Filming schedule - Miss Georgiou

Filming schedule

A filming schedule is an order of the shots going to be filmed, and the details to follow when shooting. It is important to have this schedule because it makes the filming of the opening sequence run smoothly, it makes it clear of what needs to be shot and what is included within the frame. Without this there would be many debates and issues of what needs to be done causing a longer filming time and possibly making the work bad quality. Schedules help when reminding the cameramen and the production team how each shot needs to look and what cinematography needs to be used. It also organise when the filming is going to take place, with the date and locations. It reminds the make up artist of how each character in the shot needs to looks they are prepared if any changes need to be make between shots. The film schedule also includes what iconography is need in shots, what personal will be needed and the equipment needed for filming. All of the information on the filming schedule makes the filing time quicker because it organises and allows the team to prepare for the shots. 

My group followed most of our filming schedule, we followed the shots and the content of them. We used the right equipment and had the personnel on set when they were needed. The iconography was used correctly and the hair and make up set up was stuck to. There was one issues when filming that we couldn't stick to the schedule for which was the date. On the date stated we filmed half of the shots but it ended up becoming to dark to film the camera couldn't pic up the characters or main features within the frame. This meant we couldn't finish filming, so we had to go back the next day in order to complete the shots on the schedule. This showed that we didn't think ahead enough about how long our lighting would stay for, we should have spread the filming our over a couple of days so that we could keep the lighting the same for the whole opening sequence. Apart from this mistake everything else was on time and ran smoothly. The filming schedule made the filming process much easier, the production team and something to follow which meant everyone knew what was happening where and when.

Individual storyboard - Miss Miller

I created a storyboard so that I could make a clearer image of how i wanted our opening sequence to look. The purpose of it is to plan out which shots and frames go in what order and to put in the microelements that go into it. Within it the time is also decided of how long the shots will remain on screen which is useful when cooperating the editing in, for example I used slow editing which I was able to plan by elongating the shots to the duration I needed.  A storyboard gives a visual of what the sequence is going to look like, the storyboard is important to make the production easier. It gives an idea of what the shots should look like in the film, and gives a guideline for the shots to be based on instead of being made up as it goes along.






Each member of my group made an individual storyboard of how we wanted our opening sequence to look. We did this so that we had three different versions we could merge together to gain the best results for a our group storyboard. We will analysed each one and chose the best elements from them to include with our main storyboard.  


I included some ideas from my inspirations post into my individual storyboard, for example the slow editing.  I have used this through the beginning half of my story board. This was inspired by the research I did on 'Scream 2'. I have made the shots durations longer so that the changes are far apart. This builds suspense for the audience because the anticipation of what might happen to our victim gets more intense and the sequence goes along. I think this editing technique is effective for the thriller genre because it adds to the suspense of the film by making the audience intrigued into the outcome of the victim.
 I also used a lot of non-diegetic sound of slow eerie music that builds tempo. Non diegetic sound is used throughout most of my opening sequence because with out it the film would be bland and boring. I have being using this because it creates the right emotions of tensions and suspense. This sound and the emotions it creates are conventional to have in a thriller film because they allows the audience to feeling worried for the characters meaning they can relate to the film. This shows how effective the non diegetic sound is because of the suspense it builds on the narration.


One of the shots I out in my storyboard was a high angle on the victim just as she spots the antagonist in front of her. This shot is looking down on her to show her weakness compared to antagonist who she is facing. It shows the audience her vulnerability and the danger that she is in, this causes them to feel sympathetic for her. The high angle shot allows the audience to understand the relationship between both characters and they can recognise the antagonist dominance over the victim. This is conventional because it portrays the typical conflict between the two main characters and who is most powerful.






I think my storyboard is good but it could be improved, this would be done by blending some of my ideas with my other groups members. Things like the angles, positions and movements could be changed to be more effective, I have chosen simple, less creative cinematography elements. When we are making our group storyboard I would changed them so that the opening sequence was more effective and exciting.

Planning Opening credits - Miss Georgiou

The opening credits are used to inform the audience about the producers, directors, cast, the title e.t.c They give the people who were a part in the making of the film credit and notice. 

Sevens opening credit analysis

In class i watched the opening credits sequence for Se7en i focused on four different points that are important when creating the credits for the our opening sequence. Firstly i analysed the fonts colours, they were white on top of the duo background of blacks and greys. These colours were used in a very clever ways to represent the characters and foreshadow the future of the film. The white speaks for the victim, it portrays innocence and vulnerability. The black foreshadows death and hurt further in the film, it also represents the antagonist and their their emotions. 

Another asset i looked at was the style of the credits apart from colours, i watched the way that they changed and their font.  The font was thin and almost looked sharp, the corners of the letters were pointed. As each credit changed it twitched and stuttered. Both these different elements were conventional for thriller credits because they infer threat or danger, the sharpness and twitching show the film as unpredictable and foreshadows someone being a target of murder attempts.
In the opening credits of se7en there were many conventions of a thriller, for example the iconography of weapons such as blades and the images of victims, the low key lighting and slow editing. All these things make the clip effective because they are stereotypical of the shock suspense and surprise on the genre. They add to the tension because it make the audience aware someone is planning to do something evil.
The credits are shown in an particular order to shown important and to give the people involved with the creation of the film recognition. In se7en the production company was the first credit that appeared, next was the director them main actors, title, more actors, music, editing etc. They are shown in this order so that audience remember the most important of the team and who needs more thanks. 

My idea

This is my idea for the credits to use in our opening sequence, I have made it as conventional as possible so that is as effective as possible. The font is white on a black background inspired from the Se7en sequence, i chose this because the colour connote stereotypical emotions for a thriller film. The white connotes innocence and purity of the once again stereotypical victim, and the black portrays evil of the antagonist in our narrative and the deaths he causes. 

The font i have chosen is normal square shape but it looks like it has been drawn i chalk, there are some gaps or scratches and the certain letters are filled in. I thought the font being unclean and jagged  would make the clip look more unstable, relating to our antagonist mental state. I created the credits like this to emphasise our narrative and the characters. 

The position of the writing on screen is going to be changed in each shot, in some places it will be high up or to the side and in others i will be centred or low down. I have done this again to represent the antagonist unstable mental state. The credits being scattered portray the antagonist as being unpredictable and  unreliable. 

 Charlie and Ryan's ideas
Both Charlie and Ryan's ideas are similar they have chosen quite bland plain fonts which i think is a disadvantage of their work. It doesn't really contain any conventions of a thriller they are simple meaning they can not connote a lot about the narrative of our film.
Ryan's positioning isn't very creative, the credit is placed in the centre side of the screen making it quite simple again. Also his font size is too small the credit he has use for his example it the title, i think the title should be big or in the centre of the shot but Ryan has chose to have the font extremely small.
Charlie's font is almost the same as Ryan's is it small and plain, which isn't very helpful when trying to create conventions of a thriller. Although i would say his is slightly better than ryas because of the size, Charlie has chosen a medium size font so that it stand out better, which is clear when comparing the two.
Both Ryan and Charlie have picked to have the font white against a black background which is also what i chose.  This is an advantage for all three of us because the colours connote the conventional emotions for a thriller film.As explained in my idea the white connotes the victims innocence and the black portrays the antagonists evil and the deaths he causes. All of our colour ideas have considered the narrative of our opening sequence and have been used the convey the characters in the stereotypical way.

Ryans 

Charlies

 

Looking at all three of out ideas we have chosen to base our opening credits on my design because we think it follows more conventions than the others. The colours foreshadow the stereotypical characteristic of the character in our narrative, for example the victims innocence. As our opening sequence isnt very long this means we have to fit in the more releveant and nessicary people or companies first going in order of what or who helped the most. For the order of out credit we are going to have the main people who where important to the creation of our opening sequence. We are going to have the production company first then the title, the main cast, directors, more cast members and them the title again. We have done them in this order to give the most important team memebers notice for their work and so that the audience rememeber main figures involved.

Planning of characters - Miss Miller

In our film we have two main characters the victim, Cathryn and the antagonits, who is unnamed. The purpose of having characters in a film is so that the audience can build some relationships within it. These relationships emphasise on the emotions and situations making the narrative exciting they make it relatable and easier to follow.

Cathryn


The victim out of our two main characters is Cathryn. She is a sixteen year old student who lives and normal life with any major complications. She has blonde hair and pale skin with red rosy cheeks. We have chosen for her style to be like this so that she is a stereotypical thriller victim. In our opening sequence my group has decided to put her in a isolated situation so that she is portrayed even stronger as the target of an antagonist.
We made our victim as conventional as possible by making certain elements connote her as the antagonist focus, one of the connotations is the colour of her hair, she has blonde her which infers innocence, this is also shown through the lightness of her skin the lighting colour we have used on her display her vulnerability. All of this makes the audience create emotions about the character they become sensitive to her situation in the film and worry for her.
The audience can see that Cathryn is a normal teenage girl with an average life. They can see this because of her friends and her age, the age suggests she is a student and her friends look just and normal as her. This allows them to relate to her knowing she doesn't deserve for anything bad to happen, but the other connotations suggest that the opposite is going to happen to her making them feel sympathetic. They can build a relationship with Cathryn as they can relate her back to their lives and people they know.




Antagonists
Not a lot is known about our antagonist the audience don't know his name or anything about his background. Throughout the opening sequence he isn't clearly shown, only glimpses of him are visible. My group and I have also made the antagonist stereotypical because we thought is was important to make him as alarming as we could for the audience.
He is wearing a black hoodie and baggy trousers for all the opening sequence this is so that he is hard to catch an eye of in the low key lighting. The dark clothing connotes death and that the character has no conscience stating psychological issues. The audience automatically become aware of the antagonist being dangerous for the other people in the film and they can see his is unpredictable and that the characters need to be cautious of him.
Our antagonist is conventional because of the little amount known about him. The audience and characters don't have any information on him, they don't even see his face clearly. All they can tell from him is that he is dangerous, they can see this because of his slow movements and his darkness. It is also clear that he is clever and has planned what he was going to do in opening sequence, the audience see this because he places trick figures around his victim, Cathryn to scare her. Not knowing much about the antagonist it stereotypical in a thriller film because it builds tension and suspense as no one is aware about what they could do, because he is unpredictable it makes the other characters and audience apprehensive about him.

I think both characters in my groups opening sequence are extremely stereotypical and conventional. This is due to their image and backgrounds, we have portrayed our victim as innocent and vulnerable which is need in a thriller genre to make audience fell sympathetic and we have made our antagonist mysterious and unpredictable so that the audience are scary. These portrayals are important when creating and thriller genre film because they create shock suspense and surprise for the audience. The planning for our characters helped my group make them as effective as possible, we had a chance to make them conventional and we could think in depth about how we could make them relatable for the audience. This made our opening sequence characters as best as we could get them because we were allowed to discuss in detail about what worked vest within the thriller genre.

Planning sound - Miss Miller

If films didn't have sounds it would ineffective, the sound is what makes the film feel realistic they make the audience aware of everything in the film world as well as building their emotions. Planning is essential to do when organising our opening sequence, we can elaborate on how we want to be effect and also on what where the best place to use them would be. The sounds almost always links in with the shot on screen, they relate to what the audience are seeing, and evolve on the feelings the audience feel.

Non-diegetic


At the beginning of the opening sequence we have added  non-diegetic sound, it is as the girls are walking down the pathway and then go their separate ways, it also stay for some of the section and Cathryn is walking down on her own. throughout this scene there is going to be music playing, we have chosen an eerie, slow track which isn't going to be played to loud. We picked this because we thought it was best when creating the suspense and tension for our film. By using this non-diegetic sound we wanted to emphasis on the fact that the victim is becoming an easier target further and further into the opening sequence as she gets deeper in to forest and separate from her friends and only chance of help. The suspense built makes this sound technique conventional because it is the most effective emotions to have within in a thriller film, it engages the audience and leave them with an enigma. The audience become intrigued and in suspense about the action that are being foreshadowed in the film, they also feel slightly sympathetic for Cathryn as they can she her vulnerability.

Silence

There first sound we are going to use is silence, this is when there is barley any sound in the scene, so there is either little sound to completely no sound at all. My group are going to use this as Cathryn (our victim) has left her friends and is alone walking through the forest. The scene is not going to absolutely silent there is going to be natural back ground sounds from the setting for example there could be falling leaves or birds. We are looking to create a sense of loneliness and vulnerability for the victim or to show the audience that she is far away from any help, this sound emphasising on her isolation. This is conventional as she is the stereotypical victim and the sound we are adding to the scene emphasises this by showing her as an easy target. It makes it audience fear for Cathryn, it also builds suspense for them adding to further actions in the opening sequence.

Off screen

My group and I decided to use an off screen sound also as Cathryn has left her friends and is on her own walking through the forest. We are going to use crunching leaves in the pattern of footsteps, which the audience cant see the source of. My group chose to use this sound because we believe it will add to the tension of our opening sequence, it will do this by explaining to the audience that our victim is not alone and that she could be in danger. It portrays he innocence and vulnerability. The unknown footsteps are mysterious and intriguing which engages the audience to concentrate on the films surroundings, this then build suspense and adds to the shock and surprise. This is conventional because of enigma it leave with the audience as the are engaging with the film. The footsteps also allow the audience to build and relationship with the Cathryn as they feel sympathetic for her because she is on her own with no help making an easy target for the antagonist.


Parallel


Another sound technique that is going to be included in our opening sequence is parallel sound, we are going add this to the scene when Cathryn catches a glimpse of the antagonists trick figure. As she turns around and to see the fake silhouette of her murderer she starts to panic, this is when the heavy breathing of her becoming alarmed begins. We chose to have parallel sound in our sequence because we thought it added to the characters emotions as well as the audiences. We hoped to create stronger rapport with the character and audience by making the scene as effective and possible and making the emotions of the characters extremely clear. This sound is conventional to the thriller genre as it builds the stereotypical effects for the audience, it creates suspense and leaves an enigma, making the audience want to continue watching. The audience again feel sympathetic for the victim as result of the sound element, it makes it clear to them that she is worried and beginning to panic. This makes them what her to find help, but they know that she is isolated and in a lot of danger.

Adding these sound into our opening sequence creates macro-elements and deeper meaning into the actions and scene. The sound we have chosen create effective emotions and reactions from the audience, they make the film more intriguing and exciting whilst watching it. They add to the conventions of a thriller by build on the audiences emotions and leaving them with an enigma. The sound planning and preparation was useful for my group and it because it aloud us to think in depth about how we wanted the sounds to react with the audience and how we wanted them to add to their emotions and the characters emotions.

Planning editing styles - Miss Georgiou

Editing styles are important to include in our opening sequence because they create the most shock suspense and surprise. They do this by changing shots in different ways to make the film conventional. They do this by placing it in such a way that the audience can relate and build relationships with the characters. Editing styles are used to make enigma and engage the audience into the film.

Example 1 -
One of the editing styles my group is going to be using is a jump cut, this is when the camera shot switches from on scene or location to another. This is going to be used at first on Cathryn, our victim, and then change on to the antagonist watching her. This is so that the audience can see both characters situations and views.
   Having this editing technique is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates shock. This will be the first shot that the audience realise the victim is being watched. Shock is one of the most important, effective emotions within a thriller film, it scares the audience, showing how the edit is conventional because it is what they want to have when watching a thriller. For this reason we have decided to have the jump here to create tension and build up to the shock.
   As the audience can see both characters positions they can build emotions of what is being foreshadowed. They can build a rapport with the antagonist and his intensions and with the victim and her feelings. They an clearly see that the antagonist is watching her and is preparing to attack her, they can also see the she is starting to panic about the sounds she is hearing. The audience can not only build a relationship with both characters they can also understand the relationship between both characters.
This editing technique creates shock and surprise for the audience because the speed of the change, the shot immediately changes onto the other emphasising the panic. Having shock and surprise within a thriller film makes the audience build a relationship with the characters because they can understand how they are feeling and relate to it.



Example 2 -
Another editing technique that's going to be in our opening sequence is slow editing, this means the shots last for longer and don't change as often. This will be used for the beginning half of our sequence whilst the girls are making their way down the path way approaching the split, and whilst they are saying goodbye the Cathryn. This will continue with her until the first trick figure appears and she starts to panic.
    Using this technique here will make the scene compelling because of how conventional it is. Having the scene slow and sluggish makes the suspense and apprehension more effective, this makes the audience tense and want know the outcome of the characters situation. These emotions are stereotypical of the thriller genre because they build up to the fall of shock and surprise.
    This then makes the audience feel worried for the victim and concerned for their future in the film. They can build a relationship on this because they feel sympathetic for the character as the foreshadowing is not hopeful.



Example 3 -
My group and I are also going to be using timing of shots editing. In the second half of our opening sequence the antagonist strikes the victim, this is when the shot going sped up so that the scene becomes energetic and exciting.
    The conventions of this editing technique are strong, the fast pace of the scene creates shock and suspense. It helps build the scene up so that the audience become intrigued, it creates the stereotypical emotions of panic and threat. These feeling are often needed in  a thriller film to make the narrative effective, they create suspense.
    The audience become worried when watching this scene because the fact that Cathryn is in trouble is emphasised by the fast moving shots. This then makes them tense as they are not aware of the future of the film, they are being tormented about the antagonists actions. Because the audience know Cathryn is in trouble feel panic and worry for her, these emotions allow the audience the relate and build a relationship with the character meaning they are more intrigued into the film.


Planning our editing techniques was useful because it allowed my group and I to discuss how we wanted it to effect the audience and how we wanted them to show the characters. We were given the chance to debate on the ideas and chose the one which would make our film most conventional and to make it effective for the audience. It helped us create the right emotions in order for out film to have shock suspense and surprise elements which make thriller films most successful.

Group planning - Miss Georgiou

My group includes myself, Ryan Samuels and Charlie Stewart, we have regular group meetings to organise and plan our opening sequence. We have these meeting so we can talk though or ideas and elaborate not them so that we can get closer to the final plan of our film. The meetings help us when trying to construct our micro elements and their meanings, they allow us to discuss how we want the content to look and what we want connote.

In our first meeting we were discussing our individual narrative ideas and inspirations. We were analysing them and choosing which plot we wanted to have or change. Our decision was to use my narrative but change it slightly. We reviewed the idea and made the adjustments so that our opening sequence was more effective and created more emotions for the audience.

We wrote down or ideas for our film, we discussed the target audience, codes and conventions, representations of characters, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing. Our group wrote what we are going to have for each of these categories, we made some rough ideas and decided on some important elements that are going to be used for example to characters names and the setting of our opening sequence. There are two A3 sheets which we put our ideas on, the points are not extremely detailed as we are going to elaborate on each micro elements in other group meetings so that we can focus on the different assets in depth.

In the next meeting we are going to plan our miss-en-scene, we are going to discuss the five different sections of it to create their meanings and the emotions we want to from them. We will make a brief plan of the points we are want to include and then elaborate on them to make their effects stronger. This will help us to organise our opening sequence and allow us to relate it to the audience as much as possible.

In the next meeting we planned cinematography. We discussed how we wanted each movements, angle and position so portray the character, for example we wanted high angle looking down on our victim so that she look weak and vulnerable. We talked about how we could use them to allow the audience to relate to the characters and their situations.

Afterwards we will be looking at our editing styles. For this we need to consider each technique and how they will work with the actions and situations in the opening sequence. Some will need react when the shots changes and some will need to change pace. For example we want slow editing in the beginning half of our sequence so we are going to need to discuss how long each shot should last for in order for it so reach it's full effect.

Next we will talk about the sounds we want to use. There are lots of different types of sound within the film world and out of it, so we will discuss how each sound should add to the scene, what is happening and how they should relate or emphasise the audiences emotions. The sound is a very important asset to a film because it is what makes it interesting and exciting meaning the audience will want to watch on. Sound is used a lot to create suspense, shock, surprise and enigma in thriller film so we are going to plan out how to use them in order to build these feelings.

In our next group meeting we will discuss our characters. We have already decided on two main characters, a victim and an antagonist. But in this session we will plan their names, their background and their personality. Our antagonist will need to fill all the conventions of his stereotypical thriller character and the victim will also need to be conventional and relatable for the audience.

Last we will plan our opening credits for the sequence. In this we will need to consider who/what we are going to included and in what order the should run in. Another element we need to discuss is the font and colours of our writing they will need to be conventional of a thriller film, and foreshadow information about the film.




Group Meetings

In the planning of a thriller productions it is important to carry out meetings and  discussions so that the best results are achieved. Discussing the plan of the our opening sequence meant we could come to the best decisions on what works best and what looks best. The group meetings are important because they allow the group to talk about everyone's ideas and add in their own opinions. This led to the best outcome as the advantages and disadvantages are considered in each asset of the production meaning the group can work around them to make it as good as possible. These meeting and discussions are important to carry out because they help the group plan out their opening sequence in depth thinking about every angle of the production.
I think my group worked well together, we discussed all of our elements and took in each others opinions. Discussing our ideas meant we could adjust our work to improve it and remove any faults or disadvantages. It also allowed up to add to our stronger assets to make them even more effective. Although we had a few disagreements we still managed to come to best conclusions that benefitted our opening sequence.

Date	Action	To be done by	By whom	Discussions
13.10.14	To agree and decide on a group narrative	17.10.14	Whole group	Discuss ideas and concepts that group members have, reflect on the ideas and then decide on a final group narrative
21.10.14	Planning mise-en-scene	24.10.14	Whole Group	Discuss the mise-en-scene we will use and the effect it creates. Plan what iconography we will use.
2.11.14	Planning Cinematography	4.11.14	Ryan Samuels, Charlie Stewart	Discuss the cinematography techniques and start to plan the shots we will include.
5.11.14	Planning Sounds	7.11.14	Whole Group	Discuss the different types of sounds and plan what sound effects and music we will feature.
9.11.14	Planning Editing Styles	12.11.14	Jess Day, Charlie Stewart	Discuss the editing techniques we will use and plan how we will transition from each frame.
15.11.14	Planning Opening Credits	17.11.14	Whole Group	Plan how the credits will look and how we will order them.
18.11.14	Planning Characters	20.11.1	Jess Day, Charlie Stewart	Plan all the characters and how they would be conventional to thriller films.
22.11.14	Group Storyboards	24.11.14	Whole Group	Use our individual storyboards to create a final group version.
25.11.14	Filming Schedule	28.11.14	Jess Day	Create a filming schedule detailing dates and locations
29.11.14	Risk Assessment	30.11.14	Whole Group	Assess the potential risks and how we can make sure our filming goes as planned
1.12.14	Filming the thriller	8.12.14	Whole Group	Film all the scenes in our film

Planning Cinematography - Miss Miller

Cinematography is a very important part to consider when planning any film, the positions, movements and angle are the tree different elements in camera work.

Angles

One of the angles we are going to use is a low angle. We are going to be using this on a shot of the antagonist when he is watching the young girl walking through the forest. We are using this angle so that the antagonist looks powerful and dominant over his victim, he should always come across as the stronger character so that the audience are aware he is dangerous and needs to be watched closely. This means they will become worried for any characters in his path and they will feel be wary of him thought the film creating tension. This is conventional because the antagonist if being portrayed in a stereotypical way, making the male looking threating towards a female is what the audience expect they automatically see him as the villain because he is stronger then the other character. This also means the audience can build a relationship with both the characters in the shot because they can understand bother their situations. They become worried and sympathetic for the young girl and acknowledge her as the victim and they see the male as the antagonist creating worried emotions.



We are also going to using a canted angle on our victim, this is going to be used as she is walking through the forest and begins to see a dark figure causing her starts to panic, sharply turn around and twisting her head. The canted angle will show her becoming anxious and paranoid, as she knows she is not alone. Having this angle will allow the audience to see her as the victim and understand her emotions. They can build a relationship with the character from this angle because it emphasises her instability and vulnerability. As this is shown the audience begin to feel worried about her future as they understand someone unknown it with her who could be a possible danger. This angle is conventional to a thriller film due to the way it portrays the young girl, it shows her as a weak easy target.



The other angle we are going to be using is a high angle, this is going to be used in a shot of the girl once she has left her friends and is alone on her way home. This angle will show her as weak and fragile, let the audience know she is the victim and a clear target for the antagonist. From this they feel worried for the character as they know she is isolated from any help. They can also build a relationship from this as it becomes clear the girl is in danger especially because has left her friend and is now alone. The high angle is a conventional shot to use because of the way it looks down the character to show their status in the film, in this case it is used to portray weakness.



Movements

A point of view (P.O.V) of the antagonist is going to be used in our opening sequence. It is going to be of our antagonist watching the young girl leave her friends and go of on her own. It will follow her for a couple of seconds and then go back to normal camera. We are using this to create a mysterious feeling for the audience and to create an enigma. The enigma with make the audience feeling unsure about the girls future. This will then make them build a relationship with character because they will be worried for her safety. A point of view is conventional because it shows the audience what they characters is seeing which again creates enigma.



The next movement is a hand held camera. This will be used as the victim is being captured and dragged away by the antagonist, the camera will be unsteady and jerky to show the harsh movements of the characters. We are using this in our opening sequence to portray the panic and instability of the victim, this makes the audience feel sympathetic for her and worry about the outcome of her kidnapping. Hand held is a conventional movement to have in a thriller film because it emphasises the characters situations allowing the audience understand more and feeling more involved with he action. Having hand held lets the audience relate to the smaller assets of the film like the movement of the characters, which then allows them to build a relationship because they can also see more of what the characters are feeling.


Positions

One of the positions we are going to use it a long shot, this is going to be a shot of the groups of girls as they are coming down the pathway before they separate. Their whole bodies will be in the shot so that the audience can see they are just normal teenagers one their home who are possibly vulnerable and an easy target. The audience can understand their situation from this camera position and might see the macro meaning of the distance between where the victim is going to be and her friends not being their. This shot is like most of the other it is used create emotions for the audience such as worry. It makes them foreshadow the victims outcome. The audience build a rapport with characters in the sot by understand their relationship, they can see that they girl are all friends this means the audience can relate to the friendship.





Conclusion

The different camera angles, positons and movements all present different emotions and feelings for the audence. They are used to create different effects in order to make the film most effective, The dont just make feelings they can aslo foreshadow the actions in the rest of the film. We have used these cinematography assets in ways so that it is conventional to our thriller opening sequence, and so they build surprise, suspense and shock. This planning cinematography has help my group and I to get the best outcome on what shots to use. It helped us discuss how the make our opening sequence the most conventional and how to allow the audience to build emotions and relationships with characters.

Planning mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

Setting and iconography

We have chosen to set our opening sequence in a isolated forest, we are thinking about doing the filming in Epping forest because it is a wide forest which is extremely crowded and has splitting paths ways which a key element to have in out film. This setting will continue through he whole of our sequence the setting doesn't change as we think it is important to keep the enigma of not knowing where they are for the audience. Our films location is conventional for the thriller genre as it is in a remote area excluded from any help or safety. The audience know that any characters in this situation could be in danger and start to feel sympathetic.
There are three main iconography elements in the opening of our film these are the antagonist knife and torch and the girls phone. The phone is going to be used by the teenage girl as she leaves her friends, she will begin to text, not looking around or at where she is going. Having the phone as a distraction for our character is conventional because it means she will less aware of her surroundings, putting herself at danger. The audience know that someone could be with her without her knowing it, as she is on her phone it makes her an easy target for the antagonist and a prime victim.
The torch and the knife both belong to the antagonist, the two iconography assets are important representations of the characters. The torch is going to be hanging of the antagonists belt throughout the opening sequence, this shows that he was prepared that he was going to be searching for something or someone. Its there to show audience that he has planned his capture and he is fully equip to complete his task. The other iconography that the antagonist has in the opening sequence is a murder weapon, he is going to have a knife in his hand to show the audience again that he is prepared for his plan. He is going to have the gun in his hand for the whole sequence so that the audience focus on it an start to foreshadow what he is going to do, he will have his finger on the trigger at all times when it is in his hand to inform the audience is ready to use and isn't afraid of the consequences. The knife is the most conventional iconography asset  in our opening sequence as it is the murder weapon, in thrillers the is almost always some sort of murder or injury so their has to be an asset that is used to hurt the character. The audience expect to see a dangerous iconography and it creates the suspense wanted in a thriller genre.


Lighting and colour

 For most of our sequence we are going to have low key lighting, with dark colours such as browns, blacks and greys. The forest is going to set as sunset so that it isn't pitch black and thinks are still visible, The low key lighting and colours creates the enigma and tension by making shadows and dark corners so that the audience are less aware of what's in the distance. It is conventional because it builds mystery, the audience become concerned for the characters and are distressed about what is going to happen further on in the film.


Costume

Victim:
Our victim is going to be wearing lighting clothing for example white and beige, she will be wearing jeans and a jumper so that she look casual like a normal teenage girl. She will wear this for all her time in the film so that audience keep in mind her innocence and purity. Her clothing is conventional as it portrays her personality as a stereotypical victim. The victims hair and make up will also show that she is innocent, she will have a natural with neat hair and subtle makeup. Having the natural theme is conventional as well as it shows her as an easy target for the antagonist. Her hair and make up will start like this for the first part of the opening sequence but it may get messy as the actions start to take place of her being kidnapped. This is to emphasise that she is struggling and in a panic to escape. The messier costume is conventional because it is make the actions of her emotions stand out allowing the audience to relate that their there feelings and their knowledge of thriller films.

The antagonists clothing will be bagging and consist of dark colours, he will be wearing a tracksuit with a huddle in either black or dark blue. This outfit will not change throughout our opening sequence he will stay in the same costume so that the audience keep the image that he is evil and un predictable. The conventions of the dark clothing is that he is a dark character the audience don't know a lot about him he is mysterious and untrustworthy. He will not be wearing make up, so that he looks bland to match with how little the audience understand about him. He will also have the normal male looking hair just messy and brushed through he will have no gel in or an y hair products, this will interpret his unpredictable personality. Both his hair and makeup will stay the same throughout the opening sequence, having no change in his looks will back up how he is un effected by his actions and has no conscience. The conventions of his styles are that he is a unstable characters wit possible mental issues the connotations show this by the colours and the little amount of care he puts into his image.


Facial expressions and body language
The victims facial expressions are worried, upset and anxious, she frowning and become extremely upset and her body language is sheltered and fragile, she is always guarded and protective. She doesn't   always at like this at the beginning of our sequence she is happy with her friends acting as normal, but as the scene goes on and she begins to realise she isn't alone and starts to panic. These emotions the audience can see she is feeling are conventional for a thriller film as the victim normally feel this way, they are always in trouble and fearful of something so she is the stereotypical victim that needs to be saved.
The antagonist facial expressions are serious and blank, He is focussed on his plan and is determined to complete it. He will be like this for the whole of the opening sequence unlike our victim, he is always in the same state of mind. His body language also shows his power, he stands tall and bold showing his confidence and strength over our victim. The antagonists stereotypical emotions are the same as our antagonist, they are normally angry and serous which makes our characters facial expressions and body language conventional.

Positioning of character

The victim will always be the centre of the screen or nearer the bottom on floor and being looked down on with a high angle. This is how she is going to be positioned for all of our opening sequence so that it is clear she is weak and at risk. She is positioned here to show the audience that she is being looked down on by someone stronger and that she is one the man focuses and needs to be watched closely.
The antagonist will also be in the centre of the shot quite a lot as well as being on the side and on top. He swill stay like this for the whole of our opening sequence as he is meant to be hidden and un seen. It is conventional to have him at the top and side of the shot as he is the powerful character who the others need to be cautious, the audience are aware that he is mysterious and unpredictable.

Conclusion

We are using all these mise-en-scene elements because they are conventional and the audience can relate to the. They connote and foreshadow the right emotions and feelings creating good surprise,  shock and suspense. The mise-en-scene is important to have with in a thriller as it adds to the effects of the film and emphasises the enigma and tension.