My thriller was about a woman wanting revenge but set out to hurt the nearest person to his potential victim. The beginning of the thriller that we had to film takes place from the main characters house as she leaves and as she walks through the park, where she meets her end.
My thriller challenges forms and conventions in the fact that stalkers are normally thought of as male and their victims are normally female, but we wanted to change this and make the stalker female to create a new sense of fear for the audience because society have a set idea of how stalkers work and just by making this little change the audience expects something new from the very start.
Some of the openings of thrillers gave the story away from the start and this is a common way of shooting the opening so the rest of the film can give the explanation of what happened. And some gave away very little, we watched many different examples of this is well known films and had the choice of what we wanted to take from them to make our opening.
One example that slightly influenced us was the shining. The camera slowly follows the car like a bad omen and the only thing that gives off fear in the character is the scary, dramatic music that creates suspense.
Looking back at the first short film i did, i can see that my knowledge of camera shots and techniques are of a wider range and i have managed to include them in my thriller. I’ve also been able to include these shots in a complex way by learning how to use 'match cut' and make it flow nicely so it looks professional and this made it easier to make my thriller more interesting to the audience.
I’ve also learnt that planning plays a key part in making the beginning of the thriller because in situations that we were in we could only shoot most of the film in one day and planning it made sure we didn’t waste any time because we could always refer to the storyboards we did.
My Thriller does represent woman and how powerful they can be. Because most thrillers portray a female being the victim we wanted to change this and be different. Even though we still had the victim as a female we also had the stalker as a female so women are shown in two ways strong and also weak.
I feel that our Thriller would be a small independent UK release just because we have changed many concepts of a stereotypical thriller, which might not appeal to a wider range of audience for example abroad. But i do think that this would not hold the film back and it would prove its self as a successful film in the UK due to the open mind of the British public.
The audience that i think would best suite the thriller would be 15+. By having this age restriction on the thriller it is suitable for teens and older members of the public and they will be able to understand the concept of the thriller where as younger members of the public might struggle slightly. Families with older children can see this film together which would benefit us more because of a larger amount of people going to view it. I also think more women would go and see the thriller due to the fact it challenges the typical conventions of other thrillers by including a female character more heavily than usual thrillers might. The typical person that i think fits my target audience is a female who wants to watch something different and has an open view when going to see the thriller, she most probably wont be mainstream but want to experience and different take on the way she watches films and this thriller i think, would do just that not just in the way woman are represented but also in the different way its edited and the way it was shot.
I would market my film by addressing my audience through having a star as the lead role but making sure i the thriller still had British actors being an important part in the film, this would then attract a wider audience as they would recognise the lead character and draw their fans in to watch the film.
The trailers for my film wouldn’t be to long because i would want it to reflect the film and the way its been shot, so i would give away very little and tell the basic story through fast clips. I would also make it clear that the lead role was played by a 'star' but not take away from what that person’s role in the film actually is.
In my thriller there are typical shots that show the genre of the film for example the stalker grabbing the victim, and i would show this in the trailer but only at the end to leave the audience with a strong idea of what the films about or what they 'think' the film is about.
I would advertise the thriller using a strong influence from the internet and make sure it was seen heavily through this because the audience i would be trying to reach use the internet a lot and i would be able to get the film recognised more by using this to the films advantage. I would also have some billboards around places like west end etc that way i can reach a large amount of young people.
I have learnt many new ways of using technologies in my work for example Blogging my progress as i went along was something very different, and before i started working on the thriller i had in fact never blogged before. It was a something new i experienced and it helped with planning my thriller and learning from what goes into making it.
Using the cameras to film the thriller was also very beneficial because i learnt how to get different camera shots using a tripod or hand held. In addition, i learnt along with the rest of my group so this gave us more of an option on what we could do and different shots available to us.
When it came to editing, all the programs were quite new to me for example finale cut pro and sound track pro. This helped our film develop the way we wanted others to view it, we used this new technology to add music to the film and match cut all different shots.
When we had finished the film some of my group stored it on there USB and added it to youtube this meant more people had could view the film by visiting other sites than Blogger.com and Vimeo, we were able to reach a wider audience through the internet and new technology.
Showing posts with label Dominique Varleigh (:. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dominique Varleigh (:. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Monday, 2 March 2009
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Half term
We had come in on our half term and finish off out fim because at this point we we're very far behind and only had done basic editing.
We ended up changing some of the effects we used in the fim because they made the film look finished.
At one point we thought we we're finished but realised it was only 16 seconds long so we had to start all over again and plan how we could make it longer without giving to much away. We included the footage of the charcter walking from her house into the park and used other random clips that we had shot after like someone on a computer and a persons eyes. this made the film more scary and it helped with making it longer.
We ended up changing some of the effects we used in the fim because they made the film look finished.
At one point we thought we we're finished but realised it was only 16 seconds long so we had to start all over again and plan how we could make it longer without giving to much away. We included the footage of the charcter walking from her house into the park and used other random clips that we had shot after like someone on a computer and a persons eyes. this made the film more scary and it helped with making it longer.
Still Editing!
We started use effects to make out film confuse the viewers, we did this by usin negatives and rewinding the footage so the charcater (me) walked backwards and fowards.
We wanted to use the effects we're the camera was hidden in bushes and etc.
We also slowed down the footage of the character walking normally so the viewer still knew what was goin on.
As we did this we we're learning how to use final cut pro so it took us two lessons to complete but in the end we we're happy with the end result.
We rembered some of the tecniques we had seen in other thrillers in media lessons and tired to use parts of it in the way we used the effects in our film, we didnt want to use to many of them but also had to be careful we didnt use to little.
We wanted to use the effects we're the camera was hidden in bushes and etc.
We also slowed down the footage of the character walking normally so the viewer still knew what was goin on.
As we did this we we're learning how to use final cut pro so it took us two lessons to complete but in the end we we're happy with the end result.
We rembered some of the tecniques we had seen in other thrillers in media lessons and tired to use parts of it in the way we used the effects in our film, we didnt want to use to many of them but also had to be careful we didnt use to little.
Editing our thriller
We started editing straight away. we had to log and capture all the shots we had filmed and because we wanted to make sure we had a good shot of every part of the thriller we shot them 3 or 4 times, this make it take a long time to log and capture everything but in the end we we're left with some great footage to use.
We then watched them through all together and picked out the parts we new we wanted to use then started putting them all in order. This was not the hard part of the editing put what i found difficult was cutting and matching all the clips so it flowed nicely together.
This took a whole lesson to do but once it was done we had a strong foundation to base all the effects on because it already went well without them.
We stayed as close the plan as we could and made sure we included the shots we used from the angels that we're harder to shoot because we wanted our film to look professional and be different from the others.
We also made sure we saved all our work all the time to make sure nothing happened to it.
The first day we edited our film went well and we we're happy with what we had so far.
We then watched them through all together and picked out the parts we new we wanted to use then started putting them all in order. This was not the hard part of the editing put what i found difficult was cutting and matching all the clips so it flowed nicely together.
This took a whole lesson to do but once it was done we had a strong foundation to base all the effects on because it already went well without them.
We stayed as close the plan as we could and made sure we included the shots we used from the angels that we're harder to shoot because we wanted our film to look professional and be different from the others.
We also made sure we saved all our work all the time to make sure nothing happened to it.
The first day we edited our film went well and we we're happy with what we had so far.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Editing.
Last lesson we saw our finished footage and was able to cut it in to use able clips and start editing, we sat down in our groups and watched it through a few times to make sure we could see what we could match cut then we started to use final cut pro for the proper editing.
We used the camera outside and inside but with match cut pro we used them both together which looked more dramatic and created tension because it looked like the character was walking towards something dangerous. We used the handheld technique to capture the two meeting and panning to show them meeting too.
We didn't want to use the shots of just the characters eyes at first because we didn't think it look serious enough but when we put the wound track to the film and made it a sort of comedy and it made the film really funny.
We only used one effect which was cross dissolve, we didn't want to make it look to cheesy with lots of effects so we kept them minimal.
When it came to us putting music to it we wanted the music to make the story line of our film clear so we put serious music over the top of the the beginning part of the film then when the people turned around we put light hearted music over it to show we went being to serious,
Because we ran out of time to carry on filming we left the film on a cliffhanger so the audience wouldn't know who won and we put a funny scream over the end for a final light hearted take on the film.
We used the camera outside and inside but with match cut pro we used them both together which looked more dramatic and created tension because it looked like the character was walking towards something dangerous. We used the handheld technique to capture the two meeting and panning to show them meeting too.
We didn't want to use the shots of just the characters eyes at first because we didn't think it look serious enough but when we put the wound track to the film and made it a sort of comedy and it made the film really funny.
We only used one effect which was cross dissolve, we didn't want to make it look to cheesy with lots of effects so we kept them minimal.
When it came to us putting music to it we wanted the music to make the story line of our film clear so we put serious music over the top of the the beginning part of the film then when the people turned around we put light hearted music over it to show we went being to serious,
Because we ran out of time to carry on filming we left the film on a cliffhanger so the audience wouldn't know who won and we put a funny scream over the end for a final light hearted take on the film.
Filming.
We we're given a brief to film a meeting point. A character meeting another, they walk through the doors and sit down with the person they meet.
We came up with the idea that we should make our film look as serious as possible when our character walks through the door carrying a bag with them, they sit down and look determined and angry, then they turn around and start to play thumb wars so the film becomes light hearted and not serious at all.
Because we had to use a door for the character to come through, we wanted to use a door that other people might not thing of using so we used big double doors that opened on its own to make it look more professional and serious. We used many camera techniques to make our film look good like panning, hand held etc we also stayed with the 180 degree rule all the time.
One thing i would change would be the fact that we wasted a lot of time and didn't get to finish filming so the audience wont know who won, but we could use that to out advantage to create suspense.
We came up with the idea that we should make our film look as serious as possible when our character walks through the door carrying a bag with them, they sit down and look determined and angry, then they turn around and start to play thumb wars so the film becomes light hearted and not serious at all.
Because we had to use a door for the character to come through, we wanted to use a door that other people might not thing of using so we used big double doors that opened on its own to make it look more professional and serious. We used many camera techniques to make our film look good like panning, hand held etc we also stayed with the 180 degree rule all the time.
One thing i would change would be the fact that we wasted a lot of time and didn't get to finish filming so the audience wont know who won, but we could use that to out advantage to create suspense.
Monday, 5 January 2009
Monday 5th 2009 :)
In today's lesson we watched a short program about the importance of making an impact on he audience in the opening credits this helped me research different ways i could possibly shoot my opening.
We were also given a sheet with questions about the program that we had to fill out.
The program included directors opinions of the different techniques that they find most effective and that they think will hold the audiences attention. These included things like being able to seduce the audience and the risks of instant arousal intern keeping the audience wondering what's going to happen next instead of trying to beat the opening credits to keep interest.
Another technique used is the 'classic' opening, where the the camera slowly reveals the surroundings of the main character which then helps the audience understand the plot further.
I found the opening credits to Seven very creative and it made me think about shooting my opening credits in the same way. The opening credits to Seven showed the most important aspect of the main character by showing how obsessive he is and in what ways revealing that he has mental problems etc. It also had the credits in with the scene but they were sudden flashes so the audience really had to focus on the characters personality being shown and this held their attention.
I want to try and include this way of shooting and editing my opening credits but in my own way that creates tension and suspense but also makes it look as professional as possible.
The program also spoke briefly about 'a favorite trick of noir' which is a technique that shows the opening credits but it starts from the end of the story, this only becomes clear to the audience if the film is watched a second time, this enables the audience to see that there is more to be understood then they first thought.
All through the program we we're able to see examples of all the techniques that had been discussed like the opening credits to the Shining and other thriller films that showed clear use of all the techniques.
Monday, 15 December 2008
Andrews lesson.
Last lesson we watched our finished films and watched all the other groups too. It was good for all of us to see what we all had done and to see all thee different shots, edits etc this way we could use the skills shown by each of us in our next practical.
As we watched the films the rest of the class gave their feedback and told us what they liked and what they thought should be noticed for next time.
Then we had to compose a brainstorm on what we thought was a thriller and what they consisted of to make them successful like including dramatic tension etc.
we watched the Thriller 'The shining' we had to pick out the three scene's that included dramatic tension. It was good for us to watch a Thriller was a good thing for us to do because we we're able to see first hand what creates a good thriller and what things make the film scary, like having dramatic tension behind scary scenes help scare the audience.
I thought the film was a good example of a successful thriller, specially because it was about how fragile the human mind is and most this gives the film a sense of realism and i think that most audiences get scared by things that could be true or that could happen to someone they know rather then something that is impossible to happen even though its still scary the film played on human sanity.
As we watched the films the rest of the class gave their feedback and told us what they liked and what they thought should be noticed for next time.
Then we had to compose a brainstorm on what we thought was a thriller and what they consisted of to make them successful like including dramatic tension etc.
we watched the Thriller 'The shining' we had to pick out the three scene's that included dramatic tension. It was good for us to watch a Thriller was a good thing for us to do because we we're able to see first hand what creates a good thriller and what things make the film scary, like having dramatic tension behind scary scenes help scare the audience.
I thought the film was a good example of a successful thriller, specially because it was about how fragile the human mind is and most this gives the film a sense of realism and i think that most audiences get scared by things that could be true or that could happen to someone they know rather then something that is impossible to happen even though its still scary the film played on human sanity.
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Editing our film.
In our last lesson we got to see our film that we shot the lesson before, we had to separate the whole film in the clips we wanted and name them to make sure we knew what clips were what and it helped us know the order in which we wanted them in because we shot them in the right order, we then got to find the clips we wanted to use and the clips we wanted to lose.
After doing this we got to edit the clips, making sure we didn't have the directors voice at the beginning and making sure the clips linked together in a professional way because we shot the same scene from many different angles and because we used different techniques like tracking and we wanted to include them in a professional way.
We used the skills we had learnt from Andrews lesson like being able to cut in and out of the scene when we wanted to and lay them all in place so the film made scene We then had just enough time to use some transitions like cross disolve etc to make the clips link in with each other better.
Because our group were so ahead of the other groups we we're able to change the sound levels on the film and add different audio sounds to create dramatic tension to our thriller.
After doing this we got to edit the clips, making sure we didn't have the directors voice at the beginning and making sure the clips linked together in a professional way because we shot the same scene from many different angles and because we used different techniques like tracking and we wanted to include them in a professional way.
We used the skills we had learnt from Andrews lesson like being able to cut in and out of the scene when we wanted to and lay them all in place so the film made scene We then had just enough time to use some transitions like cross disolve etc to make the clips link in with each other better.
Because our group were so ahead of the other groups we we're able to change the sound levels on the film and add different audio sounds to create dramatic tension to our thriller.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Filming our thriller.
In Tony's lesson we learnt how to use the apple computers for when we have our finished shots we want to use for our thriller.
Today we finally filmed our thriller but first we had to learn how to use the equipment etc. After we all had a plan of what shots we wanted to use and what our thriller was roughly about we could go away with out groups that tony put us in.
Our thriller was based around the brief of two characters playing cards but insted of doing the obvious we used tarrot cards in the thriller, this was different and easier to base a story around that was scary. The basic story was that my character was the tarrot reader and i had to show a young woman (Shanice) her unfaithfull future, she doesnt care to much about the warnings i giver her and walks away with no worries in her mind that the reading was all rubbish. Until a man pushes her down the stairs and she comes to a painful end.
The whole story has no dialouge in it, this is because we wanted our audience to feel the tension and suspence and have to figure out the plot on their own. That way we give no secrets away to early and the audience HAVE to figure it out themselves.
We used many different shots to give out thriller variety, because we had to dialouge in our film we needed to make sure everything else was intresting and done as Professionally as we could. We used tracking in some scene's and different camera angles, we even had a very close point of view shot to emphasise the 'Victims' reactions to help the audience understand what was goin on.
I think todays shooting went very well and i cant wait to start editing our footage.
Today we finally filmed our thriller but first we had to learn how to use the equipment etc. After we all had a plan of what shots we wanted to use and what our thriller was roughly about we could go away with out groups that tony put us in.
Our thriller was based around the brief of two characters playing cards but insted of doing the obvious we used tarrot cards in the thriller, this was different and easier to base a story around that was scary. The basic story was that my character was the tarrot reader and i had to show a young woman (Shanice) her unfaithfull future, she doesnt care to much about the warnings i giver her and walks away with no worries in her mind that the reading was all rubbish. Until a man pushes her down the stairs and she comes to a painful end.
The whole story has no dialouge in it, this is because we wanted our audience to feel the tension and suspence and have to figure out the plot on their own. That way we give no secrets away to early and the audience HAVE to figure it out themselves.
We used many different shots to give out thriller variety, because we had to dialouge in our film we needed to make sure everything else was intresting and done as Professionally as we could. We used tracking in some scene's and different camera angles, we even had a very close point of view shot to emphasise the 'Victims' reactions to help the audience understand what was goin on.
I think todays shooting went very well and i cant wait to start editing our footage.
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