Preliminary Task

Brief: To create a short video showing someone walk across a room, sit down and take part in a short conversation. It should demonstrate continuity, a match-on-action shot, reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

Storyboard:

Script: Headteacher: "Take a seat. This time tell me the truth."

Student: "I told you I don't know anything!"

Final result:

Analysis: Overall, I think the outcome of our preliminary task was quite successful. We managed to demonstrate continuity, a match-on-action shot, a reverse shot and the 180-degree rule effectively during our short film. The storyline also fits into the brief; showing a student knocking on the headteachers door, walking across the room, taking a seat at his desk and exchanging a few lines of dialogue. On the day we experienced a problem because 2 out of the 4 members of our group were absent. Due to our limited time scale for production we decided we would both have to appear in the film as well as filming it. We overcame this problem by when one of us was required in a shot, the other would film. However, there was one part with both of us in shot at the same time. To resolve this, we set up our tripod and camera in the correct position and pressed record before getting into position and acting out the scene. We then edited the footage to eliminate the parts where we could be seen getting into position and turning the camera off, so it appears as though there is actually a third person filming it. The quality of our preliminary task could be improved by shooting in a better location and with better props eg. door sign, however we did the best that we could with the limited facilities and time which were available to us.

Directors of Thriller Films

Martin Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942 and is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He has won awards from the Oscars, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Directors Guild of America for his work. In August 2007, a poll by Total Film magazine named Scorsese the 2nd greatest director of all time, beating the legendary director Steven Spielberg and just behind the "Master of Suspense" himself, Alfred Hitchcock. He was one of the most influential American film directors of his era and directed a number of well acclaimed thriller films including Taxi Driver, After Hours, Cape Fear and Bringing Out The Dead.

Scorsese often collaborated with famous actor Robert De Niro in his films, making nine films with the actor. Other actors he frequently collaborates with are Harvey Keitel, Leonardo DiCaprio, Victor Argo, and Joe Pesci. Scorsese often begins his films with clips from the middle of end of the plot and also uses slow motion techniques in a number of his films. He uses a lot of white lighting in the scenes of his films and the characters in his films are usually sociopathic or outsiders who want to be accepted into society.

Alfred Hitchcock was born on 13 August 1899 in Leytonstone, London. He was an English film writer and producer, who after pioneering many new techniques in the suspense and physcological thriller genres was given the name "The Master of Suspense". He began a successful career in the UK, producing silent films and talkies, however his career took off when he moved to Hollywood. His first completed film as director was The Pleasure Garden (1925), an Anglo-German production filmed in Munich.

Hitchcock was the director of works such as Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds and The 39 steps. He told his stories through intelligent plots, witty dialogue and parts of mystery and murder. In doing so, he inspired a new generation of filmmakers and revolutionized the thriller genre. Hitchcock had a habit of appearing in his own movies which began by accident; in one of his first films he was short of an actor, therefore Hitchcock took it upon himself to play this small part. After this, Hitchcock made a cameo appearance in the majority of other films he went on to direct (39 out of 52). Hitchcock's cameo appearance inspired one of our group to make an appearance in the opening scene of our film as well as being involved in the planning and production.

Film Distributors Research

• A film distributor is an independent company, a subsidiary company or occasionally an individual which acts as the agent between the film production company and a film exhibitor (cinema), eventually securing the placement of the producer's film on the film exhibitor's screen to be viewed by the public. The distributor is not involved in the production of the film, but is used for the marketing and circulation of them in theatres and for home viewing.
• I have researched into the distribution company's of a number of thriller films, which will allow us to select which company will be most appropriate for the thriller film we are producing. It will also allow me to research some of the individual companies in more depth, finding out how they operate and what types of films they are interested in representing.
  
  Jaws- Universal Pictures
  Taken- 20th Century Fox
  The Silence of the Lambs- Orion Pictures
  Flightplan- Touchstone Pictures
  Psycho- Paramount Pictures/ Universal Pictures
  What Lies Beneath- 20th Century Fox
  Fight Club- 20th Century Fox
  The Birds- Universal Pictures
  Paranormal Activity- Icon Film Distribution (UK)
  The Butterfly Effect- Icon Film Distribution (UK)

We were planning on 20th Century Fox representing our production due to them previously distributing a number of successful thrillers such as "Taken" and "What Lies Beneath", however we then realised we would need to invent our own distribution company to avoid any issues of copyright. We decided to call this company "Genesis Pictures", as we noticed that most distribution companies had quite random names rather than being named after people themselves.

Thriller film plot

• Whilst the wife and husband are on a night out at the local restaurant, a young girl, Jenny Anderson, is left to babysit their child at the family home.
• She receives a suspicious call during the evening from an unknown male, which abruptly ends when mentioning she is simply the babysitter. Despite our opening scene suggesting it is in fact Jenny, the babysitter in danger, it is in fact the use of a red herring and she is not a significant character in the plot at all.
• Meanwhile, at the restaurant the woman goes to the toilet and dissapears without a trace. The husband becomes increasingly worried by the length of time she has been gone.
• He asks their waiter if they have any idea of his wife's whereabouts, to be informed she never entered the restaurant with him. The husband struggles to prove his sanity to the disbelieving staff and all evidence suggests she was in fact never there with him, such as only one meal being delivered to their table.
• On visiting the restroom, his wife was in fact caught up in a gang's scheme and abducted. The plan had been organised by a previous business partner of the man's that he got into a lot of debt with and was unable to pay back. He was using his wife as a ransom and had paid the staff at the restaurant to assist him in covering up the incident.
• The whole truth behind her dissapearance is not discovered until the end of the film, although a number of short flashbacks are shown throughout, giving the audience clues.
• The man's sanity is also tested by a number of other happenings such as the removal of all photos including his wife in their family home. This makes him doubt she was ever in existance at all.
• Towards the end of the film, he manages to piece the puzzle pieces together of the events that night, after speaking to the babysitter about the strange phone call and being tipped off by an old friend.
• He pays a visit to the ex business partner who denies any involvement in the goings on. He then holds him hostage and issues him with an ultimatum, "Tell me where my wife is or die". The man finally cracks and tells all about his scheme. Despite this, the husband goes ahead and kills him anyway out of anger.
• He goes to where his wife is being held, and after getting past a number of other men first, releases her and the family are re-united.

Film Title Research

We generated a selection of different names for our thriller film and asked a number of people to vote for the one that they thought would be most effective. Here are the results:

Last orders- 0
Untraceable- 9
Conspiracy- 0
Ransom- 0
Deception- 2
The Deceit- 2
Forgotten- 2

The winner, therefore the title to our thriller film is "Untraceable".

Blue Velvet Opening Analysis

• When the credits are running at the start, quite mysterious and melancholy music is being played, with a blue velvet curtain swaying in the background, relating to the title.
• This blue velvet curtain then fades into a blue sky.
• In the first scene happy and cheerful music and imagery is used (flowers, children). Red roses are used which are often linked to love and desire, however in this case could represent danger. The white picket fences, blue skies and perfect gardens depict a traditional and idyllic American town.
• During the editing of the scene, dissolves have been used between shots to create a smooth transition from one to another, so not to ruin the peaceful atmosphere intended.
• The gun briefly shown on the TV could foreshadow the events to follow (discovery of a murder). This dark image makes the viewer curious, as it very out of place from the seemingly perfect setting shown previously.
• The close up shot of the tap malfunctioning suggests there is going to be a problem and the sharp cuts between this tap and the man builds tension.
• The blue velvet song is faintly playing in the background throughout, with the sound effects such as the tap spraying and the dog barking over the top of it.
• The close up shot of the grass used, appears as though the viewer is going through it and shows an uglier and less perfect side to this supposedly "perfect" town, showing lots of large black insects which most people would find rather disturbing and disgusting.

Thriller Research

What is a Thriller?
Thriller is a genre of film distinguished by its fast paced, frequent action, and ingenious heroes who must prevent the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Their aim is to create suspense, keeping the audience on “the edge of their seats” throughout.

What other genres are linked to thriller films?
The Thriller genre can also include a number of other sub-genres such as:
Action thriller, Conspiracy thriller, Crime thriller, Disaster thriller, Drama thriller, Eco-thriller, Erotic thriller, Horror thriller, Legal thriller, Medical thriller, Military thriller, Political thriller, Psychological thriller, Spy thriller, Supernatural thriller, Techno-thriller and Religious thriller.

A closely-related genre to thriller is the horror film genre.

What problems do you normally find when examining the Thriller genre?
When examining the thriller genre you usually find that most thrillers are some sort of a combination between the above hybrids rather than just being one specific one.

Features of a thriller film:
-Thrillers often take place completely or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, Polar Regions, or high seas.
-The heroes in most thrillers are frequently men accustomed to danger, but in some cases they may be ordinary citizens who are drawn into danger by accident.
-The heroes in thrillers are traditionally men, although women have become increasingly common.
-A thriller provides thrills and keeps the audience at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax.
-The tension usually arises when the main character is placed in a dangerous situation, mystery, escape or mission from which escape seems impossible.
-In thrillers, life itself is threatened, usually because the main character is unknowingly involved in a dangerous/potentially deadly situation.
-Plots of thrillers involve characters coming into conflict with each other or with outside forces.

What characters do you usually find in thrillers?
Characters in thrillers may include: convicts, criminals, stalkers, assassins, down-on-their-luck losers, innocent victims, prison inmates, menaced women, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, terrorists, cops, fugitives and more.

What are some frequent themes of thrillers?
Terrorism, Political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder.

Which films did the AFI decide were the top 3 most thrilling films?
1) Psycho
2) Jaws
3) The Exorcist

Who is considered “The Master of Suspense”?
The legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock.

Why was he given the title?
Alfred Hitchcock became known for a number of successful thrillers he produced. It is even said that he “invented” the suspense genre in film. He knew exactly how to create terror in the viewer’s mind.

What was his first film and when was it released? What was obviously different about his first than films of today?
Hitchcock’s debut was the film Pleasure Garden which he directed. It was released in 1925. It was different from more current films as it was a silent film.

What did Hitchcock do in his films?
Despite directing and producing films, Hitchcock also made a signature cameo appearance in a number of his feature films.

What are the conventions of Hitchcock films?
His films would often place innocent victims into a strange or life-threatening situation. He also utilized various cinematic techniques, specialised in Visually-expressive motifs and his films almost always included the inevitable life and death chase ending with a showdown at a famous landmark eg. the Statue of Liberty in Saboteur.

What did these early Thrillers all have in common in terms of victims?
The films Gaslight, Laura, The Sprial Staircase, The Lady from Shanghai and Sorry, wrong number all have a woman as the leading victim.

How are women represented in Thriller films?
Women are often represented as vulnerable, innocent and naive characters, being led astray easily by others and obliviously getting themselves involved in a dangerous situations.