Questionnaire feedback

Below are the replies i have received on the research group so far. Thanks to Felicity, Jenny, Tom, Caitlin, Annie, Aisha, HEather, Helen, Matt, Nat and Jenny

1. Name, age, gender

Felicity Sarah Mockford, Female and im 17
Jenny Welham, 17, Female
tom burby, 18, man
Caitlin Evans, 18, female
Anni Porteous, 17, Female
Aisha, 19, female
Eleanor, 18, Female
Heather Love 18 Female
Helen, 16, female
Matt Dolman, 17, Male
Natalie, 16, female.
Jenny , 15 , Female

2. Are you a fan of 'scary' films, why?

no im not
Sometimes, depending on my mood. Can be fun to watch with friends!
yeah, most effective thing at keeping me interested, like, having an emotional attachment to the characters
Yes. Mainly psychological thrillers
No, because they are scary and freak me out and my imagination then makes them scarier
I like psychological scary films more than jumpy or gory ones. It requires more skill to genuinely scare someone, instead of grossing them out or making them jump.
Yes, because they are good to watch with loads of people
Not really a fan because i have an over active imagination so they scare me too easily! although they do provide a good laugh!
Ish
Love them- anticipation, suspense, ension are all great. Gore is pretty good too, and outright shocks are always great.
Yep, because they're really exciting and have you on the edge of your seat!
Yer i am, the adrenaline is great

3. Please state the number of your preferred choice of thriller sub-genre
1 - Horror
2 - Political
3 - Psychological
4 - Action
5 - Other, please state

4 – action
3 – Psychological
3 (psychological)
3 – Psychological
Action
3 – Psychological
3 – Psychological
2,3,4
4 – action
1 - horror or 3 psychological
3 – Psychological
deffo 1

4. What elements of a Thriller film do you enjoy and why?

a twisting plot
Mystery and suspense.
other people think its boring maybe but i do like suspense, like in no country for old men
The fear that it's something that could feasibly happen makes a film scarier
Fight scenes (as long as there isn't too much blood!) cos they get your pulse racing which is what they're sposed to do
I like dramatic tension (when the audience knows something the characters don't), and eerie atmospheres.
Suspense and tension, because they are exciting and lead on well to surprises
The fact you dont always know what is going to happen but sometimes its so blindingly obvious but you don't notice or realise because you're looking WAY too deep into it.
the thrill
Suspense, knowledge that something is going to happen to the characters, trying to guess ahead of the film.
The storyline.
They get you hooked on the story more, and have you on the edge of your seat with anticipation. They keep you questioning.

5. What elements of a thriller film do you dislike and why?

masks, there tacky
Lots of chases and violence. Gets boring and is too common.
ones without any style :P i like a clear style, love maltese falcon
The same as above, for the same reason lol!
Blood and guts and stuff flying everywhere cos its just gross
I don't like red herrings, simply because they annoy me.
Gore, it's disgusting
when they have tried too hard to make it scary or "thrilling" and instead it's just amusing at how bad it is!!
the bits where the script writer was clearly a little bored.
When they try to be too clever and miss the point.
Endings where you don’t find out what happens.
None really

6. Do you believe it is the narrative of a film or the technical conventions it has such as camera angle and lighting that makes a good thriller film?

definitely the narrative
Yep :)
ultimately a combination, but of course amount of technique is gonna make a dodgy plot look good, take ALL video games for example :P
a good blend and balance of both!
Mixture of both, you have to have a good story in the first place and then build on that with good lighting and cinematography etc
A bit of both. You can't have one without the other.
Technical conventions, they build up the mood well and can save a poor narrative
Both are extrmeely imnportant as ithout a reasonable narritive the film would fall apart and without SE's and all it would look really ineffective
Narrative
Narrative is essential, and even the best technicality will not save a stupid plot. However, without at least partially decent effects a story can be boring anyway as we don't believe it.
Narrative… but it probably wouldn’t be that good without special effects & camera angles and stuff.
Yer .. the camera angle and lighting adds to the effects and therefore makes it better

7. What do you expect to see in a thriller film?

a death
Erm....mystery, clues to the outcome being dropped along the way. I like films where you have to go back and watch them again after you've found out the ending just to pick up on other things.
over coats, denzel washington, lots of hidden meaning, done with style
Fighting...ummm i dunno wot else!
Usually, fast paced action, lots of explosions, and a snarky Alan Rickman-esque villain.
Tension building music, unknown attackers/followers
I don't expect to see stuff when i watch horror/thriler films as they are all so differnet and rying to connect one to another isnt easy. However the standard dead people, blood, gore and that something unexplainable!
something amusing
Thrills? Maybe some twists, recurring themes, elements we thought were irrelevant becoming important.
Scenes that make you hide behind a pillow.
Deaths, Evidence, Thrills, unsolved mysteries


8. What audience would you suggest a Thriller film would be aimed at and why? e.g. 15-17 females, Over 18 males etc

Young males more than females there alot more easily entertained
Probably teenage males because girls often prefer romances or chick-flicks.
err older people who have the patience for them?? also horror aspects arnt generally aimed at properly young kids... id say male, 18 upwards, thats not to say id put thriller in the same category as Rambo though
Generally probably late teens into 20s, as it's thrilling to get scared
Depends...if you want to aim at men you have to put lots of gorgeous women and fighting and grossness in it and if you want to aim it at women you want to put hot men fighting and being really deep at the same time!!!!!
16-30 males, as most older women aren't into explosions and younger ones are usually into rom-coms. (Or so the stereotypes go.)
15-25 either gender, people seem to be more interested in horror and thrillers at that age
16+ and both genders. Thrillers are usually aassociated with males but i know loads of females who enjoy thrillers more than comedies and chick flicks
anyone over 15
Both genders, 15+, in order to be able to like the genre and understand what is happening.
Teenagers and people in their 20’s
Teenagers and young adults because they have a wilder imagination towards the horror side of things.

9a. Which is most important to you in a thriller film?
1 - Music
2 - Character + costume
3 - Location
4 - Camera shots

4
1 – Music
4
2 - Character + costume
2 - Character + costume
2. It's all important, but without believable characters it's pointless.
1 – Music
3 – Location
1- music
2 – character
4 - Camera shots
Ummm a combination of all 4 ... they are all important facts.

9b. Why?

Being a music student, it's something that I always pay great attention to :P
becuase they create all the meaning whiich ties the other things together i guess
Cos a character has to be believable for the story to be believable
See above.
Helps to build up tension
Because if a thriller was set in a pit full of cotton buds it would be terribly boring.
because it sets the mood
because no matter how good an angle is, noone cares if they're looking at a boring character.
Because they can make something seem really scary.
Camera shots give it added effect. Location adds to the suspense ... Characters and costumes are vitall in any film .. makes the film beleivable. Music can add an errie feel to the movie.

10. What is your most memorable thriller film and why? Were there certain scenes that shocked or frightened you?

Gothika because it was just so unusal and contained so many twists.
oldboy, its really perfect, everything v for vendetta thinks it is and isnt, it has an amazing plot,actors, cinematography, soundtrack, fight scenes, style, psychological stufffff.... tis good... : )
The Sixth Sense, I watched it years ago and am still haunted by some visions from it, like the boy with the bullet hole in the back of his head! It had such a clever plot too, what a great twist!
I dunno if Casino Royale counts but that probably was it! I thought the end sequence in venice was brilliant cos you weren't sure who was good and who was bad and it built up suspense
Fight Club. I was scared of the lye burn scene (but impressed by the make-up effects) and a little shocked at *blank* dying. I’m not going to ruin it for anyone!
The Forgotten - the tension was felt throughout the film and meant that action and sudden surprises were scarier, the psychological element also made good watching
Battle Royale. Because it wasnt in english....and also the plot was amazing and there were so many amazing scenes which just stuck in my head.
umm.... probably clockwork orange - i was only about 13 when i saw it and it freaked me out
Final Destination's are great once you know the formula, you can try and guess ahead. The Sentinal, Die Hard 4.0 and similar films.
Secret Window (with Johnny Depp in). Just because it’s got a really good twist at the end.
Creep - The tension throughout the film kept me on my toes. The scene in the surgery was horrible and the content of it makes you gag.

A not so great update

Unfortunately a large chunk of our easter holiday is going to de dedicated to media. With our grade at stake, it's been decided that it is best if we re-film as the footage we currently have.....well....isn't as good as we thought.

Personally I feel a lot of the shots aren't stable enough and we even missed out a few vital ones. During filming I think we all became a bit lazy when it came to using the tripod, shooting according to schedule and just generally doing our best, which has now forced us to pay a price!! So somehow we need to cram in editing and filming all over easter......maybe in the snow...which we shall call 'atmospheric'!

So the next few days are going to be quite stressful and I think Zoey may come into my room and night like a ninja and kill me for this but I know we will benefit from re-filming.

That is all for now, wish us luck as we need it!

Happy Easter!

Thought it would be a good idea to actually upload some of the thriller work I've done!!! Ive uploaded footage from youtube of the opening to 4 films. Psycho, Memento and two of my favourite films Fight Club (which I'm currently watching!) and Se7en. I also studied The Usual Suspects but couldn't find any clips of the opening scene for me to upload.


Psycho - Alfred Hitchcock



I cant decide whether I like or dislike this opening. The titles I think are both simple and complex. Created by Saul Bass, they certainly are memorable titles. The broken feel you get when watching the titles as they become disfigured as initially the words are concealed and then become pieced together. The music is very dominating within this sequence. Strong orchestral music with staccato notes really engage the audience as it is so impacting. If i were to take inspiration from the opening of this film it would be from the music. I like the fast paced rhythm the music has but it is still within the thriller genre and doesn't slip into an action/adventure style piece of music due the tone and notes of the music keeping that eerie yet on the edge of your seat feeling.


Memento - Christopher Nolan


Personally I think this is one of the most successful opening sequences to a thriller film for engaging the audience and fulfil the expected conventions of a thriller. All elements from music to mise-en-scene follow a thriller style. My favourite thing about this film opening is the narrative structure, as we see the polaroid picture become increasingly blurrier and less visible, the audience catch on to the fact that the film is being portrayed in reverse. I really like this idea and we are hoping to combine a similar sort of cross cutting technique within our film as it makes the audience quite confused yet desperate to work out what is actually happening.


Fight Club - David Fincher



The way the David Fincher has chosen to begin the film is very different to his other works such as se7en as the elements used within it do suggest that it is a action/adventure movie with its fast paced 'rock' music supporting the title as well as the vast amounts of cgi used. However the audience concealment is used as the camera appears to be zooming out from the cgi created 'particles' gradually getting faster and faster revealing a character with a gun pointing at him, throwing the audience straight into the plot of the film. the opening to this film has lots of energy created by the fast titles, fast music, fast action on screen and the way the audience are instantly faced with a dilemma. I like the impact this style creates on the audience as it takes a different approach in order to shock the audience.




Se7en - David Fincher



This is my favourite opening out of all 4 of my clips as i think it successfully fulfil the thriller conventions in the best way. the variety within in music tempo and camera shots form close ups till tilted angled views i think generates enough imagery for the audience to be led into making their own predictions as to what shall happen within the narrative. Audience concealment is a common factor of a thriller genre and it is used well within this film opening, we only see a persons hands and no more within the film, performing a variety of things such as photocopying texts and cutting words out of paper documents. The music is an intriguing element within the sequence as it is quite difficult to determine what it is exactly is being played, a variety of simply odd sound effects on top of a repetitive rhythm creates quite a tense and eerie atmosphere fr the audience.
My favourite thing about the opening to the film is the way the titles have been portrayed. I like how the text flashes in a disorientating way and also how it breaks up the sequence of the film. how it cuts to a separate frame to display the credits and then back to the action. All of my group liked this idea and we hope to use a similar style for our titles especially as our film is based upon a diary so the hand written style of font as scene within the opening to this film would also be appropriate for ours.

ALSO we have decided on the name for our film.......drum roll please.............*attempts to make noise on keyboard!*......

"DIARRO"

Pronounced 'Dee-ar-ro' which means Diary in Latin......(we think!)

The End

Joyous Update

We have finished all our filming. We have all the shots we originally planned as well as others we spontaneous came up with whilst filming, we filmed all these shots from different angles to give us a wider range of material to work with.

In the end Louise didn't get to play her starring role as the stalker, we got the delightful Dan Betham in to help with that, so thanks very much Dan.

Now we just have to sort music out and start editing. Very much looking forward to it.

Zoey, my middle name is panic!!

So I've finally got round to designing a questionnaire!! very late i know but still its research all the same! I've created facebook group for people to join and fill out the questionnaire. And if they just join and don't bother filling it out then i shall just kick them out with the power of being admin mwuhaha!
Anyway moving on! Story boards are being worked on. Need to keep up the pace though as we still have lots of stuff to organise such as actors, costume, our ENTIRE outside sequence and also music!!

But besides all that things are looking good! Hopefully we should be ready to film this week......and if not.......well then i think i am allowed to panic with permission from Zoey!

bye!

Questionnaire

1. Name, age, gender

2. Are you a fan of 'scary' films, why?

3. Please state the number of your preferred choice of thriller sub-genre
1 - Horror
2 - Political
3 - Psychological
4 - Action
5 - Other, please state

4. What elements of a Thriller film do you enjoy and why?

5. What elements of a thriller film do you dislike and why?

6. Do you believe it is the narrative of a film or the technical conventions it has such as camera angle and lighting that makes a good thriller film?

7. What do you expect to see in a thriller film?

8. What audience would you suggest a Thriller film would be aimed at and why? e.g. 15-17 females, Over 18 males etc

9a. Which is most important to you in a thriller film?
1 - Music
2 - Character + costume
3 - Location
4 - Camera shots

9b. Why?

10. What is your most memorable thriller film and why? Were there certain scenes that shocked or frightened you?

Don't Panic Louise!!

Well we've sorted out a location (after breaking into Nicola's dad's house) for the main part of our film opening. We've also decided that due to lack of free time over the weekend we'll be filming the shots of the girl being stalked around Thurston rather than Bury. Which means we can use the train station and roads to our advantage.

We've started on our story board and done some text shots so we have at least a vague idea of how it's all going to work out, we also have ideas for additional material that we can shoot if we get time. We've also decided on actors, however we're not sure whether we'll need to find someone of the male persuasion to play our beloved stalker, if we can't find anyone there's always Louise.

We're all set and ready to film some of our coursework on Thursday after school, and maybe some on tuesday or wednesday (depending on who's free when) which is terribly exciting. Even though Louise keeps panicing that we're really far behind.

Bless her cottons.

Eyes

Adding on to Nicolas exploration...i really liked the way Hitchock focussed on the human eye in Psycho. The extreme close ups made me feel uneasy and made it difficult to watch. Maybe its just the eye in general or the idea that the eye is fixed upon something it shouldnt be looking at? I think this links in well to the idea of being stalked or followed so we may use some similar shots within our film and using the eye and what it observes as a theme.

• This is my favourite shot of the eye in psycho. I like the way the light coming through highlights his features and emphasises his imoral observations.
  

More ideas began to gel within thursdays lesson. Even though we arent to sure on our narrative just yet, we have some ideas for some shots. The idea of an over shoulder shot of our main character wiritng in a diary, just so you can see the writing but not any of her facial features. Upon the desk would be numours props such as a lamp, clock etc somehing of which would be reflective enough to capture the eyes of the character within the shot as they write at the same time, but just their eyes, not the entire face. I think that prooves that i am officially pants at explaining these ideas in words!! But im hoping it will all come together in the film!

Also we agreed that our lead character would be female, as it is more conventional for a female to be followed and stalked than a male. These were just our opinions but tomorrow we are going to discuss ideas of what to show to our focus group in order to get some feedback that will hopefully guide us in the right direction....

Ta ta :)