Question 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

From planning and filming my preliminary task I have uncovered a number of problems which would jeopardise our thriller opening. But because we were able to spot the problems before we even began planning our thriller task we were able to avoid them. Below is a list of problems/ disadvantages which we uncovered from our preliminary task which we have fixed for our thriller opening.

What have I learnt?

One of the main skills I have learnt throughout my media task is how to use a camera effectively, for example I have learnt numerous different camera angles and shot types and what effects they all have. One of my more preferred camera shots is either the high or low angle camera shot, I like this shot because it allows you film a character and portray them differently, for example a high angle shot can be used to portray weakness and a low angle shot looking up on a character can symbolise power.

I have also learnt important rules which must be followed when filming. The most important rule is the 180*. The 180* rule is important and must be followed because it is designed to keep a scene ‘manageable’; basically it ensures that a scene doesn’t become too confusing so that the audience does not become confused. In our preliminary task we broke the 180* rule slightly and it made the footage ever so slightly confusing so we made sure that when planning and filming our thriller opening the 180* wasn’t broken.

I have learnt from my preliminary task that planning a shot can be harder than it appears. When it came to actually filming out preliminary task a lot of the shots we planned to use wouldn’t work because the camera viewing window is not as large as we expected. In response to this we have ensured that all of the planned shots for the thriller opening will fit properly, to do this we had to carefully plan and sketch up our storyboard.

Once we had created our preliminary task a few feedback comments were made related to the story behind our preliminary task. People stated that our preliminary task did not have much of a story to it and it just consisted of too much walking. In response to this we made sure that our thriller movie would be much more dramatic with a much better story behind it. To ensure that our thriller opening will be more exciting than our preliminary task we firstly decided that an action scene is needed to give it a dramatic feel, this is where the torture scene idea came from and then we worked on the interrogation trying to make it as realistic as possible.

Once we had finished our preliminary task it because clear that continuity editing was a lot harder than it first appeared. When we filmed our prelim we had to change where we were filming halfway through so in one scene you can see Callum Cole standing in one door and in the shot after he is standing in another door. When we were planning our thriller opening we ensured that the location we had chosen would not change over the duration of the filming, we also had to ensure on the filming day that we did not accidently change anything to the scene or character which can be spotted between scenes.

Filming our preliminary task allowed us to find any weaknesses we had and sort them out before we had to go out and film our thriller opening. Filming our preliminary task also supplied us with the experience needed to film a professional thriller opening.

Skills I have progressed with

From creating my preliminary task and to completing my thriller opening I have developed a number of film making skills. Some of the skills are equipment related such as camera skills and tripod skills and some are software related, for examples using programmes such as iMovie and GarageBand. Below I will cover the different skills I have learnt and progressed in since creating my preliminary task.

Equipment

Since we began our preliminary task I have learnt multiple camera techniques and skills which have really helped me create my thriller movie opening to such a high standard.

·        I have become more confident using cameras because I understand more about how they work and what features they have which can be used to aid in filming.

·        I have had practice filming shots such as panning shots and zoom shots which are usually difficult to achieve because of un-steady camera movement.

·        I have knowledge on a large amount of camera shot types and angles as well as camera composition and framing.

·        I can efficiently use a camera with a tripod to film steady/ sturdy footage. I can also use the tripod to set shots up, for example tripod height and angle.

Software

Since we began our preliminary task I have been using the iMovie Programme quite regularly. This has helped me gain experience and knowledge in using this programme which has helped me edit my thriller movie opening to the standard I require.

·        I know how to import footage and cut it down into its required size ready to be reassembled.

·        I know how to add sound effects and music on top of a video. I can also edit or remove the soundtrack which is embedded into the recorded video clip.

·        I can add effects onto video or images.

·        I can add clip transitions between two or more pieces of video clips so that they fit together better.

·        I am capable of adding titles over the top of videos or images.

·        I can export my finished product and then upload it to a storage device such as a CD and then create an interactive dashboard which aids people using the CD.

I have also been regularly using the GarageBand software. Using GarageBand has helped me understand how the programme works ready for when I need to create the sound effects for our thriller opening.

·        I am capable of cutting down sound effects/ music so that I create one whole sound track.

·        I know how to put together a sound track so that it merges together properly and it makes sense.

·        I can add sound effect over other sound effects/ music to make the sound different.

·        I can export my finished sound track and then copy it over to iMovie ready to be placed onto our thriller opening.

What would I change about our thriller opening?

If I had the choice to go back and change anything the only thing I would change is the lighting, when we filmed the scene the lighting seemed fine but then when we uploaded the footage up onto iMovie the lighting was much brighter than we were hoping. We decided to edit all of the clips and make them black and white to give the effect that it is darker than it appears. If I could go back I would make the scene darker so that when we came to editing we would not have to edit the brightness of the footage at all or just less.

Apart from that our filming went perfectly apart from we had to repeat a few scenes because of acting problems but this was not a big deal and it did not affect out filming schedule.

Overall I believe that out thriller opening is filled with tension and mystery which I common practice for most modern thriller movies. I believe that we stuck true to the thriller genre and we have utilized all of its conventions.

Below I will post my completed Media Thriller Opening…

Question 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

One the major skills that I have learnt from this unit of work is how to use a camera and the different features/ shot types they are capable of. Throughout filming our prelim and thriller opening I have learnt about the different camera angles which can be achieved using a camera, for example close up shot, medium shot, long shot, point of view shot etc and what effects they have on the footage. One of the most effective shots we used was an angled shot looking up at the interrogator and an angled shot looking down at the hostage. These two shots where effective because they gave the impression that the hostage was weak and hopeless and the interrogator was powerful and in control. The reason why we used these two shots is because it allowed us to give the effect of who is in-control and who is at there mercy, this is very important because thriller movies are designed to show the feeling of the characters and this shot shows it perfectly because it shows the hostage powerless and scared and the interrogator with all of the power feeling confident and prepared. The most common camera shot which we used was a basic medium range camera shot positioned at the hostages eye-level, we used this shot the most because it allowed the audience to clearly see the hostages face and his emotion which is important in thriller films because it allow the audience to create an emotional attachment to the character. We also used this shot because it is a type of composition and framing and it also allows the audience to see the interrogator moving around the hostage and you can see the hostages reactions when the interrogator says/ does something, for example when the interrogator shows the document to the hostage you can tell that he is worried because of the facial expression he pulls and he looks away.  Learning multiple different camera angles has helped me to create my thriller opening because it has allowed me to film the opening differently from just using basic camera shot types.

I have also learnt how to use the different features of a camera, for example the zoom and manual focus. Learning how to use the zoom on a camera is very important because it allows me to capture what I want in a scene, for example if I only wanted to capture a certain section of a scene I could alter the zoom of the camera so it would only pick up what I wanted to capture. The manual focus option on a camera is not used that much but it can be helpful when it is needed. For example if you wanted to create a blur effect you can alter the focus so you can get the effect you are looking for.

I have also learnt that getting the lighting right for filming can be very difficulty because natural lights can something be too bright or dark and artificial light can be too dark or light. I have found out that the best way to ensure that your lighting if ready for filming is to test it before you film so that is something is not right you can do something about it quickly and efficiently. If your lighting is not correct which happened to us when we were filming out thriller opening you can adjust the brightness and darkness of footage by using video editing software such as iMovie which I have also learnt how to use.

I have also learnt how to film steady footage using the tripods. Being able to film steadily is important because it allows the audience to pay their full attention to the footage not the uneven footage. Tripods are also good when trying to film a panning shot because they allow you to alter the angle of the camera horizontally and vertically very precisely. Tripods have been one of the most important pieces of equipment I have learnt how to use because they allow me to film precisely and steadily something which is impossible to achieve with the human hand.

I have also learnt how to use the editing software ‘iMovie’ which we used to edit both our prelim and thriller opening task. Learning how to use iMovie and all of the features it possesses was one of the most beneficial skills that I learnt throughout this task. iMovie has numerous features such as transitions, effects, video cutting etc. We used all of these effects when editing out thriller opening, below is a list of what features I have learnt how to use in iMovie.

·         I have learnt how to cut clips down to the size I wish them to be so that they fit properly with the other clips.

·         I have learnt how to alter the sound which is embedded into recorded footage, for example I can change the volume throughout a piece of footage.

·         I have learnt how to alter the speed of footage; I can slow footage down or speed it up.

·         I can add sound effects and music to my video, the sound effects we added to our thriller was off the GarageBand audio library.

·         I can change the visual effects of videos and photos using features such as brightness, contrast, exposure, darkness etc.

·         I can add transitions between video clips and pictures and edit how fast they change and what effect they have (fade to black, fade to white etc)

·         I can add titles over the top of videos and photos as well as being able to choose and edit the effect of the title.

·         I have learnt how import numerous video files and then cut them up so that I am left with the footage I require to complete my entire video.

·         I have learnt how to export my completed footage and upload it onto a CD where I can create an interactive dashboard.

I also learnt how to use other software such as GarageBand which allowed me to create and edit my own sounds for my thriller opening. GarageBand has numerous features which allow me to insert sounds, edit them and then export the file ready to be placed on my thriller opening in iMovie. This software is extremely helpful and effective because it allows me to create my own sound effects as well as edit existing sound effect; GarageBand comes with numerous features which allow me to edit the sound. Also GarageBand allows multiple sound effect or music clips to be paired together to create one sound file, GarageBand can also be used to cut up a sound file into smaller parts so that they can be used separately. GarageBand was extremely helpful to us because it allowed us to pair a number of sound clips together so that they created one larger clip which we used over the entire of our thriller, also the features it has allowed us to merge the sound effects together so that they don’t sound as if they are ‘clashing’. GarageBand also have an extremely large audio library which it shares with iTunes, this is very helpful because there are so many audio clips that there is defiantly going to be a suitable clip somewhere.

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Question 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

Before we began to create our thriller opening we created a questionnaire which we handed out to students in year 12 and 13, we handed out the questionnaires to people in the common room. These questions gave us an insight into what people expect in thriller movies and what they think makes a good thriller movie opening. This will help us create out thriller opening because we will know what people think makes a good thriller opening.

We have followed the feedback which we gathered from our questionnaire so the thriller that we have created should attract our audience because we have listened to their advice and worked on it. The questionnaire feedback which we received has altered the way our thriller opening was planned and created because we incorporated the feedback into our thriller as much as we could. The feedback helped us choose the location for our thriller, understand what sort of sound/ music is popular within a thriller movie, understand what type of lighting should be used and what effect it has. We also learnt about what people like to see in a thriller movie opening, for example we learnt about what people think should happen in a thriller opening and what draws the audience in.

In response to the questionnaire feedback we have created out thriller opening so that it appeals more to our audience. Below I will list the main elements of which make up a thriller movie and I will then list the feedback we gained from the questionnaire related to a particular element and they I will explain how we fulfilled the audience’s expectations.

What key features should occur in a thriller opening?

From our questionnaire feedback we have gather that a lot of people believe that a thriller opening should be gripping and something important should happen which sets the story off as well as grabbing the audience’s attention.

In response to this we ensured that our thriller opening include a very dramatic scene which grabs the audiences attention and keeps them wanting to watch on. The scene we used to do this is the very first clip where the hostage’s head is being pulled out of a bucket of water, this instantly builds up the tension because the audience is thrown straight into the storyline without warning and they want to know why this hostage is being tortured.

Sound

Most people who filled in our questionnaire stated that a thriller movie should include sounds which are ‘dramatic’ ‘creepy’ ‘tension building’ etc.

In response to this we searched through numerous sound tracks until we found a few which we believed suited our thriller opening and built up the tension and atmosphere. Throughout our entire thriller opening a sound effect is being played in the background, although it is quiet it can still be heard and it builds up tension because the audience knows that something is going to happen anytime soon.

Lighting

From our research we have gather that most of the people who filled in our questionnaire believe that the lighting should be dark, dim eerie, shadow etc.

In response to this we decided to use a single light source which gave the scene a dark, eerie setting but you are still able to see clear enough to know what is going on.

Location

From the feedback we gained from our questionnaire we learnt that most people believe that the location for a thriller film is one of the most important parts of the film and it affects the way the audience views the film.

In response to this we decided to film our thriller opening in a dark secluded location because it creates tension and it gives the effect of claustrophobia. Also because our thriller film is going to be an interrogation a small location gives the effect that the hostage has been enclosed and shut off from the outside world.  

Summary

Once we finished our thriller opening we decided to create a narrative version where we would explain why we used different conventions. We also mention in the video feedback we gained in the questionnaire and how we used the feedback to plan, film and edit our thriller opening. The video can be viewed below and it is named ‘Question 5 - How did we attract/ address our audience?’. 

Below is the video and narrative script which we used in the video…

‘In our questionnaire we got feedback saying that a typical thriller should be filmed in a dark and secluded place, this is why we picked this location.

We picked a location that was dark, however it wasn't as dark as we expected it to be, this why we used a black and white transition over it.

We also got feedback from our questionnaires saying that our thriller opening should be thrilling and dramatic from the start.

This is why we opened our thriller with the torture scene with the bucket of water, this is because it makes the audience want to watch on.

Our audience suggested that an isolated location should best suit our thriller opening because it creates an eyry atmosphere and tension because it is an unknown setting.

The location that we chose was a garden shed because it is small and isolated from the outside world. The shed could be anywhere.

The outfits used in the opening reflect the roles of the characters they are playing

The convict is dressed in casual wear showing that he has been caught unaware, whereas the cop is wearing formal wear which shows that he is organised and prepared for the situation

This also shows that he is in control and the powerful character in the scene. The convict lies at his mercy.

We placed tools in the scene which would specifically trigger reactions that will assume that something bad could happen

They were placed in this scene because it shows that it is a working environment every day garden tools could quite easily be used in the wrong way.

We added them to the background because without them we thought that the setting would be bare’.

Question 4 - Who would be the audience for your media product?

We as a group have decided that the target audience for our Thriller movie is for people over the age of 18. This is because thriller movies create tension and fear which is un-acceptable for people under the age of 18. When we first started our media unit we researched into different thriller movies and most of them where either rated at 15 or 18 depending on their content. Because our thriller opening did not include any real disturbing scenes we have decide that its target audience is for people over the age of 15. The BBFC states that a 15 rated film/ trailer must not include any explicit language or discrimination, but they do state that strong threats of horror and menace is permitted as well as dangerous/ violent behaviour if not too much detail is shown. Out film does include violence but we do not go into details and show the full effects of the violence and how it affected the victim. We believe that our thriller opening follows these guide lines and it does not breach any of then, this is why we believe that our thriller opening should be rated at ‘15’.

From our feedback we concluded that most people believe that a thriller opening has to be gripping, exciting, building up the tension etc, to do this scenes have to be created which build tension and grip the audience. This means that most thriller movies will be rated 15 or over because most people want scenes in thriller movies which are probably­­­ un suitable for people under the age of 15.

Thriller audience profile

The main audience for our thriller is for people aged between 18 and 40. This is because our thriller includes scenes which are preferred by the younger and mid aged age group. Our thriller is more likely going to be more popular with male audiences because it includes violence and torture which is usually preferred by the male gender. Thriller movies can be watched by anyone with different backgrounds because there are so many sub-genres of the thriller genre that there is one for everyone. People who are into gangster and police movies/ books such as Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels etc, our thriller will be perfect because it includes police officers/ detectives and criminals/ gangsters.

Feedback

Once out thriller was completed and fully edited we then decide to get feedback from students at our school. To get feedback we got two students to watch out thriller opening and then comment on how they liked it, we recorded what they replied with and I have placed the two videos below. One of the videos is named ‘Question 4 – Interview with Joe James’ and ‘Question 4 – Interview with Kingston Capes’. Both of them are very similar and they are both asked very similar questions but with slightly different answers.

Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I have chosen Paramount Vantage for my film producer because they are well known for creating thriller movies such as No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood which were both released in 2007 and both won multiple awards. Paramount Vantage is a branch of Paramount Pictures and it was formed in 1998 as Paramount Classics which was later in 2006 converted into Paramount Vantage. Paramount Vantage has produced a number of movies similar to the thriller opening that I am hoping to portray, I am hoping to capture the location and settings of No Country For Old Men, probably there most popular movie which won the Movie Of The Year award in 2007. The advantage of using a large American corporation is because they are more likely going to have more experience in creating thriller films and they probably also have more access and links to other businesses/ organisations which may be helpful when creating out own thriller, they are also likely going to have more resources and funds which I extremely helpful when creating a movie.

Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In our thriller the two main characters have been represented as two different types of characters. The hostage has been interpreted as a much more casual, laid back character; this has been represented through his clothing, he is wearing a hoodie, pair of jeans and a pair of trainers. The interrogator on the other hand has been presented as a much more organised, this has been represented through his clothing being much more serious and neat, he wearing a large over coat, a shirt and tie and a pair of ‘office ware’ trousers.

Both of the characters have been represented in the same age range, approximately between 20 and 25. We chose this age range because more and more younger people are interested in crime thriller movies so they can relate/ understand a character. Also we decided that when planning our thriller opening the two characters would both be male. This is because male characters are much more ‘violent’ and we can do more with them, for example the torture scene would not fit as well if a woman was the hostage because most people would not agree with a male torturing a female.

The two main props which were included in the thriller opening was the document and the guns. Both are in possession of the interrogator and the hostage appears to have no props, this gives a sense of weakness because the hostage has nothing to protect himself with. The props also show that the interrogator is powerful and organized, it appears that he as been collecting/ organising the documentation ready to use against the hostage when the time comes because when he shows the hostage the documents he knows exactly what they show. Also to be able to acquire a gun the individual needs to have power of some kind, whether this is police power or gang power you never find out in the thriller opening.

The clothing which the two characters are wearing also hints to which social group the are part of. The hostage is wearing casual clothing which hints towards him being a criminal, although a lot of people wear the same sort of clothing he must have done something or witnessed something which has resulted in him being taken hostage. The interrogator on the other hand is wearing much smarter clothing which hints towards him being organized or part of some kind of organisation, the police, gang etc.

We also used different camera shots to get across the power and social groups of the two characters. To do this we angle the camera in such a way that it changes the appearing status of the character. For example when we are looking at the hostage we are looking down at him, this gives the effect that he is weak and powerless but it also gives the effect that he has done something bad and he deserves what is going on. The interrogator on the other hand is viewed very differently because the camera is angled up looking up to him, this gives the effect that he is powerful and in control but it also gives the effect that what he is doing is right.

Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

A thriller is a movie genre which uses mystery and tension to create anticipation and suspense. Thriller movies are designed to keep the audience constantly alert and on edge because anything could happen. Thrillers usually contain some sort of twist in the story which is usually unexpected and changes the overall outcome of the thriller. There are numerous sub genres of thriller movies all of which are based on a different basic storyline, for example there are crime thrillers, mystery thrillers and psychological thrillers which are probably the most common type of thriller because of there popularity.

Thriller movies also use numerous different camera angles and shot types to get certain information across to the audience, for example camera angles can be used to show power or weakness within characters. Power or Weakness of characters can be shown to the audience by using different camera angles, if they wanted to portray a character as powerful they would lower the camera so that it is looking up at the character, if they canted to make a character appear weak they would raise the camera and have it looking down on the character. Although this is a basic method it is widely and frequently used because it is such an easy way of differentiating characters power.

Also a very common convention used in thriller movies is showing the emotion and reaction of a character. Showing the characters emotion is a very important part of a thriller movie because thriller movies are designed to mess with your mind. To show the audience a characters emotion they will usually use a close up or extreme close-up of the characters face. This is very effective because it allows the audience to partly understand what the character is thinking and in some situations it can create an emotional attachment. The same method of using a close-up or extreme close-up can also be used to show the reaction of a character. In a thriller it is very important to capture the characters reaction because it is one of the best ways of showing there state of mind, for example if someone is scared and they are startled they are going to have a much bigger reaction than someone who is feeling fine.

Editing is also a very large part of thriller movies because editing allows lighting, sounds, video effects, titles and clip transitions to be added. Lightings, sounds, video effects and clip transitions are very important to thriller movies because they are some of the key conventions which can be used to edit the way a thriller movie is portrayed.

Lighting is very important because it can be used to completely change the atmosphere of a scene, for example the producer/ director wanted the scene to be as creepy/ eerie as possible they would darken the scene so that the audience cannot see everything but because most people relate darkness to danger and horror etc. Sound is also very important because it can be used to build tension and drama, for example if something big is going to happen dramatic music can be added into the scene to prepare the audience for what is going to happen but to also add tension.

In most thrillers the clip transition is usually a straight cut because it is quick and straight to the point. Also if used in such a way straight cuts can be used to build tension and suspense, for example changing the camera shots quickly can create the effect that something important is going on and it can create the effect of speed, used frequently in chase scenes and fighting scenes. Different clip transitions can be used to give different effects, for example the fade to black/ white or fade from black/ white is quite popular within thriller movies because it can give the effect of time changing or location changing.

Video editing plays a massive part in creating thriller movies because it allows the footage to be edited so that it appears as the director/ products wants it to be. Also having the capability of being able to edit footage is a large advantage because it takes some of the stress of filming away, for example the lighting can be edited on a computer. Video editing also allows effects to be added over the footage, for example footage can be edited so that it meets the requirements of the director/ producer. Certain effects can be used to build up tension because it can completely transform the atmosphere of a scene, for example washout tinting sucks the colours out of the footage and makes it much more eerie and creepy.

Mise-en-scene is very important to all movie genres but it is also widely used in thriller genres. Mise-en-scene can range from anything from props, clothing, background and foreground props etc. Background and foreground props are items which are placed a scene to build up the atmosphere and make the scene appear more realistic. They are very important to thriller movies because thriller movies are all about building up the tension and atmosphere and one of the best ways of doing that is by building up an effective surrounding. Props are also very important in thriller movies because different props can be used to create different types of tension and action, for example a weapon creates drama and tension because the audience knows what the prop is capable of but they don’t know how the character is going to use it. Clothing is also a very important part of thriller movies because it allows the audience to differentiate and learn about a character purely through what he is wearing, for example if a character is wearing a jacket, shirt and tie the audience will know that the character is well organised and has probably been to work or somewhere important.

What key elements does a thriller opening need?

All thriller openings need to be able to grab their audience’s attention from the start. To do this they will usually uncover a large part of the story straight away to keep the audience on edge, for example in the movie ‘Memento’ the first scene is actually how the movie ends. They do this because then the audience wants to watch on because they want to know what happened previously which lead to ending. Although this is a good convention it is still not enough to keep the audience fully engrossed in the movie, to do that they need to use methods such as camera angles/ shots, lighting, sound, editing, mise-en-scene, narration ect to build up a good atmosphere so that the audience wants to watch on. Most of the techniques which I have just listed are covered above in detail and below I have mentioned how we used the techniques in our own thriller opening. Below is a list of key elements which are needed to create an effective thriller opening...

• A thriller movie opening should capture the audience’s attention and imagination, to do this usually something important or interesting will happen early on in the film.
• The opening scene to a thriller should be very atmospheric, this grabs the audiences attention but it also gives the audience an insight into what sort of movie it is going to turn out to be, for example if it is a horror thriller then the opening scene may be dark and dingy with scary sound in the background to prepare the audience for what is going to happen.
• It is also very common for the main characters to be introduced early on in a thriller movie. This technique is used because it allows the story to start early on and it gives the audience time to learn about the character and how they feel/ react.

What conventions have we used in our thriller

 We decided to make a crime thriller because they are slightly easier to create compared to mystery and psychological thrillers which can be quite hard to create because of the effects needed. Crime thrillers are much easier to create because there are much more situations which can be incorporated and locations/ props are much easier to organise and incorporate into the thriller. Also because it was easier to set out and organise it allowed us more time to make the thriller opening as realistic as possible. To make it as realistic as possible we tried to write our script so it was as professional as possible and it all made sense. When we were filming we also repeated scenes over and over until we were happy with the outcome and it was as realistic as it could be.

 In our thriller we used a number of different camera angles because we wanted to show the scenes from as much angles as possible and keep the audience engaged and interested which is much harder to do if the same camera angles are repeated over and over; we tried to use camera angles which portrayed the hostage as weak and vulnerable and angles which portrayed the interrogator as if he was in control. To do this we used angles which either looked up at the interrogator from the hostage’s perspective or angles which looked down at the hostage from the interrogators perspective. We also used camera shots which allowed the viewer to see the expressions on the hostages face as he was being questioned; this allows the viewer to get an insight into how the hostage is feeling and what he is going through there mind, it also allows them to get emotionally attached to the character and understand what they are feeling inside. Also other common camera shots we used included both the hostage and the interrogator in the scene; this allows the viewer to see both the hostages and interrogators actions and reaction. For example the last scene shows the interrogator pointing a gun at the hostages head; we can see the interrogator looking down at the hostage as if he was in power and the hostage looking up at the interrogator as if he was weak and in his mercy.

When we were editing our footage we either used fade to black/ white or straight cuts between clips. For the clips which included images, photos or credits we used the fade to black/ white effect because it gives the effect that the scene is either in the past or future. The straight cuts between the footage are basic but effective, its quick and it gives the effect of drama because of camera’s changing between each other quickly. This type of editing is very common within conventional thrillers because they also usually use an effect of some kind when trying to portray the past or future and they usually use straight cuts between camera shots. Also when we edited out footage we made it black and white because the scenes were not as dark as we were hoping and the black and white gives the effect of a dark/ eerie location which is difficult to create with coloured footage. Also we made the credits/ documentation black and white to match the rest of the footage, we also altered the darkness, exposure and brightness of the clips, the clips which show the hostage and the interrogator are pure black and white but the title’s and the documentation clips have had the exposure, colour and brightness altered to give an unusual effect of black and white. This gave us the atmospheric feeling we were looking for because it prepares the audience for what is coming.

Also the sound which we included in the thriller opening is very eerie and mysterious; we decided to use this type of music because it builds up suspense because the music hints to something important happening in the near future. The music is also quite ‘sad’ and ‘depressing’ which adds to the overall atmosphere because it sets the scene as dark, unpleasant, troublesome etc and the viewers know something bad is going to happen soon. . Music is very important because it is one of the elements which is used to build up the tension in a scene, music alone can change the atmosphere of a scene because it can be used to set the mood and express the feeling of the characters in the scene, this is why it is so important.

The clothing we use in the scene varies differently between the two different characters. The hostage is wearing casual clothing which indicates that he was up to every day business until we was abducted. The interrogator on the other hand is wearing very formal clothing which indicates that he is organised/ prepared. This distinction between characters is important because it allows the audience to differentiate the characters apart as well as getting an insight into what they are like.

When creating our crime thriller we decided that our location would be isolated and secluded because that builds tension and anticipation. We also decided that the location has to be reasonably small and dark so it creates the effect of claustrophobia and mystery. In the end we decided to film our thriller opening in a shed. The reason why we decided to film our thriller opening in a shed is because sheds are common places and they could be anywhere, you will only ever see the inside of the shed in the opening so you will not have a clue what is outside the shed. This creates tension because the audience will not have a clue where the scene is being filmed. A shed can also be a creepy location if the lighting and mise-en scene is carefully decided.

The main props we used in the scene was the gun and the document which is held by the interrogator and shown to the hostage. The document is used to keep the story going because the interrogator is trying to get more information out of the hostage. The gun on the other hand is very dramatic and it builds tension because without warning the interrogator pulls out a gun and aims it towards the hostages head. This builds tension because the audience knows what the gun is capable and they may begin to feel sorry for the hostage because is cannot get away and he may just be about to be killed.

The only other mise-en scene we included in the scene was a few tools in the corner of the shed and hung on the wall. This symbolises that the shed is an everyday location but the tools in the shed could also be used in a way they normally wouldn’t, they could be used for violence, torture etc. The only other piece of mise-en scene which was in the scene was sheets covering the windows to the shed. This prevented the hostage and audience from being able to see out of the shed as well as people seeing into the shed. The covers add tension and isolation to the scene because it completely cuts off the outside world to the hostage and the audience.

The thriller Se7en influenced our opening greatly, although it is not a crime thriller opening it still uses the same sort of lighting, se7en used dark mysterious lighting which is usually produced from some kind of artificial light, our light source was a lamp located in the corner of the shed facing towards the hostage, it gave out a very similar light effect as the lighting used in se7en. We also used similar sound effect to create tension and grab the audience from the start. For example the credits at the beginning of Se7en are created using props such as notes/ books etc. We used a very similar effect for our opening credits, we used newspaper cuttings to create our names, and we then edited the photos and messed with the lighting to give them a much more effective finish. We also gained inspiration from crime thrillers such as ‘Layer Cake’ and ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ because they use similar locations and mise-en scene as out thriller. For example they use isolated locations which are mysterious, they also use mise-en scene such as weapons.

I believe that our thriller opening uses most of the conventional methods and effects which most thriller movies follow. We have built up the tension early on so that we can catch the audience’s attention and keep them interested. To grab the audience’s attention we have used conventions such as lighting and sounds to build up a creepy, scary atmosphere which close resembles the atmosphere from popular thriller movies such as se7en. Also thought-out the opening we tried to capture the characters emotions and reactions so that the audience can feel what they are feeling and feel an emotion attachment to the character, this techniques is very common to thriller movies because thriller movies are designed to get into the audiences mind and make them feel what the characters are feeling. We also edited the thriller very similar to the editing techniques of famous thriller movies such as se7en and Memento.