Pre-Production

Thriller Film Ideas and Blogs

In groups you need to mind map, explore and blog all of your ideas that your group has for your Thriller film. Remembering everything you have learnt about the Thriller genre and video production.

What is your final idea? Why did you choose this? You will present your ideas to the class this Thursday (Hannah’s lesson). What feedback did you get? Do you agree with any suggestions made? Remembering to add this to your blog

Once you have decided on your idea and Alison and Hannah have agreed with your production, you then need to start completing pre-production paperwork. This includes the following:-

Shot List

Detailed storyboards

Location information

Character information

Props list

Detail on target audience

Production schedule

These need to be added to your blogs

You will only be able to book a camera and shoot once the pre-production paperwork is complete. Our advice is to split this work amongst the group, making you each responsible for certain areas.

Be creative and artistic, use all of your knowledge and skills to plan beautifully shot opening sequences.

Deadline and tick lists

There are now only two weeks left to complete the research and preliminary task sections to your blog. Use the holidays to ensure that all the key areas are covered. The Deadline for the research and prelim task is Tuesday 10th November (first AS lesson after the holidays).You must find information from a range of sources (remembering to reference correctly) and use both Primary and Secondary research methods to gain a solid understanding of the Thriller genre, its audience and producers.Areas to cover for Thriller Research:

• Defining the genre
• Thriller Openings and textual analysis
• Sub-genres
• Locations, set design, costume and props
• Target Audiences
• Directors
• Film reviews
• Actors
• Production companies
• Music
  

You should also be blogging you’re developing technical skills and your experiences of filming and editing in the prelim task.

Areas to cover for the prelim task:

• Which camera are you using?
• Explain your knowledge of camera shot types and angles explaining how these communicate to audiences.
• What is continuity editing?
• Explain the 180 rule
• Explain what a 'match on action' is. Remember you can use diagrams / drawing etc.
• How did your filming go? Did it happen as planned? Did you have any technical difficulties?
• What have you learnt from the pre-lim filming exercise? If you could do it again, what would you do differently?
• Who did what in the pre-lim?
• How do you feel you performed in your role?
• What camera / editing skills did you have before you started? What skills have you now got?
• Are there any more specific or identifiable skills that you will need for your thriller?

Well done to all those students who have already added multiple posts, many of which make really interesting reading. The ones that work best are those that have included personal responses to found material, i.e. a film reviews, responses to theory, film analysis. This approach demonstrates an engagement with the material and is evidence of your growing knowledge and understanding of Thriller films. Keep it up.

You’re a great class and we’re really looking forward to working with you on your thriller practical next term. Have a great holiday and remember that the deadline is the first Tuesday back.

Up to speed

During the lesson on Thursday 24th September you familiarised yourself with your groups blog, how to create, edit and delete posts and how to add images and video to your posts. The blog should record your technical and theoretical development throughout your practical.You have been asked to get your blogs up to speed and to record all your learning so far in terms of your camera skills, prelim task and thriller opening analysis. Appropriately title each post and cover one point per post, for example;

Thriller codes and conventions
Thriller openings
Camera shots, movements and angles (class notes and images)
Camera workshops
Prelim Task

Remember to reference all secondary material correctly.
When using images taken from a google search find out the URL of the site that the image orginated from.
Good luck and we look forward to seeing you next week.

Introduction to the Thriller Blog

Alongside your preliminary video exercise and the production of your thriller film you must present extended class notes, independent research, production planning and evaluation in the form of a group blog. Below is a list of basic requirements that each group must include on their blog:
Ongoing accounts of technical workshops (video/editing) and personal skills development
Independent research into the thriller genre, target audiences, institutions
Notes and records on actors, locations, costumes and props
Pre-Production work including shotlists,scripting, storyboarding, production schedules
Accounts of filming and evaluation of production roles
An individual evaluation
Collect evidence (primary and secondary photographs and videos) as you go along and make regular posts at relevant times throughout the production.