Planning sound - Miss Miller

Planning sound

Within many films, whether its rom - coms or horrors, they all include sound which helps set the scene. Such as in thrillers, the main job of sound is to create suspense, shock and surprise. However in all films there are many different types of sound, these ranges from:

• diegetic sound
• non-diegetic sound
• off screen sound
• on screen sound
• parallell sound
• contraversal sound

In our group narrative, we have tried our best to include as many of the above as possible. We have mainly focused on using off screen sound and non - diegetic, as we hope that these will be more effective if the sound will be more noticeable. We are also including a lot of on screen sound as well as we believe it will make everything alot more realistic. For example we are using diegetic sound when the young girl is listening to music in the kitchen, this will show the audience where the sound is coming from making it seem more realistic giving them something to relate too. Non-digetic sound will be used when you can hear deep breathing from the killer at this point a camera angle called point of view will be used to you can only see the feet of the killer. This makes the non-diegetic sound a lot more tension building as you cant see where the sound is coming from, making the suspense rise and the hidden identity of the killer remain a secret.

We will be using sound techniques such as parallel when Lucy is left in the cabin on her own, we wanted to portray her as vulnerable and innocent, that she is is actually oblivious to the consequences and the situations that are about to happen. They will be able to build a relationship with the characters as they will feel many emotions towards them.

They are conventional to thriller film as they will create suspense tension and shock for the audience and make them feel that they are in the movie themselves, hopefully that is what i achieve in my opening scene.

When searching for sound these are the ones that I felt suited my narrative the most.

http://www.freesound.org/people/samule44/sounds/96023/  (Heavy Breathing)

http://www.freesound.org/people/Ephemeral_Rift/sounds/156114/ 

I felt that the second link, which is nearly 20 minutes long, suited our narrative the most. I had an eerie feel which helped set the mood.

By Alexander Flanagan

Planning cinematography-Miss Miller

Planning cinematography

Cinematography is important in thriller films as camera angles and movements allow you to control what the audience see and how they feel. Planning is required so we can test and see the best angles for the narrative. The main shots we are using are mid-shot, low angle, handheld, high angle and canted angle. Hopefully these techniques will entice and scare the audience.

The first technique is the high angle shot. This is when the camera is pointing down at me and Lucy as we are walking in the forest. The camera would be placed in the trees. This shot is used to portray a sense of insecurity and apprehension. This is from the start of the scene, so this shot is almost letting the audience know that these characters are in danger or they are unimportant, it is a set up for the next scene. This angle can give the audience a sense of foreboding that they are being watched, in a similar scenario, from above.

The second angle I am analysing is the low angle. This is used when Lucy is looking up at the building.  The camera will be placed on the floor facing the building. The purpose of this technique is to show intimidation, making the viewer feel as through the building is looming over them, adding to the sense of fear and anticipation felt. This connection means that a tension will build when Lucy and I walk up to the building. This is a conventional angle in a thriller, as the tension creates a greater shock.

The next angle that our group are using is the canted angle. This angle uses a tilted camera. We are using this angle when Lucy discovers me dead. The camera will be canted, looking at Lucy from behind. This angle is used to show imbalance. Imbalance can cause confusion and panic within the audience. This can hopefully create a greater reaction to what’s going on, on the screen. This is conventional of a thriller film as most directors don’t want to let the audience know what is going on. They want to keep the sense of anticipation.

Our group also used a handheld point of view shot. This is used when the killer is behind Lucy and me, before hiding behind a tree. A handheld shot is when the camera gives a jerky and gives the viewer a personal feeling of being in the scene. It is shot in the first person. This makes the shot realistic and could make the audience feel that they are there. This is another conventional technique to bring the audience closer to the film and allow them to immerse themselves.

The last camera technique used by us is the mid shot. This is when I and Lucy are walking down to the path. The mid shot technique is when you can see half of the person’s body and the location behind. This allows the audience to get a wider perspective of the whole scene, whilst feeling a connection to the characters. The audience can also understand emotions through facial expressions. This is another traditional angle in a thriller film as a better connected audience will gain more from the viewing experience and leave feeling more shocked.

I feel that by using these shots, our thriller will be very successful in capturing our viewer’s fears and heighten their emotions. These techniques are all regularly used in thriller films are they make the viewer feel involved in the film and build and relationship with the characters. The viewers have an emotional investment and care about what happens to the characters in the film and are therefore left feeling more shocked when the unexpected happens. The planning is very helpful as it ensures that everyone knows what they are doing and achieves the overall end result that everyone was aiming for.

Planning mise-en-scene-Miss Georgiou

Planning mise-en-scene

Why mise-en-scene is important within a thriller film

Mise-en-scene is important within a thriller and in fact all films because it contains all the elements needed to create a good story, relatable characters and specifically to thriller create suspense and tension. The five elements of mise-ene-scene are; setting and iconography, costumes, facial expressions and body language, lighting and colour and positioning of characters.  

The mise-en-scene of my thriller 

The settings use in my thriller is in a forest and an abandoned building and the iconography used is a pair of scissors. We have chosen these because they are conventional to the thriller genre, the setting is conventional because it would seem as if it is just a normal walk in the forest giving the audience the impression that all is fine,until the couple come across the abandoned building which instantly will change the tone of the scene. The scissors are also conventional because all thrillers require a murder weapon that is a normal everyday item that is used to kill the victim.

In our thriller not much costume or make up is used as the characters need to seem normal so that the audience can build a relationship with them. We do however towards the end of the scene use a ripped bloody shirt on one of the characters to show him to the audience as being dead from many injuries.

In my thriller a variety of facial expressions and body language is used such as fear, confusion, anger, shock and a sinister joy. All of these emotions are conventional to a thriller because the victim will always show fear as to what is happening around them an confusion as to why it is happening. at the end of the film our female victim discovers the dead body of her Friend and displays shock at what has happened as a smiling killer stands behind her, this shows many emotions in the killer such a anger and satisfaction which is conventional as it shows the audience his rage.

 The lighting and colour used are dark and saturated and low-key lighting is used throughout the sequence this conventional to the thriller genre because often this type of colour and lighting is used to build tension and to create an enigma as the audience wont know what is in the darkness and will have limited vision.

Throughout my thriller the characters and objects are positioned in many different ways in a variety of shots,the ones that are conventional in thrillers that has been used are; a high angle shot where the two characters move across the screen, the high angle shot is conventional because it shows the two people as weak and venerable.  

How my thriller builds a relationship with my target audience

My thriller will build a relationship with my audience because of the tension that is created, the audience will be waiting for the killer to finally kill his victim and it put the audience on edge because they are in suspense. My thriller also builds a relationship when Noah is killed as they feel sorry for him being a victim and killed for no reason. The last thing that will help build a relationship with my audience is the location, because it is such an ordinary location it will make the audience feel as if this sort of thing could happen to them, this make the film seem more real.

By Alexander Flanagan

Production Roles-Miss Miller

Production Roles

The reason for production roles is simple if the whole film was done by a small group of people then it would take a long time and the people would have a lot of stress and would not be able to focus as much on a certain task which could effect the overall quality of the movie. By giving out production roles people are able to focus on task and the film and all the various stages are done quicker and more efficiently.

• Producers - A producer is someone who initiates a project and oversees it from the conceptional stage through completion. 
• Directors -The person responsible for the interpretive aspects of a stage, film, or TV production; the person who supervises the integration of all the elements, as acting, staging and lighting required to realise the wrights conception. 
• Actors - To pretend to be someone else with a different persona to suit the film
• Director of Photography  - A ma who operates a movie or TV camera
• Sound Technician - They use a variety of equipment and machines, such as digital audio workstations during the sound recording process. During post production and mixing, sound producers blend recorded clips of vocals and instruments to achieve a certain sound. for movie or TV projects, these professionals focus on how sound effects and music line up with visual clues.
• Screenplay Writer -A screenwriter or scriptwriter is someone who writes the story of the film, what is said within the film who goes where and when 
• Mise-en-scene Co-ordinators - This is someone who controls and makes all the iconography  
• Editors - This is someone who adds any special effects visual or sound and would also create the opening and closing credits 

For my groups own thriller we have also allocated a number of people different roles to help make the process easier and quicker; Firstly our group of actors include, Noah, Lucy and Micheal This will help us as having minimal makes the story line more simple. The camera man will be Alex as he enjoys recording with the camera and knows the story line well, this will make the production sequence easier as he can operate the camera effectively. The director was Alex as he has good locations lighting,iconography ect, the sound technician was Lucy as in most of the editing stage she will be getting different sounds and implement them into the film, having her in this role makes producing easier because she will already be doing the editing. The screen play writers was the whole group this meant that ideas could flow and we could decide what the best would be. 

Filming schedule - Miss Georgiou

Planning Opening Credits-MIss Georgiou

Planning Opening Credits

The purpose of opening credits within a film is firstly to inform the audience on what the name of the film is called and the name of the production company that has made the film. As well as this the credits also contain the directors names, the actors names and any other member of the production team. In the opening credits they also inform and prepare the audience for the type of film they will be watching, in the case of these films they prepare the audience for a thriller.

Se7en Analysis:

Their are several techniques used in credits so that they are able to portray the genre of the film effectively. The first thing I noticed was the use of colour in the credits, to set the scene of "se7en" the producer has used dark backgrounds with white writing. These two colours contrast each other and give an effect of good and bad, because the credits are mostly black a number of conventions are used which tell the audience that they are watching a thriller. The low-key lighting that is used creates an enigma as the audience struggle to see what is going on within the scene and cannot see the mysterious character.

The writing itself also sets the scene well because it is faded and flickers in and out of focus, this obscurity creates tension which is typical in thrillers. The last point I noticed was that the credits themselves where hand written which gives the whole scene a feeling of being out of control which is conventional to the thriller genre also. 

The order of appearance for these credits are:

1. The Production Company 
2. The Main Actors Names 
3. The Name Of The Film 
4. Other Team Members 
5. The Dierectors Names 
6. Other Team Leaders

Individual Analysis - Memento:

There are also many techniques used in "memento" that are very different to the opening credits of "se7en". The colours used in memento for example are conventional but in different ways, they have still used dark colours with low-key lighting in the background of the titles. The colour that was used was dark blue in a bold font, this makes the words stand out more and gets in the face of the audience. The plain bold text seems to me as if the film is saying that this is an every day film with a twist which the audience could relate to. There are also many conventions use within these credits such as the slow editing used and the fading in and out of the text. This convention creates suspense and tension as the audience become more and more anxious for the credits to finnish. In the background of the text their is a man looking at pictures but your are not shown his face which creates another convention in thrillers which is enigma. This keeps the audience guessing as to who this mystery man is.
The order of appearance in these credits are:

1. Title
2. Star Actors
3. Other production roles 
4. Producer
5. Co-producer

My Groups Credits:

For my groups own credits will include a background of our footage we record with the text covering it alternating from fading in and flickering in to creates the feeling of the scene being unsteady and out of control. To the right you can clearly see the variety of colours and text fonts which our group will be deciding on. The group favourite seems to be the text font with the colour red, we also intend to use red as the colour of our connotations. we think this uses a combination of looking old and jerky with being bold and in your face. The text is conventional to thrillers because it is very dark blood red and the 

background shot would be filmed in a low-key light. This will be used to created an enigma and the flickering jerky effects will create and unsteady and out of control effect. 

The order in which our credits will be is: 

1. Production company - LAN productions
2. Actors - Lucy, Noah
3. Camera man - Alex
4. Music - Heather 
5. Title - The Woods
6. Editors - Alex, Lucy, Noah
7. Producer - Noah
8. Writer - Lucy
9. Director - Alex

By Alexander Flanagan

Risk assessment-Miss Georgiou

Risk assessment

This post will be looking at the risk assessment I have created for my group. I have found 5 risks involved with the filming and how we can take measures to avoid potential injury as shown here. 

 

It is important to consider all the risks as we as individuals and a group can educate ourselves and become aware of the potential dangers. Not following our procedure can lead to minor or serious injury which can also hinder the film making process.

 It will assist us in the way that when we arrive at our filming location we check around the area to make sure there are no holes, lose leads or water. We can also check our equipment to see if we all have charged mobile phones. We can also ass to the risk assessment if we see further dangers upon arrival.

By Alexander Flanagan

Target audience questionnaire results- MIss Miller

Target Audience Questionnaire Results

The purpose of doing the questionnaire was to find out what my target audience will be for my thriller trailer and what they would want to see in a thriller. Such as whether or not they would want a psychological thriller or a crime thriller, the questions asked will help define specific conventions and elements that are used effectively in thrillers. In my questionnaire I wanted a wide range and variety of results, to do this I asked forty people of a varying age, gender and taste in thrillers. I asked a variety of questions and my results areas follows:

We realise that we did not ask enough teenagers and asked mostly adults aged 39-45, this may mean that the information that we gathered may not be as relevant to our target audience, and may mean that our information may show more of an inclination towards more mature content. This may give us results such as more of a phycological theme rather than lots of horror, blood and gore etc.

Planning Characters - Miss Georgiou

Planning Characters

We used the planning out line of:

• Name
• Age
• Gender
• Race
• Background
• Purpose to the narrative 
• How the character appeals to the audience 

Character 1:

Name: Lucy

Age: 17

Gender: Female 

Race: White british 

Background: Vulnerable,she is walking with her friend because she is feeling upset at problems at home.

Purpose to the narrative: Lucy follows the other character into the woods and is very scared, later on she is left alone in the forest.

How the character appeals to the audience: Lucy is scared and makes the audience sympathise with her, feel scared for her and is a perfect convention of a victim within a thriller genre.

Character 2:

Name: Noah 

Age: 16 

Gender: Male

Race: White

Background: Brave, he is walking with Lucy to cheer her up after something that has happened at home.

Purpose to the narrative: Noah is the brave one of the two victims and convinces Lucy to go into the forest and then leaves her to check on the mysterious noise.

How the character appeals to the audience: Noah is brave and makes the audience feel that nothing bad could happen to him but at the same time he is also big headed and arrogant which almost makes the audience want something bad to happen to him. Therefore he makes a good conventional victim also.

Character 3:

Name: Mysterious killer

Age: ?

Gender: ?

Race: ?

Background: ?

Purpose to the narrative: This killer is there to stalk the two victims and to create tension 

By Alexander Flanagan

Group Narrative-Miss Georgiou

Group Narrative

Purpose of the narrative:

This is to provide the audience with a story line, so that they may connect with the characters in the film and engage them around the interesting plot.

Individual ideas:

Alex (Me) ideas:

Their are a group of people who are dared to spend the night in and old abandoned house, however there is actually a maniac who lives in the house who lock the group in and slowly hunts them down one by one. Using all the techniques that I have mentioned, about the group of people who are trapped in an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere at night. This all creates the conventions typical in a thriller genre, in my film I would also like to attempt to break the 180 rule which has been done in "Psycho" which I would like to replicate, this would give a 360 view of the setting which will draw the audience in and help them empathise with the characters.

Advantages-

• It is conventional
• Ideas are similar to other films that have made them work
• Simple

Disadvantages-

• Hard to find an abandoned location 
• To repetitive
• Need to find a group of people 

Noah ideas:

A couple go to a closed hotel. They didn't know this and they start to argue. The woman leaves the man stranded there over the winter and begins to lose his mind in the cold attic of the hotel. He then murders new guests in the summer with blunt objects while wearing a phantom of the opera mask that he had found. I got the location from the shining, the suspense of him killing from pet cemetery, the mysteriousness from v for vendetta, the isolation plot from misery and the iconography from Texas chainsaw. Hopefully these ideas create an element of shock, suspense and surprise amongst the audience.

Advantages-

• Easy to acquire iconography
• Small group
• Long story line 

Disadvantages-

• Hard to find location
• Hard to portray the weather 
• Not simple - To much going on

Lucy ideas:

To reach a first idea and plot for my opening sequence, I took my inspirations and thought about the main features, Characters and Location. Therefore these are my first ideas...

• Characters - 3 girls, Amy, Stacy, Hannah - 3 Boys, Sam, Jack, Mark - 2 killers
• Location - Woods
• Time - Halloween night
• Target Audience - Certificate 15 aimed at teenagers

Plot

A group of girls go camping on Halloween night. They start to hear strange sounds from outside, coming out of their tent the sounds start getting louder. The girls are scared and have no idea what to do. A group of boys jump out on them.

Once the boys go home, the girls plan to go to bed, however the sounds start again, they think its the boys, although this time it isn't...

Advantages-

• Easy to find location 
• Can be filmed at any times - don't require specific weather conditions
• Simple plot

Disadvantages-

• Large group
• To much dialogue 

Groups final narrative:

• The location that our group decided on was a mix between an abandoned location and a forest
• group of people
• maked killer
• knif and other wepons used

Research into the history of thriller films-MIss Georgiou

History of thriller films

Reference (from goggle)

40s Thriller films:-"Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde"

60s Thriller films:-"Psycho"

Reference (goggle images and wikipoiedia) 

80s Thriller films:-"Octopussy"

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopussy

90s films:"The Silence of the Lambs"

Reference link:-https://www.google.com/search/safe=vss&es_sm=91&q=the+silence+of+the+lambs+(1991)&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAGOovnz8BQMDgxIHqxKHfq6-gXlyZY6RkKVBsUJJRlFmTk5qkUJaZk5usQODZ_QCxvVCWfHLxefLNb4o7eKwdaoGACTp50A_AAAA&npsic=0&sa=X&ei=t0BVUoiAGaWd0QWJ7oHABQ&ved=0CC0Q-BY

Modern day films:

Reference link:-http://screenrant.com/mama-movie-trailer-posters-2013/

Research into sound-Miss Miller

Research into sound

There is a variety of sound that used in all films to create effects, emphasise actions and manipulate the opinions of the audience. The film that I have chosen to evaluate is "Insidious 2" the scene that I have chosen has a mixture of different sound effects which show the mood of the scene.

The first sound that I noticed was the silence at the begging of the scene this was used when the old woman was speaking, this made her voice the only thing that the audience could hear. This meant that because her voice was the only thing that could be heard it builds tension and put emphasis on everything she says. This silence is conventional to the thriller genre because it is commonly used to build tension in preparation to the shock in the end.

The next point that I noticed was the use of the sound bridge technique, this was shown by a low rumble that slowly built up throughout the scene and was used over the top of most sounds. This is conventional to thriller as it is used to create and build tension in a scene where without the sound there may not be. This make the audience expect a shock and only once the audience think there will not be one the sound increases and the monster is revealed.

The next sound that I noticed which was the focus of the scene was the voice over technique, this was used throughout the scene and was an off screen as well as an on screen sound. This makes the audience listen to what the woman says and focuses on her voice, because of this the audience wait in anticipation as to what she will say next.

The final technique that I noticed int his scene was an on screen use of parallel sound, this was used when the door creaked open and when the monsters finger slowly clicked and pointed at the boy. This create emphasis on what is happening on screen and makes the audience focus on where the sound is coming from on screen.

This is the scene that I have reviewed:-

By Alexander Flanagan

Reserch into conventions of a thriller genre-Miss Miller

Conventions of a thriller

Conventions are things that are typically in most thriller films such as:

• A villain
• A murder weapon (Iconography)
• Low key lighting 
• Victim (female blond)
• Mystery story line
• Mystery location (secluded)
• Suspense and uncertainty
• Stalkers 
• Innocent people dragged into danger 
• fast paced editing 
• Slow paced editing 
• reaction shots
• Eerie music
• Blood

The film I have chosen to review is "The human centipede" there was many things that I noticed that are conventional in thrillers that was used in this movie clip. The first thing that I noticed was the low key lighting which makes the scene look dark and obscure to give a more eerie and ominous presence. This was used when the girl was running away from the doctor up the stairs and was used because it made the stairs seem as if they led to danger and the unknown.This is conventional to the thriller genre because most thrillers have dark lighting in there films to keep the audience in suspense. This tell the audience that going up the stairs is dangerous and will lead to a dead end and her eventual re-capture by the doctor.

The next convention that I noticed was the fast editing followed by the slow editing this was used when the girl was running down the hall trying to find some where to hide, and then when the doctor was looking for her. The fast editing makes the scene feel frantic and out of control which can make the audience emphasis with the characters danger. The slow editing creates a slower pace and gives a sense that the doctor is slowly creeping up on the girl and slowly making his was towards her, this makes the audience feel the tension the character is feeling and creates suspense as they do not know when the character will be caught. This is conventional because in most thrillers slow editing is used to build up tension and suspense for an eventual shock and fast editing is used during or after that shock.

Another convention that I noticed was the silence used when the girl ran and locked herself in the room waiting for the doctor to come after her. All the audience is able to hear in this section of the scene is a low hum, this low hum is used to give the audience consistency. This will make the audience listen out for a change in sound but if done for long enough then the audience will not expect anything and will be more shocked when the scare finally comes. This sort of silence is conventional to thrillers because all thrillers use it to build up tension and create suspense.




By Alexander Flanagan 

Individual ideas for a narative-Miss Georgiou

 

 

Narrative Ideas

 

 

My task in media studies is to create a thriller trailer but to do this I will need ideas especially as I do not have any experience with film making or editing. We as a class have been looking at a few films and i myself have now tries to watch more thrillers to gain ideas of things that have worked well in a film or a scene from a film that we could incorporate into our own trailers. The main things that I have been looking at are the cinematography, the setting, The diegetic and non-diegetic sound, the lighting and the theme of the films. From doing this research at home and at school I have found several things from different films I would like to incorporate into my trailer.

 

Inspirations:

 

•  Firstly, I wanted to find some inspiration for a location of my trailer and I wanted to find a film which used an abandoned and eerie element throughout the film, this meant finding a good example of an abandoned location. A film that I thought pulled this of very well was "Strangers" the setting for the majority of the film is an abandoned log cabin this is good because it has the homely feel of the house which the audience can relate to, but it also has an abandoned and excluded feel that I want to replicate in my trailer.
• Another inspiration of mine is "Saw V" because I like how the characters are trapped in run down buildings filled with dangerous traps dirt and blood. I like how in the beginning of the film the five characters are being held by chains this makes them seem like helpless victims which is conventional in thrillers.
• In a variety of thriller films I have seen the use of low key lighting  used which is conventional in thriller films and is often used to make tension and suspense.
• I have also noticed a camera angle in "Saw V" and other films that I would like to use which is a canted angle shot this is used when there is wild things happening on screen and is used to keep the audience in suspense.
• Like in "The Human Centipede" I would Like to use a mix of different shot speed like when the girl is running away then locks herself in the room and suddenly the music gets slower as the doctor gets closer and closer to her. The creates suspense which is conventional to thrillers.

My Narrative Idea:

 

 

Their are a group of people who are dared to spend the night in and old abandoned house, however there is actually a maniac who lives in the house who lock the group in and slowly hunts them down one by one. Using all the techniques that I have mentioned, about the group of people who are trapped in an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere at night. This all creates the conventions typical in a thriller genre, in my film I would also like to attempt to break the 180 rule which has been done in "Psycho" which I would like to replicate, this would give a 360 view of the setting which will draw the audience in and help them empathise with the characters.

By Alexander Flanagan

Reaserch into age certificates-Miss Georgiou

Age certificates

The BBFC (British Broadcasting of Film Classification) is the organisation that classifies all films in the UK in to categories suitable to appropriate audience's. There are several different categories that films are split into which are:

The U rating symbol stands for universal meaning that viewers of any age can watch the film, they contain no issues such as drugs, violence, sex, strong language and so on. These types of films are commonly aimed at a very young audience and is usually used by Disney and Pixar.

The PG rating symbol stands for parental guidance, and is suitable for most ages but it is down to parents if they want there child to watch a film with this rating. Films with this rating should not disturb children from 8 upwards but it can be seen by a younger audience, this sort of film can touch on some issues such as bullying and anti-social behavior but they make very clear that it is wrong unlike U rated films where things of this nature are not included at all. An example of a film with this rating is Shrek because there is moderate violence used.

The 12 and 12A symbol ratings mean that people over the age of 12 are suitable to view this type of film and 12A  means that is the child is 12 then he must be accompanied by an adult. This is given when a film has a more sinister take on some important issues mature themes are acceptable but they must be shown in a way that is suitable for young teenagers. Any foul language that has been used must be infrequent and any violence must not dwell on injuries, blood or suffering. The first film in the UK to challenge the 12 rating was spider man because of a certain scene where violence that the BBFC did not think was appropriate for a 12 year old audience but was not strong enough for a 15. This is when the 12A rating was introduced as something in-between 12 and 15 this was decided because 12 year old's could look up to the hero in the film.

The 15 age rating symbol is only appropriate for people 15 years or older and is not suitable for viewers of a younger age. There are no themes in an age 15 rated film as long as they are shown in an appropriate way for a 15 year old to view. Films are commonly given this rating because they contain strong violence, frequent strong language, sexual references and drug taking.

The 18 age rating symbol is only for adults and no children can view it, these types of films contain similar themes to a 15 rated film but in a far more mature and strong context. Ratings are commonly given this rating because they are very controversial and have sex and gore in them most horror films are given this rating.







By Alexander Flanagan

Mise en scene-The woman in black-Miss Georgiou

Mise en scene- The woman in black

My analysis of mise en scene is on the Woman in Black and the scene I have chosen is the opening section where the three girls play in the toy room. In this scene the director has made it seem as if this would usually be a nice peaceful scene since the iconography used are children playing in there room with dolls. This put the audience into a false sense of security, because the audience was shocked that the three girls jumped out of the window and committed suicide. The scene also allows the audience to connect with the three girls imagining if it was themselves in this scene or someone they know. Therefor the audience are shocked and are in suspense because they don't know why the girls have jumped out of the window. This is a common convention of a thriller film because they all create suspense and keeps the audience engaged in the narrative.

Example screen shot: 

The costumes, hair and make up used in this scene are styled from the 1800's which tells the audience when the film is set straight away. We can see what all three girls are wearing straight away as it is important to know when the film is set because this might tell the audience what they might be doing, what people think at the time and any advantages or limitations that they might have. The relates to the audience it allows them to imagine what might be going on at this time with the characters showing them as stereotypical innocent victims.

The facial expressions used changes throughout the scene telling the audience when something bad has or is going to happen this was used at the begging of the scene starting off happy and then changing to blank expressions staring directly at the audience to suggest they are being controlled. The audience can see from facial expressions what a character is feeling which creates empathy if a character is happy the audience will reflect that as well as if the characters where scared or distressed.



The last thing I noticed was the low key lighting which makes a dark more sinister presence which is used throughout the whole scene.This is used to make everything thing seem more broken up and obscure which the audience commonly will assassinate the darkness created by low key lighting with danger.

positioning

This is the video itself-

By Alexander Flanagan 

Research into cinematography - Miss Miller

The clip that I have chose here to evaluate is Saw V and chose a scene called survival of the fittest from this I have picked out key points of cinematography that has been used in this scene. cinematography are the different angles positions and movements that are used in a film that help us build a relationship with the characters and make us feel certain things towards them. My clip has a large variety of different angles and shots put together to create tension and suspense.

This first camera angle that I noticed was a close up on jig-saw was talking on the TV screen shown here in this screen shot. 

Using a close up in this way makes the audience focus on what he is saying, in the actual scene the camera zooms in as what the character is saying gets more and more important. This gives what he is saying more emphasis and gets in the audiences face almost making it seem as if the character is talking to them. this makes the audience emphasis with the characters fear in the film creating tension and suspense on every word that he says. This is very conventional in a thriller genre to do this as they often try to create tension and the feeling of not knowing what is going to happen next to keep the audience in suspence. 

The next camera angle that I noticed in this scene was a canted angle which was used throughout the rest of the scene after jig-saws speech in a variety of other camera angles such as mid shot, two shot and close ups. 

This will help me in making my own thriller trailer because it shows me what shots work best to create a certain reaction or feeling within the audeince. It has made me think which shots i want to use in my thriller and how I could use them such as how could I incoprate close ups into my trailer or should I use a shallow focus. The clip has also shown me that useing low key lighting throuout my trailer would be best to create tension and that I should use a high angle shot to make it clear to the audeince who is the victim in the clip to give an emotional responce.

By Alexander Flanagan