How will we link our Thriller with the Research we've looked at?

We will take influence of the style that Hitchcock uses in the shower scene of ‘Psycho’. The scene makes the audience imagine the stabbing even though we never see the knife actually come to physical contact with the lead female character.

We would like to apply this to our thriller, in the kidnapping scene. We will see aspects of him at the bus stop such as his feet walking, as well as hear his breath and footsteps. We will see her stood at the bus stop in the dark, turning around thinking someone is watching her. We will not see her getting kidnapped, like not seeing the knife stabbing in Psycho, but we assume she gets kidnapped when she is seen tied up in the garage. 

Psycho film analysis here

The Editing, Setting and Sound of our film

Script for our Film

All of the speech in the opening two minutes are by the antagonist, Ian Foster who is the stalker.

Voiceover during the first flask back of when he was watching Poppy Leave her work;
"I remember when I saw you again. You were walking through the doors carrying your brown bag. Your blonde hair hanging over your shoulders, flowing in the wind. Your perfect clothes complimenting your body. You never knew I was there"

Dialogue that Ian says Before the childhood flashback:
"I always knew that you liked me, you just didn't admit it to yourself. You do remember it, don't you?"

Dialogue during the next scene in which he drags the chair over:
"We've been so busy recently, we haven't had time to talk (drags chair over). How about we catch up? Let me tell you about myself."

The Characters

Psychopath-

Name: Ian Andrew Foster

Age: 24

About: Had a good upbringing from a high middle class family, but ever since he was a child he would get into trouble at school. The years following on from school few he was diagnosed with a metal illness (psychosis) and this has left him with an altered state of reality.

He lives by himself and is no longer in contact with his parents, and this fact is apparent but not explained in the film. The audience is just left to assume why he no longer talks to them.

He suffers from a form of psychosis. The psychosis has caused him to gain catatonia; a symptom that means he has an agitated state on reality. This has caused him to misread people, e.g. people that hate him he thinks are is his friend. In the case of Poppy, he was rejected by her in school and this has led to him believing that she wants to be with him.

He used to run away from home often when he was younger. At the time, the reason why he did this was not known, but later it was revealed to be triggered by the early onset of his psychosis.

Through his mental illness he has gained a fondness of people that is at the level of interest that is considered to be dangerous and therefore he develops an over eagerness of attachment which has led to him becoming obsessed with particular people.

Rachel Larvey, 27, will be acting as
Poppy Morganstone.

Victim-

Name; Poppy Morgan-stone

Aged; 24

About; she used to go to school with Ian, and they were friends until she found other friends and therefore started to ignore him. After school she attended college followed by university. She later became a successful illustrator, this has led her living in a busy city. She had a good upbringing receiving top grades and a university degree.

She frequently wears business clothing when around the city- smart skirt and blouse with heels. However, when she has been kidnapped and tied up her clothes are rather tattered but she will still look good due to us seeing her through both the normal reality and Ian’s twisted reality.

 Detective-

Name; Detective Parker

Aged; 45

Paul Borgman (one of the group members
dad) will be playing the detective.

About; He is a very experienced chief detective who is particularly interested in the case of Poppy Morganstone and Ian Foster as his daughter was once abducted so he understand how the family of Poppy is feeling and soon becomes obsessed with solving the case and saving Poppy.

Wears a suit and tie as well as glasses to show his importance 

and intelligence. 

The plot to our thriller film

A psychopath stalks a childhood friend who he once had strong feelings for. When at school, he asked her out but was rejected horribly. Later on in life, he was diagnosed with psychosis which left him with an altered state of reality.

This mental state means that he becomes obsessed with her and eventually he devises a plan to kidnap her so that he can be with her. However he becomes panicked when the police are alarmed and a chief detective is sent out to find her. With the police getting ever closer to finding her, the psychopath becomes distressed and does things that he never was meant to do.

Additional information on the narrative

The film is anochronic with flashbacks to memories from their childhood. The narrative will flashback to when they were friends in primary school but she ignored him when they got to senior school and she made other friends. 

No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men is a 2007 film directed by the Coen Brothers starring Josh Brolin, Javier Barden, Tommy Lee jones and Woody Harrelson. It won 4 Oscars at the 2008 Academy Awards and is well-knwon for its bloody scenes and unusual characters.
The film features a Southern American voiceover to match the desert settings the film was based in. It started off with slow-paced long shots of the desert scenery and the only signs of life is a police car going down the only road in the area. The editing then cuts to reveal someones silohette in the back of the police car. The audience is unable to see who this person is which shows that implies that they are a mysterious, reserved character in the narrative but also that they are the antagonist as they are hidden in the shadows, portrayin to us that he is dangerous. The film is mostly in silence playing on the uncomfortable feelings that the victims feel when talking to the antagonist and the fact that they are alone and that no one can save them. During the film, the antagonist is seen killing innocent people and the extreme close ups of his feet walking towards the victims rooms instantly creates tension within the audience. The variety of shot types, such as the close ups which cut to the long shots of a character walking, allow for the audience to feel even more on edge. There is also a variety of camera movements, for example, the tracking shot of a mans feet as he walks past some dead bodies. The editing included transitions such as dissolve and straight cuts to create diversity in the film and to keep the audience interested in the film.

Sabotage

Plot summary

The Alfred Hitchcock film ‘Sabotage’ is about an undercover police detective who figures out a plot to blow up Piccadilly Circus, London. However when the saboteur finds out he is being watched he uses his wife’s brother to help. On the journey to Piccadilly everything that could possibly go wrong, goes wrong and the bomb ends up blowing up on a London Bus with the brother. Fuming with rage of her brother’s death, Sylvia discovers her husband was involved and stabs him with a kitchen knife. Absorbed by grief, she goes to the detective for help, who suggests running away together. Fuelled with guilt she tries to confess to the Chief Inspector who brushes her off. However, before the body was found another bomber explodes in the facility of the body destroying all evidence. With nothing to worry about Sylvia and the police detective then run off together.

The Knife Scene

•The knife scene is a famous scene from the film which builds tension without the use of sound. Through camera movement and actors choices the tension and anticipation of the wife murdering her husband is slowly built up.

•The first scene of the movie is of the definition of sabotage. This immediately makes the audience aware of what sabotage is and questioning who the saboteur is.

The famous 'bomb on the trolley'

•The extended sequence that leads up to the fateful moment is up there with Hitchcock’s best; the boy carrying a package he believes to contain rolls of film across London, generating suspense from the audience’s knowledge that it’s in fact a bomb, scheduled to detonate at 1.45pm. Cutting between the package and a series of clock faces as he dawdles through town, alternately held up by a parade and a market demonstration, the tension builds to breaking point as he finally boards a bus in the final moments. Hitchcock takes no prisoners, throwing in a scene with a tiny puppy right at the end, just before the cuts accelerate and the bomb explodes. Even when you know what’s coming it’s a shocker, ruthless in its willingness to exploit the audience’s trust to the last beat.

•Hitchcock himself was dismissive of the film, and particularly of one sequence, featuring the explosion of a bomb on a London bus - which, he told François Truffaut, broke all of his own rules on suspense. The scene, though, is an undeniably powerful one.

How Hitchcock built suspense in this scene

This scene is famed for the way Hitchcock built tension and suspense:

•The audience was actively involved in the narrative of the film, knowing information the character did not. This built tension because the audience was aware of the urgency of the task, however the distractions that faced the character was putting off the production of the bomb at right time.

•This type of method to build tension proved to be effective and had the audience at the edge of their seat, however because of the sympathy the boy got from the audience, they were left resentful afterwards when the bomb exploded and the boy died.

The Coen Brothers

History of thrillers

First Thriller Film

Rescued by Rover (1905)

• Based on a dog saving a stolen baby.
• Directed by Lewin Fitzhamon.
• Includes individual shots as small pieces of a larger jigsaw.
• It's a silent film that lasts six minutes.
• It created excitement that was unprecedented at the time.
• 400 copies were ordered which was very successful for that time.
• It was influenced by D.W Griffith who thought of parallel cutting.
• The boat scene creates tension as it shows him struggling to get across therefore making the audience anxious.

Alfred Hitchcock Films

Hitchcock is known as a major director for thriller films and his films have certain themes and trademarks that make Hitchcock and Auteur.

• Guilty Secrets and unhealthy relationships
• Sex and death
• Blonde female that often get killed of quickly and are portrayed as weak.
• Sick jokes
• Rubber-necking crowds
• Cameo appearances (Hitchcock playing a small character in the background/an extra in each one of his films)

The Lodger (1926)

• Hitchcock's first thriller film
• His first critical and commercial success
• It draws heavily on the German expressionist
• Includes angular sets, high contrast lights but also low key lighting to create exaggerated shadows
• He made the main female character die her hair blonde
• The film was almost not released due to the horrific scenes
• He made a cameo appearance with his wife in the film
• Silent Film

Blackmail (1929)

• This is Hitchcock's first full-length sound film
• It became a major triumph for Hitchcock in the film industry
• It use of sound in the knife scene became iconic. The word 'knife' is emphasized when the woman is talking by making it louder than the other words spoken, therefore its all we really hear. Hitchcock has done this because it shows that the female character is feeling guilty over stabbing and murdering a man who was attacking her and that it all she can think about.
• It is the film that confirmed Hitchcock as the most admired British director
• It included female vulnerability and male sexual aggression that Hitchcock is known for including in his films
• The film featured a heroine who enters a dazed or 'fugue' state which is emphasized in the knife scene
• There was a also a silent version of this film that was released
• The main female character was polish and once sound was introduced into the film industry so unfortunately was not cast in many films. In Blackmail, Hitchcock even replaced the polish actresses lines with a British woman voice. So even though the actress acted in the film, it is not her voice we are hearing.

The 39 steps (1935)

• Was voted the best film of 1935
• It was loosely based in 1925 adventure novel
• It had a $60,000 budget
• Hitchcock cast Hollywood actors and actresses in a British film so that it would reach USA as well as the UK
• In the film the protagonist is killed of quickly which is a well-known Hitchcock trademark
• There is also a cameo appearance from Hitchcock and a blond female character

Other famous thrillers films (not Hitchcock)

Brighton Rock (1947) directed by John Boulting

• This is a well-known gangster film
• The American gangster films emerged in the 1930's depression
• The film included certain themes such as suicide and manipulation.

The Third Man (1949) directed by Carol Reed

• Included zither music
• The consecutive shots in the film revealed the contradictory aspects
• The lighting in the film is fairly bright but bright enough to be harsh
• Holly Martins is in almost every scene.
• The female in this film develops her character from being fragile to becoming quite active in the plot.

 

Risk Assessment

Company Name: Compass Productions
Production Title: The Obsession
Production Date(s): 17th January 2014-28th March 2014
Producer Name(s): Phoebe Mcguinigall and Alex Price
Director Name (s): Shannon Jones and Elinor Borgman
Date of Risk Assessment: 13th January 2014
Risk Assessment conducted by: Phoebe McGuinigall

Risk	Severity	People involved	How to overcome risk	Numbers needed in emergency
Bitten by Ellie’s dog while filming at her house.	2/10	Actors and crew	Keep dog away from film area.	999
Rope burn from being tied up	1/10	Actor - Rachel	Make sure rope is loose and she can get the rope off easily.	n/a
Breathing difficulty if mouth is tied up	7/10	Actor - Rachel	Check before filming that they are comfortable breathing and devise a sign the actor can show if they are uncomfortable during filming	999
Getting lost at night scene or city area	2/10	Everyone involved at present time. (actors and crew)	Check out area during daylight hours or look up area on map and make sure you know how to get around and check you have a phone signal to call for help if needed	101 Parents' numbers
Lack of transport to get home from filming locations	3/10	Everyone involved at present time. (actors and crew)	Make sure you have arranged transport (someone to pick you up or tickets for bus, train etc.)	Taxi service Parents or friends who can drive
Member of crew/ cast gets hurt or becomes ill during filming	6/10	Everyone involved at present time. (actors and crew)	Make sure there are no obstacles around filming area that could potentially cause injury or hurt. Check all members are well before filming begins.	999 Parents' number
Getting extremely cold and potentially hypothermia from filming outside	8/10	Everyone involved at present time. (actors and crew)	Make sure that everybody has plenty of clothes on and heater is easily accessible.	999

Film Noir

Double Indemnity (1944)

Double Indemnity is an example of a film noir. Its about an insurance rep who lets himself be talked into a murder/insurance scheme to be with a woman who he loves. The woman claims that she loves him too and suggests that they plan to murder her husband and then they can be together and also be left with her husbands money. Seeing as the lover is an insurance rep, he understands what would be best way to murder her husband so that they won't get caught and will be able to be left with the husbands belongings and money. However his friend who is an insurance investigator starts to become suspicious and Walter (the lover) starts to feel guilty and begins to doubt the woman love for him. Seeing as, this is a film noir, the woman is the femme fetale of the film and ends up just using Walter to get rid of her husband but keep all the money.
The film included typical features of a film noir such as a love triangle in the plot, a murder and an investigator who wears a raincoat and a fedora. It also used a voice-over, an urban setting, guns, rain and Venetian blinds.

Preliminary Task

For our preliminary tasks we needed to apply the 180 degree rule and have a basic knowledge of how to operate a camera efficiently so that we can come up with a video that shows our understanding of what the filming process requires.
The task needed to include someone walking into a room and exchanging a few lines with someone else, so we chose to base our preliminary task on a job interview.

Preliminary storyboard 1

Preliminary storyboard 2

Preliminary storyboard 3

Preliminary storyboard 4

Preliminary storyboard 5

Here's the preliminary video;


Brief-Continually task involving film and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. Should demonstrate match on match action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q3_eZM0HMg

The Blue Lamp (1950)

• The Blue Lamp is a thriller film directed by Basil Dearden and produced by Micheal Balcon.
• The film is a crime thriller that is socially realistic by illustrating what it was like after the war.
• It's set in London, Paddington Green.
• The main character is PC Dixon who is portrayed as the protagonist of the film but unfortunatley dies at the end of the film which might have been a contributing factor to the reason why this film is one of the most famous British films; the fact that it didn't end as happily as what most films would end made the film easy to remember and more realistic.
• The film portrays themes of recklessness, violence and the discipline of criminals.

The opening sequence to the film instantly captures the audiences attention and includes a now typical element of some thriller films, a car chase. It also shows the violence in the film straight away by having a character shot within the first two minutes of the clip. 

Modular narratives in contemporary cinema by Allen Cameron

Modular narratives 'articulate a sense of time as divisible and subject to manipulation'.

 

Anachronic modular narrative

• Involve the use of flashbacks and/or flash forwards.
• There is no clear dominance between any of the narrative threads.
• Often repeat the same scene again but from a different perspective.
• Examples of this narrative in films: Pulp Fiction and Memento (check out my analysis  on Memento)

Forking-path narrative

• Includes juxtapose alternative versions of a story.
• The possible outcomes of the narrative might result after a small change/event.
• Examples of this narrative in films: Groundhog Day

Episodic narrative

• This type of narrative is organised as an abstract series or narrative anthology
• Involve individual short tales that are supposedly disconnected but they all share a random similarity.
• Examples of this narrative in films: Love Actually

Spilt screen narrative

• The screen is didived into more than one frame juxtaposing events within the same visual field.
• Examples of this narrative in films: Time code

Linear Narrative

• The plot moves in a straight line.
• This narrative is used in most films.

Parallel Narrative

• Two scenes are observed as happening at the same time by cross-cutting between them.

Narrative Theories

Narrative is the way in which a story is told in both fictional and non-fictional media.

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Propp was a Russian critic and literal theorist that analysed over 100 Russian fairytales in the 1920's. He suggested that it was possible to classify the characters and their actions into clearly defined roles and functions. The typical character roles are;

Vladimir Propp

• The hero: the protagonist that leads the narrative.
• The villan: the antagonist that opposes the hero.
• The donor: helps the hero by providing object
• The dispatcher: sends the hero on his way
• The false hero: leads the audience to believe they are the hero.
• The helper: gives support to the hero
• The princess: the reward for the hero who needs protecting from something
• The father of the princess: cares for daughter.

Films such as Star Wars and Shreck fit Propps model, but recently more and more films are defying against it, changing the well known structure to create contrast in the film industry. Propps model is useful as it highlights the similarities between different stories.

Tzvetan Todorov

Tzvetan Todorov

Todorov is a Bulgarian literary theorist. He proposed that most narratives start in a state of equilibrium where the charcters are happy and life is normal. Then the state of balance is disrupted by an outside force which has to be fought against in order to return to the state of equilibrium.

The order goes:

1. A state of equilibrium.
2. A disruption of the ordered state by an event
3. A recognition that a disruption has occurred.
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.
5. A return to the new equilibrium

Roland Barthas

Barthas was a French semiologist that suggested that narrative works with five different codes which activate the reader to make sense of it.

Roland Barthas

• Enigma codes: these refer to the mystery within a text. It leads the audience on and usually if there are unanswered enigmas it frustrates the audience
• Action codes: This code contains sequential elements of action in the text, adding suspense.
• Semantic codes: these refer to denotations within the text.
• Symbolic codes: these refer to the connotations, which are the hidden meanings, within a text.
• Referential/ Cultural codes: codes that link to a certain culture.

Claude Levi-Strauss

Claude Levi-Strauss

Levi-Strauss was a social anthropologist who studied myths of tribal cultures and through this he examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a culture. He found that they are usually expressed in the form of binary opposition which is when two things contrasts against each other in a text.

Research has been adapted by media theorists to reveal underlying themes and symbolic oppositions in media texts to support Levi-Strauss' theory. For example, 1970's Western Films.

Modular narratives in contemporary cinema by Allen Cameron

Modular narratives 'articulate a sense of time as divisible and subject to manipulation'.

Anachronic modular narrative

• Involve the use of flashbacks and/or flash forwards.
• There is no clear dominance between any of the narrative threads.
• Often repeat the same scene again but from a different perspective.
• Examples of this narrative in films: Pulp Fiction and Memento (check out my analysis at the bottom of this linked page for more on Memento)

Forking-path narrative

• Includes juxtapose alternative versions of a story.
• The possible outcomes of the narrative might result after a small change/event.
• Examples of this narrative in films: Groundhog Day

Episodic narrative

• This type of narrative is organised as an abstract series or narrative anthology
• Involve individual short tales that are supposedly disconnected but they all share a random similarity.
• Examples of this narrative in films: Love Actually

Spilt screen narrative

• The screen is didived into more than one frame juxtaposing events within the same visual field.
• Examples of this narrative in films: Time code

Linear Narrative

• The plot moves in a straight line.
• This narrative is used in most films.

Parallel Narrative

• Two scenes are observed as happening at the same time by cross-cutting between them.