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The official Silent Countdown site.
Silent Countdown
Film Opening Project Portfolio
Welcome to Silent Countdown, a platform dedicated to documenting the journey of my film opening project. Here, you will find insights, updates, and behind-the-scenes details presented in chronological order.
PLANNING
This section will include my planning done for this project.
PRODUCTION
03.02.2025
Text
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Editing
03.02.2025
Session 3
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03.02.2025
Session 2
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28.01.2025
Session 1
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I noticed that I had over 6 minutes of film footage when I inserted it into CapCut. Today, I mainly focused on deciding which clips will make the Final Cut and what worked well with each others. This included cropping the clips and reorganising it to see which ones looked smoothest with each other.
I noticed that after I had deleted the behind the scenes shots, of how many takes it took. By the time I had finished cropping, I was left with roughly 2 minutes and 15 seconds of footage left, which was quite surprising since I had a lot of footage to begin with.
27.01.2025
Filming (Day 2)
My actor Deyan, who plays the protagonist in the movie came over to my condominium to film his scenes. These scenes are of him waking up and discovering the countdown timer outside the window and wondering what it must be. For iconography, I had asked my actor to bring a pair of pyjamas.
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Since the filming was taking place at my apartment, the process was much faster than filming outdoors in a public space. However, the scenes took multiple takes which I took as a learning experience since this happens even when filming official movies.
22.01.2025
Starting Filming
Today, my actors and I went for the official filming (day 1) for my project The Silent Countdown. After school, we all changed into our costumes and brought our equipment with us to our filming location outdoors at the Boat Quay area.
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I asked my actor Tatim to wear dark colours and a costume that looks like she had been kidnapped and just escaped. As for Yuuto, I asked him to wear anything and brought a red jumpsuit for him to wear along with a pair of sunglasses. Initially I had a vision of him wearing a black mask and holding a briefcase. However, since we were not able to get hold of these items, we made do with that we had.
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As we expected, the area was being used by people to cross from one side to the other. Due to this, I stopped filming unless the space was empty. However, this process took a long time since we had to stop filming whenever someone passed through. Originally we had planned to finish filming in an hour and a half, which later turned into roughly three hours of filming for a few minutes of footage. Despite the challenges faced, I am proud to say that my actors were extremely patient and did not complain at all during the filming time. Though I am not fully sure if I am satisfied with the camera shots and angles I had filmed. On the bright side, my Media Theory teacher and my friend Avnay let me borrow their phone stabiliser and some microphones, which came in handy when filming outdoors to capture the noise.
PRE PRODUCTION
14.01.2025
Practicing Thriller
This is a practice thriller using the scenes that my class teacher Mr Esera and I had filmed during one of our media classes. We had initially come to have a look at the garage to decide whether it was a good spot for filming, and decided we will film when we had gotten there. I wanted the clips to somehow relate to my thriller film if it was a full series. This would be towards the end when the person behind all the mysterious activities is revealed. I wanted to show how the anti protagonist lives in a random empty apartment and was calling someone who the audience does not know. It also shows that there is a bigger group of people who are involved in the case of the silent countdown.
13.01.2025
Reflection Blog
This is.a reflection blog of the work I have done so far, and an update of the past few weeks.
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I am confident that I will be able to edit the film how I want it / close to it by using the platform CapCut. I may be able to buy the pro version of the application if needed, so that I could use more features to edit and export a more high quality product. I have learned that sound plays a major role in creating the meaning needed during my last editing process - it should be able to go well with the scene.
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Till now on my filming, I have not been able to do any filming during the holidays due to personal reasons which I have let the teachers know. On the week I had come back and planned to do filming, there were flash flood warnings in Singapore due to continuous rain and heavy rain from Friday till Monday. Due to this, we were not able to film on that weekend. However, if the weather has not improved by this weekend, we will continue filming in the rain since we are short on time.
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I am planning to finish most or all of my filming by Chinese New Year 2025 (which leaves us with two weeks) since anytime after that would be more challenging to film, due to mock examinations, as well as other factors. Which is why, it is the best option to try to finish filming by then so that I am able to do editing during my exam week. This way, I would have a bit of time to do re-filming if needed.
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Although the weather has not been on our side, I believe that it would look more interesting for the movie. However, I must be cautious when filming in these conditions by checking which times are best beforehand, as well as not getting my camera, phone and other equipment wet in the rain. Another thing I will struggle with is to have good sound quality when filming some parts where the actors are speaking, due to the distance between the character and the camera would cause the audio to be muffled. However, this could be fixed with a well blended voice over to make it more realistic if needed. Additionally, I must watch out for puddles, or other sources of water when filming (so should my actors) since this could cause injuries such as slipping or falling. However, I will do my best to try and avoid filming in these areas if the conditions are too risky for my actors, and work around the wet areas since the outdoor scene will have some running actions to do.
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Filming the opening scenes indoor will not be as much of a hassle, other than the other people living in my house potentially disrupting the filming process, since my cousin usually studies outside in the living room during the weekends. This could hopefully be resolved somehow by asking him to study in his room for a bit or by recording when he finishes.
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Things I could keep in mind for my next recording sessions:
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Continuity - Always look through the footage after filming before heading home
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A plan of what we will do - such as a storyboard / discuss it with others beforehand
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Actors preparing beforehand - coming in specific costumes
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Having stable footage / using a stabiliser - saves time on editing process
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Focus on lighting - overall a dim lighting both indoors and outdoors. Gloomy weather could help.
07.12.2024
Continuation of Editing
Today, I decided would be a good day to do some filming to practice for our media project since it was the best the weather had been since it has been quite cloudy/rainy these days. Initially, my plan was to film for the actual thriller opening, however since one of the other actors needed in this scene was unavailable, I wanted to try out something different which could still be useful for this project.
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By going to the underground area this day, we noticed that unlike the last time when we went on the same day at the same time, the place was more crowded compared to then, when we had only 2-3 people walking through the tunnel. By going to this location, I realised that even though we go on the same day of the week at the same timing, that we can never predict if that location would be empty or not since it is a public area. Due to this, the filming process took a little longer and I had to work my way differently rather than film smoothly since I did not want any other people to be in my shot other than my actors. Hence, filming was difficult that it would be if it was empty.
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Additionally, I tried to use the rule of thirds when filming some scenes, such as the first scene by placing him on the left grid so that I could get the hang of filming techniques.I also noticed that my actors acting was a bit stiff and unnatural in these shots. But this can be improved with more training and practice as he gets used to being in front of a camera and by making him feel more comfortable in acting. This also gave me the idea that my the rest of my cast may experience the same thing since they have not acted before. Hence, by giving them a proper planning of the shoot, they can prepare beforehand / get an idea of what we will be filming that day.
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During editing (on CapCut), I focused on sound effects. I tried to incorporate different sounds such as the sound of nature in the beginning as well as a peaceful melodic sound which slowly fades away into an intense sound. This was to show the feeling that the peace he was experiencing and him being deep in thought was disrupted when he felt that he was being followed. I overlayed a sound of a heartbeat so show that his heart was pacing when he felt that he was being followed, and added the sound of footsteps when he was running. This was again overlayed with a faster paved heartbeat to increase the tension for the audience. During this part of the scene, I also used shots of the back and front of the character running, while I also ran along with him. By doing so, I felt that with the unstable shots, it further created a disorienting feeling.
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Then, the character runs to the end of the tunnel where it is light, and I thought this would be an interesting shot to edit, so when editing, I increased the exposure, highlights and a bit of the contrast to make the light increase and make it look as though the character had entered another dimension, possibly with new beginnings. After that, the screen goes black and shows the movie title "Till the End." I chose this title as he was running and eventually will reach the end. By making the text fade from white to red, I felt that this could possibly indicate the troubles he may face during his journey to the end.
Here is a screenshot of the sounds I used / the layout of CapCut.
02.12.2024
Introduction to Editing
Today I tried to edit some footage I had filmed for another class project and tried to get familiar with editing on my laptop on Adobe Premier Rush. However, since my footage was having some trouble uploading, I decided to use another app called Capcut. From this I learnt how to cut clips, add sound, and make colour edits on this app.
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When filming the footage, my main goal was to try to make a smooth continuity. Although we had a limited time to film due to our schedules, we managed to film these clips in one take for the opening of the video. I learnt continuity when filming during the media workshop on the 8th of November and comparing it to that day, I had less stress and felt ease when filming since my actor for this footage was very patient and understood most of the instructions I had given. On top of that, I feel that having a smaller crew who was focused was much easier to handle than a larger group with some people getting distracted and talking during filming. Due to this, I believe that having a well focused team can help when filming my thriller opening project "The Silent Countdown".
08.11.2024
Media Workshop
On this day, the students studying media at Etonhouse International School Orchard went on a workshop to learn the skills of using a camera and getting familiar with it. From this experience, I have learnt that one of the hardest parts of filming is continuity. I realised this when trying to film a shot of two friends meeting, where trying to film the walking did not show the continuity well. It also made me realise how time consuming filming really is. When trying to film a few second clips of the two friends meeting, it took over half an hour to try and film those shots. Hence, giving me a rough idea on how long I should plan for the future when filming with my cast.
The storyboard that I created on the 4th of November helped me with what shots I should focus on and what I need to practice. I tried to recreate some angles as a guide.
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These two photos are some photos I took of the media students on our way to scout for our second location after our first. Although it was a snapshot, it is a photo of the behind the scenes of what production is really like. At times, it is always easier to film with a crew, rather than do it alone.
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Here I used a low angle shot to show superiority of the character and establish a bit of the background as well. I think this shot may come in useful when doing an opening for a thriller movie to show superiority. to further improve this photo, I believe that I should centre the subject, or use the rules of 3.​
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I then used a high angle shot to show vulnerability of a character and to show her sad emotions and feelings as though she is disappointed or frustrated at something that she has heard or seen. I thought that using an open space with the character wearing a full white can show purity and a new beginning for the plot that she may face in the future. This angle could be useful when showing inferiority in a character in the thriller genre.
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This is a camera shot that will be very useful in my thriller film opening and I am planning to incoorporate an extreme close up shot of either an object or expression. In this case, I used an extreme close up shot of my friends eye with her expression to show concern and sadness. I think this was done well and could be better improved by including a shot of both the eyes and eyebrows to show a better visual representation of the characters facial expressions, in future shots.
04.11.2024
Storyboard
This is a rough version of my storyboard for my thriller film opening with the original vision I had in mind. I will include most of these in my official storyboard as well.
28.10.2024
Recce Reports
My condominium
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Potential safety hazards
The doors could slam if the windows are open and the wind is strong and this might injure the actor or crews toes. However, this can be prevented by doing check ins beforehand or keeping the windows closed when filming certain shots. We could also put doors stoppers if needed.
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( insert photos )
Clarke Quay Central area (underground)
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Potential safety hazards
Potential bikers go through that passage but usually it is empty. If people do come, we can move to a side and let them go through before continuing the rest of the filming.​​
22.10.2024
Casting Sessions
​On this day, we held our first casting session to scout for candidates to be in our project. I interviewed individuals who wanted to take part in my film. This included many students, some of which are Deyan, Tatim, Yuuto and Luo. During this session, these students auditioned, and also had a little interview on why they have chosen to be candidates for this thriller film. These are some of the questions and answers by the candidates.
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1. Tatim ( insert character name )
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What makes you want to be in a thriller film?
Firstly I think that it would be really fun not only because I'm helping a friend, but I also get to act and I've wondered what it would be like to be in a cast and be in shooting. I know that it will probably take a lot of time for the final product but I wonder what the final video would look like.
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What is your favourite thriller movie?
My favourite one would probably be Spiderman: Far from home mostly because of the twist in the middle of the plot and also the cliff hanger at the end of the film. I also liked it because I like Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal's were in it and their acting is pleasing to look at.
2. Deyan ( insert character name )
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What your favourite movie?
My favourite movie is "A Quiet Place". I found this movie interesting because it had a lot of excitement.
Who is your favourite actor or actress?
I would have to say it is Lady Gaga from the last film she was in called "Joker: Folie à Deux". I really liked her acting because she puts emotion into it and I think she shows the message well. The musical in the movie was great too and I like it because there is beautiful girls in it.
2. Yuuto ( insert character name )
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What about acting makes you want to be a part of it?
I have always found the concept of acting quite interesting and I wanted to gain experience by being in one. I also think it would be a great conversation starter when talking to people. Acting can take me out of my usual comfort zone and it will make me try new characters that have different types of emotions.
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Who is your favourite film director?
Quentin Tarantino.
01.10.2024
Production Schedule
23.08.2024
In the thriller series "Alice in Borderland", each game has a countdown/ timer. I have taken inspiration of the countdown clock and used the countdown timer in my thriller opening idea.
RESEARCH
This section will include my research for this project.
23.09.2024
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Media Representation
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What is it?​​
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Media representations are commonly standardised and stereotypical depictions of social groups across different media outlets.
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Types of media representation
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​Age - Children, Youth and Elderly
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Gender - Masculinity and Femininity
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Class - Upper class, middle class and lower class
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Ethnicity - Ethnic minority groups
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Sexuality - heterosexuality and LGBTQ+
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Effect on audience​
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By using these types of media representation in thriller films, it connects the watcher to real life scenarios where these are usually seen. Age is represented in many ways and in thriller, it usually shows that not all age groups are bound to be safe. It also shows how the age groups could/would act in different scenarios.
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Gender plays a role in these films by showing both masculinity and femininity. Although it is not only men who have masculinity, but women in thriller films also show masculine and more dominant traits. By doing so, it breaks societal norms.
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By using class in thriller, it also shows the audience how people struggle when they are in lower class, and also shows that not everyone in the upper class are happy although they are blessed. This reflects onto the real world where some people struggled with this on the daily.
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So, by using media representation in thriller, I believe that it shows a deeper meaning in each scene and plays a large role in how the media is taken in. By using some of it, it becomes more realistic and at times, makes the audience feel as though they relate to a certain character or scene in the movie. Such as in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when Voldemort had supposedly killed him, Draco Malfoy's mother lied to Voldemort by saying harry was dead, in order to protect her son. This showed the audience how a mother's love is stronger than anything else, and that they make big decisions / sacrifices that could impact their own life, in order to protect their child.
17.09.2024
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Research on Thriller Genre
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What makes thriller special?
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What makes it stand out from the other genre is Its ability to create suspense and action throughout the movie.
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The unexpected plot twists, pacing, tension, and atmosphere sets it apart from other genres.​
(additional)
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Thriller originally became popular in the 20th century with films such as The lodger (1927) by Alfred Hitchcock which is often considered as the first proper thriller film released. On top of that, Alfred Hitchcock is known to be one of the best thriller film directors globally (found from multiple sources).
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The directed target audience
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Young adults and adults
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Suspense fans
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Horror fans
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Key conventions used in thriller
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Cinematography - Using different camera angles such as close ups (which convey emotion on a particular subject), medium shots (most commonly used in film) and high/low camera angles (which could represent either superiority or inferiority).
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Sound - The music used plays a crucial role in making film as music can control the emotion of the scene. By using eerie sounds, it can create a feeling of suspense and give a foreboding effect, whereas a calmer tune can signify peace.
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Editing - When editing the scenes together, using particular effects can help in further showing the message to the watcher, or informing them about something. Such as adjusting the speed to either make it faster or slower.
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How has thriller developed throughout the years?
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​Thriller films were originally made to show action, and suspense. Whereas in the recent years, thriller films focus more on the horror effect, action and plot twists. It has also shifted to focus more on the character developments rather than focusing mainly on the actual plot. Recently, character building has taken a huge roll in thriller, as well as film in a whole as it allows the watcher to reflect among themselves and realise that character building (positively) is important. An example of this can be seen in the thriller/crime film "Nightcrawler".
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11.09.2024
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Research on Thriller Openings
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1. The Killer (2023)
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What stood out the most:
- Most of the first few opening scenes took place in one singular room and the overall lighting and mood was very dark and created an unsettling feeling.
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Film techniques used:
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Over the shoulder shot
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Medium shot
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Close up shot
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Establishing scene
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Aerial shot / High angle
The opening of The Killer had the character doing their own thing and had a voice over as thought we are listening to the characters own thoughts and opinions as the film progresses.The atmosphere overall was unsettling and showed the character in his own apartment/ room which was shown as an empty and dirty old unfinished apartment. It shows the character then looking out of the window using a high angle shot to show the perspective of the killer. It shows the people downstairs living their own life and minding their own business as the main character listens to upbeat music. The atmosphere is not as dull and blue anymore and then shows a few signs of a yellowish orange hit to it. However, this soon changes. What I liked about this film was the high angle shots used to show the other characters while it was a voice over of the main character. This showed the effect that life goes on differently for each person.
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2. LongLegs​ (2024)
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what stood out to me:
The background was entirely white due to the snow and the house was white as well. To make the main girl stand out from the rest of the background, they put her in red clothes. By doing so, it sets her apart from the rest of the story. On top of that, it could mean that something bad will happen to her in the future as red usually signifies something bad or even count as a warning.
Film techniques​ used:
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Establishing shot / long shot
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Medium
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Zoom in
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Close up
The start of this film was very quiet which created an unsettling feeling as the only noise heard was the footsteps of the girl going to see why there's a car outside her house. Then, as the clip zooms in onto the car, there is a music which gives a foreboding effect on the reader and gives a slightly creepy vibe. Then the director usedjumpscare effect to scare the audience by making it completely silent and using a sound on the clip where the character suddenly pops up behind the girl. What I liked the most in this film was that they dressed the girl in red to make her stand out from the background.
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3. Jackie Brown (1997)​ - Quentin Tarantino
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what stood out to me:
It was how they managed to use the camera to follow her while walking and then onto another flight attendant speaking without there being any cuts. This shows that they did the scene in one entire go.
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Film techniques​ used:
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Knee level angle
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Medium
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Close up
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Tracking shot
The movie starts off with what shows a flight attendant a bit late to work and she is walking quickly to her gate. Most of this was shown using a "tracking shot" and it followed her for roughly a minute of the scene. It then moves onto a flight attendant announcing the boarding and the main character returning to welcome the passengers boarding the plane. I found this technique quite interesting.
How/ What could I implement in my own thriller opening from these techniques?
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I could use the silent noise (like the one in Longlegs) and use this to create an unsettling effect at the beginning of the thriller film.
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I could use some inspiration from the lighting techniques and colours from The Killer and use that further expand the uneasy feeling.
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Lastly, I could use the knee level angle to show the viewer a scene of the character walking after doing something that they shouldn't have.
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Post Research Reflection 1
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​By doing this research on thriller film openings, I have learnt how different films use camera shots and angles to portray a different meaning which is suitable for the scenario/movie itself ( such as using the tilt angle to create an uneasy effect). I have also learnt some different camera angles and lighting and its effect on the audience. (such as the tracking shot from Jackie Brown and the lighting and colours from The Killer). I could potentially use some of these camera angles and lighting as inspiration for my own thriller opening. By doing this research, I have gotten a broader idea of how different camera angles and techniques can be used to illustrate the different meanings the director wants the audience to understand and feel. Hence why this research has helped me.
CLASS TASKS
This section includes my class tasks.
11.09.2024
Preliminary Exercise
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Establishing shot
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This shot is used to establish the buildings where most of these shots took place​. During this shoot, I was thinking about how beautiful the weather was, since it was a sunny day out in Orchard with my friends.
High angle shot
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This is a high angle and also a two shot as it has two people. When I took this picture, I was thinking about the friendship between both the models in this photo.
Medium shot
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This is when the scene shows both the character as well as the location at which the scene is taking place in. In this photo, Luo is pretending to lean against something that says "DO NOT LEAN AGAINST THE GLASS". This shot is supposed to show that not everyone will listen to the rules even if it is shown in front of them in bold red capital letters.
Close up shot
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This was my attempt at taking a close up shot. This is candid and the colours are nice. Usually the colour pink represents love, comfort and healing and in this shot, the colour shows the calm moment of trying to figure out which stuffed toy he would try and get from the machine for a loved one.
Improvements
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I could improve by focusing more on the deeper meaning behind each photo and planning it out better. I could also make the photo show the main focus for it. By learning to use different camera settings and techniques and understanding it.
Other photos I took that day
03.09.2024
Media Production 1
These are all of my other production activities aside from my top four photos for the homework 6.2. These photos were taken to test some other types of camera techniques which could be seen below. Most of these photos are taken on my camera.
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This was my attempt at an extreme close up shot.
The next three photos are candid pictures i took of Luo and Yuuto since i thought it was a nice moment and memory to keep.
This photo is taken on my phone. It is a candid photo and i took it since it reminded me of a picture i saw on pinterest where the photo is taken on the escalators.
This is a photo of Yuuto waiting for Luo and I infront of Typo. I took this photo because he made direct eye contact with me a didnt realise.
28.08.2024
Initial thoughts
My initial thoughts on this project is that this will be a new experience for me since my usual filming is more like vlogs for YouTube, TikTok and other posts for instagram. Exploring media through thriller is more different since there is more thought that goes into each scene and shot which is what makes it different from vlogs since they aren't as planned. Making a thriller opening seems very fun and thrilling and I am very excited to start this journey along with my friends.