Editing

For the editing I used the editing software Adobe Premiere Pro CS4. This is a good editing software site as it has all the necessities that are needed for editing a film like mine. The software was easy to use once I got to grip with the screens and being able to precicely cut out the bits I didn't want and then be able to make sure I got the exact piece of clip i wanted from the extract. Also being able to add other clips onto that editing software made it easier for me to edit my clip out and be able to make my final piece.

Risk Assessment

There are quite a few risks that needed to be assessed carefully on whether I should have used the props in my thriller opening sequence.

The first risk was the knife that I used for the character when he raises the knife above his head. This is a potential risk in case that he drops the knife or accidentally cuts himself or someone else whilst he is using the knife. I erased the majority of these risks by telling the character how to hold the knife properly when it is not being used. This reduced the risk that he wouldn't accidentally cut someone whilst not filming the project. When he was using the knife in the film there still was a risk but it was kept to a minimum as he used it properly and without creating more risks.

The second risk was the bag rolling down the stairs as this could have easily knocked the character off balance and he could have fell down the stairs and created a nasty accident. This risk was canceled out because the bag was emptied so it had nothing inside it so that if i did fall down far it wouldn't knock the character off balance as it would have been too light to affect his balance.

Another risk is the wire from the cable to the camera that I was using. This is a potential risk as someone walking by could have easily tripped over it and hurt them selves and damaged the camera or equipment. This risk was minimized as the wire was kept out of the way at all times so that nobody could trip over the cable.

Costume

I made the first character (the killer) dress up in all black clothing as this made that character seem more menacing and more likely to do something bad as that character is dressed up in all black. I chose the colour black as it makes the audience think that the character is a bad person because he is dressed up like a 'gangster'. This means that the person is more likely to be a bad person and do terrible as they look more gangster like and the black makes it feel more menacing.
The second character (the victim) is dressed in a white jacket which is the only bit of costume that we can see of the character. This is to show the vulnerability of the character wearing the white clothing as it makes them stand out more. This would make the character stand out as white is a bright colour and would attract a killer.

Props

There are a few props that I used during the making of the opening sequence. The first prop that I chose to use is the bed for the second character when he is lying in the bed. This is used as it is normal in a bedroom to have a bed and was the easiest place to have the second character for the opening sequence of my film. This is also a good way as it shows how the character is lying asleep in bed shows his vulnerability to being attacked by a killer.
The next prop I used was a knife for the killer to use when raising his arms up in order to stab someone who is asleep. The knife is used to make the opening sequence look realistic, but also to make the film seem menacing and tense because the camera cuts off just as the knife stops above the killers edge. This creates tension and suspense as the audience may not know what is going to happen in the film and be suspense because of it.
The next prop that I chose to use was the different coloured jackets for the different characters. This was to distinguish the first character from the second character. This is important to the audience as they need to know which character is which so they can get a good indication of who is the killer and who is the character under threat. I used a black jacket for the killer as the colour black indicates a menacing feel to the character. Whereas I used a white jacket for the character that is under threat as a white colour stands out and is a target for a killer. I used a younger person for this character as it shows how the younger people are targeted more and are more vulnerable than an adolescence or an older man.
The next prop that I used was the bag that the killer uses when he drags it down the stairs and through the front door. This bag is used as an effect to create the mystery of what the killer has done to the other character but also creates the suspense as to if he has done anything to the other character. The bag is the representation of something happened in that room however the audience don't know what.
The next prop I used was the bed duvet that was used to cover up half of the victim character. This was to show that the character was covered up because he was scared of what was going on around him in the scene. The duvet shows the audience that the character is scared and worrying about what is happening. This duvet was to represent the victim character in the way that he is very scared and helpless, stranded and is very vulnerable to be attacked.

Thriller Directors

Steven Spielberg:


Steven Spielberg was born on December the 18Th in the year 1946 and is an American film director, film writer and film producer in an illustrious career that has lasted for over 4 decades. He went to a school called the Hebrew school from 1953 to 1957. After moving to California however, he applied to go to the University Of California State school of Theatre, Film and Television but was unsuccessful after trying three times. Instead he went to Long Beach State in the 1960's. Then his career began in an unpaid environment as a intern and a guest of the editing department. As an intern and guest of Universal Studios, he created his first short film, which lasted 24 minutes and was called Amblin, which later on he took that name and used it as his production name, Amblin Entertainment.

The first long film that Spielberg directed was Malcolm Winkler, written by Claudia Salter, produced by John Orland and with Frank Price being the executive producer, however because of the casting difficulties the film was not made. Since then Spielberg has created many of great films such as Jurassic Park:The Lost World, which generated $618 million only second to James Cameron's Titanic. Another film he produced was Saving Private Ryan, which was another huge hit by Spielberg which was grossing at over $481 million and was the biggest film of the year at the North American box office, again only second worldwide to Michael Bay's Armageddon. He has won three academy awards and has been nominated for six academy awards for the category of Best Director and has won two out of those six. Also seven of his films he directed were up for the Best Picture Oscar. The achievement he got in 1987 was when he was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg memorial award for his work as a creative producer. He has won many more awards but these are the most outstanding of those that he has won.

James Cameron:

He was born on the 16Th of August in 1954 and is a Canadian film director, editor, screenwriter, producer and inventor.He grew up in Chippewa, Ontario where he attended Stamford Collegiate in Niagara Falls. He studied physics and English at Fullerton College and California State University, Fullerton. However when he had the opportunities he always went to visit the film archive in the University of California State. His job before he entered the film industry was a truck driver, until he decided to give it up for the film industry. Him and 2 other friends decided to raise money in order to rent out the camera, lenses, film stocks and the studio. The first thing they did was dismantled the camera and spent the first half of the day figuring out how to use it.

He has created many films, two of which, titanic and avatar are the two highest grossing films of all time. He himself is also one of the highest grossing earner of all time earning $1.88billion in North America and then a further $5.7billion worldwide. He has contributed to many things in the technological side of things like the underwater filming. He has many blockbuster films that he has created over the years that he has been filming such as; Titanic, Avatar, Terminator 1 and 2, Spider man and many many more. He self taught his techniques and went through the rankings from being a miniature model maker, to special effects design and then to a director of films.

The Industry - Research

When it came to researching the 'Thriller Industry', I found out that the most reliable source of information was http://www.imdb.com/. I was able to find numerous facts and figures about the thriller industry on different websites, but I found out that this source was the most reliable.

When looking into the thriller industry, the first thing we should know is 'What is a Thriller?'. The most defined and accurate definition was; 'Thrillers 'are the type of films known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension'.

Thriller films has always been a popular and consistent genre within the film industry and the audience. The most popular thriller of all time is 'The Godfather' which is then followed by the 'Godfather Part II'. When these three films first launched in the cinemas they were extremely successful and also had a successful run in the box office tables. The box office figures for the following films are stated below:

The Godfather - $ 302,393

The Godfather Part II - $244, 000

There are more statistics on the box office figures on http://www.imdb.com/.

Overall the 'Thriller Industry' is growing and more film companies are producing thriller's which are being shown at the cinemas more frequently.

There are more thriller type films being produced now due to the new technology that the 21st century has to offer. There are many advantages to having the new technology to help with the filming but there are also disadvantages towards the new technology.

Here are some of the advantages of having new technology in films;

• The new technology gets the filming done quicker.
• Editing and cutting of scenes is a lot easier and quicker.
• Minimise mistakes in the film.
• Adding of sound and effects can be done easily.
• The camera's are smaller and can be carried or stored easier.

These are just 5 of the advantages towards the new technology being used in films. However there are some disadvantages to using the new technology, these are;

• The technology may be confusing and complicated so the producer may not be able to work it properly.
• If the technology gets broken it may take a while to fix.

These are just 2 of the disadvantages towards new technology being used in the films. All of these advantages and disadvantages creates a good balance of an argument for using the technology or not.

Thriller Conventions

These are the thriller conventions that I will need to portray in my thriller opening sequence. These are:

• A thriller needs to build up tension and suspense in the whole film.
• The lighting is usually dark and sinister.
• The music will be very moody to enhance the atmosphere/situation being portrayed.
• The settings and atmosphere will be in a dark, lonely place.
• There is usually a victim in the thriller, normally a child/woman.
• There is a villain, usually a man who overpowers the woman/child.
• There is normally a twist in the film.
• A crime is usually in the film. Murder.
• The victim is disempowered and caught in a web of intrigue.
• Extraordinary events happen.
• Themes of indentity.
• Themes of mirroring.
• Themes of voyeurism (e.g. Psycho)
• Title sequence often reflects on the character's state of mind.
• There is usually a scene where the villain is in danger.

Third lesson thriller

In the third lesson I wasn't in the lesson however I told sir that i wanted to work on my own for the thriller. The work that I had missed was to design and research what the thriller was going to be about and the location of the thriller. The lesson was to do all of the planning and research for the thriller but I caught up on the work over time doing a lot of it in my own time at home.