Animatic 1

Evidence of editing

Evidence of filming

SCRIPT!

We have decided to keep the majority of the sequence silent to emphasise the tension and suspense. The only part of the sequence with dialogue is when the tension is at its highest which is when the female character triggers the male characters anger causing the female character to become scared and desperate to be unharmed. Also, the non diegetic music will be a big part of building tension and also screams from the female character will help to increase the thriller aspect.

Thriller Title Ideas

We have many ideas for the title of our thriller. However, we have not decided on a final idea yet because we have been discussing which title to chose from and have asked for feedback from the public.


Here are our ideas:
Open Wound
Damaged and Distraught
ALICE
Trapped
Bruised
Battered
Broken
Survivor
Abuser
Stalker


We have finally decided on the title "Survivor." This is because we believe it amplifies the struggles and trauma the female character, Alice, has experienced and how she still manages to survive.

Anamatic 2

Creating storyboard!

Sound Planning - Sofia

In order to create tension and suspense we need to compose dramatic music including string instruments. We will be using Garage Band which I am able to use because I have had experience with the software. The use of dramatic music will cause the audience to feel anxious and its a good representation of the thriller genre. In an opening sequence of a thriller film there needs to be non-diegetic music to grab the audiences attention and to entertain them immediately.

We will use the sound of the plate falling to the floor, screams and the door shutting because they are all diegetic sounds that do not need to be changed. However, if the sounds are not loud enough then we may have to edit them to make them louder and more effective. I think it would be a good idea to enhance some of the sounds to show the importance of what is happening in the scene. This will shock the audience and keep them focused on the opening.

There are many tutorials on YouTube on how to create music from Garageband. I will be looking over these during the weekend and make some notes which will help during post production. I may begin to create some music in the next few days so I can practice and create some really effective background music for our opening sequence.

Pre-Production Planning - Zoe

 Hair and Make Up

In order to make our Domestic Violence theme realistic, it's essential to know how to do fake bruising to achieve the best possible effect. We are thinking of using Halloween makeup pallets and eye shadows to make the female victim look battered. The main colours we will use are blue, green, red, purple and yellow, as they are the most realistic colours of a bruise. Here's a clip to show how we might achieve this:

 

The female character will have a very bare face, with dark eyes and bruises. This will make her look damaged and hurt. It will also enhance the man's power and create a stereotypical woman victim. Her hair will look scruffy and neglected, which will establish how she doesn't take care of herself. We will ensure that her hair is up, so that the bruising around her neck and shoulders will be on display. 

The hair and make up of the male character, will remain hidden in order to generate enigma and mystery.

Continuity Editing

We will be using several aspects of continuity editing to capture the sequences most tense moments. Using an eye-line match will be used to demonstrate the unequal balance of power between the female antagonist and male protagonist; the female will be looking up at the male, and an over the shoulder shot from behind the male will be used to show how the female is looking up at him.

Match on action will be used when the male returns from work and opens the front door, and when the female drops the dinner on the floor. We will also incorporate the slow motion effect when the female character drops the dinner, in order to amplify how that event is the main trigger for the male character's rage. Doing this will emphasise these actions, and illustrate how they are the most tense moments throughout the sequence.

Synopsis

When Alice's ex psycho boyfriend Ross is released from prison, he tracks her down and convinces her he has changed. But he soon reveals his true colours again and returns to his old ways of abusing her. Alice is made to cook and clean all day, and she's hardly ever allowed out, but when she does leave the house, she has to pretend she's fine because of the fear of what Ross would do to her. Throughout the film, we accompany Alice on her journey to try and escape the evil grasp of Ross. At the end of the film, Alice escapes him, when she finally opens up to one of her friends and tells the truth about what's been happening to her, but to avoid going back to prison and realising he's lost Alice, he commits suicide.

What kind of stories and characters appeal to our target audience?

Our target audience are young women, aged from 17 - 24. This specific audience would be interested in films that have a women protagonist that encounters realistic problems that partly relate to them. Thriller's such as 'Crushed' consists of a female with an obsessive love for a guy, which turns into a psychotic type of love, this film would attract our target audience because of the love theme, and the young female antagonist.

Another Thriller that would attract our audience would be 'Swimfam' which is another film that has aspects of love in it. It also features a young female from high school, which is very realistic.

In addition to that, films such as 'Mean Girls' which is a chick flick/comedy, and 'The Devil wears Prada' which is a dramatic comedy, would also attract our target audience because both films are mostly dominated by young females, and they also feature aspects of love, drama and femininity.

Pre-Production Planning - Jess

Body Language and Facial Expression

Sad

Female character: In our opening, the female character has been and does get abused by her husband. She will have a sad facial expression throughout most of the opening and won't smile as she is unhappy and scared. Her body at this point will be hunched over whilst she is cooking dinner, this will portray the idea that she is trying to protect or brace herself. She will also be very stiff as she will be in pain.

Scared

When her Husband begins to attack her, her facial expression will change. She will have wide eyes and a pale face. Her body language will be different, she will be standing up straight out of shock and then will run up stairs.

Clenched fist

 Male character: Our camerawork and tight framing is going to ensure that the males face is not visible throughout the entire opening, so his facial expressions will not be seen at this point. However, his body language will be important in portraying his type of character. He will always be standing up straight with broad shoulders to connote power and control, when the female drops his dinner his fists will clench up to portray anger.

Costumes

Suit and tie

Dress shoes

We are dressing our male character in a smart suit, tie and dress shoes. We have chosen to dress him in this way to convey a sense of power and high status, the power and control that he has over the female character will be portrayed through his clothing.

Casual dress

Our female character will be dressed in a casual dress with bear feet as she will be inside. Because she will be in a dress, she will conform to gender stereotypes and then be placed by the audience in a domestic role. This will also portray her as a weak character as a result of gender stereotypes and will further emphasize the power and control of the male character.

Driveway in the evening

Lighting and Colour

When we are filming outside it will be the evening so we are going to keep the light natural as our opening is going to be set in the evening at dinner time.

Dark and gloomy kitchen

The inside of the house will be lit but we are going use lighting filters to make the house look dim and gloomy. This will portray the female characters sadness and will create an eerie atmosphere. Also, the house is dark and gloomy when the man enters which will portray him as an antagonist to the audience. The dark and gloomy lighting will be the same throughout the entire house where we are filming.

Location and Props - Sofia

We have decided to film our thriller opening sequence in my house. This is because we want a realistic environment surrounding the characters to make it more realistic to watch. I live in a quiet and secluded area which will look gloomy and mysterious in dark light.  However, the others in the group do not live in Burgess Hill so we will have to make sure we organize days that we are all free to film. We have decided to film outside my house too, when the male character is coming home and gets stopped by a neighbor. The time of day we are going to film is in the evening when it is quite dark outside which gives us opportunities to create shadows and enigma.

I have given permission for my group to use my house and the outside of my house.

PROPS

 In order to create the bruises and cuts on the female we need to buy some stage makeup which you can buy from Poundland and many other places. I have a lot of eyeshadow palettes including colours such as purple and black. Also, we need to buy a cheap plate for the male character to throw at the victim to create tension and fear.

We need:

Saucepan and Wooden Spoon

Plates

Pasta

Microwave

Wine bottle and glasses

Car

Makeup (eyeshadows/fake blood)

Costumes (Suit for the man and casual clothing for female)

Table

Chairs

What is domestic violence?

What is domestic violence?

There are a number of different definitions of domestic violence. In Women's Aids view,,= domestic violence is physical, psychological, sexual or financial violence that takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship.

Domestic violence  includes a range of abusive behaviors, not all of which are, inherently 'violent' -this is why some people prefer to use the term 'domestic abuse' rather than 'domestic violence'. 

Statistics and research show that domestic violence is gender specific. It is most commonly experienced by women and perpetrated by men, particularly when there is a pattern of repeated and serious physical assaults, or when it includes rape or sexual assault or results in injury or death.

Any woman can experience domestic violence regardless of race, ethnic or religious group, class, disability or lifestyle. Domestic violence can also take place in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships. Abusers choose to behave violently to get what they want and gain control. 

One incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute.

On average, 2 women a week are killed by a current or former male partner.

The stereotypical victim of domestic violence tends to be females and the males inflict the pain and violence. However, this is not always the case. Our target audience is females because many can relate to the storyline and create a personal connection with the female victim. Below, is a link to a video of the opening scene of the film "Safe Haven." This film is based on domestic violence where the man is an alcoholic and takes his anger out on his wife.

We hope that our audience will gain a lot of knowledge and understanding of domestic violence. Also they will be able to connect with the female audience in order to understand how she is feeling which many other women in the world experience. At the end of the film audience members will come away with a clearer understanding of what happens within a violent relationship. I hope that our opening sequence is powerful and effective to grab the viewers attention.

Inital Idea's

We are thinking of using Domestic Violence as our main theme for our Thriller opening, we have already considered the location, props, hair, makeup, lighting, colour, facial expression, body language, costumes, and potential actors. We have also considered how we are going to create enigma and tension to keep hold of the our target audiences attention. The gender we are going to focus on, is Women, due to gender stereotypes in Domestic Violence; the woman is usually the victim. Domestic Violence is also very realistic, which will seem even more appealing.