Q7 Looking back at your premliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

What were the reasons for doing the preliminary task?
Q7 Looking back at your premliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

• Practise using the editing software
• Practise using the equipment (i.e the cameras)
• Working in a team/ communication skills
• Explore different kinds of shots

The demands for the preliminary task were different to the demands of the thriller opening task. The preliminary task simply asked us to film someone walking through a doorway and a short conversation whereas the thriller opening was much more complex. Firstly, the time in which we had to complete the thriller task was much longer than the preliminary task and we were able to spend more time on researching, planning, filming and editing. We were also encouraged to use a range of locations outside of the school premises this equated to more responsibility and independent working.

PRE-PRODUCTION.

In the preliminary task the need for extensive research and planning was not required as this exercise was a simple task in continuity and shooting a conversation between two characters.
Our group held an hour long planning meeting in which we discussed concepts and ideas.  We recorded these ideas and this set the pace for our overall plan for our short film.

This was not a complex process and we faced very little problems in the planning process. On the other hand, the thriller opening required lengthy research to create an in-depth plan and a broader understanding of how to shoot a film. We created a shooting schedule to outline the when we were going to be filming and who would be doing which roles on that day. We also created a storyboard which went into detail about specific shots we wanted to use and at which point in the opening they were going to appear. We also learnt about different techniques used to open a film and how other directors established different genres and themes in the opening of their films. These two planning techniques highlight the differences of the preliminary task and the thriller opening task and shows the increase of complexity.

PRODUCTION

Our preliminary task  helped us in our production because we had already familiarise ourselves with the equipment we were going to use in our final piece. We practiced using the digital cameras which helped us gained an understanding of the way they function which made it more efficient when it came down to shooting our thriller opening. We also explored different types of shots (close up, long shot, span etc.) and what effect they would bring to a scene. For example in our preliminary task we had an extreme close up on the action of two characters exchanging money for drugs and in the Thriller opening we had a close up of the menacing weapons that the kidnappers were going to use. Extreme close-ups intensive a moment in a film but also allows the audience to get a closer insight into the details of a scene.

Another advantage of the preliminary task also allowed us to enhance of teamwork skills. We had to distribute the work successfully and take advantage of the individual strengthens within the group.
I worked with a few of the same people in the thriller task as I did in the preliminary task which was helpful as we already knew how each other work.

The preliminary task gave us the opportunity to practice editing. We used Premiere Pro for editing both of our projects and our preliminary task allowed us to practice using the software. For example, we learnt how to add transitions (such as dip to white) and cut/trim our footage by making in/out point. We used these skills when editing our final piece but we developed our skills further by adding in titles/credits and also adding more sound effects and background music.

Our preliminary task also gave us an opportunity to learn from our mistakes throughout the process of making it so that we could avoid them in our final product and achieve a higher quality. For example, some on the original shots in the prelim task were shaky people we did not use a tripod to film it and this made the shot look unprofessional. In the Thriller task we ensured that we used a steady hand when we were doing handheld camera shots but we used the tripod for the majority of the shots. We also had some continuity errors in our preliminary task so we were more careful in our thriller film opening to avoid this issues. We also used the successful parts of our preliminary task and integrated them into our final piece. For example, we used similar shots in both pieces of work which included close-up shots of actions and main characters faces.

In conclusion, I believe that as an individual my skills and knowledge have developed massively during the process of both of these projects. I have gained experience with using production equipment and the editing software. I now understand the importance in thorough planning for a film and using the correct planning techniques. I have also learnt how to work efficiently in a group as well as becoming more confident with filming. Not only have I learnt how to do the practical skills required in filmmaking but I have learnt about the thriller genre and film noir.

Q6 What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Question 3: What kind of media Institution might distribute your media product and why?

WHAT DISTRIBUTION COMPANY WOULD BE BEST SUITED FOR OUR THRILLER?

ABOUT CINEMANX:

• CinemaNX is an independent distributor company that distribute niche British films for specific audiences. 
• CinemaNX has distributed other thriller films such as 'The Disappearance Of Alice Creed' and 'The Decoy Bride'. 
• CinemaNX specialise in distributing films that are located in remote areas of the UK.

Our Thriller could be distributed by CinemaNX because there is a correlation to previous films distributed by this company which means they will have a clear understanding on how it would be best to distribute a thriller film. As our film was filmed in Norwich it would also work in our favour due to CinemaNX previously distributing films in the remote parts of the UK. The composition and style of our thriller is very similar to 'The disappearance of Alice Creed' with the storylines also being parallel (both involve two assailants abducting a girl). CinemaNX is the company that distributed 'The disappearance of Alice Creed' which means the company will have experience and understanding on how to distribute a thriller film. 'The disappearance of Alice Creed' casts three not very well known British actors and makes good use of small locations to create an impacting and powerful visual. This is very much like our film that only uses a few actors and low-key and low-budget location.

About Polygram:

• Polygram initially started off as a low budget based production company. They then grew by buying various independent production companies. From there they went into co-administration with Universal.
• They focus of low-budget and non-mainstream films which are usually British.
• Polygram have distributed lock,stock &two smoking barrels.

Our Thriller could be distributed by Polygram as this company had experience in non-mainstream, small low budget range of films that are usually British. My Thriller is a niche film located in the remote location of Norwich and is low budget. If we were to choose Polygram to distribute our film it could potentially have access to a international platform it is popular, due to Polygram having close links with the global conglomerate Universal. The expertise Universal offer would also be a positive we would consider when choosing which company we want to distribute our film. Polygram also has experience in distributing low budget Thriller films as it distributed Lock,Stock&Two Smoking Barrels.

WHICH CINEMA WOULD BE BEST SUITED FOR OUR THRILLER?

It is important that the distributing company we choose has the ability to create a synergy with the cinema that our thriller will be distributed to. The way in which it is distributed to our chosen audience should enhance the audience that would go to that type of cinema.

Vue cinema is a fairly big company that attracts a wide range of audiences. It primarily attracts everyday working class viewers. People that would watch a standard action, drama, romance, war or thriller film. These viewers are not usually interested in the 'indie' films that would be showed at cinemas like CinemaCity. However the audience that would go to view would not usually spend huge amounts of money to go and see the big blockbusters that would be shown in cinemas such as Odeon. As our thriller film is low budget this would reflect on the pricing of the tickets and would therefore attract audiences that go to the Vue. Our thriller is also about an ordinary working class girl that gets taken from her home in the UK which makes the film relatable to Vue cinemagoers.


WHAT ONLINE PLATFORMS WOULD BE BEST SUITED FOR OUR THRILLER?

Another factor we would obviously have to consider is the market appeal for our Thriller online. The BFI suggests that young people tend to chose online platforms for viewing film rather than going to the cinema. They use VoD and YouTube while older audiences still enjoy the traditional trip to the cinema, DVDs or Television. These factors must all be consider when deciding where it would be best to distribute our film and we will have to look closely at our demographic to assure we are distributing the film in the correct places for our target audience.

VIDEO ON DEMAND: I do not think Video on Demand is going to be a main focus for the distribution of our thriller. Mainly because the our demographic is older due to the violent, gory and psychological disturbing nature of our film. Video on Demand is typically watched by younger audiences however statistics show that there has been an increase in the number of older people using Video on Demand so we may look to use VoD as a means to of distribution.


Netflix is an American entertainment company that expanded into the European market in 2012. It specialises in and provides streaming media and video-on-demand online. In 2013 it expanded into film and television production, as well as online distribution.
Netflix has large young fanbase which makes me believe that this platform does not suit the demographic of our film. However I believe that the average age of viewers watching Netflix is increasing and as a result Netflix are showing a more wide range of
films such as independent films and homemade documentaries. Therefore our thriller may be ideal to add the diverse range of films that are being exhibited on this site.

 

Final Thriller Cut

Shooting Schedule

Chosen Locations

Chosen Locations

LOCATION 1 :
The first location is a street lit by the ambient light of street lights. We chose to film when it was dark and no one was around. This is a good opening shot as it shows the girls everyday surroundings. The street she lives on has nice houses which gives off the impression that she lives in a safe area and had a good upbringing. The fact she is smoking in the opening shot contradicts her 'nice' surroundings and gives the character an edge which makes the audience think there is more to this character than one would originally think. The dark street corner fits well with the thriller genre of our film as there is minimal visibility and lots of ambiguous shadowing.
This location is also perfect on a practical level for filming. It is easily accessible, with good possibility for a different range of close up and long distance shots. It will also be easy to maintain the 180 degree in this open space. The only problem that we may face is the lose of sunlight as filming goes on, but in the editing process this will be able to be adjusted.


LOCATION 2:

OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE
After the character finishes her cigarette she walks home which is our second location. This location is a bright building with lots of colour (i.e red brickwork and pine wood door). This makes this location seem welcoming and secure which is what would be expect of somebodies home. The house gives us further insight into the background of this character as it is obvious she is from a well off family. We want to emphasise this location seeming safe so when the assailants break into her 'safe place' as it makes the abduction more unexpected and frightening.
On a practical level this location has the opportunity for lots of interesting shots. For example as you enter the front door there is a mirror on the porch wall which I believe would be a swift and intriguing transition from the outdoors to the indoors if the character was to be filmed through the mirror when entering the home. When the assailants break into the house later on in the opening, I think it would be good to use the same angle for the shot to create foreshadowing.



INSIDE OF THE HOUSE (Kidnappers preparation space)
We covered a room plastic sheeting and used it for the location for the assailants preparation. This location is perfect as it was a blank canvas with only sofas in the room. The lack of feature to this room adds a clinical feel to the space as there are plain white walls with no decorations. This makes the location of the assailants unknown and mysterious. The room has a large bay window which casts an interesting shadow onto the wall from the light of the street. We plan to use this unusual shadowing and dappled light to create an interesting shot for the assailants to exit the room. This chiaroscuro lighting and shadow work will add to common connotations of the genre as they are conventions of film noir. The room also has a large door which makes a loud slam when closed which will be an ideal sound effect to be used to show the characters have left the room. They location/scene is loosely influenced by Alice Creed as the opening are similar in the fact that we see people preparing to kidnap someone. The only real difference being our location is not where the victim is taken.



LOCATION 3:

The victim is taken to a shed in an unknown location where she is tied up. This location is an ideal location for a thriller film. The shed has no window and therefore no source of natural light which could symbolise no hope as light is often a connotation of hope. This location is a tight space with only just enough room for the victim to be held. This in turn gives a claustrophobic feel to the scene which further accentuates an uncomfortable tone. 
The shed being such an enclosed space is going to limit us when it comes to shot variety. Long shots are not going to be an option in the location so I think close ups and extreme close ups are going to be most suitable. An extreme close up is going to be good to capture the frightened facial expression of the victim. This location give connotations of hopelessness as it seems as though the character has no way to escape the situation she has found herself in.

Treatment

TREATMENT:

At the start, all we see is darkness, a deafening silence over powers the scene, until its eventually broken with a women’s breath.  She lights the scene with her cigarette, and inhales deeply and pauses for a moment. All we hear now is the sound of a car passing on the wet road and a black bird singing, it’s becoming dark, and it’s getting late.  The young girl stands alone, her silver hair tied into two cute tails, while the rest of her hair remains down and straight. She’s dressed in a scarf and buttoned coat, wearing placid heads and ripped jeans, she remains still, looking around her as if she’s waiting for something. Next, all we hear is her cigarette bud hitting the ground and her shoe bottom scraping the ground, for her then to walk off and we hear her heels heading into the distance. She heads to her house now, closing in, she opens the front door, but due to being small, with some struggle. Once into her home, she heads to her room, where she sits, all remains still. From here, we have cut shots between what the female character known as EVA and the two kidnappers. At points where one kidnapper ties up her hair, Eva will be taking her two pony tails down. This will create a sense of danger with in natural, due to the fact two such evil people will be casually getting ready as would a young woman, this will create a great establishment of our characters. After a few of these cut shots between the two locations and three characters, it will have a sudden cut after the kidnappers finally get hold of Eva. It’ll then cut straight into a shot of Eva in what seems like a shed, injured and afraid. We’ll conclude with a close up on her blood shot eyes, to create the fear into the shot and to have the audience connect with the character, to then cut into the end to the name title straight after a single tear falls down her bruised blushed cheek.

Taking to influence of films, our film is very like ‘Alice Creed’ which is also a film which a young girl is kidnapped by two men (but in our case, it’s also a women). Like Alice Creed, which is a thriller, of which we are also doing, we have a young girl named Eva, who is kidnapped due to the purpose of payment. Again, our film will be like Alice Creed due to the set pace between cuts and shots, they’ll be quick and fast paced throughout, always letting the audience understand what is happening. Again, the colour pallet of Alice Creed is very musky and cold looking, which ours will also be based upon, due to it being filmed in the dark and in a damp environment. Finally, we’re going to aim for the same idea of their intro by not having any dialect and having the characters and mise en scene establish the scene and feed forward any connotations.

Location Ideas

Thriller Mood Board

 

A Garden Shed – The inside being dirty, dark and damp. Creates an uncomfortable and uneasy atmosphere. Will reflect the tone we want to achieve in our opening. Shed would preferably have no windows with a source of low ambient lighting (i.e lamp). Cluttered shed with a variety of objects that offer possibilities for weapons/or torture.

A full-length mirror – most of shots of the girl in the opening of our thriller will be through the full-length mirror that we want to be in her bedroom or her bathroom.  She will be sat at her mirror taking off her make-up and getting ready for bed in front of this mirror and we will see the assailants appear behind the girl in the mirror. With a full length mirror a shot will be able to include the facial expression of the victim as well as the kidnappers behind her. A larger mirror will also allow us to incorporate objects that tell the audience about the character, i.e flowers or books.

Dust Sheets & plastic gloves – The location the assailants get ready will be covered in see through plastic sheets. This is to make the audience elude to the idea that the kidnappers have made a conscious decision to avoid possible DNA traces of them or their victim, i.e the sheets can be easily gathered and disposed of.  This creates a sinister tone and makes it look like they know what they are doing, which could mean they have committed a similar crime in past. The assailants will wear blue disposable gloves which will

further show that they do not want to traced/detected.

Dark wet street – the girl that is abducted will walk down a road that is artificially lit by street lights after having a cigarette and is heading home. Lighting will create big shadows which should disorientate the audience. We will aim to film when the street is empty to create an eerie feel to the scene. Filming when raining/wet will add an uncomfortable tone and will make the audience feel empathetic towards her.

Characters in our Thriller

Character One:

The focus of the opening of our thriller film is on a character name Eva. She is a young adult living in a house with her parents. This character is anxious and reserved which is shown through her smoking and being alone in the opening. We chose to have this character smoking in first shot as smoking is a common convention of film noir that conveys anxiety. The first location we see Eva go to is her family home. We she her enter the safety of her family home in the first few shots and by the end of the opening she is in a shed which is in an unknown location. The locations alone reflect the change in this character’s emotional state as she gets taken from the safety of her home, which is a clean and pure location, and ends up in a dark gritty shed.

The costume for this character was quite simple with our goal being to establish the comfort of her being in her own home. When the character enters her home she is wearing jeans, a long sleeved top, a scarf and a jacket but when she gets in she changed into baggy tracksuit bottoms and a loose jumper. This brings light to the idea of her feeling comfortable in her home. At home she also removes her makeup and takes down her hair displaying that she is now vulnerable as she is more exposed which emphasises the idea of having a lack of power. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve in the opening of our thriller.

Our Thriller is loosely based on the film ‘Alice Creed’. This character however is not like the girl that gets abducted in Alice Creed. Our character is comes across as more immature and vulnerable, whereas Alice is a dark, strong and mature girl that is taken which shows the vulnerability of every type of person as you would not expect such a strong character to be put such a compromising and dark situation. Our character is wearing light coloured clothing with blue eyes and blonde hair which is tied up in two ponytails. This shows her innocence and will make the audience empathise and feel sympathy for her.

Characters Two & Three:

These two characters abducted Eva. These characters have clearly gone through the act of kidnapping previously as they are very precious in the way they prepare. We made sure this was very clear in the first few shots we see of them and we focused on the details of what they were doing to reflect the level of concentration they had to their task. The objects the character’s handle consist of hammers, cable ties, knives, and other sharp objects. These props elude to danger as they are recognised offensive weapons. This creates a threatening atmosphere. The female assailant is the more dominant of the pair and this is noticeable when she is clearly ordering her accomplice to do things and when he does something out of line she is quick to correct him. In turn this makes the male character seem clumsy, inexperienced, and ignorant. The fact the male assailant is clumsy further emphasises that the female character is obsessive about detail and order. It also makes it apparent to the audience that she is efficient with a clear goal, but at the same time a sinister character.

Both of the assailants wear identical clothing. This is black jeans, black boots and a black zipped hoodie. The dark colours reflect the darkness and dangerous act they are going to carry out. The black clothing was chosen to make the assailants inconspicuous and not easily identifiable. The dark clothing also makes the characters seem unwelcoming which is perfect as we want the audience to feel uneasy about these characters and feel discouraged to feel sympathy for them. The use of dark shadowing also associates with corruption and criminality.

STORY BOARDS

How does the sewer scene in ‘The Third Man’ reflect the themes of Film Noir and post-war Europe?

 The city of Vienna was bombed 52 times during World War Two which left the city in wrecks. Vienna symbolised division, separation and mistrust. The director of The Third Man cleverly chose Austria's capital for the location of this Film Noir. Vienna was not only perfect because it symbolised darkness but also because it was/is an aesthetically stylish and breath-taking architecture. The darkness that this location portrayed is an obvious parallel to the core concept of film noir but even more importantly the beautiful fallen buildings is a great reflection of the typical anti-hero or femme fatal who show both glamour and gloom. The fallen architecture and rubble from the bombing also represents the destructive nature of humanity. The atmospheric use of black-and-white expressionist cinematography, with harsh lighting and distorted “dutch angle" camera angles, is a key feature of The Third Man. 

 Vienna’s sewers were also cleverly used in The Third Man. The grand sewers reflect the evil underneath Europe and the waste of mankind. The underground sewers are like a labyrinth and the director used geometric composition to create a sense of chaos and disorientation. The director also creates a paranoid atmosphere through the use of echoes in the sewers. When the anti-hero is being chased he can hear the echo of voices of the police coming from every tunnel in the sewer and this left the character disorientated and panicked about where the police were coming from. 

 The Third Man also uses mise en scene, framing and composition techniques and cinematography to create a claustrophobic and paranoid atmosphere. This classic film noir portrays the tension and paranoia in Europe at the time by creating an uncomfortable and trapped tone. The sewer scene especially promotes this, using the sewer setting to illustrate the evil and darkness that enclosed post-war Europe and the people within.   

This shot uses aggressive shadowing and sharp edges to create a German expressionist like composition. These techniques creates connotations of paranoia and claustrophobia and the physical act of the character crawling up an enclosed and narrow staircase create an uncomfortable atmosphere. The light coming from beneath the anti-hero reflect off of the bar of the staircases that symbolise a prison, therefore emphasising the character being trapped, the light illuminates and strengthens the tight and claustrophobic atmosphere created by the shot. The high camera angle of this shot make the character of Harry Lime seem helpless as he is struggles to pull himself upwards and as he looks up directly into the camera it seem like the viewer is the only one that can help him. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable and involves them in the paranoid shot.

Not being able to see the central vanishing point in this shot makes the audience feel uneasy and trapped. The light is symbolic of hope and the figure is blocking the hope and the only way to escape, the tunnel also portrays sense of claustrophobia. The vanishing point being blocked makes the audience look elsewhere and they are forced the look at the darker points in this shot making the viewer’s feel like they are also involved in the dark and evil that the sewer symbolises. The use of intense Key lighting as well as slight backlighting creates a silhouetted figure. The black figure reflects the darkness that mankind went through during the time of war and shows that the effect of the war is still prominent in people at this time. The man is positioned in the centre of the shot making him the main focus and emphasises the unknown vanishing point and the darkness of the man.

All of these points run parallel with the themes of Film Noir maintaining senses of paranoia and aggression, giving it continuity with the scene and the film.

In the upper half of the shot, you can see the police searching for Harry Lime while in the bottom of the shot you can see Harry Lime running away from them. The use of quadrants emphasises the chase and intensifies the tension. By doing this, the audiences is forced to look at both parts of the shot which also intensifies the chase. The police being on the higher level and Lime being on the bottom also creates connotations of good and evil or heaven and hell. There is a hint of German expressionism in this shot as the railing has sharp angles in at the top of the shot, this creates tones of paranoia and aggression which is relevant to the context of the chase. The clear contrast in harsh black and bright white tones in this shot also represent good and bad creating a metaphor of morailty. The chase itself is a metaphor for the fight against evil that Europe was facing at this time

Se7en:

Se7en's opening credits are in a montage format which means there is a lot of different clips that have been put together to create a singular clip. The opening credits are non-chronological with the clips jumping to extreme close ups of different types of detective work (finger-printing, filing etc). The fact the opening is non-chronological sets the tone/mood of a choas but also reflects of the hectic lifestyle of the detective we follow. The opening credits also establish the genre and theme of the film and it is very apparent that this film is a thriller as tension is built through the low light shots and eery music. The plot of the film is not established in the opening credits and is leaves the enigma of what criminal activity is being investigated.

The props used are clearly associated with investigations and detective work. These include books, photos, flies, pens and paper.

The colour palette used is reasonably dark, this and the low key lighting gives connotations of danger and death. Most of the colours are black and white, however when the photos are shown being developed you see the red light that is used develop them. This dark red connotes danger, but also shows that they are just being developed.

The transitions of the opening sequence vary. Some are straight cuts and some cross fade or fade to black. The Fading give the effect of the clips being linked together and creates an eery feel, and the fade to black reflects the sincerity and darkness of the overall film. 

This shot reveals the character of Somerset in a few moments. The shot shows his main possessions laid out in perfect order in an overhead shot. The badge tells us he is a detective of some description which a typical of Neo-noir. The pocket knife connote the conventions of violence and danger in film noir as well as telling the audience that the characters life involves violence. The old look of the knife suggests the character may have a violent background. The flowery paper is a powerful enigma and leaves the audience wondering the reasoning behind its place in the shot. The feminine flower contradicts the other brutal objects in is sat with. This shows that there is a sensitive side the character but as the flower seems worn down it suggests this sensitive side is being deteriorated as a result of the cruel aspects of his life.

 The ambient lighting in this photo is typical of film noir, this with the diegetic sound in this scene of sirens and shouting creates a disturbing and uneasy atmosphere. The dark shadows in this shot also adds to idea of immorality. This shot emphasises the loneliness of this character in the city through like being in the darkness and being trapped by the two light sources either side of him. The character not being in the centre of the frame also emphasises his loneliness. The fact he is in a double bed and he has a double bed suggests he has lost a lover and the two lights represent two people which also strengthens this theme

                                                                                   

 

This metronome is used to counteract the chaotic sounds of the urban city. The beat the metronome creates gives a sense of calm and shows the character is trying to distract himself from the chaos of the city, the city noises represent his crazy lifestyle and the metronome represent him trying to calm and control his hectic life.  It also connotes dull themes and could be a reflection of the characters bland home life.