There are probably going to be a few problems which arise in the group when we are filming. Below are my individual contributions to avoiding these problems:
Keeping everyone focused - I think we should set targets as a group for each shoot
Not having enough footage - Myself or taking in turns in the group to tick off or note down the shots done
Transport - as we all live to spread out it may be hard to get to the shoot all at the same time. However Nick lives nearby to me so I will try to give him a lift if he requires it.
In relation to the above issue we may be late for the shoot - So I will try to leave early in order to get to the shoot on time.
I will also try where possible to remind people of the things they need to remember for a shoot or meeting.
If there are any arguements I will also try to help the people involved resolve them for the sake of group harmony.
Location As ideas for location I thought perhaps my house because it is very secluded (in Epping Forest) and it shows isolation very well. This location would be good for an outside shot and then I thought we could use inside Rebecca's house for the inside of the house, except the two houses' layouts don't match up to it might look very disjointed. However I will take some pictures of both locations and blog them anyway.
Actors I'm not too keen on having to rely on someone outside of the group for acting as we have a lot of work outside Media and so other people may not want to spend their free time acting in our thriller opening. However we have to get someone that will look good in the thriller so I've got to keep thinking of other people who could possibly be in it. If it did come to it, I think either myself or Angela could act in it because there aren't a lot of close up facial shots so even if someone isn't an excellent actor it may not overly effect the opening.
There have been many very successful thrillers which are British made. Below is a list of a few of these thrillers along with their trailers:
A Clockwork Orange
Year of Release: 1971 The Official Website is: there is no official website as the film is too old Synopsis of film from Amazon: The film, set in an unidentified future, overwhelms the senses with its almost comic depictions of rape and violence set to an upbeat classical and pop music score; its magnificent, colorful, futuristic set designs; and its utter determination to shock, frighten, and thoroughly entertain its audience. Kubrick based his chilling masterpiece on Anthony Burgess's culture-shaking novel about a young man, growing into adulthood, who has a bit of a problem with authority figures. When Alex and his droogs go out for a little bit of the old ultraviolence, he is caught and forced to undergo controversial treatment that will make it impossible for him to commit violent acts--but has severe side effects. Kubrick's film purposely confuses crime and punishment, cause and effect, hero and villain, irony and satire, filled with oxymoron and paradox, taking on science, politics, societal mores, education, sexual awakening, and parental responsibility all in a new language (both verbal and visual) that would change the cinema forever.
The Third Man
Year of Release: 1949 The Official Website is: there is no official website as the film is too old Synopsis of film from IMDB: An out of work pulp fiction novelist, Holly Martins, arrives in a post war Vienna divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has lead to a flourishing black market. He arrives at the invitation of an ex-school friend, Harry Lime, who has offered him a job, only to discover that Lime has recently died in a peculiar traffic accident. From talking to Lime's friends and associates Martins soon notices that some of the stories are inconsistent and the accident is suspicious. And so determines to discover what really happened to Harry Lime.
Blow-Up
Year of Release: 1966 The Official Website is: there is no official website as the film is too old Synopsis of film from Wikipedia: The story concerns a photographer who may or may not have inadvertently preserved evidence of a murder, which may or may not involve a woman who visits the photographer in his studio. As is typical with Antonioni films, the story does not follow a conventional narrative structure.
As a professional photographer, the main character mixes with the rich and famous in the London of the sixties. One day he chances upon two lovers in a park and takes photos of them. The woman of the couple pursues him, eventually finding his apartment and desperately trying to get the film. This leads the photographer to investigate the film, making blowups (enlargements) of the photos. This process seems to reveal a body, but the director uses the heavy film grain and black and white imagery to obscure the image. This drives the photographer to keep making blowups and try to find the truth.He does eventually find the body in the park, but this time, unfortunately and surprisingly, he is without his camera. He tries to get a friend to act as witness, but later the body is gone.
Ultimately, the film is about reality and how we perceive it or think we perceive it. This aspect is stressed by the final scene, when the photographer watches a mimed tennis match and, after a moment of amused hesitation, enters the mimes' own version of reality by picking up the invisible ball and throwing it back to the two players. A tight shot shows his continued watching of the match, and, suddenly, we even hear the ball being played back and forth. Another version of reality has been created.
We had a group meeting (Zen, Nick, Angela and myself) and we got brainstorming other ideas for a possible opening sequence for our thriller and since we don't have a group blog yet I thought I would blog this here. Anyway we came up with the following idea as a result of the brainstorming, although this is only a rough idea without many specifics. It also includes the section from my previously blogged idea.
The Idea It is dark/night time and in a countryside setting (at least quite secluded). A car pulls up with its headlights on facing the camera. A girl gets out, dressed up and obviously drunk, she thanks the driver for the lift and says goodbye to her other friends in the car before staggering away down her driveway towards the front door (the door wouldn't be in view, it would preferably be at the side of the house, out of shot).
Then the car pulls away past the camera which is quite shaky and front the point of view of someone although we don't know who. This shot could also be an over the shoulder shot of someone hiding watching the previous event happen.
Next the camera moves around the corner (a fence or bush) from the point of view of the character watching the girl or as an over the shoulder shot of this character.
The next shot is closer to the girl and of her struggling to find her keys then open her front door and we see her closing the front door from the inside or at least pushing it too and it seeming to close.
At this point the original idea of the cigarette/drink shot of the girl waking up and getting out of bed and then walking towards the bathroom - although this time there wouldn't be anything to do with a party in the hallway, her clothes from the previous night would be strewn down the hallway and she would be dressed in a baggy t-shirt as a nightdress, her clothes left where she had left them as she got undressed on the way to bed the night before.
So she picks her way towards the bathroom but this time there is a shot from in front of her and as she walks closer to the camera there is a pan to the front door which is still open from the night before, she hadn't closed it properly.
So there is a shot of the door opening (although possibly her turning the handle and opening it slightly) and the next shot is from inside the bathroom of her opening the door the rest of the way (the two shots would have to match up). She again uses the camera as a mirror and goes to wash her face (an over the shoulder shot may be needed to establish that this is what she is doing). As she lifts her face up from washing her face she is grabbed from behind with someones hand over her mouth (the hand would be in a leather glove).
Basically the main character is the girl and she is watched from outside her house the previous night before being kidnapped the next day. The intruder gets in via her front door which she didn't close properly. By not obviously leaving the front door open it stops the audience from guessing what will happen next.
It would cut immediately to the title screen and that is how the sequence would end.
This is what I can remember us deciding from the meeting so if anyone else in the group has anything I've missed out on please let me know. And as with the other idea I've blogged, any comments on the idea and its continuity or anything else would be appreciated.
An independent film, or 'indie' film, is usually a film produced on a low budget by a small company/movie studio. Independent films are often easy to notice by their content and they tend to contain a lot of the ideas and the vision that the writer originally had. For this reason they aren't changed to suit the box office needs - they can just be creative because normally independent film makers tend not to care so much about the revenue they receive from the film but about making it and getting the finished product how they want it to be - it is more of a passion for film making than money that drives these projects.
Below are a number of british independently made films of the thriller genre and their trailers: This is England
The official website is:http://www.thisisenglandmovie.co.uk/ Synopsis of film from www.amazon.co.uk: Set during the summer of 1983, THIS IS ENGLAND is the poignant story of Shaun, an unpopular kid who discovers a sense of belonging among a group of peaceful skinheads.
Having lost his father during the Falklands Conflict, Shaun sees something of a father figure in Woody, the gang's leader. However, the warmth and affection is short-lived, as Combo – a former member of the group, and radical right-wing racist is released from prison and divides the friends with his deeply disturbed outlook. Whereas Woody had strived to bring everyone together through their love of music, Combo seeks to mobilise a force, with his sights set on spreading chaos and hatred.
At only 12 years of age, and of volatile frame of mind, Shaun is susceptible to Combo's charismatic, yet gravely dangerous philosophising. As adulthood beckons and with Combo's rage manifesting into stark violence, Shaun will have to decide which side of the line he's going to stand. The Wind That Shakes The Barley
The official website is:http://www.thewindthatshakesthebarley.co.uk/ Synopsis of film from website: Ireland 1920: workers from field and country unite to form volunteer guerrilla armies to face the ruthless "Black and Tan" squads that are being shipped from Britain to block Ireland's bid for independence.
Driven by a deep sense of duty and a love for his country, Damien abandons his burgeoning career as a doctor and joins his brother, Teddy, in a dangerous and violent fight for freedom.
As the freedom fighters' bold tactics bring the British to breaking point, both sides finally agree to a treaty to end the bloodshed. But, despite the apparent victory, civil war erupts and families who fought side by side, find themselves pitted against one another as sworn enemies, putting their loyalties to the ultimate test.
David Fincher is an American born director who was raised in California. He has directed music videos, adverts for television and films. He was a founding member of Propaganda Films in 1986.
In particular he has directed some extremely succesful films such as Fight Club (1999), Se7en (1995) and Panic Room (2002). David has noticable directed mainly thrillers or films that have thriller aspects to them, which suggests that he has a strong interest in that genre.
He has been quoted as saying "I don't know how much movies should entertain. To me, I'm always interested in movies that scar. The thing I love about Jaws is the fact that I've never gone swimming in the ocean again." [source: http://www.imdb.com] which is probably why the films he directs are so gripping, that aspect of wanting to draw the audience in so far that they are forever changed by seeing that film. He has also mainly directed films which are very realistic - i.e they could happen in every day life. For example: Panic Room - is about a woman and her daughter who have their house broken into so hide in the safest room in their house their 'panic room' but the burgulars want something that is inside that room, the most valuable thing in the house. Se7en - is about two homocide detectives and a serial killer. Zodiac - is about a serial killer in San Francisco.
I have been talking to Angela and she had an idea referencing the opening of the film Misery, which includes some very good close ups on objects with things happening in the background which aren't very clear. During this talk I extended her idea into the following - however some details need to be fine tuned.
Angela's Idea The opening starts with a close up on a pack of cigarettes/a glass/bottle of alcoholic drink. The background is fuzzy but you can make out the shape of a body which reaches towards the drink/cigarettes and takes them. Then they sit up take a drink/drag on a cigarette, but you don't see their face clearly, only their lips down. Then she puts down the drink/stubs out the cigarette and swivels out of bed with her back to you.
My extension The next shot is of her bare feet landing on the floor and the camera tracks from behind at ankle height following her to the door which she opens and the camera stops, tilting up slightly as you watch her pick her way down a hallway which is littered with the remnants of a party. These 'remnants' would be signified with empty drinks bottles/cans, some people asleep in the hallway (one or two), party streamers, a knocked over flower pot/broken table and shoes. The character is wearing a party dress.
Then we watch the character open the door at the end of the hallway halfway - this is matched when the camera cuts to inside a bathroom watching her open the door the rest of the way. She then proceeds to walk up to the camera and adjust her hair, taking off her makeup/washing her face using the mirror (which the camera is in place of). This is the first point when we see her face completely.
Then we have an over shoulder shot of a girl asleep on the floor and the character starts talking to them - laughing at how drunk the girl was the previous night - meanwhile the character continues to look in the mirror. When the girl doesn't reply she frowns and looks down at the girl who has a look of terror on her face. She crouches down to comfort her (over shoulder shot possibly?) and then she pulls back her hand as she realises it is covered in blood which has soaked through the girls clothes from a stab wound.
At the minute it is only an idea and there are a few details which need to be sorted out, but I like the outline and the possibilities for camera work within the idea.
In this opening the major of it is credits, which I feel is good because the images behind the credits help to set the scene and time period of the film. When the film actually begins then the shot is of the Illusionist/Magician on stage at one of his shows.
The opening doesn't really introduce the characters overly. You can see the police chief and the illusionist, but you don't get introduce to them as a character overly. This happens later in the opening because the film starts very close to the end of the plot and then goes back to the beginning.
I feel that the credits are really good because although they have images/clips behind them, it isn't of anything that is overly related to the storyline so you don't have to concentrate. Instead it allows you to take in the images and you begin to realise the time period and also the setting of the film. Then the film begins, meaning you don't then have to concentrate on time period, you can just concentrate on the character.
The camera work is quite varied to show the expression of the Illusionist and also the reaction and sheer size of the audience that have come to see him perform - although he doesn't appear to be performing much. Particularly in the way that it uses closeups to convey emotion and reactions. The angles and camera work is used to highlight important people (such as the policeman) and actions (such as the ghost of the woman appearing & the woman's outburst). When the police chief comes onto the stage to arrest the Illusionist, having the illusionist sitting down makes him look a lot smaller and fragile than the police chief.
The continuity editing is good and I like the lighting. It gives the auditorium a very sinister feeling which then comes true when the police come in and arrest the illusionist. The dark lighting adds to the tension and suspense. I;'ve noticed that with lighting it is normally quite hard to achieve the correct emotion/enigma within a scene.
I think that the sound is very effective. The music definately matches the time period of the film and the silence when the film actually starts gives tension and suspense to the scene immediately. Then when the woman bursts out in excitement the silence from before helps to emphasise her excitement.
Overall I think that this opening is very effective with the way that the credits help to set the scene, normally people don't utilise this unless they are already showing part of the film in the background.
As with the opening to Se7en I like the way that the credits themselves aren't boring, in the Illusionist they move and flicker about which just helps to make them a little interesting on screen.
I would like to use the idea of setting the scene behind the credits just via stills or small clips of movement in my thriller opening. However due to the limitations in length I wouldn't have time to fit this in and have an opening for the thriller, so I won't be able to do it.
There are lots of sub-genres within thriller such as:
Spy thrillers
Political thrillers
Military thrillers
Legal thrillers
Forensic thrillers
Medical thrillers
Psychological thrillers
Horror thriller
Serial Killer thriller
Romantic thriller
Action thriller
Supernatural thriller
Crime thriller
In the duration of this project I have watched a lot of thrillers, but by far my favourite sub-genre has been psychological thrillers. This is because in a psychological thriller the main conflict between the characters is mental and emotional rather than physical. The characters are often concentrated on more than the plot itself. The suspense is created by characters deceiving each other, playing mind games and one character generally preying on the other's mental state.
Another common feature is when characters have conflict within themselves and they usually have to travel a journey within the film to resolve this conflict inside of them and understand it, for example in Disturbia, Kale (the protagonist) has the conflict of his father's death, and during the film he begins to come to terms with it, then at the end he understands and deals with it.
Ethics normally play a large part - the idea of what is right and wrong and what is acceptable in social situations.
I like this idea of the character having to learn about themselves, and it is often their problems which escalate the situation they find themselves in. When a character just has to deal with physical abuse it is normally less exciting than when they are being targeted via mind games. This is because when it is a match of physical strength you can normally predict who will win, but someones mental strength and emotional strength can't be predicted, and they normally have surprising twists to the plot. You get to see how they change as a person and how the situation they find themselves in has had an effect on them.
Films such as The Talented Mr. Ripley, Strangers on a Train and Suspicion are all good examples of this sub-genre.
Hi I'm Steph and I'm currently in Year 12. I originally didn't think that I would enjoy this project because I hadn't watched a lot of thrillers and wasn't a huge fan. However because I've had to watch the films I've discovered I really enjoy them, especially psychological thrillers.
