Thriller Pitch

For our thriller we had the task of pitching our thriller to our teachers we were acting as a potential production company who were interested in producing our film. We had the task of informing them about our film, and trying to persuade them to produce it.

This pitch featured key information such as plot summary, target audience, tagline, and audience appeal amongst other key areas of our film.

Below is the key information for out pitch:

I was absent for the pitch of our thriller, so was unable to participate, therefore our film was fully presented by my partner for our project. Below is the footage of the pitch:

Taglines

For this lesson, we were focusing on the tagline aspect of our thriller film. Taglines are advertising and marketing tools which creates a thought within the viewer, which is used for dramatic effect. This gives the viewer a brief idea into what the film is about, and entices them into going and viewing the film. It often sums up what happens in the film without spoiling any of the plot.


Some examples of some famous taglines are:

The Bourne Identity
"He never asked to be Bourne"
"He was the perfect weapon until he became the target"

Inception
"Your mind is the scene of the crime"
"The dream is real"


We have thought of a couple of taglines for our film which are:
"What if those who swore to protect you broke their promise?"
"When living in fear is the only option"
We chose these because we think that it entices the viewer into wanting to watch our film, but also gives them a brief idea about what our thriller is about.

BBFC Age Ratings


The BBFC age regulations are age restrictions set by the 'British Board of Film Classification', which is non-government organisation. Their purpose is to censor films, deciding what is and isn't allowed to be shown in British cinema, DVDs and even video games, making them suitable for the target audience. Examples of their restriction logos are:

Our film would most likely be a 15, due to the nature of our film as it involves complex material which only a mature audience would understand. The key theme is the government and psychological testing which is being exhibited, so wouldn't be suitable or would appeal to a younger demographic. 15 is around the age in which teenagers start taking an interest and finding out about the government, so I feel that this would appeal to most of them, but would also appeal to a lot of adults who enjoy thriller films.

An age restriction of 18 would limit the viewers seeing the film, and their also wouldn't be excess  nudity or violence in our film, as it is more psychological and thought-provoking, and it isn't a horror film so wouldn't warrant an 18 rating. There would most likely be adult language involved in the film, so the 12/12A rating would also be ruled out, therefore the 15 rating is suitable for our film.

Distribution Companies


Distribution companies are companies which is responsible for the marketing of a film, and organising when it is going to be released They are also responsible for the marketing of the film, so will create film trailers, and organise when and where the film will be advertised such as the internet or on television. Film distribution companies spend between $3.5 billion - $4 billion a year in the United States advertising films, in order to attract viewers into their film and therefore earn more money from it. They also decide on the format which the film will be released, deciding which cinemas it will be distributed to, any which countries it will be played. It will also decide whether the film is worth the risk to be aired in cinemas, or whether it will be a straight-to-DVD film. The distributor will determine which platforms the film will be released on, such as DVD Blu-ray or Netflix. In some cases, film distribution companies will also be responsible for the subtitling or "dubbing" of a film, if it is to be shown in a foreign country.

Ingredients of a Thriller


The "thriller" genre is a specific type of film which uses the key components of suspense and tension to excite the viewer. They are typically films which involve issues which are not normal in everyday life, such as 'Taken', which deals with the problems a father does as he tries to hunt down his daughters kidnapping. The suspense comes from the many intense gun fights in the film, and the ordeal the father goes through, with the audience wondering whether he is ever going to see his daughter again. This type of film is exciting to the viewer, as it is something that almost everybody watching the film has never gone through and will most likely never go through, therefore creates excitement for the viewer.


Another very famous example is the film 'Memento', which deals with a man who has amnesia and is trying to find out how his wife died. The suspense comes from the strange order of the film, which starts at the films climax, before making the sequence of events beforehand become clear to the viewer. This is a very famous and critically acclaimed film, due to the change in narrative of the film.




Thriller films typically use very suspenseful music, such as string instruments, to create a very high-pitched, uneasy tone for the viewer. This creates suspense as the viewer starts to anticipate that something very bad within the plot is going to happen. The music used is crucial in creating a successful thriller film, as music is a key theme in creating feeling within a film, and can set the tone of the scene.


Thriller films usually range from the age ranges of 12, 15 and 18, as the audience is generally a mature audience who will understand what is happening, and due to the sometimes gruesome or complex plots, which children will not like or will struggle to understand.

Planning our Thriller

We started off the lesson by deciding to plan the title of our film, and then start the storyboard plot for our film. For our title we decided to use the simple terms "political illusion", and then decided to spice it up using 'thesaurus.com'. We ended up with the brilliantly named "Constitutional Mirage". We chose this because it sums up the point of our thriller, whilst also sounding good as well.

We started to get to work on our storyboard, and started writing out what was going to happen in a couple of our scenes, as well as describing which shot types we would use. Unfortunately we came to the conclusion that we are unsure on which camera shots we will be able to shoot at our location, so will scout it out before adding anymore to our storyboard, so we can establish which shots we will use.

'Orange Is The New Black' Case Study

Utopia Series 2 Episode 6 Opening

The opening scene to Utopia is effective because it immediately sets the scene for what the rest of the episode is going to be like. It creates a shock to the reader by making the assassin discuss cutting a child’s throat to a random stranger he has just encountered. This makes the audience feel shocked by the content of the programme, but also sets up the episode for what is probably about to come, without actually using any violence what-so-ever. The use of the zoom on the assassin’s face makes the scene even more un-nerving, as it enables the audience to see the serious and fixed expression on the assassin’s face. This adds to the shock value of the opening, as it creates quite a hostile feeling to the character, and makes the audience feel uneasy. The fact that he is speaking in a public place also adds to the atmosphere, as he doesn’t care that there might be witnesses to what he is saying.

The fact that the character brushes off talking about slicing a child’s throat open as ‘chatting’ suggest to the audience that this man probably isn’t a nice person. This makes the opening sequence an effective one, because if somebody thinks that this is equivalent to a random chat, then he is pretty twisted, and will probably play a key part later in the episode. The audience can then see what the character’s personality is like, and make assumptions about him based off of this.

The music in the background is possibly the most important aspect to the atmosphere of the opening sequence. The music creates tension during the assassin’s monologue, which then makes the audience wonder what is going to happen to the woman and child, as ‘Utopia’ is a programme which features an excess of violent content. The music then abruptly stops when he pulls out his bus ticket and leaves, which immediately eases all tension. This is effective as it creates a dark and sinister atmosphere, which is what the writers were aiming for. As the music is progressing throughout it creates an uneasy feeling for the audience and adds suspense as the character progresses through his monologue.

The use of colour is also interesting in this scene, as the colours behind the defenceless woman are very bright and vivid, and the colours behind the assassin are very dark and dull. This is used to influence the audience about the feeling of the characters. The dark colours are used for the assassin as it makes him look dangerous and threatening. This adds to the emphasis of the feeling towards the character. Subtle things like this often go unnoticed and are key in creating a successful atmosphere and feeling towards characters, which may often be subconscious. They also put bright, vivid colours behind the female character to show that she doesn’t pose any threat, and is a harmful character.

The low angled shot used when he walks away makes the assassin seem threatening. This is very important, as it quickly establishes that this character is evil, and doesn’t have the best intentions at heart. This is needed quickly so that the audience are aware of the threat and danger that he possesses, so that not a lot of build-up is involved to add unnecessary length to the episode.

There is also a quite big reference to the zeitgeist in the opening sequence, as the main reason the assassin tells the woman that she should kill her child is because he will use up a lot of Carbon, which is a resource that we are using too much of. He explains this to her in the programme, and then says to kill the child so we have more Carbon. The fact that the man is relating a child’s life to a resource will make the audience feel like he has no emotions or feeling, and is an evil character. The fact that they refer to Carbon use, which is something that in the real world we are constantly reminded in the real world, gives the programme a more “real” feeling to it, so would possibly make it strike a few nerves with particular watchers, as the reference to the real world makes it more believable. This makes the opening sequence really effective, as it helps the audience to relate, and adds a touch of reality.

Thriller Film inspiration

Thriller Film Inspirations


Me and Matt were looking at the films 'The Evil Dead', and an independent British film 'Symptoms'. We chose these because they suited the setting of the Woodlands that we were using, and we could analyse the use of camera angles and lighting which we would take inspiration from, so that we could give our films a thriller/horror atmosphere and make the setting as accurate as possible. This is of course not going to be completely achievable, due to our restricted total budget of £0, but it will help us none-the-less.

We most notably looked at the director Sam Raimi due to his successful and well-know thriller/horror film series 'The Evil Dead', which is more of a horror film following a man and his group of friends who travel to a cabin in the middle of the forest and are haunted by an entity within the forest. Even though this is more of a horror, it has thriller aspects and the setting is very similar to the setting that we want to have in our thriller, so we decided to look at this one.

Thriller Planning

I chose to work with Matt Wells on the thriller piece, as we worked well and were happy with the final outcome for our preliminary piece.

We started to discuss ideas for the thriller that we are due to be creating, and decided upon a political-psychological thriller, focused upon a man who has just escaped a medical-government facility. During his escape, he encounters several hallucinations, which he is unsure whether they are real or not. He also suffers from flash-backs during his escape, which lets the audience establish what he has been through, and where he has escaped from.

We planned our location by looking on Google Maps at a woodland area around North Wingfield and Clay Cross so that it is accessible, and provides a suitable setting for our thriller.

An example of a thriller is:

Se7en Textual Analysis

Preliminary Task Final Product

Here is the finished product of our preliminary task:

Preliminary Task Evaluation Link

Barthes

The French theorist Roland Barthes thought up 5 key codes for film, which are vital to create a successful narrative. They are as follows:

Action Code
This is where the audience predicts the next logical step in the scene, due to the key point which happened before it.
For example, in my preliminary task we filmed a shot where the drug dealer opened the door to reveal the drug addict sat there nervously. The next logical step that the audience would presume is going to happen is that they are going to engage in conversation.

Enigma Code
This code is used to explain the narrative by setting up a point of interest which starts off with the audience unaware what it is, but ends up being resolved during the film.
For example, we had the drug dealer keep his hood up over his face, so the audience were unaware of whom he was, but this got solved when he met the addict, and pulled the hood down.

 

Semic Code
This code uses signs and meanings that tells us about the narrative and it's characters.
For example the drug dealer carries a bag which symbolises that he has something worthwhile he is carrying.

 

Cultural Code
The cultural code is used in order for the narrative to make reference to social and cultural aspects of real life, and relatable to the audience.
For example the drug dealer carries a tattered bag and is in a hoody, this suggests lack of money or that he is lower class.

Code of Oppositions
The Code of Operations is where a narrative relies on binary opposites. Examples of this are black vs. white, male vs. female, nature vs. civilisation.
We did not have an example of this in our preliminary task.

Practical Preparation Task

Preparation Task

We have been set a preparation task to shoot a 2 minute opening featuring somebody walking, and then having a short conversation. We have been set this task in order to get us prepared for our coursework, where we have to produce at 2 minute opening to a thriller.
 We have to include 3 main shot types, which are: match-on-action (where shots change angle or view, whilst matching the shot that preceded it), reverse shot (as the characters utter their dialogue, it cuts from one character to the other), and the 180 degree rule (the two characters in the scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other).
We have already planned our storyboard involving shot-types we plan on using, and will have to film and edit the shots we get.

Media Pictures

We were set with the task of taking some pictures around the school, meeting certain criteria for specific pictures. Our pictures had to feature a 'Protagonist', and an 'Antagonist'. Matt Wells featured in most of our pictures, as he was our protagonist, and I featured in only 1 picture, even though I was supposedly the antagonist. Our "plot" was supposed to be about the protagonist trying to revise, and the antagonist trying to distract him. We hope this was established in pour pictures.

Our first two pictures had to be a 'Long Shot' and a 'Close Up' using the rule of thirds technique. Unfortunately, I cannot find these images.

Our second task was to take pictures of a 'LS', or 'Long Shot', and a 'MS', or 'Mid-Shot', using 'Leading Lines'. Leading Lines are where there is an object which leads the eye to another object. We didn't manage to capture a Mid Shot, but we do have a Long Shot. Note that the table leads the eye to our character sat down revising.

Leading Lines Long Shot

Our third task was to get a picture which featured a long angle in the shot. This is used to often make the character that is on screen look menacing or tough. This angle is supposed to show me looking like the bad character, as I was the antagonist supposedly trying to annoy the slightly-smiling-out-of-character person below me. As you can see, I play this role very well.

Low Angle Shot

Our fourth task was to take a photograph of the same object, but from three different angles. We chose the pen in the hand of the protagonist. You can see the first one used a 'POV', or 'Point Of View' shot, which is used to show the view from the character. The second shot we chose to do an 'over the shoulder' shot. The final shot we chose was to do a close up of the pen, to see what the character was doing.

Point Of View, or POV

Over The Shoulder

Close Up

Our penultimate task was to take a picture of an 'ECU', or an 'Extreme Close Up', as well as a 'LS' or 'Long Shot', using backgrounds. In the first picture you can see our protagonist stood next to a sign which features some sort of Tupton Hall School logo. In the second picture you can see him stood next to the sign, but from a distance.

EXTREME CLOSE UP

LONG SHOT

Our final picture was to capture an establishing shot, and as our story was based in a school, we thought what could we get that was better than the school?

ESTABLISHING SHOT

 

 

Welcome To My Blog

 

My name is Callum Laird, and welcome to my blog site. Here I will be discussing my progress throughout the year in my AS Media course.

I do not really have any experience with creating media based footage, so this will be an interesting challenge to me, which hopefully I can achieve.

I have a huge interest in football, which I regularly enjoy going out with my friends playing, and also enjoy watching on the television. I most enjoy watching my favourite team
Manchester United, who have recently sold Danny Welbeck which has deeply upset / angered me. However Falcao is not a bad addition. I recently enjoyed watching the 2014 Brazil World Cup, and watched almost every game that was on. That was a great month.

I have a fair interest in the art of Television and Film, and I enjoy watching Comedies, like The Office (the funny UK one), and Action-based Dramas, like Breaking Bad. I like to think that I have an idea of how they are made, and the amount of work behind the scenes that goes on to create these works, whether it is an independent, low budget TV show, or a multi-million pound international blockbuster.

Our media course will consist of 50% coursework, which is a 2 minute opening to a thriller created by us, and 50% exam which consists of analysing a TV Drama. I am looking forward to the coursework side of Media Studies, as it gives me a chance to be creative.