The Importance of opening titles.

A diary of a day filming.

Our second day filming:

09:00 = We all met up at the filming location and began to set up
( Setting up the tripod, applying make up to Anna and Discussing how we will adapt our storyboard further)

09:20 =  Myself and Ellie did a quick risk assessment check to see that everything was safe.

09:30 = Once all set up, it was time to start filming!

12:00 = After a few hours of filming, we all sat down and reviewed the shots we had just taken, most of them were good however there were a couple of shots which were slightly unstable and not still - there was also a lighting issue in one of the shots in which light reflected of the windows into frame; we re-filmed these shots.

12:40 = After clarifying we had enough footage to edit, we snapped some still shots of Anna around the house in which we could adapt for posters and other marketing resources.

13:00 = Filming over! - for now at least. :)

Alex Wright.

Props

We will be using many props in our opening to help portray messages and symbolism.
Without the use of props our piece would be dull and lack interest.
Contact lenses

Anna will be wearing be wearing light blue contact lenses in some scenes to convey a different side to her character, We chose not to use extreme colours such as "red" or "black" as this would not be realistic for the audience.

Mirror

We will also be using a mirror to symbolise the split personality she has.

Key necklace

The key necklace is the most vital prop in our piece, it conveys an enigma for the audience foreshadows scenes in our piece. The necklace links Anna's character to Ellie's.

Titles

We have been discussing a name for our thriller. Our initial idea was 'Nyctophobia' which means a fear of being alone. We wanted a name that relates to the Schizophrenic character Anna plays. We have been researching other pyschological thriller titles such as:

- Eisoptrophobia
This means a fear of mirrors. We thought it was a good idea as it relates to her split personality, however, we feel is too long and not sharp enough.

- Aberrant
This means a diversion from the normal type. We feel this could be a good  title because it relates well to the themes within the thriller.

- Optophobia
This is a fear of opening one's eyes. We thought this would be appropriate as Anna closes her eyes before she changes. Her changed personality is shown by her different colour eyes.

-State of mind

This means a temporary psychological state. This fits really well as Anna's character in the thriller keeps changing.

Diary/First day of filming

Alex setting up for the first scene

This picture shows Alex setting up for our first shot and Anna putting on her make up for her character

This image shows on of our shots for the thriller, it is an important as it shows the significance of the prop.

We found this TV at our location and thought it would be appropriate in our thriller

- Ellie Sutton

Our first day of filming went really well. The weather was perfect as it looked cold which fits our thriller, also it wasnt raining which meant that our filming was clear and there was not too much backround noise. Also, we started filming quite early in the day meaning we would have pleanty of light to carry on filming throughout the day. As we were filming, we came up with alot of new ideas to improve our thriller as we found that one scene could lead onto many different scinarios, we therefore added alot of shots to our thriller that we did not originally plan on, adding to the intensity of our thriller. 

-Anna Dunk

Cape Fear Analysis

As a group in class, we sat down and looked at the opening of the film 'Cape Fear'. Everyone came up with a lot of good ideas as we looked deeper into the meaning behind different things in the clip.

Here is a screen shot of the very first clip of the opening. The fact that the image is blurred because of the water, represents the way that the main character sees the world. Also, the Eagle is a bird of prey which reflects the fact that he is also a predator and a dangerous character.

Next we see the image of an eye. We can tell that this is the victims eye because it is wide and looking around, showing that this person is scared.

The colour red in the water gives a sense of danger and can represent blood. It is also warning the audience that somthing bad is going to happen.

Here we have a silhouette of the mans body. The fact that it is a silhouette suggests mystery and intrigues the audience. Also, the tinted green water could represent the feeling of jealousy and envy.

The director then uses direct addressing as we are introduced to a woman talking to the audience. We assume that this women is the victim as she is wearing a white top, representing her innocence and purity. The fact that all the buttons are done up on her top also show this.

We are then introduced to as man working out in prison. The 'scales of justice' tattoo on his back could reflect the fact that he wants to get revenge.

The way that the prison guards follow him instead of lead him through the prison, and that way that they move out the way for him, suggests that he is a dominant figure and that other people feel threatened by him. This indicates that he is in prison for a serious crime.

The dramatic music and the storm that occurs when he gets out of the prison indicate danger. Also, the fact that he is leaving the prison alone links back and imitates the nature of the eagle in the first scene, suggesting he is on a hunt for revenge now he has been released.







Analysing Cape Fear has been a very useful task as we have learnt a lot about the way we can represent things in our Thriller. It has also taught us how to look deeper into the meanings of things in movies, and how to apply that to our own.

Answer to Questionnaire

         Here is a questionnaire we created in order to find out more information about what people look for and what people want to see in a thriller, this is a completed version.

1)     Are you male or female?

         Male                       Female


2.)  Which age catergory do you fit into?
     12-15      16-18        19-25          25+  

 3.) What type of thriller do you prefer?
     Psychological     Crime    Drama      Action    Horror 


4.) Which type of location would you associate with a thriller?
       Woods    Train Stations     Abandoned House    The city 


 5.)  What attracts you to thriller advertisement e.g colour, images
       'Interseting Colours and Pictures'
       'An Intriguing front cover and Title'
       'Somthing that you can tell will be scary by looking at the front cover'
       'A simple but catchy Title'
       'A short and blunt Title'
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6.) What are the three main things you expect in a thriller?
         'Suspense'
          'Violence'
          'A twist'  
          'The audience are left asking questions'
          'Mystery'
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7.)  Do you think a good opening to a film is important?
         Yes        No 


8.) Does an exciting film title attract you to watch it?
        Yes     No