Feedback from the whole class!

Negatives:

• music was a bit repetitive 
• titles could've been better/too long (could've been over the clips)
• Didn't understand story-line
• too much dialogue
• unclear plot
• Camera work could've been more sturdy 

Positives: 

• good use of sound effects
• use of dreams worked well
• Really good flash back effects
• Good amount of the shots and variety
• Text really good
• effective editing 
• music suits the genre
• good variety of locations
• music built tension
• Meets conventions of thriller - makes the audience ask question 
• good story-line and transitions
• The black and white effects were good

Screen Shots

Screen Shots

Final version of our thriller opening sequence

Plan for our next two lessons

During the next two lessons, we are going to be working on our sound for our opening sequence and then add it to our clip. We are also going to add the missing voice overs, to the clips. 

We will also combine some of the credits, to make it shorter, due to the length being to long for viewers. 

Response to comments.

Overall, we think the comments made were really good, which has boosted our confidence. especially  the fact that people understood when the dreams were,  which we took a long time over making that effect.

However, we mentioned that we knew we needed to add music, but all the groups still mentioned that we needed to do this.

Many of the groups mentioned that our credits at the start were too long, however we cannot add them to our clips due to the white background. however, to overcome the length, we are going to attach some of the credits together, e.g. Directed by, Lauren Day will be on the same page, instead of being separate. 

group 63

We all thought the flashbacks and the dreams worked really well because tit was quite easy to follow. We don't think there was enough music to the opening sequence which could of helped to make it more interesting. The props that were used were good and also need to have a bit more continuity to the piece. The camera shots were very good and also the transitions that were used worked very well and linked everything together.

Rough cut For Thriller Film feedback

• Good camera angles
• Music cuts off after credits
• Fade from shots which is good. Looks professional.
• Credits could be laid over the top of film. 
• More sound effects and speech. 
• narrative is unclear.

S1-66

- Dream sequence had a good use of effects, so the audience know that it was a dream.
- Good framing of the shots.
- Good story.

- Credits at the beginning took too long, either space them out, or overlay them on top of the clips.
- Some of the background sound was too loud.
- Some of the dialogue was too quiet.

comments on the video

Credits are all at the very beginning, and continue for quite a while. If something was going on in the background they would become more effective.
Music was good at the beginning as it set the tone of the scene. However, more music could be added later during the actual film.
Good use of camera shots, matches the thriller convention.
Props were appropriately used, such as the syringe, although it was a bit unclear as to whether the girl being dreamed about has killed herself, or has been killed.
Good effects when the shots flick to black and white, such as the transitions. And slight blur on the screen.

Rough Cut For Thriller Film

We know that we have to finish the soundtrack.
We know that we have to add the voice overs on phone calls of the person on the other end.

Our thriller in relation to the crime thriller film Se7en

Editing days

Monday 14^th February.

We as a group uploaded all our footage that we filmed onto the Mac computer, into final cut pro. We then watched all of our footage that we filmed and spoke about what clips are good and how we can edit and use them. As well as deleting any unwanted clips that will not be of any use.

Tuesday 15^th February.

We edited some of our footage together in order, using our storyboard to guide us. The first clip that we edited in was the shot of the detective’s equipment on the table, which we cut. We then added in the clip of the detective and Lauren lying in bed, which we did not need to cut, as the clip was fine as it was. We then added the fade in fade out transitions, between the two clips of the equiptment and then the bed. a dream effect was then created by adding a white flash of light, and changing the clip saturation to black and white, which we then used for all of the other dreams/ flashbacks.

Filming - Saturday 13th February.

On Saturday 12^th, we filmed all the outdoor scenes and the rest of the indoor scenes, as we started filming in the morning.

Our first shot that we filmed was the point of view shot, which would be one of the detectives walking up the stairs. We all, took turns on filming this shot using the hand held technique so we could get the best clip and angel of it and to allow us to have a variety of clips to choose from when editing.

Our next shot that we filmed was all the props around the bath, such as the syringes, which went all to plan. We also added in a few shots of the tap running and shots of a hand getting the needle ready, which will be part of the flash backs. We had to film this many times due to Lauren’s little brothers and sisters making noises in the background, but apart from that it all went to plan.

We then filmed Beth in the bath, who played the part of the Immersed Angel. We got Beth to put on some mascara and eyeliner to make her look more freaky and dead. This was shot 14 and 15, which went to plan and looked really good, especially with the makeup running down her face.

The outdoor scenes were filmed next; we did change this a little bit. Lauren did not have any flowers for Beth to pick, so we firstly filmed Beth walking around the tree and to the planned spot where she will stand. Followed by a shot of her standing in the planned spot and then a close up of her suddenly turning around, which looked really good.

Instead of filming the over the shoulder shot of the detectives talking, (due to not having the other detective) we got the un-professional detective to drive in his car and have a conversation with the other on his phone, saying that they will meet inside. Followed by a shot of the car driving to the house and then a long shot of the detective walking into the house. These were our last shots of filming, which went well.

Overall, despite our disruptions and changes that had to be made, our filming went well and we ended up with some shots, which we are very proud of, such as the close up of the Immersed angel, turning around.

Filming - Saturday 11th February.

On Friday 11^th, Kelly and Beth collected the film camera and tripod from the media office at 4:10 after college and met Lauren at the ping-pong table as planned. Instead of getting the bus to Stretham and then a lift to Wicken, Lauren’s mate Scott who was one of the male detectives gave us a lift to Lauren’s house, which was much easier as it allowed us to get back earlier and start filming earlier. As we were travelling back to Lauren’s we realised that we had forgotten our storyboard, which we had planned to follow when filming. So to overcome this problem, we managed to get up our uploaded version on blogger and look at it from there as well as using our memory.

That evening we filmed most of the indoor scenes because by the time we got home it was too dark to film the outdoor scenes. These consisted of all of the male detectives scenes.

We started off filming shot 2, which was of the detective in the bed sleeping. However, we realised that Lauren’s bed sheets were a little girly for a male detective, so Lauren lay in the bed beside our detective, Scott to make it look more natural. This is also a typical convention in thrillers, as the non-professional detective always has his girlfriend/wife in his bed with him, which works perfectly. We had to film this shot many times, due to Lauren & Scott’s constant giggling and when we realised that we did not have the phone in the shot on the bedside (which would not create continuity) we had to re-film it again.

We then filmed shot 1, which was off all the detectives equipment, such as his penknife, which is a typical prop used in thrillers. This shot went to plan and we shot a few clips of it just in case one did not look so good when editing.

We did not need to film shot 3, due to zooming in on the detectives face when filming the bed scene, which replaced the close up. So we moved onto the shot of the extreme close up of the detective’s eyes opening. This was difficult to film, as we had to get the camera at a high angel, so we used the hand-held technique, which at the time we thought went well. Until it come to editing and we realised it was a bit dark.

The next shot filmed was shot 6, which is a close up of the detectives phone ringing. Beth rang Kelly’s phone so the audience could identify that his phone is ringing. This shot went perfectly fine and we managed to film a few clips of it so we could have a variety to choose from when editing.

Shot 7 was our next shot that we filmed, which was of the detective lying in bed on the phone. However, we could only film one detective talking, as our other planned detective could not come due to personal reasons. Therefore, to overcome this problem, we got our detective, Scott to pause before talking and then say ‘Hello, hello’. Then when it comes to editing our footage, we will put a voice over, where there is a gap between the detective Scott talking, which will be the other detective talking.

Our next shot that we filmed was shot 8, which was a mid shot of the detective getting changed into his work clothes. We got him to put on a shirt and tie around his neck scruffily, so the audience can identify that he is the non-professional detective, which is a typical convention in thrillers. This went to plan and looked really good in our opinion.

The last shot that we filmed that evening was a reaction shot of the detective, when seeing the dead body in the bath, which did not exactly go to plan as Scott found it difficult to act a surprised face, so we had to do with what we got.

Location Recce

This location was the most suitable for our thriller because it was far away from any houses- isolated and had a long drive up to the house, which helped us to create a better atmosphere. the long drive also helped us create a helpless, lonely environment for the character.
However as the location had young children living there, it was harder filming without any background noise.

Test footage

The shots that we think worked well are the panning and close-up shots. However we will try and get a smoother pan. also the point of view shot created a good effect, but we need to make sure the shot doesn't go blurry. 
The long shot of Beth worked really well, however when we are filming the final footage we will add movement into that clip, showing the 'immersed angel' picking flowers, having her back to the camera, then she will swiftly turn around to shock the audience. 

Reflection on childrens film!

The three things we done well for our childrens film were:

1. We were very organised, as we remembered all apropriate props and followed each shot carefully using the right shots angles etc. 
2. We worked well together and had very good team work and split up all tasks evenly. 
3. We created a good film name, which was good for targeting our audience. 

The three things that we did not do so well in our childrens film were: 

1. We did film and create enough shots to fill up the 2 minutes
2. We had to redo a shot, which affected our effect that we were trying to create. 
3. All shots did not create continuity. 

Call sheet

Friday: 

All cast must report to the ping pong tables in long road, at 4:10, where we will travel by bus to Stretham, where we will get a lift to Wicken. 

The scenes that we will be shooting on this day inside Laurens house, therefore we will not encounter whether problems,.

Kelly will be in charge of remembering to bring all props for this day. 

We will be filming in the evening so bring warm clothes, such as a coat. 

Food and drink will be provided by Lauren at her house, which is the location where we will be filming.

All cast is sleeping at Lauren's house so bring sleepover stuff etc. 

We will start filming about 7:00pm until 10:00pm. 

Saturday: 

We will be waking up in Lauren's house, which is the location where we will be filming, so no traveling is needed. 

The scenes that we will be shooting on this day will be located outside.  

Again, food and drink will be provided by Lauren at her house, which is the location where we will be filming. 

We will start filming about 8:00am until 4:00pm 

Kelly will be in charge of taking the props back with her, due to them needing to be disposed of properly. 

If it rains we will use a big umbrella to cover all props etc. 

Script for our thriller 'Immersed Angel'

Detective is asleep in his bed, beginning to show signs of having a dream and his eyes begin to roll. 
Panning shot of detectives belongings in the bedroom, leading to an extreme close up of his face.


Goes into the dream, shows the girl in an orchard holding a bunch of flowers, she is dripping wet, and looks into the camera as if its a pair of eyes. 
Shown by a flash of white light, then dream is in black and white. Establishing shot of the girl in the orchard.


The detectives phone wake him up suddenly.
Extreme close-up of the detectives eyes wide open.


The detective reaches out for his phone, as it is still ringing.
A close-up of his hand picking up the phone.


The other detective is introduced by the two of them having a phone conversation about the crime they have to investigate. Detective 2- ' if you could getup and kindly help me with this situation. get ready now, we have a murder case on our hands.' detective hangs up.
A split screen of both detectives; one fully dressed drinking coffee, the other still in bed.


The first detective gets out of bed and begins to throw his clothes on.
Mid shot of detective


The less experienced detective drives up to the house where he meets his colleague. Detective 2- 'iv'e been informed that the victims a 17 year old girls, and looks like shes been in this state for under 24 hours' Detective 1- ' Okay lets go check it out.'
Establishing shot of the house which cuts to a long shot of the car. An over the shoulder shot is used when the two detectives meet. 


Both detectives walk through the front door and up the stairs to the bathroom.
Point of view shot is used. 


The detectives enter the bathroom where syringes are on the floor and a girl is in the bath.
A panning shot of the bathroom floor which then scans the girl in the bath, starting at her feet, leading to her head. A close-up of the girls face.


Flash back of the detective's dream showing that the girl in his dream is the same girl that has been murdered. 
Long shot of the girl in the orchard, showing flowers on the floor. flash of white light is used to show it's a flash back, then the image is black and white. 


The detective realises this.
Close-up of the detectives face and his reaction. 

Health and safety concerns

When carrying our our shoot, we have to think about the health and safety concerns:

• The props that we are going to use; syringes and a knife; can be dangerous if not handled carefully. 
• When Beth is acting as the Immersed Angel in the bath, each shot will have to be kept short so that Beth will have time to come up for breath in between the shots. This will ensure that she doesn't drown.
• Another thing that we have to be careful about is the floor of the bathroom if it gets wet, so we will have to keep on drying it so no-one slips.  
• Don't put any electricals near water as it can electrocute you. 
• use a torch when outside in the dark so we don't trip over and can see where we need to stand for the particular shot. 
• bring a blanket outside when Beth has to stand outside when she is wet as the Immersed Angel so she doesn't get ill from it. 

Shot lists for our thriller

Whilst Beth and Lauren done the storyboard, Kelly wrote out our shot list. this will help us when it comes to the shooting process as we have included all the information that is needed to make our thriller opening sequence flow.

Storyboard for our thriller

 As part of our planning for our thriller film, Immersed Angel, we drew a storyboard so that all of our shots are shown clearly, which will help the shooting process.

Why thrillers thrive article.

Main points:

'Why do we go to the pictures? To see life reflected on the screen, certaintly - but what kind of life?'

• 'thrills'
• Nature
• Shake ups
• Sluggish & jellified if pictures are not attended
• We are safe, secure, sitting in an armchair and looking at the struggle and turmoil of life through a window, as it were. 
• Death
• grim, tense, horror
• shuddering effect running down audience 
• no harm
• cinema - leaves subconscious assurance of absolute safety, and yet surprise his imagination into playing tricks on him.
• audiences sympathy is involed in danger. 
• impression of grear danger, where no danger is. 
• You see, with own eyes, which cannot lie!
• skillful editing!!
• scenes, which set the blood pounding through the veins 
• thrives on audience
• everybody is happy
• horror
• emotional jolt, exploit sadism, perversion, bestility, and deformity.
• create unnatural excitement

Dates for the camera!

We would like to take the camera out on  the 11th feb, after college. We would also need a tripod and the dolly tracker.

Thank you :)

Amar's presentation

From Amar's presentation the steps we think will be most useful are:

Step 3, which was location Recce. This consists of going to the location before filming and seeing if its a realistic location.  

Another step is step 4, which is the digital storyboard. This is especially important this time, as our storyboard for our childrens was poorly done, as we did not do enough shots and good enough shots. 

The final step is step 1, which is script writing. this is important as we did not use one of these for our childrens film. This affected us when it came to filming our childrens film as we had to think of what to say whilst filming, which wasted a lot of time. Therefore for our thriller, we will have more time to think about other more important stuff such as our shots, which will improve our thriller. 

questions asked

What are you going to do with the music?
We are going to start of with slow mellow music and then it will become more up beat and dramatic.

What kind of thriller is it?
it is a crime thriller, but also an element of a psychological thriller due to the thoughts behind the death.

What house are you going to film at?
This will be located at Lauren's house, inside and outside.

Is it just the detective that sees the ghost, or can everyone else see it as well?
The new and less experienced detective will be the only person who dreams about the angel and sees her.

Part of it is going to be a dream, what effects will you use to show this?
We will use a black and white effect and a white fade sort of thing, so the audience can identify each worlds; dream and normal.

Who's acting in the film?
Beth will be the immersed angel and the two detectives will be Lauren's male friends. 

10 second breakdown

0-10 seconds: To begin with there will be a shot of one of the detectives in bed, and a shot of his daily equipment on his bedside table, such as his knife.

10-20 seconds: To follow on from this we will go into his dream; this will show the 'Angel '.

20-30 seconds: then there will be an extreme close-up of the detectives eyes wide open and he will grab his phone.

30 -35 seconds: Then the title 'Immersed angels' will  appear on the screen, followed by the credits.  Phone rings.

35 - 50 seconds: Detective gets ready for work.

50 - 60 seconds: switches to other detective waking up.

60 - 70 seconds: establishing shot of the drive towards an isolated house.

70 - 80 seconds: shot of two detectives meeting.

80 - 90 seconds: shot walking to the bathroom/ crime scene- observing things on the way.

90 - 100 seconds: close up shots of syringes on floor and on the side of the bath, then the camera pans to the body in the bath, starting from her feet, gradually moving to her head.

100 - 110 seconds: A close up of the detective who had the dream

110 - 120 seconds: Flash back, showing that the girl in the dream is the same as the girl in the bath.

Research into the Mise-en-scene of our thriller

Typical Props-

• Guns 
• Magnifying glass
• Pen knife 
• developed photos/camera 
• Un-obvious weapons 

 Our props: 

• Syringes - these will be used for our 'un-obvious weapons' - create more suspense for audience
• Bath- in your house where you should be able to feel safe.
• Camera - to take photos of the crime scene.
• Pen knife- this will be our detectives choice of weapon- a gun wont be used as this wont be a realistic prop for us. 

Typical costume:

• Detectives- one will be smartly dressed in dark clothes; the other will be naturally dressed.
• Victim- Their every day clothes
• Antagonist- Will be an everyday natural dress code, as this will make it more difficult for the audience to identify who he/she is. 

Our costume: 

• Detectives will be wearing the typical costume of one smartly dressed and the other naturally dresed.
• The victim will be wearing shorts and a white shirt, which are typical house clothes and the white shirt will reflect her 'Angel' side. 
• We will not be using an Antagonist in our opening sequence. 

Typical lighting (our lighting):

• dull/ artificial lighting in the crime scene
• natural lighting when the detectives are outside the place where the crime took place, creating a contrast.

Typical colour:

• Red- use of blood
• Black- representing death and murders

Our colours:

• Red- use of blood
• Black- representing death and murders
• Green- unusual drug
• Orange- colour of syringes- bring and stand out to be unusual.

Typical set

• Natural environment, e.g the victims house
• Detectives bedroom 
• Outside of the crime scene

Our set

• The bathroom in the victims house
• Detectives bedroom- where his 'dream' will take place
• the drive up to the victims house- showing the isolated house

Mood board of inspiration

We took the idea of having two detectives from the film Se7en. 

We also took the idea of showing a crime scene in our film, which again we took from Se7en.

We used the idea of having a ghost that tries to give other people a message to help them, which we took from sixth sense. 

To make the crime scene look more weird and confusing, we are going to use syringes that are going to be placed around the crime scene. 

We took the typical convention of using a natural environment where people should feel safe, which will add to the suspense and will make the audience feel more disturbed.

cast and crew

props and costumes = Kelly

Sound = Lauren and Beth 

Editing = Kelly 

Director = Lauren

Producer  = Beth 

The Immersed angel = Beth 

Detective no. 1 = Jake (he looks older and more suitable for the role of a detective) 

Detective no. 2 = Scott 

Planning for our thriller pitch!

for our film, we are going to call it The Immersed Angel, because immersed means being forced under water, which is based around our narrative. Also, we used Angel as she becomes a spirit after she dies and tries to help other people.

To begin with, one of the detectives has a dream, and the 'Angel' appears, trying to give him clues but the detective is just confused about the whole thing. the next morning he gets a phone call, informing him of a murder that happened the night before that he had to check out.
the detective enters the crime scene and sees a girl who suffered a painful death due to a strange murder in her own bathroom, with the use of elixirs and syringes. This will make the audience question, why she has these weird props in her bathroom, which will add to the suspense. when the camera focuses on the girls face in the bath, a flashback takes place showing a close up of the girls face in the dream, making the detective realize that its the same person.
our film will then carry on with the two detectives around the crime scene, and trying to figure out who the murderer is.  They then find themselves being 'haunted' by the spirit in the bath, however this is just the spirit trying to contact the detectives to get the murderer behind bars. as the story goes on they get different leads to suspects which are actually not guilty get killed off, as the spirit is trying to get across that they are not the cause of her death. She gets angry with the detectives for not finding the right suspects.

We will be filming in a isolated house, with the crime scene in the bathroom. We have chose this location because its a typical thriller setting and make the audience feel on edge, especially if they watch it in their own house, because you don't expect that to happen in the safety of your own home.

CLASSIFICATION:

Our film will be classified as a 15, this will allow us to show syringes and elixirs however, they do not come in contact with the bodies therefore it will not cause any distress to the audience, and we do not encourage drug use. We will not be including any sexual scenes or acts of discrimination, which will be suitable for our target audience.

BLK production company logo.

This is our logo for our thriller production company. The name 'BLK' is the initials for our first names, all put together. However it seems to look like a shortened version of the word black, which goes with our thriller film.
If we get time to animate our production logo we will make the word 'productions' come up in each letter as if it were being typed on a typewriter.
we have used red because it represents death and evil, and we used black as it represents evil.

Production logos

New line cinema links to the thriller genre as its dark and mysterious which is part of the conventions of thriller films, such as Se7en. A limited amount of dark colours have been used, as in thrillers they do not use light colours, only dark and gloomy colours, which represent the narrative of the film. the movement before the still image of the logo showed 5 ladders, but three of them fell into the blue light, leaving only two ladders remaining which reflects the general narrative of a thriller as there are normally murders involved. 

Analysing past thriller opening sequence

• 1st analysis: 
• The camera was held steady throughout the sequence, which allowed it to look professional.  
• They included the characters hallucination within the framing, which created a really good effect and allowed the sequence to flow. however, this continuity was not consistent throughout the sequence, such as in the forest, which made the narrative misleading. 
•  they used a variety of shots, such as long shots ,which allowed the audience to identify the location as well as close ups which allowed us to identify her emotions. Another shot used well was low and high angle shots, which showed the audience who was in power of the situation and showed the female characters emotions.
• I think the material used was appropriate to the task, but more thought could have been put behind it.
• The location used was very typical of thrillers, as they used  isolated areas, such as a forest and long daunting corridor.
• the editing of the hallucination made the narrative clear to the audience. They used appropriate transitions which allowed the clip to flow well; cross fade was used well. 
• the sound track went well with the clip as it started of slow and then sped up as the action got more intense, which creates the right atmosphere for the audience. 
• They did not include a title, therefore the audience could not identify the name of the film, next time they should include the title. 

2nd analysis:

• the camera was held steady throughout the sequence, making it look more professional.
• the framing of their shots included the specific props which were essential for their clip.
• they used a varied amount of shot distances, close ups and long shots etc. for example when they are in the car and out of the car.
• the mise en scene wasnt thought through very well, as the main character dragged out a dead body next to a main road in broad daylight, when they couuld of followed conventions of a thriller by doing it later on while it was dusk and in more of a secluded area.

crime thriller conventions

• At the start the protagonist is always introduced and the scene always starts as a crime scene, which includes an investigator this gets the audience drawn into the movie and ask questions.

• Crime thrillers also usually follow a troubled and confused character, who has had some form of a distorted background. Throughout a crime thriller, this mysterious troubled character is slowly revealed through hints about his background, which are usually shown as flash backs. 

• There are usually two main crime scene characters, whos personalitiys are binary opposites; one is all serious and formal, where as the other is the opposite and is very unformal, which is usually a handsome character. These two main crime scene characters are also usually well know actors, such as Morgan freeman, who has a reputation in playing the role of a detective.

• The location involves bad whether, such as rain, which prevents the investigaters from getting on with their work. This slows the narrative down, which gives the criminals more time to carry on their illegal crimes, this builds up the plot and leads it to a climax, which allows the audience to stay tunned in the film, as they want to see the villains succeed and over power the criminals.

Action/thriller (Bourne identity)

1)

a. Conventions: in action thrillers, we gathered that the characters are really skilled at fighting, which builds tension. The protagonist always runs into trouble because of the antagonist, which makes the audience want the protagonist to succeed and win. they are usually always younger than the antagonist, which attract the young female and some male audience, as they are usually attractive.  Another convention that is used, is guns and money, which build up a narrative around violence, which stereotypically males conventions, which targets them.
The shots used, are usually a variety of parallel shots, long shots of the location, so the audience can identify it and 180 (degree) rule.
The loaction is usually set in well known locations, which makes the audience feel important as they can identify the location.
The music is always upbeat and fast, when action is occuring, which creates tension.


b.  The main protagonist character (Matt Damon)  is introduced at the beginning of the film, so the audience can build a relationship with him and  gets to know who he is and get his background information, such as in Bourne, we learn that he does not know who he is. The title is represented through the character, as he does not know his identity.
The main antagonist characters are also introduced, which creates tension as they are trying to find the protagonist.
Both, the antagonist and protagonist, have a helper(s) in order for them to succeed in their mission.


c. The parallel shots shows two bits of action as the same time, which builds up tension as they are edited in a fast pace and the audience have an idea that the two parallel shots will come into one and create a tense action scene. The clips have been edited to create continuity, as the audience understand what is happening.

Political conventions for the thriller - The Constant Gardener

normal thrillers are similar to political thrillers, however the narrative just revolves around a certain political issue.

political thrillers are usually based in different countries, like in this film where it is based in Kenya. 

Poverty is a main political feature of this film.

The government get involved with the character when he is pushing boundaries to try and solve the case of his murdered wife.

There is always a protagonist trying to prove their innocence.

Protagonists getting into trouble with the law whilst finding out who the murderer of his wife is

as the film goes on, more and more of the clues unravel. find out problems of the government and healthcare.

Get to see how the poverty hits Kenya, how the people live.

Pshycological Thriller conventions of 'Disturbia'

The protagonist is unusual as he is a teenage male, who has been made to stay within a certain distance from his house as he has been in trouble by the police by punching his high school teacher. After this, the character develops an obsession with trying to catch his next door neighbor as he realises that he is a psyhco killer. 
The theme of the film 'Disturbia' is dark- also the audience can get an idea of the narrative by the film title. 
The film has twists in the pot which opens questions for the audience- for example, the antagonist acts friendly with the protagonists mother to get everyone thinking that the character is making up stories in his boredom. Which then makes the character want to prove his innocence and that he is not making up things, but is telling the truth.
The antagonist has a fascination with death and has had to dodge the law and create different identities where he has moved from state to state. His house has secret rooms and passageways where he keeps dead corpses and disguises to create mental stress for the protagonist.

conventions of a political thriller

Conventions-

• threat is set against aback drop of political struggle
• plot is designed to give political power to somebody while the opponent tries to prevent it
• innocent people drawn into political world
• proving innocence
• different locations
• different cultures/ countries
• Deceit- false hero
• 'helper' character is important

conventions of a psychological thriller

Conventions-

• crime twist- tricks
• end on a cliff hanger- not always a resolution
• clever/ unusual plots
• questions reality- even the audience aren't sure what to believe
• unusual heroes- everyday characters
• themes are often dark
• memory/ dreams etc- focusses on one
• characters have a fascination with death
• typical narrative stricture not used
• parallel edits are common
• use of flashbacks
• characters in conflict with their own mind
• two characters preying on each others minds danger in mental level rather than physical level
• mystery is important 

Conventions of the thriller- Seven

The film seven meets the conventions of a thriller as the film starts off with the well known actors trying to solve a crime. This sets out questions for the audience to answer which makes them want to keep watching. in the crime scenes, dim, artificial lighting is used which is a convention of a thriller. This is followed by the titles which give the audience an idea of the narrative, as the photos set out an idea of what the character that is yet to be introduced is really like. The title also give us an idea of how the title of the film represents the film. The deaths aren't ordinary, and the audience never see anyone getting killed.
The protagonist, Detective somerset, is isolated and lives alone. The other police don't like him- he is smart and controlling and likes to work alone. His choice of weapon is a knife, not a gun, as he thinks there is less chance of him making a mistake. His binary opposite is a younger detective who has been transferred from the suburbs and is played by another well known actor, Brad Pitt.
This thriller is set in the city so that the characters have no where to escape.

Conventions of a Thriller

Conventions-

• Music is dark which creates a gloomy atmosphere.
• Low key lighting - dark/shadows
• Titles give a clue about the narrative
• Takes an ordinary situation and makes it extra ordinary
• Binary opposites- protagonist (hero) and antagonist (villain)  
• Villain causes problems for protagonist
• See protagonist in peril
• False equilibrium- plot twists
• Female objectifications
• Voyeurism - audience is voyeur
• Themes of mistaken identity - mirroring, illusion
• Protagonist is often isolated- achilles heel weakness

Preliminary task

On 4/1/11 we filmed the preliminary task. firstly we draw out storyboard and our shot list before going to film our task, so we knew the sequence of the shots that we needed to film.
we then filmed kelly walking down the corridor, besides the library and internet cafe., which was an establishing shot. We then did the close up shot of Kelly's hand opening the door to the internet cafe. this shot was followed by the match on action shot to show kelly walking into the room then a reaction shot was used to show Beth's reaction of kelly walking through the door. next, a long shot was used to show kelly walking through to sit with Beth and the sequence finished with us using the 180 degree rule for Beth and Kelly's conversation which consisted of three over the shoulder shots. we filmed each shot more than once to ensure we got the best shot possible.

On 7/1/11 we edited out film in final cut pro. after capturing the shot we had to begin sorting through our clips so we could cut them at the right point so each clip flowed in to the other. we included transitions such as fades to make the whole thing more fluent.