Group Meeting 12th December - storyboard

Quentin Tarantino

To finally finish my research on directors I decided to find out more about famous director Quentin Tarantino who is probably my favourite out of the three I researched because I find his movies very exciting. I also like him because he acts in his own films so he is involved on screen as well as off.

Quentin Tarantino is a director, screen writer, producer, cinematographer and actor. He has produced very successful films such as ' Kill Bill', 'Inglorious bastards' and 'Pulp Fiction' which are all thrillers so this is why I took a huge interest because I am a fan of him but i admire his work and it can help me make my own opening to a thriller. His movies are characterized by stylistic influences from kung fu, grindhouse and spaghetti western films. He starred in his own film 'Reservoir Dogs' aswell as producing it and directing.

Chris Nolan

After researching Alfred Hitchcock I decided to expand my knowledge on directors and producers for thriller films and I chose Christopher Nolan because other than hes a famous director his movies are more modern which i prefer because I am more familiar with his productions.

He doesn't use such complex techniques when he makes films but many of the films he has released have been a big hit because of the action, including the batman trilogy what took his career to another level. He also bases some true events in his films for example in his film Momento he wrote and directed it based on a story involving his brother which shows that he gets inspiration from real life situations which I think is important because it can make the film seem more realistic. He is a director, producer and a writer and many of his films were associated with Warner Bros.

Alfred Hitchcock

During my research I wanted to use examples of real films and understand how to be a director and producer for a thriller movie. Alfred Hitchcock is a famous example so I found out a bit more about him and his work.


I found him interesting because many famous directors and producers are American but Alfred Hitchcock was British until he moved to Hollywood to develop his career further. He pioneered the use of a camera made to move in a way that mimics a person's gaze, forcing viewers to engage in a form of voyeurism. He framed shots to maximize anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative film editing. His stories frequently feature fugitives on the run from the law alongside "icy blonde" female characters.Many of Hitchcock's films have twist endings and thrilling plots featuring depictions of violence, murder, and crime, although many of the mysteries function as decoys or "MacGruffin" meant only to serve thematic elements in the film and the extremely complex psychological examinations of the characters. 


A vast amount of his films were thrillers so this could influence my film and I like the way he always uses twists in his movies because it makes the film so much more interesting and gripping. I also looked into some of his famous films. 

Production Company Logos

In our thriller opening we will have to include our own production company and logo so to get some inspiration and ideas i researched some companies that are famous and used in the media industry

 Universal is a famous production company and as you can see there animation is simple but effective. The image of the world behind the text relates to it being universal and all around the globe. Its dark black background makes the audience focus on the center of screen where they are showing there trade mark.

 Columbia pictures is different and the text comes in later. We know that this is an american production company because the image of the statue of liberty holding the bright light, this creative logo has a lot more color and background.

 Warner brothers (WB) has its logo again bang in the middle of the screen so it catches the audiences attention similar to universal. The text is wrapped around the logo and the gold stands out on top of the blue. Also the background has the blue sky affect with clouds linking with the blue in the logo.

 20th Century Fox Television wants people to know that there films are produced in the 20th century and it is more modern. The text of their title gets smaller as it reaches television at the bottom the biggest is the 20th symbolizing this is the most important to the production company. Again like Warner Bros they have used the sky background and the gold text to stand out but this logo has lights shinning next to it to add that effect and make them look more professional.
Lastly Paramount is another famous production company and they have used the effect of the tip of the mountain to represent their title. I think the reason they used a mountain was because there called para 'mount'. The use of the sky in background again is used to create this cold mountain environment and the white text to tie in with the clouds.

Expectations Of A Thriller

I had a classmate ask me questions what I think a thriller should include and my expectations

History Of Thrillers

To help my production making I decided to take my research further and look into the history of all the different Thrillers including the first thriller film ever made all the way up to modern films. I used a website called time line to see the list of thriller films in the generation. I only picked the most famous films in the years

1923- Safety Last

1931- M

1940- Rebecca

1944- Double Identity

1946- The Big Sleep

1951- Strangers On A Train

1953- The Wages Of Fear

1972- The Godfather

1973- Dont Look Now

1974- China Town

1974- Reservoir Dogs

1994- Pulp Fiction

1995- Usual Suspects

2009- Inglorious Bastards

2010- Inception

What I Learnt

I learnt that when filming our thriller opening we need to take into account to use the three important shots.

 Match On Action Shot







Shot Reverse Shot

180 Degree Rule

Shot And Schedule List

Risk Assessment

Call Sheet

Title Sequence Research

I had to research how other thriller films presented there title sequences so I drew a brief time line of the titles and the times when they appear on screen. I chose the film Final Destination, I got the opening title sequence from this movie on a site called Art Of The Title.
http://www.artofthetitle.com/

Weather Check

Our film is being shot on a certain day so I had to check the weather forecast for that date incase the weather affects our movie.

Asset List

To be fully prepared and organized for our film I made asset list so we can see a description of the equipment, props and costumes for characters what are needed.

Shot List For Our Film

1. Mid Shot
2. Mid Shot
3. Close Up
4. Close Up/ Match On Action Shot
5. Close Up/ Match On Action Shot
6. Wide Shot
7. Mid Shot
8. Close Up/ Match On Action
9. Long Shot/ Match On Action
10. Over The Shoulder/ Match On Action
11. Mid Shot/ Match On Action
12. Mid Shot
13. Extreme Close Up
14. Close Up
15. P.o.v ( Point Of View)
16. Two Man Shot
17. High Angle Shot

Screen Shot Of Story Board

Parity Shot For Shot Remake

 

After watching a students thriller we had to make a shot for shot remake of there short film. There were no actors outside our group.

Individual Thriller Pitch 25 Treatment

Detective comes home, finds his son and wife hung. fights for vengeance and kills his families murderer. But discovers untold secret that scars him forever.

9 frame analysis - Law Abiding Citizen

After observing the three different types of thrillers crime, psychological and espionage thrillers. I have chosen to do my 9 frame analysis on a crime thriller, I researched what films fall into this category and found Law Abiding Citizen. I watched the film and focused on what made it a thriller. I analyzed the opening scene to this film.

Psychological Thriller Brainstorm

Marking Criteria And Analysis Of Candidates Exam

I am aiming for a level 4 in my exam but i need to identify what i need to show in my exam to achieve this.  There is 50 marks and the examiners split it into three elements what have certain maximum mark.

Explanation/Analysis/Argument (16-20)- I must show clear understanding of the question and present a clear answer. A understanding of the technical aspects used in the extract and able to identify them with excellent knowledge. Show strong knowledge of the extracts representations and discuss them in depth. clearly linked to the textual analysis and also i must make sure my answer relates to the question.

Use Of Examples(16-20)- continuous textual analysis from the extract and using different examples of the extract for different explanations not referring to the same one show a wide range of different examples from each technical area. Examples must be relevant to the question.

Use Of Terminology(8-10)- Use of terminology is relevant and accurate

Audience Expectations Of A Thriller

Audience Expectations Of A Thriller

The audience has certain expectations they will want in a thriller, the use of techniques, lighting and editing all fall into these expectations. The audience will hope to see: 

• There is usually a murder weapon a gun or knife
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• Location can be set anywhere but normally the directors want to make the background dark to tie in with the thriller mood so a lot of the scenes will be shot during the night and in urban cities
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• There is commonly death throughout a thriller or at some point during the film, these can be natural but usually murder because this builds up the feel of mystery 

• Police, detectives, victims, suspects, Protagonists, Antagonists, terrorists, assassins, stalkers, criminals, prison inmates and many more will help the thriller seem more real and the audience will expect to see them in thriller movies
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• In most films there are stereotypes but in thrillers there are definitely because there will always be hero's and villain's. The audience will expect the hero to become triumphant towards the end of the film and defeating the villain.There is also a stereotype of their appearance such as the villian will look evil, crocked maybe have symbolism such as a scar. The hero's will be fresh , strong willed and seem like they have determination to stop the villain. 
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• The editing can also be important because they help create the thriller genre with use of quick snappy shots and jump shots which create the tension and suspense for the audience
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• Another vital convention is the lighting, it has to be low key lighting and dark scenes which creates the suspense and mystery, concealing of the antagonists identity will entertain the audience draw them in as this will encourage them to watch on

• Thrillers also include another clever technique which make the audience side with a character and can feel attached to them, personal lives of the victims make the audience think they are more vulnerable. The thriller plot is also vital, it must consist with the ‘perfect crime’  which involves 3 different types of plots to keep the thriller strong all the way through.  The first is ‘Open Thriller’ this identifies the crime being committed and shows the audience who the character is who is associated with the crime this can create tension and suspense. The second is ‘Closed Thriller’ which is different to the first as it creates more mystery because we do not see the crime being carried out, all the audience views is the crime being discovered and because we are not aware of who done the crime it grabs our attention and gives us a sense of desperation to find out who it was. The third is the ‘Changing thriller’.  This changes the narrative between open and closed. For example by changing the plot from positive attitudes to negative.
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• Although thrillers aim to make the audience endure suspense and mystery they also want them to feel anxiety and feeling scared, by using camera shots they can achieve this. The camera shots will always consist of match on action, rule of thirds and 180 degree rule but they will use close ups to help make the audience scared, for example they could put it on the killers face to move the audience and so they feel for the victim and see them as more vulnerable and weak. 

The Taking Of Pelham is a good example of a thriller with all of these expectations it has the quick snappy shots when it comes to action scenes. Theres the example of the hero and villian the villian is john javolta as he holds hostages on a train with weapons such as a gun. The hero is the random guy who works for the train station and he comes triumphant at the end. Its set in an under ground where it is dark and low key lighting. Also in this trailer it shows the police and them interacting with the criminals. This is an open thriller because we see it all being happened and the man stealing the train and holding hostages. We also can be attached to the hero because of his family also and he wants to get back home these are all what people expect when watching a thriller

Tv Drama Mind-Map

Preliminary Task ( Script & Stage Directions& Camera Shots)

 (non linear)
Dark room with one light directing on the table where suspect is sitting ( Kieran). Interrogator( Mag) walks in room- match on action and mid shot of Mag as she sits down opposite kieran.
Over the shoulder shot.
Magg: I'm not going to mess about let's get straight to the point did you kill her
Kieran: Well maybe i wana mess about
Magg: did you mess her about?
Shot reserve shot
Kieran: Well lets face it shes in a mess now
Magg: Your sick!
Kieran: I loved her so much ( hands are rubbing face , sense of unaccountability)
Magg: Then why did you do it
Close up
Kieran: He made me
over the shoulder
Magg: Who's he? James who is he? ( asks anxiously)
Kieran: Isn't it weird that something so beautiful can perish within seconds before your eyes
Magg: STOP FUCKING WITH ME( leaps up and hits the table with frustration), YOU DID IT DIDN'T YOU, YOU KILLED YOUR WIFE. What about your kids?
Two man shot
Kieran: i have no kids 
Magg: What are you talking about, your son Jack and what about your daughter Jessica
Kieran: (Pauses) I dont remember
Magg: Just let me help you
Kieran: I don't need anyone but me and him...now leave us alone( Suspicious)
Over the shoulder shot
Magg: There's no one here ( begins to feel scared)
extreme close up on kieran's eyes
Kieran: I know I Know, she wont leave ( speaking to himself)
Magg: Your scaring me James!
Kieran: JUST LEAVE PLEASE GO! ( Shouts with desperation)
Policewomen walks out the room in a hurry
Mid shot
Magg: He's not right in the head, I couldn't get anything

Continuity- Match On Action

A match on action shot occurs when an action begins in one shot and is continued or completed in the next. In a exterior shot Julia Roberts opens the front door to a house. In the next shot the camera(now indoors) photographs her entering the foyer and closing the door.


Another example is a shot of someone tossing a ball can be edited to show two different views, while maintaining temporal continuity by being sure that the second shot shows the arm of the subject in the same stage of its motion as it was left when cutting from the first shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haF0vzXFP3g

Typical Synopsis Of A Thriller Film

There are many characteristics what help create a thriller genre, I researched them and found that thriller films include a lot of components. I also looked at the sub-genres. Thrillers will always have the mood of mystery and suspense so i looked into this further so i could see what aspects create these moods.

Setting, characters and story are a few of the important characteristics. They stories will usually have an atmosphere of creepy menace and sudden violence, they normally have crime, murder, investigation and detectives this ties in with the theme mystery. Thrillers are dark and fast paced, they are adrenaline rushing. There's always suspense, intense excitement, anxiety and tension. The characters are commonly assassins, stalkers, criminals, detectives, cops, innocent victims, terrorists and many more, this relates to the idea of it being violent and there will always be an example of murder and investigation. The setting of a thriller is mostly located in suburbs or cities but there have been occasions where they have been presented in deserts, exotic places or high seas.

In a thriller, the hero must stop an enemy such as a villain or murderer rather than uncover a crime that has already happened. We usually find out the identity of the murderer and know all along. They involve violent confrontations what are standard plot elements in the genre. The mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain and saves his life and others however sometimes the hero can be killed in the process but the hero being triumphant is the common ending to a thriller.










Sub Genres


Action-Adventure Thriller- Treasure hunt, a mystery of lost time reminds us of the child fantasy of being an adventurer. In this type of sub genre there is a lot of action required. A good example of an Action-Adventure thriller is 'Sahara'.








Serial Killer Thriller- This is a very popular sub genre of a thriller because it falls into the category of murder, crime and investigation. There can be horrific violence and the detective must stop the serial killer. An example is 'Seduction In Death'.

Religious Thriller- This is also an example of a sub genre and is an interesting way to present a thriller. Its uses the rich and long history of religion to build stories with high stakes and deadly politics. An example of this is 'The Da Vinci Code'.

Composition

Composition looks at editing a photograph or camera shot, adding effects and altering the image. I was asked to research the elements of composition

The Rule Of Thirds- Cutting the picture into thirds so their are 9 sections in one image. Makes the picture more appealing and avoids attention in the middle of the shot.


Perspective- The perspective plays an important role in having successful composition because it affects how good and original the shot is. Its from your perspective out of your eyes and what your viewing. This can give effects such as nice angles, showing people a depth and a feeling of 3 dimension in the image also greater idea and volume of space.

Lines And Patterns- Lines add to the perspective of a picture. Lines lead your audience or observers eyes to a specific point in the image, can set up structure. Patterns are everywhere there interesting and draw attention to a shot

Balance- Balance in an image can be achieved by having 2 items of the same size on both side of the picture or an empty space on one side and an item on the other so it can focus on one side but it still balances out.

Simplicity- The picture is simple but effective, not complex not making the viewer work to hard to observe it. An example of making an image use simplicity is removing the background








The Divine Proportion- A structured spiral on an image, can be found in nature. An example is it can be used as a template to check to see if your shot is composed correctly

lead Room- The idea of this effect is to give the viewer space to see where a moving object is going.An example is a american football game, When a player is throwing, we want to see whats ahead (who will catch the ball) not what's behind. So we frame the shot to give him lead room.

Mind Map(Thriller Films)

9 frame analysis title sequence(catch me if you can)

We were asked to select a certain film and capture 9 frame analysis opening. We had to judge what to pick and to be able to explain it. Looked at the colors and features of the font and text and how they linked to the animations in the background. I chose the film catch me if you can because there is a lot of visual effects.