Planning cinematography

Introduction

Cinematography is important in films because without it, you wouldn't be able to show the characters emotions and create different reactions from the audience. Planning is required in order to produce excellent sequences because it helps to decide which angles to use in the sequence. This also means you know where the camera is going to be placed for it to be the right shot.

The first angle we are going to use is an over the shoulder shot/shallow focus. This is going to be used when the clown is looking in the mirror and puts his hood up. We will blur out his face so that he has a hidden identity. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it will create an enigma for the audience as they don't know who he is. As a result, the audience will stay engaged within the rest of the film as they will want to find out what's going to happen next. This angle also shows that by dressing up as a clown, he wants to keep his identity hidden from the world. This will help the audience build up a negative relationship with the character as they don't know who he is which makes them question the film. By using this angle we can also show the make up laid out in front of the mirror which is there so the audience question whether the antagonist is male or female. This will create another enigma for them. However, by the use of this angle, we are not showing all of the antagonist so the audience don't know much about him like how tall he is or if he looks strong enough to get his victim. This also makes the audience question the film as they don't know what he might do to his victim.

The second shot we're going to use is panning. This will be used during a chase scene when the victim is running away from the antagonist after she realises that he is following her. This shows that she is scared because she doesn't know who he is or why he is chasing her. This also shows that as she is a female victim, it makes her look weak and vulnerable. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it shows the audience that the antagonist is more dominant than the victim so she won't make it out alive. The audience can relate to how the victim is feeling as they feel sympathetic towards her. They are also worried about what might happen to her just the way she feels as she's worried about what might happen to her as well. This piece of cinematography is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates suspense because it builds up the pace whilst they are running. This is good as it shows the audience a full picture of them running.

Another shot we will use is a close up. We will use this when the victim looks back at the antagonist whilst she is running away. This will show her facial expressions which is important in thriller films as it helps the audience understand the feelings the character is having. By showing her facial expressions, the audience can see she is really scared so will sorry for her. The audience will build up a relationship with the female victim because they will also feel scared for her so they are both thinking the same thing. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it builds up suspense as the audience don't know what is going to happen next. This also creates an enigma because as they don't know who the antagonist really is, they don't know what he will do to the victim.

The next angle we will be using is a high angle/point of view. This will be used when the victim trips and falls and he looks down at her. This shows that he is a more dominant character with more power over her. This tells the audience that she won't be able to get away even if she tried so it foreshadows that something bad is going to happen to her. As a result, the audience are worried about her safety and her life as they don't know what is going to happen to her. This helps the audience build a relationship with the female victim as they fear for her as they forebode her death which is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates tension. This angle also shows exactly what the antagonist is looking at which will be the victim. From this angle, the audience and the antagonist can see how scared and frightened the victim is. This angle helps the audience build a relationship with the antagonist because they are both seeing the same thing.

The final shot we will be using is a deep focus. We will use this when he is watching his victim whilst hiding behind a wall so that she doesn't know. This shows something bad is going to happen and that she is weak and vulnerable. This makes the audience feel scared for her safety as they know he wants to hurt her in some way. By making the audience feel like this, it tells them that the antagonist is a lot more dominant then the female victim creating tension. This angle is conventional to the thriller genre because it causes the audience to question what is going to happen next. This creates an enigma which keeps the audience engaged in the film. The use of this angle also shows that it is his victim that he is watching. This helps the audience build a relationship with the antagonist because it helps them get an idea of what he is thinking in which he wants to take her somewhere and hurt her. Therefore, the audience build up hatred towards the antagonist and become frightened for the safety of the young victim.


Conclusion

I think that by using these elements of cinematography, our thriller sequence will be more effective as enigmas are going to be made which will keep the audience engaged. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience are always questioning what is going to happen next. I found this planning helpful in preparation for filming as we know where we are going to need to put the camera when taking certain shots. This planning has also helped us because we now don't need to think about other shots to use as we can just go straight into setting the camera up in the right positioning.