Friday, 27 January 2012
Survey
Here I have created a survey on 'Survey Monkey' to gather information on audience's for thriller, if you could, please take two minutes to fill in this survey . Thank you! - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XR6PGWW
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Titles
'In the cut'
- Daunting Music
- Establishing Shot
- White font
- Out of focus
- One name and job title at a time
- Title only appears 3minutes in( Different text to actors,directors etc)
- Just sound effects
- Haunting
- Colour starts to change to red
- One name/job at a time
- Establishing shot
- Titles are 3D & imposed into the shots
- Sound effects - ticking
Film Openings
Memento
Conventions - Weapon, blood
Camera - Steady cam, Use of close ups
Editing - Black and white
Sound - Depressing music
Mise-en-scene - black and white; dream/flashback, setting is dank and dreary.
Enigma - Polariod going backwards
Brick
Conventions - Mystery, curious character
Camera - Out of focus
Editing - Graphic match(links with the bracelet)
Sound - Calming music
Mise-en-scene - Dull colours, Flashback
Zodiac
Conventions - Weaponm Curious character
Camera - Long shot
Editing - Do not see the murder
Sound - 3 different types used, contrasting, both diegetic and non-diegetic
Mise-en-scene - Town setting
Target Audience
The target age for a thriller would be ranging from sixteen to about twenty-four, as this has been known to be the range that goes to see the most thrillers.
Something else to consider is the gender of your audience. You need to think about what will appeal to both the male and female genders. The general look on it would be that men enjoy watching thriller's that are gory, horror, contains lots of fighting and action scenes. Whilst women are more into psychological thrillers and pay more attension to the story and getting inside the character's head.
Another thing you should consider in a thriller is the actors that star in the film. People are more likely to go and see a film with a big named star rather than someone who has appeared in a film or two. People will also be more likely to be attracted to films that star their favourite actors/idols. Gender also comes into this again, if you were to star someone such as 'Taylor Lautner' then your more likely to get an audience filled with females. And equally if the main actor in your film is 'Angelina Jolie', your likely to have an audeince full of males.
Something else to consider is the gender of your audience. You need to think about what will appeal to both the male and female genders. The general look on it would be that men enjoy watching thriller's that are gory, horror, contains lots of fighting and action scenes. Whilst women are more into psychological thrillers and pay more attension to the story and getting inside the character's head.
Another thing you should consider in a thriller is the actors that star in the film. People are more likely to go and see a film with a big named star rather than someone who has appeared in a film or two. People will also be more likely to be attracted to films that star their favourite actors/idols. Gender also comes into this again, if you were to star someone such as 'Taylor Lautner' then your more likely to get an audience filled with females. And equally if the main actor in your film is 'Angelina Jolie', your likely to have an audeince full of males.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Rope
This film tells the story of two, young and wealthy men who strangle and murder their friend, just to purely see if they were able to get away with doing it. They then invite other close friends and the murdered man's parents, to a dinner party their hosting , whilst they are hiding the body in a chest that they are using to serve up food. Again just to see if they could get away with it.
Monday, 9 January 2012
Film Language
Camera
Camera Framing - Camera framing is basically looking and focusing on everything that is within that shot, and concentrating on its distance from the camera and which angle the shot is taken from.
Camera Movement - This is similar to camera framing in that with the way we move the camera can affect our attention on a certain character or object.
Mise-en-scene
This is a French term that basically means ' what is in the scene or frame'. If you were to take a simple shot of tree, by adding a deathly bird and and shooting in pitch black, there is a clear feeling or atmosphere you are creating. Contrasting to that by having a shot of a tree and having the sunlight shining and little birds on the branches, gives off a very different feeling and mood.
Settings and props - Settings in a film can be used to manipulate the audience by making them have certain expectations and the action that takes place is a complete contrast. Settings can be built from scratch using the plain walls and floor of a studio set, this is sometimes idea for film makers as they can show exactly what they want in this setting, although it does take a great deal of time to create and build. Props is the name given to objects that play a part in the scene. Rather than just being hidden and merging into the background.
Costume, hair and makeup - Costume plays a major part in films. When we see a character we instantly judge their character by the way they look,so it important the character is dressed appropriately and conveys the personality the filmmaker wants to come across. Make-up played a fair part in the early days of cinema and as it was used to highlight people's facial features as generally in black and white films that didn't register much detail.
Facial expressions and body language - When watching a film we look closely at someones facial expressions it can determine what kind of character that are. Facial expressions can usually show a clear thought or feeling towards something, even the look in someone's eyes can tell a lot about them. Body language can show us as an audience a clear relationship between two characters or even someone's personality. If they are huddled up and cover their face we could interpret that as being scared or shy and if they are standing upright, chest out this can show their confidence.
Lighting and colour - Lighting can play a major part in a scene as it can give a realistic look to a scene or even create an atmosphere, show suspicion of a character/object. It's main uses are to; highlight important characters/objects within a scene, making a character appear mysterious or reflecting a characters state of mind. The connotations that each colour has , has an importance to each and every scene its used in. We associate different colours with different moods/feelings and when they are shown in a film, us as an audience automatically suspect mood of the scene.
Positioning of characters and objects within a frame - The positioning of characters can be very important to the shot and can tell the audience alot about the character or create a specific atmosphere or mood. You can choose to place the character in the foreground of the shot and this completley draws your attension to them. Other examples are poisitoning a moving body against a background that appears stationary, or in the background of a shot.
Diegetic - is sound that comes from a source that is within the film world. For example this could be dialogue between characters or maybe a radio playing some music. It is basically sound that both the audience and characters can all hear.
Non-diegetic - is sound that is not part of the film word. For example this could scary, tension building music that plays over a specific scene within a film. It is sound that only the audience can hear, the characters are completley unaware.
Sound Bridges - is where sound that comes from one scene will continue on to play in the next. It is something that joins two scenes together.
Parellel - is sound that matches the action we see happening on the screen. An example of this is, a scene of children playing at a fairground, the music that accopanies this scene would be children laughing, screaming. Music/sounds that are exciting and match the feel of the scene.
Contrapuntal - is when the music or sound completley contrast with what is happening with the scene. For example having a tension building scene of someone opening a door, and the sound is happy and bright. This completley contrdicts the action happening within the scene.
Off- screen - is sound that we can hear but cannot necessarily see. For example if someone was to walk into the kitchen and put the kettle on, but the camera did not follow them into in the kitchen, then the sound made by the kettle would be off-screen sound.
Camera Framing - Camera framing is basically looking and focusing on everything that is within that shot, and concentrating on its distance from the camera and which angle the shot is taken from.
Camera Movement - This is similar to camera framing in that with the way we move the camera can affect our attention on a certain character or object.
- A panning shot - this is where the camera moves from side to side from a fixed axis
- A tilt shot - this is where the camera moves up and down from a fixed axis
- A crane shot - this is where the camera follows the action taking place, and moves along tracks laid out.
- A rolling shot - this is where the camera moves diagonally, this is quite oftenly used to make the characters come across ill or drugged.
Mise-en-scene
This is a French term that basically means ' what is in the scene or frame'. If you were to take a simple shot of tree, by adding a deathly bird and and shooting in pitch black, there is a clear feeling or atmosphere you are creating. Contrasting to that by having a shot of a tree and having the sunlight shining and little birds on the branches, gives off a very different feeling and mood.
Settings and props - Settings in a film can be used to manipulate the audience by making them have certain expectations and the action that takes place is a complete contrast. Settings can be built from scratch using the plain walls and floor of a studio set, this is sometimes idea for film makers as they can show exactly what they want in this setting, although it does take a great deal of time to create and build. Props is the name given to objects that play a part in the scene. Rather than just being hidden and merging into the background.
Costume, hair and makeup - Costume plays a major part in films. When we see a character we instantly judge their character by the way they look,so it important the character is dressed appropriately and conveys the personality the filmmaker wants to come across. Make-up played a fair part in the early days of cinema and as it was used to highlight people's facial features as generally in black and white films that didn't register much detail.
Facial expressions and body language - When watching a film we look closely at someones facial expressions it can determine what kind of character that are. Facial expressions can usually show a clear thought or feeling towards something, even the look in someone's eyes can tell a lot about them. Body language can show us as an audience a clear relationship between two characters or even someone's personality. If they are huddled up and cover their face we could interpret that as being scared or shy and if they are standing upright, chest out this can show their confidence.
Lighting and colour - Lighting can play a major part in a scene as it can give a realistic look to a scene or even create an atmosphere, show suspicion of a character/object. It's main uses are to; highlight important characters/objects within a scene, making a character appear mysterious or reflecting a characters state of mind. The connotations that each colour has , has an importance to each and every scene its used in. We associate different colours with different moods/feelings and when they are shown in a film, us as an audience automatically suspect mood of the scene.
Positioning of characters and objects within a frame - The positioning of characters can be very important to the shot and can tell the audience alot about the character or create a specific atmosphere or mood. You can choose to place the character in the foreground of the shot and this completley draws your attension to them. Other examples are poisitoning a moving body against a background that appears stationary, or in the background of a shot.
Editing -
- Straight cut
- A fade out
- A dissolve
- A wipe cut
- A jump cut
Diegetic - is sound that comes from a source that is within the film world. For example this could be dialogue between characters or maybe a radio playing some music. It is basically sound that both the audience and characters can all hear.
Non-diegetic - is sound that is not part of the film word. For example this could scary, tension building music that plays over a specific scene within a film. It is sound that only the audience can hear, the characters are completley unaware.
Sound Bridges - is where sound that comes from one scene will continue on to play in the next. It is something that joins two scenes together.
Parellel - is sound that matches the action we see happening on the screen. An example of this is, a scene of children playing at a fairground, the music that accopanies this scene would be children laughing, screaming. Music/sounds that are exciting and match the feel of the scene.
Contrapuntal - is when the music or sound completley contrast with what is happening with the scene. For example having a tension building scene of someone opening a door, and the sound is happy and bright. This completley contrdicts the action happening within the scene.
Off- screen - is sound that we can hear but cannot necessarily see. For example if someone was to walk into the kitchen and put the kettle on, but the camera did not follow them into in the kitchen, then the sound made by the kettle would be off-screen sound.
Continuity editing, cause and effect plotting, enigmas, red-herrings and cliffhangers
Continuity Editing - The clear stablishment of 'cause and effect' plotting , which shows a characters motivations and helps to unravel an interesting story that proceeds logically and steadily.
Enigmas - An enigma is something difficult to solve, like a puzzle within the film. It is usually ,in thrillers, something that the main character has to try to figure out to deafeat the villain before the film finishes.
Red-herrings - A Red-herring is something that misleads or distracts us from the truth. For example in North by northwest the red herring in that film is Eve Kendall, she is working as a double agent for the government and misleads us when at first she helps Roger Thornhill. Then it seems to us that she is working with the villains, but in reality she just had to pretend to be working with them to be able to bring them down.
Cliffhangers - A cliffhanger is usually the part of a film where the main character is in a precarious or fdifficult situation or are confronted with a shocking revelation. This is what will keep the audience interested in the film as they want to watch the situation unravel and be resolved.
Enigmas - An enigma is something difficult to solve, like a puzzle within the film. It is usually ,in thrillers, something that the main character has to try to figure out to deafeat the villain before the film finishes.
Red-herrings - A Red-herring is something that misleads or distracts us from the truth. For example in North by northwest the red herring in that film is Eve Kendall, she is working as a double agent for the government and misleads us when at first she helps Roger Thornhill. Then it seems to us that she is working with the villains, but in reality she just had to pretend to be working with them to be able to bring them down.
Cliffhangers - A cliffhanger is usually the part of a film where the main character is in a precarious or fdifficult situation or are confronted with a shocking revelation. This is what will keep the audience interested in the film as they want to watch the situation unravel and be resolved.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Maguffin
A maguffin is an object, or rarely a person which is the centre of most stories within the film but as the film continues we find that it is not important.
An example of this in the Alfred Hitchcock film 'Psycho' would be the 40,000 that Marion steals. At the start of the film everything is mainly focused on the money, but as the film carries on its importance decreases ad we completely forget about it.
An example of this in the Alfred Hitchcock film 'Psycho' would be the 40,000 that Marion steals. At the start of the film everything is mainly focused on the money, but as the film carries on its importance decreases ad we completely forget about it.
Suspense & Shock
Suspense is being uncertain of what is going to happen . In the film world it keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering whats going to happen next.Suspense is similar to tension and can be built many different ways. For example non diegetic, music overplaying in an important and crucial scene will help to build the tension and keep you wondering.
An example where suspense is used in a film is 'Sabotage'. We are constantly wondering if Stevie is going to make it off the bus and deliver the bomb in time. Alfred Hitchcock cleverly plays ticking noises;like a clock, over the top of these scenes to create tension and build the suspence.
'Luck is everything... My good luck in life was to be a really frightened person. Im fortunate to be a coward to have a low threshold of fear, because a hero couldn't make a good suspense film.' - Alfred Hitchcock
Shock is something suddenly happening, for example a bomb explosion, crash etc. There is no tension or atmosphere to be built up to this moment, because as an audience we are unaware anything is going to happen and are just as surprised as the characters within the film.
An example of where shock is used is in a film called ' Children of Men'. A male character enters a shop to buy coffee whilst everyone is crowded around the T.V watching the news. He leaves the shop and as the camera slowly moves around we see the shop he was just in, blow up. This is a shock to us because we didn't know there was any bomb planted.
An example where suspense is used in a film is 'Sabotage'. We are constantly wondering if Stevie is going to make it off the bus and deliver the bomb in time. Alfred Hitchcock cleverly plays ticking noises;like a clock, over the top of these scenes to create tension and build the suspence.
'Luck is everything... My good luck in life was to be a really frightened person. Im fortunate to be a coward to have a low threshold of fear, because a hero couldn't make a good suspense film.' - Alfred Hitchcock
Shock is something suddenly happening, for example a bomb explosion, crash etc. There is no tension or atmosphere to be built up to this moment, because as an audience we are unaware anything is going to happen and are just as surprised as the characters within the film.
An example of where shock is used is in a film called ' Children of Men'. A male character enters a shop to buy coffee whilst everyone is crowded around the T.V watching the news. He leaves the shop and as the camera slowly moves around we see the shop he was just in, blow up. This is a shock to us because we didn't know there was any bomb planted.
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Jerry Seinfield
" When you enjoy something, you must never let logic get too much in the way like the villians in all the James Bond movies. Whenever Bond breaks into the complex - ' Ah,Mr Bond, welcome, come in let me show you my entire plan and then put you in a death machine that doesn't work"
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock was a British film director and producer, who made his techniques in creating suspense and his psychological thriller genres famous. After his career set off he moved to hollywood and in 1956 became an American citizen.
Near to the end of his life , he started to work on a script for a spy thriller called ' The Short Night', unfortunately the film was never actually filmed due to Hitchcock's deteriorating health and his wife. They eventually published the script in a book about Hitchcock's last years.
Some of Hitcock's Famous Films -
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Quotes - ' Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.'
'If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear
idea of what was going on.'
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Preliminary Task
In this sequence we should see -
- Character A walks towards a closed door
- Character A enters through the door and crosses a room in where character B is seated.
- Character A and B have dialogue, eye line match and either A or B exits.
This is Lucy Green, Chelsea Rackham, Tia Simmonds and my preliminary task.
Monday, 12 December 2011
Foundation Portfolio Preliminary Task
- The idea of this task is for us each to show demonstration of continuity editing.
- In this task we need to show that we are able to use : Match on Action, Shot/Reverse shot, 180 degree rule and Eyeline Match.
Match on Action
Match on action is seeing a character start an action in one shot and to see them continue it in the next one. For example opening a door in one shot and walking through the same door in the next.
180 Degree Rule
The 180 degree rule is a basic guideline that states that the 2 characters in the same scene should has the same left/right relationship to each other every time we see them in a shot.
If the camera was to pass over the imaginary axis that connects the two subjects, then it is then know as 'crossing the line'.
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| Shot/Reverse Shot |
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| Eyeline Match |
Chuck Jones & The Rules
- The road runner cannot harm or upset the coyote except by going 'MEEP!MEEP!'
- No outside force can harm the coyote, only his own ineptitude or the failure of Acme products.
- The coyote could stop anytime - if he were not a fanatic.
- No dialogue ever, except 'MEEP!MEEP!'.
- The road runner must stay on the road - otherwise, logically, he would not be called the ' Road runner'.
- All action must be confined to the natural environment of the 2 characters. The Southwest American desert.
- All materials, tools, weapons or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from Acme Corporation.
- Whenever possible, make gravity the coyote's greatest enemy.
- The coyote is always more humiliated by his failures, than harmed.
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Normal Openings To A Thriller
Scene setting - sense of normality - introduce a character that is isolated and vulnerable
Point of view shot - camera moving - an element of mystery
Introduction of discordant non-diegetic music
Viewer anticipates what will happen next
People are scared - (vulnerable people the audience identify with)
There is an element of mystery
Point of view shot - camera moving - an element of mystery
Introduction of discordant non-diegetic music
Viewer anticipates what will happen next
People are scared - (vulnerable people the audience identify with)
There is an element of mystery
Friday, 9 December 2011
Thriller - What is it?
'The thriller is a very difficult genre to pin down because it covers such a wide range of films. Thrillers are films of suspense..that are supposed to instill terror into the audience'
- Susan Hayward, Key Concepts in Film Studies
Paranormal Activity Review
Writer/Director - Oren Peli
The Story - The film is based on a young couple Micha and Katie. Katie has had a presence that has haunted her as long as she can remember and fears that it has followed her to her new house. Micha takes it upon himself to fix their haunting problems and purchases a video camera that he will leave on in their bedroom every-night to see if they can capture an unusual sightings. The video camera continues to capture alot of 'paranormal activity' over the next few nights, including doors violently slamming shut and footprints next to their bed. The following nights proves disastrous and this haunting demon possess young Katie and she kills her boyfriend Micha. The fact that nearly all of the film is filmed by a handheld video camera it really brings you into the story and makes you feel like your apart of what's going on. It makes all of the activity real for you and that is why you jump and scream in unison with the characters because it feels like you are in the scene.
To horror and thriller films it is vital to make us believe what is happening. And Paranormal Activity does this very well. It has it sense of normality that we can relate to; for example it has not only the night scenes that are captured on the camera but they also include daylight scenes where both Katie and Micha analyse what happened the night before. There is also the camera. The fact that is it just a simple camera put in the corner of a bedroom, means its just as easy for you to do the same. The reality of the haunting is clear to us when they bring in experts and even search the internet to find the information their looking for.
Source Code Review
Written by - Ben Ripley
Source Code is an action thriller that is based around a dead military soldier who wakes up in another man's body and is forced to complete the mission of finding the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.
He has exactly eight minutes each time to discover information that will lead him to the bomber and save the people on the train . Each time he fails to do so the train blows up and they send him back in.
This is an action packed thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It has both a sense of romance and mystery.
Most of the action that happens occurs on the train, for example when 'Sean' tries to take the gun from the top of the train and is caught by the guards.
This film is mainly a detective story. 'Sean' the solider in disguises has exactly eight minutes a time to find out who the bomber is and help to save the people on the train in an alternate world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkTrG-gpIzE
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