This whole experience has been very valuable for me. I learned so much throughout. I have learnt lots of filming techniques, camerawork, editing skills, and to use many different technologies and softwares such as Final Cut Express and Garageband. I have realised just how much work professionals put into providing media for us, and how hard and exhausting this must be. However, I also know that they must enjoy their jobs, as I have had so much fun filming and editing. There were hard and annoying bits along the way but overall, good experience.
So, If you're just about to read my blog, I hope you gain knowledge of my progress in media; from how inexperienced I once was, to how far I have come up to now. If you are just finishing my blog..... I hope you gained knowledge of my progress in media; from how inexperienced I once was, to how far I have come up to now ;)
Here is my thriller opening: Guess Who? (Oh, and please turn of annotation whilst watching....)
Saturday, 18 December 2010
The Treatment
The Action and Themes
London is in panic due to the repeated kidnappings that are occurring around many towns in the city. There are sightings of the kidnapper, but there is no proof that it is actually him due to the many imitators. There are no obvious links between the victims, however, once the investigation goes further, interesting revelations are revealed... The film will focus on revenge, voyeurism, stalking, fear and more. It will also focus on satirising London social attitudes.
The Narrative
The location we filmed in was South Norwood, London. More specifically, we filmed in alleyways, a park, around a train station, bridge and outside my house. Most filming contained the actor walking. These locations were deemed suitable due to the fact that no one is hardly around these areas, which is the effect we wanted; desertion and solemness. Also, it allowed for easy filming, and we wouldn't have to ask for permission as it is in public. However, the rest of the film will take place in numerous London towns. Through this, we can create relatable locations for the audience, which will be more effective psychologically. Filming in various locations is possible due to the big budget we have to spend on our film.
The Mise-en-scene
We used low key lighting for most of the opening, as this best represents the dark mood we were aiming for. This way, we can create more suspense, keep the audience engaged, and stay in line with the conventions of a thriller. To maintain this dark look, we had the antagonist dress all in black, as this makes him mysterious, and we we filmed where colours were dull, for example browns, whites, creams, blacks, and other dark colours.
London is in panic due to the repeated kidnappings that are occurring around many towns in the city. There are sightings of the kidnapper, but there is no proof that it is actually him due to the many imitators. There are no obvious links between the victims, however, once the investigation goes further, interesting revelations are revealed... The film will focus on revenge, voyeurism, stalking, fear and more. It will also focus on satirising London social attitudes.
The Narrative
The opening is based on different times and dates, although they all link to tell a story. These all come together for the end scene, when the antagonist has found his destination. Moreover, throughout the film there will be some flashbacks, giving the audience some insight of the characters lives and why certain thing have happened/happening. Sound in the opening is entirely non-diegetic. Initially we decided to have 5 words of speech; a girl saying "who is it" when the doorbell was rang, and the antagonist saying "guess who", but due to deadlines, we were unable to record any material.
The Setting
The location we filmed in was South Norwood, London. More specifically, we filmed in alleyways, a park, around a train station, bridge and outside my house. Most filming contained the actor walking. These locations were deemed suitable due to the fact that no one is hardly around these areas, which is the effect we wanted; desertion and solemness. Also, it allowed for easy filming, and we wouldn't have to ask for permission as it is in public. However, the rest of the film will take place in numerous London towns. Through this, we can create relatable locations for the audience, which will be more effective psychologically. Filming in various locations is possible due to the big budget we have to spend on our film.We used low key lighting for most of the opening, as this best represents the dark mood we were aiming for. This way, we can create more suspense, keep the audience engaged, and stay in line with the conventions of a thriller. To maintain this dark look, we had the antagonist dress all in black, as this makes him mysterious, and we we filmed where colours were dull, for example browns, whites, creams, blacks, and other dark colours.
The Conventions (considered part of "The Evaluation: Part 1")
TitleThe title of our film is "Guess Who?". This conforms to the thriller genre as it is a title that raises many questions. In fact it is a question itself, towards the audience. The title will intrigue the audience, and lure them in making them want to watch the film, and find answers.
PlaceThere are various locations in our thriller opening. They are all in urban city areas, which is common in thriller films. They play on the viewers mind, as it presents these familiar settings as potentially dangerous places. Most scenes are set in the night. The night is seen as scary, and that anything could happen. This is why thrillers usually use these settings. Also, all locations have a cold and deserted look in them, due to the weather and editing we have used. Coldness and desertion connote solemness and bad circumstances; anything could happen.
Mood and ToneThe thriller opening's mood is very dark and tense. This is a result of our soundtrack I created, editing effects and how we executed our camera shots. The music I created is intense and eerie, which complements the the shots and story. Some thrillers use similar soundtracks, to make suspense and keep the viewers interested. We used editing to make the brightness and contrast of the shots darker, and we used grainy effects and CCTV effects too. Thriller films use such effects like darkening scenes, to create a spooky atmosphere that will keep the audience on edge.
We believe we have a catchy theme tune, that goes really well with the film. When certain cuts take place, the music will change to go with it. Just like other thrillers, they also use non-digetic sounds to indicate a change of scene,mood, or in the titles too.
QuestionsThe opening raises many questions that will be answered later on in the film. The title is one main example of a question. However, there are many others created. These include, who are the people being kidnapped? why are they being kidnapped? are they dead? plus many more. The newspaper shots also present questions, such as, what is next?. The fact that we didn't show the antagonists face creates a sense of mystery, and will make the audience ask who is this guy?. It is important for a thriller not to give too much away in the opening, as this will make the rest of the film less interesting and too predictable.
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