Why Storyboards are important

Why my group use Story Boards

My group found storyboards very helpful when discussing and drawing up the entail shots, plan and story line for our opening sequence. By using storyboards we were able to visualize where everything is going to be placed (e.g: Props, Camera/Shots and Lighting) and how the character will act in it also with the correct costume we all decided on. This will be a clear indicator to what our opening sequence will essentially look like and we can also make any changes during this stage if we feel necessary. 

Final Sound Choices

These are our final song choices for our opening sequence:

In our opening sequence, we will use this piece of music when the protagonist is walking around the house. The piece has a very slow pace and low pitch score which creates a sombre and depressing atmosphere towards the audience. This allows the audience to emphasis with the character. The score is repeated over and over which demonstrates that is seems as if the protagonist is just living his life with no real meaning or purpose. This will make the audience feel sorry for him as he seems to have no real meaning to his life.





We will use the score in this piece of music during the cross cutting nightmare sequence at the very beginning of the opening. The use of a choir adds a surreal and unrealistic atmosphere towards the audience which allows them to realize what is going on isn't real life. This can also suggest that the protagonist may only be happy when he is dreaming about his partner and spending time with him in his dreams.
 

Sound Planning

I have found 3 pieces of music that my group could us when creating our opening.

Sound Clip 1:

The score in the sound clip creates a serious and tense atmosphere towards the audience, this would be used in the part of the sequence where the protagonist first see's the shadow in the TV screen and goes to defend himself. This will catch the audiences attention and excite the audience as it reflects the action that is being shown. Also the use of the drum bet symbioses danger and make the audience afraid for the protagonist.

Song Hours

Sound Clip 2:

The slow and even pace of the sound clip create a calm yet sympathetic atmosphere towards the audience. This piece of music would be played whe we see the action match between the tap and the whiskey bottle. This will make the audience sympathsies with the protagonist as he is depressed, alone and had turned to alcohol for comfort.



Sound Clip 3:

The use of incidental music and the soft string instruments creates a somber atmosphere towards the audience. This piece of music could be used when the protagonist first wakes up, right at the beginning of the sequence. This could make the audience ask question such as why is he alone and will make the feel sympathy towards the protagonist.

ADD SONGS ON AT HOME!!!

Film Synopsis

Plot Synopsis:

Key Frames

I have drawn out some key frames from my opening sequence. I have picked and drawn out these key frames as thy are impotent shots in our opening.

Picture 1:

Frames one is the sketch on the left. This shot is a birds eye long shot, of the protagonist in his bed. This is in the beginning of our opening and is one of the first shots the audience see. This shows the protagonist is lone in his bed with clothes scattered our the room (e.g on his floor and on the end of his bed). This can show that the protagonist might be lazy due to his sloppiness of his room or the fact that he may be depressed and lonely. This can create a sympathetic atmosphere towards the audience as they might feel sorry for him as something may have happened causing him to lose his partner or be alone. 

Picture 2&3:

                              

Frames 2 and 3 are action matches of water running out of a tap and the it will cut to whiskey pouring out of a whiskey bottle. This will be near the beginning/middle of the sequence and will give the audience a first look at what the protagonist is really like. This will create a sense of confusion and an upsetting atmosphere towards the audience as they will unsure why he is drinking whiskey as part as his daily routine but are worried as they don't know what made him like this and what will happen to him. 

                                        

Harry's Picture 1:

Harry has drawn a low angle shot of the protagonist as he is walking past where the camera is placed. As the protagonist walks past the camera really closely, the audience notices all the protagonist awards that he has gained and this will give hints about his past. This also will withhold information as the shallow focus will make it hard to see what the awards are actually for. This will create an integrating atmosphere towards the audience as the audience will want to find more about what the awards are for and more information about the protagonist.  

Harry's Picture 2:

Harry has drawn a long/master shot of the protagonist sitting in an arm chair next to an empty one. The fact that the other arm chair is empty suggest that someone has been lost or is missing. This will create a very sad atmosphere towards the audience as they feel sorry for the protagonist has he is upset and drained by the loss of someone.

James Picture 1:

                                 

James has drawn a Mid Shot of the protagonist in bed, being woken up by his alarm clock. This is the first time the audience see the protagonists facial features and expressions. The shot emphasizes his upset about his nightmare and what has happened in reality. This will create a sombre and upsetting atmosphere towards the audience as they are confused about what has happened but feel sorry for the protagonist as he seems upset and almost lifeless. 

James Picture 2:

James has drawn an extreme long shot of the protagonist in his bathroom, doing his morning routine whist the camera slowly tracks along the floor. This demonstrates how the protagonists life has just been crafted into a boring routine that is done all day everyday and nothing more.This creates a a mundane tone towards the audience as the feel symphony towards him as his life has become lifeless as he just completes his routine everyday.



Vox Pops analyses

As you can see from our groups Vox Pops, we have gathered different audience ideas about many aspects of a thirller opening sequence. From the responses in the Vox Pops clip, we are going to incorporate these ideas into our opening sequence

Question 1 - Do you expect to see fast or slow paced editing in a Thriller opening sequence?:

From the evidence in the clip, we see that 4 out of 5 people said that they expect fast paced editing. We will use this in our opening sequence to create an intense atmosphere towards the audience.

Question 2 - What props do you expect to see in a Thriller opening sequence?:

From the evidence in the clip, we see that the audience are expecting props such as weapons, most commonly knifes. We will use this in our opening sequence as this will emphasis the seriousness and tense atmosphere created towards the audience. This will also leave the audience asking question such as what is it do? what is it going to be used for, will it affect the protagonist and will the protagonist use it?. 

Question 3 - Do you expect the titles to be played over a moving image, a black screen or animated?:

From the evidence in the clip , we see that 6 out of 6 people all agreed that the titles should be played over a black screen. We will use this as it will emphasise the mood set by the props and sounds and will also add a seriousness to the opening sequence. This will also give out hints towards the audience about the genre of the film.

Question 4 - Do you expect to see low-key or high-key lighting in a Thriller opening sequence?:

From the evidence in the clip, we see that all the people interviewed agreed that they expect low-key lighting as it will emphasise the characters depression and isolation. We will use this as it will also leave the audience asking why is the protagonist depressed, what caused this and why. 

Question 5 - What plot do you expect a thriller opening film to follow?:

From the evidence in the clip, we see that from all the interviewee's, we see that they expect a clear storyline and twists in a Thriller opening sequence. We will use this evidence to defy and challenge sterotypes which will leave the audience asking questions and wanting to watch on. 

Inital Ideas

Below I have scanned in the mind-map of the different elements of my groups Thriller opening sequence. This shows all the different elements of my opening sequence which we will incorporate when filming our opening sequence.