Planning

Risk Assessment...
When my group and I had planned the order of the opening sequence, we picked out possible risks and dangerous situations which could be harmful to the actors, and came up with ways to prevent accidents from happening. Below I have listed all the possible dangers the actors may face when filming and ways in which the risks can be reduced or the accidents can be avoided.

Crossing the road (Scene 1)

• People will be watching the traffic whilst the person filming crosses the road with the camera.

Stabbing needles into the voodoo doll (Scene 5)

• Actor playing the killer will ensure that their hand isnt under the voodoo doll.

Body standing on table with noose round neck (Scene 9)

• People who aren't in the shot or who aren't filming will be standing either side of the table to ensure the actors safety if they were to fall.

Going upstairs (Scene 17)

• People who aren't in the shot or who aren't filming will be standing behind the camera on the stairs to ensure safety of the actor and person filming.

Body in bath under water (Scenes 19,20,21)

• We will ensure that the actor goes under water as late a possible so that they are under for as little time as possible. When being pushed down, it will be filmed quickly to give the actor time to come back up for air.

Planning

Chosen Actors...
Matt Peall - Dad
Charlotte Kirk - Mum
Charlotte Hunter - Girl
Lauren Gavagan - Killer

Chosen Costumes...
Here are drawings and annotations of how the characters will look, including details of costumes and what they will be doing in the sequence.

                        

                                          





Chosen Locations...
The main location we have chosen is Charlotte Hunters house. In the house the 3 rooms we will film in are the Kitchen, Dining Room and Bathroom. The Kitchen will be the location for the stabbed mum, whilst the Dining Room will be the location for the hung girl and the Bathroom will be the location for the drowned dad. We will also film outside the house, both at the start and the end of our sequence.

Both the start and the end of the sequence will be filmed at the front door. This will involve a quick zoom up to door at the start and away from the door at the end.

The kitchen is the location for the first murder. Here, Charlotte Kirks character will have been stabbed, and the killer will be seen in this room looking calm.

The dining room is the location for the second murder. Here Charlotte Hunters character will have been hung. Again the murderer will be seen looking calm and unfazed.

The bathroom is the location for the third and final murder. Here the audience will see Matt Pealls character drowning and the killer holding him down to complete the murder.

Chosen Props...
Rope - to be used in for the murder of the girl in the dining room.
Fake Blood - to be used on the victims.
Voodoo Doll - used to represent the murders.
Needles - to stab into the voodoo doll.
Face Paint - to be used on the victims for bruising and make them appear pale.
Makeup - used on the victims for bruising.
Ribbon - to tie the Teddy to the girls hand.
Teddy - to be tied to the girls hands with ribbon, representing how its the murder of a child.

Planning

Filming Schedule...
This is the filming schedule we intend to stick to when filming. We have included information of the props, costumes and actors needed on each day of filming and who will be filming which scenes of which days.

Monday 27^th Feb – Filming first 8 scenes, all props, actors and costumes needed.

Order of filming:

• Katie M – Scenes 1 – 5
• Lauren G – Scenes 6 & 7   
• Katie M – Scene 8

Wednesday  29^th Feb – Filming scenes 9 – 15, all props, actors and costumes needed.

Order of filming:

• Charlotte T – Scenes 9 – 13
• Lauren G – Scene 14
• Charlotte T – Scene 15

Thursday 1^st March – Filming scenes 16 – 24, all props, actors and costumes needed.

Order of filming:

• Charlotte H – Scenes 16 – 20 
• Charlotte T – Scenes 21 – 23
• Charlotte H - 24

Planning

Storyboards...

These 4 images show the structure of our thriller opening sequence.

Planning

Brainstorming Ideas...
My group and I began planning our 2 minute opening sequence to a thriller film by creating a mindmap brainstorming our ideas. We considered creating an opening to an action thriller, but decided that most of the ideas we had spoken about fitted better with the horror thriller sub-genre. We then began brainstorming our ideas on props, costumes, characters and the location. We also considered editing effects and different camera angles and movements we might use when filming. We then talked about what would make an interesting horror thriller film opening and decided what we wanted to happen in the sequence. As a group we then came up with the idea to have 3 seperate murders that fitted in with the location/rooms they would be filmed in, and that all the victims would be family members. We then decided how the victims would have been murdered and that the killer would be seen walking between the different murder scenes in the house. We also agreed on possible actors for the different roles.

Below is the mind map we created.

Questionnaire

Questionnaire...

This is the questionnaire we produced to help us undertsand more about our audience:

1) How old are you?

12-18    

19-25    

26-32    

33-39    

40+   

2) What is your favourite form of thriller?

Just a basic thriller          

Horror Thriller   

Action thriller    

Comedy Thriller               

Sci-fi Thriller      

Political thriller 

Other   

3) What do you find appealing about a thriller?

The characters 

The story            

The fear and tension generated               

Other  
                

4) Which do you think is the most important convention of a thriller?

Story    

Introduction      

Characters         

Other   

5) At which point in the introduction do you think the title of the film should be displayed?

Right at the start             

During the credits           

Right at the end     
          

6) What in the opening scene would make you want to continue watching the film?

Research

The Film Industry...
The major business centres of film making are the United States, Nigeria, Hong Kong and India, but because of high labour costs, many films tend to be filmed in countries such as the UK, Canada, Eastern Europe and Australia etc. The film industry is mass dominated by Hollywood and films that are American productions. The USA has the oldest film industry and possibly the largest in terms of revenue and Hollywood (Los Angles) is at the centre of the US film industry. However, four of the six major American film studios are owned by East Coast companies. Only the Walt Disney Company (which owns Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Studios) is fully based in southern California. Nestor Studios was the first movie studio founded in the Hollywood area in 1911, and in the same year another 15 Independents settled in Hollywood. Hollywood became so well known for the US film industry that the term Hollywood became used to refer to the US Film Industry. In the 1930's, the five major Hollywood movie studios (Paramount, RKO, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros) each owned large theatres throughout the country for exhibition of their film productions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_industry

In the UK, the film industry has many successful production companies including PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Warp X, Working Title and Em Media. Working Title has had many successful UK production films including Paul, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Love Actually whilst EM media has had successes with all three This is England Films and others. The UK also has the BFI (British Film Institute) a charitable organisation who work to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, and runs the BFI Southbank and the IMAX Theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London. The IMAX has the largest cinema screen in the UK, and shows popular recent releases and short films showcasing its technology, which includes 3D screenings and 12,000 watts of digital surround sound. BFI Southbank shows films from all over the world particularly critically acclaimed historical & specialised films that may not otherwise get a cinema showing.

One of the earliest Thriller Films to have been released is The Lodger in 1926 which was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and was one of the many silent films released during that time. It was his third film to be released but was his first Thriller The more recently released Thriller films include Contagion, Inception, Seven, The Crazies, Salt and the Saw films.

http://mark-standforsomething.blogspot.com/2011/03/thriller-lodger-1926.html

Research - Openings to Thriller Films

Inception...

Inception is a 2010 science fiction action film which was written, co-produced and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film features an international ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy and Michael Caine. DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a specialized corporate spy and thief whose work consists of secretly extracting valuable commercial information from the unconscious minds of his targets while they dream. Cobb is wanted for murder and unable to visit his children, but is offered the chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: ‘Inception’, the implantation of an original idea into a targets subconscious mind.

The opening sequence to the film Inception is quite confusing and unclear, but this is what appears to help it hold its audience. We first see two titles of production companies ‘Legendary Pictures’ and ‘Syncopy’, accompanied by amplified orchestrated music, that is powerful and has a tension building feel to it. This then fades abruptly, and changes to the amplified diegetic sound of crashing waves, played alongside slowed down visuals of waves crashing on the shore line. We then see a close up shot of a man lying in the edge of the water, and this shot is slightly out of focus representing and emphasizing the confusion surrounding the man. We also hear faint sound of children laughing and playing combined with slowed down visuals of a girl and boy playing on the beach. The faintness of the laughing and slowed down visuals could reflect the sub-consciousness of the man. The mid shots of the children also appear to move in and out of focus again reflecting the man sub-conscious state of mind. We then see shot reverse shots of the man and the children before the girl screams. This shows the audience how he is possibly trying to understand where he is. We then see a high angle shot looking down the barrel of a gun which is poked in the man’s back. This is combined with a shot reverse shot to show the police/guard holding the gun and then him using the gun barrel to reveal the gun hidden under the man’s shirt. We then see him call over to a man on the cliff edge and the camera pans to the right to reveal an oriental style building, allowing the audience some idea of the location. A slow zoom is used into a room with a man sat in a chair with his back to the camera, again used as a master shot to set the location but also leaves the audience wondering who the man in the chair is. Subtitled dialogue is then used: ‘He was delirious. But asked for you by name’, and leaves the audience thinking that the man found on the beach has a reason to be here. The man’s possessions are then placed on the table before he is then dragged in by two guards and sat at the opposite end of the table. The camera then tilts upwards to show the found man eating, before an over shoulder shot is used to show who the man is at the end of the table. The man also appears interested in the spinning top as a close up shot shows him pass his hand over the gun and pick up the spinning top which straight cuts to a close up to show the spinning top spinning on the table, suggesting this prop has more  importance. Natural light is used on the beach but artificial/ low lighting used in the room as there are no windows. This implies an almost secretive element to the scene.

Research - Openings to Thriller Films

The Crazies...

The Crazies is a 2010 American horror/thriller film written by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright. The film is a remake of the 1973 film of the same name by George A. Romero, who has also been the executive producer and co-writer of the remake. The Film is set in the fictional town of Ogden Marsh, Pierce County, Iowa, and is quoted the ‘friendliest place on Earth’. The town’s water supply is infected with the ‘Trixie’ virus and after an incubation period of 48 hours, the virus gradually transforms the mental state of the infected into cold, calculating, bloodthirsty killers who then prey on family and neighbours. The film have received many positive reviews from critics.

 In the opening, we see 4 clips of different areas of the town on fire, and this makes the audience question why and what’s happened. We then see a master shot showing the center of town, where we see a banner that’s reads Ogden Marsh and this then makes the location apparent to the audience. One of the clips appears as though it was filmed with a hand held camera, helping to draw in the audience and make them feel as though they are there. Diegetic sound has been used here, but changes instantly to the sound of guitars as the screen straight cuts to black and the caption two days earlier fades in then out. This allows the audience to understand that they are being taken back in time as the opening to this film is quite clear and easy to follow, whilst the music played is softer and more relaxed representing the time the audience is being taken back to. The black screen then cuts to visuals of the town where it appears peaceful and calm. One of the main characters is then gradually introduced through close up shots of his Sheriff badge and then a shot that comes into focus upon the characters had so the audience can see he is wearing a wedding ring. This gain makes the audience question who the character is and why we are being introduced to him in this way. We are also shown the master shot of a what appears to be a house at first but then a camera pan following the a women inside shows shelving full of patient files. She then walks into a room where a female doctor is sat at a desk, implying to the audience that this is a doctor’s surgery, and dialogue is exchanged between the two characters. This is the introduction to two more main characters, although at the time this isn’t obvious to the audience in the introduction. A camera pan is then used to show the Sheriff’s car driving into the car park at the baseball field. The camera continues to pan round to show the baseball field and acts as a master shot to show the location. During the game, the Sheriff we were first introduced to is seen talking to another Sheriff through the use of a two shot. This is again another introduction to one of the main characters. Then long shot is used to show a man walking onto the baseball field from the other side wielding a shot gun, and an over the shoulder shot is shown looking over the man’s shoulder across the field, and perhaps represents how he is looking for a victim. A low angle shot is then used to show a coffee cup bouncing of the floor. This has been edited so that it is slowed down and this helps to build tension and is an indicator that this is the start of the events that led up to the first shots we see of the burning town. He then runs out onto the field and over to the man who through the monologue from the Sherrif, the audience learns he is called Rory. Shot reverse shots are also used during the monologue to show the confusion on Rorys face and how the Sheriff suddenly becomes concerned about the situation. We then see Rory raise the gun, only to be shot by the Sheriff. We then see a mid-shot of the Sheriff and his reaction at what has just happened, and sees him rush over to Rorys side. Most of these scenes are dialogue driven but slow paced, sad music is played as the Sheriff rushes over to Rory, to highlight the situation. This is then contrasted with an aerial view which zooms out into a map and the area of Ogden Marsh is highlighted in a square with Ogden Marsh and the town’s population written next to it, accompanied by amplified sound as it cuts to a low angle shot of two planes flying in the sky. This then fades to black and the film title is displayed in bottom left hand corner. The end of the opening sequence is where the most tension is built and where the audience is left on the edge of their seats questioning what was wrong with Rory and how this could lead to the distruction of the town.

Research - Openings to Thriller Films

Seven...

Seven, (Se7en) is a 1995 American Thriller film with horror elements, written by Andrew Kevin Walker and directed by David Fincher. The main stars include Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gywneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey and Kevin Spacey. The plot follows 2 police detectives (Pitt and Freeman) who are working in a crime ridden city and both become deeply involved in the case of a sadistic serial killer who plans and commits murders, each of which correspond to one of the seven deadly sins of Christianity: gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, lust and envy. The film has recieved very positive reviews from film critics.

From the opening, the location and setting isn't clear as there are no master shots used which represents the secretive nature of the film. However the audience can guess that this location is possibly only known by the killer. The opening sequence is fast paced and made up of short close up shots which are edited together with the opening credit screens using mostly straight cuts. The fast paced opening builds tension within the audience, whilst the different close up shots doesn’t give much away and leave the audience wondering. A wipe effect is used near the start which looks as though light has been cast over the photo as a shadow is then cast by what appears to be a knife, and represents the horror elements within the film. The font used in the opening credits is distorted and the letter sizes are uneven, whilst appearing to jump slightly on the background and are also representative of the horror elements and the darkness of the film. Throughout the opening, the short close up shots of the props such as the gruesome photographs of injuries inflicted upon people, needle, thread, blades etc. generate questions in the audiences mind as to why they are being shown clips of the killer appearing to piece together a book of the murders. We also see a close up shot of the killer slicing layers of skin of his fingers to remove his fingerprints, which is representative of the secrecy surrounding the murders and how the killer is precise when planning the murders, considering everything and covering his tracks. Close up shots of the killer crossing out words on book pages could be representative of the motives for murdering certain victims as the topic of each page is clearly visible, even in the short clips. The mixture of different close up shots generates questions within audiences mind because the inability to have a clear view of the killer and what he is doing makes the audience guess his motivations and what he’s like. Throughout most of the opening sequence, eerie/ electronic sounding music is played with amplified sections that sound like screams, representing the horror elements to the film, and also adds to the tension building visual sequence. This speeds up towards the end along with the visuals and a more defined beat is introduced and played at a faster pace, building the tension more. At the end there is only one lyric: ‘you’ve got me closer to god’. The reference to god is representative of the link between the murders and the seven deadly sins of Christianity.

Research

Researching the Thriller Genre & Conventions...

Definition - 'A thriller provides the sudden rush of emotions, excitement, sense of suspense and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace thrills. In this genre, the objective is to deliver a story with sustained tension, surprise, and a constant sense of impending doom. It keeps the audience cliff-hanging at the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. Thrillers tend to be fast-moving, psychological and threatening, and they will have chase scenes, and at times involve larger-scale villainy such as espionage, terrorism and conspiracy, alongside action.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)

Themes & Characters - The main themes and characters within a thriller film often depend on which sub-genre the film falls into.

• Crime Thriller - Captivity, ransom, kidnappings and revenge.
• Mystery Thriller - Investigations & the whodunit technique.
• Psychological Thriller - Mind Games, stalking, confinement & obsession.
• Spy Thriller - Threats to countries, gadgets/technology & assassins.
• Action Thriller - Violence, race against the clock & an obvious antagonist.

Other themes include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder. Characters include criminals, stalkers, assassins, innocent victims, characters with deep dark pasts, agents, terrorists and cops.

Thriller Conventions:

Thriller films tend to be adrenaline rushing and fast-paced. Red herrings, plot twists and cliff hangers are used extensively as them main aim for a thriller film is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem (an escape, mission or mystery), and will always emphasise the danger the protagonist faces. The tension continues to build throughout the film and will lead to a highly stressful climax near the end of the film. Many thriller films tend to be combined with the action or horror genres.

The most common conventions of a thriller film are:

• Task/Mission
• Tension building music (often including theme track)
• Quick cuts during editing
• Low key lighting during tense scenes (often in horror thrillers)
• Shadows
• Victims (male or female)
• Heroes & Villains
• Backing Sounds - both diegetic & non-diegetic