Monday 26 November 2012
Production Company.
For my production company I decided to use New Line Cinema. They are a highly successful production company that has been around for decades. They produce a wide range of films covering virtually all genres of film. Also they are the production company behind the thriller success stories "se7en" and "The Butterfly Effect".
Discarded Opening Ideas.
There were some ideas I originally thought up but decided to cut them from the opening for various reasons.
Discarded scenes:
I planned out a scene where the killer is chasing a victim through the streets. I was going to include shots of the victims terrified eyes, the killer's approaching footsteps and the inevitable lifeless body of the victim. I decided to cut this scene from the opening as its inclusion would have took me too far beyond the time constraints and working around the weather conditions in order to produce a perfect scene prove too difficult.
I also removed a scene where the killer heats the blade of a Stanley knife in the open candle's flame and burns herself as a means of penance for her actions. I removed this scene as I felt it took the opening in a direction that was too far away from my original concept.
Discarded props:
I removed the props of missing posters and children's drawings from the loft wall as I deemed them unnecessary in the final shot.
Discarded Location:
The alleyway in which the victim would have been murdered.
Discarded scenes:
I planned out a scene where the killer is chasing a victim through the streets. I was going to include shots of the victims terrified eyes, the killer's approaching footsteps and the inevitable lifeless body of the victim. I decided to cut this scene from the opening as its inclusion would have took me too far beyond the time constraints and working around the weather conditions in order to produce a perfect scene prove too difficult.
I also removed a scene where the killer heats the blade of a Stanley knife in the open candle's flame and burns herself as a means of penance for her actions. I removed this scene as I felt it took the opening in a direction that was too far away from my original concept.
Discarded props:
I removed the props of missing posters and children's drawings from the loft wall as I deemed them unnecessary in the final shot.
Discarded Location:
The alleyway in which the victim would have been murdered.
Sunday 25 November 2012
Costume Ideas.
For the killer's costume, I wanted to stay true to the age-old tradition of the evil character wearing dark, concealing clothes to connote their inner wickedness but I also wanted to make sure that the killer was clearly identified as a young female and bring a modern feel to the opening.
Settings.
The majority of my opening will be shot primarily within the killers house. I have the additional idea of shooting some scenes of the exterior of the house and nearby alleyways but have decided to focus more on the interior. This is mainly due to my being able to create an interesting juxtaposition between the darkness of the killer's loft and the brightness of the rest of the house.
Target Audience.
When deciding upon my target audience, I was torn between choosing certificate 15 or 18. I felt that by choosing a rating of 18 it would allow me to produce more violent scenes within the film. I thought that the raw, graphic violence would give the viewers an insight into just how unhinged the killer is. She is so cold and ruthless that there is nothing she wont do, she has no concept of fear.
Upon further thought I felt that by choosing a rating of 15 I could still include an insight into her true madness, but instead of using violence I would have to focus more on the character herself. Her facial expressions, her body language, the actions she does within the film, I would have to look deeper and create a more in-depth character, I felt this would produce a richer film experience.
Taking both sides into account I ultimately decided a rating of 15 would be better suited for my opening. I could still include the madness of the killer, show some scenes of conflict, but would have to tone it down for younger viewers. Despite this disadvantage I decided I could reach a wider range of viewers by choosing this rating, and that the group I reach would cover a broad spectrum of ages, hopefully increasing the successfulness of the opening.
Upon further thought I felt that by choosing a rating of 15 I could still include an insight into her true madness, but instead of using violence I would have to focus more on the character herself. Her facial expressions, her body language, the actions she does within the film, I would have to look deeper and create a more in-depth character, I felt this would produce a richer film experience.
Taking both sides into account I ultimately decided a rating of 15 would be better suited for my opening. I could still include the madness of the killer, show some scenes of conflict, but would have to tone it down for younger viewers. Despite this disadvantage I decided I could reach a wider range of viewers by choosing this rating, and that the group I reach would cover a broad spectrum of ages, hopefully increasing the successfulness of the opening.
Film Title.
When coming up with name ideas, taking in my concept for the opening, I came up with two possible names for the film. They are:
* A Mother's Madness
* Madness Within
Ultimately I settled for "Madness Within" as I felt it was quite an enigmatic title, full of negative connotations and would undoubtedly be a title that would stick in the viewers head.
* A Mother's Madness
* Madness Within
Ultimately I settled for "Madness Within" as I felt it was quite an enigmatic title, full of negative connotations and would undoubtedly be a title that would stick in the viewers head.
Fliming Schedule.
This is my filming schedule, after going through my scenes and planning out each scene, it became apparent that my filming (excluding any additional shots needed for the final cut) could all be done in one day.
Day one:
Due to the fact that practically all of my opening was going to be filmed indoors I did not have to work around any external factors e.g. weather, time of day.
The primary location was the killers house. I felt that by using just an average, run of the mill house as my main location it would create a different kind of tension within my thriller. I didn't want to go overboard with a thriller-typical location.
The second location was a narrow, dark alleyway at the side of the killers house, it would be used for the murder scene at the beginning of the opening. I'm not entirely certain that I will need this second location as I am still deciding if I need this scene or not.
The date of the filming day was perhaps the most difficult thing to arrange. Due to conflicting engagements between myself and the actress for the opening, we struggled to find a day in which we were both available enough to dedicate the necessary time that the filming required.
Props - during the planning of my opening I decided on a series of props that I would need for each shot. I decided to use candles in the loft scene as the only source of light to help create a feeling of tension. I also owned an old-style wooden chest which I thought would work perfectly as the centrepiece of the killer's shrine. Part of my narrative for the killer is that she lost a child, therefore I felt it was crucial to get some child related props into my shots. I decided to place a small teddy in with the killers shrine to act as a reminder to the killer as to why she's doing what she does. Also I decided to use the prop of the old fashioned Russian doll to represent her maternal instinct latching on to the nearest thing to her child she could find, I think this scene in particular will frighten the viewer most as it clearly shows her mental breakdown.
Day one:
Due to the fact that practically all of my opening was going to be filmed indoors I did not have to work around any external factors e.g. weather, time of day.
The primary location was the killers house. I felt that by using just an average, run of the mill house as my main location it would create a different kind of tension within my thriller. I didn't want to go overboard with a thriller-typical location.
 |
| Location shot - Killer's Alley |
The second location was a narrow, dark alleyway at the side of the killers house, it would be used for the murder scene at the beginning of the opening. I'm not entirely certain that I will need this second location as I am still deciding if I need this scene or not.
The date of the filming day was perhaps the most difficult thing to arrange. Due to conflicting engagements between myself and the actress for the opening, we struggled to find a day in which we were both available enough to dedicate the necessary time that the filming required.
Props - during the planning of my opening I decided on a series of props that I would need for each shot. I decided to use candles in the loft scene as the only source of light to help create a feeling of tension. I also owned an old-style wooden chest which I thought would work perfectly as the centrepiece of the killer's shrine. Part of my narrative for the killer is that she lost a child, therefore I felt it was crucial to get some child related props into my shots. I decided to place a small teddy in with the killers shrine to act as a reminder to the killer as to why she's doing what she does. Also I decided to use the prop of the old fashioned Russian doll to represent her maternal instinct latching on to the nearest thing to her child she could find, I think this scene in particular will frighten the viewer most as it clearly shows her mental breakdown.
Friday 23 November 2012
Animatic
This is my animatic. It is a video showing a rough sketch of each new scene within my opening. I hope you like stickmen!
Film pitch.
For me personally, I have always found that some of the best films I have ever seen have been within the realm of thrillers. Having watched several films representing the different sub-genres of thriller the one I feel will work best for me is a psychological thriller. I decided upon this as I have limited resources but feel that I can still create an opening that remains true to the codes and conventions of a psychological thriller.
One particular element that I wanted to ensure was within my thriller was the idea of the killer leading a double life. To the outside world they are a normal person, just living their life like everyone else, but within the confines of their house they are a calm collected killer. I feel this is always a successful element within a film as the audience gets the feeling of being omniscient, they are privy to the double-life of the killer and it will keep them on the edge of their seat during character interactions throughout the film.
When I was conceptualising my thriller, I was always adamant on the idea of a female killer. I feel this would add a quirkiness to my opening as the typical archetype of a killer is always male. For me I wanted a young, fresh-faced woman to be the killer as within a film this kind of character would not typically be cast as the killer.
After watching other thriller openings I felt that I wanted to move away from the typical title sequence style present in so many other films and introduce the almost religious rituals of the killer. I wanted this to be the opening as I felt it could be interpreted as a modern day prologue, watching the killer go about her business, seeing her actions after having obviously done something horrific would entice the viewer to keep watching and see everything that happened previous to this point.
After the opening my film would progress, showing the background story of the killer, letting the viewer see why she is doing what she does and everything that has led her to this path. Ultimately culminating in either her being incarcerated or killed in justified vengeance by a potential victim.
One particular element that I wanted to ensure was within my thriller was the idea of the killer leading a double life. To the outside world they are a normal person, just living their life like everyone else, but within the confines of their house they are a calm collected killer. I feel this is always a successful element within a film as the audience gets the feeling of being omniscient, they are privy to the double-life of the killer and it will keep them on the edge of their seat during character interactions throughout the film.
When I was conceptualising my thriller, I was always adamant on the idea of a female killer. I feel this would add a quirkiness to my opening as the typical archetype of a killer is always male. For me I wanted a young, fresh-faced woman to be the killer as within a film this kind of character would not typically be cast as the killer.
After watching other thriller openings I felt that I wanted to move away from the typical title sequence style present in so many other films and introduce the almost religious rituals of the killer. I wanted this to be the opening as I felt it could be interpreted as a modern day prologue, watching the killer go about her business, seeing her actions after having obviously done something horrific would entice the viewer to keep watching and see everything that happened previous to this point.
After the opening my film would progress, showing the background story of the killer, letting the viewer see why she is doing what she does and everything that has led her to this path. Ultimately culminating in either her being incarcerated or killed in justified vengeance by a potential victim.
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