Sound

Sound

For our sound we have figured out the different sound effects we are going to use throughout the opening sequence but we haven't quite decided on a soundtrack as of yet.

 

Firstly the scene starts of with a piece of dialogue between an unknown man and a detective, the first sound effect we are going to use is an old style telephone ringing and the phone being picked up and the dialogue will then start to roll, as the dialogue is rolling a quite quiet ticking sound will be placed underneath the speaking and this will then start to crescendo as the dialogue is coming to the end and will then stop when the file is slammed onto the table this then signifying the start of the soundtrack.

 

With the soundtrack we actually haven't got one yet but we have a small idea of what we want to use; something that crescendos as the sequence rolls to build tension and pace getting the audience gripped not only with what is happening in the sequence but the sound contributing to the atmosphere as well. Something that has a rhythm that is continuous but then has a strong beat in the background giving the whole soundtrack a hearty melody, also getting inspiration from Sherlock Holmes maybe try get a soundtrack that has some out of tune instruments to signify age and history to the hole piece complimenting the old style detective genre we strongly wanted to recreate.     

Props, Costume, Make up and Lighting

 

Props, costume, make up and lighting

 

Props:

 

In our thriller opening there are a few different props but the main prop (or more like a series of props) that we are going to be using is a massive file/folder containing case notes and images made to look like an old detective case file and notes. The file will be worn and slightly burnt in places giving it a sense of age and a gritty detective feel to it. This is an extremely important prop as it gives inklings about the narrative and its where the titles for the characters and the production companies and editors and so on will be situated; The titles will roll after a detective is called by one of his colleagues and is told that the murder of his old partner 3 years ago has new information and the case is being re-opened and he is the detective on the case again once the call stops the old case file (the prop containing evidence and documents from the investigation 3 years ago) will be slammed onto the table with force yet enthusiasm, then the detective will start looking through the case and as the pages turn on each new page there will be a title for the editor of whoever is in the titles etc, the title will be surrounded by writing to simulate case notes (also the addition of finger prints and foot prints etc and that kind of stuff. Also it will be used to link the present scene to the old crime scene by using photos as a gateway for flashbacks to where the main detective was investigating 3 years ago , for example when the title for the actor playing the main detective comes up there will be a picture of him at the scene the camera will zoom in on it and a flash back will play , after that it will zoom out of the picture back to the present and the detective will continue to go through the file and the titles. This prop we decided to use really compliments the detective/film noir genre of thriller as that would be what you normally see in old time detective films used to store important documents that will help towards a case, the fact the file will be worn and a bit gritty and the detective still has it shows a strong connection between him and the victim (his old partner) this creating passion and the eagerness to help and use this mysterious “new information” to help find who killed his old partner. The whole use of the phone call and the trawling through the old case file creates tension and suspense straight from the start grabbing the audience’s attention to carry on watching seeing what unraveled 3 years ago and it being used as a segway to the investigation what is going to start again after the titles have finished. Other than the case file etc smaller props such as evidence markers will be used in the flash backs giving the whole investigation feel, shoes to make foot prints in the mud with and maybe a murder weapon all giving off the gritty detective genre perfectly creating mystery and suspense.

Costume:

 

The detective:

In flashbacks:

 

With the main detective the kind of costume that he will have will be quite smart yet has a little gritty look and sometimes maybe a little messy to give the detective a persona that gives of smart and intelligible yet now afraid to be all gritty and get hands on. The costume he will wear is a white shirt with a black tie, black trousers and shoes all under a longish black overcoat/jacket. This simulating the typical detective attire of smart yet gritty and hand on.

In the present time:

 

As time has passed since the actual first investigation we wanted to show a slight change in costume to show that maybe since then the detective may have degraded a little, this will be shown with his costume being less formal but also still keeping it a little smart, the costume will be a white shirt maybe with stripes and a waistcoat with trousers and shoes but no tie and his sleeves rolled up , showing the slight untidiness and less formal showing a slight change in persona due to the events happening.

The victim/old partner

 

The sort of costume the victim will be wearing will be almost exactly the same as the main detective during the flashback, smart clothing but this time worn in a messy way to emphasize the fact he has been attacked on the job, some clothes may be slightly ripped and maybe a bit muddy. This all coming together to give the audience the idea that the victim may have had a struggle and was quite overwhelmed by whoever decided to kill him. This giving the victim  slight personality; the smart clothes giving him intelligence but the fact they are untidy and messed up showing he was lacking in physical strength, this giving the audience a feel for the character that has been killed.

Make-up:

 

In our thriller opening very little if any make-up will be used, we want to add more to our characters by giving them a powerful authoritative feel and we believe this will be achieved better if no make-up was used but if the actors themselves didn't shave giving them a edgy gritty feel as they look quite smart yet too rushed off their feet with the terrible fact a partner has been killed so haven’t been able to have time to shave. If any make-up is used small use of fake blood may be used to help give the victim a sense of deceased.

Lighting:

 

When filming outside at the murder scene the lighting we will be using is the natural lighting, so that none of the shots outside at the scene look too artificial with added light, also to give the opening titles a bigger sense of a detective aged thriller we will be using a lower saturation filter to give it a slight film noir style and create a mysterious atmosphere. When at the present time we will use a desk light to emphasis the case file and the detective going through it, this also will a filter giving it a slight black and white feel adding even more to the suspenseful and mysterious atmosphere.

Contract

ISL 2

Editing techniques:

§  Cutting: This is where a shot is cut at a certain point and another takes its place to a different shot.

§  Shot reverse shot cutting: Usually used for conversation scenes, this technique alternates between over-the-shoulder shots showing each character speaking to give the audience each of the characters perspectives. .

§  Continuity editing: editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without messing each scene up and the scenes flow smoothly together. This creates a sense of story/plot for the viewers.

§  Eye line match: The matching of eye lines between two or more characters. This is used to show a connection between two characters or a similarity.

 

ISL 2

§  Matched cut: a cut joining two shots where the compositional elements match, this helps to establish strong continuity of action in the scene.

§  Jump cut: A cut that creates a lack of continuity by leaving out parts of the action. This is used only to get the best shots out of the scene used for the audience.

§  Montage: this is a scene full of different cuts of shots put into one. This can show action or flashbacks.

§  Fade: A visual transition between shots or scenes that appears on screen as a brief interval with no picture. The editor fades one shot to black and then fades in the next. This is often used to indicate a change in time and place as a transition.

§  Wipe: Visible on screen as a bar travelling across the frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next shot into place.

ISL 1

 

ISL 1

Camera Shots	Effect on audience/ What the shot does and shows.
Extreme Longshot	This shot shows the audience where the scene is being set, it is often used at the start of a movie, and it can be used to so the audience feels connected with the film.
Long Shot	This shows the whole character/object/scenario and we can see what’s going on around them.
Mid Shot	In this shot we can see the character from the waste up, we can tell their emotions and see their body language.
Close Up	This shot shows the emotions of a person as the camera is zoomed in to their face showing strong detail of how they’re feeling
Extreme Close Up	Rarely used but a shows people’s emotions such as an eye crying or an important part of the film.
Cut Away	A cutaway is a shot that’s usually of something other than the current action. Usually a different subject.
Two Shot	A two shot is used to involve two people and see both of them either in conversation or doing something important. It can also show equality as they’re on the same level.
Over The Shoulder Shot	This shot is used looking over the should to see something or someone else. It can hide someone’s identity and make the audience want to know who the character is.
Point Of View Shot	This shot shows the characters perspective of the scene. The audience will feel tension and feel like part of the story.
Low Angle Shot	A low angle shot is used to make the character look more dominant as they are higher up and show to be more powerful.
High Angle Shot	A high angle shot is the opposite making the character look weak and in a bad position as if we are looking down at them.
Tilt	A tilt is when the camera pans vertically up and down giving a sense of scale and size

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

 

Hazard	Possible Risk	Prevention
Needles	The reason for the needles is because at the wellhead bridge there have been reports of drug abuse in this area.	To inspect the area for any evidence of drug abuse, if there is any evidence then we abort the plan of using the wellhead bridge.
Broken Glass	The reason for having this is because there have been reports of ASBO’s in this area which have resulted in people acting drunk in the area.	This will be prevented by the group thoroughly checking our filming area to make sure that there is no glass to harm us.
Slippery Surfaces	Due to the age of railway bridge ,  the supports used are concrete and over time have been covered in moss creating a slippery surface.	To prevent falling over due to the slippery surfaces, we will make sure  that we wear appropriate footwear that  has a good grip. We will also make sure that we are aware of our surroundings, this will ensure that we don’t step on any slippery surfaces.
Fall off the Bridge	The railway bridge we  are using is no longer being used, this means the railings aren’t as strong as they once were. This means they aren’t as  reliable .	This could be prevented by our group being wary of the surroundings and to make sure that when we are filming we are far away from the edge of the bridge.
Tripping over	Due to the railway bridge being old there are bricks and rocks that fall off the bridge. This means the terrain is fairly rock and can be sharp .	To ensure we do not fall over and possibly cut ourselves or break something, we will  make sure we are careful about where we are filming, how we are filming and our general surroundings.
Loose Bricks/ Falling Debris	Due to the railway  bridge being old , it means  there will be parts of the bridge  that will being to flake off because  of its age.  At times due to whether especially if  it’s windy, loose bricks  and debris will  fall  onto the group.	To prevent this from happening we will  make sure that we film at  places that  aren’t as  weak and fragile, to minimize the risk of loose bricks and falling debris. We can also minimize the risk of this happening if we don’t tamper with the bridge and make sure that we aren’t too forceful with bridge.

Location Photos

 

 

Location Photos

 

 

 

  

 We chose this specific location for many different reasons, the first reason is that it is very accessible for all of the group to get to as we all live quite near so it is planned tot he point that we can easily get quite a lot of the production filmed. But the main reason we chose this area/location is that it is very fitting for our genre; it's in a very secluded area yet also quite urban as it is an abandoned railway bridge, the secluded side adds mystery and curiosity as the detective walks through and over fields to get there so the audience from the beginning are guessing where he is going and what he is going to find when he eventually gets there. The urban side of the bridge gives a gritty and on the edge atmosphere to the genre as an abandoned location has the element of surprise that anything could happen and it also adds tension as the location has potential hazards not only in the narrative but to us the production team ourselves. The overall location just compliments the whole film noir/detective genre perfectly, lots of nooks and crannies and small areas perfect for good camera angles and shots to produce a good looking range of shots helping to add to the tension and mystery to the whole movie scape. Also the location has many places the main scenes where the dead detective can be placed as its a quite large area, plenty of room to put props adding even more to the feel of the detective genre. 

Shot List

Shot List

Shot number	Shot type	Reasoning
1	N/A	For the first three shots there will be no shots at all as the screen will be black and only audio will be playing, we have done it like this to add tension and mystery straight from the start of the opening sequence, the audio is between the detective and an unknown man in which the unknown man tells the detective that they have new information on a case 3 years ago in which his old partner died, this automatically gives the audience some of the narrative and immediately creates mystery as it gets the audiences mind running straight off the bat. (For more info on this scene look at the story boards where it is explained fully)
2
3
4	Jump cut from black to an Ariel shot	Straight after the black shots and the audio is finished there is a sudden jump cut to an Ariel shot in which the main prop file is slammed onto the table and then opened up. The use of the jump cut and the file being slammed onto the table has been used to add action into the scene to compliment the mystery, keeping the audience more on the edge of their seats.
5	Ariel shot/pan to close up	After the folder is opened the Ariel shot pans across the pages to show what looks like old case notes giving the prop a sense of authenticity and realism to the scene as it actually looks like an old detective case file. After panning across the pages the camera will then zoom in for a close shot of the first title of director, once stayed on the title for a little while it will then zoom back out to the original Ariel shot.
6	Ariel shot to close up and then pans to more close ups	Once the pages have turned a little more it will come to a double spread in which the camera will then zoom in for a close up for the second title, after this it will pan down to the third title, a pan diagonally upwards will go to the fourth title and then pan down to the fifth title. And back out to the Ariel shot.
7	Exactly the same as shot 6	And again exactly the same for shot 6 but for the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth titles.
8	Ariel shot	After zooming out from the ninth titles and again more pages have been turned it will then come to the main double spread of the detective and the victim, this shot more prominent than the others to emphasise them being the main characters.
9	Zoom to close shot	After the Ariel shot of the main titles of the characters it will zoom to a close up of the picture of the detective and his titles what will be the graphic match to a flashback of the investigation 3 years ago.
10	Medium shot	After the graphic match to go into the flashback has occurred it will then be a medium shot of the detective at the scene of the investigation in which he will be walking towards the murder scene.
11	Long shot	As the detective walks towards the murder scene the shot will turn into a long shot.
12	Zoom out to Ariel shot and then close up of victim title and picture	After zooming out of the moving scene to the Ariel shot of the folder, after this the camera will then zoom to a close up of the victims title and a picture of him and again this will be used as a graphic match to the next flashback of the victim
13	High angle medium shot to long shot	After the graphic match, there will be a high angle medium shot of the victim (dead detective partner) laying on the ground or sitting against the wall or something like that what will then zoom out or cut to a long shot of the detective walking to the victim, crouching and inspecting the body with a small notebook and may cover the body with his coat.
14	Zoom out to Ariel shot	After the flashback has finished it will again zoom out of the flashback and again back to the Ariel shot of the double page spread of the main titles.
15	Again another repeat of shot sequence 6	Again another repeat of shot sequence 6
16	Ariel shot of ident	After the final set of titles are shown the file is then picked up and slammed onto the table again but this time the other way round what will then show our ident of ‘INQUISITIVE PRODUCTIONS’ presents..... And then a transition will roll into the main title of the film to be revealed.
17	Jump cut to black screen	A black screen will then suddenly appear and the main title of our film ‘ENIGMA’ will then be shown but in a more effective way , the tile will be spelled out letter by letter in a typewriter font and as each letter appears the sound of the typewriter keys will be heard.

 

If more information is needed there is more details on how the shots and the mise-en-scene fit the genre and the meaning we want to create this info will be found on the analysed storyboards seen earlier on my blog in the planning section.

Job Roles

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