Thriller Animatic Sequence

Here is our animatic sequence showing a rough outline of the scenes we are going to shoot. Each storyboard still is in place of each scene. We have added in some transitions to show how our final video will switch from scene to scene. Our draught soundtrack has been added to the Antimatic sequence to give a feel of how our thriller opening will build suspense and work.

Animatic drawing research

An animatic drawing is basically a prototype for a film, it is to see if the sequences look good and work together this is used in every single animation film e.g. shrek. Our animatic drawing for our AS thriller course work is focusing on photography, how we aim to do this is to use photos to tell part of the story which is used in a lot of successful thriller movies. The music we are conducting using garage band has to suit the drawings and we have to make sure that it works as a production. We have researched thriller music extensively and have watched opening sequences from such films as face off and Matrix and by closely analysing them and by taken notes on the techniques they use we can adapt them. We are going to make our animatic drawing using final cut which is a good program and we have used it before so we are familiar with the possible techniques. I think that doing a animatic drawing is good and bad. It is good because you can take advantage of using the music to get the full feel of suspense in needed places but by the same token it is bad because you cant use the same techniques because it might not work, the most you can o is get rough feel of how you would like it to turn out.

Soundtrack Research - Matrix Soundtrack Analysis

I found the opening matrix sequence (above) which is close to how our thriller opening is going to be. It starts with creepy high pitched sounds for quite a long time as the key characters are introduced. This also helps the viewer to hear the non-diagetic sounds and dialogue. The strange sounds continue before introducing some texture and some trumpets as the chase begins. The trumpets are played together to purposefully cause dissonance which shows the situation is not how it should be and the equilibrium is broken, just as the agent starts to run. When she stops the music calms down and as she starts to sprint the music builds back up, mirroring the agents actions. This helps the viewer understand more as there is more than just the visuals explaining the sequence. The music gets faster when she is closest to danger, for example when the lorry is about to hit her the music gets faster and louder and as she picks up the phone and leaves the matrix, the music cuts. The music switches from loud to quiet throughout the sequence and the music stops in some parts which also shows that the situation is unstable. Also included are transition sounds as the scenes are changed. This makes an un-naturalistic feel which is related to the virtual matrix and also shows the viewer that the time is different in the next scene.

Soundtrack Research

We researched our soundtracks by looking at thriller soundtracks on youtube such as the saw soundtrack and final destanation and seeing what made them good, we then thought of some ideas and which soundtracks we liked and compiled our soundtrack to have similar features. When researching the soundtracks we considered what would go well with our video and modeled it around our storyboard and visual ideas also. As more research we looked at clips which in movies helped build the suspense and added similar clips to our soundtrack to achieve the same effect.

Starting Ideas For Thriller Opening

Our main idea for our thriller is photography. The idea originally came from the student thriller opening "negative" but the theme is used in may other thrillers such as "momento". The idea of using photography is a more psychological approach to the thriller genre. The opening sequence will start off set in a dark room with the camera focusing on a picture of one dead women. The scene will then flashback to the three women walking down a street in Cambridge. The camera will then follow the three women down the street for a few seconds. The camera would then change to a view of the front of them as they laugh and stumble down the road. After this shot the location will change back to the the dark room. The next photo will be on a table, it is a picture of the three women together, and a hand will come from the side to put crosses through two of the women's faces. There will be one girl left without a cross, which starts to ask questions. The location again switches back to the three women as they split up. one walks in one direction and the other two leave in the other.

The lighting will be low or coloured red (for example in the dark room) to effect the viewer via the mise-en-scene. Also the editing pace will be slow until the events in the opening start to un-fold. We have chosen the setting to be Cambridge and the surrounding villages to make a more natural environment which will make our clip more natural and the viewer will find more to relate to and will raise complex questions.

Generic conventions in "face off" opening sequence

Face off has alot of generic conventions that a thriller should have. The very first that is noticed is the idea of paranoia. When the scene is first set there is a man and his son being watched over through a gun sight. The next is more complicated as although there is nothing the father can do to prevent his son from dying it is him that is to blame for his death. The non-diegetic sound in the opening sequence mirrors the characters feelings wich is also another convention. In the opening there is a very clear good guy bad guy theme but as past viewers will know the film twists and turns so that none of this remains clear. The final convention is the idea of equilibrium. The equilibrium is completely shattered in the first opening minutes of the film after the child dies. Bringing in the start of revenge.

negative

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=l6Ppf-HHsWY

Negative is a succesful thriller opening. The first generic convention which was introduced to me as a viewer, was the looped spine chilling sountrack played throughhout the three minutes of film. The second give away of this films genre was the creepy waviness of the text as it came into focus on the screen which was infront of intresting abstract images. The first acting sequence in the opening is the breif shot of a boy looking around then walking off which is well used, because you start asking questions which is what a thriller is.A thriller is a book or film which is designed to keep the reader or viewer on edge with suspenseful and sensational action. Thrillers are enjoyed by many people because of the suspense in the film and the complex plots. In negative the most affective shots are close ups and point of veiw shots. The first close up shot is looking at a series of pictures which introduces the possiblity of a stalker in action. The thing i enjoy about thrillers is how many times you change your mind about what the twist will be, alos i find that you have to whatch some films through twice to see how the twist at the end impacts the whole thing.

Conventions of a Thriller Opening - Se7en

• The opening title sequence of Se7en creates an enigma around the unknown character, immediately raising questions for the audience: 'Who is this character?' 'What is he creating and why?' This mystery intern creates suspense for the viewer.
• The character is shown to be putting a lot of time, effort and detail into what he is planning and uses unsettling images of people. This scares the viewer by making them feeling uncomfortable as they remain to wonder why he is doing this and raises a further question of 'What is he planning?'
• As well as the images, the non-digetic soundtrack is eerie creating dramatic effect by reinforcing the tension for the viewer and by using uncomfortable scratchy and creaking sounds, reflects the unstable mind of the character.
• To work alongside the music, the text is scribbled and scratchy and flickers throughout, once again reinforcing the unstable mind of the character, as if written by him.
  Flashes of images and photos throughout the opening sequence raise question and the quick changes between them create confusion for the viewer.
• The sequence is edited to change from back and white, colour and red to make the sequence appear threatening and sinister.
  Close ups of the character's hands make the viewer focus on what he is doing and creates suspense as his face and rest of body is not shown.
• Although the opening sequence does not reveal the plot, the title indicates what the plot is about, 'Se7en' as in 'Seven deadly sins'.
• The lighing is dark ending in flashes of light. This works alongside the text and music, creating a dramtic effect on the viewer by creating an uncomfortble and scary situation for the viewer. Indicates something evil is going to happen as darkness is associated with evil.
• There appears to be no breaking of the equilibrium, but you could argue that this is because the film already begins unsettled.
  The use of these attributes indicates to the viewer that the character is bad and is planning something evil, as everything used within the sequence is unsettling and uncomfortable for the viewer.

Generic Conventions in Face Off Opening Sequence

Generic Conventions In the Opening Sequence

• Music and Visuals create suspense - The music is happy, but slow. The visuals have a slight sepia tone/old film effect showing creating an eerie feel for the viewer, it also suggests that the clip is in the past which we soon find out when it says "Six Years Later". Also the dramatic diagetic sounds creates more of an impact on the viewer.
  
• There is an close up of the gun which creates suspense as the cover is pulled off it, later there is an extreme close up of the bullet leaving the gun, this is also in slow motion which makes an impact again on the viewer and builds the tension before the bullet actually hits the man with the child.
• It then goes into an establishing shot to show the bad guy silhuetted after seeing the good guy with his son in the previous shot.
• The breaking of the equilibrium is broken by the man being shot by the bad guy.
• Suspense created by revealing of plot - Viewer wants to see what happens next.
• No enigma or protagonist flaw revealed in the opening sequence.