It is important to have a filming schedule as it makes the filming process much more efficient. It does this as it minimises confusion after each shot as the director will know what to shoot and when. Without one it would probably take longer to get between each shot as the film crew would have to work out what they need to film whereas with a filming schedule there is a structured plan to follow.
We followed some of the schedule but ran in to quite a few problems. We followed the order of the shots but we weren't able to get them all done on the days listed as we had lighting issues when it got too dark for us to continue filming. We had to go back twice to get all the filming finished.
In my group are Jessica Day and Charlie Stewart and we all have to have regular group meetings and updates. This is very good for our group as it allows us to share our ideas about the opening sequence and other tasks. We can discuss together the best way sot make out film conventional to the thriller genre. We also have group discussions whenever someone wants to change something and we decide whether or not it's a good idea. We talk about the best way we can incorporate these ideas into our film and how we can explore different micro elements we can incorporate into our film. In our first meeting we discussed the narrative. We had all created our own individual narrative ideas and the we discussed which one we should base our film on. We decided that Charlie's would be too difficult to film and that mine was overly complex and too much to fit into an opening sequence. We then came to the conclusion that if we made some changes to Jess' idea it would be the most conventional as well as being the easiest to film as it was all set in one location. We decided to get rid of the "game" aspect and just make it so the antagonist targeted one victim. We didn't discuss inspirations much in our first meeting but me and Charlie agreed that our favourite thriller was Se7en and we liked the way the antagonist was presented. We also realised that after we changed Jess' narrative it had several similarities with the Scream film series.
We were given several A3 sheets of paper and given the task of planning out each part of our sequence and what techniques we will use. We separated each sheet into four sections and in each section we focused on a different part of our sequence. On the first section we planned mise-en-scene and what mise-en-scene elements we would feature in our film. We decided that for iconography our antagonist would be armed with a knife which is a conventional murder weapon in thriller films. We also decided to use low key lighting and have the victims wearing light clothes and the antagonist wearing black, representing good vs evil. We decided to set out film in a forest as it is a dark, eerie and isolated location which makes the on-screen characters and the audience all feel uneasy.
In the next meeting we discussed cinematography. We looked at what shots and angles we could use and how we could use them to improve the look and feel of our sequence. We all instantly agreed that we should feature shaky handheld camera movements to portray to the audience the fear and panic the victim is feeling. We also decided that we should have a high angle shot of the victim walking alone through the forest to highlight how isolated and vulnerable she is. We decided that when the antagonist is in the frame we should use low angle shots to make him appear more threatening and powerful.
The next meeting was all about the soundtrack. I came up with the idea of having off screen sound of crunching leaves and branches being broken to suggest to the victim and to the audience that the victim may be being followed. We all decided that this was a good idea as it increases tension and creates panic. We will use parallel sound of the victims heavy breathing which shows the audience that she is as scared as they would expect her to be and sympathize.
Storyboards are used to get the narrative down on paper in a way which illustrates what shots will be used and what will be seen in each shot. They are made by the director and writers of the film and are used as a plan for the directors and camera crew so they know what they are filming. Without a storyboard the filming process would be much less efficient as the director and camera crew would not have an exact idea of what shots they need to get and what they are supposed to look like.
Me, Charlie and Jess all created our own individual storyboards before using them to create one group storyboard. The purpose of this was to see what ideas we all had for shots and how they should be sequenced. We then took the best ideas from each storyboard and combined them to create the final version. If we didn't all create individual storyboards beforehand we would have had less unique ideas to choose from when creating our final version. I hoped my individual storyboard would help create the final version as I tried to think differently as it meant we had more variation in the ideas we had to choose from and were then able to choose what was most suitable.
The first frame is just white text on a black background and it is the first credit, introducing our production company. We learnt during our opening credits analysis that it is conventional for the production company to be introduced first. The next frame is an establishing shot from just outside the forest which shows the entrance as well as the sign which reads "Epping Forest". This is used to let the audience know where the opening sequence is set. I learnt about establishing shots in my research into cinematography. Without this shot the audience would be left wondering where the characters are instead of getting engrossed in the film. The next two shots are there to set the scene as we see four girls walking through the forest happily as they are heard laughing. This is to emphasize the the equilibrium the film starts in. I decided to add this as it follows Todorov's narrative theory which I learnt about while planning narrative ideas. The next four frames focus on one of the girls separating form her friends and how isolated she ends up being. We use a slow zoom out to a long shot in order to enhance the sense of isolation and the only sound heard is diegetic background noises and the wind rustling. Frames 9-12 focus on the increasing sense of dread and eeriness as characters start to get the feeling that something is wrong. We see the girl start to worry as her phone battery dies and she starts noticing strange sounds and rustling noises, she starts to become paranoid that she is being watched. We see her friend's body language noticeably change and become less relaxed when their friend stops texting. In frame 13 we are back with the soon-to-be victim and we notice someone watching her from a hiding place in the shadows. We see light shine on a knife he is holding. This is when the audience become scared and worried for Cathryn, our victim. The screen then quickly fades to black and the next credits appear which say "Directed by - Ryan Samuels & Charlie Stewart". This is is inspired from Se7en which I analysed above, I noticed that the credits were cut between different parts of the opening sequence so decided to do this in my storyboard. The final frame is when the screen fades to black and the title appears. I added this last for dramatic effect but it adds the unwanted effect of making the opening sequence more "trailer-like".
Even though my storyboard has room for improved and the sketches were awful I made sure it included some of the conventions we have been studying and matched the thriller genre. We don't want the opening sequence to be too similar to a trailer so we will most likely rearrange the order of the credits. I also didn't credit all the people involved in the film like the actors. This would have to be remedied with extra frames. I think ym individual storyboard will help my group as I made sure it sure it included some important conventions like starting with the production company and an establishing shot. Some of the more unique ideas I included give us extra options when we create the final version of the storyboard.
The purpose of opening credits is letting the audience know who the main people involved in the film are. It tells you the production company and the title of the film. The opening credits also introduce the theme and style of the film. It is important for us to plan our opening credits as it means we can make sure they suite the rest of the film and are conventional to the thriller genre.
I analysed the film Se7en to see what techniques they used and what effect they created. The first technique I analysed was the use of colour. The credits text was where white which contrasted with the black background. This could represent the good vs evil theme which runs throughout the rest of the film with white representing innocence and black representing evil. There were splashes of red scattered throughout the opening credits, this represents blood and death and shows that the opening credits prepare the audience for the rest of the film as there is plenty of blood and deaths later on.
The style of the credits also matches the theme of the film. The font appears like it was roughly handwritten as it is jagged and looks etched. The credits also stutter and jerk. This creates a jarring effect which creates a sense of unease as well as representing the antagonist unpredictable and erratic nature. The credits are also where we are introduced to the antagonist as in every shot we see movement and the hand belonging to the antagonist. We see him scribbling in old looking books and we also see him holding several sharp blades. Along with the odd passages of texts and the crossed out faces the antagonist is presented as evil and insane.
The opening credits are conventional to the thriller genre. Low key lighting is used to make the sequence more eerie and tense. During the sequence we see someone writing strange text and crossing out people's faces on photographs. This creates an enigma as the antagonists identity is not revealed so the audience are left wondering who he is and what he is up to as it looks like he is planning something.
I also analysed the order in which the credits were shown. The production company was first, followed by the director and some of the more recognisable actors like Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. This raises the audience interest as they are likely to recognise a name they see and expect quality.For example they may like other films made by the production company or they could be a fan of Morgan Freeman's Other films and be interested in seeing him in this role.
My design was the the least suitable out of the design in out group. I went with the white text on a black background theme as I knew it was conventionally for thrillers but the text font was basic. I was very new to Final Cut Pro and struggled to find a better and more suitable font choice. The off centre positioning of my credits is conventional as the credits are rarely shown at the centre of the screen. If I was to create another opening sequence I would make sure I knew how to use that part of the program so I would be able to use a more interesting and unique font choice and possibly use other techniques to make my credits look less basic and amateur and more professional.
This is my group member Charlie Stewarts opening credit. He also went with the white text on black background theme. While his credits were also basic they were better than mine as his font choice was slightly more unique and suitable for our film. In the frame shown above there is a spelling mistake/typo which is very unprofessional and would have had to be fixed if we planned on using his opening credits for our film. His credits also featured a shape in the bottom left corner which has no relevance to our film and and doesn't add anything.
Above is Jessica Day's opening credits and it looks the most professional and matches the theme of our film the best. To make it conventional she also opted to go with white text on a black background. The font she chose to use matches the the theme of our film and looks more authentic and less like a standard computer font. her text is also larger and more bold making it stand out more. Her idea is more conventional as the untidy and bold font matches the erratic and disturbed nature of our antagonist.
Jessica's idea is the one we will work on as it is the most suitable for our film. The credits will begin with the name of our production company, the names of our actors, our names and then last will be the title of our film. We feel like this order is best as the title of our film being the last credit is the most dramatic.
Characters are one of the most important parts of the narrative. They are used to lead the plot and evoke emotional responses for the audience. In order for the audience to become interested in the narrative they need characters they can relate to and care for. Without any relatable characters the audience would struggle to become emotionally engaged within the film and would quickly lose interest. Many films include an audience surrogate which is a character that shares the questions and confusions of the audience so when things are explained to this character they are also being explained to the audience.
The main character in our opening sequence is Cathryn the soon-to-be victim. Cathryn is a 16 year old, white female. She is a conventional thriller character as she is presented as innocent and the audience care for her as she is shown to have her whole life ahead of her. Having the victims not presented as innocent would mean the audience would struggle to sympathise with them so the sequence would be lens tense and engaging. The victim is also a typical teenager which makes it easier for the audience to relate to her. She will be wearing white/light clothing as this emphasises her innocence.
The antagonist in our opening sequence never has his identity revealed which adds to the mystery and creates a sense of enigma. Our antagonist is conventional to psychological thrillers as he is shown to be deranged and mentally unstable. Our sequence also has horror elements and our antagonist is partly inspired by the masked killers in the Scream series of films. The audience see that our antagonist is deranged and fear for Cathryn as the antagonist is shown to be capable of anything. The antagonist is essential to the plot as the story revolves around him capturing on of girls and he's the person who creates the disequilibrium. He will be wearing dark clothing as this is associated with darkness and evil.
The only other characters are the victims friends who presented as typical teenagers who are worried for their friend and want to find her. There is no main protagonist in the film but these girls are who the audience root for as they also want Cathryn to be saved.
Even though most thrillers feature a main protagonist the characters we do have are very conventional. I think the large contrast between the victim and the protagonist is what emphasises the thriller aspect of our film as well as the good vs evil theme it creates. This will improve our film as getting the audience to side with a character ensures they become invested in the film and will found it engrossing as opposed to boring. Planning the characters was helpful as we now know how we want to present them which makes the rest of the film creation process easier. This planning will help us with the camerawork and editing as we can use some angles and shots to present the characters differently.
Editing is one of the most important aspects of filmmaking. It's important to feature different editing styles in films as it helps keep them interesting and engaging. Good usage of editing in thrillers makes the film much much more suspenseful or scary depending on the type of film. Without using different editing styles the films would be much less entertaining as the film would be the same pace the whole time without any slow, tense moments and fast, exciting parts.
At the start of the opening sequence we will utilize slow editing. Slow editing is when each shot lasts longer and there are less shot changes. We are using this at the start of our opening sequence to build tension and to raise suspicion as the audience think things are too calm and that something will soon go wrong. This is conventional as the slow, eerie beginning later contrast the frantic panic and fear. This gets the audience to care for the characters early on as they worry about what might soon go wrong.
We will also make sure that we use the timing of shots to our advantagein order to make our sequence more engaging. After the antagonist is spotted by the victim the timing of shots will increase. This is to emphasize the feelings of panic the victim is feeling and the quick change in tempo is to make our fiom exciting. The faster pace will create adrenaline and also make the audience panic as they are scared for the victim and hope she survives even though they doubt she will. Suddenly increasing the speed of the shots is used in the majority of films to keep the audience excited as they can lose interest if the film move alongs at just a constant steady pace. Thriller films often consist of slow suspenseful scenes which are interrupted by sudden dramatic parts where the timing of shots suddenly increases.
At the end of the sequence we will have the screen fade to black and then display the movie title. This will signal the end of the opening sequence will maintaining a sense of enigma as the audience have not yet found out what has happened to Cathryn, a character they have been made to care about. The audience will still be full of adrenaline after the recent increase in tempo so they will now be engaged in the film and interested in watching the rest of it as they want to know what happened to her. This is conventional as many thrillers aim to create a sense of enigma that runs throughout the whole film in order to keep the audience engrossed.
The way sound is used in films can have a large impact on it's quality. It is used to make the film more engaging, emphasise key points and make it easier to understand what is happening. Good usage of sound in thriller films increases the suspense and tension. It is important to plan how you will use sound as this allows you to work out the different techniques you can use and the impact it has on the audience. You can then work out how you can bring all these techniques together to create an atmospheric and engaging sequence.
The first sound technique we decided to use was silence. We are going to use this after one of the girls separates from her friends and walks alone. There may be some quite sounds coming from the forest but all the characters will be silent. This is to enhance the sense of isolation and loneliness. The silence shows that Cathryn is completely isolated and alone and the audience infer from this that there is nobody around to help her so she is in more danger. The eerie silence also increases tension. The audience relate to her as they to are put on edge by the eerie silence so they share the same feelings as the victim. This is conventional as thriller films often have eerie silent parts that raise tension and builds up up to something sudden and dramatic.
We are also going to make use of off-screen sound. This will also be when Cathryn is alone walking through the forest. The sounds will be of leaves rustling and branches breaking. We won't see this on the screen therefore it's off screen sound. Neither the audience nor Cathryn know what is making these noises so they are both in the dark. Our usage of off screen sound will also make the audience more engaged as they will be focussing on the surroundings trying to see if they can spot anything suspicious. This is conventional as it creates a sense of enigma as the audience is wondering what could possibly be hiding in the forest. It is conventional for thrillers to use off screen sound to make the audience and characters feel uneasy as it gets the audience engaged in the film.
Non Diegetic sound is sound which is not part of the on screen story and is intended for the audience. Examples of this are soundtracks, narration and sound effects added for dramatic effect. We will include non-diegetic sound as we will have an eerie soundtrack playing throughout the scene. This increases tension as it suggest to the audience that the girls peace and happiness won't last long and that something bad will happen. We will also feature sudden dramatic sound effects when the antagonist is spotted to shock the audience and make them jump which is what many thrillers aim to do. During my research into sound I learned how important the soundtrack is for engrossing the audience and increasing tension. It's conventional for thrillers to feature eerie soundtracks as they usually suit the theme of the film.
Parallel sound is when the sound you hear matches what you see on the screen. We are going to use this after Cathryn panics when she sees a scary looking dark figure in the distance. As we see her panic the audience will be able to hear her sudden heavy breathing. This makes the scene more realistic and the audience worry for her as they see and hear how scared she is. This is conventional as the victims fear is always emphasized in thriller films as it makes the audience more sympathetic and it makes the antagonist appear more scary and threatening.
To conclude I think these techniques will make our film better as they all work together to make a more engrossing and engaging sequence. without these techniques our film wouldn't be as exciting and the audience would struggle to be engaged and care for any of the characters. The techniques we are using are conventional as thriller films often use eerie music and and off screen sound to increase tension which we are doing. Planning this out has helped as we now know exactly what sounds we need to record when we are out filming and what sounds we need to add in afterwards during the editing stage.
