Evaluation Of The Lodger

Question One: 'In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?'

The opening to a thriller film is said to be the most crucial part of the film, it has to entice the audience. I have created a 2 minute opening to a thriller film called ‘The Lodger’, it’s full of action yet is very clear and leaves the audience wanting more!

The Lodger uses conventions of real media products in a number of ways. Firstly, I have based the main character of my thriller film on Marion Crane from Psycho; I have created a similar look with the wide eyes and thick raised eye brows. I have been inspired by Psycho’s narrative structure- with a few alterations. My basic plot is of a woman being stabbed in the shower by the lodger that lives in her garden. I have also used the very famous shower scene as an inspiration for a scene in my thriller. The reason I have used this scene as an inspiration is because it was so successful and by far the most popular scene from the whole film.

Marion


Abigail


Abigail in a lot of ways is very similar to Marion Crane from Psycho. This is shown through her costume: Abigail wears sophisticated clothing (shirt and pencil skirt) yet has aspects of seduction by wearing black heels; this is very similar to the costume of Marion Crane. Abigail wears red lipstick and red nail varnish to add to the seductive and modern appearance. The colour red connotes danger and seductiveness, it draws attention to the character and lets the audience know this character is important.


Abigail's black heels



I was also inspired by 'The Third Man'. I used aspects of Harry Lime's characters costume for the character Scott in The Lodger. Scott wears a long black coat and black boots, like Harry Lime. Myself and the rest of my group experimented with tilt shots of Harry Lime, on Scott. However, we decided that they didn't work very well.




We decided to name the main female character Abigail, we felt it was a striking name and very modern. Scott is the name of the Lodger, we decided on this because it’s a name that connotes danger and nastiness. The title The Lodger was not inspired by any other thriller films. After my group and I decided on a storyline we felt that we needed a snappy title that does’t give too much away. However, we still wanted it to relate to the story itself. We felt that this title was short snappy and left the audience wondering who the lodger was and why he was so significant to the film. It’s very important to leave your audience with questions, as it encourages them to watch more.

We decided to leave our 2 minute opening of The Lodger on a cliff hanger. We have left the audience wondering whether Lisa will be Scott’s next victim, or whether Lisa will plan her revenge on Scott for murdering her best friend. It’s crucial that audiences, when watching the opening to The Lodger, finish watching it wanting more and I think that the cliff hanger ending will make audiences want to know what happens next.

Psycho is not the only influence of The Lodger. I was also influenced by the opening sequence to ‘Once Upon A Time In America’. Noodles mistress, Eve, relates to Abigail in a lot of ways. She is ruthlessly shot by a corrupt policeman. Eve comes across as a strong female character in the opening of ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ but shortly after is murdered, which is very similar to Abigail. Although Eve and Abigail are similar, the setting of ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ is completely different to The Lodger. We have made The Lodger its own by making sure the location shots are unique to other thriller films.



Marion, Eve and Abigail all have one thing in common; they are all foolish enough to put all their trust in to the wrong sort of men. Marion puts her trust in to Norman Bates and ends up being stabbed in her hotel room by the psychotic man. Eve is a gangsters mistress and because of this she feels safe, but ends up being shot by a policeman as a consequence of being with a gangster. Lastly, Abigail puts her trust in to her lodger Scott who turns out to be obsessed with her- so much so that he kills her.

Question two: 'How does your media product represent particular social groups?'

The Lodger represents particular social groups. I have used a strong female character (Abigail) which suggests that women are powerful, but also seriously flawed. However, the femme fatale becomes a victim in the end and is killed by a man- this suggests men overpower women. Abigail appears seemingly to be a strong woman at the beginning of the 2 minutes but by the end her character contrasts this by becoming the victim of Scott. Women are shown as inferior in The Lodger, Scott kills Abigail thus our film perpetuates the traditional representation of generic archetypes, therefore our film relates to the way the media represents males as the powerful and dominating gender. For example in the opening sequence to ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ the three gangsters kill Eve, this shows they have over powered Eve. There’s a shot which emphasises that the gangsters are superior. This shot also connotes claustrophobia, a typical thriller convention. I have used the idea of claustrophobia in The Lodger, but in a very different way. ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ have used the three gangsters surrounding Eve to suggest she’s trapped. However, in The Lodger I have used the shower as the claustrophobic space and have used a shot of the Lodger entering the bathroom to suggest Abigail has no escape.

If The Lodger were to be developed Lisa (the friend who turns up with the flowers) could be the strong female character who takes on the lodger (Scott) and captures him as punishment for murdering her best friend. This would create a different representation of women within The Lodger, as Abigail is shown as vulnerable by becoming the victim within the film.

Question three: 'What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?'

You tube would be the best and only way to distribute The Lodger. You tube would be a great way to broadcast The Lodger to the world, as it’s a well-known and frequently used website, specifically by young people. Social networking sites could also be used such as Bebo and Facebook which are extremely popular- Facebook has over 400 million active users and more than 100 million of these access Facebook through their phone. This means that The Lodger would be viewed (hopefully) by a lot of people and it would guarantee a wide range of viewers. Although Facebook’s target demographic is older generation, it’s clear that the majority users are the younger demographic. This is beneficial for me as The Lodger, I feel, it's more likely to appeal to the younger generation. However, by broadcasting it on Facebook it will give my film the opportunity to be watched by all different ages and genders. However, I feel that our thriller is innovative and therefore could possibly receive funding from Warp or Working Title Films, if it did receive this funding it could be developed as a feature film! This would make it possible for our film to be featured on TV and possibly even cinema outlets. I think it’s innovative because, although it uses aspects of thriller films already released such as ‘Psycho’ and ‘Once Upon A Time In America’, the fact that Lisa later traps the Lodger makes it unique.
Most typical thriller films have the male as the dominant gender, in The Lodger it comes across that way in the beginning but soon changes as Lisa captures the Lodger and plans her revenge.




I could also enter The Lodger in various UK competitions. These include: Short Film Competition; Filmaka- Global Digital Studio and London Short Film Festival (www.shortfilms.org.uk. I think The Lodger would qualify for a specific short film competition because it's unique and would be satisfying for all audiences. I feel it's unique, because it's modern but at the same time it has old fashioned aspects: The Psycho inspired shower scene. It can be enjoyed by any age group and I think it has a lot of potential.

Question four: 'Who would be the audience for your media product?'

The audience I would target my thriller film to is male and females aged 15+. This is because the film would appeal to both males and females, however I think it would be inappropriate for people under the age of 15 to view it, as it contains violent scenes. I feel it appeals to both genders, as it shows different aspects of the male and female lifestyle. It is also a gripping storyline of which will entice anyone. It is not offensive to either gender and throughout the film the dominance of gender changes. Although the age demographic of ‘The Lodger’ is 15+, the specific demographic for it would be 20-30, I think the younger generation will appreciate the thriller much more as it’s a modern storyline that’s unique.

I feel that The Lodger will not appeal to a specific class, because it’s an exciting thriller film that will entertain regardless of whether you’re upper class or lower class!

Question five: 'How did you attract/address your audience?'

The Lodger is an exciting story, as it has a lot going on in the opening 2 minutes. However, it is still very clear and easy to follow. I feel that audiences would want to watch it because the storyline is realistic and something that happens in society every day and it helps to raise awareness of things that happen so often. Many murders that happen are through family or friends, for example on 17th April 2010 Robin Garbutt, 44, was accused of killing his wife, 40- year-old Diana Garbutt, at the post office and shop they ran together in Melsonby, near Richmond, North Yorkshire. This illustrates that you can’t trust anyone, even those that are closest to you. Another example of this is the recent story in the news of Baby P; a 17-month old boy who died in London after suffering more than 50 injuries over an eight-month period, during which he was repeatedly seen by social services. Peter's mother, Tracey Connelly, her boyfriend, Steven Barker, and Jason Owen (later revealed to be the brother of Barker), were all convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child, the mother having pleaded guilty to the charge.

The cliff hanger at the end of the 2 minute opening to The Lodger captivates audiences and makes them want to watch more.

Throughout The Lodger we variate between diagetic and non-diagectic sound, this makes The Lodger more exciting and unique. It will help entice the audience, by having variations of sounds. The soundtrack also helps to build the tension in certain areas of it. There is a sense of ambiguity at the end of the 2 minute sequence, when Lisa drops the flowers crossed dissolved with Abigail's blood trickling down the plug hole. The ambiguity makes The Lodger more exciting to watch and leaves the audience wondering if Lisa was taken by Scott too.

We received feedback from Year 13 students. This was very helpful, as it highlighted to us the strengths of The Lodger and the weaknesses. We took in to consideration what they said and ended making a change: the non-diagetic sound of the shower running whilst the shot of Abigail's dead face is showing. This is much more dramatic and shows that whilst Abigail is laying dead, everything around her is still living. It also makes it clearer to the audience that Abigail was murdered in the shower. The Year 13's comment meant a lot to me because they are my target audience.

A lot of modern day directors think that showing all the blood and guts when there's a murder in a film entices the audience, in my opinion they are wrong. I think less is more! In The Lodger, you never actually see Scott murder Abigail, you just see her blood trickling down the plughole (to connote her life is fading away). This grips the audience and keeps them thinking, because they have to work out what happened, it's not just shown to them. However, it is still clear to the audience how Abigail was murdered- through the blood and the shot of her dead in the bathroom at the end of the 2 minute opening.

Question six: 'What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?'

In the construction of The Lodger, I have learnt a lot, especially about camera angles. I have learnt that a camera angle is crucial when setting a scene, to build up the emotion of a character and for character traits. For example a long shot sets the scene, as it shows a lot of the surroundings and helps the audience to get a feel of where something is set. For character traits in The Lodger, we used high angle shots of Scott to show he’s superior and a dominant role. On the other hand, for Abigail we have used low angle shots, for example when she turns the shower on- this connotes she’s inferior and vulnerable. A tilt shot is used to create a sense of disorientation and helps the audience to understand how the character is feeling. Tilt shots were used a lot in Once Upon A Time In America when shooting Harry Lime, this was to indicate to the audience that his character is corrupt.

Different camera movements are also important in thrillers. For example a tracking shot adds tension to a scene and a sense of suspicion. An over the shoulder shot is useful for making it feel that a character is being followed. I used this in The Lodger, to make the audience feel that Lisa was being followed. This made audiences wonder what would happen to Lisa and suspect that Scott was following her.
With technologies improving vastly now-a-days, I was given the opportunity to work with a camera that is modern. It enabled me to watch preview raw footage, which saved me and my group a lot of time. If a shot wasn’t successful we were able to see there and then on the camera and re shoot if necessary.

It has become very clear to me, through the construction of The Lodger, that close-up shots are key for focusing on emotions of a character. They focus on specific details within the mise-en-scene and can be very useful for building up suspense or emphasising an emotion of a character. At the end of The Lodger's 2 minute opening, there's a close up of Abigail's eye. This is fantastic for building up tension. The audience want to know what's happened to Abigail, the shot then zooms out to show her whole face, making it clear to the audience that she's dead. We have cross dissolved the shot of Abigail's blood trickling down the plug hole, with the close up shot of Abigail's eye. This works fantastically because it shows Abigail's life washing away and the audience are able to see this through Abigail's eye.



I have learned a lot about the importance of lighting when constructing The Lodger. I have experimented a lot with lighting to create shadows. I did this in particular for the shot of Abigail going up the stairs I felt it would be brilliant if I could create a shadow behind her. This shadow would effectively connote that someone (the lodger) is going to follow her up the stairs and she will have no escape. The lighting is also crucial, because although thriller films tend to have noir lighting it was important that everything within our film was clearly visible. In the scene of which Scott picks up the knife the lighting was slightly too dark so unfortunately it’s not majorly obvious that he is picking up the knife. I have also learned that when editing a film it is crucial to sequence shots so that the narrative structure is clear to the audience. It has been interesting to learn how to add effects to a film. The main effect I have used in The Lodger is cross dissolve, whilst editing I found it was an excellent feature for making the film flow nicely. Adding sound to The Lodger was like the icing on the cake! The soundtrack helped add suspense to The Lodger and created a chilling atmosphere. We decided to have diagetic sound to begin with and the soundtrack comes in when the lodger is first shown, this was successful as it made the audience aware that the lodger is a significant character that’s going to be involved with something tragic. The rest of my group and myself spent a long time deciding where to place the title of the film, we eventually came to the conclusion that it fitted best as Scott (the lodger) is holding the knife covered in blood about to walk upstairs (where Abigail is). We felt it worked best here, as it made it clear to the audience that Scott is the lodger and also shows that the film is based round this significant moment in which Scott is about to approach Abigail in the bathroom. In this mise-en-scene, we have created a large shadow behind Scott. This connotes that he's superior and will over power Abigail.

IMBD has been a very useful website for my thriller research. It's a website that supports institutional information, users ratings, external views, user comments and viewing trailers.



I have used the editing software of Adobe Premier I have used cross dissolving- to help The Lodger flow better. I experimented a lot with different feature on this software such as, colour changes, fading and tints. It has given me the opportunity to make The Lodger look proffessional and run smoothly.



Question seven: 'Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?'

Looking back at my preliminary task I feel that I have progressed a lot. It built up my confidence at being on camera, so I was much more relaxed and comfortable when it came to filming my thriller. Editing my preliminary task taught me a lot about different effects that are available and how to use them, so when it came to editing my thriller I didn’t have to waste time on learning how to use different features. These effects included: Cross dissolve, how to create a title, how to put a soundtrack on and change whether there’s diagetic sound or not. My group and I have really come together whilst making our thriller; they are all reliable and put their full potential in to everything we do. As the filming went on, we came together more as a group and realised our own main individual roles- Phoebe mostly directing and filming, Libby mostly arranging lighting and location and me mostly acting and filming. However, we have all been given the opportunity to experiment with every aspect of the film making and I feel we all had equal roles.

By doing the preliminary task it built up my confidence in expressing my ideas and listening to others- this came in very handy when we were coming up with ideas for our thriller, as I was not afraid to get across my ideas and I was happy to try out other group members ideas too. We focused particularly on the 180 degree rule- a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.

Looking for a soundtrack took a long time. It was very difficult to find a Pre-1950 recording or an unsigned act. However, these websites of unsigned acts were extremely useful: www.mobygratis.com, www.ccmixter.org and www.freesound.org. We finally came to the decision of a sound from freesound.org, but it tooks us a long time to find a soundtrack that we felt was suitable. The soundtrack is screechy and builds up (helping to build up tension in The Lodger too). I decided the soundtrack worked best if it started when the lodger is first scene. This is because the danger only begins at this point. It also highlights to the audience that Scott is dangerous and corrupt.

Equipment list

Throughout shooting our thriller film we have used a variety of equipment:

A Camera:


A Tripod:



We used a tripod to ensure steady shots were created in our film, so that it run smoothly and was a watchable film.

Lighting:



We used torches a lot in our thriller, to make a scene brighter and to create successful shadows. We had to practice a lot with different torches of different strengths to ensure we created the right lighting and effective shadows when needed.

Inspired shot

This shot from sin city inspired one of the shots in my thriller film. I used it for the murderer holding the knife. I felt it fitted perfectly with his character and the low camera angle connotes that the murderer is superior. It's also, in my opinion, a thrilling shot!

TV influences of my thriller

Tv crime dramas such as The Bill and Spooks have influenced my thriller in many ways. For example, there're a lot of low angle shots used in The Bill which I have applied to my thriller. Through watching these dramas, it has helped me get a better understanding of how camera angles are used to create an atmosphere or a certain trait of a character, for example a low angle shot would be used to show a character is dominant and superior. Spooks has the typical thriller convention of noir. The lighting and costume for it is all very dark. I have been inspired by this and this is reflected in my characters costume: Scott's long dark coat and black boots.

In The Bill there's a very dominant female character, who plays the role of an officer. She dresses very sophisticated and modern. I have been inspired by her characters costume for Abigail- modern but still sophisticated with the secutary costume.

Independent research into the thriller genre

Purpose of thriller title and soundtrack

I have chosen the title 'The Lodger' as I feel it is intriguing to the audience and relevent to the narrative of my thriller. It is intriguing, as it makes the audience wonder who the lodger is and why he is so important to the film. It is also relevent to the story, as the killer in the film is Abigail's lodger. He is a very significant character. This title also integrates with the genre of my film, as it is a thrilling title and leaves the audience wondering why the 'Lodger' is so significant.

I am using the soundtrack Rite Of Spring by Stravinsky. I have chosen this soundtrack as it builds up suspense in perfect timing with the build up of suspense in my thriller. It uses violins, which I think are very effective in building tension. The high pitch dramatic violins connote the stabbing of Abigail very effectively. Psycho (the inspiration for my thriller) also use high pitch violins in the stabbing scene, I thought this worked brilliantly and therefore looked for a soundtrack that involoved violins. In many ways I think the soundtrack represents Scott (the lodger), as it's innocent and peaceful to begin with but by the end it becomes strong and corruptive- which is what happens to Scott's character.

Changes to thriller

During the construction of our thriller we came across a few problems and due to this we had to make changes to certain aspects. We had to change the boyfriend character 'Jason' to a best friend character 'Lisa'. This was because we found it difficult finding a boy to play the boyfriend character- no one was available to shoot when we needed. We therefore had to use a girl from our group (Phoebe) to play the character of Abigail's best friend. This delayed the construction of our thriller, as we had to think of new shots to film and a change in plot.
It has been difficult having to change so much, but has been beneficial in the long run.

Storyboard

This storyboard helped us when filming. It helped with our organisation and saved us a lot of time. I made sure I remembered my storyboard at all of our shooting sessions.

Costume for thriller film

As our thriller film is set in modern times, we have tried to adapt the costume to its time period. We have used a sophisticated look for Abigail, yet still modern at the same time (with the high waisted skirt and heels).
We have still managed to keep Abigail looking like she has just arrived home from work, by putting her in a costume that looks suitable for office work.
We have dressed Abigail in a fairly plain outfit, yet we have used the heels and bright red lipstick and nail varnish keep her looking devious and making sure that her role as the femme fatale is clear to the audience. Abigail suggests Marion Crane from "Psycho". Marion is neatly dressed, she works in an office and she is well groomed with elements of the femme fatale about her.



Scott's costume reflects genre conventions, as he is wearing a long dark coat with black boots. This goes along with the noir theme in most typical thriller films.

Write an analysis of Max’s death paying particular attention to how the issues of gender and death are represented.

All soaps have an emotional storyline, to keep viewers hooked. Hollyoaks used a very emotional storyline of Max Cunningham's death, after marrying Stephanie.

The opening scene of Max’s death is very optimistic; all actors are dressed smartly after attending Max’s and Steph’s wedding. This makes the audience feel optimistic about what’s going to happen in the episode. However, this is soon turned on its head- which is predictable for a typical soap! By starting out so optimistically and then ending with a death shocks the audience, keeping them on the edge of their seat.

Max’s death is represented in a very positive and peaceful way, shown through different aspects of the scene. Firstly, the lighting used is natural and bright; the bright lighting connotes happiness and a sense of peacefulness. The natural lighting makes the scene more believable to viewers, so they’re able to capture the scene and become part of it. A close-up of Max is used after his death- unlike most death scenes Max has very little blood or cuts on him, this is very unrealistic, yet it makes death seem to be peaceful and very clean. The fact that his death seems so clean makes the audience see a much more positive and glamorous side to death.

Stephanie is wearing a big ‘princess dress' with a tiara in the scene, which connotes she’s glamorous and superficial. Her reaction to Max’s death contrasts with OB’s. Steph cries and screams, letting all her emotions out. Whereas Ob deals with it in a much more masculine way, he is reserved with his emotions and hopes that Max is still alive. OB’s moment with Max before he dies is the main focus, it’s a very moving scene between the best friends that are about to be separated. Max, in his last few moments, tells OB that he loves him. OB replies saying 'Don't be gay.', this is OB's way of telling Max that he loves him too. This shows that even in OB's last moments with his best friend, he still manages to joke around. However, it is clear to the audience that deep down OB is hurting and doesn't want to lose his best friend. A close-up of OB is used, at this point, to show that he’s hiding his emotions in front of Max but deep down he's distraught.



The sound of the car crash is used as non-diegetic sound, as Tom’s toy parachute falls from the sky (which symbolises that Max’s life is about to fall away, in a slow and peaceful way). A tracking shot of Max running to save Tom is used, this emphasises the choice that Max is about to make (risking his own life for Tom).

After being hit by the car, Max lays in the middle of the road completely still. The music immediately changes to soft and peaceful; this prepares the audience for the traumatic incident that’s about to occur. Close-up shots are used of both Max and Nile as they are the two significant characters of the scene.

It finishes with the camera spiralling up to the sky to connote that Max is going to heaven. The audience immediately feel reassured that Max is being taken to a ‘better place’.

Defintion of a femme fatale

A femme fatale is a devious women of great seductive charm who leads men into compromising and dangerous situations.

Abigail conforms to this definition, as she is appears to be a devious and seductive woman. This is shown through her costume- secutary clothing and bright red lipstick and nail varnish. Her pale face and red lipstick suggests she is a femme fatale, as the typical femme fatale's appearance is similar to this. However, Abigail does not lead men in to dangerous situations- she is the one who is murdered and vulnerable for having a lodger living in her garden that is in fact a murderer.

Filming so far...

Filming our thriller so far is going extremely well! Phoebe, Libby and I work brilliantly as a team! We have all been reliable and always turned up on time and fully equipped. My role has been mainly to act as Abigail, however I have tried to get involved in as much filming and directing as possible. Phoebe has done a lot of filming and directing and Libby has mostly filmed and helped with lighting. We have all come together as a group and have almost finished filming the thriller.

This has been an excellent experience for me, I have learned a lot about using a camera and creating the right lighting. We have all had a lot of experience in filming and editing and feel confident about it. I feel that throughout filming we have become more confident in trying new things and find it easier to come up with ideas.

We have come across many issues along the way also. It has been very difficult making sure that Scott (played by Libby's dad) is always available. As he arrives home last from work, it has been very difficult to get the right lighting, often we have had to use torches and lamps to overcome the lighting issue. We also had to get rid of our original idea of smashing the wine bottle, as it would be too dangerous and messy! This was very disappointing for me, as I felt it would be a fantastic shot of red wine running down the path cross dissolved with the shot of my blood going down the plug hole. However, we have overcome this issue by using flowers. Although this isn't as thrilling as our original idea, it still works well.

Moving image production has always been lead by the audience’s demand for new sensation. Discuss

Moving image production has always been lead by the audience’s demand for new sensation. Discuss

The demand for new technologies, in my opinion, is increasing. Modern directors are under the pressure of making their film unique and outstanding. More and more films are using CGI, as producers and investors feel that audience crave a new sensation. CGI makes a film more exciting to watch and makes the whole experience more real to the audience, however some people may disagree on the fact that CGI is what makes a film. I have looked at three films- two high budget, that have used CGI and one low budget that hasn’t used CGI. I have researched audience’s reviews to discover what people really feel about CGI.

Throughout the years technologies have become more and more developed. For example when the first colour film was released audiences went mad, they thought it was the most amazing thing they had ever seen: 'Colour movies were expensive and difficult to produce, and so displaced black-and-white films far more slowly than "talkies" had replaced silent films. By 1954, just half of all films were being made in color'. However, now-a-days audiences are stunned by 3D films (such as the new film Avatar). Audiences have a constant demand for a new sensation, so directors are pressured to create something outstanding and different.

The first film I have researched: Avatar. This film has amazing CGI and is an experience in itself. The fact it is in 3D makes it a real experience to audiences.When Avatar was advertised, the fact it was a 3D film and that it was directed by James Cameron was highlighted a lot: ‘An early review of selected footage from James Cameron's space opera…’ ‘Avatar, James Cameron's 3D spectacular…’ This shows that the marketing was planned to emphasise the director and the special effects used in the film- they clearly thought that this would attract audiences. Although marketers thought that this would be the main attraction, a lot of audiences wanted to see the film because of its genre and fantastic narrative: ‘compelling narrative’ (http://www.allaboutmovies.net/filmreviewavatar.htm). The audience will be aware that the film is going to be mainstream and high budget, as James Cameron previously directed such a high budget film (Titanic). The one specific aspect of Avatar that made it such a talked about film was the CGI: ‘What is new in Avatar is the degree to which it uses CGI artifice: this is about as far in the direction of animation as cinema can go while still retaining any claim to human presence’ (quoted by James Cameron www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk) ‘Visually, the motion capture is seamless; the clarity of the 3D is remarkable, and it's all undeniably dazzling.’ Audiences had never seen CGI like it, which makes it a new and exciting ‘must see’! The narrative of Avatar is so surreal that the 3D is needed to make audiences feel part of it and make the narrative seem more believable. The narrative, however, is less surreal than some thriller or horror films. A lot of audiences went to see this film and loved it because it’s so new and fresh- and narrative that has never been used before. The characters were made with real actors performances captured on a visual counterpart, this made the film an experience for viewers and added to the excitement of the film.



Although CGI is a big attraction to audiences, it’s not everything in a film. For example the film ‘Bruno’ was an extremely popular film and was made on a low budget and used no CGI. It got amazing reviews: ‘This film is howlingly funny, staggeringly rude, brutally incorrect and very often just brilliant’. However, it also received bad reviews, this was due to how extreme and risky certain areas of the film were (it wasn’t due to the fact it didn’t contain CGI and wasn’t made on a big budget). Some viewers found it too brutally honest; for some audiences this was the main attraction of the film. Another aspect of the film that made it so brilliant, was the actor Sacha Baron Cohen, who is well know from ‘Ali G In Da House’. If there’s a well known actor in a film, all their fans will follow which consequently makes the audiences much bigger. This may be the reason for Bruno being so successful. Or the fact that audiences loved seeing a film that was so brutal and honest, no films have been this risky before.



Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was voted number 1 Blockbuster of 2009. This film contained a lot of CGI and was a very high budget film. However, by looking at reviews of the film it’s clear that the reason for the film being such a success was due to the brilliant narrative: ‘It's about friendship, hope, first love, evil, and magic -- and it's all wrapped into a fantastical epic narrative’. The books of Harry Potter were released before the films and were also proven to be a great success, these backs up the fact that the film isn’t just popular because of the CGI. However, a lot of reviews suggest that people just went to see the film because the special effects are so breathtaking: ‘Thanks to fantastic CGI work, Harry’s world has never looked more fantastic!’ In my opinion, the main attraction of Harry Potter is the fact that it has such an amazing narrative. When the books were first released people went mad for them- which make it clear that CGI is not the reason for Harry Potter’s great reviews!

All three of the films I have researched were in the top 10 blockbusters of 2009 and therefore extremely successful films in all such different ways. I used Bruno to show that a film can be a top 10 blockbuster without using CGI. It’s clear that each film has a certain aspect that attracts audiences. However, I think one element that is crucial in every one of these films is the narrative, without that a film would be nothing.

Overall I think directors feel that CGI is a great aspect of a film, but the key part of a film is the narrative. Without a good narrative a film is nothing. CGI can make a film look good and seem to be ‘breathtaking’ but to sit through a film with a bad narrative would be unbearable. In my opinion, independent films can be just as good as mainstream films, for example the film Paranormal Activity was an amazing film and kept me on the edge of my seat. Paranormal Activity is an independent film and was made on a very small budget by students. I think the fact that it was such a huge success will teach a lot of directors now-a-days that CGI and money isn’t everything in a film.

Thriller planning and shots of location

Locations:







This shows the summer house (where the lodger lives), the bathroom (where Abigail is stabbed), the dinner table (set up romantically for Abigail and her boyfriend) and the kitchen (the opening shot of Abigail chopping the meat).
Characters:

Abigail Stevens (played by myself): Femme fatale.

Jason Thomson (played by Libby's dad): The lodger of Abigail and the murderer.

Scott Young (played by Libby's brother): The boyfriend of Abigail's.

The reason I have been cast as Abigail, is because I am flexible with shooting times and I also take drama a level so I am confident in performing and being on camera.

We have casted Libby's dad as the lodger, as we are shooting at Libby's house so it will be easy to use him. He also looks good for the part- he has dark hair, is tall and is in his 40's (which is the right age for this character).

Libby's brother has also been casted, as he will be around when we need him and he is 19, so he is the age we would want Abigail's boyfriend to be.

Costume:
Abigail: Black skirt, black tights, red nail varnish, red lipstick, shirt and black high heels.

Jason: Grey coat, distinctive shoes and ring.

Scott: Black jacket and jeans.

Props:
We will be using meat, a knife, photographs, scissors and a bottle of wine.

The roles of the members of my group:

Libby: Filming
Phoebe: Filming
Laura: Acting (some filming too)


Health and Safety issues:

As we are using a real knife we will have to be careful using it. We are also dropping a real bottle of wine, which we will have to ensure that we don't touch the glass and clear up carefully.

Shooting maps

Here are the shooting maps for our thriller film 'The Lodger' (drawn by Phoebe):

Audience research for my thriller

Which of these 4 femme fatales do you think would be most effective in a psychological thriller?

A)

B)

C)

D)

What type of thriller is your favourite?

A) Psychological
B) Gangster
C) Action
D) Sci-fi

Do you think it’s easy to identify the difference between a mainstream and independent film?

A) Yes
B) No

What type of music would you expect to be played on the opening of a psychological thriller?

A) Jazz
B) Classical
C) Rock
D) None at all

What lighting do you think would be effective in a psychological thriller?

A) Noir
B) Natural
C) Artificial

Do you think it’s crucial to have a well known actor in a thriller film?

A) Yes
B) No

What is your favourite type of ‘baddie’ in a thriller film?

A) Cops
B) Criminal
C) Psychotic killer
D) Drug addict

Evaluation of results:

I conducted this questionnaire on 30 random people- by asking 30 people it ensured that my results would be reliable and therefore more beneficial for me (when making my thriller film). By collecting the results to this questionnaire, I have been able to establish what the audience would like from my thriller.

For question one, B appeared to be the most popular femme fatale. This character is the femme fatale (Marion Crane) from the very famous thriller film Psycho. I was very pleased to receive this result, as we are using Psycho as our inspiration and our femme fatale is similar to Marion Crane from Psycho.

For question two most people said they preferred a gangster thriller however, 10 people chose psychological. This has not affected the fact that I would like to create the opening to a psychological thriller because, in my opinion, psychological thrillers are the most interesting and gripping. And i would find it a lot easier to create a film knowing a felt passionate about it.

28 people said it's easy to identify the difference between an independent and mainstream film. I think if they were given the opportunity to elaborate on this, they would have said it depends on the time and effort put in to the independent films.

For question 4 most people said classical music would work best for a psychological thriller. This will help me when choosing the soundtrack, as the audience feel that classical will be most effective.

For question 5 natural lighting was the most popular result- which is the lighting we will be using. Noir lighting would also be effective, however it will be easier to create natural lighting and it's clearly the most popular choice from participants of the questionnaire.

15 people said it's crucial to have a well known actor, whereas the other 15 said no. In our thriller we will obviously not be using well known actors, in my opinion this will not effect how good our thriller will be overall.

The favourite type of baddie chosen was psychotic killer. This is fantastic, as we intend to use a pyschotic killer. I feel it will make our thriller gripping and intense. And participants clearly agree.

'Hunted' Preliminary task

Analysis:

We stuck to the 180 degree rule throughout the film. The 180 degree rule is a basic guideline in film making that states those two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle. We focused a lot on the 180 degree rule throughout the film. Libby was always situated to the left of phoebe and I was always situated to the right of phoebe.

The camera stayed steady a lot during the film however, there were times in which it seemed a bit wobbly. It was impossible to overcome this problem, as we were only able to use the tripod on still shots. If we had have had the appropriate equipment, we would have been able to overcome this issue.

We used a variety of shots throughout the film, such as: close-up, long shot, mid shot and over-the-shoulder shot. We used the close-ups to focus on a characters emotion for example, when Phoebe is concerned that somebody is following her. The close- up shot was used to help the audience to sympathise for how she was feeling. We used the long shot to help the audience capture everything going on in the mise-en-scene. The over-the-shoulder shot was used, so the audience felt as though they were looking in on the situation.

The editing of our film, in my opinion, is good- considering it was the first time we had ever edited. There are areas that could have been smoother and looking back on the film; it would have worked better with no music at the end. If we were given more time, we would have improved these areas.