As discussed previously, I think that my final piece would be most effective if it was in the genre of thriller. My market research states that people who enjoy thrillers enjoy them more for the suspense than action, and therefore I will aim to achieve this in my final piece. I decided that I didn't want to include any dialogue, or even a particular main character in my film opening. I also decided that my opening will only include a shot of a room, rather than many location or too many shots of a location. I understand that this is a very unusual way to compose a film opening, even in the world outside of media AS, however I believe that making a film opening this way will be the most effective in creating suspense- which was a point that was bought up again and again throughout my market research.
My final idea, therefore, consists of a worms eye view shot of the floor of a dimly lit room. My piece will be 2 minutes long, and throughout that time the camera will flicker every now and again, there will be some movement noises and some incidental music (both of which will be described in more depth in later posts). Near the end of the 2 minutes, "blood" will start to run across the floor- this suspense will be built up by a slight change of incidental music and literally seconds before the end a hand (and maybe the top of someone's head) will fall to the floor. The image will then cut to black and the title will fade onto the screen (Typography and other editing details, as well as lighting, locations and shots will also be described in further detail). Throughout the 2 minutes, opening credits will also appear that will establish the main actors, the director, and production teams.
I wish for the room to appear empty and give the illusion of a spacious and neglected area, as this gives connotations of a thriller and therefore relate to my target audience. I want the floor of the room to be specifically non-carpeted (and preferably a light colour), so that the "blood" that runs across the floor really stands out as a main focal point of my final piece.
I would like the hand that falls at the end of the piece to specifically be the hand of a male, preferably a large hand which looks callused and dirty. A hand of the such will connote that the person who died was strong and therefore the murder was not easy to commit, hence hinting towards a possible plot for my film.
My main influences are works of Stanley Kubrick and Shane Medows. In the case of Kubrick, I'm influenced by his ability to create dark and mysterious situations through beautifully artistic shots. As for Medows I love the fact that most of his work feels rustic and almost home-made, however this is only achieved through careful consideration and planning when it comes to cinematography. I wish to incorporate features from both styles into my work in order to create a successful, and hopefully very different take on a thriller film opening.
