Thumb Print

For one of our scenes, we created a scene where, a thumb print is being taken, like the example shown in the image above. This will make our opening of our psychological thriller , look more realistic.

Synoptic Day

On Wednesday 17th March, we had a media synoptic day at school, starting at 9am finishing at 5pm. At the start of the day we got together as a group to decide what our plan for the day was, and how we could use this opportunity in order to help us to the fullest.

Period 1: Making of props for our film E.g. height chart and prison board for mug shots, getting pictures ready for locker scene.
Period 2: Choosing appropriate background music which will fit well with our thriller.
Period 3: filming toilet scene with our two actresses. Equipment needed: Camera, tripod and microphone.
Period 4: Editing previous scene we filmed.
Period 5: Filming in classroom with Mr Graham teaching whole class.
Period 6: Editing previous scene we filmed.

The day began in an ordered and positive manner, we made our props and had them ready by the end of period 1 like planned, period 2 was spent productively as well we researched more on psychological thrillers to give us fresh ideas in terms of how music and atmosphere should be.
At the start of period 3 we got all the equipment we needed to start filming the toilet scene with our two actresses. We wanted it to be perfect and that took longer than planned however this was not a problem because we understood time and effort is needed to make a good film, we were in high spirits when we finally had that scene rapped up, even if it ran into period 4. We played back the scene we had just filmed and realised that the sound on our camera was not working and we would not be able to use that scene.

Synoptic Day

On Wednesday 17th March, we had a synoptic day for media , in order to shoot our film and edit it. Our first aim , was to make the props , that we would need to include in our film. This included the height chart and mugshot placard. We also looked at some time of sound that we would be able to use.
During the middle of the day, we started filming the scenes which did not need any particular props. This was the scene between the two characters , who play the role of best friends. Our location was in one of the toilets , on the lower floor. During the end of the day, after we had finished the props, we decided to edit the scene we had just done, by adding sound and cutting out any shots that we did not need.
We shot each scene multiple times, so that we would have extras and we could then just cut the shots we didn't need. This gave us the experience of producing a film.

Final Mugshot image

For our final mugshot we decided to use a board with just numbers as it would be more simple to work with. We made a simular one to the image in order to use in our psychologuical thriller opening.

Storyboard

To create our psychological thriller opening, we needed to create a storyboard to put all the shots together. This made it easier for us to film.

Mug shot image

This is another example of a mug shot image. This is the board that we are could also use in order to make a simular one for our Psychological thriller opening.

The image above is of a mug shot height chart an indication of how our height chart will appear in the scene, we will draw out the chart and use it as a prop in our opening sequence.

Props List.

For our opening sequence we will be shooting our main character taking mug shots, in order to add realism in this scene we searched for mug shots which will be a reflection in the outlook of the thriller.

Music issues.

orrignally, we wanted to use this song for the opening as we liked the pace of the music as well as the lyrics. but as we had to use music with specific copy right rules, we couldnt have this song so now we have started searching for alternatives and creating small pieces of music on "Garage Band".

Test shots for settings.

The photos above show one of the sets for our film opening. We decided to take tests shorts to establish the lighting and shadowing of the corridor. From this, we noticed that the lights would need to be turned off or dimmed so that we could get the desired affect of the scene.

Audience research.

As part of our Task, we were asked to do Audience research to find out about the audience's views to help us make our Psychological thriller.The questions we asked help create awareness of what the audience expect from a good Psychological thriller. We asked people between the ages of 15-18, what their favourite genres were and what tecniques make up a good Psychological thriller.



What do you mostly enjoy doing in your free time?
One of the questions we asked was, What did people enjoyed doing in this free time.From our research we descovered that more people enjoy watching TV rather than doing any other activity. This was an advantage for us, because it showed us that if more people are watching TV in their free time, then they would be likely to watch our Psychological thriller. Although a small amount of people read magazines in their free time, one of the best ways to find out about films is by reading reviews and reading about the new films that are being released.



What type of opening makes a good Psychological thriller?
Another question that we thought was important , was what type of opening people liked. This would help us because our task was to make the opening of the psychological thriller. This is why we decided to find out whether people liked a narrative opening which is about retelling a story, or if they liked a symbolic opening which is about symbolic objects. Our research showed that more people prefered a symbolic opening because it draws their attention and the symbolic meaning represents what is going to take place in the film.



What is the most important element in a Psychological thriller?
Another question that would help us when making the opening of our psychological thriller, is what is the most impotant tecnique: Camera elements, Editing , Sound or Mis en scene? People though that the Mis en scene was the most important because it allowed you to get an idea of what type of characters are in the film , as well as when and where the setting takes place. Some people also said that the editing was impotant as it distinguish's one scene from another. By asking this question, it would help us find out what tecnique we would need to focus on the most.



What type of Genre interests you the most?
Often in a pscychological thriller there is a combination of two genres. We asks people's favourite genre, and we discovered that romance was peoles most favourite genre as well as thriller being the second best genre. This would help us because we could see which genre would be most appealing to our audience.

By doing audience research, we got a better view of what the audience wants. We also discovered that people mostly find out about films form the internet and magazines. people like to be left in suspense so that they can see where the twist in the story is.The type of opening determines whether it is a good film because if you have a engaging opening, the audience is more likely to watch the film.