Research into Target Audience - Miss Miller

Research into Target Audience

I carried out this research in order to gain more knowledge of what my target audience would like to see so that I can make my opening sequence appeal to my target audience. When making my questionnaire I decided to ask 40 people to get a larger amount of results for my questionnaire so that I can have a wider range of opinions on what I should add or omit. With these results I can alter my plans for my opening sequence so that I will make an opening sequence that is both conventional and fits into what my audience want to see so it is more enjoyable for them.

What Gender Are You?

This question was asked to determine the gender of our target audience we asked. The information told us there were slightly more men then women asked in the question. This tells us that when we come to make the thriller we should add more violence as this is more interesting to male viewers, who we have more of. Stereotypically men enjoy violence more when it comes to their thriller film whereas women are seen as enjoying more of a psychological thriller. As there are more men in questioned group they may wish to see a man as the main victim as it would make the plot more relatable to them. When making our own opening sequence we had already planned for the main victim to be a female as we believed it would be more conventional to the genre, these results show that the female victim is a more conventional character. This will be done so the characters can be more appealing to the target audience because this is what they want to see and will enjoy more to see.

What Age Are You?
This question was asked to determine the age of our target audience we asked. The information we gathered told us that the largest group of ages were from 18-20 and the second largest group being 22+. This tells us that when we come to making our opening sequence that we can add more content that fits into the higher age certificates as we will be able to do more things that we can get away with like violence and swearing while still having an audience that will be able to view the film. When we come to making our opening sequence we could show more blood and a longer chase scene that the victim is in at the end of the opening sequence when the killer confronts her to show more violence and create more suspense in the audience as the fight would show more danger and lethal nature of the situation and so would become more appealing to the age of our target audience as it contains the content they want to see.

What's Your Favourite Type of Thriller Sub-Genre?
This question was asked to determine what sub-genre our target audience liked. The information we gathered told us that the favorite sub-genre our target audience liked was the psychological thriller with the second most liked genre was the action thriller. This tells us that when we come to making our opening sequence that we should focus more on elements of a psychological thriller by focusing on plot twists and playing with what the audience thinks is going to happen by having the narrative have unexpected twists and turns. In our piece we have decided to have a plot twist when the victim turns out to overpower the killer and kill him with little effort which will lead the audience to not understand who the dominant character is and what the real killer will do next as the chain of events has been disorientated. Using plot twists and altering the expected conventions of the genre to throw the audience off of what they expect to be going on will appeal to them as it will follow more of a psychological thriller narrative.

What Weapon Would You Like To See Used?
This question was asked to determine what weapon our target audience would like to see. The information that we gathered told us that the killer using a blade was the most chosen weapon while the second was a gun. This tells us that when we come to making our opening sequence that we should have the antagonist use a knife as a weapon in order to satisfy what  our target audience. In our opening sequence we will have the killer approach the victim with a knife in his hand and threaten her with it but after a fight between them the victim uses the knife to kill the killer showing how the knife comes in to play as it will be used by the victim to save herself. The knife will be used to connote danger in the sequence and how the power balance is being shifted in the scene as the knife is changing hands between both characters. This will be used to create shock and tension in the audience as they will have to wait until the end of the fight to see who will come out on top. This will also satisfy our target audience as they want to see the antagonist using a knife to kill his victims and may want to see the killer perform his kills silently and get away with it if he is using a knife, a weapon that has silent connotations.

Which of These Settings Do You Find Most Conventional To Thrillers?
This question was asked to determine where the target audience would like the setting to be. The information that was gathered told us that the target audience would like the opening sequence to be in a domestic setting with the second highest option being an abandoned setting. This tells us that when we come to making our opening sequence we should set it in a domestic setting in order to fill what our target audience want. In our opening sequence we can set parts of it in the victims house with the killer shown in the background to show that the killer is smarter than her as he is able to follow her and find where she lives without being found. The use of a domestic setting will allow the audience to recognize that the killer is able to break into an area where the victim should be safe and be comfortable showing how he has power over her. This will create surprise in the audience as they will not be expecting the killer to be able to get to the victim in her house as it is perceived as being a place where someone is safe and they should not be threatened in their own home. This will also satisfy our target audience as the sequence may be set in part in the victim's home which will allow the audience to see the strength and wit of the killer as he can penetrate the victim's defenses.

What Is Your Favourite Thriller Film?
This question was asked to determine what the target audience's favourite thriller film is and how we can use this to influence our own opening sequence. The information we gathered told us that Scream was the audience's favourite thriller film with Saw being second faovurite. With the answer of Scream our target audience said that they liked the familiar settings and characters that were featured in the film and thought the film was relatable to them. When we are making our opening sequence we can employ this into our own piece and feature a setting that the audience can relate to through the use of the school or a home setting as well as making sure our characters are recognizable and relatable to the audience through their behavior and actions like having the victim being an everyday schoolgirl in a school that most of our audience can relate to. This will make the audience feel more familiar and related to the audience so they can feel more connected to the characters and empathize with them more as they can see themselves in the character's shoes in the hostile situations they find themselves in. This will be used to make sure the audience are satisfied in that it allows them to see some of their favourite film in our film and so make them see parallels in each other and enjoy our opening sequence.

Which Of The Following Creates More Tension?
This question was asked to find out what the audience think created more tension for them while watching, with the options being light, camera and sound. The information that was gathered showed us that the audience felt that sound created the most tension for them with lighting being the second highest. This tells us that when we are making our opening sequence we should pay extra attention to what the audience can hear as they feel that that is what affects them the most. This can be done by adding loud non-diegetic eerie music when the killer is stalking the victim at the end of the sequence before he attacks her. This will create suspense in the audience as they want to know what the outcome of the situation will be and why the music has changed to something so extreme all of a sudden. This will satisfy the target audience as they want to hear sound that makes them feel tension and my including it in an already tense scene this will add more to the tension already shown.

Would You Rather Have The Antagonist's Identity Hidden Until The End or Revealed Straight Away?
This question was asked to find out if the audience think that the killer's identity should remain hidden. The information gathered told us that the audience would like to see the killer's identity hidden for as long as possible. This tells us that when we come to make our own opening sequence we should strive to have the killer's identity hidden for as long as possible. We could add this by making sure that the killer's identity is not shown through the usage of costume to cover his face and stop the audience or victim from recognizing the killer. This will create suspense in the audience as they want to know who the killer is and why he has targeted the victim as they may have a history together but the audience's imagination is left to think of why the killer has started murdering people. This will satisfy the target audience as the killer's identity will be hidden which leaves his identity and motivations up to the audience so that they can engage more with the story as they try to figure out the narrative.

Do You Think The Main Victim Should Be Male or Female?
This question was asked to determine whether the audience wanted to see a female or male victim. The information gathered told us that the people we asked would like to see a female victim. This tells us that when we come to making our own opening sequence we should have our victim be a female character. We will do this by having our victim be a girl who is shown as being weak through low angled shots and introducing her as a schoolgirl to the audience. This will create sympathy for the victim as the audience do not know if she will be able to oppose the killer and survive through the events of the film as she is being portrayed as weaker than the killer so it should be hard for her to overpower the killer. This will satisfy the target audience as the victim being a female will mean she is less likely to win in a fight and so this will create more tension and suspense throughout the sequence. The female character is often stereotyped as being weaker than the male character and so the female will have to work hard to overcome the male if they get into a fight.

Should The Main Antagonist Be Male or Female?
This question was asked to determine whether the audience would like to see a male or female antagonist. The information gathered told us that the audience would like to see a male antagonist in our opening sequence. This tells us that when we come to make our opening sequence we should make sure to show that the antagonist is a male who is killing people. We will show this by making sure the audience is aware that the killer is a male, this ill be shown in his stance and his face when he is unmasked at the end of the sequence. This will create suspense in the audience as when the killer and the victim finally confront one another the audience do not know if the victim will be able to get away or whether she will be killed by the killer. This will satisfy the target audience as they want to see an antagonist that is a male as it will connote that he can overpower the victims and that the victims will have to work harder to survive as the male is stereotyped as being stronger than the female characters.

Vox Pops
A Vox Pop is a recorded interview that shows a snapshot of the public opinion, the name comes from 'Vox Populi' which is latin for 'voice of the people', that I have recorded as part of how I gathered my research and how I can use these to alter my plans. I used Vox Pops in order to show evidence that I had carried out my questionnaire and how I asked the questions and gathered the information while also showing the different variances in the people I asked with a varied group of people and how their opinions differed. My Vox Pops also allowed the people I questioned to expand upon their answers and give a more detailed response.

In conclusion, the research I have collected has allowed me to see what my target audience want to see in our opening sequence with their input allowing us to alter what we have planned to make sure our target audience enjoy it more. like how we are going to use a knife for the antagonist when he is attacking the victim to show his power over the victim as that is what the target audience want to see as well as including a more domestic setting to make the target audience relate more to the narrative and get a sense of how powerful the killer is as he can penetrate where she is safe. Another idea used for the target audience was the use of a female victim that can connote that the character is weak which can create suspense for the character if they get into a fight with a male character. If I were to carry out the research again I would use a larger group of people to analyse in order to get a larger amount of results and get a more accurate idea of what the target audience want.

Planning Individual Narrative - Miss Georgiou

Planning Individual Narrative

The purpose of a narrative is to give the target audience a reason to watch the film and allows them to connect to the events of the film and make out what is going on in an understandable and enjoyable way that the audience want to watch and are interested in. The narrative is also reflected through everything about the film with elements like advertisement used to draw in the target audience but if the narrative of the film is poor it will drag everything down around it. A narrative engages the audience with the quality of the narrative as it directly affects the audience's interest in the film and allowing them to decide whether they want to watch the film or whether they will not based on how compelling the narrative is and if it is appropriate to the genre it is in. In terms of the success of the narrative, successful narrative drawing in a wider range of people whereas a less successful narrative would be less relatable to the audience and not engage them with the film. An engaging narrative in the thriller genre will feature the conventions of the genre that are used to hook the audience in and make them want to keep watching to figure it all out with features like the hidden identity of the killer that serves to leave the audience guessing throughout the film.

My individual narrative that will be used in my opening sequence will feature an ordinary girl that believes she is being stalked by somebody at school, with many shots showing the stalker in the background and never in the central frame to suggest that he is striving to be hidden, with many people disbelieving her as nobody ever sees the stalker while the climax of the sequence features the stalker coming to finally attack the girl but as he comes up on her she turns around and brutally stabs him with a knife before putting it away and walking off as if there is nothing wrong.

In terms of the mise-en-scene used, I will use a knife for the iconography when the killer finally attempts to kill the victim at the end of the sequence to connote elements of danger and that the killer will be able to move silently and escape before anyone hears due to a knife being seen as a silent weapon that can be used to kill without anyone noticing. For the lighting I want use high key lighting during the entire sequence (at school and outside) to create a false sense of security for the character to convince the audience that the victim is safe and that the killer is confident in his ability to kill people in broad daylight, so when the attack comes in daytime it will shock the audience. In terms of colour used, I would like to do a point-of-view shot with a red filter over the lens when he is watching the victim from afar to show the audience that he can only see violence and may be unable to be reasoned with when his rage takes hold at the end of the sequence when he attempts to kill his victim. I would like my setting to take place, in part, in a school as this would be relatable to the audience and allow them to engage more with the story as it will take place in a familiar location that the audience can see themselves in and so understand the main character more. As for the costume used I would like to have the killer wearing an all black tracksuit to show the audience that he is an evil character that will do anything to kill his victim while he will also have the hood up in order to hide his identity to create suspense in the audience as they do not know who the killer is. For the positioning of characters I would like to have the killer always be positioned off-centre to the frame in scene where we see the victim on her own travelling home to show the killer that he is making an effort to hide himself and wait for a better opportunity to arise yet he is still confident enough that he will not get caught spying. For the facial expressions used I would like for the killer to have an emotionless face when he is unmasked towards the end of the sequence in a scuffle with the victim as it will further the idea that he is deranged and feels no remorse when he kills people, making the audience worry for the victim's safety in the sequence. For body language I would like a shot where the killer is seen crouching out of sight when the victim is seen going about her day to further connote the idea that he wants to remain hidden along with his identity being kept a secret to the audience to create an enigma.

In terms of the different characters used, I would like the victim and killer to be polar opposites of each other to further support that one is bad and the other good. I would like the audience to see the victim, who will be a teenage schoolgirl, doing everyday activities and the school to show the audience that she is an innocent character who doesn't deserve what is happening to her as she does not appear to have done anything wrong which will create sympathy for her character in the audience as she does not appear to have been targeted and followed by the stalker against her wishes regardless if she has been good or bad. For the killer, I would like the audience to see him doing sinister and foreboding activities where he is seen with a planning board and many pictures of girls which he crosses out until he circles the victim, showing how he has been targeting the victim and been watching her from afar as he prepares his attack. This will create suspense in the audience as they want to know what is going on with the killer and why he has been targeting the girls he has appeared to kill in order to better understand the narrative and the character.

I would like there to be conventions of a thriller present in the opening sequence to make the film look and feel like more of a thriller film to make the audience enjoy and engage it more. In my thriller sequence I would like for there to be a chase scene in it. The chase scene will take place at the end of the opening sequence when the stalker is chasing the victim with the intention of killing her. This will show the audience that the killer is determined to get his victim while also showing the weakness of the victim as she is getting chased and unable to get away properly. This will create suspense in the audience as they are unsure if she will get away from the killer in time or if she will be killed, while also making the audience get a sense of confidence from the killer as he attempts an outlandish attack on the victim in broad daylight where anyone could see, whereas the audience would usually expect to see the killer wait until darkness to kill his victim so that no one will see and the narrative will not be complicated with witnesses. I would also like for the killer's identity to be hidden in order to be conventional and create intrigue in the audience. I would like for the killer's face to be seen as being covered at all times until he is masked at the end of the sequence. This will tell the audience that the killer wants to remain hidden and that he may know the victim personally as they could expose him. This will create suspense for the audience as they want to know who the killer is yet this will be kept secret from them until the end of the sequence. This is conventional as the audience expect to be presented with a killer who's identity will be kept from them until the end. I also want to feature a plot twist in the narrative of the sequence. This will be shown at the end of the sequence when the victim is revealed to be the killer. This will engage the audience further in the narrative as it is an unexpected turn in what the audience thinks will happen while also creating suspense in the audience as they want to know what she has planned and who else she is going to hurt. This is conventional as the audience expect to see what they thought was the process of events dashed and renewing their engagement to the narrative.

I think the narrative for my thriller opening sequence is conventional as it follows a traditional narrative. The narrative follows the victim who is a everyday person with no blatant reason that she be targeted by the killer, while the killer follows her in the background with the intent to kill her. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a weaker female victim be followed by a stronger male killer who wants to kill her. Although my narrative is more conventional as it has two plot twists at the end of the sequence in that the killer is actually the victim, although a female killer can be seen as unconventional, while the second twist that the killer and the victim know each other is an entertaining convention. This will create suspense in the audience as the want to now why the female has become the killer suddenly and why the killer has been motivated to attack his friend. These sudden plot twists will allow the audience to become more engaged in the narrative as they want to find out more about what is going on.

My sequence will appeal to my target audience as it will feature content and conventions that will engage them with the story and make them want to watch more in order to found out who the killer is and discover the truth of what is going on while also revealing enough to tell the audience what the narrative is about and introducing them to the killer and their style of killing people that should be interesting to the audience. I will also make it relatable by having it in both familiar settings with familiar characters types in order for the audience to feel more connected to the narrative as they can relate to it.

Group Narrative - Miss Georgiou

Group Narrative

Group Member 1 - Olivia Burke
Idea: My narrative is about a young girl who lives with her father after her mother passed away. Within the two minute sequence we are introduced to pictures f the two of them throughout the years, showing family pictures over a fireplace. The beginning of the film will be filmed from the perspective of the killer by using a hand held camera it will look like the killer is filming inside of the families house. The audience will not see who is holding the camera which will create tension and suspense within the audience. When the father and daughter arrive home they feel as if someone has been in inside their house and that someone may still be watching them. This is where the audience are properly introduced to the father and his daughter. The two of them become disturbed as they realise some of their possessions have been moved around (little do they know the killer is still watching them from inside the house). They convince each other that they are both over reacting and that there is nothing to worry about. Both the father and the daughter are mentally attacked during their sleep that night yet. These clips will be accompanied by slow passed music which is conventional to the thriller genre. The audience see the daughter become disturbed by a shadow outside the house. All the sounds and images build up tension.

Strengths: By filming from the killer's perspective it allows the identity to be hidden which is conventional as this creates suspense for the audience as they want to know who the killer island why they are doing this. The role of a female victim can be used as a plot device that the male victim will have to protect, showing the he may be strong enough to defeat the killer, while the attacks on both of them connotes that the killer is in fact stronger than both the girl and her father.

Weaknesses: Filming the scenes for someone getting mentally attacked would be hard to film if they were going for a disorientating feel for their work. This seems like a lot to feature in a two minute sequence so some parts could get cut that leave the narrative with a weaker effect than could be achieved.

Group Member 2 - Nojus Cinkus
My idea of a narrative for my two-minute intro scene is the story of a teenager who is relentlessly threatened and stalked by the gang he once used to call his own. He was once part of a gang that trafficked drugs to young people in east London - his only family. After giving away vital information to the police, the gang is destroyed, with only two members escaping. The two track and hunt the teenager down, eventually ending his life. In my two minute sequence, the film will show two thugs breaking into his home, leading to a chase. He will eventually become slowed down and stopped, resulting in a brutal death from hate-filled stabs to the chest. The scene ends with a friend arriving at the house and walking through the smashed door suspiciously. He finds the body and calls the police, closing the scene.

Strengths: This narrative is conventional due to the inclusion of the chase scene which shows the killer's desire to kill the victim. The setting of a house will allow the audience to engage further with the narrative as the setting is more relatable and so will increase the shock, surprise and suspense created in the audience.

Weaknesses: This may not be ideal as it seems like the main character dies in the opening sequence, so unless the narrative was based around the outcome of what happened this would end the film before it really started. It would be hard to show the background of the victim unless dialogue were added while they were breaking into his home, so that the audience is not confused but this would get rid of the chaotic nature of the scene otherwise.

Group Member 3 - Harry Warren
My individual narrative that will be used in my opening sequence will feature an ordinary girl that believes she is being stalked by somebody at school, with many shots showing the stalker in the background and never in the central frame to suggest that he is striving to be hidden, with many people disbelieving her as nobody ever sees the stalker while the climax of the sequence features the stalker coming to finally attack the girl but as he comes up on her she turns around and brutally stabs him with a knife before putting it away and walking off as if there is nothing wrong.

Strengths: This narrative is set in a school and the events happen to teenagers which are relatable to the audience so they will feel more connected to the characters due to the audience being in that situation also. The use of a female victim shows that the killer is powerful over others and does not mind killing victims that are weaker than himself rather than showing mercy. A plot twist will also engage the audience into the narrative as it engages them further into the events of the film as they need to try harder to find out who the killer is, this is conventional as the audience expect to see something that separates their plot from that of other films.

Weaknesses: The surprise of the female victim being the killer may confuse the audience as it is not very conventional as the audience expect the killer to be a male. The killer's identity is also shown in the opening sequence so the audience will not feel as much suspense as they would in a normal thriller film due to the identity of the killer being revealed early on in the narrative.

Our group narrative is based on my individual narrative that will be adapted to use in our group's opening sequence, with influences from from both Nojus's and Olivia's in order to create a narrative that everyone has contributed to and that has had ideas from each group member in order to create something that, while using the base of my narrative, has been changed to include elements of everyone's narrative. We decided on this because it would be easy to film due to it being set in around the school and also relatable to a teenage and older audience. This narrative will feature an ordinary girl that believes she is being stalked by somebody at school, with many shots showing the stalker in the background and never in the central frame to suggest that he is striving to be hidden, with many people disbelieving her as nobody ever sees the stalker while the climax of the sequence features the stalker coming to finally attack the girl but as he comes up on her she turns around and brutally stabs him with a knife before putting it away and walking off as if there is nothing wrong. Our group narrative appears to follow Aristotle's theory as it features an inciting incident when the girl is attacked by the killer when she is walking home alone and subsequently kills her attacker, as this can be seen as unconventional to the audience and inciting as they do not expect this to happen from the female 'victim', as the audience would expect to see the victim being overpowered by the killer and being killed. Another feature of Aristotle's theory that is present is the dramatic question of whether, when and where the killer will strike against the victim as this is left unanswered throughout the scene until the very end, as the audience see the killer watching the victim and following her around although no indication is given to when he is going to attack her, following the dramatic question as there is no way for the audience to have an inclination of exactly when he will attack and will simply have to wait for it to happen. Another feature of Aristotle's theory is the character goal as the killer is shown trying very hard to kill the victim before she notices that he has been stalking her, shown by how he will try to stay out of her view and in a place where she will not think to look, and he will instead appear in disguise where he can, in order to deceive her and make sure she does not see that he is following her, showing his character goal as he is trying his hardest to kill her without being found, showing his need to be superior over her. Our narrative does not fit into Propp's theory as our group narrative will not feature that many characters because that many will confuse the audience and leave them not knowing who's role is who's. Another reason why Propp's theory does not apply to our narrative as our genre is a thriller film while Propp's theory is used with fairytales in mind, two different genres with two different styles of narrative. Todorov's theory can not apply to our narrative as he believed that a narrative should start at an equilibrium while our narrative starts at a disequilibrium due to the victim already being stalked by the beginning of the film rather than this developing later on. Our narrative also features a plot twist showing that the girl is the killer and that the opening sequence ends in a disequilibrium rather than a restored equilibrium while Todorov says that this format should be followed rather than leaving off on a disequilibrium.

Before our group started filming, our group split up into myself and Olivia and Nojus due to us not working well together and not being very well organised, so that once we were split up we could work at our own paces.

Preliminary Task - Miss Miller

Preliminary Task

In my group were myself, Olivia and Nojus. The purpose of this task was to get used to using the equipment that we will be using for our eventual thriller sequence and how it can be used to achieve different shots and angles. We also familiarized ourselves with how the camera worked and how we should operate it. When it came to filming, we filmed a scene in which someone walked into a room and sat down with someone else and started to have a conversation and then get up and leave. The scene had to be thirty seconds to 2 minutes in length. We edited the sequence together using Final Cut Pro X by taking our individual clips and placing them in the sequence and cutting them up and arranging the scenes to make a coherent sequence that could be a short narrative.

In our task we used five different shots which all varied in positions so we had to adjust the camera and tripod to achieve these angles, we used a close up, mid shot, long shot, panning shot and an over the shoulder shot and used a tripod to stabilize the shots in order to create a good opening sequence.

For the close-up we had to lower the camera and the tripod in order to get the camera closer to the object we were filming. I think we used the camera really well when we had to do the close up of the books as it remained steady and showed the object clearly so the audience could see by having it in line with Olivia's shoulder as she examined the books, keeping them central to the frame and catching the audience's attention. We did not struggle with this as it was a straightforward shot and wouldn't be hard to achieve, as we knew what we wanted to film and where we wanted to film it.

For the panning shot we raised the tripod to it's highest and had the focus of the camera follow me as I walked, although the camera stayed in place. I think we did a good job of making a panning shot, as we were able to keep the camera going at a proper pace without it looking unnatural and disorientating to the audience. There wasn't much struggle with making this camera shot in terms of setting up the camera and tripod, as mentioned before, we had the tripod up the highest, but we struggled when keeping the camera moving in time with the person working.

For the mid shot we lowered the tripod to just above eye level as we talked and had it set up a few paces away from us. I think we used the camera well to do this as we managed to keep it steady and able to record our footage in a professional style, while also conveying the conversation that was taking place. Like the close-up, we didn't struggle making these shots as they were very basic and wouldn't require much skill to set up properly.

For the long shot we kept the camera at the same level and set up in the corner of the room while Olivia left the room and I sat at the table. This was not a difficult camera angle as the tripod was stable and was not moving, so that what we were filming well and straight. We did this shot by setting up the camera on the other side of the room to where the action was taking place to fill the criteria of a long shot and make sure we captured everything in the scene. We made sure to set up the tripod as high as it would got to make sure it was high enough to get as much of the scene in the frame as possible. I think this was done properly and looked like a professional long shot as opposed to an amateur one. If we were to do another long shot, I would set it up to be the same level as the actors in the scene.

For the over the shoulder shot we had to lift the camera up and angle it downwards to see over my shoulder as I walked. This was a camera technique we struggled making as the tripod was not tall enough to see over our shoulders and so it had to be held which created a shaky effect that we did not want and made the shot look messy and unprofessional. In order to stop ourselves from making the same mistake in creating the over the shoulder shot we would go slower in order for the camera man to not have to rush after us and shake the camera and creating an undesired effect, and by going slowing the camera man will have time to hold the camera in place and get a stabilised footing so that he doesn't bob up and down during the shot.

When making this scene we could have done with better audio in order to convey a better narrative as we could not be heard very well in the sequence as well as the narrative not being very developed and remaining quit ominous. By watching my film back I could see where I had gone wrong and how I could improve next time I filmed a piece for my opening scene like in this scene I was smiling when I was supposed to be serious which ruined the mood of the scene and took away from the serious feel we wanted, also when we were shooting the over the shoulder shot the camera was very jerky and could disorientate the viewer rather so we need to work on how we move the camera if the camera person is moving in order to avoid the jerky nature.

This task helped me to prepare for making my own opening sequence as I can get used to using a camera and editing the clips so that when I make my own opening sequence I will be more precise and use the camera with better quality. I can also get better at editing the clips I will gather into my opening sequence with more polished results as the editing program will take time to get better at using. By doing this task I have been able to learn how to use the camera, tripod and the editing program with better accuracy. I think when I made the first opening sequence I was able to assemble and angle the camera properly so I will ensure that I maintain the same amount of skill that I was able to use to operate the camera while I will try to improve my editing skills to get the best finish for the opening sequence that I can.

Research into Conventions - Miss Miller

Research into Conventions

A convention is something the audience expect to see to help them to recognize the genre they are watching and increasing the shock, surprise and suspense in the audience as the narrative unfolds. A convention of the thriller genre is that the killer's identity will be kept a secret in order to create suspense when the killer appears as they do not know who is under the mask. Another convention of the thriller genre is the use of a suburban area to show the power and confidence of the killer as he knows he will be able to kill the victim before help arrives. I have chosen the opening sequence from the film 'Scream' as it is successful at creating suspense in the audience due to the mysterious nature of the killer and the relatable nature of the victim in the sequence. The URL for the clip is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3lSvJ5RXKA.

A convention of the thriller genre shown in 'Scream' is the use of a female victim. The audience see a girl as she is getting ready to watch a scary film then the killer begins to harass her with more angrier phone calls. This tells the audience that the victim will not be strong enough to fend off the attacks of the killer due to women being stereotyped as weak while men are stereotyped as being strong. The fact that the killer appears to be a man tells the audience that should he attack her head-on she will not be strong enough to fight him off and will most likely die due to him being the more dominant character. This convention shows how strong the killer is while the victim is weaker than him and also that because the victim is a woman and he is a man shows he doesn't care about who he kills regardless of their gender or who they are. This creates suspense as the audience want her to get away from danger due to her being innocent but because she is female and the killer is male it seems that the odds are stacked against her. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the first kill to be a female to show how the killer will kill people even if they are innocent and weaker than him to display how he is a ruthless killer. This convention makes the audience feel sympathy for the audience as she is less likely to survive an attack from the killer due to her being a female who is usually stereotyped as weaker.

A convention of the thriller genre shown in 'Scream' is the killer's hidden identity. Throughout the sequence the audience do not see the killer or his face but instead hear him through a phone that the victim is using. This tells the audience that the killer will be able to escape capture from the authorities and remain an enigma to the characters and the audience as the killer remains anonymous to the audience, giving them nothing to go on as to who the killer could be as well as the fact there have been no other characters introduced at this point. This convention allows the audience to engage further in the narrative as they will want to work out who the killer is before he is revealed through the actions of the characters in the narrative in order to feel more connected to them, while also making themselves feel like they are in the same situation the victim is in and they need to find the killer in order to prevent more deaths . This creates suspense as the killer is presented to the audience with unusual qualities, horror movie fascination, and a violent temper and attitude towards people he clearly doesn't know, while the audience are looking to learn more about this killer to know a way to stop him from killing anyone else. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a mysterious killer whose identity is hidden at the beginning of the film in order to fuel the narrative as the characters attempt to work out who the killer is. This intrigues the audience as they want to learn more about the killer in order to feel more connected to the narrative due to them knowing a vital piece of information that the characters do not know that the audience believe that if they know it, the victims will be able to work it out as well.

A convention of the thriller genre shown in 'Scream' is the use of a realistic setting for the opening sequence. The opening sequence takes place in an ordinary house while the victim goes about doing ordinary things with nothing out of the usual until the killer starts calling. This setting allows the audience to relate to the victim's situation as they can imagine themselves in the same setting due to the audience having a place in their life that matches the one shown in the opening sequence while the audience may have done what the victim is doing, making it easier for the audience to see themselves in the victim's shoes. This convention makes the audience feel more relatable to the victim as so feel more uncomfortable with the events as they feel as if they could be the victim just as easily as the victim is. This creates shock as the audience can imagine what they would do in the situation and whether they would be able to fend off the attacks of the killer. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a setting that they can relate to and feel as if they are in the victim's shoes. This creates sympathy for the victim as she is alone in her own house and the killer has attacked her in a place that the audience would think is a private and safe place where this can't happen to them.

A convention of the thriller genre shown in 'Scream' is the use of silence in terms of sound. The audience can hear this when the victim is moving around the house while crickets are audible in the background until a sharp ringing is heard from the phone out of nowhere, this can be first heard at 00:08-00:10. This tells the audience that the killer is interrupting her everyday life and how the victim wants her sequence of events to go by calling and piercing this idea while using his power to insert his own idea of how the night should go. This convention is used to show how the killer has power over his victims due to his ability to make them act how he wants without physically being there. This creates shock as the killer's persistence and constant calling coupled with the piercing ringing of the phone can take the audience off guard as the calls come unexpectedly throughout the opening sequence, showing how the killer does not want to give up chasing the victim. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the killer hound the victim through any means possible while also torturing the victims mentally by constantly harassing them showing how he will kill people when he wants to due to his confidence in his abilities. This makes to audience see the victim as weak as she is unable to handle the calls and what the killer is threatening her with.

A convention of the thriller genre shown in 'Scream' is the use of a slow paced editing. Throughout the scene the timing of shots do not speed up to that of a chase scene and instead stays at the steady pace the scene begins with. This shows the audience that the victim doesn't understand what is going on and that the killer's calls are serious and that she will be in danger very soon. This also reinforces the idea that the victim thinks she is safe on her own home and so is not as scared as she would be if she were in an isolated setting rather than a familiar setting. This convention makes the audience not feel as threatened by the phone calls as the victim is as the slower pace leads them to believe that the killer can't get to her due to it not showing signs of a chase scene and so not having the same suspense and severity that a chase scene would have. This creates suspense in the audience as they want to know whether the killer will actually be able to get to her or if he is drawing the kill out for his own pleasure and her fate is unfortunately sealed. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the killer toy with the victim before killing them in order for the audience to feel more sympathy for them. The audience begin to feel sympathy for the victim as she is being harassed by the killer who is more powerful than her, telling the audience that she will most likely die.

This clip was successful in creating a conventional sequence as it featured a lot of suspense in the conventions used to make the audience feel uncertain of what was going to happen next due to the scene being drawn out with the audience having to wait to see what comes next while at the same time being left to come up with their own ideas of what could happen. I like the use of the telephone ringing at unexpected moments in the sequence as it can take the audience by surprise and make them more uncomfortable as they will not be able to see it coming and so when they have gotten used to random phone rings they will not expect the killer to enter the scene for real if I decide to use a sudden noise to signify their entry. I also like the use of a relatable setting to make the audience feel shock and tension as they will be able to picture themselves in the shoes of the victim and so  increasing the shock they will feel when the victim comes under attack from the killer.

Inspirations - Miss Georgiou

Inspirations

Before something can be made there needs to be an inspiration in the creator to make something that has meaning and is valued by others as it has been worked on out of wanting to make something that honors other valued creations of the same type. When making a thriller film that you want to be successful it is best to take inspiration from the already made thriller films that have themselves been successful and using the different techniques and styles used in the film to influence and shape your own piece to make sure it follows the conventions of the genre that the audience will recognize and engage with. In my own piece I have taken inspiration from slasher thriller films like Scream in terms of a knife wielding killer that's identity has been hidden while using cinematography techniques like a point-of-view shot that is used to make the audience feel like they are in the thick of the action which I have seen in the thriller film Disturbia. I have taken the usage of weapons for iconography from Saw except where they have used a gun I want to use a knife to connotes elements of danger.

An inspiration that I gathered from 'Halloween' was the technique of hiding the killer's identity. The audience never see the killer's face due to the use of a point-of-view shot from he killer's perspective as well as the addition of the killer wearing mask. This inspired me because it engages the audience and makes them want to keep watching to find out who the killer is, inspiring me to use a similar idea of a hidden killer as this will allow the audience to engage in the story and try to work out who the killer is. By having a hidden identity in my intro it will attract my audience into watching more so they can discover who the killer is after he has committed a crime to make thee audience want to know who he is and how he is able to get away with his crime. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience expect to be presented a killer that they do not know who the identity of who has just killed a person that the audience want to know the identity of as they want to feel part of the investigation and chase to find out his true identity so he can be brought to justice.

An inspiration that I gathered from 'The Shining' was the technique of on-screen sound. In 'The Shining', the audience hear the sound of an axe hitting a door as the killer attempts to chop down the door between himself and the victim. This inspired me because it sets the pace for the scene and creates tension as it takes him some time to cut down the door while the audience are left waiting to see if the victim will get away in time or if the killer is able to kill the victim before anyone sees. I want to use on-screen sound in my piece in the form of the pounding of the footsteps of the victim running to connote the intensity of the situation and leaving the audience's heart beating to see if the victim gets away which will attract the audience to want to continue watching in order to confirm if the victim does get away. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience expect to see a chase scene in which the victim is trying to escape from the clutches of the killer in which they may not possibly get away in time.

An inspiration that I gathered from 'Disturbia' was the point-of-view shot. In 'Disturbia', the audience see a point-of-view shot through the eyes of Kale as he watches the killer's house to see if he has seen him witnessing the murder which allowed the audience to feel in the shoes of the victim. This has inspired me to use a similar camera shot as I would like my audience to feel a deeper connection with the character in order to increase suspense as they will feel as if the killer is coming after them as well as the victim. By using a point-of-view shot of the victim checking a dead body in my opening sequence I will be able to get the audience to create a relationship with the victim as they will both feel victimised by the killer and so the audience will have a stronger support of the victim to live through the events of the film as the audience can somewhat understand the nightmare they are going through. This is conventional as the audience expect to be shown ways in which the victim deserves to live and will want them to survive at any cost while also being put in a position where they can understand the power and presence of the killer and begin to worry for the victim's sake.

An inspiration that I gathered from 'The Purge' was the use of sped-up timing of shots. In 'The Purge', the audience see faster editing to create a fast-paced scene when James begins to fight on the floor with the stranger after the latter attacks his daughter. This has inspired me to use a sped-up timing of shots as it would allow for a faster scene connoting that there is more hanging in the balance based on the outcome of the fight while also providing some suspense for the audience as they have less time to think of what will come next while also unsure of who will emerge victorious from the fight and how the victor will hinder the progress of the loser, either the victim's escape is hindered or the killer's plans are disrupted. By using a sped-up timing of shots when the victim is running to save someone I will allow the audience to become further engaged and gain more suspense as they are unsure of what the victim is running into and whether it could be a trap left by a killer but can also show the determination of the victim, creating a relationship between the character and the audience as they think the victim can survive the attacks from the killer and bring him to justice. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a chase scene by using a sped-up timing of shot to show the power and determination of the killer to get his targets while also showing how the victim is lucky and skilled enough to get away in time.

An inspiration that I have gathered from 'Saw' is the use of an abandoned and isolated setting. The audience see the two victims locked in a long abandoned bathroom with just themselves and no one around to hear their screams and calls for help. This has inspired me to use an abandoned and isolated setting as it will create suspense in the audience as they do not know how the victims will escape as they are chained to the wall with no one around to help them escape as well as whether they will be able to get to safety before the killer can catch them again, while the audience watches them still attempt to escape it shows the audience how brave and determined the characters are to escape from the killer. By using an abandoned and isolated setting like a small woodland trail I will be able to show that the killer is able to get away with the murder before anyone arrives in order to show that he is smart as he is able to plan ahead and make sure no one interrupts. The isolated setting also makes sure that no one will be an eye-witness to the murder in order to make sure the killer gets away, also showing that the killer is smart enough to plan ahead. This is conventional as the audience expect to see an isolated setting to connote that the killer will be able to hold the victim for as long as possible with no one interfering leading to the audience to expect the victim to escape themselves.

An inspiration that I have gathered from 'Halloween' is the use of shock to affect the audience. At the end of the sequence the killer's mask is lifted and the audience are shown a mid shot of the killer to reveal that it is just a small boy clutching at a knife after he has just murdered his sister. This has inspired me to use shock in my sequence as it will take the audience off guard and cause them to become more engaged with the film as they want to find out more about what has shocked them, in the example I have given the audience will want to know if the boy is the killer, while also allowing the film to stand apart form other thriller films by having a unique plot twist that the audience do not expect. By using shock in my sequence in the form of a plot twist or piece of evidence I will be able to entertain and engage the audience as they will be taken by surprise and have their expectations for the plot of the film to be dashed as they will have to adapt and pay extra close attention if they want to try to work out what is really going on against what they have thought has been going on. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a plot twist or a shocking element in order to entertain them or engage them as they do not expect to see this while making the film seem more unique to other films of the genre.

My research has allowed me to get ideas for my narrative as I can see what is a compelling story and what feels like it fits into the thriller genre and that the audience will engage with and want to find out what is going on and what they will enjoy finding out with enough mystery to keep the audience intrigued. By analyzing different thriller films I am able to get a larger amount of inspirations with a different variance in films with some being older, some younger, some famous and some that aren't as popular to show how a technique may have hindered or helped a film to become more of a fitting thriller film.

Opening Sequence Analysis of Halloween - Miss Georgiou

How does the opening sequence of the film 'Halloween' inform the audience of the conventions of a thriller film

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', a multitude of different micro-elements have been used to create effect for the audience and draw them into the film. In terms of the purpose of these micro-elements, they are used to establish a narrative and set a mystery for the audience to follow which gives them a reason to continue watching as they want to find out who did the killing and what the outcome of the film will be to see if the killer was brought to justice or if there were any plot twists. The opening sequence of the film should also set the genre of the film to see if the audience want to watch it or if they do not like particular genre shown, as an action-thriller may contain too much fast-paced content for some audiences and a psychological-thriller may be too complex for people to want to invest their thoughts into. The opening sequence should also contain conventions, a constant trait in the genre, of the thriller genre like keeping the killer's secret an identity in order to give the audience something to follow and speculate upon, allowing the film to gather the audience's attention by giving them something to keep watching for. In terms of the content shown, the opening sequence should set the scene for the genre of the film like how in this scene the audience witness a murder committed by an unknown killer, connoting the thriller genre as there as it presents a mysterious antagonist that the protagonist will have to stop in order to cease the disequilibrium. The opening sequence should also set the physical scene for the film and where it takes place like in this film the opening sequence takes place in a suburban house, a relatable location for the audience that in turn increases the shock factor for them as they can imagine it happening it to themselves. The opening sequence should introduce key characters, for example in this clip the key character introduced is Michael as we see a lengthy shot and hear his name called. The opening sequence should also serve to create shock, suspense or surprise in the audience in order to entertain them and keep their attention. For the actual plot, the audience should be kept in suspense by using features like an unknown killer and a murder in the first five minutes to entertain the audience and keep them questioning. The clip in question is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELF1DCf1ChA

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', cinematography is used to create suspense in the audience. The audience see a continuos point-of-view shot from the killer's perspective as he does various things around the house like locating a knife in a drawer, finding his sister and stabbing her before leaving the house. This hides the killer's identity from the audience as it will add to the mystery in the narrative as they do not know who the killer is and will want to find this out. The inclusion of the halloween mask being placed on the face of the camera allows the audience to feel as if they are the killers as well, due to seeing the events through the eye holes of the mask. This creates suspense in the audience as they want to find out who the killer is and why they have decided to kill their own sister as this is not a normal thing to do. The scene itself causes suspense as the audience are trailed around the house after the killer with no indication as to what is going on with tension increasing as the unknown figure heads upstairs with a knife. This is conventional as the audience expect to see someone die by an unknown killer in order to shock them into watching more, as well as fuelling the narrative that will take place. The scene creates a relationship between the audience and the killer due to the audience being curious as to who the killer is and wanting to know more about what the killer plans to achieve by doing these killings.

In the opening sequence the audience see a high angle shot, it is used to create shock in the audience. The audience see the killer looking down on the girl that he has just killed, she is covered in blood and lies naked on the floor. The use of a high-angle shot tells the audience that the killer is powerful as he is able to overpower a person and kill them, something that requires a deal of strength regardless of their gender. This also suggests the mental state of the character as they are able to look down on the person they have just killed and not feel any evident remorse perhaps even feeling like they have the moral high ground, represented by the high camera angle of the killer. This use of cinematography creates shock in the audience as it is unexpected for the killer to look down on his victim rather than fleeing the scene, as well that the audience later find out that she is his sister, suggesting a deeper psychotic break in that he has been able to kill his own sister. This is conventional as the audience expect the killer to have no human emotions and not be able to empathise with the distress his victims are going through and stop what he is doing, rather he enjoys it. This use of a high-angle shot creates a relationship between the audience and the victim as they feel sympathy for her as she was murdered by the killer and was unable to escape and live her life, instead she died too soon.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', a mid shot is used to create shock in the audience. The audience see a mid shot of the young child who is revealed to be Michael, the murderer, holding a bloody knife with a startled look on his face. This tells the audience that he was the killer as he is seen holding the knife with blood on the end from killing his sister. This scene is also used to get audience thinking as the boy is revealed as the killer but under suspicious circumstances, with the shocked look on his face giving the idea that he was framed and doesn't understand what is going on. This creates shock as the audience do not expect the killer to be a small boy, rather expecting an adult as they possess the strength to overpower their victims, with the boy appearing to not know what is going on, suggesting that he does not see what he has done wrong. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a plot twist in order to make the plot feel unique and surprising rather than the narrative being too alike to other films in the genre. The use of the mid shot also creates a relationship between Michael and the audience as they can start to get s strong dislike towards the character due to his nature of killing people that do not deserve it, with this relationship fueling the audiences drive to continue watching the film to see if he gets justice.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', a zooming out shot is used to create shock in the audience. The audience see a zooming out shot of Michael holding a bloody knife on an incredibly dark background as he gets smaller and smaller as the camera gets further away. This tells the audience that this could happen in a normal neighborhood due to the killer becoming equal with the background in terms of size and then being overtaken by the size of the audience. The inclusion of the house in the background as well as a family in the shot, Michael and his parents, juxtaposes the sinister actions of Michael with the normalcy of his surroundings suggests to the audience the domesticity of the murder and makes them feel vulnerable. This creates shock in the audience as they do not expect a child to murder someone let alone in the middle of the suburbs where someone could hear it happen, suggesting that either the child is not the killer or he is confident that no one will believe that he is the killer. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see a red herring that will throw them off who they expect to be the killer. This use of cinematography creates sympathy for Michael as it is clear that he doesn't understand what he's doing or doesn't see that murdering his sister was the wrong thing to do.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', a reaction shot is used to create surprise in the audience. The audience see this when, after the killer murdered the girl, the killer's mask is taken away to show a young boy looking frightened. This tells the audience that there is something very wrong with this situation that they want to know more about it due to the very odd circumstances of a young boy committing the murder and allowing himself to get caught whereas it would be expected for the killer to be and adult and expect to escape. This creates surprise in the audience as they expect the killer to be an adult and deranged yet the reveal shows a young child which takes the audience by surprise as there does not seem to be anything wrong with him. This is unconventional in a thriller film as the audience do not expect to see a young child to be the killer as children are usually represented as being innocent and good yet this child is shown as being bad. This makes the audience want to know more about Michael in order to determine why he has killed his sister and the audience will have to watch more of the film to learn this, hooking them into the film to understand what is going on. There are not many editing techniques used in this sequence due to a higher focus on cinematography to create effects on the audience.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', non-diegetic sound is used to set the expectations of the thriller and create suspense in them. In the additional clip, the audience hear the sounds of children singing Halloween rhymes with an echo effect to them, this can be heard from 2:07-2:22. This tells the audience that this will not be an ordinary Halloween and the innocence of the holiday and the children will clash with the violence and sinister nature of a murder in the town. This sets the expectations that the film revolve around the misleading ideas of a child's innocence and how the child will grow up to kill again. This creates suspense in the audience as they want to know how the presence of children will affect the story or whether they will be in danger at any point in the sequence as this is thriller film and their survival is in question. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see innocent people in danger from the killer who will try to escape from the killer and survive the events going on. The clip for this sound is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tGvktfjjk

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', diegetic sound is used to create suspense in the audience. The audience can hear the sound of a clock striking as the killer walks up the stairs to the girl who is on her own, this can be heard at 2:17-2:30. This tells the audience that the girl's time is running out and she will soon be dead due to the chiming signifying the end of an hour with the slow chiming and the slow walking of the killer tormenting the audience as they want to know if the clock chiming will mean her death or if she will be able to get away in time. This creates suspense in the audience as they do not know if she will get away from the killer or if she will meet her fate and the audience must wait to see rather than know immediately with the most likely chance being that she dies, so the audience is left to imagine her death. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see someone die in the opening sequence of the film and 'Halloween' plays on this by making the audience wait out a long drawn out scene before the killing takes place. This creates sympathy for the victim as the audience and the killer know she will die in a vicious manner yet she does not and the audience are powerless to stop it, meaning they have to watch her be attacked.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', hear parallel sounds to create suspense in the audience. The audience hear a constant piano sound while Michael finds a knife in a drawer and proceeds through the house to the stairs that remains in pace and gets gradually louder, it can be heard from 1:17 to 1:36. This tells the audience that the killer is determined to kill the girl and there is nothing to stop him from doing it with the increasing volume showing how closer he is getting to his target. The beginning of this sound when Michael picks up the knife represents how his plan is being set in motion and can now come to fruition while the quieting of this sound shows how the girl's boyfriend coming down the stairs has halted his plans temporarily. This creates suspense in the audience as they are left wondering what the piano indicates and what it shows about the killer and his plans while also leaving the audience thinking about what the killer will do to the girl as the piano is a very frightening tune and more of a creepy tune that is constantly playing. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see the killer's plans begin with the acquisition of a weapon that he can and to see them be interrupted by outside interference or the victim acting out of the killer's expectations of them. This allows the audience to worry about the fate of the girl's boyfriend as he has come close to interfering with the killers plans and is less equipped to deal with the killer.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', the codes and conventions of a thriller are apparent as the killer's identity is covered up, creating an enigma. This is shown when the killer puts on a mask coupled with the use of a POV shot throughout the scene. This tells the audience that the killer has gone to an extent to hide his face from his victim, indicating that the victim will recognize the killer if she sees him and that this will allow him to be identified easier if the victim got away, indicating that the victim knows the killer. This creates an enigma for the audience as they do not know who the killer is and will not find out until the end of the scene with the audience still wondering if the killer is a child due to it being an unconventional character of a killer child. This is conventional as the audience expect to be kept in the dark about who the killer is yet the killer is unveiled very soon after the murder so it has elements of being unconventional. This allows the audience to understand the struggle the police will go through to find the killer as neither the audience nor the police will know who the killer is, where the audience can be unsure if Michael is the killer due to his young age.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', another convention is stuck to as the setting is during Halloween night, creating suspense in the audience. The audience see that it is the 31st of October in the form of writing on a black screen before the scene starts. This tells the audience that there are likely to be sinister events as the setting of Halloween connotes that there will be something evil going on due to the connotation of dark and evil things during this holiday. The setting of Halloween night in particular connotes that no one will be around to see the murder take place. This creates suspense in the audience as they expect that there will be something sinister happening in a film set on Halloween night but the audience are left to imagine what will happen with the only surefire thing that will happen is that a murder will take place. This is conventional as the audience expect that something bad will happen on Halloween night due to the dark connotations associated with the holiday. This allows the audience to feel pity for Michael as on Halloween night he should be out taking part in regular activities that kids do yet he is alone with no one there for him as his sister would rather spend more time with her boyfriend.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', the killer is represented as being smart and more powerful than his victims, creating surprise in the audience when he is revealed to be a child. The audience see the killer walk into the house and move around quietly without getting found and also able to locate a large knife to use in his favor. This tells the audience that the killer is more powerful than the victims and that he will be able to overpower his victims easily and successfully get away with the murders. His ability to move around quietly shows that the killer is cunning and will be able to evade the capture by the authorities. The inclusion of a knife in the killers possession shows the elements of danger present in the film. This creates shock in the audience when he is revealed to be a child as it is unexpected that a child be able to find these things and move around without being found as well as being physically dominant over adults. This is conventional as the audience expects to see the killer be physically dominant over his victims and able to time after time successfully kill the victims, both men and women, without any getting away. This creates sympathy for the girl as the audience know that she has a low chance of survival due to the physically dominant nature of the killer.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', the victim is represented as being weak and vulnerable to the audience. The audience hear the girl screaming as she is attacked by the killer, this can be heard from 3:05-3:15. This tells the audience that the victim is weaker than the killer and unable to hold her own against the force of the killer as she is unable to contain herself and must let out a scream in order to express how scared she is. Her nakedness also shows that she is weaker than the killer as she has less protection to his attacks on her. This creates shock in the audience as they do not expect such a vicious attack on the girl without any clear reason especially when she is alone and vulnerable when she is attacked which shows that she is weaker than the killer due to her lack of clothing and the absence of anyone to save her. This is conventional in the thriller genre as the audience expect to see the victim to be weaker than the killer in order to show the killer's power and to set the events in motion that will the fuel the films narrative. It is also conventional that the women is weaker than the man in the situation. The audience feel sympathy feel for the girl as she is clearly weaker than the killer and that her death will inevitably come to her in a way that is unnatural and unceremonious to her.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', the film's narrative is used to creates shock in the audience. The killer's identity is hidden from the audience throughout the sequence until the killer is revealed to be a young boy named Michael. This presents to the audience the disequilibrium of the film in that the a person has been murdered and that it appears that the child has been set up due to his facial expressions that the audience want to keep watching the film to discover who the killer definitely is. The creates shock in the audience as they do not expect for a child to be the killer and that it is quite unbelievable that a child could perform such violent acts and left audience wondering whether the child is the actual killer or whether he has been framed for the murder. This is conventional for the thriller genre as the audience expect to not know the killer's identity and be left guessing until the end of the movie, however the killer's identity is revealed at the end of the intro so it is quite unconventional. This makes the audience want to know more about Michael as it is unsure whether he is the killer or not due to his childlike innocent.

In conclusion, this opening sequence informs the audience of the conventions of a thriller as it contains very conventional elements that make it a very good opening sequence due to elements like the killer's hidden identity that will leave the audience guessing as to who the killer is while there also being other conventional elements like the killer being able to overpower the victim easily as he is an armed male and she an unarmed female, with these conventional elements being used previously in other thriller films making this film recognizable to the audience as a thriller film due to these elements. This opening sequence will help me to make my own because this is a very good example of a highly regarded opening sequence to a thriller film and so I can learn how to use its elements for my own needs like a lack of editing to create a more realistic and natural flow to the events on scene and by adhering to the style used in this opening sequence I can see how it can be adapted to my own piece in order to give it an authentic and classic thriller feel to it.