2. Question 1
Example writing frame
1. What research did you carry out? What conventions did you discover were usually in
thrillers? (This is already detailed on your blog so only briefly refer to it.)
2. Did you plan to challenge or conform to conventions of thrillers? Why did you make this
overall decision?
3. Pick a few of the below to write about whether they’re conventional or subversive of the
genre:
The soundtrack: explain how the soundtrack intensifies the mood or action evoked in the mise-enscene, whilst also linking to the title.
Locations: explain the significance of these.
Names of characters: explain the purpose of these. Consider character types.
Film title: how does it link to the story, or action, or themes, or characters… if appropriate what film or
event has inspired the title? Consider connotations.
Casting: what informed this?
Costume: explain how it is generic yet places the film in a contemporary context.
Props.
Generic significance of the plot and narrative structure.
Use of titles and name of production company as a convention.
4. Do you think your product is successful in setting out what you intended to do with the
conventions of thrillers?
3. Question 2
Example writing frame
1. Did you plan to represent a particular social group? If so, which?
2. Why did you think this would be a good idea? How did your research of
representation in thrillers inform your production?
3. How did you begin to represent these social groups?:
By their costumes? Their actions? By the plot?
Consider how the mise-en-scene represents the social groups.
Are these choices controversial or very stereotypical?
Where else has your research informed you that these stereotypes exist?
You may wish to consider how filming in Britain has impacted these representations?
Would you expect them to be different to those perhaps in a mainstream Hollywood
thriller?
4. Have you created a positive or negative representation of that social
class? How do you think this affects the audience?
Reference your audience research – what did they want to see?
Did you provide for your audience or did you intend to educate them? Why?
4. Question 3
Example writing frame
1. What kind of media product have you created?
What qualities make it mainstream or independent?
2. How would you expect to gain interest from production companies to distribute your product?
If you think it’s applicable, research some independent filmmaking competitions and suggest
how you could go about entering. What would be the benefit of entering these?
3. How would you go about generating a ‘buzz’ from fans for your film before releasing it?
Viral online marketing, online distribution, reference to case studies would be good here (like
Working Title)
Example: To gain interest from either a production company or building a committed fan base we would
post our two minute opening to a new thriller onto the following sites on the internet because…………
UK Competitions
www.uk-competitions-online.co.uk
A selection of competitions and prizes available to enter online
Welcome to the 2 Days Later Short Film Competition Website
2 Days Later Short Film Competition Website. ...
Filmaka - Global Digital Studio
Filmaka.com film competition is a platform for undiscovered filmmakers to show their work to ...
London Short Film Festival
www.shortfilms.org.uk
5. Question 4
Example writing frame
1. Have a look on imdb and see what the audience user ratings are for a couple of other
thriller films that you have studied. What audiences tend to like them?
Search for the main page of the thriller film
Scroll down to the bottom
Under ‘Opinion’ click ‘User Ratings’
Analyse the average age and rating and comment on who they target.
2. Did this have any influence over who you planned to target?
3. What type of audience do you think your production would appeal to? Give evidence
from your questionnaire data and analysed responses to support your decisions.
4. There are different ways of classifying audiences (age, wealth, social status – aspirers,
mainstreamers…) Do you think you could classify your target audience in another way,
other than age and gender?
6. Question 5
Example writing frame
1.
What particular elements of your production will attract your target audience?
2.
How is your production referencing other thrillers? This may help to attract audiences
of other successful thrillers and therefore be good to note. If you used intertextual
references it may be good to also include these and why you decided to put them in.
3.
Are there any contemporary issues or themes that you feel are shown through your
production? (think about issues, such as knife crime, cyber stalking, abuse against
women, robberies at post offices (there was a 40 year old woman murdered by a
burglar at a post office in Yorkshire), match fixing in sport. Or themes such as
jealousy, power, betrayal, misogyny, trust and so on).
1.
What audience feedback have you received from others watching your production?
Identify strengths and weaknesses from targeting a specific audience.
2.
Explain the importance of engaging an audience through an opening sequence –
hooking your target audience.
7. Question 6
Example writing frame
Consider these questions when looking at the bullet points below.
1. What have learnt about the following…(see below)?
2. How have specific technologies helped you to research and plan, shoot and edit your film?
Your blog:
It allows you to upload story boards, photo stills, case study research, etc . Teachers and fellow students can give immediate
feedback. This technology reduces the need for paper folders.
YouTube and other internet video tools:
Although you’ll need to access it at home, it is very useful for viewing clips from films or listening to possible soundtracks thus
helping research and planning.
IMDB:
Supports researching institutional information, user ratings, external reviews , user comments and viewing trailers thus supporting
research.
Social network sites:
(if students have used these to get feedback on ideas etc)
Use of digital cameras and camcorders:
They’re light, easily portable and allow students to review raw footage immediately and improve specific shots, explain any
functions which have been helpful.
Editing Software:
Think about specific effects you have used and to what purpose, i.e. colour changing, tints, use of cross dissolve or fades, etc.
Adding titles and sound.
Any other technology you’ve used:
Include graphics to support your points.
Don’t focus your attention on the lack of technology. This question isn’t a whinge at the lack of equipment – although you have
probably learnt to be patient and overcome as many tech problems as possible!
8. Question 7
Explain your progress in chronological order…
Preliminary task: planning, working in a group; demonstrating match on action,
shot/reverse shot and 180-deree angle, using sound and how this informed your
opening to a thriller film
The opening to a thriller film: planning & developing all generic aspects of mise-enscene to include location characters, costume, lighting, camera shots etc
Planning a narrative sequence that is generic
Casting actors –(if appropriate the importance of using older actors to give film
credibility.)
The pitfalls of an over-complicated plot which doesn’t come from your range of
experience, i.e. the exchange of brief cases.
Finding appropriate soundtrack that is not copyrighted.
Editing
Working from a strict brief, working from a generic blueprint, working within a particular
time frame.
Inserting titles
Sound, mixing diegetic and non diegetic sound
Lighting, problems with shooting footage that is too dark to read or too quiet to hear,
etc.
Notas del editor
(This question asks how your research into specific thriller texts has informed your production. Think about costume, location, soundtrack, camera angles, character types, narrative structure, lighting, soundtrack, plot, title. You can’t discuss all these but identify the most profound influences.)Thriller A Grade Example:My group’s thriller “The Long Blade” was primarily inspired by the elegant cinematography of Carol Reed (The Third Man 1948) and the gritty locations of “Essex Boys”. The low angle tilt shots of Scarlet ( the manipulative femme fatale who outwits the hoods) standing in the doorway, lit by a street lamp immediately suggests the iconic illusory tilt shot of Harry Lime in the doorway, before he vanishes into the shadows of the deserted wet streets of post war Vienna. The gritty wasteland (shot near Great Yarmouth) echoes the faceless wide angle shot of the Essex Estuary where Jason Locke throws acid into the face of his victim in “Essex Boys”, this shot connotes the bleak and featureless world inhabited by our villain Jo Harlem, his name inspired by the misogynous rapist Harlem who Louise guns down in the deserted car park in Ridley Scott’s “Thelma and Louise”.Unglamorous claustrophobic settings are a generic feature of the thriller, note the filthy toilets where Samuel Lapp witnesses the violent stabling of a police officer in Peter Weir’s “Witness( (19…)The murder of Will in “Scarlet” subverts the genre in that he is shot in a field of daisies to indicate the loss of innocence. The character of Scarlet (inspired by Scarlet O’Hara in the novel “Gone with the Wind ( the name indicates danger and seduction) is the conventional classic femme fatale but with a modern touch; unlike Gilda in the film of the same name she is not tamed and domesticated, unlike Marion Crane in Psycho she does not suffer a terrible fate because of her deviance, instead like Jackie Brown (film of same name by Tarantino) she outwits the hoods, stamps her cigarette butt in the face of Jo Harlem, takes the money and heads off with the police in pursuit. Thus Scarlet is a mixture of Gilda, Marion and Jackie.
(This question asks how you have represented for example: Women? The villain? Race? Social Class? The hero? Religion? Region? The victim (here gender is important). Continue to reference research. Back up points about representation of gender, social group, region or social class or aspects of living in contemporary Britain supported with evidence of research. It is important that you comment on any progressive representations of a specific social group, or to explain why they have not developed or challenged generic stereotypes. Also explain how you have represented good and evil.
(It is best that you identify media outlets to exhibit your opening to a thriller film. For example websites such as You-tube, social networking sites, MP3 players, games consoles. If the film is innovative or challenging (you need to identify these features in your thriller opening) then funding could be possible from Working Title Films or Warp films so that the film could be developed as a feature film. Thus the following cinema outlets could be possible, for example a multiplex (if mainstream thriller) or art house cinema if it’s a complex/subversive thriller. T.V. outlets are possible (scheduled time and channel must be appropriate), or released straight to the internet but you must explain why. Straight onto DVD is another possibility). You must explain the reasons for your choice of institution/s.)
(You need to reference your audience research and justify in detail why a particular demographic would find the production appealing. What real thriller films or TV thriller dramas would this audience watch?).The primary target audience for “The Long Knife” is the 15-25 demographic of aspirers who enjoy off beat thrillers like…….and ……, and …….Female audiences will be drawn to Scarlet’s courage, her ability to use technology to track down her enemies, and her alternative costume, whilst male audiences will see Alfie as a young man who is trying to beat shyness, this will help older adolescents engage with Alfie’s lack of confidence, his crazy humour and rebellious streak. The contemporary settings of a night club and a College realistically represent locations this demographic often frequent and thus will identify with.
(Student productions are viewed by other students who complete questionnaires regarding the technical quality and appeal of the productions. You may quote from the results of this research; you may discuss elements of the mise-en-scene (technical, character, location, action, diegetic and non diegetic sound) that you consider appealing and should hook audiences who would want to watch the rest of the story. For example: Did you address your audience through a 1st person voice over, thus encouraging audiences to identify with this character? )
(Explain what you’ve learned about digital cameras, camera angles, movement and shot types. Explain what you’ve learned about editing, particularly importance of sequencing shots (narrative structure) and using effects if you have utilised this feature; adding sound and titles).
(Think about how the performing, shooting and editing of your preliminary task lead to your ability to plan, shoot and edit your film production. Explain what you’ve learned about working constructively in a group with regard to planning, the shoot, identifying an appropriate sound track and title, and the edit. Explain your individual contributions/ideas and responsibilities. Explain how you’ve coped with audience feedback, is it better or worse than expected; has it offended you; have the audience understood your intentions and been able to read your film? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your production? Explain what the most important thing you’ve learned about film making that you didn’t know before?)
