Final Thriller

The final thriller opening, created by me and my group.

7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the product?

Over the few months between the preliminary task and the filming and editing of the thriller opening, I believe I have learnt a few valuable lessons on how to use my resources effectively, therefore improving the overall quality of my work. I have edited both, the preliminary task and the final thriller.

During the gap between the tasks I have learnt how to achieve a desired effect of suspense on the audience through the editing by adapting the length and timing of the different shots according to the situation presented.



I have used different shots to build tension like for example showing only Jakes leg while Afsana was cleaning up instead of showing the whole body straight away.



While working on the preliminary task we were mainly focused on getting as many different shots and techniques as possible. Which didn't really work out and some of the shots didn't look quite right, especially the jump cut in the corridor that was rather unnecessary.



We made sure to do a lot of research regarding thriller openings and how to keep the audience eager to see more of the film. I found out that it is important to catch the audiences attention within the first few minutes of the film, so that they will want to watch the rest.

Preliminary task beginning:

Final thriller:

When we planned the story line for our thriller we made sure to include different camera angles and practiced a lot to make sure they are effective and used correctly. We also filmed a lot more shots than me and Jake did for the preliminary task. We ended up with around 380 videos that I then had to go through and pink out the best ones to put into our two minute opening.

Whereas for the preliminary task we focused mainly on the storyboard and didn't have much time left for filming. Me and Jake did recorded most of it in one day and came out with only the necessary shots. We lacked variety however I managed to put it all together in a way that worked.

We learnt a valuable lesson through doing that, because when it came to us filming the thriller we focused more on the mise-en-scene and getting a a wide variety of shots, which turned out to work quite well. When we did the preliminary task the storyboard was our only planning sheet, but during the planning for our thriller opening we used many other planning sheets like:

• Risk assessment
• Animatic
• Shooting schedule
• Costumes & Props sheet
• Treatment
• Location sheet
• Shot list

Since the preliminary task I learnt a lot about editing and how every little frame counts. If one frame is out of place it will all look wrong. Therefore it took me a lot longer to edit it all since I attempted to make it as close to perfect as I could.

In the preliminary task we have only used the basic shots like long shot, establishing shot, medium shot etc. which made the film not as effective.

However in the final piece we attempted to add shots that could help is create an atmosphere. Like a low angle shot, wide shot, etc. The low angle shot of Afsana shows that she is powerful as the villain.

I discovered the importance of diagetic and non-diagetic sound. We made sure that we had eerie background music playing during the opening because we felt like it added to the overall feel of the film putting the audience on edge. In the preliminary task we had no music playing and instead all you could hear is people talking.

Video transitions are also important when trying to connect two events together making a smooth transition from one shot to the next. While editing the preliminary task I was not aware of how to use those features effectively therefore ended up with a badly edited jump cut.



In the final task everything seemed to flow smoothly from one shot to the next...

Other than a mistake in the shop where the camera seems a bit shaky



The camera was also shaky at one point during the preliminary task, and so we failed to improve on that aspect.

6) What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

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5) How did you attract/address your audience?

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4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

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3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

 
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1) In what ways does your media product use develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products

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Screening

Me and Jake have shown our thriller opening to a few people in our class so that we could receive feedback and make alterations if needed. Despite us being nervous about it we received quite positive feedback which I talk about in my other post "Audience Feedback"

We had to play the video from my iMac due to the issues we encountered with exporting of the video. We were unable to render it and export it on time therefore we just played it on Adobe Premier Pro. People seemed to enjoy the video.

Audience feedback

Me and Jake showed our short thriller opening to a few people in our class and asked for their feedback on it so that we could alter it if needed.

Question 1: Did you like the film?

Every person we have asked said they enjoyed our film.

Question 2: Did you understand the storyline?

Almost  everyone knew what was going on in the opening however, one person asked why the main character did what she has done.

Question 3: Is there anything that you think we should reconsider?

A few people raised concerns about the organisation of the shots.

Question 4: Are there any other comments about the film that you would like to make regarding anything?

Some people that I have asked this question, told me that the audio should be lowered because the music was too loud as for a background sound. Therefore I made alterations.

Past Student Thrillers

This thriller opening makes no sense and the music does not match that much because to me it sounds like it is more happy than creepy, which defeats the point of a thriller. The quality of the video is bad and it appears more like a horror, showing that they were unsuccessful in making a thriller. Those flashbacks to the mentally unstable looking girl seemed random and confusing. I give it a 1/4

q

The film is not good. They recorded it at night time and you can't see much of what is happening. The camera makes the video look darker anyway and so if you want to record a shot that is meant to appear as if it is night time, it is best to record at 5-6pm when there is still some light visible. The story made no sense and the ending was predictable. I give this a 1/4



The film is quite well made and the music in the background creates tension. The acting shown is better than in most of the student thrillers I have seen and they conveyed emotion effectively, showing the connection between the two characters present. The whole thing was edited well and filmed using different types of shots showing a good understanding of cinematography. I would give this a 4/4

Making of the Title Sequence

After I have finished editing the thriller, I added the titles and the Ident to the opening. The titles were easy to make and I made sure the font matches the thriller climate. I had to ensure that on each shot the titles are in the right place so that they look the same. The titles were made by me and I decided to make them white because our ident's name is in white and so they go well together.

How To Film A Thriller

  

Long shot establishes the scenery and is important, to inform the audience of where it is all happening.

The diagetic sound gives the film an atmosphere and the music makes us feel uneasy and suspenseful.


The camera movement is important because different shots will represent different emotions and present the character from different points of view.



The idea that is implanted into our heads through a shot like that makes us feel uneasy and since we don't know who or what is watching the character we tend to feel tension.



The pace of the music is important when trying to create tension because it tells us how to feel in any given situation. When the music speeds up we know something is about to happen or something bad is happening and the character has to act fast. The fast editing helps to keep the audience focused and ensures that they don't look away from the screen because if they did they could miss something. The shot being tilted to one side suggests that the character does not feel safe and is in potential danger.


The warm light and the fading out of musics may confuse the audience and raise questions like, Was the character really in danger? Was anything even there? Why is everything suddenly peaceful again?



We are given a false feeling that everything is okay and there is no danger anymore.


Then an extreme close up of an eye is shown suggesting that she was watching the man this whole time. The music makes us feel uneasy once again creating tension and raising questions.

First Draft

This is our first version of the thriller. We decided to keep the majority of shots and the background music. We asked the teachers for advice and we received constructive criticism from three teachers. Each of them gave us an idea of how to make the ending look better. I agreed that it was not as good as the rest, therefore me and Jake went out to film another time just to change the shots of me and make the ending more professional and thriller like. The finished version will also contain an Ident that we did not have at the time when I exported this video. Jake has created an Ident that fits well with the theme of the film.

The Birds

The birds is a suspense/horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1963. The main character is Melanie Daniels played by Tippi Hedren, who meets a guy she falls for in a bird shop. His name is Mitch Brenner played by Rod Taylor, he lives in Bodega Bay and after she finds out that he wanted to buy love-birds for his sister's birthday, Melanie sees it as a chance to get close to Mitch. She decides to order the love-birds for him and take them over to his house where his sister could find them and it would be a pleasant surprise that would put Melanie in a positive light in front of Mitch. However, what seemed like a perfect plan soon turns into a nightmare. The moment Melanie arrives in his home town, the birds begin to go crazy and start to attack humans. The rabid creatures are killing people and no one understands why.

Hitchcock wanted people to see the movie from the beginning to finish. No one was allowed to enter after the movie started in the cinema to ensure that everyone could get the full experience of it.

The film ends abruptly and we are left on a cliff hanger wondering what will happen to Melanie and Mitch's family we are . The film ending being "unfinished" allows space for a sequel and it means people will be more likely to watch the other part to see how the story plans out.