Question 5

Before I started planning my film I did lots of research on the different elements of thriller films in order for me to understand how to make an appealing and conventional film of this genre. I researched into all the different parts of film including sound, mise-en-scene, camerawork, editing and even the history of thrillers in order to ensure I had as much understanding of the genre as possible. Classic thriller films I analysed include Psycho and The Silence of The Lambs. I also researched into my chosen target audience and conducted questionnaires and vox pops so I could find out what they liked and disliked about films and thrillers so I would gain knowledge into what I should include.

During my film research I made sure to note what techniques were successful at creating a certain effect and how I could use these techniques in my own sequence. For example during my research into editing styles I examined a scene from the film Human Centipede and learned how varying the timing of shots can be used to effectively change the tempo of the film and keep it from getting stale. I learned from Zodiac how eerie music can be used to build tension and suspense and I used what I learned to help with the soundtrack for my sequence. In my analysis of the Scream movie franchise I learned how cinematography can be used to make knives the focus of the shot in a way that makes the audience scared for the victims. In my sequence I used what I learned from Scream to have a shot where the knife appears to glisten as it reflects light and this makes it look more threatening.

During my target audience research I learned what specific elements my target audience liked to see included and also what the didn't like. For example I learned that they prefer thrillers to be set in an isolated location which helped me decide to set my film in a forest. I also learned that they prefer films where the identity of the antagonist is hidden to create enigma. I learned that their favourite murder weapon is a gun and that knives were the second most popular choice. I decided it would be difficult to film a realistic looking gun and that my sequence would work much better if the antagonist wielded a knife which was also a popular choice. The vox pops were useful as they allowed me to record more detailed answers for the open questions in our questionnaire. The questionnaires and vox pops are both forms of primary research as I personally carried it out. The information we gathered helped a lot during the planning process as it helped me decide the setting and what mise-en-scene elements I should include. It also helped me with some simpler decisions like whether or not the antagonist should have a hidden identity. The research I did into other thrillers was invaluable and was extremely helpful with deciding what shots to use, how to arrange the soundtrack and many other elements I was able to make conventional to the genre.

Question 4

It's important to have a target audience when creating a film or you may end up with a film that appeals to no one and sells poorly as a result of this. For my film the target audience is older teenagers and young adults aged between 15-25. I chose to target this group of people as they are the people I'm surrounded by on a daily basis so it would be much easier for me question them and find out what they like to see in films. This means I can address their needs and wants and successfully create a film that suits them. As I myself fit into this age category I have much more knowledge and understanding of what works and what doesn't. If I chose to target another audience, middle aged ladies for example, I would have a very limited understanding of what this sort of audience likes and it would be harder for me to find out.

I made sure the narrative of the film met what my target audience suggested they wanted to see. I learned through the questionnaire that my target audience like to see thriller films set in isolated locations which helped me decide to set my sequence in the middle of a forest. I asked my target audience what their favourite thriller subgenre is to help me find out what type of thrillers my target audience like to watch. I learned from this that psychological thrillers are by far the most popular. Psychological thrillers usually feature a mentally unstable antagonist so I used this information to decide that I wanted to make the antagonist in my film appear mentally unstable and deranged.

I asked my audience what gender they prefer the victims to be and around 80% said they prefer female victims. I used this information to help me decide that the antagonist should be male and the innocent teenagers and victim should all be female to give my audience what they want.

Through the use of mise en scene, specifically costume, I made the presented as innocent wear similar clothing to what my target audience would wear in order to make my characters more relatable. The teenage girls are wearing leggings and jumpers which is what the females in my target audience would most likely be wearing in the same season. This makes my audience feel more sympathetic towards the characters as they see that the people being targeted are just as innocent as they are so don't deserve to be harmed. The antagonist always has his hood up in order to keep his identity hidden like my target audience said they prefer. I also used iconography in the form of a knife to meet my audience's expectations as in my questionnaire a lot of audience said they like knives to be what the antagonist uses as a weapon. Once the antagonist had been spotted by the victim I utilized fast paced editing in order to increase adrenaline. I also did this as my target audience is young and therefore more likely to get bored and distracted if the pace of the film remains slow. I also used a reaction shot of the victims fear when she sees the antagonist in order to convey to the audience how scared she is. In my questionnaire I discovered that the tension created by thrillers is a large part of why my audience likes to watch them so in order to increase the tension in my scene I used slow, eerie music as a form of non-diegetic sound that helped increase tension. As my audience likes isolated locations I utilized an establishing shot of the forest to highlight where the sequence is set.

Question 6

Question 3

Question 7

The preliminary task was set so my group would get used to working together and also to introduce me to the different technologies I would be using and some basic camera shots. I was tasked with recording a simple conversation and it had to include some basic camera shots like a long shot and a closeup. I filmed me and my group member Charlie exiting a building and walking up the bench where I was sat. We had a short conversation about football and then I filmed him leaving. The preliminary task was where my group learned how to operate the camera and the tripod as well as how to chop and arrange clips in Final Cut Pro X. It helped a lot as it meant when we started filming the actual sequence we never had to waste time figuring out how to use the equipment as we were already comfortable with it. I was them able to import what I had filmed into Final Cut Pro without any issues. Since doing the preliminary task I had become much more comfortable with using Final Cut Pro, the camera and the tripod and I also learned some slightly more advanced editing techniques. I also learned how I could use the Final Cut software to adjust the brightness of some scenes in order to fix some lighting issues.

The knowledge acquired during the preliminary task made the filming process go much smoother than it would have otherwise. It helped with my thriller since I was comfortable using the equipment it was much easier to get things filmed on schedule. We'd spent time learning about shots and angles and editing styles but the preliminary task is when I first saw them in action and how they work. This experience meant that when we started the main task I already knew how to use the equipment. Examples of how the knowledge I acquired during the preliminary task improved the production of my film can be seen throughout. Unlike the preliminary task I made sure that when filming my thriller sequence that were no unwanted disturbances or distractions that could shift the audience's focus away from the plot of my film. The footage recorded is also much smoother as I was better at using the camera. When the time came for me to start editing I was quickly able to get rid of the outtakes and wrongly recorded footage leaving only what I needed to piece together my sequence. I was then able use the slice tool to help me cut and arrange the clips in the right order to create the rough draft for my thriller sequence which I then analysed and had had my peers review for possible improvements.

Question 2

In my film the only characters are the antagonist, the victim and her friends. I chose to introduce these characters in the opening sequence as they help introduce the plot and the narrative structure of my film. The teenage girls also provide characters for the audience to relate to. They are relatable to my target audience as the film is targeted towards teenagers and young adults aged between 16-25. They may be able to recall being in a similar situation walking through a dark forest so they will be able to remember how scared they felt and relate to the characters. The victim in particular emphasizes this as she is a young teenage girl who isn't at all worried and has no problem walking through the forest at night as she is both innocent and oblivious to the potential dangers. The antagonist is male and presented as twisted and unstable which is emphasized through the use of a canted angle shot. Not much information is revealed about him as this creates a sense of enigma. He is presented as someone with no morals who wouldn't think twice about doing horrible things to the characters the audience have been made to care about. This enigma is part of what makes him seem scary to the audience.

The antagonist is wearing dark clothes and a dark hoodie he uses to obscure his face, in my target audience research I learned that my target audience prefer films where the identity of the antagonist is secret. Genders are represented stereotypically in my sequence as the group of girls are implied to be powerless and unable to do anything against the strong male antagonist. All we know about the antagonist is that he is male but yet he is still shown to be much more powerful than the female characters, this is conventional as the females in thrillers usually rely on being saved by the strong male protagonist. The female characters are appealing to the audience as they are relatable and shown to be completely innocent. The teenage girls wear leggings and jumpers which are typical teenage girl clothing and this helps make them more relatable and helps the audience build a relationship with the characters as they may wear similar clothing.

Question 1

The brief was to create the opening two minute sequence to a thriller film, making sure it followed all the generic conventions of the genre and included all the necessary credits. In my group was myself, Charlie Stewart and Jessica Day. While we initially had some problems working together we were able to resolve them and eventually we were able to work well in order to create our film. I think our film does a good job of following thriller convention sand meeting what our target audience wants but it suffered slightly from a lack of originality and it wasn't as engaging as I hoped it would be.

1. There are many conventions that thriller films usually follow. They usually focus on an antagonist who has broken the equilibrium and the protagonist fighting to restore it. The antagonist is usually a white male presented as twisted and mentally unstable, for example in the film Se7en the antagonist is played by Kevin Spacey and is a serial killer who meticulously plans his murders to correspond with the seven deadly sins. The protagonist is usually a strong, attractive white male whereas the victims are often white females who are presented as weak, innocent and unable to fight for themselves. Examples of this can also be seen in Se7en where the protagonist is played by Brad Pitt and the final victim is played by Gwyneth Paltrow and it's inferred that she was completely unable to protect herself. The soundtrack to these films are often slow paced and menacing in order to increase tension, this technique was used often throughout the film Zodiac, a mystery thriller film. High angle shots are often used to make the victims appear small and weak whereas low angle shots are often used to make the protagonist and antagonist appear strong and powerful. The speed of editing and shot transitions are used for dramatic effect as slow paced scenes used for building tension are often interjected with sudden fast paced sections in order to create excitement and adrenaline. This occurred often in the movie Scream, the editing would increase in speed whenever a victim was being attacked.  Mise-en-scene plays a big part in thriller films and typical murder weapons include knives and ropes. Knives are a key element in the Scream movie series as the victims are often brutally stabbed to death. These films are often set in isolated locations like abandoned houses and forests. An example of this is the Cabin in The Woods which is set around a cabin hidden deep in an isolated forest.

When creating my sequence I made sure it followed these conventions. My sequence is set in a dark isolated forest as this is a conventional thriller setting due to its isolated and eerie nature. This is a scary location as the audience know the victims are unlikely to find help. Also, the trees and bushes create many moving shadows and mean there are many potential hiding places and things that could be lurking in the shadows, thus increasing tension. The antagonist in my sequence has his identity remain a secret throughout as this is a common thriller technique that makes them appear scarier and makes the audience wonder who they could be. I kept his identity hidden by utilizing over-the-shoulder shots and by making sure his face was obscured by bushes and shadows. The victim in my film is a young female who was walking through the forest with her friends, this is conventional as it presents her as innocent and undeserving of death. The audience are made to sympathise with her and don't want her to die as she is young and innocent. The antagonist's weapon of choice is a knife which is a conventional weapon as killing with it is personal and appears brutal and painful which makes the audience feel sympathetic towards whoever it's used on. Even though there are no stabbings in my sequence, the knife is the focus of some shots, when the knife is in the scene the victim is also seen which makes the intentions of my antagonist clear, this creates tension. Low key lighting is used throughout my sequence as it creates a dark and eerie atmosphere which is matched by the slow paced and eerie soundtrack I chose for the film. The final scene in my sequence utilises very low key lighting where the the focus is on the antagonists knife which appears to menacingly glisten in the dark. I used a low angle shot of the antagonist as it makes him appear bigger and more threatening compared to the small, fragile looking victim. My antagonist reveals he has a knife which is a common murder weapon in thrillers. My film shares many similarities with the Horror/Thriller film Scream. The antagonist in the film always has his identity hidden as he always wears a white mask that conceals his face. The Scream film also has attractive white females as the victims as they are presumed to be innocent and undeserving of death which makes the antagonists crimes more horrific. Knives are used to kill the victims and the Scream series helped make knives a conventional murder weapon in thrillers. The antagonists in Scream are presented as twisted and mentally unstable like the antagonist in my film. Overall I think my sequence is conventional as it borrows elements from the very films that helped define the genre.

Production Roles - Miss Miller

All the people involved in the making of the film are assigned their own role. This is so everyone knows what they are responsible for so the production process goes smoothly. If roles were not assigned to everyone there would be confusion and specific jobs may not get done as no one was assigned to that job. Some roles are more important than others and are necessary for a film to be successful.

The main roles in film production are:

• Producers - In charge of the finance and managerial aspects of the film. Producers oversee the production process, make sure everything is on budget and are often in charge of choosing the crew members and some of the cast.
• Directors - The directors are in charge of making the film and work closely with the screenplay writers as well as the camera crew.
• Actors - The actors are the people who play the characters in the film. They learn the script written by the screenplay writer(s) and work together with the directors.
• Director of Photography - The DoP is in charge of all the cinematography elements and the shots used in the film. They work with the directors, camera crew and the lighting department.
• Camera Crew - The camera crew are in charge of operating the cameras and filming under the direction of the directors and the director of photography.
• Music Producers - The music producers are a part of the post production process as they are in charge of creating a suitable soundtrack for the film. 
• Screenplay Writer - The writers are in charge of writing the film script. They are mostly a part of the pre production process as the script is usually the first thing developed for a film and often scripts are already have first drafts before being shown to potential producers. Screenplay writers are also usually on set and work with the director who may suggest changes to the script during the production process.
• Mise-en-scene coordinators - they are in charge of all the props, lighting, hair & makeup and anything else that will be seen in the film.
• Editors - Editors work post production and are in charge of putting the film together using all the film footage. The editors are in charge of any special effects in the film as well the shot transitions.

Soon after we had planned the narrative we had a group discussion about who would be responsible for what. When we finished discussing we had assigned everyone to a specific role

• Producers - We were all responsible for the production of the film but Jess was our main producer. Jess was our main producer as it was her narrative we were using and we needed several female actors. Jess said she would be able to get some of her friends involved so she wasd responsible for casting and organising our filming scedule as it would be easier for her to find out when her friends were available. Jess did a good job as she picked suitable people to act in our film and we were able to get all the filming finished before the deadline whereas several other groups struggled as they were poorly organised.
• Director - We chose Charlie to be our our main director as he expressed an interest in the role and is currently doing Film Studies. He had a good understanding of our film as he drew our group narrative and we thought he would hardest in the role as he told us he is inspired by Stanley Kubrick. He did a good job and the shots we took were convential as well as interesting and do a good job of helping create an eerie atmoshphere.
• Actors - The main role in our sequence, the victim, was played by Jess' friend Molly. We chose her as she meets the conventions of a victim as she is a youg white female who looks innocent and is able to make the audience feel for her. She is also a drama student with acting experience so she was the most suitable out of Jess' friends. She did a good job and listened carefully to the instructions she was being given by Jess and Charlie.
• Director of Photgraphy / Cameraman - Me and Charlie were in charge of this. Charlie was the main director but I also knew what shots we needed to make the sequence convential so we worked together. We worked well together as Charlie knew the sequence and all the shots we would need and I was able to provide suggestions on how to make the shots more convential. Having two people doing was definetly benificial as we were able to come up with more and better ideas.
• Music Producers - I was put in charge of finding suitable music for our soundtrack. We decided I would be best for this role as I was inspired by thrillers such as Zodiac and Prisoners so I had a good idea of they type of music I was looking for. I also knew of some websites that provide royalty free music which is what we were told we had to use. I struggled at first as the amount of sources providing royalty free music was very limited so it was difficult to find something that matched the ideas I had in my head. I was successful in the end as I found website with a large enough collection for some to be suitable for our film. In the end Charlie helped with choosing the best option and we found some music that we liked. 
• Editors - Jess handled most of the editing work with help from Charlie. They had the job of editing the sequence as I was busy with the soundtrack and updating the group meetings table. They had to import all the clips into Final Cut Pro and then edit and sequence them together. Once I had found the music we would use for the soundtrack Charlie imported it into Final Cut and found the best way to incorporate the soundtrack into the sequence. After watching the first draft we realised that our sequence was rather boring and not as engaging as we thought it would be. The editing was basic as the transitions weren't varied (mostly jump cuts) and no effects were added to the frame. If we were more experienced with the program we would have been able to edit the sequence in a more interesting way.

To conclude, allocating different roles to everyone made the filming process smoother but we still had some issues. In hindsight we may have been better off having Jess acting as the victim as it was her narrative so she knew exactly how she should act and how it should look. Also, our sequence may have been better if me and Charlie did the editing as we are both more comfortable using Final Cut and could have used more advanced editing techniques.