Film Age Ratings

We figured that our film should have an age rating, as do all films. Our film would either be a 15 or an 18, (but it is undecided at the moment). The reason for this is that it will be a mature film which wouldn't be suitable for young audiences as it will be violent and have very strong language. young audiences might find it offensive or wont understand what is going on in the film.


- Suitable only for 15 years and older. No one younger than 15 may see a '15' film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a '15' rated video.


Language: There may be frequent use of strong language; the strongest terms are only rarely acceptable. Continued aggressive use of strong language and sexual abuse is unacceptable.
Sex: Sexual activity and nudity may be portrayed but without strong detail. The depiction of casual sex should be handled responsibly. There may be occasional strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.
Violence: Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain, and of injuries. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.
Imitable techniques: Dangerous combat techniques such as ear claps, head-butts and blows to the neck are unlikely to be acceptable. There may be no emphasis on the use of easily accessible lethal weapons (in particular, knives).
Horror: Sustained or detailed infliction of pain or injury is unacceptable.
Drugs: Drug taking may be shown but clear instructive detail is unacceptable. The film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug use.


Thriller films that have the rating of "15" include: RockNRolla, The Transporter, Shooter, Taking Lives, Brick, no country for old men,

- Suitable only for adults. No one younger than 18 may see an '18' film in a cinema. No one younger than 18 may rent or buy an '18' rated video. Until recently, 18 certificate films could not contain the depiction of actual sex acts. Although the BBFC allowed the depiction of simulated sex scenes in 18 certificate films, actual sexual acts were still not allowed to be depicted in 18 certificate films until recently.References or scenes of suicide, which can be easily imitated by youth, can lead to a DVD being given an 18 certificate due to that potential. Other means of violence is allowed and bodily dismemberment is also acceptable.

Thriller films that have a rating of "18" include: Kill Bill vol. 1 & 2, jagged edge, seven, Lucky number slevin, bad boys 1 & 2

Difference between the two scenes.

In the opening scen the conversation overlaps what is going on. For example, the conversation between Cid and Calais, (name not yet confirmed), overlaps the part wear Cid is interrogateing Sammie the Lynch's Kid. This first scene in the caravan should be in black and white as it is a flash back, and the scene where the interrogation takes place should have a normal filter as it is what is happening now, the present if you will.

Slight changes

After recieving the helpful critersism during our presentation, (which did not do this idea justice in anyway), and we have scince changed the names of the characters of the characters henceforthe;

Cid "The Cowboy" Elmwood
Calais Price (not definate, awaiting confromation)
Sammie the Lynch
Sammie the Lynch's Kid (NOTE: Sammie the Lynch's Kid has no name, he is Sammie the Lynches Kid, its his alias. He works for his dad, who is somewhat of a hotshot within the assosiation known as "The Provenance" (name yet to be confirmed), and therefore in his dads opinion he thinks his son has no right to his own name. He was never given one. Thats it, no more questions about Sammie the Lynch's Kid)

The length of the clip was also a consern as it should not cramp too much of the plot
into the openning. However that was not the original plan anyway, so focusing on the length is the main consern, as we only have about 2 minuites to tell the scene.
Also, because it is very Tarenteno like, it needs to be slightly kooky, off the wall, and most importantly, well acted.
Costumes will need to be collected aswell, here is the first things that spring to mind:

music and sound effects, both diagetic and non-diagetic

The James Bond serise set the apprpriet sound that a spy thriller should have. This is a clean guitar sound in the tune of E and G. This included a simle bass line underneath as well as an orchestra. This goes well with the elaborte ways of James Bond films, however, for less elaborate thrillers the use of synths and simple ambiant non-diagetic sounds.

Most of the diagetic sound in thrillers comes mostly from the effects the characters create; from gun shots and the empty shell echoing on the ground, to the simple hum of a computer and the clicking of the keys. this makes the scene relateable as they are familiar sounds that the audience would expect to hear, therefore increasing the effect of the scene. This also cuts down any cheesey over the top use of garage band and non-diagetic sound which may seem too unproffessional.

Pacing

The momentum of a thriller should the main contributing factor. Evn in thriller novels like the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child are told at break neck speed but have the copasity to slow down to an easily digestable state. This should definatley be the case with a thriller film, as there is as much point as a film that doen't make sence at there is one that is simply unentertaining. For example, the Bourn films are always told with quick, assuming cuts and shots that keep the story interresting even if the pace slowed down, like in the car scene when he is traveling with the woman in the car to Paris the scene is slow yet the pace is still ingaging.
However i found this not to be the case in thrillers such as "Public Enermies". It wasn't a bad film as such but it i kept inagining seeing the Film4 logo appear in between scenes from time to time. This was at the cinema, which is not good.
A thriller needs to be either quick and exillerating with snappy shot and cuts with interessting camera angles to take complete control of your attention, or, if it is slower in pace, needs be interresting enough to captive the audience and play on their couriosity of the characters.

Cids speech

Guy will say to Cid, "Think what people like us could do with that kind of money",
($50million), to which Cid resonds (over the top of the interogation scene):

"People like us? We don't think or act like regulair people. I've done some bad stuff over the years even the Devil's starting to blush, and don't think you haven't either, coz you've indirectly pulled that trigger along with me. We've had nothing from day one, everything, including life, is borrowed and we just happen to be the bailiffs. Sometimes when i fall asleep i think of the things i've done, and you know what Guy, i sleep soundly but not proudly. There ain't nothing on this Earth thats more courrupt then you and your god damn society, and there is nothing more blood thristy than me and yet im always starving and empty. You see this place here, this is the only thing i'll leave behind and the only thing waiting for people like us is a jagged pit in the ground where not even the crows will have the decentcey to pick us clean and the only company will be the people we put down there".

At this point Guy ,(he should sound arrogant and uninterrested), asks:
"What kind of people are they then?"
at this ponit the title, "Those that Kill..." appear on the screen. Intro.

quick idea, "Those Who Kill..."

the first idea we had was a story board in which an old time killer, Cid, (also known as "The Cowboy") is visited by his old friend, Guy, who asks him if he interested in revenge on Sammie the Lynch's son for $50million. This opening leaves many plot holes that, quite rightly, won't be answered in the opening.
The idea is to shot the scene in black and white, (as it is a flashback), and the rest of the little flicks to other scenes in colour to show that they are presently happening.
There is also the notion that not much non-diagetic sound will be used, as we found that many of the clips we saw had too much in-your-face, obvious garage banding over-use, and seemed cheesy and lacked proffesionalism. (see the "Shadow" clip to understasnd this reference).
The out door scene should be shot at night to give the mysterious feel to the scene, which will also show that the character of Guy, who is wearing a suit would fit right in with the darkness, which seems only fitting as he is a corrupt businessman working for somesort of assassination assossation. Also, the inside should be in a rustic setting, (we had the idea to use our friends caravan as it matches the discription we were thinking of). The interiour should be dimly lit, at least to cover Cid's face. Throughout this scene it will jump (at certain parts) to Cid interourgating someone with their head in some water, (like you do in such situations). To do this we shall use a sherical fish bowel and film underneath it to give the illusion of being shot underwater.
Throughout the end of the scene Cid will tell a speech, like in the Coen film, "No Country for Old Men", which will explain, briefly to the audience what sort opf person Cid is.

Mood Board

As we are going for more of a crime themed thriller we have created a mood board with images of crime films. Here it is in its moody goodness

Film Openings- black and white openings

Black and white film openings create a lot of tension and atmosphere to a filme, especially thrillers. The black and white effect is often brought in to represent an event, which, is being held in the past , it can also be used as composition enhancer, by taking out the coulour the focus would be drawn to what it is meant to be drawn to and not something within the background moving around.

An example of a black and white film opening is 'Kill Bill vol.1', the scene is simplistic, dark, and leaves many open questions to about the film which draws you in making you want to see it all. When you first see Bea, her face is lighted incredibly well as it is only lightened from one direction giving form and shadow on each of her features, whilst shading out the other side of her face. I think that the close up wouldnt have been as effective if it were in colour as you wouldnt be able to interpret the anxiety, pain, fear and also deffiance as well.

Anyway here is the clip...

Film Openings - starting from end

We have been looking at many thriller film openings and have stumbled across the idea of an opening from the ending of the film. This is a very effective way of making people want to watch more, as you want to find out what is happening. One we like is the opening to The Butterfly Effect, which shows him running into a room, it sounds as if he is being chased, yet you don't know why he is being chased or why he writes a note assuming his death. This film opening is very cryptic and leaves open questions for the viewers, it grips you in making you want to watch more.

In this video you should watch until 2:09 as that is up to what we saw and analysed

Thriller

Thriller is a broad genre of film that includes numerous and often overlapping sub-genres. Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains.

Thrillers can be put into multiple sub-genres, For Example.

A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of political power struggle. They usually involve various plots, rarely legal, designed to give political power to someone, while his opponents try to stop him from getting it. They can involve national or international political scenarios. World War II is a favorite scenario, as are US presidential elections.

Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre. However, this genre often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre in addition to the typical traits of the thriller genre. Also, occasionally this genre will border into the also wide-ranging horror genre.Generally, thrillers focus on plot over character, and thus emphasize intense, physical action over the character's psyche. Psychological thrillers tend to reverse this formula to a certain degree, emphasizing the characters just as much, if not more so, than the plot.The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state. Sometimes the suspense comes from within one solitary character where characters must resolve conflicts with their own minds. These conflicts are made more vivid with physical expressions of the conflict in the means of either physical manifestations, or physical torsions of the characters at play.

A Crime thriller, is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients.

Action thriller: In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action.

Preliminary Task 2 .. DONE

this is our finished preliminary task ... enjoy guys =D

thrillers and why they are so thrillery...

Thrillers tend to possess a similar trend and that they play mostly on the adrenaline of the audience. For example, the opening scene in Jaws show the camera view of the shark from a upwards shot, which causes the audience to see what is watching the woman and plays on the notion that people fear whatever is in the water when they don't know whats down there. this is also helped by the only diagetic sound of the woman, the waves and the gulls give the illusion of a calm and serene feeling. This is then runs parallel to the non-diagetic F minor orchestral score for when the shark is stalking the woman, (2 cords make an instant villain). the fact that the shark is not seen by the audience keeps the audience in suspense due to the mid-close up of the woman.

Jaws' opening scene tends to start slow and then the pace picks up, which appears in both the bank scene at the beginning of the first Transporter and the Parquor chase scene in Casino Royal. The tr use slow, and subtle swells of synthesized non-diagetic sound

Mise En Scene - The Dark Knight

Analyse the use of micro elements

How do they creating meaning for the audience?

In the scene they are wearing suits, gloves and a clown mask. Also in their hands they have guns. This gives the viewer the instant impression they are up to no good and implying they are about to commit a crime. They are also slightly intimidating with the masks and usually bank robbers are quite intimidating.

preliminary task :D

we are now going to be planning our preliminary task. we will use basic camera skills and editing skills and shot types.

our location will be...a classroom

Shot 1: Establishing shot, walking down hallway
Shot 2: Close-up shot, close up of hand opening door
Shot 3: Match on action shot, after close up of shows the door opening
Shot 4: Reaction shot, reaction of character 2
Shot 5: Long shot, shows both characters in the same clip
Shot 6/7: Over the shoulder shot, conversation between characters 1 and 2.