Overall Thoughts

I really enjoyed this project and learned a lot. I've gained a keener interest into thriller films and learnt alot about what makes a thriller a thriller, including the need to create enigma and suspense. I learnt a lot more about filming and how to use the camera to film certain shots. Such as being able to film from a high angle whilst keeping the camera steady using the tripod. I also learnt a lot about continuity editing, such as the 180 degree rule and other continuity techniques which we incorporated in our sequence. For example, when we used a match on action when the main character drops his cigarette. In addition I gained more knowledge on Adobe Premiere in constructing our opening sequence and I'm now able to use it more confidently.

Overall I'm pleased in our final sequence and think it fits the brief. Our group worked well together in acheiving our final peice but could have spent more time and planning and organisation. This would be something we would work on for the next project.

Avoiding Problems When Filming - Response

Previously we looked at the problems we might face when filming and had the opportunity to self evaluate and look at the problems we might face personally. I thought that my main problem would be to with being too dominating. This turned out not to be the cae, I think i was quite submissive maybe even too much as I didnt voice some of my opinions, which led to a brief disruption. This was resolved quickly after a group meeting was called and all the issues addressed. In my attempt to be less vocal I went to the extreme and didnt say anything at all and I needed to find a balance between the two. Regarding the other problems I predicted might take place, they didnt really occur and everything went really well during filming and later editing.

Inpsiration

Below is the beginning of the film Secret Window. I gained inspiration from this film in two different aspects. Firstly I liked the way suspense and enigma are created by showing the audience the man in the car and hearing a voiceover talking to him. This allows the audience to question who the man might be and who the voice belongs to. It also creates a build up to the end of the opening sequence where the man finds the couple in the hotel room. The scene in the car allows the audience to really appreciate this scene as we wonder where he is and why he shouldn't go back and what he may discover. This was something I wanted to include in my final opening sequence, a build up to a final action or scene. This would mean that the clip would have to be really suspenseful and enigmatic, which would retain the audience's interest. Doing this would cover two conventions of thriller opening sequences.
The second reason I gained inspiration from this opening was with the camera work. This opening used a lot of tracking shots across the water and this along with the music created a feeling of tension and suspense, which is necessary in thrillers.

In comparing our opening sequence with Secret Window it is possible to see similarities. These include the idea of using one main character right at the start to create suspense. In Secret window they use the shot of the man in the car for the first minute of their sequence to create enigma, to get the audience asking questions and wondering what is going on. In our sequence we similarly used a male, of a younger generation, to create this feeling of suspense and enigma. Our establishing shot of him on the bench and then later shots of him walking around also make the audience ask questions and think about what might happen next.

In our sequence we use music to help create an atmosphere of tension and anticipation. Secret Window also does this but much later in the opening sequence than with ours as they start with a voiceover. This means that there is a reliance on the main character and the voiceover to retain the audience's interest using enigma and suspense. Whilst in our sequence the reliance is on the main character and the music. The other difference with our sequence and Secret Window aswell. Such as the camera shots. In Secret Window the camera remains still and it is only the character and car that move at the beginning whilst in Relapse we used a variety of different shots and angles from different distances.

Both sequence's work well to build up to the final scene in the opening. They both have the ability to retain the audience's interest in similar and different ways, which is essential for a successful thriller opening.

Questionnaire

Here is a copy of a short questionnaire i did near the beginning of the project to gain feedback from our potential target audience on our initial idea.

• Are you male or female?

• Do you enjoy watching thriller films?

• What are your favourite thrillers and why?

• What do you like about our initial idea?

• What improvements would you suggest?

• What type of people do you think our idea would appeal to?

DVD Cover

I really like our DVD cover as it really represents what our film is about without giving to much away. We gained a lot of inspiration from the DVD cover of Secret Window (pictured below). We liked the idea of merging two images and adapted this to our own cover. The main character on the front shows that the film is about him and the audience is left to wonder what in his past is he trying to escape from, as the tag line implies. The back works really well and the main image on the back is really striking and attention grabbing. I think our DVD works really well in anchoring our opening sequence.

Opening Sequence

I am quite pleased with our opening sequence. I think it fits the brief of creating an opening sequence of an opening film. Not too much of the story is given away and its quite ambiguous. It build's up suspense really well as we left the main action until the very end so that the audience wonders who the character is and what is going to happen. The music also works really well to anchor the clip. It helps to build up the suspense and leave the audience on the edge of their seats. We tried to vary the shot types we had and i think we have acheived this successfully in our sequence. These shots help to break up the action effectively and make the clip look more interesting. Overall I think that our clip works well and looks like the opening sequence of a film. The main improvement that we could have made was with the lighting and trying to make sure it was the same in each shot and also making our titles a bit more interesting.

Opening Sequence Titles

Titles at the start of a film make it very clear to the audience that they are watching the opening sequence. Films vary the titles they use some choosing to break up each shot with a title on a black screen whilst others use to have the titles fade in and out over the shot. I prefer titles that fade in and out as the feel of the opening sequence is more continuous and less chopped up. The titles are less noticeable like this though and could potentially distract attention away from the shot. To avoid this problem titles like this are placed in a corner so they are less in the way. The advantage of having a title on a black screen is that the audience pays attention to the title. Titles often used in opening sequences include:

• Production Companies
• In Association with
• Screenplay adapted by
• Based on a book/novel by
• Director/Producer
• Actors
• Music
• Casting
• Film Title