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Shot types	Angle	Movement	Notes
Close up	Eye level shot	No movement	Shot of main character with eyes closed
Close up	Eye level shot	No movement	Main characters eyes snapping open
Medium close up	Eye level shot	No movement	Main character putting red lipstick on
Mid shot	Low angled shot	Tracking	Main character imitating thriller poster
Mid shot	Eye level shot	Tracking to close up	Showing poster of the thriller the main character is imitating
Long shot	High angled shot	Panning	Shows the room of the main character
Medium shot	Eye level shot	Tracking to highlight the wardrobe	Showing the one dress in the wardrobe in her room
Medium shot	High angled shot	Tracking in	Highlights the stuff on the mattress
Point of view	High angled shot	No movement	Shows the main character looking at a newspaper
Close up	High angled shot	No movement	Highlighting the drinks and the cigarette
Close up	Eye level shot	Focus in	Shows main character smirking
Extreme close up	High angled shot	No movement	Shows main character circling picture in newspaper
Close up	Low angled shot	No movement	Shows the clock being upside down
Point of view	Eye level shot	No movement	Showing main character pausing a film on the TV
Close up	High angled shot	Tracking towards	Shows the time paused in the movie
Medium shot	Low angled shot	No movement	Shows the words and items hanging off the back of the door
Close up	Eye level shot	Tracking	Highlights the two items on the back of the door
Close up	Eye level shot	Track backwards	Showing the hanger swinging in the wardrobe

Group discussion about PDE

Production: We have chosen to use DNA films because they are behind some of the most distinctive UK films of recent years. Also because forthcoming projects of theirs include supernatural thrillers. Films they have previously produced include 28 Days Later and The Last King of Scotland.  

Distribution:
UK - Because this is where it will be filmed and will be produced by independent film company.

Germany - Because they have a large English speaking population.

USA - Because many successful American films are popular in the UK, so to test whether independent British films can succeed in America. Also because previous Femme Fatale films were American so the sub genre links back to the original iconic Film Noir movies.

Australia - Again they have a large English speaking population.

China - Their country is very technological so releasing a new film there should produce a widespread audience.

Exhibition: 

Our target audience would be people who favour the thriller genre, but also who like independent film companies. This would provide us with a niche audience who are keen to follow our films. Our film certificate would be 15 as the film would feature scenes inappropriate for younger ages. Social class does not affect our film as it does not relate to any particular one. However people who are well educated in similar films will appreciate watching this as they will be able to identify the homage used in this film. Finally, audiences of an elder age would benefit more as they would be able to relate to original film noir movies and point out 'Fatal Attraction' in the background, where as a younger audience would not be familiar with it.

Aspects of our film will contain things that certify a 15:
Violence
 Strong language
Scene of torture

 This is an image of the BBFC website saying what makes a film a 15.

Presentation - thriller plan

This video was the presentation done by me and my group talking about what our plans for the thriller opening. I think that we said all the necessary things about how we want the opening to look like. Also I believe that the storyboard made it clear to what would happen in the opening of the thriller. This is the Prezi presentation done to go with the presentation seen in the video.

5 Theories

1. Todorov ~ Narrative theory
Five stages 1. The equilibrium where everything is well and peace is set.
                  2. A disruption to the order so something evil comes to disrupt the peace and course havoc.
                  3. A recognition of the disruption where the audience sees the result of it.
                  4. Attempts to repair where the characters try to bring back the peace but don't succeed at first.
                  5. New equilibrium where everything is peaceful but thing are different from the beginning.



This can be related to modern films such as Click
 The equilibrium is when he has a job and a caring family.
 A disruption when he gets a remote to control life being he started to hate he life due to over working.
 A recognition when the remote goes on auto pilot and his life starts flying by with him having no control.
 Attempts to repair when he tries to get rid of the remote and get his family back.
 A new equilibrium when he wakes up before he got the remote but now loves his life again.

2. Barthe's ~ Enigma Code
 Barthe's enigma code says that with any for of media (television, film) makes the audience question something and draws the audience in. (creates a puzzle to be solved).

3. Propp's ~ Character roles
 Valadimir Propp's character theory says there is seven or eight main characters that are in the majority of films. These are: 1.The Hero - The one to save the day (usually male)
                         2. The Princess - The one who the hero marries and is also often a victim
                         3. The Helper - The one who is there to help the hero on his journey
                         4. The Donor - The one to give the hero an important item to help him
                         5. The Dispatcher - The one to tell hero what has to be done, and sends him.
                         6. The Father - The one who rewards the hero at the end of his journey
                         7. The False Hero - The one who tries to hinder the heroes progress
                         8. The Villain - The one who the hero is trying to concur.

This can be seen in many films such as Shrek
  The Hero - Shrek
  The Princess - Princess Fiona
  The Helper - Donkey
  The Dispatcher - Lord Farquaad
  The Villain - Lord Farquaad

4. Levi -Strauss ~ Binary opposites
Says that the way we understand words is not necessarily from its meaning but from the difference from it and the opposite word.
For example the understanding of "coward" comes from the difference between "coward" and its binary opposite "hero".

5. Voglar ~ 12 steps of a heroes journey
The heroes journey:                                   The heroes inner journey:
             1.Ordinary world                                        1.Limited awareness of problem 
             2.Call to adventure                                     2.Increased awareness of need for change
             3.Refusal of call                                         3.Resistant to change (fear)
             4.Meeting mentor                                       4.Overcoming Fear
             5.Crossing threshold                                   5.Committing to change
             6.Tests, allies, enemies                              6.Trying out new conditions
             7.Approach                                                7.Preparing for major change
             8.Ordeal, death & rebirth                             8.Change in feeling of life & death
             9.Reward                                                   9.Accepting consequences of new life
           10.Road back                                             10.New challenge
           11.Resurrection                                          11.Final attempt
           12.Return                                                   12.Mastery

Homage - Resevoir dogs

Homage is used to show respect or dedication to a previous film or director. It can also be used in a comical way for example the scary movie franchise where they mimic scenes from other movie and put a funny twist on them. It is often used now because of the advances in technology, and there are many examples such as the opening scene to Jackie Brown(1997) being an homage to The Graduate(1967) but one of the first uses of homage was in swingers where they imitate the walking scene from Resevoir dogs. In the shots in this post it clearly shows the similarities between the two and how well dome the homage was done by Doug Liman (Director of Swingers).

Group narrative

I think that this was well done because we talked about all of the important things and the storyboard was explained well even if the drawing were not the best! However me in particular needs to use more key vocabulary such as mise-en-scene, protagonist and antagonist. I should of also elaborated more on the shots I was talking about in the storyboard. (I did not talk about the meanings behind why things were in the shot, such as when Cinderella is looking into the mirror it represents her becoming more like her mother and the evil step mother is noticing and will try to prevent is from going any further.)

Vladimir Propp's Character theory

1. The Hero – a character that seeks something
2. The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest
3. The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties
4. The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message
5.  The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims
6.  The Helper – who aids the hero
7.  The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots
8.  Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

Vladimir Propp came up with his character theory when he was a Russian critic in the 1920's. He mainly looked at the narrative of folk tales, and noticed that the same characters came up again and again.

This can be applied to modern films even if not all of the characters are easily distinguishable.

Such as the Harry Potter franchise.

The Hero - Harry Potter

The Villain - Voldemort

The Donor - Albus Dumbledore

The Dispatcher - Albus Dumbledore

The False hero - Severus Snape

The Helper - Ron Weasley / Hermione Granger

The Princess - Ginny Weasley

Silence of the lambs

Analysis: The opening shot catches the eye because it shows a tree without leaves and looking like dieing, with a foggy background. This immediately put the idea of danger in the audiences mind because you cannot see far, and so you do not know what is out there. Danger is then highlighted again by this woman climbing up a hill, looking around and then running. With this along with very slow music makes it appear as if she is the victim and in grave danger. The camera work helps with this because it tracks her from behind to make the audience believe she is running away, and make the audience intrigued about what she is running from. In films it is a common theme for women to be represented by the victim and men the hero. This means that the audience were already expecting for the women to be the victim.

The opening few shots of the women running would imply that the movie will base around how she got there or more likely her trying to find out who is after her and will get help from a man character (hero) who would end up saving her. However then through the clearing the audience see part of an assault course which the woman climbs and suddenly what the audience was expecting to see gets proven to be very wrong. The assumptions would be that she is training now and is part of the army or something like that. Then it is confirmed that she is not the victim by a man going up to her with a message and wearing a hat saying FBI, and this is made clear to the audience by the camera shot (close up of the face and hat).

The signs shown on a post at the edge of the training camp could be giving hints at the future of the film or it is giving an insight into how the FBI is being run. As she runs past the sign she looks like the signs are describing the FBI because she has the pain from all the hard work but she does love what she is doing and showing that she is a strong protagonist which is unusual for any film.

Her walking down into the elevators is interesting because it shows that she is a liked by her peers, and well respected around the FBI. However it also shows (especially in the elevator) that she is in a very much male dominated job and she is very rare, But it also shows that she is not put off by stereotypes and whole heartedly believes in her own ability to get the job done. Which in a thriller is rare to have female main character that is confident, the protagonist, stands up for herself and does not need saving.

Foley artists

Foley artists are the ones behind creating the sound for a movie. They are necessary for movie's because the vast majority of the sound used in movie's (not including speech and music) is recreated by Foley artists after the filming. Foley artists are used because most sound is lost when filming so would not be heard by the audience of the film.

Five examples of how Foley artists recreate sounds: Corn starch in a leather pouch sounds like crunching snow, An old chair makes a good creaking sound, Half a coconut shell sounds like horse feet, a telephone book surrounded in tape sounds like body punches and cellophane sounds like a crackling fire.

This sounds like snow crunching.

Evaluate own work: The difficult part of this was to think of how the sounds could be recreated. This was difficult because Foley artists use items very different to the object making the sound so is not always easy to work out what to use. The easier part was to actually make the sounds after working out what to use to create the sounds. The sounds we used were to tap a shoe against a wall to replicate walking down stairs. This gave the sound of the tapping of the shoes as I walked down the stairs. I did enjoy doing this because it is unusual and not what you would think of when talking about the making of films.

A Foley artist showing what he does.

The knowledge of Foley sounds will be useful in the making of the thriller opening because it means that with a bit of editing, the audience will be able to hear everything clearly. This will help with the building up of suspense and bring the audience into the film.

Thriller conventions

The narrative based around a crime like a murder or kidnapping. It would show why it happened, how it happened or it being solved in the film. The narrative is often complicated with fake paths and clues supplied by the antagonist.

The title gives away the protagonist's weakness.

The title might give away the protagonist's weakness that would be used by the antagonist in there attempt to bring down the protagonist. This would leave the protagonist looking in trouble in one or more scene (makes the audience think that the  protagonist is going to fail).
Also the protagonist would feel isolated due to the antagonist leading him the wrong way through the film.
Extraordinary things happening in ordinary situations which would make the effect on the audience greater because it could allow them to relate to what is happening to the characters.

A there is a common theme of mistaken identity in thrillers especially on the run thrillers because they are being chased for something someone else had done.
The theme of mirroring shows that it is not just the one person in the situation but a group of them. Also the audience are shown something they feel they should not be seeing (Voyeurism).
The titles are often showing a glimpse of what the movie is about and how it will start.

The use of bright lighting reflecting the happiness in the characters.

The mise-en-scene would reflect the protagonist (e.g. if the protagonist is happy then it would use such things as bright lighting to highlight it to the audience).

Thriller sub genres

Conspiracy thriller: The hero or heroine is usually an investigator/reporter. The protagonist would find themselves tied in with a powerful organisation. To free themselves they have to look for evidence to bring them down. In the end the organisation is brought down by the protagonist. The organisation is often government (e.g. Bourne Ultimatum)

Mystery thriller: Focuses mainly on the detective and the mystery of crime. Finding clues and trying put the puzzle together. It brings the audience in as they try to solve the crime at the same time as the detective.

Crime thriller: Often focus more on the criminals and there actions leading up to the crime. Usually ends with the crime and showing how it was done. Also linked with mystery thriller due to the mystery aspect to the crime.

Political thriller: Shows a reliance on the protagonist to help the government they work for to prevent bad things from happening. E.g. world wars.

Disaster thriller: Follows people trying to survive natural (earthquake and volcanoes) and artificial (invasion of earth) disasters. Also a lot of disasters a due to what mankind had previously done and is there fault. It plays with thought of what the future could hold.

Psychological thriller: Plays with the audiences mind and creates suspense from playing with the main character being mentally and emotionally hindered.

Techno thriller: Looks at the incredible technology and how it is trying overrun people. The hero or heroine will be the one who tries to prevent it from happening. It commonly shows action and war and what the future could be.

This is from I Robot and shows the technology out of control with the dark lighting showing danger.

Religious thriller: Usually a quest to find the truth in religions while going through the good and the bad. (e.g The Da Vinci Code)

Evaluation of genre video

I  was disappointed with my part since I believe I did not go into enough detail. I should of said something like  this: This image I am looking at is from the film dodge ball. The image clearly shows the antagonist and the protagonist standing with their backs turned to each other, and standing apart. The colours used on there cloths are clear indicators of who the antagonist and protagonist are. The protagonist is the person further away in much brighter colours whereas the antagonist in the foreground is wearing darker colour with a cobra on. It also highlights the importance of this scene by the way the light is highlighting the two players while leaving the rest in the dark to show there is nothing they can do. Also the facial expression of the antagonist is that on determination because his is desperate to defeat the protagonist. It is also clear that this is a comedy because of the clothes the antagonist is wearing by this I am referencing to the childish way of trying to intimidate the opponents by having a cobra on his chest. As well as that both of the main actors are widely known for doing comedies and are rarely seen doing anything else.

Generic conventions - Just go with it

Genre: Romantic comedy

Narrative: The 'hero' has a life he is not happy with and is looking for someone to love. He thinks he has found it but due to a funny turn of events he works out that it is the 'heroine' of the film that he knew all along.

Iconography: We expect to see funny scenes not necessarily just about the characters but about the situation they have gotten into. The audience also expect for there to be a happy ending when the 'hero' and 'heroine' live happily ever after.

Characters: The 'hero' is the male character who knows something is missing from he life and goes looking for love as an answer. The 'heroine' is the female character that the 'hero' finally goes for even though she has been there since the beginning.

Camera work: Slow shots are used for when there is a romantic moment. Sometimes tracking shots are used when someone is moving quickly and the audience needs to know who to follow. Romantic Comedies would also use panoramic shots to show the settings of the scene.

Settings: For Romantic Comedies The setting would be a quite, peaceful setting such as a beach in the Caribbean. This is to show that the characters are not going to be detracted by people making lots of noise or from it being over crowded. It also gives the film a calmer feel to it because there is nobody rushing around or trying to call a cab like there would of been in a city setting.

Generic conventions - The Bourne Identity

Genre: Action/Crime

Narrative: The 'hero' has no memory of anything and has to try and discover who he is and how he has gotten to where he is. He will do this by following a trail of clues often flashbacks or things found in his possession when he wakes. The victim will be pulled into this by being connected with the 'hero'. The villain would be trying to stop the 'hero' from trying to work something out whether its his own memory or something else.

Iconography: We expect to see a race to retrieve his memory involving fast paced action including car chases. (It gives the audience the feeling that film is going at rapid pace). We also expect the 'hero' to go through missions/trials and he needs to overcome them before time runs out.

Characters: The 'hero' is the character who the villains are going after while he is trying to get his memory back. In the end he would of got his memory back and then would be able to defeat the villains. The victim is a character who is somehow linked to the 'hero' and is targeted because of that. The victim is often a love interest as well. The villains is the ones chasing the 'hero' for their own benefits, and do not care who else they put in danger.

Camera work: Quick shots used to increase tension in action scenes (car chases and fighting). Tracking shots used for car chases so it is easy for the audience to follow it. Also extreme close ups used to emphasis an object and its importance such as a weapon which would be used later in the film. As well over the shoulder shots to show the audience who is talking in a conversation.

Settings: The majority of the film is in a busy city centre because in the chases whether running or in cars there is still the fact that innocent people would be endangered  The more violent and fighting scenes will be n places where the 'hero' and victim are alone so the audience know there is no one to help them it is down to them.

Generic conventions - Blade runner

Genre: Sci-Fi / Thriller

Narrative: The 'hero' will be informed about the robots that look like ordinary people. He will then go of trying to track them down but is finding it very difficult. It will start to look like he might fail but will receive help from the 'love interest' and together will come through it at the end.

Iconography: The use of cities being used as the main setting to give the audience the sense that it is closer to home than they thought. Dark confined spaces used to show entrapment of the person and make it seem that there is no way out. Also the use of shadows to build tension a mystery while also getting the audience to guess what is going to happen.

Characters: The 'hero' is the main character and is the one who tries to save others by going after the villains. The helper/side kick is the character that will help the hero when he needs it most. (This is also sometimes a love interest for the hero). The villains are in this case the robot human lookalikes that are out to defeat the hero and put many of other in danger doing so.

Camera work: It would be common for the speed of shots to increase at times to increase tension just before something happens. It might also use panoramic shots to set the location of a large city.

Settings: It uses a busy city setting because it means that the robots are hard to find and also it means that the 'hero' has to be careful not to in danger innocent lives. Also a busy city is similar to a large section of the audience and would make them feel that there is a possibility of it happening near them.

Opening credits

This is the opening credits that I made using live text. I am a bit disappointed because I forgot to add sound so I had to go back and add it. As well as that when it was exported it was not of good quality. However I think that I have learnt from this and when I do it again it would be vastly improved.

Quantum of Solace title sequence

Moodboard

I did a mood board looking more at cop thriller. It shows how suspense is created it the image of a persons shadow through a window. It also shows a couple of cop thrillers as well as the common black cop white cop and smart cop dumb cop. It also shows how lighting is used and in this case it is clear the characte is worrying about something.

Analysis of two thriller openings

Memento:
This opening engages the audience by showing them what is going to happen and get them to start to guess about how and why it has happened. It also introduces the audience to the characters but only shows a small part of them. This is done by the dialogue used between characters and by the inner monologue used. The opening shows mystery by having the first scene going backwards it shows the future but does not say how it got to that point. The opening titles are all done in the same blue font and shown before any movement so its on a still background, this keeps the audience guessing about what is being shown in the picture the character is holding. The music shows that this is a tragic opening scene and that it is a sad moment in the film, this is also shown to be the point when the two characters are shown to have previously been friends. Props have been placed separately so when having an extreme close up on them it is clear for the audience at what they should be taking note of, and it tells them about what has happened. It shows the bullet show you know that one of the characters has been shot and with the characters glasses on the floor away from everything it shows which one of them has been shot. The editing has been used so the speed of the shots quickly picks up just before the gun gets fired to highlight the tension in this scene and how quickly it all happened. The camera looks up at the main character to show that he is the one with the power and is in control of the situation. The opening scene being played in reverse shows that the rest of the film will be set before this, and that this is the ending.

Enemy of state:
The opening scene pulls the audience in because they want to know why an authority figure would have another killed and if he has gotten away with it. It also makes it look like he has gotten away with it because it is a very open and empty setting with no one around. It shows the authority figure a cruel unjust man who does anything to get his own way, but does not introduce any of the other characters of the film. This starts to  make the audience think that there is no one who can stand up to this man. It shows that the character is trying to get his way with a new law but is facing lots of problems with it. The shots highlight who is talking and to whom. So they will have close up shots on the one talking or they would have an over the shoulder shot, this is done to keep it simple and easy to follow for the audience. It uses long shots to highlight that it is a calm situation and that the authority character was in charge and knew what he was doing. The opening titles are shown at the same time as in the background the audience is being show where the film is based and the editing highlights the point of tracking people and how it is done everywhere. The music hints that there will be lots of action and tension in the film, this is done by the music having quite a fast pace to it and keeping with the editing. The shots highlight who is talking and to whom. So they will have close up shots on the one talking or they would have an over the shoulder shot, this is done to keep it simple and easy to follow for the audience. It uses long shots to highlight that it is a calm situation and that the authority character was in charge and knew what he was doing.