Brainstorming

 Brainstorming

These are a couple of ideas to use when thinking of the narative my thriller will have. Some ideas will most likely no be possible, due to either cost, time or even due to the possibility that trying to pull this off may be illeagal (car chases or car accidents). I am to not use a stalker narrative as these are predictable. I am also not to use a delivery narrative that is similar to the preliminary task I completed previously.

What is a Thriller

What is a  thriller? (research) A thriller usually includes lots of tension. The plot is mostly complicated and exciting and can include a twist. The story is typically about crime or espionage. Thrillers aren't meant to scare an audience (like horror movies), they are meant to keep an audience on the edge of their seat. The audience should also think about how these events could happen to them and is made uncomfortable by this.

Conventions include:

• Low key lighting
• Quick cuts
• Shadows
• Tension music 
• Changes in the angle of shots
• Diegetic sound of breathing
• Black and white shots
• Montage of shots
• Protagonist is in the mercy of the antagonist 

Protagonist: Usually seeks to restore equilibrium to events and presents a brave persona. The shots used are usually extreme close ups to show their emotions and reactions.

Antagonist: Is typically a mysterious person who might seek revenge for a past event. There is a lot hidden about this person's character and is slowly revealed as the story progresses. The shots of this character will be quick and secretive to hide their identity.

Sources: 

• www.slideshare.net/.../codes-and-conventions-of-the-thriller-genre
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)

Camera work

Audio blog 4

Audio blog 3

Audio blog 2

Preliminary task (how it was created)

Lighting

Firstly we did the darker (final) scene. The table and protagonist (Millie) was well lit due to the shadow only being on one side of her face. The objects on the table were clearly visible. When the whiskey bottle hit the antagonist's (me) head there was a shine on the bottle. This made the bottle much more emphasized and draws the attention of the viewer. However, the antagonist's face was to light and this ruined the tension of the scene as his identity was meant to be kept a secret. We had trouble creating the silhouette effect. The second section overall was too dark and this created a fuzzy image on the screen. The lighting in the first section (in the hallway) was clear but we could of darkened it as the black and white effect made it brighter. This would of kept the piece true to the mood and emotions that it was trying to convey.  

Sound

The music started off effective and powerful and gave the film a good build up of tension, though it can seem to drown out the sound effects.

Two more thrillers to analyse

Two more thrillers

Skyfall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4gdhsVKTcs
We hear a soft slow piano playing at the start. Then the singing starts which is also smooth and slow paced. The bass and guitar creates a deeper tone when it kicks two bars after. The guitar is playing the main riff of James Bond to create suspense in the audience member who familiar with the franchise. then shortly afterwards the chorus plays and the bass gives off strong undertones whilst trombones play as well. An orchestra plays over this. These aspects carry on playing for the next verse and so on. At the second chorus the music crescendos. After that the middle eight plays which is lighter than the chorus but still keeps the tension. The music ends with a truly epic war between singer and band as they outplay each other. This helps rebuild the tension.

The visuals meanwhile start with James Bod (Daniel Craig) slowly sinking to the bottom of the water. The pace is slow.  The next shot is of him being pulled by a hand. This represents him sinking career wise as e has just been shot and is bleeding to death. The next shot shows the hand much bigger which shows that as a secret agent, he is the government's puppet and their holding him down or holding him back. Next we see Bond sinking into a hole in the sand which represents humiliation as he the glorious indestructible bond has just been defeated and left for dead. Next we see a floating shooting range target which is also We then see guns, knives and graves which all symbolize death which helps to tease the audience as this tricks them into thinking he really is dead. Then the shot goes to blood vessels which can tease more at death. In terms of tension the visuals eventually go to a shot of a Chinese Dragon and then its breaths  fire into the camera and then the visuals get crazy as in a later shot the recent graveyard scene is raining blood which breaks through the grave stones to give that chaotic and tense feel. This could also represent his word falling around him.


Se7en

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEq-4fua3lM

To begin with there is a low volume drum beat that then gets louder and is accompanied with metallic distorted tones which are sharp an high in pitch. These not only ad tension to the piece, but also give the audience an uneasy feeling because the metallic squeaks remind them of metal grinding and sharp objects. The font fits this atmosphere perfectly as it is scribbled down and is bold and white. There are blurred event like writing and highlighting to give sense of mystery. The music starts to use Moe heavy drumming about halfway through to raise the level of tension.

Prelim Photos

Here's a couple of photos of the editing and filming process.

Here are some screenshots from the Preliminary task itself.

Here is my preliminary task video for the media coarsework!

Youtube Video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCeaMTv2Kx4&feature=youtu.be

Lost highway title sequence (titles) analysis

Lost highway title sequence analysis

In this title sequence we see the title zoom in from the dark background and then zoom off past the camera. The font is bold and "race" yellow. The block capitals have small, thin black lines to create and more punchy feel to the text. The big letters are accompanied by a subtitle stating the professions of the people which is stated in the larger text. These smaller letters are bold with a yellow outline with just black filled in between. This subtitle has the same animation as the the major title. The rolling graphic background is shaky whilst the titles remain perfectly still. The transition between one title and the next is roughly two seconds to allow time for the viewer to read without ruining the intended pace.