Storyboard: Shot List

Shot List
Scene	Shot Number	Description
1: Walking scene 2:  Exchange scene 3: Chase scene 4: Capture scene	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23	Medium shot Long shot  Shot of legs *cross cut*Over the shoulder shot Medium shot  Close up. *cross cut* *cross cut* Car Long shot Close up Long shot Long shot Long shot Close up Long shot Close up Point of view shot Long shot Wide shot Medium shot Close up. Long shot

2nd Production meeting

Today we divided into two different groups and discussed what our final thriller opening will be. We then wrote down some rough notes about the shot types that we were going to use then we got a story board and started planning.

Me and Azimul.

We thought about the types of shots that we were going to involve and what surroundings we were going to have them in. On the storyboard we started drawing shot by shot what we were planning to film and we did a rough drawing for each box as a guide.

Storyboard

Our group made a storyboard in order to start making plans for our thriller opening that we are going to be making in a few weeks time. We tried to make it as clear as possible and added in all of the main shots. We managed to fill out two storyboards with different shots, however when we do go out filming we may make a few changes to improve the film.  

Initial Ideas

Azimul and I had originally come up with two ideas that involved someone getting kidnapped. We used the second idea, but eventually we developed it into a different thriller. We brainstormed our ideas on a large A3 sheet of paper and discussed how and where we were going to film it.

Idea 1:
Plot
Initially we were going to have a seven-teen year old boy minding their own business walking home from their work. The antagonist and his comrade drive slowly towards the boy and roll the window. While the antagonist asks him questions the thug comes out and forces the boy into the car. The antagonist carries on asking the boy questions about a heist but the boy is clueless and doesn't know what is going on. Eventually the thug drives to a remote place and takes the boy out, but before he can end his life the teen manages to escape. A chase begins and the thug follows the boy and tracks him down. The boy finds himself trapped at the end of a closed ally-way, but before he can run out the thug appears at the only exit. The thug then picks up a crowbar and knocks the boy unconscious.   

Costume
The seven-teen year old: shirt and tie
Antagonist: full suit
Thug: combats

Idea 2:
Plot
Our other idea that we had planned was going to include the same characters, but we were going to have a different set-up. The boy was going to be walking home casually from his Saturday job and just around the corner there was going to be some sort of illegal activity happening. When the boy comes around the corner he notices a deal taking place and at this point he has already made eye contact with the don. The don then sends the thug to hold their trade and because the boy has seen too much. The thug pulls his hood up and hunts the boy down. The chase begins and the boy manages to keep his pace and stay away from the thug. The boy notices a car driving down the road and gambles his chances of making it across. The thug then follows, but its too late and he gets run over. The boy is distraught and walks quickly away from the scene. 

Costume
The seven-teen year old: shirt and tie
Antagonist: full suit
Thug: track suit

Preliminary Task & Evaluation

In our short preliminary sequence we filmed a scene of a drug deal where two of the characters that were "doing business" ended up getting caught by two unknown, suspicious looking people who then order an assassin to kill the drug dealer and the drug buyer.

In our short sequence we included some continuity at the start because we as group thought that we could use it there well as the two main characters were about to meet to perform the drug deal. The video started with a match on action when the two main characters came to meet. When the operation was taking place we did not break the 180 degree rule and we decided to make sure that we kept this in place by filming close to a wall so that we had a faint guideline. We also used a shot-reverse shot to show that the characters were having a discussion before they moved onto the actual drug deal. Straight after the drug deal was completed there is an eye-line match between the drug buyer and one of the unknowns. We thought that it this would've been the best place to put it because it gives that effect of uncertainty to the audience because they don't know what is going to happen next. 

Even though we thought that our short preliminary task was good there are some improvements that we could've made and they were mostly with the sound and editing. On this exercise we did not have a boom so therefore we were unable to film with any decent sort of sound. The sound effects that we did add into the sequence was satisfactory, however I think that we could've improved it by searching longer for the correct suitable music to go with the scene.

The editing was adequate in a way that the story we were trying to deliver was not obscure, but we could've improved it if we were all working on it at the same time and had all come to an agreement. In the scene where Azimul (the assassin) is about to kill the people doing the drug deal we should've shortened it because you can see where he stops walking and is slightly in the shot. 

1st Prduction meeting

Left to right: Destiny, Jack, Sam & me.

Today we had our first production meeting in which we brainstormed some thriller opening ideas and discussed how and where we were going to film the thriller. In our group it was Jack, Sam, Destiny, Azimul and I. Unfortunately Azimul was not able to make it to the meeting so he was not in the picture.





We started it off by thinking of random, creative thriller openings and when we shared them with each other. Then we collectively came up with two ideas and started to make notes on how we were going to film and how we were going to put the shots together.         

Thriller Titles

The film "SE7EN" is a thriller and just from its opening titles we can see this. The opening credits does not have any action in it, but the speed of editing does increase as the opening goes on. It is a mystery thriller and that is why all the shots involve a lot of documents, pictures and hands. There is a montage of strange shots and one of them being the shot of where the person scrapes their skin of their finger. The director may have chosen to do this to make the audience feel at ease. This type of shot may intrigue the audience and make them want to watch more to find out why the razor blade was so significant in the story and why the person decided to do this.

In the title sequence of "SE7EN" we are also given the names of the people who have helped produce, film and edit the film. These are known as credits. The credits given to this film go to the film studio, which is New Line Cinema, the director - David Fincher and the other members of the crew. Most importantly we see the title of the film before it advances into the other crew members who made the film 

Introduction to our group

We have a group of two people and we have both decided to take responsibility for our own film instead of appointing ourselves with different roles. With the location, shooting schedule, costumes/props and acting roles we decided that we will confirm with each other on our ideas and thoughts. We have done this because we think that we will work better and more efficiently this way since there is only two of us in this group. 

With the location sheet and shooting schedule Azimul and I did it together and discussed the best place to shoot our thriller opening and the days that we would shoot it. We also had to ask other members of the class if they were free on these days because we would be needing their help to film some scenes.

In our final thriller opening Azimul and I will take it in turns to film, but because we are both acting in a scene we are also getting some help from other classmates because we cannot do this alone. We are taking control of when we go out to film because we are the directors.

Modern Thriller Openings

"Rope"

"Rope" (1948)

In Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 thriller "Rope" Hitchcock navigates deeper into any ordinary thriller and creates a film that constantly keeps the audience on the edge of their seats and keeps them unease throughout the film until the mystery is solved. 

The trailer of the film is very effective because it captures its audience by having a mystery that is not yet solved and the only way of finding out is by watching the film. The trailer carries a lot of suspense within its 2 minutes and this really draws the audience in.  

It contains the key elements of thriller such as fast pace and frequent action. However, unlike many thrillers we do not know who the resourceful hero is until the end quarter of the film because he does not seem to be weaker than his villains. The film appeals to its audience by starting off with a story. It is just an ordinary scene with two characters talking to each other going about their day, then there is a voice over all of a sudden and the scene switches from the two characters to a man, named Rupert, speaking about the death of the young man that was just going on about his day. The trailer then develops into a mystery with the two main characters, Brandon and Philip, being put on the spot and under intense pressure by Rupert about the murder of David. The trailer ends with Rupert dragging the truth out of Philip and gun shots. 

Rupert getting into Philip's head

Suspense is clearly used throughout Hitchcock's thriller because without it there wouldn't be much of a mystery and it wouldn't keep the audience at the edge of their seats. Hitchcock builds suspense by making the characters Brandon and Philip set their dinner party around the dead body of the missing David Kentley. The dinners guests are all worried and confused about David Kentley except from one. Hitchcock has one character that is smart, intelligent and very devious. He uses this character to ask Brandon and Philip burning questions that puts them on the spot until one of them breaks. Then from there the pace of the film starts to pick off and one character, Philip, cannot handle it anymore and goes crazy.

There are different types of social groups in the film "Rope" and they are each represented differently. Brandon and Philip are gay with each other but in this thriller they are treated as any other ordinary person. They are not looked down upon or discriminated against they are just treated fairly and equally.

Men and women are represented differently. In the film the men are portrayed as business men, very smart and intelligent, whereas the women are just partners or housekeepers. The women do not really have much say in the film they just keep the conversations flowing, but the men are the ones that make the huge points and discuss hot topics that create tension. There is another representation of women and this refers to 'the male gaze'. This is where women are viewed as objects of male erotic desire. This means that they are just there to make up the numbers, they don't need to be there but they are there just in the men's image. Women also do not have agency - they do not move the plot forward. They are not the ones that like to push themselves forward in the heated conversations because they may fear that the men may push them back.

Philip and Brandon Strangling David

The last social group that I have identified is the social status within the characters. All of the characters except from the housekeeper, Mrs Wilson, are all middle or upper class. We know this because of the formal type of language that they use when communicating to each other, the way they dress and by having a housekeeper. Brandon and Philip consider themselves as intellectually superior and upper class because of the garments that they wear and where they live, which is is a very tall story building that looks across the whole city. David Kentley is seen as an inferior classmate in the eyes of Brandon and Philip. He is seen as not worthy and because of this they decide to strangle him to death to see if anyone would care.