Thriller - Insert idea

An idea I had that i wanted to icorporate into my opening sequence is the effective filming/editing technique of an insert shot. I felt this would help and add to the atmosphere Guy and I are trying to create within the sequence. I hope to get shots of windows, paticularly interesting object in the location and key objects for the plot.

Thriller - first draft review

When we uploaded our first draft we found several things that needed improving. Firstly when watching the film back I noticed that the shots where the protagonist was rolling up his sleeves were the wrong way round. This presents a massive continuity error for the thriller, which could really take the suspense and ruin any tension thats been created thus far in previous shots. This is an easy fix as I can just swithch the two shots around and the continuity will be fixed.

Another thing that must be improved is the length of some shots such as the window insert at around 8 seconds, this could lead to the viewer being bored and losing any built up intrigue or supense or having no potential interest in watching further. To fix this I will just cut the shot in the editing program and shorten it to a smaller length which shall improve the overall film.

Also something I would want to add is more inserts similar to the window one. These I feel showcase the location the protagonist is in and add to the verisimilitude of the whole thriller. I will go back and film more of these types of shots which will hopefully improve my film overall.

Thriller - The Hunt first draft

Filming Schedule

Saturday 5th December
Met up with cast and crew at 1:15 at old market square
Arrived at location at 1:35
FIlming started at 1:45 and Finished at 3:30

Risk assesment

In the location we used there was several hazards and we had to make sure we effectivley knew how to combat them and make sure they were avoided.

In our location as it is very old and not looked after there were several broken objects and sharp objects that any of the crew could've injured themselves on. To avoid this we asked everyone to always keep cautious of their surroundings and make sure they had clothing covering all the body, so shorts and T shirts (unless they had a jacket on) were not allowed. We were successful and had no injuries on any kind of jagged or broken surface whilst filming.

Also one of the shots we took involved two of us to go up on to the roof of our location. A fall from there could've badly injured someone if it happened. To make sure this didn't happen, when going up on the roof we kept everyone away from the edge so there was less chance of falling and also kept equipment at a safe distance so this did not fall and get damaged or just completely break.

Thriller - Other student research 2

Ring of trees - E grade

I chose to analyse this piece of work as it received 25 marks and an E grade. This lets me know what to avoid doing so i do not fall to a low grade.

Something that stood out o me within this thriller was the facts that for the majority it was filmed in mid shot and there was barley any shot differentiation. This made the film have an extremely amateur sense to it and not a professional feel. This took away any feeling of suspense or tension a higher grade thriller would give to the audience with a more varied amount of shot types such as high and low angle and over the shoulder.

Another thing i realised was the titles they used were all on black backgrounds which just seemed very simple and not clever like some other thrillers I watched which had the titles on screen with the actors and set which looked very professional and something i want to recreate, i do not want to do them on black backgrounds like this thriller did.

Thriller - Other student research 1

Torn - A grade

This opening sequence from another student received 56 marks which was an A grade and so is a perfect example to analyse for me to analyse to give myself an idea of the kind of quality and filming and editing professionalism i should be aiming for when creating my own thriller opening sequence.

One thing that stood out to me which i want to recreate in my own thriller is the sense of suspense and tension the whole sequence creates whilst it plays. Barely any story elements were revealed to the viewer adding a sense of dread and confusion to the whole scene. This presented a kind of narrative enigma increasing the whole quality of the production. The way it was filmed with several low angle shots not allowing us to see the actions of the protagonist was very clever adding to the verisimilitude and suspense.

The editing was also extremely well done with several quick cuts used to take us out of the scene and show us something else. However the scene never tells us what these quick cuts are showing us adding to the whole narrative enigma and bringing up more questions for the viewers leading to them being more intrigued.

Also another thing that stood out to me was the mise en scene of the sequence. It was all very normal with just a normal inconspicuous house and a protagonist in his dressing gown. This normality of the character contrasted his true intentions and action which I thought perfectly added to the sense of dread a thriller film should make an audience member feel.

Thriller - Titles

These are the shots we will most likely include the titles in.
This has allowed us to know which shots to leave space in so we can add titles in the editing later on.

Thriller - Storyboard/Shot plan

Thriller - Actor

Protagonist of the film

Matthew Fisher

Matthew was chosen as the actor for the opening sequence as we felt he was the best fit for the role we wanted to fill. At first we thought we should use an adult or more mature looking person as the role is that of a young adult male. However this could have proved inconvenient as we could find no adults right for the role that were readily available. Therefore we decided we would not show the face of the protagonist as this way we can use matthew and the audience would just assume he was an adult due to his height of 6' 3 which was essential for the character to seem more of an imposing adult male. This way we have an actor who is convenient to work with and fits the description of our protagonist of the openoing sequence.

Thriller - Audience research