The Target Audience

The primary target audience of our film will be teenagers. The target audience is who the film is primarily aimed at and who it is likely to appeal to the most. The target audience of our film will help our group create the thriller opening as we know who the primary target of our film will be.

The Film Treatment

The film treatment is is a summary of what happens in the entire film from the begining to the end. The film treatment helps to ubderstand the plot, this also gives us a sense of the film's attitude and will help our group create the film opening.

This girl had everything she wanted in life; a good school, great friends she could count on to help her out and a loving family. That is until one day, the very day that changed everything for her, she found herself at the wrong place at the wrong time and ever since that day nothing has ever been the same since.

One night Elizabeth Smith (Played by Natalie Mulligan), who was once an ordinary 16 year old girl, had to stay at her school (St Mary’s High School) late one night. As she was walking along the empty school corridor, she hears something that startles her, as she opens a nearby classroom door she sees Timothy Edwards (Played by Bradley T), who was a boy she is in love with and she eventually gets the biggest shock of her life!

What Elizabeth saw in that classroom that day changes her entire life and it effects everyone around her and those who care for her which makes her the only one that can save them.

When Elizabeth runs out of the classroom she tries to find the safest place in the whole school which was up in the loft of the other side of the school building.

While she is in there she finds herself trying to keep alive by finding objects in the loft which would help her go to the underground library where no student should ever go unless there was a serious emergency. However if a student goes there they must give up something valuable.

As Elizabeth looks for objects she has flashbacks of when she thought the school was normal and how there were no secretes. During the flashbacks Elizabeth thought of Timothy a lot and how they were madly in love with each other and how they used to go on dates often. Then suddenly she thinks of the classroom and realises that Timothy is a vampire.

Then she finds all the objects she needs as well as a map of the school ventilation system.

Elizabeth goes through the ventilation system and starts making her journey towards the underground library.

While Elizabeth is on her journey Timothy has sent all his followers to find her at the same time we have a flashback of his past which shows he is the crown prince of the vampires.

Elizabeth eventually makes her way down to the underground library finding what she gives away was very unexpected.  This was because to find out how to get her life back to normal and to save everyone, she had to give up her life force.   However, it was a tough decision for her because if she wanted everything to be normal, Timothy would have lose out being the prince of vampires and remember who he used to be. 

In the end she decides to turn into a vampire herself because her love for Timothy was too great; she didn’t want him to lose his titled position as a prince.  Her love was strong enough (or so she thought) to get her through this and she could be with her love.   

Research into Thriller Films

There are many examples of thiler films and films with the qualities of a thriller. This is a powerpoint of reasearch into two thirliler films. In the powerpoint shows information about camera shots and movement as well as other informatin. Our gorup can use this infromation to help create effect in out opening. 

The Mood Board

This is the mood board. A mood board is like a collage of the main themes of the film as well as inspirations. This shows the main theme of the film as well as its tone and style. The annotaions explain the meanings of the pictures. This helps in planinng the thriller opening. The various pictures and objects on the mood board represent the themes of the thriller opening. The genre of the film is horror, thriller and romance.

Codes and Conventions of Thrillers

There are many aspects that create recognised effects and atmosphere the thriller genre. The aspects of the thriller genre are what create the atmosphere and tension of the the film and keep the audience interested. When used correctly these aspects create suspense and anticpations and also make hints on the plot and what is actually happening in the scene.

Light and Shadow
Shadows and low light create tension and eeriness, sometimes showing the darkness within a character
Darkness is used to give a sense of claustrophobia.

Mise-en-scene
The setting and the objects/props in it are used to help give insight into the film’s plot
As a convention of the thriller genre, mirrors are used as a reflection of the soul and inner self, sometimes representing the darkness within a character, in 'Psycho' by Alfred Hitchcock a character changes her clothes from lighter colours to darker colours while standing in front of the mirrors showing her change from pure to corrupt (another example would be ‘Mirrors’ by Alexandré Aja)
Stairways and narrow corridors create a claustrophobic atmosphere and a sense of entrapment.

Sound
Sound and music is used to create an atmosphere of tension and suspense

Costume
Colours play an important role in the thriller genre. The contrast between black and white is often used to represent good and evil, white represents innocence and purity and black represents corruption and evil (an example would be ‘Psycho’ by Alfred Hitchcock)

Camera Shots and Angles
Quick camera shots gives the effect of tension and suspense

Editing
Montages creates a disorienting effect, often used in exciting scenes.
Flashbacks are a convention of the thriller genre, they give insight into the past and create a sense of distorted time (‘Memento’ by Christopher Nolan is an example)

The Storyboard

The three images below are the storyboard of the thriller movie opening. The storyboard shows details about the scenes, the sound and the camera shots and movements used in them, it acts as a summary of what will happen in the thriller opening. This also summerises how it will happen using camera shots and angels, sound, lighting and includes the length of the scene.

The storyboard is important to planning out the filming for the thriller opening and considering ideas that can be used.

The Thriller Genre

The thriller genre uses suspense tension and excitement as its main elements. Thrillers are centered on three main aspects: suspense, tension and excitement and are characterized by atmospheres of menace, violence and crime with an often gritty, slick tone. The societies set in thrillers are often dark, corrupt and dangerous. Plot twists, cliff-hangers and red herrings are very frequent n thrillers to keep the audience guessing what’s going to happen next.

A key feature of a thriller is to encourage various moods from the audience, such as anticipation, uncertainty and excitement leading to an adrenaline rush and keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as the plot leads to towards the final climax.

Thrillers are often set in ordinary cities or suburbs often starring a protagonist that is an ordinary citizen unused to danger and other strange situations. In thrillers the camera is used to show much more than just what’s happening in the scene; good camera work can give subtle hints to reveal the plot and give insight into characters and their situation.

The thriller genre itself branches out into mystery, crime, political and psychological thrillers, but also overlaps into many other genres (e.g. horror and action).