Narrative theory- Miss Georgiou

The three theories that were proposed are by three men Vladmir Propp, Tzvetan Todorov and Aristotle. Vladmir propps was a soviet formalist. Vladmir Propps theory is that characters in the sequence provide a structure for the narrative. Mainly in fairy tales the characters set the narrative. The typical characters he found were:
A Hero- A character that seeks something.
The Villain- Who opposes or actively blocks the hero's quest.
The Donor- Who provides an object with magical properties.
The Dispatcher- Who sends the hero on his/her quest via the message.
The False Hero- Who disrupts the hero's success by making false claims.
The Helper- Who aids the hero.
The Princess- Acts as a reward for the hero and the object of the villains plots.
The Father- Who acts to reward the hero for his effort.

His theory of narrative seemed to be mainly based in a male orientated environment and some critics would often dismiss the theory when regarding to films. Some critics may argue that Propp's strict and restrictive order of events may be an false representation of the film. 

Tzvetan Todorov theory simplified the idea of narrative theory whilst also allowing a more complex interpretation of film texts with his theory of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium. A simplified list of his theory is this.

The fictional environment begins with a state of equilibrium (everything normal, how it should be)

Then it would suffer some disruption (example of disequilibrium)

New equilibrium is produced at the end of the narrative. 

There are five main stages that the narrative progresses through:

1. A state of equilibrium.

2. A disruption of that order by an event.

3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.

4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.

5. A return or restoration of a new equilibrium.

The narrative is driven by attempts to restore the equilibrium. However, the equilibrium attained at the end of the story is not identical to the initial equilibrium. Todorov argues that narrative involves a transformation. The characters or the situations are transformed through the progress of the disruption.

Finally Aristotle observed that all films have a beginning, middle and an end. He also believed in stages in film and they were:

• Exposition - Setting a scene and introducing characters.
• Development - situation develops, more characters introduced
• Complication - An event takes place which would disturb the life of the characters.
• Climax - Involves high amounts of suspense and decisive moment reached.
• Resolution - Matters are resolved and satisfactory end is reached.

Our narrative shall follow the theory of Aristotle because our opening sequence follow stages. The character is introduced, then possessed, the kills herself because of it.

Production roles- Miss Miller

When creating a film there are many roles which people have to do meaning that there has to be a lot of people on one production team. People are allocated specific roles so they can stick to the main thing they are good at creating. For example the editor will just be the editor they wouldn't be the director as well. The main roles of creating a film are:

Camera operator- or cameraman is a professional operator of a film or video camera. In film making, the leading camera operator is usually called a cinematographer, while a camera operator in a video production may be known as a television camera operator, video camera operator, or video grapher, depending on the context and technology involved, usually operating a professional video camera.

Actors- sometimes actress for female is a person who acts in a dramatic or comic production and works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity. Their role in the film is quite big as without them there would be no story and film. 
 
Location manager-is the person who will be making decisions where the film is set and they work closely with the director. 

Storyboard Organiser- translate screenplays, or sequences from screenplays, into a series of illustrations in comic book form. These illustrations have two functions: to help directors clarify exactly what they want to achieve, and to illustrate to all other heads of department exactly what is required, e.g., prosthetics for makeup, computer generated Images (CGI) for visual effects, props for the art department, etc

Sound Technician- also called audio technician, audio technologist, recording engineer, sound operator, or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. An audio technician is proficient with different types of recording media, such as analog tape, digital multitrack recorders and workstations, and computer knowledge.

Editors-  Editors in film are people who edit the film when completed to make the story line clearer to the audience, edit shots, add in effects, add music to a scene, make a shot longer or delete shots.

Film Director- is a person who directs the actors and film crew in film making. They control a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors. They have control over most of the aspects of the film making, and make all the main decisions.

We gathered as a group and decided on what role we would play when creating our opening sequence. As there are only three of us in a group we had to do many different roles.

 We decided that Harry would be the director of photograph as he has had experience with a camera before so we figured that he would be suited to that role, he's also the storyboard director as he is good a drawing so the rest of the group can understand the storyboards easily. So within his role he would film the shots and come up for different ideas for shots as well as drawing the storyboards for the rest of the group to follow. He came up with many different camera angles which made our opening sequence more interesting and would interest the audience more. However a problem he had was when he was filming the camera was unsteady so the shots were uneven but we overcame this by using a trip pod for every shot. His drawings were very clear also and the whole group understood them all easily however we changed some of the shots that he picked because when we filmed it didn't work out. It made the production easier and more straight forward as the storyboards he drew was clear and he had done work with a camera before. To improve he should have been more organised.

My job role was the actress and the location manager. We decided i would be the actress (victim) as i look young and innocent with blonde hair so i would match a role of the victim perfectly. I've also had experience in acting also so as a group we decided i would be this role. I was also the location manager because i knew good places to film. I decided to film at my house because i had creepy household objects which build tension throughout the sequence. I also decided to film in a forest as its very conventional to a thriller and we can create high suspense by having our location at a forest which is key in thrillers. Also i was the director as i am good at leading people and directing in what to do. Being the actress was easy as i had the exact idea on what i was doing however being the director also made it difficult as i had to explain to the camera man which was harry on what to do as well as actressing. We should have made Domenico the director as he could have managed it better because he had less important job roles.

Domenico would be the sound technician and the editor as those roles are very similar and Domenico has experience in both so we thought he was suited to both those roles. In his role he would edit the whole opening scene after for example adding in credits and he would make sure the sound is okay. By having specific roles when creating the opening sequence has made it easier to film as we can stick to our specific role perfecting it and filming will be quicker as the group know what their job is and what they have to do to succeed. Domenico was well at his job role as he had experience in editing. However he should have planned what he was doing before editing because it took him a while to edit. 

Each person done well in the specific job however for it to be even better is that each person should only have one job role not two because our group got a bit confused, we could of  got over this by having more people in our filming group so that each person would only have one job role. Other then that everything went to plan and was very successful. Allocating people different roles makes my sequence better and production easier as we can all stick to our individual job role which makes filming easier. Having different roles is also useful so people can have a job role which there good at.

Planning opening credits- Miss Georgiou

Credits are important in the opening scene as it tells the audience who create/produced the film which is important information. It also can set the scene by using scary looking font or dark colours in can create a thriller feel for the audience. If your credits are successful they can also create a tense atmosphere for the audience which is key for thrillers. Credits can easily create an uneasy atmosphere as the font should be daunting, dark and creepy looking which also sets the scene. Credits also can give the audience what the rest of the film will be like for example if the credits are bloody or gory the audience may get an idea that the film will contain violence. The colour of the background when the credits appear can also show the audience what may happen in the rest of the scene.

A thriller film that has a successful opening credit sequence is the film Se7en. The credits build suspense and gives the audience a clear idea of what is going to be within the thriller film. The style of the credits are crooked writing, this suggests to the audience that there may be a psycho character in the opening sequence which could be mentally ill or could be evil in some way. It sets the scene for the audience as they get an idea of what type of character is. The writing was very flashy which shows that the film will keep the audience in suspense and keep the audience in fear of what is going to happen next. The style of the fonts were all different, the important role such as the director credits were bigger to stand out to the audience. Other roles such as the camera man were much smaller. The colors used in the opening credits are black and white which builds suspense for the audience as it makes the character seem mysterious whom wants to attack someone. Also the contrast of black and white represents a evil character against an innocent character. Other colours are used such as red which can symbolize blood or danger and show that a character is angry. The main convention that is used within se7en is suspense as the image behind the credits is a man cutting up pictures and writing which creates a mystery also. The character also has a hidden identity as you can only see their hands which engages the audiences the audience straight away as they want to find out more about the character. The character is also sharpening weapons which makes the audience aware that an attack may happen which builds tension which also makes the audience interested in the film. The music behind the music is squeaky which is quite eerie, when the character does something for example pick up the blade the music and the beat gets louder which also shows the audience that something to do with the blades may occur in the story. The order of the opening credits were from the least important roles to the most. The order of the credits were the production company, the director, the actor then the title of the film. Following were the actors, cast, music, costumes, editors, producers, camera man, co-producers, producer, write and then the director.
Another opening credit sequence we looked at was the sixth sense. This opening sequence was slightly different compared to se7en. The style of the credits was bold so the audience can clearly read them. They also flickered which may suggest to the audience that there will be a mental character in the film which builds tension right from the start of the film. It defiantly shows the audience that it may be a psychological thriller due to the flickering of the credits. As the credits are flashing it make keep the audience on the edge of the seats as it will build suspense for the rest of the film which is very conventional to a thriller. However the important credits at the beginning didn't flicker which may portray that something happens in the film to make someone become mental. The soundtrack behind the credits at the beginning for up till 27 seconds is quite slow and when it hits 27 seconds the credits appear quicker and they start to flicker. This also may suggest that something happens in the opening sequence which causes something bad to happen. It create enigma for the audience. The colour of the opening credits are white on a black background which are done to stand out clearly. Also the contrast of black and white represents a evil character against an innocent character which will build tension for the audience as there watching the film. The music behind the credits was upbeat and quite eerie to show the audience that the opening sequence will be very interesting which will engage the audience.

For our groups opening credits we discussed many different ideas for the text size, colour and the font style. We also looking at many different film opening credits to give us inspiration on what would be the most successful.
For the opening credits of our group thriller film, we collectively discussed our ideas for the text size, colour and the font style. We decided we wanted to make the font fragmented and crooked to show that the killer has mental issues. We also decided that the font of our film title should be bigger then the rest of the credits as this is the most important credit. We decided that fonts would get bigger and bigger until they reach the title of the film. We also decided to make the fonts grow so the audience are aware that the attack happens at the end of the sequence. The colour of the font would be an dark green so its conventional to the forest scene. We will have the opening credits appear over still credits so the audience can clearly read them without getting distracted from whats going on in the background. The music behind the credits will be an eerie soundtrack to build tension for the audience and engage them within the film.
The order of appearance that we will use is: Location manager, costume/makeup, storyboards/screen play, casting, actors, editors, directors/ co directors, production company and finally the title of the film.

- example of our credits.

Planning sound- Miss Miller

Sound is important within films as without sound the film would be very dull and boring for the audience and wouldnt make sense. The sound element in films is very important as sound also creates enigma, builds tensions and suspense, creates an element of excitment and makes it interesting for the audience. Different sound techniques create different effects on the audience depending on the scene, how loud the music is and what type of music it is. Sound is important in all genres but especially in thrillers because without sound the audience wouldn't be as scared meaning that sound builds tension successfully and creates suspense. Sound also creates a sense of mystery in films. In thrillers sound is mainly used to build tension and create suspense as sound can create a tense atmospheres easily.

 Planning is very important when thinking about sound as you have to use the correct sound technique with the correct image behind it to create the effect you want on the audience. If you don't plan your sound before filming you may not create the effect you wanted to meaning that your sound in your film is unsuccessful. Also you need to make sure the image behind the sound links together otherwise the audience might get confused. By using a non digetic sound or a soundtrack within your opening sequence can build tension and suspense successfully which is conventional so you need to plan sound well before filming for it to go successfully.
In our opening sequence we are planning to use different sound techniques to create different effects on the audience. We are also using many sound techniques to keep the audience interested and engaged with the film.

 At the beginning of the scene where we use the mid shot of the tv and the different shots of the girl getting ready we are going to use a loud crackling sound over the tele and a eerie non digetic soundtrack in the background. We are using a crackling over the tv as it links with the image which is called parallel sound, it can also make the audience jump which is conventional in thrillers as that is the main purpose of a thriller film. Also by using parallel sound it makes the opening sequence seem to be more realistic which will engage the audience into watching the film. We are using an eerie soundtrack as we hope this will portray to the audience that its leading up to something bad, its also adds a sense of mystery to the film which is a key element we want to present to the audience so by using an eerie soundtrack its very conventional to the thriller genre. The eerie soundtrack will be slow so it builds tension more, it will gradually become louder so the end scene is more scary. Also we are using contrapuntal sound at the end of the scene to show that the victim has been possessed and is mental as the sound wont go with the scene. Its conventional to the thriller genre as it builds tension and suspense successfully which is key in thrillers. It also builds a relationship between the character and the audience as the audience becomes aware that the victim is mental so they feel envious towards her.

We are also using parallel sound of televion, the glass smashing and the girls footsteps. We are using this just to make the audience jump and to crete a tense atmosphere. By using parallel sound here can help the audience build a relationship with the victim as they will feel sorry for them meaning they will engage more with the film.

Our sequence will defiantly be more effective with music as it builds tension, creates suspense, creates excitement for the audience and makes the story line clear to the audience so sound is conventional to the thriller sound as they are all key for thrillers to be successful.

Planning cinematography

Cinematography is important in films as without it in the film, the film would be very boring for the audience. It also wouldn't interest them which is important as your film needs to interest the audience to be successful. Cinematography is important in all film genres because the film wouldn't make sense without the use of different camera angles and the film wouldn't be exciting as camera angles create excitement for the audience. Especially in thrillers camera angles are so important as they create tension for the audience which is key for thrillers. Without camera angles in thriller films, the film wouldn't be jumpy or create a tense atmosphere therefore it wouldn't be a successful film. Its important to use different angles in films to keep the audience engage and to create different effects on the audience. Also without cinematography the audience won't understand what is happening in the film. Planning ahead is required when thinking of camera angles as they are the main element to build suspense in thrillers. Its important you plan camera angles so you know that the certain type of angle you are planning to use creates the effect you want on the audience. Its also important to plan camera angles ahead so when it comes to filming you wont panic and can film quickly.

In our opening scene we are planning to use different camera angles to create different effects on the audience. We planned camera angles really well so we can build tension, create elements of excitement and create a tense atmosphere for the audience. We took a long time planning our camera angles as we needed to figure out what angles suited each scene well.
The first shot we used was an mid shot of the television of where the opening scene is set. We chose an mid shot to show the audience what the object is but not give too much away so it creates a sense of mystery. We will hope the shot portrays a creepy house as the television will be on static so the audience are nervous for the rest of the film. The shot is conventional to the thriller genre as the mid shot presents to the audience its set in a creepy place which is stereotypical place for thrillers to be set in. Its also conventional to thrillers because it makes the audience feel uncomfortable which is key in thrillers. The mid shot will also automatically build a relationship between the victim and the audience as its set in a dark place and the victim is a young girl, the audience will sympathise for them as they will put themselves in their shoes therefore building a relationship between them.

- mid shot of tele.

Another shot we will use frequently is a high angle shot, we will use high angle shots persistently of the victim so the audience are aware that she is the victims of the scene. We will use a high angle shot of when she's circling the glass. We have precisely chosen to use this angle here so the girl look small and innocent compared to the house which looks huge and daunting. This will give off the impression that the house is a creepy, daunting place. Therefore emphasizing that the girl is young and innocent making the relationship between the audience and her stronger as the audience sympathizes for her meaning that the audience will focus on the film more.It will also show that she is getting possessed by something greater than her.  We are also using a high angle when the girls to drown herself in the lake. This builds tension for the audience and creates a sense that she is about to kill herself as she is made to look small and vulnerable. By having a high angle there you can see the lake and the girl which makes the audience aware she is going to drown herself. This is conventional to a thriller as it makes the audience jumpy which is key in thrillers.

- high angle shot.

Another shot that i will use repeatedly in the opening scene is a long shot to mainly build suspense and tension for the audience. We will use a long shot when the girl is walking down the road and up towards the forest. We are using a long shot here just to show the audience that she's left the house and for them to become aware where she's going to. It also shows the mise en scene well including the setting. It also builds up to the end scene of her falling into the lake. Long shots are very important within thrillers as it shows the whole setting of the scene which builds tension for the audience as its typically set in a dark place which creates a tense atmosphere. Also by using a long shot it makes the victim look smaller which shows the audience she's less superior. We used a long shot when she's walking up to the forest to show she's walked far, it also builds up to the end scene where she drowns herself. It creates a sense of mystery as you don't know where she's going which is key for thrillers.

- examples of long shots.

Another shot we are planning to use is a over the shoulder shot. We are planning to use this camera angle right at the beginning of the scene where the girls back is towards the mirror. This gives a sense of mystery to the film because the audience wont know who the character is straight away as her identity is hidden. This is conventional to a thriller as many thrillers keep characters identity hidden as it builds suspense and adds a sense of mystery. By having an over the shoulder shot it also gives the impression that something is behind the girl which is possessing her through out the clip. It helps build a relationship between the character and the audience as they want to know more about the character meaning that they will focus on them during the film more.

- example of over the shoulder shot

Our sequence will be effective as we will use many different camera angles so it will create suspense, build tension and create elements which is conventional to thrillers. By using different camera angles our sequence will be successful as it will also engage and interest the audience in the film more. Our camera angles that we will use for example an over the shoulder shot will mainly build tension for the audience which is highly important in thrillers. Cinematography is conventional to thrillers as its the main element which builds tension and suspense in thriller films which has to be successful otherwise the audience wont engage with the film therefore meaning cinematography is very important in thrillers and has to be perfect.

Planning Characters- Miss Miller

The purpose of characters within film is to engage the audience by telling the story line in a dynamic way. The characters need to be down to earth and realistic if you want the audience to connect with them as well as the film. The characters need to be in the right environment depending on the issue of the film for it to be a successful film otherwise the audience wont understand the story line. The audience want to be able to put themselves in the characters shoes that's why its important to make sure its realistic and the scene is suitable for the characters. The audience always have great sympathy for characters as they relate to the audience, therefore thrillers are highly successful for building bonds between the characters and the audience. Its important that the characters are shown for who they are so the audience understand why they are part of that film. Its important in the film that the characters have to resolve an issue to fully interest the audience until the end. You can easily do this by having few characters in great detail so the audience understand why they are there and build relationships. The film is all focused around the characters so you need to have strong characters for it to be successful. If a film didn't show characters feelings the audience will easily become bored therefore the film will be unsuccessful. Successful thrillers have strong characters in which they need to resolve issues therefore when planning our characters we will make sure we create them in high detail.

The Victim
We are only using one character in our thriller as we wanted just to have one strong character which the audience can relate to and to focus on. Also by only having one character the audience will straight away understand who the main focus of the film is and wont get confused throughout the scene. We have chosen the character to be a victim as its conventional to a thriller film as all thrillers have at least one character who gets victimized. We have chosen the character to be the victim instead of the killer as you couldn't pull of having one character in the sequence which is the killer as it wouldn't make sense. We also decided just to use one character because its easier to film with one character and it will quicker to film. It will be easier for the director of our team to direct one person rather than a few people meaning that our opening sequence will be successful. The victim is a 13 year old girl who looks innocent with typical blonde hair. We've decided to use a young girl with blonde hair as its very conventional to the thriller genre and very stereotypical. The blonde female victim is very conventional to a thriller as she looks really innocent which builds more of a relationship between her and the audience as they will feel sorry for her more. She will engage the audience as she will look possessed after having water which will interest and engage the audience. The audience may also feel sorry for her but however they may feel different and get a feel that shes mental which will build a tense atmosphere and build a relationship between them. The age of the girl is important because they are more likely to feel sorry for her building more of a relationship between them. We wanted our thriller to also be a different then typical ones so just by using one character makes our thriller more interesting. We wanted our narrative to be different so with one character makes it interesting for the audience. We have chosen this particular character as she will be able to engage the audience into watching the film as she is a very different to normal characters in victim. We wanted to have this particular character so the audience stay interested throughout and to show the different types of people in one character. We also chose this character so people will be asking questions meaning they will want to watch more. She will create enigma and keep the audience fascinated. We just decided to use her instead of two characters as she is a very strong character and we didn't want to have two strong characters.

- my character

I believe my character is conventional to the thriller genre because she looks young and innocent which is very typical for a thriller to have.To emphasize the genre of the sequence I will make it clear to the audience that the character is victim so they know that the genre is a thriller as that is the type of character in thrillers. Also i will make sure that the victims look innocent so the audience don't get confused from the beginning. Planning characters before filming was very useful so when we film we can start straight away and film quite quickly. It was also useful so the group know for definite what character is in our opening sequence and wont get confused.

Editing Styles- Miss Georgiou

Editing styles are different effects that the directors of the film add in to make it more interesting for the audience or to create an effect, for example a a dissolve shot is where one image is blended with another to build tension.Editing is important within a thriller film as it keeps the audience engaged whilst watching the film. Editing is important in the opening sequence as it has to be successful for audience to stay interested. It builds tension and suspense really well and is needed in thriller films for it to be conventional to thrillers. Editing helps the director put all the cuts together to finish the film.

In my opening sequence we will use different editing styles to engage the audience and to keep them interested throughout the opening sequence. The first shot we are using is timing of shots. We are planning to have the shots slow at the beginning of the scene which will build up suspense for the audience and build up to the climax of the scene. When the girl is getting ready to go out we have the shots slow and when she leaves the house the shots will be slightly quicker as its getting closer to the tragedy. By the time she gets to the forest it will be very quick as it will build tension for the audience and they will become aware that something bad will happen. After she drowns herself the shots become slow again to show that she has drowned. Its very conventional to thrillers as it builds suspense and tension really well which is a key element in thrillers.

Shot of where the timing of shots is slow.









 Shot of where the timing of shot is fast.


Another main editing shot we will use is a jump cut, a jump cut is where the camera suddenly focuses on something. In our sequence we are using a jump cut to focus on the watch when she is getting ready. We are using a jump cut shot on the watch to give the audience a clue that there is little time before she drowns which builds tension massively. We are also using a jump cut on the watch because at the end of the scene, the watch will float on top of the lake water to imply that she has drowned which will create a tense an atmosphere for the audience which is very conventional to thrillers.

 Shot of the jump cut on the watch.

The third editing shot is we are using is a straight cut. Straight cuts are where a shot is changed from a location to a different location or a viewpoint to a different viewpoint. In my opening sequence we are using a straight cut from one location to another. When the girl is getting ready we are changing the view point from her to a globe. This will build up tension for the audience and create a tense atmosphere as they don't know what the girl could be doing as we changed the location. Therefore it will make our opening sequence more interesting and engage the audience into watching it.

The final editing shot we are going to use is a fade shot. This is when the screen fades to typically show that the film has finished. We stereotypically are going to use it at the end as well to show that the film has finished and to leave the audience on a cliffhanger. This is conventional to thrillers as it creates a sense of mystery and excitement for the audience which is key in thrillers. It also makes the audience want to watch more of the film as they don't know what happened to the girl. Many questions would go through the audiences mind about whether she drowned or not so by using a fade shot here adds to the suspense.

My editing styles are conventional to a thriller as they are all stereo typically used in thrillers. A fade shot is conventional to thrillers as it builds suspense successfully as the audience don't know what will happen next which is key for a good thriller. Timing of shots are conventional to thrillers as they build tension really well when used in the correct way, they also help show who are the main characters in the film which is important in thrillers and lastly they create a jumpy atmosphere for the audience. Jump cut editing style is also conventional to thrillers because they build tension for the audience as by focusing on something the camera shot can change quickly making the audience feel scared. The straight cut is also conventional as it shows the mise en scene to the audience and builds tension successfully.

Our editing will appeal to our audience which are people over 15 as it will make the film more jumpier which interests people of that age. Also it will make the film more interesting to watch and keep the audience engaged in the film.