My Final Media Product...

Music for final product...

http://freeplaymusic.com/
I selected music from the website above, so it is copyright free.

Evaluation...

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My media product uses forms and conventions of real media products, for example the film Control is black and white the whole way thorough the film. My group and I also thought this would add more suspense and that it might have been in the past or in a dream for example.

Codes and Conventions of a thriller:

• Crime at the core of the narrative (often Murder). For example my media product opens with a kidnapping this engages the audience straight away.


• Mystery. For example in my media product at first someone is watching Holly's character while she is receiving random texts from a private number. This is the enigma (an enigma is something that baffles understanding and seems hard explained.)
  

This is an picture from my media product of Dan's character watching Holly's character.

• A complex narrative (twists). For example in my media Holly's character hides in the bush and it seems like Dan's character doesn't see her so this makes the audience think he's going to carry on walking but then he hears her and sees her. This is a twist in the narrative and it also adds suspense.

These two pictures show how Holly's character hid in the bush then Dan's character just walked past. (Until she tries to run away).

• More true to life than horrors. My media product is very real to life, for example kidnappings happen all over the UK all the time. This is also why we choose to use a kidnapping as our crime narrative to attract our audience.
  
• False paths, clues. This does link with a complexed narrative. Also there is a clue given at the end of my media product, which is Holly's character's phone this could mean evidence for the police, etc.

• Thrill audience. My media product thrills the audience by the audience never seeing Dan's character's face. This adds suspence and enigma, which therefore thrills the audience.


• Popular genre. Thriller is a very popular genre but also a very hard genre to get right because the same codes and conventions can be used in comedys and horrors sometimes.


• Horror/ action. (sometimes) My media product does not have a lot of action accept for when Dan's character runs after Holly's character. The reason there isn't a lot of action because it's only the opening sequence and we didn't want to put too much action in. There is horror though like Holly's character not knowing who is texting her or who is following her this is very horror like that enages the audience by adding suspence.

This picture shows when Dan's character is running after Holly's character:

• A narrative pattern of establishing problems. My media product establishs the problem that Holly's character has not got away from Dan's character and is now in a lot of trouble. This lets the audience know that 'something' is going to happen to Holly's character.
  
  This link will show you the trailer of Control to show you how the film looks and what feeling it sends out to it's audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c2_B_cWK_M

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents women as a group that is vulnerable and that is targeted by kidnappers, etc.

For example in this picture of my media product I think Holly's character looks very vunerable with Dan's character watching her...

An examples of this in real medias are:

• Fargo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB4PmbfG4bw
The main character Jerry hires two men to kidnap his wife so he can get his rich father in law to pay the ransom of $1 million. Once the ransom is paid the kidnappers will get $40,000 and Jerry gets the rest and his wife back. Therefore with the wife being chosen to be kidnapped for money and also Jerry could of chosen his son to get kidnapped. This is an example of how women are stereotypically seen as vunerable and easy to be kidnapped.



• Man on fire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W9yoqs358c
  

The main character Creasy is a bodyguard for Pita who he gets very attached to. Then Pita gets kidnapped and Creasy vows that he will kill everyone responsible for the kidnapping. Therefore also because Pita the little girl gets kidnapped this shows that females are therefore again stereotypically kidnapped. This links to my media product by a young getting kidnapped.

• Rush hour.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4njaK_v4IMU
The plot of Rush hour is Jackie Chan is Inspector Lee, a Hong Kong Detective who helps confiscate millions of dollars worth of stolen Chinese artifacts from Crime Lord Juntao. Seeking revenge, Juntao kidnaps the eleven year old daughter of the Chinese consul when he moves to America. Chan is sent as a diplomatic advisor and finds himself paired up with a Los Angeles cop (Chris Tucker) - a man who works alone, and wants to stay that way. Therefore again it links to my media product by another young girl getting kidnapped.

• Deja vu. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d5l5lqqS2Y

The plot of Deja vu is When a bomb explodes on a ferry boat in New Orleans, special operatives from the FBI and ATF come to the scene, including ATF agent Doug Carlin. After viewing satellite surveillance, Carlin also stumbles upon a woman named Claire Kuchever, who has been murdered shortly before the Ferry incident. Carlin also finds out that he can use the surveillance systems to travel backwards in time. So, he time warps 4 days before the Ferry incident, so he can stop Claire's murder, and to stop the Ferry incident. Also Claire Kuchever was kidnapped this therefore links to my media product by the girl being kidnapped and killed.

Therefore my media product represents women as a social group that is targeted in thrillers as kidnapper's victims.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

FilmFour is an institution that I think might distribute my media product because it is a thriller and thrillers are liked by a lot of audiences which will mean it'll be easily popular. Also the company is responsible for backing a large number of films made in the UK, and ours will be made in the UK. Therefore I think our film will be quite popular with a few institutions but there are a few examples.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

This picture is an example of an age group that would be some of the target audience for my media product.

There is a lot of choice for who our audience would be because thrillers are liked by all genders and mostly all ages. But our target audiences are teenagers and women this is because our main focus in our media product is Holly's character getting kidnapped by Dan's character who is male which is stereotypical of kidnappers in real life and in thrillers. For example in all the thrillers I named earlier the kidnappers are male and the victims are women.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience by using actors around the same age group and gender of our target audiences. Also Holly's character wears what normal teenage girls would wear these days therefore this may attracted some girl teenagers.

For example this is a picture of Holly Costema:

My media also engages the audience by the enigma of who Dan's character is and why he's following and maybe texting Holly's character. This also encourages the audience to watch more of the thriller because they want to find out whose Dan's and Holly's characters are, they will want to know what happens in the end to them both. I know this by getting 5 people from my college (aged 16-18+) to watch my opening scene and they all said it encourages them to carry on watching the rest of the film. Therefore my media product must also hook the audience.

For example:

Megan Royce aged 17 watched my media product and her views were:

'I feel like I want to carry on watching the film to see what happens to Holly's character.'

Becky Rosser aged 16 watched my media product and her views were:

'I think it really hooks the audience, i'd give it an 8/10 because of the shakey shots but the audio adds good suspence.'

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt a lot about new technologies from this process of constructing this Product, for example I didn't know how to edit a film before I started this project as well as being able to add effects and audio to the film. I have also learnt a lot more about using a camera to film a product. For example doing an long shot and making sure it is on a straight angle.

This an example of a long shot we used in my media product:

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel I have learnt in the progression from my preliminary task to my full product that there is a lot more you can do with editing and it's not just putting the clips in the right place but its making them look right and give the feeling you want it to give to the audience. For example if you use a dissolve when a clip is changing to another clip it can add suspense of the unknown, etc. Therefore I did not use any dissolves in my preliminary which i think may have helped if I had. This video shows how we use a dissolve at the start of my media product.


I also noticed that editing needs a lot of time and needs to be thought about properly. I think this because on my preliminary task I feel my group and I spent more time filming than editing. Therefore in my final media product i have used the editing more and discovered a lot more ways of how to use the effects, etc. For example when I used levels to change the look of black and white.

Feedback from Miss Dughan (23/03/09.)

My group and I got our feedback from Miss Dughan and she had given us a D.
She also gave us ideas to improve it and get a better grade overall.
These are some of the ideas that Miss Dughan suggested:
Add speech to the production.
Remember the 180 degrees rule.
To match the audio to the scenes better.
To rethink our ending.
When we re-film it might work better, with only one girl being chased because the girls running together seems to take something away from the tension you might otherwise bulid.
We have decided that we are going to re-film everything and only have Holly running away from Dan to add tension and also my group and I are going to shot it at night to add more tension and danger.
My group and Iare also planning to re-edit it on Wednesday.

Editing the Main Task (Week beginning the 16th...)

In this week my group and I edited our project. On Mondays lesson my goup and I made the credits for our film, for example the actors and the production team. On Wednesday my group and I played around with dissolving and making the scenes a bit slower to add tension. This took my group and Imost of Wednesday's lesson therefore on Thursday my group and I fitted the music around the film which my group and I found to add a lot of tension, also my group and I made a draft of it and put it on a DVD to give into Miss Dughan. My group and Iwill be able to redit or refilm when we have our feedback from Miss Dughan.

Editing the Main task (11/03/09)

My group and I decided to edit the shots we took on the 9th. So my group and I captured the tape and then start on working on putting it together staright away. My group and I then decided as My group and Iwas editing the opening sequence that we should see what it looked like in black and white. My group and I did and my group and I decided to keep it because it suited the thriller genre alot more. An example of this being used is in the film 'Control'. I think it will add suspence and make it seem a bit more like a thriller. My group and I have also decided to make the credits red so they stand out on the picture. My group and I have not finished the making of the credits yet but my goup and I are planning to do this in Mondays lesson. My group and I also need to add the sound to the sequence which my group and I are also hoping to do next lesson. My group and I have also thought about doing some close up shots on our faces when we are running to add to the tension and the unknown.

Fliming the Main task (09/03/2009.)

In this 2 hour lesson my group and I went to the location of filming, my group and I then filmed most of our opening sequence. My group and I did have the problem of it being a public walk-thorough so we had different people in the background of different shots.
In Wednesday's lesson my group and I are planning to do our editing and then if there are still some shots left to do my group and I will re shoot them on Monday the 16th.

Editing of the Main task (04/03/09.)

On Wednesday the 4th of March my group and I uploaded the shots we had done to see how they would work together.
However we worked out that there is alot more shots we need to do because we didn't take all the right shots and they weren't as staright as Miss Dughan might of liked. Therefore we decided to do some more filming on the 9th of March if the weather is nice.

AS Practical:First day of filming 02/03/09.

My group and I completed our planning over the weekend therefore, today my group and I went to our location of filming to film some shots.
Some of the shots we shot were; the pan of Holly and me running past, the pan of Dan walking past, etc.
My group and I used Dan's camera to shoot these shots because it is easier to use and get use of. Therefore the shots will be in MP4. This may not work on Abobe Premiere Pro which we have considered. Therefore my group and I got Mr Wheatly to convert it into the right material.
My group and I agreed that we worked well today but we still have a few shots to do which we will do at a later date.

AS Practical Task: Location...

By Dan Walker.

It will be in and around the two alley ways running alongside Queen Elizabeth's Park in Toton/Stapleford. Here are some location shots.


My group and I chose this location because my group and I thought it would go well with our plot. The covered up grafitti on the alley way makes it look like a rough area and also a alley way is isolated from everywhere else and gives a scarier feel because theres no where to go but straight on.

AS Practical Task: Risk Assessment...

By Dan Walker.

For the course of our filming there will be minimal risk of danger, however it is essential we take maximum precautions anyway.

Location- Because we are not in college, we must ensure that we return at the times negotiated to ensure the teachers are aware of where we are. Also, we must not cause nuisance or damage to any other pubic citizens we may meet in the process of filming. The only other risks about our location is the common sense risks like coming into contact with strangers, or prevent getting lost. We will ensure this by not filming out of day light hours.
Equipment- We must ensure the filming equipment is looked after correctly, and not damaged or exposed to water, fire or too much sunlight. All equipment borrowed must be returned in the same condition.

AS Practical Task: Props...

Holly Costema was assigned the props:


This is the handbag both of the girls will be wearing.

Dan is going to hold a picture of us to show the audience that he is following us and some how know us this also creates an enigma.

AS Practical Task: Actors...

My group and I decided we should all take part in our filming production as the actors and the Filmer's, etc. Holly Costema was assigned this task.

This is Holly Costema & Amy Selby, they play the two girls who are getting chased by the unknown man (Dan).
My group and I felt that is was more easy to use people in the group for the characters because my group and I feel we know what we are going for.

This is Daniel Walker, he plays the unknown man chasing the girls (Holly & Amy).
My group and I also felt that is was more easy to use people in the group for the characters because my group and I feel we know what we are going for.

AS Practical Task: filming schedule...

My group and I organised time to do filming and editing. we formed a table of this:
Date Task
2nd of March Filming
3rd of March Filming
4th of March Editing
5th of March Editing
9th of March Editing
11th of March Editing
12th of March Editing
16th of March Editing

AS Practical Task: Costume brainstorm...

My group and I brainstormed some ideas for the costume in our final product. For example:







I was assigned to blog our progress about the costume ideas.
These are the final pictures of our character's costumes:
My group and I chose casual because it would give the impression that it is just a normal day.For Dans costume, my group and I chose a hoody and jeans because he can put his hood up to give a more scary feel because you can't really see his face.
Dan's costume...





Amy's costume...




Holly's costume...

Research for AS Practical task...

For our AS Practical task we was told to research 4 topics:

A) Films

B) The genre.

C) The industry.

D) The conventions of opening scenes.

I have chosen to do the genre, therefore I am researching the thriller (genre).

Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)

The thriller genre can include some of the following sub-genres, which may include elements of other genres: Action thriller, Crime thriller,Disaster thriller,Drama thriller, Horror thriller & Supernatural thriller.

source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)#Sub-genres

Most thrillers are formed in some combination of the above, with horror, conspiracy, and psychological tricks used most commonly to heighten tension. Combinations are highly diverse, including:
Science Fiction thrillers: The Terminator, I Am Legend, Blade Runner
Science Fiction/Horror thrillers: Jurassic Park, Alien, Predator
Techno/Political/Conspiracy/Military/Horror Thriller: Predator, Robocop, S.M. Stirling's Draka novels
Legal/Forensic/Psychological/Horror thriller: Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs, novel, Seven.

source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)#Sub-genres

All of this research gave me and my group a lot more ideas about making our thriller for example making the opening scene very fast pass but still make some of the scenes long to add suspence.
This is Holly Costema's research on Thriller Films:
Films
According to www.imdb.com/chart/thriller The Godfather is the number one thriller of all time with The Godfather 2 coming in second and The Dark Knight in third place. The Godfather won 3 Oscars including Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay. It also had another 19 wins and 17 nominations. On the opening weekend the gross at the box office was $302,393 and it opened in 6 screens in the USA.
Examples of films:
• Phone Booth is a thriller about a selfish man trapped in a phone booth by a deranged sniper. Framed for the murder of a pimp, he finds himself surrounded by police who have no idea of the sniper's presence.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)#Film
• The Bourne Identity was adapted into a movie starring Matt Damon which used many of the thriller conventions of the plot. Though its sequels, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, depart significantly from Robert Ludlum's storyline, the conspiracy-thriller genre is still well-preserved.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)#Film

Also here is Dan's research into the Thriller industry:
I researched into industry and looked at the best thrillers of all time

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. The Godfather Part II (1974)
3. The Dark Knight
4. Star Wars Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
5. Rear Window (1954)
6. Cidade de Deus (2002)
7. Fight Club (1999)
8. The Usual Suspects (1995)
9. Psycho (1960)
10. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

AS Practical Task: Storyboard.

My group and I made a storyboard so we could think of camera angles and shots. This also made us think about better ideas by using different camera angles, etc.

This is our animatic:

My preliminary task...

Preliminary task: Storyboard.

This is the storyboard that me and my group constructed for planning of the camera angles, shots and were we would like to place our actors, etc.

Practical AS task: Research, Planning & Brainstorm

The class and I choose our groups in today's lesson mine is Holly Costema & Daniel Walker. My group and I then thought about some ideas for our Thriller, and brainstorm them as a group.
For example: Costumes, camera shots, sound, etc, mise en scene, e.g. Dark room to create tension, location, e.g. park, empty room, house, etc, characters, e.g. portagonist and antagonist. Also we thought of the antagonist could be an Stalker or an Paedophile.

My group and I then discussed the final ideas for our thriller and also brainstormed theses as a group. After this my group and I formed a questionnaire, which we formed to hand out and collect information from. This is the questionnaire:

1. Whats your favourite thriller? ________________________

2. What do you think a good name for a thriller would be?
· The Unknown
· Kidnapped
· Gone
· Dead and Gone
· Other, Please state__________________________
3. What do you like to see in a thriller?
· Murder
· Action
· Kidnapping
· Cliff Hangers
· Other, Please state_______________________
4. Who are your favourite characters in thrillers?
· Good guys
· Bad Guys
· Femme Fetale’s
· Other, Please state____________________
5. Who is your favourite character in thrillers?
· Alfred Hitchcock
· James Bond
· Batman
· Other, Please state_____________________
6. How often do you watch thrillers?
· 0-2 weeks
· 2 weeks- 1 month
· 1-4 months
· 4-6 months
· 6 months-1 year
· 1 year+
· Never
7. Do you prefer to watch films in..?
· Colour
· Black and White
· Sepia
· No Preference
8. Where do you like to see thrillers?
· Cinema
· At home
· Internet
· Phone
· Other, Please state_______________
9. How long do you expect the opening to thrillers to last?
· 0-2 minutes
· 2-5 minutes
· 5-10 minutes
· 10+ minutes
· Other, Please state____________________
10. What do you expect from a thriller?

My group and I gave out 10 of these questionnaires around our college. My group and I learnt a lot about thriller for example a good name for a thriller was voted dead and gone. Also people like thrillers to involve a lot of action.

North by NorthWest (1959).

Information on North by Northwest:

Director: Alfred Hitchcock.

Writer:Ernest Lehmam.

Genres: Adventure, mystery, thriller, etc.

Plot: New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill is kidnapped by a gang of spies led by Philip Vandamm, who believe Thornhill is CIA agent George Kaplan. Thornhill escapes, but must find Kaplan in order to clear himself of a murder it is believed he committed. Following Kaplan to Chicago as a fugitive from justice, Thornhill is helped by beautiful Eve Kendall. In Chicago, she delivers a message to Kaplan that almost costs Thornhill his life when he is chased across a cornfield by a crop-dusting plane. Written by filmfactsman

source:http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0053125/

North by Northwest (1959) is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau. The screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures". The film is one of several Hitchcock movies with a film score by Bernard Herrmann and features a famous title sequence by the graphic designer Saul Bass.

source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_by_Northwest_(film)

In class we watched North by Northwest and took notes on the thriller techniques used, for example:

• 
  
  In the scene where Roger is taken to the mystery house, the room he is taken into the curtains are closed and the lights are turned on this gives a sense of mystery.


• 
  
  In the scene where the men are trying to kill Roger but no-one knows why there is music used for suspense.


• 
  
  Also Eve, the seductive femme fatale draws Roger into the drama. Femme fatales are used a lot in thrillers to draw the hero/heroine in, sometimes there is also a girl who needs to be saved which is the romance figure. This gives the audience more to think about.


• 
  
  Also Roger always gets away from the trouble just in time. This is very typcial of a thriller something that is used for all heros/heroines this makes them seem superior for the audience. However it still makes the audience worry for them by them only getting away in the last few minutes.

Costumes for the preliminary task:

Amy: dark black top, black jeans and black boots. hair tyed back, every day make-up.
Hannah: dark black top, black jeans and black shoes. hair down, also every day make-up.
i choose the costume to be very dark to go with the location of the dark room.

Preliminary task:

Planning:

• never see faces.


• someone late (running).


• Running outside.


• sitting down in a room with just a table and chair.

Dialogue ideas:

• 'where is she?'


• 'Where have you been?'


• 'can we get this over with?'


• 'sorry I'm late'

Final ideas:

Location: dark room with a table and chair.

Actors: Amy the girl who is late. Hannah the girl already sitting in the room.

Notes on how to use the camera:

i took notes on how to use a camera because it'll help me with the filming of my projects, etc.

• study shot off (not good big screen).
• make sure the lense is clean.
• set to slow play (sp).
• set the exposure to manual.
• audio level, audio bit.
• when you hit record wait for 5 seconds.
• cameras are like eyes (don't point in the sun.)
• pan of the room, you need enough space.
• consider the rule of thirds.
• white balance (light). Go to white balance menu set to white.
• zoom in on FG then BG will go out of focus.
• recording use the sound of the room (so quiet room) (editing.)

Analysis of real media: The Lost Boys (1987)

Information about The Lost Boys:

Director: Joel Schumacher.

Writers:Janice Fisher, James Jeremias.

Genre:comedy, horror, thriller, etc.

Plot: A Mother and her two sons move to a small coast town in California. The town is plagued by bikers and some mysterious deaths. The younger boy makes friends with two other boys who claim to be vampire hunters while the older boy is drawn into the gang of bikers by a beautiful girl. The older boy starts sleeping days and staying out all night while the younger boy starts getting into trouble because of his friends' obsession. Written by Zaphod {aaa@scs.leeds.ac.uk}

source:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093437/

Notes on the opening scene of The Lost Boys:

• 
  
  Set in the nightime.


• 
  
  The is an tracking shot over the dark sea.


• 
  
  Where is this?


• 
  
  The soundtrack is playing in the background. ('cry little sister'-Gerard McMann)


• 
  
  Who are the lads on at the carousel?


• 
  
  Where is the fairground? (crane shot)


• 
  
  Why is everyone scared of the lads on the carousel?


• 
  
  Why are the lads the only ones walking on the carousel and everyone else is sitting?


• 
  
  The lights turn off, does this mean there is danger coming?


• 
  
  Why are the streets empty?


• Looks like someone flying over the police men (crane shot).


• 
  
  What is the policemen running from?


• 
  
  What happened to the policemen?

Analysis of real media: Twilight (2008)

Information on Twilight (2008):


Director: Catherine Hardwicke


Writers: Melissa Rosenberg (screenplay)


Stephenie Meyer (novel)


Genres: Drama, Fanstasy, Romance, Thriller.


Plot:Isabella Swan moves to gloomy Forks to live with her father. As she starts her junior year in high school she becomes fascinated by Edward Cullen who holds a dark secret which is only known by his family. Edward falls in love with Bella as well but knows the further they progress in their relationship the more he is putting Bella and those close to her at risk. Edward warns Bella that she should leave him but she refuses to listen and to understand why he is saying this. Bella learns his secret. He is a vampire, however she is not afraid of his blood-thirsty needs and the fact he could kill her at any moment. Bella is afraid of losing him, the love of her life. The thrill begins when a new vampire finds it a challenge to hunt Bella down for her irresistible blood. The game is on and James will not stop until she is killed. Written by courtney.


source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1099212/
Notes on the opening scene of Twilight:

• Forest, why?
• Dear, why?
• Peaceful.
• Voice over, who?
• Someone/something running after the dear, why?, who?
• Hand held camera.
• All asudden fast pass.
• Sense of fear, why?
• Point of view shot, who?
• Sets the scene (voice over)
• Zooms in on Bella to close up on her facial features makes you want to know who she is?
• When in car the song changes to happy and peaceful this gives a sense of happiness.
• Where are they going in the car? (Bella's voiceover only tells you shes going to stay with her Dad.)
• The orange mountains fading into white mountains gives a sense of change from hot to cold.

Fargo. (Coen Brothers 1996)

This is the analysis of the opening scene of 'Fargo':

• set in 1987.
• A true story.
• know the plot already.
• respect for the dead.
• blue background (snow)(peaceful,mystery.)
• car where from?
• where is the car going?
• who is driving the car and why?
• snow (cold, death).
• pub, drinking (where are they? why are they there?)
• people wearing coats inside (very cold).
• why does he want his own wife kidnapped? (money problems?)
• planning of a crime at the corr of the narrative.
• music building up.
• two cars, why?
• who is Shep'?
• whose Jerry?

Lost Highway (David Lynch 1997).

This is the analysis of 'Lost Highway''s opening scene:

• Fast paced music. (2.30 minutes).
• What road is the car driving down?
• hand held camera.
• whose driving the car?
• Black screen (fade in) (where?)
• close up on man (who is he?)
• death, why?
• house, where?
• why looking out the window?
• sense of mystery.

Mulholland Drive (David Lynch 2001).

This is the analysis of 'Mulholland Drive''s opening scene:

• Mystery music at first.
• blurred.
• dancing. (why? Where?)
• can't see where they are dancing ( purple background).
• sense of unknown & pain.
• long eerie opening.
• long shot on woman's face (who is she?)
• people screaming (why?)
• happiness destroyed by something?
• Red covers (death, Blood?)
• flashing lights (fame, money, sometimes danger?)
• Red lipstick (wealth, money, danger?)
• no crime happens (why?)
• nothing makes sense (why?)
• layering in the dance sequence with the white figures.
• maybe opening scene (dance sequence) is a flashback.

Opening scene of a Thriller.

Set the scene.
To engage the audience.
To encourage the audience to watch more.
Hook the audience.

The reason i have thought about the conventions of an opening scene of a thriller is, so i don't get confused between the conventions of a opening scene of a thriller and a trailer of a thriller.

what is a Trailer?

Fast pass.
Jokes.
Best scenes.
Violent (sometimes).
Newspaper quotes.
Director.
Straight cuts.
Backing track.
Give the feeling of the film (sadness, fun, action, loss, etc.)
promote the film. ( makes you want to watch the film).
Generate interest in the film.
Show off the stars of the film.
Show the film to its best advantage. (whereas the opening scene won't show the best.)
creates excitement.
Tell people what the film is about e.g. the genre.
Not give too much of plot away.
Showcase some of the best bits of the film.
Give details about the production team.

i have also highlighted the conventions of a thriller's trailer so i don't get confused and i can look back on my notes for help.

What is a Thriller? (codes and conventions...)

Scary.
Crime at the corr of the narrative. (often Murder).
Mystery.
A complex narrative (twists).
More true to life than horrors.
False paths, clues.
Thrill audience.
Popular genre.
Horror/ action. (sometimes)
a narrative pattern of establishing problems.
Portrays with a flaw, exploited by the entaginess (weakness.)
titles often reflect an expect of character's psychological state.
Often scene near the end of the film where portaginess is in danger.
Mise en scene which occurs mirrors portaginess.
A portaginess who is systemically disempoured & drown into complexed way of entagination.
Extra ordinary events happen in situations.
Themes of identity.
Themes of mirroring.
Voyeurism (spy).

The reason i have also highlighted the conventions of a thriller on a whole is because our final task is about making our own opening scene of a thriller in a group. Therefore this will help me think of what the storyline could be.