Thriller Pitch Review

During the lesson we organised and presented the initial ideas for our final thriller film production. We created an interview of each person in our group, explaining each of their roles and responsibilities as well as the details and conventions that will be used in the film. We organised who would be discussing the specific areas of the thriller film, saying why and how we will successfully achieve a good quality film: Taylor explained the narrative, my role was discussing the mise-en-scene, James talked about the characters and their parts in the film, and finally Charlie who described the setting. We started the filming and positioned the camera for an over-the-shoulder shot to show an interview style to portray the pitch. We also inserted a couple of clips showing our ideas and camera shots of where the different settings will be and what they will look like.

Firstly, Taylor effectively explained the narrative as he talked about the main character (the protagonist) and his experiences and problems he faces in the film. We decided to set the first scene in the present day - here the protagonist is not immediately revealed, but instead is shadowed, conveying an enigma. He sits troubled and on edge, describing his past to another unknown character; this is where the scene then cuts to the past, showing the audience the reason why he is an anxious state which is portrayed in the first scene. This idea and technique of a 'flashback' was inspired from the film "The Usual Suspects" which all group members found very effective and powerful to put across the narrative of the film. The past of the protagonist describes how he was once a scientist who discovered the cause of the extreme acceleration of global warming which would put all of humanity at the risk of extinction. The FBI then find out about his knowledge of the issue creating a cat and mouse chase to stop him from revealing the problem and creating chaos in the world.

Next, I discussed my roles in the film which are the mise-en-scene and editing. Here I spoke about how the costumes used in the present day for the protagonist (first scene) will consist of ragged, dirty and old clothes to show the struggle this man has been through, and also to make the audience ask questions such as 'Who is he? Why does he look like this? What has happened to him?'. All these questions will then be answered later in the film. I then talked about the costumes used in the following scenes; in the laboratory he will be wearing a basic white lab coat along with gloves and goggles. This will reinforce the idea of him being an experienced scientist, making his character look more determined and believable overall. We decided that for most scenes we would use low key lighting; this convention of a thriller will build suspense and tension in certain scenes, while also creating an enigma in the opening scene of the protagonist and the unknown man he is talking to. In addition there will be a number of quick cuts to show the change in time of different scenes, for example the quick cuts of the laboratory experiment scene show how much determination and effort the protagonist is putting into discovering the global warming problem.

James then went on to talk about the characters in the film. He said about the protagonist's personality, feelings and objectives within the film, from the present day of him being depressed, anxious and uneasy about the situation he is currently in, to 15 years in the past when he was in fact enthusiastic, determined and motivated to uncover the secret of global warming. James then went on to state the minor characters in the film, these being the mysterious man listening to the protagonist in the first scene and the assistant of the protagonist who helps him with the experiments in the lab.

Finally, the different settings of the film were described by Charlie. These settings varied from a small, dark and dirty room, to a well presented library and finally the dim laboratory. The opening scene would be the small, dark and dirty room, for this we decided that a corner of a classroom with a window edge would best work for this scene. With the classroom lights off and only light from the window coming through we could effectively create low-key lighting within the scene, making it look dim, run down and emotionless. For the next setting, the library, we decided the school library would be used. Due to this scene being set in the past and also being the beginning of the story we decided bright lighting in the school library with all the appropriate props would clearly convey what the story is about; letting the audience know what is happening and answering some of the questions that may occur from the first scene. For the laboratory scene we needed low-key lighting once again to build the tension of what is happening when the protagonist finally realises the secret about global warming. For this we wanted the room to be spacious, making the protagonist look as if he is extremely busy and determined with discovering the secret as he quickly moves to each experiment at different parts of the room, which will be portrayed through a time lapse. A science prep room would be the perfect setting for this scene as it is indeed a room for experiments, making the whole atmosphere of the scene even more realistic.

Thriller Film Technical Ideas

"Woman becomes obsessed with married man."

A woman searches her married male friend on facebook, obsessed and in love with him. The man accepts, thinking there is no harm in accepting a friend request. Soon she starts 'facebook stalking' him, trying to get his attention and constantly messaging him. To his mistake he posts where he is via facebook mobile and the woman follows him. When he is alone she confronts him trying to persuade and intimidate him to be with her, he declines, but to his surprise she has a weapon on her. Her obsession and the idea that he will never be with her turns her insane, where she kills him and disappears into the night.

"Man gets promoted only to find a secret world of crime."

A man has been working with his company for 5 years and his boss notices his extreme increase of experience, determination, reliability and seriousness towards his job. The man confronts his boss and demands a raise and promotion, this was what his boss was waiting for. He offers the man a job proposition, explaining that it involves an enormous raise, however also challenges, and tasks that could get out of hand. The man accepts immediately signing a contract, uninformed of the life of crime he has got himself into. His boss gives him the first criminalised task, retrieving evidence involved in a crime case from the boss' main rivals, to his shock it will involve torture and killing.

Preliminary Analysis

9 Shot Analysis

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Audience Feedback
I strongly agree with the comment Jon and Jack posted about our Group Zero Productions preliminary film. From the use of our mise-en-scene (props, costumes, lighting) it is very clear and easy to understand who the antagonists are - the masked figures immediately draw the audience's attention to them being the villians when compared to the lonely man in this short film, despite them knowing he is most likely a low life and a drug addict. The darkness and shadows in the film again give a great effect, conveying the genre of psychological thriller in a very simplistic way.
     I also agree with their suggestion of shortening the scene which involved the antagonists moving closer each time the light flickered, however, as the film posted on our group blog was the first attempt at editing, the new and improved film that I had re-edited had not yet been posted. From how Jon and Jack said that the film would fit better in the genre of horror, rather than thriller, unfortunately undermines what they had previously said about how the film's plot, editing and lighting working well and being conventional to the thriller genre - but despite this, I also think the film could suit both genres, thriller and horror.
     Overall, I am very pleased with the comment recieved, and the feedback given. From this my group can learn what works well and what needs to be improved in order to get an even more successful film in the future.
     From this experience I have learnt a wide range of camera techniques throughout the whole time of creating the film. I now know how to develop each stage of producing the film to get a better continuity feel - taking each shot in chronilogical order to ensure the best quality of shot to give the audience a better understanding. By using continuity editing I can now create successful shots to make the film look continuous - this includes using match on action, shot/reverse/shots and the 180 degree rule.
     I can extremely increase and maximise the quality of my film by the use of mise-en-scene and setting; I have learnt that finding a suitable setting before creating the plot will greatly speed up the development time of creating the film. If these are effective enough, then the whole plot of the film will be more suitable and easy to understand, giving a greater sense and atmosphere. If all these aspects are used within my final film production, then we can happily garantee a brilliant and successful film.