Filming- Attempt 2!

Today we are going to film our thriller. We have a different camera and we have made sure we have a spare tape with us this time! My group and i have found it difficult to find the time to film as we are all busy at different times. I hope today goes well so that we can get it filmed ready to edit! We have our shotlist, storyboard, props and costumes ready so lets get filming!

Filming - attempt 1!

In december we attempted to film our thriller for the first time. We were all set up and ready to film but there was a problem with the tape which meant we did not have a camera that we could use and therefore the day was cancelled.

Planning- Preparation for filming!

We have now completed our storyboard and shot list so we have thought about what we will actually need when we are filming. As part of our storyline there are pictures of girls pinned onto a dartboard as if they are being stalked!

Me and my group went round school with a digital camera to take these photos. We took the photos of ourselves and friends and edited them on the apple mac computers using the editing tools. We changed the photos into black and white and added black around the edges to make it look like a lense of a camera to suggest that they are being followed. I think the pictures are very realistic and pleased with the result.

Planning- Final Storyboard

I have finally finished the storboard! I had to go over my pencil with a black fine line pen because when i first scanned it in you could not see the pictures clearly. I also discovered that it was better to take a photos of the storyboard and upload them than to scan it into the computer as it gives a much clearer picture. The storyboard is a guidline of the shots that we will be taking and what will happen in the sequence. We are now nearly ready to start filming!

Research- Audience

I have been doing some audience research and feel that the thriller itself should be targeted at 15+. Most of the thrillers that i have looked at have a similar rating if not higher. However the opening sequence that we are creating will be certified as a pg as we want it to be available to a wider audience.

I created a questionaire which i gave to friends, family and neighbours in order to get a wide range of results.

1)Do you enjoy watching the title sequences of films?
20/20 answered yes

1 part 2) If yes, why?
the most common response to this talked about how they give a good insight into the film and give a good impression of what the film will be like. Some people said that they like to see what actors and actresses are in the film to help to give them the feeling of familiarity that they can relate to.

2) What do you want to get out of a title sequence?
Most people said that they like the sequence to give a good insight into the film without revealing too much about the plot.

3)Of any thrillers that you have watched, which aspects do you feel are particularly important in the title sequences for this style of film? circle more than one answer if neccessary.

a)music
b)titles /writing/font
c)graphics
d)lighting
e)colour schemes

In the results to this questions i have come to the conclusion that the music is particularly important as it helps to set the mood for the film. Another aspect which the audience subconciously find important is lighting. After looking at these results lighting seems to be a big part in setting the mood. Dark colours can make it seem spooky and vulnerable where bright colours are the binary opposite.


From these results i have decided that i will need to pay particular attention on music and lighting. I think having a colour scheme for our title would be particularly effective and hopefully add to the continuity of the sequence. I will disscuss these results and ideas with my team members.

Planning- Characters

I have been thinking about the characters in our title sequence as it is important that they are portrayed correctly as they will be setting the mood for the rest of the film.

There are two characters in our opening sequence. One of which is the main character in the actual film.

The first character is the so called "murderer".
We have decided that in the opening sequence we will never see this characters face. This will help to create suspense and build up atmosphere for the audience. We have also decided for this character to be a woman. This is a conscious choice that we have made as we want our sequence to be different and do not want our "murderer" to be the typical stereotype (a man). We want to challenge the typical conventions of a thriller.
This character will be dressed in dark clothing which is typical of this character (the villain); maybe a long coat and clumpy boots..

The second character is the victim.
This character will be stereotyped. A young woman walking home. She is vulnerable as she is alone. She would be wearing casual clothing, cardigan, jeans, and heels (hard to run in).

Research- Narrative Theory

The first theory I looked at is that of Tvzetan Todorov. He believed that the fictional enviroment begins with a state of equillibrium (All as it should be, in a state of equal balance between powers of any kind). This is then disrupted in some way (disequillibrium). There is then an attempt to repair the damage of the disruption before a new equillibrium is reached.

Vladimir Propp's theory indicates that there are a number of set characters with specific narrative functions that appear in all stories. These were:

1. The villain (struggles against the hero)
2. The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)
3. The magical helper (helps the hero in the quest)
4. The princess ( person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)
5. Her father
6. The dispatcher
7. The hero or victim

Levi Strauss' narrative thory claims that all narrative stuctures can be shown as a series of binary opposites. e.g good v evil, hero vs villain.

For example , in the film Die Hard some of the binary opposties are :

• Wide shot vs Extreme close up
• Technology vs Old fashioned
• Crowd vs Lone person
• Airport vs Party