Production Log #4

Production log #4 from wojmedia

Character ideas and Influences

Our character will be different to the usual stereotypical man from the 'hood'. Through this we aim to show that the dangers of the criminal world can affect anyone. As you can see our character is seen wearing 'hipster' clothing as opposed to the usual baggy, concealing clothing of a drug dealer.  This will make it apparent that out character has very little idea of what he is actually doing.

We took our inspiration for our main character from Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker in 'The Amazing Spiderman'. He is portrayed as very clean cut but looks quite street smart. Due to the way our character looks on the surface our target audience can learn more about his background just through the 2 minute opening. This means that the audience find out just enough information. Another 

Target Audience Profile.

This is the test that we did in order to establich our target audience.

Initial Idea- The Daedaus Project

The Daedalus Project is a name stemming from the Greek word 'good worker'. We chose this as the title of our film because our opening will be about a young man getting involved and working for a drug cartel and the consequences that come with it.  The story follows a some what middle-working class 18 year old who find himself in desperate need for money and attempts to sell drugs to earn it. Our main character will be different to the usual stereotypical person who is associated with drugs.

(stereotypical drug dealer)

We want to use a different type of character from a easier walk of life becoming involved in an area in which he has very little expertise.

Gender representation

MALES

• Men are represented as having more of an active and less emotional role to women, they usually take on positions as the main character or team leader.
• Men are portrayed as courageous and independant as well mentaly stable.
• More often than not they will be powerful in physique and usually they will be able to put up a fight.
• Ethnically there has been an increase of afro-carribean protagonists, however the main protagonist will usually be white and in his mid 30's. A prime example of this would be Pulp Fiction; where most of the main characters are in their 30's.
• A males physique aids in showing them as a hero. Often to appeal to straight women and gay men, the physique will be displayed to create sexual nature.
  

  

FEMALES

• Women are portrayed differently to men; however this often depends on their age.
• Older women will often be carers or mothers, with a seductive appeal whereas younger more attractive women will be pure and vulnerable
• Very often women will be very reliant on men in these types of films; and allow themselves to become submissive.
• Judging from personal experience, women in thrillers are always in good shape and very attractive in order to attract a male audience.
• It can be noted that most female protagonists play a masculine role.
• Female characters are usually the 'screaming victim'.
• 'The Silence of The Lambs', portrays Clarice Starling, the main character as rather ruthless and masculine.
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Production Log #3

Production log #3 from Steedman123

Production Log #2

Production log #2 from wojmedia

Typography for Title Sequence Analysis

We plan to use typography in our titles, however the challenge will be having to manipulate the shots so that we can incorporate them into the spaces in the shot. For example introducing the actors through titles will mean that every scene will have to be carefully thought out.

Target Audience

Our target audience will be 16-25 year old people, regardless of gender, mainly people who are in further education like 6th form and university. The overview of one of our audience members would be someone who takes care in what he looks like as well as having a wide music and film taste. Someone who follows the latest trends and fashions. we have come up with some examples of what our target audience would look like. That does not mean that the film will not entice people from other walks of society however the main people that will want to watch this film will be similar to this.

Type of clothing and behaviour pattern.
-Skinny/Slim Jeans
-Knitwear/Streetwear
-Vans/Blazers/Boots
-Print Skirts/Dresses(female)
-Flattering Curvy dresses(female)
-They might shop at vintage shops
-Artistic hobbies such as Painting, Reading
-Can be out going.
-Goes out a lot( clubbing and partying)







Would listen to music such as;

James Blake 
Wild Nothing 
Beach Fossils 
Washed Out 
Point Juncture, WA 
Com Truise 
Iron & Wine 
The Drums 
Daughter 
Is Paris Burning 
Laura Marling 
M. Ward 
The Orwells 
Pity Sex 
Sonny & the Sunsets 
Brothertiger 
Yo La Tengo 
Wild Flag 
Lucy Rose 
The Shins 
Bombay Bicycle Club 
Real Estate 
Blackbird Blackbird


The Link below takes you to a site which would give you an example of films that these type of people would watch; of course this is very generic and not always accurate, nevertheless for the purpose of stereotyping( because that is what we have to do) the site will provide a pretty accurate insight:

http://www.imdb.com/list/wDxstROCHoA/ec

Production Logo for our Thriller Opening

Our production logo is based on the 'beast' that is Mario Balotelli the Incredibly masculine footballer that destroys keepers, hence why the person in our logo is doing the Balotelli celebration; we thought that this would add a bit of our own personality into our film. Also 'Dench Productions' is a reflection of modern slang; which often relates to really strong, muscly people who have authority. As we often use this word it would suit our film group. We as a group think that adding a bit of our own personality into the opening will give it a bit of an edge over everything.

We have edited this figure to add onto our logo. It fits in with the word 'Dench' as this person is considered to be quite the strong footballer.

Other Media A-Level Projects, Evaluation

As part of my research i studied this student film 'The Uninvited'- By Multi-MixedMedia, The opening to this thriller film uses various camera angles and shots; a lot of panning shots are used to follow the main character around the dark house, this creates the effect that this person is being followed around as we are exposed to the person trying to find her. From the beginning the non-diegetic sound appears in the scene in the form of music, however there are aspects that sound like wind, whereas the diegetic sound consists of things like footsteps and the actions of the characters. The film has low-key lighting throughout therefore a thriller theme is created. I think this film was actually very successful because it had very good Mise En Scene, as we were provided with a thriller themed film. The suspense created was very good. There were however a few clichés used throughout the film, however due to the editing and camera angles the opening did not look cheesy and as it was made by an amateur. Personally I really enjoyed this opening.

 

Production Schedule

This is our Production Schedule for the main scenes, this means that we can be sure of what we are going to film. We have not included ALL of the shots because we plan on having a lot of little shots, these are just the main ones which are significant to the story. The other ones are used to set mood and reveal a bit about the setting. We have a shot of a dripping tap; something like that will be used to set a mood and create a thriller theme in the film opening, It creates an ambiance that is required for a thriller film. It was very difficult to establish a set filming time and date because we all have different lessons and schedules therefore we have decided to film whenever we can find the time to get together.

Danny Boyle Case-Study

Thriller MoodBoard

I created a mood board with various things of what remind me of what a thriller film is; I find that for me thrillers have to have quite a lot of stern facial expressions and usually a different hue of lighting as well as blood and shadows. Most thrillers have an abstract aspect to them such as 'Death Note' and Breaking Bad. Things such as a knife and high camera angles are what comes to mind when i think of a thriller film because they create a theme of suspence and excitement as well as dominance and power.

Analysis Of a Thriller Film( Spoilers )

What makes a good Thriller film? It is hard to determine the definition of what makes a 'good' thriller film, because a lot of it depends on someone’s subjective views and taste. Also thrillers can change depending on the target audience and the directorial intent such as; did the director intend for a slightly funny tone, or was it intended to be dark and disturbing? This can have a huge impact on how people previewed the film and whether they like it or not. Also the classification of a good thriller depends on how well its conventions are portrayed; whether the camera angles and shots create suspense and the intended theme and atmosphere. Does the Music fit in with the film? I have found that the lighting in a film makes all the difference in terms of creating an atmosphere; it seems rather ludicrous to have jolly, fun music supporting a murder scene or a car chase because it creates confusion for the viewer. Usually an extended meaningful prologue will have slow meaningful music, whereas something like a comedic prologue would have uplifting music to create an amusing atmosphere. 'V for Vendetta' is a film that appeals to me as it has all the aspects of what I consider to be a good thriller film. It has a riveting riveting storyline which highlights a significant historical event in a much more interesting, revealing and unconventional manner. A visionary by the name of 'V' challenges an oppressive and controlling government which use fear and deception to control and supress an entire nation which has gone through a revolution and lives in a very unstable world where wars and other issues are present in people’s lives. America is a collapsing nation which shows how atrocious the world has become.  'V', with the help of Kiera Knightley's character attempt to spark a revolution by making the people remember the 'Gunpowder plot' which was planned by Guy Fawkes. This film has a very good sociological aspect to it as it shows the willpower that people who long for change possess. On the 5th of November 'V' carries out the legacy of Guy Fawkes and manages to blow up the Houses of Parliament, however before this happens he carries out various stunts just to illustrate to the people how corrupt the government is which motivates families and many people to rally and march out to stand up to their oppressors. He unites the nation over a common issue which highlights the strength and the good in people.  I think the sociological and psychological aspect of this film makes it a lot more interesting and appealing to a wider target audience and it relates to current issues as it also relates to many of the issues we face now such as war, revolutions across the world and different forms of terrorism. 'V for vendetta', directed by James McGuire also follows the story of Eve Hammond(Kiera Knightley) as she discovers her past and goes through various changes that bring out the strengths in her. It symbolises that the most unlikely people can make a change in society. Much of the film centres around her struggle for identity and understanding of herself as well as the revolution.

 

The film features various shots such as extreme-close up; which is used to show the dynamics in the film! It used an establishing shot at the start of the film to explain the setting. Various other shots such as over the shoulder and POV are used to show the difficult situations in the plot. The camera movement used a lot of panning and quite a few low angle shots when showing the dictator and V.

 

Initial Ideas

Initial ideas from http://www.slideshare.net/wojwiatrowski

Production Log #1

Production log #1 from Steedman123

Music Inspiration 20/9/13

I used this for my inspiration because most of these songs have aspects that i could use in my thriller opening, the first song has an ominous opening which could be adited out and be used to create an entire song for my opening credits and even further into the film. I have found various other songs that could be used however these represent the theme of my film. I want to use contropuntal music in my film which could change the emotions that would be felt during various scenes and even the opening.

Six Feet Under- Analysis

The opening to 'Six Feet Under' connotes death throughout, the main theme is centred around death and the idea of a circle of life. The crow flying through the sky at the beginning connotes death because the crow is a symbol of death in many cultures. The sequence then pans onto a tree on top of a hill which demonstrates life a life force however as we return to the tree at the end of the title sequence we can see that the tree is dead and withered which shows that it has gone through it's own life process; this connotes that death is inevitable. I think this links in with the contrapuntal music, which would show us that the show could possibly hold a more comedic view on death.

 

 

The Mise En Scene features a lot of bright things such as a sunny sky, and a lot of light, however as they are pushing the body through the tunnel with the light at the end? This shows them going towards the light, which is a popular saying which trivialises death which also shows the common aspect of death in a sense that it will happen to everyone

Soundtrack review- Se7ev

After listening to the music from the opening credits of the movie 'Se7en', i have found that not all thriller films must have an orchestra featuring strings and powerful bass, a good example of this is the opening song to 'Se7en'. It features quite a lot of random sounds, with possibly some percussion instruments, however it lacks the original orchestra feel. The soundtrack has an 'electro' vibe to it, quite often seen in action films. Nevertheless it still creates a strong feeling of ambiguity, this poses questions for the viewer, which would later be answered in the film.
The soundtrack has flat tone at the beginning, while keeping a lot of texture, the first half of the song is very monotone as most of the sounds repeat over again. It could be considered strange for note-clusters to repeat as they are usually quite random, however it seems to me as if it is there do add a darker undertone. At around the 1 minute mark the volume and tempo iKill Bill- One of my favourite films of all time by my favourite director, Quentin Tarantino.  Since first watching this film i have found that although it is a thriller, I personally find it rather humorous.

 Breaking Bad, Crime, Thriller, Drama T.V show about a Chemistry teacher, turns Crystal Meth dealer to provide for his family in his last; cancer ridden years. Along with his ex-student, they deploy meth as well as building a drug empire. I found that these shows inspire me because they are not part of the norm, things that you would not usually find on T.v they challenge my interests and do not get boring, like a lot of shows do.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Indicud, two albums That inspire me, they also have a thrilling undertone. I think that these are my go to albums when it comes to boredom and the ones I listen to the most in order to get motivated.


The film Fight Club goes in depth with issues regarding human identity and social standings; as well as being rather mindlessly violent you learn quite a lot about the issues certain people face. Plus the film is very entertaining.
ncreases drastically as drums and deeper base are introduced, this instigates a feeling of incoming danger and tells the viewer that the film will be very dynamic, however it does not reveal anything of importance. 
I do believe that some sort of guitar 'shredding' could be present however I can not be sure. I think that a lot of the music is electronically generated, it also does not feature any lyrics.
I would personally describe this piece as quite mystical and somewhat 'sci-fi' because it features sounds that you would usually associate with films that feature some kind of extra terrestrial activity, which could be a big clue. I picked a soundtrack of a film that I have not watched because I wanted to focus on just the music and what it could connote, whereas if I had watched the film I would have been tempted to alter my opinion based on the story line and content of the film.

Inspirations

Kill Bill- One of my favourite films of all time by my favourite director, Quentin Tarantino.  Since first watching this film i have found that although it is a thriller, I personally find it rather humorous.

 Breaking Bad, Crime, Thriller, Drama T.V show about a Chemistry teacher, turns Crystal Meth dealer to provide for his family in his last; cancer ridden years. Along with his ex-student, they deploy meth as well as building a drug empire. I found that these shows inspire me because they are not part of the norm, things that you would not usually find on T.V they challenge my interests and do not get boring, like a lot of shows do.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Indicud, two albums That inspire me, they also have a thrilling undertone. I think that these are my go to albums when it comes to boredom and the ones I listen to the most in order to get motivated.



The film Fight Club goes in depth with issues regarding human identity and social standings; as well as being rather mindlessly violent you learn quite a lot about the issues certain people face. Plus the film is very entertaining.

Thriller Film Timeline- Pulp Fiction

A timeline presenting the opening to Pulp Fiction, I found that the titles were presented mostly on a black background which is common for thriller films. In addition it features a pre-scene to introduce the film and pose questions for the viewer.

Conventions of a Thriller film

Titling - Most thriller films use Non-diegetic (Sound where the source is not visible on the screen) music, the titles appear on the screen, this can be done over an animation of sorts or an opening scene. It is common for thrillers to have titles appear over a black background. Also it is common for some to have a scene which sets up the rest of the film, even before any titles have been shown>


Camera movement - Tracking and Panning shots are traditionally used in the opening of thriller films, however in a lot of action scenes you will find zooming shots and over the shoulder shots. Many horror/thrillers will use extreme close up for dynamics.

Framing of Shots - The most typical mood setting shot for a thriller film is a close-up, in films such as Kill Bill, and V for Vendetta they are used to reveal bigger parts of the story.  It is quite common for Long shots to be used to set the scene and to show where the action will be taking place.

Camera Angles - High angles are often used to show someones insignificance and the lack of their power, as if someone is being dominant over them. Low angles show the increase of height which increases dominance. These are the most common angles used in thriller films.






Location - The scene for a thriller film, or any film for that matter depends on the story line, however most thriller films rely on lighting to set the right tone for the scene, and through my research i have found that a common factor in most of these films is an apocalyptic mood.

Types of cuts- Thriller films usually use fast paced sharp cuts in the film because the genre tends to be fast paced. You might find that a lot of thriller movies change pace and have a lot of twists in the story line, hence why the use of cuts is so important, it alters the pace of the film. Quick sudden cuts can add to the suspense.
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Sound - Most thriller films use non-diegetic music playing in the background to create an intended atmosphere, very few films use dialogue, however it is very rare and used to present motives. Silence and lack of music can often be used to build up tension.

Types of Cuts: Thriller films usually use fast paced sharp cuts in the film because the genre tends to be fast paced. You might find that a lot of thriller movies change pace and have a lot of twists in the story line, hence why the use of cuts is so important, it alters the pace of the film. Quick sudden cuts can add to the suspense and ominous nature of a thriller film.
Types of Camera Angle: When setting up a scene the camera angle plays a vital role as it can change the nature of the scene, for example a close-up shot with dark scenario immediately creates suspense.

Welcome!

Hello, I am Wojciech Wiatrowski , a media student at Harris Academy Beckenham and as part of my Media project I have to write, produce and direct a thriller film opening, of roughly two minutes. On this blog I will post various content relating to the making of my thriller opening.