Location

For our Thriller opening, we have two different locations that we will use to shoot our scenes at. The first location is a Hall with a stage and we thought this location would be appropriate as it fitted the storyline perfectly. 

The second location we have selected is a woodland area as we thought that this would give a dark feel to the opening as woods have connotations of obscurity and evil. 

1st Location- Main Area of Shooting

Other area of shooting

In this photo we are going to be shooting a scene that contains a box buried underground, hence the hole in the ground.

2nd Location- Main Area of Shooting

Other Angles of Location

Here we have some other angles of the location including a POV shot from one of the characters and a low angle shot. These types of shots will be incorporated in our Thriller opening and this shows an accurate representation of this. 

Final Storyboard for Thriller Opening

The following images below are our final scanned storyboard to the opening of our Thriller Movie. All the images are listed in order of the shots. 

Thriller Survey Results

Here are my results from my survey about personal preferences and people's way of thinking about Thriller Movies. By using these results I can take into consideration the opinions of the viewers and therefore make my opening more successful.  

From the first question, I can conclude that all the people who participated in the survey watch Thriller Movies.

For the next question there are mixed reviews for how often they watch Thriller Movies. Two out of the three people said that they watch Thriller Movies 1-2 times a month with the last saying they watch them 3-4 times a month.

The next question was about putting the listed films into order of personal preference. The two films that were the most frequently selected at the top were Inception and Bourne Ultimatum. The film that was at the bottom every time was Vertigo. This could be because of the age of the film.

Question 4 asked about where people watch Thriller Movies. The two highest answers equal in score were DVD and Cinema. I was quite surprised at this as many people use the internet and online film companies to stream films.

 Here, viewers were asked to choose their favourite director. The director with the highest votes was Christopher Nolan who directed films such as Inception and Dark Knight, two huge Thrillers.

Question 6 was one of the questions that was going to help me with deciding on how to produce my opening as it showed what people enjoyed seeing in a Thriller. The results revealed that the most popular sub-genre was action. This is the most probable route I will take with my Thriller opening.

Finally, the last question asks for feedback from the respondents about what they think makes a successful Thriller. Comments include "Mystery", "Suspense", "Action" and "Sound Effects". I will be taking all these into consideration when I create my production. 

Thrilller Opening Plot

Captive

Characters

. Danny Myles- Antagonist

. Detective Hunter Hudson- Protagonist

. Victor Razzal- Victim 

Plot

Danny Myles is a former stage director who turns his abandoned theatre into his own personal torture studio. Myles' fondness of creating misery to people's lives can be linked back to his miserable and abusive relationship that he had with his father and a key reason as to the destruction he creates. A part time bomb maker, Myles deals with his sufferers by using various different harrowing methods to portray his dominance over the innocent. 
 Only one man stands in his way. Detective Hunter Hudson, a retired detective of the Metropolitan Police, follows clues left by Myles to try and save innocent people under the control of the deadly criminal. Armed with just a letter from an unknown source, Hudson must find out where the next victim of Myles' lays before its too late.   

Logo

This was the logo I created using photoshop. I made it by using a background image of a piece of film with dark paint splatters. I also used an image of a white Tiger as I thought it would make the whole movie title more interesting. Finally I used a font that I got off the website called "Dafont" and had the font colour in white as it blended well with the background image.

Creating a Protagonist

My characters name is going to be 'George Watts' and he is a successful businessman who lives and works in the heart of London during the 1970's. He is a very intelligent and successful gentleman who owns his own banking corporation. He has ambitions of expanding his empire of banks by any means necessary.

Mise-en-scene
Costumes and make-up: Mr Watts always wear an expensive grey tailor made suit, with a black bowler hat and a tanned leather suitcase to carry all his important documents in. He also has shiny black leather shoes that he has polished everyday. He wears make up to cover up a 4 inch scar from a brawl he got into whilst in London at night. The costume and make-up used show the character to be quite a menacing and important figure.   

Props: One of Watts's most significant props is his black leather bound walking stick containing a sword. Reasons for carrying this weapon is unknown. Inside his coat jacket contains a revolver that when questioned insists is only used for self defence, but real reason is also unknown. The props used by George Watts adds uncertainty and suspense to his character and makes the viewer asks questions as to why he has these certain weapons.

Proxemics: Due to Watts being quite an important person he stands away from most of the public as he see's himself to be of an upper class. The only people who stand close to him are two huge bodyguards either side of him. This shows him to be an important and careful character.

Location: The main location will be in the business district of London and on occasion the poor suburbs as crime is rife here and so Watts can get away with crime. This gives a dark and evil feel to the character.


Lighting
The lighting in the city will be dark from the overcast sky and the shadows created by the skyscrapers. Furthermore the suburbs of London will be dark as he will be here at night and the only lighting will be from artificial lighting from street lamps. This overall darkness presents Watts so be a malicious and unpleasant man.

Camera Work
Many of the shots used will be Point of View shots as this will clearly show the expression of the characters face. Furthermore there may be a few shots from a lower angle as this will make Watts seem higher and therefore more significant and powerful. An over the shoulder shot may also be used when having a conversation with another character. The visual hierarchy will also be used as Watts will be the main focus throughout the scene and also have the most screen time.

Sound
Accent: George Watts has a strong cockney accent as he was born and raised in Hackney, London and he uses a lot of cockney rhyming slang such as "Ann Boleyn" (Gin). His accent adds to the whole London setting. This is known as diegetic sound.

Volume: The character will be quite a quiet character when he is in a good mood but can turn very aggressive and loud if someone crosses his path.

Sound Effects: When Watts is walking with his bodyguards the music is quite fast paced and tense as if something bad is about to occur and this as an example of non-diegetic sound.

Acoustics
Where the character is at a certain time will depend on how much echo there is in the setting. For instance if he is in a big hall there will be a lot of echo as opposed to him being in the city where there will be very little.

Another example of diegetic sound is the background noise regarding the setting. For instance if he is in the busy city there will be people talking on phones and also traffic rushing past possibly beeping their horns.

Thriller Movies Survey

Here is a link to my survey that I created to investigate peoples opinions and preferences on Thriller Movies. 

http://connorbenns98.polldaddy.com/s/as-media-thriller-survey

Storyboard

These are the scans of the storyboard that I made. The film I choose to make a storyboard on was the 007 film, "Goldeneye".  

North By Northwest

North By Northwest is a thriller movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1959. The actors in the film include Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. 

Here we see a green background with blue lines appearing both horizontally and vertically. In addition these lines are 3D on the background.

Whilst the lines are on the screen, the actors and actresses names are appearing and they are positioned so that they are resting on the lines. The names appear on the screen by either flying in from the top or bottom of the screen.

In this screenshot we can see the directors name. Notice that he has his own slide to himself and the font is big implying that he is an important part in the making and production of this film.

We then see that the green background fades into a series of windows reflecting what appears to be a busy main road. Furthermore the large quantity of yellow taxis that pass suggest that the setting could be New York. The music here is also quite high pitched and orchestral which builds tension and uncertainty in the opening.

Here we can see people scurrying around and coming in and out of the building. The mad rush could suggest that its in rush hour and this is reinforced by the people in the scene being dressed smartly- possibly businessmen. A disclaimer is also shown in this scene. 

We can now see people rushing towards the underground, either to head home or to go to work. The camera angle used here is a high angle shot and this shows that there are many people in the scene and also makes them seem small and insignificant. 

We then again see people scurrying around which is a very common theme throughout the opening of the film.

In this scene we see two women fighting to get into a taxi. This shows again just how busy rush hour New York is and the extent people will go to, to get a ride home.

In the final part we see the appearance of Alfred Hitchcock himself as he likes to do in all of his movies. This is quite an iconic scene as the bus driver refuses to open the door for Hitchcock.

Creating Titles

The short video above shows a title for a potential Thriller title. I used the program Final Cut Pro to create the the title using a series of different effects to make the words appear more sinister. 

Successful Thriller Movies

1. Inception

 Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a professional thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets. He is offered a chance of redemption as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.

Budget: $160 million

Worldwide Box Office: $825,532,764

2. The Dark Knight

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organisations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker.

Budget: $185 million 

Worldwide Box Office: $1,004,558,444

3. The Bourne Ultimatum

Bourne is once again brought out of hiding, this time inadvertently by London-based reporter Simon Ross who is trying to unveil Operation Blackbriar--an upgrade to Project Treadstone--in a series of newspaper columns. Bourne sets up a meeting with Ross and realizes instantly they're being scanned. Information from the reporter stirs a new set of memories, and Bourne must finally, ultimately, uncover his dark past whilst dodging The Company's best efforts in trying to eradicate him.

Budget: $110 million

Worldwide Box Office: $442,824,138

4. Gravity

Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone - tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness.

Budget: $100 million
Worldwide Box Office: $716,392,705

5. Valkyrie 

In Nazi Germany during World War II, as the tide turned in favor of The Allies, a cadre of senior German officers and politicians desperately plot to topple the Nazi regime before the nation is crushed in a near-inevitable defeat. To this end, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, an Army officer convinced he must save Germany from Hitler, is recruited to mastermind a real plan. To do so, he arranges for the internal emergency measure, Operation: Valkyrie, to be changed to enable his fellows to seize control of Berlin after the assassination of the Fuhrer. However, even as the plan is put into action, a combination of bad luck and human failings conspire on their own to create a tragedy that would prolong the greater one gripping Europe.

Budget: $75 million

Worldwide Box Office: $200,276,784

6. The Sixth Sense

Malcolm Crowe is a child psychologist who receives an award on the same night that he is visited by a very unhappy ex-patient. After this encounter, Crowe takes on the task of curing a young boy with the same ills as the ex-patient. This boy "sees dead people". Crowe spends a lot of time with the boy (Cole) much to the dismay of his wife. Cole's mom is at her wit's end with what to do about her son's increasing problems. Crowe is the boy's only hope.

Budget: $40 million

Worldwide Box Office: $672,806,292

7. Godzilla (2014)

In 1999, the Janjira nuclear plant was mysteriously destroyed with most hands lost including supervisor Joe Brody's colleague and wife, Sandra. Years later, Joe's son, Ford, a US Navy ordnance disposal officer, must go to Japan to help his estranged father who obsessively searches for the truth of the incident. In doing so, father and son discover the disaster's secret cause on the wreck's very grounds. This enables them to witness the reawakening of a terrible threat to all of Humanity, which is made all the worse with a second secret revival elsewhere. Against this cataclysm, the only hope for the world may be Godzilla, but the challenge for the King of the Monsters will be great even as Humanity struggles to understand the destructive ally they have.

Budget: $160 million

Worldwide Box Office: $524,976,069

7. The Purge: Anarchy

A couple are driving home when their car breaks down just as the Purge commences. Meanwhile, a police sergeant goes out into the streets to get revenge on the man who killed his son, and a mother and daughter run from their home after assailants destroy it. The five people meet up as they attempt to survive the night in Los Angeles.
Budget: $9 million
Worldwide Box Office: $107,801,284

8. Non-Stop

Bill Marks, a former cop dealing with his daughter's death by drinking, is now a federal air marshal. While on a flight from New York to London, Marks gets a text telling him that unless 150 million dollars is transferred to an offshore account, someone will die every 20 minutes. Can he find the terrorist in time and save everyone?

Budget: $50 million

Worldwide Box Office: $220,642,160

9. Now You See Me

Four magicians each answer a mysterious summons to an obscure address with secrets inside. A year later, they are the Four Horsemen, big time stage illusionists who climax their sold out Las Vegas show with a bank apparently robbed for real. This puts agents Dylan Rhodes of the FBI and Alma Dray of Interpol on the case to find out how they did it. However, this mystery proves difficult to solve even with the insights of the professional illusion exposer, Thaddeus Bradley. What follows is a bizarre investigation where nothing is what it seems with illusions, dark secrets and hidden agendas galore as all involved are reminded of a great truth in this puzzle: the closer you look, the less you see.

Budget: $75 million

Worldwide Box Office: $351,723,989

10. Argo

Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1980.

Budget: $44.5 million

Worldwide Box Office: $232,325,503

Using the Dolly and Trombone Shot

I used a dolly to move forwards and backwards on a specific object whilst keeping the camera in a steady position on a tripod. The dolly is used to make smooth camera movements and can also be used to make shots such as the trombone shot. This shot consists of the camera moving towards an object and when the camera gets closer, you zoom outwards to create a vertigo effect or optical illusion. 

           

Titles and Fonts

The first font I looked at was from the film 'The Poker Club' by Dan Savage. The closest font I could acquire to the one used in The Poker Club, is called 'Pasta Palazzo' and was found on the website Dafont. The font is also sans because it doesn't have little serifs on the letters. In addition the font is very easy to read and also the font and colour used goes well with the background of playing cards.

The font used in the opening credits of the film Manhunt, uses quite a lot of different features. For instance kerning is used to separate the final few letters making it look inconsistent and out of place. The font colour or red connotes death and blood and so an enigma has already been put into the film so early on. Furthermore the font is large bold letters and also in sans serif which makes it stand out clearly to the viewers. The closest font I could find to the font used in Manhunt, was called 'Twofold' and was acquired from the website Dafont.

The font used in the film "Dr. No" is quite a basic and block like type possibly because of the time the film was made but is however very easily readable to the audience and it is in the sans serif style. The colour green that is used makes the words on the screen stand out with the dull black background, clearly showing the name of the film. The font that matched the one in Dr. No was located on Dafont and it was called "Basic". 

The font in the film "Seven" is sans serif and has a quite distorted texture to it as it looks like the words have been scratched away a bit making it more difficult to read. Furthermore they have used a slight shadow on the title to add effect as it makes it look as if it is shaking as well as using plain black and white colours to convey a sinister mood. Kerning is used between the E and 7 to place more emphasis on the middle letter which happens to be a number. The closest font to the one used in the film was found on Dafont and is called "Appleberry".

The Final Destination uses a quite basic font that is in serif form as the letters flick up at the end. The white typeface against the blood stained background makes it stand out and also makes it very clear to read. In the title the word "The" uses a different kerning space to the one used in "Final Destination" as it is a lot more spaced out. The closest font to the one used in The Final Destination was found on Dafont and goes by the name "Assassin". 

The final font that I looked at was from the film "The Dead Zone" and this font was also in serif form as the corners of each letter flicked up. The font is quite basic and easily readable with a black background, however the words have some sort of moving visual image which adds a different effect to the opening. The kerning is very consistent throughout with the same spacing between each letter. The font that was most like the one used in The Dead Zone was acquired from Dafont and is called 'Fling'.