G322A TV Drama, G322B Film Industry, Induction Unit, G321 Premiminary task, Exam

G321 Thriller Planning, G321 Audience Research, G321 Thriller Research, G321 Thriller Evaluation, G321 Thriller Construction, Coursework.

My Perfume Advert

Here is my final perfume advert:

Match on Action, Shot/Reverse shot & 180 degree rule.

Match on action: Occurs when an action continues in another shot. We will be using this in our thriller & continuity project.

Shot/Reverse shot: When characters appear to be looking at each other, but are not.
A basic production technique used during conversations to show each character delivering his or her dialogue. One shot will show character A speaking, while the reverse will show character B.

180 degree rule: The 180° rule is a basic film editing guideline that states that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle. (here is a picture of the 180 degree rule)






We will definately be using this in our continuity task and thriller film. And then make shooting maps to show this.

Themes, Style, Subgenre and Influences for our thrillers.

Here are the features we want to use in our thriller:

Themes: Deception & betrayal. Love? Romance. Corruption (organised crime), revenge, Loyalty & trust.

Style: Classic & realism.

Subgenre: Mafia/Gangster

Influences: Romeo & Juliet because it is the very basis of our synopsis, The Godfather because this is what we encorporated with Romeo & Juliet and we are also using narrative related ideas from it, such as the switch of protagonist. Chinatown because we used narrative related ideas from the film such as the idea of a slow developing narrative with the main twists coming at the end & Sin City was also because of narrative related ideas in particular the idea of switching protagonists also we liked the elements of film noir in it and we look to incorporate this in our own.

Locations For Thriller Film.

Initially, I went location scouting around the area on mousehold heath in Norwich, and found Gurney Road. Tamas then went back and found other roads in the surrounding area, and photographed them.

For our thriller opening we need three locations. One of these is a narrow, winding road, preferably with street lights and with a ditch next to it or nearby. The second location that we need is a tall building, with its windows lit-up and preferably with external lighting from the ground, shining up at it. The third and final location is a room with a desk and a big chair.
For the road and ditch, we decided to use the roads around Mousehold Heath, as I found out that they have streetlights. We found that Gurney Rd. would have been perfect, as it was very winding and had streetlights on both sides. However, unfortunately it was so busy that we were unable to take pictures of it let alone be able to film on it. But, we found a very good little narrow road coming off it which had streetlights on one side and had no traffic, and we also found a Gilman Rd. - which is now a footpath and cycle path. Because of this it would have been ideal to film on, however it did not have streetlights, and we wouldn’t have been able to use car lights either so we’d have no lighting.

Here are the pictures we took:

These are photographs of a small road, coming off Gurney Road and linking to Britannia Road that we have decided to use for our thriller. (above)

These are photographs of Gilman Road, which was a road we considered using for our road shots, but decided against because of lack of lighting. (above)

These are photographs of the ditch we decided to use to throw our "dead body" into. (above)

For the building, we looked around at the Norwich Union buildings, and then at the new buildings near the football ground at Riverside. (below)

This Norwich Union Building (above) In the City Centre of Norwich is the building we chose to use.

Here are the riverside buildings we considered (below):

For the room with a desk and chair, we chose to use a classroom at CNS. But the photographs below are the desks we considered at first. The final desk we use for filming will be added at a later date. Obviously though, when we are shooting we’d take much more care concerning the composition and framing.

Here are the desks from a classroom at school (below):

Synopsis Of Our Thriller Film

Synopsis

My group and I discussed the theme, plot and narrative we wanted in our thriller then Tamas wrote out our first draft. We discussed this, and decided it needed more adding to it, so we all highlighted the points that needed to be adapted and this is our final synopsis:

In our thriller, we have decided to adopt a theme inspired by the soundtrack of our opening sequence; Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Of course, though, our thriller would not be a romance drama; we would rather incorporate it with ideas from classic thriller films such as The Godfather. Our thriller would, therefore, take-on a sub-genre of ‘mafia/ gangster’. We would also use some narrative-related ideas and twists that were inspired by The Godfather, such as the switch of protagonist from an old boss who is replaced by a new, young boss. We have also been influenced by the use of narrative in Chinatown, how the narrative develops slowly and things gradually unfurl, and the twists keep coming right until the very end. This is something that we would have liked to achieve in our thriller. Another narrative feature that we would incorporate into our thriller is the idea of a continuous change of protagonist. First of all, in our opening sequence, the audience meets one important looking character (Patrick Callaghan) and may immediately relate to him as a protagonist. However, in the sequences after the opening, this character isn’t heavily featured, but rather another crime boss (Colin Glover) is introduced and is the centre of attention. He, then, is the first real protagonist. However, he is killed quite early, thus inducing a change of protagonist to his son (David Glover). He, though, is also killed and so there is another change in the protagonist. This time Susie Callaghan becomes the protagonist. However she too is killed, so at the end of the film the audience is left with Patrick Callaghan as the protagonist, as it was at the very beginning. This cycle of protagonists is an important concept in the film as by the end of it all the audience realises that there is really no-one in the film that they can relate too, because the characters are all so corrupt, unlawful, twisted and eventually dead as a result. This concept was partly inspired by narrative features in Sin City, where there is also a constant switch of protagonist, however in a slightly different way. The concept has also been influenced though by the film noir genre, in which the corrupt and unlawful character was really invented. Some of our scenes in our opening have also perhaps been influenced by the film noir genre, as our opening is filmed at night and includes several examples of chiaroscuro lighting.
Our opening sequence reveals what the audience will most likely assume to be a murder and the disposal of the body, and also introduces them to the four characters that they are likely to assume to be behind it. However, in the overall synopsis, these events only take place quite late on in the film, around about two-thirds of the way through. The chronological opening of the film would be something entirely separate, and would have Colin Glover as the protagonist. However, David Glover, who is quite a background character in these early sequences, starts to become more and more influential in various events surrounding the family. As does Susie Callaghan, who is slowly introduced as a femme fatale, and strangely (as they belong to two separate crime families who hate each other) her and David seem to be starting a relationship. However, while these two characters, David in particular, become more dominant, a major twist occurs as Colin Glover is murdered, seemingly by the Callaghan family. At this point, David steps up into his father’s place as boss and also as the main protagonist. Also by this point, David and Susie appear to be in a fairly serious relationship. However, this later turns out to be completely false as David is merely hoping to get closer to Patrick Callaghan and avenge his father, while Susie, being a femme fatale, has trapped David and eventually leads him to his death, and the downfall of his family. This is when the audience realises that the dead body we saw being disposed of in the opening sequence was David. Furthermore, we find out that it wasn’t the Callaghan family that killed Colin Glover but rather another family that had framed the Callaghan family, given recent feuds between these families. However, the Callaghan’s had realised this as a time of weakness for the Glover’s and used Susie as bait to lure him to his death. Another twist that is uncovered is that a further motive behind the murder of Colin Glover for Susie was that she has a lover who is the boss of the family that killed Colin Glover. Also due to this, Susie then attempts to murder Patrick Callaghan, in order to shift power of the city in favour of her lover, and also because she has always blamed him for her father’s death. However, Patrick Callaghan is wise and finds out about this. First, he has her lover killed, and finally he executes Susie. This is another shift of protagonist and a case of moral ambiguity, as Patrick Callaghan ends up as the main protagonist and seemingly the good guy, whereas he was the bad guy at the beginning.

Initial Ideas For Thriller Film

Here are the first ideas my group and I came up with for our Thriller film opening scene after our first discussion and what we think could make a good thriller.

1. Pursuit/ someone followed
2. Trick/ false assumption (e.g. American Psycho)
3. Conversation/ meeting of two people discussing corrupt plans
4. Music (e.g. Raging Bull)
5. Following one person and their point of view => tracking shots
6. Montage of different shots of different things that seem unconnected => lots of close-ups, fading between shots/ no (little) sound

Objective - to be able to identify the features of an effective thriller opening.Initial ideas for what makes a successful thriller:
Narrative - needs to be readable, maybe have a cliff hanger, plot twists.
Needs to be able to 'hook' the audience/engage them - mystery and intrigue.
Origionality/individuality - needs to be different to other films, maybe challenge the conventions of typical thrillers.
Effective editing - good shot transitions, effective framing, good non-diagetic sound.
Filming - a veriety of shot types, steady shots, good 'match on actin' (continuity).
Lighting - needs to be suited to the theme/style of the film.
Mse en scene - needs to establish settings, themes and styles to develop suited props, costumes and scenery.
Characters - need to have background stories that suit the film, need to have traits and flaws.

Sin City And Layer Cake Introduction

Sin City was made in 2005 and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, this is a similar time to Layer Cake but they are two very different films. My first thoughts on the film Sin City  and the introduction are; the opening shot is an establishing shot from above a sleazy city landscape with sirens playing in the background and a women standing on a balcony with a red dress on, the only colour in the opening scene is her dress and red lips. I think this is a good opening to a thriller because I like the black and white themed scene but with the small colour, which is a bold red showing danger and the woman as a sex object.

The opening credits to Sin City involve fire, suggesting danger and loud powerful music playing with the names of the actors and a cartoon or animated version of them in character. There was also a city scene to form titles in the opening credits; this is typical of a thriller film because urban settings are often used.

The Mise-en-Scene of the film uses chiaroscuro lighting, which is common in thriller films and is a thriller signifier. When the man walks up behind the woman who is looking off the balcony there is a sense of mystery because at first, she does not know he is walking up behind her. The woman always shows her vulnerability because she is very bare and it is raining, which is also another thriller signifier .After the scene with the man and the woman on the balcony, the camera spirals around the entire city; spirals are a common thriller signifier.  

The editing in Sin City is also the black and white scene except for the woman’s red dress and lips, and at one moment her eyes change from black and white into green when she is looking at the man. As the man and woman kiss, the scene goes into a monochromatic which is an interesting piece of editing.

When the man shoots the woman, there in complete mystery in the scene because you don’t know why he is kissing her, or why he shoots her. You don’t even know his character or name.

The narrative to the beginning of Sin City is an internal monologue, this is where a character says there thoughts or perspectives on things happening in the film. This has been used in thrillers before and can be seen as a thriller signifier. There is also a lot of mystery and intrigue when the man speaks, because you do not know who he is, or who she is so it makes you want to keep watching so you find out exactly what happens.

 

Layer Cake was made in 2004 and was directed by Matthew Vaughn. The opening shot to Layer Cake is in black and white, and then suddenly the back of a car being exploded, I think this is a good introduction shot because it keeps you gripped to the film and makes you want to watch more.

The opening credits to Layer Cake are in black and white writing, and are on the moving scene of the film, with indie/rock guitar music playing in the background as Daniel Craig walks out of his house. I think these are good credits because the music playing makes the film seem fast paced and interesting.

The Mise-en-Scene of Layer Cake is all in colour. It begins with zooming into blind, which is typical of a thriller and is a thriller signifier. This sun shining through the blinds causes chiaroscuro lighting. The film is set in very contemporary and familiar settings, which are very clinical and clean. I think this makes it try to seem like there profession of drug dealing is innocent and clean. You find out that he works in the drug profession but you do not find out Daniel Craig’s character name, which adds an element of mystery.

The editing in Layer Cake is not as interesting as In Sin City but my favourite piece of editing is when Daniel Craig is in a pharmacy and as he is walking past the shelves all the illegal drugs turn in to pharmaceutical drugs.

The narrative in Layer Cake is much the same as Sin City as they both use and Internal Monologue.

Perfume Advertisement Analysis

1.

The first of the two perfume advertisements is a Calvin Klein advert for a perfume called CKIN2U. I think the way this is written shows a connotation of boldness and standing out in this perfume. This includes a male and female perfume, therefore aimed at both men and women. I think this advertisement is aimed at men and women between the age of 18 and 30, but younger people will be compelled to buy they perfume because they want to attract the opposite sex by wearing the perfume.

I think this perfume would appeal to its audience because the names of the perfume links, for example the female bottle says CKI and the male bottle says N2U if you put the two bottles together it completes the name. I especially think this may appeal to couples because if you use the perfume the opposite sex will be more ‘into’ you.
The advertisement very much shows sexual tension between the male and female in the picture, it is as if because they are both wearing the perfume, they are attracting each other. This may make viewers of the advert think that if they wear this perfume they will become attractive to the opposite sex.

I think that the man in the advert touching the women’s hair shows that the perfume makes the women irresistible to the male, which would appeal to any women. The women also has the mans belt undone and is holding onto it, this also shows that the man is irresistible to the women; also I think this all shows how sexual and sensual the advert is. The advert also shows two young people satisfied with each other and the perfume. They are in a intimate lock of eye contact and touch, this helps to sell the perfume because it perceives you will have the same satisfaction when you get the perfume.

The ‘BUY NOW’ at the bottom of the advert next to the name, is more of a demand rather than a question this helps to persuade people to buy the perfume.
I think this advertisement does well in attracting a large amount of people of buy their perfume CKIN2U.


2. In my second advertisement I think it was successful in its selling points. It was advertising to women, the perfume is called Secret Obsession also, by Calvin Klein. I think this perfume is aimed at young women between the ages of 18 and 25.

I think this perfume is called secret obsession because it will help sell the perfume by showing that the 'secret' part of the name is forbidden or a secret. Which can be seen as ‘naughty’ because it is forbidden, if you are wearing the perfume it makes you feel as if you are breaking the rules. And the 'obsession' part of the name implies that the perfume could be addictive either to the women or to men who are attracted to the women.
In this advert they use a celebrity or icon to pose in the picture, so people will admire the women and it shows that the perfume could make you iconic or stand out like her.

She is naked in her pose and this shows that you only need the perfume on to be irresistible to men and that she is completely confident with how she looks wearing the perfume. This will make women think that if they buy the perfume they will be confident wearing it and confident naked. The entire picture is in black and white except for the perfume bottle, which causes the bottle to stand out in the picture and attracts you to look there straight away when you cast your eyes on the picture. The name of the perfume is at the bottom of the picture and is large and in capitals, so it attracts the attention of the audience. It gives the writing a connotation of being important.

This picture is very sexual because she is naked, and it is a way of showing that the perfume gives the women confidence towards men. She seems to be lying down in the picture and is brushing her hair back to reveal her face which shows sexiness, and her eyes are shut showing satisfaction with how she is.
The women being naked and wearing the perfume shows that the perfume will make you attractive and men will want you, and find you sexy.
Overall I think the advertisement sells the perfume well and will be appealing to a wide audience.

Edited Images (cropped, colour changed and anchored)

I have learnt that you can use certain programs like Photoshop to edit images to give them different connotations. I can use these techniques when making advertisements and other media pieces of work.

In class we made our own examples of different camera shots and angles in pairs. Doing this has helped me understand how different shots can be used to give footage different feelings and perspectives. Now i hope to use most if not all of these shots in my thriller introduction. Here are mine and my partner's images:

Bird's Eye

Over The Shoulder

Tilted Up

Worm's Eye

Tilted Down

Close Up

Extreme Close Up

Mid Shot

Long Shot

Extreme Long Shot

First thoughts on the thriller genre and thriller signifiers

In class I have watched the opening to the thriller 'Vertigo'. This helped me understand the main thriller signifiers. For example, there is a hero, however this hero has a flaw which prevented him from saving someone; he has vertigo. Having a flawed hero is a common aspect of thriller. This is true in the other thriller I watched in class, 'Chinatown'. In this, the hero's flaw is drinking and smoking which sometimes distracts him from his work and almost gets him caught spying on someone.

Another main thriller signifier is the use of spirals. This is due to spirals turning round and round; the plot of thriller films mainly have many plot twists. This is in both films mentioned. In 'Vertigo' there were special effects of spirals in the opening credits, and in the eye of a woman. Also, there is a long spiral staircase in one scene, which also links with the signifier of having a flawed hero; the man couldn't get to the top of the spiral stairs due to his fear of heights, which then resulted in letting the girl he was following fall from the tower and die.

Dark, urban settings are also common in thrillers. An example of this is the film 'Sin City'. In this film it is all set in a dark urban city. The film also has other thriller signifiers such as 'ladies in red', woman as sex symbols and women that are deceitful and dangerous to the hero.

Having long corridors and enclosed spaces are also used in many thrillers. This is because in corridors there are only two ways to go. For example, if you are being chased, you can either fun forward, or backward towards the person chasing you. The use of small enclosed spaces gives the feel of claustrophobia and being trapped. An example of this is in the film 'Panic Room', in which the whole film is based around a small room where the main characters are trapped and cannot get out. Having vast open spaces can also be used to create the feeling of claustrophobia as having a vast open space like a desert can make you feel like there is nowhere to go or hide.

Watching these films has helped me gain an understanding of thriller signifiers and what common thriller signifiers are. Now i can try and incorporate these signifiers into my thriller introduction piece of coursework.

I feel pretty confident about making my own thriller footage after watching examples of thrillers. I now know that I want the film to be set in a long, winding and dark road, which well help give the thriller feeling to the film. I intend to use this long road as an equivalent to a corridor; only two ways to go.