Final Thriller - Miss Georgiou

Question 5 - Evaluation - Miss Georgiou

How did you attract/address your audience?

Question 4 - Evaluation - Miss Georgiou

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Question 7 - Evaluation - Miss Georgiou

Question 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The preliminary task was created in order to allow for the gaining of knowledge about how the camera works as well as the tripod to learn how to film different shots which is essential when filming for our final thriller piece. The task consisted of recording a short clip of a conversation taking place in which one person could be seen walking toward the other and had to be between 30 seconds and 1 minute. Five different shots had to be present which included: Panning, zoom in, close up, midshot and over the shoulder.

One strength I had with this was being able to set up the tripod and film some of the shots required, my partner and I were especially successful with both over the shoulder and panning shots. As I knew to set up the tripod appropriately, many of the shots achieved were in focus and looked very professional which was a positive outcome from the task.

However, as there were only two of us in the group, we found it difficult to press the record button and ensure that the camera was in the right position as we couldn't see, we believe it would have been easier if we had a third person in our group therefore we would not have had this problem. Because of this, it was especially difficult to film the over the shoulder shot as if we had mounted the camera in the correct position, the shots would then be slightly out of angle due to the camera showing the shoulder instead of having the camera directly behind the shoulder and therefore not being able to see the shoulder.

During the task, we learned how to properly set up the tripod in order to achieve shots that were in focus and looked professional. For my partner and I, this was difficult to do at first due to not knowing how to extend the tripod so that it was equal on all four legs therefore the camera was sometimes tilted which we then had to rectify. After this, we learnt how to extend the tripod properly and were able to film shots that were of the height level that we wanted as well as the smaller parts on the tripod which helped us in knowing how to angle the camera and achieve shots that would be especially hard to perform on a tripod, such as a canted angle.

We also learnt how to operate the camera in the correct way. In itself, the camera was hard to work at first due to my partner and I being completely unfamiliar with it due to not having any previous experience with filming therefore we had to figure out a way to work the camera by pressing several buttons on the camera and discover what they do until we understood how to use different features of the camera such as zooming in and out which aided us in achieving shots and be able to film with more ease. Another thing we learned from the preliminary task was how to play back footage that  had already been filmed previously which helped us in being able to immediately identify what had gone wrong or right with the shot and allow for this to be redone if needs be. This saved us time as we wouldn't have had to keep going back to Final Cut watching back the footage, deciding whether or not it was good enough and then having to go back to the filming location and re shoot.

We also gained a profound knowledge in the process of editing and including sound in our piece. By using the software, Final Cut Pro X, we were able to edit the many clips that we had filmed together to achieve a professional looking final piece, which aided my partner and I significantly in knowing how to use the software correctly when we had to edit our thriller opening sequence. We also learnt how to add several sound to our productions without the sound skipping or freezing at certain points which fitted the images perfectly, something that helped us considerable when planning for our final thriller due to having to add in a lot of sound effects to make the opening as realistic for the audience as possible.

Overall, we learned several different things when partaking in the preliminary task involving the production stage and how to do this properly in an efficient manner. We learned how to properly set up and use a tripod in order to gain better stability for the camera when filming. We knew how the camera functioned and although we continued to struggle with the tripod, we managed to persevere and in the end, produced shots that were in focus and looked professional. We also learnt how to manoeuvre the camera in order to gain specific shots essential for filming the final thriller such as a canted angle and over the shoulder shot.  Looking back on this now, I am glad we were given the opportunity to carry out this task as it helped me a lot in developing my technique with the camera. If I was to do this task any differently, I would have improved my skills with using the tripod by asking for help of how it is operated as well as ensuring both Kate and I were in shot most of the time.

When carrying out the final filming process, we ensured that we were able to fix the camera onto the tripod correctly as well as setting the tripod up at appropriate heights for the specific shots we were trying to achieve. For example, for the canted angle shot, I made sure that the tripod's legs were only extended a little bit to allow for the tripod to be set up on the floor nearly at the same level as Harry who was playing the role of the hit man. I then tilted the camera sideways using the navigator pole situated at the front of the tripod before starting to film. Also, for the POV shot, we allowed Harry (hit man) to hold the camera and film it himself and ensured that the camera was not shaken about too much however there was some movement which showed a realistic use of this shot.

Question 6 - Evaluation - Miss Georgiou

 What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Question 3 - Evaluation - Miss Georgiou

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Question 2 - Evaluation - Miss Georgiou

Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

There are two main characters within my thriller which are the hit man and female victim.

Starting with the hit man, my partner and I decided that his name was going to be Mark and he would have an age of roughly 21 years old. He is a white male and is the most significant character within the sequence as he is the sole character that is featured throughout. Within the film, the audience will be able to identify him through his costume being a white t-shirt that is scruffy and messy, a pair of black trousers and shoes. Along with the costume, the hit man is also seen with a cut on the side of his forehead with blood to give him an overall scruffy appearance to suggest that a struggle had taken place prior to the beginning of the sequence relating to the fact that this particular character has woken from an unconscious state in an unknown location unaware of who and where he is. This character can be used to create an element of confusion due to the state in which he wakes up from as well as leaving all details of his background in addition to his possible link to the antagonist which would explain why he has been held ransom. Furthermore, the hit man is seen to be like a victim at the beginning because of the way he is kidnapped and placed in an unknown location covered in blood and with a dirty appearance suggesting a possible struggle or fight beforehand. After this, the audience will be shocked to find out that this character isn't as innocent as what first met the eye because of the change he goes through that sees him turn into a murderer where he non hesitantly kills his kidnapper's wife purely because he was told to. Because of this action, the audience may ask themselves questions relating to this character's state of mentality due to him mercilessly killing someone for no apparent reason whatsoever. The audience can build a relationship with this particular character as he is of quite a young age therefore those that are the same age are able to relate with this as well as people who may have experienced crime at some point in their lives and the fact that a hit man murder has taken place is somewhat relatable to the target audience.


The other main character is the female victim. Although her name, age and background are left completely unclear to the audience, they will be made aware that she is a female and wife of the antagonist, C. She is seen to be wearing a normal, everyday outfit consisting of a pair of skinny jeans, a white and cream top with a white cardigan over the top. Her hair is straightened and she is wearing some natural makeup connoting that her appearance is neat and pretty and that she takes care of herself helping to portray her as vulnerable and inferior. She would appeal to the audience as she is used to evoke sympathy from viewers due to being murdered out of cold blood which would therefore create a relationship as the audience would automatically, especially females, feel emotionally connected to the character. This is because gender is equal and therefore, in some cases, relatable and it would come as a shock for her to be murdered in such a horrific way. This character can also be used to build a relationship with the audience as the empathy felt during the murder scene can be heightened and viewers begin to question whether or not the character is okay due to only seeing an image of the victim being dragged away by the hit man. The audience then know that she was unable to get away as another image is briefly shown after the female has been dragged away showing her motionless on the floor with a cut throat which could evoke anger as the audience may question why such an innocent person going about her everyday activities has now lost her life to a murder that had been entirely set up by her husband. Justice may then crop up as some viewers may wonder if the hit man will now be caught by the police and arrested therefore paying for what he has just done. However, because the antagonist is responsible for blackmailing the hit man into carrying out the murder, the audience would want the antagonist to also get caught in some way evoking a sense of anger again as well as confusion as to why he would want his wife to be dead.

Gender is clearly stereotypical within my thriller as although the hit man is first portrayed as weak due to being held hostage, he then goes on to kill the female victim, who is weak and unable to fight back against him. This would therefore have a direct impact on the audience as the role reversal would evoke an element of shock as they are led to believe that the hit man is a victim at first but then goes on to become a murderer for the sake of a form of 'reward' from a person unknown to him. This would establish a definitive relationship with the audience as by them witnessing the roles being switched at the beginning, they would be led to feel sympathy towards the victim as he is seen to be injured and in a place that is completely unknown but then evoke shock when they realise that he has to kill an innocent woman.

Question 1 - Evaluation - Miss Georgiou

 Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and 
conventions of real media products?

The task that my class and I were set was to create a two minute opening sequence for a thriller film. For this task, the class was divided into separate groups so members each had different strengths and weaknesses which they could work on together to create a successful media product.

Conventions are certain expectations that a particular audience have of a film from a specific genre such as in a thriller film, a murder is expected to take place in some form. When analysing different thriller films when planning for the creation of my media product, I noticed a main convention evident within Scream was the use of hidden identity. This is shown by the murderer's face being remained unknown underneath a 'GhostFace' mask and the identity is not revealed at any point within the film. I think that this was effective as it created a maximum amount of tension  and allowed for sequels to be made in order to extend the enigma created and keep the audience guessing as to who the antagonist could be. This, in turn, is conventional to the thriller genre as it can be used to evoke certain responses from the audience and allow for these to be heightened, creating crucial elements of tension and surprise to encourage and entice the audience to want to watch on further to find out who the antagonist is. This also leaves the hidden character as being mysterious to the audience due to not knowing who they are or anything about their background which may act as an indicator as to why they are doing what they choose to.

Another convention I identified was the feature of a knife being used in a murder scene taken from the film Halloween. A knife can be used to immediately connote an element of danger as the audience will recognise it as a weapon that can be used to inflict serious injury or even death if anyone were to get their hands on one. A knife is conventional as it is the most popular and well known weapon to be used to kill in thriller films which is shown through its diverse feature in a number of thriller films as well as Halloween. This therefore creates suspense within the audience as the representation of a knife will make them aware that a murder is about to take place.

Furthermore, non-diegetic sound was another convention I managed to interpret when analysing Sinister. On a majority of the most tense murder scenes, creepy and unsettling music was added in  and played over the images in order to inform the audience that something bad is about to happen. For example, within the infamous 'Lawnmower Scene' a monotonous sound can be heard when the figure is stood outside a family's house looking in at them which is used to build up suspense and make the audience wonder what will happen next. When the lawnmower is started up and a person appears and is ran over by the lawnmower, a high pitched note can be heard which is the climax of what has been built up beforehand which creates an element of shock as viewers were left unaware that people were going to be killed and are left in anticipation when they witness what had happened. Non-diegetic sound is conventional in thrillers as it is used to create elements of surprise and tension which are crucial in order for a thriller film to be successful. This type of sound also can be used to shock the audience allowing for the emotions they may already be feeling to become heightened and feel involved within the scene taking place in the film creating escapism values.

Another convention I identified from the film Saw was the use of a murder scene. This can be shown throughout the entire duration of the film when the infamous 'Jigsaw' subjects his unsuspecting victims to partake in sick and twisted games eventually leading to their murders. This is a main convention within the thriller genre as an audience would almost always expect to see a murder take place at some point. The frequent murders would create shock and tension within the audience as they begin to question why the victims are being tortured and killed in such a horrific way, especially as it is left unclear if they'd done anything wrong. This would also evoke sympathy from viewers as they feel sorry for the victims therefore creating a definite relationship. Furthermore, murder is conventional within the thriller genre due to constructing  a narrative for the film to be driven upon as well as raising questions within the audience as to why the victim character is being murdered in such a horrific way.

Having said this, I was able to take on board ideas and inspirations from these films in order to plan my own thriller sequence and gain knowledge of which conventions I needed to include to ensure I was making a product that would be conventional to the genre. The first convention evident within my thriller, Amnesia, was a female victim. My partner and I decided to have the victim being the wife of the antagonist who pays a hit man to kill her. The female victim is shown briefly within the murder scene and is portrayed as being weak and vulnerable in order for the hit man to have the ability to overpower and kill her. This is conventional as female characters are usually always shown to be inferior to their attackers as they are the characters who die first, due to constantly being represented as innocent and vulnerable.

Another convention I decided to include was a hidden identity. This is clearly shown within my media product through the antagonist leaving the hit man a text message on his phone which he receives when waking up in an unknown location after being left there unconscious. The text gives the hit man instructions on what he is required to do having developed amnesia and being confused as to where and who he is. This helps to keep the antagonist's identity to remain hidden which is conventional to the thriller genre. This therefore prolongs the tension created and encourages the audience to watch the entire sequence to have an opportunity to come face to face with the antagonist. However, this character is not shown at all within the opening sequence to prolong the enigma as well as suspense created.

A male killer was a convention I decided to include within my thriller sequence to closely follow the genre. I have used this within my product by having the hit man slicing the female victim's throat, although this image is never shown to the audience as Kuleshov effect is evident in this particular scene. This helps to create elements of tension and surprise as it is inhuman to have your murder set up by your own husband as well as being killed in somewhere that is supposed to be safe. This links in with my narrative as my partner and I wanted to include a psychological theme in order to play on the audience's mind as well as the characters. Therefore, the audience are forced to question their own sense of security after witnessing this horrific murder which, in turn, evokes a sense of realism and suspense. This is conventional as having a male killer means that they are superior and more stronger and are able to kill their victims quite easily as females are usually represented as weak and unable to fight back.

Furthermore, the use of low key lighting was another inspiration I included within my media product to closely follow the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. This type of lighting is used throughout the entire sequence to keep the suspense building up until the murder scene where the maximum amount will be reached therefore acting as a climax of the scene. This evokes a response from the audience as the lighting is used to prolong suspense suggesting that something bad is going to happen but the exact point at which this happens is left unclear so as to keep viewers on the edge of their seats and watching the entire sequence to see what may happen next. This is conventional to the genre because low key lighting is used to connote mystery and suspense relating to the narrative as the audience are left wondering who the antagonist is and why he wants his wife killed. This also prolongs the enigma previously created at the beginning of the sequence which is effective in keeping the audience engaged in what they are watching.

My partner and I also decided to use frequent examples of Non-diegetic sound to create tension for the audience. We edited in several different sounds at different points within the thriller to build suspense up in certain parts such as when the hit man is seen to be walking down the hallway and creeping up on his unsuspecting victim. This is used for dramatic effect as it aids in constructing a relationship with the audience as they are aware that the female victim is about to die therefore evoking empathy as they feel sorry for her being completely oblivious to what is about to happen. This is conventional as the sound brings an ambience to the thriller and is responsible for creating tension and panic within a certain situation for example the murder scene.

The final convention evident within my own media product was the use of constant change of camera angles. This is shown in our thriller by the constant use of different cinematography techniques such as canted angle, over the shoulder, point of view (POV), close up, mid shot and panning. We decided that by introducing different camera shots and angles, as well as displaying our high level of skill with cinematography, it created different connotations relating to the narrative and the sequence is therefore more thrilling for the audience to watch. For example, the canted angle is used near the beginning when the hit man is seen to untie himself and attempt to gather his surroundings, by using this particular angle, it helped to portray the psychological theme as it represents disorientation and confusing relating to the hit man's situation. He had just woken up from an unconscious state and is seen to develop amnesia which is further shown through this camera technique, this has then helped to inform the audience so that it doesn't get too confusing. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the change in camera angles helps to pass the pace of the scene as well as displaying change in relationships between characters. It also creates elements of suspense and tension as the angles can be used to play on the audience's minds and wonder why these have been specifically chosen.

Rough Cut - Miss Georgiou

Audience feedback is essential within media production as the audience are responsible for bringing in the revenue and make a person's work credible as well as the feedback determining if a film is popular or not, the more people enjoy a particular film, the more publicity it will gain therefore meaning it will become successful resulting in profits. The crew roles within the production of a film i.e. Producer, director and editor are significant as they need to ensure that the film pleases the audience as well as exceeding their expectations as the audience is mainly the purpose behind a film. However regarding short films, it is sometimes not about making the money and number of people who watch it but rather expressing it as a hobby although audience feedback is still valid in some cases as a successful film will still need to be created in order to entertain. A rough cut is important to carry out beforehand because this is the first time that all of the clips would have been edited together combined with the other micro elements such as sound and effects and then checked thoroughly for continuity. This allows for revisions and new ideas to be tried and tested to enhance the appearance of the piece as a whole and make the product more successful and appealing towards the target audience.

In the planning stages, we carried out a questionnaire of which we included both open and closed questions in order to gain and overall idea of what is to be expected from a thriller which would appeal to a potential audience. From this, we also learnt about the codes and conventions of the genre in more depth as well as knowing what type of content to include in order to create a sequence that is conventional and thrilling for our target audience. This audience feedback was then put into pie charts  and we were able to calculate the most popular answer for each question of which we responded by ensuring that the most popular answers were evident within our media production. We also uploaded the rough cut version of our thriller opening sequence to YouTube in order to receive feedback from our peers about what they think was good about it as well as some negative comments that we can gain from and improve to boost our grade. A focus group was carried out as well in which we showed our thriller to a room of our target audience and asked questions based on what they had watched. As well as uploading to YouTube, the focus group was beneficial to Kate and I as the audience were the people we were specifically aiming our thriller at and it therefore useful to find out what they thought about our sequence as comments from our target audience are essential as to whether or not the film would be successful. This feedback would benefit the film industry as it allows for constructive criticism and are well aware of the positive and negative aspects of the film therefore if more positive aspects are present, the film will succeed more and make a lot of money.

Looking back on the comments that I have received, I have taken into account both positive and negative feedback as the positive helps me to know what I have done right as well as the negative helping me to improve on my sequence as a whole and gives me an opportunity to enhance the thriller and give it the best possible chance of becoming successful.

An example of a positive comment that I had received on a social networking site, Snap chat, was one simply stating, "I love the background music" of which was an extremely useful comment to take on board as both Kate and I had carefully planned out the different types of music we were going to use at specific points within the sequence and was therefore receiving a comment like this meant we were right in doing this and the hard work with this had paid off. Although this is a rough cut, we believe that we had finished all of the sounds completely and had to only add the slightest effects when editing for the final cut.

Another comment read, "I like the music as it is conventional to the thriller genre, however in my opinion, the transition from the room to house seemed artificial" This is both a positive and negative comment as the person included both something that went well within the sequence as well as telling us what we needed to work on in order to boost the grade of the piece and create the most successful thriller we possibly can. Both Kate and I believe that this was a fair comment as she highlighted the weak areas of the sequence that we can therefore justify and fix before submitting the final production. We both agree with what this comment said as in the middle of the sequence, a flash of 4 images is shown all at once and the narrative becomes quite confusing at this point as we have badly edited the clips of the hit man approaching the house together causing them to be seen for at least a second before disappearing off screen.

This comment also states a very positive aspect of our thriller as well as offering some constructive criticism as to what we could do to improve. It is a fair comment as it shows us that the credits were conventional and fitted in with the genre of the film. The part about the lighting needing to be dimmer at the beginning of the sequence can be rectified by using the editing software Final Cut Pro X to reduce the exposure on the images and therefore make it more darker for the audience in order to evoke more suspense and tension which are crucial elements for a thriller.

The comment below again offers some more constructive criticism that both Kate and I will work on. This is a fair comment as Harry provides us with some advice on what we should do more of in order to make the sequence more conventional to the thriller genre which is the main aim we are trying to achieve in order to gain a high grade. In order to improve on this, we will use silence with the inclusion of a footsteps sound effect in the part where the hit man is walking down the hallway and include the tense music later on in the scene when he reaches the kitchen and creeps up on the female victim. Having said this, the comment shows how our cinematography and editing worked well within the thriller which is a positive outcome as we were both determined to get the filming right the second time around.

Based on the comments that I have received, I will ensure that more transitions are placed into the sequence so that the clips are shown on screen for longer and the audience will be able to witness the hit man walking from the room in which he was being held hostage to the house where he will kill his victim. The transitions will also help to pass the pace of the sequence as well as allowing the thriller to run smoothly instead of cutting into the next clip which makes the film look very unprofessional and messy. I will also make sure to slow some of the clips down so that we can add more timing on as we had only achieved 1 minute and 51 seconds where the minimum required is at least 2 minutes. This will then help to establish the murder location more and make the audience well aware that this will be the setting in which a murder will take place as well as being used to create ideal elements of tension and suspense within the audience which helps us to create a thrilling sequence for our target audience. When transitioning from rough cut to final cut, Kate and I also added a focus effect, upon feedback, onto a majority of the images at the beginning of the sequence in order to create a shallow focus effect to divert the audience's attention onto the hit man suggesting that he is the crucial and most significant character. We also slowed down the image of the hit man walking up behind the female victim and then having the next image of him grabbing her at normal speed to achieve a slow timing of shots effect and prolong the surprise and tension elements which would keep our audience on the edge of their seats.

Group Meetings - Miss Georgiou

Group meetings are meetings in which the groups get together at specific points in the production process of the sequence to discuss this process. The purpose of these meetings is to be able to develop on ideas which have been discussed and find a way how to develop the idea even further to make the thriller as successful as possible as well as planning the filming and the content of it s as to make final decisions together. This is essential as team skills are developed through this which is key when working on a production with a group. It helped our sequence to take shape as we were able to benefit from each other's ideas for specific points within the thriller and incorporate both of these into our final piece in order to create a sequence that is thrilling and engaging for our audience therefore both Kate and I were extremely pleased with how the sequence looks overall. It also enabled us to properly think about our ideas and which idea could be used for a greater effect at particular parts ensuring we knew exactly what to include. A main strength from our group meetings is that we made room to incorporate an equal amount of each other's ideas into the final sequence so that we were both considering one another which was a positive outcome regarding our teamwork skills.

When carrying out group meetings, I have learnt that you need to think extremely carefully about the content and considering the final outcome of what you are filming. For example, on the first round of our filming, we were very unorganised and therefore a majority of our shots came out looking very out of focus and blurry forcing us to scrap all of the footage and start again. This was a major set back for my partner and I as our confidence levels were destroyed and we had no faith that we could produce a thriller sequence of a high standard. I have also learnt that when working in a pair, I need to listen to my partner more and her ideas as I could be missing out on a golden opportunity which could possibly make our sequence look very professional and improve our chances of getting a higher grade. When working with Kate, we had some stressful times for example, when the filming went wrong and the editing wasn't going according to plan we would get extremely stressed due to the strict deadlines we have to meet which caused some argument. Next time, in order to improve this, I will ensure that I know exactly what I am doing such as asking the teacher for help if I don't know how to use the tripod or the camera itself. I will also make sure that actors are hired which take their role seriously as, if we had used Harry from the beginning, we wouldn't have had to film the entire sequence all over again and we could have possibly had more time to edit resulting in there being no stress or arguments and we could have possibly met the deadlines sooner. When reflecting back on the production, I would only change some aspects within the planning stages such as during our research and planning, we wasted a lot of time on our blog posts and therefore had less time to film and edit however I am glad we had the setbacks that we had due to eventually producing a media piece we are very proud of and looks professional. I believe that this was because after we failed with the filming the first time, it made us more determined to do it in the correct way and produce the best thriller we possibly could.

Production Roles - Miss Miller

Within the creation of a film, specific roles will need to be assigned to ensure who is doing what job in order to be fully organised when filming and so both cast and crew are completely focused on their role. Stress is also taken away from the situation as one person will not have to be responsible for a number of different roles as well as not having to worry about roles carried out by other peers. Within the film industry, there are a wide variety of different roles which are each significant when creating a film both on and off screen. For example, the most significant of these being the director and producer. A director's job is to watch everything which is happening on set and be responsible for organising the actors in the way he/she wants to achieve the most successful shot. The producer works alongside the director and takes care of the finance side of things as well as managing the specific way each shot is coordinated and also how the film looks as a whole.

When creating my own thriller sequence, both my partner and I alternated the roles between us and ensured that we were doing equal amounts of work as well as working together in some circumstances to help one another. This allowed for us to work calmly and efficiently which made our filming time a lot shorter. In order to decide which role was to be undertaken by each of us, we discussed our strengths and weaknesses with each other to achieve an understanding of who could do which role. For example, if one of our weaknesses was achieving particular camera shots, the other person would do the harder shots and the other doing the easier ones in order to make the most successful and professional looking thriller. From this point, as I was one of the actresses within the film, we decided that Kate should do most of the filming however I would  give help wherever needed so as to not place all responsibility of filming on her. When filming the first time around, Kate struggled considerably and we were often arguing as she kept asking for help on how she could achieve each shot which made the filming environment extremely stressful. Our main problem was that we only used a tripod within the murder scene and forgot to focus the camera before we began filming therefore many of our shots were constantly out of focus and the entire sequence looked extremely unprofessional and messy so we were asked to film again. Although both Kate and I were extremely disheartened at this point, we were able to find another actor who took the role much more seriously and we began to have hope again that our sequence could actually turn out at a good standard.

When filming for the second time, we shared each role in order to relieve stress that had been evident when filming previously. As Kate had struggled with the camera work, I made sure that I was helping her with the shots which I weren't in for example the first scene in which the hit man/hostage is seen waking up from his unconscious state. I made a lot of suggestions so as to improve the appearance of each individual shot which we succeeded with and was able to make this half of the sequence look very professional and smooth. I think that we both felt that this time round, the filming ran much more smoothly and we were able to work better together so there was no stress evident. Both Kate and I enjoyed the filming as we were well coordinated and made a number of suggestions for ways that the film could be altered to make it even better which it did. Within the editing process, we also took on separate roles in which I was mainly responsible for editing the sound onto the clips, detaching the audio and making sure that the sequence flowed with the correct pace. Kate did a majority of the cropping so we were able to edit out additional parts off some of the clips to shorten the sequence and make it more realistic for us to achieve a sequence which would be at least 2 minutes long, a minimum time which we were given. I was also responsible for creating the opening credits which we would be showing over the images that we had already filmed, I also chose appropriate editing styles for the text to evoke certain emotions from the audience and get them hooked on the narrative straight away. Both myself and Harry Donoghue were the main actors within the film. We had to completely scrap the idea of having an antagonist character within the sequence as the original actor who was supposed to be playing this role backed out at the last minute so we decided to not include an antagonist at all which was very effective as it helped to keep his identity hidden. Harry is a drama student and he was therefore able to get into his actor and take the role seriously which made filming a lot easier and also helped the thriller to look very realistic due to the acting being natural and professional. Both Kate and I were very pleased to have Harry be a part of our film as we believe that he helped us to create a sequence which is significantly better than our first take and would therefore aid us in getting a much higher grade which is a positive outcome. The role of director was taken out by both Kate and myself as we worked together on placing Harry in the positions of where we wanted him to be in each shot as well as guiding him of what to do to achieve the effect we had planned. I also took on some crew roles such as makeup artist in which I applied Harry's fake blood to make it look realistic that he had been kidnapped and held hostage as well as applying my own within my murder scene in which I was slit across the throat. I think that this makeup also helped the sequence to look much more thrilling and realistic as it gives the audience a visual representation of the injury inflicted upon these particular characters which would evoke key elements of shock, surprise, tension and suspense. We also both took on the Producer role as we both combined each of our ideas, using our individual storyboards, to gather an overall feel of what we wanted the sequence to look like when constructing our group storyboard.

To conclude, I believe that Kate and I worked well together in carrying out our specific roles and believed that we correctly assigned these and was efficient when working on the filming. We also believe that we were both suited to the particular roles as we were doing things that we enjoyed and were good at which enabled our thriller sequence to look as professional as can be. Both cast and crew all got along really well therefore we were all able to work together which made filming the second time around much more efficient and easy. As previously stated, it was a delight to have Harry working on our film as he was the best possible actor to have as he took the role seriously and the whole sequence is of a high standard in our own opinion.

Filming Schedule - Miss Georgiou

Filming schedules are created in order to enable everyone in the group to have an understanding of when and where each frame will be shot at specific times to set out the organisation of the film. It will also help to determine which equipment and iconography will be used in order to be organised prior to the filming stages so the filming will take place smoothly and reduce the time taken to film all of the frames. It also includes the cast and crew which will be involved so that we are able to provide roles to each of the actors we have decided to have within our sequence. A narrative description with camera shots and the duration of which they will last is shown in the filming schedule so we are able to film efficiently and know exactly what we are doing.

When partaking in the filming process of the creation of our thriller sequence, my partner and I ensured that we remained as closely to it as possible in order to be well organised and efficient. By doing this, we were able to film a majority of the scenes in one day therefore enabling us to spend more time editing all of the clips together as we had planned to use a lot of varied editing techniques. One obstacle we came across when filming however was that we only used the tripod due to not following the filming schedule at certain times and therefore many of our shots were constantly in and out of focus meaning that we had to re film the entire sequence at a later date. This was because we forgot to focus the camera beforehand and without the use of the tripod, this caused the camera to be very shaky which then caused the shots to constantly be out of focus. We also had to cast a new antagonist and hit man as the actors we used before did not take it seriously enough and were messing around when we were meant to be filming. For example, in between shots, our male actors would mess around with the props and the costumes such as the ski mask used to hide the antagonist's identity and fighting with one another as well as laughing during many of the shots meaning that we had to retake a majority of the shots which then took up a lot of filming time. To rectify this, we will set aside a day to re film the sequence and we now know to use the tripod for every shot within the thriller so as to achieve focused and steady shots which will make the narrative much more clearer to our target audience. We will also make sure that we follow every point stated on our filming schedule so, this time round, we are more organised and the situation when filming is much calmer as Kate and I did get a little stressed and a few disagreements came about which we are aiming to avoid when re filming.

Since this, I have learnt that the role of a filming schedule is extremely significant when filming as it helps to keep you organised and on track to finish the filming in time for the editing stage. If we had followed the schedule even further, we may not have got blurry images and would have therefore not had to re film the entire sequence which is a negative outcome as we now have less time to edit therefore things are getting very stressful as Kate and I are trying to have our final sequence edited in time.

Opening Scene Narration - Miss Miller

For our final narrative, both Kate and I used our individual storyboards and created one group storyboard that we were both happy with. We took ideas from each individual storyboard to incorporate into the final narrative that we believed to be the most conventional to the thriller genre as well as being the most successful in creating the crucial elements of surprise, shock, tension and suspense. We ensured that we used an equal amount of each other's ideas so as to make it fair and unbiased as well as changing some things to make sure our thriller sequence will be as successful as it can be and would be able to thrill our audience the most.

Our sequence will begin with a combination of both a POV shot and canted angle to show the hit man character slowly waking up from his unconscious state. The POV shot will be the first camera technique used within the sequence and we will aim to have this in and out of focus to represent the character waking up slowly and being confused. The canted angle will then be used to represent an element of disorientation as well as confusion. The use of iconography of the rope will be used to tie the hit man/hostage up as well as the masking tape covering his mouth. These camera shots work well together in order to set the scene of the entire sequence. We will also aim to include non diegetic sound of sinister music as well as the use of the editing style of flashes when the opening credits are being shown therefore an individual credit will be shown with the addition of a flash of an image of the hostage being tied up and slowly waking up etc. I think this will be effective within the sequence as it ensures that not too much of the narrative is revealed straight away. Low key lighting will be evident in the opening scene where we will include some flood lights to illuminate the hostage. The use of low key lighting within the unknown location at the beginning keeps the location hidden and it is unsure whether or not the hostage is alone or if his kidnapper is lurking somewhere.

Within the next frame, we also decided that two camera techniques should be used so we are able to use a variety of camera shots and not repeat the same techniques over and over again which would therefore make our thriller less exciting and would be something that the audience would not enjoy as much. The first technique we would be using within this frame is handheld which can be used to produce unsteady and jerky movements to represent elements of confusion and disorientation as well as providing a dramatic feel to the particular shot. Although this would be effective in our piece, it could also be unconventional as any unnecessary camera shakes could be evident therefore I will discuss with this with my partner and possibly take this camera technique out of the sequence and in particular this frame. A high angle shot will also be used within this frame to portray the hit man as weak and inferior due to being kidnapped and held hostage. The non diegetic sound of sinister music will be evident in this frame which will be gradually built in volume. The editing technique of flashes will also be continued within this frame so as to pass the pace of the scene.  Low key lighting will be present again within this frame to represent evil as well as keeping the location's identity hidden.

In the third frame, a close up will be used to highlight the confusion on the hit man/hostage's face. He will be portrayed as being completely clueless in order to show a true representation of an amnesiac. This close up will be the main clue to connote that he has developed amnesia and is no longer aware of who he is as a person as well as where he is and who had kidnapped him. We will aim to have the character's facial expressions showing fear, confusion and complete lack of awareness. Again, the low key lighting will be used to ensure the location is not identified until the very last moment. At this point within the sequence, the non diegetic sinister music will be at the peak of its volume.

The fourth frame captures the moment in which the antagonist walks in and addresses his hostage. We will use POV from the hostage's perspective in order to capture the exact moment in which the antagonist enters the room.The  first use of iconography within the opening will be an envelope in which ints contents will be revealed in the next frame. Within this frame, the flashes will be continued until the fifth frame which will signify the end of the opening credits. Again, low key lighting will be featured to hide what or more importantly who could be lurking which it becomes clear that the antagonist has been waiting to appear. The sinister music will have reached its crescendo at this point due to the reveal of the antagonist. Although the character as well as the audience are still unsure of his identity, they are now clear of who has kidnapped the hit man/hostage and events unfolding up until this point will be explained in the next few frames.

In the fifth frame, the audience will witness the antagonist explaining exactly what he wants his accomplice to do as well as what his reward will be. This frame will be the first in which speech will be used and it is made clear that the antagonist wants this hostage to kill his cheating wife. Although speech will be evident, we have decided to include sinister music again but at a low volume. The iconography of the envelope is revealed in this frame as the antagonist will be seen to open the envelope showing the large amount of money he is offering for the hit man to kill his wife as well as containing some photographs of her so that the hit man knows exactly who to kill due to having amnesia. An editing style of a straight cut will be used to maintain continuity throughout the sequence.

Moving onto the next frame, the hit man is seen to be paid by the antagonist as well as being shown the photographs in  more detail ensuring that he knows to kill this woman before agreeing with no hesitation to kill her. This situation will be shown with an over the shoulder shot of the antagonist so as to keep his identity hidden as well as capturing the reaction of the hit man/hostage to his demands. Although it is not a close up, menacing facial expressions will still be seen on the hit man's face to show how he has been manipulated by the antagonist to something that is completely psychotic. Silence will be used in this scene for dramatic effect. The editing technique of shot reverse shot will be used to represent the occurrence of a conversation taking place switching between the hit man and antagonist and especially capturing the hit man when he agrees to carrying out the murder.

The seventh frame will demonstrate the antagonist being asked by the hit man how he is supposed to get hold of weapons to murder the wife in which his antagonist replies to this by looking at him closely and smiling menacingly. Speech will again be used however it will be used in a smaller section of dialogue due to only featuring the simple question of how the hit man is supposed to get his hands on particular weapons to murder the antagonist's wife. A mid shot will be used in order to capture the hit man's facial expressions and also showing some of his body language.

Following on from this, the next frame will feature the exchange of the murder weapon, house keys and the address of where the hit man needs to go. The iconography will be a knife, the house keys and house address written on a note. This will be achieved by the use of shallow focus to place emphasis on the objects being exchanged which will be supported by a jump cut to direct attention onto what is happening in this particular frame connoting a significance to the narrative.

In the ninth frame, a long shot will be used to show the hit man leaving the unknown location and attempting to gather his bearings on his way to murder the antagonist's wife. Again, the use of non diegetic sound being sinister music will be played over this image and the hit man will now have on his person; the envelope containing the money and photographs, house keys, address and knife. As this frame will be shot outside, the lighting will still remain low key but will be more natural showing a more realistic scene and change of setting.

The camera will then zoom in and change into a mid shot in the tenth frame which shows the hit man giving up on being able to gather his surroundings on his own and he reaches into his pocket and takes out his phone. Non diegetic sounds of distant screaming will be edited into this frame and the iconography will be identical to the previous frame but with the addition of the mobile phone.

This camera technique will zoom in even further into a close up shot where the hit man is seen to dial a number and make a call to a taxi company to take him to the murder location. Silence will be the main sound technique evident within this frame with the inclusion of speech of the hit man talking on the phone.  Also, the lighting will be kept low key and dark with the exclusion of the street lights providing as filler lights.

The twelfth frame marks the halfway point of our opening sequence. Within this, the hit man will be seen walking up to the house. The iconography of the keys will be shown as the character will be holding them in his hand preparing to put them into the lock of the front door. Non diegetic sound will again be used through the example of sinister music to build up tension and imply that something bad is about to happen. The low key lighting will also be continued throughout this frame as it is the same location. This will be shown through a POV shot to capture from the hit man's perspective the approach to the house.

In the next frame, Kate and I will show through a POV shot again images of the hit man letting himself in using the keys given to him by the antagonist and entering the house. The iconography of the keys will again be continued so that the audience are fully aware of how the hit man has managed to gain entry to the house without raising any suspicion. The sinister music will be built up in volume to again imply that something big and significant within the narrative is about to happen. The lighting will be low key as well as realistic to show that the new setting is natural and is somewhere that the audience will be able to relate to immediately.

The next shot we will use is an over the shoulder shot to demonstrate how the hit man is slowly approaching the victim without her knowing that someone is behind her. Iconography of the knife will be presented where the hit man is seen to hold the knife by his side as he approaches the antagonist's wife implying a murder is about to take place. Parallel sound of sinister music will again be played over this image to support what the audience are seeing on screen. Continuity editing will be evident in this frame to establish a coherence between two shots so that the audience don't get too confused of what is going on.

Leading on from this, the next frame will show the hit man raising the knife ready to murder his victim. A long shot will be used for this particular point within the narrative so as to be able to show the audience everything that is happening within the frame. At this point, the sinister music will be at his maximum volume as the murder seems imminent at this specific moment within the sequence. The editing technique of a jump cut will be used to divert the audience's attention onto this image so they are made aware that this is the moment the sequence has been leading up to. Again, iconography of the knife will be shown as the hit man prepares to kill the antagonist's wife. Low key lighting will also be continued to maintain a sinister and tense atmosphere.

Within the sixteenth frame, the audience witness the wife turning around, seeing her attacker and screaming while dropping the plate she was clearing away. Timing of shots will be used to focus upon the smashing of the plate in which this image will be edited together slowly and sped up at the very end when the plate smashes. A reaction shot will also be evident to show the victim's reaction to finding someone in her house with a knife. Furthermore, diegetic sounds of the plate smashing and screaming will be used to provide a realistic feel to the scene. Iconography will be the same as in the previous frame but with the addition of the plate. Also, low key lighting will again be used for dramatic effect as stated in previous frame.

The next frame will include the image of the hit man grabbing his victim and pulling the knife close to her body. The iconography of the knife will again be present as well as my group and I deciding to include the diegetic sound of screaming which could also act as an example of parallel sound as this matches the type of image the audience will see on screen. This will be used to create tension. The lighting will again be low key to capture the mood of the scene and the camera shot we will use for this particular frame will be a zoom in to capture facial expressions and body language. 

Following on from this, frame eighteen will see the narrative take a twist as the victim is stabbed multiple times by the hit man. The sound used will again be diegetic with the woman screaming but an addition of non diegetic sound of the knife stabbing will also be included to make the scene more realistic. Timing of shots will be the editing technique evident within this frame where the clips will be edited together quickly to pass the pace of the scene as well as creating surprise and tension. A zoom out shot will be used for this scene to make the audience aware of everything going on within the scene. 

Furthermore, the next frame sees a shallow focus shot being used to place emphasis and focus the audience's attention on the female victim's dead body on the ground covered in blood. This shot will also be shot at a high angle to show that the victim is weak and inferior due to being killed. Silence will be used for dramatic effect and to signify the end of the woman's life due to her screaming abruptly falling silent. Kuleshov effect will be evident as the audience will be able to see the previous image of the woman being stabbed and this next image of her body where they will gather the idea that the murder has just taken place. Low key lighting is again continued within this frame to maintain a tense and sinister atmosphere. 

Within frame twenty. the audience will see the hit man calling up the antagonist to tell him that the deed is done and that his wife is now dead. A mid shot will be used for this particular frame so as to capture body language and facial expressions of the hit man in the aftermath of the murder that has just occurred. The editing style we have decided to use in this is linking of sections so that the audience are aware that this has significance to previous images. Diegetic sounds of speech will also be used to capture the exchange between hit man and antagonist however the antagonist's reply on the other end may need to be edited in after the filming stage.

In the next frame, as the sequence nears its end, the audience will witness through the use of an over the shoulder shot the arrival of the antagonist at the murder scene. Non diegetic sound of the closing music will start to be played so as to connote that the sequence is almost at an end. Iconography will include the antagonist's set of house keys as the front door is opened and again, the blood bath is shown. A montage will be evident as a bunch of clips will be edited together to form this scene at this particular point within the sequence.

Frame twenty two sees the hit man sitting with his head in his hands appearing to question what he has done and appears to be extremely guilty and sympathetic. This shows straight away that the hit man had been forced into the situation and i turns out that he isn't a cold blooded killer after all. We will achieve this effect through the use of a high angle shot to portray him as being almost like a victim where it is revealed that the antagonist is the true bad guy within the sequence. Non diegetic sound of screaming and voices will be used to represent the hit man going insane and this will be added with blurred images. 

The twenty third frame shows both the hit man and antagonist exchanging a firm hand shake before the hit man is seen to leave the location. The non diegetic sound of the closing music will again be evident in this frame as it is the second to last frame. There will be no iconography or editing within this frame and is a simple image before the antagonist is left alone with the body of his dead wife. This will be shown through a two shot due to both characters being visible within the frame. 

Within the final frame, a zoom in will again be evident which captures the antagonist standing over his dead wife smiling menacingly before looking directly into the camera, taking off his mask which has been hiding his identity and revealing himself to the audience. This frame will be shown in the location of the antagonist and his wife's family home which they share together. The non diegetic sound of the closing music will be played over this image at a maximum volume so as to imply that this is the final frame within the sequence. After the antagonist has revealed his identity to the audience and stared directly into the camera a fade out will be used where the screen will fade to black to show that the sequence has now ended. 

This has helped finalise our group ideas as both mine and Kate's ideas have been able to come together to form one final idea of what the sequence will be like as well as creating a successful thriller sequence. It has also helped us to understand how much preparation goes into creating a thriller and also knowing what to include within each frame and knowing how each would look regarding the micro elements. As a group, we also know how we want our locations to look like and what actors will be shown in which specific roles which creates a general idea of what our opening sequence will appear as a whole.

Planning Characters - Miss Miller

The purpose of characters within a film is so that the narrative can be driven forward through the function of each character's roles, the use of characters help to tell the story behind the film. They can also be used to create definite relationships with the audience in order for them to gain a profound interest in the narrative therefore encouraging them to watch on further to see what will happen next. Representation of characters within a film is crucial as this can show the audience what gender and age they are as well as their backgrounds such as profession. Representation of characters can also suggest which era a film is set in through the use of the character's clothing and makeup. Characters are significant within a media piece as they way that they are represented is the way in which the audience will view them within the film.

Within our thriller sequence, there will be three characters, two of these being the main characters (hit man and antagonist) and two being minor characters (female victim). These characters will be introduced below:

The first character I will be discussing is the main character within the narrative which is the hit man and he will be called Mark although his name will never be mentioned therefore his background will remain unknown to the audience as well as the events prior to the beginning of the sequence in which he is kidnapped and left in an unknown location sparking an enigma straight away. Both Kate and I have decided to portray this character as being around the age of 21 and his race being White British. The sequence unveils hidden events and it is revealed that the unknown antagonist wants Mark to kill his wife after finding out that she had been having an affair. An envelope is left in front of him which becomes clear to him when Mark receives an anonymous text message explaining everything. The audience find out that the envelope contains photos of the antagonist's wife as well as the knife which will be required to kill the female and house keys so he is able to gain entry without raising too much suspicion. This character's function within the narrative is to help confuse the audience and take their focus away from the antagonist in order to create a ,maximum amount of tension within the inclusion of a major plot twist to excite viewers and encourage them to watch the entire sequence. We will see the hit man developing amnesia prior to waking up from his unconscious state which will be indicated through the hit man's body language as he will come across as very confused as to where he is. Viewers will also notice that there was some signs of a struggle before the sequence starts as this character wakes up with blood dripping down his face. This would cause the audience to feel some sympathy from him as he had been kidnapped and left in an abandoned location and it is unclear what will happen to him but also hatred and anger as he appears to be willing to kill for someone who he potentially doesn't know that well. He is also used to create an enigma within the narrative as it is left unclear why the wife is needed to be killed as well as driving the audience to believe that he is the true antagonist.

The next character which will be featured within my thriller opening sequence is Cole, who is our main antagonist, known only on a text message as 'C' to create suspense and cause the audience to wonder who he could be. Cole's age and race are left unknown as well as his identity due to the audience never seeing him in person but are only made aware of his presence because of messages sent before and after the killing to Mark, which is shown on screen. The audience will never see any insight into Cole's past or the reason behind him wanting someone to kill his wife for him. However, from this, we can gather that the antagonist's state of mentality is not completely stable due to hiring someone he has never met before to kill his own wife out of cold blood which could derive from a negative experience in his past however individual perceptions are the only factors contributing to knowing a little more about this particular character's background. The audience are expected to react to this character in a clearly negative way. This is because of his bloody past and they will witness his insanity getting the better of him and embarking on a murderous rampage later on in the film however this will not be able to be derived from the opening 2 minutes. He will make viewers feel uncomfortable and will be solely responsible for all the negative emotions evoked from the audience throughout the duration of the sequence. This creates a great amount of shock when they witness a text from him to Mark stating clearly "Well done, your reward awaits." which can also be used to create suspense as they are unsure whether the antagonist may decide to show himself at an unexpected time within the sequence. When his identity is revealed, this will create confusion within the audience as we will portray the hit man being the antagonist up until the exact moment in which the true antagonist finds his wife dead.


The third and final character within my thriller will be the antagonist's wife. This character will be included to portray her as a female victim which is a main convention of thriller films. Everything about this character including name, age, race and background will remain unknown as she is only featured briefly when she is murdered by the hit man. She could be used to evoke empathy from the audience as although she has done something completely unforgivable, she didn't deserve to die out of cold blood. She is first seen when a picture of her is found in an envelope which has been left by the antagonist for the hit man to find so that he is aware of who he needs to kill and is seen again in the murder scene where the hit man turns up at the home she shares with her husband. This character will appeal to the audience as she is the female victim. Immediately, the audience know to feel sympathy towards her as she is seen to be murdered brutally in the 'safety' of her own home as well as knowing that she didn't deserve to die in this way regardless of what she may have done. Due to her untimely death, this helps to create a relationship between this character and the audience as they immediately obtain an emotional connection with her. Within the thriller genre, a female character is usually always portrayed as the victim and are always the first to die which will therefore make the hit man's job a lot easier when entering the home to know exactly who his victim is.

Group Storyboard - Miss Miller

The importance and creation of a group narrative is to consider everyone's ideas and incorporate the best in order to produce the best possible thriller therefore appealing to our target audience more. By creating a group narrative, this means that the group can input ideas and change them to make the opening sequence better and more thrilling. It also means that we can change ideas as a group if we are unsure that they are conventional to the thriller genre. The group are also given the opportunity to analyse whether or not they are completely happy with the final narrative idea by the input of several different ideas and choose specific ideas for the group narrative to make our sequence more enjoyable for the target audience as well as creating a successful thriller. This also allows the group to have a full understanding of what is happening with the narrative within the planning stages. Kate and I looked at one another's individual storyboards and carefully considered each element and feature evident within these and begin to think of what ideas we liked best to create a group storyboard. As a group, we decided which camera shots were most effective within each frame which helped us in creating a storyboard that we were both happy with and one which we believed would aid us in creating the most successful thriller that we possibly can. Also, as a group, we made some changes to our narrative as it could get too confusing at specific points and therefore altered these frames in order to create a sequence which would be much more conventional to the thriller genre.

This is the first page of our group storyboard. Although we haven't included pictures yet, we have thought carefully about the other elements which will be present within the scene such as camera shots and editing techniques. As Kate and I had similar ideas of having an editing style of flashes at the beginning of the sequence, we decided to incorporate our individual ideas of camera angles into this group storyboard. For example, within the first frame, my individual storyboard had the idea of using canted angle to represent disorientation whereas Kate had the idea of a Point of View shot therefore we decided to use them both at the beginning where we would switch between the two cinematography techniques. This helps to create tension within the audience as it helps to set the scene and suggest that they are watching a thriller film due to our hit man character waking up after being in an unconscious state in a location which is completely unknown to him and is clearly confused. This idea is also conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to create a tense atmosphere making the audience wonder what could happen to this particular character as well as making viewers feel completely on edge early on in the sequence which would unwillingly encourage them to watch further to see what could possibly happen next. The POV shot is also very effective for this particular scene as it helps to create an idea of vulnerability due to the audience only being able to see what the character is seeing within the scene and are therefore left unaware of who could be lurking whether the person who kidnapped the hit man is coming to get him. It also helps to create a relationship as the audience are allowed to feel exact same emotions as the hit man and are therefore immediately emotionally connected with this particular character. In frame 3, we again decided to use both of our ideas in one so as to be able to create even more tension within our target audience. The fact a Close Up will be used to emphasise the hit man's emotions will help to present the psychological theme of amnesia to the audience and allow them to understand why this theme has been included. This idea is conventional to the thriller genre as it can be used to create an enigma for the rest of the narrative to be driven upon this which creates tension as the audience are left wondering what could have been done to this character for him to develop amnesia and that his kidnapper could have possibly done this to him as well as encouraging them to watch the entire sequence so they are able to uncover the mysteries behind the narrative as well as creating individual perceptions of what they think may happen. Kate also had the idea of using an unknown location for the hit man to wake up to which I thought was very effective as it helps to create confusion and prompt viewers to think about where he could be and what could happen. This inspiration came from the film 'The Purge' in the scene where the daughter is held hostage by a man who had made his way into the home. Although the location is presented to the audience, we liked the idea of a hostage situation as we felt that this created a large amount of tension. We wanted to use a similar idea in our opening sequence to create a sinister and thrilling atmosphere. By having this at the beginning of our sequence, I think that this would help to set the scene straight away as well as throwing the audience straight into the narrative without wasting any time. This also helps to not give too much away to the viewers and allow them to consider individually what could have happened. Kate and I had similar ideas to the lighting style being low key due to this being used in most thriller films and we believe this is the most conventional type of lighting to use within our sequence. This inspiration derived from many analysed thriller films such as The Strangers and Mama.

Here is the second page of our group storyboard. Again, this page used both mine and Kate's ideas as we both thought that some ideas we came up worked well at later points within the sequence rather than at this point. In these 4 frames, the audience witness the unidentified antagonist explaining what his accomplice needs to do, the hit man then agreeing and being paid before the antagonist providing him with many objects which will be most beneficial to him when carrying out the murder. These include; the murder weapon - a knife, house keys, address. The envelope containing the hit man's money will also feature photographs of the woman so that he knows exactly who to kill. These pictures will be positioned on top of the envelope in order to clearly show this to the audience in a way that they won't get confused. In frame 8, my idea of using shallow focus when all of the objects are being exchanged was chosen to be in the final narrative as my partner agreed this would be the most effective. We chose to use this as it sets the scene of a thriller film as well as showing the audience what the hit man needs to do therefore demonstrating our narrative further. This would also cause intrigue within viewers as they could wonder why the antagonist is hiring someone to kill this woman as well as why the hit man had been placed in a hostage situation which then becomes clear this is to force him into carrying out this murder for him. The iconography of the knife would also create shock and surprise within the audience but could act as an example of foreshadowing therefore suggesting that a death or murder is extremely likely to take place later on in the sequence. Iconography is shown in a majority of thriller films through the use of weapons. As a group, we gained this inspiration from the film Halloween in which the murderer is seen grabbing a knife from the kitchen drawer of which he uses to kill his victim. This has inspired us to also include the murder weapon being a knife as the use of the blade connotes the element of danger and implies that someone's life is going to end. By using this idea within our storyboard, it means that the audience will feel intrigued as to when the murder may take place and gaining a more in depth knowledge of the narrative as it progresses further.

This is the third page of our group storyboard. On this page, it captures the moments leading up to the death of the female victim (antagonist's wife) where the hit man leaves the unknown location, phones for a taxi where he gives the driver the address due to not knowing where or who he is because of the amnesia and the final frame shows the hit man walking towards the house in which he will murder his victim. This page was Kate's idea. We decided to incorporate this into our group storyboard as it was much more clearer to the audience than having the hit man walk into a random house and kill whoever was in there. This idea will help to create tension within our thriller sequence as everyone but the victim is aware that a killer is just about to walk into her house and brutally cut her life short. This also suggests an idea of vulnerability due to not knowing her fate, when the taxi driver is given the address, he is asked to stop short of the house so as not to raise suspicion. This implies that something bad is going to happen due to the hit man not wanting to be seen and creates suspense as well as providing a sinister and tense atmosphere to the scene. Within these frames, the main uses of sound will be non diegetic/parallel sounds of sinister music and some screaming which will help to evoke a response from the audience after seeing the images on screen. The support of the sound and images complementing each other means that a maximum amount of suspense can be created in order to create shock and surprise when the actual murder takes place because of the build up to it. This sound technique has been used to imply that the killer is overpowering and more superior in comparison to his unsuspecting victim. Although no editing techniques have been used on the storyboard, I believe that linking of section should be used to create tension and make the audience more engaged within the film and they begin to feel sympathy towards the antagonist's wife due to it becoming clear that she is the one who is about to be murdered.



This is the fourth page of our group storyboard which documents the beginning of the murder scene which will be the most dramatic point within our opening sequence. The antagonist is seen to be sneaking up on his victim while she is washing up, she then sees slight movement and turns around, upon seeing her attacker with the knife she screams and drops the plate she was holding. This idea came from Kate's individual storyboard as she had to change the entire narrative. We decided to use this idea in our group storyboard as it helps to capture the last moments in which the victim is to be seen alive. The use of the plate smashing has been included to represent the unstable mentality state of the hit man as he has agreed to killing a woman he doesn't know in exchange for money which is not something a person of stable state of mind would do. By using this within our final idea, this allows the audience to build a relationship with the victim as they feel sympathy towards her due to being the target of a hit man regardless of what she may have done to her husband. We have decided to use non diegetic and diegetic sounds of sinister music to build up to the moment in which the victim realises someone is behind her as well as the sound of her screaming and the plate smashing on the floor. This creates a more realistic scene and makes the audience believe that they are watching something which could possibly happen in reality. The diegetic sound of the plate smashing also creates a more sinister atmosphere as the sound of the china sounds very sharp and dangerous suggesting the fact that the infliction of pain and injury is about to occur. This also foreshadows events about to unfold within the sequence. Diegetic sound is commonly used in thriller films such as Scream and Insidious to create suspense. We derived our inspiration for this idea from these films as it makes the scene more natural and therefore engages the audience more.

This is the fifth page of our group storyboard and captures the moment in which the female victim is stabbed and killed by the hit man. The hit man holds the knife high as he grabs the female victim, stabs her multiple times until she stops screaming. Her body is then shown and this page ends with the hit man calling the antagonist telling him that the deed is done. Again, this was partly my idea and partly Kate's, I thought of how the victim was to be killed whereas Kate thought about the use of a phone call after the murder has taken place.These two ideas have been used in our storyboard as we feel that they both create tension within the audience as well as shock at the fact that the woman has been murdered in such a cold blooded way. It also helps to show the audience exactly what the hit man is capable of doing for money which is very sinister. The audience are immediately threatened by the hit man having just witnessed him murder a young woman in a vile and brutal manner. Silence is used in the aftermath of the murder when the body is shown which is effective at this point within the sequence as it is used to show how someone's life has been taken away; one minute she was breathing and screaming, the next she is lying motionless on the floor. This is a very scary aspect and shows the audience just how easily the life can be taken out of someone so quickly which would also create an element of surprise here as, although a murder was expected, they were unsure of how brutal it would be. We gained this inspiration from the film Scream in the scene in which the woman walks up to the curtain in her home and the killer suddenly jumps out on her. This creates a dramatic effect and signifies that there is no life left within the scene.

This is the final page of our group storyboard which implies that the sequence is coming to an end. It shows the antagonist approaching the murder scene and congratulating his accomplice on his good work before sending him away and standing over his wife's dead body before looking straight into the camera signifying the end of our thriller opening. I had the idea of the last frame whereas Kate thought of frame numbers 21, 22 and 23. My idea was to have the antagonist stand over his wife's body, take the mask off therefore revealing his identity and looking straight into the camera before a fade out will be used. By using both of our ideas in the final part of our sequence, this means that we are able to create as thrilling a sequence as possible therefore appealing more to our target audience as they are constantly left on the edge of their seats while watching. The enigma is revealed through the reveal of the antagonist's idea which is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to create shock and surprise within the audience due to the antagonist possibly being someone that they would never have expected. Although this means that there would be no space to further the enigma and keep the audience guessing, it still creates a dramatic effect as it allows for the antagonist to be able to carry on killing and could also suggest a possible sequence. We took this inspiration from Halloween where the identity of Michael Myers being the killer was revealed within the opening sequence of the first film and then allowing him to kill where the franchise reached a total of 10 films. Although it is not stated, fast paced editing with the addition of non diegetic of tense closing music will be used to create instability and represent that the hit man has got to the victim as well as the antagonist seeing his wife has been killed. This inspiration was taken from the film Shutter Island where the two police officers are fighting a patient at the mental hospital they are investigating. Fast paced editing can be used to represent a scene of chaos as well as showing that the victim will always be inferior to their killer. We added this to create a similar effect and that the victim's life has come to an abrupt end after all the build up. This also creates an idea of vulnerability as well as showing the victim had no way of escape. This makes it easier for the killer to get to her and creates a much more sinister and tense atmosphere.

To conclude, I think that our group storyboard follows the conventions of a thriller film closely as it creates relative elements of shock, tension, surprise and suspense for the audience. Our storyboard also features a lot of 'jumpy' and climatic scenes which is the main aim Kate and I wanted for our opening sequence. It builds up tension and suspense and keeps the audience wondering what could happen next. An enigma is created throughout the duration of the sequence and is elevated to appropriate levels of suspense and the storyboard helps us to know exactly what to do when we are filming. It helps us to understand what will be happening in each individual frame and what elements are going to be used. Our group storyboard is of a good standard as it considers both Kate's and my ideas and we are both happy with what order the frames are to appear in and the different camera, sound and editing techniques used. We managed to successfully incorporate both of our ideas into the group storyboard by carefully analysing one another's individual storyboards and lifting the best ideas from each to create the most conventional and thrilling sequence. We also decided what we thought would look best in the sequence as a whole and what order the frames should appear in. This helped us in incorporating both of our ideas into the storyboard as we both had our own opinions and were able to justify ourselves when considering which ideas would make the sequence most conventional and thrilling for the audience. We had to come to some compromises when planning the narrative due to having to change it. This was the only compromise we had to make and now see that our original narrative would have confused the audience too much and they would therefore not enjoy it as much. I think that overall, our storyboard is good although I would add in a few more editing techniques in some frames where there are none stated. For example, linking of section and Kuleshov effect.