In our thriller we had many story lines, some we thought were way to complex and some way to simple. As a group our main aim was to create a balance of excitement and simplicity. In the end we agreed on how exactly we wanted our thriller to look. Our final pitch was very basic. A young male running thorough a forest and followed/ found by a suspicious male. Even though the location of dystopia is just a forest, by using creative angles and match cuts it gives the viewer different prospective. It also has created a professional atmosphere within the production of the film. As most of our thriller is a running sequence I decided to research the film collateral which we watched in lesson. This film had a key running scene which we study the different camera angles which made the scene very suspensful.
There are many types of thriller sub genres. The legal thriller, romantic thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure and the list goes on. During lessons, we watched many clips of thriller scene. The most effective thriller clip that really helped influence my thriller opening was Arlington road , especially the running section in the hospital. I found this part of the clip exciting and extremely fasted pace, it had great effects on the camera shots. For example, it followed the man running with the boy in his arms very well. The lighting with all white background made them stand out even more, which I think highlighted that this part of the movie was very important. I feel that it made the hospital seemed rather airy and the halls hollow.
Looking at different thriller clips helped us identify the conventions that thriller openings should contain. The location of a thriller is a very vital narrative clue. For example in the shinning the hotel location alone is frightening and makes the audience feel instantly uneasy.
I challenged normal forms and conventions of thriller openings in a few ways. One way we did this was by having no verbal narrative, which I think worked effectively because it created more tension. In addition, lack of dialogue encourages the audience to focus more on the visuals concept of my thriller opening. Another way we challenged conventions was we had only one location, which worked well, as I thought that it would make the forest seem as a crucial part of the rest of movie if it was to be made.
Dystopia is a very versatile thriller opening which I think I would market in a very different way. Instead of doing what most movie advertisements do and concentrate on the main actor. I would instead concentrate on all the actors in the trailer, for example on every billboard there would be a different character and a quote that they say in the movie . As I also think that my film is independent I still think it could be a major success. I would advertise it in urban bars and clubs.
I would only use limited TV adds to attract my audience as I want this film to feel more as an underground exclusive. Also the internet campaign would be helpful as I could advertise the film on face book and my space with offerings of special screenings.
I feel that my media product has the potential to be a Hollywood blockbuster. But I personally think that it looks more of an big independent movie disrupted in the uk release. However as the film has a main Chinese actor I think it would also be disrupted in Asia but only DVD. As I would advertise it on the internet largely I would also dedicate a site for members to watch the movie.
For dystopia to be a Hollywood block buster it would need a well know director and producer who has done a similar kind of product. For example Michael Mann who directed collateral and also Miami vice which are two major thriller movies which were big box office success.
However I don’t think it would need to have a big budget production but an low to middle budget as I think it should be a British film. I think our countryside’s and forests will provide an ideal location. These locations will also help the British audience to be able to relate and identify with. Even though it could be a huge success in America I still think in Britain it would only be view in small independent cinemas and art houses.
I think my film is for an aspires who when watches dystopia they get a sense of adventure and excitement. I don’t think people who watch this movie will 9-5 office workers but instead artistic and creative sort of people who don’t want to settle for just a normal life. My audience will also be regular cinema attendees and love this type of movie. They also can be somewhat eccentric and don’t really fit in a particular social group. My typical person who fits into my target audience is , Andrew ,21, works as a free lance artist also apart of a friends music band. He loves going cinemas and picture houses. He is a regular backpacker and loves enjoying culture with friends. Who shops in vintage store and charity stores and very much involved in volunteer work. My audience will be very into the London/ city urban culture. I think in cinema today not many thriller films have lost their unique appeal to young people
As dystopia trailer only contains two male actors. Both males are young , fit and rather attractive. So I think gives a strong representation of how males are seen more as the heroic and superior gender. However I think it also represents young people of a working class background.
During the filming of my thriller I found that using a camera is not as easy as it looks. At times I found it enjoyable but other times difficult to get the right shot we needed. We shot in on location at queens wood forest on a very cold evening ,which made some shots very difficult . The 1st filming session we managed to get a lot of useful shots and camera footage. By our group our original pitch has changed a number of times but once we got to our location everything came into place and my group ideas began to develop . For example the clip of wing dropping, this was an very good impersonation which we later perfected.
Using final cut pro I found was rather difficult but I enjoyed the challenged. I participated in the capturing and logging and moving clips around to where we thought suited best in our thriller. When it came to editing our thriller I felt in someway are group was very much dived. Adial and wing self assigned themselves to most of the editing and effects. Rihana and myself were in charge of music. I enjoyed using soundtrack pro as I got use to the programme very quickly. We spent a lot of time finding a lot of samples of music that had a fast tempo but distorted sound. We also decide to use some of the original sound from the camera footage as well.
In this project, I found the internet very useful. My main use for the internet was film research, this helped me when it came to filming certain shots and adapting how our thriller opening should look. The internet gave me the opportunity to watch a vast amount of thriller trailers credits, as we wanted ours to b different then just writing them on the screen. Unfortunately my internet access at my home was very un reliable so I could hardly access the blogging site. But what I did instead is write down notes of every process of this project and entered them into the site either at college or when I could get to a computer.
Looking back at my preliminary task, at the time I didn’t really truly understand why we was doing it, but as I started my thriller filming and editing I found that I was always referring back to what I previously did. The match cut task really helped us and we found ourselves actually wanting to create excellent match cut which would capture the audience attention almost instantly .
I also found that I knew what camera angles suited the shot we was trying to create.
However, in the process of making my thriller I learned things that I never did. Like adding mixing and adding music or adding special effects and credits. Learning new things and combined them with the old skills I learnt before, I feel much more confident with editing and production.
(An example of one our credits)
Overall I enjoyed shooting and constructing dystopia. I found it a new experience and a newfound independence as it was total group work and not dependent on teachers input. If I was to do this project differently I would like to get more involved with the editing side of things. And I would also ensure my ideas were more verbal and not to so worried that they won't work out. I would also plan in more detail and not waste as much time on useless shots. When we watched our thriller openings in vue cinema, I found it strange and exciting at the same time . As what was actually on the screen was my work, also it was received well which maybe me want to do it all over again.
