Refilming a Scene

We managed to refilm the scene of the policeman looking at himself in the mirror. We had to refilm this because we both had had haircuts since starting to film and we forgot to have 'AJ' written on our hands. The filming went well and now that section is done.
We then started to upload the work we had. While watching the clips we could decide which ones would be best to use in the final edit.

Shooting Schedule

Revised Title Sequence

Hollywood Pictures Presents
A Team Todd Production
A Film By Todd Carter
James Simpson
Todd Carter
Clarissa Baker
RED RUM
Casting By Todd Carter
Costume Design Todd Carter
Music By MyFreeSounds
Edited By Todd Carter
Production Designer Todd Carter
Director of Photography Todd Carter
Executive Producer Todd Carter
Produced By Todd Carter
Written and Directed By Todd Carter

Policeman Desciption

Age – 35

Gender – male

Occupation – policeman

Looks – 6ft, blondy-browny hair, wears shoes and trousers, high-visibility jacket.

Our Title

Font – Engravers MT – this font is good as it is normal but slightly strange. It steers away from the common cliché use of Chiller.

Position – I will put the title on the right, almost at the bottom because it is away from the normal centre title. Its position doesn’t distract the audience from the main scene.

Order of Titles –

... Presents

A ... Production

A film by ...

Todd and James as PC Alex Johnson

Written by Todd

RED RUM

The titles will slowly fade in and appear in different places in the frames so the audience can feel like they are looking around like a policeman would for clues.

Casting

Policeman at start – Todd – can look like a professional policeman.

Policeman at end – James – can look professional but can make himself look more mentally unstable.

Dead person – Clarissa – she is a girl and she agreed to do it. Girls seem to be used more as someone who has been murdered in thriller films. (For example, Brick)

Music and Sound Effects

www.freesounds.com
Spygame sneeking http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=22311
ambience03 http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=33796
Gong 2 http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=23581

Script, Locations, Props, Costumes

Script - "Good morning"

Locations - Rosehill woods

- A road

- Morden swimming baths/ somewhere with locker room.

Props/Costumes

Policeman:

-Police hat

- Luminous yellow jacket

- Black trousers

- White shirt

- Shoes

Woman:

- Boots

-Wristwear

Place:

- Tree

- Mirror

Script, Props and Costumes

During last lesson i wrote the script; this was an easy task as our opening doesn't have dialogue until the very end with one line; "Good morning".

After that I wrote down our props; this was difficult to think of as I wasn't sure what props we planned on using.

The costumes was an easier thing to write about; we will use our own clothes to try and look how we should but we may buy a high-visibility jacket and a police hat.

The locations are easy to get to and are within walking distance; i have three pictures of good locations for our film in a previous post.

Filming Locations

-The first picture is trying to show a voyuers perspective. it makes the audience feel as though they are up in the tree watching down on the action that is taking place. The branches in the way of the camera make the audience feel hidden, as though they shouldn't be there.
-The second picture shows more normailty, it would be used in the equilibrium stage of the film. It looks like an ordinary road, because it is. The hill helps us when filming as it makes it easier to get the close up of the girl with the policeman in the background;the second picture of my last post.
-The third is of the woods. This is a good location for a thriller as it is more isolated and darkened. All the trees in the background have to possibility to be hiding something; this is useful as thrillers are often hiding information from the audience.

Key Shots

Shot List

Title - 1) Silence, black screen.

2) First title opening shortly before music starts.

3) Quiet high pitch music starts.

4) Slow fades in, blue titles.

5) White flash, wobble of camera.

Body - 1) Close up of boot, slow track.

2) Camera sideways on floor as if person who killed left it in a panic. Quick cut.

3) Mid-long shot of eye. 3 quick cuts, closer, closer, closer. Dramatic bangs each cut.

4) Silence, slow music starts again.

5) Slow cross fade.

Policemen - 1) Longshot to show isolation of body.

2) Move to close-up of tree, fast motion.

3) Dramatic music as camera look at initials.

4) Cross fade to match initials on tree to wrist.

5)Cut to longshot of Crouching next to body.

"several days earlier"

Past - 1) Close-up of wrist taking hat.

2) Putting hat on side, back of head.

3) Look up in mirror - 2 shot.

4) Flash, high pitch noise, me and James switch.

5) James puts hat on and walks off-screen.

Meeting - 1) James leaves house, freehand camera behind.

2) See woman's boots, camera cranes.

3) Shot of woman while being able to see James.

4) See her say good morning.

5) He walks past ignoring, camera following again.

Our Plot Synopsis

A young boy suffered from schizophrenia when he was young. He loved pretending to be a policeman; but when he switched he was a horrible boy and hurt and bullied other children. After his 18th birthday he felt that he suffered less and didn't switch as much. He didn't seem to suffer at all by the time he was 24, so he joined the police force. Strange murders of people who live down his street started to occur more and more regularly. He was put in charge of the murders as the police thought he was the best man for the job. He noticed a correlation leading towards his house and started to worry about his family. The evidence of the murders slowly point towards him as the murderer. He tries to get rid of some evidence so people don't suspect him of doing something he didn't do; not realising he actually did it. He takes his family to a remote house to protect them. When he next returned to the house he found his wife dead and his son crying in the wardrobe. He convinces himself that he was the murderer and so goes to hand himself in to the police. On the way there, his son appears behind him in his car. As he appears the dad has flashbacks of all the murders with the son standing almost out of shot looking at him. The policemen realises this, sees his son behind him, and drives his car into a tree killing them both.

What the audience will be asking after opening:

"Who are they?"

"How did she die?"

"Did he kill her?"

"What's going on?"

Why our film is a thriller:

Our film is a thriller because we will constantly keep the audience guessing. The twist at the end fits with how thriller go against what the audience are thinking.

Further Title Research - Rough Generic Sequence

Main company
... Presents
A ... Production
A film by...
Actors...
Title
Casting by...
Costume design
Music by...
Edited by...
Production designer...
Director of photography...
Executive producer...
Produced by...
Written and directed by...

Looking at Titles

Today I couldn't get any filming done because the only other person in my group was off ill. i watched the openings of several films we have looked at and noted what appears in each.
Using this information I made my own generic title sequence that could have different actors or companies or producers etc.
I then used my generic title sequence and filled in the appropriate names for my film; mainly my name.

Further Title Research - Memento

New Market
"New Market Presents"
"In Association With Summit Entertainment"
"A Team Todd Production"
"A Film By Christopher Nolan"
"Guy Pearce"
"Corrie Anne Moss"
"Joe Pantoliano"
"Memento"

Further Title Research - Double Idemnity

Universal
A Paramount Picture
“Fred Mac Murray” “Barbara Stanwick” “Edward G. Robinson” “in”
“Double Indemnity”
“With (lots of people)”
“Screenplay By” “and” “From the Novel By”
“Music Score” “Director of Photography” “Editorial Supervision”
“Art Direction” “Process Photography” “Costumes By” “Make-up Artist” “Sound Recording By” “Set Decoration” (logos)
“Directed By”

Further Title Research - Brick

Focus Features
(film starts playing)
"BRICK"
(film carries on)

Further Title Research - The Sixth Sense

Hollywood Pictures
Spyglass Entertainment
“Hollywood Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment Present”
“A Kennedy/Marshall/Barry Mendel Production”
“Bruce Willis”
“The Sixth Sense”
“Toni Coilette”
“Olivia Williams”
“Haley Joel Osment”
“Donnie Wahlberg”
“Glenn Fitzgerald” “Mischa Barton”
“Trevor Morgan” “Bruce Norris”
“Casting By” “Avy Kaufman”
“Costme Design” “Joanna Johnston”
“Music By” “James Newton Howard”
“Edited By” “Andrew Manshein”
“Production Designer” “Larry Fulton”
“Director of Photography” “Tak Fuyimoto, A.S.C”
“Executive Producer” “Sam Mercer”
“Produced By” “Frank Marshell” “Kathleen Kennedy” “and” “Barry Mendel”
“Written and Directed By” “M. Night Shyamalan”

What Titles should include...

Companies - Such as 'Hollywood Pictures' 'Spyglass Entertainment'

Then it will usually repeat them in words - saying "________ and ________ presents"

Directors/ Producers - "A ________ and _________ Production"

Actors - it doesn't say who the actors are playing; it just says their names

Who did the costumes - "Costume design"

Who did the casting - "casting by _______"

Who did the music - "music by _______"

Editors - "Edited by _______"

"Production Designer"

"Director of Photography"

"Executive Producer"

Producers - "Produced by ______ ______ and ______"

Written/Directed - "Written by ______" "Directed by _____" "Written and Directed by ________"

Double Idemnity

Silhouette of man hides his identity, leaves audience wondering who he is. Questions are used in thriller films. Looks like the person is on crutches; audience want to know what happened to him. He’s walking towards the camera so the audience want to know where he is coming from and where he is going. The car is going fast and not stopping at the light; shows crime, suggests the person driving is the main character. Only see the back of the man, who is he? See a glimpse of his face, half covered by his hat, small clue that audience want more of.

Cape Fear

1962
Who is that man?
Where is he going?
Why does he act like that?
What makes him important?
What is he goingto do?
1991
Why has he got that tattoo?
Why is he in jail?
Who is he?
What makes him important?
What is he going to do now?

Conventions of thriller -
Dramatic music throughout the opening
Creates the questions listed above
Portrays crime
Dull mise en scene of the grey sky
Close up of the man

There's a close up of the man at the end to threaten the audience as it feels as though he is invading their personal space.
There is a lot of long shots to create a distance between the man and the audience.

My Class notes on Wallander

The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense links to the genre of a thriller as it makes us ask questions; such as, “who is she?” and “what is going on?” Creating questions is a good thing for a thriller as it leaves the reader constantly guess also makes the audience feel vulnerable because they are not in control of what is happening. The audience will always want these questions answered and so this is an effective opening to create them because it will make he audience continue to watch the film.
The Sixth Sense fits the thriller genre through the non-diegetic music. The music during the titles is very eerie. Thrillers use this to set the atmosphere and almost force people to feel like they should be ready to ask themselves a lot of questions. The low level music gets louder and louder, forcing the audience to be more and more on-edge. The diegetic music contrasts the non-diegetic music that is being played while the titles appear; this lets the audience know that something isn’t right or won’t be right.
The mise en scene is controversial as well. The woman is dressed up all nice and posh and shows clearly that she has come from a party. This contrasts the basement because it is all dark, gloomy and grey; this tells the audience that she isout of place and so something is wrong. Thrillers like to constantly give the impression that something is wrong.

Audience Research Questionnaires

Kiss Me Deadly

Audience immediately worried for the woman because it looks like. What is she running from? Where is she going? Who is she? Close up of legs running; why hasn’t she got shoes? Is he important? Dramatic music. Sound of woman crying during opening titles.

Brick (Johnson,2005,US)

- The bulk of the sequence was filmed in close-up and extreme close-ups; this is to hide information from the audience which is used by thrillers to create a sense of unknowing.
- It doesn’t start at the beginning; the first thing that’s shown is 2 days after the events shown in the film. This fits the non-linear/chronological storyline that a typical thriller follows.
- The audience are only given hints and clues that they have to piece together themselves; this is shown in Brick by the girl’s wristbands and the boy’s shoes letting the audience know that they were linked before the scene shown.
- Questions are generated by the opening scene; such as, “what happened?” “Who are they?” “Did he kill her?” “How do they know each other” and “Why didn’t he approach her?” Thrillers are designed to make the audience continuously ask questions.
- There is a barrier between the character and the audience; we never see the whole of the boy in one shot, he’s always partly hidden; this also causes questions.
- The location of the start of the film is very dirty; the girl was lying on the ground with her hair in the water. The mise-en-scene of thrillers can be quite dirty and horrible to make the audience feel uncomfortable.
- The titles are white and on a black background; the lack of colour creates eeriness which thriller genres like to invoke.

Memento (Nolan, 2000, US)

We learnt the difference between a Horror and a Thriller:
Horror: The audience see the murder onscreen; the audience are scared of whats happening; the audience don't have to work very hard to understand what's going on; aimed at a younger audience.
Thriller: The audience don't see the acutal murder taking place or any gore; it's not what's happening that scares the audience, it's the threat of what might happen; the audience has to work harder to understand a thriller; thrillers are aimed at a more mature audience.

The film we are watching is Memento (Nolan, 2000, U.S.).
It constantly makes the audience ask question like "who's that?", "why did he do that?" and "what is going on?"
Some other conventions are; crime, non-linear narrative, violence, murder and the things that happen are not obvious.

Conventions of a Thriller Opening Sequences

Lots of close ups - to hide key information from the audience and keep them guessing. It also helps to get the viewer to watch the rest of the film to find out what happened and why.

Doesn't necessarily start at the beginning - Thrillers often start a few days in, or even at the end, so the audience knows what is going to happen but the want to know how it ended up at that situation. Thrillers are more about the journey of events than the end result.

The titles fade slowly; this settles people down, creates the atmosphere and is very eerie. They sometimes cause the audience to feel uncomfortable which is effective for keeping them on edge for the rest of the film.

The music is usually simple - The simple music doesn't distract the audience from anything else that is happening. Having quite music would make the audience be really quiet so they can listen and try and get clues as to what is going on.

Small clues - the audience is sometimes given small clues; such as the wristband in Brick; which many of them may not even notice or make a connection to. This works well for the audience as it can sometimes be that while watching the film they all want to guess what is happening first and get it right.