Saturday 30 March 2013
Film Title Ideas
Throughout most of the AS film openings I have seen, I have seen no direct links between the title of the thriller and the thriller itself. Like I've previously said, I have planned my piece to appear as if it has been taken from the opening of a thriller movie. The basic plot of the film is a homicide detective chasing after a serial killer who he has failed to catch after numerous murders, however what becomes clear at the ending of the thriller opening is that the detective and killer are in fact the same person. I am using this concept as I believe it will make the audience feel uncomfortable with the opening and unsure on what is going to happen next.
When brainstorming names for the film, I liked the idea of giving the serial killer a celebrity persona. Names such as 'Ziggy Bloodlust' were suggested for the killer and also the opening. The use of references to 1980s artists would suggest that the killer sees himself as a rock star and would also make it clear to the audience that the film is set around thirty years ago.
However I do not feel that such a name would make a good movie title. One name suggested was 'Duality'. I feel 'Duality' would work perfectly with the thriller opening as it suggests two binary opposites, such as good and evil represented in my opening, in one object. I feel the name suggests a clear divide between two characters in the opening however does not give away that the main character is both the protagonist and the antagonist of the story.
Tuesday 12 March 2013
Evil Twin Productions
For the production stage of the film making process, I have created my own production company called Evil Twin Productions. The production company will specialise in films for avid film fans who don't want to sit back and passively watch a film, they want to be a part of it and be challenged by what they see. However, in order to distribute the film to my target audience, I would also need assistance from other film companies.
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company was set up by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 and distribute through a number of different companies worldwide. The company have worked on a number of big blockbusters including Oscar winning Silver Linings Playbook. However, my interest in the company originates from their work with Quentin Tarantino, both Bob and Harvey have worked with Tarantino since the production of Pulp Fiction and the company have produced both Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained. I believe my thriller has had a huge influence from Quentin Tarantino and his postmodernist fashion therefore I feel the production company would be heavily interested in the opening.
Film4 Productions
Film4 Productions is a British film company owned by Channel 4 and is responsible for the production of a number of British classics such as Trainspotting, This Is England and The Iron Lady. Film4 specialise in keeping the production of films British however, when researching into the codes and conventions of thrillers, out of the seven I looked into, none of them were British. I believe that Film4 would take a great interest in the project because of this and many British film goers may find it to be a refreshing change from the big budget Hollywood productions that are available. Another bonus of using Film4 productions is the access to the company's television channels. Film4 Productions open up a wide range of opportunities including making the film into a television movie where the film can be accessed by millions all at once.
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company was set up by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 and distribute through a number of different companies worldwide. The company have worked on a number of big blockbusters including Oscar winning Silver Linings Playbook. However, my interest in the company originates from their work with Quentin Tarantino, both Bob and Harvey have worked with Tarantino since the production of Pulp Fiction and the company have produced both Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained. I believe my thriller has had a huge influence from Quentin Tarantino and his postmodernist fashion therefore I feel the production company would be heavily interested in the opening.
Film4 Productions
Film4 Productions is a British film company owned by Channel 4 and is responsible for the production of a number of British classics such as Trainspotting, This Is England and The Iron Lady. Film4 specialise in keeping the production of films British however, when researching into the codes and conventions of thrillers, out of the seven I looked into, none of them were British. I believe that Film4 would take a great interest in the project because of this and many British film goers may find it to be a refreshing change from the big budget Hollywood productions that are available. Another bonus of using Film4 productions is the access to the company's television channels. Film4 Productions open up a wide range of opportunities including making the film into a television movie where the film can be accessed by millions all at once.
Target Audience
When researching into the codes and conventions of thrillers, I realised that thrillers are not for everyone therefore I am going to aim mine at a niche target audience of people who will enjoy the film rather than just the general public. Identifying a target audience for my thriller opening is key to the planning stage of the process as it will lay ground work for how I eventually market the film as well as somewhat dictate the plot of the opening and finally its success.
Demographic Audience
I believe the film is aimed mainly towards classes A and B perhaps C1 as well as the film will ask the audience to question what they see and not just sit back and passively take in everything happening around them. The thriller requires the audience to think about the film and think about how the film may end and who the real killer is. I believe the film will be aimed mainly towards males between the ages 18 - 49. This is due to the fact that, during the opening, the only two female characters are very minor and are both attacked in different ways by the male characters of the film making the men in the film appear stronger than women; I'm not saying that women would not enjoy this film, I just believe that due to the fact that men are presented in a stereotypical male fashion will have a greater appeal to men than women.
Psychographic Audience
I believe my thriller opening would appeal to a number of different groups of people, explorers who are always looking for new things, especially among the younger generation will enjoy this film as, seeing as they are mainly young therefore may be new to cinema, it may open a door into the thriller genre for them. However I feel the main psychographic audience this film will target are reformers who have attended higher education and look for quality in media products. I believe the thriller would target film fanatics who plan their trips to the cinema and read reviews to see if the film is worth a watch. These people would have a great knowledge of the thriller genre and enjoy how I have used and abused the codes and conventions in order to make a gripping opening sequence. These people seek a film to challenge their intellect whilst going through the motions of a typical thriller such as The Shining, keeping the audience on thin ice ready to be dropped into the unknown.
In order to gain a greater understanding of what my target audience expects to find in a thriller, I have interviewed a number of people who would fit into my target audience demographically and psychologically as well as those who would not, to see if my initial plan for my thriller would also appeal to them therefore opening my thriller to a wider audience.
My first interviewee is a forty six year old woman who works in a doctor's surgery. She has previously worked with many different platforms of media for local council and understands that it is necessary to address your target audience to ensure the success of your product as she has done in her own professional field.
Demographic Audience
I believe the film is aimed mainly towards classes A and B perhaps C1 as well as the film will ask the audience to question what they see and not just sit back and passively take in everything happening around them. The thriller requires the audience to think about the film and think about how the film may end and who the real killer is. I believe the film will be aimed mainly towards males between the ages 18 - 49. This is due to the fact that, during the opening, the only two female characters are very minor and are both attacked in different ways by the male characters of the film making the men in the film appear stronger than women; I'm not saying that women would not enjoy this film, I just believe that due to the fact that men are presented in a stereotypical male fashion will have a greater appeal to men than women.
Psychographic Audience
I believe my thriller opening would appeal to a number of different groups of people, explorers who are always looking for new things, especially among the younger generation will enjoy this film as, seeing as they are mainly young therefore may be new to cinema, it may open a door into the thriller genre for them. However I feel the main psychographic audience this film will target are reformers who have attended higher education and look for quality in media products. I believe the thriller would target film fanatics who plan their trips to the cinema and read reviews to see if the film is worth a watch. These people would have a great knowledge of the thriller genre and enjoy how I have used and abused the codes and conventions in order to make a gripping opening sequence. These people seek a film to challenge their intellect whilst going through the motions of a typical thriller such as The Shining, keeping the audience on thin ice ready to be dropped into the unknown.
In order to gain a greater understanding of what my target audience expects to find in a thriller, I have interviewed a number of people who would fit into my target audience demographically and psychologically as well as those who would not, to see if my initial plan for my thriller would also appeal to them therefore opening my thriller to a wider audience.
My first interviewee is a forty six year old woman who works in a doctor's surgery. She has previously worked with many different platforms of media for local council and understands that it is necessary to address your target audience to ensure the success of your product as she has done in her own professional field.
My second interviewee is a forty three year old construction manager and is middle class. He is an avid movie goer and, through watching a number of thrillers, understands what is required to engage the audience within the thriller genre. He states that it is absolutely key to a thriller to maintain a plot which will keep the audience gripped from beginning to end, therefore I plan to sustain a basic plot throughout my thriller opening.
My third interviewee is from the other end of my age range spectrum as she is an eighteen year old woman who is preparing to enter higher education at university.
For my third and fourth interviewees, I decided to film the couple together discussing what they would like to find in a thriller. I feel that through doing this the participants would feel more comfortable in answering the question and would give a completely honest response to what they expect to find. Through their talk of other famous films from the thriller genre, I will be able to observe elements of them films such as Se7en and emulate them in my own opening, addressing the desires of my target audience. I believe their conversation also represents what the wider public also desire in thriller films, allowing myself to open up to a wider audience.
Reccying 28/01/13
After initial planning begun, I decided that it would be a good idea to go into the centre of Bristol to search for a location for the third and final scene of our thriller opening. The third scene will consist of thee antagonist, who has just left the scene of the first murder, encountering a tramp in the street who he murders in cold blood. This scene is significant to the opening as the killer's identity will be clearer as it will be the only scene with a clear shot of his face.
When discussing the ideal location for the scene, a number of alleyways in the centre of Bristol came to mind therefore I thought it would be beneficial to go into Bristol and recce a number of different sites, rather than just going into Bristol on the day of filming completely unprepared for any issues that I may face.
What is the purpose of a recce? The purpose of a recce is to establish whether a venue or location is suitable for filming as well as see if the location has any potential problems related to sound and lighting.
On the 28th of January, my group and I went to St Nicholas Market in the centre of Bristol and scouted a number of different locations. Two of the locations we viewed stood out and were the most suitable for the third scene of the thriller.
St Nicholas Market
The first location I viewed was the lane leading off of St Nicholas Market on Wine Street. The lane had a number of features I was hoping to find including a small amount of graffiti on the walls making the lane appear to be part of a dangerous neighbourhood. However I felt that the lane looked too old fashioned for what I wanted to create and there were a number of issues with the location such as a bank on one side which had huge glass windows as well as a number of people constantly walking up and down to different shops.
Leonard Lane
A two minute walk from St Nicholas Market is a dark, dingy lane which I believe is perfect for the final scene of the two minute opening. I want this scene to show that this killer has plunged into the dark 80's underworld of society and Leonard Lane would support this through the ridiculous amount of graffiti, bins and litter which plague the lane. Even the smell of the alleyway was horrifying therefore I believe that the lane will accurately represent the place the killer is in psychologically and that he is targeting other lowlifes. The idea of using a lane is to show the killer after he has murdered another person, by killing the tramp he is shown to be a true psychopath as he murders the tramp just because he had reached for the killer's wallet. The lane represents the back of the seedy hotel shown in the opening scene therefore I believe Leonard Lane is the perfect location as its narrow lane will make the audience feel claustrophobic and uneasy even before they witness the killer strike again.
I have decided to use this location for the scene as it is quiet and there are some sheltered areas in case of rain; however the lane on St Nicholas Market will be used as an alternate location just in case I encounter problems with this location on the day of filming.
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