Thriller Evaluation

Thriller evaluation from laurenstandley

Completed Productions

Evaluation draft

Thriller Soundtrack

We searched on sound cloud 'Thriller' and 'Suspense' to find an appropriate soundtrack for the opening to our thriller film. This is the best one that we found as I think it is gradually building tension and it also creates a dull and sinister atmosphere that can relate with the action that is happening in our film. For example, the movement of the wheels on each object and the theft of the memory stick. Also, we considered this to be suitable as our thriller appears as quite gritty.

However, once we placed this soundtrack on the edit, we decided that the sound wasn't matching up to each scene that was taking place, therefore we decided not to use it. This resulted in us searching for royalty free tracks on YouTube.  Despite this, the soundtracks that we liked would be viewed more suitable for a horror film, rather than a thriller, so we haven't used a royalty free soundtrack. Instead, we searched more on YouTube for 'Grime music' to enhance the use of a gritty thriller. This is the soundtrack we all agreed on that we would use:



I believe that this goes extremely well with our edit and does match up with the action that's taking place; it also creates tension for the audience who are watching what's happening, therefore suspense occurs all the way through our opening until the cliff hanger. I am pleased that we have found a soundtrack that is relevant and satisfactory to our thriller film.

Thriller Planning

Thriller Planning

Essex Boys: Point of view shot

Thriller Rough Cut

What are you happy with?

I am happy that we managed to use several effective shots, such as the close up of the wheels on the car, the wheels on the bike and the skateboard - this all illustrated quick movement which builds up the tension in our film. Also, I think that the soundtrack we used added to the tension, and all of this together has created a fast-pace film that still grabs the target audience's attention. I would consider our film to be aimed at 15-25 year olds.

What needs changing?

I think the main issue is that the character appears as if he is waiting to get hit by the car which was clearly not meant to be intended. Also, there is a dodgy zoom at 00.16 which needs to be altered and I think we need to change the font to be more suitable for a thriller genre film, as the one we have used doesn't look appropriate, so this needs to be changed. Additionally, we need to add some titles during the sequence, such as names etc.

Case Study: The Third Man

The third man from laurenstandley

Case Study: Kill Bill volume 1

Thriller conventions in Kill Bill 1 Opening Sequence:

Before we actually  see any action, a sound bridge is used where all the audience can hear is a gunshot then extreme screaming which already convey's the thriller genre as it is adding tension, suspense and creates fear.  A proverb appears on screen and states ' Revenge is a dish best served cold' This hints that this is an action thriller and the bride wants revenge on Bill, although his identity is hidden.

Lighting and Colour:

The colour saturation is black and white which is a convention of the thriller genre as it relates to film noir. This creates a mysterious and menacing atmosphere, already making the audience feel uneasy. The use of this colour is already foreshadowing that something terrible or disturbing is going to happen. Also chiaroscuro lighting is used which also links to a mood of mystery. Alternatively, it could be implying that the darkness is a negative aspect. Whereas, the light could be signifying escape and the dark appears to be a threat. Therefore, this lighting could be showing converse between good and evil. This could be an inter-textual reference from 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' as the title is illustrating a difference in individuals. Tarantino uses black and white in the beginning of the film due to being inspired by how black and white films looked when cinemas first came around. This  links to classic noir films such as 'The Third Man' and 'Gilda', therefore Tarantino is paying tribute to the noir tradition.

Characters:

Bill is wearing cowboy boots which makes him seem flash - he is wearing a ring too, portraying himself as a conceited character. The heel on the boots insinuates that he wants to make himself look bigger and appear as intimidating to other people, therefore the audience learn that he is dominant. The tracking shot of the footsteps we hear from Bill sound threatening.  Furthermore, Bill has his name on his handkerchief which infers that he is vain and think's he is important and more significant than any one else. This could be an inter-textual reference to Jason in 'Essex Boys' who is also conceited. Enigma is used when Bill first appears as the audience can't see his face, but they already learn these things about him.

 

'The Bride'  is first seen with blood on her face and it is obvious to the audience that she is in pain through a close-up of her facial expression. The blood implies that she is a victim of something. Moreover, we are able to tell that she is terrified due to the sound of her breathing heavily to begin with as it indicates that she is currently in an uncomfortable situation.

Soundtrack:

A song being played is Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang. This is an appropriate song as the word 'Bang' highlights danger.  For instance, these words could be associated with a gun being fired. Also, this could be a reference to Frank Sinatra who was involved with the mob - this  involved violent people which references elements of the thriller genre. This could link with 'Once Upon a Time in America' as the gangsters murdered Eve.

Inter-textual references between 'Kill Bill Volume 1 and Blue Velvet':

  The neighbourhood in Kill Bill appears to look  friendly, the use of colours makes the place look like a wonderful place to live. However, it isn't what it seems and a fight breaks out between The Bride and Vernita and glass gets broken and there is blood involved. Likewise, in 'Blue Velvet' the use of bright colours make the place look lovely but again it isn't what it seems as a man hosing his garden unexpectedly has a heart attack and the camera moves at a slow pace towards the grass and this is where the music changes to represent malevolence. Additionally, in Blue Velvet the television is in black and white showing a gun which implies fear and mystery as the only object the audience are focusing on is the gun. This could link to the soundtrack used in Kill Bill 'Bang Bang.'              

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Preliminary task

Thriller Storyboard

Plot

Two teenage boys are out at the park; one of the boys is a skater, whereas the other is a biker. However, a mysterious character drives towards them without any hesitation that the two boys are there, therefore this is happening intentionally. This could be happening due to a past conflict, so we will most likely include a flash back of someone stealing something important. For example, a memory stick would fit in with the mystery genre as it would leave the audience curious as to why it is significant, they will wonder what is on it.

Props

 

We are using a skateboard, a bike and a car to give a sense of movement in our thriller. Hopefully, most of the movement will be at a fairly fast pace in order to create more suspense towards for the audience and look threatening. Also, the movement of the characters will give hints about the type of person they are. We want to include close up of wheels as we saw that it looked great in the film 'duel'.

Characters/Costume

 

Our thriller only involves three characters:  Jason, Gnarly and Norman. We chose the name Jason by referring to Jason  'Essex Boys' as he is a menacing character and he doesn't mind being noticed because he doesn't care. For this reason, in our film Jason will be wearing a Hawaiian themed shirt with skinny jeans. Also, Gnarly will be wearing skinny jeans as we have become aware that this is what most typical teenage boys are wearing at sixth form. However, Gnarly will wear a hoodie as this is what many teenage boys wear and this costume is stereo typically associated with someone who is a thug. We chose the name Gnarly as we thought it would be suitable for someone who skates. Additionally, this name could be linked with someone who is dangerous or challenging. We decided not to show Norman's face to make it more mysterious, but as we are showing a close up of his hand, this character will be wearing black gloves to illustrate a sinister atmosphere. We chose the name Norman referring to Norman in 'Psycho' indicating that these characters have similarities. 

Location

Our location is a local park. We decided this was a good location to use as it is where a typical teenage boy would hang out - especially due to these two boys being a skater and a biker, therefore it is a realistic idea.  Also, a park can be dangerous as not all the people there will know each other, therefore strangers could be intimidating and very threatening. We may also use alley-ways to convey the thriller genre.