Institutional Research

Institutional Research

Big Talk Productions is a British film and television production company founded by Nira Park in 1995.
They have realised films such as 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Shaun of the Dead', these films are classed has a hybrid genre of comedy and thriller. Despite these films having comedy elements they still have the key genre of thriller therefore they could be a potential production company idea. Their website states that 'Comedy is, and always has been, the beating heart of Big Talk' therefore this production company may not be the best production company to sell our film too. http://www.bigtalkproductions.com/

Hammer is another more independent production company. http://www.hammerfilms.com/. Hammer is British film production company founded in 1934. They are known for their films which genres of science-fiction, thriller and comedies however their website shows clearly that the most popular genre is thriller due to their use of reds and scary images. Film's such as 'Dracula' and 'The Mummy' are two of the most popular films made with this production companies with elements of myths and history creating the current plot. The most recent film they have realised was the following the original  film of 'The Women in Black' called 'The Women in Black, Angle of Death' the film has made over $130m worldwide making it one of the biggest indie horror films ever therefore the success of pervious films allows our film to hopefully have a successful outcome due to the media success of the 'Hammer' name. They have worked with Warner Brothers to produce some of there films, Warner Brothers being on of the Big Three production companies based in America could suggest that our film could also be produced in America due to having links with Warner Brother. This production company will be more practical for our film because they realise thriller films therefore fans who know of the 'Hammer' production company will know of the companies genre and quality. It's collaboration with Warner Brother's will promote our film to venture across sea to America. We will use the following indent at the beginning of our film to allow the audience to understand the production companies and independent production companies which have come together to make our film. This will make a change to our story board as we now have decided to use indents which are more beneficial and link to our film genre and storyline. Hammer has quite a niche target audience therefore when we produce our film with this production company it'll be targeted at the right audience. With upcoming films in development such as 'Winchester Mystery House' and 'Shomer' it's clear the production company is still following the path of the thriller genre therefore this production company will still be suitable for our film genre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxjHcPnQUfQ

Warner Brothers is one of the Big Three Production companies founded in California America in 1923. Being a large production company they also specialise in realising video games and  television programmes. They realise a range of genre's due to their mass target audience. Due to their length of recognition everyone is familiar of Warner Brothers production market and their indent. Their indent is recognisable therefore to put this at the beginning of our film opening will allow the audience to see the mass production company which contribution into making the film as well as showing the independent production company. Being an America production company they are known across the world therefore if they realise our film it'll promote our film in other countries. The indent below will be at the beginning of our film opening before the independent indent because from our film research this seems to be a continues structure of portraying the indents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuYlC4itHpU

Target Audience Research

Target Audience Research

We created a survey to find out some market research about thriller films. We are yet unsure who our target audience is therefore looking at the age range and the viewing of thriller films to those who our taking our survey will help us to narrow down our target audience.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HNBTQVM

We asked 10 people to answer out survey the outcome was successful and the results are to follow.

From the result's it's clear that both females and males aged between 15-25 watch thriller films. Watching thriller films range across the year however the mode is fortnightly, however when it come's  to buying thriller films the mode is between monthly and yearly, suggesting more people go to the cinema to watch a movie or watch it on DVD rather than go out to buy a DVD.


The range of favourite Thriller films were massive however one theme within them all is the amount of action and suspense which was commented on. We have taken this into consideration when filming out opening because we need to make sure we create the same suspense and action like the other favourite triller films do.

There are many thriller conventions which we would like to portray in our opening. The conventions in which our survey highlight are our main focus as we want the audience to know the genre of the film. The main conventions are the climax and mystery of the film as well as the action between two characters. Stereotypically in thriller films there is a character who has had a bad past therefore we wanted to portray that in our film despite this not being the most popular chose of conventions.

Soundtrack and the use of silence where seen as the most popular ways to create suspense within a film. When editing our opening we need to make sure the silence moments are strong so when the soundtrack is added it creates the tension effect that something is about to happen.


The villain within a thriller film is stereotypically similar in all thriller films. Within the questionnaire we found that our target audience feel the villain would be a female character or some character shown at the beginning. Due to this being a stereotype anyway we had thought about this before the planning process this has shown to be a link to what the audience think therefore we believe this storyline will allow the audience to understand the plot as well as understand where the characters path lie. The hero on the other hand had the outcome from our questionnaire that it'll be a male character. In the first 2 minutes of the film it'll be hard to show what each character is going to be doing for the rest of the film however, we have a scene where the boy is waking up and looking at the picture of the missing girl, due to him being the fist character the audiences see's after the titles it is suggesting he has some importance to the story therefore suggesting he could be the hero.

From our research we have found out that we have created a story line which follows the stereotypes of a thriller film which will gives us hopefully a great outcome if it was to be realised in a mainstream cinema. The structure of our film won't need changing however we have decided when realising the film we are going to aim our target audience for both genders ages between 16-30 as these where the most positive and enthusiastic outcomes from our questionnaire. We also need to make sure within the editing process that the sound is effective with sudden loud noises in some places from a comfortable length of  silence to create suspense.

Strucuture of Filming

Structure of Filming

This is a story board from our 2 minutes opening of a thriller film. We created this to give us a clear structure of what we are going to film and when. We created this using images we have found on the internet to give us a idea of angles and shots. Despite the characters not looking like the actors we are going to use the images gives us a rough outcome as we can see the angles and structure of the story.

http://www.slideshare.net/bethanyhead/opening-story-board-57558675

We have created a time table in order to make the filming process organised and controlled. By organising the cast, location, dates and props the filming should be relaxed and organised because a full structure will be planned. When have speeded out the filming over 2 days due to the 2 different locations. We wanted to film each location on the same day as we will be using the natural light therefore if we go on a different day the lighting and weather may be different, allowing the audience to see that is was filmed on a different day. We will film any outside footage first again being of lighting, we are going to film the Bunker scene about 4 therefore it'll be getting dark but will be light enough for the camera to pick up the characters. Also we need to film the Bunker scene first because we need a group photo of the 4 characters in order for the next scene to make sense.

Contingency Date

If someone falls ill or the weather isn't able to film in, we will reschedule the filming day of the bunker scene to the 11th February and the house date to the 28th March in order to get the filming down quickly so the editing process can be down well in the time limit given. 

Costumes, Cast and Props for Filming

Costumes, Cast and Props

The members of in which we are going to use are locational friends and relatives.
We decided to chose 3 males and 1 female. We decided this because the female will look more vulnerable and out numbered where as the boys will look stronger and up for a laugh. The stereotypes of the male characters will juxtapose after they go into the Bunker. When the boys are in the Bunker they are just as scared as the female character.
The characters names are:
-Ayo
-Scott
-Kyan
-Charlotte
The character's wont have massive lines however we still need them to look like friends therefore that's why we chose a cast in which they all know each other.
The costumes we have chosen for each character show the year. Their 2003 clothes are different to their 2016 clothes.
The males will wear blue jeans with trainers and a jumper which can be of any colour, a role neck jumper will be ideal however if this is unable a normal jumper will still fit. The female character will wear a denim skirt with a plain black top with tights, ballet pumps and a denim jacket. These are the stereotypical clothes for these genders therefore will allow the audience to understand the gender and status of each character. Their clothing is relaxed however not so relaxed to make them look poor or low maintenance. The male characters are wearing similar clothing because it shows the mainstream fashion of the year as well as showing the male characters are all connected in some way.



There are only a few props in which we need in order to make the film have its full effect:
- Nokia phone with light: when in the bunker it'll be pitch black therefore a Nokia phone light will give off some light to allow the camera to pick up the characters and setting within the bunker. If one light isn't light enough we will give the other characters these phones too or add additional lighting from a torch or other phones which will follow the camera round.

-Photo frame with a photo of the cast- for the future scene a photo of the group of friends will need to be used to show the day as a memory. To do this we will need to take a photo of the 4 cast members together having a good time and put it in a photo frame in order for the male character to pick it up to show the relationship between the two scenes.

-When in the bunker loud noises will need to be made, as a group we have decided to add the sound's on after the shooting to make them louder and have a bigger impacted, these could be added through adding sound effects however they could also be made by slamming doors or making loud noises through hitting pans.

Location for Filming

Location

We have decided to use the location of a Bunker for the main part of our film opening. This location is set in the country side of Hartlip, in Gillingham, Kent. The country side emphasises the abandonees of the Bunker therefore making it look more creepy and mysterious. The abandon location has myths of being haunted therefore the tension within the atmosphere will make the characters quite scatty and jumpy therefore the naturalist acting will make the film look more realistic. Despite the Bunker being pitch black we will use a Nokia phone torch to create some light. We want minimal lighting to make shadows from surrounding doors and objects to look bigger however
we want enough light to see the objects and the expression on the characters faces and also when the light goes out there needs to be a bigger contrast. If the lighting is to dark then additional phone lights may need to be added however need to look like they are from the Nokia phone to make the light look natural. The setting of the Bunker is very minimal therefore giving the impression that they are alone.





The second location is at Ellie's house (Gillingham, Kent). We are using her house as it is neat and clean therefore it'll show a friendly environment. As the time period has past we need to show the boys are a bit older therefore their costume will change. The photo frame will be on a side within the house and the photo inside will be of the 4 characters The house walls are white with minimal colours therefore it is bright so the lighting will juxtapose from the last scene. It's not a massive distance from the Bunker to the house therefore they are assessable location's meaning film could be done on the same day. Despite being quite close the audience will be unaware of the second location therefore they won't know the distance between the two locations. This scene will be set in the morning therefore there will be already a large amount of natural lighting, so additional lighting shouldn't be needed however if we do a lamp or main light could be turned on.

Pitch Ideas

Pitch Ideas

Bunker: Teenagers go into an old bunker messing about and having a laugh only to find out it's haunted. The group of friends become spooked as they keep seeing shadows. As they run away trying to get out of the abandoned bunker, one of their friends can't get away and she is left behind. Now years later she's back to haunt those who didn't help her as is tries to get justice for the torcher she was left behind.
Opening: It'll be flash back which the subtitles will read. The scene will be in black and white to emphasis the year. A teenage group of mainly boys will be pushing each other and joking about, they fall across the abandoned Bunker and decided to explore for a 'joke'. Whilst looking around the bunker they keep hearing noises and sudden sounds, they then get to scared and run away. They leave one of the group members behind as they run for their lives and all of a sudden... a scream the friend is never to be seen again. The titles appear before a new image is shown of a city and a new modern date is read at the bottom and the image is in colour to show the film is continuing and time has passed. (Setting of Bunker below)

Stalker In the Woods: Two normal teenage sisters just having a spring day walk in the woods with Billy (the dog)... but they are not alone. Only to find themselves trapped in a nightmare waiting to happen. As they are followed and kidnapped by their stalker they do whatever they can trying to escape the dark prison... but only one will get away.
Opening: The two sisters will wake up and get ready. Flash cuts as the getting ready process will be quite long. They will start taking the dog for a walk before approaching the woods in which they enter. they are walking normally before realising they aren't allow in the woods as they keep hearing footsteps and rustle in the leaves. They start to play fetch with there dog however after the third throw the dog doesn't return and they hear it cry. Running to look for him they fall across the body remaining's of their beloved dog. (Setting below)

Diesel: You think that filling your car up is a simple task well not in Chatham... when Bella fill's her car up she comes across a mysterious looking male, he continues to have a shifty character who then trap's Bella and threatens to kill her.
Opening: The titles will show at the beginning. Bella will be shown at an office at work and her desk clock reading 22:29, when the clock hits 22:30 she jumps up and leaves work, her expression reading she is tired and upset. As she is shown getting into her car she drops her keys, emphasising her tiredness. She then when driving looks down at her fuel gage and it's on red. She pulls into a garage and fills her tank up. The camera is shifty as if from another person perspective (the stalker). As she is allow and tired she is very paranoid as it's dark, she goes into the shop to pay and as she looks out the window she believes she can see someone in the passenger seat. She runs out and the car is empty.

From the table above my group and I have come to the conclusion that we are going to use the storyline of the bunker. The location is assessable and despite the lack of light we believe we have come to the conclusion by adding lamps and torches to show the older time period as well as add light. The title of the film needs deciding however this is  not a priority at the moment. The structure of the film opening is going to be similar to the opening of 'X-Men' as this has a flash back from the past like our idea also includes.  



Other AS Media Opening Thrillers

Other AS Media Opening's

We looked at pass AS Media opening's of a thriller. This allowed us to see the standard and get a few ideas from others as well as give back critical feedback.

The first video we looked at was called ' Inner Evil', the overall film was good with a clear storyline. Throughout the 2 minute clip there were a few elements of strong editing such as continuity editing, panel shot and flashbacks however the editing technique which I felt had an effective effect was the slow motion when the flash backs were in process. The slow motion was showing the girl being grabbed however the effect which was given was quite sever as it showed the girl really struggling. The slow motion also allowed the image to double as it moved, this shows that the girl is trying to break few and the slow motion shows her facial expressions as she struggles to get air. This effect is good when trying to show an emotion of struggle but can also build tension as we (as an audience) are unaware of what will happen next. The title's of the film were at the end of the clip, even though the title is clear it makes the clip look a little like a trailer, to avoid this from happening there could be a few seconds after the title to show it is a film as it is continuing. A close up shot is used of the girls face when she is on the floor this is effective because it's not so close that we can see just the scar but it's close enough to show the pain she is going through as well as the injury she has on her forehead. The soundtrack which played throughout the 2 minuets was very effective because it linked with the mise-en-scene as well as set the mood. The sound was very slow but enchanting with louder elements which makes the audience feel uncomfortable as they are unaware when the need loud clap of sound will accrue. These loud claps accrue when the girl is having a flash back, the sound symbolises the sudden dark things which happen to her as the sound itself is dull and sudden. I like the idea that the music suddenly changes when she has a flash back, this is something to consider when creating my thriller opening because the music needs to match well with the video in order for it to give the right effect like it has done here. Despite the soundtrack being effective the same song was played through out and the sound became unaffected and too continuous, another thing is when the girl is walking out the door the light from the room vanishes and it becomes dark due to the camera focusing on the light which is coming through the door. To improve of this the camera needs to be focused so when the door opens it doesn't refocus. The overall film was very affective and a good influence on my film such as the slow motion editing which I will take into consideration when making my opening of a thriller.

The second film opening I looked at was called 'State of Mind'. This film opening wasn't as good as the first one however it does include a few elements in which I could use when creating my own piece. At the beginning of the scene the boy wakes up, and open's his pink floral curtains, the film genre is thriller therefore the house objects are stereotypically plain and settled however the boy had pink curtains which made the scene look slightly comical because the colour of the curtains were out of place from the stereotypical genre colours as well as the mood. Despite this the sound track which is playing in the background is quite repetitive and sounds a bit like a music box, music boxes are seen to be creepy and some even haunted therefore the music builds the tension to make the atmosphere scary. I like the sound track used however the voice over which is too added isn't very clear because the music is so powerful therefore the music could be turned down slightly when the voice over was present. When the boy was leaving in his car a high angle shot was used, this was effective because allowed us to see what car he had as well as allowing us to understand were he is going, the surroundings of his house are also shown through this shot therefore setting the location to the audience. This angle also makes it look as if someone from his own house is watching his suggesting he isn't safe in any area even the comfort of his home. Editing is used very well when he is walking in the street, he visualises his stalker walking down the road however a 'match on action shot' is used as when he bumps into him and turns round it is a different person walking away. This editing technique is very subtle which is effective as a few will pick up on this as they see the person change, however I feel this is quite a significant moment therefore I feel the change within the clothing on the two characters should be bigger as they are both in dark clothing therefore they look quite similar as the shot isn't massively long. At first I didn't even notice the change however after it was pointed out to me it became clear however I feel it should have been more clear from the start. The storyline of this opening is very clear however as first in the first scene it looked as if the 'stalker' was his friend though this substitution was corrected quite early on in the clip. Again the titles are at the end of the clip which makes it look a little bit like a trailer, to prevent this a few seconds of footage should be shown after to make it look as if the film will carry on. 

Prelim Video 'What's Yours is Mine'

Prelim Video

With Ayo and Ellie we created a prelim video.
We started by discussing a storyline, we came to the conclusion that we would create a clip which involved Ayo stealing food from the Dina. With that story plot in mind we created a storyboard (above) with shot's in which we could possibly use when filming. We went to start filming we decided to not have a long shot of the school because we didn't want to make it have to much of a school setting, we would rather imply it was set in the school from the natural setting than enforce the setting by having that image. The rest of the filming process however followed the storyline. We filmed some scenes over more than once to insure we had the best outcome. When filming the 'match on action' shot we had Ayo pause as I came round the with camera to the other side to show the movement following, I didn't find filming the shot overly difficult however I was important that the sequence of movements flowed well. After film we uploaded the videos onto IMovie.
In IMovie we could edit and make the videos one mini movie. We started by dragging down each single video in order, by dragging the video left or right we could make the video shorter to get only the right footage we needed. After all the videos were cut and put in order we played it through, we found there was a lot of background sound throughout therefore decided we needed to add music which was on our original plan. We imported a soundtrack from ITunes called 'Fuck the Police', we decided this song would be suitable from this piece because the lyrics of the song are about going against what is right and breaking the law, which is the case in our scene. We added sound to the beginning of the video and muted any video sound which was already on the video to make the song sound clearer. The music plays until Ayo takes out his head phones then the music slowly merges out to give the effect that the music was coming from the head phones. A discussion is then in place between Ellie and Ayo, a shot reverse shot and a panelling shot is used whilst the two have the conversation, the 180 degree rule is used here to prevent the audience getting the effect that the room is spinning. After editing I found the 180 degree rule wasn't done to it's full extent therefore when doing my Thriller opening I need to make sure that each film technique is showed clearly. after the conversation had finished Ayo steals the food and runs away. Another match on action shot is used when Ayo runs out the door to show him pushing the door but then him running away. We decided to add the sound track back in here to foreshadow what he has done is wrong as well as this soundtrack now symbolising his character. After editing the video's a title page was needed, by adding in a black background and selecting the text, we decided to call the film 'What's Yours is mine'. We chose this title as a pun of what everyone else can have so can he however it is a twist on what is right and what isn't in terms of his stealing. While the titles are being played we had the music playing still, the lyrics which play whilst the titles are appear contain a swear word, this enforces the idea of a 'villain' as such because what he is doing is wrong. We decided to use Ayo as the thief and not Ellie or myself because stereotypically men even more so ethic men steal, therefore we decided to follow this stereotype to make the audience aware and clear of the structure and plot of the story.
Below is our final outcome, I hope you enjoy our mini film.