Title Research

After looking at Spider-Man 3 and Reservoir Dogs, I managed to find the conventional order of credits during the opening sequence which is as follows:

• [...] Presents
• A [...] Production
• Starring...
• Music By...
• Costume Designer...
• Edited By...
• Director Of Photography...
• Produced By...
• Screenplay By...
• Directed By...
• Title of the Film

Thriller Film Pitch Review

Today, we presented our film pitch to the class detailing our objectives and ideas for the filming process. We created a film as if we were interviewing each other an discussed plans for each area: narrative, mise-en-scene, character and setting.

For the narrative, Taylor talked about the main protagonist who appears looking dejected in a small, dark room talking to someone about his story. We drew inspiration from The Usual Suspects and decided to use this scene as present day. The rest of the film would depict the man's story and how he came to be where he is. The story will be about how the man was a scientist who discovered a hidden truth - that global warming is happening at a much faster rate than previously thought. He then investigates into it and becomes hunted by government agents who want the secret to remain hidden.

Ollie then spoke about mise-en-scene. The costumes would be simple, so for the scientist we plan to borrow a lab coat and goggles from the science department. For the present day the man needs to look dejected and as if he's been through a lot so we plan to make him look unwashed and a bit dirty with raggy clothes on. For lighting, we are going to use low-key lighting for the opening scene of the dejected man to emphasize his gloomy situation and turn of fortune.

I talked about the characters. The man we see first would be dejected and demotivated as he has been hunted down by government agents and caught. This would contrast to his flashback where he is seen as being highly motivated and enthusiastic about his quest. He is also a very courageous character as he is one man taking on a bigger, stronger force that is the government. Other minor characters would include the man the scientist is speaking to at the beginning and another scientist, possibly, who helps him in the flashback.

Finally, Charlie spoke about the setting. We decided we would need a small, intimate room for the opening scene to show how he is 'down in the dumps' while low-key lighting is used to emphasize this. We decided on of the smaller classrooms or offices would be fine for this. Another location we need is a laboratory where the scientist will run experiments to test his theory, which we thought we could use a classroom again with props or one of the science prep rooms. Lastly, we need a library where the scientist discovers this secret. We could use the school library or just a computer room and use a few books as props to replicate this.

Thriller Film Analysis

In today's lesson, we watched some extracts from Die Hard 4.0, The Interpreter and The Usual Suspects and analysed what we saw with a view to glean some inspiration and ideas that we could include in our own work.

While watching Die Hard 4.0, I was looking at the characters and their characteristics. For example, the hackers were young, as in early-twenties, as this generation is seen as being more technology-fluent. Another character that was interesting was the oriental woman. It was clear from the beginning that she was the main antagonist. She was very calm and controlled which was shown by the way she dismissed the sexual comment from the coffee-drinking character. She was also very cold as she showed no emotion even when  'Deactivated' appeared on her screen and it became clear that she had killed this huge list of people.

In The Interpreter, it was clear that the blonde woman was innocent and had been caught up in something much bigger. This was shown by her sharp intake of breath and scared facial expressions when she overheard the conversation on the phone. The audience are also unable to hear what was said which creates an enigma as we wonder what was so shocking. The repeated motif in the music also created tension while the fact that low-key lighting was used could suggest that she's in the dark about what is happening. It was also interesting the way that they used her turning the light on to reveal her location to whoever else is in that building. In terms of camerawork, a close-up was used of her swiping her entry card which shows that she's entering a secure location but that she also has a high enough position to gain entry.

In The Usual Suspects, the audience are unable to see the killer's face which creates an enigma as we wonder who he is and what the relationship between these characters is. The use of low-key lighting, again, created an ominous atmosphere - something we incorporated into our preliminary work. It was interesting to see that the killer was so relaxed, shown by him smoking a cigarette despite being about to kill a man, while the protagonist was equally relaxed even though he knew what was coming. This suggested that these characters possibly knew each other before. I also thought it was effective the way that instead of showing the man being killed, they cut to a wide shot of the area and just used a hyperbolic sound of a gunshot.

Thriller Narrative Ideas

In today's lesson, we had a brainstorm to think of ideas for our thriller films - in the techno-thriller genre. We were given a basic plot line and had to invent a techno-thriller story around it. For example: 

"An interpreter overhears a plot to assassinate a political figure"

We thought that an interpreter would be involved in a business conference over Skype. The two business-men then disconnect the interpreter but actually only minimise his window. The interpreter then overhears the conversation that follows in which the two men talk of assassinating a political figure.

We thought that by including a modern high-tech communication tool such as Skype it would immediately set the film's time as being in the present day while most people, especially the younger generation, would recognise Skype and be able to relate to it.

"A detective investigates the disappearance of his niece who has been missing for 30 years"

We thought that the detective would decide to re-open the case as he sees his niece update her profile/status/location on Facebook, for example, and decides to investigate. He could then use gadgets such as Sat Nav's and his phone to find his way around.

Most of our ideas revolved around social networking and communication as it is quite original compared to gadgets such as guns, while people can relate to it as it is very highly used. It's popularity also makes it a good choice, shown by the evidence of recent films such as The Social Network.

9-Shot Analysis

In the first two shots here, we can see the match-on-action of a door opening, as the first shot shows the handle being turned while the second shot shows the door opening and people walking out.

In the third shot, a long shot is used which shows the drug-user's perspective. The costumes of these people show that they are antagonists as they are wearing dark colours which suggests an evil capacity while the masks hide their faces which means their emotions can's be read. This also creates an enigma as we wonder what/who they are, which is a common convention of the thriller genre.

The fourth and fifth shots show another match-on-action of the syringe being dropped. The fourth shot shows the syringe leaving the drug-user's hand, while the fifth shot shows the syringe hitting the floor.

The sixth, seventh and eighth shots show our shot/reverse/shots and demonstrate our understanding of the 180-degree rule. The sixth shot is an over-the-shoulder shot looking at the antagonists while the drug-user speaks, the seventh shows the drug-user while the antagonists speak and the third is the same as the sixth but the antagonists have disappeared. This creates another enigma and also creates tension as the viewer wonders where they have gone. The 180-degree rule is demonstrated here as the camera always stays within the 180-degree arc.

Finally, in the ninth shot we can see where the antagonists have gone as they appear directly behind the drug-user.