What did we set out to do?
We originally set out to create an opening sequence to a film that stylistically is much like a film noir. We wanted to do this because we all agreed that we thought the Mise-en-scene and style of these films were brilliant, this is why we wanted our film to include the themes and styles of a film noir. A particular film noir aspect we wanted to focus on was Mise-en-scene.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
We used several genre conventions in our thriller opening as an audience feedback form showed giving us a 9 out of 10 for shooting material that is appropriate to the opening of a thriller. Most of these relate to conventions of the film noir period. Our narrative shows the film is mainly a male dominated cast, apart from one woman who is portrayed as a femme fatale which is a thriller convention. Our narrative contains many twists and plot turns, as well as revenge and a disturbing past. We did not challenge these conventions; we used them to help us make a film noir. For our Mise-en-scene we used shots that were low-angled, we used shadows, slated blinds and chiaroscuro lighting. All of these were to help make our film look like it was from the noir period, for example trying to create the idea of a crime happening, and corruption.
Our film challenges modern conventions of a thriller, as we were trying to make a film noir. We do not show guns, blood, or killing, (for example in the modern thriller Layer Cake (2004) there is plenty of violence/action and killing) we are just showing the consequences of these actions. We focused on the characters being portrayed as unappealing and repulsive. In the film our characters one by one die because they have a need for power and are greedy. It does not give the audience a chance to communicate and relate to the male, lead characters.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Unlike a film such as The Godfather (1972) our film does not show crime in an attractive way. Our male characters are shown to be greedy, morally wrong, and power-wanting. The woman in our film is shown as a typical film noir woman, she is a femme-fatal who is unreliable and not to be trusted. Our narrative shows that a protagonist dies before the audience has time to relate to them. Or before Susie Callaghan has a chance either. This is supposed to created a feeling of distance from the characters, and give them an idea of how corrupt our characters are. We have purposely shown this kind of life as bad, and disgusting.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Our thriller opening would be distributed as both an art house and a mainstream product. Our mainstream audience would be attracted to our film as it has many twists and mystery within the film and lots of thriller signifiers to recognise. It also has the action and violence within the film for mainstream audiences to appreciate. The niche audience would also appreciate this film as it has film noir aspects and the film’s stylistic side.
Who would be the target audience for your media product and how would you attract/address your audience?
Our audience is likely to be a mixture of a niche audience and a mainstream audience. A mainstream audience would be attracted to this film for things such as the twists and turns in the narrative of the film and/or any action within the film.
Our niche audience would be film fanatics who understand film noirs and thrillers. This audience would be able to appreciate the more complex aspects of our film. And understand the film noir conventions.
If we were to advertise our film, it would be in film magazines and in small cinemas/art houses; this would attract our target audience.
The certificate for our film would most likely be an 18, because of its complexity, death, and generally thrillers are targeted at young adults. As our film is a film noir, it may be targeted at slightly older because it is not as modern as some.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Regarding technologies we learnt how to use the video cameras well, how to use the tripod with the camera and how to put the footage onto our computer and how to capture the moving image. We learnt what we could do with our cameras, such as panning and zooming effectively. When we came to editing we learnt to use the software ‘Adobe Premiere Elements 1.0’. This was the most complex feature we learnt how to use as none of us had ever used the programme. But in our peer assesments we scored 9 for the question: Using sound with images and editing sound effectively, we scored a 9 for the question Using varied shot transitions and other effects appropriately and we scored a 9 for Editing so there is a readable narrative. We reacted well to these marks, as we felt they were good enough to leave our film without having to edit anymore. I now feel like I am confident in using this software.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When I think back to the making of our preliminary task, I feel I have learnt many things.
First of all, I have learned how to use the camera effectively on the tripod, and how to pan, zoom, tilt, track the camera etc. as when I first started making the preliminary task I was not very confident in doing this.
I have learned how particular shots can create different connotations. For example, in our film, the low angle shots of the building connote the big stature and height of the building into making you think it is significant and important. I have learned that planning is vital! If we had done minimal planning for our thriller we would have found it very difficult and probably would not have finished in time. As we did not do very much planning for our preliminary task and I felt it could have been a lot better if we did plan more. Organising what you are doing is very important in order to make it exactly how you want it. Managing your time has been a skill I have learned to use. As if we had not put together a shooting schedule, or met up regularly to edit, we would not have finished in the time given to us.
I have learned that audience research can play a big part in the making of the film. As you have to take into consideration what your audience wants, and thinks. Also if you know your target audience you know what sort of things would be appreciated in your film and what would not. Audience research is important as it gives you an idea of what style of thrillers are popular, and what signifiers are recognised, what people think of the thriller genre etc.
I have learned through looking at other thriller films what makes a successful thriller, what type of Mise-en-scene should be included and recognising all the different sub-genres of the thriller genre itself. This had also given us an idea of what kind of transitions, lighting, and characters are successful in a thriller.
I feel I have learned how to edit a film successfully, for example knowing how to slow the shots down, and use transitions successfully. Within our preliminary task we did not really work on any of these things.
During the making of our thriller, I have learned to work as a team. We all had to work together on ideas, (for example – the title of our film), directing what we wanted to happen in the shot, editing and all agreeing on the right transitions, props, storyline, characters, costumes, lighting etc. This was not a difficult thing to do within our group, but we did have to work democratically on some ideas.
Sunday 22 February 2009
Monday 9 February 2009
Thriller Research: A Touch of Evil
A Touch of evil was directed by Orson Welles and is a single-shot sequence. There being only one shot helps show how the story all links together. It begins with an extreme close up of a bomb being set. The extreme close up is effective because you do not know who is setting the bomb and why they are setting it off. By doing this mystery and intrigue is added to the scene as it ‘hooks’ you to the film as you want to find out what is going to happen. This is a typical thriller signifier as most thriller genre films have mystery in their plots.
The use of a dark shadow running across a light wall could be seen as showing the man/shadow as evil or bad, but you still do not know who the man is. This also contributes to the mysterious atmosphere of the film.
The music being played in this scene is tension building, but with jazz too. Jazz music is a classic thriller signifier, especially for film-noirs. It makes you feel like you are aware of what is going on and that the people are in danger, but they characters do not. This gives a sinister feel to the film and keeps the audience on the edges of their seats; you are left waiting for something bad to happen but don’t know when.
The opening scene is set at night which helps add the feeling of mystery and danger; the darkness of the night can represent evil. Also, it is filmed in an urban area, which is typical for a thriller genre film. The urban area gives the film a certain dramatic effect.
The film having an explosion so early on in the film hooks the audience straight away, and tells the audience how the rest of the film will be. The presence of crime in the opening scene indicates that the film is all about crime; crime is implied as a sub-genre.
The use of vanishing points and long corridors/roads are common thriller signifiers. This film has evidence of this in a shot where the camera is facing down a long road. This road indicates that there are only two ways the people can go; if they go one way the bomb may go off near other people, and if they go the other way they will be blown up by them selves. This creates a situation where there are negative outcomes for both, but the worse choice is taken – the car goes down a busy road where there are many people that could be potentially killed.
Like in many thriller films, there is a male protagonist. He wears a suit (like in other thrillers) which gives him the connotation of being professional and smart. However, the woman he is with is wearing a dress which makes her look vulnerable. Women tend to be objectified in thrillers as weak, defenceless sex objects; the man appears to be the ‘protector’ and the woman appears to be helpless.
Our film relates to the style of this film as they are both have a sub-genre of crime. They are both also filmed in urban areas, use music to build suspense and tension and have male protagonists. Although we aim to make a film-noir styled thriller, our film does challenge come aspects of the film-noir conventions; the music in our film is not jazz and there are no suits – our film comes across as a more modern style film-noir.
The use of a dark shadow running across a light wall could be seen as showing the man/shadow as evil or bad, but you still do not know who the man is. This also contributes to the mysterious atmosphere of the film.
The music being played in this scene is tension building, but with jazz too. Jazz music is a classic thriller signifier, especially for film-noirs. It makes you feel like you are aware of what is going on and that the people are in danger, but they characters do not. This gives a sinister feel to the film and keeps the audience on the edges of their seats; you are left waiting for something bad to happen but don’t know when.
The opening scene is set at night which helps add the feeling of mystery and danger; the darkness of the night can represent evil. Also, it is filmed in an urban area, which is typical for a thriller genre film. The urban area gives the film a certain dramatic effect.
The film having an explosion so early on in the film hooks the audience straight away, and tells the audience how the rest of the film will be. The presence of crime in the opening scene indicates that the film is all about crime; crime is implied as a sub-genre.
The use of vanishing points and long corridors/roads are common thriller signifiers. This film has evidence of this in a shot where the camera is facing down a long road. This road indicates that there are only two ways the people can go; if they go one way the bomb may go off near other people, and if they go the other way they will be blown up by them selves. This creates a situation where there are negative outcomes for both, but the worse choice is taken – the car goes down a busy road where there are many people that could be potentially killed.
Like in many thriller films, there is a male protagonist. He wears a suit (like in other thrillers) which gives him the connotation of being professional and smart. However, the woman he is with is wearing a dress which makes her look vulnerable. Women tend to be objectified in thrillers as weak, defenceless sex objects; the man appears to be the ‘protector’ and the woman appears to be helpless.
Our film relates to the style of this film as they are both have a sub-genre of crime. They are both also filmed in urban areas, use music to build suspense and tension and have male protagonists. Although we aim to make a film-noir styled thriller, our film does challenge come aspects of the film-noir conventions; the music in our film is not jazz and there are no suits – our film comes across as a more modern style film-noir.
Audience Feedback: Audience Feedback From Our Film
Method
We showed our nearly completed thriller to eight people in our year at CNS to gain some opinions on what they thought of it so far, and what they think could be made better. We tried to ask either media students and film fanatics so they had an idea about what should be in a thriller film (such as signifiers). We are aware this is not our ideal target audience, but we collected the data during school times so we could not do this.
We asked five males and three females our questions, and we thought this was sticking to our target gender which is male. We asked three females too, as although our target gender was male, females could enjoy the film, too.
Even though it was not the perfect sample to ask, we still think it was a useful exercise and gave us a good source of information on what to improve and what was already good.
We asked each person to watch our film, and then answer our short questionnaire we prepared.
Here are the questions we asked:
Gender:
Was the Mise-en-scene appropriate?
Was the music effective?
Was the narrative readable?
Was the lighting effective?
What aspect of it did you like the most?
How could it be improved?
Findings
We found that we ended up with very positive feedback from our participants. Everyone answered that the Mise-en-scene was appropriate. For the question “was the music effective?” everyone again agreed that it was and particularly good comment from one male was “it built tension and a good atmosphere”. A female participant thought that our music could have been better. Everyone agreed the narrative was readable except for one male, but he added to this by saying “not knowing what is going on adds mystery to the film” which was a positive comment. Knowing whether the narrative was readable was the most important question to us because you have to make a link between the building, man and the dead body. And although it is obvious to us, we wondered whether it would be to everyone else. Every participant answered that the lighting was very effective. I was very glad about this as I thought this was a strong point in our film.
For the next question which was “what aspect of our film did you like the most” we got very interesting feedback.
Two males and one female picked music as their favourite aspect of our film.
While another three picked the extreme-close up on the man at the desk as their favourite.
Another favourite from the remaining participants was the quick editing and flashing transitions and the slow motion effects of the man at the desk, and the fast motion effect of the boot being closed.
Our final question was “what could be improved?” some people did not give an answer to this question as they thought nothing could be improved we did receive one that said the cast could have fit the age description of the characters better, and the costumes could have been more authentic. We know there is nothing we can do at this point but it is something we would take into consideration if we were to do this again. Another suggestion we received was to extend the slow motion sections, we took this into consideration and made some of it longer, and agreed that in the end it did look better and was an improvement to our film.
Conclusion
We were pleased with all of our positive feedback, and thought that the negative feedback was also very helpful. Overall the exercise helped us improve our film. And was a good idea to carry out. The feedback has given us more confidence into finishing our film as best we can.
We showed our nearly completed thriller to eight people in our year at CNS to gain some opinions on what they thought of it so far, and what they think could be made better. We tried to ask either media students and film fanatics so they had an idea about what should be in a thriller film (such as signifiers). We are aware this is not our ideal target audience, but we collected the data during school times so we could not do this.
We asked five males and three females our questions, and we thought this was sticking to our target gender which is male. We asked three females too, as although our target gender was male, females could enjoy the film, too.
Even though it was not the perfect sample to ask, we still think it was a useful exercise and gave us a good source of information on what to improve and what was already good.
We asked each person to watch our film, and then answer our short questionnaire we prepared.
Here are the questions we asked:
Gender:
Was the Mise-en-scene appropriate?
Was the music effective?
Was the narrative readable?
Was the lighting effective?
What aspect of it did you like the most?
How could it be improved?
Findings
We found that we ended up with very positive feedback from our participants. Everyone answered that the Mise-en-scene was appropriate. For the question “was the music effective?” everyone again agreed that it was and particularly good comment from one male was “it built tension and a good atmosphere”. A female participant thought that our music could have been better. Everyone agreed the narrative was readable except for one male, but he added to this by saying “not knowing what is going on adds mystery to the film” which was a positive comment. Knowing whether the narrative was readable was the most important question to us because you have to make a link between the building, man and the dead body. And although it is obvious to us, we wondered whether it would be to everyone else. Every participant answered that the lighting was very effective. I was very glad about this as I thought this was a strong point in our film.
For the next question which was “what aspect of our film did you like the most” we got very interesting feedback.
Two males and one female picked music as their favourite aspect of our film.
While another three picked the extreme-close up on the man at the desk as their favourite.
Another favourite from the remaining participants was the quick editing and flashing transitions and the slow motion effects of the man at the desk, and the fast motion effect of the boot being closed.
Our final question was “what could be improved?” some people did not give an answer to this question as they thought nothing could be improved we did receive one that said the cast could have fit the age description of the characters better, and the costumes could have been more authentic. We know there is nothing we can do at this point but it is something we would take into consideration if we were to do this again. Another suggestion we received was to extend the slow motion sections, we took this into consideration and made some of it longer, and agreed that in the end it did look better and was an improvement to our film.
Conclusion
We were pleased with all of our positive feedback, and thought that the negative feedback was also very helpful. Overall the exercise helped us improve our film. And was a good idea to carry out. The feedback has given us more confidence into finishing our film as best we can.
Poster Analysis: The Silence of The Lambs
Here is a poster for the film Silence of the Lambs that I have analysed to see what thriller signifiers are used and what other techniques are used to advertise the film successfully.
The poster shows contrast between light and dark; the woman’s face is pale white, and the area around her is black. This suggests the presence of good and evil in the film (her being good, and what’s happening around her being evil). The light and dark (chiaroscuro lighting, and symbolism of good and evil are classic thriller signifiers.
The title of the film, parts of the butterfly and the girl’s eyes are in red. This suggests there are danger, blood, death and violence in the film. This is a common thriller signifier as the colour red is very commonly used in thriller genre films. This helps give the audience an idea of what is in the film, and also helps create a mysterious, sinister atmosphere (which are also thriller signifiers).
The title “silence of the lambs” is interpreted into visual form in the poster as there is a pale white female face (representing a lamb), with a butterfly over her mouth (the butterfly is silencing her/preventing her from talking). The butterfly being in dark colours and also red, suggests it represents the evil in the film, which is silencing the ‘lambs’. Also, there seems to be a skull on the back of the butterfly which adds to the connotation of it being evil; skulls can represent death and helps contribute to the mysterious and sinister atmosphere of the poster.
Unlike many thriller films, the character in the poster is female; if you have not watched the film you may believe that the film has a female protagonist rather than male. This shows how the film has challenged the classic thriller conventions by not having a male protagonist shown in the poster. This may appeal to females more than a poster with a male in it, as it can suggest females in the cast as well as a female protagonist (thrillers tend to have mostly-male casts and protagonists).
The character’s face looks almost emotionless and gives a ‘cold’ feel to the poster. This is a thriller signifier as it is used in many thriller genre posters to advertise films.
Overall, I think the poster does well in attracting attention and showing the audience the style of the film and what it may be about.
Box Office Success of Thriller Films
I was researching Box Office success of the thriller films to see how successful they are compared to other genres, and also to see which thriller films were the most successful. I came across only one website on the Internet of which had useful information. Here is a link to the page: http://www.the-numbers.com/market/Genres/Suspense.php
Here is a table showing the most successful thrillers in the box office:
I researched the possible main sub-genre of each of the top ten films in the table and here is what each film’s sun-genre is: 1. Drama, 2. Crime, 3. Drama, 4. Crime, 5. Sci-Fi, 6. Drama, 7. Drama, 8. Drama, 9. horror and 10. crime. The most common sub-genre of thriller in the top ten successful thrillers in the box office is drama, and then close after that is crime. Our thriller film ‘Bloody Vendetta’ has both Drama and Crime as sub-genres; our film could do well in sales due to the fact it’s plot/narrative may have similar factors to the top thrillers in the box office.
Here is a table showing the most successful thrillers in the box office:
I researched the possible main sub-genre of each of the top ten films in the table and here is what each film’s sun-genre is: 1. Drama, 2. Crime, 3. Drama, 4. Crime, 5. Sci-Fi, 6. Drama, 7. Drama, 8. Drama, 9. horror and 10. crime. The most common sub-genre of thriller in the top ten successful thrillers in the box office is drama, and then close after that is crime. Our thriller film ‘Bloody Vendetta’ has both Drama and Crime as sub-genres; our film could do well in sales due to the fact it’s plot/narrative may have similar factors to the top thrillers in the box office.
Sunday 8 February 2009
Meeting Schedule
Our group decided to work out a day we could meet at the beginning of each week, without making a timetable. It gave us more flexibility and was easier to arrange for our group. We did not make a timetable because we thought things would get in the way, and we would not be able to stick to it. For example, work committments may change every week. Even though we did not have a timetable, we all agreed to meet up for at least 2/3 hours a week to talk about our ideas and to edit our film.
Whilst shooting our film, we stuck to a timetable as we thought it was very important to arrange this in advance, so we knew we would be free and not run out of time.
Whilst shooting our film, we stuck to a timetable as we thought it was very important to arrange this in advance, so we knew we would be free and not run out of time.
Vertigo (1989) opening credits and scene analysis
Vertigo goes straight into the opening credits throughout the credits there is tension building music. The music is to add suspense to the credits and give the film a mysterious and sinister atmosphere. This type of music and mystery are both common thriller signifiers. To add to the mysterious atmosphere there are extreme close ups of a woman’s face in black and white during the credits, however you never see the woman’s full face; this is to add a sense of mystery because the audience wants to know who she is and what relevance she has.
There is an extreme close up of the woman’s eye during the credits which widens abruptly as if she is shocked or scared and at the same time the shot has been edited to go a blood red which shows the connotation of danger. As this is happening the music becomes louder and faster to build more tension and keep the audience on the edge of there seat. The use of red to symbolise danger, violence, blood and death is commonly used in thriller genre films. There are many spirals that appear in the credits. Spirals are a common thriller signifier, and have been used many times before as they can show twists and turns, which many thriller films include in their narrative.
The opening shot of the first scene is an extreme close up of a man’s hands. Already, the audience in intrigued as they instantly want to know what he is doing and who he is. The opening scene is as whole consists of a man being chased by two policemen across high rooftops, this is important because it ‘hooks’ the audience from the very beginning of the film but going straight into an action scene, also the audience will be suspicious due to the fact the men are on rooftops and the film title ‘Vertigo’ (which links into the main character having a flaw which is a fear of heights). A police chase implies that the film is about crime which is a common sub-genre of thrillers.
The Mise-en-Scene of the opening scene is dark and gritty; the location is a urban city. This is a thriller signifier that is commonly used in the thriller genre. This helps give the film a thriller feel to it. The music during the opening scene of the chase is fast paced to help keep suspension and tension during the scene. Death is part of the opening scene in Vertigo; this adds to the sinister and dramatic feel of the film it also gives the audience and idea of what the rest of the film will be about. The opening scene is filmed at night and in the background in some shots you can see street lights. This shows a contrast between light and dark, this can sometimes symbolise good and evil; chiaroscuro lighting is a commonly used thriller signifier.
The narrative of the opening scene is shown through one of the policeman’s perspective. Putting what is happening in the perspective of a character is commonly used in thriller films to help the audience see what the character is seeing and feeling to understand the situation in the film and relate to the character. In the opening scene there is a plot twist; a policeman dies (people may not expect ‘good guys’ to die, and may be surprised by a death so early on in the film) this kind of plot twist is a major thriller signifier as they help add mystery to the film. There is a small cliff hanger at the end of the scene where the main character is left hanging from a rooftop, in a life threatening situation. This is effective at keeping the audience on the edge of their seats because they are left wondering what happens to him. Cliff hangers are also a common thriller signifier.
The entire opening scene is an all male cast. A predominantly male cast is a common thriller signifier. Also, the surviving male police officer turns out to be a hero with a flaw – a fear of heights. An important thriller signifier is a hero with a flaw. There is a male protagonist in the film and this is another thriller signifier.
Vertigo relates to our own thriller because they both create mystery in the opening scene, a death is involved in our opening scene, like in Vertigo. The use of tension building music is used in both thrillers, and finally the use of dark and bright lighting to cause a contrast of the two.
There is an extreme close up of the woman’s eye during the credits which widens abruptly as if she is shocked or scared and at the same time the shot has been edited to go a blood red which shows the connotation of danger. As this is happening the music becomes louder and faster to build more tension and keep the audience on the edge of there seat. The use of red to symbolise danger, violence, blood and death is commonly used in thriller genre films. There are many spirals that appear in the credits. Spirals are a common thriller signifier, and have been used many times before as they can show twists and turns, which many thriller films include in their narrative.
The opening shot of the first scene is an extreme close up of a man’s hands. Already, the audience in intrigued as they instantly want to know what he is doing and who he is. The opening scene is as whole consists of a man being chased by two policemen across high rooftops, this is important because it ‘hooks’ the audience from the very beginning of the film but going straight into an action scene, also the audience will be suspicious due to the fact the men are on rooftops and the film title ‘Vertigo’ (which links into the main character having a flaw which is a fear of heights). A police chase implies that the film is about crime which is a common sub-genre of thrillers.
The Mise-en-Scene of the opening scene is dark and gritty; the location is a urban city. This is a thriller signifier that is commonly used in the thriller genre. This helps give the film a thriller feel to it. The music during the opening scene of the chase is fast paced to help keep suspension and tension during the scene. Death is part of the opening scene in Vertigo; this adds to the sinister and dramatic feel of the film it also gives the audience and idea of what the rest of the film will be about. The opening scene is filmed at night and in the background in some shots you can see street lights. This shows a contrast between light and dark, this can sometimes symbolise good and evil; chiaroscuro lighting is a commonly used thriller signifier.
The narrative of the opening scene is shown through one of the policeman’s perspective. Putting what is happening in the perspective of a character is commonly used in thriller films to help the audience see what the character is seeing and feeling to understand the situation in the film and relate to the character. In the opening scene there is a plot twist; a policeman dies (people may not expect ‘good guys’ to die, and may be surprised by a death so early on in the film) this kind of plot twist is a major thriller signifier as they help add mystery to the film. There is a small cliff hanger at the end of the scene where the main character is left hanging from a rooftop, in a life threatening situation. This is effective at keeping the audience on the edge of their seats because they are left wondering what happens to him. Cliff hangers are also a common thriller signifier.
The entire opening scene is an all male cast. A predominantly male cast is a common thriller signifier. Also, the surviving male police officer turns out to be a hero with a flaw – a fear of heights. An important thriller signifier is a hero with a flaw. There is a male protagonist in the film and this is another thriller signifier.
Vertigo relates to our own thriller because they both create mystery in the opening scene, a death is involved in our opening scene, like in Vertigo. The use of tension building music is used in both thrillers, and finally the use of dark and bright lighting to cause a contrast of the two.
Mission Statement
Our aim is to create a modern thriller using new technologies, but sticking to the classical thriller conventions, styles and themes of old film noirs. We want to challenge the high budget mainstream hollywood films in a fight for popularity to show you don't need a huge budget to create a successful film.
Shooting maps for our thriller film.
I made these shooting maps to help us know where to position the camera, people and props in our filming. It took a long while to make but ended up being very useful as we used it when we filmed our thriller.
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