Production schedule

We are producing a two minute thriller film. We are going to be filming at night in a park. We will be filming in Broomfield Park. We are filming in a park because it creates a scary atmosphere, especially in the night when no-one is there. We are using four teenage boys. One will be playing a homeless man, while the other three will be playing as themselves, as three teenage boys. Our four boys will be Andreas Kavallares, Imani Pratt, Aidan Scoutter and Michael Mann.

Our production name is Idiographic Productions.

Casting

• Michael Mann will act as the homeless man
• Junaed Badat will act as the frightened boy
• Andreas Kavallares will act as the leader of the group
• Aidan Scoutter will act as the ditsy boy



MICHAEL MANN - THE HOMELESS MAN
Our group decided to choose Michael Mann as the homeless man because he's good at doing intimidating voices which will be important in creating tension for the audience.Our group decided that the costume of the homeless man will consist of a black scruffy coat (to show that he is poor) and a red shirt underneath to connote danger -seeing as he will be acting as a potential killer in the thriller opening.



JUNAED BADAT - THE FRIGHTENED BOY
We chose Junaed Badat to act as the frightened boy because he is good at making facial expressions and this will be vital in order to show a clear range of emotions. These emotions will be highlighted through close ups or extreme close ups to show their significance. It will also give the audience more knowledge about the personality of the characters; for example: a character that often has a worried facial expression denotes that they are a character that is quite tense and on edge all the time.



ANDREAS KAVALLARES - THE LEADER OF THE GROUP
We chose Andreas Kavallares to act as the leader of the group because he has the natural quality of being quite a bold and assertive person. In order to emphasise that he has higher status we all think it's best to use a lot of confident body language such as: walking tall with his head and shoulders back - to show confidence or cockiness , using his hands a lot while talking to show his authority (emphasizing his points while speaking by firmly shaking his finger or palm in beat to his words) and walking with wide, long steps to show a powerful stride.



AIDAN SCOUTTER - THE DITSY BOY
We chose Aidan Scoutter to act as the ditsy boy because like Michael Mann, he is good at using his body language and facial expressions - which will be useful in order to convey the simple-minded, over exaggerated ditsy character that we would like to portray.All of the casting characters have been chosen based on their ability to show good body language,facial expressions as well as other aspects like how well they use their tone of voice; we wanted the cast to be chosen this way so that the acting skills are good enough to make the thriller opening realistic.

However, Junaed was unavailable on the third day of filming, so we had to use Imani to fill in for him and played the role of Junaed. We chose Imani to act as the frightened boy because she is good at walking and talking like a boy. She would be good playing a role of the opposite sex. She also is camera shy which is good because it reflected on playing a role of a frightened boy. Because she knew the camera shots herself, she knew exactly what angle to face and what would work best. For example the over the shoulder shot, it had to be at an angle where we could see her back and going towards the homeless man.

Film treatment of the Silent Night

Our thriller movie opening

One evening Imani, Andreas and Aidan decided to walk through a park. As they walk they discuss the topic about ps3. They then come across some unusual objects on the pathway. They firstly come across a hand covered with blood. There will then be traces of blood around the hand on numerous cardboard boxes. They then continue walking, until they come across a homeless man lying on a bench. He is dressed with a black coat, with a red t-shirt, using cardboard boxes to keep him warm.

The three teenage boys then notice the alcohol. Imani, is one of the boys and is extremely terrified and wants to go home. Andreas wants to steal the mans alcohol. Aidan is the ditzy one who just goes along with it. They then dare Imani to take the alcohol. Imani is very unsure whether to or not. However he feels extremely pressured by the other two so goes over to take it. He then gives it to the other two boys. The other two boys then tell him to take the hat as well. He goes over again to take it, however the homeless man wakes up. Aidan and Andreas then get frightened and run off. However Imani is still shocked that he has woken up. He puts the hat down and is about to run when he trips over the hand. The homeless man they get up he’s standing over Imani. Our film opening then ends with a close-up of the homeless man who has a grin on his face.

Research on thriller films

Codes and conventions for a thriller film

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television that includes numerous and often overlapping sub-genres.Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villans. In a thriller film suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used alot.

Codes and conventions of a thriller genre are to do with sound and editing, e.g. quick cuts and camera angles, music that gives tension and is fast pace when appropriate. It can be to do with lighting, especially the use of shadow. Mirrors and stairs are also conventios of thriller movies.
Phone booth avoids darkness and shadow. You can also hear and see the story from the killers point of view, you are made to feel sorry for the male protagonist and that you are told a story with the use of flashback and quick passed editing.

• close ups
• fast pace music
• credits, names broken up, names appearing suddenly
• Low lighting
• extreme close ups
• high pitch music
• quick cuts
• shadows
• mirrors
• stairs

The thriller genre can include the following sub-genres, which may include elements of other genres:
Action thriller: In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James Bond films, The Transporter, and the Jason Bourne novels and films.

Conspiracy thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. The Chancellor Manuscript and The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Three Days of the Condor, Capricorn One, and JFK.

Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The Killing, Seven, Reservoir Dogs, Inside Man, and The Asphalt Jungle.

Disaster thriller: In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, Tremor by Winston Graham, and the 1974 film Earthquake.

Drama thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The Illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige.