A narrative is important to a thriller film because without a story line the sequence would have no purpose.
An idea of a narrative for my opening sequence could be based on a chase scene. Two characters would feature in the sequence: a male antagonist and a female victim. The antagonist would be presented as a serial killer and a psychopath that lives in an abandoned house in the middle of a forest. The start of the opening scene will be a zooming shot of the abandoned house in Buckhurst Hill. This will introduce the setting and highlight the fact that the house is abandoned and isolated, creating a feeling of vulnerability.
The inside of the house will then be introduced to the audience, panning around the interior and showing pictures on the wall that are marked as the psychopaths previous victims. The antagonists presence will be shown but his identity will be hidden to create a theme of enigma around the character. Instead of a clear view of the killers face, the camera will show shadows and silhouettes of him, shots that are too close up to see the man at detail and shots from the killers point of view. The audience will not know who the killer is, what they look like and therefore will question their reasons and purpose for carrying out the murderous acts.The antagonist may even be wearing a mask to hide his identity completely. This is conventional to the thriller genre because serial killers usually hide their identity and the audience want to keep watching to find out who the killer is.
The protagonist will be shown next; locked in a room or tied up in the house. She will escape and begin to run away. The antagonist would be chasing the girl through the forest. He would be walking fairly steadily while the protagonist would be running quickly. This shows the audience that the killer is confident that he will catch the victim and so makes them believe that she is unable to escape and will inevitably be killed by the antagonist. This increases suspense in the audience. Eerie music and various sound effects will be used to heighten this suspense.
The protagonist will be shown next; locked in a room or tied up in the house. She will escape and begin to run away. The antagonist would be chasing the girl through the forest. He would be walking fairly steadily while the protagonist would be running quickly. This shows the audience that the killer is confident that he will catch the victim and so makes them believe that she is unable to escape and will inevitably be killed by the antagonist. This increases suspense in the audience. Eerie music and various sound effects will be used to heighten this suspense.
Close-ups and Extreme Close-ups will be used to zoom into the protagonists face. This will show her facial expressions at more detail, highlighting her fear, distress and panic. This will create suspense to keep the audience engaged. It will also make the audience feel empathetic for her because they feel as though they are in the scene as the camera angle is so close. This makes them feel as well as see her fear and other emotions. This allows the audience to build a relationship with the protagonist because they believe that what is happening to her could happen to them.
I will focus on suspense in this opening scene. I will increase it with the use of sounds and camera angles as well as parts of the narrative. Iconography used in the storyline such as a tree stump could trip up the running protagonist and in turn cause her to fall to the ground. This will shock the reader as well as increasing the suspense, making them believe the killer is going to catch her soon.
After the short chase scene the girl could reach a dead end in the forest. The camera will then show a low-angle shot of the killer as he holds his knife above his head and walks towards her. The camera would not show the protagonist, only the killer. The editing technique fade will then take place as the sequence cuts to the thriller's film title as we hear a scream of the girl. This tells the audience that the killer has caught her and that the film we be based around him doing this again, making them want to keep watching to find out why.
All aspects of Mise-en-Scene will be considered in my opening sequence. I have decided that the setting will be located in the forest and an abandoned house, giving the film a isolated and more dangerous atmosphere.
Iconography used will include close-up polaroid style photographs of other female victims with their eyes closed and fake blood on their face. This will give the impression that theses are who the antagonist has previously killed, suggesting that the sequences protagonist is going to be next.
Other iconography could include a knife as the serial killers weapon of choice.
Tree stumps or sticks that the girl could trip over emphasis that time is running out and the antagonist is quickly catching up with her.
The protagonist will wear simple clothes with natural hair and makeup. This suggests she was unexpecting and vulnerable to what is happening to her. The viewer can build a relationship with her because they believe they have more in common as she seems ordinary. The audience can then put themselves in the protagonists perspective and imagine what it would be like if what was happening to her was happening to them.They believe it is possible to happen to them because they can relate to the character. This helps them to feel empathetic towards her and heightens any emotions of worry and anticipation they have about whether the protagonist will be safe.
The antagonist will wear dark clothing and mask to keep his identity well concealed. He will also wear gloves to suggest that he is about to commit a crime that he does not want to be traced from.
The body language of the antagonist will be confident ans laid back to prove that he knows he will eventually kill the protagonist.The audience will be unable to see facial expressions due to the mask. This prevents them from building a relationship with the antagonist so so not know what the antagonist is thinking, what they look like and why they are doing what they are doing, creating suspense as they have to question and guess the answers for themselves. This is conventional to a thriller film because it is typical of a serial killer to conceal their identity. This explains the thriller story line to the audience, so from the start of the film they can guess that he is about to murder. This creates suspense in the viewer as they wonder, who will be killed and who the killer is. This connotes enigma and mystery surrounding the antagonist because for most of the film the audience is unaware who they are and why they are murdering the innocent victims. Contrasting those of the killer, the protagonists body language and facial expressions will portray fear, anxiety and panic. Low-key lighting will be created in my film using editing skills and filming at certain parts of the day. This will create enigma and a eerie effects.
After the short chase scene the girl could reach a dead end in the forest. The camera will then show a low-angle shot of the killer as he holds his knife above his head and walks towards her. The camera would not show the protagonist, only the killer. The editing technique fade will then take place as the sequence cuts to the thriller's film title as we hear a scream of the girl. This tells the audience that the killer has caught her and that the film we be based around him doing this again, making them want to keep watching to find out why.
All aspects of Mise-en-Scene will be considered in my opening sequence. I have decided that the setting will be located in the forest and an abandoned house, giving the film a isolated and more dangerous atmosphere.
Iconography used will include close-up polaroid style photographs of other female victims with their eyes closed and fake blood on their face. This will give the impression that theses are who the antagonist has previously killed, suggesting that the sequences protagonist is going to be next.
Other iconography could include a knife as the serial killers weapon of choice.
Tree stumps or sticks that the girl could trip over emphasis that time is running out and the antagonist is quickly catching up with her.
The protagonist will wear simple clothes with natural hair and makeup. This suggests she was unexpecting and vulnerable to what is happening to her. The viewer can build a relationship with her because they believe they have more in common as she seems ordinary. The audience can then put themselves in the protagonists perspective and imagine what it would be like if what was happening to her was happening to them.They believe it is possible to happen to them because they can relate to the character. This helps them to feel empathetic towards her and heightens any emotions of worry and anticipation they have about whether the protagonist will be safe.
The antagonist will wear dark clothing and mask to keep his identity well concealed. He will also wear gloves to suggest that he is about to commit a crime that he does not want to be traced from.
The body language of the antagonist will be confident ans laid back to prove that he knows he will eventually kill the protagonist.The audience will be unable to see facial expressions due to the mask. This prevents them from building a relationship with the antagonist so so not know what the antagonist is thinking, what they look like and why they are doing what they are doing, creating suspense as they have to question and guess the answers for themselves. This is conventional to a thriller film because it is typical of a serial killer to conceal their identity. This explains the thriller story line to the audience, so from the start of the film they can guess that he is about to murder. This creates suspense in the viewer as they wonder, who will be killed and who the killer is. This connotes enigma and mystery surrounding the antagonist because for most of the film the audience is unaware who they are and why they are murdering the innocent victims. Contrasting those of the killer, the protagonists body language and facial expressions will portray fear, anxiety and panic. Low-key lighting will be created in my film using editing skills and filming at certain parts of the day. This will create enigma and a eerie effects.
Your individual narrative idea demonstrates some imagination for an opening sequence. It is clear to see that you have considered the codes and conventions of a thriller and the various techniques that you would like to include.
ReplyDeleteYou now need to consider how you will share your ideas within your group.