Props

Butchers Knife-
We are usuing a butchers knife as the murder weapon in 'The Intruder' as it is much bigger than other knives we had access to so it would show up better on the camera and would catch the light from behind the Intruder coming from the bathroom. 
The Butchers knife was also used as the murder weapon because it gives the Intruder the title of a 'butcher'. He not only kills his victims, he butchers them. This plays on the audience's mind, and leaves them thinking after the opening of Intruder has finished. It diminishes his previous and future victims as labels them animals. It shows that he really is evil and was intended for the audience to become nervous as to what else he could do in the rest of Intruder. 

The Bracelet-


An intertextual reference to the Heavenly Creatures where Pauline and Juliet kill Pauline's mother after she tries to end their obsessive relationship. The girls take her mother for a walk in the forest and place a jewel on the route so that she bends down and picks it up, making it easier for the girls to kill her. Similarly in Intruder, he places the bracelet on the floor of the flat so she sees it and bends down to pick it up, leaving her in a vulnerable position making it easier for the intruder to kill her.  

Shot Types

I want to take shots of Jo's and the Intruder's feet walking away from the camera. The camera will cut quickly from her walking to his feet building the suspense and tension up amongst the audience. This is similar to Alfred Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train' where the whole of the opening two minutes are shots of the two men's feet cutting from one to the other. The fact that you can only see the intruder's feet also builds tension as it is mysterious as no one knows who it is..

The shot of the Intruder's feet is the first proper shot where the audience can attempt to work out what sort of a person he is. He is wearing heavy duty boots such as those worn on a construction site. From this the audience can anticipate that he is a fairly big built, tall man who is fit.
The lighting will be from the ceiling going down towards their feet. This can be aruged to be chiaroscuro lighting as it creates a very 'moody' and dim effect. It juxtaposes the location as it is a very modern block of flats. This is ambiguous to the audience and will make them unsure as to what will happen.
I will shoot the feet usuing a low angled camera angle similar to that in Strangers on a Train. This way it shows only the feet and legs not entirely giving away the identity of the Intruder which builds supsense and fear amoungst the audience. The low camera angle also makes the audience feel vulnerable as their vision is almost floor level. The low camera angle makes the victim in Thriller films accessible. For example in Heavenly Creatures, they got Juliet's mum low to the floor by putting a jewel for her to pick up, this left her in a vulnerable position and easy for her to be targeted.  

Reference to Heavenly Creatures

The intruder is going to put down the bracelet or watch in her living room so that she sees it and picks it up, making it easier to kill her. This is an intertextual reference from Heavenly Creatures when the two girls place the precious stone on the walk that their mother was going to take so that she's pick it up and while she was crouching down, they would kill her by repeatedly hitting her in the head with a brick. 



He takes the bracelet again which suggests he is going to use it on his next victim. This is simliar to Luther (a BBC crime/thriller) as the taxi driver murderer took a necklace from his victim. It can also be compared to Thorne;Sleepyhead where the killer takes a necklace from his first victim, and uses it on his second to entice her, making her think he wanted a relationship.

Audience Profile

    The audience for my thriller film will be 18-30 year old females. They will go to university and study psychology or criminology and will aspire to become a psychologist specialising in criminal profiling or a police officer within forensics. Therefore the thriller genre is important to them as they enjoy using what they have learnt to figure out what is going to happen in the film. They enjoy the more psychological thriller films as they think that the less-obvious crimes are more interesting to work out.
   I found out that this demographic will most enjoy my thriller film from the questionnaire in which I carried out over Christmas. I also found out that these are the people most likely to watch films at independent cinemas such as CinemaCity. Picturehouse cinemas are also situated in University towns therefore there is a lot of opportunity for students to watch independent films such as my own.
   The audience for Intruder are most likely to watch television series such as Silent Witness, Luther, The Killing and Spooks. They also read crime books such as Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell and Steig Larsson helping them to build up their knowledge of cases whether fiction or not.

Demographic

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Intruder

Final Cut

Final Cut

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Final Cut

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1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My thriller convention is immediately established in my production by the name; ‘Intruder'. This uses the conventional idea of someone breaking into your own home which instantly plays on the audience's mind and makes them think intertextually of other thrillers such as The Sixth Sense which shows someone intruding in on someone else's home. The storyline of a man following Jo into her flat and murdering her was inspired by the recent news story of Joanna Yeates in Bristol. This is a zeitgeist as it reflects the fears of women living by themselves in 2011 England as this terrible story of Joanna is still in the audience’s minds. It reflects the mood of the moment which is often used in films, for example; films about terrorism after the 9/11 attack of the Twin Towers in New York.
   The location is filmed in a block of flats with the opening shot being of the under-ground multi-story. This reinforces the generic convention often used in Thrillers of confined spaces. I was inspired to shoot the opening shot here because Jo would seem to be vulnerable from the start, with the dark monotone walls and low ceiling adding to the claustrophobic feel and the sense that someone is watching her. This connotes Carol Reed’s labyrinth in his representation of Vienna after the Second World War in ‘The Third Man’ with the dull, grey streets and constant feel of someone watching the main character. 

    I also used generic conventions in the shots of the corridor. They are very narrow which once again uses the idea of confined space and claustrophobia which was inspired by the corridors in ‘The Shining’. Although this is a horror film, it has thriller aspects conveyed by the use of camera work within these shots. Once again the corridors are also similar to the streets of Vienna in The Third Man with the way I edited the scene which cut from her walking to his feet. It, again, infers the idea that the corridors are a labyrinth adding to the suspense of the shot.
   We also briefly used a lift for one shot, where she is travelling up to her floor. The audience also see a slow motion shot of his hand pressing the number to Jo’s floor which makes them wonder why he is going to her floor and how he knows which floor she lives on; using the idea of him being a stalker. Lifts are used because they use the convention of confined and claustrophobia spaces also adding to the fear of not being able to escape or being trapped. A lift is used in various thriller films including ‘Once Upon a Time in America’. The low angled shot looking up at the bottom of the old fashioned lift makes it seem menacing and like it has control over everyone inside it. A lift is also used in the final episode of ‘Ashes to Ashes’ and even goes as far as to use it to transport people down to the programme’s ‘hell’, once again showing the lift as being a place where people become trapped and have no escape.
   The set for the main part of ‘Intruder’ was filmed in a flat. This was intended to use the fear of someone in your own home and scare the audience, reminding them of the recent Joanna Yates murder. This was mainly influenced by the Sixth Sense and Hitchcock’s 1960’s thriller; ‘Psycho’. In the Sixth Sense, Malcolm Crowe’s ex patient breaks into his home, shooting him for revenge because the man claimed Crowe didn’t give him sufficient help when his parents divorced- ‘giving up on him’. Although in my thriller, unlike in The Sixth Sense, there is no dialogue so that the reason for the Intruder being there is unknown which develops the idea of many thrillers as they often give away the reason for the crime early on, whereas the audience to my film are unsure and have to watch the rest of the film to find out. I also used the idea of Jo running a bath in her flat because she is very similar to Marion Crane, with her blonde hair and the way she is targeted in her own home and murdered. The audience will recognise this as soon as she runs the bath which will suggest to them that the man who has been following her will murder her with a knife, identical to Psycho.
      I have used the name Jo for my victim because it is a shortened version of the name Joanna- the name of the woman who was recently murdered in Bristol. This reinforces the audience’s memory of this case and makes them relate Intruder to it, building up the tension amongst them. This uses the convention of a thriller because straight away, you know Jo is a victim, because of her association with Joanna Yates. Sarah- my actress for Jo is wearing an every-day dress, tights and boots, suggesting that she has been at work all day, in order to give the Intruder plenty of time to plan what he is going to do to her, and how. However, I have challenged generic costume of usual female victims by putting her in black. The purpose of this is to show her as being powerful and independent to suggest that she is in charge of a company or has a very high up job which will suggest to the audience the reason for him killing her- for money; much like Marion Crane.
   I have used generically dark lighting for my shots of inside the flat. Thrillers use this dark lighting to add mystery as the audience cannot fully see what is going on. This adds tension as they are anticipating something to happen, for example in ‘Intruder’, they audience will be expecting something to happen when Jo is picking up the bracelet, this is then proven when the intruder walks through the doorframe holding a knife. However, in the shots beforehand, I have challenged generic lighting- for example when Jo is walking down the corridor, the scene is very bright. This still frightens the audience and causes tension amongst them because they see everything that happens, even if they do not want to. For instance, they see the Intruder following Jo, however if the scene was darker, they may not be able to work this out and see properly. Also, the use of very bright- however ambient- lighting, is to create a dream-like (or nightmare-like) state that my victim Jo is in; almost unrealistic.
     I used a generic soundtrack to build tension in areas such as when the intruder is in the lift and when he opens her door. The soundtrack evokes the audience’s fear or something being there, or that something evil is about to happen. Similar soundtracks are used in the recent series of Silent Witness also being used to build tension.
   Lastly, I used the idea from Heavenly Creatures of putting something (in the film a jewel, in ‘Intruder’ a sparkly bracelet) on the floor to attract the attention of the victim, placed there, in order to make them bend down and pick it up, therefore putting the victim in a vulnerable position and making them easier to kill. In ‘Intruder’, the camera takes a close-up of the attacker placing the bracelet on the floor, right by the television so she would be able to see it. He also walks away with it at the end, suggesting the killer collects trophies of the girls he has killed, for example, in the Crime Drama ‘Luther’, the murdered collects the girl’s necklace, and in ‘Thorne; Sleepyhead’ he collects her bracelet.

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2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In ‘Intruder’, the way that gender and ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are represented go hand in hand. Traditionally, in majority of Noir Thriller films, for example; Psycho and Once Upon a Time in America (with Eve being killed within the first two minutes of the film) women are shown as being the helpless victim, often being killed in their own homes perhaps showing them to be naive or unintelligent. However, some films such as The Third Man and Gilda use a Femme fatale used to cleverly lure in the generic male villain. They are often beautiful, mysterious and dangerous; knowing much more than what initially comes across. This is shown in The Third Man with Anna knowing more about Harry Lime’s whereabouts than let on. This Femme Fatale character is taken to the extreme in Tarantino’s Kill Bill Volume Two with the Bride taking on a predominately masculine character, seeking revenge on her old boss Bill, not letting anyone stop her, and often killing whoever gets in her way. Despite these variations in the way women are represented, for ‘Intruder’ I have chosen to use the more traditional female victim character. This is because I feel the location used and my actress reflects Psycho in the way that the man comes into her house killing her whilst her attention is on something else, for example in my film, she is looking at the bracelet, and Psycho, Marion Crane is in the shower. The effect of using this intertextual reference and making the female character the victim is so that the audience can relate to her. It is much easier for a woman to relate to someone, who is victimised in her own home, as opposed to a character such as the Bride in Kill Bill, or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Although before, the female audience may not have seen themselves as being in danger in their own homes, after the Joanna Yeates case, they may be forced to think twice about their safety and who to trust which will be reinforced on viewing ‘Intruder’. The fact that Jo- my female character- appears to be middle class; having a good job and a nice flat in the middle in the middle of a city also shows the audience how it is not just lower class females who are attacked, shown again by the fact that Joanna Yeates lived in an affluent part of Bristol and was an architect- a very well respected and highly paid job.
  I have also used traditional conventions of the male being the one to carry out the murder represented as the ‘evil’ in the opening. This, once again is to allow the audience to relate. For example, most murders of women carried out in the home, are carried out by men, with the female audience being afraid of a man breaking into her home, not a fellow female.
However, despite the fact that the opening is centred around the female victim, if I had more time to extend ‘Intruder’, I may have decided after this murder, to turn round the roles of victim and shown the man who carried out the murder as being the victim.

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3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

 Because ‘Intruder’ is only two minutes long so far, it would take a lot of work to be able to get it distributed by the bigger production companies such as Warp. However, companies such as Filmaka and the London Short Film Festival help to promote short independent films and to get them known. Independent film relies heavily on word of mouth and in order to get people talking about their new film, independent filmmakers post their short films on sites such as YouTube and Facebook. This way, audiences can view them for free, give the filmmakers feedback and even post it on their own social network sites so that their friends see the film too, therefore a domino effect is carried out and more and more people end up watching the film. Once these film are being talked about, independent film companies such as Warp view them and decide whether or not to distribute the film. For example, this was the case with Slumdog Millionaire- a very low-budget independent film- which made millions after so many people said how amazing it was.
Therefore, if I wanted my film to get distributed, I would post the opening on YouTube to begin with, sharing the link on my social network site in order to get as many views and feedback as possible. I would also enter ‘Intruder’ into competitions such as the London Short Film Festival. If it did well, film companies such as Warp would distribute my film. They would distribute my film because it would be low budget as the location is real and not a set. If my film were to be distributed by an independent film company, it would be shown in cinemas such as Cinema City and I believe it would do well as psychological thrillers appeal to audiences that go to cinemas such as the PictureHouse chain. Mainstream cinemas such as Odeon and Vue would not exhibit my film however, as their audience view films which have very well known actors, have fairly simple storylines and enjoy special effects in thriller films, which obviously, would be impossible for me to carry out.

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4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

Audience's for thriller films vary greatly depending on the various aspects of the film. In order to find out the audience for my media product, I firstly asked male students of my age in a questionnaire to identify what they looked for in thriller films. They said that they enjoyed explosions, fast paced car chases and graphic scenes. Obviously- with my resources I would be unable to create such effects and believe that my thriller is much more psychological and slower paced. As a result of this, I knew Intruder would not attract the 16-21 male demographic. However, the female students I asked of the same age group said that they preferred the more psychological thriller such as the opening of my thriller film. They enjoyed thrillers that aren't 'obvious' and that made them think about what is going to

happen. After this part of the feedback, I asked them to watch my thriller opening and identify what

 thrillers are similar to my own. A majority said that Intruder reminded them of television series such as Silent witness. When I found this out, I looked on the Internet Movie Database at the demographic who enjoyed Silent Witness the most. I saw that it was females under the age of 18 and females between the ages of 30-44. Because these are the demographic for thrillers like my own, I think that my audience would also be females mostly under 18, however also appealing to women over the age of 18.

 The audience for my thriller film will go to university and study psychology or criminology and will aspire to become a psychologist specialising in criminal profiling or a police officer within forensics. Therefore the thriller genre is important to them as they enjoy using what they have learnt to figure out what is going to happen in the film. They enjoy the more psychological thriller films as they think that the less-obvious crimes are more interesting to work out.

   I found out that this demographic will most enjoy my thriller film from the questionnaire in which I carried out over Christmas. I also found out that these are the people most likely to watch films at independent cinemas such as CinemaCity. Picturehouse cinemas are also situated in University towns therefore there is a lot of opportunity for students to watch independent films such as my own.
   The audience for Intruder are most likely to watch television series such as Silent Witness, Luther, The Killing and Spooks. They also read crime books such as Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell and Steig Larsson.

5) How did you attract/address your audience

In order to address my audience, I will need to use generic conventions which appeal to them. I order to find this information out effectively, I carried out two surveys, one with a class of year 13 media students and the other over Christmas with neighbors, and people who work with my parents. This way I can appeal to both the under 18 female demographic, and also the over 18 demographic. However I found that the demographic that Intruder would most appeal to is around 35-45. This is because this is the age of the character Jo, and therefore the audience will identify with her as they are the same age and Jo also leads the lifestyle an aspiring female audience would want to lead.
I found our that they liked thriller films such as Psycho and the Sixth Sense and therefore I tried to use as many intertextual links as possible, for example the use of the bath/shower. 
I also used fast editing to appeal to my audience, especially where they are both walking up the corridor, which juxtaposes the slow, steady- paced narrative structure, offering an intelligent contrast for the audience. 
I also attracted them with the soundtrack. They said that they enjoyed thriller films with a psychological chase, therefore I wanted to chose a track that reinforces this. 

6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Blogger has been a huge help in the production of my film. I learnt how to use Blogger to record my research into the Thriller genre and how the directors utilise generic forms and conventions, using my findings to strengthen my ideas for my own thriller. I also learnt how to upload digital photos for a story board and annotated them, stating camera angles and lighting so that when I came to shoot my film, I knew exactly what to do and when. I have also used YouTube to strengthen my research and planning, taking clips from various thriller films and embedding them onto my blog. Blogger also has a ‘comments’ box which allows teachers and fellow students to comment on our work, allowing us to develop our ideas with further help. I have learnt that using websites such as Blogger are essential for people showing off their work and becoming known with the public. For example, people who wish to make an independent film, can use a website like Blogger to show their previous work, their views on other films and what they wish to do in the future. Millions of people have a blog, and millions more than this regularly read blogs. An example of this is this very blog. I only use it for my media Alevel, and have a grand total of 3 followers, yet looking at my 'stats' on the home page, in just over a year I have had 3,103 page views, with 345 views last month alone which is a huge amount considering I don't advertise my blog in any way. Therefore this shows that anyone who has a blog will get their work seen by thousands of other people.
    I have also uploaded ‘Intruder’ to YouTube, giving audiences the ability to view my opening for free and on demand, without the use of a CD. This allows as many people as possible to view my film, creating ‘word of mouth’ so that if I wanted to develop my film, Independent film companies may want to distribute it. YouTube also helped me to research other films so that I could easily access the clips needed, helping me to create intertextual references and find out what kind of soundtrack would be suitable for ‘Intruder’. I learnt that by using YouTube makes someone's video accessible to everyone who has internet access. YouTube therefore gives people who may not have the facilities otherwise, to create, upload and share their videos. This is essential for people creating independent films to get their work well known. Nearly 8 years of content are uploaded to YouTube every day which are available to Millions of users. Nearly 3 billions videos are viewed daily.
    In the research and planning, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) was essential in gathering information about directors, character names and the year the film was made. IMDb also offers reviews and user ratings on every single film on the database. It was essential knowing other people’s other opinions on the thriller films researched because I found out what they did not like about the film, therefore, I know to avoid this when creating my own thriller film. IMDb includes for each film a graph which tells you which demographic enjoyed the film the most, for example, ‘males under 18’. I used this graph in order to find out which demographic would most enjoy my thriller by finding out which demographic enjoys films or television series similar to my own.
    I also used my social network site, Facebook to ask people to contribute to ideas, planning dates with Evie when to film and afterwards, what people thought of my film. I learnt that social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter are essential for 'word of mouth'. For example, in class when we were asked where we found out about top new films coming out at the cinema, about 75% said they found out from people talking about it on websites such as Facebook. Therefore for someone making an independent film, such social network mediums are essential in getting their film 'out there'.
    I used digital cameras during the planning in order to create a story board and experiment with lighting and camera angles, this allowed me to perfect my ideas early on rather than turning up on the day of the shoot and finding out that it didn’t work. For the actual shoot, I used a camcorder which was light, practical and easy to use with the aid of a tripod and ‘Dolly’ to allow for easy movements in the scene where the camera is following Jo and the Intruder down the corridor. With the camcorder, I was able to review raw footage as soon as it was taken to see if I needed to shoot that scene again, and to ensure that the lighting was correct and not too dark or too light.
   Finally, I used Adobe Premier to edit my film. I found this extremely easy to use and very helpful in selecting and deleting the unwanted shots leaving the ones I needed for my final cut. I would chose an ‘input’ and ‘output’ second and drag the clip onto the timeline allowing the transactions to flow effectively. I was also able to uploaded a soundtrack onto Premier which could run alongside my diagetic sound building up tension where needed in the clip. I used the ‘Cross Dissolve’ and ‘Dip to Black’ transactions so that the two cuts run over each other which once again helped the different cuts to run smoothly. Premier also allowed me to add titles to my film which gives the audience essential information such as the director and actors.

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7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The preliminary task has put me in a good stead for the filming of my final thriller opening as I learnt essential skills such as making a shot list of where my cameras are going to be in the shoot. I was able to apply this to my thriller which made it much easier on the day of the shoot as straight away I knew what camera angles I would use and where the cameras will be situated on location of Intruder. I also leant to use camera techniques and shot types such as 180 degree rule, match-on-action and reverse shots, using all of these in my film in order to make it seem like a real film resulting in more marks. I was also aware during the filming of my preliminary that lighting is essential. The lighting must not be too dark or you will not be able to see any action when it comes to editing what you had done. I wanted to film my thriller in an apartment at night with low lighting, so I had to make sure there was still enough to be able to see, even if I did want dim lighting.
    Editing my preliminary also prepared me immensely for editing my opening. I learnt to use the input and output button to select which part of the cut I wanted to the exact second and drag it onto the timeline which allowed me to use the parts that I wanted making the film flow smoothly. I also learnt that diagetic sound is very important and sometimes the camera picks up extra, unwanted sound from the background so it is essential to be aware of anything else that is going on out of the mise-en-scene; for example, my footsteps as I hold the camera. Within the editing of my preliminary I learnt to add titles to my film as we had to have a slide at the beginning with our candidate numbers on so I was able to add the opening title also including this information onto my own thriller. I was also able to add titles which went over my thriller footage with information such as actors’ names and the names of the directors.
    I learnt that before I started filming, I had to make a detailed plan of exactly where I wanted to shoot, the camera angles and transitions between shots all ensuring that I develop and use generic aspects of thriller films at all times. I also made a character profile for my character of Jo so that I could cast a character to fit this description. We were going to use Evie’s friend, however I felt that this could prove difficult as she may be unreliable so I decided to cast my mum as the main character. She fit the description perfectly anyway with her blonde hair and the fact that she is 43 which makes the film more believable as someone our own age would not live by themselves in a flat.
      We came across various difficulties in the planning of our film, for example using a train station which would prove difficult when very busy and when using a knife which is what we wanted to do. As well as this, we also over complicated our narrative sequence using ideas which does not come from our age of experience. As a result, we decided to start again in our planning and found a much more suitable location with many generic aspects from thriller films, such as the lift and narrow corridors.
     I also learnt to search for un-copyrighted music which would be ideal for my thriller. I searched various websites and didn’t stop until I found the perfect one which heightens the audience’s emotions and the sense of tension at the exact moments necessary.
     I found it difficult working to such a strict brief but managed in the end as I stayed in during my free periods to finish the filming so I was ahead of deadlines meaning I could refine my film to perfection. To conclude, the preliminary task proved extremely helpful in the preparation of my thriller film and without it, I would have been virtually clueless!

Cinema Survival

Independent and mainstream cinemas are run very differently and show a wide range of films, therefore having to appeal to their vastly diverse audience in order to survive. The majority of people who go to the cinema, in general go to see mainstream films at cinemas such as Vue or Odeon. Mainstream films are mostly made in Hollywood and are commercial with a wide release for example Batman and Forrest Gump. They are produced by major distributors such as Paramount Pictures and Working Title who made Love Actually and are owned by Universal meaning that lots of money is spent on the making of the films and advertising in order the get the largest number of people go and watch, meaning the largest profit possibly. Some mainstream films are even recognised as being ‘Blockbusters’ or ‘High Concept’; meaning that they have universal appeal being aimed at the lowest common denominator and achieve huge financial profit. They heavily use genre to sell their films, for example ‘Romance’ in Love Actually and ‘war’ in Saving Private Ryan. In order to attract the largest possible audience, they use huge movie stars already selling the film to a certain audience, no matter what the film may be about. For instance, I love Tom Hanks and because of this enjoy pretty much every film he stars in and film companies know this is the case for many other people too and have used him in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump and The Davinci Code. This is also the case for directors. For example, Steven Spielberg is associated with always making amazing films, arguably making the first Blockbuster with his 1975 classic; Jaws. Because of mainstream films’ large audiences and appeal, it is cinemas such as Vue and Odeon who can afford to show these films. As they are hugely profit driven, they want to appeal to the majority of people and do not want to risk showing films that are not classed as ‘mainstream’ in case none of their customers pay to go and see it, meaning money is lost.

Vue began in 2003 as it paid £225million to take over and re-brand the Warner Village cinema network, immediately making it the second largest films exhibitor in England with 68 cinemas and 657 screens. In order to attract their audiences, they are always using new technologies such as converting to digital, boasting their four times Full HD screens, showing 3D films and most recently IMAX screens, giving the feel that you are really there with huge screens that carry onto the ceiling giving the audience a truly cinematic experience. The films shown in Vue are booked from the main office in London by the film buying team who watch all of the mainstream film releases choosing those which best fit Vue’s customers. They do many other programmes attracting a wider audience, for example in school holidays; they show Disney films that may have been out for a while so families can enjoy a day out together. They also choose ‘older’ films to show in the evening, such as those with perhaps an 18 certificate as over 18’s are more likely to go and see a film later on because maybe that’s the only time they can go and see it, or if they were going to see a horror film, they may like the atmosphere of later on in the evening. Vue are always trying to increase the pressure on rival cinema chain Odeon. When Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland was released, Odeon said that they were boycotting the film after the window from the theatrical and DVD release was shortened to 12 weeks. However, Vue continued to screen it meaning that they took both cinemas’ profit as the Odeon’s usual customers had to go to Vue if they wanted to watch the film.

Independent films however, do not have millions of pounds/dollars spent on making them, or huge advertising campaigns. They simply do not have the funding to do so, therefore heavily depend on a good storyline, genre and location to make the film a success. Mainstream cinemas do not show independent films such as Red Road and London to Brighton as they do not appeal to their usual mass audience as they go to the cinema to see films with huge actors and special effects. Instead, it is cinemas such as Cinema City who screen them. Because the audience for independent cinemas are much more select, they have to advertise differently to Vue and Odeon and heavily rely on funding. Cinema City decides on its own programming and shows Arthouse and specialist films. It combines Category 1 and 2 of independent cinemas being both profit driven and receives public subsidy and cultural policy however; it is part of the PictureHouse network and also receives funding from Europa to show a specific quota of European language films.

PictureHouse are the leading independent cinema operator in the UK and are a network rather than a chain. They have 18 cinemas in England and usually are situated in University towns with their programming tailored to local audience. They help negotiate terms with distributors to get a better deal for Cinema City. Cinema City also gets given money for showing European films from the company Europa who fund over 811 cinemas to show a number of European films. Although this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, this attracts a certain audience, for example Europeans who live in England, or students who wish to extend their learning.

Mock Results Sheet

The use of a MacGuffin in Intruder.

" The main thing i've learnt over the years is that the MacGuffin is nothing. I'm convinced of this, but I find it very difficult to prove it to others"- Alfred Hitchcock 


What actually is a MacGuffin? Hitchcock described it as a 'plot device or gimmick' on which to hang the tension in a film. The MacGuffin provokes the action without being of important significance itself. For instance, two strangers sitting next to each other may lead to love or murder. The MacGuffin is the bus journey/waiting for a train etc. An example of this is in Strangers on a Train, the fact that the two strangers got on the train and sat next to eachother causes the events for the rest of the film. Other examples of MacGuffins in thriller films are 'Shadow of a Doubt' (1942) with the newspaper and the ring, and also The Trouble with Harry (1952) with Harry's cause of death.
In our thriller, we use one main MacGuffin throughout the opening of Intruder. 
at the beginning of our thriller, the Intruder is seen driving slowly in his car past Jo. This is a Red Herring because at this instance, it is not clear that this man driving past her, has any relevance to the rest of the thriller. However, it does give the audience a sense that Jo is already being followed. The audience then see a fairly close up shot of a watch that the man is wearing- this is our MacGuffin. At this point, the audience are completely unaware of any significance the watch may have to the rest of Intruder. However, the watch is seen several times after this, for example in the lift. The more the watch is seen, the importance it has to the audience throughout the opening intensifies. 
However, as the audience are become more aware of the importance of the MacGuffin, Jo is still completely oblivious to anyone, let alone the significance of the watch her stalker is wearing. This has an impact on the audience as they can see her being followed by this mysterious man, even though it is not directly shown. It is shown more subtly with the quick cuts of both their feet walking away from the camera, which uses the 180degree rule. The tension is building purely through the use of this seemingly 'useless' prop. 
I decided to use a watch as the MacGuffin as watches have an underlying significance in various thriller films. This is evident in 2002 thriller Phone Booth. Stu Shepard finds himself trapped in a phone booth by an unknown man pointing a sniper rifle at him. This man is constantly counting down the minutes. A watch is used as it suggests metaphorically that someone is watching them. Watches are also frequently referenced in thrillers because they indicate the time of the murder which is significant for the forensics. 
I have included the trailer for Phone Booth. I cannot find any clips which reference the time he has left on YouTube, however I believe the trailer shows an important element on him being on a time limit. 



At the end of the opening to Intruder, the watch is placed (unknown to audience and Jo) in Jo's living room which was intended to be found by Jo so that when she reaches to get the watch she is killed by the Intruder. 
There will also another small Red Herring in the opening of our thriller. When Jo turns the television on, the news comes up with the reporters talking of the Joanna Yeates murder. This is important, although more subtly to the audience because I have based the entire opening around the murder which happened in Bristol with the man following her back to her apartment and killing her while she is alone and vulnerable inside. The references to this murder (within a murder story itself) will play on the minds of the female audience with them putting themselves in Jo (and Joanna Yeates) position as everyone for example whilst home alone has heard a noise and thought there was someone else in the house with them. The fact that the Joanna Yeates murder was directly referenced in the thriller is a cultural signifier as it will be raw in the minds of the audience as it was happening at the time Intruder was filmed. 

Plan for shoot on the 26th.

I have the first and last scene to shoot as well as a quick shot of the lift going up, as I forgot that on the 18th. 
Shot list for character of Jo and opening:

• Low angled shot of car headlights coming towards camera
• Camera on dolly and tripod going backwards slowly as Jo walks towards camera- medium shot
• Car drives past Jo slowly- red herring for someone following her
• extreme close up shot of the screen on lift showing numbers going up
• Re shoot scene where Jo walks out of bathroom and picks up remote. Need to re-shoot because I forgot to get Sarah to leave the tap on.
• Over the shoulder where Intruder walks into doorway, silhouette.
• Close up of Intruder's eyeline.
• extreme close up of knife

Shot list for Intruder:

• Driving car towards camera- low angled on ramp
• Drives past Jo in multistory carpark, long shot of him coming round corner and Jo walking towards camera
• Point of view close up shot from Jo's perspective of car going past, focus on watch on window.
• *done middle of opening*
• feet shot walking down corridor (might use in editing/might not)
• Close up of watch and hand selecting the floor she is on (3)
• Walks behind her with knife/brick as she gets bracelet on floor.

Intertextual References

Although I already have included intertextual references throughout my Thriller opening already; I have decided to relate this to the current news story of the Joanna Yeates murder, this is called a Zeitgeist.

"The 25-year-old’s body was found on Longwood Lane, Failand, North Somerset, on Christmas Day morning, sparking a huge police operation.

A police investigation was launched when Miss Yeates

' boyfriend Greg Reardon, 27, reported her missing after he returned to Bristol on December 19 following a weekend away visiting family in Sheffield.

Miss Yeates was not seen again until her body was found on December 25.
Today’s news came a day after police revealed that more than 300 people had contacted detectives investigating the murder in the 24 hours after a reconstruction of Miss Yeates’s final movements was filmed."
Developments have now been made in the case, and it is now believed she was murdered in her own apartment following the discovery of new evidence. There was also no sign of a forced entrance which suggests she knew the person who murdered her. 


Ironically, I had already related my Thriller to this news story but the way in which this story of Joanna Yates will be on the audience's minds, gives my Thriller authenticity. She was murdered in her own home; where she is meant to be at her safest gives it a cruel, ironic twist. The way that the public who have heard about the story have sympathised with Joanna's family and the great sense of shock replicates the way my audience of my thriller will respond to seeing the final scene of 'The Intruder'. The fact that this is a real life situation gives a frightening reality to the thriller.

 

This final scene in the apartment also relates to The Sixth Sense with the way in which an ex patient breaks into Anna and Malcom Crowe's home. This fear of your house/apartment being broken into will play on the audience's fear, making themselves almost feel a part of the story.


The corridor scenes......
The use of the lift.....
the effect of using the shower .....

Shoot on the 18th

This went really well, managed to shoot all of the different shots I intended, plus more of different angles so that when it comes to editing, I can pick which angle works best. For example when Jo was walking down the corridor, I took a low angled, of just her feet, and an over the shoulder in order to give me variety and a choice when I edit. The hardest part was filming the transitions between shots, so that it looked believable and not too jumpy. Also when I followed Jo into the bathroom, as there was a large mirror inside, I had to film her feet walking in, as if I held the camera up, i could see myself filming in the mirror!
I was really pleased with how the light looked on the camera, it was much less subtle than how it appeared on my stills camera. However, in the last scene inside the apartment, I had a switch a small light on because otherwise the few seconds where she was walking to get the remote would've been in complete darkness, which isn't very good! Also, by coincidence, when I was filming the over the shoulder shot where she turned on the television, the Joanna Yates murder was being talked about on the news, which added to the suspence of the scene and added another Red Herring. The Joanna Yates case was also what I mainly based by thriller on, so this worked really well.
****need to re-shoot scene where Jo walks out of bathroom to turn television on, as I forgot to leave the bath running****

Left to shoot:

• First scene- low angled on ramp in between floors on mutlistory carpark. Only see car headlights as it's dark. Then car drives past Sarah who is walking towards the camera. This is a Red Herring.
• Last scene- over the shoulder from the front of Jo, looking into doorway. See's silhouette of man holding massive carving knife. Close up of massive carving knife- finishes.

Character Profile

Character Profile. Jo acted by Sarah Watts
Sarah as Jo will be wearing black boots, tights, a black dress and coat because she has been at work. The black also makes her blonde hair stand out further which is an important aspect of the character of Jo.
Jo, the murder victim in Intruder, is modelled around Joanna Yeates, who was murdered in December of 2010. Similarly to Joanna Yeates, Jo was stalked walking home to her flat and targeted whilst trapped and alone inside her own home. Joanna Yeates' partner who she lived with, was away for the weekend which gave her obsessed neighbour Vincent Tabak the opportunity to ambush her at her most vulnerable. Jo (from Intruder) however, lives alone in her small city apartment. She is an independent woman who is driven by her career as a lawyer. The Intruder knows she lives alone as he has been watching her. He knows the exact time she walks home from work and that everyday, she runs herself a bath as soon as she gets in. 
I have used my mum Sarah Watts as the part to play Jo because Sarah has long blonde hair, just as Joanna Yeates used to. The Intruder is also obsessed with Alfred Hitchcock films, especially Psycho, who's murder victim Marion Crane, had blonde hair. Hence his obsession with Jo running her bath everyday and the significance of the shots of her bath before and after the murder. Alfred Hitchcock himself also said: “Blondes make the best victims. They're like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints.” 

The Intruder- acted by Chris Watts
the Intruder will be wearing steel toe boots, jeans, and a black coat. The steel toe boots are worn because he has a job as a manager on a construction site which shows him to be of power and control. Also that he is fit and capable of such murders. The jeans allow him to 'fit in' and not stand out during his time spent stalking Jo. 
I thought my dad would be the best person to play the Intruder because he is 6ft 4 and big built. It is essential that the Intruder is tall simply so it is believable he is able to carry out the murders alone. Because in the opening the audience will not fully see the Intruder, just his feet, then hand and silhouette, he needs to make an impression on them. He stalks each of his victims including Jo, familiarizing  himself with their daily habits. He his OCD with these details and writes each movement of his victims down, ensuring to never make a mistake.  He is also obsessed with Alfred Hitchcock films, especially the blonde victims such as Marion Crane. All of his previous victims have been blonde which is why he has moved on to Jo. He compares her to Marion Crane, who is also a business woman and alone at her time of death, however Jo is not murdered in the shower, but is running a bath when she is murdered. The camera will show her turning the tap on and of the Intruder placing the knife he killed her with by the side of the bath. 

Shot list for 18/01/10

·         Low angled shot of Jo’s feet walking away from the camera down corridor.

·         Cut to …over the shoulder shots of Jo, giving feel of someone following.

·         Walk through door towards camera in front of lift

·         Close up of pressing button

·         Inside lift… Jo walking in and pressing button

·         Close up of her face waiting in lift

·         Numbers on the lift

·         Her walking out- mid shot

·         Walking up to door

·         Close up of keys in door

·         Jo walking in through door (camera already inside so sees her walk through)

Preliminary Video

Evaluation:

1. In order to get our preliminary video the way we wanted it to, we had to use serveral different planning techniques. Firstly, we had to look for suitable locations. We had to have someone walking through a door so we decided to use the canteen as it had doors and is brightly lit. Secondly we did a floor plan and mapped out all of the tables and chairs we had to work around so we didn't get confused. Lastly we made a shot list and script so we knew exactly what we had to say and do with the camera. This included taking stills of what we are going to shoot.
2. I acted in the preliminary task, so didn't actually use the camera, but I helped to direct Vicky who did use the camera and gave some ideas we could all use. I watched when we were setting up the camera so I know how to get it started and I already knew how to get the different shots from previous projects in media before and during GCSE. However, I did learn how to attatch the camera to the tripod and the dolly. This will help a lot with our thriller filming.
3. I have developed so many editing skills and feel pretty confident now! As before this, I did not have a clue how to do anything on an editing programme. I can now upload a video and chose what I want to put into the video using 'input' and 'output' and make the transitions between cuts smooth. I find it difficult to pause it on the exact place to want to stop the video though, so could do with some more practise. I also cannot save it to the right kinda of file either.

Story Board for Final Thriller Ideas

                                                         



First possible opening shot. Medium/long shot of female character- victim walking across car park towards camera on a dolly, to enable steady movement. Lighting is ambient as using lights from the car park so within the mise-en-scene. Lighting is enough to light shot, yet still giving a dull feel to the shot adding to the mystery and tension. The car park is often used as a generic convention in Thriller films and television programmes as they are often run down giving a feel of crime. A car will drive slowly past her giving feel of being followed- Red Herring







The next main shot is that of Betty walking down the corridor. The corridor much remebles those of the corridors from the film; The Shining. Even though The Shining is a horror fim, it has certain aspects of theThriller genre with the long thin repetitive brightly lit corridors. The corridors almost seem to carry on into a 'vanishing point' often used in Thrillers to give a feel of going on forever and not being able to escape. The camera will take several shots of her walking down the corridor, for example, over the shoulder. The shots will cut quickly during this scene giving a feel of urgency. The over the shoulder shots also give a feel of being followed. Lighting is ambient as corridor is brightly lit. A man will also walk past her, acts as Red Herring as if someone is following her.

Close up of inside the lift, choosing which floor to go to. Close up need to be used in Thrillers to build anticipation and mystery. Lifts are also used in thrillers as you cannot escape in them and you never know who is going to meet you on your floor or who you are stuck inside with. A film that uses a lift is Towering Inferno.The woman by herself is vunerable. Lighting is ambient as brightly lit. Other shots in the lift are inluding over the shoulder which will also be close us, giving feel of someone else being in the lift and the close up feel gives feeling of claustraphobia.

Shot of outside the lift when Betty is going up to the top floor. This little screen shows the number which floor the lift is on. Not showing her the whole time in the lift gives an opportunity for the audience to not know what is happening to Betty as they cannot see her. This adds to the suspense. 

Medium shot of Betty walking out of flat and walking to flat door. Various shots again of her feet, walking away from camera once again giving feel of being followed. Ambient lighting still as corridor is still fully lit. Still using quick pace giving sense of being followed and urgency in her pace, as if she should be worried.

Medium/long shot of Betty arriving at apartment door. The audience see the room number which gives a more personal feel to the opening, then the audience can allow themselves to feel they know the character even though they have only seen her for about a minute. Lighting is very bright outside the apartment door, then will be dark inside as it is going to be filmed at night. This sudden contrast of change from light to dark gives sense of almost heaven to hell, or safety to danger, which is ironic as your own home is normally the place you feel safest.

Close of up of her unlocking the door to the apartment. This close up breaks up the shots adding variety. The close up also gives the audience a closer look into what is happening so they feel involved, making them feel the emotions of Betty; which by now is anxious as she thinks she is being followed.

Medium shot of Betty walking inside, this includes match-on-action as you see her enter from one side and in the other. As it is very bright outside the room, and really dark inside the apartment, she will be a silhouette which adds to the fear of the audience as they are scared for Betty. The effect of using the camera in this way, makes the audience anxious as their 'backs' are to the apartment so they cannnot see what is going on behind them. They also cannot see the emotion on the face of our character which would put them of edge further. It quickly cuts away from this shot which does not allow the audience to get too familiar with the shot.

Close up of her turning the bathroom light on and walking in and looking in the mirror. Medium shot allowing the audience to see what is going on. The use of the mirror is also frightening as you can never be sure what is going to appear behind you, especially since she has her back to the door. Lighting is ambient as using the light in the bathroom. Bathrooms are often also used in thrillers as they are often fairly small, a thriller that uses a bathroom is Psycho.

The camera then cuts to outside the bathroom in the corner of the living room (as if it were the television). Betty then walks out of the bathroom towards the camera and picks up the television remote. She stands up and turns the television on. A channel comes on and lights up her face and the rest of the room slightly (as only the bathroom light is on).

An over the shoulder shot from the front is taken of the room (will be darker than this as this shot was taken when it was light outside) and the door is in view. The silhouette of a man, the 'intruder' walks into the doorway from the bed room. (the bathroom is to the left and the bedroom to the left).