Question 1

For my brief I had to create a two minute opening sequence for a thriller film. I worked in a group alongside Harry Osborn and Emma Allen. Generally we worked well together however we faced complications along the way throughout our production such as the breaking of our camera as well as discovering that we had the wrong memory card for our new camera however working together we managed to over come these problems and complete our opening sequence to the best of it's ability.

Although we worked together for the project done as a whole we did have allocated productions roles:

Harry had the official role of being the director, editor and screenplay writer.
Emma took on the roles as camera man and music producer.
I myself took on the roles of being an actress, producer and MES coordinator.

It is important to have allocated separate production roles in the process of a production such as a thriller film as it means that everyone is aware of their individual tasks. This means that nothing should be left uncompleted as everyone has a set job rather than people not communicating properly and working on similar aspects of the production leaving others untouched. It also means that people will be able to take more recognition in their work as well as pride as this is a set task allocated directly for them, this is the piece of the film that they are in-charge of, hence people are more likely to try their very best with it as it will be noticed as a piece of work they have completed their added input into the film. However having these allocated roles does not mean that you cannot have more than one person working on an aspect of the film or that you are unable to help others. For instance both myself and Emma helped with the directing yet this was Harry's allocated production role as well as myself and Harry working on music even though this was Emma's allocated job. Just because something is someone else allocated role rather than your own doesn't mean that you decide to leave all of that work to them if it needs more working doing to it and you are physically capable of helping out further then you need to for the benefit of your film. Allocated roles simply makes things clearer and provides a set standard guideline to follow so to make sure everything is running smoothly and puts people in charge of certain aspects ego giving someone set responsibility so to make sure that each task is being completed correctly and appropriately.

From my allocated tasks I learnt the responsibility of being a producer as well as how much harder it was to act than I had originally thought, for instance I didn't realise I would find myself getting as distracted as I did when shooting  I found that often people hanging around the scene not filming found ways to put me off course or make me laugh. So to overcome this problem I made people stand out of my eye-line when filming so not to waste valuable time. I also found that I rather enjoyed taking on the role of being a MES coordinator although at times it was stressful. This job involved me finding the locations for shooting which I found surprising easy as once I had an idea in my head of how I wanted to capture the scene for instance when finding the perfect place to capture Brittany on the bridge I simply considered all of the key elements and different pieces of iconography I wanted to be involved around the scene. In this case this involved a bridge (the most important thing as this was what Brittany was about to jump off of taking her own life), I knew I wanted the place to be deserted so to work with the story-line and display Brittany being alone in her battle, I also wanted a sort of forestry background all of these factors and more enabled me to find the perfect place for the scene. I also had the responsibility of the characters/actors costume. Hence I had to think about the clothes which I thought most suited that character for instance for the antagonist Steve I pictured him wearing all black with a hood as not only would this help to disguise his identity but the colour black itself has connotations of death and evil, often people claim to be afraid of the dark hence the colour black can work with this idea. Unfortunately we were unable to get hold of such clothing in time for production which meant I had to reconsider the clothing for this character and settle for the next best alternative which still involved  key piece of iconography a hooded jumper. Through doing so I learnt about the different kinds of difficulty film makers face as well as the methods they can adopt to over come them within the time limits provided.

Personally I think that we have made a successful thriller film as we have selected a variation of conventions which we have added to our opening sequence making it conventional to the genre hence making it a successful one as it is fitting to it's label. There are many different routes in which you can go down when creating a film of the thriller genre with a variety of different outcomes however fans of the genre will expect to see conventions towards the genre no matter what route you enter as they're what they are looking for within the film. It's these elements which make the film a thriller. If your film was to be without them and a thriller fan watched your film they may feel disappointed even cheated as they were expecting a thriller only they were unable to relate the film to one without it having the conventions towards one. For instance one of the many typical conventions we display within our film is having a typical female victim. This is often done within the genre as women are stereotyped to be the weaker sex hence often being viewed as weak and vulnerable as well as needing protecting due to this women often find that they receive more sympathy than men this is important within the genre as it means that the audience are able to build more of a relationship with the victim feeling more sorrow for them as well as a deeper intense atmosphere as they are becoming more involved especially during chase scenes which helps them to stay focused on the narrative and keeps audience members interested in the film.

Question 1:

The generic conventions of a thriller film include things you would typically expect to see within the genre such as blood, death, violence, mass murder, weapons such as knives, female victims,  male antagonists, hidden identity as these elements are acting as conventions towards the genre they are  therefore expected as well as being able to add to the fear factor of the thriller genre

Mass murder is a convention often used within the thriller genre for instance in films such as American psycho, the Scream series, my bloody valentine etc this can be demonstrated within films of the thriller genre to portray just how dangerous and unstable the antagonist is, these actions show them to be out of touch with the norms of society and capable of almost anything. The mass murders are able to create a certain fear factor as the audience are faced with the intensity of watching them as well as the after math of  what the killer is capable of having taken the victims life and for the mean time having gotten away with it. Mass murders are not only conventional in them-self but they involve many other elements of the genre this often happens throughout the genre for instance, the antagonist themselves are a convention to the genre (especially if they are male) as well as their weapon of choice, this piece of iconography can be a gun, knife, axe or something different it doesn't matter a murder weapon represents that murder either has or is going to take place as well as displaying themes of fear and un-stability.

Baring in mind how important conventions are to the thriller genre I made sure that we used a lot within the opening sequence. Luckily it was made fairly easier when we met as a group and found that we all thought it best to have a female victim as this is a largely popular convention to the genre. We also decided that it would be best to have a male antagonist another typical convention. Having talked this through I thought it would be a good idea for our antagonist to have a hidden identity backing this up by stating that this was something I came across on a number of occasions whilst completing my research in films such as Scream, valentine, I know what you did last summer, my bloody valentine and many more. I mentioned how much scarier it made the antagonist that both the victims and the audience didn't know their true identity as well as the added power it gave them. This lead to much trouble over the costume of the character as I stated previously however it was important that we maintained a similar vibe to the costume we had planned and that the audience were unable to work out anything personal to the character or see anything on or about the character which they may be able to relate too easily the true identity of the antagonist they may see later on in the film ruining the hidden identity of the antagonist making the film less interesting and more predictable than it should be. This would be taking away three key elements shock, suspense and surprise if the audience are able to work out the following narrative the effect of the film is ruined and it is unable to provide escapism as character feel no emotions towards it due to accepting what is about to happen before it has been shown to them. This meant making sure we only shot the antagonist from certain angles so not to give anything away about his identity for instance we didn't want to give to much away about his body structure however we did want him to appear tall and broad making him appear more fearful hence the idea of using a silhouette shot of him came about which is shown as he is watching Brittany from outside the window. We also had to take such things into consideration with the victim (Brittany) portrayed by myself we needed to make the character appear as like able and relate-able as possible without giving away too much information about her, this was avoided as it would have been pointless to the narrative and took up crucial time as well as possibly becoming boring to some viewers. It is important for the audience to feel that Brittany is a nice, sweet, innocent girl so that they feel more sympathetic towards her making those crucial scenes between her and the antagonist all the more intense as they are more deeply routing for a better outcome for her. As a group we decided it would be best to have Brittany around fifteen to sixteen years old as we were aware from evidence we gained from our questionnaire as well as prior knowledge that the most popular age category for watching thriller films adolescents to young adults hence having Brittany fitting to that age would make her more relateable for the target audience meaning they found it easier to become interested in the film as they would have a better understanding of Brittany's every day life and would find it easier to consider what it would be like if you were to suddenly find yourself being stalked in a place you had grown up and felt safe in.

Another convention we used throughout our opening sequence was a key piece of iconography a knife, which Brittany picked up for protection in the house, this represents just how far Brittany has come from being a sweet young girl to someone who considered using a knife. A knife can represent a lot for instance the mental state of the beholder. Using a knife you would have to get a lot closer to your victim than using other weapons such as a gun this shows a fearless attitude as well as perhaps an unstable one as many people would find the thought of having to force a knife into someone rather sickening.

Our opening sequence armed with codes and conventions of the thriller genre defines the genre to be frightening yet in a different way to that of the horror genre through showing the effect that stalking has had on Brittany for instance how it has changed her mental state as well as displaying the ill-mindedness of the antagonist himself the thriller genre is defined to be a physiological method of scaring the audience.

The effect of having a  hidden identity is also demonstrated within thriller 'My bloody valentine' as the killer behind the mask could be anyone from the town with a brief idea of it's history. Comparing this use of a hidden identity to the way it is used within our opening sequence demonstrates how it may be used for various different effects and uses. The two killers had very different motives yet are both mentally ill, the killer in my bloody valentine was re-acting murders which had already taken place many years ago, it was in fact these events which lead the killer into the state that coursed them to take out this behavior whereas  what lead the antagonist in our thriller film (Steve) to become so attached to Brittany is unclear. Although Steve did have to kill the films protagonist (Carol) that wasn't part of his motive  it was simply something he saw he had to do along the way in order to achieve his goals surrounding Brittany whereas the antagonist (Tom)  in my bloody valentine portrayed by Jensen Ackles had the motive of killing numerous people this character was also displayed to have a split personality as in scenes he was shown to be watching a man in a miming suit locking him in the cage as he then watched this same man murder another man  down in the mine. Only it was later revealed that it was Tom himself who killed this man along with all of the other victims and locked himself in there for the other men to find him. However both characters fit to the convention of being a male antagonist as well as being an antagonist of un-sane mind.

Often within the genre characters are shown to be mentally ill, many viewers find this interesting as they try to work out even understand the mindset of said characters. These characters are often used as it means that the audience is even more unaware of their next move, these characters are often seen as being capable of anything as they lack the instincts to tell them not to behave in a certain way and often lack basic human empathy. These characters are able to open up many different doors for film makers as my blood valentine and my groups opening sequence (Suicide) shows they are capable of many different motives and are willing to go to extreme lengths such as Steve killing Carol an innocent woman who had nothing to do with his mission to achieve so.

Although Tom is in fact the antagonist throughout my bloody valentine he is displayed to be the misunderstood victim this contrasts the typical codes and conventions of a thriller as I have previously mentioned this role usually goes to a female being off the weaker sex and therefore more vulnerable and able to collect more sympathy. It's interesting how the film is able to go against these typical elements of the genre it pushes it's limits and keeps the audience guessing outside of the box. Yet the film produced by Lionsgate remains within the typical conventions of a thriller displaying other female victims along the way and using typical pieces of iconography like weapons such as guns and axes so to keep thriller fans happy and at ease that they are in fact watching a thriller. This displays just how important it is to stick to the typical elements of a thriller so not to drive your audience away by boring them or advertising your film to be something different as they are unable to recongise it as a typical thriller.

Throughout my research I looked into and watched many different thriller films so to collect inspiration for my own film one way in which I did this was by looking for various different conventions towards the genre collecting inspiration from them for my own media product.

Conventions I followed in creating a thriller film:

I followed the convention of having a typical female victim of the audiences age (adolescents to young adults) this meant that the victim was more relateable to the audience therefore meaning that they would take more of a liking to her and in turn build a stronger connection with her routing for her best interests. This is a usual convention towards the genre to add as it means that audience members shall suffer further suspense when watching crucial scenes between the victim and the antagonist as well as others a like as they are more interested in their outcome due to this stronger bond. Where as if they didn't particularly feel any caring emotions towards the character then it is likely that they won't feel as much suspense as they're not as interested.

Cici from Scream 2 portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar was a character/portrayal I looked to for inspiration as fitting the conventional role of the typical young female victim:

Cici Scream 2












Helen Shivers from I know what you did last summer  also portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar was another typical female victim I looked to for inspiration:

Helen Shivers I know what you did last summer










Another convention I followed towards the thriller genre was that of having a hidden identity covering our antagonist this was a convention towards the genre which I had previously noted I enjoyed watching prior to my research as it was something I had picked up on in many different thriller films. However I began to research it much more deeply once I took it upon myself to become inspired via this convention for my own thriller film opening sequence.

One of the films I took inspiration from for the usage of a hidden identity was the scream series with their antagonist otherwise known as 'Ghostface':

                                                        

                                                                    Ghostface from the Scream series 

Another film I took inspiration for this idea from was the remake of My bloody valentine staring Jensen Ackles:

The masked antagonist in My bloody valentine rumored to be someone who is known as dead.

I also took inspiration for the idea of having a hidden identity from the film Valentine (2001). Which follows a narrative whereby five women are stalked. (again this was another concept I liked as I thought it would be another good clear convention to make and show that the antagonist was stalking his victims. I also noted this would be another good way to show that he was mentally insane.) This was also a good film to watch as there was a group of female victims meaning that I could also focus on them as well as viewing a different interpretation of the hidden identity technique. 

 'Cupid' from Valentine.

Other conventions I used include the iconography of having a knife as a weapon involved in one of our cut scenes as Brittany runs to the kitchen and grabs a knife for protection after hearing a noise and receiving a frightening phone call as well as her own paranoia and awareness of the situation which lead her to believe she was in danger. We also displayed intense music throughout our opening sequence often within the thriller genre it is found that the music is able to make scenes a lot scarier due to the intense vibe they bring and the affect they may have on the atmosphere of the film, having a male antagonist (Steve) the purpose of this character is to scare the audience as well as to build intensity as they are unaware of what his next move may be as well as the damaging effect it could have on the victim. I also decided to have a protagonist (Carol) whose purpose was to provide the audience with false hope for the safety of Brittany as well as her setting her own death up to be further saddening as she was someone the audience found that they liked and was able to create a bond with hence feeling more sadden at her death. Which was also able to show the antagonist to be even more heartless and dangerous as he was able to kill a character as kind and loving as Carol with no remorse, this was also set to make the audience fear on Brittany's behalf even more as the audience are now visibly seeing the extreme lengths Steve will go to. Throughout I also displayed themes of death as well as being stalked.

It was important for me to include conventions to the thriller genre throughout my sequence as this helps the audience to define the film and set it to it's genre. Without these key and clear conventions audience members may feel that the film hasn't been able to fit it's tittle of being a thriller and therefore has been a disappointment as it hasn't fit it's title of being a thriller. As well as most likely being a bad film experience for viewings as they weren't receiving the style of film they were looking for as it is these conventions which help to build a thriller and make it a part of it's genre.  

It was also important for me to display a variety of different micro-elements related to the genre within my thriller film opening sequence for instance one of the micro-elements I used was a reaction shot. This was something I noticed being in a lot of different films of the thriller genre through my research. Typically being used via the female victim hence I decided that it would be a good idea to film a variety of different reaction shots of the female victim I was portraying Brittany. A reaction shot is a good way to demonstrate the thoughts and feelings of a character to the audience as well as what they are experiencing without having to tell them or have the character use dialogue which would be directly informing them of this. Often audience members find that they find characters who complain about their troubles to be aggravating and therefore feel less kindly towards them hence meaning that they are unlikely to build a strong bond with said character. As they find the characters complaints to be annoying possibly even attention seeking. As a result they are less likely to feel any sorrow or empathy for the character meaning that certain crucial scenes within thriller films where the audience is suppose to be made to feel more suspense due to their affection for the character will be ineffective ruining their film experience. As they are less interested in the character and there outcome.

Another micro element I managed to successfully use was panning. This was a shot I filmed myself as protagonist Carol laid dead on the floor with antagonist Steve standing above her. First the camera focused upon Carol laying dead on the ground then I lifted the camera up using the leaver on the tripod to reveal the antagonist gradually firstly showing his shoes. The effect of this  created further suspense for audience members are they awaited the reveal of the person standing before her although they should be fairly certain it is the antagonist it is possible that they will hope that it is a friendly citizen trying to help someone in need. Or they may question whether Carol is in fact dead or whether she is just pretending to be in the aim of her survival.

I also included many other micro-elements including other camera shots as well as many other different aspects of micro elements. However just because micro elements were filmed doesn't mean that they all made the final cut.

It was important for me to include micro-elements within my sequence for a variety of different reasons. For instance this made the quality of the film better as using different camera shots etc makes the film appear more realistic as real life doesn't stand still. This shall also make the experience more interesting as often audience members find it can be boring watching something from the exact same angle and position all of the time where as changing shots up makes things more interesting and less dull. Different shots themselves are also capable of showing and representing separate things, for instance using a fast paced camera speed, or staggered camera movements.