Characters & Representation

Dead man- the dead man will be wearing smart casual clothes as if he is one of the teachers of the school. He will need to be wearing a tie and smart shoes. If possible, a ‘staff’ badge should be worn around his neck in order to identify that he is a teacher. Also his face will appear on the ‘Teachers’ board which is the main focus of the last shot of the clip. This man can be described as the “damsel in distress”. This is an atypical representation of a man as it is normally the man that is stronger than the woman and is the more dominant character however their status of power is flipped in this scene and the man is seen to be weak.

Woman- wearing school uniform and preferably high heels. This will indicate that she is not actually the age that she is being perceived to be however she has the ability to look and play a character as young as a secondary school student. It will be unclear at the beginning of the scene however this character will in fact be the helper as opposed to the direct villain. This links in with the idea of Propp's character theory.

The cleaner- the cleaner will only be in the scene for a brief moment just to depict to the audience the severity of the woman’s anger and what she is capable of. He will be wearing overalls (if possible) to show his purpose in the clip. He will not speak make any action other than clean and stare at the woman as she walks past. This is shown to represent his innocence within the scene and that he has nothing to do with the action going on in the clip but is just an extra character to fit into the scene. He therefore does not fit into Propp’s character theory.

There will be no other characters in the film in the hope that the audience will buy into the purpose of each character and understand what motivates the charcter to within the clip. This will also allow them to question their previous perception of who the villain is when at the end, it is revealed that the woman isn’t in fact the villain but the helper to the villain.

Props ideas

These are our ideas for the plot, found on the post, 'Story board' where the plot is explained scene-by-scene.

Title ideas

We chose to call our film 'MI Sixth form' allowing the target audience to relate to the setting of the film and understand how the atmosphere can change according to various settings.

Character ideas

We chose to use as little number of characters in the film so as to add to the tension of the movie and conform to the typical conventions of a thriller movie. We have chosen to stick to 3 characters in the whole movie however just 2 characters have active roles. This allows the audience to invest more deeply into the characters in the film.

Plot & Narrative ideas

I have chosen to use a woman who is portrayed to be the villain however turns out to be just the helper to the villain. The villain is not shown in the actual clip however he is perceived to be a very much threatening character and one who has a lot of power over the other characters. The 'damsel in distress' is a man- this subverts to typical conventions of any movie as it is the woman who kills him and this goes against the idea that men are much stronger than women as in this scene she is the person who causes his demise. This plays into Propp's character theory, conversely, the idea that the actual villain doesn't do any of the hard work it subverts to his theory about the villain. Also, the idea that the woman is the main and stronger character, conforms to the idea of the 'Male gaze theory'. This is depicted in that the woman is the stronger character and everything is seen from her point of view as the scene follows her through the hallways of the school. As we can only film the first two minutes of the thriller movie, it will be hard to understand the idea that the movie does not conform to Todorov's theory of narrative however it will be clear that the first state of equilibrium will not be met and therefore does not play into the idea of Todorov's theory of narrative.
 

Storyboards

The captions underneath the scenes explain what goes on.

The storyboards allowed me to create a shotlist and therefore make my organisation for my movie much more specific to what I need to do and in which order they will need to be done. Also it allowed me to understand how long my film will actually be and where I may need to make scenes longer in order to fill up the full 2 minutes which are needed.
My storyboard also helped me to visualise bhow the narrative will flow and take into account the continuity of the film.











 

Title sequence ideas

Locations ideas

 

We have chosen to use the school as the setting as we believe that our target audience can relate to the area that it is set in. Our target audience is quite young and therefore a school would be the perfect setting as everyone around this age would be able to understand how a school can feel differently in different situations. I.e. An empty and dark school.

Camera shots

There are 6 main types of camera shot.

These are:

-Extreme long shot; this is a shot which allows you to establish the place that the scene is set. It is more commonly known as an ‘establishing shot’.

-Long shot; this is a shot that allows you to see one full body length. It is usually used when you are being introduced to a new character and need to find out the ideology of the character.

-Mid shot; this is a shot which allows you to only see the portrait of the character. It is usually used in scenes where there is an interview or conversation

-Two shot; a shot simply involving two people. Commonly used when there is a conversation or a two part argument and it is important that you see the facial expressions of both characters.

-Close up; this is the head and shoulders of a person or the main features of an object. This shot is generally used to show the facial expressions of a person after something has happened and you would need to see their reaction.

-Point of view shot; this shot is where the audience (or camera) is viewing a situation as the characters eyes. This allows the audience to engage with what is going on and fully appreciate their perspective of the situation they are in. It is usually used when a character is running away from something.

-Extreme close up; focuses on just one part of the person allowing the audience to feel the tone that the scene has been set in. It would normally be a facial feature such as the eye if a character is crying it would be an attempt to make the audience to feel the emotion that the character is also feeling.

Propp's character theory

Propp’s character theory is the theory that everyone has a set role in the film and that it is typical for certain characters to act a certain way.

These characters are as follows; the hero, the villain, the dispatcher, the helper, the damsel in distress, the donor and the false hero. This is presented in the film ‘The Dark Knight’.

The hero: Harvey Dent/ The Batman- never does anything majorly wrong and always has the best interest of others at heart. It is misconstrued that the Batman is the hero however even he himself at the end of the movie tells us that he is not. It is put into theory with all other aspects of the movie however that the Batman is the hero.

The false hero- this is definitely represented as the Batman where at the end of the movie he quotes, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”.

The villain- this is the Joker in the Dark Knight. This is as he attempts to kill a heroic man and the person who he thinks is the hero to the movie- the Batman.

The helper- aka Alfred. Everybody loves the old, wise butler who knows everything about the richest man in Gotham City and the fact that he helps the batman with everything that he does to help Gotham City and the damsel in distress, Rachel.

The donor- this is the character which wise Morgan Freeman plays (Lucius Fox) gives Batman all of his crafty equipment and his protective gear.

The damsel in distress- this is a woman named Rachel who everyone likes and Bruce Wayne (Batman) is in love with her however she is in love with the true hero to the movie, Harvey Dent.

Todorov's theory of narrative

This theory can be broken down into 5 simple steps.

1.A state of equilibrium (just as everything should be).

2.A disruption of this order, by an event.

3.A recognition that the disorder has occurred.

4.An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.

5.Restoration of a new equilibrium or a return to the first state of equilibrium.

This idea states that everything would end in an equilibrium however this would be unconventional of a thriller movie in that not everything is as it should be in the order that things happen. This presents itself in films such as The Dark Knight as the ‘hero’ at the end of the film states, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”. This shows us that it is not typical for the hero to always complete his task in being the

Sound

There are two types of sound - diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Throughout the movie there is nearly no non-diegetic apart from in the opening sequence and the last scene where John Doe admits to murdering detective Mills’ wife. This could be classed as stereotypical as the music/non-diegetic sound is very deep and low, it is also a slow piece of music which builds up tension to the big finale when Detective Mills finds out that his wife is in fact dead.

Camera movements in 'Seven'

 As a thriller movie, there are a lot of zoom movements. By this I mean that the camera focuses on one specific part of the character on screen or props. This is effective as a thriller movie because it allows the audience to focus on one part of the scene and understand what it is they need to figure out as the audience to a thriller movie rather than be confused about what is going on.

There are also a lot of pan shots so as to let the audience follow the characters and metaphorically follow the story line too. It also allows the audience to gradually associate the characters with the situation and the setting that the scene has been put in. This conforms to typical conventions of thriller movies as a lot of what is meant to be known is slowly revealed to the audience and this keeps the audience interested and involved.

Camera shot types

Throughout the film a variety of camera shots are used. However, due to the idea that the audience need to slowly unravel what the film is actually about and the discretion of the typical thriller, we constantly get to see the whole of everything that is going on (medium shots or long shots). This allows us as the audience to digest exactly what is going on and why it is happening in the film too.

On the other hand, the opening sequence- as it would usually establish the scene (establishing shot) could be argued both subverts and conforms to conventions. It subverts to conventions as a movie. However could conform to typical conventions of a thriller movie as it only shows extreme close ups of certain parts of John Doe’s body (such as his hands) allowing the audience to involve themselves in that they would need to figure out the basic idea of what is going on for themselves. 

The image with the men walking up stairs shows an image of when John Doe hands himself into the police- this is a medium shot of the two detectives, a long shot of John Doe in the background however it is also an establishing shot of where this takes place therefore you begin to understand why John Doe is in the presence of the detectives.

Title

Seven (Se7en) is a thriller movie about a mass killer who sets out to kill seven people who are guilty of one (or more) or each of the deadly sins. On the cover of the film and most posters, you can see the title has incorporated the number ‘seven’ so as to conform to conventions of a thriller movie in that it is unknown and odd. ‘Lust’, ‘envy’, ‘greed’, ‘sloth’, ‘wrath’, ‘pride’ and ‘gluttony’ are the seven deadly sins which of course links to the title of the film and the plot of the storyline

Setting

Time: Seven was set in the ‘present’- by this I mean it was set in the time that it was made in. A contemporary setting means a more immediate reaction for the audience. This is atypical as a thriller movie as it is sometimes conventional for a thriller movie to be set in a time before it was filmed in. It is, however, conventional to the target audience as it allows the them to relate to the film and the characters in the film recognising it as a time similar to their own.

Area: Seven was filmed in an unknown city in America. This conforms to the conventions of a thriller movie as thrillers are often set in eerie and unknown places. This allows the audience to empathise with the characters as the location could be their own town and they can therefore recognise these areas.

Characters of 'Seven'

Detective Mills - He is a young, white man who does not always follow the rules that a detective should do.

Detective Somerset - He is an old, black man who isn’t all what he seems to be at the beginning of the movie.

The fact that the two characters are completely opposite (binary opposites), you could argue, conforms to conventions of a thriller movie because they are so different. However, at the end of the movie, they end up being more similar to that which is originally perceived which subverts to typical conventions of thrillers.

John Doe -It could be questioned that the character of John Doe is insane through the film. He is rather contradictory in that  throughout the film he makes references to religious views and the seven deadly sins. Conversely John Doe murders- or controls- the deaths of the seven people. This is typical of a Thriller movie as it makes the audience question their views of John Doe but this goes against the idea of the uses & gratification’s theory (the need to know) but we are equally happy not knowing straight away.  

Opening sequence

In the opening credits you see short clips of John Doe and his work that he does in preparation to the movie and his conquest to murder seven people guilty of the seven deadly sins.

The image with the razor shows John Doe cutting off the skin on his fingers which later links to the film.

The image of writing shows John Doe writing in a diary which he keeps allowing the detectives to find him.

The fact that we are given clues at the beginning of the film is a typical convention to a thriller as it allows us (the audience) to unravel his intentions as the film progresses. This is disorientating to the audience however the audience feels a sense of accomplishment when they figure out exactly what is going on.

The sound is an introduction to the film which is very disorientating at first and may be mistaken for the sound on blurred out screams (from women in particular) this conforms to typical conventions of a thriller as we are left not knowing exactly what is going on and guessing what could happen next. It ties in well with the visual elements of the opening sequence as the opening shows us a character which we are completely unaware of until approx. three quarters of the way through the film where he atypically hands himself in to the police. Also at the ‘end’ of the opening sequence the first words are spoken saying, ‘you’ve got me closer to god’ which also depicts about the intentions of John Doe and how he feels that he is serving god by killing people guilty of one of the seven deadly sins (as explained later in the movie when he is in the car with the detectives).

The plot in detail

During the film, John Doe hands himself into the police. This does not conform to typical movie conventions however it can be argued that perhaps it does to those of thriller movies. These actions allow the villain to complete his task and ‘win’- this is definitely unusual but this does not mean it is unconventional. Conversely, it does mean that what the audience expected to happen may still happen but not in the way previously expected. This goes against the idea of Todorov’s theory of narrative and the idea that the film will always end with an equilibrium. At the end of the film John Doe reveals to have killed the wife of Detective Mills, leading to the death of John Doe and therefore the accomplishment of what Doe set out to do. It could be argued, however, that the audience are trained to expect a Todorovian outcome to the film but the fact that the bad guy wins, could be a shock to the audience.

Analysis of a similar product- Seven

Plot: Two detectives are searching for a serial killer known as John Doe who uses the seven deadly sins as a motive to kill.

Director: David Fincher.

Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker.

Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey

Conventions of thriller movies

-Tense music; this builds suspense in the movie allowing the audience to want to know more

- A variety of camera angles; this allows the audience to see ‘all different sides’ to the characters and the plot of the movie.

- Quick editing cuts (constant scene changes); this builds suspense but also allows the viewer to feel more involved (uses and gratifications theory) in that they need to figure out what is going on, personally.

- Unknown areas i.e. Shadowing, mirroring/reflecting; allowing the audience to question what is going on and figure out for themselves. This links to the uses and gratifications theory in that the audience would feel a sense of self accomplishment.

- Unknown characters such as the victim or the killer; this keeps the audience questioning their first perception of the movie as a lot of what the assume is unknown until the conclusion to the film.

- Old fashioned (set in a time before it was developed) or quiet areas; the old fashioned areas allow the audience to relate to the movie in that pathetic fallacy is used and the audience already know the parts of the film which the characters are perceiving to you.

- Claustrophobic spaces; this shows a sense of entrapment and that there is a task in hand.

- Dominant male & vulnerable females; this allows the sense of ‘power’ to be fully in the hand of the male and that men can relate to the characters as can females.

All of these factors create a typical mood to a thriller movie. This allows the audience to feel a sense of unawareness as to what is actually going on and feel slightly 'on edge' about the plot of the film. I hope to play this into my movie and make the audience feel the same way that they do with mainstream thriller movies. This will show a sense of professionalism and quality to my movie.

Brief & Target audience

Our task is to create the first 2 minutes of an opening to a thriller movie. This should include a credit sequence and should clearly present the typical conventions of a thriller movie. We plan to aim our opening at a young and curious audience, however old enough to understand what a thriller is all about. The certificate of  our clip will be '12' as there is a perception of violence however it is not seen in the clip. The certificate means that no violence can be directly seen.