Survey monkey results:

From these results i have found out that the most people watch movies from onche a month, to more thantwice a week. This suggest they are very popular, and out of all these people the resulta vary from watchin thrillers once a year to once a week. Popular aspects of thrillers that people enjoy are suspense, schock, the thrill, mystery and that they keep you on the edge of your chair. Some of the comments made of what people disliked about thrillers were .

* I don't like it when there are people being stalked around for ages - it gets boring very quickly.

* At times I find most thrillers to be cliché.

* There sometimes frustrating and slow at the start.

* Sometimes they can get too typical and easy to work out.

Therefore, I am going to make sure the thriller is going to be fairly fast paced, unpredictable, and hard to work out but not too complicated that they get hard to understand.

Planning; diagram

Livetype

I used LiveType to make my production company clip....


I gave it an image background, then added the text. However, it looked boring so I put an animation onto it. 
   

The Art Of The Title

I went on to the the website The Art Of The Title to do some research for the production company on my thriller. Its a website that shows brilliant title sequences, that can be used for inspiration in my thriller.

The arangment for the titles in our triller is going to be;

Fantasizing Productions

Written by:

Tyra Huggins, Sam Conway and Harley Mason and Sid Taylor

Starring:

Sid Taylor, Harley Mason and Sam Conway as a voice over.

Created, filmed and edited by:

Harley Mason, Sam Conway, Sid Taylor and Tyra Huggins

Music from and approved by:

 MOBY GRATIS 

Title 

Production company

The name of our production company is "Fantasizing Productions". I am going to use LiveType to create an image for our company and the writing. I will then attach it to the beginning of my thriller. 

animatic cat - storyboard, by Harley Mason

Music, MOBY GRATIS

For our thriller we need music that doesnt have copywrite, so I signed up to the website 'mobygratis.com' where I can gather music to use in my thriller. iu had to agree with all of the terma and conditions, and then will have to request the music i would like to put on my thriller.

Graphic Match

A graphic match is when one image goes into another image, which is similar to the first, so the transaction is run smoothly. 


One example of this is in spider man where an animated spider web changes into a real spider web. 

Alfred hitchcock also uses a graphic match in his thriller north by north west

where this image transfroms into an office block.

Panic Room opening sequence; Analysis

In class we watched the title sequence of Panic Room to see how they set up their titles. They used panning shots to move across and places the words parallel to the buildings which made it look formal and serious. They also matched the words with the music, which worked really well. 

Soviet montage theory.

Soviet montage theory is a technique which is used to put two or more clips together to make a meaning. For example, a mans face could be edited next to a cake, and therefore he would look hungry. However, a mans face could be put next to a woman, and he could be seen to be in love. It can be used in many ways to create different meanings to things going on.

Here is a knife put next to a woman's injured face,giving he impression that she has been stabbed.  

The Soviet Montage Theory can also be used to piece together situations that we do not see. For example, in Pshyco. when the charecter gets stabbed in the shower, we do not see it. all the audience sees in the antagonist with a knife, and blood in the shower.


This is a good technique that i could use in my thriller as i do not have the recources or special effects to make real gory sequences, so this technique could still make the scenes look realistic.

Se7en (Opening Credits); Analysis

I watched the opening sequence for the thriler Seven at home. I thought it was brilliant and loved the way the music matched wahat was going on, and the way the titles switched between different scenes. The writing was very thin, and looked like hand writing, which gave it a spooky edge and the gaps between each slide created tension and suspense. 

For our thriller research we decided to try out some of ideas to see if they would work. To achieve a smoke effect we used powder paint and blew it with a hairdryer. We did this in blue and green as it gave a poison look. we also tried hanging a fork up with clear string. this worked well. However, it did not look good with the camera flash as you could see the shine of the string. For this reason, when we use this technique we will know to use low key lighting to use shadows. it will also give a darker feel to he effect.

Low Key Lighting;

Low key lighting is when back lighting and the key light is used to create shadows and a contrast between light and dark. 


I would like to use this in my thriller because it creates a dark and a more moody atmosphere. 

Alfred Hitchcock: Shadow of a Doubt

I class we watched Alfred Hitchcock's 'Shadow of a doubt'. We were told to analyse the scene and look at the mise en scene and sound. 

It begins with the introduction of 'Uncle Charlie' in a setting that goes from the general to the particular, which is Charlie's home. He is laying resting on a bed in a smart suit and neat hair looking immaculate. he seems vary relaxed, however when a woman comes to his room and tells him there were two men looking for him, she closes the blinds and when she leaves he smashes a glass and jumps out of bed. I think this could be a give away for him being an antagonist as he is shown to have a short temper, and a smart look the many villains seem to have. 

When he exits his house his door number is thirteen, which is a symbol for bad luck. This could also be a sign that something bad is going to happen. The outside setting is f a poor area, with old tiresome looking houses, and derelict spaces, which contrasts with the look of Charlie when he is smartly dressed. The high key lighting used makes everything look normal, which could add an element of surprise if something was to happen. 

The positioning of the two men following Charlie are both mirror images of each other, from the way they walk, the positioning of their body, their clothes and facial expressions. This makes them seem like clones when the are chasing Uncle Charlie. 

I would like to use a smart looking antagonist in my thriller as it makes it look realistic and believable, without it looking like a fiction story. 

Shadow Of A Doubt Part 1/11

Our thriller Idea;

For our thriller idea we have decided to use the theme of the "Five Senses".

These being:
*touch
*smell
*sight
*hearing
*taste

It would be a gory thriller. There would be five charecters, each being tortures with one of the senses.

Touch
Whenever the charecter was to touch something it would smash. We would do this with clear string on objects an smashing them.
Smell
For this we would have someone being suffocated in a tight space filled with smoke. As we do not have a smoke machine accessable to us we are going to use powder paint and blow it with a hairdryer to get a powdery smoked effect.
Sight
The charecters eyes would be bleeding, and would see thing how no one else would.
Hearing
The charecter would be hearing voiced and thier ears would be cut off. For this; as we know this is not possiblem abd we do not ahve all the equipment to hand, we worked out we could use 'soviet montage theory'.
Taste
We would have the charecter biting into food, and it would turn into all these horrible things, choking and vomiting with disgust.

These clips would be shown at the beggining of the film opening. It would flash from black , to each of the tortured people. It then would change to a fuzzy screen and be 12 hours before. Showing a normal begging of the day with five sets of people, and layering on music to create tension.

My preliminary exercise story board.

For my preliminary exersise I came up with the idea of a teen pregnancy. Our brief was to get a wide range of shots and angles, and to also go through a door. We set the it in our school in a corridoor and toilets.

Our preliminary exercise;

For our excersise we filmed in a toilet and a coridoor. Our only problem was that the toilet had two doors to enter. This meant it looked a little stranger when the charecters were to enter the room, or exit out. We also had some problems with the soundm so we had to edit it to change, as it was much slower that the actions.

Possible settings for my thriller;

* woods
* dark alley
* urban setting
* house

Survey:

I created a survey at surveymonkey.com to ask people what they like about thrillers. By doing this it will give me an idea about who watched thrillers, what they like about them and what they dislike about them. It can also give me an idea of what to put into my thriller opening.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NYL8QGH

Vertigo; Part 1 Analysis

I watched the Alfred Hitchcock film vertigo to look at the....
I thought....
It was effective...
However, it was not so effective because...

Technical analysis;

Whilst making my video I encountered a few problems. Firstly, the sound. As all my filming was done outside, it was hard to pick up the sound. To resolve this we set up microphones and clipped them to those on film so we could hear them better.

I made the video using editing software. We sectioned the whole film into clips, took out the mistakes, and put the edited clips together.

Our Vox Pop

What i did to produce my vox pop video.

Too make my vox pop video we used a camera outside on a tripod. We had to make sure we was using it properly whilst filming and that we had the correct skills to put all the clips together afterwards. after all the filming was complete we uploaded the video in to final cut express where we then edited it. The point of doing this was to get audience research on what people preferred in thrillers, so i can then decide on what i want mine to be like. Then we uploaded it to youtube.

VOX POP

Earlier this week I conducted a vox pop, or vox populi (Latin for voice of the people). This was an interview, filmed on camera, to see how various members of the public think about thrillers. I asked them:

• What is your favourite thriller?
• What do you like about the thriller genre?
• What makes a great thriller?

Doing this I found out a great deal about the aspects of thrillers the public really enjoy watching. I took these points on board to think about what I need to put into my thriller to make it engaging and enjoying for viewers.

Past students work.

In class I watched some past students thrillers. I found that the films with speech in were less effective than ones without because if the character could not act it took away from the seriousness and the suspense. 

I also found  that the films with hoodies and people 'following' characters were not as good as they seemed to make it drag opposed to the ones that had things going on all the time. 

Harry Brown

The thriller I have chosen to write about is Harry Brown. I find it really interesting and engaging to watch. The movies use of tension makes it thrilling as we see the protagonist (retired marine Harry Brown) trying to hunt down the gang leader who killed his best friend. The building up to this he also faces druggies and gang members, which ends up in a dramatic scene of bloody violence that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It contains all the main conventions of a thriller…

Disaster: Harry’s best friend dies.

Tension: lead up to the final scene and other major events in the film.

Suspense

Mystery

Urban settings: Part of the setting used was in Marks Gate estate.

A villain who drives the plot (Ben Drew/ Plan B)

The police

Excitement

The leading role is played by Michael Caine who is a Legend in acting and plays the role brilliantly.

The whole film is set in dark lighting that gives it a dull, run down and spooky look throughout and much of it is set at night. There are also many direct shots on different objects which alert the viewer throughout the film and make it a brilliant thriller.

Harry Brown Trailer

The Opening Sequence of Memento;

The opening sequence of 'Memento' is effective because it plays backwards. It is a very abrupt beginning and quick paced. There are lots of close ups and varied camera shots and within the first few minutes it shows the protagonist killing a man.  This makes the viewers intrigued and inquisitive to what's going on. This is a good aspect to the film because it builds tension. The story follows a man called Lennie on the hunt for a man who killed his wife. The only problem with this is ever since she dies he can not recall new memories. This gives the movie an Enigma (one of Alfred Hitchcocks techniques) and makes it a good thriller opening. 

Memento Intro

Alfred Hitchcocks techniques;

To many, the director Alfred Hitchcock is known as the master of suspense. He uses different techniques to demonstrate this in his movies. Examples of these are:

A ‘Mac guffin’. This is a plot device used to motivate the characters and advances the story but has little or no relevance to the movie in a whole.

An ‘Enigma’. This refers to a puzzle, something mysterious, inexplicable, a riddle, or a difficult problem. This is usually something that is to be found out by the protagonist.

A ‘Red herring’. This is something that intends to avert the viewers from the truth or possibly an item of greater significance.

A great example of one of Alfred Hitchcock’s films is north by north west:

About Alfred Hitchcock:

Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone on the 13th of August, 1899. He specialized in psychological thrillers and suspense. 


"Hitchcock said he was sent by his father on numerous occasions to the local police station with a note asking the officer to lock him away for ten minutes as punishment for behaving badly. This idea of being harshly treated or wrongfully accused is frequently reflected in Hitchcock's films."-wikipedia.org 


He directed films from 1921-1976. He died on the 29th April 1980 in Bel Air, Los Angeles. 

No country for old men;

The beginning of ‘no country for old men’ is a powerful display of tension building techniques that incorporate mystery and varying camera movement that keeps viewers on the edge of their seat. The director uses the technique of only showing the back of the villains head at the beginning of the movie. This can confuse the viewer and make them more intrigued into the film. Also, the attention to details through camera shots focussing on different aspects of the set allow the viewer to question and pay attention to what’s going on, to piece together different sections of the movie. The voiceover during the beginning credits builds on the story whilst adding tension as the monotone American accent slows down the beginning sequence, leaving the viewer wanting more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQNvn4eb8LQ

No country for old men;

The start of my research...

To begin my research I put together some ideas of things that thrillers include, types of thrillers and themes that follow through most thrillers making them engaging, tense and thrilling to watch.

Similarities I came across doing my research was mystery, and making people look mysterious. Directors use the effect of silhouettes or only showing parts of people’s bodies, but keeping the faces hidden, to keep the viewers questioning what’s happening on the screen whilst building tension of which the character is going to be or what different settings characters could be at, and so on.

Suspense is also a key aspect to thrillers as they build up to an important part of the film. This can be done through music, pauses and silence. Also, a theme that follows through different thrillers is villains. Whether it is a person, creature or unknown, the villain seems to drive the plot of the movie.

My First Blog (:

Welcome to my brand new media studies blog. On this blog I will be recording my progress as I work in a group of 2-4 to produce an opening scene for a thriller. My brief to produce the thriller no more than two minutes long. I am being assessed on technical competence. For example, how steady the camera is held, camera angles and quality of shots.