Representation of narrative

Narrative
Our narrative is non linear because we have a flash back at the beginning which allows the audience to see what happened in the past so they can understand the storyline. We have also done this to create confusion which links into our genre. Within the editing of this scene we will put an effect on the film so that it is clear to the audience that it is a flashback. What i mean by non linear is that within the opening scenes we are going to have a flashback which changes the narrative structure and therefore changes it from linear to non linear.
Linking to Todorov theory on narrative we have decided to go against his theory, what i mean by this is that our film doesn't start off with the equilibrium we start of with the disruption of the equilibrium which is the flashback. The resolution of the disruption is shown in the rest of the film. We have decided to do this so that our film isn't like the stereotypical film and allows it to be more unique and then it will attract a wider range of people.

Representation of Audience

Audience
Our target audience is 15 and females. We decided to choose 15 because of the violence that will be included and expected from a thriller. We didn't choose to age it at 12 because according to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) 12 rated films "may contain moderate violence but should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context." According to this our film would not meet the regulations of this age category that is why we chose to choose the 15 category because our film meets the category better.
We chose to have females as our target audience because we have a female protagonist which would naturally attract females. Also they might want to aspire to be like her trying to solve the crime and take it into her own hands which goes against the common conventions of the stereotypical female. Our film is targeted towards the C1 class which is lower middle class. We decided to do this because we researched it and found out that this class is the most popular within the population, so we thought that if we aimed it towards this class that we would have a more successful film. Another reason why we have chosen to aim it towards this class because the audience will relate to the character within the film because she is of the same class to them.

Representation of costumes, setting, camera, mise en scene and lighting

Costume
Our main character is going to wear normal day clothes to highlight that there is nothing abnormal about her. It also suggests that to start off she isn't a main character because she blends in with the other characters which creates mystery for the audience. In addition the antagonist of our film  is going toe dress in all black or mostly black to highlight the danger he might cause throughout the film/opening. We are also going to have him wearing a hooded jacket so he can wear his hood up, with this detail the audience can tell that his identity is supposed to be a mystery and therefore entices the audience to watch it more. For the dog walker we are having her in normal clothes to highlight she is a normal person and possibly a vital person to the scene/opening.

Setting
The setting within our opening is going to be a park and a darkroom. We chose a park because most scenes that are kidnapping scenes are taken place in a park so it is a common convention of the action. Also the act (kidnapping) completely contradicts the common conventions associated with a park which makes the film more shocking to the audience. We also chose to set part of it in a darkroom which links to the role of the protagonist of the story. The scenes where its set in the darkroom involves her revealing what she thinks is the evidence to support her claims.

Lighting
The lighting in the darkroom is red which is normally associated with darkrooms. Also the colour red suggests there might be danger because violence is a connotation of the colour red. Throughout the beginning scene the lighting is dim which makes the scene more mysterious because it hides their identities this then reflects the genre of the film. With the scene being dimly lit almost hints to the audience what might happen next.

Camera
Close up shots are going to be used to emphasis emotions of the characters and extreme close ups are going to be used on specific features to allow the audience to know part of their identity but not all of it which would create mystery for the audience. We will also use long shots to show the location and its importance.

Sound
There is a sound that is going to repeated throughout the opening scene which is a tap dripping. We chose to have this because it is erie and connects with the genre.

Production schedule

Pre production:
Story- 1 hour
Storyboard- 3 hours
Script- 3 hours
Audience- 10 mins
Call sheet- 3 hours
Shot list- 1 hour
Permissions- before production
Health and safety- 1 hour
Casting- 2 hours
Props/costumes- 3 hours
Location- 3 hours

During Production:
Equipment- 30 mins
Contract- 15 mins
Transport- 1 hour
Catering- 30 mins
Camera/light/sound- 30 mins
Makeup- 30 mins
Script read- 5 mins
Main filming- 2 days
Wrap up- 10 mins

Post Production:
Uploading- 1 hour
Editing- 5 days
Special FX- 1 hour
Sound FXEditing- 1 hour
Music- 30 mins
Colour Grading- 30 mins
Titles- 45 mins
Ident- 3 hour
Draft edits- 3 hours
Final edits- 1 hour 
Final master- 1 hour
Upload- 1 hour

The Thriller Genre common conventions

The thriller genre can be seen in the films Silence of The Lambs (1991) and Zodiac (2007). The aim of the thriller genre is to create suspense and to entice the audience.

Conventions

• A thriller film usually consists of a battle between the protagonist and the antagonist,  which creates a disruption in the equilibrium and then the film follows events which could effect the outcome of the film. The aim of the protagonist is to try and restore normality and create a new equilibrium and the aim of the antagonist is to create destruction and to stop the protagonist. 
• Low key lighting
• quick cuts within editing
• shadows
• music which creates tension
• black and white shots
• montage of shots
• diegetic sound of breathing

Common conventions within characters and theme of the film

• protagonist is normally a heroic male who tries to restore the equilibrium
• The antagonist normally has a secret identity which will be uncovered by the protagonist which could help them solve the mystery and defeat the antagonist.
• The storyline will normally include an event in which could happen to the audience (a real life scenario)this would then make the audience feel scared and would make them react to the film more, this would also make the film more successful and effective. 
• The antagonist would normally wear dark or black clothes and the protagonist would usually be found in everyday attire to highlight their normality (symbolic codes).

Common conventions within filming and cinematography (technical codes)

• A lot of close up shot will be used to increase tension and show importance to specific characters of objects/props. Close up of characters are used to show their reactions and their emotions which could be important to the storyline and scene.
• Shots which will include the antagonist will be short shots and shots which are obstructed in some way either by editing or lighting or even in which the way it is filmed (dirty shots). This will hide their identity to the audience creating mystery.

Common conventions within editing

• Jump shots are used when editing to hide vital objects and masks their importance to the audience.
• Cross cutting is used to build suspense for the audience which helps the thriller to have its unique effect.
• Continuity editing is also used to make the audience able to follow the film better and helps them understand the narrative. 

Common conventions within music/sound

• Music in thrillers is used to highlight characters emotions and their reactions also it is used to hint at the importance of selective scenes or parts within the film. 
• Speeding up of the music is also normally used to create tension and suspense. So at the start there will be slow music and then the pace of it will increase when importance scenes would appear. 

storyboard 2

storyboard 1st draft

Our pitch feedback

Our pitch

Pitch

Script

FADE IN
1 INT. OUTSIDE DARKROOM
the darkroom door has a sign on it saying "DARK ROOM". The door is a grey colour. The camera zooms in and focuses on the sign (sound of tap dripping).

2 INT. INSIDE DARKROOM
A pot is in the right hand side of the shot, with the hand of the woman holding some tongs and putting them into the pot. The camera is focusing on that with the background blurred. The light is limited because it is in the darkroom (sound of tap dripping).

3 INT. INSIDE DARKROOM
High angled shot of woman developing photo in the chemicals, she is positioned in the centre of the shot, the camera does a pan around the person ending up behind her (sound of tap dripping).

4 INT. INSIDE DARKROOM
Close up of her fingers scratching the table (sound of scratching to match the shot).

5 INT. INSIDE DARKROOM
Close up of tap showing water dripping the camera is focused on the tap, the sound of the tap is now matching the shot.

6 EXT. IN A PARK
Close up of a leaf with a drop of water dripping off the background is blurred (natural sounds).

7 INT. INSIDE DARKROOM
Over the shoulder shot seeing the dark room, there are photos hanging up in the background and there is a sink (sound of tap dripping)

8 INT. INSIDE DARKROOM
Close up of the woman hand using the tongs (sound of developing photo so the sloshing of water).

9 INT. INSIDE DARKROOM
Extreme close up of the woman's ear her hand brushes her hair behind her ear (sound of water dripping)

10 EXT. AT A PARK (FILTER)
Mid shot of the woman's hand holding a camera, the scene will be in black and white to indicate that it is a flashback. The camera is following her after she walks into the scene.

11 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Over the shoulder long shot of the woman and the dog walker and owner in the background, the camera then follows them (there is a slight sound of the dog and the owner in the background).

12 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Long shot of the park showing the setting.

13 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Close up of a swing showing a mysterious figure in the background the person will be wearing black and their face will not be shown to the camera. The swing will be crossing the shot (sound of the  swing squeaking).

14 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Close up of the mysterious characters boot showing grass in the background which isn't in focus.

15 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Close up of the zip of the mysterious persons coat. Their hand is in the shot zipping it up. He is wearing all black and the camera is still and doesn't move.

16 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Close up of mysterious persons pocket with him putting his hand in it. There is no camera movement and the jeans will be a blue colour.

17 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Long shot of a dog walker and her dog she is walking past the camera. She is situated in the centre of the shot.

18 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Close up of the dog walkers face it is on the left hand side of the shot with the mysterious person in the background following the dog walker. They are walking along a path following it.

19 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Shot of the back of the dog walkers head walking the dog, the dog is also in the shot.

20 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Close up of the dog running past the camera which is position at a low point. The leash is dragging on the floor behind it as it runs away.

21 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Close up of the dog walker who has been knocked over the head and falls on the floor. The shot includes her face hitting the floor and there is no expression on her face, she fall into the shot.

22 EXT. IN A PARK (FILTER)
Extreme close up of the camera lens and the reflection of the situation is caught in the lens. You can see the shutter of the camera close and take the photo. (sound of the camera taking the photo)

23 INT. IN THE DARKROOM
Over the shoulder shot showing the woman looking at the photo she has produced and the audience only sees part of the photo, it is obstructed (sound of a tap dripping).

24 INT. IN THE DARKROOM
Mid shot of the woman looking at the photo the photo is obstructing her identity and you still don't see the photo. She is situated in the centre of the shot (sound of the tap dripping).

25 INT. IN THE DARKROOM
Close up of the woman's expression, her eyes. This is the first time the audience sees her identity (sound of tap dripping).

26 INT. IN THE DARKROOM
Mid shot of the image being dropped. Her hand is in the shot and the camera is level to the photo so again you don't see the image.

CUT TO BLACK

Pros and Cons of mood boards

Emily Roberts
The strengths of this mood board is that she explains what she has spoken about very well so the reasons why she has chosen to have the male in black and the reason why she has a female as the person who is kidnapped. She has used reasoning to support the choices she made. The weaknesses  of this mood board is that she doesn't explain all of the choices she made in equal amounts of detail. She also only included photos of examples of the choices which she made about what prop would be in the location. The cons of this decision is that it only covers one aspect of her moodpboard and not all of it.

Annabel Wilford
A strength of this mood board is that there is clear conventions which link directly to the genre. The images included show where the location of the film is planned to be set and suggest that there will be a mysterious, threatening character who we cannot identify. Using the common conventions of the genre shows that they are researched for what is necessary to include int he narrative. A weakness of this moodpboard s the lack of detail in the explanations and it only gives vague details on what the narrative of the story it. They have focussed heavily on the location rather than other aspects such as the narrative or characters.

Dan Edwards
The strength of this mood board is that it is very clear and specific when explaining the location. It outlines all the categories necessary in his film and discusses the connotations of things like costumes, seeing etc. The weaknesses of this is that some ;points when he speaks seems like he is unsure of what his ideas are. also he is rambling and doesn't include as much detail as you would expect.

Shutter Island opening analysis (thriller, mystery genre)

Within the opening of Shutter Island it is clear to the audience that it is a thriller/mystery genre through the use of mise en scene. One aspect of mise en scene which is used in the opening sequence is costumes. We are fist introduced to men in uniform, you can tell that they are all in some way related to authority and the law. What I mean by this is that that the men in police uniform implies that they work in the police. In addition the badge on their hats also suggests that they are involved with the police. The idea of the authorities makes the audience aware that the film is a thriller because the police/authority is a common convention of the thriller genre. There is also conflict that is created through the use of clothing because the other men are dressed differently in a way that they are in stereotypical detectives uniform, the stereotypical trench coat and trilby hat which are associated with 1950’s detectives. This creates suspense because the conflict suggests that something is going to happen between them. Another aspect of mise en scene which is highlighted in the opening sequence of Shutter Island is props. There is a significant importance when the guns are introduced into the opening, The guns highlight who has authority, and in this case it is the police, this further crjeates conflict between the two because it infers that there is a fight between who is the dominant maple, in addition guns are a stereotype of the thriller genre. This is why the camera focuses on their expressions a lot. The use of mise en scene in the opening sequence of Shutter Island highlights to the audience that it is a thriller genre.

Another way that the opening suggests that the film is a thriller/mystery genre is through the use of sound. There is music that is powerful and mysterious which is introduced from the start of the opening. With having mysterious music the audience is almost being shown that something is going to happen, it builds up suspense and also highlights the genre of the film. This is the use of non diagetic sound, the music is also very climactic this almost foreshadows what the film is about and what is going to happen in it. There is also the use of diegetic sound which is the sound of the guns and the footsteps of the men. These sounds are being highlighted through the lack of speech. The sound of the guns are used to further suggest that they have the power in these scenes. There is also the sound of birds in the background when they are in the car, this could create the idea of freedom because in the next couple of scenes the idea of imprisonment is being introduced which then allows both of them to juxtapose each other. The use of sound suggest that the film in a thriller/mystery genre.

The use of camera angles and camera movements are used in the opening of Shutter Island to suggest to that audience that the film is a thriller/ mystery genre. There are close up shots which are used to emphasise the reaction on the people faces. Why these shots suggest that the film is a mystery is because the audience sees the reaction but then don’t see what they are looking at, but there is one close up shot which shows a sign saying “Remember us for we have too lived, love and laughed.” This creates mystery because the audience doesn’t know the significance of it but they can speculate what it might mean and what its importance is.  There is also a low angle shot which is used when the prison is introduced. The shot is a dirty shot and is positioned behind one of the detectives, is shows a wall which surrounds the prison and the prison its self. The reason why I think they decided to use this shot to introduce the prison is because the prison is then highlighted as being powerful and a important aspect within the film. You can tell it’s a prison because the high walls that surround it suggest that it isn’t supposed to be easy to escape from and also there is barbed wire that tops the walls, this is a stereotypical convention of a prison. The idea of the prison suggests that the film is a mystery and a thriller because there has to be a reason why they are going to a prison and a reason why it is so secluded therefore there are numerous unanswered questions that the audience is thinking throughout the opening. There is a high angled shot which is used when the car goes past the prison wall, the camera is placed on the inside of the wall so it allows the audience to look through the barbed wire at the car. This creates the idea of the audience being trapped within the prison almost spying on the people who are about to arrive. The camera also focuses of the barbed wire changing the depth of field when the car leaves the shot highlighting its importance. Another shot that is used in the opening is a point of view shot which is from the car as they approach the prison gates, the use of this shot emphasises how big and powerful the gates are this then implies that whatever is on the other side of those gates is just as powerful. This again creates suspense and mystery highlighting to the audience that the film is a mystery/thriller genre.

Editing is also used to suggest that Shutter Island is a thriller/mystery genre. The shots are edited together so there is a gradual zoom into the main characters face and his emotions. This creates an idea entrapment because as the shots get closer it creates the idea of being enclosed and imprisoned this reflects what might happen in the rest of the film.  

In conclusion Shutter Island is clearly being presented as being a thriller and mystery genre because of the use of props, shots, editing, locations and mise en scene.