Set Design

As our Thriller Sequence revolves around the use of a coffin to build the suspense we needed a convincing yet convenient way of trapping our protagonist while making it seem as if she were in a coffin. As we couldn't buy a real coffin, we devised a way to have a coffin with interchangeable walls, to accommodate different shots.
Firstly our group researched coffins on the internet to  see which style we found suited our thriller the most. We considered that as our villain would be burying people regularly he would not be able to afford intricate coffins such as this:

 

We also had to consider the circumstances that our protagonist, and our killer would be in. We considered why our protagonist would be captured in such a way, would it be planned? Was a large organization behind the kidnapping? Or was it one killer working alone?

We decided that more tension could be added if the killer was a psychopath, working alone to satiate his desire to kill others. 

With this in mind, we could not make the coffin an extravagant masterpiece, we wanted it to be shoddy and look like it could be easily assembled by an amateur.

These were our final results: 

Actress List

We decided on three actresses for our shoot, which we felt matched the required persona for our scene. We needed someone with a small frame, so they could fit inside the coffin with ease, we also wanted someone who had strong acting skills, each of our choices were proficient actresses. Our choices were (Listed in order of priority):

1. Grace Quigley
      











2.Hannah Nanton
                                              













3.Daisy Doige-Hill













 We decided to chose Grace, as she could be made to look frail with a particular application of make up, we also felt that her training in Sylvia Young Theater School would be useful when she was required to perform more difficult actions.

Intended Target Audience

While creating our media product, we discussed our target audience and who they might be, to help us formulate the look and persona of our thriller and hopefully generate some ideas which we could use.
We decided that due to the violent nature of our product our target audience could not be below 15 years old, while the fairly modern concept may dissuade a more mature audience of the ages 50 and above. Therefore we feel that perhaps our target audience would be between 16-19 year old males. The film would most likely be awarded a 15 certificate for the language and violent focus of the plot. We feel that the majority of our audience would be males and while some females may be interested in the film, we expect that many viewers would be males.
Our target audience would probably be interested in other media products similar to ours, which correspond with the horror or thriller genres. We expect them to have enjoyed films such as '127 Hours', 'The Descent', 'The Call' and 'The Lovely Bones'. While being interested in other thriller style media products, such as the video game 'Heavy Rain' and the TV Show 'Dexter'.

We would use the dark elements from products such as Heavy Rain, and draw inspiration from the claustrophobic elements of 127 Hours to draw the audience in, while relying on the intense plot to keep them watching.

Props List

We decided that we should use something besides the holes in the top of the coffin to light the dark space. However we felt that the protagonist finding a lighter or phone in her pocket would be too cliched. We researched different methods of light sources that we could use for our coffin, and eventually found some LED lights that were cheap and easy to use, and could also be discreetly placed in the coffin.

Also, we needed a timer, however when researching the timers were all too small and did not give off enough light, therefore we decided the if we used card and an IPhone, we could make it look as if it were a timer, instead of an IPhone.

Production Company for our Thriller

Chosen Production Company- Lionsgate

1. Why would your company want to make your film?

Lionsgate has a history of producing independent and mini-major films, including darker, more sinister thriller films with elements of horror. Such as 'Crank', 'The Descent' and the 'SAW' films. I feel that Lionsgate would want to produce our film as our film would be an independent movie, that matched a similar type of genre as they have most commonly produced. Also, we feel that the budget of the film would be fairly reasonable and we would not be looking at an epic budget, but, for the amount of money that was spent on filming, the distribution would be fairly large, so the chance of a profit would be fairly high.

  2. Similar Films to Yours?

Although Lionsgate have produced many films that match the similar thriller with horror elements that our film would fit in, films like '127 Hours' and 'The Descent' also posses the claustrophobic atmosphere that we wish our film to have. However, the film 'Buried' is very similar to ours, which could offer an opportunity to link the films, as the ending of the original film left space for an anticipated sequel. 

3. How Would Your Film Fit Into the Ethos of the Company?

Lionsgate's occupation with 'The Hunger Games' would provide an appropriate place for our film in the ethos of the company. Being one of the most popular film series ever and one of the most anticipated films in the upcoming future, we would have to appreciate that we would be overshadowed by the big budget epic. However, once we had accepted that our film would not be as popular as other movies coming out in the future, we would be able to fit in the lower budget movies, which still uphold a high quality and entertainment value. 

(http://www.lionsgate.com/ Lionsgate Website Link)

4. How Would You Place Your Product? 

We would need to be strategic in the way we chose to advertise our product. We would not want to try and compete with other epic movies from other studios such as 'Warner Bros'. Instead, we would want to focus on the larger cinemas with more screens, to give us the opportunity to show on the later screenings, when most people would be watching movies. We would also need to advertise on the Lionsgate website, and maybe try to branch out to other websites, such as social networking websites, or other websites that would have an audience consisting mainly of young adults and teenagers.

5.Do They Specialize In Your Type of Film? 

Lionsgate have made many thrillers with elements of horror mixed in, however, the reason I feel Lionsgate are more specialized in our type of movie are the array of claustrophobic thrillers, such as 'Buried' and 'The Descent'. By having this advantage of making similar films, Lionsgate would have had experience in distributing and producing that kind of film, with the best quality and most effective results due to the past experience.

 

Test Shoot

We found our test shoot useful in determining which ides could work and which ideas we should discard. As we were unable to film within a graveyard for obvious reasons, so we filmed on the football pitch on campus, recruiting various pupils to be involved as makeshift actors.

We wanted our actors to all act as if they were attending a funeral, while in the background, a hooded figure stood and texted the words 'You're next' to one of the crowd. Although we required preferably older actors, we could  only use 16-17 year olds in home clothes, but the footage was useful in determining which shots worked and which didn't. For example, after watching the test footage, we decided that a close up of a phone, to show the text was not effective enough. So instead, I suggested we use an idea from the TV show 'Hollyoaks'. (INSERT PICTURE)
I thought that this idea could show the contents of the message, while still allowing the audience to see the reaction of the receiver.
We found that we could use the space more effectively by panning across the entire crowd, showing their faces and reactions to the funeral. We thought that we could also have a gap between two characters in the crowd, where we could see the silhouetted figure in the background. We felt that this would add tension to our piece as the audience would be intrigued as to who the hooded figure is.
Overall, we found this process useful as it gave us significant footage for us to be able to determine which shots were effective, and which shots could be changed.
After pitching our idea to Matt, Luke and Paul, our feedback helped us to decide that we could create a more atmospheric experience for the audience if we set our idea in a coffin, as we would need less space, and could complete the filming within the studio.

Choosing a 'Coffin'

Before researching our coffin we needed to appreciate the problem of shooting different camera angles in and around the box. After deliberating as to how we could solve this problem we decided that the easiest way to solve this problem would be to draw plans for a coffin of desired specifications and have each wall of the coffin on hinges, to enable diversity while filming the different angles.
After a few searches on the internet we found out that plywood would be the best, and cheapest material to use for a makeshift coffin, while hinges could be easily acquired from any DIY shop.

  

After finding these materials and adding up the cost to make a coffin we then debated which style we should have the coffin in. We firstly decided that as our murderer would not be operating from a high budget. Therefore we did not want the stereotypical ceremonial coffin, instead we wanted something that looked makeshift, something that could be made from home, as that is probably what the murderer would do, to eliminate the possibility of being traced.

 

This was the style of coffin we did not want, as we felt it was too complicated to make and also unrealistic for the scenario.

However, after researching, we found that this coffin looked makeshift due to the use of plywood, and while the shape looked good, we still felt that it was too refined. Eventually we decided that we could just make a box, instead of a classic coffin.


After deciding that a plywood box with hinges sides was the best idea for the coffin we asked the Media department how long it would take to make one, only to find that there had already been a group to require a coffin, so we looked at the pre-made one and decided that it's dimensions were perfect, as it allowed our protagonist to move around, while also looking makeshift and homemade enough to pass for an amateur construction

.

Test Shoot Feedback

On Thursday the 20th of November, our group participated in filming a quick test shoot of our opening sequence. We quickly brought some chairs down to our filming spot, just outside the pavilion, and arranged for some extras to come and help us decide character positioning. We quickly filmed our opening sequence, using Claudia's phone, and looked through the footage to decide what we thought was a good idea, and what didn't look good on camera. Eventually we came to the conclusion that the people at the funeral might need to be split up, to make it clearer that there is a man in the background, because on the footage it was difficult to see whether he was in the scene of whether we had just cut to a different location entirely. After overcoming this, as well as a few other obstacles, mainly concerning the character positioning in certain shots, as well as the positioning of the coffin, we began to film our final piece of test footage.










Although we found that the footage looked correct, we didn't find the idea thrilling or compelling enough, and soon after we decided that we needed to change some vital elements of our piece. We found that the whole scene its self was too complicated for a two minute video, and after considering the time we would be given, realized that we would not be able to present our idea understandably in just two minutes. While I found this frustrating, I felt that the change was necessary as we did need to inject more thrilling elements into the sequence, and after talking to Mike about this, he explained we did not need a vastly complex opening scene, and that we could use a simple idea, like someone digging up a grave. We decided to alter the idea, but keep it set in a graveyard, as we felt it added a slightly frightening element to the sequence, and from this developed a new, and in my opinion, much better idea.

In conclusion, I found that the test shoot was very useful in helping us define what was wrong with our piece,after watching over our footage we were able to tell which ideas worked and which were not suitable for our sequence. And after realizing these mistakes, we were able to successfully create a better, more thrilling idea. 

Why Is Genre Used? What is a Thriller Genre?

Why is Genre used?
Genre is mainly used to determine the experience the audience will have while watching the film, and from this, appeal to a specific audience. For example, when going to see a horror movie the majority of the audience of such a film would be interested in horror films and looking to be scared, however, when seeing a romance, the audience would have been attracted by the conventions of a romance film.

What is a Convention? Why/How are they used?
Conventions are certain stereotypes that are associated with a genre, for example, roses are a common convention of romance films, due to the romantic nature. Conventions are commonly used to appeal to an audience within a film and to inform them what type of film they should expect, from the one being advertised, this give the audience grounds to base which film the audience would like to watch.

What is a Thriller Genre? And What Conventions are Thrillers Associated With?
Thriller is a specific genre that contains its own specific conventions that certain films match. For example, films such as 'Heat' fit perfectly into the Thriller genre. Commonly found in thrillers are; exciting plotlines, in which the protagonist is chasing or being chased, a shocking twist or discovery and usually contain tense situations. Thrillers are a widely enjoyed, as there are so many variations, the sub-genres of thriller spread out across a multitude of different styles.

Thriller Sub-Genres

Sub-Genres of Thrillers
There are many variations of sub-genres in the Thriller genre, these are a few examples:

Psychological Thrillers

Films such as 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' can be classified under the Psychological Thriller, as the plotline revolves around the unstable mental state of the protagonist, which leads to many of the events in the film. Psychological thrillers tend to be less violent than other variations, however, there are some exceptions.

Supernatural Thriller

Supernatural Thrillers focus more on extra-ordinary other-worldly encounters and how they affect the character, however tension is usually built in a similar way to some Horror movies and the supernatural 'being' is shown later on in the film. An example of a popular supernatural thriller is 'What Lies Beneath'.

Comedy Thriller

Although Comedy Thrillers are less common than other sub-genres the plot usually involves a comedic protagonist or plotline, however thriller elements are mixed in, for example, in 'Mr and Mrs Smith' the plotline is trivial and many of the situations in the film are amusing, however, there are thrilling elements such as the shootout scene in the house.

Legal Thriller

Legal Thrillers most commonly involve a courtroom and a lawyer, the protagonist is usually someone who is a key individual in the outcome of the case, such as a lawyer or judge, the film 'Witness' could be considered a Legal Thriller although it does not take place entirely in a courtroom, the film has enough legal basis for it to fit into the sub genre.

Crime Thrillers

Crime Thrillers, unlike Legal Thrillers, usually take place at the crime scene itself, the protagonist is usually the criminal, and the audience usually experience shoot outs and car chases, much like a film in the Crime genre, however, the circumstances are usually thrilling enough and supply a significant twist, so as to include it in the Sub Genre. An example of a Crime Thriller could be 'The Silence of the Lambs'.

In my opinion the psychological thriller and the supernatural thrillers are most appealing to use in our thriller opening sequence, I feel that the slight horror elements that are enveloped in these thriller sub genres add to the suspense and thrilling nature of our piece the most effectively. We would also be able to work well with these, as our idea of being buried alive could be manipulated to become very thrilling.

Introduction to Genre

What is a Genre?

A genre is a category in which different types of films enter into, depending on their conventions, for example, a film like 'Taken' would correspond with the requirements to fit into the 'Thriller' genre. However, there are other definitions that can more specifically define a film, such as a sub-genre or a hybrid genre. Examples of these could be a 'Psychological Thriller' (Shutter Island/ Sub-genre) and a 'Disaster Thriller' (Dante's Peak/ Hybrid genre). However these definitions are required, as many thrillers are significantly different from one another, for example, thrillers such as 'Mr and Mrs Smith' differ entirely from 'Taken'. The comic undertones in 'Mr and Mrs Smith' are mixed with strong elements of thrillers to create a funny yet thrilling film. However 'Taken' focuses on the more serious elements of a thriller, and the focus is almost entirely on thrilling the audience. However we are still presented with two films that share the same thrilling aspect. Although they create and achieve this aspect in different ways, on a basic level, the films are similar. In both films we are presented with thrilling shootouts and car chases, and the audience's response would be similar when watching either film. Within a genre however, films share many of the same traits, for example, in a crime thriller, the audience would expect to be watching a film that not only thrills but also involves the audience with the crime in question, while also providing the audience with a fair amount of action, however, not as much as many action films include.

Minute Meetings

18 November 2014

What have you done?

We planned locations and angles for scenes.

Decided what props we need.

Decided how much time we will spend shooting at each location.

Targets:

Tom: To ask if you are allowed an hour out of the music video.

Eliza:

Freddy: Think in more detail about the Pavilion scene.

Claudia: Make a Facebook group and add us all so we can share pictures etc from the lesson.

Good vs Bad:

What went well and why:

Decided where we want to film and how we will film scenes in the classroom.

What went bad and why:

Didn't discuss fully what we are going to film at the Pavilion & the angles we will use. Didn't have enough time as we thought of the idea at the end of the lesson.

19 November 2014

What have you done?

Today, we focused on our thriller length and complexity, and decided it was too long for an introduction sequence. We completed our story board for tomorrows practice lesson. We created a Whatsapp group so we could communicate more easily. We fitted our sequence into around two minutes and finalized the locations and props for tomorrow.

Targets:

Tom: To find time from the music video to go and take part in the practice film session.

Eliza: Finish the storyboard drawings.

Freddy: Check over the original idea, make sure we haven't missed anything that could make our sequence more thrilling.

Claudia: Contact each of the group to make sure Whatsapp works.

Good vs Bad

What went well:

We established a way of contacting each other easily, so we can organize things when we are at home. We also managed to decide on a story that will fit roughly into the timespan.

What didn't go well:

We wasted a little time deciding on ideas that would fit into the timespan and still be tense.

20 November 2014

Today we filmed the reccy shoot filming each shot in chronological order, each in one take.

Targets:

Claudia-upload videos onto laptop so we have back up copies.

Eliza-

Tom-catch up on what missed and go through what problems came up

Freddy-

Group- discuss ways to lengthen the sequence. Maybe we could write some dialogue so that there is more substance to the shots so they don't seem as long.

WWW- it was useful to see how the shot pieced together and it helped us to get a more visual idea of how our thoughts worked together, therefore making it easier to adapt and add in ideas to our sequence to improve it.

WWB- we need to discuss in more detail how to extend the sequence as it only came up to a minute. so that held us back as we were running out of ideas and we need to discuss in more detail how to adapt our idea.

MINUTE MEETING (21/11/14)

What has worked well:

    To increase the tension we positioned 'claudia' in the background to show a hooded figure in the background which the girl cant see. this worked well we thought as it shows the thrilling side of the opening scene opening the question of "who is the person in the background?"

    Another thing that worked well we felt was the camera angle we used to show the girls face expressions of fear and vulnerability. we used a closeup which worked really well to show these emotions to the audience and increase suspense of whats going to happen to her.

What didn't work so well:

    We felt the general pace of the opening scene wasnt quite right and we maybe need to work on that to make it quicker and therefore more tense or slower and slower. This definitely is a weakness of the piece at the moment as it isn't flowing very well with the pace we used in the tester film.

    Also to improve the piece we think that we could add more to it whether thats mroe sound or another twist or even cut things out and replace them with other ideas because most of the group agree at the moment the stroyline isn't strong enough to create that thrilling effect on its own but needs more to be successful.

24 November 2014

What have you done:

Noticed our idea was still too complex and we were trying to channel too many ideas into one, Decided final idea, of being at a funeral, we see a lot of sad people and then the camera pans down to the coffin & we see the woman is alive. It then cuts to a man laughing. We also talked through a few points for the pitch

Targets:

Eliza: prepare pitch for tomorrow

Freddy: create a story board for the pitch tomorrow

Claudia: inform tom on what he missed in today's lesson.

WWW:

today we discussed what was bad in our idea and what we could do to make it better, we finally decided our final idea & everyone is happy with it. Decided who was going to present the pitch & who is going to write feedback.

WWB:

Left it quite late to decide our final idea, which made our overall summary & opening sequence suffer. We didn't really have a clear pitch, we just talked through a few ideas of what we want to include, as eliza is presenting the pitch, she is going to finish it at home.

26 November 2014

We started to make mood boards which we created through any photos which we felt connected to our opening scene of our thriller piece. These included the inside of a coffin and the different shots we might use to show her trapped such as point of view angles or closeups. Also to our mood board we added words such as 'trapped' setting the scene of the tense situation shes in. Also we looked at the type of graveyard the coffin would be buried in and added those pictrues to the mood board.Also we added pictures of the girl who would be in the coffina and the general look we imagine her to have.

Targets (all pretty much the same)

Eliza=continue looking for photos for the mood board

Claudia= the same

Tom (if able to )= also look for some photos which link with the ideas for our thriller title sequence

Freddy= same

18 November 2014

What have you done?

We planned locations and angles for scenes.

Decided what props we need.

Decided how much time we will spend shooting at each location.

Targets:

Tom: To ask if you are allowed an hour out of the music video.

Eliza:

Freddy: Think in more detail about the Pavilion scene.

Claudia: Make a Facebook group and add us all so we can share pictures etc from the lesson.

Good vs Bad:

What went well and why:

Decided where we want to film and how we will film scenes in the classroom.

What went bad and why:

Didn't discuss fully what we are going to film at the Pavilion & the angles we will use. Didn't have enough time as we thought of the idea at the end of the lesson.

19 November 2014

What have you done?

Today, we focused on our thriller length and complexity, and decided it was too long for an introduction sequence. We completed our story board for tomorrows practice lesson. We created a Whatsapp group so we could communicate more easily. We fitted our sequence into around two minutes and finalized the locations and props for tomorrow.

Targets:

Tom: To find time from the music video to go and take part in the practice film session.

Eliza: Finish the storyboard drawings.

Freddy: Check over the original idea, make sure we haven't missed anything that could make our sequence more thrilling.

Claudia: Contact each of the group to make sure Whatsapp works.

Good vs Bad

What went well:

We established a way of contacting each other easily, so we can organize things when we are at home. We also managed to decide on a story that will fit roughly into the timespan.

What didn't go well:

We wasted a little time deciding on ideas that would fit into the timespan and still be tense.

20 November 2014

Today we filmed the reccy shoot filming each shot in chronological order, each in one take.

Targets:

Claudia-upload videos onto laptop so we have back up copies.

Eliza-

Tom-catch up on what missed and go through what problems came up

Freddy-

Group- discuss ways to lengthen the sequence. Maybe we could write some dialogue so that there is more substance to the shots so they don't seem as long.

WWW- it was useful to see how the shot pieced together and it helped us to get a more visual idea of how our thoughts worked together, therefore making it easier to adapt and add in ideas to our sequence to improve it.

WWB- we need to discuss in more detail how to extend the sequence as it only came up to a minute. so that held us back as we were running out of ideas and we need to discuss in more detail how to adapt our idea.

MINUTE MEETING (21/11/14)

What has worked well:

    To increase the tension we positioned 'claudia' in the background to show a hooded figure in the background which the girl cant see. this worked well we thought as it shows the thrilling side of the opening scene opening the question of "who is the person in the background?"

    Another thing that worked well we felt was the camera angle we used to show the girls face expressions of fear and vulnerability. we used a closeup which worked really well to show these emotions to the audience and increase suspense of whats going to happen to her.

What didn't work so well:

    We felt the general pace of the opening scene wasnt quite right and we maybe need to work on that to make it quicker and therefore more tense or slower and slower. This definitely is a weakness of the piece at the moment as it isn't flowing very well with the pace we used in the tester film.

    Also to improve the piece we think that we could add more to it whether thats mroe sound or another twist or even cut things out and replace them with other ideas because most of the group agree at the moment the stroyline isn't strong enough to create that thrilling effect on its own but needs more to be successful.

24 November 2014

What have you done:

Noticed our idea was still too complex and we were trying to channel too many ideas into one, Decided final idea, of being at a funeral, we see a lot of sad people and then the camera pans down to the coffin & we see the woman is alive. It then cuts to a man laughing. We also talked through a few points for the pitch

Targets:

Eliza: prepare pitch for tomorrow

Freddy: create a story board for the pitch tomorrow

Claudia: inform tom on what he missed in today's lesson.

WWW:

today we discussed what was bad in our idea and what we could do to make it better, we finally decided our final idea & everyone is happy with it. Decided who was going to present the pitch & who is going to write feedback.

WWB:

Left it quite late to decide our final idea, which made our overall summary & opening sequence suffer. We didn't really have a clear pitch, we just talked through a few ideas of what we want to include, as eliza is presenting the pitch, she is going to finish it at home.

26 November 2014

We started to make mood boards which we created through any photos which we felt connected to our opening scene of our thriller piece. These included the inside of a coffin and the different shots we might use to show her trapped such as point of view angles or closeups. Also to our mood board we added words such as 'trapped' setting the scene of the tense situation shes in. Also we looked at the type of graveyard the coffin would be buried in and added those pictrues to the mood board.Also we added pictures of the girl who would be in the coffina and the general look we imagine her to have.

Targets (all pretty much the same)

Eliza=continue looking for photos for the mood board

Claudia= the same

Tom (if able to )= also look for some photos which link with the ideas for our thriller title sequence

Freddy= same

18 November 2014

What have you done?

We planned locations and angles for scenes.

Decided what props we need.

Decided how much time we will spend shooting at each location.

Targets:

Tom: To ask if you are allowed an hour out of the music video.

Eliza:

Freddy: Think in more detail about the Pavilion scene.

Claudia: Make a Facebook group and add us all so we can share pictures etc from the lesson.

Good vs Bad:

What went well and why:

Decided where we want to film and how we will film scenes in the classroom.

What went bad and why:

Didn't discuss fully what we are going to film at the Pavilion & the angles we will use. Didn't have enough time as we thought of the idea at the end of the lesson.

19 November 2014

What have you done?

Today, we focused on our thriller length and complexity, and decided it was too long for an introduction sequence. We completed our story board for tomorrows practice lesson. We created a Whatsapp group so we could communicate more easily. We fitted our sequence into around two minutes and finalized the locations and props for tomorrow.

Targets:

Tom: To find time from the music video to go and take part in the practice film session.

Eliza: Finish the storyboard drawings.

Freddy: Check over the original idea, make sure we haven't missed anything that could make our sequence more thrilling.

Claudia: Contact each of the group to make sure Whatsapp works.

Good vs Bad

What went well:

We established a way of contacting each other easily, so we can organize things when we are at home. We also managed to decide on a story that will fit roughly into the timespan.

What didn't go well:

We wasted a little time deciding on ideas that would fit into the timespan and still be tense.

20 November 2014

Today we filmed the reccy shoot filming each shot in chronological order, each in one take.

Targets:

Claudia-upload videos onto laptop so we have back up copies.

Eliza-

Tom-catch up on what missed and go through what problems came up

Freddy-

Group- discuss ways to lengthen the sequence. Maybe we could write some dialogue so that there is more substance to the shots so they don't seem as long.

WWW- it was useful to see how the shot pieced together and it helped us to get a more visual idea of how our thoughts worked together, therefore making it easier to adapt and add in ideas to our sequence to improve it.

WWB- we need to discuss in more detail how to extend the sequence as it only came up to a minute. so that held us back as we were running out of ideas and we need to discuss in more detail how to adapt our idea.

MINUTE MEETING (21/11/14)

What has worked well:

    To increase the tension we positioned 'claudia' in the background to show a hooded figure in the background which the girl cant see. this worked well we thought as it shows the thrilling side of the opening scene opening the question of "who is the person in the background?"

    Another thing that worked well we felt was the camera angle we used to show the girls face expressions of fear and vulnerability. we used a closeup which worked really well to show these emotions to the audience and increase suspense of whats going to happen to her.

What didn't work so well:

    We felt the general pace of the opening scene wasnt quite right and we maybe need to work on that to make it quicker and therefore more tense or slower and slower. This definitely is a weakness of the piece at the moment as it isn't flowing very well with the pace we used in the tester film.

    Also to improve the piece we think that we could add more to it whether thats mroe sound or another twist or even cut things out and replace them with other ideas because most of the group agree at the moment the stroyline isn't strong enough to create that thrilling effect on its own but needs more to be successful.

24 November 2014

What have you done:

Noticed our idea was still too complex and we were trying to channel too many ideas into one, Decided final idea, of being at a funeral, we see a lot of sad people and then the camera pans down to the coffin & we see the woman is alive. It then cuts to a man laughing. We also talked through a few points for the pitch

Targets:

Eliza: prepare pitch for tomorrow

Freddy: create a story board for the pitch tomorrow

Claudia: inform tom on what he missed in today's lesson.

WWW:

today we discussed what was bad in our idea and what we could do to make it better, we finally decided our final idea & everyone is happy with it. Decided who was going to present the pitch & who is going to write feedback.

WWB:

Left it quite late to decide our final idea, which made our overall summary & opening sequence suffer. We didn't really have a clear pitch, we just talked through a few ideas of what we want to include, as eliza is presenting the pitch, she is going to finish it at home.

26 November 2014

We started to make mood boards which we created through any photos which we felt connected to our opening scene of our thriller piece. These included the inside of a coffin and the different shots we might use to show her trapped such as point of view angles or closeups. Also to our mood board we added words such as 'trapped' setting the scene of the tense situation shes in. Also we looked at the type of graveyard the coffin would be buried in and added those pictrues to the mood board.Also we added pictures of the girl who would be in the coffina and the general look we imagine her to have.

Targets (all pretty much the same)

Eliza=continue looking for photos for the mood board

Claudia= the same

Tom (if able to )= also look for some photos which link with the ideas for our thriller title sequence

Freddy= same

Moodboard

To create our moodboard we collected various different images that portrayed the kind of emotions we felt would be useful in our thriller. We aimed to find claustrophobic, dark and slightly frightening images to give us inspiration for our thriller ideas.

We felt that extreme close up shots fitted our style of thriller well, while the on going factor of a timer added the thrilling aspect to the sequence. We also felt that an establishing shot of a quiet graveyard would add a serene atmosphere to it.