Filming
A synopsis for our thriller opening would go as follows: two mediocre henchmen are introduced without revealing their purpose at this point. Followed by the introduction of Eve, who we see mysteriously stealing a necklance of unidentified importance. The action quickly steps forth and the opening turns into a chase scene where Cha-Cha & Hazel follow the lead female to a deserted barn, drawing a close to the opening. With a final shot of Eve filming herself to display her last words, before cutting on a cliffhanger with the two henchmen reaching the door of the barn.
We decided to have the flashbacks filmed in black and white as it relates to the intro from Kill Volume One, of when Kiddo is attacked by Bill - and we get a close up shot her face in agony as she lies bleeding on the floor. We did this as our lead characrer is also a female character, just like the heroine in Tarantino's KillBill series.
Props / Costume
The original plan for our two henchmen (Cha-Cha and Hazel) was to have them both wearing gasmasks like the villain from Dead Mans Shoes.
However unfortunately the gas masks we ordered from Amazon didn't arrive on the due date- and because we set one specific day to film (as we had to travel two hours to King Lynn) it meant we could not go through with our original idea. However, I had an idea relating to the Gangsters from Pulp Fiction. Despite Jules and Vincent being a pair of matching comical hitmen, we agreed to attempt to convert the basis of our two hitmen to Tarantino's conventions.
To do this it required a slight costume change, mine and Liams suits were already different so we decided to each wear a red beanie hat - showing a little more continuity between the two characters as well as adding hints that they are a team. However it became aparent that the headgear made us both look less threatening but then we considered again our first thoughts about the characters; we wanted them to look relatively unproffessional and therefor we overlooked the downgrading aspects of the hats and concentrated on seeming like a team more than anything. On another tangent, the hats were very similar and the colour of them was ideal,red is considered a threatening and dangerous colour above the rest. One thing however that when I look back I think should be changed, was our group decision about my shoes. In the heat of the panic about the costume change, the collective idea about looking unproffesional lead to the conclusion that one of the hitmen should wear trainers, whilst the other ran in leather prom shoes. Our basis for this decision was that if one of us was wearing less important shoes it would hint that collectively the hitmen are not as dangerous as they seem. However in my opinion the shoes worked too well.
Soundtrack
Whilst shooting we started to think of a soundtrack to use. We had already discussed ideas about classical music as we thought it would sound nice in sync with the shot of the record player. In the end we settled with including the record player at the start of our opening credits to signal when the music begins. This idea sprouted after looking at the Third Man. This film gave us all kinds of different ideas about tradition and old school styles as the film is set just after world war 2.
Lighting
Lighting was difficult to establish exactly how we wanted. Filming took place during the day when it was lightest so that the scenery was clearly visible. We agreed that this was the best time to film a chase sequence as it shows how real it is, and also we knew that having a dangerous violent scene in a thriller had been done before making it safe for us to also use this idea. In the Tarantino film Jackie Brown, a female secondary character is shot dead in a public carpark during broad daylight by her partner. This kind of action in a film shows a lot about the character commiting the crime, for example it says exactly how little the villain cares about values of his own fate, as well as showing he may suffer slight insanity by shooting someone clearly without thinking. By applying this to our chase sequence, I think we portrayed to the audience the insane panic the hitmen were in when chasing the theif, it comes across how desperate they are on catching her.
The Rought Cut
Showing posts with label G321 Thriller planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label G321 Thriller planning. Show all posts
Friday, 14 March 2014
Monday, 24 February 2014
Thriller Opening Locations
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I think the locations we chose suit the Thriller genre because each setting is desolate and comes across as abandoned, specifically the burnt down house we found. Once I reached the building I immediately realised it was perfect for our film. I had broken windows and run down walls, as well as debri scattered so densely in some places that it was difficult to see the flooring.
The dyke (which acted as the transition in the film) was long and lonely. The river sat at the bottom of two hills and looked very sad in the grey rain, beside it we shot the chase on a rarely used muddy path, nice for a thriller because it has connotations of abandonment and death as the scenery looked weary and dull.
PANORAMIC VIEWS
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| Inside the Burnt Down House |
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| The Dyke |
.JPG) |
| Outside the Barn |
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| Inside the Barn |
Filming Day in Kings Lynn for Thriller Opening
The general idea to film in Kings Lynn went according to plan, Friday the 17th of January came round and our group member Jordan Jones went out in his homevtown to take a look at our locations to check if they were still available to film on for the following day, Jordan also filmed the establishing shots for the setting as we had a tight schedule with only a few hours to actually create all of our footage.
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| Saturday morning with Liam |
On Saturday morning Liam Block and I took the coach to Kings Lynn at 7:00am where we would meet Jordan to begin filming immediately. It was exciting to travel away from Norwich for my thriller, as it really felt like a proper film project being in a different location.
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| Myself, Jordan and Liam exploring the set |
Being in Kings Lynn felt like a different world, the architecture was extremely different to the medieval style of Norwich. I also noticed a considerable amount of more greenery, it felt more natural. Despite being a big city, Kings Lynn had a more urban feel.
On Arrival Jordan took us to his home where we made 'boot-camp' and prepared to begin shooting (getting into costume, gathering props ect). A vibe of excitement was buzzing between the three of us, with our shot list in hand and camera at the ready, we took to the streets and trekked to our locations.
In lessons where other groups went off to shoot, we spent this time planning to ensure we knew exactly what we needed for our opening therefore the filming process was organised and structured with little procrastination. For each shot we took multiple takes, and then multiple extras as well because all three of us knew that coming back to Kings Lynn would be a possibility, but an annoying possibility. Overall the total filming process took us 7 hours which is most of the day, however it felt like the time flew by and Liam and I were on the road back home before we realised!
Over the course of the day I took several video logs, just to record our progress, keep track of how we did and to keep as a small reminder of the day out we had.
Saturday, 18 January 2014
Playing a character in another groups Thriller Film Opening
As our group planned to do all of the filming on the weekend of Friday the 17th, I was available to help out some class mates who had one of their main characters drop out of the project.
I assisted a group of two who had a general idea of stalking within their thriller opening, I took the place of the Victim and mainly just had to walk obliviously whilst being followed.
I had fun helping out my classmates and it was interesting to see how different their ideas and plots were to my groups planning.
In the shots I filled in for I was told to walk casually and act as though I was unaware of the guy following me (Fred Snell) and that was the majority of my role.
I'm glad that I chose to participate in this thriller film because I think the plot is sturdy and basic, with a clear antagonist and protagonist. And I believe the final edit will come together nicely.
Thursday, 9 January 2014
Final Draft of Thriller Planning
The plot for our thriller film has had to be adapted and changed many times because of our over ambitous ideas, but we have managed to settle for a simple, interesting and thrilling storyline after much debate.
Keeping all characters the same, our main girl (named Eve) will be introduced as she is running away across a dyke (long shot). To introduce Cha-Cha and Hazel (the hitmen) we cut to a low angle shot of them preparing to go on the move, for example tying up shoe laces and buttoning up coats. We decided to have Eve introduced as she is running away from something as it generates suspense, and then to have the hitmen preparing to leave because it shows they are after her, but infers she has already done something guilt worthy.
Next, the location skips to the inside of a building, where we shoot a closeup of a record player emitting classical music to add tension. Eve enters a room where a box is sitting idle, she takes something from it which is not revealed to the audience deliberately. After exiting the location is revealed to the audience as a burnt down house. This is where Eve meets Cha-Cha and Hazel and a chase scene commences.
Eve is followed to an empty barn which is where the film ends, she enters it in complete disarray at being found and caught. The final shot will be of Eve in the barn alone, talking to herself as though she has gone slighty mad before the screen cuts to black. Our cliffhanger is then 'does Eve survive? Do the hitmen get her?'
Keeping all characters the same, our main girl (named Eve) will be introduced as she is running away across a dyke (long shot). To introduce Cha-Cha and Hazel (the hitmen) we cut to a low angle shot of them preparing to go on the move, for example tying up shoe laces and buttoning up coats. We decided to have Eve introduced as she is running away from something as it generates suspense, and then to have the hitmen preparing to leave because it shows they are after her, but infers she has already done something guilt worthy.
Next, the location skips to the inside of a building, where we shoot a closeup of a record player emitting classical music to add tension. Eve enters a room where a box is sitting idle, she takes something from it which is not revealed to the audience deliberately. After exiting the location is revealed to the audience as a burnt down house. This is where Eve meets Cha-Cha and Hazel and a chase scene commences.
Eve is followed to an empty barn which is where the film ends, she enters it in complete disarray at being found and caught. The final shot will be of Eve in the barn alone, talking to herself as though she has gone slighty mad before the screen cuts to black. Our cliffhanger is then 'does Eve survive? Do the hitmen get her?'
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Thursday, 19 December 2013
Third Draft Of Thriller Planning (With Costume Design)
After realising that our plot was going to be too complex to make in a two minute film, we scaled down our ideas untill we had a relatively simple storyline involving a crime commited by the main character.
We have decided to have our main character (known as Eve) steal something from an already burnt down house and then have her chased/followed/hunted down by two hitmen. If we have enough time in the film left we are going to shoot a few shots that imply it was Eve who burnt down the house in the first place in order to steal her chosen item.
The film will cut after the two minutes when the Hitmen finally reach her, where she is trapped. Before any action takes place- we thought this would be a good cliff hanger.
Specific Details
.Eve playing with a lighter in some shots (indicates mania and pyromania).
.The hitmen spinning their weapons round in a proffesional fashion (indicated terror).
.A scream after cutting to black at the end of the film (a soundbridge that acts as a cliffhanger).
Costume
EVE
.Using her bright red hair to show she is the target, and that she likes fire.
.All black clothing to contrast the hair
.Leather Jacket as it relates to Jason Locke (Essex Boys).
HITMEN (x2)
.A gasmask to cover up their identity and create terror like in Dead Mans Shoes.
.Full suits with black ties (relating to Jules + Vincent from Pulp Fiction).
.Trainers because we want someway of showing the hitmen are not complete proffesionals.
We have decided to have our main character (known as Eve) steal something from an already burnt down house and then have her chased/followed/hunted down by two hitmen. If we have enough time in the film left we are going to shoot a few shots that imply it was Eve who burnt down the house in the first place in order to steal her chosen item.
The film will cut after the two minutes when the Hitmen finally reach her, where she is trapped. Before any action takes place- we thought this would be a good cliff hanger.
Specific Details
.Eve playing with a lighter in some shots (indicates mania and pyromania).
.The hitmen spinning their weapons round in a proffesional fashion (indicated terror).
.A scream after cutting to black at the end of the film (a soundbridge that acts as a cliffhanger).
Costume
EVE
.Using her bright red hair to show she is the target, and that she likes fire.
.All black clothing to contrast the hair
.Leather Jacket as it relates to Jason Locke (Essex Boys).
HITMEN (x2)
.A gasmask to cover up their identity and create terror like in Dead Mans Shoes.
.Full suits with black ties (relating to Jules + Vincent from Pulp Fiction).
.Trainers because we want someway of showing the hitmen are not complete proffesionals.
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| the gas mask we have ordered for our film |
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Second draft of Thriller Planning
The film has evolved into having two interrogators and one person being interrogated. The use of the barn has stayed and we've decided to use it as the main feature of our thriller.
As a general plot we have an idea of having one of the interrogators as a psychopath who is dead set on murdering the other person (the criminal) whilst the other integrator is relatively sane.
Other ideas that have been mentioned are.
-Black&White film
-A mystery surrounding a briefcase
-Murdering the 'criminal'
-Use of snow
-Use of bright hair
Thursday, 7 November 2013
First draft of Thriller Planning
Our team had an idea of using an old barn for the location. We wanted to create a dark mysterious scene to replicate a noir styled thriller.
As for the plot, we threw around ideas about serious lighting and interrogation between a very aggressive character and one very passive (innocent) character.
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Student Questionnaire
ME.
I am either called Toby or Tobias Jones by classmates and I achieved C grade and above for all my GCSE subjects. My hobbies include drawing, skateboarding and music. Lots and lots of music. In media I am particularly interested in CGI within film. For example when an actor interacts with a computer generated model (if any) I am always looking at the techniques and methods of making the scene look as real as possible. I sometimes come across articles like this if an magazines such as THE EMPIRE but mainly I read graphic art portfolios for films. My favourites are probably the Art of STARWARS, volumes 1 and 2.
MUSIC.
Music is a big part of my life. Every morning my alarm goes off and automatically plays Annie Mac on Radio 1. I find drum and bass helps me to get up and get moving in the morning! My favourite genres of music would be hard to decipher as my iTunes consists of every genre imaginable, I even have some film scores from The Lord of the Rings (this is very inspiring music). Furthermore my favourites seem to change daily, walking to CnS in the morning would not be possible without headphones, and I notice that I never seem to play the same artist two mornings in a row. However I can say that in the last two years of my life the small portion of my personality that preferred Rock / Classic Rock has now evolved and grown into a very big part of my personality, now focussing on Hard Rock / Punk Rock and Scream. Despite bands like; Basement, Bring me the Horizon, While she Sleeps, Enter Shikari and We Came From Wolves are up in my top 10 for most listened to; I cant help but neglect my old Dub roots. I doubt I could make it through the day without listening to some kind of electronic music; whether its DaftPunk, Nero or TheUpbeats..
I find pirating music is very very common amongst teenagers especially. However you cant blame society for committing a crime that is so easily done. I must admit that if I know a band does not need any support in its career then I don't think twice about illegally downloading their tracks. But on the other hand, I listen to a lot of rare musicians that only bring out EP's. I always purchase these if I'm a fan as I know its a struggle to get into the music industry.
I do believe that music affects everyone in ways that aren't clear. I also believe that the type of music you listen to represents your personality, hence this is why people dress a certain way and are automatically classed as (for an example) 'Metalheads'. Because music reflects our personality, and therefore music reflects the way we dress.
VIDEO GAMES.
There is one thing missing from my room... A games console. I don't actually own any software that allows me to play video games (besides a laptop)! Before I got into skateboarding playing games on-line was the only thing I lived for. I had both Xbox and PlayStation and always went out to buy the latest game. A lot of the time I noticed negative effects of gaming, I stopped doing homework, had bad sleep and didnt eat properly! A lot of these symptoms built up until one day I decided to actually go outside. It just happens that on that day a friend of mine taught me to stand on a skateboard. By the end of the week I had sold both my consoles and bought a board of my own. BEST DECISION EVER.
TECHNOLOGY.
So I love the internet. There, I said it. Without the web I would not know what's going on in the world. Whether its via YouTube or Twitter, all news is passed on to me through some kind of website.
TELEVISION.
I do not watch any TV! This shocks a lot of people but I genuinely have no interest in any channels or any programmes.
FILM.
In my free time I like to watch a lot of films. My favourites are probably PulpFiction, Men In Black or The Hobbit. However I am also a huge fan of TheLord of the Rings and STARWARS. If I had to pick a favourite genre i'd probably say sci-fi adventure, or something along those lines. I think eater eggs in film sagas is the best thing about any film in general, this is why PROMETHEUS is a very very good film to me.
MYSELF IN MEDIA.
I have made a lot of films on Youtube in my childhood, these mainly consisted of animated movies involving slapstick humour or fight scenes. I became relatively well praised and gained 500+ subscribers from my short films. I also met someone from America who used the same animation software as I did to make movies. One day we actually collaborated over skype and produced a fight sequence together! I still talk to Sean today, three years later.
I am either called Toby or Tobias Jones by classmates and I achieved C grade and above for all my GCSE subjects. My hobbies include drawing, skateboarding and music. Lots and lots of music. In media I am particularly interested in CGI within film. For example when an actor interacts with a computer generated model (if any) I am always looking at the techniques and methods of making the scene look as real as possible. I sometimes come across articles like this if an magazines such as THE EMPIRE but mainly I read graphic art portfolios for films. My favourites are probably the Art of STARWARS, volumes 1 and 2.
MUSIC.
Music is a big part of my life. Every morning my alarm goes off and automatically plays Annie Mac on Radio 1. I find drum and bass helps me to get up and get moving in the morning! My favourite genres of music would be hard to decipher as my iTunes consists of every genre imaginable, I even have some film scores from The Lord of the Rings (this is very inspiring music). Furthermore my favourites seem to change daily, walking to CnS in the morning would not be possible without headphones, and I notice that I never seem to play the same artist two mornings in a row. However I can say that in the last two years of my life the small portion of my personality that preferred Rock / Classic Rock has now evolved and grown into a very big part of my personality, now focussing on Hard Rock / Punk Rock and Scream. Despite bands like; Basement, Bring me the Horizon, While she Sleeps, Enter Shikari and We Came From Wolves are up in my top 10 for most listened to; I cant help but neglect my old Dub roots. I doubt I could make it through the day without listening to some kind of electronic music; whether its DaftPunk, Nero or TheUpbeats..
I find pirating music is very very common amongst teenagers especially. However you cant blame society for committing a crime that is so easily done. I must admit that if I know a band does not need any support in its career then I don't think twice about illegally downloading their tracks. But on the other hand, I listen to a lot of rare musicians that only bring out EP's. I always purchase these if I'm a fan as I know its a struggle to get into the music industry.
I do believe that music affects everyone in ways that aren't clear. I also believe that the type of music you listen to represents your personality, hence this is why people dress a certain way and are automatically classed as (for an example) 'Metalheads'. Because music reflects our personality, and therefore music reflects the way we dress.
VIDEO GAMES.
There is one thing missing from my room... A games console. I don't actually own any software that allows me to play video games (besides a laptop)! Before I got into skateboarding playing games on-line was the only thing I lived for. I had both Xbox and PlayStation and always went out to buy the latest game. A lot of the time I noticed negative effects of gaming, I stopped doing homework, had bad sleep and didnt eat properly! A lot of these symptoms built up until one day I decided to actually go outside. It just happens that on that day a friend of mine taught me to stand on a skateboard. By the end of the week I had sold both my consoles and bought a board of my own. BEST DECISION EVER.
TECHNOLOGY.
So I love the internet. There, I said it. Without the web I would not know what's going on in the world. Whether its via YouTube or Twitter, all news is passed on to me through some kind of website.
TELEVISION.
I do not watch any TV! This shocks a lot of people but I genuinely have no interest in any channels or any programmes.
FILM.
In my free time I like to watch a lot of films. My favourites are probably PulpFiction, Men In Black or The Hobbit. However I am also a huge fan of TheLord of the Rings and STARWARS. If I had to pick a favourite genre i'd probably say sci-fi adventure, or something along those lines. I think eater eggs in film sagas is the best thing about any film in general, this is why PROMETHEUS is a very very good film to me.
MYSELF IN MEDIA.
I have made a lot of films on Youtube in my childhood, these mainly consisted of animated movies involving slapstick humour or fight scenes. I became relatively well praised and gained 500+ subscribers from my short films. I also met someone from America who used the same animation software as I did to make movies. One day we actually collaborated over skype and produced a fight sequence together! I still talk to Sean today, three years later.
Monday, 16 September 2013
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