Our film pitch slides

Prop list and costume

Prop list and costume

 

 

 

Props

 

 

• Cameras and phones
• Microphones
• Crime scene tape
• Body bags
• Notepad
• Evidence cards
• Gun
• Torch
• Handcuffs 

 

 

Costume

 

 

• Long/high collar coat for the female detective
• Police uniform
• Casual clothes for survivor
• Casual/smart clothing for journalist
• Grey jumper top and joggers for prisoner
• 

Black Swan trailer analysis

Black Swan trailer analysis

In the first shot of this trailer the audience is shown a girl dancing in a spotlight. Her identify is not clear at this point. A voice over is used over this clip "I had the craziest dream last night, about a girl who turned into a swan, but her prince falls for the wrong girl and she kills herself" this dialogue is dramatic and effective because the start of the voice over sounds innocent until she gets to the "her prince falls for the wrong girl and she kills herself" this dramatic dialogue interests the audience.   

Thriller target audience

TARGET AUDIENCE

 

From my research, I have found that thrillers are most popular from ages 18-24; this is because most of the time there is a plot twist which requires the audience to think for themselves. I have also found that thrillers are enjoyed by under 18’s too.

However, I think this depends on the type of thriller, thrillers can be categorised into, and some of these are:

·        Psychological thriller (Psycho)

·        Crime thriller (se7en)

·        Romantic thriller (Unfaithful)

·        Supernatural thriller  (The skeleton key)

·        Action thriller (The dark knight)

Therefore, sub genres such as psychological thrillers require a bit more knowledge and thinking, so these may appeal to older audiences, whereas action thrillers may be enjoyed by younger audiences.

 

Psychological thrillers usually appeal to females from 15-50, they are mainly aimed at females as females are seen to be more emotional. These are also aimed towards adults because they usually contain a lot of violence and psychological issues which may not be aware of by younger audiences. It has been proven that females enjoy these films more than males as these films usually show a mentally disturbed person who is enjoyed more by females.

Crime thrillers usually appeal to ages 15-40 both males and females. This is because audiences like the films which make them ask questions in their head and want to watch more. Men usually find the females in the crime thrillers attractive and women usually find the male actors attractive, although these films generally have more male actresses than female’s actresses due to crime mainly being associated with males.

Romantic thrillers The age range particularly interested in this sub-genre of thriller is usually between the ages of 13-55, aimed at female audiences. Females are stereotypically seen to be more romantic and emotional therefore these sorts of films appeal more and draw them in. These are also watched by families as they do not require intense understanding and are usually very straight forward which means they can be enjoyed by anyone.

Supernatural thriller  Supernatural thriller is a sub-genre that includes supernatural occurrences such as ghosts and demons. The target audience for this particular sub genre would be ages between 15-18, these types of films are usually enjoyed by younger audiences as they enjoy the unrealistic fantasy.


Action thriller
 

Thriller mood board

Initial ideas and planning

Contradiction A2 Film: initial Ideas and Planning

USP

•       What makes our film trailer unique compared to other crime thriller trailers is that we have a strong female lead as the detective; we did this in order to challenge thriller conventions as they usually have male lead roles and female roles are usually just secondary characters.

•      We also have a young male as one of the lead roles, we wanted a large age gap of the lead roles because they will have different life experiences and different perspectives in life. By having two different ages in the film, this may attract an older and a younger audience.

•      These are two actors who are the inspirations for our lead characters, FBI agent Dana Scully from X-Files and Cartoonist Robert Graysmith from Zodiac.

 

Target Audience

•      Males and females aged 18-30

•      Thrillers appeal to young adults, due to their complex narratives, violence, gore etc.

•      Crime thrillers are usually rated 15 at the lowest, this is because of the violence, sexual references and many other things. So a crime thriller film would be inappropriate for anyone below the age of 18.

•      Our film trailer will be rated 15, as there will be violence and gore as expected with most crime thriller films.

 

Plot

·         A family murders occurs in Cambridgeshire

·         Only one survivor is left in each murder as the murders continue

·         It’s been 10 years since the last murder and a man was imprisoned all those years ago by detective Maria Jones, but now the homicides are happening again and so someone has been falsely accused and imprisoned for a decade.

·         Detective Jones must start all over again from the beginning to catch the real killer in order to preserve and protect her reputation of her career.

·         Young journalist and photographer Peter Stone arrives at the most recent crime scene to find out information and take pictures to get a story, he meets and attempts to speak to detective Jones.

·         Peter begins ask detective Jones a series of questions and is determined to find out more and they end up working together to find the real killer.

·         Peter manages to figure out the killers next target is and tries to tell detective Jones, however she thinks he’s wrong and dismisses what he has to say so he goes on his own to find him.

·         Peter arrives at the next targets house and tries to help a dying victim, the killer is still there and frames peter for the crime, the trust is lost between Peter and detective Jones.

 

Thriller target audience

TARGET AUDIENCE

 

From my research, I have found that thrillers are most popular from ages 18-24; this is because most of the time there is a plot twist which requires the audience to think for themselves. I have also found that thrillers are enjoyed by under 18’s too.

However, I think this depends on the type of thriller, thrillers can be categorised into, and some of these are:

·        Psychological thriller (Psycho)

·        Crime thriller (se7en)

·        Romantic thriller (Unfaithful)

·        Supernatural thriller  (The skeleton key)

·        Action thriller (The dark knight)

Therefore, sub genres such as psychological thrillers require a bit more knowledge and thinking, so these may appeal to older audiences, whereas action thrillers may be enjoyed by younger audiences.

 

Psychological thrillers usually appeal to females from 15-50, they are mainly aimed at females as females are seen to be more emotional. These are also aimed towards adults because they usually contain a lot of violence and psychological issues which may not be aware of by younger audiences. It has been proven that females enjoy these films more than males as these films usually show a mentally disturbed person who is enjoyed more by females.

Crime thrillers usually appeal to ages 15-40 both males and females. This is because audiences like the films which make them ask questions in their head and want to watch more. Men usually find the females in the crime thrillers attractive and women usually find the male actors attractive, although these films generally have more male actresses than female’s actresses due to crime mainly being associated with males.

Romantic thrillers The age range particularly interested in this sub-genre of thriller is usually between the ages of 13-55, aimed at female audiences. Females are stereotypically seen to be more romantic and emotional therefore these sorts of films appeal more and draw them in. These are also watched by families as they do not require intense understanding and are usually very straight forward which means they can be enjoyed by anyone.

Supernatural thriller  These are usually aimed at young female audiences aged between 15-18.

Action thriller  This sub genre is usually aimed at young boys, between the ages of 15-18. These films are mostly male dominated.

 

 

Zodiac trailer analysis

Zodiac trailer analysis

This first shot shown is of fireworks, the audience can hear the "bangs" of the fireworks as they go off. They are shown to be going off over a big city which immediately sets the scene. The fireworks look pretty in the sky, however this is quickly turned around when these banging noises turn into one big bang, we are then shown a gun, and a lady fall as she is shot in her car.

This is then  followed by the movies production company "Paramount Movies" and "A TimeWarner company"  

The first piece of voice over dialogue "Dear Editor, this is the murderer of the two teenagers last christmas..." a letter is shown from the murderer in child like writing. 

A black background with white writing says "From the director of SE7EN and PANIC ROOM" this lets the audience know who wrote directed the movie.

We are then shown a short shot of a city, this is edited to be moving down when it fades to show a two shot of a man peering behind a womens shoulder desperately trying to listen to what is being said on the news on the TV. 

This shot shows a yellow car, as the voice over says "the Zodiac killer has come to Francisco. In this shot the car is important because at the start of the trailer the lady was killed in her car.   

In this next shot we see three men looking at another letter from the killer which reads "School children make nice targets" the man holding the letter is wearing gloves and a long coat suggesting he is investigating the crime scene. Which is then followed by a man walking a child away from a school bus. Children are commonly used in films because they are seen as vulnerable and easily led.  

This next shot shows some men standing in an office all wearing shirts and ties, their clothing shows their importance and power, it also shows them trying to figure out the crime investigation and to find out who is sending the letters. 



Se7en trailer analysis

SE7EN TRAILER ANALYSIS

 

The first shot in this trailer shows a close up of an actor who is young, wearing a suit (shows his importance) and has a wound on his forehead, he shares a short piece of dialogue "you like what you do for a living?" At this point we can see that he is directing this at someone however we can't see the actor who he is addressing this at. At this point the music has started but it is very quiet and mysterious (no beat)

This is then followed by an establishing shot of a black man wearing a brown coat and a hat. He is holding a torch facing it towards the camera. This shot is edited to slowly zoom out showing more of his surroundings. This shot is effective because his surroundings, are dark and the torch stands out.

At this point, the music is still quiet and mysterious, but for a second we hear a tambourine like noise which symbolizes this mans importance.

We are then shown a side view of a man (who's identity is not certain) looking at some photographs, this shot is dark on the characters face and a red neon light is shown on the photos. A voice over is used "These things you see", the actor then quickly turns his head and three very quick, short clips are shown, one which looks like fabric blowing in the wind, the second of a jar, and the third of what looks like someone's feet tied up. When all three of these shots appear they are introduced with a "bang" this draws the audience in.

The next shot is an extreme close up of a man, this shot particularly focuses on his sunglasses, which show a reflection of something in them. This is then followed by a shot focused mainly on a car window as the car is moving past a crime scene showing police flashing lights. This immediately indicates crime.

This next shot shows a dark room with a single bed and a red neon cross on the wall. This shot moves slowly to the left showing a mans body facing towards the bed with a torch but face not shown. Although, from the previous shots it is assumed it is the same man. The fact that the cross is neon red shows its importance.


Two bangs are heard and then a close up of a metronome is shown, this shot is edited to be moving up, a hand is shown pushing the metronome.





A worms eye shot is used the show the mans power and his suit represents his importance. He is shown to be walking down a narrow corridor. A voice over says "Detective William Sommerset is looking for a way out" this dialogue is dramatic and effective. The next shots show him in an abandoned looking house, and a crowded city centre. 

 

 

This shot shows a man sitting at a desk, he says,

"You're retiring, six more days and you are all the way gone"

He says this with a smug look on his face and his body language shows us that he is confident and perhaps a business owner.

This is then followed by a two shot of a couple sitting at a dinner table in their home, drinking wine and eating dinner, the women says to the detective "So how long have you lived her?" he responds "Too long" he says as he looks up at her.

 

The next shot shows a man getting out of a car in the city, a voiceover says "Detective David Mills is looking for a way IN" This already shows the contrast between the two men as one detective is looking for a way out, and another is looking for a way in, this suggests to the audience that their may be a clash.

 

A voiceover of Detective William Sommerset "We will be spending every waking hour together until I leave" followed by a two shot of Detective William Sommerset and Detective David Mills. He carries on to say "I will tell you who your friends and enemies are" This voiceover is over a shot of Detective David Mills walking past a crime scene. This is shown with yellow tape around an area.

 

This shows the detective kicking open the door, the angle of the camera is at a worms eye view to show the detectives power and importance. We are then shown a high shot of someone shining a torch at a bed which looks like someone is underneath.

 

This next shot shows the two detectives shining a torch around the dark room looking for clues, this shot voiceover says "They are caught in a game", the shot then fades to a black and yellow screen which is then quickly followed by a blue screen with the words "HELP ME" written in neon blue.

 

Detective William Sommerset "No fingerprints and no witnesses of any kind" these pieces of dialogue add intensity to the scene as the audience are left wondering. (Enigma code)

 

The next shot shows a torch shining on some weapons, the voiceover this scene "The only thing we know about this guy right now is that he is totally insane" This makes the audience fear for the detectives safety. The length of the shots start to increase as the intensity builds up, the audience is then shown a shot of the metronome again which quickly flashes to shots of a body on a stretcher.

 

Detective William Sommerset holds up pictures of images that they had found linked to the crime scene, he reads out 7 words, as he is reading these out, shots are shown of Detective David Mills shouting "You better come and see this" as they find more and more clues.

Although not many female actors are used in this trailer, we are shown an over the shoulder shot of the same blonde women saw earlier in the trailer speaking to her husband, Detective David Mills, she says "I hate this city" her facial expressions show that she Is worried and upset.

The sound of police cars and flashing lights is shown which is then followed by Detective William Sommerset being filmed and questioned by paparazzi wanting to know more about the crime. This scene shows that it is no longer a secret investigation but the whole city is interested In the crime scene. The use of helicopters and police cars shows that the crime is a hugely talked about and serious investigation.

This shot shows neon yellow fingerprints, this shows that the investigation is slowly coming together to get to the bottom of what has happened, this is then followed by short meaningful words, on a black backround in red writing, the red writing stands out on the black background showing danger, evil and blood.
These words are: SLOTH, ENVY, LUST, GREED. (These words are shown in the same format several times inbetween scenes) These are the same words which Detective William Sommerset was reading out, this shows that these words have some sort of link with the investigation.

This shot shows a man (whos identity is unknown) standing in a corridor, far away from the camera, shooting at detective William Sommerset. Weapons are usually what makes people scared which is why they have been used to make the audience feel uneasy. 

This shot shows someone loading up a gun and then a close up of Detective David Mills face, his facial expressions show that he is feeling angry, uneasy and upset. He says "Lets finish this" this shows the seriousness and moral panic.

The scenes show shots of the actors, and a voiceover of their off stage names.
This lets the audience know of their name which audiences may be aware of and want to watch the film because they enjoy watching an actor.

A two shot is shown of the detectives "have you ever seen anything like this", this dialogue makes the audience wonder why this crime scene is so bad and why its different from other crime scenes.

The last shot is of seven tally marks, this is shown on a black screen with red tally marks, this again shows danger, evil and blood. The tally marks are made to look as though they have been scratched and like their is an on-going tally of killings. 

Throughout the trailer the lighting is very dark and light is only shown with a torch, neon colours (to symbolise important signs)

 

 



The Girl on the Train trailer analysis

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN - TRAILER ANALYSIS

Media Language

Mise en scene-

• Performance/actors - The blonde actress (shown as innocent, wearing very little make up) Brunette actress (shown to have a link with the blonde actress's disappearance) 
• Setting- Big house, woods (crime scene), city
• Lighting - Dark, dark colors, dull 

Editing- 

• Smash cut
• Fades to black
• Slow zoom
• Captions - Short but meaningful sentences 

Camera - 

• Extreme close ups - Shows intense emotions
• Close ups - Shows characters emotions
• Pan shot - Used when the women is running under the bridge

Sound-

• 3 pieces of music
• Music fades when actors talk - shows important intense dialogue
• Dialogue- dramatic impact
• Music increases intensity
• Pause - dramatic dialogue

Narrative

• Bathes enigma code - clues are dropped but no clear answers are given. E.g - Where did the women disappear to?  
• Action codes - Who pulled the blonde women's hair?

Re created Sherlock poster

Empire poster analysis