Plot

The plot to the hypothetical film I'm planning to make a trailer for is going to be called "Hidden In Plain Sight." and the tagline "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." It has some elements of horror but it does not really on fright, more suspense and an anxious feeling of the victim being so close to discovering the stalker's identity.

Step 1: One sentence summary

A London bred teenager girl is being stalked by her best friend but is unknowingly getting closer to him the more she tries to escape.

Step 2: Small paragraph (blurb)

Current day Croydon, London. Our protagonists are two long time best friends, Angela and Ezekiel. However Ezekiel has a slight crush on his friend Angela that's dangerously blown out of proportion when he starts stalking her. Angela is completely oblivious to who's stalking her but is confident in confiding in her best friend, little does she know that she's giving the stalker all the information he needs to stay hidden.

Step 3: Climax

Ends with Angela running from a different stalker who she mistakes for the original stalker to Ezekial's house for protection and discovers him changing into his mask. This leads to him confessing everything and trying to force himself on her. She ends up stabbing him in self defense.



Idea for the mask Ezekiel wears while stalking. Relevant to current day fears, simple to make or buy, creepy.

Coursework

Research from Adam Picton

Difference between scary and creepy

The difference between Scary and Creepy.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEikGKDVsCc

From what I gathered, being scared is the recognition of danger. There is something dangerous. You need to run, fight or hide from it. It's the absolute certainty that your well being is at stake, for example if you're being chased by a tiger. Creepy however is the uncertainty. The feeling that something is wrong but you're not quite sure yet if it's dangerous. It's unsettling in the worst way. For example (avert your eyes if you are not fond of horror or creepy things). 
This is a creepy image. There's a very tall man that appears similar to tree branches. But we aren't sure if that's dangerous or not. We're on edge, uneasy, it may be a threat but there's no reason to logically assume so yet. But this:

Is a more certain danger. There's sharp teeth and a deathly complexion. These are both things that our survival instincts associate with danger and dying so we're less uneasy with this image, but are more likely to be scared.

Weekly news 4.5

Weekly news 4.5 from Adam Picton

Weekly news 4

'Get Out' trailer analysis (Audio Visual)

Begins with opening of door to reveal protagonist. (metaphor for a new opening of his life?)
Fast cut to kiss. Quickly establishes relationship. Happy, bright colours. Homely vibe. They know each other well. Sets up plot. Both of their faces are shrouded mostly in darkness. Signifies the light, happy part of their lives is coming to a close. Relaxing tone, talking to his friend, casual conversation. Sets us at ease for the scare. Jump scare is the transition from calm tone to serious, ominous tone. Conversation with the policeman tells us what kind of place we're set in. Racism is the norm. First meeting with the parents establishes that the father is stereotyping. Father seems uncomfortable and wearing a forced smile. Makes us feel he's hiding something. The only other two black people besides the protagonist and his friend seem inhuman and strange. The first time attention is drawn to the mother we see the image of the spoon swirling in the cup and hypnotism is mentioned. This foreshadows the sinister visions. Reports of missing black people in the area pick the pace up. It's no longer just creepy, there's a real threat. Yet another seemingly strange black person. Close up to the camera flash on the protagonist's phone. The flash breaks the trance and his face slowly changes. Nose starts bleeding. First sign of blood more than half way into the trailer. Unusual for a horror/thriller. Relies more on suspense than scares. Protagonist seemingly knocked out and now the hypnotism comes back. The deer they hit from earlier makes a second appearance as a skeleton, screaming at the protagonist. This deer is a metaphor for the protagonist. It ran across the road, trying to escape from something but was hit by a car and was killed. This worries us as if that's the fate of the deer, what's the fate of the protagonist?

Overall brilliant trailer. Great use of lighting, brilliant performance, great use of sound, cinematography used effectively for establishment, e.g 46 seconds in, the wide shot of the house and the mise-en-scene was hard to analyse because of the fast pacing of the trailer but nothing seemed out of place. For reference, I've left the trailer below.
 

Inside Man

Inside Man

Character number 1: Detective Keith Frazier

This is arguably the film's protagonist (personally I think there's multiple protagonists). Played by Denzel Washington.

His main goal in the film is to marry his significant other and advance his career. Once the second character, which I'll get to in a minute, robs a bank, Detective Frazier is given his big break when he's put in charge of the negotiation. His sub goal is to now get all the hostages out alive and catch the bank robbers. His obstacles for his main goal include money and the struggle of climbing the economic ladder, while the obstacles of his sub goal are the bank robbers themselves. Towards the end of the film, the lead bank robber becomes the solution to his main obstacles by providing him with a diamond to fix the money and enough credit as the hero to advance in his career.

Character number 2: Dalton Russel

This is the film's second protagonist as he also gets what he wants and a lot of the narrative is also based around him. His goals are quite obscure throughout most of the film but by the end are revealed to be simply getting rich and exposing the bank owner for his past mistakes. Portrayed by Clive Owen.

The obstacles for his goal are simple. The police, detective Keith Frazier and the banks security. He manages to escape the bank with enough diamonds to give him all the money he needs and the documents to prove the bank owners evil deeds. At first he seems like the antagonist but as the story progresses we see he's not standing between Keith Frazier and his goal, and so he can't be the antagonist.

Character number 3: Madeleine Foster

This is the helper of both protagonists. She offers Dalton an alternate path to escaping the bank but he refuses and she also contributes to hindering the real antagonist of the film (at least for Dalton) the bank owner. Portrayed by Jodie Foster.

At first she seems to be helping him and in turn helps Keith Frazier to try and hinder Dalton but once she discovers the truth she quickly changes alliances. Her main goal is simply to do her job and make money. She managed to do her job and got paid for it. She also continues to help Frazier after her job is complete, boosting his career even more than Dalton.

Script for horror trailer (first draft)

Script for horror trailer

(opening credits)

(Black screen)

Adam: Why is it in horror movies, whenever there’s a ghost, you see it? Kind of defeats the point…doesn’t it?

(following shot of main protagonist walking in a semi-crowded area in the morning, then fade to black)

Adam: I mean, if some supernatural thing was trying to kill you, it would just kill you…right?

(Another following shot of main protagonist walking in a less crowded area later in the day, fade to black again)

Adam: Why would they waste time showing themselves but only slightly to scare you? It doesn’t make sense. That’s why I don’t believe in ghost stories.

(Another following shot of main protagonist alone at dusk walking through a quiet street, fade to black again)

Adam: Maybe it’s just me, but I think if I was a ghost, I’d never let people see me. Not until it was too late anyway.

(Another following shot of main protagonist walking in a quiet street alone, nearing full darkness, fade to black)

Adam: I think the thought of that is much scarier, don’t you? Like whenever you’re walking home alone in the dark and you involuntarily look behind you.

(Another following shot of main protagonist walking in a quiet street alone, full darkness. Fade to black)

Adam: Apparently it’s been scientifically proven that it’s not just paranoia and that feeling is your nervous system alerting you of something intensely focusing on you.

(Another following shot of main protagonist walking through a dark alleyway with no lighting. Fade to black)

Adam: So how come people are more scared of ghosts than that feeling. After all that feeling is real and is warning you of real danger. I don’t know about you but the next time I get that feeling, I’m checking behind me.

(Camera follows main protagonist until the end of the alleyway, then the protagonist turns out of frame to reveal someone standing behind her)

Vladimir Propp's theory.

Vladimir Propp's theory of narrative.

According to Propp, characters serve as a narrative action. Providing structure to a play, book, film, etc.
Nearly all narrative's follow the same 8 characters.

The Hero- The protagonist that has a goal to accomplish. E.G Rocky's goal to win the match in Rocky.

The Villain- The main opposition to the hero, obstructing them from their goal as much as possible. E.G The Government in the Hunger games, opposing Katniss' goal to survive.

The Donor- A helper to the protagonist of sorts who provides them with some sort of useful item or information, vital to their goal. E.G Grace providing Jake with his Avatar.

The Dispatcher- The one who gives the hero their goal/quest. E.G Gandalf telling Frodo to destroy the One Ring.

The False Hero- This one is less common but they disrupt the hero's progress by making fake claims. E.G J. Jonah Jameson Jr., the reporter from Spider-Man constantly out to slander him.

The Helper- The number one ally of the hero who aids them in their goal. Their are usually multiple helpers but traditionally, one is more prominent in the plot than the others. E.G Baymax in Big Hero 6.

The Princess- The reward for the hero. Not always a person but usually the "damsel in distress" that the protagonist acquires when he gets the girl. E.G Elsa when Anna ventures out to get her sister back in Frozen.

The Father- The one who gives the reward to the hero for completing their quest. E.G the King in Shrek 2, Fiona's father.

Todorov's theory.

Todorov's theory of narrative is that all plots follow the same 5 key points.


1. State of Equilibrium.
This is the way of life the film usually begins with. The norm. For example in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Fin's way of life is being a storm trooper.

2. Disruption of Equilibrium.
This is when the protagonist's main flow of life changes and they may find their goal. For example again in Star Wars, Fin is horrified by the battle.

3. Recognition of Disruption.
This is when the protagonist realizes that something has changed and they must adjust to it. For example Fin meets Poe and escapes with him.

4. Attempts to Repair Disruption.
This is when the protagonist tries to get rid of the disruption and either return to the previous way of life or find a new flow. For example Fin tries to fight the Sith with Rei.

5. New Equilibrium.
This is the new way of life that the protagonist finds after they reach their goal. For example Fin joins the Rebels and becomes a soldier.

Characterization

Characterization from Adam Picton

Weekly news 3

Orignal story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-37600633

WARNING: To anybody who might dislike the sight of blood/gore, I don't suggest you continue reading. There's a few pictures and descriptions that you probably would do best without.

To summarize this story, after an argument on the tram, a 36 year-old man from manchester was sliced in his neck by a knife before the attacker ran out of the Velopark stop. Luckily the man is in hospital, in a stable condition, healing well. The slice didn't damage any vital arteries and so the most that will come out of this is a scar. There's barely any information so far and there was a ton of witnesses so this is slightly worrying. Especially with the rumored clown attacks. This is a picture of the wound caused.
So if this kind of thing can happen in broad daylight with several witnesses and the police haven't caught the attacker after 2 days...what trust can we have in our police? That seems like an easy catch. There's no shortage of cameras on stations and trams either so they must have identified him by now. I'm sure it's not as easy as I'm making it out to be but it doesn't make me feel very safe.

The target audience of teenage thrillers.

Obviously the target audience of teenage thrillers is teenagers, from 13-19. Quite a specific age range. So how do the producers manage to market their film to specifically only a 6 year margin?

First, we'll get the obvious things out of the way. The protagonist is usually a teenager to allow the audience to relate more and in turn, become more thriller. Themes used are commonly recognised and relate to teenagers, for example, sex, crime (depending on the film's premise) and sometimes school. Finally, the producers pitch their advertisements specifically to teenagers. But how?

The use of advertising for any type of product is key. To reach teenagers, clothing brands will often use things like social media to pitch their clothing. Film producers are also selling a product so they also pitch it to teenagers. They do this using many different techniques that make their advertisements more applicable to catch our attention, for example putting them on social media, used predominantly by teenagers. They can also make them fast paced and short, as most teenagers lose interest quite quickly and these kinds of pitches are much better received.

The genre of thriller and how it overlaps.

Thriller is a genre associated with the entertainment industry, used commonly in film and literature. It commonly overlaps with other genre's like horror and action because of the shared theme of "fight or flight". In an action movie, the main protagonist is usually facing a foe or some sort of obstacle that's keeping them from their goal, so they must fight through it. In a Thriller, it's more common that the main protagonist will have to run from that foe rather than fight through it (although it's not exclusive to running, sometimes they will fight). And in a horror, it's nearly always flight over fight as it isn't very scary if the antagonist is beaten by a regular person. Thriller can be separated from horror by being more realistic as horror's are often supernatural. However if this is not a difference (for example the purge) then it can also be differentiated by the characterisation. In horror movies it is usually the decisions of the protagonists that lead them to trouble, for example going into the forest at night, however in thrillers, it's usually no fault of the protagonist that these tragic events have befallen them, the antagonist has started the conflict. As for differentiating thriller and action, that's much easier. A thriller is based on the threat of impending violence and danger. If the hero doesn't complete a certain task, something grave will happen. In an action, while sometimes it also follows this plot of impending doom, the hero is usually already facing the violence and danger. The threat is already upon the protagonist and he (or she but commonly male) must overcome the danger to achieve their goal. Thriller is based much more on suspense building up to the big action scene, while an action has little to no suspense and is a roller coaster of action the entire way through.

10 Key Elements of a thriller.

10 Key Elements to a thriller:

1. A good story

First and foremost, there has to be a strong sense of “dread” in any thriller. This is usually accomplished through the quest to prevent disaster from striking. There should be a high-concept plot with a shocking climax; the reader won’t get this through a story about someone who is trying to “find themselves”, but will if it’s about saving a person/a nation/the planet. Every scene should contain conflict and tension of some kind. Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park springs to mind here.

2. An action-packed opening chapter

The introduction of a good thriller always sets the pace for the rest of the book; it should be tense and compelling, not a chance for the author to cram in a load of information about the characters’ backgrounds (this should come – subtly – later). Very early on in the book, it should be clear what the protagonist wants and what he or she fears.

3. A likeable protagonist

The reader should warm to the main character quickly and be able to identify with him or her. If they don’t feel any connection or sympathy towards the hero or heroine then, quite frankly, they won’t care what happens to them! The character should develop as the plot continues; they don’t have to be perfect – in fact, flaws in a personality are much more realistic – but the reader should become emotionally attached to them. A character who has a solid moral code and who has been hurt in the past will always help achieve this.

4. Multiple points-of-view

This isn’t the case with all thrillers – Steve Martini’s books are exceptions to this rule – but the majority of thrillers are written in the third person, with shifting points-of-view. This adds interest and complexity to the novel and allows the reader to see the story from different angles. It also increases the feeling of the aforementioned “dread”, as they have a better sense of the overall picture.

5. Cliffhangers

Each chapter should end with the ultimate cliffhanger, leaving the reader crying out: “Just one more!”. There’s nothing like a stunning shock, confession or unforeseen twist to encourage the reader to keep turning the pages. When the hero lands in deep trouble before the end of a section or chapter – stretching their determination, bravery and physical abilities to the max – the reader will want to see if they come out on top.

6. Ticking clock

Thrillers often have a race-against-time aspect to them – something that adds to the suspense and fuels the reader’s adrenaline rush. Whether it is a (literal) ticking time bomb or a criminal who will be sentenced to death in 48 hours if not proven innocent, this really adds to the pace of the book.

7. A world-class nasty villain

The antagonist needs to be as determined and clever as the protagonist, but also utterly immoral, terrifying and nasty at the same time. It helps if the reader can watch the villain in action and can see the crimes taking place; this makes us despise the antagonist even more and adds to the excitement.

8. Character growth

A thriller is always made better if the main character becomes mentally stronger as the story unfolds, showing some sort of victory against his or her personal demons. For example, in Thomas Harris’ The Silence of the Lambs, Clarice becomes stronger and tougher at the end, and is finally seen as a professional FBI agent in what was a male-dominated profession.

9. Teach us something

While we’re not looking for an information overload with this kind of book, a good thriller should always teach the reader something so they can go away feeling more informed on a subject – whether that subject is a social issue or a medical treatment. Sometimes, a story peppered with facts and accurate details can make the plot more believable.

10. An epic ending

A good thriller always has an epic ending that will blow your mind; an ending that will stay with you for days, if not weeks, after reading the final page. Sometimes, the ending will come as a surprise, even changing the entire meaning of the story and forcing you to rethink everything you thought was “real”. In fact, you may find you’ll have to read the book again to actually understand it. Without revealing any spoilers, Harlan Coben’s Tell No One, and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl are examples of thrillers with truly spectacular endings. Unhappy or unresolved endings should be saved for literary fiction; in a thriller, the protagonist should overcome the antagonist – but only by an inch.

Weekly news 2

Weekly news. from Adam Picton

The purge from Adam Picton