Research

RESEARCH FOR COSTUMES
We will be using 2 or 3 boys to act as policeman in our opening sequence for the last few shots. We also thought of having 1 woman detective to create a convincing scene, and is also part of gender representation as we do not want to portray a negative view of women in power.

To ensure our actors costumes look authentic and realistic, we have thought very carefully about the clothing, props and shots we will use to create convincing police-like characters.

The clothing we will get our actors to wear are:

POLICEMEN

• Black trousers
• Black boots or trainers 
• Black top
• Black jumper 
• Black gilet or jacket
• Possibly a police hat.
• Guns / walkie talkie

WOMAN DETECTIVE 

• Black top
• Skirt
• Walkie talkie

MAKEUP TESTING

This video shows our makeup testing. The white pale makeup makes our character looked washed out. We used different types of makeup to show bruises around the neck and face and it shows the dark bags under the eyes. On the neck, we did hand prints to show the audience that our character was abused. This is also shown through the scratches and blood on their face.

RESEARCH INTO USING A DRONE

10 tips to using a drone to film

We are planning to include a drone shot within our opening sequence, we will do this by attatching a GoPro camera to a drone that we will hire from a company, as we are inexperienced with using drone technology the company have said they will fly it for us on the conditions we include their company name in our credits.

1) If it’s your first time flying make sure you practice in a field far away from people, cars and houses. It’s all about muscle memory, fly on a daily basis for a few months in different locations before using it on set. Practice, practice, practice.

2) Depending on where you’re flying check the rules, do a quick Google. For example you’re not allowed to fly a drone in London unless you have a permit. But you can fly over the parliament buildings in Budapest no problem. As this is a new technology lots of countries are still catching up and don’t have any drone rules. Always use common sense when flying.

3) The best results are produced when flying the drone slowly with long nice fluid movements. Get close to an object and slowly rise above it to reveal the amazing vistas in front of you.

4) Never fly above crowds, it’s illegal and very dangerous.

5) Make sure you don’t fly above 400 feet (122 metres) or near airports. The last thing you want to be doing is crashing into a plane.

6) The drone really shines when you can get shots that aren’t possible with a helicopter. For example when I was shooting in Scotland I got a shot from the drone flying through a castle window and it looks amazing. Be creative and try and get shots that nobody has seen before.

7) Experiment with the settings on your camera that you’ve attached to the drone and see what results it produces. The more you can understand about this technology the better equipped you’ll be as every shoot is different and may require a different look. For example if you film at 30 frames per second and then slow it down and convert it to 25 or 24 frames per second in post and the footage will have an almost dream like feel to it.

8) Plan each shot before you take off. Each battery on a drone lasts about 15 minutes so you want to maximise flight time. Like any shoot the more you plan the better the results will be (keep spare batteries to hand too).

9) This is an obvious one but always check the weather conditions before flying the drone. Drones are pretty good in wind but if it’s super windy or raining and you don’t feel comfortable flying the drone wait till the wind has calmed down or the rain has stopped. It can be unsafe to fly in high winds and more than likely the footage will be unusable.

10) If you want to produce something amazing it’s got to start with a great idea. Always put the shots and story before the tools. Audiences want to see people, stories and experiences that they connect with on an emotional level. As filmmakers we create content that entertains, moves and inspires people. Drone technology won’t turn you into a great filmmaker but it will enhance your skills as a story teller and if used well will make your work shine.

RESEARCH INTO ICONOGRAPHY 

Why iconography is important:

The physical attributions in a scene of a film give a lot of obvious indications to the audience and helps construct the plot line and creates the mood and atmosphere to make the audience feel a certain way. In a psychological thriller, the audience is meant to feel on edge, building up suspense and is very gripping.

Examples of iconography in a psychological thriller:

Small, confined spaces
Small. confined spaces create a feeling of being trapped and a sense of claustrophobia. This makes the audience feel uneasy and maybe even stressed whilst watching.

Shadows
Shadows make the audience feel like someone is always following and watching the 'victim'. Shadows also demonstrate how although there may be darkness, there must be a source of light, which could hint a possible escape.

Darkness
Darkness scares the audience as the feeling of the unknown is present. Darkness suggests that something bad may happen and it shows it is quite a sinister genre of film. When darkness is broken by a source of light this may portray a feeling of freedom.

Distinct sounds
An example of the generic sounds heard in a psychological thriller are diegetic conversations that suggest something bad may happen, also screaming and scratchings on the doors or walls of a location. Non-diegetic sound heard may be atmospheric music, that build up suspense and make the audience feel tense.

Very small amounts of light
Very small amounts of light can suggest a small chance of escaping or even survival. But could also suggest that wherever there is light there is hope. In a psychological thriller, there is normally minimal light to disturb the audience.

Objects in rooms that create thrill (sharp objects/ concealed objects)
Concealed objects create suspicion and a tense atmosphere as the 'villain' may be hiding something that could harm others. Sharp objects such a knives and axes also suggest harm and sometimes even murder.

TITLE IDEAS

After research, we have seen that 4 weeks is 672 hours. This is the amount of time that the character in our opening title sequence would have been locked away for so we feel that this would be an affective title and would keep our audience engaged as it will not give away a lot of information about the film plot.

RESEARCH INTO LIGHTING

For part of our research, we looked into how we could create the best shots using lighting.

 

 

By researching and testing out the appropriate lighting for our genre of film, prior to shooting, this will allow us to be prepared for what difficult lighting we may encounter whilst filming, such as the dark lighting present in the barn that Ruby is trapped in.
From this research, we learnt that we can use small amounts of light to make the room still feel dark, but making sure that the audience is still able to see what is going on whilst feeling tense as the darkness may build suspense.







RISK ASSESSMENT



ACTRESS PROFILE

Our chosen actress for our opening scene is Ruby Foy, who is part of our media group.

Ruby is perfect for the role because of her image, her age and her ability to perform professionally in front of a camera.

 

In the above images, you can see that Ruby has hair that is suitable for our opening sequence. This is because she has long hair that we can style to create an unwashed, scruffy look to portray the harsh conditions she is being kept in.
Her defined jawline could illustrate the fact that her character has been starved and makes the harsh conditions more believable. Her small figure also demonstrates this.

It is also ideal that she is in our group, as she will be available when we need her for filming, instead of relying on a person who cannot always be available to film. This will speed up the process of filming.

PROPS LIST

Before we start filming, we will collect all our props ready for shooting so we are not panicking on the day if we had forgotten something. Most of these props we can probably find around our homes but if not we will purchase them with plenty of time before we start filming so we are ready and organised.

   This is our props list we created:


•       Water dripping from above (make a hole in a bottle of water and let it drip out)

•       Chalk – for the markings made on the wall

•       Spider web and possibly a spider

•       Old, dirty bucket

•       Dirty blanket

•       Wooden objects for behind the bucket and blanket

•       Makeup for bruises, scratches and dirt on the girls face and body

•       Clothes for the girl – worn out, dirty t-shirt

•       Axe

•      Chain and padlock

•       Excess wood to smash in half (instead of barn door)

•       Red and blue flashing lights

•       Drone – to take the aerial shot

RESEARCH INTO THE CONVENTIONS OF FILM OPENINGS AND TITLES 

LOCATION RECCE

• Our first location idea is Eloise's neighbour's barn as the barn is quite run down and untidy. This suits our genre as a psychological thriller needs a location to create suspense and thrill. It is also ideal that this location is by Eloise's house and as she knows the owners of this private land, it will be easier to get in contact and use the land when we need to.

• If we are unable to use this location, then our back-up location is Ruby's barn as it is away from any other people and has a barn that has potential to fit the brief of our wanted location. An only downfall of this location is that it is used for storage and is next to other buildings so doesn't have a field or surrounding woodland.

TIMETABLE

For preparation for our filming, we created a timetable that we want stick by when filming, including the characters and props required. This will help us to organised and remember what we will need for shooting. When we are shooting at our location we can refer back to this timetable to make sure we are doing the right thing.

Date	Time of day	Location	Characters	Shots required	Props required	What happens
4/2/17	Midday	Barn		Medium	Dripping water	Water dripping onto the floor
4/2/17	Midday	Barn		Medium	Scratched wall	Focused shot of scratching’s on the wall
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby	Close up		Girl’s hand twitches
4/2/17	Midday	Barn		Close up	Spider web	Spider web in corner of the barn
4/2/17	Midday	Barn		Close up	Bucket, dirty blanket, wood	Bucket, blanket and wood left on the floor
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby	Close up		Girl’s heavy breathing with chapped lips
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby	Close up		Girl’s heavy breathing chest
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby	Close up	Axe	Girl walking, dragging axe
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby	Close up	Axe	Girl walking, axe swinging
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby	Medium	Axe	Girl with axe on shoulder walking to door
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby	Medium	Axe, padlock, chain	Girl swinging axe to break door
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby	Medium	Axe, padlock, chain	Girl swinging axe to break door
4/2/17	Midday	Barn		Medium	Padlock, chain	Door swinging open to release bright light
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby	Long	Axe	Police POV of girl standing with axe outside
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Police officers	Long		Girls blurred POV of lights and police
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby	Long	Axe	Police POV of girl collapsed on ground
4/2/17	Midday	Barn	Ruby, police officers	Aerial	Axe	Girl on floor and surrounded by police

THEORIES WE HAVE STUDIED 

The communication model:

The effects model: (also known as the hypodermic needle)

Uses and gratifications theory:

Here is the uses and gratifications theory video we made, demonstrating how the media is used and messages are perceived.



Semiotics:

Semiotics is the theory of how meaning is created and how meaning is communicated. It is a way of seeing the world, and of understanding how the culture and landscape which we live in has a massive impact on all of us unconsciously.
Our actions and thoughts are dependant upon our ability to interpret cultural messages and conventions instinctively and instantly. For example, when we see a red light at a traffic light, we automatically know how to react to this... to stop. We learn to do this without even thinking about it.

But this is a sign which has been established by cultural convention over a long period of time, and requires a deal of unconscious cultural knowledge to understand its meaning.

• Everyone is a semiotician as everyone is constantly unconsciously interpreting the meaning of signs around them. 
• Signs don't always need to be visual, they can be aural or sonic signs too, such as the sound of as ambulance siren, usually heard before you see the vehicle. 
• We also know signs such as a thumbs up, which has different meanings. In everyday life, a thumbs up would normally mean everything is okay, but in scuba diving, a thumbs up is telling the other person to go to the surface of the water, and finally, having your thumb up by the side of a road indicates wanting a free ride off of someone (hitch hiking)

The male gaze:

The male gaze is how women are presented and perceived in the media. For feminists, it can be thought of in three ways:

1. How men look at women
2. How women look at themselves 
3. How women look at other women

In 1975, Laura Mulvey came up with the theory that in the media, mainly films, audiences have to 'view' characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male.

Mulvey noticed that the camera tends to linger on the curves of a female body, and events which occur to women are largely presented in the context of a man's reaction to these events. This suggests that women are seen as objects or sex icons and is very different for men.

OUR CHOSEN BBFC RATING
Because of our chosen storyline, involving some disturbing scenes, blood, bruises and some violence, we have decided to have our BBFC rating as a 15.
We thought that some teenagers would enjoy the psychological element of our storyline, using their thoughts to understand the plot. At the age of 15, we thought that our storyline was appropriate.

OUR STORYBOARD

Here is an animatic of our storyboard:

We have tried to be persistent in using the correct duration that each of our shots will be. This will help us when filming to remind us of the shots, duration and camera work we will need to focus on.

OUR VISION

For part of our research, we have created

1. A colour palette
2. A sound palette 
3. 9 key shots frame

Our colour palette that we created:

Our chosen colour palette creates a vision that allows us to stick with the look and feel of our opening title sequence. These colours suggest a dark and mysterious theme, as that is what we want our viewers to experience when watching. Our genre is a psychological thriller and we felt that these colours best fit this genre. 

Our first two colours on the palette are red and blue as we will have police car sirens in our sequence. The next colour is to show the darkness in the barn where the girl is abducted. Next, the grey and brown show the colours of the long axe that the girl will be dragging along the floor and breaking the door down with.

The two shades of brown shows the wood in the barn. The next colour shows the dirt and marks that will be on the girl, and also the colour of the bucket that we will use to show credits on. The green colour illustrates the trees in the forest that will be outside when the girl escapes from the barn. The dark grey shows more darkness that will occur throughout in the barn and outside.

The white and yellow colours show the bright light that the girl will see when she finally breaks the barn door and escapes. The skin colour shows the pale, washed out colour of the girls face. The black shows the darkness in the location that she is abducted and is a contrast to the white and yellow. Finally, the pale pink colour illustrates certain cuts and bruises on the girl and her lips.

Our sound palette that we created:
Our sound palette shows examples of a woman heavily breathing, helicopter sounds for our drone shot, police sirens and water dripping. These are the type of sounds that you will hear in our opening title sequence as they all create suspense and may make the audience feel uneasy. 

Our frame of 9 key shots:
Our 9 key shots are the shots that we thought were most memorable and gave the best impression of the storyline to our opening title sequence.

AUDIENCE EXPECTATIONS FROM OUR CHOSEN GENRE
Primary research- from asking family and friends what they would excpect from a psychological thriller film they said:

• A weird, but exciting storyline
• One main character
• Thrills throughout
• Tense atmosphere

Secondary research- from doing research online, we found that most audiences expect a plot twist right at the end of the film that either claims hope for the protagnonist of disaster (death). The audience enjoy learning about the background of the characters and how they are all linked. The audience like suspense to be built up throughout the film.

HISTORY OF OUR RELEVANT FILM GENRE - PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

Some of the best psychological thrillers known are as shown below:

 The Silence of the Lambs

The sixth sense

Memento

Psycho

A psychological thriller is a thriller story which emphasizes the psychology of its characters and their unstable emotional stress

What the audience enjoy best whilst consuming psychological thriller films is that you have to use your mind to understand the storyline, but at the same time, you get the thrill and built up suspense of what you get from watching a horror/thriller.

These films are rated so highly because of how they leave an impact on the audience, if the audience enjoy the film and recommend it to others, that's how the films become so well known.

We want our opening scene to make the audience feel the way they do when they watch these famous psychological thrillers. We have studied these films and have got ideas from each of them which we can interpret into our film.

RESEARCH INTO ICONIC DIRECTORS RELATING TO OUR GENRE

 Jonathan Demme - director of 'The Silence of the Lambs'

Throughout 1986-2004, Demme was acknowledged for his dramatic close-ups in films. These style of close-ups involve the character looking directly into the camera during crucial moments (particularly in Silence of the Lambs'). According to Demme, this was done to put the viewer into the character's shoes.

David Fincher

He is  known for having directed the psychological thrillers Seven (1995), The Game (1997),  Fight Club (1999), and Gone Girl  (2014) and the mystery thrillers Zodiac  (2007) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

The audience love Fincher's films, due to the fact that they all give a sense of thrill and mystery, but all also have a very well thought out storyline, which keep the audience on edge.

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Edward Nolan is an English-American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and editor. He is one of the highest-grossing directors in history, and among the most successful and acclaimed filmmakers of the 21st century.
Nolan gained considerable attention for his second film Memento  (2000), for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
The storyline of Memento is:
Former insurance investigator Leonard has short-term memory loss. He can't remember anything or anyone from only moments before. He knows who he is, and can remember everything up to the attack that killed his wife and left him in this condition but everything else is a haze...
From reading reviews of one of his best films, Memento, the film is "Genuinely perplexing and disturbing but still a thrill for true film lovers."

MY PERSONAL INDEPENDENT STUDY 

For my own personalised independent study activity for some ideas towards my groups' work, we were set the task to watch some clips/ the trailer of the following films.

MARTYRS 2008

From watching the trailer to this film, it gave me a sense of what the film was all about. The trailer built suspense by using:

• Fast, upbeat, non-diegetic music
• Very fast simple cuts 
• A variety of different shots (medium, long, close up) of traumatic events, including blood in almost every scene, killing and diegetic sound of screaming

From watching this trailer, I could definitely tell that the genre of this film would be a triller/ horror. It has given me more of a general idea of what my group might have to include for our opening scene to a thriller.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

From watching the trailer to this second film, it kept me interested by having a mystical feel about it. The trailer itself did not give the whole film away but gave me an idea of what the film will be based on. This is helpful as we want to have the same effect from our opening scene.
The colour palette of this film trailer is very dark with mainly grey tones, this could also indicate what the film is like; dark and mysterious. These type of grey tones are what we would like to include in our opening scene.

THE MISSING (BBC drama- season 2)

From watching the trailer to the second season of this TV drama, I could tell that the series would be very fast pace and would draw you in whilst watching. The very quick, simple cuts and clips that were shown in the trailer indicated a lot of drama and action would be present in this series.
The fact that this series is about a girl who had been abducted many years ago and has finally returned home is quite alike to our idea for our opening scene we are creating, so it is good to get some ideas of how to make ours realistic and haunting.
I especially liked the stillness and emotionless face of the girl, Alice who has returned home after being abducted, it does not give much away about her character, which is what we would like to include too.

The trailer of this TV drama had me on edge the whole time I was watching it and from watching the trailer, it made me want to watch this series and I have watched it within 3 days!


From watching all of these clips, I found that for our opening clip that we will create, to make it a thriller, we must include:

1. Dark/ grey tones to create a gloomy atmosphere
2. Some fast, straight cuts to create suspense 
3. Pale, emotionless face of the main girl in our clip
4. Graphical and realistic cuts/ bruises on the girl to keep the viewers interested
5. Diegetic and non-diegetic sounds that create suspense and thrill
6. Don't give the whole plot away so there is a mystical feel to our piece

I would like to take these certain aspects of the 3 trailers I watched and let these influence our final piece.

Also, when presenting our final idea to our teacher, we described how we would like a slight ringing noise in the background of our clip in certain places, which is slightly headachy and makes you feel as if you have been blown up. I got this idea from seeing and listening to what happens when you play Call Of Duty on a console, when you get blown up or a grenade goes off around you, your sight goes blurry and the ringing noise is present, which could make you feel disorientated and fragile, which is what we want the main girl in our opening scene to experience when she leaves the barn she has been trapped in for a long time and finally sees light again.