Group Meetings

Introduction

The purpose of group meetings is so that everyone in the group knows what they need to do and also so everyone knows what is happening at that time. They are essential to carry out so that no one feels left out of the loop and so that no one misses anything that they need to know. The group meetings which took place in my group helped us decide what was going to happen in our thriller sequence and what everyone's job roles were. They helped us construct our production as we decided on things like costumes and camera angles which were going to be used during our thriller opening sequence. The strengths of the group meetings were that everyone in the group could give their opinions and ideas. This meant that we were able to choose the best ideas out of everyone's for our thriller sequence. Another strength was that it enabled our group to be able to come together and discuss what we have done and what we are going to do. This meant that we would all know what needs improving or changing.

Conclusion

From carrying out group meetings, I have learnt that they are important because they enable all the group to give to their opinion and get involved with what is happening. I think my group did work well together because we listened to each other and all had a say in what was going to happen with our thriller opening sequence.

Production Roles

Introduction

People need to be allocated to specific roles because it is not possible for one person to create and make a film on their own so different people are needed for each job. Also, everyone needs to put in their own ideas and opinions so that they can make the film as good as possible. Finally, it's also so they can meet new people and work as a team so that the film is as conventional to the genre as it can be making it a team effort.

The production roles are:

• Producers - this role means that they are in charge of overseeing everything and making sure everything is right. They also choose the actors and make sure everyone is doing the right job.
• Director - this role means that they look after the actors and crew members to make sure they are doing their job properly. They also direct what is happening on set so that it is the most conventional that it can be.
• Actors - this role means that they are the ones in which act to make the characters on the set and are the people that the audience watch during the film.
• Director of photography - this role means that they are in charge of the cameras and which angles the scenes are shot at.
• Mise-en-scene co-ordinator - this role means that they are in charge of all the mise-en-scene aspects to the film. This includes the hair, make-up and costumes.
• Editors - this role means that they have to cut and add in the techniques like fading to black to make the film as smooth as possible. 
• Music producers - this role means that they choose the best sounds and music to put into the film.
• Screenplay writer - this role means that they write the script in which will be used during the film and they also have to make sure that what the characters say makes sense to who they are.

We decided who would do each role by thinking about what everyone is good at and what they are most interested. Another way we thought about who was going to do each role was by choosing who suits and knows that type of role the best. Due to their only being three of us in our group, we had to give people more than one role, otherwise our preparation and filming would not be organised well. By thinking about who should do each role, we could make sure everyone felt comfortable in what we thought they would be best at.

I have been put down as a producer, director of photography, editor and screenplay writer. I was chose to be a producer because we felt that I was good at organisation so knew who was doing what and where they should be. Also, we felt that I had fairly good leadership skills so if someone was doing something wrong then I could tell them and make them do something else. The reason that I was put as director of photography was because I felt comfortable doing this job role. I believed that I had experience with cameras before and knew how they worked so thought that I would be good doing this job. Although all of my group are editors and Leo is the main editor, we thought that I should be included in this as I am good at thinking of conventional ideas to the thriller genre so know what effects and techniques we can add to our sequence to make it better. This is also a reason why I have been chosen as one of the screenplay writers.

Layla has been put down as the director, editor and a screenplay writer. We thought that she should be a director because she is a good leader and knows when someone needs to be told to do something else. She also is good with organisation skills so can make sure everything is happening right on set. This is also good because she can make sure we have all the props prepared on set before filming. We decided that she should help with the editing as well because she is good at thinking of conventional ideas and we thought she could be good at doing the opening credits. This is because she will know what looks the best for the thriller genre. This was also the reason behind her being part of the screenplay writing.

Leo has been put down as a producer, actor, mis-en-scene co-ordinator, editor, music producer and screenplay writer. We chose Leo to be the co-producer as we felt he has some leadership skills but not many so thought that if he was the co-producer, he wouldn't have to look after everyone as much as the producer. We chose him to be an actor as we felt that because he is male, he has the right look for an antagonist. Also, we believed that he would be able to act well and do whatever he is asked to do. Leo was chosen as the mes-en-scene co-ordinator, an editor and screen play because he is very creative and is good at coming up with ideas. He is also an editor because he is good with technology so we thought that if he was the main editor then he would know how to work the programme properly. Finally, Leo was chosen to be the music producer as we thought he would be good at finding the correct sounds we need in our sequence and he ill be able to find good websites to get them from.

Conclusion

Each person was very good at sticking to their allocated role as no one intervened in what everyone else was doing. In the end, we thought that Leo had taken on too much and I thought that I would be better at being the music producer so I took on this role and found the right sounds needed. I think that we should have changed some of the roles so that they weren't shared because this got a bit confusing at times. For example, we found it difficult to have a director, producer and co-producer as they all seemed to do similar jobs so we found it hard to differentiate them from each other.

Filming schedule

A filming schedule is important to have because it tells all group members when they are going to be filming and what props need to be on set. It also tells all group members if they are needed and what they are going to doing so that they are prepared and ready to start filming.

We did not always follow the schedule when filming. For example, we weren't able to film on the 23rd November as Leo was ill meaning he was unable to act. As a result we had to re-shedule and film on a different date. Also, we were unable to get the radio in which we needed in time for that day of filming. This radio is necessary to have in this scene because the antagonist needs to turn it on and is also creates the non-diegetic sound used. We also had to re film the scene with the locker because we realised that Rhiannon had her hair the wrong way so it didn't match the rest of the scene. Also, a teacher was waving his hands in the background making it look less realistic. We also had to re film the scene when Rhiannon walks out of the school because she is wearing a different skirt to when she gets killed and also has her hair down when it needs to be tied back.

In addition, we had to film extra scenes like when she is in the classroom and she finds the note. We did this because we felt that we needed to show her finding the note instead of just looking in her bag. We thought that if she found it whilst getting her book out in a lesson, it would look much more realistic. Another shot we added was when the antagonist knocks on the door and walks in to the room where the victim is laying. This was done as a panning shot to show him walking towards the victim. We were able to show that he is much more dominant and she is only weak.

I have learnt that a filming schedule doesn't always go to plan because sometimes people can become ill or are unable to attend a certain time. I also learnt that to make the film make more sense, you have to add in more scenes or even do a different shot to make the scene more conventional to the genre.

Opening Scene Narration

Introduction

To come up with our final ideas for our group storyboard, we first had to make individual story boards. This was so we could all show how we felt the opening sequence would go and this also helped us visualise our sequence more. After, we chose the best ideas from everyones individual storyboards and put them together to create a group storyboard.

The first shot is a close-up of the antagonist turning on the radio about girls going missing in the local area. This shot will have a radio voice over as the sound so that it is non-diegetic. As the location is in the antagonists bedroom, the lighting will be high key lighting. The iconography in this scene will just be the radio and the only actor is the antagonist. The scene then goes into an over the shoulder shot also in the antagonists bedroom where he is getting ready in the mirror. The iconography in this scene is the clown mask to hide the antagonists identity and also, the photos go females placed around the mirror. In this shot, there will be high key lighting and a straight cut will also be used during this too. There will be non-diegetic sound as the radio is still playing in the background whilst he is getting ready. From this over the shoulder shot, it will go into an extreme close-up of a picture of his next victim. The editing in the shot will be when it zooms into the picture and fades to black so it can turn into a flashback. The iconography here will be the picture of the victim as this tells the audience who it is. The lighting will be low key and there will be silence in the room. This shot will then use the straight cut to go into a long shot of the young victim in school as the clown places a note in her bag. The iconography here is her bag and the note. The lighting will be high-key because she is in school and the will be suspenseful music as he goes to place the note in her bag. The shot will then fade out and zoom out into the next scene. When it goes into the next shot, it will be an extreme close-up of the picture of the victim in the antagonists hand. This will be back in the antagonists bedroom with high key lighting. The iconography here is only of the picture of the victim. There will be off screen sound here as the radio is playing in the background and it will then zoom out into an over the shoulder shot. This is where the antagonist puts the picture back up on the mirror. There will be high key lighting here and the iconography is the radio and the pictures of all the females on his mirror. This shot will still have the radio in the background and we will use a wipe cut to take it into the next shot. This shot is also an over the shoulder shot but of the antagonist walking out the front door with a knife. The lighting will be high key and the iconography will be of the knife which tells the audience that will be his weapon. We will use non-diegetic sound here as there is suspenseful music to build up tension for the audience. From here, linking of shots will be used.

The next shot is a close-up of the victims bag as she finds the note. In this shot, the iconography will be of the bag and the note and there will be high key lighting as she is still as school. There will be silence as she finds the note and then a straight cut used to go into the next shot. This will also be a close-up but of the note itself telling the girl to meet her secret admirer down the alley whom she doesn't know is actually someone that wants to kill her. There will be high key lighting and the iconography will only be of the note. As she reads this note, there will be silence as this creates tension for the audience. From here it will zoom in to show that it is coming out of the flashback. This will go into a long shot of the victim towards the alley. This scene will show the first part of the low key lighting with conventional sounds to what the audience would expect to hear. The iconography here will just be of the bag. The next shot will also be a long shot but of the victim walking through the alley way ready to meet the antagonist. Here, there will be low key lighting with non-diegetic tension music in the background. The iconography here will be the photos of the victim hung up along the fence. The editing in this scene will be slow paced. From here, the long shot goes into a high angle where the victim notices the photos of herself and goes to look at one. This will also have slow paced editing with suspenseful music and low key lighting which all create suspense for the audience. The iconography will be of the photos. As the victim picks up this photo, the camera goes into a close-up of it to show the audience what it is. The lighting will still be low key and the only iconography will be of the photo. Here, the suspenseful music will carry on as it creates tension for the audience. As this tells the victim that someone is after her, the camera goes into a mid shot again to show the antagonist hiding then grabbing the victim from behind. Again, low key lighting and iconography of the photos will be used whilst suspenseful music carries on in the background. Next, the camera shows the reaction shot of the victim with low key lighting. The only sound here is diegetic sound of the girl crying. The shot then fades out and fades in to a high angle of the victim laying in the corner of a dark room. The iconography here, is of the rope which she is tied up in and the lighting is low key. There is diegetic sound here of the victim breathing heavily as she wakes up.

The camera then zooms in to the victims face to do a close-up as she wakes up. This shot is silent with low key lighting. To show the kuleshov effect, the camera does a point of view shot of the antagonist stood with a knife. This shot will have contrapuntal sound of clown type music and low key lighting. To carry the kuleshov effect on, the next shot is of the victim screaming and crying after being stabbed. This will be a close-up and also a reaction shot. The sound will be suspenseful music and the lighting will still be low key. As the kuleshov effect keeps going, the next shot is a shallow focus of the antagonist holding the knife with blood on. The sound will then go back to the contrapuntal sound of clown type music. The iconography is of the knife and the lighting is still low key. From here, the camera goes into a mid shot which then zooms in on the victim laying dead on the floor with blood surrounding her. The lighting will then go from low key into high key to show that she is now dead. The sound here is of the clown laughing in the background and the iconography is of the blood. The final shot is a long shot of the antagonist walking off with the knife covered in blood to show he doesn't care about what he just did. This shot will be slow edited and there will be silence. The lighting will go back to low key and the only iconography here is of the knife covered in blood.

Conclusion

This has helped finalise our groups idea because we now know what we are going to film and where we need to go to do it. We also know what props we need to use in each scene so this helps us to be organised and stay prepared.

Group Storyboards

Introduction

The purpose of group storyboards is so that all the group can visualise what is going to happen in the sequence and know exactly how everything will run. We looked at all the groups individual storyboards by putting them together and looking at how everyone could visualise the scenes separately. Then we chose the best scenes and ideas from each of the storyboards to create one group storyboard.

The reason we have made a group storyboard is so that we can all visually see what is going to happen in our opening sequence and also, what micro-elements will be used during each scene. We have included elements from all the group members individual storyboards so that everyone's ideas are used and it makes it fair to everyone in the group.

For example, from Layla's individual storyboard, we have used the idea of having a long shot whilst the victim is walking down the street to the alley. We thought this was good because we are able to show where the girl is going and also that she looks really nervous as she is walking slowly. We also used the idea of having a mid shot when the victim is dead, lying on the floor covered in blood. We used this idea because we thought that by having a mid shot, it shows how the victim is on her own and is lonely. This will help the audience build a relationship with the victim as they feel sorry for her.

From Leo's individual storyboard, we used the idea of having an over the shoulder shot when the antagonist is getting ready in the mirror. We thought that this was god as we can show how he puts on the mask to hide his identity. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates an enigma which keeps the audience engaged because they don't know who he is or what he will do. A second idea we have taken from Leo's is by having an extreme close-up of the photo of the young girl which then zooms into the photo. We liked this idea because it shows the audience whose life they're going to be watching and also gives them an idea of how she is only young and innocent. This also tells the audience that the antagonist knows who she is and has been watching her in the past. This is conventional to the thriller genre because the audience build up a negative relationship with the antagonist.

From my individual storyboard, we used the idea of using a long shot when the victim is walking down the alley. My group liked this idea because it clearly shows the location in which she is and the audience are also able to see all of the photos hung up of the girl. This creates tension for the audience because they feel sorry for the young girl and they are scared of what's going to happen to her. A second idea in which we took from my storyboard was the idea of using slow editing as the antagonist walks out of the dark room. We liked this idea as it shows that he doesn't care about what he is just done to the girl and knows that he won't get caught. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates tension for the audience keeping them engaged.

Evaluation

I think our storyboard is good because I think that it is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates shock, suspense and surprise. To incorporate each others ideas, we used the most conventional ideas from each of our individual storyboards. By doing this, it has made our sequence a lot more conventional to the thriller genre.

Risk Assessment

Introduction

The purpose of a risk assessment is so that all of the group members know the hazards which is useful as it means we can plan around them so the risks don't take place. It also means that when filming we can take more care of our surroundings and what is happening. It is important to do a risk assessment because it means we can ensure that all the crew/actors are aware of the risks and we can think of ways in which we can prevent them from happening. It is also important because it means that we can consider and have a back up plan in case anything does go wrong whilst filming.

During our filming, we did not encounter any risks. This is because we had planned the risk assessment in so much detail so we knew to be careful. Therefore, this also meant we knew what we had to look out for and do so the risks wouldn't occur. Also, we used our group story board to work out what the risks were meaning that we could make sure no one was hurt and nothing got damaged. By using the group storyboard, we could see what we would be using during filming to work out what the major risks would be.

The role of a risk assessment is important as it helps us keep ourselves safe and out of harm. This means that we can remember to keep a look out for anything that could put is in danger whilst filming. I also learnt that if risk assessments have been done in detail then no one will be harmed and they also know what the risks are so can be more aware of things happening around them. By having a detailed risk assessment, it means that everyone can see the reasons behind why they are risks and why they have to be careful.

Planning opening credits

Introduction

The purpose of having opening credits in films is so that the audience can find out information about the film. For example, they know the actors and the producer. It also shows the directors style of film making so the audience then know what to expect from the rest of the film. The opening credits introduce the narrative by the font and movement of peoples names. The font is usually bold and red for a thriller as this shows blood and danger. Finally, the audience have expectations of a film company so know what to expect in the film.

Analysis of Se7en's opening credits sequence:

The opening credits sequence to Se7en was very conventional to the thriller genre. One reason for this is because of the colours they decided to use. These were white, black and red. The use of white showed the victim as it symbolises innocence and purity. The black showed mystery which foreshadows a hidden identity which is conventional as it keeps the audience engaged. Lastly, red connotes blood, danger and anger which are all used in the film making it a conventional colour to use. A second reason for it to be conventional is because of the font used. It is jaggered which shows the audience the mind of the killer being unstable. Also, the tense music builds up suspense for the audience making them want to know what is going to happen. The objects which are shown in the opening credits sequence are sharp like the screw. These foreshadow the weapons used in the film. The photos shown during the sequence could tell the audience who the antagonists victims are so that may be his hit list. Finally, the order of appearance is the order to be expected in a film as it starts with the production company and ends with the director.

Group member: Samara Stevenson

I ensured that my design followed the conventions of a thriller because, firstly, I used red, black and white. The red shows blood and danger which tells the audience that something bad is going to happen. The black shows the mystery of the antagonist as he has a hidden identity making the audience question who he really is keeping them engaged. The white symbolises the victim as they are innocent which is conventional because the audience feel sorry for them. The font text I used was 'Birch Std' which I think is conventional to the thriller genre because each point on the letters is sharp which shows the murder weapon the antagonist uses. This foreshadows the knife in which the antagonist kills the female victim with. By the production name being smaller and in the corner ad the film title being bigger and in the middle, it shows how it is more important and dominant just like the antagonist is to his victim. I think that because all the words used in the opening credits sequence are jaggered, it shows how mentally unstable the antagonist is. It also tells the audience that he won't care what he does and will just go ahead with killing people without thinking first.

Strengths: By using the glow effect, it makes this design stand out more which brings the title out more against the black background. Also, by using these dark colours, it is conventional to the thriller genre because it symbolises mystery and death which are both used in our sequence.

Weaknesses: The red could be brighter so that it contrasts more with the black background which would represents more danger and blood. Also, the font of 'Birch Std' is unconventional because it is not showing the unstableness of the antagonist and it doesn't foreshadow the dangerous weapons used.

Group member: Layla Boudaboussa

Strengths: This design is conventional to the thriller genre because by using the colour red in the title, it conveys death, blood and anger. By using a black background, it represents the antagonist by showing he is bigger, dominant and has more power over the victim. The white writing represents the victim as it shows purity and innocence. The idea of having a red, spotty font foreshadows a clown as this is a popular outfit worn by clowns and we are going to have one in our thriller.

Weaknesses: I think that the name of the production company should be in more of a bright red rather than a white so that it stands out better and matches with the titles shadow. This would also stand out more against the title and the opening credits with a red colour.

Group member: Leo Ly

Strengths: I think that by having a white title, it shows the innocent victim and the black shows the darkness of the antagonist. This is conventional because it tells the audience that something bad is going to happen to the victim. Also, by using the colour red is shows danger and blood which is conventional to the thriller genre.

Weaknesses: The colour red should be brighter to show more blood and danger. This would also make it more conventional to the thriller genre as the audience know something bad is going to happen. I also think that the title of the thriller should be in red and the name of the production company should be in white as this will make the name stand out more to foreshadow what's going to happen with the idea of blood from the colour red.

Summary

We will work mainly with Leo's design because it is the one most conventional to the thriller genre. One reason for this is because of the glow effect which he has used as it stands out and helps show the innocence of the victim. We also chose this because the font used is very conventional to the thriller genre as it is creepy. As mine and Layla's opening credits are conventional to the thriller genre, we will also use some ideas from these. For example, from Layla's we will use the shadow effect in the background as it represents blood and the victim in the background. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it tells the audience that something bad is going to happen creating tension. From mine, we will use the idea of having the title larger than the rest of the credits as it makes it stand out and show this is the most important part of the credits. This also shows how the antagonist is more important and dominant than the victim.

The order that the opening credits will go in are:

Production company - Peach tree productions

Director - Layla

Actors - Leo and Rhiannon

Title of film - The Clown

Actors continued 

Casting - Fred

Music - Charles

Costumes - Sarah

Editors - Leo, Layla, Samara

Camera operator - Samara

Co-producer - Leo

Producer - Samara

Writers - Leo, Layla, Samara

Individual storyboard

The purpose of making story boards is that we can show visually what we think our sequences will look like. This is useful because we know how the story line will unfold and can decide on each camera shot we want to use or each scene. Also, story boards help us think more into detail about what exactly we each want to have in the opening sequence.The reason for making individual story boards before making a group one is so that we are able to incorporate all our different ideas and make sure that we have planned the best possible sequence. I think that by making individual story boards, it will help us make a group one because we will allow everyone to add in their own ideas. It will also help us see how everyone else visualises what's going to happen in the thriller sequences so we can choose the best ideas from each.

In my story board, I have started with the antagonist getting ready, putting his clown mask on, and having the radio on to tell the audience about lots of females going missing in the area. Then I have shown the flashback where the female victim finds the note then goes down the alley realising that someone is after her. After, the antagonist grabs her and puts her unconscious and she wakes up in a dark room where the kills her with the knife.

I have included high key lighting all the way up to when she gets to the alley way because tension only starts to happen once she reaches the alley way. By doing this, it tells the audience that the low key lighting means something bad is going to happen which will keep them engaged. I have used a reaction shot when the antagonists grabs his victim because it shows the audience her facial expressions of being scared and frightened. This should help the audience build a relationship with the victim as they begin to feel sorry for her. I have chosen to use the kuleshov effect twice in my story board. The first time is when the antagonist is scraping the knife along the wall then the audience see his feet walking towards the victim. This shows that he is going to hurt her with the knife. The second time is when there is a black screen and the victim screams, the audience see the knife with blood on it and then see the victims dead face. This shows that the antagonist killed the victim with the knife. By using this effect, the audience don't have to see the gruesome parts of the sequence and it also helps them imagine what the victim would look like if they had seen the antagonist stab her. I will finally use the slow editing technique at the very end of the sequence when the antagonist is walking away to show that he doesn't care about what he is done which should make the audience feel anger towards him.

I hope that the audience feel scared for the victim when they realise what the antagonist wants to do to her and I also hope that they feel scared of the antagonist as they know what's going to happen to the young girl. When there is tension music, I hope the audience stay engaged because they want to see what will happen next. Finally, by the antagonist having a hidden identity, I want the audience to keep engaged as they don't know who it is so don't know what he could do.

Some of my ideas have come from inspirations from films analysed in other posts. For example, the idea of having slow editing when the antagonist is leaving the room came from Annabelle when the girl is going towards the lift. This creates tension for the audience as they can see how scared she is making them feel sorry for her. Another inspiration is from Saw 2 where the antagonist has a hidden identity. This creates an enigma for the audience which I like because it means the audience are engaged within the film so want to watch all of it. This also means that the audience are always questioning who the antagonist really is creating suspense which is conventional to the thriller genre.

To incorporate each other's ideas when creating the group story board, we will need to look and think carefully about which ideas are more conventional to the thriller genre. This is because we want the audience to stay engaged so if the ideas are conventional to the thriller genre then suspense will be built so the audience enjoy the sequence more. Also, we will need to choose which ideas will create the best reactions from the audience as this means that they will want to see what happens next. I hope that my idea of using the kuleshov effect when  the antagonist kills the female victim will be used in the group story board because I think it will help the audience think more about what he has done and that the antagonist doesn't care. I also hope the group decide to use the idea of a reaction shot when the antagonist grabs the victim down the alley way. This is because I think the audience will relate to this as they will feel scared for the victims safety keeping them engaged.

Overall, I think that my story board shows exactly how I want each shot in the scenes to be taken so that I can get the best reaction from the audience. I also think that my story board shows exactly what I can see happening in our opening sequence and how I think it will look. However, I did find that the shots might be quite short so the sequence might not last as long as it should. To resolve this with my group, we may need to add in more scenes or think about what we could do to make the shots longer.

I have found making this story board useful because it has helped me properly visualise how I see the sequence being filmed. I think that it has helped me understand in more detail what will happen in our opening sequence and I can see how we will need to take the shots and angles whilst using the camera.

Planning Mise-en-Scene

Introduction

All the 5 elements of miss-en-scene are important to include within a thriller film because they help create shock, surprise and suspense which are all conventional to the thriller genre as they keep the audience engaged. They also help the audience build a relationship with the characters because the connotations of the 5 elements make the audience feel sorry for the victim or scared of the antagonist.

The first element of mise-en-scene is the setting and iconography. This is important in a thriller as it usually shows where a murder will take place and what the main objects in the scene are.The setting will start off in the antagonists house where he is getting ready. As it's in his house, it shows the audience that he isn't getting the victim yet. The iconography here will be photos of women on a mirror, make up all around and the radio. The photos of females show that he has an obsession for them and that perhaps by them being placed around his mirror, he might want to secretly be a woman. This creates an enigma for the audience because they don't know exactly what he is thinking and who he really is. It also could tell the audience that these women are on his hit list and they are going to be killed one by one. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps the audience get an insight to the antagonists mind and who he is going after next. The make up also gives this idea of the antagonist wanting to be a woman and confuses the audience as they believe the antagonist is a female when it's actually a male. The second setting is in the school which is where the victim finds a note whom she thinks is from a secret admirer telling her to meet her down an alleyway. By her being in a school, it shows that she is only young and vulnerable creating tension as the audience become worried about her. This also makes them feel like something bad is going to happen to her as it usually would in any other thriller film. The school is conventional to the thriller genre because it
shows the audience that it is where the victim is safest. This builds up tension as the audience know something is going to happen. The next setting is down the alleyway where she finds pictures of her hung up along the fence. This foreshadows that something bad is going to happen and she will get hurt. It also builds up suspense as the the audience question what is going to happen next. The alley way is a creepy location as it is usually dark and empty making it a popular choice for an antagonist to take his victim. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates tension as the audience know that she isn't safe and no one will be able to save her. The final setting is in a dark room where the antagonist takes her after putting her unconscious. This creates an enigma as no one knows where this room is which is conventional to the thriller genre because it builds up tension keeping the audience engaged in the thriller film. By it being dark, the audience can sense that something bad is going to happen to the victim as the darkness symbolises death and danger. It also helps the audience build up a negative relationship with the antagonist as they know that he is out to kill the young girl and no one will ever find her as it's in a hidden location.

The second element of mise-en-scene is lighting and colour. This is important as it can create tension for the audience and can also create shadows causing enigmas. In the bedroom there is high key lighting as this shows that it isn't a dangerous place and the antagonist isn't going to kill anyone yet. We thought this would be good lighting to use in this scene because it shows that it is a safe place and it doesn't scare the audience. In the school, there will also be high key lighting to show that the school is a safe place and nothing bad can happen there. This is important as the audience know that the victim won't be hurt so can feel happy for her. The use of high key lighting means that the audience and the victim can see everything around them whereas if it was dark, things are easier to hide. When they are in the alley way, the lighting will be natural as we will be filming around 4pm when it starts
getting dark outside. This is conventional as the victim won't expect something bad to happen as it is still light outside. By using this lighting, it will create shock for the audience as they don't expect anything to happen and this is conventional to the thriller genre. The use of natural lighting also creates shadows which is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience can see that the antagonist is behind the victim whilst she can't. This also creates an enigma for the audience as when they can only see shadows, they don't know whose they are so they want to find out and keep engaged in the rest of the film. This helps the audience build up a relationship with the female victim because they know she is going to get hurt and she won't be able to do anything about it. This also helps them build up a negative relationship with the antagonist as they know he is going to hurt her. Finally, in the final scenes, they will be in a dark room so the lighting will be low key. This lighting brings sharp contrasts of light and dark areas which is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates suspense for the audience. In most of the sequence, the colours will be dark as this is conventional to the thriller genre because it builds up tension for the audience as it makes them believe something bad will happen. The darkness is conventional to the thriller genre because it symbolises death and danger which scare the audience. It also symbolises mystery which is used throughout our sequence as the antagonist is hidden behind a mask so it creates an enigma for the audience.

The next element of mise-en-scene is facial expressions. These are important in a thriller film because it clearly shows what the characters are feeling, especially the victim. The antagonist has no facial expressions throughout our opening sequence because he wears a mask showing that he wants to
keep his identity hidden. By him having no facial expressions, it makes the audience wonder who he is and why he's doing this creating an enigma. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it keeps the audience engaged and wanting to know what's going to happen next. By him wearing a mask, it tells the audience that he doesn't want them to know what he's feeling and wants them to have to think about who he is. However, the victim shows lots of different emotions through her facial expressions. When she finds the note that has been written to her, she has excited and happy facial expressions because she thinks that she is meeting her secret admirer. This makes the audience feel sorry for her as they know it's actually from the antagonist and that he wants to make her his next victim. This also makes the audience feel anger towards the antagonist as they know what he wants to do to the girl although she is only innocent and young. Then, when she is in the alley way and notices the photos of her, she looks scared making the audience worry for her. This tells the audience that she knows something is wrong and that she knows something bad is about to happen. This is conventional to the thriller genre because an enigma is created as no one knows what is going to happen next keeping the audience engaged in the film. In this scene, her facial expressions are also surprised as she didn't expect something like that to happen to her because she is only young and vulnerable. This is conventional to the thriller genre because the audience are also surprised that the antagonist would actually want to scare a young girl the way he does. When she wakes up in the dark room, she looks frightened because she doesn't know what he's going to do to her. This creates tension as the audience don't know either. This helps the audience build a relationship with the victim because they are both thinking the same thing. In this scene, she looks very scared as she doesn't know who the antagonist is that has kidnapped her. This creates an enigma which is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience are thinking exactly the same thing as her. During this scene, she is crying which helps the audience build up a relationship with her because they feel sympathy towards her. They also build up a negative relationship towards the antagonist as they don't know why he would want to hurt an innocent girl.

Another element of mise-en-scene is the positioning of characters. The first position shown is of the antagonist, when he is getting ready looking in the mirror. We chose this position as it shows the audience that he doesn't go out as himself and he takes time to get ready. It also shows that he likes to keep a hidden identity which is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates an enigma keeping the audience engaged. By the photos of girls being placed around the mirror, it makes the audience wonder if he wants to be a girl or if this is his hit-list creating an enigma. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it keeps the audience engaged and wanting to know the truth. The make-up placed next to the mirror also makes the audience question this as well. The next position used is when the female victim is walking slowly through the alley way looking at the photos put up of her. By her walking slowly, it tells the audience that she knows something is going to happen which is conventional as it creates an enigma keeping the audience engaged. Also, by her looking at the pictures, it shows that the victim knows someone has been watching her. As they are all of her, it tells the audience that he has been watching her and knows everything she has been doing. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates suspense for the audience. The final main position is when she wakes up in the corner of a dark room tied up. This shows that she has no way of getting out and the door is on the other side of the room so he can easily catch her if she runs. By her being on the floor, it tells the audience that the antagonist has power over her and that she is weak and vulnerable. It also shows that the antagonist is more dominant and she won't be saved. This shows that something bad is going to happen which is conventional to the thriller genre because it keeps the audience wondering what is going to happen next so they are engaged. It helps the audience create a relationship with the victim because they feel scared for her and don't want her to get hurt when they know she will be. It also helps create a negative relationship with the antagonist because they know he wants to hurt her.

The final element of mise-en-scene is the characters costumes. In our opening sequence, the antagonist will be wearing all black because this foreshadows death. It also shows darkness and danger which tells the audience that he will have the most power out of all the characters so won't be scared to hurt his victims. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it makes the audience wonder what he is going to do creating an enigma which keeps the audience engaged. This also tells the audience that he is dominant and that he is just going to look down on everyone else. Black also symbolises mystery which is what the antagonist creates throughout the opening sequence by also wearing a mask hiding his identity. This clown mask shows that he doesn't want to be known and he
wants to be hidden from the world. This creates an enigma as the audience don't know who it is so don't know what he might do next. This builds up suspense keeping the audience engaged and wanting to watch the rest of the film. They also stay engaged as they want to find out who he really is and what he wants to get out of taking the young girl. This helps the audience build up a negative relationship with the antagonist because they know he wants to kill people. The female victim will be dressed in white because this shows purity and innocence. This tells the audience that she is vulnerable and isn't out to hurt anyone. It also shows that she is the one that is going to get hurt and that she is in danger. This is conventional to the thriller genre because white is a popular colour for a victim to wear as it shows their innocence and vulnerability. It also helps the audience build up a relationship with the victim because they are scared for what is going to happen to her building up tension.

Conclusion

This planning of mise-en-scene will help us create a conventional opening sequence to a thriller because we know how we are going to create all the elements. By doing this planning, we can now imagine more about what the character are going to look like and how they are going to behave during the scenes. We also know the reactions we are going to get back from the audience through each element o mise-en-scene. We hope that by doing this planning, we won't have to think as much about costumes and where characters are going to stand when we are actually filming our opening sequence.

Planning Editing

Introduction

Editing styles are important to include within a thriller film as they create shock, suspense and surprise. These are conventional to the thriller genre as they keep the audience engaged and also help to create enigmas. They also help the audience build a relationship with the characters as the editing styles help show the characters emotions so that the audience can relate.

The first editing style we will be using is the kuleshov shot. This will be used when the antagonist stabs the victim, however the audience don't see the murder making it a kuleshov shot. The audience will first see a shot of the victim screaming, then the antagonist holding the knife covered in blood and then back to the victim laying dead on the floor. This shows that she has been killed and it is obvious by there being blood everywhere. By using this shot, we can show the victims facial expressions which will be scared, worried and frightened. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it helps the audience build up a relationship with the victim as they feel sorry for her as she is only young and innocent. We can also show that she is peaceful once she has been killed. This tells the audience that she is in a safe place and she isn't scared anymore. This will build up tension for the audience as they don't know why the antagonist has killed her. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates an enigma keeping the audience engaged in the rest of the film. This will help the audience build up a relationship with the victim as they will feel sorry for her because they could see how much pain she went through during the stabbing. This is also conventional to the thriller genre because it shocks the audience as they don't expect the antagonist to actually kill her. The audience may have thought that he will only torture her then let her go. By having a shocked reaction from the audience, it means that they are questioning what has happened and why he actually killed her keeping them engaged in the film.

The second editing style that we will be using is the reaction shot. This will be used when the antagonist scrapes the knife along the wall then the camera turns onto the victim crying on the floor. This foreshadows that the knife is going to be the weapon used when he hurts her. This creates tension as it tells the audience that something bad is going to happen. It also shows the female victims facial expressions which are that she is frightened. This means that she doesn't know what he is going to do to her which helps the audience build up a relationship with her as they also think the same question and are worried for her safety. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it builds up suspense because no one knows what will happen next. The use of a reaction shot also tells the audience that he is out to hurt her and that she knows whats happening. This helps the the audience build up a relationship with the victim as they are scared for her which is conventional to the thriller genre.

Another editing style that we will be using is a fade out/fade in shot. This will be used when she gets knocked out and the camera fades out to black. Then the camera will fade back in to a black room where the antagonist has taken her and where he will end up killing her. This shows that she is unconscious and that the antagonist has hurt her. It also shows the audience that they have moved to a different location which the audience may think is abandoned as they don't expect the antagonist to take his victim somewhere obvious. This helps the audience build up a relationship with the victim as they are scared for what is going to happen to her as they know he has taken her somewhere she doesn't recognise. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience don't know what is going to happen next creating an enigma. By using this shot, it creates an enigma for the audience as they don't know whether she has died as soon as it fades to black. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it builds up suspense. Once they realise that she has woken up, it surprises the audience as they thought she had died. This will make the audience wonder if the antagonist actually wants to kill the victim, building up tension and keeping the audience engaged in the rest of the film which is conventional to the thriller genre.

The final editing style we will use is the timing shot. Slow editing will be used when the victim is walking through the alley looking at the photos hung up of her. By it being, it shows the audience that the victim has noticed something. This creates tension as the victim and the audience know something bad is going to happen keeping the audience engaged in the rest of the film which is conventional to the thriller genre. Then when the antagonist grabs her, it will speed up. This also shows that something bad is going to happen which helps the audience build a relationship with the victim as they sympathise for her. It also shows that it has become more intense and frightening for the audience to watch. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it builds up suspense by it suddenly becoming more dangerous. This means that the audience are questioning what is going to happen next which creates an enigma and keeps the audience engaged in the rest of the thriller. By it speeding up, it shows that the antagonist is there and he is about to hurt the victim which scares the audience.

Conclusion

I found this planning of editing styles useful as it helped me to understand where shock, surprise and suspense will be found in the thriller sequence. This planning of editing styles will help us create a conventional opening sequence as the editing styles we have decided to use create different responses from the audience. For example, the timing shot makes the audience wonder what is going to happen next keeping them engaged in the film.

Planning Characters

Introduction

The purpose of having characters is that it helps the audience relate to the narrative otherwise they wouldn't be engaged in the film so won't want to finish watching it. Another reason is because if there were no characters then the narrative of the film wouldn't make sense and the audience wouldn't understand so wouldn't want to watch the film. Planning for characters is important as it helps us understand how the character should look and act. It also means that we can work out how they will speak and their body language as we have looked at there past so we know what has happened to them over the years.

Our first character is the victim. She is a female called Jenny and is 17 years old. She will be wearing a white dress as it is cute and looks smart as she is clever. By wearing white, it shows her purity and her innocence as she is a good girl. This will tell the audience that she is the victim and will be the one who dies. This outfit also shows how she is loved by everyone and liked by all her fellow students. Jenny is a sixth form student whom gets all the top grades and loved by all the teachers. As the victim is small, it emphasises that the antagonist is much stronger than her so she won't be able to fight back. We will ensure that she is a stereotypical character of the thriller genre as she is young, innocent, weak and vulnerable which makes her an obvious target for the antagonist. It also means that she is an obvious female victim which the antagonist always goes for. This helps the audience build a relationship with the victim as they feel sorry for her knowing that someone is after her and that she will die. As the target audience are aged between 15-18 years, they can relate to the victim because she is around a similar age so it feels more realistic to the audience.

The other character is the antagonist. He is a male and is 32 years old making him much older than his young adult victims. He will be wearing a black tracksuit with his hood up which can be intimidating, which scares both the audience and the victim. By wearing all black, it symbolises danger, death and misery which are all shown in our thriller sequence. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience build up a negative relationship with the antagonist. He will also be wearing a clown mask which is conventional to the thriller genre as it keeps his identity hidden which creates an enigma. The antagonist wears a clown mask because it's scary and he knows that many people have a fear of clowns so he will frighten many. We thought this would be a good idea to give him a clown mask because we know that it will build suspense for the audience as they don't know who he is or what he is going to do next. This keeps the audience engaged in the rest of the film which makes it conventional to the thriller genre. This character is mentally unstable because he didn't have a very good upbringing due to him not having a father figure to look up to from a young child. This means he's always been around women and looking at women which is why his victims are always females and why he collects photos of women. We will ensure that he is a stereotypical character of the thriller genre because his weapon is a knife which is a popular weapon choice for antagonists to use. Another way that we will ensure he is a stereotypical character is the way in which he doesn't hesitate to kill people. This is like many antagonists as they aren't afraid to hurt their victims.

Conclusion

I think these characters are conventional to the thriller genre because they are obvious to the audience as they are the type of characters they would expect in a thriller film. Also, the elements that make up these characters are conventional because, for example, the victim is small and vulnerable making her an easy target for the antagonist and the antagonist uses a knife which is a popular weapon choice to use in a thriller film. The antagonist is conventional to the thriller genre because he uses a mask to hide his identity telling the audience that he doesn't want anyone to know who he really is. It is important for the characters to be conventional as it creates suspense for the audience and also, it means the audience know who each character is so don't get confused. I hope these emphasise the genre of the sequence because they create main conventions of a thriller genre which are shock, surprise and suspense. This means that the audience will stay engaged within the thriller. I found the planning helpful in preparing for filming as it helped me to understand the characters in more detail. It also helped me imagine what the characters will actually be like once the sequence has finished being filmed.

Research into target audience

Introduction

Research was carried out so that we can find out what people like about thriller films and what they expect to see what is in them.  We asked 40 people so the results are more accurate and we have a wider range of them. We will use our results to create our sequence as we will only include things in it that will keep the audience engaged and it is what the audience want to see. Questionnaires are important to do as they tell you what the audience want to see within the film. Without using questionnaires, you would struggle to create a conventional sequence as you won't know what the audience want.

1. As the result of this question is 50:50, it shows that both males and females are answering the questions. This means that we have to keep in mind that males are more likely to enjoy watching violence in the thriller films whereas woman will more likely want to see a female victim as this will help them relate to the characters more. This means that if we use more violence then the film will most likely be preferred by males. By having an equal amount of both genders, it means we can look at what both like to see in thrillers which we also need to be careful of as well.







2. This question shows that we questioned mostly 15-17 year olds. This is the age group we will be targeting our audience at. This helps us because it means that most of the answers come from this age group so we know what they like to see in thriller films. However, as we also questioned other age groups, we still have to think about what they like as they may also want to watch our     sequence not just 15-17 year olds. We have to keep in mind that more of the 15-17 year olds are likely to enjoy violence whereas 12-14 year olds don't like it as much. Also, 18+ are more likely to want a psychological aspect to the thriller film. As we have targeted our audience at 15-17 year olds, it means that we have an age certificate of 15 and we have to be careful as to what we put in this. For example, we are only allowed a certain extent of violence and a certain amount of language to be used. This gives us restrictions on what we want to include in the thriller as it has to be appropriate for that age category.

3. As only 10% of the people interviewed don't watch thriller films, it tells us that most of the people interviewed know about what they like to see in thriller films and what are the best parts of thriller films. By most of the people being interviewed knowing about thriller films, it is useful as it means that we know what most people want from a thriller film as they have watched them whereas, the results received from the 10% of people that don't, won't be very useful as they are either guessing or making it up. Also, it shows that 90% of people watch thriller films and there is only a small handful of people that don't showing that although we're only targeting our film at 15-17 year olds, it means that other age categories will watch it as well so we have to think about what they want and not only our target audience. As a result, we have to make the film appropriate for other audiences and make it stand out to them as well.

4. This pie chart shows that 20% of people like Scream which means that elements in Scream are things that people enjoy watching in thriller films. This will help us as we can look at Scream and get some inspirations from watching it. By watching this film, we can include some of the elements they use as it is a very popular thriller chosen by people interviewed. As only 7% of people chose Insidious as there favourite film, it means that it isn't a very good thriller film which we should get inspirations from. We will therefore not watch this film as we will not find as many good elements as we will in Scream. As most of the people we interviewed said that they prefer another thriller film as their favourite, it tells us that there may be better thriller films out there that we should look at for ideas.

5. These results show that most people like the antagonist to use a knife as a weapon which shows that the audience are more frightened by the use of a knife as this can cause more damage to the skin then a gun or a saw. Not as many people chose a saw and a gun because these are rarely seen in thrillers so the people interviewed won't have seen them used as much as a knife is. This is because they are more likely to kill within the first touch of a human whereas a knife can cut someone without killing them straight away which builds up suspense. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it keeps the audience waiting and questioning what the antagonist is going to do next. Therefore, from these results, we will use a knife as the antagonists weapon because we know this is what the audience want to see within the film. By using the knife, we think that it will build up more suspense as the audience know what is going to happen but won't be ready for it.

6. This tells us that most people like the antagonist to be hidden from the audience which is because it creates an enigma which is conventional to the thriller genre as it keeps the audience engaged in the film. It also creates suspense as the audience don't know who they are so don't know what they will do next. This also helps the audience build a negative relationship with the antagonist as they feel scared of them. People said no because a thriller is meant to create surprise so by having a hidden identity means it does this.  The people interviewed said no because they don't like surprises and being kept in suspense so prefer the antagonist to be known by the victims and themselves. From this, we will give the antagonist a hidden identity by making him wear a mask so that neither the audience or the victim know who he is creating suspense. This will be good to use as it will create an enigma for the audience keeping them engaged.

7. These results show that most people prefer seeing a female victim. This is useful as we will use a female victim in our sequence instead of a male as this is what we know our target audience want and it is something that will keep the audience engaged. People chose a female victim instead of a male victim because they are weaker and more vulnerable. This means that they won't be able to fight back as much as a male would because the antagonist would usually a lot stronger than the victim as well. They also chose this because it helps the audience build up a relationship with the female victim as they feel sorry for her and worried about what the antagonist might do to her. By the male victim having a much lower percentage, it shows us that they aren't an easy target compared to females and they are more likely to put up a fight with the antagonist so the audience wouldn't be as shocked by the film.

8. From these results, we can see that an abandoned house was the most popular choice. People chose this as they know it's empty and there won't be anyone around to save the victim. This also helps the audience relate to the characters as they feel scared for the victim and are worried about what the antagonist will do as there is no one around to stop them. Also, an abandoned house is very creepy as there are usually spiders and spider webs around which many people have fears of. The graveyard got the least amount of votes as although they are usually empty, there is still life there because people are always putting flowers down showing that people still go there. From this pie chart, I think that we could use an abandoned house as we know that it will keep the audience engaged as they think anything could happen there as the antagonist can't be stopped by anyone. Also, as it is supposed to be abandoned, no one would expect people to be in there so won't come to help the victim.

9. This pie chart tells us that having an enigma is what the audience wants. By having enigmas, it creates suspense which is conventional to the thriller genre as it keeps the audience engaged in the film. Also, it means that the audience don't know what is happening so keep questioning the film which also keeps them engaged as they want to find out what happens. I think that the 10% of people that said no had said it because they don't like being on the edge and waiting to find out what happens. Thriller films are supposed to create surprises and shock the audience which an enigma does and I think that these people probably don't like surprises and shocks. In our sequence, we will use enigmas as we know that the audience like them and it will keep our target audience engaged. One enigma we will use is giving the antagonist a hidden identity which will create suspense as the audience and victim don't know who he is.

10. As the results show that all the options given have similar percentages, this could be because they are all conventional to a thriller genre so they are all wanted to be seen by the audience. Also, this means that we will use all of them in our opening sequence as the results show that they are all equally wanted by the audience. This means we will build up suspense then shock the audience with a climax. We will then create some tension and give the audience a surprise which will keep them engaged in the rest of the film. Therefore, we will use all of these conventions in our thriller as we know the audience will enjoy it more.

Vox pops are where you interview members of the public either via radio or television. In our vox pops, we will just be filming our interviews about thriller films and they are posted below. We are using vox pops as this proves that we have actually done the interviews to get our results and it also shows that people of different ages, have different opinions on thriller films. The vox pops provide qualitative data as it means the people being questioned can elaborate on their answers.

Conclusion

In this research, I found it useful to find out what each different audience likes to see in thriller films and what is expected from them. For example, I found that males are more into the gory thrillers whereas girls like to be able to build a relationship with a female victim. We will incorporate our results into our thriller sequence by using a knife as the murder weapon because this was the most popular choice from looking at the results. We will also use a female victim because this was also the most popular choice and it shows that the antagonist is a lot more stronger and powerful than her. If I was to carry out the research again, I would probably give more options for them to choose from as I feel that the people interviewed were quite restricted on being able to give their opinion.