Wednesday 26 January 2011

Feedback on our pitch


Good things and bad things about pitch:

Audience feedback:
  • We had good inspiration in our narrative and the storyline has the potential to work well.
  • We should consider changing the main character, because the character we decided to be main dies right at the beginning, and the rest of the film continues to center around him. We can continue with this idea, but choose to make the policeman a different main character because there is a chance that the audience could get confused.
  • The communication in the group has been claimed to have not been as good as it could have been. I think that the communication is fine, but because someone has said that they don't think it is, we can aim to achiever a higher level of communication to satisfy our audience whilst we are presenting our pitch.
  • We plan on doing some filming in town, but that will be in a public place. Some people don't like being filmed in public, so we will make sure everybody is happy around where we are filming and if they don't want to be filmed then we will move places. We also need to be careful about which shops we film inside or just outside because the owners may have a problem with the camera being there.

This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Friday 21 January 2011

    Planning for thriller pitch

    Ideas for Thriller opening sequence:
    Sub genre: Crime
    Location: Industrial Town
    Narrative: Main character is searching about for something, when the antagonist's right hand man comes along and stabs him, leaving him on the floor to die. Luckily a policeman comes along and finds him. The main character is then lucky to survive. (opening sequence)

    Opening sequence is to:
    * Set the scene (Industrial) Therefore lots of shots showing the surroundings, eg long shot of buildings.
    * Introducing characters (Credits to introduce them along with shots of them)
    * Set the genre eg. appropriate music

    Sub Genre: Crime
    Crime is a primary sub genre of thriller. For example films like: Snatch, The Departed and Reservoir Dogs. This is therefore a popular film genre and so in order to create a good Crime/Thriller is to make a good opening sequence which draws the attention of the audience. Crime is one of the best ways to grab the attention of the audience because it is exciting and action packed. This is why we chose crime as a sub genre because it is one of the few ways to grab the attention of the audience. Films that do this are films such as Snatch (bank robbery)



    Location: Industrial Town
    We picked this location because it fits in with the genre. It is easy to set the scene because their are lots of buildings and things to film to illustrate the mood and social class of the characters. For instance Snatch uses suits in high class shops to illustrate their high economic and social status. This also relates to costume aswell. For instance you can't have big bright colorful clothes on when your committing a crime in an industrial area because it wont make sense. So this means the location and costume have to fit in with each other.

    Characters: Aggressive, confident, sarcastic attitude. (trying to always out do other characters) Don't really care about the consequences. Never give up attitude.

    Costume: Big gangster dark clothes to fit in with the crime genre.

    Props: Fake Gun, ketchup as blood.

    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Our Production Logo

    Dark Eye Productions -

    We decided to name our group 'Dark Eye Productions,' this name works well for a Thriller production as it has a mysterious feel to it. Our production logo will be shown at either the beginning or at the end of our production the logo shows who has made the film.

    In order to make this logo, we used Photoshop CS3. We set a black background and got a photograph of an eye off 'google images.' Using the rubber tool we removed the unwanted area around the image, then we faded the edges which made it look more natural. Then we inserted the 'Dark Eye' text into a new layer. We used single letters in different layers so we could tie the letters together and make it flow better. Then we added another text layer called 'productions' and added some filter effects to make the text fall into the background of the eye more. Then we selected a small brush and added some stars, and finally added a highlight on the 'K' using a custom brush tool. This is quite a simple image to create and didn't take much time top put together.



    Production Logo Croped 
    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Thriller Production logo Research

    For our thriller film production we need a thriller themed production logo, to know the most effective colours/images and generally used techniques we will research into what other thriller film producers use.

    Hammer film productions are an example of a film producer that produces many thriller films, they have made many films. an example of a film they produced is 'the mummy'. There production logo used the thriller related colours of black and red to create a thriller theme. the colours look dark and work well to scare the viewer.

    Hammer_Film_Productions_logo

    Often in the production logo's there is text, the text is used as a main part of the logo and lets the audience know exactly who they are if they haven't yet known about the producers. In our production logo we will use text and the rest of the image will be styled round the text, we will use colours like black to create a dark thriller type themed logo. we may include a image that is related to the genre such as a knife or blood.

    In many production logo's there is just a simple image such as a landscape/symmetrical and related imaging. In the thriller based production logo's there are often a creepy image such as a blood hand print or a blade.

    When looking at the Warner bros pictures production logo, the logo's image is very simple and doesn't include to many lines/different shapes. its just simple shapes put together without many different colours. This means it is easily recognized by the viewer and when the viewer see's the image again they will instantly recognize who has made the film.


    warnerbros-teaser_dunkel_40565

    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Soundtrack Evaluation



    Our soundtrack was created to fit an opening thriller crime genre. In order to make it sound like a crime genre we made it upbeat with a fast tempo. We created the soundtrack on garageband and used different sounds to link the track well. We made sure that each sound flows and goes well with each other so we ensured that each transition fitted correctly. We made the soundtrack with the idea of the opening sequence being a car chase. The soundtrack started off with one sound continuing to build up the tension to when the beat from the drum kit kicks in. Our soundtrack was inspired by 2 fast 2 furious opening sequence.




    We wanted to sort of replicate this kind of opening sequence with our soundtrack beat going with the fast cars. The fast paced music replicates the speed of the fast moving cars. It does this by speeding up and slowing down in certain places. This shows the speed of the cars increasing and decreasing in the opening sequence. The tempo of our track is catchy and always keeps you on edge, and this also shows elements that you would expect in a car chase opening sequence within our soundtrack.

    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Wednesday 19 January 2011

    Analysis of sound in thriller opening sequences

    'Catch me if you can'
    * This opening sequence had a diegetic sound track to it.
    * The sound track started off with a very slow tempo, and with a quite volume. The tempo then increased and a strong beat was introduced into the music. This made the music louder as the title sequence went on.  

    * The music was in sync with the on screen action, when the text come on screen the music beat was in time with it this continued as the title sequence rolled on.
    catch_me_if_you_can_1

    'Vertigo sound'

    * The music to this opening was deep and scary sounding, it gave the impression that something big was about to happen and made you feel as if you were about to jump.
    * The music had a fast tempo to it which flowed well with the action on screen.
    * Much like 'Catch me if you can' the music was in sync with the titles and matched the action very well.
    images

    'Face off'
    * This opening sequence had an orchestral sound track to it, which gave the feeling of tension between characters and felt quite epic. 
    * The music also had a repetitive tempo to it, this made the view concentrate on the onscreen action rather than been distracted but the music.
    *Mystical music
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    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Tuesday 18 January 2011

    BBFC Certificates

    12P2-33 BBFC 15
    Certificate 15 -
    If a film has a certificate of 15, it means that nobody may view a film in the cinema or rent a film from a shop that is younger that 15 years old. a film of certificate 15 isn't appropriate for a viewer under the age of 15 because the film will include aspects that are of a nature that has been agreed to be of an explicate nature inappropriate for the viewer. discrimination isn't allowed to be in the film. sexual activity is allowed but there must not be a detailed and strong level of the activity. the classification 15 means the misuse of drugs isnt allowed to be shown. the film can contain scenes of violent nature but may not have detailed and elongated scenes of injury and pain, sadistic or sexual scenes of violence are likely to not be accepted.

    12P2-33 BBFC 18
    Certificate 18 -
    If a film has a certificate of 18, it can contain all the concerning areas around media with the exception of criminal violence. this is because of the human rights act 1998. An 18 certificate film will have constant offensive language and scene of a sexual nature. Most 18 rated films are horror and contain a lot of blood and gore. Most true thriller films are rated 15 however some more extreme ones for example phsyological thillers that may be very distrubing may be rated as an 18.

    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Analysis of Previous Students Work

    Group P2 - 40 (January - February 2010)

    There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many technical skills however there is also some evidence of excellent use of technical skills and some evidence of basic technical skills;

    Throughout the final video the camera was very smooth, the shots were steady and seems very professionally done. The framing of each shot is well set up and included elements that are constant of thriller conventions. The group have been creative with using a variety of shot distances that are appropriate to the genre. They have used high shots and long shots during the build up to the action sequence. The production has been thought about and planned out well. The mise-en-scene elements have been effectively with dark, harsh lighting to increase the tension during the action sequences. The setting of the film has also been thought about and as the characters move from setting to setting it is easy to follow which shows good continuity. The editing has been kept simple by using jump cut and paying close attention to the 180 degree rule. This makes the production flow well. The music that was choosen matches the on screen action and follows the thriller genre well, as it pick up pace during the action sequence. One thing that wasnt up to the standard of the rest was the title sequence. The titles were composed of a person writting on a white board, it looked very tacky and quite basic to the viewer. Although this could of been a good effect the group clearly did not have enough time to make it work for them. Mark down for this.

    Overall mark is 45/ 60. A very good production.

    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Analysing Protagonist and Antagonist

    Firstly, an antagonist is a character or group of characters that represents the opposition (the rivals) against the protagonist which is therefore the opposite and usually the main character. Sometimes the Protagonist at somepoint in the film becomes so manipulated that he is influenced in somewhat of an antagonist way and 'becomes one of them' for example 'Spiderman 3' but usually there is a clear differentiation between the protagonist and antagonist. This is usually done by within the mise en scene, for example the protagonist for the majority of the film is in a nicer environment to the antagonist, for example Star Wars- Darth Vadar usually situated in a dark location whereas the protagonist in lighter areas.

    Sith to the Sixth
    Often when the protagonist and the antagonist meet and confronting eachother the antagonist tends to be slightly on the left hand side of the screen, this tells apart from the two. Also the protagonist gets a wider range of camera angles, for example Superman (protagonist) low angle, suggesting that he is superior and unique. Not only that but obviously costumes tell the antagonist and protagonist apart for example the antagonist tends to wear dark clothes that covers most of the body whereas the protagonist tends to wear colourful, bright clothes to suggest being the main character.

    Superman-Tribute_01

    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Comparing thriller conventions



    This film is called Memento, it is an American pychological Thriller written and directed by Christopher Nolan starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne-Moss, Joe Pantaliano and more. The film shows two different alternatives, one in colour shown in reverse order and one in black and white in chronilogical order. This relates to the genre and helps the audience to understand the genre type along with the narrative. The reason for this editing technique is to suggest the pyschological genre and the reason for this being pyschological is because of the manipulative mind-playing filming and editing. For instance 'shaky filming'. The Film is also about the main character being manipulated and his mind playing tricks on him and the way it is filmed puts you as the audience in his position. That is how it becomes a pyschological thriller.



    This film is called D-Tox directed and starred by Syllvester Stalone. It is a mystery thriller. The film is about finding a mystery killer who no-one knows. The whole film builds up towards planning and finding this mystery. The reason for this being a mystery thriller is obviously within the narrative, but also by the way it is filmed, lots of short, snappy shots. the film gets you thinking and does not allow the audience to understand fully what is happening towards the end. There is also a lot of action to find the killer and this therefore concludes to a mystery thriller genre.

    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Thriller Genre Research

    Within the Thriller genre there are many different sub genre's to be taken into account. Although Thriller films can be put into different sub genre's most of them over lap and cross each other. Some of these sub genres include;

    - Action thriller
    - Crime thriller
    - Conspiracy thriller
    - Horror thriller
    - Disaster thriller
    - Drama thriller
    - Psychological thriller
    - Legal thriller
    - Medical thriller
    - Political thriller
    - Supernatural thriller
    - Spy thriller

    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Wednesday 12 January 2011

    DSCN1057

    DSCN1058 This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Tuesday 11 January 2011

    Mystery thriller textual analysis for the film Memento

    DSCN0357 This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Preliminary Evaluation

    In our preliminary task, we filmed and edited a short video involving two actors in a corridor having a confrontation. The brief storyline is that one character decides to stab another, and then walks away having left his body dead on the floor. We did this task as a practice for when we film our opening sequence to a film of the genre thriller.

    We used lots of micro elements. These included using a variety of camera angles, different camera shots and different editing techniques. For example, the jump cut and the fade in fade out effect were used within our video to make it more effective and run more smoothly. We also stuck very closely to the 180 degree rule. This was to make sure that the video seemed more realistic to the viewer, and didn't confuse them with different angles and characters. Other micro elements we used were digetic and non digetic sound. The digetic sound was used to make the video seem more natural, but the only digetic sound that was necessary to keep in the video was the speech as the rest of the sound was just muffled background noise. To add interest, we used non digetic sound by adding a soundtrack that we believe fitted with the mood and style of our video and also worked well with the genre. One problem that we experienced however was copyright on our video. The song that we tried to use had copyright on it, and we were therefore unable to successfully upload it to youtube and to blogger.

    We learned a lot during our preliminary task. We learned to use our time effectively as the time we have is very important. Time is important because if we don't use the time well within the lesson, then our product may be unfinished and therefore not as good as it could be. We also learned that when we use soundtracks to add to our video as non digetic sound, we should check for copyright first otherwise all sound may be removed from the video when we try and upload it to blogger and youtube.

    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

    Friday 7 January 2011

    This blog was created by Toby Moffat, George Tibbett, Graeme Beck and Andrew Thomson.

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