Prelim Evaluation

Preliminary Task: Evaluation

After reviewing the Preliminary Task I noticed some aspects which were successful and others which could be improved.

Positive aspects:

• Continuity:costumes and positions were continuous.
• Effects: The effects used on the video helped to give it a mysterious and Noir feel.
• Freeze frames: Gave a retro feel and an originality style and flare to the piece.
• Fades: The use of fades in the beginning section helped to give the impression of time passing and worked well with the beat of the soundtrack.
• Editing: Generally the editing was very smooth and the piece flowed well without any obvious jumps in time and action.

Criticisms:

• Continuity: There's a door which is not closed by any of the characters but is shut later on in the scene.
• Editing: There is one shot which goes on for too long, before the code to the door is punched in. The following shot's delayed start also should have been trimmed, to make the the action flow more fluently.
• Audio: The fade when the volume of the music decreases is too harsh and disrupts the atmosphere in that section of the video.

The issues raised have been acknowledged and noted down as areas to improve on in our next production. We will also try to ensure any of these mistakes do not happen again and our thriller is of a higher standard than our preliminary task.

Film Production/Distribution companies

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc 
Warner Bros. is a an American producer of film, television and entertainment.It is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank, California and New York. It has several of its own subsidiary companies, including Warner Bros. Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures etc.


Advantages:

• Abundance of resources.
• Experienced.
• Previous Successes.
• Non-restrictive budget.
• Publicity opportunities.

Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation 
Lions Gate is a North American entertainment and distribution company.Its headquartered in Santa Monica, California. As of 2011, it is the most commercially successful in independent film and as a television distribution company.


Advantages:

• UK subsidiary.
• Previous Successes.
• Multiple contacts already established.
• Reliability.
• Professional promotors.

BBFC

BBFC

The British Board of Film Classification view and rate films according to their content. At their offices, they view films and compare the content according to a set of guidelines to determine if they are suitable for release in the United Kingdom. Each certification has a list of content attached to it, and for a film to meet a certification it must comply with the allowed content.

 



The BBFC uses the following Classifications:
Uc: Universal and suitable for children.
U: Suitable for a Universal audience.
PG: Parental Guidance, suitable for most children.
12A: In cinemas, people under 12 can see with an adult.
12: Over 12 years old only. May contain violence and swearing.
15: Over 15s only. May contain violence, drug use, sexual content, swearing.
18: Over 18s only. Will probably contain the above but in extreme amounts.
R18: Can only be sold by licensed sex shop or shown in Adult cinemas.



Thrillers are most likely to be rated either 15 or 18 because violence and horror would be typical conventions used to create a increase the tension and create atmosphere. Due to this thrillers are targeted towards a more mature and selective audience, typically people from 15 onwards.

Many thrillers are rated as 15s or 18s although some are rated 12 because of their setting. The film Inception is a thriller surrounding a man who enters dreams to steal or plant information. The film contains moderate violence, gunfights and blood when people are wounded, fight scenes and scenes of suicide e.g jumping off buildings, yet these things do not warrant the certification of a 15, as the action is distanced by the fact that it takes place in a dream world. It is allowed to be rated as a 12 because it does not focus on the injuries and there are no scenes of graphic injury. The film also contains a moderate use of bad language (swearing)

 Shutter Island is an example of a psychological thriller rated 15. Its centred around a US Marshall investigating a mental asylum on Shutter Island. The film was said to have over 20 uses of strong language and moderate language throughout requiring it to be a 15 rating. Graphical violent images are seen through flashbacks which involve the execution of surrendering German Soldiers, a Nazi Commandant with a severe wound on his face, bleeding to death and a scene with 3 dead children floating in the lake. Along with this unsettling images of dead bodies piled up at a Nazi death camp, this film has some dark tones to it, however because it does not dwell on the injuries, it can be accepted as a 15.

For our thriller "film" we would aim for a 15 certificate for a few reasons:
- Opens up to a wider audience
- Is not distasteful or overly graphical
- Can work on a more complicated level then what you see. (On a psychological level for example).

The Interrogation (AS Prelim)

The Script (camera shots, audio and dialogue)

Psycho Analysis

Psycho is a film originally directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960 adapted from the book novel written by Robert Bloch. Although for my analysis I have chosen to use stills from the remake by Gus Van Sant they are effectively the same as original despite being in color with a different cast.

This shot is filmed from inside the shower and begins focusing on the victim whom we see washing. The water in this piece could be used to symbolize purity and she is cleansing herself. This also captures her at her most venerable and innocent. The camera then tracks to the left where through the curtain we see an undefined movement, which the audience can only assume, is a person going through the door. The curtain is vital in creating this tension because it enables the audience to see there is something going on but plays on their fear of the unknown. This is the point in the scene where the tension immediately rises dramatically. At this point there is a golden mean traveling from the top left to the bottom right drawing focus on the victim and the attacker.

This shot could be said to be a view from the perspective of the victim and it has been shot after the killer has drawn the shower curtain so the audience knows the victim is aware of the killer. The lighting is coming from the top right corner leaving the killers identity a mystery however it illuminates the knife bringing the audience focus solely towards it as well as the way that it placed in the center of the screen. The body language of the killer suggests they are ready to attack before the victim has a chance to compos herself further emphasizing the innocence of the victim and the brutality of the murder. We can also tell that this murder is going to be particularly gruesome due to the size of the knife however it maintains its realistic quality because it could be an easily attainable household item that fits with the idea of a thriller because it turns the everyday into something else.

This shot is an extreme close up on the victim. It is used as a reaction shot when she sees the killer. The camera zooms in, in a frantic nature creating a chaotic effect. This shot is used to emphasize the victim’s shock and fear. The non-digetic sound in this scene mainly consists of the victims scream to intensify it and the high-pitched violins written by Bernard Herman and newly arranged for the remake by Danny Elfman. This is effective at creating tension and capturing the mood.

This sot is a close up of the water and blood flowing to the hole in the shower. The camera tracks from the victim’s body following the stream all the way to the plughole. This shot could be used to symbolize the way the victim’s life and innocence is draining away and it gives us a clear idea that the incident is over and she has been left there without dignity.

Prior to this point this scene has consisted mainly of straight cutting and during the murder the editing was fast with little time during each shot creating a chaotic effect. However now the victim is dead the tempo has decreased and the shot of the plughole fades into a close up shot of the victims eye, which is a match to the plughole. The camera then zooms out and spins, matching the flow of the water symbolizing the life escaping from her.

Despite breaking the 180-degree rule I think this scene works because the camera follows the victim into the shower and then moves around to the other side inside the shower and due to the close proximity of the set it helps to avoid confusion for the audience.

Camera Shot Glossary

• Extreme Long Shot (ELS) To show subjects surroundings. Often used as an 'establishing' shot.
• Long Shot (LS) Shows character in their environment. Subject takes up most of the frame (head to toe)
• Mid Shot (MS) Shows some part of the subject in more detail as if the audience is stood looking at them (like seeing a person in the flesh)
• Medium Close Up (MCU) Halfway between a mid shot and a close up. Shows the subject more clearly without gettin uncomfotably close.
• Close Up (CU) A certain feature or part of the subject takes up most of the frame (normaly the face). Usefull for detail and emphasises emotion.
• Extreme Close Up (ECU) Shows extreme detail. Normally need a specific reson (too many make the audience uncomfortable).
• Cut Away (CA) Connects two subjects together e.g two drivers in a car chase scene. Adds intrest or information (can be used as a 'Buffer')
• Two Shot - Basicly a mid shot of two peopl. Brings equality to two people. A googd way to follow action petween two people without gettin distracted.
• Over the shoulder shot - Behind a person who is looking at the subject (Person 1/3 of frame) Establishes position of each person and the audience gets a view from the other persons perspective.
• Noddy Shot - Comon in interviews (Shot of a person listening and reacting to a subject)
• Point of view shot - Shows a view from the subjects perspective. Usually shot in a way to make it obvious whos POV it is.

DVD Cover for 'Torque'