Classification 12

Our film will be rated 12 as there will be no misuse of drugs. Also there will be moderate physical and psychological threats but no disturbing sequences. There will also be moderate language but no sex or nudity. The themes will be mature and no violence. 
We know that by rating the film a 12 the audience will judge the film as being bland and not scary however other thriller films such as the women in black is also rated a 12 but still is a scary film,
We feel it should only be rated a 12, as yes in parts its scary however the whole feel of the the film isn't of a scary essence and the film doesn't include any types of nudity, drug abuse or language that could make the rating higher.

Choreography

- Arabesque - Leg to back

- Developpe derriere - Stretching of the leg to the back

- Demi Plie - Half a plie

- Grand Plie - Full plie

- Releve - Rise

- Pirouette - Turn with leg at the knee

- Port Des Bras - Bend forwards to backwards

- Waltz - Sways forwards and backwards using appropriate arms

- Positions: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th

Location Research

http://edendance.co.uk/edendance/Pages%20-%20Info/Dance%20Studio.htm 
Link to ballet studio ^

We could visit this ballet studio in Chesterton to film our thriller opening in the dance studio. We also could use Long Road's dance studio located in the drama block to also create the same effect of the private ballet lesson storyline.
We will wear ballet outfits to set the scene and create realistic look.  

 

The whole of our opening is going to be set in the drama studio specifically focusing on this setting and theme.

We have decided to use the drama studio at long road college for the setting of our opening thriller. We will have to book this setting at the college to ensure that we can have enough filming time to achieve our goals. The drama studio at college is a good setting for our thriller because it is very accessible for all of us, and it has the right look that we want. The mirrors in the dance studio will allow us to create a creepy thriller setting, as the reflection can be used to our advantage. It will also give us the opportunity to create shots which can trick the mind and show things to the viewer which the character cannot see.

Logo ideas for our 'Film Company'

On this design I would have the different images of film genres spinning into one circle like the Austen Powers image and becoming one image. Again the sign would be swinging below the images like it was hanging on the images. - Sophie O'Dell

This design when animated would have the image appearing from the camera, with the '28 productions' sign swinging below the camera as if it is hanging . The numbers would appear onto the projection after the image. - Sophie O'Dell

Chosen Idea - Private Ballet Lessons

Private ballet lesson in deserted ballet studio

Setting: Ballet Studio
Cast: Chloe Northrop, Emma Brand, Charlotte Byford, Sophie O'Dell
Filming: Harvey Mallot

Private teacher obsessed with student and so organises to have private lessons with her. He becomes obsessed with watching her every move and creepy ballet music will be played in the background to set the scene.  He look in on her through the glass windows in the ballet studio and there are snippets of his shadow moving across the room. A glimpse of him can be seen in the mirrors as he flashes past.

Soundtrack Idea's

The stereotypical ballerina' creepy music - Sugar plum fairy could be a idea, the music could be turned slower then faster/up beat when the tension rises, meaning the soundtrack fits the scene.
Another idea could be just a creepy tune we could make up using garageband.



Sugar Plum Fairy Tune - http://youtu.be/yR3XYpB5w0U
Black Swan Soundtrack- Nina's Dream http://youtu.be/SWDdARmq-lk
One Repbublic - Secrets  http://youtu.be/qHm9MG9xw1o

Mise En Scene

- Barre, part of the setting.

- Leotard for the ballerina's costume (Pink - Connotes innocence)

- Ballet shoes, part of ballerina's costume
- T-shirt for dancers

- Mirrors - part of the setting 

- Ballet Studio- setting

- Shorts/sweat pants  - for the teachers clothing

- T-shirt part of teachers clothing
- Music box for the quick shots 
- Poster for the quick shots

Make up : Natural faces for girls

Poster -

Brain-storming ideas

- Assassin - Female (Wants revenge?)

- CCTV

- Vampire (More than one, could create fear or tension within the audience)

- Darkness - Creates mystery

- Revenge - Can relate to any characters

- Deserted theme park/deserted train station - Eerie atmosphere and fits with conventions of Thriller

- Concealing the truth/lies - Creates enigmas

- Theft - Convention of Thriller

- Glamor - Stereotypical in relation to Thrillers

- Wealth - Allows anything to happen within the clip

- Perfection - plans, people

- Social Networking stalker - Anyone can relate

- Ballet Lesson - Ballet studio - A seeminly innocent and
safe setting

- Obsession - Makes the audience fearful

Sound Analysis of Case 342

In the thriller opening Case 342 a constant distorted non diegetic sound was played throughout creating an eerie uncertain atmosphere. The non diegetic voice over of the murderer explaining what happened represents the voice recording that the police are taking of him as he sits in the cell (shown at the beginning of the thriller). The information that the murderer was giving to the police was not completely contrapuntal but the visuals did not completely match to the voice over as he left out vital details such as; killing a person who was in the house and dragging the body from the bedroom to the bathroom. A sound bridge is used constantly throughout all the scenes, telling the story of the what happened the day that the victim was murdered.

Reservoir Dogs Analysis

Reservoir Dogs Analysis

The mise en scene in Reservoir Dogs includes the costumes. The men in the scene are wearing suits showing that they are important. Many characters in thriller movies wear suits. The lighting when they are in the house is quite dull but when they are walking outside it is quite bright. While they are in the house they are sitting round a table with playing cards so t becomes apparent that they are playing poker. The house also looks just like a normal house, so you may think that it would not be the location of a thriller.

The cinematography includes close ups of the characters while they are walking down the road. This is also when the credits are being shown. The close ups show us what the characters facial expressions are. This could help us work out their emotions but all of their faces are blank with no real expression. There is also long shot while they are walking towards the car which shows all of the main characters together. By this you may be able to tell who is more important as they may be in the front of the shot or in the centre and the other characters could be framing him.

There is diegetic speech when they are playing poker and the rest is a non diegetic theme tune. However it is quite hard to understand what they say at the start, which makes you think about what they could be saying. This theme tune could become a character theme later on in the film but we do not know this from just the opening.

The editing in Reservoir Dogs includes a cut between the different characters when the credits are being shown. This type of cut is very common in thrillers as it cuts easily between scenes but it does not ruin the tension that is being built up.

The opening sequence of Reservoir Dogs follows the thriller conventions. But it doesn’t follow all the conventions as there is no violence or enigmas immediately set up which usually happens in thriller openings. However I think that is does fit the thriller genre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzMpH9jjo4w

Evaluation of T1 - 22

-Holding a shot steady where appropriate:
The shot of the water tray in the darkroom was slightly shaky, so we would say this shot was done proficiently, although it was effective how you could not quite see the image clearly which provoked thoughts of uncertainty about what could happen. During other shots the camera was very steady and the message through the images was portrayed well.

-Framing a shot:
We thought that the photograph of the girl was framed very well. The shot of the darkroom water trays was sort of off center, but we think this works because it makes it seem like it is from someone's viewpoint. The shots of the camera were interesting and different and there was a variety of different shots from different close up angles, which was intriguing. The shot at the end of someone's mouth and finger is very well framed with it right in the center with shadows framing the sides and the top of her face. The newspaper articles were also framed well and the way they flashed onto the screen meant it didn't matter that much if they were perfectly centered.

-Using a variety of shot distances:
Most of the shots were close ups, but we thought this worked effectively as it created an intense atmosphere and didn't give too much away. This also showed us more detail of the images they chose. This again made it look as if the shots were taken from somebodies viewpoint, or maybe from inside the cameras that were shown while zoomed in, due to the theme of photography.

Shooting material appropriate to the set task:
The setting was very appropriate to the task as it was in a typical creepy thriller setting inside a darkroom, limited light plays with the viewers mind as the images seem distorted and not everything is clear.

-Selecting appropriate mise en scene:
All of the props used were very appropriate as they all related to the theme of the film, the cameras, pictures and water all worked well together for creating an eerie atmosphere and uncertainty of what they all meant in relation to each other. We did think that the the pink nail varnish one of the actors was wearing broke the tension slightly as it instantly gave away that the suspect was a female and took away from the mystery of the storyline.

-Editing so that the meaning is apparent to the viewer:
Short snippets of each shot increased the pace of the scene and represented the key themes of the thriller. They were well edited together and produced a smooth and flowing scene. The credits were edited in well as they did not take away from the tension, however the credits did not look quite as professional and advanced as the rest of the film did.

-Using transitions appropriate to the task:
The transitions were all very smooth and did not take away from the atmosphere or break the tension, the film ran very smoothly and looked professional and there was a variety of transitions shown, such as when the water tray was zoomed into and then zoomed out of another image. We thought the transitions were very appropriate for a thriller film, as sometimes they were quite quick and how they were sharp and snappy clearly represented the building fear and unusual thoughts.

 -Using sound with images and editing in an appropriate way:
A constant beat and the sound of footsteps was used throughout the film which built lots of tension and made it sound like something was about to happen. The crackling sound over the top also added to the dramatic thriller theme as the distorted sound related to the distorted images. We thought all sounds used were very appropriate for a typical thriller film.

-Using title appropriately:
The title clearly related to the storyline due to the main theme clearly being based around looking and seeing. Having 'The Exhibit' as a title could also signify how there is more to something than meets the eye, as at an exhibition there is always a meaning behind things. We also think the title makes it sound like an intriguing film as it sounds quite vague.

-Using genre conventions in a creative way:
We thought the film was very creative and used lots of creative props that clearly related to the genre. They were not clear full images of the objects therefore intrigued us into the story line even more. Using the dark room as a setting for the majority of the thriller opening created an eerie dark atmosphere straight away, signifying the thriller genre.

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Evaluation group 12S1-28 RIFT.

Good points:
A variety of different shot types were used including a tracking shot following him along the path as he walks along, a panning shot was then used as the camera turned around him. A variety of shot distances was used as they  used long shots to set the location that he was walking along the street and then they also used close ups  so the audience could see what he was reading.
A good use of editing was used including on the credits to make them more interesting and so they weren't just past of the background  and they fitted with the thriller feel and each persons name was credited.
Editing was also used as they cut between each headline in the paper which caught the audience's eye well and created tension as they wonder what it meant.
Mise-en-scene in the clip included the man in the sequence wearing a suit and he had a brief case so then the audience understands he maybe some kind of business man.
Non diegetic sound included a kind of soundtrack but it just included a variety of different noises which confused us as the audience, it made us wonder what the noise is for, it creates tension and at a point of quick fast transitions we hear the music louder and it matches the speed of the transitions.
Quick transition in the clip increased the  tension further and was appropriate to the clip

Bad points:
Many of the shots were quite shaky so it was obvious that they didn't use a tripod and this made it feel  unprofessional and stopped the thrilling feel.

Overall the opening sequence of RIFT did follow many of the thriller conventions and it did create a lot of tension for the audience, it created a few enigmas that including - Why was he walking and where was he going? What's so significant about him reading the paper?  What will happen next...?

Enemy of the state ( Thriller) opening

Film : Enemy of the state ( thriller)

Introduction sequence-

Enemy of the state is a thriller movie which was released in 1998, it s directed by Tony scott and starts Will Smith, Gene Hackman and Jon Voight

Mise en scene in the Sequence includes  costumes, the scene includes black suits with the tie’s and glasses giving the secretive government look which its trying to portray. Many thriller movies are to do with the government which this film follows. The other mis en scene in the opening sequence is the obvious lighting,  the lighting is used to lure the audience into a big sequence and this is obviously shown in the opening sequence of this film.

Cinematography in the opening sequence includes the use of fast editing and close ups on the characters reaction to give true show of emotion and get the audience’s minds racing its also used against the long shot to give a distorted feel which is very effective in this sequence.

Sound included in the opening sequence plays a vital row as it carries us through the start of the film, it creates the mood and atmosphere setting the audience right into the film this is also common in most thrillers as it sets the thrilling/ heart racing mood.  The start of non diagetic music happens when the character Phil’s arm is grabbed, this starts a Slow tempo orchestra type of music, which gives the audience a sense of disturbance bringing across this sad kinda feel, the music suddenly changes when Phil is murdered the music drastically changes into this fast tempo kind of music  which is combined with fast handheld camera movements and we see close ups of the needle, this gives the audience a shocking feel combined with a sadness and a thrilling feel as it is a thriller movie.

The narrative is shown throughout this opening sequence and it makes us ask a lot of questions about the movie and what might happen,  THe enemy of state posts a variety of different questions including... Will Voyeuriusm be abused? Why was it important to kill Phil? Who will be the next victim? The opening sequence tells us that teh wrong people are in control.

To conclude the opening sequence follows many of the Thriller conventions we have learnt about however it doesn’t fit all of the conventions as during this opening sequence no gun/ weapon is used to kill Phil its a injection which doesn’t follow the usual thriller genre?However even though it doesn’t follow all the Thriller conventions how come Enemy of the state is still seen as a thriller movie?




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcKR5X5cz7g -  Opening sequence

Analysis of 'The Sixth Sense' Opening Sequence

Information contained in the opening:
The first thing we see in this film is the white title appearing on a black screen, which makes the title stand out and look important. The title also gives us information about the story line of the film, as from the words 'The Sixth Sense' we can tell this film is going to be about supernatural things. From where the opening sequence is set we see this film is set in a house. A close up of some cards on a fireplace makes it look like there are children living in this house; which introduces characters to us in a different way. The framing of a man and a woman character in the same shot together makes us assume that they are together as partners, or married.

Use of cinematography:
There is a close up of a light bulb slowly appearing from the darkness at the beginning, which looks creepy. There is then an interesting mid-shot of a woman through some wooden bars, as if someone is watching her and we can see her from their point of view, but then she looks straight at the camera which is different and unexpected which shows us this film isn't going to be the same as every other film. The framing of the woman after this shows her right at the edge of the shot, which makes her look very alone. There is another interesting shot in the opening sequence, where the characters are filmed together in the reflection of a frame rather than just a normal shot of them together, which again shows this film is different and original.

Construction of enigmas: The way the mid-shot through the wooden bars makes it look like someone is watching the woman character shows us there are going to be hidden things in the film as our viewpoint here is hidden behind something whilst watching a character. At one point in the opening sequence when a shadow flashes past, this tells us there is an intruder inside their house but it doesn't yet tell us who, we have to wait and continue watching to find out.

Use of sound to create atmosphere, tone and genre: The first thing we hear is violins playing as the titles show, playing in a slow, menacing way and growing louder , then slow and solemn piano playing as the titles show. This creates lots of tension and a creepy and dramatic atmosphere. The second sound we hear is the sound of someone's footsteps growing closer, which makes us think something is about to happen. The diegetic sound of the woman character breathing heavily is the only sound we can hear for a while to increase the build up of tension, as to what might happen to her. When she is upstairs with the male character there is romantic diegetic music playing in the background of their conversation, which further establishes the relationships between characters as we can tell they are romantically involved. After the characters know there is something in their house, there is a diegetic sound of rustling, which builds the suspense as to what it could be. After they find the man in their bathroom there is some diegetic speech and the man shouts, which shows the drama.

Use of mise en scene:
The clothing in the opening sequence when the characters put on a cardigan and jumper shows how cold their house is, which builds tension as it makes it seem creepier. The props that are used when the characters find their personal items smashed on the floor show us that something bad is obviously going on.

Use of editing:
When the shots are cut from a shot of the couple together, to a shot of their reflection this seems like it might be trying to show them differently, or that something is hidden. When there are shots from the intruder's face to the man's face to the woman's face this shows us all of their reactions to each other and the tension between them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44VRhcFxFF4

Analysis of 'The Reeds' - Sophie O'Dell

Information contained in the opening: Everyone appears to be living normal lives, havin a good time, until a sudden movment is seen in the long grass and the atmosphere, time of day and music changes. From this moment it seems that only bad things are then to happen tothe people involved and there is a clear element of death throughout the rest of the film. The opening sequence highlights the worst most intense parts of the film to heighten the intensity and prepare us for what is to come.

Sound: From the very beginning there is a non-diegetic high pitch contstant ringing sound which is mixed in with a lower sound. These two sounds are played over top of the action all the waythrough the opening. As the movement increases so does the pace of the music and the beat becomes stronger to a constant drum beat. Near to the end when the action then stops and the title appears the music quietens and becomes the sound that was played before. Leaving us intrigued by what is going to happen. Under the non-diegetic music, diegetic sound is played such screams the sound of rippling water on the river, heavy breathing and the rustling of the grass. This creates a cutting atmosphere leaving us panicked and disturbed by the actions we are seing.

Enigma: The opening didnt let onto what this creature was in the long grass which was the key element to why the mood changed of the film from happy to dark and eerie. We are unbeknown to what these people are running from, and being held back from finding. And why there is such fear and terror in the characters faces.

Cinematography: The camera work in the starts of with an establishing shot of a man peacefully gliding down the river on his canoe, and then a mid shot of a women driving in her car, continuing onto a man getting out of his car and stretching and a couple dancing in a field. But inbetween these shots there were fast, snappy camera shots tracking a creature which was moving through the reeds beside the river.  Once the gun shot sounded there was a long shot of a flock of birds taking flight andf flying over the river. Continuing onto a long shot of the sun setting which had been obviously speeded up showing the change in time and atmosphere giving the film a darkened mnood. Quick shots of emotions and dark landscapes were then shown, revealing peoples emotions and snippets of the film to come. Most of these shots were tracking shots of people running and moving quickly trying to escape from something we are unbeknown to. The use of high angled shots are fequent throughout this opening sequence showing that there is a certain power being held over these people. Watching over them. Most of the shots are also done close up to the action and really draw your attention to the detail of the characters face or the object thats being focused on.

Editing: The scenes have been edited so that the characters reactions and emotions almost react to each other. The shots have been cut so they are short and snappy and draw attention to just particular important moments. The frames have also been faded in and out of one another clearly showing the change in scenery. The non diegetic and diegetic sound has also been edited so that you can still here snippets of diegtic sound along side the non diegetic sound which creates the atmosphere.

Mise en Scene: The costumes for the characters are very realistic, they just show that they are normal people who do normal every day things. Even when people start to turn into the zombie type creatures their costumes remain the same but their make up is obviously different E.g. a girl is shown with her eye blown out and a really pale face. Things such as their hair and make up change as the time goes on, in the rain their hair is wet and stuck to their faces and the womens make up is black round their eyes. The settings of the film all shown to be around the same place amongst 'The Reeds' and in the river. It seemsa as though the action is only taken place through the night and the bad weather. Obviously then creating more of a thriller atmosphere for the audience. Props such as dummies are also used when there is a low shot under water showing a body floating on the surface.

Graphics: The only graphics which were used in this film thriller opening was the gun shot explosions and the intenified flames of the fire. From this clip I can only see natural sourced action and not a lot of graphical ajustmnents such as extra explosions, animation or transformations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycbIC3dfeWo

Wir sind die Nacht (We Are The Night) 2010 Dennis Gansel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54u4ZfuOpuU


In the opening sequence of the film We Are The Night we see various pictures of women and scenes in history behind the opening credits and halfway through you hear dialogue. The opening credits cut and we are shown the front of a plane which is clearly driving itself and then taken through the plane past many dead bodies and onto three women.  This establishing they are the cause of the damage which is then clearly stated in the speech between the women.

Questions that the audience may be asking could be; who are these women? Are they really vampires? Why did they kill all these people?

The cinematography used whilst establishing the setting and damage is a low angle tracking shot. We also see an extreme long shot of the cloud and plane beforehand which could also be considered and establishing shot. The shots used when focusing on the women in the plane are generally medium shots and medium close ups. This could be used to signify lack of facial expression and emotion.

The mise en scene in this shot doesn’t suggest anything out the ordinary other than the excessive amounts of blood. The plane interior looks very elegant and elegant as it is very pale colors like white and grey. The victims are all wearing very expensive looking clothing, most dominantly business suits, which are juxtaposed to the three women’s clothing. One wears a black dress, another colored dress and the last one a black jacket and trousers.

The transitions within this scene are very sharp and quick cuts. This could be to create speed and to show a sense of urgency.

Within this scene there is very little sound, other than diagetic sound and slight sound from the plane. This could have been done to create tension within the scene as we can hear every move they make. But they can also hear every move made. This is shown when she turns in the aisle after clearly hearing something and discovers a girl in the bathroom. 

Inception- Code and conventions

Does Inception use thriller conceptions and how does it use them?

Inception is a move thats directed and written by Christopher Nolan.

I think that inception is a thriller movie because if follows the tiller conversions. The target audience for this movie I think would been Teenagers to Middle Age. I feel that if your too young then this film is to complex to understand and I think after middle age it wouldn’t really interest the older Adults.

The first conventions i’m going to look at it s ‘narratives centers around a crime’ I think this is followed in inception is the whole idea is about planting an idea in this mans mind which in theory is illegal. This is a new crime to be seen in inception and its more of a 21st century crime as it uses high amounts of technology thats not been seen yet in the real world or in past thrillers.

The second convention is ‘the protagonist is fallible and has an ‘achilles heel’ that is exploited by the antagonist’ this is also used in inception through the character Mol, who in Inception is both the protagonist and antagonist as she follows the role of Cobbs Wife. She appears as projections throughout the movie and ruins many of there missions that they carry out. They portrayed the character mole through cinematography.

Another convention is ‘A series of/ one important enigma(s) are/is set up in the opening sequence of the film, is further complicated during the first part of the film and only resolved at the very end’ this is also seen in inception 

A theme seen during the film of inception is that of Mistaken identity as throughout the film we hear about people  believing ( especially Mol’s parents) that Cobb in fact killed Mol rather then killing herself however during the final sequences of the film we do find out that Cobb planted an idea in Mol’s head that made her think the dream world was the real world so when she got to the real world eventually she didn’t believe it and in fact killed herself however, he was still mistaken and didn’t in fact kill her.

Another theme used in Inception is that of seeing and reflecting, this is used throughout Inception as cut scenes of Mol appear and we all know Cobb is feeling guilty for what happened in the past and we see times of guilty memories from Cobb when this happens. Another Used of seeing and reflecting is when we keep seeing the same shot of Cobbs two childrens sitting in the garden however we never see there faces, this clip is shown throughout the film to reinforce Cobbs guilt he has of not being able to see his children.

The convention of ‘Micro elements combine in a build up of suspense’ This is seen in the film when Ariadne and Cobb are in Cobb’s self conscience and all of the projections begin to look at her as she changes things in there world, this all builds up with them first staring at her and in the end bumping into her. Music is all added to this and in the end Mol turns up and stabs her..

The convention ‘The narrative presents ordinary situations in which extraordinary things happen’  This is used in many scenes however the one that shows is the best I think is when Cobb and Ariadne are sitting in a cafe outside in France which is a ordinary situation however suddenly Coffee and plants and fruit begin to fly everywhere and the world is suddenly changing with things flying around which shows the extraordinary things happen as Fruit and tables don’t usually begin to fly.

The convention of ;The protagonist will be seen 'in peril' in one or more scenes before the resolution’. This is also used in Inception as before the end the protagonist that we know is Mol is shown upset and crying in the scene at which Cobb goes back to there made up world and they have a in depth conversation. During this scene we find a lot about Mols and cobs relationship and why she killed herself, Mol in fact pleads Cobb to stay with her and this is showing her ‘in peril’

In conclusion I agree that ‘inception’ could be considered as a thriller movie because looking at the evidence of the codes and conventions it follows each one with evidence that it is fits the Trillers genre’s guide lines.