Target Audience

Primary Target Audience
- 18-25
- People who like Thriller films
- Male and Female

Secondary Target Audience
- 18 and Under (Younger Audience)
- 25 and Over (Older Audience)

Thanks to our films female protagonist and the gory violence, the film will attract both male and female audiences for different reasons. 'Rupture' is rated 18 because of its violence but aims to attract younger audiences who are willing to pretend to be older than they really are. This all depends of the way the film is marketed e.g. word of mouth, advertising etc. It also depends on whether 'Rupture' is shown in a huge multiplex or in an independent arts cinema [the latter having a lot less publicity].

OUR FILM WOULD NOT APPEAL TO...
- People who don't violence in films
- The Elderly
- Children
- People who have phobia's of certain situations e.g. being tied up.

Compare & Contrast

'Rupture' vs. 'Casino Royale'

The torture scene in 'Casino Royale' has a lot of similarities with our opening sequence. They both involved a battered man sitting, tied up on a chair in the middle of a dark (possible underground) room with dripping water. Both sequences show the torturer carrying a weapon which they are going to farm the man sitting in the chair with. The torturer is free to move however they want, circling the chair in both films and get really close to the man in the chair as they know there's nothing they can do. It is also obvious that in both sequences, the torturer is throughly enjoying themselves. In both sequences, the man in the chair is screaming.

However, in 'Rupture' the torturer is a young woman whereas in 'Casino Royale' this role is played by a man. In 'Rupture' the man in the chair is battered but still fully clothed but in 'Casino Royale' he is topless. In 'Rupture' the man is moaning whereas in 'Casino Royale' the man is screaming in pain. the torture in 'Rupture' is down to revenge but in 'Casino Royale' , it all comes down to money.



(The torture scene discussed comes at 03:20)

Some Key Thriller Characteristics Displayed In Our Opening Sequence

Characters
Femme fatal, The Final Girl??

Themes
Vulnerability, Torture, Criminal Activity, Murder, Entrapment, Revenge

Iconography
Gun, Knife, Underground room, Derelict Building, Water

Events/Sounds/Actions
Someone who's trapped, Screaming, Basement location, Someone who's tied up, Stabbing

Techniques Achieved (incomplete)

Shooting
180 Degree, 30 degree (no), Match on action, Shot-Reverse Shot, Close ups etc

Editing
Transitions, Continuity, Condensed time, cross cutting etc

Sound
Non-diegetic/ diegetic

Applying Theory to 'Rupture'

Levi-Strauss: Binary Opposites

This theory revolves around the idea that elements in a story are paired and are opposite. I can identify a few examples of this in my sequence 'Rupture' such as:

• Male vs. Female
• Good vs. Evil
  
• Freedom vs. Entrapment
• Justice vs. Injustice
• Cleanliness vs. Grubbyness

Barthes: Action & Enigma Codes

Barthes theory claims that every film is dependant on Enigma codes and Action Codes. Enigma codes raise questions and Action codes refer to actions leading to other actions creating suspense in the audience.

Action Codes:
-Showing only the boots walking
-The laying out of the tools
-Taking the gun out of the bag (But he does not get shot. goes against Barthes theory)
-Man being held hostage
-The fade to black at the end of the sequence

Enigma Codes:
-Why does she fire a blank instead of a real bullet?
-Why is the man tied up with gaffer tape over his mouth?
-Where are they located?
-What tool will she pick?
-Why is she carrying so many tools in her bag?
-Why did she select that particular tool over the others?
-What has the man done to be killed?

Todorov: Narrative Structure

We cannot really apply Todorov's theory to our sequence as we have only made the opening sequence and his theory refers to the story establishing a beginning state of equilibrium, then resorting a state of disequilibrium and ending with the production of a new equilibrium by the means of the main characters actions [usually]. Our sequence is supposed to be the end of the story meaning it actually shows the production of the new equilibrium through the gilrs killing of the man who was partly responsible for the disequilibrium.

Propp: Character Types

Propp identified eight character types common to stories. I have identified 3 of these characters in my opening sequence although the rest of the film may reveal otherwise.

The Villain
This appears to be the girl in our opening sequence as she is the one holding the man hostage, playing with him and killing him. However, the rest of the film shows that she is only seeking revenge.

The False Hero
In my sequence, this role is played by the male character. The audience emphaise with his character as he is the first person we see and we feel sorry for him. However, the rest of the film will show him to be a member of the gang that raped and murdered the girl's sister.

The Hero
the rest of the film will show the girl to also play the role of the hero as she is bringing justice and avenging her sisters death.

'Rupture'

Personal Evaluation

I believe the project was a success as we all stuck to deadlines, resolved disagreements with compromise and developed skills. I learnt a lot technically (e.g. I can now use Adobe Premier and After FX to a much higher standard than before) but also how important it is to be organised and to work together when working in a group.

Due to our group dynamics, there were no major disagreements and if anyone has an issue, we said it. I now feel a lot more confident with my technical ability due to my individual editing sessions which gave me a chance to experiment.

My main criticism of myself in this project is that if there were conflicting ideas within the group, I found it difficult to back down. however, we worked around the groups strong personalities by compromising or by doing both ideas, seeing how it looked and then deciding as a group.

Inspiration --> Tarantino

The two scenes below from two of Tarantino's films were of particular inspiration to us when planning and developing the synopsis of our opening sequence 'Rupture.'

Kill Bill
The opening sequence of 'Kill Bill' was very influential to us in making our thriller seqeunce as the first thing we see is a restrained, battered, moaning woman. The torturer then comes in yet you only see his boots walking towards the victim and hear his voice so his identity remains a mystery to the audience. This makes the scene much more enigmatic leaving the audience wanting to watch the rest of the film. My own film shares some of the key themes of this scene e.g. Vigilante characters, revenge, torture etc.


Reservoir Dogs
The torture scene in 'Reservoir Dogs' has a lot of similarities to our sequence 'Rupture' and was particularly influential in 'Rupture's early planning stages. Reservoir Dogs shows a battered cop in a chair central in a room which is very similar to aspects in our thriller. The chair is used a pivot for the camera so there is more emphasis on Mr. Blonde's actions. The irony of the music also makes the scene much more watchable but at the same time highly disturbing.

Final DVD Cover

Blurb
The Fifth film from cult director Joel Lanza ('Bulldog', 'Night of the Reaper') 'Rupture', is one of this year's most thrilling and poignant films. Focusing on one sister's revenge, 'Rupture' tells the story of two sisters trying to make a fresh start in Central London after the death of their parents. Everything seems to be going well, until a tragic act of brutality by a gang of thugs results in the death of the younger of the two. The eldest, Jasmine (Nicola Forelli- 'The Puppeteer', 'Away from L.A.'), seeks to avenge her sister on a journey that will take her deep into the seedy underbelly of London.

Lanza's finset film to date, 'Rupture' has shocked and wowed audiences, even picking up the 2008 Palme d'Or.

Group 2C (is the best group)

Individual Contribution to Avoiding Problems

The 5 things i can do to make sure shooting runs smoothly are...

1. Encourage people to speak their mind--> If no one says what they think then no one else will know there's something wrong and resentment will build up resulting in pointless arguments.
2. Keep the group focused --> Stop time-wasting as much as possible and make sure everyone in the group knows we're on a tight schedule.
3. Assigning Jobs --> Make sure 'fun' and 'boring' jobs get shared out equally between group members so everything is fair.
4. If I'm supposed to bring anything on shoot weekends, I must make sure I check I have everything I need before I leave.
5. Losing my patience --> When things don't go my way I must learn to compromise and understand that everyones ideas are equal and therefore deserve to be heard.
   

Opening sequence of "Pi"

A film made by Darren Aronofsky, the director of "Requiem for a Dream".
'A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature' -IMDB
I am desperate to see this thriller movie! I thought the opening sequence was really interesting; really unconventional in some ways but really sticking the rules in others. The whole effect of the opening sequence with the music and the images is really freaky and trippy and looks a bit like a computer game. This sequence is similar in ways to ones I've posted before in the way that there are lots of different images flitting on and off screen in a very short space of time. Very inspirational for my own thriller sequence.

The Departed (incomplete)

First 10 minutes


One of Martin Scorsese's earlier films. In "The Departed", we see the typical Cop vs. Gangster relationship but with a twist; the race to uncover the moles who have infiltrated the Police force and the mob. This makes sure the audience aren't too unnerved, but adds excitement to what would be a very conventional film. It's also such a simple idea that I'm surprised other writers haven't focused their films on this sort of plot. I find it interesting how i was inclined to take the side of the gangsters over the cops and the overall message of the film to me is summed up in this quote "When I was growing up, they would say you could become cops or criminals. But what I'm saying is this. When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?" which sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Throughout the film, it becomes difficult for the audience to distinguish between the 'bad' and the 'good.' Scorsese seems to sit on the fence and does not seem to persuade you who is right or who is wrong and is basically saying at the end of the day, what difference is it going to make?

The movie opens showing the racial unrest and protests of 1960s Boston, suggesting a political metaphor which in fact is not followed throughout the rest of the film. You could say what's happening in the opening sequence has nothing to do with the plot of the film. However, it sets the time and the city in which the film will be situated in therefore giving the audience the background of the film.

"The Departed" is a remake of the Hong Kong blockbuster "Infernal Affairs" and i feel Scorsese had done an excellent job of modernising the story and tweaking it so the audience can relate to it more. However, many people find the psychological tension to be much higher in the original.

"Forget the film, watch the Titles"

While researching opening sequences i came across the following video which I can't seem to paste into the blog so I'll just put down the URL

http://www.submarinechannel.com/titlesequences/video.jsp?video=27967

I recommend everyone have look at it as it was made with a small budget using close ups to make ordinary, everyday objects seem strange. I have read the information down the side of the page about Danny Yout and apparently this title sequence links to Se7ens title sequence.
If you press back you can see the rest of the films which are also very good e.g. El Bufalo de la Noche, Allerzielen. Defiantly worth looking at it, and very influential for budget producers [like ourselves].

(I've realised I really REALLY like the use of image close ups and want to use them in my thriller film)

From Top left: Reservoir Dogs, Scream, Hide and Seek, 12 Angry Men, Memento, L.A. Confidential, Scarface, Psycho, Flightplan

Rope (1948)-Another Hitchcock Film

While researching Scorsese's long take from Goodfellas, I found information about the film 'Rope'. The whole film was made up of a series of 8-10 minute shots all seamlessly cut together to make it seem like the same shot. According to IMDB, 'there are only 2 intentionally visible cuts during the main body of the film' This was the first notable film to use long unedited takes to tell a story and has inspired many directors e.g. Scorsese, to use this technique.

Hitchcock, on the other extreme, also made the film 'The Birds' which has 1,360 edits.

________________________________________

Kill Bill
-Another great example of a long take. This one isn't quite as well known or quite as long as the other but I really do think it's an amazing technique. The way the directors make it seem so easy when in fact, it would be extremely difficult to do. It makes the audience feel like they're really there, inside the film and part of the action, instead of making the audience feel like an outsider.

• Long takes can be used to create the effect of claustrophobia on the audience and negatively can cause the audience to wait for the actor to make a mistake rather than paying attention to the plot. It can also bore the audience so they loose intrest in the film.

Director Research: Martin Scorsese

Other Films: Mean Steets, Taxi Driver, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Raging Bull

After finally watching Goodfellas (thanks to Michael) and thoroughly enjoying it, I was compelled to do some research into the Director, Scoresese's, work and the techniques he uses...

Many see 'Goodfellas' to be the high point in Scorsese's career and shows a fantastic display of the director's cinematic technique. Scorsese usually begins his films with segments of the film taken from the middle/the end of the story plot. I think this is particularly influential for me and my thriller as it is very enigmatic and makes the audience want to keep watching the film. Scorsese is a huge fan of long, tracking takes and uses them in many of his films. Below is the legendary clip taken from 'Goodfellas' showing the long tracking shot of Henry and Karen walking into a restaurant. This clip puts the audience in the point of view of Karen who Henry is about to sweep off her feet. I find the maneuvering of the camera through the tight hallways while maintaining dialogue and a high level of acting very impressive.

Goodfellas Opening Sequence-
The Opening sequence of 'Goodfellas' raises a number of questions in the audiences minds the main one of which is; what is Scorsese trying to tell us? The first thing we see is 3 men in a car driving into the woods and we hear a banging coming from inside the boot. The car stops, the men get out of the car and the camera zooms in on the boot. Next, the boot opens and there is a reverse shot back on the men as if something is staring at them. We then see the boot open and see a man covered in blood pleading for his life. Two of the men seem to sympathise with the man but the third shoots him a number of times. The camera then zooms in on the main character and 'antihero' of the film whose voice over says "As far back as I can remember, i always wanted to be a gangster" which is a strange thing to say in those circumstances. The scene is very enigmatic and the audience don't know why any of the things happening in the scene are happening. The only way to answer their questions will be to watch the film.


Binary Opposites in the film
e.g. Law vs. Criminal
Family Greatness vs. Underworld
Glamour vs. Despair

_________________________________

I've decided I want to base my thriller sequence around gangsters, crime and vigilantes.

Loactions

I decided to do some research into the filming locations used in some of Mr Quentin Tarantino's movies...


Pulp Fiction
The film starts and ends in the above diner. i think it's an interesting place to set a thriller/ black comedy hybrid as it seems to be a quite a normal place. There is nothing dark or mysterious about it e.g. the house used in 'Psycho.' This is clever as it means that perhaps the audience can relate to what's happening more easily.


Reservoir Dogs
The majority of this film is set in an old deserted warehouse which I've done some research into and found out the warehouse was once a mortuary. This follows the typical conventions of the thiller genre e.g. isolation. The interior of the warehouse is quite dank, seems unused and decor gives the auedience the idea of a prison or of criminal activity.



Jackie Brown
A lot of the 'exciting activity' or whatever you'd like to call it takes place in a shopping centre. We see the same time period a number of times (i think 3 but don't hold me to that) from diferent characters in the story points of view in order to understand why things happen e.g. why Jackie leaves the money in the changing room. The first time you see it is very confusing but as it is replayed again and again from different points of view, the audience understand. I think it is an interesting place to shoot a film as it is a very normal place, full of people making the stealing of the money more interesting.

Opening Sequence: Se7en

An extremely clever set of opening credits which, in many ways shares techniques shown in my earlier clip taken from 'Requiem for a Dream.' I haven't yet seen the film and Se7ens opening credits are highly effective in sparking curiosity in the audience and creating enigma. The credits are classic yet at the same time do not conform to the 'rules'; they are black and white but move around and switch colour places regularly. My earlier clip and this one are similar in the way that they show lots of close up images that the audience don't understand and will only find out how they are relevant by watching the film. The music used is modern and the flickering on screen disorientates the audience.
A highly effective opening sequence...

Opening Credits

What's in them?

• Company name e.g. Dreamworks, Motion Pictures
• Main Characters
• Director e.g. A Tarantino Production, A Steven Spielberg Film
• The Title
  

Are Opening credits neccessary?

I think the opening credits of a film are useful as they are the first thing the audience see and if used effectively can set the mood/tone for the film prefectly e.g. the opening credits in 'Psycho' -simple yet hypnotic.

Opening credits can be used to outline the directors intensions and set up expectations of those watching the film. However, I have researched openind credits a bit and I have found out that many films don't have opening credits and some dont even mention the name of the film.

Vanilla Sky, Apocolypse Now, The Ring, The Bourne Identity, and The Mummy Returns are all examples of this.

These are all highly successful films which could be seen as evidence that Opening Credits are unnecessary. However in my thriller I still plan to use opening credits as i think it's a helpful form of introduction for the audience.