Section 10: Video log sheets

Video production paperwork: Logging sheet
Production group: CJNS
Production title: In suspense

Section 9: Production schedule

Film title: 'In Suspense'

Directors and producers: Sara, Jade, Chrissy and Coley

Locations:
Priestley college, PA16 - Green screen
Jade's house: Bathroom, driveway, hall, living room

Date production started: 15/11/08
Treatment started: 22/11/08

Storyboard started: 24/11/08
Shooting started: 2/12/08
Post-production started: 8/12/08
Rough cut submitted: 19/12/08
Final show tape completed: 9/1/09

Location equipment required
Camera
Tapes

No transport requirements

Crewing requirements
Camera people

Actors
News reporter - Joe
Simon - Rory
Pidge - Alex
Scarlett - Delaney
Audrey - Chester

Props
Sink
Clearasil
Tie
Car
Jacket

Section 8: Production Material

Storyboard

Section 7: Recce and location sheets

Location: Priestley College

Health and safety: Extension cords, cellotape, keep away from water, trained dog

Location: Jade's living room
Address: 374 Liverpool Road, Great Sankey

Telephone number: o1925 728379

Health and safety: Extension cords, cellotape, keep away from water, trained dog

Location: Jade's bathroom

Address: 374 Liverpool Road, Great Sankey

Telephone number: o1925 728379

Health and safety: Extension cords, cellotape, keep away from water, trained dog

Section 4: Audience research

Questionnaire

How old are you? 16-17 18-19 19 and over

Do you enjoy films? Yes No

Do you enjoy thrillers? Yes No

How often do you go the cinema? Often Sometimes Rarely Never

What was the plot of the last thriller you watched?
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What would you do to improve it?
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What do you believe makes a film certificated 15 different from an 18?
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What type of characters do you enjoy watching in a thriller? Heroes Drug dealers Gangsters Detectives Spies Other? Please state .................................................

Do you like thrillers to be set in a...? School City Farm Police station Prison Other? Please state .................................................

Do you think music makes more tension in a film? Yes No

Questionnaire results

82.5% of the people who were asked to take our questionnaire were 16-17.
10% were 18-19, and just 7.5 % were 19 and over.
So the people who took our survey were all quite young, and so this quiz has a young persons perspective.
92.5% of them liked films in general, and 80% said they liked the thriller genre.
When asked how often the went the cinema 20% said they went often, 52.5% said they went sometimes, 15% said the rarely went, and only 12.5% said the never went.
In regards to what kind of characters people said they like to see in thriller films, 30% said they like heroes, 25% choose gangsters, 17.5% said detectives, 10% went for spies, 5% said dug dealers, and the remaining 12.5 said other.
The most popular setting choice was a city with 47.5 %, 12.5% said farms, 12.5 said prison. 7.5 % said school, 5% said police station, and 15% said other.
When asked if they think eerie music makes something more suspenseful, 87.5% said yes, and only 12.5% said no.
We asked what the plot of the last film they watched was, some general characteristics of these plotlines are:
Murders, victims, crime type investigations.
Modern films with modern settings.
Twists and turns - these were written by many people, showing this tends to be the thing people remember.
Puzzles, and how they solve the.
Generally a hero involved in the solving.
Gangsters and drug dealers/criminals.
Mystery and complications.
We also asked how they would improve these plotlines. A lot of people tended to say the same things, and 50% said they wouldn’t change the film at all. Other things people said are making it less obvious, making it shorter, scarier, put more twists in, less cheesy, easier to follow, and more mysterious.
We asked them what they thought would make an 18, the criteria our participants said was as follows :
Strong and offensive language
Nudity
Sex scenes
Drug use
Gory scenes
Extreme violence
Disturbing scenes

Section 6: Character outlines and script

'In Suspense' opening sequence script

CUT TO:

INT. NEWS STUDIO – 7PM

MARTIN BRAMWELL sat in a news studio behind a news desk. At the side of the screen there are pictures of the incident.

MARTIN
Good evening, and tonight’s top story is the incident which claimed the lives of Simon Spencer and Scarlett Hart. A car known to be theirs has been found burnt after a fatal explosion. No bodies have been found as of yet, however it is highly unlikely that anybody could’ve survived this tragic accident. Police are still investigating this case and have many… (Fades out)

Flash of white light. ‘2 weeks earlier’ appears on the screen in typewriter font.

CUT TO:

INT. BATHROOM – MORNING

SIMON SPENCER is getting ready in his bathroom. He’s tying his tie. THE CAMERA SHOWS HIM through the mirror.

SIMON (Internal diegetic)
My name is Simon James Spencer and there are a few things you need to know about me. I’m 20 years old. I’m a mild insomniac. I watch far too much television and I never could have imagined how much my life would change the very moment I set eyes on her. Scarlett. The only reason I still work for that vile man. The deals and the threats… being a part of this gang was never in my plan, I hate it. But I would do anything for her. She is my life now. This is my life now.

CUT TO:

EXT. DRIVEWAY – EARLY AFTERNOON

Simon gets out of his car and walks towards the front door of the house NERVOUSLY. He’s about to knock on the door but DAVID ‘PIDGE’ PIDGEON opens it before he has chance.

PIDGE (MOCK SERIOUS)
You’re late.

SIMON (JOKINGLY)
Shut up.

CAMERA FOLLOWS THEM INTO THE HALLWAY. Simon pushes Pidge into the house JOKINGLY. They do their secret handshake showing they are best friends. CAMERA IS INFRONT of the 2 characters and TRACKS BACKWARDS into the living room. THE CAMERA SPINS AND ZOOMS into MIKE STEELE and his dog AUDREY. The dog barks at Simon ANGRILY.

MIKE
Calm down Audrey.

Character outlines

Simon Spencer - He is a 20 year old male. He wears smart pants, a shirt and an undone tie. He’s cocky, smart and tough but caring.

Scarlett Hart – She is a 19 year old female. She wears a smart high-waisted pencil skirt and a tucked in blouse. She’s controlled by Mike.

David Pidgeon – He is an 18 year old male. He wears a suit with his tie done up. He’s happy, a joker and a helper but not intelligent.

Mike Steele – He is a 24 year old male. He wears a suit with his tie done up and a trilby. He’s a villain and is controlling and violent.

Jonny O’Brian – He is a 19 year old male. He wears a suit with his tie done up and he carries a gun. He likes guns.

Kevin Cameleon – He is a 21 year old male. He wears a suit with his tie done up. He’s sneaky and sly.

Miles Phillips – He is a 23 year old male. He wears a suit with his tie done up. He’s a nice man but he’s under peer pressure.

Colin Moyle – He is a 23 year old male. He wears a suit with his tie done up. He escaped from prison in France.

Section 5: Treatment

Treatment for film.
Title: In Suspense

NEWS REPORT
News reporter talks about deaths of SIMON SPENCER and SCARLETT HART shows picture of incident

FLASH OF WHITE – to show flashback“TWO WEEKS EARLIER” - on screen text

BATHROOM
Simon Spencer looking in bathroom mirror wearing shirt and suit trousers.Ties tie. Internal diegetic NARRATION post synchronisation – talks about life – Scarlett – being in the gang and hating it.Puts on leather jacket. Walks out of room.

BIG HOUSE + DRIVEWAY
Simon gets out of car.Walks to front door and is about to knockDAVID “Pidge” PIGEON opens door before he can knock “You’re late.” Mock seriousness.Joking they walk down hallway – shows them being best friends.

LIVING ROOM
Big dog barks at Simon “Calm down Audrey.” – MIKE STEELTense atmosphere.The gang has a meeting – we introduced to Scarlett and the other members here.They talk about a deal that they have got going down.Mike gives Simon the responsibility of running the “operation”Scarlett stands behind Mike Steel has her hand on his shoulder – shows they are supposed to be “together”

KITCHEN
Simon and Scarlett are in the kitchen making coffee – flirtatious – sexual tension. Walks towards her. Hand on wall leaning over her. KEVIN interrupts – He is suspicious.

LIVING ROOM
We see Kevin whisper something to Mike. There is a montage of moments showing all the times he has seen Scarlett and Simon flirting – pieces it together that they were obviously having an affair, right under his nose and he has only just seen this.

LATER ON - LIVING ROOM
It is darker showing it is later in the day.Mike says he wants Kevin to take over the lead in the deal.Everyone is leaving. Mike asks Simon to stay behind for a moment.Threatens him about Scarlett. Makes the offer of £10,000 to leave and never come back or he’ll kill him.Simon takes the money.

STAIRWAY
Scarlett is watching this happen. Runs upstairs visibly upset.

DRIVEWAY
Simon leaving looks up at windows seemingly guilty. He is actually looking for a place to sneak in and find her.

LATER
Simon climbs up the side of the house and knocks on the bathroom window. He climbs in and asks her to run away with him. She agrees after some convincing.Throws some clothes and money into a bag. They sneak out.

DRIVEWAY
Both get in car and drive away at high speed.

FRONT DOOR
Mike opens the door angrily and sees them turning the corner.

IN THE CAR
Scarlett and Simon driving away exhilarated.

IN THE HOUSE
Mike shouting hysterically down the phone. Calls up the rest of the gang.

HOTEL
Scarlett and Simon book a room under different names. At first it is exciting. After a while Scarlett begins to panic that they won’t be able to get away from Mike and if he finds them she knows he will kill them. Simon calms her down - assured that everything is going to be alright.

HOUSE - DINING ROOM
Mike and the gang members are planning a man hunt to capture Simon and Scarlett. Some are up for it. Others are not so comfortable with the idea e.g. Pidge – being Simon’s best friend.Talk about hotels where they could be – what names could they be under.Stumble across the idea when Johnny “Jobster” O’Brian makes a joke about them being like Bonnie and Clyde.Gang calls up local hotels they have in fact booked a room under the names Bonnie Hart and Clyde Spencer.Mike sends Johnny and Kevin to the hotel.

HOTEL
They are talking and packing up at a leisurely pace – audience suspense. Want them to hurry.

LOBBY
The lift doors open Simon and Scarlett are there. Simons face shows panic.Kevin and Johnny are at the desk arguing with a receptionist.Simon presses the “close doors” button frantically.

IN THE LIFT
Simon and Scarlett are panicking about how to escape. Decide to use the stairs and find a back door.

LOBBY
Kevin and Johnny are arguing with the receptionist – they want to know what room Scarlett and Simon are in. Receptionist refuses to tell them. Goes to get manager.Johnny jumps over the front desk and uses the computer to search and finds the room number. Kevin checks the car is still outside, it is. They run upstairs.

OTHER STAIRS
Scarlett and Simon are running down and out round the back of the hotel.

HOTEL CORRIDOR AND ROOM
Kevin and Johnny run down the corridor and burst into room number 55. A woman is doing turndown service. They shout at her, she tells them the people in the room have just left.They run frantically back down the corridor and Kevin is about to take the stairs but Johnny says the lift will be quicker. – fast paced actions and music. They get in the lift. Doors close. It moves slowly. Stereotypical cheesy music plays. They are impatient. Kevin looks annoyed at Johnny. As soon as the door opens they spring out and run again frantically outside. The car is gone.

IN THE CAR
Scarlett is looking at a map. They are trying to decide where to go. Can’t agree on where. Simon tells her to close her eyes and point at the map and where ever she points to that’s the path they will follow. She points to Portsmouth. They decide to go there.

OUTSIDE THE HOTEL
Johnny on the phone to Mike. Apologising.

HOUSE
Mike is furious with the both of them. Tells them to drive around looking for Simon’s car but if they cannot find them they have to come back but Mike says “Trust me. You don’t want to come back here if you don’t find them.”

MOTORWAY - DARKER
early evening.Kevin and Johnny are driving along the motorway talking. Kevin sees Simon’s car parked on a grass verge. They pull over and run at the car - opening both doors. “ABANDONED!” they are furious. Call Mike again, tell him the bad news.The audience are left out of the loop in the abandonment of the car– a sign of things to come. Also creates suspense.

HOUSE - LIVING ROOM
Mike tells Pidge to go and help them in the search as he is the best at piecing the puzzles together and he knows Simon the best – he will know what Simon would do in a situation like this.

SERVICE STATION CAR PARK
We see Pidge pull up. He is trying to figure out what he should do, should he drive away? This shows his struggle. We sympathise with Pidge.

SERVICE STATION CAFÉ
Kevin and Johnny are eating - Pidge walks in.They tell him what happened.Pidge suggests that Simon would know not to stay anywhere near here because he knows how “conntected” the gang are in the area. Also says that they have to be in the UK because Scarlett did not have time to get her passport when they ran away. He asks a man where the nearest train station is.

AT THE STATION
Pidge looking at the departures. The long distance trains have not left yet. He sends Kevin to Platform 4, Johnny to Platform 1 and he runs to Platform 9.

RUNNING
Following Pidge to Platform 9He sees Simon helping Scarlett onto the train.Pidge is stopped in his tracks.Background noise muffles and fades away.All we hear Pidge breathing.Pidge thinks for a moment then springs into action running and jumping onto the train.

IN THE CARRIAGE
Pidge sees Scarlett and Simon finding a seat.He slides into one trying to stay hidden.

BACK AT THE STATION
Kevin and Johnny meet up again. Both are annoyed and ring Pidge.

IN THE CARRIAGE
Pidge’s phone rings. A recognisable ring tone that was a private joke between Simon and himself.Pidge panics and hits the answer button quickly.

SIMON AND SCARLETT
Simon’s face shows that he has heard this song. Listens, concerned at first but then smiles at the memory.

PIDGE
On the phone to Kevin. QUIETLY Tells them he’s on the train to Portsmouth. They argue. He wants them to go home and tell Mike they say they don’t want to have to face Mike. The will call him, keep him up to speed and then get the next train. Kevin hangs up.Pidge leans his head back. Annoyed and reluctant to let it go but he does.

SIMON AND SCARLETT
See them talking, laughing, planning. Time passes. Simon gets up to go to use the toilet. Pidge grabs a newspaper and hides his face. He is successful.

IN PORTSMOUTH
Simon and Scarlett get off the train. Pidge follows them to a little hotel on the seafront. They book a room. As soon as they have their key and leave reception he runs in, hastily books a room and follows them silently.

HOTEL ROOM
Simon and Scarlett think they are safely away.

CORRIDOR
Pidge leans against the wall. We again see him struggle trying to decide what to do.He turns to walk away.Then stops and puts his head in his hands.

HOTEL ROOM
There is a knock at the door. Scarlett is about to open it. Simon grabs her wrist before she can open the door. Suspense builds. He looks through the peep hole. Nothing can be seen.

CUTTING BETWEEN HOTEL ROOM AND CORRIDOR
Pidge has covered peep hole with his hand.Simon asks who is there?No reply.Pidge knocks again.Silence.“Spence, it’s me.”Simon realises that it is Pidge but is suspicious that he is not alone. They argue through the door. Pidge eventually convinces him that he is alone and lets him in.

HOTEL ROOM
They talk about how long their affair has been going on. Begin to argue. Pidge is hurt that Simon did not tell him. Simon explains. Pidge understands but tells them they will never be able to get away from Mike. Simon rhetorically asks what other options they have? Pidge accepts this, says goodbye to his best friend and then suggests that the least Simon could do would be to walk him to the train station.

NIGHT TIME - WALKING DOWN MAIN STREET OUTSIDE THE TRAIN STATION
Simon, Scarlett and Pidge walking, talking, laughing.Simon sees Kevin and Johnny further down the road.He misunderstands and becomes angry with Pidge thinking he has tricked them.Pidge has forgotten that Kevin and Johnny were coming, he did not mean for this to happen. Tries to convince Simon – he won’t listen to him. Pidge looks frustrated and begins walking towards Kevin and Johnny. Audience wonder he is going to do.

SIMON AND SCARLETT
Hide peering around the corner of the train station.

PIDGE
Walks up to Kevin and Johnny“I lost them.”Kevin and Johnny are annoyed with Pidge but understand how easy it is to lose them.He suggests they walk around and check hotels looking for them before they have to tell Mike.

SIMON AND SCARLETT
Simon sees what Pidge has done for them.

PIDGE
When Kevin and Johnny are not looking Pidge turns around to look in the direction of where Simon is hiding. Simon mouths “Thank you.” to Pidge. He is truly grateful.

A TRAIN PLATFORM
Simon and Scarlett get on a train again quickly.

MONTAGE
Shows the passage of time.The gangs useless searches.Almost catching them once - losing them again.Scarlett and Simon travelling around the UK - hotel after hotel - Renting cars.We see them getting tired of running away.We see the gang getting tired of the search apart from Mike who is adamant he will find them.

THE LAST DAY
Their two weeks is up.The audience has known the tragic end from the beginning.It begins with Scarlett and Simon in the car.No map.They know their way around where they are.

HOUSE
Mike and the gang are reassessing the search – going over the last week. Where Simon and Scarlett were last seen. Some want to end the search as it is not making them money like their usual work. Mike refuses to end it. The television is on in the background – volume turned down – the news report announcing Scarlett and Simon’s deaths comes on. Johnny tells one of the other gang members to turn the volume up. They all watch in stunned silence. Pidge’s face shows he is devastated.

NEWS REPORT
Takes over the screen.The television is turned off.Camera pans around to Scarlett and Simon sitting in an arm chair watching.We see they have faked their own deaths so that they could start a new life together.

THE END.

Synopsis

News report.

Flashback - 2 weeks earlier.

Gang find out about Simon's love for Scarlett.

Mike the gang leader tells Simon to take £10,000 and leave Britain forever, or get killed.

Simon decides to leave but comes back for Scarlett.

Simon and Scarlett are chased by the gang.

Simon's best friend Pidge catches them, but helps them escape and tells Mike and the gang that he didn't see them.

Simon and Scarlett fake their deaths.

Goes back to the news report.

Section 3: Brainstorm of content and classification of film

Certificate of film

We have reached the decision that a 15 certificate is the best for our film. An 18 certificate would eliminate a large section of our audience, and may not be necessary in terms of what we need to put in the film i.e. violence. A 12 would be restricting in what we could film, and may make the film less powerful. A 15 is perfect as we can show some violence, without isolating part of our audience. And the lack of gore and extreme violence could create more suspension, which is fitting for the thriller genre.

Thriller Ideas

Idea 1: A man escapes from an asylum, kills people all over the country but aims at killing the doctors of other asylums in order to help his physcopathic friends escape so they can all take over.

Idea 2: 7 people on death row, each one has committed a deadly sin, it turns out to be just one person as the killer who has 7 different personalities.Idea 3: Little girl is kidnapped her parents have been left clues, they follows the clues, lots of twists and turns, to find her dead or alive?

Idea 4: A villiage has poisoned water they go to find out what is makes the water bad - find dead bodies, there is a mystery to be solved.

Idea 5: 8 teenagers locked in a school. They disappear one by one, find them dead, eventually they realise the murderer is one of them. The survivors try to escape. Murderer is the loner character. Lets the nice ones survive and kills himself.

Idea 6: A group of teenagers camping, two of the girls are killed. Murders are so horrific they think only an animal e.g. bear could have done it. Others run for help the forest ranger turns out to be the real killer, goes after the other three teens. A fight for survival.

These were our first ideas and were not chosen as they seemed too much like horrors or slashers, not having the detailed plot line or twist possibilities that a good thriller should have.

Section 2: Research into examples of comparable media products

This essay will analyse the opening sequence of 5 thrillers. These are: Jaws, American Psycho, Silence Of The Lambs, Casino Royale and The Prestige.

JAWS

The opening of the 1975 film 'Jaws' has a linear narrative structure. The thriller codes and conventions it conforms to are the fact that there's a female victim. Also, the fact that some sort of monster or killer is introduced, which is not yet identified. The camerawork used at the beginning of the sequence is a point of view shot. This is also repeated at the end of the sequence to show that the shark is moving towards the girl and something's going to happen to her. There are not many props used in the opening, apart from the seaweed and things that would be found under the sea. This informs the audience of the type of location that the film is set in. The non-diegetic music used while the credits are on starts off slow and quiet, but gets louder and faster to build tension. Once the story starts there's a regular, rhythmic and sinister musical beat, which becomes clear as the film goes on, that it signifies that a killing is imminent. The main piece of editing in this sequence is the cross-cutting between the shark's POV shots and the shots of the girl above the water. This builds suspense and informs the audience of what's happening under and above water.

AMERICAN PSYCHO

The opening sequence of the 2000 film 'American Psycho' has a linear narrative structure. It uses 3 very important props that conform to the codes and conventions of a thriller which are blood, guns and knives. The opening of this film keeps the audience asking questions, because the main character seems to have 2 personalities as he is nice to some people and not to others. The exotic is brought into the everyday life of the main character. The exotic is an upmarket, yuppie lifestyle. Partial vision is also another convention of a thriller, which is used in 'American Psycho.' Aswell as the narrative relating to partial vision because it's not fully explained, it can also be in the literal sense. For example, you don't see any background at the start, all is seen is red blobs, so the audience don't know what it is or what it's from. The camerawork begins with shots of something that looks like blood. This contrasts to the plain white background, which instantly grabs the audience's attention. When the sequence moves into the restaurant there are even more close-ups, but of the food, credit cards and money, which indicates that the film may centre around wealth. When the camera moves to the main character and his colleagues, the shots make the audience feel like an observer. For example, the camera is in the middle of the table or above it, rather than being next to the characters. After these scenes we see Patrick in his apartment, where alot of the shots are captured through the mirror. This could signify that this character is seen in different ways or lights by people. Christian Bale's performance as Patrick Bateman gives a sense of mystery and enigma to the character. This makes the audience want to stay and watch the film and keeps them hooked on the film to see what happens to this intriguing character. The music in the restaurant is classical and upmarket, which matches to the people and the wealth that are seen in there. The cut from the club to the apartment is very sharp and abrupt, which signifies a very significant contrast. For example, the club is dark and loud and the apartment is light and silent. The graphics used for the credits at the start of the film can be described as simple, serious and plain. This contrasts to the character of Patrick Bateman and the film's narrative/theme, because they are obviously complicated and complex.

Silence Of The Lambs

The opening of the 1990 film of 'Silence of The Lambs' also has a linear narrative structure. One thriller code and convention that is included in this opening sequence is the action/stunts. Also, the fact that the character's are FBI agents. As Clarice is running through the forest the camera is either infront of her, while she runs towards it, or behind her, where she runs away from it. Also, the camera tracks to follow her. The lighting in the forest is very subdued, however when Clarice comes to her first obstacle the sun shines through the trees onto her, but the rest of the set is in mist. This portrays her as being angelic and innocent, however it could be used in the sense that she is 'in light' of the situation, while everybody else is oblivious. As she enters the building the audience see lots of weapons, eg guns, which connote violence and death. Next Clarice enters a lift full of tall, muscly men wearing red, while she wears grey. This seperates her from the men and makes her seem helpless and weak. Another factor relating to this is that the walls in the lift are blue, which is seen as a masculine colour. This is another indicator that Clarice is in a male dominated environment. In the forest, orchestral music is playing, which signifies that everything at the moment is calm, serene and normal, however there's some impending drama. As Clarice runs faster, the music speeds up, which makes the atmosphere tense. Adding to this non-diegetic music is diegetic sounds to make the scene seem more realistic, eg footsteps and birds fluttering past. The editing in the forest sequence is nice and flowing and the transitions are smooth, however the cut to inside the building is quite sharp and as Clarice is going through the building the editing gets more harsh. This also matches with the sound.

CASINO ROYALE

The opening sequence of 'Casino Royale' has a non-linear narrative structure, because it shows Bond about to murder an MI6 section chief, with flashbacks of a different murder. It uses the thriller code and convention of twists and confusion on the audience, because Bond is committing all these brutal murders, they start to question whether he is a villain rather than a hero. It also incorporates violence and death. In relation to camerawork, there are lots of over-the-shoulder shots, which means that the character's faces are in the corner of the frame most of the time. This gives a sense of mystery and enigma. Which contrasts to the flashback of a different murder where all the shots are infront of the characters and they include long shots, mid-shots and close-ups. This murder is more explicit and obvious. The whole of the first sequence is in black and white, allowing the director to effectively use lots of shadows, in order to give an eerie atmosphere. Daniel Craig's performance as Bond, is portraying him as a dark character who's also violent. When Bond is talking to the MI6 chief, everything is silent, but when he flashes back, non-diegetic music comes on. This could represent death. A fast, rocky song accompanies the credits of the film and portrays Bond as having a rock and roll sort of lifestyle. The editing includes cross-cutting between scenes and shot-reverse-shot during the conversation. However, it breaks the 180 degree rule. The whole of the title/credits sequence is achieved using graphics. The director uses the basis of playing cards to create this sequence. For example, hearts are dripping with blood, which also represents the tribulations of Bond's love story, a club represents a puff of gun smoke, diamonds are used to stab people, spades are used in replace of bullets. Also, slashed arteries of Bond's enemy are spurting thousands of tiny hearts. Shadowy images of silhouettes are fighting and they depict intricate and innovative card patterns. All of these images show that the plot of the film is going to revolve around playing cards, hence the title 'Casino Royale.'

THE PRESTIGE

The narrative structure of the 2006 film 'The Prestige' is non-linear. Throughout the film the story shifts between points of view of the different characters and moves back and forward between time. This is also part of the thriller codes and conventions. Examples of these in 'The Prestige' are twists and turns, unravelling puzzles and questions and answers. These all act to confuse the audience and make them stay watching to find out the answers. In the opening sequence there are lots of camera movements, including tracking to follow Cutter walking, tilts/crane to follow the stage rising and pans across the audience. There is also another important shot in this scene, which is a wide shot of the magician on the stage and the audience in their seats. This shot serves to show the positions of these 2 people and show the audience's reaction to what's happening on stage. The clothes in this opening sequence are Victorian fashions and everybody is dressed very smartly eg the men are wearing suits and the women dresses. This also relates to the setting which shows a Victorian theatre on stage and under the stage. These factors indicate to the audience the era that the film is set. The colour that's portrayed to the audience is soft, earthy tones, and parts are almost black and white. The lighting is mainly natural, therefore creating shadows and making the film seem more realistic. The sound consists of simple string chords and electronic sounds. This gives an intellectual and enchanted atmosphere, to reflect the film. The only sound effects used are the electricity sounds, during the staged disappearing trick. There's a non-diegetic voice-over added on post-production during editing. This voice-over describes the magician's trick as it happens on stage.

Seven

This essay will analyse the 1995 film 'Seven' in 6 parts. These parts are narrative structure, camerawork, mise-en-scene, sound, editing and thriller codes and conventions. It will also relate 'Seven' to the critic's theories of the thriller. The 4 main characters in the film are Detective David Mills and Detective William Somerset, the murderer they're chasing John Doe and David's wife Tracey Mills. The film consists of murders centred around the 7 deadly sins.
'Seven' has a linear narrative structure. At the beginning there is a dual narrative between David and William, because it cross-cuts between them getting ready for work in the morning. This is a contrast between David and William and it shows how different and opposite their personalities are.
The camerawork in this film reflects how the audience feel. When David and William are looking around Does flat, there are slow pans to take in the details. This creates suspense. At the end of the film when David, John and William are in the desert there are lots of shaky camera movements used when they are running and when the camera's view is from the helicopter. These are point of view shots and serve to make the audience feel involved, to break up the shots and to add variety. By the end of the film the audience realises that John Doe is a martyr. This is because he's killed to fulfill his belief in the 7 deadly sins which, in his head, is a just cause. The shots help the audience to come to this conclusion. An example of this is when there's a low angle shot showing John as in control and the sun is just behind his head which gives him almost a ring of light around his head. This is ironic because it makes John seem innocent and angelic, even though he's committed all these gruesome murders throughout the film. All through the film, when Mills is giving his opinion on the murders and he is in control, the camera looks up to him. However, the majority of the time, because Mills and Somerset are equally important, they're on the same level. Also, when Mills and Somerset are together the camera is always next to them or behind them, rather than in front of them. For example, when they're in the car, the camera would be expected to be on the windscreen or somewhere in front of the characters. However, the shots are always from the backseat of the car. The purpose of these type of shots are to make the audience feel part of their 'gang' and their conversations.
The costume, hair and make-up in the film also juxtaposes the difference between Mills and Somerset. Somerset's clothes are all neatly pressed and traditional. He wears lots of tweed and a hat. In contrast to Mills' clothes, which include a leather jacket and he has his ties already done, which connotes that he's lazy. The lighting is dark and dull, which gives an eerie atmosphere and makes the audience feel scared. The props include torches, which creates suspense. They also highlight what the detectives are looking at and relate to partial vision, but physically rather than in the narrative. Another important prop is the guns. This is also a factor that contrasts Mills' and Somerset's personalities. Somerset's gun is more like an old-fashioned revolver and he doesn't really use it, however Mills has a modern gun and he uses it frequently. Tracey also expresses her views about the use of guns, which is ironic because her husband has one that he uses alot, it also foresees the ending when she gets killed.
The opening title sequence is accompanied by gritty, haunting, dirty, unnatural, cold and eerie music. This sets the tone for the film. Throughout the film there is constant traffic, arguing, sirens, alarms, barking, rain, trains and car horns. This makes the setting seem dirty, violent, polluted and depressing. About half-way through the film William is in the library and David is at home and they're both working on the same case. This is the first time that these 2 characters are on the same wavelength, because up until this point they were disagreeing about everything. This is portrayed by a sound bridge between these 2 scenes to show that there is a link between the both of them. The song that is playing is 'Air on a G-string' by Bach. This song connotes the scene as peaceful, quiet and intellectual, which contrasts to the rest of the film which is mainly thrilling and fast-paced. This piece of sound is both non-diegetic and diegetic because William is listening to it in the library but David can't hear it. It also makes the audience think about the murder investigation itself and helps them to feel involved in solving the mystery.
What is happening in the opening of the film is only clear once you've watched the film. It's a montage of scary, gory and creepy images, and it can be understood after knowing the film's narrative that it's John Doe setting up and getting ready for the murders he commits. His face isn't shown but it's purpose is to show the presence of a 'crazy' character, which is later identified as Doe. The on screen graphics are blurry, unfocused, rough and scratchy. This signifies that the film's going to be unclear and puzzling.
'Seven' illustrates G. K. Chesterton's theory of 'The Transformed City' because it has an urban setting. Northrop Frye's theory of 'The Heroic Romance' is shown when the ordinary working people like Somerset and Mills' lives are turned into the extraordinary by the murders they are investigating. John Cawelti's theory of 'The Exotic' is illustrated in 'Seven' because the 'exotic' is the 7 deadly sins and the elaborate murder scenes. W. H. Matthews' theory of 'Mazes and Labyrinths' is shown because the whole narrative is a puzzle and a maze. Pascal Bonitzer's theory of 'Partial Vision' is illustrated in 'Seven' because the audience only see some of the story. Lars Saurberg's theory of 'Concealment and Protraction' is shown through the delays in finding out key information in alot of the scenes. For example, at the end of the film, when the van delivers the box, it delays the audience from finding out what's actually in the box. Lastly, Noel Carroll's theory of 'Question and Answer' is illustrated in 'Seven' through the many questions that will go through the viewer's head when watching the film. For example, will he survive and will he kill again. Noel Carroll also says that the moral factor should be included in a thriller, which is also illustrated in 'Seven.' This is when Mills becomes the killer at the end, which leads to the important question of whether Mills is still a hero. Another example of the moral factor is John Does morals and his reasons for the killings, whether they are just or not.

Section 1: The thriller genre

This essay will explore 7 authors and critics who have defined the thriller genre. These are: G. K. Chesterton, Northrop Frye, John Cawelti, W. H. Matthews, Pascal Bonitzer, Lars Ole Sauerberg and Noel Carroll. All these people had their own opinions on what a thriller should consist of.
G. K. Chesterton was a thriller writer in the early 1900s. He labelled the thriller as a modern genre that was mainly set in urban landscapes. It was an attempt to find 'the poetry of modern life.' The thriller finds excitement in everyday environments and transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Northrop Frye, a Canadian, was one of the most distinguished literary critics and literary theorists of the 20th century. He builds upon Chesterton's critique by adding that the hero is often an ordinary person. An example of this idea is the film 'Derailed.' It's set in the urban landscape of Chicago and the ' hero' of the film is a normal man with a family who live in the suburbs and a job in the city. The ordinary turns into the extraordinary when he meets someone travelling to work.
John Cawelti is an author of mostly the detective fiction and western genres, but he has his own ideas of what the thriller should include. He combines Chesterton and Frye's thoughts. He says a thriller should transform the city (the setting) from a modern centre of commerce into a place of enchantment and mystery. This is achieved by introducing 'The Exotic' into the everyday world.
W. H. Matthews' work relates to mazes and labrynths in fiction. It's based upon the image of Theseus descending into an underground maze full of twists. He thinks that if a thriller narrative was to be designed, this idea should be used. Therefore, a thriller film should be a puzzling journey for the audience. An example of this is the film 'Flightplan.' It all takes place on a plane journey so it sounds simple. However, it doesn't include physical twists and turns e.g. setting and character changes, but psychological ones.
Pascal Bonitzer is a teacher at La Femis (France's national film school.) He thought Matthews was describing 'Partial Vision' when he advocates mazes. This relates to the audience because he thinks they should only see so much. This will keep them hooked on the film until the end when the answers are revealed.
All thriller narratives are built around the structuring and then release of information. The method of suspense is created by the audience's access to narrative information. This is a theory suggested by Lars Ole Sauerberg, which he names concealment and protraction.
The question-answer model is a dominant feature in a thriller according to author Noel Carroll. This is mainly used in non-linear narratives, for example we might see the ending first and then we find out how the characters evolved throughout the story and reached that ending. This model is also prominent in a film that uses flashbacks and flash-forwards.
Some directors who make thrillers either choose to follow the stereotypical conventions illustrated by these authors and critics or choose to go against them for a more alternative style. These people have all defined the thriller genre and made them what they are today.