Audience feedback

The feedback received from our final finished product of our Thriller was mainly positive. We arranged for a group of 18 to 20 year olds to give their opinion on the storyline, shots, sound, tone and their overall verdict. All of the viewers agreed that the storyline was an intriguing opening to our thriller as it left enigmas in their minds. The most discussed topic was the shots we decided to use, and more specifically the point of view shot. A lot of them like this shot as they said it help set the tone of the thriller as a very cold, creepy film, which is what they would expect to feel at whilst watching a thriller. However we did get some disagreeing with the previous point, these people felt that the point of view shot was too random and confused them as it was very brief, they felt it was un-necessary.

The sound within in the opening was proved very popular as everyone agreed that the music added to the suspense of the thriller and liked how the stings matched up to what was happening within the scene. As well as this most of them liked the change of soundtrack once the title of the film had appeared they liked that the music speed up as the scene did. However the minority said they would have preferred the music to stay the same, as they felt the new non-diegetic soundtrack made it seem like there was supposed to be a change when their wasn’t. However everyone agreed that not having diegetic sound in the beginning and then introducing it after the titles had shown was a good idea as the first minute built the tension and the second half made it seem more realistic, air go creepier.

Overall we received good results as all agreed that we had made a realistic, “Thrilling” thriller as our plot, shots and sound set the tone of the film to suit the conventions of a typical thriller, without making our storyline predictable. All agreed that there is room in the film industry for a film like ours.

EVALUATION 7

Here is our commentary on both our prelim and thriller.

EVALUATION 6

Here is our evaluation on the technology we used:

EVALUATION 4

Target Audience

Our thriller is aimed at both females and males aged 18 to 25, we decided this as we believe our hybrid of a psychological thriller would challenge the restrictions of a 15 certificate. Below is a couple of examples of the type of audience that would suit our thriller.



Name: Samantha Folan
Age: 20
Samantha is interested in a lot of detective/psychological dramas on the TV, for example “Waking the dead” and “A touch of Frost”
Samantha’s selection in music would be more meaningful songs and artists, possibly into classic rock and powerful opera.
Her selection in films are not just secluded to the hybrid genre of psychological thrillers, she enjoys all thrillers and often explores the genre of horror. She has an open mind when it comes to films and likes a gripping storyline that makes you think.
Samantha is grouped in the Advertisers social grades of “lowest level of subsistence” she is at this level as she is a student with a part time job. This gives her enough money to go to the cinema and buy DVDs as well as giving her the time to watch them.
As Samantha is a student she prides herself on her social life, one of the main things she likes to do with her friends is go to the movies. “Disposition” is the kind of film Samantha and her friends would enjoy, as it has all the elements that she would hope for: enigmas, violence and a gripping storyline.



Name: Lucas grandly
Age: 19
Also into TV dramas, rock music and Thrillers/horrors. Full’s into the “lowest level of subsistence” as he too is a student with a part time job. Both Samantha and Lucas have similar tastes in TV, music, films etc... As well as having similar lifestyles and social lives.
Lucas also goes out with his mates to the movies a lot and enjoys the kind of film that makes you think and ask questions. As well as this Lucas also enjoys a good, gruesome torture scene which “Disposition” offers.

EVALUATION 3

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…

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.

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:

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.

Hybrid 2 Minute Horror/Thriller Storyboard

To Be Continued...

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.

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.

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.

"Cape Fear" - Textual Analysis

As the film begins, even before we are shown anything, there is a soundscape of running water. This immediately suggests that most of the film will take place around water - anchored by the images of water, and the fact that the film is called 'Cape Fear'. There is then a sound sting as the non diegetic score begins, which instantly puts the audience on edge.

The water rippling is accompanied by a contrapuntal score, as the water is calm while the music suggests otherwise. This creates many enigmas as the audience is wondering what is going to happen that makes the water significant.

The soundtrack then becomes louder and more dramatic as an eagle flies into view behind the images of the water. Again, enigmas are created as the audience is wondering how the eagle and the water are connected. Eagles also have sinister connotations, as they are birds of prey and fearsome predators, suggesting that the film may centre around a murderer or someone who preys on others.

The water then turns darker, and the music becomes even more dramatic as the title of the film appears. This suggests that the name of the film (which is a place) is important, and that bad things happen there. The text used for the credits also suggests a general feeling that something is not quite right, as they are shown in a slanted font.

An eye then fades into view behind the water, as though the person is in the water. This mysterious person is significant as they may be someone who is murdered and thrown in the water, or they could be the antagonist. who plays a significant role in the film. A shot of a mouth is then shown in the same way, which could be someone screaming. We are then shown the face of the person which becomes clearer. It become evident that the face is of a perosn laughing, which has connotations of evil and villains.

As the non-diegetic score draws out, we as an audience see that the lake turns a murky crimson colour, as if to reflect the suns evening rays. The sense that darkness is imminent revives pre-conceived notions of immediacy to mind, as in any conventional thriller, the darkness is almost an optimum time for misdemeanours to take place. The colour red also works alongside the conventional codes and conventions of Mise En Scene, as red typically signifies danger or a looming threat.

This sense of immediacy is heightened as the water begins to ripple, exposing a burly male who appears to have woken for deep sleep. The fact he is enveloped around darkness, as well as his peculiar NVC ultimately signifies he is a mysterious figure, who is somewhat cold inside, possibly looking for revenge. The audience then begin to ponder over who this mysterious man really is.

As this image fades, we are reintroduced to what appears to be the same man, writhing as the non-diegetic score continues in the distance. The fact the N-D score is repetitive, and the water has a yellowing tinge signifies that this lake has a notorious, lengthy history.

To anchor the notion of pain and danger written of above, the water then impulsively ripples to mirror a heart monitor seen in hospitals. The fact it frantically gets bigger, with red pigments oozing from the top signifies imminent death, or once again a pending doom the audience will have to wait for.

The repetitive non-diegetic soundtrack then builds to an optimum focal point of tension as the camera fades to the silhouette of a man, smothered by green water. The daunting score works alongside the NVC, as the fact he moves closer to the screen almost mirrors him walking towards the audience, which should provoke audience response.

Finally, the lake is completely consumed by a pool of blood, with a mere droplet falling in the background. This is a similar technique seen in Scream, where the white copy turns a blood curdling red as someone screams. Both examples portray to the audience that the circumstance of events have changed for the worst, as the lake is metaphorically consumed by danger and most prominently death.


In the next scene the first shot is a extreme close up of a girls eye’s, the shot fades from red to white In a negative. This infers that maybe what is happening is in the past, and connotation of the colour red perhaps means that she is the victim of what will happen later on. This shot is accompanied by a soft creepy soundtrack as the dialogue begins. The soundtrack then fades completely and the non digetic sound of a river or waterfall starts, this suggests that what will happen later will also have something to do with water.

The camera slowly zooms out to a mid shot of her whilst she is talking in a direct address. The set design of the room she is sitting in is all white, her costume is all white. The whiteness of the room and her could mean that she was the innocent victim or is insane. The connotation of the colour white normally associated with innocence or insanity which is being inferred to the audience here. Her polo shirt is done up to the top, so she could be a bit weird. Again this shows that she may have been through something and has been affected mentally by it.

When she talks she begins with the phrase ‘my reminiscence’, it shows that she used to think the place was a nice place to be and that the name of the lake (cape fear) was misleading. This again reinforces that the horror to come orientates about this place and that she is one of the main characters that has been affected by what has happened there.

The scene has been shot with no editing, and no music soundtrack this helps the audience come up with their own enigmas as it has them more entwined. This scene has used many conations with the colours it uses to create and involve the audience, its use of mise en scene, music and iconography all help the audience create enigmas about what is going to happen.


The camera slowly pans down the prison cell wall, where theirs pictures of malicious leaders of the past. These images instantly create a negative tone towards the film. The pictures automatically tell the audience that this man is the antagonist of the film. Whilst the camera is panning down the wall the loud non-diegetic soundtrack from the credits starts up again, it comes in suddenly to shock the audience and to reinforce the negative tone of the film.

We then see a close up of some books, one of them being the bible, the importance of this is that is tells the audience that he has certain beliefs, creating enigmas for what those beliefs may be. As the scene continues the music softens slightly until we see the man doing press ups. We see he’s a strong, muscularly man making the audience fear him. The fact that the music then becomes louder and turns into a musical sting reinforces the idea that he is the antagonist.

The push up movement that the actor is doing appears in a worshiping manner, as if he is worshiping the leaders on the wall, it makes the audience UN –easy as well as intriguing them. The camera then shows a close up of his back revealing his tattoos; the tattoo is a big, cross with the American style scales on either side, with the words truth under one side and justice under the other. The significance of this is huge as the scales are balanced telling the audience that he believes the truth equals justice. Then as he turns around we see that he is covered in tattoos fitting the stereotype of the classic tough criminal. The non-diegetic soundtrack then decreases in volume as the prison officer say’s to Cady “ok, the moment you’ve been waiting for” this informs the audience that he’s been in there a long time.

Cady then walks out his cell and down the stairs, as this is happening the other prisoners stare in silence giving the impression that they fear him. Another interesting point is that Cady walks in front of the prison officer representing that even the officers fear him. We see all this through a long, panning shot around the prison as Cady walks. The camera then shows a mid shot of Cady and the officer walking out through the gate, where the gate then shuts to end the scene.

The next scene then starts with the outside gate being opened and Cady walking out. As this happens the officer say’s “Anybody coming for you Cady? What about your books?” and Cady replies with “Already read em” this again reinforces that Cady has been there a long time and tells the audience that he has no one, he’s alone. The camera shows a wide, long shot as we see Cady walking out of the prison this is to establish the storm that starts up behind him; this makes the audience think that something bad is going to happen, as if Cady shouldn’t be released. The scene then ends with Cady walking straight towards the camera and the non-diegetic soundtrack building as he goes. Cady then walks straight into the camera blacking out the screen and the soundtrack comes to a sudden stop.

"Sweeney Todd" - Textual Anaylsis

Sweeney Todd poster analysis


When first viewing the poster “Sweeney Todd” (Director Tim Burton) we notice the deepness of the red chair that the antagonist is seated on. The brightness of the chair stands out from the rest of the dull, dismal surroundings; this is because the colour red signifies danger. Red is often associated with the with either danger or lust, in this case it is made clear that it is representing danger as the gloominess of the rest of the picture sets the tone of a dark movie. This is reinforced by the only other image of colour within the poster, which is a smear of blood, again in a deep red.

The expression on the antagonists face is another key indicator as to what genre this movie is, as it is not a happy smile but a sinister stare straight at the viewer. The impact of this is huge as it instantly informs us that he is not only the antagonist but the character we shall be following.

The gloomy, grey colours also help set the tone as they are usually connotations of darkness and sadness. The fact that it is an empty space behind the man gives the impression of simple, as if his life evolves around the chair and the barber’s knife that we can see in his hand. This indicates obsession

In the background there’s a big window where you can see the “Big Ben” building, this gives us a sense of location as it is clearly set in the middle of London, however it is also clear that he himself is not in a tall building indicating he’s in the cheaper side of London, backing this up is the dirtiness of the window.

The extended title “Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” tells the audience instantly of its hybrid genre of Horror/Thriller, and with the smear of blood behind it, it is obvious at first glance of the genre and tone of the movie. The poster successfully uses all the tools of a classic Thriller motion and appeals to its target audience.

Psychographics and Advertisers social grades

Psychographics-
Belongers: Savers, focused on the future, well known as “nest-builders”, stay at homers. They like to save their money.
Emulators: The young, generally between 13 and 15 years old. They lack in self-confidence and are often confused and vulnerable. Advertisers prey on their insecurities offering them role models, hero’s and reassurance of group acceptance.
Emulator-Achievers: Materialists, obsessed with looking rich but don’t actually posses much money. They enjoy designer labels and the finer things in life.
Societially-conscious: Pride themselves on personal rather than professional or financial fulfilment. Their sceptical of advertisings and often referred to as “Greying hippies”.
Need-Directed: Mainly concerned with surviving and not the luxuries, they earn minimum wage or are on benefits.


Advertiser’s social grades
A. Upper middle – Higher managerial, professional and administrative (directors etc.)
B. Middle – Intermediate managerial, Professional and Administrative (teachers, police etc.)
C1. Lower middle – Supervisory, Clerical, Junior Managerial, Professional Administrative (supervisor at Tesco’s etc.)
C2. Skilled working class – Lower management (Labour/plumbers etc.)
D. Working Class excl skilled – Semi and unskilled (Shop workers, brick carriers etc.)
E. Lowest Level of Subsistence – State Pensioner, Widows without another person to support them. Casual or lowest grade worker. (Part-time workers, students, non-workers etc.)

Target audience

We have decided to aim our thriller at 18 to 25 year olds, as we are giving it an 18 certificate. Our reasoning behind this is due to a torture scene that will take place at the beginning of our film, ultimately being to horrifying for under 18’s. Taking in to consideration our age restrictions of 18+ we have decided to place it into the psychographic group of Emulator-Achievers. We have chosen this group as we believe that most of our viewers will predominantly evolve from it. We have also looked into the Advertisers Social Grades from the Advertising Association; we decided to place our film within the Working class excl skilled and the lowest level of subsistence, as these two groups have more free time than the others and will appreciate our hybrid genre of a Horror-Thriller.

Preliminary Task - The Final Cut

Here is our completed Prelim: