Research into target audience - Miss Miller

My research was carried out so I could get an idea as to what types of aspects of thrillers the general public prefer, giving myself a wider output as to what conventions  I and my group should include into our opening sequence. I asked 40 people as having a larger sample of people answering the questions gives me a bigger insight into what aspects people would expect in thriller films. I will use the results to alter my opening sequence as I will cater the opening sequence to the most popular aspects mentioned.

The questionnaire -

1) Please specify your gender:

Male   

Female           

2) What is your age?

11-14            

15-17

18+

                       

3) Do you like the thriller genre?

Yes                 

No                  

Sometimes    

4) What type of thriller do you enjoy?

Psychological

Action            

Crime             

Other             

5) What type of settings/ environment do you prefer to see in a thriller film?

Forest

Deserted house/warehouse

Abandoned outside area, for example car park

Other

6) What gender protagonist do you prefer?

Male

Female

7) What type of weapons do you like to be seen & WHY?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

8) What type of soundtrack do you like to hear in thriller sequences and WHY?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

9) Do you like to see gore when watching thriller films?

Yes

No

Sometimes

10) Do you prefer your antagonist to have a hidden identity or to be seen throughout the film and WHY?

Hidden identity

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Seen throughout

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Pie chart analyse

Question 1

The results shown for question one states that I questioned more females to that of males (43% males, 57%). Although both males and females were questioned, with only a minor difference between the number of those asked in both gender groups,  more females were questions. Due to this I need to consider how this affects the later questions and results given, as the results given may cater slightly more towards female viewers, therefore the results may differ to that of if the more males were questioned to that of females. Both question 1 and 2s purpose is to establish who the questions are being asked to, in which I intend to gather results from both males and females, and focus mainly upon those aged between 15-17, which I believe has been achieved (refer to segment below). 

Question 2

The results I gathered for question 2 state that the majority of those questions come under the age category of 15-17. This should make the results for the later questions more representative to what I am trying to investigate as the age certificate my group and I have decided upon is 15; therefore we are gathering feedback from those in the target audience we intend to cater the sequence towards. By knowing this, we can incorporate aspects into our opening sequence which are present within films that have a BBFC rating of 15, making it so there is fewer that we can't actually include, possibly resulting in the final product seeming more realistic and conventional to the thriller genre as we can include things such as violence that will make that happen.  

Question 3

The result for question 3 show that the majority of those questioned either answered yes or sometimes (80%) to if they like the thriller genre. Because of this, the majority of the results shall be applicable to what I am trying to investigate as the most of the peopled questioned do like the thriller genre. If the participants majority of the participants responded back saying that they don't like the thriller genre, the results gained would be irrelevant as to what we are trying to investigate with the questionnaire itself. However, as 33% f those questions like thrillers "sometimes" and are not full out thriller fans, I must consider this when it comes to analyzing the answer given to following questions, as if I am going to alter anything due to the answers given they not be representative as to what is trying to be investigated, making them not  "fully" representative, further by the fact that 20% of those don't like thrillers at all.

Question 4

The results for question 4 show that the most popular sub genre of  thriller is psychological. This is good as the opening sequence my group and I intend to create will have psychological elements to it, therefore there is no need to alter or change any ideas or concepts we intended to include as it is the most popular sub genre given within the answers.  The second favorite genre which is specified is action, which is also helpful as we also intend to have action elements to the sequence also; incorporating the two most favored types of sub genre specified (Psychological and action). As the target audience that we are catering the opening sequence towards is for those 15 and over, the BBFC age certificate shall be 15, allowing for action filled segments in, in which there isn't much that can't be included because anything which would surpass such a rating, we would not be capable of filming/ producing regardless. For the psychological aspect in relation to the age certificate, it will enable my group and I to incorporate mentally frightening/puzzling things that the audience want, as establish with the results shown. 

Question 5

The results for question 5 show that the majority of those questions prefer a deserted house/warehouse as the setting in there thriller films, followed by abandoned area and forest. As this is so, we shall incorporate all of these locations into the opening sequence, therefore it caters towards the target audience intended. The location which we originally planned on using was a deserted area, rather than being specific to a house/warehouse, therefore as it is the 2nd most popular option and complies with what is already planned we shall continue with the original plan. As both top options are very similar, yet one is specific to two places, it doesn't matter in the grande scene of things which one I chosen,  as the question was multiple choice, those that answered the both questions essentially prefers locations which are quiet/deserted, therefore as long as the final location chosen complies with this, being specific towards a warehouse/house in not an issue. The locations most commonly given are conventional to the thriller genre also, therefore incorporating them  

Question 6

 The results of question 6 shows  that the majority of those questioned prefer there protagonist to be a male.  Although, the results of this question may not be applicable when it goes to filming the opening sequence, due to the narrative itself, which is also influenced by the number of those within a group, therefore they may not in fact be a protagonist within the opening sequence due to there only being an antagonist and victim. The narrative is influenced by how many characters within and how many people can take part in the production, Although if that is not the case and the narrative chosen does have a protagonist within, a male shall be used to follow the request of the target audience, also following the conventions within the thriller genre. 

Question 7

The results of question 7 show that the most popular type of weapon  chosen by those questioned was a gun, followed shortly by a knife. This is most probably as both of which are common iconography in thriller films, by knowing such we shall have both types of weapon present during the sequence to please the target audience and to follow common thriller conventions. If my group and I were to incorporate a gun into our narrative, it would not be possible to film with an actual firearm, therefore we would have to use a replica, to which it could degrade the authenticity of the production unless it was an extremely believable and good replica. To avoid the production from having a tacky feel or appearance, the best option for my group and I to go for shall be a knife, as there is little difference between the results given by those in the target audience, it remains to be conventional to the thriller genre, and a real one can be used, therefore adding towards the realism of the production, making the opening sequence be visually appealing for the audience in regards to listening to there feedback onto what they want to see, and it will add towards the realism factor as mentioned previously. 

Question 8

The results of question 8 show that the most popular type of sound track is of a fast paced action variation, slowly followed by a slow paced tense type, then a dark eerie type. This follows the trend of the answers given previously that the most popular sub genres of thriller were psychological and action; matching with the soundtrack of slow paced tension (psychological impact) and faced paced action (action sequences). From knowing this, we shall incorporates aspects of both elements mentioned into our the opening sequence, therefore following the feedback from the target audience and providing a opening sequence that caters towards them. As the results obtained from question 8 follow the trends of previous questions asked, it reinforces the idea that the results of the questionnaire are representative as to what I am trying to investigate; finding out what the target audience specified for my opening sequence and what they expect to see within, by doing so making it seem more realistic to that of real thriller sequences. As there is little variation between answers given, an exception of fast paced action music being the highest result obtained, all types of music shall be incorporated into the sequence at some stage to accompany the themes mentioned previously however, as the most popular option was fast paced action, that particular variation will be the most present throughout, having the longest amount of film time. 

Question 9

The results of question 9 show that the majority of those questioned stated that they either like there to be gore, or they do sometimes (1/4 of those don't). Before gathering results from those questioned, my group and I didn't intend to include to much gore so that the opening sequence follows the requirements for a 15 certificate; however both can be achieve by having short segments in which gore is shown, therefore still catering towards the target audience through the results given. As a large portion of those questioned did say that they either like gore sometimes or that they do, to comply with what the target audience wants as well as following the other guild lines (such as the BBFC rating), we will try to incorporate some aspect of gore within the opening sequence, by doing so  utilizing the benefits of having a target audience aged 15 and over, incorporating gore aspects that are conventional to the thriller genre, making the opening sequence more visually appealing for the audience, by doing so adding towards the realism aspect. As 25% of the target audience do not wish to see gore within thrillers, the parts in the segment in which we will try to incorporate gore will only be reasonably short segments. However, the results of this question may not be applicable as we may not be able to incorporate gore into the sequence, due to possible complications when editing, although this wont be known until we start the production. 

Question 10

The results given at question 10 state that slightly more people prefer the antagonist of the sequence to not have a hidden identity. However, as the difference in response shown is not significant enough to alter anything already planned in the narrative/sequence, therefore we shall still give our antagonist a hidden identify as the results given do not make me question not doing otherwise. Although, as the results given in the final question asked do not have an out right amount, the results of this question show that it is dependent on personal taste, rather than following a popular trend. However, as within the opening sequence the aim is to follow the feedback given by the target audience, while doing so making the opening sequence follow the conventions of thriller films. Due to this, I will most probably make the antagonist of the narrative have a hidden identity due to not receiving and outright response by the target audience, and it is conventional to the thriller genre, and the enigma created will assist with adding a dark, eerie feel to the opening sequence. 

Vox plots

Here are the 3 box plots I recorded of volunteers taking part in answering the questions provided in the questionnaire. The purpose of the vox plots is so that there is video evidence of volunteers answering the provided questions, rather then having no evidence of doing such.

(Vox plot 1, 2 and 3)

Conclusion 

I have found the research that I have conducted useful as I now have a better perception as to what the target audience want to see in the sequence, what they would expect to see, and what they wish to see; be doing so enabling me to alter things to co-inside with the feedback given. By following the feedback of the target audience, making the sequence more visually appealing, it will add towards the realism factor of the production.  As mentioned in the pie chart analyse, I shall incorporate the results of the such into our thriller sequence by adding/removing aspects which received the most amount of feedback via the volunteers responses.  If I was to carry out the research again, I would change some of the questions so they are more specific as to elements which I intend to be in our sequence, rather than just thrillers in general, as it would provide with more concise results. 

Research into conventions - miss Miller

Conventions are aspects within the film that are often present throughout and are common throughout a particular type of film or genre.  In the thriller genre, there are various number of conventions which are present in all most all films that fit that genre. The purpose of this is to create shock, surprise, tension and suspense for the viewer. I am going to analyse a clip from the 1991 thriller "Silence of the lambs" cops deaths scene
URL link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEaxwyBjTwU

Typical examples of thriller conventions include;

- Tense music                                   - Shadows
- Diegetic and non diegetic sound   - protagonist/antagonist
- Killers/victims                               - handheld/POV camera
- Chase scenes                                 - Black and white shots
- Varying angle shots                       - Unknown/eerie locations
- Mise-en-scene                               - Iconography
- Enigma (often the narrative can revolve around it)


The music in the scene, which is provided by the record player (an example of on screen and diegetic sound) plays throughout the scene (excluding the fighting sequence), and is of a orchestra type (piano). As the scene is in a prison setting, the sound is contrapuntal because it does not match with what is happening on screen. However, as the fighting scene starts, the background music (non- diegetic) instantly changes to a faster paced thriller like track, drastically increasing the pace of the scene for the audience. The contrast created between the relaxed music and the fast paced music creates surprise for the audience, as the atmosphere changes from relaxed to fast paced action. This creates a relationship between the viewer and characters, as the viewer creates a connection between the relaxed music with the police officers as they represent law and order whereas with the antagonist they associate him with the fast paced music experienced during the part in which he attacks the officers. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the setting in which the scene takes place is common of that of the thriller genre (prison/trapped environment). The music in the scene is conventional to the thriller genre also as the contrast in the pace and type of sound alongside the visuals and narrative create surprise for the audience, which is a common attribute towards thriller films.

There are various references to different types of iconography during this segment. The camera zooms into the eye spray and batons which the officers are holding, quickly zooming into a close up shot before focusing on them briefly. The use of focusing the screen on the weapons could connote to the audience that the following scene will contain an element of violence, as they dedicate screen time towards it, drawing particular attention to the items. Showing the officers with the weapons, with the context of the scene (which is of a psychotic killer) could make them build a connection between the police officers and having to prevent violence caused due to the antagonist, as this is a common association with them in films (and the real world) that they are the borders between bad and good.  Due to this, the viewer can create a relationship between the  officers and there weapons as representing law and order. The audience may foreshadow the actions of the following part of the scene because of the reference to violence mentioned previously. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the iconography focused upon is present within other thriller films, and are commonly associated with each other. Creating a connection between a piece of miss-en scene and characters could potentially allow the audience to identify scenes of violence before they occur on screen, by doing so allowing the producer to create suspense and tension as the audience is aware as to what is going to happen, but during the period before this, the scenes will be very tense and suspenseful.

Slow editing is used during the majority of the sequence, particularly during the part in which the door is being opened into the cell, in which beforehand particular attention is payed to towards the iconography in which the police officers possessed (weapons and such). This is done to build up tension for the audience as they are aware (as mentioned previously) that something is about to occur, and the use of slow editing builds tension and suspense as the scene is running at a slow pace, but as soon as something occurs it drastically increases, creating surprise for the audience from the contrast in atmosphere created from visuals and sound. This enables the audience to create a connection between the use of slow editing with anticipation and suspense, as the audience becomes aware as to something is going to happen due to the slow build up before hand, but has a slow build up before the action occurs. This is convention to the thriller genre as slow editing is present in essentially every film categorised in the thriller genre, as the result of which creates and enables the presence of main thriller concepts (surprise and build up in suspense).

This research was helpful in advancing my understanding of the conventions within the thriller genre, for a number go reasons. Looking and analysing more clips the better, as I can compare the use of common conventions within the thriller genre and see its use and purpose within this context, by doing so allowing me to establish what conventions I should include within my own opening sequence as I can see what would be suitable in that context. It was also helpful in improving my understanding as I could identify all of the conventions within rather than having to focus upon one individual aspect of media, as demonstrated in previous planning posts, so this analyse has enabled me to combine my knowledge gained from previous analyses and apply it as a whole. This particular clip is also helpful also as it is different to that of many thriller clips, as it does not always follow the typical conventions of thriller films in the same way to that of others, such through the use of contrupantal sound, as within a film of this nature it would be expected to have dark eerie music and low key lighting due to the nature of the clip however, it still creates feelings, tension and suspense for the viewer regardless, through the use of different conventions, expanding my knowledge upon how to create certain feelings for the viewer through the use of different conventions within a different context.  I have taken inspiration from this research within this clip and I intend to incorporate aspects into my own opening sequence. Particular examples of which is that I intend to incorporate slow editing into my sequence, as the feelings created will enable the viewer to be keep on the edge of there seat due to the tension and suspense build up, and as my opening sequence will be of a similar nature as to this clip, slow editing will contribute towards having a eerie and unsettling atmosphere. I have also taken inspiration with this clip to incorporate weapons as iconography within my sequence, as my the antagonist within my narrative shall be welding one during the majority of segments in which he is on screen, at time having the weapon (knife) as the focus of the shot, drawing attention to such to the same effect demonstrated within this clip.

Inspirations - Miss Georgiou

Inspirations 

Inspiration is required before we create anything, in this case a thriller sequence, as inspiration is the foundation behind all great creations and ideas. The starting process of anything is always the hardest part, when we are inspired to start/create something it enables us to continue on from that starting point. We can take inspiration from anywhere, be that from things that already exist, or it can come out of the least likely things, and our own experiences. New film ideas will most likely not come from nothing, rather come from taking/incorporating elements from previous films, and altering them into different style of film. This accompanied by fresh ideas can be the inspiration of new film titles. I have taken inspiration from various different thriller titles from different sub genres, by doing so comparing the use of thriller conventions and to what affect they are used within such sub genres.

I have taken inspiration from the film nightmare on elm street, as I have watched many sequences from the film and identified various different types of cinematography and have analyse to what affect, therefore enabling me to consider how I might be able to incorporate this into my own opening sequence. An example of cinematography use that I intend on using in my own opening sequence is the use of a handheld during a chase scene in my narrative, as this is done during the middle segment of "nightmare on elm street". This is as during a scene in the film in which the victim of the narrative is being chased, a handheld camera is used to follow her movements.  This is done to create urgency for the viewer, emphasizing that she is being chased by the jerky movements caused by the use of the handheld, further adding to the urgency. This makes the viewer feel on edge, and feel the same sense of urgency that the character is portrayed as having. I shall follow the same format of using a handheld in my opening sequence, to the affect mentioned, however I shall alter it to make it my own by including it in a longer segment in my opening sequence, creating a more intense feeling of tension from emphasising the urgency, as during "nightmare on elm street" a handheld is only used briefly for less than 5 seconds.

I took inspiration from the film "Inception", as I have watched the film on multiple occasions and have analysed the use of sound throughout the zero gravity fight scene in the film. The sound used throughout the film is conventional to that of thriller films, and uses many different aspects to the affect of creating the main thriller conventions for the audience (suspense, tension, surprise and shock). At the end of opening sequence of my group and Is narrative, after the chase has occured and the girl has escaped unharmed the scene will go completely silent, which is similar to that of "Inception" during the zero gravity scene. At the very end of the scene in which the driver of the van quickly recovers from the fall and drives off, the audio goes completely silent (silence) apart from the noise of rain and the windscreen wipers. This is done to signify to the viewer that it is the end of all of the madness and hectic scenes before this point, and to completely slow the pace of the scene down and to allow the viewer to access what they have just witnessed, and the sound of the rain and windscreen wipers is included to denote to the viewer that the atmosphere and surroundings has changed. I took inspiration from this and intend to incorporate silence at the end of my sequence to the same effect of signalling the end of the hectic scenes beforehand and to show the change in scenery which will occur in the following scene.  However, I will make the idea my own as inception is a different type of thriller and the scene has a high degree of tension and is action orientated, whereas the narrative of my group and I's opening sequence is orientated around an eerie, dark atmosphere, therefore the use of silence after the climax will differ to that of "Inception".

Another film in which I have taken inspiration from is "Se7en", as I analysed a scene from the film when researching the various different mise-en-scene elements throughout thriller films. The narrative of the film has a dark element to it, similar to that of the narrative my group and I have produced, therefore the conventions used throughout should be relevant to use/incorporate into the opening sequence. In my narrative, the majority of the scenes will consist of low key lighting and back light, as it creates an eerie atmosphere which complements the theme of the film. During the sloth death scene in "Se7en",  the entire sequence in which this takes place has a eerie atmosphere due to the only lights coming from the back light from the curtains later on in the scene. This connotes to the reader that someone thing is about to happen, an example for foreshadowing as something bad did happen. In my opening sequence, the lighting in the scene will be low key as soon as the girl has been ditched by her boyfriend. The change in lighting when she gets ditched will connote to the viewer that something bad is about to her, as to the same affect as "Se7en".

Another film in which I have taken inspirations from is "Silence of the lambs" as I researched upon the film and analysed clips from within, looking at  the various different types of conventions , by doing so incorporating all the research on individual convention aspects, showing my understanding of all throughout a segment of the film. The scene follows Torodovs theory, the same theory which my group and I's opening sequence and narrative follows, in which the beginning starts off with an equilibrium, in which everything is calm and under control, emphasized by the background music in the background, which continues to play once the disequilibrium comes, in which the sound becomes contrapuntal. In the sequence, I intend to incorporate however the use iconography, and the focus upon it due to the use of the camera focusing upon it. There are various references to different types of iconography during the segment within the film. The camera zooms into the eye spray and batons which the officers are holding, quickly zooming into a close up shot before focusing on them briefly. The use of focusing the screen on the weapons could connote to the audience that the following scene will contain an element of violence, as they dedicate screen time towards it, drawing particular attention to the items. Showing the officers with the weapons, with the context of the scene (which is of a psychotic killer) could make them build a connection between the police officers and having to prevent violence caused due to the antagonist, as this is a common association with them in films (and the real world) that they are the borders between bad and good.  Due to this, the viewer can create a relationship between the officers and there weapons as representing law and order.   The audience may foreshadow the actions of the following part of the scene because of the reference to violence mentioned previously. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the iconography focused upon is present within other thriller films, and are commonly associated with each other. Creating a connection between a piece of miss-en scene and characters could potentially allow the audience to identify scenes of violence before they occur on screen, by doing so allowing the producer to create suspense and tension as the audience is aware as to what is going to happen, but during the period before this, the scenes will be very tense and suspenseful. Within my opening sequence, the use of a extreme close up and close up will be used while the antagonist of the narrative is just about to get into chase with the victim,  drawing attention towards the iconography within the sequence, to the same effect as in "Silence of the lambs", as both narratives have a dark nature to which and follow the same theory. 

Evaluation 

The research which I have conducted has been very helpful in getting ideas for my narrative as analyzing various different scenes from multiple different sub genres of thrillers, identifying the main thriller conventions throughout and elements throughout the scenes has given me multiple ideas which I can incorporate into my own opening sequence. The various inspirations have made my sequence better as I am going to base the elements used within my opening sequence to that of real thriller films, by do so creating the main thriller elements (shock, surprise, tension and shock) and making it a more realistic feeling opening sequence for the viewer. 

Group Narrative - Miss Georgiou

Group Narrative Ideas

The group consists of myself (Tyler Osman), Samantha Apperley and Mikaeel Khaliq  

1) Tyler Osman (narrative idea) -

My narrative is about a family that mysteriously went missing in a secluded farmhouse, situated in Iver (Buckinghamshire). After the school day, a young boy takes a different route back from school, in which he cuts through a long forest path, in which he encounters the farmhouse. The following day he tells his group of friends (aged 15-17) about it. They find out about the disappearance of the family via a newspaper article the next day which explains to the group the history of the structure. The person telling the story is not known till the very end of the narrative (enigma), which is found to be one of the children, 20 years later telling the story around a campfire. The group of children are entered into the narrative, in which there are shown joking around at school, walking and talking by lockers, and in lessons. After the school day they go to the corner shop to buy snacks/treats, in which the newspaper headline about the families disappearance catches the eye of one of the group. After showing the rest of the group to his friends, they show little interest in it, arguing that there is probably a logical answer. The narrative then cuts to night time, in which he (the boy that showed an interest in the story) is on his computer researching further into the families disappearance. The following day in school, the group, after a hefty amount of convincing decide to investigate the farm house. As the anniversary of the disappearance of the family is two days later, they decide to take the following day to prepare physically and mentally; buying lights/torches and such as they intend to go at night as it is the only time in which there parents won't notice their absence. The group heading off into the forest, showing their journey there, and them upon arrival.The end of the narrative contains scenes of intense horror and tension, in which the group of school children find themselves in the middle of the forest, as they enter the farmhouse. The following scenes consist of strange events/happenings, such as strange noises and voices being heard. The group go from investigators, to simply trying to survive the night as weird occurrences start happening. The antagonist of the narrative is not known, as only silhouettes can be seen through the dark The narrative ends at the point in which it returns to the present day, and the telling of the story many years later.

Positives 

- Getting actors would be a none issue as the age group of the characters is my age range, therefore we could all take on acting roles in the narrative, rather than having to ask for volunteers. For this reason it causes less hassle then asking for others to take part.

- The location in which it is based would not be hard to access (forest) as there are many large Forrest nearby that are easily accessible, and would be a prime filming location.

- Location is conventional to the thriller genre, as many films take place in suburban locations such as the one mentioned (forest)

Negatives

- Antagonist is not specified in the description of the narrative, therefore it lacks important details. As the antagonist is essential to create a thrilling open sequence, the audience may get confused as to what is happening in the narrative due to the antagonist not being know.

- need more than 3 characters (3 characters in a group), therefore we would have to request for people to volunteer in acting for the sequence, making the filming process unnecessarily difficult as everyone taking part may not be free during the same. Because of such we could get less filming time then if we were to only included those in the group.

- Even though the location of a forest would be easy to access, there are a number of locations stated within the narrative, in which could take a long time from filming one to another and to attempt to go to the multiple locations in one day due to time and lighting, causing complications during the filming process and making time an issue

2) Samantha Apperley (narrative idea) -

My idea of a narrative for a new thriller film is a teenage girl has an argument with her boyfriend, causing him to walk off to go a get his car from the car park so he can go home. The girl goes after him but is too late. The car park is dark and deserted with no one around. As she stands in the middle of the car park alone, crying, she notices a tall figure standing in the way of the exit. She soon realizes that it is a man who she often sees looking at her regularly; like a stalker. She starts to become panicked as there is no exit apart from the one he stands in. She pulls out her phone to call for help but has no service, leaving her unable to reach anyone. She decides to risk walking out of the dark car park without acknowledging him, however he grabs her and threatens her with a knife and says she is to go with him otherwise she will die. The antagonist takes her back to his house, and ties her up in an empty, cold, dirty and dark room and tortures her until she eventually dies.

Positives

- Character roles would be easy to fill (1 female and 2 males), the age group of the characters is of the age range of the group, therefore we could all take on acting roles in the narrative, rather than having to ask for volunteers. For this reason it causes less hassle then asking for others to take part. In addition, the female member of the group has blonde hair, therefore it will be conventional in for her to be the victim of the narrative, as victims in thriller films are often young blonde women

- Location is convention to a thriller sequence as it takes part in a forest/deserted area, which is often included in various thriller film. In addition, the locations specified should be reasonably easy to access as there are multiple possible filming locations nearby

- The portrayal of characters within is conventional to that of thriller films, the antagonist being a big male with an unknown identity, and the girl of the narrative being a victim 

Negatives 

- The theme of the film is rather dark and has a mature theme, therefore we would have to consider what we are willing to show and not on screen to keep our age certificate a 15. During the filming process we may have to alter some scenes for this reason, therefore the sequence might be a bit makeshift

- (adding on from the previous point) It will be hard to film certain scenes as we will have to use different camera angles to give the audience the impression that the characters on screen are experiencing actual bodily harm, as it would not be possible to actually do such acts

- The narrative itself lacks minor details which would fill gaps into parts which are not very clear, such as the transition between certain scenes and locations

3) Mikaeel Khaliq (narrative idea) 

Forest

low key lighting

killer might have a mask

urban myth that a killer lives in the forest

group of teenagers

wanting to explore the urban myth

all sneak out of house at night 

decide to meet at forest 

all explore the forest

they think its not true 

they hear some rustling 

start to get a little scared but brush it off

then killer comes running out 

briefly show him with the handheld camera

they all start to run back 

screaming and shouting

end  

Positives

- Getting actors would not be too much of an issue as the age group of the characters is my age range and those of my class, therefore we could all take on acting roles in the narrative, and if necessary we could ask others to take part

- The various locations proposed are conventional to the thriller genre as they take place in a forest/deserted area, which is common for thriller films due to the lack of people in the area; being secluded creates to a suspense and tense filled atmosphere

- The use of a handheld camera is conventional to that of the thriller genre, as is the use of low key lighting and the antagonist having a hidden identity through the use of a identity hiding mask

Negatives

- Narrative is not yet established (idea stage) as the ideas proposed are simply bullet pointed. The ideas themselves have not been elaborated on, therefore there inst really a narrative established. The character details are very vague, the protagonist is not specified and details on the antagonist is not decided upon

- If we were to request for others to take on acting roles in the narrative, it would be difficult to find time in which we are all free at one timer; possibly reducing the amount of filming time that will take place and would be more of a a hassle in general

- In depth Order in which events take place and what location such takes place is not established, due to it being laid out in sparse bullet points 

Final group narrative 

The final group narrative in which we are choosing is of the 2nd group members idea, elaborating onto the narrative mentioned to create our final group one. The narrative is about a teenage girl who has an argument with her boyfriend, causing him to walk off to go a get his car from the car park so he can go home. The girl goes after him but is too late. The car park is dark and deserted with no one around. As she stands in the middle of the car park alone, crying, she notices a tall figure standing in the way of the exit. She soon realizes that it is a man who she often sees looking at her regularly; like a stalker. She starts to become panicked as there is no exit apart from the one he stands in. She pulls out her phone to call for help but has no service, leaving her unable to reach anyone. She decides to risk walking out of the dark car park without acknowledging him, however he grabs her and threatens her with a knife and says she is to go with him otherwise she will die. She eventually ends up escaping capture, while her was off guard, in which she runs into a forest and survives.

Narrative theory (Todorovs theory)

The group narrative follows Todorovs theory as there is an equilibrium (everything is normal) at the opening part of the sequence, as the beginning of the sequence wont have any conflicts or anything present, rather just an introduction into the characters and the narrative. This will be once the characters of the narrative (couple) first meet up together, before any talking has taken place. However, shortly after this peaceful segment, a disequilibrium to this occurs once the conflict between the couple is shown and they begin to argue and shout at each other, resulting in the boyfriend walking off and the couple separating, shortly after which the antagonist of the narrative gets introduced. Once the antagonist of the narrative gets introduced, he takes chase after the girl who has been left alone, in which he is in pursuit, chasing her with  knife throughout a number of different locations. At the end of all of this and the girl eventually escapes from the antagonists grasp,  the film returns back to a equilibrium like state as everything has already occurred and has finished, returning peace back to narrative.

Summary

The narrative we have decided upon is convention to the thriller genre as the location in which it takes place is typical to that of thriller films. The narrative also follows the thriller theory (mentioned above), and is very similar to such. It appeals to the target audience as the elements of the narrative appeal to those aged 15+, and the settings and characters involved will allow the target audience to create a connection to the characters on screen.

Individual narrative ideas - Miss Georgiou

Individual narrative idea 

A narrative is important for a number of reasons. It is essential as it provides a story/plot as to shows what is happening with the visuals on screen. It is the connection between what is happening on screen, to behind such actions.

Possible new narrative (locations)

The location in which the new narrative will be based should be within a certain distance, as it will make filming less of a hassle (e.g based in a school, or in a surrounding place).

- Location examples

- School/school  ground

- Forest

- busy urban area

- quiet suburban area

New narrative - Farmhouse into oblivion 

My narrative is about a family that mysteriously went missing in a secluded farmhouse, situated in Iver (Buckinghamshire). After the school day, a young boy takes a different route back from school, in which he cuts through a long forest path, in which he encounters the farmhouse. The following day he tells his group of friends (aged 15-17) about it. They find out about the disappearance of the family via a newspaper article the next day which explains to the group the history of the structure. The person telling the story is not known till the very end of the narrative (enigma), which is found to be one of the children, 20 years later telling the story around a campfire. The group of children are entered into the narrative, in which there are shown joking around at school, walking and talking by lockers, and in lessons. After the school day they go to the corner shop to buy snacks/treats, in which the newspaper headline about the families disappearance catches the eye of one of the group. After showing the rest of the group to his friends, they show little interest in it, arguing that there is probably a logical answer. The narrative then cuts to night time, in which he (the boy that showed an interest in the story) is on his computer researching further into the families disappearance. The following day in school, the group, after a hefty amount of convincing decide to investigate the farm house. As the anniversary of the disappearance of the family is two days later, they decide to take the following day to prepare physically and mentally; buying lights/torches and such as they intend to go at night as it is the only time in which there parents won't notice their absence. The group heading off into the forest, showing their journey there, and them upon arrival.The end of the narrative contains scenes of intense horror and tension, in which the group of school children find themselves in the middle of the forest, as they enter the farmhouse. The following scenes consist of strange events/happenings, such as strange noises and voices being heard. The group go from investigators, to simply trying to survive the night as weird occurrences start happening. The antagonist of the narrative is not known, as only silhouettes can be seen through the dark The narrative ends at the point in which it returns to the present day, and the telling of the story many years later.
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Characters - The antagonist of the narrative would have a hidden identity, creating an enigma for the audience. The protagonist would be one of the group members; the leader of the group which receives the most screen time

Mise-en-scene -

(Settings and iconography) The setting of my film will mainly be of the forest ( as it is conventional of the thriller genre) and the surrounding buildings, but also a school and the houses of the children.

(Costume, hair and makeup) The costumes in which the characters would be wearing would be regular, casual clothes. This would be done because it makes the characters suit there personas, adding a realistic atmosphere to the film. The hair would be similar to that of the costumes, nothing extravagant, rather the characters would have a appearance of that of a schoolchild. The makeup used would be minor and not visible, as it would be unnecessary to use it because the characters are suppose to look nature to there roll.

(Facial expressions and body language) The facial expressions of the group before the discovery of the newspaper will be very open and happy. After that point but before they set up to the farmhouse, there very frigid,  tight and serious. During the scenes in which there are in the forest, there expressions become very frightened and scared. This is done so there expressions complement how the characters are portrayed as feeling, and they match the part in the narrative and the atmosphere of the scenes.

(Lighting and colour) The lighting and colour will change depending on what scene. During scenes in which the children are at school and outside playing, the colours will be very clear and bright (high key lighting) however, in scenes in which the forest/farmhouse is being shown, the lighting will be clear to view, but rather dull, with contrasts in lights and shadows. This will be done as the difference in light will change the atmosphere of the scenes for the audience.

(Positioning of characters) During scenes in which the group are in the forest, they will be positioned in way way which portrays them as being vulnerable (through the use of high angle shots). During scenes in which the children are in school, they will be filmed via eye level with the camera (neutral), by doing so allowing the audience to create a connection between the characters, so when they are vulnerable, it creates more meaning to the sequence as the audience wants the group to prevail.

target audience - The target audience and intended age certificate for the film would be 15+. This is because the main cast of characters are teenagers, and the audience are more likely to create a relationship with the characters if they are similar. This connection will allow for thrilling sequences as the audience will want for the group to prevail.

Summary

I will share this information with my group as the weeks progress as we will go to create one main group narrative, so I can implement my ideas into our narrative as a whole.