Andrew Johnson AS Media Coursework Blog

Evaluation

2009-04-30T14:13:00.013+01:00

Evaluation

Question 1 – In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our opening sequence compiles many generic conventions of thrillers. Our titles are in white font over a black background. This is common to most thrillers as it grabs the audience’s attention visually also it allows the audience to engage using other senses especially sound. This is present in such thriller openings as ‘The Village’ (M. Night. Shyamalan. 2005)

This creates a much more gradual engagement than to such genres as action which are hard hitting. The thriller genre is much more gradual and suspenseful creating an eerie feel as the titles don’t engage the audience visually but instead use sound. Our choice of the gradual increase of running water (over initial titles) builds suspense and captures the audience’s engagement, which is a major convention of the thriller genre (see from 00:00 to 00:31). Our editing is slow paced and increases at a gradual pace which helps build on the suspense. This helps to engage our target audience. Longer screen time was given to our main actor as he is most important and needs to be represented as dominant in the opening. Juxtaposing this are shorter takes of the female character. (See shots, 00:30 to 01:15) Fade transitions between the titles allows the piece to flow and keeps the audience engaged. This feel is kept when the piece moves from titles to footage. (See 00:30 to 00:34)
We added a faint red tint to our flashbacks as it has connotations of danger and blood. Red is common to the thriller genre in particular the psychological and horror sub genres this is due to its contemporary symbolic association to danger and blood. Also we incorporated the red theme when the male character pulls the glass of red juice from the fridge. (See 01:50 to 02:02 ) We decided to dress our male character in a dark costume. This is due to the fact that dark colours reflect a 'bad' personality. The same applied for our female character who was dressed in light colours thus reflecting a 'good' character.
In addition the use of POV and OTS shots (see shots 5,9 and 10) are also common to the thriller genre. These where influenced by ‘The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez, 1999)

These shots where very effect at allowing the audience to engage with the character and allows the audience to be put in the place of the character. In addition the mise-en-scene, in particular the setting, was influenced by ‘The Blair Witch Project’, the eerie woods setting has connotations of entrapment and constriction

Question 2 – How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our thriller represents white middle class male to be superior to women of a similar class. We showed this byplaying on the stereotypes of having a white male antagonist as the murderer and brunet woman as the victim. This would appeal to the middle class white male target audience as they have similar ideologies about our representations.
Editing is used to portray the dominance of the male character over the female character. Longer takes of the male highlight his dominance whereas shorter takes of the female show her inferiority. Slow paced editing, gradually increasing in pace, helps to emphasise his dominance in addition it easier for the audience to engage with the character.
The diegetic panting and screaming combines with the non-diegetic heartbeat to show the white females fear the white man. (See 00:50 to 01:22) The flashback sound effect emphasises the male dominance as it combines with the editing to make sharp straight cuts between scenes.
The use of tilts, low angle camera shots and close ups help the audience engage with the male character and display him to be a dominant figure. (See 00:50 to 01:44) this is common to most thrillers. The wealthy interior of the male’s house shows his social standing in modern society. However his dark clothes show to the audience that he may be of a lower class. Stereotypically crime and violence is associated with the working class thus representing the working class as uncivilized and uncouth. However when he takes off his jumper he seen to be wearing a shirt. this brings the audiences perspective back to seeing him as a middle class male.

Question 3 – What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
A major Hollywood studio could produce our media product. This is due to the fact it is similar to existing products.

An example Hollywood studio could be Universal Pictures who have produced similar media products to mine and have been very successful. Such films of a similar genre include: 'Hannibal' (Riddley Scot, 2001) and 'State of Play' (Kevin Macdonald, 2009). Conventions which arise in both films and my thriller opening include: having a white male lead character, all contain fast paced editing to build suspense and the use of low angles and titles to display supremacy.
As a result they are experienced in that field and our renowned at producing films of an excellent quality and of similar style to mine. My media product could be released as it could produce then distributed world wide and consumed by a large audience resulting in a large profit. Due to the style of my media product there would not be many opportunities for merchandising or franchise.
After it had been released at cinemas, typical to other media products of similar style, it could be released on DVD for purchase by the consumer. However there would be very little synergy associated with the product of which would appeal to the majority of viewers. However there could be specialised collectors merchandise available to the niche collectors market.
The restriction in merchandising and franchise is due to the mise-en-scene of my product. There is a dark and sinister mood style created in my product, which makes the merchandising of the product difficult as it limits which aspects of the product, can be merchandised.

Question 4 – Who would be the audience for your media product?
Having a dominant white male antagonist makes my media product appeal to the male gender. In addition the narrative of having a male killer who stalks female victims would also appeal more to males than females. I believe the BBFC certificate rating for my film would be a 15. As a result my product would appeal the teenage male audience as well as adult audiences. However due to the fact the male role is played by a teenage actor this may appeal more to the teenage audience as he is of a similar age. Results from our audience survey show that film appeals more to the teenage male audience than the teenage female audience. We questioned people from ages 14-50 to see what they would expect in a thriller film. Common responses where that a thriller opening should be gripping and suspenseful, should be of either a psychological or horror sub genre, it should establish a character and finally should set the feel/mood of the piece.
Films such as ‘I know what you did last summer’ (Jim Gillespie, 1997) and ‘The St Franciisville Experiment” (Ted Nicolaou, 2000) are films of a similar style and genre however these have more of a teen-horror influence although they still have a similar target audience to my product

Question 5 – How did you attract/address your audience?

A suspenseful opening appeals to a male audience, in addition the attractive female actor also appeals to the male gender. The jumpy flashbacks would also appeal to the male gender. However these jump cut flash backs would scare younger aged children, this is due to the
camera work and the fact the audience put in the position of the character therefore would scare younger children (See 00:35 to 01:10) in addition the shots of the male character washing the blood from his hands may also be unsuitable for younger children as the shots are very unsettling, (See 00:54 to 01:05). During my media product the audience are put in the position of two characters in a duel narrative. They are allowed to see the antagonist in his natural environment after he has killed his female victim. Simultaneously we see the female victim fleeing from the murderer. As a result we see the dominance of the male character and the audience gain an impression of the characters personality. This is a common convention of the thriller genre as many openings are used to establish a character in the film and is often used to create suspense as well.

Question 6 – What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?

During the filming process the tripod was very effective at holding a shot steady and level however it had some problems. Some times the tripod would stick when tilting or panning resulting in jumpy shot. The camera wasn’t very effective at capturing sound. To over come the problem of sound we decided to use a separate sound recorder during filming and drop the sound in on top of the footage afterwards. During our long zoom shot of the door (see shot 1) the camera would zoom to quickly. To overcome this we decided to use a different kind of camera with a much slower zoom. When filming the tilt shot instead of using the tripod we did the shot by hand and held the camera very steady, it took many takes to get a good steady shots. During the evenings the sun would go down to quickly, changing the lighting in each shot so instead we decided to film during the middle of the day and use Adobe After Effects to darken the footage (see blog post ‘Darkening Footage’, 9 March 2009). I believe my knowledge of editing and the Premier Pro software involved has significantly increased. Fade transitions and fine editing resulted in creating the overall feel of the product.
During the process of making the animatic we found it difficult at the start to use Premiere Pro effectively however after getting used to the software I found it much easier to use and much more effective than previous basic video editing software I had experience with. We also found it difficult when collecting sounds for our animatic as most of the sounds we wanted to use had copyright however after extensive searching we found a decent website with a large library of copyright free sound.
During the filming of our continuity task our knowledge of the camera and tripod was limited therefore our footage was unsteady. In addition we where pressed for time and as a result our editing was rushed and ineffective at fulfilling the task set. This also wasn’t helped by the fact we had little knowledge of the editing software.

Question 7 – Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

My group found it difficult to come up with an initial idea. However after watching some openings to thriller films we had some ideas (see blog post ‘Initial ideas’ 9 December 2008) . In addition this provided us with some ideas of the conventional shot choices used in thrillers for example OTS and POV. Overall I feel my confidence with the filming and editing equipment has risen from the start of the project. Drawing a storyboards and creating an animatic allowed my group and I to visualise our shot choices and as result remove those that didn’t work. Producing an animatic also allowed us to she how long a shot should be held for and how to edit to fit the music. Further research after we had started filming (see blog post ‘Analysis of M.Night.Shyamalan’ 26 March 2009) improved our shot choice. We held our shots for longer to allow audience engagement.
I believe my product to be very successful at fulfilling the task set. Our product is engaging, of a good quality and meets the codes and conventions of a similar real media product of the same genre. Comparing our continuity task to our final product it is obvious our camerawork has significantly improved. All of our shots where steady in our final product. We also experimented more with different shot choices like POV’s and OTS. Our editing also improved greatly. Having more time to edit our final product it was easier to fine edit and make the overall feel of the piece much more effective than our continuity task. Sound was a big issue in our continuity task. Our choice of music and our ability to capture dialogue was also improved as we where given more time to experiment.
Improvements from our continuity task to our final product include our choice of music. Greater consideration was taken when selecting the music for our opening, we ensured it fitted the genre, pace and feel of the piece. However the music chosen for our continuity task was unnecessary and thus unfitting (See 00:00 to 00:39). In addition our framing of shots has improved. Framing is well thought through out of final product focusing on what we wish to present to the audience however during the continuity task there is a lot of empty space and at one point our character walked out of shot. (See 00:18 to 00:25).

Target Audience Evaluation

2009-04-20T20:45:00.001+01:00

We decided to set up a FaceBook group where people who fit our target audience can watch and write comments about our opening:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=72768044173&ref=mf

Evaluation Notes

2009-04-08T18:56:00.001+01:00

Evaluation Notes

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Final Opening

2009-04-04T12:00:00.003+01:00

Feedback from teacher

- Demonstrates excellence across all technical aspects
- Dual narrative structure is very effective with controlled choice of shots.
- Match on action is particularly effective with well exectued soundtrack that adds polish to the piece.

- Costume could have been better considered - not entirly convincing for this style of thriller
-Some shots could of been re-shot/held for longer

Predicted grade A

Feedback from the class

- Running water v.effective at the start
- Music builds up well, mystery and intriguing
- You can clearly see where title came from - reflections used
- Having no dialogue worked well with the psychological thriller
- Jonny's costume could connote his characters role more
- Camera work is good and steady where required
- Music is good
- Good variety of shots/ music matches action well e.g. looking in mirror
- Ecellent titles. Effective without drawing focus away from narrative
- Jonny's costume, in particular wearing white at the end connotes purity/ innocence.
- Great camera angles
- Confusing narrative - going to the fridge
- Great juxtaposition of shots.

Shoot 5 - Monday 30th

2009-04-04T11:59:00.000+01:00

Analysis of M.Night.Shyamalan

2009-03-26T16:55:00.002Z

In class we analysed the opening of 3 M. Night. Shyamalan films. These included The Sixth Sense, The Village and Lady in the Water.

The Sixth Sense

Quite ambient sound
Slow paced fading titles
Suspenseful backing music
White font against dark background
Long held first shot - character engagement

The Village

Suspenseful backing music
Sound before images
White font against dark background
Music pace quickens, titles shorter
Flashes of trees bleeding through background
Long held first shot - audience engagement
Low shot - powerful character established.

Lady in the Water

Suspenseful quite music
White titles over dark background
Black and white animation - contrasting - similar to titles
Engaging over voice
Long held first shot - audience engagement

From this analysis common traits can be seen, these include:

Sound before action
White titles over dark background
Suspenseful quite music - common to genre
Long held first shot - character engagement

This activity has influenced my groups ideas about our opening. We believe we can drastically improve our work from looking at M. Night Shyamalan.

First Draft - Reflections

2009-03-17T17:00:00.002Z

Practical Improvements
Given by Mr Michie

Mark: 38
Level 3
Grade: C/D

Feedback:

- Camera work is controlled and steady throughout most of the extract
- Framing of shots is mostly well conceived with elements included / excluded as appropriate
- Shot distances are varied throughout the extract
- The material is appropriate to the task set, however it becomes quite repetitive. This results in the later half of the extract losing focus.
- Mise-en-scene has been clearly thought out with effective use of location choice, colour and lighting throughout the extract.
- Editing is competent - there is considerable scope for improvement here which will also improve pace and continuity. Particularly, in the development of the duel narrative.
- Shot transitions are effective but need to be better timed towards the later stages of the extract.
- Both diegetic and non-diegetic sound have been used effectively throughout the extract. However, as the editing falters towards the end of the extract, the match-on-action loses focus making the mood of the extract inconsistent.
- Titles are well made and feel appropriate to the genre, however they could be more evenly paced across the extract.

Targets for improvement:

- You need to include Production Company etc. at the beginning and hold a single frame of black for longer.
- I also recommend introducing the running water sound earlier and even more gradual - raising the volume very slowly - this will develop the mood of your opening more effectively.
- Later you have lost your way - some poor choices of shots have been included.
- Also, some shots need to be held for longer.
- Your titles need to be more evenly spread across the piece.
- Finally, you need to add more focus on to the antagonist as that is whom you are trying to establish.

Improvements we discussed as a group:

- Production Company with a very quiet sound of running water in the background
- Move titles to the beginning
- Remove music - maybe introduce it at the character
- Increase the length of the shot of the eye or move the shot
- Titles after Jonny washes his hands?
- Replace music with an ambiguous music
- Creshendo music at the end
- More focus on Jonny and his environment. More shots - less of Abbie.
- Music is overpowering - make it more subtle
- Slower zoom to the door
- Move the tilt of Jonny before he washes his hands
- Hold the shot of Jonny looking in the mirror (1-2 seconds longer)
- Running shots are ineffective - remove.
- Use different angle of shots for Jonny
- Jonny - show where he's going as he leaves the bathroom. Follow him into a room
- Include a mirror in the room - reflection of Abbie seen - links in with the title
- Shorter flash backs

'Darkening' Footage

2009-03-09T13:26:00.013Z

Original footage:

Darkened Using After Effects:

I feel this effect helps the footage meet the codes and conventions

of a thriller genre. The red tint helps symbolize blood and danger

which is common to thrillers.

Shoot 4

2009-03-09T13:26:00.011Z

Monday 9th March

Filming went well. All shots are now complete and are ready to edit. Personally i believe my practical camera work has improved. After editing the shots will reflect the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. Over the period of filming i believe my camera work and understanding has significantly improved.

Shoot 3

2009-03-09T13:26:00.010Z

Thursday 5th March

Filming today wasn't very successful. We where organised with the equipment however due to the timing our shots where very dark and couldn't be used. We worked as a team and discussed ideas well however this also slowed us down and delayed time. From this we have learnt that timing is crucial when shooting. To compromise will shoot during the middle of the day when there is constant light and use Adobe After Effects to make the footage darker.

Progress

2009-02-24T16:46:00.001Z

At the beginning of the AS Media coursework I felt I had insignificant knowledge about the theoretical side of media seeing as I only started studying Media in Sixth Form where as my fellow students had studied Media at GCSE level. On the other hand I felt I had competent knowledge and skill in the practical side. This assisted me greatly when it came to producing the opening title sequence. This progression from nervous to confidence was highly significant.

My theoretical and practical knowledge has further progressed steadily through practical experience, learning from teacher and fellow members of my group. My organisation and self confidence has progressed since the begging of the coursework. I feel I work well both individually and in a group, however I find it difficult to trust some people to pull their weight.

Rough Cut

2009-02-24T16:45:00.009Z

Evaluation

Thriller Evaluation Questions Guidance

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Rough Cut Evaluation

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Improvments to be made to Rough cut after meeting with teacher:

-Include titles over footage - allows more footage
-Editing needs to be adjusted on shoot number 2
-Change shot of female to over shoulder shot
-Include more footage of Male character - Where does he end up? - different rooms - his enviroment
-Classic shot of charcter falling over
-Last 3 titles over black
-Could clear up after himself

Shoot 2

2009-02-01T11:53:00.002Z

Saturday 24th - Filming went well. All shots requiring to be redone where completed in addition shots outside where completed. Team work worked well again with effective directing from Georgia. However poor lighting conditions made shots unusable. As a result group needs to rethink location and timing of the shoot. Relocation is due to the scarce woods at chosen location. Next filming is on 1st February.

Shoot 1

2009-02-01T11:41:00.001Z

Wednesday 21st - We managed to shoot all planed shots. Filming went well, all shots where steady and a variety of shots where taken. Our group communicated and worked efficiently together. However improvements could be made.

- Our slow zoom at the beginning need to be improved in terms of speed and smoothness. To accomplish this we plan to use a different camera with easier zooming control.

- Our directing of actor wasn't effective. Better acting is required when subject was washing hands. Needs to scrub harder.

- Positioning of camera during close up of hands.

- Redo tilt. Hold for longer at top more effective.

Cancelled Shooting

2009-01-20T11:53:00.002Z

Our planned shoot on the 17th January was cancelled due to the fact a group member couldn't attend the filming session and the location wasn't available to us. This has put us behind on shooting. However to compensate we have rescheduled two shoots on Weds 20th and Thurs 21st after school.

Shooting Schedule

2009-01-08T15:11:00.004Z

Coustume/ Prop List - Actors/Actresses

2008-12-22T08:33:00.003Z

Locations

2008-12-22T08:33:00.001Z

Final Animatic

2008-12-22T08:32:00.005Z

Producing an animatic allowed us to visualise our ideas in terms of camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene. Specific shots, such as the slow zoom, were visually engaging and are a classic convention of the thriller genre. In addition the jump cut flash backs also where effective when combined with the sound effects to create a suspenseful tone to the piece, this major convention of the thriller genre. Creating the animatic also helped us gather a feel for the pace of the piece. It highlighted which transitions are effective such as the cross dissolve between shoots 14 and 15. The animatic was also useful when it came to layering up sounds and music. The adjustment between levels good to experiment especially during the fade at the begging in of the opening.

I believe our animatic is good however some improvements could be made. The narrative becomes slightly confusing towards the end of the animatic. In addition I personally believe the pace of the piece needs to be consistent, slower and more gradual. This would suit the codes and conventions of the thriller genre closer.

As a team I believe we organised and divided responsibilities well between our selves resulting in efficient and constructive work. Decisions where discussed as a group and much thought was taken about decisions.

Audience Research

2008-12-22T08:32:00.003Z

Sample Questionnaire

1. What age category do you fit into?

16-18, 19-24, 25-30, 10-35, 36-40, 41- 45, 46+,

2. Are you male or female? _______________________________

3.What thriller sub genres do you prefer? (Please circle as many as apply)

Action
Spy
Romantic
Psychological
Crime
Supernatural
Drama
Political
Medical
Other

4. What do you look for in terms of story with a thriller? – E.g. Twists,

5. How much gore do you expect to see in a thriller?

6. What do you like about the thriller genre? (Please circle as many as apply)

Confusion
Suspense
Hero vs. Villain
Twist
Cliff Hangers
Mystery
Danger

7. How do you think a good thriller should open? (Please tick one)
Death
Chase
Everyday Life
Flashback
Other

We chose these questions based on the information we wished to receive from the audience. Firstly we used the questionnaire to establish who are target audience was. Based in the fact we had decided to make a film classed as a 15 certificate we came to the conclusion that the people surveyed should be older than 15. We also used this questionnaire to see which sub genres of are most popular and which conventions of Thriller they most prefer to see. From this we can evaluate our ideas and make improvements based on our research.

Results

Shot List

2008-12-09T20:07:00.009Z

Initial Ideas

2008-12-09T19:57:00.002Z

My group decided to go with the crime drama idea. We will further develope this idea and produce a shot list and animatic to see what our idea will look like.

Good Tutorial Site

2008-11-29T14:21:00.002Z

One of my groups ideas for our final opening included flash backs. Then i found this tutorial site -

http://library.creativecow.net/articles/rabinowitz_aharon/CC_Flashback/video-tutorial.php

I had a go at recreating it myself in After Effects. This is what i came up with...

Certificate Rating

2008-11-26T17:54:00.002Z

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ - British Board Of Film Classification

There may be frequent use of strong language however the strongest terms are acceptable in context however continued use is not acceptable. Nudity is allowed in a sexual content but not in strong detail. No constraints on nudity if not in a sexual context. Violence may be shown but without strong detail. May not dwell upon the pain inflicted on the character. Dangerous techniques such as suicide and self harming should not be dwelt upon. Accessibility to lethal weapons can not be glamorised. Strong 'gorry' images are not permitted however repeated scenes of threat and menace are. Drug taking may be shown must not encourage drug misuse.

BBFC findings show that at the age of 18 a person should be entitled to see whatever they wish as they are an adult. However exceptions include the promotion of dangerous acts (both to the individual and society). They may also stop the portrays of sexual assault which endorse assault. Sexual scenes must be justified in the text.

I believe our work will be targeted at the classification of 15. This is because those producing it are of similar age but slightly older. This means we will know what the age range expect from a Thriller film and also have the knowledge to know what is acceptable to be shown in the film. In addition we don't plan to include any scenes of a sexual nature in our opening. However the classification will not be lower than an 15 as we plan to include some suspense and violence scenes which fall into the classification of 15. Furthermore the use of violence and sex etc. must be justified in the context of the piece. This means we will not include scenes of a violent nature for no reason.

Continuity Task

2008-11-14T16:18:00.013Z

My group was awarded a Level 2 by my teacher for this

piece of work. We peer assessed each others work

in class and came up with areas of improvement for each other.

Firstly my teacher argued that the task was incomplete

as the audience didn't physically see the character

leave the room. In addition it was argued that the

music was unnecessary. However i believe it was a

good chance to experiment with sound in

Premier. Further more the reaction shots of the

characters facial expression where unclear and the

facial expression couldn't be seen.

The framing of some shots was uncentral to the actiom and drew the

audiences attention way from the action.

To improve we decided that it is best to make

it obvious to the audience what is going on.

In addition repeating shots will ensure the best

shot is captured and can be used. Finally we need

to keep consistency with our effective shots for

better marks.

I believe my group worked well together in the

organsing and execution of our continuity task.

The camera work was effective and handled well.

However in some areas the framing of the shot was

wrong. To improve we will take more care when

positioning the camera and the actors to make the

film more effective.

In addition the editing could of been

sharper, reducing the length of the clips. This would

of made the piece more effective as it would allow the

audience to engage more and tension would of been

created. Furthermore in some clips the clicking of the

camera could be heard. This reduces the quality and

effectiveness of the extract. To remove this we should

allow the camera to run for longer after the action.

This would make it easier to remove the sound without

effecting the quality and effectiveness of the extract.

However the location and the acting in the piece

where not ideal. The initial planned location wasn't

available. From this we can learn to be more

organized and prepared before shooting. The actors

where not amazing. When it comes to doing our

opening scene we will use drama students who

should have more experience of acting.

Conclusion

2008-11-05T22:38:00.004Z

From my research i have found that each sub genre of thriller has a specific style following common conventions of the hybrid in the opening scenes. For example Western thrillers often have the titles superimposed on to the image which is commonly associated with Westerns. However through out all genres I found there was a common use of sound. Non diegetic sound is used effectively in all to create suspense, wether this is fast past or slow paced. Furthermore suspense is created through effective editing. Suspense is effectively created through short takes with longer pauses when a title appears. This tells the audience what the genre of the film is within the first few minutes and what conventions to expect. On the other hand some of the openings where slower paced, in particular the supernatural thriller. This creates an eerie atmosphere about the piece which is the complete opposite to what you would expect from a crime thriller. In some openings the camera didn't change position and the titles came and went in front of it. With these (such as the 'Sixth Sense') sound plays a major role in creating suspense. In some openings there where a variety of camera angles and distances however they mainly related to the sub genre of thriller. Mise-en-scene is also dependent on the sub genre of the text. However the colour of text chosen is often white or red. Both are conventional to Thrillers. This is due to the cultural meaning associated to them. For example red has connotations of danger and blood both of which are associated whit Thrillers.

Practice Filming 1

2008-11-05T22:38:00.002Z

Due to technical difficulties it is not possible to upload a copy of our first practice filming. This

is due to a fault with the camera. However we did learn lots from our practice.

Firstly i believe our control of the camera and its use was effective. A few panning shots could of been smoother but we didn't we didn't brake the 180 degree rule. We also worked well as a team with our organising and communication which will be important when it comes to filming the real thing.

From this practice we learnt that using ourselves as actors wasn't a very good idea. This is firstly

because we naturally aren't very good actors and more importantly when it comes to shooting

the real thing it will allow us to work together as a team more and make our final piece much

more realistic and effective.

Furthermore our editing could of been smoother and more effective but over all was satisfactory. Initially our use of the editing software was slow and sluggish but we soon became use to it and our pace quickened. When it comes to producing our final piece will look into improving our skills with other software to aid in production.

Thriller Opening 5 - Sixth Sense - M. Night Shyamalan -1999 (Supernatural Thriller)

2008-11-05T22:37:00.012Z

(Up to 3:00)

Camera: The camera stays still throughout the title sequence.

The audience are presented the titles. In addition the restricted

view is used to help create suspense. The fact the camera

doesn't move creates the impression on the audience of

entrapment. This is an uncomfortable feeling for the

audience The director has done this to provide an insight

into the narrative of the text. Within all Thriller title scenes,

the genre is quickly established and the main theme of the

narrative is set. This ties in well with the directors use of

sound.

Editing: The director chose to use fade transitions between

each title. This helps to establish both genre and narrative.

Fading allows the title to flow and keeps continuity at the

same time. However more importantly it creates an eerie

atmosphere within the text. This is common to most

supernatural thrillers as ghosts and specters have

connotations of fading and dissipating. This helps tie in

with the genre

of the text. The eerie atmosphere created

by the fading transitions helps to create suspense, a

common feature of Thrillers thus telling the audience about

both the narrative and the genre.

Sound: Sound is for many reasons in this title scene. Firstly

sound is used to create suspense. The directors choice of

string instruments which produce short sharp notes. This

combined with the camera and editing effectively build

suspense. When the main title of the film is shown the

musical score reaches a crescendo. The director chose to

do this because if suspense is built for to long the

audience loss interest. As a result the director chose to

climax in the middle of the title scene. The eerie

atmosphere is upheld afterwards by the combination of

the piano and the string instruments.

Mise-en-scene: The title scene is shot

using very low key

lighting this helps to set the atmosphere and mood of the

text. The mood and atmosphere matches that of which

the audience would expect from the genre.

Supernatural thrillers are associated with eeriness and

'spooky' scenes. The sound links with the mise-en-

scene to effectively make put the audience "on edge"

and increase their engagement. This is common to

Thrillers.

Special Effects: The titles fade between one another. This

reinforces the eerie atmosphere created earlier. In addition

the titles enlarge as they zoom out. This adds emphasis to

their importance. Further more the zoom isn't dramatic it is

slow and works well with the text reinforcing the established

genre. This is done through following conventions associated

with a genre. When the main title of 'sixth sense' appears

the lighting of the text fluctuates. This further adds to the atmosphere

and genre.

Titles: The titles are displayed over a plain black background

and aren't superimposed on the text. This is common to most

supernatural thrillers. The director has done this to effectively

display the titles and to separate the titles from the main film.

The director chose white font as it it contrasts to the black

background. This simplistic way of showing titles is rather dramatic

and helps build suspense.

Thriller Opening 4 - Unforgiven - Clint Eastwood - 1992 (Western Thriller)

2008-10-30T19:12:00.001Z

(Up-to 122:37)

Camera - At the begging of the extract the camera remains in a fixed position whilst the solitude character digs a

grave. The director chose to do this as to allow text to scroll up the screen. Both the text and the camera position

give an insight into the narrative of the extract. The extreme long shot allows the audience to see where the text is

set. The red sunset, the mountain and the wooden buildings are all common to the 'Western' genre. From this the

audience have a preconceived idea of what the extract will contain based upon its genre. The director pans around

the town. This shows the setting of the text, in addition the audience is shown the silhouette of a couple kissing then

the camera falls on a window. This panning allows the audience to 'soak' up the atmosphere of the text before being

led to the main story line. During the struggle between the characters a shot-reverse-shot is used between the

character with the knife and his victim. This allows the audience to see both characters expressions and reactions.

This allows the audience to engage with the characters allowing them to feel more a part of the action. Shot-reverse-

shots are common in Thrillers as the director can build suspense by switching between the two characters.

This is common in a 'face off' between the protagonist and the antagonist.

Editing - The opening shot last for a long time with out any cuts. This allows the audience to engage with the

atmosphere of the text. In addition it leaves along enough time for the text to scroll down the screen. The director

chose to use a fade transition between takes. This shows the passing of time. Usually this would be used in a Thriller

to allow the audience to 'recover' from the action. As the text continues the

director begins to use straight cuts. These can be effectively used to create

suspense at the begging of the action. The pace of the editing matches the

pace of the action. Suspense is a common convention of Thriller movies.

Sound - At the beginning of the extract the non-diegetic sound runs parallel

with the narrative. The music is suited to the genre of the text. The director

chose to do this as to set the atmosphere of the text. Contrapuntal music

wouldn't of appealed to the audience and their ideologies. The director

effectively uses a sound bridge between 2 scenes. This keeps continuity in the

text. Also it helps to build on suspense, this is because it is unexpected and

almost makes the viewer 'jump' Furthermore the director combines diegetic

sound and editing to effectively create suspense. Effectively combining the

two allows the audience to engage as suspense is created. At the end of the

action all the diegetic sound is quietened so that the click of the gun is

emphasised. This shows the importance of the gun to the narrative of the text.

In addition it shows that silence is also an effective way of creating suspense,

common to Thriller movies.

Mise-en-scene- At the begging of the extract the audience see a silhouetted landscape consisting of a house, a tree

and a man digging. This silhouette is created by the a glorious sunset. From this the audience have an impression

of the location and genre of the text. Such sunsets are associated with deserts thus the audience is led to believe that

the film is of a western genre as all 'westerns' are set in dry deserts. In addition to this the silhouette creates a sense

of ambiguity about the text. This is due to the fact the audience is limited to what hey can see. The director has done

this to make the scrolling text more effect as the audience need to read it to understand the narrative of the text. As

the scene progresses the audience are shown an apparently empty town due to the rain. However as the camera crabs

the audience see another silhouette, this time of a couple kissing. The director is trying to convey the idea that the

specific characters aren't important however the connotations associated with their actions are. The idea of conveying

an action allows the audience to add their own personal opinion to the text increasing their engagement. The

characters costume convey to the audience the characters social standing. From this the audience are allowed to

engage with the characters more. This is common to all Thrillers as it increases the effect of suspense films on the

audience. In addition to costumes the director has effectively used props. Such props as the gun are common to mostly

all thrillers. However each sub-genre of thriller has its own style of weapon. This is important to the text as it helps

establish genre.

Special Effects - Very few special effects are used in the opening of the text. The only point where special effects

are used is during the fight scene. The blood from the cut woman is common to a lot of thrillers. However it is not

necessarily apart of all thrillers. However the climax of a suspense scene is very important. In this extract the climax is reached however the action continues and suspense is continually created as the audience don't know what will happen to the character.

Titles - The titles and the scrolling font are in a classic typing font. This font suits the opening and the genre of the text. The director chose to use white text as it stands out against the background. In addition the director choice white to juxtapose the red colour of the title of "Unforgiven". Furthermore there is inconsistency in the font. The sinister font of the title of the film creates the impression to what the narrative will contain this then links back wit the chosen colour of red which has symbolic meanings of "danger" and "blood" . This is consistent within all Thrillers.

Thriller Opening 3 - Saw II - Darren Lynn Bousman, 2005 (Psychological Thriller)

2008-10-28T15:40:00.000Z

Camera - Initial Point of View Shots allow the audience to see what is happening as the character does.

The audience is aware of the fact that the character doesn't know where they are. This is reflected in the

fact that the panning of the camera is quick, showing the characters distress and in the fact that there is

non-diegetic panting sound. From this is the director has effectively created suspense, a common

convention to the Thriller genre. Instead of switching to a close up of the characters face, the director

choses to use an over the shoulder shot to reveal the characters situation. This allows the audience to

engage with the character. The camera slowly zooms in on the character on the Television screen. The

director has chosen to do this to add emphasis to the importance of the character. In addition the director

uses a shot-reverse-shot technique to show the facial expression of the character as he hears what is

being said on the tele, further allowing the audience to engage. The director uses extreme close ups of

the characters eye to show the importance of it to the narrative of the text. The 360 degree panning of

the character shows the audience the full extent of the situation. In addition it helps build suspense as the

panning increases speed.

Editing - At the beginning of the text there are long takes. This helps

to establish the initial setting of the text. However as both character

and audience become aware of the distressful situation the pace of

the editing quickens. This builds on suspense increasing the audience

engagement. The director effectively quickens the pace to suit the

narrative of the text. This eventually leads to a montage sequence

continually building on suspense. After the climax of the action the

editing slows pace, thus allowing the audience to 'recover' from the

action. This is a common convention of Thriller movies.

Sound - At the beginning of the extract the director effectively

emphasises diegetic sound of the props in the scene. This adds to the

ambiguity of the situation. The director effectively uses non diegetic

eerie sounds to help build suspense. In addition it also gives the

audience the impression that the character was under sedation. This

provides an insight into the narrative of the text. As the character

realises his situation the sound levels increase as the the action

heightens. When the timer begins to start the non-diegetic sound stops.

The only sound comes from the ticking of the clock. This adds emphasis to the importance of time thus

heightening the suspense as time is against the character. In this text silence is used as effectively as loudness

The non-diegetic sound reaches a creshendo as the action reaches its peak. The director emphasises the diegetic

sound of the moving of the x-ray pictures. This helps to create suspense.

After the height of the action the non diegetic sound quietens. This suits the 'recovery' stage of the extract and

leads into the title scene.

Mise-en-scene - The decor of the room looks very real, however there is a low verisimilitude as the likely

chance that this situation would occur is very low. The opening shot is filmed using low key lighting.

This reflects the dark mood and atmosphere showing the audience the theme of the narrative. The colour

red is present in the text. Red has is culturally symbolic of danger and blood. This leads the audience to believe

that these will be present in the narrative of the text. The Television is used by the antagonist to communicate

to the characters. The use of common household objects as props in Thriller films is a common convention.

I believe the director chose to use a Television because the audience can relate to it. In addition through

effective use of narrative an technical codes the audience can engage with the text and come to fear the

object as much as the characters in the text.

Special Effects - The trap placed around the characters neck obviously isn't real. The special effects make it

appear very realistic. As a result there is more of a 'cringe' factor associated with the scene. This makes the

text more believable allowing the audience to engage more.

Titles - The title scene has an 'eerie' feel to it. The apparent floating text fades in then fades out. The director chose

this because it suits the genre of the text. An 'eerie' atmosphere is a common convention of all psychological thrillers.

The text is centralized, emphasizing its importance. The director chose to use white as the colour for the title.

White is symbolic of purity and innocence. The 'off' white colour helps to provide an insight into the narrative of

the text. Due to the symbolic meaning the 'off' white colour tells us that there will be a change to the purity or

innocence.

Thriller Opening 2 -The Matrix - The Wachowski Brothers, 1999 (Science Fiction Thrller)

2008-10-27T20:12:00.001Z

(Up to 6:39)

Camera- In the opening sequence to the matrix all aspects

of camera movement where used. However the key ones

to analyse are the hand held camera shots, the swipe pan

and the 360 degree pan. When the character known as 'Trinity'

fled the fight scene the director chose to follow her with

other the shoulder shot by a hand held camera. This

allowed the audience to engage with the character,

in addition the unclarity of what is in the shot helps build

suspense. This effect is also present when the director

chose to use a swipe pan in the fight scene. This

blurs the image making it unclear to the audience what is

happening to the character thus building suspense.

The 360 degree pan of 'Trinity' in the air subtracts

from the realism of the text. However it also provides

an insight into the narrative as the audience can tell

that from the genre of the text is science-fiction as well

as thriller. Allowing the audience to engage with the text

appears to be a convention associated with all Thriller.

Editing - The extract starts with long takes however

as the action scene begins the takes get shorter. All

editing is done using straight cuts. This helps

create the pace of the text and the narrative. When

combined with

the non diegetic

sound suspense

is effectively

created this

allows the

audience to

become more

involved with

the text.

Sound - Both

diegetic and

non-diegetic

sound are used

effectively in

the extract.

The non diegetic

musical score

runs parallel to the text and fits in time with the editing.

The fast tempo and long notes help to create suspense.

As the action climaxes so does the musical score reach

a crescendo. The diegetic sound is made louder in areas

to add emphasis and to create suspense in the text.

'Suspense' is a common convention of all Thriller movies.

Mise-en-scene - The extract is shot in a very low key

lighting. This helps create the atmosphere and suspense.

Scenes of low lighting are common to Thrillers as

darkness is an easy way to create suspense because what

is going to happen next is unclear to the audience. The

lighting also suggests an insight into the narrative of the

text. Such props as the police gun provide the audience

with an insight into the narrative. Guns have connotations

of violence which is common to most action thrillers. The

colour green is present at the title scene. The green text

creates adds an eerie futuristic feeling to the text. This

is common to the hybrid genre of science-fiction. I

believe the title scene wouldn't of been as affective

with another colour.

Special Effects - The title scene is made using CGI.

The director uses special effects to create the green

falling symbols. These relate to the narrative of the text

and help portray to the audience what is going to

be included in the text. This relates back to the conventions

of genres. From this use of CGI the audience get an

understanding of what to expect from the text. In

addition CGI are used when the audience see the

tracing of a call. The camera slowly zooms in on one

number. From this the director is trying to show the

importance of technology in the text further using

conventions of a genre.

Titles - The director has chosen to use a font commonly

associated with computers and technology. This

stereotypical font reinforces the directors choice of

narrative. The director has stuck with the color of green to keep

a certain style going. Combining the falling symbols with

the title effectively keeps the narrative flowing, in addition it

effectively reinforces that the established genre is present in

the narrative as the titles are the same as the convention already

established. An effective technique used by the director is

keeping the colours and the lighting of the titles similar to

that of the opening scene. This keeps continuity.

Thriller Opening 1 -Psycho - Alfred Hitchcock, 1960 (Horror Thriller)

2008-10-27T10:12:00.002Z

Camera - Throughout the opening credits the camera doesn't

move nor change angle. The credits are presented to the audience

in front of them. In addition the titles are centralized in each shot.

The director chose to do this to add emphasis to the titles and draw

the audiences attention to deeper meaning in the title sequence.

The meaning interpreted from the extract links to the animation

and graphics.

Editing - The title sequence consists only of short takes all

accompanied by straight cuts. This is faced past editing which

effectively combines with the non-diegetic sound. From this the

audience expect the pace of the title sequence to be reflected in

the pace of the narrative. In addition the editing

(combined with the non-diegetic sound) effectively creates suspense.

This is a convention commonly associated with Thrillers from this

the audience gain an insight into the genre of the text thus meaning

that they have preconceived ideas about what to expect from the

text. As a result the director has instantly influenced the audiences

attitude and expectations from the text as a result the director can

build on this to create an effective Thriller movie.

Sound - There is no diegetic sound present in the title sequence.

The non-diegetic musical score provided by an orchestra is common

to many of older thrillers. The high pitched string instruments

effectively create suspense. This

links back to the editing to help create pace.

Mise-en-scene - The title sequence consists

of only titles and straight lines. The straight

lines are symbolic of rigidness and normality

this is reinforced when the lines interlink

smoothly. However this idea is juxtaposed

when the lines and the text don't align

smoothly representing abnormality. This

shows the audience that the theme of

abnormality is present in the narrative of

the text. This is common to phycological

thrillers.

Special Effects - The lines present in the title sequence are

CGI images animated to move. I believe the director chose

to express his ideas using symbolic images rather than using

iconic images. As a result the meaning is left slightly ambiguous

and for the audience to interpret themselves. I believe the

director chose to do this to allow the audience to engage

with their own opinions and ideas.

Titles - The chosen colour for the titles is white on black

background. The positioning of the titles doesn't follow any

particular structure however most titles appear to be

centralized in the shot. This emphasizes there importance.

The colour white traditional has connotation of purity and

innocence. However in this title opening scene the letters of the

word 'Psycho' is distorted. I believe the director has chosen

to do this to show the idea that purity and innocence is

lost in this text.

What is a Thriller?

2008-10-26T11:55:00.000Z

What is a Thriller?

Genre is a form of categorization in which media texts are sorted based on common stylistic conventions and narrative. We can use this idea to extract relative information on conventions of Thrillers. Such conventions of a genre are the: characters, locations, narrative, use of technical codes and semiotics. The main convention across all types of thriller is to give the audience ‘thrills’ and excitement by increasing adrenaline levels. The director does this buy building on tension; as a result the audience is left ‘on the edge of their seats’ usually leaving them wanting more.

It is rare to find a text singularly categorized as a Thriller this can be due to disputes over the classification as a genre, but more commonly because there are a large number of sub genres. Sub genres are hybrids between two types of genre. In the case of Thrillers there is a large amount. Some examples are: action-thrillers, horror-thrillers, crime-thrillers, medical-thrillers, sci-fi thrillers, disaster-thrillers, supernatural-thrillers and psychological thrillers. Each type of hybrid has its own set of conventions, which slightly differ (additional conventions common to the other half of the hybrid). When it comes to analysing Thriller extracts I will choice from a wide range of sub genres.

Common conventions of thrillers include:

Narrative- Present in all forms of Thrillers is the general narrative. This consists of the protagonist disrupting and preventing the antagonist’s plans. Usually the narrative is complex with lots of ‘twists’ in the plot. These intrigue both the protagonist and the audience of the text. For example “The Village”⁽⁶⁾ such ‘twists’ effectively create tension and help the audience engage. In addition the protagonist is usually ‘brought to there knees’ by the antagonist by exploiting their flaws. A thriller climaxes when the hero, often saving the lives of others, eventually defeats the villain. Initially the protagonist is put into peril. The survival of the protagonist isn’t guaranteed. The previous general narrative is found in the films “I am Legend”⁽⁷⁾ and “The Hills Have Eyes 2”⁽⁸⁾

Characters- In Thrillers the protagonist is usually seen as a ‘hard man’ (or women!) from this I mean a character who is used to danger and conflict such as an army officer, law enforcement officer or a spy. Such as the ATF agent in “Déjà vu”⁽¹⁾similarly the protagonist usually has a background of deadly skills and training. For example the EX-CIA agent in “Taken”⁽²⁾other common protagonists include ‘every day’ people caught up in a serious danger. For example the character of Neo in “The Matrix”⁽³⁾, such protagonists are put into dangerous situations where the audience fear for their lives this tension is then heightened by the director’s use of technical codes and semiotics.

Opposing the protagonist is the antagonist. Common antagonist roles include assassins and terrorists. For example the renegade general in “The Rock”⁽⁴⁾ who captures the famous American landmark of Alcatraz and holds San Francisco hostage with nuclear weapons. However other common characters include psychotic individuals such as the character of Jigsaw in the film “Saw”⁽⁵⁾ such characters are more common to the genre of Horror of which closely links to thrillers.

Locations- Due to the large amount of subgenres the location is dependent on the other half of the hybrid. For example the audience would expect a medical-thriller to be set in a Hospital! As a result there isn’t one general location of thrillers. Locations can range from cities, to deep space, to abandoned warehouses to exotic locations. I believe location has some effect on the tension created in the text however the majority of tension and ‘thrills’ is created through the use of technical codes and semiotics.

Technical Codes – Each technical code (camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene) can be used to create different effects on the audience. Tension is successfully and effectively created when all are used together. The master at creating tension was Alfred Hitchcock. The renowned shower scene in the film “Physco”⁽⁹⁾ this is an excellent example when all technical codes are used to effectively to build tension and increase audience engagement. I plan to look closer at the technical codes when I analyse extracts from thrillers.

Bibliography

1. Tony Scott, 2006

2. Pierre More, 2008

3. Andy & Larry Wachowski, 1999

4. Michael Bay, 1996

5. James Wan, 2004

6. M. Night Shyamalan, 2004

7. Francis Lawrence, 2007

8. Martin Weisz, 2007

9. Alfred Hitchcock, 1960

Practice Animatic

2008-10-22T06:54:00.000+01:00

I believe my groups first attempt at an Animatic was very successful. The diegetic sound fitted well with the piece and the genre of the text. In addition it fitted the pace of the editing. Furthermore I believe the recreation of camera worked well especially in the panning. I believe this allows the audience to engage withe text and the text helps build tension. This is due our use of conventions common to the genre of Thriller.

To improve our animatic firstly i believe some of the images where unclear in meaning. Next time we will try to draw neater and shall research key storyboard techniques and notations such as directional arrows. In addition to improve the quality of the images we shall user a scanner instead of a digital camera. This will make our pictures clearer. In addition it will be easier to crop them to the right size removing writing around the edges.

Furthermore i believe we should of added some parallel non-diegetic sound to play along in the background. This would have to suit the genre and tie in with the editing. Non-diegetic can be used to create suspense and increase audience engagement.