Location choice

The location we have chosen to shoot the scenes for our coursework in is an esate block. The main reason we decided on this location is because it complies with the stereotype of a troubled teenager in London nowadays making the storyline easier to relate to with the audience. As we are using the idea of a teenager in a crime world the estate location is clearly a good one to use the stereotype and back up the image of his troubled life. Another reason why we chose an estate block is because it is a tall building and as we want the boy to be watching a man in the street from a distance a room high up in an estate fits the bill perfectly. This therefore allows us to do over the shoulder shots through the window to show the man in the street from the teenagers point of view and create the stalking affect.

In terms of practicallity the estate idea also suits us aswell, the main reason for this is that a member of our group lives in an estate block in white city, therefore meaning we can easily use this as our location. This also means we dont need to ask for any permission to do our filming because we are on our members property. This then makes it a lot easier for us to then do the filming.

Overall we have chosen an estate block for our location because it suits our storyline and adds to the teenager in London idea and is also easy to use and shoot at, making it an ideal location for our group to use.

Synopsis of Thriller Film

The main idea for our thriller movie is a crime thriller involving a teenage caught up in the dangerous street life. Below is the synopsis for our thriller:

Brought up into a life of crime, Grant finds himself wanting a way out.

With no parents by his side, and no help from society, cheating the system is the only escape.

Living a life filled with misery and disappointment, Grant looks forward to nothing else than planning his next move. Just to get by, he's got his freedom on the line.

Analyses Of Script

INT. Boy's room. Day.

Boy stands by window having a cigarette, silently watching innocent looking man walking on street. Over the shoulder shot shows the man down on the street from the boy's perspective. Close up on certain actions of the boy smoking. The smoking shows the casual approach of the boy which due to the over the shoulder shot we assume is linked to the man on the street.   

                                           Voice over says (in a deep and depressive tone):

                         "Thats my target, i never planned life to be like this, but it is how it is." 

We have decided to do this at the beginning of the thriller as it opens up what the rest of the potential movie will be linked around. The use of the over the shoulder shot is key in this scene as it will definitely establish to the audience what the character's possible motives will be and where the movie will take place around. The voice over is also being used in order to explain the scene a little more to the audience and it creates tension and suspense as the deep and depressive tone will cause the audience to know that something tense will be taking place. The dialogue helps to create enigmas as the audience will want to know things such as 'why is he targeting this person?' 'How do they know each other?' etc.

EXT. Street outside boys block. Day.

Shot of man walking in the street as we know boy is watching (omniscient audience). Portrayed as innocent an seemingly normal, average business man on his way to work with a briefcase and smartly dressed. Shots cut between boy and man to show connection. Camera is mainly eye line shots from boy to man, medium shots of man and close ups of boy's eyes. This shows the definite connection between the two but the audience doesn't quite know what. 

This has been used in order to connect the two characters further but from the innocent protagonists point of view. As the protagonist is smartly dressed and seems like a normal man the audience will easily be able to pick up on the fact that he is definitely endangered which is backed up by the constant camera shots, close-ups, eye line shots and camera movements. This part of the sequence will also raise suspense and tension because the audience are omniscient due to the dramatic irony. Enigma in this shot should be raised in the audience as now they will be wondering more things such as 'How is he going to kill him?' 'Why is he going to kill him?' etc

INT. Boy's room. Day.

Titles and boy getting dressed interchange, final shot shows boy placing gun/knife in jeans. The camera shots are mainly close ups of props and clothing mixed in with blacked out screens with the titles on. The close up of the weapons show their importance and raise tension because the audience assumes the worse when they see the weapons but don't quite know what he's going to do with them.   

Score: Bashy-Ransom 

This is being used in order to create more suspense in the audience as they will see the knife or gun and immediately feel shocked by what they've seen. The constant close ups and camera movements showing the props and clothing will help to set up the scenario for the audience and help them to understand the plot a little more. The close up of the weapon will reveal to the audience that it is a key prop and they will begin to associate that with the man and enigmas will be answered such as 'how is he going to kill him?' etc.

INT. Boy's room. Day. 

Boy puts his hood up, showing he's ready for action and leaves his room, door slams. Camera is a low medium shot from behind showing the boy leave. The low shot makes the boy seem bigger than he actually is so that he becomes an intimidating figure. The hood also creates a mysterious aspect about the boy as he's never fully revealed. This then cuts to a blacked out screen with the film name on top. 

The camera shot of the boy putting up his hood will allow the audience to visually know that he is going to begin moving, creating more tension as now the audience will think that he is going to kill the man now. The shot behind the boy leaving his house will show the audience that the real action is going to begin very soon and the blacked out screen revealing the name of the film will want the audience wanting to know what is going to happen next, making them want to watch the film if it was to be made. All this tension created throughout the sequence will enable the real motive of the film to easily be spotted by the audience.

Analysis of Saw Opening Sequence

Analysis of Saw Opening Sequence

We looked at the opening scene to the movie Saw as part of looking at key opening sequences. The scene begins with the titles being shown. The title ‘Twisted Productions’ is presented in the middle of the screen in blue over a black screen. This immediately gives the audience a picture of what to expect from the upcoming movie. The production titles are repeated again in silence, with no score being used. Next, the titles of the production team of Saw are presented, again with no score but instead with the asynchronous sound of water dripping. This contributes to the opening scene as it adds tension and suspense as the sound of water dripping is conventionally linked to a dark, damp place. Once the titles finish the viewers are presented with the actual opening sequence which begins with a tracking shot of a key prop which helps to create the first enigma. This brings the question ‘What will that key be used for?’. The first character is revealed as male character who wakes up, gasping to regain his breath. In fear, he screams out for help and is answered by another person, who is yet to be shown to the viewer. This creates an enigma as the questions of who the other character is and why they are both in that setting arise. A medium shot shows the two characters with faces filled with worry and genuine fear. A long shot then takes place to reveal the whole setting and the situation the duo find themselves in, chained up in an unfamiliar surrounding. This creates another enigma which increases suspense. This is because the audience can now see the characters are chained up and are clearly being held against their will, but why? Another enigma is then created as the viewer is introduced to a 3^rd character who is dead along with two key props in a cassette player and a gun. The enigma created brings the question ‘why is the person dead, how did he die ?’ and ‘what importance do the cassette player and the gun have?’

What is the purpose of an opening sequence?

The purpose of an opening sequence in any movie is to establish a mood and introduce the audience to what genre the upcoming movie will be part of. An opening sequence does not have to be in a linear order as shown by the opening sequence to ‘London to Brighton’ where the opening sequence begins in the middle of the plot. This helps to create enigmas as due to the plot having already moved on, confusion is created and the audience begin to ask questions which also creates tension and suspense. Main characters are also introduced via the opening sequence. Disequilibrium’s are also set up in terms of narrative. The plot and theme of the film are also set up for the audience as part of an opening sequence.

What are the common techniques and conventions to an opening sequence?

Opening sequences involve many different techniques which introduce key aspects to the movie as well as assisting to build a narrative structure. The main cast and production team are introduced via titles which are conventionally are over a black background. The title of the film is shown at the start of the sequence which creates tension and suspense as well as giving the audience of what they are about to watch and what to expect. More enigmas as created via the use of non-linear order die to the characters not being introduced but instead, just being placed in front of the viewer. Red Herrings may be used in the opening sequence to create enigmas as well as creating a suspenseful atmosphere. The color of which the titles are presented in also plays a significant role in the audience’s perception of the upcoming film. An example of this is the use of darker colors which shows the intensity of the film as well as adding a more serious atmosphere. Another key aspect of an opening sequence is sound. Conventionally, thriller movies do not contain dialogue in order to create suspense. A score can instantly influence the atmosphere or mood surrounding a particular character and how the audience feels towards him/her.

Peter Christopher Boguszewicz

Script

INT. Boy's room. Day.

Boy stands by window having a cigarette, silently watching innocent looking man walking on street. Over the shoulder shot shows the man down on the street from the boy's perspective. Close up on certain actions of the boy smoking. The smoking shows the casual approach of the boy which due to the over the shoulder shot we assume is linked to the man on the street.   

                                           Voice over says (in a deep and depressive tone):

                         "Thats my target, i never planned life to be like this, but it is how it is." 

EXT. Street outside boys block. Day.

Shot of man walking in the street as we know boy is watching (omniscient audience). Portrayed as innocent an seemingly normal, average business man on his way to work with a briefcase and smartly dressed. Shots cut between boy and man to show connection. Camera is mainly eye line shots from boy to man, medium shots of man and close ups of boy's eyes. This shows the definite connection between the two but the audience doesn't quite know what. 

INT. Boy's room. Day.

Titles and boy getting dressed interchange, final shot shows boy placing gun/knife in jeans. The camera shots are mainly close ups of props and clothing mixed in with blacked out screens with the titles on. The close up of the weapons show their importance and raise tension because the audience assumes the worse when they see the weapons but don't quite know what he's going to do with them.   

Score: Bashy-Ransom 

INT. Boy's room. Day. 

Boy puts his hood up, showing he's ready for action and leaves his room, door slams. Camera is a low medium shot from behind showing the boy leave. The low shot makes the boy seem bigger than he actually is so that he becomes an intimidating figure. The hood also creates a mysterious aspect about the boy as he's never fully revealed. This then cuts to a blacked out screen with the film name on top. 

Classification

When choosing what classification you want to be in with a thriller film you have to think about the boundries enforced by the classification. Thrillers are bound to have quite sophisticated themes which would not be allowed in such classifications as "U". A thriller film may also wish to use a certain amount of violence, thus increasing the age classification it is likely to be put in. For a Thriller the best classification to aim for is 15. This would allow a certain amount of violence and a complex and sophisticated storyline meaning when creating the film you are less constrained with what you do. Having a classification of 15 also tells the viewer that there is certain adult themes, likely to create a greater intrest in the film because if a film is classified a PG adults arent going to watch it as they will feel its too childish but children wont watch it either because it would be too serious for them. Therefore a 15 ensures that the likely target audience of teenagers and adults can be met. In the case of our film it will be a crime thriller that will be targeted at 15-21 year olds. Therefore making the classification of 15 perfect for our film as it allows all of our target audience to watch it whilst also allowing us to put in a more violent theme such as the planned teenage hit man, a 15 rating allows us to include basic shooting or violence as long as its no too graphic. This action is likely to then appeal to the audience of males who are 15-21 because they would tend to sway towards more violently orientated films. 

BBFC classification

U: A film classified as a universal film is meant to be suitable for children aged 4 years and over. Theses type of films should offer positive morals, and counterbalance any themes of violence, threat or horror. There should only be anti drug messages, natural nudity, mild horror and no dangerous behaviour which children are likely to copy.

PG: A PG film should not disturb a child of 8 or older, however parents are advised to decide themselves whether the film is suitable for their children. More violence is permitted, however they need to be in context, in bare details and appropriate to the film.

12/12A: Both are seen as films that are suitable for those who are 12 years and older but not for children that are younger. 12A is a classification for cinema films only as it allows children under 12 to watch the film but only when accompanied with an adult who is responsible for them. More is allowed in terms of violence and horror, however it should not be dwelled on, glamourised or seen harmless to the audience.

15: This is a film that is not appropriate for anyone under the age of 15. No theme is prohibited in this classification however with things such as horror strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised. Also violence can be strong but not dwelled on or too gory.m

18: No one under the age of 18 can watch a film certified 18 and it is to correspond with the human rights act of 1998 that states adults are free to choose their own entertainment.

R18: This is restricted 18 classification is only able to be showed in certain registrered cinemas. It tends to contain the top gory images and sexual scenes.