Planning for our final thriller film - Desperation

Thriller film planning - Desperation

Success criteria for final film:

When planning, creating and producing  our final thriller film there is a success criteria that we have to follow. The success criteria that we are following is:

• Have steady shots (unless planned otherwise)
• Use as many conventions as possible
• Use a variety of camera angles (to show creativity)
• Use a variety of transitions (to show creativity)
• Make sure the shots are framed appropriatley (only show what needs to be shown)
• Use the title success criteria when creating your titles
• Only use special effects for a reason
• Use continuity editing
• Show creativity in some way (auteur)
• Plan out every decision before you begin filming and editing
• Make your target audience very clear and make the film appeal to them

Editing success criteria:

• Use a variety of transitions (appropriatley)
• Use titles appropriatley (follow film title success criteria)
• Frame each shot carefully
• Edit so that meaning is clear and appropriate
• Have steady shots
• Variety of shot distances
• Sound is appropriate

Target audience

The target audience for our thriller film is going to be a 15. The reason for this is becuase if the film was an  18 then we would lose out on 3 year groups of people and we would lose out on money if this film was going to be shown in cinemas. Also, the film will be a 15 because you do not see any violence as when Sasha is going to kill her husband, it cuts to the titles. Also, you only briefly see blood so it is not too disturbing for 15 year olds. The blood on the floor and the knife are the most disturbing bits within the film, so 15 year olds would be able to watch the film because it doesn't get any worse than that. Also, this film is a pyschological thriller as it plays with you mind because it starts at the end of the film and works its way forward so you have to think when you are watching the film so 15 year olds could watch it becuase there is no violence and not a lot of blood. It is more to do with the mind.

Thriller ideas:

To make a successful thriller you want to show creativity and become an auteur so having this in mind we feel that we should have a woman blackmailer and killer as this is unconventional and you do not expect a woman killer. Also, we want to have the story going from the end of the film to the beginning so that the audience are not sure what is happening and become deeply involved within the film. Also we are going to stick to the conventions of a thriller by having the main character, Sasha, coming from a bad background so that it is a motive as to why she is killing her Husband and friends. However, we want to break a convention as the killer tries to get away from a life of crime although this does not work. We would also use a montage as in some thriller films the killer has pictures or newspaper clippings of their victims so by having this in our thriller film we are following the typical conventions of a thriller film. By having a police interview with the killer this follows conventions of a thriller film but you will not see the policeman interviewing Sasha. You will just see her in extremely dim lighting and will be a close up of her face.

Thriller summary:

The thriller is based on a woman called Sasha. She has had a bad upbringing as her mother was an alcoholic and her father left her. Her father left her because he could not stay with an alcoholic wife. As a result of Sasha’s mothers constant drug abuse she died when Sasha was only eight years old. When Sasha was in her teens she decided to run away from her foster home and found herself living on the streets. The only way she could survive was to become involved in a ring of violence and prostitution. At the age of twenty Sasha witnessed a child being thrown onto the streets by a young teen mum and since then she has wanted to turn her life around. She got a job at a restaurant where she met her husband Alex. Sasha thought her life was getting better but unfortunately for Sasha Alex was cheating on her with her sister and best friend. This aggravated Sasha so she decided to blackmail her husband, who was a wealthy accountant, so she could leave him and get as far away as possible. However, she cannot forget what her sister and best friend have done so to get her revenge she decides to kill them after a party and decides to poison them. Sasha doesn’t confront her husband about what she believes to be true. Instead she goes in a jealous rage and kills him which later resolves in her being caught and interviewed buy the police.

Detailed summary of what we will be filming in the opening:

Title sequence:

When the titles come onto the screen it will be a split screen and the names of the actors, Production Company etc… will be displayed in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. It will be in white writing as the background will be black. In the top left hand side of the screen the action will be displayed.

The action will be a montage of many different images ranging from dead bodies, photos, newspaper clippings and money. By showing the dead bodies the audience know straight away that in the film there will be a killer and victims. By showing the audience money they will automatically know that blackmail will be shown within this film and that the killings were all about money.

The titles will be in the standard order of film titles and the font will be a gothic font as it shows that this film is going to be a thriller film and is a very dark film. Also, a gothic font will be used because the main character has not had a very good childhood so she has not got a very stable mind. The music that we will be using will be very dark music and will sound a bit childish as well because this will show that it was her childhood that turned her into the killer she is today. The music will be played quietly underneath the voice over of Sasha being interviewed by a police officer. The titles will separate the story into different sections as for every title that is put on screen something else will be shown. There will be 12 different clips as there are 12 different titles. However, throughout all of the titles we will use a sound bridge and have the woman’s voice throughout the title sequence.

1. We will show Sasha being interviewed.
2. We will show a collage of photographs and newspaper clippings.
3. We will show Sasha being interviewed again.
4. We will show the women drinking together. Using Cinema Verite.
5. We will go back to Sasha being interviewed.
6. We will show the women dead on the floor.
7. We will show Sasha being interviewed.
8. We will show blackmail letters.
9. We will show Sasha being interviewed.
10. We will show Sasha holding a package.
11. We will show Sasha being interviewed.
12. We will show money in a big pile. This will be last as it shows the killings were all about money.

What else we will film:

After the titles have been shown we will immediately show the man’s dead body on the floor as the film starts from the end of the film. The camera is zoomed in on the dead body. The music is still being played from the title sequence but is much louder.

Then you see Sasha upstairs in her bedroom putting the knife and blackmail money into the bag. We hear Paul coming into the house. He closes the door and he shouts up “Honey I’m home….Where are you? I’ve missed you.” The camera stays on Sasha and she hurries up putting everything into her bag. She replies “Ok, I’m coming down now.” The camera follows Sasha walking down the stairs laughing and getting the knife out of her bag and you hear her husband say “Sasha what are you laughing at? Sasha love, what are you doing? Calm Down! Sasha!!!” It is now midday and Sasha is having a drink of Rum and starts writing a letter. Time has passed as the bottle of Rum is now empty and the curtains are closed. She speaks a part of what she is writing in the letter and looks at the camera and smiles. That is the end and the credits start.

Script:

Setting unknown as it is very dark and you can only see the face of Sasha.

Inspector: “So why did you kill him?”

Sasha: “Ha! Who said I killed him?”

Inspector: “Well lady there’s a dead body and you were the only person around. So care to explain?”

Sasha: “Well…if you were in my situation you would have done exactly the same. Are you married inspector?”

Inspector: “No.”

Sasha: “Then you have no idea. Being humiliated in front of friends and family.Being cheated on by a pig! That was the lowest moment in my life. That’s why I killed him.”

Sasha’s bedroom and Paul’s voice is heard downstairs.

Alex: “Honey I’m home...Where are you? I’ve missed you.”

Sasha: “Ok I’m coming down now.”

Sasha is now walking downstairs.

Sasha: “Hahahahaha.”

Alex: “Sasha what are you laughing at? Sasha what are you doing? Calm down! Sasha!!!”

In the kitchen writing a letter in the evening.

Sasha: “And that’s why I’m going to kill you.”

Setting:

The different settings will be:

The kitchen: Where Sasha kills Alex and writes the letter. Where the sister and best friend die and have drinks.

The stairs and hallway: Where you see Sasha approaching Alex.

The bedroom: Where Sasha is getting her things together.

A dark room: For the interview.

Props:

• Knife - We wanted to use a knife as it is a deadly weapon and when audience members see it they know a murder is about to happen. It is a typical convention of a thriller film.
• Money - Money is also a typical convention of a thriller film and we wanted to add it because we wanted to include a ransom. A woman wanting a ransom money is also unconventional which is what we wanted to also do as it will make us become autuers.
• Newspaper clippings - We added the newspaper clippings as we wanted to show that the woman has killed before, the sister and friend, and that she is likely to kill again.
• Rum bottle (full with water) - We wanted to show the woman drinking alcohol as it shows that she is not thinking straight and that her mind is not stable. It also shows the audience that when she is drinking she is ready to kill.
• Pen - the pen is for the wife to write the death note to the husband.
• Paper - is for the letter to be written on.
• Handbag - The handbag is for the wife to hide the knife and money in when she goes to kill her husband.
• Photographs - They are for the noticeboard and are to show the audience who the woman has killed and to show their dead bodies. It also shows the audience that she is likely to kill again.
• Notice board - The notice board is to put the images of the dead girls on and the newspaper clippings so that the audience know there is a killer on the loose.
• Fake blood - Is to show the audience that the husband is dead.

Character descriptions:

Sasha:

Sasha is a quiet woman as she’s had a terrible upbringing so she does not let herself get close to anyone. Sasha is 23 years old and has a job at the local restaurant serving tables. She dresses quite casually as she has never been able to afford very fancy clothes. She married Alex when she was 21 years old and has never been happier as he has completely changed her life. Sasha is a very cautious person as she was reluctant to become close to Alex to start with but after a while she started to trust him and has been happy ever since. Sasha wears a lot of make up as she tries to cover up her past as she is ashamed of what she used to do.

Alex:

Alex is a very well dressed man as he is an accountant and fell in love with Sasha one day when he was buying his lunch. Alex is 28 years old and has come from a very wealthy family. He is a happy man and always treats his wife like a princess. Alex has a sly side as when he met Sasha’s sister he fell in love once again. He started having an affair with her just months after the wedding. If that wasn’t bad enough Alex was also having an affair with Sasha’s best friend who also works with Sasha at the restaurant.

Shooting Schedule.

Bedroom.

Interview (Big close up)

Knife into bag (Medium shot of Sasha replying to husband and putting knife into bag)

Hallway.

Walking down stairs – 2 shots (high angle and low angle)

Kitchen1.

Husband shouting to Sasha (medium long shot)

The dead body (tilted angle zoom out to show body)

Washing Up (close up on Sasha washing knife, over the shoulder shot)

Licking Knife

Kitchen2.

Notice Board (zoom out from centre to show message)

Gathering scene (Cinema verite)

Camera Angles

Storyboard.

Research into Fake Blood.

Fake blood is used in theatrical performances and films when the director needs to show the audience that someone has been wounded etc. This gives the scene a dramatic effect as it looks a lot real blood and gives the performance realism. You could see this effect being used in Sweeny Todd, it is used when Todd slits peoples throats. The actors would have to have something attached to their neck so the blood could come out when the actor does the cutting action. Mainly golden syrup and food colouring make it and if you want to go for a more realistic effect you can add thickening agents such as peanut butter and cocoa powder. There is few health and safety aspects with fake blood such as making sure that if it’s the non-edible version the actors do not drink it.

Fake blood is important to thriller films even if your dont see the action itself, this is because it lets the audience know what has happened in the scene and creates an atmosphere that is desired for a thriller film.

Evidence of the filming and editing process

Below are a few pictures that show our editing process. The first three pictures are at the start of the editing process when we are cutting the movie clips to the right section. The first picture is the killing sequence, the second is the same except we are now watching the previous clip to make sure it is ok and the third is cutting the clip for the montage sequence and the ransom notice board.

The images below show our filming process and show that we both used the cameras. The first two pictures are of ourselves checking if we both like the shot and framing for a particular section. The other two images are showing the different angles we tried out to see if what the best angle would be for the putting the money in the bag sequnce.

Filming Notes.

Below I have included some scans  of  the fiilm planning. We have included these as it shows how we developed our ideas as we went along with the filming process, and helped us as we edited. It also shows how we decided to change some camera angles and lines in the script.

Possible music

Below is the Saw theme tune. We thought that we were going to use this in our thriller film as the piece of music makes the audience go on the edge of their seat and they wonder what is going to happen. However, for the section where we wanted the bit of music to go, at the begginning, it didn't fit very well as there was an interview taking place at the same time and the music was too over powering and didn't fit very well. 

Rihanna- S&M

We chose to use the song above by Rihanna as there is connotation behind the lyrics that match with our storyline and we believed it would be a good way to help the audience relate to the storyline. The lyrics that we thought went with the storyline go as follows:

Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it - This is because it can have an underlying meaning that she knows shes bad for killing the characters but she is good at murdering them.
Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it - This stands for her husband cheating with both of her best friends.
Sticks and stones may break my bones - This shows that she is hurt by what has happened to her with the cheating.
But chains and whips excite me - This shows that she gets a thrill out of the killings that she has commited.

We think the song goes nicely with the story and the scenes that we have used it with..

Emails

When we chose the music that we wanted to include in our final thriller film we needed to email the companies who had distributed the music so that we did not breach any of the copyright laws. The first image is of the email that we sent to the distributors of the music box piece of music that we use at the start of our film. The second image is of the email I sent to the Universal music group for Rhiannas' S&M song which is used briefly during our film. Then the third image is off the email we sent to ask if we could use the heartbeat music that is used frequently within our film. However, I have not yet had a reply from any of them.

 Possible locations

Below are a selection of images that show the possible locations that we were going to shoot parts of our thriller film. Underneath each image I will describe why we did not use the locations for our film.

As you can see from this image it is quite dark and is one of the reasons we didn't film there as you would not have been able to see the actors' faces. We were also thinking of using a garden as a possible location because it is conventional to thriller film and you sometimes see dead bodies there. The garden was going to be our murder scene.

We were thinking of using a hallway as a possible location to film because we could have had the dead body on the floor and the murderer walking out of the door with a blacked out face. We chose not to use this location as we wanted to have somewhere less conventional so that we could be autuers.

Alfred Hitchcock famously used a bathroom for the killing in Pyscho. So, one of our possible locations was going to be a bathtub as we thought it followed conventions of a thriller as it is set in a house and this is where you are supposed to be safe. However, you are not. We decided not to use the bathroom as a location becuase it had already been done very well and we wanted to be unique and have our own location for our killing.

Final storyboard

Although we have our first storyboard we wanted to add another one as we had made a lot of changes to our thriller film. To make these changes we needed to storyboard them. This is our final storyboard for our finished film. This storyboard shows our progression from when we first started our project to the end of our project.



As you can tell by looking at this storyboard to the previous storyboard for Desperation we have included a lot more shots and changed the ending of the film and the titles.

How we earnt our marks

To earn marks for our thriller film we made sure that we had:

• Variety of shot transitions
• Editing so that it is clear
• Had steady shots
• We had a variety of shot distances and angles
• Sound is appropriate to our film
• We became an autuer
• Used titles in a creative way
• We took on board comments and the film appropriatley. We took our audience feedback on board
• We sorted our sound out so that the dialogue could be heard in the Rhianna over the top of the interview sequence
• We also changed the messy match on action shot at the end of the film
• The mise en scene had to be appropriate to the set task
  
  
  Final thriller film - Desperation