We have decided to shoot the majority of our thriller film in my house. This is because it has good spatial elements and structure that conforms to the thriller genre. For example, we have planned to begin the film with a tracking shot of our protagonist walking up the stairs and stepping onto this corridor through the archways into the door way. As the protagonist walks up the stairs, it is significant of the beginning of his journey. A staircase is a passage way which connects two things, ideas, places and so forth.

Despite its simplicity, the doorway/frame has significance of separation; entrance and exit. For example, as the protagonist enters the door-less doorway shown in this image it is significant of him entering a darker part of his life, as when he enters the bathroom he watches his own lifeless corpse of a victim. When exiting the doorway back down the stairs, it is significant of him going back to normality. The final scene is shot in the room at the very end of the hallway which emphasises the idea of sinister acts only taking place past the white door frame. The only sense of normality shown in the Film is before the door frame, outside the house, which infers the negative significance and symbolism surrounding the door frame.

The bathroom scene is crucial in the film as it is the opening scene of the film. In addition, this is where the introduction of the characters and the plot takes place. This bathroom is ideal for the scene as it is reasonably spacious which allows us to experiment with different, creative shot types and angles as we have room to re-position the camera and tripod easily as well as the props and so forth. We plan to shoot the protagonist looking at himself in the mirror while he washes his hands to fully portray him as a character physically. Due to the space behind the bathroom we are able to angle the camera towards the mirror to show both the reflection of the protagonist and the protagonist himself. This is conforming to the thriller genre, specifically the film noir genre, which we are taking inspiration from. Reflections and views of faces through objects, (such as mirrors) are typical of the genre. Hence our choice to do the mirror shot and furthermore, one of the initial reasons for shooting in a bathroom.

For the middle part of our film, we are going to shoot on this road, outside my house. This is firstly to create a sense of continuity due to the rest of the shots being inside the house. Furthermore it ensures practicality, as we will be able to shoot all of the film in one location and preferably over less time. This is practical due to being able to experiment with different shot types for longer and gain as much footage as possible, so when it comes to editing we have numerous options when deciding on the best shots. Asides from the practicality element, this location is perfect visually, sense that it isn’t a modern house. It is picturesque and compliments elements of the film noir genre, which is the sub-genre of our thriller film.

We plan to shoot the meeting of the victim and the protagonist along the road shown. As you can see from the following images, the road is quite wide. This is perfect for us as we are able to shoot a variety of shots. For example, we can experiment with composition. In addition, due to the width of the road, we can shoot wide, mid and close up shots of the protagonist from the other side of the road, to show the surroundings and location, as well as dramatic intensity of emotions.

Initially, earlier in the planning process, we had planned to potentially shoot the outside parts of our film in more of a cityscape setting, which would have completely changed both the visuals and atmosphere of our whole film. We explored setting the film in a more industrial area of Norwich, such as a block of flats. However, after mind-mapping potential locations and discussing it we decided against it as it wouldn’t compliment and conform to the film noir genre.

For the third and final scene in our film, we plan to shoot it in the bedroom at the end of the hallway first shown. This is an ideal location as the room (shown below) is extremely adaptable. We want the focus in the final shot to be completely on the protagonist as it is the climax of the plot where he realises he must kill the woman he previously met. Therefore the mise-en-scene must be simplistic and minimal. We plan to remove the lamp and books and place only a few candles on the side. Furthermore we will cut out the paintings out of the shot, so the background of the shot is blank, making the composition simple. The bed-sheets will also be a simple white and the bed made, which again, ensures a simple composition, and the focus to be entirely on the emotions of the character and what is occurring in the film at that time.

Written By Matilda Goddard