Guidance for Thriller Questions

VERTIGO (1958) - Opening Sequence Analysis

PART ONE: Titles


PART TWO: Rooftop Chase


KEYNOTE:


DOCUMENT:

Thriller Conventions

The following is a list of thriller conventions. Use it to both to create your own sequence and analyse existing ones, remembering that different films will use different conventions in different ways............:

Thriller Conventions.

A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder, but not necessarily).
A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions.
A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved.
A protagonist who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist.
Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.
Themes of identity.
Themes of mirroring.
Themes of voyeurism.
Protagonist with a ‘flaw’ which is exploited by the antagonist.
Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonist’s psychological state.
There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril.
Mise en scene which echoes/ mirrors the protagonist’s plight.

Evaluation Questions

Evaluation Questions

The following questions must be answered in your evaluation PowerPoint:

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
7. Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

*IMPORTANT* Health & Safety for FILMING

Important Health and Safety information for when you are out filming:

• Remember that although you might be concentrating on your filming, you still need to be aware of traffic.
  
• Always be polite and respectful when interacting with the public.
  
• Do not attempt to film anything which could be construed by a passer by as illegal.
  
• If you are going to try and film in a public place, you should approach the people who are in charge of that place for permission.
  
• Do not film in dangerous places.
  
• If you encounter problems, ring the college on 01223 507400 and ask reception to be put through to Media Studies.
  

What should I be doing outside lesson times ?

This project will not be a success for you, unless you do some work outside of class time. Here are some suggestions:

1. Watch all the material here and note down points of interest, uploading your points as posts to your group blog
2. search the web for material about thrillers and other examples, e.g. on youtube; again create links or paste videos/pics/film posters etc into your blog
3. have a look on the web for visual ideas in any kinds of text- photos of props, costumes, facial expressions, locations,fonts, anything that you might use- paste these into your blog as a kind of planning/ideas scrapbook/sketchbook
4. Use a digital camera or your phone to take some recce shots of locations and upload these to your blog. if you are doing it via the college computers, make sure you have the right connector with you (for G8 eMacs), though bluetooth will work in G5 and G7!

ALL THE ABOVE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO PLANNING MARKS- so well worth doing!

5. start writing your essay- instructions are on moodle and will also appear below. It is very straightforward and follows the same formula as the Kids Tv project. Meeting the deadlines and improving your drafts contributes to your marks, so its worth doing!

6. Watch some thrillers to get ideas of what works and what doesn't- particularly lots of opening sequences for what is used in titles and for conventions of film openings. Listen to soundtracks and consider how to set up mood through sound.
7. Sketch storyboard frames ready for the animatics and so you have the maximum amount of planning of your shots ready for when you go out with the camera.

8. Work out when you can do the shoot as you will need to be well organised and ready
9. You will be shooting the sequence outside college in the group's own time anyway

10. Ask other people to look at your ideas, your blog and your writing- parents have often seen a surprising number of useful films! they might even be prepared to be in your film...

Working off-site

Please ensure that if you work offsite during college time:

You do not miss other lessons!
You behave sensibly and safely!
You do not annoy any members of the public
That if you are asked not to film somewhere, you move on !

Please note that you are not allowed to film on the Addenbrookes site without prior permission from their communication office

Thriller Project 2008 Finished!!!

Yesterday and today sees the end of the Thriller Project 2008.

Here they are...

Hurtwood House Thrillers

Check out Hurtwood House's AS Thrillers....

Storyboarding with The Big Lebowski

Surface

Negative (Student Thriller - 2007)

Derilium Tremens (Student Thriller - 2007)

36 (Student Thriller - 2007)

The Reckoning (Student Thriller - 2007)

Easy Target (Student Thriller - 2007)

Fugue (Student Thriller - 2007)

Face Off (1997)

Panic Room (2002)

Casino Royale (2006)

Vertigo (1958)

Se7en (1995)

Memento (2000)