Poster Analysis

Here in the top of the poster we have established what actors are starring in out thriller (Tom Vale and Taylor Gladwin). The font has been chosen to be put in black, which connotations resemble death or darkness, the font used does not join the letters. This makes it easier for people to read but it also has an element of creepiness. Tom Vales name also has a red background of blood whilst Taylor’s is in white. This could infer that Tom is playing the character who has danger centered around him, maybe meaning he is the villain. This come from the connotations of the colour red.

We have used an image of a knife to show the type of film that it is. It also suggests what props we have used in the making of the film and that it has some significance to the movie. As well as this, in the reflection of the knife the reflection of a person can be seen. This leads the audience to create their own enigmas to whether he is the villain or innocent.

This states the name of the film, again the colour of the font is red which represents danger and worry but also keeps with the theme of blood. Secondly the font it different, it doesn’t have the appearance to something that would be on a Disney film. It is plain, to the point and used in everyday life which is what most thrillers are set about.

The definition to the word disposition we found to be quite creepy, again this was used on the poster to suggest what the film is about, especially the last word ’torture’.

The colour scheme of the poster consists of whites, reds and blacks. We used white as it connotates innocence, isolation and perhaps a degree of psychological craziness. We wanted to contrast this with the use of red, which means danger, suggesting there is a fight between the innocent and guilty.

Lastly, at the bottom is shown the credits of who was in the making of the film. This includes the directors, editors, scripts and names of institutions and distributors.

Poster

The post production process

Once filming was finished, we uploaded all of our footage onto the computer. Although the thriller was supposed to be only two minutes, the total footage which we had filmed had come to about an hour, as it included a lot of shots which had been messed up (very common when filming in a public area), as well as lots of alternative shots and multiple takes just to make sure we had everything and there were no mistakes.

My job was to sift through all of this footage and find the most appropriate and effective shots, ignoring duplicated shots and any shots with mistakes. I was extremely glad that we had performed multiple takes of every shot, however; as it meant we did not have to go back and do any filming again.

Our storyboarding played an important role in the editing process as it helped me to put each shot in order without too much hassle. Alongside this, it was also helpful that we had found an appropriate soundtrack for our thriller beforehand. This meant that while editing, I was able to make sure that the stings in the soundtrack coincided with what was happening on screen. This added a lot to the overall atmosphere of the thriller.

We decided that the best way of showing the scenes on public transport without losing the interest of the viewer, was to use fades and dissolves to represent time passing but without having to show every second of him being on the train. We then integrated the credits into the opening minute of the film by fading to black and showing the credits, before fading back to another shot. This creates the illusion of time passing and also adds to the atmosphere of the thriller.

The font used in the credits (courier new) was chosen because it is a regular font similar to that used by a typewriter, for example. This represents the apparant normality of our lead character, which is the idea we were trying to put across with the shots of him getting on the train. We spent a lot of time considering how we should show the credits, as if we had simply slapped some credits over the top without thinking it through, it would have completely ruined the atmosphere of the thriller and made the whole thing look unprofessional.

Continuity is also paramount to creating a believeable scenario within our thriller. Therefore, I had to make sure that Tom's appearance did not change from shot to shot, and also that continuity was maintained with the editing. For example, if there is a cut between two shots where he is walking, it is important that his actions match up so that he doees not appear to 'jump'. Overall, I feel that I achieved this successfully.

Third Day of Filming

Third day of filming

Our third day of filming consisted of shooting at Tom Vales house and at Shenfield station. We shot at the house as it was very deceiving, from the outside it looks well maintained and normal, however the inside contrasts with turned up carpet, abandoned and run down. At the station, we needed shots of him coming out and starting his journey to what the audience should think home.


We left from school early in the morning to have time to film; we had to fit in filming in the house and station. The first shots we got once got to the location were of tom entering the house, however we had some problems with cars and people in the background also when shooting the match on action of the opening of the door, the key kept getting stuck. Apart from this we got a variety of shots to save us from having to come back and re-film, with shots that included panning we got a few takes so that we had a choice to be able to select the best one.

Once inside the house we had to sort out the costumes and placing of the torture scene. We improvised with old phone cables to tie Taylor to a old chandler hook on the ceiling, we then used this to bind his feet and used a tie to gag his mouth. A black plastic bag was placed over his head to give the impression he had been then for a while. To shoot the torture seen we used a mixture of handheld shots, point of view and mid with the tripod. We also had to shoot when Tom entered the room and laid out his torturous devices. We shot this from a different room through a whole in the wall in a low angle shot to show that Tom was in control. We had problems getting this angle as the tripod was to small so we had to improvise and use bits of old tiles and wood to make it higher to tom was in the camera lens.

Once we had completed the shooting at the house we left and made our way to Shenfield station. He we got shots of tom walking through the barriers at the, and then coming out of the station. We again got a variety of shots, changing the angle and the place of shooting to have more to work with. We had to take some multiple shots were work men in bring florescent jackets walked through, this would have been no good as footage as it distracts the viewer away from Tom.




Finally, when all the shooting was completed we made our way back to school, uploaded what we had filmed and started the process of editing.

Second Day of Filming

With the travelling montage complete and edited, we pressed on with the warehouse torture sequence on the 30th March 2010. With all the props summed up together within the briefcase, we travelled to the suburbs of Brentwood to locate the warehouse. With us, was main antagonist actor Tom Vale and torture victim Taylor Gladwin. After a reasonably long walk, we finally located the warehouse, which is positioned within the Brentwood industrial estate.

Informed by others that it was abandoned, we made our way in through a broken window, familiarising ourselves with the surroundings. Primarily, the rooms were excessively dark, making the shooting almost impossible. However, after some time, we found our way into a considerably substantial room, which almost resembled a plane hanger.

Initially, the process was running extremely smooth. High angle establishing shots of the interior had been perfected, and the props we’re fundamentally set out for filming. However, just as Taylor had prepared the costume, law enforcements interrupted the session. They were extremely cooperative and understanding once we had informed them of our perception upon the matter, as well as the job in hand.

They explained to us that under the circumstance of danger, we would not be insured, due to the fact that the establishment was dangerous. They further elaborated by stating that the building was in hiatus of being bought, and if we actually wanted to shoot there, we would have to contact DHL, fill out permission paperwork etc.
Somewhat disheartened about the current situation, our group left the site, along with Tom Vale and Taylor Gladwin, and travelled back to the train station. Under a moment of reflection, we analysed the footage at the warehouse, and decided that the amount of recording was unsatisfactory.

Fundamentally, this dilemma had caused a variety of problems, as we literally had nowhere to shoot the second sequence. Lending us a helping hand once again, Tom Vale offered to lend us his dilapidated house upon Hutton Mount, stating that it was ok to shoot there if we want. So therefore, it appears that we will probably pursue this tangent. Once reflecting upon the matter, it would seem that all the Blog work on warehouses would go to waste, however, as long as the house is spacious and derelict, all the theory work we have done would still be relevant and fundamentally apply.

On the other hand, we could also follow the variable option of contacting DHL and requesting permission for the warehouse usage. However, time is extremely precious. So unless we can extend the deadline, Tom Vale’s house is the only option we have left.

First Day of Filming

Despite the minor hindrance here and there, I feel on the whole that the days shooting was fairly successful. Once sorting out authorization to leave school, the group, as well as Tom Vale (our actor) travelled to Liverpool Street Station, where we planned to shoot the opening minute of our thriller.

Once departing the train, we took our first sequence of shots from the platform, away from the public eye. Encapsulating both examples of match-on-action, and shot reverse shot, the process was running efficiently. Occasionally we did however stray away from our storyboard, as we were lucky enough to catch footage of a train pulling into the platform bay.

However, we reached our first hurdle as the group prepared from a high angle establishing shot of Liverpool Street Station. Before even placing the camera upon the tripod the group was consulted by a Liverpool Street employee, who suggested that we should consult the Liverpool Street information office before shooting. It was here that we were informed that shooting inside Liverpool Street was strictly forbidden, unless prior to the shooting, permission forms were signed. So therefore, we followed a variable tangent, where we took an establishing shot from outside Liverpool Street.

To insure that we had enough footage to stretch out for a complete minute, the group then passed through Stratford Station, merely as a back up in case the Liverpool Street footage was insufficient. We followed the same format to the Liverpool Street storyboard, with slight variations here and there. However, one predominant factor that we faced was the timing for trains. The fact that the vast majority of trains terminate at Liverpool Street meant we could perfect the shot-reverse-shot and match on action. However, the unfortunate train timings at Stratford meant we would have sparse time to take any shot whatsoever, as the platform is more compact, and therefore, more and more people would just walk into the shot.

On our journeys back home, we decided that taking a shot of Tom reading the paper would be an effective idea to ground the thriller and enhance reality. However, thinking that the shot had been taken successfully, it was to our surprise in the editing suite that the sequence had been recorded over, which unfortunately meant that we had to sacrifice a shot.

So, despite the trials and tribulations we faced through our transport montage, I still think we managed to accumulate a reasonable amount of footage in the process. Left now was merely the torture sequence, which proved much more demanding than we hoped…

The Soundtrack

We chose the non diegetic sound extremely carefully. Using the webside www.freeplaymusic.com we listened to many different pieces of music until we found one which suited the mood of our thriller. Eventually, we settled on two separate pieces of music. The first one would be used until the end of the credits and was fairly calm, with stings and changes which could be used to highlight certain points in the film. The second one would be used more as a soundscape to represent a change in mood when our character enters the house, as he suddenly transforms from an ordinary person to a twisted, sadistic torturer.

Here are the two pieces of music we used:

Costume- Following Disposition

Now the rough version of disposition was deemed complete, I began to recall a preceding blog post concerning attire for our antagonist. After careful deliberation, I universally consider that the clothing we clothed Tom in reflects our Hybrid Thriller, as well as the themes and messages we are trying to convey.
As I have already said, we summoned most of our attire influence from Michael Douglas’ fictional character in Falling Dawn, as we are using Tom’s exterior shell as a metaphor, to convey the theme of distrust, and an overall sense of trepidation that hopefully looms throughout the two minute sequence.

To anchor the theme deceiving normality, we supported our initial instincts of the predictable white shirt, black tie and formal trousers. I universally feel this unfolded really well, as his intended image fell between a happy medium that conveyed both normality, as well as a somewhat foreboding, quirky zest that really becomes prominent towards the latter end of the sequence.

However, with this meagre success, we suffered a handful of problems. For example, we devised an idea where Tom loosens his tie at the station. This shot was perfected at Brentwood, however, as our location dramatically changed, the continuity would suffer. Therefore, we had to convey this degeneration as he places the knifes, rolling up his sleeves to commit the deed.

When analysing the social grades (target audience), I genuinely believe the Tom is someone they can relate to. I really think that his angst of the mundane commute is conveyed by his lack of general emotion, even when he reaches the house. This form of firm, ridged Non Verbal Communication, accompanied by his fairly standard shirt, tie and glasses fundamentally grounds the film, conjuring up something that is legitimately believable.

To some extent his attire resembles the fellow inspiration of Jack Torrance from the Shining. However, I feel we have replaced this frenetic role with something more resourceful and practical. The fact Jack’s jumper is red subconsciously symbolises danger merely through mise en scene. However, Tom’s attire if anything symbolises innocence with the white shirt, which once again follows the deceptive route we are trying to convey.

Overall, I think the costume was a complete success, and effectively anchored the intending themes and messages we were trying to propose.

Selecting Actors

After a significant amount of research on character influence, it was now time to decide on an actor that would fit within such requirements. As a week rolled by neither the group nor I could decide on an actor to play the lead antagonist role, until a memory sparked of a friend both Dave and I knew from secondary school.

Initially it all seemed like a fine idea, as he was moderately tall, robust, charismatic, yet could fit within the general public effortlessly. It seemed however after weeks of preparation for props, sound, location etc, that the shooting schedule was almost impossible to fit around the mediocre day at his college. Worried about the deadline for both shooting and editing, we had to swiftly drop the actor, and started frantically searching for someone around Shenfield Sixth that encapsulated the necessary requirements to be in our Thriller.

Literally days before our scheduled first shoot, Tom Vale, from our media class confronted us stating that he wouldn’t mind acting within our two minute Thriller as the main antagonist. Initially, we weren’t exactly sure whether Tom could pull off an image of formality/impulsive madman. However, in hindsight, Tom Vales proposition was a Godsend.

It fundamentally appears from the footage we have managed to preserve so far that he can pull of the formal image really well, which is anchored through the props of the briefcase, glasses, and watch. I have seen him frequently at school with his shirt tucked out, with a skewed tie, so I’m hoping that the subsequent day of shooting will be just as successful as the first.

As well as the leading antagonist, we needed to find someone who could play the torture victim. Our choice was primarily influenced by a fellow group’s finished Thriller product, whereby Taylor Gladwin plays a frenetic, disjointed, down-and-out male, who appears to be psychologically ruined. Influenced greatly by their thriller, we confronted Taylor, requesting similar acting skills within our own thriller. Taylor appeared more than happy to comply, meaning that we shall hopefully utilize this factor within the second torture stint, the following week.

Influence’s for our Torture scene

Within our first two minutes of our film we have an intense torture scene, in an abandoned warehouse. The inspiration behind the scene is from the well-known Franchise film James Bond, Casino Royale (director Martin Campbell 2006).





The scene above is of Bond tied to a chair naked, with a hole cut in the bottom of the chair. As sarcastic chatter takes place between Bond and the antagonist, Bond gets wiped repeatedly on his bottom; this is to not only create sheer violence but adds humour to the scene. Although our torture scene is going to be very different from this and will not contain any dialogue, the idea of infusing vigorous violence on our protagonist will be portrayed. However we shall be implanting the idea of violence into our audience rather than actually showing any violence taking place. We decided to do our scene this way as we believe the power of the imagination is a much more effective way to create an intense atmosphere.

Thriller Name- Disposition

On the cusp of shooting our two minute psychological/thriller, the group contemplated as to what the hybrid should be called. We collectively weighed up two names, deciding which one suited the film most appropriately. We needed a name, which single-handedly provoked audience response through enigmas and mystique. I also feel it had to illustrate the antagonist’s psychological state within film, as he is most definitely the focal point. However, I feel the concrete name we concluded on has an even deeper relevance to the plotline, as it mirrors the antagonist’s views upon the world.

Desolation

Initially, we toyed with the name Desolation; nevertheless, it generally appeared that such a name wouldn’t provoke the audience’s response to such an extent. It did however mirror the antagonist’s degeneration in mind and social status as the thriller progresses, which is an idea I still like. Despite this, it feels too black and white, cliché or even one dimensional.

When you analyse a typical mainstream thriller name, such as Se7en, Marathon Man etc, you notice a growing correlation of ambiguity. Desolation almost seems to answer itself before the audience even watch the film, as images will conjure up in their mind of grim trepidation. As we are trying to deceive our audience through the themes of distrust and normality, a blatant title didn’t mirror these ideas, so after some careful deliberation, we settled on the name Disposition.

Disposition

Initially, I had a sparse understanding of how to define Disposition. I primarily understood it as a balance between two things. However, after some light research, it was to my surprise that it had more than one definition, which one the whole, related back to our psychological/thriller.

Fundamentally, many define disposition as a state of mind- “he has a happy disposition”. Relating back to our thriller, the audience will endeavour to seek out his authentic mood, only to find out the monster he truly is. In this case, the name could be regarded as extremely ambiguous, and possibly generalised to the point where the audience are given a brief insight to the film, but nothing concrete enough to reveal the storyline.

Secondly, one could analyse this polysyllabic word as dispose. The act of getting rid of something is a notion that could effectively provoke audience response, just due to the generalisation- who, where, and why?

Finally, and most prominently, is the final definition I researched. A disposition is a habit, a preparation, a state of readiness, or a tendency to act in a specified way. I found this somewhat profound, and an interesting theory that works alongside our thriller, as when all the elements above are entwined together, they almost create an embodiment of our antagonist. For example, he feels the natural affliction to commute from London (habit, a preparation, a state of readiness), which is evidently a monotonous task; however, it is this mundane lifestyle that may influence him into committing the heinous crimes he does (to act in a specified way). Obviously, this is only one way of evaluating the antagonist’s actions. However, this proves how a mere name can help encourage mystique and suspense within a psychological/thriller, and enveloped around ambiguity and uncertainty, should mirror the chosen genre.

Focus Group

As part of our research, we decided to conduct a focus group, which we filmed. Since we were limited with time, we decided that the best thing to do would be to conduct the focus group with part of our Film Studies class, as well as asking the same questions to people of different age groups outside of school.

Here is the focus group we filmed:

Focus Group Research

Focus groups

A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about there perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea or packaging.

Henderson, Naomi R.(2009) Managing moderator stress: ‘take a deep breath. You can do this!’ Marketing research, vol.21 issue 1, P28-P29

Disadvantages

If in the group you use friends are being interviewed then there answer may just be what you want to hear.
In the group one person may dominate given really only one opinion.
You may not here what you want.
There could be to many people talking over each other which could make things unclear.

Strengths
There are a variety of responses directly from your target audience.
The type of research is a lot more in depth making it qualitative rather than quantative

Initial idea’s for sound

We are still looking in to our sound for our two minute Thriller, however we do have some ideas generating. Our original idea was to start off with just diegetic sound of the Station, for the first couple of shots. Then when the first credit appears a non-diegetic soundtrack will start quietly in the background. However when we thought about it we realised the non-diegetic soundtrack just coming in would be very un-realistic and would ruin the tone of the scene. We then decided that just a very brief diegetic sound of a train at the beginning would be enough to establish the surroundings. The non-diegetic soundtrack would then start straight after and would carry on throughout, until the last title credit.

Within our last torture scene we shall have diegetic sound throughout as we believe this will have a greater impact on creating the mood as we will leave it up to the audience to do that themselves. This fits in with the not actually seeing any violence, leaving it up to the viewer concept. However within the torture scene we are going to use pleonastic sound to enhance the antagonist’s foot steps and the clanging sound of the knives, we believe this will create a creepy feeling of realism.

Our ideas for the non-diegetic soundtrack are that it should be contrapuntal sound i.e. soft, calm music; this will create an eerie feeling and create a sense of mystery.

Thriller Idea

Disposition

The first shot will be an establishing shot from out side London Liverpool Street. It will establish the location and where the events will first take place. We then have a long shot of the antagonist walking through the station, in a high angle shot. Mid shots and close ups establish that he is the main character but also show that he is moving. We see his character walk through his daily routine on his journey home from work. We use cross cutting to show him checking between the time on his watch and the time boards. The idea is to give the impression that he is a normal guy going through his normal routine. We then follow him onto the train and off of the train into a more isolated and run down station.

There is a significant difference between the two locations. Things start to become weirder when we follow him down an empty street into the warehouse. Between each couple of shots the take will fade to black and have a credit. The point of this is to make give feelings of loneliness and horror.

As he enters the warehouse his victim is already tied up, unable to speak from a gag. His clothes are ripped and covered in blood, inferring that the protagonist has been in this situation for a while. This creates enigmas in the audiences head as to why this man is here. He then opens up his brief case and takes out tools and appliances, this hopefully would have shocked the audience who would have seen him as just a normal man. We do not see any torture or violence but we end of a shot of the antagonist going towards the protagonist with the intention of torture. This then fades to the main title of the Film. Disposition.

Hybrid 2 Minute Horror/Thriller Storyboard

To Be Continued...

Costume

Now the group had devised a concrete idea for the hybrid psychological/thriller, we needed to carefully deliberate what type of costume would mirror our antagonist, as well as the resounding themes and messages we are trying to convey.

Now that the group have discarded the female antagonist notion, I have begun to contemplate as to what form of attire the character would suit. Considering the storyline, it appears that deceiving normality is one of the most prominent themes. Therefore, the predictable white shirt, black tie and formal trousers seem the best proposal. This would universally create the illusion that this man is just another face within a sea of commuters, eagerly awaiting to reunite with his ‘superposed nuclear family’. He will be wearing fairly presentable glasses, with a watch to suggest that he is a typical mediocre man, with natural blemishes and insecurities in life, despite the fact he inflicts severe pain upon victims, with supposedly no reasoning.

Fundamentally, our influence draws towards Michael Douglas’ fictional character in Falling Down. Evaluating both our character and his, you can draw together assumptions merely through their form of attire. Pre-conceived notions connote that they are both middle-class office employees who seem rundown from the stranglehold of their business. The shirt and trouser combination almost suggests that they are not a full package; opposed to the conventional ‘bigwig’ you would see in a full piece suit. This could suggest they are not essentially fulfilled in life, and therefore take it out on the world around them.

An important factor to note in terms of clothing is the degeneration during his journey. This is a key micro feature that entwines with Mise en Scene, as the stripping of clothing e.g. glasses, rolled sleeves etc should anchor the growing correlation of isolation. This should fundamentally convey the true man behind the supposedly pristine white shirt and tie that the audience initially see.

Another influence I personally took from devising such character is once again Jack Torrance from the Shining. Initially he is perceived as a perfectly normal man, which is essentially highlighted through his janitor/everyday attire. However, as the hotel begins to indoctrinate him (life knocks our protagonist down) he snaps, and progressively breaks down. This results in the frenetic man we see towards the end of the film, however, he is still shot in perfectly standard clothing (red jumper and jeans). However, behind the jacket lies evil, making the scene even more profound and breaking conventional stereotypes.

When finally analysing the social grades (target audience), I also feel our antagonists attire would be something they could relate to. Going to school myself, I know being confined behind a stuffy shirt, tie and trousers isn’t something I exactly admire. Therefore, somebody placed in a lower middle class status, who may not exactly revel in the idea of working at an office all day, may be able to relate to an embodiment who breaks away from the conventions and the stereotypes that naturally come with such a profession.

Title sequence ideas

The title sequence within a film sets the whole tone and genre of the movie. This is why we have researched different title sequences of Thriller films to see what connotations our target audience expect. The first title sequence we analysed was from the film “Seven” by Director, David Fincher, 1995. We learnt the importance of colour and the use of enigmas within the titles. They have to attract the audience and keep them guessing whilst maintaining all the connotations of a psychological/thriller. At first we decided to have our titles appear above what was going on in the scene, as we thought this would be an effective technique in creating enigmas, however as we researched and brainstormed our ideas further we decided the use of the fade to black between shots, revealing the titles, would be a more successful way of creating tension.




Although we are still discussing the final font of our titles we are certain on the idea of having a strong, sharp font as this is what is expected of a typical title sequence for a Thriller. The sharp font represents the sharp tone of the movie. However a children’s film would use a fun, quirky font as this is what would appeal to the target audience better and would represent the light, fun tone of the movie reinforcing the genre of a family film. Whereas if we were focusing on a horror we would be looking more at a font that would represent blood dripping, as this would instantly inform the audience of the dark genre.

Within our title sequence we want to create a sense of relation with our antagonist and place him as an everyday normal guy. However as our titles develop we shall have shots of the antagonist travelling, showing him get more and more isolated, creating suspicion. He then reaches an abandoned warehouse indicating to the audience that he is not what he seems. The title of our Thriller will appear just after an establishing shot of the warehouse, bringing forward questions within the viewers mind.

We then have to focus on the sound within our title sequence. We have decided on a non-diegetic soundtrack however we have not yet chosen the song. We will be looking for contrapuntal music, as we do not want it to be loud and dramatic but calm yet haunting.

More Character Ideas

As a group, we carefully considered whether our main character should be male or female. Eventually we decided that despite the fact that a female character would go against the conventions of a thriller in a totally original and unique way, it simply wouldn't be believable. We thought that if we used a female, there would be no way that the audience would realistically believe that a female could capture and tie up a large male on her own.

We toyed with the idea of perhaps having men in the background who would have helped capture the person, however we thought that this would spoil the illusion of somebody torturing a person through personal vendetta.

Influenced by the character of Michael Douglas in the film Falling Down (1993, Joel Schumacher), we decided that the character should be an ordinary person, perhaps a businessman. This would be more shocking to the audience to see a regular person - who could represent anybody they may know - living a secret life of sadism, torture and vendetta. The underlying message would be that anybody you may know could be this sick individual.

The most significant thing about the character of Michael Douglas in Falling Down is that he is so ordinary. He's never held a gun in his life, and yet when he is ground down he is driven to a breaking point where he can no longer turn back. Hopefully, we can portray a similar thing in our thriller - the torturer being an ordinary person driven to insanity, using household objects to inflict pain on someone he holds a grudge on.

BRIEF - Conventions

What Conventions are you Going to use for your Thriller and Why?

At the moment we haven’t filmed our sequence so we do not yet no if things will go to plan so ideas may change. At the time being, there are a variety of conventions that we are going to use for the thriller.

Firstly, we have chosen our locations carefully. Usually thrillers are filmed in busy, crowded areas to create a realistic image. This would normally include busy cities, towns, train stations, foreign harbours. We have then decided to film in a busy station, perhaps Romford or Stratford, this can show the isolation of the character even in a busy place with the right shots and sound. We have then chosen to shoot in a warehouse which is abandoned, cold and gloomy, which again help to create enigmas and a sense of loneliness, also for the audience to become emotional towards the protagonist.

As we are filming in march this also helps us to convey a thriller. The weather will most probably going to dull and glim, also with the time of sunset it gives a sense of darkness. The naturalistic lighting will again help to put across realism, but also give a sense of darkness, horror, sadness and isolation.

In terms of props and iconography we have found that the most commonly associated with thrillers would be knives and guns. We have chosen not to use guns as this would probably fall under the sub genre of a crime thriller, we went with knives and more gruesome objects as we want to make a thriller/horror. Other props that we have decided to use would be rope, black plastic bags.

When deciding on the costume, with knowledge of other thrillers we have found that in some cases the costume of the main antagonist can go either casual or smart. Jack Torrance in the Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick) wears a casual winter jack and clothes, where as Timothy Olyphant in the Hitman (Xavier Gens, 2007) dresses all in black in suit. Are idea at the moment it to have the main villain in a suit to give the idea of a normal person with a normal office job but with a hidden agenda. The clothes of the innocent will then be casual with items of white to show the innocence and vulnerability

When choosing the sound we have come up with music that is creepy but yet exciting allowing the viewer to make there own enigmas, it will keep them on edge and excited which is the common idea in most thrillers.

BRIEF - Props and Iconography

To mirror our chosen hybrid psychological/thriller, our group needed to carefully deliberate over the suitable iconography to anchor the resounding themes, enigmas and stereotypes we were trying to convey.

It universally appears that Props and Iconography play a vital role within the world of cinema. They conjure up pre-conceived notions in the audiences’ mind, and instantly mirror the genre we are trying to convey.

Within our own two minute Thriller we will attempt to depict a young male, on the daily commute back home. The first piece of iconography associated to the young male will be a rigid black briefcase. One usually links such iconography with the normality of his profession. Therefore, the audience will primarily feel reassured that this male is legitimately normal, as he blends in with the sea of commuters enveloping him.

Secondly, he will be primarily seen wearing glasses. This prop is vital, as impaired vision within the media is represented under disability. Unlike the orthodox perfection of protagonist/antagonist such as Arnold Swarchenegger, we will present someone with actual blemishes and natural issues within their own life (influenced by Bruce Willis, Die Hard), which generally adds to the realism of the film.

During the primary montage sequence, the third prop introduced is a daily paper on the train. Whether he will be reading it or not is irrelevant. However, the fact it is there once again grounds the film, intensifying the realism of the daily commute. It will also reinforce the fact that this is merely another day for the character, which is extremely daunting once the audience are aware of the ‘real man’ at the warehouse.

As the montage draws to an end the warehouse sequence will commence. Being that this scene revolves around torture, we will need the basic utensils in order to shoot. As the victim is already tied-up, we will need some rundown rope, which is frayed and ripped to convey how the body has writhed and struggled for freedom.

Preferably, we will need a rickety, decrepit chair to once again mirror the age of the dilapidated warehouse and rope. This universal theme of age similarly mirrors the monotony of his daily journey, as the enigma will arise - how often does he commit such a horrendous crime?

Influenced by the Marathon Man (1976 John Schlesinger), the antagonist male will present the once familiar briefcase exposing a series of dangerous, sharp and metallic devices, such as a scalpel, hack-saws, hammers etc. As he lays them methodically on a metallic tray, it is vital to note how the use of props (briefcase) juxtaposes in order to catch the audience off-guard and provoke response.

Generally evaluating the sequence, it fundamentally appears that we as a group have devised an idea that fully exploits the audiences’ media trained minds through our props and iconography. I feel as an individual that we have successfully used iconography that mirrors the conventions of a Thriller/Horror, whilst breaking away from what is generally expected to provoke as much audience response as possible.

BRIEF - Genre

Do you Invision your Thriller to be a Hyrbrid or Sub Genre?

With the story line of our thriller it would make sense to call it a hybrid. It will contain violence, with seemingly normal people, in normal places which constitute as a thriller. However it will also take on the characteristics of a horror, it will have blood and violence, build mystery and suspense, but also make the audience sit on edge. Also, in a thriller the usual weapon choice would be some type of gun, but we have chosen to be more on the horror side by using knives, and what can be considered as torture devices. The lighting will be low key and naturalistic which will mix the two together, low key (horror), Naturalistic (Thriller). The sound that we use will give the opening energy, thereby building the suspense in the audience, but then the soundtrack will change to become more dramatic and eerie, accompanied by musical stings. Therefore, our thriller will be classified as a hybrid. Thriller/Horror.

BRIEF - Setting

As our short film is a thriller genre we know our location is very important, the location is used to set the whole tone of the movie. This is why we have chosen to start our production in a fairly normal setting, as the scene opens with an establishinjg shot of London Liverpool street station. We have decided to use a contrapuntal location, as through our research we have found that the realism of the location enhances the dark tone of the film as it becomes more realistic to the viewer. We shall then go on to lead our character to a deserted warehouse; the idea behind the warehouse is that the big open space will represent the isolation of our characters and will reinforce the hybrid genre of Horror/thriller.

The warehouse that we have chosen is abandoned, therefore we not have to ask for permission to use the premises. However, we may have to inform the police of what we our doing as the props we are using may be seen as a threat/dangerous.

The warewhouse is a big wide open space that will be lit up by natuarlistic lighting as it has several broken windows, this iconography fits with our hybrid genre. The colours within the warehouse are all mainly grey and black and reflect the dark, sinical storyline well.

Due to certain circumstances it was not possible to continue our filming at the warehouse, however as James spoke about in an earlier post we have been able to use Tom Vales house in Hutton Mount. The house has many open, spacious rooms with a substantial amount of lighting creating a feel of isolation within an urban setting, we decided on the front room as our settin for the torture scene as it contains a serving hatch, abling us to get a different aray of shots from a mix of angles.

Research into institutions.

This is a list of the top thrillers, with the institution and directors, from this research we have been able to decide on the institution that we want to produce our's.

The Godfather, Paramount Pictures. (1972, Francis Ford Coppola)
The dark night, Warner bros Pictures. (2008, Christopher Nolan)
Rear window, Paramount pictures and universal. (1954, Alfred Hitchcock)
Fight club, 20th century fox. (David Fincher, 1999)
Psycho, Paramount pictures and Universal. (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
Se7en, New line cinema. (David Fincher, 1995)

Paramount pictures have been the institution behind some of the best thrillers of all time; they have made films such as The godfather, Rear Window and Psycho. They continue to make top class films, which are first aired in the cinema like there up coming ‘Shutter Island’ (Director, Martin Scorsese, March 12th 2010). The institution has a strong reputation for making good thrillers witch deliver suspense and never fail to thrill.

Due to there good reputation we have decided that Paramount should produce our film as supposed to Universal or 20th century fox, because the films that these produce are more Hollywood, we want ours to have a more realistic approach that gives the feeling of everyday life.

Another good reason for choosing Paramount is because of its use of synergy. Paramount have not converged with iTunes, however they are able to distribute and advertise there products on the programme. This broadens there global reach to a much wider audience, as the company is so widely know as used by people of all ages. To distribute there products they use another division in the company (synergy) which is Paramount Home Video which was founded in 1975. This also distributes for DreamWorks, and therefore gets a cut in their profit.

Paramount create websites to promote there film, for example there new film Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and directed by Martin Scorsese has its own website, chat rooms, and forums. There have been interviews shown on MTV with the cast that promote the film. They have advertised also by creating posters and using previews on the site and in cinema’s.

Location Influences

I was heavily influenced by the film Reservoir Dogs when coming up with our idea. When I heard that a warehouse might be available to film in, I jumped at the idea of using this as our location. Tarantino uses this location extremely effectively in Reservoir Dogs, as is necessary since almost the entire film is set inside it. I thought that using an abandoned warehouse would be an ideal place to create the right ‘feel’ of the thriller through the use of mise-en-scene.

Firstly, a warehouse would provide a large, open space which would create a feeling of isolation from the outside world for the characters – ideal for torture where nobody can hear you scream. Secondly, it would create a sense of gritty realism such as in Reservoir Dogs. Finally, we also thought that it would be a unique setting for our film, as we noticed that a common theme for thrillers created by previous year 12s was to set their thriller either in a forest or in an abandoned and decrepit house. While this may work well, we thought that a warehouse would be a breath of fresh air compared with the clichéd settings of many others.

Conventions of a Thriller

All genres carry there own expectations of what the audience want and expect to see, the genre of a Thriller is no different. A Thriller is obviously expected to thrill people– hence the title Thriller– with this in mind there are several different components that must be considered when producing one. For example people imagine a dark, dull setting that makes them un-easy as their has to be an element of suspense. The feeling of isolation is also another commonly used element within a thriller as it creates the feeling of being out of control and trapped.



Another commonly used tool when creating a Thriller is the use of enigmas. An enigma is something that leaves the audience asking questions. It is often used within Thrillers and Horror as it brings about suspicion and doubt within the viewers mind.

The sound within in a Thriller plays a vital role as it can set the whole tone of the scene. When asking people what music they would expect people often say a quiet, creepy song that sounds sad however a lot of Thrillers use the technique of contrapuntal music, which is when the music represents the opposite of what is going on within the scene, For example playing a happy soundtrack whilst someone is being stabbed on the screen. The effect of this is great, as it freaks the audience out which is ultimately succeeding the Thriller element of a Thriller.

Plot Influences

I came up with the idea of a torture scene for our thriller while watching the film Marathon Man (1976, John Schlesinger). While I enjoyed the film immensely as it is a classic, the scene which left a lasting impression was the torture scene with the dentist drill. In fact, when asked what makes films such as Marathon Man, Reservoir Dogs (1992, Quentin Tarantino), Hostel (2005, Eli Roth) etc. memorable, people invariably cite the torture scenes.

In particular though, it was the execution of the torture scene in Marathon Man which stuck in my mind. Although no violence or gore is shown graphically, the very suggestion of the pain reaches the audience as the dentist drill is something which is suffered and feared by many. Therefore, the audience can ‘feel’ Dustin Hoffman’s pain.

I also liked the infamous ‘is it safe’ catchphrase used by Szell in the scene. Although we are aiming to use as little dialogue as possible, the psychological effects of the torturer saying something like this is worth bearing in mind when thinking of ideas to improve our thriller.

Part of the genius behind the scene is the slow pace created by the director. This means that when the torture finally begins, it is more shocking to the audience as they are brought out of their comfort zone. Obviously since we only have 2 minutes to make an impact on the audience, we will have to find a different way of creating a memorable scene.

The Thing- The Predator Notion

Coincidently, our film class watched “The Thing” due to the required learning spectrum. Despite the fact I thoroughly enjoyed this classic 1982 sci-fi hybrid; there was an element of this well-crafted film that I found utterly profound. Carpenter intentionally pursues an all male cast, with no females featured throughout the films entire progression.

In the vast majority of interviews, Carpenter stated that the stereotypical female slows down the natural progression of action and suspense, and if shot poorly, can dilute the sequence all together with humdrum romance and excess emotion. Instead, he focuses on the growing paranoia of men in the 80s, due to the Watergate scandal concerning Nixon; as trust within American society was sparse.

I feel this idea would be profound, as our antagonist could signify an up-to-date social message concerning society’s distrust of the 21st century. I also feel it would be an appropriate idea if we were to mirror the traits of “The Thing”, whereby malevolence can lie behind any face. This is seen thought such antagonists as Alex DeLarge, (Clockwork Orange Stanley Kubrick) who stripped down could be percieved as the average teenager. However, beneath the superficial smile lies a child who enjoys rape and ‘ultra violence’.

Many have argued that the role of a female was merely unnecessary within such a film, as the men degenerate to such an extent that they adapt traits of a conventional female portrayed in cinema.

Many have even argued that The Thing itself is female. This may sound somewhat ludicrous; however after careful deliberation it seems extremely relevant. When analysed basically, the monster gets under the skin of the men, literally dissolving their ego’s until they are gormless beings. For men, this homes in on the fear of females, which is anchored by the vagina sequence when The Thing consumes the surgeon’s arms with its razor sharp “vagina teeth”.

I fundamentally decided to do a short reflective analysis on this film as a whole, as the concept of an ambigious predator is one that universally speaks to me. Obviously, our group does not plan on devising a real life size Thing, as the budget is sparse and restricted. However, the simple fact that The Thing conceals its relentless evil behind men is an idea that I really like, as it creates a wide spectrum of enigmas, and if stripped down the basics, could work in a Thriller.

Within our warehouse torture sequence, its possible we could even attempt to mirror and shoot the scene in a way that reflects Carpenter’s renowned blood test sequence, as the possible threats are tied up, all with suspicious, fretful non verbal communication to anchor the pending threat that will eventually unfold before the audience.

The final aspect to consider in both “The Thing” and own thriller, is the motives behind the antagonist. If we do decide to follow the unconventional, quirky killer route, we will have to contemplate as to why he commits such a heinous crime. However, throughout the 1982 remake the monster is literally branded as “weird and pissed off”. Many could argue that the fact the Thing’s priorities are ambiguous is an effective way of creating enigmas, which is something we could easily adapt in our thriller. Co-linking with the themes of mistrust and erratic behaviour, one could say that no motive behind death brings realism and horror to an all new level in cinema.

Antagonist Influence

Once devising a fairly strong idea in terms of the sequence narrative, the group decided what type of antagonist would fit within the context of the film. During one lesson, David and I accumulated a series of stars that would successfully influence our character…

Female Antagonist

When pondering over a female who could embody the traits of our own female antagonist, the first actress that came to mind was Jodie Foster. It universally seems she is a hard-shelled lady who is resourceful and impulsive. One could even argue she has influenced Carol Clover’s summarisation of the “final girl”- note how she is seen wearing tank tops in “The Panic Room” and wears all black in “Flight Plan”. Initial signs that tell the audience she is practical and strong-minded.

Foster’s traits would be a marvellous idea, as she could encapsulate a balance between masculine and feminine traits. In a torture scene, I can almost envision her methodically laying out the utensils upon a tray as her victim sits helpless. This generalised balance is seen in her Thriller film Flight Plan, a typical homebound mother, who sends a stranglehold upon an entire flight crew due to the loss of her daughter.
When initially evaluating the mere exterior of Foster, pre-conceived notions tell us she looks somewhat resilient and internally cold, yet there is a refined beauty that lures the audience in, or even possibly a victim?

So after careful deliberation, it appears that Jodie Foster typically stars in psychological Thrillers, ranging from Silence of The Lambs, Flight Plan and The Panic Room. Directors seem to conventionally place her in positions where she overcomes all misdemeanours, stereotyping and trepidation, resulting in an emotionally scarred human being by the conclusion. So, depsite the fact she is typically known for the protagonist roles, it seems a character embodying her traits, who is tough-skinned and forceful enough to break the conventional way we as an audience look upon women would be the way forward, thereby changing the world of cinema forever!

Male Antagonist

When toying over a generalised influence for the potential male antagonist. A wide spectrum of names arose that relate back to the subject matter of a torture scene. Both Dave and I decided that we could either follow the orthodox villain, such as Christopher Walken or Alan Rickman. Both men, in their mid-sixties, have substantial experience playing antagonist roles, in both ominous and comic films.

It does seem however, there is a small quantity of concerns that arise if our media group decides to pursue a prototype of the antagonists above. The first dilemma concerns age- locating a 50/60 year old to perform in an A-level Thriller, which seems somewhat unfeasible.

The second of course is the overriding sense of being too cliché and predictable with such an antagonist, due to their rich history of antagonist roles. Many could argue that this humdrum approach has been done many a time before, and therefore, we may need to devise an antogonist that is more refreshing for the ever-changing market.

A frequent convention seen throughout Thriller’s today is the concentration in terms of realism. Through the use of key micro elements, directors attempt to make every sequence look as genuine as possible before executing a scene, which is why maybe a youthful male protagonist with sparse dialogue and impulsive anger problems would be a good idea. Iconic antagonists that spring to mind that would work within a torture scene are Alex DeLarge from Clockwork Orange (1971 Stanley Kubrick) and Jack Torrance from The Shining (1980 Stanley Kubrick). Both antagonists are spontaneous delinquents, yet equally and fairly a part of everyday society, enhancing the reality and horror unfolding before the audience. It may also be worth noting how costume will be more straightforward if we pursue this option, as in The Shining, he wears a crimson winter jacket, while Alex and his droogs wear white jump suits and masks.