Maisie's Research (4 openings)

Kill Bill

Time: 00.00 - 02.00

Camerawork

• Spectators are looking down on her in a BEV shot; she is at her most vulnerable state
• Restricted narration of second character's body; creates enigma
• Close up; isolated, main focus
• Positioned to the left of frame; more natural
• Tracking shot; shows setting

Tracking shot of second character walking towards first

Sound

• Her heavy breathing is very loud and is the only audible sound, possible Foley
• Sound bridge of footsteps; builds tension and enigma
• Dialogue; patronizing, establishes character
• Gun sound effect; builds tension and the character, possible Foley
• Music; runs parallel, conveys sadness

Mise en scene

• Desaturation; adds to the mood of the scene, suggests past event
• Clothing; suggests they are wealthy, connection between characters (black suit and veil - marriage?)
• Facial expression; spectators can connect with characters, emotional
• Lighting; soft, one side of her face, sinister atmosphere

Editing

• Parallel editing; aids sound bridge, creates connection
• Transitions; cut (main), continuity of time, setting and sound
• Cuts to black, signalling finality; fast and sudden like the gunshot, shock effect

First character in discomfort, frightened of second character

Time: 00.00 - 02.00

Camerawork

• Spectators are looking down on her in a BEV shot; she is at her most vulnerable state
• Restricted narration of second character's body; creates enigma
• Close up; isolated, main focus
• Positioned to the left of frame; more natural
• Tracking shot; shows setting

Tracking shot of second character walking towards first

Sound

• Her heavy breathing is very loud and is the only audible sound, possible Foley
• Sound bridge of footsteps; builds tension and enigma
• Dialogue; patronizing, establishes character
• Gun sound effect; builds tension and the character, possible Foley
• Music; runs parallel, conveys sadness

Mise en scene

• Desaturation; adds to the mood of the scene, suggests past event
• Clothing; suggests they are wealthy, connection between characters (black suit and veil - marriage?)
• Facial expression; spectators can connect with characters, emotional
• Lighting; soft, one side of her face, sinister atmosphere

Editing

• Parallel editing; aids sound bridge, creates connection
• Transitions; cut (main), continuity of time, setting and sound
• Cuts to black, signalling finality; fast and sudden like the gunshot, shock effect

First character in discomfort, frightened of second character

Inception

Time: 00.00 - 02.00

Camerawork

• POV shot; establishes setting, gives spectators perspective
• Focus pull; sense of nausea
• Steadicam; nauseating, shows character
• Close up; anticipation, isolation, importance
• Restricted narration; backs of children/old man, enigmatic
• Long shots; distant, connection with spectators/man, emotional
• Zoom; isolation, anticipation

Focus pull of the children

Sound

• Music; calming and quiet, runs parallel, builds to crescendo, changes with setting (gravitas, importance)
• Waves; loud, showing setting, possible Foley (emphasis?)
• Children's voices; shows character, Foley?

Mise en scene

• Facial expression; emotional, shows character
• Clothing; grubby jacket shows inferiority, suit shows high status
• Gun; action, close up builds tension, enigma of why the man has a gun, protection?
• Spinning top; creates enigma, clue for story
• Setting/location; shows wealth for older man (long table, own security), nationality, man on beach shouldn't be there
• Lighting; bright golden light, natural, positive, darker inside, sinister

CU on gun and spinning top

MCU of elderly man, restricted narration of his identity

Editing

• Transitions; cut, keeps continuity
• Subtitles, helps spectators know what's going on (enigma of the choice of location)
• Slow motion; dream-like, aids nauseating effect

North By North-West

Time: 00.00 - 02.00

Camerawork

• Long shots; establishes setting
• Wide frame; shows how much action is going on, no main focus at first
• Medium shots; spectators focused on them, shows characters (protagonist?)
• Tracking; flows, hear entire conversation, spectators can connect with the characters 

Sound

• Music; parallel, fast paced, upbeat, stringed instruments convey restless atmosphere
• Dialogue; fast, conveys atmosphere
• Footsteps, loud and fast, parallel with atmosphere; possible Foley to emphasize frantic movement

Mise en scene

• Facial expressions; focused, conveys atmosphere, sometimes calm, slightly less stressed (people around them show anger and frustration)
• Clothing; smart, wealthy, high status
• Lighting; natural, same lighting across frame

Editing

• Transitions; cut, keeps continuity
• Titles fit with the action, they slide in with the characters' movement, helps the overall effect of the busy city

Multiple shots connected by cuts shows that this is happening all over the place at the same time.

Two characters amongst the bustling crowd

The MCU shows their importance to the film and the enigma of why they're so important to created. When they get into the taxi, the camera is fully focused on them. They sit relatively close together, creating a connection between them and adding to the enigma.

Minority Report

Time: 00.00 - 02.00


The first few seconds of the sequence are unclear as the shot is completely out of focus. There is then a focus pull followed by two more, where the spectators can finally see what is happening. It then cuts to a distorted image of some scissors, which are iconographic to the specified genre.

Out-of-focus slow motion shot, giving a dream-like effect

The music is quite harrowing and the stringed instruments give a tense atmosphere to the sequence, running almost contrapuntal to the sensual and slow opening. Also, the non-diegetic sounds behind the music are unsettling, signalling to the spectators that something isn't right.

The sound effects and music have also been distorted. The music fades in and out, slowly building up to a crescendo. The sound effects are brought up, such as the stabbing with the scissors, to give them emphasis.

The shot types are mainly close ups, to see facial expressions and to give the sequence a sense of insanity and discomfort. The opening starts off slow but the frequency of the editing increases, quickly cutting from each subject. The colour of the image is slightly desaturated and the high contrast lighting adds to the effect of instability, giving the atmosphere a sinister sense. Most of the shots are canted, as an addition to the frantic and almost maddening sequence.

Canted shot, suggests instability

Facial expressions shows the gravitas of the situation, pain and terror

The shots appear to be in non-chronological order; the brutal murder of the woman is shown several times and some shots show things that have happened in the past (or future). This continues the effect of instability and creates an enigma, as the spectators are constantly questioning what is going on and what the significance of all this is. Some of the shots are in slow motion, fast forward and in reverse to add to the distorted effect.

The distortion of the music and the shots gives this sequence a very dream-like sense, as if someone is remembering it. It makes the spectators question why it's been edited like this before it is answered later in the clip and, evidently, the film.

Storyboard Voiceover Script

Shot 1

• This shot will be an extreme close up with a focus pull to a shallow depth of field.
• From this shot to shot five we will use a dissolve transition with low key to give an eerie effect.
• We will use dark, slow, parallel non-diegetic sound throughout these as well. 
• The words on the paper will be iconographic to thriller genre and context, such as, personal and criminal details.

Shot 2

• This shot is a tracking shot mainly aimed at following the protagonist's hand.

Shot 3

• Shot three is an ECU of the woman speaking into a voice recorder. This ECU will create emphasis and draw our attention to what she's saying rather than who she is - creating an enigma.
• We will use a voiceover sound bridge over these shots of the dialogue being recorded by the voice recorder.

Shot 4

• This is a long shot which contains blocking with large depth of field so that the object blocking the camera will be out of focus. We will use a focus pull to focus on the pin board which will have photos of her victims and information of their location.

Shot 5

• Here, we will use an upward movement of the camera to create restricted narration and then reveal the criminal record. The restricted narration creates tension and is used commonly in our researched thriller openings.

Shot 6

• This is a tracking shot of a newspaper headline, it is an ECU which is slowly revealed, creating tension.

From shot six to fourteen the music builds to a crescendo, after fourteen we hear silence and dialogue.

Shot 7

• This shot is a POV shot to involve the spectator further.

Shot 8

• This is another ECU of the protagonist's eye this will show facial expression and reaction to the records. The crescendo will be fully built here with use of some diegetic sound also. We will also use foleys to emphasise certain sounds (the chair scraping along the floor).

Shot 9/10/11/12/13

• Here we will use match on action to increase the frequency of the shots parallel to the sound. Shots nine and ten will be ECU. Shot eleven is a medium shot. With twelve returning to a ECU. Shot thirteen (CU) is more match on action of the woman picking up the phone and holding it to her ear. We will see her lips moving here.

Shot 14

• At shot fourteen the music will stop completely and a sound bridge of her voice will continue.

Shot 15

• This transition will be a fade, which will lower the pace and return to the original sinister speed.

Here cross cutting will begin.


Shot 16

• Shot sixteen will be an OTS shot of the protagonist preparing to leave to look for the antagonist. The lighting will be back lighting casting a shadow in front of the woman.

Shot 17

• Shot seventeen is a cross cut back to the antagonist (OTS shot, eye level angle) looking at a metal, boring interrogation like chair bathed in a spotlight.

Shot 18

• This shot is a cut to an ECU birds eye view of the protagonist's hand grabbing a set of keys.

Shot 19

• Shot nineteen is a ECU tracking shot at a low angle of the antagonists hand scraping along the chair. This creates a creepy and sinister impression.

Shot 20

• Shot twenty is a CU low angle of the woman stretching to put her key in the door. We will have key lighting from above shining down on the door handle. 

Shot 21/22/23

• Here we have swapped shot twenty one and twenty two, which will link with twenty three with a fade, creating the sense that the cross cutting is over. Shot twenty one is a CU tracking shot, eye level. Shot twenty two is a LS of the antagonist walking towards the camera that leads into a dissolve transition. Shot twenty three is an ELS at a high angle of the protagonist walking towards the camera on an urban night time street. We will use the natural lighting of the street lamps shining down on her to create a natural spotlight.

Shot 24

• Shot twenty four is a crab shot, eye level angle, MCU to show her disorientation and confusion.

Shot 25/26

• Shot twenty five and twenty six will be merged into one POV shot as the protagonist walks around the corner and encounters the antagonist in a quick flash. Moving on to a cut to black.

Shot 27

• We will use several fades here to create the sense of her regaining consciousness, shot twenty eight will be a POV shot of her legs with a shaky tilt upwards leading to a match on action showing her eyes looking up the rest of the way.

Shot 28/29/30

• Match on action will also be created here, where the protagonist will be seen beside the blocking of the main light source at a high angle, ELS. We will use a focus pull here.

Shot 31

• Shot thirty one is returning to an ECU of her eyes looking back down as she sees something that the spectator doesn't see, creating restricted narration. A foley will be used to create footsteps in the background, representing, what or who she sees (creating an enigma).

Shot 32

• Shot thirty two is an OTS, high angle shot of the antagonist speaking to the protagonist breaking the silence. He is in silhouette, though she is entirely vulnerable, creating restricted narration and an enigma as to who he is.

(Post written by Jack Bumstead)

Storyboard Animatic

This is our storyboard animatic for our opening. This, coupled with a second animatic with a voiceover will demonstrate in depth our planning and idea for our final thriller opening.


Due to technical difficulties we've been unable to upload our voiceover animatic. However, this will be uploaded as soon as possible.

(post written by Jack Bumstead)

Props/Costumes/Make-up

Props

Main props:

• Newspaper
• Criminal records - the image of the criminal must be a sketch, as his face is unknown
  
• Voice recorder
• Household item - in which Ghost uses to knock Abigail unconscious (rolling pin?)

The newspaper and criminal records will have to be made using either Photoshop, Word or a template found on the internet, because we need to try and make them look as realistic as possible. This is because most of the camera shots will be ECUs, so attention to detail is important. The voice recorder could be a number of things, from a phone to an actual sound recorder.

Other minor props will include more papers for when Abigail is researching, but they can be blank because the camera will not be focusing on them, therefore the audience won't pay much attention to them.

Costumes

Our film is set during modern day so our characters will be wearing modern clothes. Abigail's detective clothes will consist of a macintosh or jacket, trousers and shoes/boots. They will be mostly dark material and she need to be able to move freely.

Ghost will wear more informal clothes, such as a jacket, jeans and sneakers. As he is a very mysterious character, he needs to be able to move around silently, so soft material is important to make him as quiet as possible. He will need to wear either a mask or a scarf to hide his face (a mask will be seen as more threatening), so either an actual face mask or a hockey mask.

Make-up

There won't be much to do for make-up. Abigail could wear usual make-up, and the only other make-up includes a bruise for when after Abigail is knocked out.




(post by Maisie Woodley)

Characters

Characters (roles)



Detective Abigail Ward - Character profile
Played by: Katherine Hastings

Personality -

• Extremely clever - a young prodigy
• Straightforward thinking
• Proactive

Appearance -

• Dark, medium length hair
• Medium height
• Modern clothes; jeans, shirt (long coat? boots?)
• Around late 20s, early 30s

Ghost - Character profile
Played by: Jack Bumstead

Personality -

• Insane, but clever
• Enigmatic
• Possible sentimental side

Appearance -

• Face mainly hidden by mask/scarf
• Tall
• Dark clothes, jacket, jeans, boots
• Middle-aged

(post by Maisie Woodley)

Script

Script

 

Red writing - stage directions

[opens with Abigail doing research, speaking into recorder, early morning]

Abigail: The date is 31st March, 2014 (pause) My research has lead me to believe that the criminal in question, who goes by the name of Ghost, committed his first crime of murder (pause) on the 7th June 2009...

[dissolves to second shot of Abigail continuing strenuous research, afternoon]

Abigail: ...trying to find his current whereabouts (sigh) but have found nothing. He's too fast and leaves no trace. From my deductions, I have discovered that he moves every fortnight (pause) closing in on another victim...

[another dissolve, evening]

Abigail: ...strikes again. The police didn't manage to catch him and yet another innocent civilian falls victim to his (pause) cruel ways. That makes (pause) five in total. I need to act soon...

[dissolves again, night]

Abigail: (long pause before picking up recorder) The date is (pause) 12th May, 2014. I have got no further with my research (long pause) Ghost is still out there and is planning his next victim as I speak. I haven't been able to conclude his current location due to lack of evidence, and I fear this case is at a loss (long sigh) If that is to be the outcome (pause) I see no further purpose in continuing re-

[stops speech when she sees an article showing a recent sighting]

Abigail: (grabs papers, hopeful that this is a step forward, reads) Oh my god (continues reading, then picks up phone) Hello? (pause) Yes. I think I've got him.

[cuts to black]
[cross cutting between Abigail getting ready to go out and the new character, Ghost, pacing around a lone chair]

[the two characters finally meet when Ghost knocks Abigail out and she wakes up tied to chair, a spotlight above her]

[she stares ahead at something the audience can't see, then Ghost walks into view]

Ghost: Hello, Miss Ward.




(post by Maisie Woodley)

Synopsis

Synopsis

Underlined = Opening

Number 1 Detective Abigail Ward is given a new case; to track down a mass murderer named Ghost and bring them to justice. His name was given to him due to the fact that he is never caught after he kills, and no one has seen his face. She sets about researching and locating him. Meanwhile, Ghost is planning to capture his next victim, and he's already got his eye on Detective Ward. Abigail starts searching for him and her loose leads bring her to a disused house. As Abigail tries to find Ghost, she's knocked out and captured. She wakes up tied to a chair in a dark room with one light, and Ghost appears.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Psycho

He reveals he's been tracking her, as he's done with past victims. He shows her pictures of herself that he's taken covertly, which she is horrified at. He begins to interrogate her and threaten her, saying he'll torture her if she doesn't remove him from the criminal records and leave him be. Abigail tries to reason with him, saying that he is dangerous and is needed to be taken in, but this only ends up angering him and her getting knocked out again. This time, she wakes up strapped to a table. Ghost demands that she removes his name, but she declines. So the torturing begins and Ghost does this in several ways, from scratching her skin to whipping. He keeps her locked away for weeks that turn into months, torturing her when he feels it necessary and to calm his crazed heart. Along side this, however, Ghost allows Abigail rest and food, almost showing a softer side to him. Abigail tries to gain his trust, trying to find his good side and tell him that he could stop what he was doing. He reveals his identity, but Ghost doesn't fall for her rhetoric.

As the torturing continues, it becomes apparent that the police are now looking for Abigail. This doesn't deter Ghost. In fact, he uses this to his advantage. He sends out recorded video messages to the police and government saying he'll release Abigail if they take his name off the records and leave him alone. If not, he will kill her. He aids this by showing images of the now severely weak Abigail. The police give in and say they will obey, which surprises Ghost. He gives them the location and the police go to rescue Abigail.

They arrive and find a masked Ghost with Abigail, holding a gun to her head. He demands to see the papers and tells them to burn them. A policeman takes out the papers reluctantly and sets them alight. Delighted, Ghost willingly releases Abigail. As the police begin to leave, Ghost cheerfully rummages around in the last few ashes of the papers. He then quickly realises that they were fake, a decoy so that he would release Abigail without any fuss. He is furious and goes to shoot Abigail, but hesitates. He remembers that this woman tried to see the good in him and genuinely cared for him. He wants to shoot her, but he feels he can't. In the end, the police turn their guns on him and he is killed.

Over time, whilst Abigail recovers, she is happy that the insane man is put to rest and society is safe, but also shows remorse, as she knows he could have backed down and none of this madness would have happened. The film ends with Abigail recovering and reminiscing in hospital.




(post by Maisie Woodley)

Role List

Role List

Lighting:   Jack

Camera:    Maisie

Sound Editing:     Luke

Visual Editing:     Luke, Jack, Maisie

Director:    Jack, Maisie, Luke

Prop and Costume:     Jack and Luke

Storyboard artist:    Luke

Camera assistant:     Jack

Location scout:     Jack, Maisie, Luke

Casting Director:     Jack

(post by Luke Winterburn)

Lighting Decisions

Lighting Decisions

We have decided to use low key lighting in our film, we hope it will create a neo noir style and chiaroscuro visual effect. We have decided this because of the research we have done leading to use discovering that most thriller films contain low key lighting.

• Here is a screengrab from the thriller movie 'Drive' which we have researched. This screengrab demonstrates low key lighting being used to the Thriller films advantage; creating an eerie and mysterious impression.

(post by Luke Winterburn)

Audience, Locations and Risk Assessment (Health and Safety)

As part of our research and planning into audience, we looked at several films from the Pearl and Dean website, specifically the audience section.

We have discovered that the common target audience with thriller films is:

Age: 15-24 yrs
Social Class (P and D website): C1 upper middle class
Gender %: 50-50

We therefore decided to use this age rating, gender and social class for our film.

 Locations

We decided to use the dark room as our location for the last interrogation because it is in the college making it easily accessible and the fact it can be made completely dark or red, making it perfect for our thriller film.

The health and safety hazards in this room would be the equipment and chemicals used in the dark room. It is also quite a small place with lots of equipment, coupled with the darkness makes many trip hazards.



(post by Luke Winterburn)

Luke, Kill Bill (4)

Camera
There is a long take which contains an extreme close up of the protagonists face. This long take and ECU creates suspense due to the lack of shot diversity showing us the surrounding, this also creates enigma and restricted narration. The next is also a long take but this time it is a mid shot of a persons silhouette. The fact the camera doesn't move or change creates restricted narration which is common in the thriller genre.

Lighting
Low key lighting is used in the first shot to light one half of her face and leave the other in shadow this tells us there are tow side to this character thus creating enigma over what sort of character she is. The lighting in the second shot is also low key and creates the silhouette of a person, the silhouette creates mystery over who that character is and where the are and what they are doing, therefore it raises allot of questions.

Editing
The sequence has been editing so that it is black and white, this shows that all the life has drained from the character we are looking at, the extremely de-saturated colour matches the iconography of thriller films. The first transition is a quick cut jumping us away from the scene as something violent happens, this matches the gunshot and creates enigma over the last bit of action we saw. Later there is a slow fade from black which slowly brings us back to the action after it has calmed down. All of this creates a visual style that matched the iconography of thriller films.

Character and props
The protagonist we see appears to be a stereotypical female who is in less power than the other male character we hear and partially see. These two characters are binary opposites and are archetypes to the thriller genre. The fact the female is covered in blood and  in a wedding dress raises questions and creates enigma.

Sound
There is non-diegetic music used which is parallel to the sequence because of the lyrics and tone sound sinister which matches the action in the scene. The diegetic sound tells us about what we cant see, for example we hear a gun and a males voice even though we don't see them, this creates enigma over what we can hear but cant see.

Luke, Face Off (3)

Camera
There are many interesting shots which help to create mystery and the visual style of a thriller, such as the shot in front of the gun which shows a close up of the characters and an extreme close up of his eye through the scope of the gun. There are also extreme close ups of the characters lips and moustache as he sinisterly sips his drink. There are also POV shots of the character looking through the gun scope making us fell like we are shooting someone therefore increasing the drama. They use hand held camera shots after the bullet was fired increasing the tension and action of the circumstances.

Lighting
The lighting is very naturalistic creating realism which is part of the iconography of thriller films, this is done by using high key lighting. The lighting is also used to create a silhouette of the antagonist when we first see him, this creates restricted narration thus building tension and mystery, crucial for thrillers.

Editing
They have done allot of editing to the visual style of the scene, they have lowered the colour and the lighting making is de-saturated, this is iconic in thriller films. The use interesting transitions such as dissolves which slows the scene down making it more sinister and tense, the use of slow transitions is common in thriller openings.

Characters and Props
The characters in this opening could be considered as binary opposites this is because the antagonist is alone and sinister looking, whereas the protagonist and with a child and looks friendly. These being binary opposites is iconic in thriller films which means they fit the thriller archetypes. The gun is a prop that matches the iconography of a thriller film because it shows crime and violence in a implied way rather than blood and explosions.

Sound
Most of the diegetic sound has been muted for effect apart from the gun firing this emphasises drama and suspense. There is parallel non-diegetic music which is used to also create the thriller effect because it is slow and sinister, it leads us towards the dramatic event via a crescendo which adds to the drama we are seeing.

Luke, Pulp Fiction (2)

Camera
The shot types are very interesting in this sequence because the first shot is a medium two shot which establishes the scene and is fairly far from the conversation, but as the conversation heats up and they talk about crime and robbery, the camera gets closer and more involved. This leads us to a crescendo in the action and makes it clear these archetype characters are the antagonists. There is also an extreme close up as the male pulls out the gun, this draws our attention to the iconic prop, the ECU is also iconic to the thriller genre because it often creates enigma.

Lighting
There is no obvious manipulation of the light in this sequence, that is because it is made to look naturalistic which creates realism, the realism tells us it is a thriller because thrillers are based on real locations and feature no supernatural or sci-fi elements.

Editing
They haven't really made any obvious edits to the visual style of the scene this is once again to create realism once again enforcing that this is a thriller film. There is some titling at the end which shows us this is a opening to a film.

Characters and Props
Both of the antagonists are archetypes of the thriller genre but they are not stereotypical. Mainly the female who doesn't appear very feminine at all due to the fact she talks and acts aggressive and pulls out a gun, this doesn't fit the stereotype of femininity but still fits the archetype of the thriller genre. The guns are examples of thriller iconography which tells us this is a thriller and that these characters are the antagonists.

Sound
The main sound in this sequence is the dialogue between the two characters this is suitable for a thriller because they talk about crime. There is a bit of non-diegetic sound towards the end which is contrapuntal towards the scene because the sound is uplifting, however around this point there is a sound bridge which consists of the aggressive voice of one of the characters.

Luke, Drive (1)

The opening to Drive consists of many techniques of sound, MES and editing that make it look more like a thriller.

Camera
There are a lot of long takes which establishes the film as slow and thought provoking, like a thriller, rather than fast paced like an action film. It also uses close ups and extreme close ups with creates enigma by not revealing the whole of the action. The use of POV shots involves the audience in the film, this is iconic to thriller films due to the tension it creates. The camera aims at the mirror in the car creating blocking around the characters reflection creating restricted narration.

Lighting
The lighting in this opening matches the iconography of a thriller film, this is because the style of lighting used is low key lighting, this creates a neo noir visual style. The harsh shadows created by the lighting shows part of the characters faces creating enigma due to the fact it shows two sided to the character so that it is not clear whether they are the antagonist or the protagonist.

Editing
They have edited this opening sequence so that the colour and the lighting is faded and de-saturated which is iconic in thriller films because it also creates a neo noir visual style creating mystery and metaphorical darkness. The transitions are simple cuts which allows the scenes are shots to change easily and simply so that none of the focus is taken off the action.

Characters and Props
The characters and props match the iconography of the thriller genre, such as the mysterious looking male character and the robbers who are wearing masks and holding weapons. The robbers give a string sense that this film is a thriller because of the fact they are wearing masks and holding guns, making it obvious they have just committed a crime, the guns are also iconic props used in thriller films. The first shot shows the main character on the phone but we aren't sure who or what it is about this creates enigma and mystery typical in thriller films. The main characters facial expression stays emotionless and calm throughout telling us that he too is emotionless, iconic of the genre

Sound
The sound in this opening is parallel to the action taking place which means it matches the tense situation, the music is minimal as stays quiet throughout this is where silence is used foe dramatic and mysterious effect.