Research Into Sound for Thriller

Research for the Music that we Wanted in our Thriller

As a group we knew that we wanted music that was quite slow, without too much of a beat, possibly a piano piece.  The reason for this was because we didn't want the music to contrast too much with what was going on the screen, and as we knew that we wanted some of the clips to be in slow-motion we thought a fast temp piece would be too distracting

I remembered a piece that my sister used to play on the piano that I thought would work well.  It is quite a slow piece, but upon listening to it a couple times I thought that it might be just a bit too distracting and maybe a bit sad sounding for our thriller.

         

Stick It: Opening Tile Research

16.01.2015

With the help of Crerar in our group we studied a scene from the Jeff Bridges film 'Stick It'.
           
We decided that the majority of our sequence will be based around the beam because we felt that this apparatus is the most terrifying and shocking for the audience which will help to build the tension for our thriller. 
There were a few main areas within this sequence that we felt stood out to us as a group and that we could potentially use withing our opening sequence.  These included;

• Crerar came up with the idea that the  Kaleidoscope effect  demonstrated the gymnasts corrupted psychological mental state.
• The close up on the tear falling onto the beam in slow motion really stood out to me and we thought that instead of a tear we may turn it into a bead of sweat falling from her head to show the stuggle that she is going through in order to perform.
• Finally, this scene allowed us to come up with more ideas on what types of shots we were going to have within our sequence, and different lighting that may be effective.

The majority of our sequence will be based around the beam because we felt that this apparatus is the most terrifying and shocking for the audience which will help to build the tension for our thriller. 

Research Into Gymnastics

29.11.2014

Gymnastics

In our sequence we wanted to include as many different gymnastic elements as possible, so I began looking into different elements that we could use that would look good on camera and also look good from lots of different angles.

Illusion

Stag Jump

Helicopter to Wenson

Back Walk Over

First Draft Storyboard

       First Draft Storyboard For Media Coursework

Sound Analysis: Kill Bill

Analysis of Sound: Kill Bill

In class we were asking to watch a scene from Kill Bill Vol. 2, and the first time we watched it we had to close our eyes and try to guess what was going on in the scene.  As I had never watched the film before I found that this experiment was very effective as it made me understand how important the use of sound is when making a film.

The sequence begins with the sound of loud banging, which is overlapped by a western style short piece of music, which is further overlapped by the sound of heavy breathing which progressively gets louder and louder as the sound of both the bagging and the music stops.
I found it quite difficult to really understand what was going on, but the heavy breathing indicated to me that someone was in some sort of distress.  When watching this part of the sequence I found that I was correct about the distress, and the reason for it became clear when I found out that the heavy banging was the sound of them being enclosed in a box.

The next noticeable sound that we hear in the sequence was something that sounded like thumping, or something falling on top of something else. The loud breathing has stopped by this point, but then begins to pick up again with the beginning of the thumping sound.  This sound continues in short periods within the sequence gradually becoming quieter as if it is getting further and further away. The reason for this thumping sound doesn't become a lot clearer when watching the who sequence with my eyes open, but the title of the clip states that she is being buried alive and therefore the sound must be the sound of earth being poured on top of her.

woman's screaming becomes more urgent and hysterical, she has short bursts of screaming and it sounds as if she is bagging on something.  When watching back it can be seen that she has pulled out a torch and is banging on the box that she is trapped within in an attempt to escape the situation.  

The scene ends with all the sound cutting out to create a very tense and suspenseful ending.

When putting the who sequence together with my eyes open I found that being able to see what was going on didn't really make the whole sequence that much more suspenseful as the director hadn't put many shots of what was going on and a lot of the time the screen was black anyways.  This proved to me the importance of sound within a sequence in that it can give a lot more away than what the actual images show.

Final Idea

25.11.2014

Gymnastics Sequence

In our second meeting as a group we reviewed each others ideas and after discussion amongst ourselves as well as with Adam, we decided although the ideas for each of them were good and interesting, the practicality of each of them weren't so good.

 

We then decided to scrap our ideas and began looking at some of the previous years title sequences and eventually and collectively we came up with an idea of our own that is completely different to  what any of us had initially wanted.

We have decided to base our sequence around gymnastics as although a very beautiful sport, there is an underlying sense of danger about it, a feeling that anything could go wrong at any point.  Another reason that we chose this was because of the amount of camera work that we would be able to use on the day of filming.

We believe that by simply having one gymnast doing a lot of different elements with a gymnasium and also in a dark studio we will be able to create a title sequence that a) doesn't give too much away about the movie and b)will be appealing to watch to any audience.

Top Two Thriller Ideas

11.11.2014

My Top Two Thriller Ideas:

Idea 1: 

Whole Movie:

My main idea for the movie is that it would be based on the conspiracy theory that all the children that go missing are taken and sold to wealthy people who then send them out into forests and hunt then as a pleasure activity. My movie would follow the story of a young girl who ends up in one of these places but doesn't know why.  She gets killed but her soul won't rest until she finds out the sotry beind how she got there. I would probably end it somewhere on the lines that she had never actually been abducted but in fact her parents had given her up for money.

Opening Sequence:

My initial idea for the sequence was that there would be a group of children laughing and playing in the woods.  'Ready of not would then be heard' coming from a mans voice,but we cant see his face.  i would have then put in a change of atmosphere as the children frantically run around in an attempt to find a place to 'hide'. The camera would have then shot to a pan of a mans legs walking through the woods, and a close up on a gun hanging down at his side.  screams and shots would have been heard, and the sequence would have then cut out of the song 'If you go down to the woods today...' but the eerie version.  As the screen fades to black the title, 'Ready or not' would come across the screen and the same time that a gun shot is heard.

Changes:

People liked the initial plot of my movie once i had presented it to the class but the point was made that i was giving too much away within the opening title sequence, so I went away and came up with a less complicated idea of how I could open up my movie:

Little girl running and laughing in the wood, holding a toy.  Held camera following her around and she keeps on looking backwards, happy music but a distressed face.  There is a loud bang and the scene fade to black.  If you go down to the wood todays begins playing, camera shot of her toy on the floor, ‘Ready or not comes onto the screen.’

Idea 2:

Whole Movie:

 A girl, who, for the first 14 years was isolated from any human contact in her bedroom.  She has nothing but a mattress on the floor and deprived form any human contact.  She never saw her parents but only heard their voices, only thing she has seem are there hands as they pass food under the door.  One day whilst her parents out she managed to escape, when they return she is no where to be seen .  years pass and the father dies, the mother is left alone in the house, when the daughter one day returns.

Opening Title Sequence:

Nice house but there is a loud banging coming from upstairs, playing nice clam classy music. Suddenly cuts to a grey room, we can see the young girl, jump cuts as she frantically looks around the room.  She is screaming and tries to get out, parents not paying attention. Shots of left over food on plates and a dirty matress on the floor.  Zooms into the childs face, cuts out and then the words 'Isolation' come up onto the screen.

Getting Into Groups

Being Split Into Groups

In order to be split into groups out teacher, Adam, randomly picked out names and put us into four different groups. Initially I was placed in a group with three other boys, however Adam decided it would be wise to place me in another group as I feared that I wouldn't have had any say in the ideas if I was in a group with all boys.

After making a few changes to the groups I was placed with Crerar, Lauren and Igor.  Unfortunately for Igor he was now with three girls but he didn't seem to mind too much, and as a group we agreed to make sure that he had his say, as I knew that he was in the same situation that I was previously in.

I believed that our group would work really well together, especially us three girls as we all had similar ideas of what we wanted.  The one problem I could see occurring was the language barrier between Igor and the rest of us, and many a time he would have to tell us to slow down because we were talking way too fast.  Apart from that I thought that we would blend well and get the task at hand done as we all had different strengths that we could play to as a group.

First Group Meeting:

I unfortunately missed the very first meeting as a group in which they discussed all of our ideas and tried to come up with something that we could all agree on.

I was told that this didn't go as smoothly as they had hoped, as when I returned on the second group meeting they hadn't really come to a decision at all. I believe this was because everyone was so fond of the ideas that they had come up with that they didn't really want to have to change them.

Thriller Idea 4

11.11.2014

Thriller Idea: 4

Idea 4:

Whole Movie:

 A girl, who, for the first 14 years was isolated from any human contact in her bedroom.  She has nothing but a mattress on the floor and deprived form any human contact.  She never saw her parents but only heard their voices, only thing she has seem are there hands as they pass food under the door.  One day whilst her parents out she managed to escape, when they return she is no where to be seen .  years pass and the father dies, the mother is left alone in the house, when the daughter one day returns.

Opening Title Sequence:

Nice house but there is a loud banging coming from upstairs, playing nice clam classy music. Suddenly cuts to a grey room, we can see the young girl, jump cuts as she frantically looks around the room.  She is screaming and tries to get out, parents not paying attention. Shots of left over food on plates and a dirty matress on the floor.  Zooms into the childs face, cuts out and then the words 'Isolation' come up onto the screen.

Thriller Idea 3

11.11.2014

Thriller Idea: 3

Idea 3:

Whole Movie:

Young boy was already afraid of the dark, childish fantasies of monsters living under the bed.  As he gets older and gets on with his life, he fears seem to get better, stops believing.  Until one day he moves into his own place, that evening as he goes into the bathroom and as he turns out the lights, he sees a figure crouched at the other end of his room, staring back at him. 

Title Sequence:

Sequence begins with a young boy sat in bed, parents turning out the lights and saying goodnight.  Once the lights are turned off the boy slowly pulls the covers over his face, he is breathing heavily.  A loud thump is then heard and the boy turns on a flashlight which he has had hidden under his pillow.  He slowly eases himself over the edge of the bed, shines the torch underneath, we see his eyes widen, and he opens his mouth as if to scream, the sequence then cuts out.

Thriller Idea 2

11.11.2014

Thriller Idea: 2

Idea 2:

Whole Movie:

Man once died driving on the deserted road in a car accident, but his wife survived the crash, she was the driver.  The ghost of the man now murders all women drivers going along that road, thinking that his wife killed him on purpose.

Title Sequence:

My idea was to have a woman driving in her car, during the night.  She is on what appears to be quite a deserted road and she is in the car by herself.  As another car drives past the light goes across her face and a face that is in the boot of her car, staring at her.  The sequence ends when we see the woman’s eyes looking into to rear view mirror, another car passes by and we see a shocked expression come across the woman’s face, that is when the sequence cuts out.

Thriller Idea 1

11.11.2014

Thriller Idea:1

Idea 1: 

Whole Movie:

My main idea for the movie is that it would be based on the conspiracy theory that all the children that go missing are taken and sold to wealthy people who then send them out into forests and hunt then as a pleasure activity. My movie would follow the story of a young girl who ends up in one of these places but doesn't know why.  She gets killed but her soul won't rest until she finds out the sotry beind how she got there. I would probably end it somewhere on the lines that she had never actually been abducted but in fact her parents had given her up for money.

Opening Sequence:

My initial idea for the sequence was that there would be a group of children laughing and playing in the woods.  'Ready of not would then be heard' coming from a mans voice,but we cant see his face.  i would have then put in a change of atmosphere as the children frantically run around in an attempt to find a place to 'hide'. The camera would have then shot to a pan of a mans legs walking through the woods, and a close up on a gun hanging down at his side.  screams and shots would have been heard, and the sequence would have then cut out of the song 'If you go down to the woods today...' but the eerie version.  As the screen fades to black the title, 'Ready or not' would come across the screen and the same time that a gun shot is heard.

Changes:

People liked the initial plot of my movie once i had presented it to the class but the point was made that i was giving too much away within the opening title sequence, so I went away and came up with a less complicated idea of how I could open up my movie:

Little girl running and laughing in the wood, holding a toy.  Held camera following her around and she keeps on looking backwards, happy music but a distressed face.  There is a loud bang and the scene fade to black.  If you go down to the wood todays begins playing, camera shot of her toy on the floor, ‘Ready or not comes onto the screen.’

Opening Title Sequence Analysis

26.9.2014

OPENING SEQUENCE ANALYSIS

In class we were asked to look at two opening title sequences and our task was to then analyse it and look out for some key factors which are usually involved in the making of a good title sequence.  These factors include; the genre of the film, some production information, it should establish the setting, there should be a good use of music depending on the mood/tone that they are trying to set, and from time to time there should be some sort of introduction to some of the characters.

The two title sequences that we looked at were The Shining which is a horror/thriller and also Sexy Beast which is more of a crime/drama.

The Shining

Clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgCejsyS0t8

Genre:

• We establish that the film is a horror/thriller through the use of music and setting which both have factors that would indicate that the genre of this film will be horror.

Music:

• The music in this sequence is very prominent, it has a very heavy bass, and there are moments when it sounds like someone is whaling, which gives the beginning a very eerie sense to it.
• The music contrasts to the scenery, it is very dark and sinister whereas there is actually a very picturesque scenery in the background.
• the music changes the watchers perception of the surrounding, without the music the sequence would be nowhere as near 
• The music foreshadows that something bad is to come later on in the movie because during this sequence nothing really is happening.

Setting:

• We establish that they are in a very rural setting somewhere in the mountains of Oregon or Montana, two locations where the movie was filmed.
• There is very much a sense of isolation, we follow the one yellow car on its journey to the hotel. As we, the audience do this, we pass through many different surrounding with jump cuts to show that time is passing and therefore that they are getting more and more isolated the further they go.

Production Information:

• The production information within this sequence, personally I don't find to be very professional looking.
• The blue writing that goes up the screen it a bit too much, they have over done it with the colour, i think that using a black would have been just as effective and much more professional looking.

Denotation and Connotation

5.10.2015

Connotation and Denotation

Connotation and Denotation are two principal methods of describing the meanings of words.In class we were asked to look up the difference between the two terms as although they initially may seem similar, they are very difference which help the audience to understand a film. 

Denotation:

Denotation is what something literally is, going by the dictionary meaning of the word. It is a logical word, using an objects pure meaning without any of the feeling or ideas that the words may suggest.

Connotation:

Connotations are the meaning that come along with a word, it is the added meaning to a specific object. The online dictionary describes connotation as, 'an idea or feeling which a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning.' This basically means that what a word initially may mean is changed depending on the circumstance that it is used in.

Example:

There are many different examples of different connotation as most objects have different meaning that can be associated with them. One of the most well known examples that is used within many different thrillers is the kitchen knife.  In everyday life a knife is used for cutting foods, it isn't seen as a threat.  However, when showing a knife in a thriller people automatically assume that the knife will be used as a weapon, and someone may get hurt by it. The use of connotation therefore help to build suspense as people are left wondering what the significance of the knife may be.

                       
                   Denotation                                                                                   Connotation        

What is a Thriller?

2.10.2014

What is a Thriller?

               

Saul Bass

3.11.2014

Saul Bass

Saul Bass, born May 8th, 1920, was a widely accomplished graphic designer and an award winning film maker.  He is most widely known for his work in the design of opening title sequences for motion pictures, film posters and corporate logos.  During his 40 year long career he worked with some of the Hollywood's most acclaimed filmmakers including; Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese.

Opening Title Sequences
Bass once said,
 "“For the average audience, the credits tell them there’s only
three minutes left to eat popcorn. I take this ‘dead’ period and try to do more than simply get rid of names that film goers aren’t interested in.
I aim to set up the audience for what’s coming;
make them expectant.”
His work on Psycho, Vertigo and North by Northwest for Alfred Hitchcock are probably some of his most memorable pieces of work.


Logos

Bass has designed some of the most well known corporate logos in North America which include; the Bell System logo (1969), AT&T's globe logo (1983), Continental Airlines' (1968) and United Airlines (1974).

What Stands out to me most about Bass' work is the simplicity of his ideas and yet when people see them they know what they are as they are very well known. I think this simplicity is why he stands out from a lot of other logo designers, as many try and go too over the top, but when it comes down to it, the more simplistic the logo the more likely people will be able to remember it when they see it over and over again.

 It can be seen that he uses the colours red and blue primarily within his logos, personally I believe that he may have decided upon these
colours because they tend to stand out to the human eye.

 

Kyle Cooper Sequence 3

18.10.2014

Seven

              

'Seven' is arguably Coopers most famous and memorial title sequence that he has made so far.

Again this it can be seen that this will be another horror film, this is shown not only through the graphics but also through the very prominent music. The music sounds very eerie and has and almost 'screeching' sound to it thus pot raying to the audience the genre that the film is going to be.

Compared to the 'Dawn of the Dead' title sequence that I analysed this one is a lot different. Throughout the entire sequence a story is being told within the sequence of short clips that we are looking at in the background. The story starts with someone looking through a book, he then pulls aout a razor and cuts his fingers.  We then watch as he makes further notes in his book and then processes some film to add to it. There are no voice overs within this sequence, instead the story is more so told through Coopers choice of music.

Although we have a vague idea of what is going on we never know exactly what is happening, Cooper leaves the audience questioning.  Through his use of closeups, and quick changes between each shot, it is hard to put the full storyline together.

The font of the text used looks as if someone has written it, instead of it being typed.  This is to follow it being the theme of someone's book, we presume that the person typing the story will be one of the main character in the film.

Kyle Cooper Title Sequence 2

18.10.2014

Dawn Of the Dead

                               

Unlike Spiderman, the opening title sequence to Dawn of the Dead is a lot more complex as it doesn't only consist of music and a simple idea, but it has an over voice and lots of different frames within it.

The sequence beings with an image of birds flying out of some stress, the birds initially create a peaceful and calm environment, but the flying away could indicate that they are trying to get away from something.

 Then some very eerie music kicks in the shot cuts to a black background with the words 'Universal Pictures presents' in the right hand corner.  The text then appears to turn into streams of blood as Cooper moves onto the next short image of a group of people praying.  From both the music and the blood the audience is able to tell that the film is probably going to be some sort of horror.

This idea is then further clarified as after the next bit of text there are sudden scary photos that pop onto the screen, supposedly trying to make the audience jump.  After the title of the film comes and then turns into 'blood', there is a loud screen and then a voice over of a bunch of people asking questions such as 'is it a virus?' As the questions continue more and more shot clips continue to appear on the screen of, what we now presume could only be a 'zombie'.

As the sequence goes on, it suddenly cuts to quite upbeat music, completely juxtaposing the images, and short films that are appearing on the screen.  These include things such as, news casts talking about the epidemic, shots of people screaming, and more images of the 'zombies'. One of the main images that repeats itself is an image of a cell mutating, thus suggesting how the 'virus' is spreading. Cooper has cleverly decided to add what could only be explained as the image of a TV cutting out between each of the short clips to show how everything is turning into chaos.

At the very end there is a clip of a news anchor reporting on what is going on, and then in th background we see army men get attacked by the 'zombies'.  The screen then fades to black and with it the revelation 6:8 is being spoken, a religious addition to what has been going on in the rest of the sequence, people praying for some help, no hope.

Revelation 6:8

'And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.'

Kyle Cooper Title Sequence 1

18.10.2014

Spiderman
       

    One of Kyle Coopers most famous and most recognisable pieces of work is his opening sequence for Spiderman. 

    His choice of music from the very beginning of the sequences captures the audience's attention straight away.  The upbeat but almost sinister feel of the music indicates that it is going to be some sort of thriller/ action film.  The input of the Marvel logo at the beginning also shows the audience where the original idea for the film came from.

    Cooper uses spider webs as his main feature throughout the sequence, with his camera moving in and through different angles of the webs.  He does this not only for obvious reasons, but also because it is a very simple idea and yet very effective, there isn't too much going on and yet people understandthe concept of the film. 

    There is a big build up in the music, as 'Spiderman' is shown within one of the webs, upon this happening the music then begins to speed up and everything becomes a bit more frantic.

    There is a very obvious colour scheme consisting of Red Silver and Blue, within the sequence. these have been used intentionally as they are the colours that Spidermans's outfit consists of.

    Cooper has used a very simplistic concept to his opening sequence which has proved very effective, especially when it comes down to names of cast member and the production teams.  The names are written in a large white font and are very obvious of the screen as there isn't much going on in the background.  This allows the audience to appreciate more who was involved in the making of the film and, as there are some very big names involved. 

At one point there is an image of Spiderman bringing his head up and out of the darkness.  This has been used to show the audience that Spiderman with rise and fight of any evil the prevails.  We also get to see this evil as there in then an image of the Green Goblin's face, you can tell he is evil because half of his face is shadowed.

Finally, towards the end Cooper adds in some buildings to his sequence.  This enables the audience to see where the movie is probably going to be set; New York.

Kyle Cooper Introduction

18.10.2014
Kyle Cooper Introduction

                               

Kyle Cooper, born in 1962, is one of the most famous modern designers for motion pictures, specialising in title sequences.  Cooper went to study graphic design under Paul Rand at Yale University, and in 1968 he received his Master of Fine Art.  Since then Cooper has directed more than 150 title sequences for films including; Braveheart, Spiderman, Iron Man, Zoolander and American Horror story.

Cooper is the founder of two international film design companies; Imaginary Forces and Prologue Films.  He is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationalist and also holds an honorary title of 'Royal Designer for Industry' given to him by the Royal Society of Arts in London.