Character Profiles

In the opening of our film, only two characters are involved. Here are their character profiles:

Hannah, is playing the role of our female in the opening of the film.
Playing the young, and in her position, vulnerable girl.
Having a sense of weakness and defencelessness, but adapting this to be more contemporary with the fact she put up a struggle in the situation. That she's powerful and determined enough to attempt escape than accept defeat.

Hannah was brilliant in her willingness to listen to what we wanted to create and help with shaping her movements to appear natural while the lighting and camera angle still worked in the shot.
Being a friend of ours, Hannah was someone we could easily get hold of and was reliable in terms of fitting in with the filming time schedule we had.

In the opening to our short film, Robert played the role of the male character.
For costume; able to supply us with a business-like shirt, tie, shoes, trousers and suit-coat.
The look created with the costume is just what we wanted. Even the small, specific details of the shoes creating the right diegetic sound when we recorded down the alleyway.
We had easy access to all the locations; it was easy to match our schedule with Roberts. Ensuring we had enough time to do run-throughs; testing everything out before filming properly, in the daylight. Then arranging to film with darker lighting, before it got too dark for the cameras.
As Robert is my Father, he was a reliable member of the cast. It was also easy to explain and run him through our ideas before commencing filming.

Storyboard

This is the storyboard for the opening of our thriller.

Including descriptions as well as basic images we would like to create when filming:

Also, these are the main shots in our film; analysis of Mise-En-Scene, Location, Lighting, Scene Content, Character Movement, Soundtrack, Transitions and Camera Angles:

Shot List

After altering our decision with the opening of our thriller. This is the developed overview of the Shot List:

Candidate Information on screen - Sound-bridge of footsteps.

Fades to black, extreme close-up on her eyes opening.

Cuts to man; low angled close-up of his feet walking down the alleyway.

Cuts to woman; looking around in confusion, panicked, testing the door, but it’s locked.

Cuts to man; his hand by his side as he walks, clenches his fist.

Transitions to woman’s fist hitting against the door.

Cuts to man; straightening his tie as he walks down the alleyway.

Cuts to woman; slamming the side of her body against the door.

Cuts to man; walking down the driveway of the house.

Cuts to woman; a high-angled over-the-shoulder shot of her resting her head against the door.

She slams her hand against the door, looking up at the sound of the opening front door.

Then hear the sound of a light switch, the light entering through the bottom of her door.

Cuts to man; an over-the-shoulder shot sees him looking at the door, camera turns with him.

He walks towards the door.

Cuts to woman; Leaning closer to the door again, intrigued, hopeful.

Cuts to man; wider shot, of him squatting down in front of the door. Zooms into him.

Split screen; pans to side, revealing her, both in similar positioning, facing each-other, split-screen.

Cuts to black.

Door creaking sound over black screen. Title revealed.

In another format; this is our Shot List which will be useful for the characters in reference to the shots they appear in:

Mood-Board Mind-Map

This is a Mind-Map Mood-Board, showing images of our own as well as other intertextual reference images we gained inspiration from or relate to the shot we'd like to create.
Focusing around features of Lighting, Characters, Camera Angles and Lighting:

Case Study: Animal Kingdom

This is my Case Study of the film Animal Kingdom.

Thriller Conventions:

After watching the film, the classic thriller conventions that are used include:

The constant link back to the families criminal nature, drug taking and killing, reminding the audience of what 'J' is having to live amongst.

Right at the beginning of the film, J's mother dies, his emotionless and numb reaction to having to deal with it immediately sparks the audience's interest in the character. Questioning if he's able to calmly deal tithe situation or just didn't have an emotional attachment to his mother, or if the scene was just too traumatising for him to be able to express any sort of emotion.
This highlights the dangerous world he's having to survive in, people being killed around him. Yet he must try and escape and survive every time.

The world J lives in is almost animalistic. The family unit are torn apart by their survival instinct. Being wary towards each-others motives. Working against the police force constantly, yet having to encounter them. Even in the title 'Animal Kingdom' the idea of hierarchy and food chain is what the characters are living in. The aim to survive and be the 'Top Dog.'

The use of sound bridge, connects scenes of the film, allowing the viewer to anticipate the next scene; building tension to what may occur.
The soundtrack is, in my opinion, one of the really essential factors which makes this film so spectacular to watch.
The use of the non-diegetic soundtrack, where limited or no diegetic sound is used, creates a completely different tone to what it would be visually. In the scenes of J's Uncles being arrested and finding his dead girlfriends body amongst rubbish, the non-diegtic soundtrack has an eerily calming sound, contrasting the emotional scenes.
The soundtrack complimenting the action, building intensity of the sound matching the audiences excitement for the thrill of the action.

Case Study: The Third Man

This is my Case Study on 'The Third Man.'

Thriller Characteristics

Case Study: Psycho

Case Study on the Alfred Hitchcock film: Psycho.

Soundtrack Intertextual References

My Case Study on Soundtrack Intertextual References between 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' and 'Kill Bill 2.'