In our group we decided to make our two minute film clip in the sub-genre of a psychological thriller. Films such us The Strangers (2008, Bryan Bertino) and The Orphanage (2007, Juan Antonio Bayona) both helped and influenced our choice of creating a psychological thriller film.We choose to film part of the complication sequence in which after being cut off from a phone conversation to her friend, ? the main character, goes down into the basement of her and her husbands new house to fix the power. She is both shocked and traumatized to find him hanging dead from the basement ceiling. We decided to film the complication sequence as we would be able to create a sense of tension and an eerie atmosphere for the audience through the use of sound, editing, lighting, camera angles, and mise en scene. I took up the role of Art Director making me responsible for mise en scene (props, costumes, setting and location).
The fact that the sub-genre of our film extract was a psychological thriller influenced the decisions I made in choosing the location for the film. The scene where she finds her husband hanging was filmed in a creepy basement, similar to the one in Signs(2002, M Night Shyamalan), to create suspense and a spooky intense atmosphere.
The setting is a simplistic bedroom created using basic props like a double bed, duvet and pillows, a lamp ect. By using a typical young couples bedroom as the setting this helps the audience connect to the characters and also helps them find the extract more realistic and believable as they can relate to it.
Due to the fact at the beginning of the sequence the main character has just woke up she is wearing pajamas, which gives the audience a relaxed and calm feel. When she gets out of bed to fix the power she puts on her dressing gown implying it is cold, and so preparing the audience for what is going to happen. She is wearing nothing on her feet so when she is walking down the basement stairs there is a sharp contrast between her bare feet and the rough basement stairs creating a sense apprehension for the audience.
Her hanging husband is wearing dark clothing and signifying death. The t-shirt he is wearing is black with the writing ‘I’m not dead yet’, this shows irony as he is in fact dead however this could confuse the audience as to what is going on. He is also wearing dark trousers rolled up to his knees showing off his lower legs and bare feet. I think this is very effective as it portrays him having ‘cold feet’ relating to death.
When the power goes out she uses a torch to light her way to the basement. The light of the torch is the only lighting used while she goes down to the basement to fix the power. This creates a gloomy, eerie atmosphere and a lot of tension for the audience.
There are very few props used in the basement as the couple have recently moved in. There’s a fuse box, a stepladder and a note saying ‘They’ll get you too’. I think that the note creates impact and suspense for the audience, however it is unclear what the note says. The stepladder appears to look like a tripod and therefore may seem that it is not actually suppose to be in the shot.
From feedback received from piers it was clear that they found both the lighting and sound effective. However stepladder was criticized due to the fact it appears to be a tripod. Also some people were confused by the t-shirt worn by the dead husband.
If we were to make further changes to the extract, or do it again, I would put more props in the basement, perhaps labeled cardboard boxes as this may portray to the audience that they have recently moved in to the house. Also the note on the floor in the basement is shadowed over by the husband hanging body. Therefore making it unclear and hard to read. I would make this bolder so that it would give more of an impact. The t-shirt saying ‘I’m not dead yet’ may be rather confusing to the audience, so I would change it to a plain black t-shirt or no t-shirt, as this would add to the sense of cold and death.
We are working in the psychological thriller genre. This genre is a sub-genre of a thriller. Where thrillers usually put the characters in a place of great danger, psychological thrillers focus on the mindset of a character, putting them in a place of great mental danger, as opposed to physical danger.
The sequence we will be filming will be placed about half an hour into the film. Speaking in a narrative manner, this part of the film is the complication. This sequence fits into the genre because it is typically a very conventional sequence for a thriller. It starts with a woman in her bed, waking up because of a phone ringing. It’s dark and she is alone. The mise en scene is a typical bedroom belonging to a young couple. This is often a setting for this genre, as it shows how normality is not safe from the complication in the film. This way the audience can relate to the setting and the characters, developing the thrill that they get from watching. After a telephone conversation with her friend is cut short due to a power cut, she has to find a torch and go down into the basement. The lighting here is typical of the thriller genre – it is mostly dark, with the only light coming from the torch she is holding. This increases the tension in the sequence, making it fit in with the genre.
In the group, I am taking on the role of the cinematographer. This means I will be in charge of the lighting and framing. Within this role, I hope to achieve giving the sequence the right mood. Using the lighting, I hope to create an atmosphere of fear and paranoia. This will be done by having most of the film in darkness, and when there is light, it will only be in small amounts – like from a torch or a small lamp. I also hope to do this with the framing. Hopefully, by having a range of shot sizes and using them in the right places, I can increase the tension and shock of the sequence as much as possible. My main influences for this role will be films directed by Brian DePalma (Obsession, Sisters, Dressed to Kill), David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club), Christopher Nolan (Following, Memento) and Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho, Vertigo). I hope by watching these films, I can develop successful techniques in increasing tension and keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
