Props

Props are a essential part of a film and can make or break a film. The more gruesome the weapon the more emphases it can have on the audience and the part of film taking place. For example when the tension finally leads to a scene where a killing or action is being held it is important that the scene can meet the audiences expectations . Their ambitions of the scene will be far higher than before due the build up of suspense which has to be finally delivered to the audience. In our thriller it is only an opening two minute clip so the importance of a good prop if used could be more vital than one used later on in the film. The first two minutes shows the audience what is going to happen so a bad impression straight away could get the film of to a bad start. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression so the props are extremely vital. The group is still undecided what props to use for sure , however we have managed to narrow it down to two which would be more efficient for our clip.

Using a large kitchen knife may be what the audience expect to see throughout most thriller's, it can give off various moods the character may be feeling all through a certain prop. A knife is often used in some form off attack, in a thriller it may be used from the victim's point of view in desperation to get out off certain surroundings. The use of the prop often gives the director a chance to change camera shots . E.G Close up on the knife which can add suspense towards the film.

 In our clip a rope like the knife and various of props would show the audiences the effects of the rope and how traumatically its effects can have when used  . Typically used for hanging it would give the audience the understanding of the death without any question being asked. The rope would enlighten the clip and give the sense of desperation depending on the characters life/storyline

Orphan - Title Sequence

An Effective Title Sequence :

After coming to grips with the importance of a title sequence the group decided to view and evaluate a successful thriller films title sequence. The film picked was the 'Orphan' , this is a newly produced film ( 2009 ). The director Jaume Collect-Serra made a successful title sequence which gave a insight of the film and storyline.Very little information was given, however this may off caused suspense within the audience and the film so far has grossed a total of $78,337,373. A truly astonishing amount. 

The title sequence starts off blacked out with dull music playing over the top off  the background. Straight away we are given the sense fear and disturbance as we can hear but not see anything , this creates worry and a panic like situation.Although this is only for a very short space of time the audience immediately acknowledges these emotions and how it can effect the storyline. As the thriller continues we see a light slowly brighten which shows us the production has been manufactured by ' Warner ' , once it gives the audience time to understand the producers it fades out to another icon which signifies that the film is part of ' Dark Castle Entertainment'. Within the first very few seconds the audience understands it is a thriller , there will be questions asked which alarms them to pay attention to the film along with the big name production backing the process. 

The sequence is very plain and simple but has a eye catching twist to the normality. Straight away there is pencil drawings of a the Bible to show their must be a religious and sentimental value which later on is revealed in the film. Along with the drawings is confuses the attention and allows them to concentrate and try and take it what is happening, not only are the drawings being display names of different actors are being shown to try and stick in the audiences mind. The music escalates which inflicts added tension and the different drawings such as the child  , all the children in a house really given the audience a chance to understand what the film consists off. Music and the way the sequence has been constructed defiantly seemed to benefit the producer and this reflect the money they have made in such a short space of time.

Title Sequence

A title sequence is important in all film , straight away it gives the audience an overdraft on the film, the can create tension and suspense which is a key requirement of the production of thriller. Having the time for your group to analysis the thriller will give the group the opportunity to understand the importance of a title sequence to create the most effective outcome possible.

A title sequence is obviously important in all aspects off film but more so a Thriller , certain films do not depend on the title sequence to attract a certain audience. With a thriller it is more important as it gives the audience a glimpse of what is in-store throughout the rest of the film.A thriller has to contain various things for it to be underlined as a thriller and a title sequence can show the audience a in-sight to the film and what is in store. Giving the audience the chance to understand this they can make their own assumptions of the film. This can give positive of negative feedback for the producers and other audiences. Just because of a title sequence. A well completed title sequence can often attract audience's towards the film especially if certain actors are used, big money films often like to include the director , company , and other famous name  they may have to consistently attract people towards the film. If a audience understands a well know actor is in the film it automatically gives the impression the film has been well constructed and would be worth viewing. However a bad title sequence can often off put audience's if not  made effectively , this would be seen as negative feedback and the audience may negatively make consumptions about the film before viewing it.

Textual Analysis of an Opening to a Thriller

 

At the opening for Cape Fear it begins with tense fast music overlooking a lake or sea. As the clip continues the music becomes louder, powerful and deeper this is when a reflection of a eagle appears. The eagle is a symbol of a predator which leads the audience to predict that the character played by Robert de Niro is a killer.

Above is a reflection of an eye. This is a extreme close up of the eye which looks very worried and frightened of what’s going to happen next which keeps the audience/viewers intrigued to continue watching.

 We assume the shadow is male. There is a essense of green in the water reflection urm this could represent the characters jealousy and envy. The hand is large and daunting, the hand could also suggest that his ‘coming to get you’.

The volume of the sound increases rapidly to cause an rise in tension for the audience. The blue suggests calm deep blue water contrasting with the violent red portraying the danger and fear of the film.  The teardrop in the red background tells us there will be blood sweat and tears involved.

                   Her eyes are strong and powerful, she is talking directly to the audience.

 This human seems to be very manly as his quite tattoos, suggest his religious, however scales in the bible ‘eye for a eye, tooth for a tooth’ this shows that he is looking for revenge.

  

Stalin was a dictator and a leader. Shows character in film looks up to him and his skills in life.

 The character played by Robert De Niro wants to be seen as a face of nature, as if he is unstoppable, the pathetic fallacy used shows a storm and lighting as he walks out of prison which represents something bad will happen.

Finished Preliminary

Above is our finished Preliminary Task. As this is the first time we had the chance to use a video camera and use pinnacle we thought our preliminary video was not the best but not the worst for our situation. Our sound cuts out from 5seconds which makes it very difficult for people to understand the story in this clip. However for a first try we think we have done a good job. Many people have told us the prelim video is funny from pearce's reaction shot.

Preliminary Task

A prelim video gives the group and team the opportunity to use the camera and get to terms with the importance of organization and camera usage. The Preliminary task consisted off a 30 second clip in which a fully planned storyboard had to be completed and then filmed. A Preliminary video is not often seen as a serious task and more of a practice to help overcome certain problems or situations you encounter.

We had help from various students from year 13. They showed us the importance of using the camera and advised us to use certain shots when filming the clip. After shooting the clip we struggled to come to terms with the editing software equipment on the computers. After having additional help from year13 students the group managed to edit the video and play around with the equipment in order to make a successful video. Throughout the task after we had acknowledged the importance of shooting the clip seriously, we understood that although this was a practice attempt to be efficient and successful in the main thriller.  We was laughing and joking about throughout the clip and couldn’t keep a serious tone which reflects the finally video.

At the time the group thought we had enough time to have a laugh and film the video. After film we realised the task should have been taken more seriously, a preliminary task gave us the chance to understand the importance of filming so in many ways was useful. However there were several advantages towards the prelim, not only did we manage to set up the equipment fast and successfully when we finally concentrated we managed to set the camera up in basic positions to film , although the shots  could have been more complicated.

The were no arguments in the group and once a decision had been made nobody seemed to be against it. Using the camera seemed very easy and we could replay all footage taken to decide on the next shot to use. When editing the clip the software became extremely easy to use once understanding how it functioned. The group experimented well and used the time well to edit the footage.

Focus Group

Inspirations

With our thriller film we need a vulnerable young female this would fit in the stereotype as a victim. This is why we would use the Jessica Alba due to the innocence that she could portray and could impact the film really well. As her film history portrays here as victim;

2008	The Eye	Sydney Wells	Teen Choice Award for Actress: Horror/Thriller
	Meet Bill	Lucy
	The Love Guru	Jane Bullard
2010	Valentine's Day	Morely Clarkson
	The Killer Inside Me	Joyce Lakeland
	Machete	Special Agent Sartana Rivera
	An Invisible Sign	Mona Gray
	Little Fockers	Andi Garcia

Her history gives us confidence for her to be able to play the role really well, as within in our story she will be kidnapped. Also as we are targeting a young adult audience as her looks and style will attract that part of the market.

BBFC

Sub Genre's of a Thriller

Conspiracy Thriller - in this genre of film a hero or heroine will be faced with a very powerful and large group of enemies… only they themselves will know the true extent of their power. For example “Edge of Darkness”

Crime Thriller - this sub-genre covers both types of movies, crime films and also thrillers themselves… this genre features suspense and either a successful and failed crime… conventionally it would be based on undercover criminal activity rather than police activity. For example “No Country for Old Men “

Disaster Thriller - the main conflict is always due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster caused in the world. A good example of this is “The Day After Tomorrow”

Erotic Thriller - this consists of erotica and thriller, this genre became popular in the 1980’s, an example is “Eyes Wide Shut”

Legal Thriller -in which a lawyer plays the role of a hero/heroine and in the courtroom fight for their lives rather than their case, example; “A Time to Kill”

Medical Thriller - the hero/heroine is played by someone in the medical profession who is working to solve a medical problem. “The Experiment” is an example

Mystery Thriller - films like “Flightplan” are of this genre, the plot is where the hero or heroine has to solve a mystery

Political Thriller - the hero or heroine must ensure that the government is stable. “Rendition” is an example of this genre

Psychological thriller - in this genre conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical, an example includes “Psycho”

Rape and Revenge Thrillers - focuses mainly on conventional elements of a thriller such as suspense, tension, some action and fast-pacing scenes rather than scares and supernatural features. For example “The Last House on the Left”

Religious Thriller - the plot is closely related to religious objects and institutions, an example is “The Davinci Code”

Supernatural Thriller - otherworldly elements are incorporated with tension, suspension and a plot with twists. Often the main character will have psychic abilities, an example of this genre is “Lady in the Water”

Techno Thriller - film includes suspense and manipulation of sophisticated technology, “I Robot” is an example

Moodboard Analysis

On our mood board I have included pictures relate to the thriller genre.

It features;  

·         Gun and a knife, this emphasises the intimacy that is conventionally related to the intimacy of the genre.

·         Danger sign/crime scene sign to show danger in the film which builds up excitement

·         Explosion's to show action

·         Blood creates fear and tension

·         Low key lighting is used to create an eary feeling in the film

·         Kidnapping can be an aspect of a thriller film

·         Car chase's can also be included because this creates tension

·         We included barbed wire on the mood board, this emphasised the danger in the genre

·         Dark settings like an alley way, create a good setting for a thriller film

·         Characters like James Bond and classic female roles like Angelina Jolie in Salt and Jessica Alba in The Fantastic Four, are characters that may be included in a thriller film, thats why I included them in the mood board.

All aspects may be incorporated in a thriller film; these pictures represent things we think will be included.

Moodboard