Gaining Experience

My two older brothers are amateur film makers and this week they asked me if I could help them with their latest project. For the past couple of weeks they have been filming a horror thriller movie and they were just about to finish the project, except they were missing one key component: the score. They wanted to have some erie music played in the background along with some discomforting stings and suspenseful rises to intensify the story in their short film. They came to me asking if I knew how to do anything of that sort and with my background in various instruments and musical programs I was happy to help. I spent a couple of days engineering some odd sounds together. With my software program FL Studio, I put in some string instruments ranging from very low to high notes as well as some organs and piano in minor keys in order to darken the mood for the film along with reverb and echoing sound effects. After it was completed and put into the film, I'd say things came out pretty well and my brothers were happy with what I had made. I was hoping with this experience that I may be able to incorporate a score into my film as well, as I believe I'll have a better idea of what I am looking for if I design the sounds myself.

Beginning to Organize

I have begun to officially plan out the process of filming this movie.  The first thing I have taken into consideration is the equipment I will need for this film. While I do have an iPhone that shoots in HD, I think I will take advantage of my brother's fancy new camera and have him advice me on how to use it. It will also be beneficial to have a second opinion on various shots used in the production. I will also have to make use of various items around the house in order to create better lighting for the production. On top of it all I'll have to coordinate some materials for the mis-en-scene of the film. This will include the costume design of the criminal in the film as well as the set up of the display and background of the movie that will set the scene and mood that I am trying to depict.

Sound and Score

An important aspect in suspenseful thrillers is the music and score that is used within the piece. Music in thrillers helps the viewer understand the mood of the scene and the characters, while hinting at the significant parts of the film, adding suspense and tension at any given moment. I am pursuing the different options of using this for my movie. I wonder if I should search for license free music made by professional audio engineers or possibly find a suspenseful score written by a professional musician and email him or her asking if I may use their work for a project. I am also thinking about taking a different spin on this and using software programs such as guitar band or FL studio in order to personally create and distort sounds to the vision that I am seeking in my head.

Research

I believe that in order to make a film about a bank robber, it would be important to incorporate some research into my project on the actual logistics and efficacy of robbing a bank. I feel it is important to keep the film as realistic as I possibly can in order to make it more believable than your average bank heist movie.

I have found several eye witness accounts from actual bank robbers who robbed banks for years and were eventually caught. According to Adequateman, an excerpt on how notorious criminal Clay Tumsey robbed so many banks over the years, he states that he always did his heists solo as he knew that the more people involved, the more likely he'd be caught. He also tried robbing banks in between shifts of police officers and had his car parked away from the scene of the crime and away from security cameras. I want to convey in my film that this is the criminal's first time robbing a bank so perhaps I'll use this information in finding the errors that my main character will make.

Horn, Leslie. "How To Rob A Bank, As Told By An Actual Bank Robber ."Adequate Man. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2016. <http://adequateman.deadspin.com/how-to-rob-a-bank-as-told-by-an-actual-bank-robber-1710663924>.

Sound in Thrillers: Timing is Key

In the thriller genre, sound is pivotal in conveying the message of the movie and keeping the audience on the edge of their seat. The use of high tension stings and dark scores really emphasizes the intensity of the film and can make or break your scene. It is important to know when to use sound and when to not, keeping moments of intense score in high octane situations along with periods of sullen silences to leave the audiences guessing on what's to happen next.

According to Videomaker, when editing a thriller, timing is key. The suspense and tension that is built up for the audience during a dramatic and suspenseful scene keeps the audience on their toes and coming back for more. The use of fast paced short clips and quick editing tend to disorient the audience along with the use of intense closeups and hand held camera techniques are utilized to indicate a sense of urgency. All of these techniques are implimented to capitalize the intensity of a well-made thriller.

Gates, Chris. "When Editing a Horror Movie or Thriller, Timing Is Key."Videomaker.com. N.p., 8 Apr. 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <http://www.videomaker.com/article/c3/17056-when-editing-a-horror-movie-or-thriller-timing-is-key>.

Critiques

This week in class, we received several critiques from our classmates on how to improve our film. Some of the suggestions have been very helpful such as the use of dim lighting when the criminal of film has been caught, or the use of a dark score when he hears his name on the news. A person also told me that the use of a voiceover or the breaking of a fourth wall would be an effective tool in the film however I disagree with this. I think that narration is overused in film and I find many problems with it. I feel that narration spoon feeds the audience too much and actually takes away from the story instead of just living in the moment of the film. I was also given the advice to film the scenes of the story out of order in a Quentin Tarentino type fashion. The idea is an interesting thought, however I'm unsure if I'll be able to create the movie to the best of my likings if I'm quickly rushing at least three different scenes into two minutes. All of these suggestions have been none the less helpful and I'll be sure to incorporate various aspects into my film.

Crime-thriller

Some of the greatest stories ever told were the tales of criminals. The life of a felon is so invigorating to people as most of us fortunately lack experience on the subject and we enjoy living the lives of these villains through a movie screen. It is beyond thrilling to explore a life threatening, dangerous world where we aren't put in harms way. But the best crime-thrillers connect us to our characters, capture our attention, and make us forget altogether that we're just watching a movie. Most importantly, these movies must keep us on the same emotional edge that we'd feel in real life thus connecting us even more to the film on a more interpersonal level.

An article on Prezi.com states that one convention used in crime thrillers is establishing the villain as the main character and the protagonist of the film. This is typically unconventional as the protagonist of the film is more often than not the "hero" of the story, but by having the criminal as the main character, it brings a different and refreshing perspective to the viewer. With the information provided, I have a lot to think over for the making of my film.

Shaw, Louise. "Media Studies: What Are Conventions of TV Crime Drama?"Prezi.com. N.p., 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <https://prezi.com/wxzhegzg4ikq/media-studies-what-are-conventions-of-tv-crime-drama/>.

Genre

After exploring several genres, I have decided to go on the route of crime-thiller. I came to choose this genre through my overall interest in movies and TV shows about crime and how captivating criminals are to the average viewer. I wanted to make a film that brings this interest to the viewer and leaves them only wanting more after the opening scene. After making my selection, I had to find what methods and components make a crime-thriller movie. According to flavorwire.com, a well constructed crime movie contains dim lighting to set the melancholy, dark view of the film along with a twist in the end that the audience does not see coming. I hope to incorporate these aspects in my film in order to create a memorable and thrilling movie.

Larson, Bethany. "How to Make a Successful Crime Thriller." Flavorwire How to Make a Successful CrimeThriller Comments. N.p., 05 Mar. 2010. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <http://flavorwire.com/75289/how-to-make-a-successful-crime-thriller-film>.

Rough Draft

I have always been fascinated with movies that told the stories behind criminals. The films that document the acts of crimes are always so captivating to the average viewer because we are able to explore a world that most of us have no prior experience in, and for a moment we get to live through the lives of ruthless humans that will stop at nothing for their selfish intentions. The story I wish to film will follow a bank robber who believes he has just made it home free returning to his house with two large duffle bags full of money. He is elated and goes about his nightly routine until he turns on the TV only to find on the local news that the bank he has robbed is the top story and that authorities have identified the robber through his license tag number that was caught on a security camera, putting the man in quite the predicament. I plan to use sound and music in order to convey the message that the criminal has successfully robbed the bank and then immediately switch scores when he finds he is caught. For example I will use happy peaceful music when he returns home to show in the moment that all is calm, and then immediately switch to a dark, suspenseful score when the criminal sees he has been identified on the news.