Today we started to film our opening sequence.
So far we have filmed from 1.00pm until 4.30!!!
We will need to film the rest of it at some other point as we could not get permission on this day to film at the train station.
It worked very well and we got a reasonable amount of shots done
Jack was acting in the piece and Ross Arran and I were working on the lighting, camera work and directing duties.
All in all we had a successful and constructive day!!!
Hollie, jack Arran and Ross
thriller Ideas
a few original ideas of what our thriller should have... by Hollie
thriller mind map
mind map of ideas for our thriller piece.. by Hollie
a few sketches of our ideas
drawings by hollie editing by ross
Possible Title Ideas
a few ideas for possible title fonts from dafont.com.. by Hollie
Southern Rail contact Details
the card given to Jack and Arran
letter to southern rail
a letter from andrew mann to explain our reasons for wanting to use the station for filming.. by Hollie
image of location.
ross's images...we will set up the camera so that the house in the background cannot be seen when we film
damn sexy!
our amazing group.... jack photoshopped in because he was taking the picture.
Story Board.. drawn by jack...by hollie
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Story boards
during the allocated planning time we had before half term
we each drew up a story board as we had done for the preliminary exercise
this way we had lots of ideas as to what we could do, in the way of shots, angles and movement.
when we had decided on our ideas, jack drew up a draft story board to show to our tutor, Andrew Mann. however, Andrew has said that it needs to have more detail, so we are in the process of tweaking it to make it better.
we will soon be producing an animatic which we will post on our blog
Hollie
x
we each drew up a story board as we had done for the preliminary exercise
this way we had lots of ideas as to what we could do, in the way of shots, angles and movement.
when we had decided on our ideas, jack drew up a draft story board to show to our tutor, Andrew Mann. however, Andrew has said that it needs to have more detail, so we are in the process of tweaking it to make it better.
we will soon be producing an animatic which we will post on our blog
Hollie
x
Thursday, 12 February 2009
2nd textual Analysis of a thriller opening sequence. The sequence I have chosen is a two minute clip from ‘One Hour Photo’.
In the sequence camera work, mise en scene, editing and sound help to establish the situation and character in the opening two minutes. The opening raises many questions which intrigue the viewer and make them want to continue watching. It does this in a variety of ways, one of which is the mise en scene of the main character, as he does not appear to be the type of person who should be in the situation that he is in.
The representation of the main character in the sequence depicts a balding man. He first appears as the camera processes a picture of him. It appears in segments creating suspense as at first it does not show the viewer who this person is. It then becomes apparent that the man is in custody. This creates a feeling of dislike in the viewer as he is a criminal. However, his appearance does not show the stereotypical view of a person who is likely to break the law. His appearance is rather ‘geeky’ as he is balding and has large glasses with high waisted trousers. It gives the impression that he is quite weak and pathetic and also all his clothes are synthetic in textures making them look quite cheap, again hinting that he is weak and pathetic so it is hard to tell why such a frail man would be in prison.
Another reason as to why the viewer sees him as quite a ‘geek’ is the dialogue. This is because as the police officer tells him to ‘turn to the right’ he gets confused. This makes him look quite quirky and awkward, it again gives the viewer the feeling that he could not have done any thing bad but he obviously has as he is in prison. This gives the viewer a feeling of enigma about him and intrigue as you want to continue watching to find out what he has done.
The setting is completely white; it does not contain any clues at first as to where it is. There is a close up of a machine which then flashes so it becomes apparent that it is a camera. Although, it is still not clear as to where it is so there is an element of mystery to it. As you then seen the police man and the main character it becomes apparent that this man has been arrested and there is also more intrigue for the viewer as they want to find out what this man has done to be arrested.
The completely white background also creates a contrast as white is often associated with purity and goodness, however, as this is in a police cell it contrasts as the people that are in prison are usually bad and impure. These characteristics are usually synonymous with darkness and black. The contrast works well as there is also a contrast between the main character who has been arrested and the stereotypical view of what a convict looks like. As said before his appearance is quite weak and pathetic so the viewer would not at first think he is a criminal. This contrast works well at creating enigma in the scene as it is clear that something is not normal about the character or the situation that he is in.
During the editing process the editors have spent a great deal of time looking at the shapes involved in the sequence. For example, a lot of rectangles are used in the sequence. This is done so that the shots have the same dimensions as a photo. This works well as the main theme of the movie is a man who works in a photo development store and then stalks a family. Although, this does not create suspense to the viewer, it is a very clever way of portraying the main themes of the movie in subtle way.
Another aspect of the sequence is the use of sound, primarily; there is no sound apart from diagetic sounds. Silence is used very well as it is so quiet that it is almost suffocating to the viewer, this creates the feeling of intensity and a feeling of enigma. The silence creates a foreboding atmosphere that puts the audience on edge and makes them think that something bad is about to happen. The silence also creates unease about the main character, as he is obviously a criminal, the silence makes him seem sinister even though his appearance contradicts this.
In conclusion, the camera work, mise en scene, editing and sound effects of the sequence create lots of suspense and tension in the viewer as well as raising many questions which may be answered later on. For example, the man’s weak appearance does not suggest he is a criminal. This keeps the viewer guessing as to what is going on and later on in the sequence, and what the man has done. The slow passed nature of the opening and suffocating silence suggest a sinister and well planned crime has been committed by the man and this is one of the key themes to the thriller. The viewers then want to watch on to find out who this antagonist is and what he has done as it is shrouded in mystery.
Hollie
The representation of the main character in the sequence depicts a balding man. He first appears as the camera processes a picture of him. It appears in segments creating suspense as at first it does not show the viewer who this person is. It then becomes apparent that the man is in custody. This creates a feeling of dislike in the viewer as he is a criminal. However, his appearance does not show the stereotypical view of a person who is likely to break the law. His appearance is rather ‘geeky’ as he is balding and has large glasses with high waisted trousers. It gives the impression that he is quite weak and pathetic and also all his clothes are synthetic in textures making them look quite cheap, again hinting that he is weak and pathetic so it is hard to tell why such a frail man would be in prison.
Another reason as to why the viewer sees him as quite a ‘geek’ is the dialogue. This is because as the police officer tells him to ‘turn to the right’ he gets confused. This makes him look quite quirky and awkward, it again gives the viewer the feeling that he could not have done any thing bad but he obviously has as he is in prison. This gives the viewer a feeling of enigma about him and intrigue as you want to continue watching to find out what he has done.
The setting is completely white; it does not contain any clues at first as to where it is. There is a close up of a machine which then flashes so it becomes apparent that it is a camera. Although, it is still not clear as to where it is so there is an element of mystery to it. As you then seen the police man and the main character it becomes apparent that this man has been arrested and there is also more intrigue for the viewer as they want to find out what this man has done to be arrested.
The completely white background also creates a contrast as white is often associated with purity and goodness, however, as this is in a police cell it contrasts as the people that are in prison are usually bad and impure. These characteristics are usually synonymous with darkness and black. The contrast works well as there is also a contrast between the main character who has been arrested and the stereotypical view of what a convict looks like. As said before his appearance is quite weak and pathetic so the viewer would not at first think he is a criminal. This contrast works well at creating enigma in the scene as it is clear that something is not normal about the character or the situation that he is in.
During the editing process the editors have spent a great deal of time looking at the shapes involved in the sequence. For example, a lot of rectangles are used in the sequence. This is done so that the shots have the same dimensions as a photo. This works well as the main theme of the movie is a man who works in a photo development store and then stalks a family. Although, this does not create suspense to the viewer, it is a very clever way of portraying the main themes of the movie in subtle way.
Another aspect of the sequence is the use of sound, primarily; there is no sound apart from diagetic sounds. Silence is used very well as it is so quiet that it is almost suffocating to the viewer, this creates the feeling of intensity and a feeling of enigma. The silence creates a foreboding atmosphere that puts the audience on edge and makes them think that something bad is about to happen. The silence also creates unease about the main character, as he is obviously a criminal, the silence makes him seem sinister even though his appearance contradicts this.
In conclusion, the camera work, mise en scene, editing and sound effects of the sequence create lots of suspense and tension in the viewer as well as raising many questions which may be answered later on. For example, the man’s weak appearance does not suggest he is a criminal. This keeps the viewer guessing as to what is going on and later on in the sequence, and what the man has done. The slow passed nature of the opening and suffocating silence suggest a sinister and well planned crime has been committed by the man and this is one of the key themes to the thriller. The viewers then want to watch on to find out who this antagonist is and what he has done as it is shrouded in mystery.
Hollie
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Script
in our opening there will only be one character who is actually present, Mark Wren, although his girl firend, Hannah Ewing, will be shown but only in a picture... therefore there is not much need for a script as the main character will not be intereacting with any one... he will be alone as he is in danger
this means that we have not developed a script as such as we feel a combination of eerie music and silence will work well to create the feeling of enigma and suspense.
also as it is only the opening to a thriller we do not want to bombard the audience with too many characters all at once and feel it is important to introduce the protagonist first.
Hollie
x
this means that we have not developed a script as such as we feel a combination of eerie music and silence will work well to create the feeling of enigma and suspense.
also as it is only the opening to a thriller we do not want to bombard the audience with too many characters all at once and feel it is important to introduce the protagonist first.
Hollie
x
Location Scouting
we have decided to use a run down and abandoned shack close to wiversfield station.
Ross has spoken to the people who own the land in which the shack is on and they have agreed to let us film our media piece there. ross also took some location scouting pictures of the shack and surrounding areas... which are now on our blog
Hollie
x
Ross has spoken to the people who own the land in which the shack is on and they have agreed to let us film our media piece there. ross also took some location scouting pictures of the shack and surrounding areas... which are now on our blog
Hollie
x
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
letter to southern rail
we have asked our subject tutor, Andrew Mann, to produce a letter to southern rail explaining that we are media studies students from haywards heath college and that we are interested in filming at the stationa dn possibly on a train... we have already enquired to the station who have given us contact details for thier manager, we are hoping this letter will aid our enquiry and inform the rail way workers of who we are and what we are doing.
also the letter states that as a health and saftey precaution we would like to have a safety talk with a southern staff member to ensure that every thing is in order.
there is a picture of the letter availible at the top of the blog.
Hollie.
also the letter states that as a health and saftey precaution we would like to have a safety talk with a southern staff member to ensure that every thing is in order.
there is a picture of the letter availible at the top of the blog.
Hollie.
trip to the station
group members arron and jack took a trip down to haywards heath station to recive some form of permision to film on the station as if we just starting filming there, there would be ishues, so they found a member of staff and asked what they should do he replyed that he would need to speek to the manager, although he wasnt in and no one was sure when he would return his best advise was to contact the number on the card and ask for permishon from there so this is what we intend to do
p.s theres a scan in of the card above go up there and have a nosie ;)
from ross x
p.s theres a scan in of the card above go up there and have a nosie ;)
from ross x
Misery opening
Misery opening
Misery, directed by Rob Reiner, is a 1990 American thriller based on the novel by Stephen King. From the opening scene we gather that the main character is an author by the name of Paul Sheldon. The props used imply that he is dedicated to writing and reasonably successful as he keeps a good bottle f Champaign on ice, one cigarette and one match for when he finishes. We get the impression that this is a tradition of his. Other indications of him being fairly successful would be his car, which is a mustang. He well-dressed and middle aged but the silence along with the occasional piece of cold ambient music seem to suggest a bit of loneliness and how cold his surroundings are.
From the first two minutes Misery doesn’t come across as a typical thriller. His house is well lit and colourful. This however is contrasted when he drives out to publish his book. The weather becomes a blizzard and it gets darker. There is suddenly a lack of colour, however it doesn’t have much affect on us as the audience because the music is very happy and up beat. We get the impression the sound is diegetic, maybe from the car radio, as the character taps along on the steering wheel. We don’t get the full effect of dark and empty colourless surrounding until the car crashes and silence sets in. A cold mountain wind can be heard quietly. This is all very sudden and the mood changes completely. This very effective and leaves the audience suddenly worried and wanting to know what’ll happen next.
After watching the trailer it is obvious that a contrast is what was aimed for in this opening of the film. The main character, who is more of a victim than a protagonist, throws a snowball at a tree and say “ive still got it”. This is very ironic because we can see that his life goes from relative luxury and independence, to a long horrific and dependent existence after the crash.
The setting of the film is perfect for the mood. The cold desert emphasises the themes of loneliness gives the whole film a cold feel. The trailer also reveals how the plot changes. Strangely a woman who seems to be a heroin and save the mans life, quickly changes into a sick and mentally insecure capturer. At the beginning she seems perfectly fine and we are obviously not aware of her obsession with paul sheldons books. These sudden twists are what make thrillers so enjoyable and full of suprises and are the key to making a good one.
It is clever how just two minuets in we can already come to so many conclusions about the characters wealth, job and tastes however we are still unsure as to the main ideas of the film. Obviously the car crash is going to be important but this lack of understanding and making us think is what makes it such an effective thriller.
Arran Fitzgerald
Misery, directed by Rob Reiner, is a 1990 American thriller based on the novel by Stephen King. From the opening scene we gather that the main character is an author by the name of Paul Sheldon. The props used imply that he is dedicated to writing and reasonably successful as he keeps a good bottle f Champaign on ice, one cigarette and one match for when he finishes. We get the impression that this is a tradition of his. Other indications of him being fairly successful would be his car, which is a mustang. He well-dressed and middle aged but the silence along with the occasional piece of cold ambient music seem to suggest a bit of loneliness and how cold his surroundings are.
From the first two minutes Misery doesn’t come across as a typical thriller. His house is well lit and colourful. This however is contrasted when he drives out to publish his book. The weather becomes a blizzard and it gets darker. There is suddenly a lack of colour, however it doesn’t have much affect on us as the audience because the music is very happy and up beat. We get the impression the sound is diegetic, maybe from the car radio, as the character taps along on the steering wheel. We don’t get the full effect of dark and empty colourless surrounding until the car crashes and silence sets in. A cold mountain wind can be heard quietly. This is all very sudden and the mood changes completely. This very effective and leaves the audience suddenly worried and wanting to know what’ll happen next.
After watching the trailer it is obvious that a contrast is what was aimed for in this opening of the film. The main character, who is more of a victim than a protagonist, throws a snowball at a tree and say “ive still got it”. This is very ironic because we can see that his life goes from relative luxury and independence, to a long horrific and dependent existence after the crash.
The setting of the film is perfect for the mood. The cold desert emphasises the themes of loneliness gives the whole film a cold feel. The trailer also reveals how the plot changes. Strangely a woman who seems to be a heroin and save the mans life, quickly changes into a sick and mentally insecure capturer. At the beginning she seems perfectly fine and we are obviously not aware of her obsession with paul sheldons books. These sudden twists are what make thrillers so enjoyable and full of suprises and are the key to making a good one.
It is clever how just two minuets in we can already come to so many conclusions about the characters wealth, job and tastes however we are still unsure as to the main ideas of the film. Obviously the car crash is going to be important but this lack of understanding and making us think is what makes it such an effective thriller.
Arran Fitzgerald
station
Jack And Arran went to discuss permision for filming at the Haywards Heath Train Station today and spoke to a man at the kiosk, he told us that it would have to be discussed with the manager himself and provided us with a card that contained numbers for all the customer services and pointed out the numbers we would need to call.
-Jack and Arran
-Jack and Arran
Titles
the title for our piece is going to be 'Missing' we thought this was a good title as it sums up the main ideas of the film.
Perhaps the titles could be distorted or scratchy? Maybe they could flicker or something to make a sinister feel as if something bad was to happen?
we think this would be a good idea.. we have got a picture of some example titles which i think could work well.
Hollie
Perhaps the titles could be distorted or scratchy? Maybe they could flicker or something to make a sinister feel as if something bad was to happen?
we think this would be a good idea.. we have got a picture of some example titles which i think could work well.
Hollie
The Blurb
Plot Summary:
After suffering a near fatal accident six years ago, Mark Wren is starting to get his life back on track. There is just one problem, every body he knows has started to go missing and he has gone into hiding to protect himself from this unseen force.
It started just after he was released from hospital after the accident. First acquaintances and distant friends started to disappear, slowly moving in on his close circle of family and friends. There have been no leads as to why these people have gone missing but after the disappearance of Mark’s old girlfriend, he decides that it is up to him to solve why every one he knows and loves has gone!!!
we decided to use this story line as we thought it showed good aspects of a thriller movie. it will make the viewer want to watch on and find out why every oe is going missing.
I pitched this idea to a few other students who also studied media, but were in different groups to me... they thought that it was a very good idea for a story synopsis and also said that it would make them want to watch the rest of the movie!!
the reason why all the people have gone missing could be because of the accident he was involved in six years ago, perhaps he could have found out something about a dangerous person who is now targeting him because of what happened on the night of the accident and what he saw... however, he cannot remember what has happened and so cannot understand why everyone he knows has gone missing. the story will be him trying to find out who and why these people are missing and what he stumbled into on the night of the accident.
Hollie
After suffering a near fatal accident six years ago, Mark Wren is starting to get his life back on track. There is just one problem, every body he knows has started to go missing and he has gone into hiding to protect himself from this unseen force.
It started just after he was released from hospital after the accident. First acquaintances and distant friends started to disappear, slowly moving in on his close circle of family and friends. There have been no leads as to why these people have gone missing but after the disappearance of Mark’s old girlfriend, he decides that it is up to him to solve why every one he knows and loves has gone!!!
we decided to use this story line as we thought it showed good aspects of a thriller movie. it will make the viewer want to watch on and find out why every oe is going missing.
I pitched this idea to a few other students who also studied media, but were in different groups to me... they thought that it was a very good idea for a story synopsis and also said that it would make them want to watch the rest of the movie!!
the reason why all the people have gone missing could be because of the accident he was involved in six years ago, perhaps he could have found out something about a dangerous person who is now targeting him because of what happened on the night of the accident and what he saw... however, he cannot remember what has happened and so cannot understand why everyone he knows has gone missing. the story will be him trying to find out who and why these people are missing and what he stumbled into on the night of the accident.
Hollie
Characters
Character:
Lone man
Concealed identity
Strong
Business man/ going to work
Living in derelict shack
Name: Mark Wren
We have decided to use only one character for the opening... he will be the protagonist of the story so we feel it is important to introduce him early on in the story. this will introduce his situation and the fact that something is wrong with his situation and something very abnormal is happening in his life that he will have to resolve.
Hollie
Lone man
Concealed identity
Strong
Business man/ going to work
Living in derelict shack
Name: Mark Wren
We have decided to use only one character for the opening... he will be the protagonist of the story so we feel it is important to introduce him early on in the story. this will introduce his situation and the fact that something is wrong with his situation and something very abnormal is happening in his life that he will have to resolve.
Hollie
new ideas for our story
Ideas for our opening piece:
• Man doing general routine in the morning.
• Getting up and getting ready
• Going to the train station
• Getting on a train
• Looking through window
• Walking out of station
• Stop to look at missing poster
• He pulls out picture of him and girl together
• Goes home and puts poster on his wall
• He steps back/ zooms out to reveal a whole wall of posters
we thought this would create a feeling of suspense as this man is getting ready in a really run down shack which makes the veiwer feel as though some thing must be wrong as he looks like a buisseness man but he is in such a run down area.
another thing which will create enigma is the fact that this man has a whole wall of missing posters... mystery is created by the fact that he appears to know all these people as he has pictures of him with the people.
we thought this would work well as it would make the viewer want to watch on to see why these people are missing and what he has to do with it.
Hollie
• Man doing general routine in the morning.
• Getting up and getting ready
• Going to the train station
• Getting on a train
• Looking through window
• Walking out of station
• Stop to look at missing poster
• He pulls out picture of him and girl together
• Goes home and puts poster on his wall
• He steps back/ zooms out to reveal a whole wall of posters
we thought this would create a feeling of suspense as this man is getting ready in a really run down shack which makes the veiwer feel as though some thing must be wrong as he looks like a buisseness man but he is in such a run down area.
another thing which will create enigma is the fact that this man has a whole wall of missing posters... mystery is created by the fact that he appears to know all these people as he has pictures of him with the people.
we thought this would work well as it would make the viewer want to watch on to see why these people are missing and what he has to do with it.
Hollie
Monday, 9 February 2009
original ideas for our story
Ideas for our piece:
• Woman doing general routine in the morning.
• Getting up and getting ready
• Going to the train station
• Getting on a train
• Looking through window
• Walking out of station
• Past poster
• Zoom in on ‘missing poster’
Don’t get to see the woman’s face properly just snippets of her to create questions as to whether she’s the one that missing E.G. seeing he feet getting onto the train/ the back of her head as she is waiting/ silhouette as she walks through tunnel out of station/ glimpse of her face in the reflection from window???
this was our original idea for our story, however, there are a few flaws witht the oringinal ideas... the begining does not really create enigma because there is nothing out of the ordinary in the opening.. also our idea of consealing the girls identity was a bad idea because the audience will not make the connection of her being the one thats missing... so we have decided to have a rethink of our ideas and come up with a different plot idea.
hollie
• Woman doing general routine in the morning.
• Getting up and getting ready
• Going to the train station
• Getting on a train
• Looking through window
• Walking out of station
• Past poster
• Zoom in on ‘missing poster’
Don’t get to see the woman’s face properly just snippets of her to create questions as to whether she’s the one that missing E.G. seeing he feet getting onto the train/ the back of her head as she is waiting/ silhouette as she walks through tunnel out of station/ glimpse of her face in the reflection from window???
this was our original idea for our story, however, there are a few flaws witht the oringinal ideas... the begining does not really create enigma because there is nothing out of the ordinary in the opening.. also our idea of consealing the girls identity was a bad idea because the audience will not make the connection of her being the one thats missing... so we have decided to have a rethink of our ideas and come up with a different plot idea.
hollie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
shooting day :D
our out side time laps of the the college had to enter in the clouds as there were none there
our group on location scouting loking for prime locations dont worry the bear was tame :D
story board part 1
our finalised story board!!!
story board part 2
the second part of out storyboard
