Opening Sceneration - Miss Miller

The first four scenes are scenes that are initialising the setting, making the audience aware of where the opening is set, and they get an idea of what is happening, the victim is seen walking through some garages, and entering an alleyway. For those shots we are going to use panning and mid shots as these are simply shots to initiate the setting, as well as keeping the sound the same, as no sound effects are used before the killer is seen.

As she exits the alleyway the victim is seen in a mid shot, as she leaves the alleyway to the right, the killer is suddenly seen behind her without her awareness, holding a hammer, this is the iconography in the scene. This is when the sound track first kicks in, this begins to build up the suspense, and also represents that something is present in the scene that wasn't there before.

The camera angle then switches to a POV/handheld camera angle, from the killer's perspective looking at the victim, as she walks around the corner and then switches into the victim's perspective, she then looks around in suspicion, thinking that someone is following her. During this the sound track is slowly going to be building up, this builds up the suspense in the scene.

It then shows the victim walking away from turning around, and then going onto enter the gate which leads into the forest, using this setting because anyone can just walk into the forest, meaning that the audience can relate with the scenario. As she walks down the path it switches into the perspective of the victim, she hears something hit the gate that she has walked through, and she sees the killer behind her with the hammer in his hand, she then runs. It then shows a mid shot of her running off the path into the forest, the killer is then seen following behind her but walking, showing the confidence that he is going to catch her, whereas the victim is running for her life.

The camera angle then switches to one in the forest, where the victim is seen running through the forest towards the camera, followed by the killer who is again walking, this also that he is in control of the scene. Switching to another POV angle, which shows the victim's perspective of running through the forest and looking back at the killer, this builds up the suspense as you think that she is going to get caught however you want her to get away as you sympathise for the victim.

The victim is then seen to fall over and then crawl and hide at the bottom of a tree, showing a high angle shot which looks down the on the killer, this shows that the victim is inferior in the opening scene and could then go onto infer that she is going to get killed, this builds up the suspense in the scene. The killer is then seen walking away from the forest which makes it look like he's lost her, this is when the sound track pauses. The victim's phone then goes off, as she is trying to turn it off she is dragged away.

One element that will really make our thriller better is by using the hammer instead of a knife as the killer's weapon, this reveals more about killer than what a knife would, the hammer would show a more brutal side of the killer, whereas a knife is just a stereotypical weapon, revealing more to the audience.

Another element that makes our thriller good is by using a POV angles, this really gets the audience involved in the scene as they can see through the perspective of the killer and the victim, this gets the audience really involved in the film, therefore elements like suspense will have a greater effect on the audience.

Production Roles - Miss Miller

producers - devon
directors - devon
actors - tom sophie
director of photography - scott
music producer - scott
screenplay writer - everyone
mise-en-scene co-ordinator - scott
editor - tom

Within films production you need  allocated specific roles for each person as this makes the production of the film more organised and efficient with time. The main roles neccessary in producing a film are producers, directors, actors, directors of photography, music producers, screenplay writers, mise-en-directors and editors.

In our group Devon is going to be the producer as she was assigned team leader, therefore by giving her the role of producer would be a good choice as she has to organise the group, therefore putting her in charge of production would be better than choosing a different group member. In her role she has taken charge of  who is going to play each role in the production and then oversees how they do it.

Devon also played the role of director in our thriller sequence, a director is incharge of everything creative in the scene, and directs the making of the film, this was because she was team leader, and therefore giving her this role would make sense rather than anyone else playing this role. She played this role well making sure we filmed the sequence within the deadline.

The actors in the sequence were Sophie and me, our role was to act out the roles we had given to the characters in the opening, choosing Sophie because she was blonde and me because the killer was meant to be a tall.

In the production, Scott was the director of photography, this meant he was in charge of all of the camera equipment and had to take charge of all of the filming, making sure the camera was in the right place for the scene and make sure he got the right camera angles. Scott did this well as he did everything he needed to do.

Scott was given the role of sound director, this meant he was in charge of all of the sound in our opening sequence, meaning he had to decide which sound track to include and which sound effects and when. We gave Scott this role as he is very creative and would do the task well,

Screenplay writing was done by everyone, as this meant we all had an input instead of one person writing all of it, this meant we would all be satisfied with how it was wrote and we could put the best of all ideas into one sequence.

The role of editor was given to me, this was because I had previously edited the preliminary task and had experience in cutting and trimming the clips. Being an editor meant I had to put all of the clips in the correct order, cutting them, as well as adding the correct effects and sounds for different effects. I did this role well, however because this was a hard task, I had the rest of my group available for assistance.

Filming Schedule & Risk Assessment - Miss Georgiou

It is important to carry out a risk assessment in order to identify the risks involved in the filming process, and therefore helping us prevent them from happening, and helping us to counter them. The table below shots the possible risks involved in filming.

Making a filming schedule is important as it helps organise the filming of the sequence, and therefore makes the filming more time efficient, letting us meet our deadlines. Even though we made a filming schedule we was unable to follow it as when filming the third shot it got too dark for the cameras, therefore we was unable to film the rest of the scene and had to delay filming until the following day. Even though there was a delay we was able to film the whole sequence.

Planning Opening Credits - Miss Georgiou

Opening credits are used to list the important members of the production team, actors and directors.  In the thriller genre they are used to set the atmosphere of the initial setting and film, as well as help define the as a film from the thriller genre, with the use of different colours, styles, they are also used to display different conventions.

The film 'Se7en' uses the credits well, to help to create certain effects. One way it does this is by making the credit font white, this stands out against the dark colours and low key lighting used in the opening sequence, this can be used to show the contrast between good and evil, which reveals more about the film. Another effect used in the opening credits was making the font of the credits handwritten, jerky, quick and blurry, this gives the effect that the atmosphere is uneven and can make the audience feel uncomfortable, these are all ways the opening credits have different effects on the audience.

This is also displayed in the film 'Shutter island', in this the colour of the font is in red, with the colour red having the connotations of blood and murder, this gives the audience the initial impression of the film and what is to come in the alter film, this puts them on an edge from the very beginning, this creates the element of suspense, a key convention of the thriller genre.

From the opening credits that my group has researched we an see the re-occuring theme of the colours red, black and white used, and that they are often used in contrast to a dark background. I believe that this is due to the fact that because in thriller genre there is always a killer and a victim, therefore the white and black can represent the contrast between the good of the victim and the evil of the killer. Using the red because of the connotations of blood and violence.

In our credits we are going to have the actors, music producers, director of photography, screen play writer, mise-en-scene co-ordinator, then the editors and producers in that order. We are going to have the actors first as they are an important part of the scene, and they are first seen, we are then going to have the other roles in production following, this is because there work is not immediately recognised, however still needs to be shown, we are then going to have the director and producers last as they were in charge of the whole creation of the scene, however without everyone previously, there would be no opening.

The font we are going to use is a handwritten font, this gives an eery effect as it brings the audience into suspense into who has written it, even though it is only the cast, it still creates an enigma. Adding to this we are going to use the effect of using a white font on a dark background, contrasting the good and bad in the scene representing the killer and the victim. We are going to add a jerky effect over the credits, this creates an instability in the scene, this can be used to show that there is an instability in the scene, in particular the victim's situation, as she is being chased by a masked killer.

Planning Sound - Miss Miller

One sound technique we are going to use is diegetic sound, we are going to use this in the format that it is the victim's heartbeat, this enables the audience to become involved in the sequence, this also helps build upon the element of suspense, a key element and convention in the thriller genre. This is because as the heartbeat speeds up the audience knows that something is going to happen, knowing that something is going to happen they begin to feel the suspense as they are waiting for it to happen, not knowing when it will.

Another diegetic sound we are going to use is going to be the heavy breathing of the victim, this again enables the audience to become involved in the sequence, the heavy breathing lets the audience know that the victim is running out of breath and that they might be caught, this then builds upon suspense again as they know she is going to get caught and that they begin to just wait for it, this is makes it conventional of the thriller genre. We are going to use this when the victim is begin chased through the forest, with the diegetic sound simply adding to the suspense.

In the thriller sequence, we are going to use silence, this is when there is no sound at all and is a good at building up suspense in the scene, therefore we are going to use it right at the point before the victim is going to get caught, when she is hiding in the forest, this is the optimal point of suspense. Again the silence applies that she is going to get caught and that audience are just waiting to watch, because this builds up suspense its a key element in the thriller genre.

Another diegetic sound is one of the key factors which builds up the suspense in our thriller opening, this is the use of a soundtrack. The soundtrack is going to begin as soon as the killer in seen in the scene, and is going to play throughout right until the very moment the victim's phone begins to rings, our soundtrack is going to be a constant beat in the soundtrack which is constantly building, there is then gong to be a break in the soundtrack, this shows the audience that there is a change in the atmosphere and that something is going to happen, this then builds up the suspense. This is conventional of the thriller genre as they are often used to give this same effect.

Overall, I believe that sound is a key element used to build up suspense in thriller films, and the effect of suspense would not be as strong without it. I also believe that sound plays a strong part in involving the audience in the film and really helps them build up relationships with the characters/

Planning Cinematography - Miss Miller

One of the camera angles we're going to use is a close up, a close up is a camera angle that shows little background and concentrates on a face or a particular object of mise-en-scene. In our thriller opening we are going to use them to concentrate on the victim's face and the killer's hammer, emphasising both in the sequence. By using a close up for the killer's hammer, it emphasises the significance of the hammer in the scene, a hammer is a quite a brutal way to hurt someone, so this therefore reveals parts of the killer's personality, that he is a brutal character.

Another camera angle we are going to use is an establishing, this is going to be used at the beginning of the scene in order to establish the setting of the initial street setting of the opening, our victim will then walk into the scene. An establishing shot is when the scene is displayed, we are using it in order to for the audience to get a feel of the setting that the victim is in, and can begin to relate to the victim.

The third camera angle we are going to us is going to be a high angle, this is used when the victim is walking down the alleyway at the beginning of the sequence, this almost initialises that the female is going to be the victim. A high angle shot is often used to show that something is inferior, as it makes the viewer look down at them, we are going to use this to show that our victim is inferior to our killer, and that he has the power over her. This is conventional of the thriller genre as this is often used as it makes the victim look weak and vulnerable, therefore making her inferior to the killer. This is used to build up the emphasis the audience has for the victim as they begin to feel that the victim is unable to defend herself from what is after her.

Another camera angle we are going to use is the low angle, this is the opposite of the high angle, and therefore has opposite effects. A low angle is where the camera is looking up upon something, for example the killer, this is how we are going to use it in our thriller sequence, as it makes the killer look superior to the victim in the scene. This is conventional of the thriller genre as it begins to build up a fear for the killer, knowing that they are more powerful than the victim, this makes the audience begin to think that he is capable of doing something bad and will do something bad to the victim, as they already emphasise for the victim, they will begin to fear him.

In addition we are going to use hand held shots, this gives the effect that the audience is watching from the actor's perspective and can have many effects. In our thriller we are going to use it when the victim is running away from the killer, this is because it gives the shaky effect and really involves the audience within the film, almost putting them in the victim's footsteps, by involving the audience within the film is begins to build up there relationship with the victim, and can feel there fear. the use of hand held shots is conventional of the thriller genre as they create a jerky and uneven atmosphere, giving the effect that there is chaos and they have no control over the film, implying that something bad is about to happen, this builds upon the key element of suspense.

Overall, I believe that our camera angles will have a strong effect on the audience as they allow the audience to really build up a relationship with the victim and even the killer, by doing this they can begin to relate to the film and feel the victim's fear, a key convention when making a thriller film.

Group Storyboard - Miss Miller

The purpose of the group story board was to plan our final ideas for the thriller sequence, combining the ideas of the thriller sequence together, picking out the best bits of each others storyboards. By putting our idea onto a storyboard we are able to have in mind what we would like on screen in each shot, knowing the camera angle, lighting, iconography, actors, editing and the narrative.

When our group made our individual storyboards we all had the same narrative and ideas in mind, so when it came to making our group storyboard we each incorporated our own different ideas for the same narrative, this made it a lot easier for us. For example we took Scott's idea for the opening scene and Devon's idea for the last scene, we then used my ideas for the certain camera angles we should use in each scene.

Our groups have had a lot of inspirations from the most current thriller films, which often use the setting of an isolated location, in our thriller film we are going to be using a forest, as this is used in many successful thriller films like The Strangers and Cabin Fever. We also took inspirations from films such as Halloween, Scream, and Texas Chainsaw massacre, for the use of a masked killer, these are some of the most well known thrillers, and have used the concept of having a masked killer well.

The idea we took from Devon's storyboard was the use of a phone in the last scene, where the phone is ringing and the victim is frantically trying to turn it off thinking that she is going to get caught, then the next scene the phone is seen ringing on the floor, and then it stops ringing. This is a good idea as it doesn't actually show the audience that she has been taken, but implies it and lets the audience's mind wonder as they think what could of happened to the victim.

Scott's idea for the storyboard was to use a hammer instead of a knife, this is because that the knife is a popular item of choice for the killers, however Scott said by using the hammer instead of a knife reveals morea bouit the character, for example a hammer is much more brutal than a knife, and by using a hammer then the audience can infer that the killer is a brutal character.

My idea for the storyboard from my storyboard was the alleyway scene, where the victim is seen walking down an alleyway where she does not realise the killer is at the end, it then jumps to a camera angle which is a close up of the hammer. This is the beginning where the audience first see the killer and when the soundtrack starts, an important scene in the opening sequence.

Overall, making the storyboard has been useful as now our group has our final idea planned out, knowing exactly what we are going to have in each scene, and the duration, this means we can spend our time efficiently when we go out to film.

Planning characters - Miss Miller

They purpose of characters in the film is to add and creative a narrative, but also give the audience something to focus on, and something for the audience to build a relationship with, engaging them into the film.

Our main character in the sequence going to be the victim, we are going to make her a female because this is a stereotypical that females are innocent, therefore the audience will begin to emphasise and build a relationship with the character. We are also going to make it so that the character is blonde, again the hair colour of blonde has the denotation of innocence, this again builds up towards the empathy the audience will have with the character, because she's innocent the audience can begin to feel sorry for her as she is being chased by a killer and they can begin to feel that she shouldn't be in the situation, therefore causing empathy. We are also going to make the victim a student, by doing this it means our target audience as they are of they age of which they would still go to school as well, this helps them build up a relationship with the character and again can emphasise her situation. Females are often used in the thriller genre as victims as they are portrayed as the weaker sex as they are seen as weaker than males, due to this they would be less likely to defend themselves in a situation where they encounter a killer, this means our victim is stereotypical of the thriller genre.

The only other character in our sequence is the killer, a tall male. Throughout we are going to represent him as being deranged, and will never reveal his identity, this creates an enigma around him as the audience will begin to wonder, who he is, and why he is following the girl. This will cause the audience to engage in the sequence as they would want to know who it is and why they are doing this, and will carry on watching in order to discover more about the killer. Masked killers are stereotypical of the thriller genre as they are often used in the thriller genre, for the very same reason of creating an enigma around the killer.

Overall, now that we know about the characters, we know how to represent them inside our thriller sequence, this relates to our narrative as by using characters that the audience can easily relate to, by making it easy for them to relate to the audience can build a greater relationship with the characters in the scenario, helping to build up the tension in the scene and meaning the effects would impact the audience more. This is instead of using famous actors in which the audience would not be able to easily build up a relationship.

Planning Editing Styles - Miss Georgiou

Planning Editing Styles - Miss Georgiou

Editing is important in thriller films as it plays a major part in building up the elements needed to create a thriller, with each editing style having a different effect on viewer, for example creating enigmas, empathy for characters, suspense and action, making the audience engage in the film.

We are going to use the editing effect of jump cuts, a jump cut is when one scene abruptly changes to another, this creates a jumpy effect by suddenly switching scene to scene instantly, with the viewers believing that something has happened whereas its only switching scenes.

Another effect we will use will be timing of shots, timing of shots is when a scene is edited so that it will be played faster or slower, each having slower effects. We will be slowing the scenes down in order for the audience to build a relationship with victim, this is used in the initial scene, so that the audience can begin to build up a relationship with the victim from the very beginning.

We will also use the Kuleshov effect, this is when two shots are put together to give a third meaning, in our thriller we are going to see the victim with the phone trying to turn it off, the scene later we are going to see the phone on the floor, this clearly shows that she has been killed or taken, however does not actually show it on the screen.

Another effect used is the reaction shot, this shows the character's reaction to everything that happens in the sequence, for example when she falls over, and when she begins to realise she is being followed. This again helps build up a relationship with the victim as the are constantly reminded of her emotions as things happen inside the sequence, this allows the audience to emphasise as they constantly know what she's feeling.

Our editing styles are conventional to the thriller genre as they help the audience begin to build a relationship with the victim, as the relationship is built with the character, the audience becomes more and more involved in the sequence, this then lets the audience begin to feel the fear of the character as they emphasise her situation. Making the audience feel the fear of the character is a key part in building the suspense, a key convention in the thriller genre.

Planning Mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

Mise-en-scene is everything that can be seen on camera, made up by five elements, the setting and iconography, costume and makeup, facial expressions and body language, colour and lighting. It is important in the thriller genre as it helps the viewer understand what is going on in the scene, and build a relationship with the characters.

Setting and iconography
Our thriller film will be set in the street and in the forest, we have used this as it will be familiar with the viewer meaning that they can relate, as anyone can go into a forest and can walk in the street. We are also using the same technique for the iconography, by using a hammer as the killer's weapon, almost anyone can gain access to a hammer meaning that the killer could just be anyone, again involving the viewer into the sequence.

Lighting
Throughout the sequence we are going to use low key lighting, we are using this in order to create an eery and dark atmosphere, which would of had a greater effect on audience over filming it in daylight. Being filmed in the night is a common convention of the thriller genre, as it meant the audience can see less, which builds up the suspense within the scene, a form of enigma.

Costume
For the costume of the killer we are going to use black clothing, this is because the colour black often has the denotation of death and evil, implying that he himself is evil and out to do something bad, we are also going to make him masked, this means that the identity will always be hidden throughout, this adds an engima as it could be anyone, as anyone can pick up a mask and can do what he's doing, meaning the viewer can relate.

Facial expressions and body language 
Through out the sequence we are going to make it so that the victim's expressions are always seen by the audience, this will  keep the audience aware of the victim's emotions, allowing them to build up a relationship with her, as they can begin to sympathise.

Positioning within the frame
In our thriller, we are going to make sure the female victim is central in the scene, this can imply that she is the target, and that she is what the killer wants. We are also going to keep the hammer in focus when it is shown on screen, by putting emphasis on the hammer is shows how dangerous it can be, building up the suspense in the viewer wondering what he is going to do with it.



How is the mise-en-scene conventional to a thriller film?
Setting and iconography -This is conventional to a thriller film the use of forests at night are a common used setting in the thriller genre, because of the bad connotations that there are with the forest, the darkness also adding to the atmosphere.

Lighting - Throughout the clip we are going to use a low key lighting, this is a stereotypical convention of the thriller genre, as it adds to the enigma, a key convention in the thriller genre as well, this is because the restricts what the viewer can see, and therefore they begin to wonder what is in the darkness, and begin to fear it as anything could be in it.

Costume - Our costume in conventional because of the fact that we are using a masked killer, due to this the identity of the killer is hidden throughout it, this again creates an enigma, this will encourage the viewers to watch on in order to find out the identity of the killer, as the viewer has no clue.

Facial expressions and body language - The use of body language will be conventional as we are going to constantly show the victims emotions, by doing this the viewer can build up a relationship with them and begin to feel the fear of the victim, a typical convention of the thriller genre.

Positioning within the frame - Our use of positioning is conventional as centering the victim in the middle of the shot is commonly used in the thriller genre, this doesn't only show that she is the target in the scene but that she is in fact a significant part in the film, meaning the story line may develop around her or that event.

How can your thriller build up a relationship with the audience?
Our thriller can  build a relationship by constantly using elements that people can relate to, for example the setting, anyone can walk down the street and walk in the forest, by constantly including elements they can relate with, they can begin to involve themselves in the film. We are also going to build a relationship with the audience by showing the viewer her emotions after something happens by the use of close ups, by doing this the viewer can begin to emphasise with the victim, and begin to feel her fear.

Individual Storyboard - Miss Miller

The purpose of making a story board was to plan out our narrative, and plan out each of the elements used in each of the scenes. This means when it comes to filming our opening sequence we know what we're going to film, and exactly what effect and sound tracks we are going to use in each scene. On each story board we included the camera shot, location, lighting, actors, sound, editing, and the narrative.

In the initial four scenes I have made it so that the initial scene is set, so that the viewer gets the idea of what is going on, using long shots to get a feel of where the sequence is set, and can see that the victim is alone. It then goes onto show that she is being followed by someone who has the intention to hurt her from the fact that they have a hammer, this begins to build up the suspense, I have also used close ups for the viewer to begin to build a relationship with the victim, seeing her emotions and seeing the fear, making the viewer emphasise with her, for the same reasons I have included a lot of POV camera angles, as well as handhelds.

On the second sheet, this is when the chase really begins, again using a lot of POV, handhelds and mid shots, this restricts the viewer's sight of the setting, meaning they ca only really see as much as the character can, involving the viewer in the sequence, which can let them feel the fear of the character. Keeping the same soundtrack on, building up towards the end of the sequence.

On the third sheet, this is the ending of the sequence, after the victim has fallen the scene falls into silence as she tries to hide, showing the emotions on her face, again the viewers emphasise and really feel her fear, knowing that she is going to get caught now that she is hurt, and that they are just waiting for the moment, still shocked when she is going to get caught. The sequence then ends on a cliff hanger as you don't know that  happens to her.

Group Narrative - Miss Georgiou

Group narrative

The purpose of a narrative is to engage the viewers into the story of the film, creating certain atmospheres, for example a film in the thriller genre uses the elements of action, suspense and shock to draw the audience in. To discuss our ideas we spoke in lesson, and spoke about all of our individual narratives followed by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each one, before deciding on our own.

The first narrative we discussed was Scott's, involving a paranoid child ignored by his parents, leading to him being murdered by a ghost that he feared, in front of his family. Advantages of this narrative would be that it there would be a lot of suspense involved, which would draw the viewers in to watching the film, as well as there is a teenage victim meaning the younger audiences watching the film can relate to to. However disadvantages are that we cannot use a ghost as a provocateur because we do not have the equipment to create one, and disadvantage are that it would be hard to find people who would act as parents in the opening sequence.

The second narrative we discussed was mine, about a couple staying in a house in the mountains, the first night there are noises from upstairs so she goes to find out what is making the noises, she finds a locked room which the house owner doesn't want her to see. This happens for a few nights and then one night the male goes missing, she then goes onto find that the male has been taken and murdered in the room even though the male didn't believe that the room existed, as she tries to rescue him she is trapped in the room herself. Advantages of my narrative are that its simple and would be easy to film, however disadvantages are that it would be very long and would not be possible to fit into three minutes.

The third narrative we discussed was Devon's, the narrative is that a man and woman are walking late at night through a forest and they hear noises, the boy goes to check for danger and leaves the woman alone. She waits for his return yet he does not come back for a while, she feels as if she is being watched so she decides to head out of the forest. As she is walking the noises return and she starts to run, as she is being chased she trips over a figure on the floor. It is her boyfriends dead corpse. Advantages to this narrative is that it would be easy excess to the location and the story line is very simple. However it will be hard to film during dark hours as the lighting will not be very clear.

The narrative we decided was to choose was a variation of Devon's, with the same concept that there is a victim and killer, and the killer stalking the victim. However we decided that there will be one single female victim walking down the street on her way home, when she begins to think that she is being followed through the forest, she then runs into the forest in an attempt to get away. She is then chased by the killer until she hides, believing she has gotten away, the killer then re-appears and takes her.

There are many different narrative theories, the main three are Vladmir Propp's, Todorov's theory, and Aristotles. Propp claimed "every film has a different character which has a different function", his theory generally applied to fairy tales, for example there will be a hero who seeks something, villain who actively blocks the hero's quest. Todorov's theory is not about the characters but the narrative and that they evolve around an equilibrium and disequilibrium, there is a state of equilibrium, a disruption to the equilibrium, recognition of disruption, attempt to repair the equilibrium followed by the restore or the return or the equilibrium.The third theory was Aristotle's, this was again a theory based on the narrative again, that there is an inciting incident, a dramatic question, character goal, the introduction of an antagonist/protagonist, stakes, a resolution followed by sympathy or empathy. I believe that our narrative would follow the Todorov's theory, because there is an equilibrium, where our victim is walking down the street, followed by a realisation of a disequilibrium, then an attempt to repair, when she is running away trying to escape the killer.

Preliminary Task - Miss Georgiou

In my group there are three members, Tom Tovey, Scott Arbuckle and Devon Thomas, we was given a preliminary task in order introduce and give us experience in using different camera angles and editing film. For our preliminary task, Tom was the camera man, who filmed Devon and Scott having a conversation. The task was to create a minute long film of someone walking into a room, and having a conversation, I was the cameraman. This meant that the group would have to co-operate, in order to film the sequence. This would prepare us for our actual opening sequence.

We learnt which camera angles were appropriate for each scene, for example during the conversation, filming over the shoulder to show there perspective and the person they are talking too's reaction. We also learnt the appropriate times to ct the scene, and cut into the next one, attempting to make it not too early and not too late. We also learnt how to use all of the equipment, the camera and tripod. As a group we struggled to use the camera correcting, for example using the tripod in a smooth motion, instead the camera was jerky and therefore making it look unprofessional. We also struggled to plan it before hand, therefore making it up as we went along, consequently, we had less time to edit the film at the end.

This will help us for our own opening sequence because we know where are faults were for the planning and the use of the equipment, now that we've had practice using the equipment we will be able to use it when we are filming our opening sequence, meaning that our camera work will be better making it look more professional. We also know that we need to fully plan it out in order to film it in the time set, this will also means we will have more time to edit, making our opening sequence look more professional.

During the film The Human Centipede there are various editing effects which are used to create emotional meaning to the audience. Various editing techniques help to inform the audience of the conventions of a thriller by keeping them in suspense, shocking them and surprising them.

One editing effect used in the film is a straight cut, a straight cut is a change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another. This is used during the clip when the victim is being chased and has been lead to a dead end, by using this it gives the viewer both perspectives, the doctor's and the victim's. This builds up the tension in the scene, as it is building up to whether the victim gets away or is caught, this would also create suspense, a typical convention of thriller.

Another editing effect used in the scene is the timing of shots, this is when the shots are edited slower or faster to add emotional impact or to create suspense. This is used when she is being chased, the timing of the shot increases when she is being chased, this makes the scene become very fast paced, this creates the sense that she is escaping gives the effect of fast movement. Then when she approaches the dead end the timing of shots is decreased as he approaches the room she is inside, this creates suspense as you have no idea what is going to happen to her however you do know something will happen to her. The victim nearly escaping is a stereotypical convention of a thriller film, as well as the building of suspense.

The use of reaction shots are also used in the clip, reaction shots are when the something happens or when something is said, the clip then switches to another character to emphasise their reaction. This is used when the doctor is shouting at the female form outside the door, the clip switches to her face which shows her terrified expression. By putting emphasis onto this it shows the viewer that she is, vulnerable, the victim and that she is scared for her life, the viewers can engage with her more as the clip enables you to see her emotions. From this it begins to let the viewer feel the fear of the character, this is a typical convention of a thriller.

From this I can tell that showing the two perspectives in a chase scene are an important factor in build up the suspense, showing the victim's reaction and emotions, which helps us emphasise with the victim as we can see the fear and being to feel there fear. Also we can learn that the timing of shots can have a big effect in thriller films, allowing the camera to put emphasis on certain elements and can change the way the motion is seen, for example making someone who is running look like they are running a lot faster, which builds up the excitement for the viewer.

Target Audience Results - Miss Miller

By carrying out a questionnaire, I was able to find out what audience to target out film at, and then discover what the target audience enjoys about thriller films and what they would like to see in one. This helps us create the opening sequence with the target audience in mind, meaning that the opening would be more engaging and effective, as it reaches out to the target audience. I gave the questionnaire to 40 people, meaning I will get the opinion of a lot of people, this helps me get a better idea of the target audience, analysing the results from all of the questions, finding out what I can get from it.

From the graph above we can see that the majority of people we interviewed are 16 to 19, meaning that the people who are more likely to enjoy thriller films are in this age group, because of this I believe that we should choose this age group as the target audience in our thriller opening, this allows us to plan and create it with them in mind, effecting our target audience.

For our second question we found out what gender each person we asked was, from this we can find out who enjoys thriller films the most, this helps us develop the audience of our thriller opening, making it aimed at them. The graph shows us that 60% of the people we asked were male, therefore we can aim our thriller opening at males.

The next question we asked was what age certificates people enjoyed watching the most, from this we can find out what people enjoyed watching the most and we can create our thriller opening accordingly. From this question we discovered that the majority of people enjoyed watching films with the 18 certificates, because of this we can make our thriller film an 18 as they enjoy watching these over the other age certificates.

From this question we can begin to build up which elements people would like to see in our thriller films, in this case we can see that more people liked chase scenes rather than anything else, this helps us develop the understand what people like to see in a thrillers, and can help us when creating our own thriller film.

This graph shows us that 48% percent of the people who answered our questionnaires like to hear sound tracks in thriller films, from this we can tell that sound tracks have the best effect on our target audience, so therefore we can use them to have the greatest effect in our sequel.

For this question the use of 'Mental characters' came out with the highest percentage, however not by the majority as shown by the pie chart above. When asked why people enjoy mental characters the most, the majority of people said because they become more interested in the character.

From the graph above we can see that the majority of people who answered our questionnaire would prefer to watch famous actors, however this isn't possible so we would have the focus on the second highest result which was young actors, this is better as then they can relate to the film, helping us have a greater effect on the target audience with our thriller opening.

For this question we can see that people would prefer a dark forest to be used in a thriller rather than any other setting, this is better for us as forests are easily accessible, helping us have a greater effect on the audience.

How does the opening sequence of 'Halloween' inform the audience of the conventions of a thriller film? - Miss Georgiou

The opening sequence of a film is the first part of the film that any viewer would see, this means that it should have to interest the viewer to watch the rest of the film, set the scene and to give an idea of a narrative, these are the whole purposes of an opening sequence. In the 'Halloween' opening sequence it shows a teenage girl and boy, going up to her bedroom, the male then leaving, and then someone goes into her room and stabs her, it is then made apparent that her younger brother had committed the murder. During this, it begins to inform the viewers of the conventions of a thriller film.

One way in which the film shows the conventions of a thriller film is through the use of cinematography, they use a variety of camera angles to show different effects. One camera angle used is POV, this is used when the killer is approaching the victim, the teenage girl, this lets the viewer see the sequence from his perspective. As he lurks around the house looking inside the windows, picking up the knife from the kitchen and then slowly approaches the bedroom, this implies to the audience that something bad is going to happen because it is building up the suspense in the scene, a key element in the thriller genre as well as a key convention in a thriller genre. Another camera angle used is the zooming out at the end of the scene, revealing that the boy is the killer and also revealing the whole of the setting, this can also represent that something bad has happened inside the house. This could also imply that something had taken control of the boy, this can be inferred from the fact that the POV angle was filmed from the perspective that it was an adult, the long shot then goes onto reveal that the young boy had committed the murder, shocking the audience at how someone so young could so something like that, shock being a key convention in a thriller, and then creating the enigma of why he would do such a thing, making them want to watch on to find out why, another convention of a thriller.

The sequence also displays conventions of the thriller genre through the use of editing, one way in which they do this is by changing the timing of the shot, this is used when the killer makes his way up the stairs, by making the scene slower this builds up the element of suspense, a convention of a thriller genre. This is because the viewers can sense that something bad is going to happen from the previous events, but as the timing of the scene is used as he goes up the stairs it begins to build up to the murder as there is now nothing from stopping him from murdering the teenage girl, really building up the suspense within the viewer.

The sound in the sequence also helps inform the audience of the conventions of a thriller film, one way in which it informs is by the use of parallel sound. The teenage girls scream being emphasised as she is stabbed, this shows the pain that she is feeling and shows the viewer the brutality of the killer, creating the enigma to think who could do such a horrible thing, shocking the viewers, a convention of the thriller genre. Another use of sound is contradiction sound, this is used when the killer is finally approaching the bedroom and the teenage girl can be heard humming a happy tune, showing that she is in a good mood, contradicting the whole sequence as the viewers can tell that she is about to be killed. From this we can infer that she is clueless to what is going to happen, showing that she is innocent, this portrays the victim convention of the thriller genre.

The sequence is build up upon the narrative, creating an enigma from the very beginning of the scene, caused by the fact that we don't know who the killer is because of the POV camera angle, this entices the viewer to watch on to see who it is and what they are going to do. There is also the factor that it seems the mask takes over the killer, once the teenage male has seemingly mocked the mask the killer then goes onto kill the teenage girl once he has put the mask on, which could show that he has been taken over by the mask, this also begins to show that the mask has some resemblance in the film and could come into light later on in the film, showing another convention of the thriller genre, iconography. The audience can begin to build up a fear for when the killer has the mask on, knowing that whenever he has the mask on that he is going to do something bad.

Another way in which the sequence informs the audience of a thriller film are through the representation of the characters. Showing the parents as confused at the end of the sequence to why, what seems like there son, has a knife covered in blood in his hand. It also displays a stereotypical young teenage couple, oblivious to the killer and what is around them, and a child as the killer, showing that even though he looks small and innocent he has a dark side shown by the murder he committed. Another representation used of the killer is the fact that he is wearing a clown outfit, this is used because clowns are a common fear of people, this is used to involve the audience and build up a fear by using something that they are already scared of

Overall there are many conventions used in the clip for example a young, blonde, innocent and attractive victim, a child (the killer), a dark isolated setting, you can see there are no houses beside it at the end as the long shot reveals the scene in an American suburb, which gives the viewer a false sense of security. More conventions used are an enigma, the use of suspense, shock, blood and violence. With each of the conventions use having an effect on the audience.

From this, I can conclude that the conventions used in the sequence all have there own effect on the viewer and do this effect well, clearly informing the audience of the conventions of a thriller film from the very beginning.

Inspirations for Opening Scene - Miss Miller

Throughout the research, I have analysed the various techniques used in a thriller clips, because of this I think that certain aspects of the thriller clips can inspire me to include them in my very own thriller opening. We need inspirations in order to give us ideas, and to better them.

For the element of sound in our thriller opening, I analysed a clip from the 2007 remake of the original 1978 thriller 'Halloween' looking at a scene where Michael Myers, the killer in the film, escapes from the mental institute he is being held in. We have taken inspiration from this clip in the form of soundtrack, which successfully builds up the suspense until the point of action, this sound track starts as soon as his name is heard, we are going to use this very same technique in ours, making sure that the sound track starts playing as soon as the killer is seen in the scene.

When researching editing styles I looked at the film 'The Human Centipede', this demonstrated the use of straight cut in order to create tension and give more than one perspective in a scene, this was effective during the chase scene. Due to this, it inspired us to use straight cuts during our chase scenes, as this speeds up the scene, which then creates tension in the scene which is a vital element which is going to be used in our thriller sequence.

We also got inspirations from researching the conventions in a clip from the film 'Scream'. Where a masked killer named 'Ghostface' chases after the victim through a house, this is where our group got the inspiration for the use of a masked killer, this is a key convention in the thriller genre. By using a masked killer you can begin to create an enigma around the killer themselves, by having the identity hidden, the viewer becomes more intrigued in the identity of the killer, which then leads them to be more interested in the film.

When looking at cinematography I looked at the clip from the film SAW, this used a lot of mid shots, this shots revealed a lot about the location that the character is in, however still allows the audience to see the emotions on the actor is showing. This is one of the most often used camera angles and works well, this then inspired us to use it in  our thriller film as it can effectively allow the audience to see the expressions on our victims face, and still shows the background of the scene.

Another micro-element I looked at was the mise-en-scene from again the film SAW, this showed the use of setting, th

Research into Sounds in Thrillers - Miss Miller

In this essay I shall explore the use of different sound techniques used, what effect they have on the audience and how they relate to the conventions of a thriller film. I shall be analysing a clip from the 2007 remake of the original 1978 thriller 'Halloween', this clip shows how Michael Myers, the murderer from the film, escapes from the mental institute he is being held in.

At the beginning of the scene there is a non-diegetic sound added in to the film, this is the calm and simple soundtrack being played before the phone is picked up. This implies to the audience that the situation is under control and everything is well, this relates to the thriller genre as there is always calm before the storm, meaning that there is always a plot twist and something bad is going to happen, this begins to build the element of suspense within the scene. The music then stops as soon as the warden picks up the phone, this implies that something has interrupted the calm situation that was present, because of this the viewer can begin to think that something has gone wrong or is going to go wrong, with the silence initialising the start of what is going to happen. As soon as the name 'Michael Myers' is mentioned, the non-degetic sound then kicks in again however this time with a sinister tone, this reveals to the viewer the sinister character that Michael Myers is, and the viewer can begin to build a fear for this character themselves. This relates tot he thriller genre as it begins to build up suspense in the scene. These sounds can be heard from 0:00 to 00:58.

During the clip at 1:04, another non-diegetic sound can be heard, this time it is a deep and dark soundtrack used when he is walking down the corridor as he is being escorted to his cell. This sound again reveals more of the character to the viewer, again building upon the already existing fear of  Michael Myers. The sound used is also very repetitive, again the viewers get a sense that something is building up and that something is going to happen, building the suspense within the clip, a typical convention in the thriller genre. This sound is played up until 1:43, when the prison guard opens one of the doors.

During the film there is also the use of diegetic sound, this is the sound of Michael's chains as he walks through the corridor, this emphasised as the sound of his chains are clear and above the sound of the non-diegetic soundtrack being played. They have put emphasis on this because it shows clearly that Michael is locked up, but then begins to imply that he is evil as the viewers begin to wonder why he has so many chains on him and what he would have done to cause the use of so many chains, this is an enigma, another stereotypical convention of the thriller genre. This can be heard from the beginning of the corridor scene at 1:04 until the point where Michael stops moving at 1:50.

Again there is another non-diegetic sound used however this time it is used as a sound effect. This can be heard at 2:18 to 2:22, during the fight scene. The sound effect used when Michael is smashing one of the guard's heads up against the wall, with the sound effect putting emphasis on the sound of his head hitting the wall. By putting emphasis on this it shows the viewers the brutality of Michael, and reveals more of the mysterious character, this also brings a sense of excitement into the scene as well as tension, as the villain is escaping.

Overall from this essay I have discover that the use of non-diegetic sounds is an important factor in building the suspense within a thriller, it is also used within thrillers so that some scenes have a greater effect on the audience, for example without the use of non-diegetic sound in the beginning of the clip when the guard recieves the call, it would of had little to no effect on the viewer. Due to this I believe that I should use non-diegetic sounds in my own thriller clip in order to enhance the effects on the audience.

Research into the history of Thriller Films - Miss Georgiou

Research into the history of Thriller films

Introduction

Films which belong to the Thriller genre are films uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements (reference from Wikipedia). Thriller films often create these elements by using conventions typical to the genre, for example having a chase scene where the victim is chased by the killer, usually masked, and gets away, this creates the element of tension and excitement.

Thriller film timeline

1920s-1930s - In 1928 the first ever thriller film was released, a time when films were still black and white, as well as silent. Named 'The Lodger' the film was directed a Alfred Hitchcock, about a serial killer named 'The Avenger', who was murdering blonde women, meanwhile a landlord has a unusual acting lodger, who only goes out on foggy nights and has a picture of a blonde women in his room. Right from the first ever thriller film we can see the initial thriller conventions being used, a blonde female victims, a mysterious killer and an enigma. Alfred Hitchcock then went onto being dubbed the 'Father of Thrillers', directing many classic thriller films. He then directed a thriller named 'Blackmail', this was not only his first film with sound but notably the first British film to use sound. There were many other British directors making thriller films, including Walter Forde, Victor Saville, George A. Cooper and Michael Powell.

1940s

During this period Hitchcock began to thrive in the thriller genre, releasing Oscar award winning 'Rebecca', and 'Foreign Correspondent' in 1940. However his first well known thriller film was 'Suspicion', which largely focused on the relationship between a married couple, this was the start of a new sub-genre, named 'psychological thrillers'.

1950s
Hitchcock began this period with another classic, named 'Strangers on a Train', where as the title implies two strangers meet on a train and trade murderers, with one wanting his wife murdered in order to marry another woman, and one stranger wanting his father murdered, this introduced that there could be more than one bad person in the film and also introduced the use of more than one perspective. Other non-Hitchcock thriller films included 'Niagara' directed by Henry Hathaway featuring Marilyn Monroe as the wife who plans to murder her unstable husband. The majority of thriller films released in this period are crime based, and often contain a conflict between a married couple.

1960s
The 1960s saw the release of one of Hitchcock's greatest films, 'Psycho', this combined the aspect of previous thrillers, using shock, an intelligent story line, and strong emotions between the characters. The film is about a woman who stays in a motel owned by a male, who is being controlled by his mother, however one of the most famous scenes in the movie is the shower scene where the mother murders the female, with the use of over 50 cuts and over 70 camera angles involved, it has been named a masterpiece by many.

1970s - 1980s
This period saw the end of Hitchcock's directing days, with his last thriller being released in 1976 named 'Family Plot'. However during this period there was the release of Steven Spielberg's 'Duel', about a travelling business man being chased down the roads by a crazed truck driver, meanwhile exploring the travelling business man's life, this gained a cult following. This time period also saw the increase of violence used in the thriller genre, and because of this it sparked more exciting and extreme narratives used in the films.

1990s - Present
During this period there was a strong theme of obsession in many of the thriller films released, for example, 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' featuring Matt Damon and Jude Law, and 'Malice' featuring Alec Baldwin and Nicole Kidman. However this period also saw the increase in detectives hunting down a serial killer. This theme was used in the Picture Winning Thriller 'Silence of the Lambs' directed by Jonathan Demme, about a detective who seeks the advice of a imprisoned serial killer in order to catch another.

The most successful thriller film ever made was 'Hannibal', making a total lifetime gross of $165 million dollars. The film is set after the film, 'The Silence of the Lambs', where Staring attempts to catch Lecter before his surviving victim captures and kills him. The reason it could be the highest grossing was because it is a sequel of an already a very successful film, therefore audiences would wish to go and see it to find more out about the killer, this could be why it was so successful. The film was aimed at teenagers as it was highly promoted in the media, something that teenagers are interested in and would therefore go to see the film.

The second most successful thriller film made was the prequel to Hannibal, 'Silence of the Lambs', this was the first out of the two films, grossing at $130 million overall, the plot follows a detective looking for the advice of a serial killer, Hannibal Lector, in order to find another serial killer 'Buffalo Bill', I believe the film was so successful because of the interesting plot, something which had not been done before, therefore interesting audiences. The target audience being the same as Hannibal, however because of the more complex plot it easily attracts older audiences.

Another one of the most succesful thriller film series is the SAW series, making an overall gross of $230 million, the series follows a character called 'Jigsaw' who places people in traps for various reasons thinking they would imporve them, trying to show them the importance of life, these traps being very gory. This series done so well because of that fact that the plot is interesting however the gore side of the films interested, because its something they don't see everyday. This is also very successful because of the wide target audience, aimed at young teenagers to younger adults, whereas the gore side of the films would not interest older audiences.

Summary
From this research I can see that over the years, even though the themes of the thriller films have changed, for example a wife wanting to murder her husband and vice versa, to detectives hunting down serial killers, the main objectives of the thrillers has remained, with them all using the elements of surprise, tension and excitement. I have also realised that the themes used in each year of the thriller films are themes which can relate to the person watching the film, for example there was a lot of domestic abuse around the same time as the theme of husband murdering his wife and vice versa, I believe this has been done in order for the viewers to relate to the film even more, and begin to feel the character's fear.

Research into Conventions of the Thriller Genre - Miss Miller

There are many conventions used inside the thriller genre, in this essay I will explore the use of different conventions of a film from the thriller genre, I shall be using a clip from the film "Scream". I chose this clip as it clearly portrays conventions of a thriller, and uses them well in the clip.

One convention used in the clip is a chase scene, this happens once the male is murdered, the killer then proceeds to chase the female around the house. This is used often in films which belong to the thriller genre as it brings the element of excitement into the scene, this is because the viewer never knows whether she is going to get away, she is then chased to a dead end which builds the tension within the scene as the viewer would then believe that she is going to be killed, this is then followed by her falling from roof. This is when the viewers really think that she is going to die, she then falls onto a boat with a cover on top which stops her fall. This is a good use of the chase scene convention.

Another convention used in the clip is masked killer, this is often used in thrillers as it hides the identity of the killer, making you want to watch more in order to find out who the killer is and as the film progresses what his motive is, bringing a sense of enigma to the film. It also lets the viewer engage with the film because the fact that it could be anyone behind the mask, even someone they knew, making them more involved in the film.

The third convention used in the clip is the use of an isolated/dark location, we can see this at the end of the clip where the female is hanging out of the window and then falls. By using the isolated location this creates the sense that the character is helpless because there are no other houses and etc nearby. It also creates the sense that she cannot escape because there is nothing nearby, this would give the viewer the impression that she is going to die, therefore creates tension as the viewer wants the female to escape.

The fourth convention used in the film non-diegetic sound, this is again used throughout the scene. Non-diegetic sound is sound which is not part of the film, in this instance is it the sound track played throughout the scene. During the chase scene the music builds up as the chase progresses, because the music is building it makes the reader feel that something is going to happen, it keeps on building until the female escapes onto the roof. This when the music dies down but is still playing, this leaves the viewer in suspense as they definitely know something is going to happen. The music then bursts out as the killer grabs her hands through the windows, this would shock the viewer even though they knew it was going to happen. This brings the element of shock into the clip, however without the music they would not be able to use the shock to its full effect.

From the conventions used, I believe that the use of a soundtrack is used well in this clip as it without the sound track the element of suspense, action and tension would have been alot harder to create without it. I believe by that using the sound track that it has a much greater effect on the viewer, because of this I would take this onboard when making my own thriller opening. However during the clip

Research into Age Certificates and the BBFC - Miss Georgiou

The BBFC

The BBFC, which stands for British Board of Film Classification, is an organisation funded by the film industry which is the responsible for the classification and censorship of films in the UK. Before the film is released, the BBFC have to watch the film through in order to give it an age rating, and an insight telling the viewers something about the film which may make them not want to watch it. There are seven different classifications in which every film in the UK falls into, each film is given a certificate, this determines which age they find appropriate to watch the film. This is in order to protect younger people from watching certain content.

One of the seven certificates is "U", this stands for universal and means the film is suitable for everyone over 4, however it is impossible to predict what can upset a child at such a young age, because the U is made for four and over some films are given the special BBFCinsight which says the film is suitable for 4 and under, for example Teletubbies and In The Night Garden, however they are still given the U certificate.

The second of the seven certificates is the "PG" certificate, this stands for parental guidance, this is given to films suitable for general viewing except some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. They should not upset children 8 and over. Some films are given "PG" however are not made with younger audiences in mind, except all of the content in the film are suitable for audiences of eight and over.

The 12a certificate is given to films, this certificate is only used in cinemas, this is used for films the BBFC find unsuitable for very young people. This means people under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult of at least the age of 18 throughout the whole film, although they recommend that you should be 12 to watch. Anyone over the age of twelve are allowed to watch the film unaccompanied.

There is also a 12 certificate given to films however they are only used for home entertainment, for example DVDs. The majority of 12a films in the cinema are given the 12 certificate, as they have the exact same guideline rules, however are sometimes given a higher certificate because they have added content.

The fifth certificate is the 15, meaning no one under the age 15 can watch at the cinema, buy or rent the film. There is no theme prohibited in any 15 films and they can contain strong violence, frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal refences to violence, discriminatory language or behaviour, and drug taking, however the BBFC do not allow films to dwell on the details of dangerous behaviour as the harm it may cause to impressionable teenagers e.g. hanging, suicide and self harming.

The next certificate up is the '18' certificate, this means you have to be 18 or over to watch it, meaning that you need to be an adult in order to watch it. Consequently there are no themes prohibited, some adults may even find some of the themes touched in the work offensive. Films with the 18 certificate can have the use of very strong violence, frequent strong language, strong portrayals of sexual activity, real sex, discriminatory language and behaviour, aswell as strong horror, blood and gore. The only things which are cut from films with the 18 certificate is material that could damage the public's morals e.g. promoting drug use and making rape look appealing, the material is in breach of criminal law or explicit sexual scenes which cannot be justified by context. For example the SAW series of films were given tghe 18 certificate because they are strong horrors, having a lot of gore and blood, as well as strong violence.

We are going to make our thriller opening have the 15 rating, this is because it means more people can watch it, making the film more availible for the target audience. Also our sequence will not include the content in order to make it an 18 rated film. However it will contain brief strong language and implications of strong violence.

Research into Cinematography - Miss Miller

In my essay I will be discussing cinematography in thrillers and  how each camera angles portrays the different conventions of the thriller genre and how it does this. Cinematography is the art of motion pictures, this includes the shooting and development of the film. I shall be analysing a clip from the film 'SAW', I have chosen this clip as I believe it shows the stereotypical conventions of a thriller, suspense, shock, and surprise.


It begins to show conventions of a thriller at the very beginning of the clip, it does this by using a mid shot, inside the shot you get a good view of the man's facial expressions which look shocked, also you get to see the background behind giving you a slight hint to the environment he is in, which is gloomy and covered in pictures however you cannot see what is on them. This already begins to build up suspense as the viewer can see the sense of shock on the man's face which lets you begin to picture what he can see, it also builds suspense by not letting the viewers able to see what is on the images.

In the clip, an eye level shot is then used as he explores more of the room he is in, this gives the viewer a point of view sense and reveals more of the setting in which he is in. This lets the viewer see the rest of the room which he is in, still not giving any clues away about the scene, this enables the viewers to feel the male's fear as you can see as much as he can. This helps build up the suspense within the scene as you can't see ahead of him and as the tension builds up the audience know that something is going to happen, this is a convention of the thriller genre.

Throughout the clip a handheld shot is used, this gives the viewer the effect that he is being watched/followed throughout the whole of the clip. By doing this it implies that the male you're watching is the victim, this then leads the viewer to expect something to happen to him, however as you watch him explore the dark setting you have no idea what will happen to him and when it will happen. This builds on the already existing suspense created in the clip, a convention of a thriller film

During the clip a close up is used when the doll appears, this close up shows the doll and part of the office chair that he is sitting on. This is used so the viewer concentrates on the doll, showing that it could be symbolic later on in the film, this almost instinctively creates a fear for the doll as it is used as a shock. The use of iconography is a typical convention of a thriller film as it is used to scare the viewers, for this instance it is a doll and could scare the viewers as anyone could own a doll and it is used to shock in this scene.

I believe the angles and shots used in the clip are all used to help create the convention of suspense in the film, I believe they all succeed in this as they all allow the viewer to feel the fear of the character, and create the atmosphere of suspense, this is the reason I chose to analyse this clip over others.