Case study: Essex Boys

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Thriller Research

Black Swan

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Release date:  22 October 2010 (UK- London Film Festival)

Writers: Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz

Star Actresses/Actors: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel

IMDB User review: 'to look at Black Swan in another way, it is an operatic horror film, It has incredible style, but uses it not so much to dazzle but to confuse and intimidate. The paradox of Black swan is that it creepiness is kind of seductive, because it draws you in'

Awards: Natalie Portman won an Oscar for best performance by an actress in a leading role. She also won many other awards for being the best leading actress/outstanding performance.

Natalie Portman plays the role of a ballet dancer called Nina and goes into an intense battle with a new arrival, Lily, played by Mila Kunis who seems to be determined to get her out of the spotlight. Nina desires to be the Swan Queen in a production of Swan Lake by acclaimed theater director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel).  Both dancers impress him. Swan Lake needs a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who denotes deviousness and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role effortlessly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. The two dancers develop their rivalry into a twisted friendship; Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that lurks to destroy her. 

This film relates to the aspects of a thriller genre as it uses a dark logo: crosscreek pictures which is recognised a lot in the psychological thriller/horror category of films. Also, the black background is a common feature in these type of films.    

Additionally, it shows the leading character dancing alone in a dark room, therefore we see her as isolated from everyone else. The film uses lots of close ups of the protagonist showing a terrified expression resulting in the audience feel uncomfortable. Common features of the film are a dark background, use of make-up on the main character - hiding her identity and focusing on something that is not as it appears with the character. For example, an unexpected change in personality and a crack in the face on the DVD cover. Characters in thriller films can be similar such as appearing fairly normal on the outside but their is something dark or mysterious within.

Peter Bradshaw reviewed this film in 'The Guardian':

"Black Swan is ionospherically over the top, and some of its effects are overdone, but it is richly, sensually enjoyable and there is such fascination in seeing Portman surrender to the madness and watch her face transmute into a horror-mask like a nightmare version of Maria Callas. It is exciting, quite mad and often really scary."

I disagree with this statement as I believe if its effects were not overdone, the film would not be as an intriguing as it is, it would be a lot less interesting if this was the case. However, I agree that it is enjoyable because the story line is unusual, therefore it makes you want to continue watching the film as whilst watching you are full of trepidation but you are captivated, so you want to find out what happens in the end. Overall, I thought this film was very gripping and found the story line to be really interesting as I had never seen a film like the way this film was set out before.

The Woman in Black

Director: James Watkins
Release date: 10th February 2012 (UK)
Writers: Susan Hill (novel) Jane Goldman (screenplay)
Star Actresses/Actors:Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Ciarán Hinds
IMDB User review:Woman in Black is a chilling film, it kept great suspense throughout and had me on the edge of your seat waiting to see what was around the next corner. A great film with good performances and direction, I really enjoyed it a lot.

Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is a young lawyer who is depressed by the loss of his wife after giving birth to a son. His son, now grown to a toddler, draws pictures of him with a sad face. He is dispensed to prepare a large house for sale on a marsh and travels to a murky village where he is ignored by most of the townspeople. He visits the Eel Marsh House, the estate of the late Alice Drabow, to look it over, but finds his job has grown more terrifying as it is haunted by the ghost of a woman. He learns from the villagers that the ghost of the woman in black seeks revenge against their children because her child was taken away from her. Kipps is befriended by Sam (Ciaran Hinds) and his wife Elizabeth (Janet McTeer) Both who have also lost a son, and they help the lawyer to investigate the background of the estate and what happened.

This film indicates a thriller genre as again the logo showed in the trailer is crosscreek pictures. Also, the trailer uses a voice over of a child narrating which signifies the innocence and purity through the nursery rhyme the child recites. The nursery rhyme is quite menacing and is played at the same time images from the film are being displayed. This creates an apprehensive atmosphere towards the audience which highlights the thriller genre. Additionally, several close ups are used. The close ups show toys, this makes the viewers uncomfortable as this is the only thing they have to focus on. The appearance of toys may be unexpected as they are displayed in an unusual way to what an audience would expect, creating a sinister atmosphere.

Furthermore, the trailer uses the sound of a children's music box for incidental music throughout. The music is slow and calm and makes the audience feel edgy rather than relaxed as it is played in time with the movements of the toys. The tune is repetitive, therefore it could possibly be foreshadowing that the 'woman in black' is always there.

Additionally, the mise-en-scene setting illustrated is quite dark and everywhere seems quite isolated which makes the audience fear for what could happen. The trailer shows that the houses in the village are  surrounded by bars which gives the idea that the characters feel trapped. Children are shown behind the bars which suggests that they are trapped by the Woman in black. The colours used in this film are often dark which might link to death. The lighting used is dark as well. This creates tension as the audience and characters in the fim are unaware of what could be about to happen. As the lighting is mainly dark, it creates a negative and dull atmosphere.

Xan Brooks reviewed this film in 'The Guardian': "I'll confess that James Watkins's exuberant joy-buzzer direction had me jumping in my seat and clutching pathetically at the armrest."

I agree with this statement. I found the film very exciting to watch because it created a lot of tension and made me nervous as to what was about to happen;it kept me very entertained and interested as it made me want to see what I was waiting for.  Also, I thought that Daniel Radcliffe was a brilliant actor as he demonstrated that he was anxious and quite frightened at appropriate moments throughout the film. Overall, there was a lot of suspense but it made the it was very enjoyable and exhilirating.

Orphan

Director: Jaume Collet-SerraRelease date: 7 August 2009 (UK)Writers: David Johnson (screenplay) Alex Mace (story)Star Actresses/Actors: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman
IMDB User review:Orphan REALLY surprised me. I expected some stupid pg-13 movie that somehow got an R rating. That was not the case. Let me tell you, Orphan is very disturbing at parts, and pretty gruesome. The movie overall is excellent, has some great acting, an amazing script, and excellent execution. The movie really has a lot of suspense and the twist is pulled off very well and packs a big punch to the viewer.

The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard), taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate's delicate consciousness as she is plagued by nightmares. Struggling to regain some impression of normality in their lives, they decide to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves peculiarly interested to a young girl, Esther (Isabelle Fuhram). They quickly welcome Esther into their home. Then a shocking series of events begins, leading Kate to believe that there's something wrong with Esther. The apparently angelic little girl is not what she seems to be. Kate is concerned for the safety of her family and tries to get John and others to see past Esther's sweet disguise but her warnings go unnoticed until it may be too late for everyone.

Orphan illustrates the thriller genre as on the cover for the film, it shows the young girl. There is a contrast of light and dark colours that focus on her to make her look more threatening. Around her eyes and jaws it shows a dark shadow which makes her seem creepy or mysterious. The background is green which could maybe symbolise paranormal or envy. The writing is red and white. Red could represent danger and white could demonstrate that the girl is innocent. However, the white font is unique and looks as if someone has scratched it on which could indicate violence. This could highlight that the young girl isn't what she genuinely first appears to be.

Furthermore, the main plot line focuses on a mystery that needs to be solved. For example, in this film 'Orphan' the plot concentrates on finding out why the protagonist behaves the way that she does. Throughout, this film there is an atmosphere of creepy menace and sudden violence. This thriller presents society as dark, dangerous and corrupt. Esther is interpreted as a psychotic individual as in her past she was a murderer and then sent to a mental institution but managed to escape. The picture below highlights how she is psychotic as she is supposedly a young child and she is using a weapon - a gun. In the film she actually aims and shoots at characters, this is abnormal for a girl of her age. Also the blood on her hand demonstrates that she is dangerous.

Additionally, the main location in Orphan is the house of the family where Esther goes to live with them. The house is in an isolated area, this makes the audience aware that they are distant from other people, meaning that it would be a struggle to get help quickly if anything went wrong. Also, it shows a winter setting as we see snow in most parts of the film. Winter could symbolise death due to the outside world being very cold and desolate.

Philip French reviewed this film in 'The Guardian': "Although slightly overlong, the film sustains the escalating horror and keeps up its sleeve a truly shocking revelation that's carefully prepared for, though not signalled. Isabelle Fuhrman is astonishing as Esther. "

In my opinion, the film was not too long. I think it  need this time to enable hints to the audience  and make the audience understand up until the most shocking thing is revealed and the mystery is solved. I agree with the review because I also considered the revelation to be extremely surprising as it is so unexpected, although there is many hints throughout the film that she is insane but you never fully understand until the end. I also considered Isabelle Fuhrman to be an amazing actress as the character of Esther as she always kept me intrigued even though I was afraid of watching her because of the series of events she made happen.  This was the intention of the this character, therefore it was brilliant acting. She caused a lot of nerve wracking tension but you would still carry on watching as you wanted to know the solution to the mystery- why she behaved in this certain way that would keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Overall, I really enjoyed this film as it was quite terrifying but still made me want to know what happens. This film definitely stimulated a high level of anticipation and created a lot of anxiety but this made it fantastic to watch.

Evaluation of Preliminary

What planning did you do for your filming task, and how did this planning aid the filming?

In order to prepare for the preliminary task, I practiced all the different camera shots that we might have used as I had never done this previously; therefore I wanted all the shots to look good in our final edit. Our group also created a storyboard. This would be helpful to us we would have a rough idea of what we would want to happen in each scene and where each scene would be located. It was a brilliant idea for my group and me to understand the actual story of our preliminary task. Additionally, I produced a shot list which indicated which camera angles we were going to use for each scene, the location and which characters were going to be filmed. The locations we chose were outside the arc, the canteen, corridors and the study hall. We chose to start outside the arc as this is where the two characters had originally planned to meet but the other character did not show up. Therefore, we showed the main character trying to search for her friend by running through the canteen to get to somewhere. We used corridors so the audience could see where each character was heading. We used the study hall because the other character was actually revising and this seemed like an appropriate location.The characters in our group made sure that they wore the same outfit each time they filmed to avoid mistakes and confusion towards the audience. We planned the conversation to be an argument, for that reason we wanted it to be quite dramatic. When the conversation occurred, we made sure that we stuck to 180 degree rule and included shot reverse shot when each character spoke.

What is the 180 degree rule, and how is this rule important to the filming task?

The 180 degree rule is a basic rule that should imply that the two characters have the same left and right relationship to each other. Therefore, it was important to film the task by shooting on one side to illustrate continuity and avoid switching sides that the focus was on so the audience were not confused.

This diagram explains how in a dialogue scene between two characters, character one in the orange top, frame left in the diagram and character two in the blue top, frame right, the camera can be placed anywhere on the green 180° arc and the structural relationship between the two characters will be consistent from shot to shot, even when one of the characters is not on screen. Changing to the other side of the characters on a cut, so that character two  is now on the left side and character one is on the right, may disorient the viewers.

     What shot types and camera angles did you use in your filming task, and to what effect?
Our group used a range of different shots and camera angles in order to make our film look more interesting and show the characters emotions. For instance, we used close-ups shots because we wanted our audience to understand how the characters our feeling. The close-up shots that we used indicated that the characters were angry or irritated. Furthermore, we used a few tracking shots so the audience could follow the story, these shots allowed us to let the audience know where each character was heading. When filming the conversation, we used a range of shots to make the story more engaging. For example, we used shot reverse shot - showing one character talking then flipping the camera back to show the other character speak. This was effective as it clearly focused on one character at a time, so the audience know what they should be concentrating on. We also used an over the shoulder shot which enabled the audience to see that the character was facing the other character whilst they were having a conservation, this was effective as it is shown from this characters point of view, putting the audience in their place, so they directly understood the conversation. Also, we used close-ups - when one of the characters was frustrated because their friend refused to give them answers to a test and and we used extreme close-up so the audience could comprehend how each character was feeling. For example, in our preliminary we showed one of the characters was annoyed because she was fed up of always having to give her friend answers, so this time she refused to give in. Once, we had filmed everything we watched all of the clips back and realised that we crossed the imaginary axis in the 180 degree rule, so we accidentally broke the rule, therefore we filmed again where we needed to which solved this issue. We used the 180 degree rule when filming the conversation. This was important as it let the audience know which side the character was on. For instance, I was on the left and Nature was on the right, meaning we had to make sure that the audience always saw the characters in these positions at all times, otherwise it would confuse the audience.

What editing skills have you developed?  How confident are you with using the editing programme?  

To edit our preliminary task, we used a programme called 'premiere pro.' I thought that this programme was fairly easy to use once we were told how to use it. I have never used an editing programme properly previously, therefore I have learned how to make clips shorter and cut parts out that we didn't want to use. Also, I have learned how to use transitions when moving from one clip to another in order for the story to flow instead of just cutting straight from one part of the story to another - the cross dissolve effect allowed us to do this. A skill I would like to improve is how to add music to the background of the film and how to change the colour of the film to black and white. However, once I learn this I believe it will be an easy thing to do. Overall, I am confident with using the editing programme as it it is very simple. Updated - going over the preliminary task again, we managed to add music. This was effective as it built up tension towards what was about to happen. However, we didn't keep the music at the same volume the whole way through. For example, we played the music from the beginning up until the conversation. When the conversation was about to happen we made the music fade to a lower volume as we wanted the audience to hear the conversation and it would be unusual for music to be loud whilst people are trying to listen to a conversation. Additionally, we used slow motion when one of the characters kicked her bike and fell back. We did this to make it seem even more dramatic. Also, we made a clip of a close up of one of the characters face black and white. We considered this to be a good idea because it could symbolise how this character was feeling negative and down in the dark.

Storyboard

To prepare for our preliminary task, we created a storyboard which showed what would happen in each scene.  Our story is about a student who wants to cheat on her exam, therefore she is looking through her friend who is revising  as these two students had planned to meet up for the cheater to get the answers. However, the person revising refuses to give her the answers which results in the two of them having an argument. After the confrontation, the cheater leaves in a bad mood without the answers.

Scene 1: Arc.  Cheater waiting impatiently for the reviser to show up ( worms eye view of the main character then a birds eye view of this characters phone - expecting a call)
Scene 2: Canteen. The cheater runs from the arc to the canteen in a panic, unaware that the reviser is in the Study Hall. Change over to the reviser to let the audience know that there is another character and understand what the cheater is searching for.
Scene 3: Canteen. Cheater looks to see if reviser is there, see's she is not and continues to run through corridor.
Scene 4: Study Hall. Finds reviser and enters pod she's in.
Scene 5: Pod.  The two characters get into an argument, the cheater in a temper asks for the answers that the reviser is refusing to give.
Scene 6: Bikes. Cheater is very exasperated, therefore runs to her bike to leave.

Preliminary shot list (plan)

Scene 1: Shot type	Location	Actress
Panning shot	Arc	Nature
Worms eye	Arc	Nature
Long shot	Canteen, walking to study hall	Nature & Lauren
Medium close up	Corridor	Nature
Scene 2: Worms eye	Turning in corridor	Nature
Close up	Study Hall	Nature
Over the shoulder/Close up	Study Hall (Pod)	Nature & Lauren
Shot reverse shot	Conversation in Pod	Nature & Lauren
Close up	Pod	Nature & Lauren
Scene 3: Medium close up	Pod	Nature
Medium long shot	Study Hall	Nature
Tracking shot	Bikes	Nature

Camera training: Still Images

High angle - This is where the camera is placed above a character or object which sometimes tends  to make the object look smaller implying vulnerability or insignificance. 

Low angle - This is a shot is taken from below and it often shows how powerful a character is or it can symbolise something dangerous or someone at risk.

Over the shoulder - This shot is taken from the outlook or camera angle from the shoulder of another character. This shot is used to follow a person or place the audience in the position of the person they are focusing on.

Tilt - This where the camera has been tilted and this shot can be used to indicate confusion or sometimes it is used to insinuate a character having a nightmare.

Long shot - This shot is used to show everything that is happening in a scene as it focuses on establishing the whole location, allowing the audience to see all of the action and everything that's surrounding the characters or objects.

Medium close up - This shot makes the audience concentrate on the character or object.

Close up - This shot lets the audience grab attention towards the features of a person and look closely into the characters emotions. It fully focuses on the object or the character and only shows small detail in the background.

Extreme close up - This is used to closely identify with a character or the action taking place. This shot is sometimes used to denote horror in a thriller film.

Birds eye view - This shot is taken from a 'birds view' (high above) which attracts the audience as it is giving them a different observation of the action.

Worms eye view - This shot is taken upwards from the floor, it is mainly used to imply terror or anxiety and allows the audience to view events from a character's vulnerable perspective.

Questionnaire

NAME: Lauren Standley

GCSE’S RESULTS:

English Literature: B

English Language: B

Maths: C

Science: C

Drama: D

I.T: B

History: B

French: C

Enterprise and Culture Studies: C

Hobbies:

My hobbies include - spending quality time with family and friends, watching films, listening to music and reading.

Media interests:

Print Media:

 I enjoy reading magazines that talk about celebrities because I find it interesting to learn about the life styles they have, although sometimes in the media I do not believe that everything that is mentioned about celebrities is true. Also, I like reading TV magazines so I can find information on programmes I like to watch. Sometimes I prefer to access news on the internet because it is quicker and cheaper to find if you want to look into a subject that is happening on the news.

Radio Media:

The radio station I prefer to listen to is radio 1 because it plays a range of different genres of music; therefore it would suit anyone that listens to the station. I like most of the music that is played on radio 1. They also have a section called ‘news beat’ which is very informative as it tells listeners what is happening nationally and internationally. Also, I find the presenters entertaining as they always have something good to discuss and some shows include special features. Furthermore, they sometimes have guess stars on the radio and interview them and this engages me as a listener as it’s fascinating to find out more about these people.

Music Industry:

My favourite genres of music are – pop, rock and drum and bass. I sometimes access my music on the internet via YouTube. However, I mostly listen to music through iTunes.  I disagree with illegally downloading music. I think that if everyone started illegally downloading music it would not be good as artists and companies would miss out on money that they are rightfully owed, so it would be unfair on them. The music industry could influence the way you dress as people have idols and they want to be like them because they see them as role models, therefore they want to dress like them. People see how their inspiration is dressing and what they have, so they may think if they dress in the same way, they might get what their role models have. It could have an influence on people’s attitudes. For instance, if you listen to music that makes you happy, it can give you a positive attitude towards life or if you listened to deep sad songs, it could make you think about how bad you think your life is, resulting in you having a negative attitude.  The music industry could influence people’s aspirations by celebrities telling normal people to chase their dreams and having inspirational lyrics in their songs.

Video Games:

 I don’t really play video games but I know that a lot of them involve concerns in society, such as: violence and racism. For example in a video game called Grand Theft Auto (GTA) – In this game, you steal cars and this could result to violence in the game which they might enjoy doing whilst playing. Furthermore, girls in this game are not fully or appropriately dressed and have slim figures. This could have a negative effect on females because they may think that they need to have that ‘perfect’ body shape; this could lead to girls becoming anorexic due to eating disorders because they think they need to be like this. Also, main characters are usually men which could imply that men are better and accomplishing tasks than women would be.

New Technology:

I think new technologies, especially the internet have increased my understanding of the world because there are a large majority of websites that tell you information. For example, sites such as Wikipedia allow me to research topics in a lot more detail rather than just knowing information from my general knowledge. The internet has been able to educate me more closely about the things I’ve already learned about before. Moreover, social networks such as Twitter and Facebook have been introduced. These sites have changed the way we communicate with others as we can just log onto these sites and chat to people – our family and friends. It is also easier to talk to more than one person on these sites. Also, with smart phones being introduced, we don’t need a laptop or a computer to access these sites because we can do it via our smart phones. Furthermore, new technologies such as mp3 players and mobile phones have made it simpler to access music. Also as smart phones are portable, we are able to watch videos/films/TV wherever we are, even when we are walking. However, now that we have 3D cinemas, it has improved the film industry greatly by making films more exciting.

Television:

My favourite television channels are E4 and MTV because on E4 I watch Hollyoaks – my favourite soap. Also E4 sometimes show interesting films and also it includes several comedy programmes which are entertaining to watch. I like channel 4 because if I miss an episode of Hollyoaks on E4 I can watch it the next day on channel 4. I enjoy watching MTV as I like the reality programme ‘Geordie Shore’ because it’s hilarious and amusing. Also, MTV sometimes have award ceremonies such as the VMA’S and the EMA’s which I like to watch and it plays lots of good music – I often watch music channels if there is nothing I like on the TV. Additionally, I don’t mind BBC 1 or ITV because I like the reality shows on these channels. My favourite television genre is serial drama. Television programmes I consider memorable are Hollyoaks because I’m always intrigued to find out what’s going to happen in the next episode and reality shows such as Britain’s got talent because some of the talent you see is either outstanding, funny or so bad that you can remember how bad it was.

Feature Film:

 My favourite film genre is romantic comedy because I think they are really cute and humorous to watch and they make me happy but sometimes I find them emotional but I like that because I think that some of these films can be touching.  Three films I find outstanding are: ‘LOL’, ‘My sister’s keeper’ and the 'Final Destination' films. I think all of these films have excellent story lines, although they are all very different. In ‘LOL’ I thought that Miley Cyrus and Douglas Booth were both amazing at acting and the way the director filmed them together made me really focus on these characters. The soundtrack is great too, one of the songs on this film is one of my favourite songs ever – ‘Heart on fire’. Furthermore, the story line in My Sister’s Keeper is emotional and touching that it genuinely makes you think about your life and how you should appreciate everything you have and shouldn't take anything for granted. Final Destination is outstanding because it has a very clever story line and creates a lot of suspense when you watch it because you aren't sure how the characters are going to die or whether they will survive. I thought all the Final Destination films were very fascinating to watch. I prefer to watch films on television or on demand because I can be in my own comfort but I don’t mind going to the cinema, especially if I’m desperate to watch something new. My favourite cinema is Odeon because the staffs are friendly and helpful and the seats are comfy because you can lift the arms up. The cinema is also very big so lots of people can watch a film at a time. I like watching films in a group so after, we can all discuss our thoughts but I like watching films on my own because I feel like I can concentrate more on what the film is about.

Are you a media producer?

I have never produced my own media previously, but I think I’d love to be a professional media producer in the future!

Conclusion:

A media text that has changed my attitude towards me, my family and my friends is a book called ‘the fault in our stars’ because it includes many inspirational quotes and makes you think about how lucky you really are and how you shouldn't take life for granted. Life should be appreciated because it only comes around once. This book has taught me to think positively and treat my family and friends with respect all the time because bad things could happen eventually. Things can change quickly and not be what you expected. I learned that the world is an amazing place when you think of the simple things and go on adventures with the people you love.

I chose media studies as an option because the subject seemed interesting to study and I think that it will be exciting to film our own ideas for the thriller and the music video in year 13. In the future, I hope I am able to study media at university because I think I’d like to have a career revolving around media eventually.