Saturday, 28 November 2015

19 • Reflection Of Test Shoot



I think overall our idea translated well into the genre of the film. The rough film we created is definitely a thriller. We worked really hard on making sure we added a lot of tension and suspense into the film. The pace was ok for our first attempt but I think the fight scene will have to be a lot quicker and smoother, so this will need to be choreographed. I think our idea is clear to the viewer, however, we decided that the characters need to be made clearer and that the look of the actor/actress will be very important. I think tension has been created well accept we could definitely add more suspense and tension in with longer pauses. The camera angles we used weren't as varied as we would like. So when it comes to actually filming our thriller we should used a more diverse range. I think that close ups will be important especially for the audience to become closer to the characters. I think our idea of the men being police can taken away- mainly due to the fact that we forgot in our test shoot to add them in but we decided as a group that this concept wasn't needed as it might confuse the audience- therefore it doesn't add anything to the plot. The most important elements of our thriller idea is the actors and actress that will play the characters and the sound that will be used. We thought that we should have no dialogue in the thriller as that will take away from the mystery and suspense so therefore the soundtrack and sound effects are important. I think we need to clean up the idea a bit more as I think certain elements can be added to the story so the audience have a clearer understanding of what is going on for example that the girl who we are supposed to be liking is actually a brutal killer. Therefore, we will have to develop how we are going to show this in the real filming of the thriller. Overall, I like our idea and I am looking forward to filming it with my group. I also think that the action scene could be really realistic and cool if we find the right actress.

Thursday, 26 November 2015

18 • Behind The Scenes Of The Rehearsal Shoot


// Behind The Scenes //
( Using Motion Picture Technology )


                    

Wednesday, 25 November 2015

17 • The Rehearsal Shoot


// THE REHEARSAL SHOOT //
( Using Motion Picture Technology )

                   

16 • Scene Outline + Pre-Production

   
Scene Outline //
( A Comprehensive, Un-Detailed, Description Of Events )

- [ Rough clothing. 
Her car breaks down, won’t start. 
Another car pulls up behind. 
Hears the door open. 
She get out and sprints into the thick of the wood. 
Two men follow her, the other stays- with the car running. 
The two men have flash lite guns and chase after her. 
She stops and looks back- out of breath. 
She takes a deep breath to compose herself. 
She prepares herself stretching and limbering up. 
She can see the flashlights piecing through the woods. 
And we then follow the two men walking. 
They walk on passing trees she takes out the first man using, karate type kung fu, uses his gun to take out the other man, she then walks back to the man in the car takes him out and drives off ] -




Pre-Production //

Location
We really liked the idea of originally filming in the forest but when it came to filming it was too dark to film there. However, at the end of editing the test shoot the filming in the car park looked really effective and helped to add lots of tension. This was because the fact that the girl was hiding behind the van and the audience and the men chasing her had no idea which bus it was therefore the audience was left on the edge of their seats trying to figure out what will happen next. We will decide later on where we will end up filming.


Characters
We need 2 large men and a younger looking innocent girl. The actors in our thriller are one of if not the most important part of the thriller. Without good actors the thriller could easily turn into a comedy. The girl we used in the test shoot was very good however she doesn’t do gymnastics therefore the martial arts type scene would not work. The two boys in the scene are not old enough as they look younger than the girl as well as the girl character being taller than them this takes away the element of intimidation that the audience should be feeling


Using Ways Around Difficult Filming
We are still wanting to use a car in the real filming of our thriller, however we could not do this in our test shoot. Therefore, we used a table and bench. The girl was just sitting there and the men walk up behind her. We left the right amount of time that it would take for the men to walk up (drive up behind her) and her to realise and run. We think that the cars will add tension and look more realistic as it looks odd that the girl is just sat on a bench not doing anything.


Props
Gun- One of the men will have a gun as it would be unrealistic that a girl who is smaller that the two men would be able to disarm them. Therefore, one of the men will have a gun she will be able to sneak up on him like what happened in our test shoot. She will take him out using a martial arts type routine and then use his gun to kill the other man.



We didn’t intend for the girl to dispose of the bodies, yet when filming, we decided we would. This added the element that the girl knows what she is doing and that she is clever. We think that we will need to add more subtle hints throughout the film that she is actually a brutal killer. We forgot when filming to show that the men were actually police however after filming we decided that this is not needed as it just adds a pointless element that would need explaining to the audience, therefore we will not add this due to it not adding or taking away any tension that would be needed.

Thursday, 19 November 2015

15 • Feedback From Our Ideas



After looking at the feedback it is clear that some of the aspects could do with improvement in oder to make the ideas more believable and realistic.

Idea 1
Children with guns, for this idea it is rather inappropriate to have the imagery of guns associated with children. Because of the current sociological views that the general public have with associating children with killing machines. With school shootings on the rise in America it would be in bad taste to associate these two aspects. And so this idea needs work in order to correctly find the correct age group to have along side with these props. In order for the idea to be a considered valid.


Idea 2
Police Woman In Forest With this idea it is mainly the pursuit of being against the mainstream and creating something unique and different that is holding back the idea. I realised that I did not want to make something cliche and the idea of a woman in the forest would come across as being rather in fit with the established conventions established by the institutions. This was a problem that we had to address before this idea could be considered a valuable asset to our ideas. 



Wednesday, 18 November 2015

14 • Four Ideas For A Thriller






Children With Guns - ( Working Title )
MOVIE | A bank heist gone wrong, causes an unknown man, with a bag full of cash and a loaded glock G45 on the run through the surry hills. After the police catch up with him, he needs to ditch the cash. Throwing the bag as far away as possible. Meanwhile Jake and Thomas are walking back from school, when they come across this mysterious black duffel bag in there path, what could be inside.


SCENE | We see the man fleeing from the police, he runs past trees, buildings etc. He is carrying a black duffel bag, zipped closed. We hear sirens and the tire screech of a car. The man panics and throws the bag over a large evergreen hedge.
We then are introduced to two young boys 8/9 years of age, walking together carrying two book bags. Talking about school, and playing the new Call Of Duty when they get home. When something blocks their path. A large black duffel bag. They are curious, and so drop their book bags and investigate the mysterious bag. When opening the bag the two boys discover several wads of banded bills, all stained yellow, and a black small handgun. This causes some excitement to the boys. They have several nerf guns and home but nothing this heavy and cool. They have seen guns like this before though and start creating an imaginary scenario, in which they have been placed in. Cowboys, police and army men. They take the gun out of the bag and start pointing the gun around. “bang bang” “you’re dead, Jake I said you're dead come on when I shoot you have to pretend to be dead okay” “ Uhhhhh you’re no fun, when can i have a go!” This continues as the boys get more and more vigorous with the firearm. Throwing it back and forth. And continuing to shoot each other. Then Black out…




Police Woman In Forest - ( Working Title )
MOVIE | Detective sergeant Vicky Daytime, has just completed her S.H.O.U training certification. And on her first call to action in pursuit of an alleged Human trafficker. Her actions leads her into the Surry forest, where she does not capture the suspect, Vicky is suspended on suspicion of manslaughter. And is sent to the Surry correctional facility. Where she and her fellow inmates, plan and daring prison break to prove her innocence. Little does she know, her fellow escapes were accomplices to the man that caused her downfall.


SCENE | ( occurs all in one take ) We follow Vicky through a narrow path that cuts through the forest, She is carrying a very bright torch that illuminates her path. She continues through the forest, gradually increasing in speed and eventually getting into a full on sprint through the woods. We know something is either following her, or she is chasing someone. Her pursuit continues. She falls and her light smashes on the ground. She then proceeds to get out cell phone and uses the flashlight on the phone. She is now stationary, And looking around covering the full 360 degrees. We hear only the panting breath of her body. Then crunch, crunch the snapping of branches, we then see silhouettes of a man in the distant branches. The figure comes closer and closer with every turn, closing in on her. As she panics she pulls out her standard issue G45 Glock. And aims she pivots on her feet panning around. Closer and closer the man comes to her, she increases the tempo of her breathing and as he comes closer she sees him and fires. She empties the clip in the gun and until only the one in the chamber remains. She turns, aims turns aims. The man attempts to grab her and she fires the last shell square in the head he falls and she is drenched in the blood of the man, as he collapses on top of her.




Car Crash Fake Death - ( Working Title )
MOVIE | Two con men, band up to take on the world, in this psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout. Having stolen a police cruiser and the tools associated, they are now on their way to pull the biggest heist, LA has ever seen. These band of brothers need to put their differences aside in order to collectively take on the system. But along comes Vicky, a high ranked C.I.A agent with a passion for catching criminals. Will she be able to catch the dynamic duo in time?


SCENE | A car crash has occurred, with the driver and his passenger, in the wreckage. Smoke rises from the carnage and we hear screams of a baby crying in the back of the car. Police sirens build up and arrive to the car crash. A male ( overweight ) police officer steps out of the car and proceeds to check the crash, calling in to overwatch, and saying he has the situation under control, “Yeah i'm at the crash now, might have to send the meat wagon, looks like a double homicide” then the officer hears the screeches of a young child in the forest beside the car, He walks passed the car, investigating the two men sprawled over the interierreere of the car, Blood trails over to what looks like a baby,car seat about 5 metres from the left hand side of the car, the officer bends down to inspect the car seat. Pulls the iso fixing back and is surprised to see a beats pill, placed in the chair, playing the sound of a baby crying. One of the men from the wreckage, is now pointing a G45 Glock at the head of the officer, And requests he stands up. The second man from the wreckage grabs the cuffs from the officer's belt and proceeds to cuff his hands together. The men are wearing yellow latex gloves. And proceeded to undress the officer and place him in the wreckage.




Cake Bomb - ( Working Title )
MOVIE | The Wachowskis on the surface are a family like any other, but under the skin, Michal Wachowski is a kingpin of the carloto mafia in Vancouver, Constantly threatened by outsiders looking for a way to topple his empire. Everything was running smoothly. Until people started to work out his weakness. His kids.

SCENE | In a dark room, a pastry chef is baking a cake, he whisks eggs flour sugar, using an electric hand whisk, he pours the cake batter out from the mixing bowl and into a baking tray, meanwhile Jake Wachowski is enjoying being at the centre of the universes, it's his 9th birthday party, balloons presents toys galore, it's a beautiful sunny day the family is around nothing could be better. Back to the chef, we see him place the cake into the oven but the and take it out it has risen but the cake is hollow, we then see the chef layering on icing to the cake layer upon layer, the chef takes care in his work and proceeds to build up the amazing structure of cake. after the assembly of the cake is complete we see the chef place a black package with wires hanging around it and a fuse that the man pulls through the lid of the hollow cake. more icing is applied and, and using a black icing writing, the words happy 9th birthday jake. The cake is boxed and we see the cake placed into a white vav. we then follow a POV of the cake as it is taken out of the van and walked through jake's house.

13 • Genre, Sub-Genre And Hybrid Genre




Genre • In film theory, film genre (/ˈʒɒnrə/ or /ˈdʒɒnrə/) refers to the method of categorizing films based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed. Most theories of film genre are borrowed from literary genre criticism.
e.g. action, adventure, comedy, crime and gangster, drama, Epic/historical, Horror, music/dance, science fiction, war, westerns. 


Sub-Genre • A subdivision of a genre of literature, music, film, etc.. There was also the breaking down of the music into subgenre after sub-genre, to the point at which it became somehow incomprehensible. One of the most tried and true of the movie subgenres is the heist film.
e.g. Disaster Movies, Superhero Movies, Martial Arts Movies, Video Game Movies, Hardboiled Movies, Courtroom Movies / Legal Thrillers, Contemporary Fantasy Movies, Urban Fantasy Movies, Dark Fantasy Movies, Fairy Tale Movies, Epic Fantasy Movies ( source )


Hybrid Genre • A cross-genre (or hybrid genre) is a genre in fiction that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres. As opposed to the (literary and political) conservatism of most genre fiction, cross-genre writing offers opportunities for opening up debates and stimulating discussion.
e.g. Action comedy (action and comedy) Comedy-drama or dramedy (comedy and drama) Comedy-horror (comedy and horror) Comic fantasy (comedy and fantasy) Comic science fiction (comedy and science fiction) Crime fantasy (crime and fantasy) Dark fantasy (horror and fantasy) Romantic comedy (romance and comedy) Romantic fantasy (romance and fantasy) Science fantasy (science fiction and fantasy) Science fiction Western (science fiction and Western) Supernatural drama (supernatural and drama) Tragicomedy (tragedy and comedy) Weird West (Western and horror, science fiction and/or speculative elements)

Tuesday, 17 November 2015

12 • Conventions Of A Thriller 2


Due to the thriller genre being so diverse, there are a number of subgenres to categorise different types of thriller in, based on their traits. Below is a list of 7 of some of the most popular thriller subgenres and what the basic elements of them are, as well as examples of some well known films from each. I will then go into more detail on two of these subgenres. 

• Conspiracy Thriller •

A hero or heroine, stereotypically journalists, who are caught in a large, powerful organisation who use terror and crime to keep their secrets. This company will usually be brought down the protagonist. Some movies that fit this genre are Angels & Demons (which also fits into the category of Religious thriller), JFK, The Game andBourne Ultimatum (which also fits into the Spy Thriller Category).


• Crime Thrillers •
Crime thrillers focus on failed or successful crimes on screen. More often or not, the film focuses on criminals rather than the hero and often has a psychological element to this genre as well. Films in this category includeReservoir Dogs and Inside Men. 


• Disaster Thriller •
This particular subgenre usually follows a select group of people or a person 
that has survived either a natural disaster (hurricanes, earthquakes or volcano's for example) or a human made disaster (e.g nuclear warfare) in which most of humanity has been wiped to the brink of extinction. Movies in this genre include 2012, Contagion, The Day After Tomorrow and Poseidon.

• Mystery Thriller •
This genre relates to Crime Thrillers, and usually focuses on the detective or the private investigators work to solve the mystery. The audience usually finds out information as the protagonist does, which creates drama, tension and excitement with the audience. Films that fall into this category are: Shutter Island, Sherlock Holmes, The Illusionist and Se7en.

Psychological Thriller
A psychological thriller plays with the audiences minds as it reflects the main characters unstable emotional states. It creates suspense through showing the mentality of the character. Some popular films in this sub genre are: Psyco, The Shining, Black Swan and One Hour Photo. 

Religious Thriller
The plot of this type of thriller connects religious institutions, holy objects, questions and mysteries. These film usually unravel the good and bad points about religion, particularly Catholicism. This subgenre is often met with hostility with people of the religion that the film is centred around due to possible criticisms of the religion that the film suggest. Religious Thrillers include: The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons and The Devil's Advocate. 

Supernatural Thriller
Supernatural thrillers usually involve an out-of-this-world elements, to which burdens or has a relation to the protagonist in some way, in which they must overcome. This genre is closely connected to religious thrillers, in the way demons or sprits can posses antagonists. Other common plots involve aliens. Films in this genre: The Others, Paranormal Activity, The Sixth Sense