Evaluation of Auditions

Throughout the first audition the actor didn't fit the role of Timothy as he had a strong accent which isn't what we are looking for. Relating to this the actor doesn't fit the image of as he was missing a lot of unique characteristics that we are looking for. Also we are looking for a shy timid character who is slow talking however this actor was very confident and outspoken which could be due to the type of script.

The second audition was okay, although appearance wise this actor was smaller than we hoped and seemed very well groomed. We are wanting the role of Timothy to be tall so that when filming we can get effective shots of his height. Also, again this actors accent has restricted the chance of getting this specific role of Timothy. 

Finally in audition four (on the tape)the actor of Rachel was extremely good and well spoken although unfortunately this role the character doesn't speak therefore we were really looking for her to show her emotion through her body language and acting. She fit the stereo typical girly girl image however lacked stage movement therefore we will not be using her. 

Auditions

Locations

 

The film will have a lot of low level lighting to create a sense of mystery. Also, I may change the lighting when different characters are shot so that it represents their personality.


When Tim is in the bedroom there will be diegetic sounds like a door creaking and heavy breathing to show how quiet this characters life is.

Then in the park the swings will make a high creaking sound giving a sense of danger but also the idea of being old and neglected.
In the cafe there will be lots of murmuring but it will fade out into silence so show that something may be wrong also to make the audience feel like they are in Tim's shoes, overcome with emotion causing him not to focus.  When Tim walks down the street, you will be able to hear the wind as well as creepy non-diegetic  music. This will build up the tension and perhaps the fear within this scene.

Costume/Props/Makeup

Costumes: In the past Tim will wear orange, this colour can be associated with imprisonment as in American prisons cell mates always wear an orange jumpsuit. However, In the present day he will wear all black to signify his secrecy and lack of emotion. The long black coat will highlight his creepy nature and imply  that he may be hiding himself and his Insecurities. He is hiding more than just his appearance but maybe his sexuality and personality too. The orange top will suggest or foreshadow that he may do something he will regret or that is dangerous which creates a sense of uncertainty in which he will end up in prison. 
Ben will wear a blue t shirt to signify normality and happiness. It implies he is a very trustworthy character who is stable with who he is and appreciates those around him. The tshirt is a usual everyday top which means this character assumed he is going along with his everyday routine.
Rachel will be seen in stereotypical pink dress/clothing witch is a delicate colour and implies tenderness, sweet and playful attitude which is what we want our character to portray. The colour pink is the colour of universal love of oneself and of others. The character Rachel needs to be seen as this character so when the audience see her she is seen as a contrasting character which is useful as this may leave a sense of mystery within the opening. 

Props: Timothy- Glasses (intellectual) 
Timothy- Phone with password (secretive) 
 Ben- Phone without a password. This shows how he is not as secretive in   comparison with Tim.
 Rachel- Lipstick. This shows she is very feminine and girly. 

Makeup: Tim- Will look more pale and unwell, to give the impression that he stays inside and doesn't interact with others usually.
Rachel- She will wear a lot of makeup and appear very girly. The makeup will make her appear older and more mature than she really is.
Ben- He will appear very healthy and bronzed. It will give the impression that he is a very social character and is outside on the daily. This will contrast to Timothy's appearance.

Location Recce

Our film will be shot in three main locations: the park in Middleton Cheney, the cafe and Timothy's bedroom. There will be an establishing shot of Timothy walking down a dark street (Church Lane, Middleton Cheney) to show the audience the location this actor is usually found. This scene will be shot at night where there will only be street lamps for the lighting, perhaps other lights if needed. 
The shot in the cafe will start of with an establishing shot so that it is obvious that the two characters are now in a different location and throughout the cafe shot there will be over the shoulder shots so that it feels as though the audiences are more involved. Also it conveys a secretive vibe to the shot as part of the shot is obstructed with a characters shoulder. To reinforce the amount of time spent at this location there will be a wide shot from outside of the cafe as well, this will be a time lapse; showing how time has progressed without using to much of the films time.  The finishing shot of the cafe will be at night and the sky will represent the amount of time spent in there.  The camera will follow Timothy face on, coming out of the cafe. This will reveal a lot of the characters in-emotions and create a sinister feel. 

The shot of the street will be quick, an establishing shot to create a mysterious effect, there will be a sense of horror with the church and grave yard being next to the street as these are seen to be quite scary to some people. The next shot will be a dolly shot following Timothy walking down the street so that the audience gets the concept of him being followed, swell as there being a shot of his feet and face. This street is very small, appearing quite creepy as the church makes it appear even smaller. The light will be limited because there are not many street lamps, this will make Timothy appear to be very sinister and dark.

The shot in the park will be a flashback, the swings will be very significant as in many horrors or thrillers they are seen swinging without any one on them. Also there is a specific high screeching noise that is usually connected to this image of empty swings, creating a creepy and intense feeling. We will recreate this shot, but it will be done during the day so the audience are left guessing on what might happen and we are not wanting this recreation to be scary. The park will be empty, this connotes loneliness and that no one has much care for it. This will confuse the audience when they see two/three children playing in it, implies maybe something dangerous may occur to one of the children as there are no adults 
around. 

The bedroom shot will have dark interior and a dark neutral light which connotes secrecy and dullness. The bedroom will be relatively clean and empty looking which could suggest that timothy may also have weird habits or disorders. This will give the audience an immediate impression of the character of Timothy. It will have low level lighting to further emphasize his lack of emotion.  

Casting Planning

This is the mind map of our planning ideas and requirements we have for actors to fit the roles we need.

Call For Actors

The character of Timothy will be required to be sinister and creepy. He will need to have dark hair that will be parted in the middle. A dominant character who is secretive and mysterious. You must be willing to hold a creepy act throughout the film. Be ready to act as a young teenager for part of the film, but keep the characteristics. A 17-19 year old is required to play this role, perhaps younger if you an older/mature appearance. You will need to have your hair greased into a middle parting and perhaps be asked to wear makeup (please be clean and shaven) also must be quite tall. A secretive character willing to interpret murderous traits into their characterisation. The image below is the kind of person we are looking for; tall, dark with relatively long hair.

The character of Benjamin (Ben) needs to be average height, looking smart and business like. You will be required to do a stage kiss with a girl. Also, you will be required to act as a young teenager, this is where the stage kiss will occur. An average 17-19 year old is needed to play this role, keeping up with style trends and have a hard stereotypical manly exterior. You will need to have a smart hairstyle and clean/shaven appearance. In the image to the right, the character will have blonde hair or a light brown and strong facial features. 

The character of Rachel will be a typical girly girl, she will only be seen in the past

(flashbacks) therefore you must be willing to act childish and young. A stereotypical girl wearing pink clothing or very childish clothing. Also, you will be required to do a stage kiss with a boy. A girl between the age of 15-17, minimal makeup and braided hair. You will have a relatively small role in the film but it will be very important in the conclusion. The character of Phoebe is the kind of character you will require to play. A young ditsy girl, willing to be extravagant and girly. 

Narrative

At the beginning/equilibrium of the film there will be a lot of flashbacks of the two boys when they were younger this is showing their old friendship and how it broke down. Their friendship breaks down due to jealousy over a girl, for Timothy the jealousy gets too much and spends his teenage years plotting to kill his friend. The audience will understand this by showing scenes of a wall with information, showing how he is plotting to kill him.


The disequilibrium is where it skips to present day, Timothy is planning on meeting his old friend. They end up spending the day catching up at a café, we follow Timothy out of the café in a dark alley. This shows mystery, he will have no emotion on his face. The audience will recognise not everything is as it seems and as the night ends, its mysterious foreshadowing something may occur. 
The resolution of Timothy's hate towards Ben and the ending of the film opening, is when Timothy's mum calls him late at night explaining that Ben (his old best friend) has been murdered. He stumbles to the bathroom with a diegetic sound of breathing. As he enters the bathroom, it pans around revealing a bloody hand print and a pile of clothing in the corner. The blood will be splattered everywhere. The screen goes black with a voice over of a news report describing the the murder. The rest of the film will then clarify to the audience what has happened and will go back in time. 
The Todorov theory is where everything balances out in the end, the audience will understand the reasoning behind the killing and how it actually happened late on in the film. The audience will have an idea of what will happen in the film because in the flashbacks, it will foreshadow what is to come. However, the audience will have lots of questions concerning Timothy's motive and how he actually committed the murder. It allows the audience to make assumptions and all will be revealed at the end. The opening to the film will hopefully be quite misleading and want the audience to continue watching to find out everything. The rest of the film will clarify everything and will show what will happen to timothy as a result of his actions. 
The equilibrium of the film ending is where Timothy has admitted to everything. It takes place in an interrogation room, there will be graphic scenes showing the murder. It will essentially go back in time, go back in 24 hours. There will be a voice over from Timothy, like a narration, describing the events. It will be very revealing to the audience but a sense of confusion because he is admitting everything. This however, emphasises Timothy's struggle and how he is mentally unstable. It will be done in such a way, keeping the audience guessing and they should be surprised for the result. It is not the same as the beginning equilibrium as there he has different motives and ideas. There will be a flashback to how it all started. Timothy will end up in a confined prison where he will get mental help. 

Representation

(Costumes, Setting, Camera, Mise en Scene, Lighting, How are these used?) 

Costumes: The protagonist will be wearing everyday clothes with mainly blue and yellow colours as these colours are usually associated with happiness and this character is emotionally happy.  The antagonist in the flashbacks will be wearing the colour orange as this is associated with the american prison overalls colour however it is also bright which suggests that the character isn't all bad. In present day shots the same character is seen wearing black which suggests that he no longer has any emotion and is completely emotionless. 

Setting:  The film opening will  be located in a bedroom, Café, a street and a park in past scenes. The reasoning for only setting the past scenes in a park was because parks and playgrounds connote childhood and our characters in the past scenes are children. We are filming from a cafe because it is a public place where two of our characters are seen rekindling their friendship over a cup of tea. Later, we will be shooting a scene in Timothy's bedroom where all seems well however there will be a sudden danger to various people. We are setting this particular scene in a bedroom as a bedroom represents sleep and a peaceful place which is why it contrasts and becomes unexpected.

Camera: There will be a lot of P.O.V shots because this camera type is from a characters view and involves the audience a lot more in the opening. Also, over the shoulder shot will be included as it gives the audience the same impression however it makes us feel as we are hiding meaning there is more tension within the scene. Also, theres a track shot following Timothy which emphasises he is the main characters and it allows the audience to see in to his life.

Mise en Scene: In the past scenes Timothy will be seen wearing an orange t-shirt as a child, this has connotations of prison and criminals which foreshadows what is to come. Ben will be wearing everyday clothing and a blue shirt which shows happiness. Rachel will be in pink which is a stereotypical girly girl. When we get to present day Timothy only wears black which connotes having no emotion and being dull. Also, there will be minimum props as timothy has a phone but keeps it private which links to his personality.

Lighting: The film opening will be filmed with mostly low level/dark lighting which will link to the mood of dull and gloomy witch relates to the theme of the film opening. The dark lighting promotes a sense of fear which keeps the audience intrigued.

Planning

Target Audience

We have decided that our thriller film will be for age rating of 15+ because there is a various selection of mature themes and reality footage of  graphic images. We are going to make our movie appeal to our audience as we have incorporated young characters throughout the different events of the film which then is easier for the audience to connect to the scenarios making the film more relatable. However, there are some scenes that are very graphic and would not usually be seen in someones everyday life which creates a sense of excitement for the audience. The ABC demographic is a system of classification in social classes used in the United Kingdom. They were originally developed by the National Readership Survey to classify readers.

Demographic profileLetter coding:A

• Higher management

• Business people

• Bankers

• Lawyers

• Doctors

B

• Middle management

• Teachers

• Creative/media people

• Graphic designers

C1

• Office supervisors 

• Junior managers

• Nurses

• Specialist clerical staff

• White collar jobs 

C2

• Skilled manual workers

• Plumbers

• Builders

• Blue collar jobs

D

• Semi skilled and unskilled workers

E

• Unemployed

• Students

• Pensioners

• Casual workers

In our film, we think that our audience will fit into B,C1 and E profiles. Perhaps not pensioners but students would definitely be a large quantity of the audience. Our audience will be interested in the creative aspect of the film and how it does not fit in to society or its not expected to happen in todays society. 

FlipCam Video - Story Board

Mood Board

Thriller films mostly always include various elements of mystery and suspension and want to portray a state of adrenaline for the audience as i want to in  my film opening. Whilst researching various different thriller openings i have decided that a mixture of both thriller and horror genres would be acceptable for my film opening. I have discovered the range of camera angles and different conventions linked to horror/thriller genres and will corporate the different elements of thriller/horror repertoire.
A typical stereotypical convention of thriller is dark scenic surroundings where a character is usually alone or in danger. Also in mostly all openings I've watched there are dark neutral colours which don't allow the viewer to see as much which creates a strong sense of tension. I think that by including different aspects from both genres i will be able to create a sense of mystery and horror as then this could portray a state of confusion.
One idea we had for the editing of the narrative was that, like most thriller movies, the ending which is usually the most important part of the film is shown first meaning that the audience then wonder about the story leading up to that event. This would be effective as it leaves the audience confused and leaves a certain mystery about the opening and i will be doing this in my film opening.

This is my moodboard showing the different convention types I will include:

Mood Board Analysis

	Strengths	Weaknesses
Mood board one- Dan Edwards’ Mood Board.	Very clear and specific about location Outlines all categories necessary in his film Speaks about connotations of things like costumes, setting etc.	At some points he makes speaks as if he is unsure or questioning what he’s saying. Pauses in certain parts and stutters a little.
Mood board two- Emily Roberts’ mood board.	She has clearly discussed the narrative and what happens in the film. Stays very focused on the narrative. The characters are described briefly then clearly illustrates the character’s involvement in the film on her mood boards. It is very descriptive and concise. She has discussed every aspect of her film; from location to characters clothing. She has provided an example to show what they aim to achieve.	She has not changed her sentence structure and begins with “We” often.  We struggle to see what the information on the mod board says. She focuses on only on one location.
Mood board three- Annie Wilford’s mood board.	A strength of her photo mood board with clear narrative is that it links to the genre of the film and thoroughly shows clear convention. We get a good overview of the research she has done to show the stereotypical conventions of the genre as well as including some of her ideas that she has incorporated into her film opening. She explains and gives reasons for her location choices and has mentioned the different camera angles she may use.	A weakness of her photo mood board is that although she has incorporated text with her photos she lacks detail of explanation when coming to describe what her film opening is going to be about as she only describes the genre and research she has completed.

Story Script - Main Task

Story Board - First Template

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2

3

Planning: Initial Ideas

This was a quick story line of the 3 components of my film, the beginning middle and end, which establishes the basics of the

film opening. 

This is some planning of the story-line, target audience, sound and representation of the film opening. These are the ideas of how we are wanting to portray these different aspects.  

Further planning for ideas we wanted to incorporate into our film opening but focusing more on actors, editing and camerawork. 

Genre Specific Film Opening Analysis

Pre Production Planning - Further Thriller Analysis

https://youtu.be/3ibgWtcvj5A

Careful What You Wish For (2016)

The film begins with the film idents, firstly Hyde Park Entertainment, Troika Pictures and Image Nation (Abu Dhabi) which are all production corporations that developed this film. They are only on screen for seconds until we are given a P.O.V shot of someone's arm at 0:03. The hand is stretched out and spread apart elegantly, this suggests the person is stress free which straight away creates a positive and happy aroma. During this shot type we are also given slow calming music and slow motion of the hand against the flowers witch shows the audience the simplicity of this scene .

At 0:07 we are given a close up of the characters face which is effective because it gives the audience a quick overview of the characters emotion. Shortly after the close up shot we are given a P.O.V shot of the beautiful landscape that the character is looking at. However, we are then given a montage of happy events that have previously happened during this characters summer which is effective aas it shows the audience how many happy memories he has had and also allows us to quickly get an idea of the different people and locations that are connected to this specific character. A voice over of the character starts at 0:04 and ends at 0:16, the voice is very gentle until the shot of the two boys jumping into the water where it takes a turn. As soon as they hit the water a black screen cuts the shot suggesting something bad has happened leaving the audience in suspense.

Straight after the black screen we are given the same landscape image that was seen through a point of view shot in one of the first shots. However, we are now seeing this high angled establishing shot as the repeat of this landscape suggests that this specific land is important although the audience are not sure why. At 0:18 we are then given a selection of more events that have happened through montaging. This gives the audience more information about what the character has been doing and what interests him. There is no clear narrative at this stage of the opening which is effective as the audience are then interested to continue watching so that the narrative is clear. Throughout the different shots we are given up beat music which suggests fun however to contrast at the end of these lightning strikes which is considered bad weather and usually occurs at the start of a storm. This suggests that something bad is about to happen further in the film. 

Throughout the whole clip we are given a very fun and cheerful song combined with the scenes shown, however at the scene of the storm, the lightning interrupts the music and it suddenly stops. This suggests that this is maybe happening to the main character as all is well and there is something not quite right about the perfection of his life so far. At 0:44 we are given a shot of the female and main character interacting which is the first time this is seen throughout the whole clip. Although, the scene is very dark and only parts of their faces are being shown due to shadows, this gives the impression that they need to stay hidden from each other or that they shouldn't be talking. This is then reinforced by the position of the female character as she is seen in the bottom left hand corner and out of site of anyone as he doesn't even notice her until she speaks. As this is right after the storm interrupted the cheerfulness of the character it also implies that this female is trouble and the lightning may symbolise her.

From 0:47 to 1:03 the two same characters are seen with each other however only in the dark of night, this could show that they are hiding from civilisation and being secretive. She is confident and her actions make you feel uneasy, for example, she is seen stood behind as he looks over his shoulder just staring at him which is unusual behaviour for a person who has just met. We are given a more slow and powerful music with these scenes which helps create suspense especially as it builds up and as soon as the two characters make eye contact the music has a dramatic stop.

This implies that this female character is a big problem and is looking for trouble. We are given an over the shoulder shot of him staring at her which also conveys that all eyes are on her at this point as the audience are now wondering about her role in the film.

Once again at 1:08 the music changes to a neutral calm rhythm and they are seen in light even though they have done wrong. There is an establishing shot to show that the next scenes are in different location which is effective as we are then given cross cutting of the two characters at different events which implies and shows there relationship getting stronger. All scenes are in light which implies the connection is brighter than the first interaction however they are only ever seen in doors and alone which is obvious they are still a secret. A point of view shot shows the female being abused by her husband which creates a sense of remorse and worry for her as the audience get a better insight of the husbands personality. Whilst this is happening the main character is seen watching by an over the shoulder shot which makes the audience feel like they are watching with him but shouldn't really be doing so. Also the lighting is dark and we are only given a section of light on the main characters face showing the audience his emotion to what he is seeing.

Along the rest of the scenes the audience are given a brief over view of these characters everyday lives and their authority compared to one another. Most of the scenes are involving these three specific characters, the husband and wife and the young boy. This implies that the main problem or trouble is going to occur from one of the three. Throughout the montage of events we are given there is a voice over of different people suspicious that there's a secret. The montage of events are not in order which confuses the audience as to when why and what has happened which intrigues them to find out. The actors names are also involved through the montage which is effective as we are given them at an unusual time which links to the film being confusing. We are given a lot of information in a small amount of time in the clip which makes the narrative unclear which is effective for this genre film. Also, by having the title page at the beginning it fits conveniently into the clip as the audience have found out what the film is called right at the very end which relates to the film as all will become clear near the end of the film.