For my production unit, I chose Brief 1: Thriller Film.
Production Report
For my production unit, I chose Brief 1: Thriller Film. This is due to my interest in them and the
confidence I have in producing my own, which I found from GCSE television advertising work and in my ability to deconstruct existing films.
In order to fulfil my brief successfully, I had to perform several areas of research, which will make the product look like products in real life and show that I know and can use the appropriate codes and conventions. I also watched a non-Hollywood film, the French film 'La Haine'. Comparing the two different sorts of films, emphasised the codes and conventions that I needed to use for my 'classic Hollywood' film. For example, the 180degree rule, continuity and the way sound is constructed to fit the distance of source from camera.
To go into more detail about typical Hollywood style, I deconstructed many sequences in terms of shots and techniques in existing Hollywood thriller films, with a fifteen or eighteen certificate looking at the codes and conventions specifically used in them to create the effect desired e.g. the use of incidental music and silences; filming the villain so his face is never fully shown; using low-key lighting to create shadows; low and high angled shots to create the feeling of power and control; close-ups of eyes to show fear; slow, long-held shots to create tension. A particular favourite film of mine was 'Silence of the Lambs'- a film by Jonathan Demme, because the tension created was a lot subtler and there was very little violence or action in the film- the enjoyment came out of the highly detailed characters and the intensity of the created tension, this was done by setting up possibilities of something happening rather than unexpected action. This was done by putting key objects or people in the vanishing point and a lot of use of doors- to show the many possibilities.
Another method of research was to find an audience's opinion, by creating and distributing a questionnaire. The questions were based on thriller film viewing and possibilities for a new thriller film. I asked ten people to fill it in and collated the results in order to find out what film viewers want from a film. I found out that people enjoy thriller films because they are very different to other film genres and they enjoy the suspense, that psychological thriller films are popular, that completely original narratives are preferred, which are realistic. That a fast editing pace and limited action and violence is important in a thriller film. A film on child abduction, as this is a particularly topical subject in the news at the moment, with a male and female hero/ine team would be popular. This means that my idea for the narrative of the film would be popular if it was made and released and that the film would have lots of suspense but little action or violence.
This gives me a firm idea of what my film must contain in order to fulfil the genre and be popular.
Planning
My film is about a divorced father who has his child taken away from him by its mother. His love for this girl and his despair at losing her drives him crazy and he begins kidnapping children in the hope they will make up for his loss. An FBI agent and a psychologist are put on the case and they track him down and brings his girl along to see him. She is so ...
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This gives me a firm idea of what my film must contain in order to fulfil the genre and be popular.
Planning
My film is about a divorced father who has his child taken away from him by its mother. His love for this girl and his despair at losing her drives him crazy and he begins kidnapping children in the hope they will make up for his loss. An FBI agent and a psychologist are put on the case and they track him down and brings his girl along to see him. She is so horrified by the sight of her father locking all these children in cages, she tells him that he is a monster and that she hates him. He breaks down and commits suicide. The film ends in a hospital where the girl's mother is recovering from shock, the girl has her doll taken away from her and so she steals one from another girl. When accused of stealing she replies with a far-too-familiar psychotic grin "No, its mine." The film's title is 'Rock-a-Bye Baby'. In order to set up the rest of the film through the opening sequence, I included ideas and images, which refer to the rest of the film. The railings and in particular the shots of the girl through the railings represents the idea of children being locked up or caged. The doll, which the girl plays with, represents youth and innocence, the feeling of helplessness as the doll has no power or control of her life and the idea of a doting parent. The doll also leads to the ending of the film, so the narrative is rounded off. The high angle shots represent the power and authority the girl has over the doll and therefore the power and authority parents have over their children.
The child clearly shows love for the doll, which represents the villain's innocent love for his daughter. The doll as a metonym for the child. The use of lighting to create a halo effect gives the girl an angelic look, showing her innocence and enforcing the injustice of locking children up. The man features are shown very little- he is seen from behind mainly, setting him up as the villain. The shot of the man's hand coming through the bars is menacing as it makes his hand look really big like a monster's or a god's.
The fact that the girl gets her doll back shows that there will be a happy ending. However the fact that the man walks off and is still somewhere in the area sets up a partly unresolved ending. The man's hand on the girl's head represents control and the fascination he has for children. This is quite a powerful image image-like Christ blessing children but the way it is filmed sets up a huge idea of menace.
I have used a few techniques from other genres of film, which I have enjoyed and are still effective in creating the effect I want. I am using the halo effect from "Bad Boys" as well as the zoom out from the black jumper of the villain, to create tension and the idea of villainy. From "Silence of the Lambs" I used the beginning idea of a main character in vanishing point so you can barely see them- creating tension and reinforcing the thriller genre.
Constructing
I found I had to make a few changes to my original storyboard, see appendix, during the actual filming process due to problems with technology, actors etc. However, I have most of what I wanted and only lost fine details. Firstly I wanted the little girl to be dressed all in red to represent blood and danger, in order to increase tension, however the girl did not have a red coat or hat, and although the pink does not do what I wanted for tension, it does suggest female innocence. I cut the first three shots in the editing stage because I thought it would make more sense if after the non-diegetic lullaby sound, she began singing. The shots I cut were not particularly important to the narrative and also in shot 1 and 2 I was unable to rack focus and zoom through the bars as I wanted, as the camera was not technologically sophisticated enough. I cut shot 8 despite it being a important shot to the narrative because it was just too difficult to film without having an unwanted person in the shot, which could be cut out if being done professionally, and the possibility of losing the doll in the sea! I cut shot 10 because it is similar to shot 11 and does nothing to move along the narrative or build up tension.
I did not get the effect I wanted in shot 15 because the man's jumper was not black enough but it builds up some tension. I found shot 17 very hard to film- I wanted the effect of a really big hand compared to the girl but I could not get close enough to the railings to film it. Because of this the shot is not as menacing as I was hoping but the general effect comes across. I could not get the camera angle I wanted for shot 21, which was supposed to be a point-of-view shot because I am not tall enough! I think, however, that it looks vaguely point-of-view. The 'from above' effect was also needed to give the impression of a god-like creature. This is not quite captured. The same goes for shot 19, which was supposed to be another point-of-view shot to make the girl seem as small and powerless as possible.
I found the camera movements very difficult to carry out smoothly. If being done professionally, the camera would be supported- either on a track or a crane. This is the reason that my panning, tracking and craning is not very steady, in particular shot 22 as I was crouching and trying to move sideways at the same time. I had some problem with pedestrians who ruined the atmosphere of some of the shots as they passed by, taking the audience's attention away from the actors with their movement.
My biggest problem was the sound. As I was using a very young girl, I had to tell her what to do and cue her when she needed to do it so the majority of my diegetic sound is useless.
Evaluation
In order to evaluate my final product, I must compare it to the real product- to see if I've used the same techniques as a professional director, which are popular with audiences all over the world. I have used the typical techniques, which denote a villain in a film- showing him from the shoulders downwards, the side of his face or back of head. I could not use any form of artificial lighting, but if I could, I would use high key lighting so half his face would be in shadow. Most of my shots are medium shots which are very commonly used in thriller films, with a few long shots, establishing shots and close-ups. I also used a few point-of-view shots, which are popular in thriller films. A few more subjective shots might have made my film a bit more like the real thing- possibly of the girl from behind the man. However, I do have one subjective shot at the end. Most of my shots are quite static- there is not a lot of movement- which is quite typical of thriller genres. I am not sure if my sequence makes sense- I know what happens but perhaps a few more shots could have been filmed in order to make the action very obvious, which Hollywood likes to do.
I would have liked a better location- somewhere which would have made more sense- the girl has no reason to be where she is in the film- I needed a built-up area but I could only find that area with the railings. I would have liked to do a lot with rack-focusing, which is used a lot in Hollywood and is a good technique to make sure the audience is looking in the direction you want them to look, however I do not have the technology to do this.
The sound was very difficult to do, as I do not have the technology to compose my own sound track, which I would have liked to do. The incidental music would have emphasised the mood I wanted and increased tension. The music I used does not fit perfectly with my sequence but it does bring references to 'Silence of the Lambs' which is the same genre to my film, so it that way it is appropriate.
I am not sure about some of the lengths of shot in my sequence- I have used a lot of montage, which may make the film a bit jerky and not flow smoothly. I could have done with a few less cuts. The target audience for my film was an older, more sophisticated audience than most thriller films- probably the same audience as 'Silence of the Lambs', who will appreciate little action and detailed characters. I think my film does target this audience as it involves complex emotions and in the opening sequence, a lot of mystery and things to work- it is not self-explanatory-an enigma and I think an older audience would enjoy this factor of the film.
Overall I am pleased with the effect I have created in my sequence. I think it sets up the rest of the film well and this opening sequence would make an audience want to watch the rest of the film. I believe that my film follows enough conventions to be called a 'Classic Hollywood Realism' film and although the quality is not brilliant due to lack of technology, I am pleased with the result.
