Final Product

Here after months of planning and research is our five minute thriller opening.#

Eye for an Eye

Evaluation Questions-Katherine Smith

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

With regards to the conventions we have used within our thriller we have attempted to create a slow moving thriller opening which can be left open to twists within the greater developed plotline of the remainder of the film to leave the audience guessing. However we have also show the audience action within the opening of our thriller to draw them in. We have also used music with a disturbing quality and a soft underlying tone to lull the audience into the slow pace of our film.

Our use of a handheld camera is a factor that is key to the plotline we have developed although because the audience is given a chance to work out what the developments will be this challenges the thriller genre as it is not so much a mystery but rather an action thriller. Despite this we have kept out much of the plotline but rather imply that it will develop at a later stage so as to avoid telling the entire story in under five minutes as we decided that this would go against many existing media products and especially thrillers.

Another way in which we have used thriller conventions is in using the theme of a disturbed mental state against which our protagonist much struggle. As the audience has already seen his psychological turmoil lead to death it would cause them to feel suspense if he is put into a situation which may cause him to act out of anger.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Whilst we do feature several characters in our film opening, the majority of whom are teenagers of a similar age we did not wish to target any particular social group for representation as we were wary of getting too close to the stereotypical. This was because we felt that it would detract from the serious nature of our film and perhaps alienate certain members of the audience. However we have portrayed a representation of gender that has been used in films and drama’s as the male character is presented as the immediate villain whilst the female characters seem to be more outgoing and vulnerable. And as the only female character with potential to become a villain dose so only to achieve revenge the thriller makes the assumption that males are the more violent of the pair although this is not something which we wished to show to any great degree.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Despite the fact that the task was to create the opening for a thriller this would have eventually developed into a feature length film and as such film companies such as Universal and would be the target institutions to distribute the film. This also includes smaller, independent companies such as Working Title. The film would be distributed in the form of DVD’s or downloads from online stores such as ITunes. We would aim for these methods because they have become the normal method for distributing films along with other media products.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Due to the adult nature of thrillers and scenes of violence we would not be aiming for a younger audience as it would be unsuitable and as such the youngest age group we would encourage to view our film would be fifteen. The main audience therefore would be made up of older teenagers and young adults who are more likely to seek something which will scare and thrill them. We also wanted to aim at adults who do not normally wish to view thrillers through the slow pace of our film which we feel lulls the audience throughout although this would of course depend on the later developments of our film.

How did you attract/address your audience?

During our thriller opening the background music helped to keep the audience’s attention through the slower scenes, such as the sketchbook seen. Also I feel the cuts between the flashback scene and the sketchbook scene helped to maintain the audience’s interest through changes in scenery and tone. We have also tried to maintain the audience’s attention through the storyline which we have presented and the characters which have helped to portray tension and suspense.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During the process of filming I have learnt about filming different camera shots such as panning shots, close ups and over shoulder shots with both handheld cameras and tripods. I have also learned how to use a tripod in terms of achieving a variety of different camera angles and height in shots. I have learned how to edit films using iMovie in areas such as cutting the shots down, importing footage and music as well as using transitioning effects and titles.  And during the process of creating this blog I have learned how to import images and YouTube clips as well as learning how to edit my posts.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

From the preliminary task I have learned about editing film and as such I feel that this has allowed us to produce a final product to a higher quality. I also feel that our filming has improved as we became more confident with using the cameras and tripods. Also we have learnt to create more imaginative, complex and tense story lines as that in the preliminary task was extremely dull as to entertain was not the point of the exercise.

Feedback

We showed our thriller opening to individuals who were around the age group of our target audience in order to try and improve the overall quality of our film by taking their suggestions on board before burning the film. This turned out to help us a great deal in improving our thriller. Below are two written opinions.

''I think it has the making of a really good thriller. The shots that utilised the setting were really effective in setting the mood and atmosphere of the piece. The natural sounds brought a realistic element, and the dramatic cut of sound in the attack scene with the male character was a particular favourite. The overall length of the film was excellent, not too short, but was long enough to develop a good plot. The only improvement would be to improve the transition between shots. Overall a really successful piece of film making.'' Alex Chong

''This is a very gripping thriller opening. It holds the viewers attention from the start, right to the end, introducing and enticing them into the plot. I found that the acting from all the characters, especially the main male role, was very good and convincing. They helped me to understand the plot and added to the atmosphere of the piece. I thought that the setting was very appropriate and was used well. It made the most of natural surroundings, especially in the shots of the male character among the trees at the beginning: like the acting the choice of setting definitely contributed to the mood of the film. The variety of camera angles were also done very well. If I had to suggest an improvement I would say that perhaps there is a little too much action in such a short space of time, so maybe the plot could be shortened or simplified. However, I understand that an opening sequence must contain enough action to maintain the viewer's attention; I think this film does this very effectively. Ultimately, I think this short film piece is a great success. The storyline is very interesting, and is complemented by the choice of setting.'' Megan Spruce

The feedback we received, as you can see, is extremely polite in nature but what this gave us was that we needed to cut back on the amount of storyline told which we had already been considering as we did not want to tell too much in the opening. This prompted us to remove the monologue among other things which had basically told the audience our entire plot line in an effort to cut back on the amount of information given. Also we tried to improve the transitioning between shots which had before been extremely jerky to distinguish between the two cameras.

Voice Overs

Below is the transcript of Stephen Smith's monologue which we planned to use in our thriller. We went against this in the end because we decided to hint at a plot which would later develop fully rather than trying to tell the entire story in under five minutes.


It was early spring. I'd only just turned eighteen, that's old enough to be sentenced. Molly was two years younger.

I'll never know exactly what happened or what triggered it...only sometimes I have to do things...sometimes it takes over. That was one of those times.

The sister, she caught it all on tape, enough to sentence me anyway. And I didn't do anything to her. I just...walked away.

I served my time but that wasn't enough for her.

Her sister died. Manslaughter. Accidental. It was, I hadn't wished her dead. I hadn't wanted her to die like that but she would have died somehow. The girl was there, she knew the truth. And now it was her turn, to listen to the voices.


Voice Over by Alice Parsons

As mentioned before we were unfortunate in the fact that the girl whom we had enlisted to play the victim's sister was unavailable meaning that the script had to be altered extremely quickly whilst still letting the audience know that someone besides them is watching the murder take place. Therefore Alice Parsons who plays the murder's daughter and who was not present during the filming at Cannock Chase did a series of voice overs after the film had been put together for the dialogue section between the victim and her sister. The downside of this was that in order to record the voice overs in a quiet area they were recorded in a small soundproof round providing an echoey quality to her words.

Thriller Music

The Considered and Final Music Choice for our Thriller


For our Thriller we wanted to create a slow moving opening in order to settle the audience into the rest of the film whilst still maintaining a feeling of dramatic suspense. Due to this we decided against using heavy music for our thriller or at least music which was heavy to start with rather than music which built up gradually. One thing which was discussed was using a Gothic like background music which was an idea that greatly influenced our eventually decision into sticking with a song from the Gothic group, Sirenia, which had already been the generally preferred option.

(The Path to Decay by Sirenia) 

Sirenia's The Path to Decay was the original soundtrack considered for our thriller as we found it to be interesting and somewhat disturbing Gothic music with a modern twist. A concern with this song was that it might overpower the thriller, distracting the audiences focus and another concern was that it far too heavy and electronic, which was something which went against the desired effect for our thriller. Also we wanted to use something with lyrics which were a better fit for our thriller. For these reasons this soundtrack was eventually discarded but because of the somewhat disturbing feel of the music Sirenia was the song which had as searching for music of a more Gothic quality.

(Labyrinth of Dreams by Nox Arcana)

We also considered Nox Arcana's Labyrinth of Dreams for our thriller and it very nearly became the soundtrack which we chose. The music begins extremely softly and this is maintained throughout which we felt fit in with the general idea of having a slow paced thriller opening and also the music still held the Gothic feel that we wanted for our underlying track. Another pull towards this song was the deepening in tone in places which we felt we could use for the tenser moments of our thriller. However we felt that though the music was extremely soft there was too much of an obvious and quick rhythm in the beats that play throughout which contradicted the speed we wanted to create.

There other song by Nox Arcana which we considered during this time was Lullaby which the Gothic tone which we had been looking for. However in comparison to the previous song mentioned the tone was significantly heavier and unfortunately it still had the underlying beat which speeds the music up noticeably contradicting the tone which we wished to create.

(Lullaby by Nox Arcana)



(Running Up That Hill by Placebo)



Placebo's Running Up That Hill, was also considered for our background music partly because that compared to the songs by Nox Arcana there music was slower in pace without being too heavy at the beginning but rather building up to a climax. Also we considered using the heartbeat used in this track in moments of tension within our thriller. However whilst we thought that the music might be suitable for a protagonist whom we wanted to feel regret eventually there music had to soft a feel and we discarded this song because of it's possibly romantic theme.



(Save Me From Myself by Sirenia)

We ended up returning to Sirenia in our final choice of music with Save Me From Myself, which we felt contained everything we were looking for whilst having very few of the negatives we met with the other songs. As with Path to Decay there was a distinctly Gothic feel which we had been looking for at the start and also a softness is maintained throughout the song meaning that it would not overpower our thriller, especially when the percentage of sound was reduced. Another pull towards this piece was the change in the music at certain points which we felt could be useful to show tension or to create a disjointed effect. We also felt that this song was at a slow enough pace to work with the effect we wanted to create within our thriller. For all these reasons we eventually decided to use Save Me From Myself in our thriller.

Mise-en-scene: Props

Props used within our Thriller.


The Scarves

There were two scarves used in our thriller, one we used in the flashback scene whilst the other we used in the sketchbook scene as it was decided that the sketchbook should be often reviewed by the Protagonist as he tried to come to terms with the act of murder which he committed and therefore the scarf with constant handling should have become worn over the years. Therefore the second scarf which we used was frayed and the colours were faded in comparison. Whilst we used the second scarf to give an impression of it being worn the two items were not identical, a fact which we have tried to hide through camera angles and lighting whilst we were filming and later the editing process.

Originally the victim's scarf was to be used as the murder weapon as it was first decided that the boy would strangle her. However the cause of death was almost constantly under debate and as such in flux until we settled on the girl being thrown against a tree which meant that the scarf was no longer needed as such in the murder. Despite this we wanted the killer to have something other than the sketchbook to remind him of his victim and as such it was decided that it should come into his possession somewhere within the fight scene, thereby allowing him to keep it in his possession for the rest of his life.


The Sketchbook

We decided on the sketchbook as a way to show the audience what our killer was thinking as well as to present him as the threat. The book itself was plain and cream in colour so as not to show anything unnerving until the pages were opened, revealing his drawings to the audience. It was decided that the drawings should be made using black biro and graphite to provide a sketchy feel to the drawings as well as a feeling of depression as we felt that someone in his shoes would most likely draw in black without a hint of colour.

 (Katherine Smith preparing the sketchbook for filming)

The Gloves

We ended up using a pair of gloves in our thriller because it was deiced that having committed the murder the killer should use gloves in handling the body. Whilst this in itself would be useless in reality especially as his fingerprints would already cover the corpse after the fight scene we believed that the action might provide some false sense of security which we thought would be welcome after murder. This action was supposed to be done without thinking, as was picking up the scarf at the end and moving the body in an effort to cover the killer's tracks rather than a considered action.

Mise-en-scene: Setting

The Setting for our Thriller


The Farmhouse

It had been decided originally that all of the footage taken should be shot at a local farm, using the house for exterior shots however we eventually had to go against this idea because the area which we would have been able to film in was too open for a murder which was to some extent considered to be committed. Whilst our eventual location was also very public we felt that other people in the forest would not have been able to see any danger clearly as the scene was far more sheltered.


Cannock Chase

As discussed above we decided to use a sheltered setting for the murder scene and for this we used Cannock Chase and a clearing for the actual death scene so as to provide the audience a clear view of the action. A good deal of time had been spent searching for an appropriate clearing and the one we eventually settled upon was overlooking what can only be described as a small valley down which the boy would push the body so as to move it away from the scene. We were very fortunate when we were filming with regards to the weather as it was a cold and misty day which I feel coupled well with our footage because of the soft yet bright lighting which we achieved.

Filming

The Filming Process for Our Thriller


As you can see from our original script we met a wall in the filming process in the fact that the girl we had enlisted to play the victim's friend and film the point of view shots from the second camera became too ill meaning that the script and camera shots had to be changed to get around this problem.

Therefore during the flashback scene much of the filming was alternated between Stephen Smith and Katherine Smith in order to film as much footage as possible with the killer as the audience's focus. For the majority of the scene a handheld camera was used due to the fact that the plot line revolved around the murder being filmed and we wanted the footage to have the shaky quality of being handheld and also having the person move as they filmed. Another use for the handheld camera was the panning shot of Issac Alcock as he walked through the forest, creating noise for the victim to follow as here we did not want the camera to be completely steady.

(Katherine Smith filming the panning shot)

For the rest of the scene a tripod was used so that there was steady footage within the flashback scene, an example of this is the 360 degrees shot just before the murder which we wanted to keep smoother than the majority of our shots.

 (Stephen Smith preparing the camera for filming)

For the majority of the interior shots we used a tripod to hold the camera steady as unlike the flashback scene the plot line here did not revolve around someone filming their observations meaning there was less call for the footage to be possessed of a naturally shaky quality meaning that we wanted to hold the camera as still as possible.

Here is a list of the equipment we used

• Two cameras
• A tripod
• Two tapes
• Spare Batteries
• A Charger

Mise-en-scene Costume for Other Characters

The Costume for the Victim and her Friend





(Katherine Smith as the Victim)

It was decided that the costume for our victim should be lighter than that of the two costumes for the murderers because she was not suppressed by the same degree of mental strain. Yet it was also decided that the costume should be darker than that of the murderer's daughter to show a darker personality in comparison to someone who was quite kind and sweet. Therefore the costume ended up becoming a pair of dark jeans, a black coat and white shirt. The shirt was white because that is the typical colour of innocence, death and victims and although this character may not have been presented as the nicest person in the world when all is said and done she is the victim.

The other character in our thriller was the Victim's friend/sister although complications arouse meaning that we were not able to show this character in the film. This character was originally going to be dressed in pale grey clothes to suggest that she was neither dark or the victim but could in fact become a more threatening character later on in the film.

Research and Planning

Before constructing the opening to a feature length thriller it was necessary that we learned about the typical conventions within a thriller using such things as the characters, lighting, plot line, mise-en-scene, camera angles, sound and editing. To do this we watched several thrillers and thriller openings in class including Psycho among others as well as watching thrillers in our own time, such as The Others, Spellbound, Seven and Panic Room.

We also used several different books within our research one of which Myth and the Movies by Stuart Voytilla was extremely helpful in helping us gain a greater understanding of thriller conventions.

Below are some links to sights concerning some of the films mentioned above if you would like to know more about them.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038109/ Spellbound

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258000/ Panic Room

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230600/ The Others

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/ Seven

Here are just a few of the thriller conventions that we were able to pick up from watching these films.

• One of these is that the majority of the characters are ordinary people who have been forced into extraordinary and dangerous circumstances.
• There are often red herrings throughout the film as well as clues towards the twists in the plot.
• Thriller's often focus on the psychological state of the characters. 

What these conventions eventually gave us was a revived plot line which revolved around the murder's life years after the murder and a prison sentence although this is is not mentioned in the final product. The idea that the killer would in fact be the hero and protagonist was developed into the eventual plot line that the victim's freind or sister would hunt the daughter to kill her in revenge, from which got the title Eye for a Eye.

The Opening Sequence to Seven

Thriller Conventions used in the Opening Sequence of Seven


The opening sequence for the film Seven directed by Kyle Cooper uses various methods to portray a sense of unease and fear to the audience including editing, mise-en-scene and the sounds used within the opening.

Throughout the opening of Copper’s Seven, the audience views footage which has become broken up by the change in camera positing and perhaps most importantly the credits which give the sequence a disjointed feeling. Whilst in other thrillers where it is in the wishes of the director to settle the audience down at the beginning of the film and thereby lull them into a false sense of security the opening of Seven is, I believe, something that is made to shock and frighten, something that is supplied even by the titles. Although they appear on screen for a very short amount of time they are jolted and shaken or are made to flash in and out of appearance very quickly creating something that unsettles especially when they are punctured by the music which underlies the scene and the sounds of people screaming. Also the footage itself has been highly edited in a way to disturb with fast cuts, sometimes so that you cannot quite make out the previous image show and other edits, some of which provide a ghost trail effect. An example of this is in shots showing the movement of the character’s hand and a later shot where a page of a book is being turned. Other examples of editing in this sequence are the overlapping shots, sometimes several at a time, the change of focus, especially at the begging where the hand is out of focus and the shots where the picture is broken up which again provides a disturbing disjointed feel. The sequence of shots can also be noted here in the fact that from the pages of a book at the begging the images have progressed to images such as someone obscuring the picture of a man’s face as well as other violent things, all of which bring a sense of fear to the audience.

Another method used within the opening sequence of Copper’s Seven to instill fear and discomfort into the audience is mise-en-scene. I greatly believe that the images chosen for the opening sequence were meant to disturb but the first few shots, especially when smell, mechanical items in shot extreme close ups are used making it difficult to make out exactly what the objects are. Items that are used frequently within this sequence are books, either to show highlighted words, collected photographs or an unknown individual’s writing which is in close shots always shown upside down so it is difficult for the audience to read. Reels of film photographs, and drawings of human features are also used to a great extent which may show the person’s past or intended victims, all of these things I feel help Copper to provide the desired reaction in an audience.

A third method used within the opening sequence to Copper’s Seven to create a sense of fear and unease is the sound used. Throughout the opening the same background music is played and it is made up of a series of various instruments and sounds, electrical or otherwise and also of different beats which sound as though they are purposely made so as to create a steady rhythm thereby adding to the disjointed effect which has been maintained throughout the opening. The sounds of typing are also used in this section giving the impression that the person is working towards something which becomes something twisted and unnerving when combined with the images shown. Also as mentioned before the scene is punctured in places with the sounds of people screaming which shows pain producing the desired effect.

In conclusion I believe that the opening sequence of Copper’s Seven has been desired to instill fear into an audience and this it dose effectively using such methods as editing, mise-en scene and sound within the sequence.

Mise-en-scene: Costume-murderer's daughter

Mise-en-scene for our Thriller-Costume for the Murderer's Daughter



Alice Parsons as the murderer's daughter



With regards to the costume for the murderer’s teenage daughter it was decided that she should be dressed prominently in white and bright yellow to provide a contrast between her and the other characters as since the Westerns it has become recognised that the less conflicted characters wear white clothing whilst darker characters dress accordingly. As this character was light and carefree in comparison to the others as she did not to deal with the same degree of physical or mental stress or trauma we decided that she should be dressed in these colours. We also chose these colours because of the meanings they now hold, yellow being a sunny colour whilst white portrays innocence which was important as we wanted to portray her as a kinder person than her father’s victim. It was decided that she should wear neat and complimentary clothing to give the impression that she cares about her appearance and that socialising is still an important part of her life. The same idea was in mind concerning the butterfly necklace and the silver makeup that we applied although the later was unfortunately less noticeable than we intended.  

Katherine Smith applying Alice's makeup

Camera Angles Link

Below is a hyperlink leading to a site that I have used in my research and which I have found highly useful in constructing my thriller. This site lists various camera angles, shots and camera movements and how they are used.

http://www.mediaknowall.com/camangles.html

Mise-en-scene Murderers' Costumes

The Murderers' costume for our Thriller

Isaac Alcock as the murderer

It was decided that this character should wear dark clothing without using too much black as due to the plot line he was not essentially protagonist rather than the antagonist character and therefore in his costume there needed to be the suggestion that though he was a dark character he would have redeemable features. Whilst the actual colour of the clothes mattered less than it might have as it was decided that the footage would be made black and white during the editing the shades of grey had to be considered. We debated using hats and other such items of clothing to hide his face however as we wanted the killing to be a psychological effect it was decided that he should not think about getting caught at the time. However after the murder the pair of black gloves comes into the shot before he moves the body, as it was decided that after the murder he would attempt to cover up his tracks unless he would have to once again resort to violence. It was because of this reason that he retrieves the scarf after it has been thrown aside. The eventual costume therefore involved a pair of jeans, a dark checked shirt and leather jacket that left his head uncovered in order to show those things mentioned.

As with the costume for the murderer in the flashback it was decided that Stephen should wear dark clothing as whilst since the murder his character has become the protagonist in the interest of the plot line it was thought that the murder and its latter effect would press down on his mind causing great mental strain and therefore creating a state of depression. It was also decided that in places his clothes should be creased and worn to create the impression that his outward appearance was no longer a main concern for the character.

Thriller Script - First Draft

Below is the first draft of the scrip for our thriller, Eye for a Eye, to give you an idea of what we originally wanted to achieve. We have changed several things since writing the script although we have tried to stick to the original idea as much as possible. Unfortunately there were complications meaning that we lost Jess's character as she was unable to join us in the filming process. Therefore her parts have been shown only through the use of a handheld camera and a voice over by Alice Parsons for her speaking parts to keep her character within the storyline. This also meant that the footage for the murder scene is grouped together as we were unable to film anything with which to break it up successfully although I feel that this has in it's own way helped us to maintain the atmosphere which we wanted to create.

Italics-second camera

Colour

Shot One-Establishing long shot of house.

Shot Two-Close up on Stephen’s hands and the pages of the sketchbook, position the camera at an angle so that the arm of the bench is in frame. Stephen turns the pages and after two pages are turned the monologue begins.

Black and white

Shot Three-Head shot of Isaac who is leaning against a tree.

Shot Four-Cut to a Pan shot of Jess (who is clutching the second camera) and Katherine as they walk towards the forest. They are taking together the sounds are muted.  Stephen’s monologue begins.

Shot Five-Pan ends. Tableau shot when they reach Isaac who takes a step forward so that he is foremost in shot. Jess speeds up so that she walks out of frame. Katherine pushes past Isaac and walks out of shot.

Shot Six-Close up of Isaac as he watches the others walk away.

Shot Seven-Cut to the sketchbook and biro which Isaac is holding as he absentmindedly makes the final touches to his drawing. He moves his hands out of the way of the camera so that the audience can see the sketch.

Shot Eight-hot over Katherine’s shoulder as Jess turns and lifts the camera.

Shot Nine-Extreme close up of Katherine’s hand as she pushes the camera away.

Shot Ten-Long shot, Isaac follows the others into the forest.

Shot Eleven-Medium shot of Jess who sits down against a tree and plays with the camera in her lap.

Shot Twelve-Jess films the ground. A snap is heard.

Shot Thirteen-Close up on Katherine who jumps at the sound.

Shot Fourteen-Over the shoulder shot, focuses on Jess who has not reacted. Conversation begins.

                Jess: What’s up?

                Katherine: Didn’t you hear that?

                Jess: What?

                Katherine: Nothing.

Jess sighs and turns back to the camera. Second snap, Katherine turns her head in direction of the sound.

                Katherine: I’ll be right back.

                Jess: Fine.

Shot Fourteen-Pan shot follows Katherine deeper into the forest, keep at medium shot length. Katherine stops still.

Shot Fifteen: 180 degrees long shot reveals Isaac standing at a distance behind her. Issac walks towards Katherine, watching his feet. The Music changes.

Shot Sixteen-Long shot, Jess stands up and still holding the caner walks in the same direction as Katherine.

Shot Seventeen-Long shot of Jess’s surroundings, footage is shaking as she walks.

Shot Eighteen-Two shot, Isaac reaches out for Katherine’s scarf as if he would strangle her with it. A heartbeat soundtrack is played over the music to show fear.

Shot Nineteen-Cut to Jess who is still walking.

Shot Twenty-Medium shot, Katherine turns to see Isaac who draws back. She turns to run and Isaac grabs hold of the scarf. Katherine runs out of the shot, leaving Isaac holding the scarf.

Shot Twenty One-Long shot, Isaac catches Katherine up and grabs hold of her arm. As Katherine struggles he manages to get the scarf around her neck and begins to strangle her.

Shot Twenty Two-Medium shot follows Jess, she stops walking.

Shot Twenty Three-Long shot, Katherine pushes Isaac back, the scarf falls to the ground and they struggle.

Shot Twenty Four-Head shot of Jess to show her reaction.

Shot Twenty Five-Long shot, Isaac pushes Katherine into the trees.

Shot Twenty Six-Wipe shot as Jess moves the camera, cuts away from both Isaac and Katherine. A loud crash is heard to suggest impact.

Shot Twenty Seven-Head shot of Jess.

Shot Twenty Eight-Long shot of Katherine half lying on the ground, half propped up against the tree, head lolls. Isaac stands beside the tree.

Shot Twenty Nine-Close up of Isaac to show reaction. Stephen’s monologue begins.  

Shot Thirty-Cut back to a medium shot of Katherine.

Shot Thirty One-Head shot of Jess.

Colour

Shot Thirty Two-Stephen opens the sketchbook, revealing Katherine’s scarf which has been neatly folded. Shot lasts until the monologue stops.

                Alice: Dad?

Shot Thirty Three-Medium shot of Alice who is staring at the sketchbook.

Shot Thirty Four-Point of view shot, Stephen snaps the book shut.

Shot Thirty Five-Two shot, Stephen, his back to the camera stands up and walks past Alice, patting her shoulder as he does so. He takes the book with him.

Shot Thirty Six-Head shot of Alice.

Black and white

Shot Thirty-Seven-Head shot of Jess, zooms slowly in and monologue ends. Fade out.  

List of the Basic Plots

It is believed that in both films and literature there is only a small handful of basic plots and that whilst the plot lines turn in many different and often surprising directions the stories usually have more than a few factors in common. According to writer Ronald B. Tobias these plots are:

1.      The  Quest-A character driven plot line the Quest is the protagonist’s conscious search to find among other things a person, an object or a idea. At the end of the quest either the success or failure to find the desired target or more usually the journey itself is the catalyst for character development. An example is Quest for Fire.

2.      Adventure-A journey that takes place away from the surroundings familiar to the Protagonist. Unlike the quest the Adventure plot is more action based as it is less character driven, the story focusing on the physical journey itself meaning that it the protagonist dose not necessarily change along the way. An example of the Adventure plot in films is Indiana Jones.

3.      Pursuit-This is where one character pursues another and the other tries to avoid being found, either of which could be the protagonist. In the Pursuit plot there are generally high stakes involved and the chase itself is often more important than the character development. Two examples of the Pursuit plot are Jaws and Halloween.

4.      Rescue-As with the Adventure plot here the protagonist is often thrown into a world they are uncomfortable with and like the Quest the protagonist is searching for something in an attempt to get it back. Also this plot line is generally more story than character driven. This plot line also relies on an antagonist character to provide conflict. The rescue plot deals with the concept of good versus evil as it can be argued that to be rescued you are delivered from something bad. An example of the rescue plot is The Seven Samurai where the object is to rescue the village from bandits out of a sense of justice.

5.      Escape-A literal escape which follows the story of a protagonist confined against their will as they try to escape their situation. Often an audience is made to feel sympathetic towards the trapped character although there are times where the story is a battle of wills rather than good versus evil. It could be said that an example of this is The Shawshank Redemption.

6.      Revenge-A retaliation against the antagonist for a real or fictitious hurt. An example is The Count of Monte Cristo. 

7.      The Riddle-The protagonist and as such the audience is prevented with a series of often ambiguous clues and uses them to try and either find the answer to a question or understand it.  An example is Murder on the Orient Express.

8.      Rivalry-A plot which relies heavily on conflict between the characters. A basic rivalry is two characters with equivalent but normally alternative strengths compete with each other over a specific goal. An example is Lord of the Flies. 

9.      Underdog-Like the rivalry plot the underdog plot is often a completion between characters over a certain goal however they are not evenly matched, the protagonist being at a huge disadvantage. In most underdog plots the audience watches as the protagonist works to achieve their target. An example is Run Fat Boy Run.

10.  Temptation-A character driven plot this focuses on the frailty of human nature, the way we yield to temptation with mental or physical consequences and the ways in which we deal with them. An example is MacBeth

11.  Metamorphosis-The Metamorphosis plot is unlike most others in the fact that it is not bound by realism as the change is as much physical as it is mental, allowing the outward appearance of the protagonist to morph from one form to another. A more common example of this is a human being changing into the form of an animal and vice versa and often the animal form matches the personality of the human. The journey of the Protagonist rights the situation or sometimes allows them to accept it. An example is Dracula.

12.  Transformation-It is similar to Metamorphosis in the fact that this plot deals with change however it is decidedly character driven and the change is not literal. Here we watch the Protagonist grow and change from the person they were at the begging. A portion of the Protagonists life is isolated as they move from one important character state to another. This plot deals with the process of life and its effects on the individual. An example is The Invisible Man.

13.  Maturation-This plot line is very closely linked to the Transformation plot although whilst the Transformation deals with adults who are in the process of changing the maturation plot focuses mostly on children as they become adults. The Maturation plot is fairly optimistic, allowing the Protagonist to change for the better rather than the worse. An example is Great Expectations.

14.  Love-A love story where the main characters are within the rights of society but the where the situations they find themselves in are nonetheless against them or where their love is not condoned by others. The love plot is like the Maturation plot in the fact that it is optimistic as there is a decent chance that the characters will meet with success in the end. An example is Love Story.

15.  Forbidden Love-This is where the main characters are restricted by the views of society, a few examples being their social class or religion. A story with this plot line has less chance of a happy ending than the love story as either society wins or the lovers pay for their disregard for the society with death. An example is Madame Bovary.

16.  Sacrifice- Here the protagonists sacrifice themselves for their ideals, believing that there own needs are of lesser importance. For the protagonist an internal struggle is common where they must decide which path they will take, knowing that the risks are high and the reward great. An example is Casablanca.

17.  Discovery-The Discovery plot is perhaps one of the most character driven as it deals with the self discovery of the Protagonist. An an example is A Portrait of a Lady.

18.  Wretched Excess-A plot line which can convince the audience that whatever the cause of the protagonist’s turmoil in his excess that the same situation can happen to them to. The antagonist here can be a actual person but it can also be a thing, such as drink or wealth. The protagonists gradually loss themselves to the point where they can’t control their behaviours and either they are healed or the plot line becomes a tragedy from which the protagonist cannot escape. An example is Wall Street

19.  Ascension-The rags to riches scenario where the positive character traits of the protagonist are rewarded with success  in their goals.  An example is The Rose and the Ring.

20.  Descension-Riches to rags, the character driven plot line which deals with the protagonist’s downfall . This plot line is extremely closely linked to Ascension and they are sometimes paired in the same stories which focus on one a character’s rise and fall. An example is The Godfather, Part 3.

Character Representation

Discuss the representation of terrorists and the couple in the extract from ‘spooks’

In many ways the Arab terrorists and the white, English couple in this drama have been presented as binary opposites, casting a sympathetic light on the English couple, this has been done by using matters such as the sound used, including the dialogue, mise-en-scene camera angles and editing. However there are also sections where the audience is given an opportunity to see the terrorists in a kinder light, partly through the use of sound and dialogue, and the character of the female terrorist Khatera although as at the beginning of the episode we as an audience are encouraged to feel more inclined that the terrorists are in the wrong.

One of the ways the drama represents these characters is through mise-en-scene. At the start of the episode, we are presented with a mundane looking street and Adam and Fiona’s kitchen. The couple are dressed in pale colours and the kitchen is made to look warm. There is, I think, also a definite feel that their home has been lived in due to the clutter in the kitchen and the focus on the coffee pot. This I believe is to produce a casual atmosphere where most people would feel comfortable which allows the audience to see that Adam and Fiona are just a normal couple. In contrast to this we are shown a claustrophobic scene in the terrorists' car, where almost everything, including their costumes is black, which is often associated with bad. The difference in colour is enforced by Fiona and Adam’s car which is painted white, this I think is meant to establish which pair we as an audience are encouraged to think is bad, and which is good. In the room where Fiona and Danny are being held by the male terrorist, Ahmed, the mise-en-scene is very limited as other than the chairs and later the can of petrol, there is little in the room, also the colours in the room are mostly a harsh blue which could be meant to show a coldness on the part of the terrorists. One of the strongest items that reduce support for the terrorists in one of the earlier scenes is the photograph of Fiona and Adam’s son, making him someone whom the English couple have to protect, which would give the terrorists an irredeemable factor. In favour of the terrorists the hotel room where Khatera is holding Adam is like most hotel rooms in the fact that it is made up of warm colours such as creams and reds, whereas this is typical it could also be in support of Khatera as an individual character. This view I feel is supported by that setting being the one where she opens up to Adam, and recounts the tragedies in her past, during which she becomes more sympathetic and regretful about Adam’s situation providing a side to the terrorists which the audience can relate to.

Another method through which the characters are represented is through the camera angles. For the English couple, especially when they are together in their kitchen at the beginning, wider frames are used, allowing for a more comfortable view of the scene. When in a scene together, they are often shown in two shots or over shoulder shots, so that they are both in the audiences view together, which on watching this episode I get the impression that it is to present the characters as two people who are very close together, inspiring sympathy from the audience. In comparison the terrorists Ahmed and Khatera, though rarely in a scene together are often show separately in head shots, or close shots where only a section of their faces is shown. This provides a more intense view of the scene as the audience is made to focus on the two terrorists and the action in the scene. Because their faces are not completely shown at first there is a certain mystery about the terrorists which in my opinion gives them a binary opposition with the Adam and Fiona as mystery inspires mistrust. Also in the room where Fiona is being held the camera is often positioned lower than Ahmed so that it looks up to him, making the character look stronger and in a position of power over Fiona which is likely to make the audience support Fiona.

Another aspect used to cast the terrorists in a darker light to Adam and Fiona is editing, this is especially shown in Danny’s death scene in the series of cutting between the scenes and the characters. For a long section of the scene the footage is cut between Fiona and Adam when Adam is being ordered to choose whom Ahmed should shoot. This is occasionally joined with shots of Khatera who shows a more human approach to Adam’s situation but other than that she is most blurred out of the images, focusing attention on the English couple and Ahmed. The camera remains focused on Danny for a longer period of time, only lifting entirely when he is about to be shot as he starts to confront the terrorists, cutting occasionally to Ahmed to show the audience his reaction. Editing techniques such as this in the episode does little to gain an audience’s sympathy from the audience.

Most of the sympathy towards the representation of terrorists is achieved through sound in this episode. Though the background music changes pitch and frequency in the scenes it continues throughout, providing a sound bridge to each scene providing a consistency. This might be to show the equal desperation for Adam and Fiona but it also could be to show a similarity between them and the terrorists, building for them a sense of equality in that respect at least. The dialogue between the Adam and Fiona and the terrorists casts equal sympathy for both sides in my opinion. Whilst the English are able to come out with lines such as the terrorists killed a bus full of children the terrorists are able to come up with incidents of how they saw their family die, how to the English Arab children’s lives don’t matter to the English and how a wedding ceremony as bombed, among other incidents. Because of the sheer quaintly of loss the terrorists suffered it could be enough for the audience to support them but most of the lines are delivered by Ahmed who seems indifferent in comparison to Khatera, who is the sympathy character of the two terrorists. However the terrorists are also shown in a very dark light by their dialogue by lines such as Ahmed’s when he tells Fiona how her son will be able to watch her burn on the Internet and Khatera’s revelation that they planted a bomb inside of her. Both of these show cruelty, perhaps the most intense being the bomb as it shows that the terrorists are prepared to harm their own for the greater cause, and whilst it gives a better light for Khatera it is only on her as a character, and not as a terrorist. But on a whole I believe that the dialogue provides I think an equality between Adam and Fiona and the terrorists

In conclusion I believe that this drama series has tried to present the English couple and the terrorists as binary opposites, casting the English couple in a better light, using things such as editing, camera angles and mise-en-scene. I also believed that the terrorists are redeemed, mostly through sound and dialogue, especially that of Khatera. Apart from this however I believe that we are encouraged to support the English couple over the terrorists.

Thriller Conventions

With reference to Psycho and two other thrillers discuss the thriller genre and its terms and conventions

The genre of thriller deals with mystery, suspense and the dark sides of human nature and will often focus on internal suffering although in some cases such as The Others directed by Alejando Amenábar, here may have a supernatural element but it is never the focus of the plot line and as it is mostly concerned with the psychological tensions between the mother and daughter I believe that it fits the thriller genre. Thrillers are different to the horror genre for horror tends to deal with the external threats and sometimes the focus is mainly the supernatural. As with many other genres the on screen thriller uses various different aspects of the storyline and the film industry to get the desired response from the audience, some such aspects are the plot line, the music used, the presentation of the protagonist and how tension is shown.      

One of the main ways of showing suspense and tension within a thriller is by the way a character reacts to a certain situation for we as an audience take many hints from this. For example, in Alfred Hitchcock’s film Spellbound there is at first no cause for obvious tension but the character of Dr Edwards reacts strongly, tensing his body and appears to be fearful when Constance Peterson scratches lines into the table linen with her fork. This tells the audience that there is something wrong with that particular character especially from the reactions of the other psychiatrists at the table as though they do not say anything the audience is given a feeling of concern from how they behave towards him. The tension shown in this way therefore is even more acute as it is such a normal setting with no outwardly strange occurrences. This is in contrast to a scene in another of Hitchcock’s films Psycho where Norman Bates and Marian Crane are talking in the parlour of Norman Bates' office. Throughout the scene Bates says things that in the real world might give some people pause such as ‘a boy’s best friend is his mother’ and that his hobby is taxidermy. This is then coupled with the fact that he readily admits that though his mother is harmless she is sick in the head. Despite all these things being mentioned Miss Crane calmly eats her meal, showing no sign that there is anything to be concerned about. Therefore I believe that Hitchcock wanted to confuse the audience as though we can be led to consider that there is something odd about Norman Bates we are not guided in the same direction of thought by Miss Crane and therefore we may find ourselves apart from the scene although because of her reaction we are not entirely convinced that there is anything wrong at all. This is similar to a scene in Alejando Amenábar’s The Others where Grace shows her new servants around the house and as the audience they seem to be unconcerned. This is even more surprising as the rules of the house are explained, such as the fact that every door in the house must be locked before another is opened which is only explained at a later point when the children’s medical condition is revealed. Whereas we would find such rules extremely strange the servant’s remain calm and do not question though this could also be seen a politeness in society.

(Trailer for The Others)

Another aspect of most successful thrillers is to present a well developed protagonist through whose eyes the audience is comfortable looking, one quote from author Stuart Voytilla is

‘The Hero must be fully developed and grounded in our real world so we can relate to and sympathize with him in this high-stakes Journey of life and death.’

In Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock experiments with going against this idea however as for audience is made familiar with the woman they believe to be the main character only to have her die halfway through in the shower scene. This I believe is to shock the audience as before her death we are made comfortable with the idea that she will guide us through the story as up to that point we only know what she knows. This provides a ‘thrill’ for the audience in this film as the death of the main character is something you never think to expect. The idea of giving the audience a major character to relate to is also twisted somewhat in Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound as it could be said that the mysterious Dr Edwards or J.B is the major character if not the protagonist however he is difficult to relate to. This is because of the simple fact that the character is suffering from the guilt complex and has forgotten who he was before Dr Edwards died (which is quite like the predicament of Norman Bates in Psycho), as we are given very little information about the character other than how he behaves for the time being, we are shown a character who is not easily sympathised with. His guilt complex provides a strong tool to the thriller aspect as we are unsure what he is capable of although murder is suggested meaning that the character of J.B is not dissimilar to that of a live grenade. In Alejando Amenábar’s The Others we are given two main characters who stubbornly oppose each other. Grace and her young daughter Anne as we see through the eyes of both tension is provided as Anne continually scares her family with talk of ghosts and the fact that she is the only one in the household who talks about an incident years ago when her mother went mad and the fact that the old servants left them one day without giving notice. Like Grace her son Nicholas rebuffs Anne’s accusations and we are made to feel sympathetic towards both mother and daughter as they try to cope with each other. However we question what is wrong with the family as the information we are given is somtimes frustratingly slow to come out and widely spaced.

One of the main tools used in the film industry is the music for it can evoke particular feelings and emotions and it is especially useful in creating tension for with a build up of music as it grows faster and louder your imagination and heartbeats will often respond. Hitchcock’s Psycho uses a theme tune which has become iconic in creating suspense although most of the time there is no background noise but when the music is used it is very fast and the sounds used are made to sound off-key and is repetitive and evenly spaced although the music grows faster likening it to accelerating heartbeats. The music builds up in key aspects of the film such as when Norman Bates is about to commit murder and when Marian Crane is running from the law and as such the audience is not simply directed by the music but they will expect something both big and important in the film to occur simply through their experiences with the film. Hitchcock’s Spellbound uses a softer theme tune which may well be representative of the film being a romance as well as a thriller but the music is played slightly off-key and I believe that is so the audience might feel somewhat unnerved.

(Theme music from Spellbound, music begins at 49 seconds)

The Others begins with soft violin music which gradually grows louder although it is still possible to forget that there is music playing in the background. It is possessed of a slightly shaky quality with may have been meant to suggest that the family is struggling to keep together, this music is maintained for most of the film.  However at times when the characters, especially Grace is put into a position of anger or fear the music becomes louder and fast until it is almost a constant drone, this music increases the tensions within the scenes as it becomes a deeper insight as to what the characters are feeling.

Another important aspect of a thriller is the mystery and the twists of the plot line, one quote from author Stuart Voytilla describing the plot line is

‘The Thriller plot runs like a roller coaster, with its build, sudden dips and breathers, and mounting anticipation that takes us to breathtaking conclusion.’

As the name suggests an audience expects to be thrilled by thriller and whilst there are many aspects to making this happen the effect would not be the same without a well thought out plot line that should surprise the audience. Hitchcock is notorious for shocking the audiences and this is no different with the plot line of Psycho and its twists. As I mentioned before the death of the woman we presume to be the main character is something that would shock as after that there are few ways in which the story can be picked up again. One of the main points that make the plot twists in my view extremely unexpected is that the lie of the sick mother is so well maintained by Hitchcock leaving little room to question whether the voice belonging to the mother and then we are constantly reminded by the other characters that they could see an old, sick woman sitting by the window.  The only time when you realise that something is wrong with the woman’s identity is when you learn that Mrs Bates and her second husband are dead. Despite this and the oddities of Norman Bates it is unclear that he is the source of danger. The plot line in Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound is different in the way that none of the major characters have any solid knowledge of what has happened concerning the death of Dr Edwards whereas in many thrillers it would be one of the main characters who could not be trusted, or at least who had a deeper understanding than the audience. In Spellbound though we learn with the characters and aside from the characters running from the police at the same time as trying to work out what had happened the real plot twists take place in the past. From the information that is given to us we could be forgiven for believing that J.B did in fact murder Dr Edwards and then in the guilt complex take on his identity in an effort to keep the doctor alive, a belief that is made all the more firm as the only one convinced of his innocence is Constance who is driven by love as much as anything else. I would imagine that the audience would be surprised by the truth of the matter in the fact that the kindly Dr Murchison, old Head of Green Manors, was in fact Dr Edwards' murderer as he resented the man for replacing him. For despite his helping the police during the film he is a minor character who was probably not be given much thought. Even his identity is hidden in the dream sequence for he as shown as a ‘masked figure.’

(Spellbound, Dr Murchison in the dream sequence. The wheel represents a revolver.)

The plot line of Alejando Amenábar’s The Others deals with the supernatural elements of a ghost story which is in contrast to the psychological torment and tensions that make this film a thriller, the plot line can also be included in the thriller genre for it presents various surprising twists to the story. Almost immediately it becomes clear that there is something  wrong with the house when Anne tells the new nanny about how the old servants had simply vanished one day and how something went wrong with their mother, the latter of which is met with frightened anger from her little brother Nicolas. Throughout the film there is the distinct feel of a ghost story with characters whom you hear but can’t see, curtains being flung upon, doors closing and Anne's stories and other such common devices. I believe that we as an audience are also made to dislike the others as they seem to be trying to hurt the children through their condition by tempting them outside to play and by taking the curtains down. When later Grace discovers from a picture of the dead that their new servants are ghosts the children are outside in a forgotten graveyard where the servants are walking which increases tension as you wonder what shall befall the children. The greatest plot twist of all however is the last when you discover the truth through a seance that it is Grace and her family who are dead and the mother’s unspoken madness that haunts Anne is when she smothered her children and on seeing what she had done shot herself explaining why the old servants left them so suddenly. I think that this would be the most thrilling plot twist as before we are lulled into the story being a conventional ghost story and that the majority of the audience would not think to question this.

In conclusion the thriller genre is one that seeks to shock, thrill and surprise through plot twists and the thoughts, actions and darker natures of the characters. One of the ways which thrillers will make an audience feel a certain emotion is through music especially when there is a build up of tension because we as an audience react so well to the music. The way a character reacts to a certain situation in the thriller genre is also an incredibly important tool as we often look to the characters to work out what our reaction should be and sometimes we are left lost as in Psycho where we are naturally alarmed unlike the characters which I feel adds to the tension of the story.