Naming our film

We left this part quite late into the plannign and filming because we didn't see it as a priority and something that could be left until a later date. Eventually it just came to us and we all liked it. Now we look back it seems like we made the best choice and it fits seemingly well with the whole concept of the film.

The Absence is the name of our thriller, i suggested this idea one day whilst working on my blog. The idea of a child wandering through a woods unaware of what she is doing seems to work. Her mind being 'absent' and her body being controlled by someone else. The connotations you also have with absence is very daunting and mysterious. When you think of something being absent you think it could not be there or its missing. So if you were to see this on a film poster with Annabelle on you would think of a girl who has gone missing or has been taken in a dark creepy woods. When the real story is she has been possessed by an older man with the intention of her committing crimes. This would be a shock to the audience and they would be surprised to see such an horrific even that they were unexpecting. This is a good thing because they may enjoy it more and they may think the idea is a little more fresh than someone going missing.

To conclude, our thriller film title was a quick judgement that seemed to really work and we hope it works when we have finished the editing. 

Planning the film

When first planing our film we looked at other thrillers for inspiration. The film that influenced my ideas the most was 'The Ring' this was because of the little girl being the main antagonist. I thought it would have a positive effect to work with the little girl idea because it is very emotive and many ideas can be made from this.

As you can see, this style of presenting a child is very scary but also adds a sense of innocence to it. The white clothing of the girl makes her seem more innocent which can lead to a plot twist or climax. Also, white does not distinguish much, which could emphasize the mystery a thriller holds.

This way of presenting a child led to the idea of Annabelle, dressed in white to represent her innocence, and to add a sense of mystery to her and the whole plot. Furthermore, in the film 'The Ring' the girl has her hair draped over her face most of the time, this led to the idea of making Annabelle's face covered in her own hair. Not only is this scary, but it also enables us to create a greater sense of mystery, and to get establishing shots of Annabelle.

When coming up with the character of Jeremy, we thought of antagonists that were similar to him. The closest match was the antagonist from the film 'Se7en'. The title sequence from this film especially suited Jeremy because of the view of his hands doing lots of different things, which is similar to the motives of Jeremy in our film.

Choosing a Cast

The first character we needed to choose was the character of Annabelle, this is the character that is mainly focused on in the opening sequence. We did not want to have the 'loose ends' of external bodies or actors so Nicole played the part of Annabelle. This was mainly because she is the only girl in our group, but also because she fitted the role of Annabelle. She is quite small and young looking so we decided to use her for the role of Annabelle.

Jeremy was the easiest character to cast, as only his hands are focused on in our film. We decided to use Jake, as his hands are very big and rough looking, which is similar to the hands of Jeremy.

Script

Similar to the opening sequence of Momento, our film has no dialogue so we do not have a script.

Storyboards

Skmbt c45112111410420 from jallard6cre

Skmbt c45112111410421 from jallard6cre

Ideas for a copyright free soundtrack

When considering a soundtrack for our film we had to consider two main things; is it copyright free and will it be suitable for our film. I don't mean putting upbeat hip-hop against it, I mean will it be creepy or scary enough, and will it emphasise the scene.

We have considered this soundtrack;
We felt that this soundtrack was suitable because it is a complete song that is very similar in length to the length of our final project. We also felt that this soundtrack was very creepy and that it would suitably emphasise the content of our film, this soundtrack is very melodic and slow, we believe that such sound is essential for the nature of our film and we are in the process of contacting the artist for permission to use this soundtrack.

We have also considered this soundtrack;
We thought that this song was suitable also, because of its sinister ethos that reflects the motives of Jeremy our antagonist. It also represents the trust in ice cream vans of children in a sinister way, as well as holding connotation of child abuse, which Jeremy also holds.



We have also considered the track from 00.00 - 01.07 as it is very slow and builds suspense well, it is a downloadable EP so we are able to use it without violating copyright laws. The song itself is based on the heavy and low pitched organ sounds, with a much higher pitched xylophone that adds a sense of innocent horror that emphasises our films nature. There is also the high pitched moans of a woman, however they are suitable for this song and fit in well with it.

Planning Location

Locations props and costumes 1 from jallard6cre

Research Survey

I asked people what gender they were to get an accurate estimation of the people I would be making a film for. This shows that men are more likely to view a thriller than women so I should make a film aimed at male audiences.

I wanted to know what features of a thriller film people like the most so I gave a variety of answers for people to fill out. As you can see, suspense and mystery were the clear winners so I have ensured that my thriller production contains a sufficient amount of suspense and that there is a clear sense of mystery.



I asked my potential audience whether or not they felt music was an important factor in thriller films. I received an equal response, and have decided to include a soundtrack into my thriller because I believe it will emphasise the suspense and mystery in the film. some of my responses elaborated on the reasons why they thought music is important "It helps to build the suspense and add to the drama" this shows that I should consider adding music that will emphasise the nature of the scene.

I asked people what their preferred method for viewing films was. the responses showed that as well as home cinema, online was the most popular. This is beneficial to me because it is easy and cost effective to release a film online than to get a film processed onto DVD.

I asked my audience if they preferred watching films with gender equality. The response I got showed that if i produce a thriller with gender equality it is more likely to get higher views. Thus I have planned so that there is a male and female both featured in my film.

I asked my audience what age range they were in so that I could get a clear sense of the age group of people I would be making a film for. My responses show that my target audience would be that of 15-24 year olds, predominantly male so I should make a film relative to this information.

I asked my potential audience if they were aware of the semiology used in thriller films, my responses show that the majority of them were so I should make a film that includes subliminal messages, and that my mise en scene reflects the nature of the film.

I asked my potential audience what scenery they thought was best suited for thriller films. My responses show that the majority of answers indicated that countryside settings are very popular. Subsequently, I have decided to base my thriller in a wooded area, and in a country house because I believe that this will increase the total number of views my film will get.

 

I asked in my questionnaire what draws a potential viewer in the most. My responses show that the set, as in the mise en scene, is a very popular choice. So I have ensured that the set on which my film was set, is suitable and reflects the nature of the plot.

 I asked my audience what sort of climax they preferred. My responses show that an equal number of people liked positive and negative climaxes. Due to the nature of my thriller, and the simple fact that it is only the first two minutes of a film, I have decided to go more towards the negative side of climaxes because there were more responses that elaborated towards a negative climax.