Planning: Planning cinematography, sound and editing - Mrs. Quinlan

Micro-Elements

Introduction:

The cinematography used in films are important as it consists of important elements such as camera shots, angles and movements of each scene that is taken by allowing the audience to have a clearer understanding regarding the characters representation and the events taken place in each scene. Cinematography is very important especially in thriller films as it allows the audience to understand each character individually very quickly such as if that individual is a protagonist, antagonist or victim depending on what shots, sizes and movement of the camera. This creates a response from the audience as they react according to the specific types of cinematography used. For example; a high angle evokes vulnerability making that person look smaller than they usually are.

The cinematography we plan on using in our thriller are:

1) Establishing Shot - We decided that the first movement in our thriller opening will be an establishing shot which will be used for the audience to understand where the antagonist has come from according to the type of costume he's wearing. The establishing shot/ extreme long shot will show the audience the antagonist from head to toe followed by the background from behind so its clear when the viewers are watching. This will make the audience question themselves who's funeral is this and why doesn't the character look upset.

2) Medium Shot - We decided to use medium shots as they are very simple to portray what is happening in the current scene. A medium shot is simple to do and is a type of cinematography that can transition one scene to another without the audience getting too confused or distracted of what happened. We want to use these medium shots so the audience are able to see the characters more clearly where their costume, hair and make-up is clearly visible.

3) Close-up - We've also planning on using many close-up shots to make sure that what were trying to the audience is clearer enough, to do this, we can use the clos-up shot. When our antagonist is walking up the stairs, we want a close-up of his feet walking up the stairs. When this technique is used, the audience are also able to see the hands of dead bodies on the floor when the camera closes up to his feet. This is to create more tension for the audience asking them feel uneasy and scared for what has to come after.

4) Long Shot - We also planning on using long shots in our thriller opening to demonstrate the ghostly and creepy figure that appears when the antagonist turns off the light in his bedroom. The long shot is appropriate for this scene because the viewers can see the figure clearly from head to toe but still are not able to work out who this mystery person is. This creates a chilling response from the audience which is also accompanied by the back lighting.

5) High Angle - We decided that we also wanted to use a high angle shot for when the antagonist walks down the stairs in frame 11. This is when the audience are able to witness the dead bodies on the staircase that they were able to see before. This is to confirm that the antagonist is a psychopath killer just in case some viewers didn't quite catch on what type of character he is. This creates a shock reaction from the audience because its a quite abrupt way to demonstrate what type of character he is.

6) Tilt Shot - A tilt shot we also be used in our thriller opening. This is when the audience the first clue of this psychopath killer. When he arrives home, everything seems very normal till the camera tilts towards the floor where he picks up a piece of furniture from the floor covered in blood followed by some dead bodies lying around the floor, lifeless.

7) Low Angle Shot - A low angle shot we decided to use when the antagonist walks up the stairs towards his bedroom to get change. This low angle makes him look like the dominant and superior one further making him look powerful and strong as well. The audience will feel uneasy and quite intimidated by this frame and the low angle does make him look physically bigger.

The following sounds we intend to use:

1) Diegetic Sound - We plan on using non-diegetic sound in our thriller which is just sound from the film world like the rain hitting his window of his house. This will create the tense and gloomy atmosphere better which will make the audience feel uneasy and quite scared

2) Parallel Sound - Parallel sound is when the sound you hear in a film is expected for example, we want to use parallel sound when he does simple stuff around the house and when his outside of this house. When he leaves the funeral, we hear the rain which is expected as we see it clearly in this scene. When the antagonist arrives home, we expect to hear the door slam when he shuts it on the mystery girls face.

3) Contrapuntal Sound - When we are able to see the bodies scattered around the house, we decided to use contrapuntal sound in this scene with a soundtrack that doesn't quite fit with the scene as this creates a better response from the audience, no only they're afraid but confused on why these bodies are here. There will be a soundtrack that doesn't quite fit such as classical music playing in the background whilst he goes to leave his house. This will create an even bigger and noticeable contrast between the sound and what is going on which makes the audience question this mystery character even more.

4) On-screen Sound - The on-screen sound is quite similar to diegetic sound, I want the audience to able also hear the on-screen sound that they are also able to see for example when the antagonist closes the door and leaves the house we can hear the rain and wind and the muffled chatter of other people on the street.

5) Non-diegetic Sound - We also decided that we wanted non-diegetic sound used in our thriller opening. The non-diegetic sound which is not part of the film world. We plan on using diegetic sound when we begin to edit our thriller. When the anti-hero appears, we plan on using the diegetic sound of a sound track to create more tension for the audience which will create a more chilling experience. This further creates suspense and shock for the audience as this was unexpected, moreover, this is the first appearance the anti-hero makes which the audience are introduced to which makes them even more uneasy.

The type of editing we planning on using are:

1) Straight Cut - A straight cut is when one shot moves into another shot in an edit and it does not confuse the audience because its so subtle. As my group and I came up with a nice and simple opening which the audience has to work hard to understand, we also wanted to keep our editing limited and simple so there is no confusion when the audience are watching.

2) Fade to Black - We want to use a fade to black transition to it when the screen fully turns black right at the end which really gives the audience a thriller feel. The fade to black transition also suggests that the man will get up to no good again as the colour black is a dark colour with negative connotations. This further makes the audience want to watch on which is why I think it'll be successful if we use this fade to black transition.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this planning has been very beneficial as I have been able to identify the importance of cinematography, sound and editing in thriller films. Furthermore, my group and I have decided that they are conventional to the thriller genre and get the correct message across to the audience regarding the characters and particular events. For example; we decided to use a low-angle to show that the antagonist who is the main character is big and powerful with lots of power, we have thought carefully about what type of cinematography we wanted to use in our opening ensuring that it fits well with the thriller genre.