Finished thriller

Evaluation

Evaluation Activity 2

We wanted to compare and use A Clockwork Orange to our thriller, we liked the dress sense of the main character and decided to use him as a key character.


Similarities

• The fake eyelashes the key character wore we decided to use because it showed similarities between our character and a clockwork orange
• Also we used the bowler hat
• The key character had quite a pale face so we decided to use a mask we wanted to use a mask so that we were more able to hide the identity of the dream character and leave the audience questioning who the character is
• We kept the characters role the same, being the villain much as Alex is in 'a clock work orange' we wanted to convey to our audience that the character is one of high dominance and power over others such as our victim female character
• In A Clockwork Orange the character is a physco, we kept the same role with our opening to a thriller by keeping our character as a thriller A clockwork orange is seen as a highly psychological  thriller so we tried to include similar image to that is similar to the film such as sudden cutaways to the dream figure and sped up shots of the dream character. Such as that seen in a clockwork orange, there is a scene which is sped up, this is where we got the idea from and decided it was a good idea to use.

Differences

• In A Clockwork Orange the key character is male, all of our group is female and we couldn't find an actor we could use that so we had to use one of our group members we actually thought this was a positive decision in the end because it made our dream character seem a lot less suspecting and we felt that it would be more realistic that a friend would leave and come back for a large amount of time and return to her old friend with a affected personality.
• He wasn't actually wearing a mask
• This character is always present in this style of attire, but for our thriller Courtney's wears 2 changes of clothes appearing in both ordinary , unsuspecting attire and this attire when present in the dream scene highlighting to the audience a sense of enigma surrounding her true identity

Evaluation Activity 5

Evaluation Activity 6

Editing the clips

Due to the problems with editing and having to use a students laptop to edit our opening for a thriller we have only had limited time to get the film edited. in three hours we managed to edit the clips so they are linked together, brightened them, sped some of the clips up, used effects on some clips to make them creepy and jumpy.

We have realised that some of the clips we took were taken quite late at night so they are particularly dark, when we brightened them they became really grainy and the light in the clip looked like it was glowing, we aren't able to retake these clips because the cut on her belly and blood on the bed sheet and pajamas can only be done once. We should of watched the clips after we filmed them to see if we needed to retake any.

problem

We seem to have met quite a big problem. The school cameras we needed to use wouldn't charge, so we decided to go to London to try to find a charger, we tried Maplins, Jessops and Sony, all three said they didn't sell that models charger as it was too old fashioned. Instead we had to use Katy's one. We used it successfully but the file type was incompatible with most editing equipment. We will have to use one of our fellow students laptops to edit it.

Setting of bedroom scene

Bed where the white bed sheets will be blood stained after the dream scene

View of mirror where the female character checks stab wound and villain appears behind her

The bedroom in which the dream scene will be shot it will show both characters going to sleep and injecting them selves using the plastic tubing and silver case as shown earlier. Then as female characters enter a sleeping state they enter together in the victims dream. Within this dream she is stabbed by the villain and just as she does she is jumped from her dream and is awoken to find her white bed sheets covered in her blood and she screams in pain she then runs to the mirror to see the wound which is when the villain is also seen behind her.

Props

We used the balloon for the female character as she welcomes home a friend at the train station. We are using this prop to emphasise the fact that the villainous character has been missing for a large amount of time and the enigma for the audience is where she has been.We have also used this balloon to emphasise the innocence and vulnerability surrounding the character.

We have used this retractable knife which when in contact with an object of person retracts into the handle.This will ensure that we can act and film a realistic stab scene without having to use a real knife and risk the any of the characters become injured.We also chose this knife as we think it looks very realistic and will create a sense of realism surrounding the stab scene

We used this case as it links with the theme of one our influence 'Inception' We wanted it to be partly silver to suit the theme of the film as characters use a silver case.We also are going to use this plastic tubing which can also be linked to inception as a similar tubing is used to connect the characters to a drug which automatically sends them into a dream state.

Filming Problems

On Sunday 13th of March, we chose to start filming our thriller, we first went to Ingatestone train station. Unfortunately when we arrived there rail works had been taking place that day and Ingatestone station was the end of the rail line, this means there were buses and security all around the place because there were buses in for trains.

As we parked the car to begin filming a security guard said we were unable to park in this area as it was needed for the replacement buses to park. As we left the car to begin filming on the platform a train stopped and a large crowd of people left the station. We tried to set up to film but there was two station workers said we weren't allowed to film there without permission from the national rail service. With this news we then decided to go to Brentwood train station to film, this worked fine but because it was a busy station, we had to wait for times when there were no people around and when there were no trains around. We often had to stop filming due to the public disrupting our shots. We were also worried about scaring the public with various props we used for the scene such as the mask and knife, we often felt ourselves rushing various scenes so we did not strike fear in the public present during filming.

Risk Assessment

Ideas for the film

We decided to completely change our mind and use a girl instead of a boy because we couldn't find any time we could all do, therefore we had to change our idea slighty by having the two girls as house mates and as if one of them (the killer) is being welcomed home by the other, (the victim). We then thought that as she got welomed home her friend hugged her and the killer would stab her as she was entering the hug.

For this we would need a welcome home balloon, a silver suitcase which looks quite old, Becca's dress for the victim, white patent shoes, green hood coat, fake eyelashes for the killer, watch for the victim as the killer is running late, doc martins for the killer as they are clumpy and will make a lot of noise.

Possible locations ingatestone station

face

We want to use 'Alex' from Clock Work Orange and make our character look like him with the bowler hat, fake eyelashes and pale face.

Filming Prop table

A table showing the props we will be needing on each day of filming.

Costume design :Female character

Costume design female character

We have chosen this dress because it creates  a childlike sense of innocence making the character appear venerable. Similarly the white shoes make the character appear young and innocent. Using white as a major stable of the costume makes the character appear untouched and virginal.

Location

We like the idea of using Ingatestone train station as one of our locations, the bridge over the railway will give it a creepy look and we thought we could have one of our characters standing on it. As we want to use the idea from Inception that has the dream inside of a dream we thought we could have it also set in a different place so when the character dies in one dream it could go down a level to another place. We thought a good place would be in a bedroom as it a lot different from the station.

Lift to the Scaffold

We watched the opening clip from Lift to the Scaffold, directed by Louis Malle in 1958. The film was the first 'French new wave' film, this meant the movies featured unprecedented methods of expression, such as long tracking shots. Many of the French New Wave films were produced on tight budgets; often shot in a friend's apartment or yard, using the director's friends as the cast and crew. Directors were also forced to improvise with equipment (for example, using a pram for tracking shots). Louis Malle asked Miles Davis, a well known Jazz musician, to watch the film and then play what he thought would go well with the scenes. This worked very well and in some places to the opening scene contra punctual sound occurs.


The first shot is a extreme close up of a woman's eyes, this questions the audience by wondering who she is talking to on the phone and why she is saying it. The shot then cuts to a man and his reply's to the woman on the phone, which then draws back to see the establishing shot of him in a building and she is in a phone box. The props used in the film, a gun, glove and rope all represent crime, meanwhile the audience is still wondering what is going to happen and who he is going to shoot. Whilst this is happening fforeshadowing occurs as the employee is sharpening pencils, you see her do this before the murder is happening and during it as it blocks out the gun shot so she doesn't suspect anything. 


A long take of the boss is used to show how much power the boss has over the man with the man with the gun and even when he draws out the gun he still shows he isn't scared, again showing he is a powerful character so the employee with the gun must have a lot of confidence to shoot him. As the tension between the boss and the employee with the gun builds up you can here the music in the background increasing which gives off the impression that as he pays attention, so do the audience. 


After this scene it cuts back to the woman who is waiting, the scene completely uses artificial light and none of the people around her or driving are actors, which makes the film more life like as it captures peoples real reactions. As she stands up to walk down the street pathetic fallacy of the thunder crashing is used to show how angry she is. Instead of a tracking shot being used for the scene, the director improvised and used a pram.


Opening clip from Lift to the Scaffold

Possible locations

our initial thriller idea contains a scene of a crowded train station at night. So as a possible location we have chosen Brentwood train station when we do so it will be dark and late at night so that our character will stand out against the darkness of the setting and the crowd.


We may encounter some problems filming in this area as it is very open and public so a lot of people will be moving through the area whilst filming  is taking place this may be a problem as much of the footage we are wanting to film is of a thriller theme so this may cause confusion and fear amongst  onlookers.So we may wish to seek permission to film in this area and make anyone in the area during filming what is taking place.


We like this locations as at night the atmosphere can become very early and scary making it a good location for a thriller to be set and conveying to the codes and conventions of a thriller.

Initial opening ideas