10/03/10

In this lesson we finished editing our footage to get a rough cut . We have started to make the soundtrack by listening to sounds that we would like to include in our opening. We think we want it to be a simple and fairly quiet soundtrack because the opening itself is fairly simple and we do not want a massive contrast between whats actually happening and the music that represents it.

As we edited our footage, we decided we did not want to include another character, on the other side of the phone. This is because we felt that it would give away too much information (as it would explain why Olivia was in a rush to leave) and we wanted that to be left to be guessed by the spectators. Therefore we decided to cut this piece of footage out, and just have a one sided phone call.

Filming

We felt that filming went well as we managed to film the shots we wanted to and think we have enough footage to cover the two minutes that we need for our thriller opening. We need to edit the footage we have got and we have a lot of footage from the students who used the camera last year which we need to delete as it is in between our shots.
We filmed all of the footage that we wanted in the toilet, such as the phone conversation and the confrontation with the gun, we also filmed Becki on the phone outside near a wall, we hope to have a split screen to show the two different sides of the conversation between the characters. Becki's side of the conversation will explain why Olivia is in such a rush.

Thriller conventions

Thriller conventions

Obviously, many thrillers these days are hybrids ie. they draw from more than 1 set of conventions. However, it is still possible to create a list of thriller conventions. Consider the list below in your analysis and technical construction of a thriller:

Thriller Generic Characteristics

The narrative centres around a crime eg. a theft or a murder.

The protagonist is fallible and has an 'Achilles heel' that is exploited by the antagonist. The title of the thriller may relate to this weakness eg Vertigo and Insomnia.

The protagonist will be seen 'in peril' in one or more scenes before the resolution.

The antagonist ensnares the protagonist in an increasingly complex web, until the protagonist feels isolated and helpless.

The narrative presents ordinary situations in which extraordinary things happen.

Micro elements combine in a build up of suspense.

Themes of identity are common: mistaken identity, doubling/doppelgangers, amnesia.

Themes of seeing, reflection and mirroring. Manipulation of perspectives, visual McGuffins, and optical illusions are common.

The audience of a thriller is placed in the ambiguous position of voyeur. Voyeurism can also be a theme and the objectification of female characters is common especially in earlier thrillers.

A series of/ one important enigma(s) are/is set up in the opening sequence of the film, is further complicated during the first part of the film and only resolved at the very end.

What we need to achieve

We need to film the character receiving a phone call and leaving the toilet in a panic, we also need to show the gun in the eye as well as the character being shot. We plan to do a split-screen to show each end of the phone call, also there will be a close up on the phone to show that the caller is 'unknown'.

Starting Our Filming

With one member of our group absent, we began filming without her. Our main character has changed from Nicole to Olivia as we feel that she would be better suited to the role. We found a location for our filming, which is not particularly ideal, however it is in college grounds so easy to access. We have chosen the toilets as we can film the character 'changing', for example, painting her nails, applying lipstick etc. We filmed the painting nails, applying lipstick and applying mascara, and we were about to film the character receiving a phone call, but we were interrupted by other students wanting to use the facilities and felt that we would get to many interruptions.

Mise-En-Scene

In our opening the props that we will need are: nail varnish, mascara, lipstick , a bag (which contains these items and a gun. The character will be dressed normally as we want our character to appear to be a normal person in a normal situation (not dressed in a suit/tracksuit etc - just average clothes.) The location we have decided to use is the toilet, this is because it will make it obvious to the audience that the character is in a public place as there are multiple mirrors and sinks etc.