Planning storyboards - Miss Miller

Here is an image of my storyboard:

Before you are able to create a film there are certain tasks which you have to perform to be able to do so as well as making certain decisions. You would need to begin by evaluating your screenplay so to picture it in terms of each separate shot which can then be visually turned into your separate story board panels. Creating your own story board helps you to work out what it is that makes up each shot.

Although making a storyboard for your own film sounds simple enough it's actually quite tricky, I struggled when it came to deciding how much time should be spent on each scene, as well as which scenes where more crucial than others in regards to time limits etc.

When planning your storyboard the importance of each and every individual shot becomes highlighted as you really need to think about the key elements for this part of the task of creating your film every scene becomes almost as important as each other regarding how much time you spend on each as you really have to be carefully anlasying certain steps of each part so to make sure all of your story fits together well and you are confident in your knowledge  of what is happening and what you need to do so to ensure so.

For every individual shot you need to think about:

The set location
How many actors are needed
The type of shot e.g mid shot/ long shot/ close up
If you need to consider any props etc
The shots angle e.g a high angle or a low angle
Whether any camera movement is needed so to add motion to the shot
If any of the actors or any vehicles etc need to move within a frame if so in what direction
If any special lighting is needed
Whether you need/ want to add any special effects

We created our first storyboards individually so that we could get a good concept of how each group member visions the film and then compare any separate ideas and see how we can reach a better outcome. Once we have all fished we will then create a group storyboard using our individual boards were we will be able to compare which ideas are best.

For one of my story board panels you can see the drawing of our main character and victim Brittany
Being followed this was a piece of inspiration I took from watching various different thriller films where the female victim was being watched by an antagonist with a hidden identity such as 'Valentine'. Within Valentine the true identity of the killer is unknown as he hides behind the mask and clothing of this character he creates for himself when he becomes this killer. I like the prospect of using this convention towards the thriller genre of having a hidden identity within our own film as the idea that this person could be anyone, that they could be capable of doing anything or hurting anyone makes them that much scarier. It also shows them to be at a much more powerful advantage compared to the possible victims which again is conventional to the genre as it shows displays the antagonist in an even scarier frame capable of a lot with not much the victims can do about it. For many audience members it is a rather frightening thought that this person knows so much about their potential victims only they know next to nothing about him.

For this scene we will use a long shot focus camera angle, this will be shown as the audience will be provided with a long full view of the scene which takes place in a forest, they will be able to both clearly see Brittany walking along as well as the antagonist who is hiding as he follows Brittany on her way home. Within this scene the audience will be able to watch Brittany as she questions whether there is someone else there or not, this will display a range of her emotions and get the audience feeling sorrow for her as well as witnessing first hand just how sneaky the antagonist is as he manages to continue to follow her without being caught out right. This scene will also build the audiences frustration as they are clearly able to see the antagonist and are hoping that Brittany will be able to as well before it is too late for her. The use of these techniques will help to gain the audiences interest as they feel more involved as they are able to connect more with Brittany as they have a great sympathy for her situation and emotions. This is a convention to the thriller genre as often within the genre audience members are encouraged to bond with characters so for them to have a stronger relationship and therefore become more involved as they gain more concern over what is happening hence they have a further interest within the film keeping their concentration.

A forest is a rather typical and therefore conventional place to have such a scene within the a thriller. Forests are often used as they can be rather dark places even in daylight as there are so many trees, bushes etc and therefore also lots of shade. There are also many places to hide making it the perfect place for antagonists to watch over and jump out at their victims. Forests are also often used as for many people they are seen as rather scary places to be in alone for similar reasons.

It is important to display pieces of iconography within a thriller film so in this scene we will use iconography in the way that Brittany is dressed as she will be wearing her school uniform. Again this is rather conventional as it displays her age as well as representing that she is still fairly unsure of the world therefore appearing more innocent providing the antagonist with further power and making the audience feel more sorry for her as she is at a greater loss to him. The forest itself will be a piece of iconography as well as the fact that it is a very isolated place again often used within thrillers as it means that the victim appears even more alone making them more vulnerable.

Although at times forests can be fairly dark as we will be shooting this scene in daylight I plan for us to simply just go with the natural lighting as we want it to appear rather realistic and not artificial. Also I like the prospect of using the natural lighting that comes from a forest at the time of day which we will be shooting as it can appear rather frightening yet at the same time contrast itself as it reminds the audience that it is still daytime. This is conventional to a thriller as often the audience are mislead into thinking that nothing bad should happen because it doesn't appear right for the timing or setting etc however they are still able to pick up on hints that something could happen living them in both either suspense as they try to undercover what has happened or surprise when it appears that something will take place.

This scene shall only need to actors in it, both myself portraying the role of Brittany and George Stopher taking on the role of the antagonist, I decided that it would be best not to have any extras as passers by as it makes the scene appear more frightening to think of Brittany there in that forest all alone with no one but the evil antagonist who is after her. Again this is conventional to the genre as it courses audience members to try and place themselves in such a situation all on their own with no one there to help them making it all the more frightening.

For this scene we will use a mix of sound, the main sound track which we have set on as a group shall continue to play in the background this will be a convention of the genre as it will be set to impress the theme of a thriller creating a suspense vibe allowing the indication to the audience that something is likely to happen however building it up so that they won't know when this is creating a more intense atmosphere. We shall also provide the sound of Brittany walking through the forest maybe even highlighting it and the sound of the leaves crunching as she walks past and over them. As well as the sound of the antagonist snapping a twig to create more of an indication to Brittany that she is not the only one there making her question her situation even more yet making her further paranoid as she is unable to see anyone but herself in that forest.

For our editing of this scene I think that we should use filters to create a more intense picture, I also think that we should create a type of filter which we can use on all of the flashback scenes so to highlight that these scenes have taken place in the past, we want the audience to be able to make the transition from the scenes from present day and the scenes from the past. If audience members are not able to do so this could potentially ruin the experience of the film for them making them confused or bored and loosing their interest.


For the scene where Brittany is clearly being watched as she walks home through the forest we will be using both a long shot and a shallow focus so to show the entire scene and to keep the audiences main attention on Brittany however they are still able to capture what the antagonist is doing but in more of a blur which keeps the focus of Steve's part in the scene simply on his actions and nothing else to distract or take from the importance of that.

For the scene where Brittany is running to the kitchen in order to grab a weapon so to defend herself against the antagonist we will be using a hand held camera angle so to keep it fast weapon and staggered showing the seriousness of the situation and highlighting the fear factor. Using a hand held camera angle will have a much better chance of giving this feeling off compared to a still camera as the fact the audience is watching something rather calmly conveys that there is no major need for panic and that the situation is handled.

I also plan to use reaction shots as they will urge the audience to see things through the characters perspective particularly Brittany hence urging them to get on side with her and feel sorrow for her struggle. This is an idea which I hope stays as reaction shots are able to effect and display so many different elements of the genre that they will really help the film.

Although I found that making my storyboards was quite difficult I definitely think it was a good idea as this task does as it is suppose to really helping you to think your film through for instance I found setting times to my scenes difficult however this was something which really needed to be thought about. This will also make it easier when explaining our own ideas to each other within the group as we now have a good representation of our ideas.


For the scene where the audience is shown a close up of the antagonists boot we will be using a close up we will be doing this so to highlight the importance of the boot to the audience, not only will this indicate that perhaps this really is happening and isn't just in Brittany's head but it will also help to drop clues onto the audience as to who this antagonist behind the hidden identity may actually be in their every day lives. This technique is often used throughout the thriller genre for instance I myself saw it in the 'Scream' series the audience was shown the boots of the antagonist as a clue they were then shown men from the police force wearing these same boots dropping hints and clues as to who the antagonist may be. This is conventional to a thriller as it keeps the audience guessing as well as creating suspense as the audience attempt to figure out who the antagonist is. The effect of the close up really draws the audiences attention to the detail of the boots therefore reminding them that this is something that they should be looking out for. This helps the audience to build a stronger relationship with the film as they attempt to remain staying involved even with Brittany as some audience members even suffer a piece of her confusion as they attempt to guess who the antagonist is. The boot itself is a good piece of iconography the lighting for said scene will be darker to that of the previous where by the audience watches the victim walk through the forest as we are doing this so to demonstrate to the audience that this is a much darker character. This scene will obtain parallel sound as the branch is snapped and the leaves crunch having the antagonist snapping a branch shows both the powerfulness of his strength as well as his carelessness. We will be using a jump cut for our form of editing for this scene we will be doing so as the transition from this scene to another will be more hasty foreshadowing traits of the antagonists personality. The narrative of said scene is for the audience to become aware of the presence of the antagonist and decide for themselves whether or not this is really happening or whether they are simply being shown things from the victims pov again said confusion allows the audience in on the thoughts tracing Brittany's mind hence building a bond as they are more able to connect with her and the sorrow/ sympathy they feel becomes much deeper as they become more aware of what she is suffering.

The scene where by Brittany is entering down an alley way heading towards a night out with friends will be shot using a long shot and a shallow focus. We will be using these two techniques as it is key that the audience captures a good view of the scenario so to fully understand what it is that is taking place and so to help build the tension from the scene using this shot means that the audience will be able to view the runner as they are running down through the alleyway building suspense as the audience captures sight of them and begins to guess who they may be until they see them completely. This also helps to strengthen the relationship between Brittany and the audience as they feel a similar level of fear to her as the await who this mystery person is and what their motives for being in the alleyway are. The effect of using a shallow focus allows the audience to really focus on the victims expressions and view just how vulnerable she is yet they are still able to view the full goings on of the scene it simply means their attention is mainly fixated on Brittany's facial expressions and body language yet they still receive a good view of the runner however keeping it universal allows for them to keep guessing. These two shots together will help aid us to present Brittany as the typical damsel in distress within thriller films hence making this scene conventional to one as it explores an element which is often used throughout thriller films and enjoyed via thriller watchers.