Individual Storyboard - Miss Miller

The importance of using a storyboard when planning for the creation of a production is that no unnecessary time is wasted thinking of what techniques to use. It helps you when filming as you have a profound knowledge of which scene is to come next and also brings all of the ideas together. By using a storyboard, this shows that your group are efficient and carefully considering each individual camera shot and that you are planning well ahead. This also helps to be able to give input to your group and find a way in order to incorporate everyone's ideas into the final narrative. The importance of a storyboard enables you to feedback different ideas you may have. For example, you could have a completely different idea of which camera angle to use within the murder scene therefore the planning of a storyboard helps you to draw up your individual ideas that could make the thriller as successful as possible. It also helps to make it clearer what exactly is happening within each frame.

I have created an individual storyboard within my group so as to form my own ideas of what camera angles, editing and sound techniques to use in order to create the maximum amount of suspense and tension as well as creating key elements of shock and surprise for my audience to encourage them to watch the entire sequence. My partner Kate also created her individual storyboard which has been done so that we can come together and feed back our ideas to one another to try and piece together a final narrative using some ideas from myself and some ideas from Kate so that our thriller opening sequence will be as engaging and thrilling as it possibly could be. By creating a storyboard, this will allow me to see a visual guide as to what my thriller would look like and what would be happening in each scene of the sequence. It will also allow me to identify anomalies within the opening and rectify these in order to make my thriller more conventional to the genre or to add in extra details to improve the mood within the scenes therefore creating a more thrilling atmosphere for my target audience. Within my storyboard, I have included several frames showing me exactly what will appear in each shot while also considering the different camera angles, editing & sound techniques, lighting, actors, iconography and locations which will also be featured. This way, I am thinking about the scene as a whole and helping to build a structure for each frame so that I am able to film with ease and with no problems as I know exactly what each element will create for the audience. This makes it easier for my group and I when we begin filming our thriller opening as we know straight away what shots to use etc. therefore reducing time wasted as my group won't have to decide what techniques to use due to having them already carefully planned out.

My storyboard is devised of images of what I want each individual frame to look like. I used inspirations from previously analysed thriller films which helped me greatly in creating my storyboard and having a profound knowledge of what to include in order to make the scene conventional.

This is the first page of my storyboard. It shows how the opening sequence is going to begin and what the audience will first witness when beginning to watch. On my first page, I have the hit man (hostage) waking up in an unknown location and discovering that he is tied up and has masking tape covering his mouth. Throughout the first couple of shots, I have aimed to use low key lighting with the exception of some possible flood lights to represent a cold atmosphere relating to the mood of the scene. This type of lighting will also help to suggest to the audience that they are watching a thriller film. The first shot helps to engage viewers and create elements of tension as they are unsure of how the man could have got to where he is and what may happen to him. This will also help to create a relationship between the audience and the character as they immediately feel empathy towards him due to seeing images of him laying on the floor tied up and obviously scared. These restraints also help to suggest possible vulnerability of the hit man which misleads the audience as the hit man will turn out to become a murderer later on in the sequence which evidently helps to create suspense even further. The first 4 shots also use the same type of lighting and individually focus on something such as the antagonist entering the room and it becomes clear that the hit man is needed to do something for him. The 3rd shot focuses solely on the hit man's facial expressions, combined with the camera shot and sound techniques, this will help to display our psychological theme which is present in the sequence where the hit man has suffered from amnesia and is no longer aware of who he is. Sinister music and distant screaming will be played over the top of these images to represent the antagonist being near.

The next page shows how this scene will progress and intensify throughout the duration of the sequence. Low key lighting is again used throughout as the scene remains in the same location and this lighting is ideal for creating tension as the audience wonder what the antagonist could possibly want from the man. The next shots help the audience to gain an understanding of what he is needed and it soon becomes clear that the antagonist wants him to kill his cheating wife in order to teach her a lesson. This immediately creates an element of shock from viewers as the hit man is willing to kill straight away with no thought whatsoever. This also creates a relationship between the audience and the antagonist's wife as everyone but her is aware of what is about to happen. The iconography within this scene are the the murder weapon, an envelope containing photographs and money as well as house keys for the hit man to freely enter the house and the address of where he needs to go. I have decided to use a knife as a murder weapon, taken from inspirations of Halloween and Scream as both these films used a knife to inflict injury upon the victims and is conventional to the thriller genre. This also acts as an example of foreshadowing due to the audience now knowing that a death is extremely likely to occur which helps to prolong suspense as they are left unaware of the exact moment in which the hit man will strike. The sound used will be sinister music gradually building in volume until the scene where the antagonist is shown to be giving all the items to the hit man needed for his murder to be carried out. I have decided to build the music up gradually so as to create suspense within the audience and allow their emotions to be heightened significantly when watching the sequence. An enigma is also created to help the audience to wonder what could possibly happen next.

The next four shots within my storyboard capture the moments leading up to the antagonist's wife's death where the hit man is on his way to kill her. Low key lighting is also kept throughout but will be naturalistic also as these scenes will be filmed outside therefore this change in setting will help to set a new mood to the scene. Within the shot where the audience witness the hit man making a phone call for a taxi to transport him to his murder location, some speech will be used but the sound of silence will be heard all around to connote that the wife's life is about to come to an abrupt end. As the address is given to the taxi driver, the hit man also asks that he is dropped off down the street so as not to raise suspicion in order for the hit man to be able to slip into the house unnoticed and kill his unsuspecting victim with no one to witness it. This is conventional to a thriller as the killer is usually never caught until the very end and is therefore free to kill again and allowing for the enigma to be extended further. The non-diegetic sinister music will be played continuously and cut sharply when the hit man approaches the front door of his victim's home so as to create tension and signify that his victim's life is about to be cut short.

These shots show what will be happening in the middle of the sequence which is the climax of the entire opening as it features the indefinite murder scene. The non diegetic music played over the scene will again be increased in volume as the audience see the hit man approaching slowly behind his victim and preparing to kill her. This creates a large amount of suspense within the audience as the victim is left unaware of her fate up until the last moment in which she is seen alive. This sound can be used to foreshadow her very near death and suggest that although her killer has not made contact yet, the hit man is still empowering her shown through the use of the victim being completely oblivious to what is about to happen. This also helps to provide the victim with a sense of vulnerability as she is completely alone in the house therefore making it easier for her killer to murder her.  In the 4th frame, the victim turns around and screams at the sight of the knife and drops the plate she is holding causing it to smash on the floor. The editing used will be a reaction shot which will be shown when the woman is screaming and focus will also be placed on the smashing of the plate to represent that the mentality of the hit man is completely unstable and fragile. This will have an immediate impact on the audience as they feel empathy towards the victim as, no matter what she has done to her husband, she still doesn't deserve to die in such a brutal and gruesome way. I have chosen to use this within my storyboard as by feeling sympathetic towards the victim, this allows for the audience to obtain an emotional attachment to her which would keep them engaged in what they are watching. I gained inspiration from Halloween to include a POV shot to show the hit man entering the house which helps to put the audience into his shoes and experience the same emotions and see the same things as the hit man which creates tension and also keeps viewers hooked on the narrative.

The next four shots help to demonstrate the period in which the victim is fatally stabbed and murdered by the hit man. The hit man is seen to completely overpower her shown by the simple use of grabbing her with his knife in position where he then stabs the woman repeatedly until she is dead and drops her onto the floor with no remorse. In the exact scene where she is killed, I decided to use a zoom out as it creates emotional distance between the scene and the audience helping to evoke a suitable response from them as they try to get their heads around what they are watching unfold. An editing technique I have decided to use within this is the Kuleshov effect. This will be shown when the audience first see a glimpse of the victim's dead body lied on the floor covered in blood in unison with the previous shot seen where the shadow of the hit man is seen stabbing and the sound of the victim's screams are gradually reduced until there is complete silence once again. This editing style helps to show two shots which both have an implied meaning without having the show the actual murder taking place. This helps the audience to create individual perceptions of what they think might happen to the victim. As the setting has changed within the scene, more naturalistic and high key lighting will be used to represent the transition in location as well as making the sequence seem more realistic causing the audience to feel more heightened emotions as well as creating maximum amounts of suspense and tension with the inclusion of shock and surprise due to the audience not expecting the murder to be so brutal and in such cold blood. Linking of section will also be evident within this scene when the hit man makes the phone call to let the antagonist know that the deed has been done which links back to the opening scenes where he is first asked to kill her. The impact of silence within the scene will have a profound effect on the audience as they have just witnessed a brutal murder and will therefore be engaged as they watch on further to see what could possibly happen next.

The last page of my storyboard helps to highlight that my sequence is coming to an end. It shows the antagonist coming to inspect the murder scene in person. After seeing it and being pleased with what the hit man has done, an image is shown where the hit man sits on the stairs rethinking about what he has just done which helps to portray some innocence as the antagonist had brought the hit man into this situation threatening to hurt him if he did not carry it out. This also helps to emphasise that the hit man shouldn't be considered as the antagonist by the audience and that they should feel some sympathy towards him. The last shot consists of the antagonist standing over the body of his dead wife and taking off his mask therefore revealing his identity to the audience. He smiles in a sinister way at the body and then directs this straight to the camera and the audience before the screen fades to black signifying the end of the sequence. A montage is used in these last few shots as the various clips of the antagonist coming to the murder scene, shaking hands with the hit man congratulating him as well as his scene where he is full of guilt are edited together with the addition of sinister music representing that the sequence is nearing its end. This helps to create suspense within viewers as the antagonist is portrayed as being threatening towards the audience due to the way he is smiling at his wife's dead body. This also helps to show that the antagonist's state of mentality is completely unstable and that he is in fact a complete psychopath and the use of the fade out at the end connotes that the antagonist could possibly strike again therefore raising questions toward a sequel.

Having created my storyboard, I think that this will aid my group and I when creating the group storyboard as my group can gather ideas from mine and attempt to incorporate this into the final idea. It will also help to bring ideas together and possibly use some of my ideas I have made within elements such as editing and sound. I hope that it will inspire my other group member in order to create a good quality storyboard together which includes both of our ideas. I also hope that some of my individual ideas are included within the group storyboard which will help in the creation of the thriller sequence as we would have included some of the best ideas therefore helping us to achieve a thriller that is most successful and engages our target audience fully. My storyboard is useful as it shows clearly what techniques I thought would be most effective at specific points in the sequence and a visual representation of what the shot will look like. It also gives a brief description of how the shot will help to present the narrative. When coming together as a group, we can make balanced decisions on choosing the shots and ideas which will be the best in showing the narrative clearly to the audience as well as helping them to understand what will happen in each frame. This will help us to produce a successful thriller sequence which will thrill the audience.

Planning Opening Credits - Miss Georgiou

Why are opening credits essential within thriller films?

Opening credits are important to include within a film as they introduce the important roles such as the cast as well as the team such as producers and directors etc. Also, the style of how the credits are presented help the audience to determine what genre a particular film falls into. For example, if certain credits are written in a jagged or distorted font, this may suggest that the audience are watching a thriller film. Opening credits are also used to reveal the title of the film to the audience and allow them to make their own individual perceptions of what they expect to see. Furthermore, the addition of sound and some images all contribute towards building tension and suspense within the audience as soon as the film starts in order to keep them engaged and encouraging them to watch on further to see what the narrative may be about. Opening credits can also be used to outline the film maker's intentions and set up the audience's expectations of a particular film as well as setting the scene  and giving the audience a foundation of the film.

Whilst planning my own opening credits for my thriller feature, I had to complete an analysis of the opening titles of the film 'Se7en' and broke this down into four sections; Colours, style of credits, use of conventions and order of appearance. I noticed that the opening sequence began with the inclusion of a variety of extreme close ups each focusing on different objects, this gives the audience an insight into what they are about to watch as it emphasises the size of the objects.

When analysing the colours, I noticed that black and white were the most dominant characters within the clip, a black background was used when each credit became visible on screen and these were written in white. The colour of the black represents the theme of death and could act as an example of foreshadowing of what is to come later on in the film connoting that, due to the theme being a thriller, a murder of some kind will happen which helps to keep the audience engaged as they are expecting to see this but are unaware of when it may occur. The use of both black and white represents the definite contrast between good and evil which helps to portray to the audience that good and evil will both be present within the film which in thrillers, represent an antagonist and protagonist. Furthermore, both colours are juxtaposed to one another as white, representing life, hope and goodness. Whereas, black represents darkness, mystery and death.The use of the two colours also help to provide a calming and dull feel to the scene creating suspense within the audience as  they may question why the film maker has decided to use such a simple colour scheme within the opening credits. Also, between 0.36 and 0.38 seconds of the trailer featured above there is a filter of red over the screen which can be interpreted as foreshadowing death, blood and murder within the film. The colour red also could be associated with blood, fire, desire and danger. For example, as the red filter is introduced suddenly, this shocks the viewers as they have only been using to seeing a plain black and white colour scheme that the film was portraying at first which could connote that the film features an event in which the audience will not expect it.  This is conventional to the thriller genre as elements of suspense and tension are to be created in order to portray an accurate representation of a thriller as well as encouraging the audience to watch the entire sequence. Furthermore, the tension built within the opening credits help to support the enigma being created as the audience feel a certain connection as they are left feeling disorientated and unsure of what is happening. This is emphasised through the use of several flashes showing different images after each credit has been shown such as a blade and someone drawing using a pencil. This leaves the audience confused as it is very unclear of what the narrative may be but is also showing an insight into a possible main character or significant character within the film which helps to keep the audience hooked. 

Another element that I analysed was the style in which the credits were written where I noticed that a jagged, scrawny handwriting font was used which immediately connotes that the film is a thriller. The sharpness of the letters represents the antagonist being mentally unstable which is highlighted through the use of a mirror effect in which the credits move and are constantly in and out of focus. This effect helps to grab the audience's attention by creating an almost 'trippy' visual as they don't expect it.  This helps to give the opening credits a hazed and tense atmosphere which therefore sets an overall tone for the entire sequence due to the style of writing mirroring a child's handwriting because of its lack of neatness which could suggest that there may a character present within the film who has the mentality of a child relating to a psycho. This also helps to reveal some of what the narrative could be connoting that the antagonist's state of mentality is completely destroyed and erratic as well as demonstrating that the antagonist's mind set is not balanced which is conventional to a thriller as it helps to portray characters and make the audience understand a little more about them through the text. 

I also analysed the use of conventions within this sequence. I noticed that the opening credits show several images of objects such as sharp objects, drawings and pens etc which implies that the person using them is planning on doing something dangerous which will be a method to use on each of their victims. In the scene, these are images are shown by the audience only being able to see a hand and nothing more which connotes that the character behind the camera does not wish to be seen or potentially identified. The use of hidden identity is conventional as antagonists do not like to be seen as it makes the narrative more interesting and therefore creating tension and suspense as the audience are left in the dark about who the antagonist may be. However, as the audience cannot see who is behind the actions within the opening scene, they will create a distant relationship with whoever the antagonist is as they are forced to believe that they cannot  trust them due to not showing their identity which creates suspense.

The order of appearance in which the credits were displayed were as follows; Director, most famous actors i.e. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, the title of the film which was shown in a larger and bolder font, the least famous actors, casting, music, costumes, editors, production, camera operator, co-producer, producer, writers and director. Within this film, the director's name was shown twice which may be because he is well known and the film maker believes that the audience will recognise his name and therefore his previous work in addition to this film which will be beneficial to the film as it will produce more profit as a larger viewing audience will want to watch.

Individual Opening Credits

Although I have already been assigned a group to work with on this particular project, we still had to create an individual idea of what our opening credits could possibly look like. To create this, we used the software Final Cut Pro on the Macs. When I started creating my credits, I chose a font style based on my knowledge of what is conventional to the thriller genre, although the style does not look child like or handwriting style, I believe this could be suitable for my thriller sequence as it is simplistic in its own way however the effect I have added on to it helps to blur it slightly which demonstrates the use of my psychological theme present. This style would be able to mirror the mind state of the hit man character within my thriller due to him developing amnesia after being attacked. After this, I began to think about what colours I wanted to include, I decided to use the dominant colour of red in which I added this onto the outline of the writing with a slight black and white shadow on the inside of each letter. I believe that this is effective as the red represents death and murder which helps the title to stand out on the black background as well as giving my audience an insight into what my narrative may be as a murder scene will be present. This would also help viewers to be able to identify what genre of film they are watching. The use of the black and white shadows are conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to demonstrate a definite contrast between good and evil (protagonist vs antagonist) therefore showing that both sides will be present within my opening sequence. As this followed the theory of Aristotle, I believed that these colours would be perfect together as they both have meanings juxtaposed to one another. For example the slight black tint represents a glimmer of death, darkness and evil whereas the white represents hope, innocence and purity. However, I decided to include only the tiniest hint of white in order to show that evil is dominant and will take over good shown within the murder scene. After deciding on which font and colours I would like to use, I used Final Cut Pro to put an effect on my credits in which I selected the Earthquake effect which made the text bolder and shake slightly. I chose this because this would help to create a disorientated feel within my target audience which would help to demonstrate one of my character's mental state. I took this inspiration from 'Se7en's opening credits as this was an effect used also in this to suggest that something or someone is not stable within the film. Within my thriller, this character would be my antagonist as he discovers his wife dead which sparks something in his brain and causes him to go insane therefore justifying his reasons for embarking on the rampage seeking revenge. This killing would be this particular character's instability as the audience are left wondering what he could be capable of doing next therefore creating tension. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it makes the viewers feel tense as the fonts are not balanced and credits written in this way help the audience to establish what genre of film they are about to watch as well as revealing an insight into the potential narrative. After adding the effect to my credits, I watched the entire sequence back and was very pleased with the end result and I am confident that this will be the style I use within my final opening credits sequence. I will also aim to add in flashes of moving images from my first scenes which will be shot in the forest location so as to give the audience an insight into what the sequence may be about while ensuring that I don't give too much away in order to keep the viewers engaged in what they are watching. Furthermore, I have decided to position the title of the film slightly to the left hand side making its way across the screen to the middle so as to grab the audience's attention. For the order of appearance, I will use the same format that the opening sequence of 'Se7en' has therefore my order will be; production company name, famous actors, title of film, actors with the least amount of screen time, casting, music, costume, editors, production, camera operator, co-producer, producer, writer(s) and finally the director's name again. This is because I believe that the most well known actors with the greatest amount of screen time should appear first so that the audience know to learn  who they are and what role they will play within the film. When I get back into my group, I will show my idea for the opening credits and explain why I think that this style should be used within our thriller sequence so that the other member of my group will be able to understand these purposes and why I believe that my idea is suitable for the opening.

Kate's Opening Credit

As you can see, Kate decided to use the colours of black, white and red on her individual opening credit where the coloured fonts are featured against a plain black background. This was to represent the two sides of good and evil within the film as in our thriller, there will be both an antagonist and protagonist as well as a victim as our narrative follows the Aristotle theory. The fonts she decided to use were Antique for the production company name and Outline for the title. The font in which the words 'Spotlight Productions Presents' are shown seem a little odd as every letter is in capitals and although it is bold, it doesn't necessarily connote the thriller genre if we were to use this within our opening sequence therefore confusing the audience. Also, I think the title of the film should be a bigger size so as to show viewers clearly the name of the film therefore helping to suggest possible narrative ideas. However, this does make the title of the film stand out which would immediately grab the audience's attention as well as making a bold statement that this is the film's title. The boldness also demonstrates that something big is going to happen within the film which will have a significant impact on the viewers. There is no effect on the credits therefore I think that this style could come across as being quite boring to the audience therefore this will be something that I need to discuss with Kate before we decide on the final style for our opening credits. The fact that the title of the film is in red connotes that blood and death will be a major part within the film and the contrast between the other colours present also help to demonstrate the emphasis of danger the victim is going to face in the film and could possibly imply that someone's life is going to be changed forever.

As a group, we have decided to follow my idea as we feel that this would be the most conventional idea to follow in order to create the most successful thriller we possibly can. Taking inspiration from the opening credits to 'Se7en' we will include several flashes of images of scenes shot in the unknown location in which it captures the hostage waking up and being told his task as well as showing the exchange of money and other documents up until the point where the antagonist supplies his accomplice with the murder weapon as well as the address of where he needs to go and the house keys for him to be able to enter the house without causing suspicion. This will help to prolong tension created as well as not giving too much away to the audience in order to keep viewers engaged in what they are watching. Between each image, we will show each credit individually; the actors playing the roles of the hit man and antagonist (George Jinks and Louee Petty)  will be featured first followed by the actor who play the roles of the target (Krista Haydon). The company name (Spotlight Productions) will be featured at the beginning of the sequence followed by the director's name (Kate Arwadi). These names will be repeated for hair, costume, makeup etc. as Kate and I also played some crew roles in order to contribute further towards our film. Between each credit, a flash of an image will be featured to expose some of the narrative to the audience as well as making them wonder what could possibly be going on. Within our opening sequence, I think that the company and director's name should appear first as they play the most significant role within the creation of a film and deserve the most recognition. The actors playing the hit man and antagonist will be featured after this as these are the main characters within our sequence and are the characters to look out for. We will then have the bold title of the film appear encouraging viewers to start making individual perceptions of what they interpret from the title such as what genre the film may fall into and what the narrative could possibly compose of. The name of the actor which play a less important part within the film (victim) will then be shown in order to give them the recognition they deserve even though they are not featured in a majority of the film so as to suggest to the audience that this minor role could also play a very significant part within the narrative.

Research into Target Audience - Miss Miller

To help us in knowing which elements to include within our thriller sequence, we decided to create a questionnaire and ask 40 people different questions relating to content within thriller films and what they would like to see in order to be able to make our opening relatable and exciting for the audience to watch. We decided to ask 40 people in order to gather a wide variety of data and make our results more reliable. I will then use these results within planning my thriller sequence by having a knowledge of what people expect to see in a thriller and incorporate this into my own work. Our questionnaire is featured below.

When asking our 40 people, we ensured to mainly ask questions to people of our specific target audience age range however asking some people out of this range as well in order to gain a full understanding of what people like to see within thriller films. We then decided to demonstrate our results in a pie chart format to show clearly the data which we have collected.

This pie chart shows the different age groups of the people that we conducted our survey to. A majority of our interviewees were within the ages of 15 and 18 which is ideal as this was the age group we were aiming to appeal to when making our thriller. This question may seem irrelevant now but this will aid me significantly when planning the narrative and content of my thriller sequence. For example, 15-18 year olds are more likely to watch adult themes such as seeing a murder take place, blood and gore which is something that viewers of a younger age may not be able to witness due to the harsh nature of these particular scenes. Therefore, this will mean that I will be able to put some of these scenes into the sequence in order to create the maximum amount of tension and suspense which is crucial in creating a successful thriller.

The next question that I asked was 'What Gender Are You?' and the pie chart opposite shows that a 75% of the people I asked were female and only 25% were male. This could mean that my results may be slightly inaccurate and unreliable as females have different ideas of what they like to see within a thriller in comparison to what males like. In order to rectify this, I will ensure that I include a narrative which will appeal to both a male and female audience in order for my sequence to be successful and popular. In addition to this, I think that my results turned out this way as I mainly talk to girls within school however the males I asked were within my family therefore I will need to include key themes suitable for both genders. 

The next question which I asked as part of my questionnaire was 'What features do you expect to find in a thriller and why?' in which we age 4 possible answers consisting of blood, a killer, female victim and a fight scene. As you can see, a majority chose the answer of a killer with 44%. This is a main convention of a thriller film as without a killer, whether the identity is revealed or not, there would be no narrative for the story to be driven forward and therefore you would be creating a useless thriller. The inclusion of a killer also helps to create elements such as shock, surprise, suspense and tension crucial for a successful thriller to be created. From this set of data, I know to include a killer at some point in my sequence in order to achieve all of the elements needed in order to create a relationship between my target audience and characters by making them feel extremely scared and almost as though they have been put in a particular character's shoes and feel some sense of inclusion causing them to wonder what could happen next and what the killer could be capable of doing. Furthermore, this question was one of our several open questions in which we gave our possible target audience the opportunity to explain in their own words why they chose their answer.  Because of these results, both Kate and I know to include a killer which will be used to terrorise certain characters and evoke relative emotions of fear as well as a psychological impact in order to create an original narrative, one that isn't present in any other thriller films already released. 

When asking the next question, I thought carefully about the main micro-elements which are used to create senses of  surprise and suspense. My data shows that the most popular answer was sound at 70% which isn't surprising as this was the element that I also believed to be the most successful in creating surprise and suspense which is because sound is the most crucial element within film as it is the main component for evoking senses of shock and tension from a particular film. If a film had no sound, it would not have the same effect due to having an unclear idea of what is happening. I can use this set of results in planning my thriller sequence as I am now aware that the addition of sinister and scary music can be used in certain scenes in order to create these elements of shock and tension. Following on from this, I now know to include a range of different sounds in order to create elements of surprise and suspense at intense points within the sequence as well as including sounds in less significant places in order to build up the tension leading up to the murder scene which would therefore shock the audience more. 

Leading on from this, I also decided to ask a question based on what weapons the people I asked would expect to see within a thriller film and I gathered a wide variety of results from this. Knives was the most popular answer in this particular question with a majority of 56% choosing this answer which is not surprising as a knife is the main murder weapon featured in the most successful thriller films. For example, Scream and Halloween. I believe that this is because it connotes that a murder is going to take place but doesn't however show an extreme amount of gore which would be most likely to be shown in a horror rather than a thriller. Elaborating on this, rope was the second most popular answer with 24% selecting this answer. I think that my results showed this as rope is not a common weapon used to murder within thrillers and it is unique to see a different murder weapon being used to set it aside from the usual thriller films. However, a low number of only 12% chose a gun as their preferred choice which surprised me to a certain extent as a gun is a lethal murder weapon by having the ability to kill within a single shot but I realised that the inclusion of a gun within a thriller would make the film like an action film which is unconventional. These results are positive as my idea for a narrative was a young woman being stabbed to death and it is good to see that a knife is the most popular among a possible audience. In addition to this, I made this question an open answer so as to gather an idea of why they chose their specific answer. When asking this, a majority explained that it was because it evoked an element of tension as they watch to see what will happen next as well as feeling as though they have been put in a certain character's shoes as usually everyone but the victim is aware of what is about to happen, including the audience. Therefore, I am confident in using a knife as a murder weapon as I know that I am closely following the conventions relating to the thriller genre and also enticing my target audience as this is what they want to see.

The next question is again an open question and I asked of their opinion of what they consider the best thriller film to be. I gave 4 options of films which included; The Purge, Black Swan, The Strangers and Halloween and then asked to justify the reason for their choice. My data has concluded that Black Swan was the most popular with 60% choosing this and I believe that the reason for this is because the film features a narrative which is completely driven by a strong psychological theme evident throughout which helps to create extreme elements of suspense. This could also be because I mainly asked these questions to females which are more likely to enjoy a psychological narrative than males. I think that the reason that Halloween was the least popular choice with only 16% selecting this choice is because the narrative is revealed in the opening scene whereas Black Swan leaves audiences guessing until the very end and they are left wanting to watch until the concluding scenes in order to piece together the story. Within my opening sequence, I am aiming to include a psychological narrative uniquely in order to ensure that my audience are left on the edge of their seats throughout the entire sequence. Therefore, these results are very helpful as I have been made aware that a film with a psychological theme present came out as being the most popular due to the narrative being original and something that conventional thrillers such as Scream have never included before. This question also had a second part to it asking the potential audience to explain why they chose what they did, they mentioned that Black Swan was most popular due to having a strong psychological narrative which also plays on the audience as well as on the characters themselves and because it also included some well known actresses such as Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman which therefore makes the audience more relatable and enjoyable. I will therefore take this theme on board for my own sequence and ensure that I clearly display this so that it doesn't get too confusing to the audience.

When asking my possible target audience 'Where do you prefer the Thriller location to be?' I have come to the conclusion that an abandoned cabin was the most popular choice with a large number of 52% of people choosing this. However these results were of no surprise to me as an abandoned cabin is an isolated location and I am aware, due to my knowledge of conventions within the thriller genre, an isolated setting is ideal for a thriller to take place due to the killer being able to strike without getting caught as no one would have witnessed the murder and is therefore able to kill again which helps a narrative to unfold. It also helps to create a tense and scary atmosphere within a specific scene as they will be able to sense that something is not quite right and that something bad is going to happen but builds tension as the audience are left unsure of exactly when it may occur. When the scene reaches its climax, this helps to create the maximum amount of shock and surprise as the audience are left thrilled enabling them to watch on further to see what may happen next. While analysing these results, I know that my thriller sequence should include an abandoned cabin setting however I will be unable to do this as my local area lacks abandoned cabins therefore I have chosen to use a variety of settings including a forest and a house. A forest is an isolated setting and will be able to create the elements needed for my thriller to be successful as well as the house evoking a sense of realism and suggests that it could happen to anyone which builds tension. Although a house is the least popular answer with only 6% selecting this, it could also make the audience to watch and see if they like the particular location.


I also decided to ask a question looking for answers in response to whether or not they would want to see the killer's identity revealed with which they were given a simple yes or no option. Looking at this particular pie chart, you can clearly see that my results showed that a majority of 78% would want to see this happen.I believe that this is because the unveiling of a killer evokes a sense of tension as well as surprise as it could turn out to be someone who the audience would never have suspected of being the killer which also makes the thriller more enjoyable to watch in order to watch further to reach the point where the identity is shown. It also allows the audience to create a relationship with the killer as they are now able to see what they look like and how they achieved killing their victims with much success and know more about them than before. However the people who chose the option of no can be justified by the fact that some thrillers feature many sequels in which the enigma created is extended and the story line is spread across these sequels before the killer's identity is revealed. The audience also like the elements of mystery and suspense as they watch on further to see if they are ever given the opportunity to come face to face with the killer. I will incorporate the results of this question into my own work by only showing the hit man's face and not the actual antagonist until the very end which will keep my target audience on the edge of their seats throughout the entire sequence and keep them engaged. From this question, I have decided to have the antagonist left hidden until the very last moment as I want to deeply shock my target audience and feel inclined to watch the entire sequence in order to find out who it turns out to be. This would then also create an element of tension as the audience are now able to see what the antagonist is capable of doing and may feel uncomfortable and scared about what he may do next.

I also decided to ask 'Do you think the killer should be male or female?' within my questionnaire. The answers didn't surprise me as having a female killer is extremely unconventional to the thriller genre which is because only 10% of people chose this and also females are usually portrayed as being the victim as they are inferior and weak and are therefore less likely to fight back against the killer which makes them an easy target. They are also seen as being quite naive in the fact that they are usually left unaware of what is about to happen to them. Within my thriller sequence, I have chosen to use a male killer and a female victim in order for it to remain close to what the conventions are expected of in a thriller film to enable the audience to become gripped on my narrative as well as fully understanding the story line.

The answers for my final question in which I asked 'What type of theme do you like to see in a thriller?' were generally quite mixed as it is a question mainly based on an individual opinion and that there is no specific answer that they need to select. All of the themes which were given are all portrayed in many different ways in a selection of thriller films. Murder was the most popular answer within this question with 48% choosing this option and both kidnap and obsession were the least popular answers only gathering 16% of people. I believe that this is because these themes are very realistic and may have happened to particular people who would watch my thriller sequence and would therefore bring back bad memories of what may have happened to them. As it is an extremely realistic theme, this could cause the audience to possibly be too scared and less likely to watch until the end. I can use this set of data to aid me in creating my own thriller sequence as I now know that either a murder or chase scene should be evident in order to appeal to my specific audience. By including these themes, this will help to engage my audience and encourage them to watch the entire sequence in order to gather an overall idea of the narrative.

The second part of this research task was to create Vox Pops. Vox Pops are videos of the questionnaire created being carried out on some people to show that this research has been carried out fully. I filmed 3 Vox Pops in order to show that I haven't created my answers for the questionnaire from imagination. This type of research is extremely reliable as it captures specific people's initial responses to the questions being asked as well as constructing data that is qualitative that I am able to go back to and analyse whenever it is needed.

In conclusion, these results have really helped me when creating my own thriller sequence as I am able to understand what content my possible target audience would want to see in order to enjoy what they are watching. For example, I know that I need to include a murder as well as a chase scene which is what the audience wanted to see based on the results from some of my questions that were asked. This also helps me to determine whether or not my chosen narrative will highly appeal to the audience which seems to be that they will upon analysing the data that I have collected. If I were to carry out this particular research task again, I would ask more specific questions relating to sequels and the purpose. This would enable me in getting even more detail from my questionnaire as well as making sure that I made a sequel or had an initial purpose for the thriller sequence to be driven upon such as an enigma.