Eugene Daniels AS Practical Coursework Blog

Once we had watched our first/rough draft of our short sequence we realised that our lip sync dubbing was not in time and also that there was too much background sound which in a few cases did not complement our scenes. As well as that we realised that our film lacked continuity which made it less interesting and more confusing. We had to film again which made things slightly difficult for us because of the fact that all of our actors would have to make sure they were wearing the same clothes so that there was no confusion while the audience watch the sequence. For one of our actors it was possible for them to get the exact same clothing as they used in the previous scene becuase of this we had to pospone our filming date. This violated our time management plan once again.

Before we began to create an opening to our own thrillers we watched and analyzed two title sequences which would help us in the creation of our own. While we were watching them we had to take note of how techniques were used to create thrills, tension and suspense to set the atmosphere of a successful thriller. The two opening we saw were The Silence of Lambs and Butterfly Effect.

The opening in the silence of lambs had a specific effect on the audience, it starts with an establishing shot of woodland with no sign of any human, and this keeps the audience in suspense not having any idea what's to come. The music played in the background and the slightly dark atmosphere gave off the idea that the film would be a thriller. We then see a long shot of a woman climbing up a rope towards the camera. The further away she is from the camera smaller and weaker she looks. As she gets closer to the camera she seems a lot stronger mentally and physically, which is an effective technique. This is shown when we see a very intense look on her face as she forces her way up the rope as well as her wearing male type clothing. After this we see the character running though the woods with the camera behind her following her hand held making it seem as though she is getting chased which is also an effective technique to the thriller genre. The sound used while she is running though the woods is slow which gives off a mysterious sense heaped tension on the moment having the audience thinking something bad is going to happen. As well as this the fact that she is breathing so heavily and was obviously tired after what she had been doing the audience would be worried that she wouldn’t be able to defend herself if she were to be attacked.

Similarly in butterfly effect we immediately get the sense that the film to come is a thriller. This thought is started off with an establishing shot of a dark room which almost tell us the film will be a thriller. We then see a man poke his head into the scene looking though blinds and then there are plenty jumps shots, at this point the audience don’t know what to expect while in suspense they would most likely think that the character is either looking for something or someone. Their thoughts will change rapidly as the character hurries into the room searching for a good hiding spot and material to communicate with the people who were after him. As this happens the camera shots rapidly change as the scene moves at a very quick pace showing shots of police searching the area and the man trying to write his message as quick as possible, though that period we hear a lot of hustle and bustle as well as heavy breathing.

Watching the opening of these two thrillers showed us that we can communicate a lot of information to our audience though a small period of time. It also showed that there are many different techniques to create thrills and suspense which will keep the audience hooked and willing to know what’s next.

In addition to this we also realised that the title can and should also be used to reflect what the film will be about. For example in the film butterfly effect the whole title sequence is based on very dark colours with little white a black background with a butterfly fluttering in the middle. This could portray little hope in a dark maybe evil environment giving the audience a little taste of what is to come. It is clear there was a lot of thought put into the title in this film we see the in the movement and animation used. In the same way The Silence of Lambs also a has dark background a grey sky and tree branches without many leaves and behind that everything goes unseen in fog. Here little things like the trees having few leaves could have an important meaning to the audience. Also the grey skies could represent lambs.
Every little part of a film can give off a lot of information.

Audience
The target audience for the Butterfly Effect is presumably 16 years to 26 years. The film is ultimately open to both genders but deeper in the film it maybe though that it will be aimed more at the male gender. There are plenty audience attractions in the opening of the film for example the introduction of the first character how he is immediately made the victim of a hunt. The fast shots happening at this moment will also attract a young audience as it is quick ongoing action. The music is an addition to high tension levels which young people always want to feel. As we know young people watch films to live the moments so packs of action are what they are most likely to be interested in.

The target audience for Silence of the Lambs is most likely 18 years and over. This film is also open to both genders, because it has a military type atmosphere the male gender will obviously be into this film, but the fact that a woman is playing the main role will which is often said to be a man’s role will lure a female audience into watching this film. This is a very good technique used by the makers of this film as it will attract a wider audience and can also send a worldwide message though the film. Unlike the film Butterfly Effect I think this film will appeal to a wider age range although there is a lot of action is this film also it seems like a film of which patience will be needed to watch and enjoy and the younger ages just don’t want that.