In what ways does your thriller use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real thrillers?
Introduction • Before planning our thriller we watched clips of different thrillers in class which helped us when it came to planning our own thrillers. When we were planning our thrillers we thought back to all of the different film noir/thrillers that we had watched and analyzed what characters wore and the colours of the scenes and we then decided to use similar aspects of those thrillers in our own opening so we could develop the conventions and try to add our own twist on them while still using some of the conventions within our characters and settings. We also analyzed the different camerawork and sounds that were featured within each clip that we saw to figure out which angles and shots would suit our opening and would work the best when transitioning between them. We were influenced by many films like Sin City, Se7en and The Third Man and we decided to adopt some of the ideas that were in the different clips.
Characters
Figure 1
Figure 2
• When planning for our main character we were unsure on how we wanted them to be established until we saw a clip from the beginning of sin city. We took influence from sin city with our main character as in figure 1 the character is wearing red and has red lipstick on. We had also seen in other film noirs that female characters tend to wear red to connote being a femme fatale henceforth that they are dangerous. We decided that our character should use this convention of wearing red as this stereotypically connotes danger and the female being a femme fatale which we thought fitted our character rather well as she is trying to look for someone which could put them in serious danger. We also decided that by our character wearing red it would connote that she was trying to stay classy where as in reality she is broken. We decided by having the shoes red it would be the first thing that the audience saw when they watched our opening as this would allow them to establish what type of character she is before they have seen her. By using the convention of red being a symbol for danger we thought her lipstick should be red as this would make her standout within the other characters. For our other two characters we used part of the conventions but switched them around. For our other female character we decided that she should be dressed up as quite dignified and mysterious henceforth why we dressed her up as a detective which we took the influence from The third man with the long coat as pictured in figure 2 as this connoted intelligence and dignity. This is different to our stalker/killer character as we thought to have him look quite rough and not as dignified as the detective as this connoted a sense of hierarchy and difference in class/status between the two characters. We didn't really take this costume idea from a film we had watched where as we just thought that it suited our film best and represented how we wanted the character to be perceived by the audience. We decided to create an enigma by using a pocket watch at the beginning of our opening which then coincidentally turned into a prop that we used later on in the opening. We also took influence from Alice creed as we have no dialogue between any of characters as we thought this would make all of the movements and exchanges more subtle yet at the same time more mysterious and sly.
Ruths character Ruth's character is very different to my character as she is more mature and organised. This is shown through her posture and also by the composition of the frame because she is being presented as being more present in the clip but also being taller than my character which connotes that she is more important in this clip but that she also has more backstory than my character which is why she is more present in this clip. Ruth's character being more present in this clip could represent that she is judgmental of my character even though she is no better as she is corrupt because she is helping the male character who ends up killing my character. The costume that Ruth's character wears is conventional of film noir which adds to the film noir aspect of our thriller opening as she is wearing a long trench coat and heels which also have connotations of formality and being mature where as my character wears a hoodie and worn out heels which connotes informality and slight childishness. By Ruth's character wearing sunglasses it presents an enigma as you don't see her eyes or her face close up which makes her a mystery similar to the male character in our thriller. This adds to the film noir representation in our thriller opening because of the mystery and enigma pf who ruths character really is.
Camerawork
Figure 1
Figure 2
• In our thriller we planned to use a variety of shots to exhibit the full characters and their surrounding while still establishing what type of characters they are.But also to display the best scenes that we could. We took influence from films like 'the third man' and 'kill bill' which were some of the first film noirs we watched. An example of a piece that we took form the third man is the use of obscured/tilted angles. We decided to use a tilt angle at the beginning of our opening as this created connotations of disorientation and confusion within the main female character but also within the audience as they are unsure of what is happening. It also creates connotations of being slightly broken and not very well or organized because if the character was well put together and organized then the scene would be straight which wouldn’t create disorientation or confusion within the audience. An example of a scene in the third man that we were influenced by is displayed in figure 1. Figure 1 exhibits a tilted shot which has connotations of confusion as the audience doesn't know where the character has gone or is going. But by using a tilted shot they have displayed the type of film and story line that 'The third man' is or what the directors want it to be perceived as. But we were also influenced by the film 'Kill Bill' and the shot of all the different shoes an example of this is in figure 2. We thought that this established each character but that it also gave different connotations depending on the characters shoes but one of the main connotations was that nothing was as it seemed but also that it was quite sinister. We adopted this idea and thought that by using it with our character it not only established her further but it also created connotations of mysteriousness as the audience is not able to realize where our main character is going. We also used a variety of close ups and long shots to display the surroundings but we used the close ups to highlight certain parts of the opening that we thought were essential to our thriller opening. An example of this is at 1.38 minutes where we used a close up to exhibit the importance of the envelope but also to push the plot further along. We thought that by using the close up it would connote importance and also mysteriousness as to what the envelope is.
Sound/ Editing • We decided to only use a soundtrack at the beginning of our opening as we thought a soundtrack didn't suit the rest of our opening as we decided to use mainly diegetic sounds for an atmos track which we added in later in editing. Examples of sounds that we used were sirens and taps running and the sound of traffic. The soundtrack we chose to use at the beginning of the track is almost like a jewelry box melody which we thought would create connotations of a chilling scene but also a tense tone to our opening. By using mainly diegetic sounds for our atmos track we thought that it would exhibit how run down the main female characters surrounding were and the type of life she lives which would be shown by the siren noises that connote trouble and perhaps death. Our influence for our use of diegetic sounds came from se7en when you can hear all the traffic and the different sirens which connoted danger and death within the opening of se7en. • For our editing we decided on using a variety of shots and interchanging between them to create diversity and to keep the opening moving. Before the exchange that happens in the bandstand we are using a time lapse to connote to the audience that time has been moving on but also that the character has travelled far to collect these documents. By using a time lapse it gives the effect that the character has travelled different places just to be in possession of these documents which connote that they are important to the character. When we began editing we realized that some our shots didn't flow but we then realized that by putting a title screen there it allowed for our opening to flow a lot better but it also allowed for it to transition from one scene to another while making it look abrupt and not together but also by making a statement. An example of this is at 20 seconds to 23 seconds where we thought about making the transition smooth whilst making the audience be patient about what will happen in the opening. We didn't really use a film as influence for our editing as we didn’t feel it necessary but we may have without being conscious about it as we have watched many film noir openings and clips in class. We also decided to change the colour of our opening to make it look colder and slightly desaturated to create a tense and harsh tone within our opening but we also didn’t want the scenes to be particularly bright as this would have ruined the tone of our opening.
Intro to our thriller
When planning our thriller we wanted to start our opening with a cold start to add tension to our opening but we also to add diagetic sound to our opening to create a harsh tone to the beginning but also to set the tone for the rest of the opening. We also used diagetic sound to establish what type of opening it would be to the audience. We also decided to use non diagetic sound in our cold start to also enhance the tone of the film as the key starts in major and then it suddenly drops to minor when the male character is introduced this allows for the audience to establish him as dangerous. By using a mixture of diagetic and non diagetic noise it builds up the tension but it also makes it more obvious to the audience what type of film opening it is . By using the soundtrack it adds layers to our film opening as there is multiple sounds at once which makes the tone sinister and it also draws the audience in as it makes them curious as to what will happen in the opening. Having music on the black screen at the beginning predetermines the audiences view of the opening because it is established within the music. Also by using diagetic and non diagetic sounds it enhances the enigma as the audience is confused as to where the character is.
The Bridge • We decided to use a bridge in our thriller opening because it could have different interpretations of what it could symbolize to any of the characters. By having my character crossing the bridge it could be symbol for the journey she is going on to find the member of her family but it could also symbolize the end of her journey as she has a terrible fate at the end of the opening. We also used a bridge because in this picture it looks almost never ending which could be how she feels like her life is but it could also connote that her journey is never ending. Lastly, the bridge could symbolize the other characters journeys and their lives. For example, The male character could be being forced to do this job which means that the bridge connotes that the job seems never ending which could be the same for Ruth's character as she doesn’t want to be a corrupt police woman which is where their journeys are all intertwined but by only having one bridge and my character crossing it, it could be focusing on my characters journey and implying that the other characters journeys aren't as defining as my character's journeys.
First Clip When planning our thriller opening we wanted to try and make the opening be as tense and disorientating as we could. When we were filming we decided to use a tilt screen and attempt to disorientate the audience as this is the first time that they are seeing my character. By using a tilt screen it makes the surroundings seem claustrophobic which connote that she feels trapped within her own life but it could also connote that she feels entrapped by everyone else like the detective and the unknown male character. Even though my character doesn't know the male character by having him there it gives a sense of being watched which makes it appear to the audience that the character is trapped and completely surrounded by people who are deceitful and corrupt. By the clip being claustrophobic it connotes the character is also quite anxious and shy which is the opposite as to how the audience ma think she is.