Saturday, 18 February 2012
Filming Update
We recently had to film the scenes which are filmed in the house and in the final part of our thriller opening. This was mainly due to the fact that the original footage was too dark. We also did this to give us more to edit with, although we are almost over two minuets already in our edit without these parts we have re-filmed. As a consequence our edit might be longer than 2 minuets, though we will try to shorten it as much as possible.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Shooting Locations And Some Problems We Had
We Have Now finished our filming and beginning to edit. Among the locations that we filmed in were;
- Eaton Road outside CNS for the shots were the Evil girl is walking to a friends house. However we had to re-shoot the walking scene along Eaton road due to a continuity error.
- A room at school for the scene where the evil girl is creating the chemical that we see being poured into one of the mugs.
- We also filmed in a small basement for the same scene to try and create a feeling of claustrophobia and Mysteriousness. However we decided not to use this footage as it was too dark to make-out the action in the scene.
- The Living room and kitchen of another person in our group's house for the scene where the friends are socialising and the scene where the evil girl is pouring the chemical into one of the mugs.
We did most of this within a couple of weeks, although we couldn't get it done quicker due to the fact that most of the only times we could film were in lesson time and one day after school. Also we had a problem with the format of the video that my camera outputted as the software we were using to edit as it wouldn't open. Although I converted it into a format that should work it would still not work on the software and we have yet to solve the problem. If I could do anything different about the filming next time I would have planed more in advance.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
The Storyline of our Thriller
It starts with Evil Girl pouring a chemical into a small glass container. This scene will most likely be filmed with a close shot of the girls hands, filmed in such a way as to not reveal the girls face or keep it in shadow to keep some mystery around her character. It then goes to that same girl walking along, with a assortment of camera angles - to a friends house. Then at the friends house we see her pouring the same chemical into one of four mugs, which she then takes into the living room and the last shot is of the four mugs being taken by four people, but the shot is angled so we don't see who takes what mug - as to create a cliff hanger to end the opening on. So we don't know who drinks the chemical.
Cast List;
- Evil Girl.................................................................Jessica Moy
- Friend 1.................................................................Billie Kemp
- Friend 2/ Director.....................................................Sam Wright
- Camera Man..........................................................Jack Monahan
Tuesday, 27 December 2011
Our Shot list
This is our initial shot list for the opening scene of our thriller production;
1. Worms eye - Looking up from desk/table at person 1 creating chemical
2. Close shot - Person 1 Putting chemical in bag and walking out room
3. Tracking shot - Person 1 walking outside + vanishing point
4. High-angle mid/close shot - Friends socialising in lounge
5. Over the shoulder - Person 1 poring chemical into one of a few mugs/drinks
6. Close-up - Drink, showing chemical being poured into mug
7. Long + panning shot - Person 1 walking down corridor with drinks on tray
8. Birds eye - Friends round tray, taking drinks
1. Worms eye - Looking up from desk/table at person 1 creating chemical
2. Close shot - Person 1 Putting chemical in bag and walking out room
3. Tracking shot - Person 1 walking outside + vanishing point
4. High-angle mid/close shot - Friends socialising in lounge
5. Over the shoulder - Person 1 poring chemical into one of a few mugs/drinks
6. Close-up - Drink, showing chemical being poured into mug
7. Long + panning shot - Person 1 walking down corridor with drinks on tray
8. Birds eye - Friends round tray, taking drinks
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Animal Kingdom; Analysis
Animal Kingdom - 2010, Directed by David Michôd
Staring James Frecheville, Guy Pearce and Joe Edgerton
Tells the story of seventeen year-old J (Josh) as he navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and the detective who thinks he can save him.
In Animal Kingdom, the director uses several thriller conventions to establish the film as a thriller.
One convention that the director uses is the setting of small indoor spaces. Spaces such as the homes of the family being quite small and claustrophobic, as well as being dirty inside. Another example of this is a part of the film is filmed within a motel - this being quite a common setting for thriller films, No Country For Old Men for example which was mostly filmed within motels.
Another aspect of the thriller genre that the director used was the character that was put into a unfamiliar situation. This is a important aspect of the film as it is based around the character of Josh 'J' Cody, who is put into the surroundings of the rest of his family once his mother dies. This leaves Josh into the violent and crime-filled surroundings of the rest of his family. The director also makes the family seem like a pride of lions in africa, with one male figure at the top of the family (Andrew 'Pope' Cody) however there is also the matriarchal figure (Janine 'Smurf' Cody) who is ultimately in charge of the family. Within this family they se themselves as the top of the 'Food Chain' within Melbourne, However as the story progresses we see that ultimately they are all vulnerable and scared of the world around them. This in some ways is quite similar with other thriller films - the character/s think they have everything under control but they come to realise that they cannot escape the thing that is chasing them.
One final feature of the thriller genre that the director uses is the open spaces, although he doesn't use it as much as alot of other thrillers use that particular convention. The scene where Craig Cody is shot by the police while running off into the bush is really the only scene where the director utilises this aspect. This is possibly as a signifier of Craigs isolation in the world at the time of this scene.
This Film stands out from the Hollywood mainstream mainly by being set within Australia, and not the norm of the mid-west of america or Europe as a lot of modern thrillers are set. It also stands out thought the minimal use of CGI and also the lack of big budget actors, apart from Guy Pearce, this is inline with the very small budget of the film (around AU$5 million) compared with films such as medium budget tinker, tailor, soldier, spy (budget around £20 million) and big budget The Bourne Ultimatum (Budget around US$110 Million). The film also uses everyday settings for filming (locations such as Houses and outside city locations) the only exception to which would be the Police interrogation rooms and the courts (which we don't see inside of)
Staring James Frecheville, Guy Pearce and Joe Edgerton
In Animal Kingdom, the director uses several thriller conventions to establish the film as a thriller.
One convention that the director uses is the setting of small indoor spaces. Spaces such as the homes of the family being quite small and claustrophobic, as well as being dirty inside. Another example of this is a part of the film is filmed within a motel - this being quite a common setting for thriller films, No Country For Old Men for example which was mostly filmed within motels.
Another aspect of the thriller genre that the director used was the character that was put into a unfamiliar situation. This is a important aspect of the film as it is based around the character of Josh 'J' Cody, who is put into the surroundings of the rest of his family once his mother dies. This leaves Josh into the violent and crime-filled surroundings of the rest of his family. The director also makes the family seem like a pride of lions in africa, with one male figure at the top of the family (Andrew 'Pope' Cody) however there is also the matriarchal figure (Janine 'Smurf' Cody) who is ultimately in charge of the family. Within this family they se themselves as the top of the 'Food Chain' within Melbourne, However as the story progresses we see that ultimately they are all vulnerable and scared of the world around them. This in some ways is quite similar with other thriller films - the character/s think they have everything under control but they come to realise that they cannot escape the thing that is chasing them.
One final feature of the thriller genre that the director uses is the open spaces, although he doesn't use it as much as alot of other thrillers use that particular convention. The scene where Craig Cody is shot by the police while running off into the bush is really the only scene where the director utilises this aspect. This is possibly as a signifier of Craigs isolation in the world at the time of this scene.
This Film stands out from the Hollywood mainstream mainly by being set within Australia, and not the norm of the mid-west of america or Europe as a lot of modern thrillers are set. It also stands out thought the minimal use of CGI and also the lack of big budget actors, apart from Guy Pearce, this is inline with the very small budget of the film (around AU$5 million) compared with films such as medium budget tinker, tailor, soldier, spy (budget around £20 million) and big budget The Bourne Ultimatum (Budget around US$110 Million). The film also uses everyday settings for filming (locations such as Houses and outside city locations) the only exception to which would be the Police interrogation rooms and the courts (which we don't see inside of)
Sunday, 11 December 2011
Analysis of scenes from Jackie Brown
Jackie Brown - 1997, Directed By Quentin Tarantino
Staring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Forster
A female flight attendant becomes a key figure in a plot between the police and an arms dealer.
In the opening sequence, Tarantino establishes the character of Jackie Brown as being a very confident character. He does this mainly thought the use of camera angles. One example of which is that when she is on the travelator she is standing perfectly still and always looking in the direction that she is travelling. Another example is that when she has got off the travelator, Tarantino uses mainly low angle shots looking up at her to give the impression of importance and stature. This camera angle also shows all the people in the background walking the other way and wearing very dull clothes, which is in contrast to the very smart, bright blue uniform of Jackie Brown. Also the feel of confidence is further developed by the fact that she never looks directly into the camera, always forward - this shows that she is very focused on one thing and is not easily distracted by her surroundings.
In the scene where the character of Ordell Robie shoots Beaumont Livingstone, is is established as a thriller mainly though the fact that it is set mostly in a set of apartments at night, which are both characteristics of thriller films. Tarantino uses the darkness and very little lighting to give the feel of emptiness. Also the last part of the scene, where we see Ordell drive off and then drive into what appears to be a building site, with Livingstone in the boot of the car and then stops to shot him, gives us the impression that Ordell planed this and therefore is a very methodical man and likes to plan things before doing them. Also in this scene he is very calm - this gives us the feel that he is not in a unfamiliar situation.
This is a contrast to the character of Louis Gara. In the scene where scene where he is in the shopping mall he is very nervous and uptight, this gives us the feel that he is very uncomfortable in his surroundings. Also at the end of the scene, when he shoots Melanine, he shoots her after getting annoyed with her. This show us that the character of Louis Gara is very short tempered and does things on a spur-of-the moment basis and doesn't plan them like Ordell Robie does.
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Analysis Of The Witness Murder Scene
Witness - 1985, Directed by Peter Weir
Staring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis and Lukas Haas
A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial.
The first shot a Long shot of a Amish boy - we can tell this by the clothes that he is wearing - looking up at a large statue and then of a close-up of his face that has a expression of awe. This gives the a sense of scale to the boy and the location, which is a train station, and also the give a sense of the boy's insignificance in the world around him. The large open indoor spaces is also goes against the thriller convention of claustrophobic indoor spaces. Also his expression indicates that he has not been in this environment before.
We then see a mid/long shot of the boy and his mother sitting a another room within the station and the boy gets up and asks his mother to go to the toilet and he then pre-seeds to walk off. We then see the Boy in the toilet and also another man washing his face in the sinks, all we can hear during this scene is the sound of the tap running and the footsteps of two more men that walk into the toilet - one of whom is very smartly dressed and has a very confident body language, which suggests a person of power, A policeman in the case of this film. These two men then attack the man that was already in the toilet and then murder him, while this is happening we then get a close-up of the boy looking though the gap in the toilet cubical door at the scene that is taking place before him. This gives us the feel that boy has no power and a sense of helplessness in the current situation. After the men have killed the person they start rummaging though his possessions, as they do this the boy makes a noise that one of the men hear and he starts opening all the cubical doors one by one, slowly getting closer and closer to the cubical that the boy is in - this builds the tension and makes that audience ask what is going to happen next. As he is doing this we then skip to see the boys face with a very scared expression, he this franticly tries to close the lock on the door - this also adds to the tension in the scene but also creates a sense of urgency. As the man gets to the locked door of the cubical he tries to get it open and as he kicks it down the boy gets into the next cubical along that has already been opened. The man then walks out of the toilet past the boy standing in the open cubical, but he doesn't notice the boy standing on the toilet standing perfectly still in fear of the men.
This scene mainly builds tension mainly though the boys fear and insecurity in the current situation that he has never experienced before. Also the scene the toilet keeps to the thriller convention of being filmed in small dirty rooms - this contrasts with the start of the scene being in the grander of the huge areas of the train station. Another thing that contrasts in this scene is that at the start of it the boy is placed as a insignificant person interrelation to the huge statue he was looking at, and at the scene he becomes very important as he is the only one who saw the person that committed the murder.
Staring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis and Lukas Haas
A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial.
The first shot a Long shot of a Amish boy - we can tell this by the clothes that he is wearing - looking up at a large statue and then of a close-up of his face that has a expression of awe. This gives the a sense of scale to the boy and the location, which is a train station, and also the give a sense of the boy's insignificance in the world around him. The large open indoor spaces is also goes against the thriller convention of claustrophobic indoor spaces. Also his expression indicates that he has not been in this environment before.
We then see a mid/long shot of the boy and his mother sitting a another room within the station and the boy gets up and asks his mother to go to the toilet and he then pre-seeds to walk off. We then see the Boy in the toilet and also another man washing his face in the sinks, all we can hear during this scene is the sound of the tap running and the footsteps of two more men that walk into the toilet - one of whom is very smartly dressed and has a very confident body language, which suggests a person of power, A policeman in the case of this film. These two men then attack the man that was already in the toilet and then murder him, while this is happening we then get a close-up of the boy looking though the gap in the toilet cubical door at the scene that is taking place before him. This gives us the feel that boy has no power and a sense of helplessness in the current situation. After the men have killed the person they start rummaging though his possessions, as they do this the boy makes a noise that one of the men hear and he starts opening all the cubical doors one by one, slowly getting closer and closer to the cubical that the boy is in - this builds the tension and makes that audience ask what is going to happen next. As he is doing this we then skip to see the boys face with a very scared expression, he this franticly tries to close the lock on the door - this also adds to the tension in the scene but also creates a sense of urgency. As the man gets to the locked door of the cubical he tries to get it open and as he kicks it down the boy gets into the next cubical along that has already been opened. The man then walks out of the toilet past the boy standing in the open cubical, but he doesn't notice the boy standing on the toilet standing perfectly still in fear of the men.
This scene mainly builds tension mainly though the boys fear and insecurity in the current situation that he has never experienced before. Also the scene the toilet keeps to the thriller convention of being filmed in small dirty rooms - this contrasts with the start of the scene being in the grander of the huge areas of the train station. Another thing that contrasts in this scene is that at the start of it the boy is placed as a insignificant person interrelation to the huge statue he was looking at, and at the scene he becomes very important as he is the only one who saw the person that committed the murder.
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