Concept Sheet

Plot:

Logan is seeking revenge over a past partner, Jessie, and he follows her around in daily life. It all ends up in a churchyard, where Jessie is mourning a lost relative and is then abducted by Logan and his friend.

Sequence of Events:

• Jessie in car putting on gloves.
• Jessie walking into the graveyard.
• Lays flowers on the grave of her deceased relative.
• Phone rings, the call is from an unknown number, Logan is hiding in the background calling from his phone.
• Flashback 1 – Jessie is sitting in a park and declines the unknown phone call, Logan is in the background.
• Flashback 2 – Jessie is on a staircase and declines the unknown phone call again; Logan is in the background but even closer than before.
• Flashback 3 – Jessie is in a lift and declines another unknown call, Logan is in the background again.
• Back in the church yard, Jessie answers her phone, while walking back to her car, there is no answer.
• Logan is sitting inside the car and Damion is following behind Jessie.
• Logan rolls down the window.
• She turns around to run but runs straight into Damion and they struggle.
• The screen blacks out.
• Car drives away land the graveyard is empty.

Characters:

Jessie: She is 18 years old and has just lost a relative. She lives with her partner and because of this she is wealthy and this can be seen from the way she dresses and the car she drives. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. Her name originates from Hebrew and means woman of wealth.

Logan: He is 25 years old and was in a relationship with Jessie 2 years ago. He is now seeking revenge because Jessie has fallen in love with another man. Logan has brown hair and is 5ft10”. You can see that he doesn’t care about his appearance as his hair is messy and clothes are creased. Also, he recently lost his job and this has sent him spiraling downwards even further. His name comes from the Gaelic language and means hollow.

Damion: He is also 25 years old and is helping Logan seek revenge on Jessie. He has seen his friend deteriorate and wants to help him get his life back on track. He wears mostly black clothes and is quite smart. His name means devil in Spanish.

Locations:

Swainsthorpe Churchyard: The surrounding areas of the church connote mystery, darkness and suspense because of the sense of death and loneliness. In ‘The Third Man’ there is a church yard used and the people are watching each other.

Chapelfield Gardens:  The park is in a city location but there is still a feeling of isolation. It should be a safe place where children can play but in fact anyone can go in to a park. In ‘Tell No One’ the park is used as the location for an abduction.

Lift: In a lift it is confined and dirty, which makes people feel claustrophobic because if the lift breaks or gets stuck there is no way out. The film ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ uses a lift in one scene and the man in the lift is being followed by a gang.

Staircase: On a set of stairs there is a risk of falling or being pushed and this connotes tension and fear if the audience can see someone being followed on a set of stairs. In ‘The Third Man’ the use of a staircase gives a sense of social position because the Austrian man is looking down on Holly.

Lighting:

The main scene, in the graveyard, is shot at dusk when the sun is starting to set; this is because it gives more atmosphere to the scene and a sense of mystery and the unknown; some things appear different to what they actually are.  The use of chiaroscuro lighting is generic to a thriller and connotes suspense, much like the lighting of the chase scene in ‘The Third Man’. In the flashback scenes the lighting is just daylight. This gives a sense of normality even though Jessie is still being followed by Logan. At the end of the opening, the car headlights driving down a dark wet road gives a sense of foreboding. They are a generic signifier much like when the police car drives down a wet street in the film ‘Witness’.

Sound:

Throughout the opening scene, there will be no dialogue apart from Jessie answering her phone. The use of a soundtrack will build tension and create suspense. The soundtrack is non-diagetic as it is added after the shoot. Other sounds in the opening are a mobile phone ringing and a car engine. They are diagetic sounds as they are in the scene rather than being added after filming. The phone ringing will be very similar to that in ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ as it will join the scenes together.

Objects and Props:

The main object we will use is important in the opening sequence because it links all of the scenes together. Jessie’s mobile phone is used in all of the scenes including the flashbacks. The gloves Jessie puts on before she gets out of the car are another important object. The shot of Jessie putting on a pair of gloves will be similar to a scene from ‘Jackie Brown’ where Ordell puts on a pair of black leather gloves before he drives the car away.

The flowers Jessie will lay on the grave are red roses, this connotes passion and love but it also signifies the oncoming danger which reflects the relationship she had with Logan.

Finally, the car Jessie will drive is a Volvo XC90 it shows the wealth she now has and the kind of person she is.

Costumes:

Jessie will be dressed in black trousers, a shirt, a winter coat, and high heels; she will also wear some natural make up and red nail varnish. He outfit will consist of a pair of gloves too. In the flashback scenes she will be wearing different outfits that give some clues as to what sort of person she is, so in the park scene she will be wearing denim skinny jeans, a colourful t-shirt, trainers and a coat, this tells the audience that she is laid back side as well as a business woman. In the lift she will be wearing a skirt with high heels and a shirt, to revel her more feminine side and finally in the scene on the stairs she will be wearing some black skinny jeans, a sparkly top and some ballet pumps. The variations of her outfits will show that Logan follows her everywhere.

Logan will be dresses scruffily and untidily, this will show that he doesn’t care about himself or his appearance. He will wear dirty jeans, a dark colour polo shirt, a hoodie and a pair of boots. In the flashback scenes he will be wearing the same clothes.

Damion will be dressed smartly; all in black; this shows that he has control over his life unlike Logan but the colour of his clothes gives a sense of nothingness and mystery.


Shooting Schedule
Saturday 8th January - 1.00 - 4.30 - Churchyard scenes.
Tuesday 11th January - 1.20 - 3.30 - Park flashbacks
Tuesday 25th January - 8.00 - 11.00 - Lift and Stair flashbacks

Analysis of 'The Third Man'

The ending of the thriller film The Third Man is very generic. The shot types, lighting, sounds and locations all make the audience feel as if they are on edge and are not sure of what will happen next.

The sequence starts with pan shots; these establish the scene and show where the character is. Then the tilt shot connotes his broken world, nothing is normal, this could also reflect than the city of off balance because of the devastation left behind by the war. The next shot is one of Hollie sitting in a café, through a window, he is waiting for Harry and the lighting is reflecting in through the window from the street lights. The connotation of him inside the cafe but the camera outside the cafe could show how he might be shut off from the world. The next collection of shots shows different types of people around the area watching and waiting for Harry to appear. They are different shot types depending on where the character is situated. For example, there is a shot of a man looking out of window from a three story building and the shot used is a high angle one, this shows his position over everyone else watching. Maybe in life he is further up the social ladder. ­­­

The use of shadows adds to the tension as people may appear as something they are not. There is also a comical aspect of when the man appears holding the bunch of balloons as the audience cannot tell who or what he is until he appears from behind the wall. His shadow is distorted and disfigured. The shadows are created using large artificial lights.

Throughout the film, the music that was played at the start has been repeated and it is again repeated at the end of the film. This creates continuity and is something that the audience recognises even though it is slightly different each time you hear it, depending on what situation is being showed in the scene.

The use of another pan yet again establishes the scene to show the audience the city of Vienna, where the film is set. Because the film is set just after the end of the war, it’s broken and the buildings are piles of rubble. It looks like a building site; it looks even more dramatic as most of the outside scenes are shot in the evening or on a dark day.

Eventually Harry appears and a chase around the city ensues. This gives the audience a better view of the city even if it as at a fast pace because Harry is running away from the police. He ends up in the sewers as he thinks he can hide from them underground.

The sewers are a generic location for a scene in a thriller film as they are a confined space which creates a sense of claustrophobia.   

The Third Man - Chase and Sewer Scene

Assesment Sheet

Thriller Audience Research

Proposal

This is my proposal for my research to find out what my target market (16-20 year olds) expects when they watch a film in the thriller genre.

What I Want to Find Out

1. The audiences’ expectations of an independent and mainstream thriller film.

2. Their definition of what a thriller film is.

3. Their viewing habits.

4. Types of music they think are effective in thrillers.

5. What they expect from a thriller film once they have seen a poster or flyer advertising the film

How I’m Going to find This Out

1. Screening of an independent and a mainstream thriller film trailer and ask questions afterwards.

2. Ask them to write down a few lines of what their definition of a thriller film is

3. Ask a survey.

4. Sound screening and then ask a poll at the end.

5. Show them a flyer or poster and note down their reactions; what they like and what they don’t like, etc.

What I Expect to Find Out

1. If they prefer independent or mainstream films.

2. Their definition of the thriller genre.

3. How, where, when, and who they are with when they watch thriller films.

4. Music that adds suspense is more effective than others.

5. How they react to advertising of a film and if the advert makes them want to see a film or not.

*****

Screening Questionnaire

Watch this trailer then fill in the questions below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlF-hk3IJQE

1. Will there be CGI used in parts of the film?

2. Do you expect to see A-List actors in the film at any point?

3. Do you recognize any of the music from the trailer?

4. Would you go a see this film in the cinema?

5. Would you buy this film on DVD or video?

Definition of a Thriller Question

Answer the question below:

What is your definition of a thriller film?

Viewing Habits Survey

Answer the questions below:

1. Name 3 thriller films you have seen.

2. Where did you watch these thriller films?

3. When did you watch these thriller films?

4. Who did you watch these thriller films with?

5. Why did you watch these thriller films?

6. Name 3 things you expect from a thriller film?

Sound Poll

Listen to the music and sounds on this clip of a film and then answer the following questions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvnjHevRceQ

1. How does this music and sounds on this clip make you feel?

2. What do you think will happen next?

3. Is this the kind of music or sounds you expect in a thriller?

4. Do the music or sounds remind you of anything?

Poster/Flyer Question

Look at the poster/flyer and then answer the question:

After seeing the poster/flyer for the film how does it make you feel, would you go and see it in the cinema, would you buy it on DVD?

*****

This is the data I have collected from the questionnaires, surveys and polls that I have asked my target market.

Screening Questionnaire

Definition of a Thriller Question

Viewing Habits Survey

Sound Poll

Poster/Flyer Question

My target for this survey was to find out whether my target audience prefer mainstream or independent films and also what they believe makes up a thriller film, whether mainstream or independent. The clip I asked them to watch was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the questions were to find out if my target market can judge what is going to happen later on in the film. The results have shown me that my target market know that this isn’t a mainstream film as they don’t expect to see CGI or A list actors throughout the film. Although they do know about the film as one person knew one of the main actors and another person knew where the film originated from. No one knew the music used in the trailer either which shows again that it is an independent film. 3 out of 5 of my target market would go and see this film in the cinema which tells me that they like the aspect of uncertainty which is woven into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Finally, most of my target market wouldn’t actually buy this film on DVD even if they had seen it in the cinema. This could possibly tell us that my target market prefer to see films in the cinema rather than on DVD and it wouldn’t be a wise idea for our thriller to go straight onto DVD as the market our thriller is aimed at wouldn’t actually buy it.

This question was to establish what my target market expects will be in a thriller film and we asked it so we would know what to include our thriller. The main thing that my target market expects from a thriller film in general is tension and suspense. This is something we will, have to include in our thriller film opening sequence otherwise our target market won’t want to watch our film. Another aspect that they believe makes up thriller films is questions that are answered towards the end of the film or not answered at all which leaves the audience thinking about the film wondering what the answer to that question might have been or what it could have meant for the rest of the film.

The viewing habits of our target market are very important as if we distribute of show our film in a way that doesn’t appeal to our target market they won’t watch the film. Most of the thriller films our target market have seen they have watched at home, like Rear Window and Memento, as these are classic thrillers that aren’t showing at cinemas so they have had to have been watched at home on DVD or video. There are some films that our target market has watched that have been at the cinema as these have been modern; they are films such as Se7en and Inception. How and when our target market watch our thriller films are a great influence as to how our film would be distributed and released. If our target market only watched thriller films at home on DVD then it might make sense for our film to have a straight to DVD release but if our target market prefers to go to the cinema then it would make sense to release our film in cinemas. The reasons our target market gave for watching these thriller films ranged from simply liking the genre to interesting plots to recommendations from friends. So our thriller film is going to have to have used the forms and conventions of thriller films, have an interesting plot and be a film that people will talk about after they have seen the trailer or been to see the film. The main things they expect from a thriller film is the most important part of this survey as it tells us directly what our target market want in our thriller film.  The thing that was mentioned the most was unexpected twists/ surprises as this will create the suspense as the audience won’t know what is happening if something is unexpected.

With this question, I want to find out what sort of music our target market would find most effective and would appeal to them the most. The clip I asked them to listen to was music that was played during the chase scene in The Third Man. Our target market felt relaxed and concentrated while they were listening to the opening music and sounds of this clip but they commented on the fact that it sounds too light hearted and jolly to be associated with a thriller film. Although later on in the clip they said it made them feel uneasy and depressed and it created suspense. The music and sounds used in a thriller are often a clue to what might happen next and our target market all made guesses along the same lines that the man being chased gets shot, which is true. They made comments about the music and sounds on the clip, such as the music isn’t something they would associate with thrillers because of the lightness of it even though it creates tension and suspense and that they expect bolder sounds that are more dramatic and loud. The things the music and sounds remind them of are comedies or foreign television programmes. This might be because of the jolliness of it but I agree it does have a foreign sound to it and this is most likely because it was filmed in Austria and they would have used native instruments so that it all fitted together.

For the final part of my audience research I asked our target market to look at a recent thriller film poster and tell me what they feel when they see the poster, would they see the film, would they buy the film, etc. As it was a recent film people had actually been to see the film in the cinema. They felt curious and wanted to see more when they looked at the poster as it doesn’t give much information about the film which was a large part of making them want to go and see it. It also reminded them of The Day After Tomorrow which they had seen previously seen so would make them want to watch it. Although, one person who I survey didn’t think that they poster reflected the content of the film even though it hints at the darkness and fantasy elements.  Most of my target market would buy it on DVD either because they had seen it in the cinema and liked it or hadn’t had a chance to see it in the cinema but still wanted to see it, but they wouldn’t buy it just based on what they poster looks like. For our thriller, this means we will have to have an interesting film poster which will intrigue our audience but still leave some mystery for when they go and watch the film in the cinema or on DVD.

How to Shoot Conversations

            There are some important rules to remember when shooting a conversation between two people.

            Normally, a conversation would star with a two shot, this shows the two people and the location they are sitting in, it is like an establishing shot.

            Next, they director might cut to an over the shoulder shot, this show the person the character is talking to from their point of view. It places the audience and makes them feel as though they are part of the conversation. Then a cutaway might be used to show the other characters over the shoulder shot.

Another rule, is the use of eye line match, this means that when two people are talking their eye lines match and it looks as though they are both the same height.

Finally, the director may choose to use a noddy shot; it is a reaction shot. It shows the reaction of someone to something that might have been said in the conversation.  

How to Shoot Someone Walking

            When you shoot someone walking it is very important to show their shoes. This is because they can give the person and identity or show their personality.

Also, cross-cutting between characters and the pace of the cut is vital because it sets up the timing for the scene and what type of scene it is. You wouldn’t use slow cuts for and action scene.

A variety of shots is crucial too; establishing shots; long shots; extreme close ups; close ups; and medium shots. Close ups can reveal identity and establishing shots set the scene.

The speed and steadiness of the camera if on a dolly or panning, must match the pace of the character walking otherwise the shot will look out of time and strange and the smoothness of the shot makes it looks of a higher quality.

As well, the use of the 180° rule improves the continuity of the clip. This means you only shoot from on side of the action, like when you shoot a football match, this doesn’t confuse the audience and the same character is always on the same side of the screen.

Evaluation Questions

Who is your target audience and how would your advert appeal to that audience? Consider the ideology and connotations of your advert and also where your advert might be shown to appeal to the audience?

The target market for my product is 14-18 year old female students who like to have fun in life but within the boundaries. They are individual people who like to be different from others but they are not main stream. Also, they are self-actualisers in the Insight Social Value Groups, who are focused on creativeness and enthusiastically exploring change.

The advert has been designed to be quirky, with the different angle shot of the London Eye, and this emphasises individuality and originality. They aspire to be the best they can, focusing on themselves. As well, my target market is self-supportive, they do not rely on other people to pay for things, and they wait until they have enough money and get it themselves. Although, this could be slightly untrue for some of the younger audience in the age range as they might rely on their parents as they cannot get a job. My advert also connotes that the person who buys the product will be unique and different from people who wear other brands of eyeliner, such as Barry M, Boot’s Natural Collection or Collection 2000.

The advert positions the audience to view it from a female perspective mainly because of the background colour. The purple is connected to the product, is feminine and attracts the eye. Also, the colour purple is connected with mystery and spiritualism.   

The title for my product is intriguing for my target market; it suggests that even though they think they have discovered everything by themselves the product is actually telling them there is more to discover and that the product will help them with their discovery of new things.

Finally, the tag line used (a colourful, effortless, everlasting eyeliner), appeals to my target because it is ironically describing them as people; they have colourful personalities and can do things effortlessly.

How did the technologies help in the process of constructing the advert, and how comfortable are you using the technologies?

When constructing my advert I used many different technologies to achieve my final product. Some of the different resources I used were digital photography, Photoshop Elements, and dafont.com. To start with I opened my photo in Photoshop; I changed the colour of my original photo to make the image more dramatic and eye-catching. I did this by adjusting the hue and saturation.

Then I downloaded a font called ‘Angelic War’ from dafont.com, this suited my advert well as it was an individual and original style of font.

Finally, I added an image of my product. I did this by taking a photo on a digital camera then uploading it on to the computer via a USB. Then I removed the background in Photoshop using the ‘background eraser’. This tool selects what it thinks is the background of the photo and removes it for you, if it selects too much of the background or not enough you can adjust the tool by changing the tolerance. This is much faster, more effective and neater than using just a simple eraser tool. I could then copy the image on to my advert’s background.

The tools available to me helped me create a much more interesting advert than if I had been constructing the advert without the aid of technology, which would have been very difficult. The font was much more appropriate to the advert than if I had just used one that was already pre-loaded on to the computer as I was able to specifically pick it. Also, the background image would have been far less exciting had I not been able to change its colour.

I found using the technologies in the process of making my advert was very easy; this is because I decided to only edit the picture effectively for the advert. This meant I did not try to do anything which was to complex or intricate but I still ended up with a high quality end product. For example, I took the photo of my product on a plain background so it was simpler for the programme to decide which parts of the image were the product and which were the background.

How does your advert represent particular social groups (E.g. woman/men/different age groups/different ethnicities)?

My advert represents a particular social group because it will only appeal to a certain type of person.

Firstly, it is representative of young people rather than elderly people; this is because of the colours, types of fonts used and the actual product being advertised. Elderly people do not ware eyeliner where as most young people do.

Secondly, it is representative of women rather than men, although some men do actually wear eyeliner it is normally a non descript black one rather than a colourful everlasting one. This is because men and women want different things from the product. The colour purple of the background is pale yet colourful which makes it feminine even though it is making a statement, to back up the boldness of the product.

Thirdly, it represents the rollercoaster of life. The wheel connotes the saying ‘what goes up must come down’ and this relates to life and how sometimes everything is fine but the next minute it could all go wrong but it will soon go back to how it was.

Finally, it represents the aspirations of the target market. They aim high just like the height of the wheel. This is kind of reinforced by the fact that the camera is pointing towards to sky similar to the phrase ‘the sky is the limit’. This then reflects that nothing is impossible and anything can be achieved.