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.

Evaluation questions

These are the questions that have to be included in our powerpoint evaluations :

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
7. Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Opening Titles

Just before we started filming, I decided to try and make a title opening.

I started by creating the text and image on Adobe Photoshop CS3.
Next I imported them into Final Cut Express and edited them with a few fades and ended up with the finished screenshot below.














I then added a soundtrack underneath the opening which is shown in the screengrab below.










Which finally resulted in the end product, shown in the video below.

Storyboard

This is a picture of a close up shot of the main character in our sequence. It is then last shot of the sequence because it will make the audience want to carry on watching the film, as it builds suspense and generates questions.

This is the first sheet of our story board. It includes various medium shots of Cambridge, busy areas and shots of newspapers illustrating swine flu, this gives away clues to the narrative.



The last sheet of our story board is mostly empty areas of Cambridge which is contrasting to the first part of our sequence. We will try and show drastic changes between the first and last part of the sequence as this will give away clues to the narrative.

We will try and use our story board as a guideline for our filming so that we make sure that everything is in order and we stick to our idea.

Soundtrack Experiment

As we got closer to shooting the film I decided I should start to contemplate making a suitable soundtrack for our sequence. This was just an experiment to create a disorientating feel and to see how easy it would be.

After some feedback, I have realised that this track may be too complicated and the Thriller should have a more simplistic soundtrack to fit it, otherwise the two will differ too much.

Overall this experience has helped me with GarageBand and helped me realise that a soundtrack does not have to be complicated to be effective.



Screengrab of Soundtrack

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.

Analysis of Opening Sequences

Heat:
Sound:
There is a combination of different sounds that creates tension throughout the opening sequence. The sound is also heightened at certain periods, e.g. the heart monitors in hospital. In the beginning the sound is soft and slow and sets the scene in LA. The music gets quicker when the main character reaches the hospital and walks through the many corridors.

Camera Shots:
The camera shots are quick and rapid, some seem to follow the way the character moves. This makes the audience feel as if they are the main character and are walking in his footsteps. It also heightens the tension throughout the sequence and makes the whole piece feel more urgent. At the end, there are a lot of close-ups of what the long haired character (Val Kilmer) is carrying in the box.


No Country for Old Men:
Sound:
Throughout the duration of the sequence, the majority of the sound was dominated by a narration/voice-over. There is also subtle hints of environmental sounds underneath the narration. A soundtrack kicks in when there is the fight in the police station and the music is sharp and tense to symbolize the environment in which the scene is taking place.

Camera Shots:
There are long and medium shots that capture the landscape in which the narrator is describing and the duration of the shots are not that long. During the fight scene there are lots of shots of the same episode, but they are taken from lots of different angles to give different perspectives of the scene.


Carlito's Way
Sound:
At the beginning of the sequence the only sound that could be heard was a gunshot that occurred twice. After that, cinematic music started and continued throughout the entire sequence, until the last few shots when the main character narrates until the sequence finishes.

Camera Shots:
There are not a great deal of shots throughout the sequence, just long continuous shots that pan around the main action that is occurring. The camera spins around to disorientate the audience and make them feel like the main character who has just been shot. The final couple of shots were switching between the main characters face and a poster that is the only thing in the sequence that is in colour.

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.

Evaluation of Student Thriller

"The Beginning - P2-40"

After watching this title sequence we gave this project a grade of 'Level 3 - 40 marks'
We decided on this grade because

• The Soundtrack creates suspense and is edited well to fit the images
• Simple text effects are impressive
• Flashing text and images in time with beat of the music, suggest heartbeat sound.
• Well framed shots
• Variety of distance shots - worked with the images to create continuity
• Climax was good, with the music and the fast rewind effect.

http://40thrillerproject08.blogspot.com/ - Look for 'Final Thriller'

Vertigo Title Opening

Vertigo Title Opening:

1) What clues does the sequence give you about the film? (micro+macro)

The title sequence starts with a close up of a woman. She looks scared and this carries the stereotype that the woman is vulnerable. By showing a shot of her, it also gives of the attitude that she will be involved in this movie. The colour red usually appears a lot throughout the sequence giving a sense of danger to the film.

There is then a close-up of the eye and this represents fear and confusion by continually twitching from side to side. The text Vertigo then appears out of the eye and at the point the music suddenly becomes loud and reaches its climax.

There are then a series of shapes which start off small and far away which creates the illusion that the viewer is at a high angle (linking in with the theme of the film). The shapes gradually spiral closer towards you. Making the viewer feel as if they are getting a sense of Vertigo and falling into the shape, like falling towards the ground.

Throughout the opening titles, the sound is very tense and dramatic. This is done by using various instruments, namely strings and synth. These create the forbidding atmosphere.

2) How does it conform to conventions of thrillers?

One way it conforms is that it uses the idea of the 'Achilles Heel', which is that the main character has a weakness of some description and this will disadvantage them throughout the film. In this film, it is clear that the main character will be scared of heights of have a case of Vertigo.

Also in the opening of Vertigo, the convention of having the female character objectified is strong. She is shown as being tense and nervous, even scared. This shows that she is most likely going to be the vulnerable victim throughout the duration of the film.

Opening thriller sequence - Briefing/Conventions

Enigma - mystery for audience- convetionally revealed before end of narrative

Narrative - Often complex (twists/unexpected)

Protagonist and antagonist (villain or a force)
-Often has a flaw or weakness, has to overcome( Antagonist uses this against them).
-Similar characters

Sound- contrasts, elaborate musical score
-suspense and tension and silence

Sub genres of Thriller
(specific genres within larger category of thriller)

Supernatural Thriller e.g. Paranormal Activity,Sixth sense

Hybrid(mixture of genres)
Drama Thriller, Action Thriller, Romantic Thriller, Crime Thriller e.g. Se7en, Godfather.

Sci-fi Thriller e.g. Star Trek

Thriller are not to be confused with Horrors. Horrors are more bloody, frightening which is most of the time contrasting to Thrillers.

BBFC 15 and 18 Ratings

The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification.They are an independent and a non-governmental body. It is the organisation legally responsible fro film classification in the United Kingdom. They are responsible for the current certificates like PG,U and 12 etc.




Suitable only for those aged 15 and over.

Nobody younger than 15 can see a 15 film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 can rent or buy a 15 rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game.

18 Suitable only for adults.

Nobody younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema.
No-one younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18 rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game.

Typical reasons for restricting films to the 18 certificate category have included scenes of hard drug use, supernatural horror, explicit sex, sadistic violence and sexual violence




*Information taken from the BBFC website and Wikipedia

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.