TREATMENT

Whilst planning the filming of my opening sequence, I decided to name my film 'Snapped' as this relates to the camera that follows the victims throughout the film. This film would be classified as a '15' as it contains moderate violence. The target audience I am aiming for is both male and female aged 15-25, teenagers and young adults. I would promote my film through tv channels such as E4 and MTV which already targets a similar age group. I would also distribute trailers of my film at the cinema, at the beginning of other thriller genre films, as the audience has already paid for a ticket to see this type of film this suggests they already enjoy thriller films.


The socio-economic group targeted is C1-E which consists of lower working class and students. Students are most likely to enjoy this film as they will relate to the young characters and college settings, and would enjoy the enigma and excitement of a thriller! 'Snapped' is targeted towards both males and females as I went against stereotype and cast a woman as the protagonist, and there is plenty of fast-paced action and violence for the male audience.

Throughout the film I use various technical aspects which are typical of the thriller genre. I do this by using shots such as close-ups to convey the fear and emotion, and plenty of high and low angles to portray and juxtapose dominance and weakness. Dull lighting is used to create an eerie effect, dim artificial lighting to create shadows. The non-diegetic background music is suspenseful and mysterious, creating an eerie atmosphere and the feeling of being stalked. No diegetic speech is used in the opening sequence, I thought this made the scene more dramatic and enigmatic. I thought it would be best to follow the status quo and stick to the typical codes and conventions of a thriller.

Parts of the film are filmed as if the characters are being watched through a camera lens, and being stalked by the person seemingly behind the camera.

PRODUCTION SCHEDUALE

Production Scheduale

CHARACTER PROFILES

ANTAGONIST



Name: Gerard Brown
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Appearance: Black short hair, 5'8, slim build, brown eyes
Costume: Jeans, black shoes
(only lower half of body visible in opening sequence)
Character: Gerard is a young man with promising hopes to be a footballer, but his dreams are shattered when his best friend is murdered and he goes out to seek revenge, whatever the cost.







PROTAGONIST




Name: P.C Preston
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Appearance: Long dark hair, 5'6, slim build, brown eyes
Costume: Police outfit - hat, jacket, formal black trousers and shoes
Props: Clipboard and pen
Character: P.C Preston is a hardworking policewoman heading the case of Gerard's missing friend. She is also one of Gerard's main suspects, as there seems to suspiciously be no progress on the case of his best friend's murder.

WEEK 4

Today I wrote the treatment to my film and uploaded my production schedule on to Scribd.

I also made character profiles for the antagonist and protagonist in my opening sequence, including profile photos and basic character information.

THRILLER GENRE

My opening sequence 'Snapped' is categorized in to the Thiller (sub-genre stalker) genre. The thriller genre is characterized by fast-pacing and frequent action. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively. Sub-Genres include: Crime, Stalker, Erotic, Physcological,Spy, Conspiracy and Action. (Wikipedia.org)

"Thriller films are known to promote intense excitment, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and nerve-wrecking tension." (filmsite.org)

Using this information, I plan to make my film fast-paced, suspensful and use flashbacks to tell the story in a non-linear narrative, leaving clues about the stalker throughout to build enigma. The face of the antagonist is never seen, which gives the film a sense of mystery leaving you wanting to know more about this homicidal character. The victim is a police woman, an ordinary working person who the audience can relate to, a typical thriller protagonist.



Other thriller films with a 'stalker' sub-genre:




Obsessed 2009- Directed by Steve Shill strarring Idris Elba and Beyonce Knowles is about a successful business man who becomes the object of desire by an obsessed stalker - a temp working for him.










Fatal Attraction 1987- Directed by Adrian Lyne starring Michael Douglas and Glen Close is a thriller about a married man who has an affair. His secret lover becomes obsessed with him and stalks him and his family.












HORROR V THRILLER?

It's easy to confuse the horror genre with the thriller genre. Thrillers are usually exciting and suspenseful and doesn't necessarily need to contain any violence. Horror on the other hand, thrives on blood, guts, gore and graphic violence!

PRELIMINARY TASK

I joined a group to film our preliminary task. The aim of this was to learn how to use a camera and tripod, and how to edit using the appropriate software. Part of the task was to include various shots and techniques such as the 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot and match on action.

Our preliminary task was basically a continuity task, which we had to film and edit for experience. We filmed a character opening a door and crossing a room, then sitting down opposite another character. They had a brief conversation which involved over the shoulder shots and an eye-line match, showing the object they were refering to and looking at. We had to re-film a few times as we kept breaking the 180 degree rule.

PRELIMINARY TASK

THE 180 DEGREE RULE

The 180 degree rule.. Picture and definition from Wikipedia.org, the free encyclopedia:

The 180° rule is a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.



Here is a video I found very useful, showing and explaining the 180 degree rule:

WEEK 3

In the group I filmed the preliminary task with, we re-shot a couple of takes then edited the sequence. I decided to use stalker-thriller as my sub-genre for my opening sequence. I then did some research on the thriller genre, codes and conventions and looked at other films with a similar theme and sub-genre.

PROP NOTES

I used this electicity box I found in the mechanic's garage as a torture device. Touching the metal clasps together creates sparks of electricity which I thought were an effective part of my sequence, and I wanted to use something diferent from a knife or gun.


P.C Preston's police outfit was kindly lent to me by the Police Department in Havering college. Th coat was XXL so it looked giant on me! If I could change part of the look, I would of worn my hair in a bun to create a more realistic policewoman look.

LOCATIONS

I chose a college library as the first scene location to open the film as it's a place that connotes safety, bright lights and peace. This is where P.C Preston is first seen interviewing a witness, through a camera lens. The last place you would imagine trouble to occur is within the walls of a library. I decided to go against sterotype and use this as an unobvious place for someone dangerous to hide out and plan the capture and torture of someone innocent.





The second location is in a dimly lit garage. I chose this setting as it has an eerie atmosphere. It belongs to the mechanics of Havering college but they kindly let me film my sequence there. There are sinister looking tools and tubes hanging on the walls and an abundance of old rusty cars.

BRAINSTORM

WEEK 2

I joined a group to film my preliminary task. We learnt how to operate the cameras and tripods. I also made a brainstorm on Bubl.com.

I scouted locations for my opening sequence and chose a library, college exit and garage.

FEATURE FILM SYNOPSIS

'Snapped' opens with a flashback of Police Officer P.C Preston stalked through a camera lens whilst interviewing a witness, then is attacked as she leaves the building to go home. Her body is seen in the back of a van in a garage. The stalker electrocutes her until she passes out.

3 Months Earlier...

Gerard Brown is on an empty football training pitch. He holds his dying friend in his arms, covered with stab wounds. He cries silent tears. He doesn't remember what had happened as he had blacked out. The police and ambulance soon turn up and ask questions and take pictures. Gerard loses his temper and fights with a police officer. He is handcuffed and taken back to the station.

The police soon forget about the case of his dead friend and stop searching for the murderer. Gerard starts to talk to himself and day by day develops a second personality. He goes on a mission to hunt down everyone he thinks was involved with the killing of his friend. He starts to stalk the police officer that had been in charge of the enquiry.

He follows a list of people he thinks are involved with the murder, taking photos of them from afar. He collects these photos and starts to hang them up all over the walls in his house. He then kidnaps his victims and tortures them. Twenty people go missing and a police hunt starts to find Gerard, who runs away.

The only thing Gerard has taken is his camera, which he always keeps in the inside pocket of his jacket. As he hides in a squat, he looks through the pictures on the camera. Dated 6 months ago, he comes across some pictures he doesn't remember taking. They are of his friend laughing and kicking a football. He carries on looking through the pictures. His friend looks scared in one picture. The next one shows him running away. The next is a picture of Gerard's hands covered in blood, and several of his friend's body laying on the ground.

Gerard realizes his split personality may have developed earlier than he thought..

THE SCRIPT

Snapped Script

2 MINUTE OPENING SEQUENCE

As P.C Preston finishes questioning a witness to a crime scene, and filling out a statement, she gets the feeling she is being watched. Lately, she keeps getting this feeling, but shrugs it off thinking she is just stressed from work.
She leaves the library, where she has just interviewed her witness; a safe meeting place. As she steps into the elevator, she glimpses a reflection of someone watching her, the snap of a camera.
P.C Preston's pace quickens as she wants to go home to rest, and still has the feeling someone is following her. From the corner of her eye she sees someone sprinting down the stairs towards her as she exits the college.

Everything blacks out.

P.c Preston is only just concious. She is laying somewhere dark, damp and smelly. She squints through the darkness and realises she is in a van, with her legs hanging out. She hears footsteps and the rattle of something heavy being dragged along. P.c Preston realises she can't move, she feels paralysed.
She hears sharp crackling sounds and sparks of red and yellow light. Next thing she feels excrutiating pain shooting up her body and realises she is being electrocuted and she sinks back in to unconciousness.

WEEK 1

As a class, we discussed the project we were about to take on, an opening sequence to a thriller film. We then had to think of ideas for a synopsis and write out a script. We were shown how to use Scribd.com to post our script on to the blog. As mine has no dialogue, my script was made from stage directions.

INTRODUCTION

I will be writing a 2 minute opening sequence for a thriller film. I will publish every aspect of the filming and research on this blog, as well as uploading pictures and videos.