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’.
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 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
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
