Research into genre: Psychological Thriller.

Black Swan

Logline: A committed dancer wins the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" only to find herself struggling to maintain her sanity.

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Our story was heavily inspired by Black Swan. The way the director portrayed a gradual loss of sanity was very interesting. At first you start noticing unusual things but the are not told that it is her mind that is fabricating these things. The director plays on the idea of a split personality especially in the mirror scene. We also want to use similar techniques in out thriller and try to portray the protagonist struggling to stay sane and questioning her identity.

Shutter Island

Logline: A U.S Marshal investigates the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane.

Director: Martin Scorsese

The film's protagonist, Teddy Daniels, who's apparently a US marshal, turns out to be Andrew Laeddis, a demented killer. This is a perfect example of a psychological thriller as the audience is deceived to the true story line of the film. We are seeing the protagonist the way in which he wants to be seen. It portrays mental illness and psychosis in a way that is intriguing to us - when the plot twist happen in the end you are left shocked and you realise how deluded the character was. We realise at the same time as the character the real truth so we are made to feel the same shock and confusion as him. 

Looking at thriller sub genres

This year as part of the course, I will be focusing primarily on the thriller genre, as well as creating my own thriller opening. So, what does a thriller entail?
A thriller could either be a novel, play or film; in which it should create suspense for the audience. After watching and analysing many thrillers, such as Momento, Black Swan and Shutter island; I noticed a reoccurring theme throughout - many people are very uncertain about the difference between the horror genre and the thriller genre; the real difference to this matter, is that thriller's convey a great aspect of uncertainty; we should be left at the edge of our seat- being led into the unknown. I noticed that the thriller genre has many sub genres- which include: Action thriller, Crime, psychological, science fiction and also religious thriller. 

ACTION THRILLER

An Action Thriller uses physical action to create suspense within the film. It is very similar to a traditional action film, as there will usually have continuous motion and action included, not to mention physical stunts, chases, races, and battles. The techniques used will contribute to the overall sense of danger that the protagonist is facing. In most cases there is a hero or heroine on a quest (to find the answer to something for example, or seek revenge) and it is critical that we sympathise with these characters. In most cases they become under threat and we held in suspense in waiting to find out if they will survive, and achieve their goal. Examples of this sub-genre are films such as, Kill Bill, The Bourne Identity, Die Hard, and all the Bond movies. These movies play out a battle of good versus evil, and even though we know good will win in the end, the films employ a wide range of action techniques to keep us on the edge of our seat. 

CRIME THRILLER 

Crime Thrillers incorporate suspenseful aspects of a thriller however, the plot usually centres around a serial killer, murderer. manhunt or robbery. Crime thrillers are slightly different to any type of sub-genre as the story-line focuses around the criminal and the protagonist, and use both psychological and action aspects to create tension and suspense.  The quest is often to find the truth and bring someone to justice, which becomes more difficult and harder to reach as the films evolve. Agathe Christie's novels turned into so many TV series and films like the 'Orient Express', which is a classic of this genre. More sophisticated examples may include, Se7en, The Usual Suspects, The Fugitive, Jagged Edge, or tv series like True Detective or BroadChurch. 

PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

In addition to the traits of a regular Thriller, a Psychological Thriller incorporates elements of drama and mystery film. This is my favourite type of thriller, as it allows the viewers suspense to come from the mind, instead of the psychical threat of the film. The protagonist must rely on their mental resources to solve the situation, which in some cases can cause confusion, and agitation.  Because of their nature, many Psychological Thrillers cross over into the Horror genre, and are often highly inventive and original. Hitchcock in films like Dial M for Murder, or Rear Window proved himself as a master of this genre. Other examples are Memento, and Taxi Driver.

SCIENCE FICTION THRILLER

Science fiction thriller incorporates hypothetical, science-based themes into the plot of the film. Traditionally, a Science Fiction film will incorporate heroes, villains, unexplored locations, fantastical quests, and advanced technology. These elements can be used in a Science Fiction Thriller to create anticipation and suspense. Often, this sub-genre will explore the “future-gone-bad” theme, including plots that revolve around alien invasions, dystopian scenarios, and super-diseases. Stanley Kubrick was one of the great masters of this genre, above all in 2001: A Space Odyssey, in which the computer changes from being a friend, to an enemy. Other examples include, Aliens, Inception, District 9.

RELIGIOUS THRILLER

Religious thrillers are a sub-genre that uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements. They often include religious allegories, questions and objects. Many thrillers include super-natural occurrences, such as exorcisms and demon possessions. The subject matter of this sub-genre tends to depict more gory and frightening images, which can result in the viewer feeling more scared, than feeling suspense which is typically associated with thrillers. A classic example of a Religious Thriller is the Exorcist, which shows an adolescent girl possessed by the devil. 

After analysing each sub genre of thrillers; I have come to the conclusion that I am particularly interested in focusing on psychological thrillers; there is something so compelling and enticing about psychological thrillers; in the way that so little information is given to us, yet we are so intrigued to find out more. 

My Favourite Actor: Eddie Redmayne.

This was a hard decision for me to make as they are many phenomenal actors out there at the moment. But I had to go for Eddie Redmayne as he is so versatile, he played Stephen Hawking one year and portrayed a completely different character in 'The Danish Girl' the next. Thus proving that he is one of the best actors out there at the moment.

 

Eddie Redmayne

Eddie Redmayne is everywhere at the moment. Last year he was in possibly one of the biggest film events of the year, 'The Theory of Everything' and just recently he has starred in the critically acclaimed 'The Danish Girl'. At the moment, he is on top of his game... here are some details about the man himself:

Edward John David Redmayne was born and raised in London, England, the son of Patricia (Burke) and Richard Charles Tunstall Redmayne, a businessman. His great-grandfather was Sir Richard Augustine Studdert Redmayne, a noted civil and mining engineer. Eddie is one of five children. He has English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry. Redmayne is the only member of his family to follow a career in acting, and also modeled during his teen years. He was educated at Eton College before going on to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied History of Art. Encouraged by his parents, Redmayne took drama lessons from a young age. His first stage appearance was in the Sam Mendes production of Oliver!, in London's West End. He played a workhouse boy. Acting continued through school and university, including performing with the National Youth Music Theatre.

Redmayne's first professional stage performance came in 2002 at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre where he played Viola in Twelfth Night. In 2004, he won the prestigious Evening Standard Outstanding Newcomer Award for his working in Edward Albee's play 'The Goat'. Further stage successes followed and in 2009 he starred in John Logan's 'Red' at the Donmar Warehouse in London. He won huge critical acclaim for his role, winning an Oliver Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The play transferred to Broadway in 2010, and Redmayne went on to win a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play.

Alongside his stage career, Redmayne has worked steadily in television and film. Notable projects include Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd (2006), Elizabeth: The Golden Age(2007), Tess of the D'Urbervilles (2008), The Pillars of the Earth (2010) and My Week with Marilyn (2011). In 2012, he co-starred in the musical Les Misérables (2012), as Marius Pontmercy.

In 2014, Redmayne played scientist Stephen Hawking in the biographical drama film The Theory of Everything (2014), opposite Felicity Jones, as Stephen's wife Jane Hawking. For his performance, Redmayne won multiple awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. 

Academy Awards, USA

2016	Nominated Oscar	Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role The Danish Girl (2015)
2015	Won Oscar	Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role The Theory of Everything (2014)

Golden Globes, USA

2016	Nominated Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama The Danish Girl (2015)
2015	Won Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama The Theory of Everything (2014)

BAFTA Awards

2016	Nominated BAFTA Film Award	Best Leading Actor The Danish Girl (2015)
2015	Won BAFTA Film Award	Best Leading Actor The Theory of Everything (2014)

Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1519666/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm

My Favourite Actress: Saoirse Ronan.

My favourite actress was not an obvious choice, but she an actress who I have liked for quite a while now, and she is gradually becoming a star.

Saoirse Ronan 

I first saw Saoirse Ronan in the 2009 film 'The Lovely Bones', I thought she gave a very compelling performance and that she portrayed the character perfectly. The next time I saw her was in the film 'How I Live Now' which was not a very critically acclaimed film, however her performance really made the film for me. I also really liked her performance in 'The Host', which i thought would be quite a difficult role to play, and just recently she played a small role in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' which was a film that I throughly enjoyed. She is now being recognised for her role in the film 'Brooklyn', which is a new release and very highly critically acclaimed. She was nominated for 'Best Actress' at the Oscars for this film.

Heres some more information on her:

Saoirse Una Ronan was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States, to Irish parents, Monica Ronan and Paul Ronan, an actor. When Saoirse was three, the family moved to Ireland, and Saoirse grew up in its County Carlow.

Saoirse made her first TV appearance with a small role in a few episodes of the TV series,The Clinic (2003). Her first film appearance was in the 2007 movie, I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007). Saoirse received international fame after appearing in the movie,Atonement (2007), which was directed by Joe Wright. The movie co-starred Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. The film was successful, both critically and commercially, and Saoirse earned an Oscar nomination for her role. She became one of the youngest people to be nominated for an Oscar.

After this, she continued to earn success and fame. Between 2008 to 2011, she starred in a number of successful movies, including City of Ember (2008), which earned her a nomination for Irish Film & Television Award, The Lovely Bones (2009), for which she was nominated for a BAFTA Award, and The Way Back (2010), for which she won Irish Film & Television Award for Actress in a Supporting Role.  

Academy Awards, USA

2016	Nominated Oscar	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Brooklyn (2015)
2008	Nominated Oscar	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Atonement (2007)

Golden Globes, USA

2016	Nominated Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama Brooklyn (2015)
2008	Nominated Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture Atonement (2007)

BAFTA Awards

2016	Nominated BAFTA Film Award	Best Leading Actress Brooklyn (2015)
2010	Nominated BAFTA Film Award	Best Leading Actress The Lovely Bones (2009)
2008	Nominated BAFTA Film Award	Best Supporting Actress Atonement (2007)

Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1519680/

Multi-Part Films in Hollywood.

Following my post yesterday on the Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part Two, I thought I should look into other multi-part films in Hollywood to try and understand why people make these kinds of films.
It seems to me that, in many cases, the process of splitting films is due to financial motivations in turning successful books into longer film series.

One controversial example of this was 'The Hobbit' which is a three-part adaption of a novel, the running time was the result of adding material that was not part of the original book. As the script was being developed by director Peter Jackson, the additional material added from Tolkien's notes and of Jackson's creation required splitting the film into separate parts. Now this could be said to be due to the director wanting to add his own touch to the film and to exercise his creative freedom, however it can also be argued that they did this to maximise profit. Which is a good move for the movie producers, but it is exploitative of the fans of the book, to be selling it as the Hobbit when it is actually not a true representation of the book.

Another example of this is Kill Bill, its original cut lasted 4 hours so Quentin Tarantino decided it needed to be split into two parts. The big difference between this and a film like The Hunger Games, for example, is that it is an original creation made for the big screen, not an adaptation of a book which was never intended to be split in half. The last instalment of Harry Potter was split into two halves, this was apparently because there was too much content to fit into one film. However surely the author never intended each half of the book to be experienced one year apart. This suggests to me that the reason for this was to maximise the profits, especially as the other films had been so popular.
The first half of the film was the least popular out of the whole serious; perhaps suggesting that this was due to the film being split in half. However the second half was a critical success, showing how it is not always a disaster to cut a story in half even when it was not originally intended to be experienced in this way.

One reason that is given for splitting novels from series like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Twilight is to appease fans who do not want the series to end. In a way this makes sense, however it is somehow doubtful to me that they are "doing it for the fans" the much more likely explanation being that studios want to drag out money making films as long as they possibly can.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_split_into_multiple_parts

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part Two.

I was very exited to watch the next instalment of the Hunger Games as I have been hooked on it ever since I read the books when I was 11 years old. The first three films certainly did the books justice, however I was wary of watching the fourth film as I usually feel that two part films are dragged out and I don't really see the point of them, other than to make more money of course.

I actually did enjoy the most part of the film, however just as I suspected it did drag on. I definately think that the film could have been edited down to be a lot shorter, and it could have ended with Katness killing the president, rather than the 10 other ending that came after that (we don't care about the boring letters or Katness and Peter ending up together in the future!). I believe that films are much better when they are left slightly open ended, this film felt the need to tie up every single loose end which I found to be rather tedious. Personally I prefer it when I can come to my own conclusions about what happens to the character, and I certainly didn't need to see Katness shouting at a cat (pointless!).

Anyway, in conclusion, I'm sticking to my premise that two part films are never a good idea (its called a TRILOGY for a reason!) and that this would have been better in a shorter, one part film. However I did enjoy some aspects of the film, such as the cool CGI and the exiting action sequences (these also dragged on). The ending left me feeling underwhelmed and dissapointed, and by the fifth ending I was wandering if the film was ever gonna end, or were we gonna keep watching alternate endings until we all went mad.

This 'honest trailer' pretty much sums up my feelings. Have a watch...

Camera Shots in Film.

Aerial Shot An exterior shot filmed from the air. Often used to establish a (usually exotic) location.

POV shot A shot that depicts the point of view of a character so that we see exactly what they see.

Arc Shot A shot in which the subject is circled by the camera.

Bridging Shot A shot that denotes a shift in time or place.

Close Up A shot that keeps only the face full in the frame. 

Medium Shot The shot that utilises the most common framing in movies, shows less than a long shot, more than a close-up.

Long Shot A shot that depicts an entire character or object from head to foot. 

Cowboy Shot A shot framed from mid thigh up, so called because of its recurrent use in Westerns.

Deep Focus A shot that keeps the foreground, middle ground and background ALL in sharp focus.

Dolly Zoom A shot that sees the camera track forward toward a subject while simultaneously zooming out creating a woozy, vertiginous effect. 

Dutch Tilt A shot where the camera is tilted on its side to create a kooky angle. 

Establishing Shot A shot, at the head of the scene, that clearly shows the locale the action is set in. 

Handheld Shot A shot in which the camera operator holds the camera during motion to create a jerky, immediate feel.

Low Angle Shot A shot looking up at a character or subject often making them look bigger in the frame.

High Angle Shot A shot looking down on a character or subject often isolating them in the frame.

Over-The-Shoulder Shot A shot where the camera is positioned behind one subject's shoulder, usually during a conversation. It implies a connection between the speakers as opposed to the single shot that suggests distance.

Source- http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/film-studies-101-camera-shots-styles/

Pulp Fiction Opening Remake: The Finished Product.

Editing: Day Two.

Today we edited the second half of the opening which was the titles. We had the fonts from Celine's google drive so all we had to do now was get all the titles in the right order and with the exact right timing. We did this by getting up the video of the titles on youtube and timing our perfectly with it. This was made easier when we put the music in so we could do it along to the Music.

Editing: finding the music.

Finding the music was relatively easier than finding the font; we already knew what the song was from a simple Google search. The song was called 'Misirlou' by Dick Dale - now the task was to find a way of downloading the audio to use in our opening.

I found a website called 'youtube to mp3' (youtube-mp3.org) however it was blocked on the school
computers. This time however we were not prepared to wait a day to get editing the credits 
so we went to the IT department and got the technition to unblock the website. 

Once we had done this we downloaded the audio from the Youtube video of the opening. Then we could put the music into final cut and then we could begin to Edit the credits.

Editing: Finding the font

We had some difficulty finding the fonts due to some of the necessary websites being blocked from the school computers (so annoying), however Celine came up with a way to get around this by downloading the fonts at home and then putting them on to google drive - so we could then use them in school when editing. This was a good idea however it set us back a day and we had to start editing the next day. 

The next day the two fonts that we needed were 'Busorama' for the first set of credits (the director, production company etc.)  and 'Friz Quadrata' for the second set (actors), also we needed Aachen for the famous PULP FICTION logo.

We tried many websites as we wanted to make sure the fonts matched perfectly to the titles. 

The websites that we ended up using were:

http://www.dafont.com/

http://www.fontsquirrel.com/

http://www.urbanfonts.com/

Editing: Day One.

Today we starting editing our film opening. We had to export all of our footage which took the whole of the first lesson as we had some difficulties. Then we had to put all of the footage on to google drive so we could access it from the macs upstairs. Then we could start to edit our footage on the macs; the first step was to import the footage in to final cut and then choose the best shots and discard the one we were not using. Then we used our shot list to put the shots in order and we used a video of the opening to ensure our timings were perfect.

We managed to get the first half of the opening finished in one lesson! We double checked everything was perfect and true to the opening of the film; next lesson we could start doing the titles.

School Trip to the BFI.

Today we visited the BFI centre on the Southbank for an introduction to the film industry. We learnt about the differences between independent and high budget Hollywood films from experts in the industry which was very interesting and insightful. Other topics that we looked into were distribution and marketing, production and different mediums in which you can present films. There was 3 guest speakers at the event Paul Ridd from Picturehouse cinema, Gareth Lowrie from Universal Pictures and Faye Ward who had recently produced the film 'Suffragette'. I found Faye the most interesting as she explained how she had worked her way up to the top through hard work, she explained all the responsibilities that a producer has to take on. 

Gareth Lowrie had recently done the marketing for 'Jurassic World' and he explained how he made the most of social media to promote his film. He said that in the modern media world social media is the most important resource as every young person uses it and therefore you can get the most exposure for a film.

Pulp Fiction Filming: Success!

Luckily we managed to finish filming in one afternoon! It was quite hectic making sure we had all the correct props and the camera was set up correctly but once we had everything ready filming was quick and easy and ran relatively smoothly.

We had to do certain shots several times (such as the kissing scene) to ensure it was as true to the film as possible. This way we could also ensure the editing process goes smoothly as it is better to have more shots to cut together. On the whole the filming was very successful.

Pulp Fiction Preparation: Shot list.

The shot list will be used by me and Millie when we are filming and directing the opening. It is very useful so we know exactly what shots to film.

Pulp Fiction Preparation: Props and Costume.

Prop List:
Plate
Food (on plate)
Napkin (on plate)
Tea Cups (x2)
Milk Jug
Sugar Shaker
Salt & Pepper Shakers
Ketchup Bottle
Guns (x2)
Cigarette Box
Cigarette
Coffee Pourer

Costume List:
Hawaiian shirt
Pink dress with blue apron
Purple top

We found most of the props on the prop list, most of which from the school cafeteria. We bought fake guns from Ebay. The only prop we could not get was the milk jug.

Pulp Fiction Preparation: Allocating the acting roles.

CHARACTERS:

Pumpkin / Ringo

Actor: Thomas

Honey Bunny / Yolanda 

Actor: Celine Stone

 Waitress 

Actor: Maddy Rich

DIRECTOR: Millie Richmond

I will be playing the waitress, however as it is only a very small role I will also be assisting Millie with the directing.

Pulp Fiction Preparation: Location.

Location Problems!!

When finding the location we wanted it to be as authentic and true to the film as possible. We went to the local cafe in the park (Golders Hill park) to ask if we could use the cafe to film. They told us to come back the next day to speak to the manager. Unfortunately when we returned they manager said no; so we had to come up with a new plan quickly! We decided to use the school hall and ensure the props were as true to the film as possible. We found these red and blue screens in the hall which we could use as a backdrop.

First Project: Pulp Fiction Opening

Me, Millie, Thomas and Celine are recreating the opening sequence of pulp fiction. Our group had to decide who took what role in preparation; I took responsibility for making the story board and writing up the script, Millie's role was to write down the props and costumes in the scene and make a prop list to check off when we have them. Thomas and Celine made the shot-list and allocated the acting roles. After these jobs were done we could move on to filming. 

Media Consumption in One Week

I mapped out my media consumption over one week. From this graph I can see that i spend the majority of my time on my phone, and the least time reading magazines. 

Baz Luhrmann

Today Millie did a presentation in class about the director Baz Luhrmann.
Baz Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter and producer.

Known for:
Romeo and Juliet
Mulan Rouge
The Great Gatsby

Millie's presentation: 
http://millierichmond.blogspot.co.uk

Everest at the IMax

Today me and my media class went to see the new Working Title film Everest at the IMax cinema. The IMax cinema has surround sound which creates a immersive experience as well as state of the art 3D technology on a 52mm high by 70mm wide screen; the biggest screen in the UK. Everest was perfect for the IMax as it made you feel like you were up on the mountain with the climbers, making whole experience intense. The film would have been less exiting on a 2D screen, however the constant action and exitement of the film would still come across on a smaller screen. The technology in this film was amazing and very realistic which added to the authenticity of the film. The film was very good to watch and exiting throughout and the whole experience was enhanced by the IMax technology. 

My Presentation on Quentin Tarantino.

Introduction to my blog

Hi I'm Maddy Rich and this is my media studies blog. I will use this blog to document my work and progress throughout my media a level course. I will be looking at all aspects of film and media, I hope you enjoy :)