Planning camera angles

Planning camera angles

Camera angles are important to use in thrillers and all films as it is the most obvious way to show the situation of a scene, the status of a character and portray the mood of the scene.

There are three types of camera angles and camera techniques that I want to use, the first one is a hand held camera technique. The reason why I want to use this technique is that it will provide the stalking scene a point of view shot from the killer which will help to keep the enigma of who the hiller is but still have the killing of a character in it.

The next camera angle I want to include is a high angle shot, this is where the camera is in an elevated position looking down on the scene. The reason why I want to include this angle in my thriller is that it is a good way to show characters as venerable and weak to the audience, showing them as a target like they are in danger and being watched. This will be effective when the characters are walking towards the house and just before the characters are killed.

The final main angle  I want to include is a low angle shot, this is where the camera looks up at the scene, I want to include this in the scene where the killer is revealed and where the male characters body is discovered. The reason why I want to include this in my thriller is that it adds importance to the scene showing either the dominance of a character or the importance of the body. 

Planning editing styles-MIss Georgiou

Planning Editing Styles

Editing styles are important because they can add suspense to thrillers and can tell the audience the mood of a scene and what should be focused on within it.

There are three editing styles that I want to include in my final thriller, the first one is a slow edit, I want to include this in our thriller as I think it is conventional to the genre as in most thriller there is a scene where one of the characters will slowly walk towards something mysterious or threatening. This edit will be very effective as it will help to build suspense within my thriller.

The second edit I want to include is a jump cut as all thrillers have an event happen then suddenly switch to a character to get a reaction to it making it a convention. This could be used in the final scene of our narrative where the female victim discovers the body of the male character, showing the event and how the character feels when it happens.

he third edit I want to include is a shaky effect on the camera, I want to use this because In the main stalking scene of the male character a point of view shot will be used, this will already make the scene wild and out of control but by putting this edit over the top it will fever emphasise that the killer is out of control.

This is a screen shot taken from one of our editing fazes:

Individual story boards

Individual story boards

An individual story board is important because it allows everyone in the group to clearly put down there own ideas and share them effectively. This helps to plan the groups final thriller sequence as the group can then take all the good ideas from the individual story boards to create one group story board.

There was certain things that we followed and kept from my story board that was similar with my groups story boards. Firstly, we kept the setting of the forest as we liked the natural low-key lighting of it which is and essential convention of the thriller genre. One thing that only my story board had was a male character as the first victim which the rest of my group liked and wanted to continue to use. The male character defies convention as normally the female character is the main victim. The things that where changed was that there should only be one killer and could not be a monster. This was because we wanted to go for a more realistic effect of having one lone man stalking and killing the two characters with a weapon. This fever extended to the change of iconography as the group did not think that the fire and tent was essential to the plot and wanted to go for an abandoned building in a forest instead

Rough cut

Rough cut

The rough cut is important because it allows the group to evaluate where the film is so far and to get audience outside opinion on what we need to add or take out to improve the overall quality of the film. The feedback that our audience focus group gave us to shorten down the main stalking scene of Noah as it was to long. They also said that some of the camera angles where shaky and slanted. After receiving this feedback we made appropriate changes to both of these areas, since the section that was to long was the main shaky bit we shortened it down as well as a few other scenes so that our thriller kept to the correct length.the next change that we made was putting an effect over the shaky areas of the film to disguise it which worked very effectively, we then showed our audience again to check that all changes where made and produced our final thriller. There was one more change that was made which was more clear and appropriate credits so that it suited the genre and was more clear behind some of the shots. We did this by changing the colour to white and by changing the font to a more intimidating one.

This is the link to my rough cut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85lcHUyUJ7s

Preliminary task

Preliminary task

I was set a preliminary task to do in my group where I had to make a short film showing what we already knew about how to work the camera and how to use the editing software, as well as learning how to use both of these things more effectively. What I learned in my main role as the camera man was how to use the tripod and generally operate the camera. Using the tripod was difficult and I found it hard to get the shot steady and level, in my thriller I will practise how to use the tripod more effectivly to ensure that the shots are clearer. I will also make sure to focus the camera better for clearer footage as there was many bleary and out of focus shots.

This is the link to my preliminary task video: https://www.youtube.com/my_videos?o=U

Final thriller opening scene

Final thriller opening scene

This is the link to my final thriller opening scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXP29eeoPT8&feature=youtu.be

Inspirations for opening scene-Miss Miller

Inspirational Post

Cinematography-SawV

For cinematography I analysed "Saw V" one thing that I found inspirational in this scene was the use of close ups of jig-saw. They used close ups on jig-saw to make the audience focus on what he is saying and give him more emphasis  on what he is saying. By doing this they clearly define that he is the danger that the characters in the scene face. This helps build a relationship with the audience because it makes them seem as if jig-saw is talking to them, this means they will feel the same emotions as the characters and are able to relate with their situation. I will be using this in my own thriller but unlike Saw V I will not be using close ups throughout the scene I will be only using it at the end to focus on the killer so that I am able to keep the enigma. The close up will create shock as the image of the killer suddenly appears on screen and the audience will be able to focus on and realise who the killer is and see his emotionless killer state.

Mise-en-scene-Woman in Black

For Mise-en-scene I analysed "The Woman in Black"the thing that I found inspirational in this scene was the use of facial expressions. In this scene they used sudden changes in facial expressions to quickly change the feel of the scene to shock the audience. By doing this they create an unstable scene which confuses the audience by making them expect the scene to be something that it is not. When the girls in this scene switch from happy to blank and emotionless they look directly at the audience almost as if this emotion is triggered by the site of the audience. I will be using this in my own opening sequence but not in the same way; I will use this at the end when the killer is reviled and looks directly at the camera. He will have a blank expression which will change into a smile. This shows the character's twisted nature that he is happy with his kill and the fact that the audience have witnessed it and could make the audience feel that he might be coming for them next.

Edit-Strangers

My first point on how different editing styles are shown in this clip is the use of slow paced editing to show the characters fear and builds tension within the scene. An example of this is where the main character hears a knock on the door and slowly walks towards the door and waits at it to hear another noise. This drags the time out and builds tension within the audience as this style leaves the audience on edge and wanting the scene to climax and reveal the scare. This will create and keep the audience in suspense making them empties with the characters fear of what may be on the other side of the door.

My next point is the use of linking shots together to show the main characters reactions before and after the knocking on the door is heard. An example of this style is where the character hears the first knock on the door and the camera goes from her to the door then back to her which is then followed by a second knock where the camera stays on the door. This effect allows the audience to instantly know where the noise coming from and what the characters reaction is to it. This style is useful as a knock on the door is a normal thing, the door only becomes a danger once the audience sees the characters reaction to it and know that what is behind the door should be feared. This will help the audience relate to the character as most people will know the feeling of not wanting to open to something or someone.

My final point is the use of straight cuts within this scene that tells the audience that she is being watched from outside. and example of this is where the character locks the doors and runs upstairs to talk to someone on the phone and the camera suddenly jumps to someone watching the house from outside. This edit creates tells the audience that someone is outside and they are watching the woman inside the house, this creates a sense of enigma as the audience do not know who or what is outside. This can help the audience relate to the character by showing the audience what she knows it makes the audience cautious of what is outside of the house and can understand why she has locked the door. It can also be that the audience have seen a danger to the character that they do not know which makes them empathise with the character and makes them feel sorry for the danger that awaits the character. This effect can build suspense as the audience will want to know what is outside the house and they will be waiting for what happens to the character.

Conventions- Human Centipede 

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.

Sound- Insidious

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.

How is this useful?

This is all useful because it gives me perfect examples of what the these aspects used in thriller should be and how they are effective  

Group storyboard-Miss Miller

Group storyboard

The purpose of the group story board is to combine my groups ideas from there individual story boards to create one final narrative. The purpose of using the story board in the filming and production of our film is so we can refer back to it making sure we follow the story and include all the different edits, camera angles, mise-en-scene, lighting and sound.

We took the whole groups ideas and adapted them into what we thought would create the best narrative. This idea is conventional in a variety of ways, we made sure to include low-key lighting, slow edits and jump cuts. The low-key lighting used is made by the natural lighting of the forest where we set or thriller, we also filmed at twilight and used a dark edit in production to produce this conventional low-key lighting effect. This effect was essential to our thriller and is used throughout to create a sense of enigma. Another effect used was slow edits, this was used in the stalking scene of one of the characters and in the discovery of his body. We used this because it builds tension within the audience dragging out the scene to give it a better final effect. We also used jump cut edits to give reaction shot of the girl discovering the body and the killer who then comes from behind her.

In conclusion this helped our group structure our ideas better, remember any iconography or places and what order to put the film during the editing stage.


By Alexander Flanagan

Research into editing styles

Research into editing styles 

The clip that I am doing is from the film "Strangers" where mysterious people are knocking on the door of the victim. My first point on how different editing styles are shown in this clip is the use of slow paced editing to show the characters fear and builds tension within the scene. An example of this is where the main character hears a knock on the door and slowly walks towards the door and waits at it to hear another noise. This drags the time out and builds tension within the audience as this style leaves the audience on edge and wanting the scene to climax and reveal the scare. This will create and keep the audience in suspense making them empties with the characters fear of what may be on the other side of the door.

My next point is the use of linking shots together to show the main characters reactions before and after the knocking on the door is heard. An example of this style is where the character hears the first knock on the door and the camera goes from her to the door then back to her which is then followed by a second knock where the camera stays on the door. This effect allows the audience to instantly know where the noise coming from and what the characters reaction is to it. This style is useful as a knock on the door is a normal thing, the door only becomes a danger once the audience sees the characters reaction to it and know that what is behind the door should be feared. This will help the audience relate to the character as most people will know the feeling of not wanting to open to something or someone.

My final point is the use of straight cuts within this scene that tells the audience that she is being watched from outside. and example of this is where the character locks the doors and runs upstairs to talk to someone on the phone and the camera suddenly jumps to someone watching the house from outside. This edit creates tells the audience that someone is outside and they are watching the woman inside the house, this creates a sense of enigma as the audience do not know who or what is outside. This can help the audience relate to the character by showing the audience what she knows it makes the audience cautious of what is outside of the house and can understand why she has locked the door. It can also be that the audience have seen a danger to the character that they do not know which makes them empathise with the character and makes them feel sorry for the danger that awaits the character. This effect can build suspense as the audience will want to know what is outside the house and they will be waiting for what happens to the character.

By Alexander Flanagan

This is the clip of "Strangers" I analysed:

AS Evaluation question 7

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

The purpose of the preliminary task was to learn how to use the camera and show our basic skills and what we already knew about how to work a camera. This prepared us for filming our thriller as I learned that using a tripod is vital to getting good steady footage. I also learned that the camera must be fully focused on what it is that you film, I was better able to use the camera after this task. In my preliminary task I did not use a tripod effectively and the footage was shaky and not as clear so in my thriller I made sure to correct this. I also made sure to look over my footage after each change to make sure that the change had the intended affect and included all of my footage.

AS Evaluation question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My group wanted to use minimal characters so we use Noah as the male victim, Lucy as the female victim and Michael as the killer. I showed Noah’s character as a brave and masculine male which is stereotypical to the thriller genre. I chose to include this so that the audience would feel as if no one is safe from the killer. The second male character that I used was the killer himself he needed to come across to the audience as a powerful, mysterious and terrifying. I used a male actor for the role of the killer, as in thrillers it is conventional for the killer to be a man. The final character was Lucy as the female victim; I included her because in nearly all thrillers a female victim is stereotypically used. In our thriller we chose not to represent gender in a stereotypical way, we did this as the main victim throughout the thriller was male. I think that my characters will appeal to my target audience because they are of a similar age, this means that my audience will be able to relate to the characters which will make the danger to the characters more real.

AS Evaluation question 1

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

My media product uses a range of generic conventions; some of the conventions that I used in my thriller was the use of enigma. An example of another film that uses this convention would be “The woman in black” certainly in the opening scene, where three girls are forced to kill themselves by a mysterious figure. I used this and did not fully reveal the killer until the very end of the thriller, another generic convention that I used was the use of a female victim. My female victim was used at the very end of the sequence being scared then killed. An example of a female victim in another thriller would also be the opening sequence of “The woman in black” where the three girls where forced to jump out of the window. By using these conventions I created suspense through the enigma used, this would be best shown in the point of view shot so the killers identity has still not been revealed. A example of this mysterious first person knife view would be "physco", this creates suspense and tension as well as an enigma as to who the killer is. A very prominent convention that I used throughout the whole of my thriller would be the use of low-key lighting, this gives a dark and mysterious feeling to the whole sequence.As well as following the generic conventions of a thriller, I also tried to challenge or develop them slightly by not only using a female victim at the end of the scene but, I also used a male victim this makes the audience feel as if no one is safe from the killer. 

AS Evaluation question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

The primary research was essential as it helped me and my group decides what would be best for our thriller. One question that I asked was “what is your favourite age certificate” this helped me decide what age range to base my film on. Another example would be “what interests you in a thriller?” which helped me in what to include in my thriller. Both my primary and secondary research helped me in creating my thriller as I then knew exactly what I needed to include and what to base my narrative on.

This is the link to my video of this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_SLUmLhadM