Inspirations - Miss Miller

To be inspired is to be influenced by something which arouses the persons mind by emotions or actions.

 We need inspiration before we can create something so we can generate ideas of creativity to include in our own work. Having inspiration doesn't only just give you good ideas, it can also motivate you to do better in your work and to also make us feel passionate about the things we do. We can take inspiration from anything, anything that is related to what your doing. In relation to the thriller genre, I have taken my inspiration from the internet, videos/clips, books and most importantly films in the thriller genre.

Sound

(Prom Night and Silence of the lambs)

In my own thriller I would like the sound to be calm and peaceful with out of tune, high pitched sounds. I also want the sound to increase with pace, to reflect the characters emotions and to also contrast with the actions going on in each frame.

I have taken inspiration of sound from two thriller films, prom night and silence of the lambs.

The sound from prom night used high pitched sounds and diegetic sound , such as, voices of characters. As you can hear in the sound clip below Lisa is panting, breathing heavily, screaming etc. This all impacts the audience positively, as they can connect with the character through there emotions/sounds this will then scare the audience. In my own thriller I would now like to include diegetic sound such as characters dialogue/screaming.

I was also inspired by the film 'Silence of the lambs' to use diegetic sound. Diegetic sound are sounds like, sound effects, mood music and any off screen sound. I would like to use this type of sound because it adds dramatic effect.

 Music represented as coming from objects/instruments in the narrative is called 'source music'. Source music is shown in the silence of the lambs - cop scene. We see this when the classical music is supposedly playing from the radio. Source music sets the scene,  making the scene more realistic.

 In this cop clip, the sound changes according to the plot of the narrative. This is shown when Hannibal grabs the police officer, the sound immediately changes from calm, classical music to a more menacing, suspense sound effect. This again plays on the audiences emotions manipulating them to be relaxed, then tense, this is caused by the build up of tension. Due to this scene, I would like to include an object like a phone, and play off screen sound. To add more of a dramatic impact.

The reason I would like to use both diagetic and non-diagetic sound is because it can show ambiguity.

Mise-en-scene

(Saw V)

Mise-en-scene is the arrangement of everything that appears in the frame – these include actors, lighting, decor, props and costume. I was inspired to include plain dressed, average looking actors as this will allow the target audience to connect with the characters on a personal level. I would also like to include low-key lighting as low-key lighting is used to create shadows and create suspense. Low-key lighting also suggests an air of mystery, as the characters faces and some objects are not shown so it creates a sense of enigma. I want the decor to be a natural typical setting with passing cars and located on a dark road this will emphasize the realistically of the setting and then cause terror. Props, we haven't decided to use any props except for a knife and maybe a mask to display the theme of hidden identity.  The film saw V really used all the conventions of the typical thriller.

Cinematography

(Halloween)

I was inspired by the film Halloween to use different cinematography techniques. The first one is a long shot of a house, I used this to introduce the beginning of the scene. As I used this long shot to start my film, it then allowed me to build on the narrative of the film by going into more detail (zooming in/close-ups). I was also inspired to use a jerky handheld camera movement, I used this to create a more homemade/dramatic feel to the scene. This was shown in the film Halloween when the boy was walking towards the house, to show that there is someone out there. I also used the same concept.

Another type of cinematography technique I was inspired by and included in my own thriller was panning. Panning was shown in Halloween when the villain was going round the house. I used panning to follow the character running and to also show the surroundings of the setting. Panning creates a smooth, swiveling movement. I used it because it creates the motion of a person turning there head from side to side, as I wanted the audience to feel as if the camera is the villain looking around.

I was also inspired to include close ups, high angles, and mid shots. All the emphasize on the main characters and show the characters emotions in some scenes. 

 Editing

(The Strangers)

I was inspired by the film 'The strangers' to use different editing techniques, such as the jump cuts , fast cutting, short takes, continuity editing and straight cut.

A jump cut is 'a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly'. - Wikipedia. A jump cut is used to show the passing of time, I was inspired to use this by the film Halloween as it used the shot to show the passing of time when the little boy was walking out of his house. I included a abrupt cut in my thriller to yes increase the time but to also disorient viewers, and represent paranoia. 

In the film stangers there was alot of cutting used. It was shown when the woman in the house kept moving around, it showed us different angles of the setting. Straight cutting is where one shot suddenly changes to the next shot. A shot can transition to another shot by using wipe, fade or a dissolve. I was inspired to include this in my own thriller because changes the scene and setting easily this way. It also is used to change the POV or to build and create on a image/idea.

e.g of a straight cut

I was also inspired to use a eyeline match, a eyeline match consists of two shots. The first shows the character look off in one direction. The following shot shows what the character is looking at. This creates enigma and gives the audience information. I included this when the young girl was going out to jog, she looked down at her feet. And there was then a close up of the shoes. 

e.g of a eyeline match


In my thriller I was also inspired to include a 'fade in' effect. This is when the screen appears just a blank, black screen to begin with, and then the shot begins to fade in. This usually occurs at the beginning of a scene to indicate a softer, quieter introduction. This just creates a smoother way to transition cuts. I include the fade in effect at the beginning of my thriller to open up the scene. This allows the audience to have time to think about what they are going to see. 

example of fade in/out effect

Lastly, I included some short takes, continuity editing and fast cutting. This was used to increase the pace of some of the tense moments in my thriller and to also emphasize a moment or a reaction. I used these in the violent scenes to increase the tension and suspense to audience receive. 

Codes and conventions

(Scream)

Fast paced editing - chase scene

 In scream 4 there was a use of young teenage girls and blonde victims, this is typical to the thriller genre. The reason these type of characters are used is to make the audience feel empathy towards the character as they appear more vulnerable on the screen. This did inspire me, however, In my own thriller I did use young victims but they weren't blonde. I felt that the hair colour of the characters had no impact on the film. But it did sometimes give the audience a perception of that character, but I didn't feel that mattered. As long as the characters came across as vulnerable it's fine.

In many thrillers there are the use of mirrors/stairs. These were both included in scream 4, when they girls were running away from the antagonist.Mirrors are used are a convection by using a reflection of ones inner self, mirrors can also signify darkness within some characters. I'm inspired to use mirrors in my thriller as it increases suspense if we see the antagonist in the mirror first. It will usually cause the audience to react by jumping. So i feel that mirrors can cause terror, especially when it is paired with sounds, reaction shots etc.

Stairs are another convention, this was used when the girls in scream were running away, when paired with tension music. It gives the audience an adrenaline rush filled with terror. As we don't know whether the character will get pulled back down or make it to where they are trying to get to. Stairs are good because of the angles you can receive. For example high angles, so you can see all the characters reactions running. 

e.g of mirrors in scream 4

e.g. of girl running up the stairs in scream 4

As I mentioned before about the antagonist, a antagonist is the enemy or villain who strongly opposes someone or something. A protagonist is a champion or hero who tried to defeat something. In scream 4 the character Sidney Prescott is the protagonist as she tries to defeat ghost face. Ghost face is the antagonist as he/she opposes the girls. Using this convention makes a thriller much more interesting to watch as there are two views and sides to the story, good and evil. That's why I have decided to include the same convention. 

Sidney Prescott (Hero) and Ghostface (Villain)

Ghostface also has a hidden identity as he/she has a mask on. I would like to include this as it creates enigma and tension as you don't know who the character is so the film is built upon the audience trying to find out who it is.

Ghostface hidden identity

Lastly, I was inspired to include low-key lighting/shadows. As described in mise-en-scene     low-key lighting is a convention. Low-key lighting also produces shadows, shadows can represent the evil of a character in a film. It can also give an eerie atmosphere. These were shown in scream 4 when they were looking out of the window in a dark room. Windows are also another convention that I was inspired to include in my thriller as it symbolizes freedom but in the thriller genre usually a lack of freedom. 

Windows with the use of low-key lighting

My reasearch helped me produce many ideas for my narrative as I was able to take the best parts of different films that I felt had an effect on me and produce them in my thriller. It gave me a much clearer idea on what I was trying to produce when It came to filming and directing. As I knew all the conventions and themes to include.