Planning: Editing Planning- Miss Begum

The quality of the editing within a film is very important as it can effect the look and feel of the film dramatically. 

It is important to think about the editing, especially in thriller films because the following shot should compliment their predecessor so that the viewer is able to understand what is happening. For example if the editor wishes to make the audience feel a certain emotion such as scared/ surprised then they would need to edit the film in certain ways using special techniques in order to make them feel this way. 

Some of the conventional uses of editing in thrillers are the use of the slow motion technique to emphasize an action scene, a car crash or something that will usually happen at fast pace etc. Another editing technique will be slow paced editing which is used to create suspense and to capture action. In contrast to slow paced editing, there is fast paced editing which is used to create suspense and thrill. Fast paced editing is mostly used within fighting scenes as it makes the fighting look more realistic and keeps the audience intrigued in the scene. Lastly one other conventional uses of editing is the speed of editing this helps determine the mood/atmosphere of that particular scene. It also informs the audience on what kind of editing there is for example fast paced editing which may be used within a chase scene.

The editing techniques I plan to use in my thriller consist of the following:

1. Fade to black which will in turn create suspense among the audience. This will be used when something significant is going to happen, such as Frank looking outside after his daughter seeing someone and then he sees something outside as well and gets scared. This in turn will leave the audience wanting more. This is conventional to the thriller genre as thrillers are known for creating suspense among the audience which this does.

2. We plan on using reaction shots to allow the audience to see the fear on our characters faces or just to see how their feeling for example, in the corridor scene where the family comes face to face with intruder inside their home. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it will allow the audience to form relationships between them and the characters. Also it will make it seem more realistic.

3.We will use a montage to create excitement among the audience. This will be used when we wish the audience to see certain scenes together as our thriller is a trailer, for example the first scene will show someone walking up to four pictures and then de-facing the people in them, after this scene we will see the start of a slow paced montage which starts to steadily speed up, allowing tension and suspense to build. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it will create excitement among the audience allowing the feel of suspense and tension to build.

4. We may use a straight cut when putting clips of our trailer together in order to help the audience follow the narrative easily without creating confusion, e.g the family coming face to face with the intruder and then straight after we see the candle light go out and when it comes back on its standing right in front of the camera, this then allows us to show straight cuts of the family trying to escape. This is conventional to the thriller genre as we don't want our audience to not understand what is going on, so that they feel the full impact of our thriller.

Conclusion:
Planning what editing techniques we will use has helped my group in many ways. Firstly we are able to save time when it comes to the editing of our thriller, furthermore we now know what impact we wish to inflict upon the audience, in turn this will help us to see if we have done a good job when receiving four feedback on the turnout of our thriller.

Planning: Sound planning- Miss Begum

Sound is one of those most important elements within the creation of films. This is because it sets the whole mood and atmosphere of the film. I believe it is very important to plan out the sounds we will use simply because the sounds cause the audience to either be connected to the film or be vidilante in knowing that what their watching is a film with actors. For example if the audience see a gun being fired but hear an alien zapper sound they will become disconnected from the film, realising that it is make- believe where as if they hear a gunshot they will develop a relationship between the characters thinking the situation is a real one.   

Some of the conventional uses of sound in thrillers are:

·         Non-diegetic soundtracks such as voice-overs can be used to explain an event within the scene that wasn't shown to the audience, this in turn gives the audience a better understanding of what happened/ what is happening. Also it helps to create a suspense filled feeling as the audience are then able to determine what will happen next in the scene e.g. someone is going to die etc.

·         Diegetic sounds such as the sounds from the TV or a radio allow the audience to understand what is going on in the scene clearer; as it is based upon realistic sounds it makes the scene a lot more intriguing for the audience to watch.

·         Off-screen sounds such as footsteps are used to build suspense and tension e.g creaking floor boards or a window smashing etc.

The sounds I plan to use in my thriller consist of the following:

1. Non- diegetic sound will be used at the start of our film and when we decide that tension/ suspense needs to be built, to do this we will add a soundtrack. We chose to use this because it will help build tension and suspense This is conventional to the thriller genre as it will also build a relationship with the audience and get them to put themselves in our characters shoes.

2. Diegetic sounds will be used when the audience see the characters watching TV or popping a christmas cracker. We chose to use this as it will make our thriller seem more realistic and intriguing for the audience to watch. This is conventional to the thriller genre as most thrillers strive to be realistic so the audience feel the complete impact and not just think that they are watching a make-believe film.

3. On screen sounds will be used when the characters are talking or making a noise. We chose to use this so the audeince can determine the personality of each character from the way they talk. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it will also make the thriller seem more realistic.

4. Off screen sounds will be used when someone is running up the stairs etc. We chose to use this as it will help to build tension and suspense e.g. Creaking floor boards/ windows smashing etc. This is conventional to a thriller because the audience start to guess what is going on making tension and suspense build.

5. Parallel sounds will be used when the audience actually see a window smashing etc. We chose to use this as it creates a sense of reality within a film as the audience understand what is going on in the film and it helps to build and create a humanized atmosphere. This is conventional within the thriller genre as a relationship will be able to be built between the audience and the characters.

Conclusion:
Being able to plan out the sound we will use in our thriller, we have been able to save a lot of time when creating our thriller soundtracks etc. Furthermore we now understand how the sounds will effect the audience and in what ways they will be conventional to the thriller genre.

Planning: Final idea- Miss Begum

the aim of this lesson was to display ideas on the final narrative of our thriller.

What makes a conventional thriller?:

• A good soundtrack- for it to be a good soundtrack it must have some effect/ impact on the audience e.g. shock, surprise, confuse etc.
• Tension/ suspense is built to confuse the audience and/ or get a point across.
• There is a use of different lighting techniques and camera shots to keep the audience entertained e.g. fast pace editing used for an action scene; slow paced editing used in order to emphasize a dramatic scene.
• Different scenes are used to keep the audience interested and entertained.
• Use of costumes to portray the age, class, gender or the personality of a character in order to build relations with the audience or build tension/ suspense.
• The lighting used within each scene has a different and significant impact on the audience, for example, in one of my thriller's scenes we see low key lighting used in the corridoor scene, this had the impact of building tension and suspense throughout the audience. Furthermore the lighting used will make the audience feel as though there is no hope for the family when they come face-to-face with the shadow character.
• Facial expressions have an outstanding impact on the audience also; by following the facial expressions of a character the audience can tell how they are feeling without the movement of the characters body, for example if a character is tied to a chair, then the only way the audience can be helped to understand the mood of this character is by their facial expressions and dialogue used, however if we erase the dialogue the facial expressions still have a big impact on the audience whereas, if we erase the facial expressions then the dialogue would seem meaningless to the audience.

Group choices:

My group came up with three different ideas separately and then we sat down and decided which idea was the best and the most conventional. 

Firstly Yasmin's thriller was called 'psycho obsession. It had the theme of obsession in mind as she came up with the idea of a father that was thrown out of his home after his child's birth he has become obsessed with his daughter.
Advantages:

• This idea was very simple and would be easy to produce
• The idea was great as we didn't need many characters which would make the set less crowded and everyone will know what to do and what is expected of them clearly.

Disadvantages:

• Our group didn't feel that this idea would have the impact on the audience that we were hoping for, e.g build up of suspense and tension, this is because we would have to explain a lot before we actually start the process of the build up.
• The location and setting we needed would not be easy to find, this is because we needed a house that had a room that had no wall paper, was damp and utterly nasty. We know that this could of been done by us but we would have to pay someone to use their house and destroy one of their rooms, this would cost a lot of money.

The second idea was mine. The title of my thriller is 'The Descendant' this is because the main character takes his personality and powers from his late father and the word descendant is another word for off spring or child. It is about a young boy who loses his father at the age of  8 and grows up to be just like his father- and that is a super powered crime fighter.
Advantages:

• This narrative was also simple to follow and film, this meant more time could be used to film scenes again and improve the narrative to get the best quality production.
• Furthermore, this narrative had the best settings and locations, for example all of the high priority scenes were to be filmed in locations with great views and places which would in turn help us to improve the impact that each scene would have on the audience.

Disadvantages:

• If we were to film this narrative then we would have to do a lot of travelling in order to get to the locations, this again would cost a lot of money and time.
• Another disadvantage is the effects we wanted to use, for example, in one of the scenes we wanted to create and use the force field effect, this would need a lot of practice and time in order for it to look realistic.

Narrative/ plot:

The chosen idea was Jemar's;  he called it 'The Awakening' and it is about as a young girl called Amy who lives with her mum Natalie and her father Tom. Within this film we start off by seeing four pictures on top of a fireplace showing family pictures within different seasons. The audience will not see the person holding the camera which will create tension and suspense among the audience. When the family arrive home they feel as though something is watching them, which it is. As we see the family become disturbed over little Amy's sightings of moving figures around the house, we also see each family member attacked mentally while they are sleeping, or while their awake, as they may see something look away and then look back again; they start to hear noises around the house and see what looks like shadows moving around the house.  As we move through the opening scene we start to understand what is happening within this household and how threatening it is for the family who lives their. 

These clips will be accompanied by slow- paced music as the audience start to see Amy becoming disturbed by her viewing of something standing outside her house looking at her. She screams and her dad comes running and thinks its nothing until he sees the figure himself and becomes disturbed about what he has seen, his wife comforts him and just tells him that it was nothing.

All the sounds and images build up the tension and suspense in the audience when the family is looking down a corridor they see a shadow walking slowly around the corner, just as it's about to turn around the corner the opening then ends and goes onto a black screen where he hear screaming and the title screen comes up saying "The Awakening".
We chose this narrative simply because it is the simplest idea out of all of them, furthermore it is the most conventional to the thriller genre as our group have done questionnaires on each idea to see which narrative our audience thought would have the biggest impact and would find easiest to build suspense and tension.
This narrative explores a few different themes, for example it explores the themes of being a mystery thriller, this is due to one of our characters identities being a mystery to the audience, also, we are able to state that our thriller also acts as a psychological thriller due to the innocence of a family being played with and slowly stolen from them. The last two genres my thriller explores are mind games and paranoia, the reason i put these two together are becuase mind games lead to paranoia, this is seen as the family start to see sightings of strange shadows around their household and start to feel paranoied within their own home. 
Advantages:

• Jemar's idea had turned out to be the most conventional to the thriller genre, firstly this is due to the setting and location being inside a family home, the audience will at first think that this is the safest place a family could be, however, Jemar's narrative plays around with that idea therefore creating a sense of suspense and tension.
• Secondly our group thought that Jemar's idea was also conventional to the thriller genre due to the fact that the characters were all a family, this was because we thought that the audience would be able to empathize with the families feelings on a whole and not want any one of them to get harmed within the thriller, due to this feeling, they will feel tension and suspense when any one of the family members are in danger.

Disadvantages:

• One disadvantage was that we needed a few different characters, that could look as though they are a family, this would mean that we would have to ask a few people if they would be able to act in our play, while doing this we have to consider time schedules etc. which may or may not work out well.

Characters:

• Amy- young girl 9 years old
• Sarah 35 years old
• Frank 37 years old
• Shadows- mysterious character(s)

Mise-en-scene:

A lot of natural lighting will be used during the calmer scenes in order to make the audience feel as though it is more realistic. e.g. where the parents are seen eating dinner.
Low key lighting will be used when something significant and scary is either going to happen or is going to happen such as Frank looking outside the window to see someone looking up at him.
 We will use a range of camera angles and shots such as close-ups, mid shots etc.
The close-up shot will be used to capture the characters facial expressions when they are screaming or see something e.g. a close up will be used when we see Frank look outside to see someone looking up at him.
A long shot will be used in the corridor scene so that the audience can look at what is happening from each characters point of view seeing what they are seeing, this in turn will cause the audience to empathize with the characters.e.g. the audience will see the families point of view and they will also see the mysterious shadow characters point of view.
 In this opening we will use editing techniques such as a montage, fade to black and straight cuts etc. These will help the audience to follow the narrative closely and it will help them to understand the narrative easier.

Film influences:

• Paranormal activity- this is why we based it inside a house as we feel as though a home is the safest place for a family so invading that sense of safety will have a chilling impact on the audience.
• Sinister- This is because the narrative we chose to use is set within a family house-hold and the family are the victims of an antagonist character, where in our case it is the mysterious shadow character(s). Furthermore one of our scenes is based aroun d

This idea is conventional to a thriller simply because it allows the audience to have expectations of the outcome, it creates tension and suspense among the audience leaving them wanting more from the film. We have explored many different thriller examples and we have found out that a lot of people love to see someone at risk within a normally safe environment as it builds up more tension and creates suspense.
 I believe that our narrative explores many different themes such as mystery and paranoia etc, our thriller's purpose is to be a psychological thriller, which plays with the audiences thoughts and feelings towards their own homes and how safe they really are.

Research: Scream analysis- Ms Begum

Notes on the film Screen

• Scream was released in 1996.
• It was written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven/
• The main actors of scream were Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox
• The film onscreen film title is written in the colour white to represent a Ghost; it also relates to the way the antagonist is dressed in the film as he has a white mask which looks like a howling ghost. The title colour then changes to red to symbolise danger and blood which suggests that this film is a horror-thriller.

The scream film:
- The opening of 'Scream' shows a young girl being prosecuted over the phone by a anonymous caller- the antagonist in this case; She is asked numerous questions, and at first is warming to the anonymous caller until he says: "I want to know where i'm looking at" as soon as this is said sound effects come in such as a dog barking, this builds tension as the audience feels as though someone is actually watching the young girl. After hanging up the phone a few times the man then tells the young girl to turn on the patio light again which is where the five minute opening scene ends. By watching the first 5 minutes I am left wanting to see the rest of the scene as the tension has been building up throughout which also relates to the popcorn the girl put on the stove which starts to bubble up signifying the build up of tension. 
                                                    

Opening Scene Plot:
the opening scene of scream gives the audience a feel of the mood of the film and how the storyline may flow. To start off; the first thing the audience see is a phone ringing and then a young blonde girl comes to pick it up, straight away we get too see the first character which alot of the audience may consider her to be the main character. Moving on we then find out that this girl is home alone in a large house which makes the audience confused as they start to question her age and who's house she is in. As the scene continues the audience are bombarded with dialogue suggesting that this girl may be older than she looks or has done something wrong causing her to be targeted by this mysterious caller. The situation starts to escalate slowly and tension starts to build amongst the audience as the mystery character's phone call turns aggressive and threatening and he threatens to take her life by brutally stabbing her. The audience then get a shock as the prior denied boyfriend is see tied up outside on the girls patio. Once seen the girls turns hysterical while the anonymous caller then asks the girl to answer a question and if she gets it wrong her boyfriend and herself will be killed. Steve is then murdered when the young girl fails to answer the question right; We then see a mysterious man enter her home wearing a black cloak and a white ghost mask, as the girl tries to escape she is unfortunately caught, attacked and murdered by the masked person who then escapes after leaving her body hung on tree awaiting for her parents to find her.                  

Location and setting:
the opening scene is set in a fairly big, modernhouse however it is located within the country side far away from any close neighbours or society as we see what it looks to be farmed crops and an oak land forest. The scene first starts within the girls house and then later escalates to outside her home as that is where she is attacked and  brutally murdered. This is entirely conventional to the thriller genre simply becuase these events happen inside and right outside the girls house; what makes this so conventional is that the connotations of being inside your home are that the person is entirley safe from harm, however, in this scene the house looks very big and would be undoubtedly scary to a younger child being alone in it. This is where the film plays around with the connotations of a home being safe as the girl is alone which in turn creates suspense among the audience as they know that this girl is vulnerable.

Narrative Functions:

The opening scene to this film clearly shows the genre of the film, which is a horror/thriller. We can tell by the atmosphere and the mood which is set by the sound, editing and location.

The use of a voice on the phone which is not backed up with the face of a character and when it is we are only able to see a white ghost mask which creates tension and may have the audience assuming he is going to go on a killing spree later on during the film, while specifically targetting teenagers; However, from this the audience can also infer that this is more of a horror movie as the story line and dialouge is slightly predictable.

How are Micro- elements used conventionally in the opening of scream?:

Mise-en-Scene & Camera Techniques:

Zoom shot & Reaction Shot:

 Camera shots play a big role on the effect the film will have on an audience, for example, within this scene we see many different shots whcih all have a seperate effect on the audience for example the zoom shot and reaction shot are both used in the scene when the mystery character says something to Casey that changes her hole mood towards the Phone call. The mystery character on the phone says to Casey ''Because i want to know who i'm looking at''. The camera then instantly zooms into her face to capture her reaction to this comment, this is where the soundtrack is then changed to create a more chilling and cold atmosphere and build tension. This is done to capture the emotions created by Casey's facial expressions as she is going through a stage of insecurity and shock.

These two shots are then used again when Casey's parents also experience a state of shock and surprise when they find her body hanging on a tree. Also in this scene, high-key lighting is used, this symbolizes Casey's innocence before she was brutally killed.

  

Dolly Shot:

Another camera shot that was used conventionally was the dolly shot. This is used in the scene where we see Casey punch the masked attacker in the face in an attempt to escape her death. The Camera zooms out as it captures Casey's body along with her garden to show the audience how big her garden is. The camera continues to follow Casey's running movements. The camera follows Casey  while she tries to escape. The camera angle suddenly changes as we see her parents arriving home in their car. Furthermore, opposite to the above image the lighting used has now changed from high-key to low-key lighting, which in turn symbolizes the innocence there had been prior to the murders, as we can see now the lighting makes the shot look gloomy and miserable.

                                                                  

Mid Shot:

The last camera shot that I will highlight is the mid shot which was used when Casey is seen yelling over the phone as she is starting to become hysterical. This suggests that she is being affected by the anonymous call and the things she is hearing is starting to take its toll upon her, She is also seen walking around which is another sign of paranoia.

Furthermore while seeing this mid shot the audience are forced to see how scared she really is which is portrayed through her body language. This is conventional to the thriller genre because the audience start to emphasize with this character as they start to feel scared and paranoid with her, this in turn helps to build tension and suspense among the audience.

Diegetic & Non-Diegetic Sound:

Moving on to the Micro-element of sounds, most of the sound in the opening sequence was Diegetic. This is shown when we see a phone on the table and hear it ring at the same time, in turn the audience hear what they expect to hear making it a diegtic sound.

In opposition to Diegetic sounds Non-Diegetic sound was also used when the anonymous caller says to the girl "i would like to know who i'm looking at"; straight after this is said sound effects are heard and a dog is heard barking however these things heard are sound effects added in making them non-diegetic sounds. Both Diegetic and Non diegetic sounds are conventional to a thriller film as they enable the creation of a realistic atmosphere within the film which help the audience to be emotionally connected to the film and the actors.

On & Off sound:

Furthermore we also witness the use of on-screen sounds; for example the phone ringing is an on screeen sound as we not only hear it but we see it. Furthermore when the audience see the pop corn on the stove we also hear crackling, this is another example of an on screen sound.

On the other hand an off screen sound is when there is sound in a scene but you cannot see the source of the sound. For example the dog barking in the scene is an off-screen sound alike the voice of the anonymous caller. Using On-screen and Off-screen sounds make a thriller conventional to the thriller genre as they also add to the feel of the realistic atmosphere. In turn the audience do not feel as though they are watching an actual film which is make believe; they believe that this either happened or is happening and they are spectators un able to help the person in need.

Costume & Props:

Costumes are one of the key elements which make films conventional to their genre for example. In the opening sequence of scream Casey is seen to be wearing a white wooly jumper and blue trousers; this tells the audience that she feels comfortable where she is and she feels safe inside the house. When the audience learn of the girl being in her own home they understand why she is wearing what she is and why she feels so comfortable and confident inside the house.  Furthermore we can also tell that this film was set in america due to the accents of the character(s). Casey's boyfriend was wearing was wearing a jockey jacket which American footballers usually wear. In addition to this, Casey tells the anonymous caller that her boyfriend ''Is big and plays football''. and by that statement we are able to identify her to be an American. However by dressing these two characters this way, it allows the audience to see how innocent these two characters are, they both look as though they are young and still in high school which means they have a lot to live for, this makes the audience empathize with these characters, making them feel for the characters in this position.

              

 The house that Casey lives in suggests that this film was not set within the modern times. This is due to the layout of the house and the colour scheme, as back in 1996 the use of dull colours was popular. Lastly the most obvious is the quality of the filming as you can see a grainy effect added to the camera effect however in this case it is'nt an effect as the cameras back in 1996 did not have the HD picture quality modern day cameras do. More over within this house we see all the normal props and furniture we would expect to see within a house at that time e.g. kitchen table, cutlery, telephone etc. The costumes and props make this film conventional to the thriller genre as they believe the film to be real life due to the common furniture and props they see. In turn these all add to the realistic atmosphere which thrillers try so hard to achieve.

Thriller Elements:

Ultimately the opening sequence of the film scream Relates to the scream logo (a blade) this is because the use and image of knives is emphasized upon a lot during the scene. An example is when Casey begins to play with a kitchen knife while she was on the phone to her anonymous caller. This in turn is such a controversial event as we also hear the anonymous caller ask the girl if she liked scary movies and she mentions another movie where the killer uses a knife to kill their victims. This is controversial due to the killer in scream also uses a knife to kill their victims. In this scene, the lighting used inside the house is more or less natural lighting, this tells the audience that it is dark outside due to all the lights being on while she is at home, this symbolizes the innocence of the girl and the peaceful and open atmosphere within the house. However as we progress through the opening the lighting starts to change and turn in to low key lighting, this starts the build up of tension and suspense as the audience are watching the innocence of this girl steadily slipping away from her as she is exposed to the anonymous caller. At the end of the scene the lighting ended up completely in the low-key state, this adds to the death of Casey and it also symbolizes the atmosphere of Casey's parents and the audience.
Moving on to the editing, the opening is filled with straight cuts, reaction shots, close ups and mid shots, these camera angles all have different effects and impacts on the audience, for example the reaction shots help the audience to understand what the characters are feeling and how they are reacting to the situation they are in. Furthermore, in the killing scene we see the use of slow motion, this is used to empathize on the fact she is being murdered brutally with a knife, this in turn makes the audience reflect on the fact that this once innocent young girl is now being killed for reasons unknown to anyone.

Conclusively; I have decided that the opening scene of scream is slow- paced however very effective due to the pressurized build up of tension created due to the location, soundtracks used, camera angles etc. An example would be the reaction shots used on Casey and her parents capturing the profound emotions on each of their faces. Furthermore the girl killed in the first scene is not named until she is dead which is very significant within the first scene simply because the audience is left with questions on who she is and why she was killed.
Lastly Scream is a conventional opening to a thriller film simply because it stays within all the norms of a film of its origin for example we see a young vulnerable girl alone in a big house with glass doors. Elements such as these are conventional to thriller films as the audience expect things to happen but when they don't happen as the audience had expected it allows a build up of tension throughout the film. This opening scene has taught me to not always show what is expected by the audience and to think outside the box when creating my own thriller film. From analysing this opening scene I have also learnt how to make my thriller conventional to the thriller genre, furthermore I am now able to use and pick out key micro-elements which will enable me to achieve and create a realistic atmosphere within my thriller.

Research: Narrative Ideas- Ms Hawkins

Narrative theory's:

Vladimir Propp:

 Vladimir Propp came up with the theory that characters have a narrative function and they also provide the structure for the narrative. This theory relates to the influence of typical characters. e.g.  the hero, helper, donor, villain and the princess. These 5 typical characters influence the narrative as the characters are able to act as a base for the narrative due to them providing known situations such as the villain fighting the hero over something or someone. 

Propp's theory relates to the thriller genre as it includes conventional and expected characters. For example in a thriller film the audience would expect the film to contain a villain/evil character, this character would be the main cause of pain/ suffering caused in the film or they would be the main cause of surprise, suspense/ tension built within the audience. The audience would also expect a thriller film to have a hero; this character would be the counter-action of the villains bad deeds, they will be a main character within the film and they will be the cause of the downfall of the villain.

Tzvetan Todorov:

Tzvetan Todorov had a complex interpretation of film texts, this was his theory of equilibrium and disequilibrium. Equilibrium means that the fictional environment begins normally so that the audience can relate to that calm situation. Disequilibrium means that the environment then suffers some disruption which may excite or shock the audience.

Todorov's theory of equilibrium's and disequilibrium's are still witnessed within thriller films in modern times; for example in the film 'Scream' we see a young girl enjoying a quiet night in alone (the equilibrium), and then the mysterious killer enters and disrupts the environment causing a disequilibrium. 

Aristotle:

Aristotle bases his theory on the themes of films for example: 

• Inciting incident
• Character goal
• Stakes
• Dramatic question
• Sympathy/empathy 
• Resolution

All of these themes are conventional within a thriller film; for example the theme 'character goal' can be used with a hero or a villain in a film, the villain may set out to gain world domination whereas the hero's goal is to stop the villain. In turn this relates to the thriller genre as the audience expect a villain to want to achieve something and then there is a hero that emerges to stop the villain from achieving their goal. 

Conclusion and my narrative:

The narrative that my group has decided to use is based around Tzvetan Todorov's theory of equilibrium and disequilibrium's. Our narrative is a psychological thriller this is because my group wish to use the calm setting of a house to create suspense among the audience. A scene where we see an intruder invade the families private space creating a sense of danger that the protagonists (the family) will be facing. We have decided to relate our thriller to the psychological thriller genre as we want the audience to relate to our thriller and be affected by what they see in the film. for example our narrative relates to the film Sinister, this is because this film has a narrative filled with tension and suspense.

Research: Mise-en-scene Miss Heath

Mise-en-scene:
The term "Mise-en-scene" means the visual elements of a film the Mise-en-scene is made up of five elements:

• Settings and Iconography
• Lighting and color
• Costume, Hair and make up
• Positioning of the characters within the shot/frame
• Facial expressions and body language

Settings and Iconography:
These are used to manipulate the audience by allowing them to have expectations of the film due to a certain setting. Furthermore they are usually built on a set or a suitable and conventional location is found somewhere else e.g. The mountain side etc.

Lighting and color:
The lighting is normally used to reflect a characters mood or state of mind. However the lighting can also be used to empathize something important within a frame/ scene.

Costume, hair and make up:
These may be used to tell the audience a little about the characters personality; it also allows the audience to easily identify each character e.g. the protagonist and the antagonist. The costume a character wears is an immediate indicator telling the audience the characters social status or their power within the film.

Positioning of the characters within the shot/frame:
The positioning of a character during a scene may be used to sum up their importance within the scene. It may also be that the director wishes to draw attention to something or someone.

Facial expressions and body language:
The facial expressions and the body language of each character is a very important within a scene, this is because it allows the audience to connect to each character. It also allows them to identify how the character is feeling at that moment.

The Mise-en-scene within a thriller:

Costume, hair and make-up:

• Black clothing
• Balaclavas
• Wild hair styles
• Dark make-up

Settings and iconography:

• Weapons- guns, knives etc.
• Abandoned locations- warehouses, houses etc.

Positioning of characters/subjects:

• Middle of the frame- shows importance
• One character standing, the other not- shows authority and power

Facial expression and body language:

• Terrified expressions
• Determined expressions
• Vulnerable positions
• Authoritative body language

Lighting and color:

• Low key lighting
• Under lighting
• Black and red colours- connotations of blood and death

The Matrix clip:

In the film 'The matrix reloaded' iconography is used to provide meaning and response. The main protagonist Neo has to fight Agents using hand to hand combat. This tells the audience that he is important within the film in some way, it also shows he is skilled as he is able to fight with good techniques to defeat these agents. This is conventional to an action thriller because the audience is able to identify him as the protagonist straight away.

The clip starts off in an underground hide out when Neo receives a package containing an agents ear piece, the camera then zooms in on this item which shows it is significant to the scene in some way. Neo then tells the two men accompanying him to leave him as agents are coming, this tells the audience that Neo holds some sort of authority within this film.This scene is conventional to an action-thriller because the scene sets the atmosphere and the mood for the rest of the film.

Body language is one of the key elements in this scene this is because Neo stands with his back straight which shows confidence within the character. Furthermore another key element is his facial expressions as we see Neo look fairly serious when he knows there is trouble which tells the audience he doesn't want to lose the fight. This is conventional to an action-thriller because the audience expect this to be an action packed film, however there must be reason for the fight to commence.

Low key lighting is used within the clip during the fight scene. The use of low-key lighting indicates to the audience that something bad is about to happen, in turn this helps build the audiences expectations of the scene. This is conventional to an action thriller because the lighting creates suspense.

Conclusion:

Being able to analyse a film has helped me create and understand how to develop my thriller film effectively. The use of iconography in each film is conventional to the thriller genre. I have identified that action/ fight scenes are a main choice of iconography within thriller films as there is usually a kill/torture scene; Fight scenes are conventional within an action-thriller so my group has decided to create a jump cut montage showing a fight scene, this will build tension and a sense of thrill amongst the audience.

Planning: Cinematography planning- Ms Begum

Cinematography is important in films because it is able to set the atmosphere and the mood among the audience, it is able to build suspense/ tension if used correctly within a thriller and more over without the cinematography the film would not have the same impact upon the audience or we won't be able to get an impact out of the film.

I believe that cinematography is important, especially in thriller films because it includes the camera shots, camera angles, camera movement and the lighting within a shot/ frame. Furthermore within our thriller we hope to create and build tension among the audience while setting an energetic atmosphere.

Instead of always use the terms when reviewing a film we are able to use the term 'cinematography' to group all of these aspects together, for example: 'The cinematography in that film was amazing.'

Some of the conventional uses of cinematography in thrillers are when the audience are shown a series of close- ups/ reaction shots in order to build a relationship between the characters and the audience for example, if we see a child crying within a close up shot then the audience will fill sympathy for that child. On the other hand if the audience saw a reaction of an antagonists face after he/ she has lost someone they care about, then we may have a reaction shot showing the fury/ the anger within their face. This will also build a relation with the audience as they may also feel anger or they could also feel sympathy Lastly if there is three people talking to eachother within a scene such as batman and the dark night then we may see the camera circling all characters talking; this is because they want the audience to look at the conversation from all angles while listening to what each of the three are saying and deciding wether they agree or disagree with what the character has said.

The cinematography I plan to use in my thriller consists of the following:

1. A close-up will be used in the corridor scene, this will show the facial expressions on each of the characters faces when they come face-to-face with the intruder in their home, we have chosen to use this because we see it as the best way to capture a characters facial expressions. This is conventional to the thriller genre simply because many thrillers like to show/ empathize a characters feelings/ expressions within a shot, scene/ frame.

3. We will use a Mid-shot when the father Frank looks outside the window to see the intruder standing outside looking at him. This will give the audience a feel of who and what the intruder is.

4. We may use the Zoom shots enabling the audience to see any cause of damage or trauma easily. For example in the corridor scene we will see the family from the intruders point of view and then the camera will zoom up to the family and turn around to show the intruder on the other side of the corridor.

5. We will use the point of view/ 1st person shot as this will also make the audience put themselves in that particular situation or imagine that happening to them e.g. the corridor scene when the intruder is looking at the family.

Conclusion:
due to me planning out the cinematography I am now able to identify what my thriller will hold instead of going back to my books and trying to select each aspect of the cinematography separately  The planning has made it easier for me and the rest of my group furthermore it has made me confident about the cinematography within my thriller and I understand now how it will be conventional within my thriller. Furthermore, planning the cinematography has helped me to look at the filming process more accurately and confidently, for example i now know when some of the camera angles/ shots will be used and where, this will in turn help my group to carry out the filming process without so much hassle.

Facial Body language (Mise-en-scene) Ms Heath

The objective of this lesson was to critically analyse body language and facial expressions.

Body language:
The body language of a character is the way a character is positioned in relation to their feelings, state of mind, actions or the way they present themselves.
The Body language of a character can tell the audience either what their thinking or about their personality. The way a character acts towards certain things should be very effective upon the audience and should be conventional to their film genre whereas in this case we are looking at thrillers.

Body language of an Antagonist:

• Confident
• Mysterious
• Superior
• dark
• How any props they hold may affect their strength/ confidence etc.

From the picture above and seeing Loki in this stance we are able to say that this character is confident and believes himself to be powerful, strong/ superior to his enemies. He is standing open as if any hit or attack won't affect him at all. He holds the staff as if it is his only protection and he is ready to use it to defend himself if he needs to. This character does not look physically strong however he does look mischievous which could mean he has a trick or two up his sleeve. His facial expressions tell me that he is definitely confident and somewhat intelligent his mouth is closed and his eyebrows are not raised which means he is either focused or annoyed at something or someone.

Body language of a Protagonist:

• Usually handsome
• Focused
• Sometimes confident
• Calm

From the picture above and seeing Thor in this stance we can automatically that this character is also fairly confident and focused on the task at hand. Due to this character standing openly the audience believe him to be strong and powerful however the vibe we get from a protagonists body language is very different to how we determine an antagonists mind state depending on their body language, for example we may say that this character is courageous and focused whereas the picture above it showing the antagonist, we may say that they are mischievous and evil. We can see that this character is physically strong which may enable us to have a better understanding of why he is confident. Furthermore his facial expressions tell us that this character is focused on the task at hand; this relates to my next sub-heading.

Facial Expressions:

The facial expressions of a character help to determine how the character is feeling in relation to their body language. The facial expressions are also used to create suspense or get to get the audience emotionally attached to the audience. Facial expressions can tell you a lot about the type of character they are including their cleanliness or mind state.

Looking at this reaction shot above we are able to see that this character is in shock due to something he has seen, this is easily identified due to his widened eyes and his open mouth which may represent someone gasping almost. Capturing this emotion from the characters face effects the audience as they may see this reaction and then become emotionally attached to the character by having the same sensations and feelings of shock.

Conclusion:

Learning about and analyzing a characters body language and facial expressions has helped me as I understand how the audience is affected by them and how they determine each characters role in the film from how they are portrayed through a characters body language. When creating my own thriller trailer I will now be able to determine how each character should express themselves through their body language in each scene and their facial expressions at each moment in the trailer. I understand that the body language of a character effects how the characters determine who the character is and what their role is in the film. This is why I have decided to spend time working on each characters body language making sure it is conventional to a thriller. When filming my trailer close up shots of characters facial expressions will be used so that my audience can easily interpret how that character may be feeling at that point in time.