Preliminary Task

We have started to plan and develop our Preliminary Task for our thriller film. It is basically a protype version of our final ideas for a thriller, so that we can practise our techniques and become familiar with the filming.

Our film must include the following:
A person opening and walking through a door.
A person crossing a room -- Tracking Shot.
Dialogue exchanged.
Shot and Reverse shots.
Two people sitting opposite one another.
Use of 180 degree rule.
Timing: Around 2 minutes, minimum 30 seconds.

We have decided to film our preliminary thriller in school, from five O'clock onwards so that it is dark outside, to coincide with the genre.

It starts with a close-up shot of a girl's (16) arm sprawled down a flight of stone stairs as though she is dead or badly injured. At this point the audience do not know whether she is dead or alive. We will use a variety of camera angles to capture the victim lying as though she has been thrown down the stairs. We will use an aerial shot of the girl from the perspective of the killer as though he is looking down on her, as though he is in control. Also, we will use close-ups of the girls arm covered in blood as her phone rings and her fingers flinch to try and answer the call. We also want to use high and low angle shots of her. She will be wearing many braclets and red nail varnish so that the audience recognise it is the same girl in the later scene.

Shot cuts to a male, dressed in complete black with hood up walking towards a flight of stairs. Mid shot cuts to close-ups of his feet as he walks up the stairs. Then as he reaches the top, shot cuts to a low angle shot of his legs as he turns to climb yet another flight of stairs. Then shot cuts again to an extreme low angle shot from down below -- making him look powerful and threatening as he walks up.

When he reaches the top stairs, he walks past the steady camera which turns to follow his movement through double doors and out of sight. Shot cuts then to a hand-held shot, shaky, diegetic sound of his breathing as he swiftly looks into classrooms whilst walking along. Then cuts back to behind the door -- extreme long shot of him through glass panes in door as he turns into a room.

Cuts to tracking shot as he enters and walks across room. Over the shoulder shot angling down, again gives him power and the victim below looks vulnerable. The victim is the same young girl dressed in school uniform who is tied to a chair. She will have black mascara dripping down her face, messy hair and uniform, tiny bit sweaty to reflect her panic and traumatic state.

Exchange in dialogue, she will be screaming asking questions such as "Why am I here", "What are you going to do", "Please don't do this." Initally he does not answer, use of shot reverse shots between characters, keeping her face in the light, however, his in the shadows.

When he answers, it will be patronising sneers at the girl, querky comments.

One of these last shots will be a close-up of the girls arm once again, as she carefully puts her hand into her bag behind her attempting to grab her phone, however the rope is too tight. This is the point when the audience see her braclets and nail varnish to reiterate the fact she is the same person.

Remaining with close-up of her arm, suddenly another hand comes into shot, he graps her wrist.

Scene cuts again back to staircase. A shot through the upstairs window of the staircase out into the playground as the man walks away, shot tracks round 180 degrees, girl comes into sight, lying sprawled on the stairs covered in blood. Zooms onto her arm once again, tracks down, however this time her phone is just seen out of reach of her arm, as it rings, her fingers suddenly flinch and the film cuts to blackout.

Location: School.
Costume: Uniform (messy), Black hoodie, hood up and dark trousers.
Sound: Slight non diegetic music playing, however, hardly noticeable, repeative noise such as a drumming sound.
Actors: Preferably Helen Hancock and Barney Smith.