Planning: Developing ideas in groups - Miss Begum

Introduction:
Our group was picked by teachers as they wanted a balanced group with weak students and strong ones, which motivates us as when we see one of the group member doing all of the work we know that we need to do it so no one is left behind if there is anyone left behind this will mean the filming and editing will have less time which this cannot happen. We have chosen our final ideas within these ideas knowing the advantages and disadvantages about each thing that we would like to do.

Idea 1: Dillan

Narrative:

A news report about a serial killer on the loose is playing, warning people in the local area to stay indoors and not be alone if they have to go outside until the police catch the killer.
There is then a cut to the killer who has gagged a young woman and as she is struggling, he violently murders her with a sledgehammer. The murder is not shown but the blood is to suggest that she is being brutally murdered.
There is another cut to a victim in their house, about to go upstairs and sleep, they turn off the light and there is a figure visible in the dark, when they turn on the light there is nothing there, they turn off the light again and the figure is there yet again. One last time they turn on the light but this time the same killer is up close to them, before he or she can scream, they are grabbed by the throat, slammed against the wall and strangled to death. The then either takes the victim's clothes, or removes their own clothing and changes their hairstyle, then walks down a road into the public just like a normal person from society.

Title:

One Of Us - Based on the idea that the killer could be anyone, not every killer is mentally unstable as far as we can see. They could be your friend, a family member or a girlfriend/boyfriend.

Sub-genres:
Horror thriller - I will include jump scares to suddenly shock the audience and to feel suspense.
Psychological thriller - The twist at the end of the opening as the killer is seemingly a normal person.
Crime thriller - The idea of a serial killer and the public are aware that there is one out there.
Mystery thriller - The fact no one knows who the serial killer is, my opening may set up a detective or someone from law enforcement looking for the antagonist.

Characters:
Killer(s) - Who is or are the antagonists, as my narrative will revolve around them due to the results from my primary research.

Victims - The woman who is getting murdered and the second victim in the house which can be either a male or female.

Theory Application:

The narrative will follow either Barthes or Aristotle's narrative theory as Aristotle uses tragedy (the killings) to arouse emotion from the audience as well as through themes. Barthes theory may also be used as the denotation of a sledgehammer to murder a woman can connote violence, as well as anger or revenge depending on how the killing is presented.

Film Influence:

For my initial idea I was inspired by The Stepfather (1987) due to how chilling the opening scene was. I especially liked the ending of the opening which I am planning to shoot in my own way but to give the same effect.

I was also inspired by Halloween (1978) as this opening also had a twist or something the audience did not expect at the end of the opening. That is the main thing I am going for, to make the audience feel uncomfortable as the killer could be anyone.

Mise En Scene:
Lighting: Low lighting will be used throughout, this is to represent the killer's unfavorable intentions as well as the overall dark tone of the film and opening.
Setting: The first murder will take place in either a graveyard or a forest. The second will then take place inside a home, to further petrify the audience as a home is meant to be a safe place.
Iconography: The murder weapon, a sledgehammer, as well as blood to show the murders happening.
Costume and makeup: The killer will be wearing a dark coloured jacket and trousers, to not draw attention to themselves. The victims will wear light coloured clothing to show the innocence.

Advantages:
The advantages of my thriller opening are that they are influenced from different films, with my own narrative to it and therefore will be quite different to other thrillers. The opening will also scare the audience and leave them in suspense, wanting to watch the rest of the film as they have chosen to watch a thriller opening. Therefore it will use jump scares and the appropriate music to show that.
Disadvantages:

The disadvantages of my opening will be that I may not be able to shoot in some settings such as the graveyard or the forest, due to not being able to access them. Also it may be difficult to shoot all of these scenes into a two minute opening, therefore I may have to cut out some scenes. The acting may not be to a good enough standard and the audience may not understand what the character is doing in an ineffective way.

Conclusion

My initial planning has allowed me to work in a team and brainstorm many ideas. By doing this I can find many flaws and places to improve in my idea through constructive criticism from my group. Also I can combine my ideas appropriately with my group to make a strong final idea.

Idea 2: Trang

Narrative:

My initial and final idea for my thriller opening will begin with a man who seems to be at a funeral, he looks clearly upset with the loss of his close one. This will be one of the main characters introduced to the audience. There will be an abrupt transition to the next scene where we see him and another character that appears to be his girlfriend, lover etc. having a serious conversation. A caption will appear below the screen reading '32 hours ago' to inform the audience that this has happened already. The couple are in a warm and cosy conventional family home that connotes safety and security, in addition, I want the audience to feel confused because this is not your typical thriller opening however it certainly begins with mysteriously as a soundtrack will start to play as its off-screen sound. I want this off-screen sound to build tension for the audience as I am determined to generate mix emotions of uneasiness and discomfort. Then a flash of montages as well as jump cuts will take place implying that murder has been taken place.
The next scene will be the female character alone checking her phone if her boyfriend has called her back. She's getting ready for bed, when she walks down a long and dark corridor to her bedroom, the audience will witness an unidentified figure lurking in the shadows behind her. A close-up of her phone will read the date and time so the audience are aware of this as this will be relevant later on as the opening progresses. Another close-up, this time of a different phone will be the male protagonists phone reading 9 unread messages. A reaction of the girl will initially be a jump scare for the audience but we are not able to see the antagonist.
The last scene will be the protagonist leaving the funeral as he looks up, we get a reaction shot of him but we are not able to see what he's reacting to.

Title:

I decided to call my thriller 'P.S. Your Stalker'. This title is based on a supernatural theme in which the protagonist is being followed by a mysterious and unidentified antagonist. In the opening of 'P.S. Your Stalker', we are able to infer that this stalker is a psychopath as he/ she evidently murders his girlfriend. The audience will definitely question why the particular event has occurred and who is this mysterious person.

Sub-genres:

• Supernatural - I've included the supernatural theme as it consists of supernatural and questionable elements to the opening such as the unidentified, mysterious and spooky figure that I intend to portray in the first couple of seconds of the opening.
• Horror - I've included at least one jump scare that will definitely shake the hearts of the audience, in addition, also including a murder scene that will only last about 5 seconds to not give too much away.
• Mystery - I thought the sub-genre of mystery is appropriate for this type of narrative as the whole opening consistently asks the audience who the antagonist might be.

Characters:

• Protagonist - The male protagonist will be introduced first as he is the main character of the whole opening as the situation is revolved around him.
• Antagonist - The antagonist is still an unidentified character but we will be able to have a glimpse of the characters silhouette in the opening.
• Victim - The victim will be the protagonist’s girlfriend who will be killed.

Theory Application:

My thriller opening follows the theory Aristotle and Barthes. Aristotle's theory applies to my thriller opening because it consists of a beginning, middle and end with and clear and understandable narrative. Moreover, the problem always sets off aroused emotions and the audiences mentality by having the key action point start in the middle. Although I have a clear narrative of beginning, middle and end, my narrative seems to be mixed up which will confuse the audience however they will understand after it progresses. My thriller opening also follows Barthes theory as it highlights explored and diverse ranges of developed cultural understand, connotation and denotation.

Film Influences:

Film influences such as 'The Grudge' has helped me develop this idea. Themes such as jealousy, obsession and murder all consist in my opening furthermore using the key character as a mysterious and supernatural antagonist similarly to 'The Grudge'. In my opinion, I believe that 'The Grudge' is a fantastic supernatural and psychological thriller as it has not failed in making me constantly think about it. It sends cold shivers down the audiences spine which is what I want to achieve for the audiences response as well.

Mise' en Scene

• Lighting
• Setting
• Iconography
• Costume, hair and make-up
• Cinematography

Advantages:
I've created my own narrative using other successful film influences that will indeed create an exciting and thrilling opening. I believe that my thriller will create a particular audience response such as fear and discomfort, according to my data I've collected from my primary research, a psychological and supernatural thriller are most popular amongst thriller watchers.

Disadvantages:
The disadvantages of my thriller opening might be that challenging camera shots I need to take when creating this thriller opening. If I want to create the mysterious figure in the background, I must educate myself working the camera correctly to receive successful and spooky shots which might be difficult to achieve.

Idea 3: Pervin

Narrative:

So this women has a dream and in her dream she sees her husbands mother, the mother will be the antagonist we will know this from the clothing colours and the thing that she does. So the women is sleeping and her mother wakes her up but this will be in her dream,  so it seems like she woke up but she didn't. she sees her mother killing her daughter by putting the little baby in the washing machine and watch her die. As the mother of the daughter is tied up so she can not do anything but watch her die. She then gets woken up by her husband and the mother of husband  and it ends there.
Mean while this happens i want the audience to feel as if it seems like something boring but then out of nowhere the scene starts and they get confused because first the mother was acting very kind but out of nowhere the husbands mother kills the little baby.

Title:
I have chosen to name my opening scene "Why?" This is based on why the women is killing the young baby and why does only the mother see as every time the question why comes up the answers will be reviled one by one.

Sub-genres:
Crime thriller - The idea of the mother putting the little baby in the washing machine will show the crime.
Mystery thriller - The fact that there is no answers as they come out one by one will give the mystery. Also when the mother wakes the women up with a joy but it turns into hell.

Characters:
Antagonist - The mother of the husband, which is introduced as an antagonist first but the changes into a mother at the end.

Victims - The little baby will be the victim as she will get killed for no reason.
Protagonist - The women in the bed so the wife will be the protagonist.

Theory Application:
My thriller opening follows the theory Aristotle. Aristotle's theory applies to my thriller opening because it consists of a middle, beginning and end with clear and understandable narrative. As we know this because a lot of detail is given about the film at the start when she sees a dream.

Film Influences:

The film "The Visit" has influenced me seeing the conflict between the kids and there grandmother as there is a health problem with the gran but no one knows about it. It was interesting how she just randomly put the little girl in the oven as if there is nothing wrong with it, which makes the audience feel a bit awkward and creeped out.

The film "Black Swan" has influenced me as it puts people into a mystery where they need to watch and understand whats going on. Especially how she starts with a very nice calm music dancing but out of nowhere the music goes deep showing the violence in there dance. As everything ends and she wakes up from low-key lighting to a high-key lighting. 

Mise En Scene:
Lighting: Low lighting will be used throughout until she wakes up at the end there will be a high-key lighting to give a notice to the audience that she did wake up to a real day light.
Setting: The first part will be in a pitch black room with a bed and washing machine, till she wakes up to her husband which she will be in her bedroom.
Costume and makeup: The antagonist will wear a black nightgown, the protagonist will wear white pj's and the little baby will wear a pink pj representing how she is only a baby which is innocent.

Advantages:

The advantages of my thriller opening are that they are influenced from different films, with my own narrative to it so it will then be different from the other thriller films. I believe that my opening scene will make the audience question the film with its title and that it will want the to revile the mystery behind everything. As i know that my sub genres are very popular especially with in the teenagers.

Disadvantages:
The disadvantage will be that we wont be able to have a little baby and show the audience that she will be dying in the washing machine.The second thing is about the setting we wont be able to have a watching machine and a bed only in a pitch black room.