Friday, 21 December 2012
The completed evaluation
Our evaluation of our thriller completed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cYJiT1cQVNk
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Additions to what we had done
In class we watched the remaining thriller rough edits from other groups and filled in their questionnaires, before continuing to edit.
Additions:
1. We added in opening credits of our names and those who took part in film making on final cut express.
2. With successfully filming the bus scene we were able take out the bad shots where the bus and driver didn't match. So all continuity errors in our thriller opening are now eliminated.
3. We took out the wind effect we originally added in to make it more dramatic because the fade cross over didn't work entirely well. So we left the music to drone out as it was ending.
4. On the bus scene I cut up the scene and made it change angle frequently so it wasn't boring and still for too long. It also fixed a problem we had with the driver jumping forwards slightly when we cut the footage down.
5. Did a general trim or extending of some shots. We trimmed down a shot of the antagonist so you only see them for a spilt second before cutting to black.
Dialogue still hasn't been recorded because after a long discussion, we ran out of time and Abi is still against recording it just to see what it would sound like, because it will sound naff.
This would also help us improve the narrative of the plot line as some students found it , "Hard to follow", "Bit Vague" and someone even asked "What is it?"
Additions:
1. We added in opening credits of our names and those who took part in film making on final cut express.
2. With successfully filming the bus scene we were able take out the bad shots where the bus and driver didn't match. So all continuity errors in our thriller opening are now eliminated.
3. We took out the wind effect we originally added in to make it more dramatic because the fade cross over didn't work entirely well. So we left the music to drone out as it was ending.
4. On the bus scene I cut up the scene and made it change angle frequently so it wasn't boring and still for too long. It also fixed a problem we had with the driver jumping forwards slightly when we cut the footage down.
5. Did a general trim or extending of some shots. We trimmed down a shot of the antagonist so you only see them for a spilt second before cutting to black.
Dialogue still hasn't been recorded because after a long discussion, we ran out of time and Abi is still against recording it just to see what it would sound like, because it will sound naff.
This would also help us improve the narrative of the plot line as some students found it , "Hard to follow", "Bit Vague" and someone even asked "What is it?"
Questionnaire and our response
In Mondays lesson we exported our rough edits so far to premier to the rest of the class.
We designed a questionnaire that questioned each section of the marking citera. So then were are able to improve and make nesscary changes to our thriller to make it more conventional to the genre and any adaptions to our effects.
What we found...
POSITIVE:
SHOTS AND TRANSITIONS: All those asked said the shots were steady and there was a good variety of shot distances. The shot transistions were smooth in most places and worked well.
TITLES: When asked about the opinion on the titles, 1 person said very good (unique) and 7 people said is was good.
SOUNDTRACK: The majority said the sound track works well in setting a solem mood and along with the thriller content as it as a creepy atomsphere.
NEGATIVE:
SCENES: 3 people said the scenes should be darker lightning to set the mood. 1 person suggested more close ups.
NARRATIVE: 2 people couldn't follow or understand the narrative plot line and suggested there should be some sort of dialogue to explain it, (which we attend record and test).
TITLES: 1 Person said the font doesn't work with the setting and mood as it is too gory even though it was intentional. I think it doesn't seem to fit because the narrative its clear enough.
TRANSISTIONS: A couple of people suggested that there should be more transistions between shot and the transisition between the wind sound effect and the music should be a lot smoother. We know it isn't smooth because it was a sudden Idea we thought of and didn't have time to sort out because we had t export it for the showing.
CONTINUITY: One person noticed the bus drivers were different in the bus shots, (as we filmed on different days). We are currently refilming it to get a better angle and have less of a continuity problem.
We designed a questionnaire that questioned each section of the marking citera. So then were are able to improve and make nesscary changes to our thriller to make it more conventional to the genre and any adaptions to our effects.
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What we found...
POSITIVE:
SHOTS AND TRANSITIONS: All those asked said the shots were steady and there was a good variety of shot distances. The shot transistions were smooth in most places and worked well.
TITLES: When asked about the opinion on the titles, 1 person said very good (unique) and 7 people said is was good.
SOUNDTRACK: The majority said the sound track works well in setting a solem mood and along with the thriller content as it as a creepy atomsphere.
NEGATIVE:
SCENES: 3 people said the scenes should be darker lightning to set the mood. 1 person suggested more close ups.
NARRATIVE: 2 people couldn't follow or understand the narrative plot line and suggested there should be some sort of dialogue to explain it, (which we attend record and test).
TITLES: 1 Person said the font doesn't work with the setting and mood as it is too gory even though it was intentional. I think it doesn't seem to fit because the narrative its clear enough.
TRANSISTIONS: A couple of people suggested that there should be more transistions between shot and the transisition between the wind sound effect and the music should be a lot smoother. We know it isn't smooth because it was a sudden Idea we thought of and didn't have time to sort out because we had t export it for the showing.
CONTINUITY: One person noticed the bus drivers were different in the bus shots, (as we filmed on different days). We are currently refilming it to get a better angle and have less of a continuity problem.
Our video evaluation planning
Instead of writing a report to evaluate our thriller we are filming a directors commentary, explaining what we did, why we did that and how it would appeal to our target audience.
Within the double lesson, we broke up each question and highlighted what we would need to say to cover all parts of the seven questions.
We have already recorded this. We decided to do it one lunch time. We each decided on who would talk about what and people would inform other aspects that we hadn't talked about after we were talking.
Within the double lesson, we broke up each question and highlighted what we would need to say to cover all parts of the seven questions.
- Setting/location
- Lighting/Soundtrack
- Cast - Who/Why - realism
- Funding? Shot types - Panning difficulties, variety
- Real Thrillers in relation to ours - aspects of other thrillers that are similar
- Bus scene
- Continuity issues and fixtures, time - weeks worth of attempts
- Fades - time passing, sharp cuts
- Group Effort
- Individual effort
- Curtain scene - blood red
- Titles - Why we chose that?
- Unstable, emotional and instability
- How will it get around - Youtube, Media Blogs, Social Networking
- Strengths and Weaknesses
We have already recorded this. We decided to do it one lunch time. We each decided on who would talk about what and people would inform other aspects that we hadn't talked about after we were talking.
Evaluation planning
We recorded our speaking parts of the evaluation on Thursday lunchtime. All 4 of us were present, and we recorded in the sound room.
Sophie, Alice and me, went back in on Friday lunchtime to go through the recording and edit it into different parts we talk about. Sophie cut it all on Garage Band and Alice redid some of the speaking because she needed a touch up.
Then in Fridays lesson, Sophie finished cutting the audio track and we are ready to put it in with our Thriller opening.
UPDATE:
Did Strengths and Weaknesses in Mondays lesson, and Alice and Sophie edited the speaking and cleared it up Tuesday morning.
UPDATE:
Did Strengths and Weaknesses in Mondays lesson, and Alice and Sophie edited the speaking and cleared it up Tuesday morning.
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Hysteria- finished
This is our final thriller opening sequence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsqqL4IxWQQ
By Rebecca Wade, Alice Denmark, Abigail Fish and Sophie Jarvis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsqqL4IxWQQ
By Rebecca Wade, Alice Denmark, Abigail Fish and Sophie Jarvis.
Friday, 30 November 2012
Editing
Day 1
Miss Webb took us through the basics on how to set up final cut express. I labelled the clips we had imported to imovie. e.g. telephone1, telephone ignore, worst bus scene.
Day 2
Because I hadn't been at the places to shoot the shots, we decided i would do all of the editing with guidence from the group. I imported the clips we had done, from imovie to final cut express. Me and the whole group looked at the footage my group had captured and we chose the best shots. We followed the story board closly. I imported the music- Beethoven's moonlight sonata 1. By the end of the lesson we had cut the footage to where we needed it, and deleted unwanted clips.[The music is copy right free.]
Day 3
The music and the shots worked well. I looked at the shots and the music and where the bloody hand print on the window is we found two suspensful beats to be in time with the music and the clip. We used the end of moonligth sonata. We all agreed that we will see once the bus scene had been completed.
Because of sudden down pours of rain, Abbi and Alice were unable to film it. They filmed it on the 28th November instead.
Day 4
In our double lesson I added effects to different transitions between shots to help it flow better. Also we agjusted the contrast and light level on two shots that we took continuity into consideration. The effects have made it look realistic and have made the transitions between shots flow a lot better. We used a transition called addition dissolve. We plan to remove the audio from our thriller in some parts and have the music playing over them to create more suspense.
We had a brief argument on whether to use the dialogue idea. Abi said that we didn't need to bother even doing an audio because it would distract the audience from the scenes and the piece of music. Alice said that we had to do it and it migth sound great if we try it. I said we have to do it because we had already made refereneceto it on our blogs. I agreed with what Abi saying about it distracting the audience but, we came to a conclusion that we had to do it to show that we had explored the possiblity.
W haven't yet put he titles into our thriller but we have a rough idea of where we want to put it.
The old one we liked, but decided it would look better with a dark backgound colour.
Miss Webb took us through the basics on how to set up final cut express. I labelled the clips we had imported to imovie. e.g. telephone1, telephone ignore, worst bus scene.
Day 2
Because I hadn't been at the places to shoot the shots, we decided i would do all of the editing with guidence from the group. I imported the clips we had done, from imovie to final cut express. Me and the whole group looked at the footage my group had captured and we chose the best shots. We followed the story board closly. I imported the music- Beethoven's moonlight sonata 1. By the end of the lesson we had cut the footage to where we needed it, and deleted unwanted clips.[The music is copy right free.]
Day 3
The music and the shots worked well. I looked at the shots and the music and where the bloody hand print on the window is we found two suspensful beats to be in time with the music and the clip. We used the end of moonligth sonata. We all agreed that we will see once the bus scene had been completed.
Because of sudden down pours of rain, Abbi and Alice were unable to film it. They filmed it on the 28th November instead.
Day 4
In our double lesson I added effects to different transitions between shots to help it flow better. Also we agjusted the contrast and light level on two shots that we took continuity into consideration. The effects have made it look realistic and have made the transitions between shots flow a lot better. We used a transition called addition dissolve. We plan to remove the audio from our thriller in some parts and have the music playing over them to create more suspense.
We had a brief argument on whether to use the dialogue idea. Abi said that we didn't need to bother even doing an audio because it would distract the audience from the scenes and the piece of music. Alice said that we had to do it and it migth sound great if we try it. I said we have to do it because we had already made refereneceto it on our blogs. I agreed with what Abi saying about it distracting the audience but, we came to a conclusion that we had to do it to show that we had explored the possiblity.
W haven't yet put he titles into our thriller but we have a rough idea of where we want to put it.
 |
| Final Copy: The red is darker then previous and the background is black |
The old one we liked, but decided it would look better with a dark backgound colour.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Scene analysis
How does the location and use of light and dark depict the emotional landscape of a character?
TAKEN THE PHONE SCENE
In the scene, half of the characters face is light and half dark. It is mostly light. Then he rises and creeps into the dark. He expands his stance and makes himself look strong. The room he is in in a small room. This setting makes him stand out.
It is easy to understand the emotion of the scene. Along with the music, the facial expression and the use of ligth and darkness on his face it is clear to the audience that it is a suspense full scene. This may also alert the audience that something migth make them react scared because music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seRhXyoNrGI
How are women represented in the scene?
PSYCHO THE SHOWER SCENE
In the scene, the character is represented as helpless and innocent. It is made clear when the music starts that something bad will happen. She is nude which could signify the vunerability and helplessness of the character. At the start of the scene she is writing a letter. The letter could signify something of importance. This could be the one subject in the scene that is not vunerable because the letter is taken. Thsi could mean that it is wanted by many people and makes it more 'popular'. When she is killed the woman is screaming helplessly in a high voice, this is very stereo typical towards women. Also her hand reaches out and grabs the shower curtain, this could signify that she needs help from someone stronger or more in power than she is. Her eye is represented as a major image because it is focused in on for more than afew seconds. This could signify the person who could help her or who she is looking for to save her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4
How conventional is the costume of the protagonist and the antagonist in this scene?
THE DARK NIGHT RISES: FINAL JOKER SCENE
The joker has wild hair and smudged make-up. He is represented as almost a clown which many people have a phobia of, [Coulrophobia]. He has very vintage clothing which is purple and green. These colours mean different things; green means jealousy and greed and purple means frustration, and also evokes gloom and sad feelings. His clothes seem to be well worn. The fact that his clothes are vintage could mean that he is not happy with the change in societies and the evolution of man kind. His costume looks quite boring. The colours look faded which could signify how many years he has felt his anger and frustration with society.
Bat man's costume challenges Nickel's idea that heros wear light clothes and villains wear dark clothes. Batman's costume incorporates the imagery of a bat in order to frighten criminals. When people think of Batman's costume they look for the most distinctive pieces of clothing taht he wears: a cape, a cowl covering most of the face featuring a pair of batlike ears, and a bat emblem on the chest. Bat man's cape is primarily black and that is what challenges Nickel's theory. In many posters of Batman, there is him standing in a building watching a city. The black in his costume could be disguising himself from the people he knows. Also the mask could signify that he wants to be someone else and hide his true identity from the real world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CvREXabdME
TAKEN THE PHONE SCENE
In the scene, half of the characters face is light and half dark. It is mostly light. Then he rises and creeps into the dark. He expands his stance and makes himself look strong. The room he is in in a small room. This setting makes him stand out.
It is easy to understand the emotion of the scene. Along with the music, the facial expression and the use of ligth and darkness on his face it is clear to the audience that it is a suspense full scene. This may also alert the audience that something migth make them react scared because music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seRhXyoNrGI
How are women represented in the scene?
PSYCHO THE SHOWER SCENE
In the scene, the character is represented as helpless and innocent. It is made clear when the music starts that something bad will happen. She is nude which could signify the vunerability and helplessness of the character. At the start of the scene she is writing a letter. The letter could signify something of importance. This could be the one subject in the scene that is not vunerable because the letter is taken. Thsi could mean that it is wanted by many people and makes it more 'popular'. When she is killed the woman is screaming helplessly in a high voice, this is very stereo typical towards women. Also her hand reaches out and grabs the shower curtain, this could signify that she needs help from someone stronger or more in power than she is. Her eye is represented as a major image because it is focused in on for more than afew seconds. This could signify the person who could help her or who she is looking for to save her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4
How conventional is the costume of the protagonist and the antagonist in this scene?
THE DARK NIGHT RISES: FINAL JOKER SCENE
The joker has wild hair and smudged make-up. He is represented as almost a clown which many people have a phobia of, [Coulrophobia]. He has very vintage clothing which is purple and green. These colours mean different things; green means jealousy and greed and purple means frustration, and also evokes gloom and sad feelings. His clothes seem to be well worn. The fact that his clothes are vintage could mean that he is not happy with the change in societies and the evolution of man kind. His costume looks quite boring. The colours look faded which could signify how many years he has felt his anger and frustration with society.
Bat man's costume challenges Nickel's idea that heros wear light clothes and villains wear dark clothes. Batman's costume incorporates the imagery of a bat in order to frighten criminals. When people think of Batman's costume they look for the most distinctive pieces of clothing taht he wears: a cape, a cowl covering most of the face featuring a pair of batlike ears, and a bat emblem on the chest. Bat man's cape is primarily black and that is what challenges Nickel's theory. In many posters of Batman, there is him standing in a building watching a city. The black in his costume could be disguising himself from the people he knows. Also the mask could signify that he wants to be someone else and hide his true identity from the real world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CvREXabdME
Friday, 23 November 2012
Thriller comparison
Our thriller idea was influenced by a variety of psychlogical thrillers. We liked the idea of the central protagonist who is unconventional. As suggested by our title the underlying theme of the film is the mental health of the protagonist, and in our opening sequence we have the protagonist speaking to a psychoanalyst, to re-affirm this idea of the central character's mental fragility. Many psychological thrillers employ the technique of creating a character who is presented as the protagonist, but is deeply flawed. In our thriller film the protagonists main flaw is her carrying out a sinister deed under the orders of the antagonist.
From our research into audiences expectations regarding thrillers, we have found that many appreciated a twist in the plot, to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and to keep the audience guessing as to what the outcome of the film is.
The idea behind this was that ast theh end of our film, it would be revesled taht the protagonist had simply endured a vivid hallucination and the antagonist was a figment of her imagination. This sort of twist of the plot employed in films suchas "The Others", "Shutter island" and " The Sixth Sense". Where the central characters are not as they appear.
I believe our thriller film would have entised the psychological thriller audience because of the mental abnormality of our protagonist. I believe it could have included biological approach to abnormality as well.
From our research into audiences expectations regarding thrillers, we have found that many appreciated a twist in the plot, to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and to keep the audience guessing as to what the outcome of the film is.
The idea behind this was that ast theh end of our film, it would be revesled taht the protagonist had simply endured a vivid hallucination and the antagonist was a figment of her imagination. This sort of twist of the plot employed in films suchas "The Others", "Shutter island" and " The Sixth Sense". Where the central characters are not as they appear.
I believe our thriller film would have entised the psychological thriller audience because of the mental abnormality of our protagonist. I believe it could have included biological approach to abnormality as well.
Equiptment list
Equiptment list:
x1 Sony video camera
x1 Tripod
x1 Tracking Dolly - Tracking Shot
x1 Camera Charger
x1 Maxwell DV tape
x1 Sony video camera
x1 Tripod
x1 Tracking Dolly - Tracking Shot
x1 Camera Charger
x1 Maxwell DV tape
Taken from Alice's blog.
Retake schedule
Abigail on the day of filming on
the Saturday planned out extra scenes to film so then our thriller would
have continuity, instead of cutting to different aspects of the day. This was
because she thought it would flow better, and I agreed. We tried other shots
like a extreme close up on her feet as she left the house and filmed extra
walking scenes without the antagonist. We re-filmed the blood scene and made the
antagonist look taller, it didn't take as long as before but we went over it a
few times just to be sure.
Bus Stop scene, caused some problems
when filming. The first one got accidentally recorded over the first shot and on
the second attempt the angle was wonky due to the tripod stand being
slanted.
Bus Schedule is exactly the same for Thursday 22nd for another attempt at retaking the scene.
Taken from Alice's blog.
Bus Schedule is exactly the same for Thursday 22nd for another attempt at retaking the scene.
Taken from Alice's blog.
Unfortunately i was unable to attend all of the filming days because i was in Derby visiting my sister. But i was pleased with the footage that my team filmed.
Tuesday and Wednesday wasn't appropriate due to bad
weather.
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Analysis of the thriller film questionnaire
9 people answered my questionnaire. Most of the people who answered it were under 20 although, 3 people who answered it were over 30. The genders of people who i asked were generally even. 4 females and 5 males.
I asked which type of thriller genre they liked best and psychological was the most voted for with 5. Then action with 2 and sci-fi and horror had 1. This was made clear our grouup that the best and most popular thriller to do was pschological.
The names of peoples favorite thriller films were hunger games:1, Sherlock Holmes:2, Birds:1, Psycho:1, No country for old men:1, man on a ledge: 1, and taken:1. I asked them the reasons why they liked them and they answered suspense and story line and plot twists. It was made clear that we had to have plot twists inbedded in our idea, so we didn't want to give too much away within our opening scene.
When i asked how many thriller films they had seen this year most people said 10+ but, afew people only said 6+. I believe this means that thriller films aren't being seen at the cinema. But it didn't matter because my thriller will be on youtube.
I asked what type of film they would se in the cinema most said action. Afew people said all but musicals, romance and sci fi. They all said it was because they had, had good reports and reviews written on them. Also they had been recommended to them by other friends.
Then i asked, what is your favourite genre of film?- many people said action and thriller. There were many answers from females saying romance. This is clear that there is a gender division on which films the different genders like. This is what our group took into account while planning our thriller opening scene.
Then I asked What do you enjoy most about thrillers?- Everyone said the suspense and the jumpiness and afew males said they like the violence, many females said they liked the plot twists. This meant that we would have to include a jumpiness to our opening scene. Also the violence that is why we included blood in our opening sequence. We also had the idea of a plot twist and we were able to create one quickly.
To conclude in our thriller opening sequence we have decided to have a jumpy part, and our sequence is full of suspense, so the audience can be sitting on the edge of their seats through out.
I asked which type of thriller genre they liked best and psychological was the most voted for with 5. Then action with 2 and sci-fi and horror had 1. This was made clear our grouup that the best and most popular thriller to do was pschological.
The names of peoples favorite thriller films were hunger games:1, Sherlock Holmes:2, Birds:1, Psycho:1, No country for old men:1, man on a ledge: 1, and taken:1. I asked them the reasons why they liked them and they answered suspense and story line and plot twists. It was made clear that we had to have plot twists inbedded in our idea, so we didn't want to give too much away within our opening scene.
When i asked how many thriller films they had seen this year most people said 10+ but, afew people only said 6+. I believe this means that thriller films aren't being seen at the cinema. But it didn't matter because my thriller will be on youtube.
I asked what type of film they would se in the cinema most said action. Afew people said all but musicals, romance and sci fi. They all said it was because they had, had good reports and reviews written on them. Also they had been recommended to them by other friends.
Then i asked, what is your favourite genre of film?- many people said action and thriller. There were many answers from females saying romance. This is clear that there is a gender division on which films the different genders like. This is what our group took into account while planning our thriller opening scene.
Then I asked What do you enjoy most about thrillers?- Everyone said the suspense and the jumpiness and afew males said they like the violence, many females said they liked the plot twists. This meant that we would have to include a jumpiness to our opening scene. Also the violence that is why we included blood in our opening sequence. We also had the idea of a plot twist and we were able to create one quickly.
To conclude in our thriller opening sequence we have decided to have a jumpy part, and our sequence is full of suspense, so the audience can be sitting on the edge of their seats through out.
Monday, 19 November 2012
Characters and casting of characters
Taken from Alice's Blog
Characters
The Protagonist is a college student who is emotionally isolated from society. She enjoys her own company as she is socially dysfunctional. For years she has been followed/observed by a mysterious figure. It follows her everyday, but has never made contact with her, frightened her, or harmed her.
The Antagonist is the aforementioned figure. The figure is silent and wears a long, black coat, and a mask. It silently stalks the college student, and is never acknowledged - as though it's not even there. The Antagonist's presence adds to the eerie atmosphere.
The Therapist is interviewing the protagonist, asking them what happened (reminiscent of the archetypal psychological thriller). The therapist is presented as a clean and tidy workaholic, who is learning about the protagonist's dark past.
Cast
Therapist - Jos Banthorpe
Antagonist - Rose Denmark
Protagonist - Abigail Fish
Characters
The Protagonist is a college student who is emotionally isolated from society. She enjoys her own company as she is socially dysfunctional. For years she has been followed/observed by a mysterious figure. It follows her everyday, but has never made contact with her, frightened her, or harmed her.
The Antagonist is the aforementioned figure. The figure is silent and wears a long, black coat, and a mask. It silently stalks the college student, and is never acknowledged - as though it's not even there. The Antagonist's presence adds to the eerie atmosphere.
The Therapist is interviewing the protagonist, asking them what happened (reminiscent of the archetypal psychological thriller). The therapist is presented as a clean and tidy workaholic, who is learning about the protagonist's dark past.
Cast
Therapist - Jos Banthorpe
Antagonist - Rose Denmark
Protagonist - Abigail Fish
Casting
Decisions:
 |
| Jos |
I
asked Jos to play the Therapist because she is an adult. This would make our
thriller more realistic then using a teenager as a therapist. She has acted
before for projects back in 2010 when I helped out a university student with her
media project. Jos acted in it also. Jos is part of the Foulsham Entertainers,
who perform yearly variety/themed shows to raise money.
 |
| Abigail |
 |
| Rose |
Abigail is playing the protagonist
because it is convenient for the bus scene (and other scenes that take place in
the village). She was happy to do so and as a bonus made filming easier due to
all the cast living in the same village.
Rose is playing the part of antagonist
because the identity of the "figure" remains a mystery throughout, and so gender
does not matter. Again, this is also convenient when filming scenes in the
village. As my sister, she was happy to help out because her part was covered
up and speechless.
Alice made the recommendation of Jos. We chose abbi and Rose because they fitted the roles well.
Retakes
Unfortunately me and Sophie were unable to attend the retakes because i was in Derby and Sophie was at work.
Fortunately Alice and Abbi attended and retook the bus scene because of technical problems and was recorded over accidentally by a member of our group, but only an insignificant part was saved. [Was retook on Wednesday 7th Nov and is due for another retake thursday 15]
We are planning to retake the dog walking scene because me and the group were not entirely pleased with it, because the antagonist is followed by the protagonist when in all the other shots they remain still and stare.
Alice and Abbi planned to add another walking scene when it starts to get dark, i believe this would be good so we can experiment whether or not the light would be a problem. They are planninng to film near lampost which we think will give an eerie feel.
To refilm: Sunday 11th November- Afternoon.
Saturday/ sunday- 17th and 18th.
Fortunately Alice and Abbi attended and retook the bus scene because of technical problems and was recorded over accidentally by a member of our group, but only an insignificant part was saved. [Was retook on Wednesday 7th Nov and is due for another retake thursday 15]
We are planning to retake the dog walking scene because me and the group were not entirely pleased with it, because the antagonist is followed by the protagonist when in all the other shots they remain still and stare.
Alice and Abbi planned to add another walking scene when it starts to get dark, i believe this would be good so we can experiment whether or not the light would be a problem. They are planninng to film near lampost which we think will give an eerie feel.
To refilm: Sunday 11th November- Afternoon.
Saturday/ sunday- 17th and 18th.
Font for the title- hysteria
Taken from Alice's blog:
Opening titles work
We have already agreed on the name 'Hysteria' and have started to think about possible font types which we can adapt. Our aim for the font is to make it look like a blood splatter and the titles is made from the blood.
We started messing around with Cooltext.com to get an idea of what we could have.
Opening titles work
We have already agreed on the name 'Hysteria' and have started to think about possible font types which we can adapt. Our aim for the font is to make it look like a blood splatter and the titles is made from the blood.
We started messing around with Cooltext.com to get an idea of what we could have.
1) Black - Dark. This font is hostile
and looks like the writer is isolated and alone. The wobbled effect of the
letters suggest instability and madness (instability of the mind).
2) Red - Blood. The crazy scratching of
the letters hints the Thriller will be psychological. Its an agressive font
which suggests what the story line could be about without giving away too much
information. The font style is more horror then thriller. It is similar to "Seance".
We all agreed the type of font we wanted needed to be effective and to create the appearance of everything was not as it seemed.
We all agreed the type of font we wanted needed to be effective and to create the appearance of everything was not as it seemed.
Locations
Our orginal ideas for location were to film around Foulsham, Drayton and also at Alice's and Abbi's houses in Foulsham. We are going to use Alice's bedroom, Drayton or Foulsham park, the track at foulsham, the bus stop at foulsham, Abbi's hall way and window.
Bus Stop, Dog Walking and Park scene: Location. Draw stick figures to represent where characters will be.
Therapist Room
Books and shelves indicate tidy professional. Planning to put in a desk and organise furniture around it too look like an office.
All but Walking/Lamppost scene have already been filmed. We changed our original decision to going to Abigail's house because it would of been a lot easier to do it all at mine. So we comprised and used similar settings.
We decided to use the school bus stop and filmed the school bus.
In each scene the Antagonist would stand silently in the distance or nearby the protagonist as they did daily/ordinary activities all basic everyday things.
The window scene downstairs - The scene where the bloody hand print hits the window and then it cuts to the title of the film. The thud we aim to have on the window should make people jump.
The window scene upstairs - When the protagonist opens the curtains and see the antagonist in the road. It will show that the antagonist is everywhere and the protagonist can't escape it, but also doesn't want it to go away because it doesn't bother them.
Dog Walking - The isolated path looks fairly dead with bits of colour. The antagonist just 'pops' up in between the hedge as the protagonist walks past - Creepy/Stalker
Walking/lamppost - The original plan was to film walking around the corner with the lamppost on but sadly the lamppost light didn't work so we comprised to using the desolate telephone box which has a light inside that flickers occasionally.
Bus Stop - The bus stop scene portrayed school life for the protagonist and shows how the antagonist is EVERYWHERE! This scene when filming was easy but you could only take one take a day due to the bus leaving for the high school
Taken from Alice' s blog.
Location Analysis:
Bus Stop, Dog Walking and Park scene: Location. Draw stick figures to represent where characters will be.
Therapist Room
Books and shelves indicate tidy professional. Planning to put in a desk and organise furniture around it too look like an office.
All but Walking/Lamppost scene have already been filmed. We changed our original decision to going to Abigail's house because it would of been a lot easier to do it all at mine. So we comprised and used similar settings.
We decided to use the school bus stop and filmed the school bus.
In each scene the Antagonist would stand silently in the distance or nearby the protagonist as they did daily/ordinary activities all basic everyday things.
The window scene downstairs - The scene where the bloody hand print hits the window and then it cuts to the title of the film. The thud we aim to have on the window should make people jump.
The window scene upstairs - When the protagonist opens the curtains and see the antagonist in the road. It will show that the antagonist is everywhere and the protagonist can't escape it, but also doesn't want it to go away because it doesn't bother them.
Dog Walking - The isolated path looks fairly dead with bits of colour. The antagonist just 'pops' up in between the hedge as the protagonist walks past - Creepy/Stalker
Walking/lamppost - The original plan was to film walking around the corner with the lamppost on but sadly the lamppost light didn't work so we comprised to using the desolate telephone box which has a light inside that flickers occasionally.
Bus Stop - The bus stop scene portrayed school life for the protagonist and shows how the antagonist is EVERYWHERE! This scene when filming was easy but you could only take one take a day due to the bus leaving for the high school
The locations are fairly isolated like in "No Country for Old Men".
The story board for hysteria
From the first schedule we ended up
merging the walking and dog walking scene together. This is because it was
raining and we thought at the time it would be enough. We didn't shoot the bus
pulling away scene because we only had one camera and it would have been
difficult to film it on the bus with all the other passengers, we also felt that
it was not needed. We got the antagonist to put their hands on the door. When
filming we found it difficult to write "Hysteria" in blood and it didn't look
very effective, so we changed it so the antagonist bangs their bloody hand on
the window when the protagonist opens the curtain downstairs. Also while filming
we decided a head shot would be better than a extreme close up for the therapist
at the beginning.
soundtrack ideas for our thriller opening
Taken from Sophie's Blog:
Beccy and I have been given the task on researching and possible find music.
Deciding on a thriller song will be hard, manly because of two reasons : the expectations of what a thriller should be the second will be try to find music that will fit the editing or trying to fit the editing around the music.
Copy right laws also make it hard for us to find music with out paying royalties.
Music ideas we have are;
At the moment it is had to choose a music piece to go with our film. It will be much easier to do the editing and then pick one of the pieces to use.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGFRwKQqbk4
This piece is subtle and creepy, the only trouble with this piece is that it is played by an orchestra. Many people dislike the this music and the music is very key to the opening f the film there for if people don't like the music they won't like the film. If we had of made the film in the 50's i think this piece would be perfect however with the range of music genres now out there i think it will be tricky to get this pice to work however having sad that if this piece does work it will be very effective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT7_IZPHHb0
This piece is very effective to the audience. This piece makes you think like a good thriller film, it also makes you feel like you are in a dream, a world with no truth. There is also crescendo build ups in this piece. this piece has a mixture of note values this helps to give you the idea that you don't know what to expect next. There are 3 different parts to this piece, the structure goes A B A C A. The good thing about this piece is that it will appeal to the audience meaning. Many people turn their noises up at classical and orchestral pieces, this piece uses a piano so it does not have the classical/ orchestra sound. Though classical pieces are ones which we should use because of copy write laws tis does not men we should se them as this can sometimes reduce our audience market. Often the structure of classical songs reflect a story for example Raindrop prelude by Chopin is a story of a storm, the structure of it is a ternary structure ( A B A). this piece starts of calmly( A) then builds up to the storm (B) and then quietens down again (A). This piece comes from a collection of 3. This is the 1st movement of them, called Adagio Sostenuto. The third piece of this movement is too fast Ferocious. The second movement is too short. The 1st movement is based on an accompanying motif in triplet rhythm that, together with a accented notes motif, creates the impression of a grave, meditative state of mind. The composer adds the following direction at the beginning of the first part: „ Si deve suonare tutto pezzo delicatissimamente e senza sordino” which means that the performer should play the part with great delicacy and without dampers. Moonlight sonata is the 2nd movement out of 4 movements. This Movement is the best known.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou49__BtV-8&feature=player_embedded
This Piece i think will be very effective for thriller music. This piece i feel had the effect to make you more sad then scared or tense. This piece, however is not very long lasting, only 1.56 minutes. We cannot use this unfortunately because of copy write law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Dd3sRhw2nW0This piece is really good as it is more recent using developed instruments like the synth to create tension. I think however for the thriller we are doing to tempo is too slow. This might be good for a horror but not for our thriller.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41lSwWfu844&feature=player_embedded
This is a collection or already used thriller ad horror theme track, this helped us in deciding which songs to pick as it gave us a greater understanding of what is needed.
My imput
Me and Sophie looked through many pieces of music that we thought would suit but decided to go with the main four to pick from. Independantly i found Horror film music- scary halloween piano music- isip original instrumental music- myth, i also found Frosty moon by Shingetsutan tsukihime. Me and Sophie found Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata one. We asked Alice and Abbi for their approval on all of the songs we found and we believe that these would fit our thriller film opening.
Beccy and I have been given the task on researching and possible find music.
Deciding on a thriller song will be hard, manly because of two reasons : the expectations of what a thriller should be the second will be try to find music that will fit the editing or trying to fit the editing around the music.
Copy right laws also make it hard for us to find music with out paying royalties.
Music ideas we have are;
- Beethoven Moonlight Sonata Movement 1.
- The rite of spring - stravinsky
- Horror film music - scary halloween piano music- isisip original instrumental music - myth
- Frosty moon by shingetsutan tsukihime
There
is another piece which would be very good to use however, we can not do this
because of copy-write laws. The piece is Frosty moon by shingetsutan tsukihime.
We also had this trouble with the song "Myth". However we can do Beethoven and
Stravinsky.
At the moment it is had to choose a music piece to go with our film. It will be much easier to do the editing and then pick one of the pieces to use.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGFRwKQqbk4
This piece is subtle and creepy, the only trouble with this piece is that it is played by an orchestra. Many people dislike the this music and the music is very key to the opening f the film there for if people don't like the music they won't like the film. If we had of made the film in the 50's i think this piece would be perfect however with the range of music genres now out there i think it will be tricky to get this pice to work however having sad that if this piece does work it will be very effective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT7_IZPHHb0
This piece is very effective to the audience. This piece makes you think like a good thriller film, it also makes you feel like you are in a dream, a world with no truth. There is also crescendo build ups in this piece. this piece has a mixture of note values this helps to give you the idea that you don't know what to expect next. There are 3 different parts to this piece, the structure goes A B A C A. The good thing about this piece is that it will appeal to the audience meaning. Many people turn their noises up at classical and orchestral pieces, this piece uses a piano so it does not have the classical/ orchestra sound. Though classical pieces are ones which we should use because of copy write laws tis does not men we should se them as this can sometimes reduce our audience market. Often the structure of classical songs reflect a story for example Raindrop prelude by Chopin is a story of a storm, the structure of it is a ternary structure ( A B A). this piece starts of calmly( A) then builds up to the storm (B) and then quietens down again (A). This piece comes from a collection of 3. This is the 1st movement of them, called Adagio Sostenuto. The third piece of this movement is too fast Ferocious. The second movement is too short. The 1st movement is based on an accompanying motif in triplet rhythm that, together with a accented notes motif, creates the impression of a grave, meditative state of mind. The composer adds the following direction at the beginning of the first part: „ Si deve suonare tutto pezzo delicatissimamente e senza sordino” which means that the performer should play the part with great delicacy and without dampers. Moonlight sonata is the 2nd movement out of 4 movements. This Movement is the best known.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou49__BtV-8&feature=player_embedded
This Piece i think will be very effective for thriller music. This piece i feel had the effect to make you more sad then scared or tense. This piece, however is not very long lasting, only 1.56 minutes. We cannot use this unfortunately because of copy write law.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Dd3sRhw2nW0This piece is really good as it is more recent using developed instruments like the synth to create tension. I think however for the thriller we are doing to tempo is too slow. This might be good for a horror but not for our thriller.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41lSwWfu844&feature=player_embedded
This is a collection or already used thriller ad horror theme track, this helped us in deciding which songs to pick as it gave us a greater understanding of what is needed.
My imput
Me and Sophie looked through many pieces of music that we thought would suit but decided to go with the main four to pick from. Independantly i found Horror film music- scary halloween piano music- isip original instrumental music- myth, i also found Frosty moon by Shingetsutan tsukihime. Me and Sophie found Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata one. We asked Alice and Abbi for their approval on all of the songs we found and we believe that these would fit our thriller film opening.
Friday, 9 November 2012
Title sequences
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The girl with the dragon tattoo.
The title sequence is basically of a black substance influencing and controlling every thing that it comes into contact with.
This image is of what looks like oil or tar on this women's face. I believe that this shows that she is being controlled. Also there are hands on the womens face which looks like someone who has bigger hands [like a man], this could signify dominace and maybe hierachy over the woman. Her facial expression looks innocent and vunerable. 
The next image is of the technology in the sequence. I believe the film makers have done this to sho wthe audience that everything is not as it seems. Such as a cable could be a useful piece of equiptmant but in thisi case it could end up harming you or killing you. Also the figure in this image looks like it has been forced to stand there. The material which the figure is wearing looks like metal. This could signify strength although, it could be a weakness for the cables which they can eventually take control of.
This image is of a bird which is made out of fire. This could signify that is the most powerful part of the sequence. This bird is also the only image that is colourful in the title sequnce. This coul either signify the hope that everything will turn out fine ion the movie or on the other hand the thing that could be the danger in the film.
The font looks strong and that it could with stand anything. It looks almost metal like. It looks like it has a few scrapes which could be from past experiences.
The ink looks like it is taking over everything. It is lethal. It is in the persons mouth this could signify that this person has not got the rigth to his own speech. Like it is being controlled. The ooze like substance seeps into everything penetrating crevices, dribbling into lips and eyes suffocating and sensual and silent.
The music to the girl with the dragon tattoo is really disturbing. It is almost like someone yelling [in tune] to the music which is traumatic and distressing. The dramatic vocal sounds/ screeching create the effect even more of danger.
Dexter
Dexter is a very popular TV show.
The first image [top left], the font colour is red which signifys blood, lust, danger, guilt, sin and passion. This gives the audience a preview of what is to come through out the series as it reinforces the theme of crime thriller genres as it has drops of blood near the typography. The second image [top, middle] Is of the shower drain and 1 drop of blood. This could signify how much he has lost or what the character wanted/ wants to forget about in his life. The third image [top, right] is of Dexter's left hand holding floss. This could signify what he has committed with his hands. Also the floss could signify what he wants to get rid of becasue of irritation and frustration in his life. The next image [middle, left] is of someone forcefully and vilently cutting an orange. This could signify his frustration of the world or his preparation or practice for something that he is about to do. The fifth image [middle, middle] is of someone trying to get the fjuice out of a piece of fruit. This could signfy the distruction of this characters actions or someones body. This piece of fruit may signify someones body and the character forcing someones life to be over. The next image [middle, right] is of the character looking straight on at the camera [head shot]. He is looking at the camera in a delusional way almost as if he isn;t completely happy with his life or he is clueless to what might happen next or what his actions will make him do. When the character looks at the audience it is like he is looking in to the audience and trying to figure you out. The seventh image [bottom, left] is of a knife which is dirty. The surrounding of the knife is dirty and the blade has what looks like ketchup on it. The ketchup could signify blood and the surroundings could signify the messiness of the characters murders. The next image [ bottom, middle] is of a fried egg and ketchup. This could signify the blood taht pours out of his victims and how much it will keep on pouring. The last image [bottom, right] is of the characters left jaw bone. There is a tiny cut because of his shaving and it is bleeding like a tear drop. This could signify that he has two sides, one taht he is happy to kill and the other, that he doesn't want to kill at all. He is gently tending to the cut, this also shows a different side to the character becasu ehe doesn't take care of his victims. This could also signify that he is only in the game to save himself.
The music to Dexter in instrumental, through out the title sequence the same theme song plays. It includes continuous pace, with mixed collabiration of trumpets and other instruments. It is generally a relaxed piece of music coupled with its tempo which goes well with the implied violence., more noticably the day to day theme of the clip.
Se7en
This title sequence was quite wierd because of the images obtained for it. The first image [top, right], is of a book which is having its pages turned. This could signify recording something and repeatedly reading it. The second image [top, middle] is of a pair of hands, this could signify that someone is measureing them and have a fedish for hands. They have been cut off of someones arm so this lets he audience know that this film is surrounded around death and r=the fascination eith dead things.
Changes to our thriller
The shots of the protagonist are not intercut with shots of the therapist scene
- we only see the therapist at the very beginning of the sequence. This means
that now the scenes can be put together as though in a dream sequence or
flashback, and the opening flows a little better.
- The script does not mention the antagonist a great deal - in order to create mystery, the protagonist is vague in describing the person watching who is following them. The script also alludes to an event in the protagonist's past that she wishes to forget - something she has done that she regrets. Again, very little detail is offered, in order to create intrigue and gain the audiences interest.
- Instead of a shot of the protagonist's front door, we used a large window at the front of the house. We had the protagonist creep toward the window in a dimly lit room, before tearing open the curtain and revealing the antagonist. The change from door to window came about because, originally, we wanted a smooth tracking shot from the hallway to the door, but when we started filming we realised that this was not entirely practical. Instead we decided to use the front window, which meant we could have the curtains closed - making the room dark - and introduce a "sudden reveal" into the opening - having the protagonist rip back the curtain, revealing the antagonist.
- The antagonist does not write the title of the film on the glass, as the fake blood mixture we used was too thin to draw with. Instead, they slam their bloodied hand against the glass when the protagonist opens the curtains.
- We merged the dog-walking and park scenes together, due to extremely bad weather on the day of filming. The bad weather meant it was extremely difficult to film certain outdoor scenes, and we also wanted to avoid any damage to the equipment. The merged scene now involves the protagonist walking the dog past the park, in the rain, with the antagonist suddenly following behind.
- Rather than an extreme close-up of the therapist at the very beginning of the sequence, we opted to film a close-up of the therapist's head and shoulders. A shot of the therapist's whole face allowed the audience to see her expression, and to begin to identify the character more easily - something that would have been very difficult with an isolated close-up of her mouth, which we had originally intended to do. The shot we chose to do also allows the audience to see the therapist as an authoritative figure, someone sensible and sane - in contrast with the other characters.
[Taken from Abigail's blog. We discussed what and why we changed things and complied a list]
- The script does not mention the antagonist a great deal - in order to create mystery, the protagonist is vague in describing the person watching who is following them. The script also alludes to an event in the protagonist's past that she wishes to forget - something she has done that she regrets. Again, very little detail is offered, in order to create intrigue and gain the audiences interest.
- Instead of a shot of the protagonist's front door, we used a large window at the front of the house. We had the protagonist creep toward the window in a dimly lit room, before tearing open the curtain and revealing the antagonist. The change from door to window came about because, originally, we wanted a smooth tracking shot from the hallway to the door, but when we started filming we realised that this was not entirely practical. Instead we decided to use the front window, which meant we could have the curtains closed - making the room dark - and introduce a "sudden reveal" into the opening - having the protagonist rip back the curtain, revealing the antagonist.
- The antagonist does not write the title of the film on the glass, as the fake blood mixture we used was too thin to draw with. Instead, they slam their bloodied hand against the glass when the protagonist opens the curtains.
- We merged the dog-walking and park scenes together, due to extremely bad weather on the day of filming. The bad weather meant it was extremely difficult to film certain outdoor scenes, and we also wanted to avoid any damage to the equipment. The merged scene now involves the protagonist walking the dog past the park, in the rain, with the antagonist suddenly following behind.
- Rather than an extreme close-up of the therapist at the very beginning of the sequence, we opted to film a close-up of the therapist's head and shoulders. A shot of the therapist's whole face allowed the audience to see her expression, and to begin to identify the character more easily - something that would have been very difficult with an isolated close-up of her mouth, which we had originally intended to do. The shot we chose to do also allows the audience to see the therapist as an authoritative figure, someone sensible and sane - in contrast with the other characters.
[Taken from Abigail's blog. We discussed what and why we changed things and complied a list]
Primary research
This is my primary research questionnaire. I am planning to ask as many people as possible to get an accurate response.
1) Gender
6) what would you expect to see in a thriller?
1) Gender
Male -5 Female-4
2) Age?
7-14 -0 15-22 -6 23-29 -0 30+ -3
3) What is your favourite genre of thriller film?
Horror -1 Psychological -5 action -2 sci-fi -1
4) Name your favorite thriller
Hunger Games, Sherlock Homes, Birds, Psycho, No country for old men, man on a ledge and taken.
5) Why is it your favorite thriller?
Suspense, story line, jumpiness, actors performance, plot twists, mystery and cliff hangers
6) what would you expect to see in a thriller?
action, narrative, cliff hangers, suspense, plot twist, jumpiness, mystery
7) How many times have you been to see a thriller film this year?
7) How many times have you been to see a thriller film this year?
1-2 3-4 5+
8) What genre of film do you go to see at the cinema?
romantic horror thriller comedy action war musical science fiction adventure historical crime and gangster
drama westerns
9) What your favorite genre of film?
romantic horror thriller comedy action war musical science fiction adventure historical crime and gangster
drama westerns
10) What do you enjoy most about thriller films?
Suspense heart races get a kick out of the jumpiness other
If other, please write what it is
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If other, please write what it is
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