Every Script has a Story.

This is a draft of our script which will be read by our leading female character;

After timing our script the dialogue is approximately 1 minute 7-15 seconds depending on pauses and other actions within the scene. Along with other events in the scene our opening should be approximately 2 minutes. 

We think that the dialogue we have decided opens up many doors and suggests a lot about the main character. 

The first paragraph suggests the teenage girl is at an all time low and has hit "rock bottom" this implies to the audience that something traumatic has happened to her. This makes the audience want to learn more and why? To show the girl has hit rock bottom we showed this in the form of her telling it as a story, a fist striking her face and being pushed and kept down on the floor. The audience then imagines rock bottom as a possible fight for her survival. 

The second paragraph we reveal a bit more about why she is there. The audience learn that some sort of promise has been made and she felt obliged to make that promise, however it soon became a big mistake.

In the first two paragraphs there is also mention of another person that the main character thought she knew and genuinely cared, this pre-warns the audience that there is a character in the film that can't be trusted and the girl is close to, however the audience is un aware of who it may be.

In the final paragraph we reveal more about the character herself. About who she was before the events that will un fold in the film. She also uses cliche's and metaphors to describe how she's feeling, she warns the audience before she uses the cliche's to add humour to her speech, this makes her actions more sickening as she is able to joke about what is happening

An Animatic 2 Minutes in the Making

If you don't care, Mise-En-Scene does!

COSTUME: is a big part of Mise-En-Scene, it can suggest to you what kind of character they are and what's happened to them. For example: The costume in ours is going to suggest that the female character is pretty normal, however the tousled hair, smudged make-up and grazed face is going to suggest a sinister nature.

The above  resembles  what the girl is wearing. The casual clothing suggests to the audience that everything is 'ok' and it adds a sense of normality to the scene. However the girls scruffed up appearance  and grazed face will suggest something sinister and dangerous about the scene.

MENTAL NOTE: All i know is Sophia owns a white vehicle. So I obtained the creepiest picture possibly of a white car. 








The second costume which involves only a gloved hand, leaves a sense of mystery and doesn't reveal anything about the character other than suspicion as leather gloves are usually associated with the stereotypical 'bad guy' 

Analysis in Every Word

I chose to analyse the opening of "Zodiac" as it uses very similar features that we will be using in the opening for our thriller film. For example the car in the isolated area, the mysterious gun man and vulnerable young characters.

An establishing shot is the first type of shot used. This sets the time and location as we can see in a recognizable city at night. Night time is often used in thriller films as is sets an eerie, mysterious and unsettling atmosphere.

A panning shot from inside a car is used. There is low lighting typical of thriller films however the burst bright lights of fire works and smiling children (seen later on) suggest a celebratory event (4th July) and a sense of normality, this sets up the audience to not expect the horror that is soon seen later in the opening scene, it is also unsettling as the scene can jump from a happy occasion to tragedy. This shot lasts for almost 10 seconds, this allows the camera to show many different characters for short periods of time taking part in celebratory and everyday errands, these predictable actions strongly contrast the unpredictable later on, but also set up the audience to not expect it.

A shot reverse shot is then used to introduce our two characters. The low lighting obscure's their faces, a familiar convention of a thriller film. However the Point of View shot from the girl's point of view gives the male character a very distorted and rigid appearance suggesting something sinister, this contrasts the females laid back stance.

This shot is almost done as a bird eye view. It sets an eerie location, which is isolated and cut off, frequently used in thriller films. The use of the angle shows the car as small suggesting that the characters inside are also small suggesting vulnerability towards the events that will unfold later on.

This shot cleverly distorts the view of the car, the angle makes it look odd and distorted suggesting that something odd is about to happen. It also unnerves the audience as it isn't a flattering angle to see the car in causing the audience too feel uncomfortable.

Shot reverse shots and also over the shoulder shots are used to show the teenagers conversing in low light. These shots only last for a few seconds but adds an element of innocence as it shows their innocent nature but also a sense of normality which contrasts strongly against the abnormality later on in the scene. The shot of them laughing lasts for a few seconds,which allows the audience time to experience the final moments of fun.

The next shot uses an eye line match as the girl looks out the window to see something. The dim lighting and frame from the windows obstructs the view of what is outside. This type of technique is frequently used in thriller films as they tend to keep information from the audience. The shot also adds a sense of mystery as the audience are not quite sure what is happening. The lasts for a few seconds and gradually pans to reveal another car.

This shot shows the car at a mid shot after it has pulled up and turned the headlights off. This overall is a sinister action as it plunges the screen into darkness and only the outline of the vehicle is seen, this unnerves the audience as they are unaware of what they are looking at

A reaction shot is used to show the scared and confused expressions of the teenagers. This unnerves the audience and also suggests to them that something in the scene is not quite right referring to the other car. The shot also includes a short whispered conversation, their shaky voices and snappy dialogue emphasize the fear they feel. Also the character continue to stare at the car, suggesting it is possible dangerous as they don;t want to look away and take their eyes off it.

The shot shows the teenagers watch the car as it drives off, however the asynchronous sound of squealing tires suggest that the car is doing something aggressive and sudden. The effect of this leaves the audience in the dark as they are unable to see what the car is doing whereas the teenagers can

The camera pans and tracks the second car as it pulls up behind the car with the young couple. This shot obscures the car behind and the blinding light from the torch also obscures the identity of the mysterious car driver. This unnerves the audience as only the characters can see who it is. It also opens up for a plot to develop and a potential twist such as "Who is the man in the car"

Shallow focus is used here to obscure the scene and make it hard for the audience to understand what is happening. The bright light from the torch is the main focus and the audience can see elements of the action around the light. What looks like a hand holding a gun is seen, this suggests a threatening nature and the sound of gun fire suggests danger. However the audience aren't clear what happens until the following shot, however this shot is played in slow motion to emphasize what is happening and show that it is a key point

The following shot still plays in slow motion however clarifies what may have happened as the blaring light of the torch highlights blood splattered on the girl. Her terrified and confused expression also mirrors that of the audience

The close up of a weapon clarifies what is happening in the scene and also the odd angle makes the weapon more intimidating and threatening. As the scene plays out a metal radio is also seen, this adds a sickening sense of normality to the scene as the music playing is light hearted and listening to music on the radio is a very normal everyday thing to do compared to the violence that is happening in the scene. The close-ups are very abrupt and last less than a second, this catches the audience off guard and unnerves them as it removes them from the comfortable shots earlier in the scene with lengthy duration's.

The gunman casually returns to his car to drive off, this is a familiar characteristic of villains in thrillers, that they have a sickening nature that when they commit crimes they can slip back into normal life without guilt. The shot of the lit up and lively car contrasts strongly the very dark and dead bodies of the young teenagers inside.

This shot shows that man return to the car and begin firing again. The high angle shows the scene as a whole for the first time and the villain full length in typical black clothing. As the villain fires the gun bright flashes are seen in the car, this effect is typical in thrillers as it hides what is happening unlike in horrors where it shows the violence. This also allows the audience to elaborate on what is happening, which itself is more terrifying than being shown

The scene then ends by fading to black as the up beat country rock music that played during the scene increases in volume. The casual and slow fade strongly contrasts the abrupt and in your face action.

Overall I chose to analyse Zodiac as it uses typical thriller conventions such as typical locations, mise-en-scene and character but still distinguishes itself with a sense of originality as the plot is based on a true story. Also the use of varied long takes makes the story more realistic and the sudden short takes catch the audience off guard.

Filming Costs Nothing - Unless we break the Camera

Jesus claimed to walk on water. People said it was impossible.
We claim to be able to film our thriller in one night. We'll make it possible

As our opening sequence takes place in one location at one time of day, our filming process should be pretty easy, simple and quick. Also due to the lack of viewable characters, direction will be easier therefore speeding up our filming schedule.

Below is a table of each of our shots, a description of the shot, the length of the shot and how long it will take to film each shot  

If Jesus was here - He'd be our Target Audience

Although we believe that our thriller film will appeal to most audiences younger and older. We think it will mostly appeal to intelligent young adults 16-25years. 

16-25 years will be the majority of our target audience due to the ages of the character(s)

in the opening sequence. Also it faces issues such as young people being faced with irreversible

problems. Although hopefully not as severe or extreme as the issues are leading female faces. 

Also the elements that we took from "Cape Fear" of the leading character

addressing the audience will appeal a lot more to audiences of a similar age, 

as they are able to relate to them, but it also leaves a lasting effect when

they discover the true nature and abilities of someone in a similar age group

to them

The certificate for our film would be a "15" this is due to the fact it may appeal more to our target audience. Audiences will prefer to watch a film targeted for the older audiences due to the appeal of feeling older when watching it. Also we fear a "12" certificate may put our target audience off as they will feel they are watching a film targeted at younger audiences. 

We also believe due to the nature of our leading character that is learnt throughout the film may be too intense and frightening.

No film complete without StoryBoarding

Below is our story board for the opening of our thriller film. Due to technicality needed for some of the drawings some scenes have been skipped.


SCENE ONE

The first shot in our sequence is a Mid-Shot filmed within a car. The main female character is looking directly at the still camera and speaks, addressing the audience. As it is not quite clear what the female character will say, it is unclear how long this shot may take. But it will approximately be between 20 - 30 seconds.

                                               SCENE TWO

This is the second shot in our opening sequence. As the female character continues to address the audience three close-ups of suspicious objects will be shown suggesting something sinister. The first CU is of bloody tissue and some clothing to suggest a struggle. The shot will last approximately 1 - 2 seconds.

                                                                                                            

The second close-up will be of a role of duct tape. This clearly indicates that some form of abduction or kidnap has taken place. It also suggests something quite sinister as to why a young female may have duct tape in her car. This shot again will last approximately 1-2 seconds. 

The third close up will be of a screw driver. We wanted one of the close-ups to be of a possible weapon, to again suggest something sinister and reveal something horrific about the leading female. We chose a screw driver as it was more realistic that a 17 year old girl could get hold of a screw driver as a weapon from a tool box. Again the shot will last approximately 1-2 seconds

SCENE THREE

The female character continues to talk to the camera using a mid shot. The audience is then made aware that some sort of abduction has taken place as the car begins to violently shake and screams and shouts are heard coming from the back of the car. This shot will last between 15-25 seconds depending on the script.

SCENE FOUR

The following shot is used to unnerve the audience and hook them in. As the girl continues to talk she is interrupted by a knocking on the window. The camera shows someone using a gun to knock on the window and the female character turns her head to look. Although the storyboard doesn't portray this it will be shown as a close-up from a high angle to show that the girl has become extremely vulnerable. The shot will last 5 seconds approx.

The following shot will be shown through the point of view from the mysterious character who knocked on the window. The camera will show him looking into the car, making the female character look very small and vulnerable. Depending on time scale the opening sequence may end here as a cliffhanger, so the audience want to learn who is in the boot, who knocked on the window and what are they doing with the weapon. The shot will last approx 5 seconds

                                                                                SCENE FIVE

The final part of the sequence will be much like the opening of Memento. The scene will play in reverse from the moment the mysterious character knocks on the window. This alerts the audience that they are being taken back through time and will be shown the sequence of events to lead up to this point. Although the story board doesn't show the reverse of the girl talking within the car this will appear in the final project. There will also be a shot of the girl climbing out the car in revers and we will use Match on Action to show her climbing out the car from the inside and then show the action from the outside. In reverse the girl will walk to the back of her car. This shot will last approximately 10-15 seconds as it will be sped up.

The final shot comes from the point of view of the abducted. A match on action will be used before this, showing a mid shot of the female character opening the boot of the car, we will then see the rest of the boot lid opening from the point of view of the character inside, to make the female character look menacing and threatening rather than vulnerable as the audience saw her before in the scene. These two shots will play in reverse but in real time to highlight the action. The shot will end with the scene playing forward again and the main female character closing the lid, plunging the screen into darkness. Hopefully this will hook the audience in as they will want to learn why there is someone in the boot, how did the female character become like this and who was the  mysterious character with the gun. The two shots combined will last approximately 15 seconds.

In total the whole opening sequence will last 1 minute 40 seconds

The story that inspired the legend - Memento Opening

Memento inspired what could possibly be the second half of our opening sequence. We liked the idea of playing scene's in reverse as it distorts what is happening, but also because our opening scene is actually the climax of the film, as we wanted to use a technique frequently used in thriller films. SHOW THE END SCENE AT THE BEGINNING. We also wanted the audience to be aware they were being taken back through time. This technique will also allow us to reveal two possible plot twists in our film.,


1) WHO IS IN THE BOOT

2) WHO IS THE CHARACTER WITH THE GUN

Thriller Treatment - Handle with Care

PLOT: 

Our plot is what you get when you combine the greatest thrillers into one short 2 minute scene. Elements of Zodiac, The Chumscrubber, Cape Fear and Memento have been pulled together to create our plot.

A young adult female (17-18 years old) is seen sat in a car. She looks directly at the camera and addresses the audience giving a brief outline that has an essence of mystery so it's quite not clear what she's talking about, but we learn she's in trouble. We're using this to trick the audience to sympathize with what is potentially the villain. 

During the girls speech close-ups of sinister objects are seen, such as hair, bloody clothes and possibly a weapon. We want the audience to understand that something is wrong, the girl is in trouble and it's serious. 

As she delves further into her speech the car begins shaking and a banging is heard from the back. It is revealed to the audience that there is someone in the boot of her car and some sort of abduction has taken place using the weapons seen and it is clear somebody has been injured through the bloody clothing. 

As the female character begins to close her speech as third character is made aware of when someone knocks on the car window with a weapon. The main character then looks at the weapon with pure fear on her face. The scene then plays in reverse from this point, so audiences are pulled in as they want to learn who the person is that knocked on the window, why the girl was so scared, and are they going to use the weapon against her.

The audience is then taken through the scene backwards ending with a point of view shot from the character in the boot of the car though we don't see who it is, the shot will be of the main female about to close the boot of the car.

The reversing of the scene makes audiences aware they are going to be taken back through what happened, as we are using the technique by showing the end of the film at the beginning so the audience will want to watch and find out how they got there. 

Characters: 

There are three characters in the opening sequence but only one of them is actually seen by the audience. 

The leading female is the only character seen as she addresses the audience. She is shown as a delicate and vulnerable person who is in a state of fear, we want the audience to connect with her and sympathise her. If it were a feature length film we would reveal that the girl is actually very disturbing making the audience feel guilty for sympathising her. 

The second character is another young character we hear calling from the boot of the car. The character is very two dimensional in the opening sequence as we know very little about them.

The third character is suggested to be threatening as we only see a hand and weapon and the main character is terrified of them. the audience aren't aware of their gender, personality or background and we suggest that this character is someone they're not in the opening sequence.

Props/costumes: 

There will be very few props needed for our opening sequence as the whole scene takes place in one location. Props that will be needed are bloody clothing, a possible weapon and strands of hair. We will also need a prop for the third villain character to use as a weapon to knock on the window.

Again as there are so few characters the costumes only need to be simple. the leading female will possible need to wear casual clothes, maybe torn to suggest she's been in a struggle with blood spots, smudged make-up and her hair tousled as though suggesting something sinister has recently happened. The third villain character will also need costume to obscure their hand so it's unclear whether they are female or male.


Through the costume we can suggest that something is not right and drop subtle hints to the audience

Locations/Settings: 

The opening sequence takes place in one location. The scene takes place in a car, however it will need to be parked in a slightly deserted car park, however this will be easy to come across especially as the scene takes place late in the evening.