Individual Storyboard

Individual Storyboard

A story board is a series of pictures and drawings which are explained in detail. In media however we have drawn pictures of our scenes and explained in detail about them such as the lighting that will be used, the iconography within the scene and editing styles. The sequence helps to show the scenes that you have envisioned.

This is an example of what a story board is set out like:

Here is my own individual storyboard:

Within my group, all three of us will create individual story boards as this helps us to broaden and expand our ideas as we will incorporate each others individual ideas to make it as good as it can be. This will ensure that we have planned as well as we possibly can because there is three people working together instead of just one, somebody could come up with an idea that would make the scene altogether much more interesting, which could keep the audience wanting to watch on.
When planning I hope that my individual storyboard helps towards the final storyboard of my groups as we can select ideas that I have come up with but expand and change them slightly to make them more suitable for the opening sequence that we want to achieve.

Within my storyboard I have drawn out the general idea of my opening thriller sequence of which shots I would like to include. The scene begins with a news report about missing children within the local area. The scene then fades and moves on to the two girls heading towards the forest to take their dogs on a walk. The two girls then enter the forest and hear sounds of rustling and whistling of the wind. The girls then turn round to see the dark figure. This is followed by over the shoulder shots to give the two girls and gives their point of view. You then lead on to see the two girls in a long shot directly seeing the dark figure. I have then drawn a couple of boxes with drawings to show that it is a montage clip, which is a series of scenes edited together. The scenes will consist of going back to the girls, the dark figure, trees, and the sky, this gives an ultra-heightened expectation which helps to build the suspense and tension. The final scene I have drawn is the two girls looking up and seeming possessed. This leaves the scene ending on a cliff hanger and the audience would want to watch on further to know what has happened. 

I have included many elements into my storyboard of my opening thriller sequence. This includes low key lighting, point of view shots, zooming in shots. The purpose of low key lighting is to help add and create 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. We will also use a point of view shot within our opening thriller sequence this is when the camera represents what someone is looking at, this can be used as a direct shot where the camera is looking at something or as a over the shoulder shot where it looks as though the two characters are having a conversation and you are seeing it from one of the characters point of view. Another shot that we will definitely be using is the use of reaction shot. This is because it helps to set the scene as you can clearly see the characters expressions and emotions, this helps make the audience sympathize for the characters as they begin to imagine themselves in this situation. 

I hope that the audience will be kept in suspense from my opening sequence. I hope this because of the cliff hanger ending where the audience are left wondering what has happened to the girls, if they are in danger, and what will happen to them next. Not only this, but I hope that the audience will also be shocked and surprised at some scenes, also feeling sympathetic to the characters. This could possibly be from the scene were they see the young boy tied up to the tree. This will make the audience shocked as this is something unusual that you would see in a forest, and are wondering why it has happened. Not only this but the audience will sympathize for the character as our target audience is of a similar age range as the characters so they cant help but imagine themselves in the characters situation and how scared they would also be feeling.

All three of us have come up with different ideas for a storyboard. However, we will incorporate each others ideas into one, to produce a storyboard in which we all think will work best and create the best idea that we can. An example of incorporating each others work is Ella's beginning black screen which fades in to a news report. Whereas my idea was to film a TV, with a new report voice over on top. However, we have incorporated both these ideas and have now decided to have a black screen, with a voice over of a new report on top, this allows the audience to follow and understand what is being said, so they then have an idea of what is going to happen within the sequence. Another idea that we have incorporated together is the fact of the few scenes of the girls looking round for the dark figure, then seeing the dark figure up close, we have decided instead to use a point of view shot in the form of an over the shoulder shot to show that the girls have now seen the dark figure. 

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.

Overall I think that my storyboard gives a clear understanding of what myself and my group aim to film and create in our opening thriller sequence. It has helped to show what scenes are going where and what is going to be filmed. However, some issues have been identified as my group has discussed our individual storyboards when trying to produce a final storyboard that we have all put together. One issue is we have decided that we would like to add additional scenes into the sequence, which is easily solved as we can add in the extra scenes, whilst removing some of the scenes that we have also decided will not work with the sequence we are trying to create or are not relevant anymore to the storyline. Lastly, some scenes may have been difficult to film, so we have changed the scene so that we can film what we need to. An example of this was we were going to use a high angled shot within the forest, but realized it would be very difficult to get this shot, so have considered using a low angled shot of the forest as this will be much more convenient and easier to film.

By planning out my opening thriller sequence by using a storyboard this has helped to not only plan out which scene goes where, but this will ensure organisation when we come to filming. This is important and helpful as we will not be questioning, where we will be filming and what we will be filming as we would have already discussed it, saving more time for filming the scenes.  

Planning Opening Credits

Planning Opening Credits

The purpose of opening credits is to establish the theme of the thriller and gives the audience an insight of who is in the thriller, and by the text font what may happen within the thriller.  

Analyzing Opening Sequence Credits from the film Se7en

I have analysed the credits from the clip of Se7en. I have seen many aspects of the opening that conform with the typical conventions of the thriller genre. Firstly, the colours used. For expample, red has a connotation of blood, danger, death and brutality, which are aspects that are common within the thriller genre. Not only this but dark black colours are paired mainly within this sequence with white. This could represent the conventional narrative of good vs evil, and could suggest that this will be a theme throughout. The credits are not only conventional due to the colour, but through the unorganized, rigid effect as this gives a sense of instability which makes the audience question whether this portrays mind of the antagonist within the thriller, immediately wanting them to watch on. Another point I have seen from viewing the opening credits is the order in which the credits are placed. If a film has a well known actor in it, the actors name will stereo typically be shown first as the audience will recognize the actor/actress for a role or film that they have starred in or as, that they have enjoyed and would want to continue to watch on.

My Opening Sequence Credits

This is my opening thriller sequence design that I have created. My design contains three main colours. The first colour is an off white, which is the background, ensuring that the main colours stand out. With the main colours being black and red. I used red as this has a connotation with danger, blood and violence which helps the audience to establish this could possibly be a reoccurring theme throughout my thriller opening sequence and links to the main narrative of the opening sequence,because it is mainly focused on death and brutality of innocent victims and could suggest that something bad is going to happen within the sequence. I also used the colour black as this has connotations of mystery, which could lead the audience to question what is going to happen to the protagonists, making them want to continue to watch on the rest of the opening.

I think the font I have chosen is very simple, this could be reflective of the opening sequence narrative as I think it is difficult to understand the main themes of the narrative, not only this but I think by having a simpler font it allows the audience to think of the colours that are used in the credits, applying them to the sequence. In addition to this I keep the font size quite large, this makes a lasting effect on the audience as it is a one worded title called "Obscurity" which means the unknown, the audience will begin to think about this, and also be afraid for the protagonists as it is unknown what is going to happen to them. 

The titles in my opening thriller sequence will come onto the screen in all different positions, directions and timings as this gives a uncertain feel to the audience applying this to the narrative as they do not know what they can expect next.

My Groups Opening Sequence Credits

I have seen my groups opening sequence credit titles, all three of us have come up with credits that are similar.

Ella's credits consist of the colours of black, white and red. An advantage of using these colours is that they all have connotations with the typical thriller conventions. The black and white in the credits can portray the characters which will be used in our sequence as it represents the good vs evil narrative. The "evil" being the antagonist and the "good" being the protagonist. The red in Ella's credits have a connotation with blood, death, danger and brutality which create a sense of foreboding for the audience as they want to continue watching as they wonder what will happen to the protagonists. 

One disadvantage of Ella's opening credits for our opening thriller sequence is that it may not transition into the clip smoothly. I think the credits would look better with a transparent background, with the opening sequence text in the background. 

Ollie's opening sequence credits are also very similar, in the way they are set out, and colours. He has also used the similar colour scheme, with black, white and red. With connotations of good vs. evil, with the black and white. As white is portrayed as innocent which could be referred to as the protagonist. The black colour could not only be referred to as evil but it can be portrayed as enigma within the clip, or what the audience are going to see. I also think another good idea in the opening sequence credits are the dripping of the blood effect. This creates a sense of foreboding for the audience, as this could be an insight of what might happen within the opening sequence, creating suspense and tension.

However, similar to the disadvantage of Ella's I think that the opening credits would be better on a transparent background as you can then still see the scenes going on behind.

Overall, our opening sequence credits were all very similar, each of us had the same colour scheme and use of the trickling blood. I think that we will stick to this idea, as the colours provide connotations which are conventional to the thriller genre and make the audience want to continue watching on, they only point that I will make to my group is the disadvantage of the coloured background. I will suggest that we use a transparent background, and have the credits appear over the top of the scenes, as I think this will create a better effect for the audience. Se7en has also inspired me to have our credits coming in at all different times and directions, as this gives an unorganized effect, and could portray the mind of the antagonist, in the sense that his mind is unstable, making the audience want to watch on to see what will happen next.

Planning Editing

Planning 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. This is where shots from a scene are selected and put together which helps to make a final product. Editing styles help to make the scenes make sense, from the speed of the scene to the timing, altogether helping to create different elements such as shock, suspense and tension which are key elements in any thriller opening. By planning which editing styles we will be using in our opening thriller sequence, this is useful as it allows us to expand and broaden each others individual ideas.

Timing of Shots 

Within our opening thriller sequence we have decided to use different timing of our shots, including making scenes in a slower motion. We decided that we would include this technique when the masked antagonist is walking past the victims window. We also decided that we would use this as both the girls and antagonist walk into the isolated setting

(separately). As this is slower, it creates suspense and tension as it makes the audience anticipate what will happen next as the tension forebodes the characters safety. The use of this editing style helps the audience create a relationship with the two young girls as they begin to feel as anxious as she must be feeling in the isolated forest and begin to understand her emotions. Furthermore, when this is used when the masked antagonist walks outside the window, the audience begin to wonder and question what he is doing there, creating a sense of enigma for the audience as the slight appearance that has been majorly focused on forebodes the victims. Different timing of shots such as slowing down the motion of the shot is conventional to the thriller genre. This is because it creates enigma for the audience as they wonder what will happen next, continuing to want to watch on.

Montage Editing

In addition to this, another editing technique that we will use is montage editing. This technique is when a series of scenes and shots are quickly juxtaposed together in order to create a sense of rush and excitement. My group has decided that we will use this technique after the girls question what was the dark figure that they have just witnessed. It will then be a montage of different scenes including the close up shots of the expression on the girls faces of how terrified they are, the masked antagonist and shots of various parts of the forest. The series of clips with the montage editing technique creates a ultra-heightened expectation as the scene gives of a sense of urgency and panic coming from the victims, the audience question what is going to happen as it begins to create tension and also what is happening to the victims. 

Reaction Shot

Another editing technique  my group will also use a reaction shot in our thriller opening. We will use this when the two girls are in the forest and spot the masked antagonist for the first time. The reaction shot will be a close up of the two girls faces to clearly show their facial expressions after they have just seen the killer. Both of the girls expressions will show how shocked they are as what they have seen is very unusual within the safe neighborhood, not only this but you can clearly tell by their facial expression how terrified and worried they are. This creates tension for the audience as they can see how worried the two young girls are, can relate as they begin to imagine themselves in this situation. A reaction shot is conventional to the thriller genre as it allows the audience to see the emotional state of the characters, building tension and making them want to continue watching on as they do not want to see the characters they have built a relationship with in any harm or danger. 

Fade

Lastly, another editing technique that we will use is the fade technique this is mostly used to signify when a scene has ended. Myself and my group have decided that we will use this technique firstly when the girls walk down the end of the road, and also when they turn round at the end of the sequence after seeing the masked antagonist with a scream overlapped. This will create a sense of enigma for the audience as they will be wondering what happened to the victims and if they are in danger, creating suspense and making the audience want to continue to watch on. The fading out of the scene could represent the victims final moments as this is when the sequence altogether finally ends, so for all the audience know the victims could be dead. This creates the main elements in all conventional thrillers, shock, surprise and suspense.

I found that planning editing styles for our opening thriller sequence helped to expand and develop our ideas for which techniques we would like to use and why we want to use them, to get the best possible effect for the audience. Not only will the right techniques create a better effect for the audience but this will create a large impact on the scene as this can help to tell the narrative and display this in a different, unique way which is more interesting for the audience to watch. From watching and analyzing other thriller films we realized there was not one thriller film which used none or a couple of editing techniques throughout the film. If the film or our opening thriller sequence was to use the same techniques all the way through this would be uninteresting and boring for the audience to watch, and would not intrigue them.

Planning Characters

Planning Characters

The importance of characters in any film is to help show and give a clear understanding of the narrative. To help develop and create who are characters are we began a plan. This is so that our group had a clear idea and understanding of each of the characters, their role in the film and why they are important to the sequence. Not only are characters important to help establish the narrative but also to develop a relationship with the audience, as the target audience are a similar age to the main characters, so they will be fearful for the characters safety and can relate to the situation they are in.

In my thriller opening sequence there are 4 main characters. Firstly, there are two young female protagonists, both aged around 17. The two girls are pupils that attend the local school who happen to be taking there dogs out on the wrong night. Amy, played by Ella is a teenage girl, average height with brown/blonde hair. She is portrayed as innocent to the audience, however is intrigued by mystery which makes her question what is hiding within the forest. By having this trait it immediately puts the audience on edge as they question her safety, as they realise she will want to know what the "dark figure" is. In addition to this as Amy is a teenager, she could have possibly been a babysitter, which gives her caring and nurturing characteristics, automatically portraying her as caring which could be seen as innocent, therefore vulnerable. Chloe, played by myself is too a young student which could give her a vulnerable trait, this also jeopardizes her safety as she may not be able to defend herself. 

Another character is played by Ollie, this is the young, school aged boy with dark hair tied up to a tree, which is presumably to the audience by the dark figure. The reason this is conventional to the thriller genre is because the character is portrayed as vulnerable which helps to create some of the main elements of suspense and tension to the audience, as it is unknown what will happen to him next. This character will build up a relationship with the audience as the target audience for our thriller opening is of a similar age to the boy that is tied up. The can't help but imagine themselves in the situation, then hoping that no harm comes his way.

Another conventional character is the antagonist. Which will also be played by Ollie, but in different scenes. The antagonist is conventional because the antagonist in our opening thriller sequence is very tall, creating a sense of dominance over other characters. Aswell as this, our antagonist is all masked, with a hidden identity, this helps to create a sense of enigma which is key to creating a successful thriller film. Furthermore, the character are unaware of this at the beginning of the film, but the antagonist turns out to be somebody that has escaped from a mental insinuation, which is not in his right mind. Not only does this keep the audience on the edge of their seats it also helps to create suspense and tension, making the audience want to continue watching on.

I found that planning helped towards making our characters as it helped to individually plan who the character was, and why there role was important. Not only this but it helped to show which characters would not be necessary within the thriller opening sequence as the plot could have become too confusing. By doing this it helped to establish each individual character and how different they each are. It also allowed us to think why each character could build a relationship with the audience. 

Planning Mise En Scene

Mise en Scene

Mise-en-scene is a french expression meaning what is put into a scene or frame which communicates essential information to the audience. The Mise-En-Scene is made up of 5 key elements such as Setting & Iconography, Costume, Hair & Makeup, Facial Expressions & Body Language, Lighting & Colour and the positioning of characters & objects within the scene. Settings & Locations are an important element of making a successful thriller, they are not just "backgrounds". Settings can manipulate an audience by creating certain expectations then giving a 'twist' to the scene. Costume, Hair & Makeup act are an indication of a characters personality, status and job. Certain costumes can signify individuals. For example, if a character is hidden from using a item of clothing that discuses them usually they are the villain. Facial Expressions indicate how the character is feeling. For example if a character within the seen is smiling they are portrayed as happy, however if this is accompanied by music that is threatening this can change the portrayal of the smile and could be seen as mysterious and creepy. Furthermore body language can also infer to the audience how the character is feeling within the scene or how a certain character feels towards another character, this may also portray and reflect the two characters relationship. Positioning within a frame is also a key convention of the mise-en-scene as it  can draw out attention to an important character or object. In addition to this a film-maker can use positioning to indicate relationships between people. Colour is also takes an important role within mise-en-scene, colour can give the scene a certain feel and look to what it wants the audience to feel. Colour also  creates certain connotations which may add hidden meanings to the scene which the audience may pick up on. For example red could be portrayed as danger and passion, whereas pink could symbolize love and romance.

Setting

A setting has to be selected carefully as this can help to engage the audience, making them want to continue to watch on, as the setting helps to build tension and suspense meeting certain expectations. One setting that we have decided and planned upon as a group is a road in a quiet village with not many people around. When we film this scene we will film in the dim light as it will begin to be going dark outside. This begins to create suspense as the audience see at this point the young, vulnerable girls setting out for their walk into the forest late at night, with nobody around to help them if they were to need it. Furthermore, the next scenes will be filmed in the local forest, which we will also film in the near darkness we found that by using a smaller section of the forest this will help to make the characters come across as a victim as they are in an enclosed, isolated area and they also do not know there way around the forest. We wanted to use the forest at this time as it creates a sense of fear as it is unknown what lies within the forest, and creates a sense of foreboding as it is unknown what will happen next. In addition to this the isolated forest is conventional to the thriller genre that helps to build suspense and tension, as the audience will then empathize for the characters as they cant help but imagine themselves in this situation and how scared and terrified they would be feeling. 



Facial Expressions & Body Language

Facial Expressions indicate how the character is feeling. For example if a character within the seen is smiling they are portrayed as happy, however if this is accompanied by music that is threatening this can change the portrayal of the smile and could be seen as mysterious and creepy. Body language can show the audience how the character is feeling immediately without even having to speak, or how they feel towards another character within the scene. Throughout or opening thriller sequence the audience will see the two protagonists facial expressions go from happy and smiling, to terrified and scared, to when they are possessed at the end looking angry and frightening. The facial expressions that will be used will clearly portray to the audience how they are feeling, and it will be obvious to the audience why they are feeling this way. The body language and facial expressions used will help to engage the audience as they will feel a sense of urgency and fear for the characters as they put there self in the current situation.

Iconography/Costume

Iconography is the visual images and symbols used in a work of art of the study or interpretation of these. The main piece of iconography and costuming we will use within our thriller opening sequence is a mask for our antagonist. This is because the hidden identity of the antagonist creates a sense of enigma and uncertainty for the audience as they do not know what is going to happen next, and who is behind the mask. This also makes them wonder who is behind the mask and what their intentions are. Not only this but they will begin to question why the unidentified antagonist has selected those specific victims building suspense, making them want to watch on. Another feature of iconography that we will be using is a dog, by using this the audience will want to continue watching on as they sympathies for the dog as the audience can sometimes build a better relationship with an animal rather than a character.




Lighting and Colour

Similar to many conventional thrillers, in our opening thriller sequence we will be using low-key lighting as the majority of our sequence will be shot during the evening and is almost very dark out by the time we will begin to film. We prefer this choice and style of lighting as it creates suspense and enigma for the audience and makes them want to continue watching. This is because both the audience and the victims can't see what is around them in the isolated setting, not knowing what may happen next. This intensifies the scene as the audience realise it is unknown what could happen to the characters and they are far away from reaching any help or escaping if they need to. Colours will help to represent the characters within the opening thriller sequence. The colours will be shown through the use of costume, for example, the antagonist will be wearing very dark colours, such as grey and black. This is to show his type of personality as black and grey have connotations with being emotionless, almost as though he does not care about the harm he causes his victims and does not think twice about his actions. We will use lighter colours to dress the victim, as this suggests she is innocent, the audience will begin to sympathize as she is in this situation without having done anything wrong. Furthermore, the use of black and white shows a contrast between the personalities of the characters and represents the good vs. evil between the antagonist and protagonist. Using colour within a thriller is conventional to the genre as it helps the audience understand about the different characters as the colours can help to build suspense and tension depending on what colour is used.

Positioning of Characters

The positioning of characters within a scene is important as it draws attention and focus to certain characters. The positioning may also show relationships between characters and how they feel towards each other. Throughout my opening thriller sequence there will be a varied amount of changes of the positions of where the characters are placed. One position, will be a mid shot of the girls walking down the center of the pavement. The purpose of having the girls in the middle of the shot is to emphasize the fact that they are by themselves and there is nobody around them, this will create suspense and tension for the audience as it will forebode that something bad is going to happen, and what will the young protagonists do if something bad were to happen to them. Throughout the opening thriller sequence we will also be using different levels as positions for the characters. For example, the victims will be lower down than the antagonist. This shows a clear difference in dominance and authority between the characters. The characters positioned lower down are portrayed as weak and vulnerable as they have a scary and tall figure towering over them. This automatically puts the audience on edge as they can see the vulnerability of the two girls as the antagonist is in clear control of the situation from positioning and body language. This is conventional to the thriller genre as this shows the different authoritative personalities and the clear difference in status and power between the protagonists and antagonist.

By planning for aspects of mise-en-scene that will appear in our opening thriller sequence this has enabled myself and my group to expand on each others ideas on what we think individually will work well within the sequence to improve our final product as much as possible. The mise-en-scene elements we are planning to include will help to create several emotions as the audience watch, including shock, surprise and suspense which are three key elements within the thriller genre which helps to engage the audience as they watch, making them want to continue watching onward. 

Group Planning

Group Planning

In my group there is Ollie, Ella and myself. Within our group we have several group meetings. This is important and essential as we get to discuss and improve our group ideas, evaluate ideas that have been discussed and altogether helps with organisation of our opening thriller sequence so it is clear to each individual what we need to do. Which will help to improve our narrative.

Within our first few meetings, we have discussed ideas such as the narrative idea and who had inspired our opening sequence, in which Aristotle inspired my group. Additionally, in our group we have discussed ideas about our opening sequence such as cinematography, mise en scene, soundtrack, editing, target audience, research carried out/thriller film inspiration, codes&conventions and representation of characters. 

At each meeting with our groups, we planned and discussed a different topic each time. To plan and discuss each topic thoroughly we planned on an A3 sheet of paper to get structured, clear notes which would help us to develop ideas and helped us to follow conventional thriller aspects. Our first A3 sheet was based around cinematography within our scenes and wrote about them. An example of this is a panning shot and a close up shot. 

In our next meeting we then discussed sound. We divided our page into four and wrote about diegetic and non-diegetic sounds that could possibly feature within our opening thriller sequence to intensify the scene and help to create as much suspense and tension as possible. An example of the sounds that we planned was the diegetic sound of rustling leaves
this is also an parallel sound as it is a sound that you would expect to here within the forest. We will use this when both characters are walking at the beginning of the forest with their dogs. This won't be an exaggerated sound, it will be a noise in the background but will be enough to create an eerie sense and create suspense as it shows how isolated the setting is, making the audience fear for their safety.Another sound we will use is the non-diegetic sound of an exaggerated heart beat. The heart beat helps to intensify the scene as it shows how scared the character is. The audience will then sympathize for the characters as they are a similar age and can not help but imagine themselves in the same situation and how scared they must be. We will use this when the two characters first spot the dark figure in the series of montage clips. Not only does this give the audience a sense of uncertainty but it also builds suspense and tension as the audience think something will happen or jump out at the characters at the end of the sound.

Next, we discussed mise-en-scene which is everything that is within the scene. To make sure our thriller opening scene contain conventional mise-en-scene thriller aspects we again used an A3 sheet to plan. Two of our ideas were the setting and characters. Within our opening thriller sequence the setting we will use of a forest is conventional to the thriller genre. This use of mise-en-scene will be used when the girls enter the forest, to find a boy tied up looking possessed, and are unsure of the reason why. The entire scene will be mostly filmed within the dark forest. This is conventional to the thriller genre because not only is the forest isolated, to give a scene of danger to the scene, but it also keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as it is unknown whether the protagonist can reach for help in time. Another reason why the use of a forest is conventional to the thriller genre is because at the time we will use the forest it will be dark and gloomy. We wanted to use the forest at this time as it creates a sense of fear as it is unknown what lies within the forest, and creates a sense of foreboding as it is unknown what will happen next. In addition we planned our characters which are also conventional. In our thriller opening sequence, there will be 4 characters. Firstly, there are two school aged girls around 16 years old. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the female is always portrayed and seen as the victim as they are perceived to innocent and vulnerable. In addition to the teen-aged girls there is also a boy around the similar age, which is the character tied up in the middle of the forest, looking possessed. I think that this age for the characters works well as the audience begin to sympathize for the character as the target audience of the thriller opening is of a similar age range. Not only this, but the younger the character, the less dominance they have in the situation as they are more vulnerable, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats wanting to watch on until the end.

The next meeting involved discussing characters, which helped enable us to understand and create the characters together which helped as we could create something that would help the audience relate to the protagonists, making them want to watch on. 

In our last group meeting we discussed which editing techniques we were going to use. Firstly we will use is making the scene faster, this is when the pace of the editing is increased. This would most likely be used alongside the montage editing and when the hand held camera is being used to show that the pace of the unidentified killers walking has also increased as he follows them. In addition to this I think it would be effective to have a non-diegetic heart beat over the top of this scene as it shows how frightened and scared the two girls are. Not only could the fast paced editing of the scene represent the woman's heartbeat but could also represent there desperation to escape the forest they do not know what is going to happen. I think that this will make the audience sympathize for the girls as the target audience will be of a similar age range, meaning they will put themselves in this situation.Furthermore my group will also use a reaction shot in our thriller opening. We will use this when the two girls are in the forest, the wind will begin to pick up hearing the rustling of the leaves on the ground and the movement of the trees. Not only does this create tension and suspense as usually something or someone jumps out at the end of the loud noises. 

Date	Meeting	What We Discussed and Achieved	By Who	Discussions
17/10/2014	1	Ideas & Plan our intial Group Narrative	All	Discussed ideas for narrative on a group mindmap.
24/10/2014	2	Ideas and Planning for Cinematography	All	Mindmapped & finalized Cinematography on A3 paper.
06/11/2014	3	Ideas and Planning for Sound	All	Mindmapped & finalized Sound on A3 paper.
07/11/2014	4	Ideas and Planning for Editing Styles	All	Mindmapped & finalized Editing Styles on A3 paper.
07/11/2014	5	Ideas and Planning for Opening Credits	Individual	Planned Individually our Opening Credits
13/11/2014	6	Ideas and Planning for Characters	All	Mindmapped & finalized Characters on A3 paper.
14/11/2014	7	Planning and Finalising Group Storyboard	All	Mindmapped & finalized Storyborard on 5xA4 paper.
17/11/2014	8	Planning and Finalising Filming Schedule	All	Planned our Schedule on Edexcel to follow.
23/11/2014	9	Planning Risk Assessment	All	Planned our Risks to avoid them during filming.
01/12/2014	10	Filming our Opening Thriller Sequence	All	Took into account all of our planning & filmed sequence.

Altogether I think that group meeting have helped to keep my group organised and has helped us to understand what needs to be done next. In addition to this it has helped to expand and broaden our ideas to develop them further helping to create a better opening thriller sequence as this is all of our ideas combined.

Planning Sound

Planning Sound 

Sound is an important element within any film that is created. It is able to manipulate and control during the production. This is an important element as many films are focused on shots and ignore the poor sound effects and quality. Sound can help to create an ulra-heightened expectation of what is about to happen and help to build suspense for the audience. Sound can also transform any scene from dull and boring to make it seem lively and create tension.

Non-Diegetic Sound of the Soundtrack

A none diegetic sound is a sound that can not be heard by other characters or any characters within the scene. One diegetic sound that we will be using is the soundtrack leading up throughout our entire opening thriller sequence. The music will help to create suspense throughout the sequence as it builds up every time a significant event happens, so the audience will be on edge until the music has built up its tempo, knowing that something bad is going to happen; essentially the music is foreboding the events that happen within the sequence. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it keeps the audience alerted and interested throughout the duration of the sequence as they wonder why the music is steadily increasing pace and tempo, wondering what is going to happen when it has built up maximum tempo, and if something terrible will happen, or if something will jump out. 

Non-Diegetic Sound of a Heartbeat

Our final non-diegetic sound that we will be using in our opening thriller sequence is an exaggerated sound of a heartbeat. This will be used when the girls spot the antagonist, and the majority of the time when the victims are fearful or being attacked. The heart beat helps to intensify the scene as it shows how scared the character is. The audience will then sympathize for the characters as they are a similar age and can not help but imagine themselves in the same situation and how scared they must be. This is conventional to the thriller genre as not only does this give the audience a sense of uncertainty but it also builds suspense and tension as they want to find out what will happen next, and if the victims will escape from what they are fearing.


Exaggerated Diegetic Sound of Footsteps

Another sound that we will use within our thriller opening sequence is the exaggerated diegetic sounds of footsteps. This will be used within the handheld camera scene of the antagonist following the two girls down the long stretch of road. The footsteps are easily added in as there are many sound effects of footsteps. This helps to portray to the audience that the girls are being followed which intensifies the scene as the audience begin to sympathize for the victims as they want the girls to be safe and well. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as the sounds build up tension and emotion as it is unknown if the girls safety is in jeopardy.

Off Screen Sound

An off screen sound is a noise in which happens off screen and which the audience does not see. My group have decided that the off screen sound that we will include in our opening thriller sequence is a scream from the victims at the very end of the film, when you see the mask for the final time. The audience do not know what the girls are screaming at, but can presume that the girls have been killed as the see the mask that the antagonist has worn throughout the entire duration of the sequence. This would keep the audience in suspense as they do not know what has happened to to the girls, but will also shock them as it could possibly not be the girls that are screaming and they did not expect this sound to happen, keeping them on the edge of their seats as they are now alerted. This is conventional to the thriller genre as is shows that a victim has been hurt, but has also created enigma as it is a mystery to the audience who was screaming, and why they were screaming.

I think by planning which sounds we are going to use in our opening thriller sequence this will make our overall production much more effective. This is because each sound technique that we have used is to create emotion for the audience as each one relates to the victim that they have built a relationship with. In addition to this, the sounds used will enable the audience to grasp the concept of the narrative alot easier and what is going on. An example of this is when the antagonist is walking behind the victims and the footsteps are used. Before this could have been seen as a scene where a man is walking behind two girls, but now adding exaggerated footsteps this gives the impression that the antagonist is following the girls, building up suspense adding to the overall effect, keeping the audience engaged. It was also useful to plan what sounds we were going to use in order to create the sounds before it came to the editing phase of the task so we were not behind on time and if there were specific sound that we needed to get, which were difficult to record or find, we would have plenty of time to do so. 

Planning for Cinematography

Planning for Cinematography

Cinematography is the art of photography and camera work in film-making is and the science of motion picture photography. It is the technique of film photography, including both the shooting and development of the film. The cinematographer could also be referred to as the film director's main visual collaborator. Cinematography is important in any scene as it can help to set the scene and develop a relationship with the characters involved and shows each characters individual status and dominance in the relationship, which enables the audience to have an insight of the narrative and the background on each character. 


Panning

The first use of cinematography my group has decided to use is a Panning Shot. This is when the camera is positioned on the tripod, which moves from side to side as it follows an object or person.  We will use this when the two girls are sitting down watching the news report, then the camera will pan around the room revealing the dark, shadowed figure walking across the window. Secondly. we will use this to show a panning shot of the isolated forest, then the masked antagonist appears at the end of the shot. We will use this shot as it gives the audience an insight of what may happen within the opening sequence when they see the masked antagonist walking past the window, the audience will begin to question how does the antagonist know where the victims live, and how does he know them keeping them on the edge of their seats to find out these details. Furthermore, we will use this technique to pan the isolated forest as this shows just exactly how isolated and in the middle of nowhere the setting really is. This helps the audience to build a relationship with the victims as they imagine themselves in this situation, if they are in danger and there is nowhere to escape to, so how scared a young, vulnerable victim must be. This technique is conventional to the thriller genre as it can create many affects for the audience. The main affect it will create for our target audience is enigma, as at both points it creates a mystery as the audience are thinking many questions about the scene of what and why the antagonist is at the exact same place as the victims.

High Angle

Another cinematography technique that we will use is a high angled shot. We have decided that we will use this when the two girls are entering the forest for the first time, and at another point when the vulnerable victim is tied up to the tree, as though the antagonist is looking down on him. The angle used will display the vulnerability of both the two young girls, and the young boy as the camera makes the victim look smaller and inferior to the other character just by simply positioning the camera and the tripod differently. By doing this, this helps to give the impression that something or someone is standing over the victim illustrating to the audience who has more dominance and a higher status between the characters. This helps the audience to build a relationship with the victim as they can only imagine themselves in her situation and how they would be feeling if they were them. High angles are conventional to the thriller genre as it shows the victims for how vulnerable they are and this is the first moment when the audience realises they could potentially become hurt or in danger, with nowhere to escape to. This makes the audience want to continue watching on as they want to know what is going to happen to the character they have built a relationship with.

Low Angle

Another technique that we will use is a low angle shot which we will use when the young boy is sitting tied up to the tree, looking up at the masked antagonist. We will also use this when the two girls enter the forest. By doing this, the camera angle helps the audience to acknowledge who is the dominant character within the situation. For example, with the boy looking up at the masked antagonist this immediately gives the impression that they boy is weak and vulnerable, as the low angle shot has made the antagonist appear larger and taller, towering over the boy. Secondly, as the girls enter the forest with a low angle, the forest and scenery around it appears much larger as though any one who enters the forest automatically has jeopardized their safety and well being. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to build a relationship between the victim and the audience as the audience can sense the fear and threat imposed on the victim, making the audience sympathetic. 

Close Up

Another technique that myself and my group will use is a close up shot. We will use this technique to display the emotions and feelings of our characters throughout the thriller opening sequence. The use of close up on of the characters face will help to show the emotion of the character and how they are feeling towards another individual character within the scene. An example of this is to show the girls immediately after they have just spotted the masked antagonist for the first time. The close up will enable the audience to show how worried and frightened the girls are yet how shocked the are at the same time about what they have just seen. This helps to build a relationship between the victims and audience as the audience can see how fearful and scared the two girls are, so they can not help but imagine themselves in this situation and how they would be feeling. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the expressions help the audience know what is going on within the scene and how the characters are feeling, making the audience want to continue to watch on. 


Long Shot

We have also decided within our group to use a long shot. We will use this when the two characters begin to walk down the long road, showing the isolated setting. As the characters continue walking down the road, the camera will also follow the characters, this is to give the impression that the girls are being followed by the antagonist, as the shot is a long shot it shows the isolated setting, in which they are being followed in, adding tot he danger element, fearing for the characters safety. Along with the technique of a long shot, the camera will also be hand held, giving it a raged effect, further adding to the impression that someone is behind them, not only creating a sense of enigma but also creating tension as the audience will fear for the girls safety.

Point of View

Another use of cinematography we will use is a point of view shot. We will use this when the girls have entered the forest, have now heard rustling from the bushes and trees and are looking around after they have found a boy roped up. By using the point of view shot, this enables the audience to see what the characters are also seeing, creating suspense and keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as they are watching on to see what is going to happen.




Shallow Focus

Another technique me and my group discussed using was the use of a shallow focus shot. This is when there is a clearer focus on an object nearer the camera, so the audience focuses mainly on this object or person with the background blurred slightly. We will use this technique when the two girls are left standing at the end after having screaming after seeing the masked antagonist. The two girls will be slightly blurred as the audience know that it is them screaming, and the focal point will be the antagonist standing further back, but central of them. This is significant to the opening sequence as it shows the destruction and devastation that this antagonist is causing for many people, and how even after the events he will still be a memory and will never leave. We will also use this technique when the antagonist is burning pictures of his victims. The image will be the focal point of the scene whilst the background is blurred so nothing is distracting the audience of the main part of the scene. The blurry backgrounds could also represent the fact that the antagonist is not thinking clearly, and has not for sometime as he would not being carrying out this task in the first place. This helps to create a relationship between the audience and the victims as the audience sympathise for the victims as they are innocent and haven't done anything wrong to deserve this. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it keeps the audience engaged as the entire scene using the shallow focus is focusing one point which the audience realise is a clue or an insight of what is going to happen on further in the film.

Planning is required when choosing which cinematography techniques we want to include within our opening thriller sequence. This is because it gives the group an idea of what we would like to include in our opening thriller sequence. Not only does it give us a chance to know what we would like to add, but it also allows us to expand on each others own individual thoughts and ideas to get a better final result and broaden our ideas as much as possible. Once this is done it is then beneficial as once it comes to filming our opening thriller sequence, we can continue straight to the filming stage without having to think of new, original ideas to include and saves time.