Prelim Task

So this week we've been planning our prelim task, and we got into groups. I'm working with Tom Donley and James Montgomery on this one, two guys i know, so i don't think teamwork's gonna be an issue here. We hope to get out and film next week, on the 4th October, 2011, it's a Tuesday, we should have around three hours to get the filming done then come back, download it and hopefully make a start on editing it on the Macs.

I can't tell you much about what we're planning until we've finished and uploaded it for everyone to see, but i can say that what we're planning it pretty intense considering it's just the prelim task, so were gonna have to cap it for our main task, which i reckon we should be able to do with what we've got in mind for our main task.

Anyway, i can tell you we're going for the usual drug-deal-gone-wrong, we're filming it in this abandoned warehouse i know about. Our storyboard looks tidy and we've got it all pretty well planned out, so we just need to get out and get some filming done.

Psycho, the shower scene

The shower scene, of the thriller film Psycho.

The scene starts with Marion Crane, one of the films main characters, doing some calculations on a piece of paper, probably to do with the money she steals at the start of the film. The camera angle is a mid-shot throughout most of the part, with panning to keep her in the scene without breaking the shot as she walks to the bathroom.

In the bathroom she disposes of the paper to hide the evidence and goes for a shower, its a low-angle shot keeping the attention on her feet as she gets into the shower.

In the shower, almost all the shots are close-ups, this emphasizes the feeling of intimacy with the audience and pulls them into the situation the victim is in, as well as concentrating on what the victim is seeing with numerous POV shots of the shower head.

After this, the angle switches to mid-shot of the shower, you see Marion in front of the shower curtain, but behind that the camera pans to show the door opening and a figure entering the room, Marion unaware. It switches to a close-up of this new character, the murderer who we deduced to be a woman because of the finger nails and hair, swiping the shower curtain aside brandishing a knife posed to strike, then a close up of the knife being plunged forward towards the victim.

A reaction shot of Marion screaming is shown, this is a close-up, to concentrate attention directly on he screaming, then a shot of the knife plunging through the stream of water at the victim, this is a POV from the victim to show the audience what Marion is seeing.

There's a brief struggle, Marion trying to fight off the attacker to no avail. This is an interesting shot, because of the angle we can see the attackers face but the shower rail is positioned so it blocks out her eyes. Shots are quick here, about 30-40 in this scene, this empathises the speed and intensity of the scene.

There are then clips of a rolling storm, sounds of thunder and rain. This builds an atmosphere of anger and violence, but the storm could also represent a cleaning as the murderer kills Marion, a thief, this doubles up with her killing Marion in the shower, a clean and pure place.

As Marion dies, she reaches out and grabs the shower curtain as the attacker disappears, this represents her struggling to hold onto life as she dies. The hooks holding the shower curtain break and she falls out of the shower and collapses on the floor, her blood draining away down the plug hole.

After this, there's an unusual shot of her blood mixing with the water and draining down the plug hole, this then fades into a shot of her dilated iris, rotating outwards to show her face as she lies on the bathroom floor, mimicking the water flowing down the plug hole, as her life fades away.

The British Board Of Film Classification

The BBFC is an independent, self-financing non-profit media content regulator. The give every film, TV programme and advertisement a rating to state who it is suitable for.

U - Universal
A "U" rated film should be suitable for all audiences of four years and over. 

PG - Parental Guidance
Unaccompanied children of any age may watch.

12/12A - Suitable for 12 years and over
12 and 12A are based on the same criteria, and the material only suitable for people aged 12 and up. 12A is only used in the cinema, where no-one under 12 can see a 12A film unless accompanied by an adult.

15 - Suitable only for 15 years and over
These tend to have stronger themes, for example discrimination, drugs, horror, imitable behaviour, nudity and violence.

18- Suitable only for adults
These are based on the decision that adults are free to choose their own entertainment.

R18 - "To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed shops, and to adults of not less than 18 years"

The ones your mother warned you about.

So there you  go, age ratings and stuff. Were probably going to go for 15 in our production.

Camera techniques

These are some of the important techniques for when it comes to filming our thriller.

Framing: This is the distance from and the angle to the subject.

Movement: Movement of the camera in relation to the subject, e.g. panning and zooming.

Composition: Where the subject(s) appear within the shot.

Rule of thirds: After dividing the shot into nine, points of interest should be located at the green dots.



Golden mean: In this, points of interest are balanced along a diagonal line.

Distance:

There are many different basic framing techniques we can use to create meaning in our production and that can be used to build an atmosphere or set a scene.

- Establishing long shot (ELS)

- Long-shot (LS)

- Mid-shot (MS)

- Close-up (CU)

- Extreme close-up (ECU)

180° degree rule: The camera cannot cross an imaginary line, the camera stays on one side, what is being filmed on the other. This keeps the audience familiar with the location.

Editing

Hello.
So as you know, editing plays an important part in the production of any film, its taking the raw footage and making it into the film that the audience will see.

What is editing?
Putting the clips together in a way that makes sense to the audience.
Joining the clips together.
Adding special effects and transitions.
Adding sound and credits.

Transitions:
These are ways of joining two clips together. The most common transition is a straight cut, going straight from one clip to the next. However there are many more advanced transition, for example:
- Dissolve: A gradual transition from one clip to another, they fade together. It could be used to indicate the passing of time.
- Fade: Usually fades to black or white to indicate time passing or flashbacks, dreams, etc.
- Wipe: A ine moves across the screen with the original clip on one side, the new one moving across it. Could be used to represent the passing of time or a change in lcoation.
- Jump-cut: An abrupt cut between clips for a dramatic effect.

Diegetic sound: Sounds that would be heard inside the film, like dialogue, ambient sounds and so on.
Non-diegetic sound: Sound added to the film during the editing process, like music and sound effects.

Media keywords

Media keywords

So these are some keywords for us and our thriller production.
Thriller: A thriller is a text or performance in which crime, espionage or mystery is depicted, usually in an atmosphere or excitement or suspense.
Mise-en-scene: What is on the screen, like characters, props, etc.
Conventions: Conventions or the expected way of doing something.
Juxtaposition: Placing two things next to each other, usually opposites, e.g. light and dark.
Connotations: Secondary meanings of something, e.g. darkness = evil.

Major genre: The main genre, e.g. comedy, action, etc.
Sub-genre: A secondary genre in the main genre.
Signifier: Hints at something, e.g. Red = blood/danger.
Hybrid genre: A mix of two genres, e.g. Zombie comedy = Zomcom.

The Thriller Genre

The Thriller genre is films, literature and television that uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main conventions.
Thriller has a wide array of subgenres, from Action to Political Thriller, but the most succesful tend to be Psychological and Crime Thrillers.