Production roles- Miss Miller

In this post I will be discussing the different roles within my group and why they are important when creating a film. People need to be allocated to specific roles when creating a film as filming would be more structured, and the film will take less time to create and saves confusion. The filming process would take longer and would be difficult to produce if everyone did what they wanted without having a specific role. The main roles necessary for creating a film are the producers (they prepare and supervise the film and sort out the finances), directors (people who direct the making of the film and instruct the actors and tec crew), actors (people who act in productions and work within the film industry), Director of photography/Cameraman (person who is in charge of operating the camera and need to use the correct angles and shots), Music producer (produces the soundtrack/music which will be needed for the film), Screen play writers (write down scripts or ideas they think can be produced into a film), Mise en scene coordinator and Editor (production of film making, this means working on a film.)

We decided who would get each job depending on our strengths and weaknesses and what appealed most to each group member.

Jazz was made the producer as he could buy the props in the amount of time we had. Also, as he didn't have a huge acting part, he could be on hand to supervise the making of the sequence. This made filming easier as the actors and the director of photography could be supervised therefore, overall, everybody knew what they should be doing during filming. Within his role, Jazz has purchased different props for the sequence, which will help appear more intriguing visually to the audience. Overall, he was chosen to be the producer as he can successfully supervise members of production as he didn't have a huge acting role.

I was the role of the director, therefore, I directed all the other actors and technical crew, which is an important job as I had to be on hand to instruct others so filming could run smoothly. Having a director made filming easier as the actors were clear of what they had to do as well as the technical crew, this causes fewer mistakes which made filming easier and quicker. Within my role, I directed the crew which made filming and the whole production of the sequence run smoothly.

We needed more than one actor, therefore at some point the whole group were in scenes and acted at some point. Within this role, we got the chance to act/be the characters we had created. Overall, the group being able to act as the characters is a positive aspect as they are characters we had created ourselves therefore, we knew what we wanted them to be like and how to make the characters we had created/are now acting as appeal to the audience. This has made the production of the sequence easier as we all knew how we wanted the characters to act, and we had the opportunity to do that ourselves, casting the characters in a true to life light, as we acted positively to taking this opportunity.

Amber was appointed director of photography/cameraman. Amber was allocated for this role as she used the camera through the preliminary task and became more experienced through practice, therefore she was most likely to successfully use the equipment when filming the actual sequence. Within her role, she filmed the whole sequence and used the correct shots and angles that were planned before hand. This made filming easier as she had an in depth knowledge of the angles, shots and equipment that would be used. This will also make editing easier as the sequence will flow in a more dynamic way.

Jazz was appointed the Mise en scene coordinator, therefore he had to make sure that everything in the scene was appropriate this included costumes and lighting. Within his role, he was responsible for the factors withing mise en scene which included costumes, setting, lighting, positioning of characters and facial features and body language. Mise en scene is a huge contributor within media and within the making of a sequence. This made filming easier as these factors were all supervised which caused filming to run smoother and the look of the scene to appear positively.

Amber became the role of sound producer, therefore was responsible for the sounds that will be used within the sequence. Within her role, she will find different sounds that will be appropriate to use within the sequence. Amber also found different sounds that would be appropriate before hand, therefore, she knew how to use them/apply them. This will make editing easier as sound is extremely important within the thriller genre and sets the whole atmosphere therefore, through the editing stage, sound will cause our thriller sequence to be stronger.

I was the role of screen play writer as essentially, I created the storyboard and was lead contributer of the narrative. Within my role, I created plans of what I wanted to be produced and wrote down any notes regarding specific scenes. This made editing and the overall production easier as the whole sequence was planned therefore, fewer mistakes would be made and the whole group were aware of what we wanted to be accomplished.

Lastly, Amber was appointed the editor. This is because she has had some experience with the editing software (Final Cut Pro X) before hand, therefore she would be the main member of the group that can use is successfully. Within her role, she will edit the final scenes causing the whole editing process to be more structured. This will be make editing easier as the role is specified therefore, there is one person editing as opposed to all group members trying to edit at a computer.

Overall, the roles in which people were given worked successfully and everybody within the group knew what they were doing at a certain time. Allocating specific roles will make our sequence better as everything will be planned, everybody knows their allocated role and filming/editing will not be hectic therefore, the overall production will be finished on time. Some elements could have been done differently if the group was larger as some people were allocated to have two roles. Lastly, if we had a larger time period we could all have researched the exact job of our role and complete everything specifically.

Planning opening credits- Miss Georgiou

Credits are important within a film as they list the important people that produced the film and are shown at the beginning of the sequence. The opening contains the names of the crew and actors that helped contribute to the film. As the opening credits are at the beginning, they can help to set the scene which leads on to the rest of the film.

The opening credits of Se7en are an extremely popular sequence, and is extremely conventional to the thriller genre.
The credits are in synchronisation with the music in the background, causing them to have a stronger effect, and are more visually interesting to the audience. Also, the colours black, white and red used which are conventional to the thriller genre. Black and white highlight dark and light and the typical thriller idea of bad against good. Red is commonly associated with blood and danger, this already interests the audience and sets up the rest of the film as the use of this foreshadows the deaths later on. The wording is editing to move in a jerky and sharp motion, which adds a tense tone to the opening credits, and makes the audience feel uneasy. The font itself is conventional as it is un neat and looks hand written, linking to the images in the background. The words can be inferred to be written by the killer or detectives involved in the plot, this now creates a bond with the audience. The credits are coloured white in variation to the dark images in the background, this makes the wording stand out and appear more readable to the audience, this is further conventional to the thriller genre as a bond between characters and the audience is created. Lastly, the producer's name appears twice, showing the importance of that position and promotes the film as if the producer is well known, the film would want to be watched. Similarly, the film includes popular actors such as Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, this is conventional as the audience would range largely, and the film would become extremely popular.

The opening credits in 'The Black Swan' use the colour black to highlight the title name and show the element of repetition. Black is known to be dark and mysterious, leading up to the beginning of the film, putting the audience in suspense, and overall, black is an extremely popular colour used within the thriller genre. The colour black contrasts with the ballet theme, tricking the audience and engaging them as the plot and different characters are unique. The constant use of the colour black links back to the idea of motifs and this being a film containing dance. Alike the Se7en trailer, this contains the idea of 'crafting' and 'making' including the fact the character is drawing nonsensical things, foreshadows her deteriorated mental state at the end of the film. This makes the audience feel empathy towards her and they start to engage with the unique characterisation. The soft movements of the background images contrast to the music and movements of the credits, showing that things aren't as they seem, raising the audience suspense and uneasiness. Leading on from this, the title of the film is placed at the end in dark font with a dark background image, highlighting that the film is a thriller and the use of a black scribble drawings in the background can link to or suggest a subplot such as a psychological thriller.

My credits will contain font that is conventional to the thriller genre as they are going to be handwritten, taking influence from the Se7en sequence. The credits will be placed in the wedding scrapbook which is made by the bride, linking to the themes of creating/making in Se7en and The Black Swan. The fact the credits are handwritten by the killer causes the audience to bond with the character and get into their mind set. The credits will be written in black to represent darkness and a negative atmosphere. I took inspiration from the detailed analysis and use of the colour black in the black swan. They will also be edited in a shaky, unstable way which will create the illusion that they are coming out of the wedding book, causing the audience to feel uneasy and the unsafe atmosphere. This idea was influence from the Se7ven trailer. I also discussed the structure of the credits within my group. Firstly, the production company will be seen by the audience, and then the title, big name actors, producer, co producer, music, sound, editor, minor actors, costume, hair and make-up, mise en scene coordinator and then director.

Planning cinematography- Miss Miller

Cinematography means the use different angles and shots used within a film, causing the genre to be highlighted in this case, a thriller. Planning is required to produce a higher quality sequence as the angles and shots would be conventional to the thriller genre. Also, the use of correct angles and shots will possess a higher quality and would be overall better to watch.

The first is shot that will be used in the opening sequence is a panning shot. This will be used to show the audience the room in the first scene which is full of balloons and wedding props however, will portray negative emotions. Because of this, the audience will feel connected to the killer and will realise their sorrow and would get a sense of the narrative. The narrative is a bride whose mental state deteriorates therefore, she takes revenge on those around her. This shot is important as the audience gain that atmosphere and this would set the mood for the rest of the sequence, which raises suspense. Furthermore, the audience will feel sorry for the bride, as the happiest day of her life was ruined. As the character/audience relationship is addressed from the beginning, the audience focus on that character throughout.This is conventional to the thriller genre as panning is usually used when first showing a setting to the audience to gain a relationship and a set a typical negative atmosphere to foreshadow what is to follow.

Another shot used is handheld, and this will be during flashbacks of the supposedly happy wedding day. Handheld camera work causes the scene to look more realistic and would highlight to the audience that this scene is a flashback as sometimes, flashbacks are difficult to incorporate. As the flashbacks are positive and preparation for the wedding, the audience will feel a certain easiness but still an element of uncertainty and suspense for what is to follow. Handheld shots will also be used in flashbacks where the killer murders wedding guests. Handheld shots can also show unsteadiness and uneasiness, causing the audience to feel the same. This contrasts to the last set of flashbacks therefore, the audience are tricked and feel that the eerie and negative flashbacks contradict what has been viewed beforehand. From using this shot, the audience can infer that the wedding was not a success and turned to be 'unsteady' therefore, they are engaged with the narrative and characters and would want to know more, which is also conventional to the thriller genre. This is conventional as the audience worry about the victim's fate and are left wanting to uncover the secrets hidden in the narrative.

Next, an extreme close up will be used when the audience see close ups of the brides facial features for example, her eye. This shows that she is untraditional as makeup is running down her face, which conveys her emotions to the audience, making them emphasise with her. The extreme close up of her face, shows that she feels upset and angry, causing the audience to view everything from the killer's perspective, this furthermore makes them emphasise with her and they realise the negative event and how badly they effected her, leaving her to want revenge. This is conventional to the thriller genre as extreme close ups are used to show something detailed to the audience, in this case the killer's face, which makes them engage with the character and makes their interest in the sequence stronger.

A canted angle is used when the bride plays her eerie wedding music. The angle shows instability which highlights the bride's mental state and emotions to the audience. The shot isn't filmed evenly, which shows further the emotions of the bride and how the wedding didn't go to plan. This makes the audience sympaphise with the character even more, strengthening the bond between them. The canted angle furthermore shows how unstable the bride is and that her life is ruined, and she cannot deal with the negative effects that the past has had on her. From realising this, the audience feel sorry for the bride and can infer what is to follow, referring to the deaths. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the brides feelings are openly shown to the audience, causing the bond between them to develop.

A mid shot will be used as the bride is looking through the hand made wedding book. The shot focuses on the book, and shows how important the wedding was to the killer, and how everything was ruined/destroyed. This helps the audience to understand her negative emotions and emphasise with her and realise the negative effects as her mental state deteriorates. The bride has suffered, and she flicks through the wedding book, which causes the atmosphere to become tense and full of suspense as we wonder what will happen next. The bride crosses off wedding guests faces, and the audience infer that she has killed them or she is planning on taking out her revenge on them. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the shot shows the audience the bride's plotting/scheming, foreshadowing what is yet to come causing suspense and shock.

To conclude, from this planning my sequence is more effective as the shots and angles used makes the audience feel certain negative emotions, which is typical of the thriller genre. This further shows that the audience would be engaged with the characters and narrative. From this planning, filming will run more smoothly as the group know how we want certain scenes to look and what emotion it causes. All of the shots used such as hand held and extreme close up are suitable for our thriller sequence and are conventional to the thriller genre.
   

Group storyboard- Miss Miller

In our assigned groups, we met and discussed our individual storyboards that we each had to make (mine can be viewed here) and talked about the strongest and weakest ideas. We took the best ideas and incorporated them into a group storyboard, which we will be able to use in the filming process. This is a positive way to make our idea a success and fit the conventional thriller genre. Lastly, the audience will engage with narrative if it is stronger and well planned, and a well planned storyboard makes the production run smoothly.
Jazz's storyboard can be viewed here
Amber's storyboard can be viewed here

Amber, Jazz and I all added flashback scenes to our individual storyboards, therefore they can be added to our group one as we all believe that it is a strong ideas. Flashback scenes could prove to be quite confusing to film however, if they are added to the group storyboard, filming could run more smoothly, therefore we can spend more time on this, to work out any problems that the frames may cause.

Amber also added different editing styles which can be used to highlight the thriller genre within our opening and are more conventional to the thriller genre, therefore should be added. An example of this is the Kuleshov effect. This causes the scene to provoke a third meaning, which is more visually pleasing to the audience, therefore they are more engaged with the narrative and characters.

In mine and Jazz's storyboard, we discussed the use of lighting in great detail. As an aspect of mise-en-scene, this is important to incorporate. We discussed the different lighting that can be used such as 'low key' to show mystery and tension and the thriller genre, however high key lighting is used in flashbacks to highlight false hope and a sense of false normality.

After combining and cutting different ideas, we created one story board in which we all agreed were made up of strong ideas that were our best and came from our different inspirations of successful thriller films.

Planning editing styles- Miss Georgiou

Editing is important within thriller films as it bonds the sequence together, and makes the scenes flow. Also, certain styles will be conventional of the thriller genre and will ultimately make the sequence more appealing to watch, if used well.

The first editing style which will be included will be a fast cut. This can be used when the bride is crossing off the people's faces of who she has killed. This creates surprise as the shot would be jerky and fast, highlighting the negative atmosphere to the audience. The fast cut is conventional to a thriller genre as it creates shock to the audience and can link shots together quick-paced.

The other editing style that can be used is fading out. This can be used at the end of the wedding flashbacks to signify the end of positivity. This can be used in a professional/high level way at the end, also followed by the title. Fading out can create suspense and the audience will want to know what will happen next, which is typical of a thriller film.

Lastly, slow editing can be used when the room is being shown in the beginning of the sequence. This can help the audience engage with the narrative and sense the enigma as they can view first hand, the props and the main character within the scene. This is conventional as slow editing creates a tense atmosphere and the audience are left on the edge, as the editing is slow, causing them to wonder if there will be any jumpy scenes, leading on.

This research was proved useful, as I gained a deeper knowledge of the use of different editing styles and how they help create and atmosphere and the audience to engage and take interest in the narrative. This use of editing will appeal to an audience as all of these styles are conventional to a thriller, therefore, will cause the feeling of shock, surprise and suspense and will tie the sequence together, causing to be more clear and interesting.

Planning mise-en-scene- Miss Georgiou

Mise-en-scene is important within a thriller film as it contains everything the audience can see within the scene therefore, mise en scene causes the audience to understand the scene and the whole film. Mise-en-scene is made up of five different components. The first, is make-up and costume, which is important as this helps highlight to the audience who the character is and their position for example, the killer wearing black therefore, this causes the audience to engage with the characters and understand their traits. The second is settings. This is also a key aspect as the audience will see where everything will take place and the setting can show what the genre of the film is going to be and can also foreshadow any future events. The third element is lighting. The lighting in a film can show the genre for example, low key in thrillers and sets the mood and the feeling to the audience. The fourth element is the positioning of characters, which is important as the audience is now engaging with the narrative and gain and in depth knowledge one which character is the most important in each scene. The last aspect is facial features and body language. This helps the audience see what the characters are like and what they are doing in certain situations.


The main costume used will be a wedding dress, highlighting the killer being a bride. She wears this throughout the whole sequence, even when killing victims, causing her to become an unknown killer and signifies her deteriorating mental state. This is conventional to the thriller genre as killers typically have a unknown identity which is shown through costumes such as masks.

As for makeup and hair, the bride's identity will be ruined, as her hair will be messed up and won't fit the typical bride, highlighting her ruined day and deteriorating mental state, causing the audience feel empathy towards her. Her makeup will also be ruined and running down her face, showing that she can't hold in her emotions anymore, this causes the audience to want to engage with the character. This is conventional to the thriller genre, as this aspect will cause the audience to identify the role of the character and understand their different traits. Characters are understood by the audience, therefore they can engage with the characters, causing them to be involved with the narrative through their connection with characters.

The setting that will be used in our thriller is a small, dark, secluded room. This is the most important setting used and will be used the most. This will be where the bride stays and where we see her first. The fact the room is secluded highlights her loneliness, causing the audience to symphasise with her as she is all alone. Her loneliness contrasts to the theme of weddings, which shows that the wedding went to ruin and she has no partner, causing the audience to bond with her further. This is conventional to the thriller genre as dark settings are used to make the audience feel tense, as the mood is eerie and creepy. As the room is usually dark in thrillers, the audience are unaware of what may be hiding in different areas of the setting, causing suspense.












Other than the dark room, in the flashbacks, a church will be used to highlight the theme of weddings. The church will not be dark, signifying hope and the positivity that could have been, making the audience feel further sadness as they are sure that the wedding didn't happen, yet are still in left is suspense as to why. Lastly, dark, shady alleyways will be used in flashbacks when the bride kills the victims. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the setting will highlight the theme of death and the difference between where the bride should and shouldn't be, showing the audience that she is doing wrong. These chosen settings are typical of the thriller genre as the settings are dark, which highlight a sense of mystery and an enigma.

The lighting used will be low key throughout. This is because it will create suspense and an enigma. Also, the dark lighting will show the bride's emotions of depression and anger. Low key lighting will be used to build up suspense and a character/audience bond, as the audience infer the bride's emotions and how badly the negative event effected her. Through the use of low key lighting, the audience are put in the characters mind set, and because of this, they are engaged with the different characters and the overall narrative. The use of this is conventional to the thriller as the lighting used is always low key to create suspense and highlight the negativity of the situation to the audience. Low key lighting is traditionally used in thrillers to create a tense, and lonely atmosphere, which portrays the character's emotions.

The killer in particular, always looks full of sadness and upset, signifying the ruined wedding and the negative effect the day had on her. This makes the audience emphasise with her as throughout the whole clip, she looks this way. When she is in the dark secluded room especially, the element of facial expressions blends with the setting and use of low key lighting to portray all of her negative emotions to the audience. She is always bent over, and sat down looking down in despair, showing her lack of confidence and ruined self esteem. This is conventional to the thriller genre as facial expressions show the character's true emotions, causing the audience to bond with the characters, and show the element of a back story or how the characters truly feel about a situation.

An example of positioning of characters is used when bride is standing in front of the victim, holding a knife at the very end of the sequence. The audience can see the victim is trapped, which in turn is conventional to the thriller genre as there is no means of escape. The piece of iconography too, is used effectively in this frame as the victim is trapped and the killer is holding the knife in front of him, foreshadowing death and theme of danger to the audience. This is conventional within the thriller genre as the victim's position is highlighted to the audience as they are trapped and alone, and as the bride is standing up tall, she appears strong and dangerous.













Through the use of different aspects of mise-en-scene, our chosen target audience of 15+ will be engaged with the sequence. This is because the elements of mise en scene used are extremely conventional within the thriller genre, and are used in many different successful thriller films. An example of this is the use of a house in Scream, as this setting creates a sense of loneliness, lack of safety and false hope and normality. The use of different mise en scene elements will cause our audience to engage with the characters, as they feel empathy for them through the use of these elements such as low key lighting, making the atmosphere tense, foreshadowing death and the killer's negative emotions and thoughts.

Planning characters- Miss Miller

Within this post, I will be discussing the characters used within the thriller opening. Characters are important to a film as they portray what is happening in that scene. Also, characters are needed to build relationships with the audience in order for the narrative to be interesting and typically, should be conventional to the thriller genre.

The first character character is a bride. Their role within the sequence is to be the killer and to leave the audience in suspense and the end of the sequence finishes with a cliffhanger. She is stereotypical as the killer usually shows a back story that causes them to murder, which would interest the audience. Her female gender causes the audience to engage with the narrative and character as the woman is usually a victim, therefore, females would now prefer to watch this opening when stereotypically, women would prefer not to watch a thriller film.

The second character within the opening sequence will be the groom. Their role within the sequence is to play the main victim. They will be stereotypical of the thriller genre as the character will fit the narrative of not turning up to the wedding. This is stereotypical as usually in thrillers, the victim has a back story and a link with the killer making them the main target. Again, the audience will engage with this character and the narrative as women would be more interested in the film, therefore as it's a thriller males and females would be interested by the unusual narrative and characters, this gives us a larger and more diverse target audience.

Overall, I believe that my characters are new and haven't been used before. However, they are conventional to the thriller genre as the killer has a back story and a mental condition, which is used in the typical thriller film. The mental state of the killer will the emphasise the genre of the sequence and will help build a relatationship with the audience

Individual Storyboard- Miss Miller

Storyboards are extremely important to use when creating an opening scene. From storyboards, the group is able to visualise what the scene would be like and what we want it to portray and the message that will come across to the audience. Each group member created their own storyboard based on their own ideas, and what they believed made a thriller sequence a success. This is a positive way to show ideas, as each member has the opportunity to introduce their own ideas through their own inspirations. After created individual storyboards, the group is then able to combine different ideas from the strongest in each storyboard. From doing this, we are able to make a storyboard that include all the aspects that make the strongest/most successful thriller sequence.

Below, I have included my own storyboard. I filled this with my own ideas and opinion of what makes a successful thriller sequence. I have incorporated different sound techniques that are conventional to the thriller genre such as eerie music. I also gained some of these ideas from my inspirations an example of this is Scream as it includes hidden identity and lonely and isolated settings, gaining a reaction from the audience.

To conclude, as a group we will combine all ideas together and note down which storyboard turned to be the strongest. From doing these story boards, we have added our best ideas and how we would personally want the opening to look. Overall, I believe that my story board is successful and is a positive representation of different aspects and conventions within the thriller genre. However, I believe that I could have expanded on different details such as sound and lighting which will be discussed within the group. I also believe that I could have added in more shock and suspense as the audience reaction as apposed to suspense, as I believe that is focuses on too much in my storyboard. 

Preliminary task- Miss Georgiou

In our set groups (which included Amber-Louise Reed-Johnson, Jazz Chrystie and I) we were asked to do a preliminary task. This involved us filming a normal/everyday opening sequence which included a person walking through a door, walking through a room, sitting across from another character, a few seconds of dialogue and then the character leaving the same way. The overall purpose of this task is to learn how to use the different equipment correctly, this includes the camera and tripod. Also, as a group we also had the opportunity to learn how the use the editing software which will be used when editing our final sequence, this is called 'Final cut pro X'.

 The preliminary task proved extremely helpful as we could use the equipment and teach ourselves how to use this properly. We also learned how to film different camera angles correctly and linked our knowledge to this as we had to use the shots/angles correctly and fit them to the genre of the scene. These angles and shots included a shot reverse shot, when the two characters were talking.

The scene would need to be less than one minute in length and our scene can be watched here.

In the preliminary task we used a tripod and now know how to use it correctly which will help during the final filming process. We know how to use the camera and how to apply different shots/angles to fit the genre given. Because of this we now have a in-depth knowledge of these different camera shots and angles. We edited our scene by using final cut pro on a mac computer. This was the most difficult stage as we all had a lack of experience using this editing software. We overcame this however, by spending more time editing and figuring out how to use the software appropriately.

In my opinion, the preliminary task was very helpful and because of this, each group member has a deep understanding of different shots to use, editing software and camera.