Planning - Titles

This section of the blog is all about the titles that will be used during the opening sequence of the thriller film. When choosing which titles to use, it is important that we do not just think about who is credited with making the film but we also think about the position of the titles on the screen, the font of the titles and the colour of the titles. 

Below is a list of the titles that should appear in the opening sequence and the order of the titles:
1) The name of the company that is bringing the film to the audience. For example, MIH Productions presents...
2) The name of the production company should appear first of all to tell the audience who the film has been made by. For example, A Friday Night Production
3) The next titles that appear will be those of the people starring in the film. For example:

• Rebecca Eloise
• Melissa Hogg
• (The first two names appearing in the list are those of me and my sister who are appearing in the film) 
• Jonathan Stevens
• Caroline Anderson
• Steve Harold 

4) The next title is that of the person responsible for the casting - Casting by Peter Hayworth
5) The next title is the designer of the costumes - Costume Designer - Kate Daniels
6) The next title is the person responsible for the music - Music by Danielle Redford
7) After the music comes the person responsible for the editing - Editing by Melissa Hogg
8) The next title is the director of photography - Director of Photography - Harry Kenneth
9) After the director of photography, the executive prodcuers are listed - Executive Producers - Tina Marshall, Harry Kenneth
10) Then the person responsible for the screenplay appears - Screenplay by Chris Lewis
11) The penultimate title is the director - Director - Melissa Hogg
12) The final title is the name of the film. This flashes onto the screen - Intruded       

Position of the Titles
From looking at old pieces of work, the position of the titles on the screen is important. So that the shots in the opening sequence are not covered up or the quality of them is not compromised, it would be best for the titles to appear at the edge of the screen. They will fade onto the screen so they appear calm. This is a contradiction to the film itelf which is centred around a very tense situation.

Colour of the Titles
The titles will need to stand out on the screen so white would be the best option. This means that the titles would be obvious on the screen and would not obscure the view of each shot.

Font 
The font of the titles will need to relate to the thriller genre. So, the font of the titles will need to be something quite unusual. Below are ideas for the font that could be used for the titles:

Yu Gothic - 

Times New Roman -

Segoe UI Black -

Planning - Filming Schedule

The filming of this opening sequence needs to be at a good time for both me and others acting in my project. As my sister and I are the only two actors in the project, it means that it will be easier to decide on a suitable time to film Below is the schedule for filming that I plan to follow. This will make the filming process efficient and organised. 

Planning - Risk Assessment

There are many risks involved in filming an opening sequence to a thriller film because if it involves a weapon, there is a chance that someone acting in the film could be unexpectedly hurt. Below is a table of all the possible risks that could be involved in the filming of this opening sequence and how they could be solved.

Planning - Storyboard

Now that I have decided on the narrative for the opening sequence, I can put together a storyboard of the different shots that will be used. Altogether, twenty different shots will be used to fill the recommended two/two and a half minutes of the opening sequence.

First side of storyboard:

Second side of storyboard:

Third side of storyboard:

Fourth side of storyboard:

 

Planning - Location Recce Shots

This section of the blog shows where the final project for this coursework will be filmed. By taking location recce shots, it helps me - as the person who is filming the project - to organise the shots and see where the best angles to film would be. This is done so the filming process is efficiently done. The opening sequence will be filmed in the same house and will mainly be filmed in four rooms: living room, kitchen, downstairs hallway and upstairs hallway.

Living Room
The living room will be used in shots 2, 3, 5 and 7. This will be when the girl at home alone is watching television and then hears mysterious noises upstairs. I decided to use this room as it seems calm and an unexpected place for a burgalry to occur.
 

Kitchen
The kitchen will be used in shot 8 when we see the girl home alone heading into the kitchen to grab a weapon so she can investigate the strange noises upstairs. The kitchen is used because it is where the victim of the burglary goes to find a weapon to confront the burglar with upstairs. The victim grabs a frying pan and heads upstairs.

Downstairs Hallway
This is used in shot 9. This location is essential because the girl home alone becomes frightened when she hears unexpected noises upstairs. In this shot, she is heading up the stairs to go and see if anything or anyone is on the landing.

Upstairs Hallway
This is used in shots 4, 6, 10, 11 and 12. Shots 4 and 6 show close ups of activity on the landing. This location is important because it is the scene of the murder in shot 12. The victim confronts the burglar and this climaxes in the victim being murdered by the burglar. This location is where much of the action of the opening sequence takes place.
 

Planning - Actors

This section tells you about the actors that will be used in my final opening sequence. There will only be two actors in the opening sequence.

- My sister Rebecca will play the girl alone at home. As my sister will play the victim of the robbery in the project, I can focus on getting each shot of the opening sequence completely right so the finished project looks professional and organised.





 


- I will be playing the burglar in this project. As I am working solely on my own for this coursework, I believe it is important for me to be involved in as many aspects of the project as possible. These aspects are filming, acting and editing.

Planning - The Narrative

This narrative was number two in audience research when deciding which of my two narratives to do. This one was better received than number one because it is includes more suspense and tension.

A young girl is home alone, watching a film, while her parents are out at a friend's party. Halfway through the film, the girl hears a door slam upstairs. Thinking nothing of it, the girl turns the volume of the film up. A short time later, footsteps sound on the landing. This time, the girl jumps up from the sofa and wanting to protect herself, grabs a frying pan from the cupboard in the kitchen before venturing upstairs. As she reaches the landing and turns her head to see if anybody is there, a figure pushes her down and the girl loses the frying pan. The girl turns around and towering over her is the burglar. She tries to reach for the frying pan but the burglar steps on it. They then brandish a knife from their pocket and hold it over the girl. She stares at the knife, terrified. The final shot of the opening sequence is the burglar raising the knife and the last thing we hear is the girl screaming.

Planning - Brainstorm of Props and Costume

Here is the brainstorm for the possible props and costumes that could be used in the final project of my coursework. These costumes and props are ones that would most likely to be featured in films of the thriller genre.

Audience Research - Primary Research

Opinions On The Narratives
Currently, I have ideas for two narratives:


Narrative #1
The opening shot is a family party and everyone is happy. A man walks in and it is revealed that he is part of the family. Everyone greets him apart from one woman sat down and while the rest of the family talk, the man disappears inside and the woman follows him. While he is in the kitchen filling up a glass, the woman confronts him and says she knows that he murdered his girlfriend. The man places the glass down calmly and turns around. He towers over he and threatens her that if she tells anyone, he will come after her. She tries to run away and call the police. As she has her mobile phone in her hand, the man stabs her. Her mobile phone drops to the floor and the final shot is the bloody knife in the man's hand.

Narrative #2
A young girl is home alone, watching a film, while her parents are out at a friend's party. Halfway through the film, the girl hears a door slam upstairs. Thinking nothing of it, the girl turns the volume of the film up. A short time later, footsteps sound on the landing. This time, the girl jumps up from the sofa and wanting to protect herself, grabs a frying pan from the cupboard in the kitchen before venturing upstairs. As she reaches the landing and turns her head to see if anybody is there, a figure pushes her down and the girl loses the frying pan. The girl turns around and towering over her is the burglar. She tries to reach for the frying pan but the burglar steps on it. They then brandish a knife from their pocket and hold it over the girl. She stares at the knife, terrified. The final shot of the opening sequence is the burglar raising the knife and the last thing we hear is the girl screaming.

Here are the opinions of family and friends about which narrative they prefer:

After getting the opinions of my friends and family, I have decided to use narrative 2. I prefer this narrative to number 1 because the scenario starts as just a normal situation but quickly escalates into something that would not be expected. The close up of the girl's face at the end creates suspense as the audience begin to wonder whether she will be murdered or not by this burglar.