Planning Opening Credits - Miss Georgiou

Planning Opening Credits

Opening credits are important to include when creating a film for a variety of reasons that benefit the audience. The opening credits allow the audience to recognise who the actors are in correlation to how much they feature in the film and their prominence as a character. The style of the credits will also allow the audience to recognise the style of the film in order to get them prepared for what they are about to see and what the general theme of the film will be. The credits can also allow the audience to gather information about what the narrative is based on what they can see during the credits making them want to know more about the film as what they see in the credits will be left quite ambiguous. The different fonts and colours used in the opening credits will also help to give the audience an idea of what the narrative will be like white font on a black background could suggest a struggle between good and evil.

In the opening credits of 'Se7en', there is a drab theme to the colours used. In the opening credits the audience see white writing against a dimly lit background of drab colours like browns and tans. This tells the audience that the film will feature a struggle between good and evil as the conflicting light and dark colours suggest, with the small white areas suggesting that the good side is not as strong as the evil side. This makes the audience want to continue watching as what is going on is very ominous and creates suspense as the audience are left questioning as to what is going.

In the opening credits of 'se7en', the style of the credits are used to introduce the killer to the audience. The font used in the opening credits is seen as jagged and hand-written with effects over the words to make them look as if they are shifting. This tells the audience that the killer is unstable because the writing is jagged and shifting, suggesting that he is unable to control himself and cannot perform tasks like a normal person, instead having to do everything in his own twisted way. The shifting credits suggest that he is unable to see things like regular people do and sees things in his own way, what may disgust a normal person he may enjoy. This creates suspense in the audience as they want to know more about the killer as he has been shown so ominously here with a series of disturbing activities, making him more interesting to the character as they want to see how he will effect the narrative.

In the opening credits of 'se7en', the killer's identity is hidden from the audience which is conventional to the genre. The audience only see what the killer is doing with no indications to who he is or what he looks like. This tells the audience that this is most likely the killer as they expect to have the killer's identity hidden from them. The killer is also seen doing odd things like using a razor blade to cut wax off his fingers and blacking out words in a passage, suggesting that the killer is attempting to cover his tracks in order to stop the authorities from catching up to him. This creates intrigue in the audience as they do not know what to expect from the killer as not much is revealed about him, yet the audience want to know more about him as he will be a large part of the narrative of the sequence.

In the opening credits of 'se7en', the order of appearance has been used to interest the audience. The audience see the credits go from the Production company, director, actor, title of film, actors continued, casting, music, costumes, editors, production, camera operator, co-producer, producer, writers, director. The director and the main actors feature towards the beginning of the credits in order to interest the audience more as they want to know what involved these people had in the film, like a notable actor like Brad Pitt having a high position will indicate that he is important to the film,so fans of his will seek out this film in order to see as much of this actor as possible. This creates intrigue as the audience want to know what their favorite actor or director has done with the film in order to feel more connected to them and their work, and they also want to see how their work has turned out and what it is like.

This is what I designed in Final Cut Pro X for our opening credits. I decided to make sure the color was black and white in order to be conventional, as this connotes the inner struggle between the good and evil in the sequence, something the audience expect to see in the film as it allows for there to be a conflict that the main victim will have to solve before the killer can finish his killing spree. I also chose to make the font size to be smaller against the background as this would connote that the killer is stronger than the victim and will be able to overpower them, while being conventional due to the audience expecting to see the killer overpower the victim in order to create suspense in the audience due to the audience not knowing if the victim will be able to overpower the killer and stop him from continuing his killing spree. I also chose for the positioning of the text to be in the corner of the screen as this would represent how the victim is searching  for the killer in order to attempt to stop him, not knowing that he is all around the victim and able to stay in control of the situation, with this being conventional  as the audience expect to see the killer be able to learn information about the victim form watching them, leading them to threaten characters and be able to kill them easily due to him knowing where they are and what they're doing.

Group Member: Nojus
Strengths: I like the use of black and white to represent the struggle of good and evil in the film, something that the audience will pick up on and allow them to recognize that it is a thriller film as it is conventional for the audience to see a struggle between good and evil in the thriller film as the victim attempts to fight back against the killer. The spacing of the letters suggest the isolation that the victims will feel as they attempt to escape the killer, while also tying in really well with the title of 'The Stalking' and how the victim will be isolated on her own before the killer reaches her, conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see the victim alone without any help before the killer kills them.
Weaknesses: The font of this idea looks very futuristic to me and could lead the audience to thinking that this could be a sci-fi film and not a thriller film as the audience would expect a more rough font that could resemble more of a scrawl to suggest to them that the killer is mentally unstable as he is unable to write properly, although this font comes across as neater and more like stars on a night sky, which leads me to think of a possible sci-fi setting.

Group Member: Olivia
Strengths: Like Nojus's idea, the color works well as it also has the connotation of the struggle between good and evil in the narrative, as shown by the white writing on a black background, which is conventional as the audience expect to see the victim and the killer attempt to outwit one another, although the victim is usually able to overcome the killer in the end of the sequence.
Weaknesses: I think the font is not fitting for our thriller film as it seems to be very cartoonish to the audience, while also being very unconventional as the audience expect to see a scrawl or a more sharp font, whereas this font is very small and unassuming, so it will not draw the audience's attention. The positioning of the text is also off-center and in an odd position, with the writing being higher suggesting that the victim is more powerful than the killer, which is unconventional as the audience expect to see the killer be more powerful than the victim, so by reversing this it will confuse the audience.

Group Member: Harry
Strengths: Like Olivia and Nojus' idea, the use of black and white will serve to connote to the audience the struggle between good and evil in the film and how the victim will have a hard time overcoming the power of the killer that looms over her which is conventional as the audience expect to see that the killer is more powerful than the victim.
Weaknesses: I think the positioning of the text in my piece is poorly done, as it is too low down for the audience to see and will look too far off the center, meaning they will have to keep darting their eyes around the screen or we will have to keep the credits in the same place for the whole sequence which will be boring for the audience to watch, rather than having them appearing a little off in a direction with each new credit that appears, with this not serving any purpose as to what I want the audience to know as it's distance from the middle might connote that she has already escaped before the film begins, which is unconventional for the genre. The font is also quite small so the audience will have to strain their eyes to see it and may seem to lose focus on what is going on on-screen, which is what we do not want, while the small size could connote that the victim is extremely weak and will have no chance resisting the killer, which is unconventional for the genre.

We have decided to work on Nojus' idea as it is conventional to the genre as it connotes through letter spacing that the victim will be isolated before the killer strikes which is conventional of the the thriller genre, while it also connotes that the struggle between good, the victim, and evil, the killer, and how they will have to overcome each other in order to stay alive, although the smaller amounts of white suggest that the killer is stronger than the victim, something the audience expects to see in the killer genre. Our credits will, from what we have seen be used in other thriller films, contain all the people that have worked on the film which will be mine, Nojus' and Olivia's name appearing in the positions that are traditionally used with a production company that would make a thriller film, with the positions we will film appearing in sequence as production company, director, actors, title of film, actors continued, casting, music, costumes, editors, production, camera operator, co-producer, producer, writers and finally directors. I think our credits should appear on a black background to begin with then fade into when the victim, Olivia, is walking to school while the audience watches from the killers point of view, but the killer will not appear in the frame.

Planning Characters - Miss Miller

Planning Characters

We use characters in our piece as it gives someone for the audience to build relationships with and so give someone for the audience to support and become more interested in as they will be watching how they deal with situations and if they will hinder or help the progression of the narrative to a happy ending. They also allow the audience to engage further with the narrative as the audience have begun to like the characters and so want to learn more about what is in store for them in the narrative, and think about how they are going to deal with these upcoming changes to the narrative.

We have planned for our killer to be very conventional and fit into the narrative. The killer will wear a dark hoodie and mask, he is around the same age as the victim, teens, and disguises as a regular school attender and is a male. We want the killer to wear dark clothes and have a mask in order to disguise his identity from the characters in the film and the audience in order to increase the mystery around him and who he is actually is. He will also disguise himself in order to get closer to the victim without her or the audience knowing in order to increase the shock of the plot twist as they don't know why her friend has turned on her. This is conventional of the killer in a thriller film as the audience expect to see a masked killer in order to raise suspicion around him and enhance his sinister presence as they do not know who this person is and why he has chosen the victim to be his first kill. His costume will create intrigue in the audience as they want to know why he is wearing such dark colours and what he intends to do to the victim while wearing them, as darker colours have a more sinister connotation than lighter clothes. His age and gender engage the audience in the narrative as they don't know why someone so young has turned to killing people and so they feel the need to watch closer in order to pick up information in order to find out more about him and why he has decided to take such a sudden change in his life. His age and gender also creates a relationship between him and the audience as they know he will be physically capable to carry out the murders and kill the victim, making the audience wonder if the victim will be able to escape him and how, as he is physically dominating, while his age makes the audience question how someone could grow up so disturbed at such a young age. When he is disguised the audience become more engaged in the narrative as, when he is disguised, he comes off as quiet and shy, so when he appears to the audience they want to know more about him to determine if he is the killer or not and what effect he will have on the narrative. This helps to build a relationship with the character as they are unsure if he is the killer or not, as he seems too shy to be the killer, with the audience thinking he might just be a red herring for the audience.

We have planned for our victim to be a conventional character in the narrative. The victim will appear in a school uniform, to fit with the setting, with a white blouse and little makeup while her personality will be shy but friendly and caring. She is also a teenage schoolgirl. The uniform, blouse and makeup carry the connotation of the victim being an innocent character as the audience wouldn't associate a schoolgirl with someone who deserves to die, and her personality has been noted as friendly and caring to represent how she will be determined to escape and stop the killer in order to stop him from hurting anybody else. Her age makes the audience think that she is too young to be targeted by the killer, as she would be thought of as being young. The audience expect to see the victim in white and a school uniform to represent her as being innocent and causing the audience to consider why the killer would be targeting someone who, on the surface, hasn't done anything wrong. This helps to engage the audience with the narrative as they want to see if there is any reason why she would be targeted, usually surrounding her past, due to her doing something bad that she has tried to cover up. This creates a relationship between the audience and the victim as they want her to survive the killer due to her being an innocent character and, due to the audience's morals, wouldn't want her to die for not doing anything wrong. The audience expect to see a younger female victim as it connotes that she will not be able to survive the killer targeting her and will struggle to escape, creating suspense as they won't know if she will be able to get away or not. The helps the audience to engage in the narrative as they want to notice something about the killer that she will notice too to use against him and survive his attacks on her. The audience become concerned for this characters safety due to her age and gender not being enough to physically dominate the killer, meaning that she might not be able to get away from him.

We have planned for the victim's friend to be a red herring. The victim's friend (VF) will wear a grey suit as part of his school uniform, he is the same age as the victim, and will come off as creepy in dialogue and mannerisms when he is talking to the victim. The grey suit will be used to confuse the audience on whether he is good or bad and lead who the audience think is the killer astray. By having the same age as the killer it will mislead the audience to think that he is not the killer as he is too young to be capable of committing such heinous crimes, yet by having a creepy personality he will tempt the audience to think this way as he has the personality of a killer and seems capable of it supported by the fact he is a male who are stereotyped as being stronger than women. The audience expect to see a red herring in a thriller film to lead them astray in the film in order for the victim to take longer to find the killer and give him a chance to kill again, leading to an all new set of clues for the victim to find, in our film this will be shown through the VF's grey suit and creepy personality. This engages the audience in the narrative as they pay more attention to the narrative as they want to collect as much information on this character in order to decide for themselves whether he is the killer or not. The audience build a relationship through this as they want to know as much as possible about this character in order to make an educated decision as to whether he is the killer or not and whether the victim is in danger or not. Other elements of the VF's character are the same as the killer in order to confuse the audience as to if he could be the killer as he would have the same physical attributes as a potential killer and, if it came to it, he could overpower the victim.

I think our killer is conventional as he is physically capable and stronger than the victim due to him being a male, stereotypical killer gender, and so being able to put the victim into real danger that she will have to overcome. I think our victim is conventional as she has the two things that the audience expect in a victim; a likable personality and innocence that will make the audience want her to survive as she will be able to stop the evil that is the killer due to her morality being her greatest weapon. I think my characters will emphasize my genre as they are what the audience would expect to see in a thriller film, as there are a traditional victim and a traditional killer, with both characters being opposites of one another and creating suspense when they are in scenes together, as the audience want the victim to survive due to her likable personality whereas the audience know that the killer is stronger than her and will be able to kill her if he wants. We have decided to plan our characters out before we film in order to make sure that are characters are interesting and conventional for the audience with enough time to change anything should we need to.

Risk Assessment - Miss Georgiou

Risk Assessment

Making a risk assessment allows us to plan the production easier as we are able to analyse all the potential risks of the production and how we can prevent these in order to ensure the actors and crew are safe when filming. By doing this we can ensure that we do not lose any of our valuable time when filming or possibly damaging our people or our equipment due to us not planning it out properly and compensating for the potential dangers. We can also plan backup plans for different risks so we can have something to fall back on and not waste any time when we are filming dealing with preventable mistakes.

Risks	Who could be harmed	Impact	Risk Management	Back-up Plan
Cut using a knife	Actors involved in the scene	High impact, because whoever gets cut with the knife will have to leave to get treated, halting filming	To make sure that this doesn’t happen, the actors using the knife will have to adhere to knife safety in order to use it properly, the knife will also be covered to minimize the chances of contact with the knife’s blade.	If we are unable to use the knife safely we will have to remove the usage of a knife from the scene, and instead have the killer use his hand’s or a weapon that can be less dangerous, like a blunt object.
Slip on wet concrete	Actors and Crew involved in filming outside	High impact, because whoever falls will land on hard concrete that could severely damage them, possibly requiring medical treatment	To make sure that this doesn’t happen, the actors and crew will have to wear appropriate and sturdy footwear when filming outside in order to minimize the chances of slipping by having good grip on the floor.	If this is too much of a problem we will have to halt filming and work on inside scenes until it is not raining and the ground dries up, meaning that the actors and crew will have less chance of slipping.
Trailing leads while filming	Actors and Crew moving about the set	High impact, because whoever trips runs the risk of falling and damaging themselves, and also runs the risk of damaging equipment also.	To make sure this doesn’t happen we will have to tape the loose leads to the floor in order to stop them from being able to caught around someone’s foot and tripping them over. We can also make sure that the crew and actors are aware of the placement of the camera and it’s cables so that they can avoid them.	If this doesn’t work then we will have to make sure that the camera is charged fully so that the camera doesn’t need cables. We could also make sure that only the cameraman can approach the camera so that they don’t have to worry about people getting too close to it.
Weather - Rain	Everyone who is involved with filming this scene	High impact, as people involved in filming can slip on wet surfaces leading them to be hurt. The camera and costumes can also be ruined, slowing production until replacements are found.	To make sure this doesn’t happen we can check the weather before filming, in order to make sure that whenever we begin filming we know that the rain won’t be a problem	If this doesn’t work than we will have to reschedule filming to another day when it is not raining, halting the filming process and wasting the time we have for filming.
Mask’s visibility	The actor wearing the mask	Medium impact, as the actor could possibly not be able to see where he is going and so walk into something, or stumble over an object that could cause him minor damage	To make sure this doesn’t happen we will have sight tests using masks to make sure that the actor can see his surroundings in order to make the mask safer to use, resulting in quicker filming as there is no wasted time.	If this doesn’t work we will have to remove the use of a mask entirely, making filming harder as we will have to rethink shots that have the killer’s mask in to keep the killer’s identity hidden.
Tripod could fall	Crewmember operating the camera.	Medium Impact, because the camera is heavy and could cause damage to the operator if it is dropped on them unsuspectingly	To make sure that this doesn’t happen we can check that the tripod has been set up properly twice, with a different member of production checking it so there can be as much certainty as possible	If this doesn’t work then we will have to move the camera to flatter terrain rather than where we originally planned to set up, making us waste time choosing a new place to set up the camera.

I did not encounter many risks when filming but I did encounter a few small ones. When I was filming outside during the planning scene it began to rain, this could lead failures in the equipment and ruining of costumes, so when we noticed the rain myself and the rest of the crew stood under a tree that would not allow water through in order to wait for the rain to stop and be able to continue filming without damaging equipment or lives and taking more time out of the filming process with having to find replacements. Another risk I encountered while filming was the low visibility of the mask, the mask used was a balaclava with small eyeholes that obscured my vision, that could have lead to myself being hurt when moving around as the ground was wet and I was by a slope that could lead to myself falling and hurting myself if I got too close to it, stopping the filming process as I would have to be taken care of. The risk assessment has allowed me to create a more safe environment when filming and speeding up the filming process as I knew straight away to look for any danger that would halt filming and either clear the danger or move on to another filming location in order to keep my cast and crew safe, meaning that there would be no accidents when filming that would have to halt the process.

Planning Sound - Miss Miller

Planning Sound

Sound is important when planning a film because it can be used to create effects on the audience that they can hear so they are not distracted from what is going on in the film and you do not have to change you mise-en-scene or cinematography in order to fit it in. Sound also helps to add emphasis to what the audience are seeing by creating meanings and emotions that the audience will feel when they hear these sounds coupled with what they are seeing.

In our sequence we want to use non-diegetic sound. This will be heard when at the end of the sequence when the victim is being followed by the killer, the sound itself will be eerie. We want to use this because it will bring emphasis to the sinister things the killer has planned for his victim and inform the audience of the malevolent setting that the victim and killer have entered. This will also symbolize the killer's power as whatever situation he has entered, a walk home from school, he is able to dominate it and twist it to be about him. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect the sound to change from ordinary sounds to more sinister music to draw their attention to the killer entering the scene and how he is going to have an impact on the narrative. This creates suspense in the audience as they have to wait to see if she will realize that he is following her and how he is going to attack her and also if she is able to defend herself from a more dominant character. This makes the audience begin to worry about the state of the victim as she is unaware to the killer entering the scene and that he is behind and gaining ground on her, so the audience realize that she will be unable to defend herself properly if she is caught off-guard.

In our sequence we want to use silence for effect. This will be heard at the end of the sequence once it has been revealed that the victim is actually the killer and who the audience believed was the killer is just a vigilante. We want to use this because it will leave the audience with no more information at the end of the scene leaving them to take in the plot twist and come to terms with the revelation of what has just happened and how this will change what happens further in the plot. This is conventional as the audience expect to hear silence as a way of cutting off their information on what to expect next so that they are unsure of what will happen next and have to engage themselves further in the plot to try to work out what will come next for the victim. This creates suspense in the audience as they no longer know what to think as they have just witnessed a plot twist that has lead them to analyse what they have seen in order to make sense of what they have seen, while the silence in the background stops leaves them on their own to try to work it out without any help from the film. This helps the audience to focus more on the victim, who is actually the killer, in order to work out why she has turned on who the audience believed was her friend as this goes against what they have already worked out through what the narrative has told them, meaning that they have to look at this character at a whole new angle.

In our sequence we want to use parallel sound. The sounds of children playing will be heard in the background when the victim walks into school on her own. We want to use this as it will tell the audience that this is a school where the victim should be safe, although as they see later on in the sequence, the killer begins to follow her from outside the school, suggesting to the audience that the victim is not as safe as they think. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the victim in a location that would normally be consider safe, like their home, where the killer shouldn't be able to get them until he manages to track the victim down and attack her when she is least expecting it. This creates suspense in the audience as they are unsure where the killer is and why the setting is so ordinary when there is a killer tracking the victim, while the audience are left wondering whether he will attack the victim in school and, if so, if the killer has any connections to the school. The audience begin to see how confident the killer is as he believes he will be able to follow his victim around the school without being questioned or stopped before he is able to get to her, while he is also seen as ruthless by the audience as they don't know if he is capable of killing children.

In our sequence we want to use on-screen sound for effect. The sound of the knife stabbing will be made louder with a sharper sound when the victim stabs the killer as part of the plot twist. We want to use this as we think it will draw significance to the plot twist and so reengaging the audience's attention, and show that the victim is in a dangerous situation with relative elements of danger. This will also serve as the point where the audience's view of the victim shifts from that of an innocent victim to a killer. This is conventional as the audience expect to hear the sound of a knife stab in order to draw the audience's attention to it and show the impact it will have on the narrative and how it has changed the audience's views of characters. This creates shock in the audience as the sound will come from out of nowhere and be unexpected by the audience as they do not expect for the victim to be able to kill someone, while this shift in mood and characters is also shocking for the audience as they haven't expected it. This changes the audience's opinions of both the victim and the killer as their roles in the narrative has shifted with the revelation that the victim is the killer all along, while the killer is just a vigilante hunting the killer, a plot twist that is introduced to the character with the sound of the knife entering the false killer.

Our sequence will be effective as we use sound to complement, not dominate, the scenes and add more emphasis on what the audience is seeing in order to build up emotions in the audience that will allow them to engage with the narrative more and build relationships with the characters presented. Our sequence is conventional by the use of sound as we are going to use it to build up suspense and shock in the audience that isn't released until the end, something that the audience has come to expect from seeing other thriller films, while also using it to show the dominance of the killer as he is able to enter a school, emphasized by parallel sound, and also using sound to draw significance to our plot twist. By planning our sound before we begin filming it will allow us to save time as we will know what we want do when we're filming and what we will need, while also allowing us to think more in-depth on what we want and having time to change what we feel wouldn't be effective. 

Planning Cinematography - Miss Miller

Planning Cinematography

When creating a film it is important to keep in mind how the cinematography is used so that the audience are watching something that is entertaining through the use of a range of different camera shots because it will show the audience different angles of what is going on and what the mood of the scene is like when an action film uses an aerial shot during a car chase to show both cars and how far away from each other they are, or how a canted angle is used to show instability or someone's mental state in a horror or thriller film. It is important that when you are making a film that you include a variety of different camera angles, shots and movements in order to keep the audience refreshed and not showing them a boring scene of just straight cuts. Planning the shots before shooting a scene allows you to get all the different shots you need in a small amount of time, as you already know where you need the camera angled and where you need to be to get the shots you need, whereas if you hadn't planned you would be wasting time on thinking about what shots you need and where you needed your camera set up.

In our sequence we would like to use a canted angle. We would like to use this just before the victim is going to be attacked while she is walking down the street and the killer is following her. We feel that by using this shot it will show the instability of what is going on as she is going to be attacked, something that can be worrying and devastating for someone, while also connoting the mental state of the killer as he is not able to see things as normal people do and so sees everything in a twisted manner as all he wants to do is kill people. This is conventional of a thriller film as the audience expect to see a sequence where the victim is in imminent danger but she does not know it as the killer could be lurking near by, while the canted angle will tell the audience that something strange is going to happen that the victim will not know. This will make the audience feel worried for the victim as she does not know that she is in trouble although the audience are informed which makes it worse for them because the victim is unaware of her killer's presence while the audience have to wait in dread for the killer to strike and they are unable to stop it.

In our sequence we would like to use a point-of-view shot. This will be used when the victim is going about her day and not aware someone is watching her while the killer is out of her eyesight and watching her, the audience will see her from his perspective with the victim in the shot with a red filter on the shot. This tells the audience that she is unable to avoid the killer as he is constantly able to find her making an attack at anytime possible while also making the killer look more cunning as he is able to find her and observe her without her noticing him. This is conventional as the audience expect to see that the killer is able to find the victim wherever she goes as a demonstration of his skill and how he is determined to get his victim as he will find her wherever she is. This will create tension in the audience as the killer is making them wait to see what he does whether he will attack or not, while the audience are left unsure if the victim will come to danger or not. This makes the audience see the killer as being focused on his victim and determined to kill her before she gets away, while also being a sadistic individual as he must continue to watch his target rather than kill her straight away, making the audience wait on the edge of their seats for the killer to make his move.

In our sequence we would like to use a close-up shot. This will be used when the killer is unmasked in the struggle between himself and the victim, revealing the he is someone the victim knows. We have decided to use this as it will draw the audience's attention to the fact that the killer and victim know each other, making them aware of the plot twist we planned so that the audience will be more engaged in the narrative after a plot twist. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience expect to see a plot twist in the end of the sequence to leave them confused as to what they know is true and what is not about the narrative while also being left on their guard for the rest of the narrative so that they can pay more attention and try to work out who the killer is again. This creates a shock in the audience as they do not expect the killer, someone who aims to put the victim through pain to get their own satisfaction, to be a friend of hers and someone who she has known for a long time, leading the audience to want to know what caused him to change his mind about her and attempt to kill her. This is also shakes the audience's confidence in the victim and her ability to kill the killer as she knows him and may want to spare him after she has overpowered him, leaving him to strike again when she least expects it.

In our sequence we would like to use a tracking shot. This will be used when the victim is walking down the street with the killer not too far behind her, while the audience watch this with the tracking shot following the victim and the killer is seen not too clearly in the background. We have decided to use this as it puts the audience in the victims shoes as they will not be shown the killer directly and instead must watch the victim, just as the victim isn't aware the killer is in the background and instead focuses on what she is doing. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see the victim be unaware that the killer is following her while the audience are shown that he is, further showing that the victim will be unprepared when the killer attacks her as he has had time to prepare and she didn't even know he existed. This shows the victim as being vulnerable and unaware as she is unable to notice someone following her and instead, unknowingly, lets him follow her and gather information about her that he can use against her, making the audience then see her as vulnerable because the killer will know when and where to get her when he does come around to finally killing her.

In our sequence we would like to use a shallow focus shot. This will be use to show the killer in the background, blurred out and hard to see sharply, while the victim is seen in the foreground properly. We have decided to use this to show the audience that even when they think she is alone and safe it turns out that the killer has been there all along watching her and learning more about her while she is unaware of his presence. The blur around the killer will help to reinforce the idea that the victim is completely unaware of his presence while the audience also can't see him clearly. This is conventional as the audience expect to see that the killer has been there all along while the victim has been going about her day, seemingly alone, while the killer is also hard to see by the audience and the victim. This creates suspense in the audience as they can't see the killer properly and so won't be able to see his next move until it happens, at that point the audience will be unsure if the victim will survive the encounter. This make the audience see the killer as being tactful as he is able to remain in his costume while in public around the victim without drawing suspicion to himself or drawing the notice of the victim. This also makes the killer seem confidence in his own skill to be so close to his victim without being seen, which could risk his plan falling apart.

Our piece will be effective as it is able to create various emotions in the audience and keep them entertained during the length of the film. Our sequence will create suspense in the audience as it is a very slow-paced sequence that the audience are left to wait to see the outcome as the killer gets very close to the victim without harming her, leaving the audience to wait to see why he is waiting so long and what he has planned for her. Our sequence will also create shock in the audience when the audience see the killer's identity as it will be a plot twist and unexpected in the audience as they expect the killer to be someone the victim doesn't know. Our sequence will create suspense in the audience as the killer is seen near to the victim multiple times without actually killing the . Our opening sequence will be more conventional as we will be able to show the killer and victim as being more stereotypical to the genre with the killer presented as being skilled and confident as he is able to watch the killer from not too far away without being seen, as shown in the shallow focus, while also being presented as being mentally deranged as he is unable to see the victim without becoming enraged, as shown in the point of view shot. The victim is shown as being vulnerable to the killer as he is able to follow her before she notices while being able to gather information on where she goes and what she does, as shown in the tracking shot. The planning will be helpful before filming as it will allow us to make sure we are different and interesting shots in our sequence that will keep the audience entertained and interested in the narrative. This will also make it easier to film our sequence as we will already know what we want to get and how we are going to get it so there will be no confusion and no wasted time when filming.

Planning Editing - Miss Georgiou

Planning Editing

Editing styles are important to include in a film as they can help to convey feelings of shock, surprise and suspense by allowing the audience to follow the narrative through coherent visuals while also making them jump at times by making them see something they didn't expect through something like a jump cut. This also helps to engage with the audience as they are shown things through editing that can aid regular cinematography and allow the shots to become quicker, to indicate a fast-paced sequence, or a kuleshov effect to allow the audience to make connections on their own. The editing also helps for the audience too build a relationship to the film as the editing can be used to show them more in-depth details about the narrative and characters that might not be able to be picked up on through the other micro-elements or dialogue heard.

We have decided to use a reaction shot to distract the audience from the plot twist we will use. This will be shown when the killer raises his weapon to attack the victim and the audience see a close up of the victims face as she looks surprised. This will tell the audience that the victim has been taken off guard by the killer, as he has been able to stay hidden from her, and so it appears that the killer has the upper hand and that the victim will not be able to overpower him due to her not expecting the attack. This also aids the plot twist as the audience are left thinking that the victim is weak yet at the end of the sequence it is revealed that she is the killer, taking the audience by surprise. This makes our thriller film conventional as the audience expect to see the killer take the victim by surprise when her guard is down, making it easier for the killer, while also having the victim look surprised due to the sudden attack and her unknowing of the event. This will create surprise for the audience as they do not expect the attack to be made in public and are unsure of when the killer is going to strike as this has not been revealed to the audience, while the audience have become to grow unsure as to whether he will attack or not as he has only been shown as stalking previously. The audience also begin to feel sympathy for the victim as she is unaware of the attack and has been taken by surprise which, coupled with the her not knowing about the attack, leaves her at a disadvantage which could end in her dying.

We have decided to use a kuleshov effect to introduce characters in a more interesting and engaging style. The audience will see this when the killer is planning out his killing and who he will be targeting, the audience see shots of the planning board and crossed out women and then a shot of a knife. This tells the audience that the man planning is the killer as they can assume the women that he is crossing out are people that he has murdered with the knife shown, even though the audience as not seen him kill anyone yet, which fuels the plot twist in that he plans to kill the victim who is actually the killer and the people he cross off are her targets, not his. This is conventional as the audience expect to be shown early in the narrative who the killer is and how he operates so the audience and victims can recognize who has been killed by him, while the audience can become more familiar with the killer and their history as a murderer. This creates shock in the audience when they see the knife as they are left wondering what these pictures of people mean and why he is crossing them out but when they are shown the knife all of sudden they are shocked to find out he is the killer and these people are his targets. This is also makes the audience dislike the killer as they find out he has killed many people that didn't deserve it while they are also made to feel curious as they are shown that he is a killer and is targeting the victim yet they do not know what he has planned for her as of yet.

We have decided to use a shot reverse shot to show a power balance between the killer and the victim. The audience will see this when the victim speaks to the killer at school when he is disguised in order to get closer to her, without her knowing he is the killer. This will show the audience a power balance as the victim and killer are able to speak face to face with neither having any clear dominance over the other, suggesting that when the killer comes to attack her, she will be able to beat him. This will make our thriller film conventional as the audience expect to see the killer and victim come face to face at some point and, after a fight, the victim should come out on top with the meeting of the two also being conventional as the audience expect to see the killer to be someone the victim knows either directly or indirectly which is revealed to the audience through the narrative of the film. This will create shock in the audience as they do not expect to see the killer and victim meet face-to-face due to the killer's desire to kill the victim and that it is a big risk to potentially expose his identity to her while also creating suspense as the audience don't know what the killer's actions will be at this point, whether he will kill the victim now or will leave it to later. This makes the audience see the victim as being inattentive as she can not see that the killer is someone she knows who is acting quite shifty, and that she is in a lot of danger just by being near him.

We have decided to use a montage to show the killer as targeting a specific person after killing others.  The audience will see various shots of the killer highlighting pictures of the victim, as well as crossed out pictures of other girls. This will tell the audience that he is an experienced killer and that the victim will have a hard time outsmarting and overpowering the killer as he is has experienced doing this and has killed other women, while also showing the killer has the advantage as he has being planning this attack and has chosen his target beforehand. This will make the sequence conventional as the audience expect to see an experienced killer that knows how to kill someone and dispose of the body so they are not caught, making it harder for the victim and police to catch up with the killer, while the audience also expect to see a central victim that is being targeted. This will create suspense in the audience as they want to know why the killer is crossing off people and circling one person and what it means, while also wanting to know who this person is and why she is so important to the killer. The audience can also see that the killer is organised and methodical as he has taken the time to plan out his actions which tells the audience that the victim will have a harder time overcoming the killer as he has planned out everything he needs to do and she will not expect him to come, while the police will not be able to track him easily due to his tracks being covered through his good planning skills.

By planning our editing styles we can make a consistent and enjoyable narrative as the audience are treated to a variety of different techniques that will help them to understand what is going on in the film. By using these editing styles the audience can understand more of what we want them to see through the use of subtle editing styles that they will not notice completely but will help to see what we see and what we want them to know about the narrative and characters of the film, like a shot reverse shot showing a power balance between the victim and the killer so that they begin to think that the victim can overpower the killer, hinting at the plot twist later on.

Planning Mise-en-Scene - Miss Georgiou

Planning Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-scene is important to use in a thriller film as it allows the audience to connect with the film through elements that they may not be directly looking at and may not even take notice of them but they will subconsciously influence the audience to understand the films narrative and it's characters better. For example, costume can be used to make the audience think the main character is good if he is wearing a lightly-coloured costume while a piece of iconography like a clue can engage the audience into wondering what the clue means and how it will help the victim to solve the mystery of what is going on. A dark setting like an abandoned building may serve to create suspense in the audience and if something were to attack the victim in this place it could create shock and surprise also. It is small things like what I have mentioned that will give the audience information about the narrative beyond what dialogue of other micro-elements like cinematography, editing or sound can do to connect with the audience.

In our sequence we have decided to use all the different areas of mise-en-scene to add to what is being shown. For our setting we want to use a school which is shown through the character's costumes and the backgrounds of the shots. We have selected this setting as it will create a false sense of security for both the victim and the audience as when the stalker is shown in the background of the shots of the victim it will make the audience believe that she is in danger and has nowhere safe to hide. This is relatable to the audience as it can be assumed that our target audience are either going through school or have been to school and recognise it as a place of safety that the victim will be safe in. The use of a school as the setting explains the narrative as the audience is shown that the victim is a teenager and is at a vulnerable stage in her life that the stalker will try to exploit and create suspense as the stalker toys with her and the audience is left questioning whether he will kill her or not. This will make our opening sequence more conventional as the audience expect to see a weak female victim who is unable to defend herself against the stronger male killer who is trying to kill her, creating suspense when they finally do fight as the audience wants to know who will win. This will create suspense and shock in the audience as they want to know if people will die at the school as this can be seen as a safe place that children go to, so if a murder takes place here it will shock the audience as it has shattered this perception, and the audience will sit in suspense as they do not if any children will die. The audience feels sympathy for the victim as if she is in school and getting dogged by the stalker it shows that she might die and if she does that her life is cut short by the killer and his need for bloodshed.

In our sequence we have decided to use a knife for our iconography in the sequence. The knife will be shown at the end of the sequence when the killer prepares to kill the victim and approaches her, the knife will be central to winning the fight with the victim winning it in the struggle and killing the killer. We have decided to use a knife because it connotes an element of danger in the sequence as it is a dangerous weapon that can kill either of them easily if they should get their hands on it and attempt to kill the other. The use of a knife is relatable as the audience recognise it as something that is very dangerous if not used correctly as well as it being used as a weapon in other thriller films as the killer's weapon that is used to kill his victims, an example of this is 'Ghostface' from the 'Scream' franchise. The use of this explains to the audience that the killer is trying to remain hidden for as long as possible due to him using a knife that is a silent weapon that can be used without anyone noticing, suggesting that the killer plans to kill more people than just the victim and intends to stay hidden for as long as possible. This will make our film conventional as the audience expect to see the killer using a knife in an attempt to stay hidden for as long as possible so that he can get to his victim while killing others. This can create shock when the audience see a character who do not seem like a threat or a target get murdered with a knife as it can be a quick or slow kill but due to the knife not making  a lot of noise the killer will not be panicked in the situation and only appear to be stronger with the more kills he achieves. The audience begin to feel sympathy for the victims in the narrative as the killer will be able to kill them without anyone realising while the lethality of the knife can kill them almost instantly without them getting a fighting chance.

In our sequence we have decided to use positioning to make the stalker seem more powerful over the other characters. We have planned to have the stalker be shown in ways that make him appear more elusive to the audience like having off-center in the shot. We have selected this for the our sequence because it will tell the audience that the killer is trying to stay out of the victim's view to keep her from finding him until he has time to enact his plans at the end of the sequence. This relates to the narrative as it reinforces the idea that the killer is stalking the victim and so has to remain unseen in order to watch her for as long as possible, creating suspense in the audience as they want to know what he is planning to do and why he has to watch her. This will make my thriller film conventional as the audience expect to see the killer as being mysterious with a hidden identity so the victim and audience have to work to find out who the killer is and stop him before he kills any more people. The suspense the audience feel is conventional as they expect to have to wait eagerly until the narrative tells the audience more about the killer so they can learn what to expect from him and what will happen next. This allows the audience to feel sympathy for the victim as they know that the killer is following her and that she does not know it, so when he finally attempts to kill her she will be taken off guard and he will have the upper hand which will mean she will have a hard time beating him.

In our sequence we have decided to use costumes to represent the killer as being a sinister and mysterious character. We want the killer to be shown wearing a black hoodie with a mask over his face when he is shown in the scene until his mask is knocked off at the end of the sequence. We have selected this as it will help to show the audience that the killer is the sinister character and that he has dark intentions with his plans and that he will attempt to kill the victim which is reinforced with the black hoodie. The use of a mask also tells the audience that the killer wants to remain anonymous in the hopes that he will be able to complete his plans before the police catch up to him. This tells the audience that the killer of the narrative will be the stalker as he is shown to be dressed in a mysterious manner making the audience want to know why he is so mysterious and why he is targeting the victims and what he will do to them when he catches up to them. This will make the thriller film conventional as the audience expect to see a killer in the film in order to give the film a purpose in that the victim and audience have to work out who the killer is and why he is targeting the victims and attempt to stop him before he kills the main victim of the narrative. This will help to surprise the audience as the killer will appear out of nowhere behind the main victim with his costume and mask drawing attention to him, creating a surprise as they do not expect him to be so close to the victim and out in public wearing a costume like his. This will make the audience want to know more about the killer as they may not expect to see the killer so close to the victim and in public while still dressed like a killer so the audience want to know why he is so confident and what his advantages are over her that he will be able to use.

In our sequence we have decided to use facial expressions to represent the killer as being emotionless and not being able to have mercy for his victims. The killer will be shown as being expressionless when his mask is knocked off regardless of the tension of the scene. We have selected this as we feel that it will tell the audience that he is unable to feel compassion to the victims and they will not be able to reason with him and will instead have to overcome him physically to stop him. This relates to our narrative as it shows the audience that the stalker is adamant on following the victim and she will have to face him at some point due to his persistence on following her as well as that he will attempt to kill her and she will have to kill him due to his lack of remorse or mercy shown. This will make our thriller film conventional as the audience expect to see the killer determined to kill the victim where at some point the victim will have to kill the killer in order to get away from him as well as the audience expecting to see a killer that can not be reasoned with our being possible to run from as he is unable to see this and is blinded by his rage. This will create surprise in the audience as they do not expect to see the killer be so blank and expressionless in the moment where the victim looks visibly scared as they would expect the killer to look angry or vindictive but instead he has a blank face. This will create intrigue in the audience as they want to know why the killer is so blank and expressionless as he is about to kill his target where they would expect him to look determined, suggesting he has an ulterior motive at hand and that there is more to him than he is letting on, while also reinforcing the idea that he is deranged as he appears to be showing no sympathy to his victims as he kills them.

In our sequence we have decided to use body language to show the victim is vulnerable to the killer. The victim will be shown as being relaxed and not at high risk and we will do this by having the victim, when she is walking home, be walking slowly and not really paying attention to anything while the stalker can be seen behind her. We have selected this at will tell the audience that the victim is more vulnerable to the killer as she is not prepared to face him if she were to be attacked and that if he were to attack her she would be taken off guard by him and have trouble fighting him off if it came to it. This relates to the narrative as it helps the audience understand that she is an everyday schoolgirl with nothing going wrong in her life and so it will be more of a surprise to her when she is attacked and that when the plot twist reveals she is the killer it will have a larger impact because it was not hinted at. This will make our thriller conventional as the audience expect to see the victim be a character that is not prepared to be drawn into the killer's games nor are they physically capable to fight the killer due to them never needing to fight before as they have lived a sheltered life shown by the relaxed persona.This will make the audience feel suspense when the victim is drawn into a struggle at the end of the film as they do not know if she will be able to overpower the killer due to her not being shown as physically dominant previously in the sequence so the audience are left wondering who will win. This makes the audience feel sympathy for the victim as they know she is unprepared to face the killer who is stalking her so when he finally does attack, that the audience are aware of, the audience will have to wait and see whether she can overcome his strength and planned attack on her.

In our sequence we have decided to use lighting to show the audience that the victim is trapped and cant escape. The audience will see light coming in through the windows when the victim is walking down the corridor. We have selected this as it will connote to the audience that she is trapped in terms of her not being able to escape the killer until she kills him as the window represents the killer with the light representing safety that is blocked by the killer that she must 'shatter' to get free of him and into safety. This relates to our narrative as it foreshadows that at the end of the sequence she will be trapped by the killer and unable to escape and so must kill him in order to secure her escape as he will keep following her if she does not finally kill him. This is conventional to the genre as the audience expect to see the victim trapped by the killer to show the killer's power over the victim and how the victim will have to work hard to escape the killer and overpower them to finally be free of their presence. This creates suspense in the audience as the audience want to know if the victim will be able to get away from the killer and whether she will be able to escape his trap or if she will have to work her way out and also how she will overpower him when it comes to it. This makes the audience see the killer as being an organised and dominant person as he is able to overpower the victim and keep her trapped whether she knows it or not with the way he keeps her trapped and unable to escape shows this.

In our sequence we have decided to use color to show the killer as being a sinister and evil character who wants to kill the victim. The audience will see a point-of-view shot of the killer's view watching the victim with a red filter over the top of the shot. We have selected this as it will help to show the audience what the killer is thinking and that he has violent plans for his victim that has been shown through the point of view. This relates to the narrative as it shows the audience who the victim is and that the killer wants to kill her rather than make her suffer, also the point of view shot will be taken from further away from the victim so it will connote that the killer is stalking the victim. This will make our thriller film conventional as the audience expect to see the killer as being a vengeful and angry character with the intent to kill the victim which is shown by the red filter, while the point of view shot is conventional as the audience expect to see the killer wanting to remain anonymous and watch the victim from afar before making his move against the victim. This creates suspense as the audience do not know who the killer is and why he is watching her and so they want to know this in order to feel like if they can put it together the victim may have a chance of working out who the killer is and stop him. The red filter adds shock as the audience are shown that the killer aims to do something violent towards the victim that they must watch and build up to. The audience feel sympathy for the victim as the audience know that she is being watched and that the killer aims to kill her yet the audience are powerless to stop it.

By planning our mise-en-scene before we start our thriller film we will be able to make sure that the mise-en-scene we are using is conventional and will fit into our narrative and what we are doing so what the audience see is consistent and will make sense to the audience and not confuse them. By planning our mise-en-scene we will also know what we can do and see if it feasible to complete for our piece so that we are making a good quality piece with well-done mise-en-scene rather than getting too ambitious and having our sequence not look good because our mise-en-scene was badly done. The mise-en-scene is important to do right because it helps to aid the narrative and characters with what the audience are seeing and not interfering with the cinematography, sound and editing, although if the mise-en-scene is done poorly it will distract the audience from what is going on and instead they will keep seeing the distractions with the mise-en-scene.