Preliminary Task: Editing

 After we finished filming it was time to edit. We had to cut down many scenes as they ran for too long so we spliced the bits we wanted.once the scenes were cut we began to put them in order and used a dissolve effect for the magic transformation parts.

After that was done it was time to add sound. Putting the sound in we found many problems. There was a lot to be and some bits even needed to be muted like when the camera is focused on the card on the wall. It took half a week but finally everything was done and hopefully when we come to do our thriller, learning from our mistakes and experience of editing, we can have better and sharper editing.

Source Code

Director: Duncan Jones
Writer: Ben Ripley
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Famiga


Source Code is an action thriller about a soldier who wakes up in the body of another man and discovers he is part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.

Box Office

Budget:$32,000,000 estimated

Opening weekend: $14,812,094 in the USA with 2961 screens showing film

Gross: $54,696,902 from USA on the 10/07/2011

So what makes this is a 'thriller'?

There's non-stop action as he only has eight minutes each time on the train to find the bomber, there's a twist as we find out that Jake Gyllenhaal's character is actually injured and on life support as he lost his arms and his body below the waist. And suspense is built as we start to question: is he going to find the bomber and stop the other attack from happening in time?

This is also an unconventional thriller as the main character dies and the people on the train can not be saved.

The film also has an element of a psychological thriller, constantly questioning what is going on? As the film is unclear at times, the main character doesn't know what's going and neither does the audience making you feel on the edge of your seats. The end of the film especially is interesting as it is unclear if he has re-written history or is the ending all in his mind as he has died.

There is a detective element as the main character is trying to find out who is the bomber, and will he find the bomb in time.

Preliminary Task: in the making

When we started to film the preliminary task we noticed that it was going to take alot of editing  to produce the idea/story. So decided as a group to change the story completely. The new story is character A walks into a room where a group of boys are talking, he gets their attention by performing a magic transformation into another person! He then introduces his next trick, a pack of cards he performs the card trick but despite being overly confident the trick doesn't work, to keep his dignity he transforms back to his normal self and leaves the room. 

So above is the storyboard, and hopefully soon the video of the preliminary task will be uploaded!

Preliminary task: in the making

So on Friday we started to film a couple of scenes for the task. The story is about a magician who goes on a talent show and performs a magic trick that doesn't go to plan, he throws the card at the judges then storms out the room, the judges pick up the card and realise that's the card. Magic!
So we so far have filmed couple of scenes, we filmed when Ezekiel walks into the room and demonstrating match-on action here. When he enters he stopes and looks at the sign, here we used eyeliner match and now we have to film couple of more scenes then edit away!

Continuity editing

In the preliminary task we must show a demonstration of continuous editing, it must show: match-on action, shot/reverse shot, 180 degree rule and eyeline match.
Continuity editing is to 'smooth over' parts of the editing process to establish logic between two shots to do this devices such as match-on-action is used to achieve this effect.
Match-on action
Match-on action is when we see a character start an action in one shot; which is then continued in the next shot.
Example:

Shot/reverse shot

This is used to show characters having a conversation, this technique makes that conversation more interesting than watching two people talking in one shot.
Example from 'Sin City' :

The 180 degree rule
This is a basic guideline which states that 2 characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera pauses over the imaginary axis connecting the 2 subjects, is called 'crossing the line.'

Eyeline match
This is when we see the character look at an object and their eyeline direction follows to the object or person they're looking at.
Example:

Task layout

Character A walks towards a closed door, character A enters through the door and crosses a room to where character B is seated. Character A and B exchange a short conversation, there is at least one use of eyeline match. Either character A or B exits the room.

Ideas:  teacher and student conversation

            an awkward conversation

            a party

            office

Paranormal Activity

Director: Oren Peli

Writers: Oren Peli

Stars: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat and  Mark Fredichs

After moving to a suburban home, a couple become tormented nightly by a demonic entity.

Sales

The estimated cost of the movie was $15,000, the film was shown in only 12 screens in America released on the 27^th of September 2009 it took in on its opening weekend $77,873. It’s been estimated that the film has made $193,355,800 worldwide all together when added up last year.

Main problem with these type of films

The main problem the horror genre faces is to make the supernatural believable, in order to make these films believable we the audience need to identify with the story and characters. For example there is always a sceptic, who we identify with normality, during the film as the plot thickens when the sceptic starts to believe we also get drawn in and believe.

There are many scenes in the film that are in the daylight when the characters are analysing what’s happened the night before, this emphasises that they are normal people and the daylight being relatable to everyday life. We see Katie’s friends round making it more believable, constant use of date/time linking with reality again and the amateurish filming makes us think we could film this ourselves!

Sometimes in these films ‘experts’ are brought in, like Peter Cushing in Hammer Horror films. Dr Fredericks, Dr Abraham are the experts in the film and even the internet which is a modern source of information we all use today.

Why this film is effective

The film is captured through a handheld camera, the camera is our eyes in the film and also makes the film realistic as it makes us feel like we’re there like for example when Katie’s sleepwalking it seems like we’re looking for her too. At night we see everything that is happening when the couple are sleeping making them seem more vulnerable.

There is no non-diegetic sound which makes everything seem more unpredictable and tense and we don’t know what’s going to happen next. The simplest of noises become scary and selective use of volume makes us jump when loud. The film is in low-key lighting, use of light/darkness and shadow the bed is partially in light and surrounded by dark/evil. The darkness make us the audience also struggle like the character as we can barely see what’s happening.

The film is constantly building to a climax and the demon gradually is getting stronger and confident as each night the attacks/torment intensifies leaving the characters more paranoid and frightened. Seems more paranoid and scared the characters become the more violent the supernatural attacks become.

127 Hours

Director: Danny Boyle

Writers: Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy

Original novel author: Aron Ralston

Stars: James Franco, Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn

Aron (Franco) goes on a weekend rock climbing trip; and doesn’t tell any of his family and friends where he is going. He’s arm becomes trapped by a boulder and the film follows his struggle to survive.

“Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing frequent action”

The whole film kept me clinging to my seat; there is constant action and tense moments. At the start we see how Aron’s life was before the accident and how active he is, as he’s walking though and following his hand along the rocks we the audience are constantly waiting for his hand to get caught, however sadistic that sounds.

When his hand gets caught between the side and the boulder Aron first panics and desperately calls for help, as any human being would, but his call for help fails. Aron is constantly trying to move this rock and comes up with many plans to do so. We see the character lose his sane state of mind during the middle of the film; and towards the end is when he decides the only way to get out is to cut out his arm.

 

“Devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliff hangers”

Suspense is created first when we the audience are waiting for Aron’s hand to get caught, just clinging to our seats waiting. Then when he’s cutting off his arm in order to survive and get out of there we’re watching in horror and wondering: is he going to do it?

At the start of the film there are many opportunities where Aron could have got his arm trapped, Boyle uses these red herrings to mislead us and keep the audience stuck to the screen waiting...

The end of the film we see Aron get free from the boulder and trying to get help, he’s walking in the desert looking for help all seems bleak until he sees three figures in the distance and they get help. More help arrives and then emergency forces finally, after the uncertainty, Aron is rescued.

The Manchurian Candidate

The film comes from a political thriller novel by Richard Condon, about a son of a prominent US political family who is brainwashed turned into an assassin for the communist party.

1962 film

Director: John Frankenheimer

Stars: Frank Sinatra, Lawrence Harvey, Janet Leigh

The film is about son of a right-winged political family has been brainwashed as an assassin for an international communist conspiracy. 

Key scenes

Murder of Senator Jordan: In this scene we see Raymond enter senator Jordan’s house and he goes into the kitchen, senator Jordan seems surprised to see him there and then notices Raymond has a pistol in his hand and asks what’s wrong with him and what’s going on. Raymond then shoots senator Jordan, Jocelyn hears the gunshot and comes downstairs and Raymond also shoots her and walks out the front door.

End scene:  This scene we see Raymond, dressed a catholic priest, ready in position to assassinate a presidential candidate. Major Marco looks frantically around the event for Raymond and finally spots where he is, it’s a rush to stop his friend doing something unforgivable! Raymond shoots his mother and her associate then as Major Marco enters the room, Raymond says why he did it and how the threat couldn’t be stopped even at the highest authority then puts his medal of honour on and shoots himself.

2004 film

Director: Jonathan Demme

Stars: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber and Kimberly Elise

The film is about, again, son of a right-winged American political party has been brainwashed to be an assassin for a group of Global companies who oppose a threat to democracy. But in this film the ‘baddies’ have the most power within the film until the end of the film; but throughout the film it seems like there is no stopping them and we don’t know if the hero is going to prevail!

However in this film Major Ben Marco is trying to regain and unravel his sanity. He is a masculine man respected by others, used to the danger and killing, and has a brave history in the army making him independent and resourceful.

Key scenes

Murder of Senator Jordan: Raymond drowns both Senator Jordan and his daughter in the remake of the film. The director chose to change the scene to symbolize the fact the main characters are drowning and the fog representing the characters lack of clarity. The use of non-diegetic music creates tension as Raymond approaches the lake foreshadowing the death of his next victim(s).  Simple editing and close up camera shots reflect Raymond’s hypnotic state; we see this effect being used many times during the movie.

End scene: This scene we see Major Marco also brainwashed and he is supposed to assassinate the presidential candidate, however he breaks of the hypnoses and kills Raymond and Raymond’s mother. And the authorities take over and visit where the men were brainwashed then we see Major Marco place the army photo and Raymond’s medal of honour close to the sea on the beach they were brainwashed.

What makes this film effective and believable?

Well both films refer to social and historical context, it relates to events at the time that’s why it’s so believable. Also prays on people’s fear of terrorism/ foreign threat as the original film was set after the cold war and the remake after the Gulf war, so this fear would be fresh making story like this terrifyingly effective.

After watching both films, the film I preferred was the original film I thought the scene when Senator Jordan was killed and his daughter was more effective because it was brutal and emotionless. But I preferred the ending of the remake because it had a good twist at the end which you never saw coming; but in the orginal film the ending made Raymond’s character seem more tragic as he killed the main leaders of the threat but then killed himself.

Review on 'Psycho' 1960

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writers: Joseph Stefano (screenplay) and Robert Blach (novel)

Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles

A Phoenix office worker Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is fed up and unhappy how life has treated her. At lunchtime breaks she meets up with her lover; but they cannot marry because he has debts to pay delaying more opportunities in her life. As she has been working at her workplace for ten years they trust her to handle a client’s money to put in the bank, but $40,000 to anyone is a tempting opportunity and she takes the money and runs away. On her journey she becomes tired and stops off at a motel off the highway but little does she know what goes on at this motel. This is where the story takes off and the horror is slowly revealed!

The external threat in this film is a mad man who appears to be normal but has a deranged mind!

“Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing frequent action”

Examples:

Shower scene, Marion goes about her own business vulnerable and then the ‘psycho’ takes advantage and murders her there and then.

Deposal of the car, evidence and body- will it sink or is it going to stay?

The staircase scene, where the private detective goes upstairs only to be greeted with the stabbing sensation of a knife.

When Lila hides in the fruit cellar and there’s what appears to be an old woman parched on a chair which turns out to be a corpse and the real ‘psycho’ killer is behind her ready to strike! Will she be the next victim or saved just in time?

“Devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliff hangers”

Red herrings:

We think that mother is an old sick woman committing the murders when it turns out mother is a corpse and didn’t actually exist throughout the film/story. This takes the viewer out of their comft zone, if she didn’t do it who is the real ‘psycho?’

Also the shower scene, the early exit of Janet Leigh’s character came as a shock as Hitchcock tricked us into thinking that she was the main character.

Suspense:

When Lila goes to the house and is looking around, not only is she out in the unknown but there is a killer at large which we as the viewer are constantly waiting to strike.

Cliff hanger:

Right at the end of the film we find out the murders are committed by Norman (Perkins) and the psychiatric doctor is debating if he should be charged/blamed for the murders committed as he is both Norman and “mother.” Will “mother” get away with it? We never know...

“Villain driven plot”

The villain we could say was “mother” as that was the person committing the murders but as “mother” and Norman are the same person, who is the real person to blame?

MacGuffin:

The MacGuffin in the film was the money, without the money Marion wouldn’t have run away and the detective and her sister wouldn’t have followed leads up to the motel. As the story develops we concentrate and care more for the characters fearing for their lives as they come to face to face with Marion’s killer; but at the end of the film characters question where the money is and we find out it’s in the car boot in the swamp.

So what makes this film one of the best horror/thrillers?

Well for start people who haven’t even seen the film know of the famous shower murder scene and the screeching music when the killer strikes. Bernard Herrmann’s strident discordant music is used in other movies to denote the appearance of a ‘psycho’ the music is quite iconic as well as keeps the view pinned to their seat as it helps to enhance the tension and suspense of the scene.

The brilliance of the scene lies in the editing, frame-by-frame leaves it up to the viewers’ imagination.

In the shower murder scene for blood they used chocolate syrup! Also Janet Leigh apparently stated after filming that scene she never took a shower again and only bathed! Another actor Hitchcock has shocked and tormented this is one of the reasons why Hitchcock’s films are so iconic and impressionable because they’re realistic and play on people’s fears. In my opinion, and other film critics, I think this is the best film of Hitchcock’s works and has helped to inspire other ‘psycho’ themed movies that we see today showing his influence still being strong on the thriller industry.

Review of 'The Birds' 1963

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writers: Daphne du Maurier (story) Evan Hunter (screenplay)

Stars: Rod Taylor, Tippi hedren and Suzanne Pleshette

A wealthy San Francisco socialite peruses a potential boyfriend to a small Northern Californian town that slowly takes a turn for the worst when birds of all species suddenly begin to attack! In this film the threat isn’t a group of foreign spies, like in ‘North by Northwest,’ but and external threat of nature.   

“Fast pacing frequent action”

Examples:

Birthday party where the children are attacked and forced to cut the party short and go inside the house.

School attack as the birds chase the children into town and the children have to go on forward to the hotel for safety.

Café scene.

House attack as our main characters are trying to keep the birds from breaking into the house.

Suspense:

When Hedren is waiting outside the school and one by one more and more birds come onto the children’s playground behind her she looks back there’s one bird, looks back again and there’s an army!

The film is again a villain driven plot being more of a threat as there are more birds than humans.

There is no music in the film to create more suspense and tension so we don’t know when the birds are going to attack! The only music there is in the film is use of mixtratinium and the children singing in the classroom scene before the birds attacked the children. 

There were a number of endings considered like for example the Golden Gate Bridge completely covered by birds. The actually ending of the film however, didn’t actually say ‘the end’ to imply an unending terror.

Effects

370 set shots, the final shot is a composite of 32 separately filmed shots.

The scene where Tippi Hedren is ravaged by birds in the attic took a week to shoot. The birds were attached to her clothes by long nylon threads and she was actually got cut in the face by a bird in one of the shots. This scene in particular was the main cause that Tippi Hedren was in therapy for years!

The premiere

When audiences left the UK premiere at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London they were greeted by the sound of screeching birds hidden in the trees!

Review of 'North by Northwest'

North by Northwest (1959)

A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies; he is pursued by them and has to go on the run in order to survive whilst claiming back his identity.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writer: Ernest Lehman

Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

In what ways is this a model thriller?

“Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action…”

Examples:

In the car

UN stabbing

Train

Bus stop

Auction scene

Café scene

At the villains hideout

Cliff-hanger (literally)

“A resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains”

Hero:witty, calm, charming, attractive, smart, panics at times and gets slightly flustered

Villian:reserved, smart, incharge/has power

Suspense:bus stop scene.

When Roger Thornhill gets off the buss he’s left in a remote-desert looking place with no one insight. He waits for awhile and spots a plane fertilising some crops. A man appears on the other side of the road on the other bus stop, Thornhill thinks that’s Mr Kaplan, so he goes over only to find out that that’s not Kaplan just an ordinary man waiting for the bus. The man then gets on the bus and when the bus leaves and no one’s in sight Thornhill is then attacked by the plane from earlier, he has to try and avoid this plane and try to survive in order to get help from on-passers.

Red herring:Eva Marie Saint’s character.

When we first meet her on the train she seems like one of the good guys then at the trainstation she makes a call and confirs with Van dame’s right hand man which makes us suspect her and think she’s helping out Van Dame. But we later find out that she was working for the government as their ‘inside man’ and she was good all along.

Cliffhanger:Cliff hanger scene.

The scene is left with Eve Kendall hanging off the cliff (mount Rushmore) for dear life with Thornhill trying to pull her up but looks likee he’s struggling himself to hold on. Then the scene skips to them being married on the train, maybe, home speeding into a tunnel.

“Villian driven plot” Villian in charge throughout the movie, until the end, and throws obstacles in the way which the hero has to react to.

Examples:

When they get Thornhill drunk set him up in the car when he goes for a little drive and theres times we think he’s gonna crash or drive off a cliff.

The UN stabbing, when Thornhill is talking to the real Mr Townsend and then one of Van Dame’s spies murders Mr townsend to keep him quiet before he reveals any valuble information.

On the train Thornhill has to go into hiding because he’s now a fugative and at times is nearly caught by the police but manages to hide. He also bribes one of porters to borrow his clothes and leaves the trainstation unnoticed…

MacGuffin

The MacGuffin is a plot element that drives the story on, everyone has to believe it’s important. The main characters are willing to do whatever to kill or protect the object to keep hold of it, regardless of what the MacGuffin may be. The MacGuffin itself is open to the audience’s interpretation; and is highly important to the plot. The MacGuffin could be: money, power, survival, a threat or something totally unexplained.

The MacGuffin is the central focus at the start of the film but as the film develops the MacGuffin loses its importance, as the characters and their struggles/motivations develop. But the MacGuffin comes back into the film towards the end; but and be forgotten as the main focus is on the characters. As Hitchcock said himself “as to what that object is specifically is the audience don’t care.”

Coursework Details

The brief: Must include...

Ø  The titles and opening of a new fiction film in the thriller genre to last a maximum of two minutes

Ø  The coursework will count as 50% of the course

Ø  Marks are awarded for demonstrating excellence in the following criteria:

Holding a shot steady

Framing a shot

Using variety of shot distances

Shooting material appropriate to the task set

Recipe for a thriller!

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television that includes numerous and often over lapping sub-genres. Thrillers are characterised by fast pacing frequent action and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains.
Devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is a villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome. The genre is flexible and can engage the audience through a dramatic rendering of psychological, social and political tensions. Hitchcock said "Thrillers allow the audience to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like."

Welcome!

Welcome to my 'thriller' blog. Be discussing Hithcock's recipe to an effective thriller and analysising this in his films, and discussing ideas for my 'thriller'  coursework. Xx