The tracking shot
that we used to open the thriller initially built up suspense in the
introduction as the movement was slow and the shot was extensive. Another
reason for using this shot was because this would intrigue the audience and
would consequently lead them into wanting to find out what the boy was doing on
his computer. The consecutive close up shot then gives the audience a closer
view of his activities but fails to explain why he is doing it. Therefore the
following close ups ultimately increase the audiences anticipation into finding
out the boys actions and is ultimately infuriating because of the carefully
designed shots, escaping the audience of information. Since we altered a lot of
our shots from the plan of the pilot we therefore lost the chance to film a few
of our initial ideas, however, our group were still determined to achieve the
tracking shot we had previously planned on shooting of the boy’s airfix model
desk. This consequently led on to our group achieving a worthy introduction
tracking shot, derived from our initial idea, therefore benefitting our
thriller. It took us a couple of shots to familiarise ourselves with the way in
which the tracking equipment worked and how a good shot was achieved but after
a few practice takes we succeeded in shooting a decent take. Our group also
achieved our planned close up shots of the boy typing. We varied our techniques
of filming by adjusting the focus whilst recording and therefore achieving a
varying depth of field, which looked aesthetically pleasing as well as
consequently matching the underlying theme of our thriller with the focus of
the shot being on the technological equipment and the boy’s interaction and
ability to control and master it.
The costume we chose for our actor was one planned far in advance. This outfit of aeroplane pyjamas was carefully chosen as a result of the autistic boy’s obsession with aeroplanes. The fact that our thriller is set to be in the early hours of the morning therefore explains why the boy is wearing pyjamas. This choice of outfit could also symbolise how the teenage boy is similar to a younger child in that he wears childlike pyjamas still and is displayed to have an infant like obsession, therefore causing the audience to see the teenage boy to be younger than his present years. In the film ‘Mercury Rising’ a code is broken by an autistic child therefore by dressing our teenage actor is childlike pyjamas this could remind the audience of the child’s role in the movie. There were many props specifically chosen in order to communicate a subliminal message to the audience such as the Rubik's cubes. These ultimately signify the boy’s obsession and ability to crack codes and puzzles as a result of his autism, causing his brain to work in quick and efficient way, therefore demonstrating how he thinks in a different way to others. In our film we had three completed cubes displayed on his desk for this reason. To emphasise the boy’s obsession with aeroplanes our group decided to invest in numerous aeroplane posters and pictures as well as saving pictures of aeroplanes on the desktop of the boy’s iPad, which effectively communicated the fact that he is interested in technology as well as emphasising his obsession with aircraft.
The reason for
choosing our actor was because we were interested in employing a good-looking
male in order to attract the women viewers of the audience. As our film is of
the conspiracy thriller genre as well as being technologically orientated and
potentially involving action or violence, ultimately the audience would
predictably obtain a male majority, therefore by acquiring a good-looking male
actor this would perhaps attract a wider ranging audience of male and female
viewers.
The lighting in our
thriller was minimalistic as this was the style and atmosphere we desired. Our
group wanted to set the scene to be mysterious, gloomy and dimly lit as of
course the introduction is set in the early hours of the morning. As the
lighting was dim this allowed for the laptops and numerous other gadgets to
light our actors face in an eerie way, which adds to the genre thriller. The
lighting was dark enough for the screen reflection to be seen in the actor’s
eyes by the audience, creating a successful shot, signifying the actor’s intent
concentration on his activity of hacking the FBI and conclusively adding to the
intense atmosphere of the thriller. The lighting we used consisted of the
machinery screens and a strip bulb attached to the table leg next to the actor
therefore projecting enough light in order to make the actor visible as all the
lighting was in a close proximity to the subject. The bulb was of a blue tint
and therefore portraying a cold and gloomy atmosphere encapsulating the
surroundings and matching the genre of a thriller.
Our group decided
against using a script and therefore decided that we will use a non-diegetic
backing track to accompany the tracking shots, close up shots of the boy typing
and scrolling on his laptop as well as the close up shots of his possessions on
his desk. We may use the synchronous sound of typing for the close ups of the
actor typing on the keyboard. The non-diegetic music will consist of beats and
will match the actions happening in the scene and also counterpart the theme of
technology as well as emphasising his technical knowledge. The music will build
to a climax, quickening in pace and tempo of beats as the fast paced edits will
also climax together with the music to reveal the boys reaction to hacking into
the FBI confidential website. Therefore the editing of shots and music will
help to create suspense, which is essential for the genre of a thriller.
Through out the
shoot day I had many different roles as our group tried to change round
positions on set frequently in order to give each other a fair chance of
experiencing each task. For the first shot I was a part of the tracking team,
which involved having to disassemble and rearrange the track that the tracker
would use to move from one position to another. Communication was vital within
the group for this task as this was the only way in which our group could
succeed in obtaining a useable shot. This involved the cameraman having to
update the team on whether they were in the shot whilst assembling the track or
whether the tracker was tracking too fast. The whole of our group had the
chance of directing and I also succeeded in filming a very challenging close up
shot under the desk where the actor was situated, filming a close up of his
eyes whilst he was typing but without a tripod therefore I obtained the shot by
managing to steady the camera enough to record a successful close up of the
actors flickering and frantic eyes. I also succeeded in filming a tracking shot
of the boy’s desk as well as close up of his possessions on the desk.
The teamwork in our
group was one of the most successful and key aspects of the shoot day as we all
shared the significant jobs and exchanged them after a substantial amount of
time in order for each member of our group to gain a considerable experience of
the position. The task of the tracking shots was a typical teamwork exercise
and one in which I found particularly rewarding once we had achieved it
successfully. Through out the day I had the chance to direct, manage continuity
of the set, prepare props, assemble the set and filming equipment and film tracking
and close up shots. Each member of the group contributed different ideas to the
filming such as when we one person was filming a shot the other members of the
group observing the process would direct the actor on what to do such as when
to type, scroll or react to something on the screen. The teamwork on producing
the set was prosperous. Our efforts seemingly paid off as a result of the set
looking realistically so like a high-tech hang out, being the effect that our
group wanted to portray. Therefore at first we picked our specific roles to
suit our best abilities but in the end we changed round for the whole of our
group to try out different jobs to create the right suspense and tension for
our thriller in order to attract our target audience of males from fifteen
upwards.
In conclusion, I
felt a sense of achievement once our group completed our final few shots at the
end of the day. The experience met my expectations as after rearranging our
plan of the day a week in advance we carried out our schedule in an organised
and efficient fashion and even included some extra beneficial shots such as the
tracking and slider shots. The change in mise-en-scene was definitely for the
better as it introduces the thriller in an appropriate way and also allows the
audience to focus on the key aspects of the thriller such as technology and the
characteristics of the autistic boy giving an insight into what the rest of the
film involves in an enticing and effective way.
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