Questionnaire

The brainstorm we conducted goes through genres of which we produced a questionnaire as a handout on word which we asked questions to allow us the right target audience to aim at and the most watched/favorite sub genre thrillers:
Whats your favorite sub genre?
Whats age range is a thriller aimed at?
Whats your favorite thriller?
And the response from 20 questionnaires filled out allowed us to inter grate a target audience into or production and base characters and themes of our production towards that specific age range which was from 15 to 30 as the average age range. The sub genre allowed us to base our production and theme around a more favoured and more watched genre.
We accumulated the data from our question one and entered the data into Microsoft excel and formatted it into a pie chart so it was easier to read and understand for the group. The results also allowed us to see a clear defined winner in the sub genre category and therefore base our production on the most popular demand from the questionnaires. The overall favoured genre was action followed close by horror.

This is the result from the second question which allowed us to see what age range a thriller should be targeted for and therefore adapt our production through the actors, props and mise en scene, set, dialogue and the charecters roles. The overall age range that the particpants in the questionnaire was both 15-25 and 25-35 giving an overall range of 15 - 35.

Storyboard

Here is a picture of our storyboard that shows the basic outline of our production complete with camera angles and specefic props used in the shots it doesnt show the editing techniques dued to us not being aware of what type of shots and camera angles and lengths of shots to work with. we might also change various shots and angles during thge filming and contruction of the production. The story board also shows the type of shot we will be using during the production from close ups to mid to long to still images to add variety and diversity to our production to show the extent of our media technological knowledge.

Risk Assesment

Our set has not been fully risk assesed however there were already some risk we were aware of from our set which was the amount of glass in the form of test tubes and cylinders whihc while some of our scenes involve running and fighting the risk of knocking off some glass or it being hit was there. How ever we will try to offset this problem by moving the uneeded glass within the shot making paramount to keep continuity and to deter from jumps of props and sets and to minimise the necessity of glas in our production anyway.
Another problem that came to our attention was the lab coats which could cause the actors to fall whilst running during the more action scenes. to keep this problem down and decrease it hazard we decided that the coats should be clipped at the bottom during the action scenes as not to affect the continuity but to also ensure saftey of the actors and group. Along with the lab coats the actors would also be wearing large loose fitting army uniform which could get caught or snagged on corners so we made sure nothign sharp was sticking out for saftey to actors. although if there was corners we covered them with cloth to lessen the risk of the injury.
Here is a picture of the lab coats:

Here is the army uniform used in some clips:



Upon arriving at the various sets we noticed that there were additional risks that we were not aware of before in our planning and therefore had to make changes for the saftey of the actors and the group. during the chosing of the wood setting we noticed that along a proposed path was barbed wire close to the edge which was a high danger risk as this path invoilved the actors running. We therefore decided to move the path to another safer path well out the way of the barbed wire and that path was out of use for all personal. This is a picture of the barbed wire:


Others hazards that were noticable upon arrival was the poles laid around which were a medium risk to the actors as they weren't in hte path however they were on the path into the woods which was used by all members and a no running policy was implied. This is a picture of the poles:


After these hazards were minimised for safety reasons, we had chosen our paths that would be filmed on and all of the paths were chosen due to there safety and look for the production however one path involved going down a steep bank which was a lower level danger hazard then others but stilol needed to be assesed and during that clip the actors would slow down and a rope was used as a hand grip to steady the actors during descending down the bank. This is a picture of the bank:

These pictures show the paths that we used as they were mostly flat with good surface and open space to prevent falling or slipping:
This is path one used in a majority of our clips:

This is path 2 used in some other clips:

Props

Here is pictures of possible props to use in our production we had chosen to not shoot within the school but instead to wider or opportunities at creating a more realisitic feel to the opening sequence as to not just be in a school environment however we did use the school for examples of props and set scenerios to use in our production.

Brainstorm

Here is a picture of our brainstorm that we conducted after watching the opening sequences to various different genres of thrillers it allowed us to see what are stereotypical props, sets, basic plots and characters. it has allowed us to pick out some typical props, sets and characters that are conventionally used and also to mix it up and add possibly new dimensions to make our production unique to us. After our brainstorm we managed to narrow down our genre and other specifics required, for our production. We then combined our Brainstorm with our questionaire which allowed us to see what the target audience would prefer in genre and therefore incorperate the audience into the research and planning.

Film examples of genres we are considering

Examples of Action thrillers that we decided to focus our production on:


The Number 23 directed by Joel Schumacher starring Jim Carey and Virginia Madsen. This film budgeted at $30million came in with a gross revenue of $77,566,815 making a profit of $47million.


Taken directed by Pierre Morel starring Liam Neeson and Famke Janssen. The film budgeted in at $25million and with a gross revenue of $226,830,568 meant a profit of $201million was achieved.

Examples of Horror Thrillers another sub-genre we want to focus on and incorperate to our production:


Paranormal Activity 2 directed by Tod Williams starring Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat. Was budgeted at $2,750,000 with a gross revenue of $84,749,884 resulting in a profit gain of roughly $82million.


Case 39 directed by Christian Alvart starring Renée Zellweger and Ian McShane. Budgeted with $27,000,000 and with a Gross revenue of $13,248,477 made a loss of $14million.

Researching of thrillers

Thriller Defined: 'There are all kinds, The legal thriller, mystery thriller, action-adventure thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller, political thriller, religious thriller, high-tech thriller, legal thriller. Thrillers use openness and unanswered questions to keep the audience interested. Thrillers all link through the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill.'

Sub-Genres:

Crime Thrillers: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts and heists. An example of a Crime thriller is Oceans 13 along with the others in the trilogy.

Mystery Thrillers: Suspense films where characters attempt solving, or involved in, a mystery. The usual stereotypes of a mystery thriller would be involving a crazed or disillusioned character. An example of a typical mystery thriller is black swan.

Political Thrillers: In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. A typical sterotype would be a hero trying to topple the corrupt regime usually involving in a race against time before a deadline or the charecter is caught. An example of a political thriller is Vantage point.

Religious Thrillers: In which the plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions. While suspense stories have always shown a significant affinity for religion and philosophical issues. An example of a religious thriller is The DA Vinci Code.

Out of all the Sub-genres we had found we decided to focus on a combination of Action or Horror as from our experiences in watching and analysing thrillers action and horror both appealed to the group and we felt that it would allow us to explore and it also interested us the most.

Opening sequence analysis (Book of Eli)

Camera
In the opening scene to 'Book of Eli' shows an establishing shot of a forest seemingly during august as the leaves are falling from the trees which straight away gives the perception of the approaching of the end of the year or possibly someones life. The seasons all follow the similar pattern to a human life as Spring brings new life summer is happy, autumn come around and shows the decaying of trees and winter brings the end of the life and year. The theme on camera stayed with the perception of death and decaying from the leaves a gun is shown and as the camera pans along to show a dead body with the hand outstretched as if there was a struggle or violent showdown between someone and the recently dead body. The leaves also act as a cover up to the dead body consuming the body and the evidence of a murder. The pan and track then reveals a human figure sitting barring a bow and arrow ready to use on the unsuspecting cat.
Sound
During the opening scene there is a ongoing deep percussion sound that immediately gives us the perception of a thriller/horror genre film. There is minimal use of sound during this opening scene only used at points of significance and climatic tension. The leaves on the ground add to the noticeable sound of footsteps with the crunching of dead and decaying leaves. This adds to the belief that there is nowhere to hide and the thriller/horror genre is reinforced. Halfway through the opening scene there is a slight sound bridge as we hear the deep breathing before the tracking shot pans over to reveal the human waiting to ambush the cat. The deep breathing not only reinforces the horror/thriller genre but also links the dead and seemingly deserted wilderness with human impact and presence. The ongoing percussion music is used as an indicator of a forthcoming climax and build up of tension like the dramatic build up to the abrupt cut revealing the hunters breathing once more until a sudden burst of sound from the release of the arrow giving the audience a shock, pinning the film as a definite thriller seemingly horror from he early signals like the music chose, percussion and deep breathing.
Editing
The opening scene for the 'Book of Eli' has a minimal use of editing techniques throughout the scene. The take is stretched out for one minute fifty six seconds however through out the long take the use of trees acts as cuts to break up the take into a seemingly normal set of takes. This elongated take creates tension and suspension asking rhetorical questions for the audience why is he there? who is he? whats the cat doing? These are all enigmas which will be answered later within the film but in the opening scene acts as a hook for the audience to watch on. There is a eye line match from the arrow of the hunter to the cat which is effective in showing us that the cat is aware of the presence of something and allows us and the cat to see the forthcoming fatality and his demise.
Mis en scene
The use of mis en scene in the opening scene is minimal but powerfully effective as it uses props such as the gas mask the hunter is wearing as enigmas and a sense of fear from the audience about the unknowing of who he is? why does he have it on? Also allows us to establish that this may not be the same world as we know it and therefore intrigue us to want to know more. The use of falling leaves gives us perception of autumn and also acts as a means of covering up what has happened when we see the dead body being overcome by the falling decaying leaves. The introduction of a gun from a gun on the floor to the bow and arrow could show how the new technology has been reverted back to primitive times and our cavemen, animistic instincts have shown through. the showdown between the cat and hunter makes us aware that perhaps something has happened with link to him wearing the mask as humans no longer engage in hunting in this way anymore where it is the cat fighting for his life and human for his ultimate showdown between man and beast.

Final Edit and Evaluation.

This is my groups final edit, our brief was to compose a production of a character walking into a room and having a four line conversation. we had chosen to produce our piece as a hostage situation and through a wide range of shots, editing techniques, mise en scene and sound. Our production overall went well and our team bonded and unified well to achieve our aims of the different days. Our planning and brainstorming ideas were made together and in the best interest of the team. We did come across problems with our production nothing that wasn't able to be sorted out and addressed our main fault is with the timing as the editing stage was carried away but with practice we could achieve a better timing slot however we worked well and completed the task.

Props, Lighting and Set

The set, props and lighting used in our production was chosen in order for the contiuity and realistic feel but also to allow the silhouette of the chrecters to be seen and no facial close ups till the end to keep a mysterious and unknown feeling about the production. The use a natural light was paramount in finding a set to work on as the confined space needed would not have shown a realisitic and frightening feel about he production. the set needed also had to be confined in order to give the idea that he was trapped and captured with no way out. the props used where to give the effect of violent happenings and possible happenings of tortue the use of a screwdriver gives the idea of scared tortue and unknowing about what the hosatge will endure. This image shows a still we took of our only prop in the production apart from a bin bag.

Dialogue

The dialogue that was a nessecary part of the criteria of the preliminary task, along with a charecter entering a room. the dialogue we used had to fit with the style that we had chosen of a hostage situation.The two charecters we are using is dougie myself as the charecters have no names and james:
Dougie: Wake up
James:Groan.
Dougie:Read this.
James: Help...
James:I'm being held hostage.