Risk assessment for our project

Our group completed a risk assessment form for the filming of our thriller project. By filling this form in our filming will be more organised and many potential hazards will be reduced, ensuring all group members are safe whilst filming.

Possible locations for filming

We decided that we wanted a farm, or a barn as our location for our thriller. Here are some possible locations that could be used for our thriller. 

Analysis of project

This is our first draft of our thriller intro project, 'Missing'. After showing different types of audiences, from professionals to students we have constructed a list of improvements and changes that will be made to the project.

• There is a space of nothing (black screen), up to 9 seconds in that needs cutting.
• The 'bearded man productions' sequence needs cutting shorter after the animation has taken place,
• All 3 newspaper articles have been filmed in the same way (a pan from left to right), many of the viewers agreed that it would be better if we changed the shot type throughout these clips.
• Further content needs to be included, for example the suspect circling locations on a map, this would help make the audience think more, and add enigma 
• More job titles (credits) need to be added.

Questionnaire

Here is a questionnaire our group have written, to gain a further understanding of what people think of thrillers and as a result, what aspects of thrillers to include in our own project. This questionnaire will be given to a selection of random people and the same questions will be used in a selection of video interviews.

Intro Logo

This is a logo that our group created. The logo will appear at the start of our short thriller film.

Thriller opening experiment - Delicatessen

We did further experiments intro Thriller openings after studying the opening to the film "Delicatessen"
 ( below )




We set up various objects, and artificial lighting to create a similar 'look' to that seen in the opening to Delicatessen. We slowly rotated the table, and used focus on the camera to record the titles, embedded within the objects.

Shot List

Our Thriller opening will consist of various types of shots, all used in different situations to help create enigma and making the audience feel uneasy. Here is a list of the different types of camera shots we plan to use;

• Medium shot - This shot will be used the most throughout the opening, mainly when the character comes into view.
• Close ups - This shot will be used in are opening many times because it will emphasis what is going on but confuse the audience because they will be guessing on who the character is.
• POV - This will be used in are opening from the point of view of the characters eyes.
• Long shot - This will be used to emphasis the surroundings to the audience throughout the scene.
• Over the Shoulder - This will be to show the character is focused on the various pictures that will be seen throughout the opening. 
• Zoom - This will be used at the start of are opening, the camera will slowly zoom onto the car, this will show it is important to the scene.

Thriller Project Experiment - Fonts

Our group experimented with various fonts which could be used in our final project, e.g. for titles. The following fonts are all availbile from http://www.dafont.com/. 

Shot Ordering Exercise

This was an exercise we did in groups, we had to order shots from a random film and make sure they all worked together. This was good in helping us see the narrative of the film opening and we had to put ourselves in the mind set of the director using the pictures we had to recreate his film. By arranging the shots in a chronological order, we have a greater understanding of shot progression, which we can use in our own thriller project.

Soundtrack for Thriller Opening

We created our soundtrack for our thriller on garage band. Firstly, we recorded sounds using the laptops microphone, such as 'tapping' and 'scraping' sounds, common to thriller movies. We then imported these sound files into garage band where we could modify them and edit them. We did things such as applying filters, such as increasing the gain. 

The advantage of editing the sounds in garageband is that we could add pre recorded sounds to aid our soundtrack. For example, we added a drum beat to create rhythm within the soundtrack ( labelled 'Effected Drum Kit 02' above ), this combined with our recorded sounds and underlying bass tracks resulted in our final soundtrack.

The volume levels of each track could be edited to suit our soundtrack. For example we could give certain sounds a gradual increase, to add tension and create enigma.

Practice Thriller Opening

This is our groups thriller intro. We created the soundtrack by pre-recording sounds and enhancing them in garage band, as well as adding a pre-recorded drum beat to add a rhythm to the opening. After our extensive analysis of thriller opening scenes, we have tried to incorporate the various techniques that they have used. Techniques such as the various camera angles and obscure objects and different shot sizes. By creating a rough, practice intro we also had a good opportunity to experiment with different editing techniques, ones which we may be able to use in our final piece. For example, in this project we practiced the use of overlaying two videos, to create the burning, glowing effect. 

Storyboards for Thriller

These are our current storyboard for our Thriller project

Logo images for the group

Thriller - Personal Ideas

Idea 1

• Opening scene in an underground car park at night.
• Loads of slow pans and zooms to focus in on a single car in one corner of the desolate car park.
• Throughout the minutes spent getting to the car, insert newspaper clipping of missing girls and the credits
• Suspense and climatic music builds and swells.
• Extreme close up on the boot of the car
• music cuts out to reveal the sound of someone banging on the inside of the boot.

Idea 2

• camera placed on bonnet of car driving up to a barn at night
• emphasis on the tires going over the gravel
• you can hear the driver get out and close the door
• walks in front of car and you can see they're carrying a shotgun as they walk in front of the headlights
• Slowly open the barn doors

Cape Fear (1991) — Art of the Title

Cape Fear (1991) — Art of the Title

Directed by Martin Scorsese in 1991, Cape Fear is a remake of J. Lee Thompson’s ’62 film adaptation of The Executioners, a novel by John D. Macdonald. 

As the audience we first encounter some form of liquid as the background, that has a constant flow. On top of this shot the opening credits begin to play, firstly introducing the director.

There is then a shot of a bird of prey, maybe symbolising fear or being hunted, as these animals are renowned for being predators. The opening sequence outlines the main morals within the film. 

1. liquid — as a physical setting and a moral quicksand
2. eyes and eye-lines — surveillance, judgement, but also human connection
3. the color red or blood — rage, sacrifice, and collateral damage, and
4. predatory alpha behavior — manifested as a hawk in the sequence, and as Cady in the film.

Together, these symbols present an ambiguous portrait of the film’s moral compass, assigning no clear label to any one element. Instead, they are blended as a series of timed cross-fades transitioning from day to night, creating a mixture of emotional messages, mirroring the motivations of the film’s central characters. 

The soundtrack that accompanies this opening sequence is an orchestral piece that features lots of frantic string sounds, and builds up throughout the sequence. This has an unsettling effect of the audience, and also helps creates a sense of mystery.

At some points during the opening sequence, other images can be faintly seen behind the liquid image, however only vaguely. This is a good technique that I may use in my own project, as it is a good way of creating a sense of mystery and making the audience intrigued. (In the image below a face can be seen behind the liquid.)

Serpico Intro Analysis

• Close up shot, dirty, dark, confusing, only colour is the red blood 
• Police stations, telephones 
• Close ups and shadows, so little information is revealed, leaving the audience questioning what is going on
• Shaking camera 
• Dull colours, switch from busy to quiet scenes 
• Dramatic, bustling, hectic, busy 
• Begins with an enigma
• Basic titles, white font on a black background
• Night time, dark lighting, rain and a 'droaning' police siren automatically create a negative mood
• Action/Thriller genre quickly established
• The police siren is loud and relentless, creating an uneasy mood for the audience. The noise dies down eventually when the character gets to hospital, so the audience can focus on the grief and seriousness of the situation

20 Thriller Films

1. Taken (2009)

Taken is a 2007 French thriller film produced by Luc Besson, starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky,Katie Cassidy, Holly Valance and Famke Janssen. The screenplay was written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, and directed by Pierre Morel. Neeson plays a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative who sets about tracking down his daughter after she is kidnapped by human traffickers while traveling in France. The sequel, Taken 2, was released on 3 October 2012.

2. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) 

The Bourne Ultimatum is a 2007 American-German action and spy film directed by Paul Greengrass loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same title.The screenplay was written by Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns and George Nolfi. The Bourne Ultimatum is the third in the Bourne film series, being preceded by The Bourne Identity (2002) and The Bourne Supremacy (2004). The fourth movie, The Bourne Legacy, was released in August 2012.

3. The Birds (1963)

The Birds is a 1963 suspense/horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the 1952 story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few days.

4. Se7en (1995)

Seven (sometimes stylized as Se7en) is a 1995 American thriller film, with horror and neo-noir elements, written by Andrew Kevin Walker, directed by David Fincher, and distributed by New Line Cinema. It stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, with Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey and Kevin Spacey in supporting roles.

5.  Jaws (1975)

Jaws is a 1975 American horror/thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The prototypical summer blockbuster, its release is regarded as a watershed moment in motion picture history. In the story, a giant man-eating great white sharkattacks beachgoers on Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, prompting the local police chief to hunt it with the help of a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter. The film stars Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as oceanographer Matt Hooper, Robert Shawas shark hunter Quint, Murray Hamilton as the mayor of Amity Island, and Lorraine Gary as Brody's wife, Ellen. The screenplay is credited to both Benchley, who wrote the first drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the script during principal photography.

6.  The Shining (1980)

The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an off-season caretaker at an isolated hotel. His young son possesses psychic abilities and is able to see things from the past and future, such as the ghosts who inhabit the hotel. Soon after settling in, the family is trapped in the hotel by a snowstorm, and Jack gradually becomes influenced by a supernatural presence; he descends into madness and attempts to murder his wife and son.

7. The Thing (1982)

The Thing (also known as John Carpenter's The Thing) is a 1982 science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter, written by Bill Lancaster, and starring Kurt Russell. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a parasitic extraterrestrial lifeform that assimilates other organisms and in turn imitates them. The Thing infiltrates an Antarctic research station, taking the appearance of the researchers that it absorbs, and paranoia occurs within the group.

8. Saw (2004)

Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell. It is the debut of Wan and Whannell and the first installment of the seven–part Saw film series.

9. Panic Room (2002)

Panic Room is a 2002 American thriller film directed by David Fincher and written by David Koepp. The film stars Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker,Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam, Kristen Stewart, and Patrick Bauchau. The story is about a mother and daughter taking refuge in a safe room during abreak-in of their home by three burglars who are after millions of dollars stored in a safe

10. Blade Runner (1982)

Blade Runner is a 1982 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.

11. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American slasher thriller film written and directed by Wes Craven, and the first film of the Nightmare on Elm Streetfranchise. The film stars Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, Robert Englund, and Johnny Depp in his feature film debut. Set in the fictional Midwestern town of Springwood, Ohio, the plot revolves around several teenagers who are stalked and killed in their dreams by Freddy Krueger. The teenagers are unaware of the cause of this strange phenomenon, but their parents hold a dark secret from long ago.

12. Casino Royale (2006)

Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis, the film marks the third screen adaptation of Ian Fleming's 1953 novel of the same name, which was previously produced as a 1954 television episode and a 1967 satirical film. Casino Royale is set at the beginning of Bond's career as Agent 007, just as he is earning his licence to kill. After preventing a terrorist attack at Miami International Airport, Bond falls for Vesper Lynd, the treasury employee assigned to provide the money he needs to bankrupt terrorist financier Le Chiffre by beating him in a high-stakes poker game. The story arc continues in the following Bond film, Quantum of Solace (2008).

13. Amores Perros ( Love's A Bitch ) (2001)

Amores perros or Love's a Bitch is a 2000 Mexican thriller film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Amores Perros is the first movie in Iñárritu's trilogy of death, and was followed by 21 Grams and Babel. It is a triptych; an anthology film, sometimes referred to as the "Mexican Pulp Fiction",containing three distinct stories which are connected by a car accident in Mexico City.

14. The Sixth Sense (1999)

The Sixth Sense is a 1999 American psychological horror film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film tells the story of Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a troubled, isolated boy who is able to see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist (Bruce Willis) who tries to help him.

15.  Phone Booth (2002)

Phone Booth is a 2002 American suspense/psychological thriller film about a man who is held hostage in a telephone booth by a sniper. It stars Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, and Radha Mitchell. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher, with music composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 15, 2002, but was delayed until April 4, 2003 due to the Beltway sniper attacks.

16. Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

Law Abiding Citizen is a 2009 American thriller film directed by F. Gary from a screenplay written by Kurt Wimmer, the main actor Jamie Foxx is supported by Gerard Butler. The film takes place in Philadelphia and tells the story of a man driven to commit multiple murders while targeting not only his family's killer but also the corrupt criminal justice system itself. Law Abiding Citizen was released theatrically in North America on October 16, 2009.

17. The Villiage (2004)

The Village is a 2004 American fantasy thriller film written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan about an end-of-the-19th-century village whose inhabitants live in fear of the creatures inhabiting the woods beyond it. The movie was shot in a re-creation of a 19th-century village outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, following Shyamalan's penchant for staging his films near his hometown.

18. Swordfish (2001)

Swordfish is a 2001 American thriller film directed by Dominic Sena and starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Vinnie Jones. The film is an action thriller that was also notable for Halle Berry's first topless scene.The film centers around Stanley Jobson, a ex-con computer hacker who is targeted for recruitment into a bank robbery conspiracy because of his formidable hacking skills.

19.  Taxi Driver (1976)

Taxi Driver is a 1976 American psychological thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. The film is set in New York City, soon after the Vietnam War. The film stars Robert De Niro and features Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, and Cybill Shepherd.

20. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American thriller film that blends elements of the crime and horror genres. It was directed by Jonathan Demme and stars Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Levine, and Scott Glenn. It is based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris, his second to feature Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer.