Definition
"Thriller is a loose genre term referring to any film that generates suspense and excite ment as a major aspect of its narrative".
Theories: - Martin Rubin
G.K Chesterton: The transformed city
- Chesterton was an early 20th century writer.
- Urban settings -transformed them into exciting locations for dramatic stories.
- E.g. Se7en, Transformers, Cloverfield, I am legend, The day after tomorrow, 28 days later, Godzilla, Batman.
Northrop Frye: Heroic romance
- Thrillers were stories that took ordinary people & threw them into extraordinary situations.
- E.g. Seven pounds, Saw, Enemy of the state, Phonebooth, Flightplan, Snakes on a plane, Panic room, Red eye.
John Cawelti: Exotic
- Thrillers took the elements of ordinary life & added an exotic element.
W.H. Matthews: Mazes & Labyrinths
- How human beings have a fascination for physical puzzles - often seen in mazes & labyrinths.
- Idea of a mysterious quest in a confined location that feels like a labyrinth.
- E.g. Angels & demands, Saw.
Pascal Bonitzer: Partial vision
- The audience is given a partial view of things - with important details being obscured.
- E.g. Se7en
Noel Carroll : Question & answer
- Structured around a series of questions for which the audience is led to want answers.
Roland Barthes: Enigma codes
- Analysed all narratives in terms of codes that operate moment by moment.
- Enigma codes - moments in a narrative where the audience is led to ask a question.
- Enigma codes are very important for telling the story in a suspenseful way.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Section 2: Research Into Examples Of Thriller Opening Scenes
Red Eye
Narrative Structure: Credits before the film starts. Structured as a crime thriller. Lots of different things are going on at once and lots of questions are being asked without them being answered straight away. Nothing in the opening relates for example, stalkers and a crate of fish. The fish are shown repeatedly throughout the opening and give the impression that they play a part in the scheme as they are used to smuggle in items. Also the locations were contrasting by beginning in a domestic location - a house and then switching to an industrial place. The audience asks themselves where is the second story set?, why don't you see any faces? People are not identified which creates suspense and mystery. For example, when the wallet is stolen, their identity is kept hidden. The stalker doesn't want money as he throws away the credit cards and only keeps the photographs.
Thriller Codes and Conventions:The audience are constantly asking themselves questions about what is in the container and who are the people in the photographs as they are personal belongings so it makes the audience ask why is this person targeted. Are they loved ones? This is also an effective way to indroduce characters into the film. Who is JR? Is he the man in the photograph? if not are they related? Who's looking at the pictures and what are they doing there? Why is the wallet being stolen? How did they get to the wallet? he doesn't steal the wallet for the money but to steal the identity of JR. Who and why would somebody want a strangers id? He looks at the photo of the girl for a while. does he recognise her? what is in the mystery container?
Camera work: Zoom into the wallet to attract attention. Close up on the seafood box to draw more attention to the scheme.Track forward to the car to relate to the movement. Jerky pan when looking at the photos so that the camera movement looks more realistic and from the characters point of view. Close up on the blueprints so that you get a better idea of the scheme. Close up of the wallet in his hand to show the audience where it ended up after it had been stolen. Close up on 'JR' initials on the wallet to show it is the same wallet. Low angle shot to view photos
Mise-en-scene: By the camera zooming into the wallet on the table we ask our self 'who is JR?' The graduation picture shows that the girl has intelligence and that she comes from a good family. She is also attractive which makes you think she could be a victim.
it also implies the she could have a double sided personality as a contrasting photo of the same girl is shown. Also a box of seafood is shown with a notice stating it is set in South Florida. The seafood has also been approved which shows that the plan has been thought through.
Blueprints are shown of a lower level floor plan of a penthouse. This could be their next location.
The vicious opening of a letter reflects the characters personality and shows he is aggressive.
A Florida id is shown which relates back to the seafood and how they smuggled in the items and in this process they throw expensive fish on the floor which again shows they thought this through and just care about the plan.
Sound: The music is fast and matches the mise-en-scene, When the stalker slashes the envelope the diagetic sound matches the movement, The sound intensifies where the bad things are about to happen, The pace of the music in the introduction is perfect as it is accurate when the wallett is stolen. The diagetic sound of the keys being thrown on the table builds up suspense on its own. Other domestic audio that is used includes the door creeking and the shower running. When the plot changes the musics tempo changes with it to let the audience know they are in a different situation. An aeroplane effect accompanies the red eye title which helps to build tension and suspense. The sound is also used effectively to conclude the opening with the slamming of the door and banging on the window and the end of the music.
Editing: Shots are smooth and flow very well which isn't over the top and doesn't draw attention to the editing. It also helps keep the pace of the opening.
Graphics: The credits are shown over the film footage. A Black background and a white font suggests a fight between good and evil. The font seems to be drawn onto the centre of the screen. The red 3-D font of 'Red Eye' could connote danger. Also the pace of the credits relate to the pace of the music.
State of play
Narrative structure: There is a chaotic element throughout the opening scene of this film as it involves death, shootings and a chase all in the first few minutes. It also contains an equilibrium with disruption and resolution as the man being chased wrecks everything in his path which then results to him being shot.
Thriller Codes & Conventions: This thriller opening asks lots of questions such as: Why was he running away? Who was the killer / why did he kill him? What's in the briefcase? What does he know? By asking yourself all of the above questions, you get drawn into the film and it makes you want to continue watching the film to find the answers.
Camerawork: The opening begins with an establishing shot of a city at night - Washington? We are then later shown an extreme close up of the victims face to show his emotion. This then makes the audience sympathise with him. The camera then shows one person in each shot until he dies to again show each characters emotions and expressions. This is then followed by a point of view shot of the cyclist which then turns into a close up on the cyclist so the audience can clearly see he's not dead which makes him a witness to the murder and begins to reveal the story. A forward track is then used to see more detail.
Mise-en-scene: The killer has a briefcase which makes you think is he a professional? an assasin? - as he positions himself and then shoots. This shows accuracy & he shoots only twice. Washington is a carefully chosen city as it relates to politics and shootings. It is also a busy city which adds chaos to the whole situation. Naturalistic lighting is also used on the streets so the situation looks realistic. By using natural light, it makes the setting darker and gloomy. An expression you could use to describe the victims frantic behaviour is a 'Bull in a china shop' because everything gets broken and old people get knocked over. They relate to the 'china shop' because they are also fragile which again shows chaos. The victim runs past a 'well lit' building and into a dark back alley - is he local? It also shows a contrast of setting. He also has gold teeth which could represent is personality and lifestyle - gangster? He is a black male that gets shot by a white male which magnifys the race divide and could symbolise a topic from everyday life. The killer has the power over the victim which again could connote racism. In addition to this, the film also links with democracy. The weather uses pathetic fallacy to help describe the situation. The killer is kept as a mystery because his face isn't revealed straight away.
Sound: Diagetic sound is used such as - Helicopters/ traffic/ weather. Also, panting is used but it is weak which could relate to his last breath. Also, all of the sounds of the city are used so that it is realistic. The sound of a gun shot & bullet case falling on the floor is also used. The gun shot is a quiet thud which makes you refer to the killer as a professional. Non diagetic sounds are used to escalate suspense and add drama. Drums are used to foreshadow violence. The noise of the bike when it crashes to the ground creates sympathy for the cyclist and also it shows the innocence of him. Thunder gets louder - climax to the opening and then the music begins.
Editing: Slow at the beginning as long takes are shown. It then sets pace & suspense.
Graphics: Black background and white text - realtes to the racism and the good/bad. A classy logo is used. Blue titles are used to represent the calmness/cold/ruthlessness of the killer. Red, white & blue colours are used that relates to the american flag/patriotic. These colours are then flashed/twitched before the title is shown.
Strangers on a train
Narrative structure: Two strangers meet on a train and talk about their life to each other. This helps to get to know the characters and help to build up for the perfect murder. However, at the end of the scene, they go their serperate ways and continue with their normal life.
Thriller codes & conventions: The sound begins in a dramatic way which is conventional but then it changes to a romantic, comedic sound which creates a more relaxed and happy atmosphere. The main plot is murder which is conventional and an important theme for thillers. Why is he so pushy towards the other man being the murderer? Does he have intentions for him? It also makes you think are they going to go with the plan?
Camerawork: It begins with a low level camera as it focuses on both the characters shoes, with a close up, which is effective as straight away you can identify them but their identity is still concealed as you don't see their faces at the beginning.
Mise-en-scene: They are in a train station which is a busy, public place so it is a perfect setting to help keep their identities hidden as everyone is anonymous at a train station. They both come out of a taxi which is used to show they are strangers and they are anonymous. By using noticable shoes it helps to seperate the two males straight away and it begins to show their personsonality. Also, in addition to this, by filming their feet it also represents travel which is a theme throughtout the opening as they are on a train. They are walking towards each other and finally meet on the train. Is this fate/ destiny? As he is looking for the perfect murderer. The costumes used are respectable and smart but it goes against the costume of a typical murderer as they are dressed in suits. The train tracks are symbolic because of the way they are filmed as they crossover each other which could represent an unescapable fate or even pre destiny as it is symbolic of the plan in the way they cross paths to murder people. They first become connected when they accidently bang feet. This is effective as it ties in with the following of the shoes at the start. He has unusual shoes which could make you think that he is an unusual person. Also, the way he sits crossed legged makes him appear less masculine.
Sound: Orchestra - links to the theatre and an older era. It switches between happy & evil - but the happy music sounds like a cartoon (tom & jerry). When a different character is introduced, a more masculine sound is used to highlight the fact it is a different male. A harp sound is also played which makes it more enchanted.
Editing: Cross cutting is used to alternate shots. This speeds up the pace of the opening as they come together quickly. A shot reverse shot is used when dialogue is introduced - assess each other.
Graphics: The film is in black & white. Different fonts are used for the credits - massive title/handwriting. As the text appears, the background is the film.
Seven
Narrative Structure: It shows you how the killer plans out his killings which makes you know something and that the detectives don't, this makes the audience feel clever. The credits appear after a section of the opening is shown. Action is used in the first few minutes so that the audience becomes interested straight away and you have their attention.
Thriller Codes and Conventions: The character at the beginning of the film is not shown which makes the audience instantly want to watch more to find out who he is. Why does he have all of those weapons? Who is the dead character? Which city is it set in? Why does one character have a metronome? Who is the character that is writing in the book? What and why is he writing? Keeping a characters identity hidden makes the film very mysterious and tense.
Camera work: A long shot/establishing shot at the start of the film makes the viewers more aware of where the film is set. A close up of a character putting on a tie to let the audience know he is going somewhere. Because he is wearing a suit it also makes the audience think that he is important as it is a stereotype that high class/important people wear suits. Low angle shot on a dead character makes the audience instantly know that he was very vulnerable. High angle shot makes the main characters in the film seem important and maybe also make the audience feel vulnerable. Tracking shot shows movement instead of the usual stationary camera shots. Close up shots on the metronome which makes the audience think and asks why he has it. Close-up shots of what the killer is doing lets the audience know how he plans his murders.
Mise-en-scene: The character owns multiple knifes and guns which means he is involved in danger and possibley murder. The character is very organised as he lays everything out and the films shows this to express the characters personality. As soon as you see him talking about the death of another character and because of the type of coat he is wearing you presume he is a detective by typical stereotype. The rain in the city matches the mood of the film, gloomy and dark. The young detective has a scruffy uniform which gives off an image of the personality of the character as laid back and unorganised. Lots of people walking past the detectives on the street makes the audience know that it is a busy city. You presume the character in the credits is the killer as he gets rid of the skin on his fingers so he has no fingerprints which means he cannot be traced and has pictures of dead people. He also blacks out a persons eyes which could mean the person has no soul as it is said the eyes are a door to the soul. He cuts out the word 'god' in a dollar bill which means the film might have something to do with god or have a religious theme. The end of the credits shows you a handmade book which could mean that he has been planning for a while and is keeping track of all of his victims.
Sound: Diagetic sound while the logo is being shown which gets you into the film slowly. Also the sound lets the audience know that the film is set in a busy city as natural sounds such as traffic can be heard. Another character swears which makes the audience think he is not a nice character or that he isn't as upper class as the main character. None diagetic music sounds like scratching records which makes it more like a horror. Eerie sounds during credits. 'you get me closer to god.' lyrics are heard which could mean the film has something to do with religion.
Editing: Shots flow well not drawing attention to itself. Blurring effect to make the audience focus on certain things. During the title, the effect draws attention to itself by using effects such as ghosting which makes the viewers feel that he has been writing for along time. Also the amount of effects used in the titles shows that the film is professionally made. Red shots in the credits connotes danger.
Graphics: Font shakes which could connote fear. White font and black background connotes the fight between good and evil. Handwritten font.There is not much emphasis on the main title.
Taken
Narrative structure: He buys a present for someone but who for? Also, there are no identities revealed throughout the opening.
Thriller codes & conventions: Why is that specific birthday so important? Who is the girl? Is he alone?
Camerawork: Handheld camera is used so that it appears more realistic as the event (birthday) is a special celebration in real life. This also shows memories from other birthdays in the past that may be close to him. Close up on karaoke instructions. This makes you notice the instrutions and questions the importance of them. A close up on a picture of a girl which links to the girl who's birthday it is.
Mise-en-scene: Dark lighting is used which connotes misery or drama. Karaoke instructions - present for the girl? Picture of an older girl on a horse which could be a loved one or be important to him. An urban setting is used so it is more realistic and relatable to the audience. Karaoke machine which is wrapped in clown paper - girls present? Is he living in the past? Takes care wrapping it up. This implies that he is trying to make a good impression on the person.
Sound: Slow music - piano. This helps to express and show emotion throughout the opening so the audience are able to relate to the character. Domestic sounds are used such as traffic so again the opening is realistic and has aspects of everyday behaviour. Muffled sounds on the tape showing footage from the past. This helps to clearly seperate the diffent time periods and show it as a memory.
Editing: Quick to focus on one thing e.g. girl's face. Allows it to look back in the past. Slightly distorted images to show that time has past by.
Graphics: Black background - white text to show the fight between good and evil. White text then appears with no background. The text 'dissolves'.
Section 3: Brainstorm Of Ideas For Your Film
For our film our group managed to come up with two ideas, both were good but we picked the one that sounded most unique and easier to film.
Idea One
Our first idea came from a rumour of a woman who was babysitting a small child while its parents were out of town. The woman was watching T.V and heard the baby crying, she had recently tried to stop it from crying before and noticed a doll in the corner of the room.The woman phoned the parents from the number they had left her in case of an emergency and explained to the mother that no matter what she did the child would not stop crying. The woman told the guardian about the doll and asked if she could remove it from the room. The mother did not know about the doll and said they never had one. Panicking the mother told the babysitter to get the child and get out of the house.The woman put the phone down and ran into the child's room, as soon as she picked up the child the doll stood up. Screaming could be heard from the neighbours of the home. The bodies were never found.
Idea Two
Our second idea was to have a scene of a woman photographer taking photos of a train station at dusk, the woman takes a picture of the train tracks and looks at how her picture turned out on the digital screen. She notices a figure in the pictures and decides to take other.This time when she looks she notices the figure is a man that has gotten closer on her new picture. Getting worried she begins to take more pictures, she panics when she realises the figure she can only see on her camera is getting closer and closer. Her breathing quickens as she panics about the ghostly figure. The screen cuts to black and you hear the woman's screams.
Idea Three
Our third idea is based on a woman named Jessica who quite recentley left her boyfriend on bad terms. She decided that it would be best if they didn't see eachother anymore and therefore called it a day with him/their relationship.
After being together for almost three years, Jessicas boyfriend, Michael, decided that he wouldn't just let their relationship slip away like that. His thoughts were almost a sign of insanity.
One week later, Jessica began to receieve phonecalls from a witheld phone number, the phonecalls were nothing but noises of heavy, deep breathing. Jessica began to ignore these phonecalls.
That same night, Thursday 24th October, 2005, Jessica decided to have an early night, as she wasn't feeling too good. Since the split with her boyfriend, Jessica hasn't been able to sleep at night without having nightmares, atleast two or three a night, and so slept with a small lamp on in the corner of her room. Tonight, Jessica felt at ease and thought that if she slept without the lamp on, maybe she would get a better nights sleep, and so she went to bed in darkness. At 3am, Jessica woke up after suffering yet another nightmare. However, tonight, Jessica woke up to her ex boyfriend, Michael, stood at the foot of her bed.
Several thoughts were running through Jessicas mind, she had to act fast! Was Jessica having another nightmare? Was this real? Why was he there? She looked up at her ceiling, to find pictures of her and Michael, hundreds of them. The pictures consisted of times they had been happy together. However, amongst those photographs were also photos of Jessica asleep. Photographs of Jessica walking to work, alone. Photographs taken from outside of Jessicas home, that consisted of Jessica in the bath, in bed, cooking etc. Had Michael been stalking Jessica? Had his obsession with Jessica gone too far, to the extent where he wanted Jessica gone... dead?
Jessica let out a loud scream, loud enough for nearby neighbours to hear. Jessicas body was never found. Michaels whereabouts remain unknown.
Idea One
Our first idea came from a rumour of a woman who was babysitting a small child while its parents were out of town. The woman was watching T.V and heard the baby crying, she had recently tried to stop it from crying before and noticed a doll in the corner of the room.The woman phoned the parents from the number they had left her in case of an emergency and explained to the mother that no matter what she did the child would not stop crying. The woman told the guardian about the doll and asked if she could remove it from the room. The mother did not know about the doll and said they never had one. Panicking the mother told the babysitter to get the child and get out of the house.The woman put the phone down and ran into the child's room, as soon as she picked up the child the doll stood up. Screaming could be heard from the neighbours of the home. The bodies were never found.
Idea Two
Our second idea was to have a scene of a woman photographer taking photos of a train station at dusk, the woman takes a picture of the train tracks and looks at how her picture turned out on the digital screen. She notices a figure in the pictures and decides to take other.This time when she looks she notices the figure is a man that has gotten closer on her new picture. Getting worried she begins to take more pictures, she panics when she realises the figure she can only see on her camera is getting closer and closer. Her breathing quickens as she panics about the ghostly figure. The screen cuts to black and you hear the woman's screams.
Idea Three
Our third idea is based on a woman named Jessica who quite recentley left her boyfriend on bad terms. She decided that it would be best if they didn't see eachother anymore and therefore called it a day with him/their relationship.
After being together for almost three years, Jessicas boyfriend, Michael, decided that he wouldn't just let their relationship slip away like that. His thoughts were almost a sign of insanity.
One week later, Jessica began to receieve phonecalls from a witheld phone number, the phonecalls were nothing but noises of heavy, deep breathing. Jessica began to ignore these phonecalls.
That same night, Thursday 24th October, 2005, Jessica decided to have an early night, as she wasn't feeling too good. Since the split with her boyfriend, Jessica hasn't been able to sleep at night without having nightmares, atleast two or three a night, and so slept with a small lamp on in the corner of her room. Tonight, Jessica felt at ease and thought that if she slept without the lamp on, maybe she would get a better nights sleep, and so she went to bed in darkness. At 3am, Jessica woke up after suffering yet another nightmare. However, tonight, Jessica woke up to her ex boyfriend, Michael, stood at the foot of her bed.
Several thoughts were running through Jessicas mind, she had to act fast! Was Jessica having another nightmare? Was this real? Why was he there? She looked up at her ceiling, to find pictures of her and Michael, hundreds of them. The pictures consisted of times they had been happy together. However, amongst those photographs were also photos of Jessica asleep. Photographs of Jessica walking to work, alone. Photographs taken from outside of Jessicas home, that consisted of Jessica in the bath, in bed, cooking etc. Had Michael been stalking Jessica? Had his obsession with Jessica gone too far, to the extent where he wanted Jessica gone... dead?
Jessica let out a loud scream, loud enough for nearby neighbours to hear. Jessicas body was never found. Michaels whereabouts remain unknown.
Section 4: Audience Research - And Research Into BBFC Film Classification System
Audience Research
Not all of our audience research included tick boxes so we couldn't put all of our answers to our questionniare on here. We tried to type up as much as possible and show you the answers that we got to most of our questions.
Should our killer have a mask or wear make-up? (we used make-up in our film to cover the face of our killer)
1) Which of the following names should our film be called? (Our film is called Torture Of Laughter.)
2)What is your favourite genre of film?
Are you male, or female? (We tried to make our film more interesting for female viewers but it should be for all, we did this by making our killer a female.)
What sex should the killer in our film be? (We went against this as it is very cliché to have a male killer and we thought it was also sexist.)
1)What sex should the victims in our thriller be? (Most of the victims in our film was female but the last one male.)
2)How old are you? (Our film is rated 15+)
Our film is rated 15, this is because it meets all the requirements and is not sutible for under 15s. It however does not meet enough requirements to be a 18.
Not all of our audience research included tick boxes so we couldn't put all of our answers to our questionniare on here. We tried to type up as much as possible and show you the answers that we got to most of our questions.
Should our killer have a mask or wear make-up? (we used make-up in our film to cover the face of our killer)
1)Should our killer be killed, arrested our get away with their crimes? (in our film the killer eventually gets away with her crimes after nearly being caught and arrested.)
2)Should our film be shot in a town, city, desert, woods or house? (Our film was shot in a cottage)
1)What are you most afraid of?
2)When should our film be shot, night or day? (We was unable to film during the day so tried to make our film look like it was night time with use of professional lighting.)
1) Which of the following names should our film be called? (Our film is called Torture Of Laughter.)2)What is your favourite genre of film?
Are you male, or female? (We tried to make our film more interesting for female viewers but it should be for all, we did this by making our killer a female.)
What sex should the killer in our film be? (We went against this as it is very cliché to have a male killer and we thought it was also sexist.) 
What is your favourite thriller? (We was inspired by Saw for our thriller by making sure our killer had a very in depth story behind her murders, also in the film the movie the baby sitter is watching is Saw, we chose a Thriller to show as it is the very first shot you see to set the scene.)
1)What sex should the victims in our thriller be? (Most of the victims in our film was female but the last one male.)2)How old are you? (Our film is rated 15+)
Our film is rated 15, this is because it meets all the requirements and is not sutible for under 15s. It however does not meet enough requirements to be a 18.
Section 5: Treatment
The torture of laughter is a modern day thriller as it follows all of the codes and conventions but with an added twist as the killer is a member of the police force, who are investigating all of his victims' murders.
Concept
An assistant detective wants revenge on babysitters as her childhood babysitter made her frightened as she was horrible to her and therefore used a porcelin doll to protect her and keep her calm. But the killing never ends.
Synopsis
Beginning: A babysitter is killed by a doll. At the crime scene, wih detectives and police, but nothing is solved.
Middle: A chain of murders take place and the police are gathering more and more information and are slowly getting closer to solving it. This is because the assistant detective is nowhere to be seen - to help prevent them catching her. The killer leaves a trademark 'bow' around each of the victims neck. The killer doll also has flashbacks of her childhood.
End: The assistant/killer gets paranoid about being caught so she kills the detective (her partner). Her real identity is then revealed when her make up is taken off.
Opening scene: The film will begin with an establishing shot of the house at night, which helps to create the setting of the opening. The story begins straight away as a shot of the babysitter alone is shown. The story is then slowly revealed as the babysitter hears the baby continuously cry but she doesn't know why. She then phones the baby's parents for advice. She mentions the large doll in the bedroom next to the baby but she doesn't know anything about it. The babysitter then hangs up and runs towards the baby's room and grabs the baby. The doll then turns her head and begins to walk towards the girl. The credits then appear against a black screen.
Target audience: The film will appeal to young adults - 18-25 year olds especially as some of them might be able to relate to the situation of being left alone in someone else's house babysitting their children. However, it will also appeal to older audiences as the mystery of the killer is intense and cryptic.
Other details: There will be no recognisable actors in the film as this makes the situation more realistic. The locations are also ordinary e.g. characters' houses.
Concept
An assistant detective wants revenge on babysitters as her childhood babysitter made her frightened as she was horrible to her and therefore used a porcelin doll to protect her and keep her calm. But the killing never ends.
Synopsis
Beginning: A babysitter is killed by a doll. At the crime scene, wih detectives and police, but nothing is solved.
Middle: A chain of murders take place and the police are gathering more and more information and are slowly getting closer to solving it. This is because the assistant detective is nowhere to be seen - to help prevent them catching her. The killer leaves a trademark 'bow' around each of the victims neck. The killer doll also has flashbacks of her childhood.
End: The assistant/killer gets paranoid about being caught so she kills the detective (her partner). Her real identity is then revealed when her make up is taken off.
Opening scene: The film will begin with an establishing shot of the house at night, which helps to create the setting of the opening. The story begins straight away as a shot of the babysitter alone is shown. The story is then slowly revealed as the babysitter hears the baby continuously cry but she doesn't know why. She then phones the baby's parents for advice. She mentions the large doll in the bedroom next to the baby but she doesn't know anything about it. The babysitter then hangs up and runs towards the baby's room and grabs the baby. The doll then turns her head and begins to walk towards the girl. The credits then appear against a black screen.
Target audience: The film will appeal to young adults - 18-25 year olds especially as some of them might be able to relate to the situation of being left alone in someone else's house babysitting their children. However, it will also appeal to older audiences as the mystery of the killer is intense and cryptic.
Other details: There will be no recognisable actors in the film as this makes the situation more realistic. The locations are also ordinary e.g. characters' houses.
Section 6: Character Outlines And Scripts
Character Outlines
Nicola
- age 17
- local baby sitter.
- shy and quiet.
- loves to spend time watching romantic films with boyfriend.
Tracy
- age 34.
- baby's mother.
- works in a clothing store.
- enjoy nights out with friends.
- loves family and wants more children.
Samantha
- age 18 months.
- friendly.
- confident.
- loves attention.
- has not yet become wary of strangers
Annabell Summers/Doll
- Works as assistant detective.
- Summers dislikes her job and has a bad life so feels better when she makes her killings.
Script
Inside of the house - night
Camera moves from a long shot of the television to view the babysitter sat on the sofa watching T.V. -PAN SHOT- Shot of the remote control - EXTREME CLOSEUP- and the baby sitter picking it up after the baby starts to cry. The baby sitter turns of the TV -MIDSHOT- and looks in the direction of the crying sound and sighs as she has been crying all night -MIDSHOT- She puts the remote down and picks up her mobile and the number that the mother has left for emergency's - EXTREME CLOSEUP- She rings the number and places the phone to her ear. The phone starts to ring. -MIDSHOT-
Tracy
Hello?
Nicola
Hi, it's Nicola the baby sitter.
Tracy
Is everything alright?
Nicola stands up and walks out of the living room. by going through the door -LONGSHOT-
Nicola
Everythings fine its just sam won't stop crying, I don't know, I don't know whats up with her.
walks up the stairs -LONG SHOT-
Nicola
It must be the lifesize doll in the corner of the room, it keeps staring at Sam it's terrifing Tracy, is it ok if I move it out of the room?
walks across the room -LONG SHOT-
Nicola
You know the one in the corner of the room?
Doll in the corner beginning to rock -MIDSHOT-
Tracy
Nicola their is no doll get Samantha an get out of the house, quick.
Nicola throws the phone -LONG SHOT/CLOSE UP- and picks up the baby. She looks at the doll as soon as she picks her up -MIDSHOT- the doll stands up and she slowly walks forward - FIRST PERSON/SHAKY CAMERA- The screen cuts to darkness as you hear Nicola scream.
Nicola
- age 17
- local baby sitter.
- shy and quiet.
- loves to spend time watching romantic films with boyfriend.
Tracy
- age 34.
- baby's mother.
- works in a clothing store.
- enjoy nights out with friends.
- loves family and wants more children.
Samantha
- age 18 months.
- friendly.
- confident.
- loves attention.
- has not yet become wary of strangers
Annabell Summers/Doll
- Works as assistant detective.
- Summers dislikes her job and has a bad life so feels better when she makes her killings.
Script
Inside of the house - night
Camera moves from a long shot of the television to view the babysitter sat on the sofa watching T.V. -PAN SHOT- Shot of the remote control - EXTREME CLOSEUP- and the baby sitter picking it up after the baby starts to cry. The baby sitter turns of the TV -MIDSHOT- and looks in the direction of the crying sound and sighs as she has been crying all night -MIDSHOT- She puts the remote down and picks up her mobile and the number that the mother has left for emergency's - EXTREME CLOSEUP- She rings the number and places the phone to her ear. The phone starts to ring. -MIDSHOT-
Tracy
Hello?
Nicola
Hi, it's Nicola the baby sitter.
Tracy
Is everything alright?
Nicola stands up and walks out of the living room. by going through the door -LONGSHOT-
Nicola
Everythings fine its just sam won't stop crying, I don't know, I don't know whats up with her.
walks up the stairs -LONG SHOT-
Nicola
It must be the lifesize doll in the corner of the room, it keeps staring at Sam it's terrifing Tracy, is it ok if I move it out of the room?
walks across the room -LONG SHOT-
Nicola
You know the one in the corner of the room?
Doll in the corner beginning to rock -MIDSHOT-
Tracy
Nicola their is no doll get Samantha an get out of the house, quick.
Nicola throws the phone -LONG SHOT/CLOSE UP- and picks up the baby. She looks at the doll as soon as she picks her up -MIDSHOT- the doll stands up and she slowly walks forward - FIRST PERSON/SHAKY CAMERA- The screen cuts to darkness as you hear Nicola scream.
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