Previous Year's Work - Exposure

Exposure

This sequence has successfully followed the rules, such as the 180 degree rule. As well as following the rules, they successfully used match on action several times, noticeable when he was running up the stairs and as he comes through and closes his door.
The use of diegetic sounds is very effective and makes it seem more real than if you were to hear no door slam or feet on the stairs.
The sequence being in black and white reminds me of older thrillers, such as 'Psycho', and but is also effective yet simple. The change from black and white to colour is very effective, it signals that something is different about that room.
There is only one character to follow in the same house, which makes it very easy for the audience to follow. You aren't told too much about the character or the plot, which makes you want to watch to find out more and to have the questions that are raised answered.
The credits themselves weren't very noticeable, the colour stood out from the black and white a bits but the words were small and appeared insignificant.
The use of dissolves in the room with pictures over the walls shows that the pictures and the character are connected somehow, but doesn't reveal how to keep you watching.
There was a variety of different shots used, from establishing shots to close ups to show the importance/emotion. However I found that the most effective shot was the tracking of the character's feet because it created a strong sense of suspense, and effectively linked the two different rooms together. The slow music added to the suspense when it started at the point of the low level track, which I feel was a very good place to start it.

Some info on my location

Seeing as Ms B told me to plan around my location shots, here's some more info on the place.
The school is called Mount Grace school in potters Bar (it's about 5 minutes away from the station and has bus routes from Enfield).
There are underground tunnels under each building and we could use whichever places we wanted but probably the one I took pictures of is teh nicest, least smelly and safest.

The tunnels themselves are home to a few rats/mice/spiders etc. but I think they add to the thriller-esque mood. Lighting might be an issue, it'd have to be all artificial because only a tiny bit of natural light can get in.

Right now I don't have any ideas that I can write down, but I would like to use this location because not many other people will have access to the same kind of locations. There is also 16 acres of land and a lot of trees that could provide another location to be used if need be

Applying Syd Field's Theory To 'Fatal Attraction'

Act 1
We see Dan's normal life with his wife and daughter and then see him meeting Alex. Within the first 30 minutes Dan and Alex have started their fling

Alex slitting her wrists is the transition between act 1 and act 2

Act 2
We see Alex begin to stalk Dan and each time it gets slightly worse (from turning up at work to the tape to forcing his way into his family life to boiling the bunny to taking his daughter)

The bunny's death is the point at which Dan realises he's been trying to solve the problem the wrong way

After he realises he tell s his wife hoping that Alex has nothing else to use against him, and goes round to her house to threaten her

Act 3
The plot culminates into a fight in which Alex dies, and the problem is therefore solved

The 'problematic' of 'Fatal Attraction' is Alex's obsession with Dan which starts off as a simple fling but ends up with her stalking him, ultimately leading to her death.

Steve Baker's article suggests that all single, independent women are evil and obsessive. He also suggest that they will ruin your life, so all women should remain the stereotypical housewife who looks after the home and kids, not work.

Syd Field's 3 Act Plot Structure

Act 1
Within the first 10 minutes the audience will decide if they will like the film or not so they must be given the following information:

• Who the main character is
• What the film's about
• What they should expect
• Why they should care about characters

Withing the first 30 minutes they must find out what the main problem of the film will be

Act 2
The longest of the three acts should show the main character in extreme situations where they helplessly confront their problem until they realise t hat they are going about it all the wrong way and change what they do

Act 3
The hero takes control of the situation and often confronts their enemy on their home territory leading to victory.

More Location Shots

The school that my dad works at has loads of underground tunnels under the buildings so I took some pictures and some of the places would be suitable for use in my own thriller sequence.

This is the ramp that is above one of the tunnels, at the end of the wall there is a window into the tunnel. At night there are lots of shadows cast from the bushes and the railings make it an enclosed space.

This is an area on the tunnel. There are a few concrete pillars along it, which add to the space looking bland and could be anywhere, which is a good setting for someone to be held in if I were to have someone being held hostage. It's a cold, dark and miserable place, with very little natural light.

This is the window from the inside looking out. There is a cast iron pattern over the hole which stops a lot of light getting in. The small space adds to the feeling of entrapment.

This is the window from the outside looking in. They are in an enclosed area and look out onto a bush.

Applying Levi-Strauss’ Theory To 'Fatal Attraction'

The following are opposite themes in 'Fatal Attraction'

Good v Evil
Marriage v Affair
Love v Lust
Freedom v Entrapment
Truth v Lies
Fear v Happieness
Day v Night
Normality v Abnormality
Wife v Lover
Calm v Turbulence
Young v Old
City v Country

Applying Barthes' Theory To 'Scream'

Action

The phone ringing
Front door being locked - Sidney has nowhere to run except upstairs
Sidney's bedroom door being kept shut by the cupboard door - stops people getting into her room
Tatum not turning up when she said she would when Sidney's dad's away
Tatum going to get beers alone
Talking about the three rules at the party
Sidney climbing out the window and falling
Shown Sidney's dad's car in a ditch
Find out how Sidney's mum died

Enigma

Why isn't Sidney's dad at the hotel?
Where's Sidney's dad gone after escaping?
Where's the camera man's body gone?
Why did Billy have a phone that fell out?
How did Billy get to Sidney's house so fast?
How did the killer know all of the people's names and about their lives?

Applying Propp's Theory To 'Disturbia'

The villain
Robert Turner
He tries to fill Kale's father's shoes to disguise his villainous activities

The hero
Kale Brecht

The donor
Kale's Mother
She takes away his TV, X-Box etc. when he is put on house arrest which forces him to be aware of his surroundings and watch out the window

The helper
Ronnie
He's sent to do all of the tasks Kale wants done to prove Turner's teh murderer (eg. breaking into his car to get teh garage code)

The princess
Ashely Carlson
Kale wants to impress Ashley because he likes her
AND
Kale's Mother
He want to do his father proud and look after his mother, and saves her life
AND
Kale's father
He wants to do his father's memory proud and become the son he wanted him to be

"Her father" character
Kale's Mother
Kale wants to show her that he's doing the right thing
AND
Kale's father
Kale is able to do the right thing by his memory

The dispatcher
Kale's Father
His death causes kale to be put on house arrest which means he's punished which leads to Kale watching out the window
AND
Ashely
She encourages him to keep watching, helping him at times

The false hero
Officer Gutierrez

Narrative Theory Summary

Claude Levi-Strauss’ Oppositions:

Levi-Strauss said that every element of a story had a pair within the same story, which is the direct opposite.

Some common examples are:
Good v evil
Male v female
Day v night

Within genres there are also stereotypical binary opposites, for example in romantic films there are often two males, one being the typically charming gentleman and the other a womaniser, who both want the same female.


Roland Barthes action/enigma codes:

Barthes decided that every film is made up of a narrative code that consists of action and enigma codes which are used to create suspense.

Enigma codes are the parts of the plot that raises questions in the viewer's mind, for example in 'Final Destination' the audience question why the plane is blown up at the beginning, when there is a whole film left to watch.

Action codes refer to the actions that lead to other actions that happen in the film, for example in 'Snakes On A Plane' we see the snakes being sprayed with something, leading to questions about what the spray will cause the snakes to do. Action codes create suspense.


Tzvetan Todorov’s narrative structure:

His theory states that every film has three stages:

1. The film starts in a state of equilibrium
2. The equilibrium is disrupted
3. A new equilibrium is created by the end of the film

There are then five stages that every film has five stages that the narrative goes through:

1. Equilibrium where everything is normal
2. Disruption of equilibrium
3. Recognition of the disruption and its consequences
4. An attempt to repair the disruption
5. The restoration of a new equilibrium

This theory creates a circular structure to the film, not a linear one. However the equilibrium reached at the end of the film isn't the same as the original equilibrium, it has been altered by the loss of a character for example.


Vladimir Propp's Character Types:

Propp identifies the main character types:

• The villain
• The hero - usually motivated by the lack of something (love, money etc.) and not always conventional
• The donor - provides something of value to the film
• The helper - aids the hero
• The princess - reward for the hero, object of villain's schemes &not always conventional
• "Her father" character - rewards the hero
• The dispatcher - sends the hero on their way
• The false hero

Scream

'Scream' was one of the best thrillers I've seen recently, there was comedy as well as thriller elements and it wasn't until the end that I was sure of who the killer was because the clues given to you throughout the film were then given another reason for being there (for examples Billy's "cellular telephone".

The three basic rules* of the film were as follows:
- You may not survive the movie if you have sex.
- You may not survive the movie if you drink or do drugs.
- You may not survive the movie if you say "I'll be right back."

The killers then added their own extra three rules*:
- You may not survive the movie if you ask "Who's there?"
- You shouldn't go out to investigate a strange noise if you wish to survive.
- Never believe the killer is dead, as he'll return for one last scare...

These rules helped the audience to determine who they think will be next to die.

'Scream' also pointed fun at itself, with Sidney saying (about the female victim in thrillers) "when she is running up the steps when she should be going out the front door...", which is exactly what she does only a few minutes later.

Overall I would give scream 9/10

*Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_(film))

Memento

I wasn't as impressed with memento as I thought I would be, I'd heard that it was one of the best films some people had ever seen, but I've seen better! I did like the way that it was backwards with flashbacks, and how we were left with ananswered questions at the end (was his wife dead? etc.), but I found the plot quite long and tedious to follow, almsot like I'd seen it before (and I did think of a film that was quite like it whilst I was watching it). Overall I'd give it 7/10

DVD Cover Analysis

Shallow Grave

Camera

Signifiers	Signified
VLS of people	Shows costume, action and gesture codes
3 people in the shot
CU of foot & spade	Shows a comedy element with the foot sticking out of the grave – linked to title
Low angle	Shows expression on character’s faces, but they are still slightly blurred faces

Mise-en-scene

Signifiers	Signified
Dark colours (sky & ground)	Dark colours suggest a dark storyline
Title is highlighted	The effect is like the glow given off from an angel, which is connected with death
Foot is sticking out of the grave	Hints at a comedy element
Old outfits	Again hints at a comedy element
Tall trees	Look daunting & scary
Cloudy sky	Shows that the film will be set at night for at least part of it
18 rating	Shows the film will have more grown up content than a 12 or 15
Actors are named, not the director, and there’s no review quotes	The film isn’t being sold off the director’s name, only the actors, and not from anything said by critics
Light has been made to look like natural moonlight	Creates a sense of mystery
Foot & spade in the foreground	Them being on the foreground suggests that they will be prominent in the film

People

Signifiers	Signified
3 people – 2 male, 1 female	Identifies them as the main characters
Middle aged
White
British	Shows it’s likely to be a British film
Can’t clearly see faces	Makes audience want to know what their faces look like
Watching the grave	Shows the characters are connected to the body in the grave somehow
Can only see dead body’s foot	Signals that they might be dead near the start of the film

Exploration of the narrative image of 'Shallow Grave' and the way this is constructed through the DVD cover


The DVD cover for 'Shallow Grave' has two different features that immediately attract your attention; the spade and the foot. These are more prominent than the title, which suggest that they will feature heavily in the film. The title sets up an expectation that there will be someone killed and buried in a shallow grave, which is supported by the foot and spade in the foreground. There is also the expectation that the other three people will have some relation to the dead person, and will attempt to cover up the death because of the way they are looking at the grave.

The title itself takes two seemingly unconnected words to create 'Shallow Grave'. One definition of shallow, as defined by dictionary.com means "superficial" and grave immediately makes you think of death, raising the question is there a real death, or is the title a clever creation by whoever thought it up? However it could just be a film in which a body is placed in a shallow grave.

The character's faces being unclear doesn't reveal much about them or the film, but enough is shown about them to show that they will feature in the film quite prominantly because they are shown in full on the cover of the dvd.

The cover causes the audience to ask many questions including:

Why is the grave shallow?

What relationship is there between characters?

Who died?

Who killed them?

How did they die?

Why bury them in the woods?

This sets an expectation for the film to answer these questions, and the only way that they can find out the answer is by watching the film.

A reason behind my initial idea

I've been thinking about why a young girl would be kidnapping a young male, and why a film would start off with revealing that. One idea that I had to explain it was that the girl had kidnapped the guy who's father had murdered her parents when she was younger and she wanted revenge on their murderer so kidnapped his son. The film wouldn't actually have to be about her getting her revenge, it could focus on her parent's death and go back in time to show the story about how they died.
I'm not sure if I'm meant to be thinking about this kinda thing, but I thought I'd post it anyway =)

Location Shots

This is an area of woodland which is very deserted and isolated. It has an eerie sense to it when you're there, which could add effect to anything shot there.



This is the entrance to the back of my garage (where the workshop is). The wall is really tall and daunting shot from a certain angle and the graffiti makes it look quite deserted.



This is the alley way behind my house, there's 3 other alleys but they all pretty much look the same just some are more overgrown or have rubbish in them. The alley is twice as long, my house is in the middle so there's another side, and they're rarely used by cars or people. I think it would look good at night to have someone walking down it, it could be quite a scary location with a lot of doors, gaps and plants.



This is the light switch in the workshop which could be used to have a finger turn on the light before the kidnapper is revealed.



This is the door to the workshop (see below) which is very plain and no one would suspect that someone would be held hostage in the room behind. There is also a lock on the door so it would be ideal to show someone unlocking the door.



This is the view inside my dad's workshop. The room has no windows and only one entrance through a very plain wooden door (see above picture). I think this would be a good location because the room looks very isolated and could be quite a scary place with the tools and dust, as well as the rickety cupboards and workbench.



This is a photo of the walkway down the side of my house. At night it has shadows cast down it from the bush above it and there is a light which can be turned on to add more light if needed. I don't know how this location could be used in my current idea, but it has potential

Initial Ideas

I've been thinking about some ideas for my own trailer and I think it'd be quite interesting to break the conventions of a typical thriller and give the audience something unexpected by having the female character as the villain and the male character as the victim yet set it up in to look like the female is in fact the victim but then at the end of the trailer show that she's the villain. I got the idea from watching some of a TV show on Channel 5 a few days ago called 'Women Who Kill' and thought that it would be worthwhile at least trying to include it in my own project.
Right now the vision of the trailer I have in my head is of a woman walking down dark alleys looking scared, checking all around her for anyone watching. She would be dressed quite innocently, be young and have blonde hair, a typical thriller victim. She could stand under a street light and make a call on her phone or look for something in her bag then walk off and the camera focuses on her feet. Later in the trailer the same feet would be shown going down some stairs to a cellar where she could unlock a very bland looking door, turn on some lights (strip lighting is what I imagine right now) and the camera cuts to the face of her victim - a young guy - who's tied up on the floor with gafa tape across his mouth looking terrified. Then it would cut to the girl again and the audience would realise she is in fact the villain.
If we couldn't have her going down stairs then an alternative idea is to have her going into a warehouse.