Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task

My Groups Preliminary Task:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G38UtUxYYQ

Within my group there is 3 of us Ella, Ollie and myself. 

The purpose of this preliminary task was to get used to and experiment with the equipment that we will be using for filming our opening sequence. The equipment that we were given to use was a tripod, which helps to hold and support the camera whilst filming the scenes, and to also keep the camera steady so the scenes do not look handheld and unprofessional. To help us get use to and experiment filming different shots and techniques with the camera, we were asked to film a short conversation between two members of our group.

I think this task helped with making my group familiar with the equipment that we will be using when we come to film our thriller opening sequence. This is because we had a complete run through of how to use the equipment which we had never used before. Not only this, but we got to experiment of filming different scenes with different techniques to see which worked well, and which did not work well.  Also, we found that some techniques are much harder to record than other techniques. An example of this is panning shots, and over the shoulder shots which is also a point of view shot. This gave us the opportunity to take our time and see how the camera worked well in different angles, allowing us to work out how to film the certain technique.

Within the short conversation that we filmed we had to include several different techniques and camera angles. Firstly, Ella walked from the corridors into the kitchen. In this scene we used a panning shot, this is when the camera tracks and follows an object or character from one place to another as the camera is rotated horizontally. To do this we mounted the camera onto the tripod to keep it at the same level. We then used the leaver to rotate the camera horizontally, we did this motion slowly so it would give us a smooth transition as the camera followed the object.

The next technique we used was a mid shot, which is a medium shot. We used this technique when my character is speaking to Ella whilst cooking dinner. To create this shot, we mounted the camera onto the tripod so it was stable and at the certain height that we wanted it to be. Next we began to record and kept the camera i the same position so it remained at a constant level and did not move throughout. Mid shots help to show some part of the scene and subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as though they are still looking at the whole subject. This shot is not unrealistic as it is similar to if you were having a real life conversation, you would not pay attention to the lower half of the body therefore within this scene it is unimportant to include.I think that a mid shot is appropriate when the character is speaking without too much intense emotion or concentration. 

Our next shot that we decided to use to film was a point of view shot. We created this by using an over the shoulder shot. We did this by placing the camera behind one of the characters on a particular side. In my short conversation this was on the left side. We positioned the camera behind myself and then mounted the camera onto the tripod. We then tilted the camera with the leaver slightly to give the effect it was looking over the shoulder. We then kept the camera at this level throughout the whole scene.


We also used a close up shot within the filmed conversation as it shows the emotion on the persons face clearly, which would be a good shot to use within my thriller opening sequence. To do this we positioned the tripod a distance away from Ella. We then fixed the camera onto the tripod so it would not fall during the process of filming. Next we then used the zoom button on the camera to zoom into the Ella's face to show her facial expressions and emotion. 

Lastly, we used a long shot in our short conversation. This helps the audience to establish where the scene has taken place, and get an idea of what will happen next. For example, by using a long shot at the end of this conversation it was clear to the audience that we would then leave the room. To do this we positioned the tripod far away from the shot that we wanted to film. We then fixed the camera onto the tripod so it did not fall. We then recorded the scene straight away because we did not need to fix the lens into a certain position as we did not have to zoom in or out as the camera was already positioned. 

Within filming I think that my group managed to use all the different techniques well and at appropriate times. However, one thing I do think my group struggled with is the techniques looked obvious, instead of flowing. For example the over the shoulder shot was evident and the close up shot was clearly purposely zoomed in. To improve this in my opening sequence, we can use different angles to not make the techniques used so obvious, not only this but we can use editing software to transition the different techniques.

In conclusion, by carrying out this task, it has helped me prepare for my opening thriller sequence. This is because it has helped me to learn and practice different camera techniques, which will help to add suspense and tension to my thriller opening. From this task, I have learnt it is important to use different camera angles, this is because it helps to not only set the scene of the opening, but can also help to express the characters emotion and what they are feeling at the time. To include in my thriller opening sequence I need to include the different camera angles used in the short conversation. However, I will use them at different points of the sequence, not continuously one after the other. 

Group Narrative

Group Narrative

My Narrative

A narrative is important to a film as it creates a main purpose for the film. Without a narrative the film would be unwatchable as there would not be a point or solution. It is important to have a narrative for a thriller as it should create enigma to keep the audience engaged and making them want to continue watching, also creating the three key elements of shock, surprise and suspense.

I will target my thriller towards people aged 15+ as some of the scenes may be upsetting towards a younger viewer and may potentially be scary due to the use of blood, gore and weapons. 

My own individual narrative for my thriller sequence is based around a boy that was kidnapped which the reason is unknown to the audience, tied up and taken to the middle of the forest. The audience will see the struggle of the boy and the flashes of the event. By using flashes of the event, and not completely showing the event I hope this will create enigma as they are wanting to know what is happening to the boy and why, making the audience want to watch on, to see why this has happened. The sequence will then end on a cliff hanger when two girls who happen to be walking into the forest discover the boy. This is a cliff hanger as the sequence would end on a scream, which is unknown to the audience who's scream this is, the audience would then begin to wonder is there a reoccurring theme of entering the forest and death.

Our opening thriller sequence is the narrative which would be at the end of our film. We decided to do this because the audience will watch this, and want to know the entire story line leading up to the events that have been seen in the sequence. This has shown disequilibrium as we have shown the end at the beginning of our opening sequence. We believe that this will entice our target audience and make them want to watch on further.

Some conventions that i will include in the opening sequence could be set in a forest at night time. This is because it conforms with typical thriller conventions of an isolated setting as it is in the middle of nowhere, automatically giving a sense of fear and danger as there is nobody around to see, hear or help if anything dangerous occurred. Furthermore, the use of dark lighting creates suspense as the vision is slightly impaired in darker vision so it is harder to see what is going on and what is hiding within the darkness. This makes the audience sympathizes for the protagonists as they are not aware of what is about to happen and has less of a chance to defend there self as they cannot see what is coming.

Another convention I will use is the use of iconography. the iconography my group will use is most probably a fake knife. This is because a knife is a typical weapon you would expect to see within a thriller film. A knife has several connotations such as death, brutality, blood and violence. This will create a sense of foreboading for the audience as the knife will be a clue that something bad is going to happen to one, or possibly three of the characters. 


Disadvantages: One disadvantage of my narrative is, it may not be very clear to the audience as it will not be a continuous sequence, so they may find it difficult to understand.
Advantages: One advantage of my narrative is, it is conventional to the thriller genre as it will create suspense and tension for the audience as they watch.

Ellas Narrative

Individual Narrative Ideas (planning the thriller production)

My production is going to be a thriller film. Planning out my narrative is important so i know exactly what i am going to do and collect all of my ideas.

Firstly, my setting ideas are:
- Small Town
- Dark and gloomy/bad weather
- A small crowded place e.g. forest with lots of trees
- Abandoned house in a middle of a street

I want my thriller opening sequence to be a cliff hanger. This keeps the audience/watchers wanting to watch the whole film and eager to know what is next. This creates suspense and catches more views from the audience.

Furthermore, i will use animals e.g. dogs in my opening sequence. This creates a little more adventure instead of just using me and my other group members in our opening sequence.

My overall narrative story line will have a dark setting. For my first initial idea I will be filming in two different scenes. In the first seconds of the scene The audience will see a news flash on the television being watched by myself. The news flash will contain a recent reocurring murder that has taken place in that day. Then myself and Hannah from my group will be having a friendly conversation walking down a open road. We happen to come onto the conversation of the news flash. Whilst walking with out pets(dogs) we see a van speed of with a young boy inside trapped in the back, we think nothing of it until we head into a pathway leading into the forest. It's only until then the camera slowly zooms into a body laying on the floor. The scene will end here on a cliffhanger. There are many conventions that will be used in this opening sequence. Firstly the setting is dark and with minimal lighting. Furthermore, i feel that I have created something different to normal thrillers. I am going to use a male victim instead of a female, this will give a different aspect onto the audience, creating a completely different view on thriller films. I have tried to keep a simple story line although one that will keep the viewers interested. Although this might not be my final idea, I feel that this narrative story line would work well and have good feedback from the audience. I will receive feedback from my questioner and from this I will discuss with my group what works well and what dosent. Although I feel I will use typical conventions that the audience love to see. E.g. A weapon In the scene somewhere which could conclude to some sort of evidence. Furthermore a lot of drama to keep the pace of the film going. Although i am only making an short opening I want the audience to want watch more and feel like this could be a real film.

Disadvantages: One disadvantage of Ella's narrative could be that it my be difficult for the audience to understand.

Advantages: An advantage of Ella's narrative is that is conforms with a typical thriller film as it creates suspense, tension and will also create shock. 

Ollie's Narrative

The narrative is important because it tells the audience the background story of a film. It also makes the film have a meaning. Without the narrative the film would be confusing to the audience because they wouldn't know what was going on. The narrative keeps the film together and stops the storyline from going off track. Thriller narratives should have a tense opening sequence to grab the audience and pull them into the film straight away.

I have come up with a narrative about an old eery forest which has had some weird unexplained happenings occur in it. A group of friends take a trip to the forest for a day out and they suddenly become trapped and in danger. The forest plays with your mind and makes you confused and lost really easily. There is also a dark cloaked figure constantly lurking amongst the trees, spying on people that enter the forest. There have been constant sightings of this figure and some even say he follows you when you leave the forest. 10 people have suddenly disappeared over the course of two years. 

My opening sequence will consist of 3 friends going to the forest to try and find out what all the fuss is about. After one girl spots the dark figure in the corner of her eye they leave thinking that it was just her imagination going wild. She returns home haunted by her experience and goes to bed trying to forget about it. She later wakes to find that she is back in the forest. Scared and confused she tries to find her way out but she ends up encountering the figure again. This time she doesn't  escape. She becomes the 11th person to go missing. The opening sequence the ends with a close up of the dark figure with just his face showing. 

Im going to share this idea with my group and discuss the advantages and disadvantages with it. This is so we can have the best idea possible.

Disadvantages: One disadvantage of Ollie's narrative may be that it will be difficult to display how the group become in danger without revealing too much of the narrative.

Advantages: One advantage of Ollie's narrative is that it too, like Ella's conforms with the typical thriller conventions creating shock, surprise and suspense. It also helps that the scene is filmed in the dark as it is unknown what will happen to the friends once it becomes dark. 

Final Group Narrative:

Our final groups narrative the sequence beginning with a news report of the news reporter saying there have been several disappearances within the area lately. We continue throughout the opening sequence of seeing and hearing the screeches of vans and children. Whilst watching the news report, there are shots of the dark figure walking past windows and around the area, this is only seen to the audience at first. Then two friends are out walking their dogs in the local forest, after hearing screeching vans earlier, they find a boy roped up in the forest now looking possessed. The scene then ends on a cliffhanger of the girls looking around for help, before the final clip is shown of the dark figure walking past.

Our opening thriller sequence is the narrative which would be at the end of our film. We decided to do this because the audience will watch this, and want to know the entire story line leading up to the events that have been seen in the sequence. This has shown disequilibrium as we have shown the end at the beginning of our opening sequence. We believe that this will entice our target audience and make them want to watch on further.

Narrative Theory:

Our final narrative is based on the theory of Aristotle who is a Philosopher who's knowledge can be applied to media. I think our theory is based around Aristotle because we have an protagonist which is the boy which has disappeared and is now possessed. The antagonist is the dark figure which is the villain within the film. In addition to this my narrative also is based on Aristoles theory as an iciting incident occurs, you begin to see who the killer could possibly be as the dark figure shadows over the screen. My opening thriller sequence also contains scenes where the audience will begin to sympathise for the protagonists as he is tied up not knowing what is going to happen to him. My opening sequence also includes a dramatic question on wether the victims are going to live or die, this creates a tension and suspense, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats wanting to continue to watch on untill the end of the film. However, my opening sequence does not contain a resolution as it is not a short film, so can't be solved as it will not create enigma for the audience, making the audience not want to continue to watch on.

Research into Target Audience

Research into Target Audience


It is important to research into the target audience because you have to know who you are aiming your film towards. It is useless not aiming your opening sequence to a specific audience as the audience themselves will not know who it is targeted towards.

I have asked 40 people a questionnaire that my group have come up with, containing 7 closed questions which requires one word answers, or to tick an option. I have also included 3 open questions which allows the participant to expand on their explanation. We asked questions along the basis of what they like and expect in thriller films and the reason behind their answer. The results that are collected from the 40 participants enable us to have an insight into what makes a successful thriller film so we have an idea of what to include when it comes to making our own opening thriller sequence. 

The questionnaire shown below is a list of questions that we asked the 40 participants with questions involving films from the thriller genre.

 What is your age?

From asking the question "What is your age?" I have found that the most popular age range that like to watch thriller films is people aged 16-20 as 43% of the people questioned watched thrillers aged 16-20. This could be mostly down to the fact that most thriller films are rated 15 by the BBFC so a lower age range may find it difficult to view a thriller film. In addition to this, people in the age range of 16-20 may find it easier to understand the physiological narrative and find it thrilling and exciting to watch. Whereas somebody within a higher age range may find watching a different film category interests them more. This was helpful to my groups research as it is evident that our target audience should range from 12 years onward. 

Are you male or female?

My second pie chart, titled "Are you male of female?" from these results I have found that more women prefer to watch thriller films rather than men. I have concluded this as the chart shows that 58% of the people asked are women and 42% of the people asked where male. I think that females prefer thriller films because it is a change from the typical cliche love story. Whereas men stereotypically watch action adventure films which are similar to thriller films because of the action, weapons and death are all included, so they may prefer to watch something completely different for a change. However, the results that I have collected could be an unreliable source of data as this is data from 40 people and different people may have a different perspective.

Do you like thriller films?

82% of the people questioned like thriller films. I think this is because thriller films are completely different to other genres of films. Thriller create enigma throughout the whole film, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats making them want to watch on until the narrative is revealed at the end of the film. This gives us a good insight that most people who are watching our opening thriller sequence like the thriller genre, so if they do not like our film or have any criticisms they are truthful.

What music do you like in thriller films?

From the question "What music do you like in thriller films?" with 37% the people questioned preferred tense music, I think this is because it begins to build an atmosphere and to create suspense and tension for the audience as it leads up to a significant point in the narrative. Furthermore 27% of the participants that we asked like to hear eerie music when they are watching a thriller film, this is for the same reasons as before as it subconsciously begins to build tension for the audience, making it interesting to watch. This has helped towards research for our opening thriller sequence as we will include music and sound effects that are both eerie and tense, to engage the audience.

Do you like the killer to be identified or not?

53% of people answered no to the question "Do you like the killer to be identified or not?" I think this is because it creates a sense of enigma for the audience as they are wondering who is the killer and if the killer is wearing a mask, who is behind that mask. This keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as they begin to wonder who is the killer, if they know there victim and their reasons for killing the victim. If the killer was identified, the narrative would become clear and not leave any surprises for the audience. Having a unidentified antagonist/killer is conventional to the thriller genre as this helps to create a sense of enigma and builds tension throughout the film, this therefore keeps the audience engaged in the film.

What is your favourite thriller setting?

I gave options all very similar, based around the idea of an isolated setting. This is because all thriller films are stereo typically set in some sort of isolated setting, so I varied the options to do with an isolated setting to get a more accurate result. The most popular choice with 33% is a general isolated location followed closely by a haunted house with 32%. I think these were the two most popular answers because within a haunted house this creates more suspense and tension as there are things living inside such as devils and demons which possibly may make the narrative more interesting. An isolated setting is conventional of the thriller genre as this creates a sense of foreboding for every character within the scene as it is unknown to the audience if they will be able to escape to safety or not, it also keeps the audience wanting to continue to watch on as they watch desperately to see if the character they have built a relationship with is able to escape from the killer or danger that he/she is in.

Do you think a female victim works well?

77% of people answered yes, as they agree that a female victim works well. I think this is the most popular answer as it would not give the same effect if there was a male victim, as a male could be seen as more dominant in the situation and less fearful so would create less tension for the audience. The female victim is  conventional to the thriller genre as they are portrayed as vulnerable and defenseless leaving the audience questioning the safety of the protagonist, making them continue to watch on until the end as they do not want to see the character they have built a relationship with harmed in anyway.

What do you like about thriller films?

The results were very close in my next question of "What do you like about thriller films?" However the highest result came out as the audience like the film to create suspense. I believe that this came out as the highest result as without suspense created the narrative would be boring and not interesting for the audience to watch.

What conventions do you like, why?

From the pie chart results about the open question asked, "What conventions do you like, and why?" it is clear that the convention which the audience like most is the music used. I think this is because the music in the thriller genre can vary, creating different atmospheres, and always keeping the audience on the edge of their seat. For example, the music can begin eerie and slow, as it gradually builds up tension then as the fighting scene or as the narrative becomes more violent the music will begin to increase its pace creating suspense and tension all the way throughout.

What weapons do you think work well? why?

My last pie chart questioning "What weapons do you think work well and why?" shows that the people who answered my questionnaire think that a knife works well in a thriller film. I think this is because knives are more personal than a gun or ax and it does not require to see the killer. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates a sense of enigma throughout the scene making the audience want to continue to watch on as they wonder who is using the weapon to harm the innocent and vulnerable victim.

Vox Pops

 

By completing this task, and creating vox pops this has given me an additional and further insight as to what type of people like thriller films and what they like about thriller films. This has helped as when I come to prepare for producing my opening thriller sequence, I can use this information that I have collected to make the sequence appealing to my target audience, keeping them interested and wanting to watch on throughout the whole sequence. 

Individual Narrative Ideas

Individual Narrative Ideas

A narrative is important to a film as it creates a main purpose for the film. Without a narrative the film would be unwatchable as there would not be a point or solution. It is important to have a narrative for a thriller as it should create enigma to keep the audience engaged and making them want to continue watching, also creating the three key elements of shock, surprise and suspense.

My own individual narrative for my thriller sequence is based around a boy that was kidnapped which the reason is unknown to the audience, tied up and taken to the middle of the forest. The audience will see the struggle of the boy and the flashes of the event. By using flashes of the event, and not completely showing the event I hope this will create enigma as they are wanting to know what is happening to the boy and why, making the audience want to watch on, to see why this has happened. The sequence will then end on a cliff hanger when two girls who happen to be walking into the forest discover the boy. This is a cliff hanger as the sequence would end on a scream, and a flash of the dark figure possibly holding a knife, which is unknown to the audience who's scream this is, the audience would then begin to wonder is there a reoccurring theme of entering the forest and death.

I will target my thriller towards people aged 15+ as some of the scenes may be upsetting towards a younger viewer and may potentially be scary due to the use of blood, gore and weapons. 

A typical thriller convention that I will include is where the opening sequence is set. I will set my thriller opening sequence in a forest at night time. This is because it conforms with typical thriller conventions of an isolated setting as it is in the middle of nowhere, automatically giving a sense of fear and danger as there is nobody around to see, hear or help if anything dangerous occurred. Furthermore, the use of dark lighting creates suspense as the vision is slightly impaired in darker vision so it is harder to see what is going on and what is hiding within the darkness. This makes the audience sympathizes for the protagonists as they are not aware of what is about to happen and has less of a chance to defend there self as they cannot see what is coming.

Another convention I will use is the use of iconography. the iconography my group will use is most probably a fake knife. This is because a knife is a typical weapon you would expect to see within a thriller film. A knife has several connotations such as death, brutality, blood and violence. This will create a sense of foreboding for the audience as the knife will be a clue that something bad is going to happen to one, or possibly three of the characters. 

The use of characters in our opening thriller sequence is also conventional as we have the use of younger characters and also female protagonists. This is conventional as in most thriller films there is a young female victim. This works well because a young female is stereo typically portrayed as weak and defenseless in the thriller genre, creating a sense of foreboding over the characters, keeping the audience watching on, on the edge of their seats wondering what will happen to the protagonists next.

Also within my thriller opening sequence I will use a typical convention of non-diegetic sound, which will be both slow and eerie. This is to create tension and suspense which are key elements to create in the thriller genre. It creates tension and suspense as at some point the eerie music must come to an end, with the audience suspecting something or someone will jump out or somebody will get hurt, also fearing that something bad will happen to the protagonist.

Research into Thriller Opening

Research into Thriller Opening

The purpose of an opening sequence of a thriller is to build suspense, and to set the scene for the film that is to follow. Opening thriller sequences contain three key elements of shock, surprise and suspense, this is to engage the audience making them to want to watch on. I have watched and analysed the opening thriller sequence of the film "Halloween" then began to see which typical conventions have been used throughout the sequence as they would also in a typical thriller film. These typical conventions include, cinematography, editing styles, characters, sound, mise-en-scene and the narrative of the thriller film.

Narrative

The narrative from the clip of "Halloween" conforms with the conventions of a typical thriller film. This is because the film is based around an unidentified killer assulting and/or murdering an innocent victim for which is unknown to the audience. The whole narrative creates enigma throughout the clip, which is conventional to all thriller films as this creates suspense, which leads to surprise and shock which are typical thriller conventions. 

Cinematography

Within the opening sequence of the thriller film "Halloween" a shallow focus is used as the camera is directly focusing on the house. However in the bad ground in a blurred focus is a full moon which usually symbolizes something bad is going to happen. As the full moon is beaming over the isolated house. The audience will begin to worry as this has created a sense of foreboding and will wonder what will happen to the characters within the house.

Furthermore, a shallow focus is also used as the unidentified killer takes a knife from the drawer. By doing this, the knife becomes the focus of the shot. This creates suspense and begins to build up tension as the audience begin to wonder what the purpose of the knife is and who it will be used on.

Towards the end of the scene we see the unidentified killer is revealed as the camera begins to zoom out, we see that the killer is a young boy who is holding a knife in his hand surrounded by his parents. This creates enigma and suspense as the audience begin to wonder why the boy has the knife in his hand, and why he has killed his sister.

At the end of the scene a high angle shot is used above the isolated house. This gives of a sense of vulnerability for all the characters within the house. This creates tension as the audience will begin to wonder if the character who has just been stabbed will survive, and will also wonder why the incident happened, keeping the audience watching on.

Editing

Film editing is part of the process of film making. Film editing is used from the traditional process of working with film, but now it involves the use of digital technology. 

Various editing techniques where used throughout the "Halloween" thriller opening sequence. Firstly, slow motion was used as the unidentified killer was looking through the outside window and secondly walking upstairs as he walked towards his innocent victim. The reason for using slow motion at these points is to create suspense and tension for the audience as they are impatiently wondering what is going to happen to the protagonist, fearing for her safety. 

In addition, the scene is filmed using a hand held camera, this gives the impression of somebody point of view, in this case it is the unidentified killers view. The audience know that this is the unidentified killers point of view and begin to fear for the character as her safety is jeopardized as the killer becomes closer to her.  

At the end of the scene when the protagonist has been attacked, the masked antagonist begins to walk quickly down the stairs the pace of the scene also increases. This is because the antagonist wants to make a quick escape, without being caught. The audience then begin to feel on the edge of their seats as they see cars faintly in the background of the scene, hoping that the killer will be caught.

Characters

A typical character within the thriller genre is a masked antagonist/unidentified killer. This is because it helps to build the three main elements of the thriller genre, shock, surprise and suspense. The unidentified killer in this film is the younger brother, which is unrealistically revealed in the beginning of the film, however still creates enigma as the audience want to watch on to see why he has attacked his own sister. Furthermore, by having an unidentified killer this creates all three of these elements as the audience wonder what the killers intentions are, why they have the intentions, and who is hidden behind the mask. This not only creates the three elements, but also creates enigma which is a sense of mystery, making the audience want to watch until the end.

Another typical character within the thriller genre is a vulnerable, scared woman, alone typically in an isolated house in the middle of nowhere. Within the opening sequence of "Halloween" the innocent, vulnerable women is the protagonist. This is a conventional character as it creates suspense for the audience as they fear for her safety and wonder what will happen next as she tries to defend her defenseless self.

Soundtrack

Sound is a very important convention in thriller films. Music can help change any scene to build suspense and tension for the audience watching. For example, if a man was walking down a dark corridor this would create less suspense and tension whereas if there was eerie music building up throughout the scene as the man approached the end of the corridor, to the moment where something or someone would stereo typically jump out. Sounds are also used in films to create an understanding for the audience and create more meaning about the characters and their emotions.  

Firstly, non-diegetic sound is used as the light turns off in the upstairs bedroom. This noise is both loud and exaggerated and could be compared to high pitch screams. This could foreshadow the screams from the protagonist as she is attacked by the masked antagonist and creates a foreshadowing on the characters as the audience begin to wonder at this point what will happen to the characters in the bedroom.

Furthermore, another non-diegetic sound is the eerie music that begins to play as the antagonist walks up the stairs. This begins to build up tension and creates suspense for the audience as stereo typically at the end of the music, something usually jumps out or happens.So the audience will fear for the protagonist as they will wonder what is going to happen when the eerie music ends.

Another sound used is not a stereotypical sound used within the thriller genre. Church bells are used when the masked antagonist reaches the top of the stairs, this sound is both diegetic as the characters within the scene can hear this however is also tied in within the eerie music. Church bells are used to signify a specific time to let people know when the time has reached a new hour. Church bells are at churches, in which churches can be directly linked with funerals. This can then cause worry, tension and concern for the protagonist as this foreshadows her attack and possibly death as her safety is jeopardized.

Along with the conventional sounds listed, another conventional sound is eerie silence. The eerie silence begins to build up tension as it can never stay silent for too long. This also creates suspense and tension as the audience begin to wonder what is going to happen to break the silence and wonder if it will be the screaming and crying of the protagonist, keeping the audience watching on.

Codes and Conventions

The setting in the clip from "Halloween" is conforms to the thriller genre as it is located in an detached, isolated house far away from everyone, which also has a garden surrounding it which appears to not have any fences. This is a convention as you will see all thriller films will have a isolated or trapping setting which makes it difficult for the protagonist to escape, which creates a sense of foreboding and the audience begin to realise the protagonists safety is in jeopardy. 

Another convention used within the sequence is the use of iconography. A knife is clearly shown as it becomes the focal point due to the use of a shallow focus. A knife is a typical weapon used in the thriller genre as it has connotations of blood, death, pain and brutality. The use of the knife creates a sense of foreboding for the protagonist due to these connotations as none of the outcomes are positive.

Another conventions used within "Halloween" is the use of low key lighting. This is used throughout the scene as it creates a gloomy, dark atmosphere. This creates suspense as the vision is slightly impaired in darker vision so it is harder to see what is going on and what is hiding within the darkness. This makes the audience sympathizes for the protagonist as she is not aware of what is about to happen and has less of a chance to defend herself as she has not seen what is coming.

By researching the conventions of the "Halloween" opening thriller sequence this has enabled me to see what is conventional to the thriller genre and to help me enhance the shock, surprise and suspense within my thriller opening. 

Inspiration - Miss Georgiou

Inspiration

We need inspiration before we create something to get many different ideas and gain knowledge to create something to the best of our ability. We can take inspiration from many different thriller films. For inspiration to create a successful thriller sequence I have researched and collected various information about films from the thriller genre. I have looked at various thriller sequences and inspirations. I have taken inspiration from films from the thriller genre such as, Scream, Scream 2, Mama, The Strangers and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 

Mise-en-Scene
In this part of my research, I used the clip from "Mama" where the girls are found in the cabin in the middle of the woods. From watching this clip I have taken inspiration and will adapt them to my opening thriller sequence. One inspiration that I will adapt is the use of low key, dark lighting. However, "Mama" has low key lighting due to the natural light in the background, but i will adapt this technique as we will film when it is slightly dark to give us enough light so the audience can see what is happening. As well as using the technique as low key lighting, I will also take inspiration from the setting as it is in an isolated place. "Mama" was set in a isolated cabin in the middle of the woods. I thought this would be a good use of a technique as this creates suspense and tension for the audience. So I will use this technique as base my thriller opening sequence in the middle of the forest. This will build suspense and tension as it will take a long time for the younger characters to escape from any threat imposed on them. 

Cinematography
From researching the clip in the film "Scream" I have found that I have been inspired by many of the conventional cinematography techniques. Firstly, the use of a shallow focus. Within scream this can be seen when the protagonist Sydney is using the phone to call for the emergency services and you see the antagonist trying to enter her room. This creates a sense of foreboding for the audience as it is unknown whether he will enter the room and is in the back of peoples minds that he could impose danger to Sydney. I will incorporate this idea into my opening thriller sequence as I want to use this when a over the shoulder shot is used when the girls are looking at the dark figure, keeping the dark figure slightly blurred in the background, to show he is around all of the time and can create threat and danger for the protagonists at any time.

Sound
I analysed the sound used within the clip of "Scream 2" when the protagonist is trying to escape from the masked killer by finding places in her house to escape. By researching the sound used within this clip I have taken some inspiration for my thriller opening sequence. The first inspiration that I have taken is the use of non-diegetic, eerie music. Within this scene it is used as the protagonist is walking slowly throughout her house as the killer is getting much closer towards her. I will use this technique when the two protagonists are walking down the long stretch of road towards the forest. This is when the camera is handheld, giving it the effect as though somebody is following them. The music will then begin to build up its tempo as they come closer to the forest, creating a sense of foreboding showing to the audience that something bad is going to happen. Another technique that I will be using is exaggerating diegetic sounds. By exaggerating diegetic sounds this makes more of an impact on the audience. An example of this which I will be using within my opening thriller sequence is the whistling of the wind and footsteps. These are everyday ordinary sounds, but when exaggerated can be interpreted differently. The exaggerated sounds of the wind helps to give an eerie sense to the scene as without this it would be complete silence and would not create an effect. In addition to this, the exaggerated sounds of footsteps help to create the effect that somebody is following the girls, in the scene of them walking down the long stretch of road, which immediately creates suspense and tension as a sense of foreboding is created because we know that the girls are heading towards and isolated setting being followed by an unknown antagonist which could impose threat upon them.

Conventions

I have taken inspiration from the film "The Strangers" to add in conventional aspects to my thriller opening sequence. Firstly, a typical convention of a thriller film that I have been inspired by from "The Strangers"  is an unidentified antagonist. Within this scene the convention is used when the protagonist slides the curtain to the left of the window when a masked figure appears at the window. In this case the antagonist has used a bag/mask to hid his identity. I will be using this convention throughout our thriller opening sequence as the dark figure will always be masked and not revelead. Not only does the mask signify the killer wants to be unknown, it could also create a sense of foreboding as it is unknown to the audience what will happen next to the protagonist. Not only does the hidden identity of the antagonist create suspense, it also creates enigma which helps to make the killer seem mysterious and makes the audience question why he is trying to impose any danger and threat upon the two protagonists. In addition to this the audience will begin to empathize for the protagonist as the reasons are unclear why the unidentified killer is choosing to harm her as it could be an unprovoked attack. Another typical convention that "The Strangers" has inspired me to use, is the use of an isolated/entrapping setting. Within "The Strangers" the protagonist is left alone in an isolated house in the middle of nowhere with nobody to help her and so far away that it would take a very long time for any emergency services to help her to safety. This be used throughout our opening thriller sequence as we will film within an isolated, local forest. This is typical as it creates a sense of foreboding for that character as they have nowhere to go and the audience begin to fear for the protagonists safety as something/someone is clearly out to harm the two protagonists so the audience cant help but watch on to see what will happen next.

Editing

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" has inspired my thriller opening sequence from the editing techniques that have been used. One editing technique I will be using is the editing of the pace of the scene, increasing the timing of the shot. Within this film this technique is used when the woman has escaped from the man and is now trying to escape by running as fast as possible throughout the field with the man running after her with a chainsaw. Within my thriller opening sequence we will use this when we have a series of montage clips, which are clips all put together, from the leaves and trees, to the girls expressions of seeming worried and frightened, to the dark figure standing alone. Within our opening sequence, the increased pace of the scene could represent the two heartbeat but could also represent their desperation to escape from the situation they are in, in the isolated forest with discovering a boy roped up to the tree. I think that this makes the audience sympathizes for the protagonists as the target audience are of a similar age to the protagonists so can not help and imagine themselves in the situation the two girls are now in. Another editing technique which we will include in our opening thriller sequence is a zooming in shot. Within "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" the zoom in shot is used on the pool of blood in which the woman is laying face down in after her throat has just been slit. This creates an emphasis on the red pool of blood which portrays danger and foreshadows the characters safety throughout the scene. I will use this technique once the girls nave spotted the dark figure and you begin to see the expression on their faces.The audience will begin to empathize for the characters as they can see how worried and terrified they both are.

Target Audience

For my research of target audiences for thriller films I prepared a questionnaire and asked many people to fill out the questionnaire so it could give me an insight of the thriller genre target audience. From this questionnaire I found that many of the people who watch and favour thriller films are aged between 16 and 20. I think is because anybody below the age of 15 may find the films scary and are not usually of the right age to see the film in cinema so are not interested in watching the film as they do not watch them regularly. I also think this age group likes the thriller genre the most because they are old enough to follow and understand the intricate plot.

Altogether I think that by researching and getting inspiration from different thriller films this has enabled myself and my group to develop our ideas further for our opening thriller sequence. It has allowed us to see how other thriller films have used and interpreted different techniques when filming. The inspirations have helped to make our opening sequence better for a number of reasons. The techniques used help to build the three main elements in a typical thriller film, which is shock, surprise and suspense.  

Research into Editing

Research into Editing

Film editing is part of the process of film making. Film editing is used from the traditional process of working with film, but now it involves the use of digital technology. Within this essay I am going to analyse the editing techniques used from a scene in the film "Texas Chainsaw Massacre".

Firstly, the technique of shot reverse shot is used. This is mainly used when a conversation is taking place between characters and a shot quickly follows another. This can be seen when the elderly man is speaking to the woman tied up in the chair. The purpose of this is not only to listen to the flowing conversation to understand what is happening within the scene, but to create an atmosphere and realise each characters individual emotions within the scene, and how they feel towards the other character. This technique is conventional to the thriller genre as it begins to create suspense and tension, raising high anticipation levels, making the audience want to continue watching on.

One editing technique that has been used in this clip is slow editing. This is when clips are juxtaposed together, at a slower pace. This can be scene when the antagonist who is an elderly man, turn the woman's head around to face the knife that he is pointing at her. The purpose of this technique is to exaggerate and focus that she could possibly be harmed within the next few seconds, building suspense and tension for the audience. The use of the slow motion technique could represent the fact that she is a victim/prisoner that is being harmed and could portray each day, how slowly it goes for her as she can't escape. This helps to make the scene more engaging as the audience watch on with anticipation, hoping that the character they have built a relationship with does not get hurt, as they now sympathize for her as they begin to imagine themselves in her current situation. This technique is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates a high level of anticipation for the audience, and can clearly see how terrified the victim is. 

After this scene, editing is used as the camera begins to zoom in on the pool of blood in which the woman is laying face down in after her throat has just been slit. This creates an emphasis on the red pool of blood which portrays danger and foreshadows the characters safety throughout the scene. In addition the audience will begin to not only empathize for the character as she has lost her life but will also begin to fear for the remaining people that are being tortured as it is likely they will end up in the same position. 

Continuing throughout the scene the pace of the editing begins to speed up and becomes faster, this is as the narrative gets more intense. This happens as the woman begins hitting the man that has lifted her up carrying her for torture. The pace of the scene could also portray the heartbeat of the girl being carried, as the pace of the scene increases the heartbeat of the women would also increase as she becomes more terrified of the torture she is possibly about to encounter. Furthermore the use of editing the scene is shown when the woman has escaped from the creepy man and is now trying to escape by running as fast as possible throughout the field with the man running after her with a chainsaw, the pace of the editing has increased and is speeding up. Not only could the fast paced editing of the scene represent the woman's heartbeat but could also represent her desperation to escape and the speed at which she is running as she is desperately trying to escape. I think that this makes the audience sympathizes for the woman as they begin to realise how scared she is and will also begin to fear further for her safety as the man begins to run after her with the chainsaw.

From this research I have learnt and researched different techniques that help to create different atmospheres and techniques that will help to make my own opening thriller sequence more successful.  The sequence that I have analyzed creates suspense, surprise and shock, which each individually make an impact on the audience, keeping them intrigued in the clip. Moving on from this, this has helped with my inidividual research as it has given me many ideas for my own opening sequence, and how it will create an impact for my target audience, keeping them engaged.

Research into Conventions

Research into Thriller Conventions

Each thriller film conforms with conventions to fit into the thriller genre and ensure the film is a success. Some conventions of the thriller genre include: low key lighting, an isolated/trapping setting, weaponry, an unidentified killer and eerie music which helps to build up tension. Within this essay I am going to be analyzing typical thriller conventions from "The Strangers".

 

Using weapons as iconography is a typical convention in every thriller film created. There is a focus on weapons as in most cases, they are usually associated with danger, blood and death. The use of any weapon keeps the audience on the edge of their seats waiting to see what will happen to the character in which they have built a relationship with throughout the film fearing for the character and what will happen to them next.

A typical convention of a thriller film is an unidentified antagonist. This is can be seen when the protagonist slides the curtain to the left of the window when a masked figure appears at the window. In this case the antagonist has used a bag/mask to hid his identity. Not only does the mask signify the killer wants to be unknown, it could also create a sense of foreboding as it is unknown to the audience what will happen next to the protagonist. Not only does the hidden identity of the antagonist create suspense, it also creates enigma which helps to make the killer seem mysterious and also creates a sense of mystery. In addition to this the audience will begin to empathize for the protagonist as the reasons are unclear why the unidentified killer is choosing to harm her as it could be an unprovoked attack.

Within this scene diegetic sound is used. This is when the record player begins to play itself. The sound being played is a repetitive eerie music which is a typical thriller convention. The sound begins to sound alot more eerie as the narrative reveals. This is to create tension and suspense which are key elements to create in the thriller genre. It creates tension and suspense as at some point the eerie music must come to an end, with the audience suspecting something or someone will jump out or somebody will get hurt, also fearing that something bad will happen to the protagonist.

Another typical convention of the thriller genre is an isolated/entrapping setting. Within "The Strangers" the protagonist is left alone in an isolated house in the middle of nowhere with nobody to help her and so far away that it would take a very long time for any emergency services to help her to safety. This is typical as it creates a sense of foreboding for that character as they have nowhere to go and the audience begin to fear for the protagonists safety as something/someone is clearly out to get her and harm her so the audience cant help but watch on to see what will happen next. 

Within this scene low key lighting is used. Low key lighting is conventional to thriller films because it helps to add suspense to the scene as it is unknown what could appear within the dark lighting and gives a sense of vulnerability to the character as they are defenseless with poor vision and could jeopardize their safety and endanger them. This makes the audience feel sympathy for the character as they can only imagine how the character must be feeling as the protagonist sits alone in a dark room not knowing what will happen next.

By researching typical thriller conventions this has helped me with ideas when I come to create my own thriller sequence. I will include many of the typical conventions such as low key lighting, eerie diegetic music, weapons and an unidentified killer. This will help to create the main key elements of a thriller such as shock, surprise and suspense to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and getting them to continue watching to know what will happen next.