Storyboard.

This is my storyboard. I created this to have a relatively good idea of the shots i will be making in my opening. i think that my storyboard is good quality, the pictures arent great but you get the idea. With this i have a good idea of what im going to do on the day. I am going to take my storyboard on the day i go to shoot, this will be benificial to me because i will be able to remember shots that will look good for my opening.

Our pitches powerpoint.



Shot list.

Extreme wide shot:

The view is so far from the subject that he isn't even visible. Often used as an establishing shot.

Very wide shot:

The subject is visible (barely), but the emphasis is still on placing him in his environment.

Wide shot:

The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible.

Mid shot:

Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.

Medium close up:

Half way between a mid shot and a close up.

Close up:

A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

Extreme close up:

The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.

Cut in:

Shows some (other) part of the subject in detail.

Cut away:

A shot of something other than the subject

Two shot:

A shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.

Over the shoulder shot:

Looking from behind a person at the subject.

Point of view shot:

Shows a view from the subject's perspective.

Weather shot:

The subject is the weather. Can be used for other purposes, e.g. background for graphics.

We will also put in some angle shots:

Low angle,

High angle,

Perspective,

The Bird's-Eye view,

Eye Level,

Camera Movement

Pans,

Tilts,

Dolly Shots,

Crane Shots,

Hand-held shots,

Zoom Lenses.

What you would expect in a thriller opening.

Things that  I would perhaps expect in a thriller opening are:

• Mystery
• Suspense
• Pensive music
• Action
• Something shoking
• Grab attention
• violence
• Face paced.

these things are convenctional in a thriller opening. you see most of the these in the thriller movies today.

Prelim Evaluation.

My Preliminary task went really well. the video footage we had to work with and edit was really good, this made editing much easier. In my prelim my group was me Jacob and Will. Worked well together and all had different jobs. The finished footage was around 2 minutes long, which i think is good for a length of time for something like this. The basic plot of the prelim was a man starts off walking and then is followed by two thugs, during the man's walk around a building there a variety of shots. There is plenty of mystery in this task, it then comes to a shot where the man call's for a lift and the thugs are mysteriously in there before him waiting. they assault him where it pulls to another similar shot of the lift where the thugs run out and leave a body in the lift. I think it went well overall and that if we were to do it again i think i would get more talking involved perhaps, and make it slightly longer but i think that was down to the time i was given. i learnt a lot from this experience of shooting and editing and i enjoyed it.

Questionnaire summary.

•We found out in our questionnaire certain things that have helped us choose our final idea due to what people think is best in a thriller opening. For example we found that people want to see flashbacks in a thriller opening. I gave 10 people the questionnaire and I found out that 90% of the participants like to see flashbacks in a thriller opening. It was said that they add suspense and mystery straight away and ''grips you into the story''. We also found that 3 minutes is the recommended time for a thriller opening, this is helpful because this was one of the area's we needed help on this project. in this way the questionnaire was a success. Lots of action is a good way to grab the viewers attention, that was the reaction we got off this questionnaire.

Questionnaire!

Questionnaire

1. What age category are you?  

         1-11           12-15           15-18             18+

      2.  What gender are you?

              Male              Female

         

      3.   Do you enjoy Thriller movies?

              Yes               No

     

4. Do you go to the cinema on a regular basis?

 Yes                  No

5. Do you know the conventions of a typical thriller?

 Yes                  No

6. Does a setting affect an opening of a thriller?

Yes                   No

7. Do you think Flashbacks are affective in a thriller?

Yes                    No

8. What do you think is an affective opening for a thriller is?

      

     

     

9. How long do you think a good thriller opening should last?

     

10. Do you like lots action in thrillers?

Yes                    No

Characteristics and a conventional thriller

Thriller is a genre of literature, film and television that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements.

A genuine, standalone thriller is a film that provides thrills and keeps the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the character(s) is placed in a menacing situation, mystery, or an escape from which escaping seems impossible. Life is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation

Conspiracy thriller

Crime thriller

Disaster thriller

Erotic thriller

Legal thriller

Medical thriller

Mystery thriller

Political thriller

Psychological thriller

Rape and Revenge films

Religious thriller

Supernatural thriller

Techno thriller

My thriller’s age category will be a 15 and over. I have chosen this for a few reasons, it’s so I can show an average level of violence and still have a relatively large target audience. There a few swear words in my thriller opening, this also makes my opening clip a 15.

 Suitable only for 15 years and over

No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest  terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely  to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

BBFC !!

The BBFC staands for British Board of Film Classification.
A highly expert and experienced regulator of the moving image (especially film, video/DVD and video games), and also a service provider for new and developing media. They decide on film ratings for example if the film is 15 age and above or a 18 age and above. The age categories are 'U' 'PG', 12, 12A, 15, 18 and 18R. Its against the law to release a film without the approval and the classification of the BBFC. An example of a film that they have rated is Rush Hour and they have seen that as a 12.

Media Institutions

For my Thriller i will use ''warner bros'' as my media instiutution because they would be able to fund my film and what i would need. Another reason why i have chosen warner bros is because they have done lots of films from all genres. A major reason is there background in the thriller genre they have done films like: Rush Hour, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Final Destination and many more.

How does Nolan covey memento as a psychological thriller?

  

Nolan conveys memento as a psychological thriller by the way he sets out the film. The film its self is not set out as usual films, it’s unconventional in the way that it is cut up and put back together. This makes the viewer think constantly on what parts of the film go where. Its all about piecing it together, that’s why it’s such a clever film.

 

Mise-en-scene

The title is blue on black, it’s an impact title, grabs the immediate attention of the viewer. There are weary sounds all threw the start of the film this adds mystery and suspense in the film already. The mise-en-scene is already portraying dark things. As a viewer you pick up signifiers already with the music and the open sequence of the murder being replayed backwards. I think this is relevant to the fact that his memory has to be replayed over and over in his mind. The main actor is a very dark and complex character. As the film continues on we find out he is a very violent man, strange representation for a man like that, it’s almost unconventional. The whole film is very non linear, in the way that it is laid out.    

Sound

The music all the way threw the film is pensive, this means it slow and very dark music, things that you would normally associate with death, mystery, just generally bad things these are all things you would associate with this genre, very conventional. Yet more signifiers. At the beginning of the film the tension is building the music, it all builds up to a crescendo where the title comes into view over a photo. The music slows down to a halt and the talking in his head takes over. The talking in his head carries on throughout the film in little snippets, where there are mysterious parts in the film a fitting music tone drifts into the background to add suspense.

Narrative

The film is non linear. This means that it is not set out as a normal film, it is split up into different parts. All the way threw the film you as the viewer has to try and piece it all together, which makes it non linear because it’s not what you expect. The film can be very deceptive and confusing for the viewer, I believe that this is a very cleverly made film because the way you find out things that you have already seen earlier on in the film.

     

Editing

The title is an impact title, it comes into view and is put in front of a photo of a dead man. This is a very powerful shot because your looking at the title as usual nd then something horrible grabs your attention immediately after, this why it is such a powerful shot. The title then fads out, which I believe is very symbolic to his memory, in the fact that nothing last for that long and it just fads away in his mind. The powerful shot is a point of view shot of the photograph then there is a close up of the blood on the floor, then a scene unfolds to what seems to be a murder. It is played backwards so you see what happens at the start. This is very clever editing. Gun noise made louder for affect.

Representation

The representation for the main character ‘Leonard’ is that he is an anit-hero. I believe he is and anti-hero because he is doing the right things but going the wrong way about it. For example he is doing the honourable thing of avenging his wife’s death but he is taking no prisoners in doing so. Murder, theft, kidnapping and more crimes to have his revenge. It takes a lot of the movie to discover out who he really is and that’s why the character is very mysterious and violent.  

The Happening Analysis

By Ryan Fleming

How does shyamalan create a sense of tension in the mise-en-scene which could be linked to the psychological thriller genre?

The happening is a thriller movie that was released to the UK in 2008, it was directed by m. night shyamalan. It Stars Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel and more. The film follows the genre very well, there is mysticism, action and a struggle for life for the main characters. I’m going to be answering the question ‘’how does shyamalan create a sense of tension in the mis-en-scene which could be linked to the psychological thriller genre?’’ I will be looking at the first 6 minutes of footage and analysing it.

 The Opening sequence is made up of the clouds moving across the sky with very eerie sounds. The opening sequence is mostly violins it’s almost like there building up to something, by getting louder and more intense building up to a crescendo. During the opening sequence the title ‘’the happening’’ comes into view by using a slow fading in technique. We normally associate violins with sadness, so this automatically links our mind set to sadness or terrible thoughts. The sinister sounds of the violins fit in well with genre.

The next shot is an establishing shot of a park that is filled with people. It’s a very busy setting. There is a non dijetic wind sound again which is another signifier. There is a vulnerable two shot of these girls sitting on a bench, with some trees in the background. The angle of the shot is slightly above them which does show them as vulnerable or maybe weak. Everything is fine and seems all is going well, and then there is an unconventional scream in the background. The scream is quickly followed by a reaction shot of one of the girls. It is done quickly I think to again build tension. It then goes to a point of view shot of the same blonde women of lots of people standing still down the park, all in different places. This adds immediate suspicion, it makes the viewer think what is happening why are they doing that. There then is another scream but from a different place. Another reaction shot quickly follows again, using the same technique as before to add tension. It almost like things are being built up now. There is still the wind in the background building tension and building up to something. After the music being built up for a while the other women stares into space and seems not to be all there, almost blank. The woman takes out a sharp object from the back of her hair and slowly stabs herself with it in the neck. This adds lots of things tension, mysticism and it is starting to confuse the viewers why she has done this.

From that shot in the park it cuts to a suburban shot of the city. It is very busy in the streets, plenty of noise. Police cars come into view with there lights flashing and speeding which adds to the mis-en-scene of this shot, tension and wondering if there reacting to the park incident that we have just scene. Keeps the viewer thinking. Equilibrium disruptive ‘’a complicating has occurred in the narrative’’ because this is all different to a normal day already.       

Hitlist of anilytical improvements.

• Write in sectioned paragraphs
• Don't waffle to much
• keep it relevant to the section you are talking about.
• Use analytical words better
• Identify conventions

My psycho essay !

Psycho

Psycho is a 1998 American horror film produced and directed by Gus Van Sant for Universal Pictures, a remake of the 1960 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Both films are made from the novel by Robert Bloch, which was in turn inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein.

This version is in colour and a complete different cast. Often copying Hitchcock's camera movements and editing. Some changes are introduced to account for advancements in technology since the original film and to make the content more explicit. Murder sequences are also well shot with surreal dream images.

Most of the camera work was very similar to the original psycho. The editing is also similar, especially in the murder scenes, ill be analyzing some shots from the 1998 remake. The murder scene in the shower is a very clever piece of filming. The camera work in that scene is very intense and has some clever shots in there too.  

There is a close up of the shower head, it’s a low angle and it’s from the perspective of the woman in the shower. This shot is doing one thing and it is keeping your attention on the shower head, it’s a focused shot. I think it’s kind of an establishing shot as well even though it’s so close up because with the shot you are confident of the location.

This is a close up of what seems to be the murderer. This shot shocks you because it comes from nowhere and because of the danger involved with a knife. This adds to the mood, which of course is a horror thriller. This is a powerful shot because of the fact that you can’t see the attackers face and that they have a knife in a striking position. I think this shot has the rule of thirds because there are more than one focus points in this shot, the knife and the mysterious attackers face. But the viewers focus is obviously drawn to the knife.

The next shot is a close up of the knife in the attackers hand, this adds suspense because we know that the attacker will strike but we are just waiting for when they do. Golden mean is used in this shot because the knife is right in the centre and one of the only things in the shot which of course draws attention to it. The knife has switched from the corner of the shot to the middle of the next one, which means that something is about to happen. It’s a low angle and it’s in the perspective of the victim. With the shot being looking up, this adds power to the shot and the person holding it.

Next in the scene there is an extreme close up, the shot is of the victims mouth in horror of what she has seen and that she is about to be attacked. This shot shows the victims emotion and it takes up the whole frame. These last couple of shots have been suspense builders and there leading up to an event which will surely be there attack with the knife. This builds tension and adds to the horror aspect of the film.

There is a shot of the attacker actually stabbing the victim. We can see this because of the shot type, it is a bird’s eye view above the bath. The victim is actually being stabbed in this shot, you still don’t get to see the attackers face because of the camera angle so this again adds mystery who and why. There looks to be a struggle in this scene which adds suspense because you are waiting for the fight to be resolved.

The next shot I want to analyse is yet another close up, almost an extreme close up really of the victim’s almost lifeless hand up against the wall. The hand has blood on it and because of this and the fact that it is almost lifeless it slides down the wall, due to the blood. This shows that the scene is almost concluded.

The same hand that was talked about then reaches out and grabs the shower curtain. It looks like there is not much life left in the hand. This is another close up of the hand, you haven’t seen her face in a while since the stabbing which maybe adds to mystery on how she is doing after the attack. I think this shot shows the struggle to keep alive by how she is gripping the shower curtain.

The next two shots are similar the first one is of the drain hole, an extreme close up of the water and blood rushing down the drain. I believe that this is a powerful shot its almost summarising what has happened in a way because it’s saying that the attack is over. I think this because something like a drain hole being used is a signifier that something has ended, in this case the victim’s life.

Straight away after the plug hole it snaps to the eye of the victim’s eye, roughly the same size of the plug hole. I think this was done on purpose to almost symbolize the same thing that something has finished. The shower has finished with the plug hole and her life has finished with her eye. The pupil is lifeless and in the corner of the eye. This is definitely using the golden mean rule, the whole eye is the focus again in this shot.

The last shot of this sequence is a long establishing shot of the house/hotel. The building is surrounded by darkness and dark clouds. The camera angle is a low one and makes the building look really powerful. This shot is using the rule of thirds because of the way the camera is positioned, it makes the building look very long and large. The mis-en-scen is a very dark one, it almost promotes something bad has happened.

  To conclude this scene, it is very quickly paced and lots and lots of shots. There are only one or two establishing shots because of the fact its all in one room really. The scene is made up of lots of quick close ups which I think adds tension. All of this adds to the genre of the film. Most of the shots involved are close ups or even extreme close ups, this means the viewer has to pay attention just a little bit more. A well put together piece of filming I think.

By Ryan Fleming.

(missing a few photos)

bad boys 2 !

last night watched my favourate film, was just in a laughing mood so decided to put it on and glad i did. bad boys 2 is pretty epic. a fairly decent storyline, lots of action and very very funny . so overall its a good watch. i recommend everyone watches it !!

my first blog post !

This is my first blog post after some trouble with it, really enjoing media so far. the course and teaches are really good. i have learnt alot about the film industry, genres, and camra angles already and enjoying it aswell. have learnt alot of key terms recently like mis en scene, signifires, infer and deduce. today in the library we starting watching 'the happening' . the film seems really cool and look forward to watching more of it.