Group meeting

Meeting discussions are extremely important, these are essential to creating a good thriller sequence, it allows all members of the group to have an input on the different aspects of the thriller, from costumes to editing, the fact that everyone can voice their opinions allows us to decide as a group which ideas would create conventions of a thriller/engage the audience the most and suit our theme, by doing this we can get the best ideas from our group and not just an individual deciding the whole narrative by themselves, the group can also air concerns on aspects of the film and explain why they feel it isn't suitable and give a suitable replacement, the rest of the group can listen and spot their mistake and correct it or explain why something has been done if the majority still feel it is the correct thing to do.

Our group worked extremely well together, we worked as a team well and discussed ideas within the group with everyone before making it a definite decision, everyone had an effect/input on the final product and contributed toward improving it, we all happily took the roles we were given and filled them well, all of us have taken this seriously and got on with the work, although we have had trouble due to timetables being different we had trouble deciding days to film on, the main problem was that it became dark very early due to it being winter, also everyone was available to film on different days at different times, we got around this and done some shots during school time, other shots were done at weekends, the whole group was fully committed to the task and put all the effort they could in, I feel everyone had a positive influence on the final product.

Film schedule

The filming schedule is important to our opening sequence as it allows us to pre plan filming days and not spontaneously decide on the day, this allows us to make sure everyone is available and lets us get plenty of shots done, it also allows us to see what shots we will be doing on the day and not just decide there and then what we feel like doing and get iconography and mise en scene ready before hand, also we can get the camera ready and charge it, the fact that the filming schedule has the scenes we are going to shoot set out allows us to decide what to bring and know where to shoot the film and meet, this saves a lot of time and confusion allowing for more efficient filming.

Some days where changed due to inevitable plans arising during filming times, we changed these to other days, also we had to change what shots we could do due to it being so dark, this made it impossible to film some shots as we could not see what was going on and the camera could not pick up the actors so it ended up just filming pitch black, we countered this by filming shots there were in the street, using the street lights to assist us with light, this was successful so we filmed the other scenes on brighter days/earlier times, it also allows us to know where we will be filming next so we can all go there ready to set up our equipment at the scene.

Production roles

It is important for people to be allocated to specific roles as it allows people to focus solely on their roles, allowing for greater execution, if one person is responsible for two or three jobs then they will do them to a better quality compared to if they had more roles to do, also if something goes wrong there is one person designated to the job that can take the blame.

Producers - Alfie Harris

Director - Danny Wheeler

Actors - Amy Sowerby, Danny Wheeler and Alfie Harris

Director of photography - Danny Wheeler

Music producer - Amy Sowerby

Screenplay writer - Danny Wheeler

MES co-ordinator - Alfie Harris

Editor - Amy Sowerby

During a group meeting we discussed the roles each of us would take, the first role, the producer, was given to Alfie Harris, we believed that he would suit this role extremely well due to his great organisation of equipment, good knowledge of the area of filming and due to his previous involvement in GCSE media, all of theses combined made us decide that he could fulfil the role of the producer, due to me and Amy being new to the media course. Alfie has to make sure that all equipment is ready for filming during agreed times on our filming schedule, he also has to decide on the setting we shall use, this is important as it takes a big part of filming off of me and Amy and allows one designated person to decide this with some input from the other group members if needed, he filled this role very well, his brilliant organisation of equipment, etc helped him partake in this role and his knowledge of the area was a big asset as well.

I was chosen to be director due to it being convenient, firstly I had a vision in my head of what I wanted and how I wanted it done, due to me being the director of photography as well it was easier for me to do this as I could place all the actors where I wanted them and help create conventions of the thriller in the scenes we wanted, also I knew where to position characters where the audience would focus on them, all of this made filming a lot more efficient as we did not have to keep retaking shots due to it being a poor shot, I feel I completed this role successfully as our scenes were successful in what we wanted to create and the narrative was followed correctly.

Me, Alfie Harris and Amy Sowerby were all actors in the thriller sequence, we have all created our own characters to fit into the sequence, this allows us to know our characters inside and out, therefore we can act out our characters extremely well and due to all of us being actors we do not rely on one person being available to shoot scenes, if one actor is busy then the others can still proceed with filming, also it creates, suspense, surprise, shock and enigma due to having more characters and variety, we all fulfilled our roles successfully and created these conventions where needed.

I was the director of photography, this was linked with my other roles, also I have previous experience with the camera so it was decided I was best for the job, also my character rarely features in the sequence so we decided that I should be the director of photography, I filled this role well and used the camera successfully, creating different angles, shots and movements effectively, I got used to the camera quickly and created suspense, surprise, shock and enigma well.

Amy was given the role of music producer, she had a clear idea of what sounds she wanted along with the scenes we were creating, this allowed us to quickly get sound editing done as we knew exactly what we wanted, me and Alfie put in input if we felt another sound would be more suited or effective for the scene but this was rare, Amy also took music GCSE so was experienced in this aspect, she knew exactly what to do and how to download sound/where to download it from, she was successful in her role and I have no complaints, she used sound very effectively and knew the exact points that would cause suspense, shock, surprise and enigma, engaging the audience successfully.

The group decided I should be screenplay writer, this was because of my clear idea of what I wanted the sequence to look like, I had the idea set out in my head, I knew when I wanted to create suspense, shock, surprise and enigma, I also knew the characters if everyone well, this allowed me to demonstrate each characters characteristics well in the shots and help the audience build a relationship with them, by doing this we can engage the audience into watching the sequence, I feel I fulfilled this role well, I knew what I wanted from the narrative and got it.

Alfie was the MES co-ordinator we decided to give him this role due to his superb organisation and his knowledge of the area we were filming in, it was his idea to film where we filmed the sequence and it was a great setting to film in and had everything we needed fir our filming, this allowed for a better quality of filming as it became more realistic and engaging due to the setting being what the audience imagined it to be like, also our target audience claimed that a forest is the most desirable place to film a thriller and the forest we filmed at matched the description, Alfie done this role extremely well and  helped improve the quality of filming massively by sorting out all of the mise en scene.

The final role of editing was given to Amy, she knows how to edit far better than me and Alfie, although we are capable of editing during her absense, she is the main editor and knows what effects to use in which shots to make it as effective on the audience as possible, me and Alfie have an input on this as well and have mostly agreed with Amys decisions, although some we have decided to use a different editing style as it creates a different effect that we think is needed, also some of the effects are used to create a relationship between the audience and the character as well as suspense, shock, surprise and enigma, I feel she has fulfilled this role successfully and knows what she is doing, she has created effects within the audience successfully in scenes we wanted to do this.

I feel I was successful with my roles of director, director of photography and screenplay writer, I positioned the others well, this was easy for me as I was behind the camera so could see where the best positioning for the actors to be was, I also done well with the role of director of photography, due to my experience with cameras I was the best man for the job and carried it out well, creating some great shots and angles, I feel like my role as an actor was not as good as the other roles, I was not sure what to do and due to being behind the camera the majority of the time, was unsure where to stand.

Amy also fulfilled her role as actor, music producer and editor successfully, she completed these roles exceptionally well during filming, as an actor she done well, due to the camera constantly being on her it was hard but she acted well and created the effects needed, she done well as music producer as she knew exactly what she wanted and where to find it, she also knew what was needed to create certain effects on the audience which was important, finally as an editor she knew exactly what was needed for each shot and where it was and how it created the desired effect on the audience, she was much better at editing than me and alfie so it made sense for her to take this role.

Alfie was very good in his roles of producer, MES coordinator and actor, alfie was a great producer and MES coordinator, he knew the area we were filming well so knew the best places for each scene, also he knew exactly what costumes everyone needed and where to find them, he was also a very good actor, when on screen he done what was asked and created shock, surprise, suspense and enigma well.

Overall our filming was extremely successful, we finished our sequence and edited it, it did not turn out fully as planned as all of us had different schedules it was difficult to film, we managed to finish it just in time but could not get everything done, for example we struggled to get a soundtrack to use throughout the sequence, also we did not have a mask during the time we filmed so the enigma was much more difficult to create, we created a lot of shock, surprise and suspense in our sequence and engaged the audience, I feel like I should not be an actor for the real thing as it is slightly confusing for the audience as it is unclear how my character links in.

Opening scene narration - miss Miller

Our opening narrative begins with Chloe walking toward the forest after saying goodbye to her friends this will be done at a mid shot with high key lighting, she crosses the road (close up), as she is walking toward the forest she spots something, the audience cannot see what she has noticed due to it being off screen (eerie soundtrack played), she walks over to it and the audience cannot quite make out what it is (timing of shots-slow), the protagonist is clearly intrigued by it though, there is then a close up shot of the picture, the audience realise it is a CCTV image of Chloe, causing suspense in the audience as well as enigma as to how it got there and why it is there (high pitched noise), now there is a close up/reaction shot (heart beat), then it goes to a long shot as Chloe walks away, eerie music to build suspense is used in the background as she walks away you can see a mysterious man whose identity is unknown, he then walks off, she then enters the forest passing Tony (long shot used) (eerie sound track), Chloe then enters the forest (low key lighting), we then get a POV from the antagonists view, you can see him hiding behind a tree stalking her (heavy panting used), the protagonist is clearly unaware of the antagonists presence, the next scene is a low angle showing the sole of the protagonists shoes as she walks into the forest, she then wanders through the woods, as she walks through a POV shot from the antagonist is shown, it shows another CCTV image of Chloe being burnt (eerie soundtrack used), she sees a man in the forest holding a knife (high pitched screech noise), this frightens her so she takes a different route through the forest there is then more of her walking through the forest panicking (high angle), then a longshot, you can see a man waving toward the victim, holding a knife, a reaction shot is used and it shows her panicking and her fear (heart beat), then there is a montage of all of the things that have happened previously(different lighting used to show flashbacks) and she realises what is happening now and knows she is in extreme danger, a two shot is used and it shows both of them opposite each other(eerie soundtrack), she then runs and fast timing of shots is used to show fear and panic, there is then a POV shot of the victim, then a POV from the antagonists with the knife in his hand, she trips and he stabs her as it cuts to black, she then realises she is heavily bleeding she props herself up against a tree (close up), the screen begins to go blurry and wobble, then she faints, the screen then cuts to black, as she wakes up (eerie soundtrack) she turns (panning) (POV) to see the antagonist standing above, then there is a scream and it cuts to black.

Group storyboard

The purpose of the group storyboard is to gather all the group members best ideas and put them into one storyboard, collecting the best possible storyboard, every member of the group shared their storyboard with the others and as a group we decided whether it should make the final cut or not, sometimes we didn't use the exact idea but took parts of it, e.g an over the shoulder shot.







We have created a group storyboard so that we can have one set narrative to follow while filming, it makes it easier to understand what we will be shooting next and we will have our best possible narrative as a group, in the seventh shot, POV is used, in the bottom of the screen you can see the antagonists weapon, this sets the tone for the rest of the opening sequence, this idea came from me and Amy, we both had this idea and I feel it works very well, this would be effective at creating suspense as the audience can just see the weapon, also the audience build a relationship with the antagonist due to fearing him.

The next shot is the over the shoulder shot, this is the tenth shot and is used to create surprise, also an enigma as to how these pictures have been gotten hold of as well as why they are in the forest, the audience fear for the protagonist due to the situation she is in, this idea was in me, Amy and Alfie's storyboard, it is extremely effective at intriguing and engaging the audience, making them watch on, due to the restricted view it creates suspense within the audience, also the fact that the antagonist could be lurking anywhere in the unknown helps the audience build a relationship with him, fearing him.

The third shot is the reaction shot in the 12 th shot, this idea was Amy's, it creates suspense and shock effectively, the audience are in suspense as they see that she is in danger and fear for her, wondering what is going to happen to her next, the are shocked as to how she has reacted, they hoped for a brave hero as the protagonist but from this reaction you can see the fear of the protagonist, this makes them realise the danger she is in and that it is extremely unlikely that she will overpower the antagonist, this makes the audience sympathetic toward her situation.

The fourth is a long shot, this is used in the twenty first shot, this is used to show the antagonist teasing the protagonist, this was Amy's idea, it creates suspense as to what the antagonist will do after this as he is in clear control of the situation, there is also shock as to how calm he is considering he is holding a knife threatening the protagonist, the audience fear the antagonist as this shows his clear dominance, superiority and calmness in such a nerve racking situation.

I feel like our storyboard is a good opening sequence for a thriller, it involves plenty of shock, surprise and suspense as well as a constant enigma as to who the antagonist is and why he is stalking the protagonist, we managed to encorparate everyone in the groups ideas in one way or another, everyone had an input and added some of their own story, coming together as one idea 

The first micro element is mise en scene, we will use a forest as the setting as it is great for creating shock, surprise and suspense it is an area that people see in their everyday life's and see it as a normal thing, the fact that such horror happens within the forest will create shock and surprise within the audience helping to engage them into the film, it is also conventional to a thriller as it it an isolated area, there are lots of places to hide and it is almost cut off from civilisation, creating suspense as when the victim is in danger they know it will be extremely difficult to escape, also iconography used such as the knife is used to show the power and superiority of the antagonist over the victim, the dark clothing of the antagonist represents the danger and enigma surrounding, showing the audience he is an evil character, the light clothing of the victim shows the innocence and harmlessness of her and helps the audience relate and sympathise with her.

The second micro element is cinematography, we will be using different shots, angles and movements with the camera,the use of long shot allows the audience to see the setting behind the character, getting a feel of the mood of the setting, helping create suspense within the audience, the use of this helps engage the audience, this shot also allows the audience to see the characters full body and facial expressions, helping the audience relate to the character, a movement we will use is handheld, this is used to represent the panic and urgency of the victim to try to escape from the antagonist, it also shows the audience the dominance and superiority of the antagonist compared to the victim, creating shock and surprise as well as helping the audience build a relationship with the antagonist as they fear him, this is conventional as it helps engage the audience as they feel like they are part of the film, helping create shock, surprise and suspense to maximum effect. The angle we will use is the low angle, this will be used to show the power of the antagonist and make the audience fear him, it will be used to create shock and surprise as it portrays to the audience how powerful and dominant the antagonist really is, helping the audience sympathise toward the victim.

The third micro element used in our thriller sequence is sound, we used both diegetic and non diegetic, An example of diegetic sound being used was the screams of the victim while on screen, this was used to show the superiority of the antagonist and helped create suspense and shock as the screen cuts to black as she screams, this helps engage the audience as the audience wonder what has happened to the victim, also helping create a relationship between the audience and victim as they sympathise toward her as they realise that her life is in serious danger, the fact it is clearly not edited in helps the audience become more engaged within the film as it becomes realistic, helping create more shock, surprise and suspense within the audience. The non diegetic sound used will be the soundtrack and edited sounds like the heart beat, the soundtrack will help create a sense of enigma and also create suspense, in shocking parts the soundtrack can help emphasise the shock, the use of this will help engage the audience and the audience will create a relationship with the antagonist as the eerie soundtrack used in his presence will warn the audience of his danger

We was inspired to use low key lighting by the film Halloween, this is evident throughout the sequence and was extremely effective at creating enigma, shock and suspense, all these were used to keep the audience engaged into the film, it was also used to represent the dark and eerie mood of the scene, engaging the audience into watching the film. Panning was inspired from silence of the lambs, this will be used to pan across to the antagonist, creating suspense and shock when it finally gets to him, this will be engage the audience into watching the film as well as helping the audience create a relationship with the antagonist, due to fearing him. we took the idea of high and low angles from silence of the lambs, this was used very effectively in this film and created shock as well as fear toward the antagonist within the audience, these all helped engage the audience into watching  the film, this will  be used when the antagonist is attacking the victim

Risk assessment

It is important for us to observe possible hazards to group members before filming to make sure that we are all safe from harm, we do not want actors or other people in other roles (eg. director of photography), we also want to make sure we do not harm the public, as well as being unneeded it can give the group a serious problem should the public be harmed.

The risk assessment will allow our group to prevent problems before they occur, this will save a lot of trouble and will make us extra cautious before, during and after filming, there are plenty of dangers during filming that we must be weary of, I feel our group has covered all serious dangers to us and therefore we will be safe throughout the making of the opening thriller sequence, this will also allow for a better quality of filming as our minds will be fully focused on filming and our roles and not what possible dangers could affect us during filming .

There was a lot of sharp objects such as glass on the floor during filming, we had to make sure we cleared the area as it was very slippery at the time and could cause serious harm, this was prevented by us getting all glass, etc out of the way of filming to prevent harm, we also realised that we had to be extremely careful during the filming of the scene where the antagonist sets the picture of Amys character alight while it is pinned on a tree, we had to make sure we did not burn ourselves as well as making sure we did not set anything else alight by making sure we was careful with the lighter and put out the fire for definate

Individual storyboard

The purpose of the storyboard is to help develop ideas and set out a narrative, this allows you to see how the sequence of events match up and a preview as to how it will look to the audience, this also allows the directors to discuss which angles/movements and effects and lighting, etc will work best in the shot, this allows the film to make as big an impact as possible on the audience. It allows easier filming as we have a set plan to go by.

I have created a storyboard so that I can discuss my ideas for the narrative with my group much easier, also if the ideas are written down then we can have it there for later if we want to mix ideas to create a final group narrative, I have used things such a low and high angle (when protagonist/victim is laying on floor) to show the inferiority of the protagonist and the superiority of the antagonist, I was inspired by silence of the lambs, they used the low angle very well and really portrayed the dominance of Hannibal, helping the audience build a relationship with him, which was fearing him. I decided to use POV to help put the audience in the protagonists shoes, to help them create a relationship with the character even more, I was inspired by the film se7en, it used POV, this was not for the same effect but done what it needed to, hide the identity of the antagonist, I feel the shot would be even more effective for my use, because in se7en the effect I want to create is created well (suspense) this helps engage the audience and is an important convention of the thriller genre. I also used panning, this was used in silence of the lambs, it allows the audience to see more of the scene and get a feel of the mood, the allows us to create surprise, shock and suspense a lot more effectively as well as enigma due to some things being hidden until the camera spins round to it, this movement is extremely good at creating suspense due to the audience being on the edge of their seats while the camera is panning, waiting for something to happen and shock them.

I feel my narrative has a fairly engaging narrative and creates suspense and shock, it has an antagonist and protagonist and the majority of other thriller conventions (eg. knife) I have also tried to use conventional camera shots as well, this is why I used inspiration from other thrillers, I feel this will help the group narrative and has some very valid and creative yet conventional ideas that would be a good contribution to the group narrative, I feel more surprise is needed, I struggled to fit this into my story and without this the film will not be a conventional thriller.

The first micro element is mise en scene, we will use a forest as the setting as it is great for creating shock, surprise and suspense it is an area that people see in their everyday life's and see it as a normal thing, the fact that such horror happens within the forest will create shock and surprise within the audience helping to engage them into the film, it is also conventional to a thriller as it it an isolated area, there are lots of places to hide and it is almost cut off from civilisation, creating suspense as when the victim is in danger they know it will be extremely difficult to escape, also iconography used such as the knife is used to show the power and superiority of the antagonist over the victim, the dark clothing of the antagonist represents the danger and enigma surrounding, showing the audience he is an evil character, the light clothing of the victim shows the innocence and harmlessness of her and helps the audience relate and sympathise with her.

The second micro element is cinematography, we will be using different shots, angles and movements with the camera,the use of close up shot allows the audience to see the facial expressions, helping the audience relate to the character as they feel sympathetic toward her due to the clear anxiety and fear in her facial expression, this is also used to create suspense as the audience are restricted as to what they can see so are on the edge of their seats as the antagonist could pop up at any moment and create shock within the audience, finally surprise is created as the audience didn't realise how frightened the victim was before this, a movement we will use is handheld, this is used to represent the panic and urgency of the victim to try to escape from the antagonist, it also shows the audience the dominance and superiority of the antagonist compared to the victim, creating shock and surprise as well as helping the audience build a relationship with the antagonist as they fear him, this is conventional as it helps engage the audience as they feel like they are part of the film, helping create shock, surprise and suspense to maximum effect. The angle we will use is the high angle, this will be used to show the inferiority of the victim in comparison to the antagonist, it will be used to create shock and surprise as it portrays to the audience how powerful and dominant the antagonist really is, helping the audience sympathise toward the victim and fear the antagonist, creating relationships with both.

The third micro element used in our thriller sequence is sound, we used both diegetic and non diegetic, an example of diegetic sound being used was the dialogue, this is used to help the audience understand and keep up with the narrative, this keeps them engaged into the film, the fact it is clearly not edited in helps the audience become more engaged within the film as it becomes realistic, helping create more shock, surprise and suspense within the audience. The non diegetic sound used will be the heart beat, the heart beat will help create suspense, in shocking parts the heart beat can help emphasise the shock, surprise and fear, the use of this will help engage the audience and the audience will create a relationship with the victim as the heart beat shows the fear and inferiority of the victim, creating sympathy toward her

Planning opening credits

The purpose of the opening credits is to introduce the actors, director and all the others that helped make the film, it can also be used to introduce the style of the film, it also shows the roles behind the scenes and finally the film title.                                                                            

Se7en used a fairly small font size for the names of actors, directors, etc but the film title started off small and then flickered and became large filling up the majority of the screen making the audience focus their attention on it, helping them memorise it, the colours used were mainly dark, there was black and white used which portrays good vs evil, protagonist vs antagonist, also the red briefly used portrays danger and blood portraying danger, which comes from the antagonist, helping the audience create a relationship with the character before the film even starts due to fear of the antagonist, blood and danger being two conventions of the thriller genre helps engage the audience. They try to make it so the most recognisable people are first, the production compant name came first, then the director, David Fincher, obviously wanted to get his name out in the public eye so put himself first, then the two main, famous actors, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman were displayed, as well as other actors afterwards, then the casting director, music used, editors, director of photography and finally the co producers, the title name and directors name were used again during the opening credits, this was to essentially drill the name into the audiences head, getting it into the public. The font was in child's writing, this shows the mentally instability of the antagonist which explains why he is doing such unspeakable things but also helps build up the fear of the antagonist, due to him not knowing its wrong and because he is unstable, being relentless and not stopping till he has killed the victim, the fact that child's writing it used contradicts the fearful image of the antagonist as children are seen as sweet and innocent, making it extremely creepy.

My design followed the conventions of a thriller, I used the dark background, representing the enigma of the antagonist and the blood, a convention of the thriller genre, which is red, showing the danger of the antagonist, essentially a warning to the audience, the text is put right in the middle of the screen in a fairly large font size, this focuses the audiences attention on it, helping them remember the name, I tried to use a font that looks slightly eerie, something that is conventionally used in the thriller genre, I used this font and I feel it fits with the effect of the blood, it doesn't look too neat and helps create suspense in the audience, I have positioned the title in the very centre of the screen, making it the sole focus point so the audience remember it. This opening credit does not link very well with the actual theme of our narrative, although it demonstrates use of a convention (blood) it does not link with the main theme of stalking/being watched, therefore will not be used.

This is Amys idea, it suits the idea of our thriller and uses the colours you'd expect to see, black and red, black representing enigma and the unknown and red representing blood and danger, these both help create suspense within the audience from the start, the font used is also a positive, it creates a bold statement, the large letters represent the power and strength of the antagonist, overpowering the protagonist, this helps create fear and shock in the audience, it is also positioned right in the middle of the screen, making the audience focus purely on that. The only thing I would change is where the colours are, I feel it would be more effective is the red was swapped with the black as there would be more of a sense of enigma and there would also be a blood effect.

This is Alfies idea, this also suits the theme of our opening sequence, the CCTV images was an idea we wanted to go with and the use of the CCTV effect works extremely well and fits our idea, the colours again are conventional to the thriller, creating an enigma as well as warning the audience of danger (the antagonist), the CCTV effect helps the audience realise how much of a stalker the antagonist really is and that she is unknowing of him watching her. The only disadvantage is that the text is extremely blurry and the font used is basic, this may not leave the title in the audiences mind, we must make it stick in there heads, this is one of the reasons we picked such a unusual name for the title, the fact that it is in the middle is a positive for making it stand out but the writing around it creates a distraction for the audience, possibly taking their attention away from the title.

We will work on Amys opening credits, with a bit of restructuring we can make the opening credits extremely successful and make it fit the thriller genre, all we need to work on is the use of the colours and I feel we have a great opening sequence, we will use the same order as Se7en does but will not repeat anything also the production company name will be the last thing on the screen before the opening sequence starts opposite to se7en. I feel once is enough for the audience to remember the title as it is extremely bold and eye catching, the names/job roles of people working behind the scenes will not appear directly in the middle like the title, also they will be a lot smaller and not as eye catching, the actors and directors names will be slightly bigger and more central than the others, making them slightly more memorable than the others.

Planning characters

The purpose of characters is to have someone for the audience to relate to, whether they are fearful/dislike the character or can relate to the character due to them liking/being similar to them, the audience enjoy watching a character they relate to. The characters are needed to make it easier for the audience to follow the narrative by the characters using dialogue, this all needs to be planned before the film is shot otherwise the narrative may not make sense, ruining the film.

The antagonist named Marius (played by Alfie) is going to be a 26 year old male, he will have dark hair, brown eyes, is 5'11 and have a scar across his face, his identity will be kept confidential until late into the sequence, he is mentally challenged and this condition has not been helped by the fact that he recently lost both his parents, the fact he is mentally challenged causes controversy/ a rift in the audience, some may say it isnt his fault, it is down to the mental illness and he cannot control it while others may argue and claim he should be responsible for his actions, this will cause the audience to really engage in the sequence, causing them to watch on, he is trying to get rid of the pain and anger he is feeling by viciously attacking/killing anyone that has offended him/he has a grudge against. This character is conventional to the thriller genre as he is a typical antagonist, male, serious mental health issues, has a scar on his face, possibly from a previous encounter, he is seriously dangerous and will be feared by the audience due to his clear dominance, the features he has will create more fear of him, the dark hair only adding to the enigma of him and matching the dark clothing he will be wearing, making him really mysterious and setting the tone of the whole scene, the background of the character will make the audience sympathise for him slightly but really fear him due to him wanting to inflict the pain he has felt for a lifetime on others, the fact he is a male will make it more likely the audience will fear him due to the antagonist usually being a male.

The protagonist named Chloe (played by Amy) is going to a 25 year old female with dark hair, blue eyes and is 5'5, she will be an innocent university student who appears to have no enemies, she has never intentionally hurt anyone in her life, she is a young women and would be around the same age group as our target audience, this helps the audience relate to her, causing them to become much more engaged in the film, they will also be really sympathetic toward her due to them possibly putting themselves in her shoes, realising that could be them, this will create much more suspense and shock. There may be a bit of enigma surrounding this character, the fact someone despises of her so much they go out of their way to kill her makes the audience question whether she really is this innocent girl they assumed she was at first, this engages the audience as they want to find out more about her as a character. This character is conventional to the thriller genre as the victim is usually a young female, this really emphasises the amount of power the antagonist has over the victim, causing more fear of him in the audience.

The antagonists assistant named Tony (played by me) is a 36 year old male with dark hair, brown eyes and is 5'10, Tony is a well known man in the local community, unfortunately not for the right reasons, he is essentially the 'local drunk', rarely seen out of the pub or without his pet dog, Tony is a very impressionable man and due to his current unemployment will do pretty much anything for money, however small the amount, this man is a very suspicious character and an enigma surrounds him as well, the audience wonder how he got to this stage and always get the feeling he is up to no good, he will be the man that does most of the dirty work for Marius, apart from the actually murder of Chloe, for what the audience assume is money. The audience will feel very suspicious of Tony due to him at first seeming a simple, harmless character with little relevance, this will cause extreme surprise within the audience, realising anyone could cause harm, even the most harmless looking people. This character is conventional to the thriller genre as there is usually an assistant for the antagonist, a person who seems to be doing little for the storyline and mostly in the background of the narrative when in fact they are the cause of most events within the film.

In conclusion, all the characters are conventional to the thriller genre in certain ways due to their roles, each one engages the audience in their own way as well as relates to them in one way or another, each causes surprise, shock and suspense, helping emphasise the genre we are trying to create, all the characters here are essential to our opening sequence and without them the sequence would not be as powerful. The planning of characters was key to making a good thriller, we needed to really create our character in detail, giving them a background and key characteristics, each contributing to the effect the character has on the audience. Overall I feel every character is important and is contributing to the quality of the thriller, without one of these the storyline would not be as engaging.

Planning editing styles

Editing styles are extremely important in thrillers, firstly it is used to  create all three of the three main conventions, shock, surprise and suspense, these are what makes a thriller and without these it would not be a thriller, it can also create enigma if wanted, the editing style is clearly essential to the thriller genre, it can be used to get the audience to build a relationship with the characters, therefore making them engaged in the film, wanting to watch on.

Filters will be used in the opening sequence to show a different setting/time period, as well as when the protagonist is having flashbacks of previous encounters/memories, this will help the audience follow the narrative and stop them getting confused, keeping them engaged.This style allows us to create suspense and enigma as the audience's ability to see is slightly lowered due to the low key lighting/darker filter, this means the audience are in suspense as to what is happening where the audience are struggling to fully see and they cannot make out characteristics of the antagonist, therefore surprise when the audience finally see the antagonists face also shock can be created by making the antagonist appear from darker areas of the screen, this is conventional as enigma, shock and suspense are used in thrillers all the time to keep the audience engaged. The audience become extremely fearful of the protagonist due to them not knowing anything about him, also the audience become sympathetic for the protagonist due to the clear danger she is in, the darkness represents this.

Reaction shot will be used when she first realises she is being followed and when she is face to face with the antagonist and about to run to try to escape, this will be used to show the audience the fear on her face, making the audience fearful as well, this shot will be used to create suspense and shock, suspense due to wondering how she will cope and what she will do next, and shock due to them seeing how fearful she is, making them really frightened as to what the antagonist may do to her, this makes it conventional as these two conventions are key to the thriller genre, constantly used to help audiences build relationships with the characters they are watching. The audience will build a relationship with the protagonist as they will sympathise for her due to the clear fear she is showing using her facial expression.

A rewind sequence will be used in our opening sequence when the protagonist is having flashbacks and piecing together her memories, helping her realise what has been happening the whole time and that she is in serious danger, this allows the audience to see what has happened to lead up to this event/see what they can't or haven't, the sequence will create surprise, shock and suspense, surprise and surprise at some of the images and suspense as to what this means and whether it will help her escape from the antagonist, this is conventional to thrillers as they use all three of these conventions, the audience wonder what this means for the protagonist, therefore keeping them engaged in the film. It helps the audience build a relationship with the protagonist as they see what she has been through, therefore emphasising with her and her situation.

Group planning

My group members are me, Alfie Harris and Amy Sowerby, the point of our group meeting is to discuss ideas we have for the opening sequence, this is essential to a good thriller sequence, also it allows us to improve the opening sequence due to the whole group getting together and deciding whether or not it would improve the scene, this is key if we want a good grade.

In the first group meeting we discussed all our narrative ideas, we then decided what ideas we liked and tried to take individual ideas from each narrative and put it into one storyline, this worked well as we had a numerous amount of different ideas which is always good and we had one solid storyline, allowing us to improvise if something didn't work out, we also decided which characters we would involve in the film, we all discussed where we got our narrative ideas from, I personally got mine from thriller films like the shining, silence of the lambs, Halloween, se7en and the strangers, the others used some of the same films as me as well as new ones, we also discussed thing such as the sound we will use, who our target audience are and what they want in the film, we also discussed what conventions we felt should be in the film and what effect they have on the audience (Suspense, shock, surprise and relationship built between character and audience), we had to decide who would play what roles in the sequence, we decide which editing styles we would use and why, also the mise en scene was discussed (iconography, costumes, body language, facial expressions, etc), we discussed the cinematography and how we was going to make sure our sequence suited out target audience and was available to them.

The first thing we discussed as a group was the characters we wanted to involve in  the film and who would play which role, as a group we decided that I would be camera man/antagonists assistant, this role did not need a lot of acting so I decided that it would make sense if I was camera man, while I am acting one of the others in our group will take control of the camera, this character will not really seem important to the audience but is infact helping the antagonist in trapping/scaring the protagonist. The second character was the protagonist, played by Amy, essentially the main character, she will appear throughout and there will be few scenes without her in, she is needed for the character the audience root for and build a good relationship with, she will be essential in creating shock, surprise and suspense. The final character is the antagonist, played by Alfie, this character will be despised of by the audience, he will also be key to the shock, surprise and suspense effect within the audience.

The next was sound, we decided that we would use a lot of non diegetic sound, the eerie soundtrack being the main one, this sets the tone/mood of the scene and really helps build suspense, shock and surprise within the audience, it also helps the audience build up the relationship with the character, the use of sound helps engage the audience into watching the rest of the sequence, this is important in film, we will also use diegetic sound like dialogue, this will help the audience follow the narrative, therefore intriguing them, helping them engage into the film.

We then shared our vox pops and discussed our target audience, using this we could decide what types of things should involve in our film and the type of mood the scenes will portray, due to our audience being 15-25 we need to make sure our tone in scenes is not overly dark, making it an 18 film, there should be many conventions of the thriller genre in our film, this allows the audience to engage, recognising the genre and wanting to watch on, we have done this by using a woman protagonist/victim, a male antagonist, knife, isolated area, shock, surprise, suspense and enigma, all these will engage the audience as well as entertain them.

We also discussed the different editing styles we could use, what effect they will have on the audience and when we will use them, we have decided on the different styles we will use between the group and it has been finalised, the editing is important as it has a huge effect on the audience, it helps the audience create relationships with characters in the audience as well as create suspense, shock, surprise and enigma, conventions of the thriller genre, helping engage the audience.

Next meeting we shall discuss the opening credits we will use, all of our groups ideas were individual and suit the film we are creating, all of them could be used but we shall decide on the best one next meeting, also we will finalize any narrative ideas we are unsure of, making sure 100 percent we are happy with the narrative we have created.

Planning mise en scene

Mise en scene is key in thriller, it is all the scenery and iconography, these are very important in thrillers as they are used in the narrative, they can also be used to set the tone of the scene, the use of this must be thoroughly pre planned to be used to maximum effect, the use of this could be the difference between a good or bad film.

Setting

Firstly the setting is in a forest, this is very isolated and away from the public, meaning the audience will be in suspense as to how she will escape due to there being no help, also it is very surreal for the audience because the forest is an everyday place, the audience may possibly see/walk through a forest everyday, making it that bit more shocking. The audience will build a relationship with the protagonist as they will feel sympathetic for her due to the situation she is in, meaning the shock will be even  bigger when she is killed, also the audience will be fearful and suspicious of the antagonist due to the environment he has surrounded himself in, it is quite a strange environment to lurk around in. This setting is conventional in thrillers as it is used very often to create suspense, the restricted view of the audience and protagonist create suspense as they are unknowing of the full picture and do not know what is around the next turning, finally in our research we found out that the majority of our audience preferred the setting being in the forest so we decided to use it.

Iconography

The iconography we will use is a knife, this will be used by the antagonist against the protagonist, this will be used to create shock and suspense among the audience, they will be in suspense as to whether he is going to use it to kill the protagonist or whether its a scare tactic and they will be in shock when he pulls it out and when he kills/injures her, the knife is again an everyday thing so it will be surreal to the audience the damage that the antagonist causes with it, we will try to emphasise the weapon so that the audience realise the real importance of it. It will make the audience fear the antagonist and really worry about what he will do with the knife, It is conventional to a thriller as the knife is a typical weapon used, it portrays the power of the holder and puts them in a strong position, making the audience fearful of them.

Lighting/colour

The lighting we shall use is low key, this along with the dark colours also used will create a tense atmosphere and really set the dark mood the scene wants, the fact that this restricts the view for the audience makes this even more tense and audience are really in suspense as to where the killer is, this helps us hide the identity of the antagonist as well, the low key lighting resembles the fact that it is later in the day, adding to the fact that she will be isolated as not many people tend to be around later at night, especially in a forest, possibly creating surprise when Tony is seen wandering around, making the audience very suspicious of him. It helps the audience relate to the protagonist as they feel sympathetic for her due to her  having to walk through the forest on her own. This is conventional as it is usually used in thrillers to build suspense or shock due to the audience not being able to see the full picture.

Costume

Tony (my character) will wear a tracksuit possibly a dark colour or grey, symbolising that you need to be weary of that character and that he is a possible danger to the protagonist. Chloe (Amys character) will be wearing everyday clothes, representing that she is an everyday person, she will be wearing bright colours representing that she is not dangerous or suspicious or she will wear white clothing to portray her innocence, finally, Marius will be wearing very dark colours, creating a enigma as to who he is and suspicion as well as fear, the black represents the danger he brings to the scene and is the person the audience so fear. The audience will relate with Chloe more as she is wearing brighter clothes, making her seem much more likeable as a character in the sequence whereas the audience will fear Marius and possibly Tony due to their darker clothing. This is conventional as thrillers need a antagonist and protagonist, they need someone to like/sympathise with and someone to fear, the clothing indicates to the audience which character is the protagonist or the antagonist.

Facial expressions and body language  

The facial expressions of Tony and Marius will be unknown while wearing their masks, but once off you will be able to see the pure hatred in their faces, this will make them feared by the audience will, also they will not show any sign of remorse for their actions, making them even more frightening for the audience. Chloe will be very innocent, before the strange occurrences begin to happen she will be extremely happy, making her much more appealing to the audience as a character to relate to, once the antagonist enters the scene she will seem much more frightened and the audience will sympathise with her, in suspense, hoping she will escape. The body language of the characters will be very visible throughout, Tony may be slightly careless and not as devious/sneaky as Marius but will still seem like a evil character out to hurt Chloe, this will make the audience dislike and fear him. Marius will seem very suspicious and sneaky, his body language will make him look like he is about to do something serious and extremely violent, the audience will fear him as he is following Chloe without her knowing and will seem as if he is going to attack her. Chloe will be innocent, she will be extremely relaxed and careless until she begins to become paranoid, then she will become extremely tense and cautious, this will shock the audience as to how much her body language has changed and make them fearful as well. This is conventional to thrillers as they usually use body language and facial expressions to let the audience know how the characters feel without the use of dialogue which makes them feel much closer to the character.

Sound planning

Sound is important as it is used to create surprise, suspense, shock and enigma, these are four key conventions in the thriller genre and without these it would not be classed as a thriller, it can be used to create a tense atmosphere in the audience, allowing shock, surprise or suspense to be used to its full potential. It must be planned beforehand to be used to full effectiveness, the sound, diegetic or non diegetic, must be used in the right moments to create an effect on the audience, it links with the images used as the sound builds up the tension and the picture creates shock, but must be linked to sound, one on its own will not create shock in a modern day audience and will merely make them watch on in a complete calm/bored state or stop watching the film due to not being engaged in the film.

We will use soundtrack which is non diegetic, this soundtrack will be eerie/dark, it will be used to create shock, surprise and suspense in the audience. This technique will be used in the build up to a scary/shocking moment, it will build up suspense and then add to the shock on the audience, we can also use it to create a sense of enigma as to who the antagonist is and why he has targeted that certain person (protagonist). It will be used to portray the superiority of the antagonist an the danger the protagonist is in throughout the opening sequence, this is conventional as it creates suspense within the audience and indicates that something is going to happen, it can also be used to create shock or surprise. The audience become fearful of the antagonist as soundtrack will portray the danger that surrounds him, also they will feel sympathetic for the protagonist as they realise what a dangerous situation she is in.

We will use off screen sound such as the voice if the antagonist or leaves cracking, it will be used while the protagonist is in the forest trying to escape the antagonist, the voice allows the audience to judge the antagonists emotion and intention, also it shows the true power and superiority of the antagonist, striking fear into the audience and protagonist purely by just being there, having not done anything notable yet. The audience will build a relationship with the protagonist due to them feeling sympathetic of the situation she is in, the use of off screen sound is conventional as it creates tension/suspense, creating a feeling of uneasiness within the audience.

We will also use non diegetic sound effects, we will use it for the heart beat of the victim when she is panicking due to the antagonist chasing her, this will portray the inferiority of the protagonist and show the true fear she is feeling, helping the audience build a relationship with her due to them feeling extremely sympathetic and due to our target audience being around the same age, they can really put themselves in that position, helping create more suspense, surprise and shock. The use of the non diegetic soundtrack is conventional as it is constantly used to aid the audience create relationships with the characters and maximise the effect of some scenes on the audience.

Finally we will use diegetic sound, this will be used during dialogue and when the protagonist is running (panting/heavy breathing) we will use these sounds to portray the inferiority of the protagonist in comparison to the antagonist, the sheer panic the protagonist shows helps the audience realise how fearful she is of the antagonist and that they should be too, the audience then build a relationship with the protagonist, they both fear of the antagonist and the audience are extremely sympathetic/fearful for the protagonist as they realise that she is in a extremely dangerous situation, the use of diegetic sound is conventional as thrillers rely on the use of this sound technique, without it the audience would struggle to follow the narrative and the story would become extremely confusing.

The use of sound helps build up suspense more as without it the audience would not know something is going to happen, this helps us maximise the effect of shock/surprise as well, although the audience would still be shocked or surprised the use of sound helps build up that fear making the audience prepare, as time goes on they slowly lower their guards and then the shocking moment happens, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats throughout, this is extremely conventional and is used in many thriller films, it allows the audience to get that adrenaline they want while watching a thriller by using shock, surprise and suspense. The planning of this was extremely useful as it allowed us to think about when the sound would be best used, we also could make sure we didn't over do it as this would bore the audience due to the repetitiveness of it.

.

Cinematography planning

Planning cinematography

Cinematography is extremely important within films, it uses different angles/shots/movements to create certain feelings (e.g. suspense, shock, surprise), it also can be used to create enigma. It is also used to help the audience build a relationship with characters in the film, whether that is the audience taking a dislike to them (usually the antagonist) or taking a liking to them (usually the protagonist). It puts the characters in a visual setting for the audience to see and allows the audience to follow the plot. Planning beforehand is needed as without it certain camera angles, lighting, etc may not suit the situation the character is in, effecting how the audience perceive the situation, this needs to be planned and used correctly as cinematography is a huge part of the movie, also the lighting used can effect the mood/emotion the audience feel at the time of the scene.

The first camera shot we have used is the long shot, we have chosen to use this as it allows the audience to see the characters body language and facial expression and lets them get a feel of the mood of the scene and create a relationship with the audience as it will show the true emotions of the characters without words this means there will be more of a shock when the victim is in danger as the audience feel as though there is a bond between them and the character, allowing for sympathy from the audience, it will portray the weakness of the victim and the superiority of the antagonist at the time. This is conventional to a thriller as it is used in thrillers to create suspense as we can see both the protagonist and antagonist in the same shot, the suspense will engage the audience as they will wonder what will happen next, the audience will feel sympathy for the female victim as she is being followed by the antagonist without knowing, the audience will also see the setting allowing them to see the setting around them, helping the audience get a feel of the mood of the scene, helping engage the audience, this can be used to create shock as the antagonist may be in the background of the scene without the protagonist or victim realising, this is conventional as it allows the audience to see the setting the character is in, therefore knowing whether they're in danger or not, causing shock and suspense, the audience will be able to build a relationship with the protagonist, feeling sympathy toward her. We will use this when the victim and antagonist are having a stand off to show both characters (also a two shot) causing suspense.

The second camera shot we have used is the over the shoulder shot, we have chosen to use this as it gives the audience a close up view and allows them to build a relationship with the character as they feel like they are part of the conversation as we can see the emotion of the character up close, it can also be used to show the audience what is in front of the character while showing the audience they are still there but allowing the audience to see what they are looking at, this can help create shock, surprise or suspense, there is a lot of tension/suspense when this is used as the audience are unsure as to what is behind them and the protagonist or victim creating a feeling of ucertainty as to what is going to happen. The audience feel empathy toward the character as they know what a dangerous situation she is in and realise she is completely clueless and helpless to the danger behind like the audience, this shows the superiority of the antagonist. This shot is conventional as it helps build suspense as it is impossible for the audience to know what is behind the character, we will use this to show the antagonist being behind the victim, this will create shock and suspense as we know the victim is unaware of the antagonist and is in a vulnerable position.

The movement we have chosen is handheld this is because we want to allow the audience to feel involved and make it realistic, we hope it will portray the fear/panic of the victim as well as the superiority of the antagonist while the victim is running away. This is conventional in thrillers with a sub genre of horror as it engages the audience due to them feeling as if they are in the film, it is usually used in a scene where the victim is panicking and is used to set the mood of the scene, the audience will feel sympathetic toward the victim as she is clearly frightened and in danger, this also creates a knock on effect of the audience fearing the antagonist, this movement creates surprise as to how the victim has reacted, making the audience realise the severity of the situation, also suspense is created as it is very difficult to make out what is happening due to it being slightly blurry, this means the audience are unsure on what is about to happen, creating a tense atmosphere within the audience. We will use this when the victim is running away from the antagonist in fear of her life, this is conventional as it can be used to create three of the main conventions of thrillers, shock, surprise and suspense (enigma as well if used correctly) these are all key conventions that engage the audience into watching films of the thriller genre.

We have chosen this movement so that we can get a whole setting in, allowing the audience to feel the scene and the mood in it, also it will allow us to pano from the protagonist to antagonist, creating suspense when the camera is moving across as the audience are unsure as to what the camera is moving toward, creating shock/surprise when they see what it is, these all help engage the audience. We hope it will portray the enigma and eeriness of the antagonist as it will show how close he is to the victim. It is conventional to thrillers as it is usually used to create suspense/tension and then shock, this technique is used in many thrillers to engage audiences into watching it, this is why they are such key conventions, it will build a relationship with the audience as the audience will sympathise for the protagonist due to the dangerous situation she is in, this movement will be used to show the setting and used when the victim and antagonist and having a stand off, just before the victim runs away.

We have chosen the POV shot as it allows the audience to feel more part of the movie therefore building a lot more suspense and shock, this will make the audience feel part of the film, therefore engaging them more, we hope it will portray the fear and danger the victim is in making the audience much more interested and making the opening sequence much more enjoyable/suspense filled. This shot is conventional as it is often used to make the audience feel more shocked as they feel as though they are in the scene and feel the danger much more than usual, it will help the audience realise what it is like in the characters shoes, helping them emphasise toward the character and realise what they're going through, the fact the audience are unsure as to what is going to happen makes it conventional, the point of the thriller genre is to keep you 'on your toes', to keep keep you tense as you never know what is going to happen, the POV shot is perfect for this as it gives you a restricted view of the setting, we will use this when the victim is searching her surroundings while panicking.

The next shot we used was close up, this was chosen as it shows the true emotion on the characters face, allowing them to realise the characters true feelings in that scene, we hope it will portray each characters true personality and feelings without the need for dialogue creating a relationship between the character and audience, it creates suspense as the audience have a limited view of the surrounding so are unsure of what could happen next and what is around them, surprise is created as the audience see the raw emotion of the character and realise the danger the victim is in. It is conventional as thrillers usually use close ups to build tension or create surprise/shock effectively, it will help the audience build a relationship as the audience will be able to read the characters facial expressions without the need of dialogue, making them feel a lot closer to the character. We will use this when the victim is walking through the forest and it will be used to show the fear in her face.

We decided to use low angle as it allows the audience to see the power/superiority that character has at the time, it makes it seem as if the audience are looking up to them, it will portray the superiority of the antagonist in our opening sequence. It creates surprise as the audience realise how dominant the character is, helping the audience create a relationship with the antagonist as they fear him. It is conventional in a thriller as it is usually used to show the dominance of the character they are looking up to, it will allow the audience to create a relationship with the audience as they will feel a possible fear of the character or, in rare occasions, feel in ore of the character due to the audience almost looking up to them. We will use this when the antagonist is in shot to show the dominance and power of him.

I feel our sequence will build a lot of suspense as well as shock, there will also be an enigma as to who the antagonist is as well as other questions about the many mysteries in the sequence, I feel it is very conventional, all the shots we are using are conventional to the thriller genre and is used to create emotions effectively, this planning was extremely helpful as it allowed my group to look at the different possible camera shots we could use and we really stopped and thought about why we were using the shot and how it effected the audience.