Naming the Thriller

Naming our thriller was influenced by TV Drama's, such as Dexter, for an eponymous Hero which resulted in naming the thriller 'Crowe'; the surname of our main character. The simple title makes it memorable, and gives the audience a small insight on who the film will be about before watching it on a screen (assuming they'd somehow missed the trailer). Crowe also fits in with the theme and style of thrillers as Crowe sounds like the crow bird, which are nasty, annoying little rats with wings which are usually seen in a thrilling or tense part of a film or story.

We did take other ideas into consideration such as a title which is symbolic to the thriller opening sequence, however we did not want to give what happens away in the title before the sequence had even started. Our thriller starts giving no clue as to where the plot is heading. It's not until the alley half way through do we have some insight, and that's where the climax happens.

Titles such as "Se7en" and "Casino Royal" are brilliant and what because they're symbolic and doesn't give too much away so that the audience had already guessed the story before it's started. The problem for us was we did not film a full thriller, but just the three minute opening so the title would not be justifiable if its about the plot later on in the film.

Question 6

Technology!

Different Media resources used!

During my whole media As Level I have learnt how to use many media programmes to present work in which i did not realise was available. For example PhotoPeach. I didn't realise this website existed and it is such a simple easy way to present photo's in an attractive and stylised presentation. All that is needed is a profile, upload photos from your computer and the website does all the hard work of creating the presentation. Next step is to upload music from either music available on the website, or from a youtube video. The website again placing the music to the presentation and it is complete!

Powerpoint have been used in a few of my blog posts for my media coursework. For example i used it during the evaluation of my thriller (Question 1). A power point is just a slide show to present information in sizable chunks with the addition of pictures. I did not learn over my time doing As media how to make a power point, i learn hot to place one on my blog.

To embed a powerpoint we need to use scribd. It is a website to upload a power point to present to an audience over the Internet. Again all we need to do to upload a powerpoint is choose the selected file and the website will convert the file into a format which is compatible. To add to our blog all we need is the embedded code.

One of my favourite ways of presenting information is using a Prezi as your not limited to what you can do, nor is there a set route or path you have to take. You're able to upload youtube videos or pictures to relate to the text on screen which can be shown in bitesize chunks. Prezi is also a collaborate programme which allows more than one person to work on the same prezi on different computer. It's great for group projects when working together.





I got the video or the powerpoint from youtube, a well known resource of finding videos to watch for free online and can be a helpful stepping stone for aspiring film makers to get their work known to the public eye. The great thing about youtube is that you will always find an audience, there will be at least one person who likes what you have created as youtube is such a big company accessible from anywhere with the Internet. I always knew how to work youtube and upload videos, but what i didn't know was how to upload a video.





Pixton is another multi-media side where we are able to create comic book strips, and is creat for storyboarding ideas together. Unfortunately i had been unable to use Pixton up until now. It's encouraging those who use it to be creative and will coax those who are not as much of a wiz on the computer to have the opportunities to be creative as those who are by the availability of templates!




Our teacher spoke to us about digital citizenship, a sense of confidence when using technology and to be apart of this growing community supporting the use of technology.

During production we used a HD canon camera. Canon's are known to be reliable and good quality and the HD proves to be useful and affective when editing our work on the quality of the image. Within the industry the quality of what is shown on screen has always been a key aspect in the media and proven the importance by the release of HD camera's and televisions "with an even better image" than the one released just a few months before.

Owning an SD card was vital if we wanted to keep hold of the footage and not have it deleted off the camera by another user. It allowed us to always know where footage was at any given point and is light, small and effective in it's use.

I learnt to use the non-linear software of 'Adobe Premiere Pro' when editing my thriller 'Crowe'. With this software i learnt how to edit, use transitions and effects to a professional level. Premiere Pro encourages creativity as it provides no templates or structures you have to follow. The creator is in complete control as to what they would like to do; the only limitation is their imagination. Premiere Pro is all in one, the sound, text, clips ect. Everything can be done on one programme which made it more simple to use than if we had to use different programmes and piece each piece together.

Question 4

I do not believe our thriller is primarily aiming for one gender more than the other as we have covered already a lot of content within the opening sequence which is aimed for each gender such as the underlying plot of the love interest between Damien and Iga and what happened for them to find themselves in the alley. We then have the main plot which involves guns, betrayal and an attractive seductress which always attracts some attention. Also the mix of both genders means that each member of the audience has a chance to connect with someone on screen, even if it is a loose connection which is solemnly on gender.

I would say the target audience age range of our thriller is young adults (20-35 years old), due to its modern take on a nitty, gritty, nasty thriller. However the thriller could appeal to those as young as 16 due to the involvement of action which comes hand in hand when a gun appears on screen. I say this because of video games; the licenced age to buy a video game which involves the action of pointing a gun at another living being is 15 years old, however the audience must have some levels on intelligence as there will be many unanswered questions.

Meet Mathew

 Mathew is a 30 year old man who loves to solve puzzles and place clues together. Mathew has a stable job which he worked towards getting by going to university, however he is worried the love of his job will interfere with his social life putting him in a predicament. He enjoys films with a strong narrative such as a plot that he can't see where its heading, or characters who are complex such as Casino Royal or Layer Cake. Even though Mathew likes strong mainstream films, he prefers to go to Cinema City as they aim for a niche and smaller and independent films.





Meet Hannah

Hannah is a 22 year old woman who's aspiration is to work as a detective as she enjoys to look for fine detail in situations which most people over look. She enjoys going to Cinema City like Mathew for the same reason as the niche, arty, small and independent films shown. When going to the cinema its always during the day rather than the evening as she fears walking around at night in the city. When sitting at home Hannah enjoys to watch films such as "Se7en" or television programmes like "White Chapel", "The Killing" and "Dexter".
Hannah loves to watch "Dexter" as its about a male morally ambiguous character who is convinced that he is murdering to the greater good, however is considered a bad person because as being a killer is never acceptable.


Meet Harry

Harry is a 17 year old boy who is a student film maker and enjoys watching unique films which play around with conventions of a genre to produce something different and unexpected. Harry loves to play on video games with first person shooter which has given him an obsession with any film with guns or a chase. Harry has a girlfriend and is worried that his friends wont like her when they meet as his friends have the potential to make or break the relationship.

Question 5

Actors

Character : Damien Crowe
Actor : Joseph Murry

Origionally Damien Crowe was going to be played by two other different actors, however logistics got in the way and Joseph Murray kindly stepped in for the role who is another media student. Changing actors to Joe did not effect the character profile as he is still appears to be a smartly dressed young man and can give the enigma illusion, especially with his hood up which Joe had suggested during post production of filming the sequence. He was able to protray Damien's emotions for the close-ups well, and it also helped that he was not camera shy due to experience of being filmed for his own personal projects.

Costume choice was kept to a big dark coat which covered most of his body so he could blend into the shadows easily and dark trousers to match. The hood we did not ask for, however worked well and came in handy; a nice idea on Joe's part.

Character : Ms River
Actor : Alicia Arnold

Ms River appears in Damien's flashbacks for not a long period of time, however acting was required due to the close-ups on her face. We also needed someone with enough confidence to be able to portray this strong, seducing woman. Alicia was the perfect choice because she has the pretty appearance with her fare skin and long blond hair (this was before we decided to put this scene in black and white). Alicia took drama GCSE and passed with an A grade so she was able to perform in front of the camera and not be camera shy.

Costume stayed to traditional Femme Fatale, the fur coat for glamour, pear necklace for class which Alicia suggested for the character.

Character : Iga
Actor : Iga Madejowska

Iga Madejowska was always originally going to play 'Iga' within the opening sequence of our thriller and the character was styled on her. As she was the main character on screen a lot of acting was required which she was able to do and achieve what was wanted.

Iga decided on the quirky leggings so she is always recognisable on screen.

Character : Veronica
Actor : Megan Edwards

Veronica was a small character who we needed Iga to interact with and pass on the confidential note for the story looked like it was going somewhere. Megan, a member of my group, offered to play the role. A lot of acting was not required as not close-ups were required and when she was on the screen the focus was not on her, but the transaction between herself and Iga. However this being said, she did do a good job.

Question 1

Question 1.pptx by ChalkieMay

Question 7

Question 7

Very first thing I learnt in the preliminary task was the vital importance of the 180 degree rule, before filming started, and how important it is to follow it to avoid confusion and disorientation to the audience; by crossing the line, the actor appears to have moved from facing one direction, to the other. This rule in camera work is always seen in sports television programme. The camera stays on one side of the pitch so the players don’t appear to always be running in opposite directions making the game easier to follow.

Next I learnt how to keep the audience entertained based only on camera work; variety. Having the camera in one place with no movement or editing will make the scene look extremely dull and not very entertaining. Even if the scene is of one person talking performing a monologue, theoretically the camera could stay on that one person throughout, however it wouldn’t make the scene very interesting. In conversation, the speaker always has pauses unconsciously, which is why the variety of shots is important to breakdown a scene. Within the preliminary task, I learnt how to take a variety of shots well; not cutting off someone’s arm, or part of their head.

After the preliminary task, I felt like I had enough knowledge to make a good opening to the thriller with my new editing, and camera work skills and thought things would go smoothly; this was ignorance. At the start of the film project, very quickly I learnt planning ahead for any complications is a very good idea. The locations my group had chosen, for the opening establishing shots especially, are quite populated areas. Choosing the right time to film was a skill we had to require in order to get the shot we wanted. Having the shot over populated didn’t give off the right mood we were trying to aim for. The simple solution would have been to stay out in Norwich for late hours when no one is around. Few things wrong with this idea, first being no one liked the idea of staying out late on school nights, and on weekends was even more unappealing as that’s is when the majority of Norwich is out drinking. The second was that one of our locations involved being in an alley next to a gambling club and a pub. To resolve this as we had no intention to change locations as the one we found was perfect, we started to film as soon as it appeared dark enough to give the illusion it was late at night but wait for the rush for getting home was over so there was minimal chance of people walking through the shot when they were not wanted.

During the preliminary task lighting was not a factor we really took into consideration we filmed within a building, in one room where the artificial light source was bright enough to light up the whole room and we had not thought of using it for any effect. During the thriller it was different; lighting can be used to create harsh shadowing for an unsettling mood. Within our thriller, we discovered that it could be used to give an impression off for a certain character as being morally ambiguous; by only lighting up one side of the actors face by using a black light angled at whichever side that it is you, as a director, would think will work best.

Personally, I did not find editing to be that much of a struggle and grasped the technique rather quickly. However, I did learn that through editing the length of time a scene is on the screen, it changes the pace of the thriller dramatically, and can give and edgy mood. For example towards the end of my thriller ‘Crowe’, jump cuts worked extremely well as he is walking away from the scene of the crime. It gave him the sense of enigma which we had initially been trying to portray.

Rough Cut

  Looking at the rough cut of our thriller there are a few things i would like to change. .

The soundtrack at the beginning seems to be missing, i would like to put it from the start so the tone and mood is established right at the beginning, and so it continues thought the opening sequence.  

A fade transition into Damien's thoughts would be more recognisable as a flashback, and if we changed the scenes to black and white, or faded colour it could get the message across to the audience more easily that this is a memory/

A change of sound within' the flashbacks could also make it more clear in if it's good, or bad. For example during Iga we would have singing birds, and Ms River whispers.

Not all of the titles came through during rendering, and my name seemed to have been left out during editing.

Like "Layer Cake" Megan suggested that we put the music earlier than the clip starts so we're already in the mood before the opening sequence starts.

This being said, the rough cut went well and i am particularly pleased with the jump cuts at the end of the opening, and the disjointed editing at the begining of the thriller and it really sets the enigmatic mood.

Question 2

Question 3

LA Noire

Title and Fonts
First thing we can deduct from the title of this Film Noir style video game is how feminised it has become to be glamorise and appealing.

The 'show biz' lighting along the lettering adding the desirability factor, however the flickering half broken light can be taken as an underlying message of the seediness and destruction yet to come. This connects to Film Noir style films as it holds many of the themes such as deception. (The flickering lights showing the inlaying message of the glamorised lettering)

Main Menu
The Main Menu has key mise-en-scene conventions of Film Niore such as the bright red lipstick, a symbol of femme fatale; a character later to be introduced within the game, a cigarette; a stereotypical habit for a 1940's detective to have taken up which set both the genre of police detective/crime by an indication of the characters and supports the extreme detective feel of the location the main menu is set.




Opening sequences
At the beginning of the montage clip at the start of the game, we are shown the glamorised side of Hollywood, advertising it as 'the place to be, where dreams come true!', which is stereotypically used to attract tourists. The trendy' must have vehicles of their day with the shot suggests that the easy-going 'american dream' lifestyle is achieve able. The 'happy', 'joyful' and 'yerning' life is complimented and emphasised by the jazz music which became popular within the 1950's. The setting is also made to look like a bright to reinforce the sunny California state. This also makes the location look appealing and safe. However there are hidden messages of the underlying 'nitty gritty' theme of the video game. For example within the opening first seven seconds we are introduced with the typical 'Film Noir' characters; the business man, wearing the traditional suit complete with the trilby hat! We are also introduced to other characters such as the 'good cop' with his wife 'the good woman'. The 'cop' career relating back to the motifs of crime, law and justice. The 'good woman' the polar opposite to the femme fatale.

As well as this, we have a narrator explaining the story; we have another classic noir trait. The voice contradicts what the opening is trying to portray, made to try and sound opening and appealing to the audience with quotes such as "City of dreams" (an ambiguous statement to make), however the underlying huskiness is also another hint of the crime with comes hand-in-hand with the Film Noir genre. The voice over also contradicts itself;  It makes promises of the American dream becoming a reality in Hollywood however with then proceed to say "The city of undercuts, where not everything is as it seems" . I feel that this could be related back to the 'dirty business man' trait with at least one character has within a Film Noir styled film. Deceiving the people around them to achieve their goal/want.

The Game
You can chose from a selection of cases (games), but what is instantly recognisable is the extreme contrast between the opening sequence and  actual game; where as the opening sequence glamorised Hollywood, the game showed a completely different side. Gritty, dirty, seedy Hollywood.

Locations stay to the typical film Noir theme with low key and artificial lighting: businesses, alleyways, streets which create the sense of claustrophobia - the tall buildings, wet/damp setting, fog and camera angles with vanishing points.

props stay typically the same, with the use of a gun, nook or knife as the murder weapon with the victim dying a horrible dramatic death. The smoking detective always seen with a cigarette, and the femme fatale is never without red lipstick.

Influences - Damien Crowe

Damien Crowe

Influenced by James Bond in Casino Royal. James is a perfect example of a morally ambiguous character. Seen to fight for queen and country however kills men without a second thought on how the action may effect others. To give the audience a visual on the morral ambiguity of this character the director has used shaddowing; one half of James Bond's face in the ligh, the other in the dark. Even though this technique is used in many films as well such as Harry in the arch in the film The Third Man, it was the use of it in Casino Royal which inspired Damien Crowe.

Character Logistics

Regarding the character Damien Crowe, our original actor to play the part was unable to film with us due to timings and availability to film; This caused a slight change in the character profile as the next actor we found had a different nationality as we originally planned. However, it made no significant change as Damien remains in the shadows majority of the opening sequence.

Things were going as planned, with the filming of the flashback scenes, however again availability to film was starting to become a problem. Due to circumstances our second Damien Crowe was unable to film with us and complete all of the scenes before the deadline. This caused a change in actors AGAIN. Fortunately the scenes filmed involving him are easily repeated.

This is when we asked Joe Murray to fill in the role; one of our fellow media class mates. He was able to film when needed and performed a great portrayal of Damien Crowe.

Essex Boys

essex boys by

Realised i didn't post it... sorry!

What could possibly go wrong?

 

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

How are we going to solve/prevent?

·         The sky decided that a day when we are planning to film would be the perfect time to rain. ·         FORGETTING THE CAMERA!         ·         Security may decide that we are not allowed to film within the car park.     ·         May not have enough footage         ·         Equipment getting damaged

·         Check the weather forecast! If the weather forecast gets it wrong, plan another day to film as back up. ·         Ask a member of the group who is reliable to book the camera, or write ‘camera’ somewhere where you will see if, i.e. your hand or face. ·         Get the best actor in your group to ask before filming in a sweet innocent school girl act. If they still decline, find another area with similar décor. ·         Make sure you always film more than you need, or make it a game between those in charge of the camera “how quickly can we annoy the actors in repeating filming the same scene.” ·         Take care of what you are doing, and don’t leave the clumsiest member of your group in charge of the camera; wouldn’t be the smartest move.

Possible Locations

Establishing Shots

The variety of establishing shots have to be known to those local to reprosent Norwich, or give of the impression of an urban setting to those who don't. Some of my favourite shots included the church opporsite the forum, however others worked just as well; the round about shot from a carpark above Ipswitch Road; known to those who come in and out of the city centre, and gives off the impression of a busy setting straight away due to the amount of vircles and buildings. The obscure shots of the deserted car park; a ambiguous mood. The market is a must in the establishing shots as it's well known to those visiting and those who live in Norwich.

 

 

 
Obscure from the tilted angle, bleek and dull mood from the reflective water and bars.

Advantages:
Have the same mood and stays with the stereotypes of a thriller film.
It's easy to achieve this shot.

Disadvantages:
We may not be allowed to film....

 Obvious market, markets are found usually in towns/cities. Sets the scene.

Advantages:
Sets the scene
Logistically its easy to get to for transportation.

Disadvantages:
People walking past.

 

 

 The river besides the playhouse

Advantages:
The reflection from the river helps enphasise the the dark backdrop scene
Gives the enigmatic feel
Accessability of the river and the bridge
Artificial lighting

Disadvantages:
People walking past
Too dark of a setting, being unable to see the scene.

 

 

Flash Back

 

 The common in Mulbarton is perfect for what we would like to achieve; a calm area away from the rough and business the city life brings. Remote and appealing.

Advantages:
Accessable
Achieves the goals

Disadvantages:
Timing the sun setting.

 

 



 Drama room for the femme fatale.                                      Advantages:                                                accessable                                                            can achieve the artificial lighting easily                                                                   its a blackout room                                                  Disadvantages:                                                    Booking the Room.

 

 

 

 

 

Characters Costumes AND Props

Storyboard - not completed

 

(having trouble uploading the other images on my blog.)

 

Treatment

Treatment
Quick, fragmented establishing shots of Norwich at night, with overpowering sounds of city life (sirens, footsteps), artificial lighting from shop lights and lamp posts, along with obscured, tilted shots (with each shot not lasting longer than 0.5-1.0 seconds). We cut to a close up of a young woman talking on the phone in Polish. Cut back to a long shot to reveal she is leaving her house, as well as a close up of her feet. Quick, panning, long shots of the woman walking through Norwich, distracted by her on-going phone call. As the shots pan off the young women, a tall man is revealed lurking in the shadows. He is following her. The young woman reaches her destination of a dark alleyway where she is greeted by an acquittance. Cut to a close up of the man. Suddenly, the man jumps out of the shadows and holds a gun to the young woman. Cut to a close up of the terrified woman. Cut to a close up of the man, a confused look on his face. A series of quick, fragmented flashbacks are then shown of two holding hands. Notice the bracelet. Flash back close ups of the young woman, smiling. The man begins to lower the gun. Cuts to a low camera angle, looking up at a glamorous woman. She uses the imperative "just do it". Bang. The gun is fired. Cuts to a slow motion shot of the young woman's hand falling to the floor. Notice the bracelet.

Our influence came from the variety of thriller films which we have watched which includes Casino Royal and The Third Man. Our group likes the technique of the shadowing  to created the sense of mood and moral ambiguity with harsh lighting (to created sharp shadows). Casino Royal influenced us in our production of Damien Crowe with the lead character James Bond and his moral ambiguity. James Bond appears to be a good guy, working for queen and country, however his actions contradicts his perception due to his lack of conscience for killing for example. We wanted out character to have a similar appeal to him, however instead of working for the good and appearing to be bad, working for the bad but placed in positions and his perceptions which gives his the illusion of being 'good'.