Group storyboard- Miss Miller

The purpose of creating a group storyboard is we can collaborate all the ideas of ourselves and combine certain elements of them together to create one final improved narrative, the final narrative has all the best ideas for our narrative on one storyboard, this is so the opening scene will be the best it possibly can be.

 

We created our group storyboard by looking at each others storyboards and deciding which elements were better or stood out from the others to put in to the final ones. So we swapped the storyboards around so we each got a chance to see the ideas from each one and include the ideas we liked best in the final narrative.

Elements

Harry Hyett

Panning Shot- Harry had the idea of including a panning shot at the start of the opening scene, as he said it gives the audience a better understanding of the location that the scene is set. And that it helps to build suspense.

Handheld Camera Angle - Harry had an idea of a point of view, handheld combination to show what the character was seeing, this was to create a connection with the audience as they were looking through the eyes of the character. He took this inspiration from The Uninvited in the scene when the character walks into the room at the start of the scene in this particular camera angle.

High Angle - This was another camera angle that was taken from Harry's individual storyboard, this camera angle was to be used on both of the characters to show vulnerability of the character via the shift of power as well. Again he took this camera angle from The Uninvited where the character is running through the corridor and this camera angle is used to show her vulnerability.

Luke Durrance

Hidden Identity- We felt that the idea of hidden identity should be used so we took this from my storyboard. This is because it is conventional to the thriller genre and will add to the element of mystery. The hidden identity can be achieved by both characters. If the girl is wearing dark make up over her face it will not be clear and the audience will not be able to see completely what the character looks like. And again the same for the male character if he is wearing some form of clothing that covers a section of his face it will make the audience feel as if the character is the killer although he is not. Although they are not fully hidden they will not be clear to the audience making them feel nervous about the situation for the opposing character, this is also conventional to the thriller genre, as it creates suspense.

Weapon - This was taken from My storyboard as we didn't know what weapon we should include in our opening scene. And my idea of how the knife would be used in the scene was a clear and effective idea. This is also conventional to the thriller genre as it is used in a few of the films I researched.

Reaction Shot- This element was taken from my storyboard as we though it was a good idea that we should include this to show the audience the reaction of the character. This will make it easy for the audience to engage in the scene and become more relate able with the characters via the conversation between the two.

Evaluation

I think that our group storyboard is a massive success as we have a clear understanding of our narrative that we will be filming in the near future. We have done this by reincorporating different elements that stood out from each persons individual storyboard and collected them together and combined them into one for a storyboard that we all like and agree on. This means that the filming of the opening scene will be simple as everyone knows the narrative and no one needs to be explained the narrative. The opening scene will have the clearest narrative, and this should mean that the audience have a clear understanding of whats going on in the scene, which will help to create suspense.

Filming schedule and risk assessment- Miss Georgiou

1) Filming schedule
It is very important to have a filming schedule. It helps organise the filming and speeds up the process of filming. We used a basic sehedule by planning what day and time we would film, as it only took one session to film our whole opening scene, we used the storyboard as a guide to what shots we would film in what order. The table below is the one that we used for the filming.

2) Risk assesment

It is important to consider all risks before filming, as the health and safety of everyone included in the film-making process is important. Furthermore, identifying all risks and how to avoid them minimises the potential hazards. The below risk assessment will therefore assist us with filming in that we now know how to avoid hazards.

Hazards:

Knife. We will be using a knife in our film as it is the murder weapon. To minimise the risk of getting hurt due to this knife, we will use a fake knife.

Filming near roads. We were careful when filming the outside scenes near the road to not be near cars, as this could cause an accident.

When climbing stairs in the dark, make sure we are bing safe, so try to use a light to help us.

The table below shows the risk assment table that we made and used when filming.

Opening Scenaration - Miss Miller

Opening Scene Narrative

This is the narrative that our opening scene follows.

A young girl has been abandoned and is walking along an industrial estate at night, the back story is the audiences individual idea, but the narrative implies that the young girl has been abandoned by her parents and left alone in the dark, this is shown with a panning shot, it just shows the girl walking down a path, at the same time the frame starts the soundtrack begins over the top, which is continued throughout the opening sequence. The girl is wearing a night dress and is messy and she is carrying and teddy bear. She is seen as a weak vunerable little girl in a dangerous setting on her own and is in danger. She walks along the path slowly and apperars fragile in the freezing cold, showing barely any emotions through her face or body language, this is her characteistics, the audience dont know what to think of her, which is creating some suspense as the anticipation builds to see what will happen, we decided to do this purposely as it make the suspense build as they are unsure if she is in danger or not. Her face is emotionless as she walks through the shadows, which still portrays this image of her. The girl decides to walks down a dark alley way, which has some light, this see the soundtrack build up. We made the high angle shot look like a CCTV camera tracking her. She walks for a small amount of time down the alley way and then is encountered by a tall, dark figure that walks up to her, the soundtrack is continung, the suspense is building and the anticipation of the audience is high. As the shot shows them standing in front of eachother the girl smiles, this is shown quickly, but is included to confuse the audience slightly but is also building suspense, the smile could be seen as scary, as the smile could indicate that she is in control of the situation, this adds some confusion. There is a scream coming from behind the male character, this scream happens as the girl character dissapears. This shocks the audience as they are confused and the shot is a POV of the Male turing around and looking for the girl. At this point the male is confused, and is trying to look for the girl he walks down the alley way this is shown by another high angle shot, in the same style of a CCTV camera. This is suspenseful for the audience as they are unsure about whats happening. The next shot is an eye level shot to show the male figure walking down the alley way, while the suspense is building and the soundtrack is still going. As the man walks past the camera, the young female character is seen behind him, she was hiding in the shadows, this is shown in  a mid shot. We decided to inculde this as it builds the suspense as the audience now know that she is the antagonist in the situation and the male is going to be her victim this is shocking to the audience, the sound track is also building. The next shot shots the girl leave the shadow, we decided to slow this shot down as it empasises how the character looks, which builds the relationship between the audience and the characters. As the male POV is shown he turns into the direction the girl is in, the girlis in the middle of the shot, standing still for a couple of seconds, this is when the suspense is at its higest becaise the narrative has come together to this point, the soundtrack is also continuing and ads to the atomosphere. Then she runs, with her knife in her hand. The attack on thye male isnt shown but it is clear that he has been killed. The next show is a shot that pans in on the girls face, the soundtrack is still continuing. This is the end of the opening sequence.

Summary

There are a few elements which will make our sequence better/coventional such as..

Scream - at first we was going to include a brief conversation between the two characters in the scene. It would be a conversation about the injures to the girl and how he was going to help her. This is slightly unconventional to a thriller opening scene as opening scenes to not generally contain dialogue. To overcome this we decided to use a Scream insteate of a conversation. As it would take less time in the film length and also would also be conventional to the thriller genre.

Removal of the phone - In the original narrative we had included a phone at which a sub-narrative between the girl and someone was taking place. Although this would make the opening scene more relateable to the target audience, it would also draw there attention away from the scene and what is taking place. So we decided to take this element out as it would take to much time up in the opening scene and would distracting for the audience.

Teddy Bear - With the removal of the phone we decided to add an the teddy bear into the scene as the teddy bear make the girl appear to be less mature and younger, also it add the snese that she is an innocent. Which is conventional to the thriller genre.

Production roles- Miss MIller

People need to allocated specific roles during the filming as they need to know what their roles are. The main roles necessary for filming a thriller film are, director, camera operator, actors and producer. we decided who would be doing what by asking one another what roles we would prefer to do and we agreed to the roles.

Roles of Our Group

Producers - Harry Hyett, Co-Joshua Lester, Luke Durrance. A person responsible for the financial and managerial aspects of the making of the film, Together we will decide what we will need for our film and purchase the items we need and pay for it ourselves.

Director - Harry Hyett. A film director is the person who directs the making of the film, he felt he understood the narrative and what roles the actors needed to do in the shot.

Actors - Hannah Mahoney, Luke Durrance. A persons whose profession is acting in films, we both felt comfortable with the job of acting, and we relay the conventions of a teenager in the thriller genre, as we are both teenagers. 

Director of Photography (Cameraman) - Joshua Lester. A person whose profession is operating a film camera., Joshua know the location of the setting very well and from this it would be best for him to take the role of cameraman and he already has an idea of what angles can be achieved at the setting.

Music Producers - Luke Durrance. A record producer is an individual working within the music industry producing music for a film, I took this role as I felt that i could do it, as I have researched the conventional sounds used in thriller films, and I know how to use it in an original way. 

Screenplay Writer - Harry Hyett. Is a writer who practises the craft of screenwriting of films etc., He took this role as he felt as though he would be a good director, he knew the narrative well, and the other roles of acting wasn't suitable for him.

MES Coordinators - Hannah Mahoney, Joshua Lester. The five elements of MES are...

Settings and Iconography, Lighting and colour. - Joshua took this aspect as he had a clear understanding of the setting, and with the camera, he knew if the lighting was sufficient for the camera, or if we needed to move where the characters are more visible.

Costume, Hair and Make Up , Body Language and Facial Expressions- Hannah's Character was put together by herself and she decide to have a specific costume, and with this used her hair and make-up to make an orphan like character. She also helped with the design of the other character.

Positioning of Characters within the frame - Joshua the camera man is the main person that does this, he knows where the camera will be pointing so he directs the actors, Harry also directed the characters into what they needed to do in the shot.

Editors - Harry Hyett, Luke Durrance, Joshua Lester. A person who is in charge and determines the final content of the film. We all have a basic understanding of the editing software that we will be using so together we would work together to put our film together.

Overall everyone carried out their roles well, every role that was necessary was carried out well and with minimal problems, there isn't anything that I would change about the roles of the people in our group as we all worked well in the roles allocated.

Harry Hyett - Director, Editor, Screenplay Writer, Producer. I think he completed all the tasks well. He construed the main narrative with the help from the group, he had a good understanding of the narrative which helped when filming.

Luke Durrance -Actor, Editor, Music Producer, editor - I think I completed all of my tasks very well, I listened to instructions from Harry the director. Also with the editing I feel that I have put in alot of input and I am please with the progress that our opening scene has made.

Hannah Mahoney - Actor, MES Coordinator - Hannah was a very confident in her role, and made her character beliveable, she made her costume realistic and the make up that she had to do herself was also good and made the role believable.

Joshua Lester - Director Of Photography, Editor, MES Coordinator,Co- Producer. - Joshua was a very good cameraman, he added input into the shots that he was taking, and he was enthusiastic. The shots he used he made sure had sufficient light in the background, and for the high angle shots he controlled the camera well.


Planning opening credits- Miss Georgiou

We have decided to use a style of font that we feel is the most conventionl to a thriller film, which is the second font, 'font two lithos pro regular', we have decided to include this into our thriller opening sequence instead of the first font as the first font is not conventional to thriller genre, and I feel the  font we chose is a better alternative.

The film Seven used effective font that suited the thriller genre, the colour of the text is white which contrasts and stands out to the audience as it falls apon a dark brown/black background this shows the contrast between the good and the bad or in the case of the thriller genre the antagonist and the protagonist. The style of the credits was messy handwriting, which suited the genre of thriller and was conventional, as this style of font is creepy and is used in some other thriller films. To add to the credits they are used during low key lighting which is conventional to the thriller genre which helps for the audience to establish what the genre of the film is straight away.

Shutter Island opening credits.
The opening credits for shutter island are very conventional to the thriller genre, as the font and colours they used suit the genre, and they show the audience what they need to know from the opening credits. The way that shutter island uses the opening credits is effective at setting the level of suspense that the film starts with, and it shows the audience a basic insight into what the rest of the film is going to be like. I have taken some inspiration from the shutter island opening credits as I feel they are good at setting the atomosphere for the film, which I want to incorperate into my opening sequence, manly because it suits the style of our opening sequence,  and it will ensure that the opening credits are conventional to the thriller genre.

Our Opening Scene Credits

We have decided that our credits will be shown throughout our opening sequence, this way we can make the opening credits be in time with the events on screen, for example we will show a credit when a character is shown in a new shot, if we didnt do this then the credits would be mixed, which could result in distracting the audience from the narrative of the opening sequence.
Order of Appearance
Production Company - 'Tiger Blood Productions'
Actors Names - Hannah Mahoney, Luke Durrance
Casting - Harry Hyett
Music - Joshua Lester, Luke Durrance
Costume - Hannah Mahoney
Editors - Harry Hyett, Luke Durrance
Production - Tiger Blood Productions
Camera Operation - Josh Lester

Inspirations- Miss Miller

From each of the thriller films that I have looked at for my posts I have taken some inspiration from all of them. These ideas that our group and I have thought out to use in our opening sequence, have been thought of from inspirations taken from the films that we have watched, which is why research into the thriller genre and watching thriller film has help as the give us inspirations for our own thriller opening sequence. We can take inspiration from almost anywhere, for example I have taken inspiration from films I have watched,these films have shown me conventional of the thriller genre, which lead back to inspirations that can be used in my own thriller film. I have watched Shutter Island, The woman in black, Scream 2, Halloween, The Shining  The Ring and Seven.

One of my main ideas has been to include a female character like in Scream 2, The Ring and The Woman in Black, as each character in all of the films help build a suspenseful atmosphere, which is what i want in my opening sequence, so by including a female character in my opening sequence, I feel that it will help build a suspenseful atmosphere, and will also relate to a conventional thriller film. To incorporate this character into our own opening scene, we decided to change the role of the character, which is conventionally a victim, so to make our opening scene unique, we made the young blonde female, the killer. This should shock the audience, and will still create suspense, and will also incorporate the female character convention.

The soundtrack that I am thinking of using would be a high pitched constant sound, and to add more suspense a sound of a heart beating, that gets louder and faster to add more suspense for the audience. For example I have taken specific Inspirations from sequences, like the sequence that I analysed from The Woman in Black, where the sounds used were effective at creating a high level of suspense and were conventional to the thriller genre, as the suspense engaged the audience and built a relationship between the audience and the character. The inspiration that I took from that scene was that now I know what specific sounds I want to try and replicate in my own thriller opening sequence, specifically the use of a sort silence to intensify the suspense, is very effective, so that I would like to include it in my own opening sequence. I will have a different soundtrack and the events on-screen will help intensify the suspense, this will make my use of the silence different to the use of it in The Woman in Black.

A character with a hidden identity is included in my film, we have filmed our opening sequence so the identity of the male character is hidden when the audience first see him, this leads the audience to think that he is dangerous, and the young female character is in danger from him, which creates suspense. The identity of the male character is later shown a little in the opening sequence, this puts a different perspective of the male character in the audiences head, as he is now seen to be worried when he is looking for the female character. From him being portrayed to the audience as dangerous, to being seen as the character  in danger, the use of hidden identity in our thriller opening sequence is effective at building suspense, and relaying our film to conventions in the thriller genre.

The use of a industrial park and dark alley way is not typically conventional to thriller films, as the thriller films  watched for research didn't include dark alleyways and industrial parks, but the audience can still relate to the [places in  our thriller film, and know that they can possibly be dangerous. This use of an alleyway is effective because most audiences can relate to it. By using an industrial park and an alleyway we know that our thriller opening sequence is going to be more original than others, that might have used a house of Forest, as they have been used alot in thriller films.

I have been inspired by films like scream 2 and The Orphan to use fast editing, which is effective at building suspense in the scene especially during chase scenes, and this would be used with effective camera angles like a point of view shot , and eye level shot so the audience feel like they are in the scene, the use of these shots helps build atmosphere in the scene, which again is conventional to the thriller genre.

The research that I made of thriller films, has helped me in many ways with producing my own thriller opening sequence, for example, the blonde female character that we have decide to include in my own thriller film has been taken as an inspiration from films such as Scream and Halloween, we decided to use a young blonde female character in our thriller opening scene, but to incorporate it into our own opening scene, we decided to change the role of the character, which is conventionally a victim, so to make our opening scene unique, we made the young blonde female, the killer. This should shock the audience, and will still create suspense, and will also incorporate the female character convention.
Also the research helped me understand how to include and build suspense in a scene, I have seen good examples of this from The woman in Black and in Seven, both films use the soundtrack and onscreen sounds to build the suspense slowly, which is conventional to the thriller genre.

Planning sound- Miss Miller

Sound is vital to thriller films as sound is what stirs emotions and creates tension. Planning is required to produce a good soundtrack and good use of sounds in the thriller opening sequence to build suspense and create emotion amongst the audience, this is my main aim from my sounds, to provoke a reaction from the audience from the sounds that I use in my Thriller opening sequence. The sound that is used in the opening sequence should be linked in with the pictures on the screen, which creates a high level of suspense.

Soundtrack, Off Screen, Non-Diagetic - This sound will be used at the start of the sequence and will be low pitched, it will be used to build up tension until the first character will be seen in the film. the soundtrack will be faded in and become louder, the soundtrack will have a steady beat. which is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates suspense. This helps create a relationship between the audience and the characters, which in turn will create a suspenseful atmosphere.

High Pitched, Off Screen, Non-Diagetic - This sound will be used when the teenager turns around for the audience to find out that the antagonist has gone missing, and will also be used when the Young girl is seen behind the character. This sound is specifically used in the highly suspenseful moments in the thriller genre. The main aim of the sound is to be scary for the audience,and intensify the suspense in the scene, which builds a relationship between the audience and the characters.

Scream in the distance, Off Screen, Diagetic - The scream will happen when the teenager is looking at the young girl. It will be a direct scream that the character and the audience will both hear, this scream then leads to the disappearance of the girl, so the scream then intrigues the male into investigating where the scream came from. This scream is only used to give a meaning to the narrative, and it is a key part to the narrative of the opening sequence, at this point the male character is also seen to be in danger, which builds the relationship between the audience and the characters once again. 
The sounds that I am planning to use in my opening sequence are important to the atmosphere that the opening sequence has and the overall narrative of the thriller as the sounds are key to the relationship that the audience have with the characters and the events on screen making sense. This is why I believe that the sounds will give the opening sequence a more effective and interesting narrative that is conventional to the thriller genre.

Cinematography planning- Miss Miller

Cinematography is a key element in the thriller genre as it is the only way the audience can see what the film is about, it uses different camera angles to provoke different emotions into the audience and lets the audience see different elements in the film that they might have missed if the cinematography was effective. The cinematography involves the audience in the film and builds the relationships between the audience and the characters.

Panning Shot- The first camera angle that we will be using in our opening sequence will be the panning shot, we are using this shot first because we hope that the audience might be able to relate to the location of the shot, as this will allow the audience to feel more engaged in the opening sequence, this will allow them to build a relationship with the characters as they can imagine themselves in the same position as the character, so throughout the opening sequence they can relate to the characters. We specifically chose to put this shot at the start of the opening sequence, as it also sets the scene and atmosphere for the rest of the opening sequence, by this I mean that the quiet setting that has low level lighting will be a continuity throughout our scene, so the audience are more aware of the scene and atmosphere, which can allow the events on scene later on in the opening sequence to build the atmosphere.

Long Shot- We use a long shot towards the start of the opening sequence, it isn’t very far away from the main focus but it is longer than most other shots we used, it is focusing on the young female character as she is walking down a path, near to the alley way that she turns down. This shot used to try and create some doubt into the audience about this character as it is the first time they see her, this will help create the relationship between the characters and the audience that is important to create the suspense.

Close Up- This camera angle will be used to show the audience the character in more detail, and it will show the facial expressions of the character, the main purpose of this shot is to give the audience more information about the character. We hope that this angle will create a relationship between the audience and the character as that is what the close up is for, as we need the audience to have a relationship with this character. This shot will be used a few times throughout the opening sequence such as the start and when the two characters meet, both time the close up will give the audience an understanding of what’s happening on screen, and what the relationship between the two characters is like.

High Angle- We will use a high angle shot to give the audience a better understanding of the surroundings that the character is in, this shot will be focusing on the young female character. This high angle shot will be used towards the start of the sequence which is important as at the start of the opening sequence the high angle is effective at showing the surroundings, it is important to try and use a high angle shot at the start of the sequence as it shows the audience the surroundings and builds the suspense.

Low Angle- This camera angle is going to be used when the two characters meet, the low angle will be over the shoulder of the girl, and the use of the low angle will show the male in a more dominant position, as he is higher up, this is used specifically to make the audience think that the male is in a dominant position, this will create a relationship between the audience and the character, as they could be scared for the girl, which in turn will create suspense as they are waiting to see what will happen.

In summary I think my sequence will be effective in showing the audience the narrative of our opening sequence in the best way possible, I believe the shots that we have planned out will create a suspenseful atmosphere, and will show the audience the position the characters are in throughout the sequence and the relationships they have with one another. By planning the camera angles and shots that I want to include in my opening sequence I feel that I have a better understanding of how to create a suspenseful atmosphere and build a relationship between the audience and the characters.

planning characters- Miss Miller

Planning character.

Purpose of characters

Characters are used in films for the audience to build a relationship with them, films need character to tell the narrative to the audience and good characters help make a better film. the characters in a film are there to have a relationship with the audience, when the audience have a relationship with characters, it means they care what happens to the characters, this can create emotion in  films, and for thrillers the relationship between the audience and the characters is used to create suspense.

 

Characters - Blonde Female Victim Killer

This character will be played by Hannah this character is a young child that is a stereotypical character from the thriller genre portrayed mostly as a vunerable or in danger, we decided to portray her like this as it creates a relationship with the audience as they want her to be safe if they feel that she is in danger at any point in the opening scene it will create anticipation and suspense. The female character will be wearing a white dress, with pale make up and dark eyes, she will also be holding a teddy bear, we decided to make her wear this as it shows the audience that she is young with the teddy bear, also the pale skin and dark eyes make her look upset and cold, this creates a relationship with the girl as they might feel that she needs help. The use of the blonde female victim is a theme in our own opening sequence, although only for the start, as we decided that we want to change roles of the characters, halfway through the girl is changed into the killer and the male is in danger, we decided to change the roles half way through as it makes for a  more interesting narrative, and will help to build suspense. We decide to portray the young girl as vunerable and feeble at first to get the audience to emphasise with her, so there is a relationship that is built, and then we change the roles once the suspense has built.

Characters - Teenage Male Thug/Victim

We decided to include a teenage male character as the some audiences will be able to relate to it, also the hidden identity that the character has at first will create a negative relationship with the audience as they are scared for the girl, and the male could possibly be dangerous, this was used to create suspense. The character is wearing dark clothing and has no specific makeup.

Evaluation 

Overall I feel that the characters we are using are good for the thriller genre as, I feel the use of a conventional character, with the young blonde female victim, this will help the suspense build as the relationship between the audience and the characters will be strong as the audience will feel sorry for the blonde young female. The male character is also conventional to the thriller genre, but the plot twist will be a good surprise for our thriller and will reverse some of the typical thriller conventions.

The planning of the characters has helped me get a better understanding of the characters roles in our thriller opening sequence and how i want them to be represented. From planning the characters like this I know how that the costumes are very important to how the audience relate to them and what the relationship between the characters and the audience is like which can effect the suspense in the film as the audience need to care about the characters for there to be any suspense or effect on the audience.

planning editing styles- miss Georgiou

Why is editing important within a thriller film?
 Editing is very important within a thriller film as various techniques make an effective thriller film/opening. Various techniques create the element of suspense, tension and shock/surprise which are the main elements of the thriller genre.

What editing styles will you include within your sequence & why? what effect will this create?

• Reaction shot- We will include this editing technique in our sequence as we feel that it will show the reaction of the man which will give a shock to the audience, and show how the character are reacting to the shock, which in turn will create suspense. The reaction shot will be used when the girl vanishes in front of the man.

• Straight cut- We will include this editing style in our sequence as it is the most effective at leading to a panning shot of the setting of the opening sequence. In this panning shot we will see the girl very briefly so the audience has an idea of the character in the scene. The character will be shown at a distance, which will give the audience the effect that they should distance themselves from her, then as the opening sequence carries on they get closer to her, showing that they can trust her, then she turns on the relationship that the audience had with her, like she did with the character in the scene. The shot will be on the pavement of the street and not down the alley way where the main part of the opening sequence will be.

• Jump cut- We will include this editing style when the scene focuses on the Blonde female when she disappears we want the scene to suddenly focus on the girl because it gives the audience a sense of shock that it is important we create because it is one of the key elements to a film in the thriller genre. The jump shot is a quick way of editing into the shot, which builds suspense as the scene is fasted paced.

• Timing of Shots - We will include this editing technique because we want to create the element of suspense and also surprise when we are creating our scene, as this is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to build suspense. We will use this technique through the whole of the scene as we want to create a atmosphere the audience will recognise from other thriller films. We will use this to show the venerability of the man and the girl and to show the change of the roles that the audience will see through this editing style and also the camera angles.  

 How are your editing styles conventional to a thriller film?

All of my editing styles are conventional to the thriller genre as they are widely used across the genre and are effective at creating suspense and building a relationship between the audience and the characters. some of these editing styles are taken as inspiration from films that I have analysed, such as Seven and The Shining.

Reaction Shot-This is conventional to the thriller genre because it is used to show the audience the characters reaction to something that has happened in the film. this shot can be effective at creating a relationship between the audience and the characters, which is important for adding suspense.

Jump Cut-This editing style is used to suddenly focus on something. This editing styles show the audience what the character may/may not see and shows in detail something that it important to the scene that the audience needs to focus on, which can help build suspense in a scene, which is conventional to the thriller genre.

Timing of shots-This is conventional to the thriller genre as thriller films use timing of shots to add suspense or a tense atmosphere.  A slow use of timing of shots gives a slow pace to the film which then the audience have time to create a relationship with the characters, which can give the audience a chance to keep up with the narrative, which can build suspense slowly. Whereas fast pace creates shock for the audience but they don't have time to build a relationship with the characters, so the narrative might not create as much sock or suspense as it is supposed to.

How will your editing styles appeal to your audience?

Reaction Shot-This editing style will appeal to the audience because the audience like to see how the characters react to the events in the film, for example when the girl disappears the audience will want to see what the character is feeling so they know which character is in control of the situation, this is especially important in our opening scene as we have a role change so the audience will want to know how the character is feeling. This shot is also use to create suspense in a scene.

Jump Cut-This editing style will appeal to the audience as they will suddenly see a change of setting or character. It will suddenly focus on a particular item sending the audience into a sudden state of shock. This will appeal to the audience because shock is one of the main elements of a thriller film and is what most of the audience want from a thriller film. It is conventional to the thriller genre as it can create suspense. we are using this in our opening sequence when the girl comes out from behind the shadows, and when the point of view of the male character can see he clearly ready to attack him, we feel this shot is effective as it shocks the audience.

Timing of Shots-This editing style will appeal to the audience because slow timing of shots will engage the audience and build up tension getting the audience prepared for something shocking to happen, which is what appeals to the audience in a thriller film. Alternatively fast timing of shots can have the same effect but doesn't give the audience a chance to keep up with the narrative and can be confusing sometimes. This is also a conventional style of editing and can create suspense as the frames can be used to build anticipation. We will be using this editing style towards the end of our opening scene when the male character can see the girl and the fast editing builds a high level of suspense for that scene.

Planning Mise-En-Scene- Miss Georgiou

Why is Mise-En-Scene important within a thriller film?
Mise-en-scene is important in thriller films as all of the aspects of mise-en-scene together make a successful thriller film, this is as all parts of Mise-en-scene go together to make the conventions of the thriller genre. The conventions of the thriller genre that are essential to the thriller genre are, lighting, sound, costumes, settings and more, the mise-en-scene add to the overall atomosphere of a film, the mise-en-scene is important as without it the film wouldn't be realistic, therefore the audience wouldnt be engaged with the film, so there wouldnt be any suspense or other basic conventions of the thriller genre.

What is the Mise-En-Scene of your thriller and why?

• Setting and iconography-

We are setting our thriller film in an industrial estate, at night time, so there will be low key lighting. The setting is a conventional setting for thriller films as it is somewhere that the audience can relate to, as most people would have been to one before, so they could put their selves in the characters position, we are not filming in a normal street, we are setting it in the dark alley way, which has enough lighting for the audience to see the characters, but it has an eerie feel, that creates suspense amongst the audience, the dark alley way is also conventional as the characters in the opening scene wouldn't be expected to be out at night, this also builds the suspense of the film.

• Costume, hair and makeup-

The two characters in our film are different genders, the young girl, and a man. The blonde female will be wearing dirty clothes and will have a pale face, dark eyes and messy hair, the costume and make up is important for this character as it is is what the audience first See of her, which is important to build the relationship with this character, the costume is conventional of thethriller genre. The male character will be wearing casual clothes as he is just a normal person, this will help the the audience build a relationship with this character as some might be able to relate to him, which is important in thriller films as it helps build suspense when the audience have a relationship with the characters.

• Facial Expressions and Body Language -

The facial expressions of the characters is important in films as it shows the audience what the characters are feeling, the facial expressions and body language of the female character will be important as she will have a blank expression, this works well with our narrative as the audience will be confused as to why7 the young girl isnt scared, this is important for the relationship between the character and audience, it will also build the relationship between the characters on screen.

• Lighting and Colour-

Our opening sequence will be filmed in the dark, with low level lighting, produced by the lamps down the road. The predominant colours in our opening sequence will be dark colours, with many shadows. This will build the suspenseful atmosphere, which is conventional to the thriller genre, as the dark lighting could be scary for the young female character, which will build the relationship between the audience and the characters further as they might be worried for her.

• Positing of Characters/Objects within the frame-

The characters positioning in the opening sequence will be important to the portrayal of the characters to the audience and will show the relationship the characters have with each other. Towards the start the focus will be on the girl, she will be the centre of shots and the male character will be seen to approach her, which will show their relationship again. A the opening sequence continues the focus will be gradually switched to focus on the male. This is in relation to the events on screen, and the suspense, will build as the audience are scared for the male character.

How is the Mise-En-Scene conventional to a thriller film?

• Set and iconography  

The mise-en-scene is important to thriller film as it is what makes the film beliveable for the audience therefore building suspense and making the film exciting for audienes that like thriller films, the setting and iconography is one of the most important parts of mise-en-scene for example if the the setting isn't somewhere that the audiene find scary then they will not be engaged and the rest of the conventions wont be effective.

• Costume hair and makeup-

Some thriller films contain very iconic characters that have very complex costumes. This is another important element in the thriller genre as the costumes and features of the character need to be widely considered as they need to be relate able to the audience so they can create a bond with the audience. if the audience dont feel like they can relate to the characters on screen then there wont be and suspense as the audience dont care about what happens to the characters, meaning that they dont ebnjoy the film.

• Facial Expressions and Body Language-

 Thriller films contain lots of the characters emotions throughout the film and they are expressed through many camera angles such as close ups, which can focus on the body language and facial expressions of the characters to get a deeper meaning across to the audience. This will help build a relationship between the characters and the audience, which is important in thriller films, as it builds suspense, we plan to use the camera angles and have the characters body language in a way that builds suspense in our opening scene.

• Lighting and Colour - 

The lighting and colour that will will use in our thriller opening sequence will be conventional of the thriller genre as the low key lighting and dark colours that are in our opening sequence are popular in thriller films, as it helps build suspense, which is very important to make a good thriller film. If our opening sequence didn't have the lighting and colour that we are planning for it then the suspense and, parts of the sequence that are made to shock the audience will not be effective. This is why lighting and colour is so important as if the coulours and lighting dont reflect the thriller genre then suspense is lost.

• Positioning of Character and Objects within the frame -

This element draws attention to a character at a certain time, which can help to force the audience to feel a certain way about a specific character, for example if the shot is focusing on one character acting scared then this will make the audience assume that the other character has caused them to feel scared. The shots will focus on them specifically, giving the audience a third meaning. We are thinking of using this in our opening sequence as we make the audience think that one character is in danger then we will switch the roles to give the opposite effect, wwe feel this will add alot of suspense to our opening scene. The positioning of a character is important in the thriller genre because they tend to focus highly on a character before something happens to them. It gives time for the audience to build a relationship with this character, which therefore buiolds suspense as they want a character to be safe.

How can your thriller build a relationship with your target audience?

During my thriller opening scene there are many ways I can build a relationship with my target audience. I can do this by focusing on the facial expression and body language of the characters. I will do this by making the actor who plays the blonde female show her emotions which will be focused on with close ups and mid shots of the two characters together. I can also show this by having the blonde female in the centre of most of the shots in the opening of the scene to make it apparent to the audience that the girl is lonely at night time therefore creating a connection with her as they will feel they want to help her, this relationship will make the suspense easier to create, as the audience care about the characters, the way this is shown to the audience as it is how the narrative needs to be show to make sense for them.

preliminary task- Miss Georgiou

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task was set to everyone in the class, this was to get used to using the filming equipment and to see what roles we would be comfortable with while producing our opening sequence. My group Members: Harry Hyett, Hannah Mahoney and Joshua Lester and me.

Purpose?

The purpose of the preliminary task is to get used to making a scene and using the editing styles we might use in our opening sequence and to use the cameras and editing software for the first time, so we can get an understanding of how it works. It also allows the group to see what roles they will be comfortable with when filming the Opening sequence.

Objective?

Our task was to film and edit a scene where a character opens a door, crosses the room and sits down opposite another character and then they exchange a few lines of dialogue. The task should have demonstrated match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180-degree rule and it had to me a maximum of one minute in length. We practised using these shots as they would be helpful to us when we film our opening scene, we also used these as they are conventional shots for the thriller genre.

What did I learn?

During this task I learnt the basics of how to use the camera and the tripod and the editing software, during the filming process I controlled the camera with the tripod, and during the editing stage I used the editing software so I know have some understanding of how to use it which will be good when producing my opening scene. This is important as I now have a basic understanding of how to use the equipment that I need for filming.

What did I struggle with?

We struggled to fulfil the objective of the 180 degree rule as we had a very small space to work in, this wasn't that important as we would find better space for our opening scene production so this won't be a problem. To get around this problem we had to brake the 180 degree rule. For the shot reverse shot I changed sides to face each character so the audience get an idea of the setting of the shot. Also I found it difficult to get the shots that I wanted from small space as the tables and tripods are high up so the angles of the shots was not as good as I would want in my final product.

How will the preliminary task assist me with the planning and creating of my own thriller film?

The task that my group completed has given me an understanding as to how the opening sequence will be made, with the experience that I got from using the editing software and camera equipment will help me when filming and creating the opening sequence to the thriller film. Also I was introduced to my group and have now worked with them so that we know what roles we would be comfortable with while filming the opening scene.

This is the video of the preliminary task.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NvH2dM9q_A

Individual storyboard- Miss Miller

Individual storyboard.

 

 The purpose of storyboards is to lay down the basic narrative onto paper so that the directors and producers of films have a idea of what they think the scene will be like and what shots were planned for each frame. The storyboard makes the production of a scene more efficient as the scene has already been planned so the filming process is quicker than it might have been before.

 

My storyboard contains 12 different frames with different time lengths, drawn images of what I think the narrative should be like, camera angles that will be used, location of each frame, iconography, lighting , actors, sound, editing to the next frame and also the narrative description. I have included the conventions of the thriller genre in my storyboard by highlighting the lighting and way the characters look so they are conventional to the thriller genre, for example I included dark lighting for the setting of the thriller opening sequence and that we should include a female character.

From including these conventions into my own thriller opening sequence I hope to create a suspenseful atmosphere, as the characters and the audience have relationship that the narrative can use to be suspenseful and create anticipation in the opening sequence.
 

I have done this for the purpose that my group has an idea of what my view of the opening scene is so that we all have an understand of my view of it. We will confrere as a group and put our storyboards together and use frames we like from one storyboard and leave some that we didn't agree on, this will help our scene make more sense to the audience.

 

After making my storyboard I have a better understanding of how the scene will work for the filming process and the editing process, overall the storyboard will help alot during the process of the making the scene.

Group narrative- Miss Georgiou

A narrative is a theme for a film sequence, a narrative can be organised to fit a specific theme for each film, and the narrative is the main idea the film is made around. The purpose of a narrative is to create an engaging entertaining experience for the viewer that will grab the viewer attention some narratives are used for different purposes and used on different themes in particular ways. They contain various characters, dialogue and also descriptive language. Themes for narratives change for what genre the films are, for example thriller films uses codes and conventions and narrative theory's to be suspenseful and stick to the thriller genre.

Our group discussed our individual ideas by looking at each others blogs on narrative ideas and conferred with each other to get more better ideas.
My idea.- In an empty are at night time the long shot shows a group of teenagers that are trying to hurt an old man that's on his own, the camera then shows a close up of the 'villain' in a mask, he is angry at what he is seeing happen to the old man, so as he comes out of the shadows he shouts over to the group of teenagers to stop. The camera shows the reaction of the old man as he is on the floor with tears rolling down his face, the camera then cuts to the leader of the group who is laughing at the 'villain' who is walking slowly towards them. As the man gets to the group there is silence until the 'villain' shouts at the group of teenagers who are standing there surprised at what is happening, the villain then helps the old man stand up, he then tells him to leave, the man is seen to be limping home as he is holding is arm in pain. Some of the teenagers begin to walk away as they are laughing but the leader of the group stays and the masked villain then whispers to him, 'there will be consequences'. That is all that is said, he looks scared and he turns away and sprints off, the rest of the group follow him shortly after. There is a long shot that focuses on the masked villain standing on his own in the middle of the street in darkness. The next shot is of an abandoned wear house, where the masked villain is sitting alone sharpening his saw, the shot after is of the group of teenagers from the previous night, they are all laid on the floor with their Mouthes taped shut and their legs and arms tied together, one or two of them are crying. The final shot is of the masked villain slowly walking in their direction, and he whispers in the same teenagers ear, 'what did I tell you'.
Harry Hyett. - The story line of his scene is typical of most thriller films such as Scream, The Strangers and films alike. The Killer can be seen in the distance following the victim but barely seen so that it is not obvious to the victim. Killer comes into focus under a light to create a sudden shock to the audience and disappears quickly again. To create this light from lamppost can be used as they are a light source and shadows to hide the killer. It becomes apparent to the audience what is going to happen as they can see the killer gaining on the victim. The victim can be killed or just knocked out as the killer maybe torturing victims so either a knife to kill or some form of cloth with some liquid to knock the victim out when en-haled. In addition the victim doesn't need to be killed as the ending of the scene could just be a reaction shot. Although its typical of most thriller films for the victim to be killed. 

Hannah Mahoney- Its late at night and a little girl around 10 years old is playing with her dolly's in her bedroom. The lighting is low key and her room is set in an old fashion room. She hears someone singing downstairs so she goes downstairs to see what it is. We see a close up of her face and see her slowly walking down the stairs and see how nervous she is as she trembles. Scary non diagetic soundtrack playing in the background as she is walking down the stairs to create suspense and build tension. As she reaches the bottom of the stairs we see the hallway and the chandelier is swinging. We hear the diagetic sound of her footsteps and the floor squeaking as she walks along. The sound of someone singing varies in sound goes loud and quiet. She walks into the kitchen and in the corner of her eye sees a scary little girl in a white long night gown who is quite dirty and is singing and crying. She slowly walks over to the little girl and the background soundtrack starts to get faster and louder. As she reaches the crying female actress she puts her hand out to touch her. As she does the music stops and the crying girl looks up and we see an extreme close up of her face as she screams.

Narrative theory.
There are three main narrative theory's. 
Vladimir Propp theory is that every narrative has to have a specific list of characters as they have a narrative function and they provide a structure for the text. This list of characters the theory suggests is The Hero, The Villain, The Donor, The Dispatcher Messager, The False Hero, The Helper,The Princess and Her Father.

Tzvetan Todorov theory is based on the idea of Equilibrium (a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced) and Disequlibiam (a loss or lack of equilibrium or stability, especially in relation to supply, demand, and prices.) The theory follows a cycle of equilibrium - disequilibrium - New disequilibrium.

Finally Aristotle suggests in his theory should have a Heading, Imctitng Incident, Dramatic Question, Character Goals, Antagonist/Protagonist, Stakes, Resolution and Sympathy/Empathy.   

  

Target Audience results - Miss Miller

Target Audience results - Miss Miller

Research was carried out to find out what types of thriller films people like and what they think makes a good thriller film. The results we get will help us to make our opening scene, as we will know what people like in thriller films. 

Question 1 How old are you?

The results for this question show that a majority of the people we interviewed are between the ages of 11-20 of age. This result shows that our opening sequence should be made with the intentions of the film to be for people aged between 11 and 20, This also shows that our narrative is likely to be more conventional as the younger audience will be able to keep up with a fast paced sometimes confusing narrative. the age certificate we will aim for is a 12A, these certificate films are usually more detailed and rely on suspense and clever editing styles rather than gore to create suspense and scare the audience.

Question 2 What is your gender?

The majority of the people we asked were male. The result of this question doesn't really have a big effect on what the conventions and narrative of our opening sequence will be as both genders that will choose to watch a thriller film will like the same conventions that are typical of thrillers. 

Question 3 After watching the first film do you want to find out what happens next if it ends on a cliff-hanger straight away?

This question asks whether the audience want to find out what happens after there is a cliff hanger in a film. The results clearly suggest that the audience does enjoy the used of the cliff-hanger so therefore, when planning the narrative of the opening sequence we should consider that if ending on a cliff hanger would be effective at engaging the audience into our film. The results came out as that ending the film on a cliff hanger would be a good idea.

Question 4-What is a typical setting of a previous thriller film you have seen?

The setting of a narrative is very important to the audience, if the audience can relate to the setting of a film then they might feel more venerable, which creates suspense as they feel the could be in the situation that the victim is in. from our results we have seen that conventional locations include cities or forests, we should consider using housing estates or cities as these are places that the audience might be able to relate to.   

Question 5- What is you're favourite thriller sub-genre?
The favourite thriller sub genre is Psychological by my questioned sample. This sub-genre contains such films as Se7en and Shutter Island which are very successful, popular films. We should consider basing our narrative of the phycological sub-genre as people prefer it to other thriller sub-genres.

Open Questions Results
The open question results gave a wide range of answers, so the use of a graph would have been unhelpful, but these questions did provide some good ideas for the opening sequence of our thriller. Question 7 asked, What typical sounds can you remember from previous thriller films that you have seen? the most popular answers were 'knife' and 'screaming', which are both conventional to the thriller genre so we should consider using them in our opening sequence. 

Summary of Results
From the target audience questionnaire we have found out lots of important information for our opening sequence, such as what our target audience is and what age certificate we should aim for and what conventions are most effective in the thriller genre. These results will be used to make a more engaging and conventional thriller opening sequence.

Vox Pops
Here are a few of the vox pops that I did to my sample. They of are my Mum and my dad.

Opening scene analysis - Miss Georgiou

“How does the opening sequence of Halloween, inform the audience of the codes and conventions of a thriller film?”

The opening scene of a thriller film is important as it shows briefly what kind of film it is, and the conventions that will be repeated throughout the film. The opening sequence is important as it can engage the audience, which will make the film enjoyable for them, or it will make the audience lose interest in the film. the opening scene can show the audience what types of setting, themes and the genre of the film, without giving the main narrative away to the audience.

Conventions
After watching the opening sequence of Halloween you can see that there are many different conventions that are typical of the thriller genre. Such as the use of a blonde female victim and a masked killer, which is used by many other thrillers before and after this film. Other conventions were used like eery high pitched music in the background. The blonde female victims are a popular convention in the thriller genre and they are portrayed as weak, this is important as it helps the audience relate to her and want her to survive, which builds a relationship in the film between the characters and the audience, this is important because it can help to build suspense. The masked killer adds mystery to the film, this is mainly why the masked killers are a popular convention of thriller films as they need mystery in the film.

Cinematography
The opening sequence of Halloween uses only two different camera angles. The first camera angle is Point of View of the killer. the audience can see exactly what the killer is doing, which is very effective at creating suspense in the scene. The other camera angle is a High Angle. The high angle is used to pan out of the scene. It has a dramatic effect on the audience and it creates an emotional distance with the character. Other conventional camera angles in the thriller genre could be a close up shot, which many thriller films use to focus on a specific character and to help build suspense in the scene.

Sound
The sounds used in the opening sequence are important as they are the first sounds that engages the audience. In the opening sequence of Halloween there is use of a high pitched key which is used to build the suspense. This is a use of non-diagetic sound, which is added during the editing stage of the film, but still one of the most important and popular conventions of any thriller film. other sounds used that are conventional to the thriller genre include, the clock that is steadily ticking as the character is walking up the stairs and the soundtrack which is also-non diagetic, the soundtrack builds up for the death of the victim, which helps to create suspense in the scene and build a relationship between the audience and the characters. The sounds used in this opening sequence are typical to the thriller genre as they engage the audience in the scene and that helps to build suspense.

Characters
In the opening sequence the is only a few characters, mainly the killer, who is dressed in a Halloween costume, which is normal for a child on Halloween night.  There is a use of teenagers, which is another popular convention in the thriller genre, as they are portrayed as naive, this helps thriller films to use them as victims. The parents are seen at the end of the scene, they look scared and are questioning their son as to why he has a bloody knife in his hand. the family seem like a normal family, which is also a convention that is used in thriller films as the use of a normal family and characters helps the audience relate to them, and build a relationship between them and the characters.

Narrative
The narrative contains various conventions such a typical blonde female victim, who is murdered by her brother, this is the main focus of the scene and the suspense is building to the climax of that. The scene is ended with the parents coming home to the horror of their son outside with a knife. The narrative is effective at building suspense and showing the theme and genre of the film. The setting of the opening scene is in a typical American suburb, which the audience may relate to and be able to imagine themselves being in the same position as the characters in the film.

 Editing
There is a use of continuity editing, this means that the editing is smooth throughout the sequence. Also the timing of the shots is typical of thrillers, as the sequence is edited to make it look like the sequence is fast, which adds suspense. during the murder the editing is more fast paced to get the audience excited. These types of editing are typical to thrillers as they are used to create suspense and shock for the audience.

Conclusion
The opening sequence of the thriller inform the audience of the conventions of a thriller as it shows them from the start, with a house in a suburban area, which the audience can relate too. As the first sequence continues other conventions are shown such as the mask and the knife are focused on as is the blonde female victim which is highly focused. The conventions that are used are again repeated in the film so the conventions in the opening sequence do show the audience alot about the film.

Summary

After analysing the opening scene of halloween, I have gained more of an understanding as to what codes and conventions to use in my own opening scene, I have also seen what are effective at creating suspense. 

Research into the history of thriller films- Miss Georgiou

Research into the history of thriller films.

Introduction.
The thriller genre uses the idea of suspense, excitement, anticipation and terror to keep the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats. Thrillers are sometimes similar to mystery stories but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a conventional thriller, the hero sets out to stop the  plans of an enemy rather than uncover a crime that has already happened.

Time line of change in thrillers.
1923.
Safety last was the first ever thriller film made. It was directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, and written by Hal roach, same Taylor, Tim Whelan, H.M. walker, Jean c. Havez, and Harold Llyod (information from http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/69797/History-of-the-Thriller-genre/#vars!panel=636139!). Safety last was the first thriller film ever made so, every film after it that is classed as a thriller has some similar conventions to it.

1927.
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog: this film was Alfred hitchcocks' first thriller film and it was based on a real life event. this film is recognised as the first of its kind and it helped to shaped the thriller genre into what it is now.


1931
M was a German drama-thriller directed by Fritz Lang, it was Lang's first sound film and became a classic. the use of sound in thriller films is very important to create the conventional suspenseful atmosphere that is still popular today.

1951
Strangers on a train: Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Strangers on a train is about two train passengers: tennis pro Guy and Bruno who staged a battle of wits and traded murders with each other. This film was the first thriller film made by Alfred Hitchcock in what some say was his 'peak years' and it is still one of his most recognised films.

1960
Psycho initially received mixed reviews, but outstanding box office returns prompted a re-review which was overwhelmingly positive and led to four Academy Award nominations. Psycho is now considered one of Hitchcock's best and most recognised films, and this film had a big impact on how thriller films were made and it raised the bar for other thriller films. the narrative included a serial killer that had a strange obsession, which started a trend in the thriller genre.

1989
Phillip Noyce's Dead Calm was a psychological thriller. This films narrative was based around a mass-murderer getting help from others in the middle of the ocean and betraying them and stealing the couples boat and taking Rae, Johns wife hostage. this films narrative was clever and engaging for all audience. This thriller had conventions that had not previously been popular like obsession and trapped victims who must find a way to escape the clutches of the villain – these conventions helped influence more thrillers in the following years, the early 90's.

1991
The Silence of the Lambs was a widespread success. The film has been recognised as a classic alongside films like, Psycho, and Halloween. the silence of the lambs broke away from a popular theme of the late 1980's and early 1990's that was obsession and it used another popular theme of detectives and police forces hunting down serial killers and murderers.

1995.
Seven was a majorly successful thriller film written by Andrew Kevin Walker, directed by David Fincher, it made over $327 million dollars in the box office and received many positive reviews. Seven further continued the trend of police hunting down serial killers. the use of a serial killer with his own message or morals, which were about the 'seven sins' gave this film unique edge against other thriller films at the time and other films such as 'SAW' have use a similar narrative since.

2009
The Last House On The Left. The last house on the left is a modern remake of a classic thriller film. To cut the repetitiveness in modern thriller films that usually have a theme of obsession or a Detective hunting a murderer, there are a number of recent thrillers that maintain some aspects of the horror genre; having more gore, terror and body counts.

Task 2.
This is a list of the top 10 thriller film of all time, according to the money it has made.

1. Hannibal
Hannibal is the highest grossing thriller film of all time which grossed $165,092,268 in 2.292 theaters. Released in 2001 it made $58,003,121 on its opening release. Hannibal is the sequal to The silence of the lambs, and features some of the original characters. This film was set at the target audience was late teens and adults, as the marketing for the film was made to appeal to this age group.
2.The slience of the lambs.
This is the second most highest grossing film of all time grossing in at $130,742,922. And on release date in 1991 earned $13,766,814. The film is a prequel to Hannibal.  The plot follows the story line that a U.S trainee, seeks the advice of Dr. Lecter to imprison a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill. Dr. Lecter played by Anthony Hopkins. The target audience for this film is the also late teens and adults.
3.Basic Instinct
Despite initial critical negativity and public protest, Basic Instinct became one of the most financially successful films of the 1990s. Basic Instinct opened in theaters in the United States and was one of the highest grossing films of 1992, after its March 29 release. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $15 million. It was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1992, grossing $352,927,224 worldwide. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes.

4. Seven
The newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt) and the soon-to-retire William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) are homicide detectives who become deeply involved in the case of a sadistic serial killer whose meticulously planned murders correspond to the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, lust, and envy.
The film was released in the United States on September 22, 1995. Grossing $327 million at the box office internationally, Seven was a commercial success, and received positive reviews from most critics.

5.Red Dragon
Red Dragon is a 2002 American thriller film based on Thomas Harris novel of the same name, featuring psychiatrist and serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It is a prequel to both The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Hannibal (2001). Red Dragon grossed $93,149,898 in the United States and Canada and $116,046,400 overseas. In total, the film has grossed $209,196,298 worldwide.

6. Saw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film, a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw franchise, directed and co-written by Darren Lynn Bousman. Saw II was released on October 28, 2005 and, despite negative reviews from critics, was a financial success, with opening takings of $31.9 million and grossing $88 million in the United States and Canada. It has remained the highest grossing Saw film in those countries.

7.Saw III
Saw III was released on October 27, 2006 and was a financial success, opening to $33.6 million and grossing $80.2 million in the United States and Canada. It is the highest-grossing film of the series in the international market with $84.6 million and the highest-grossing film in the series with $164.8 million worldwide. It received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

8. The bone collector
The Bone Collector is a 1999 thriller film starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, directed by Phillip Noyce and produced by Martin Bregman. The bone collector has made $151,493,655, the film had mixed reviews.

9.Saw IV
The film grossed $63,300,095 in the United States and an additional $71,228,814 internationally, bringing the theatrical total to $134,528,909. The review were negative but the film was still a major success.

10. The cell
The Cell is a 2000 science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Tarsem Singh, and starring Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn and Vincent D'Onofrio. The film has made $104,155,843, and some positive reviews.

 

 

Summary.
The films I have researched have shown me how the thriller genre has changed, from a silent black and white film, to multi-million dollar productions. the narrative of the films has also changed over different times and what the themes throughout different decades were. I have noticed what a massive influence people like Alfred Hitchcock has had and the successful films he has made.
The research I have made has helped me understand what conventions are popular in thriller films and what popular plots entail. I feel that this will help me when creating my own thriller opening scene. Specifically the way suspense has been focused on in the thriller genre is being developed all the time and it has changed since early thriller films, as new technology has aloowed film producers to add suspense to films easier, for example films can add specific sounds and soundtracks to their films, which wasnt avalible to early thriller film producers.
The target audiences for the films in the list above are all adults and late teens, the marketing for all the films were expensive campaigns and they were successful, as some of the films on the list didnt have the best reviews but they made the most amount of money, they done this by targeting their audience and making it avertising to them.