Media Projects: December 2009

Monday, 21 December 2009

Soundtrack and sound

Throughout my thriller opening I will be using both digetic and non-digetic sounds.

Non digetic sound:

I will include eerie music throughout my thriller opening to give the effect of mystery and suspense.
I have chosen to use the website www.freeplaymusic.com to get my music from, as it is a source for free uncopyrighted music.
I have chosen 2 possible pieces of music from the website to use in my thriller opening:

1. The Platform - from the album Dark Dimensions Vol 7
2. Stardust Collector - also from the album Dark Dimensions Vol 7

Both of these pieces of music have an eerie/suspense feel to them which I think will fit in well with the plot of my thriller opening. I will be using The Platform when we see shots of the two girls and Stardust Collector when we see shots of The Intruder. However, when The Intruder sees the picture of Rachel's mother, Stardust Collector merges into The Platform just as he drops the picture.

I have chosen to use 2 different pieces of music for each set of characters as the girls represent good and The Intruder represents evil. This is shown through the music as The Platform has more of a softer eeriness to it and Stardust Collector has more of a bass to it, making it more jumpy and edgy. It distinguishes the two characters nicely, and as they are both similar in tempo I think they will blend well together in editing and wont seem messily put together.

I am considering putting another piece of music for the last title scene of the opening of my thriller, when we see the title of the film "The Intruder". However, I have yet to find a piece of music I think will fit but will continue to look.

Digetic sound:

I aim to include digetic sounds such as the actors talking, sound coming from the movement of objects and footsteps from the actors walking.

Storyboard planning and storyboard

Before drawing my storyboard I decided to make a list of all the shots I needed to do so I would know exactly what order they need to go in:

Titles

I then drew my storyboard in detail (Click to enlarge)

I have added a lot of shots, possibly making my thriller opening longer than it is supposed to be. However, by giving myself more shots I believe it will give me more variety to chose from to put into my thriller opening, and I think it would be better to have too much filmed that I can cut out rather than having not enough and needing to re-film.

Script

It's a late evening in December. Rachel is home alone, sitting in her living room reading a magazine. She is obviously upset as she has just had an argument with her boyfriend. She checks her phone to see if she has any messages and sighs when she sees no one has text her. She goes back to reading her magazine and the doorbell rings. Startled, she jumps and looks towards the door. She gets up and walks to the front door. There is a newspaper on the floor, Rachel picks it up, looks at it and then opens the door, her friend Lex is there holding a bottle of wine.

Lex: Surprise!
Rachel: I'm so glad you're here.

Rachel moves to let Lex in. Lex walks past her then looks back.

Lex: By the way I ordered us Chinese, should be here any minute.

They both walk through the hallway and living room to the dining room. On the way they discuss the newspaper.

Rachel: Have you read this about the murders?

Rachel shows Lex the newspaper.

Lex (reading the newspaper): They still haven't found the guy then? Do we even know any of the girls that have been murdered? It's probably just a story made up to get peoples minds off of swine flu.
Rachel (sarcastically): Yeah. That must be it.

Cut to a shot of the killer outside of the house, he walks up to the side gate and walks to the patio doors and looks into the dining room.

The girls are now in the dining room. Rachel walks into the kitchen to get some glasses and then walks back to the dining room where Lex is still reading the newspaper. Rachel starts pouring the wine into the glasses.

Lex: Oh my god.. The last girl he killed was Sarah Lane? She was in my English! How did i not know this?!

The Intruder walks past the patio doors in the background as Rachel and Lex talk. The characters do not see this however the audience does.

Rachel (scared): I know, its really scary. I guess it's not just a story after all.

The door bell rings and the girls rush to answer it, arguing on the way.

Lex: Yes! Food! I'm starving.
Rachel: Wait let me get some money..
Lex: Oh shut up I'm paying.
Rachel: No.
Lex: Yes. I ordered it.
Rachel: No!
Lex: YES!

When they're out of shot The Intruder comes back to the patio doors and walks through them into the dining room. He tries to close the doors but leaves them slightly open so not to make a noise. He hears the girls coming back and runs into the study.

The girls come back into the dining room holding the Chinese.

Lex: Rach.. Did you open the patio doors?
Rachel: I don't think so..
Lex: You must have! Who else would it have been?

Lex picks up the newspaper.

Lex (sarcastically): The Intruder?

They both laugh, however Rachel seems slightly worried. They walk into the lounge with their food and drinks. Cut to a shot of The Intruder in the study. He is moving around the room, looking for something. He picks up a picture of Rachel's mother, seeming to recognise her. He drops the picture. We then cut to a shot of the girls in the lounge. They hear the sound of the picture being dropped and jump.

Rachel: What was that!
Lex: What the hell.. Did that come from the study?

Lex starts walking towards the study.

Rachel: Are you crazy?! That could be the..
Lex: Come on!

They open the door and walk in. The window is wide open, the picture is smashed on the floor and there are papers everywhere.

Rachel: Someone was in here..
Lex: Okay, maybe you were right..
Rachel: We need to call the police.

They walk out of the room to go and call the police, as they walk out into the dining room they see The Intruder standing there with a knife in his hand. Cut to titles.

Wednesday, 16 December 2009

Characters/Actors

Characters:

1. The Intruder - The Intruder will be dressed all in black, with his face covered only showing his eyes. This will create a sense of mystery and gives us the opportunity to speculate who the intruder is. It is a classic convention of a thriller not to show the antagonists face, or reveal who the antagonist is until the end and this is something I would like to include in my thriller.

2. Rachel - Rachel will be dressed in a white top and blue jeans. The white top has connotations of innocence and purity - as Rachel is the innocent victim and projects vulnerability it makes sense to put her in clothing that projects innocence. She is naive and less confident than Alexis, she takes things seriously and is obviously scared by the story about murders. Rachel is also a very normal and common name, making the character more believable and relatable to the audience.

3. Alexis aka Lex - Alexis will be dressed in a red top and black jeans. The red top is bold just like Alexis, and has connotations of confidence, strength and bravery - 3 things that her personality and body language promotes. It also has connotations of danger, foreshadowing what is going to happen. She is loud and bossy. It is apparent that her and Rachel are close and have been friends for years.

Actors:

I have chosen real life best friends Abigail Matthews and Jossie Pittman to be the two girls in my thriller. Abigail will play Alexis and Jossie will play Rachel. Using real life best friends means they will make the characters more believable as they're already very close in real life. They are also both good actors that I believe they will bring the characters to life, and as they are both 17 they will appeal to my target audience, making them relatable. I have also chosen Tony Presland to play The Intruder.

Tuesday, 15 December 2009

Location

The location of my thriller will be in a family home. We will mostly focus on the dining room but we will pass through rooms such as the hall way, the lounge, the study, the living room and the garden/driveway.

Using a family home as a location I think is a good idea because it is a very normal, natural setting that has connotations of warmth and safety, which contrasts with the plot which is far from warm and safe. The audience will be able to empathise with the situation as the fact it is set in a family home makes them think the same situation could happen to them, therefore creating a sense of tension. Setting the first 2 minutes of my thriller in a family home draws the audience into a false sense of security, making them think nothing bad could happen in the characters home, until the characters start reading the newspaper talking about the killer. The audience then starts feeling suspense, wondering whether the killer will strike in this home.

I have taken some pictures in my location in the style of some of the shots that I will use.

Outside of the house -

The Living Room -

The Hallway -

The Dining Room -

The Lounge -

The Study -

View from the garden -

Thriller Name

I have decided to choose the title 'The Intruder' for my thriller. I have found in most thrillers, the title is directly linked to the plot. For example, in the film Phone Booth the whole story was based around a man who is held captive in a phone booth. Other films that have taken this approach are The Sixth Sense, Face Off, Psycho, The Godfather, Fight Club, Panic Room etc.

When discussing the title with some people from my target audience, they were in favour of it, liking its simplicity and connection with the plot. Comments included:

"In some films you find the title doesn't have anything to do with the plot, which gets kind of confusing. I like the way "The Intruder" immediately tells you something about the plot."

"I like the title because it instantly grips you and makes you want to find out more, like who The Intruder is and what impact he has on the film."

"The title gives a sense of suspense which makes you want to watch the film to find out who the intruder is."

I feel the title "The Intruder" is a simple yet effective title and will grip the audience, leaving them wanting to find out more.

Target Audience

The target audience for my thriller is male and female 16-25 year olds. I chose this to be my target audience as people of this age range are more likely to attend a cinema to see this kind of film. I will be casting younger actors (aged between 16-19) to play the 2 girls in my thriller, as younger characters will appeal to a younger audience who will be able to identify with them. This will also make the film seem more realistic, making them feel like this could happen to them.

The certificate for the film will be 15. I have chosen this because films with a 15 certificate have proven to be the highest grossing films at the box office. Also, as it is below the age of my target audience, it makes the film easily accessible to the target audience. This certificate also gives the film enough freedom to be able to include some strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and strong violence.

Friday, 11 December 2009

Treatment

The plot for my thriller:

A serial killer is on the loose, killing young girls in their own homes. The police race against the clock to find out who he is and what the connection is between the girls. As the murders continue, the police finally discover the connection. The serial killer used to be a patient at a psychiatric hospital because after his daughter died he was driven insane by guilt. Whilst he was in the psychiatric hospital the psychiatrist failed to help him, now after being let out he is taking his revenge on the psychiatrists by killing their daughters.

The opening 2 minutes:

We fade into a shot of girl called Rachel who is home alone, upset because her and her boyfriend have had an argument. The door bell rings and Rachel gets up to go and answer the door. At the front door there is a newspaper, she picks it up and opens the door. Her friend, Lex has come round with a bottle of wine trying to cheer her up and tells her she ordered them a take away on her way round.

They both walk back through the living room to go to the dining room where they open the wine, on the way they read the front of the newspaper and start discussing the news story about a serial killer whose been killing girls in their own homes.

When they're in the dining room, we see the killer pass the patio doors, however the characters don't see this. Lex hears the doorbell ring and says it must be the take away and they both run to the door arguing who should pay. Once they're gone, the killer then opens the patio door, eerie music starts playing. As he enters the dining room he doesn't shut the patio door completely as it will make a noise. He hears the girls coming back and runs through a door into the study.

The girls come back through to the dining room, Lex asks Rachel if the patio door was open earlier, she says "No.." and Lex says jokingly "Well it must have been, who else would've opened it?" She picks up the newspaper "The intruder?!" they both laugh and both go into the lounge and sit down to watch TV.

We cut to a shot of the intruder walking around the study looking for something, moving papers around, he then sees a picture of a woman he seems to recognise. He drops the picture on the floor which makes the girls jump and say "What was that?". They hesitate and argue about who will go check what the noise was, obviously frightened. They eventually both go into the study and check, the window is wide open and everything is a mess. They realise it was the intruder. They leave the room to go and call the police, on the way talking about how lucky an escape it was, however as they turn back into the dining room the intruder is standing there with a knife. Cut to black screen, titles fade in.

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I believe this opening is successful as it builds up suspense and entices the audience, leaving them wanting to watch more. The audience want to find out who the intruder was, what he was looking for in the office, why he recognised the woman in the photo and what happened to the girls.

Wednesday, 9 December 2009

Research Into Institutions Producing Thrillers

Summit Entertainment

Summit Entertainment is an independent American film studio which works out of both Universal City, California and London, England. It was originally founded in the early 1990's and eventually launched by Patrick Wachsberger, Bob Hayward and David Garrett under the name Summit Entertainment LP as a production, distribution, and sales organization in 1996. In 2006 they became fully independent as Summit Entertainment.

After a string of unsuccessful films such as P2, Penelope, Never Look Back and Sex Drive, they finally reached phenomenal success in November 2008 with the film Twilight which went #1 at the box office and made $383,530,753 worldwide. They next bought out the film Knowing, which also became #1 at the box office and grossed $182,492,056 worldwide.

Summit Entertainment have also released successful thrillers such as Memento and Push. Memento is a 2000 psychological thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It shows us two separate stories of Leonard, an ex-insurance investigator who can no longer build new memories, as he attempts to find the murderer of his wife, which is the last thing he remembers. One story line moves forward in time while the other tells the story in reverse, revealing more each time. Push is about a group of young American's with telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities. They are hiding from a secret U.S. government agency. They must combine their different talents and work together for a final job making them able to escape the agency forever.

Memento was a box office success. During its opening weekend, it was released in only eleven theaters, but by week eleven it was distributed to more than 500 theaters. It grossed $25,544,867 in America and $14,178,229 overseas, making the film's total worldwide gross $40 million as of August 2007. However, Push was poorly received by critics but still managed to become #6 at the box office in its opening week, grossing $10,079,109 in 2,313 theaters with a $4,358 average.

New Line Cinema

New Line Cinema was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne and is one of the major American film studios working out of New York. Though it initially began as an independent film studio, it became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and Warner Bros. Entertainment in 2008.

The company gained early success with its distribution of the anti-cannabis propaganda film Reefer Madness, which became a cult hit on many American college campuses in the early 1970's. New Line has since distributed a string of successful films such as Blade, Final Destination, Friday the 13th and Rush hour - to name a few. Some thriller films they have distributed are Seven, Snakes on a Plane and The Number 23.

Seven (Se7en) portrays the exploits of a deranged serial killer. His twisted agenda involves choosing seven victims who represent each of the Seven Deadly Sins. The film was generally well received by critics and was released on September 22nd 1995 grossing $13.9 million on its opening weekend. It went on to gross $100.1 million in America and $227.1 million in the rest of the world for a total of $327.3 million.

Snakes on a Plane is about an FBI agent who takes on a plane full of deadly and poisonous snakes, deliberately released to kill a witness being flown from Honolulu to Los Angeles to testify against a mob boss. Due to a lot of internet hype surrounding the film, industry analysts estimated the film's opening box office to be between $20 million and $30 million. While Snakes on a Plane did narrowly beat out its competitor for the number one position during its opening weekend, it did not meet these estimates and grossed only $15.25 million in its opening days, a disappointment for New Line. Robert Shaye expressed that he was "disappointed" that Snakes on a Plane was a "dud" despite "higher expectations".

The Number 23 shows us the life of Walter Sparrow, an animal control officer who is given a book as a birthday gift by his wife. The name of the book is 23 and the writer, whose story we see acted out through Walters eyes, is obsessed with coincidences around the number 23. This leads to some horrifying moments for the books hero and soon Walter is also seeing the number 23 everywhere. The film received terrible reviews by critics and grossed a disappointing $14.6 million. However in total, the film grossed $35.2 million at the box office domestically and $77.6 million worldwide.

If I were to choose a film company to produce my thriller I would probably choose a more independent company instead of a big hollywood studio, because I feel my film would have a smaller budget as it wouldn't include any extravegant chase or explosion scenes, it would be filmed in very few locations and would not need CGI or any other expensive editing tools. I also feel using an independent film company would give me more creative control over my film, unlike a hollywood film studio who may want to change my film so they could make it more marketable and turn it into a franchise.

Sub Genres Within the Thriller Genre

There are many sub genres within the thriller genre, these include:

Action Thriller - In an action thriller we usually see an obvious antagonist who is racing against the clock to get something done. The plot usually involves a lot of violence and action scenes which may contain drugs, guns, explosions, etc.

Conspiracy Thriller - In a conspiracy thriller we usually see the protagonist confronting a powerful group of people whose true identity only he or she recognizes. There tends to be a lot of mystery surrounding the plot.

Crime Thriller - In a crime thriller we usually see an account of a successful or failed crime, often focusing more on the criminals rather than the policemen. This sub genre is usually very psychological and involves many crimes such as robbery, murder, chases, shoot outs, etc.

Disaster Thriller - In a disaster thriller we usually see some sort of conflict surrounding a natural or artificial disaster. The disasters usually involved are floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. In some disaster thrillers there are multiple disasters, where we follow the stories of multiple characters.

Drama Thriller - In a drama thriller we usually see a lot of character development and a dramatic plot twist is usually involved.

Erotic Thriller - In an erotic thriller we usually see a thriller combined with erotic elements. It has become popular since the 1980's.

Legal Thriller - In a legal thriller we usually see the protagonist as a lawyer who is fighting for what is right inside and outside of the courtroom and is in danger of not only losing the case but in some cases, their lives.

Medical Thriller - In a medical thriller we usually see the protagonist as a doctor or part of the medicine field working to solve an elaborate medical problem.

Political Thriller - In a political thriller we usually see the protagonist fighting to ensure the stability of the government which has employed them. They include a vast range of plots, rarely legal, mostly designed to give political power to someone, while their opponents try to stop them from getting it.

Psychological thriller - In a psychological thriller we usually see mental and emotional conflict between the main characters. This sub genre has many mystery and horror elements to it. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from multiple characters preying upon one another's minds, often by trying to demolish eachother's mental state.

Spy Thriller - In a spy thriller we usually see an protagonist who is generally a government agent fighting against rival agents such as terrorists or rival governments.

Techno Thriller - In techno thrillers we usually see some form of technology (usually military) that is described in detail and essential to the understanding plot.

Religious Thriller - In religious thrillers we see a plot or protagonist that is deeply connected to religion. This consists of religious objects, places or questions. This sub genre is usually full of mystery and unanswered questions.

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I think the kind of film I'd like to make would be a psychological thriller. I'm interested in combining the mystery and horror elements into my thriller. I would also like to include a character that has some kind of mental or emotional conflict which would be expanded on throughout the plot.

The Introduction of CGI

Since the 1970's films have used CGI (Computer Generated Images). The first use of CGI was in the 1973 film Westworld, and has since found its way into most big budget films.

In the beginning, the first two films to make heavy investments in Solid 3D CGI, Tron and The Last Starfighter, were commercial failures, causing most directors to mostly use CGI to make images that were supposed to look like they were created by a computer. However, in the 1993 film Jurassic Park, CGI dinosaurs were seamlessly integrated into live action scenes that revolutionised the film industry.

It wasn't until the late 80's/90's that thrillers started to use CGI. For example, in the 1999 David Fincher film, Fight Club, they use 60 digital shots. This includes one scene where a condo catching fire at the moment and place of detonation: a gas leak under a kitchen refrigerator. The scene shows bolts of colourful plasma as they invade the kitchen before the actual fire breaks out. This technique brings 3D camera movement to the still images.

If done well, CGI can wow an audience, however it comes with a very large price tag. Between 1995 and 2005 the average effects budget went from $5 million to $40 million, making it impossible to use in low budget films.

Unfortunately, as I don't have a budget for my film and am unable to produce CGI of my own I wont be using CGI in my thriller. However, I think it is a very effective in some thrillers I have seen such as Fight Club and think it can really bring some films alive and entice and audience.

Commentary on 2 thriller directors

David Fincher

David Fincher is an Academy Award nominated director who specialises in the thriller genre. He has directed some well very well known films such as Alien 3, Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, Panic Room and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Early in his career Fincher joined Propaganda Films and started off directing music videos and commercials. He directed music videos for well known artists such as Madonna, Aerosmith, Michael Jackson and The Rolling Stones.

He then went on to direct Alien 3, which at the time was the most expensive picture ever made by a first time film director. This film got an Oscar nomination for special effects but did not go down very well with critics.

Notable thrillers he has directed:

Seven - The next film Fincher directed was Seven, featuring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. It told the story of 2 detective trying to take down a serial killer who chooses his victims based on the Seven Deadly Sins. The film was well recieved by audiences and critics and grossed more than $100 million in the USA and over $300 million internationally.

Fight Club - Fight Club was the screen adaptation of a book by Charlie Palahniuk of the same name, about an insomniac office worker who opens up a fight club for men. It featured actors Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter and Seven's Brad Pitt. The film was one of the most publicised of the year but received mixed reviews and had early disappointment at the box office. As it was badly critiqued by several critics it alienated audiences, leading to it's box office failure in the U.S. However, as time went by audiences seemed to warm to the film and it got the #4 spot on the British magazine Total Film's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, beaten by Jaws, Goodfellas and Vertigo.

Panic Room - Panic Room follows a single mother and her daughter as they hide away in a panic room in their new house from criminals who are trying to find a missing fortune. It featured actors Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whittaker and Fight Club's Jared Leto. Although the film grossed over $92 million at the U.S. box office, just like Seven and Fight Club it was not well received by critics. Fincher himself even stated that the film was more of a mainstream thriller, describing the film as "basically a date movie".

Fincher is currently directing the film The Social Network, based on the lives of the founders of Facebook.

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Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Hitchcock was a British film maker and producer who developed many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. He moved to Hollywood after having a successful career in the United Kingdom in silent films. He directed over 50 feature films in his 6 decade long career. He is celebrated for his work in the thriller genre and remains one of the most popular and most recognised film makers today.

Notable thrillers he has directed:

Vertigo - Vertigo is a psychological thriller made in 1958. It follows a retired police detective who has acrophobia. He is hired as a private investigator to follow the wife of an acquaintance and uncover the mystery of her unusual behavior. It featured actors James Stewart, Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes. The film received mixed reviews at the time of release but has since been celebrated and ranked as one of the greatest films ever made.

Psycho - Psycho is a suspense/horror/thriller film made in 1960. The film follows an encounter between a secretary, Marion Crane, who is in hiding at a motel after stealing money from her employer, and the motel's owner, Norman Bates, and what happened after their encounter. It featured actors Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. Initially the film received mixed reviews, but after incredible box office returns and a re-review that was extremely positive it led to 4 Academy Award nominations. It is now celebrated as one of Hitchcock's greatest films and is highly praised as a work of cinematic art by international critics.

The Birds - The Birds is a suspense film made in 1963. It is based on the 1952 novella The Birds by Daphne du Maurier. The film is set in a small town in the San Francisco Bay area which is suddenly the home of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few days for unknown reasons. It featured actors Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor. It was nominated for an Academy Award in the area of Special Effects and Tippi Hedren received the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress, in 1964. The film ranked number one in the Top Ten Foreign Films selected by The Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards and The Association also awarded Hitchcock the Best Director Award for the film.

Near the end of his life, Hitchcock worked on a script for a spy thriller called The Short Night. However, despite some preliminary work, this was never filmed. This was mostly due to Hitchcock's failing health and his concerns over the health of his wife, Alma, who had suffered a stroke. The script was eventually put into a book written about his last years. He eventually died of kidney failure in California at the age 80. His wife and daughter both survived him.

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I would like to take some inspiration from the films David Fincher has made. I am interested in using elements of his thriller Seven in my own thriller. I would like to include the black-screened titles he uses in the opening sequence of Seven, but I would also like to set my film to a similar plot, dectectives going after a serial killer. I think this sort of plot would enable me to put many conventions in my opening sequence and an ongoing murder case would keep the suspense up and make my audience want to watch more.

Media Projects