Production Of Our Preliminary Task

When we filmed our Preliminary Task a few problems occured. These problems were that when we tried to film walking down stairs, people often walked in front of the shot so we had to keep re-shooting the clip. This often got annoying as some people didnt realise that we were shooting and as it came close to end of lessons more people walked across as they would be walking to their next lesson. One other problem that we had with out prelim was that the dialogue often was hard to hear as people walking past were talking relitively loud,. Therefore, their voices would be included into the clip, so we had to restart the shot over and over until it was completely silent.

Our group had learnt quite a lot from trying to film our Preliminary Task. One of these was we realised that dialogue whilst filming doesnt sound very good, so we agreed to prevent this problem that the start of our thriller would not have any dialogue involved, as the quality could be bad and it doesn't sound so good. Also we learnt that to make our thriller as good as it can be we would have to film in a location that not many people go to, or go early in the morning as not many people will be around at early times of the day.

I don't think that filming our prelim took as long as we first thought, as we didn't have to actually shoot quite a lot because after our stairs shot not many people walked past as we went to a place where it was relitively quiet. Also we discussed as a group a plan of what we would be filming so we knew what we were going to be filming about; so we could get on with the shooting straight away. After we had done the filming we re-watched the shooting to see if we could make any more shots to make it look much better. After making the new shots we again watched all of the recorded shots and decided that we no longer needed to shoot anything else, so we went straight onto the editing. One advantage to our shooting was that, our member of the group who filmed our prelim does photography outside of school. Therefore, he knew how to make the lighting and the frame of the shot at a perfect place for it to look good.

In our Preliminary Task i don't think we needed to change much as it was our first time filming a clip so we wasn't able to make it perfect. As we were getting used to the camera we are more confident that the final production of the thriller will be of a much higher standard of quality. The Preliminary Task helped our group work on teamwork and making decisions on where to film and what to film.

pre production

The pre post production was deciding what our prelimany video was going to consist of and if it was suiteable to do so. We shared our ideas and came up with a satisfactory plan and then created a story board. It started with the first scene of a figure walking down some stairs, a match on action will be done at this point. The second scene is of the figure walking down a corridor, a range of angles will be used in this scene. The third scene wwill be a convosation between two people, shot reverse shots will be used. . The scene had to be well lit so that we could get the best quality out of our filming. The camera angles we decided to use emphasise the mood and reason going on in the video.

Marketing

From looking at other thriller posters to try and influence us, we have designed a poster about our thriller. We have looked at thrillers like 'Saw', '28 Days Later' and 'The Dark Knight' as they are quite popular thriller films. All of the posters have colours to represent the mood of the thriller and they also have costumes/props to show the type of character that is in the film, also it exposes the personality of the character.

Another idea we had of marketing our thriller was to put a little trailer of the clip onto an online website such as; 'Youtube'. We would include loud/pleonastic music to represent that something eventful is going to happen. This would make the viewers want to see more of this as the trailer would leave them in suspense of what happens to the character in the end of the thriller.

We have decided to use dark colours as our thriller is going to be quite a mysterious clip; the colours are going to represent the secrecy of the protagonist. Also, the red stain on the clothes of the other character in the seat represents his stuggle in the trial he has to overcome. Furthermore, the dark colours will reflect the ending of our thriller without revealing too much to the audience of what is going to happen.

Influences

The idea we are thinking of using is of a man who wakes up in a chair not knowing where he is; in a dark room with just a light over him. The man has flashbacks of what the last thing he remembers before waking up in this chair. We have been looking at all different types of thrillers to get a good idea to use as our thriller and to make the best of what we can do. One film that has influenced our idea as a thriller is 'Saw', this film is roughly the same idea as ours as people are taken to a secure lair of serial killer named "Jigsaw". They must follow various rules and objectives if they wish to survive

and win the deadly game set for them.

Another thriller we looked at was 'Hostle', however we didn't like the idea of the storyline. One thing we did like about the thriller was the poster; a man wearing a mask which shows him wanting to be a mysterious character. Also, we thought the colours used were a sign of what the film would be like; they represent that the film is going to be a dark thriller. The plot of 'Hostle' also was a similar plot to ours as the protagonist is found tied to a chair about to be totured. One idea we did look deeply into was the idea of other characters in the film who you see either being totured or tied to a chair, the reason being that we liked how the character's well being was left a mystery and you do not find out what has happened to the rest of them.

The final thriller that we had taken a look at was different to the other two films; 'Goodfellas'. From watching the film, we came across the idea of mixing a similar plot of 'Saw' and the 'gangster style' from Goodfellas together. We realised it may be challenging but the if it came out correctly as we planned, then it would make a very good thriller. The reason for this being; there would be a bit of action and the shock of the character's real being would be a key moment. In 'Goodfellas' the small time gangster known as 'Henry Hill' is presented as the protangonist in the film. We had a different idea; instead of having the same plot and giving it a little twist, we realised that Nathan could first of all be the protagonist and then turn out to be the antagonist.

Risk Assessment

The locations that we have chosen to use to film our thriller pose a low risk to our group and to other people, but there are things that need to be assessed carefully.

Ryan's House

• When I am attacked by Ryan i fall onto a hard floor and this must be done carefully so i do not hit my head or any other part of my body on the hard surface.
• We are filming a struggle scene with me and Ryan and we must be cautious so that neither of us trip and fall or accidentaly hurt each other.

James' Car

• After we have filmed in Ryan's house we are filming a car chases scene where James is chasing Ryan. We must be careful in this scene that James is fully in control at all times whilst driving and that he is aware of all possible dangers around him whilst filming the scene.
• When James appears to run over Ryan, the car must be at a comfortable distance away from him so that he is not put in danger if the brakes don't work or if it takes longer for the car to stop.

James' shed

• The final scene we are going to film is in a dark shed in James' garden. The shed will be full of tools and garden equipment which could potentially be dangerous and so we will move this out of the shed before we begin our filming.
• In this final scene we will be filming James holding a very large knife. This knife could be extremely dangerous if it was dropped or if someone walked into it. Because of this we will be using extreme caution when filming this scene and make sure everyone is at a safe distance to James when he is using it.

  

Pitch/Brief

 Our plot of a thriller begins with the opening of a man who is at his home living a regular day, on the phone to his friend organising his day; meeting up with a friend. When all of a sudden a man dressed all in black wearing a balaclava appears behind him holding a huge knife. The anonymous figure kills the other man; hanging up the phone giving the friend on the phone a scare and he rushes over to find out what has happened. After finding out his friend is dead, the man seeks revenge. The protagonist is dressed all in black, therefore hiding his identity from the viewers, giving a sense of mystery. As it is only the introduction to the thriller we don't want to give out too much from the start to build up the tension so it makes our thriller more exciting to view.

The choices of characters came of a joint decision as first we had myself as the protagonist, however we realised that Nathan is by far taller so he would fit the role better. Where we are creating a 'horror thriller' the viewers would expect there to be scenes of violence, emotion and mystery so that they will want to continue watching it. Our thriller involves some of what an emotional manipulation as the audience think Nathan is the victim at the start, when really at the end he turns out to be the villain by killing the man on the phone. With the killing of the person on the phone, viewers see the struggle as the protagonist physically pulls the man from behind, away with a knife pointing towards his chest to show a sense of violence.

BBFC Rating For Our Thriller

After watching our thriller a few times and evaluating it, Nathan, James and myself believe our thriller should be of rating '15'. Our thriller does not have themes that are too explicit; therefore meaning it should not be seen categorized as a '18'. However, it is a tad too explicit for it to be rated '12A', as it had scenes of violence and strong language.

To get our rating of the thriller we watched a few other films; Adulthood (15), Saw 2 (18) and WaterBoy (12). We compared our thriller to scenes of each film considering the rating between '12A' and '15', but we realised that the weapon used was too revealing for it to be a 12A. Also, the language used at the end of the thriller was a bit too explicit for it to be a 12A, but too little for it to be a '18'.

Another reason why we believe it should be categorized as '15' is because of the build up of tension throughout the whole thing. As a group we considered whether such a tension would be comfortable or suitable for a younger crowd having to be on the their minds. Furthermore, the ending; showing a sense of revenge could present a wrong type of message towards a mind of a younger audience.

The BBFC

The BBFC currently issues the following certificates. The category logos were introduced in December 2002, replacing the previous ones that had been in place since 1985.

Symbol	Name	Definition/Notes
	Universal	All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children. Films under this category should not upset children over 4. Examples: FernGully: The Last Rainforest, The Incredibles
	Parental Guidance	All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 8. Example: The Simpsons Movie, Toy Story, Tron: Legacy
	12A	Cinema only. 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 years, at all times during the motion picture. However, it is generally not recommended that children under 12 years should watch the film. Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, commonly used milder swear words, and moderate violence/sex references. Examples: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pirates of the Caribbean, Yes Man, Fred: The Movie
	12	Home media only since 2002. 12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating. Nobody younger than 12 can rent or buy a 12-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game. Films in this category may include infrequent drugs, infrequent use of strong language, brief nudity, discreet sexual activity, and moderate violence.
	15	Only those over 15 years are admitted. Nobody younger than 15 can rent or buy a 15-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, strong words, moderate-strong violence/sex references, and mild non-detailed sex activity. Examples: The Uninvited, Good Luck Chuck, Love and Other Drugs
	18	Only adults are admitted. Nobody younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and strong violence/sex references along with non-detailed sex activity is also allowed. Examples: In Bruges, Saw III, Jackass 3D
	Restricted 18	Only adults are admitted, and can only be shown at licensed cinemas or sold at sex shops. Films under this category have material the BBFC does not allow for its "18" rating, thus the violence and sex activity will be stronger in R18-rated VHSs, DVDs and films than those rated "18," however, there is still a range of material that is often cut from the R18 rating. More cuts are demanded in this category than any other category.[6] Example: Deep Throat

Symbol	Name	Definition/Notes
	Universal	All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children. Films under this category should not upset children over 4. Examples: FernGully: The Last Rainforest, The Incredibles
	Parental Guidance	All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 8. Example: The Simpsons Movie, Toy Story, Tron: Legacy
	12A	Cinema only. 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 years, at all times during the motion picture. However, it is generally not recommended that children under 12 years should watch the film. Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, commonly used milder swear words, and moderate violence/sex references. Examples: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pirates of the Caribbean, Yes Man, Fred: The Movie
	12	Home media only since 2002. 12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating. Nobody younger than 12 can rent or buy a 12-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game. Films in this category may include infrequent drugs, infrequent use of strong language, brief nudity, discreet sexual activity, and moderate violence.
	15	Only those over 15 years are admitted. Nobody younger than 15 can rent or buy a 15-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, strong words, moderate-strong violence/sex references, and mild non-detailed sex activity. Examples: The Uninvited, Good Luck Chuck, Love and Other Drugs
	18	Only adults are admitted. Nobody younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and strong violence/sex references along with non-detailed sex activity is also allowed. Examples: In Bruges, Saw III, Jackass 3D
	Restricted 18	Only adults are admitted, and can only be shown at licensed cinemas or sold at sex shops. Films under this category have material the BBFC does not allow for its "18" rating, thus the violence and sex activity will be stronger in R18-rated VHSs, DVDs and films than those rated "18," however, there is still a range of material that is often cut from the R18 rating. More cuts are demanded in this category than any other category.[6]

Universal

All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children. Films under this category should not upset children over 4. Examples: FernGully: The Last Rainforest, The Incredibles

Demographics/Psychographic Profiling

Demographics when used in film is often concentrated at areas such as income of the human population which splits them in to six groups based on their income and their status within the community. It can also be based on gender, sexuality, race, age, disabilities and many others. Filmakers would look at these areas and decide what people within these areas would be targeted. For example when thinking about income there are six groups that split the population up These six groups range from higher management, lawyers and bankers at the very top to unemployed, students and pensioners at the bottom. When making a film it is important to look at demographics to decide what group their film will fit under and what group the majority of their viewers will come from. This is the target audience and it is important that the group is identified before the film is released to ensure that it is successfully promoted.

Phsychographic profiling is found in marketing and is the process in which consumers are split into groups based on their lifestyles, behaviour and attitudes. From this we can find out what products they have purchased previously and therfore, get an idea of what products they are likely to buy. Using demographic and psychographic profiling allows the market researchers to market their products correctly and effectively and therefore, ensure that their products sell well in the future.  

Answered Questionnaire

What age category are you in?

12-14     15-17     18-21     21=25     25 and above

What gender are you?

Male                Female

Do you think the opening of a thriller is important to the rest of the film?

Yes                    No

If you enjoyed the opening of a thriller would you watch the rest of the film?

Yes                    No

Do you think the colours that are used in a thriller are important to the film?

Yes                    No

If yes, what colours would you associate with a thriller?

Red and black are often used to show darkness and danger, white is also used to show
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someone who is innocent and pure who often turns out to be the victim.
________________________________________________________________

Would a good poster attract you to watch a thriller?

Yes                    No

If yes, what has to be included to make a good poster?

An interesting setting or a close-up of one of the main characters make a good poster. Also the colours and
_______________________________________________________________

fonts of the titles are important in a poster.
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What type of locations would you usually associate with a thriller?

Old or abondoned house, dark countryside, dreary town/city, train stations.
________________________________________________________________

What type of thriller do you prefer watching?

Action     Crime     Psychological     Horror     Mystery

Questionnaire

What age category are you in?

12-14     15-17     18-21     21=25     25 and above

What gender are you?

Male                Female

Do you think the opening of a thriller is important to the rest of the film?

Yes                    No

If you enjoyed the opening of a thriller would you watch the rest of the film?

Yes                    No

Do you think the colours that are used in a thriller are important to the film?

Yes                    No

If yes, what colours would you associate with a thriller?

________________________________________________________________

Would a good poster attract you to watch a thriller?

Yes                    No

If yes, what has to be included to make a good poster?

________________________________________________________________

What type of locations would you usually associate with a thriller?

________________________________________________________________

What type of thriller do you prefer watching?


Action     Crime     Psychological     Horror     Mystery

Preliminary - 180 degree rule

Match on action
Match on action is when you get a shot of something, then another shot from another angle of the same action as the first shot. This gives the effect that although there is a shot after the other, the two shots are happening at the same time.

Shot reverse shot
Shot reverse shot is where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.

Focus group findings

We have interviewed a focus group and asked questions about what their expectations are within a thriller.

Nathan Joyner-
In a thriller i would expect to see a big snappy title with a memorible tone. Also alot of deep dark and violent colours such as reds, whites and blacks will create the thriller look. Tension and suspense should be made by the music and actions of the characters. Mysterious characters have to be involved and the story lines need to be confusing leaving the audience with unanswerd questions.

Kayleigh Bolton-
I would expect villans and victims, alot of props such as guns and knives. The story line should make you think carefully about whats happening in the film as it should be confusing. Dark colours should also be displayed and should also suite the mood of the thriller.

Poster Analysis

This teaser poster contains typical images of what a thriller genre should be about. The poster has a big image of a man to capture the viewers attention. The title of the poster the font of the 'coming soon' are large to make them stick out. Also, the release date has not been shown in the poster to keep the audience in suspense. The background behind the figure is also very gloomy; a dark blue colour represents that the film is going to be a dark thriller. Furthmore, the parts of buildings have been blown up and the man in the poster is holding a gun to show that a lot of action is going to be used. The antagonist's name is at the top of the poster to show that he is going to be a main character of the film. The fact that 'The Joker' is played by Heath Ledger, it brings more excitment to the audience as his death means 'The Dark Knight' is his last film that he will star in, therefore that's the USP of the film.

Title

Our title links in with the thriller genre as it sounds horrific and has many conotations such as anger, violence and kidnapping. Furthermore, it is also short, snappy and memorable meaning that we had to come up with a thriller name that representing the connotations of our thriller. We considered lots of different names linking to the plot of our thriller and our final decision was to be 'Retribution'. This is because our thriller has a plot of vengence within it, also it is another word for vengence and punishment; which is the connotations of our thriller. We took a large amout of time descussing why we chose this title over others and it was decided it is perfect for our thriller. We thought of the name 'Vengeance' as a contender for the thriller name, however we believed that 'Retribution' has more of a catch to it. Also the names of people involved within our thriller will appear at the start of the thriller, along with our company's name.

Year 13 tips

Here are some tips that we gained from the year 13's to getting the higher grades.

- Keep on top of work and try to post around 2 posts a week.
- Use technology as well as doing writen work and photograph everything when filming so you can show how you filmed it.
- Choose good people to work with because they could reduce your grade.
- Divide work fairly with everyone in group so that everyone does the same work as everyone else.
- Blogg everything that you do to get maximum marks.
- Film way before the deadline so if it goes wrong then you have plenty of time to correct it.
- Get other idea's from looking at other bloggs.
- Analyse other thrillers from over the years and apply them to yours.
- Try not to be boring or diverse, and be interesting.
- Check that camera's are charged before filming and obvious things like that ect..
- Make sure group are informed in advance.

Textual Analysis Chosen by Teacher

For the textual analysis of a thriller as chosen by our teacher, we analysed the opening of the film 'Cape Fear'. The film began with a very long credit sequence to introduce the film set on a background of still, dark water. The water itself is an example of mise-en-scene and it shows how although the water looks calm on the surface trouble lies beneath. This is used as a metaphor for Robert DeNeiro who we meet later on in the opening, he looks normal at first, but is filled with darkness inside as we find out later in the film.

The first example of sound used in the opening is the very loud music at the beginning which builds a lot of suspense and gives the reader an insight in to what they can expect from the rest of the thriller. The music also sounds sad and depressing which shows how the thriller is likely to have a very dark storyline and contain some sad and depressing moments.

There are a lot of examples of mise-en-scene in this opening but some are more relevant than others. For example the two eyes that appear in the reflection of the water, are very important in explaining what to expect in the film. The first set of eyes seem to be worried and nervous as they are flickering around scanning for anything or anyone, these eyes are most probably the eyes of the victim. The second set of eyes however, are very different from the first set as they remain focused and still, staring straight at the camera showing most likely the killer's eyes.

An example of pathetc fallecy can be seen at the beginning of the film when the weather is very extreme, this shows how a storm is brewing which is pathetic fallecy for the danger that Robert DeNeiro possesses. The setting of the opening is on a lake at night and this setting is a very dark and eerey place for the thriller to be set. This builds tension for the audience and gives them a preview of what the rest of the film will be like.

The majority of the colours that are used have hidden meanings for example a lot of green is used displaying how some of the characters are likely to be envious of others and jealous. The main colours that are used however, are dark blues, blacks and dark reds, these colours are typically used in thrillers as it emphasises the darkness that is present throughout the film. The little girl at the end of the opening is dressed in all white with small white shoes which shows how she is pure, innocent and helpless. This gives the audience the impression that she will be the victim in the rest of the film. Near the end of the opening Robert DeNeiro walks out of prison and right up to the camera, this symbolises as he is free and how he is coming to get you. This gives a sense of personalisation to the audience who get the feeling that he is after them.  

Mood Board

Thriller posters all have the same distinctive theme or look. The all usually use the same colour scheme which includes red, white and black. RED: for blood, passion, danger. WHITE: for purity, innocence.

BLACK: for evil, tension, death. These things all make up a good thriller and that is why these colours are included in visual products of thrillers.



Codes and Conventions of a Thriller