Thrillers
- Action
- Horror
- Spy
- Supernatural
- Sci-fi
Our group has decided to use Action - thriller.
Camera
- LS, CU, ELS, ECU
- Tracking in chases
- Panning around action
- Over the shoulder
- Fly on the wall
- POV
Editing
- Jump cuts
- Fast pace
Sound
- Fast pace music
- non-digetic sound = rock music
Mise en scene
- high technology
- cheesy cliche
- gadgets
- car chases
- guns
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Audience Research
'15' – Suitable only for 15 years and over
No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video or DVD.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate to 15 year olds.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language But the strongest terms will be acceptable only where justified by the context. Continued aggressive use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed but without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.
Violence
Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.
Imitable techniques
Dangerous techniques (eg combat, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on imitable detail. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.
'18' – Suitable only for adults
No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.
In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC's public consultations, at '18' the BBFC's guideline concerns will not normally override the wish that adults should be free to chose their own entertainment, within the law. Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:
where material or treatment appears to the Board to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – e.g. any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which is likely to promote the activity. The Board may also intervene with portrayals of sexual violence which might, e.g. eroticise or endorse sexual assault.
the more explicit images of sexual activity – unless they can be exceptionally justified by context and the work is not a 'sex work' as defined below.
I found this information from the website: www.bbfc.co.uk
After considering all the different certificates through my audience research I believe that our horror extract would appeal to people over the age of 15 years old. However the target audience for our piece will range from 15 to 35 year olds.
No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video or DVD.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate to 15 year olds.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language But the strongest terms will be acceptable only where justified by the context. Continued aggressive use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed but without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.
Violence
Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.
Imitable techniques
Dangerous techniques (eg combat, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on imitable detail. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.
'18' – Suitable only for adults
No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.
In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC's public consultations, at '18' the BBFC's guideline concerns will not normally override the wish that adults should be free to chose their own entertainment, within the law. Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:
where material or treatment appears to the Board to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – e.g. any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which is likely to promote the activity. The Board may also intervene with portrayals of sexual violence which might, e.g. eroticise or endorse sexual assault.
the more explicit images of sexual activity – unless they can be exceptionally justified by context and the work is not a 'sex work' as defined below.
I found this information from the website: www.bbfc.co.uk
After considering all the different certificates through my audience research I believe that our horror extract would appeal to people over the age of 15 years old. However the target audience for our piece will range from 15 to 35 year olds.
Actual Continuity Task
We were given brief guidelines to follow in order to complete the task, the main objective was to film a person entering a room having a conversation with person B and exiting, I believe that we successfully achieved this. We completed a storyboard in order to show how each shot would flow to the next, Lewis drew the shots, I wrote the notes and Lawrence scripted. When we began shooting we decided not to use the original script as it did not fit in with the guidelines that were set so we introduced a new script in order to keep the narrative consistent throughout. We learnt from our practise continuity task that our extract would look professional if we used actors. Therefore we decided to use an actress called Maizie in the task to make the whole thing seem more realistic however we decided to also use Lewis, who was a member of the group. This allowed me to use the camera- which is something that I hadn’t professionally undertaken before- I felt it was useful because it helped me understand how to differenciate the angles and distances used in each shot. Although the camera was not as effective as it could have been I feel that I gained a lot of technical knowledge. I learnt not to break the 180 degree rule, which was something that we repeatedly broke in our practise task. If I were to do this again, I would use a more suitable location in order to avoid the background noise. I would also make the camera closer to the actors by either moving it forward or zooming in. This is because some of the dialogue was not as clear as it could have been. Despite this I believe that the text created was successful and followed the guidelines originally set.
Animatic practise
We were placed into groups (Me, Lewis and Lawrence) and had to come up with an ‘Animatic’ for a thriller extract. We began working in rough as to how each shot would look and what would happen in each scene. We did this so that the audience could see which direction we were heading with the narrative of the story. After this we did a storyboard to show the flow of events in the text, Lewis drew the various shots that were needed for the animatic and I wrote down notes for the length of each shot, how each shot would be made using sound and editing and what effects could be added to it. After creating the storyboard we were given a digital camera so that we could place the images directly on the computer for editing and sound purposes. Each shot was carefully designed to meet the specifications that we had previously listed in the storyboard. Lewis and I then placed the shots together and tested different sounds to increase the effectiveness of it. I believe that our animatic was not particularly great, but we learnt a lot of things in preparation for our actual filming. We learnt that it vital to design each shot specifically to the storyboard so it is clear what the narrative is supposed to suggest to the audience. This task also enabled us to establish our strongest and weakest abilities when working in a group to deliver the most effective piece.
Friday, 21 November 2008
Practise Continuity Task
Just before October half term, me, Lewis and Jamie created our first continuity piece. Overall the whole thing went well, our work was satisfactory and it gave us an idea of what we should expect when filming our real piece.
We felt that in the real thing it would be a better representation of the narrative if we used actors and actresses instead of ourselves. I believe it would allow us to concentrate on other areas of the task instead of just the acting.
The task was predominately about discovering how to do 'shot reverse shot' without breaking the 180 degree rule. Unfortunately we did break the rule but when we discovered were we went wrong the mistake was clear to see. The editing was fairly consistent mainly demoninated by straight cuts and shot reverse shots. No sound was included in the sequence as we didn't feel it was necessary for the narrative and we run out of time. The task was filmed down a technology corridor and a classroom within my school. It was good using such an open space although we didn't include many props within it.
We felt that in the real thing it would be a better representation of the narrative if we used actors and actresses instead of ourselves. I believe it would allow us to concentrate on other areas of the task instead of just the acting.
The task was predominately about discovering how to do 'shot reverse shot' without breaking the 180 degree rule. Unfortunately we did break the rule but when we discovered were we went wrong the mistake was clear to see. The editing was fairly consistent mainly demoninated by straight cuts and shot reverse shots. No sound was included in the sequence as we didn't feel it was necessary for the narrative and we run out of time. The task was filmed down a technology corridor and a classroom within my school. It was good using such an open space although we didn't include many props within it.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
All Thriller research
A thriller is a particular genre that is used excessively in the filming industry it is often apart of a sub-genre, for example an action-thriller film like ‘Casino Royale’.
Some examples of a sub-genre:
• Action thriller - In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James Bond films, The Transporter, and the Jason Bourne novels and films.
• Conspiracy thriller - In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. The Chancellor Manuscript and The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Three Days of the Condor and JFK.
• Crime thriller - This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The Killing, Seven, The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, Inside Man, and The Asphalt Jungle.
• Disaster thriller - In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, Tremor by Winston Graham, and the 1974 film Earthquake.
• Drama thriller - In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The Illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige. (www.wikipedia.org)
“Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively”. (I found this information from www.wikipedia.org)
Thriller films promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension. Thriller and suspense films are virtually synonymous and interchangeable categorizations, with similar characteristics and features. (http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html)
Thriller films are often set out in a stereotypical fashion, to allow audience members to relate to the event that is occurring within each scene. A thriller film will always end in a climax, often in the form of a cliff-hanger.
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980)[1] was an iconic and influential British filmmaker and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres.
Some examples of a sub-genre:
• Action thriller - In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James Bond films, The Transporter, and the Jason Bourne novels and films.
• Conspiracy thriller - In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. The Chancellor Manuscript and The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Three Days of the Condor and JFK.
• Crime thriller - This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The Killing, Seven, The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, Inside Man, and The Asphalt Jungle.
• Disaster thriller - In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, Tremor by Winston Graham, and the 1974 film Earthquake.
• Drama thriller - In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The Illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige. (www.wikipedia.org)
“Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively”. (I found this information from www.wikipedia.org)
Thriller films promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension. Thriller and suspense films are virtually synonymous and interchangeable categorizations, with similar characteristics and features. (http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html)
Thriller films are often set out in a stereotypical fashion, to allow audience members to relate to the event that is occurring within each scene. A thriller film will always end in a climax, often in the form of a cliff-hanger.
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980)[1] was an iconic and influential British filmmaker and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres.
Conclusion: What should you expect in a thriller film?
From the research and analysis that I have conducted I feel I am able to clearly distinguish how a thriller film is created. The directors will always intentionally create a thriller film that contains aspects to allow the audience members to relate to it. Nevertheless a thriller film is often part of a generic hybrid where sub-genres are used to construct the narrative and plot of a film. In a typical horror- thriller film I would expect to see gloomy and dismal music that runs parrarell to the events happening on screen. Depending on the type of thriller it will change the diversity of the film, for example in Casino Royale a soundtrack was added to help promote the film. However because it was an action-thriller the music worked well with the Bond narrative that followed after. Secondly I would expect the editing to be either quick and jumpy or slow and lengthy to either build the tension or create suspense as to what will happen next. Thirdly I would expect three main colours to dominate the thriller genre, these consisting of black, white, and red that would connote danger and venture. Lastly I would expect particular scenes to use close ups so that the audience are kept waiting for the action. It also helps make the thrilling movements more intense than they really are as the audience members cannot see everything in shot.
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