Preliminary Task 1 - Creative Critical Reflection

The Final Delivery Short Film:

How Does The Product Use or Challenge Conventions and How Does it Represent Social Groups or Issues:

In our first preliminary task, we tried to stick mostly to the conventions of a thriller with our technical approach in camera, audio, editing, and mis-en-scene. 

 

How Does Product Engage with Audiences and How Would it be Distributed as a Real Media Text:

How Did Your Production Skills Develop Throughout this Project:

 

How Did You Integrate Technologies in this Project:

Screenshot of the song

One of the biggest uses of the internet was finding the right music for the short. I found a composer called Fesliyan Studios who does some great pieces of music for films. I used the track Brink, which really helped create that suspense I was going for.




I only used Adobe Premier Pro for the effects I put into the short, such as the flash effect used when the Agent is shot, and for the title sequence at the beginning. I also used it for adjusting the audio and adding additional audio, for example, the music playing in the background.

The moment when the agent is shot and the moment I would
like to have integrated a gunfire effect with added blood

If I could go back and redo some uses of technology, I would have integrated a gunfire effect from After Effects to help make the moment more realistic and even more grounded. Also, I would have used After Effects to add in some fake blood to help sell the reality of this situation being possible.     

Thriller Sub-Genres

Action Thriller:

This sub-genre uses physical action to create the suspense in a film, involving various types of stunts, fights, and chases to help build the tension and suspense in a film. A trending convention that runs through them is using a resourceful hero who has to struggle against seemingly impossible odds. In the plot the antagonist is usually a terrorist or psychopath, and the protagonist is usually crime-fighting in some way. This involves themes of hero verses villain, and the maiden being in distress, the protagonist having to retrieve her from the villain. In terms of mise-en-scene, guns and other types of weapons are used by the protagonist and the antagonist, and the lighting is usually a bit brighter and high-key than other thriller sub-genres to show the action taking place clearly, but this isn't always the case, with low-key lighting used to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and heightened danger, portrayed in these scenes from 2012's Skyfall. Higher-key lighting here, and lower-key lighting here.

Some examples of action thrillers are

Die Hard (1988)

Skyfall (2012)

Kill Bill: Vol 1 (2003)

Crime Thriller:

A crime thriller is a mesh of the suspenseful elements of a thriller with the plot of a crime film. The plot typically centres around the criminal and his actions, and the protagonist and how he tries to solve these crimes. They can use both action and psychological elements to help build suspense and tension, this tension usually built up slowly throughout as the protagonist solves the crimes. There is always an enigma surrounding the antagonist and his actions, helping add to the mystery that the protagonist must solve. Guns are very symbolic of danger and murder, the use of a weapon used in a crime and by the protagonist. In these films the lighting is very low-key, shadows  and dark colours used to add a murkiness to the cases, an unease. The camera work is usually used in close ups at the crime scenes, indicating to the audience what they should be looking at to piece together the puzzles in their mind. 

An example of this sub-genre are:

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Film-Noir:

This sub-genre is not named this just because of its storyline and conventions, but for its stylistic way of depicting the story in terms of mise-en-scene, which was popular during the 1940s and 50s. This lighting is presented in a black and white palette, with stark lighting effects.This can help produce a sense of nostalgia, a throwback to the past, reflecting the flashbacks it uses. The main character involved is usually cynical in some way, and this sub-genre relies on a narrative voice and flashbacks to explain its intricate plot. 

An example of this sub-genre is:

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Psychological Thriller:

Utilising the traits of a regular thriller, this sub-genre builds on it by incorporating elements of drama and mystery. the suspense is usually wrapped up in the main character's mind instead of a more physical threat. The protagonist tends to rely on mental resources rather than physical to solve the problem at hand. It can also blend with the horror genre. A huge theme that this sub-genre deals with is the question of reality, is this set in the real world or is this tension all in the character's mind? This creates an unease and an uncertainty to the whole situation. Linked to this is the theme of identity and how that affects the plot, with mirrors used to reflect the question of the person's inner self and explore their 'dark side'. This exploration of the inner self is further helped by the use of mid-shots and close-ups, helping to portray the character's emotions and give a much more  up close and personal view of them.

A few examples of this type of sub-genre are:

Memento (2000)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Rear window (1954)

Science Fiction Thriller:

This sub-genre incorporates hypothetical, science-based themes such as unexplored locations, fantastical quests, and advanced technology. A lot of these films deal with the future and and what happens in the near or distant future, including scenarios of aliens invading earth, dystopian societies, and super diseases. The music within this sub-genre can vary, sometimes using more space-age sounding music involving keyboards and electric guitars etc. But, as in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) where the soundtrack is from Star-Lord's personal playlist, the music can be associated with the main character. The mis-en-scene in this type of film can vary hugely, with the settings and props having to work within the time-period and tone that the director is aiming for. For example, the movie Aliens (1986) has very old and decrepit props to show their age and use, and the settings are dark and dingy, adding a sense of lurking from the aliens and heightening their threat of danger. On the other hand, the film Oblivion (2013), where the props are much more technological and clean, and the settings are much more modern and again technologically advanced, giving a less grounded look to the future and a more advanced feel. 

A few examples of this type of sub-genre are:

Aliens (1986)

Oblivion (2013)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Religious Thriller:

This sub-genre injects religious themes, such as life and death, heaven and hell, the soul etc, into its overall message. Some revolve around a specific church, but a lot of them usually include supernatural experiences not pertaining to a certain religion as a major part of their plot. This sub-genre can tend to mesh with horror films and psychological thrillers, The Exorcist (1973) a classic example with its purely horror elements of gore and supernatural aspects involving demons, but using this in a religious setting of an exorcism. The editing of a religious thriller can usually be fast cuts to capture the tension in the moment, but is sometimes slow and building with its tension and suspense. This slow pace editing at the end is used in The Da Vinci Code (2006), where the reveal is told in slow, mounting shots of Tom Hanks' character running around solving the final puzzles.

A few examples of this sub-genre are:

The Exorcist (1973)

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The Devil's Advocate (1997)

Preliminary Task 1 - Planning

Storyboard:

For our storyboard we went through a few changes near the end of the planning stage in terms of where the gunman who shoots Walter/Person is positioned, from behind the Boss to behind Walter, added dialogue to Walter's character, and some shots near the end of the sequence to help fluidly present this action.

After completing the first version of the storyboards, I went away and compiled a shot list describing them in order of how we will film them. I found out after that this is not the most conventional way of doing a shot list and in the industry it is standard to write them up in order of how they will be edited into the final cut. However, for a small project such as this, it does not affect anything, it is only in feature length films where it can very tricky and overly-complicated if I use this tactic.

Script:

Jackson Veale worked on this aspect of pre-production, as he does have the ability to create a great atmosphere in his writing and is superb with dialogue. There were only a few changes made to the first draft when we changed the position of the gunman in the storyboards. 

Props & Costumes

James Murray focused on this area more than Jackson Veale and me, organising props and costumes and doing research for the look of each item.  We did help, by bringing our own props and costumes in and contributing opinions on what styles would work or not. 

We decided to give Walter a baseball jacket to help show the audience that this man is intended to blend in, he does the fieldwork for the Boss, and he wears more heavy-duty boots to show that he does do some heavy-lifting and is used to being tough situations, but this contrasts with his character at this point of time, in which he is timid and fearful.

The Boss' attire was simple to imagine. We wanted to give him an air of authority, reflected in the wool-jacket and hat that he wears, his glasses blocking his eyes to show no emotion.  

Conventions:

We want to use very contrasted lighting in terms of light and dark. There will be very few lights, only the ones focused on the characters and illuminating them. This is a typical lighting scheme for a thriller.