Initial planning - classification

We are filming in the genre thriller/horror for our film opening, and so we need to have an appropriate classification in order to protect younger people as the stereotypical conventions are often inappropriate. Our film contains abduction and murder scenes so would not be suitable for an audience younger than 15, hence why we are applying a classification; the most suitable being a 15 rated.

The BBFC (British board of film classification) was set up in 1912 by the film industry as an independent body to bring a degree of uniformity to the classification of film nationally. The classifications are based on the BBFC’s published and regularly updated Guidelines, and are applied by a senior examiner along with a second examiner for disputes. The guidelines and policy are there to guide the examiners to making the right decision about the age, and they are based on particular elements that are present in a certain type of film. Classifications exist so that the public are protected from things that may not be suitable for individuals or groups of people, particularly concerning public taste. The elements that class a 15 film as that are:

Any of the following:

• strong violence
• frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
• portrayals of sexual activity
• strong verbal references to sex
• sexual nudity
• brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
• discriminatory language or behaviour
• drug taking

A normal 15 rated film would contain strong violence and other violent actions; both of these are included in our film opening. We made the decision to not include any sexual references because it doesn't have any reference to our narrative and would also mean that we may have to increase our classification to 18, which wouldn't include our target audience.
The classification we have chosen means that we aren't putting young people in psychological danger, as the content included could be mentally harming for those under 15. Within a 15 classification there is an allowance for some strong language, however in our film opening we don't plan on having much dialogue as we are focusing more on the shots telling the main story, so we don't need to take this into consideration. Similarly drug taking is allowed in a 15 film, but this has no link to our narrative so won't be included in the film.

Initial planning - make up

As our film opening only contained two female characters, we didn't want them to be fully made up as this would detract from the true emotion that they were feeling, but instead quite minimal, neutral make up. We wanted to have the main female lead to be wearing slightly smudged make up to represent how she is upset with the situation that she is in. To do so, we decided to use masarca and eyeshadow when creating her make up look as we wanted it to emphasise that she is in a stressful situation that is causing her to be upset. The second female character isn't present through the whole film opening and there are any close ups of her, so make up isn't necessary

Initial planning - Props

For our film opening, we have chosen some props that we feel would benefit the film by providing realism which would make the film more believable. One of the props that we are going to use is a bunch of flowers; this will be tied to a tree trunk to symbolise a memorial which links into our narrative. The flowers will represent the death of Alice, and will be the place that the main protagonist visits during her time on the woods. With the flowers stereotypically connoting grief and loss, it is a suitable prop to add to our film as it relates to our narrative.
We will use the flowers and tie them to the tree to recreate a memorial scene.

We are also planning on using a photograph of both the victim and the protagonist together to represent the friendship that the two characters had. It will help the audience to establish the relationship between the characters without explicitly stating it. Having the photo will show that the person in the photograph is the memorial of the person that Martha is visiting, signifying how she is thinking of the memories they had together.

Other props that may be used is make up for the two female characters, and a possible face covering for the antagonist depending on how much we want to conceal his full identity.

We also plan on using a pair of black gloves as this will connote danger and that something bad may happen.

Initial planning - costumes

When we were researching our genres (thriller and horror) we found that the protagonists and/or victims wear normal clothes that represent reality, as well as signifying how unsuspecting they are that nothing is going to happen. For example jeans and a coat. We are going to follow this convention because it is stereotypical of teenage girls, which is the image we are trying to portray. For the victim, we have chosen these clothes for her to wear as they signify normality and are stereotypical of the character.

The protagonist will have a similar outfit.

For the antagonist, a black hoodies and trousers will be used because black connotes danger and death, therefore will conform to the genres we are using. The characters face won' be shown as this will create suspense and mystery in our film opening, which is stereotypical of the genre, and we want  to keep his identity hidden.

Initial planning - casting

For our opening scene, we needed to find three different actors/actresses to play in our film. Two of the three castings will be females aged between 16-18, as this is the age that we feel will be appropriate to play the characters. One will be the protagonist, while the other will play the murder and abduction victim; using females as they can be represented as vulnerable which will link in with our narrative.

A male will be used as our third character and will be the antagonist of the film opening; he will need to wear all black, with something dark covering his face so that his identity isn't revealed - this will help to keep a mysterious feel for the audience. Physically. he will need to be tall and strong in order to portray the character that we have in mind, and also to intimidate the audience so that it meets the audience pleasure.

We have chosen to use people who have experience with acting as we feel that this would help us to make the best film opening as possible, therefore two of the people we have chosen studied drama at school, one of them studying full time at college. The male in our film won't have a dramatic acting role, as he will only be used in POV shots and over-the-shoulder shots.

Miah Kirton 

Miah studied GCSE drama, getting an A*, so we thought that she would be perfect to play the victim of the crime.
Miah will be involved in some of the most dramatic scenes, so her acting skills will really help to make these realistic. Although she won't be the main character, her experience in drama will assist in creating a convincing opening. Her character will be called Alice.

Lauren Bricknell

Lauren will be playing the main character, the protagonist, who experiences the flashbacks and was present at the event of her best friends kidnap. She is currently studying drama at Stratford college, so has a lot of experience with this type of acting. 

Her experience will be used to help make some of the most challenging scenes, where the conventions of thriller ad horror really come into play. 

Lauren will be playing the character of Martha

Luke Macdonald 

We decided to cast Luke as the antagonist because he does not fully feature in the opening of our film. Small shots of his back, hands, and hooded head will be seen, but there is no physical acting required to do this. 

Initial planning - detailed story board

We created this story board before our filming so that we would know what shots we are planning to do, and when editing it will help us to put the right sound in above the footage. The story boards that we have made are a lot more detailed than the ones we made previously as we need a clear guide of what we are filming and what type of shots we are going to use.
During the actual filming day, we may need to add or remove some of the shots that are on the story board in order to benefit the film opening.

We haven't completed a detailed story board before as with our preliminary film we decided to focus our time on the camera and editing skills. The 6 shot basic story board that we created for our initial planning outlined the narrative that we had planned, where as this detailed all the specific shots that we wanted to use in our final film. Having the story board will allow us to make and additional shots so that we can see which one looks better in the place of our planned one.

Initial planning- basic storyboard

This is a 6 shot story board that we have created to show the basic narrative that we plan to follow. A more in depth story board will be completed in the future to show a detailed plan that we will stick to.

The first shot is an establishing shot of a girl walking in a dark woods holding a photograph. This will give the audience an insight as to the location as well as the characters included in the film
The extreme long second shot shows the same character with a different girl, in the same location as the shot before, only it will be shot with a blurred effect to mimic the idea of a flashback.
The third shot shows a long shot of the original character looking upset, at the site of a memorial; through doing this it foreshadows what will happen in the rest of the film.
With the fourth shot we decided to use a second long shot as it includes the introduction of a third character (the antagonist).
Our fifth shot is the first close up we will use, as this will show the emotions of the two females when they realise something bad is about to happen.
The final shot in this story board shows a close up of the antagonist from behind, while showing the face of one of the female girls. It will show the emotions of the girl as well as creating suspense for the audience.

Initial planning - the treatment

Planning our opening sequence

We have decided to base our film opening around an abduction and murder of a teenage girl. The opening will gradually introduce the idea of the abduction and murder with the use of dual narrative; flashbacks and the present. Through doing this it will ensure that the audience are instilled with suspense in order to meet the stereotypical conventions of the genre thriller/horror. Within the opening, a 'déjà vu' effect will run throughout, with the previous events recurring in the present.

With our opening using dual narrative, the events of the past and the present will be linked through flashbacks of the same place, just at different times. The two contrasting time frames but the same location will build tension in the audience as it almost foreshadows what will happen in the present, and will help us to create a narrative that meets the conventions of our genre. The transition between the past and present will be made using the stereotypical effect that portrays the shot as being old or previously filmed. Eventually the two time frames will link, as the events of the past will replay in the present, but the audience will be able to detect this happening before it is actually shown as the type of shots will create tension. Also the frequency of the antagonist in the shots will be increase with more focus on him, showing the audience the possible danger that he may pose, making them anxious for the protagonist. We aim to have the narrative shown through the point of view of the protagonist, as we feel that this would help to engage the audience, as well as show the audience how they are feeling, evoking more sympathy and allowing them to connect to them more. 

Our film opening will have three characters in total, one of them only present in the flashbacks. They include a protagonist, antagonist, and a female victim (friend of the protagonist). The protagonist and the victim will be aged between 16-18 as this age includes the target audiences age, so we felt that this would help them to relate to the characters. As well as this, we chose the protagonist to be female as conventionally they are men so by defying this it will appeal to more people. The antagonist will be male, and will wear all black, as black connotes danger and darkness, which is reflected by the location as well; he will wear something to cover his face as this will conceal his identity creating more tension as the audience are suspicious of who he is. Men are stereotypically stronger than women, so this is why the antagonist is male, linking well with the narrative. The protagonist and the victim are of a particular age, as well as their gender, where when alone conventionally are vulnerable, hence the murder. 

For the location of the opening sequence, we have chosen a woodland area as it a space that is open for use, but also hold all the suitable connotations of horror, for example isolation which would create a sense of fear in the audience as they would know that there is no help near, signifying that something bad will happen. The lighting will be all natural, which would reflect nature and how nature will also take it's cause. The darkness that the trees will bring will represent the mood of the film as well as tension as darkness often has connotations that something bad is going to happen, linking into our narrative. Filming in the woods will give us no control of the environment or any changes we want to make, but it will reflect the mood we want and comply with stereotypical conventions of the genre we are following. 

We will mainly use over the shoulder shots and POV shots to introduce the antagonist as his identity will not be revealed during the opening 2 minutes of the film which will create a sense of mystery for the viewer. In order to establish the antagonist's location we will use panning shots and tracking shots when following the victim. Close ups of the two girls will help the audience to establish their emotions and understand how they are feeling through facial expressions and body language; this will also create tension.

Main task introduction

The main task of this AS media course is to create a film opening for a genre of our choice. The film will have to be 2 minutes long and all video and audio clips will have to be original, with the exception of the soundtrack. There is a choice to work individually or in a small group; I have chosen to work with Megan Simpson.

Film synopsis

One sentence synopsis

A teenage girl returns to scene of her best friends murder, but flashbacks trouble her as she walks in the woods where it happened, and she doesn't know what will meet her round the corner...

Three paragraph synopsis

After witnessing the sickening abduction and murder of her best friend, Martha faces her fears and returns to scene of the crime. Upon visiting the memorial of her closest friend in a woods that holds many dark secrets, Martha relives the terrifying events that haunt her everyday. Shots of her walking down a track in the woods holding a photograph shows the relationship that they had, and the relationship she misses. The first visit to the memorial of Alice is difficult for Martha, with past memories recurring of the fun they had together.

Flashbacks of what happened follow her around the woods, switching between the current situation and the past. The memories of that fateful day make the situation even more real, evoking emotions she can't bear; that she thought she had buried. These are all released when she arrives at the memorial, unearthing the raw emotion she felt when the reality was fresh. But suspicions arise when strange noises and mysterious shadows appear from the darkness in the woods.

However events take a dramatic turn for the worse when she comes face to face with the one person who truly chills her blood and sends shivers down her spine. Meeting the man who stalks her nightmares changes everything, bringing the nightmares into reality, with the events from the past reoccurring in the present. How Martha will escape this is unknown and her life is on the line in remembrance of her best friend.  

Bathes 5 narrative codes

Narrative codes

Barthe was a French philosopher, literary theorist and critic who suggested that there will be one or more of the 5 codes that describe the meaning of a text. He said that texts may be 'open' (unravelled in different ways) of 'closed' (there is only one obvious thread to pull on in order to reveal the narrative).

The five codes are:
Hermenuetic/enigma code
Proaieretic/action code
Semantic code
Symbolic code
Referential code

Hermenuetic/enigma code

This code refers to mystery within a text. Clues are dropped but no clear answers are given towards the narrative. Engimas within the narrative make the audience want to know more, which will appeal to them. Unanswered enigmas tend to frustrate the audience, and so may be unappealing or not fulfill audience pleasure.

Proairetic/action code

This code contains sequential elements of action in the text. Proairetic elements add suspense to the text. 

Semantic code

This code refers to parts within the text that suggests or refers to additional meanings. Elements of the semantic code are called Semes; the seme has a connotative function in the text. It has an extra layer of meaning in addition to its literal meaning. 

Symbolic code

This code is about symbolism within the text. It exercises opposites to show contrast and create greater meaning, providing tension for the audience, and creating drama and character development.

Referential code

This code refers to anything in the text which refers to an external body of knowledge such as scientific, historical and cultural knowledge.

Elevator pitch - video footage

Elevator pitch - slideshare

Elevator pitch from annabelwilford

Planning - initial narrative ideas

In order to meet our target audiences requirements and to meet the stereotypical conventions of our genre of thriller/horror, we need to build a narrative that intrigues the audience and fulfils audience pleasure. For us to achieve this, we aim to include elements of each genre within the 2 minute opening to entice the audience and to reassure them of the genre. However we won't give away too many clues as this would spoil the rest of the film and lose the interest from the audience. The identity of our antagonist will remain a mystery so that suspense can be created, this also will build up an atmosphere for the audience that will appeal due to the genre. There are a number of ideas that we could use to incorporate the genre into our film opening, for example:

• Murder
• Abduction 
• Psychological issues
• Revenge

Our initial idea was to have an opening based on the idea of psychological issues going along with the theme of revenge, where a male dominant character is suffering from psychological problems in a mental hospital who is trying to escape with an antagonist who is trying to get in the was of this happening. However the lack of resources that we have to make the opening and the planning of the narrative made it complicated to produce a opening that the audience would enjoy but also understand. Also it would have been difficult to include both the conventions of the thriller and horror genres.

As a result of this, we have decided to use the idea of a murder based thriller to convey our 2 minute story opening, and our narrative will switch between past and present through flashbacks to create suspense and mystery within the film. It will make the opening exciting, and we can enhance this by using complex camera angles and editing to have a bigger effect on the audience.

To show this in our opening sequence, we will introduce a stalker/murderer who will follow two girls in a woods and kidnap one of the girls. But this part of the narrative will be told through flashbacks from the other friend who was there at the time of the incident. The present part of the narrative will be the surviving girl retracing her steps 6 months on from the attack, with the disturbing flashbacks playing on her mind; we plan for her to meet the killer at the end, leaving the film opening on a cliff hanger.

Planning - initial target audience

Thriller horror target audience

As thriller films stereotypically include elements of tension, suspense and create adrenaline in the audience, these need to be present in our film in order to fulfil their audience pleasure and appeal to target audience. This is similar for our chosen sub genre of horror and so we aim to include these conventions in our own film opening. For a thriller film, generally the target audience are young adults of both genders, perhaps between 15 - 25. This is because people of this age stereotypically enjoy the adrenaline that the genre brings, as well as the feeling of tension and suspense; also the nature of thriller films often include a lot of violence that people of a young age may find disturbing, so an age rating is issued to protect them. 

For our film opening we have decided to conform to the stereotypical target audience and set our target audience as people between 15-25. Our film will appeal to both genders because despite the protagonist being a female which will appeal more to the female audience as they can relate; the antagonist is a male, so will appeal to the male target audience. Quite a few other thriller hybrid films have an age certificate of 15, which is why we have chosen 15 to be the youngest end of the target audience spectrum - our film will contain elements of horror so it will help to protect non viewers. 

In order to appeal to our primary target audience, we need to incorporate the stereotypical conventions of thriller such as suspense, tension and excitement into our film opening in order to provide audience pleasure and make our film successful. 

Planning - sub-genre mood board

Our sub-genre

Through researching various hybrid sub-genres and analysing the opening to thriller films in particular, we have come to the conclusion that we are going to have horror as out sub-genre. Both genres share very similar conventions which is why we feel that it would be good to converge them together. Equally we feel that as both the genres have the same camera angles that are conventional, we will be able to use these in our film to fit the repertoire of elements associated with thriller and horror films.

Like the conventions of thriller, horror films are stereotypically set in isolated settings where there are no places to run and find help; this is something that we can incorporate into our film opening. Colours used are dark colours like black and red as these connote danger and death, which is similar to the thriller genre. By combining the two genres we can merge all the conventions into one and provide

I have created a mood board that includes some of the stereotypical conventions of both the horror and thriller genre, as well as including some of the ideas that we have that we can incorporate into our film opening.

Consolidation/evaluation of preliminary

When filming our preliminary film we ensured that we used a variety of camera shots and angles so that we were able to gain an insight as to what they look like when formally filmed. Some of these shots include a low angle of the actor walking towards the camera which transforms into an extreme close up of her walking. Throughout most of the preliminary film, we don't show the full face of the actor because this helps to create a feeling of suspense and tension. Ultimately at the end we see who it is and the plot of the film is made clear. If we were to film this again we would continue to hide the face and  it was successful in creating the feeling of tension.

We used basic editing techniques because we hadn't used the iMovie software before, and wanted to understand the basics of editing before we moved onto the more complex side when doing our main task. One of the main parts of the editing was making sure that what we produced flowed between the shots and therefore made smooth transitions between scenes.
By making sure that we had grasped the overall editing technique, we feel that we are prepared to go into our main task film, as we are able to focus on the more complex issues that the editing will bring us and we can tackle these appropriately with our consolidated knowledge of the software.

The sound that we used was very basic and didn't really fit in with our narrative; we had chosen it very quickly and without much thought to how it would fit in with our visual footage. This was a slight problem when it came to editing the sound to fit with the footage, as in some places the continuity between shots doesn't flow well.
In the approach to the main task, what we learned in the preliminary task is extremely useful to use when completing the main film as we can better what we had done in this task. For example it has taught us that we need to properly  search for the soundtracks that we use as we will need to make sure that it fits with the visual footage that we have. Equally we need to find a soundtrack that creates the tense atmosphere that we want the audience to feel, as this will help to succeed in fulfilling audience pleasure.

Preliminary film

Preliminary task planning

For our preliminary task, we followed the simple plot of a girl rushing through the school as she was late for an exam. We decided not to complete a story board as we wanted to focus on building our filming and editing techniques as creating a story board was something that could be improved later on. We were also extremely short on time so felt that our time would be better used on the practical elements of the prelim task rather than the theory.
We included basic dialogue that was short, and also put in the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot in order to complete the elements required.
I did the preliminary task with Megan Simpson, and we used members outside of our group, though they aren't the actors that we want to include in our main film as we ha to acquire them at short notice.

Preliminary task overview

We were asked to create a preliminary film with a plot of our choice, which allowed us to practice our camera work skills and the basic editing skills that we would need when filming our main task.
We were asked to film a 30 second series of clips that were filmed and edited by us to give us some prior experience to filming the main task. They had to include:

• 
  
• A conversation between two characters
• A character entering a room
• An example of shot reverse shot
• Show understanding of the 180 degree rule

The preliminary ask gives Megan and I a chance to learn how to work well together when filming as this will be an important aspect to our success with the film.

Consolidation of research

By looking at and researching various film opening as well as the genre specific film openings, I have come to the conclusion that the film opening that I am going to make will need to be very related to the genre, so should have various elements that conform to the genre that we choose. An example of this is that the film opening should create a tense environment that will appeal to the target audience. A second thing that I noticed was that most of the film openings I researched had opening credits and a title. The institutional information that is presented at the start of the film is what helps to make a film look professional, and also provides the key information that is required when directing a film.

Thriller film opening - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Institutional information 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a mystery thriller that contains elements of crime, and was released December 2011. It has a BBFC age rating of 18, and has a 7.8 out of 10 stars on the IMDB website. The film was directed by David Fincher and written by Steven Zaillain and Stieg Larsson, beginning the film with an estimated budget of $90,000,000. Eventually, the gross profit that the film made was $102,515,793. The 158 minute long film has a target audience that is varied and the film will appeal to males that are over 35 who may be attracted to the lead actress and also remember such films as Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct from their younger years. In addition, our film could appeal to a younger audience who would appreciate the story of a woman exacting her revenge on men. Equally through the use of A-list actors such a Daniel Craig, it could attract a secondary target audience who are fans of him, as well as those who enjoy previous films Craig has starred in.

Narrative

The mystery film follows a linear structure that follows Henrik Vanger when his beloved niece disappeared, never to be seen again - and circumstances have led him to believe that a member of his own repugnant family must be responsible. Vanger hires stoic journalist Mikael Blomkvist and scrappy, chain-smoking hacker Lisbeth Salander to come to his island, dig deep into chilling family secrets and unmask the killer once and for all. The story line conforms to conventional thriller narratives, with an antagonist who is the centre of the film. The fact that there is a murderer involved suggest that there could be violence which would appeal to the target audience as it is something that fits with the genre. 

Mise en scene

The opening sequence begins with a dark screen and the credits of the institution that produced the film in white. The black screen gives the audience and insight into the film's dark sadistic side, with the tone represented as being very sinister and mysterious. This appeal to the target audience and meets the typical conventions of a thriller as the genre usually consists of low key lighting and black and white shots. The black screen then flashes with extremely quick shots of images before returning back to black, signifying a build up in tension as the shot fit with the climaxing beats in the music. By creating a sense of tension it gives an idea as to how the film will make the audience film throughout. The opening scene continues with what looks like extreme close ups of ink dripping down various objects; using the ink as the focus for the close up it closely links with the title of the film 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. It signifies that the film is based around tattoos, as that is what ink can be used for, and along with the dark ominous colours used, connotes that something bad is going to occur relating to tattoos and the person wearing them. It leaves a chilling effect on the audience as they have to make the connection between the ink and the girl, who we have not yet been introduced to. Upon moving out, it shows that the ink is running through the keys on a computer key board, and that there are USB cables winding themselves around a person, trapping them. Using USB cables and computer

keyboards suggests to the audience that technology is a part of the film; a close up on the key 'Enter' represents that the audience have to make a decision on whether or not to enter the film. Further into the sequence, a body is set on fire and a skull is shown through the flames. The use of fire creates suspense as it connotes death and danger, suggesting that it is included on the film where it will conform with the conventional features of a thriller film. 

Editing/camera angles

The majority of the shots in this opening sequence are there through the use of special effects to create almost a dystopian feeling to the film. There are a significant amount of close up and extreme close ups used with ink constantly being a part of the shots; the close ups give a feeling of tension and makes the audience uncomfortable as they don't know what the ink is for. Establishing shots don't feature in the sequence which again adds a sense of insecurity and suspense as the location of the film is kept from the audience, giving them longer to feel tense. The pace of the shots quicken as the opening sequence goes on, with jump cuts used often to jolt the viewer back and forth from the various elements included. Fade to black is also used to ease the viewer out of one shot before jump cutting to something new so that the audience are thrown into a new concept that they have to understand. Tracking and panning feature regularly as a way to draw the viewer in, and with the pace being quick and the camera always moving it creates excitement. There are many high angle shots to show people being submerged in blackness, making them appear helpless and insignificant.

Sound

There is no diegetic or ambient sound in the opening sequence, as there is a non-diegetic sound track that accompanies the shots. The music has a very fast tempo to it, and the jump cuts are timed so that they occur at the same time as the main beats. Doing this has created a rhythm that engages the audience in the scene before the speed of the song increases and the shots do the same. The fast pace of the music signifies to the audience that the film is also going to be fast paced and full of action, which conforms to the genre of thriller. Parts of the song have sounds that are similar to scream which represents that somewhere in the film there will be pain or death. 

Thriller film opening - Se7en

Institutional information

Se7en is a mystery thriller film that was released in 1995 and was directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. The 127 minute long film was directed by Cecci Gori Pictures and Juno Pix, picking up a total of 31 various award wins and 25 nominations. With an IMDB rating of 8.6 stars out of 10, the film had a budget of $33,000,000 and took in a gross of $100,125, 340 overall, breaking even by far. Se7en has a use of many well known actors such as Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, this would have an effect as they would have brought in a wider audience. Seeing as Se7en is a thriller, the primarily target of the audience would be the fans of the thriller genre. This would make the target market mainstream. The target market would also be fans of Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and David Fincher, furthermore, the audience could be people who can relate to David Mills and William Somerset as their jobs are to be detectives. However, the primary target audience is more likely to be men as the male gender is significant in this media text. As the certificate rating is an 18, the age of the target audience would be young to middle aged adults.

Narrative

The fantasy thriller follows a linear narrative, and is a film about two detectives' hunt for a serial killer who is murdering people and justifying the crimes by absolution for the worlds ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. The two detectives try and track down the serial killer who chooses his victims bases on the Seven Deadly Sins. Together, the two detectives trace the murderers every step, witnessing the aftermath of his horrific crimes one by one as the victims increase, all while moving closer to a gruesome fate neither of them could have predicted. Using this storyline conforms to the thriller genre as there is an antagonist, who stereotypically will commit crimes and acts of violence, which will appeal to the target audience. 

Mise en scene   

The opening scene/credits begin with a close up of a book, and in deep focus in the background a hand turning the pages. The fact that the audience doesn't know who the hand belongs to adds tension and suspense as there is a sense of mystery surround the first person we see, presuming it is one of the characters. Pictures of what look like a dead persons hand are shown, with crooked fingers and bruised skin. Stereotypically, these pictures look like those that police keep during a murder investigation so the shot allows the audience to link the clues together to form the narrative, as well as create a tense atmosphere. Used in the opening sequence are quite a few violent objects, such as blades and needles present a violent aspect to the film, and also signify that whoever is holding the objects is responsible for them, therefore possibly the antagonist. There is a sequence of shots that show pictures of other people being cut up and stuck down, and the way they have been shot could portray the person with the pictures as psychopathic. Due to the anonymity of the antagonist and protagonist it creates an air of suspicion around the film, appealing to the target audience as it fits with the thriller genre. The use of a black pen to remove words and draw on a picture of a child provides a dark feeling in the film and makes the audience feel tense as by scribbling out the child's face could signify that he is trying to eliminate the child, possibly plotting a murder.  Later on in the title sequence, we see the character cutting out the word 'God', which could be a theme of the film as it has to do with something religious. All of these small glimpses of what the character is doing creates enigma as it leaves the audience wondering what they are doing, and why.

Editing/ camera angles

The beginning of the opening sequence begins with an eye line extreme close up of a book in shallow focus, with the shadow of a hand turning the pages in the background. This creates a sense of mystery as the audience don't know what is in the book, or who's hand is in the background; this fits with the genre. We don't see any establishing shots so the mystery theme is continued as the location of the film is still concealed. The opening title sequence starts off with slow paced shots of objects that aren't of any importance to the viewer at that point but which could be important later on in the film. The editing then changes to fast paced cuts, showing a variety of different objects, giving effect as they're shown on the screen for long enough for the audience to see what they are, but not long enough for them to figure out why they're included. The fast cuts create suspension, like the film is building up to something bad happening. The transitions from shot to shot varies from jump cuts to a fade to black, and a montage of edits are used to build tension. Frequently, canted angles are used to disorientate the audience and to confuse them, adding to the suspense and tension. 

Sound

The sound used in this clip, is mostly non-diegetic but some sounds are made to sound natural. For example, sometimes in the clip, a very high pitched noise occurs which tricks the viewer into thinking it's someone screaming, which connotes danger and someone desperate for help and sets the audience up for the rest of the film. The background music is heavy-sounding and is quite fast. This is typical of a thriller movie as it creates suspense. There are quite a lot of industrial non diegetic sounds that accompany the opening shots, with some of the effects sounding quite violent; for example a chainsaw and chains. The use of this adds tension to the film as it signifies too the audience that these objects may be used with in the film, which would conform to the thriller genre. 

Thriller film opening - Dark Knight

Institutional information

Batman: Dark Knight is an action thriller superhero film that was directed Christopher Dolan. Released in 2008, the film is a sequel to Batman Begins and is produced by Warner Bros and Legendary Productions. The film began with a budget of $185 million, but was swamped with a $1,005 billion taking at the box office. Dark Knight lasts for 152 minutes, and was created based on the Batman comic books The Long Halloween, The Killing Joke, The Man Who Laughs and the first two comics to feature the Joker character served as an influence on the film's storyline. 

The primary target audience is 12+, but there is a secondary audience of people who have seen the previous film, and those who are older and have read the comics.

Narrative

The fantasy thriller focuses on the antagonist the Joker and how he causes chaos within the town of Gotham, then follows Batman coming to terms with this testing his psychological ability to fight the villain. From this, it is clear that the film follows a linear structure and will contain stereotypical conventions of a thriller; including fight scenes, and a battle between an antagonist and a protagonist when there is a disruption in the equilibrium. The aim of the film is for the protagonist to restore justice, while the antagonist seeks to destroy it. 

Mise en scene

The opening scene begins with a person wearing a clown mask shooting a zip line through a window, also producing an establishing shot of a city. In these few seconds, stereotypical conventions are shown; for example the use of a gun and violence in smashing the window is something that fits with the genre as it creates tension because the audience are unaware as to why this is happening. Also, the use of the masks on the characters signifies the importance of the object as well as making a sinister feeling within the film as it is hiding the characters identity. Conventionally, clown masks are associated with fear, the opposite of what they are supposed to mean, and this is portrayed in the film. As the audience are already aware that the antagonist in the film is the Joker, so the use of the clown masks confuses the audience, setting the tone for the entirety of the film. Following this there is a medium shot of a man with his back to the camera holding a bag and a second clown mask in his hand. The way that he has his back to the camera denotes that he has a secret to hide or is hiding something that he doesn't want anyone else to see; it is also indicative of the Joker's black humour. The angle of the shot is mainly focused on the mask, again signifying that it is of importance in the film. After an elongated shot time based on the mask, the film begins to pick up pace, with several characters getting into a car and others using a zip wire to cross buildings. This type of action fits with the conventions of thriller, and will appeal to the target audience. The location of the production as stereotypically the streets are where most acts of crime and violence take place. 

Editing/ camera angles 

The beginning of the opening scene begins with a close up of a person in a clown mask shooting a window so that is smashes. It presents the character as being menacing to the audience as it is clear that he is violent as the close proximity the camera has with the character creates more fear in the audience. This shot then become high angle and begins to pan behind the character to show what is out the window; an establishing shot of a city, which is a conventional location of the genre. There is also a long shot of a man with his back to the camera which continues to zoom in on him until the main focus is on the mask, reinforcing the sinister feeling to the film. Quite a few low angle shots are used to present the characters wearing the mask, which connotes that they have importance of the other characters in the film and the a superior to them. A crane is used when the men are using the zip wire across the two buildings, which also creates a more detailed establishing shot of the location. It also is used to show how dangerous the situation is and how it can go wrong, increasing the tension in the film which engages the audience more. The way these characters are portrayed in the shots (close ups, high angle, fast panning) presents them as the antagonists due to the situations they are put in and how the film has been edited, to make them seem that they are going to do something bad. Point of view shots are used to show the 'antagonists' being shot by some who they think they are in alliance with, but eventually is shown to be the genuine Joker, it confuses the audience as he is not revealed until the end of the opening scene. Throughout the action scenes, a steadicam is used to follow the characters as they move quickly to ensure that the action is captured to appeal to the audience. The majority of the shots transition through jump cuts to build suspense and tension.

Sound

During the start of the opening scene there is a non diegetic sound bridge that is used throughout the entire opening scene, and the music used builds up in pitch and sound when something dramatic is about to happen. By doing this is creates tension that audience feel as it signifies that something bad is going to happen. There is also diegetic sound as a result of the actions of the characters, for example when the man in the clown mask shoots the window, both the gun shot and the broken glass can be heard by the audience and the characters. Stereotypical sounds can also be heard that conform to the conventions of the thriller genre; these include people screaming when the characters rob a bank. This fills the audience with fear and creates suspense as it is a harrowing sound. There is also ironic dialogue in the opening sequence, with the characters talking about topics that the audience can clearly see are wrong. 

Thriller film opening - Black Swan

Synopsis

Nina is a ballerina whose passion for the dance rules every facet of her life. When the company's artistic director decides to replace his prima ballerina for their opening production of "Swan Lake," Nina is his first choice. She has competition in newcomer Lily however. While Nina is perfect for the role of the White Swan, Lily personifies the Black Swan. As rivalry between the two dancers transforms into a twisted friendship, Nina's dark side begins to emerge.

Institutional information 

Black Swan is 2010 American psychological thriller- horror film, directed by Darren Aronofsky with a budget of $13 million and made over $329,398,046 in the box office over a span of six months, it was released on 17th December 2010 and was distributed by Fox Pictures. It specialises in independent and British films along with drama and horror, it has distributed The Descendents and Hitchcock. 

Mise en scene

Throughout the opening sequence, the scene stays the same and the mise en scene doesn't really change. It begins with a spotlight becoming brighter over Nina, but only on one side of her. This creates a shadow on her other side which is a stereotypical convention of thrillers; the use of dark and bright lights reflect the style of the genre and therefore involves part of the repertoire of elements that fits the thriller genre. The use of white and black as the only colours visible on the screen could represent the juxtaposition of good an bad - something that in the story of the Black Swan is a clear theme, and so has been included in the characters lives as well as in a fictional way. By using the colours and suggesting the theme of the good and bad it reflects conflict in the film, whether that is personal or through a battle between an antagonist and a protagonist, and so conforms to the conventional narrative of a thriller film. The way that Nina is wearing white connotes that she is the protagonist in the film as which is associated with innocence and purity. 

Thriller film opening - Silence of the Lambs

Synopsis

Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

Institutional information

Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 thriller film that is 118 minutes long. The film stars Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins and Lawrence A. Bonney, being directed by Jonathan Demme. Silence of the Lambs had a budget of $19,000,000, but took a total of $13,766,814 gross in profit. The thriller film was produced Strong Heart/Demme Productions, and scored an 8.6 out of 10 stars on the IMDB website. The film was nominated for various including the Golden Globe awards and British Academy Film Awards, the film won five academy awards including best director and picture. The target audience of the film is for males aged 18-35 because the film as been rated 18 by the BBFC as it contains scenes of a graphic nature which would be inappropriate for younger viewers.

Mise en scene

The first part of the opening scene is a tracking shot of a woman running through a gloomy forest, in what seems like an isolated place. Immediately this creates tension for the audience as being isolated signifies that if something happened then there would be no help for the character and as a result makes the audience feel on edge on behalf of the character. However this is soon corrected when it becomes clear that the woman is taking part in an assault course due the obstacles that she has to climb. The tension felt at the start is conventional to a thriller film. Similarly, the film fits with the repertoire of elements that are associated with the setting of a thriller (woods) and so is successful as presenting itself in this genre. The shot of a man telling the woman where to go when he is wearing an FBI hat represents that the film involves some kind of crime which also suits the genre. The opening defies the stereotypical conventional roles that women play, as an assault course is generally seen as being a masculine activity. The editing is fairly continuous with shots, which isn't conventional of thriller films as they tend to use jump cuts and canted angles to create suspense and disorientate the audience.

Editing/camera angles 

The opening scene of Silence of the Lambs begins with a close up tracking shot of the woman running through the woods, following her as she runs. By doing this it builds up tension because the audience don't know what the woman is running from which creates a sense of fear within the audience. The shot then changes to a tracking shot from behind, giving the impression that someone is chasing her; this meets the stereotypical convention of the genre thriller, therefore fulfils audience pleasure. The mood changes when a obstacle as part of a course appears in the distance, showing the audience that the woman isn't being chased but taking part in an obstacle course, so the suspense level is dropped. An extreme long shot of the woman is then shown, where she is running away from the camera and this presents a slight element of fear, almost as though she is running away from something or someone. A man then runs onto shot, explaining why the woman was running away, however we then learn that the woman was running in the wrong direction. Through confusing the audience, it creates a sense of suspense as the audience don't know why the woman is running away.

Planning - chosen genre

Our genre

For our film, we have decided to use the genre of thriller to construct our narrative on.

Thriller

The genre of thriller uses conventional camera angles such as low and high angles, canted shots and extreme close ups; allowing us to use these in our film opening to create the same effect as other thriller films. Also given the limited resources and time that we have, this genre will be easier to create all the stereotypical conventions and have the desired effect on the audience.
Shadows are commonly used in thriller films to present a sense of darkness for the audience, and also add to the tension within the film, so this is something that we will incorporate into our film opening in order to conform to the stereotypes.
An idea for our narrative involves a mixture of shots from the present and flashbacks, and as these are often key elements for  thriller films, it allows us to appeal to the target audience.

A thriller generally involves a conflict between an antagonist and a protagonist which normally begins with an equilibrium. The equilibrium is then challenged with a disruption where the characters address the issues presented and finish with a resolution; so it follows a cyclical structure. However this structure can be contested and finish with a further disruption that isn't solved. By doing this it would create more tension and as this is an audience pleasure associated with thriller films, it may appeal more to the audience than a standard cyclical structure. This is something that we will consider when planning the full narrative of our film opening.

Thriller films stereotypically involve characters who are young adults, aged between 16-26 as this is often the target audience of the film so this will be something that we are likely to base our characters on as it will appeal more to our chosen target audience, who are also likely to be similar to the stereotypical thriller target audience.
Thrillers usually have non diegetic music in the background to create a sound bridge so that they can create the desired atmosphere which would be tense and chilling. Orchestral music is often played as it builds dramatic, causing the audience to feel as if something bad may be about to happen. From this, we can consider non diegetic sound when we are editing the film opening.

As a genre, thriller can have a variety of sub-genres and hybrids, which would allow us to combine multiple genres to make our film opening contain as many conventions as possible. Examples of these include horror, psychological, mystery and drama:
Horror/thriller = Silence of the Lambs
Psychological/thriller = Black Swan
Mystery/thriller = Crimson Peak

Editing technique research

What is editing?

Editing is the film making process in which sound and images are organised into an overall narrative. The process is used to enhance the original shots and create a more enticing film for the audience to watch. 

Continuity editing

This is the most common type of editing in the film industry, which aims to create a sense of reality and time moving forward. It is also named 'invisible editing' referring to how the technique doesn't actually draw any attention to the editing process. Continuity editing establishes a smooth link between shots to ensure that the audience are focused on the narrative rather that the editing used to link the scenes/shots together.

 An example of this is in the film Tsotsi:

Jump cut

A jump cut is an abrupt, disorientating transitional device in the middle of a continuous shot in which the action is noticeably advanced in time/ and or cut between two similar shots , usually done to create discontinuity for artist effect. The jump cut is a useful type of editing to show distinct changes in the narrative or plot and to show a significant move in time.

An example of this is in Love, Rosie, where the film goes from the two main characters as children, to when they were teenagers.

Cross-cutting

This is the editing technique of alternating, interweaving, or interspersing one narrative action scene/sequence with another - usually in different locations or places, thus combining the two. This editing technique usually suggests parallel action (that takes place simultaneously). Often used to dramatically build tension and/or suspense in chase scenes or to compare two different scenes. Cross-cutting is also known as inter-cutting or parallel editing.

An example of this is in the film Inception:

Eye-line match 

This is a type of edit which cuts from one character to what the character has been looking at. Eye line match is an effective way of informing the audience what the character is facing and so allows the audience to empathise with the character in their situation. 

An example of this is in Star Wars:

Shot reverse shot

A shot reverse shot is and editing technique where the shots switch back and forth between two characters interacting with each other. This type of editing is often used to present the relationship between two characters, and depending on the proxemics of the characters can show them as a love interest in the film.

An example of this is shown in The Hunger Games:

Freeze frame

A freeze frame is the effect where the film seemingly stops on a particular in order for the focus to be on a certain event or element. A freeze frame signifies the importance of the event for the audience.

An example of this is in Goodfellas:

Flashback

This is where a scene or moment in a film in which the audience is shown an event that happened earlier in the film's narrative. It informs the audience of something key that happened in the past that is important in order to follow the narrative.

An example of this is shown in The Lion King:

Graphic match

Graphic match is an edit effect in which two different objects of the same shape are dissolved from one into the other. It allows a slick continuity between shots.

An example of this is in Tarzan:

Match on action

This is a shot that emphasises continuity of space and time by matching the action of the preceding shot with the continuation of the action. For example a shot of a door opening after a shot of a close up of a character's hand turning the door handle.

This is shown in the film Bringing up Baby:

180 degree rule

This rule states that when a conversation between two people, next to or facing each other, the camera should be be on one side of an imaginary line to avoid confusing the audience. It enforces continuity within the editing and the film; and the line should be drawn perpendicular to the camera's viewpoint in the establishing shot of the scene. Breaking the rule will lead to confusion of the audience as well as them losing focus and becoming disorientated. The only way to go around the rule is to show the camera movement e.g tracking or panning, so the audience are able to follow where the camera is going. 

Sound technique research

What is sound in film?

Sound in film is used in balance to create necessary emphasis on certain aspects, which in turn create desired effects for the audience

Diegetic sound

This is sound that can be heard by the characters in the scene and refers to all those audio elements that come from sources inside the world we see on the screen, including dialogue, doors slamming, footsteps, etc.

An example for this are the noises that can be heard in Batman: Dark Knight in the interrogation of the Joker:

Non-diegetic sound

This is sound that the characters cannot hear and it is not part of the imaginary world of the story. This includes musical soundtrack or a voice over, however this exclude narration by a character within the story - referred to as an internal monologue and is classed as diegetic. It includes sound effects.
An example of this is in the Hobbit:

Music/score

The music used in a film is normally specifically composed to accompany the film. It includes sound effects and dialogue and forms part of the films soundtrack. It comprises of a number of orchestral, instrumental or choral pieces called cues which are timed to begin and end at specific parts in the film. Music helps to enhance the emotions felt in the film and create more drama within the narrative. Background music and diegetic music are the types of music used in films, and it aims to create and atmosphere, and to move the action forward in the narrative.
An example of this is in Skyfall, where a song was composed for the film:

Sound motif

This is a sound effect or combination of sound effects that are associated with a particular character, setting, situation or idea.

An example of this is in Fast and Furious:

Sound bridge

A sound bridge can lead in and out of a scene. They can occur at the beginning of one scene when the sound from the previous scene carries over briefly before the sound from the new scene begins. It stresses the continuity form one scene to another as the mood in the film remains the same. 

An example of this is in The Matrix:

Ambient sound 

These are the background sounds which are present in a scene or location. Common ambient sounds include wind, water, birds crowds etc. It performs a number of function including: providing auddio continuity between shots, preventing an unnatural silence when no other sound is present and establishing or reinforcing the mood.

An example of ambient sound is Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging at 3:50:

Voice over

When a voice, often that of a character in the film, is heard while we see an image of space and time in which that character is not actually speaker. The voiceover is often used to give a sense of a characters subjectivity or to narrate and event told in flashback. 

An example of this is in The Great Gatsby:

Genre

Genre

A genre in film is the method of similarities in different narrative elements within a film. It focuses on the aspects in a film that are closely linked and follow the same narrative pattern. Genre refers to the setting, themes and topics and the way that the film is shot in order to categorize into a specific genre. Different genres have different target audiences, and this requires the films to have certain elements in order to appeal to the target audience and meet a specific genre. Sub-genres are divisions of genres that contain the conventions of a different genre; for example:

Genre and audience

For the audience the genre of a film symbolises the elements that will be included, therefore they expect this when they are watching. It allows the audience the chance to know in basic terms what they will be watching and how they should expect to feel. For example, when going to see a comedy the audience should be prepared to see something that will make them laugh and feel good as this is what they have paid to see. The individual genres will bring about certain audience pleasures within the target audience - this is something that the audience want to feel when the go to watch a film of a specific genre. E.g. When going to watch a thriller the audience would want to feel suspense and tension as this is what is conventional of a thriller genre.

Lacey's repertoire of elements

Nick Lacey had the theory that particular genres have a 'repertoire of elements' that work in combination to suggest a media text belongs to a specific genre or mix or genres. He provides a framework to follow when analysing the genre.

Narrative - this refers to the story structure as well as the specific narrative devices, which genres employ (car chases, gunfights, weddings, etc.).
Characters - narrative is usually developed through characters and their functions (hero, villain etc). Some characters are so closely associated with a genre that they become generic types - The hero cop, for example.
Setting - some genres have a distinct location - like the Western - but locations can also be subject to change, for example traditional murder mysteries take place in the villages, whereas other subgenres of crime might have a city or suburban setting. Genres can also be associated with specific time periods, like War drama.
Iconography - media contains visual and audio images, which become instantly recognisable and associated with the genre. E.g. In crime the spraying of bullets in a mob storyline, the shriek of a victim in the woods, the yellow police tape, a dropped pistol and pool of blood.
Style - iconography refers to the visual and audio objects ('images') but this describes the way they are presented. Camera angles, editing, lighting and the use of colour palette all contribute.