Questionnaires are vital to be able to identify your target audience before the production of your film. it will allow you to collect data so that you know what aspects to include in your film and who and what the film should be made for. the Questionnaire therefore is a foundation of research that takes place in order for you to make the right decisions while making your film suitable to its genre.
1. Are you, Male or Female?
....................................
2. How old are you?
...................................
3. What thriller certification do you prefer in a thriller?
12 15 18
4. What pulls you in to a thriller film?
TV Advertisement By mouth Posters YouTube Ad’s Other
5. What are your expectations for a thriller film?
For our Preliminary task we took two people and portrayed them as if they were actors and what we done was show one person walk into a room and use different camera shots to show how they walk into the room and begin their conversation.
While filming this short clip it brought up the difficulties in how we could film our own thriller film, it taught us how we could film the different camera shots.
In school we used a class room which didn't have many lessons going on around it so we were able the use a suitable setting for the film as it was quiet which was good during recording as there wasn't any excess background noise which got in the way of our filming and the conversation that took place. We were also able to adjust the lighting in the room so that everything could be clearly seen while the camera shots transact between one another. This task was used just like training for when we filmed our thriller, it allowed for us to use the equipment correctly and get over the mistakes we could have made while using the different equipment. This helps for us to save time when it came to our film as we already learnt how to use different aspects that contributed to the final film that we was going create.
As we only had one camera, to be able to film both people as they added to the conversation, what we had to do was film the conversation twice exactly. Once from over one persons shoulder then again from the other persons shoulder then crop to separate things that are said and sequence both conversations into one so that while the whole conversation is taking place you see the persons face that is talking as the clip is watched.
This clip can be watched and if there are any mistakes throughout we can make sure while filming the actual film we can make sure we don't make the same mistakes again. We also learnt what camera shots are best used appropriately and also look at the setting we use, if it is suitable the thriller and it will allow us to make a much professional film.
Codes and Conventions
Enigma - A mystery is always present in a thriller film. In the opening scene of Saw 1 the mystery is the two men chained to the poles and also the dead body that lays on the floor.
Suspense - The mental uncertainty caused by a film which leads to anxiety about the outcomes of certain actions taken in the film. In prom night when Richard has the hat on he is trying to cover up his identity and this causes uncertainty for the audience who try to figure him out.
Tension - The mental strain given to the audience by the thriller film. At the start of Saw 1 there is intense music playing which with the pitch played at makes it a tense environment.
Character Representation - Studying the characters costume and facial expressions we can understand what mental position they are in, also by the way they act. Kristen in The Strangers is wearing the light colored dress and she has the frown on her face which makes her look like a victim as she is presented very weak.
Violence - An act of Brutality is always present within thrillers for the extra edge, it makes the environment fire up after the tension has built up. For example in scream 2 when Randy is talking on the phone the mysterious characters voice creates tension until randy is killed at the end of the scene.
Dramatic Irony - When something is understood by the audience but not quite gasped by the characters. The police are murdered in scream 4 but the others do not know about it and when they go and get help from them they realize that they're not there.
Sound - When sounds are played at different adjustments at different times to allow a variation of emotions to be created within the audience. The high pitch sounds used at the start of Saw 1 within the opening scene, allows for tension to build up and this technique is useful as it plays with the audiences thoughts by changing their emotions.
Editing Techniques - This is how the clips are edited differently to change the pace of the movie, in a Thriller slow editing is used to build up tension so that when a different editing technique is used the tense outcome is suspended. The strangers has a scene when someone is knocking on the door and the pace of the film is moving very slow to build up tension during the scene.
Costume/Identity - The costume work by a character is very important as it reflects on the part they take in a movie. Looking at the film Scream the killer is dressed in black with the grim reapers mask showing he is taking part to kill people in the story line.
Codes and Conventions in opening of Saw
Low key lighting - Dark opening to the scene
High key lighting - After the lights are switched on it is very bright
Setting - Dirty abandoned bathroom which looks abandoned and disused
Sound - Intense music to create tension
The voice of the man shouting
Enigma - Two men chained up with a dead body
In his hands are a gun and tape recorder
Editing - Slow editing with some jump cuts
Costumes - casual outfits showing they were abducted while having a normal day
Characters - A Doctor and a man called Adam
Opening scene from Saw 1
In the opening scene of the movie Saw 1, it begins with the camera shot and in the mise en scene there is low key lighting used as there is no lighting used in the frame. It starts off with off screen sound as we cannot see where the sound is coming from, but we know the place is far and abandoned as another voice tells him to be quiet, its pointless yelling
When the lights are switched on the camera find it difficult to focus as do the characters being consumed by the dark for a while. The high key lighting now allows us to view the situation occurring in what seems like a bathroom. When we get a perspective of what is inside the abandoned bathroom, we see a dead body on the floor covered in blood and two men chained to water pipes on the side. This creates enigma as the first thought of the audience is suspicion of how the two men were brought here, and what is of the body which seems dead for now.
The dead body on the floor, covered in blood and brutal scars, has a gun in one hand and in the other a tape recorder. This adds tension, as the gun only has one purpose to kill, but the audience doesn't understand why it is there. The tape recorder to play a tape, but if no tapes in it, then where are they.
While the camera does a 360 over the body on the floor, the high pitch intense sounds used create suspense as they give the impression something bad has happened.
The way this opening scene works is how it creates a lot of questions and the way the sound and lighting is used contributes to the fact that the problem the two men are enduring needs to be solved, but looking at the elements of the scene we can see it isn't gonna be an easy escape for the struggles.
How Saw 1 opening scene will help me in my opening scene
The Lighting techniques used for the Mise-En-Scene will be something i would work with because it is a very important aspect of a thriller film, how the light portrays scene.
The sound techniques are very good as they effectively strain on to the audience building some good suspense throughout any scene.
The mystery created is also useful for tension, if the audience at some points feel confused or do not understand what is going on this makes it a tense composure for them as they watch the thriller.
Scream 1 Opening scene
The opening scene starts of in a kitchen where Casey is making popcorn. In this scene we only see the garden and home interior. It seems like she lives alone so if anything were to happen to her nobody would really notice. Casey is represented as easy as she quickly falls into a conversation with the stranger on the phone, she also looks very on edge as she reacts immediately to things that happen. She is wearing white clothing which reflects on her as being the weaker character.
The popcorn builds its own tension as the bag keeps expanding you never know when its going to explode. In terms of shock surprise suspense , suspense is being built up as the stranger on the phone taunts Casey. Surprise element in this scene is that is the caller ever going to shoe himself to Casey. Shock contradicts on if something does happen to Casey , how then will the audience feel.
There is a wiry tone playing during this scene which helps build up tension as at one point the sound good intensify and reflect on the story of the film. The strangers voice on the phone is also very subtle as it draws the question to who he may be.
When she has been killed and is hanging on the tree, there is a jump cut editing technique from her mother seeing her, then the camera focusing straight on the body with a close up camera shot viewing Casey hanging on the tree. Also when she is being chased by the killer the music pitch varies on the action taking place.
is the British Board of Film Classification and what this organization does is observe films and state them with suitable certificates depending on the content of the film and what age groups the film is targeted at. This covers all aspects to the films different age groups can legally view or even be the right age to purchase the film. Regarding the film industry BBFC takes a major stand in how they allow films to be viewed to the public, this is very important as the analysis' they make on films have to be correct otherwise it could cause problems with the people that view the film. If the BBFC didn't take any part in this young children would be watching unsuitable films which could affect their mental health as the things they watch is not made for their age group. Age certificates are there to consider who watches what in the sense that if everyone is watching things that are suitable for them then it doesn't affect people in the the wrong way, but things will be how they are suited. Overall it is obvious that these regulations are put in place to keep film watchers and other associates safe while they view films. The Ratings are UC , U , PG , 12 A , 12 , 15 ,18 and R 18 which is not mainly public.
Universal is the beginning off the age certificates as all content in Universal rated films contain nothing unsuitable for children, they are perfectly suited for anyone of any age group to view.
Toy Story 2 is a U rated film aimed at children.
Parental Guidance is emitted to a Film even though it is suitable to any age group. it may contain mild Language or even Sex/Drug references. Can contain violence to a certain extent if justified. A parent may need to accompany a child while watching this due to its mild extremities.
Paranorman is a PG rated film.
12 A is cinema only and was introduced in 2002. Films under this category are considered to be unsuitable for very young people. Those aged under 12 years are only admitted if accompanied by an adult aged at least 18 or over, at all times. may contain variations of mild language, violence or sexual content for this rating.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two is a 12 A rated film.
12 is Home media only since 2002. No body under 12 can purchase any film or game rated 12, content guidelines are the same which apply to 12 A. If not aged 12 or over a person cannot buy or rent any disc/home media. As this is only home media it does not apply to the 12 A rating which is obliged to a cinema.
Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen is a 12 rated film.
15 rated films can not be bought or rented unless 15 years of age or over, even to watch it in thecinema you need to be of correct age. May contain strong language and some content of very strong language, strong violence and strong sex references. Sexual content and nudity may be included without any strong detail.
Resident Evil: Afterlife is a 15 rated film.
18 rated films have no limitation to bad language used. Hard drug use is generally content alongwith explicit sex references.Very strong, gory, and/or sadistic violence is usually permitted. Strong sexual violence is permitted. Strong sexual violence is permitted unless it is erotic or excessively graphic.
Jackass 3 is an 18 rated film.
Restricted 18 rated movies can only be shown at a licensed adult cinema or sex shop and only to adults who are aged 18 or over. Mainly contains strong explicit sexual content. Generally Pornographic material in most cases and only sold if licensed
My Thriller Opening Scene
I would film my thriller opening scene so it is suitable for 15 and over. mainly 15 would work best as the content that is going to be included in the movie and it is content that will work best with a thriller movie. If i used 12 rated content i would not be able to fully justify the codes and conventions of a thriller. So overall 15 would be the best as i would be able to portray the codes and conventions of a thriller in a better stance than if it were any other rating.
I am going to Analyse The Strangers to make use of what editing techniques there are involved with this film. This way we will know if the editing techniques suit the role play required within this thriller genre film.
if the editing used isn't refined well enough for the thriller to convey its purpose it will conclude on how well the film is made
From this scene of the film located in the link, up to 2:05 the film viewed with slow editing to show a calm environment, as this also puts the audience on ease as they are watching the film. The slow editing used throughout this sequence urges that it is building up tension and this is how the editing technique conveys a thriller to the audience by portraying a story line which feels serene to the audience. After 2:05 the fire alarm starts to sound which makes Kristen panic which in turn makes the audience panic as suspense starts to build up until the next event takes place.
Another point is how the editing goes from slow editing to another pace of viewing for the audience which causes the viewers to be uptight about what is before them in the film.
After she takes down the smoke Alarm at 2:35 there is editing where a jump cut is used and i know this because the camera is first focusing on her reaching for the smoke alarm, then when she drops it the door knocks and the camera moves straight onto the door and focuses onto it. While she was dealing with the alarm we didn't hear the door knock for about a minute, but when the door knocks you know whoever is out there hasn't given up yet and as an audience watching it makes your heart start pumping because you are caught by surprise when the door knocks.
Last and thirdly looking at 7:19 when she comes back to the smoke alarm. She remembers when she dropped it on the floor and she didn't pick it up since them, so when she see's it on the chair its edited with a Reaction Shot as she looks back at what happened. The audience knows the alarm was on the floor and this creates a tense mood as someone has been in the house and they only hop for nothing to happen to Kristen bust we know at this stage something is going to pop out from somewhere and this editing technique is a good convention for the thriller film as it brings up questions for the audience and it gives them a tense mind to think about what could happen.
Looking at this scene and the editing techniques we can see overall the editing has been done at the right times to empathize with the audience and their current feelings, and the pace of editing is used at its best for the conventions of the thriller film.
I will be analyzing the sound techniques used in this scene from Scream 2 to understand how sound contributes towards the conventions portrayed in this Thriller film. Studying different sound techniques used i will come to a result if whether sound is used for its identified purpose.
Firstly i want to look at 1:20 during this scene, there is on-screen sound in use when the phone starts ringing on the bench. Randy picks up Gales phone and is confronted by the killer in the film. the phone rings a couple times before but when this voice is in play Randy stops for a moment to understand why the killer has called him. While talking on the phone the dull, low volume voice of the killer makes it all sound serene but the character on the phone is the unknown and mysterious to the audience. this creates a suspense environment within the audience as no one knows the next move of the killer. The On-Screen sound with the phone ringing makes the viewers look for the next move as on the end of a phone call there is always some un answered questions.
After at 2:16 while Randy is on the phone there is non-diagetic music which is playing to add tension in the film world environment. it makes it tense for the audience as he keeps talking on the phone it becomes more tense with the music and the audience, at any second during this event expect something to pop up. The way the film conveys the thriller is by calming the music of until the audience think that nothing is going to happen and then something jumps out with music at an unpredictable time to catch the audience of guard. during this sequence as the pitch of the music gets higher and higher someone runs into Randy shouldering him and when the music cuts out the audience realize that something bigger than that should happen.
Thirdly at 4:14 when Randy is getting attacked in the mini van, the killer pushes him against the side window and this is Diagetic sound because we can see and hear the glass crack which adds to the violence in place. If there was no sound then we wouldn't notice the severity of the damage but with added sound affects the audience become more anxious as the killer is brutally killing Randy.
Studying this sequence i have understood the different sound techniques used in this film are conveyed for the right reasons of a Thriller film as it tenses the audience when needed and it gives the right time for them to snap which gives them a traumatized experience.
The importance of Mise-En-Scene in any film is how it structures a whole scene, what is used in the scene and how it helps the film convey its purpose. I am analyzing what is used in this scene from prom night and what different aspects make the entire scene up. Looking at some individual aspects that construct the scene i would like to know how they convey the codes and conventions of a thriller and how this will help me in my film. Watching this scene i have concluded the setting to be a hotel with a rental suite. The prom night which goes on in the film is where everyone is, but the bedrooms that surround the most active area have some enigma to them as we do not know who is in them and when Donna goes to the bedroom Richard being there pops the questions to whether he should be there or not.
The first thing I looked at was at 3:40 of the clip, this is when Donna is in the bedroom after she returns their after Lisa doesn't return. there is a specific technique of lighting used here where it flashes for 0.1 seconds at Richard's face as he strolls towards her and it doesn't allow you to completely see his face why makes him become more threatening to the audience. this is how the film coveys a thriller film as it creates questions among the viewers about who this character is, this mystery makes the viewers anxious about him. also see his face for the sudden flashes make Donna horrified as she is looking for a way out but the man in the shadows isn't showing what action he is going to take against her which makes him become a mysterious character.
This can also be looked at as Low-Key lighting as the light fill in the scene is low and it makes it trickier to work out what is going on, so adding to the codes and conventions of a thriller as the suspense is brought in nicely with the different lighting techniques used in this Mise-En-Scene.
During 4:28 as Richard is locked outside he is trying to break in through the room door and this is where I study the iconography. At this point Richard is trying to break into Donna's room so he makes use of a prop to help him do this he makes use of a fire extinguisher. the door is made of wood so using an extinguisher is likely to break the door open, this technique in the thriller film is conveyed well as you hope that Richard does not break the door but you know he will anyway and this creates suspense for the audience knowing she wont make it out that easy! Thirdly i analysed the costume/outfit that Richard is wearing in this scene. He is wearing casual clothing which looks basic and harmless as character, but when we understand his intentions we know this costume is not part of his character. looking at the hat he wears i think that this i part of what he is trying to accomplish, the cap with the front obviously is a way he is trying not to be seen. As he does not want to be seen the hat adds to the characters objective, he becomes more mysterious as he is trying to do something to Donna. Everyone is dressed up in highly luxurious outfits to reflect on the prom that they have attended and the thing that caught my eye out with Richard is he is wearing very dull outfits which doesn't suit the theme of clothing everyone is present in so also portraying he is not supposed to be here making him an unexpected guest to In Prom Night conveying Thrillers are done very good as there is a lot of mystery involved in this scene and the lighting and iconography was done very well as every action adds the thrill that the scene needs. The way the scene is constructed is done in the way that everything affects the audience in the was of conveying the codes and conventions of a thriller.
