Further Planning

This is some further planning we did touching on aspects such as costume and dialogue. We were influenced by the voiceover on "No Country For Old Men" and started to consider using the same technique. We decided it could either be from a central character or a police detective investigating the murder. We also looked at possible props we could use to create more realism in our scenes. These included:

• Specific make up (white powder, red lipliner and blusher) to make the victim look dead from being strangled.


• Hiking poles


• Crime Scene tape*


• White sheet*


• Camera and Tripod


• My camera


• Voice Recording device*
  

* - Not needed. We were planning on having a third scene where a police investigator was at the crime scene with a voice recorder and there was a white sheet over the body. However, we felt this was not neccessary and we created an effective opening with just the two scenes.

Voiceover Script

Following on from our research and inspiration from "No Country For Old Men" we wrote out a voiveover script that introduces the small town that experiences unusual, frequent disappearences. We decided it should be from an omniscient narrator as it was the most accessible option for us since we were no longer doing a third scene with a detective.


Narrator: "I've lived in this town my whole life, which is surprising because people dont usually last that long. No-one stays. This town makes a nice stop for travellers who, true to their name, travel on. This town is dead. Nothing seems to go on here except...people disappear. You get used to it after a while. Most of them are never found. Beyond the town is Morse Woods and I figure that if you were going to be found, you'd be found in there. The few people who do stay here are hard-working, honest and religious. Even so, they've seen their fair share of murder. "
*First scene of the victim running plays, ends with her lying dead on the ground*
"Like I said...their fair share of murder."

Opening Voiceover : No Country For Old Men

This is where our insipiration came from when it came to a possible opening voiceover. The set of stills show the type of location the film is set in, a quiet rather deserted land and the accent of the male voiceover also gives away that it is in Southern America. We were amazed by how such a simple and unexciting opening could be so effective in commencing the film. It grips the audience by making them focus on the powerful delivery of the voiceover as there is no music to accompany it, and although it gives nothing away, it intrigues you to watch on. We hope to create the same effect, however with music in the background as we feel it will help engage the audience more for our particular piece.

Costume Sketches

These are the costumes sketches for the victim and the hikers. We wanted to make sure the victim stayed casual and unsuspecting so that the audience remain unaware about the character and her fate; to do this she is wearing jeans, a vest top and a leather jacket. The sketch of the hiker is wearing the typical attire you would expect; a fleece, rucksack, combat trousers, waterproofs, hiking socks and boots. This ensures they look genuine and believable.

Storyboard : Thriller

This is the initial storyboard we drew up when our location was in the cornfields. It shows the camera angles and different shots we would have used and the run through we did there matches these well. As we had to change location though, we just tried to create the same sort of shots as we had originally planned although this wasn't always possible, for example we had no alleyway to open the scene.

Stills from thriller filming

Here are some still shots i took on the day of filming which show the location, costume and the group!

Film Classifications

The certificates for films are decided by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). This is an independant, non-governmental body which was set up in 1912 for several reasons:

- "we give the public information that empowers them to make appropriate viewing decisions for themselves and those in their care. We help to protect vulnerable viewers and society from the effects of viewing potentially harmful or unsuitable content while respecting adult freedom of choice.

- we provide media industries with the security and confidence of cost-effective, publicly trusted regulation and help to protect providers of moving image content from inadvertent breaches of UK law.

- we are able to assist Trading Standards officers in their enforcement role"


The Categories are as follows:


U - Suitable for all

A 'U' film should be suitable for all audiences ages 4 years and over.
They should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.



PG - Parental Guidance

General vieweing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
Should not disturb a child aged around eight or over.

12A/12 - Suitable for 12 years and over

Exactly the same criteria are used for these two. The 12A catergory exists only for cinema films as children under 12 cannot see the film unless they are accompanied by an adult.

15 - Suitable for only 15 years and older

Nobody younger than 15 can see a 15 film in a cinema.

Could be due to language use, violence, sexual scenes.. etc.

18 - Suitable only for adults

Nobody younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema.
Again, due to aspects of the content.




R18 - R18 films are only to be shown in specialised cinemas or liscened sex shops and may not be supplied via mail order. Any content is permitted except that which may encourage sexually abusive and illegal behaviour such as paedophilia or rape.

Reference: www.bbfc.co.uk

Initial Ideas : Thriller

The Initial Idea we had for our thriller was based around a murder. As a group, we thought about the conventions of this genre and what we typically expect from one when we see it. The idea of someone running through a deserted location came into play and we decided this matched the expected criteria well. A chase scene creates excitement and suspense for the audience so we thought this would be a good start to the sequence. It was decided that the murderer would stay anonymous as although it ended up as an obvious murder, it ensured there was still a sense of mystery and allows the rest of the film to develop and unfold who did it and why. We discussed several methods of how the murder would happen, the location, clothing, props, dialogue and camera angles. Our initial plans changed slightly as well due to difficulties with the location. We expanded gradually from the starting block of what a murder involved and had to work on more detailed ideas along the way. We also drew inspiration from "No Country For Old Men" which we had viewed in class, for example, the countryside location and the costume and props.