Location, Props & Actors

Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre
The opening to each thriller follows codes and conventions, depending on the genre of the thriller. It helps to build, tension, suspense and mystery, whilst also giving subtle hints as to what the rest of the thriller is to be based on. Mise en scene, camera, sound and editing all contribute to setting the correct atmosphere for the genre of the thriller. Some conventions that are to be included are;
Quick snappy shots which adds to the excitement for the rest of the film
Edits are quick, more than likely straight cuts, which again adds to the excitment and helps to set a repetitive pace for the opening sequence. 

After coming to the conclusion that we were going to have 'ghost hunt' style thriller, with it being a useful option as my mum runs a company that does ghost hunts. We discovered it would be a good idea to try and make the most of this by using one of her locations. After discussing with my mum about which location would be best for us to use, we came to the conclusion that a haunted castle would be good and useful also when it came to the time period in which we needed to film. The castle that was to be used and for our thriller to be based around was 'Tutbury Castle'. This location was took into consideration when planning, for example when we were creating the storyboard, however as I was the only one who had been there previously, it was my responsibility in order to tell my group what the location is to look like when drawing each picture.

Tutbury Castle is a largely ruinous medieval castle at Tutbury, Staffordshire, England, in the ownership of the Duchy of Lancaster. The castle is currently leased by Lesley Smith, famous for appearing on the TV show Most Haunted.Tutbury Castle became the headquarters of Henry de Ferrers and was the centre of the wapentake of Appletree, which included Duffiel frith. With his wife Bertha, he endowed Tutbury Priory with two manors in about 1080. It would seem that Tutbury at that time was a dependency of the Norman abbey of St Pierre-sur-Dives. The castle was destroyed by Prince Edward in 1264 after the rebellion of Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby. In 1269, after a further rebellion the lands were given toEdmund Crouchback and have remained part of the Duchy of Lancaster. Apart from the 12th century chapel the ruins date from the 14th and 15th centuries when the castle was rebuilt. Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned in the castle in the 16th century.


Props
When it came to the props that we would be needing to use, we understood that the particular props we would need would be ones that are generally used on a ghost hunting event, these would include; ouija board (which we would get from my mums business and borrow theirs), a glass, and a table (which will be used for the table-tipping). The props are to be used in activities that will be seen throughout our thriller, however these are activities in which you would understandably notice to be used on a ghost hunt which makes it realistic.


Actors
With our thriller being in a 'ghost hunt' style it seemed as though it was to be based around what was going on within the surroundings, with no influence from actors.. this was to make it more realistic again and makes anything that does happen a lot more unexpected, which is what would improve our thriller when filming.
However people were to be used in our thriller as when it comes to the activities, we need people to be puting their fingers on the glass when doing the ouija board or the glass moving and we will need peoples hands on the table when doing table tipping, this will all be needed in order for the paranormal activities to go ahead within our thriller, but we were to go with the more simple option of just using the people within our group.
The people who will be used within our group will be Lizzie and Kristina.

Lizzie will be wearing something similar to this outfit;

And Kristina will be wearing something similar to this outfit;

Both outfits, will be suitable. As they are quite fashionable which will help identify them as young women. However they are quite warm too which will begood for the outside filming and the idea that they are on a 'ghost hunt'.

Both actors will be 'ghost hunters' if used, they will be; Elizabeth Tye (shown first) & Kristina Lowe (shown second)

Planning for Thriller

To begin with for our Thriller it was essential that we put together our ideas, we put together our views after looking at previous thillers that have already done well, one of theses was 'paranormal activity', we then came to the conclusion that doing a Ghost hunt/paranormal theme would be a good idea as my mum runs a company that does ghost hunting and it means there is more chance of getting more easy access into getting together everything we need, including location and props. After thinking up this idea we put together a mind map, where we included every aspect that may have to be included. We analysed everything that we would have to take into consideration when creating our thriller and i wrote it all down.
Our mind map consisted of ideas such as; the camera shots angles and positions, the cast, the mise en scene, the sounds and editing. Everything that will have an effect when it comes to the opening sequence to our own thriller.

After Creating a mind Map in order to build our idea of doing a ghost hunt theme, we then looked more closely as to how our opening sequence was going to be structured. In order to do this we put together a storyboard which meant we were able to plan shot by shot and describe what they were to be like, this would then make our filming a lot easier as we would have more of an idea as to what we were to do. It also helped us to come up with how fast or slow we wanted each clip to be and what type of shot each of them were to be. We decided to go for quite a mysterious but fast pace in clips that were to change ever couple of seconds.

Our storyboard consisted of the following;
The first shot will consist of the gates at Tutbury Castle which is the location as to where all our filming will take place, this shot will show a straight shot of the gates, which then slightly jolts. Then there will be a very quick flash of a birds eye view with lots of pairs of hands on a table, which will show them about to do an act called table tipping. The room will be dark, as this will help to create more of a haunted atmosphere. After this there will be a quick flash of the shots which will cut back to the gates in which will be opening, we will then see the camera move through the gates to represent people walking through them into tutbury castle grounds. when it comes to the audio, you will be able to hear footsteps. The shot will then pan left in order to show gravestones, which will again give off a haunted effect. The camera then zooms in on a grave stone making sure that the writing is easily read. This will also add a more haunted atmosphere in order to give off a sense as to what our thriller is to be about. The shot will then pan right across the front of Tutbury Castle.

We will then see a shot of the front of the mansion door, this will be a straight shot. The shot will resume as people enter into the shot and are seen walking through the door. we will then get a quick birds eye view shot of a ouija board, this will help the audience to guess what is going to happen in the rest of the thriller. We will then see the shot go through the door and there will then be a slow panning shot of the first room which you walk into. during this there will be a flash of a glass with two fingertips touching it at the base and it will be moving at a fast speed across the table. And finally we will see a main establishing shot of the castle which will jolt like previously.
Music often is loud, with increasing throughout the opening until reaching a climax, this helps to build suspense.
The lighting is usually dark, and shadows are often used which helps to create mystery for the thriller.



Thriller research- Se7en



'Se7en' was produced in 1995 and was directed by David Fincher. it is based around two detectives as they take part in an investigation of a serial killer using the seven deadly sins as his motive.

Camera shots
In the opening credits to 'se7en' there are a number of different close up shots used, usually in thirllers this would be used to leave the audience guessing as to where they are, creating a sense of mystery, however in this particular opening credits a lot of the close ups are used to focus on someones hands, although it is showing us what the hands are doing, the strageness of it all leaves the audience wondering where they are and why the hands are doing what is shown and also possibly who the hands belong to. Although from what is shown, there are given strange but subtle hints as to what the film is about, the whole mystery created from the close ups helps to build a lot of suspense.Because it is recognised, that it is best to give subtle hints but not give away the story line completely during opening credits, it is regular of thrillers to use close ups in order to help them do this. In this clip a lot of the close ups are used at the leve of the page when the unknown person is writing, and if not then it would be from a birds eye view as if we were seeing it from their point of view whilst they were writing, this encourages the audience to feel more involved as if they were their and to possibly get the subtle hints that are given but from the villains perspective. Also throughout theses close ups, as well as the hands, it also seems to be highly based around the book itself, which suggests that it has a high significance in the film as well as the words that are shown to be highlighted, this leaves the audience to be guessing, building tension. The high angled shots and bird eye view shots are used on a number of occasion again trying to begin the storylin and give the subtle hints from the perspective of perhaps the villain.

Editing
The editing within the opening credits of Se7en has been used to make the clips quick and short, this helps to build the suspense especially when put with the correct sounds, it also allows the clip to give away more subtle hints. They use a lot of straight cuts in order to help build that atmosphere of it being at a fast pace creating suspense. By having so many subtle hints, it leaves the audience intrigued rather than thinnking that they have sussed the storyline out straight away. Th fast pasce, quick shots builds the excitement which is a classic convention with the thriller genre.
A lot of mirroring is used within the clips, in order to let the audience look more closely to what they are watching and help create the sense of mystery by using the clip to give away hints, but manipulating and mirroring it in order to let the audience guess straigh away, it helps to create difficulty for them, leaving them with a challenge.
A lot of the titles are given with  black background, and white font, however the onces shown on the blackk backgrounds, expand vertically or shake horizontally, this carries on with the sens of a fast pace in order to build excitment. Although some titles, again shown in white font are put onto the more shadowed parts of some clips, this helps to create the idea that the oening sequence is not structured in anyway, making it all more difficult to figure out, again creating a challenge for the audience.

Sound
The music that is used in the opening sequence of 'se7en' introduces different sounds at random times, this creates the idea of it being unstructered and hard to figure out, leaving the audience with a sense of mystery and challenge. Although there is a repetitive beat used within in it, this is a fast beat, which goes with the idea of it being a fast pace opening sequence, in order to build suspense and excitment, which are two classic conventions of a thriller. We also hear many high pitch sounds which are generaly known to make the audience want to put their fingers in their ears or shock them, this could be used to help represent the un pleasentness of the film itself.
It begins with and continues to use, what seems to be a similar sound as to what it would be like if it were thundering. Thundering is genrally seen as a tye of weather that people would not like, creating a sense of darkness, again this could have the conotations that the film is to be one that also creates a sense of unhappiness and darkness andperhaps scare.
The music ends with the line "you got me closer to god", this is after seeing a clip of the word 'GOD' being cut out of what looks to be like a news paper, this could have the conotations that the film is to based around religion and leaves the opening sequence on a cliffhanger with the audience left thinking.

Mise en scene
We are unable to see what the person is wering as the closeups make sure that we do not get to see them, creating that sense of mystery and the idea that it is the villain who does not want to be identified.
We also see a blade used, this could represent the danger of the person being filmed and their access to dangerous things. The fact that they use in on themselves, suggests that they are not someone who is highly sensitive when it comes to hurting the human body.
We also see the book and pen being used a lot, with words being highlighted or just genrally being jotted down, the connotations of this would be that the person doing so, would be well organised and planned, which could suggest the plot of what the thriller is to be, may be also. This is also seen with the pictures the person in the clip seems to have posseion and the equipment that they have in order to do things with the pictures. This also suggests that they know what they are doing.



Thriller research- Paranormal Activity 2



Directored by Tod Williams, Paranormal Activity 2 is about a family who sets up security cameras around their home after “break in’s”, only to realize that the events unfolding before them are more sinister than they seem.


Camera work
the camera work all seems very natural, this is likely to be because they are trying to make it look as if it were a video camera set up by the actors themselves, in their home, in order to carry out their own investigation.  Some of it is also made to look like it is a CCTV camera; this is done by the high angle still shots on their pool, the baby’s bedroom, the kitchen and the sitting room, looking as if it is place in the top corner of the rooms. This is to make the horror all that more realistic, this suggests that with it being a paranormal thriller, everything we see is real, as there is a lack of editing of the camera work that has been done.  Night vision is used also to give off the impression that they are doing their own investigation, again giving off the impression that everything that happens is real.
The only real movement of the camera is when something is thrown at it and it is knocked over, usually during filming, this would be considered as a fault and would be deleted however it is all part of creating the feeling of it all being so real and through their own home investigation.

Editing
A lack of editing is used or needed throughout the opening sequence of Paranormal Activity 2, this is because they are trying to give the impression of it being a ‘home video’ or footage off CCTV cameras. They may have altered the footage to be in night vision. Also at the beginning we see the black and white lines on the screen as if to say there is a fault in the camera, this would have been added and used for the effect to symbolise that the camera plays an important role in the film but not all goes well.
The whole purpose of having limited editing is very essential with this thriller as the more realistic it is the better it is.

Sound
At the beginning of the opening sequence to Paranormal Activity, when the black and white lines come on the screen as if to suggest that there is a fault with the camera,  we also hear a fuzziness with the sound, as you would if it happened on the tv, this also helps to give off the effect that there is a fault with the camera, symbolising the importance it may have in the thriller and how not everything goes well.
The background sound is generally very difficult to here, this is to carry on giving off that naturalistic effect in order to make everything seem real. However when a person is lifted of the ground the volume dramatically increases twice, once when they are lifted off the ground and another once they hit the wall, the sound is still very relevant, as it is the type of sound that you would expect to hear if that were to happen.
The diegetic sound purposely continues when the shots that are made to look like CCTV shots are used, for example we hear the dog barking, in the kitchen we here the pots banging and in the garden we hear the birds. The fact that all the noise is mainly diegetic suggests it is naturalistic, which helps the audience to see everything that goes on to be more realistic.

Mise en scene
In the opening sequence to Paranormal Activity 2.. All the costumes, aren’t in anyway suprising or different in any way. They are what you would expect each family member to be wearing.
All props are also nothing you would not expect to be in a family home.
All the lighting is light during the day and night vision is used at night yet we can gather it is dark.
The fact that everything is so normal, implies that it is all real, suggesting that everything the goes on is more real. And with it being a paranormal thriller, the more real it all seems, the more thrilling it is!



Introduction to Thriller

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television that includes numerous and often overlapping sub-genres. Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains.
One of cinema's largest, all-encompassing genres, this type features films whose main ingredient is suspense, excitement and tension. These include such genres as mystery, detective movies, gangster movies, crime, spy films, science fiction, film noir, occult and haunted house horror movies.

Assessment Of Task

i do feel as though everything could have gone a lot smoother, as it didnt go completely how we would have liked it to. Within our clip the camera freezes on a frame, twice i think it is. Howevre we thought that once it had been exported that this would no longer be the case, but we were wrong. Because we couldnt fully get the editing or the footage up to scratch so we concentrated souly on the audio, and creating a real suspense within our clip. We added sound such as a heartbeat that would really create the tension within our clip.
Altogether i feel as though we worked well in a group, and our clip in the end heled to represent this. Im happy with the result even though it didnt go entirely to plan. I think it leaves the audience guessing, and this is exactly what it was inteded to do.
If i could change anything then it would that the clip does not freeze on two frames, however we did try and over come this through editing, and they arent hugely long freezes anyway. I think we got a lot of good footage and our ideas were put together well.
if there is anything i could of done more of, it would have been editing, howevere i do feel as though i had a decent amount of input into this process.
I am happy with our idea and the way the clip turned out in the end.

Final Cut

Editing 2

In our second part of editing it seemed as though not all was going well, some of the footage was not working properly on the computers, but we put this down to the idea that the schools computer was likely to just be running slowly and kept freezing, this is because James had done some at home and all was working fine on his computer. As i do not have many free periods i did not have much free time to come and work on more of the editing unlike James, however this did not stop me doing what i could during lessons, and i did not hold back to say what could be changed and how ect.. i also took any extra time i had to come up with new ideas that could be included, i do feel as though everyones strong points were took into consideration and this meant that everyone had something to work on during each media lesson.

Editing

We started off our editing by uploading everything we had off both cameras and deciding what we wanted and what we didn't want, we didnt use quite a lot of footage that we filmed, this was because the same scenes were filmed on more than one occasion, to ensure that we had the best take of it, meaning that once they were all put together everything that was filmed will look good within our clip, and all that was needed is some good editing. Howevere before hand we did come across the problem that the footage on James' camera did not safe to a correct software in whcih meant that it could be used in school, and he was therefore kind enough to take it home and use a software converter so that we could continue to edit successfully over the next few lessons. The software that all the footage was used in was Adobe cs4 premiur pro, as none of us had ever used this software before it took a while to begin with in order for us to get used to it and be able to make the most of the software. James had a lot of control over the mouse when it came to editing, however input was given from everyone in the group, i came up with the idea of possibly editing some of our high angle footage on James' camera, to make it in the style of a CCTV camera, this way it made it more realistic. After getting the hang of the editing software, it no longer seemed as difficult to use as i originally thought, howvere i do feel as though i could have had a little more control over the mouse when it came to actually editing rather than just giving input.

Filming

To begin with in this lesson after getting to our location Dougie and Myself helped to move things around a little to make the camera shots better, stephanie and Jame bought in their own cameras, both were used. Me ans Stephanie decided to do the filming.. However Stephanie did do most of the camera work itself, although i did help to guide and ensure that every angle was accessible a long with holding the light of the other camera when it was needed. James was an actor who played the hostage, and Dougie was the other actor who was the one holding James hostage. Both played their roles well, and Dougie also helped to hold the camera from a high angle in order to get the sense of a CCTV camera when it was needed. i ensured that feedback was given by myself, which meant going through parts of the clip a few times before getting the best results.
We did come across a few drawbacks, such as a teacher telling us we were unable to use the store cuboard and that it was meant to have been locked meaning there was meant to be no access to it for us in the first place, however after talking through it we managed to keep our chosen location for that 2 hour lesson of filming, meaning that we had to ensure that it was all done in time, howevere after working well as a group.. we managed to do so. We also had troubles when it came to the safety especially of James, for example the idea that he had a black sack on his head tied with string as well as his wrists, we just made sure that nothing was tied to tight, but just looks as though it is, this meant that it was easy for James to pull of the bag when it was needed to within the clip, and we also made sure that there were holes within the bag so that he was able to see and breathe. Another problem we had was the fact that none of us had used the particular fake blood before and therefore did not know whether or not its stained, we managed to get over this by testing it beforehand, meaning that we were able to find out that it did not and therefore was used successfully.

Preliminary Task and Planning

During this lesson, we were gathering ideas as to what we were going to do our clip on..
We began by discussing the topic and any ideas that came to mind, we then put them to paper with a breif mind map, i contributed well with ideas and was the one that came up with the final 'hostage' idea, in which was then discussed in more detail with everyone. From this we decided upon what sort of actions and diologue would go into our clip. this resulted in us putting ideas such as the hostage being kicked once the person keeping him there enters the room and the idea that they are to be tied up and look like they are a realistic hostage situation, with the idea that they might begin to feel around them to try and get some sort of of sense as to where it is they are, and finally the possibility that the hostage is made to begin a video, which is commonly seen by the public when someone is in this situation.
I then created a storyboard to show all our ideas for our clip and how it was going to be presented, I did this at home.
 we then had to think of aspects such as the location, the sort of shots and lighting we would use was all discussed along with every other aspect that would contribute towards our clip includign the props that could be used. after thinking through with all these things, in which everyone contributored, we then came up with the idea of using one of the store cuboards in college and it was quite cramped, only one door and easily accessible, i thought of the idea of possibly using a black sack/bag to put over the hostages head, with some string to tie their arms together, and James also bought in som fake blood, all of these were used to try and make it all seem a lot more realistic. We went for dark lighting so that we could use a sort of cctv style footage within our clip.
When it came to Diologue we came to the decision to limit it a bit and use special effects and the banging around from what we get in the filming to build most of the suspense. However knowing that we must include more we decided that when Dougie walked in the room he would shout "get up" after kicking james in the stomach whilst lying on the floor - suggesting that he had already been previously beaten. James would then groan. Once James had had a feel around (which is when most of the sound would be noticed), Dougie then re-enters the room, throws him against the wall, puts a camera and not to his face and shouts "say this", and finally James looks at the camera and says "im being held hostage"We decided who was then to do what, and came to the decision that me and Stephanie would contribute mostly towards filming where as Dougie and James would contribute more towards acting.