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.

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.

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.

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):

Initial ideas for opening to my thriller

Shots:
Panning shot of the shed, as the credits role. Close-up tracking shot of Abigail. Close-up of Abigail's hands undoing the shed bolt. Extreme close- up of Abigail's face, in the shed. Close-up of Abigail's hands scurrying around the shed, looking for something. Close-up, canted shot of Abigail opening a briefcase. Mid shot of Abigail leaving the shed. Mid shot of Scott in the shed doorway. Camera pans down and music stops.

Location:
Libby's shed.

Casting characters:
Pheobe- man in the doorway (Scott).
Laura- femme fatal (Abigail).
Libby- mainly filming.

Costumes:
man- big black coat.
femme fatal- black coat, black coat, red nails, red heels, red lipstick.

Props:
briefcase, bin bag, bits and bobs in the shed.

Responsibilities:
Libby- mostly filming.
Pheobe- some filming, some acting.
Laura- some filming, mostly acting.

Type of thriller:
Gangster/noir thriller.

Introducing myself

I'm Laura and I'm a student at CNS sixth form. I have created this blog as part of my AS level Media. I will upload my work on to this blog frequently.