Our media product this year follows all conventions of a typical psychological crime thriller. We decided as a group that it would be best to do this so that the audience wouldn't be confused as it is only a short 5 minute film. It was something we had to deeply consider because we all agreed that it would have been nice to stretch a genre in any way we could possibly try but the audience was the main factor we had to consider. We asked questions such as 'Would the audience understand?' 'Will this be hard to film?' 'Will we be testing ourselves too hard?' We wanted to test and push our knowledge in film but we decided that it'd be best to do this in a safe way. To stick to the knowledge that we know of the thriller genre but produce a brilliantly filmed short film.
Rules
Throughout the film we made it clear to the audience that we knew the rules of practical film making by using the 180 degree line when two characters are involved in conversation. We did this to show the two characters and the area surrounding them as this shot is used to establish the scene. This is a rule used in every film to start a basic conversation between two characters:
The over the shoulder rule is used after the establishing shot to show continuity of the conversation. We practiced doing this in our AS studies and we completed a short film to try and do basic rules. The 180 degree rule and the over the shoulder rule were two shots undertaken:
The over the shoulder rule is used in the short film that I found on Youtube and analysed 'One More Time'. This shows that short films use the same rules as any other feature length or documentary films and because of this, we also used the same over the shoulder rule:
We did this to show the audience Kyle's reactions to the topics being discussed and I'm sure that the same reason is to show the girls disgust in what the man is saying in 'One More Time'. It is used to create a sense of 'being there' for the audience because they'll feel like they're there, in the film, because it almost looks as if they're behind them and involved in the action. Rick Altman's theory of genre suggests that audiences appeal to certain films because they get a certain pleasure from watching it and here, I'm assuming that they'll be appealed to the visceral pleasure of the film we have created and it's narrative.
To get a perfect over the shoulder shot my group member, Jodie, and I had to work with both actors in order for the shot to look right on camera. We had to position them where we needed and angle their bodies to get the perfect shot because they couldn't see what was happening on the camera screen so it was important to stay calm and help the actors because they're helping us. Again we feature the over the shoulder rule in our film:
Along with the over the shoulder rule there has to be a consistent use of 'shot reverse shot' in order to carry on with the conventions of conversation otherwise it wouldn't be clear what the other character is saying/thinking/doing with their facial features. This comes naturally when filming because it is a normal aspect in any film. Although we did have to be careful because whilst filming the final/confrontation scene, we were concentrating solely on The Employer's big finishing speech and nearly forgot to film Kyle's reacting shots. It is vital to have the reacting shots in any conversation on film otherwise it would confuse the audience and they wouldn't understand what is happening.
Shots
To show to the audience different reactions and how versatile we are as a filming team we decided that it would be best to show how we can use a range of different shots for different situations in the film. As Kyle is the main character there are many different shots of him and this is juxtaposed with the few shots of The Employer. The Employer has less of a range of different shots to show that he as a character isn't as interesting and as open minded as Kyle seems to be in the film. The few shots that The Employer is shown in are:
Extreme close ups:
Close ups:
We also included an obscure angle of The Employer to show that he is an obscure character and this is
Medium close up:
And finally, a normal medium shot for basic conversation sequences:
Other shots are used but The Employers face isn't visible to keep him anonymous throughout the film so his identity isn't revealed until the end. There isn't a range of shots used for The Employer because we want the audience to know that this is a character that has many secrets and tends not to be the kind of person to tell these secrets.
Kyle is shown in close up shots just before he has a flashback. We did this to show that the close-up exhibits a secret, like most of The Employers life and shots, so as a flashback is to be revealed Kyle is shown in close up:
This shot is also used to create a relationship between Kyle and the audience because it creates a sense of intimacy whereas this intimacy isn't felt during The Employers close ups. The two characters are frequently juxtaposed.
Conventions
I thoroughly researched themes of thriller so that in the film we could stick to the themes as much as we could. I did a basic list of the themes in a typical thriller film:- Illegal substances
- Death
- Violence
- Revenge
- Gangs
- Uniform/Suits
- Weapons
- Robbery
There are two which are both featured at the same time in our film:
We featured both of these themes at the end of the film to shock and surprise our audience. A death occurs because of the weapon used. It is a surprise to the audience because it is expected that Kyle isn't the bad guy because throughout the film The Employer is sneaking around. The audience do not know who or what The Employer does until the end of the film and it is revealed that he is good guy turned bad, which again is typical that everyone does wrong in a thriller film. There is never a good person in a thriller film and we have shown this in our film.
Another main theme that we show in our film is violence. Flashbacks throughout the film show Kyle beating an unknown man (The Employer). The beatings are brutal and harsh and are only shown for a second because the memories are vague and Kyle can't remember them that well. The audience will be shocked to see these random second videos of happenings in the past and again, relates to Rick Altman's theory of genre in that the audience will gain visceral pleasure from watching the beating:
Robbery was an aspect that we didn't realise we had put into the film and it just came with filming. This is a theme that is very much a part of a crime film as it exhibits bad and ruthless behaviour that is against the law. The robbery takes place in an act of violence so again, two themes are joined together. The screenshot below from the film shows Kyle beating and stealing The Employers wallet in an act of desperation.
The Employer is wearing a suit to show that he has the power in the end scene because Kyle is wearing nothing but a dirty shirt and cardigan. Again, this is another theme of a thriller incorporated into our film.
Revenge is a theme that influences the whole film. The Employer plotting revenge is the reason that Kyle is sent around wherever he is travelling with different addresses and the mysterious box. The audience will understand throughout that the film is a thriller because we have nearly all the themes and the only ones we haven't chosen to put in the film is gangs because to have a gang the story line would have had to change to put a gang in the film. We also don't have illegal substances in the film because all thought that then it would become more of a crime film than we all originally anticipated.
Audience Pleasure
As I have mentioned throughout, Rick Altman, studied genre and decided that audiences get a set of pleasure from watching a film. I believe that from this film the audience are receiving a set of visceral pleasures. This set of pleasures can give an audience a feeling of revulsion, kinetic speed or a 'roller coaster ride.' The audience will hopefully feel the roller coaster effect from watching this film.
He also said that there is a set of pleasures which an audience feels when usually watching thriller films and I believe that our audience will definitely feel this. This pleasure is received from having a shock factor introduced in the film; such as the ending of the film.
The ending of 'The Employer' is a shock because throughout the film it is unclear who the man is who is send Kyle around and round to addresses. The shock is introduced to the audience at the end of the film when it is revealed that Kyle beat the man in past years and that he is now ready for revenge.
I think we definitely achieved this because on many of the feedback responses that we had filled in by members of the audience they said that they did not expect the ending and it came as a shock to them. Rick Altman was right in that the audience did receive pleasure from not figuring the ending out. Or in some cases, they did, which still gave them pleasure in the fact that they were satisfied in knowing or guessing.
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