Storyboard

1. Company ident/logo.

2. Close-up foot shot of the escapee running.

3. Close-up shot of a man's hand hitting a button or alarm.

4. Medium hand-cam shot of the prisoner running away from the compound. She looks over her shoulder while she's running away.

5. Foot shots of a group of people running through a corridor, obviously in disarray.

6. A short close-up of an open gate.

7. The screen blacks out, and a muffled voice over a radio says "another one; take it down".

8. Series of close-ups of a government agent's torso and gun, followed by an extreme close-up of his eyes.

9. Long shot of escapee running across a field.

10. The government agent gives chase, the camera following him at a medium distance as he runs out of the gate, looks around, and then follows the trail that the prisoner has just escaped through.

11. Medium close-up shot of the prisoner up against a wall; she grabs her head and winces in pain, the camera snapping to random levels of zoom as she does so.

12. The camera cuts to an over-the-shoulder shot of the government agent looking for the prisoner. He sees her in the distance, and she notices that he is closing in.

13. The scene then cuts to a medium long shot at a slightly later moment; the government agent has almost caught up to the prisoner, as she cowers behind a tree to catch her breath.

14. She notices that the agent is only metres away, and turns to run - but comes face to face with a fence.

15. The agent raises his gun, as if to shoot - but then lowers his weapon and says; "Go. I never saw you". She pauses for a moment, unsure of whether or not he's serious, and he shouts "GO!" - and she runs out of the shot.

16. The government agent then puts his hand to his headset, and the camera blacks out.

17. The title of the film appears in plain white military-style text on screen, and he says "No sign of the target. Returning to base."

NOTE: The text portion of this post is entirely identical to an earlier version of the shot list, which can be found here: http://nfgssolarflare.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/shot-list-for-updated-plan.html

Weather

We have decided to film our thriller opening on Tuesday so i looked up what the weather forecast was going to be like and see if it would affect our filming. If we are unable to film on Tuesday (29/01/13) for whatever reason (mainly weather), we researched the weeks forecast and can see what is available. Even though the forecast can change, we can easily access this application (below) nearer the day and update's regularly with location.

Risk Assessment

Possible Risks:

• We will be filming on potentially slippery icy fields; this is dangerous terrain to run on, and could result in one or both of our actors slipping and damaging themselves. Because of the fact that it's going to be cold, (probably below-freezing conditions) there's also a slight hypothermia risk. It's also possible that the actors might be unable to stop on the ice, and could crash into a tree, a fence, or each other. The cameraman also faces these risks.  

The staff and crew will avoid these risks by taking extra precautions when walking on treacherous ground.

• When we film inside the building, there's a trip hazard in the cabling associated with the camera; it's entirely possible that somebody could trip on the camera's cables.

The staff and crew will all be informed of the risks and will be told to take extra precautions to prevent harm to someone.

•  According to the weather report, it's also likely to rain on our chosen day of filming, which in itself results in multiple risks; the camera could suffer water damage, which could result in an electric shock. In addition to that, there's the heightened risk of aforementioned slipperiness on the field, as well as an enhanced risk of the actors and filming staff getting too cold.

The staff and crew should carry extra blankets to wrap around themselves when not filming and to wear layers. Additionally, the cameraman should invest in a waterproof covering for the camera.

Equipment and Software List

EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE LIST:

> Apple iMac
> Canon Legria HFR106 Digital Camcorder
> Tripod
> Dolly
> Final Cut Express
> Adobe Photoshop
> Camera Phones (for taking pictures during planning)
> Blogger

Music In Thriller Films

In this post, I will examine music from the soundtracks of three thriller films and then draw a conclusion based on my findings. Click "Read More" to see it!

Location Planning

In our thriller, we intend to use the resources available to us at school as our primary filming location; we plan to film at some point next week, and if we're lucky, there might be some snow on the ground (which will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the mise-en-scene). Every shot that we wish to include in the final product has a corresponding location on the school grounds that we can use, and this should reduce filming time as well as reduce the risks associated with filming (a subject that will be covered broadly in the upcoming risk assessment).


Hit the "Read More" to see some test images of different scenes from around the school, each corresponding to a different shot in the shot list:

Codes and Conventions that We Wish to Use

The Codes and Conventions of a Typical Thriller that We Wish to Use in Ours

Typically, the protagonist of a thriller must, at some point in the movie, face some form of hardship or (often undetectable) threat - and in a lot of cases, this can be as extreme as a threat to their lives. In our thriller, we intend to replicate this sense of threat with the chase scene; the audience doesn't know what the government agent truly intends to do with the escapee once he catches her, (as he was only instructed to "take it down") and the threat of death is therefore ever-present throughout the scene.

There's also a clear focus on the standard thriller practice of raising questions about the morality of individual characters; we're introduced to the implication of human experimentation, (the escapee is referred to as "it", and the scene where she is clutching her head is also indicative of some sort of augmentation or alteration having been made to the brain) the extents to which the government facility is willing to go in order to preserve its secrets, and the moral code of a single government agent - who elects to allow the prisoner to leave freely as opposed to following his orders. This presents the audience with a difficult choice, as they are left wondering who the real protagonist is; they don't know whether the film will focus on the escapee or the government agent, and they don't know for sure what the government agent's real motives are - and this leaves a feeling of uncertainty, and this could be fairly unsettling. Effectively, we've deliberately subverted using a clear sense of binary opposition to define the action in order to make it less predictable and more interesting.

It's worth noting, however, that the audience knows that the main protagonist has to be either one of these two characters, as the vast majority of the action revolves around them - and a particular convention of thrillers that we've taken care to plan to follow is that the narrative should focus on the protagonist's point of view.

Shot List for Updated Plan

• Company ident/logo.
• Close-up foot shot of the escapee running.
• Close-up shot of a man's hand hitting a button or alarm.
• Medium hand-cam shot of the prisoner running away from the compound. She looks over her shoulder while she's running away.
• Foot shots of a group of people running through a corridor, obviously in disarray.
• A short close-up of an open gate.
• The screen blacks out, and a muffled voice over a radio says "another one; take it down".
• Series of close-ups of a government agent's torso and gun, followed by an extreme close-up of his eyes.
• Long shot of escapee running across a field.
• The government agent gives chase, the camera following him at a medium distance as he runs out of the gate, looks around, and then follows the trail that the prisoner has just escaped through.
• Medium close-up shot of the prisoner up against a wall; she grabs her head and winces in pain, the camera snapping to random levels of zoom as she does so.
• The camera cuts to an over-the-shoulder shot of the government agent looking for the prisoner. He sees her in the distance, and she notices that he is closing in.
• The scene then cuts to a medium long shot at a slightly later moment; the government agent has almost caught up to the prisoner, as she cowers behind a tree to catch her breath.
• She notices that the agent is only metres away, and turns to run - but comes face to face with a fence.
• The agent raises his gun, as if to shoot - but then lowers his weapon and says; "Go. I never saw you". She pauses for a moment, unsure of whether or not he's serious, and he shouts "GO!" - and she runs out of the shot.
• The government agent then puts his hand to his headset, and the camera blacks out.
• The title of the film appears in plain white military-style text on screen, and he says "No sign of the target. Returning to base."

NOTE: The storyboard that corresponds to this shot list can be found here: http://nfgssolarflare.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/story-board.html

Changes to the Plan

It has been decided that the plan that we were going to use (Jack's) was far too cliché to be used for the final production. To execute it in a way that would make it a good, solid film, it would need a budget vastly larger than what we have (which isn't a lot). Instead, we've decided to go with a more subtle approach. Here are the changes to the scenario:

The story will be following the escape and pursuit of a prisoner (clad in hospital-type wear, and with a bar-code on his hand - to imply human experimentation) from a government facility. The government agent (now without the trench-coat; it was deemed as being "too '90s" and "too Matrix") is sent to follow this escapee and bring him back to the facility - and after a claustrophobic chase scene, he catches up to the escapee. Instead of following his instructions to capture him, he lets him escape with the line "I never saw you; now go.". This creates a deliberate ambiguity in binary opposition; it keeps the audience guessing as to who the protagonist is, and who the main character is. It generates an uneasy sense of mystery - and the audience is left gripped and unsure.

We were toying with the idea of making the escapee a girl so as to make her seem more vulnerable (and to imply the idea of rape, even though it's not actually going to happen) - and this would greatly increase the tension and feeling of paranoia of the scene where the government agent corners her next to a fence (this will be expanded upon in a later post).

Also, it's not going to be called System Crash, because that name is very, very cliché.

My Film Pitch - Costume

The SAS team will be wearing these wear because they're part of the military. They will need to look professional and up to their jobs They will need to hide their face because they will be under cover and the jacket is to camouflage and blend in with the surroundings .

 

In the Gathering Party , The SAS team and their family members will be wearing smart casual wear. 

My film Pitch

A former Military special air service (SAS) team of 4 are on a mission to find the most wanted terrorist in the whole world. They have tried to find this man for 6 years and haven’t succeeded. One night at the base camp in Iran the SAS team gets given the latest news on the terrorist and finds out that he’s located near where the team are based and he’s in disguise so that people doesn't recognize him .

It’s 2 am in the morning , The SAS team is getting ready for the biggest challenge of their lives . The atmosphere is so chilled and nerve racking for the team . The Team Sergeant gives his fellow collegues  a thorough information about their plans and what they will be doing to make the mission a success . The team move forward to where the terrorist is , the sergeant tells his collegue to put on their gas mask .They start of with launching a smoke grenade so that the terrosist dosent see what he’s doing and dosen't escape . Next thing you know there are open fires everywhere a whole dozens of terrorist start firing their guns and grenades everywhere , luckily none of the SAS team gets hurt . The sergeant calls everyone back on the radio , in his mind thers a lot of questions going on ‘Is it safe to carry on the mission with only 4 people ?’ , ‘Shall we call for back up’s?’.  All the team member gets together and has a short talk and decides quickly that they should just go out there and take the dozens of terrosist of their own . There are bombs flying around the battle field . The team dosent plan on giving up and they end up killing all of the terrorist and manage to capture the wanted criminal they were looking for . They all rejoice in happiness and bring the wanted terrorist back to their base camp.

After 6 month , The team sergeant host a gathering for their SAS team and their family in his house .  The three men who were part of the SAS team turns up to his house with their family members and they settle down . 

Costume for Film Pitch

Film Pitch: http://nfgssolarflare.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/jack-my-film-pitch-system-crash.html

The main character needs to have a distinctly “cool” appearance; he is a very calm, collected character, who does a good job of maintaining an efficient, mechanical persona whenever he’s on the job. This mechanical way of dealing with things is supposed to be congruent with the fact that he is, in fact, a cyborg, and fits with one of the film’s themes of blurring the lines between machine and human - and as a result of that, we also need to subtly show that he has augmented robotic parts as opposed to looking completely human.

For his costume, I’d imagined something black; something heroic yet somewhat dark, like a leather trench-coat, which flows behind him when he runs. In fact, most of his clothing needs to be black; he is an agent focused mainly on sneaking and espionage, so making him too colourful (and, by extension, too visible) would be a mistake. He’s supposed to be a silent killer, and the costume needs to reflect this - and in addition to that, it needs to fit with the props to create his overall image.

To keep with the “cool” motif, a pair of sunglasses (regardless of whether or not it’s actually sunny on the day of shooting) would add a greater sense of mystery to the character, and in a sense, glasses are in themselves a kind of rudimentary augmentation. They’re distinctly “cool”, as well as hiding the character’s true identity by concealing his eyes; the connotation here is that the persona that he dons when working isn’t the one he has after-hours, signifying something of a split or broken personality (not “split personality” in a literal sense, but double-sided and inconsistent nonetheless).

The character who he’s chasing needs to remain fairly indistinct; basic black camouflage and a balaclava need to conceal his appearance, making him seem without character, though still sinister and mysterious. We want this character to look as though he poses a threat to the main character to keep up the sense of suspense - and at the same time, we don’t want to show too much of him, as the less you see of a villain or a threat, the more imposing and deadly they seem. He won’t be an elegant character, but rather deliberately generic; maybe with a hood, black trousers, and indistinct black boots.

Lots of black. But then again, it is a techno thriller.

Analyses of Opening Credits Sequences

Analyses of Opening Credits Sequences

- One thriller, one non-thriller -

Panic Room: Lots of sweeping long shots of skyscrapers, and in amongst the buildings are nested the names of the major actors involved in the film. The skyscrapers create a sense of claustrophobia; almost as if they're caging in the streets and their inhabitants – and the foreboding, creepy music accentuates this. Following the first few names, the title screen pops up in a slightly larger font, followed by more names of various other actors. The typography is interesting, too; it's written in a font that one would expect from the heading of a newspaper – probably a reference to the Manhattan setting. Why is it always Manhattan?

James Bond: Die Another Day: This particular opening sequence relies heavily on CGI imagery; there almost isn't a single shot that doesn't feature computer-generated special effects in some way, and this works to fantastic effect. It's symbolic of James' suffering as the villains are torturing him, and the fire and ice motif represents the ongoing conflict of good and evil that defines the structure of a Bond film. There are close-ups of the woman-like figures, and various different long-shots of James and his captors in the background. The actual credits feature a far wider selection of different members of staff than Panic Room; though it follows a similar formula of director/producer > actors, it also features other staff, such as the heads of photography units, sound staff and costume designers.

Planning for Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task: http://nfgssolarflare.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/preliminary-task.html

Explanation of shots:

1. Side-on shot of man walking towards closed door
2. Matched cut to a long-ish shot behind the man with the door in front of him
3. Close-up shot of man's hand twisting the handle
4. Shot from the other side of the door as it opens and the man walks through. He closes the door behind him and walks directly towards the camera
5. Camera cuts to looking from behind the man out into the room, and as he walks to another character sitting at a table and sits with him, the camera tracks him
6. The camera switches between characters using the 180-degree rule and shot-reverse shot-reverse-shot as they talk to one another

Script:

Char. 1: Do you have her?

Char. 2: Yes, we do.

Char. 1: [smiling smugly] Good.

Props for My Film Pitch

Film Pitch: http://nfgssolarflare.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/jack-my-film-pitch-system-crash.html

As the film will be set in the near future, I think that it would be unsuitable to use purely present-day weapons and props; the mise-en-scene needs to be constructed with a distinctly "techno" tone, meaning that props to suit this tone are necessary. In addition, one of the running themes in the movie is the technological advancement of military hardware - and more advanced (or at least, more advanced-looking) equipment will be instrumental in showing this.

On that note, let's start with guns; the main character isn't a person who necessarily likes going for the biggest or loudest explosion, and prefers an espionage-esque stealth kill over the Schwarzenegger-style "kill-'em-all" approach. It's not primarily an action movie, after all, and the fact that smaller, weaker weapons need to be used at close range means that we can use the character's preference for this type of gun to create very claustrophobic chase and combat scenes. As for the main character's gun itself, I was thinking that it should be something along the lines of a handgun-type device - though it needs to look futuristic; ridges, layered sheets of metal, slightly alien-looking aesthetics and the like, though owing to the film's dark tone, it can't be too polished or shiny. It also needs to have something of a grungy, gloomy feel to its appearance; something along the lines of this:

As other props go, we would need a Bluetooth-styled earpiece (or even something more discreet, seeing as it's the future) for the character to talk through when he puts his hand to his ear; it needs to have the same sort of futuristic aesthetic that the gun has, although Bluetooth earpieces usually look deliberately "futuristic" anyway. Something small, black, and maybe with some sort of LED light on it. Like this:

Written Plan for Thriller Opening

Written Plan for Thriller Opening

Link to film pitch: http://nfgssolarflare.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/jack-my-film-pitch-system-crash.html

• First shot is completely black: in plain, white, military-style text, a few of the first items on the credits will appear, while a two-way radio conversation between two unseen individuals plays out.
• A close-up shot of a man with his finger pressed to his ear fades in, as we hear him speak down the com-link - and we find out that he’s supposed to be chasing somebody, though can’t find the person. The shot then fades out.
• Every time the shot fades out, an item in the credits will appear in a corner of the screen.
• Another shot fades in, this time a panning shot surveying the scene; we catch a brief glimpse of a shadowy figure in the distance, and the shot fades out.
• The next shot fades in, and is an extreme close-up of the main character’s hands clasping his gun. After a few seconds, the shot fades out.
• Next shot, an extreme close-up panning shot of the man’s eyes; we see that there are augmented cybernetic elements around his eyes (which are covered by a pair of extremely shiny sunglasses). Again, the shot fades out.
• The next shot does not fade, but cuts in abruptly; the main character sees another figure walking away from him in the distance and removes his hand from his ear, readying his gun. He then proceeds to give chase; the camera is facing towards the front of the character as he’s running towards it, and when he reaches it, the scene cuts to a shot behind the character (with him appearing to run away from the camera).
• The next few shots are a montage-style series of clips of the main character chasing his target. These are mainly close-ups of moving body parts such as arms, legs and hands, as well as some hand-cam-style chase sequences, in which it appears that the camera is chasing the characters.
• The next shots will be a pause in the action; both characters pause, hiding behind corners of two buildings, slowly peering round corners and catching glimpses of eachother. These will be medium shots, with only the characters’ upper torsos visible at any one time.
• Following that, there will be a low-angle (or even worm’s eye view) shot of the corner of a building, and the two characters will run around this corner a few seconds apart, only their lower bodies visible.
• The main character continues running forwards, only to find his target waiting for him round another corner. This is followed by a series of close-up shots of a sort of a struggle between the two, and the scene cuts to black with a gunshot.
• We then hear a voice over the radio; the same voice that we heard talking to the character earlier. He says the name of the character over there, getting no reply or response, before shouting his name into the com-link, obviously panicked - and the transmission cuts abruptly, replaced by the sound of static.

My Film Pitch - Props

In the opening scene, these are the props that could be included:

Landline Phone
This relates further into the plot, and shows that the main character is withdrawn from unnecessary technology. In the flashback, mobiles and other technology can be seen, but there is a restricted amount in the present day. 






Newspaper Clippings and Images
These show what the main character is trying to do, and gives the audience background information of what has happened in the 2 years after the murders. If shots of the text and images were used, some would have to be made specifically for the film. 






Framed Family Photo
This would play a big part in the film, as it is the main character's own item and shows the contrast between what his life was like before his family was killed. It also relates later into the film, when he breaks the frame in anger and discovers the wooden box.

My Film Pitch - Costume

For my film pitch, this is what i would expect certain characters to wear in the opening:

Main character (the father) - the father will be dressed in quite shabby clothing. This is because i want his appearance to reflect his mental state and shows that he does not take care in his appearance. It also reflects his personality, and shows his dedication towards his family.

Other characters:

The protagonist's wife -  Her costume would be quite casual and relaxed as she's at home looking after the child. She would also be wearing a necklace, which is significant to the plot.

The protagonist's child - Again, whether the child is female or male, it's costume would be casual and relaxed. However the costume would have to be altered, depending on the age of the character.

My Film Pitch

The film is set in present day. 2 years before the film is set, a family of 3 were targeted, and the mother and child were brutally murdered. The father survived, only because he was not in. At the beginning when we are introduced to this character, he comes across as quiet and clearly still scarred from his family's deaths (flashbacks and suicide scars). Since the murders happened, no one has been found guilty for the crimes. Since the main suspects had been found not guilty, the main character has been attempting to solve and bring the actual killers to justice. The authorities constantly warn the main character to let them handle it themselves for the sake of his own mental health.

The main character begins to become fixated with the fact that when he found his wife's body, her necklace was missing and no murder weapon was found, which comes to light as new evidence. He feels as if someone has been watching him and becomes paranoid that the killer is on to him. He becomes extremely withdrawn from reality. There are times when the 'man' watching him is in the house, and phone calls telling the main character that the murders were his own fault, take place. The protagonist informs the police, but they find no evidence of an intruder or any phone calls. 

Whilst having a breakdown and realising that the intruder and phone calls were a figment of his imagination, the character knocks down a framed photo, on the side. As he cleans it up, he finds a wooden box underneath the bed and has to pry it open. Inside is his wife's necklace, along with a bloodied knife and other evidence that suggests the murderer had placed the items there. He then has the same flashback at the start of the plot, when he finds his family, but then looks down and sees that he is holding the knife that killed his wife and child. He comes back to reality in shock as the repressed memory sinks in, and attempts suicide, failing, and ending up on a psychiatric ward in hospital. He is still attempting to find his wife and child's killer, forgetting that he found out it was actually him that killed them.

Solar Productions Ident

This is our company's ident. This will be placed before our film opening.