Costume: Bill (Antagonist)

Bill's Costume:

Naturally, we decided that Bill's costume needed to capture his personality, it needed to blend with his occupation and evoke intimidation, whilst also conveying generic conventions. Therefore we built up the costume around these different ideas, whilst gaining influences from different sources of media (mainly TV Dramas).







Headwear:

We decided that Bill should wear a hat, but one that would be relevant to the story i.e we thought that a trilby hat wouldn't be suitable to the type of thriller we are trying to portray. After researching we decided that Bill should wear a beanie, this idea came from the first episode of the first series of "The Killing" whereby, the farther of the murdered victim (Theis Birk Larson) wears a black beanie. The reason for this choice is that, particularly at the beginning of the episode Theis is shown as an authority figure and is also speculated to be the killer.  Additionally, during times of speculation Theis seems very intimidating and his costume helps significantly amplify this. Furthermore, the hat conveys that of an authority figure, much like how in America sheriff's wear large hats to portray their stature. We believed that the beanie would be the best way to apply this idea to a more British character and setting.

Jacket: 

Secondly, we thought it would be ideal for Bill to be wearing a rather large jacket. This is as big coats usually symbolize how the wearer is trying to hide/conceal something i.e a weapon, whilst also signifying the thriller genre. Again, we took inspiration for this idea from Theis in "The Killing". However, early on when we begun to research this type of clothing we gained influence for a collared jacket from TV Drama "Misfits", Series 2, Episode 5. This is as, in the particular episode, an un-named man goes about murdering boys who have an interest in his daughter. The character is quite terrifying and in one scene he goes to kill someone, whilst wearing a collared jacket, which looks rather menacing and therefore inspiration was taken from this. On another note, the text on the jacket reading "Empower Services" matches the writing on the white van and business card we are using, which further highlights Bill's job positon and therefore strengthens his characters personality.

Murdering father, "Misfits"

Shoes:

In order to again reflect the character's personality via his job and nature we chose to create Bill with steel-capped work boots. The reason we chose this type of footwear is because the boots represent that Bill isn't someone who cares about his appearance, but instead cares more about his job or in this case, his objective. Additionally, the hardened boots symbolize his tough character and chunky out look. We could go further to say that what the boots represent coinside ironically with the naming of the character, whereby, Bill in our thriller opening isn't focused on his appearance, whereas for example the character of Bill in "Kill Bill. Vol 1 & 2" is the opposite of this, and his boots reflect this idea as well. 

Character profile: Bill (antagonist)

Character's name: Bill
Actor's name: Richard Turner
Age: 39 
Occupation: Electrician 







Why is Bill the antagonist and what influenced his creation?

Bill is a character that shows no signs of emotion or remorse, this is illustrated through his cold stare that is held continually within our thriller opening. Additionally, his occupation as an electrician is a further connotation of his moral ambiguity, this is as it suggests that he is not afraid to get his hands dirty and will continue to act until the job is done. Furthermore, men who have jobs in labour intensive industries such as building, plumbing and electrical work are often perceived as "tough" or "intimidating", which therefore gives the character more of a gangster or hard man image.  
   One character that Bill is influenced by is Arby, a hit-man portrayed by Neil Maskell in the TV thriller "Utopia". This is as when looking at Arby's aims we were able to relate these around Bill's objectives i.e. Both characters are out to obtain something important (be it an enigma or a manuscript) and they will go to inhuman lengths in order to get what they want. In addition, we were able to establish Bill's expression through the inspiration of Arby as we wanted our character to look psychotic and intimidating.

Arby, from TV thriller "Utopia"

Shot list addition

Additions:

As our group had planned the shot list around our location (Anglia Square) being open to the public we didn't know what would be different about it when we were allowed private access. Therefore, we discovered new elements of the location that conveyed significant generic conventions of the thriller genre, of which, could potentially lead to a more minacious mise-en-scene. i.e a shutter door that allowed the van into the car park which is opened operating an old rusty chain. The idea of incorporating this within our opening seemed very effective and allowed us to use close-ups and low angle shots in order to make the white van man (Bill) seem more menacing.









We also have some shots of the shutter door closing from the outside, which, when pieced together some of the shots I have uploaded could create a fluid example of match-on-action. However, we are still considering whether or not to include these shots as it could lead to exceeding the 2 minute run time.

Plot synopsis

Thriller opening title: Transit

Plot:

Jon, a boy in his late teens ventures into an abandoned car park to rendezvous with Hanna regarding the contents of his black bag. Little do they know they are being tailed by a white van man (Bill), of whom has an unknown fixation with the item Jon is delivering and therefore the meeting doesn't proceed as planned.  

Influential Soundtracks - "Tick Of The Clock - Chromatics"

Influential music:



This piece of music was featured in the movie "Drive". It was used within the first getaway scene where Ryan Gosling's character is waiting for robbers to break in to, and steal from a shop, aswell as carrying into him driving away from the police whilst remaining undetectable. "Tick Of The Clock" fits in very well with the scene, it connotes that time is everything and one misjudgment of it can lead to dire consequences, we can hear this via the slow build up of volume and introduction of a ticking clock. Additionally, the music fades out around half way through and introduces a consistent chord therefore creating a feeling of unease, as if there has been a break from the action and a realization of some kind before slowly returning to the action. Furthermore, these reasons why the piece fits brilliantly with a scene in "Drive" can also be applied to our thriller opening. This is as our story includes a build up of action (White van following a man into a car park), the feeling of unease for the man being followed (Discovery of the girl's broken watch, of whom he is meeting/ realization that she is in trouble), again, back to the action (Running to escape). In addition, our thriller relates to the aspect of time and how important it is (Via the meeting), therefore the ticking clock is a big indicator to this. In listening to this piece, the idea of having a background noise such as a clock seems like an effective idea and therefore we may decide to go with a soundtrack that incorporates this. For example, "The Hive" by Kevin McLeod, however, the piece sounds more suited to a horror movie and may not be appropriate. (Soundtrack embedded below)





Secondly, this piece with file name "heartbeatNc.0.0.aiff" portrays a similar feeling with more focus on the slow yet sharp notes, this may be effective as the piercing chords could evoke suspense. (Soundtrack embedded below)

Witness (1985)

Film title: Witness
Director: Peter Weir

Plot: A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial.

Reviews: 
"beautifully written, the screenplay is flawless, the editing is flawless" - Wayne Penner (2004) 





 

 The low angle shot of the statue conveys how overpowering and new this landmark may seem to the young Amish boy. This is as he comes from a tradition where his style of living is a lot more basic, therefore when entering a modern city most unseen entities seem fascinating and strange to him. Furthermore, the tall, majestic figure with wings portrayed as a statue could suggest that it is the boy's guardian angel, protecting him from the world.

  The camera angle then changes into a high angle/ over the shoulder shot from the statue. This makes the child seem insignificant, conveying the idea that he is a small boy in a large and dangerous world. Additionally, the over the shoulder shot further promotes the idea that the statue is the boy's guardian angel, this is as it seems the statue is looking over him.  

As Samuel goes to the toilet he becomes further and further out of site, showing a vanishing point within in the shot. This is very effective as it connotes the idea that Samuel is venturing into another world, or a different more hell-like side to the fascinating city he's been brought in to, it suggests that he won't be able to return to normality after entering. Additionally, it could further represent that he is crossing over to a dark place where his guardian angel can't even protect him. Secondly, although rather a large location Peter Weir portrays the idea of seclusion within this shot. This is as there are not many people around and therefore it's the perfect opportunity to commit a crime as no one is likely to witness it or stop it, furthermore, connoting what's about to  happen. 

The combination of quick cutting and various close-ups adds to the action and suspense of the scene. This is as close-ups only reveal parts of the action, therefore building tension and leading the audience to wonder what will happen next. Additionally, quick cuts between each close-up make the overall action more frantic and therefore keep us up to pace with the murder. 

Weir establishes generic conventions of weapon by introducing a flick knife as the murder weapon. This is as the switchblade is commonly used within the thriller genre, possibly due to it's concealment and quickness to draw the knife. For example, in spy thriller "Eye Of The Needle" German spy, Faber, consistently uses a flick knife to quickly kill others.  Weir may have used this weapon as it's speed does well in matching the pace of the action within the scene and furthermore increasing suspense.

This extreme close-up of Samuel's eye emphasizes the fact that he is watching the murder take place, captivated by the horrors he's seeing. This is because he comes from an Amish background and is used to peaceful ways of life, therefore the acts taking place stun him. The shot is effective in conveying this and furthermore engaging the audience with his feelings. 

 The next close-up is focused on the action whilst there are unfocused segments of the toilet doorway. This puts the audience in the boy's shoes realistically, as if they were genuinely witnessing the murder. The shot is therefore effective as it engages the audience and engrosses them within the action of the scene. Additionally, the out-focused door in front of the action could further symbolize how Samuel is in his own world divided from the rest of a corrupt society, whereas the action is slowly becoming a reality for him. Furthermore, Peter Weir establishes generic conventions of location within this scene as the toilets are a claustrophobic and dirty environment. The filthiness connotes the idea of criminality and corruption, reflecting the personas of the murderers' and the act of killing. Whereas the enclosed location connotes the idea of no escape/entrapment.

This close-up highlights Samuel's desperate struggle to try and bolt up the toilet door, the frantic action builds up suspense as the audience are left to wonder whether Samuel will manage to lock it in time, therefore keeping them on the edge of their seats. Furthermore, the shot could connote the idea of a nightmare in the way that Samuel is trying to shut the cruel world out but it is inevitably prising it's way. This shows how Samuel's peaceful way of living is finally being overtaken by reality and sooner or later he won't be able to shut it out.

The tracking shot of McFee's feet as goes from door to door of the toilet cubicles is very effective in building tension. This is as the audience know that he is getting closer and closer to the cubicle Samuel has locked himself into, therefore keeping them on edge. Furthermore, the low angle/close-up of McFee's feet and the toilet cubicles again highlight how Weir has used generic conventions of location in order to establish the thriller genre i.e. the dirty toilets/ the claustrophobic entrapment via McFee and the cubicles themselves.

This particular shot poses quite a strong intertextual link to the Indiana Jones movies, more specifically "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". This is as, much like in Indiana Jones, Samuel grabs his hat at the last minute of danger. Therefore, this intertextuality may have been used to connote the idea of escaping deadly fate in the nick of time. 



Ratings:

The demographic that rate "Witness" the highest are 'Females Aged 45+'. The reason why this group may have rated the film most favorably could be because of the main character John Book, played by Harrison Ford. This as Harrison Ford played many roles as a romantic hero within eras such as the 80's and 90's, and seeing as in the 80's most 45+ year old women would have been in their late teens/early twenties it is easy to see how that particular age group may have idolized/adored him.

Thriller Opening - Shot list

Shot list:
- High angle shot of Jon walking up the stairs with the rucksack.
- Close-up/ Tracking shot of a leaf falling down and landing on the windscreen of the white van.
- Shot from within the van, camera focused on the leaf and windscreen, shift in focus to Jon at the top of the stairs walking around to the right.
- Extreme close-up of Bill's eyes (angry or emotionless expression), diegetic sound of the van starting up.
- Mid-tilt of Jon entering the car park stairwell.
- Tracking shot of the van going round the corner.
- Long shot through broken window of the van going into the car park (test shot on previous post).
- High-angle of Jon walking up stairs.
- Mid-shot of the third person checking their watch, Match on Action close up of the watch (Maybe pan to white van in the background).
- Close-up of Jon's feet as he turns the stairwell.
- Low angle/ Tilt of Jon walking up the final set of stairs.
- Mid-shot to Close-up of Jon walking through the door.*
- Point of view, Jon looking around (Spots van, shot holds for a second).
- Long shot of Jon looking around.
- Over the Shoulder/ Tracking of Jon walking up to the van with one door open, gets to the van see's third persons watch on the floor.
- Close-up of the watch getting picked up by Jon, has a smashed clock face.
- Close-up of Jon's worried face.
- Mid-shot/Tracking shot of Jon running towards stairwell doors and throwing them open, camera movement shaking to symbolize running/ add to the action. 
- Mid-shot from other side of the doors of Jon busting through and getting to the lift.
- Extreme close-up of Jon's finger repeatedly pressing the down button.
- Medium close-up of Jon impatiently waiting for lift.
- Point of view shot of lift doors opening, third person slumped dead on the lift floor with a business card placed on her.
- Worms-eye shot from third person's perspective of Jon walking in an crouching down in front of her.
- Close-up on the business card whilst Jon picks it up.
- Diegetic sound of lift doors closing, shot from the back of the lift of Jon turning around.
- Just before the lift doors close, close-up of a foot stopping the door from shutting.
*Alternate ending:
- Over-the Shoulder/ Tracking shot of Jon looking around, spots the white van with it's hazard lights flashing, doors open and begins to walk towards it.
- Tilt/ Mid Close-up of Jon's head looking inside the van, shot from within the van. (Note: diegetic sound of hazard lights ticking)
- Mid-shot, driver's side of the Van from front on, Bill is slumped over the steering wheel and Jon is looking at him.   

Note, the location we have planned our thriller opening around has recently been closed down (Anglia Square Car Park) as we recently discovered when going out to do some practice filming. We are currently awaiting the manager of he car park to come back from holiday on 8th January in order to contact him, this will be in regards to ask him if it would be possible to use the site to film if they opened it up for us. In the mean time, we are currently researching similar locations and therefore if we can't use the original location changes to the shot list may occur. On the positive side, if we are able to film in our original location, it will be completely deserted and add a greater effect to our thriller environment.