The initial idea was to call our Thriller opening 'Unsettled' to reflect the unsettled lifestyle of the homeless man, and also to reflect how unsettling the crime is.
However based on feedback, I have decided to change the name to 'Norma', the name of our female murderer. This then presents a focus on the character who is progressive and references the 'femme fatale' of the 1940's. This then adds more dramatic effect being only two syllables and was inspired by other films such as 'Carrie' and 'Christine' who feature thrilling characters titled the same name.
Thursday 3 April 2014
Wednesday 26 March 2014
Sunday 23 March 2014
Casting for our Thriller
Our homeless man is played by Razzaq who has recently come over from Malaysia and therefore was very unfamiliar with Norwich making him seem more vulnerable, in which is depicted in our homeless character.
In 'The Times' online newspaper, there was an article written by Janice Turner who talks about who commit crimes such as murder. She states that 'men are responsible for 85% of all indictable crimes in England and Wales, 88% of crimes against the person, 90% of murders, and 98% of sexual offences (all for the year to June 2012).' This only leaves 10% of women who murder and therefore for our Thriller, we had to make the murder and murderer convincing.
Turner then goes on to write 'In the case of homicide, men are more frequently the perpetrator. For those suspects where proceedings concluded in 2011/12, 89% were male (210 suspects) and 11% were female (25 suspects).' In our thriller we feature a shot of the female murderer crossing out pictures of homeless men implying she has murdered them and therefore she is the minority of murderers meaning she is less likely to be able to commit the murder.
Therefore the vulnerability of Razzaq having just moved from Malaysia, gives him a disadvantage making him defenceless and ideal to portray a vulnerable and weak homeless man.
In 'The Times' online newspaper, there was an article written by Janice Turner who talks about who commit crimes such as murder. She states that 'men are responsible for 85% of all indictable crimes in England and Wales, 88% of crimes against the person, 90% of murders, and 98% of sexual offences (all for the year to June 2012).' This only leaves 10% of women who murder and therefore for our Thriller, we had to make the murder and murderer convincing.
Turner then goes on to write 'In the case of homicide, men are more frequently the perpetrator. For those suspects where proceedings concluded in 2011/12, 89% were male (210 suspects) and 11% were female (25 suspects).' In our thriller we feature a shot of the female murderer crossing out pictures of homeless men implying she has murdered them and therefore she is the minority of murderers meaning she is less likely to be able to commit the murder.
Wednesday 12 March 2014
Monday 10 March 2014
Problems encountered during filming
Due to our Thriller being set during nighttime, we encountered problems of lighting. For example with medium long shots, we were unable to show the two characters involved within the same scene and therefore a solution was to use a torch that was available on our phones. This was more subtle than an actual torch that appeared like a spotlight and therefore was suitable as it looked like lighting from a lamp post. We were able to focus and highlight the murderer's face so as to signify importance and danger.
Non-ambient lighting can be seen in films such as 'The Third Man' -particularly on the staircase scene- in which artificial lighting was used to mimic natural lighting thus creating the effect of chiaroscuro lighting. Though our lighting still mimicked non-ambient lighting, the effect was used to appear something it was not. Therefore our solution was effective and worked well in order to present our plot clearly.
Non-ambient lighting can be seen in films such as 'The Third Man' -particularly on the staircase scene- in which artificial lighting was used to mimic natural lighting thus creating the effect of chiaroscuro lighting. Though our lighting still mimicked non-ambient lighting, the effect was used to appear something it was not. Therefore our solution was effective and worked well in order to present our plot clearly.
Sunday 2 March 2014
Thriller Research - Fast and Furious - Developed
The use of diegetic sound of the cars adds to the authenticity of it thus making it appear more realistic and suspenseful, like a thriller would. Diegetic sound is crucial to create suspense whether it makes something unexpected or something more thrilling.
The cars surround the bus as if the people driving them are more dominant. The long, high angle shot emphasises the length of the area signifying that it won't alarm anyone and therefore they can get away with it.
As seen in 'Jackie Brown' and 'Essex Boys', an isolated area is used which is an ideal place for someone to commit a crime. In this scene, they are hijacking a prison bus to save the lead character from going to prison. Due to isolation, there is no one to help, much like the Essex Marshes in 'Essex Boys' suggesting that those committing the crime are more dominant as they control the situation and can get away with their plan.
Character Profile: Sam
However, because we had a maximum of two minutes to portray our characters, we have followed a few stereotypes to get our message across of a hate crime. For example, we have dressed Sam in a khaki jacket to signify nature as he has been living in the streets. We have chosen to film very few shots of him sitting down - particularly none of him under a blanket - purely to not offend others who are in this situation and do not want to be stereotyped and linked with certain associations. However we have followed some stereotypes as hate crimes are a serious matter and need to be made aware of as they are becoming increasingly common.
We have also shown him carrying a carrier bag as these are free objects that people take for granted and are therefore unwanted. To show him with this suggests that it is functional and a necessity as oppose to a useless, everyday object to people who take it for granted. This furthermore suggests his rough lifestyle where things are a necessity not a luxury.
Thriller Research - Person of Interest - Developed
The blue tint appears much more cold in order to suggest that this is not a happy situation, but rather a serious one.
A long shot is used which sets the scene and is similar to 'Essex Boys' with the long shot of the Marshes. Both the places are easily recognisable which then helps to establish the plot. The Essex Marshes represent a primeval, predatory landscape which suggests a detachment from emotion, but also the signature place of Jason where he leaves people to suffer. In 'Person of Interest', it is used to suggest that this is Harold Finch's landscape where he deals with business, and it is very isolated like the marshes. The use of isolated areas is a generic convention and is most associated with committing crimes so as to avoid any alarm and suspicion. This can be seen in other films such as 'Jackie Brown', where Ordell murders Beaumont in an empty car park at night. The isolation connotes detachment making the crime appear more brutal.
Thriller Research - The Hunger Games - Developed
Location:
The rule of thirds shot highlights the entrapment of the woods. A generic convention is used, which provokes claustrophobia by making the location appear enclosed. This can be seen in 'Jackie Brown' with the use of the trunk which is a small and tight area that makes people feel trapped. Also in 'Kill Bill Volume 2' where the Bride is buried alive. The Hunger Games chooses nature to make the location appear never-ending as if there is no way out. Much like 'Kill Bill' where the Bride starts to see the earth come through the coffin. The use of nature makes it appear out of our control, which highlights the entrapment.
Costume:
The contrasting clothing outlines the social divide of wealth. Bright colours are more prominent that the pale blue suggesting dominance. This can be seen in 'Jackie Brown' where Ordell is fully-clothed whilst Beaumont - who is opposite - is topless and therefore appears more vulnerable. These show binary oppositions which clearly outlines who is foregrounded in the shot. In this case, it is the wealthier person. A generic convention is also challenged here as a female protagonist is used. Similar to 'Jackie Brown', the role of the women is more influential. Male protagonists are predominantly used with roughly 3/4 (IMDb) of thriller films including a male lead cast and therefore the use of a strong and independent female lead challenges the generic conventions. However, the female protagonists are given masculine qualities to make them less vulnerable and more strong. For example in the Hunger Games, Katniss provides the food for the family and wears unfeminine costumes- apart from in the shot below. Jackie Brown too wears masculine clothing such as suits which can be stereotyped as showing wealth and business-like qualities.
Lighting:
The lighting is ambient which emphasises the poverty through the lack of technology and modernisation. It shows the poverty and the grim lifestyle in this area by making the scene look natural in order to show the underdevelopment. This is similar to 'Essex Boys' where the garage is unglamourous and appears grim and disgusting through the use of ambient lighting of the moon to hide the true features of the room as it provides limited lighting, but enough to imply that there is a room. Both these films use natural lighting differently, but they both use it to their advantage to present an uninviting and dreary atmosphere.
Thriller Opening: Rough Cut
Positive:
- Good close-ups of the murderer when preparing
- transition of shots to clearly show the story
- link between Norma and Sam
Negative:
- Soundtrack needs to be added to make the opening more suspenseful and dark
- Title credits need to be added
- sound of the murder needs to be added to make it appear more authentic and realistic
Hate Crimes : Homeless People
For our Thriller opening, our group have decided to have a homeless man as a victim. Though some may find it unethical, it is a serious issue that shouldn't be hidden and should be made more aware. People make the assumption that homeless people are not a target, but in actual fact their vulnerability and weakness makes them the most likely victim of a hate crime.
Statistics show that over the past 13 years (recorded in early 2013) there were 1,289 attacks against the homeless. In 2011, there were 105 attacks alone, resulting in 32 deaths. It has also been recorded that the crimes are getting more lethal over time and therefore our thriller opening portrays a real matter that is increasingly occurring. Not only is the amount of the crime taken into account, but also the age of those who commit it. For example, the majority of those committing these crimes are between the ages of 13 and 24 and are poor and uneducated. Norma, our murderer, is a young female in her 20's and her background is not
revealed as it is only an opening. However, the name 'Norma' suggests that she has psychotic tendencies and is very influential much like 'Norma Bates' from 'Bate's Motel' therefore presenting her as someone likely to commit a crime against vulnerable people.
Statistics show that over the past 13 years (recorded in early 2013) there were 1,289 attacks against the homeless. In 2011, there were 105 attacks alone, resulting in 32 deaths. It has also been recorded that the crimes are getting more lethal over time and therefore our thriller opening portrays a real matter that is increasingly occurring. Not only is the amount of the crime taken into account, but also the age of those who commit it. For example, the majority of those committing these crimes are between the ages of 13 and 24 and are poor and uneducated. Norma, our murderer, is a young female in her 20's and her background is not
revealed as it is only an opening. However, the name 'Norma' suggests that she has psychotic tendencies and is very influential much like 'Norma Bates' from 'Bate's Motel' therefore presenting her as someone likely to commit a crime against vulnerable people.
In order to clearly show that our Thriller is about a hate crime, we will show establishing shots of Sam (homeless man) to imply that he is in fact homeless i.e. sitting down, rough and grim locations. We will then cut - using transitions such as fade to black - to Norma (murderer) to imply that she is about to murder by using close-ups of her getting ready and preparing a weapon. Then we will replicate shots with different characters to suggest that they are both in the same place.
Friday 28 February 2014
Murder Weapon
For our Thriller opening, we were inspired by the murder weapon used in Heavenly Creatures. This inter-textual reference has connotations of psychotic tendencies as the two girls in the film were obsessive which resulted in the murder of one of the girls mother.
Our murderer is a female and we have challenged generic conventions, much like Peter Jackson, in doing so. The use of this weapon is then feminine in that a stocking is used which is a common female item. This then tells the audience that the murderer is a woman without revealing too much of her identity.
Soundtrack
This soundtrack was titled 'Redletter' and we felt it was ideal as it appeared dark, but was subtle up until the end where the murder will happen. It signified to the audience the genre of the film as it appeared threatening and suspenseful. However I did not feel the end matched the end of our Thriller opening and therefore I overlapped it with another soundtrack.
I liked the middle section of this soundtrack where it reminded me of the soundtrack in Psycho and therefore would be an inter-textual reference. The sharp, short repetitive sounds mimicked the murder scene which was appropriate to create more of a tense cliffhanger. The combination of these two soundtracks then created a subtle but ominous atmosphere which transformed into a suspenseful and thrilling end.
http://soundbible.com/1479-Splitting-Wood.html
In order to make the murder scene more believable, I decided that a hitting sound was required. This was the one that went most with the action and therefore was a good choice. I had to slow the speed in order to be in sync with the murder in order to make it appear diegetic and as if it was the actual sound made.
Practice Footage
The solution we took was to remove the witness plot and instead have the homeless man murdered in order to make our Thriller opening more easy to follow.
Similarly, we had problems with lighting in this clip. We used other source of lighting to create a focus on the murderer's face however this was only effective when she was near the camera, therefore we decided this clip would not be a good one to use in order to make our opening clear enough.
We used this shot to mimic the previous shot of the homeless man walking up those stairs in order to show our audience that they are now in the same place, implying that he is the next victim. I particularly liked the tilt shot at the end which connotes psychotic tendencies by the camera not staying straight. It suggests that she is not normal which visually presents her as threatening, along with the weapon in her hand.
Wednesday 26 February 2014
Updated Shot List
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Shot:
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Character:
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Location:
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Camera Angle:
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Lighting:
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Type of Shot:
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Action:
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1
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Sam
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Underpass (city)
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High angle to low
angle
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Non-ambient
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panning
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Sam – Homeless man –
is sitting insinuating he has been there the night
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2
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Sam
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Underpass
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Low-angle
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Non-ambient
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Close up
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3
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Sam
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Underpass
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Eye-level
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Non-ambient
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Extreme Close up
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4
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Norma (murderer)
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Her room
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tilt
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Non-ambient
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Extreme close up
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Norma crosses out a
picture of somebody implying she has murdered them. She then taps her fingers
on the picture of Sam to suggest he is her next victim.
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5
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Sam
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Underpass
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Non-ambient/ ambient
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Long shot
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Sam is walking away
to show he is now moving to next place
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6
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Norma
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Her Room
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Eye-level
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Close up
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Norma is getting
ready to suggest she is now leaving to murder her next victim, Sam
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7
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Sam
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Shed Area
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High angle
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Ambient
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Long Shot to close
up
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Sam sits down to
suggest that is where he is settling for the night
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8
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Norma
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Her Room
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Perspective of
murderer
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Non-ambient
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Close-up
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Norma is preparing the
murder weapon
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9
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Norma
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Shed area (step)
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Low-angle
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Non-ambient
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Close-up/tracking
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Norma is holding the
weapon to clearly show she intends to murder
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10
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Norma
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Shed area
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Eye-Level
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Non-ambient
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Extreme close up/
tracking
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Norma is now walking
towards Sam
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11
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Sam
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Shed Area
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Eye-Level
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Non-Ambient
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Extreme close up
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Sam wakes up and
gasps when he sees Norma (fast pace)
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12
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Norma
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Shed Area
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Low angle
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Non-ambient
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Medium shot
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Norma swings the
weapon- ends before we know if Sam is alive or not.
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Fonts
We have decided to call our Thriller 'Unsettled' as the homeless man is always unsettled as he moves each day. The cliffhanger does not suggest that he is either dead or alive and therefore suggests that he is of importance.
This font is called '28 Days Later' which is gritty and unglamorous and therefore suits our Thriller well. It represents both the homeless man and the murderer.
Though this would be suitable for our thriller, the other font -'28 Days Later'- is more rough which makes it stand out more as a title. However this may be suited for smaller writing such as actors names.
Though our thriller does depict unglamorous locations of graffiti, it doesn't focus on the grittiness of the murder and does not suit the character profile of our murder. However the first font represents the homeless life of the man, and the dirtiness of the murder.
Monday 24 February 2014
Further revision of Thriller plot
Our group had created a rough cut of our Thriller and felt having three characters was too confusing for an opening as there wasn't enough time available to make it clear. Therefore we have changed it to two characters and created more of a focus on our murderer also. Our current plot is:
- Sam (homeless man) is walking to where he will settle for the night
- Cut to Norma (murderer) who is crossing out a picture of her previous murder victim and circling a picture of Sam (suggesting he is her next victim)
- Cut to Sam who is sitting
- Cut to Norma who is preparing for murder
- Cut to Norma with the weapon in her hand implying she has murdered Sam
Our cliffhanger is the ambiguity of whether Sam is dead or not.
Sunday 2 February 2014
Revised Thriller Plot
During the beginning of editing, our group discovered that there wasn't enough time spent on the murder scene. Therefore to lengthen it, we were inspired by the murder from 'Heavenly Creatures' in which allowed more of a plot and a wider variety of angles to be used. Therefore we spent another day re-shooting and this is our current plot:
- Our murderer will place a watch as an allurement on the ground then hide
- The victim will then come and begin to pick it up
- The murderer will sneak behind him and kill him
- The murderer will then put the watch back on
- The witness (homeless man) will turn around
Monday 27 January 2014
Practice Shots
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