Finished rough cut

This is the finished rough cut of our thriller opening sequence.

Before soundtrack

This is our rough cut before adding the soundtrack.

Soundtrack

This is the soundtrack to the opening sequence of our thriller film. It acts as an enigma code and creates a scary atmosphere for the audience.

Thriller spidergram

 

 

Thriller mood board

Risk assesment

Recce report

Storyboard

Props and costumes

Props

 

- Diana F+ and Minolta Camera

-Green Screen

-Laptop

-Scarf

-Dog lead

-Voodoo doll

 

 

 

 

 

Protagonist - played by Laura McLean - costume

- Casual clothes, big coat, scarf (red) and wellington boots. Just the normal clothes you would wear when walking a dog, casual yet practical. However, in this casual yet practical costumes, there are enigma codes which convey the potential occurrences in the future of the thriller. For instance, the red scarf and hat symbolise danger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Antagonist-played by Charlie Boyden-costume

-The key to an effective and sinister antagonist is the feel of mystery. The costume will play a vital role into making the antagonist a mysterious, sinister and dark character by hiding away facial features. Consequently, this keeps the audience unaware of who the attacker is, therefore meaning the audience have to watch the rest of the film to discover who the antagonist is, and why he is there.

-Dark clothing blends in with the gloomy surroundings, therefore staying out of sight of the unaware protagonist, whilst the audience can see the antagonist thus contributing to the tension.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-The costume will be relatable to a classic teenager; fashionable. Our target audience is from 16-25, therefore the costume would be more relatable to the target audience, making it feel more real, thus making the audience feel more vulnerable.

Audience profile and Treatment for Mr Grevor

Mr Grevor

Audience profile

16-25 year olds

Unisex

Students, casual workers

Multinational

Demographics - E, D, C1, C2, B and A. Enjoyable for people of all backgrounds. Full of enigma codes - sets up expectations and anticipation

Conventional thriller - not funny, dark, classic protagonist

Strugglers - they seek escape from reality

Explorers - they seek discovery. They will predict the course of events within the film

Relates to Seven in relation to; stalker; photos; notebook

Certificate 15  - this is because violence, blood and horror are main themes in our thriller and are not just brief encounters. Horror of strong threats and the threat of life occur throughout. This will appeal to our target audience because it will keep them intrigued in what is going to happen in the film. 

This is could be shown at; the open evening for year 11s and film and media awards.  

Treatment - Mr Grevor

It’s a normal day; Laura is walking her dog at the Brook when she sees Charlie in the distance under a tree. This alone is an enigma code expressing that Charlie has something to do with Laura. This opening sequence is from an outsider’s point of view. The audience can see what is happening to the characters but they are unaware of each other’s circumstances (dramatic irony.) 

The purpose of the film is to thrill the audience; build anticipation and to keep them guessing resulting in a satisfying ending. This opening sequence is act as a cliff hanger to draw in the audience without revealing the key events of the overall film. Using enigma codes in this opening sequence; the audience can gather suggestions to what the film involves.

Flashes of enigma codes come up as do the titles to hint to the audience what the film will include. 

1. Equilibrium (calm, walking dog, normal day, nothing suspicious)
2. Interrupt (cut to Charlie taking photos of Laura, cut to him in a room, close up of eyes)

The codes and conventions of a thriller which we are going to use are 

- antagonist (male)

- protagonist (female)

- enigma codes - props (scarf, dog, camera, laptop, dolls)

- don’t see the antagonist’s face 

- identity 

• lighting (shadows, hard light)
• music (scary, unpredictable)
• titles (flash of light,camera, then typewriter)
• sound (diegetic and non-diegetic)
• colours (red, danger, eye-catching) 
• mise-en-scene (dark, scary, unaware, unpredictable) 

Influences 

Our influences for our film include Seven (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman), Shutter (Joshua Jackson and Rachel Taylor). These are our influences because they gave us inspiration on what theme music to use, what camera angles to use, what lighting to use and it also gave us the idea to use old cameras for the effect of the flash noise as this would give the audience a jump. The film Mystic River is what gave us our title, its a very tense and cliff hanging film. We misunderstood the title and thought it was Mr.Grevor and this is why we decided to use this as the title for our thriller film. Memento, Seven and Shutter are also other films which gave us inspiration on using cameras, as they use polaroid cameras which also have a big flash and is very effective, for example we were watching the commercial and the flash gave us a big jump; this is why we decided to use cameras and flashes. The cameras also give the protagonist insecurity and make them feel like they're always being watched or stalked.

Initial ideas

Initial Ideas:

• Masks
• Dolls
• Fields
• Digging
• Vulnerable girl with dog
• Bloody hands
• Old house
• Boy with camera

Actors:
Laura McLean
Charlie Boyden

Camera:
Sarah Adnams
James Knuckey

We got inspiration from the film opening Seven because we liked the use of close up and enigma codes used suggesting that someone was planning something. We also liked the font style used for the credits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY

Thriller film opening analysis

Write an analysis of the opening sequences of three thriller films

I Robot

The opening credits of the film’ I Robot’ are dark blue in colour and bubble away with the water in the shot. The dark colour immediately suggests to the audience a thriller genre as and makes the writing stand out. This dark, outstanding colour means that people will be more likely to notice the producers, director and actors in the film that they recognise and like so they will be more likely to continue watching.

The film uses conventional shot types of thriller films. This is because it uses long shots to show what is happening in the shot and to show us what the characters see and close ups and extreme close ups to show the expressions on the actor’s faces. These shots help the audience connect with the image on screen and give the image more meaning and effect on the audience. It also shows life itself being threatened when we see that there is a car under deep water with people in it. When life is threatened on screen the audience connect with what is happening and feel the tension being built up.

 Our attention is also held by the dark light in the shot and the music accompanying the shot. This is because it helps build the tension in the shot and within the audience. The dark light could suggest an antagonist’s presence in the shot. It also suggests danger to the audience and builds suspense and tension. The music accompanying the shot is not music that satisfies the audience. It makes them feel uncomfortable in a way that the director intended and also adds to the build-up of tension, drama and suspense.

As a spectator, the film made me want to watch more. It left questions such as how and why did the car end up in the water unanswered which set up enigma codes in the film for me to predict the course of events. Although we are introduced to the protagonist, there is no overly obvious antagonist. This also sets up an enigma code for the audience and makes the film more challenging as they have the task of figuring out who or what the antagonist will be.

127 hours

            The opening credits of ‘127 Hours’ contain large crowds of people. This is ironic and contrasts with future events as we later discover that the protagonist in the film is going on an adventure in the Grand Canyon on his own (indicating an adventure thriller hybrid). The text on the screen during the credits is scratched and battered. This could be foreshadowing events to come, suggesting that things could get messy as the film progresses.

The shots used on screen include close ups, extreme close ups and long shots. These shots allow the audience to connect with the footage as the close ups and extreme close ups show the character’s expression and makes the audience feel the same as them. The long shots within the footage show the audience the setting. It can also suggest loneliness and vulnerability if the character is all alone in a wide open space.

The up-beat music accompanying the opening sequence along with the light in the shots further suggest an adventure thriller. This is because the light contrasts between light and dark and the beat is fast, suggesting that there is disruption as the film goes on.

The film also sets up enigma codes for the audience to figure out. It does this by leaving the audience with the main question; what is going to happen to him? This question sparks their questions such as how can something to him as he is alone in the Grand Canyon. This could suggest to the audience that the antagonist in the film is not human. The fact that this question is raised gives the audience more of a challenge in figuring out the course of events, therefore making the film more satisfying to the audience, especially if the guess the codes right.

As a spectator, the opening sequence of the film grabbed my attention and made me want to watch more. This reaction has a lot to do with the enigma codes that are set up for me as an audience. They are designed to make my movie experience more intense and enjoyable.

Abduction:

The opening scene of Abduction is not what we would call conventional in terms of use of shot types. It does include some conventional shot types such as long shots and close ups but they are not used in the same way and for the same purpose as in most other thriller films (e.g. to show expression, vulnerability, etc.).

The music at the beginning of the film is fast paced and up-beat. This is conventional of a thriller film as it builds suspense and tension within the audience and holds their focus on what is happening on screen. On the screen at the time is the main character, represented to be the protagonist, sat on the bonnet of a car while it is moving at a fast speed. This puts the character’s life in danger which is conventional of a thriller film as it automatically gives suspense to the movie. This would automatically grab the audience’s attention as they are set up to be on the same side as the protagonist, making them will the character to be well. The technique also suggests that the film is an action thriller hybrid.

At the party scene, there is a lot of loud music which gradually grows in bass and in volume. This could suggest that the music is building up to something which is designed to leave the audience wanting more.

The Mise-en-Scene includes props such as candles. The candles could be part of the Enigma code as it could be foreshadowing future events. This is because the light of the candles, as well as other small lights in the background, glow and look like small flames.

The credits at the beginning of the film are battered. This reflects the action thriller hybrid and keeps hold of the audience’s attention. It also makes the credits stand out which is important because if the audience recognise the producers or director they will automatically want to continue watching.

As a spectator, I did not find the film opening particularly attention grabbing as I did for other films as I would expect from an opening scene of a thriller hybrid film. This is because I did not feel as though the film had the same tension building effect or cliff hangers as most thriller films do.