Final Video

Evaluation

• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I think that our thriller is a very conventional thriller, due to the typical roles of the antagonist and protaganist and the fast music and editing. The roles of the antagonist and the protagonist however are ambiguous until the end of the intro, this adds a sense of mystery, which is very conventional of mystery or psychological thrillers.

The editing and music is very fast paced. The editing cross cuts between the two characters constantly, with no shot lengths longer than a second or two. The music is very industrial, with a fast drum beat and underlying menacing feel to it. This is very common in most thrillers, as it builds up tension to thrill the audience, and quickens the pace of the movie in general.

We challenged the typical roles of both of the characters by making them both male. This is seen in a lot of thrillers, but typically, especially in more mainstream thrillers, the protaganist tends to be female, as they are stereotypically more vulnerable and weaker than men.

• How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our thriller represents some moral issues in modern youth. They are obviously just ordinary teenagers, due to the way they speak to each other. For instance "Hey, come on in man, coffee?" isn't a very sophisticated phrase, not that shows a lack of intelligence in the characters, it just represents that they are just common teenagers.

However the fact that one of them quite clearly has psychological problems brings out a range of possible issues concerning the youth of today. One explanation for this could be too much time playing computer games, which is something that has been seen in the news, where a teenager gets easily influenced by violence on the TV or in a computer game. Another could be that he was bullied by the other teen, and is simply acting out on a vendetta. Another explanation that he is just an adolescent experiencing a lot of issues, and his imagination is running wild. The difference between him and other teenagers however is the fact that he has act out his fantasies.

The thriller could be about any of these, if it had been made into a full length feature however, we would have kept the reason behind his mentality hidden, to create a sense of mystery.

• What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I think that any film institution interested in low budget, indie movies, would be interested, particularly 'Whitewater Films', as they produced such films as the the 2004 feature 'Mean Creek', directed by Jacob Aaron Estes. An indie film that is not very heard of, and deals with the aspects of bullying and revenge, as well as the consequences. It might even attract the attention of such companies like 'Paramount', who produced 'Donnie Darko' in 2001, directed and written be Richard Kelly, which also deals with adolescent mentality.

• Who would be the audience for your media product?

There is not a direct audience for this movie, we aimed to make suitable for all, however it would probably mainly attract other teens, as they would find it easier to relate to.

I think the audience for the film would also be the sort of people who watch less mainstream films, as it deals with very controversial subject matters, so anyone from teenagers to middle aged people. I don't think that it would attract the attention of elderly people particularly, as they would probably find it harder to relate to modern life.

• How did you attract/address your audience?

To make attractable to youths we decided to locate the film in a surburban, terrace house, which any english, middle class teenaged could relate to. Also the fact that both of the main characters are youths themselves, makes them attractable to our main target audience, as other teenagers can easily relate to their actions and thoughts.

• What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Through the process of making our thriller opening, we picked up a lot of new knoledge on the way. Although we already had good experience in using cameras in filming, and simple editing, which I personally think gave us an advantage, there was a lot of new software we had to use, as we edited the film through the school's software, Adobe Premiere.

We learnt how to insert titles more effectively, instead of simply placing them in the opening or closing credits. We also learnt how to use the sound a lot better, we never really considered it before, however now we had to insert a soundtrack, that we learnt how to do. Also, with the sound, we learnt how to edit the volume, for instance, we were able to make the non diegetic sound quieter when one of the characters was speaking, and then how to make build up towards the end and get louder.

• Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

We thought out the shots a lot better for one, for example, during the speech in our thriller, we had the camera on the character speaking, whereas before we didn't. The shots were a lot more fluent in our thriller; it was easier to follow the plot than the preliminary task, apart from the aspects of the thriller we wanted to be vaguer, which was purposefully done.

I think, one important aspect of film making we learnt from making our preliminary task, was the importance of using a tripod. Our preliminary task was quite shaky in a lot of the shots, whereas our thriller was a lot sturdier.

We also improved our time management with the thriller, we filmed it way before the deadline so we had more time to edit it, and find out if there was anything that needed re shooting, which made the whole experience a lot more relaxed. We also planned what we needed for the film, and the locations, before shooting. Although before, in the preliminary task, everything was a lot more rushed.

Improvements

FeedBack

After our first draft we conducted an audience survey to see what others thought of our thriller. We generally received positive feedback, however one repeated response that we heard was the issue of the music. The fact that there was no non diegetic sound was obvious to the audience I think because there was no pace, music can make a big difference. Although we had planned to insert some music anyhow, at least now we understand the urgency and importance of this.

Sound On our first draft of our thriller we didn't have a soundtrack. Eventually we found a website http://www.jamendo.com/. Which would allow us to download music for free which was not copyrighted.

We eventually found a peice of musicby an artist named Daniel Catorino, the peice was called 'Lia e o Moleiro' of his album 'O Rio e o Moleiro'. We decided to use this as our soundtrack.

The track we found was perfect for our clip as it was quite fast paced, and industrial, similar to soundtracks from such thrillers as 'Se7en'. It also builds up, the slow burning way it did suited the way the plot is revealed at the end of the movie, adding to the suspense.

When inserting the music into our clip during the editing process, we used Adobe Premiere. This allowed us to edit the volume of the peice at different stages. For example, we dipped the sound during the part of the thriller containing speech, so it was easier to hear the voice, at the end of the peice we increased the volume to it's full extent, so add to the build up in tension.

Re Shoot

The only part of the film we had to re shoot was the final shot. We decided to this because we thought the shot was not sturdy enough and had to be steadier. It also was not not obvious enough that the character I played was actually dead.

To improve these elements, we re shot the shot over an over again. Untill we found a shot that was smooth enough to be edited in. We bought some extra props before hand as well, ketchup and red food colouring, so that we could perfect the blood. The food colouring helped make the colour stand out so there was clearly a lot of blood, and we used the ketchup for the texture, making the blood look thick, so it almost look real.

Thriller- Version 1

Editing

We decided to all edit the thriller together so we all had an equal input, although we edited it together, Jonathon and I mainly worked on the cross cutting, and Zoran's main contribution was the input of the titles. The rest was a joint effort where we worked together. The software we used to edit our footage was Sony Vegas, however this software was not available on the school's computers, so we decided to bring Jonathon's laptop into college so we could upload the footage to it, and still work together.

After editing we realised we didn't really have any good shots for the last shot, they were all too shaky, and it was not obvious enough at the end that i was dead. So, we decided we would need to re shoot it with some fake blood, and try and film it a little sturdier.

Filming

We already decided to film out thriller at my house, as it suited the plot the best, although this location was the furthest out of the way, we were dedicated to making it of the best possible quality, so we didn't mind going out of the way to. However it was convenient as in by using my house it meant we could film at all at once, we had considered filming it in separate locations, however this would have been a lot of hassle.

Before we started filming there were several factors we made sure were right so we could work in the right conditions. One factor was the props and locations, we needed to make sure that we had the gun, the kettle and the mug at my house ready to use during shooting, otherwise it would cause more trouble and hassle than necessary. Me and jonathon both needed to make sure that we had the right costumes ready so when the weather was right we wouldn't have anything to sort out.

We wanted the weather to be quite sunny so as the outside scenes weren't to hard to shoot, and there would be enough light to make everything clear and visible. Although the inside shots didn't, as we could simply turn the light on, we wanted to shoot all of the shots together. This meant we had to be prepared and available so whenever we thought the conditions were suitable, Jonathon and Zoran were both on call to come straight to mine.

On the day when we decided these were all in order, they both came to mine. The whole time we had the storyboard with us, and beforehand we all studies for about 20 minutes, so that when we shot we knew the compositions and framings of everything, so we could make the film as accurate to our planning as possible. Because we were confident that what we had planned would show our abilities at there best, and would reflect the knowledge we had gained from our research, there was nothing we had to change beforehand.

We also had our risk assessments with us, so we didn't make mistakes. This was so none of us injured ourselves and we didn't break anything. I think, because we had these with us, everything when very smoothly and according to plan.

When we did start shooting, we shot all the outside shots first, because this meant if got dark as the evening went on we didn't have to stop. It wouldn't have had been a sensible choice to do it the other way round, because if it got dark we would have had to shoot the rest another day.

We shot every shot three or four times, to make sure we got them all to perfection. We wanted to make sure we had a large variety of shots to choose from when we came to editing so we could see what shots fitted together best, and what didn't.

After filming, which went well and positively, we decided there wasn't any changes needed to make to the storyboard. All the shots were ok so far, however we would have to wait until we edited it and see whether or not it was ok.

Risk Assessment

There aren't any major dangers that we will come across during filming, however, there are a few risks, which we have thought out carefully, as it is of the the upmost importance to keep the safety of everyone involved, and all of the equipment used.

Risk: The Camera/ Camera Men

During filming, there are many things that could happen to the camera. It could get dropped and broken, before we had finished filming, preventing us from meeting the deadlines, or the Zoran could fall over in one of the riskier shots, such as the alley way shot, injuring himself or the camera.

How can we prevent the risk?

To prevent any of the above from occurring, we will work as a team to make sure that the camera is always on a tripod, this will stop it from falling and breaking, and shots that can't be used with a tripod we will film quickly, with a firm grip on the piece of equipment. As soon as we have finished filming any shot that hasn't been used with the tripod we will either put the camera back in the case or screw securely back onto the tripod, this will stop it being out and exposed to the surrounding dangers longer than necessary.

In any shots that a little riskier, such as having to walk backwards down the alley way, to prevent any risk to the camera man, we will have the third member of our team help them out, in this shot they will be able to walk behind the camera man preventing him from falling over and damaging any equipment.

Risk: The Mug/ The Crew

During filming the mug could easily be dropped and broken if we are not careful. Although we have other identical mugs, so it would not prevent the filming, it would be a waste of money, and could injure any of the crew.

How can we prevent the risk?

To prevent this from happening we will always keep it away from the edge of the work side, to prevent it from falling over, and we will only take it out of the place where the mugs belong during in shot that it is needed in, we will put it straight back after. However if it does fall over, we will not tidy the sharp pieces with our bare hands, we will used gloves of a plastic bag and dispose of i immediately.

Risk: The Kettle/ The Actors

During the filming of the kettle shots, there is a possibility that any of us could burn ourselves on the hot water, this wouldn't be pleasant, and we would have to temporarily stop filming. Also, if it was one of the actor's hands, it could damage the continuity of the footage, if in one shot his hands were fine, and the next they had a burn, this could be mean re shooting any previous footage.

How can I prevent this risk?

To prevent any of these risks, we will only boil the water when it is needed, the shots with the kettle. On the actual shots of the water being poured into the mug, we replace the hot water with cold water, to prevent any burning risks. For the safety of the continuity, we will shoot the kettle shot first, so if one of the actors is injured, it will look like they had a burn before, as it will be throughout the whole clip.

Cast and Crew

Final Storyboard

Here is the completed, final storyboard, it has a few changes to the original one, which wasn't as well thought out, and after looking into what props and locations we were going to use, we could plan out the shots a lot easier, and what was going to be included in each frame.

This story is more professional than our first draft, as we printed of the outline of it so all the frames were the same size, and the whole thing is generally neater. We decided to change the order of the shots a little in this version as well, the kettle being turned on is now going to be our opening shot, we deliberately used a kettle with a red switch that glows. So the fact the opening shot is red switch being turned on and glow up is an indication of the danger forshadowed ahead.

The shots are lot more equal in this version. There is a parallel amount of shots for the both the interlinking stories. This creates a very fast pace, as the editing is a lot faster, this is a convention of most thrillers, to use fast paced editing, as it creates a lot of tension and pace. The compositions of some of the shots of the coffee have been improved as well, for example, the shot of the coffee being stirred is not just another bird's eye view shot of the cup, is at a slight angle. We decided to make a lot of shots from a tilted angle as it disrupts the normality of the scene, it shows there is something more going on than just someone making a a cup of coffee, this is conventional of a lot of thrillers to do so.

The final few shots are throughly more planned in this second version of the storyboard. In the original we had the idea of the zooming in onto the dead body at the end, but that was about it. This storyboard has four well planned shots of how we are going to shoot, so all in all, this version gives a lot better idea of what out final video will turn out like.

Planning: Props

We thought out which props to use in our opening sequence very carefully, we didn't want to give the audience the wrong impression about any of the characters, we wanted the each prop to tell you something about the characters.

Mug

We chose this due to the colour. The fact it was blue, a cold and dull colour, and quite tasteful at the same time reflects the mentality and image of the killer, on the outside he appears normal, and creative, but on the inside he is actually extremely cold hearted.

Kettle

There is nothing special about the kettle, however it is important for the opening shot, with the man having to flick the switch, the fact that the switch is red strongly conveys a sense of danger, and starts the scene with an immediate sense of danger.

Gun

We chose this gun carefully, for two reasons. The first being it looks very realistic, being made out of metal, and the rusty looking paint job makes it seem very real. Also, the fact that it is a revolver and not an automatic, shows again that the killer is quite authentic and thinks out his appearance very carefully.

Planning: Locations

Before shooting out opening sequence for a thriller, we decided what location would suit the story best. We finally decided on my house due to the fact it seemed to fit the characters and rough plot we had so well.

Alley Way

The alley way outside my house, has a very go

thic, mysterious feel, especially the gate at the end, it's quite old so appears very haunting and gloomy. T

his suits the plot as it creates a contrast to the peaceful kitch

en inside, and foreshadows the doom of the character who has to walk up the alley.

Kitchen

The kitchen to my house has a very warm and homely mood, due to the less modern, untidy approach it has. This goes well

with the story as it

contradicts the cha

racter who owns the house, people wouldn't expect a murderer to live it a place like this, which makes it more of a shock when the audience find out that he

is actually a killer.

Living Room

This seemed like a good place for the final character who dies to die here, as there is a hall leading up to it. This is good if we wanted to shoot a medium tracking shot slowly revealing the inside of the room, then the dead body inside.

Door

On the outside of my house around the door it appears fairly scruffy, and antique, this will be useful for when one character approaches the door, it will create a sense of mystery for the audience.

Rough Storyboard

This is the first draft of our storyboard, which we jotted onto some paper after planning our plot out. The route idea of the cross cutting between the two characters has already spawned here. There is no mention of the kettle on this first page, as we had not really considered the order of things at this point.

A lot of the shots of the making of the coffee are also quite spaced out, in this early story board we found that we had a few shots of the man walking up the alley way, and then every now and again there is in a insert shot of the coffee being made. This gives the man in the alleyway more screen time, initially to make him an obviously more important character, perhaps t should be a little more ambiguous though so the audience do not know who the villain is, a code of most thrillers.

As the man making the coffee walks up to the door, there is an insert shot of the coffee being stirred, although this does make it obvious to the audience that the two things are not happening at the same time, it could be vaguer. We also planned to have a close up of his mouth as he spoke, as to make the audience concentrate on his speech.

Audience Research: Questionaire

For my thriller research I conducted a questionnaire on thirty people I knew who watch a fair amount of thriller movies. These results helped us make certain decisions for out thriller opening.

1. What Gender Are You?

-Male (15)

-Female (15)

I purposefully asked the same amount of people of each genre, to make it a fairer questionnaire. By doing this we can make the thriller appeal equally appealing to to both genders.

2. How Old Are You?

-Child (12-) (3)

-Teenager (13+) (8)

-Adult (19+) (7)

-Middle Aged (36+) (8)

-Elderly (50+) (4)

This shows that not many children tend to watch thrillers, and neither for more elderly people. This means we can make our thriller quite maturely and we don't really have any restrictions on aspects such as violence.

3.What's Your Most Preferred Genre Of Thriller?

-Crime (5)

-Conspiracy (3)

-Disaster (5)

-Government (3)

-Mysterious (10)

-Psychological (4)

By these results, I now know that we can make our thriller a mysterious thriller, which means we can now start to storyboard the movie, knowing what we are making.

4. Do You Prefer A Male Or Female Villain?

-Male (18)

-Female (12)

This strongly pushes us into choosing a male actor for the villain, this a convention of most thrillers, as men stereotypically tend to appear more powerful and threatening than women.

5. Do You Prefer A Male Or Female Victim?

-Male (16)

-Female (14)

These results are pretty equal, so theoretically we could use a male or a female, but it's more convenient for us to use a male, as one of our group can be in it that way. Also, our rough plot so far is set around two 'friends', so a two males would be more believable.

6. What Kind Of Music Would You Prefer In A Thriller Opening

-Fast Paced (13)

-Slow Build Up (12)

-Other (5)

Most thrillers tend to have fast paced music at fast parts of the movie, to keep the pace up. However as this only the opening sequence of a thriller, and judging by this survey, we could possibly use a slow epic of music in our opening, that builds up, and then maybe becomes faster.

7.Do You Prefer Black And White Or Colour Thrillers?

-Colour (14)

-Black and White (16)

These results convey that the majority of people prefer thrillers that are in black and white, however, this just may the people i asked, and the results are close, so we decided we might have different parts in black and white and colour, to please the majority of the audience, and to make our opening a bit stylish.

8. Would You Prefer A Small Or Big Chunk Of Dialogue In An Opening Sequence?

-Small (11)

-Big (19)

Due to these results we are going to include a minimal amount of speech, also thrillers tend to have fast paced openings to get the audience sucked in, we don't want to bore our audience with lots of dialogue.

9. What Kind Of Weapon Do You Think Would Suit A Thriller Opening Best?

-Gun (13)

-Knife (7)

-Baseball Bat (6)

-Other (4)

This helped us choose a weapon, as a gun would clearly please the audience more, and would be a lot more simple to include and less gory, so easier to film.

10. Do You Think Smart Or Casual Clothing Suits A Thriller Better?

-Smart (7)

-Casual (23)

This makes sense in relation to the question on different thriller genres, suits or smarter clothing tend to suit government or conspiracy thrillers better than mysterious or psychological thrillers.

11. What Sort Of location Do You Think A Thriller Should Open In?

-Gothic (12)

-Average, Everyday (18)

This makes our thriller a lot easier to shoot, and is also a convention of most thrillers to be set in everyday locations, so when something abnormal happens, it appears to be more out of the ordinary.

Thriller Directors

These are some of the best directors in the modern Thriller industry. Quentin Tarantino

Born: March 27th 19963

Films: "Pul Fiction (1994)" "Reservoir Dogs (1992)"

Quentin Tarantino has a very unigue stly of films, which use a range of different techniques. One aspect of film making that makes Tarantino's thriller movies have more of a thrill, is the way he uses his music and humour. A lot of his movies have very churpy or catchy songs, that don't really connotate a scary mood, so when something devasting or out of the oridinary does happen, it creates a huge juxtaposition, which shocks the audience. The same happens with his sense of movie, according to Tarantino, each of his movies has a different stlye of humour, which makes the audience laugh when they shouldn't be, this creates a similar contrast between the humourous, and the not funny parts of the movies, to the way the music works.

The way he uses his characters also adds to the thrills, he makes the audience become very attatched to the characters, by using a lot of diologue. This means that if a significant character dies, the audience will smpathise for them more. Because of the large amount of diologue, the scenes are somtimes quite long, which builds up a lot of tension.

David Fincher

Born: August 28th 1962

Films: "Fight Club (1999)" "Se7en (1995)"

David Fincher's thrillers often tend to have a lot of twists in them, this makes the thrills very unexpected, for example both of the films above have major twists that aren't very obvious until the end of the movie.

Fincher also0 tends to work with a lot of the same actors in different projects he has worked on. This is probably why all of his movies have such talented acting skills demonstrated, because the actors and himself are a lot more comfortable with each other. This makes his films a lot more believable and atmospheric.

Ridley Scott

Born: November 30th 1937

Films: "Hannibal (2001)" "Alien (1979)"

Scott, similarly to Tarantino, often has a lot of slow paced scenes building up to the action, films such as 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner' are prime examples. This creates a lot of tension and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, so that when something thrilling does happen, it has more of a shocking effect on them. Ridley Scott also uses his sound in this way, but not the actual music, the diegetic sound. Such as in 'Alien' there are lots of hisssing pipes and beeping computers, this makes the scenes appear very hectic and creates a suspensfull build up to each thrill.

Thriller Sub Genres

Conspiracy Thriller

Normally based around an investigator of some kind, for example a journalist, who uncovers a government plot, of great mystery and vast consequences.

Recent examples:

-"Flightplan" (2005)

-''Edge of Darkness" (2010)

Crime Thriller

Usually set around a crime, where the main character is normally a police officer or detective , investigating particular crime or series of crimes, or a certain killer.

Recent examples:

-"Seven"

(1995)

-"No Country For Old Men"

(2007)

Disaster Thriller

Disaster thrillers tend to be based around either an artificial or natural disaster, such as an earthquake, a flood, or something more manufactured, like a nuclear war or a ship crash.

Recent examples:

-"2012"

(2009)

-"Knowing"

(2009)

Legal Thriller

These kind of thrillers are usually set around a key figure like a lawyer or judge, and set inside a courtroom, or in and out of a series of court cases, with often the opposition played a key role.

Recent examples:

-"Fracture"

(2007)

-"A Time To Kill"

(1996)

Mystery Thriller

Mystery thrillers tend to be a lot more ambiguous, and the film probably won't make sense or unravel itself towards the end of the movie.

Recent examples:

-"Shutter Island"

(2010)

-

"Memento"

(2000)

Government Thriller

These will often be set around a government party, and one of its members, who will play a key role in the government and has a struggle to keep the stability of its government.

Recent examples:

-"The Constant Gardener"

(2005)

-"The Interpreter"

(2005)

Psychological Thriller

The key factors in a psychological film will be the conflict or certain emotions and thoughts, instead of more physical action, they tend to more ambiguous like a mystery thriller.

Recent examples:

-"Red Eye"

(2005)

-"Phone Booth"

(2002)

Thriller Codes and Conventions

Editing

The pace of the cuts in a thriller usually increases at parts of the film that contain more action, so that the shots are shorter and more ambiguous. This is so that the audience become more intrigued, and to build up the tension in these parts of the film. The pace usually builds up in the parts of the film with a villain in, this makes them more mysterious and unknown, and adds to the suspense.

Sound

Usually when something is being unreveiled in a thriller, like a major plot twist, or when the film becomes more action packed, fast paced non diegetic music will usually appear in the film to quicken the pace and build up tension.

Camera

Close up shots tend to be uses in thriller, usually on a victim before they are killed/captured, this makes their surroundings mysterious. This puts the audience on the edge of their seats, intending to frighten or thrill them, as they can not see what is behind, or anywhere around, the victaim. This means that when something drastic happens all of a sudden it will be more of a shock.

Lighting

The lighting in a thriller will be normal, except for some scenes, where it will become low key and dark, this creates a juxtapostion between the other scenes. This makes the normal everyday scenes, become more of a contrast, between darker and more twisted scenes, or crime scenes.

Characters

A thriller will often revolve around one main villain, who's identity will usually be unknown, untill the end of the film. This creates a lot of suspence throughout of the film, and keeps the audience thinking about where the film plot is going.

Thrillers often contain a 'damsel in distress', either towards the end of the film or throughout the whole film. This will be a character, usually a woman, as they stereotypically appear more vulnerable, who gets captured or put in danger and needs to be saved. This gives the audience someone to sympathise, and puts them on the edge of their seats, building up a lot of tension.

Plot

A thrillers' plot is usually quite realistic, or plays on realistic aspects, this makes it more scary as it more believable for the audience. For example it may be based around a crime, this makes them a lot more realistic than a Horror movie, and helps them relate to the characters in the movie.
Thrillers are usually set in realistic, identifiable locations. This is again, so that the audience can identify with the movie, and also so that the film builds up and takes you different darker locations, a contrast is created and shocks/thrills the audience.

The plot is usually ambiguous and mysterious, to keep the audience thinking, and to get them on the edge of their seats.

Thriller Openings

Shallow Grave

Camera Shots/ Angles

The opening of the film 'Shallow Grave' starts with the opening credits played over establishing shots of the area.

At one part of the opening sequence the camera starts using a strobe effect as it goes across a road. This technique is used commonly throughout thrillers, as creates a dramatic atmosphere and makes the film feel a lot more dangerous and out of control, almost as if a character is stumbling into jeopardy.

Sound

The opening sequence is narrated by Christopher Eccleston, this isn't particularly commonly used in thrillers, however it gives the audience a sign that he may be one of the main characters in the movie, and an insight in to his psychology. Thrillers often tend to revolve around the psychology of a character, usually the villain.

The fast paced disco style music played in the intro of this film is also conventional of a thriller film, as most thrillers tend to have fast paced music and editing. The fast music builds up the pace and atmosphere of the movie. Thrillers don't often tend to have disco music however, this may show what kind of characters the movie is going to be about, maybe they are quite laid back and listen to this style music.

Editing

The opening credits are in red block capitals, this makes them quite bold and stand out over the behind shots of the street and woods. The colour red is quite conventional of the thriller genre as well as it creates a link to blood, by using this the film opening is foreshadowing doom later on in the film.

Although the editing is not particularly quick like thrillers tend to be, the fact the shots are all tracking shots moving through the scenery rather fast still keeps a quick pace for the movie. Tracking shot are also used in thrillers as it can put you in the point of view of a character or maybe even he villain, to make you feel like someone is being followed.

Plot

Most thrillers tend to be set in casual 'every day' locations, so when other locations are used throughout the film which are abnormal or scary, it creates a juxtaposition. This is used in the opening sequence for 'Shallow Grave' as the camera keeps cutting in between shots of the streets and shots of the forest. This creates a contrast, and lets the audience know that a forest will maybe be an important location later on throughout the movie.

Collateral

Sound

In the opening sequence for 'Collateral' the only sound is the sound of footsteps, these start before the audience see the first shot of the film, so there is a sound bridge from the Dreamworks into the first shot. This is quite controversial of a thriller, as they often tend to have fast paced music, or a low score building up tension, which both get the audience sucked straight into the film. This however does add the mysterious element of the movie, as it is a mystery thriller, and builds up tension in a different way; it gets the audience thinking.

After the first few shots however, the music does build up and picks up a faster pace, this gets the audience hooked in, and makes everything going on on screen seem a lot more important, this builds up the tension in the audience and keeps them guessing what is going on.

Camera Shots/ Angles

The amount of screen time used on Tom Cruise's character in the first few shots, who is not named at this point, portrays his importance in the movie. It makes it very clear to the audience that he is a vital figure in the movie, so if they see him again in the movie, they will know who he is.

The use of close up shots on Tom Cruise makes his surrounding become more ambiguous, and also shows his importance in the movie as well.

When Jamie Foxx's character is driving his taxi out of the garage, there is a medium behind shot of him, taken from the back of the car. However the whole shot is very dark due to the amount of shadows, and the silhouette of Jamie Foxx. The use of shadows is convention of a thriller, especially a mysterious one, as it creates an ambiguous, mysterious, dark and gloomy mood.

As the taxi is driving around, there are a series of high angled bird's eye view shots taken of the roads it is travelling along, this is very stereotypical, as it makes Jamie Foxx look a lot more vulnerable, as he becomes engulfed in his surroundings. This makes it clear that he is more likely going to be the victim in the movie.

Plot

Tom cruise plays a mysterious character in the opening sequence, and makes it so the audience don't know weather he is good or bad tostart of with. However his actions and appearance cause a fair amount of suspicion, and if he was a villain later on the movie, he would be a very typical villain, as he is a man,who are stereotypically more powerful and threatening. His appearance is villain like and suspicious as he is wearing a suit, this shows he is sophisticated, and serious, and his glasses hide is identity and thoughts, all connotations of a typical thriller villain.

Editing

The editing in this sequence is very fast paced, this is very typical of thrillers, as it quickens the pace, and keeps the audience watching on the edge of their seats, as they want to know what is going on.

Preliminary Task- Film

Preliminary Task- Preparation

This is the story board we completed in lesson, we tried to use a variety of shots like close ups to show facial expression and over the shoulder shots to show the two people talking and help with the continuity of the clip.

We deliberately chose to use a close up of, first the characters hand, and then his eyes as the first two shots to hide his identity before the audience see his actual face. This makes the opening fairly mysterious, and gets the audience thinking.

After the first 2 close ups, there is an establishing shot of the room he is sitting in. We unconventionally chose to not use the establishing shot as the first shot to hide the location from the audience and keep their focus on the character.

We also unconventionally chose not to show the second character actually walking through the door, instead you can just hear the door opening, and then him inside the room. This plays on different senses and makes it clear what has happened without seeing it, making the audience use their imagination.

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