The PitchBy Amelia Bourke

What I found out from research

From my research I have learnt a great deal. I have learnt a lot more about my target audience and how to draw them in, I have learnt about what makes a thriller film popular as well as how to construct one using effective music, editing techniques, camera angles and costume and props. Researching things like thriller film openings have inspired me to incorporate some features into my own work to make it more relatable but at the same time I wanted to keep it realistic. If there is one thing I have learnt and heard the most is that you shouldn’t overdo it. With the help of Pinterest I have put together boards to also inspire me for costume and titles as well as researching past students work to try and get some ideas of what they did to be successful.

My target audienceDuring my work I have found out a lot more about my target audience for thriller films, for instance the typical age group who enjoy thriller films and also what draws them closer to this genre and what simple things appeal to them. For example:-Overcomplicated plots aren’t good-Plot twists are the best part of a thriller-Try to avoid clichés-SuspenseTo achieve some of these examples I will have to be careful how I use the 4 technical codes in my work so that it doesn’t clash with anything. After further research into my audience thrillers tend to be aimed more towards males so I figured I would make the film opening more masculine but at the same time suitable for all. In terms of class there is no particular audience so I free to use different stereotypes of class if I choose

Synopsis of filmAfter researching my genre I have learned that many thriller film openings don’t give a lot away, they leave it a mystery in order for the audience to carry on watching while continuing to build the pace. So my idea for my film opening is to not create too much of a narrative but still keep things interesting with creative shots and a good soundtrack that keeps the audience on edge. Setting is also important so I want to be able to film in quiet isolated places to build a background for the characters as well as to make the audience ask questions like:-why is the character there?-Why are they alone?-What has happened?-What is going to happen?

Storyboards

Who will act in my filmI didn’t want to overcomplicate my narrative or overdo my film opening by including too many characters. So for this reason I have just decided to use myself as the only character so I can focus most of the shots on scenery instead of having to worry about balancing a number of shots between several different characters. I will be used for some of the shots and have special effects makeup on my face in order to create a bit of a plot starter which also enables the audience to ask questions about the character like what happened to them and how did she get here?

Locations and riskWith my film being a thriller a lot of my filming will be done in isolated places where there isn’t much risk however I will be filming near a motorway so there are obvious dangers there with road safety and the constant awareness of filming the public and thinking about their privacy. As I am in isolated areas noise won’t be too much of a problem but equipment will be used to prevent any background noise. Filming from heights is also an issue but I would be careful not to damage any filming equipment. I do plan on using SFX makeup but none that will cause offense to viewers or members of the public. Any places that are owned I will have to gain permission to film there so I am not breaking the law.

Costume and propsRelating to the thriller genre my costume will just be dark coloured clothes with a hoodie and a scarf to cover up my face to give a mysterious effect to the character on screen, for this I will just use my own clothes as it is nothing special. However for makeup I plan to create a burn mark on my face which I have practiced and I will re-create this using paint and wax which I already have at home so I don’t have to go to great lengths to get the materials I need.

Questions???