Actors - UPDATED

In our film opening, we have five characters. Our protagonist is a male character, as is our antagonist, and a female character features at the end of our opening. At the beginning of the opening are our two remaining characters.
The male protagonist will be played by Laurie Taylor, a 20 year old. He suits the role of our protagonist because he is both tall and male, as well as old enough to fit the age of our character and make it evident he does have a past. He is capable of exhibiting the emotions involved within the character.

Our female character, although not featuring a lot in our opening, was important when considering physical aspects such as height. We decided on Caitlin Mapes, a college student who was formerly a drama student, and has had experience with playing other female flirtatious characters such as Audrey in a Little Shop of Horrors stage production.

Our antagonist is played by Tom Keeble, who we decided suited this role because of his height and build, which allowed him to look threatening.

The two characters at the beginning of the Thriller, played by myself (Lucy Hiscox) and Isabel Hurren - who passes information about the protagonist to my antagonistic character, essential for when the protagonist is inevitably kidnapped. We have chosen to take these roles ourselves as we feel we could do it efficiently, as we have suitable builds for these roles, and knew we could use costume to make ourselves appear mysterious and in a position of power.

Explanation of Planning

Planning our Thriller is an important process, and one we all wanted to be involved in. To save us time and make sure each task was done to the best standard, we separated them, each doing a minimum of three tasks for the group. However to ensure we were all happy with each task, we often discussed ideas with the rest of the group, all helping each other and making sure we achieved ideas we were all happy with before separately doing our allocated tasks. This worked well for us as it allowed us to use our free time to talk about scheduling, actor choice, location and other elements important in the process.

Preliminary Task Feedback

The Title: Gone

gone
  adj.
1. a. Being away from a place; absent or having departed.
    b. Missing or lost.

When creating our film, we found that the title was an important aspect, as it immediately set the tone of our film, and would have an impact on the audience, creating their first impression of the tone, genre and plot. After much thinking, we decided we wanted a simple name, preferably one word that would make the audience intrigued. We thought about how we could foreshadow the plot of the film, and considering the kidnapping theme, we had the idea to name it 'Gone'. 
This name immediately presents the idea of a mystery, suggesting a problem and something wrong. The one word title also suggests a sudden occurrence, emphasising the abrupt kidnapping of the protagonist and the fast pace of the Thriller. 

Shooting Schedule - UPDATED

Storyboard - UPDATED

Costume Design - UPDATED

When planning the opening of our film, we found that costume helps to build the audiences image of a character by subtly showing them their attitude and purpose. 

For our main character, we have chosen simplistic every-day style clothes. These ordinary clothes show that this character is an ordinary man with a simple lifestyle. Doing this makes the audience assume he is a character who is out of place in a cruel and brutal world, as he is a typical and average man.

In our last scene of our opening, our protagonist is shown after being beaten up by his kidnappers. This has not been explicitly said, however the audience can insinuate this due to the make-up we will use on our actor to show a black eye and several cuts and bruises. The purpose of this is to show that he is vulnerable in this moment, further emphasising the idea that he is an amiable man who is caught up in this cruel world. 

However, the beginning scene shows a character who is later revealed to be the twin brother of our main character (same actor as protagonist), so will wear a different style of clothes. This character is dark and intriguing, so to reflect this we have decided to make this character wear dark clothing to portray his cynical and thick-skinned but ultimately cowardly demeanour. 

For our female character, we haven chosen a tight fitting dress. All we see of this character in our opening is their silhouette, so having her in a dress establishes to the audience that she is female. We have also taken inspiration from the classic femme fatale convention of film noir, this character meant to immediately appear seductive and feminine. Doing this makes the audience immediately question whether she is to be trusted, as her cryptic entrance could make her appear as an antagonist, further  assumed by her femininity and seductiveness. We decided to put a modern twist on the traditional use of red for femme fatales, the use of red connotes danger as well as love and passion. In film noir the femme fatale usually has red lipstick or nails, instead of doing this Caitlin had red hair. This is very modern and current whilst paying tribute to film noir.  The leather jacket that she is wearing gives her character an edge and suggests that she is not an overly feminine or emotional character. The black colour of it could also connote mystery and fear, suggesting that she is a dangerous character that shouldn't be challenged. 

For our two characters at the beginning of our Thriller, we have chosen a simple smart attire for actor Isabel Hurren, and a plain black jacket for actor Lucy Hiscox. The prop we used for the scene with these characters is a file, used to pass information about the protagonist. This file makes these characters appear superior and secretive. 

Thriller Title Sequences - UPDATED

Font is often used within a film to show certain aspects such as genre or tone. 

The opening sequence of Se7en (1995), presents typeface which suggests danger, the flickering and movement of the font perhaps representing an instability in the killers mind. The font used- sans serif- is a simplistic style, and perhaps foreshadows the killers mind, and their sociopathic lack of emotion or sympathy. This is enforced by the colour of the font, which is white throughout the title sequence, also showing an idea of simplicity which could mean a possible threat. 

The typeface used for names mimics a handwriting style, making it seem more personal. Hands appear to be an important part of the film, and feature in the opening titles, perhaps linking to this style of font. Furthermore, the font continues to flicker, further enforcing the idea of instability of a murderers mind. The placement of each name or title seems unorganised and at random on the screen, perhaps further suggesting instability, the unmethodical and erratic style used to strike fear within the audience.

Another film which uses font effectively is Zodiac (2007). When the film opens the audience are immediately introduced to a newspaper, used for the opening credits. The audience first see the typewritten font 'San Francisco Chronicle', which is an effective way of introducing the setting of the film. 

The typewrite font is relevant to the film because it is about a cartoonist who does drawings for his local San Francisco newspaper, who becomes an amateur detective, intent on finding the Zodiac killer. Because of this, the typewrite font in the layout of a newspaper indicates this theme. 

The camera moves along the newspaper, zooming in on certain articles as a way to introduce the audience to the film further, these areas saying things such as 'Warner Bros Pictures and Paramount Pictures presents'. The use of this is to make it known to the audience who produced the film as any opening titles would do, but also add an undertone of what the film itself includes. The important parts of the opening credits are made with a larger font as well as zoomed in on by the camera, to ensure the audience know this is a part they should focus on. As well as this, the body text of the articles is blurred to create a further focus of the important text. 

Some parts of the text are circled in red, suggesting they are important to the theme or plot of the film, however they are not focused on long enough for the audience to read, creating confusion, perhaps to suggest that clues are transient and momentary. 

The use of red could suggest danger and warning, adding to the idea that these are important clues.

These title sequences could be useful to me when making my own for my own Thriller opening. I want to use a style that will reflect on the meaning or themes within my film, presenting the tone of the film to the audience like these title sequences have done.

Independent Case Study: Representation of women in contempory Thrillers - UPDATED

Throughout history, women have been unequal in terms of society, and therefore within film. However in recent times, female representation in British, Hollywood and World Cinema Thrillers, has become increasingly diverse, and women have progressively been used as powerful and determined heroins or villains, as an alternative to the classic damsel in distress.

An example that shows this is Lucy (2014), an Action Thriller that features a fretful woman who under fortuitous circumstances, is exposed to drugs that reconstructs her to be able to use 100% of her brain capacity instead of the expected 10% use of an average human. In consequence, this gives Lucy a character arc, as she progressively has the capacity for abilities such as telekinesis, the ability to control electrical systems, hyper senses and fighting skills. Through this, the audience see Lucy become more powerful as a protagonist, defeating the antagonists with these skills, and showing strength and supremacy in comparison to the male characters around her. Because of this, she is a notable female heroin, as she shows independence and tenacity as an individual, and is just one of the changes in female representation within cinema.

Examples within the film that show this representation lie with aspects such as camerawork, lighting and costume.


Within this escape scene, the camera is positioned at a low angle, and the audience look up at the character, while she looks determinedly ahead. 
This creates an image of a threatening power coming from her character, suggesting strength and dominance. The lighting within this scene could also be considered as important. The low key lighting with a blue tone suggests a single non-digetic light source. It illuminates her character slightly, the blueish tone adding a clinical and unfamiliar tone, making this scene appear other worldly, adding an abnormal and eerie atmosphere to the scene and her character, perhaps because of the unexpected body changes she is going through within this scene that give her her power.

Furthermore, in this fight scene, the female protagonist walks away from the damage made, the camera tracking her as she walks - showing she is important. The camera is also positioned at a slight low angle, continually making the character seem powerful and defiant.

A notable change within these scenes, as the character grows with strength and power, is the use of costume. In the escape scene, her character is pictured a white plain t-shirt, which perhaps suggests an idea of normalcy, showing that she is an average woman. White also has connotations of purity and innocence, further suggesting that she is a normal woman who has done no wrong as of yet. However further on, shown in the fight scene, she is pictured in a black dress. Black often has connotations of darkness and corruption perhaps suggesting that after growing in strength, she has become more powerful, perhaps grown signs of wickedness and evil as her strength overcomes her.



Another example of strong female protagonists in Hollywood Thrillers is Katniss Everdeen (Jeniffer Lawrence) in The Hunger Games (2012), and Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) in Divergent (2014). Both are fictions set in a dystopian setting, presenting the idea of a changed society. These characters are prime examples of strong independent women who fight against a defective authority, eventually overcoming the dark force of a rising dominion.

An example that show the strong female representation of the character Katniss Everdeen is this scene in the last of the trilogy, in which the protagonist is shown walking, members of her community behind her. The camerawork in this scene stands at a low angle, like Lucy, creating a sense of power. In this shot Katniss is in the centre of the screen, made the focus of the scene. This shows the importance that her character has. In this scene the camera moves backwards, tracking her character as she walks with people behind her. The effect of the people behind her moving from the side to the centre adds a sense of support and loyalty to her character as they all move to stand with her.

Furthermore, in this shot after the protagonist draws an arrow, an eye-level shot is used. This could be to show equality, perhaps presenting her as an equal to those behind her and the audience. This eye-level shot could also be used to make the audience sympathise with her character as she makes a decision, further enforcing the idea to make her appear as an equal. 


Costume is also an important aspect of her character. Through the last films she is often pictured wearing a black combat outfit, perhaps representing her strength and fury. Black often has connotations of darkness, and like Lucy, is also perhaps used to show an evil that comes with strength. 

It contrasts to her costume in the first film, in which she wears a practical grey jacket. This change to a darker and stronger use of costume could show the development of her character as she grows in power.








In contrast, Hollywood Thrillers with a superhero theme often use the idea of a classic damsel in distress, a female target for the antagonist, and someone that the male protagonist can save, proving their worth. Examples of films of this theme are Superman (1978), Spiderman (2002) and The Hulk (2003). 

These female heroins also contrast with many female characters found in film from the

1940s-1970s. Thrillers, especially film noir, would often only have a male protagonist. Films with female protagonists such as Phantom Lady (1944), Black Angel (1946), and Woman on the Run (1950), include female detectives who offer a progressive image of femininity and are ultimately proved incompetent as detectives. Furthermore, Mildred Pierce (1945), starring Joan Crawford, shows Mildred punished for being an independent and strong woman, treated with contempt, and eventually betrayed by her own daughter.



Female representation from the 1940's has reflected on society, females often portrayed as incompetent or weak without a man to guide them. However within recent cinema, protagonists are beginning to be presented as independent females, showing a developing society.  

Location and Mise-en-scene - UPDATED

The opening sequence of our thriller occurs at a train station, for these shots we wanted to use a train station that wouldn't be too crowded which would provide us with enough privacy to film as well as giving us more control over the area. A possible location we could use is Brundall Station. This station is on the smaller size which means that it won't get as busy as other stations, therefore preventing our filming being disturbed by members of the public. It also looks quite rundown and urban which conforms to the gritty visuals of the thriller genre, by recreating these visuals it will remind the audience of other thrillers they have seen and build the anticipation as they discover the genre and anticipate the action that is sure to follow. When filming these shots the lighting could be an issue as we won't have any control over what lights are on or off and it will also be difficult to bring our own lighting equipment. However, we could change the time of day that we film. For example, instead of filming at night we could film in the morning. Although it wouldn't carry the same connotations, a cold but bright winter morning suggests isolation and bleakness which would work well with our thriller. 

We could also use Norwich Railway Station, although this station does get very busy that could work in our favour. Being lost in a crowd could connote isolation as although the character is surrounded by people he is still alone and has no one to rely on. The hustle of a crowd could also be used to build tension. The ornate and antique look of the station could be used to make the film reminiscent of film noir, this would reinforce the dark and mysterious themes of our opening which were common aspects of film noirs. The contrast of modern and old features in the station could be used to emphasise the conflict in our film. Both the inner conflict of the character as he decides how to escape and the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist. The problem of lighting would also be an issue whilst film here as we wouldn't have any control over it. Although the crowd could add to the atmosphere of our opening it would be an issue as we would also have no control or influence over the people and it would make it difficult to film successfully. 

For the abduction section of our opening we want to use a dark alley way that connotes isolation as well as vulnerability. We could use the alleyway beside one of our group member’s house. This would provide us with privacy while we film, it would also allow us to adapt the location to suit our preferences and to set up our own lighting equipment. Alleyways are used in thrillers to connote poverty and crime as they are where homeless people can take shelter and where crimes are committed because they are hidden from the eyes of the public as they provide protection. By conforming to the genre we are reinforcing the connotations of crime and establishing the characters need to escape from a world this dark and twisted. Being near a suburb could also suggest a common aspect of film noirs that this could happen to anyone and that no one is safe. Filming in an alleyway will be difficult because we'll have limited space to move in, this will make film from different angles a challenge. However, the small space could be used to introduce the theme of claustrophobia and to reinforce the idea that the character is trapped and vulnerable. 

For the final part of our opening sequence our main character wakes up tied to a chair in a garage, this reinforces the theme of vulnerability and crime. The garage we will be using also belongs to one of our group members. This, again, provides us with control and privacy because there won't be any members of the public and we can change the mise-en-scene to suit our requirements. The objects in the area could be moved to provide a space for the main character, alternatively by leaving some but covering them with dust sheets it could create a sense of mystery as neither the character nor the audience know what's underneath them and it could be anything. A garage also conforms to the convention of using suburbs to suggest that tragedy can strike anyone, it could also unsettle the audience as this is an everyday location turned into a cage.

The opening scene of our thriller takes place at a children's play park. We wanted the park to be empty to give the shots a very eerie and unsettling feel. This is because parks are usually full of excitement and energy so shooting in an empty park would give our thriller an uneasy and desolate atmosphere. A possible location we could use is a small park next to Eaton Primary School. Although this park is popular with the local school children after school and on the weekends, it is usually quiet at around 6:00pm. If we filmed at this time the park would be empty and the sun would have set, leading to darker, more hopeless shots that would suit the tone of our thriller. Lighting could become an issue as we won't be able to take our own equipment. To try and avoid lighting issues we could pick a clear day, this means it would stay lighter for longer, giving us brighter shots as well as more time to film.