Evaluation

For my Unit 23 media course I created the opening of a thriller film. I think that overall the film turned out fairly well. The film begins with a tracking shot which turns into a medium shot of a man on a wall. This shot was used to emphasise the ordinary location which would create juxtaposition with the narrative of the film and make the thriller/sci-fi elements even more unexpected and interesting for the audience. During the filming process I tried to keep to the conventions of the thriller genre. This is the reason for the range of shot types used. I chose to use close up shots to highlight the facial expressions of characters. I used medium shots to show two characters in the same shot and the scenery around them without detracting the audience's focus from the characters. Long shots allowed the audience to see a character but by not showing them up close it made them seem enigmatic. Enigmas are commonly used in thrillers to create suspense and I wanted to follow this convention. The range of shots was well received by the focus group who said that they made the film feel like a thriller. However one of them said that the film could have done with even more different camera angles to exaggerate the genre. I wanted there to be a sense of mystery created by the opening scene and to help create this feeling I decided to have a musical score over the action and not to use the dialogue. Although this choice was criticised by one member of the focus group I still think that it was a good choice. I felt that the events of the opening sequence could be explained later in the film through exposition so the opening sequence would make the audience think rather than letting them know exactly what is going on. I hoped that this would create suspense which is also a convention of the thriller genre. Although I thought that the music chosen worked well and most of the focus group agreed, there were some that didn't think that the music was fast paced enough to match what was happening on screen. In the editing process we chose to have quick cuts between some of the shots to give the film a fast pace. I felt that this worked well for the part of the scene where the man approaches the guy on the wall. Also during this scene we only see the man's feet which makes him seem even more enigmatic. I also colour corrected some of the shots to make them darker to make the overall feel of the film darker. I felt that this worked well as some of the shots were quite bright and would have looked out of place.

My thriller opening is not as high quality as professional films but this was to be expected as I did not have as much time as professionals would nor do I have the experience that professionals do. Professional films would have a much bigger budget, better equipment and experienced actors. Because of this, I am happy with the quality of my thriller opening. I felt that I worked well as a director because I had a clear idea of what I wanted out of the film. I also delegated the workload well. Although I did some of the editing, I appointed Tom Wood as the main editor as he had experience with Final Cut and I felt that he would do a good job. I was present during the editing process and put forward my ideas as well as doing some of the editing whilst also allowing the other members of the group to give their ideas. The editing was very pleasing and I am sure that I made the right choices in terms of production roles. Myself and George Dillon Jones were the location managers for the film. We chose the Co-operative car park as the main location as we wanted the location to be ordinary to contrast with the narrative.

Focus Group Feedback

Do you think that the opening clearly defines the film as a thriller?

Response 1: There are many conventions of the thriller genre used in the opening and I was able to determine that the film was a thriller easily. The range of shots and the quick cuts are effective in creating suspense and make the thriller seem more fast-paced. The music also works pretty well to make the film feel like a thriller as it is fast paced and up tempo. The shots of the man's footsteps work well to create mystery which is another convention of the thriller genre.

Response 2: Although there are thriller aspects, I didn't feel that the film was clearly a thriller. The music seemed slightly out of place to me but was not completely off putting. This may just be my personal taste. The general idea and some of the shots were consistent with what I would expect from a thriller though. The mix of close-ups, medium shots and long shots work well. The shots worked well to create an enigma, especially the close-up shots of the member of the organisation's footsteps.

How would you compare it to professional thrillers?

Response 1: The location and actors clearly showed the film to be an amateur production. The narrative was fairly well thought out but the lack of continuity between some shots was evident. The shots themselves were good though and I liked some of the quick cuts between them because it made it feel more like a thriller.

Response: The story was pretty good and the shots used were effective. The quality of acting was fairly high for a non-professional film and the thriller opening left me wanting to see the rest of the film because of the sense of the mystery surrounding the characters. However the finished piece was clearly an amateur production.

What parts do you think could have been done better? What improvements would you suggest?

Response 1: I think that there could have been even more of a variety of camera angles and even more quick cuts in order to make the film feel even more like a thriller. The music used was ok but I would have preferred an even faster paced track to really set the tone of the film. Although the opening worked well in creating mystery and intrigue, I would have liked to know a little bit more about the film or some of the characters to fully persuade me to watch the full thing.

Response 2: I was not a huge fan of the music used, I felt that at times it distracted me from the action. The second half of the opening seemed slightly out of place with the first half in my opinion. I was a little underwhelmed as there was not much action shown.

Thriller Opening

Call sheet 2

Call sheet 1

Equipment Booking Form

Shooting Schedule

Risk Assessment

Locations used for the filming of the thriller opening include;

• Wem Town Hall
• Wem Co-op car park

Wem Town Hall risks include the following;

• damage/loss of expensive equipment

In order to prevent this risk, someone will be assigned to keep track of equipment of all times, ensuring it is never left unattended, as there is a likely risk that it will be lost/stolen/damaged if left unattended.

• electrocution from setting up of equipment

This is a minor risk as long as everything is in full working order (for example - no exposed wires), however someone will be assigned to perform a complete check of equipment before it is used.

• trip hazard of cables and furniture

Serious risk if wires and furniture are left in untidy/un-organised states, so to prevent this, cables will be tied where possible and places under mats. Furniture will be moved and stacked if not in use.

• injury during moving tables/chairs etc

In order to prevent this, no equipment will be set up until the area has been cleared.

Wem Co-op car park risks include the following;

• damage/loss of expensive equipment

In order to prevent this risk, someone will be assigned to keep track of equipment of all times, ensuring it is never left unattended, as there is a likely risk that it will be lost/stolen/damaged if left unattended.

• damage to cars parked in area of use

• risk of injury from moving cars
• bad weather - concrete surface will become slippery and poses risk

Recce shots

Meeting Minutes 4

Present members:

Alex Dean
George Dillon
Karla Edwards
Tom Wood


Most of our plans for our thriller opening have remained the same. The locations will still be the Co-operative and Wem Town Hall. We have now found actors. George Dillon will take on the role of the protagonist while we have brought in Jamie Russell and Christopher Roden to play a friend of George's character and a member of the antagonistic organisation respectively. Tom Wood will be the Camera Operator and all members of the group will co-direct. Tom Wood will be the Producer. 

We have now planned and arranged everything that we need and will begin filming as soon as possible.  

Meeting Minutes 3

Present Members:

Alex Dean
George Dillon
Karla Edwards
Tom Wood
 
We have decided on the locations for the thriller. The locations were decided upon because they were nearby and we thought that they would work well for the film. The locations we have chosen are the Co-operative car park, the Wem town hall may be used as the headquarters for the organisation seen in the film. The Co-operative car park will be good because it is an ordinary location which will contrast well with the narrative of the film. 

We will do some practice filming as soon as possible so that we can then go on to film the actual thriller. The main problem at the moment is getting actors for the filming. We will ask around and we hopefully will have found actors by the time of the practice filming. These may be changed for the actual filming. 

Meeting Minutes 2

Present Members:

Alex Dean

George Dillon

Karla Edwards
Tom Wood

We have decided on what roles suit who, and that the roles indicated to group members were based entirely on their knowledge, and their strengths and interests. Some jobs however, we decided to share between two group members, as they have duel knowledge combined which will allow professionalism within that job. Alex bought to the meeting a draft of the treatment which he created at home, after looking throughout, we found little error, however some of the dialogue was changed based on a group decision, after this was corrected we were satisfied with it, and therefore decided no more changes were necessary. 

After discussing the treatment and job roles, we then went on to discuss props and clothing, we decided that smart clothing would be used for the members of the shadowy organisation as this would emphasise the authority they possess. We think that the protagonist should wear casual clothing so the audience will be aware that he doesn't know what is going on and is having a normal day. We have decided that we shall discuss the locations during our next meeting, as we need to spend longer time discussing and analysing which locations will be suitable for us to use to film our thriller opening.

Thriller Treatment

The scene opens with the camera panning across the screen and eventually stopping at a medium shot of a young man sitting on a wall outside of the Co-operative. He is using his phone and eating his dinner. People are walking past him but they do not take any notice of him and don't even look at him. The scene seems normal but the fact that nobody seems to notice the man is slightly odd as he is talking on his phone. At this point there is no indication that anything is going to happen. The next shot is of a group of a mysterious man looking towards the young man. The camera then cuts to an over the shoulder shot of the man, in which the audience discover that the man has been standing round the corner from the young man. They walk towards the camera and the young man appears startled. The camera tracks to an over the shoulder shot of the group of men. They talk to the man and ask him "where is it?". He says that he doesn't know what they are talking about. The group of men grab the man which we see from a medium shot. The people who are walking by still don't appear to notice what is going on, almost as if the young man and the group of men are invisible. The screen fades to black and there is the sound of the man protesting and trying to get away. Throughout this part of the scene shots of another man walking through Wem will be interspersed between the rest of the action. His part in the plot will be revealed later in the film. The screen fades back in and the audience see a close-up of the young man with a bloody face and looking dehydrated and exhausted. The camera keeps focused on him as we hear voices questioning him and asking what he has done with "it". Then there is a voice saying to "leave him". The camera pans to the side of the young man and the audience see a group of men, including the ones who took the young man, walking out of a dark, eery looking room. The screen fades to black as the young man's head begins to drop and his eyes close. As the scene fades back in from black, the man raises his head and opens his eys. He appears to listen closely to see if he can hear anything. He then walks towards the door of the room with the camera tracking away from him. The camera pans around him and the audience see the man standing against the wall just next to the door. After a few seconds, there is a close up of the door handle being pushed down. The camera cuts to a wide shot of a man walking into the room. The audience see the young man behind him but he remains unaware. The camera cuts to a medium shot from behind the man. The young man slowly walks towards him and the man turns around to face him but before he can the young man put his arm around his neck and kills him.

Production Roles

Directors Of Photography - Karla Edwards, George Dillon & Alex Dean

Camera Operator - Karla Edwards & Tom Wood

Sound Recordist -  Alex Dean

Editor - Tom Wood & Alex Dean

Graphic Design - Karla Edwards & George Dillon

Script - Alex Dean

Costumes - Carla Edwards

Make-up Artist - Karla Edwards

Lighting- George Dillon & Tom Wood

Props - George Dillon, Alex Dean & Karla Edwards

Location Manager - Alex Dean, George Dillon

Karla is doing an A-level photography course which is why we have given her the camera-related jobs. She also has experience with make-up so she volunteered herself to be the make-up artist for the film. Tom has lots of experience with editing and Final Cut

Meeting Minutes 1

Present Members:

Alex Dean
George Dillon
Karla Edwards
Tom Wood


As all of our members of our group were present, we discussed our roles for the team, who suited what role, and how they would achieve the most professional outcome for their work. Tom has put himself forward to be the editor and Alex has said that he will help out with this. Karla has asked if she could be in charge of hair and make up for the actors. The other group members have agreed that this is a good idea because of Karla's experience.

We discussed our initial ideas for our thriller opening, the sub genre of the thriller, the characters and the costumes, location and style of our work. We spoke about how we wish to create an exciting opening, one which would make the audience eager to see more of the film and discover what is going to happen with the characters. As a group we decided that we kept the narrative fairly straight forward, finding accurate and suitable locations which would fit the genre and also ensure that we made sure we gave ourselves enough time to shoot the opening, and also give us time to obtain props and costumes so that they looked professional and matched the genre. All of these things shall be discussed in more depth once we created a treatment, and finalised the location of where our film opening will take place.