Final draft RUSSELL

Storyboard

Evaluation Q6

Evaluation Q5

Evaluation Q3

Evaluation Q4

Evaluation Q2

Evaluation Q7

Evaluation Q1

Storyboard Alterations

Difficulties When Editing

Evaluation of Rough Cuts

RUSSELL second draft

Editing Schedule

First Draft Feedback + Changes to be Made

On the 22nd we screened our first draft to the rest of our class for them to give feedback on our product, below are the questions we gave them to fill out to help us to improve with the general answers we received, and some charts showing some of the results.Judging on the feedback, changes we will make to our opening are to:

• Shorten the length of the opening
• Make credits slightly larger
• Sound (deigetic and non diegetic) to be louder and incorporate it throughout the entire opening
• Make the second half of the opening more enticing and interesting to watch, as it was too slow paced and quiet.

RUSSELL first draft

Technologies Used

• iMovie - Used to piece together rough cuts of the opening so we knew which footage to use

• GarageBand - To edit our audio on such as the voicemails (adding effects to make it sound like a voicemail as well as the beeps and order)

• Final Cut Pro - This was the software on which we edited the footage and pieced everything together (lighting/colouring, cuts, credits).

Shooting Day - BTS

Because our film opening only has one location, we only spent a day in Hastings to film. Despite the location being a public area, there were not as many customers as we had expected, so the disruption when shooting was minimised. We had planned to use the Canon 700D for filming, but on the day we changed it to .... attached to a camera grip handle so tracking movements and steady shots were more stable.

Changes to Credits

Voicemail Castings/Recordings

VOICEMAIL CAST

• Doctor receptionist: Gemma Evenden
• Boss: Michael Evenden
• Daughter: Grace Evenden
• Neighbour: Calumn King
• Ex-wife: Trudy Barber

Production Company

The production company is called MOAT as is it the acronym of the first names in our group (Maxi, Olivia, Archie and Tom). We linked this to a moat by positioning the name in a white circle, as moats are always joined together and tend to be in a circular shape around the building, which is represented by the letters. Although it is not completely clear that this can represent a moat, we wanted the logo to be as simple and straightforward as possible. Regarding the transition, we took inspiration from Kubrick's credits in 'A Clockwork Orange', which we were originally going to use for our film opening credits but decided not to use.

Audience Expectations in Thrillers

PRIMARY RESEARCH

I asked 20 people to complete this questionnaire, the results were all fairly similar. 

• The audiences expectations of what is conventional in a thriller are very similar to secondary research and the correct conventions.
• Some themes can be misinterpreted with horror, such as the supernatural and jump scares.

I also asked the question alongside whether they enjoyed watching thrillers, and 65% answers yes, which could relate to the accurate answers to what is expected in a thriller.

Thriller film research source

SECONDARY RESEARCH
From this blog post, it is shown that the highest expectations from a thriller film are blood, police and action, which are conventions relating most to crime thrillers such as 'Silence of the Lambs' and 'Memento'. This supports the results of one of the other charts from the source which shows that from the participants, crime thrillers are most watched with 35%, and action thrillers at 30%. The sub genres of action and crime thrillers overlap each other in terms of conventions, and would supposedly create the most suspense and perhaps enigma in narrative.

"A thing that the audience may expect is most likely to be alot of drama and investigation.The reason for this is because within a thriller genre, there is usually a good person as well as a bad person. The bad person usually does something wrong and it causes investigation by the good person. Another example of something that the audience may expect is a complex narrative. . .This is something that is expected within a thriller genre because it creates enigmas for the audience and makes them ask questions."

Credits and Title

The font for the film opening will be a serif font (New times roman) as the intention of the font is to look similar to print in a dictionary, as the style of the title and credits are of a dictionary definition (as shown before). There is relevance to why this dictionary style layout is being used, for the film has themes and narrative of what life is about and what defines it, or that perhaps there is no meaning at all for what it means to be alive. Questions like this would be addressed within the film following the protagonist's kidnapping, as he has abused him and those around him in his life, and hasn't appreciated what he has taken for granted in terms of being alive. 
The alternating monochrome background and font shown below will possibly be used, inspired by the credits in Stanley Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange', where the screen colour suddenly switches from a startling red to a blue. We decided to use black and white for the film opening credits, as it relates a lot more with the dictionary format, and perhaps how things in life are seen as 'black and white', when there is a lot more to it than that.

Audio Test

We tested three microphones (Voice recording on iPhone, YOGA, RØDE) in preparation for the voicemail's we are using in our opening. We discovered that the YOGA microphone was the most effective as it cancelled out the largest amount of background noise and elevated the sound of the voice.

Shooting Schedule

Voicemail Script Update

(Words in red are changes to the script)

DOCTORS RECEPTIONIST:

Hello Mr. Simmons, I'm calling from Oakhouse Surgery to remind you to collect your prescription, your doctor is concerned that you haven't taken your medication and we must insist that you do, the consequences could be very serious. Please contact us back if you are unable to collect them. Thank you.

DAUGHTER:

Hey Dad! It's me. Mum said you were picking me up tomorrow from swimming. It finishes at 5, I was thinking we could do something after? Please don't forget this time. See you.

BOSS:

Russell, Craig here. I really didn’t want to make this phone call, but you haven't turned up to work or even answered my calls. I’m sorry but, I'm having to let you go. I know you’ve been struggling and I’ve done all I can to support you but you've really forced my hand here. Call me back as soon as you get this and we’ll talk about the redundancy… and what needs to be done next. Best wishes.

DAUGHTER:

Where are you? Its me - Sophie!? I’ve been waiting by the school gates for like an hour and it’s raining! Have you forgotten again? You always do this! Mum’s on her way now, just forget it.

EX WIFE:

Russell, it's me. I've had to cancel my meeting to pick Sophie up from swimming. You've let her down yet again, she isn't coming round this weekend, by the way... You owe her an apology. Oh, and another thing, Dave said he saw you at our house again last week, you can't start doing this, it's my house. I don't want to get the police involved but I will if I have to. *PAUSE* I'll pick her up from now on.

GIRLFRIEND:

Where the hell are you? Why aren't you returning my calls? Have I done something wrong? I didn't mean what I said about moving in together, I think we should take it slowly, it's too soon..just please call me back, I miss you. This is like the sixteenth time calling in a week and you haven't picked up once. Was it me? Look, it was a joke! It’s obviously too soon… but ,please call me back, I’m worried.

NEIGHBOUR:

Hey Russell, its Tim from 23A. I haven't seen you around in a while.. you okay buddy? Just letting you know that some other residents and I have noticed that your mailbox is overflowing a bit. I haven’t seen you around, otherwise I would have spoken to you face to face. It’s not an urgent problem, but if you could tidy up a bit it would be a great help. Thanks.

Voicemail Script

Voicemail Scipt by Anonymous Dmt4n5 on Scribd

             

Makeup, Costume and Props

MAKEUP
The only makeup look trying to be achieved in our opening is the clammy, sickly and drugged look of the protagonist. We experimented with sun cream, moisturizer, colour corrector and glycerin mixed with water to make fake sweat. Below we experimented with the colour corrector and glycerin water, which we concluded created the best result. We have yet to experiment with under eye makeup for the look of fatigue.

BEFORE                                                      AFTER

COSTUME
Regarding the protagonist, he will wear dark, plain clothing to not draw attention to himself among everything else in the shop. The aim is to convey that he is no more important than the objects and furniture in the room. The shop keeper (antagonist) will wear clothing which is considered 'feminine', to contrast against her role which is stereo typically not played by females in thrillers, usually they are the love interest, but very rarely the antagonist.

PROPS
The majority of the props we will use will be in the shop, so the only prop we need to bring is a drip which will be used to show that he is drugged and intoxicated, leading to his disorientation. On set we will also need the items needed for the makeup look such as a green corrector stick, fake sweat (glycerine and water) and perhaps eye shadow to create dark under eyes.

Talent Sourcing

ACTOR HEADSHOTS

Risks/Health and Safety

Location Recce

This is the single location we are filming in, and filming should take a whole day as we are not spending time travelling to the next location to shoot. Every shot apart from the very first will be interior, so the weather and time of day will not affect us to the extent if we were shooting outside.

The lighting inside is completely artificial as we are filming the majority of the opening in the basement, which has no windows so natural lighting cannot interfere. 

The lighting is fluorescent, so it can make a buzzing/humming sound, but we are using that in our opening so it won't be a problem. Because the shop is a public area, some customers could make some noise during the shoot, so we will start filming early during the day to avoid as much of this as possible.

Although the room is very large, there is a lot of furniture and objects that could obstruct where we can place the camera and shoot for certain shots. Also as it is a shop, the arrangement of furniture is sometimes changed, so the day of shooting could possibly look different than how it did when we visited last to storyboard.

Test Footage

Equipment Used

For the test footage, the Canon Legria HF G30 (Camcorder) was used, and we found that it is easier to hold steadily for the tracking shot, and although compared to the Canon 700D the colour is less vibrant, it is easy to fix in post production. The Canon 700D had some trouble focusing but overall the colour was better. 

Iconic Sounds Connected With Thrillers

Thriller iconography

ICONOGRAPHY USED IN THRILLERS: 
Shadows: Although it links closely to lowkey lighting, they connote a sense of danger and an ominous atmosphere, as shadows can show where someone/something is, and sometimes the shape cannot be distinguished clearly, creating curiosity and suspense. 

Knives: Clearly suggests the idea of murder and violence, an iconic representation would be in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho'.

Streetlights: Only used when it is dark, creating lowkey lighting and the only light is under the lamp, creating fear for the audience if the character is surrounded by darkness.

Confined spaces: makes the viewers too feel like they are trapped, which can be an insecurity and makes them feel uncomfortable watching. Gives the sense of claustrophobia and struggle for the character who is trapped.

Woods: A common location for thrillers, gives the sense of being lost and isolation, making the character there more vulnerable.

Running water: Seen as a symbol of death, it suggests the draining of life, or perhaps dripping of blood, giving connotations of danger and death. Like before, 'Psycho' is a prime example, as the iconic death scene is set in the shower.

 Lowkey lighting: Usually used in a way where only one side of a characters face is highlighted, connoting that there is more to a person than what meets the eye. 

Iconic Thriller Directors

ALFRED HITCHOCK
Hitchcock played a huge part in the development of thriller films. His career lasted six decades and many of his 50 films are now genre classics. He is famous for his direction and production of films of the genre and has a notable way of filming. He is most known for his film 'Psycho' (1960), which created suspense and terror within the audience, which is what he aimed to do.

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
Directed films such as 'Inception' (2010), 'Shutter Island' (2010) and 'The Dark Knight' (2008). His visual style shows modern/urban locations, men in suits and muted tones, and he is heavily inspired by film noir.

DAVID FINCHER
Has created well known thriller films such as 'Se7en' (1995), 'Fight Club' (1999) and 'Gone Girl' (2014). A lot of films contain a very similar colour palette: black with a mix of another colour.


QUENTIN TARANTINO
He is best known for his film 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) and 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992). His films are notable for the graphic violence and bloodshed, loud blaring music, alongside the comedic side of the genre. His style is incredibly recognisable and influential.

9 Important Shots in Film Openings

MEMENTO (2000)


SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)

History of the Thriller genre

Demographic and BBFC rating

The BBFC rating for our film (opening) will be a 15, as the film will contain strong language, imitable behaviour such as suicide, and threat and violence. It has a narrative of kidnapping and being held in captivity, which could be sensitive to some younger viewers.

The primary demographic will be middle class white males from ages 25-50, as that is the relate age, race and class to the protagonist of the film. The wide age gap is because of the influence film has on the younger audiences nowadays. Influential directors such as Stanley Kubrick claimed their demographic in the pinnacle of their success, like in the 70's. This audience would now be older, hence the wider age gap.

The primary demographic will be white males as that is the gender and race of the protagonist, and the film will deal with issues relative to his life, and so perhaps ,male viewers can relate more to him.

The demographic can be better defined by the ACORN system where they would occupy the B and C1 social grades (middle and lower middle class). The demographic needs to have a sufficient amount of disposable income to view a film that isn't necessarily a box office hit, but more a film that requires problem solving and isn't attractive to the mainstream audience.The mentality of our demographic can be described as that of a 'reformer' (those who are social aware, intellectual and seek out authenticity) and 'explorer' (people who are driven by a need for challenge and discovery).

Regarding Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs' the film will cater the viewers need for belonging and love as well as self-actualisation. The protagonist will go on a journey of self-realisation in the film, realising he is neglecting those around him, and realise that he needs to change; which could provoke a similar feeling in the audience.

Using Blumler and Katz's 'Uses and Gratifications' theory, it can be suggested that the audience will use this film for entertainment and relationships; the latter referring to its arthouse sub-genre which cites it as a niche film, therefore creating an inclusive audience that is likely to critique and discuss the film amongst each other. Entertainment can be derived from our film because it's nar

Shooting Script

Updated Colour and Sound Palette

Sound Palette

• The voicemail recording will still remain 
• The humming/buzzing of fluorescent lights, which will be used to show his disorientation as he looks up at it.

Colour Palette

Because we are now not including the Kubrick inspired credits with two colours switching (we planned to use black and white, rather than red and blue which is what was used in 'A Clockwork Orange'), we have gotten rid of the white in our initial colour palette. 

We have kept the red, as although we are not including red lighting, the walls in the location are red so a lot of the frames will be that colour.

Conventions of the Thriller Genre

A thriller film can be divided into many sub-genres such as crime thriller, psychological thriller or supernatural thriller. But they all have common conventions which make them a thriller. They revolve around suspense and anticipation, which leads to a climax between the disruption to resolution in the narrative.
Thriller films include: Silence of the Lambs (1991), Seven (1995), Shutter Island (2010), and Inception (2010).

• It will usually consist of a battle between the protagonist and antagonist. The role of the protagonist is to restore the equilibrium, whilst the antagonist tries to destroy it. As thrillers are stereo typically a more male dominated genre, the protagonist is very often a male.
• There is a common use of lowkey lighting, tense music, quick cuts diegetic sound to heighten tension and to create a sombre atmosphere.
• Themes can include isolation/vulnerability, especially relating to the protagonist, violence, and psychological problems.
• The setting is usually an everyday environment, which adds to the suspense as the antagonist is disrupting the normality of everyday life.
• The general demographic of this genre are of older ages, as the themes of violence etc. are not suitable to younger audiences. The sub-genres of thrillers have demographics which vary from one another, e.g. horror thrillers will have an expected older demographic than an action thriller.
• Thriller films can tend to overlap with other genres such as action, drama and horror, as the genre of thriller covers such a wide range of sub-genres. Despite this, there are many differences between the two genres. Horror films focus more on the intention to scare viewers with a lot of jump scares, blood and gore, and horrifying acts and images, whereas thrillers have more explanation and a detailed narrative and creates more suspense rather than tension. Like their names, horrors are intended to 'horrify' their viewers, whilst thrillers 'thrill' them.