Final Evaluation

Our Evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

We included specific psychological thriller conventions into our media product after watching real media products such as films, for example The Black Swan. A common convention we included in our product was the characters negative mental state of mind. Like most psychological thrillers our sequence began with a realistic situation which turned into surreal circumstances. Our thriller opens with the character Marianne sleeping in her bed, she then proceeds to have nightmares until she is woken by a mysterious loud noise. The surrealism continues as Marianne suspects an unwanted presence within her empty home. However, unlike most psychological thrillers we decided to make the genre obvious within the opening sequence. This is different to many psychological thrillers that do not make their genre clear until much further on in the film. We believe that this would cause the audience to become gripped to the narrative and intrigued to know more.  A convention within our opening sequence that indicates it is a psychological thriller is the non-existent presence of the intruder in the house. This causes the audience to assume that the intruder is not real and the trauma is all due to the characters ill mental state. Another general convention of psychological thrillers we included in our product was the use of quick changes in camera angle within the nightmare scene. We used this as it increases the tension and fear within the audience while showing a significant scene in the narrative. We were influenced to film our opening sequence inside a house after watching ‘The Sixth Sense’. We noticed that the entrapment of the location creates a sense of claustrophobia within the audience. Another example of a film similar to our production is Shutter Island, although the setting is not the same the concept of isolation is present in both sequences.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our opening sequence only consists of one character therefore we can only analyse the social group a female teenager. This represents the social group of gender. The stereotypical traits of a female character are usually vulnerable and classified as weak characters. Additionally, they can be seen as a victim who needs saving and requires a hero character. Relating these traits to the main female character in our production shows that we have created a stereotypical female character. This is due to her panicking behaviour and inability to control her fear and understand her situation. The clothes we see our character in throughout the opening sequence are pyjamas, these are stereotypical clothes for a teenager, who are often linked to laziness and sleeping. The fact that our character immediately checks her phone after waking is also extremely stereotypical for a teenager as they are linked to being obsessive towards electronic devices and social media. However, as she does not cry or ring for help suggests that she is attempting to face her fears alone, a counter typical trait of a female teenager. We chose to have our only character as a teenage female as we feel that our target audience will be teenagers, therefore they will find it easy to relate to the character and film.

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Due to the recent rise in popularity for the psychological thriller genre we believe that our film would be distributed by a top Hollywood media institution such as Fox Searchlight Pictures or Paramount pictures. However, we may not be distributed by one of these companies as they have already distributed very similar films with the same genre such as ‘The Black Swan’ and ‘Shutter Island’. ‘The Black Swan’ follows a ballet dancer who wins the lead in "Swan Lake”, the delicate White Swan. However, she slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan. Comparing this film to our product, it also contains many quick camera angle changes set in small, tight locations that also represent entrapment. If our media product was to be distributed by a top Hollywood media institution then it would most likely be played in cinemas throughout the world. However, if it was distributed by a smaller independent institution then it may only be shown in a few cinemas or private screenings at film festivals. If successful, our film could also become available to download online onto electronic devices from stores such as the Apple App Store. If this too were successful there would be further opportunities such as a sequel to the first media product. However, I believe merchandise for our film would not be successful as there are not many products available relating to the thriller genre.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

We are targeting our product for females ages 18-30. We carried out primary research in the form of a questionnaire; we found that our sub genre of psychological thriller was most watched by this category. It is proven that girls are more interested in female main characters as they can relate. We found that all of our target audience have social hobbies and enjoy spending time with their friends and family, we also found a wide range of genres of film, ranging from horrors to comedy, however the genre that came out on top was thrillers such as Taken, Phonebooth, Shutter Island Se7en and Panic Room. The relevance of this information, gave us an idea the type of marketing structure we could achieve to target our audience. From the information regarding their hobbies, we can see that they are sociable and so the advertisements would benefit if they were not restricted to the TV, they need to be as sociable and interactive as the consumer we are targeting. By looking at our sub-genre and location, our sequence mirrors other large mainstream psychological thrillers such as The Sixth Sense and The Black Swan. The similarities lie within the foundations of the film as they have the same narrative structure.  We believe the target audience for The Black Swan would more likely be females aged 16-40. The main character is a young female with a loved desire for ballet. This would appeal to women more than men because of the narrative it entails.  

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

The narrative and character are what attracted our target audience to the opening sequence. Teenagers who are often left home alone can relate to the fear of a possible intruder in the house. We kept our storyline realistic in order for our target audience to believe it and be kept in fear of the intense narrative. We made this storyline realistic by including the motion of checking her phone as most teenagers would do when first awakening. We also had our character wear realistic pyjamas througout the sequence. By using various shot types including canted and extreme close ups, the audience’s attention is kept while the narrative deepens. We included a pan around the character to signify her paranoia and dizziness created by her fear. The audience is asked to put themselves in the position of our character as they witness her running through the house and see a point of view shot as she picks up a knife. This impacts the audience to feel as though they are in her situation and ultimately causes them to also feel the fear she portrays. The point of view shot is a generic convention of any thriller as it puts the audience in the scenario the character is in, creating suspense and tension. We felt as though this suspense would attract our target audience in particular as teenagers are stereotypically linked to thrill-seeking.

6.  What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?

As a group we worked well together when using the camera. As we were new to using the camera, we had to familiarise ourselves. We believe that this was the most important skill that we gained. Some shots such as the pan and canted shot were the most difficult to master, but by doing various practice shots before, it allowed us to speed up the process of filming. The time in which our opening sequence was set in the morning, so our filming time was limited to during the day, to make the sequence seem realistic. We were very conscious of doing this in order to keep the continuity within our product. We found that the tripod was very useful when filming as it allowed us to create a selection of steady shots ranging from establishing shots to pans. Although the tri pod worked well, we felt that a dolly would improve our pan as it would be smoother and more professional. During our filming process we did not get all the shots needed to create skilled continuity. Therefore, we had to take pictures of certain parts of the mise-en-scene on the first day of filming in order to recreate the same effect on the second day.After producing all the shots needed, we then had to edit them on the editing software Final Cut Express. By editing our Preliminary Task previously on this software we were already quite familiar with this editing tool. However, we did not have the knowledge to edit a whole opening sequence so we learnt more about the software as a group by experimenting and from our teacher. We learnt many different editing skills ranging from overlapping shots, increasing volume and including credits. We found the skill of overlapping shots particularly useful as it gave our nightmare scene a surreal, thrilling effect.

To create our end product there were many technologies we had to be familiar with.  To create our soundtrack within the sequence we used the sound editing software Garageband. We used garageband for our preliminary so like Final Cut we had some small knowledge on how to use it. We familiarised ourselves with this by experimenting and creating a practice soundtrack. This taught us all the different ways to conduct a music piece, layer up different rhythms and beats, introduce the sounds in a settled way by fading them in and out, dismiss sounds and alter the volume at certain points. We found Garageband extremely useful for creating a suspenseful soundtrack which combined with our shots created an overall tense and exhilarating product. After establishing how to use this software, we moved on to our final soundtrack. This took a lot more skills as we had to put this alongside our footage, making sure specific sounds we wanted to add in would emphasise the action in the sequence. After practising and completing this challenge several times it began to come naturally to us.

7.  Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

After finishing our preliminary task, we had to plan our thriller opening sequence.  We began by researching into what sub genre we wanted our sequence to be and did this by analysing various popular opening sequences. By finalising our ideas into what sub genre we wanted to create, we gave out questionnaires to our target audience to see what thrillers they enjoyed watching. This heavily influenced us in our choice of sub genre and as a group; we concluded that a psychological thriller would suit our ideas best. To help structure our sequence, various steps needed to be put in to place. We created a storyboard, an animatic, preliminary, soundtrack, practise shots, shooting schedule, a risk assessment sheet and analysis timelines. This detailed planning helped us to refine our ideas which also made the rest of the process smoother.

After filming the shots for our thriller opening sequence, it was clear how most of our shots were improved, compared to filming the preliminary task. For example, we learnt from our preliminary that when filming our match on action shot, the camera was not as focused as we would have liked. To fix this problem in our filming we used a tripod to ensure stability. When using Final Cut Express to edit our opening sequence, we learnt from our preliminary that for good continuity, our piece had to flow with no errors or gaps. This allows the audience to know what was happening throughout and why. The main aspect that made this work in our final sequence was the good use of transitions. The main transition that we used was a cross dissolve, which created a natural change to the next scene. By the end of the process, we all familiarised ourselves well using the equipment and software packages.

Following our plan well, we were able to produce a high quality, realistic thriller opening sequence.

 

Final Thriller Sequence - The Curse

Feedback on Rough Cut

Rough Cut Questions:

1) How well have the technical areas been produced? (camera work, editing, sound and mise-en-scene)

2) How well has the genre characteristics been used? can you identify the sub-genre?

3) What do you like about the rough cut?

4) How can they improve the rough cut? and what criticism can you give the group?

Group 1 feedback:

1) Camera work flows well at the start as you see an establishing shot of the old house, then goes straight to someones point of view walking up the stairs showing the inside of the house. The editing of speeding up the shot into the bedroom then being able to see the girl in the bed, makes it look jumpy and edgy which adds to the creepy look. Mise-en-scene is very good, as it is filmed in a old house which would look better than a modern house. The natural sound of the outside is good. Also the sound of the footsteps as the person walks upstairs shows what the character is doing.

2) I think it is a psychological thriller becaquse it makes the viewer think about what is wrong with the girl.

3) I like that it is set in an old hous because it looks more scary. Also the editing of the girl laying in bed is very effective.

4) You could improve by having sound while the girl is laying, moving around to make it more interesting.

Group 2 feedback:

1) Good editing technique. Good establishing shot/transition from old house to new.

2) Sub-genre is clear to identify, but whether it is a thriller or not is still unclear.

3) Ambient sound works well. Speed of certain scenes are effective. Really good editing and camera work.

4) Duration of last scene is too long.

Group 4 feedback:

1)  Camera work is good. Really good range of camera angles. Mise-en-scene has a really good location etc. We really like the overlapping effect in the editing as it adds to the confusion. There is no sound, but once added will add suspense.

2) Psychological as she looks as if having a nightmare. Good use of genre characterics.

3) Really like the editing overlap. Like the different angles used.

4) Walking upstairs at the beginning is too long - slightly tedious. 0.27 seconds it jumps, therefore it could flow better. Otherwise, it is fab!!

Group 5 feedback:

1) Editing transitions are proffessional. Lots of different camera techniques and shots of Annabelle from close ups to medium shots. Also a good use of shaky handheld that created enigmas. Mise-en-scene: Bright and high key lighting indicates the time of day. Costume of Annabelle helps to indicate that she is having a nightmare, which creates realism. The use of ambient sound (birds) also creates realism.

2) From the creeking door i can identify that the sub-genre could be psychological. Minimum used at the moment to portray a psychological thriller.

3) The editing transitions create the eerie illusion. The production logo comes at the beginning as it signifies well to who you are. The ambient sounds of birds are effective.

4) The blending pictures between the new and old house could be in the same angle to keep the continuity as the angles are different.

Rough Cut

Final Logo

This is our final logo. The hand image is quite detailed but making the logo a black and white colour scheme made sure that the whole logo is focused on, including the name of our company. We used this contorted image of the hand because it creates a mysterious appearance and could be linked with any film genre, not just thriller films. The font we used to write "JTMAR productions" creates an eerie display due to its tall and thin features. We decided to use this font instead of the chunky, thick font in our sample as it is easier to read and has a larger effect on the viewer by keeping the writing simple but effective. Similar fonts are also used for other famous logos so we knew that this technique would be effective. The main reason for which we agree that this logo is better than our sample is because the image is ambiguous and leaves the viewer intrigued about what our company is about.  

Analysis on Editing for Other Thriller Opening Sequences

I am analysing the first two minutes of two opening sequences from the thriller films Shutter Island and Black Swan.  I will analyse the editing techniques that they have used, how they are different and how our group could take inspiration from them.

The first film we analysed was Shutter Island. It starts out relatively calm, as the first shots of the titles fade in to each other, there is some text which fades in to the establishing shot to set the scene.  The slow fade that was used in this editing process calms the audience. The first character is introduced through short shot durations which breaks the calming atmosphere. It shows him on a boat clearly having sea sickness. The main cuts that were used were to establish the change of location from the interior of the boat to the exterior. Slow pace editing was used during the introduction from the first and second character while they were in conversation. There is a cut to the next scene which shows a flash back.

Font Analysis

 In order to create the right first impression among our target audiance, we must select the correct font that conveys our psychological thriller theme. We have a list of criteria to follow when looking for this font. Included in this criteria are the following:

• Suit theme
• Cannot be forgettable (instantly recognisable)
• Unique
• Bold and noticable
• Chilling
• Creates an enigma
• Leaves audience on a cliff hanger
• Realistic

We have all agreed as a group that this font is too 'over the top.' It conveys a horror theme, the font appears to be dripping down to create the vision that it is blood. This is far too gory for our thriller sequence as we want a more low key font which holds enigmas, it does tick some of our criteria boxes however it is not unique to us which is a main goal we wish to achieve.

This is a bold font, the problem with this font is it is far too obvious. No enigmas are created and it appears to be more cartoon like than realistic, making it seem more fun than thrilling. This is also not a unique font and would not instantly recognisable as our film logo.

Although this font is truly unique, it does not appear to our group as though it could be suitable for a thriller opening sequence, it could suit a childrens film as it looks quite fun are relatively imaginative, we are looking for something basic and yet subtley chilling to invigorate our audience with a refreshing new look on thrillers.

We have decided that this is our favourite font among all four. It fits our criteria perfectly, its not too 'horrifying' and yet it leaves the right impression and a lasting enigma. It looks edgy and unique as after researching in to different film titles. Although it is more subtle than the other fonts, it still leaves a lasting affect and has the ability to be instantly recognisable.

We looked in to some other thriller titles in order to differenciate ourselves away from what would be our competition in the market.

Sample Logo and Analysis

                               

This is our sample logo. We wanted to steer away from cliche images such as knives/weapons, keys, scars etc. An owl symbolises wisdom, observation, night, death and misfortune. They also have the ability to see things that are hidden in the dark, along with having strong senses. We wanted our groups name to be bold and kept the colours simple and coordinated as it will only appear for a limited time when showing our thriller opening sequence. When looking at other famous logos, most of them had this simple but effective quality such as 'Universal Studios', Dreamworks' and 'Columbia Pictures'.

Although this sample logo is effective in some ways, it made us think of a more improved idea for our final logo. One of the main things we would want to change is the font of our company name. For example in this sample, we realised that if the writing had a black outline, it would separate the text from the harsh background. We could think of more imaginitive pictures that would suit our theme as to some younger audiences it may not be clear as to what the picture is. However, this logo is unique and no other film companies have a similar 'owl like' effect.

Production Process

We decided to take some photographs while we were filming our final sequence. During our production we spent some time changing positions and angles the camera was in. Doing establishing shots of the house meant some experimentation with how far away we placed the camera, the way we shot the house and the position of the camera. We had to repeat the shot to see which one had the best outcome. 

The plot of our opening sequence includes a nightmare our main character experiences. Therefore, in the bedroom scene we spent 3 hours doing as many shot types as we could. For example, high angle, low angle, long shot, close-up, extreme close-up etc. Doing all these gave us plenty of footage which gave us the ability to delete footage if there were errors made. Throughout this process our group discussed different ways we could film. This gave us the opportunity to take everyone's ideas and see which one worked best.

Trialling of Make-Up

We were limited to the special effects we could create with our make up as we were on a limited budget, and so to keep the production costs down we practiced using an assortment of coloured eye shadows and lip glosses to create the desired affect. The make up did not need to be extremely detailed as the times when it was visable on camera, it was at a distance and so it was relevant to the scene but was not made to be a main aspect of our film. We used a suble amount of make up to not go over the top and lean in to the horror category. We kept it low key and realistic, placing small amounts of blended purple and blue eyeshadows below her eyes to create bags and a mixture of purple, yellow, blue, white, black and grey eye shadows to create bruising on her upper arm. To add to the realism, and due to the fact we are ammateurs with special effect make up, we researched into pictures of bruising and took some inspiration which helped our group massively with the colours we chose to use and where to use them.

Within parts of filming, the bruises and scratches on the upper arm had to be covered by clothing as it would have the tendancy to rub and fade/smudge. To protect the make up in this filming, we set it using a 'Firm Hold' hairspray. We worked well with what little equipment we had, and managed to create realisme.

Test Shot (Pan)

Top ensure perfect continuity, we practised on test shots. One of the main shots that features in our opening sequence is a pan which we sped up to create a disturbia element. We played around and tried to use as many shot types in our sequence to make it more enjoyable for our target audiance. Our pan consisted of a handheld walk around the main character, we decided not to use the tri-pod as we wanted a shakey morphed effect which created an enigma once slowed down. We have had positive feedback from our classmates on this shot and feel that  it was successful and so we felt after testing the shot we should include it in our sequence.

Costume Ideas and Make-up

To keep our mise en scene on point we needed to think about how our character Marianne would look. She has to look the part to suit our psychological thriller, her character is a normal girl in a normal location, therefore she had to look like a stereotypical girl. Marianne is a teenage character and therefore we dressed her in trackies and a casual top. Her make up had to be subtle and realistic and so minimul amounts were applied. Above is a selection of the clothes that we narrowed down to choose the main characters costume, we decided on the navy blue trackies and black polo shirt for a casual affect.

Props

We used a limited amount of probs in our sequence, an iPhone, kitchen knife, toothbrush and a glass of water. The glass of water was used to create beads of sweat in the first scene in the bedroom as we did not have a water spray and so we flicked it on our character Marianne's face using our fingers. The phone is a main prop as it shows the audiance that she is home alone, setting the scene and showing no one will hear her cries. The kitchen knife is in the sequence to add an element of fear as knives are associated with death. The toothbrush is in the closing scene, as the main character drops it and it tumbles in slow motion to the ground, leaving a slow echo. We used normal everyday household objects to create realisme and show how they can be used to cause harm.

Location

We purposely set our location in a 1700's cottage to gain a more suitable place for our opening sequence. It worked very well with out thriller theme and gave us an added effect to the mis-en scene. For example, the beams on the ceilings and walls made our location look old which added to the scary ambiance. The rooms we filmed in were chosen to give us the best outcome we could get with our only location. We discovered during the filming process that the doors and floorboards were very creaky. This was great to have for our filming as the ambient sounds were created manually and we could control when we would put them in. It also made the sounds seem much more realistic and gave us scary sound effects to include. As the majority of our opening sequence would be filmed in a room,. We looked at all five bedroom options and took into consideration of the surroundings and the space we needed to film.The bedroom we chose is a small, wooden room which looked realistic for a teenage girl but eary at the same time. The surroundings in this bedroom were a bedside table and a office table which gave us less chance of making errors with the mis-en scene. However, there were some issues that we encountered when filming. These include some unwanted sounds from doors, wooden floors and dogs that were present at the time of the production process. Therefore, we will need to edit these sounds out of our footage to avoid making our opening sequence look unprofessional. 

When our group arrived at this location, we looked around each room we would be using and see if it would work well with our narrative. One of the rooms we were going to include in our opening sequence was the living room as it had the sofa in it which the girl was hiding behind. However, we discovered that where the sofa was placed, it would be challenging to film the way we wanted to from lack of space and lighting. We came to the conclusion that changing our plan slightly from this detail was the best thing to do. We all agreed to have this scene completed in the kitchen. This allowed us to proceed with our pan around the female character and gave us more sound effects to add in which were available in the kitchen. These include the radio fuzzing and the door creaking. The kitchen location was a much wider space which gave us the room and distance that we needed for the filming. 



Animatic

Practice Soundtrack

We created our practice soundtrack using a package called Garage Band. Garage Band is a software which allows you to create unique pieces of music using different platforms of sound and create distinctive effects.

Our thriller opening sequence has a wide variety of overlapping sounds and effects, therefore with our practice soundtrack we experimented with different pitch and depths of sound. For example, it begins with a shrieking effect called 'No Escape'. This immediately would build suspense in the beginning of our opening sequence as the pitch of the piece increases steadily with time. An overlap of sound is added to emphasise this, and is then followed by a loud rumbling which could be work along side a key climax point in our filming. In our thriller we are sure to film a dramatic slam of a door which makes the main character panic, so the next part of the soundtrack is similar to this and would suit it if they were perfectly in time. 

43 seconds into the soundtrack there's heavy breathing which would allow the audience, if they're not already aware, of the further indication of the genre of the film. This sound effect is played for 3 seconds, before dropping to almost silence. This sudden effect would highlight the visual tension in the clip before the first 'No Escape' sound is replayed. 

To conclude the practice soundtrack, there are some distorted industrial sounds which creates an even greater eerie atmosphere along with a realistic edge, engaging the audience.

Using Garage Band became easy to use when we knew how to use the effects. By practicing using Garage Band and making the soundtrack, we got a better idea of what sounds good with our particular genre of film and what to improve next time.

Risk Assessment

Production Schedule

Video Shoot Shot List

Storyboard

We added a list of errors that could occur for mise en scene in order to avoid any problems and add to the realism of our sequence.

Target Audience Profile

Our primary research involved us conducting a questionnaire suitable for both male and female to complete about their film interests. The questions we asked included some such as 'What is your preferred main character gender?' 'What is your favourite genre of film?' 'What is your favourite film?' and 'What is your favourite thriller sub-genre?'. We asked a range of people of different ages, backgrounds and ethnicities. This gave us a variety of answers that were not biased. This ensured that our results to be reliable. We found that the girls aged 16-18 have a preferred film genre of comedy, whereas their favourite thriller sub genres are crime and pyschological thrillers. The boys aged 20-50 show that they prefer a genre of action, war and historical drama and a favourite thriller sub-genre of crime thriller. Lastly, girls aged 20-30 prefer a comedy, rom-com, horror and thriller genres and a pyschological thriller sub genre. In every questionnaire completed by a girl they have said they would prefer a female main character. This was also the case with the questionnaire that the boys completed as they would prefer a male main character. This tells us who our target audience will be as the different ages and genders show different interest of film genres and characters. The thriller sub genre we will be incorporating in our opening sequence should be suitable to our chosen target audience. We have decided to use the target audience, mainly female, aged between 18-30 as they show most interest in a pyschological thriller and would relate to the main character the most as we are using a female main character.

From our secondary research we used the Pearl & Dean audience profile website to find statistics regarding the viewers of the Horror, Sci-Fi Thriller '28 Days Later'. From these results, we can see that the male population enjoyed this film more than the female population. We can also see that ages between 15-24 enjoyed this film better than any other age. However, ages 15-34 also enjoyed it. The social class that gave positive feedback from this film were the upper middle class. We believe that this is due to this class having the education to understand this film.

The next film we looked at was the Mystery,  Horror Thriller 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'. It is clear that the male gender found this film better than the female gender. Ages 25-34 found this film more entertaining than those of a younger and older age. Surprisingly, the lower class had the highest percentage of appreciation for this film. This could be because the majority of the lower class are unemployed therefore, have more time to watch films. It could also be because they have more time for social vents so they could have heard about this film from friends or gone to see it with them.

Finally, we researched the review from the Crime, Mystery Thriller 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. Audiences aged 45+ are shown to enjoy this film more than the younger aged audience. This could be because it contains mature content, like violence and crime, that younger viewers may find distressing or difficult to understand. The male population also found this type of film more interesting which is surprising as the main character is female. However, it could be due to the violent scenes. The upper class population is proven to like this film, maybe because of the plot, more than the other classes.

We found that all three thrillers were preferred by the male audience. This contrasts with our questionnaire results as we found that the female population enjoys thriller more than males. Our chosen target audience has the age of 18-30. This age range has been shown to enjoy thrillers as you can see from our research and our chosen reviews. We hope that this will make our opening sequence suitable to our target audience and to make their enjoyment successful.

Age: 18-30
Gender: Female
Interested in: Socialising, cinema, shopping, gym, driving, cooking, clubbing, music, fashion, food
Where do they live: Windsor, Slough, Old Windsor, Eton Wick, London City
Occupation: Student, working part time, working full time
Economic status: Earn money from part time/full time work
Favourite film: Phone Booth, Saw, Shutter Island, Taken, Hangover, Panic Room, Inception
Favourite gender of main character: Female
Favourite genre of film: Rom-com, horror, thriller, comedy
Favourite thriller sub genre: Pyschological

Sound in Thriller Movies Analysis 'Se7en' and 'Inception'

The next two films we're going to analyse in terms of sound and music are 'Se7en' and 'Inception'. Both films are under the sub genre of mystery thriller however, 'Se7en' is also described as a crime thriller while 'Inception' is also associated with adventure and action.

'Se7en' begins with an extreme low base. This immediately suggests a negative atmosphere which links with the sub genre. This is followed by repetitive, light symbols and mechanical sounds. The continuous mechanical sounds consists of the noise of metal rolling on the ground along with metal rattling. This is parallel to the dark atmosphere of the scene. This creates an eerie atmosphere and causes the audience to stay curious as to what might happen. As the deep sound of drums comes in, it is joined by the background sounds of cds scratching and an electric razor buzzing. The collaboration of these sounds creates an enigma as to why they relate to the narrative. Distorted sound effects are occasionally joined into the sequence, these sounds are heard more than instruments. From 1:12 loud music begins, this builds up suspense and atmosophere within the sequence while keeping the audience interested. The music's tempo increases as the opening sequence comes to an end until the bass cuts out and a voiceover is heard saying an ambiguous and unclear sentence. The increased tempo excites the audience and gets their adrenaline flowing, they feel as though they are a part of the film.

'Inception' begins with a repetitive low bass cello sound. This is parallel to the films sub-genre of action thriller as it is intense and captures the audiences attention. This sound is then replaced by the ambient sound of crashing waves. At 1:00 a soft non diegetic music is played as the main character awakes on the beach. This adds to the dramatic tension of what the character will see when he opens his eyes and why he is where he is. The ambient sound of children laughing and playing is then heard over the music. This helps the audience to establish that the setting is not suspicious. An armed soldier then pokes at the sleeping character and begins to speak in his unknown, native language to a colleage. This dialogue is interesting to the audience as it causes them to realise that this character is most likely not in his hometown. This creates an enigma as to why he is on this foreign island.

Although both Thriller Movies have the same sub genre of mystery thriller, after analysing them we realised there were many differences between the two. They both begin with a low base/cello sound however, Inception's is repetitive whereas Se7en's is not. This low sound sets the negative atmosphere that is present throughout both films. Se7en then moves on to have more mechanical sounds, which is opposite to the ambient crashing waves that Inception goes on to include. Both of these sounds cause the audience to become curious and eager to learn more about the narrative. Both films have dialogue included however Se7en's is a voiceover whereas Inception's is a conversation between the main character and a foreign man. The dialogues in both films are ambiguous which make the audience intrigued as to what will happen, this keeps the audience's attention and concentration. The sounds within Inception are much more realistic than the sounds within Se7en. The ambient sounds of the waves crashing in Inception along with the soft non diagetic music. Whereas the digital and increased tempo music within Se7en excite the audience and create a tense atmosphere. Consequently this causes us to have the opinion that Se7en is far more effective towards the audience, gripping and exciting compared to the naturalistic and repetitive opening of Inception. 

Sound in Thriller Movies Analysis 'Panic Room' and 'Catch Me if You Can'

The two films that we have chosen to analyse are 'Panic Room' and 'Catch Me if You Can'. When analysing the sound, we have noticed that the two have both similarities and differences. Firstly, we will analyse the sound and music in 'Panic Room'.

The 'Panic Room' starts off with one instrument which is the cello. This is a low key sound which starts the sequence with a negative feel as it has deep tones which suggests fear. As the cello is playing, we hear the sound of car horns in the background. The music is quite slow paced which builds tension as the scene is set around buildings and skyscrapers in a city. As the title comes in the cello goes very low key which establishes the theme of the film. Ambient sound of wind comes in which adds realism to the external setting. It is followed by the sound of symbols that then introduces the sound of other instruments. Ticking starts at 0.56 seconds in. The ticking represents a time limit which compliments the connotation behind the title which is panic. It makes the audience feel as if they're racing against time. Coinciding with the ticking, a sharp pinging from the violin strings sets a harsh, violent sound. The tone and pace of the music increases which makes the audience feel distressed. A undertone of whistling is used which is very subtle. However, it creates a big effect. Traffic and pedestrians sound effects are played against this harsh music, again as a subtle undertone which isn't supposed to be individually depicted from the music, however it adds to the complexity. A repeat of the symbols is used to set apart the instruments as the cello is being introduced, played along the sound of the ticking. The violin and the cello fade in and out of each other which creates different tones and sets a varied motion. It is also apparent that at the end of the opening sequence an organ has been used as the last instrument of the soundtrack before the non-diegetic dialogue appears.

The second soundtrack we are analysing is from the film 'Catch Me if You Can'. It has a more upbeat feel which is parallel with the pace of the chase. It starts off with a xylophone instrument and a snappy 'shhh' sound effect. There are gaps in between each chime which could represent heartbeats that is relevant to the fear of being chased. The introduction of the violin quickens the pace and the high pitch sets a more positive feeling. This is followed by a saxophone which adds a suspisious, mysterious feel. A piano is playing in time with the saxophone when the name of the director and actors are shown. We hear a clicking sound 6 times within this part of the sequence. This hasty click represents the time ticking away. A flute starts playing against the piano and saxophone. All these instruments playing together makes a larger collaboration of sounds that work well with creating a tension building piece. The violins create a higher pitched and paced sound which elaborates the title. Once the title is shown, the music goes from a mixture of pitches to a leveled pitch. With the introduction of the saxophone, it is also obvious that gender representations are shifted from male to female. This is because the mood of the music the audience hears has gone from a low pitched and nerve-wracking sound to a relaxed, subtle tone. The change of tone then changes again when the crew are introduced. Shortly after the sound of clicking fades down, a beeping sound starts. The short, sharp beep could represent an alarm  or siren, suggesting the character could be late for something. The sound of the music starts to fade  down once the name of the director comes up. The music stops and we hear two clicks and a final key on the piano to round off the piece.

These two soundtracks are different in many ways. However, they also have some similarities. These being, they are both parallel to the visuals they show and both soundtracks are non-diegetic. The instrument that has been used in both soundtracks is a violin which is conventional to the thriller genre. Both soundtracks have also used sound effects such as beeping, time ticking and ambient sounds. Although both soundtracks have similarities, they have differences which can be recognised. For example, the pace of 'Catch Me if You Can' is sustained at a fast level throughout the opening sequence whereas, in 'Panic Room' the pace speeds up after the title has been introduced. Also, 'Panic Room' has diegetic sound such as ambient natural sounds throughout the opening and the diegetic dialogue at the end. Whereas, in 'Catch Me if You Can' it is noticeable that the whole sequence is non-diegetic music with animated visuals. As the music fades down in 'Catch Me if You Can' the visuals fade out to black whereas in 'Panic Room' as the sound fades down the dialogue is introduced so they overlap momentarily. 

Initial Ideas

Initial Ideas Presentation and Feedback

The Curse from sophiereid95

The ending of the opening sequence needs to be planned in more detail, two possible ideas have been discussed. The first being an external setting in a field, with a fast pan circling the female protagonist with a fast cut back to the house location this shows the audience her mental state. The second option being the female protagonist after running down the stairs, grabs a knife from the kitchen and runs behind a sofa. The audience have no idea why she has reacted this was creating an enigma. She says 'Toby is that you?' But who is Toby? suddenly there is a fade out and she is standing infront of the mirror, not with a knife but a toothbrush, is she sane?

Constructive critism on the baby videos, there could be problems with putting the videos on to Final Cut due to their age. We would need to look in to this problem and our solution if this fails to work will be, Layering shots of the protagonist sleeping, making it clear she is in discomfort and having a nightmare. We would source sounds of babys laughing although taunting her in her thoughts.

Past Student Work Analysis

We analysed Group One's thriller opening sequence. They combined the four micro areas to create an effective and tense 2 minute opening to a thriller film. It opens with a logo they created with their company name 'MGA' and a picture of a film roll next to it. This is followed by a black screen with 'MGA Pictures present' written in white and in capitals. The simplicity of these gives a professional start to the film. The font is slightly too big which can make the opening sequence look amateur. Any writing used within professional films is very small, this is to give an expert and polished effect.

The camerawork in this piece helps to produce a tense, scary atmosphere along with explaining the narrative of the opening sequence. The first shot is an out of focus medium shot of a girl (Mimi Dulake) waking up and lying on the ground struggling with her hands behind her back. The camera then zooms in on her face for a moment before zooming back out while her name appears in a small black font in the bottom left corner. This creates an enigma as to why this girl is lying on a forest floor and how she got there. Due to her serious face and struggle to get up, we understand that she is not there from free will. We then see a close up of the girls hands behind her back and we learn that they are tied up with rope. This confirms the viewer's suspicions that this girl is in this situation due to the act of someone else; the viewer assumes that this is the antagonist. We then see a close up of the girl's confused and scared face squinting at something in the distance. This builds suspense as we sonder what she is staring at and why she is so scared of this. There is then a Point Of View shot as the audience see exactly what the girl is seeing. The Point Of View shot is an out of focus long shot of a man digging a hole in the forest floor with a different girl tied up struggling beside him. As we see the girl further panicking and struggling to get free, she falls to the ground. The camera follows this in a Dutch shot. This explains to the audience that the girl is still encaptured and in danger. The audience are left on the edge of their seats as they worry about the girl's safety and if the antagonist will notice she has woke up. There is then another out of focus point of view shot on the man still digging. Because we are seeing the blurred shot through the girl's eyes we assume that she is enduring blurred vision, the audience begin to wonder if she has been drugged by the antagonist. This cuts to an extreme close up of the girl's widened eyes, this portrays her fear and panic to the audience. The viewer's have sympathy for this young victim. They are left in suspense as there is then a flashback of the night before, however they become excited to find out how these girl's got in this situation. Within this flashback there is a long shot of two girls walking down the street singing before stopping as a car containing a young man pulls up beside them. It then cuts to an over-the-shoulder shot of the girls looking at the pulled up car as he asks them where they're going and if they want to go to a party. As they agree and get in the car there is then a Point Of View shot from one of the girls sitting in the back looking at the suspicious male driver. It then goes back to present time and we see a medium shot of the girl still in fear then the male antagonist coming up behind her and putting his hand over her face. There is then the title 'Buried Alive' on a black screen in red capitals and medium font. Like the company name, the title is in a font that is too big. The group should have copied many professional films in containing very small font writing. However, the two colours black and red mirror the suspicious and thriller theme of the film.

When the logo and name of the company is on the screen a quick and eerie sound is heard. This is a typical element of a thriller film. Before the opening sequence has even started the audience know that this film is not a comedy or love film. The non-diegetic eerie music continues as the girl is shown lying on the forest floor. As we see her struglling to get free we also hear the diagetic, ambient sound of leaves rustling beneath her. We then also hear the sound of her heavy breathing as she begins to realise what has happened to her and starts to panic. This causes the audience to understand that she is confused as to how she got there and is not there due to her free will. As there is a close up of the girl's hands tied up with rope behind her back there is a louder and faster version of the eerie music used for that shot. There is a score when that image is shown again with the same faster, louder music. As the girl starts to get very scared and panicked the music gets louder aswell as the ambient sound of rustling leaves.There is dialogue used when the girl sees the antagonist digging a hole in the ground and says to herself 'no' repeatedly. This explains to the audience that the character is assuming what they are to, that he is digging the hole for her. As there is a flashback we hear the diagetic sound of the two girls singing as they walk down the street. Dialogue is used again as the antagonist pulls up beside them in his car and asks them to come to a party with him. This is frustrating for the audience as they know what will happen to the girls now they have got in the car. This is an element used frequently within thriller films as it gets a reaction off the audience as they watch it. The eerie and scary music then starts again as the flashback stops and we see the girl sitting on the forest ground in fear. The unsettling music reaches its peak as the antagonist is seen elaping on the girl covering her face with his hands.

Fades are frequently used within this opening sequence. However, the logo and company name at the start of the sequence both fade in and fade out. A fade in is also used when the girl notices the antagonist digging a hole in the forest floor. This gives a dazed effect as though the victim is confused and is fading in and out of consciousness.

Past Student Work Analysis

We decided to analyse Group Two's opening thriller sequence. We will explain the ways we think this group produced a good opening sequence and the ways in which they could have done to improve it.

Within the first few seconds of the clip starting, the production company is introduced as 'droplet'. This production logo is suitable with the name as you can see a physical droplet therefore, it looks quite professional. However, the font looks amateur as it's a basic font, Arial, which could be a lot more imaginative and creative. The music starts from as soon as we see the opening. Then it fades to black to a handheld shot walking down an alley. With this stereotypically thrilling location, the lighting should have been a darker tone to make it look more scary. The view is blurry and unclear however which does create a better effect. It is followed by a cut to black with white text saying 'Droplet Production Presents'. While this is shown the music changes to a harsher tone which adds tension and emphasises the writing. The same handheld shot is carried on. Then, for one second of the clip we see three girls dancing. This makes us assume that they hold an important role in this clip. The clothes they are wearing are suitable for the types of characters they are and creates a more realistic feel. It then cuts again to black with more texts saying 'A film by Lauren E Tarling'. Which is followed by another handheld shot walking up to a house. Pip Stokes and Greg Warkins names are shown in the bottom left of the screen. The font they have used has been the same throughout which adds to the professionalism. However, the size of this font makes it look basic. A cut is then used to three girls posing for a photograph. The three girls in this shot are different to the girls in the earlier shot that was seen. This creates confusion and disrupts the continuity. The camera then shows someone entering the house, using an eye view handheld shot. As this is shown, you can see that it is in slow motion from the speed of the movement from the characters.

A flashback transition of someone's bedroom is then used to show a outer border effect, to show the emphasised view point from the character. This is again handheld so the movements are very quick and sudden, adding to the tense and rushed moment. While this shot is happening, diegetic sound is heard. The loud breathing we can hear is clear and helps the audience understand the panicked atmosphere. It then comes out of the flashback and back to reality with the handheld shot walking outside. From this scene, it shows another scene of the bedroom and then another scene of a injured character. This creates confusion as we are not sure what is going on. This is repeated three times, showing all three different scenes in the same order. This mixes up the flashback and the reality. The end of the clip includes the injured character falling to the ground with a cut black screen with the title 'Playback'. Throughout the whole clip, the same music has been used. To add more suspense and thrill to this clip they should have thought about adding some more tense music to go parallel with the drama happening. When the title comes up, the music stops but is replaced with a loud sound effect. This sound is similar to a lightning sound effect. Having this extra sound added completes the opening sequence of the film. However, the sound is not relevant to the narrative and it is a completely different tone to the other music we heard.

We have noticed many things they could have improved to make this opening sequence better. I think the music could have been changed a little through certain scenes. I also think they could have experimented more with locations as it would make it look more professional. The continuity was disrupted because we noticed the change in the characters we were initially introduced to. The camera-work is not really varied enough as the main camera shot is handheld. Handheld is a really effective shot to use for a thriller opening yet, different camera angles makes it a lot more interesting to watch. The editing in this clip is limited. Most of the shots are long durated which is unusual and uneffective in a thriller opening sequence. This is because short shot duration creates a panicked effect. To improve the intensity of this sequence would be too make each scene play together in a short amount of time. This will unsettle the auidence and increase the panicked effect. However, the mis-en scene is good. The costume and make-up designed for the characters adds to the realism of the drama. The setting in the male characters room was good because it established a stereotypical male features such as the Arsenal wallpaper and the messy appearance. If I graded this work, I would give Group Two a C grade. If they included some more editing and camera techniques this clip could have got a B grade.

British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)





BBFC is the guidelines that producers need to follow to make a classified film to be sold in the UK.  The British Board of Film Classifcation (BBFC) set age limits so that there are no ethical issues and so it doesn't corrupt the youth of today, and their attitudes towards sex and violence. They view all films and decide which age is suitable to view this film.

This U symbol stands for Universal. The certified 'U' films are aimed at a audience aged 4 years or over. However, it is hard to tell what the audience will find upsetting. A minimal, mild amount of bad language is included in these films, such as 'bugger' 'bloody' or 'damn'. There may be scenes in which the audience could find scary as the characters are put in danger. But it ends reassuringly and is quickly resolved. The sexual content involved is very mild - kissing or cuddling will be the extent of the sexual behaviour. The same with gay sexual relations, it is kept to a minimal.

A certified 'U' film will oftenly be a family film, meaning the message would be positive and something to do with loyalty, love or friendship. The intention is for the young children to not be influenced by any negative issues that can be created through drugs, horror, language, nudity, sex and violence.

PG films may endure issues of domestic violence, racism or bereavement. Illegal and anti-social behaviour (smoking, drugs, bullying) can be included in PG films. However, they need to educate them by emphasising that these things are bad and harmful. There may be mild language included like 'shit' or 'son of a bitch' - the context and delivery are important factors. The sexual and violent content are allowed however, it will need to lack in detail. The blood can be seen but not how the injury was inflicted. Some scary moments may occur but they should not show realistic horror, violence or weapons such as knives. This will not be glamorised within PG work. Potential copying from the children will only occur if the actions are seen as fun or safe e.g. climbing onto dangerous things. 

PG stands for parental guidance meaning the parents need to think if the content might upset younger or more sensitive children. The films are aimed at audiences of 8 years or older as is for general viewing but could include some scenes that are unsuitable for a younger child.

The difference between 12A and 12 is that the 12 certificate is just for videos, DVDs and Blu-rays. Whereas, 12A is for films at the cinema only. 12A is suitable for anyone over the age of 12. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory' therefore, anyone under the age of 12 must be with someone aged 18 or over to watch the film with them. It is not recommended for a young child to see this as it may be seen as unsuitable.

The language involved in both of these certificates may be very strong, but it is only acceptable if it is infrequent. The context of the language is important. There may be moderate language included however, any discriminatory language will not be endorsed at all. The sex scenes may be brief and portrayed discreetly in 12 and 12A films. The verbal sex language should only be suitable for a young teenage to hear. Frequent crude sex references are accepted very rarely. Nudity may be in these films but sexual nudity should be briefly and discreetly shown. There should be no emphasises on injuries as moderate violence is only allowed. Action scenes may be viewed however weapons that are easily accesible for people aged 12 will not be glamorised. Also, moderate physical and pyschological threat is permitted as long as they are not too frequent. Dangerous behaviour may be shown but not dwelled on however, discriminatory behaviour should not be endorsed. Drug abuse may be shown as long as they are not glamorised or are portaying details.  

15 rated films are suitable for those aged 15 years or over. No one under that age can buy/rent or see a 15 certified film. The strong language involved is not really limited - it can potentially be a huge amount. There may be discriminatory behaviour, however as a 15, the work must not endorse this kind of behaviour. Sexual activity is allowed, it is normally shown for a long time with nudity and movement. Nudity has no contraints on non-sexual or educationational context.  However, there can not be strong, graphic detail or crude references. Easily accessible weapons may not be glamorised and strong sadistic or sexualised violence is unlikely to be accepted. However, the violence may be strong without dwelling on the pain or injury. Gory images especially are less likely to be accepted for a 15 certificate film. Sexual violence can be shown if it is discreet and if it shows a strong justice of context.  However, verbal references to sex is allowed. The extent of horror can go up to strong threat and menace, as long as it is not sadistic or sexualised. Most horror films are rated 15, but if it will include gory images it is likely to not be accepted. The promotion and encouragment of drug use should be clear if shown. Easily accessible drugs and highly dangerous substances is not suitable for a 15 film.

18 rated films are strickly only for adult viewers. This age guidence prevents under eighteens from viewing this content in the cinema and on DVDs. Films like this are expected to have strong scenes of sex, violence and will contain strong language. Other language that should be expected is racist, homophobic or any other discriminatory language. Sex is aloud in strong detailed portrales in eighteen rated films, however there are not any constraints on nudity in an educational or in a non sexual manor.

R18 is the highest rating a film can be given without it being deemed unfit for viewing. Expected to contain heavy strong content of sexual scenes including fetishes and sexual acts containing adults. They are so explicit they cannot be supplied by mail order incase minors can access it. The puppose of a flim with such a high rating is sexual arousel and stimulation, they can only be viewed in specially licensed cinemas, and sold to adults in licenced sex shops.