Shot List- New

This is the new shot list I will be using for my 2nd draft of Intrusion



1. Long-shot of the two thieves walking towards the house
2. Wide-shot, panning from right to left of the two thieves walking to the house
3. Handheld, OTS shot of the two thieves walking up to the locked gate
4. Mid-shot of the thieves breaking into the gate's lock
5. Long-shot, match on action of the thieves kicking open and walking past the gate
6. Internal, mid-shot of the thieves walking to the door and looking through the glass
7. Close-up shot of the door handle being tampered with and breached by the thieves
8. Mid-shot, low angle of the thieves briefly talking about their plan
9. Handheld, backwards tracking-shot of the thieves walking to the staircase
10. Mid-shot of candles flickering in the darkness
11. Continous tracking shot of thieves coming up the stairs, picking up a candle and walking to a room
12. Mid-shot, low angle of thieves opening the door and coming into the room
13. Medium-shot, from behind the perspective of a slightly open door/room, of the thieves looking into it and walking towards it, then turns into a low angle once the door has been opened
14. Handheld, mid-shot of left to right pan to reveal a young man in bed
15. Handheld, over-the-shoulder shot of the boy walking to the room, peering round the corner
16. Same shot as last time expect an eye-line match is established between the boy and the slightly open door
17. A left to right pan, medium-shot shows the boy walking in the room across to the slightly open door
18. A low angled mid-shot shows the boy in front of the now opened door only to be grabbed in by someone else
19. Close-up shot of the thief picking up the candle and looking into the camera, breaking the fourth wall, (Heavy VFX)
20. Mid-close up shot of the boy waking up from what seemed to be a nightmare
21. Low angled mid-shot of the thieves standing in his door about to attack him

'Intrusion'- Draft No. 1- First Half

This is my first rough draft/sequence for my thriller short film. This cut has some basic editing, basic sound design and some initial colour correction.

I will be re-shooting and filming the other half soon, but so far I think I'm on track with my short film and it is so far how I envisioned it would be.

It is only the first half so far due to the fact that my overall planning isn't quite up to speed, which is preventing me from shooting the rest of the short film.

Editing Session- Short Film

This is a screenshot from where I have began to edit a clip from Intrusion, specifically a clip when the two thieves are investigating the door they are about to break through. I am using Adobe After Effects CS6 to edit with, which is currently my most favourable choice of editing software.

At that point I was adjusting and adding some effects to my footage, being colour correction. Since my idea behind intrusion was for a dark, psychological thriller film, I had to match the films mise-en-scene and colour pallet to meet this convention. I also thought about this because in my initial audience research survey, people often thought how lighting and tone can be very influential in thriller films, which is why I underwent the decision to use darker color pallets. Therefore I used various colour correction effects to achieve a darker, bleaker mood and tone.This is reflected in the screenshot above as the picture is considerably dark.  The effects control tab is on the left of the screen as you can see, and this is where I can control the effects and see how it changes the image just to the right in the centre of the screen. My timeline is at the bottom where all my clips, audio, adjustment layers and pretty much everything I need to know is, and also tells me how everything is structured, which is the primary purpose of editing.

I feel considerably comfortable editing with Adobe software, in this case After Effects, as I gained quite a lot of insight and understanding into editing and sequencing during our AS thriller opening production, which gave me the necessary skills and understanding with working with video editing software like such.

Filming schedule

Now that I have my completed screenplay, I am going to be shooting some initial footage very soon. It will only be primary, rough footage but my aim is to edit some clips together so see how well and if my vision comes together for my short film.

I plan to shoot only indoor scenes, just so I can get some initial footage together and see how well the clips look and flow together.

The shoot will be for roughly 3 hours if everything goes to plan and no significant problems arise on the day of filming.

10 Film Reviews + An Overall Summary

1:




The image above is a film review of Marvel's classic superhero movie 'Spider-Man 2'. The film review is structured as a full, double-paged review that would feature in film and TV magazines.

One of the main components of this film review is the very large, focused image of Spider-Man which takes up the whole 2nd page and some of the first. This is used as a tool to introduce the main character of the film, being Spider-Man, and so that the audience feel more connected to the film the review is detailing as there is actual evidence and physicality of the film being discussed. The image is also carefully chosen, due to the fact that the image has Spider-Man's bright red and blue costume, so that the image stands out on the film review and instantly grabs the audience's attention.

The main bodies of text are all on the first page, and take up the majority of the page. Most of this body of texts is discussing and reviewing the film, in which most readers/audiences will divert their attention to, so they can make best use of the film review itself. The text is discussing the film, what is good about it and what isn't so good, what the film did well, what special moments will grab your attention the most etc. These are all certain features that the audiences will be particularly interested in. There is also a feature part that is discussing Sam Raimi's superb direction which have two paragraphs specially dedicated to it.

Additionally, the brand of film magazine is located in the top left hand page which is in a large, coloured typography and background so that the audience are aware of what they're reading and so that it stands out. It is also filled with a light blue colour so that it is sure to stand out on the 2 pages. Directly underneath this is the title of the film that is being reviewed, it is also in a large black font that stands out from the rest of the review.

There is also additional information regarding the film below this, such as the director, the cast, the plot for the film, distributor, run time etc.


2:



The image above is a film review for the Twilight film, New Moon. This review differs from the Spider-Man 2 review for several reasons, however it is still a fully conventional film review. This film review only takes up one page, with most of the text being on the bottom half of the page.

The primary image for the film is at the top of the review, which is a large landscape still of the main 2 characters from the film series. This image is used as a device to introduce the main 2 characters from the films in action, and can also make the readers more interested in the review as there is physicality from the film itself in the film review.

Below the landscape image from the film is the film's title, 'New Moon', in a large black font to help stand out from the rest of the review. Below it is a tag line for the film review, reading 'Bella's hungry like the wolf...'. This is used as a text based device to help add entertainment and enthusiasm to the film review, which aims to keep the readers interested and also gaining their attention so that they'll carry on and read the whole review.

In addition, below the title and tag line is additional information about the film. This information includes the cast of the film, the director, the distributing studio, production information, the run time etc. This is also information that the readers and viewers will be interested in when it comes to the film.

For this film review, the main bodies of text are roughly the same as the Spider-Man 2 film review in their content and structure. Both bodies of texts are discussing and detailing the films strengths, weaknesses, memorable moments, the direction etc. This is the parts of the text that the readers will be most interested in as it is essentially the reason why they have started viewing the film review in the first place.

Lastly, in the bottom left there is a special text that is comical and is also adding to the entertainment factor of the film review. The text is also in a large red font so it attracts the viewers attention to ensure they'll read it.

3:




The above image is a film review for Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End, a Disney box office giant. This film review is a conventional, double paged format film review that can be found in film and TV magazines such as in this instance, Screen.

The right hand side of the film review is dominated by a still of 2 main characters from the film. The image seems to be the 2 characters conversing in such a way that it adds interest and foundation to the image; the readers can see this image and instantly have an understanding of what is going on. The large image is also used as a tool to draw in audiences due to the fact that it is very large and stands out well.

At the top of the film review is a small banner, that has a list of different film or TV reviews and the designated page number they can be found on. This is used as another tool that can help keep readers interested due to the fact there is other film reviews to be read in the magazine.

In the top left of the film review is the magazine's name Screen, in a very large black font that ensures the reader will know what brand of film magazine they are reading, Below this is several official ratings for the film, with the amount of stars they think it deserves as well some words that sum up the amount of stars given. This is used as an informative tool for the readers, so that they know what the amount of stars equates to in terms of the films quality, which can then help decide the readers if they want to see the film or not.

The main reviews for the film are also on the first page and have been formatted in a way that several other images and titles have been composited in the main bodies of text. Such as, there is a chart that is titled 'Predicted Interest Curve'. This can be a tool used to help readers engage with the product, in the way that it is a visual aid of telling the readers how interesting and exciting this film is said to be.

4:



This is a simpler example of film review that has the standard basic conventions and codes.

It has a still from the movie on the right, which takes up a large part of the right hand side of the film review. This is so that the image is nice and large and attracts the audience to the review. The content of the image is also interesting as the female character looks suspicious of something, or weary. This can make the film review more interesting as the image makes the readers more interested or invested in the film. In other words, the selection of image for the film review is considerably important.

The title for the film review 'The Cave' is in large letters, with a bold font to gain the readers attention.

Below this is a film rating which consists of stars, which is primarily used to establish to the audience the overall verdict of the film. Below this, is the information about the film the audience may want to know, such as the cast, director, certificate, studio of distribution etc.

The text for the film review makes up for a large part of it, and is the main thing audiences will be looking for. There are various different paragraphs detailing the film's strengths and weaknesses, which the reader will read and then form their overall opinion based on these reviews. This is why the review itself is vital to be fair and balanced, because many consumers will take the reviews very seriously and form their opinion based on these reviews.

5:




This is an example of a film review that has not been analysed by myself, and it has been annotated by someone else and I found it on the internet.

However it is another prime example of a classic film review with the most conventional layout.

- Large picture towards the right hand side of the review
- Main bodies of text surrounding the picture, and take up most of the review
- Film title in big bold letters at the top left hand side of the review
- Tag line underneath the film title
- Cast, certificate, director, and overall film information underneath the tag line


6:




This is another example of a film review that has not been analysed by myself, and it has been annotated by someone else and I found it on the internet.

The film review is on the right of the large image, on the left is all the annotations done by the user. This film review however is less engaging in my opinion, since there is a very large amount of text in this review, with minimal formatting and colour.

However, it still has most of the typical film review conventions. Such as the image from the film at the top of the review, the film title on the top left, main crew and film information under the title, and the review for the film itself underneath all of this in columns.

The annotation on the film title is also something to note, saying the title is 'necessary to do so, and not being used as a way to capture the spectator's eye.'  This is something that's different from the other film reviews I've researched, most of these use the title as a common tool to attract and lure the audience in.

7:

This is another example of a film review that has not been analysed by myself, and it has been annotated by someone else and I found it on the internet.

This example however is a physical picture, of a film review in what looks like a magazine. It is once again a very conventional film review with the typical layout for a double page film review. The image and film title are both very large which really draw in the audience to the film review.

There is also a 'Predicted Interest Curve' diagram in the bottom left of the review. This can be used as a tool to entertain the reader by providing them with a diagram to look at. This is a less common convention in films reviews but still definitely fits in with film reviews.

8:




This is another example of a film review that has not been analysed by myself, and it has been annotated by someone else and I found it on the internet.

This film review is still conventional, but incorporates more pictures rather than text. This could be used to show off the film, being 'Avatar', and all its visual dazzle, in attempt of getting more people interested in the film. The review is a lot smaller than other film reviews I've researched, but this could be due to the nature of this review specifically and had less reason for a long review. The additional pictures could be making up for it.

There is also a section on the far right called 'Avatar facts', which is another tool of attracting people to the film and all its spectacle.


9:



This is another example of a film review that has not been analysed by myself, and it has been annotated by someone else and I found it on the internet.

This film review features 4 more film reviews on the right hand side, in addition to the primary review of Paranormal Activity 2 on the whole left hand side. The main review on the left is is a conventional film review, which looks very professional and belongs to a film magazine by the looks of it. It has a box of cast and film information underneath the film title and tag line, columns of text, a large picture at the top of the page from the film, and a small verdict at the bottom of the page used to sum up the review.


10:

This is another example of a film review that has not been analysed by myself, and it has been annotated by someone else and I found it on the internet.

This film review is a more compact film review, which seems to be 3 film reviews all on one page.  but it still has a mostly conventional structure and layout. It has columns of text for the film review, headlines, pictures and graphics and logos. 

-----------------------------------------------

Overall, I am happy with my preliminary research into film reviews. I have learned a considerable amount into the structure of film reviews, specifically such things such as picture layouts, text layouts, titles, putting the review into text columns and so on.

I have learned that a key aspect of films reviews is to inform and detail to audiences the characteristics and overall opinion on certain films, whilst doing so in an entertaining, visually exciting/stimulating way. This can be done through the use of large and eye-catching pictures or fancy, integrated texts and fonts. Film reviews should also essentially display the rating of the film through stars, which are often underneath the title of the film.

I have also learned that films reviews should be balanced in nature, and display a fair, reasonable argument and analysis of the film that includes both the films advantages and disadvantages, when appropriate. This is done so using the columns of text on film reviews where audiences are expected to find the review for the film in itself.

I have also learned about the format of films reviews, and that they can either be set across 2 sides of A4, or they can be vertical instead. Both are perfectly valid formats of film review and are standard conventions also.

With this research and information now complete, I now feel confident to begin starting my drafts of film review and this will be underway in the near future.

Animatic

Here is the animatic for the first half of my short film, the other half is scheduled to be planned and filmed fairly soon.

The animatic involves the planned shots I will be using from my storyboard, along with a piece of non-diegetic soundtrack playing over the clips. This has been done in order to try and give me a sense of how my short film will look and feel, and see how interesting it looks from a viewers point of view.

Edited and put together using Adobe After Effects

Storyboards- For Draft's 1 and 2 Only

The following storyboard is for the first 2 minutes of my short film, or the first half of my short film, which will be filmed and uploaded in the following weeks to come.

This storyboard is only for the first half of my short film.

This storyboard is for the 2nd act of the short film. The images are not as clear in this one and aren't as well drawn, but the text provides the main form of meaning and structure within the shots and narrative. 

Poster Mock up/ Draft #1 - 'Intrusion'

This is a very rough and quick mock-up draft #1 I made for my short film.

The poster is in landscape despite normal film posters should be in portrait, this was because I just wanted to experiment here with initial colours and typography, such as the red font and the black background. It works significantly well together in my opinion so I will be carrying this colour scheme to my next drafts.

By designing the poster in this specific way I was trying to create a dark, mysterious undertone for my short film when people see this poster. This is in the way everything is black, apart from the two thiefs and the house. It creates a more explicit poster due to the fact that minimal things are shown and the poster very much focuses on the middle section with the characters and the house.

I also used a red, striking font in the middle upper section of the poster to create a more psychological- thriller side to this poster. The red colour symbolizes danger and and often anxiety which I feel is a good representation of some of the elements in this short film. I also like the spacing between the characters in the text because I think that it makes the title look more intriguing and stylish.

Location Scouting- Exterior and Interior Settings

The following are images of locations my short film will take place in, where the 2 masked invaders will be situated in, outside and inside of the house. Everything is in my house or outside of it so I have total control of what is happening location and permission wise so that's an advantage. 

Prop List

Here is a list of props I will most likely be needing for my short film, in order to make it look more realistic and relatable from a viewers point of view:


- Knife/some form of weapon

- Balaclavas/face masks

- Hooded clothing/thief attire

- Padlock for gate outside

- Flashlights

- Screwdriver
                             
                                     

'Intrusion'- Script- (Outdated- DISCONTINUED)

‘Intrusion’- Screenplay

Fade in

EXT. Side of a road – Night

TWO MASKED THIEFS are standing under a street lamp, looking directly ahead at a house they are presumably about to invade. One of them pulls out a cigarette and starts to smoke it. The other one pulls out a swiss army knife, and holds it up to the light, he then puts it away. Ambient sound of owls in the night and dogs barking.

The first thief crosses the road and signals the other one to wait for his signal to also cross, an over the shoulder shot tracking shot will capture this. He walks up to the door, examines the lock and also checks the windows to the right side. He then pulls out a (blue) torch and shines it through the window, a camera shot will capture this from inside of the house.

The pair then decide they’re not going to get through this way, so they walk over to the side of the house and arrive at the gate. When the two individuals climb over the fence, they make a sudden loud thud when they hit the floor, a cutaway shot of a little girl in bed reacting to the noise will follow after.

THIEF #1

Just like the way we planned this, okay?

Silence. The other individual subtly nods his head, as if he’s almost shrugging off the order. A shot from the inside of the house will see them walking round the side of the house, cutting the audio off. When they reach the doors to the house, individual #1 pulls out his army knife and starts to play with the lock. A shot will cut to the inside of the door to get the perspective inside the house. Struggling at first attempt. Individual #2 is still smoking his cigarette behind him.

THIEF #1

'Come on you motherfucker I know you want to work'

Cut away shot of THIEF #2 watching him, still smoking the cigarette.

After some more attempts to pick the lock, it is successful and individual #1 pushes up the lock so that the door can now be pulled open. THIEF #1 will then SLOWLY look over his shoulder to the other individual, acknowledging their situation. He will then flick up the lock so that the door is ready to slide open, swiftly. A SLOW-MO shot from the inside, low angle, will see the door slide open. THIEF #1 will then SLOWLY put his body, legs first into the house. Once his body is in the house, he starts to look around and observe his surroundings. A cutaway shot to the little girl in bed again will occur, this time making it seem she’s having a nightmare dream of some sorts.

A close up shot of the invidivual #2 will then see him walk through the door, also observing his surroundings.

Cut to a shot of a cake on a table, right in front of the camera, however having the intruder in the background of the frame. Shot will then change to a low angle of thief #2 walk over to the cake, the camera pans to reveal it, and will then see him put his cigarette in it and extinguish it.

A close up shot of thief #reacting to this action looking shocked/disgusted.

THIEF #2

You got a problem?

THIEF #1 shrugs off the remark in shock and shakes his head.

THIEF #1 will then continue to slowly walk around and examine the house. Until he reaches the bottom of the staircase, an over the shoulder shot will see this and then emphasise on the darkness and ominous feel at the top of the stairs.

THIEF #1

The safe is upstairs.

THIEF #2

(Subtly) Well that’s fucking brilliant. Are we going up there then?

THIEF #1

That wasn’t the original plan.

THIEF #2

The original plan has now changed. We’re opening that safe, and we’re gonna claim that fucking cash.

The camera will then pan around Thief #1’s face to emphasise his dilemma and mixed feelings.

THIEF #1

Well let’s go then.

A slow dolly shot at the top of the staircase will then see the camera move forward and emphasise on the mysterious and ominous tone of the whole situation.

The two thief’s then begin to very slowly walk up the stairs. Each steep makes a creaking sound, building on the tension. (Ambient thrilling music will be playing over at this point.

THIEF #1

I need some light.

Thief #2 hands him over a lighter.

The thief then begins to spark the lighter in total darkness, when it does ignite he then holds it in front of his face.

Medium shot of them walking further up the stairs-slow build of tension and mystery.

After they reach the top of the staircase, they stop at the top and the camera will begin to move backwards towards the end of the landing.

An over the shoulder shot of the both of them walking across the landing.

The next shot will then be inside a room, looking through the open door. The thief’s will then walk into the frame, implying the safe is located within this room. They look towards/through the door and pause, then look at each other.

A cut to a dolly shot, on the floor, pressing in on the room, hearing all the sound effects of them trying to crack into the safe. This shot will cut approximately when the camera is getting close to the door,

Cutaway shot back to the little girl, this time she wakes up and reaches over to her bedside table for some water, to realise she has ran out. She gets out of bed and picks up the glass,

A medium shot, in front of her, will then see her open the door and slowly walk out. However she walks out only 

to discover the thief’s in the room opposite her, trying to break into the safe.

Thief #2 will turn around slowly to discover her standing there, she looks scared and confused.

Dip to black- sudden sound effect.

Budget List

Normally I would have a list of essential things that I need to purchase or borrow in order for my shoots and short film to be more successful, but however all of my cast and crew provided me with the equipment I used to shoot with. Such as, my director of photography Benoit Ganesan provided me with all of the fundamental equipment needed to shoot, being the DSLR camera, the microphone, the tripod, and SD cards along with an SD card reader so that I can process and edit the footage on my PC.

But however, I did need to purchase one balaclava for one of my thief characters. I bought it off the internet for £8.00. Without this, I may not of had convincing enough looking thieves in my short film, which would ultimately decrease my production value. Here is a picture of the exact one that I purchased: 

Change of story/idea- (Final!)

I decided yesterday on the 30th of October that another, but final change of story line was needed for my short film. The main reason behind this is simply due to my 2nd idea lacking meaning and social messages, which is why I'm now doing a home invasion themed thriller/psychological thriller short film that can engage the audience by linking to real life events and social issues that people can relate to.

I aim to get a screenplay done very shortly as opposed to as a script, due to the fact that so far I don't think there will be masses of dialogue in my short film, rather more actions and camerawork. I aim to shoot by next Friday the 11th of December at the latest, as long as my 2 main planning documents are completed.

Once the screenplay is done, I will be getting my storyboard done shortly after which will then enable me to begin filming and putting a rough edit together after.

I am also choosing to go along the route of psychological thriller due to the fact that in my survey results, psychological thriller was the 2nd most popular option, after action thriller. I have also casted all male roles in my short film due to the fact that the audience in my survey did not mind at all the genre of the lead character, which is why I didn't hesitate in casting all males for the short film so far.

Overall Summary of my Poster research

From carrying out sufficient and in-depth research on 10 movie posters, I now feel confident in pursuing development for my drafts of poster. This is because of my research has allowed me to discover further about the conventions and forms of film posters.


--- One feature I have discovered further is the formatting and structure of film posters. They are all completed in the portrait format, which allows many things to be happening in the poster at one time, such as images and text coming from the top of the poster down to the bottom. This is the standard convention for all posters for films.

--- Another convention my research has now helped me develop my understanding of  is posters use of symbolism and in general their use of semiotics. The way posters position certain characters next to certain objects, different types of lighting, certain types of text around the character can be telling and informative to the audience, even though the meaning isn't clearly and explicitly stated. Such as, when I researched the poster 'Black Swan', the fact that the female character had red lips and black eyes and most of the poster elsewhere is all an angelic white colour, this heavily connotes meaning and emphasis on the darker side of the character even though there isn't anything explicitly stating that, simply due to alternating colour schemes. This is one way posters can use symbolism and semiotics, and is also something I aim to transcribe into my poster. In addition to this, the poster for 'Shutter Island' does a great job in telling a story and setting a tone, just through the use of the characters face emerging from the darkness holding a candle, with a very sinister looking island placed directly below him. This also showcases how the positioning of images can contribute to a posters meaning.

--- Lastly, my research into film posters has helped me understand the conventions regarding text and typography. The type and form of text used in a poster has a great deed in determining the impression the poster creates. Such as, horror film posters will have text that is very eerie looking, and the audience knows this because they are used to the convention of seeing typography like this with that specific genre, being horror.

Overall I'm pleased with my film poster research and think the research has been widely beneficial when it comes to me proceeding development of my posters for my short film.

'The Grey' Poster Analysis #10 - Thriller/Action

This is the poster for the 2011 Liam Neeson action/thriller film 'The Grey'.

Liam Neeson's face takes up the most abundant part of the poster. This is to achieve the overall goal of the poster of resilience, and grittiness, in my opinion. This is also to tell the audience that the man you see in the poster, is one of the main characters in the film and the narrative may be centred around this character. The wound on his face indicates violence, and an act of intense fighting or such. Along with the tense, aggressive look on his face, this poster makes Liam Neeson's character not to be messed with in this films diegesis. This can therefore make the audience associate the character with a man of great bravery, determination and strength. This also helps to achieve the overall goal of the poster of resilience, and grittiness, in my opinion.

The snowflakes covering the whole poster are also telling, and help suggest to the audience that the story of The Grey will take place in a snowy setting, such as in the Arctic or a place similar to this. This can keep things interesting for the audience as they can further associate Liam Neeson's gritty character with an isolated, cold location which automatically makes the plot more interesting and climactic. Putting these two factors together make for an instantaneous exciting plot that can draw in the audience.

In addition, near the bottom of the poster you have 'The Grey', which is the title of the film and is presented in a large, striking font so it attracts the viewers attention, along with the tag-line for the film directly underneath it. The tag-line reads 'Live or die on this day'. This statement is very exciting and also to the point, which can further draw in the audience since the tag-line is highly engaging on an entertainment level. This can be why the creators chose to use a tag-line as such.

'Orphan' Poster Analysis #9 - Thriller/Horror

This is the poster for the 2009 horror film 'Orphan', which showcases a sinister looking girl staring into the viewers eyes. 

The female presented in the poster is the most abundant feature on the poster, and hence the most important aspect/character to the film. This is due to her centralisation and also how she's been formatted to make her seem bigger and how she is very close to the audience. The title of the film 'Orphan' is also directly underneath her, centralised also, giving information to the audience that this girl is in fact the orphan and can be giving hints regarding the films story-line and themes, and it is also worthy to note how the title has a different font from the rest of the text in order to distinguish itself and make it more obvious to the audience. 

The next part to the poster is the tag-line at the top, which reads 'There's something wrong with Esther,' Since this text has been presented in all capitals, the audience can assume that this text is meaningful and also more importantly it is suggesting something significant about Esther, the orphan character based on the posters structure. The audience can decipher that there really is something wrong with Esther, since it is a considerably sharp statement and engages the audience in a particular, questioning way. But the audience isn't quite sure as of yet what is wrong with Esther, since we haven't yet seen the film. But the purpose of the tag-line is to plant the idea into the viewers head, so that when they are watching the film they are knowing what to expect and what to lookout for. 

The background of the poster is entirely green, this is interesting as green is often seen as more of a neutral colour that doesn't show as much emotion. However this could be juxtaposing the poster since Esther is coming across as an ominous, evil looking girl that is dangerous. However the green background is suggesting that to the normal human eye, she's just a normal, harmless little girl. This could be symbolising a main theme and idea behind the film; that this little girl should not be trusted, she's evil, despite the fact that she looks innocent and normal. This can also be linked to how Esther's face is not showing at all much emotion, and how she is looking bluntly and longingly at the viewer, leaving behind a bitter impression. 

'Memento' Poster Analysis #8 - Psychological Thriller

This poster for 2000's 'Memento' in its entirety is more of a simple, but effective poster in terms of suggestion and implications.

The main thing to comment on is how Guy Pearce's character on the poster as been split up into many different sections. To someone who hasn't seen the film, they can associate this feature of the poster with delusion, multiple personalities, or in fact a shattered, fragmented memory. This is because the way the poster has been edited strongly suggests this, due to the fact it literally makes his character look fragmented and lost. This was done as an editing choice and perhaps saves words, tag lines or phrases to communicate to the audience that something is wrong with this characters mental stability, and or sanity; the visuals say it all.

Another thing to note on is the eye-line match up in roughly the upper middle section of the poster. I think that this has been done in order to make the character look more serious, and more troubled. This is because his face becomes more clear to see since his eyes have been lined up and furthermore emphasizes on his delusion and paranoia. Also due to his mouth being slightly open which further adds to the idea of the character looking troubled and in jeopardy

The title 'Memento' has been presented in a large, stylish white font which clearly states the name of the film, with director Christopher Nolan's name underneath it. With the three names of the lead actors in the top right, middle and top left of the poster.

Change of Short Film Idea

Recently I have decided to change my short film idea of the taxi corruption, to a short film based around an interrogation scene.

I did this because I was beginning to think that my original idea would be hard to film and it was a bit too ambitious. My new idea will be simpler to shoot and construct, and will only take place in 1 location, or 2 maximum. I also am more confident in writing a script for this and bringing it to life via a storyboard, followed by an animatic.

Development on this new idea is coming along well so far and I will have planning documents and the script finished fairly soon.

'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' Poster Analysis #7 - Drama/Thriller

This is the main poster for the 2011 drama/thriller film 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo', which is directed by David Fincher and stars Daniel Craig.

The colour scheme and  selective contrast helps to define the tone of the poster and the film considerably. Such as, because the colour is only in black and white, the audience can assume the film is more dark, and mature in its themes and subjects. It also makes for a bolder, more gripping poster because everything seems more explicit and striking. The lighting on Daniel Craig's face is also makes him seem more of a stern character, also due to the fact that his eyes  are made to seem darker than normal.

The positioning of the characters is also telling and can help give the audience information about the characters that are presented in the film. Such as, Daniel Craig's character is positioned and facing to his front, which can be indicating his character is determined and willing to achieve his goal, or to accomplish something. Whereas, the female character character to the side, played by Rooney Mara, is facing to the side. This can be indicating that although the characters are in the same circumstance together, they have conflict between them and perhaps have different ways of doing things which is why there is tension between the characters.

Another thing to comment on is the setting/image at the bottom of the poster. It seems to be a large, deserted house in the middle of a snowy setting. This can be telling to the audience and can then make them infer that this particular setting is important to the story-line and narrative, which would then make them look out for it when it comes to watching it in the film. It is also quite a serious image due to the extreme long shot of the house, and the relatively dark lighting and shadows; it creates emphasis on the spectacle of the house and makes the audience ask questions about it in regards to the story and characters.

'The Strangers' Poster Analysis #6 - Horror/Thriller

This is one of the promotional posters for the 2008 horror/thriller slasher 'The Strangers' starring Liv Tyler. The film falls under a home invasion styled, horror/thriller film. 

This poster I find is considerably effective and very well achieves the tone and mood for the film. 

The first thing that is effective with this poster is the three masked intruders in the middle of the frame. The key thing and most iconic aspect of this film is the masks they wear, as they are extremely odd and make these three people extremely ominous. Since they are wearing these masks, the audience can then associate the film with home invasion, slasher and murder, also given the title of the film 'The Strangers'. The characters are also presented in a low-key light, making for a tenser, scarier atmosphere for the poster, which helps to lure in the audience and feel chilled by this poster since the subjects are in such low lighting and makes it all the more scarier. Similarly, half of the female character's face at the front is shadowed in darkness. This is used as a device to hide the characters true identity, and also adding to the idea that the killer can be anyone who comes out from the shadows, also adding to the ominous tone of the short film.  Lastly the female character positioned at the front of the three intruders is holding a large knife. This creates again, a very bleak and sinister toned poster, due to the connotations the knife and all of the masked intruders creates. 

The next thing to comment on in this poster is the tag line positioned at the top. It reads 'Lock the door. Pretend you're safe.' This tag line has quite an effective impact as it subconsciously includes the audience in it, and makes them think about a situation when even though their door is locked, they don't feel fully safe, This is the purpose of the tag line and it cleverly manipulates the audience into imagining a similar situation to the one happening in the film, ultimately making the viewing experience of the film scarier and more thrilling. Additionally the 'Inspired by true events' at the bottom of the poster also helps to add to this effect, of getting the audience invested in the film's plot and theme as much as possible. 

'Black Swan' Poster Analysis #5 - Thriller/horror

'Black Swan' is a 2010 psychological thriller-horror film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman as the titular character. 

This poster is one of the two main theatrical posters for this feature film. What makes this poster so fitting for this psychological thriller-horror film is how strange and unsettling Natalie Portman looks in this poster. This is mainly due to several things. 

The first thing being the extremely contradictory colours used for the poster, in the form of Natalie Portman's soft white face, yet dark red lips, sinister red eyes and black eye detail. This was done to symbolise the themes and ideas that would be presented in the film. Her all soft, white face represents her character as a pure, frail, angelic girl. Yet however, her dark red lips exactly contrast this due to the fact that red is the typical colour for danger. This sheer contrast in colour and in meaning is striking and powerful , which is one of the reasons this poster works so well. It hints at the fact that this girl is going to go through some drastic changes and differences in her life when certain events happens. The second major thing to comment on is her menacing looking, black and red eyes. Her pupils are black yet her iris is blood red. giving the impression of some kind of monster within her. Another thing to contrast this yet again is the tiara she is wearing on her head. A tiara typically represents royalty, significance and being apart of a prestigious social circle of some kind. But however, despite she is wearing this grand, powerful tiara, she is opposed by the black swan, evident in this poster by her forbidding eyes and lips. When you combine all these things together, you get a drastic mix of emotions and themes, which is why the poster very well helps to tell the story that is occurring in the film. 

Another noteworthy feature of this poster is how the composition of the poster is different, some parts are out of focus compared to other parts. Such as, her face is in focus whereas the other majority of the poster is out of focus. This would have been done to further represent the theme of contrast and insanity presented in the film. 

Overall I think this is an excellent poster that represents the themes and ideas presented in the film considerably well and makes the audience feel rather unsettled by this poster. 

'Panic Room' Poster Analysis #4 - Thriller

'Panic Room' is a 2002 home invasion thriller film directed by David Fincher and starring Jodi Foster, Forrest Whittaker and Jared Leto. Here is the theatrical release poster for the film:

This poster I feel is greatly crafted and represents the films main theme of invasion and protection quite well.

Firstly, you have Jodi Foster's character in the foreground of the poster. I think the way she has her eyes wide open and seems to be lying on the floor is effective and it makes her look at her most vulnerable and also her most weak. The large, red font just under her is also extremely obvious and stands out very well, clearly presenting the title and main substance of the film, since 'Panic Room' is associated with a room of high security and stability in the case of a murder and invasion. It is also effective as the font is written in red due to the fact that red is very often associated with danger, anxiety or horror. Hence when you see the title Panic Room on this poster, you feel a certain tone that immediately hits you due to its design. This foreshadows certain elements and prospects of the film such as violence,since Jodi Foster and her daughter in the film are victims of great threat and danger due to the invading criminals who will stop at nothing to get what they are seeking.

The other captivating thing about the poster is the intruder in the background. He's dressed in all black and is also slightly blurred, so his character is not clear to see and it makes him more ominous and dangerous.In addition his body shape is hunched, which can be suggesting he is stronger than her and this is why in the poster she's lying down and is looking considerably vulnerable. This may be linking back to the stereotype that men are stronger than women, and could be why the creators decided to use this aspect in the poster. He is also directly in the centre of the poster, which may suggest the character has more of the power in the poster or in the film's diegesis, and he is not to be crossed.

I also think the way the poster has been chosen to cut off sections on the right and left is clever and appropriate, so it makes for just one strip down the middle of the poster. This creates a smart effect and makes it look like Jodi Foster is trapped within the frame and in fact within her own home, which once again foreshadows the film's theme of invasion and security.

'Disturbia' Poster Analysis #3 - Thriller

This is the theatrical release poster for the Shia Labeouf thriller film, 'Disturbia', which is a tense, subtle thriller. 

I think this poster is particularly effective as how it mixes up low key lighting with saturated colours, being the oranges and reds in the lenses of the binoculars. 

The fact that the male character has his face very contrasted by the whites and blacks is effective. It could be suggesting his character is more of a plain, unknown person with good observational skills, linking to the binoculars. I also think that this has been done to provide a more creepy poster that lacks colour and therefore lacks emotion and positivity, as it is a thriller after all. The contrasts between the black and whites create a slicker, more intriguing mood. 

I believe that the lenses have been saturated in colour to not only create a blend of colours in the poster, but also to suggest what the male is seeing through the binoculars is 'heated' and 'dangerous', since colours like red are often known for being the symbol of danger, linking to semiology. 

The tag line at the top of the poster reads 'Every killer lives next door to someone'. I think this title is clever as it manipulates you into thinking and agreeing with the caption. It is true, every serial killer living in a neighbourhood will be someones next door neighbour, it just comes down to who it is. Therefore, the caption plays with the readers mind psychologically and it the reason why the caption succeeds. 

Initial idea- Peer Assessment

In class recently, everybody was given the chance to have a look at and peer assess each others initial storyboards / ideas. This was a very beneficial task as it gave all of us some additional insight and perspective when it comes to forming ideas and narratives for our short films/ music videos and adverts.

For my initial idea, my positives were that I had a clear idea of settings and shots, and that it was detailed enough for someone to simply make. I also had a good idea of the sounds I want to be using, to set specific types of themes and tones. 

The main improvement for my work was that there needed to be additional character build up/ progression. This is so that the audience can understand the characters more and therefore build more of a relationship between the viewer and the the short film, making for a more tense/ sinister viewing experience, ideally.

I aim to take these improvements on board as much as possible so that as I am adding and developing to my initial storyboard, I am considering the characters throughout. 

'The Blair Witch Project' Poster Analysis #2 - Horror/thriller

This is the official theatrical poster for horror classic 'The Blair Witch Project'. This was the first film to utilise found-footage type film-making and it shocked audiences all over the world. 

This poster is visually striking to me and equally intriguing. 

The most intriguing part about this poster is the female's face, right in front of the camera, surrounded by absolute darkness in a forest. As soon as the viewer sees this it immediately strikes them, making them feel very anxious whilst seeing it because of the situation the female character is in. Another key thing is the fear in the females eyes, since her upper face is the most lighted thing in this poster because of the light from her camera, it stands out the most. As a result, the poster does a good job of emphasizing the sheer fear in her eyes and she is almost looking directly at you, which furthermore makes it look like she is trying to reach out to you for help. This so far automatically makes the poster very engaging with the audience and will make them drawn to see this film and discover the situation this female character gets in. 

Another thing to pick out is how the top of the forest, along with the sky, is still light and bright in colour, yet everything beneath it is in total pitch black. I find this to be interesting and creepy as it is suggesting that this may seem like an ordinary forest, but once you find yourselves isolated in the forest, it becomes a haunted. terrifying and horrific place. Given the title of the film, you could also expect there is  witchcraft occurring within the realm of darkness in this poster, which is the main thing the female character is concerned about and furthermore scares audiences considerably because they will begin to imagine themselves in the same situation. The colour scheme for the poster is also very dark and bleak, with an abundance of black which further adds to the ideas and mood the poster is trying to convey to audiences. 

Lastly, but not least, you have the films synopsis in the middle of the poster. I think that this is used as a device to not only inform the audience, but also to chill them. The text is in darkness, making it all the more scary and effective. It makes it seem like the whole situation is nothing but a hopeless, haunted adventure, given this synopsis and the female at the front of the poster. When you put everything together, this poster makes more sense and also makes it  all the more terrifying. 

'Shutter Island' Poster Analysis #1 - Thriller

This is the main theatrical poster for 2010's thriller film, 'Shutter Island' which is directed by Martin Scorsese. I really love this poster and think it represents the film as a whole incredibly well.

The way Leonardo DiCaprio's face and eyes are positioned in the poster are telling; his eyes are looking to his left which can suggest he has seen something he shouldn't of, or something that is indeed disturbing him. It makes him look very anxious which is why his face and eyes are this way. Furthermore, the fact that the rest of his face and background is in darkness adds to the atmosphere of the poster. It builds up on the idea that something very shady is happening in this poster, along with the expression on his face; the darkness in the background alludes to the mystery and sinister events that the viewer can expect to see in this film.

The tag line for this poster reads 'Someone is missing.' I really love this tag line due to how vague and ambiguous it is. Who is missing? Why are they missing? It is also a very blunt, and an extremely to the point sentence. As a result it sounds more dramatic and ominous, which I really like. The fact that underneath it is the titular island on the poster, it makes everything even more dramatic and exciting. The audience can assume that most of the film will take place on the island, given that it's in the title and on the poster, so how can someone go missing on an island that is surrounded by sea? This question will entice the audience into watching the film due to the ambiguity of the tag line and premise.

Lastly, the title 'Shutter Island' is in a large, red font that very much stands out from the rest of the posters dark colours of blacks and greys. This title leaves a harsh impact on the poster mainly due to its red colour, and bold, staggering font style.

Overall I think this is a very effective poster that draws in the audience with its minimalistic tag line and its captivating visuals.

Evaluating my Survey Results

For my survey, the people who submitted and filled out the questions were half male and half female. This is beneficial as now I have balanced gender results, so I can now gain insight into both what the males and females thought about my initial ideas and questions. This will help me when it comes to planning and production as I have knowledge about what both genders expect from films and themes as such I'm trying to portray.

As you can see from the screenshot, most of the people who submitted answers were in the 14-18 age group, about 82% of them. This means that I will have to revolve planning to meet the needs and expectations of this particular age group, because I have the most information about them as opposed to the other age groups. It also means I will have to age rate my film as most likely a 15, so that any content I show will be suitable for this particular age group and won't affect the viewers opinion of the short film. It also means I can show more mature themes, such as violence, in my short film as it is being aimed at older teenagers.

About 70% of the people who filled in my questionnaire actually watch thriller films, this is beneficial for me as it makes my results more quantifiable and reliable as the people submitting data are more familiar with the genre of thriller and all of its codes and conventions. Also, now that I know 70% of them watch thriller films, I'm very much confident to carry this genre forward and pursue it for my short film, as I have the data to support that people do watch and enjoy this genre of film. 

From the data, I can conclude that most of the people who filled out my survey prefer action thrillers over the other sub-genres of thriller. Action thriller was the most popular at 41%, and the second most popular was psychological thriller at about 35%. However, this may be slightly problematic for me as the sub-genre of thriller I am planning to execute is in the boundaries between crime-thriller and neo-noir thriller. However to my disadvantage, nobody put down their preferred sub-genre of thriller as neo-noir. I will still pursue this specific sub-genre, however it will mean that the codes and conventions I portray may or may not meet the audiences expectations and understanding, which is a risk but it's worth taking in order to create my intended product. 

Here are some of the users feedback to my question, 'Why is this your favourite sub-genre of thriller?'. I found their feedback to be useful to an extent, such as the comment regarding 'not knowing exactly what is happening on screen, and how this is sometimes better than having a clear idea of what is happening'. This is quite an interesting response in my opinion, and overall it's saying story-line and standard narratives can be averted, as long as there's meaning and significance in what content is being shown on screen. Another more simple piece of feedback stated 'it's tense', this is one of the certain characteristics I aim for my short film product to be like, based on past work such as our AS coursework piece. 

This question was used in order to give me insight into what gender people prefer the main character is, or if they don't mind at all. However just under 90% of the answers stated they don't mind, or in other words it doesn't matter what gender the lead character is. I found this to be quite a relief because I could then cast any person who is either a male or female, and it wouldn't make a difference to the audience. Only 10% selected male, which I found to be quite surprising as lots and lots of films nowadays cast males as the leads compared to casting females as the leads. As a result of this question I have now casted my 2 male leads for my characters in the short film. 

These are some of the answers to the question regarding what makes a thriller film more effective. Most of these answers I find are quite useful and give me some additional information and understanding into what will make my short film better quality. For example, the comment 'Better, bolder direction, great acting, good sound design and intriguing cinematography'. This is one particular piece of feedback Im interested in and want to aim towards, because I also agree with it and think those certain technical aspects do make thriller films better. So when it comes to shooting footage for my short film, I will be setting my attention to these features and technical aspects. 

My last question simply asked if they would be interested in my short film idea. To my advantage, most of the people voted yes, just over 50%, and about 35% of them said they weren't sure. Only 10% said no which is good. I found this to be quite surprising and I am happy the audience would want to see my short film and are interested in its themes, ideas and portrayals.