Titles??

This is a very rough idea of what my titles could look like. I tried to go for a similar style to the titles from the film Winter's Bone:

My ideal would be to have the titles drift onto the screen as though they were made of mist. The background being a dark cobbled alley. Perhaps with the shadow of the murderer on the wall. I'll need to find the right font, for this one is too cheap looking.

The titles for Sleepy Hollow are as though the words are ripped into the dark screen, allowing a bright light from behind to seep through the letters. If I could create a similar effect to this, i think my main title would really work.

Shooting Schedule

28/10/2010 - scene 1 - Victim descending stairs, victim approached by killer - Loc. Church Steps.

29/10/2010 - scene 2 - Detective, Gravedigger conversation - Loc. Graveyard.

19/12/2010 - Shot 11 - Girl fall into lake - Loc. Iona's pool.

01/01/2011 - Detective, Wife bedroom, wife taken - Loc. My House or Savahns house

- Detective Talking to friend - Loc. My house

02/01/2011 - Act 1 short shots - Detective running, Detective shooting, Killer standing in silhouette - Loc. Alleyway.

(03/4)/01/2011 - Act 2 + 3 short shots - Detective out of breathe, Detective pray, Detective w/ wife, wife look over shoulder, Wife dance in snow, wife blood on hands, Prostitute, pathologist, Killer's face, Killer walk, Killer grab axe, Killer put on glove

Pickups
29/10/2010 - scene 1 - Victim descending stairs, victim approached by killer - DAYLIGHT - Loc. Church Steps.

Shot List

Character Plans

Victim 1
The first character seen in the trailer is the young woman Sylvia. She’s alone, walking home from a day in the park. She has taken the short cut home, through a dark alley. She is very vulnerable in her large impractical dress. She is scared. I imagined her to look similar to Christina Ricci’s character in Sleepy Hollow. She should look ghostly and innocent.

The murderer
The murder is very mysterious; he wears a cape and hat, and leaves a calling card of a hanged skeleton. He only murders women. He knows exactly what he is doing; they are not random killings. We hardly ever see him, for he is too fast and strategic, it is as though we experiencing everything from the detective’s point of view.

The detective
The detective is the main character. He is quite young but clever, and mature for his age. He is handsome. He is similar to the character Johnny Depp portrays in Sleepy Hollow. He is very much in love with his wife Elizabeth. He has been working on the case of the serial killings for a while and is very close to solving them. However, when the killer makes his next victim the detective’s wife, the detective looses his ability to be objective and becomes captivated by getting revenge. I hope the audience will be able to relate to him, and trust him to solve the case.

His Wife
Elizabeth is mid-twenties. She is optimistic and intellectual. I imagine her to be attractive with long dark hair. I think the audience will be shocked and upset when she is kidnapped.

Animatic

This is my animatic without dialogue, it also gives you an example of how i want the sound to possibly be like.

Possible sound effect

This is a possible sound effect for the opening of the trailer, it is minimal and dark. It would be great for when the girl is walking towards the camera, to lift the energy. While trying it, i made each next sound effect louder or more echoey, to build suspense. The one problem however, is that it sounds too electronic, and this doesn't keep with the films period. It would disrupt the Mise en scene of the trailer.

Costume Research

Costume Research - Victorian Era

The second one is closer to the look im going for in terms of the women's costumes. It is quite a gothic silhouette, less flowing than the other examples, and more conservative and eerie.

Day for Night

As well as shooting at night, I am going to try the technique that lots of hollywood directors use. This avoids the film looking grainy, you don't have to use such a bright light, which can make a film look unrealistic, and it gives a nice early hours, twilight feel.

It can sometimes be very effective:

In Sleepy Hollow, they have used the same technique:

Set design - Alleyway Scene

For one of the shots, there is a patchy wooden wall on the right hand side. In order to make this wall more interesting, and involve it in the period feel of the film, I have made and got hold of some old victorian posters to litter it with.

In these screen shots from the film Little Dorrit 1988, the same poster technique has been used.

Recce - Act/Scene 1

Location Shots - Alleyway Scene

The location I have chosen is a small path which goes up a hill. It is surrounded by brick walls, or gothic railings. There is also a church and graveyard that surrounds it. The street lights are old fashioned too, they could be victorian. There is however a problem with the lighting, it is a large area to cover, and i think the camera will be following someone, i will have to light the scene very carefully. The street lights are very orange, and i want the scene to b more grey/blue, so i think the only way i can get round this will be in post-production.

Trailer – Outline

Act 1

The trailer opens with the sound bridge of heeled footsteps on the ground. A shot dissolves in, it shows a woman walking down an alley, and we see her from the front. She is wearing a big frilly whitish dress; the clip then fades back to black. In the black an old man appears holding a golden lantern. He is possibly a gravedigger for they are in a graveyard. He speaks, ‘On the seventh night, of the seventh day, the day that god rested from his toil…(during this part of speech we see the young handsome detectives face) …that’s when the killer strikes. The scene cuts back to the woman walking, she’s walking faster now, the camera is following her from behind, she stops for a second, looks to her right, and from the shadows to her left a white gloved hand grabs her neck and pulls her into the darkness, her scream echoes throughout. The shot cuts back to the handsome man in the same scene, exclaiming, ‘But that’s tonight’ ‘Then he hath already striked.’ Cut to black.

4 shots flash up, each a beat long:

1 = Detective running fast, camera following. 2= detective shooting, different scene. 3= A victim falling in to a lake. 4 = killer standing in alleyway, silhouetted.

Act 2

Camera opens on detective, he is speaking to a friend, he looks a wreck:

It was adequate before, (A beat of the pathologist and dead body, than a second clip of the detective with his wife) I could cope (a beat of him leaning against a wall, out of breath.) But now, (another beat of the girl looking back over her shoulder, smiling) Its personal. (Shaky (documentary style) camera clip of a flashback, the detective is asleep next to his wife, a dark figure abducts the woman, there are screams, the detective grabs his gun and shoots, but they are gone.

Break

Act 3

Act three is the build up of shots to the title.

First shot: a girl, possibly a prostitute, running from the camera.

2: The killer putting on his glove.

3: A shot of someone’s shoes walking slowly on grass or a croaky floorboard.

4: His wife dancing in the snow.

5: The killer grabbing an axe

6: The detective kneeling in a church, before the altar.

7: The killers half lit face

8: A burning house? If achievable..

9: His wife again, walking out of the darkness in her nightgown, blood on her hands.

Main title

At the end, over the titles, the killer sings a chilling nursery rhyme.

‘Coming soon...’

My Production company

I think the right studio for my film would be a small branch of a large company. For example, like Working title’s branch WT2, which produced films like Billie Elliot. This choice of Production Company is because the film is likely to be independent and British, and drawing on a gothic approach, and therefore a new type of film for British cinema. So it’s slightly experimental, and due to the genre, needs more money to be able to compete with the Hollywood blockbusters in the same category. The Money from the studio would be spent mainly on distribution and perhaps a few upcoming British actors.

The studio ident is very simple and replicable.

A good distributor for this film would be Lionsgate UK, a company known for investing in independent horror films. They distribute experimental films like Heartless 2009 and more high-end indie films like The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus 2009 and Harry Brown 2009.

Their current ident is very advanced and I wouldn't be able to create something as complex, for it is completely CGI; The camera zooms out of the mechanical workings of a clockwork structure, to reveal the title which sits in the clouds behind. However, their old ident is a lot more simple; The title is superimposed on top of some stars and it appears with some sparkling effects over the top. Perhaps the right distributors for my film should be an upcoming, new company, whose ident isn't perhaps as advanced as the other older and more successful companies.

Prezi on Audience

I have decided that the certificate for my film is going to 15. This is firstly because the film will probably be too frightening for children under the age. The certification will also encourage younger audiences to want to see it, they'll either try and sneak in to cinemas, or wait till the DVD release to watch it. People (especially children) are known to want what they cant have. The certificate also allows older audiences to be confident that what they are going to watch will be exciting and chilling, and therefore satisfy their need for releasing tension. A theory states that you enjoy the excitement of experiencing horror and fear, but are comforted by the fact that it cant physically effect you. You pursue pleasure, and avoid pain. As 15 to 25 is the average target audience for film, placing the age rating at 15 wont disrupt this. The film also appeals to a younger audience, so the rating is more sensible than an 18 rating.

Establishing an Audience

Teaser Trailer Notes

6 months before film is due to release. Very short – 30 to 90 seconds. Main trailers and theatrical trailers. They aim to reveal the name of the film, the release date and the actors or genre. Showcase best bits.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Starts with a close up. Less famous you are the more graphics you need. Titles which give you genre and narrative. Teaser faster paced, no sound bites. Scenic character then crime. Graphics very simple but effective. Action, punch moving car, location. Shots that appeared to link all showing the same thing, some sort of crime. Final shot focuses on a girl with a cross over of three other clips. The date is mentioned twice.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

Titles are Rippling, drifting. 2 different sizes, 2 diff colours. Asymmetrical. Fire over-laying, and going behind to suggest they’re 3d. Ash. Using specific clips to refer to the titles.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest

A short frame of reference to give the feel of the film, in between other titles. Music particularly powerful. Weighting of the frame.

It is very short, 36 seconds. They’re selling the actors names, big, white on black. You start with an atmospheric sound and then the beat begins to pick up, which is synchronized to the woman’s walking. It focuses on the main woman a lot because she is the main aspect of the film. The music is very dramatic. There’s an unrelated shot, with all the others relating to the main scene of her walking.

Trailer notes

Sleepy Hollow

The trailer starts with the sound bridge of a wolf howling in the distace, then opens with an establishing shot of an old manor house, with a scarcrow and a spindley tree in the foreground. Right from the very start, the trailer is already representing the horror theme with these two elements. There are thuds and uneasy strings in the background. The colours are adark blue greys with a lot of black. We then see torches being either put or blown out in the darkness, which Builds suspense. We then witness the dramatic scene of a man running in the dark misty woods, a cut to the headless horseman and then the dicapitation og the running man. The studio icons are revealed with a flash of lightening and thunder. The introduction of the star, Johnny Depp, and development of the basic story line is the next stage. The music builds up progressivly. Here we also see Christina Ricci. The trailer uses lightening as a transition to different scenes. The first title is the directors name, Tim Burtion. The words of the title are revealed by a light shining from behind, this creates a silhouette in the darkness. There is also a mist floating in the air which is eluminated by the light. The star titles come next, and the music enhances their appearence. The trailer builds to a climax with shorter and shorter clips, untill the last clips shows an exploading windmill. The main title shown. It is a reverse of the others in order to stand out more, white on black. The white light shines through the cut out letters in the black background. The music here is just a loud groaning. The final draw to a close is of the horseman slicing his sword and Johnny Depp's character waking up to find he has just had a bad dream.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

The trailer starts with an American voiceover. It mentions that the film is from one of the most celebrated film makers of our time in order to generate an audience. There's then a mention of the most unforgettable love story of all time. It doesn’t slowly build up at the beginning but throws you straight into the dramatic clips from the start. You identify the plot right from the start with the mention of ‘Dracula.’ This is to generate excitement. The stars are next to be named and then finally the main title, which is as though its written in blood. There is no development in the trailer or possible climax; this is probably because it is an old trailer, which were generally more basic. Although the music does build to a climax and then end with long dramatic strings. The final shot is quite dramatic, of a woman jumping out of a window. She is silhouetted for dramatic effect. The trailer ends with the caption ‘love never dies.’ This caption is mysterious and provocative.

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein

The trailer starts with the dramatic sound bite ‘no-one need ever die.’ The titles are super-imposed onto dark rolling storm clouds. After a few clips of the monster’s creation a title reads ‘Be Warned.’ This warning excites horror lovers because it suggests that the film could be very frightening. It could also mean other things like ‘be warned, this film is very good.’ The music is full of impact throughout; it is made up of choric singers. There are many clips that show people screaming or crying in distress to emphasize the calamity of this film. The lightening, with flashes throughout the trailer relates to the main story, but is also a common feature in gothic horrors. The stars names are uncovered at the end, again on a storm cloud. There is a last sound bite, ‘Can you ever consider the consequences of your actions.’ This makes us reconsider the first soundbite, and makes the viewers begin to unfold elements of the story. The final title flashes all over the screen until it settles in the centre. It too is white on black. Finally some purple rolling clouds wrap up the trailer.

Sherlock Holmes

The trailer starts with the sound bridge of a dark droning noise. There is then an establishing shot followed by a sound bite. In response to this is the mention of 'Sherlock Holmes' and this sets off a series of flashing images, which are cut to the music. There are many transitions into different clips that use the fade through black. There are also many more sound bites. The music gradually builds but then draws to a close for the first revealing shot of Robert Downy Junior, smoking a pipe and saying something humorous. He then dives out the window and into the Thames, accompanied by increasingly suspenseful strings. The three studio icons then appear quickly, one after the other. This then sets off a series of short, dramatic clips and crashes form the music. The next few clips unveil exposition. The music slowly builds. This trailer uses a tom and jerry soundtrack (whereby every movement is matched by the music's rhythm pitch and meaning.) The music suddenly kicks in while the stars are exposed. This is a clip of the star with their name below in bold metallic letters. The next short phase is a series of clips whereby the diegetic sound effects created by the actors (for example someone thrown into a door or a gun shot) matches the music perfectly. This technique enhances both the music and the action and helps to build to yet another climax. Overall the trailer deals with many rises and falls and silences then eruptions of noise, and plays with different levles of pace until the title flies onto the screen in bold stone-like letters.

Interview with the Vampire

The trailer starts with the studio ident followed by a sound bridge and then a sound bite. Various clips follow this, with some vast spacey music. After this short introduction comes the voiceover. The voice reveals the name of the director and his most successful film to generate the audience of fans. The stars are shown but not mentioned as yet. As the voiceover comes to a shocking conclusion the music dramatically gets louder, fuller and more emotional. Thios change in music is accompanied by faster clips showing more shocking clips. There are flashes of people screaming for example. A less mysterious sound bite then occurs to give more narrative to the trailer. The trailer then builds up to include more of an exposition. After this climax comes to an end the stars are finally revealed with a shot showing their face and the mention of their names. The final title is large and red. It slowly enlarges. It is in caps lock with a small print subtitle at the bottom. It is centred within the frame and symmetrical.

From Hell

This trailer starts with the sound bride of Big Ben and then the establishing shot of 19^th century London at night. Asoundbite then continues. A shot of Johnny Depp is then revealed. Then unconventionally, the trailer uses modern electronic music, this could be to show that the film has an edgy side, its the unique selling point. With the new music the 20^th Century Fox logo then appears, and it is sped up, again creating the idea that the film is modern and different. The trailer speeds up various clips and slows down some as well. After this small introduction the voice over starts. It is a low and strong American voice. The different clips are transitioned together with some orange flames which move over the screen. There are also white flashes which help as transitions. The story is explained slightly as well as the exposition, untill a soundbite from the killers mouth, reveals something shocking. Johnny Depp's character however then disputes him. The music then builds up with a series of dramatic clips. ~The stars names are revealed, interspersed with action shots. The foint is red on black, and a gothic font. The titles dont look very proffesional. The final main title appears big on screen, and then zooms forward, it also shakes. It is very ameture.

Barry Lyndon

I chose this film because i love the costumes and the lighting. It is also the right sort of period. The trailer starts with an establishing shot, shoiwing some marching soldiers. The music is of the period and startts right at the beginning of the trailer. A voiceover then announces the director, the stars and the awards won by the film. Next comes the rerviews, over long action shots. The trailer then shifts from being in the battle scenes, to a dinner party. The music changes, becoming more orchestural. And more reviews are read out. After lots of beautiful scenic shots and some clips of fighting, the title appears still on screen. It is very simple and has a pretty decoration around it, as well as a drawing of a gun. The background is brown.

The Wolfam

The trailer starts with the establishing shot of a dark moonlit forest. A man holding a lantern is killed. A soundbite then comes in, outlining the story, and history of the story. When the wolfman's hand comes into shot, the music makes you jump. There is then a shot of the person giving the voiceover. After some clips and a build up of music, the studio ident then comes in. It is specially themed to the movie. We then experience some exposition. The music is simple, just an oboe and some strings. When the wolfman leaps onto the main man the music picks up again and the fast action shots follow. These clips get faster and faster. The release date then flashes on screen. It is white on black with a white aura. The trailer comes to and end with a build up of dramatic music, important clips and the final wolfman howling. The main title is quite simple, just white on black, capitalised font, with a moon in place of the 'O.' The title glows slightly. The last shot is of a girl ruinning from the wolf in the woods. Finally we see the stars names appear on the black screen.

Chosen Genre Conventions

miss leg hw

Inception

1) What cinematic techniques are used to establish mood and tone?

At the very beginning of the trailer a voice over by leonardo dicaprio tells us what the film concerns. The music throughout the trailer is very predominant. It is very dramatic, and grabs your attention right from the beginning with a loud droning. This enhances the dramatic tone of the film. The shots are also cut so that they are in time with the music, this can make the music have more of an impact at certain times. As the trailer progresses, the music gets faster and the amount of instruments used increases, this in time with the increasingly shorter cuts helps to build the trailer to a climax, which is the title. This cinematic technique makes the trailer very powerful and memorable.

The mood or genre of the film is psychological thriller/horror, and the film is very darkly lit, adding to the mystery and fear factor. Almost straight from the beginning we are shown unforgettable shots of impossible looking things. What looks like a large mirror is towering over the sky and this is used to show that the film is more fictional rather than realist, it also provides a memorable image that looks impossibly complex to conceive. Proven by Avatar, there is reason to believe that a film that baffles the film industry with innovative technology is likely to succeed.

The titles are silver on black, this focuses our attention on them and makes them stand out. The tag-line of the film is accompanied by a subtle animated city scape, which the camera swoops through diagonally. This addition of computer animation adds diversity to the trailer making it more interesting.

The sound bites towards the end of the trailer are of the characters screaming, this with the increasing music unsettles the viewer.

2)How does the trailer establish the themes and narrative?

The trailer uses a voice over at the beginning of the main actor, explaining what his purpose is in the film. There are also inserts of speech and sound bites that give the viewer clues as to what the film concerns. Inserts of titles that reveal the tag line of the film are also used.

2) How does the trailer establish genre?

The trailer establishes genre

4) Who is the target audience and how is this audience targeted in this trailer?

The target audience is 15 to 25 years old, but this could even go up to 30 years of age due to the complexity of Chris Nolan's films. His are more unconventional than most hollywood blockbusters, and give the audience the chance to unpick the mystery themselves rather than it being blatantly obvious. 15 to 25 is the average target audience for most Hollywood films. This is a younge audience, so the filmmakers try to appeal to them by having a fast trailer with gripping music, and an interesting animated title sequence.

5) What is the reason/ effect for using the director's name and previous work?

The dark night, the directors previous film, was very successful, so using the name will create a larger audience. The director will also gain interest for his previous successful films like momento.

Salt

1) How does this trailer promote and focus on the big star? (look at camera work, editing, sound...etc..)

Most of the scenes in the trailer, bar two include Angelina Jolie. Also, most of the sound bites are of her and there are less of the other characters. Her name is the only one to be shown as a credit.

2) Action films are thought to appeal to a predominately male audience. How does this trailer target both a female and male audience separately?

The film does appeal to men in the sense that they can go and watch an attractive woman, playing the dominant role of a hero. However, it could possibly appeal more to women. This is because women would

3) How does this trailer use editing to create atmosphere?


Heartbreaker

The trailer created for the UK is very cleverly devised in order to appeal to a wider UK audience. Although the film is in fact French, there is no French in the trailer; instead the editors have specifically chosen clips with English dialogue. The soundtrack is also an American song from the film Dirty Dancing. While the song is heard, the trailer also shows a clip of the iconic dirty dancing lift, this intertextuality is used to possibly appeal to the huge amount of dirty dancing fans. Although the trailer is aimed at a UK audience, the voice-over is clearly American; this could be to give the film a higher status, making it seem as though it were a Hollywood film.

The three trailers come across as three very different films. The UK trailer depicts the film as a cheap and cheesy romantic comedy with no real originality, this differs greatly from the other two, which are actually funny, they seem more ironic and less in your face. For example, the first trailer portrays the main man as a sexy womanizer, the others force us to laugh at his slightly ridiculous attempts to seduce his women.

INCEPTION

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2009/12/15/inception-poster.jpg

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/video/2010/apr/12/inception-christopher-nolan-film-trailer

http://inceptionmovie.warnerbros.com/

Evaluation - Q1 - DVD Commentary - Ben Rogers and Luke Thompson

Commentary

Evaluation - Q2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The social groups our media product represents are; single parents – There are some divorce letters on the side table, at the beginning of the film, (these would have been explained later in the film) and a great sense that she is alone. The middle class – The house or flat is very modern and big, there are some antiques, paintings, a good stereo system etc. A businesswomen – she is wearing smart clothes and her desk is very organised with books a printer and computer etc. Family’s – there are pictures of her and her family all over the house, some on a table, more on the fridge, the place is tidy but slightly cluttered with usual family household objects. She also represents an outsider, coming from a foreign country to England and not feeling entirely at home all the time, this also makes her more vulnerable. We also used the stereotype of the single woman – isolated and in danger, typical in horror/thrillers.

Evaluation - Q3

What kind of Media Institution might distribute your media product and why?

Working Title.

We chose Working Title because the Company specialize in similar films to ours: A British film, financed by an Anglo-American company. Working Title has, in the past, made films that are transatlantic with British-American crew and casts, much like our film. Working Title also tend to provide money for more independent and low-budget features, again similar to the conceptual style that we are going for. A Working Title feature often also portrays the ideas of British culture to American viewers and our film is shot in London, the capital of England, with an American actress. We intend to make a thriller that has something that reflects Britain.

Evaluation - Q4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

One of the reasons that we think the movie we have created is an appealing choice is the fact it is accessible to a wide audience. The horror market has become one of the most successful and it is a genre that many of the greatest film-makers of all-time have tapped into; Hitchcock, Kubrick, Spielberg and Coppola, and many other great film-makers have used techniques from horror to make their films great. The horror film allows the film-maker to appeal to a main audience of 'thrill-seeking' under 30s and at the same time, show their talents for directing, the horror film is a film that allows the writer and director to truly be creative. I think as well as the younger audience who come to be scared, older audiences will come for the intriguing plot and what we hope to be an interesting film, as well as this, we intend to appeal to other audiences by having an emotionally complex '3-dimensional' heroine. Pre-release, we showed the opening scene to several people in order to determine whether our target audience would be enthralled by the film, and the audience really enjoyed it.

Evaluation - Q5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Because of the use of an American actress, we’re hoping it will attract an American audience. This fits in with the traditional tarns-Atlantic audience of Working Title films. The actress is around late 20’s and she will appeal to people of a similar age. Because of the location and film, a large number of British people will be attracted to the film. So we aim to attract quite a large multicultural audience irrespective of gender or age within the boundaries of the film’s classification. The other characters will be of similar age, perhaps even older. This could also attract an older generation, interested in conflicts between people of their age.

Why an 18 certificate?

We decided for the film to be an 18 certificate because we think it will be too scary and gory for anyone under this age. If it is an 18 certificate than it is also more likely to attract our preferred audience, those who love being scared and are horror-film-goers. Since the film is slightly appealing to a younger market, (a market just discovering horror) for instance, under 18’s, this certificate will help increase DVD sales because they will be aloud, with parental consent, to finally see it.

Evaluation Q6

What have you learnt about new technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I had used final cut before, so I had some idea of the things you can do, and the technology, but I had never used it to make something that was final and finished, so it was interesting polishing it to make it as good as my technical abilities could let me. I learnt to be selective with filters and effects in mind of how the film should look. We learnt how to use the camera effectively in getting the right result on the audience, for example, to scare them; we would use a tracking shot and slowly ease in towards the actress, from behind, as if someone was creeping up on her. We also learnt how to build up sound effectively in order to create tension and suspense.

Evaluation - Q7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I have learnt many new skills and techniques since doing the preliminary task. I learnt how to use lighting more effectively, for example different colours and playing with shadows/silhouettes. For example, in the first shot, we positioned the light outside the house, so we could get some nice shadows on the wall. My preliminary task was very dark, so you couldn’t see much, so I tried to retain a sense of the same level of darkness, but to also allow the viewer to see precisely what we needed them to. Contrasting to the preliminary tasks which were rushed and not considered fully, we tried to focus on making this film quite serious and real, rather than comedic. We thought about the script for a long time, editing and polishing it, until we were completely happy. As apposed to our preliminary tasks, we also tried to focus on every tiny detail; the actress’s costume was that of a stylish businesswoman’s, as well as remaining reserved – because of her being a mother. Props, there were pictures surrounding the house, of her, her husband, children. Dialogue, we tried to make it as real as possible and took inspiration from our own homes. These were all considered in order to get the right Mise en scene. We asked the actress to bring in photos of her, which would suit her role in the film. Because we couldn’t find the dolly, we had to create our own using a skateboard and two planks of wood, so we have learnt how to replicate certain equipment in order to get the right effect. I have also learnt how to use music and sound effects more effectively, concentrating on the build up of sound to create tension and melodic music to accompany the action on screen. I made some sound effects by slowing down various violin sounds to 10% of their original speed. I also did this with various horns and pipes. I also decided to reverse the dramatic Beethoven music, because it sounded more sinister and disconcerting and wasn’t as obvious or overly dramatic as the original, in the end however, we didn’t use it, and instead used a fuzzy noise that sounded like the end of a tape of film, to go with the main title.

Editing the piece was probably the lengthiest part of the project. This is because I found it difficult to fit the film into two minutes. It was most difficult with the end, and after many different drafts we decided that the end didn’t work, (originally screams from the actress than a shot of the door closing.) It seemed too melodramatic and possibly almost comedic, and we didn’t want that at all. So instead we cut for the title as soon as the actress turns the light on. This left the audience on a cliff-hanger and it was very eerie with distant screams from the actress in the background, we tried to leave the audience wanting to know what would happen next.

Final Cut - Deadfall - Luke Thompson and Ben Rogers

Research and Planning - Props – Divorce papers

Research and Planning - Location

The setting will be in an apartment with warm tones, this apartment is big enough for two children and a mother. There will have to be a desk and a separate room opposite the desk, for the body to be discovered, as well as a kitchen for the kettle.

Research and Planning - Characters

The main character is a mature woman, in her very early forties. She will have brown/mousy blonde hair and big brown eyes. She should be quite independent looking to begin with, and like a stylish businesswoman but also having aspects of a mother of two. She should look like she has had a hard days work but content to be at home. She should also be angry about her divorce but not letting it upset her.

Actors who inspired this role include:

Sandra Bullock

- Her mature and independent look is very good for this character.

Julia Roberts

- Her appealing look is good to make audience easily engage with her.

Jodie Foster

- Her slightly troubled but happy and confident look is a good representation of my character. She appeared in a film called Flight Plan, which is similar to my film in that her character gets framed and only she knows and tries to reveal the truth, but no one will believe her.

Research and Planning - Possible Film Producers

Working Title - Working Title is a possibility because they are a British Company that is very involved in the production of international, particularly British-American movies (which is good because we are using an American actress in our starring role), though many of their British movies are comedies, they also have produced several American thrillers, such as State of Play, United 93 and the upcoming Green Zone. They are one of the best producers of internationally popular British films.

Pathé - Pathé is a large producer of films, based in France it produces lots of British films, particularly of young and alternative directors, with the American Blair Witch Project, the British, Adulthood and Slumdog Millionaire. As well as this, they produce really successful mainstream thrillers, like Memento, Apocalypse Now. They are also currently producing a British film called Centurion, with a nearly entirely British cast Dominic West, Noel Clarke and Riz Ahmed. They are quite a major producer of British films.

Research and Planning - Target Audience

The main audience is roughly between 15 and 35. The niche audience will be people older than those ages who are interested in horror. The certificate for the film will be ‘15’ because of the violent content and fear, but younger audiences will also be interested to watch the film when it comes out on DVD, with parental consent.

I believe that this is aimed at a conventional thriller or horror audience, so the main audience will consist of young people going to the cinema/DVD shop to watch a film that will provide them with thrilling plot and scary scenes, thus we need to provide them these thrills. On the other hand, there is a niche audience of perhaps more ‘middle-aged’ people, as a whole there are a wide variation of people who go to watch a thriller, we intend to attract a larger audience by providing an intelligent, deep plot. This will appeal to a widest range of audience.

Research and Planning - Style and Tone

The opening scene should start very unsuspecting; the mood should be very normal. This is to make the climax more surprising. To achieve this we will make the colours quite warm, make the scene homely, and wont add any scary music at the beginning. For the first shot, we want to zoom in on the woman while she is having the phone conversation, this will create tension. Camera shots will remain static or just a slow zoom to intensify the verisimilitude of the scene. When the lights come on in the bedroom, it might be effective to have the shadow of the body cast on to the wall behind the woman, and on her. This would emphasize a sense of mystery and want you to know what she is looking at. To achieve this without making it seem unrealistic the light behind the body would be a bedside lamp. The light in this room will also be quite blue/green to emphasize the change in mood.

The genre of our film is thriller/horror. There are quite graphic images and unexpected and perhaps shocking moments. No guns, or drugs like most thrillers entail. Perhaps the genre is slightly leaning to a psychological thriller also, for example, you do not know what is going on at times, and don’t know who is guilty or innocent.

The titles will be very simple, white on black. As a door opens, and the light enters the room, you realize that the black background was in fact the darkness of the room. The first shot will be a long one; it will start as a long-shot and pan round as the woman walks past. (The titles will continue to show at the bottom-right of the screen.) Then slowly ease in toward a mid-shot during the phone conversation. The easing in will also add a little tension to the scene. The very beginning will start in a quite regular way, it is meant to be like any other day, so no scary sound effects as of yet. As the opening progresses however, small incidents that aren’t every day, instead perhaps once in a while, start to happen to the protagonist, for example the phone cutting out. Very subtle eerie sound effects and also the increasing kettle can accompany these. The shots will also become more unconventional, close-ups on her lips, the clock, etc. The next shot will be in a dark room with a door open, showing the woman at her desk. Perhaps here to create suspense, the accompany of some ghostly droning music will be good, it should be very quiet though, almost subliminal. When the woman turns the light on and sees a dead body the music should have a great impact here and be frightening, showing her fear.

Research and Planning - Influences

Influences

The Shining – We want to achieve a similar style for the camera shots, for example long panning and tracking camera shots. We would like our actress to react in a similar way to the character ‘Wendy’ in the bathroom scene of this film. We think her fear and distress is very powerful. Kubrick plays with sound creatively and we want to try and adopting this technique for our opening, for example the sound of the clock ticking, and kettle. Kubrick gradually builds up tension very effectively in his films, and although he does it very slowly and over the course of the whole film, we will try and do the same in the two minutes.

Psycho – We were inspired by Hitchcock’s camera shots. His close-ups, and long shots, and his build up of cuts to develop tension. In Psycho, we like the thrilling quality of someone else being in the house/room. This film appeals to a mainstream audience, which is what we are also trying to achieve. The woman in our film is a similar age to the character in psycho who is murdered. She looks young, yet is a mother of two and is just reaching her 40’s. With this choice of age we are trying to appeal to young and older audience members.

Panic room – The idea of having a woman on her own with the responsibility of her child. The sense of paranoia is very effective in this film. We watched the film trailer to get ideas for building tension and for the story.

Flight Plan – The story is similar to that of ‘Flight Plan’ – a single mother whose child is kidnapped. This relates to part of our theme, ‘destruction of the family’ and to the woman being alone and vulnerable.

News – The case involving Tony Martin partly inspired the story. We were interested in the idea of how far one might go to protect their property and family in a burglary situation. Tony Martain was prosecuted for manslaughter after killing a sixteen-year-old boy because his home was being violently robbed. Our character wont reveal a gun, but we were interested in the frightening aspect that if someone is criminally trespassing in your home, you might not be able to defend yourself properly.

We were also inspired by North by Northwest, the way it didn’t seem like a thriller at first, until a sudden surprise. It showed the character’s normal life and displayed it naturalistically, this emphasized on the idea that it could happen to anyone.

The picture depicts a normal workday from North by Northwest.

Research and Planning - Shot List

Research and Planning - Location shots