Group Storyboard - Miss Georgiou

Our thriller opening begins with slow credits over a blank screen with tense music increasing in volume. As the music reaches the climax the picture flashes to a close up of a radio with a news story playing in the background. The shot cuts to a mid shot of children's toys and then cuts to a close up shot of a baby mobile. In the background the news is still playing explaining how two children have gone missing. The screen cuts to a mid shot of a woman (babysitter) putting a baby to sleep in its cot. The screen then cuts to the radio again and you see the babysitter turning off the radio. The picture cuts to a long shot of the bedroom with the cot in the center. In the background you hear the door shut (meaning the babysitter has left the room) and then you hear the babysitter start to scream. The scream eventually stops as the baby in the cot begins to cry and you hear the door open (off-screen sound) as the same long shot of the cot is still appearing on screen. The picture cuts to a close up of a Jack-in-a-box which begins to wind up and play by itself. The picture cuts to a close up of the window curtain which moves. The picture cuts to the Jack-in-the-Box again as it continues to play. A long shot of the cot is shown again which creates suspense as the audience knows that there is a stranger in the room yet you can't see them. A close up of the Jack-in-the-Box appears again and the digetic music being played increases the audience's anxiety. As they wait with anticipation for the Jack-in-the-Box to pop up you see a foot crush the toy. The camera remains on the crushed Jack-in-the-Box as you hear the baby's crying fade in the background. A long shot of the cot appears again but this time the window is open. The picture zooms quickly up to the cot as tense, non-diegetic music is played and you see that the baby has gone. The screen flashes to black.

Risk Ass - Miss Georgiou

Considering risks before filming is important as anything can happen from many things can go wrong throughout for example fire alarms will have to be renewed as they could be faulty and could go of randomly. Another example will be props/iconography make sure that the props are suitable to our thriller that they are not dangerous and will not put the crew in danger. We need to consider what risks will be inside the house we are using to film, even small objects around the house that are not needed can be a risk.

A risk assessment will assist us with our filming as it guides us through what could go wrong what risks we could come across whist filming. Our risk assessment will help us prevent these risks and will allow us as a group to work around similar risks. As a group the risk assessment will put our thriller opening in a safer environment.

The risk assessment will also help the film become more of a success as the filming wont be affected by any hazards and we know how to work around those hazards.




Risk Assessment.

Risks	How to avoid
Wires on the ground could be tripped over.	Be aware of wires on the ground make sure you move them away from working area, put a mat down over the wires which will prevent people working from tripping over.
Slippery surfaces again you can trip over and hurt yourself.	To avoid this we will first of all make sure there is nothing on the surfaces that can make it slippery and wearing the appropriate foot wear.
Items that are not needed whilst filming in the house could get damaged or put the filming task at risk.	Remove all unneeded items away from the filming set before we start filming.
Camera falling over when on top of the tripod could damage the camera.	Make sure we are handling the camera at all times so that it will not type and when we are not controlling the camera take it of the tripod and put it somewhere safe.

F. Schedule - Miss Georgiou

Shot	Date and time	Content	Shot type& duration	Costume/hair/make up	Iconography	Personnel	Equipment
1	23.11.12 2.00pm	Radio with titles. The radio will display the news of babies being stolen	mid shot 10 seconds	N/A	Radio	Camera man, location manager, props make up, Iconography manager	camera, tripod
2	23.11.12	Teddy bears with radio in the background	mid shot	N/A	Teddy bears	Camera man, location manager, Iconography manager	camera, tripod
4	23.11.12	Panning of the baby sitter putting the baby in the cot	Panning	Normal casual, plain clothes for the baby sitter. Baby is wrapped in a blanket	Cot	Actors, Cameraman, Iconography manager	Camera, tripod
5	23.11.12	Shot of the cot with the sound of the door shutting and babysitter screaming in the background.	Long shot	Normal casual, plain clothes for the baby sitter.	cot	Camera man, Iconography manager	Camera, tripod
6	23.11.12	Shot of the toys being crushed by the antagonist's foot	Long shot	N/A	Toys on the floor	Camera man, Iconography manager, actor	Camera, tripod
3	23.11.12	Close up of empty cot	Close-up	N/A	cot	Camera man, location manager, props make up, Iconography manager	Camera, tripod

Why is a filming schedule important to have?

It is important to have a film schedule as it plans out methodically how we will go about making the film and the roles that each of us will playing in creating the film. Sticking as closely as possible to this schedule means that we will be on track for the end result which we are aiming for and everyone is aware of what one another is supposed to be doing. Also it means that if changes need to be made it will be easy for us to make these and show this on the schedule. This will improve our film as we can spend more time on editing as it wont take long if we know exactly what we're doing and don't have to change too much. Also the main factor to making our film a success is the editing as the music and shot techniques will create the most tension and surprise. 

Did you follow the schedule while, or did you make any changes

We followed our schedule throughout the process and finished the filming quickly and professionally. The only changes we had to make were to the date the camera angles as the room didn't provide us with the appropriate space necessary. This is because we didn't know exactly how the bedroom would look so we had to adapt once we go there. The emotions were still portrayed through these shots which we are happy about. Also we originally planned to use a doll but we were able to use a real baby which will make the outcome a lot more authentic. This will be a much more believable and make the experience for the audience a lot more tense as they know that a real baby is being used.  Everything else went according to plan and the outcome is as we expected. By using editing we will now create the gripping effect for the audience and create the film. 

Title Credits - Mrs Frisendar

What is the purpose of film credits?

Film credits are used to give credit to the principal actors and production team. They are usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There may or may not be accompanying music.
           By using different fonts and editing techniques, opening credits can set the genre and tone of the film. Opening credits should meet the codes and conventions of the specific genre.

Common opening credits order:

NAME OF THE STUDIO

(Walt Disney Pictures, Columbia, Lions Gate, Universal, Miramax etc)

NAME OF THE PRODUCTION COMPANY

(usually credited as "in association with" or "A (studio name) production.")

(PRODUCER NAME) PRODUCTION or/and (director only) A FILM BY (DIRECTOR NAME)

(director's first credit, often "a XY film")

STARRING

(principal actors)

FILM'S TITLE

(name of the film)

FEATURING

(featured actors)

CASTING  or CASTING BY

Casting director.

MUSIC COMPOSED BY

Composer of music.

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Production designer.

- Set Design
- Costumes
- Hairdresser
- Make-up Artist
- Sound Recording
- Visual Effects Director
- EDITOR or EDITED BY

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Director of photography.

PRODUCER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Producer, co-producers, executive producers (the name of the producer will often be the next-to-last opening credit).

BASED ON THE BOOK (PLAY, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

If based on a book or other literary work.

BASED ON THE CHARACTERS BY

If based on characters from a book or other media.

STORY BY

Person who wrote the story on which the script is based on.

WRITER(S)

"Screenplay by X & Y and Z and W".

DIRECTOR

A film should only list one director.

"Se7en" Opening Credits:

 

The colours used in his opening sequence are very dark and the lighting is very low-key. This use of colour and lighting is conventional to a thriller as it creates shadows which adds intensity and mystery to the scene. The audience would expect dark colours from a thriller opening as it foreshadows a dark story. The opening sequence also promotes an unseen antagonist which meets the conventions of a thriller film. By keeping the antagonist unidentifiable, it intrigues the audience and makes them want to continue watching in order to witness the villain being revealed. Extreme close-ups are used in the opening credits when displaying the villain, however there are no close-ups of their face. This again makes the audience eager to find out who the villain is. 

The music used in this sequence has a constant rhythm but increase in texture and volume. Sharp, atonal guitar riffs are also used to portray screaming. This style of music is conventional to a thriller film as it increases the audience's anxiety and makes them fear that something is going to happen. Very sharp iconography is also used such as scissors and needles. This type of iconography is conventional to a thriller and proves to the audience that the film is going to be about torture and violence. The font is very gothic and makes the titles look like they have been carved with a knife. This again could foreshadow the rest of the plot being about torture and violence.

I think this opening is very effective and meets the codes and conventions of a thriller film. In my opinion, the reason this opening is so effective is because it doesn't contain massive amounts of gore, action or dialogue. The reason it's so successful is because it has a huge psychological impact because of the sound, quick editing and lack of identity. All these factors build the audience's anxiety and create suspense which is the main purpose of a thriller film.

Individual Storyboard - Miss Georgiou

Individual Storyboard

I wanted my storyboard to be simple and psychological through the use of sound. Instead of showing the audience exactly what happens on screen, I thought it would be more affective to have less visual action and more off screen sounds in order to make the audience think more about what is going to happen as I believe that fear comes from the audience's predictions rather than what they see.

I have planned for my individual narrative to begin very calm and casual. Within the first frame you see a radio from which there is a 'breaking news' article being aired about two children who have recently been abducted by an unknown kidnapper. The next two frames show children's toys to show that the location is a child's bedroom. All three frames last for about seconds and change through the use of straight cuts. The forth frame shows a babysitter putting a baby to sleep. A mid-shot is used in this frame which allows the audience to see the baby and how young and defenseless it is.

The first frame in this picture shows the babysitter turning off the radio. The 'breaking news' article therefore cuts off. The next frame shows a long-shot of the cot which lasts for about 15 seconds. In the meantime you hear off-screen sounds; a door shutting, the babysitter screaming, a door opening and slow footsteps. These sound effects are supposed to portray the babysitter leaving the bedroom and finding a stranger in the house. The babysitter's screaming obviously represents her being hurt and the door opening and the footsteps are supposed to portray the stranger entering the bedroom. at this point the baby begins to cry. The next frame shows a Jack-in-the-Box which begins to play by itself. The next frame shows another long shot of the cot and large gust of wind blowing the curtain.

The first frame of this page shows a mid shot of the Jack-in-the-Box which is still playing. As the diagetic theme tune comes to an end and the audience thinks that the Jack-in-the-Box is going to come out, the stranger's foot crushes the toy. This frame will hopefully create suspense and eventually shock the audience due to the creepy music and the unexpected event. The frame continues to show the crushed Jack-in-the-Box and off-screen you hear footsteps and the baby's crying fading. The final shot starts of as a long shot and quickly zooms to a close-up of the now empty cot. This entire opening sequence will have low-key lighting.

Opening Narrative - Miss Georgiou

Our thriller opening begins with slow credits over a blank screen with tense music increasing in volume. As the music reaches the climax the picture flashes to a close up of a radio with a news story playing in the background.
The shot cuts to a mid shot of children's toys and then cuts to a close up shot of a baby mobile. In the background the news is still playing explaining how two children have gone missing. The screen cuts to a mid shot of a woman (babysitter) putting a baby to sleep in its cot. The screen then cuts to the radio again and you see the babysitter turning off the radio. The picture cuts to a long shot of the bedroom with the cot in the center. In the background you hear the door shut (meaning the babysitter has left the room) and then you hear the babysitter start to scream.

The scream eventually stops as the baby in the cot begins to cry and you hear the door open (off-screen sound) as the same long shot of the cot is still appearing on screen. The picture cuts to a close up of a Jack-in-a-box which begins to wind up and play by itself. The picture cuts to a close up of the window curtain which moves.

The picture cuts to the Jack-in-the-Box again as it continues to play. A long shot of the cot is shown again which creates suspense as the audience knows that there is a stranger in the room yet you can't see them. A close up of the Jack-in-the-Box appears again and the digetic music being played increases the audience's anxiety. As they wait with anticipation for the Jack-in-the-Box to pop up you see a foot crush the toy. The camera remains on the crushed Jack-in-the-Box as you hear the baby's crying fade in the background.

A long shot of the cot appears again but this time the window is open. The picture zooms quickly up to the cot as tense, non-diegetic music is played and you see that the baby has gone. The screen flashes to black.

Planning the Mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

Mise-En-Scene

Setting

Our thriller opening is set in a child's bedroom. This setting will exaggerate the child's innocence will make the audience feel more sympathy for the child when they become a victim. This location however is not conventional to a thriller film as the audience would expect a more isolated setting such as a forest, an urban street or any featureless exterior. We are going to film our opening in Connor's house because he has a younger brother therefore his room will be more appropriate.

Colour

The baby (victim) will be dressed in white in order to portray innocence and vulnerability. The babysitter will also be dressed in white to show that she is also a victim. However the unidentifiable villain will be wearing black which will display their evil intentions. The colour of these costumes will make it clear to the audience who the victim is and who the antagonist is.

Actors

The victim will be a baby. This is conventional to a thriller as the victim is vulnerable and defenseless. This will make the audience feel sympathy for the victim as they cannot fight for themselves and have no chance of surviving against the villain. The victim is also positioned below the antagonist which represents the difference in strength and power.

The babysitter will be played by a teenage female and will display an innocent and vulnerable victim. This is conventional to a thriller film as the victim is a typical 'damsel in distress'.

Lighting

The lighting will be low-key as it is only lit with a lamp. This is conventional to a thriller film as the restricted light creates shadows which adds mystery and tension to the scene.

Iconography

The iconography will include children's toys. This will emphasise how young the victim is which will exaggerate their vulnerability. A cot will also be used to portray the baby's age and to represent the fact that the baby cannot escape.

Production Roles - Miss Georgiou

Production Roles

- Camera Operator:

A professional operator of a video camera within filmmaking. The leading camera operator would be called a cinematographer. The camera operator is responsible for maintaining composition and camera angles throughout a scene or shot.

- Actor:

An actor is somebody who interprets a dramatic role in film, theatre or television to help portray a story. An actor must portray a believable character in order to create a response from the audience.


- Sound Technician

A sound technician is a skilled and trained specialist who deals with the machinery and equipment used for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. Audio engineering concerns the creative and practical aspects of sounds and music, in contrast with the formal engineering discipline known as acoustical engineering.


- Editors

An editor is somebody who selects visual, audible, written and film media and puts them in a certain order to portray a story. As such, editing is a practice that includes creative skills, human relations, and a precise set of methods.

- Film Director

A film director is somebody who controls the artistic and dramatic aspects and directs the actors and crew within filmmaking. Working with the producers, directors develop a vision for a film. Once this vision is developed it is then the director’s job to carry out the vision. Directors are responsible for turning the script into a sequence of shots.

- Location Manager

A location manager is responsible for finding and securing the locations where the film should be filmed. They are also responsible for addressing the issues that may arise due to the production's impact on the community. A location manager will commonly work closely with the director and the production designer during preproduction to find and secure their creative vision.

Roles within our group:

Camera Operator: Jake Poulter

Producer: Georgia Crandon

Director: Alfie Buisson
Storyboard Organiser: Jake Poulter
Editor: Georgia Crandon
Sound Technician: Georgia Crandon
Location Manager: Connor Kus
Iconography Manager: Alfie Buisson
                                        Connor Kus
Actor: Yeliz Dalmac
            Jake Poulter
            Kihan James

Group Narrative - Miss Georgiou

Missing - Georgia Crandon

I would like my thriller to be suitable for 15 year olds. Therefore my thriller will have a larger psychological impact rather than gore. My thriller opening will begin with a baby being kidnapped by an unidentifiable villain. The rest of the film would consist of the villain kidnapping more children with many different people being suspected for the abduction. The film will end with the villain being revealed. The scene is set in a child's bedroom.

Jake Poulter

Scene is in a church. A young girl is the victim and the antagonist is a possessed vicar who is the father of the girl. They live together and base most of their day in the church. The first scene starts off in the church where they are praying. The characters seem normal until the vicar reveals his real identity. The setting will be spooky as there will be candles and low key lighting. There will be a voice over as the camera zooms into the characters, of the father speaking. The main beginning will be the viewer being shown how the characters live their lives and the complexity of this. Here there will be scenes of the father shouting in heated arguments with his daughter about the in-normality of her life. The middle shows the daughter turning on her father and trying to live a normal life. The ending finishes with a heated argument leading to the girl killing the father after near death actions from the father. They chase each other around their home, the graveyard and finally at the alter where the father dies.

Alfie Buisson

First of all my ideal thriller film that i would like to create would be set in an abandoned area, for example blank fields and in the distance one building.  Young boy will be finding his friends in this location (playing hide and seek) when all of a sudden a woman takes him. This woman will meet up with a man who could be her husband. This being a husband and wife but the wife being the main antagonist is conventional to the thriller genre as it is unusual to see the women do this in this genre which will build up tension fast and strong and get the audience interested straight away. As this kidnapping scene will be happening so fast it will discreetly hide the identity of the woman which again is a strong thriller convention as creating a mystery straight away gets the audience thinking all the way through.

The young boy who will be taken is going to be 12 years of age with a speech disability.

The woman and man (antagonists) will be in there 40's. This couple will be average normal people but have a little something wrong with them.

Connor Kus

For my thriller I am thinking of making it with a less gore than an ordinary thriller with no blood or violence so that it can be seen by 12, making it more about the music and leaving it up to the imagination of the audience. Because of this my antagonist will be unseen though out it.

 My story line is based on people going missing around town this town will be a quiet one with not much that happens which makes it more realistic and more isolated. I will start the film with saying its based on a true story this will, the films starts with seeing a day of the life of a young girl and you see her go missing from down a dark ally. Then the film goes in to the life of another girl, which will be the main character. She will be trying to investigate the who the kidnapper is, which will take her to find out its a monster. The film will be called 'missing'.

My main character will be intelligent and female, this will be unconventional, she will inveterate it all by her self so there will always be the fear of danger where ever she goes.

Group Narrative

Our thriller opening begins with slow credits over a blank screen with tense music increasing in volume. As the music reaches the climax the picture flashes to a close up of a radio with a news story playing in the background. The shot cuts to a mid shot of children's toys and then cuts to a close up shot of a baby mobile. In the background the news is still playing explaining how two children have gone missing. The screen cuts to a mid shot of a woman (babysitter) putting a baby to sleep in its cot. The screen then cuts to the radio again and you see the babysitter turning off the radio. The picture cuts to a long shot of the bedroom with the cot in the center. In the background you hear the door shut (meaning the babysitter has left the room) and then you hear the babysitter start to scream. The scream eventually stops as the baby in the cot begins to cry and you hear the door open (off-screen sound) as the same long shot of the cot is still appearing on screen. The picture cuts to a close up of a Jack-in-a-box which begins to wind up and play by itself. The picture cuts to a close up of the window curtain which moves. The picture cuts to the Jack-in-the-Box again as it continues to play. A long shot of the cot is shown again which creates suspense as the audience knows that there is a stranger in the room yet you can't see them. A close up of the Jack-in-the-Box appears again and the digetic music being played increases the audience's anxiety. As they wait with anticipation for the Jack-in-the-Box to pop up you see a foot crush the toy. The camera remains on the crushed Jack-in-the-Box as you hear the baby's crying fade in the background. A long shot of the cot appears again but this time the window is open. The picture zooms quickly up to the cot as tense, non-diegetic music is played and you see that the baby has gone. The screen flashes to black.

Individual Narrative - Miss Georgiou

Individual Narrative

Missing - Georgia Crandon

I would like my thriller to be suitable for 15 year olds. Therefore my thriller will have a larger psychological impact rather than gore. My thriller opening will begin with a baby being kidnapped by an unidentifiable villain. The rest of the film would consist of the villain kidnapping more children with many different people being suspected for the abduction. The film will end with the villain being revealed. The scene is set in a child's bedroom.

It starts with the title credits over a black screen with a news story playing in the background. The picture fades into a close up shot of a radio. The shot cuts to a mid shot of children's toys and then cuts to a close up shot of a baby mobile. In the background the news is still playing explaining how two children have gone missing. The screen cuts to a mid shot of a woman (babysitter) putting a baby to sleep in its cot. The screen then cuts to the radio again and you see the babysitter turning off the radio. The picture cuts to a long shot of the bedroom with the cot in the center. In the background you hear the door shut (meaning the babysitter has left the room) and then you hear the babysitter start to scream. The scream eventually stops as the baby in the cot begins to cry and you hear the door open (off-screen sound) as the same long shot of the cot is still appearing on screen. The picture cuts to a close up of a Jack-in-a-box which begins to wind up and play by itself. The picture cuts to a close up of the window curtain which moves. The picture cuts to the Jack-in-the-Box again as it continues to play. A long shot of the cot is shown again which creates suspense as the audience knows that there is a stranger in the room yet you can't see them. A close up of the Jack-in-the-Box appears again and the digetic music being played increases the audience's anxiety. As they wait with anticipation for the Jack-in-the-Box to pop up you see a foot crush the toy. The camera remains on the crushed Jack-in-the-Box as you hear the baby's crying fade in the background. A long shot of the cot appears again but this time the window is open. The picture zooms quickly up to the cot as tense, non-diegetic music is played and you see that the baby has gone. The screen flashes to black.

Scream 4 Cinematography Notes - Mrs Frisendar

Today we studied cinematography and learnt about different angles, movements and positions. We used this knowledge to then analyse the cinematography of a scene from "Scream 4". 

At the beginning of the scene when the antagonist is on the phone to the victim, a mid shot is used. This camera position is conventional to a thriller film as it proves who the victim is as she is wearing white clothing which represents her innocence. This shot also allows you to see her facial expressions and body language. Her facial expression shows that she is very scared. By being able to observe her facial expression, the audience can be put into the mindset of the victim and feel the same emotions that she is feeling.  This heightens the audience's anxiety and creates suspense which is a key element to a thriller film.

A panning/hand-held movement is also used when the victim runs into the kitchen. The panning movement allows the audience to observe the victim's running and panic which shows her fear. The hand-held movement also creates a chaotic atmosphere and represents the victim's erratic state of mind. These camera movements are conventional to a thriller film as they put the audience into the shoes of the victim and make them feel the same chaos that is surrounding the victim. This increases the audience's anxious adrenaline and makes them want to continue watching.