Detailed Shot List

Close up of a girls feet on what seems to be of a train track, the audience assumes from this that the person is in a dangerous situation involving possibilities of themselves in a life trading position.

Camera then moves onto a long shot behind the girl showing her balancing on the edge of the rails as well as her laughing, this is used to give the audience a different impression that she's free instead of her being in danger. Followed by a medium shot of her playing with the leaves around her.

There is then a series of binocular/POV shots in which the audience is given the impression that somebody is watching the girl from above as well as implying dominance and power over her.

Camera then returns to the girl playing with with sticks and smiling to herself when a figure appears (not yet showing them) this is used to bring tension and mystery into the mix in the audience's prespective.

After the conversation the man takes the girl by the wrist which is shown using a close up shot to again show dominance the man has against the girl.

(New scene) There is then a jump cut where the camera follows behind the man taking the girl into a shed or warehouse.

Medium shot of the girl speaking to the man which then jumps to behind the man replying to her again not showing his face to continue the suspense in thinking who he is and what he looks like exactly.

A Medium shot is used to show the man shutting the door of the warehouse/shed in where the girl is being kept as well as a close up shot of him locking the door which tells the audience in a way that the girl is being kept against her will and the male character is seeming to be of an un average person.

The last scene or shot is taken back to the train track area where the girl has left a message made out of sticks hoping someone passing by might try and help her which shows that she is in a difficult and desperate situation.

Garage Band Software Consideration Music And Audio

Garage band is a recording studio exclusively made for Apples devices, it offers a range of different instruments allowing us to experiment with different sounds that match together as well as sounding suitable for particular parts of our opening film. We can also create and edit voice overs that are of some relevance to some parts of the opening such as the creepy laughter playing over our film productions titles. This is a very basic type of software making it easy to use as well as being faster due to being not complex however this also does mean that it is not highly professional and may affect our movie opening by not being convincing or likable to the audience's prospective. Garage band is also compatible with Final cut which is why we taken this software into consideration about using, we can transfer the project/document form Garage band and then import into Final cut to put with our opening film.

Software Being Used And Considered

Final cut is a professional video editing software available exclusively on Apple's Computers which we are going to use. Final Cut allows us to edit our videos that have been imported from our present video camera to the software from then on we can organise and put together our clips the way we want them to be shown. Additional features include video effects and audio effects which are highly relevant in making a high quality opening scene, we can also experiment with different styles and options best suited to the video as well as our audience that the application provides. However being more professional also means we have to spend more time editing the film so we must take this into consideration in planning out our time for doing this.

iMovie however is a very basic and limited filming editing software also exclusive for Apple's Computers which we are going to use. Video clips from our camera can be imported onto the applications as well. The interesting thing about iMovie is that after editing your video on the software we can then import that document into Final cut and then adding more towards it. We should then take into consideration using both of these softwares when going through editing our piece of filming work.

Motion is again a exclusive software for Apple's computers to produce professional effects for video clips making it perfect for our use. Motion has built in templates as well as being editable for us to alter to meet our needs, this makes it suitable for creating opening title credits for our film production or film titles. Motion is also compatible when transferring saved documents/projects to Final cut which is the main software we are going to edit and organize our opening film in.

Equipment Being Used In Our Opening

iMac - The apple computer has specially made software for the device such as iMovie and Final cut which is exclusive for it allowing our group to be able to edit and organise our selected and wanted clips from our school video camera to the computer making it look more professional and believable towards our audiences. We also have past experience when using Apple's computers which won't affect us instead if we had to take more time to understand the functions of it.

Panasonic HDC-SD9 - This video camera is compatible with the iMacs when transferring the video clips over as well as being able to edit them on the software that we have chosen to use which makes the product suitable for out purpose. The camera also has a battery life that can last up to an hour which is just right for the small amount of filming we have to produce due to us being away from a charger because we will be filming outside mainly it won't hopefully affect us when filming if it shuts down.

Tripod - The tripod we are going to be using is fully compatible with the video camera that we are also going to use. This allows us to produce steady camera shots when filming therefore making our opening film more professional looking. Its also is portable allowing us to easily transport it to one location to the another (Epping to Saffron Walden.)

Chosen Title

Following on from previous posts we have since come to a conclusion regarding our title for our thriller opening. The title we have chosen to use is  'Misplaced' we feel this is a suitable title for our opening as it fits in perfectly with what our opening is and what our storyline entails.

Other titles we considered were:

Missing
Lost
Absent
Forgotten

However, we felt that Misplaced was the most suitable for us to use and we hope it will create an effect that will keep the audience wanting more.

Music For Our Thriller

Within our thriller we plan to use at least two possible aspects of music, as we believe this will help our thriller opening become more effective which is exactly what we want but also help improve the authenticity and presentation of the opening.

So far we have chosen two possible pieces of music for our thriller opening from the website:

http://freeplaymusic.com/

These pieces are "1619 Broadway" (5:49) and "Floatate" (2:33) which I both found in Ambient Figures Vol 1 within the website.

Both pieces of music create a tense as well as sinister and unmoving effect which is perfect for what we are trying to accomplish within our opening. Both these pieces will work really well for us as they are exactly what we are looking for, sharp, tense, sinister, simple and effective. As a group we hope the music we are considering and are likely to choose will also help make our opening more authentic as well as exciting something else our audience expects from us.

Sound Research

There are numerous different types of sound which we have to consider to use during our thriller opening. Sounds within films are either Diagetic or Non-Diagetic. Sound from within the scene is Diagetic and sound that is added in is Non-Diagetic.

Direct Sound - This is live sound, which has a sense of freshness, spontaneity and authentic atmosphere however it may not be acoustically ideal. We need to take into account any unwanted direct sound that we get on our recordings and when filming we may have to pause and wait till the unwanted sound has gone for example the sound of birds when there is dialog although the more realistic the sounds around are the more realistic our opening will appear to be. This will be helpful when setting the surrounding scene for example although we need to be certain that there is continuity within the direct sounds.

Selective Sound - Is the removal of some sounds in order to make significant sounds more recognisable or dramatic.  This is helpful when creating an atmosphere and making it meaningful and emotional. It will be useful to consider how we could use this within our opening.

Sound Bridge - Adding to continuity through sound, by running sound (narration, dialogue or music) from one shot across a cut to another shot to make the action seem uninterrupted. We could use a sound bridge within our opening to add continuity, this would make it flow better.

Sound Effects - Is any sound from any source which is not dialogue, narration or music. Sound effects may add to the illusion of reality and help keep the situations as realistic as possible to the audience.

Music - Music helps establish a sense of the pace of the next scene. Music rhythm usually dictates the cut rhythm, it also helps to set the mood. Background music is music which accompanies a film and it is not normally meant to be to over powering or noticeable. Also the use of repetition can link shots and scenes. Through repetition it can also link shots, scenes and sequences. It's key that we choose the perfect music for our opening as it dictates a lot of the mood and pace throughout. 

Alternative Camera Shots

Establishing shot of the train tracks/forest (audience get a feel/connection to the location and also understanding more of the storyline.)

Camera then moves onto the character Rosie behind (not yet showing her appearance) and can be seen standing on an abandoned train track.

Medium shot of Rosie playing with the leaves around the tracks

POV or binocular view overlooking Rosie from above (gives the impression some ones watching Rosie presently as well as representing dominance over the character perhaps.)

Returns back to Rosie still medium shot and slowly zooms out from her then appearing a black hooded figure from over the right shoulder (hiding the figures face to bring tension to the audience into thinking who they are.)

The figure then gets closer to Rosie while she's speaking to him (camera follows him) and then a close up shot of him taking Rosie by the wrist (showing power/dominance again.)

(Next scene) Low shot looking high showing the black hooded figure taking Rosie from behind right into the abandoned warehouse/cellar.

In the cellar/warehouse over the shoulder shot in front of the figure still hidden while Rosie in the background is speaking to him and responds to her and then walks in front of the camera which fades into the next section.

Medium shot behind the black hooded figure shutting the door, close up on him locking the door (tells the audience that she's being kept there against her own will which brings fear for whats to happen to her later.)

New scene where the camera returns to the train tracks and zooms into a message that Rosie has left behind hoping someone will find and help her.

We have considered different camera shot techniques to see which seems the most suitable for our opening film as well as preparing us before filming it so we know and understand what camera shots we are going to use for it.

Alternative Fonts

Reason - The leaf like font relates to a part of the movie where the character Rosie has left a message nearby the abandoned train tracks so that somebody will hopefully find and help her. This is drawn by hand.

MISPLACED

Reason - The bold text stands out making it eye catching to people who what to see a film, it also implies a thriller type film having a serious feel from the text/font compared to different genre of films. This was made using Microsoft Word's font toolbar.

Fonts

Following on from Rubies posts I decided to choose some fonts and evaluate some myself as it will give me a better insight into what we can use in our production. I decided to choose my top three fonts.

Personally i believe this font would be very effective as it stands out, it's very bold and unique. I believe it will definitely grab the attention of the audience, i think it would be most effective in something like a city thriller as the bottom of the text appears to show pieces of potential city skylines. If we decided to film the start of our thriller opening in a city this would be very a very useful text to use for the opening credits as it fits in perfectly.

This text is very different to the first. However it is still an eye catcher nonetheless. This text is far more creative. It looks like some text from an old typewriter, this effect would be great if we decided to add an aspect of mystery to our production.

This particular text is my favourite. It stands out far more than the other two, the effect it creates is that of a creepy one and is much darker than the other two. The way in which it looks like blood dripping down a wall is very effective. This text would be perfect if we were to decided to add an aspect of evil, murder or even just death within our production as it would fit in perfectly and without a doubt grab the attention of the audience. 

All three of these fonts are very useful to have a think about as we could use anyone of them within our production as each one presents a different aspect of thrillers. 

Fonts

http://www.dafont.com/urban-jungle.font

This font would be very effective if it was used within a urban thriller film, set in somewhere like London with lots of buildings. I like the boldness of this font and how it is slightly distorted and if we were filming our production in the city I would definitely want to use this within the title credits as it would fit the criteria.

http://www.dafont.com/uncle-typewriter.font

I think this font would work well in a thriller films credits as it is in black and white the audience wouldn't know if it was in fact just ink splodges or it could even be blood. I like the effect this font creates.

http://www.dafont.com/shaun-of-the-dead.font

This font is extremely bold and eye catching. The thick black letters create an attention grabbing headline and the hand shapes make what would of previously been a boring font into something a lot more interesting.

http://www.dafont.com/pulse-sans.font

 This font would be excellent in a medical themed thriller or one to do with pulses.

http://www.dafont.com/nightmare-5.font

 I think this font belongs more in a horror than thriller but would work well in both.

http://www.dafont.com/moms-typewriter.font

 I like the idea of using a typewriter/newspaper font as it related to an idea I had about newspaper credits.

http://www.dafont.com/last-draft.font

 This is similar to a typewriters font but much more messy and therefore slightly more effective to use in a thriller.

http://www.dafont.com/indie-press.font

 This is quite a bold font, it looks like it is from a newspaper headline or something and that would make it effective within the credits, especially if it was used in the title. However I think it lacks character and is fairly boring.

http://www.dafont.com/face-your-fears.font

 Out of all the fonts, this is one of my favorites as I think it is very effective and I like how it is messy.

http://www.dafont.com/creepshow.font

 This font is very simple yet it works well. The typewriter effect mixed with an old feel produces a successful font outcome.

http://www.dafont.com/cold-night-for-alligators.font

This is one of the messiest and hardest to read fonts, it looks like splattered blood and running ink and instantly reminds me of murder or something along them lines. Again it would be effective in a thriller but I think it would be more likely to be used within a horror films opening credits.

http://www.dafont.com/charons-obol.font

The font page wouldn't let me put in custom words however I do like this style of font. The way it has been done to look slightly scribbled/drawn but neatly.

http://www.dafont.com/anonymous-clippings.font

 This is another one of my favorite fonts, I like it has it relates to the idea I had of cut out newspaper letters being sent to the girl so it would fit in well to the plot and looks very effective as well. It also relates to a sense of mystery instantly because usually cut out newspaper letters have been used within ransom notes etc so this font would therefore be related to mystery thrillers. I think it is very effective.

http://www.dafont.com/1942-report.font

This font is small, simple and slightly distorted. This makes it successful however I can't personally see it working within a credit sequence however I do like it as a font.

Conventions Associated And Within Thrillers

There are a variety of thriller conventions that we could use within our opening and the two that i believe we should use the most in order to get the best out of our thriller are:


A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions - Thrillers usually use this, to keep the audience guessing as to what is going on and for them to try and work out whats happening. This potential convention could be used within our thriller in the form of the mysterious letters. The audience will never actually see what the letter has written inside it within our opening, this is sure to keep them questioning what the content is, why the girl is being sent them, who by and why the reaction of her reading it is so extreme. They will only see glimpses of who it is, and will know very little about the appearance of the man as his face is never shown.

Crime at the core of the narrative - Thrillers are usually renowned for the inclusion of a murder. The viewers wait eagerly as they await the motive and story behind it all.  They are usually the core of a crime within a story and this keeps audience involved and interested as they are drawn into the film so they can find out all details about what has happened. In our opening, there is a murder, it's murder but at the very start of our opening we begin with a newspaper title which states 'missing' with no clear paths or details as to what has  happened. As the crime is at the centre of our story-line, we dont want to give away what actually happened until right at the end,  in our opening it is clear that a murder has taken place having said this the audience doesn't know who has committed, why, when or how? And so they will want to continue watching to find out.

Conventions Within Thrillers

There are many conventions within the thriller genre and four of them especially I want to use in our thriller opening.

The first convention is having a complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions. Thrillers tend to use this, mainly to keep the audience questioning what is going on and also to make the viewers try and work out what is happening. This convention can be seen in our thriller through the use of the mysterious letter. The audience never fully see what the letter says in the opening, this will leave them wondering and guessing what the content actually is as at many points the letter is unraveled and they are able to see the reactions of the people that have read it and also even the possible outcome of the letter. They do get to see how they girl got the letter in a flashback but again they never get to see the actual person who gave it to her, they only get to see glimpses of who it was, and know little about the appearance of the man as he never shows his face and wears all dark clothing.

Another convention that will be in our thriller is a crime at the core of the narrative, in most thrillers there is often a murder. The viewers stay hooked as there is usually a crime in the core of the story line and this keeps their attention drawn to the film so they know what has happened and the details about it. In our thriller, there is a crime, it's murder but at the very beginning of our opening we start of with a newspaper page of a girl which says 'missing' on it and a setting with no clear paths as to what happened, the audience may think the dog walker could be the culprit. As the crime is at the core, it isn't usually given away easily and usually investigated into, in our opening it is clear that a murder has happened from the arm of the girl found on the tracks however the audience doesn't know who has done it and why they did it so they will carrying on watching to find out.

Themes of voyeurism is another convention which is apparent in our thriller. This convention is well known within many of Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers. It is usually about someone who tends to be oblivious to the fact that they are being spied upon. This is because voyeurism can be defined as, 'To gain pleasure from looking, unbeknown to the subject'. This relates well to the girl who is the victim in our opening is being stalked and doesn't know who the person stalking her is or why they are following her or where they spy on her from.

The last convention which I feel is an important factor within our thriller is mise en scene which echoes/mirrors the protagonist's plight. In any film the mise en scene is very important and thrillers are no exception to this as the mise en scene needs to be relevant to the protagonist and their feelings/emotions. For example if the character is feeling sad they should be put in a sad place with dark lighting where as if they were happy they should be in a happy place with soft, bright lighting and happy surroundings. This convention is important in our thriller opening as there are essentially two main settings including the flash back, one full of gloom and the other a happy, safe place. These are the train tracks where the girl character was probably at her lowest mood, and the setting and lighting would recognise this as the scene would be very dark and sad. The other is her room in which she is happily talking away on the internet to her friends with no idea what is about to happen, the room is open, bright and full of colour and happiness. These two settings contrast each other mirroring the contrasts in mood the protagonist has.

Lighting

For us to be able to create the atmosphere and the effect we want within our opening it is very important we use the lighting within effectively. The use of lighting will help us also to give the audience a really sense of atmosphere by helping to build up tension and also helping to set the mood and tone of the clip. The majority of our opening will be shot outside, however a small portion will be shot inside. In theory we want the footage we take outside to be dark and the footage we capture inside to be a lot brighter and the reasoning for this is the two scenes will have very different meanings and we want to represent that via our use of lighting. Here are some examples of how we might use lighting within our opening:

Naturalistic lighting will be important to use when filming our outside footage as it will help to bring a more realistic atmosphere to our opening in which our audience can relate to. Not only this but it will be will be important for us to use as it shows a clear image of whats happening with no shadows or darkness which may effect what is seen by the audience depending on the light source. 

Hard lighting will be useful in our opening as it distorts what the audience is able to see as it doesn't clearly show exactly what is taking place, this will help to create a dark atmosphere which is something we are eager to execute within our opening. 

Soft lighting may also be effective within our opening as it will help to emphasise the character's facial expressions, which will be important to capture the true emotion being displayed. Not only all this but we also need to consider the brightness, quality of light, focus and colour of the footage we capture. We currently have no plans to film  during the night or after dark, this means we needn't worry about the use of external light sources. 

Lighting

In order to create the right atmosphere and effects in our opening scene it is key that we need to use lighting effectively. The use of lighting will also help build up tension and even a sense of mystery. The majority of our opening scene will be filmed outside and the rest will be inside, however we want the outside scene to be dark and the inside scene to be incredibly bright and open as the two situations occur at very different moments in time and have very different meanings and events. We do need to be careful when filming outside in the natural lighting as it is very important we film at the right time of day in order to make the most out of the scenery but we still need to make the scene feel quite dark and as if something bad has happened. Soft lighting is one of the most natural looking lighting and will be important for us to use as it shows a clear shot of the scene with no harsh shadows or darkness effecting what is shown depending on the light source. The use of hard lighting will be effective throughout our clip, it distorts what the viewers can see as it doesn't clearly show exactly what is occurring, this will easily create a mysterious atmosphere which is exactly the type of shot we want to create during the train track scenes. Low key lighting may also be an effective style to use, we also need to consider a lot about the brightness of the clips, as well as the quality of light, focus, depth of field, perspective and colour. We haven't planned to film any of our clips during the night time, so we don't need to use any light sources that aren't natural when outside and inside if we decide to film the indoor scene at night time, there will be plenty light sources around we just need to be careful of the angle they are come from and the shadows they form.

Location

One of the most important factors relating to our thriller opening has to be the location. One of the main locations for our opening is the deserted train tracks as seen in the picture below. Other locations include the girls front door and room in which the computer is situated. As a group we had made not of some potential locations for our opening in which we decided that the deserted train tracks would be a great asset for us and a key setting within our thriller opening as it is deserted and the tracks are broken which we're hoping will add something different to our opening.

As you can see when the photo was taken the tracks were covered in snow, when we come to film our thriller we will not be recording in the snow. We hope to have some newer photo's of the tracks up in the very near future. 

The girls house will also be an important setting within our opening will it help to describe her as a person through size, decoration and appearance of the house including that of the decor shown inside. However we only plan to film small parts of our opening within the house itself this consists of; her on the computer typing and the front door where nonetheless these will still be important to us when it comes to our opening and the story within in. 

Location

Locations in thrillers are potentially one of the most important factors in a role along side the plot. The key locations that are in our thriller opening are the deserted train tracks and the girls house mainly the front door and the room with the computer.

As a group we had brainstormed a few different possibilities for locations however we wanted to use the deserted train tracks as a key setting within our thriller opening because the fact that it is deserted and the tracks are broken and it is a remote setting which would add some mystery to our thriller.
Here are some photos of the train tracks, (They were taken when it was snowing, so when I next get a chance I will head down there with my camera and take some more recent and clearer ones.)

The girls house will also be an important setting as it helps describe her characteristics through size, decoration, appearance of the house and everything shown inside. Will only be filming small parts of it, her on the computer and the door/hallway where she opens the door and the front door where the letter is left but these will be important when giving the audience more information about the girl. 

Props

Props will be very useful to us within our thriller opening as they can present different aspects of the characters personalities and can be used to signify certain elements within our opening not only this but they could also be key parts within our story line and have an impact on what happens not only during our clip but throughout the rest of the film. The main props we would consider using consist of a ring, black gloves and newspapers as well as a mobile phone and creepy letter. Each prop has its own part to play within our clip.

The ring is an essential prop throughout our opening as it links to flashbacks within our story-line and makes the audience aware that its the same character in this case that of a young girl, so they are able to follow the story-line comfortably and are aware of what is going on. Not only this but it will give the audience the impression that the character might be quite fond of her ring and is attached to it as she is always seen wearing it.

The newspaper is an essential prop as it introduces our credits i.e "Sirius Productions/Films" not only this but it is the key to introducing our opening and the whole story-line of the our clip.

The black gloves are also a very important prop within our opening as they introduce the audience to our "stalker" character not only this but it also gives the audience the impression that he is quite a dark and mysterious character.

Props

Props will be useful to use in our thriller clip as they can present different aspects of some of the characters personalities and also could be key parts to the story line and effect what happens throughout the film. The main ones we would use are the ring on the girls finger, the mysterious letter, black gloves and a mobile phone. Every prop has a meaning whether it be obvious or hidden.

The ring is a key prop as it relates the flashback clips together and lets the audience know it's the same girl.

The mysterious letter is probably the main prop throughout our thriller opening as it's the main focus of it. It is also the reason behind a lot of the actions and is also the result of lots of actions too. It will be a significant factor throughout and even relates to the titles and credits.

The black gloves could also be considered as an important prop as well as an important costume.

Costumes

During our opening we plan to use a total of three different and unique characters, these include a young girl, and man who is seen walking his dog and another man who is a creative stalker. The costumes we intend to use within our opening will each play a unique and important role when portraying the characteristics of each individual.


The clothing that will be worn by the stalker will be that of all black consisting of a black coat, trousers, gloves and shoes. Someone who is seen wearing all black could be seen as mysterious and and possibly dangerous. Not only this but they can also be related to criminals and that is what the character is.

The second character is a a dog walker who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. His clothing isn't as significant as the other characters however what he is wearing is still relevant so he must be dressed in the type of clothes which you would usually associate with that of a dog walker.











Our final character is a teenage girl, she is to be dressed as an average teenager in order to represent the fact she is just a normal girl living an average teenage girls life, however while doing this she needs to have her own personality and style.