless- narrative structure also begins with the equilibrium and the voice over gives clues as to what happened

works as a thriller because it keeps the audience on the edge of their seat and plays with their emotions. it also uses distorting shots (birds eye view, ECU) to engage their full attention. it uses parallel non-diagetic music throughout to create the right mood.

• Title credits - off screen diagetic sound of people talking and loud banging - creates an intimidating atmosphere - grabs audiences attention
• voice over of character starts to speak

• then goes to a LS of a door - realise the diagetic sound is someone banging on it
•  restricted narrative as we don't know who is outside or what is going to happen
• then goes to ECU of door which distorts audience and focuses them on it - significant.

• establishing shot shows an apartment
• boxes around suggests the person has just moved in or is moving
• lighting is well lit
• quiet non-diagetic music underneath banging - eerie tone

• cross-cutting back to door creates suspense as the person banging may get in 
• repeating shots - the door is important
• creates suspense as the person banging may get in
• banging gets louder and more aggresive - unnerving 

• camera tracks left revealing dead bodies - iconography
• low key lighting- creates a dark mood
• reveals danger - shock to audience bodies are an enigma 
• raises questions - how did they die? who killed them? who are they?
• non-diagetic music becomes louder - creates suspense

• Camera tracks out and the moves up the building at fast pace (sped up) creating excitement and thrill
• a fish eye camera lense is used which distorts the audience
• the non-diagetic music changes from an eerie tone to a dark rock song with a fast pace creating an entirely different atmosphere.
• throws the audience and makes them feel different emotions

• camera movement slows down as it reaches the top revealing ELS of a man at the top of the building
• composition makes him look small
• his body language makes him appear in control as he's broad with open body language
• costume - wearing a suit makes him seem important
• non-diagetic music goes back to the quiet undertone
• voice-over continues, allows audience to relate to character - trust him as he knows what's going on

• Birds eye view shot of man looking down
• creates suspense and makes audience feel nervous as they see what he sees - as if they are there - draws audience in
• diagetic sound of sirens - suggests police are on their way - he may be a wanted suspect
• raises questions -who is he? is he going to jump?

• ECU of his feet at the ledge - creates suspense
• shallow depth of field draws attention to the movement of his feet
• non-diagetic music gets louder again creating climax
• grabs audiences attention, raises question is he going to jump???

• climax interrupted by diagetic sound of a loud bang 
• MS of character looking behind
• composition allows audience to see the door again - suggests the people may get in - creates a panicked mood

• CU of his face allows us to see his facial expression looking worried and nervous
• creates suspense as audience does not know what's going on
• lighting from the left side only - creates mystery as though there is something to hide

• camera tracks in to a MS from behind
• creates suspense as it appears to be a POV shot of someone else - they may push him off
• low key lighting creates dark atmosphere.