We wanted the very start of our thriller to be action packed, which is why we combined lots of fast shots of the train together. Using different angles and different speeds our aim was create a 3 dimensional feel. We wanted to create a realist character that the audience could connect with, like most thrillers we wanted to make her vulnerable which is why she is alone and isolated. The character is around the age of 19 as our target audience could empathise with her. She is wearing dark clothing and a black coat covering most of her body as if she may be hiding something- however she looks well groomed indicating she has class. lots of camera angles are being used for example birds eye and worms eye shots when she is walking from the station so the audience is unsure whos perspective the shots from.
The music fits in with the scene as it create tension at just the right places, for example just as our character rose turns around the music goes completely silent. It also has an element of mystery and uncertainty as its not in sequence, its in a random pattern.
“Thriller is a loose genre term referring to any film that generates suspense and excitement as a major aspect of its narrative.”
G.K.Chesterton:
Chesterton was a writer from the 20th century, He came up with the idea/ theory of the transformed city he believed that thrillers took a urban day to day setting, the we use everyday and make it more exciting.
Northrop Frye: Heroic Romance
He believed that thrillers were just simply basic stories but they took ordinary people/characters and placed them into aextraordinary situations with a romantic twist.
John Cawelti: The Exotic
Cawelti believed that thrillers had elements of ordinary life but would also add elements of an exotic nature.
Noel Carroll:Question and Answer
He Augured that thrillers are mostly structured around lots of questions that the audience are led to continue watching for the answers.
Starts with the ambiance of the leaves, trees and birds in the background, overlaying the background music. Live sound of her deep panting and breathing creating a spooky eerie feel. As the opening of scene progressed the music became very intense.
Mise En-scene
forest, dim sky. Bare/ naked trees which could reflect the secluded area. bold white capital font credits flash onto the screen straight away -which is appropriate for the settings. In the background the camera flashes onto a lake, which is one of the typical convention of a thriller. Very Dim Lighting And colours being used, creates a 'un- nerving' atmosphere. Sign post written Pain, Agony and Hurt symbolising the character many experience this during the play.
Character:
in the opening 5 minutes the main character introduced is a girl, she is alone and focused, showing shes very independent and committed to her job. in the next scene she is surrounded by men, indicating that she doesn't really belong or fit in with the others. when looking at code and conventions of thrillers i found this character didnt really match, as usually you find a stereotypical beautiful women showing looks of flesh, being vulnerable, where as here she doesnt care much for her appearance and looks strong minded.
Camera
The camera angles are very deserving in the first opening seconds of the film As it appears she is being followed or chased in the forest creating tension and suspense. they use birds eye view of her feet on the leaves giving the impression she is being watched from above.
Somerset: old traditional- flat (no stairs all one level) Colours- whites, greys and greens. old fashioned dirty blinds. Coffee mug emptying into the sink. 5 items lay on the wooden coffee table, including a pen, knife and a gun case, each being picked up in a specific order. A day to day routine. light brown/ cream bedding very neat made bed. Grey jacket/ blazer lay on bed. Small bed side cabinet with an old fashioned telephone, lamp and a metronome. Alone in his house, no other sign of anyone currently living their.
Mills: small bedroom- boxes, not unpacked everything, just moved house. dressing table with a large sized mirror, two pictures stuck to the side of the mirror but not clear of what yet. A little cluttered and miss placed as just getting used to their new surrounds. Small round table full of clutter with a small telephone.
Costume- Somerset: White shirt with black braces, top button fastened, thin black tie done up to the top. Several items placed into him top pocket. Grey blazer/ jacket ironed and kept in good condition as it was lay straight on the bed. - takes pride in what he wears. Mills- Un-ironed shirt with tie already made up. Top buttons not fastened scruffy approach, hair just smoothed/ brushed down with his hands.
Character- Somerset: Somerset has a certain way he likes things done, and too some extent is O.C.D with the way his routine works, like the way he places several items in his pocket in a particular order. also the way he picks off the smallest piece of cotton from his jacket. His old fashioned roots are shown with his clothes and his house. He seems isolated from everything, bar his job as he has no partner and lives by himself, he also finds it hard to get along with mills at first.
Mills: Theirs a huge contrast between mills and Somerset, mills is very keen and wants to get stuck in straight away as its his 1st day whereas somerset has all the experience and hes coming to the end of his career. Mills has a very hands on approach. unlike Somerset he's in a strong relationship with his partner. And is a modern day version of a detective rather that a stereotypical image.
Sound: busy city noise/ effects. Cars and rain. For somerset an awkward silence apart from the ticking of the metronome like this reflected his thoughts.
Mise-en scene On land: Calm friendly atmosphere like a social gathering/ event, smoking and drinking on the beach with several campfires the Equilibrium at the start of film. Dim lighting to create the peaceful atmosphere.
In Water: Total contract, fury and panic.The Disequilibrium. Camera angle from the sharks perspective, under the water to create a lot of suspense and tension as shown in picture A . Secluded and alone.
Character: Chrissy, who appears to be a main character at this stage, seems a little secluded from the others as she is sat outside the circle of people. It shows her being alone and indicates her being vulnerable.
Sound: this was a key element to the opening section as it created a lot of suspense by slowly building up in speed and volume giving the audience the impression something is about to happen. there is a great deal of contrast in the music as it starts with the natural ambiance of the calm water surrounds, being very soothing and relaxing to this loud, furious fast paced music.
American Psycho Mise enscene- the opening scenes, expensive restaurant very rich, posh over priced food- shows this by the very small portions and the complex menu. 4 well groomed business men, in smart pin striped suits with ties, sat around a table. Big open planed house, completely white throughout. very neat and plain, reflects his personality his thoughts- blank as he has no conscious. glass shelves full of hair/ skin products. Character- Patrick the main character introduced narrators throughout the film. He's very well groomed and has a particular order for everything he does. Refers to his life as a routine does the same thing at the same time every morning; Apply's facial mask, aftershave, moisturiser, eye bath and again more protective moisturiser. A very wealthy man drives around in a limousine and wears a smart expensive suit. Well educated- boss of his own business, in close competition with others. Upper class and high in the social chain. He wears black leather gloves, which shows he doesn't want any trace of his fingerprint as if he's hiding something? He has no emotion apart from greed and disgust.
Sound- music in the opening scene starts very deep and low, with a slow pace. Slowly starts to build up the tension. as the opening credit end and the first scene begins, classic, elegant music starts with violins. this creates a very peaceful and
calm atmosphere as well as totally contrasting with the previous music to create a bigger build up.
It took us a long time as group to come up with our classification of our film as we needed to make sure are content was suitable for the certificate we chose. We looked at the guidelines for the classifications to make sure we had made the right choose.
Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them.
The ‘12A’ category exists only for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult, and films classified ‘12A’ are not recommended for a child below 12. An adult may take a younger child if, in their judgement, the film is suitable for that particular child. In such circumstances, responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view lies with the accompanying adult.
The ‘12’ category exists only for video works. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a ‘12’ rated video work.
No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work. - Horror- Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.
After researching into certificates we gave a thriller a 15 as are characters in the storyline were a similar age- making it easier for the audience to empathise. Our content is also appropriate for this rating. We felt as a group a certificate 18 would limit our main target audience.
Synopsis Taken.Missing.Killed. Some things just aren’t always what they seem. In this gripping thriller Rose and Jake come close to embarking on a passionate relationship- but is it for the reasons we all assume? Who will come out on top and who will be deprived of life and victory? TREATMENT The opening The opening of our thriller is set at a train station; the screen will start completely black with recurring sound effects of loud screeching noises from the train and surroundings. The credits will then start flashing on screen which will represent the feeling of being on a train in a tunnel. The writing for the credits will be white and the font will have a scratched or torn, spooky feel, when on the screen the writing will flash on and off. The first shot will be of the train going past with the smoke of the wheels as a young woman who is on her own waiting for a train. The young woman has long blonde hair and is around the age of 20, we chose her as our target audience can relate to her as a character. She is a university student on her way home; there are other people in the train station. An eerie music will start to fade in slowly, and softly. The camera focuses on some of the extras, including one man who is sat wearing a hat and black coat writing notes, after seeing the shot of the man, the music will then suddenly stop. The audience won’t think anything of him at this stage, because he only appears on screen for a few seconds. The girl then walks out of the train station over the bridge. The atmosphere is tense and as the time of day is reaching darkness this fits with codes and conventions of a thriller. The scene then cuts straight away to a small dark room. Only seeing a close up shot of surgical gloves slowly being stretched over someone’s hands. The camera then slowly zooms out to reveal a full desk of new paper cutting and photos. The camera shot then fades out to Rose walking and going about normal daily routine. There are several different shots of the man creating a board in his cupboard of black and white cuttings and photos. As he builds this up the shot keeps fading in and out of the two different situations.
Throughout the film we follow Jack Burn the man who the audience thinks has created the notice board in trying to get closer to Rose. They both knew each other from high school and as he researches and finds out things about her he wants to get to know her more. He stages to bump into her in a coffee shop; really he is stalking her and has plotted it on purpose. This sparks their relationship as they exchange numbers and arrange to meet up again. Jack is a tall, dark featured man around the age of 24. The audience know he is a murderer and has killed many women before, he chooses Rose as his next victim and looks like he is going to succeed in killing her. He is a good looking man who sucks her in easily, as they arrange to meet up through texts he offers to take her to a local restaurant. The scene of them in the restaurant is important because she brings up the news of girls locally being killed, and he lies well before changing the subject. Rose is excited about her new relationship and is egger to meet up with him again; she gets invited by him back to his house where she accepts. The audience is falsely built up to them thinking he is going to take his opportunity of killing her now, with a big suspense build using music and a fast paced scene. They in fact carry on talking and meet up a few more times. It shows Rose telling her friends all about her new guy and how she wants to find out more about him. After building a relationship she invites him to her house. This leads to a dramatic ending, when he arrives at her house he claims to go the toilet when really he is setting things up to kill her. As he is walking up the stairs he sees a suspicious door of a dark room. He looks inside and frantically through her stuff because he senses something is wrong. The music builds and suspense as he finds a notice board full of pictures and newspaper cuttings, where pictures of him are also hung up. This is the wall from the beginning of the story where the audience is led to believe it is his. However the shock and confuses causes him to freeze. As he turns around she is there- who is actually a killer also. This is a major twist to the story, and it turns out she has known everything about him all this time, and has been plotting herself. The audience find out this as she tell him just before she kills him. The film ends with her talking to the police about how killing him was self defence, she acts disturbed and shaken up so she will get away with it, however it was revenge from the beginning.
Place the Y in the box which the hazards are identified and refer these to your tutor for authorisation
HAZARD
HAZARD
HAZARD
Costume/make up
Access
Machinery
Hydraulics
Animals
Mines/excavations/tunnels/quarries
Catering
Audience/Public
Y
Noise
Y
Lighting
Communications
Person with special needs
Scaffolds
Confined spaces
Physical exertion
Smoke effects
Derelict buildings/dangerous structures
Speed
Stunts
Electricity/gas
Vehicles and off road driving
Y
Physical effects
Fire/flammable materials
Violence/public disorder
Fight sequence
Water/Tide
Glass
Weather
Y
Hazardous substances/chemicals
Working at heights
Heat/cold
Other
Inexperienced performer or childrenN.B. For children, a copy of this risk assessment must be provided to parent/guardian
Equipment:
If the day of shooting’s weather is wet, the camera equipment may be effected. The lighting and noise may affect the quality of our film. As it is a public area filming may affect people’s access to some areas of the train station.
Details of Activity:
Filming character on train, and getting off it. Filming various shots of the train moving from different angles and locations.
Hazards Identified and Risks Arising
Wet weather, public being affected in filming process
Risk Assessment and Proposed Precautions
Weather will be checked on morning of shooting, only areas will be cut off the public do not need to access trains.
N.B. THIS MUST BE SIGNED BEFORE THE PRODUCTION CAN GO AHEAD
I have read the above and am satisfied that:
It constitutes a proper and adequate risk assessment in respect of the programme activity and that the precautions identified are sufficient to control the risks.
Adequate arrangements are in place to communicate the risk assessment findings and to co-ordinate the safety arrangements of all those affected. E.g. site owners, contractors, volunteers etc
Signature of Producer: She Rock________________Date:20.10.10____________
Name of Producer: She Rock
Signature of Tutor:_______________________________Date:__________________
Name of Tutor:
RISK ASSESSMENT
Location 2
College/Course/Class/Group
As Media Block E
Project title
Thriller opening- Dirty Ego
Scene/Item/Feature
Scene 2
Date of period this risk assessment covers
November-December 2011
Producer
She Rock
Location address & details
1 Station Cottage, Station Road, Padgate
Place the Y in the box which the hazards are identified and refer these to your tutor for authorisation
HAZARD
HAZARD
HAZARD
Costume/make up
Access
Y
Machinery
Hydraulics
Animals
Mines/excavations/tunnels/quarries
Catering
Audience/Public
Noise
Lighting
Communications
Person with special needs
Scaffolds
Confined spaces
Y
Physical exertion
Smoke effects
Derelict buildings/dangerous structures
Speed
Stunts
Electricity/gas
Vehicles and off road driving
Physical effects
Fire/flammable materials
Violence/public disorder
Fight sequence
Water/Tide
Glass
Weather
Hazardous substances/chemicals
Working at heights
Heat/cold
Other
Inexperienced performer or childrenN.B. For children, a copy of this risk assessment must be provided to parent/guardian
Equipment:(Please list any equipment that might be affected by the activities you have ticked above).
Small spaces may affect the camera equipment, it may be hard to move around and use a tripod.
Details of Activity:
Filming the notice board, different angles and shots of the board and the person creating it.
Hazards Identified and Risks Arising
Risk Assessment and Proposed Precautions
Actors will approve of room and stairs will have a banister.
N.B. THIS MUST BE SIGNED BEFORE THE PRODUCTION CAN GO AHEAD
I have read the above and am satisfied that:
It constitutes a proper and adequate risk assessment in respect of the programme activity and that the precautions identified are sufficient to control the risks.
Adequate arrangements are in place to communicate the risk assessment findings and to co-ordinate the safety arrangements of all those affected. E.g. site owners, contractors, volunteers etc
Signature of Producer: She Rock________________Date:20.10.10____________
Name of Producer: She Rock
Signature of Tutor:_______________________________Date:__________________
