Inspirations - Miss Miller

To create something, we need inspiration to help expand our creativity and ideas. Taking small elements from other films etc and changing/personalizing them helps immensely with the creative process. I have taken inspirations from openings and scenes from other thriller films, as shown in previous blog posts. This is a list of all the thriller films that I have looked at: Se7en; Halloween (1978); Orphan; The Happening; Scream 4; The Conjuring; Dawn Of The Dead (2004); Saw II; Saw V; Saw 3D; Psycho (1960); The Shining; The Sixth Sense; and Final Destination 5. I will now discuss how some of these films have influenced and inspired me and my group.

The first of the sequences that I have previously researched that I will now discuss is The Happening. I researched and analysed the cinematography used in this film's opening scene. It gave me and my group inspiration for our opening scene. This film's opening sequence contains conventional-to-the-thriller-genre cinematography that we have tried to incorporate in our thriller sequence, but in differing ways. For example, a point of view shot is used to show the audience what the character sees - people stopping in the street all of a sudden. This engages the audience with the narrative, and also makes them empathetic with the characters. We will also use a point of view shot in our thriller opening to create the same effect. We will use this type of shot whilst showing the photos in the photo album. This will build the relationship between the audience and the character as the audience will be seeing exactly what the character sees, and can draw their own conclusions about what is happening - helping them relate to or empathise with the character's situation. This will make the audience actively involved with the story.

Secondly, I researched Saw 3D in relation to sound techniques. The sound in this film is quite conventional to the thriller genre. It has inspired me to use conventional sound techniques in my thriller film as it gives the audience a sense of familiarity if they are experiencing things that they've seen in other thriller films. The audience is then more likely to enjoy the film and build a relationship with the characters in it if there are familiar, conventional sounds included. Also, thriller genre conventions are used because the audience reacts well to them and likes them, so this is partly why we will use these techniques. For example, we will include creepy and intense music throughout the sequence to enhance the atmosphere and engage the audience. This general technique is widely used throughout the thriller genre.

I researched conventions within the film Saw V. This research involved the several elements shown throughout the entire thriller genre. These conventional elements include: hidden identity; isolated setting; low key lighting; unexpected twists; and 'scary' weapons/iconography. Firstly, the killer in our thriller film will have a hidden identity as they will be wearing a wedding veil, obscuring the face. This is conventional as it leaves a mystery for the audience as to who the killer is. Secondly, the setting will be seemingly isolated - no other characters will be seen within the main setting in the sequence (dark bedroom). Isolated settings also add to mystery, and suspense. The isolated setting in Saw V (and Se7en) inspired this isolated setting in some way. Thirdly, there will be low key lighting, as briefly mentioned in the previous conventional element. Low key lighting creates a sense of danger, frightening the audience and making them anticipate the murders to come. Fourthly, there will be one or two unexpected twists in the plot of our thriller film - seeing the woman in a wedding dress, the woman searching through a scrapbook, etc. Unexpected twists are a big part of thriller films because they keep the audience engaged in the narrative and on-edge/tense. We considered using this convention of unexpected twists as most of what makes the Saw V sequence that I analysed interesting is the unexpected twist of the man - who was supposed to survive - died, which keeps the audience connecting with the characters and narrative. Lastly, the main pieces of iconography in the scene will be a knife and a photo album. These objects are connecting because the killer is stabbing some people whose pictures are in the photo album. Knives are especially conventional to the thriller genre. The audience can build relationships with characters and narratives more if they are somewhat conventional and familiar. Also, conventions in thriller films are common mostly because they are effective in engaging the audience and helping them enjoy a film.

I researched a clip of Scream 4 in relation to mise-en-scene. I, and my narrative, has taken much inspiration from this analysis, such as having a domestic setting for most of the opening scene. This is very conventional as domestic settings in thriller films provide a false sense of security for the audience and the characters. For example, in the ending of our opening sequence, the 'groom' and his new girlfriend are sitting innocently on the sofa, watching tv. The 'groom' then goes upstairs. This domestic setting is relatable for the audience, increasing their sense of fear, as they can empathise with the character that is about to be killed.

In many of the films that I have previously analysed, there are both conventional characters and characters that challenge the conventions of the thriller genre. The film Orphan which I have previously researched includes an unconventional, female and unexpected killer. The killer in Orphan [appears to be] a young orphaned girl who has been adopted. She is revealed to be 33 years old who wears ribbons to hide scars from her straitjacket. This shows that not every character is as they seem. We have adopted this idea for our film - the 'bride' in the film looks like she should be innocent, but she is in fact a killer. This engages the audience as they are caught off guard because they do not expect a bride to be a murderer.

My research was incredibly helpful while planning my group's thriller film. We familiarised ourselves with popular thriller films, and learned the conventional aspects of the thriller genre that make up a thriller film. This is useful as we can apply most of these elements to our thriller film opening, making it more enjoyable for the viewer. For example, we now know that building suspense is essential for the shocks and surprises to be effective for the audience. Our thriller film opening sequence includes some aspects similar to those seen in the film Halloween that I researched in this post and this post. The setting is domestic - in a house - and our opening scene is also set in a house. Furthermore, the killer is someone close to the victim in Halloween - this is also true for our opening scene.

Planning Opening Credits - Miss Georgiou

Credits are important as they highlight everyone who has worked on the film, and all of the important people involved with the film: the actors, directer, producers, editors, etc.

Se7en - Opening Credits

  The opening credits for Se7en can be viewed here.

The credits for Se7en appear in the following order: production company, New Line Cinema; director, David Fincher; actors, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman (most famous actors first); title, Se7en; several more actors' names; casting by; music by; costume by; edited by; production by; director of photography; co-producers; co-executive and executive producers; producer; and director (again).

The opening credits to Se7en are conventional in relation to the thriller genre due to the jerky, raw and spiky look of the credits, and are effective in creating a tense/scary atmosphere. Firstly, the font is spiky, uneven and looks handwritten. It gives the credits an authentic and 'thrilling' feel. Additionally, the colour of the font contrasts with the images the credits are laid over. The monochromatic credits add to the intense atmosphere of the opening scene. Added to this, the credits jump and jerk in sync with the creepy/tense music to further create a suspenseful atmosphere. The images behind the font are of a mysterious man creating what looks like a scrapbook - this creates an enigma and intrigues the audience because they do not know what is happening.


Insidious - Opening Credits

 The opening credits for Insidious can be viewed here.

The credits for Insidious appear in the following order: title - Insidious; actor (x9); casting by; costume designer; music by; edited by; production designer; director of photography; line producer; co-produced by; executive producer; produced by; written by; and directed by. 

Firstly, the credits' font is quite traditional and neat looking. This contrasts to the scary and intense premise/plot of the film's narrative. Secondly, the credits are red-coloured - this symbolizes blood and danger, which can indicate the plot of the film. The sharp red colour of the font contrasts with the monochromatic images behind. The audience distinguishes between the narrative - fiction- and the credits - real life - and thereby engages them to pay attention to the opening sequence. Lastly, after a short delay, there is a smoke effect which causes the credits to go up in smoke and disappear. This adds to the creepy atmosphere of the opening scene. The way that the credits add to the tense and spooky atmosphere of the opening scene is conventional to the thriller genre, as many horror and thriller films use the font of their credits to enhance scary atmospheres.

Our Opening Scene's Credits

The order in which our credits will appear will be as follows: production company, 'Pine Alley Productions'; Title, 'Eternal'; Actress x2, Lily Badock and Amber Reed-Johnson; Executive producer, Jazz Chrystie; Music by Peder B. Helland (credited the person who wrote a piece of music that is included in our thriller, with automatic permission); minor actors x3, Cassius Chrystie, Gurbir Tiwana, and Kofi Offori; co-producer, Lily Badcock; sound by Amber Reed-Johnson; make up by Lily Badcock; Edited by Amber Reed-Johnson; Mise-en-scene co-ordinator, Jazz Chrystie; director of photography, Amber Reed-Johnson; written by Lily Badcock; co-written by Amber Reed-Johnson and Jazz Chrystie; casting by Jazz Chrystie; and directed by Lily Badcock.

We have decided on this order of credits as it seems the most realistic, and somewhat resembles the credits to Se7en (having two sets of actors' names in between other credits). Also, the font of our credits, we have decided, will be coloured red such as in Indidious. This will cause contrast with the neutral and dark tones of the images behind the font. Also, the letters will be uneven, to foreshadow the upcoming fatal events and create a suspenseful atmosphere for the audience. The credits will be layered, much like in Se7en and Insidious. This will create a doubled and blurry effect to represent the mystery within the film. Our credits will also have a shaky effect, similar to that of the font in Se7en's credits, to provide a sense of uneasiness and unsteadiness in the atmosphere, reflecting the 'bride's mental state.

Planning Sound - Miss Miller

Sound is very important within films as without sound, the story would not make sense. Furthermore, sound is used in thrillers to create an intense or frightening atmosphere - this can be through use of creepy music. Music and sound adds context to the images on screen, therefore the audience can make sense of the story. In order for our opening sequence to be at its best, we must carefully plan what sounds we are going to use at every point in the scene. Our thriller sequence will include many different types of sound techniques.

At the beginning of the sequence, during the panning shot of the entire wedding-decoration-filled room, there will be complete silence. This will build a lot of tension and the audience will anticipate a shock (the scary-looking woman sitting on the bed). This also engages the audience with the story, as they wish to know what is happening in the scene. Silence is a common technique within the thriller genre as it is an effective way to increase the tension in the atmosphere.

The same piece of music will be used throughout the flashbacks of getting ready for the wedding and a couple of the shots of the ex-bride. This sound technique is a sound bridge. It maintains continuity by linking the series of images together. The audience then understands that the images are related, and can infer that the getting-ready-for-the-wedding scenes are indeed flashbacks. This builds a relationship between the audience and the characters in the scene, as the plot is made more clear, which further engages the audience. Sound bridges are used often in films, and sometimes in the thriller genre, to link scenes together, or create a montage effect.

Non-diegetic sound in the scene will include the creepy and intense music during the shots that imply the murders of the groom's best man and friend. The music is non-diegetic as it will be added during the editing stage, and the origin of the sound cannot be seen in the frame. The music will build the relationship between the audience and the victim, as it will help them sympathise with the characters. Using this kind of music is very common in thriller films, as the music is mostly laid over action/killing shots/scenes, which are dominant in the thriller genre.

Also, at various points throughout the opening sequence, there will be non-diegetic contrapuntal sound - The Police - Every Breath You Take will play at points throughout. The seemingly positive tones of this song, but the actual negative tones of the song, reflect the same tones of our thriller sequence in general. It is conventional for thrillers to use music and sound that relates to and reflects the general story and tones of the sequences/scenes themselves. Furthermore, the audience can build their relationship with the 'bride' by using the music to identify with and understand the character(s).

Our sequence will be effective in creating tension and frightened emotions (for the audience) via the use of sound techniques and music. This will be achieved by tense music, and loud sound effects. In relation to the thriller genre, our sound choices are quite conventional. It is typical of thrillers to include tense/scary music, and also silence in places, which also creates tension. Planning our use of sound has been extremely helpful as we know which sounds and music we want to include in our sequence, and where in the sequence they will appear.

Planning Cinematography - Miss Miller

Cinematography is the use of camera shots and angles to create certain moods and atmospheres within a film. Cinematography is very important to a film, and all shots/angles are planned out carefully. Planning is crucial for a film to achieve the desired effect with its cinematography. We have chosen to use several camera angles and shots in our opening sequence.

The first shot of the sequence will be a panning shot. This will show the entire room that is featured in the opening scene. The audience will be introduced to the setting and everything in it, which will then give them some idea of what will happen in the rest of the sequence/film. This is important as the first impression of a scene/film determines the mood of the rest of the scene/film. The shot will portray the general wedding-theme - as shown by the iconography - which will intrigue the audience and make them anticipate a unique narrative, as it is unconventional and uncommon for thrillers to incorporate a theme of weddings/romance. Furthermore, panning shots are conventional as they are an effective way to show all of the objects/characters that are in the same setting.

Another shot in the scene will be a close up shot of the woman/ex-bride's face. This will help convey her strong, negative emotions, and the audience will understand that the woman wants to get revenge on someone (they do not know much about the actual plot at this point). This will create and build the relationship between the audience and the killer. Moreover, close up shots are conventional to the thriller genre as they help convey small but important parts of the scene. The use of this type of shot then goes on to engage the audience with the narrative and/or the characters.

In the sequence, we will use handheld shots during the flashbacks of the wedding. The handheld shots will symbolise the unsteadiness of the wedding, and the villain's mentality. The audience will then infer that the wedding could be the cause of something terrible, or that the wedding was terrible. This will engage the audience as they wish to find out what will happen next [or what already happened that they will find out about in a flashback - the deaths]. Handheld shots are conventional to the thriller genre and are commonly found in thriller films, as they convey unsteadiness and instability, and we chose to use handheld shots for this reason. We will also use them with the flashbacks to the [implied] murders.

Similarly, some shots in the sequence will have a canted angle. This will also suggest uneasiness and unsteadiness, and portray the ex-bride's unhealthy mental state, and negative emotions, as well as how the wedding was ruined. The canted angle will be present when the 'bride' is writing on the wedding balloons, which will portray her unhealthy mental state - she is dwelling on what could have been. Canted angles are common in the thriller genre, as they help portray unsteadiness and uneasiness in a similar fashion to handheld shots. Canted angles tilt the shot and make the audience understand that something is uneven or disorderly.

Point of view shots will be used in our sequence when the camera shows the photos in the 'wedding' photo album. We will use this type of shot as it connects the audience with the character as they can see what the character sees, and therefore experience what the character experiences. Point of view shots are typically used in films, particularly the thriller genre, to build and enhance the audience-character relationship. When the audience can relate to the character through seeing what the character sees, it improves the viewing experience because the audience feel more emotionally involved with the story.

Our sequence will be more effective through our use of cinematography. We have planned each shot appropriately, and are going to use only the most suitable shots throughout the sequence. The shots used will help portray a character's emotions, in turn provoking the same emotions in the audience, as the shots help the audience identify with characters. Our use of cinematography is quite conventional to the thriller genre as we are going to use a lot of close up shots, panning shots and handheld shots. All of these shots help the audience connect with the narrative and the characters. Planning our cinematography has helped us greatly as we know exactly how we want our sequence to look, which emotions to portray and where.

Planning mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

Mise-en-scene consists of 5 different elements, all of which are important and make up the film. The first element, settings and iconography, is important because it sets the feel of the film. For example, if the setting is a house and there are normal, every day objects on display, the audience will feel a (possibly false) sense of security. The second element of mise-en-scene is costume, hair and make-up. These things are important as they decide how the characters will look. The audience will identify with a victim who looks very ordinary. Facial expressions and body language, the third element, are important because they help convey the feelings/emotions of the character. This makes them more readable, and the audience can understand them and their situation more. The fourth element of mise-en-scene is lighting and colour. These things are important because they also determine the mood and atmosphere of the scene. For example, high key lighting is used in situations where everything is normal and ordinary. Low key lighting is used to create tension and suspense. The final element of mise-en-scene is positioning of characters/objects within the frame. This is integral to the scene as the positioning of everything decides what aspects are the scene are important for the audience to see. Mise-en-scene is extremely important within a thriller film because every small detail is significant in telling a story.

Settings & Iconography
The setting of our opening scene will mostly be in a dark, isolated bedroom. This is where the woman sits and thinks about the wedding, leading to the revelation that she killed the 'groom's parents. This particular setting was used as it symbolizes the dark and uneasy nature of the plot of the opening sequence/film. Other settings in the opening scene, such as in the flashbacks, will be the outside of a church (briefly), field/forest at night (briefly) and outside in the streets at night (briefly). The church setting will be bright and seemingly cheerful, as it will show the wedding party arriving. This provides a false sense of happiness and joy. The two outside-at-night settings will be used in the flashbacks to the [implied] killings of the 'groom's parents. The dark, scary and intense atmosphere will create an appropriate mood for that part of the story. This isolated, dark setting is conventional to the thriller genre as thrillers commonly use settings such as this to create an intense atmosphere.

The iconography in the scene will include the following important objects: photo album, full of wedding guest photos; wedding decorations; knife (flashbacks) and the stereo/radio that will play the music in the background of the scene. The wedding-centric iconography indicates that the film is somewhat based around the events of a wedding. The knife is important, and conventional to thriller films, iconography as it represents a murder symbol. The inclusion of the knife in the flashbacks is important as it implies that the deaths happened, without showing anyone being killed. Knives are common iconography choices in thriller films in general.

Costume, Hair & Make-up
The main female character, the killer, will be wearing a wedding dress throughout the opening scene. She wears it when reminiscing over the failed wedding day, when killing her victims, and in the brief flashback to the wedding day. The constant wearing of this costume indicates that a wedding affected her deeply, and she is too unstable to take off the dress. Wearing it as she kills her victims further indicates her emotional instability. She also wears her veil at all times, which maintains a hidden identity. Furthermore, her hair and make-up will be made to look as if she is a bride. Her eye make-up will be smeared, to indicate crying. This all indicates that the wedding strongly affected her emotionally. This element of the mise-en-scene is quite conventional to the thriller genre as the costume/hair/make-up is related to the character's role in the story, and helps the audience identify and understand the character more.

Facial Expressions & Body Language
The 'bride' will be continuously upset/crying throughout the scene, except in the happy flashbacks and the angry implied-killing flashbacks. She is weak-looking when she is on the bed, looking over the photo album - her posture is poor. This highlights the effect that the wedding had on her. However, when she is killing, her posture is sure and confident. This shows that she is still stronger than her victims, despite her unhappiness and mental instability. Thrillers conventionally convey most of the characters' emotions through their facial expressions and body language, as it is easier for the audience to understand the character's feelings this way.

Lighting & Colour
There will be low key lighting all throughout the scene to create a tense and suspenseful atmosphere, except in the positive flashback to before the wedding. This contrast will alert the audience to the shift in mood - it indicates that she was a lot happier back then. Now, she is broken, lonely and distraught. Low key lighting is a conventional, common part of the typical thriller film as it highlights the bad, violent and frightening parts of the story.

Positioning of Characters/Objects Within the Frame
In the opening shot especially, it will be visible that wedding decorations are scattered all around the bedroom, surrounding the woman on the bed. This suggests that the wedding still surrounds her and fully engulfs her memory and mind. The audience can infer straight away that a failed wedding/marriage is an integral plot point of the film. This element of the mise-en-scene is quite conventional to a thriller film as the positioning of objects in relation to a character can, a lot of the time, indicate certain parts of the story.

Our target audience for our thriller film is 15+ year olds. We will engage this target audience, and older viewers, by using a variation of objects, characters and other elements of mise-en-scene listed above. Females especially will be intrigued by the inclusion of a wedding in a thriller film, as females tend to be more interested in romantic themes. Furthermore, our young target audience will be able to relate more to the film and the characters as the characters are all quite young (approximately 18 years old). This builds the relationship between the audience and the characters because they can empathise more with the narrative.

Planning Editing Styles - Miss Georgiou

Editing is very important within a thriller film, as most of the suspenseful or tense atmosphere is derived from editing of the film. The way that specific shots are put together is integral to the atmosphere of the thriller film, as is sound editing - appropriate music, sounds and editing is key.

Firstly, we will include slow editing in most of the sequence to create a tense atmosphere. This will draw the audience in and engage them. The audience will suspect some sort of shock or surprise, but will be unsure when this will happen. The slow editing prepares them for this. Secondly, we will include fast editing when showing the flashbacks. This will create excitement, and the audience will be curious as to what is happening. The fast editing will also create a sense of action and possibly fear, especially when used with the flashbacks related to the 'bride' killing the 'groom's family. Slow editing is very conventional to the thriller genre as it is one of the best and most effective ways to create tension.

The Kuleshov effect will be used when showing the flashbacks in relation to the groom's parents. The shot of the red 'X' through the parents' faces and then the following shot of the 'bride' walking up to each parent holding a knife will imply that the 'bride' has already killed both parents, and is reminiscing over this while looking at the photo album. This alerts the audience to the death of the 'groom's parents without actually having to show any death/violence - the murdering is implied via the Kuleshov effect. The Kuleshov effect can be popular within the thriller genre as it adds a sense of mystery and slight confusion to the atmosphere.

There will be jump cuts throughout the opening sequence to create focus on a specific object or person. For example, when the woman picks up the photo album, there will be a jump cut to the photos inside. This will ensure that the audience knows the importance of this object. Jump cuts are conventional for films, especially in the thriller genre, as it is common in thrillers for the scene to constantly cut to objects that are or will be important to the narrative.

These editing styles are quite typical to thriller films. The slow and fast editing in tense and action-filled parts of a film (respectively) are widely used throughout the thriller genre. They create the appropriate atmospheres for specific parts of an opening sequence, and in a film in general. This is the reason that we will include these types of editing in our thriller opening sequence. Also, jump cuts are frequently used in the thriller genre, as they help the audience focus on a specific part of the scene, which may hint at certain aspects of the future plot. For instance, if at some point in the thriller, someone will get stabbed, there may be a jump cut to a knife beforehand. The editing that we will use in our thriller will appeal to the audience because, although it is seen in most thriller films, they will still be engaged with the plot due to the editing techniques that we will use.

Planning Characters - Miss Miller

Thriller films need characters so the audience can build relationships with them and identify more with the film's storyline. The audience must be interested in the narrative of the film; this would be very difficult to achieve without characters.

Ex-fiancée/Bride/Killer
The main character of the sequence is the killer. She is female, and it is implied that she has an emotionally unstable background. This would explain her homicidal tendencies. Furthermore, her age is unknown, and she always wears her wedding veil. This maintains her hidden identity, creating an enigma - the audience do not know much about the killer. The audience then builds a relationship with the character as, because they hardly know anything about the 'bride', they are engaged with the character and the narrative so they can find out more about them. Our sequence will in turn be made interesting by this enigma surrounding the killer's hidden identity and the audience will therefore be intrigued by the sequence.

Ex-fiancé/Groom/Victim
The main victim of the sequence is the male ex-fiancé/groom of the killer. He is approximately 20 years old, as indicated by the year of birth in the photo album. He is an ordinary man with a normal background. His ordinary nature is relatable to the audience, which increases their relationship and the sympathy that the audience has for the character. The victim is also portrayed as weak and coward-like through the implication that he left his wife-to-be for no reason, therefore maintaining the conventions of weak (in comparison to the villains) victims. Our sequence will be made interesting by this character because it is uncommon to see an adult male victim in a thriller film, due to the convention of women being portrayed as weak. This may increase our female audience rate, as the female character in this film is portrayed as the stronger person. Furthermore, the audience may also relate to the character if they are married/engaged/in a relationship.

Extras/minor characters
There will be extra/minor characters in the opening sequence. Firstly, the parents of the ex-groom will play a small but important role in the sequence. They are shown both in the photo album and in flashbacks and it is strongly implied that the ex-bride killed them. This sets the frightening, intense mood for the opening sequence. Secondly, there will be extra characters as photos in the photo album and some in flashbacks. These characters will help set the atmosphere for the narrative, as some flashbacks will involve the [failed] wedding. The characters will make the story more believable and interesting, so the audience will feel more connected to the opening sequence.

The main characters are not very conventional in relation to gender, however, the killer is mentally unstable and had a[n implied] troubled upbringing - this is conventional to the thriller genre. Also, the killer uses an ordinary kitchen knife to kill her victims. Additionally, the victim is weaker than the killer, despite the killer being unstable. These elements of the character are typical to thrillers and therefore emphasise the opening sequence's genre. This planning has been helpful in preparation as we now know how we want our characters to come across in the sequence.