Final Idea

We have not decided on all the shots yet, or location. 

It starts off with a shot looking at the sky which then pans down to a killer either swinging on a swing or sitting on a bench in a park (with a church in view?). Killer is looking down at a happy picture which happened in the past of he/she having fun and mucking around with friends. 

Graphic match to when it actually happened and you see them having fun. Shot goes back to killer on the bench or swing then over-shoulder shot to show picture still moving but then drops and cracks. As the frame drops maybe the motion will be slow. 

Close-up of cracked picture then mid-shot of killer on bench or swing we see a dead girl standing behind he/she. Killer gets up and turns to look behind him/her. See expression on both faces, different shots. Killer goes to run away. 

Point-of-view shot to see girl has reappeared in front of killer. Close up of her eery smile. Same shot of killers horrified eyes. POV again of girl in front leaping at camera/killer. 

Pitch black screen and all you can hear is the scream of the killer and then more screams and up comes the title of the movie 'R3v3ng3'.

We have been discussing different shots and locations for this. We have yet to decide what they are going to be. We have got our main character (dead girl) and still deciding on other characters. Also we are thinking of using a birds eye view to look down at the killer and the dead girl just before we see the eyes and mouth.   

Idea's for Our Thriller

Idea 1: Opens with a girl rocking back and forth holding her knees, crying in a darkly lit room, looking into a cracked mirror with a small stream of light shinning on one side of her face, making shadows on the other side. Or the mirror crack in half separating her reflection into two parts.
The camera would zoom into focus on her eye for an extreme close up.
Next shot would be a graphic match where the camera fades from the same girls eye to a flash back to a sun into a happy memory of her past.
Camera follows her having fun and having a laugh.

Idea 2: A person is found lying on the floor disorientated and unconscious.
People try to help them but they don't see another person hiding in the shadows round the corner.
The camera in a high angle shot looks down at the person lying down on the floor, then sweeps from their feet to their head.
Fade in the person round the corner, seems as they are standing above them looking down at camera (low angle shot here)
Zoom in to the strangers mouth as they smile and laugh, all other features are hidden by the shadows (chiaroscuro)
Camera spins around the victims as if it symbolizes their world turning upside down
This could then have a graphic match to earlier on in the story where the victim wakes up to a fresh new day all happy and cheerful, not knowing what is darkness is around the corner.

Idea 3: Girl walking along ... see's shadows, turns round, nothing there. Turns again, see's a dead girl standing there looking as if she has just drowned. Screams and runs around the corner. Point of views are used for when running away. At the end, everything goes black, and all you hear is the scream of the girl.

I have spoke to my group members today about this and I believe we will probably use idea 3!

I will put more about this idea up next week!

:)

'Shadow of a Doubt'

'Shadow of a Doubt' was made in 1943 and is a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. He is a very famous director and was born in Latenstone (1899-1980). In the opening sequences for this film, there are couples dancing in a circle wearing old ballroom outfits and the fact they are going around in a circle can represent no way out/endlessness. Hitchcock uses dissolves from establishing shots to close ups to show from the area to the action setting. You then see a man lying on the bed lifeless, and he has money lying all over the floor, and he isn't even bothered. It can show hes rich or he as a man has no value in life. As the blinds go down and the shadows go across his face he comes to life which can show he is an antagonist and on the dark side of life.

This is another great example of a thriller that I have looked at.

Analysis of Opening Titles for Se7en

In class we watched the horror thriller 'Se7en' and I did a little analysis on the opening titles.

'The opening of Se7en shows a metronome which shows us things are slow moving and can show theres alot of time for things to happen. The sub titles flicker symbolizing light bulbs, which can show there is little energy left. We also see the colour red giving us connotations of danger or murder. There are scrapbooks with peoples pictures and details in which could show that they are the people about to get murdered or being hunted down. Editing is quick pace in this sequence showing that there is a rush and things are going to be fast-paced.'

Thriller Conventions

• A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder, but not necessarily)
• A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues, and resolutions
• A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved
• A protagonist (the hero) who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist (villain)
• Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations
• Themes of identity
• Themes of voyeurism
• Protagonist with a 'flaw' which is exploited by the antagonist
• Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonists psychological state
• There is often a scene near the end of the film which the protagonist is in peril
• The mise-en-scene which echoes/mirrors the protagonists plight

Thrillers generally use a lot of straight and jump cuts to bring something to the audiences attention fast! Quite a few close-ups are also used so we notice things and gain knowledge of what's happening. Depending on the genre of the thriller, normally top lighting is used to highlight things more, and maybe sometimes a bit of chiarascuro is used! Music is often brought in all of a sudden, and is used to build up to what is happening often.

For our Thriller it is advised dialogue is not to be used. Maybe for our Thriller sad/minor toned music can be playing i.e a simple piano song and loud noises for jumpy bits to make you lot jump!!!! HAHA.

Meeting Cancelled Due to our Lovely British Weather!

Today I couldn't meet up with the rest of my group to discuss our idea's due to the snow outside which is really thick!! Sixth form is closed :( therefore we will all have to discuss our ideas tommorow if the school is open!

However, I've watched the thriller 'The Butterfly Effect' recently and I have gained some ideas for our short movie which I hope I can share with the others which will help us. In the Butterfly Effect a dutch tilt is used which really got me thinking! The dutch tilt shows his illness and if our Thriller was to be based upon murder (which it is bound to be) could show maybe this person is sick in the head, or ill, or drugged, e.t.c.

I would like to use a dutch tilt in our Thriller :)

Group People :)

The people in our group are:

Tara Hussein http://www.tarahusseinrobertclack.blogspot.com/
Jessica Tilley http://www.jessicatilleyrobertclack.blogspot.com/
and Grace Cridland (ME!) http://www.gracecridlandrobertclack.blogspot.com/

We're going to discuss our idea's tommorow and then I'll post what we all came up with :)