Soundtrack - Stravinsky - Firebird

This is the piece of music that we used in our thriller, this is of course the original version, we edited it and re-arranged it to fit in with the flow of the thriller.

Soundtrack Evaluation

We originally did not want to use any music in our thriller or have a soundtrack at all, duw to the nature of our film we could not find any music which could effectively emphasise the mood. We also saw this use of absolute diegetic sound in 'No Country for Old Men' which we thought was very powerful and really made the film seem real. However after some tests and trials with different types of music we finally decided on a song that sounded good with the film. The song we chose was Firebird by Stravinsky, however I cut it and arranged it into a manner which is more dramatic and fitting to the action in the film. This has evidentially been noticed by the audiences who have watched our film as the majority have commented on how powerful the music is and how it helps set the mood. The film is also relevant to the film as the story behind the song is that the Firebird is captured and forced to beg for it's life, the same as the girl in the freezer.

Costume Evaluation

After conducting our audience research and discovering that our target audience prefer modern thrillers we decided to try and choose an actress similar to those in modern thrillers, so we recruted an actress who looks similar to Uma Thruman. In the end we decided on the costume, worn by our actress, for a number of reasons. As our actress has blonde hair we decided to dress her completely in black to cause a strong contrast, making her hair look even lighter next to the dark clothing. The light hair gives her an innocent look which gives her a certain irony. If closely insepected the black jacket has a faint grey criss cross pattern which gives a cage like appearance. Making it almost as is she is encaptured within the black of the coat and with black being a colour associated with evil, it gives her a dark look. This connotes that she is a good person but she is trapped inside an evil world, causing her do evil things, such as stealing this suitcase.

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Rules and Regulations

There are certain rules and regulations we have been issued via our teacher, that we must abide by during the filming of our thrillers and whilst we are featuring in the thrillers of other's.

1. Nothing explicit is to be performed infront of the public.
Eg: No guns, fights etc whilst in public places.

2. No risks are to be taken during filming.
Eg: No-one must at any time take any dangerous risks, such as laying in rivers pretending to be a body or using any dangerous filming positions.

We were then giving a list of things that we must do, it is as follows:
1) Book camera
2) Buy film
3)Make sure shooting schedule is appropriate to actors and they can make it

Storyboard

I have completed/coloured my storyboard which takes you frame by frame through how the thriller opening is going to look and scanned it onto the computer it is as follows:

Scenes 1, 2 and 3.

The frames read,

Shot 1#: Pitch black, just noise of heavy breathing and someone running through woods

Shot 2#: Camera acts as character's eyes as they are running through woods towards arch.

Shot3#: Camera on floor, watches as character runs past, only sees feet.

Scenes 4, 5 and 6.

The frames read,

Shot 4#: Camera in tree watching character run towards camera until she has passed it and gone out of sight, camera then changes to shot 4#.

Shot 5#: Camera in the tree across from that of shot 4#, watching character running still.

Shot 6#: On roof of building, watching character in distance stumbling over and running on, to the building.

Scenes 7, 8, and 9.

The frames read,

Shot 7#: Watching, from under the stairs, the character running up them.

Shot 8#: Watching down on character running up the stairs and trying the door.

Shot9#: Watches character enter the room from a high point inside the room.

Scenes 10, 11 and 12.

The frames read,

Shot 10#: Camera follows character's head as she lookd around the kitchen, getting used to the dark. It then focuses on the open fridge door.

Shot 11#: Camera watches as character walks through kitchen towards fridge.

Shot 12#: Camera watches character open fridge door and enter the fridge.#

Scenes 13, 14 and 15.

The frames read,

Shot 13#: Watches the door being pulled closed and gently shutting.

Shot 14#: Pitch black (emphasis on the darkness inside the fridge.)

Shot 15#: Focusing on lights powering up.

Shots 16, 17 and 18.

The frames read,

Shot 16#: Focuses on legs of body inside fridge.

Shot 17#: The camera follows the legs up to the abdomen and gives a full shot of the body.

Shot 18#: Watches character back into corner and slide down the wall to sit on the floor. (Having dropped the brief case.)

Shots 19 and 20

The frames read,

Shot 19#: Camera focuses on the open brief case and its contents. (Bags of coccaine.)

Shot 20#: Lights go out and leave her in pitch black darkness and the lock on the door clicks. (She then screams and the opening is over.)

Location Evaluation

All of our film is going to be shot in and around Drayton Old Lodge, an Edwardian Country Manor just off Drayton High Road in Drayton. We will be using the back of the building and the woodland area around it to shoot the film, so it will be the more unglamorous part of the property where the staff smoke and the bins are kept.

The area indicated by the yellow arrow, in the map shot above, is where abouts the film is going to be shot.

We have been around the area and photographed the main parts where we will be filming:

1.

This arch, that is in the wall that runs through the woods, is featured in our first shot, where the camera is acting as the character's eyes as she runs through the woods.

2.

This is the path that she then carries on running up towards the building. Note: plenty of leaves at this time of year, which are useful in providing digetic sound that is needed along with the character's breathing.

3.

This is the less glamorous part of the building she comes to after running through the woods. Note: the dingey lit area featuring the bins and temporary fencing give the area the unglamorous location effect and the lone light in the foreground emphasises the loneliness and almost emptiness of the area.

4.

These are the steps the character comes to when she reaches the building, Note: the broken gate, empty paint bucket full of cigarette ends etc both ephasise the lack of care given to the area. The steps are also important for one of the shots used, its going to be shot from the angle the following picture was taken from:

This shot will be taken as the character runs up the steps to the fire exit.

5.

This is the shot used as the character enters the fire exit doors into the kitchen, where she finds the fridge, Note: the inside of the building is rather unglamorous too, this is emphasised by the bland colours used in the kitchen. The bright white walls too fit into the mise en scene as they almost seem to dazzle the character after she has entered from the darkness outside.

6.

This is the immediate shot as the character looks around the room. She then looks to the left side of the room and sees:

The character then looks to the right and the camera looks across too and sees this half of the kitchen:

7.

The character then focuses on the fridge door which is open slightly and starts walking over to it.

8.

This is the roof window that the shots, following the character's progress across the room, will be filmed through.

This location that we have chosen utilises the thriller genre as it gives us ideal opportunities to create the perfect mise en scene of a thriller. Such as the dark staircase and woodland area contrasting with the blindingly white, sterile looking kitchen. The fridge for instance, it is a small claustrophobic space, connoting entrapment, and without interior light is absolutely pitch black creating fear and a feeling of not knowing what could happen next.

Prop Evaluation

Originally as a group we had not intended on using and props in our opening. However since then we have changed the plot to include a brief-case full of coccaine, as the main object of the opening. so for this we have decided to include a briefcase like the following:

We also need to find a suitable prop to be used as the coccaine which is stashed away inside the suitcase. So we decided to use clear polythene bags filled with flour, like the following:

We did also consider using a prop for the corpse, inside the fridge, however we decided to just get another actor in to play the part.

Character Description

Our ideal character for the lead role in our opening thriller sequence must fit the following description:
-White
-Female
-Blonde
-Oldish looking (18+)


We are also going to include the corpse inside the fridge as a character, as its going to be a person posing as the corpse, not a prop. However the appearance/description only needs to include the following:
-White
-Male
-Dressed in a suit

Plot Summary

The Character featured in our thriller is carrying a suitcase, she has stolen. She is running through woods towards a building she can see in the distance to escape from what is following her. She reaches the building, clambers up the stairs to the fire exit and manages to get in. Once inside she surveys the kitchen she has entered and notices the walk-in fridge door is open and ventures inside to for a hiding place. She feels the wall and finds the light-switch and turns on the lights. She then sees on the floor the body of a man and in the shock drops the suitcase which opens, spilling bags of coccaine onto the floor. Its then that the lights go out and the door lock clicks, she screams and its over.