Reply To Station Manager

Unfortunately we have recieved a letter from the Station Manager where we were hoping to film our opening sequences and has not granted us permission to use Newport train station as a possible location for filming due to issues in the past and previous groups wanting to use the same location. At our next meeting we will have to talk and arrange alternative locations that will fit to our original storyboard and if not come up with a similar idea where we will be able to film with granted permission.

Absence

I was absent for the lessons on the 28.1.10 however, i have read over all the new work that has been done and i am up to date with all progress.

Filming Schedule

We have decided to film on the following days choosing the times appropriate to when we want to film and fitting in with our schedules.

Sunday 7th February- Meeting at Stansted Station at 4pm

Monday 8th February-Meeting after school in newport.

We are also going to allocate one afternoon in the same week to view all of our footage so that it is early enough for us to change anything if we need to.

Potential Script

This is the script we might be using for the thriller because it could make a better effect and the audience will understand what is going on in the thriller.

Hannah drops her books.

Jack: Can I help you with those books.

Hannah: Yes thank you very much.

Jack: So where are you traveling to today.

Hannah: I am going to Stansted.

Jack: Thats good have fun I have herd its nice there.

Hannah: Ok there is my train thanks for your help with my books bye bye.

This is not a big script because it will only take a short amount of time.

Credits Planning.

We have been looking into the types of credits we would like our Thriller opening to include, below is the opening titles sequence from "Se7en" and "To kill a mockingbird". We like the idea of not using black screens with text on between shots, but using some form of superimposing to add text on top of our shots.

"Se7en" Opening Credits.

Link to "To kill a Mockingbird" Opening Credits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP5MutuPVxk&feature=PlayList&p=BEBF23BFCC13FAF4&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=31

Storyboarding Filming

Soundtrack Choice

We have decided on our final choices for the music to use within or thriller opening. We have decided to use a piece called "Dark Walk" for the beginning as it is quite suspenseful and creates tension it contrasts the the second piece we have chosen as it is quite slow. The second piece we have chosen is called "ghostpocalyspe" which is a more upbeat and faster piece resembling the chase and action on screen.

Health and Safety Risk Assessment.

These are the aspects of Health and Safety which we have discussed, and need to take into account when it comes to filming our Thriller opening on location.

Mobile Phones:

- We should all make sure we have the correct mobile phone numbers, and an emergency contact number for all other members of the group.

- We need to make sure that before we go out on location, all of our mobile phones are fully charged, so we can get hold of everyone if needed.

Filming:

- For a couple of our planned shots, we are planning on using high camera angles. This means that on location, we need to find a suitable place (that is higher up than the ground) to film from, which will not put the person filming in any danger. If on the day we cannot find a suitable place to film from, we will have to rethink as a group and decide on a different direction for these specific shots that will cause least effect to the continuity of our scene.

Falling Over:

- In one particular shot, Hannah's character has to fall over. As a dancer and gymnast, she is aware of certain things she can do to make it look as if she is falling over without hurting herself.

Train Station Location:

- On arrival at our filming location on the station platform, we need to double check when the trains are coming to make sure we are not filming when they do. This gives us approximately half an hour between trains to film, taking into account when there are going to be passengers on the platform.

- If there are a lot of other passengers on the platform, we will stop filming and wait until their train has left. If there are just one or two people, we could approach them and explain what it is we are doing, and if they do not mind standing further down the platform then we could continue filming, if any of them have a problem with us filming whilst they are there, we will stop, and continue once they have left.

- Because we are filming at a train station, we all need to be aware of the tracks, and if there are going to be any fast trains approaching, this is not something which we can really plan in advance for, but we will have a group briefing on arrival at the station to make sure we all put our and each other's safety before the quality of filming, as we do not want anybody put at risk.

- We are planning on filming during non peak times, so there are not many passengers at the station, this will hopefully mean the footage we film there should not take too long, and we can cause as little affect on the station's running as normal.

Road:

- When we are filming the scenes along the main road, we need to take into account the cars and pedestrians around at the time. We are hoping there should not be many around at the time we are filming in the evening, and will have to discuss this and how we are going to deal with these problems on arrival at our filming location.

Sound Research

For the past few lessons we have been trying to look for uncopyrighted music that we could use for our thriller opening. We have been able to browse through various sites such as http://incompetech.com/ and www.youtube.com. We have found tis part quite hard as the piece we choose has to be uncopyrighted or produced by an unsigned band. The incompetech website is a site for uncopyrighted music and we have been able to browse through th site to find any music suitable. We would idealy like to have a piece stating off slow byut then getting faster wioth a strong beat to accompany her runnning action on screen. This fast music would also be a key part as the take length would get shorter and add to the tension and suspense of the action.

Further Costume Research

Costume and make up is a large element of mise-en-scene. We as a group have decided to typically recreate the image of a villain and victim by using costume to show this. We hope to create the look of a villain by the boys wearing black suits with white shirts. This gives the sense of authority and makes the audience want to know what authority they actually have. This is shown in many thriller clips to give the sense of authority and status. Contrasting to this we have decided to have the villain as a female wearing smart work dress and heels. This gives the idea of vunerability towards the female and the fact that she is wearing heels we can use as she is running and she kicks them off and leaves them on the floor. If we were to develop this film further this could be used for evidence of her dissappearence and be a key theme throughout the film.

Storyboarding

We have filmed our storyboard to show each and every shot which we intend to include within our thriller opening. We filmed one to show cearly the shot types and what is included in the shot. We then decided to film the storyboard a second time along with a commentry to explain the shot choices and why in case this was unclear from the the first filming.

Equipment

This is the equipment list of the things we are going to use whilst filming, these will enable us to improve steadiness, lighting and the continuity of our shots.

• Video Camera- to film to footage. Need to make sure it is fully charged, and the tape works properly.
• Tripod- to place the camera on for a selection of shots to improve steadiness.
• Artificial Lighting - selection of torches & portable lights, we are unable to use mains electricity due to the locations at which we are filming.
• Reflector boards- Karis already has these, and we may make some more to improve the amount of light that the camera picks up on.
• White umbrellas & stands- Karis already has these also, they will be placed around the camera and over lights on location to diffuse the light and improve brightness in each shot.

Location

These are the locations we are use the create a tense atmosphere.

• Newport Train Station
• Stansted - Main road out the back of station
• Stansted- Woods off of the main road, leading away.

Karis has also taken pictures of all of these locations, which helped us to choose where the best places to film would be. (seen in Location Scouting post)

Costume List

These our the costumes that will be used.

Villains ( Jack and Nick)

• Shirt (White)
• Tie (Black)
• Suit (Black)
• White mine mask

Victim ( Hannah )

• Smart black trousers
• Work smart dress
• Heels

Prop List

Theses are the props we need for our media project

• Mobile Phones - So Jack can ring Nick to let him now about Hannah.
• Handbag - So Hannah can drop them to alert Jacks attention.
• Books - For Hannah to drop.

Costumes- Masks

After having looked at other Thriller Films, we are considering using masks to disguise the faces of the villains as the scene turns more sinister towards the end.

After watching the film "the Strangers" we think that by covering the faces of the villainous characters, for example by using

masks, an additional sense of thrill and mystery is added to the scene. As Hannah has a fear of masks, the type we are going to use are the plain white mime masks. (seen here > ). We will also have to take this into account when we decide on costumes for Jack & Nick as we want to create a sense of mystery and contrast.

Artificial Lighting

In order for our camera work to be shown the correct light has to be used in order to see the locationa and character. To create the maximum amount of light we will use reflector boards covered in tin foil to reflect the light that is already produced. Along with white sheets to also reflect. We will use high power torches and attach them to tripods or makshift stands to keep them still and we could always detach them if we needed to move them for more light in certain areas. We have also got reflectors to reflect or absorb the light. We got some white umbrellas which can also be used to get light in the shot. These will help us to create contrast within the shots, which can add to a tension filled, or moody atmosphere.

Dialogue

We have discussed the use of dialogue and the effect. We did originally create a script although we decided to cut this to create more tension and suspense. As Hannah walks around the corner of the station she drops her books

Jack: Here let me help you with that

Hannah: Thank you.

We would then use dialogue such as screams to add to the tension.

Certification.

We have discussed the themes and plot of our Thriller Opening and with looking at the Certification research we did previously, have decided that it should be a 15 Certification. The Certification Guidelines state that no theme is prohibited, as long as it is suitable for a 15 year old viewer. This means that the kidnapping theme of our opening is acceptable for a 15 Certification, as long as we don't make it too graphic, or too scary. The Violence aspect of the Certification guidelines states that strong violence should not contain dwelling of infliction of pain, we were not considering using strong violence, so this should not be a problem, but we do need to remember that the content should be appropriate for a 15 year old.

Practical Coursework, Question 6

This is the questionnaire that we handed out to people who watch Thriller Films to find out what their main interests are and what they look for when watching a Thriller Film.

1. How old are you?

.........................................

2. What are your main interests? (tick all appropriate)

• Cooking
• Sport
• Music
• Socializing
• Other (please specify) ...............................

3. What is/are your favourite Thriller film(s)?

...................................................................................

4. What do you look for when choosing/watching a Thriller film? (tick all appropriate)

• Good Plot/ Storyline
• Famous actors/ actresses
• Good reviews
• Originality/ Uniqueness
• Other (please specify) ........................................

Results.

1. Age:

16. ||||

17. ||||| |

18. |||

19. ||

2. Main Interests:

Cooking ||

Sport ||||| |||||

Music |||||

Socializing ||||| |||

Other |||

- Dancing

- Art/Photography

- Theatre/ Drama

3. Favourite Thriller Film:

Deep Blue Sea ||

Taken ||||| ||

Silence of the Lambs ||||| ||

Obsessed ||||

4. Choosing/ Watching a Thriller:

Good Plot/ Storyline |||

Famous Actors/Actresses ||||| |||

Good Reviews ||||

Originality/ Uniqueness ||||| ||

Other

Evaluation:

1. We asked people in this age bracket as most thriller films are either 12 or 15 certificate. This then is our target audience, so it was best to ask people of this age to complete our questionnaire.

2. We can see from these results that our target audience enjoy sport, socializing and music, which are quite typical "young" hobbies, so we need to make sure our opening suits the audience, for example by using young characters, locations and parts of the story line which the audience can relate to.

3. We can see here that Silence of the Lambs and Taken are the favourite Thriller films of our target audience. We have already looked at both of these films, which is useful because we now have a better idea of what our audience want. We were quite suprised that Silence of the Lambs was popular because it is quite an old film, and we initially thought our target audience would be interested more in the latest Hollywood blockbuster.

4. We can see from this our target audience like originality and uniqueness, so we need to think about this when doing more indepth planning of our Thriller, we obviously cannot use famous actors and actresses in our film, but this is useful for us to know, as it shows we need to develop a strong sense of character in our opening.

Station Manager Letter

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are a group of year 12 media students hoping to complete our coursework within the next few weeks. For our coursework we are hoping to film a short sequence at Newport Train Station. We are aware that there may be certain rules and regulations regarding this so we decided to get in touch about this matter. In previous years, past students have been able to use the train station as a suitable location under the condition that permission is granted from the station manager. We would not be filming at peak times of travel or at busy times. We would be very grateful if you would consider this and get in touch with us as soon as possible, Please reply to either nfgs.mercury@googlemail.com or mz@nfsg.essex.sch.uk

Thank you.

Cast and Crew

Characters:

Jack: Main Villain

Preferred character to play because of acting experience and confidence

Nick:Co Villain

Preferred character and confidence

Karis:Camera and Extra

Is good with technical side of the filming and knows how to use the camera with confidence.

Hannah: The Girl

Experience and confidence

Final Plot

The sequence starts off on the image of a guy sitting on a train bench. A girl walks around the corner carrying a load of books and then drops them unintentionally. The guy then gets up and helps the girl and starts to chat about the train. He gets information out of her about what she is doing and where she is going. From this he realizes she is a perfect candidate to kidnap.
The camera then switches to another train station and films her walking out of the station. The camera then switches to a point of view shot from the guy watching the girl as she walks away. The camera then switches to the girl to show the girls expression. She realizes that he is following her and she starts to walk faster. She gets towards the woody area and the girl trips over and stays on the floor. The guy then stands over her and the camera gains focus.

Location Scouting.

After dicussing some potential locations for our
thriller film to be set, I decided to go out and take some pictures of some of these locations, so we can make more informed decisions as to where we will film.

These are pictures of Newport train station, where we had previously talked about filming. We agreed this would be a good location to film at, but need to consider the time and implications involved in writing to the Station Manager in order to gain filming permission.

This is the lane at the back of Newport Station which we had previously talked about. I took this picture during the day, when there are cars parked here, but at night they are gone, and the atmosphere is different because of the trees and remoteness. However, as there are no street lights, we may have to look into portable light sources if we wanted to film here at night.

These are the steps at the side of the lane in Newport which we had discussed about filming as they back onto fields and woods. We may not have a problem with lighting here as there are houses set back across the fields which could provide a source during the evening.

This is a public footpath in Stansted which leads down to a thinner path, through some fields and up to a Church and graveyard. I took this picture in the early evening when the sun was just about to set, and as you can see, it has quite an eery effect. The houses on the right of the lane have lights on the outside and in their gardens, so it would be possible to film here in the dark if we wanted to.

This is a picture I took further up the lane earlier on in the afternoon. The light coming through the trees creates an interesting effect, which could be used to our advantage if we filmed here later in the evening. The trees here create an arch, making an interesting link through the middle of two fields, which also makes it feel like a more secluded location as there is also no artificial light.

This is the main road, which leads to the lane opening in Stansted, I waited until it was dark to take this, as I thought the street lamps would create an interesting effect. The road leads from the lane opening to the train station, so could be a good place to film if we were to use either of these locations.

Potential Characters

Villain Kidnapper - A man (either jack or nick or other people from outside our media group)

Wearing dark clothes, gloves and shoes. Also, perhaps they could be wearing something which hides their identity e.g. balaclava, hood, mask or a cap.

Having masks of the ex presidents would work really well - like they do in 'Point Break'.

Potential Plot

Today in my media lesson i had to come up with ideas of possible plots for our thriller opening. I thought that there are certain areas where we could film that could lead to a plot. Somebody could be chasing somebody down the street becuase they want something off them or that they want to catch them for some reason. Also it could be in a forest and there could be a murder and a detective might have to investigate to see what happened.

As a group, we are all quite keen to pursue the idea of a kidnapping of some sort. However we still need to discuss how we are going to develop this idea further.

Sound

-Dialogue.

Dialogue can be used to create a thrilling atmosphere, but can also be used to establish setting, character situations and plot lines. An example of this is in The Usual Suspects opening which we watched, where the two men are talking, the onscreen action is not particularly exciting, but the dialogue exchanged between characters creates a sense of tension, and makes the audience want to know what is going to happen.

-Music.

The use of music can create an atmosphere in a thriller by building suspense and creating tension for the audience. An example of this is in the Taken opening we watched, where even though the onscreen action is not thrilling, the music creates a specific atmosphere, which makes the audience excited as to what is going to happen.

Plot

Ideas for plot:

• Using the idea of kidnapping and chasing to create the suspension and tension.
• It is an opening so has to be interesting and hook the audience from the very beginning.
• It needs to have a sense of direction so the audience knows what is going to happen although main story is hidden.
• We need to have contrasts to keep it interesting using cross cuts and m-e-s.
• We will have to assign characters to make the audience aware of the story line.

Setting

Setting

As a group we have discussed many ideas for the setting of our thriller opening. We have narrowed our ideas down to the following:

• Get permission from the station manager either at Bishops Stortford or Newport explaining that past students have gained this permission in previous years.
• Woods in Furneux Pelham by Hannah's house.
• To link our footage in the station with the footage in the woods we hope to film out the back of Newport station where there is a public footpath leading to fields - with editing this could be quite effective.

Conventions of Thrillers

These are the preliminary thoughts and ideas that we did on Conventions of Thrillers.
Mise en Scene:
- "Bland" colours.
- Dark lighting, ie. use of covers over lightbulbs, using dark coloured sheets around the camera to absorb the light, with specific highlights on key features.
- Sinister Props. (typical Thriller props ie. weapons etc.)
- Use of contrasts, ie. "normal", typical clothing against a sinister setting/situation. (sinister, as in typical tension building Thriller films, for example use of woods, sense of isolation)

Sound:
- Background music- minor key.
- Diagetic Sound, linked with what is happening on screen, ie. facial expression & proxemics.
- Non Diagetic, creates tension for the audience, as the people on screen are oblivious.

Camera:
- Use of zoom. Picking out specific details.
- Close Ups & Extreme Close Ups- emphasis.
- Point of View- creating tension, puts you in someone else's shoes.

Editing:
- Short Takes, creates tension and create an atmosphere.
- Split Screen- puts the audience in a priviledged position, creates tension & builds suspense.