Our Thriller Opening - Storyboard Image

This is a rough copy of our storyline set out in a storyboard format we have done this to help us out when filming our thriller opening so we know how long out shots need to be, what order they need to be in and what shot types we need. This will also just give us the basics of whats going to happen in the opening but we may change from what is drawn due to it not working when filming.

Continuity Editing

Continuity editing refers to arranging and cutting a sequence of shots to maintain continuous and a clear progression of events. Terms associated with Continuity Editing are-
- Establishing shot
- Shot/reverse shot
- 180 degree rule
- 30 degree rule
- Cross-cutting
- Matched on action
- Eyeline match
- Re-establishing shot

We need to guide the audience through a sequence of events, and in the process show them what they want to see and when they want to see it but only in a matter of 2 Minutes to excite the audience and make them want to watch on. We will do this by including the above terms in a way that will creating an interesting opening to our Thriller.

In the opening two minutes of Taxi Driver (1976) we see an example of a continuity editing technique that is  used the majority of the time. A shot/reverse shot is when one character is looking at the other character and but they are off screen, and then that character is off screen and the other character is seen talking back. Since the characters are shown facing opposite directions, the viewer assumes they are talking to each other.
This stops the viewers feeling confused about the spacial awareness in the scene and makes the clip run smoother and more consistent so you don't realise that the cut has happened. In Taxi Driver this lets us listen to the conversation going on between the two characters, whilst establishing who they are, their personalities and characteristics.

Thriller Name

We have decided to call our thriller film #followed because our film is based around a man getting close to the girl he stalks on the social network site twitter, as people are "followed" easily on twitter. We have decided to use the # to make the title eye catching to the teenage audience as twitter is the most used social network site. Also the title shows that the film is very up too date.

We realised that Followed is a very cliché  thriller title, but with the use of the hash tag before the title and that its set on twitter, the name appears as original and links to the social networking aspect of the film which is an important part.

Our Thriller Opening - Storyline

In our opening we will have a conversation between the antagonist/stalker and the protagonist on the social networking site, Twitter. The girl will be in her bedroom, which will be a typical girls bedroom, reading a magazine with her laptop. The girl will receive a Direct Message on Twitter, which is the antagonist trying to contact her. She ignores the Direct Messages but shows her vulnerability and uneasy feeling towards him, these messages come through on her iPhone and iPad. The antagonist will then save these message's in files on his computer and show his obsession with her and the extent of his interest. The shots will include photos of the girl and tweets from Twitter, and messages and status's on Facebook she has made, which the antagonist keeps. At the end of the opening a message will come up on the antagonists laptop from the victim he is stalking.

Our Thriller -Storyline

In our thriller we will establish a girl being stalked by mysterious man who has a strange obsession with her. The thriller will be portrayed from the antagonist's point of view, in most thrillers are shown through the protagonist's side instead of the the victim's. The man's reasoning for his obsession is not revealed until the main climax of the film when the girl gets abducted by the character. The audience discover that the stalker of the film is a long lost brother who was put up for adoption when the girl was very young and she stayed with the family. Out of jealousy, the stalker abducted the girl to put the parents through the pain that he went through when losing family. The film will finish with the stalker about to get arrested with no escape and with this in mind, he commits suicide.

Production Company Profile

Tsunami Studios is a feature film production company specializing in International productions, which creates quality films for the international marketplace as they are featured on the internet. Based in the United Kingdom, Tsunami Studios focuses on producing creative and enticing films in the Thriller and Film-Noir genre to create motion pictures that echo to audiences both locally and abroad. Tsunami's focus is a Crime Thriller film; which principles Aimée Kemp, Anna Higginson and Danny Buckley have been involved in  along the whole process by executive producing, producing, directing and consulting throughout the film companies existence.

Another Production company that has produced similar Thriller films to Tsunami Studios is Fox Searchlight Pictures. Fox Searchlight is an American Film division of Fox entertainment group alongside the larger 20th Century Fox. It specializes in in independent a British Films, which is like Tsunami Studios. The thriller film that connects mostly to Tsunami Studios and directed by Fox Searchlight Picture is One Hour Photo, which is a disturbing  story about an employee of one-hour photo who become obsessed with a young suburban family.

Ident

This is our Ident for our production company this will appear at the start of our thriller during our opening.

Preliminary Task- Final Edit

This is the final version of our preliminary task. We uploaded the video onto Youtube and have analysed the clip and reviewed the areas we did well and what we made mistakes in. Now we have watched it through we know how we can improve our filming when going in and creating our thriller opening, for example during the video there is a jerky camera movement, which we now know that we can improve on by creating a smoother pan on a tripod, which will avoid this happening in our opening. We also found out what we did well, for example at the very start of the video the close up on the splash was very effective as we were unaware of who the character was. In our thriller opening we would like to create the sense of mystery again by creating a situation where we are unaware of the character.

Preliminary Task: Shotlist

Shotlist
-In our Preliminary task we have used the following camera and editing techniques to create a short clip of a tense scene.

1. Handheld camera used to make you feel like you are running with the character and like you are involved in the scene. An example of this we have seen is the beginning of the thriller The Silence of the Lambs.
2. Camera stationary using the tripod performing a reaction shot.
3.High angle shot focusing on the stairs.
A matched cut is then used to speed up the scene and make the cut smoother.
4. Reaction shot of the character after the fall, he is looking worried and panting. The camera is stationary on a tripod.
5. The camera zooms out from a close up view of the character to see whether anyone or the antagonist is there.
6. The camera is stationary as the character runs towards the camera.
7. A cut is made to show the character running past the camera to give the sense to the audience as to where he is going.
8. Another matched cut is shown to emphasise the character walking/running through the door. It shows him putting his hand on the handle, ready to open the door.
9. A matched cut is made to show the character coming out through the other side of the door to speed up the scene and perform continuity.
10. The camera is tracking the character from behind when he walks over to the female sitting at the table.
11. The camera shows the male sit down from a side view shot and the shot also shows the female sitting, waiting for him.
12. The shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule are then used to show dialogue between the two characters. As the woman speaks first, an over the shoulder shot from behind the male is shown to emphasise the woman speaking.
13. Due to the 180 degree rule, the camera cuts to the woman's shoulder to show the man responding.
14. It is then repeated again.

Preliminary Task- Script

PLANNING

Script-
In the storyboard the slides 12,13,14 all use a form of dialogue.
In slide 12 the female character says " Have you lost them?"
In slide 13 the male character replies panting " I think so!"
In slide 14 the woman replies " Hand it over..."

Preliminary Task- Storyboard

PLANNING

Storyboard:


Explanation of Storyboard-
1.Camera following behind running character towards the stairs.
2.Character looks behind himself to create the sense that someone is following him so the audience become tense.
3. Shot of camera facing down onto the stairs where character is running, he trips and falls over building up on the tension for the audience as he is trying to get away fast.
4. There is closeup of the characters face looking worried.
5.The camera then zooms out as character is looking around again to check noone is after him.
6. Character starts running towards the camera again.
7. He then passes the camera and the camera follows him towards a building.
8. Character runs up to door and opens it and starts walking in.
9. You then see the character coming in the door from the outside now facing him.
10. The character is then followed by the camera to where another female character is sitting and waiting for him.
11. Character sits down and is faced by the woman.
12. The characters then has his back to the camera and the woman is speaking to him.
13. The camera switches to the other characters perspective giving a different composition and the male character then speaks.
14. Dialogue is then used again to show the different characters speaking, by focusing the camera on the female.

Group Priorities

Group:

• Results of your surveys and a formal identification of target audience - who are you aiming at?
• All posts need images and videos
• You now need to look at less well-known Thrillers for their individual elements and styles - e.g. for narrative, for character types, for credit specific elements.
• More different ways of posting things

Themes and Symbols used in Thriller films

Generally, thrillers show justice or injustice (or good or evil) fighting against each other, with an overall feel of suspense. The story of a typical thriller film will usually be shown from the protagonist's point of view, following events that the hero must overcome. This point of view allows the audience to become more involved in the events themselves and therefore closer to the characters. However, other points of view are sometimes included in the telling of the plot. Often they will be short clips from the villain's side, allowing the audience to see how the antagonist acts by themselves or how they used to. -For example in a flashback which creates empathy for the villain and possibly allows the audience to understand why they have become the evil party.

Most typically, events covered by the film are important to the films progression and lead directly on from a previous scene. There are usually lots of action scenes between the characters, which keeps the audience guessing what will happen next and how the characters will interact with each other.
During the scenes where the characters are simply talking to each other, the audience generally understands what is happening but never gets the full explanation of the plot or the events taken place, which allows the film to retain its mystery. Usually the motive of the antagonist and their relation to the hero is shown at the end or near the end of the film and the audience is then able to understand why the characters have acted in this way they have. If the motive is left unrevealed, the film will end on a sense of suspension and confusion which keeps the audience wondering what might have happened.

The typical setting in a thriller is in an Urban City. Thrillers can also be set in quiet country areas, where everyone leads poor and simple lives; often the villain will come from a small village. Usually only a range of colours will be used, the main being black or grey if it is set in a city environment, to show how normal and mundane life is. However other strong colours are often used at particular plot points; for example if there is a lot of blue we can assume that someone has or is going to die (but not always) and if there is a recurring theme of red (E.g. alarms) then we figure out the characters are in danger.

The camera shots are usually very steady or move around a lot. If there is a scene with a lot of dialogue, the camera will be still and focus more on the characters than the background. If there is more than one character in the shot, the cameraman will use for example, an over the shoulder shot, using the 180 degree rule to show the characters relate to one another. If the camera is moving around a lot then an action scene is typically taking place; the increased cut rate allows the audience to feel more involved in the action and keep them on the edge of their seat. More camera movements are also used to portray vulnerability or to show that something has gone wrong, which increases the suspense. Usually the lighting is dim and hides parts of either the characters or the environment, which makes the audience wonder whether there is more to the characters than they originally thought. The props used in thrillers are usually either large or easily identifiable. For example, knives or swords.

The main identifying theme of a thriller is often based around something that occupies a lot of what society thinks about and is worried about; these can be anything from kidnapping and isolation to terrorism and its effects. Most often the point of the narrative will be from the hero's perspective and the perpetrators of the crime will be established as the villain.

Character Types extended

The two main characters (antagonist and protagonist) in a thriller are set apart from each other in a particular way the audience views them.

The heroes in thrillers are often men that are accustomed to danger in their jobs or lifestyles (E.g. policemen, spies etc) or are ordinary citizens that have been pulled into danger by accident. The male hero usually has an aim to defeat the evil of the situation and will persevere even if nothing is going according to plan.
The villains in thrillers are also usually male, normally tall, well-built and with a shady sense around them that they shouldn't be trusted. This character may have some physical deformity ( if their secret is hidden throughout the majority of the film) or a traumatic experience that has changed their outlook on life or humanity. Usually they will work alone.
Other supporting characters are most commonly on the protagonist's side and will attempt to help them. Although sometimes these characters will betray the hero and leave to support the villain or another third party. Female roles are often innocent and helpless until their help is needed. However the female role in The Silence of the Lambs shows that the hero can be a woman who is determined, strong-minded and will push anything out of her way to figure something out.


The types of clothing that different characters wear are very typical and generic. In general, most characters will appear smartly dressed or at least well-dressed, however different types of thrillers and setting may cause the dress code to change. Often the villain will wear form-fitting clothing that emphasises their build and therefore power and creates a contrast with the hero of the film.
One prominent feature of the character's dress are the colours used. Colours of the character's clothes will draw parallels to their personality. -Villains appear in dark clothing (usually black). While innocent and young characters wear pastel colours to emphasise certain aspects of themselves. A bright colour like red will usually draw attention to that character and show their differences to the main party. Red is also worn by alluring female characters to show that they are sexy or attractive.

Character Types in Thrillers

For our Thriller we needed to conduct research on the different characteristics and manners of the individuals  that are found in thrillers and how their roles relate to the film.

Characters in thrillers include: 
-convicts 
-criminals 
-stalkers
-assassins 
-down-on-their-luck outcasts 
-innocent victims 
-prison inmates 
-menaced women 
-characters with dark pasts
-psychotic individuals
-terrorists 
-police officers
-escaped convicts
-fugitives 
-private investigator 
-drifters 
-duplicitous individuals
-people involved in twisted relationships
-world-weary men and women  
-psycho-fiends. 

When planning our Thriller we need to take into consideration how to incorporate the commonly used and typical characters in a thriller into our own production. We will search further into the type of characters from this list that we would like to include in our Thriller and do some research into the individual characteristics they have.

Our Moodboard for our Target Audience

 

This is our mood board we created to help decipher what our thriller opening will include. It establishes that we are looking into more of a crime thriller as a sub genre due to the images of police, detective aspects. From looking at the mood board and the photos we've selected from the internet, you can see that there is a image of a little boy. This tells the audience that we want to attract a wide range of people including men, women, parents, teenagers. The photo of the innocent boy indicates that we want to capture the eyes of a mother as they would be able to relate to the opening through motherly instincts.

Target Audience Profile

Narrative Theories

Narrative is about how stories are told. Applying different models of narrative structure to your work may reveal unconscious things that you did in the way you constructed it.

Binary Oppositions - Levi-Strauss
Claude Levi-Strauss introduced the notion of binary oppositions as a useful way to look at narrative structure. Binary oppositions are sets of opposite values which reveal the structure of media texts. Examples of binary oppositions that might be found in some moving image narrative might be:

Good vs. Evil
Male vs. Female
Humanity vs. Technology
Nature vs. Industrialisation
Dark vs. Light
East vs. West

Beyond its application to individual narratives, Levi-Strauss's theory can and should be used to assess groups of texts and genres. The binary oppositions of a Thriller include-

Protagonist vs. Antagonist
Law enforcement vs. Crime
Detective vs. Criminal
Mainstream Vs. Outsider

Character Types- Vladimir Propp
Vladimir Propp studied Russian folk and fairytale's before deciding that all narratives have a common structure. He observed that narratives are shaped and directed by certain types of characters and specific kinds of actions. He believed that there are 31 possible stages or functions in any narrative. This may not appear in the same story but will appear in the same sequence.

Propp believed there were seven roles which a character may assume in the story-
Villain- Struggles with Hero
Hero- departs on a search (seeker-hero), reacts to donor and weds at the end
Donor- Prepares and/or provides hero with magical agent
Helper- Assists, rescues, solves and/or transfigures the her
Princess- a sought for person (and/or her father) who exists as a goal and often recognises and marries hero and/or punishes villain.
Dispatcher- Sends hero off
False Hero- Claims to be the hero, often seeking and reacting like a real hero

Enigma Code- Roland Barthes'
Barthes' enigma code is explained as being a tangled ball of threads that needs unravelling so that you can separate out the colours. One the text starts to unravel, you encounter the absolute plurality of potential meanings. You can start by looking at a narrative in one way, from one viewpoint giving a meaning the that piece of text, you can then unravel the narrative from a different angle, by pulling at a different thread which creates an entirely different meaning for the text. This theory suggests that any text, such as television  a film or a poster makes the audience question something and intrigue the audience to draw them in.

Barthes' Theory of the five codes is a way of grouping signifier according to the role they play in the text.
These are categorised as-
The Hermeneutic code- the voice of truth
The Proairetic code- the voice of empiric's
The Semantic code- the voice of the person
The Symbolic code- the voice of the symbol
The Cultural Code- the voice of the knowledge

Shot Reverse Shot

Shot reverse shot is used to show two characters in a scene from two perspectives but not from a direct observation of the other person. It makes the audience assume that the two characters which are usually sitting or standing opposite each other in a scene are looking at each other.
It is shown through the editing of the scene where one character is portrayed looking at another character and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. This is usually displayed to the audience as an 'over the shoulder shot'.