Thriller/Horror Presentations and Idea

My thriller idea was to shoot a 'school shooting' based on the events of the 1999 Columbine High School Masacre. My idea got chosen by the class so therefore it will be shot in January. The film is about the six suspected potential shooters, the audience are taken on each supects journey and are shown the reasons why they would have wanted to commit the crime. For example a teacher who is constantly harrassed by students or a typically bullied student; the audience would be shown different occurences that caused their hate, all leading up to the day of the shooting. The audience are lead down different paths and the film also cuts between past and present to show the aftermath of the shooting as well as what lead up to it. The twist at the end of the film is that the shooter is very unexpected as it is perhaps the most obvious of them all but the audience are cleverly tricked because they also shoot themselves in the arm to pretend they were too a victime of the shooting. The opening sequence idea was to show the shooting and the date of the shooting. It would open with a montage shot of the suspects that the audience will follow later in the film, they would be in different areas of the school. It would then cut to a shot of pupils and teachers eating lunch, showing a normal day, perhaps the suspects are also seated in this area. It would then suddenly cut to be shot behind the shooter walking up the cafeteria, in the opening sequence we never see the shooter's true identity however there are perhaps clues. This is too build up suspense and 'thrill' the audience. It then cuts to black and the audience hears the sound effects of a shooting involving screams, gun shots etc. This implies that there has been a shooting without having to literally show it. It then cuts back to a similar shot of the cafetria however now there are dead victims and wounded. We then see the shooter sit down and perhaps have a cigarette or cup of tea...this is yet to be decided. It then could perhaps cut a shot from the shooters perspective, walking into a classroom and seeing the expression change on the students faces, it would then cut to black and perhaps the audience would hear more sound effects. However the shooting of the opening sequence is yet to be decided. The thriller could potentially be named 'High Score' as this an aparent slang term used by shooters for how many people they can kill. It could also be a play on 'high school.' The idea and perhaps slogan behind the film is that the shooter believes that the students need to 'learn the ultimate lesson' which plays on school lessons but also a lesson on their behaviour and it is their death that is the ultimate punishment. The institution that would make this film would most likely be mainstream Hollywood Film Co and my main target audience would be teenagers as they would be able to relate to the characters however people of any age who enjoy this type of film would be targeted.

What is a Thriller/Horror?

The next step towards our coursework was studying Thrillers in preparation for shooting our own opening sequence of a thriller.
A thriller is a book or film which is designed to keep the reader or viewer on edge with suspenseful and sensational action. Thrillers have also been produced in the radio, theatre and television media. It is a ‘meta-genre’ as it is difficult to define because the majority of emotions and reactions that come from Thrillers are part of the whole experience of film. The genre is flexible and ambiguous and can easily cross over with other genres like horror. There are many sub-genres of Thriller, for example supernatural thriller, crime thriller etc. The Thriller relies on a detailed plot to create fear, tension and suspense for the audience. It plays on everyday basic fears by focusing on the most infantile and therefore repressed thoughts. These thoughts can be voyeuristic, sexual or violent. Thrillers raise questions or Enigma codes in the mind of the audience. Thrillers also have universals themes for e.g. love, death, and money. There is often a struggle with these that enthrals the spectator. There is also a sense of delay which is follower by a sense of relief from that tension. However the Thriller genre is sadomasochistic meaning that the audience often enjoys watching the director cause pain and suffering to the characters. Our pleasure is derived from their discomfort. We know this due to the popularity of thrillers. As well as evoking visceral, gut-level feelings rather than more sensitive, delicate emotions, thrillers also create a sense of ambivalence- they feel a sense of identification and sympathy with the hero or victim’s vulnerability.

An example of a thriller is ‘The Babysitter’ which is about a teenage babysitter, who is the focus of two boys and a man's separate obsessions. This film has a build up of tension as it shows the effects of alcohol on the different males and how it makes them act.

Horror is a genre intended to scare, unsettle and horrify the audience. The difference to thriller is that the cause of the ‘horror’ experience is often the intrusion of a disturbing supernatural element into everyday human experience. Horrors have morbid, gruesome, surreal, or exceptionally suspenseful or frightening themes. Horror often overlaps science fiction or fantasy. Horrors are more visceral meaning the audience get a more immediate reaction of they see on screen.

An example of a Horror is 'Tormented' which is about a bullied teenager comes back from the dead and takes murderous revenge on his former classmates in increasingly brutal, bloody and imaginative. It can be described as a 'slasher' as it is very gory and by some members of the audience may be found quite comic as it is so visual and unrealistic.

Introduction to Final Cut-Pro and Editing Preliminary Task

Final Cut-Pro at Hurtwood House in run on G5 Mac. It is a non-linear editing package and is timeline based. We started the lesson learning about the Final Cut server which is a system that allows work to be 'checked out' of the server and then once cutting and editing is complete it can be 'checked in' to a separate server. This is safe and reliable and therefore minimizes the chance of losing files. We were then taught how to 'log rushes' which is selecting, separating and taking the best shots and takes from our filmed material and putting it into a 'logged bin'. We then selected the best take (as we had many options) by marking an "in" point and an "out" point. We then placed the shots chronologically on a timeline. We then trimmed and cut to create the illusion of a simultaneous event. We then could add sound and create special effects. I have used various other basic editing software which allows non-linear editing however I actually found Final Cut-Pro easier to use once I had learnt how to use it.

It was easy to edit our preliminary due to the introduction to Final Cut-Pro. We started with a close up shot of the subject, cutting to an over the shoulder shot once the second actor entered the room, cut to a long shot of the whole set, cut to an over the shoulder shot of the second actor and then finally an over the shoulder shot of the first actor. As it easy to pick up Final Cut-Pro, as a group we did not find this challenging.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

In a group of four we shot our preliminary task which involved a conversation between two people, we followed a storyboard checking we were using the correct shots for each take. It was filmed in a classroom which was successful for set and lighting. Different members of the group took on specific roles which included director, camera person, continuity monitor and actors. We constantly monitored important technical elements such as lighting, focus, exposure, composition, keeping the shot level by bubbling up the tripod and sound levels. We ensured successfully that we did not cross the 180 degree line to avoid upsetting continuity and confusing the audience. We took multiple takes in order to get the best possible shot.

The protocol we followed for capturing a take was:
Director- "STAND BY"
Crew- "STANDING BY"
Director- "ACTION"
(Action takes place)
Director- "CUT"

We used low lighting which created an eerie, threatening scene which linked to the tone of voice used by the actors. However, perhaps the lighting was too low as it was not always possible to clearly see the actors expression.
We filmed through the sequence for each shot, starting with wide shots, then over the shoulder, then close ups and then any other shots we chose to use.

I think our shooting was successful as we worked well as a team and filmed correctly and efficiently.

Blade Film Poster

Horror Film Poster

My film poster’s form is Horror and it is a film called ‘Dead and Gone’ and the slogan for the film is ‘are you scared when you’re alone?’ The main signifier for my poster is a close up, head and shoulder shot of a girl, when signified I think she looks deathly and also eerie but frightened to represent the theme and show the audience an insight of the contents of the film. Her colouring is almost black and white, which is juxtaposition with her bright blue eyes and the bright red of the film title. I edited the photograph using Adobe Photoshop. I used the dodge, sponge and burn tools to create different colouring on the girl. I also sharpened the image to create a clearer image. I liquefied the eyes to make her pupils bigger. She is supposed to appear scared and alone to link to the film’s slogan; her large eyes and the pose of her hand help to create these emotions for the audience. The editing on Adobe helped to make the image more horrific and suited to the film’s genre. There is dark smudging around the image of the girl to create a feeling of darkness to suggest that she is all alone. The film is about a girl who believes her mother is dead (hence the title) but who comes back to haunt her when she is alone (thus the slogan). Secrets unravel throughout the film and there is a twisted, violent ending.
My original idea was to create a poster for a film called ‘The Mask’, the poster was going to be made up of paradigms of a mask, a girl wearing it and her intense eye sight through the eye holes in the mask. The image was black and white to give it a more traditional feel and to link with Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’, as it is a horror classic. Each character in the title was going to be written in a different font to represent how people wear different masks and have different thoughts behind those masks. I did not use this idea because it seemed too simple and I wanted to experiment using Photoshop and challenge myself.
I also created a poster for a teen thriller/horror about a girl who experiments with drugs and therefore begins to regret taking these drugs whilst she is ‘tripping’ as the visions become reality. She always reverts back to a drug called Ketamine as she believes she cannot hallucinate whilst under the influence on it however she takes it too far and begins to hallucinate. The title of the film is ‘Regretamine’ which is play off the word ‘regret’ and the drug ‘Ketamine.’ The film slogan is ‘where will your next trip take you?’ which suggests a literal and physical but also psychological ‘trip.’ The poster was made up of paradigms of a repeated image of a girl however each image is more distorted and there is a build up of colour to recreate how real life drug takers claim they feel when they are ‘high’. However I chose not to use this poster as it was too brightly coloured for a horror film and looked too much like an album cover.
I was slightly disappointed with my final poster idea as it seemed to be a final resort after my original ideas did not work out. However I was pleased with the final outcome as I thought it looked professional and the image tied in well with the text through colour and composition.

Analysis of the opening sequence of 'Trainspotting'

The opening scene from ‘Trainspotting’ introduces the main characters in the film. As it is filming them doing various things it freezes on them and in white text says their name. All the main characters are male heroin addicts. The Scottish accent in the narration informs us that it is set in Scotland and we assume it belongs to the main character shot in the extract, ‘Renton’. The scene opens with Renton running on a road stealing from CD shops to pay for his addiction; symbolically he is running on the ‘road to nowhere’. The scene is energetic and rowdy due to the fast drum beat (which represents the pumping adrenaline in the men’s bodies) in the music and the fast pace of speech as well as the action taking place such as running and football. This creates an impression that the film is very male as it is mainly men in the film playing football etc. There are also someone women in the scene, however they are only there for a short shot and they are cheering on the men suggesting that the women have a very secondary type of role in the film. The smoking and reference to drugs as well as the running away in the opening scene suggests that the men ‘live fast’ and therefore do not live the conventional everyday life which represents the type of film the audience are about to watch. The film is of the drama genre however its sub genres are also comedy, crime and drug culture. ‘Trainspotting’ is classified as drama since it is a serious story due to the drug habit and several scenes that showed the real lives of junkies, and graphic images of injecting heroin. On the other hand it can be classified as comedy as there are moments of ‘black humour’ that are there to lighten up the seriousness of the film. ‘Trainspotting’ can also be under the crime and drug culture genre due to the story in itself and the characters This film gives us a very vivid and real picture of a heroin addict's every day routine and living life synchronized around getting what they need.
The scene fades in from black and then opens with a long shot of a shopping street using a low angle. Two men run into the shot and it cuts to a medium two shot of the two men. It then cuts between the shot of the two men running and their feet various times. It is a tracking shot as it moves with the men as they run. The camera pans through other parts of the shooting location as well as shooting the men running; there are also various long shots of both men running away from the camera, shot at eye level. Crane shots are also used to catch all the action of the scene. It then cuts to a medium shot of the previously running man in an apartment smoking a cigarette; he is clearly high as the camera then cuts to a long shot of the man standing in the apartment about to perhaps collapse. The camera then quickly cuts to an oblique, long shot of a group of men on a football pitch standing in pose as if they were waiting for a photo to be taken, the camera then cuts to an identical shot of another ‘team’ doing the same thing. There is a football in the central foreground of both these shots and a net in the background which creates the idea that they are about to play football. It then cuts to handheld, long and medium shots of the men playing football following them round the pitch. The audience witnesses a man being kicked in the head with a football, as he falls backwards the scene cuts back to the man in the apartment who also falls. The camera then shows a close up of the side view of the man’s face and then pans his body.
Before the camera fades in from black there is 6 seconds of blackness where the audience can only hear the sound of men running, as soon as the scene fades in we hear the drum beat of Iggy Pop’s song ‘Lust for Life’ which links to the sarcastic narration throughout the whole scene of the main character. The narration is the most famous monologue from the film and talks about the different choices society tells us to choose and how in his opinion you end life bored and unsatisfied if you take these paths. It also includes the famous film quote ‘choose life’, he cynically finishes this narration with ‘I chose not to choose life, and the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?’ suggesting that heroin is his life and creates dramatic potential for the rest of the film and encourages the audience to watch the rest. He is basically saying he is rejecting ‘normal’ life for the ‘joys of heroin.’ The voice over narration informs the reader the main message and story behind the film about the choices we have to make in life juxtaposition with the life of a heroin addict and the choices they have to make. Throughout the extract there are also sound effects that link to the different paradigms being shown in the scene, for example an accelerating car, the laughter and shouting of the men, cheering when the ‘football team’ is in shot.
The lighting in the extract starts of bright as it is daylight in the parts where the men are running away which suggests that they do not care what time of day they commit crime, they will do it whenever the opportunity arises so that they can fund their habit. The lighting in the flat is dark and there is only one small source of light coming from outside which represents the poor living conditions a serious heroin addict has as all the can afford to pay for is there next ‘hit’. The lighting when they are playing football is outside at night time and is very dark; whilst ‘ordinary’ people sleep at night so that they are energised for work the next day, these addicts stay up playing football, this is another representation of the life they lead.
In my analysis I have shown how the opening sequence of the film ‘Trainspotting’ is an introduction to the characters, location and main plot and message of the film, in some ways the audience knows the basics of what is to come in the film. The lighting, sound, editing and camera techniques help to create an adrenaline rush for the audience so that they can relate to the characters in the film. It also helps to create an energetic atmosphere in the extract. The opening scene basically represents the life of a heroin addict.

Practical Work

My first media lesson was very chaotic but I really enjoyed how we got straight on to practical work. We commenced in the TV studio and attempted to work behind and in front of the camera. We learnt how to use lights and it was a very interesting insight into working in the media. I learnt how different lighting changes the whole shot on camera and also different camera angles and positioning of subject is important. We set the camera up in front of the subject (which were two people; an interviewer and an interviewee) and then used the pan handle to position the camera. We set up the lighting in different positions around the subject; behind, in front and to each side and adjusted the brightness. Charlie and I were the interviewers and we had to use a script to ask other members of our class about their favourite types of media and why they chose media A level. I have always been interested in television presenting so this was a useful experience.
I found the introduction to Adobe Photoshop very useful, although I had used Photoshop before I did not know how to use the different tools available. It was really useful for creating my own Horror film poster as I could use different effects to make my images seem more distorted or scary and therefore more convincing as a horror poster. I now find using Photoshop fun rather than complicated and boring as I can now easily experiment with different tools and make a variety of changes to my visuals. Matt explained to the class how to use each tool step by step and gave us a chance to experiment and work out for ourselves how to use them.
I found the explanation on how to use the camera and tripod clear to understand and it was easy to work out how to use everything once it had been taught to us. Everything is labelled on the camera so although it is confusing generally it is easy to use the camera. The tripod is easy to adjust which make the task simpler. I enjoyed the lesson where we got to make a short twenty second film on the camera using different shots as it was exciting to have full control of the task. It is easy however to forget to check the camera has all the correct settings.
It was really easy to learn how to blog as it is a pretty simple process. I think it is a more exciting way of displaying work and it is more modern and also links to the subject. Blogging is more motivating than writing on paper because it is a different way a producing from other traditional subjects. It is easier to relate to as young people use computer technology often in everyday life.
Overall, I have found the practical work so far appealing as it is different from written work and school work in general. I think it requires more concentration so that nothing goes wrong and therefore it becomes less boring.