Preliminary Task - Storyboard

Our preliminary task was loosely based on this storyboard. We designed the storyboard to show off what we had learned so far - Match on Action, Shot-Reverse Shot, and the 180° Rule.

We planned to have a man walk through a door, and show him coming through it and closing it. He then walks over to a table, where a woman is sitting. They talk, before the man walks out.

Unfortunately, on the day we had some difficulties filming, so we adapted our storyboard slightly, and decided to allow the two people to start a conversation, and we would move round them taking different shots. For this reason, the filming has continuity, whereas the sound and audio doesn't. We attempted to change this on the Mac, but unfortunately, we could not dub the sound over and keep the film the way we want it.

Scratch - Storyboard Update

We changed the stgoryboard for 'Scratch' while shooting the film, as we came up with ideas that added to the film.

After the initial tally scratching, we have the man walking into the building. He then walks down a flight of stairs, and down a corridor, turning left. He enters a room, and slams the door. Sitting down at his desk, he finds a small piece of paper saying 'YOU ARE NEXT', and he throws the contents of his desk to the floor. He hears a large bang, and stands up, only to find a woman walking in at the same time. She states it is his turn, and shoots him.

After each scene, we will insert a credit, and have selected the credits we wish to use.

Scratch - Locations

We chose to use the school as our base, and use effects when we edit it to turn it into an old building which is used for an old office. As we don't have to develop the film any further than the opening, the building is insignificant compared to the office we created.

The Building

The school building looks like this, and looks quite majestic and important when in sepia. Creating the perfect look for the flashbacks at the beginning is most important, as this is the first shot we see.The large windows and the white trimming add to the nostalgia of the building. 

The Corridor

The reason we chose this corridor for after the stairs scene is because we believe it looks very old. The red tiles against the cream walls, and the pipes and poles against the walls look brilliant in black and white, and look like something out of a 'Saw' film. Martin's silent footsteps down this corridor, and the slightly 'juddery' feel to the shots add to the mystery and the upset caused previous to the film.

The Office

We chose the school's meeting room as Martin's office, as this room only had two windows, and the dark carpet looks good against the lighter walls. We moved all the furniture in the room to the walls, and shot against the old radiator attached to the back wall. Just above Martin's head is a notice board, which we used to our advantage.

The Credits

This flight of stairs in school were where we shot most of our credits. By giving the illusion we had scratched into the walls using chalk and charcoal, we were able to wipe them clean, and using the floor, paper and envelopes added another dimension to them.

Researching Thriller Films - CGI

Computer-Generated Imagery, or CGI, has become very prominent in thriller films over the last 30 years. It is where production teams add computer-based graphics into TV or film, as can be seen to the right.

The first film to use 2D CGI was Michael Crichton's 'Westworld', from 1973. Its sequel, 'Futureworld', from 1976, was the first to use 3D CGI, and many believed it would be a phase, and would die out within a few years. However, it has become a film phenomenon, and thousands of films a year are now using this piece of technology.

CGI became mainstream when it was used in George Lucas' 'Star Wars IV: A New Hope', from 1977. It was poor quality compared to modern-day technology, but it was enough to prove that this could be the future.

'Looker', in 1981, was the first film to feature a complete 3D CGI human character. It was created using a method called 'scanning', which involves using pictures of a body and putting them through a computer. It was in 1982, in 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' that CGI was proven to be the next big thing. A scene, created by Pizar, where a planet is born, is said to be where CGI really did announce itself on the big stage.

'Tron', also from 1982, used CGI for over 20 minutes, in the first lengthy use of the imagery. 'Young Sherlock Holmes', rfom 1985, was the first to use photo-realistic CGI, and 'The Abyss', a James Cameron film (who has used CGI in ALL of his films), where a 3D CGI character made from water won him a Visual Effects Oscar.

1995 was the turn of CGI, with 'Toy Story' - the first full-length, full-CGI film, which well and truly ended hand-drawn animation. The commercial success of the film proved that this was the future.

'The Matrix', of 1999, was the first real-life, full-length CGI film. Around 20% of the film was complete CGI, but the other 80% had elements in it at all times. Freeze framing, and slow motion was used within CGI for the first time, which was a great success.

The turn of the century was when CGI hit its boom. 'Star Wars Episode I' had 90% of its shots with special effects, and 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' used motion-capture technology to shoot Gollum - a CGI character played by an actor. 'The Polar Express' did this for every actor, to critical acclaim.

'Avatar', James Cameron's epic 3D movie, has recently become the highest grossing film of all time, earning more than $2billion. It uses CGI throughout the film to create a different world. This technique is likely to be used over and over again now, seeing as it has worked.

Scratch - Soundtrack Update

After further research and investigation, we have found the piece of music we wish to use within 'Scratch'. Instead of using 'Gates to Adis' (which can be found here), we plan on using 'Rex Tremendae', which is part of the Mozart Requiem Mass. It can be found here, at number 68.

It is 2 minutes 16 seconds long, so slightly over our guidelines, but the amount of film we have could cover the whole piece of music. It is a stirring piece, and fits perfectly with the action of the opening.

Researching Thriller Films - 'The Godfather' (1972)

'The Godfather' (1972)
Originally uploaded by Adam9309

'The Godfather' (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

A build up to the action - the calm and serenity of the wedding allows for a dramatic piece of script writing when the action begins
Creation of fear/apprehension/anticipation/unsettling feeling/confusion/doubt over a character - the 'quiet before the storm' in each piece of action - means that you know something is about to happen, but don't know what yet
Dark, shadowy atmosphere (use of light and dark images) - a lot fo the film is shot in very dark indoor locations
Establishing mood and atmosphere throughout the film - it is quite a dark, sinister film, and is based on real-life 'events', as such. It can become quite threatening at times, but quite lethargic at others.
Delay in showing the face of a significant character, or the action of an important event by first showing the hand of a character for instance or a reaction of someone watching the event - this rarely happens, but can be seen later on in the film
Creation of suspense using soundtrack music - the soundtrack, written by Nino Rota, is one of the msot famous soundtracks of all-time. Instantly recognisable, it has become synonymous with 'The Godfather', and for this reason, the Italian flavours within the music has enabled the film to live scenes through the music, without dialogue.
Morally ambiguous central character - Michael Corleone is presented as a man who needs big shoulders to carry the weight of his father's empire.
Murder encouraging a suspecting audience - due to the nature of the film, murder doesn't encourage suspicion, because we know what is happening. Therefore, the film lacks a lot of inquisity.
Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting - the film was shot in New York and Italy, where it is based.
Flashbacks - there are quite a few flashbacks to Michael's story, which adds to the character's background.
Hero in situation of threat or struggle - the threat from other mafia gangs creates a lot of tension within the film.
Red herrings - there aren't any red herrings, but there are setbacks.
Twists and unexpected turns - most of the film is straight-forward, with some occasional twists, such as the murder of Michael's brother, Sonny.
Making and keeping the audience tense and on the edge of our seats - the drama in each scene keeps the audience watching.

Scratch - Script

For 'Scratch', we don't wish to have a lot of dialogue, as the more dialogue there is, the less suspicion there is in the build up of the opening. For this reason, we have built the storyboard around this concept.

The dialogue consists of one line - 'Your turn'. This is uttered by the female character, and the film ends very quickly after that. This is said in a very sturn way, and adds to the tension created within the film.

The lack of dialogue within the opening adds a lot to the film, which will hopefully make it exactly how we want it.