Tuesday 14 December 2010
Thursday 9 December 2010
Snow
I haven't updated my blog in a while as it has been snowing quite badly and haven't been able to get to school. Will be catching up soon!
Thursday 25 November 2010
preliminary video
I created a preliminary video in order to give me practice in editing and filming. I created a short extract which could be used in a film. Before filming i completed a storyboard to give me a guideline of the contents of my film, its ordering and what camera shots would be used. This exercise will help me while creating my thriller as it gives me practice in filming and editing footage. My video should involve different camera shots to give different effects. My group included Tyra, Sid and Harley and we decided to create a story of a girl that was pregnant and fainted, we set this in the toilet of a school.
The extract was about a girl (Harley) who found out she was pregnant and was extremely upset. She runs into the toilet to be alone and finds her friend (Tyra). Harley faints and Tyra runs to find help, she runs into Sid in the hall and he comes to help, it turns out Sid is the father. In our short film there are many different types of camera shots; long shot, close up ,POV shot, over the shoulder shot and pan.
In the video there are many things that are wrong but this will help us in the future when creating out thriller. At the beginning of the video there is a short sound clip that shouldn't be there. The acting is also poor but that does not matter as this is a preliminary video and will be of a better quality in our thriller. The sound is also quite bad because we did not use a microphone. Also some of the shots should last longer to create the aspect of suspense.
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Thursday 4 November 2010
Audience Research
After creating the vox pop for my thriller project I found out many things to help tell me what the audience want in my film. I found out that the audience like the film to be full of suspense and a story line where they don't know what is going to happen next. This information is vital as I will use it when creating my thriller.
The public also gave me feedback at what there favourite thriller is, I will look at these thrillers and use them to help give me ideas of how to create suspense in certain situations. I will also try other ways to find out information from the public by doing questionnaires and other things.
The public also gave me feedback at what there favourite thriller is, I will look at these thrillers and use them to help give me ideas of how to create suspense in certain situations. I will also try other ways to find out information from the public by doing questionnaires and other things.
Audience Research
Thursday 21 October 2010
The Quality of my video
After editing my video we uploaded it to youtube. I think our video is fairly good for a first attempt, although there are a few things that are not technically competent. During one clip the camera zoomed in on someone who was being interviewed this did not look proffessional.
What did I do to produce my video?
To produce my "vox pop" video we had to decide on three questions which would give us a good insight on what people would like to see in thrillers. We also had to know how to correctly work the video camera. Once we had knowledge of how to set up the camera and start and stop it we took it outside to where we thought people would be. We set up the camera on a tripod so that it would be stable. We began filming but it was quite windy and there was football going on in the background so we decided to use microphones to make the sound more clear. We filmed many different people and made many mistakes but it did not matter as we could edit it later on.
Editing my "vox pop"
I had to edit my footage as we had made many mistakes while filming, and it would be boring and pointless. So we took the tape and connected it to the computer we uploaded it to a program called macintosh HD, this allowed us to cut out the bits were people messed up the words and where the sound wasn't too good. We also edited the different pieces to form a smooth video and crop little bits of unnecessary information out.
Editing my "vox pop"
I had to edit my footage as we had made many mistakes while filming, and it would be boring and pointless. So we took the tape and connected it to the computer we uploaded it to a program called macintosh HD, this allowed us to cut out the bits were people messed up the words and where the sound wasn't too good. We also edited the different pieces to form a smooth video and crop little bits of unnecessary information out.
Creating my own "vox pop"
Today i worked in a group creating our own "vox pop". This would give us an insight of what different people like to see in thrillers. This exercise would give me ideas of what to put into my opening sequence, it would also tell me what people find interesting.
So me and my group stood outside Robert Clack leisure centre where al ot of teenagers and their parents go to attend sporting activities. The idea was to ask them three different questions, the questions were;
So me and my group stood outside Robert Clack leisure centre where al ot of teenagers and their parents go to attend sporting activities. The idea was to ask them three different questions, the questions were;
- What is your favourite thriller?
- What makes a great thriller?
- What is your favourite genre of thriller?
Vox Pops
The term Vox pop comes from the latin Vox populi (voice of the people).
Uusually the interviewers ask people in public places what they think about certain things in order to get information on what the public think. These questions asked are spontaneous and lets the viewers know what the public really want. These type of interviews normally take place in shopping malls or busy streets. The questions asked are usually the same in order to get a variety of answers.
Saturday 9 October 2010
Friday 8 October 2010
No Country For Old Men - A Thriller Opening
In media we watched the opening of No Country For Old Men this is to get an insight of what a good thriller opening is like. We watched this to analyze it but also use it to get ideas of what makes famous thrillers so successful.
At the beginning of the film the audience hears the sound of the wind, this automatically creates suspense and we wonder what is going to happen next. The setting is in a mysterious place, a desolate area littered with rundown objects, this builds suspense immediately as it is a mysterious place and the foregrounds is dark. Suspense is also built when we are only shown the back of the mans head this is mysterious and creepy. The film keeps cutting to what seems to be an oxygen canister, this causes the audience to ask questions like, what is its importance and why is it being used? We are then shown a man who we realise is the main character sneaking into a police station. His movements are sneaky and make us feel like he is going to do something bad. We then see the man strangling a police man, this causes us to wonder why he is strangling the police man. Again suspense is built up by the use of the oxygen canister. The film is effective as we always wonder what is going to happen next and this makes the audience hooked.
At the beginning of the film the audience hears the sound of the wind, this automatically creates suspense and we wonder what is going to happen next. The setting is in a mysterious place, a desolate area littered with rundown objects, this builds suspense immediately as it is a mysterious place and the foregrounds is dark. Suspense is also built when we are only shown the back of the mans head this is mysterious and creepy. The film keeps cutting to what seems to be an oxygen canister, this causes the audience to ask questions like, what is its importance and why is it being used? We are then shown a man who we realise is the main character sneaking into a police station. His movements are sneaky and make us feel like he is going to do something bad. We then see the man strangling a police man, this causes us to wonder why he is strangling the police man. Again suspense is built up by the use of the oxygen canister. The film is effective as we always wonder what is going to happen next and this makes the audience hooked.
Thursday 7 October 2010
My Favourite Thriller Film
Shutter Island is a film based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, it is directed by Matin Scorsese. The film starrs Leonardo DiCaprio who plays Teddy Daniels who is investigating a psychiatric facility located on the island named in the title, but later on we find out that he is the patient who he has been looking for the whole time.
Plot
Teddy Daniels comes home to find out that his wife has murdered his kids by drowning them in the lake. Hr then murders his wife and is sent to Shutter Island mental institution. But in his mind he is a detective who is finding the missing patient who has vanished from there cell. The film is about the struggles he encounters trying to find the patient yet in the end we realise he is mentally unstable and that the missing 67th patient is infact him.
There is a huge maguffin in the plot as we never realise that Leonardo DiCaprio is a mental patient, this keeps us from the truth and creates susupense and tension throughout the whole film.
Plot
Teddy Daniels comes home to find out that his wife has murdered his kids by drowning them in the lake. Hr then murders his wife and is sent to Shutter Island mental institution. But in his mind he is a detective who is finding the missing patient who has vanished from there cell. The film is about the struggles he encounters trying to find the patient yet in the end we realise he is mentally unstable and that the missing 67th patient is infact him.
There is a huge maguffin in the plot as we never realise that Leonardo DiCaprio is a mental patient, this keeps us from the truth and creates susupense and tension throughout the whole film.
Saturday 2 October 2010
Sabotage 1935
I researched Alfred Hitchcocks film sabotage to gain an insight in what creates suspense in thrillers. Alfred Hitchcock is said to be the master of suspense and this film is a prime example of exactly that.
Plot
In this film a little boy is given a cannister of film and asked to deliver it toa cinema by his cinema owning uncle. But inside the cannister is not film it is a bomb, the boy is unaware of this. We are shown by a note that the bomb will explode at 1 45 and the boy should deliver that package before 1 45. But as the boy does not know about the bomb he dawdles around london and watches the mayors show instead. The boy does not make it in time to deliver the package and the bomb blows up on his journey.
Suspense
Suspense is created in Sabotage by the use of dramatic irony. This is becuase we know
something that the character does not know which in this case is that the bomb is in the film cannister and is going to explode at 1.45. Music help heighten the suspense in the film as there is frantic and fast symbolising that the boy needs to
be quick in delivering the bomb, there is also a constant ticking sound in the background which shows that time is running out. The use of clocks in the film also create suspense as we are shown many different clocks with the hands changing time this shows the movement of time throughout a certain period, it also shows that the time for the bomb exploding is coming closer. The camera shots also create suspense as the film cannister is always in focus. Before the bomb explodes the bus stops at a stop sign this symblolises danger and that something bad is about to happpen.
Plot
In this film a little boy is given a cannister of film and asked to deliver it toa cinema by his cinema owning uncle. But inside the cannister is not film it is a bomb, the boy is unaware of this. We are shown by a note that the bomb will explode at 1 45 and the boy should deliver that package before 1 45. But as the boy does not know about the bomb he dawdles around london and watches the mayors show instead. The boy does not make it in time to deliver the package and the bomb blows up on his journey.
Suspense
Suspense is created in Sabotage by the use of dramatic irony. This is becuase we know
something that the character does not know which in this case is that the bomb is in the film cannister and is going to explode at 1.45. Music help heighten the suspense in the film as there is frantic and fast symbolising that the boy needs to
be quick in delivering the bomb, there is also a constant ticking sound in the background which shows that time is running out. The use of clocks in the film also create suspense as we are shown many different clocks with the hands changing time this shows the movement of time throughout a certain period, it also shows that the time for the bomb exploding is coming closer. The camera shots also create suspense as the film cannister is always in focus. Before the bomb explodes the bus stops at a stop sign this symblolises danger and that something bad is about to happpen.
Friday 1 October 2010
Shadow of a Doubt 1943
This is another example of a successful thriller opening by Alfred Hitchcock. The opening of the film is concerned with the main character Uncle Charlie. We are shown the area in whcih he is staying and whilst we are shown this we are played "Merry Widow" by Franz Lehar. The music is very slow and downbeat which is paralell to the area, it is very industrialised and poor looking. We find it strange that Uncle Charlie is staying in this area as he looks very wealthy and is dressed extremely smart. We are shown uncle Charlies character from the use of Mis en scene, he has many props such as a cigar and wads of money on the floor. This shows that this money is meaningless to him as he is extremely rich, the cigar shows he enjoys the finer things in life. Charlies hair is slicked back this shows that he is a very smooth character.
We are shown Charlie lieing on the bed he is motionless, the landlord the comes in and shuts the blind, when she leaves Charlie awakens and throws a glass. This shows that his character comes alive at night it also shows that he is an aggressive character.
We are then shown a scene of Santa Rosa the area looks extremely nice and a happy place. The music is upbeat and parallell to the scene. We are shown children playing in the streets this shows it is a safe place. This contrasts with the area before where it is dark and gloomy. We are then shown a female character Charlie lieing on a bed in the same position of Uncle Charlie the room looks very different it has flowered wall paper which shows innocence and is feminine unlike the room before
We are shown Charlie lieing on the bed he is motionless, the landlord the comes in and shuts the blind, when she leaves Charlie awakens and throws a glass. This shows that his character comes alive at night it also shows that he is an aggressive character.
We are then shown a scene of Santa Rosa the area looks extremely nice and a happy place. The music is upbeat and parallell to the scene. We are shown children playing in the streets this shows it is a safe place. This contrasts with the area before where it is dark and gloomy. We are then shown a female character Charlie lieing on a bed in the same position of Uncle Charlie the room looks very different it has flowered wall paper which shows innocence and is feminine unlike the room before
Thursday 30 September 2010
Children of men - Opening scene
Today i watched the opening of three modern thriller films. I did this to see what type of film is successful and what is needed to create suspense and make the audience want to watch on.
Children of men sets the scene in a busy cafe with lots of people crowding round a TV listening to the news. The headline is that the youngest child in the world has been murdered at age 18. This gives the audience the idea that the world has stopped reproducing. We are shown the story through a mans point of view which gives us the impression that he will be the main character/hero. He then ventures outside the cafe and we are shown that he is in london in 2027, this film is set in the future. A bomb then explodes beside him many people are injured. The bomb exploding shocks the audience but also leads us to ask questions such as; who set the bomb?Why did they do it?
Children of men sets the scene in a busy cafe with lots of people crowding round a TV listening to the news. The headline is that the youngest child in the world has been murdered at age 18. This gives the audience the idea that the world has stopped reproducing. We are shown the story through a mans point of view which gives us the impression that he will be the main character/hero. He then ventures outside the cafe and we are shown that he is in london in 2027, this film is set in the future. A bomb then explodes beside him many people are injured. The bomb exploding shocks the audience but also leads us to ask questions such as; who set the bomb?Why did they do it?
Analysis of Thriller Openings
Today i watched the opening of three modern thriller films. I did this to see what type of film is successful and what is needed to create suspense and make the audience want to watch on.
Children of men sets the scene in a busy cafe with lots of people crowding round a TV listening to the news. The headline is that the youngest child in the world has been murdered at age 18. This gives the audience the idea that the world has stopped reproducing. We are shown the story through a mans point of view which gives us the impression that he will be the main character/hero. He then ventures outside the cafe and we are shown that he is in london in 2027, this film is set in the future. A bomb then explodes beside him many people are injured. The bomb exploding shocks the audience but also leads us to ask questions such as; who set the bomb?Why did they do it?
Memento sets the scene in a different way, this time the film is shown backwards. At first there is strong music playing, it is quite sad and slow. We are also shown a picture of a murder scene which is undeveloping as the film continues. We are then shown Lennie the main character killing Teddy who at first seems his friend, the whole situation is very confusing. But i think the film is meant to be confusing as Lennie is confused as he cannot seem to remember everything that is why he writes everything down. There is an enigma which clearly makes the film a thriller, the enigma is that Lennie does not know what he is going to do but also the audience is not sure what his actions are going to be. It is a puzzle which we will eventually solve. I wanted to keep watching the film as i wanted to know what is going to happen, i also wanted to know why Lennie killed Teddy.
Children of men sets the scene in a busy cafe with lots of people crowding round a TV listening to the news. The headline is that the youngest child in the world has been murdered at age 18. This gives the audience the idea that the world has stopped reproducing. We are shown the story through a mans point of view which gives us the impression that he will be the main character/hero. He then ventures outside the cafe and we are shown that he is in london in 2027, this film is set in the future. A bomb then explodes beside him many people are injured. The bomb exploding shocks the audience but also leads us to ask questions such as; who set the bomb?Why did they do it?
Memento sets the scene in a different way, this time the film is shown backwards. At first there is strong music playing, it is quite sad and slow. We are also shown a picture of a murder scene which is undeveloping as the film continues. We are then shown Lennie the main character killing Teddy who at first seems his friend, the whole situation is very confusing. But i think the film is meant to be confusing as Lennie is confused as he cannot seem to remember everything that is why he writes everything down. There is an enigma which clearly makes the film a thriller, the enigma is that Lennie does not know what he is going to do but also the audience is not sure what his actions are going to be. It is a puzzle which we will eventually solve. I wanted to keep watching the film as i wanted to know what is going to happen, i also wanted to know why Lennie killed Teddy.
Alfred Hitchcock film techniques
In order to gain ideas for my thriller filmclip i had to research thriller directors and their techniques. I chose to focus on Alfred Hitchcock as he is the mast of success and created many great thrillers.Hitchcocks films set the benchmark for all thriller films which have and are to be created. Hitchcock used many different techniques to make the audience suffer throughout the whole film as they never knew what was going to happen next. Hitchcocks film usually revolve around a mystery and someones problems they come accross whilst trying to solve it.
Hitchcock uses film techniques such as:
An "enigma" refers to a puzzle,something mysterious, riddle or problem. The characters need to find out and solve this before it can be resolved and then the film finishes.
"Red Herring" refers to the device which diverts the attention from the audience, it seems important but is not really relevant.
Hitchcock uses film techniques such as:
- Maguffin
- Red Herring
- Enigma
An "enigma" refers to a puzzle,something mysterious, riddle or problem. The characters need to find out and solve this before it can be resolved and then the film finishes.
"Red Herring" refers to the device which diverts the attention from the audience, it seems important but is not really relevant.
My new blog..
Hi my names Sam Conway and i have created this blog for my media coursework. I will be adding all of my ideas and research to it to help me in creating my thriller film clip.
Thursday 10 June 2010
Brief for my thriller video
I have been given a brief for my thriller film, this tells me what has to be involved in my thriller. The film has to be at least two minutes long. People who perform in the thriller do not have to be in my group or even my Media class, they can be friends (hopefully people with good acting skills). This blog is a big part of my coursework and will be assessed on everything. I will add information that i have learned about thrillers to it in order to help me in creating my thriller.
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