Call sheet

Camera (Thriller)

Camera angles/shot types 

Close up shots will be an essential part of our film as this can build tension and suspense. We never see the full picture that is happening around our characters we will just see there emotions/facial expression and in some cases actions speak louder than words.

Our match on action shot will be clearly represented when our female lead is opening the door to meet her ‘partner in crime’. She will be shown opening the door from the outside then our camera will swap to the inside of the building where she will be shown walking through the door frame, matching the action in which she has just made.

Shot reverse shot will be used in order to capture our characters dialogue between one another. This filming technique is used in many big time movies/films, one of my particular favourites is in the hunger games when the are supposedly doing an interview and the camera is not only doing “shot reverse shot” but it also shows an over the shoulder shot, allowing the audience to get a better picture of what is taking place in the scene.

Thriller script

DSL Films.

Garage - Night

Female lead enters garage door to find her male partner working with different equipment.

POV:

Female lead walks towards the white door from the camera (almost over the shoulder shot).

turns the door handle, opening the door: match on action shot.

Walks to the significant other standing in the work space...

                                                                       

                                                                         Female lead

                                                      (Paranoid tone) "Did you get her...

(short pause) "I saw her hit you what if someone else saw as well we could be done for if this gets out".

Male character walks with an almost distinct limp on the right side of his body.

                                                                         

                                                                        Male lead

(sarcastic tone, almost confident) "Yes, we got her... she was just sitting there. Calm down before you cause a scene or worse someone hears you".

Actions:

Both walk outside in an accelerated pace towards the car

Female lead sits in the front passengers seat whilst male lead makes his way to the back of the car...

Opens the boot to find tied up hostage.

(Hostage acting scared and frightened)

Celtx screenplay

Thriller rationale #2

Rationale (thriller) 

The scene starts with our young female lead walking in front of the camera almost starting off with an over the shoulder shot. She is walking at a hastily pace as if she needs to take care of something that is in dire need of her attention. The scene will start off in darkness with a dim white light surrounding our first character. This immediately gives the audience an impression of sketchy movement as the darkness is being used as a convention alongside shadows which creates the effect of fear and anticipation.

We have chosen to film our scene in an underground looking car park, this makes the atmosphere look and feel grungy so that the audience gets an impression of a lower class status from the two main characters. Our second location is set in a working shed so that the tools are used as a convention to show danger and a sense of mystery. Before our female character reaches the inside of the “shed” she is shown to be opening a white door. By using the colour white, this almost acts as a false sense of security for the audience thinking she’s going somewhere peaceful and calming, when really it is a false image leading her into a world of dismay.

An authorised personnel only so will be displayed on the right side of the screen as we see our character walking through the door this can be used as iconography as we get a feeling that our characters are not where they’re supposed to be. Our character will be wearing grungy simplistic clothing, again representing status and class and how even though our characters are doing something they should not be we get the feeling that is most likely related to money/financial problems. 

The door will be used to represent our match in action shot when filming we will see our female leads hand reach for the door handle and turning it, the camera position will then switch to see her walking through the other side of the door frame so that she is walking inside the shed. This will all be put together with continuity editing so that all the shots line up with the story/plot line. Another camera technique we will be using is shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. Our shot reverse shot will be shown when our female character enters the ‘building’ and has a direct conversation with our male lead. It will show them exchanging dialogue and the camera will be on a close up of the girls face then will transition to the male leads face so that we can see his response and facial expressions. The 180 degree shot rule will be used so that the screen balance of the film maintains its positioning, e.g. the camera doesn’t pass a certain point when filming, so it always stays on a straight line axis as if only moving in half a circle. 

When our male lead is introduced he will be seen to be doing “human-like” activities as if he is trying to almost ignore the fact that he has just taken a young girl hostage and locked her in the back of his ‘average’ car. The hostage will be seen to be a female adding the representation of male dominance in how she is tied up and helpless acting as our ‘damsel in distress’ except this time there is no hero to save her. Our female hostage that is presented to be in distress will have her face covered adding to the mystery of what she actually looks like whether she is older in the fact that she may have money that our two kidnappers want or is she younger and has wealthier parents and is most likely being held for ransom. 

Close up shots will be used frequently throughout the scene as it adds to the emotion used in the ‘short film’ we will get a sense of how our different characters are feeling and will keep the mysterious tone as we will never really see the full ‘picture’ of what is actually happening on the screen. Darkness and shadows are being utilised as they both represent thriller conventions building the tension and making our ‘film’ more realistic and professional. 

Location

Location 

Our thriller is tied together around a kidnapping that takes place in an underground car park. We wanted to make the atmosphere look as grungy as possible so that the audience gets an idea of the class and status that our two main characters have. Meaning that they are not wealthy and have to meet in an almost abandoned warehouse/shed in order to actually pull off their plan/heist. 

We decided to use the side door leading into the garage instead as it adds more of a simplistic tone and can also be used for our match on action shot. We also want to get a shot of the ‘authorised  personnel only’ sign as it tells the audience that they are somewhere they almost shouldn't be.  

The female lead is going to be seen walking through the door and our male lead (her partner in crime) will be standing at the workbench almost as if it will bring a more serious manner to the scene as if he is just doing “human-like” activities that an average male man would be seen doing. There are a lot of tools and working type equipment adding to the fact that they are in some type of grungy looking workspace adding suspense in the fact that the audience doesn't know what the characters are going to do in their as it looks like an isolated area.  

Little elements are going to be seen in different shots. For example when we have our shot reverse shot, when the two lead characters are having a conversation, in the background you will see  a metal cabinet with a HAZCHEM sign of the front indicating danger and as the scene progresses we will see our male lead use the cabinet to store different types of “kidnap” looking equipment. 

Our scene then moves to the outdoors giving an airy and lonely tone. There is almost no one there and by doing this it will add to the effect of sneaky and almost guilty behaviour. The car will be stationary in the car park. By having a wooden background and concrete floor/pavement it almost emphasises on the fact of money and how they cannot afford to take their hostage in a more wealthier setting for example a flash hotel. It adds to the thriller as it creates darkness and a foreshadowing of fear. 

References

"Times Up" Cambridge Media trailer

- Quick cuts to black
- Fast movements with banging non-diegetic sound
- Fast camera movement

Borgman opening scene       

- The scene starts with diegetic sound playing in the background when they introduce the title of the movie as if something or someone is moving but we cannot see them.
- The scene starts with a jump scare giving the audience a fright by starting off with a quiet sound then going into the loud boar of a dog barking. This almost sets the atmosphere of the movie.
- A lot of loud banging sounds at the start of the scene.

"Excemption" AS media opening 

- starts with an extreme close up of his eye and then edits a clock in the reflection of his eye ball.
- non-diegetic chime playing in the background acting as a platonic and almost melancholic sound.
- close up shots/two person shots are used to capture facials/expressions.
- They play diegetic sound of heavy breathing in the background giving the audience the sense of suspense.   

Thriller story board

Thriller Brainstorm

                 
Thriller Brainstorm

Question: We are introduced to a deranged, mentally ill man who is stalking his victim although coming across as normal and an 'all round nice guy' to his neighbourhood.


- Slow tracking/camera movements.

- a lot of point of view and close up shots.

- News reporter following up on an anonymous tip with her camera man.

- Dark and dull colours to give the atmosphere an airy feel.

- News reporter turn up at front step

- During the day he is an average man seeing to be doing human-like activities e.g. mowing the lawns, but at night he goes off

- Hearing sounds at the back of the house

- Use colour as a representation of safety and danger (white van for camera crew and red hue around the fence gate when going behind the fence)

- use shadows and silhouettes

- Point of view and extreme close up to add the aspect of the unknown

- Heavy diegetic breathing as the camera man and reporter walk up to the fence/gate that leads to the back of the house

Rationale

Rationale


The scene begins with an establishing shot of our unnamed middle aged male character standing in the door frame of the front of his house with the door swung open. There is a red brick underlay surrounding the doorway with two white old fashioned pillars on either side giving a retro yet modern feel to the house. There is a dull fade over the shot making the colours look damp and lifeless, as we continue into the plot we will see how there is an ironic comparison between the mans ‘mental state’ and the colours, in how they are dead almost a representation of his soul. There is a non-diegetic sound of smooth jazz playing in the background as if playing from an old phonograph. This is almost a contrapuntal sound and how the visual we are seeing on the screen is a gloomy and unattractive site where the music is upbeat and usually related to a feelgood atmosphere e.g. dancing and cheerful moments. It is acting as an ironic sound, contradicting the upbeat music with a melancholy soon. And ironic sound contradicting the upbeat music with a melancholy scene.

A male character is then seen to be walking down the front steps of his house down a brick pathway with dull brown grass on either side. This will be caught by a tracking shot which will follow him all the way down as he is seen to be taking out the rubbish, an ordinary human like activity. From the way our character moves will give the audience a sense of age meaning that our character will have an almost a limpish walk implying that he may be around the age of 50. Hey seems to be carrying a black rubbish bag filled with something that has to do for that weighs more than your average rubbish bin he then places it in the metal cans at the end of his road.

We were then taken to an extreme close-up shot of the man’s face, his eyes feeding to the left as if he is on edge or waiting for something to happen. This is when our audience starts to get the feeling of suspense and anticipation wondering what he may be looking for. As our character walks further away from the house the sound of the music being played slowly fades out to get quieter and quieter almost the opposite of pleonastic sound. Artificial lighting will be used to create an unrealistic you over the shot making everything look pale in comparison to the sun‘s rays.

He then walks over to a limp standing letterbox with its red tail upwards indicating that he has mail, we are showing a point of view shot of him opening the mailbox pulling down the front lid and pulling out the letter which is then turned into a match of action shot as we are then shown him Reading the address on the front of the envelope The cameras view goes into another point of view shot where we are we are shown the letter for a male leads eyes looking down onto the letter with the camera is positioned at a high angle looking down (High angle shot).

Instead of walking back through the front door the man takes a roundabout way and instead goes through the back door passing the front of his house, neighbours have been tracking this movement as it is unnatural and almost aberrant for him to be walking around the back of his house at dusk. There has been supposed reports of screaming voices coming from the back shed of this man’s house leading to the cause of a news reporter and her cameraman showing up uninvited, to investigate. All of this is put together with continuity editing creating a nice flow throughout the different camera shots. The scene will then end with a sudden non-diegetic drum bang adding an atmosphere of fear and coordinating with the picture as it will be a quick cut to black.

Homework Task 2

Task #2

Public Enemies

This episode is seen to fall under the category of a police/crime drama. It starts of with a thrilling yet suspenseful scene where the audience is almost left in the dark with the situation that is taking place, this relates to the setting and/or theme of the episode, in which the story has been set, with dull colours, almost as if the film is left in the dark becoming a mystery.

The establishing shot shown at the start of the film is of some type of forest/bush. The camera angle slowly moves from a low angle shot of the trees to a midway shot, where we are shown the whole picture. This tells the audience where the scene is set and is an indirect connotation of sketchy/dodgy activities that may be occurring.The first sign of movement that we see in this episode is after our establishing shot where the characters car drives in on the right third of the shot also relating back to the framing and placement of props. This creates iconography within the scene as the car becomes a big part of the suspenseful nature in which the TV series is being portrayed as. We as the audience are shown the credits at the opening of the episode, this falls under editing where the names of cast and crew are added to the screen, appearing at the bottom, after the finishing touches of camera work are finalised.

Our first character that we are introduced to is shown to us through the reflection of his rear view mirror. We are only shown parts of his face building tension and implying that he may be untrustworthy or an almost 'villain-like' character. We are shown what could also be considered as a point-of-view shot, where we are only able to view the mans hands on the steering wheel and the picture that is shown beyond the front windscreen (trees and the gravel road that he is driving upon). We are shown a picture of rubbish/a lower class area, it is almost as if they have turned this natural scenery into a place where people feel as though they can dump their problems. This not only indicates the status of the scene, but it also implies that this may be an evasive environment, not a suitable setting for a film such as family friendly movie i.e. a place where you would have a family brunch/picnic. This camera shot adds to the mise en scène of this TV drama, where the dirty elements are placed in such a way that it is a signifier of a poorer community.

A dark hue is placed over the scene making it look gloomy as if something bad was about to happen. The music/radio is interrupted and is turned off by the male character. This then allows not only the audience but also the character to hear the wails of a girl who sounds as if she has been trapped/locked in a confined space. It almost becomes a pleonastic sound, and the girls cries become more apparent as he walks towards the rear of the car to the boot. The camera follows the man’s face but we are never fully shown the whole structure, it is as if part of his identity is yet to be revealed almost a mystery in the way that they are covering up the characters true identity by not showing his full facial structure. We assume that the male character has opened the trunk and is now either injuring/hurting our female voice. The camera changes it’s view to nature shots showing the calmness of the leaves as they rustle between the branches of the tree tops, giving a sense of peace and serenity almost ironic to the situation that is now being carried out, where the male character is holding a female hostage (we assume). A reflection of the front windscreen is shown as the voices that we were hearing is cut off abruptly leaving the audience suspenseful and curious to what has just happened. The camera shots of natures beauty almost acts as an equilibrium to the fact that something may be happening to our female character but we are still unaware. The non-diegetic sound of bristling leaves creates a sense of peace, which is almost ironic considering the fact that we have just been put on edge by our ending view/scene.

We are introduced to another establishing shot where the camera lens is focused on to another camera screen, making it seem like we are looking through another persons eyes acting like a point of view shot for a piece of technology. We hear the diegetic voice in the background describing a murder, the racking focus then switches from the camera and feeds into focus on the people standing in front of the white stature building. Whilst the male and female figure are standing talking to the press, the camera view we are shown becomes shaky and unsteady as if representing the emotions of the characters on the screen. The voices are uneasy giving the sense of disturbance to the audience making us wonder what the full story is and what has happened, in order to affect our characters the way it has.

Hidden shots are shown from behind the pillar where we can only see half the picture and the other half is blocked by the building in front. This allows the audience to only understand half the story, still being kept in the dark, but slowly being drip fed information to perceive the main story line of this episode. The lighting throughout has a dingy feel, where brightness is blocked out by the despair of our characters loss. It is portrayed throughout the first minute where even natures greenery has a bland and distasteful aura. Representation and gender control is a clear figure and influence in the first few scenes of this TV drama. The male is shown to be over bearing of the women who is our classic damsel in distress but this time there was no hero to save her.

We can assume that this girl who has supposedly been 'murdered' is of a young age. The people shown talking into the microphones and cameras, may be the parents of this female voice, and if so they look to be as if a similar age to this girls kidnapper. The 'parent' figures shown are distraught to the fact that (what we assume to be their daughter) has been killed/murdered, relating back to the name "public enemies" where this male character we are first introduced too, has made adversary opponents that may alter the path of his future. They want to make known the crime that has been committed causing our male lead to form "public enemies" himself.

Homework Task 1 Sherlock Holmes

Task: Use your notes to write a short response about how the technical elements combine to construct mood and tone.


Sherlock Holmes is a well-known drama/crime fiction tv series. It starts off with a brief introduction of the events that happened previously in the series. During the first 50 seconds of the extract there is moments when the editing cuts from blackout to picture, this lets the audience see what is happening whilst trying to cram all of the previous episode into a couple of minutes. It recaps the overall plot and situation yet still maintaining a short yet concise overview. After the first 40 seconds of the clip, the blackouts start to become fast passed almost as if it mimics the sensation of blinking. Everything starts to move at a rapid pace creating intensity and striking the audience with drops of confusion and vigorousity. This is all portrayed through the editing of the film.The beginning establishing shot of the swimming pool expresses irony in how a swimming pool is usually a place of joy and laughter. It is a recreational environment and has now been portrayed as a possible murder scene.

Throughout the short film there are many close up shots used in the camera work that shows the  character's facials, along with many other encrypting details. By showing the many different expressions seen on the faces of our main cast, this tells the audience how to feel for example professor Moriarty stands with  a blank expression as if it is almost inhumane. He wears a suit to a place which is usual fitted for casual attire giving the sense that he is ranked highly in his type of profession/industry. He shown in dull colours that wash out his complexion as if he is almost already dead, this would help to explain why when Sherlock is standing with a gun aimed straight for him he doesn't exclaim an ounce of fear. This bleeds fear into the hearts of the audience making them suspect and almost worry for the lives of the characters.

Moriarty's psychopathic tendencies are represented through colors and movement, the bodies watching the film can tell that he is in a powerful place according to his crime syndicate. The camera work has been thoughtfully depicted through the racking focus when the camera is sought to be on Moriarty, then soon shifts focus onto the gun that Sherlock is seen to be holding. This causes the audiences focus to be taken from one thing to another, conveying changes throughout the scene. An over the shoulder shot is shown, where the camera is looking over the side of Sherlock. This helps us as viewers, be admonished of not only our villains emotions/movements but also reminds us of the characters that are not fully on screen, as they are just as much apart of the situation at hand.

A number of different props are used to create an initial image in the audiences minds. Sherlock is recognized as holding a gun whilst another character on the side has a bomb strapped to his body. As viewers we can immediately recognize the underlining meaning of both props. It strikes danger and alert to everyone seeing the film. This falls under the mise-en-scene of the film categories and helps to depict the overall image. Non-diegetic sounds play in the background, one of them being an underlying drum that mimics the sound of a heartbeat. It creates intensity in the scene by having a fast paced rhythm whilst also including on edge music. This is all then contradicted towards the end of the film when the whole scene is interrupted by Moriarty's ring tone, one that is to the sound of "staying alive" by Bee Gees. This an almost ironic and iconic part of the film as our villain (Moriarty) is being faced with death the song comes on almost to contradict Sherlock's plan as if he cannot die and that the words "staying alive" was not only a ring tone but a statement in terms of Moriarty's life.