Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task

This was our first attempt of using a camera and we were able to have some experience with it and have a better understanding of the different features the camera has. We were able to incorporate some media techniques like match on action and see the effects with and without them, we explored the effects of the"over the shoulder" shot which would make the audience feel like they are in the scene and allow them to develop the emotions which the characters could have. The Preliminary task helped my group to develop some ideas of shots we would like in our opening sequence and if it would suit our genre and theme. This preliminary task showed us what we need to work on like making sure our hand is steady and using the tripod as much as possible. Also we used shot reverse shot when the questioning was happening because we thought that could build up tension for one of the characters to explode into anger, so I think that the shot reverse shot helped to build up to the climax.

Thriller treatment

Thriller Treatment 

When we thought about ideas for our thriller opening sequence, we thought about what type of atmosphere we wanted to create for the audience and how the different shots will create effect.

We started with a count down from five to zero with a blur effect which built up tension and it gets the attention of the audience very quickly. The fan slowing down as the first scene makes the setting intense and may make the audience ask questions about its importance in the opening sequence , this may make the audience unease as they will feel like they are not in control and my make them produce questions from the beginning. A shot of knifes on the floor at his bedside could show he is use to using weapons and indicates danger to the audience.

We first see the character asleep on his bed, he has four flashbacks. One of the area which are flats at night time this sets the scene the angle makes the flats look bigger which may show why the character is disturbed by it, then the sign danger which could be a warning that there is danger to come then the last two flashbacks are of a dark figure moving quickly across the scene to different locations. Those flashbacks help to show to the audience some things about the characters past which will make sense further on the opening sequence.
He wakes up startled and gets up, he rubs his hands then quickly turns his head towards the fan. This could shock the audience which will keep the atmosphere we are trying to maintain. He stand up and turns off the fan then checks the time on the phone, even though we focus on the time the wallpaper is more important then the audience may think. It is a picture of a baby which could be his child and could play a big part in the film itself.
He takes two from many knifes on his TV stand and places it within his rucksack, those shot presents the main character as a danger to society and that wherever he is going to at the moment requires him to bring weapons with him. This is a key part of the opening sequence as it reviles parts of the characters lifestyle. Mise en scene is shown as we look at the characters custom as it is dark which is normally related to a negative character, also the props which were the knifes and the rucksack paints a bad picture to the audience. We us match on action when he is leaving his house so shots of him leaving his room and down the stirs to his door.
We then create an atmosphere where it seems he is being watched by someone as soon as he leaves his house. We then see a dark figure of someone standing waiting for him to leave his house and as the character is walking, we have a shot were we are in the place of the dark figure slowly creeping towards the victim. The dark figure reaches an arm towards the victim and as soon as he places his hand on him it goes into the title. The last scene was able to build up tension as the dark figure approached the victim and I think the music was able to produce the type of atmosphere we wanted and the sound of an explosion as the title will shock people.

Story board

 

Story Board

The story board that my group created helps us to fully understand what we want to do in our opening sequence, this will allow us to study how our filming will occur. We have eight boxes which will explain and show through drawings what we want to do. This gave us the first step to visualize what our opening sequence would be and see the main parts we want to focus on.
The first box shows a count down so we are able to build up tension from the beginning, then the second box will show a sign which says danger and has a picture of a lighting bolt, That will be one of the images which are a flashback which connotes that he may of had a bad past and that something is haunting him still. The next picture shows the main character staring at the the fan which seems to irritate him and the next one is of knifes which are one of the main props we want in the opening sequence as it shows slit characteristics which are negative.
The fifth box shows the main character walking down the stairs to leave his house, we thought that maybe we could use match on action to shorten the length of the walking journey slightly. This could connote that he is rushing somewhere but the audience doesn't know why he is rushing or who he is running away from. The next main shot we want is of the door being opened and someone is watching him come out of his house, this will give a good effect as it will allow the audience to interpreter the shot and it will develop questions about who it is and why they are watching them. The next scene will be a dark figure watching the victim as he walks from his house this will connote that someone is after him and that he is unaware of its presence. This is a convention of the thriller genre which is someone watching someone and the dark figure will have a stereotypical appearance of an attacker with dark clothing on. The last box of the story board will have the dark figure reaching his hand towards the the victim which will be the most intense part of the opening sequence and the climax of it all, with it ending on the name of the film.