Thriller Evaluation
What did we set out to do?
Stylistically, we very much wanted to create an opening sequence that resembles that of a film noir (such as Double Indemnity (1944) or Touch of Evil (1958)), for we appreciate very much the style and mise-en-scenes of noirs. Therefore, we wanted our film to include events and mise-en-scene features which both look like that of a noir and connote the similar themes of the period such as the fatalistic nightmare, the haunted past, deception, betrayal and immorality.
How did we use/ challenge genre conventions?
We used several genre conventions in our thriller opening. Most of these relate to conventions of the film noir period, including films such as The Maltese Falcon (1941) and The Third Man (1949). Regarding mise-en-scene, we used many noir conventions such as chiaroscuro lighting, low angled shots, moving camera shots, the use of blinds, effective uses of shadow, some tilted angled shots and composition in order to create moral ambiguity. All of these mise-en-scene features were used to create themes of the noir period, such as moral ambiguity, the fatalistic nightmare, corruption, crime and immorality. We were pleased to find that, judging by our audience feedback, we were successful in using the genre conventions which we wanted as our average grade out of ten was 9.2 for 'using material relevant to the opening of a thriller'. Regarding the full narrative, we can see that the film is dominated by male characters, apart from the femme fatale (another convention), and the narrative includes many twists throughout, and includes other noir themes such as the haunted past. We decided to use (rather than challenge) these conventions as our initial aim was to create a film resembling a noir, therefore we felt it essential to use the genre conventions. However, our film does challenge the modern ideas and conventions of thrillers, as we have chosen to revert to using noir conventions rather than conventions of modern thrillers. Another way in which we have challenged the views of several thrillers is that we have not glorified crime and criminals (as it has been done in films like The Godfather (1972)), but rather made the characters and their lives seem disgusting, unappealing and, ultimately, fatalistic. This is reflected in one of our key narrative features; a continuous cycle of changes of the protagonist, for they all die as a result of their greed for power. This demonstrates to the viewer that the characters are so unappealing and undesirable by not giving them a proper chance to relate to any of the protagonists.
Audience feedback from members of our Media class
As a group, we are very pleased with our final outcome and believe that there are only a few things which we could realistically have changed if given the chance, and here we are strictly talking about things which were firmly within our control. For example, one thing that we could have improved on is maybe an increase in the number of tilted shots, and to make our low angled shots (especially those of Patrick Callaghan in the office) more obvious, as these changes would just add further dynamism and variation among our shots. There, of course, many other things that could have been better or more realistic (e.g. the age/ skill of our actors, the quality of diegetic sound, the authenticity of our costumes/ props...etc.) but we have to recognise our limitations as amateur student film makers. However, our positivity is also supported by the views of others that we received during audience feedback. We received grades out of ten for a number of features including: holding a shot steady, framing of shots, using a variety of shot distances, shooting material that is appropriate to the opening of a thriller, selecting mise-en-scene to create particular effects, editing so there is a readable narrative, and various others. I will now list the average grade (acquired from twelve people) rounded to one decimal point for each category:
- Holding a shot steady = 8.7
- Framing of shots = 9.1
- Using a variety of shot distances = 9.3
- Shooting material that is appropriate to the opening of a thriller = 9.2
- Selecting mise-en-scene to create particular effects = 9.5
- Editing so there is a readable narrative = 8.5
- Using varied shot transitions and other effects appropriately = 9.1
- Using sound with images and editing sound effectively = 9.1
- Using titles effectively = N/A (we didn't gather enough grades to make a sufficient average as at the time of feedback we hadn't added our titles yet)
Overall, we are very pleased with our feedback, as they are predominantly very positive. I would probably agree that our mise-en-scene has been our most successful area, and our narrative is intended to be mysterious, as if you would watch the film through (or read the synopsis), it becomes understandable, so overall we can have no complaints about our feedback and are largely very pleased with our comments.
What difficulties/ problems did we encounter?
Despite our successes, we did have several difficulties. One of the biggest of these arose from our cast, as two members were forced to pull-out. This meant that we had little time in which to acquire two new actors, and with time running out, this meant that the authenticity regarding the age of our characters was slightly compromised. However, we solved the problem and we don't think that our film suffered too much. During the filming process, the biggest problem we encountered was the problem of darkness. The first time we went to film the building, we started filming too late and therefore it was too dark, rendering our footage unusable, so we had to go out a second time. Darkness also caused our footage of the body being dropped to be unusable, however this turned out only to be a minor inconvenience as we managed to solve this by filming the three men getting back into the car without the dead body as an alternative. During the editing process, we had some difficulty finding a soundtrack we all agreed on. However, eventually we did find one that we all liked and which also proved popular in the audience feedback comments, as we received comments such as 'I love that song', 'the sound fitted with the action' and 'liked the music!' Another difficulty that we had during editing was making sure that the timing of each section (as we had footage from three separate locations) was well shared amongst each other, as well as making sure that the music fitted in with the images. Timing the flashing transitions with the beat of the music took especially long. A further difficulty that we had was the naming of our thriller. We had initially agreed (loosely) upon the title 'Bad Blood', however we all felt that we could do better. Unfortunately, however, this proved to be a stumbling block and we could manage only a few ideas. The best of these, we felt, was 'Bloody Vendetta'. Although with perhaps some members of the group not 110% satisfied with this title, we felt we had little option but to use it as nobody could come up with something better and, with time running out, we decided that it would be more important to channel our energy into perfecting the film itself. Also, several people who we asked and talked to said that they liked the title, so we decided to use it. However, the final and biggest challenge we faced during editing was to keep the film inside the two minute limit, as we had lots of footage and at a point where we believed to have a completed version we were roughly thirty seconds over the two minute mark, so we had to work hard at cutting out the excess.
How does our film represent social groups and why?
Unlike several films (e.g. The Godfather), our film does not glamorise crime and the lives of criminals. We have shown this to be the case through one of our key narrative features (see synopsis) which is that, in our cycle of protagonists, each one dies before the viewer gets a chance to relate to him, or her in the case of Susie Callaghan, so the effect of this is that the viewer feels alienated from the characters and the immoral world of noir in which our film is set. Our film represents women in a similar way to most noirs, as our female character is a plotting, deceiving femme fatale out for revenge. However, our male characters aren't shown to be much better either, as they are also portrayed as greedy, immoral killers, so really we have portrayed the underworld in a very bad light, which is how it really should be done because these characters would be bad people in reality so they are in our film also.
What kind of media institution might distribute our film and why?
Our film would probably be distributed as both an arthouse and mainstream product, as the niche audience that prefer arthouse would probably appreciate our film more than a mainstream audience due to its influences from the noir period. However, a mainstream audience would also probably be attracted to our film as it has a lot of twists in the narrative and many generic signifiers. Regarding distribution, our film would probably be dealt with in a similar way to Sin City (2005), which was distributed by Dimension Films in the USA (theatrical), by Buena Vista International for the UK (also theatrical) and by Dimension Home Video (USA) and Miramax Films (UK) on DVD. Sin City was released in both arthouse and mainstream cinemas; for the niche, arthouse audience was able to appreciate the film's stylistic qualities and relevance to the original graphic novels whilst mainstreamers enjoyed the action and violence.
Who would be the audience to our film and how did we attract/ address them?
As explained in my post on profiling our target audience, our audience would most likely be a mixture of a niche audience and a mainstream audience. A niche audience of film fans who have an understanding of the film noir period would be able to appreciate stylistic aspects of our film more, so we attracted this audience by using several noir themes and conventions. However, a mainstream audience could still be attracted to it, albeit they might appreciate the film at a more basic level (i.e. for the twists/ action). Also, as our film has a very complex narrative with many twists (such as The Godfather (1792) and Chinatown (1974)), it is likely that a more educated audience would be attracted to it. Regarding gender, our target gender would be predominantly males. This is due to the fact that the majority of our characters (all but one) are male; therefore this is more likely to attract males. However, this is not to say that females could not enjoy it, especially as the female character is very important and influential in the narrative of the film. The biggest twists in the narrative towards the end of the film revolve chiefly around the female character, so this could attract a large female audience. Other films (specifically thrillers) that the target audience would like would generally be that of the film noir era (such as Double Indemnity (1944), Touch of Evil (1958)). They would also like modern noirs such as Chinatown (1974) and also films like Sin City (2005) which include throwbacks to these eras. This is because our film is essentially a modern film noir, especially stylistically, but also regarding the use of characterisation, in particular the destructive femme fatale. Regarding the narrative, it is also similar to that of film noirs, but also strongly linked to gangster/ mafia films, such as The Godfather (1972) as the films revolves around the illegal activities of two organised-crime families.
What new skills/ technologies have we learnt during the making of our film?
First of all, we learnt how hard it is to make a good thriller film opening, let alone an entire film. We learnt how much planning and hard work must go into it in order to get the result which we want. Apart from these, though, we have also learnt many basic film-making techniques. How to use a camera and tripod effectively, for example, as well as how to capture the footage and transfer it onto the computer. We then learnt how to use the software 'Adobe Premier Elements 1.o' with which we edited our film together. For me, this was the main area of improvement, as at the beginning of the project I had no experience using this software whereas now I can say that I have a sound ability of using the software. Furthermore, our average grade of 9.2 out of ten for using varied shot transitions successfuly from our audience feedback further suggests that we are capable using the software.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
The preliminary task was very helpful in helping us realise the amount of planning required to make a group effort work. We also learnt the basics of the technology and apparatus available to use (i.e. tripod, camera, Adobe Premier Elements etc.).
We also learnt how to effectively produce several aspects of our planning, for example our story boards, shooting maps and shooting schedule.
The task also prepared us for the basics of the filming process, such as the framing and composition of shots, how to effectively handle the directing of actors and the limitations of sound reception of the camera.
This is our opening shot, and we are very pleased with it. We especially like the moving camera and tilted angles effects as they connote several film noir themes such as disorientation and confusion. Tilted angles, though, can also be used to represent themes of corruption and distorted justice, something which can be said for The Third Man (1949) and also for our own thriller as corruption, along with crime, greed and murder, are all present.
We feel that, regarding the mise-en-scene, this is one of our most successful shots as it introduces several other fundamental themes and conventions of noir. One of these themes introduced is the theme of the fatalistic nightmare. This is done, as it is often done in noir, via the mise-en-scene. For example, the way that the light reflects off one side of the fence connotes a sense of unrealism, as it is not something we see everyday, thereby introducing the nightmarish theme. The same can be said for the way the light shines off the deep black of the car, and the wet, shiny and textured road. There is also evidence of chiaroscuro lighting in the background, which adds a further generic signifier of the noir period. We are, therefore, extremely pleased with this shot. However, looking back, and if given the chance, we perhaps would have made this a slightly tilted angle shot, just to add that extra dynamism and to increase further the sense of disorientation, in a similar way as its done in The Third Man. 
There is further, and more obvious, evidence of chiaroscuro lighting in this shot, as the dynamic bright light dominates the shot. And, as mentioned before, chiaroscuro lighting is an important stylistic convention in noirs, as it makes for dynamic shots which add to the theme of the fatalistic nightmare, and this is achieved in this shot also, so we are very satisfied with it. However, we have added a further noir convention in the shape of the blinds. Although not 'venetian' (due to an obvious lack of resources), these blinds still add an important generic signifier, as they suggest that the man in the office is one of immorality and corruption, as the blinds partially hide him from the outside. I say partially, for if we assume that outside the office is the law-abiding, honest world and inside it is the corrupt and immoral world whilst the blinds are the barrier between the two, then the blinds are a very suitable barrier in the world of noir as they are merely a 'partial' barrier, thus inducing moral ambiguity, the merging and inseparability of right vs. wrong and the eternal struggle between good and evil. We feel, then, that, especially regarding mise-en-scene, this shot is very effective in inducing conventional themes whilst also being pleasing on the eye. 
What we like the most about this shot is the rising smoke from the exhaust of the car, so much so that we emphasized this point by having it rise in fast-motion. We are really pleased with the effect this has, as the smoke adds to the unglamorous setting and immoral deeds of the characters. 
This is another of our favourite shots. Apart from the obvious noir conventions, such as the chiaroscuro lighting, the use of shadows and, this time, regarding characterisation, the unfriendly, smoking henchman doing dirty work for his boss, there are several other conventions present. One of the most important of these is introduced via composition. As we can see, the criminal (Leon Hogarth's Aidan Quinlan) is to the far right of the image, whilst the bright, white light is to the far left, and the middle of the image is made up of trees through which the light shines to create some dynamic silhouettes. In a similar way as we did in the shot inside the office, if we assume that the white light represents good, whilst Quinlan represents evil, and the trees represent the, again, 'partial' barrier, we have once more the theme of moral ambiguity. For these reasons, we feel that this is an effective shot and are extremely pleased with it.
In this shot, we are pleased with the further presence of chiaroscuro lighting form the car's rear lights and also from the street light. Also, as you can see, the street light here is quite far in the background, so if we go with our previous assumption that the light represents good then this suggests that the events taking place in this shot are very far away from being classed as good. This is a relevant suggestion as it is at this point in the opening sequence that the dead body is first taken out of the car and exposed to the viewer, so the previous shots of Patrick Callaghan (Phil Buttinger) in the office and of Quinlan (Leon Hogarth) in which there were suggestions of the good vs. evil theme were mere hints towards this shot, in which the evil is present so much over the good that the light representing good has been distanced from it. 
Here, again, we are pleased with the lighting and the effect of the blinds.
This extreme close-up proved to be one of the most popular shots after receiving audience feedback, and we too are very pleased with it. The prolonged eye-contact within close distance causes the viewer to feel uneasy and claustrophobic, especially as this man is assumed to be (and is) an immoral, evil man that the viewer probably doesn't want to relate to, but this ECU is almost forcing them to. Claustrophobia is another key theme within noirs and thrillers in general, so this is an effective shot and so we are pleased with it. 
Unfortunately it was difficult to capture a clearer image of this shot for there's a lot of movement, and in the darkness. This is a low angle shot of the two henchmen carrying the dead body into the woods. We are especially pleased with two things in this shot. The first of these is the lighting, as once again dynamic chiaroscuro lighting is present, shining down at a nice angle to create its usual dynamic effect. We are also very pleased with the positioning of the camera, that is to say that we like how the shots filmed from inside the woods, with several branches partially obscuring the image. This composition adds to the theme of immorality, as it further suggests that these actions are covered up and hidden away, behind the, again, 'partial' barrier between good and evil in the world of noir. 
Here, we are pleased with the same things as in the above. However, we also like very much the flash of light from the torch, as this just adds a bit of extra dynamism to the shot via chiaroscuro lighting. 
Personally, regarding the mise-en-scene, this is definitely one of my favourite shots, and quite possible the favourite. Initially, we weren't sure whether we were going to include it (which would have been a great shame) because, according to our initial ideas, we intended to end the sequence with the dead body dropping to the ground, making this shot (where the henchmen come back from the woods and get back inside the car) non-existent. However, due to a lack of light, we found we were unable to obtain usable shots of the body being dropped, so we decided to use this shot as an alternative confirmation that the body had been disposed of. In the end, we are pleased that it has turned out this way, as we are extremely pleased with the mise-en-scene in this shot. Regarding the composition, we like the way the road cuts across the image diagonally, as this creates a vanishing point which is another very common thriller signifier. However, the main thing we love about this shot is the lighting, and how it almost makes the road look silver, with extended shadows from the trees and darkening the backsides of the wooden stumps lined at the edge of the road. Apart from making the shot pleasing on the eye, these effects all add to the sense of unrealism and the fatalistic nightmare, so we are very pleased with this shot. 
We also like this shot as a final shot as it creates quite an abrupt yet effective ending. We speeded up the slamming of the boot for some stylistic effect and to emphasize the point that the deed is now done. We also cut out the music at the point that the boot shuts to further emphasize this point. 
We restarted the music with its main tune when the title comes up largely for stylistic purposes, and we feel that this works well as the main tune of the music is quite catchy and therefore works as an effective backing to the plain title screen. Also, the loud and catchy music contrasts with the plain black and white title screen. Furthermore, this contrast can be perceived as a metaphor for the four men that were responsible for this murder (the three henchmen and the boss in the office), that at face value (represented by the title screen) they appear calm, composed and rational after the deed is done, but behind it (represented by the loud backing music) the evil is still there and still at work. 
