Production Log #2

Initial Film Opening Ideas

Other A-Level Media Projects

Editing: One of the strengths of this film opening is the music, in this film opening it is very monophonic which aids to create a sense of mystery which I think would be the main aspect of this if it were to be made into a film. The lighting used in the film opening is very dull and plain.

In my opinion this film opening gives away too much of the main story line because we already see one of the characters die and who kills him. This would make the film un-interesting as we already know the whole storyline. This is a major weakness to the film opening.

Six Feet Under Opening Analysis

The opening to Six Feet Under is constantly reflecting death. Firstly the two hands breaking apart connotes two people having to leave each other when death takes one of them. Then there is a woman on a stretcher. In the background there is a black silhouette that slowly fades in to white. This illustrates a partner letting go of their loved one. The image then changes to a medium shot of the hall way going towards a bright white light. This shows the movement that is stereotyped with death which is that you move towards a bright light. Possibly the biggest connotation to death in this opening is the image of the Raven as they are always linked to death.

The music in the opening to contrapuntal. This is because the music is very up-beat and happy whereas the opening as a whole is very negative. The music starts off monophonic and then turns very polyphonic. This relates to the speed of the opening as it starts off very slow and then becomes faster.

The lighting in the opening is a mixture of light and dark. For example the bright white while the person is being pushed on the table and when the person is washing their hands. The lighting used in the opening could have been used to connote death again or to create a contrast between life and death.

My Personal Thriller Moodboard

This is my personal Thriller mood board, I made it by collecting images that I think could be seen in a Thrilller series or film. Some of the images are taken by me and some of them I got off of the Internet.

To see my inspirational moodboard mood board Click Here.

Inspiration Peice of Music

This piece of music is very eerie and mysterious. It could be a good soundtrack to include in the opening of my thriller. Click Here to listen to the soundtrack.

Photograph Taken by Me

This dark alley next to my house could be a great place to maybe film the part of the opening of my thriller film.

Movie Opening Timeline

This is my timeline for the movie ''Shutters Island''.

Inspirational Clip For My Opening

This clip inspires me because of the use of contrapuntal music. The music in the clip is very upbeat and happy which totally contradicts the scenario in the clip. I would like to use contrapuntal music like this in my thriller opening as it adds a sinister scence to the scene.

Individual Roles

Group: Marcus, Wojciech, Freddie.

Wojciech:

- Target audience

- Pitch

-Costumes

- Character profiles

Marcus:

- Production logs

- Productuion logo

- Finding possible actors

- Music

Freddie:

- Art (Story Board etc.)

- Shooting schedule

- Finding locations

The whole group will be responsible for the filming and the editing of the film opening.

Production Log #1

Inspiration for my Thriller Opening

This image inspires me because it is a scary mansion with dark lighting surrounding it. This would be a good location for my Thriller because it is very eerie.

This image is good because it has very low key lighting. It also has fog in the background that helps to create a scary scene.

Opening Music Analysis - The Crazies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UggiLaUZejA

The music starts off very slow pace and has is quite high pitched. There is a range of different instrumetns that enter at different times. It is very textured, an instrument in the background sets the tempo. At the very start it is monophonic, as the music progresses it becomes polyphonic, until the music comes to a complete stop. Then a single piano begins to play and once again the music is monophonic. After the piano stops there is a very high pitch sound that gradually gets louder and louder. This sound creates an eerie mood. The piano then starts to play individual notes once again as the sound continues. The sound stops and the pace slightly gets faster. The music is now monophonic once again. The tempo then slows down and there is a piano playing notes with choir singing in the background. The music then gets louder and the pace begins to become faster again. The tempo gradually gets faster and louder. Then all sound is stopped for a while. The pace slows down and the piano plays single notes until the end of the soundtrack.

Conventions of a Thriller

Conventions of a Thriller:

Camera Angles: The camera angles can show how powerful a character is or how significant somebody is.

This low angle shot shows that the two men are dominant and have a large amount of power.

Lighting: The lighting in a film helps to create a scene.

 The lighting in this image makes the house look a lot more eerie and mysterious.

This shadow would be seen in a horror of thriller film. It makes the scene more scary.

Music: The music in a Thriller can build tension and also give away charateristics about a character. For example contrapuntal music can make a character look more evil.

Welcome!

Hi. I am Marcus Steedman, an A-Level media student from Harris Academy Beckenham. Part of my A-Level media course is to create a thriller themed film opening, on this blog I will be posting various pieces of work which relate to my project.