Treatment

A treatment is an outline of your ideas. You need to consider the following:

• Target audience? And how will your sequence make it clear that this is your target audience?
• Concept for the film?
• Synopsis of the film?
• Title?
• Outline of idea for two minute sequence?
• Ideas for title sequence-how will this relate to the ideas/themes/genre of the film?

Research/Planning Tasks

An outline of how the research and planning criteria correspond to the tasks over the next few weeks...

• There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience. (analysing thriller film openings/the function of opening sequences/interesting shots/angles/uses of mise-en-scene you could use/understanding the conventions/looking at the difference between 15 and 18 certificate/target audience-who?)


• There is excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props (production schedule/location scout/location photography/risk assessment).


• There is excellent work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding (storyboarding/shot list/treatment).


• There is an excellent level of care in the presentation of the research and planning (a detailed, thorough, record of the process/a well presented blog that is visually sophisticated)


• Time management is excellent (all deadlines met).

Marking Critieria for Research and Planning

This is the set of descriptors for Level 4 Excellent (16-20 marks). Level 1=minimal Level 2=basic Level 3=proficient
Research and Planning must be presented in electronic format. Where candidates have worked as a group, this may be presented collectively, but teachers are asked to differentiate the contributions of individuals within the group in arriving at a mark and justifying individual marks on the assessment sheet.

• There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience.


• There is excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props.


• There is excellent work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding.


• There is an excellent level of care in the presentation of the research and planning


• Time management is excellent.

http://www.ocr.org.uk/download/kd/ocr_9646_kd_gce_spec.pdf

The Importance of Titles

Neville Brody is a title sequence artist. Here he deconstructs some of the work of the best artists in the field.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jun/27/neville-brodys-fave-film-fonts-openings

Inventive, Creative Title Sequences

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/12/19/30-unforgettable-movie-title-sequences/

The Brief

To create the opening sequence of a new thriller film (to include titles) aimed at a 15 or 18 certificate audience. Maximum two minutes.

Genre Hybrids

Storyboarding

Storyboards from the film 'The Big Lebowski'

Thriller conventions

The following is a list of thriller conventions. Use it to both to create your own sequence and analyse existing ones, remembering that different films will use different conventions in different ways............:

Thriller Conventions.

A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder, but not necessarily).
A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions.
A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved.
A protagonist who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist.
Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.
Themes of identity.
Themes of mirroring.
Themes of voyeurism.
Protagonist with a ‘flaw’ which is exploited by the antagonist.
Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonist’s psychological state.
There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril.
Mise en scene which echoes/ mirrors the protagonist’s plight.

Last year's student thrillers

Also look at how the titles work-what sort of things are included in a title sequence? How does the font reflect the genre/themes?

• Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock,
  
• Anatomy of a Murder (
• Casino Royale (
  

Real Media Texts-Thriller Opening Sequences

Some examples of thriller opening sequences. Watch them and think about: the generic conventions of thrillers (i.e. what makes you know it's a thriller!); features and function of opening sequences; how each opening suggests its target audience; shots and ideas you could use in your own sequence...

• Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)




• The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995)




• Seven (David Fincher, 1995)
  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6msq8mgdnE&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL97DE4EBEFFFACE22

http://youtu.be/7bjA-4no1ZY