Planning: Micro-Elements: Mr Smith.

Micro-Elements.

Micro-elements are used in films to make the best end product for the audience to view. Each micro-element is an important aspect that adds to the story of every film. Micro-elements are things such as, sound and editing and cinematography. In a thriller micro-elements are used to create tension and suspense. They are usually there to make everything much more intense and scarier. 

Cinematography:

I believe it  is important to think about the cinematography, especially in thriller films because it adds to the excitement of what the audience is watching. The type of cinematography used in a film is very important because different things can cause the audience to subtract a certain meaning through what they are watching. Cinematography can interrupt very many things, such as a calm scene and quite a action packed scene. 

A Shot reverse shot will be used when both the actors are arguing. We will use this to create tension between the two characters. This is conventional to a thriller because it will generate a reaction from the audiences as well as encouraging emotion and helping them withdraw meaning. 

A zoom out will be used to show both bodies laying on the flow. This will be used to create a sense of mystery. It will leave the audience wondering what happened and how it happened. This is conventional to a thriller because one of the themes that is related to thriller films is mystery and suspense. Again this type of cinematography will have the audience feeling various emotions.

An extreme close-up will be used when the antagonist is introduced. This will be used to give the audience a clear view of the character entering the narrative. It will show the emotion of the character therefore giving spectators time to try and figure out what her intentions are. This is conventional to a thriller because the extreme close-up will also show that the character has a hidden identity, making the audience feel uneasy. 

An Ariel shot is used right at the beginning when the scene opens and the audience see both bodies laying on the floor. We chose to use this because it will show the bodies and the iconography clearly for the audience to grasp the atmosphere in the first couple seconds of the scene. 

A close-up is used when showing Carlie's hand. This is to emphasise the cuts and damage that has happened to her. She will still be bleeding which suggests the violence that has occurred before. This will help give the audience an understanding of what has happened before hand. This is conventional to a thriller as close-ups are almost always used for emphasis to affect the audience. 

Medium shots will be used when the audience is shown the two injured bodies laying on the floor. We've chosen to used this because its shows a clear view of both of the bodies and how injured they are. This is conventional to a thriller because it allows the audience to not only see bot of the characters, but some of the scenery.

Long shot will be used for the end to show the last shot of all three characters. We have chosen to use this because it's a shot where we can see all the characters actions in the last shot.

A high angle will be used when the female victim is scurrying around after waking up from being knocked out by the violence between her and her boyfriend, she is looking for a gun.We have chosen to use this because  it will show the character as inferior. This is conventional to a thriller because it shows vulnerability in victims which is usually what is shown in thrillers.

Sound.

The sound used is important because it will also help the audience withdraw meaning and understanding of what is going on. 

Off Screen sound will be used when the gun is used to shoot someone. You will not be able to see where the gun shot is coming from but you will here it. We have chosen to use this because it is very conventional to a thriller, by the way it will leave the audience in suspense and it will encourage the theme of mystery. 

Diegtic sound is a sound part of the film world and will be used during the flashback scene of the couple arguing. The audience know exactly where the sound is coming from and it is important for the audience to hear the dialogue between both characters. This is conventional to a thriller as without diegetic sounds the audience will not understand the film.

On screen sound will be used when Carlie is arguing with Lashane and objects are being smashed about e.g. the glass and frames. The audience is able to hear the smashing and see exactly where it is coming from and where it is being created. 

Parallel sound is used when the flashbacks are happening with the couple, you hear their voices and what they are arguing about. We have chosen this so the audience see and feel what the characters are feeling through their words and passion in their voices. This is conventional to a thriller because it shows violence in the characters and the situation itself which is needed for the audience to have an understanding. 

Editing.

Fade to black is used when the production company's name comes up on a black screen and edits into the next shot of the hand dripping with blood. We have chosen to use this edit because it smoothly with the background of black in the first edit. 

Fade to white is used when we are doing a flashback scene. We used the fade to white as this symbolises the reminiscence of what had happened. This will give the audience a clear understanding that the scene is going into a flashback. 

Straight cuts will be used regularly as it is one of the most significant edits when putting a film together. It is easy to use and does not confused the audience which is why we chose to use this edit.

Conclusion:

This shows overall how important the micro-elements we use in our thriller are. Each micro-element we use conveys a different emotion, feeling and represents things in a certain way. It also shows that we have a clear understanding of all the techniques we wish to use.
 

Planning: Character Representation: Miss Begum

Character Representation.

The representation of a character is extremely important in the film world because it allows the audience to understand each character in more detail. Having characters with different personalities helps keep your audience interested. This also makes it easier for your audience to identify each character separate from each other. 

Name: Carlie Cokell-Smith

Character Role: Character 1, girlfriend of Character 2.
Age: 21
Gender Stereotype of Role: Young female, attractive and innocent.
Costume: grey clothing, casual.
Hair and Make-up: Big curly hair, natural make-up, quite pale.
Body Language: Confident and Upright, slightly weak and vulnerable.
Facial Expression: Angry, frustrated, angry and scared.
Represented as: Angry girlfriend who is hurt by her boyfriends actions.
Role within Narrative: Arguing with her boyfriend after hearing that he cheated on her. She attempts to kill him as he is unconscious however she is stopped by a mystery girl who walks in with a gun.

Name: Lashane Williams

Character Role: Character 2, boyfriend of Character 1.

Age: 21

Gender stereotype of role: young male, attractive, suspicious but has a dark side.

Costume: all black clothing.

Hair & make-up: neat hair & no make-up.  

Body Language: confident, masculine, strong, built and superior.

Facial Expression: angry, frustrated.

Represented As: Deceitful boyfriend who denies cheating on his girlfriend.  

Role within Narrative: Arguing with his girlfriend over him cheating on her. Gets caught up within the situation with both girls and almost gets shot by character 1.

Name: Zelal Keskinbicak

Character Role: Antagonist.

Age:21

Gender stereotype of role: young female, intelligent, arrogant, attractive,selfish. 

Costume: all black clothing, choker around her neck and black hoodie hiding her identity.

Hair & Make-up: Long Straight Hair, simple make-up, dark nails and lipstick.

Body Language: Upright and Confident.

Facial expression: Bland, emotionless, serious.

Represent as: crazy girl who is in love with character 2.  

Role within Narrative: She attempts to kill character 1. Seen putting lipstick on, she looks good and proud of herself. Audience don't know if she succeeds within her attempt.

The character representation planning has been extremely helpful to my group because each member has a clear understanding of every character and what they bring.

Planning: MES: Mr Smith.

The role of Mise en Scene in a thriller is important because it allows the audience to grasp meaning and responding to what they are watching. It is also important because all the various elements play along with the storyboard to help reveal the narrative.

The five sections of Mise en Scene are: 

Setting- 

In my group we chose to set out thriller in a normal dark room in a house. The rooms we are using the most are living room and bathroom. We chose this type of setting to show that our characters live together and share an intimate bond. 

Iconography- 

The iconography we are using is blood, glass, frames,guns and lipstick. The blood will be used to represent violence and hatred. The frames will represent the reality of their relationship breaking down and that she is over it, this is the same for broken glass. The lipstick will portray the confidence of the character.

Costume- 

Carlie: 

Grey casual clothes 

Natural make up (dripping by the end)

Big curlie hair 

Lashane: 

All black clothing 

Zelal:

All black clothing 

Dark lipstick and nails 

Straight, long hair. 

Lighting- 

The lighting we will use is low key lighting, candles and a smokey atmosphere. The low key lighting is being used because it is conventional to a thriller and will build tension. The smokey atmosphere created by the candels will build anxiety within our audience.

Colour- 
The colour we will use is black and grey. These colours are being used because they are dark and represent things such as grieving, depression, stress and devastation. They also convey that no one is innocent or pure.

Conclusion. 

To conclude the planning of my groups MES, it shows how important it is to plan ever aspect so that your audience withdraw the correct message from what you are showing to them and also that your scene conveys the right emotions towards your spectators.  

Planning: StoryBoard: Miss Begum

Storyboard.

A storyboard is produced after the script. The storyboard is used to explain the narrative of the film, shot by shot. Storyboards are essential because it helps make ideas more organized and help the filming process become much more easier and simple. It helps instruct everyone what to do, for example the camera operator, director and lighting. The storyboard gives information on what props will be used and focuses on the micro elements that will be used in each scene. The micro elements it focuses on are:

1. shot
2. duration
3. iconography
4. setting/location
5. lighting
6. sound/ dialogue
7. edit
8. characters
9. narrative description

 My Storyboard:

Planning: Open Scene Narration: Miss Begum

Open Scene Narration.

The beginning of my thriller will be a scene full of images from a crime scene. There is a dead body on the floor that is unidentified to the audience. The victims body is covered with a sheet and there is detectives surrounding it. The audience will be able to hear the sound of the camera taking images of the scene and sirens from police vehicles in the background.  The next scene is a medium shot of the antagonist whilst they are being interviewed, the audience does not yet know that this person is the antagonist, however they will still be wearing dark colours. The police are talking directly to the antagonist but she is unable to comprehend or respond to what they are saying because of the voices in her head. As the scene goes on the apparent voices in her head seem to get louder and louder and more distracting. Eventually she faints because she is unable to handle the noise of all the voices going round in her head; at this point the scene fades to black. When she awakens she can hear shuffling noises and finds herself tied down onto a bed. The antagonist then starts to have graphic flashbacks. The first one is of her boyfriend dead and her in the corner shaking and panicking. The scene turns back to her on the bed with a close up to her face, it then quickly flashes back to another flashback, this time it is of her murdering her boyfriend. The end of the scene shows her smiling as she mutters the words "Our love died, so i guess he had to."

Planning: Final Idea: Mr Smith

The final Idea.

Possible Titles: Unknown. Red Flag. Alone.

Narrative/Plot:

There will be scattered pictures across the floor from the crime scene. The pictures will have the family and friends in them so they link and show relevance. There will be muffled sound of whispering and sirens. Also the sound of a camera flashing whilst it takes a picture. The scene then transitions into the young girl placed in a room being interviewed by the police. Whilst being interviewed the girl can hear voices and whispers in her head, you can see that she looks disturbed. As the tension increases the voices she can hear get louder and louder and faster and faster. She gets herself into an awful state and ends up having a fit. When she wakes up after fainting she finds herself handcuffed to a chair; at this point in time she is listening to her own thoughts and reflecting on her recent actions. This is when the door opens to the room she is in and the scene flips to a flashback of her killing her boyfriend, as you can hear the words, "our love died, so i guess he had to." 

Narrative Structure:

Todorov, Aristotle - provoking emotion which is conventional to a thriller. 

Characters: 

• nurses 
• teenage girl 
• two police officers 
• dead boy

Mise en Scene:

• Lighting - Low key, under lighting (when she wakes up after fainting), Top lighting (used for the interview scene) 
• The colours included should be dark however we plan to have the interview room all white to show contrast. 
• Setting - Hospital, Forest & Police station
• Body Language & facial expressions - The antagonist will be quite fragile and petite but shows bold confidence through body language.
• Costume, Hair and Make-up - Antagonist will wear dark colours to represent confusion and evil. Her hair will be messy and big but will also have dark make up that is quite simple. The nurses and police will wear their specified uniform so that it fits in with reality. 
• Iconongrapy - Blood, knives, ropes, pictures and medicine. 

Film Influences:

• se7en
• momento
• shutter island 
• identity

Why is this conventional to a thriller opening?

It is conventional because it builds tension that will make the viewing audience feel uncomfortable. It will also play psychological games with them which will leave them to draw meaning from what they are watching. Also the themes that are included and the iconography are all conventional to thrillers. 

Response from the audience?

The response i am looking to get from the audience is one where they feel highly uncomfortable. I do not want them to predict what is going to happen. My goal is to have them sitting on the edge of there seats because the amount of tension that is building up within the opening. However i want them to enjoy what they are watching as well. 

Planning: Initial Ideas: Miss Begum.

Initial Ideas.

My group has come up with 3 different initial ideas for our thriller. Each idea is conventional to the thriller genre in it's own way. Even though all three ideas are different, they all have similarities. The similarities fall into place when we discuss who the antagonist is and what they should look like.

First Idea.

Narrative:

• young girl being interviewed by two policemen, she killed both of her parents.

Sub-genre:

• Crime Thriller

MES:

• White room where the interview will take place
• Bedroom where the parents where killed.

Characters:

• 2 police officers
• Teenage girl
• Parents

Second Idea.

Narrative:

• There is a crime scene where you see someone dead. The eye witnesses can not explain what they have seen.
• The antagonist has a mental health disease

Title:

• The Unknown

Sub-genre:

• psychological thriller

Characters:

• victim/protagonist
• no antagonist
• maybe police

Narrative Structure:

• Aristotle
• Shows the importance of plot structure
• will arouse emotion from the audience

MES:

• forest
• abandoned places
• dark
• blood
• knives
• tools
• low-key lighting
• back lighting

Third Idea.

Narrative:

•  A young girl who loses her way in life and ends up spiritually possessed.

Title:

• The Red Flag

Sub-genre:

• psychological thriller

characters:

• female victim
• crazy man
• children
• police

MES:

• urban setting
• city
• flashing lights
• dark
• leather clothing

Conclusion.

To come to a conclusion on which idea we liked the best we had to discuss all three ideas until coming to an agreement. We decided that we would use elements from all three of our ideas to create something unique but conventional to the thriller genre. This discussion lead on to a even more detailed discussion about the narrative of our final idea.

Research: Results From Questionaire: Miss Begum

My Results

In this question I asked my audience what age rating the last thriller film they watched was. This will help me with my planning because I will find out what content I should put in my film and what type of thriller appeals to my target audience. It will also allow me to know the limits and boundaries of what content I can show.

 

 

This question was put in the survey to come to the decision on whether the protagonist/victim in my thriller should be a male or a female. Again this question will help me create a thriller that my audience can draw meaning from and hopefully it will entertain them. This question helps gain research on what my audience want to see.

 



Asking the audience how often they watch thriller films is important because it will give me an insight into how much they may or may not know about thrillers. It will inform me on how many different ideas and genre of thrillers they may have seen and how predictable my idea may be to them.

This part of my research will tell me what subgenre of thriller my audience would like to see the most. It will allow me to decide what things I include in my thriller so that it is as conventional to the sub-genre as possible.



Research: Censorship: Mr Smith.

Film Censorship.

Who are the BBFC and what is their role?

The BBFC are the British Board of Film Classification. The role they hold is to protect the public from viewing anything harmful or offensive. They do this by choosing age certificates for each film and picking what scenes should be cut and what films should be completely banned. Censorship is when the film is revised due to the content that is in it. 

Why is the role of the BBFC important to the film industry? Logo

The role of the BBFC is important to the film industry because it saves the audience from viewing things that can cause conflict or harm. This is important because it allows people to express themselves and carry on making money without breaking any laws or creating any discomfort to anyone.

What things get censored and why? (examples)

Violence:

• Violence gets censored because it is incredibly easy for people to copy that behaviour and it could portray that the person who made the film is promoting violence and giving people the wrong idea. Things like violence in films are known to corrupt the young.

True Events:

• Some films often involve stories that are related to real life and caused a lot of problems within the society and the culture of that person. An example of this would be 'The Murder of James Bulger.'

Sexual Violence:

• Sexual violence is censored because it causes discomfort to those who are watching and some  people may not understand the concept of what is going on. Sexual violence also can advertise degrading women and their rights.

What is the difference between films being cut and banned? (examples)

Cutting a film is when it is edited or has had scenes taken out of it to make appropriate for the audience to watch. When a film is banned, it is taken away from cinema viewing because it is harmful or involves offensive material.

Discuss the Forna (for) and Kemode (against) debate, and then discuss where your own opinions lie on this matter.

This is where I discuss the two different views on censorship using two specific cases. There is Forna who is for censorship and Kermode who is against it. Forna stated in her argument that the things people watch influence them in everyday life. An example of this is the James Bulger incident which shocked the nation. The intention of the young boys actions all sprung from the watching a film that influenced such behaviour. On the other hand Kermode believed that everyone should be free to watch what they want and it's their responsibility how they respond to it after. I know this from when he says this in his argument: "You're an idiot, stupid, impressionable, easily led and unable to distinguish between fiction and reality. If you're an adult you're probably an immature one and if you're a parent you're a very bad one." His other argument was that censorship distorts the directors original idea and that this isn't fair. My own opinion is that censorship should be there just incase people do take the meaning of what they are watching in the wrong way, however i also believe that you should be able to decide what you want to watch and see before your mind is made up for you.

Conclude with what you have learn about film regulation and what you need to consider for your own thrillers.

In my own thriller i need to make sure the content in it is suitable for the age rating i have provided for the film. I will have to make sure there is nothing controversial or extremely discomforting that will cause any distress to anyone viewing the thriller. It has also taught me about the things we don't see in a film because it has been banned or cut and the reasoning behind people doing so. 

Research: Scream Analysis : Mr Smith

Scream Analysis.

How is the opening sequence of scream conventional to a thriller opening?

Cinematography.
In the opening we see close ups, this is conventional to a thriller because we can see the emotions the character is feeling. It also allows the audience to connect with the character and what is happening. The close up shot is conventional to a thriller because it helps you keep your audience. In a later part of the opening you see a tilt shot that is set in the garden. This shot shows us more about the setting of the film and it adds to the narrative. A tilt shot is conventional to a thriller because it often shows us more about the dark surroundings or leaves us in suspense. In the tilt shot you can see the swing slowly moving, creating a bit of curiosity as to what is going to happen next. There is a P.O.V shot further on in the opening. This creates a better understanding of the view of the character. It portrays what is happening in a more realistic way.

Editing.
The opening scene has a lot of straight cuts, the straight cuts are a simple way of transitioning into various parts of the scene or the setting so we know exactly what is going on. Later on a reaction shot is used to convey the emotion of the actress Drew Barrymore. Also the edit between shots gets faster and faster creating excitement and panic. There is reaction shot throughout the opening, this grips the audience's attention by showing the reaction of the character, when they do this you can tell the emotions she is feeling.

Sound.
Throughout the whole scene there is sound. It starts with off screen sound, this is when there is a voice coming through the phone. The phone ringing is a diegetic sound, it is diegetic because it makes sense with the scene and you can see were the sound is coming from. Another sound that is involved in the opening is off screen and on screen, this is when she is making popcorn and she is shaking it around and then when she turns and leans on the counter top it becomes off screen because you can not see it. The scene also involves contrapuntal sound, this is when she is running from the kitchen to lock the front door, it is contrapuntal because
Mise En Scene. 
There is a lot of elements of mise en scene in the opening of this thriller. The first element I'm going to analyse is costume and mask. The antagonist is wearing all black and a mask. This is conventional because it is usual for the antagonist to have a hidden identity and to wear dark colours to show that they are not pure. Also the victim has faire hair and is wearing light colours, this shows the innocence of the character. The iconography in the opening is conventional to a thriller, this is because the antagonist usually has a weapon. As you can see the antagonist is holding a knife.

Conclusion: what has this opening taught you? What can you use from this thriller?

This opening has taught me how effective the use of thriller conventions are. It has taught me how important all of the four elements together really are. This thriller has shown me how to use sound effectively and in a way that will make sense to the audience. It has shown me that when making my own thriller opening that I must take into consideration the audience that are watching and what type of meaning they will gain from what i am presenting to them.