Storyboard

Company ident and titles

 

 

 

Our Company Ident and titles

For our company ident we decided that we wanted something simplistic but effective. Our ident consists of a black box with a spotlight inside it which will be the trade mark of our company. The text is also in a simplistic font with the ‘spotlight’ text bolded because it is the most significant part of our ident. We wanted to keep it simplistic as we found that simplistic silhouette idents are more memorable than more complicated ones.

We were inspired by other idents such as those from The Weinstein Company, Touchstone Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment. These are all simplistic titles were the first word is bolded or bigger than the second. They’re all accompanied by a symbol that links to their studios in some way. For example, Spyglass Entertainment shows someone holding a spyglass. All these idents are also animated in their actual films so we will animate our ident in some way.

 

•Our film titles will be superimposed throughout our opening so that our titles are clear whilst fitting into the theme of the film. Our title will be shown on a missing poster to further link into the theme of it being a realistic missing poster.

•We have a few title font ideas that we are planning to use in our thriller. For our film title we want it to look as if the title has been written onto the screen by the stalker himself. We’ve picked out 6 fonts that fit our idea.

•Other film titles that have inspired us are Se7en, Shaun of the Dead and Lost. These titles are worn out and damaged and link closely to the themes of their films.

 

 

 

AS Media pitch

Media pitch

Poll Everywhere results - Thriller Typography

 

We asked people to take part in voting for which font they liked the most and felt would be the most appropriate for our thriller typography. Below are the six different style of fonts to choose from:

 

 We have  chosen between a hand written look and a handcrafted font. The handwritten look follows the typical stereotype of a male having poor handwritten and leaves it looking distorted and eligible. This creates ideas of the character perhaps being undereducated, connoting a lack of an ideal background/past which could connote why he carries out/commits the acts he does. Furthermore, the eligible and scratchy font makes it seem eerie and similar to that of the Se7en trailer which also created many enigmas about the character. The handcrafted look is similar to that of a ransom note found in movies, which suggests a psycho and deranged nature and follows previous conventions.

The results of the poll are as follows:

The results of the poll are as follows: Our results showed that PW Scratchy was the most popular font with 99%. LineScratch placed second. PW Scratchy would be most appropriate and fits our aim for the titles and the plot. We like 99% LineScrath, as compared to the other handwritten styles it seems that a significant amount of the letters were difficult to decipher. Also they would be harder to apply to a wide variety of different backgrounds because it wasn't bold or clear enough. PW Scratchy is the most appropriate as it is practical and can be applied in most situations.

AS Media timeline analysis

 

AS Media Thriller Timeline Analysis

 

We have utilised typography in an efficient and unique manner in order to demonstrate our modern approach to creating this thriller opening. Our titles will be displayed in a ‘super-imposed’ (graphically placed over the shots in the trailer). This type of typography is incredibly common in 21^st century thriller openings, as opposed to thriller films of a different age, which would likely include titles that are physically placed in the shots. Due to the relatively suspenseful nature of our opening, these title sequences are played through at a slow speed of around 5-10 seconds each in order to instil a sense of forebodingness, as well as to create tension.

In order to decide our font of choice, we conducted an internet poll. Deciding typography font is a process that must be though through carefully, so as to match the correct genre, sub-genres and meaning in relation to the shots shown on screen.

An example we’d like to emulate in our thriller is the typography style used in the psychological/mystery thriller ‘Se7en’. Certain letters are intentionally blurred or distorted so that the audience will find difficulty to read them. The purpose of this is to replicate the sense of uneasiness and confusion the viewer will feel at this point, and to infer to the audience that the following film will contain mystery and enigma that the audience must solve. By choosing a similar font for our thriller opening that is used constantly throughout both scenes of the killer alone and the chase scene, the audience is immediately understanding of the type of film trailer we are showcasing. Not only this, but superimposed ‘informal’ (jagged looking, shaky etc.) typography further demonstrates a more modern approach to creating a thriller trailer. More modern typography is usually focused on appearing appealing and interesting to the reader, as opposed to plain, dull and too formal. In the past, thriller titles would use large, bold font that is clearly visible to the reader, with the purpose of simply establishing the name of the thriller the viewer is watching.

In Psycho, The Brides of Dracula, Misery and many other thriller films of its era, the film title would be displayed in bold font and would be large enough so as to intimidate the viewer.

 

 

 

 

However in most modern day thrillers, typography is used more subtly, and usually is placed towards the edge of the screen or in one of the corners. This serves the purpose of appearing more mysterious and secretive. In our thriller, instead of being placed in the centre, our titles will be placed towards the edge of the screen, so as to appear updated and informal as mentioned above. Also, by placing our titles towards the edge of the screen, the viewer is not distracted from the sequences or action on screen, which may contain vital information.

The timing of our titles will also be crucial, so as to compliment the soundtrack not to distract from it. This means we will have to carefully consider at which point to fade titles in and when they disappear. This will likely be decided after filming, as it is difficult to judge which shots will appear at what point in the soundtrack before this point. Our typography will also likely be decided based upon the soundtrack we use, since like Se7en, the title font may want to replicate the events on screen and the soundtrack as much as possible. For example, in Se7en, jagged typography is intentionally used to match the sharp and unusual soundtrack. Noticeably, the font type becomes more erratic and difficult to decipher as the shot tempo increases and the soundtrack becomes more violent. We could replicate this in our thriller by using cleaner, calm font in the beginning as the suspense builds, but as the chase scene begins and the soundtrack develops, the typography could become more distinguished and jagged.

Another crucial area in which our typography can affect the audience is colour. Colour of the titles compared to the background colour can create any type of effect the director wants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both of these thrillers use superimposed typography in white lettering on a black background to infer to the audience the type of genre they are catering to.

Mise-En-Scene in our Thriller

Tuesday, 10 November 2015

Mise-En-Scene in our Thriller

We will be using two people to portray the characters in our trailer. We will be have a younger female girl and a young male. Having a young, female child as the victim will create the feel of vulnerability, helplessness and innocence for the audience and create more emotion. Having a young male as the antagonist adds eeriness and creates negative ideas and enigmas to do with his character and how he is  related to the young child.

The costume the male will wear will consist of dark and black clothing to connote the idea of him being dark and sinister and that he has some sort of authority/show he is the more powerful character.For example, police officers wear a mainly black uniform and they are people the position of power. He will also be wearing all black to connote the idea that he is anonymous.  Black will also help us to keep him looking mysterious and unidentifiable.

He will either wear a black coat or hoodie, with black jeans and either black boots or trainers. If boots can be obtained, they create a sense of looking powerful and hard-wearing, or if trainers are used both options will be a sensible choice for the location being used. In addition, heavy duty boots also create a stereotypical feel of being ‘strong’ and are mainly wore by men who do much labour work e.g. builders who often have a strong physique. 

The girl will be wearing school uniform to emphasise her age and innocence. Her hair will either be tied in a ponytail or in plaits to connote that she is still a  child and is innocent and vulnerable. It will either be primary uniform or secondary. This will consist of long black/white socks, skirt and polo-shirt/shirt. Her footwear will be a typical school shoe or something durable for the location to prevent injury. Her hair will be tied in either plaits or up in a ponytail with added ribbons. Again, the idea of this style alongside ribbons gives the stereotypical look of a 'cute' young girl. 

Lighting will consists of natural, low lighting. Using natural lighting will give it a more realistic effect and feel for the audience, this is also being used due to the chosen location. It is to be set in a woods, this connotes the feel of isolation and vulnerability, especially as it will be a child trying to escape but becoming lost. At another point, there is a scene in a darkened room/garage, where again this will be low lighting given off from a match. This will create an eerie and dark atmosphere for the audience.

Make-up used may consist of a dirty/mucky look on the child to show she would have been kidnapped and is running through a wood which could cause her to become dirtied. To create this look either actual dirt or black/brown make up will be used to create it. Cuts or bruising may be used to create the idea that the captor may have hurt her or that she may have become caught/fallen in the wood.

Props that are to be used consist of:

•  Leather gloves
• Rope
• Backpack/bag
• Images of the characters 
• A piece of cloth and a liquid drug/medication
• Match

 The gloves will be used to add to the black theme and idea of the actor being powerful and dangerous and having something to hide or conceal, hence covering his hands.
The rope will create enigmas on what it may be used for, this is also the same for the cloth and medication. Hints at ideas of what the antagonist may do to the child.
 The backpack will be used as a prop for the girl to have to show she has finished school and connotes her childlike tendencies and idea of her being immature.
 Lastly, the images will be used to portray the nature of the antagonist and how he and the girl are familiar and create enigmas and ideas about the antagonist and his true nature. These will also help with the build-up to the climax.

We chose the setting of both a garage and a local wood. Both local are local and do not require a long journey which makes it easily accessible for everyone. The garage will be used briefly at the start and is used to introduce the antagonist and have the audience think and suggest who he may be and what eh may do. The wood reflects the atmosphere through the way it is isolated and desolate which reflects the helpless nature of the young girl against the antagonist. Woods are known for being vast and strengthens the idea of the girl being lost, panicking and being in more danger. Woods are also places of uncertainty and often give the idea and impression of what may be inside and you never know what you may find or come across.  

AS Media thriller ideas