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.

Opening of a Thriller- The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises

In The Dark Knight rises the opening scene is set on a plane. This alone shows power because to own or control an aeroplane you need to have a lot of money and money stereotypically shows power, also many people are scared of heights therefore suggesting that the suggested protagonist is trying to scare his prisoners.

A mid-shot is used within this clip to show the impact of the masked man. Despite him being the only one talking his mask is quite disturbing, this costume idea makes him look quite evil as the mask design is of two claws going into each other. The claws suggest they fight back and like the position of the hand rip things apart, this makes the character look evil and looks as if they would play the 'villain' role, this however is a stereotype. The hidden identity behind the mask makes him look very secretive and mysterious, from the unknown curiosity the audience are aware the film is a thriller genre therefore when creating my thriller it may be an idea to use a mask to create a mystery.

The accent of the voice of the prisoner is very deep and slow this again adheres the stereotype of a villain, even though he is tied up it is suggested it was part of the plan or something is about to happen. His deep tone makes him sound powerful and confident as to is also very clear, this suggests he is about to do something to get himself free because of his bold voice.

An establishing shot is used at the beginning of the scene, the image is of the mountains and a small white aeroplane drifting between them. This shot is used because it creates the impact of the distance from the plan to the edge of the mountain which creates the suspense in the next clip when the prisoners heads are out the aeroplane door. This makes the audience feel sympathetic to the prisons straight away, this subverts the stereotypical villain because normal there hate towards them however they've been put in the wrong role at this stage of the film.  

Continuity editing is used throughout the scene because it shows the story of what is happening. This whole scene itself is 2 minuets however within this short period a man has died and a bass quest has been et by on of the characters. The continuity editing shows how quickly this happens. When creating my film I need to remember that even though I need to include titles I could possible pack in quite a lot of depth in term of the characters story within this time period. This term of editing means that the scene flows continuously without fast forwarding or rewinding the scene. 

Scenes which create suspense- Black Swan

Black Swan

In the film 'Black Swan' suspense is created to make it look like the main character (Nina) the chosen black swan is going insane and can’t control herself. 

In one scene a hand held camera is used when other members of the dance community are hugging Nina in congratulations on her position. This camera technique is used because it shows her being pushed from one pupil to the other and creates suspense that she is losing control because the camera shoot was very chaotic.  The girl now looks very venerable because she is unable to control herself. The camera shot is constantly moving therefore suggesting the girl is over welled with the news or very disappointed and she now could be hallucinating creating the effect that she is weak. A weak character is stereotypically an easier target for a criminal therefore creating the suspense that something could shortly happen to her because of her timid character. When Nina is informing her Mum on her role the expression and atmosphere is very settled however a sudden loud 'boom' is let off as Nina opens the toilet door. This sudden noise juxuposes the before atmosphere therefore creating suspense on the audience as they are unaware on what has happened. This contrast in sound also makes the audience a bit edgy as it could have made them jump, it is very common in thriller films that when something bad is occurring or is about to happen the tempo and loudness of the music becomes quick and deep to big the suspense, this technique is used in this certain scene. This sudden change of music follows this contention of a thriller as the camera then uses a panelling shot to show the word written on the mirror 'whore' in red lipstick. Where Nina is in a venerable positions at this set of mind she is very scared about what has just happened however it creates suspense on the audience because they are unaware on who had done this and why. It is suggested that because she had got the main part there would be many other girls in the dance school which would be jealous for not getting the main role therefore it could be another one. However this scene is at the beginning of the film therefore only a few characters which have been introduced therefore it narrows down the options. The actual word 'whore' is quite offensive especially to a virgin therefore it makes her even more venerable but also creates the suspense that people are out to get her making the suspense grow as Nina is being marginalised. 

The second scene was shown in the middle of the film. In this scene another close up is used however in this shot the image Nina is shown ripping the skin around her nail, this then leads into the whole finger skin bleeding. The close up creates suspense because the audience can see the graphic image of the skin. This allows the audience to show her pain as having loose skin around your nail is quite a common but painful thing, when blood is shown in any circumstance then it shows pain, blood and death. Pain is a common theme within this film because Nina is in pain within her actions and choses. As this image is so graphic the audience will feel uncomfortable and some maybe feeling a bit ill however the editing technique of quick cutting is used as the finger is moved under the running water from the tap. The shot if the bleeding finger is held for approximately 3 seconds then it quickly cuts to it being under the pure water, this is to relax the audience however it creates suspense because the water under her finger is running clear where as if her finger was bleeding it would have a tint of red in it. The purity of the water puts the audience at ease as the film in a thriller not a horror therefore the horrific images aren't meant to be a massive convention. This whole scene itself is set in the bathroom, Nina is wearing a white dress, this highlights that she had the lead role of being the swan, swans are mainly white therefore it foreshadows her having this swan role. The other female character in the toilets is wearing a black dress, this suggests to the audience that she is the dark character who could possibly be the black swan, this contrast within dress colours creates suspense. Throughout the film there is someone who is out to get Nina therefore because she is wearing a black dress it is suggestive to the audience that it is her now she is own her own she is more venerable as she now has no one to help her. Throughout this scene the soundtrack is played at a consistently throughout the scene with only additional high notes here and there. This high notes create suspense because every time one is present something bad happens therefore the audience will be waiting for the next high note to appear to commence the negative/ terrible thing. This technique is shown throughout the whole film.

The last scene was set on the stage near the end of the film, the power of her having the lead role is at its full and she is hallucinating the night before the premiere. It starts with her rehearsing in the mirrored room, when the lights go out a massive diegetic 'boom' is realised. This creates suspense because the audience are unaware of who done it and why did they do it if they were aware that someone was in there way would they. This confuses Nina and she becomes a bit sceptic and venerable the audience too feel quite scared and fidgety because the not knowing the unknown is quite agitating and confusing. Nina then goes onto the stage, here she sees through the wings her dance teacher becoming intimate with one of the dancers (the one she was talking to earlier on in the film). A close up is used on the teachers face as he transforms into the swan. This creates suspense because Nina has become so involved into her role she is starting to relate the play to reality, her hallucinating mind sees the teacher as the crow from the storyline, the way Nina has become so addictive to her role is almost scary to the audience because they can see she is becoming ill just from a dream she loves. A long shot is then used; the image within this shot is Nina stood singly on stage. The stage is her comfort zone because of her career however here she looks venerable and weak because of the proportion size between her and the stage. This long shot shows her looking small therefore increasing the amount of venerability put on her, this build suspense because the audience are becoming worried about her body language and her state of mind, they can see from this one shot she is looking lost and weak.  To show her mind becoming even more distracted a hand held shot it used while she runs off the stage away from the 'crow'. This hand held shot shows the chaotic atmosphere and the distress the female is going through because the image isn't fully clear, also it emphases the fact she is running. 

Film Opening Titles

Film Opening Titles

Looking at 3 different movies it is clearer to me now how titles are presented within different type of films.
We started with the film titled 'Begin Again'. At the very beginning of the film as like the majority of all films the ident's were presented, there were 4 ident's in this certain film. After that the audience were presented with a black screen, here the titles of the production companies dissolved in and out in white writing- the white writing allowing the information to stand out as it is a contrast to the background. The film begins, after 3 minuets into the opening scene the titles of the 2 main starts are presented to start off the sequence of credit titles. The titles of the main stars are normally presented at the beginning of the title sequence because it tends to go in order of payment, the highest paid going first. 4 minuets into the film the title was finally shown, however it was still in the same font and size as the titles this shows that for that production company, the title of the film isn't massively important, in fact it is the storyline/ narrative which is more important. Finally 6 minuets into the films the last title is shown. Despite being the sequence being put in highest payment the writer and director was placed last to conclude the sequence because it was central unlike the others it shows it's importance and status to the film production.  From this film it is clear that not all the titles if any will be shown within my 2 minuet opening as a small scene is sown first to settle the audience into the film.
The second film we looked at was called 'The Talented Mr Ripley' this film genre is a thriller therefore it is similar for something which will be created in the near future. Like the previous film discussed the film started with indents however in this film there are only 2. Again the black background and white writing is used to show the credit's, this technique is seeming to be quite popular. The back background slowly lose stripes which revealed the first image at 1 minuet 30 seconds. The other titles where then continued by colour stripes which would appear either across or long the main shot. The order of titles was again celebrities first however the director where before the celebrities in this case. From this film I can see titles can be added at the very start of the film however the title of the film was shown at the end therefore the titles were more important than the actual film name itself.
The final film we looked at was the famous 'The Hunger Games'. The titles of this film were no existence. First there were 2 indent's which weren't followed by titles but a brief narrative of the storyline in which the words 'The Hunger Games' were shown and the other words around it dissolved showing the title of the film. The actual footage of the film then became, after 10 minuets in there still were no sign of titles at all. Therefore when creating my opening of a film I don't actually have to include the titles at all, in fact I could argue that I would have all the titles as credits at the end of the film. The way the titles aren't shown allows the audience to get engrossed with the film straight away within the titles wasting time as not everyone like to read the titles and prefer to get straight into the storyline. This technique is becoming more common in today's modern films therefore this is something to consider when creating my film.
I'm still yet to decide what my film will be about however when creating a storyboard I will need to think about weather I want titles to be present and which ones or weather or not to even include these. I think however without going into to much depth some titles will be shown as it'll allow the audience to see the celebrities/ cast members and the most important members of the production company.

Conventions of a thriller- X-Men

Conventions of a Thriller

Within this clip from X-Men, there are elements which allows the audience to question the storyline as well as understand it is a thriller film.

A close up is used of the young boys hand, this is a powerful shot as it symbolises to the audience that something is very significant about this hand. His powers are suggested to be coming from this shot as it is a close up. If the shot was a mid-shot or a long shot it wouldn't be as clear to the audience what and where the action was coming from, as it is already the audience are confused on why and where these powers have suddenly come from. The boy is realising a magnetic field from his fingers which is shown through this camera frame and added non-diegetic sound. From this single shot the audience can see his hands are very small and fragile therefore emphasising he is young and pure, the boy is wearing fingerless gloves, this item of clothing is very significant. Where the fingers are missing they are opening the bare skinned fingers therefore when the close up is put in place it is suggested the power is coming from his finger tips other than he whole hand. The power shown from the child suggests he is evil as he contains this power he cannot control, this subverts the stereotype of a children as they are stereotypically seen as sweet and innocent.

The editing technique used in this scene is referring back to the power from the hand a slow motion technique is used. This is to create the effect that waves are coming from his fingers, the power from this slow motion shows how quickly something changes in such a short space of time. The boy is controlling the gate with his finger therefore the slow motion creates the effect he has strength.

When the young boy is using his power's diegetic sound is added to make the young boy to sound more powerful. This sound is edited on because it is louder and more pricing than how it actually would sound, this has the effect that he is stronger and exaggerates he is contorting the fence. The sound suggests his powers are some sort of a magnetic field. The piercing sound creates the effect that the gates are heavy and makes the audience feel awkward as the sound is uncomfortable this a convention of thriller because it makes the audience feel out of place and build's the tension. The sound shows the gates are being crunched up, when removing the sound the scene is very bland as the sound of rain is removed too. The rain effect is called pathetic fallacy as it sets the mood however with the additional sound of the gates the mood/ atmosphere is dramatic.

Within the scene the audience are shown a shot which contains a bunch of people within a very confined space. Due to the titles which were shown at the beginning of the film the audience are informed that they are in Poland therefore the mise-en- scene within this scene suggests that they are set in the concentration camps. This is an uncomfortable storyline to the audience as not many people like to talk about these discomforting stories and events, this technique of making the audience feel uncomfortable is an convention of thriller. The proxemics between each character is very close and they are being shouted out, not only are they close together but they are being order to move into an even more confined area which is contains wired walls and bared gates. This structure allows the audience to feel very confined and awkward because they cant help, they can only just sit there and watch.