Throughout the research stages, I have watched various Thriller texts. From this, I have gained an informed understanding of the conventions and have used them in my film. My groups film “Constriction” was primarily influenced by the cinematography demonstrated in “The Third Man” and” Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" and "The Birds"; we used the film noir sub-genre and the specific conventions of that sub-genre to inform our costume, soundtrack and overall style. As a group, we really liked the use of chiaroscuro lighting and the black and white quality of” “The Third Man”. The film utilised noir lighting, shadows and wet cobbled streets- all effects that are seen in Carol Reed’s masterpiece. Some may state that the reasons for these features are to create and sustain tension within the film and to signify generic conventions of the thriller genre; those reasons are particularly why we chose to inform our film opening around the film noir sub-genre.
The dim lighting and shadows generate apprehension and are devices put in place to keep the audience hooked. Using wet-cobbled streets and monotonous weather suggests pathetic fallacy and the way in which rain may suggest danger and shocking future events. These were qualities that we considered when shooting our film; something I have seen in films such as "Se7en”, “Jackie Brown”, and “The Third Man”; it is even utilised in Horror films such as “Drag Me to Hell”. Unfortunately, it wasn’t raining when we shot our thriller opening, so we didn’t get to utilise the same kind of wet cobbled streets seen in ‘The Third Man’ but we still tried to take advantage of the cobbled road and aged buildings surrounding Elm Hill. This particular location was chosen because it relates to the deserted streets of post-war Vienna that are shown in "The Third Man"; the street has old English houses, antique shops and is usually quite desolate which are features that visually link the two locations.
(Jackie Brown)
(Se7en)
The irony and binary oppositions used in “Psycho” informed our use of the snake and the bird, representing vulnerability and predatory behaviour like the character Norman Bates in “Psycho”. The snake and the bird are presented as opposites; the snake is more predatory and has fear associated with it whereas birds are smaller, more susceptible to danger and seen as less of a threat. Using just a male and female character in the opening shows opposition also, as the man is represented as powerful and large while the woman is considerably smaller in build and looks feminine and innocent. By presenting the male characters as supeerior, we were representing a very misogynistic world.
Tilt shots were used to connote disorientation and close ups were necessary for the narrative of our film opening to capture emotion and to emphasise and engage the audience in the action. The choice of location was made considering the genre; we made sure that the location looked dated but at the same time it had to be an area which connotes mystery and style. Elm Hill was a perfect choice because it has cobbled streets (like the location of “The Third Man”) and it also has mature buildings and alcoves; the alleyways are where darkness and misdeed fester. Generic Thriller character types were chosen for our film; we used a female as the lead character which is unusual to see in thriller films and her character type is a femme fatale. She is mysterious and you don’t really get to know anything about her in the opening- her appearance is quite feminine and glamorous however so it is clear that she is inspired by the classic deviant femme fatale. We dressed her in a fur coat, pearl necklace and clutch bag, all of which were inspired by 1940’s fashion and film noir thrillers that we have watched in class (“The Third man”, “Once Upon a Time in America”). Both of the male characters were dressed in long coats and their faces shadowed- we did this in order to create tension and a mystery. The running man wears a trilby hat with his coat, creating a silhouette similar to the enigmatic Harry Lime in “The Third Man” and the male characters in “Once Upon a Time in America” and “Psycho”. I have seen a few film posters for film noirs and the male costumes seem to be quite formal and reflect 1940’s fashion; it is apparent that the costume choices for males in film noirs were very similar which is probably because they were all made during or around the same time.
(Once Upon a Time in America)
(The Third Man)
The key aspect of our thriller opening was the use of Ryan’s snake; it instantly added a more frightening twist to the plot and is definitely fear provoking. When considering the idea, we thought about films like “Snakes on a Plane” and “Anaconda” and the way in which terror is caused by the snake. Although these two films are not thrillers, they still present snakes in a frightening way, taking advantage of their predatory nature, in some cases poisonous bite and constricting body. Many people have phobias of snakes and so it was undoubtedly a wise choice to include this in our thriller opening to gain more tension and provoke a lot more panic in the audience. Short flashes of footage of the snake slithering on the floor were placed throughout our film to suggest and make the audience aware that something bad is going to happen. Using the snake and bird as metaphors for Jason and Holly provoked us to bring to light the same kind of idea behind Marion Crane’s name in “Psycho” where her surname is used as a device to reiterate the personification of the bird that she is representing. Vipers are poisonous, deadly snakes and by using this as Jason's surname it indicates that he is influencial and capable of harm and certainly killing. His character creates further fear and curiosity during the film because the audience is never really aware of who he is in relation to Holly and his face is always obscured.
2.
Even though the femme fatale is the main character of our film, she is represented as quite a weak, helpless character. This is the opposite of how the male characters are shown; both of the males are exposed as ominous and dangerous. Their body language suggests that they are strong and superior- this is backed up by the use of low angle and panning shots as well as the shape given to them by the large coats to indicate their threat. The low angle shots make the characters appear larger and overpowering and the panning shots create tension. The female victim is a traditional representation of the weak female, a representation associated with slasher films such as “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” where the female is always the powerless sufferer. The costumes of our characters imply that they are quite high class because they are well presented and have garments such as a fur coat, jewellery, trilby hat and an overcoat.The 1940's was represented by the location and costumes; we used a cigarette as a prop for Jason Viper because we were aware that smoking was typical during that era and seen as quite 'cool' and 'fashinable'. The fur coat and jewellery that Holly Dove wears connotes a high social status and could suggest that she belongs to a wealthy family; her appearance could make the events seem more shocking to the audience because they wouldn't necessarily believe her to be involved in anything untoward that would lead her to trouble. Good and evil were represented with the names, gender and camera angles used. For example, tilt shots, low angle shots and panning shots were used to capture Jason Viper making him seem powerful and the tilt shots creating disorientation therefore suggesting that he is a disorientated, uneasy character. Holly Dove on the other hand was shot using lots of close ups, capturing emotion in her face and making her character known more to the audience; not hidden or obscured like Jason Viper.
If we were to continue the film and produce a full production, the audience would be more aware of the characters’ backgrounds and the reasons behind the events that take place. The idea behind Holly Dove was that in the opening she appears to be quite vulnerable- this is suggested by the name given to her becaus doves are gentle and innocent looking birds. If the film was to be mad in full, her background would reveal a darker side to her. When hearing again recently about the murders of the five prostitutes in Ipswich it made me think of the kind of character profile we wanted for Holly Dove; this article proved to be a perfect true account of the more sinister backdrop we wanted Holly to have. The five victims were all young girls that in one way or another got involved in drugs and prostitution; this may not have been obvious from their appearance day to day and they were clearly all vulnerable and helpless enough to be asphyxiated and eventually murdered by a male. Holly Dove appears like any other woman and so the connection to these girls could easily be made especially seeing as all of their backgrounds (prostitution and drugs) were associated with their deaths. This more deviant side to Holly Dove reflects the stereotypical femme fatale more authentically as it shows that she is capable of corrupt behaviour.
3.
When distributing my group’s film, it is likely that we will use an internet outlet such as Youtube, Facebook or a Blog website. Using the internet to distribute our film means that it can reach a wider audience and for a sustained time, making it the preferred option. Millions of people access Youtube regularly and many people use it to distribute films, music videos, animations etc. With the continuous introduction to new technologies and internet distribution, it is making it easier for anyone to make and distribute their own media productions. Posting the film on social networking sites and blogs means that our friends can watch the film and then spread feedback to us; word of mouth opportunities are obtainable too, allowing friends of friends to access the film and put wind in its sails. Technological convergence means that our audience can access our thriller film through their mobile phones or IPods as well because internet admittance is available and videos can be synced onto the devices. Another option, not involving the internet would be to enter my film in an independent or student film making competition but that would require me to create a short film. This would not be possible with my thriller opening because it is only two minutes long, but it's another option if i were to complete it in full.
4.
I think that the audience for my Thriller film would be people that appreciate the style of the film noir sub-genre. Our film is a noir thriller which pays tribute to the classic 1940’s thrillers and so it is likely to appeal to people that are interested in vintage and are of the “indie” scene. The style of the film, including costume and music are not really modern or mainstream, meaning that it’s likely to appeal to art students and the independent film lover. As the film has been made from young people’s vision, our main target audience should be young adults. A 15-25 male and female demographic are best suited to our film but because of our very non-generic contemporary thriller, the audience will be more specific. As our film is in black and white, it may not appeal to a lot of people within this age group because there are not many contemporary black and white films. For success, we need to reach out to those people within our demographic that enjoy independent cinema and less mainstream features. “Schindler’s List” is a fantastic example of a successful contemporary black and white film text; “Control” is another great example of this and relates to my thriller in the way that it is signifying a specific era and paying tribute to it.
5.
The best way to address an audience within our demographic was to find people that knew about film and media studies and therefore had a more open mind to our non-conventional contemporary thriller. I distributed the film to a group of year 13 media studies students on a computer and asked them to fill out a questionnaire for advice and opinion on my group’s thriller opening. The participants’ ages ranged between 17 and 18 and were a mix of male and female. The results of the questionnaires were very useful when refining our thriller opening because they indicated the best and worst qualities of our production which clearly highlighted the appeal and improvements needed to appeal to our target audience. A common fault noticed by the majority of the audience was that the narrative needed to be clearer and with a bit of revision, we moved the sequence so that it was clearer for the viewers and therefore more engaging.
6.
When constructing our Thriller film, we had to think closely about lighting, camera angles and the equipment that we needed. Before the shoot, our group took individual turns learning how to work the camera and tripod. What was particularly useful was practicing camera angles on it to ensure that we were aware of the various shots needed in our film when shooting. Tilt shots, close ups and low angle shots were what we focused on mostly; the canted angle shot connotes disorientation and we were inspired to use it because of Carol reeds’ utilisation of it in “The Third man”.
Close ups are key to seeing the characters facial expressions/emotions and to reveal small but important parts of the mise en scene so it was necessary for us to be confident with them. The low angles shots were used in our thriller opening to make Jason Viper seem more powerful; this shot was probably the most difficult of the three shots because we were unable to use the tripod so we had to rely on our stable hands and make sure we got the right angle. Using digital still cameras at the beginning of the year to practice a large range of camera angles helped a lot with this also and applying the same techniques when using the camcorder was excellent revision of the skills.
We filmed our thriller opening in daylight because when trying to film at night, it was clear that we did not have powerful enough light sources, making the footage poor quality. We filmed on a few different occasions, so the lighting wasn’t consistent. However, we had decided on editing the footage into Black and White when planning for the film so the consistency of lighting was never our top priority. When editing, we had to remind ourselves how to capture the footage from the camera to the computer and then how to cut it where necessary. Because we filmed on separate occasions, it was a lot easier to edit for the reason that we got to edit small sections at a time; when adding the new footage, we just captured it and then sequenced it with what we had already edited. The soundtrack and Black and White effects were added towards the end to pull it all together but at times we added in the soundtrack to make sure it fitted appropriately. When changing shots around and adding them in, we made sure that we viewed it back each time to make the transitions as smooth and professional looking as possible.
We researched various thriller films through IMDB and Youtube as well as in class and independently, and so when editing we considered the transitions and amount of close ups used in other thriller films to mould ours. Throughout this unit of work, we have had to present all of our research and planning into the thriller genre onto our blogs; I have used blogs previously to this unit so I didn’t find it too hard use but certain aspects like embedding a video into a post I had to remind myself of. The introduction of it into our course means that we have been able to receive comments from our tutors online at home or at school, helping us to revise some of our work and making it easier to adapt. Using ‘Blogger’ means that we can also include stills from films and video clips from Youtube into our posts, something that would be impossible to do if we were working in books.
7.
A lot more planning went into our Thriller film than the preliminary task. Working with the camera and camera angles in the preliminary task was very useful when it came to shooting our full product because we already had experience and it reflected our understanding of the 180 degree rule. Practicing key camera angles before the shoot of the full product and having rehearsed more previously meant that we improved our filming skills and gained better quality footage as a result. As we worked in groups for the preliminary task, we already knew that it was essential for everyone within the group to have a share of work in the production and editing of our thriller films- contributing ideas etc. My job within the group was to organise the shooting schedule and to plan the costume ideas. However, our group included everyone’s ideas collectively beforehand meaning that we all contributed equally to the shoot and edit. When shooting, each member of my group took turns to film sections of it and when watching the footage back we made a group decision on which was best and what needed to be in our final cut. The same group work took place when editing also; my specific role within it was to decide on the sequencing but we all did individual editing to it in our free periods and when others were ill. This method was successful because it meant that we all had an equal role and all had input towards the final product.
Much more thought went into costume choices in the full task because we had to make sure they looked 1940’s inspired and fitted the film noir sub-genre; this wasn’t something that was necessary when shooting our preliminary task. Freedom was given to us on the location choice for our full task which meant that each of our thriller openings were very unique and different whereas our preliminary task was shot at school so we didn’t need to research suitable areas. The same thing applied to the soundtrack also, because the preliminary task didn’t need long preparation or masses of research for a soundtrack.
The titles were the last thing that we included onto our full task and they were similar to the ones needed for our preliminary task; they weren’t time consuming and we decided to keep them quite simple so that they didn’t distract from the footage. We kept them to the top and bottom of the mise en scene to ensure that they didn’t obscure the film. The biggest problems that occurred near the end of our edit were the soundtrack decision and the rearranging of shots that was needed to make the narrative more simple and readable. To do this we needed to time stretch some of the shots and rearrange the order in which we placed them. Problems with our soundtrack lead us to pull the volume back up on our diegetic sounds which in the end worked very well and we introduced our original soundtrack idea just near the end of the footage.The soundrack we chose to use is called "Surrender" by The Soundies and is from the 1940's, we particularly liked this song because the lyrics gave quite an ironic tone to our film as it was much more upbeat than what was going on visually. The name of the song also suggests that the female character will have to surrender to the male, who is clearly dominant. It represents the era well and the darker, more sinister events at the end of the thriller opening were challenged by the romanticised and ironic music. The decision to introduce the soundtrack subtly at the end of our thriller opening was finalised after trying it out all the way through and getting feedback from some year 13 students. We thought that the film opening seemed too much like a trailer when the soundtrack lasted the full duration and by utilising the diegetic sounds in the majority of the footage, it creates a more eery, tense atmosphere. The heeled footsteps of Holly on the cobbled street and the unintensional bird sound are fairly chilling as they slice through the silence and almost foreshadow the upcoming events.
