Thriller Editing Evaluation

In this project I worked with Sophie and Sedtin on a thriller project we named Sweet Dreams. We were also working with Ben but - let's just say we never really seen him much AND when he was he didn't do  much.



IN THE BEGINNING TIMES!!!

When we started we all discussed ideas for the project as well as title names, we all came up with different story ideas, from a manipulative doll, life or death situation involving an item, silent death but in the ended we went for a man who got into an accident and when he wakes up, he finds himself uninjured and to him it's the real world when reality - it isn't. This was Sedtin idea overall and a really good one.

We picked Sweet Dreams because it suits the story idea very well plus there is a song called "Sweet Dreams" that was originally done by Eurhythmics but also remade by Marlyin Manson and Emily Browning (for the film Sucker Punch which is also a thriller)

I agreed to be the main female- the creepy one names Margaret Robinson however when it came to the two male casting it became tricky because Sophie had two of her friends agreeing to help out but then as soon as half term ended - they both back out and that was REALLY annoying!

After going to a theatre group, hearing absolutely nothing - we got lucky when Damion and Liam agreed to help us so I was very, very, very happy as time was getting to us a little bit and all we wanted to do was to film everything on time and have plenty of time to edit it out to the best we know we can.

Before we got our male actors, we first explored Fareham, Ticthfield and Gosport on google maps and our memories of our home town for the best places for our projects. In the end we went for all three for a lot of scenes in out project.


FILMING!!!

During filming we all took turns and tried to get the best angles as we possible could, I was acting for the most part of this project but when I wasn't being filmed I got a chance to film. For me it was all about trusting my instinct and my judgement as I worry all the time that I doing it all wrong. I'm better at showing and visualising to what I see in my head that would be great than telling what I wanted to do out loud but I think I did my best considering I make myself and other people very confused of what I was trying to say.

While searching for the male actors, we decided to film scenes where it only involved the female character Margaret (myself - Hannah), for this we first when to a tunnel in Fareham just by Audi supermarket. We had everything set up and rolling - the only problem was the amount of times people went by since it was a public, there was a also a few people who were concerned for the "woman lying on floor with blood" which is myself and I had long legs that took up nearly half the tunnel!!

In the end we got  the shots, a lot of close up, long shot and mid-close shots and then after we packed everything up, we then went to Titchfield. When we got there we went to my house which is we agreed that would be good for the main character's home and it was a good place it we needed to put things down where no one would nick them. It was mostly when Margaret is tormenting Tony and it was good to get these shots out of the way when we had the time to do so.

After we finally got our male actors, we filmed the next scenes in Gosport first, the "waking up" scene, Tony meeting up his friend Andrew, walking away from the "creepy lady" in the Sundial area near the sea front and the conversation between the two males. We also did a shot, a panning shot where Damion is riding his bike, we did this one a few times but I will admit I did this shot and that the best one we did was when it got shaky as Damion got closer and zoomed past. If I had to do that again I would make sure I had a few practises before shooting. Sedtin then filmed me in the distance where Margaret where stalk Tony and Sophie did a panning shot of the creek where I would do a voice over of Margaret being creepy and laugh just as creepy to make main character Tony very scared and spooked out. By the end of the day we finished we the "accident" scene, taking a long shot of Tony riding up to the edge of the road and getting ready to cross his certain doom.

Out of pure genius and luck there was a broken down wall that was ideal for where Tony would crash to and it was across the road so Damion asked owner if we could use it, so we used it and film Tony's bike upside down a few times in different angles (it was hard to angle the bike where both wheels would be able to spin at the same time) and where Tony would fall unconscious close up and then it panned down, and then across the road and mid-long shot where we see the Tony's back. This was nearly 5pm when we finally finished for the day and we felt really proud that we got a lot done in one day.

A few days later we did the rest of the scenes where we need Damion and Liam for their parts as Tony and Andrew in Fareham and Titchfield. During this time we decided to remake the ending where it involved Liam in one more scenes or two so it made up the story a lot more. Again when it came to Fareham tunnel, people walked past whenever we were ready but we got it in the end and not long after we got the Titchfield scenes where Margaret would confront Tony and the park scenes where Tony would be haunted by his flashback and revealing his part of Margaret's death. After that we were done!

While we were filming we and a few copies of the script to mark what we've done and what we haven't done and when it got confused, we used another to make more notes when it became too much.


NEW PROJECT!!

First we clicked onto Premiere Pro and went onto new project and then when it came to settings it's important to know the right ones so the clips are able to play properly.

When you are clicking onto the settings - click on PAL as it is the UK's format then click on "Widescreen 48kHz" to get the best of watching the clip  and rendering them when it's done.

When it come to a empty project is when we download the videos from all the clips we filmed in order to piece together our Thriller. We didn't see it at the time but we didn't organised the clips into folders so whenever we wanted top use a clip, we had to scroll down and find the one we were looking for and maybe next time in the next group the clips will be better organised to get the best use of the editing.

EDITING!!!

During editing we realised we were missing a few lines to the script so got the camera again, costumes and because getting to Titchfield would take forever to get for a few short lines and getting back to lessons on time, lucky down the road there were houses which were familiar to the setting that was filmed in front of our house so we did that.

As we edited the film - we took turns and because I wasn't going to Berlin, I wasn't allowed to to do as much editing as I would have a whole week to do that plus when it comes to editing, I would be there forever as I love to edit. Sedtin and Sophie did a lot of putting it all together and it all was really good and exactly what we more or less envisioned for our thriller.

Make a lot of tweets, add the music and make the green screen turn into a hospital room plus other effects that might work also. Also I wanted to make sure that the imagery story would be understandable for those who would watching it. With this in mind I had the script and many ways of tweeting it all in my head.

We also had to look at each clip of all the footage and decided what we could use and what we couldn't, I admit that when in doubt I look into the "Delete" file and see if there was even a second of a clip we could use just to make the minutes meet as we had a six minute limit.


GREEN SCREEN!!!!

The green screen footage was the hardest to get right or at least very tricky. Because there wasn't enough light there were a lot of shadows that made the green of the screen less affective. When Ryan had no luck with it, Neil had a go at trying to sort it out by After Effect yet no matter what he did. there was a lot of "shimmer" around where the shadows would be. So in the end I tried to do what Neil did as well as making adjustments and when I export it into a video file and put in into the Premiere Pro, I made it black and white to make a scary effect as well as a couple dissolve effects. Towards the end I cut the clip where fake blood would down Damain's arm and put in cross dissolve so that black and white would slowly back to colour just because it might look cool that way as the film comes to an end.


SOUNDTRACK!!!!

As well as the green screen footage and while the other two was doing a lot of the editing, I research on YouTube for music and sound effects. Because I was doing another task where I had to do research about Spooks, I looked onto YouTube for it's soundtrack for ideas. I also looked up using key words like "creep music" or "spooky music" or any kind of thriller/horror instrumental tracks that would be ideal for our Inception/Memento thriller project.

Thriller Codes and Conventions

Content

NARRATIVE
STORYLINE

Psychological twists

Characters - Protagonist
                  - Antagonist
                  - False Hero

Troubled

Certain job roles: Military/Police/Detectives

Showdown - Action/reveals twists

Plot twits

- Race/Time limit


Form

Sub Genre
Layout & Structure

- Technical Aspects
- Camera/Lighting


Close up - facial expressions

Shot, reverse shot - Adds suspense


Sci-Fi Thriller - e.g. X Files/Legion/Independence Day

Comedy Thriller -  Ladykillers/Clue

Crimes Thriller - Bourne Trilogy/Se7en

Action Thriller - Green Zone/Kill Bill/Speed

Horror Thriller - Sixth Sense/The Others


Characterisation

Antagonist

- Costume - Smart but dark colours/Hat
- Passengers in cars
- Has a gang
- Wealthy
- Dark/Dimly lit/Shadows
- Underground
- A face that has history/Scars
- Male (most of the time)


Protagonist

- Disguise/hides identity
- Emotionally troubled - has something to prove
- Good looking/attractive/rough and ready (and looking good doing it)
- Street Smart/Rebel/Charming


Female

Love Interest/Sidekick/Inferior

- Can stand up for her
- Can be the antagonist
- Used by the antagonist


Narrative

Action
Script/dialogue

Enigma - mystery/puzzle

Thought provoking
Twist and turns

Cliffhanger

Disposal of evidence

Race against time/time and location/24 hr clock

Thriller Codes and Conventions Research - Inception

For this assignment I am going to look at is Inception (2010) because it’s one of the films I watched twice at the cinema. Most people would see it again just to catch what’s going on but for me – it’s the storyline, music  and the characters.

Storylines/Twists

Here is the plot as it’s shown on a lot of websites ideal for those who have not yet seen the film:

In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception

Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

Here is the trailer that combines the story and music (and a lot of cutaways) in hope to draw attention to the audience

“Dream or Reality” is the main question during the whole film, I can admit it can be confusing at times but is brilliantly made, directed by Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Dark Knight) however the main slogan of this film that shows on the trailer is “Your Mind is The Scene of the Crime” which lets the viewers know that something is going to be stolen from the very mind.

The plot itself gives unexpected twists and turns and the storyline is fast moving one scene to another with an edge which makes you jump even if you know what’s coming. Sometimes though it’s hard to keep up and it can get confusing even after watching it a few times.

The ending is what keeps the viewer guessing because the main character has an item that keeps in check of reality and before he sees the result, he gets distracted and never fully sees the result. But here’s where Dramatic Irony comes in because the screen turns back on the item (spinning top) and it is still spinning and then suddenly – the screen goes to black which makes people think that Dom is still in the dream or not but if you had been watching for the small details then you will think otherwise. For example, during the film the children that Dom sees wear the same clothing and look like toddlers. In the end when Dom sees his children again they are older and they are wearing slightly different clothing but older nevertheless. Plus Dom’s father-in-law was never in the dream and it seems that the only people who weren’t in the dream but appear anyway is their main sub-conscious which in Dom’s cause was Mal. Plus the director says that his main focus wasn’t the spinning top at all but more of the main character leaving all that behind him and live his life.

Characters

 

This movie keeps the viewers questioning who is “ally” and who is “foe” for example in the beginning we see two main characters Dom and Arthur trying to steal information from the wealthy businessman Saito who can be seen as an enemy until later on its revealed that Saito let them into his mind on purposes – to test them if they can do the mission he wants to recruit them for which is to bring down his competition and later becomes a part of the team therefore the character Saito goes from Antagonist to False Villain – to Ally.

In this movie there are more than one main character as they story progresses – kind of like the movie Ocean’s Eleven but the mission is in the unconscious state rather than stealing something solid like money.  

Leonardo’s character’s Dom (Inception) and Teddy (Shutter Island) both have some elements to their life stories – their wives especially and in both films investigate in depth the tricks a traumatised mind can play on the individual by the ones they love who have secret agendas. Therefore it  “Makes it Personal” which is important to the Robert McKee’s theory as viewers want to know more about the main character that play in every story they see or read.

“Dreams feel real while we’re in them.  It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.” Dom’s line as his explains to Ariadne about creating the dream world.

There are two set of characters that are like two sides of a coin; Arthur and Eames and Saito and Ariadne.


With Arthur his character present the left side of the brain – logical, sequential (in order), rational, analytical and objective whereas Eames is the right; random, imaginative, spontaneous, synthesizing and making things personal. Eames puts down Arthur as "unimaginative” while Arthur just wants the “specific” details that are necessary for the mission at hand.

With Saito and Ariadne it’s more of the cultural difference – East vs. West but one that also presents the differences between stability and change. Ariadne presents young youth, often naïve, imaginative, and hopeful. She also likes to literally create her own world, and actively seeking a way out when trapped. Saito on the other hand represents aging, often exploitative, experienced and submitting to fate. Saito also wanted to go along for the ride to "protects his assets," submitting to fate, and ends up trapped inside his own desires.

Ariadne also becomes Dom’s guardian angel, his conscience, his sense of right and wrong after she discovers all the dark secrets that Cobb is trying to hide and becomes his confidant during the mission. The way Ariadne understands and talks to Cobb about his issues (in a therapist/client relationship) suggests she may have academic background in psychology but in this film apart from Dom, the history of other characters is never revealed so we will never know. With these characters in mind it shows that the difference in all the characters that is shown and therefore the viewers can identify on who’s who and which of them clash with another (Arthur and Eames for examples as they seem to show a lot of history and dislike for one another).

The main Antagonist is Mal – Dom’s Cobb deceased wife but as a result of terrible guilt he feels over her suicide, she presents herself as his main projection of his sub-conscious who ruins missions for him. At the same time she shows to be strong and vulnerable and hopeful and heartbreaking which is perfect so it makes the viewer feel bad about hating her because she is really confused when it comes to questioning reality because she hasn't got a clue.

There is one main "McGuffin" in this film which isn't a suitcase or diamonds - Robert Fischer because he is the main target to this film - to plant an idea into his mind to spilt his father's empire. Ideas are like germs (in a way but not totally), they spread so fast that there is no way to stop it in time and that’s where the plot gets drawn and keeps the viewers watching to see that the job gets done.

This YouTube video explains a bit more about the characters and the roles they play for thier mission.

Camera Angles

There are a LOT of camera angles used in this film.

Codes and Conventions

Psychological puts elements that are related to the mind or processes of the mind but they are mental rather than physical in nature. The thriller genre generally focuses on the plot over the characters and thus emphasizes intense, physical action over the character's psyche. When both put together Psychological Thriller - this is where characters are no longer on rely physical strength to overcome their brutish enemies but rather are reliant on their mental resources, whether it be by battling wits with a formidable opponent or by battling for equilibrium in the character's own mind. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state. This is also a heist film which is a film that has an intricate plot woven around a group of people trying to steal something. Typically for thriller there are many plot twists in which the film focuses on the characters' attempts to formulate a plan, carry it out, and escape with the goods. There is often a nemesis that must be stopped: either a figure of authority or a former partner who turned on the group or one of its members.

This film has a common form of the heist film - the one last big job. In it, a team of criminals are gathered together for a final mission that will make their fortunes and take them away from a life of crime forever. Usually there is an added risk combined with the promise of an ideal life once the job is done provide for a natural element of suspense.

Music brings the best of the fight scenes especially with Arthur in the anti-gravity scene as he fights, there are cutaways of where the van is turning in time to the fight in the dream within a dream. Sometimes in order for the film to work its magic, music is what gets the viewers to the edge of their seats as it collides with certain “time limit” scenes brilliantly.  

Codes of Practice

 

This film is a “12A” so there are a few things to consider not putting into the film or at least keep it brief and not quite into detail that would upset the audience watching this in the cinema or at home: discrimination, drugs, horror, moderate physical and psychological threat, dangerous behaviour (self-harm, suicide) , language (swear words), nudity, sex and violence.

In the film there is a note of dangerous behaviour – suicide however the camera only shows of Mal’s intention to fall but you never truly see her fall off the building and crash to the ground so the filmmakers bend the rule by filming it but did dwell on the detail of the suicide that would frighten young teenagers. Mature themes are acceptable but only if it’s suitable for young teenagers.

Target Audience

 

This film has a lot of thriller elements to it; action, psychological, heist (thief) and suspense.

This film most likely draw attention to those who do science about dreams for a living or anyone who is fed up of the same old heist films that seems to have the same plot and want to see something new which this film presents. It’s also a “12” so anyone can go and see the film but I don’t think that any child above twelve would want to see the film only because the plot might be confusing for them. However since it is also a “12A” parents might want to consider not taking their kids unless they are ok with firearms.

Bibliography and Information trail

About the film

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inception

Age Restriction

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/guidelines/12a12/

Shutter Island Notes!

- Eerie music as the film begins - creepy start

- Main Character - Teddy, sea sick but somehow has a creepy element as he recovers

- As Teddy and his sidekick Chuck arrives, the guards are very hostile like they are hiding something

- Over-dramatic music (not good) as they enter the building - then it cuts off suddenly it makes me wonder "what's the point of that?!"

- Some of the patients seems to know Teddy for some reason

- Flashbacks and dreams show that Teddy is a deeply troubled person with a troubled past that is yet to be shown. Dreams involve his late wife, talking about the "happy" time, the drinking problem after serving time in the war, losing the wife in the fire

- Rain is a quick snap back to reality

- Editing moment; When interviewing one of the patients, the glass doesn't appear to have anything in it

- Storm goes wild, Teddy and Chuck are forced into a safe house by the graveyard

- Plaster that has been on his forehead from start to finish of the film - unknown injury

- Tattoos that seemed unlikely in the present time that the film is based on - 1954

- Finding the whereabouts of Rachel and yet the main focus is Teddy. More about him than anyone like he's part of someones experiment

Misery Notes!

11/1/12

Building Suspense and Tension In A Scene

- Flash/quick scenes between Protagonist and Antagonist - cutting between the two

- Suspense music - more intense as Annie comes closer

- Paul struggling - getting stuck with the wheelchair, him being in pain with the broken legs

- Close shots of the feet as Annie (the baddie) climbs up the stairs - important cutaways

- Quick sign of reilef when she drops the pack of paper but only a second

- Two scenes scenes of keys - Baddie one unlocking the door, the Goodie locking the door

- Dramatic Irony with the penguin

- Make up: swaet on forehead, clothes

- Performance: Agitated, short of breath

- Expanding  key moments - making them last longer

- "obstacles" for each character overcome (build up the tension) - wheelchair/narrow doorway/sling

- Paul's Point of View - puts the viwers in his shoes

- Use of silence - cuts the music to listen to the dialogue

- Variety shots and angles - editing quickens towards the end of the scenes/parrallel shots e.g. the locking and unlocking

- False Hope for the protagonist (broken phone)


12/1/12


Main Heroes: Paul Sheldon (writer), Publisher Mrs Sindell, Cheilf Police Buster and his wife

Main Villian - Annie (ex-nurse/NUTTER!)

McGuffins - Typewriter, Novel

Editing: Quiet begining and it all seems sad - until Paul throws a snowball and sayd "still got it" does the music pick up and it gets all lively in the opening titles
            Close shots of the metal sticks as someone who don't see who tries to save Paul's life
            Suspense music - then gets cut short as a pig suddenly comes in
            Night time and suddenly out of shot the door bang opens - Annie goes mad....
            Extreme close up as Annie says "If I die" zooms a little closer "You'll die" - very creepy
            Switch angles as Pual struggles
            POV (point of view) as Paul draws clooser to the door
            Dramatic music as Annie comes back
            Typing fast and the music picks up faster and faster and cutaways as the days goes by....

           

Thriller - Different Character Types

Aim - To understand different character types in thriller

Protagonist: Goodies - Aren't aware of who's actually alined with them
Antagonist: Baddies


Character Archetypes

Protagonist Types

False Hero: Good Guy then Bad

Handicapped Protagonist - Physcial/Mental

Movie Characters such as this: Leonard/Lenny - Memento
                                             Paul Sheldon - Misery - broken leg

Picaresque Hero - Characters who uses their wits to escape problems

Movie Characters such as this: James Bond, Jason Bourne, Aladdin (not in thriller genre but still)

Unaware Hero - Become involved in a plot by accident

Unreliable Narrator - Tells their story in Point of View but not admit the whole truth or lie, Bias to save face

Antagonist Types

False Villain

Governments - Conspiracy thrillers - Agents

Companies - Conglomerates

Manipulator

Criminals: Murders, assassins, rapists, kidnappers

Handicapped: Deformed - MENTAL!!!!!!

Absent Villains

Supernatural

The Protagonist IS the Antagonist

Thriller and it's Sub-Genres!!!

A lot of people however seems to think that Horror and Thriller are one in the same - it's not so as it's a genre that creates suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements unlike Horror which causes fright and blood as well as killers.

The most common sub-genre are psychological thrillers and ever since the assassination of President Kennedy, political thrillers and the paranoid thriller films became very popular. Successful examples of thrillers are the films of Alfred Hitchcock who was British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres which is the reason why we have so many .like these today.

Usually when it comes to thriller, it normally comes another genres like horror or action and never on it's own. Here is a list of the many sub-genres of thriller:

• Action Thrillers: This is where the hero/heroine confronts dangerous enemies and situations in which they must overcome it all which does involves violence and suspension and sometimes the endings leaves you guessing. Films like The Bourne films, Hanna (2011) Taken (2008), Abduction (2011)Green Zone (2010) and Inception (2010)

• Conspiracy Thriller: The protagonists of conspiracy thrillers are often journalists or amateur investigators who find themselves  on small cases that will lead them to the biggest conspiracy threat that will lead to run for their lives. Films like Angels and Demons (2009), End Game (2009), Awake (2007), Haywire (2012) and V For Vendatta (2006)

• Supernatural Thriller: This is where in films it brings in an otherworldly element mixed with tension, suspense and plot twists. Sometimes the hero and/or villain has some psychic ability or superpowers or they are supernatural themselves - Werewolves, Vampires, Zombies, etc. Films like I Am Number Four (2011), The Others (2001), Legion (2010)

• Crime Thriller: This is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. Sometimes films often focus on the criminal rather than a policeman however the center focus of a lot of movies include serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double-crosses.  Films like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009 & 2011), Tinker, Tailor, Soilder, Spy (2011), Ocean's 11 (2001) Pulp Fiction (1994) and Dark Knight (2008)

•  Psychological Thriller:  These films involves conflict mental and emotional for the main characters, rather than physical. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state or themswelves. Films like Black Swan (2010), Rebecca (1940), Memento (2000), Se7en (1995) and When A Stranger Calls (1979 & 2006)

The X Files Episode

Yesterday we had to look at a episode the second series of X Files: Duane Barry because our next project is thriller and just before the project truly begins here are some of the notes I made:

• A dark night with a dark house - good setting for a beginning
• No sign of anyone apart from a dog until the dog stops on top of a man's bed who is sleeping with the TV still on.
• Suddenly the TV that was suddenly playing in the background goes static and the dog seems to be frightened - something's about it happen
• "Not Again" as in it happened before to the character - alien abduction
• Opening Titles - ruined the "wow" factor about it, very obvious effects and not all that effective to make it dramatic
• After the opening titles I'm left to wonder if the scene change is before or after when the man was kidnapped by the aliens
• People speaking too quickly so I have to find out later who's who and what are their names
• hostage situation, mad man is scared but no one believes his story apart form one who is the progestist - Mudler, lots of mid-shots and long shots
• Prolonged flasing lights in the flashbacks are bad for anyone who is epileptic
• There times where it can be Dramatic Irony for the viewers and and some points isn't
• Good effect at the end where the woman is kidnapped by the mad man and all the viewers hear are the sounds and see only the answering machine

In Epsiode Two there was an editing error - the main hero Mulder gets into the passenger seat and his friend drives, the scene changes and it's Mulder who is driving and not his friend. Twists and turns and distractions cause death