Rough Cut - Miss Miller

 YouTube link to our rough cut:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H88l1vLEXZ8

 A rough cut is something very important to have considered during the time of filming as it gave my group and I the opportunity to reflect on our work with the help of others in order to gain an honest opinion and constructive criticism so that whether the product be finished or not, we would have the opportunity to improve our opening sequence. If we didn't do a rough cut, it would mean that we wouldn't hear the opinion of others and would as a result of this, not get our final product to the best of it's ability creating a lack in the amount of marks we could potentially get.

Feedback is something that my group and I value very much as without it, we wouldn't be able to take on board ways to improve our work. Getting feedback allows us to identify both our strengths and weaknesses running through our opening sequence to a thriller film, therefore we knew what was working well within our opening sequence with what to keep in it, but we found out what elements wasn't working particularly well so we knew to change them.

In order for  my group and I to get some feedback from our peers, we produced a presentation showing reasons for why we included certain editing styles, camera angles, what characters we used and why, iconography etc so that our audience gets a better understanding of the opening sequence so they would be able to give the correct constructive criticism because they are aware of what the opening sequence is about and have a clear understanding and perspective of our opening sequence. Further to our presentation, we also included our narrative, how our narrative is conventional to a thriller, what themes we wanted to present to the audience and why we included certain elements. During this presentation, we also made sure to include our rough cut which has been exported to YouTube so that our audience would have the opportunity to watch the opening sequence as much as they felt necessary in order to give us clear instruction on how to improve our work. 

As part of our feedback we received from our peers/audience, we discovered all of our strengths and weaknesses. Our strengths included:

• The use of low key lighting as it showed something that was conventional to a thriller.
•  The variety of camera shots we used. This includes a lot close ups and POV to represent enigma and hidden identity. The close ups show the characters facial expression which helps towards allowing the audience to build a relationship with the characters.
• Different sound techniques used which helps create different atmospheres and can represent how characters were feeling, the different and unique use of sound also allows tension to build, leading to shock, surprise and suspense amongst the audience.

 These were also followed by some weaknesses such as:

•  Lack of consistency through themes and characters created a lot of confusion amongst our audience.
• Lack of conventional elements to a thriller, resembled traits of a comedy.
• Order of shots seemed out of place and messy.
• Rushed and unexplained ending.

My group and I were very pleased to see our audience responded well to our strengths and picked up on our hard work in these areas, and were still able to pay close attention to our weak parts of our opening sequence. My group and I found this to be very useful because as a result of this, we were able to re-film these parts. Due to our opening sequence feeling less successful than expected, my group and I agreed upon re-doing the whole opening sequence so that it could reach it's full potential. We made strong improvements by using the same characters the whole way through. We done this by making sure the characters we wanted would be available to film when we deemed as necessary so that there is consistency throughout. Another way in which my group and I turned our weaknesses into a success is when we changed the dialogue to be minimal, this left room for us to be able to develop the tension so our audience will be more shocked and surprise if something happens. Lastly, in order to get rid of all our weaknesses, we slowed the ending down slightly so the audience would be able to recognize what's going on and therefore get a better understanding of our ending, therefore it will no longer be confusing. Despite being able to restart our filming in order to gain a better grade being a positive thing, there is still a negative view on this. This is because we have re-filmed the whole opening sequence, which means the opportunity to present our idea to the class is no longer there, which means we were unable to get feedback and could only take ideas from our previous, rough cut so we have taken a risk. Yet, we have still kept everything the same with camera angles, sound etc, we've just adjusted the elements necessary. We have taken into consideration what our peers and audience thought and applied them into our opening sequence.

Completing a rough cut and getting feedback has helped my group and I with finalizing our opening sequence to our thriller. We have picked up on the potential reactions from the audience and how they may view our opening sequence, so we have been able to adjust certain small changed in order to get the best marks possible and achieve the best that we can.

Open Scene Naration - Miss Miller

The final narrative that my group and I decided upon using is about the celebration of an anniversary between a couple who become victims through an unknown killer. At the start there is a camera shot that shows the male character 'Dave' in his car, followed by a camera shot of his wife 'Stacey' at home preparing dinner and getting ready for her evening. There are different frames of my opening sequence that instigates the vulnerability of the characters and how they are or will be killed, however the identity of the killer remains unknown throughout creating a sense of enigma. We used a wide range of iconography to help emphasis the genre of this opening sequence (thriller) and many other things in order to engage our audience.

The first camera shot used is eye level from the left shoulder of the male character. My group and I had planned to use this as our first camera angle from our story board because we felt that having eye level made the audience feel equal to this character, there is no authority here and therefore this makes the character more approachable. My group and I felt this would be a good start to our opening sequence as it was the perfect setting for our opening credits to come in.

This frame that my group and I used is not what was originally planned and this is because we felt that we needed to introduce our other main character so that the audience became aware of who the characters are. Therefore the cinematography of mid-shot has been used. Mid shot has also been used to show the surroundings of this character, 'Stacey' whom appears to be washing up. This creates a stereotypical social norm of a female blonde victim doing the washing and therefore my group and I felt this would be strong to use as it shows the conventions that we have included within this opening sequence.

 The next frame that we decided upon using is mid shot but from the ground. This captures the unknown identity of a mysterious figure walking towards the house which confuses the audience into whether they should feel threatened or not. Having this after introducing the two main characters (victims) it is very misleading as it could be said that this individual is 'Dave' however due to the lack of any other clues given, the audience are completely unaware which helps towards creating a sense of shock, surprise and suspense.

We next decided that cinematography, P.O.V would be an excellent camera angle to use as it lures the audience into thinking how the killer is. This is also shown through editing where hand held camera is used. This alerts the audience that something bad is going to happen and shows that is a lack of stability and safety within this opening sequence.

After this, there was a use of another mid shot of 'Stacey' making a phone call because it makes the audience feel uneasy as to if the character feels secure or not. The reason or person she is calling remains unknown so therefore the audience begin to become fearful of this character because they have developed a relationship with her. However, shown below the audience are reassured to see she is only calling her husband, 'Dave'.

The location of the phone is unknown to the audience and due to an unknown person entering the house in the third frame it is unclear of the safety of Stacey. My group and I used this in order to create a sense of enigma and add to the tense atmosphere. However, as seen in the frame below you are able to see that it is the character of Dave answering the phone whilst in the car which indicates to the audience that there was an intruder entering the house where Stacey is. This creates shock, surprise and suspense amongst the audience as the use of soundtrack that has been used helps towards creating a sense of foreboding.

This camera shot has been used in order to capture the character of Dave and ultimately throw the audience as they have been lead into a false sense of security and are now aware of Stacey's potential danger.

In this next frame there is a dark figure which leads on from the conversation that Stacey and Dave have just had, and we decided to do this because it carries the theme of enigma in our opening sequence so the audience question who this dark figure is downstairs, especially because Stacey is last spotted in what the audience assume to be upstairs.

However, in this current frame that my group and I used which is low angle, it highlights Stacey's womanly figure and reassures the audience that she is safe and is okay. Low Angle has been used as it makes the character look powerful and strong which contradicts as we later find out because Stacey is the first victim. I felt this would be strong to use within this opening sequence as it goes with thriller conventions by tricking the audience into a false sense of security before something bad happens.

The next frame used is a close up of the mysterious person opening the door and entering the house where panning has been used. My group and I decided upon using panning as it allows the audience to follow the masked killers every move and to show the importance of this character and the significance that he holds.

Then we used high angle. I wanted to include this camera angle as it makes the character 'Stacey' appear to be vulnerable and weak which is the opposite of which is presented as two frames earlier. This gives the audience the idea that something bad is going to happen to this character because you can hear the on screen diagetic sound of the bath running so all other sounds are blocked out at this point, therefore indicating that Stacey is unaware of what's currently going on downstairs where the stranger has entered her house and this contributes towards making the atmosphere full of shock, surprise and suspense.

I then wanted to use a close up of two angles as I felt it represented the two victims in my opening sequence. These candles have a lot of significance to them despite their short appearance in this opening sequence. The candle on the left has been positioned so that focus goes mainly on that candle, this has been done to represent the character of Dave who is ultimately the first main character and the strongest out of the two, whilst the candle on the right seems to be on the edge more, out of focus which ultimately is preparing the audience for the events that are going to take place.

The use of iconography and cinematography within my opening sequence 'The Bloody Suit' makes the audience feel uneasy towards the situation as they are now aware that there is an intruder in the house which is the inspiration used from Halloween Town (1978) which makes the audience feel scared for Stacey so therefore I felt it would be excellent to use within my opening sequence.

Low key lighting has been used within this opening sequence in order to allow the possibilities for shadows to form and for the audience to be one edge. This creates a sense of shock, surprise and suspense as the audience are aware that there is something bad waiting to happen to this vulnerable character so my group and I felt this would show a clear indication of the vulnerability and weakness of this character.

In this frame I have used a close up of the iconography because it's emphasising the importance of this. It also shows how I was able to follow the conventions of a thriller in order to produce a successful final product. Mise en scene used where the positioning of this knife is, is on the stairs. This indicates where the intruder is set on going, and the audience are aware that Stacey has going upstairs so therefore they become more fearful for this character as they have developed a relationship with her through costume, hair and make up.

We then here an off screen sound of someone knocking on the bedroom door. The audience at this point are aware of the danger that this character is in and urge Stacey to escape whilst she can, however, this emphasises how naive Stacey is which reinforces the convention of a blonde female victim and continues to create tension.

In this frame,  panning has been used from where Stacey goes to open her bedroom door to where she attempts to run away and is the killed by this masked killer. My group and I felt this would engage the audience as they would feel sympathetic towards Stacey and upset that she has been killed.

As discussed earlier, the candles here are very useful within this opening sequence as in this frame the candle that represented the character of Stacey has gone out. This is a representation off Stacey's life and how she is now dead, whilst Dave is still alive which we felt would give the audience a sense of hope.

In this frame, we continued to film in the bathroom as we felt it showed how the bath had been neglected because Stacey has been killed, the bath has also been left running by the killer as it shows a sense of normality for Dave because that's what he's routine usually is. Therefore, Dave isn't aware his wife is dead yet and is therefore not fearful of what's happened or what is going to happen.

In the next frame, mid shot has been used. This has been used in order to capture Dave and his costume which makes the audience subconsciously warm towards him. Ultimately, the audience feel confident in this strong character despite them being fearful of the events that could take place.

The next frame used is a close up of the bathtub. This shows that there is still a sense of normality to the character of Dave and makes the audience feel slightly safer as there is also no sign of the killer at this point. However, the audience are prepared for Dave to discover his dead wife which ultimately continues to add tension to the atmosphere.



In this frame the audience will be able to see that there has been editing used of shot reverse shot. This makes the audience see that the character of Dave continues to appear to be strong and confident. The costume of a smart suit makes the audience feel this is an authoritative character and can therefore depend on him as the strongest one throughout the opening sequence.

In this next frame I have used hand held, P.O.V camera. My group and I agreed upon using this as we felt it showed a chaotic event going on and allowed the audience to feel uneasy because this dominant character is being watched about and instead of being strong like how Dave is first perceived, he is weak and vulnerable. Therefore I want to include this within my opening sequence as the P.O.V shot shows the audience that the killer is the most powerful and that the victim is weak. Also we wanted to include handheld camera as it shows an unbalanced show which can be said to be how the killers mind is so it is included within this opening sequence metaphorically.

The next frame used within this opening sequence is seeing Dave come up the stairs, and an oblique angle has been slightly used. I wanted to use this oblique angle as it shows the psychological issues of the killer and soon to be next victim whereby everything is going to be unbalanced.

At this point, Dave's fate is unknown to the audience however as Dave goes to approach the room in which he is going to find his wife dead and I thought that by adding in a P.O.V hand held camera it would show that there is someone watching Dave. This is because the masked killer is waiting for Dave to discover his dead wife before he then kills him, which follows the conventions of a thriller and makes the audience feel uptight and fearful of what could happen.

In this frame, my group and I relied on special effects in order to create a great impact on the audience. This is because within this frame there is a blur which can be said is a metaphor for how Dave views his findings. This means that the audience feel sympathetic towards Dave as it shows how he is feeling and makes them want to help him. The sudden non-diagetic sound emphasises how dramatic this part of this opening sequence is and engages the audience further as they want to know more about what's happened or what is going to happen to Dave.

In this frame, my group and I decided to black out the frame as we felt it would leave our opening sequence as a cliff hanger and therefore engage our audience further. The silence within this part also allows shock, suspense and surprise to take place and therefore we felt would follow the conventions of a thriller.

Individual Storyboard - Miss Miller

Storyboards are used to gather idea's and set 'guidelines' for a film, in order to maintain structure and correct order of how the film will be shot. By having a story board, it allows the producer of the film to be able to give clear instruction to other members of the production cast in order to create a successful film. Before creating my group story board that my group and I will work on, the use of my group and I's individual story boards allows us to consult one another about what we feel are our strong qualities and exchange ideas in order to create a successful group story board. Doing an individual storyboard created by myself allows me to explore the skills I have learned and apply them to my own ideas on how I believe my opening sequence with my group should go and what different types of editing will be used.

The first page (shown to the left) establishes the setting of the first scene.In this scene shown on the first shot, there is a man driving in his car on his way back from work. Showing a strong male character is already reassuring the audience that there is a sense of safety, however the car is alone and so is the man. This represents isolation whilst introducing the main character, therefore making the audience clearly aware of what's going on. I felt this would be a wise  idea as it sets the scene well and introduces the main character of the opening sequence well. I felt by doing panning, therefore showing every action of the car gave a thriller-like feel to it as it looks like the car is being watched, this in forces a sense of suspense which is crucial because it follows the conventions of a thriller. Despite the element of using a male as the main character, representing safety and strength, the loneliness of this character driving in a quiet road also contradicts the character as when someone is alone they're thought of as vulnerable.  

Continuing onto the next shot which is POV, it shows what the main character is able to see and once again reinforcing the surroundings of where the opening sequence is set, yet misleads the audience as they aren't aware at that point, that the 'crime scene' is in a different location. To help introduce another character, 'Stacey' whom is the wife, it shows an introduction to another important character, this shows the audience that the opening is imaginative and creative as it introduces not only new characters, but the possibility for new locations, therefore engaging the audience.

I feel the first four shots shows clear understanding on my behalf on where to position each character and how to establish clear pieces of important and relevant information to the audience. Including things like a long shot allows me to show the audience all the property within the room and the layout helps the audience to become familiar and actually helps to create a relationship with the audience.

 

 Looking at the second page of the shots I believe would be successful if used in our group story board, I believed the duration time for frame number 5 to be 8 seconds as it is a long enough time to show the audience about layout and allow them enough time to pay attention to detail subconsciously, therefore when something bad happens, they will already know the layout of the house and save confusion. Having iconography such as a knife within this shot contributes to the many conventions of a thriller that I have included, as well as low key lighting and the loneliness of this female victim showing vulnerability. This shot also allows us to see the important of the unlocked back door behind her, giving the audience a sense of foreboding.

By then including POV which was previously used in the shots before hand when 'Dave' is looking at the road whilst driving, makes the audience believe the character entering the house is him. This is misleading to the audience and would create a large element of shock, surprise and suspense because as the scene continues, the camera angle changes to birds eye view of Dave getting out of his car that's pulled onto the drive, and walking up towards the front door. By this point, I would have deeply engaged the audience to pay close attention to what's going on and this would heighten the tension amongst the audience.

 

Looking at the third and last sheet of paper which contains all of the elements I believe would be successful, I have included in the final shots conventions of a thriller film such as small dialogue, this is shown when my character 'Dave' comes home and says 'Honey, I'm home!'. Dave is greeted back with a silent response from his empty house and begins wondering around. I believed this would be powerful within my opening sequence as it shows the stereotypical idea of a husband arriving home to his wife but confuses Dave as well as the audience into a false sense of security, which I felt was a strong feature to include.

The last shot is a close up of the killer, the dark background with the killers mask highlighted makes the audience feel insecure and tense. Throughout the thriller there is no sign of what the killer looks like and once Dave arrives home, it is unclear as to whether or not the killer is still in the house. By having this close up of him, with a scary and scared mask with blood stains on them, it indicates the danger that goes with this character, and when the screen goes blank after seeing this killer, it engages the audience further to want to carry on watching this thriller. Another feature that adds to this is the fact that this killer is still masked, and in most thrillers there is a sense of enigma- it is an important convention to a thriller, therefore  by including this into my own idea I felt it would be powerful to help sustain the attention from the audience that's needed.

By having done and created my own story board, I was able to realize the importance of each element that go hand-in-hand with a successful thriller. I was able to get a clearer understanding of how to pursue my ideas and hope that they come out as good as I imagined. I feel I have included some strong elements and conventions that I believe to be helpful when creating my group story board, when we all converse with one another and gain ideas from each other that we would deem fit to put in our own opening sequence. It is important within a thriller to have shock, suspense and surprise and I feel that my story board contains all of these things that are shown above in my 12 frames.  However, if I were to redo this I would most definitely explore more techniques by adding more frames into it which would allow me to use a wider variety of conventions that include editing, camera shot, iconography, lighting, sound and editing. I do feel that when it comes to creating the group story board though, my ideas are creative enough to help contribute to a successful production.