Title Credits for our Production

Director – Matthew Bostock

Editor – James Parronchi

Starring – James Craig, Annabelle Potts & Connor Marshall

Producer – Connor Marshall

Narration - James Parronchi

Camera Operators – James Parronchi & Matthew Bostock

Analysis of a title sequence

The title sequences above are all taken from the ‘How we Built Britain’ title sequence. The sequence consists of a series of aerial/high angle pan shots of buildings shaped as the letters that make up the word ‘Britain’. Some shots were also created in the edit using 3D effects in software such as Adobe Photoshop. The shots pan the different buildings, which range from old castles to modern day skyscrapers. Two shots of each building are then edited together, and arranged to spell the word Britain.

For the final shot, each of the buildings are then edited next to each other, with the words ‘How we Built’ edited towards the top left of the shot. This then makes the whole title of the film appear on the last frame. As this is a television series, it does not feature any text overlay for roles such as director or editor, as we would perhaps more commonly expect in films of the Thriller genre.

An interesting technique used is the introduction of a Land Rover car in each shot from the A of Britain, which can be seen driving through each shot. This gives the sense of continuity, and makes the audience feel as though they are driving through, finding these letters on their journey. The car then drives along all of the letters in the final shot.

Apart from the car, no other props are used, and no obvious additional lighting is introduced. Each shot typically features the countryside, apart from the N, which is filmed in a city environment.

Questionnaire results

I asked 10 people, including both males and females, aged between 11-17 a questionnaire to help us improve our thriller opening. The results can be seen below:

The results from question one show that people like Comedy films the most, followed by Horror films and Thriller. This shows us that although we are not making a comedy film, we could try and add an element of comedy into our thriller opening, to try and attract a wider audience. 

Question 2 shows that people in our target age group go to the cinema quite frequently. A large proportion went to the cinema just 2-4 weeks ago, and so we should bear in mind that our film does not need to be in the cinema for too long. 

Question three shows us that over 3/4 of the people like films to be 1 1/2 and 2 hours long. This shows us that the film cannot be too long, as the audience's attention might diminish if it is any longer. Also, it shows us that fast editing and fast-paced action need to be included to maintain the audience's enjoyment. 

The large proportion of our target audience do not stream movies online. This shows us that making the effort to make our film available on services such as Netflix would perhaps be a wasted effort, and that people would prefer to enjoy our movie via more traditional media methods. 

Question five shows us that the majority of people would like to go out with friends given t wo hours leisure time, instead of watching a movie. It shows us that we should work on promoting our film on posters, billboards, in taxis, buses and resturants, instead of working on promotions in the cinema. 

The last film the majority of people watched was Skyfall, the new James Bond film. At the time our survey went out, this film was extremely popular, and so it shows that people watch films that are 'in trend' - films that other people are watching and talking about on social media services such as Twitter and Facebook, and on the television and the news. 

100% of the people we asked said that they would like to watch a film involving death. This shows us that we should ensure we involve death in our film, and this is something that we have included in the opening of our thriller. 

Around 50% of our audience would spend between £5:01 and £10 on a film. Again, this shows our group that if we were working on selling our film, this is the price range we should base it on. 

This shows that most people would prefer to watch films where they have to concentrate on the plot. Therefore, we should work on making the plot more complex, and perhaps slightly twisted, so that it slowly becomes apparent to the audience how the film will end. 

Question 10 shows that the majority of our sample agree with the statement that they are a film enthusiast. It shows us that the people who we are targeting our film at are people who watch films on a regular basis, and therefore they will be experts at analysing and watching films. Therefore, we should work to ensure the film is as good as it can be, to provide the audience with the maximum amount of enjoyment.

These results give us an essential background knowledge of thrillers and how to make ours an effective thriller; we can extrapilate these results and apply them to ours to show that we have used this market research to improve our production. These results also give us an interesting insight how people react and respond to thrillers and how much they actually enjoy them, it also shows how the latest trends in the film industry are setting.

Storyboard

Mood Board

Music

Music for our Production

I have found a good source of free to use music that we could use for our production:

http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?genre=Horror

I think the one called Controlled Chaos on the first page would be particularly good for us to use, as I feel that it hits the theme of our film well, and is similar to the non-diegetic sound used in the opening of Se7en.


The works on the page are licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, meaning that we can use the work as we need (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

Narration

Narration - 'Cousin Kate' Poem

To help the audience understand why the man is killing the girl, we thought it would be a good idea to include some narration. We have found the poem 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti and thought that when adapted, verses three and four would be good to use. These verses are below:

O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate,

You grew more fair than I:

He saw you at your father's gate,

Chose you, and cast me by.

He watched your steps along the lane,

Your work among the rye;

He lifted you from mean estate

To sit with him on high.

The neighbours call you good and pure,

Call me an outcast thing.

As I sit and howl in dust,

You sit in gold and sing:

Now which of us has tenderer heart?

You had the stronger wing.

Updated Shot List (Idea 3)

Updated Shot List for our Chosen Idea

1) A shot of a gravestone in the cemetery, with piece of cardboard nearby saying ‘Starring xxxxxxxx’

2) A cut away shot of a train moving with piece of cardboard on the fence saying ‘Directed by xxxxxx’

3) A shot of the girl (victim) walking along the path, with the killer, wearing a balaclava, close behind

4) Point of View shot from the man, looking over the girls shoulder, where she is typing on phone ‘Edited by xxxxx’

5) Another cut away shot of the train moving quickly

6) Shot of the killer wrapping rag around the girl’s mouth

7) Shot of the killer pushing the girl down the embankment onto the railway line

8) Shot of the girl being pushed onto the floor, and tied down

9) Over the shoulder shot from the killer’s shoulder – he turns his head, removes his balaclava, at which point, the girl looks shocked as she knows who he is.

10) Another shot of the train moving quickly

11) Long high angle shot shows the girl looking helpless as the victim runs away

12) Shot from a bridge shows a train going underneath – this suggests that the girl has been killed by the train

13) Final shot shows a mourner walking up to the victim’s gravestone and laying some flowers.

Props

For our production, we will need to use some props to make the thriller opening seem more realistic to the audience.

Firstly, in the abandoned tunnel near Lound, we will need to create a replica of a train line to tie the girl down to. James Craig knows the owner of Branch Brothers in Bourne, who have kindly offered to lend us the materials we need for this production. We will need to borrow 10 planks, which we will lay on the ground approximately 60cm apart. We will also need 12 metres worth of timber, to lay along the planks, to try and represent a train track as closely as possible. This would mean that we would have 6 metres of train track altogether.

We will also need to borrow a phone for one of the shots where the girl can be seen typing a credit into the phone. However, the actor who is playing this role owns a mobile phone, so we will be able to use that.

We may also need to use an old rag for the killer to gag the girl with. I am sure that I will be able to find something at home for this purpose.

Finally, we will need some rope for the killer to use to tie the girl down onto the train track. My Dad has lots of rope, so we will be able to borrow some of this

Our Three Ideas Presentation

Our Three Ideas Presentation

Research Into Audiences

Research into Audiences

NRS – The National Readership Survey provide the authoritative and detailed research into the use of print advertising trading in the UK. Their surveys cover over 250 of the UK’s most used and accessed newspapers, magazines and print publications, and are able to produce statistics as to the size of the audiences they can achieve. Some data is available for free from their website, but for more detailed information, people who are interested can subscribe to their service.

ABC – the American Broadcasting Corporation are the leading broadcasting station in America. The company survey people in target audiences who may be interested in programmes they are producing, and by also looking at their viewing statistics, they can see which programmes will be most popular to audiences at which times, allowing them to schedule programmes to get the maximum amount of coverage to the people most interested. For example, their programme ‘The Chew’ is on at 1:00pm, as the company have obviously used data they have researched will show that the programme will be most popular to people watching at this time.

BARB – Broadcasters Audience Research Board, provide weekly viewing figures for UK television channels, and provide the official measurements of UK television audiences, for key events such as the London Olympics and the Royal Wedding. They obtain viewing estimates by using a panel of privately owned TV viewing households, taken as a sample of each BBC and ITV television region. Each home represents, on average, around 5,000 homes across the UK. The survey can measure demographics and TV viewing equipment of each home viewing a certain channel, which can be useful data for a TV company. They continuously survey householders, conducting around 53,000 interviews a year, using face to face and computer aided interview techniques. The random probability survey used means that every house in the UK stands a chance of being selected for interview.

Bookseller – The Bookseller provide information and news about the book industry, which is being ever replaced by online services, such as websites and social networking. The company analyses how the economic crisis and the move into digital technologies is affecting sales of books, and also the usage of public libraries, which are often being forced to close down as a result. This means that print-based advertising, in publications such as newspapers and magazines, is becoming less effective, and with less organisations choosing to advertise using these methods, less revenue is being raised.

Demographics

There are six groups of demographics, listed and detailed below:

· Group A – people in highly paid jobs, including politicians, bank and large business managers, doctors, lawyers, scientists and well-paid professionals.

· Group B – people who are still well paid, but not as well off as people in Group A, including teachers, middle managers and civil servants.

· Group C1 - includes junior managers, bank clerks, nurses and others in ‘white collar’ professions, who have a certain skill

· Group C2 – includes ‘blue collar’ and skilled trades, such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters & gas technicians

· Group D – people who complete manual work such as builders, drivers and post office sorters

· Group E – includes people who are on very low/no income, such as the young, the elderly and people who are unemployed

Psychographics

There are seven different types of Psychographics, listed and detailed below:

Mainstreamers – seek security. Tend to be domestic, conformist, conventional, sentimental – favour value for money family brands. Nearly always the largest group.

Aspirers – seek status. Materialistic, acquisitive, oriented to image and appearance, persona and fashion. Attractive packing more important than contents. Typically younger people, clerical and sales jobs

Succeeders – seek control. Strong goals, confidence, work ethic and organisation. Supports stability. Brand choice based on self-reward and quality. Typically higher management and professionals.

Resigned – seeks survival. Rigid and authoritarian values. Interested in the past and tradition. Brand choice stresses safety, familiarity and economy. Typically older people.

Explorers – seeks discovery. Energy, individualism and experience. Values difference and adventure. Brand choice highlights satisfaction and instant effect. The first to try new brands. Younger demographic – students.

Strugglers – seeks escape. Alienated and disorganised. Few resources beyond physical skills. Brand choice involves impact and sensation. Buys alcohol, junk food, lottery tickets. D & E demographic

Reformers – seeks enlightenment. Freedom of restrictions and personal growth. Social awareness and independent judgement. Anti-materialistic but aware of good taste. Has attended higher education and selects products for quality.

Questionnaire

Questionnaire


Q1) What is your favourite film genre? (Please circle the relevant answers)

Thriller / Comedy / Action / Horror / Romantic Comedy / Sci-Fi /

Q2) When did you last go to the cinema? (Please circle the relevant answers)

This week / Last week / 2-4 weeks ago / 1 month ago / 3 months ago / 6 months ago /

1 year ago / Never / Other……….

Q3) In your mind, what is the ideal length of a thriller film?

Under 30 minutes / 31 minutes – 1 hour / 1:01 hr/mins – 1 hr 30 mins / 1hr 31 mins – 2 hrs /

2 hrs – 2 hrs 30 mins / Over 2 hours 30 minutes

Q4) Do you stream movies online?

Yes / No

Q5) Given 2 hours leisure time, what would you choose to do?

Go out with friends / Have a meal / Listen to the radio / Watch a film at home / Watch a film at the cinema / Watch the television / Read a magazine /

Q6) What was the last film you watched, either at home or at the cinema?

Q7) Do you like to watch a film that involves death?

Yes / No

Q8) On average, how much would you spend on a DVD / Blu-Ray copy?

£0- £2 / £2:01 - £5 / £5:01 - £10 / £10:01 -£15 / £15:01 - £20

Q9) Do you prefer films where you have to concentrate on the plot, or where it is clearer to you what is happening?

Yes / No

Q10) ‘I am a film enthusiast’. To what extend would you agree or disagree with this statement

Tallington Train Track Photos

Tallington Train Track Photos

The level crossing and train track at Tallington, near Peterborough, would be an idea location to film the shots needed of a moving train.

The above shot shows the location of the crossing, on Main Road, Tallington

The above shot shows the pedestrian bridge that we can use to get side on shots (from the steps) and overhead shots, from the bridge.

e

This shot shows the sort of side on shot we could achieve, of a train coming past at speed.

The position above may be even better for getting a shot of a moving train.

Foundation Production Ideas

Our Foundation Production Ideas

Our group have come up with three ideas for our Thriller opening. Our three best ideas are detailed below.

Thurlby Road

1) A disused road in Thurlby, Bourne, Lincolnshire. We have found a disused road in Thurlby which we think we could use for our Thriller production. We could have the protagonist driving down the road towards a barn, where the protagonist pulls up, gets out of the car, goes into the barn, looks around, finds a tramp that the protagonist kills. For the titles, we could put pieces of cardboard in the verge with the names and titles on as the protagonist is driving up, and then the camera could show a high angle shot looking down at the cardboard, which then pans to show the car moving. Pros: easy access to the site, and the road is next to some woodland allowing for flexibility. Cons: Perhaps idea is not very original, and would need some way of giving the plot a twist.

Bourne Cemetery

2) Bourne Cemetery, South Road, Bourne. We have requested permission from Bourne Town Council to film in the cemetery. We could show a scene of a group of mourners carrying a coffin along a footpath, and resting it on the ground as if they were going to bury it. This scene could then flashback to a shot of a person walking along a footpath at night, with someone coming from behind the person to kill them, showing the audience why the person is dead. Pros: an original idea, which perhaps has not been explored before. Cons: permission may not be granted from Bourne Town Council, and we would need a lot of actors.

Abandoned House on Morton Fen

3) An abandoned house on Morton Fen, Bourne. We have found a house that is abandoned approximately 3 miles out of the village of Morton in Lincolnshire. In a similar way to idea 1, we could have someone walking up the footpath, entering the property, looking around and finding someone in there, who could be killed or is perhaps already dead. Pros: Good site, perfect for a thriller movie with broken glass etc. Cons: we do not know who owns the property, so gaining permission could be difficult. It is also a long way from civilisation, so getting there could be difficult.


4) From James Craig: Basically, my idea involves the use of 'makeshift' railway tracks. I know the owner of branch brothers and he has offered to lend me anything that we need in creation of this movie. So it may be possible that we could use some long pieces of wood to create railway tracks and go along with the idea of a villain capturing their victim and the hero coming to save them. Obviously the idea of someone being tied to a railway track while a train is coming has been used before but with the addition of the silence and the music that we use, it could make this unique and special to anyone watching it. We could go out and film some trains going past and stuff and incorporate the titles into a fast-moving train window perhaps? Or say we could start the film with someone being captured and taken through some trees and we could carve the woods 'Starring etc..' into the wood? We could use cross-cutting to switch between scenes of a moving train, the woman being tied to the tracks and the hero.

Idea C

Idea C
Location: Bourne Town Cemetery, South Street, Bourne, an abandoned bridge near Lound, Bourne, and the East Coast Main Line near Helpston, Peterborough

Shot List

1) A shot of a gravestone in the cemetery, with piece of cardboard nearby that says 'Starring xxxxxxxx'
2) A shot of a train moving quickly, with piece of cardboard on the fence saying 'Directed by xxxxxxxx'
3) A shot of the girl being dragged by the killer down onto the railway line
4) Another shot of the train moving quickly
5) Shot of the girl pushed onto the railway line and being strapped down, with piece of cardboard nearby saying 'Filmed by xxxxxxx. Edited by xxxxxxx'
6) Shot of the killer securing the ropes and running away
7) Long shot shows that the girl is helpless on the tracks
8) Shot of a train, from on top of a bridge, indicating that the woman has now been killed.
9) Shot of someone coming up to the girls gravestone and laying flowers in mourning

Idea B

Idea B

Location: Bourne Town Cemetery, South Road, Bourne

Shot List

1) Shot of gravestone pans upwards and left to show a low angle shot of mourners carrying a coffin. Piece of cardboard with words 'Starring xxxxxxxx' are next to gravestone
2) Shot of mourners and coffin walking through the gate
3) Cut away of the girl walking down a path at night
4) Shot of another gravestone with another piece of cardboard nearby with words saying 'Directed by xxxxxx'
5) Cut away to the girl walking down the path, with a man walking closeby behind.
6) Over the shoulder shot from the killers point of view, looking down, shows that the girl is typing the words 'Edited by xxxxxx' on her phone
7) Low angle shot shows both girl and killer, as man comes up behind her and stabbs girl in head, thus killing the girl.
8) Back to cemetery, as the mourners come to a stop on the path, turn, walk forward onto the grass, and put the coffin onto the ground
9) (Just coffin lid is placed onto the ground giving the impression that coffin has been buried into the ground) Shot from end of coffin shows mourners gathered round, as person at head of coffin says 'On one dark night, she met her end, brutally stabbed and murdered'
10) Long shot shows the burial taking place with mourners gathered round, and a man (the killer) sitting on a nearby bench observing.

Images from the Location:

Above: the gravestone that could be used for shot 1, with the camera then panning round to the left almost 180 degrees to show the mourners walking up the path.

Above: the mourners would then walk through this gate in shot 2, carrying the coffin.

Above: the burial would take place on the grass just out of shot on the right (near the person's arm) in shot 10, the killer would be sitting on one of these benches.

Idea A

Idea A:

Location: an abandoned railway tunnel near Lound, and the East Coast Mainline near Helpston, Peterborough

Shot List

1) Shot of piece of cardboard on the floor, with words 'Directed by xxxxxxxx and xxxxx' pans upwards and right to show shot of the girl walking towards the camera in a wooded area.
2) Brief cut away shot of the train moving quickly
3) Shot of the girl walking towards the camera, texting on her phone, with man (killer) behind her
4) POV shot from the killer's view over girl's shoulder, showing words 'Starring xxxxxxx' being typed on the phone
5) Back to cut away of the train moving
6) Shot of the girl (with man very close behind) walking towards the camera, man comes up and ties rag around girl's mouth.
7) High angle shot shows man tying the girls hands up
8) Man drags girl off towards left of shot
9) Cut away shot of the train moving
10) Long shot from the end of the tunnel, shows girl being dragged in from right of shot, and pushed into tunnel towards centre of train track
11) Cut away shot of the train moving
12) Shot of the girl tied onto the railway tracks, fighting to get free
13) Cut away shot of the train moving, through fence with piece of cardboard cable tied on saying 'Filmed by xxxxxxx'
14) Shot shows the man running off
15) Cut away of the train moving
16) Long high angle shot shows the girl tied onto the tracks unable to escape
17) Final shot of train from on top of a bridge shows that the girl has been run over and killed
18) Shot fades to black, with words 'Track Death' on the screen.

Location Photos

Above: this is the tunnel that we could use for our project.

Above: although the tunnel is not huge, we could frame our shots to make it seem that the tunnel is longer than it actually is.

Above: this footpath runs alongside the railway line, and could be used in shots 1, 3, 4 & 6

The map above shows the layout of the railway, and how it could be filmed to show continuity.

BBFC classifications

BBFC Classifications

Suitable for all

It is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. But a ‘U’ film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. ‘U’ films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

If a work is particularly suitable for a pre-school child to view alone, this will be indicated in the Consumer Advice.

Parental Guidance

General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.

Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.

Suitable for 12 years and over

Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them.

The ‘12A’ category exists only for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult, and films classified ‘12A’ are not recommended for a child below 12. An adult may take a younger child if, in their judgement, the film is suitable for that particular child. In such circumstances, responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view lies with the accompanying adult.

The ‘12’ category exists only for video works. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a ‘12’ rated video work.

Suitable only for 15 years or over

No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

Suitable only for adults

No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video work.

To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults of not less than 18 years.

The ‘R18’ category is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. ‘R18’ videos may not be supplied by mail order.


Our thriller would need to be classified as a 15 as it depicts that graphic violence will be used and that the audience is well aware that a murder is taking place; this may distress younger viewers, thus the need for a 15 rating.