The audience for thriller films are normally out to experience intense excitement and high levels of anticipation. They like to be left on cliff hangers and left on the edge of their seats. They can be of any ages but some of the best thrillers are aimed at the 18+ age range because there are no limits on how much you can scare someone of that age.
(all information sourced from http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html)
Friday, 27 February 2009
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Final Project: Planning and Prep
Ben Lord:
Ben is a good actor who gained a C in drama in year 10. He is 15 years old and spends a lot of his spare time mountain biking, that is why I feel he would be perfect to play an adventurous exploring teen.
Lee Gratton:
Scott will play the villan in my video, he's a good actor and I know he will do what I tell him to.
Ruddy:
Ruddy will play the villan in my video, he's a good actor and I know he will do what I tell him to. Like ben, Ruddy loves to ride his bikes so he will know how to play an exploring mountain biker very well. He can be serious when its needed and I have filmed with him before so I know he will be easy to work with.
Brain storm
Research into the genre
The Industry
For as long as film has been around so have Thrillers, some of the main directors in the genre are people like Alfred Hitchcock who is the undisputed King of suspense thrillers. Some other big names in the directing of thrillers are John Frankenheimer, Jonathan Demme and Steven Speilberg. Some famous movies these directers have directed are; The Manchurian Candidate, The Silence of the Lambs and Jaws. Here is a list of the top 20 thrillers according to www.toptenreviews.com.
1. Metropolis (1927)
2. Jaws (1975)
3. Rear Window (1954)
4. Chinatown (1974)
5. Psycho (1960)
6. Taxi Driver (1976)
7. The French connection (1971)
8. Double Indemnity (1944)
9. The Third Man (1950)
10. Vertigo (1958)
All of these historic top 10 were created before the year 2000.
Metropolis
This film was filmed in 1927 and was a silent science fiction film, my video wont be silent but it will be fiction, I will also use some of the techniques used in the film such as regular close ups and very up beat editing. I will also have various tracking shots which I will use my home made dolly system.
Main Genre's
Action Films
Adventure Films
Comedy Films
Crime and Ganster
Drama Films
Epics/Historical Films
Horror Films
www.filmsite.org/genres.html
My film will consist of aspects of action and adventure.
Risk assesment.
1 ) Actor becomes injured and needs to be evacuated as quickly as possible, in order to make sure my actors are safe and happy they can leave at any moment i will have planned routes out of the wooded area along paths and roads. I will also make sure everyone has a mobile phone on them in the case that we need to call 999.
2) Camera falls over. In order to stop the camera falling over i will make sure my camera is on a tripod at all times, i will use my heavier tripod which ways enough to ensure nothing could possibly blow / knock it over.
3) When actors are riding their bikes make sure no one is injured, to ensure this
4) Make sure the weather is good when filming, do not risk getting the camera or any other equipment damaged in the rain.
5) Make sure all pathways are clear and leave no obstacles in the way of the actors as they walk/ride down paths.
6) Stay away from trouble, if any strange or dangerous looking characters come along keep the filming equiptment out of sight and try to be as friendly as possible to avoid any trouble.
If I stick to all of these my filming should be smooth and without and problems. If any problems do occur I will write about them in my write up.
Costumes.
My 2 main characters, Ben and Ruddy will be wearing casual clothing, jeans tops / jumpers ect. This will give the feeling that it is an average day in their lifes. I want this because it shows how they dont know what to expect from their outing.
The villian will be dressed in a long coat which hides their identity, the cloak will have a hood which can be worn to keep the identity even more hidden. Goggles will be used to hide the identity as well but they will add a nice effect because its not what you are expecting the villain to be wearing.
Props.
The 2 main characters will be using Bikes. These show how they have traveled quite a way from safety to explore some woods/build trails. They will also be used to generally make the filming more flowy (people keep moving)
Sticks tied together with gardening wire will be used to create make shift graves. These will add an eerie feeling to the film because you know that their isn't going to be a good ending for the 2 main characters.
The costume of Ben will be used towards the end of the piece when Ruddy is searching for him. It will be scattered across the woods and a first person shot will be used to show Ruddys point of view as he graddually goes past helmets, goggles and spades on the floor.
Ben is a good actor who gained a C in drama in year 10. He is 15 years old and spends a lot of his spare time mountain biking, that is why I feel he would be perfect to play an adventurous exploring teen.
Lee Gratton:
Scott will play the villan in my video, he's a good actor and I know he will do what I tell him to.
Ruddy:
Ruddy will play the villan in my video, he's a good actor and I know he will do what I tell him to. Like ben, Ruddy loves to ride his bikes so he will know how to play an exploring mountain biker very well. He can be serious when its needed and I have filmed with him before so I know he will be easy to work with.
Brain storm
Research into the genre
The Industry
For as long as film has been around so have Thrillers, some of the main directors in the genre are people like Alfred Hitchcock who is the undisputed King of suspense thrillers. Some other big names in the directing of thrillers are John Frankenheimer, Jonathan Demme and Steven Speilberg. Some famous movies these directers have directed are; The Manchurian Candidate, The Silence of the Lambs and Jaws. Here is a list of the top 20 thrillers according to www.toptenreviews.com.
1. Metropolis (1927)
2. Jaws (1975)
3. Rear Window (1954)
4. Chinatown (1974)
5. Psycho (1960)
6. Taxi Driver (1976)
7. The French connection (1971)
8. Double Indemnity (1944)
9. The Third Man (1950)
10. Vertigo (1958)
All of these historic top 10 were created before the year 2000.
Metropolis
This film was filmed in 1927 and was a silent science fiction film, my video wont be silent but it will be fiction, I will also use some of the techniques used in the film such as regular close ups and very up beat editing. I will also have various tracking shots which I will use my home made dolly system.
Main Genre's
Action Films
Adventure Films
Comedy Films
Crime and Ganster
Drama Films
Epics/Historical Films
Horror Films
www.filmsite.org/genres.html
My film will consist of aspects of action and adventure.
Risk assesment.
1 ) Actor becomes injured and needs to be evacuated as quickly as possible, in order to make sure my actors are safe and happy they can leave at any moment i will have planned routes out of the wooded area along paths and roads. I will also make sure everyone has a mobile phone on them in the case that we need to call 999.
2) Camera falls over. In order to stop the camera falling over i will make sure my camera is on a tripod at all times, i will use my heavier tripod which ways enough to ensure nothing could possibly blow / knock it over.
3) When actors are riding their bikes make sure no one is injured, to ensure this
4) Make sure the weather is good when filming, do not risk getting the camera or any other equipment damaged in the rain.
5) Make sure all pathways are clear and leave no obstacles in the way of the actors as they walk/ride down paths.
6) Stay away from trouble, if any strange or dangerous looking characters come along keep the filming equiptment out of sight and try to be as friendly as possible to avoid any trouble.
If I stick to all of these my filming should be smooth and without and problems. If any problems do occur I will write about them in my write up.
Costumes.
My 2 main characters, Ben and Ruddy will be wearing casual clothing, jeans tops / jumpers ect. This will give the feeling that it is an average day in their lifes. I want this because it shows how they dont know what to expect from their outing.
The villian will be dressed in a long coat which hides their identity, the cloak will have a hood which can be worn to keep the identity even more hidden. Goggles will be used to hide the identity as well but they will add a nice effect because its not what you are expecting the villain to be wearing.
Props.
The 2 main characters will be using Bikes. These show how they have traveled quite a way from safety to explore some woods/build trails. They will also be used to generally make the filming more flowy (people keep moving)
Sticks tied together with gardening wire will be used to create make shift graves. These will add an eerie feeling to the film because you know that their isn't going to be a good ending for the 2 main characters.
The costume of Ben will be used towards the end of the piece when Ruddy is searching for him. It will be scattered across the woods and a first person shot will be used to show Ruddys point of view as he graddually goes past helmets, goggles and spades on the floor.
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
More editing techniques i will use.
Shot reverse shot use.
In order to add really good tension I will make the villain character appear and then disappear using different techniques, the most basic of these will be a simple shot reverse shot whereby we will see the villain looking towards the camera, the camera will then spin 180” and watch as the 2 main characters casually strole into shot from behind a tree, then one of them looks over at where the villain is standing and the viewer is expecting to see them shocked at what they see but when the camera turns 180” to look where the villain was standing there’s no body there..
Another technique I will use I Masking, I will create a video to show this before I make my final project, it is very easy to do but quite hard to explain, basically what you do is film a clean plate as well as 2 videos. One of the 2 main characters in one area of the video and another with the villain standing to the side of them, you then layer them up accordingly and mask around the villain. This means that you see the villain in the same shot as the 2 main characters which is rather freaky especially if you play around with it and make him levitate ect..
Demonstration from Nico Turner on Vimeo.
I will use the same masking techniques to create text that appears from behind the actors, trees and other objects.
In order to add really good tension I will make the villain character appear and then disappear using different techniques, the most basic of these will be a simple shot reverse shot whereby we will see the villain looking towards the camera, the camera will then spin 180” and watch as the 2 main characters casually strole into shot from behind a tree, then one of them looks over at where the villain is standing and the viewer is expecting to see them shocked at what they see but when the camera turns 180” to look where the villain was standing there’s no body there..
Another technique I will use I Masking, I will create a video to show this before I make my final project, it is very easy to do but quite hard to explain, basically what you do is film a clean plate as well as 2 videos. One of the 2 main characters in one area of the video and another with the villain standing to the side of them, you then layer them up accordingly and mask around the villain. This means that you see the villain in the same shot as the 2 main characters which is rather freaky especially if you play around with it and make him levitate ect..
Demonstration from Nico Turner on Vimeo.
I will use the same masking techniques to create text that appears from behind the actors, trees and other objects.
Friday, 20 February 2009
Location for final task
The location for my intro scene will be shot primarily at Bluebell woods in Bramcote.
Here are some photo's of the location.
These locations work great because they have an eary feeling about them. They can also easily be addapted
Here are some photo's of the location.
These locations work great because they have an eary feeling about them. They can also easily be addapted
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Priliminary Task - Planning and making "Room 60"
Here is my original storyboard which i made before me and my group set out to film Room 60.
Page 1
Planning & Making "Room 60" Our short film about entering a room and exchanging dialog.
Page 2
Plot : We decided there was going to be 2 characters in the short movie and it was going to be filmed in the style of a thriller. So in order to do this we chose Carl to play the tough character who was in control of the situation and Jade as his hostage who would be tied up and be asked a few questions by Karl before he brutally murders her for not complying.
Costume : The costume worn by Carl would be a smart looking suit, this would make him seem more dominant where as Jade will be dressed in normal clothes but she will be slightly more ruffled up to gives the impression that she isnt in control of how she appears. Carl will also be wearing a white mask which will disguise his identity, this means if the film was to continue past this point the audience would never know who committed the murder.
Props : Suitcase, this lets the audience know that something of value is in the case. Knife, this is used to kill Jade at the end of the scene and is only seen for a few seconds as before this the suspense is built up by the Audiences confusion over whats in the suitcase.
Editing:
We played around with the colour correction until we got it perfect, then we adjusted the saturation to kill the colours and make it feel more eerie.
We also used backing sounds from Video Copilots sound bank and deepened some of the voices to make them sound scarier and more empowering.
The font used was for the titles was Copper Gothic Light which gave it a more sinister feel.
For the tv effect used at the beginning a simple TV fx is used, this gives it the feel that a camera is watching over the tied up girl.
Final Cut:
Media Preliminary task from Nico Turner on Vimeo.
Page 1
Planning & Making "Room 60" Our short film about entering a room and exchanging dialog.
Page 2
Plot : We decided there was going to be 2 characters in the short movie and it was going to be filmed in the style of a thriller. So in order to do this we chose Carl to play the tough character who was in control of the situation and Jade as his hostage who would be tied up and be asked a few questions by Karl before he brutally murders her for not complying.
Costume : The costume worn by Carl would be a smart looking suit, this would make him seem more dominant where as Jade will be dressed in normal clothes but she will be slightly more ruffled up to gives the impression that she isnt in control of how she appears. Carl will also be wearing a white mask which will disguise his identity, this means if the film was to continue past this point the audience would never know who committed the murder.
Props : Suitcase, this lets the audience know that something of value is in the case. Knife, this is used to kill Jade at the end of the scene and is only seen for a few seconds as before this the suspense is built up by the Audiences confusion over whats in the suitcase.
Editing:
We played around with the colour correction until we got it perfect, then we adjusted the saturation to kill the colours and make it feel more eerie.
We also used backing sounds from Video Copilots sound bank and deepened some of the voices to make them sound scarier and more empowering.
The font used was for the titles was Copper Gothic Light which gave it a more sinister feel.
For the tv effect used at the beginning a simple TV fx is used, this gives it the feel that a camera is watching over the tied up girl.
Final Cut:
Media Preliminary task from Nico Turner on Vimeo.
Media Thriller Questionnaire
When I went about carrying out my questionnaire i felt it would be most accurate if i was to ask people in real life as well as over my email. So I asked 5 people in real life for their feedback and i sent a futher 45 emails to some of my closest friends.
Here are the results, the email results will be put in brackets.
1. Do you often watch thrillers?
- Yes 5 (41)
- No 0 (4)
2. Do you enjoy watching thrillers?
- Yes 5 (41)
- No 0 (4)
3. Name some of your favourite thrillers...
I am legend, Godfather, Bourne, Identity / Supremacy / Ultimatum, Cloverfeild,
4. What is it that you like about them? (Key words)
Exciting, action packed, eary,
5. How many main characters do you like in a thriller?
1 person) 1 (19)
2 people) 3 (22)
3 people) 1 (4)
6. I feel it is important to have strong ambient and backing sounds, do you agree?
- Yes 5 (44)
- No 0 (1)
7. Where would you rather see a thriller filmed?
- Woodland 3 (32)
- School 0 (2)
- City 2 (11)
8. If it was filmed in the woods describe what kind of beings could be used to freak out the main character.
Hood up, wearing black, something covering identity, Hilly Billy.
Analysis
In conclusion this questionnaire has proven very helpful in deciding where my thriller will take place. I have decided it must be eerie and keep the audiences attention. I will also use 2 main actors in order to keep the conversation between the two of them alive while not getting to complicated because there are too many people talking at once. The title sequence will take place in woodland near me where many props such as fake graves and other eerie items. The villain in the piece will be wearing black and have their identity concealed with a scarf or something similar.
This questionnaire has helped me considerably in attaining a direction for my thriller. I now know what type of feel I am going to go for in order to thrill my audience.
(added after changes to my thriller) Just like some of the best thrillers ever made my thriller will start with an action packed exciting 2 minutes where by Scott will be running away because when he wakes up he finds a sign saying "Run" This is typical of a Horror/Thriller style somewhat like "Saw"
Here are the results, the email results will be put in brackets.
1. Do you often watch thrillers?
- Yes 5 (41)
- No 0 (4)
2. Do you enjoy watching thrillers?
- Yes 5 (41)
- No 0 (4)
3. Name some of your favourite thrillers...
I am legend, Godfather, Bourne, Identity / Supremacy / Ultimatum, Cloverfeild,
4. What is it that you like about them? (Key words)
Exciting, action packed, eary,
5. How many main characters do you like in a thriller?
1 person) 1 (19)
2 people) 3 (22)
3 people) 1 (4)
6. I feel it is important to have strong ambient and backing sounds, do you agree?
- Yes 5 (44)
- No 0 (1)
7. Where would you rather see a thriller filmed?
- Woodland 3 (32)
- School 0 (2)
- City 2 (11)
8. If it was filmed in the woods describe what kind of beings could be used to freak out the main character.
Hood up, wearing black, something covering identity, Hilly Billy.
Analysis
In conclusion this questionnaire has proven very helpful in deciding where my thriller will take place. I have decided it must be eerie and keep the audiences attention. I will also use 2 main actors in order to keep the conversation between the two of them alive while not getting to complicated because there are too many people talking at once. The title sequence will take place in woodland near me where many props such as fake graves and other eerie items. The villain in the piece will be wearing black and have their identity concealed with a scarf or something similar.
This questionnaire has helped me considerably in attaining a direction for my thriller. I now know what type of feel I am going to go for in order to thrill my audience.
(added after changes to my thriller) Just like some of the best thrillers ever made my thriller will start with an action packed exciting 2 minutes where by Scott will be running away because when he wakes up he finds a sign saying "Run" This is typical of a Horror/Thriller style somewhat like "Saw"
Monday, 2 February 2009
Getting that thriller mood through editing
I feel the editing is incredibly important when trying to get across the thriller vibe, Without the vital colour correction and saturation adjust the thriller just wouldn’t look or feel the same.
What I do to create the perfect video effects:
1. Add colour correction, in the case of a thriller I usually dull the colours down to try and give a colder appearance to the video
2. Next I adjust the saturation of the video, this is where you loose most of your colours and if you get it right the image wont quite be black and white, but just loose enough colours to give that perfect thriller feeling.
3. Then I add colour curves, this basically adds shadows and emphasises the strongest black lines on the screen. Generally it gives it a much more subtle feel.
With these 3 effects added the video is immediately going to look more like a thriller.
Video example:
(Please watch in high quality - Click the button on the bottom right of the video then it offers HQ there)
Adding a few more effects like well timed blurs really give the video that cutting edge but one very important factor is the sounds, if you get the sounds right it can pretty much make a movie. “Always edit to the sound” is what I stick by, it really makes a difference.
What I do to create the perfect video effects:
1. Add colour correction, in the case of a thriller I usually dull the colours down to try and give a colder appearance to the video
2. Next I adjust the saturation of the video, this is where you loose most of your colours and if you get it right the image wont quite be black and white, but just loose enough colours to give that perfect thriller feeling.
3. Then I add colour curves, this basically adds shadows and emphasises the strongest black lines on the screen. Generally it gives it a much more subtle feel.
With these 3 effects added the video is immediately going to look more like a thriller.
Video example:
(Please watch in high quality - Click the button on the bottom right of the video then it offers HQ there)
Adding a few more effects like well timed blurs really give the video that cutting edge but one very important factor is the sounds, if you get the sounds right it can pretty much make a movie. “Always edit to the sound” is what I stick by, it really makes a difference.
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Thriller Conventions
Thriller Conventions, as i make my title sequence i intend on looking back over these in order to make sure i keep to the thriller conventions as much as i can.
A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder, but not necessarily).
A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions.
A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved.
A protagonist who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist.
Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.
Themes of identity.
Themes of mirroring.
Themes of voyeurism.
Protagonist with a ‘flaw’ which is exploited by the antagonist.
Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonist’s psychological state.
There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril.
Mise en scene which echoes/ mirrors the protagonist’s plight.
A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder, but not necessarily).
A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions.
A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved.
A protagonist who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist.
Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.
Themes of identity.
Themes of mirroring.
Themes of voyeurism.
Protagonist with a ‘flaw’ which is exploited by the antagonist.
Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonist’s psychological state.
There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril.
Mise en scene which echoes/ mirrors the protagonist’s plight.
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