Inspiration For Our Final Piece - Thriller Opening.

In our final piece we debated heavily on the planning process and what aspects to incorporate within our piece.

Donnie Darko (2001 - Richard Kelly)       
Donnie Darko has many impressive factors, and as my whole group are fans of the film, we all genuinely wanted to include multiple determinants to create an impressive, visually pleasing piece. For example, Kelly's panning and tracking shots are not only effective as a whole, but are also exciting to watch. This is one of my favourite scenes in the movie, simply because of the wonderful cinematography employed, and the skills needed to pull off a complex shot in which so much happens. This time consuming and complicated technique is an incredible way of introducing characters, developing already known characters and presenting the environment in which the scene is set.





Sadly we were unable to film an intensive tracking shot as the set we were filming at was not suited for our tripod and tracking our protagonist would not be smooth, and probably become detrimental to the film and effect the audiences ability to submerge themselves in to the plot and gain a relationship with the character, due to the fact we would be constantly reminded of the camera on un-even rough surfaces.

However, a different aspect we wanted to incorporate was a party scene, and 'Donnie Darko' has one instance that we wanted to try and replicate, it features a busy halloween party with many different students conversing and having a good time, however 'Donnie' stands out somewhat by being subtly dressed in his iconic costume (a basic t-shirt with skeleton print) and hoodie, somehow isolates him from the other people. This is one factor we chose to employ in our final piece, having Jake act the 'lonely boy' role. I believe that he has a wonderful likeness to 'Donnie' and we were able to successfully integrate this aspect in to our thriller.


            
                          


The Dark Knight - (2008, Christopher Nolan)
Heath Ledger's character; The Joker in 'The Dark Knight' has gained global acclaim as this inspiringly insane, world renown antagonist. We have seen this character develop from the conception of the character in the early batman comics produced by DC comics, to the newest portrayal in 'The Dark  Knight'. We all agreed that we wanted to avoid the overused cliche killer that is often used in the action genre, the usual balaclava clad thug, killing for the sake of killing. Therefore, we thought it appropriate that we develop the characters personality, background and mental state, much like that of 'The Joker'

             

From the character we took, and adapted the face make-up, by adding lipstick to the antagonist, and shaping it in to a frown. We also darkened the killers eyes, by use of a make-up pencil creating a very dark and twisted looking individual. Another aspect of the joker we tried to incorporate was his backstory. A backstory is not evident in our piece, however it is open to audience interpretation, or even development later in film (If filming were to carry on).

Apparatus Used for Thriller

We used different apparatus for filming our thriller. Our major incentive was to gain a better quality picture than the usual poorer quality video cameras, as I personally believe that if the definition of a film is lacking then i find myself de-sensitising to the plot and becoming constantly reminded that I am watching a film, therefore not becoming submerged within the plot and connected to the characters. So, we began a search for alternatives, eventually, we were able to lay our hands on a 'Kodak ZX1 HD camera' courtesy of our teacher, which accordingly, created a more professional impression.
    



 Benefits

• Higher Definition (better quality picture)
• Easily maneuverable 
• Easily operable, even for an amateur
• Easily transferable media, via memory card that
  can be placed directly in to a computer

However, there were always going to be setbacks

• Poor microphone
• Low battery life
• Relatively difficult to fix upon a tripod
  

We utilised a tripod, that we borrowed from school, it is easily assembled and used in the majority of our shots, having a steady camera is crucial in the plight to create an entertaining piece, unless of course an unsteady camera is used to evoke certain emotions or create certain effects.

                     

We also borrowed a tripod wheels fixture, allowing us to move the camera for tracking shots and to smoothly move around effortlessly. I feel we were lucky to have come across this fixture, as without it our film would not be as impressive. 

                   

We used simple spotlights, to create artificial light. We have learned that in order to create a good piece. The most artificial light available is in order to conjure a good environment to film in. As it is better to make a shot darker than to lighten it on editing software, as lightening a shot would worsen the quality.

AS Continuity Piece

AS Media Continuity Piece - Russian Roulette from Jake Hipwell on Vimeo.

Cast- Ben Hume
- Jake Hipwell
- Sam Askey
-Alex Hyden
Crew
- Michael Gwynne
- Ben Rodger

This was our first ever film, and was perfect opportunity to begin experimenting with all the different aspects of cinematography, although the overall product is not excellent, I believe as a group we improved our skills greatly seeing as we deliberated on almost every factor involved with in the piece, from outfits to lighting.
   We were incredibly limited as to how, what and where we would shoot the film. Thankfully, we were able to take advantage of the schools drama studio, in which we agreed, for maximum impact on the audience to plunge the studio in to darkness and focus one singular spotlight up on the actors, I believed this to be one of the most successful and also detrimental determinant to improve the overall entertainment factor of the piece.
    I feel that as a group, we wanted to stray from the usual protagonist/antagonist rivalry and eliminate both roles, whilst instead having 4 relatively neutral developable characters, that if the feature were to carry on we could have expanded and created an in depth entertaining film.
    As mentioned earlier i believe we were very experimental with the filming with many different shots including 'point of view' and even an almost 360 degree tracking shot, which I believe to be ingeniously effective.
    To edit the piece we utilised Macintosh's 'IMovie' which was detailed enough to create this basic continuity piece. It also gave us an insight as to the basics of editing, and enabled us all to familiarise ourselves with the schools Macbooks.
    A continuity piece is defined as an uninterrupted connection or union, where shots continue from one another within a clip. Other aspects to take in to account whilst shooting for continuity are actor positions, costumes, props, lighting and camera position.
    The soundtrack in our clip derives from 'David Fincher's' 'Fight Cub (1999)'. We chose this as it seems to fit the emotion of the piece, and increases suspense and tension tenfold.
    I also learnt a lot about working in a team, and gained confidence to voice my opinions successfully, and give constructive criticism to the ideas i had less credence in. Hopefully our final thriller opening will  genuinely better than this.

Choosing The Soundtrack - Final Piece

For our final piece, once we had made a plan of what we would film, we all had to concatenate our thoughts and deliberate on the kind of mood we would like to set, because ultimately, the soundtrack is one of the most important factors of a successful thriller.
     Once we had the general outline of our plot, we began to explore different genres and how each song would effect the mood and emotion of the piece. for example we deliberated on;

• Drum and Bass music - For an intense and fast tempo, with fast cuts and many different shots.
• Rock Music - Many different power bestowing shots; high/low angles.
• Classical Music - Slow, emotional speed, almost as though the opening would be portrayed in someones memory.

Preliminary Idea

In my own time i began researching, and liked the idea of having an old rock song, reminding me somewhat of south america. I thought it would be interesting to have it intermittently playing as the protagonist travels through the party.

    

However, upon much consideration, i feared that this would end up making the thriller verge towards the action genre instead, going against specification. So, accordingly, i did not share this with my group.

Final Choice

Eventually, me and my group took even more inspiration from Donnie Darko, and chose a quintessentially 1980's song; 'The Killing Moon' by 'Echo and the Bunnymen'. I feel like this set the right mood and provoked the correct emotions in order to produce a good thriller. Its relatively slow mood is an important part of the thrillers nature. The title, and even the lyrics conote that of mystery and darkness that can be associated with the rest of the piece.

    

I believe we found the sound track we were searching so desperately for.

Final Cast and Crew Positions

For our final piece, the thriller opening, we as a group have all collaborated and picked which positions we would have liked to have and eventually, we were all able to make compromises and became comfortable with our roles that were crucial to our performance.

Cast
Jake Hipwell - Lonely Boy
Alex Hyden - Psychologically Unstable Killer
Sam Askey - Party Boy

Crew
Ben Hume - Director
Jake Hipwell - Editor
Sam Askey/Alex Hyden - Lighting


To organise our final positions, we deliberated thoroughly, and each described the way we envisioned each character and which person matched these ideas most of all. Although i wasn't that keen on taking up a major role, I gladly took up the position and tried my hardest to create a convincing, believable performance.
          Ben made it completely clear that he wanted to be the director for this project, which none of the group had any major problems with because Ben is talented and the most trustworthy person behind the camera. I had no worries that work would not be done, whilst Ben was directing.
         Jake, had the responsibility of being the main protagonist within the opening. I envisioned him being the 'lonely boy' from the beginning. He has shown acting talent before and no doubt performed well during the shoots.
        Sam however did not have a huge role to play, although was very understanding when it came to accepting that one of us will indeed not be involved quite as much. We reassured him by promising him a larger role in our next project.
        For our groups next piece, I feel I would enjoy being behind the camera and directing some parts of the films. On the other hand, I would also like to develop my editing skills by perhaps editing our next project. 

Thriller Specifications

My Thrillers Specifications

In my opinion, i believe that there are certain rules to abide by whilst producing and writing your own thriller, to ensure that it has the most positive, memorable and exciting effect on the audience as humanly possible. By deliberating up on, and utilising thrillers forms and conventions intelligently it can prove to be a wonderful piece of cinematography once the desired story has been filmed and edited.

• Avoiding a cliche plot line, can be the difference between a good thriller and a poor thriller. After viewing many other AS pieces, we discovered a recurring theme of basic killer, stalks and kills, with barely any motivation other than a random killing. So an interesting and ingenious plot can  entice an audience and ensure viewer involvement.

• Establishing a character, is crucial. The audience must be able to relate to  character, so that when or if something happens to them, they can empathise and also sympathise with that character. Every character should have interesting and thought provoking attributes.

• Fast editing, or editing to fit the mood of the piece should be employed, this can be interesting when 2 different plots can come together, effectively increasing the pace of a film. Until a longed for climax.

• Setting the scenes in places that are relatively familiar to the viewer is an affective way of un-nerving an audience, as it establishes the idea that no where is safe. Just like in Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ which gained global acclaim for the shower murder scene.

• Shrouding the identity of the killer is another intelligent way to gather suspense, seeing as the murderer could be anyone we meet. You could do this by either covering the face, or even utilising camera shots to disguise them, typically; over the shoulder shots, point of view shots.

• Finally, sounds should be used intellectually, to provoke a certain mood or emotion from the audience. Film makers have done this for years, and it has proven very successful. This is what a key factor i would like to include in my final thriller opening.  

Donnie Darko - Opening Analysis

The film begins with an audio bridge of thunder sounds over initial text, and then continues over the opening shot, already connoting a dark presence within the film, it also hints at the horror genre, hereby meaning that it is already beginning to build tension and suspense. As the establishing shots pan across the horizon, it contrasts to the diagetic thunder sounds as no storm is evident, this could already hint at a later theme of unusual time shifts during the film.
      Slowly the camera begins to pan to what we later discover is our central protagonist, 'Donnie' lieing on the floor, this anonymous figure on the floor builds tension and creates a feeling of mystery which becomes another one of the films major themes. As 'Donnie' begins to sit up, it becomes evident he is alive, so there is a release of some pent up tension, however, as the camera approaches him subtle non-diagetic keyboard tones are added and echo, implicates sadness up on the character, making him more relatable to the audience, so they begin to build a connection with Donnie. It then cuts to more establishing scenery shots, which could even be a point of view shot, showing contemplation, only reinforcing the emotion of sadness.
       However, soon after this Donnie then stands, obstructing our view of the scenery, turns, and begins smiling to himself. We as the audience are unsure of why he does this, however it affirms the audiences admiration for our protagonist and develops the already heightened bond between the viewer and 'Donnie'. After this the screen goes white, almost like an explosion, and the  immediately fades out to 'Donnie' on his bike, riding down a road in the mountains. He yawns and wipes his eyes as he rides, connoting that it is very early in the morning, the sunrise also provides an assurance of this. Donnie's attire is a pajama set which creates some questions, on behalf of the audience as we begin to deliberate on why, for whatever reason, he may be in his sleep clothes. This is a key aspect of thrillers, to always force the audience to question the plot, instead of spoon feeding every small detail, like in many Hollywood action and adventure films.
       The song ''The Killing Moon'' by 'Echo and the Bunnymen' (Bunnymen also has an association with the remainder of the film) begins to play as Donnie rides. This quintessential 1980's song gives an idea of the time period that the film is set. The songs name and lyrics also connect to the thriller/science fiction aspects of the film.
       As Donnie continues to ride he journeys through his town, which is 'Richard Kelly's' (director) way of establishing the setting, and some important information without any dialogue at all. For example 'Donnie' rides passed a sign which states the dates of a halloween carnival, denoting the season, and even month in which the film is set. Establishing shots of the town as he rides reveal it to be a middle class suburban town in America, we see some women walking in shell suits, again giving some evidence of the 80's time period. As 'Donnie' rides in to his home, we see his father doing average chores (leaf blowing) administrating once again the normal life they have, he then continues to blow a younger female with the apparatus, during which slow motion is employed, this adds comedic value and is a welcomed change of emotion. As 'Donnie' passes through his home, we are drawn to a message that reads 'Where is Donnie?' this connotes that he goes missing quite often and instead of calling the police, they simply broadcast a message to the family.
        'Donnie Darko' remains to be one of my favourite films, and i believe 'Kelly' has created a wonderfully simple but effective, mysterious opening, of which i always enjoy.
  

Shutter Island - Opening Analysis

Scorsese's 'Shutter Island' (2010) was in my opinion a wonderfully devised, moving story. Its use of music and sound had everything an enjoyable thriller should have. The opening to the film, is incredibly tense and within this post I will study and examine the factors that make the beginning 5 minutes so articulately exquisite, and how it is and will remain to be a wonderful example of a modern thriller.

               As the production credits begin, the non-diagetic opening soundtrack begins to play, it omits dark ominous tones and conjures feelings of tension and nervousness. The sinister soundtrack accompanied by a black background with relatively large, block capital font has a similar effect on the audience, and reminds me of older cinematography, the age of fantastical blockbusters, famed for their classical appeal. The scene is then set, as we are given the location and date, which works as an establishing technique ''Boston Harbour Islands, 1954''. Instantly we are thrust in the midst of an almost dirty, grey mist, which immediately builds tension, as the audience wonder what lies within the mist and it begins to force the viewers to ask rhetorical questions, this is a key factor of any thriller, as questions must be evident throughout, else the director runs the risk of losing the thriller certificate. The non-diagetic music seems to cease, and gives way to ambient sea sounds of crashing waves, as a giant structure is thrust through the fog into the shot, seemingly struggling to claw its way through the diverse conditions.
               Immediately following this, there is a quick cut to what we assume is inside the boat, and the diagetic sounds of a man vomiting, the lighting is relatively dark and the facilities on board are lacking somewhat. The sick man, gives connotations that he is in fact sea sick, giving us our first insight on our main protagonist 'Teddy Daniels'. We are then drawn to a shot of a mirror, we then see 'Teddy' stand up straight and address himself through the mirror, as we gaze upon his face, we see him looking rather tired and ill looking, denoting to the audience that this man is indeed going through a tough time. The over the shoulder shot, shows his facial features in detail and relatively bright in contrast to his surroundings. The first dialect of the film is employed by the main character, denoting that this man is perhaps not at ease, ''Pull yourself together Teddy, pull yourself together'' this informs the viewers of the protagonists name and also gives us a clue as to where he is from, enunciating a clear east american accent. The camera then cuts to the side of Teddy and we discover he has a holstered gun at his waist, forcing the audience to ask even more questions, such as 'Who is this man?'.  Although, this is soon answered as he turns to face the camera and grasps a police detectives badge. He then continues to splash his face, perhaps in order to shock him out of this sea sickness. The camera begins to track him, as he passes through the vessel and ventures out on to the deck, as he moves through the iron rooms, old fashioned shackles dangle from the ceiling enforcing the idea of a historical time period. A point of view shot denotes the presence of another figure, dressed similarly, connoting that this man is also a detective. The camera then cuts back to 'Teddys' face, whom has a look of puzzlement, and seems somewhat unsure of this other figure. A conversation then ensues and which gives the audience an insight into the lives of our two characters, the dialogue is supported by shot-reverse-shot, we discover that the two men do not actually know each other, this is connoted by clever acting as both men are awkwardly standing occasionally avoiding eye contact, this is also denoted by the conversation as 'Teddy' says ''So you're my new partner?''.
                The next shot cuts to a past memory of Teddy's, showing him and a young woman. They are intimately shot with close ups and medium shots, they are both caressing, as we are drawn attention to a tie, that we begin to believe has some significance as he is not only wearing it in this memory, but he is also wearing it in the present. Quickly, the camera cuts to the sea water, being disturbed by the boats movement, and loud diagetic sounds of water displacement is heard, acting as a shock factor, shocking the audience, and also Teddy out of this day dream state. We are then shown a close up of Teddy, as he resoundingly says "she died". The audience is beginning to form an attachment to our main protagonist and this fact makes the viewer sympathise with Teddy and begin to wonder how it was she passed away.
                Scorsese's 'Shutter Island' is an incredible piece of cinematography from start to finish, with complex plot lines enjoyable even after multiple viewings. Sound is especially important within the film, as it gives another aspect or dimension to create the majority of the suspense throughout.