Location- kidnapping

This is the location of where we hope to film our kidnapping scene in both St.Agnells Lane and Cupid Green Road.
We have chosen this place due to the convenient bend in the road and also because the roads are not that busy. This quiet road therefore makes it a more suitable location for our filming to take place.

This is the bend that Lily is walks around in order to reach Joseph's house. 

The bend to the right of the shot shows where Lily will be walking. she will be walking down that pathway.

Lily will be walking down this lane on the right hand side. The lamp post on the righthand side of the shot is where Lily will get kidnapped. 

On the opposite side of the road (the lefthand side), the van will park up. 

Lily will get kidnapped under this lamp post. 

Here are the video's of the location where we intend to film:

Final Film Title

The film title that we have chosen to use for our film opening is:

The font used for the text in this film title is very rigid and eerie due to the cracks in  the writing. The cracks and creepy font highlight to the audience that aspects of the film is cracked, for example, Joseph who represents a split personality which the cracks signify to the audience. The font is also grey which makes the text stand out from the dark background allowing the audience to clearly see the title, and the white shadow underlines to the audience the thriller genre due to shadows being a key convention. The white shadow also connotes to the audience the concepts of good being related to the film also. The background on what the text in placed on is black. The black accentuates to the audience the dark genre film that this is, for example both thriller and horror film. The color black is also used to represent evil and cruel intentions which again highlights to the audience some of the key characteristics of the character within our film. 

Film title logos

These are the two film titles we think is most suitable for our film title.

Taken Film Analysis

Taken is a popular crime thriller that also includes the plot of kidnapping.

This is the first image we see as the films begins. The shot is of the production company of the film and is the infamous 20^th century fox. This particular studio is known for its successful films so viewers will expect to see  a well produced film. The angle that we see the logo from is a low angle which connotes that 20^th century fox is a superior  film studios and are the very best and the use of dim lighting also connotes that there is still mystery involved in their films. The use of spotlights highlights to the audience that this is a conventional Hollywood film and Hollywood films are often associated with Syd Field’s 3 act plot structure.

 This is a big close up of a dominant party hat which says happy birthday which highlights that it is somebodies birthday, more specifically a child. The bright colours from the balloon and the hat connotes that this is a happy and enthusiastic time for the individual as birthdays are meant to be enjoyable occasions. The lighting is dim but this is not shown clearly as the frame stock is slightly fuzzy which underlines that this is a video which has been pre-recorded and from a previous time, for example a family film. This connotes that a person is reminiscing back to a time which is a happy time for them.

The quick cut then introduces more characters in this deep shot which shows to characters and an object. The character resembles and mother and daughter due to how the characters are positioned which connotes that there is a strong family link in the film. Furthermore the dominant figure in this show is also the horse which was gift opened up by the young girl connoting her innocence and showing the viewers her interests. This highlights that horses mat reoccur in the film and symbolise innocence and childhood. The lighting in this shot is high key lighting, however the grainy stock connotes that this is a home video of some sort. The text on this screen is positioned so that the focus still remains on the character.

 The shot then quickly cuts to this with a man sleeping which signifies that the grainy affect film clip was in fact him dreaming. This causes tension as the audience do not know how the girl or women is related to the man as he was not seen in the previous clip. The low key lighting doesn’t allow the audience to see much of the characters surroundings which leave the audience with unease and the sense of awareness. Low key lighting and shadows (as seen reflecting on the wall) are conventions of crime thriller films.

 The film continues and see’s him waking up. This long wide shot establishes the setting the character is in. the take away boxes on the table underline to the audience that he is living alone and the empty hallway and living room also show no sign of any other characters which highlights that he Is living alone. The high contrast lighting supported by the lamp connotes that there is a good and bad side to this setting or for the character themselves. The text on the screen says Liam Neeson making viewers aware of the actor who is famous for playing previous heroic roles In action/thriller films which symbolises that Liam Neeson will again be the hero in this film.

This wide shot show the character concentrated on reading the flyer in his hand. This flyer may represent something special or important in the storyline. Furthermore the high contrast lighting focuses the audience on the character in the shot and not anything in the surrounding  highlighting that this character is a ray of home compared to the dull surroundings. The light which is shone on the character allows us to see the colour that he is wearing which is a light grey. Often this colour is associated with boring and old which could signify the characters personality, dated and boring which connotes to the audience the dull person that he is.

 This shot is very important. The image in the photo frame is the dominant in this shot as it allows us to see a young girl riding on the horse. This shows us that the younger child from the character’s dream is this girl and to support this there is also a horse. This underlines that the character may be her father and also has significant role in the whole of the film. The high key lighting allows the audience to clearly see this image and acknowledge the relationship between the father and character. The title also appears in this shot. The simple and bold title efficiently connotes to the audience that somebody is ‘taken’ and with the girl being beside this title connotes to the audience that it may be the girl who gets taken.  

 This close up clearly shows the upper half of the character face. The high key ambience in the shot allows us to see the colour that the character is wearing. Again this is a dark grey which symbolises to the audience the dull and boring person that he is considering that he is also a father. This shot gives a clear idea of how the character looks and we can see that he is happy which highlights that he is enjoying a conversation. Also the lighting highlights the wrinkles on his face representing his age and tiredness.

This shot is a deep shot as it allows the audience to see significant items in the background of the shot as well as the character themselves in the front of the shot. We can see the strained expression of the character with the parcel he is wrapping up connoting to the audience that the character has a history of being a perfectionist. It can also suggest that the gift is important to he so he has to ensure that it is perfect. The object in the background is his suit which connotes to the audience that he is attending a formal event which is why he is making sure the parcel is wrapped appropriately.

Se7en Film Analysis

Se7en

This is the title credits for the classic crime thriller film ‘Se7en’.

This close up shot emphasises that the book is in focus in this shot. Drawing attention to the book allows the viewers to notice the rigid edges of the book underlining that the book is old. The background of the shit is not in focus leaving the viewers to only focus on the book and text in the shot. Furthermore, the contrasting lighting in this show connotes the good and bad uses of this book or the message the book brings out building tension about why this book is significant. The white text positioned slightly right centre stands out from the dull colours in the background. This allows the audience to clearly see that new line cinema who is infamous for its thriller films make have created this movie so viewers know that they are going to watch a good film.

The overhead shot shows a pair of hands placed on square pieces of paper which underlines that they could be measuring the hands. Again the shot contains high contrast lighting which vaguely allows the audience to see one of the hands which is very veiny and looks grey. This connotes to the audience that the person whose hands they are is dead or severely ill due to the condition of their skin. The high contrast lighting can again highlight to the audience that the person whose hands they are has a good or bad aspect to them. The white text again stands out so the audience acknowledges that the film is directed by David Fincher who is known for producing previous successful thriller films including fight club. This will connote to the audience that will be watching a well structured thriller film.

 This big close up shows a man peeling his skin off with a metal blade. This action already highlights the frantic and unsettling atmosphere the thriller film holds and can build tension to see why this is happening. Also the lighting in the background of this shot is very dark so the audience cannot see anything in the background. This can cause mystery and unease amongst the audience as they do not know what is around this person, or who is.

 This is the name of the film. The font that is used for the title is rigid which may be used to symbolise the rigid storyline the film has connoting to the audience the plot is strange and unusual. Also the title itself has the number ‘7’ in it to replace the ‘V’ in the title. This underlines to the audience that this is a significant number throughout the film and has great importance. The colour of the title contrasts with the very black background which may represent the dark themes and the title itself representing good, especially with the number 7.

This shot shows a big close up shot of a book. We can see that a shadow (a thriller convention) has formed on the book which shows that an individual is reading or researching about something as he is getting rid of irrelevant information. This connotes to the audience that this could be a doctor as the word ‘pregnant’ is at the top of the page so it involves women who are often stereotyped to be vulnerable and weak. Again high contrast lighting is apparent in this shot as the shadows doesn’t allow the audience to clearly see the words on the page compared to the left hand side where the words are more clearer. This connotes that information on this page secretive and is also bad.

 This shot shows an image of a young boy’s eyes being crossed out. This could represent the person who crosses the child’s eyes out is paranoid that the child is staring at them.  This creates an unsettling and uneasy atmosphere as children are also stereotyped to be victims which are apparent in thriller films. The low key lighting in the shot also makes it difficult for the audience to see anything other than the image of the boy and the text. The text in this shot is a lot larger and is at centre screen which connotes that they want this to be noticed and because of the quick cuts in the opening the image of the boy is not focused on although this does catch the eye of the audience.

 This shot shows a close up of a man sticking nail tape down onto the book. The man’s hands in this shot are covered in small cuts and have a plaster on it. This connotes that the man has had a fight or been doing something dangerous for his hands to be so distort and injured. This can symbolise that this character is a dangerous person as they are careless. The lighting in this shot is dim although there is enough light to see what the character is doing and what his hands look like.

 This overhead shot zooms into the images that are placed on the surface. The images are in black and white which highlights the era that this thriller film has been set in previous eras and not in modern time. The images are of dead people who have been bandaged up which connotes to the audience that the setting is in a laboratory of some sort highlighting that murder is another relevant topic to the film which builds tension due to this. Because of the pictures of victims it highlights that detectives and police are also involved which is another thriller convention.

This big close  up of the dollar bills highlights that money may be relevant in the film. Money is often a common convention of a crime thriller film as crime can often be motivated for money. This shot also focuses on the word ‘god’ which signifies that religious morals and conspiracies may also be relevant which can be hugely controversial. This builds tension because binary oppositions good and bad are often represented through religious aspects. 

Crime Thriller Sub-Genre

Crime Thriller is a sub-genre that I will focus my coursework on.  Having researched Thriller as a whole genre it has given me an insight into what codes and conventions the audience will expect to see including color representation, camera angles and quick editing. For a thriller film, the crime sub genre will incorporate the film with a crime-based plot for the film. For example, these plots will often be associated with typical crime based concepts, including a murders, robberies, threats and manhunts. 
Some codes and convention include

• The typical plots include: abductions, murders and robberies. 

• Characters include: gangsters or some protagonist, victim and the detectives.

• Common objects: a gun, knife, police sheriff badge, money etc.

• Shots: close up, big close up, medium two shot, long shot and over the shoulder shot.

• Editing: quick and obstructive, fast paced and eerie music, different transitions.

• Lighting: often high-contrast lighting or low-key lighting to retain mysterious theme. 

It is often focused on the criminal itself and the protagonist (usually the detectives, or main character) in order to build a modern day crime thriller. Crime thrillers are likely to have a hybrid genre of actions and psychological aspects to build tension and suspense for the audience.