Thriller Filming

Over the past few weeks, our group have been filming scenes for our thriller opening. However, once we started, problems with our cast and getting all the actors together to be able to film became too hard, as all had different days/times that they were able to film.

We were unhappy with the footage we had produced, even when we began to edit, and so decided to refilm our thriller. Rather than using a large cast, we have altered it to have only two characters, a girl and a boy, and have focused more on the style of our thriller. We have also made the decision to use the feature of voice over, which is often apparent in thrillers, so we can depend less upon the acting skills of our chosen actors. Aswell as this, we plan to still use a chase scene, but will change the location to a block of flats rather than in a park.

Casting:

In order to cast our new actors, we asked around at 6th form to discover any young people wanting to star in our film with acting experience. We discovered two people - Guy and Mary who had both studied drama for GCSE and went to out-of-school drama classes, meaning they would be able to cooperate and perform better than our previous cast. Luckily, they fitted the kind of people we were hoping to get looks-wise aswell.

Props and Costumes:
White Van - connotations of crime etc are linked with the image of a white van, which makes it perfect for our thriller.
Gun - needed for the ending of our opening to make it more effective and drammatic. Guns and violence are also typical within the thriller genre, and I hope that this aspect of our production reflects this.

Navy blue pea coat (for narrator) - This coat has been chosen because it doesn't give any thing away about the character, and also creates a nice shady silhouette.

Black shoes ( for narrator) - These go well with the narrator's costume.

Jumper and jeans (for male) - This is a very typical outfit for a young male, which makes the character more believable. Provided by actor.
Plain top and skirt (for female) - This instantly creates a typical female's casual outfit, making the drama more realistic. Provided by actress.

Setting:
We have chosen to base our thriller in a block of flats in Aspley Court, Norwich. We have chosen to do this because we think it fits our urban, underworld of the city theme, and also think that it will be easy for audiences to relate to. This location was also chosen because we have discussed some nice, effective shots that we think will be possible to do here. The location also isn't very busy, which makes it easier to film there.

camera rules and shot types

match-on-action - this occurs when an action that begins in one shot is completed in the next shot, eg an exterior shot of a door opening, followed by a shot inside the house with the character.



shot-reverse-shot - this is when a character is shown looking off-screen at another character, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. This gives the impression that the chracters are looking at each other.



180° rule - this is a basic rule, which states that characters in a scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis, it is called crossing the line.



(picture from www.wikipedia.org)

Case Study: This is England

‘This is England’ is a film made in 2006 by director and writer Shane Meadows, who previously directed independent award winning films such as: ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’, ‘Northern Soul’, ‘The Stairwell’ and ‘Somers Town’. ‘This is England’ features a cast including Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham and Jo Hartley.

The film is given the following certifications: UK:18, Australia:MA, Ireland:18, USA:Unrated, Sweden:11, Finland:K-15, France:U (with warning), Germany:12, Netherlands:16. This is because the film includes sex and nudity; a child and teenager kiss, pornographic images are shown, and past sexual experiences are discussed, violence and gore as we see archive footage of war as well as someone brutally beating a teenager to death, and profanity, seeing as swear words are used at least once a minute, and crude and racist terms are also spoken. The film also shows teenagers experimenting with alcohol drugs and smoking, as well as a very violent scene at the end which is intense and frightening due to the realism of the film. It is surprising, however, that despite all of these aspects of the film which make it an 18 in both the UK and Ireland, it is only rated a U in France and as an 11 in Sweden.

‘This is England’ is set in Grimsby, and was filmed in Grimsby, Nottingham, and RAF Newton, also in Nottingham. The production companies that funded the film credits were Big Arty Productions, EM Media, Film4, Optimum Releasing, Screen Yorkshire, UK Film Council and Warp Films.

We researched Warp Films, UK Film Council and Film4 to get an idea of the kind of companies that funded the film credits. We discovered that Warp Films creates exciting pieces of British film, and has been doing so over the past 5 years. It has won numerous awards (including three BAFTAs) since being set up in 2002 and has created many films and productions including 'My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117’, ‘Dead Man's Shoes', 'Grow Your Own', 'This is England', 'Dog Altogether', and most recently 'Scummy Man'. We also found out that the UK Film Council is the Government-backed lead agency for film in the UK, which ensures the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented. The UK Film Council funds script development, film production, short films, film distribution and export, film education, festivals, skills development and national and regional film agencies. The following was learnt about Film4 - In 1982 Channel 4 launched Film4, whose productions reflected contemporary and social political topics. Film 4 aims to fund around 20 films a year with a number of the films by first-time screenwriters and directors , meaning every project that they develop and produce does something new, which goes somewhere that other British films have never been. Film 4 made many major British films including “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Trainspotting”, “This is England”, and “My Beautiful Laundrette”.

The Distributors of ‘This is England’ included the following - IFC Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical), IFC First Take (2007) (USA) (theatrical), Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (all media), NetFlix (2007) (USA) (DVD) ,NonStop Entertainment (2007) (Sweden) (theatrical), Optimum Releasing (2006) (UK) (theatrical), Red Envelope Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD), Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2008) (Finland) (DVD).

One British reviewer said about ‘This is England:
“Meadows appears to want to find emotional truths behind the bravado, to find reasons for the male rage. It's a valid quest, and there are telling and touching moments, particularly between Turgoose and Rosamund Hanson. I found myself wishing that their love story could occupy more of the film, maybe for the same reason that the Shane Meadows film I have enjoyed most is the one his real fans loathe: the comedy Once Upon a Time in the Midlands. But from the get-go of this drama, it is obvious that things are heading only one way: towards a climactic flourish of violence, and it's a glum business wondering to whom and from whom this is going to happen. This is a violent subject, and these are violent people, and yet I couldn't help feeling that Meadows is, as so often, more comfortable with machismo than with the humour and gentleness which play a smaller, yet intensely welcome part of his movies. However agnostic I confess to still feeling about his work, there's no doubt that Meadows is a real film-maker with a growing and evolving career, and with his own natural cinematic language. When I think of his films, I think, for good or ill: this is English cinema.”

An American reviewer wrote:
"The film's apparently a personal matter for Meadows, who's fictionalizing his own adolescence and whose filmmaking benefits from the honesty. As its title implies, "This Is England" isn't a hyperstylized head-trip a la "Trainspotting" but a straightforward calling to account. Period tunes like "Tainted Love" and "Come on Eileen" hover in the background instead of pushing forward with heavily edited force. The accents are almost incomprehensibly thick, four-letter words thudding like concussion bombs, and this is the way these people talk: frustration rendered as common speech.
Meadows has previously made a series of gritty, whimsical, and very British dramas -- "A Room for Romeo Brass" (1999) and the lesser "Once Upon a Time in the Midlands" (2002) have received the widest distribution in the United States, which still isn't saying much -- but here he finally seems to come into his own.
There's a gutter pride taken in how aggressively Shaun confronts the world, but there's also a blunt, no-nonsense analysis of where the kid goes wrong, and you know he knows it, too. At times the hero seems like a tiny old man, physically less mature than the towering skinhead girl (Rosamund Hanson) he fiddles with, but emotionally far savvier.
As "This Is England" barrels toward its conclusion, though, Shaun does something unexpected: He grows younger. Cracks appear in Combo's bravado, too, and Graham lets us see the neediness that can propel a hateful man. The film ends by staring down the audience as a cover version of the Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" graces the final credits. It's a gentle send-off to a blistering experience, but it soothes no one, and the plea in its title lingers like tear gas."

We also collected three user comments on ‘This is England’ from http://www.imdb.com/ :
“Best film of the Berlin Film Festival 2007, 14 February 2007
Author: dePaoli from Berlin, Germany
I just saw "This Is England" at the Berlin Film Festival where it was screened in the section "Generation 14P". This section is an extension of the former "Kinderfilmfest" for teenagers between 14 and 18 - dealing with more mature issues.I had no clue about it, just that it would be about skinheads in England and that it takes place in the 80s. I wasn't expecting much, hoping for something like a British version of "American History X" - I got a lot more.When I left the theater I was absolutely stunned! Cast and script were outstanding. I loved the rough editing and grainy camera style that made the movie look a real 80s flick! And last but not least: the soundtrack is a blast! And coming from a director who used to be part of the real scene, it might be the most authentic picture about skinheads ever made.Although it didn't get as much attention as the Hollywood films that had their premiere at the Berlinale Palast, it's a lot stronger than almost all the films in competition.I hope it will make its way the movies and not end up as a direct-to-video-flick... 10/10"

“Bitter sweet rites of passage story set to skinheads, 2 November 2006Author: ant plate from United Kingdom
'This is England' is a must see for the type of persons who enjoy a good old 'innocence of youth' narrative (including a very comedic, almost cringe inducing, 'first kiss' scene) layered with powerful retrospective British realism reflecting early 1980's societal issues of the type that you wont see on any saccharin dipped 'i remember 1982' clip show.Based largely around the 'skinhead' activities of the early eighties its interesting to note that the story really draws distinctions between the types of skinheads - the nazi/racist and the two-tone/soul loving skinheads.Much like Mr Meadows other outings which tend to include a lot of relatively unknown and TV only actors/actresses, they all throw in sterling performances, particularly Stephen 'snatch' Graham as 'Combo'(sp.?) and the unknown Thomas Turgoose as young 'Sean'(sp?).The soundtrack is as usual strategically lined up to help convey with the overall look and feel, with musical styles ranging from reggae (toots and the maytals), punk and two tone. It does however include new music presumably for a soundtrack album sales point of view, what with the most underrated Clayhill covering The Smiths(?).overall: its as retrospective sharp as it is thought provoking, so if you lived anywhere near this time then see it: you may just like it. I you didn't then learn from this time in history when skin heads were either very open minded or very closed minded."

“A great British film - or should that be English?, 29 April 2007Author: Andrew Marshall from United Kingdom
There is no doubt that this film is a truly great piece of film-making. Shane Meadows crafts films in the same style as Martin Scorcese. We are given a glimpse into the lifestyle of a group of characters over a short period of time. It is very much a fly on the wall type of movie. The point of these films is to understand the actions of the characters rather than judging their actions. I have no doubt that there will be some people that tag this film as being racist which is rather missing the point.The film follows Shaun a 12 year old being borough up in early 80's England. He has lost his father in the Falklands war and suffers bullying and isolation until he is befriended by a group of skinheads. The happy band are challenged when Combo is released from prison. Thomas Turgoose is magnificent in the lead role and the direction/screenplay are also spot on the mark. For anybody that lived through the period there are lots of reminders about the period. The film is based on Meadow's own childhood and is quite mesmerising at times.I was gripped throughout the film and it also gave me plenty to think about afterwards. What more can you ask for when going to the movies? I suppose if you go to the movies for escapism then go watch something else, but if you want a gripping thought provoking drama then it doesn't come much better than this. Outstanding!"

User ratings report:

For user ratings, the demographic with the higher average which found the film to be most appealing was females under the age of 18, (8.8) closely followed by males under the age of 18. (8.6) However, this graph shows that the demographic with the highest votes were males, as they had the highest at 15,584, where-as females were shown to have 1,850 votes, which is considerably lower.

Under Gold Standard, this film would receive maximum points as it has a full British cast and crew, and is fully set in Britain. Therefore it would receive 31 points. A majority of the crew is British and the music is also. “This Is England” also reflects British culture and the introduction of the film takes you through the British heritage, and especially symbolizes the hatred towards Margaret Thatcher and significance of the British flag.

Other films which have been written and directed by Shane Meadows include, “Somers Town”, 2008, “The Stairwell”, 2005, “Northern Soul, 2004,” “Dead Mans Shoes”, 2004, “Once Upon A Time in The Midlands”, 2002, “A Room For Romeo Brass”, 1999, “247: Twenty Four Seven”, 1997, “Small Time”, 1996, “Where’s the Money, Ronnie?” 1996.

“This Is England,” has won and been nominated for a total of 10 awards. This includes winning Best British Film at the BAFTA Awards 2008, nominated for Best Screenplay at the BAFTA Awards 2008, nominated for Best Film at the Golden Kinnaree Award 2007, nominated twice at the British Independent Film Award 2006, for Best Director and Best Screenplay, Won an award in 2007 at the Young Audience Award, nominated for Best Director of the Year at the ALFS Awards in 2008, won two awards in 2008 for Best European Film and Young European Jury Award, and finally, won Best Director Award in 2007 .

Other films similar to ‘This is England’ include ‘Little Miss Sunshine’, and ‘Juno’. This is because they’re both films which show the ordinary and not glamorous lives of working/middle class people. Both films also show the lifestyle of families, and real life struggles they go through, for instance, Juno who becomes pregnant can be compared to Shane from ‘This is England’, as they’re both characters which face real life issues. The music is also quite similar in ‘Juno’, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and ‘This is England’, and also the similar type of atmosphere which is quite light hearted and simple, yet shows the true struggles that everyday people face in life.

This young actor , Thomas Turgoose who plays Shaun in 'This is England' was auditioned in a basic room with just one man asking him questions about his life, such as what Thomas enjoys doing. However, the audition was very unusual, as for example Thomas wasn’t dressed smartly; he was just wearing his everyday normal clothes, and he was also chewing gum while being interviewed. The questions that were also asked were quite informal. Nothing at all what you would expect an interview would be like for a British film. Also, what was unusual in the way this young actor got the role of Shane, was the fact that at one point during the interview he was asked the question if he wanted to do acting when he was older, and he said no, he wasn’t that interested in acting. Yet the interviewer just replied saying that’s good, as they weren’t looking for an actor, but a young boy that could be himself. This is very unusual, because they chose a young boy who stated he wasn’t even that interested in acting, to play the main role in a British film.

From the different range of clips of Shane Meadows discussing his films to Long Road Media Studies 6th Formers, he was shown to have to say that he actually cares about his actors, and to him it doesn’t matter which class their from. For instance, they could be from working, middle or upper class. He also believes that actors create their own luck. Shane Meadows also describes how when he made a script, he drew it out over a long time (over 12 months) and he also had several ideas at once. However, when he had a meeting with the producers they kept adding ideas for the script and Shane said how he’d do what he always does, which is improvise and change the script once they actually start shooting. Therefore, this proves that his ideas and actions are quite spontaneous.

Features of 'This is England' which are particularly British include the location, as it is located in Grimsby. This is very typical in the fact it’s not a well known part of England such as somewhere like London, yet is rougher part of Britain and shows the British working class culture. The dialogue is also particularly British, as it uses words such as “Twat,” which is part of British slang. The way they speak is also typical of a British accent. For instance, they're not shown to speak in a posh 'BBC' accent which is often conveyed in Hollywood, emphasising the British stereotype. The cast in 'This is England' speak in a “rough” yorkshire accent which most people don’t get to hear in the movie industry. Certain mise-en-scene is also British, such as places like the corner shop are shown. This very stereotypical in the fact it’s also run by a foreigner, because as we know, the culture of the run down corner shops started of in Britain.

Overall, the appeal of this film is that it would intrigue other countries and cultures because it would be an insight for them into typical British lives. Therefore, they would find it interesting to see how we live and what we get up to in our lives everyday. It’s also appealing because it’s a very true picture of British history, culture and the people that live in England. For example, not everyone in England speaks in a posh accent like the Queen, and this film conveys this factor. It also shows the lives of the working/middle class which not many films show. All of these points not only intrigue other cultures, but make the film easy for a British audience to engage and connect with.

My Thriller

Together in my group, we have decided on some of the key themes that we aim to explore within our thriller, which include corruption, crime, sexuality, betrayal, mystery, moral ambiguity and duality of character. We felt that these themes were interesting to explore, especially duality of character and moral ambiguity, and would also reflect the thriller genre well. We have also decided to create an action thriller, and hope that this genre and subgenre are put across to the audience well in our opening sequence. We also hope that our opening shows the British and modern styles that we are aiming for. After discussion, we decided that we have been influenced heavily by two films - 'Layer Cake', and 'Essex Boys'. We have been influenced by these regarding the plot and have also been influenced by a chase scene we both found highly effective from 'Layer Cake'.

Why does Britain need a film industry?

Britain needs a film industry for a number of reasons. Firstly, without the British fillm industry all UK cinemas would be filled with Hollywood Blockbusters. Already there is an obvious dominance of Hollywood cinema which proves a problem as these films only display America's messages and values regarding politics, race, gender etc. The hollywood films are also very stereotypical and extravaggant. British cinema manages to engage the British audiences a lot more, because the British characters within the films are more easily engaged with, and are often about ordinary people.

British Cinema is also essential for Britain, as it provides thousands of jobs for British people. These jobs are not only for directors and actors, but also for builders, make-up artists, advertisers etc. The British film industry also plays a role within the Tourist industry, and so also provides jobs there.

Location Scouting

Eaton Park :For the meeting between the two gangs in the deserted park, this will be filmed at night time. We chose this location because not only can we film at night time, but it has the circular building (shown on photo) which can be used to create a claustrophobic atmosphere, despite being a spacious area. The columns and trees surrounding the building will help to create shadows and darkness, which will make a sense of mystery and convey a signifier of a thriller film.

Lucy's House (Living Room):For the flash back scenes of Rex's wife talking to him on the phone. We chose this location because it is a good homely setting, perfect for the phone call scene. Also we do not need permission to film there, and it is easy to get to.

St. Benedict's Street:For the chase scene between the two gangs at the end and beginning of thriller film. We chose this location because it is an urban setting, but not as busy as the city centre so there wont be people walking into and ruining the shots. The buildings on the street, such as the pub photographed, appear seedy and therefore create a feeling of the underbelly of the city. Because there are alleyways leading off from the street, we can get shots using vanishing points, and can use the alleys during the chase to create feelings of claustrophobia.

Script

For Park Scene:
Ricky: (To Charlie) What's gone wrong eh? We need to sort this out.
Charlie: I don't know, it's not my problem, I thought you were the one in charge of this.
Matt: Look, there's no use fighting, we just want the money.
Lil' Bob: Just let Rex sort this one out.
(Car pulls up, Rex arrives)
Rex: What the bleedin' hell have you done?
(Rex uses violence) I'm going to make you all pay for this; you've blown the whole deal.
(Phone rings, Rex leaves)

Possible scene, phone call.
Kate: Where the hell are you Jimmy? You were meant to be home hours ago, I thought you were at a business meeting.
Rex: Sorry babe, things look to have gone wrong.
Kate: Well, you'd better hurry up, I don't like waiting.(Kate hangs up)

We intend the actors to improvise around the script, in the style of Shane Meadows, to make it alot more natural and realistic. We also hope the actors use slang, like we have put into the script to make it more believable.

finished perfume advert

I created an advert for a perfume called 'Narcissus', with the intention that it would attract and appeal to an audience of C1 and C2 women, who seek conformity, but want to manage to get a higher status, making them mainstreamers and social climbers. I also think the type of women attracted to this advert would be esteem seekers and strivers, which means they will be materialistic and focused on image and status. In my opinion, my advert would appeal to this type of woman, as i think it is quite a typical perfume advert, but focus' on a kind of perfection, therefore attracting the materialistic woman. I believe the advert would mainly be successful among females aged between 18 and 40.


The name of my perfume is 'Narcissist', which is defined as a "person full of egoism and pride; One who shows extreme love and admiration for oneself". The word comes from the Ancient Greek Myth in which a handsome boy called Narcissus was doomed to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Narcissus pined away by the water's edge and changed into the flower that is common near water and bears his name, the narcissus. To emphasise this idea, i have positioned my model looking into a pool of water, surrounded by narcissus flowers. However, rather than having my model looking at her own reflection, she is looking at the perfume bottle; suggesting that even narcissuses prefer the perfume to themselves.

The advert features a young girl wearing a white dress, suggesting innocence, surrounded by natural settings - fields, narcissus flowers, a pool of water. These natural settings display natural perfection, especially when put together with girl wearing simple clothes and in a natural position. The fact that she is smiling again gives a more natural feel, and would appeal more to the audience of woman because not only is it advertising youth, but also the happiness the model is displaying. The advert seems to be suggesting if women bought the perfume, they would gain the youth and happiness of the model, and also be surrounded by such an idyllic setting.

I took the picture of the pool of water, the model, and the narcissus flowers, but found pictures of the painted background and perfume bottle on the internet. I had to edit these layers to give a natural effect, although i was aiming for an almost too perfect setting, to emphasise the idyllic feel of the entire advert. The editing I did required tools such as the lasso, magic wand, blur and smudge. These helped me to create images that looked like they were meant to be there. I also used lighting effects on the image in order to project and direct diagonal light onto the perfume to draw further attention and attraction to the perfume bottle. I also enhanced the colours to get a superficial shade of blue which would grab attention.

In general, I stuck well to my original plan, though added more green scenery as I felt that there was an excess of blue without it. I also used the font tool, which I hadn't planned, to create my slightly 3D text. If I was to make any changes to the finished piece, I would alter the refection's colour, which proved to be a problem when i tried to make it more natural. Another change I would make is to the flowers surrounding the model, as I think they look quite fake. All in all, however, I am quite pleased with the finished piece, and hope it portrays the ideas and connotations, and attracts the audience I aimed for

Ideas for perfume advert

To create my perfume advert, I have designed the following three adverts:

I tried to make each idea different, in order to make the choice between them easier for myself, and also so i could display my different lines of ideas.

After looking closely and further planning of each design, I decided that the middle design would be my final choice. I decided this because I thought it was more interesting than my other ideas, and would enable me to do more editing and manipulating of photographs than I thought the others would. Not only this, but I thought that the other two designs were too similar to existing adverts, and wanted to do something a little bit different.

Content analysis of film distribution in Norwich

Over the weekend of Saturday November 8th and Sunday November 9th, I collected cinema listings from the internet for the cinemas in Norwich - Odeon, Vue, Cinema City and Hollywood Cinema. I wanted to find out about film distribution in the UK and Norwich, and to identify the different types of cinema that are on offer.
From my research, I have identified that a total of 19 films are on show in Norwich, with 6 showing at Cinema City, 8 in Hollywood Cinema, and at the multi-plex cinemas: 9 at Vue, and 12 at Odeon. Considering that in total from November 8th to November 9th there were 212 screenings overall, but only 19 films, it indicates that Norwich does not show a diversity of films, despite having a lot of screen time in which more variety could be shown.

For my research of film distribution, I also looked at the proportion of British and World Cinema screened, in contrast to the amount of Hollywood and American films that are on show at each cinema.







From these results and pie charts it is clear that there is an obvious dominance of Hollywood films over World and British cinema. Even at a picture house such as Cinema City, known for screening more independent films such as ‘Control’, they show 57% Hollywood films. In contrast to the multi-plex cinemas this is a small amount of Hollywood movies, as Vue and Odeon screen an average of 75.5% Hollywood cinema.


This domination of Hollywood films, although it may appear harmless to viewers, actually has a big effect on a lot of audience and other film industries. The films screened from the U.S.A are very typical and clichéd, and project strong views. These views, however, are often narrow minded and biased, yet influence the British audience to think and agree with the Hollywood and American ideas and attitudes. Not only this, but the British film industry is completely overshadowed by Hollywood, meaning that there are far less opportunities and chances for British directors, actors, makers, technicians, etc. This means that film industry is caught in a circle – Hollywood dominates the industry, so there are fewer opportunities for British film industry workers, meaning less British films, and therefore Hollywood dominates cinemas. This is also a problem, because it means that even fewer other types of cinema have a chance of being screened, for example out of all 4 cinemas and all the 212 screenings, 0% are foreign language films, and only 9% of Odeon’s films, 14% of Cinema City’s screenings, and 0% of showings for both Vue and Hollywood are World Cinema.

Overall, I have found out that in Norwich, and so probably all over the U.K, Cinemas are screening an awful lot of Hollywood Blockbusters in comparison with British, World, and Foreign Language films. I have discovered that this means that in general, Hollywood films are very clichéd and project narrow American attitudes and values on the British audience, whilst hindering the British film industry. I believe that this needs to change; British cinemas should promote British films in order to help the British film industry, and also screen World and Foreign Language cinema in order to bring more diversity and interest to the audiences.

Meeting schedule

Week 1 –
Monday – Period 2
Wednesday – Period 2
Thursday – Period 3
Friday – Period 3
Week 2 –
Monday – Period 5
Thursday – Period 3
Thursday - Period 5

During these meetings I hope to discuss ideas for our thriller, including writing the script, deciding on props and choosing a shooting schedule. I also hope to go out location scouting and also hold some auditions for casting. The meetings will also be used to discuss how we think shooting is going and think about improvements to make, and also for editing.

Synopsis of Thriller

Our overall synopsis of our beginning to a thriller production is that we are going to start of with a long shot of a street which looks as if you’re looking through binoculars. The shot won’t last very long, around 3 seconds. Then they’ll be jazzy music to start of with which at first will be quiet, then as it grows louder all of a sudden you see about five guys sprint across the screen as there being chased by guns. You will also hear sound effects of guns and will be shot in the early hours of the mornings. Finally, the scene will suddenly cut out and flash back in time to a gathering of men deserted in a park. However, the jazzy music will continue on.
The next shot will start of with a Pan, moving from a high angle to a low angle. As a thriller Signifier, you see a man stubbing out a cigarette at his feet as the camera zooms up and then out to view all the men in the “meeting,” which will be around 5 altogether. The music will continue on playing, but will be quietened down in parts so you can hear the dialogue. The whole scene in the park will include plenty of mystery being created. For instance, the storyline is that the men are discussing a drug deal which is illegal which is why there meeting in a park at nigh time. They’ll be plenty of conflict between the men as they get angry and frustrated at each other. For example, they’ll use threats and violence toward everyone. Different men will also be shown arriving and driving away at the scene in cars, which is another thriller signifier. Also, within the meeting, mystery will be created as one of the guys will receive a phone call from who we learn is his wife. His wife doesn’t know what he’s involved in and thinks he’s at work at a normal business meeting, so it’s clear that he’s lying. The wife also calls him a different name from what everyone else calls him. During this shot the music will stop, then re-start again. They’ll be flash back shots of the wife sitting alone at home. The scene will then suddenly flash back to the beginning shot of the same street and the audience get to witness the chase between the men which will be filmed in the city. Overall, the film will include plenty of action and create mystery as we’re left with a lot of un-answered questions.
The actual film synopsis is that there are actually two gangs with three men in each. One is called “Speed,” and one is called “Ecstasy.” (Purposely named after drugs.) The two gangs join together though to arrange a major drug deal involving heroine, but the gang “Speed” goes behind “Ecstasy’s” back and gets the drugs without them, which is why there’s a chase scene between the two gangs, in which one of members of “Speed,” gets shot. The main leader of Speed is called Rex and is the husband of the wife who calls him during the meeting in the park. However, she calls him a different name “Jimmy” because it turns out that Rex is leading a double life and told his wife a fake name and identity, so she can’t find out who he really is. The film also involves Rex having another girlfriend. So overall there are two different storylines going on. The film ends with Speed actually killing all the members of Ecstasy in order to keep the drugs for themselves so they can sell them for money, but the film also ends in a cliff hanger with Rex being shown at gunpoint by a person who isn’t identified. Perhaps it was his wife? Or a member of Ecstasy who they thought they killed, but actually turned out to be alive?

Props needed for our Thriller

· Blinds for the house scene when wife calls Rex up while he’s at the meeting, as slatted blinds are key thriller signifiers.

· Suits for the men to wear; mainly black, to connote feelings of mystery and to fit in with the night scene. Suits are also typical of the thriller genre.

· Cigarettes to be used as a thriller signifier. This is mainly for Rex during the panning shot of his feet stubbing out a cigarette. The fact that he smokes adds to the flaws of the protagonist.

· Guns (fake) to be used in the chase scene, to suggest danger, and how powerful these men really are.

· Fan for in the house scene, as this is very typical of thrillers.

· Wife to be wearing stylish clothes. Red to connote danger and passion

Character Profiles

The male protagonist in our group’s thriller is more of an anti-hero, like in film noirs. He has a double identity; leading two lives- one as a regular business man for IBM with a wife and a good successful life ahead of him, the other with a slutty promiscuous girlfriend, and as a leader of a corrupt drug gang known as ‘Speed’. To his wife, he is Jimmy Brown, but in his other life he is known as Rex Reynolds. The actor playing this role will need to be able to act as two different characters easily, making an obvious contrast between the two. He will need to be dressed smartly in a suit and shirt.
Kate Brown is Jimmy Brown’s wife. She is 25, has blonde curly hair, and suspects nothing of her husband’s 2nd identity. Although Kate appears to be fairly boring as she is just a housewife, she is quite glamorous, and the actress playing her should reflect this, whilst making sure the audience know that she has no idea of her husband’s two identities.
Ricky and Bob (sometimes called ‘Lil Bob’) are Rex Reynolds’ sidekicks who stand by him no matter what. They also dress up smartly like Rex, and are just below Rex in the hierarchy of the ‘Speed Gang’. They need to appear tough and unafraid, as well as following what ever Rex tells them. They are between the ages of 18 and 25, and don’t seem to be particularly clever or intelligent.
The Speed gang’s rivals are Ecstasy. The three key members of this gang are Charlie, who is 26, and Matt and Simon, who are both 22. The gang are meant to seem like the “bad guys” and are a lot less smart and well dressed as the Speed gang, and are also made to seem less clever, more into violence and even more corrupt, which the actors playing these characters will have to emphasise.

Film Noirs

Last week I watched a film noir - 'Double Indemnity', which i thought was brilliant. It included many thriller signifiers, and the black and white filming added to the dark mise en scene and plot, and helped to create striking images as well as chirascuro lighting.

I found the opening of 'Double Indemnity' excellent, with just a silhouette of a man struggling to walk on crutches getting closer and closer to this screen. The image stuck in my mind, wondering what significance the crutches had to the film, and adding to the mystery i felt. This mystery continued as the credits stopped, and the camera used a mixture of pans and mid and long shots to follow a dark shadowy figure in a long coat and hat through the street and into a building. The audience is left wondering who the man is, where he is going and why, and suddenly light appears and he sits down, to begin narrating in a room which looks like an old fashioned office with venetian blinds, lots of brown wooden furniture and old telephone to indicate the era.

The mise en scene used in the opening of this is realistic and contemporary of the era in which it is set. There are venetian blinds which create a drammatic effect as light comes pouring through in strips, reminding the audience of bars in prison cells; instantly giving the suggestion that crime will play a large part in the narrative. The streets are very dark, with only light from street lights, giving the impression that he is trapped in darkness and is isolated, alone. His outfit - a long coat and a hat, removes his identity, and surrounds his character with mystery and intrigue, drawing the audience in to find out who he is. The lighting is naturalistic, especially as the director uses lighting from realistic props - street lamps and windows.

The camera work is very effective, as there is a variety in use of close ups, long shots, as well as varying use of pans, tracking and zooms. This helps to keep the audience entertained and engaged. Due to the time that the film was made, editing does not play a large role in the piece, which I think makes it effective as it is simple and not over-edited.

The film is narrated by the male protagonist as a confession of his crime, and uses flash backs to tell and show the twisting turning narrative , before cutting back to the protagonist in the office as he is found, post confession, and we are left on a cliff hanger of what happens to him in the end - if he dies, if he is sent to prison, or if he is allowed to walk free.

Typically of film noirs, 'Double Indemnity''s story is based around a hard hearted diillusioned male character and, very strongly in 'Double Indemnity', a beautiful promiscuous amoral femme fatale. As the femme fatale is murdered by the protagonist in this film, it fits in well with the view that this was typical because women during the war were given new independence and better job earning power, they would suffer on the screen of these 1940s films. 'Double Indemnity' also includes the key features of shadowy images, and anti hero, themes of manipulation, crime, murder, deperation, and moral corruption. This film, among other typical noirs focus on the inhumane and dark side of life and love.

ideas for my thriller

From looking at numerous thriller films over the past couple of months, most recently Layer Cake, I am beginning to get some ideas for my own thriller opening.

Many of the thrillers I have seen start with something drammatic, for example an explosion in Layer Cake, someone being shot in Sin City etc, and so think this would be a good aspect to include in my own thriller, as it creates mystery and intrigue, whilst also sticking to the theme of crime and corruption. When discussing this, we suggested to start with a chase. I feel very influenced by the chase in Layer Cake, and so we aim to create a chase scene similar to that. We want to mix both handheld point of view camera shots with panning shots, with fast paced editing, to increase the excitement in the scene. We have also considered adding some postproduction editing to create the effect of someone looking through binoculars/a gun by only showing the middle circle of the shot. This would add to the mystery, and also make the sequence more interesting.

We have also had the idea of introducing the male protagonist in our opening, but have not yet decided on whether it should be in the traditional setting - a brown office with wooden furniture and pictures, books and a fan around the room, or whether we should have a more modern clinical theme, with a very clean setting, full of white and bright lighting.

As alot of thrillers, including Vertigo, Chinatown and Essex Boys, use shots inside a car- either looking through the windscreen at the driver and passenger, or positioned in the back seats, it would be good to use a scene in a car. However a shot through the front window would obviously be very hard and dangerous, so we would need to use a shot from the back of the car.

We also discussed our camera skills, emphasising that we need to remember the rule of thirds when filming, abd should use a range of shots. We will also hopefully take some clever shots using things such as reflections to make our film more interesting.

My group and I talked briefly about possible locations and found that we all think that settings such as a hospital (if we get permission) would be excellent if we were to follow the clinical idea, a park early in the morning or at night would make a good deserted setiing, and Norwich city centre would be good if we needed a busy urban setting. I also thought that old cobbled streets like elm hill, especially at night or in the rain would be an effective thriller location.

Over the next couple of days we are hoping to achieve some more definate ideas for our opening, and also to create a detailed story board.

More on Thrillers - (Sin City and Silence of the Lambs)

Recently I have been watching more thrillers in order to gain more ideas for my own thriller opening. Throughtout the past month or so, I have watched 'Silence of the Lambs', Hitchcock's 'The Birds', 'Sin City', 'Chinatown', and we are just beginning to watch 'Layercake' directed by Matthew Vaugn in lessons.

Out of these films, I have most enjoyed and been influenced by 'Silence of the Lambs' and 'Sin City', as these have many thriller signifiers, eg claustrophobia and spiralling narratives of mystery and intrigue.

Sin City
I found the opening of 'Sin City' brilliant, as the mystery is straight away highlighted to the audience. The opening started in an urban city on the balcony of a sky scraper, straight away adding danger and loneliness due to the height of the building. The audience are straight away drawn to a seductive femma fatale in a red dress, which connotes feelings of both danger and passion, and the camera pans in whilst an internal monologue, which adds a more personal feel for the audience which helps to engage, is spoken over the top of slow jazz and diegetic sirens, showing that crime is rife in the city. We can see that despite the urban setting, it is very bleak, and the darkness and rain are very styalised in order to emphasise the thriller signifiers.

The mise en scene in the piece has been edited to be black and white, like the influential thrillers from the 1940s. The only mise en scene which is coloured is the femme fatale's red lips and red dress, which emphasises the idea that she is dangerous yet sexual. The other mise en scene and settings which are used in the sequence are modern, and plain, in order to make the gun, the red colour of the woman, the chirascuro lighting and the flash of green we see in the femme fatale's eyes stand out and make an impact on the viewer.

The post-production editing to make everything black and white apart from the woman's dress, lips, and for a split second, eyes, is very effective, and although this would be hard to do in my own opening, i think would be excellent. I also really like the internal monologue over the top, although i think that this would be hard to be effective and sound good if I were to include this. As the man and woman kiss, the picture changes effect and becomes almost monochromatic. We see the woman representing sexuality, vunerability and danger, whilst the man creates security; typical for thrillers. The opening ends as the man shoots the woman. The fact that we dont know who these people are, or what they are doing simply adds to the thriller signifier of mystery, and drawing the audience in.

Silence of the Lambs
I found the idea of having a woman detective and protaganist in 'Silence of the Lambs' very interesting and effective, although obviously it removed two key ideas of thrillers - the male protaganist and the femme fatale. Although I like this different idea, i don't think it shows thriller signifiers aswell. However, my favourite shot from this film was Hannibal Lector locked up in a small cell inside a large room. Both of these barriers made a feeling of claustrophobia; necessary in thrillers, and the metal bars surrounding Dr Lector increased the feelings of crime. Later, we see Hannibal Lector kill two people in here, and then mysteriously vanish, to be found hiding on top of the lift. The shot down from the lift shaft onto Lector on top of the lift uses ideas of enclosed spaces, having no way out, and a high angle shot, which makes us undermine Lector, as we start to believe he will get caught.

When I make my own thriller opening, I hope to include lots of enclosed spaces to create claustrophobia, and also open with something exciting in order to appeal to the audience. I hope to use fitting non-diagetic music, perhaps slow jazz like in 'Sin City', to suggest sleaziness, the underbelly of the city and to pay tribute to the film noir movies that this music was common in. I am tempted to maybe audition some people to see if their voices suit an internal monologue, although I'm not sure how effective that will be. Hopefully I will also be able to use some good post-production editing to make the opening interesting, and will perhaps use fast-paced editing, like the editing used in the robbery at the begining of 'Layer Cake', as this gives the film a fast paced, action kind of feel.

Exploring narrative in Chinatown

In film, narrative is the story and plot that the film shows and also the way that it is told. A simple narrative structure is – beginning, event, climax, and resolution. Although a lot of successful films use this structure, thrillers normally have a more complex and twisting narrative to appeal more to the audience.

The complex narratives within thriller films differ. Some use twists within the plot in order to engage the viewer, whilst others use cliff-hangers to leave the audience on edge and thinking about the film. Thrillers are also often presented from the point of view of a character within the film which presents things in a different light, as this is normally from the male protagonist’s point of view.

Thriller narratives all have some key features. These include mystery, romance, secrets, suspense, and mistrust. The narrative also often focuses on good vs. evil, and a sense of crime and corruption.

Chinatown is a good example of a thriller and thriller narrative. The film is shown from the perspective of JJ Gittes, the male protagonist in the film, which means the audience sees things from his perspective, and therefore viewing him as the ‘good guy’. Like with a lot of thrillers, the protagonist has flaws – he drinks and he smokes, which is a key thriller signifier.

The narrative of Chinatown is full of twists, turns and spirals. Examples of twists within the narrative include – the woman pretending to be Evelyn Mulwray in order to spy on Hollis Mulwray, and Katherine being both Evelyn’s daughter and sister. These twists add to the mystery within the narrative, which is a key feature within thrillers. Mystery is a key factor in the narrative of Chinatown, as the entire plot is built around the mystery regarding the intricate water scandal, the murder of Mulwray, and less important mysteries, such as the mysterious phonecall to Evelyn. These mysteries also tie in with the thriller signifier of crime and corruption, with the murder being a prime example of this within the film. Seeing as JJ Gittes is a private investigator, these key thriller narrative examples are inevitable, as is the theme of chases and pursuits. There are two key pursuits within Chinatown; the first is when JJ Gittes breaks into land to try and investigate the water situations, and the second is right at the end of the film, where Evelyn and Katherine are trying to escape, but the police open fire and Evelyn is killed. Another element to the narrative is romance which is often seen in thrillers, Chinatown included. The romance is, predictably, between the male protagonist, JJ Gittes, and the femme fatale, Evelyn Mulwray.

Overall, the narrative within Chinatown features in a lot of other thriller films, with the twisting turning narrative being the crucial element. Narrative is extremely important in films of the thriller genre because it presents things in certain ways to the audience via the point of view of one of the characters. The twists in the narrative, along with the mystery and corruption keep the audience interested and always intrigued as to what is happening next.

Target audience for my perfume advert

In order to create a good and effective perfume advert, i need to chose a suitable target audience to ensure that my advert appeals to them.

I have decided to focus on C1 and C2 in the demogrpahic classification of audience, as this makes up 49% of the population, meaning it would attract alot of people; there would be more sales of my perfume. I also think that this group of lower middle class and skilled manual workers would be nice to make an advert for.

I think my target audience will also be mainstreamers/social climbers, meaning that they seek conformity, but want to manage to get a higher status using the things they buy/use to aid them with this. This will mean I will need to make my advert quite stereotypical, but also appealing.

For my 'insight social value group' i have chosen to target esteem seekers and strivers, which means they will be materialistic and focused on image and status. To make my advert target these groups, i will need to make sure that the advert makes the perfume look like a symbol of success, whilst using something traditional to appeal to the strivers.

I have decided that the target group will probably be driven by Physiological things, eg sex, and also sexual intimacy - Love/Belonging. The group may also be affected by Esteem, as they are trying to gain the respect of others. In general, the advert I create will need to involve some feeling of sex/sexual intimacy to appeal to the group.

Camera Shots

To get some idea of the different camera angles and shots, we used a camera to take our own.

The first shot we took was the Mid-Shot.

Mid-Shots are used to show detail and facial expressions, as well as the surroundings and settings. It also means that the audience can see any hand gestures the character uses.

We also took a Long Shot and an Extreme Long Shot.
Both types of shots are normally used to show a place, setting the scene and letting the audience know where they are. These types of shots are also used to show action, as it allows the audience to see the whole scene and all of the action and the characters' reactions. These shots tend to be used to help the audience understand where they are and what is happening.

We also took a close up, and then an extreme closeup. Close-ups are often used to highlight things to the audience, for example where a character's eyes are looking, and expressions the actor uses, to help the audience understand the meaning further, and to give them an idea of what the character is thinking. Close-ups in general are used to emphasise certain things to an audience.

We also took some photos using camera angles. The first angle we tried was the Down-Shot. Down-Shots are used to make the audience feel more important than the person they are looking down on - they are looking down both metaphorically and literally. They are used to make the character appear smaller and weaker. In contrast to this is the Up-Shot. Up-Shots are used to make the character appear dominant and more important. In general, Up-Shots make the audience feel intimidated.

Although we didn't take examples of them, Bird's Eye View and Worm's Eye View shots are also used. Bird's Eye Views help to set the scene to the audience, showing them the setting, and giving them a different perspective.

Analysis of Pefume Adverts

I have chosen to analyse to perfume adverts, one for Kylie Minogue's 'Sexy Darling' and the other for Ghost's 'Sweetheart'.



Kylie Minogue's advert is predominantly red, with a low angle mid-shot of the popstar. The low-angled shot means that we are looking up to Kylie, both literally and metaphorically, whilst the red colours and shades connote feelings of passion and love. Kylie is raising her eyebrow and has slightly open red lips, making her look feminine and sexy. This idea of sexiness is added to when we look further at the mise en scene. Kylie is wearing a low-backed halter-neck white dress, has blonde hair swept back, and is wearing bright red lipstick, which is obviously meant to be an imitation of Marilyn Monroe, a fashion icon and sex symbol, encouraging us to believe that Kylie is too. Kylie is framed by glitter and sparkles; on the red wall behind and also the red pompoms she is holding by her side, making her look feminine and classy. The pompoms reflecting light off them are also framing the perfume bottle itself, to draw more attention to it. The perfume bottle is the same colour as the background of the advert - light red to dark red, and the bottle is placed at the bottom of the advert in order for the bright red of the top to stand out. underneath the picture of the perfume bottle is some text - 'The new fragrance by KYLIE MINOGUE'. the font is sans serif and is white, in order to stand out. Kylie's name is in upper case in order to make sure that the audience know that it is her perfume. The only other bit of writing used on the advert is 'Sexy darling' written again in a white font to stand out, and is also in a script font, which mirrors the writing shown on the perfume. Throughout the advert, only two colours are used - red and white. Red is used for the background, the perfume, and on Kylie's pompoms, and lips, which, teamed with Kylies provocative pose and expression connotes passion. The white is used for the fonts and Kylie's dress, and is used to contrast with the red colouring.



This advert appeals to the audience, because the mise en scene is very eyecatching. Not only this, but it seems to be suggesting that Kylie is a 'Sexy Darling' like her perfume. I think that the advert is meant to perhaps be like the inside of the bottle of perfume, the sparkles show the liquid and reflections of it, and the colour scheme being the colours of the outside of the bottle. Kylie Minogue is inside the bottle, to suggest that by using the perfume, we will also become 'Sexy Darling's and more like Kylie. Many girls would be attracted to this, not only because it is Kylie Minogue, but also because they are attracted to the idea of being 'sexy' and more attractive, which Kylie Minogue is promising in this advert.



The second advert I chose to analyse is Ghost's 'Sweetheart'. The advert is a mid-shot of a model which has been cropped so only her shoulders and face are showing. The model is surrounded by pink-y orange feathers; the colours connote happiness, femininity and health, whilst the plush feathers used connote ideas of heaven and angels. The model is staring into the camera, maintaining eyecontact with the reader, and instantly drawing us in. Her face is not covered in makeup, meaning she looks very natural, and her hair is simply parted in the middle, with no obvious style. Although she is not heavily made-up, she still looks very pretty, with her big blue eyes and long blonde hair showing typical British beauty as well as connoting ideas of innocence and youth. Her plumped glossed lips add to her beauty, and make her look even more feminine. The model appears to be naked, with only her long blonde hair and angelic feathers covering her. At the front of the advert, also framed by heavenly feathers, is the perfume bottle itself. It is displayed at the front of the photo, and large in proportion to the model, to show its importance. At the top right hand corner of the advert the words 'GHOST SWEETHEART' are displayed in an upper case sans serif white font. The word 'GHOST' is bigger, as this is the brand of the perfume. The white of the font used connotes purity and innocence, which fits in with the rest of the advert. The only shades, apart from the blue, used in the advert are white, light pink-orange, and beige - all neutral tones. These colours suggest simplicity, happiness, femininity, and youth, which the advert as a whole seems to be focussing on. This makes the blue of the model's eyes stand out piercingly, especially as they are staring right at us, with the blue confirming the purity and confidence that the perfume could give us.



This advert appeals to the audience because of how the model instantly attracts our attention, whilst the mise en scene appeals and interests us. The fact that the perfume is called 'Sweetheart', implying goodness and purity just heightens the impact we get from the heavenly looking feathers, and the natural beauty of the perhaps naked model. These aspects believe that by using ghost's perfume we too could be this natural, feminine 'Sweetheart'.

first thoughts on thrillers (No Country for Old Men and Vertigo)

Over the past few weeks, i have been looking at the thriller genre in media lessons and at home. So far, i have enjoyed watching thriller films, despite them being a genre i have never looked into before, and am starting to understand more of the thriller signifiers; such as spiralling staircases to mirror the spiralling narrative, themes of corruption and mystery, and flawed heroes.

Up to now, I have watched films including 'No Country For Old Men', 'The Silence Of The Lambs', 'The Black Dahlia', 'China Town' and Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' and 'Psycho'. I have noted many similarities within the films which are definate thriller signifiers, including the twisting narratives, use of bleak and urban settings, femme fatales, corruption, and rain and shadows. I have noticed that there is also alot of enclosed spaces and claustrophobia included.

In 'No Country For Old Men' I found the setting highly effective for the thriller genre. Although it was set in a bleak desert, claustrophobia was created in the emptiness and loneliness of it. The dark clouds add a mysterious atmosphere, and the dark silhouette of the mountains contrasts with the bright light in the centre of the shot, which draws attention to the man and his car, highlighting how alone he is, adding to the tension and mystery. ( image from: http://thecia.com.au/reviews/n/images/no-country-for-old-men-0.jpg)

Another thriller film I found very effective was 'Vertigo', directed by Hitchcock. The film begins with a spiral over a black background, which straight away indicates the film will include a spiralling thriller narrative. This shot shows the signifier of wide open space, creating the idea of loneliness, and also shows a hero, and a femme fatale. Not only this, but the sky is full of clouds, creating darker lighting.

From watching these thrillers i am trying to get some inspiration for my own opening of a thriller. So far, I'm thinking of using urban settings, typical of thrillers, and starting with a chase or at least alot of action, like the beginning of 'Vertigo'. I think i may try and get in the idea of shots down a spiral staircase like in 'Vertigo' to mirror the twisting narrative and all the layers of it.