section 7-location sheet

section 7-reece

Shown here is the location for our thriller, just off Dingle Lane, Appleton, Warrington. This is a suitable location for our film as it is hidden away, it is included in a forest, it is quite and eery and mysterious place with landmarks such as an old stone bridge, sandstone cliffs, old rickety trees, streams and valleys. This would suit the format of our piece as we aim for the feel of the production to be mysterious and shrouded, which will be suggested by the location. The vast change in ground level suggests characters may be looking down on other characters, foreshadowing events to come later in the film.

section 6-film script

This was a combination of all our ideas developed in a brainstorm session, I then wrote up the script as my 3 group members added input.


Script

EXT-FOREST-MIDDAY-WINTER

Forest is shown, location is revealed. Two children run out from behind bush and through forest. Laughing and giggling – one chasing another in play.

Young boy (Simon) In dark clothing hands behind tree in a winter time forest, his hands are positioned to imitate a gun. He turns 180 degrees on the spot and pretends to fire into the distance

Simon: Bang Bang

His friend (Sean) keels over pretending to have been struck, move down slowly and laughing that rises in intensity.
Simon: hahaha, you count and ill hideSimon darts of in a hurry, excited and buzzing with anticipation. Occasionally looking back. Sean’s hands are over his face and then loud noises can be heard in the distance, his hands separate to reveal shocked face. Begin to tremble and look around nervously

Sean: Simon, I think we should go! (Shouting)

Sprints away looking anxious and looking for any route out of forest. Simon still happily running, emphasis and his excitement until it slowly changes to anxious looks.

Sean keeps running through forest paths, looking back occasionally.

Seans facial expression turns to worry and despair as he checks the other paths to see which way he can go.

He eventually comes to a stream, with a road over a bridge and seeks safety.

Seans foot splashes through the stream as he quickly crosses.

He clambers wearily up the bank. Revs of an engine are heard and Sean becomes scared and hides against the wall.

Car comes round the far distant corner of road at high speed, travels directly onto bridge, where skids/screeches to a halt.

Figures foot is shown coming out of the vehicle when the door opens.

Figure, disguised with black hat, gets out of car and walks hurrily towards the boot. He opens it and retrieves a large black bag, he then walks towards the edge of the bridge and slyly throws the bag off, in which it lands in the stream and causes a large splash

Figure urgently shuts boot and returns to car.

He enters the car and screeches away in a hurry.

[UNDER BRIDGE – BELOW]

Sean, with the black bag right in front of him, is intrigued and cautiously moves down the bank towards it.

He hops down the bank, crouches and kneels forward to within touching distance.

He slowly feels around the bag, with a confused, yet slightly scared facial expression.

Suddenly, a dirty, brown and scruffy hand rips a whole in the top of the bag and extends upwards scaring Sean.

Sean falls back into the bank in horror, his facial expression scared and his mouth wide open.

Sean tries to clamber the bank, but the mud prevents this and his feet continuously slip.

He decides to run the other way through the stream, and under bridge.

(In the mean time the figure is slowly rising, however out of shot)

Sean is continuously looking back to check out the situation.

The figure from the bag slowly rising, crooked and jolty. He then wanders slowly the opposite way to the boy down the stream.

Sean keeps running until he feels he is safe and far enough away from the events that have just unfolded. [FURTHER INTO FOREST]

[END OF OPENING]

section 6-character profiles

Anthony Thatcher- Thatcher is a hard working, loyal and fair District Attorney who is committed to aiding justice and seeing those who partake in tyranny behind bars. Although modest about his abilities, Thatcher receives praise and recognition throughout the state and in the Media. He is charming, selfless, professional and determined. However following the events of his assignation Thatcher becomes paranoid and corrupted within his mind. He no longer has any trust in the justice system and turns his back on the hope he once preached. He is now inflicted with depression which in turn presents anger and ultimately breeds a disregard for any values resulting in his mission of hunting down and murdering the justice Hierarchy for their deceit. He is 24 when the incident takes place and has clean cut dark hair with stubble and a strapping physique. With age Thatcher’s hair becomes thin and wire like, his face is waxy and thin (showing the signs of his torment).

Detective Roach/Young Child/Sean- In youth, Roach is scrawny and slight. He has glasses and a flop of brown hair with bandy legs. When we next see him in his post as detective he has grown considerable, appearing lanky. He sports a large brown overcoat over a suit and has maintained the use of glasses. Following his experience with Thatcher’s body in the stream Roach’s mentally completely changed (he was a care-free child) and he discarded his youth to pursue a career in law having never truly got over the event he witnessed. Much like Thatcher he rapidly propels up the justice ladder. His qualities are his cunning, keen eye and ability to never leave a loose end. This leaves many to believe he takes his job to seriously as he has no real social life or close family, leaving his intelligent mind constantly on the job.

Roach as a child (LEFT) and Anthony Thatcher after his attempted murder (RIGHT)
 

section 5-film synopsis

Anthony Thatcher is a successful district attorney who has recently caused quite a stir by locking up a number of high profile criminals, however he soon becomes a target of their attention and is taken from his home with the plan of execution in a nearby forest. However Thatcher manages to survive and sets about to bring down those who conspired his death. Yet the scars of his experiences run deep and his revenge becomes a personal bloodlust against those in legal power causing his mind to become unstable and fragile , making him one of the most dangerous men in New York. It’s the job of experienced Detective Roach to hunt down and capture him yet the detective is the final piece of Thatcher’s puzzle thus making a captivating and twisted game of cat and mouse

section 5-film treatment

The scene begins with a distant shot of a ere winter time forest, two young males can just about be seen below. Initially it is thought the focus will be on impending circumstances between these boys. The shot changes to behind the boy (Sean)  as he turns on the spot and fires toy gun in the direction of his friend (Joshua) opposite. The two boys revelling in there game get the giggles after one keels over as a joke. Sean’s friend then suggest a game of seek and hide and Sean obliges by heading off out of shot. The next shot is a XL close up of Joshua’s hands over his face as he counts, the camera zooms out until loud voices can be heard in the distance and Joshua’s facial expression turn to shock and he acclaim’s “Sean lets get out of here” before hurriedly running off, which is captured by a shot from behind him until he departs through the trees. We then cut to Sean and see a close up of his excited face as he runs looking for somewhere to hide. Then a distance shot of the forest landscape as Sean continues to jog along a path. The next shot is a close up low angle of a small stream, Sean’s foot plunders past as he continues to run, acceleration faster and faster and breath getting husky and heavy to show his fright at the apparent loss of his friend. Tension is building as the boy reaches what is small bridge with two embankments on either side. Suddenly the screeching of a car and distant voices growing louder Sean into panic and this is noted by his change in facial expressions and sense of physical awareness. Feeling uneasy and anxious he seeks cover and scours around heading towards the embankment. At this moment Sean is trying to remain as quite as possible and shot is medium close up showing Sean’s whole body and setting around tracking his movement until the shot becomes distant and a whole view of the bridge and stream/Sean/embankment below can be seen. The car comes into view and the camera once again switches to a close up of the car bumper and licence plate. After a few seconds of uneasy tension the car door opens and an ominous foot steps onto the gravel, before more can develop the camera cuts back to a landscape distance shot. Sean is aware of human presence above and voices can still be heard, a close up of his face expresses the concern and fear he is experiencing, shaking wildly and biting his top lip in an attempt to stay quite. The figures above are carrying a large load in a bin linear, they are about to dispose of young and successful district attorney Anthony Thatcher, who until recently was taking down the criminal hierarchy. The distance shot of the whole scene is repeated as the body is tossed over the side of the bridge and the camera pans down accordingly. Another close up of Sean’s face reveals his shock at witnessing this and is alert to what has happened as the assassins exclaim the job is done and a shot of the rear window is shown as they re-enter the car, giving a mysterious element to their character. The car shoots off in the distance and the camera switches to Sean who is frozen and clinging to the embankment. Another shot of the forest landscape is shown to give the impression of Isolation for Sean. Who now slowly makes his way toward the limp body in the stream below. The camera zooms out as Sean edges closer to show both figures followed by a shot from the opposite bank reflecting on the Sean. The next shot is a intense close up from behind the body bag at ground level, looking up to Sean as he arrives. A trembling hand stretches out from a curious and fearful Sean. Then the climax of all the tension as Thatcher’s arm thrusts out the bag and a terrified Sean slips backward (close up of legs and ground) before we see him running under the bridge away from the scene, the next shot shows him sprinting all out along the stream displaying his desperation to get away and this is finally achieved as the camera tracks Sean as he escapes into the distance and safety of the outside world. With suspicion over this incident rising we cut back to Thatcher plundering out the bag, stretching upwards and beginning a slow and weary walk, limping up the stream, this is captured by 3 similar length shots but from different angles

section 4-thriller questionnaire analysis

section 4-audience research thriller questionnaire

Thriller Questionnaire

How old are you ?

15-20 20-25 25+


Are you Male or Female?


What is your favourite characteristic of the thriller genre?
Crime - Murder – Violence – Disaster – Legal – Psychological – Historical – Medical – Conspiracy

Why?









What are your favourite thriller films ?









Which is the best location to film a thriller?
Dark woods, caves, natural.. – Urban environments – In the home – Abandoned environments


Lighting ?

Dark, dim, dull - Bright, revealing and clear


Weather?
Rainy and dull - Misty and foggy – Sunny and Bright


Victim?
Male - Female
Victim Age?
15-20 20-25 25+


Villain?
Male - Female


Villain Age?
15-20 20-25 25+


How much would you pay to see a thriller?
Up to £5 - Up to £10 - Up to £15


What appeals more?
Fast paced, action - Slow paced psychological disturbance


What do you think is missing from the thriller genre/ or like to see more of?







Thank you for your time.

section3-brainstorm and classifaction of ideas

15 Certificate content
 The following is a list of the content that can be shown in a 15 certificate film which i took from the BFI website:
Theme: No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate to 15 year olds.

Language: There may be frequent use of strong language; the strongest terms are only rarely acceptable. Continued aggressive use of strong language and sexual abuse is unacceptable.

Nudity: There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex: Sexual activity and nudity may be portrayed but without strong detail. The depiction of casual sex should be handled responsibly. There may be occasional strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.

Violence: Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain, and of injuries. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.

Imitable techniques: Dangerous combat techniques such as ear claps, head-butts and blows to the neck are unlikely to be acceptable. There may be no emphasis on the use of easily accessible lethal weapons (in particular, knives).

Horror: Sustained or detailed infliction of pain or injury is unacceptable.

Drugs: Drug taking may be shown but clear instructive detail is unacceptable. The film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug use.



We have decided to classify our film as a 15. Being under the aged of 18 we could not a film a 18 certificate and also want to reach out to a wider audeience range and feel when sutible a film shouldnt miss the key age bracket of 15-18. We feel a 12 would be too young and would restrict our film, we want to develop and present ideas that would not to be right to be shown to someone under the age of 15.

section 2-the dark knight opening scene

                                                  character profiles
in  the opening scene of the dark knight the characters that are on show are all wearing masks which imply they have something to hide and accompanied with the droning sound in the background this builds tension and makes the audience become tense and it builds suspense. Another feature thats adds to the increasing tension built from the characters is the lack off speech and sound that they make, this adds to the mischeivous nature of them becuase nobody quite knows what they are about to do next. But one distinctive feature you can define from the characters is that they are fuelled by their own self gain and betrayal by killing each other to gain more money out of the share theyll earn from robbing the bank, this part of the plan is devised by the leader 'the joker'. This cunning act foreshadows future events in the film as it shows the joker doesnt show any self pity and remorse so this small act of distrust shows he wont be afraid to kill an enemy.

sound

The sound that the audience hear in the opening scene is designed to unease and unnerve them, the sound of the clock ticking represents there isnt long before something dark and sinister happens. The sound of the ticking clock fits the rhythm of a humans heartbeat and with this in a shot where its blank and nothing is happening it leaves the audience pondering what is about to happen? Further sound that is used to impact the audience and make them feel uncomfortable is the sound of the guns being fired , this further adds tension becuase they will be wondering what is being shot at and who it is being shot at. This is very effective in accomplishing its goal in trying to unease its audience and make them feel uncomfortable.

cinematography

the range and different variations of shots that are used in the opening scene are utilised well and have  alot of detail and meaning to them. for example, the first shot is of a black building with nothing wlse in but that and the camera zooming into it. the few seconds that it takes before the action starts is used to build tension and suspense and make the audience think what is about to happen. Another well executed shot is one of which the main character the joker is stood with his back to the camera only holding a mask and a briefcase. This shot is brilliant as it tells the audience all it needs to know about what is about to happen because it raises suspiscion and makes you think what is he about to do.

mise-en-scene

the majority of the coour that is used in the opening secene is prodomiantely bland and dull colours such as blacks and whites which have connotations of sinister and dark behaviour, this foreshadows future events as the dark colours reflect and show on the main character the joker. But there are also flashes of colour and light from both the sunshine and colours on the clown and jokers masks, but both have connotations of two different things. the light that is shown from the sunlight could suggest that despite the dark times that might be about to happen there could be a glimour of hope for the survival of humanity, and the vivid colours on the jokers mask such as blues purples and greens could further represnet the spontaneous and erratic behaviour of the joker because as the film goes on you further understand that he is a slightly deluded character

section 2-silence of the lambs analysis notes

Character Profiles the main character focus in the opening scenes of the silence of the lambs is that of a female character (played by jodie foster) she is perceived as a very ambitious and dedicated character who is passionate abiut her work. In the opening scene she is running through a forest trying to complete an asssault course, the fact that shes on her own doing this training shows shes dedicated and passionate about her career because she tries her best to complete the course and she has no distraction from anyone else if shes doing it on her own.  she also tries to punch above her weight and acheive her best because theres a shot of her in an elevator full of men who are all taller than her looking down on her. This signals to the audience that nothing fazes her and she wants to do the absolute best that she can.
The other character that features in the film is the top officer, who on the other hand is the complete opposite to her. he is a very succesful character and we see this with all the awards that he has in his office. When see the female in her office she looks sort of out of her depth because this is something that she hasnt yet acheived and will take alot of hardwork and dedication to achieve this. Another contrast between the two is the way that they presented themselves because the top officer is very formally dressed wearing a suit and tie and shes just wearing the stuff she wore when she was doing the assault course. this tells the audience that there is a gulf in position in the force.

Sound

The sound that prodominately features in the opening scene of the film is the ones from nature in the forest when shes doing th assault course. this signals to the audience that she is an isolated character when shes in there and if trouble does occur then she doesnt have much hope of surviving. Other sounds that are created are the ones of footsteps when she is doing the assault course this tells the reader that she could later ome into a situation where she has to run for her life, this technique is called foreshadowing.

 Cinematogrophy

The camera shots that are take in the opening scene of the film are the ones that are taken from the prespective of someone that is following her when shes in the forest. This uneases the audience because shes isolated and on her own in the forest and if she is to come under attack then she will have no hope of surviving. but the most significant of shots is of the autumn trees that are dying because of the change of season, this is a connotation of death because all the leaves are dying and the trees look dead, this could be a reference of something ominous later on in the film this is also foreshadowing future events in the film.

Graphics

the graphics in the opening scene of the film are very bald and striking, this implys a serious nature that the audience grasp immediately, the hard hinting font grabs the readers attention and it further implies that something ghastly will result as it wouldnt be so striking if it wasnt for anything serious. the monotone black and white of the font reinforce this, the dull colours reflect and foreshadow that something dark will happen as the film goes on. 

section 2-american Physco analysis notes

  

Character Profile: The main character focus in the opening scene of american physco is on the deranged and physcotic character Patrick Batemen. Patrick Batemen is a business man in new york who on the outside presents himself as a high class posh and wealthy character. But as the filmk develops you see the mysterious and srange nature in which he goes about things. He is a very observant character who pays attentiion to every single piece of detail in the opening secenes. for example he describes all of his work colleagues and everthing that he has learnt about them and knows since he has been working there, because he knows that one of the characters is having an affair. He is also a very manipulative person who makes the decisons for his partner, by telling all the things that he wants her to wear and manipulates everything about her appearance this tells the audience that he is not used to being ignored or what to do. But the most significant thing about him is the way he describes himself, because he know that he is mentally unstable and describes himself as an outcast that is just trting to fit in, this tells the audience that there is more to him than meets the eye and that he is a very strange and disturbed person like when he kills his work colleague he gets him incredibilly drunk and takes him back to his apartment for another drink and before he kills he has already put sheets over his furniture, newspaper on the floor and a rain coat on over his clothes so none of his victims blood will stain his possesions, this shows his devious and cunning mind because theres no evidence of him killing a man because theres no traces of blood in his apartment linking him to the murder.

Sound

In the first couple of scenes the sound that is being created is the music that he is litening to when he goes into his office. The music that he listens to is very positive and upbeat which is a stark contrast to the person the really is because the audience are aware about his physcotic and disturbed nature, this therefore reinforces the fact that he is just trying to fit into society because he doesnt want to reveal the real person that he really is. Other soubnds that are created are the ones that accompany the titles. When the music starts it creates an atmospheric and ambionic drone, this sound uneases the audience as it creates a very negative mood which best reflects the character of Patrick Batemen.

Cinematogrophy

All the camera shots that are taken in the first couple of scenes are primarely ones that are taken tryinmg to reflect everthing that patrick batemen is seeing and to give an insight into the thoughts and processes of what he is seeing. this insight gives the audience a small understanding in to what Patrick is really thinking because everythiong that he does is a clue into his motives.Other shots that are taken are also trying to reflect the way that he is presenting hs self, because like he said he is putting a front on because he knows that he is an outcast. the contrast in camera shots is telling the audience who he is trying to be and who really is.

Mise-En-Scene

The coluors and lighting that are used in the opening scenes are ones used to try and show the mood that Patrick is in. When Patrick is about to stab the homeless and kill his dog there is very dull and low key lighting which is trying to reflect that something ominous is about to happen and it eventually does because he ends killing the pair. But when you see Patrick in his apartment there i only bland and boring colours like black and white, this tells the audience that this is what hes like when he is just being normal being himself that he is infact a boring person, this could be why he is so physcotic becasue he drove himself to be like that. props that are used throughout the opening scenes tend to be the murder weapon that he uses like when he kills the man his aprtment he uses an axe and when he kills the tramp he stabs him with a knife, these are crucial because it shows his intelligence that he never uses the same thing just items that he haooens to have so nobody would expect it to be him.

section 2-jaws analysis notes

 

character profiles:The characters in the opening scene of jaws are all teenagers huddled around this one camp fire smoking drugs and drinking alcohol, this tells the audience that tey are all free love characters and it reflects the time period that they lived in. But when you are introduced with the man and the girl (chrissie) the man turns around and starts to talk to her from outside the group which tells the audience that there are differnt sets of groups on the beach and they all dont know each other. all the characters introduced at the start are all innocent to the dangers that the sea posses because when chrissie enters the sea she goes in without a care of what is about to happen. This is a contrast because when you get the camera shots from under the sea then you get the prespective from jaws. these camera shots represent something ominous is about to happen.

sound

The most obvious sound that is created throughout the film is the tense and nervey jaws march. As soom as the them starts this begins to unease the audience who suspect that something dark is about to happen. But beside this sound the other sounds that are created are the ones that the people are creating around the camp fire from the guitar and harmonicas that they have, these sounds symbolise the freedom that the characters have because they are playing there own music when they feel like it. Finally the other sounds that are created in the opening scene is the ones from chrissie when jaws is pulling her underneath the water, her frantic and desperate shrieks symbolise her pain and desperation because she knows that she has no hope left.

cinematography

The different camera shots of the sea create a tense and nervy feeling for the audience after the shark attack that killed the poor chrissie. When you get the shots from underneath the sea you get the prespective of jaws which signals to the audience that something ominous is about to happen. But before the shark has finished off with chrissie there is a shot of her swimming out in to rthe sea, this is significant because it shows to the audience that shes isolated and if something is to pull her under the water then she has little hope of surviving. Once the shark attack has finished you get a wide angle shot of the blank canvas of the sea, this tells the audience that the sea has more than meets the eye.

Mise-En-Scene

in the first few opening scenes of jaws there is little movement from the characters that are surrounding the centre piece of the shot, the camp fire. the camp fire is crucial in the opening scenes because it is out of the way from the sea where the danger lies. This tells the audience that it is a safe place for the characters refuge away from the sea,the characters that are around the fire are all under the infuence of drugs and alcohol which best reflects the time era that they are in. Other props that are used in the first scene are the musical instruments that the characters are playing in the background (the harmonica and the acoustic guitar) this creates a very friendly and welcoming enviroment which is a contrast to the dangers of the sea. 

The light and colour that is used in the opening scenes vary between both the settings, the beach and the sea. When the characters are socialising on the beach the source of light is prodimantely from the camp fire, in my opinion this is a connotation of life and that everybody associated is living in good health. But when you see the setting of the sea it is the complete opposite, there is dull and dark lighting and the only bit of light that is being provided is the light that is trying to sneak through the thick clouds in the sky. The use of the dull lighting is to symbolise death and something sinister is about to happen which subsequently results in the death of chrissie.

section 2-research and comparable products-seven analysis notes

character profiles: Both the characters in seven are stark contrasts in the way that they both go about there business and present themselves. Whereas somerset is a very experienced and old officer mills is the complete opposite as it looks like he is a rookie and unexperienced in being a detective. This is cleverly presented to the audience in the way that they dress, detective somerset takes pride in his appearence with his pristine and ironed shirt which has its top buttin fastened and tucked into his trousers. But on the other hand mills wears an unironed shirt that hasnt had its top button fastened, this tells the audience that he doesnt value his career in the fashion that somerset goes about his. we also learn from the first couple of scenes that somerset is a lonesome character and lives by his self and not married or in a relationship with anybody else, whereas mills has a fiancee (gwyneth paltrow). This tells the audience that because somerset isnt married that instead he is married to his job, which shows no interference with the work he takes pride in.

Sound

Throughout the first couple of scenes a lot of sound takes place to add a little more understanding behind the characters that feature in the film. in detective mills' apartment theres prodominately outdoor sound which come from the likes of traffic on the road (car horns) people and dogs. this tells the audience that mills and his fiancee are new to the area and adjusting to the sound that comes from the outdoors. but on the other hand when you go into somersets apartment there is a main focus on the sound that the metronome is emitting, this main figure again reinforces the fact that somereset is a lonesome figure because it is the main source of sound because if he had a family the main  source of sound would be from them but because he doesnt have one tells the audience that the metronome is a constant reminder that he is a lonely man. In the first scene where its introducing the opening credits theres alot of warped and uncomfortable sounds being created which reflects on whats going on because its an insight into the work that john doe is doing. the uncomfortable sounds reflect the crazy mind of the murderer.

Cinematogrophy

in the camera shots from the first few scenes there is a lot of things that need to be taken into recognition because the small attention detail shows the careful and well executed movements from the serial killer john doe. this tells the audience that he is a a very careful killer and takes alot of attention to the work that his doing. Throughout the first couple of scenes theres a lot of things going on like movement from the characters and sounds that are being created, this shows that the audience have to be interlectual about whats going on because every detail in the murder scene is a clue behind john does motives.

Mise-En-Scene

in the opening scenes there is a lot of dull lighting and colours which reflect that something ominous is about to happen. this is further supported with the lack of movement that is going on because something that is dead or has died doesnt move therefore the movement further supports the fact that john doe is going to carry on killing. in the first scene where you get an insight into john does work there are flashes of red when he is producing his photographs, the deep red tells the audience that this is a connotation of blood which further supports he will carry on spilling blood of others to carry on doing what he is doing.