Promotional Methods

Use of New Media..

Equipment

For the Camera I experimented on what will produce the best quality. I used a Samsung S3 phone camera and 2 Sony HD Camcorders. I decided I could not use a S3 camera as it was hard to keep a steady hand and we didn't have anything to hold it with. I then looked at one of the Sony HD Camcorder. This was good as it fitted on the tripod nicely and was easy to use. However, this Camcorder didn't produce the quality I wanted. The last camera I tested was another Sony HD Camcorder but a newer version. This had the best quality. Also it was very easy to use and was lighter than the first Sony Camcorder. It was thinner and easy to hold.

I also used a tripod to make sure the camera was steady when doing pan shots and tilt shots.


I will make sure i use a tripod for shots that will be done indoor to make it easier to do pan shots and generally the tripod will help me have a steady camera

Props and Costume

For the props and costume I will try use as less as I can as I don't want to divert the audience's attention with the props. The less I use the better the opening scene will look.
However for the costume I will make the male character look scary by making him wear a black hoodie which he will have over his head. The hood will just cover his head up to his eyes.



The girl will be wearing normal everyday clothes. She will have a grey coat on and with                                                     have earphones on as she is listening to music.













For props I wanted to make the living room look homely so I will be using some cushions as the sofas look very plain and hotel like. Also because it will be Sanaa's birthday I would need to buy birthday cards and have wrapped presents to make it look like people have given her cards. This will also help the audience think about why Sanaa and Alhur have been arguing.


This is the kind of key sanaa will be using to go into the flat. This will be attached to some other key rings. Also the bag sanaa will be wearing will be a big and black one with other things in her bag like a wallet, vaslenine, scarf and more.

Script

This is our first draft of the script. This was not very good as there were many improvements to be made. This script was not detailed enough as I didn't describe the coast Sanaa will be wearing and it didn't have enough stage directions. Furthermore I did not include what was going to be said in the voice over. I also realised that I didn't say what the surprise was and therefore the audience would have been confused. 

This is our second draft of the script. This was really good as it was very detailed and is giving a direction towards what the shot list would be like. 

Production Log

This week in class I have uploaded my Pitch for a Thriller and also done my mood board. Outside of class I have done my initial ideas on prezi for my psychological thriller. Next week I am hoping to complete my story board and script. I would like to be more creative with different software's I use on my blog so it would be more interesting. This week I have come across the software "issuu" and I am planning to use this for my scripting.

Title Ideas

There are a lot of titles to choose from however we wanted to choose a title that is orgininal and reflect our storyline. We done some research on title ideas for thriller movies and some of the titles we found were: "the ring", "black swan" "the cell" and more. It took us a very long time to come up with a title but we decided to choose "shadow". We were going to say "stalker" however this was already used.

We chose "Shadow" as this has an element of mystery. It reflects our story line as the woman thinks she is always being followed. It is like he ex-husbands shadow will always be with her and never let her go.

Mood Board

Here are some images of some existing thrillers and shawos. I am considering to do something around the word "shadow" as there is an element of mystrey and I think it will grab the audience's attention.

Pitch for Thriller

As a plan for my opening scene, I chose a thriller as I believe I can cover a range of different shots and have an uneasy topic for Thriller.

Initial ideas

Analysis of preivious students' AS work

Here is some research I have done on existing titles for Thriller Films

Researching how industries name their film has really made me think about how I will make my title stand out compared to other psychological thrillers. I want my title to be short and snappy so the name will stick in the audience's mind and so the name will be remembered.

Male and Female Representation

Here is some research I have done on Male and Female representation. 

Males

Men in horror movies are seen as the protagonist. They are shown as brave and ready to take on any challenges. They are also shown as a protector for the female character and generally shown as strong. They don't show much emotion like women do. Men tend to have more active roles in movies and are leaders. They usually come across as mysterious, and often battle their own inner "demons", especially in Thrillers. For example, Alex Cross' character in "Along came a spider" is portrayed as mysterious and very intelligent. 


Another example is Denzel Washington in "Training Day". Male characters are often seen as the "lone hero", and have a lot of independence. Alex Cross eventually loses his female sidekick, and manages to solve the crime alone.  This is also true of male antagonists, who are often portrayed as isolated but have power.

Females

The stereotype of women is mostly young and vulnerable as well as innocence. However older women are portrayed as having a great sexual appeal or can be mothers. In 1953 thriller "Niagra", Marilyn Monroe portrays an adulteress who plots to kill her husband. This character is seen as seductive and sly who is not a great contributor to society. Women in thriller films are usually portrayed as being passive and dependent upon men. Women usually are not the protagonist, or feature any characteristics that will solve the issue such as intelligence. 

Both genders are greatly stereotyped as however in different ways. Men are usually portrayed as being very masculine and the heroes, whereas women are seen as passive and dependent on men.

Here is something I learnt about why audiences watch movies as well as my conclusion.

There are many reasons as to why audiences watch movies such as: Entertainment, to gain more knowledge, educational purposes, escaping from reality and social interaction. This links onto the Gratification Theory by Blumer and Katz. Their theory says talks about entertainment, escaping the real world, being educated, social interaction and self identification. These days the social interaction has changed as socialising now is through social networking sites whereas before it was chatting face to face.



I have decided to pick Psychological Thrillers as I believe more people will be interested in it especially females. Furthermore it will educate the audience about situations they are unsure about. My target audience will be 15 years and above as there will be strong language used in the opening scene due to sensitive topics.

Influential Directors

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Alfred Hitchcock was an English film director and producer. He was often nicknamed "The Master of Suspense". He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, renowned as England's best director. Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades. Often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker, he came first in a 2007 poll of film critics in Britain's; Daily telegraph.; The magazine; Moviemaker has described him as the most influential filmmaker of all time, and he is widely regarded as one of cinema's most significant artists.

CHRISTOPHER NOLA
Christopher Nolan is a British American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He has created several of the most critically and commercially successful films of the early 21st century. His nine films have grossed over $4.2 billion worldwide and garnered a total of 26 Oscar nominations and seven awards. He first started by making independent films like "following" but gained considerable attention from his movie "memento" in 2000. He found further popular and critical success with The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception and Interstellar. Nolan has co-written several of his films with his brother, Jonathon Nolan.

JOSEPH LEO MANKIEWICZ
Mankiewicz is a film director, screen writer and producer. Mankiewicz worked for seventeen years as a screenwriter for Paramount and as a producer for MGM before getting a chance to direct at Twntieth Century- Fox. Over six years he made 11 films for Fox. He won consecutive Academy awards for Screenplay and Direction for both " A letter to three wives" and " All about Eve", which was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six.

 

BRIAN DE PALMA
Palma an American film director and screenwriter. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films. He directed successful and popular films such as Carrie, Dressed to kill, scarface, The Untouchables, Carlito's way, and Mission Impossible.

There are many more influential directors I could talk about but I picked the main directors I thought stood out and really achieved something. Knowing the directors and what they done will help me think about what sort of things to consider in my opening scene such as the atmosphere (dark and mysterious)