Eradication Rough Cut.

Delicatessen Soundtrack.

We had to use the opening to the film 'Delicatessen' which is a thriller film and create our own soundtrack for it using garage band, first we watched the clip a few times to see what type of soundtrack would fit best, then put the video in GarageBand and created the soundtrack. The final video with our soundtrack can be seen here:


Firstly we made a video track and put the Delicatessen video in, this made it easier when getting the timings for each of the sound clips and where we want them to go.

We then added sound clips to the start of the clip to emphasise the knife being swung and the main title appearing. We made sure the sounds were perfectly in line with the video and they fitted in well with what was happening. We used pre made clips for the knife and title and added a preset effect called 'deeper vocals' which gave a horror/thriller effect to the sounds and made them more gritty.

A loud sharp piece of audio is used to emphasise the main bits of action, but when the main sequence started there wasn't much action. To solve this issue we added two harmonised loops which added tension and they were in the minor key so they had connotations of; Freight, fear, sadness, suffering and suspense. The main loops were also orchestral which is common in most thrillers and it also gave a horror feeling to it with the "deeper vocals" effect. The loops also fit in well with the gliding camera which is what we wanted.

Overall the soundtrack works well with the Delicatessen video and runs smoothly throughout the entire clip. If we had more time I think more delicate sounds could have been added which would have improved the overall outcome.

Dafont title ideas.

From these screenshots you can see me finding a font on 'Dafont' selecting it, downloading it and then installing it onto photoshop. We looked at different styles of font for a thriller film and I chose this one as I think it would give a nice effect in a film or opening credits. There is also a horror feel to it which reminds me of the font used in the film 'Se7en'

Animatic.

This is the animatic we created, I shortened each of the clips so that there is better timing with the storyboard. The animatic now runs as a good timeline for my thriller opening and helps see what shots are going where and if they will run smoothly throughout the opening video. It also gives us an idea as to what the order of the shots will be.

Risk Assessment.

This is a risk assessment we had to complete to make sure we're prepared and safe when filming our thriller opening. We went through each section and made sure they're are no risks and we wont be in danger when filming. 

Hard Winter Media - Production Logo

This is my logo design which I created on photoshop and with content from the internet. To start with created a black circle and downloaded a font called 'Winter Mint' from Dafont. I then lined the text with the inside of the circle and made sure it fit properly. To get the image of the tree, I went onto google images and chose one from there, then imported it into my logo. To make the tree grey I changed the hue/saturation and made the colour go from green and brown to grey.

Storyboard for thriller opening.

This is the storyboard used to give us direction as to what the story of the opening thriller is about also what shots are going where and what different props, editing and sound effects will be used. It also gives a clear view for what we are going to be filming when and where and how the characters are going to be positioned within the scenes.

Questionnaire

These are questions that will be asked to different people that watch films as we will pick people to be interviewed and then asked them these questions. We will pick a range of people from different ages. It will be used to survey peoples views on thriller films.

1. Do you like thriller films?
2. What do you find appealing about thriller films?
3. Why do you think thriller films get so much popularity?
4. What was the last thriller film you watched?
5. What is your favourite thriller film?
6. Who do you watch thrillers with?
7. How often do you watch thrillers?
8. What do you expect to see in a thriller film?
9. What's your favourite thriller sub-genre?
10. How much out of 10 what would you rate the thriller genre?

Thriller Audience Research - Interview Questions.

These were questions asked to different people to find more about peoples views on thrillers, which was recorded and you can see that footage below.

1. Do you like thriller films?
2. What do you find appealing about thriller films?
3. Why do you think thriller films get so much popularity?
4. What was the last thriller film you watched?
5. What is your favourite thriller film?
6. Who do you watch thrillers with?
7. How often do you watch thriller movies?
8. What do you expect to see in a thriller?
9. What's your favourite thriller sub-genre?
10. How much out of ten would you rate the whole thriller genre?

Reece photos of possible locations.

This photo shows a dark ally way which is quite a well known feature that appears in the thriller genre. The entrance at the end of the ally way is seen and could help add enigma to the story and thriller opening. You can also see how enclosed the area looks, it gives a dark feel and you can imagine a hooded character to be in this type of area which would add mystery.

Like the other ally way photo this one could also be used to help add enigma to the opening of our thriller, however this one is a lot more open and not as enclosed as the other photo, meaning the scene wouldn't be as dark because of how bright the area is and the colours surrounding the area.

This location would be a great spot for the end scene of the opening thriller, the enclosed area and open space at the end of the walk way fit well and would be a great place to film.

This location is easy to get to because it is one of our group members houses and we will need to use a house in the thriller opening. This is a perfect location because it contains many rooms to film in and is accessible to everyone in the group. 

UPDATE: We have chosen our final locations they are the "House" and "Wem, Town Hall, Surrounding Street". These choices are both inspired by the reece photos we took. 

Shot List for Chosen Locations

Location: House

Shot:

1. Mid Shot
2. Mid Shot
3. Mid Shot
4. Close Up
5. Mid Shot
6. Mid Shot
7. Mid Shot
8. Mid Shot
9. Mid Shot
10. Mid Shot
11. Close Up -> Mid Shot
12. Mid Shot
13. Mid Shot
14. Mid Shot
15. Close Up
16. Mid Shot

Location: Wem, Town Hall, Surrounding Street

Shot:

1. Mid Shot
2. Mid Shot -> Long Shot
3. Long Shot
4. Long Shot
5. Long Shot
6. Mid Shot
7. Close Up
8. Close Up
9. Extreme Close Up 
10. Mid Shot

Chosen Locations - Shot List.

Location: Sam Graves' House

Shot:

1. Mid Shot
2. Mid Shot
3. Mid Shot
4. Close Up
5. Mid Shot
6. Mid Shot
7. Mid Shot
8. Mid Shot
9. Mid Shot
10. Mid Shot
11. Close Up -> Mid Shot
12. Mid Shot
13. Mid Shot
14. Mid Shot
15. Close Up
16. Mid Shot

Location: Wem, Town Hall, Surrounding Street

Shot:

1. Mid Shot
2. Mid Shot -> Long Shot
3. Long Shot
4. Long Shot
5. Long Shot
6. Mid Shot
7. Close Up
8. Close Up
9. Extreme Close Up 
10. Mid Shot

Group Idea - Final Choice of Storyline

• Man comes home saying: "Darling, I'm home!"
• (Titles are appearing as the action unfolds, overlaid on the film) 
• He puts his keys on the shoe cupboard
• He looks around the house as he searches more the tension picks up, including the music.  
• Several shots are seen of the man searching his child's and wife's bedroom and around the house, kitchen and living room etc. 
• Eventually the man see's a spot of blood on the kitchen floor and says: "No...no no no."
• He eyes start the go wild until he sees a note reading: "Come to the back of The Wem Town Hall if you want to see them again....you should of paid your debts Harry."
• Match on action shot of the door handle
• Harry runs through Wem lots of action like shots are shown.
• Harry finally comes to a bag behind the Town Hall and opens it, a picture of his wife and child is shown.
• A note is seen saying: "To get them back you are going to have to work for us for a while"
• Harry begins to breakdown into tears but then is knocked out by a mysterious thug.
• The main title appears on a black background.

Shot Ordering Exercise.

This was a group project which we got given the shots in a random order and we had to put them in order of how they go in the film. It was helpful to see what shots go where and when, we did good to start but with a few mistakes but then got it right in the end. Also helps for practising when editing so you know what shots go where.

Thriller Definition.

Thriller is a genre of film and television which uses suspense, enigma, mystery and tension as some of the main elements in a thriller genre film or program. There are thriller sub-genres including action, horror and crime. Some thrillers use allot of red herrings and cliffhangers to throw you of course and take you in a new direction of the film and also use plot twists to change the course of storyline.

Audience Research

I went on to the website Box Office Mojo and looked at the overall popularity and grossing of thriller films. Here are the results.

The sub genera 'On the Run' has the highest popularity and grossing, followed by 'Political' both are popular genres as seen from the amount of money made from each of the different sub genres.

Films such as 'Skyfall' which is a thriller grossed allot of popularity and money for example on the opening weekend it grossed $88,364,714. Thriller films seem to be one of the bigger genres from the amount of money made from allot of the thriller films out especially at the moment another example is Alfred Hitchcocks 'North by Northwest' which grossed $13,275,000.

On the IMDb website, you can see the two top films grossing the most amount of money are both thriller films. IMDb is a website which is a database for films and people can vote and give them a sore out of 10. It seems that thriller films are allot of the time, especially at this point in the year, are allot of the time the top grossing films compared to other films out at the same time. This shows that allot of the time the thriller genre is preferred to other genres.

On IMDb's top rated 250, the top three films are of the thriller genre, they all have 9.0 or over. Also IMDb is from the public voting for what films they like and what they would like the rating to be, this means thriller films are the most popular within IMDb's website.

Ideas for thriller opening.

• A vigilante.
• Wears dark clothing like a trench coat and suit trousers.
• Smart shoes.
• The opening starts with the man sitting at a table, the room he is in is dark and the outside weather is raining.
• He has a map in front of him with a small circle drawn on it.
• He then gets up looks out of his window and walks over to a board.
• On the board there are about 10 (or more) small photos of people's faces, 3 or 4 are crossed out.
• 2 of the photos have circles drawn around them (to show significance)
• He picks up the photos and puts them in his pocket.
• The shot then changes to a man sitting in a room reading a newspaper with a girl tied up in the corner, she has her head down and not really moving.
• Another man then enters the room, walks past the girl and sits down.
• Cut to the vigilante who is leaving his house, as he closes the door behind him he takes one last look at the 2 photos, before putting them back in his pocket.
• He is then seen leaving the house on foot.
• You see him walk towards the house and moves to the garage door where he listens in.
• He opens the garage door and runs in.
• The door shuts behind him.
• As the door shuts the screen goes black. 
• You can hear smashing and movement coming from the room.
• Then there is silence and the title fades in.

Opening Sequence Analysis.

The opening to the T.V show Mad Men shows a shadowed man enter an office room and put down his suitcase, the style of the opening has a unique feel, it is as if it has been put together using card and gives a graphic feeling. You can tell the man is a business man from the suit he is wearing and the office environment, the briefcase is also a giveaway as well. The violins playing give a very dramatic feel and add tension into the scene, they are also the only instruments playing. I like how tense the music is and you can tell this is a drama or thriller, also how unique the graphics and art style are and the titles are easily seen. I would use something similar for my opening sequence as the music adds tension and builds up something dramatic.

The room round him begins to collapse and the office objects (desk, lamp, windows ect) begin to fall beneath him, he then falls with them. This could show a business collapsing, or his life. The music then picks up and a beat is introduced, making the scene more dramatic as he falls.

The titles used are clear and easy to read, this is because the contrast between the black and red text are easily seen on the white/cream background, it also links with the shadowed man. The text is very simple and I like the fact they aren't in your face but just continuously fading in and out throughout the whole opening. I would use something as simple as these to give the opening a simple but effective look. 

To analyse this opening sequence I used Art of the title to view the opening, then took screenshots to help show which parts of the opening I was talking about. 

Vertigo.

• The first shots are close ups of different parts of a face, like it is a examination.
• The extreme close up of the eye turns red, like blood or anger. Makes it feel like a horror or worry.
• You can clearly see the white font from the dark shots.
• There is a spiral animation which is used in hypnotism, shows it is a psychological thriller.
• Vertigo has something to do with the mind, so this means the film will we have a psychological feel.
• The women seems innocent.
• The spirals change colour.
• Why is the women here? Adds enigma.
• Hypnotised or falling effects are given from the spiral.
• The music is tense, however soft like hypnotism.
• The music becomes smoother as you get further through the spiral sequence.
• The start of the eye colour of the girl is not seen it just looks black. Which adds enigma.
• The women seems scared/worried and it seems like she is being forced to stay still.
• The colour pallet is dark which shows the unknown and horror.
• Fear is a big element because of how scared the women is. 

Bourne Identity.

• The start shows a nightmare happening, but what has happened which would lead to haunt him?
• Who is the women and why is she helping him?
• Who was shot in the dream?
• Is he ill?
• All these questions add enigma to what is happening in the story.
• It is dramatic to start and builds up tension.
• Voices in the dream are heard although they're indistinct.
• Wooshy sounds are heard to show speed.
• Gunshot wakes him up, voices are heard but can't work out what they are saying.
• Wakes up - Rain on the window and it is windy - Pathetic fallacy.
• When they're talking the women isn't panicking so it must have happened before.
• Out of focus, follows the man down the street. Point of view.
• When the man gets out of bed the camera follows him all the way to the bathroom without cutting.
• Persons silhouette past the camera.
• Shot and reverse shot from the man and women.
• It looks like a thriller/action from the violence and enigma.

The Red Violin.

• Genre - Thriller, you can tell this from the music and how tense the room is especially when the man smashes the violin.
• Titles are shown in Sans Serif, go well with the blurred background which gradually comes into focus.
• High angle shot first lowering on a crane, gives the feeling of falling.
• credits shown in dark areas and not on the actors.
• Violins are shown when they come into focus gives enigma.
• From the costumes you can tell it is set in the past.
• Text is posh like, like the opening of the workshop and auction house.
• Dark colour pallet, lets us see wood colours vibrantly, coincidence violins are these colours.
• Samuel Jackson enters the room wearing different clothes to everyone else, this shows his importance and gives enigma as to why he is so important.
• Lighting is used well, window light gives a dark working environment.
• Strings overlay with continuous notes.
• Creep pitch, chelos do the same but lower.
• Diegetic sounds are heard, woodwork, tools, fire crackling.
• When the violin is smashed on the table the music stops and that is all that is heard. Makes it more dramatic.
• Then we walks of and the music comes in again, shows how significant the violin smashing is.
• Not much jump cuts are used and the camera is almost always moving.
• The camera moves to show the workplace and the title fades.
• When it cuts to the door, the camera follows in point of view. Makes you feel like you are there.
• When there is the scene in the hall you can tell it is big from the echo heard.

Serpico.

• The film shows a police officer shot, you don't know who he is or why he has been shot.
• It is shown he is important as they all phone each other saying he has been shot.
• A siren at the start gets louder and louder.
• Other officers are talking and there is a tragic song playing which fits in with how sad the scene is.
• The font is Sans Serif, tall font, like gangster New York style.
• Dark colour pallet, height used well to establish places e.g. Office room, very light, police office, dark.
• When his clothes are being cut all you can hear are the clothes being cut as the music stops.
• The costumes are fitted for 1970's.
• Man on the phone higher than the other officers in shot - hierarchy.
• All men on the phone are important.
• Camera follows Serpico, makes you feel like you are there and a doctor.
• White font, dark background.
• Raining connotations of sorrow and remorse.
• Genre - Looks like a thriller/action film.
• Cross of mystery.
• It is an 18 rated film, shows what the film will be like (violence, swearing, blood/gore)  

Girl with the dragon tattoo.

• The narrative for the story seems like a missing girl or kidnapped.
• The man receives a pressed flower (from Hong Kong) and he begins to cry. It could have a meaning or have sentimental value to him.
• You can hear him opening the package, then the music comes in.
• Starts with dark sounds, low, dramatic/tragic.
• When the title appears the music becomes more sinister.
• The flower is significant to what might have happened to the girl.
• Two short shots of the girl, adds enigma, who is she?
• Courtroom pages opened - diegetic sounds.
• There is a sound bridge of the news presenter.
• No sound on the girl, music overlays it.
• Allot of close ups - moving in and out.
• When the picture of the girl comes up the shot changes to the hooded girl. Makes you think she has some significance to who she is or what happened.
• Allot of cutting to different scenes.
• Genre - Thriller/Mystery this is shown from the enigma of who the girl is and from the courtroom scene. Why are they in court and has the girl got something to do with it? 

North by Northwest.

• Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• Opening background is green - Nature, life, envy. Green can not always be positive.
• Lines are seen on the left, they could be prison bars.
• The whole sequence intrigues you.
• More vertical lines come up from the bottom. These lines are a little uncomfortable and they join to give a 3D effect.
• The music is orchestral, adds dynamic texture.
• You can hear volin screeches, makes it dramatic.
• The music is high pitch, jittery and frantic.
• The credits used are what thriller films what have used in that time.
• The title of the film has arrows, these show directions the title says. North by Northwest.
• When the lines fade out they reveal a building.
• The face of the building is seen, it creates an uncomfortable feeling.
• Retro Scoping was used over the filmed image to get the lines at the start of the film completely right.
• Iconic yellow cabs are seen so you know the film is set in New York.
• Partially seen road from the skyscraper
• The frantic music fits with the busy road.
• All the main characters of the film are shown, main convention of a thriller.
• Goes into long shot and you are shown a crowded street, in the the morning.
• 'All events are fictitious' this text is shown like in Marnie.
• The music matches the rush hour.
• Cut to higher angle shot so we can see the action steps.
• Cut to people coming down the stairs.
• Cut to two women fighting over a cab. Uncomfortable and animalistic.
• Cut to a shot above people heads, this shows superiority on our part. 

Se7en

Music

• Heavy noises, which are distorted.
• Gives the feeling of a horror/thriller because you wouldn't hear these types of sounds on a for example childrens film.
• Faced paced, deep beat.
• Sounds industrial or factory works.
• Robotic sounds which are distorted.
• In the background you can hear a hip hop beat.
• Also gives you the feeling of destruction.

Scenes

• He is cutting of his thumb prints, maybe he is a criminal or up to something bad.
• The book he is looking through are murders/dead bodies.
• The whole opening is filled with heavy shadows. Emphasizes the thriller/horror genre.
• Mystery hands - you never see the mans face.
• Font - Not conventional, constantly shifting and all over the place, the shifting and movement go with the music.
• Nothing stays still which makes it unsettling.
• The hands are grainy and distorted also dark.
• An old fashioned razor is used along with old books, makes you think it is set in the past.
• In the extreme close up when he is taking of his skin, it makes you feel uncomfortable.

Marnie

• For the opening credits it is set as pages being turned and links into the fact it is an adaptation of a novel.
• Already has a fan base, ease of selling at a target audience.
• Start of credits - Production logo, goes straight to the names of the main actors, then co starring which  shows they are less important than the main actors as the names come in after them, then featuring which are even less important, name of the director, director of photography, production designer, assistant director, unit manager, costume design, editor, make up, sound recording, copyright date, music composer.
• Film - Train Station
• Close up of yellow bag, draw attention to it. It has an enigma (who is the person, why do they have a bag, why is it yellow)
• Tracking the bag, follows it and her.
• Showing the location of the shot (train station)
• She is centre of attention, could be walking into a trap.
• The weather is lovely, wearing gloves and jacket although the sun is out (spring, autumn, winter)
• The background shows it is an industry area/city area.   
• Music
• Orchestral music, allot of strings.
• Goes from thriller music to romance.
• Then romance to dramatic very sudden.
• Music drops out to footsteps which you can tell are high heels. 
• Foley artists are used to create these sounds and they come from re recorded sounds edited into the film
• Office scene
• The first words heard are 'Robbed' makes you think the yellow bag has been nicked.
• Looks like an Office, as there is a secretary next to the door, the walls looks a little dirty, there is a safe, they are all dressed in suits, artwork is also on the walls.
• You can tell the two men are detectives as they are dressed in smart suits and taking notes as the man is talking to them.
• They both have smug looks on their faces.
• The man says the women's name twice, which makes you think of the women with the yellow bag. 
• Two shot - Shows the relationship between the two detectives, work closely together.
• Both the secretary and the detectives laugh at how well the man can describe the women, he obviously had a thing for the women or something happened between them both.
• When Sean Connery enters, he gives the feeling he is laid back (coat over shoulder) and a ladies man.
• Visual hierarchy, the man is looking up to Sean (literally)
• Women in the hotel
• Mirror image of the first shot (Yellow bag)
• You can tell its a hotel - Hallway, Bellboy, cleaning trolley.
• Alfred Hitchcock appears coming out of one of the rooms. He appears in all of his films.
• It is the same women shown from the same hair and same yellow bag.
• The women is shown packing new stuff into a suitcase and stuffing old stuff into another suitcase.
• Enigma, still can't see her face.
• Climax of music as soon as you see her face.
• Changed hair colour from brunette to blonde.
• Train Station
• Still only see her legs.
• Follows her through the crowds, adds realism.
• You can hear diegetic sounds, load speaker, platform speaker, people walking.
• Non diegetic sounds to manipulate the audience.
• Mid shot to show enough detail of her face.
• Point of view shot, what's going to happen next - her looking at the grill.
• Makes the audience think like a detective.

Thriller Films.

1. The Cabin In The Woods.

A group of friends go on holiday to a cabin in the woods, where all hell breaks loose. They then have to fight to survive.

2. The Dark Knight Rises.

The Batman comes back to help save Gotham from his new villain 'Bane'. However the city have branded him an enemy and a murderer.

3. The Expendables 2.

Mr.Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against and unexpected threat.

4. Taken.

A retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who was kidnapped on a trip to Paris to be solid into prostitution.

5. The Bourne Legacy.

Based on the novel's written by Robert Ludlum's, centered on a new hero whoes stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.

6. xXx.

Xander Cage is an extreme sports athlete recruited by the government on a special mission.

7. The Amazing Spider-Man.

Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared when he was young.
His path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner.

8. Battleship.

A fleet of ships is forced to do battle with an armada of unknown origins in order to discover and thwart their
destructive goals.

9. Total Recall.

A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.

10. The Dark Knight.

When Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent launch an assault on the mob, they let the clown out of the box, the Joker, bent on turning Gotham on itself and bringing any heroes down to his level.

11. Inception.

In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception.


12. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker.

13. The Grey.

After their plane crashes in Alaska, six oil workers are led by a skilled huntsman to survival, but a pack of merciless wolves haunts their every step.

14. Resident Evil. (2002)

A special military unit fights a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have mutated into flesh-eating creatures after a laboratory accident.

15. Pulp Fiction.

 The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.


16. X-Men: First Class.

 In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start world war III.

17. Safe House.

 A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.

18. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes.

A substance, designed to help the brain repair itself, gives rise to a super-intelligent chimp who leads an ape uprising.

19. Chronicle.

Whilst attending a party, three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery underground. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.

20. Black Swan.

A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan.