Final Thriller Sequence

This is our final sequence after editing, following the feedback given and finishing off. From the previous draft we have added titles, contrast and saturation to the shots to enhance the scenes. Overall we are pleased with our final sequence and we think we met our set targets.

Rough Cut of Thriller Opening

This is a rough cut of our thriller opening sequence.

We have experimented with positioning of titles and would like feedback on which is the most appropriate for our sequence. We have also experimented with video effects on the last four shots and would like feedback on which one looks back. We would also like feedback on shot duration, continuity of the soundtrack and synchronizing our sequence.

Thriller Analysis- Bourne Ultimatum

The opening sequence for this film suggests alot, gives you a good idea of the plot & is very mysterious. The start of the sequence explains what has happened in the previous films; lost his identity- had it stolen,injured, how his loved ones throughout the films have been murdered, his past destroyed and now people are set to kill him!

This opening sequence is very short and very detailed to ensure you get a good underdtanding of the film. Because of that, you don't need to have seen the previous two films to understand this one.As the sequence starts off you see jason bourne walking injured away down a underground/train station escaping police,or so it seems. He then boards the train but jumps off in order to loose the police. Further on in the sequence bourne manages to escape the police and he attempts to first aid his arm or leg after an bloody injury.As he is aiding himself a russian officer enters the room in which bourne is in,armed and ready to kill. Bourne talks to him and says a line which is remembered through the film; ' My argument is not with you'.. Throughout the end of the sequence a flashback of something that happened to him plays,which brings back memorys that he has lost. I think it is meant to explain why the russian police etc are after him.

Mise En Scene- within this sequence is very mood setting. It highlights the theme running throughout and makes it simple to relate to. It is action/thriller therefore it is quite a dark setting and rather dull. This makes sense for it to be dull and boring because of the theme.. Everything within the shots of the opening sequence are either mysterious or have something to with the plot i.e passports,guns etc..

The sound in the sequence is non diegetic,it is being played for effect,to create tension and to build up fear.. Coming from more than one character. It is not drowning in sound it is just there running quietly in the background.The main sound is jason bourne himself, the characters dialouge and the cars etc.

The camera work looks handheld for some of it because it is following him through where he is going to hide. There is some panning shots.These give the adventure thriller feel, because they make it edgy and tense.
As the trailer progresses,it flashes from different camera angles and shots such as high angle,close ups & extreme close ups. These particular camera shots/angles are particularly good because it shows the viewer all the key points of the trailer i.e. Characters handling guns, bursting through buildings and intense situations & converstaions. There are also some handheld shots where it shows Bourne confronting with the people who are after him. Using a handheld shot exagerates the tensness of the particular moment being filmed.

It shows some fast high angled panning shots of different countrys (birds eye view & floor level) and him talking to people who are trying to help him escape and get rid of these people who are after him and want him dead. This explains that the film is a complex film with alot to be understood,this is obvious just from the trailer. The shots throughout this entire sequence are all flashing back and forth with no continuous scene footage,although it all comes together to ensure you have an idea of what the plot will be and how eveything pans out.
The genre of this film is spy/adventure/thriller. With the particular type of camera work and shots that are used througtout the trailer it expresses these genre's well therefore making it easy to understand the pace of the movie.

Planning for filming

Costume
There are currently no characters starring in our opening sequence, but if we do have characters the costume will be kept to casual clothing. With conventional long black coat or big black boots.

Props
The props that we may need are clothing ( black long coat or boots) if we decide to have a character in our sequence. We are going


Lighting- effect & equipment
I think we should try ans achieve low key lighting when wee show Cambridge as empty. And high key lighting when there is people to show life and action.

Sound
Sound effects will be used in our sequence to create suspense.
Sound effects such as wind to emphasize lifeless atmosphere in the beginning of the film.

Make up/ hair
The character that may star in the film will have to look scruffy and carefree.

List of equipment
Camera , Tripod , Microphone,

Times and Dates you want to film, including a back up plan

Monday 8th February - 3:25 after college
Tuesday 9th February - 9:00 before college

Wednesday 10th February - 2:00 after college
Thursday 11th February - 4:10 after college

Locations
For the first part of our film we need to film deserted areas of Cambridge. So we are going to try and find quite areas around Cambridge during the day.
Some ideas for locations include:
-Addenbrookes underground path
-Street near the train station
-Train station bike areas
-Quiet streets after the train station near mill road








For the last part of our film we need to film busy areas of Cambridge to emphasis busy atmosphere and link it to the first part of the film.
Some ideas of the locations included the following:
-Town centre
-Grand arcade
-Parkers peace
- Station



These are a few places in that we are thinking of using to film the busy shots of Cambridge









Production Roles

Camera - Londie Ncube

Sound Editor - Lewis Shepherd

Director - Ben Shimmens

Editor - Ben Shimmens

Location Manager - Alex Irvine

Test photos/ footage

We used footage like this, as we wanted long panning shots, and also shots that gave the feeling that the place was deserted.

Planning For The Thriller - Brainstorm of |Ideas

First idea:
Character 1 wakes up in the room clueless of his surroundings. He touches the back of his head to find blood (which in our case was brown sauce).
Character2 then comes onto the television screen to talk to character1.
Character1 is afraid and has been somehow put in that room by character2.
Character2 then informs Character1 of where he is and threatens him in some ways.

Idea Development:
Character1 could be tied up and fighting to be let loose.


Second Idea:
Psycho woman is cooking up soup to go and give to tied up character.
At the end it rewinds quickly all the way back to the start.
Most of filming time is taken up by shots of her cooking the soup etc.
The sequence should be full of close ups and play around with the viewer's senses.

Idea development:
Filming of the setting could build tension.

Third Idea:
Shows Grand Arcade during the day really busy and then towards the end of the night it's empty with two lonely characters walking around.
This will be a clue to the narrative of the film.

Idea development:
We could film cars and people and speed them up to speed up time. One character could be stalking the other.
Message through face-book of meeting at grand arcade.

Logo Movie

At the beginning of our thriller video we were briefed that we had to make a logo title video.

To start, we made a picture on Photoshop CS3 by combining layers of text and a picture of a red ball.
Secondly, we then imported all the layers into Final Cut Express and combined them on a time line and used the "add motion keyframe" tool so that the logo now had movement as can be seen in the movie below.
Finally we made our own soundtrack on GarageBand and added it to the movie clip to create the final Quicktime Movie.
We decided on the name BALL Productions as the word BALL uses all of our initials as the first letter.

Evaluating other students thriller sequences!

'Processed-P1-50'

After watching this title sequence we decided to grade this at level 3- 37 marks.

We thought that:

• It was conventional but remained unique.
• The whole sequence was well edited which made it look professional.
• It was proficient in the use of mise-en-scene, the objects, lighting and setting was well selected.
• Titles where used appropriately and made it appear well thought out.
• All the editing was continuous and this meant that the meaning was apparent to the viewer.

Cape Fear

1) What clues does the sequence give you about the film ( Micro & Macro)?

The mise en scene in the opening sequence gives us various clues about the rest of the film. various faces and other things such as birds suggest that the film may be based around these ideas. The continuous images of water suggest that the setting of the film may be based around this. the faces revealed in the opening sequence suggest that they may be characters that feature in the film, maybe the protagonist and antagonist. I think the opening titles gives away the clues that leave the audience questioning, o they have to watch the rest of the film.

2) How does it conform to conventions of thriller?

The music used in the sequence is a conventional thriller soundtrack and his works to create tension and prepare the audience for the film. The soundtrack contrast which elaborates the musical score. This build suspense and builds an atmosphere.

The lighting in the sequence is very dull, with use of dull tone colours which is conventional as it sets the scene for thriller films. Another conventional technique that the film uses is the mystery. Although the sequence gives several clues away to the views. These are limited so that the viewer continuous to watch the film to see what happens. This builds a mystery for the audience as they become curious about the several ideas that are given away in the opening titles.

Prelim Task

The sequence we made for our preliminary task had to include the following shots: Establishing shot, close-up shot, match on action shot, shot reverse shot and long shot. We had to storyboard a short sequence that included all of these shots. Our final was a minute long after the editing process on Final Cut Express. The equipment that we used included a camera, tripod and the computer software. We used linear editing which means the order of events was clear to the viewer.

The hardest thing about the Preliminary Task was continuity editing, we had difficulties making sure our sequence was smooth and flowing throughout. The Preliminary Task has prepared us for the Thriller sequence.