We shot our thriller on Tuesday the 2nd of February. In preparation for this we went into the studio on Monday afternoon to make sure the set was exactly as we wanted it, this was a shoddy little apartment shack. To create the right atmosphere and mise-en-scene that we wanted we decided to stick posters up on the wall of prime locations and important information that he would need to bomb. From our original story board we had changed our plot a lot. One thing that I think could have been done better was that we were more prepared as a group. In my opinion, I found that we were prepared individually and all had our own ideas of what was going to happen. In order to overcome this problem, we all sat down and discussed any problems that we had, this included making sure we had an actor. The actor played a key role in our thriller as we did not want a stereotypical middle eastern person as this just followed the ideal description of a terrorist that has been placed into our heads through the many types of media. Another problem that we discussed together was the materials that would be needed to make the bomb, especially as we wanted it to look as real as possible. After much discussion, we found that taking the covers off a mobile phone made a realistic bomb device and that marzipan sourced as a good replica for explosive. As planned we needed lots of extreme close up shots, this meant using a camera with a macro lens allowing us to get extremely close to things and still be in focus. The reason for needing a lot of close-up shots was to make the viewer feel almost claustrophobic, as though they cant escape. In addition, having close-ups keeps the viewer interested and makes them wonder what is being constructed within the film aw well as creating a mood and heightening the tension. Mostly our shot types were still close ups with the exception of the genie shot (Birdseye view from above) and some shots where the focus was altered in order to give the impression of vibrations and show how nervous the bomb maker was. One shot we had to capture was the bomber walking through a busy crowded area. We managed to capture a good shot but however found this slightly more challenging than normal because it was raining. We had the camera tilted slightly upright meaning that it was in direct view of the rain and regularly splattered the lens with water.
For our location, we needed to build a set which was very well done. As for the on location shot, when we first came up with this idea we decided that we wanted a really busy high street. However, because of the rain the high street was not a busy as wanted but nether the less I am still happy with the end shoot that we captured. If the street had been busier it would have had a bigger impact on the thriller as it would imply more people were going to die. Moreover, having more people in the street would have helped create more suspense. Suspense is a key aspect within the thriller genre and would have made the viewer engaged more in the footage.
In studio, we built a very realistic set. We made sure that the mise-en-scene appeared very dirty, not only did this represent the mind of the bomber being a mess and stressful. We could have chosen to make the bomber extremely clean and show signs of OCD but making it appear dirty and untidy helped target the target audience as most teenagers are untidy and they can relate to the set. Many of the props we had accounted for and we were organised as to what was needed, although we found at last minute that we could add some possible extras, posters, again to help build the mise-en-scene we wanted. In order to make the bomb look as realistic as possible we decided to use marzipan as a explosive. The reason for this was because it is the only thing that looks most like explosive putty. We found that it looked very realistic and was easy to mould. However, as the day went, we found it started to lose shape under the heat of the studio lights. As for the wires, we borrowed them from the science department as they helped as realism to the appearance of the bomb. In aid of helping the bomb appear real we also used a cover-less phone and a USB with no casing, which looked like a computer chip. One change that did happen that we changed the fact that the bomb was going to be strapped to the main protagonist and on the day we decided to use a teddy bear. The reason for this was because it was slightly scarier and it was easier the show on location as we were in public we were not able to show a bomb. We were influenced to do this by The Dark Knight. During the opening scene of the Dark knight, the joker is introduced by carrying a briefcase and the camera slowly pans upwards to his face. Similarly, this is what we attempted to capture replacing the briefcase with a teddy bear which supposedly had the bomb in. Again, this was to help build up the suspense as it was extremly successful in the dark knight.
We were organised with our actor and from day one, knew exactly what sort of person we were looking for. We needed a obvious adult, slightly dodgy looking, someone who had the appearance of a stereotypical bomber. This was to make sure that it was as clear as possible to the audience as to what was about to happen in the clip. However, if I were to film it again I would want an actor to look slightly more deranged and to look scarier.
The lighting in the planning was not really thought of. So on the day we experimented with the lighting. At first we shot lots of close up shots with normal studio lighting, but throughout the day we decided that it looked better is the lights were constantly flickering and swinging. This re-enforced that the flat was a cheap squalors flat and that it was only needed as a base to the bomber. It also helped a lot with the atmosphere of the footage we filmed; it made it scarier and helped build the tension.
We did not record any sound on the day, as we plan to have a soundtrack and also if any sounds are needed, it is an easy process to add them in post production. The music that we plan to have is also inspired from the music form the dark knight, this being with it varying from high to low pitches. We felt that the music was what would help the thriller become more of a thriller.After researching it and watching many thrillers, it is often a key concept within the thriller genre that before or when something bad is about to happen music is introduced to help heighten the tension and create the desired atmosphere.
On the whole, as a team we worked and leased well. At the beginning of the process designated roles which we stuck to on the day and as producer my role on the day was to make sure that everything went according to plans and that we got the shots as we needed. If any plans were made it was my job to make sure they went with the rest of the thriller and we suitable. It was also important to make sure that there as continuity in our shooting, for example, after we changed the lighting we had to re- shoot all our previous material. I was very happy with the day, and will have to see how it turns out in post production.
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