Individual Storyboard - Miss Miller

Storyboards are used to help gather all the ideas a director may have into a chronological ordered structure. They are a way of seeing how you would expect your narrative to look like, but on paper. They are used to plan the filming to take place, to give the director an idea of what the finished film should look like, and so he will know what he has to film and how he has to film it, by telling those in charge; director of photography. 

When planning my group narrative, we each created our own storyboard to show how we each interpreted our idea. We did this so that afterwards we could share our ideas, so we could select and incorporate all of the best ideas into one last group storyboard, so we can make our thriller opening the absolute best that we can. I hope that by creating my own individual storyboard, it will allow me to gather all of my ideas together on a few sheets of paper, so that I can clearly see how I think our opening should go. I can then go back over it and add or change elements to make it more conventional, but I cannot do this without having a baseline. My storyboard is shown below and shows how I expect each frame to look;

      This first page shows the little sister to be walking away from the camera and further into the forest alone, where she ends up looking at a tree that will trigger her first flashback. I wanted to use a long shot in the first frame, which would change into a mid shot and panning and then into a POV shot when looking at the tree. The first 3 shots are to emphasise and convey the girl walking through the forest in different ways to keep the audience interested, and the POV shot is to help viewers connect to the girl by feeling like they are in her shoes, seeing what she sees. These frames will all be in a low key light and will have a non-diegetic, tension building soundtrack playing softly in the background. The one addition to sound is in the first frame where I want there to be parallel sounds with the non-diegetic soundtrack and the on screen sound of the  crunching of the leaves. This should build suspense immediately as the opening sequence begins and should make the audience want to continue to watch the rest of the opening etc.

      The second page shows the first flashback of the sequence, which shows the 2 sisters playing around a tree in the forest. Here I will use high key lighting to show the transition from normality into the flashback. This would then fade into a long shot showing the little sister continuing to walk into the forest. The lighting would change back to low-key lighting, for this frame and into the next frame showing another mid shot and panning of the girl walking past a tree with the scarf on, to show a variety of shots, which will trigger her next flashback. I decided to use the transition of a fade, as I thought this would be this quickest and most simplest of ways to make it clear to the audience the difference between normality and the flashback, without it taking away from the effect of the actual thriller.

      The inspiration for the scarf frame came from all thriller films in general, such as 'Halloween', where it shows how 'stupid' the victims can be. For example, in 'Halloween', the killer who is unknown in the opening, walks up to the stairs, at which point we see the boyfriend of the victim walk straight past the killer, without even noticing him. This makes the audience feel frustrated towards them as they don't seem to have the slightest bit of common sense. This is similar in my sequence; the little girl walks straight past the scarf to make the audience frustrated and intrigued as to the point of the scarf, the only difference being that the girl ends up noticing the scarf, as this is what continues the story. 

The third page begins with a close-up of the scarf on the tree which leads into the flashback of the 2 sisters walking in the forest, one with the scarf on. I wanted to use a zooming in shot into the close-up of the scarf to show its importance within the scene. This then fades into a POV long shot of the path in front of the girl, which is used as an establishing shot to give the audience a clearer idea of the girls surroundings, which allows them to guess what may happen in the frames to follow. 

     
      The fourth page of my storyboard elaborates on the establishing shot mentioned above, by zooming in from where the little girl is currently standing, through the path to the river at the end. I wanted the pace of these next frames to be fast so the audience do not lose the impact of the suspense etc, through asking questions of what they don't understand. The next frames involve the girl kneeling down by the river, looking at her reflection, noticing and then touching the cut on her forehead, which will trigger the next flashback. I thought the over the shoulder shots showing her reflection would be an interesting way to vary the shots used, but still being able to show the emotions on the girls face, that the audience can react to. Below is an example the sort of reflection shot I want to film;

     The fifth page in my storyboard starts with an extreme close-up showing the blood on the girls hand. I wanted to use this shot as it is conventional to thrillers and it helps to highlight the importance of the blood, which is conventional itself. This frame then fades into a blackout where we hear the sound effect of splashes of water to make the audience think the girl has been pulled into the river. The next 5 frames make up the underwater fight scene between the girl and her killer. The first frame is a mid shot showing the killers arm around the girls throat strangling her; I only wanted the killers arm in this image so we can keep creating the enigma of who the killer is. The next frame is a close up of the knife which helps to show the importance of it and tells the audience that this is likely to be the murder weapon. By showing the audience this frame, I hope it will make them sympathise for the girl and help them to feel nervous as to what will happen next as well as creating tension.

      The sixth page continues this underwater scene with a close up of the girls face to show her shock after seeing the knife. The next frame is another close up shot of the knife, which leads into an extreme close-up shot of the girls eyes. This should emphasise the shock on her face and by ending with the close up on her motionless eyes, makes the audience believe she is dead. It is here I want the audience to be asking questions such as 'how can she be dead if we are seeing the flashbacks in the first place'; it creates a sense of confusion, which heightens the emotions viewers are feeling. This then fades into an extreme close up of the girls eyes but this time in reality.


     The reason for having the same image of the girls eyes in both the flashback and in reality is to highlight the shock the girl is feeling from remembering the flashback; she experiences this shock at the same time the audience does and so I hope this will help the audience feel connected with the little girl. The next shot shows a full body shot of the girl, which is where we begin to see the emotion in her facial expressions as before it was unclear how she felt. I would then show a high angled over the shoulder shot, showing track marks on the ground, which should make the audience wonder how these track marks were made. This leads into a flashback of the older sister pulling the little sister out of the water. This shot would be shown very quickly so the audience don't have much time to think and question what they are witnessing. 

     The next page shows a zooming in shot to the rose which would be placed on the ground, supposedly where the sister had dragged the girls body to.  The next frame would show an over the shoulder shot of the little girl holding the rose which would then fade into the next flashback showing the older sister placing the rose down. The iconography of the white rose is to symbolise the sisters death, whilst conveying her innocence and purity. I hope this will confuse the audience but also make them feel sorry for the little girl.




     The next frame shows the same frame as before of the girl holding the rose. This over the shoulder shot then zooms into an extreme close-up of the rose to emphasise its importance for the next few frames in the narrative. The next frame shows a close up of the little girl, which should show her to be shocked, which I hope will be reflected onto the audience. The last frame on this page is an over the shoulder shot showing the little girl looking at her dead self on the ground. This should create an enigma as how can the little sister be looking at her dead self. It should create a confusing atmosphere which hopefully will make the audience question absolutely everything they have seen.


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      The last page of my storyboard shows a zooming out shot of the previous frame; this should create some distance between the audience and the scene, allowing them to reflect on what they have just seen.  The next part will show the everything rewind to the beginning and then into a blackout. This will be as though nothing has happened, allowing the events of the film (if it were to take place) to be about the events leading up to the girls death. This black out would be parallel to the music played and the sequence will end with the title of 'Nostalgia'. 



     Throughout this storyboard there were a few elements that I kept the same throughout. Firstly, the majority of the shots portraying the little girl were through high angled shots, as this is the stereotypical way to show a victim. I wanted it to be clear from the beginning that this little girl was in fact the victim, and the audience should sympathise with her. Secondly, all of the shots, except from the flashback scenes, were in low-key lighting as this is conventional to thrillers. I wanted to minimize the amount of detail that could be seen creating a mysterious atmosphere, that would help to build tension. In the flashback scenes, I wanted to clearly show the transition from normality into the flashback, and so decided that every flashback should be bright and possibly blurry, minimizing the audiences confusion. 

When evaluating my storyboard there were some issues that I came across that I was not sure how to solve. Firstly, when writing this storyboard I didn't have a variety of editing or sound planned; I had simply planned to use continuity of editing or straight cuts and non-diegetic music to build suspense. Another problem I came across when re-reading my storyboard was how I was to film an aerial shot showing the forest and the river.
This is something I will have to change, possibly into a very high angle, with the tripod extended as much as possible. 

When listening to my groups ideas, I hope they will inspire me to change elements from my storyboard into something better. I hope they will have better ideas on the editing and sound we should use, as well as any other ideas they may have. However, there are a few elements I want them to agree on and keep from my storyboard, such as the use of low-key lighting throughout and the bright lighting in the flashbacks. 

Having created my individual storyboard, I found it very helpful as it allowed me to gain a better understanding of what I hope my thriller clip will look like. It is also clear, enabling me to show it to my group members so they can understand my thoughts and ideas and I can understand theirs, which will mean we can make a group storyboard of all our ideas combined.
By making this storyboard I have realised the amount of detail that each frame and edits needs to contain in order for it to be effective. Also, you need to consider the previous frame and the frame after it to make sure that each frame: the sound, lighting and edits etc, are all appropriate and work together.

Target audience questionnaire results - Miss Miller

To help us plan what we wanted to include in our thriller opening clip, we carried out a questionnaire, where we asked our target audience of around 15 years of age, various questions as to what they thought should be included in a thriller film. The questions we asked are below;

We decided to ask 40 people the questions on the questionnaire, the majority of those being from our target audience age range. We then thought the best way to present our findings would be by using pie charts as this is a clear way of showing the data we have collected.


This pie chart shows that the majority of people we asked were female, as only 30% were male. This could mean that our results are not as accurate or reliable as they could be, because females may have different ideas as to what they would expect to find in a thriller film, than males would do.






When asking 'What interests you to watch thrillers?', 50% said that they were recommended to watch the film by family and friends. This would work well for my group as we do not have the resources to make an advert or some posters and so 'word of mouth' would work best for us, when advertising our thriller opening.





When deciding on the age certificate for our clip, we were thinking that most thrillers are either a 15 or an 18 depending on the content. To help us decide which one to choose, we asked the question shown opposite. 60 % of people said they expect thrillers to have a 15 age rating, and because only 40% chose the 18 option, we decided our age certificate for our thriller was to be a 15.




When thinking about our thriller clip, we thought of all the conventions there are in thrillers, such as 'chase scenes', 'fight scenes' and 'blood' etc. However, we couldn't decide on which ones to use and so asked the question shown opposite. The results concluded that the 3 main conventions were 'Death' with 23% , a 'Killer & Victim' with 20% and 'Chase scenes' with 13%. We have therefore tried to focus and incorporate these conventions into our group narrative and then our clip. What I have concluded from the data collected in this pie chart is that there is no main convention that should be used: they can all be used to create an effect, and you can use as many or as little as you want to.



The next question we asked was whether or not people wanted thrillers to have a sequel to continue the story. 60% of people answered yes. The purpose of this question to our thriller opening clip was that when planning our group narrative we had to briefly think about how the film would continue and what we wanted to give away in the first few minutes of the clip. In order to decide on a story line we thought it best to decide whether or not the film could continue and so wanted to make the narrative as interesting as possible, so more films could be made.


When considering the sounds we wanted to use we asked the question shown opposite. What we discovered was that all of the options stating different types of sounds were favoured highly, with the most popular ones being 'Tension building sound' at 35% and 'Silence' at 30%. Whilst I will now focus on these two types of sound in my thriller clip, I have noticed that as all types of sound listed were chosen, then sound must be very important in thrillers. This has made me realise that a lot of thought needs to take place when planning the sound, as this is what mainly builds the tension in thriller films.

When thinking about the characters we wanted to portray in our thriller clip, we already knew that we didn't want a lot of characters as this would lose the audiences attention. We wanted a few characters that would have an impact on the scene. To help us decide on these characters, we asked the question shown opposite. The data told us that the most popular characters that people expected to be in thrillers were a victim, with  35% and a Villain at 25%. We have therefore based our narrative around a victim and a villain with the addition of one other character to help keep the audience interested. This will make our thriller opening conventional as the majority of popular thrillers include an antagonist and protagonist.




When we decided that the age certificate for our thriller opening clip was to be a 15, we decided that instead of focusing on the blood and gore, we should focus on another sub-genre. To help us decide which one, we asked the question shown opposite. The most popular answer was a 'Crime Thriller' at 35%, followed by a 'Supernatural Thriller' at 20% and then A Psychological and Conspiracy thriller, both at 15%. Having looked at these results we decided that the most appropriate sub-genre for our narrative would be a psychological thriller. The reason being, that our narrative is not the stereotypical story that happens in most thrillers, where the film is about the villain killing the victim whom is usually female. Our narrative does not show the actual 'attack' of the victims death, and is also not about the death in the first place. It is about the realisation and the confusion felt of figuring out the little girl we witness walking alone in the forest is actually dead; it has a bigger psychological impact, rather than a visual one.

When deciding on the setting for our thriller clip we decided to ask our target audience, by giving them a variety of typical and untypical settings to a thriller. The most popular answer was a forest at 35%, which happens to fit in with our narrative. This data has made me and my group 100% certain that a forest will be our setting as it fits with the underwater scene in a river, and also makes our thriller opening more conventional.

When asking people what they wanted the purpose to be, all the results were reasonably high. The most popular answer was to create paranoia at 40%, followed closely by creating an enigma at 35%. We have therefore decided to include both in our opening sequence. We are to create paranoia through the little sister walking through the forest looking around cautiously, and an enigma through the confusion of who the killer is, and what led up to the events that we see in the opening clip.


When creating the questionnaire we wanted to ask a variety of open and closed questions to make our results more reliable. An open question is one that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no answer, and so forces the person to give a more detailed answer. A closed question is simply where you answer with one word, such as yes, no or maybe.
By having the 'other' option mixed in with the other available options, we created an open question, giving the audience the opportunity to say what they thought if they wished to. For example, when asking what type of setting our viewers wanted to see, we had a list of options such as a forest, a school and a park, as well as an 'other' option to choose from, if they thought of something that was not listed. The data from this question showed that 5% of people answered 'other', and one of the answers was for the setting to be underground. Having looked at all the pie charts, I can say that the 'other' option/answer was not as popular as simply ticking an answer listed (closed question). However, this doesn't matter as we made our results more reliable by having the option available.

One thing I realised by the open questions not being answered was that people don't like to decide or give their opinion as to what they want to see. I therefore concluded from this that viewers of the thriller genre like to be surprised by what they are watching; it doesn't necessarily matter what the narrative is about, as long as the audience feel something from the suspense and tension created.

Collecting this data has been beneficial as it has given me and my group some help with choosing what aspects such as conventions to use in our opening clip. It has reminded me that I don't have to limit myself by using only one convention (etc), but can use as many as I wish to. It will help me and my group when planning, as it has told us how important each aspect is, and the amount of detail we need to go in, if we want out clip to be effective.

To prove  I have asked the questionnaire myself and have not made up the answers, I have included 2 vox pops, which can be seen below.

Group narrative and narrative theory - Miss Georgiou

The Narrative of a film is very important as this is what the film is going to be about, and where you can build ideas of what techniques you can use to make your film effective. In my group, which consists of myself, Ayesha Bhatti and Lillian Amaning, we each explained our individual ideas for a narrative and then we calmly discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each narrative.

The two other people in my group had previously worked together and so their narrative was the same. Their idea was to feature a stalker like, obsessive man who is fixated on having a female character all to himself. He goes to extreme measures to make sure this happens, such as by tormenting the females little sister to an underwater fight for her life. Their inspiration for this was from the frozen pond scene in the film Orphan, where the victim struggles underwater whilst fighting the villain in order to survive.

To create the underwater effect, they suggested purchasing a large paddling pool and adding false blood to the water to portray the injuries and violence that occurs between the male and female characters. They also intended to film the clip in a dark place in order for low key lighting to be effective as the shadows made would build the tension. They also said that they would portray the killers identity as not being clear in order to make the audience feel on edge, and would use parallel sounds to emphasise the events that take place in the clip to build suspense.
The advantages of this narrative would be that it is a very unique idea and so if we could make it look real then it would be very effective. It is also conventional to the thriller genre as it involves a fight scene and also shows the theme of obsession which has been used since the 1940's. However, the disadvantages of this narrative is that the underwater scene would be difficult to make realistic without it looking 'cheap'. Also, it may seem that we are copying the scene from 'Orphan' and so may make the idea not original.

When discussing my narrative I told my group that it is about a child having a nightmare and she dreams about being in a park on a swing, happily playing , before the killer takes her. I would set this in a detached house and a park which is surrounded by forest. I would use cinematography such as a high angled shot to portray the child as the victim and music & sound effects to build suspense. I would keep the killers identity hidden and would try to create an enigma to leave the audience guessing. For example, I would have one main piece of iconography such as a teddy bear or scarf that belongs to the child, which she has with her when playing on the swing. When the child wakes from her nightmare, all would seem well again, but to create an enigma, I would use a zooming in shot through the bedroom window to the park where the teddy bear or scarf would still be.
The advantages of this narrative is that there is a variety of cinematography we can use and it is conventional to the thriller genre because of the detached house and forestry setting. However, the disadvantages could be that this is cliche to any thriller film, especially the nightmare aspect, meaning this idea would not stand out from any other narratives.

When deciding which narrative to go with, we decided to incorporate the best elements of both of our ideas, and create a brand new narrative. The new narrative is about a little girl who goes walking through the forest alone, where all we can hear is the sound of the crunching of the leaves beneath her feet. She then looks at a tree and gets a flashback of herself playing with her older sister. She carries on walking and experiences several other flashbacks such as seeing a scarf caught on a branch, which would have a flashback to her walking with her sister with one of them wearing that scarf. She then walks to a river or lake and kneels down on the ground where we see the reflection of the girl looking into the river. It is here she notices she has a cut on her forehead and so goes to touch it which leads into a close up of the blood on her hand. She then has a flashback of an underwater fight scene that happened in this river, which involves an unknown person fighting the little girl. She then begins to walk back the way she has come when she notices the track marks in the soil, where she has another flashback to her older sister dragging her out of the water. The next part of the scene involves the little sister realising she is dead, which creates an enigma to how and why this happened.
When thinking about this narrative, we changed the nightmare idea into using flashbacks as we thought this would be more conventional to the thriller genre. We also kept the underwater fight scene from the other members in my group, narrative, as well as us all deciding to leave the scene with an enigma.

Narrative theory

Vladimir Propp - 
Vladimir Propp (1895 - 1970), was a Russian critic in the 1920's, who suggested that the characters in any film should  have a narrative function as they provide a structure for the text. He was mainly interested in analysing folk tales (fairy tales), and thought the characters that should be included were;

• Hero - someone who seeks something
• Villain - opposes and blocks the hero's quest
• Donor - provides an object with magical properties
• Dispatcher - sends the hero on a quest with a message
• False Hero - someone who disrupts the hero's success by making false claims
• Helper - aids hero
• Princess - is the reward
• Father - rewards hero for effort

He thought that once you use all of these characters then you can build into the narrative more easily. An example of this theory would be a fairy tale or fantasy film such as 'Shrek'. He inspired many film makers with his unique idea at the time, and so this is why today, most fairy tales follow roughly the same structure and narrative.


Tzvetan Todorov -
Todorov, in 1969, simplified the idea of the narrative theory whilst allowing a more complex interpretation of film texts with his theory of equilibrium and disequilibrium. He believed that all films should begin with a happy scenario where everything is normal, which is equilibrium. Then something bad should happen to create a disequilibrium, bur by the end of the film, things should have been resolved so that the film ends with a new equilibrium. This theory can be applied to many 'mainstream' films, of various genres, such as 'The Shining' or 'The Incredibles'.


Aristotle's Theory- 
He believed that no narrative or characters were needed as such, but all that was needed to make a good film was themes. The themes were seen as headings which are used by some producers and screenwriters and include;

• Inciting Incident
• Dramatic Question
• Character Goal 
• Antagonist/Protagonist
• Stakes
• Resolution
• Sympathy & Empathy

Most of the films that follow his theory are those of tragedy etc.

Which theory relates to my narrative?
When comparing my narrative to the 3 theories, the one that suits it best is Aristotle's theory that any film should be made and followed using themes. For example, the dramatic question in my narrative is the use of enigma throughout and to end the clip with. The girl is walking through the forest having these flashbacks, where some of them are happy, some scary and some sad, but why is she having these flashbacks? Why is she seen alone when in the flashbacks she is with her sister? These are some of the questions the audience may be asking. Viewers would assume that something has happened to the older sister and that's why she is not there. The use of enigma, means that no one would expect the ending to be of the little sister realising she is dead and so this creates shock which is conventional to the thriller genre.

Also, sympathy and empathy is used in my narrative;When we see the little sister walking through the forest alone, the audience empathise with her as they too have felt alone at some point in their life. When we see the older sister trying to wake up her little sister, the audience sympathise with her as not many have experienced the shock and pain that the older sister is feeling.

Preliminary task - Miss Georgiou

To show our understanding of cinematography and to get some experience with using the camera and tripod, we had to create a short clip, no longer that one minute in length. This short clip was a continuity task involving filming and editing our footage afterwards.

In this short clip, we had to demonstrate several different camera angles whilst using dialogue. The cinematography we tried to incorporate were;

• High angle
• Zooming in
• Over the shoulder  
• Close up
• Tracking

When creating the preliminary task, I learnt how to use a camera & tripod, as well as executing the different camera angles, which are listed above. When filming, we found some cinematography easier to produce than others;

High Angle - 
The first angle we used was a high angle. Normally this angle would be used to portray characters looking weak such as the victim, but as we didn't have a specific storyline it didn't have the same effect. This angle was reasonably easy to carry out as we filmed near some stairs, meaning the person with the camera could simply film from the top of the stairs. However, the stairs are not going to be available when filming our opening thriller clip and so this angle may be harder to carry out. We would therefore have to think about how we can use our location to our advantage to show this particular shot, such as by using hills or by using a high angle when the character is on the floor. Having completed our preliminary task, I also learnt that a tripod can be extended roughly up to 2 and a half meters long, and so we could simply extend the tripod when filming high angles, if there are no hills etc, available.

Zooming - In - 
The next piece of cinematography we used was 'zooming - in' which can be seen from 0:05 to 0:15 seconds in the preliminary task video above. This shot is used to draw in the audiences attention and to help them connect to the characters. We incorporated this shot to do just this; we wanted our viewers attention to be on us so they would feel more engaged and interested in the conversation we were having, as well as showing our knowledge of how to carry out this shot.
I found this shot hard to carry out as the zoom button on our camera was broken, and so meant we couldn't zoom in or out with the ease of a button. To overcome this we decided that the group member that was filming had to quietly walk forward to make it look like we were zooming in, which is why when watching our preliminary task, it looks like a handheld piece of footage, as we couldn't use the tripod. This is something that can be easily fixed by using another camera, which should make filming easier for the actual footage. Although this handheld footage was a mistake, it also gave my group some experience with holding the camera whilst filming, which is good as this is a shot we wanted to use in our thriller opening sequence due to it being conventional to thrillers.

Over the shoulder shot -
We used this shot to show our reactions to what the other person was saying to help the conversation flow more easily. It also helped us to flow into the close-up of the girls face. I found this shot simple to complete but very time consuming as we had to film over my group members shoulder looking at me, then stop filming, move the camera and tripod onto the other side and re-film over my shoulder. This helped me because it meant when planning our filming schedule, we can estimate more accurately the time it will take for each shot to take place, which will mean we can keep to our plan.




Close-up -
We chose to include a close-up in our preliminary task as it is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to clearly portray the emotions on the characters faces. We therefore thought we would be likely to use this shot in our clip and so wanted to practise creating it. This again was simple to do, but due to the lack of a zoom button we had to pause filming and move the tripod closer to the persons face to see the close-up. This when put with the other footage looked 'jumpy' which although can be effective in a thriller film, was not what we were aiming to do.

Tracking -
The next piece of cinematography we used was 'tracking' which can be seen from 0:33 - 0:40 seconds in the preliminary task clip above. We used this shot to show the girl walking away from me and the camera and out of the door to end the short clip. This shot should show the camera moving smoothly, following the girl who is in constant focus. This shot was reasonably ok to film as the handle on the tripod made it easier to carry out.  Due to how simple this shot was to complete, my group and I decided that it we could use 'tracking' in our thriller opening for when the little sister is walking through the forest alone, as this would allow us to vary the shots used and make it more interesting for the viewers.


Another part we struggled on during the preliminary task was deciding on what to say during the conversation that was being filmed. We wasted quite a lot of time on this which effected how long we had to edit the footage in class. In the end, we decided it didn't matter what was being said as the task was to show our understanding of cinematography, and so we roughly planned what camera angles we wanted to use and then she filmed us having a normal conversation.
If we had come up with a simple story line then this would have helped us in choosing the appropriate cinematography and setting to use, which would have made an even bigger effect, which would show our understanding even further. This has made me realise how important and essential the planning stages of my thriller opening clip will be, and to make sure I plan in lots of detail.

When editing the footage for my preliminary task, I used the 'Final Cut Pro X' software. When using this software for the first time, I learnt how to upload my footage either from a folder on the computer or straight from the connected camera. I could then preview all of the clips we had filmed and select and use the best ones, by dragging them onto the time line below. I also learnt how to 'trim' the footage to cut any unwanted parts. I done this by selecting the specific footage that needed to be trimmed and then clicking at the end of the clip, and moved the arrows to get rid of the unwanted footage. For example, when watching back the footage for the preliminary task, I noticed that I nodded as if to say start now, and the end of this nod was caught on camera. This was not meant to happen and so I needed to get rid of it.


The preliminary task will assist me when planning and creating my own thriller film as it told me what not to do. Firstly, we took too long filming a short amount of footage, and so we did not have enough time to edit the footage in class. Consequently, we had to come back in our free time to edit the footage. This was helpful as it told me that we need to ensure we plan everything carefully and in detail to make sure we can film and edit everything within the deadline.

It also gave us some experience as to using the camera and using the editing software and so when making our thriller clip, it will not be as foreign to us as it was when making the preliminary task.
I have gained an understanding of the types of cinematography that worked well and what did not; such as the tracking was good and so I will be using this in my thriller clip. One thing I did learn from making this preliminary task was to ensure we plan what edits we want to use and why, instead of guessing and making it up at the editing stage. This should help to base the edits around the footage so that it flows.

Opening Scene Analysis - Miss Georgiou

An opening sequence is essential in any film as it helps to engage the audience by setting the scene, the mood and enigmas. It can also tell the audience the genre of the film and helps to make it clearer for the audience by creating a time frame. When deciding what I thought should be in a thriller opening sequence, I came up with;

• Main characters
• Location
• Sound
• Limited detail
• Enigma

The opening sequence I have analysed is from the original film 'Halloween' which was made in 1978 (see below).

Narrative -
The narrative of a film is very important as this is what the film is going to be about, and where you can build ideas of what techniques you can use to make your film effective. The narrative in this film is based upon the events that happen at Halloween, which is why the film is called 'Halloween'.

Firstly, we see an old detached house, of which we see a boyfriend and girlfriend kissing, through the shot of the window. This gives us the impression that it is an everyday situation, giving viewers something to relate to and suggesting to them that nothing is going to happen. We then see a handheld camera shot from the point of view of the killer, of him (we assume it is a he), walking through the open back door and into the kitchen, where he picks up a knife. We then watch as he walks up the stairs and into the girls bedroom where he picks up the clown mask, which is the main piece of iconography used, along with the knife. The next part of the clip is where the killer attacks the girl, of which we only see minimal detail, through the eye holes of the mask. It is then revealed to us that the killer was the little boy, which creates an enigma which is misleading as we do not believe it was him.

This narrative is very conventional to the thriller genre as it uses many of the aspects I thought a thriller should contain, such as enigmas (created from the realisation of the boy being the killer) and it engages the audience (from the sound used and cinematography etc).

Cinematography -
Point Of View shots are used throughout in this clip to build suspense. The first time the POV shot is used is at the very beginning when we see the image of the front of the house. As we do not know who this person is the audience begin to feel uneasy as we are seeing everything from their perspective, which at the moment is them lurking in the shadows at the front of the house, which gives us the impression that we are trespassing. The audience therefore connect to this character as they feel uneasy about him as they they think he shouldn't be there. The emotions the viewers experience are at a loss because they don't know who to blame these emotions on, and so when we find out the killer was the little boy, the effect of the shock is heightened.

When using POV shots in the opening scene, it becomes clear to us that we are seeing things from the criminals perspective. This is made clear to us when we see a knife being picked up (see frame opposite).This builds suspense as normally we would see things from the perspective of the victim, but by allowing us to see what the killer sees is unusual and makes us feel even more sympathetic to the victim as she has no clue as to what is about to happen. The audience feel on edge as they also don't know what to expect and so are left anxiously waiting. At this point in the clip, we do not know why the killer has picked up the knife or who he wishes to use it on. It helps audience to feel negatively about this unknown person creating a connection, but at the same down draws some emotional distance between the viewers and the killer.

Another POV shot we see is when the killer puts on the clown mask which is one of the main pieces of iconography in this opening sequence. We can then only see the scene through two eye holes making it seem like we are wearing the mask (See frame opposite). This builds tension and creates an intimate atmosphere between the audience and the killer, as it is, as if we are now the killer. It engages the audience as they can only see minimal details of the scene, and so are left wondering what is going on. This creates a sense of enigma, and also helps to keep the identity of the killer hidden, which is very conventional to the thriller genre. The use of the hidden identity throughout this clip keeps the audience engaged as they are constantly guessing who this person is, and figure who they feel so negatively towards.

Handheld camera work is used all the way throughout the clip, but is mainly noticeable between 2:10 to 2:30 (of the second clip), which is the scene where the killer walks up the stairs. A handheld shot is used to create jerky and unsteady images to produce a sense of urgency and chaos. In this opening sequence, the use of the handheld camera work makes it difficult for the viewers to make out what is going on. It puts the audience into the 'shoes' of the killer which makes the killers emotions reflect onto the audience. The 'shaking' could represent the urge and the obsession the killer feels to kill the girl, and represents him as being slightly psychotic which is also very conventional to the thriller genre. This makes the audience feel slightly obsessed as to what is going to happen. Handheld camera shots are very conventional in thriller films as it helps to build suspense.

At the very beginning of the opening sequence, after the credits have been shown, the camera technique of 'zooming in' is used to help to engage the audience. It tells the audience that the house that has been zoomed in on should be what they are focused on and this foreshadows that something bad is going to happen inside this house, which makes the audience feel on edge. At the end of the opening sequence, zooming out is used into a high angled shot of the house and some of the characters. (See frame above). This is used to create distance between the audience and the scene. It helps to emphasise the enigma they are left with, which allows the audience time to think about what they have just witnessed. It also makes the audience eager to find out what happens next.
When zooming out we are left with 3 characters on screen, which are the 2 parents and the little boy whom we have just found out was the killer. The facial expressions shown by the parents tells us that they are in shock having just found their little boy with a knife. This emotion is reflected onto the audience as they too feel shocked and so immediately connect with the parents. However, this high angle could also portray the parents as being victimised as they do not yet know that their son has killed their daughter, and so their is a sense of dramatic irony as the viewers already know this. They therefore feel sorry for the parents, which shows that they have connected with them within the few seconds they are on camera for.


Editing -
Towards the end of the opening sequence, a 'Straight Cut' is used which can be seen from 3:45 to 3:47 (of the second clip).  A straight cut is a change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another, which may be done to change the scene. In this clip, a straight cut is used to change from the viewpoint of the killer/little boy (POV shot), to an overall view of the boy and his parents in front of the house (high angled shot). This is done to build suspense and emphasises the effect of the enigma as we see the little boy is the killer. This editing technique is used a lot in thriller films to quickly change the scene to keep the audience engaged, and to allow the scene to flow.

In this opening sequence, there is mainly a continuity of editing used . This is because the suspense is made through other conventions of the thriller genre, such as the cinematography, sound or the actual events we see in the scene. The editing techniques used, therefore helps to exaggerate the suspense and tension built from the continuity of the handheld and POV shots, and the effect that the enigma creates. It helps the scene to flow, and gives the audience the impression that the edits are motivated by the events in the reality on screen.

Sound -
There are many different sounds used in this opening sequence. Some of them are listed below;

Firstly, there is the non-diegetic soundtrack played during the opening credits. It is a non-diegetic sound because it has been added on afterwards in the editing stage. This soundtrack quietens at the end of the opening credits, and the sound blends into the non-diegetic sound of the kids chanting, which can be heard from 2:07 to 2:23 (Of the first clip). The chant we hear is a stereotypical chant that kids do on Halloween night, which is made clear when it ends with them saying 'Trick-or-Treat'. This creates an enigma as to what the film will be about. The audience know from this chant and the title that the film will be about Halloween night, but normally, we associate Halloween with kids dressing up and having a little bit of harmless fun. We would not associate the kids chant with a normal thriller story such as a murder and so this keeps the audience guessing.

Silence in any thriller is used to build tension, and so the use of it between 2:23 to 2:43 (of the first clip) does exactly that. Although it is not completely silent, all we can hear is the noise from the fire-flies which tells the audience that the house is set near a forest which is very conventional to the thriller genre. This period of almost-silence builds tension as it is used with the camera technique of zooming in, which helps to engage the audience and draw in their attention to what is about to happen.

When the killer is walking up the stairs there are several different sounds used. There is the non-diegetic sound of the suspense building soundtrack, which has a high pitch to create tension. It makes you focus on what is going on and fastens the pace of the scene. There is also the use of the parallel sound of the clock (non-diegetic), which is matched with the sound of the footsteps (on screen sound). The sound of the clock could have been used to suggest that the girls life is coming to an end; it is almost as if the clock is counting down the seconds until her death.  This along with the soundtrack helps to bring the scene to its climax. It could represent the increasing pace of the viewers heartbeat as the tension and suspense built makes them feel on edge, and gives the scene a jumpy atmosphere. When the killer reaches the top of the stairs and we see the girl, we immediately realised what the knife is for and all our emotions are focused on the victim as we begin to feel very sorry for her, which shows that the audience have connected to the female through the actions of the killer.


Characters (representation) -
When we watch any film, it depends on how the characters are presented which determines how we react to them. In this film there are four main sets of characters; The killer, The couple, The parents and the boy (which we don't know if he is the killer or not).

Firstly, we do not know who the killer is, due to the limited detail shown and the hidden identity from the mask. This immediately creates a sense of mystery, which builds suspense and makes the audience feel on edge as they don't know who the killer is. It also makes the audience feel more sympathetic towards the victim, as they know she has no way of knowing who the killer is and so cannot protect herself. The way the killer looks into every room before finding the female victim, suggests to the audience that not only is he obsessed with killing the girl, but possibly that he does not know where the girls bedroom is and so makes us believe that the little boy is not the killer. Having watched the clip, the audience have time to reflect on the events they have just seen through the zooming out, which allows them to subconsciously list all the things that makes them believe that the boy was not the killer, as they desperately want him to be innocent.

The couple in the scene are presented as being totally oblivious to what is going on around them, which suggests that they are supposed to be the victims, and so this would make their portrayal very stereotypical to the thriller genre. For example, when the killer is about to go upstairs, the boyfriend comes down the stairs and literally walks straight past the killer. As well as this, the back door is left wide open for anyone or anything to come through it. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it portrays the couple to be very gullible, as they are allowing danger to walk into their own home, which makes it very clear to the audience that they are the victims. However, it also makes audience think they are stupid and as they watch its almost like they want to shout at the screen saying 'how did you not see him' etc, which many people do when watching thrillers.

The parents are briefly in the opening sequence at the very end. They have missed what has happened inside the house, and are left staring at their son who is wearing a clown costume and holding a knife. Their facial expressions show us that they are confused, which helps to emphasise the confusion the audience feel.

The little boy is dressed in a clowns costume which is very stereotypical of a boy his age at Halloween. This presents him as being completely innocent, which is why at the end of the clip, the audience are left feeling confused as he is holding a knife, suggesting he is the killer. However, without the knife, the boy looks completely innocent, which is what they audience want him to be.






Conventions -
There are many conventions used throughout this opening sequence and I have listed some of them below.

In most thriller films, the killer is portrayed as being mysterious and normally hides his/her identity. In this clip, we do not know who the killer is due to the consistent POV shots and the mask used. The hidden identity makes the audience feel worried for the victim as we do not know what the victim is to expect, and so the audience is left anxiously waiting.
There is normally a common theme of obsession with the killer which has been used since the 1940's in Hitchcock's films. It is shown in this opening sequence by the way the killer looks into each room before going up the stairs to kill the girl. It is a way of indicating to the audience who the killer is, so they can react to what the killer does.
During the opening there are 2 pieces of iconography used, which are the knife and the mask. The knife is conventional to the thriller genre as all killers normally carry a weapon, and the mask is conventional as it helps to hide the killers identity. The mask also emphasises the fact that it is Halloween and so could foreshadow that the killer is about to scare somebody, making the audience tense up and prepare to be scared.
Low-key lighting is used in this clip to create shadows and hide the detail in the scene. It is conventional to thrillers as it leaves the audience on edge as it builds suspense.
There is a female victim which is very conventional to the thriller genre. She is portrayed as being oblivious to her surroundings which tells the audience that something bad is going to happen to her. The victim in any thriller is stereotypically always a young blonde girl, so when the audience see her, they sense that she is going to die.
In this clip, enigmas are created such as who is the killer? and What are his intentions? This is conventional to thrillers as it creates the 3 S's which are Surprise, Shock & Suspense. For example, one of the enigmas is of the boy being the killer. The dialogue is what is misleading as the couple say the little brother is around the house somewhere, but if he is the killer then why would he enter through the open back door of his own house? Also, the killers POV shots look too tall for the little boy to be the killer. It leaves the audience deliberately confused and questioning what they have just seen, and also building up their own evidence as they want the boy to be innocent as he is only a child.


Having analysed the opening sequence of this film, I have learnt that you can use as many conventions in a thriller opening sequence as you wish to, and you shouldn't limit yourself to only using the stereotypical conventions such as the low-key lighting. This opening sequence inspired me and gave me some ideas for my own thriller clip. Thinking about my own narrative, the setting of the detached house surrounded by forest is the same for my narrative, and so I will definitely be keeping this if I am to use my narrative as my final clip. The clips use of hidden identity all the way throughout inspired me as even after the possible identity being revealed, the audience are still not convinced. This gave me an idea that perhaps I don't have to tell the audience who the killer is at all, and instead I can leave my opening clip with a big enigma which will leave the audience guessing. 

Research into Sound - Miss Miller

The use of sound in any film is important as it helps to tell the story by defining an image more clearly and also helps to provoke a response from the audience. In thriller films, sound is used to build tension and suspense in order to engage the audience in the scene and make them feel something. 

When researching into the use of sound in thrillers, I analysed the following clip from the film 'The Panic Room'.

The first sound technique I analysed was the use of the non-diegetic soundtrack which was used to create a sound bridge. A sound bridge is when sound is used to maintain continuity in a sequence by running a soundtrack under a series of images to link them together. The eerie music is played all the way throughout  this clip, which helps to build suspense and tension. It engages the audience, but also makes them constantly feel on edge and anxious as to what will happen. It is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps the scene to flow smoothly, which keeps the pace of the scene fast, which in turn builds tension.

The next sound I looked at was the diegetic sound of the dialogue used throughout the scene. Dialogue is used in this clip to explain what is going on to the audience in a clear way. It gives us an insight to each character and also their relationships between other characters, such as the close bond the two females share. It also helps the audience determine who the villains and victims are. For example, the use of the bad language such as 'f**k' (0:58 & 1:20 & 1:54 - 2:00) and 's**t' (1:43) help to portray most of the men to be the villainous characters, where as the calm nature showed from the female characters, help portray them as victims. This is conventional to a thriller as it shows the victims to be female, which is a very stereotypical thing to do. It also indicates to the audience who they should be feeling sorry for, which helps them to connect to these characters and keep them engaged.

The next sound I noticed was the on screen and diegetic sound of the footsteps, which was used many times in the above clip. It was also parallel sound to the scene, as the images of the men and women running matched the sound of the footsteps. This sound was used to emphasise the fast pace of the scene which keeps the audience on edge and also helps to build tension. It also suggests to the audience that this is a chase scene, and so the sound of the footsteps is parallel to the soundtrack as well. This creates a 'jumpy' atmosphere for the audience, which heightens the emotions they feel. A chase scene is very conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to build suspense, and so by using it in this film, immediately indicates to the audience that this is a thriller film.

The next sound I noticed was the diegetic sound of the gasp and the loading the gun which can be seen from 0:21 to 0:26 in the above clip. Both of these sounds are parallel as they match what is going on in the scene. The use of the gasp sound effect, helps the audience feel worried for the two female characters as they have been caught. This emotion is emphasised when we hear the sound of the gun being loaded, which gives the sense of danger for the two girls. This emotion is reflected upon the audience, as they know the two female characters are in danger, and so they feel anxious and scared for them. The theme of danger is conventional in thriller films as when used with sound, helps to engage the audience and build suspense.

The last sound I analysed was the on-screen sound of the panic room door slamming shut. This can be seen from 1:52 to 1:54 in the above clip. This sound helps to bring the scene to its climax and then to a sudden end. For example, when the females first get into the panic room, the soundtrack playing in the background reaches its climax and increases its tempo. This builds a lot of suspense as the audience are left wondering whether or not they will be able to shut the door in time, and so they are left on edge. However, once the door is slammed shut, the soundtrack suddenly stops, to an almost silent frame. The silence used helps to build tension and the audience are left in an enigma, as the scene ends, and they are left wondering if that is all that will happen. The use of an enigma is very conventional to the thriller genre as it leaves the audience thinking. It can also be misleading, but is a very good way to build suspense.

Having researched into the use of sound in thriller films, I have learnt of the different ways it can be used to create an effect. It can be used to help create an understanding of the scene for the audience, and also adds meaning to an image which without sound would not have the same effect. It helps the audience to connect with certain characters by putting them into the mindset of that character, which helps the audience to respond emotionally. When looking at other thriller films, I have noticed that most of them do not use dialogue to build suspense, but instead use sound and cinematography. I have learnt from researching into this film, that there are many ways of portraying the villain and victim, and one of the ways to do this whilst building suspense is through the use of dialogue, such as in this clip, the villain is portrayed by using the bad language. This is something I will look at in further detail when deciding on how to portray my characters when creating my own thriller clip.

Research into thriller conventions - Miss Miller

When researching into the conventions of the thriller genre I have chosen to analyse a clip from the film 'House at the end of the street' called 'The basement' to show my understanding.

The first convention I noticed in this clip was the diegetic sound from the actress opening the hatch, which can be heard from 0:01 to 0:03. Sound in any film can allow the audience to understand the characters better and possibly to gain a feel for what is to happen in that scene. In this clip, the sound immediately tells us that the female is intrigued as to what may lie beyond this hatch. However, it could also give us the impression that perhaps she is naive as the hatch was hidden for a reason. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it builds suspense and could foreshadow that something bad is to happen to the female, because her naivety portrays her to be the victim. This makes the audience sit on edge as they are nervous as to what may happen to the girl beyond the hatch. The opening of the hatch is right at the beginning of the scene, and is where we get the first glimpse of the female character (see above). We do not know anything about her, except that she is intrigued to what is in the basement. This emotion is reflected onto the viewers, and makes them feel the same intriguing emotion as the female but also makes them intrigued as to who this person is. 

Another Sound I noticed was the non-diegetic sound of the eerie soundtrack played in the background. This music is played from the moment she has walked down the stairs (0:19) and whilst she is walking through the hallway to the door at the end. The music is a parallel sound as it is what you would expect to hear in this scenario. It is conventional to a thriller because it builds tension for the audience, as well as telling the story and setting the mood. Sound is much more effectively used than dialogue in this scene as it actually shows the audience what is going on, instead of telling them. It plays on the audiences senses and makes them feel vulnerable as the film overwhelms their emotions. 

As the actress reaches the door at the end of the hallway the sound quietens. This is done to build suspense and immediately tells the audience that something is about to happen. It builds the scene to its climax, and causes the audience to be shocked when the girl is snatched. When the girl is walking through the hallway, to the moment where she stops and looks into the room, the audience feel nervous as to the decision the female is about to make. Due to the soundtrack, suspense is built and so the audience are left hoping she wont go into the room as they can sense that it will be dangerous. The viewers and the female do not know what is beyond the door and so when looking through the peephole, we feel as if we are the ones looking through the door (see image on the right), and this makes us feel closer to the character, showing we have connected with her.

The next convention I noticed was the use of cinematography in this clip. For example, when the girl is walking down the stairs, there is a high angled shot looking down on her which immediately tells the audience that she is the victim. This makes the audience sympathise with her as they feel something bad is going to happen to her, by the way she is literally walking into danger, as this is common to happen to victims portrayed in thrillers. This sympathetic emotion we feel here, is felt all the way through this scene and it influences how we react to the events that happen. If she was portrayed using a low angle, we may think she is strong and possibly the villain and so the snatching in the scene would not make sense. This high angle is used to indicate to the audience that she is the victim and we should feel sorry for her which is an immediate connection to her.

Another camera shot I noticed was the canted angle when the girl is walking down the hallway in the basement towards the door. The canted angled shot shows the situation as unusual which suggests a bad outcome. It is conventional as it is used to show the female as being distressed which is a common theme in thriller films. This shot makes the audience feel unstable as they are no longer sure of what the girl is doing. It also makes them feel confused and nervous as this shot also helps to build suspense. Due to the effects of this shot, the audience may feel some distance from the character, as usually if she was a typical victim, she wouldn't be walking as calmly into danger. This gives us the impression that perhaps she is not who we thought she was and therefore, this shot creates an enigma, which is very conventional to the thriller genre.

The next convention I noticed was the use of mise-en-scene in this clip, such as the use of low-key lighting. The low-key lighting works as an immediate indicator to the audience of the genre of this film, which is a thriller. It is used to cast shadows and areas of darkness during the clip which makes it conventional because it implies a mysterious atmosphere when watching. It is used to hide most of the detail in a frame, so the audience can focus on the actions and emotions of the character etc (see opposite). This makes the audience question what they think they are seeing with what they are actually seeing, creating a sense of confusion. This effect helps to build suspense and means that the audience will be more shocked when the climax of the scene is revealed.

Another aspect of mise-en-scene I noticed in this clip was the use of costume, hair & make-up. When looking at the female character, she is wearing everyday clothes particularly with a white top (see opposite). White is usually associated with pureness and innocence, so this could have been used to represent the female being pure and innocent, which portrays her to be even more victim-like. As well as this, she is wearing natural make-up, which along with her hairstyle and clothing, presents her to be a normal person. This makes the audience relate to the character, which makes them feel vulnerable as they realise that the scenario being shown could happen to anyone, including themselves.

The last convention I noticed was the use of editing in the clip. Throughout this clip there were several uses of straight cuts, but the one piece of editing that stood out to me was the reaction shot towards the end of the clip. A reaction shot is any shot in which a subject reacts to a previous shot. In this clip, the reaction shot is of the female looking into the spyglass and then reacting to what she sees in the room once the door is open. We can see from this shot that the female is confused as to what she sees in the room, and her facial expression shows us that this is not what she expected to find. We see this reaction so the audience can relate to her when she feels confused. The audience then feel confused as her emotions are reflected, and  this foreshadows that something is about to happen. This is conventional to the thriller genre, as it helps the audience know how they should be feeling. It helps them to connect to the characters and also to feel engaged with the scene.

Having researched into the conventions of the thriller genre, I have gained lots of ideas as to how I can use these conventions when making my own thriller clip. For example, I could use a high angled shot to quickly show my audience who the victim is, without wasting too much time. I have also learnt that the sound added is what makes the film/clip have an effect, as without the sound, the images are no longer scary. This is something i will carefully choose when creating my thriller clip.