Production companies that we would consider for our thriller

Classification suiting our target audience

’15′

Suitable only for 15 years and over

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

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest  terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely  to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

Evaluation of our finished Thriller Opening Sequence

Our Thoughts:

Good Things:

• Build in tension
• Good continuity editing
• Consistent Theme and effects
• Some variation in the music throughout the opening sequence

Bad Things:

• Two minor mistakes in the music
• No change in the title
• 
  

Our final thriller opening sequence

The idea

Although our original ideas have not gone quite to plan, we have not given up and I have really wanted our finished product to be a professional looking product that flows and is a good opening thriller sequence!

The original lift idea would not have been particularly effective and had a lot of flaws and we could not really see where it would lead from a further narrative perspective.

The idea of doors came to me and I thought of some kind of possible detective mystery thriller where there is a mass killer and the detective is searching for the right door to go through so that he can find and take him down. Although the name 'The Door' was not seen as a great name, today at some point we will quickly need to think and decide on a new more effective title for our film!

I think that the planning and production stages, although they may not have gone quite as well as we hoped, have been majorly improved from our previous children's film opening sequence!

The music

We have got inputted some pads of music that we will use at points during our opening sequence. We had previously had a soundtrack running throughout but as that was repetitive and not totally suitable for our thriller we decided after feedback that we would mix in some dietetic and non - diegetic sounds!

Softwear

FinalCut


This is the piece of software that we used to edit and put the video all together.

GarageBand


This is the piece of software we used to create our soundtrack.

Editing of the opening sequence

We are in the process of shortening parts of the clip so that it will gradually speed up as it reached the end and we will add in the music and cut it together so that it will build the tension in the sequence.

We will then add in the locking clip scenes

When the music is into the timeline then we will decide when the pads of the drones and sound fx

Music

We needed to change the music to a more low beat tune and gradually speed it up, for tension and to create atmosphere and to set the mood.

15/3/11

We need to:

• Shorten/ cut the clip length - speed it up as it goes along
• Create some mew music and sounds
• Create a new name
• Alter effects for opening sequence
• Add the locking clips

New film names

• Who's hunting who
• Movement
• The hunt
• Smooth Criminal
• Caution
• 
  

Feedback from our group

We need to:

• Change/ alter the music!
• Change the name of the film
• Shorten the film
• Speed up the transitions and build the tension 
• Add in other shots - locking etc.
• Remove some of the map scenes
• Add diagetic sounds - have pads of music?!

Feedback from other group on our opening sequence

Pro's

• Good range of shot types
• Transitions between shots - good continuity
• 1st 30 secs good
• Credits worked well - looked professional
• you can tell its a thriller because of  costume and music
• Good title - The door

Con's

• Music a bit repetitive
• Map theme
• Music dragged a little and became boring

The Door - Rough Cut

Editing

At lunch time I went to the media room, none of the other members of the group were there.

But, I continued and completed the editing and then exported it to quicktime using the instructions and can quickly upload it to youtube tomorrow morning at the beginning of the lesson.

I feel pleased that it is all done and we can show a finished rough cut to the class tomorrow!

Lesson on Wed 9/3/11

The lesson went fairly well and Armando and I were busy on the editing, with Alex on side adding his thoughts on the order and how the editing should all go together.

Sotiri was trying to find effects for some of the opening sequence with no luck but had no real input with the editing.

The editing, I feel went quite well and it was an effective lesson.

That being the last lesson that we had before the rough cut and us not being finished we said that we would go the following day during lunch time and finish the editing and export it to quicktime etc.

Editing of the Opening Sequence

As I am slightly worried as to whether we will be able to get this totally finished due to the slightly shorter time frame that we have because of the admissions day, I am going to go into the media room tomorrow and do some editing just so that if we do have to show the rough cut on friday, i feel that we will have a better chance of ensuring that it can be achievable.

Lesson Plan on 9/3/11

Today we need to:

• Really get going with the editing and hopefullly nearly get it finished!!
• Cut in and out the pads of music that we may want, or have it as a soundtrack - make a decision on that
• Hope that we can have friday's lesson too, bearing in mind that we missed Tuesday's lesson. :-)
• Get it all together.

After filming and the lesson on 4/3/11

Sotiri and I had captured all of the footage that we needed for the opening to our sequence and we felt that it did go quite well.

After the camera being brought back into college at 9:00 am friday morning - during the lesson that we had second period, we uploaded the footage and some stills that we had captured and began to sort through and filter the footage that we had.

After doing this, we began to put some of this into the timeline and add the suitable effects and fades that were necessary.

Armando and I did the majority of this, and then sotiri, armando and myself discussed how we were going to edit all of the clips together so that the opening sequence will look good and be effective, appealing to the chosen genre(s) of our thriller.

Alex, coming into the lesson slightlty later then aided us with some more of the editing and effects on the timeline.

The lesson on the whole went pretty well and we did manage to achieve quite a good amount, although next lesson, we are really going to need to get into a new gear to make sure that this gets done.

Plan for filming on thursday 3/3/11

The plan for the filming was to:

4:10 - pick up the camera and tripod

5:30 - meet at sotiri's

5:45 - film criminal walking to and into the door

5:50 - filming locking from criminal and trying to unlock door from detective

6:00 - bolting and chaining door

6:10 - photographing door numbers in eerie light and also road names

6:15 - filming shadow walking etc.

6:25 - back to sotiri's house and pack up equipment

We felt that the filming went to plan although the light closed in on us quickly meaning that we really did have to keep to schedule. The lighting did help to create a sense of thriller in our opinion, hopefully that will be conveyed.

Lesson on 2/3/11

Sotiri and I did another element of the filming which was to film going in and out of doors and also locking.

Alex and Armando continued and almost completed inserting the titles into the timeline.

We booked for filming on thursday 3/3/11 - Sotiri and I

Plan for the next lesson - put footage into the timeline and upload footage from previous filming evening, decide whether more filming is needed.

Plan for tomorrows lesson - 2/3/11

The plan is to:

• Book the camera for filming *******
• Continue inserting titles into the timeline
• Do more filming within the college - trying to open door, looking through peep hole? door numbers, corridoor, lock's etc.
• Blog the target audience for the opening sequence
• Anything else that we think of that needs to be done

Lesson on Friday 18th February

During the lesson on the friday before half term we split the group in half so that we could make full use of the lesson time and hopefully get the greatest amount done overall.

Armando and Alex did some of the title editing and insertion into the timeline with effects etc. and Sotiri and I did the filming of the map and pins. This did seem to work quite well as everyone was doing something rather than more people than there need to be crowded around the camera.

I think that in tomorrows lesson we should adapt the same system although maybe alter it slightly so that everyone gets a chance to do different tasks.

Filming on Friday 18th February

I feel that the filming of the map in the lesson went quite well and that it was good to get some filming done before the half term break.

The shots that we needed for that particular part of the opening sequence are now sorted and in tomorrows lesson 2/3/11 we will insert them into the timeline and then edit them into the sections where they are needed.

This map section of the sequence is in sections and will come in and out at different times throughout the opening section and will hopefully help to build the tension and appeal to the conventions of our genre, thriller/mystery.