Discussion of the ideas

Title: We haven't made a decision about the title of our film. We have 3 options:

• Contingence
• Perception
• Affliction

Characters (antagonist/protagonist/victim): There are 6 main characters: James Harrington, Christina Smith, Mary Smith, Sarah Smith, Arnold Smith and Jerry, Christina's boyfriend. 

Mise-en-scene: police inspector (James Harrington) wears police uniform.

Setting/location: The Old Mount Cemetery Guildford

Narrative opening sequence: The old woman wakes up in her flat because of suspicious sounds which come from her neighbor's flat. She wears her flip-flops and walks through the corridor to look what had happened. When she opens the door, she can see a terrible scene: a young woman with severed veins and her suffocated son. 

Sound suspense: We are going to create suspense through non-diegetic music.

Matt's feedback

On this lesson we gained feedback about our future opening sequence from Matte. I am sure that this valuable and cognitive advices will help us to make our opening sequence much better and hive us an opportunity to avoid mistakes as it is our first video. Matt recommended us to watch this video to emphasize the intention of a crime thriller. Moreover, he said that it will be better not to shot at night because the dark lighting may have a negative impact on our opening sequence. He also said that we should think more carefully about our main character - the detective and how to highlight his significant role. His feedback was very useful for our group as he gave us the direction of how we should move in the next few weeks to create a really good and worthy opening sequence. Moreover, I emphasized from what he was talking that we should think more throughly about editing because it is one of the most significant part of our coursework. To sum it up, this was a really beneficial and good lesson which gave us a lot of new information. What is more, advices and feedbacks are crucial and integral part in creation opening sequence.

How to create a storyboard

7 Techniques to Create a Storyboard

1. The first step is to draw out your storyboard. You can use thumbnail sheets to include a basic sketch and a short description of what the shot is going to look like
2. Meet up with your crew and go over the script of your short film. Check if you have covered each and every scene in the storyboard. If there is anything that you have missed out, then you can add it as a note in the script
3. Take into account the point of view of the camera, and include the camera movement for each shot. Tracking shots, close-up shots, over-the-shoulder shots, and close-up shots are some examples. Including the motion of the camera will help your cinematographer map out the filming of your short film. If need be, add color into the storyboard. You can use different colors to define the mood or the theme of a particular scene. Adding color also makes your storyboard more impressive
4. Take into account the motion of your actors, the props to be used, and the dialogues that need to be spoken during each scene
5. Once you are done with your drawings, you can scan them into an image editing software and make changes
6. Remember to use clear and simple images in your storyboard, so that everyone can easily understand and use the storyboard
7. Finally place your drawings in the right order and create a single file which has the storyboard for the entire film. Now you can easily send your storyboard video to your crew or share it on your computer screen

9 Useful Tips to Remember While Storyboarding

1. Create your storyboard by drawing a series of squares on a piece of paper or you could use a storyboard template. Think of each square as a video frame and add details about each scene/shot into the squares
2. If you good at drawing, you can draw out the scenes by hand. If you are not comfortable with drawing, you can create your storyboard on the computer, take photographs or use cut-out images from magazines
3. Make sure to leave enough space underneath each square. This is where you will have to write in notes and the camera movements
4. People should be able to read your storyboard and understand what will happen in your video, so make sure that you don't forget to add the dialogue that will be spoken for each scene
5. Remember that your storyboard does not have to incredibly detailed. You need not draw in all the props that you will need or even use color in the images. Just make sure that the storyboard gives a good impression of what is going to happen in your short film
6. The notes in your storyboard should include camera angles and movements, the type of transition between each shot and other such details which will be useful to you during the production stage
7. Keep the storyboard simple by trying to use stick figures, basic shapes and uncomplicated backgrounds
8. If need be, draw out your storyboard frames onto index cards. This way, you can easily rearrange and move around the parts of your short film
9. With a detailed storyboard, you can make sure that your entire crew is on the same page and you can prevent any major pitfalls that may affect your cost or production

There is a video which can help if you can't draw:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux_Em1lVsjI

What is a storyboard?

What is a storyboard?  A storyboard is a designer's visual representation of what he or she envisions the final project to look like.  It typically consists of a series of hand-drawn 'cells' the size of a half-sheet of paper or an index card, which represent the initial vision of what the future project will look like.  The connectivity of the storyboards is represented in a 1-page diagram which connects each of the individual storyboards together. When you make a video for your business, be it a demo video, a sales video training video, or any short online business video, planning things out is extremely important.  One of the most important stages of planning out your video is creating a storyboard.

 What is the purpose of the storyboard?  The purpose of the storyboard for the designer to determine a logical format for the information to be presented in the multimedia project.  This means that the designer will make critical decisions during the storyboarding process, including how information is to be grouped and how specific information is to be represented.  Further, navigational decisions will also be made based on the organization of the information.
This is a very useful video about creating your own storyboard.

It is important to create a storyboard before you start shot because:

•  A storyboard is the best way to share your visionA visual aid makes it much easier for you to share and explain your vision for your video with others.  We’ve all had experiences where we were trying to explain something to another person and they just didn’t get it — they couldn’t see our vision.  When you have a storyboard, you can show people exactly how your video is going to be mapped out and what it will look like.  This makes it infinitely easier for them to understand your idea.
•  A storyboard makes production much easier When you storyboard your video you are basically setting up a plan for production, including all the shots that you will need, the order that they’ll be laid out, and how the visuals will interact with the script.  This really comes in handy when you are making your video, as it ensures that you won’t forget any shots.  It also comes in handy during editing, as it serves as a nice guide for your editor so they can piece together the video according to your vision.  This will also prevent you from requesting multiple revisions from your editor, saving you time and money

• A storyboard saves you time
  While it may take you a little while to put your storyboard together, in the long run it will save you time.  Not only will it save you time by making it easier to explain your vision to the people you are working on the video with, but also by providing a solid shot list that will make the creation process go more smoothly.
  
  

 

Moodboard

 
 A mood board is a type of collage consisting of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition. They may be physical or digital, and can be "extremely effective" presentation tools. We use mood board to visually illustrate the style of our opening sequence. Namely. that it is genre is thriller. We decided to create our mood board in a digital form because it may be easier and quicker, but physical objects often tend to have a higher impact on people because of the more complete palette of sensations physical mood boards offer, in contrast with the digital mood boards.

Our Preliminary Exercise

It is our preliminary exercise. Overall, I think we did a good job of the preliminary exercise, however there were a lot of things which I would like to do differently in the future to make our works better. Looking back at the film, I consider that some of the strengths of the film were that the cuts were on time. Moreover, the continuity editing was pretty good and the film seemed to flow quite well. We have done some experiments with various with different shots, techniques and camera angles to see what worked best. However, there were a lot of things which I would like to do differently in the future in order to make the film better. I suppose that it is a good idea to use some close-up shots in our future works in order to show emotions and to vary preliminary exercise. Moreover, during the work on editing our preliminary exercise I understand that it is significant to keep in mind that background noise picks up on video, so to make sure the conditions are right to film. Furthermore, as a group we could remember not   to rush the shots and leave enough time that shots. 

Ideas Development for Synopsis Psychological Thriller

Characters:

• Police Inspector, James Harrington. The main protagonist. Tall, brown hair, mesomorph body composition.
• Christina Smith, young woman, committed suicide and murdered her own son. 27 years old.
• Mary Smith, Christina Smith's sister. Brunette, quite pretty. Skinny, slim. 25 years old.
• Mary's daughter, Sarah. 6 years old. Brown hair.
• Arnold Smith, Mary and Christina's father. Died 12 years ago in a car accident, Believed to visit his daughters in a from of a ghost.
• Jerry, Christina's boyfriend. Short. Quite chubby. Turning bold. Suicides after the conversation with a policeman.

Genre, audiences and institutions

Genre is recognised by both television audiences and institutions alike as a means of categorising content. When genre is used as a device to market this content it provides audiences with a set of expectations which are likely to occur within each ‘generic verisimilitude’. By classifying programmes within a genre it acts as an efficient way for audiences to quickly decide whether or not they are likely to enjoy it based upon their intertextual knowledge, and ultimately whether they will choose to watch it. When marketing and studying cinema it is important to know who the intended audience are so that it engages them and helps them to relate to certain producers so that forthcoming movies are successful as they will be interested if they liked a previous movie.

Genre is very important to both film producers and film audiences because the producers need to engage their target audiences in order to be successful, whilst the film audiences need to be interested and engaged in the genre so that they go and watch the film and get pleasure.
Genre theory is used in the study of films in order to facilitate the categorization of films. Genre are dependent on various factors such as story line, whom the director is, what are the audience expectations. Genre theory through it is us is a method of shortening academic works. It is the repetition and variation of the conventions but it is not just a simple means of labeling or classifying films. Genres can change over time as different social groups/ethnics come about. For example, in the past Western Cowboy movies were the most popular and helped to encourage new ideas for future films like actions, horrors, thrillers, Sci-Fi's and physiological thrillers.

                        

When a new film is made, it has to be advertised like any other new product, to let people know it exists and to encourage them to go to the cinema to see it.
The advertising of a film is known as film promotion or film marketing and the people who are responsible for this are the distribution company, so–called because they distribute (give out) the films to the cinemas and distribute the promotional material around the country.

The way in which a film is promoted can have a huge effect on whether or not it is successful. Films are expensive to make and if the public do not buy tickets at the box office to see the film, a lot of money will be lost. The importance of genre, as well as the role it plays in film decides the audience, ratings and sometimes even the directors and producers. Genre has become a tool used to draw in particular groups based on its organizations of films. It has helped expand the world of film, because it directly points the audience where they want to go. 
     
                                                   Why is genre used

• Genre is important to film producers so they can categorize their film and sell to the right audience. If they don't know what genre their film falls into then they can't start the selling process.
• When they know what genre it is they can make sure the film follows the codes and conventions of that particular genre and make sure it is as appealing as possible to their target audience.

Sub-genre

'Thriller' is a very broad term that is often separated into several sub-genres. These sub-genres often overlap with each other. Here are a few of them:
Action Thriller

Take any other thriller subgenre, give it’s defining elements a back seat, and focus on the action, and you have an action-thriller. This is more common in movies than novels because of the visual appeal of explosions and violence.

• Die Hard
• The Hnt for Red October
• Point Break
• Cliffhanger
• Air Force One

Conspiracy Thriller

In this subgenre the protagonist must confront a large, powerful organization whose threat only he sees. Usually he must do so alone.

• The Manchurian Candidate
• The Conversation
• JFK

Crime Thriller 

This subgenre focuses on crime, and is usually from the criminal’s point of view. Physical action and eluding the police take the place of gathering evidence and trying to discover the criminal.

• Double Indemnity
• The Usual Suspects
• Sin City
• No Country for Old Men

Disaster Thriller

In this subgenre a (usually) natural disaster is taking place, and the antagonist is either trying to stop the disaster, the extent of the disaster, or just save themselves before time runs out and the disaster has run its course.

• Deep Impact
• Final Destination
• The Day After Tomorrow
• Cloverfield

 Erotic Thriller

A sensational genre that is a mix of erotic and thriller films.

• Body Heat
• Fatal Attraction
• Basic Instinct

Legal Thriller

This subgenre takes place in and around the courtroom. Usually the protagonist is a lawyer who has found their case threatening death for either them or their client.

• A Few Good Men
• The Pelican Brief
• A Time to Kill

Medical Thriller

This subgenre involves something usually used for medical purposes becoming a deadly weapon. Often it is a virus that is leaking out to the public. The protagonist or antagonist or both are doctors.

• The Andromeda Strain
• Coma
• Awake

Political Thriller

In this subgenre political relations or the whole government is at stake, and the protagonist is employed by the government to stop the decline. The protagonist may have been low-level before having attracted attention.

• Notorious
• The Crying Game
• In the Line of Fire
• Valkyrie

Psychological Thriller

A personal favorite. In this subgenre a lot of the conflict is mental, rather than physical. The protagonist has become involved in a dangerous situation which literally threatens their sanity. They must use mental prowess to overcome their opponent, whether the battle is inside their own head or it a battle of wits.

• Freaks
• Laura
• Jacob's Ladder

Religious Thriller

This subgenre uses the history and myths of religion. Usually a religious artifact or historical secret is discovered, and different people and groups vie for control.

• The Omega Code
• The Da Vinci Code
• Angels and Demons

Spy Thriller

It’s hard to call this a genre mash-up when spy novels almost have to be thrillers. At any rate, this subgenre focuses on the high adventures of field agents. It is usually set against the backdrop of some war.

• Mission Impossible
• The Bourne Identity

Supernatural Thriller

In this subgenre otherworldy elements are introduced, usually as an antagonistic force, but just as in the romantic thriller, the plot line and feel or distinctly that of thrillers. Some characters may have psychic abilities and other supernatural novel elements may be present.

• Cat People
• Carrie

Psychological thriller and crime thriller appeal to me, as these sub-genres are the most appropriate for our future opening sequence. I really like this sub-genres and our opening sequence will consist of the details and points which can help us to create a really good opening sequence.

The thriller genre as a whole is extremely varied (as opposed to Westerns for example, where every film will look very similar), within the thriller genre there are several sub-genres, within which there will be a high degree of similarity (as was showed by the characters and locations you all came up with for crime thrillers, supernatural thrillers and political thrillers. I am going to look through the psychological thriller sub-genre and point out the the similarities in terms of the characters, themes, events, mise-en-scene.

• Shutter Island 
  
• The Butterfly Effect
  
• Orphan
  

Many thriller films focus on plot rather than character. However, the dynamics of psychological thrillers reverses this concept and gears its attention to the pressing issues of the character. Psychological thriller films concentrate on a protagonist’s mental state of being. In these psychological thrillers the main characters have some mental problems, in other words psychological problems.Yet in these psychological thriller films, the battle is fought through a condition of the mind. All of these films have the common themes which are reality, perception,  mind, existence/purpose, identity and death. There are some scenes in hospital in these films. 

Genre Difference, Repetition and Similarity

                             Steve Neale - Genre Theory

Steve Neale states that 'genres are instances of repetition and difference' and 'genres are not systems, they are processes of systemisation'. He also say's that, definitions of genre are historically relative and are therefore historically specific. Believed that there was a system of expectation and that by using own knowledge and applying conventions of the genre, the audience should be able to infer the narrative and storyline of the music video. He also declares that difference is essential to the economy of genre; mere repetition would not attract the audience. 

                                                      Genre Difference

In spite of the fact that films have the same genre, they can be very different from each other. For example, the thriller 'The others' differs a lot from thriller 'Jaws'. First of all, we can observe a huge differences through muse-en-scene as in 'The Others' the setting is the giant mansion on an almost empty island. The plot is about a woman named Grace who live with her two children Anne and Nicholas in this dark and scary mansion. Grace's husband is a soldier in the second World War and Grace has given her husband up for dead. Everything seems peaceful for her, but when three mysterious servants are given jobs at the house, terrifying secrets are unlocked even Grace can not handle. The setting of the second thriller is peaceful and pretty beach an Amity Island in a hot summer. The plot is about new Sheriff Martin Brody who discover the remains of a shark attack victim, his first inclination is to close the beaches to swimmers. This doesn't sit well with Mayor Larry Vaughn and several of the local businessmen. Brody backs down to his regret as that weekend a young boy is killed by the predator. The dead boy's mother puts out a bounty on the shark and Amity is soon swamped with amateur hunters and fisherman hoping to cash in on the reward. A local fisherman with much experience hunting sharks, Quint, offers to hunt down the creature for a hefty fee. Soon Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute are at sea hunting the Great White shark. As Brody succinctly surmises after their first encounter with the creature, they're going to need a bigger boat. Therefore, we can see two absolutely different films in terms of miss-en-scene, characters, plot and narrative events however they are both relates to the genre of thriller. There are two trailers to see more carefully these differences between two movies of the same genre.

                                                Genre Similarity

However, these two films have some the same points. Firstly, they both aiming to create suspense and tension through different ways e.g. music, actor's movement, diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. In both films storytellers have always employed suspense and adventure to thrill and captivate their audiences. These both  thrillers provides the sudden rush of emotions, excitement, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace. It keeps the audience on the "edge of their seats", akin to a sensation of hanging from a cliff, as the plot builds towards a climax, literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists, and cliffhangers are used extensively.

                                               Genre Repetition
Much content and treatment of films and other media texts is basically the same.
If the content of a media treatment of product is repeated often enough it is accepted as the right way to handle the material. Producers will recognise this as a formula to use and this will set up expectations for the audience.
The main reason why we have repetition of content and treatment is because it sells. But, it stll has to be based on something that is attractive to the audience (the media conventions).
Burton suggest that the cause of this repetition are:

• Different types of media texts - and what is popular
• The content of that product (the character)
• The treatment it is given - it is plot and narrative structure for example.

A genre is a type or category of media product, like a spy thriller. It is the predictability and repeated elements that define a film genre and how it is different from other genres. When two genres are mixed together in a film it is called a hybrid. These elements include a combination of protagonist/antagonist, the use of stock character - archetypes, plots - the familiarity of storylines or parts of them that are predictable and recognisable. This also includes the use of iconography, setting and thematic variations, such as outta space for sci-fi fans or a crime being committed in a thriller.

 

Introduction to Genre

                                           GENRE

In film theory, genre refers to the method based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed. Most theories of film genre are borrowed from literary genre criticism. Besides the basic distinction in genre between fiction and documentary (from which hybrid forms emerged founding a new genre, docufiction), film genres can be categorized in several ways.

The setting is the milieu or environment where the story and action takes place. The theme or topic refers to the issues or concepts that the film revolves around. The mood is the emotional tone of the film. Format refers to the way the film was shot (e.g., anamorphic widescreen) or the manner of presentation . An additional way of categorizing film genres is by the target audience.

Film genres often branch out into sub-genres, as in the case of the courtroom and trial-focused sub-genre of drama known as the legal drama. They can be combined to form hybrid genres, such as the melding of horror and comedy in the Evil Dead films.            
         

               Some examples of the Main Film Genres:

 

• Action Films. This major genre type includes films that have tremendous impact, continuous high energy, lots of physical stunts and activity, possibly extended chase scenes, races, rescues, battles, martial arts, mountains and mountaineering, destructive disasters (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.), fights, escapes, non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm and pacing, and adventurous heroes - all designed for pure audience escapism with the action sequences at the core of the film.

• Adventure Films.Adventure films are usually exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales, very similar to or often paired with the action film genre. They can include traditional swashbucklers, serialized films, and historical spectacles (similar to the epics film genre), searches or expeditions for lost continents, "jungle" and "desert" epics, treasure hunts, disaster films, or searches of the unknown.

• Comedy. Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter (with one-liners, jokes, etc.) by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters. This section describes various forms of comedy through cinematic history, including slapstick, screwball, spoofs and parodies, romantic comedies, black comedy (dark satirical comedy), and more. 

• Drama. Dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations, and stories involving intense character development and interaction. Usually, they are not focused on special-effects, comedy, or action, Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre, with many subsets. 

There are 3 different examples of things that films within a particular genre might share in common.                 

                                       ACTION AND ADVENTURE

An action story is similar to adventure, and the protagonist usually takes a risky turn, which leads to desperate situations (including explosions, fight scenes, daring escapes, etc.). Action and Adventure are usually categorized together (sometimes even as "action-adventure") because they have much in common, and many stories fall under both genres simultaneously (for instance, the James Bond series can be classified as both).

                                          ROMANCE AND COMEDY                

Traditionally, a romance story involves chivalry, adventure and love. In modern writing, a story about character's relationships, or engagements (a story about character development and interpersonal relationships rather than adventures). This genre, much like fantasy fiction, is broad enough in definition that it is easily and commonly seen combined with other genres, such as comedy, fantasy fiction, realistic fiction, or action-adventure. There are a great number of romantic comedy moves which are popular and famous. For example, 'The Proposal'

                                      SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY

Science fiction has a lot of in common with fantasy, except stories in this genre use scientific understanding to explain the universe that it takes place in. It generally includes or is centered on the presumed effects or ramifications of computers or machines; travel through space, time or alternate universis ; alien life-forms; genetic engineering ; or other such things. For example, 'Frankenstein' is science fiction and fantasy movie.     

                                   

Thriller

                                                                    Thriller
Thriller Film is a genre that revolves around anticipation and suspense. The aim for Thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what sub-genre a Thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax.

Examples of thriller films:

• The Great Escape - A large group of POW’s plan an escape from a German camp in World War II.
  

• The Silence of the Lambs - An FBI agent develops a relationship with the notorious serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lector, in order to gain Lector’s assistance in the hunt for another serial killer. 
  

• North By Northwest - Mistaken for a government agent by foreign spies, an advertising agent travels cross-country trying to survive
  

                                 Conventions of a thriller:

• Low key lighting
• Quick cuts
• Shadows
• Tension music
• Changes in the angle of shots
•  Diegetic sound of breathing
• Black and white shots
• Montage of shots
• Protagonist is in the mercy of the Antagonist 

                                                     Sub-genres of thriller

Sub-Genres of Thriller:

Action Thriller 
An Action Thriller uses physical action to create suspense within the film. Like a traditional Action film, this sub-genre will often have continuous motion and action including physical stunts, chases, fights, battles, and races. Often, these scenes will contribute to the overall sense of danger that the protagonist is facing. 
Examples: Die Hard, Kill Bill Vol. 1, The Bourne Identity. 

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Crime Thriller 
Crime Thriller film is a sub-genre that incorporates the suspenseful aspects of a thriller with a crime film plot. This sub-genre's plot usually centers on a serial killer, murderer, robbery, or manhunt. As opposed to traditional crime films, the storyline focuses both around the criminal and the protagonist. Crime Thrillers use both action and psychological aspects to build tension and suspense. 
Examples: The Usual Suspects, The Fugitive, Jagged Edge. 

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Film-Noir 
Film Noir is not simply a sub-genre, but rather a term for a distinct, stylistic type of crime-drama or thriller that was popular throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Film-Noir is characterized by a black-and-white style with stark lighting effects. The main character is usually a cynical hero. Film-Noir relies on a narrative voice and various flashbacks to explain the intricate plot. 
Examples: Sunset Boulevard, The Maltese Falcon, Sweet Smell of Success. 

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Psychological Thriller 
In addition to the traits of a regular Thriller, a Psychological Thriller incorporates elements of drama and mystery film. The suspense in this sub-genre comes from the mind, rather than from a psychical threat. The protagonists in Psychological Thrillers must rely on their mental resources to solve the situation. Because of their nature, many Psychological Thrillers cross over into the Horror genre. 
Examples: Memento, Rear Window, Taxi Driver. 

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Science Fiction Thriller 
Science Fiction Thriller incorporates hypothetical, science-based themes into the plot of the film. Traditionally, a Science Fiction film will incorporate heroes, villains, unexplored locations, fantastical quests, and advanced technology. These elements can be used in a Science Fiction Thriller to create anticipation and suspense. Often, this sub-genre will explore the “future-gone-bad” theme, including plots that revolve around alien invasions, dystopian scenarios, and super-diseases. 
Examples: Aliens, Inception, District 9. 

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Religious Thriller 
Religious Thriller film incorporates religious themes, including religious questions, ceremonies, and objects. Though some films can revolve around a specific church, many Religious Thrillers include supernatural experiences not pertaining to a certain religion. Exorcisms, demon possession, and church cover-ups are typical themes of Religious Thrillers.
Examples: The Devil’s Advocate, The Ninth Gate, The Da Vinci Code.

 Our idea fit with two sub-genres of a thriller: psychological thriller and crime thriller. First of all, our opening sequences has a crime film plot as it centers on the investigation of a murder. Moreover, crime thrillers use both action and psychological aspects to build tension and suspense. We can also relate our opening sequence to the psychological thriller as there will be elements of drama and mystery film. Moreover, the suspense in our opening sequence comes from the mind, rather than from a psychical threat.