Animatic

Lighting techniques

Lighting techniques

 Some of these lighting techniques were used such as strip light for hair light. However due to the lack of equipment not all could be used, however this is a good thing as we did not need that much light as it helped to keep a tense atmosphere for the audience.the silver/gold reflector is good to dim a light that is too bright as well as use the same light by reflecting it in a different place.

Props & Equipment

Props and Equipment list

Props

• Fake blood
• clothes
• mud
• desk
• chair

The clothes were mostly ruffled and not the cleanest looking when character was walking through the forest. The white top and jacket show it is cold which helps audience feel more with the thriller. The blue jumpsuit worn in the interrogation was a change due to his bloodstained clothes. The fake blood was used purely for suspense and tension and to show the audience clearly that a character has died. Also the jumpsuit connotes jail which makes the audience more invested in the movie by making ending predictions and wanting to stay to find out what happens. 

Equipment

• Cannon camera
•  tri-pod
• lighting
• phones

The cannon camera was best for manual zoom and tri-pod was used to get still scenes and tracking shots. Lighting was used to give us low-key lighting, common thriller convention, which gave the tension effect on the audience we wanted to do.





Storyboard

This is the storyboard used in my animatic and is what i will use to structure my filming.

audience research

 
This is a survey i created on survey monkey. I sent this out to our target audience and this is just one of the responses received. Based off the results we tried to include their why and make improvements based on their opinions. 

Preliminary

The last 10  seconds of the video was cut by youtube when uploaded which means Caleb's dialogue and mine weren't included. The dialogue was
Caleb: Did you do the homework.
Khaleem:oh sshhh...

One of the filming locations

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/xwvd9thtgfqsb7f/AAAItPgNz_LK86dOHOBSLKgLa

This is the forest where the group of teens will get chased and be the locations of the flashbacks. This fits in with what the scene we imagined. This is because it is muddy and has lots of trees to make it look like a forest. It also creates a suspensful atmosphere to help to intrigue the audience while almost exactly matching my amanita scenery.

Target audience questionnaire

Why do you watch thrillers?
I watch thrillers for the suspense they cause me. I watch them to see plot twists and for the excitement of the unknown and the surprise when i find out. Also it it because they are great to keep me entertained and stay focused on the film.

What is your favourite thriller and why?
My favourite thriller is "I legend". This is because it contains everything a thriller should: a plot twist, a good ending although unhappy and the suspense.

What do you want from a thriller that hasn't yet been done?
I want it to have a sad ending where the protagonist does not succeed and it shows a time skip to show how the world has turned out.

What causes the most suspense in a thriller for you?
When everyday objects are turned into something that makes me feel uncomfortable. This is because it is very relatable and i find it amazing how a kettle whistling for example can me me jump out from my seat.

Target audience and movie proposal

Lighting analysis

Lighting

Lighting can affect the scenes effect and the suspense a scene will create. This is because the lighting will only allow us to see some things of a character ad may hide and object that looks like a knife but ends up being a flower.
For example in this picture it shows someone surrounded by what looks like torn up bodies and

sharp objects on the end of his fingers. The low-key lighting example shown here allows the audiences imagination to  run wild and is great in horror movies as it easily creates suspense and entices the audience.





High key lighting gives a more angelic effect and  shows more of what is going on. This is done to create an atmosphere of happiness as the truth is not hidden and it shows exactly what the character thinks about what is going on as their body language and facial expressions are not hidden.These are effective in romance movies to help show how they feel about each other.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              These are two common examples of how lighting is used for effect. However there are rules to lighting such as the standard 3 point light.
This is used to make a clearly lit scene where the audience can see everything that is happening clearly and links to the effects of high key lighting. Turning off certain lights in this basic set up can create different effects. For example the fill light is less intense than the key light, however is used to lessen the contrast and shadows surrounding the object. The back light is used to create a silhouette effect and seperate subject and background to show depth. The key lioght is just meant to illuminate the main subject so they can be seen clearly on camera.

Typography analysis

Typography

The typography used in a film can help to get names recognized and creep out the audience watching.  For example in the opening of most movies it shows some credits of those who directed and helped out in production. The names are usually in bold and their jobs are normal, this is done to make the names stand out to the audience to help advertise that person and show how good he/she is at their job. But it is also done to help the audience get a feel for the film before it has even started. this is because the directors are known for different kind of films so if Stephen Spielberg did it people have high expectations whereas if it was an unknown director they think nothing of it. However typography can also be used to get a reaction out of the audience. For example. 

The colour, texture and shape of the font are very aggressive making the audience aware the film will be a thriller or horror. Therefore showing typography is important as it can help the audience understand the type of film they are watching as well as advertise names which could affect the audiences opinion and expectations of the film. The red suggests violence and blood.

 The colour of writing in Seven is white which connotes pure and unknown. The                                                                                            scratchy writing however suggests pain and confusion. This is useful for our font as it gives the audience the conventional impression of a thriller which is the suspense feeling we wanted to give the audience. 

         









   

Music analysis

Music

Music can affect the mood of movies in many different ways. For example a slow piano tune creates a sad atmosphere as shown in ET when he leaves the kid and the sad music starts.This makes the audience sympathies with the character and become more emotionally attached and invested in the movie. This is good for movies and series as it gets the audience hooked from the start and keeps them watching. However music can also be used to make the audience riled up and aggressive to make them feel as though they are in the same moment the movie is. This is mostly done in action movies such as pulp fiction and die hard. This is done to help the audience feel as though they are more involved in the scene that is going on. Music is also used to help set the scene and make the audience feel in the moment and in that time setting. For example in the olden times they used violins and acoustic guitars and these are used in openings of older films to help the audience be in the moment and hooked from the start. Overall, Music is usually used to set the mood and help the audience become emotionally attached and feel part of whatever is going on.

Movie opening proposal

Movie

A group of 4 teenage friends meet up outside a local forest on a Halloween night. This night is said to be the mot dangerous night of all as all supernatural superstitions come to life. But these kids are met by a drunken beggar at the gate to the forest. They give him some money and he speaks gibberish and hands him something and then says it will protect them, but the kids ignore his waring and throws the talisman into the forest. When they enter many supernatural occurrences happen and by the end only one comes out.

The opening will show a boys face and the camera will slowly pan down his body to show the scratches and blood splatters on him. Then the camera switches to an establishing shot to show his whole body and where he is, an interrogation room. He then looks at the table in front of him and the background goes blurry and low murmuring starts the same time as quick flash back. This speed up until it becomes unseeable and finally the inspector opens the door.

Silent retreat opening analysis

Silent retreat opening analysis

Camera

Starts with a close up on a sleeping woman in a car. this then switches to an establishing shot then pans to follow the car. As the car speeds along the road the setting is shown. As it is a forest it instantly causes tension in the audience as this is a typical thriller/horror movie setting. Moreover as the leaves are red it connotes blood and danger creating an atmosphere of tension. The setting then switches to a lake in the woods which connotes drowning. Moreover as the font used is white and blurs in and does not keep still it makes viewers uncomfortable. Also it uses quick cuts between images and starts to quickly increase the light intensity and decrease it. This creeps out viewers and as the forest is in the sun set it suggests danger as the sky is red. Then switches to an ink blotch and abandoned bathroom which suggests murder keeping viewers drawn in. Then the screen flashes red which tell viewers a murder will take place in the woods. Th close up on the moss covered log could mean the murdered victim could have been buried and the close ups on the eyes are to make the viewers uncomfortable. The camera has scratches on the lens making viewers believe it is old.

Sound

It starts with quite music and a little amount of musical instruments. This makes all viewers anticipate the next move in the movie keeping them all drawn in. As the music slowly builds up it mirrors the tension in the room and the creepy pictures. This music carries on throughout and this is the only sound heard throughout the whole opening sequence. This makes the audience uncomfortable but drawn in from the start to the end of the opening sequence. The lack of music makes the audience more focused on what is happening and as what is happening will make them uncomfortable the lack of music adds this effect.

Editing
The quick cut shots make the viewers very uneasy as it isn't reassuring in anyway and makes the wonder as to what could have happen if the image did not change. This helps to keep the audience intrigued with the film making it a useful thriller convention. Furthermore the changing light intensity confuses the audience and makes the concentrate more on the details in the opening. Also the black and white at the end made the opening look  old and creep just like the scratches on the lens of the camera which suggested danger.

Typography

As all the writing is in white and important names are bold. This is important as it gives obvious credit to those who took part in helping the film become what it is. However as it is white it suggests purity and makes you feel safe but this juxtaposes the genre of the film as it is a horror thriller. This makes the audience feel  safe for a moment but this is then tossed aside and replaced with fear and confusion. This is useful as it helps draw the audience into the genre and is a great example of how typography effects an audience.