List of Shot Types

Below is a list of various shot types that we will include in our preliminary task:

• A macthed cut - which is where the cut matches the action being shown. We will carry this out by when the supposed antagonist, carrying a weapon, goes to open the door, whilst being film from behind, and then the matched cut will be from the frontal view of the antagonist walking through the door. 
• 180 degree shot - which is where two characters in the same scene should always have left/right relationship between one another. It also takes into account that the audience cannot move, therefore puts the audience in the poistion of the speaker. We will carry this out by when the antagonist has walked through the door and starts initating a conversation with the victim who has been tied up. Depending on who is speaking, the camera will be doing a over the shoulder shot to include both the speaker and the other character. 

• Over the shoulder shot - as said before, the camera will show the conversation between both the speaker and then the person being spoke to.

                                      

• Pan Shot - is where the camera is stationed in one position and the rotates either left or right to follow the moving character/object. This will be used when following the antagonist whilst he/she is walking.

Preliminary Task Plan

In our preliminary task we have to include:

• An example of a matched cut of someone going through a door
• An example of two characters exchanging a dialogue
• Inclusion of a 180 degree angle camera shot
• Include a sense of a thriller genre

 Below is a picture of our story board which we will follow when we carry out the preliminary task:

Certification

Parental Guidance: 'General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.

Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children' 

12: Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them.

15: The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, Drug usage is allowed however it may encourage drug usage as a whole. Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexual. Dangerous behaviour is allowed such as suicide however in low moderation's so it will not have a great impression on the viewer. Nudity in a sexual content must be restricted however nudity in a non-sexual content does not.

The target age for our thriller opening will be mainly aimed at 15 - 21, therefore we will have to take into consideration the content we put into the film so it would be rated as a 15. 

Focus Group Preparation

As part of our audience research we held a focus group where we asked 5 people from the age of 16 to 45 what they thought of thriller films.
We asked the following questions:

• What is your favourite thriller film and why?
• What was the last thriller film you saw and what did you think of it?
• What is it about thriller films that makes you like them?
• What do you prefer psychological or action thrillers?
• What do you expect to happen in a thriller opening?

Market Research

The success of Thriller films have risen in recent years since a very successful era in the mid 1900s. The old phycological film terrified thousands who watched them but for many years there hasnt been a phycological film. Albert Hitchcock created a mass of successful thrillers in the 1950s- 1960s by adding glamorous stars and exotic locations to his films.The reason his films were so successful was because his thriller could happen to anyone. Murder's on trains, husbands killing their wifes and neighbours turning into full blown murder's!

With Inception being the most successful film in 2010 this means that their is a mass target audience who want to see the same genre of film.

Ideal Audience Member

We've now completed our audience research. This involved: carrying out a data collection on best thrillers, successful types of thrillers and the current trend; creating a questionnaire for people to fill out and give back to us; performing a focus group which allowed us to gain a varied response into what, for them, makes a great thriller.
          Judging on the feedback from our audeicne research the tagert audience will be those between the ages of 15 - 21, however those of an older age will also be taken into consideration. We also found that the audience would rather be kept in suspense, with tension being built up rather than having an action thriller. This linked well with our other feedback from the question "what are your favourite thriller films?" which was answered with 'Black Swan' and 'The Dark Knight', which both deal with a lot of suspense within the film. We also found that the people we asked where based in and around university cities such as Cambridge, therefore we will aim our film towards those audiences, possibly by filming some scenes within the city of  Cambridge itself. Judging by the feedback on interests the majority of people stated that they enjoy going to the cinema regularly, socialising and participating in sports. The majority of the people consumed films either by going to the cinema or from DVD's.

         Further audience research showed that the audience throughly enjoyed a clever plot, with a significant twist towards the end. With also a main sinister and threatening soundtrack at the start as well as during the credits to set the mood and tone early on. The main thing that people agreed on was that they would like the setting of the film to be set in a relatable atmosphere which they had either been to before or can access. This will create a more threatening atmosphere which is closer to home.

         Once we begin to film, we will take into account all of the collected information, including what we personally believe will aid us in creating the opening to a successful thriller film.

What is a Thriller?

Thrillers are a genre of book, film and television programming. The genre uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. 


There are several sub-genres of thrillers; conspiracy, crime, erotic, legal, political, phsychological, rape and revenge and supernatural. 

“	...Thrillers provide such a rich literary feast. There are all kinds. The legal thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure thriller, medical thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller, historical thriller, political thriller, religious thriller, high-tech thriller, military thriller. The list goes on and on, with new variations constantly being invented. In fact, this openness to expansion is one of the genre's most enduring characteristics. But what gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job.	”
—James Patterson, June 2006, "Introduction,"  Thrillers aren't like horror as they mentally scare the audience rather than physically.  Thrillers normally show the audience the villian so the audience knows what is going to happen to the victim.