Planning Storyboard

Before filming, myself and Lucy sat down to discuss ideas. We produced the storyboard below, as a reference so that we would know exactly what scenes we would be shooting and what shots we use for this.

Preliminary Task

We were set the task of creating a film clip that includes: 

• A conversation between two characters 
• A character entering a room 
• Shot reverse shot
• And demonstrates an understanding of the 180 degree rule 

For this preliminary task we followed a basic plot line in which two friends meet in a school detention. We have used the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot in order to establish our basic understanding of film making. We also used a range of editing cuts in order to create realism and continuity within the film. 

Evaluation:
For this project I worked with Molly Braggins, Jess Underwood and Lucy Scanlon. Myself, Molly and Jess all volunteered to act in the film as it was too short notice to search for other people, however we were all still involved in the directing process and deciding on the positioning of the camera for certain scenes. Working in a group enabled us to discuss ideas during both the post and pre-productions stages. Jess, Molly and I helped all contributed to the positioning of the camera and decided the shots that we would use and Lucy record the scenes and controlled the camera.  We also edited as a group so that the final product was something that we had all fairly contributed towards with each of our varying ideas and skills. 

To show our understanding of camera work and film making we used techniques such as shot reverse shot, match on action and we also conformed to the 180 degree rule. Our film also included a variety of shots including close ups, medium shots, POV shots and medium long shots. We also used different editing techniques to set the overall mood and tone of the film. Although we used simple cuts to transition between the shots we some different transitions in suitable places such as at the end where we used a fade to black transition to finish the film. We also edited the lighting/colouring of the scenes in the post-production stage. We used cooler tones in order to make the scenes appear slightly more dreary in order to convey the character's feelings as they all do not want to be in their detention. 

Although I feel that the quality of this film is fine for the task that we were set, I would like to be able to make my final production at a much higher standard. One of the difficulties that we faced when making this film was that, due to the limited time that we were given, we were unable to use a high quality film camera, therefore we use an Ipad camera instead. This worked well for what we were doing but it was tricky in some areas to use different techniques, such as a deep focus etc. An example of how the Ipad effected our final product can be seen in the scene where the two characters discuss why they are in detention. Due to the microphone not being as accurate on this camera it is very difficult to hear what is said. However in my final production I will be using a reliable microphone for the scenes that include dialogue to ensure that this issue is not repeated. 
Another difficulty that we had was trying to film a large variety of shots, and deciding where the camera would be positioned, in a short space of time. Although this did not seem to damage our end product, I feel that perhaps if we had had a larger collection of clips, the post-production stages may have run a lot smoother. Again I will avoid this being repeated in the production of my final film by ensuring that I have a clear idea and written plan of where the scenes will be shot and what camera angles and shots will be used. This will also help me to ensure that I include a larger variety of camera angles than I have done so far in this project as i feel that it will give the film a much larger visual impact. 

What is Narrative?

Planning: Choosing an Idea (Brief)

We must create a 2 minute film opening that conforms to the conventions of the thriller genre. As this is an opening for a film we have decided to follow an open narrative in which the story does not have a clear conclusion at the end of the 2 minutes.

After researching thrillers and other film openings within this genre, we have been able to select certain aspects of other films that will fit our own narrative. For example from my research on the opening of the film 'Black Swan', I have found that by altering the Ident of the production company, making it ominous and more appropriate for the film type, the tone of the film is set early on. This is something that I will definitely be considering using in my own production as I found that it provided considerable impact on myself as the viewer. This film also used dreary and suspenseful music that created tension and made the scene appear more daunting and theatrical. Costuming was also important in this opening as it represented the character traits of the dancers. This is something we will include in our own production as black connotes death and grief and our protagonist will be wearing this colour as she begins to deteriorate.
I also found from my research on the film opening of 'Cabin In The Woods' that ambiguous film openings are very effective in this genre. By confusing the audience with a dual narrative is sets an uneasy tone to the beginning of the film as you are not sure what will happen next. Although we will not be using a dual narrative in our own production we will be juxtaposing pleasant memories with sad and more desperate ones in order to create a similar sort of confusion within our audience, as has been done in this film. This narrative technique creates a false sense of security within the audience and creates a greater overall impact when the truth is revealed later on in the film.

Our film will be following two main characters, both acting as the protagonist. The characters are both female and around 16 years of age. We will follow their friendship through a series of flashbacks, beginning with fond, happy recollection then leading into arguments and dark scenes. Through this time line of events the audience will see one of the girls deteriorate. Through the use of make up we will make her appear more vacant and ill. In later scenes the other character will begin to blink in and out of existence, leading the audience to question her authenticity. The opening ends with the first girl sat alone. As she looks into distance we see that she has significantly changed, looking run down and terrifying. She looks into the camera, blinks, and then screen flashes to black. 

60 Second Pitch

Research: Blocking a Scene

Every film shoot is divided into five parts:

1. Block – determining where the actors will be on the set and the first camera position

2. Light – time for the DOP to light the set and position the camera for the first shot

3. Rehearse – camera rehearsal of the first set-up with the actors and crew

4. Adjustments – making lighting and other adjustments

5. Shoot – shooting the first scene (then repeat the process)

Put into simple terms, block a scene is “working out the details of an actor’s moves in relation to the camera.” Through blocking the scene you are ensuring that every element (actors, extras, crew) move harmoniously together to ensure that a scene runs smoothly. Shot lists are often used for this purpose in order to make sure a path is set for the people on set as to where they need to go. This is all done to ensure that the scenes are performed correctly and play out exactly how the director wants them to. 

Inspiration

Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012):
At the beginning of my research I analysed the opening for this film, and have taken on board certain elements as inspiration for my own production. Firstly, I liked the idea of a false sense of security at the start of the film as the audience believes that everything is fine when in actuality it is not. I also enjoyed the simplistic typewriter style font and sound effects used for the opening titles. I feel that this adds to the theme of nostalgia as the font appears old and out of date, therefore it may be something that we use in our own production as we are following a similar theme.
There is also a scene later in the film that deeply influenced my own film ideas. In this sequence Charlie, the film's protagonist, begins to deteriorate mentally. This scene delivers high emotional impact through its use of flashbacks and confusing sequences. A medium long shot shows Charlie walking up the street in an exhausted manner. Flashes of memories appear throughout this shot, revealing new information about the character's past. After each flashback, we are referred back to the same shot, however Charlie has been multiplied. This
continues until there are three versions of Charlie walking up the street. This clearly shows his fragile state of mind as the memories confuse and distort his version of reality. This is very similar to what we hope to represent in our own film and has highly influenced the way in which we will be representing the deterioration of our main protagonist.
Also in these scenes, there is a very limited amount of dialogue. When Charlie does speak, it is on the phone to his sister, however he is not on screen during this time. His voice sounds broken, scared and distant and worries the audience as they can not see his physical state thus leading them into fearing the worst for this character as we do not know what he is doing or where he is. Further shots of an empty room again reinforce this feeling within the audience. This reaction of confusion and fear towards the character is something that we would like to be able to stir within our own audience.

Sources: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9OVBkRPEh0
               >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQPhbA1luzw







Teen Wolf - TV Show
One of the protagonists of this programme, Stiles, experiences a subconscious battle within himself. His demeanor becomes extremely aggressive as he looses who he truly is. We took inspiration from this as his character transforms from a relatable young teenager to someone frightening and unrecognisable, which is extremely similar to our own story. We shall direct the actor playing our main protagonist in a similar way as we would like to achieve a similar sense of pity and fear as is created in this show.
We have also taken inspiration from the visual effects used in this show. Firstly, the makeup used in
these scenes makes the character appear vacant and tired. It enhances the fear factor created within the audience and therefore allows the scenes to land much greater impact. The scenes with the character also have very dim and dreary lighting again adding to the overall tone of the scene. This is something that we also be doing in our own production.

Sources:  > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QJ-534nAy4
                > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg3qMmPJKJA

Up (2009)
This film opens with a montage of memories leading up to the present. They begin with joyous events from the beginning of Ellie and Carl's relationship, however as time goes on the scenes depicted are much sadder; first as they find out that they will never have children and later leading up to Ellie's illness and eventual death, leaving Carl all alone. The music played over the top of these
images shifts in tone along with the scenes, adding to the deeply saddening ending of the montage, and thus delivering a much stronger impact on the audience. In the final scene we see Carl sat alone for the first time, holding a single ballon.
Loneliness is a key theme in this film as well as in my own. For our production we would also like to combine memories to create a similar sort of timeline of events. I also have found from this film that by having the protagonist sat alone, sympathy is created for that character is created early on. We will therefore be using this in our own film however we will distort the idea in order to fit in with the genre of thriller, by having our character look scary on top of being desperate and alone. We will also be including a similar shift in the music from cheerful and merry to sad and tense.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2bk_9T482g

500 Days of Summer (2009)
This film follows the protagonist, Tom, in his pursuit of love. We watch his relationship with Summer through a distorted non-linear timeline, hopping between past and present. In this film some scenes are repeated. For example, after spending their first night together Tom is elated and dances through the streets with joy. However later in the film, when their relationship begins to fall, we see Tom take the same path to work, but the tone has changed completely. Instead of dancing he drags his feet, and instead of water fountain displays lighting up in his presence, they fall down.  This shift in tone is something we would like to be able to achieve in our own film. Through repeating the sequence the change in mood is much more apparent and therefore has a greater impact on the audience. Therefore we will consider repeating locations for our flashbacks in order to create a similar effect to this.

Sources: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tJoIaXZ0rw
               >  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctF7IkKNQ4U

Initial Narrative Ideas and Mood Board

Psychological thrillers can be differentiated from ordinary thrillers by the heavy focus that they hold on the unstable emotions of the characters in the film. These type of thrillers still incorporate the common elements of mystery and drama, but the emotional status is usually the main focus. In these films it is often the case that the protagonist is battling their own mind, so therefore, these movies often follow a first person narrative, in which the plot follows only one or two characters. This allows a rapport to be established between the character and the audience and allows the audience to better understand the protagonist's mind, as it is a key element in these types of films.
Typically, the key elements of psychological thrillers are:

• Reality 
• Perception 
• Mind
• Identity 
• Death
• Mystery 

Psychological thrillers also often begin with a back story in which the history of the plot is established. This is done to deepen the psychological aspect of the story as the viewer is able  to understand the character better and therefore will be more interested in their recovery/ how they will escape their current mental trauma. 

Our thriller opening consists of the the main character (character 1) slowly deteriorating from a happy, relatable young girl to a scared, vacant shadow of a person. We follow her and her best friend first through fond, treasured recollections and then later through horrid tormenting memories. In one of the later, darker flashbacks Character 1 shouts out for her friend to 'get out of my head!', conforming to the traditional narrative of this genre as the audience questions the mental state of this girl and perhaps whether her friend is truly there or not. Confusing sequences will also be used, in which the second character flashes in and out of the scene, again allowing the audience to question the existence of this character. 

This mood board visually represents some of the narrative ideas that I have had for my own production.

As shown above, the mood board images incorporate both pictures of desperation and sadness but also happy, fond memories between close friends. These pictures represent the journey of the characters as they transition from the calm and pleasant images to the more tragic and scary pictures.

The story will follow a non-linear narrative as the opening of the film will be mixture of both present and past. With the use of this particular narrative structure the story will become distorted and confusing for the audience which will allow us to create enigma and conform to 'mystery' element of a typical thriller film. This also conforms to Barthes' enigma code, as it will keep the viewer guessing as to what will happen next.   
Our opening story will also follow an open narrative in which there is no clear resolution made at the end. This is more appropriate for our task of creating an opening for a film as it keeps the viewer interested for the following story. This means that our opening does not follow any of the typical forms of narrative. For example, in Todorov's theory there is a resolution following the disruption, the disruption in this case being the mental breakdown of our main protagonist. However, in our story, this issue is never resolved nor is the full story ever revealed, therefore making room for questions and interpretation from the audience, enticing them and making them want to watch on. 

Final Sub-genre Decision

After researching the elements that make up thriller and its many sub-genres we came to the conclusion that our production will be a psychological thriller. This is most likely the best fit for the plot line in which our film is going to follow, as we visually see the deterioration of the main character in the opening. 
Psychological thrillers often follow the themes of:

• Death
• Perception
• Existence/ purpose 
• identity 
• Reality

This mood board presents some of the visual elements typically associated with the psychological thriller genre.

From these images it is clear that we will have to incorporate dark mood lighting and disturbing makeup into our final production in order to make it conform to the typical conventions of a psychological thriller. We may also have to use a sharp, harsh font for our film title, as seen in the 'Orphan' poster, in order to make this easily identifiable as a thriller film. 

I have also taken my previous film opening analysis's into consideration. For example, I reviewed the film Limitless which would fall into the psychological thriller sub-genre as it deals with both death, and perception and reality within the protagonist's mind. I would like to use similar moody lighting and varying speeds in camera movements. I also like the idea of the simple credits and 

The Conventions of Sound

The Task

For this project we were asked to produce:

• A film opening that conforms to the conventions of the thriller genre - with a sub-genre of your choice. It also must be between two and two and half minutes in length. 

Research: Thriller Opening - The Cabin In The Woods

Institutional Information
The Cabin In The Woods is a 15 age rated American horror thriller film, directed by Drew Goddard and released in April 2012. The story stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchinson, Fran Kranz and Jesse Williams, as a group of 5 friends who take a vacation in a remote cabin in the woods. Mysterious events begin to happen and we learn that there is a much bigger plan behind the trip to the cabin. The film was distributed by Lionsgate and was made on budget of $30 million and produced $65 million at the box office worldwide. 

Genre and Target Audience
This film belongs to a horror thriller genre and conforms to many of the typical conventions of the genre. This therefore makes it appealing to the typical audience of thriller/ horror film; this being both male and females aged between 15-19. The horror elements of this film, such as the gore, make it less suitable for a young audience (hence the age rating of the film being 15). And the young cast, slightly immature plot line and science fiction elements would perhaps make this film less attractive to adults.
. 
Opening Credits

The famous Lionsgate ident has been distorted in order to coincide with this film. The usual light colours and pretty clouds have been replaced in favour of a black and red ominous sky. The use of red and black conjures up connotations of  death and blood (linking to the horror aspects of the story). This title fades to black and we then transition to pages revealing egyptian images and symbols as blood seeps over the top, with loud, ominous instrumental music playing over the top. The credits list of the most important people and companies in the production of the film in a red font. This all provides a very tense and dark atmosphere and creates a sense of the enigma within the audience from the start.
The original credits build up, with the momentum of the music increases, as if leading up to a climax in which the title will be shown. However, this does not happen. Instead a jump cut is used to abruptly cut away from the ominous blood soaked pages, to an office type environment; completely juxtaposes the supposed genre of the film. In fact the title is not shown until 2.50 when a very sudden non-diegetic sound of a woman's scream and a loud percussion is played, and the movie title appears on screen in bold red capitals. 
A second set of credits is played when the next group of characters is introduced. Although the scene appears more vibrant and fun, the same red font is used for the text, suggesting that this happy atmosphere will not last. 

Location and Atmosphere representation 
The first location that we are introduced to initially appears to be an ordinary office environment. Over the shoulder shots are used to show the two new characters having a conversation. They leave the coffee room, then a long shot shows the building that they are in, and the location appears less familiar with the audience as the building has a very slight futuristic twist to it. The building also has a grey tone to it which suggests a sense of formality and slight darkness. As the camera moves with the two men down the corridor the conversation changes. This highlights the thriller aspects of the film as the typical conventions of this genre are met, and a mystery element is introduced into the film; what are they talking about? 
The second location is introduced by medium shot, pan zoom of a friendly looking neighbourhood. The bright mis en scene and upbeat music connotes happiness and carefree fun. This is a very different setting to the beginning office-like scene and again puts forward a sense of mystery for the audience as it is unclear how these two settings will interlink in the story; making the film conform to the typical conventions of thriller. The two sets of characters also do not appear to fit together, the first group appear formal and serious, dressed in office wear, whereas the second group appear more relaxed and carefree as the first character we meet is dressed in only pants and a shirt. 

Character Representation 
The first set of characters appear formal and business like. They wear suits and the mis en scene of their surroundings has a grey tone, connoting conservativeness but also emotionlessness; linking to the character's role later in the story as they view the horrific events happening to the teens with little or no sympathy. Eye level shots are mainly used to present these characters, which suggests that they are all of the same importance. Although, at 2.15 and long high angle shot is used to show the characters walking into a large room, suggesting that they are all a small part of a much bigger picture, as they look smaller and less significant. 
The second set of characters appear much more carefree and youthful compared to the first group. The light mis en scene, bouncy, upbeat music and cheerful setting of a typical teenage girls room imply both youth and happiness. The first character that we are introduced to is Dana; dressed in nothing but a shirt and her pants suggesting that she has a nonchalant attitude towards life. The next character introduced is Jules. An over the shoulder shot is used to represent these two characters having a conversation, however a high angle is used to suggest that Jules's confidence is misplaced and that, in fact, Dana is superior to her in some way. 

Conclusion
This is an unorthodox opening to a thriller film, however it still abides by some of the typical conventions of the genre. A sense of mystery still remains throughout the opening scenes as we do not know what role these scientists play and how they are interlinked with the other group of characters.  Also, although their roles have not yet been established, both villain and hero roles have been introduced. The opening credits have also created tension and an ominous tone to the film as the blood seeping over the pages connote death and something to be feared. 
Overall I think that this is an effective opening to a thriller film as it uses some of the typical conventions to create suspense, yet creates a false sense of security by juxtaposing a bleak scene with that of a happy neighbourhood and carefree teens. This create confusion within the audience and therefore creates suspense. 

Research: Thriller Opening - Black Swan

Institutional Information 
Black swan is a psychological thriller released in September 2010, directed by Darren Aronofsky and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. The films stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a committed dancer who is considered perfect as the lead role as the white swan in a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.  However the qualities of the darker and more mysterious black swan are better suited to her rival Lily (played by Mila Kunis). As the film progresses. Nina comes under immense pressure and descends into a living nightmare. The film was made on a budget of $13 million and produced $329 million worldwide at the box office. The was rated as a 15 due to violence and scenes of a sexual nature. 
The movie was successful and was nominated for five academy awards (best picture, best director, best actress, best cinematography and best film editing) and won one for Portman's performance. However the film is still considered by many as a 'love it or hate it' type of film.  

Genre and Target Audience 
This film was sold to an audience of ages 15 and above however was most likely better suited to an adult audience. Darren Aronofsky's previous work has also appealed to an audience, for example The Wrestler presents a serious and dark side to the world of wrestling that, by most, would not be considered appropriate for younger age groups. The Black Swan shows no difference, as the viewers we are introduced to a dark and oppressive world in which our protagonist enters; therefore making it less suitable and perhaps less inviting to a younger audience. 
This film is a psychological thriller, designed to both excite and scare the viewer through the mysterious plotline and the inclusion of disturbing imagery. Therefore perhaps this film would appeal to an older generation as the mental fear that this movie creates may be considered too scary for younger audiences.

Opening Credits  
We are first introduced to an alternative on the usual Fox Searchlight Pictures ident. Instead of the famous logo that we all know, we are shown a a black background with a white font over the top. This immediately set an ominous tone to the film as it suggests something wrong and the black connotes death and evil. 
Then a slow piano instrumental is played over the top of an image of black chalk travelling over paper as the rest of the credits are played. The credits are written in a black font again, along with the black chalk and beginning ident, connote negativity and fear, but also elegance and formality which could link in with the theme of ballet. Ballet is considered by many to be an art; which links with the images of chalk in the opening credits.
The title is presented in a hand written in a old time type of font in white, which suggests precision and delicacy which connects to the ballet theme of the film. 

Location and Atmosphere Representation 
The film starts with a long shot of the protagonist, dressed in white in a dark room, with a spot light pointed at her.  This establishes who the protagonist is in the film by putting the spotlight on her and by dressing her in white it creates connotations of purity and innocence. Also the tone of the film is introduced through the dark atmosphere and this is being battled by the white purity of the protagonist. This suggest that this fight between Nina's innocence and the darkness that tries to overwhelm her will be a key aspect of the film. 
The full extent of the room in never fully seen but it is clear to the audience, when she begins to perform, that she is in fact on a stage. A jump cut is then used to transition to a close up shot of the protagonist's feet as she begins to dance; showing that she is in fact a ballerina.

Narrative 
The dark setting of first long shot sets a negative tone for the rest of the film as the colour black typically connotes death and fear. However it also suggests elegance and power which implies that the protagonist follows or is associated with these traits. An over the shoulder tracking shot then follows a new character into the scene. This new character is wearing all black and, as he begins to dance, he begins to manipulate and control our protagonist, suggesting that a dark force can override the purity and innocence of Nina.   
Both characters are also wearing costumes that include feathers. This theme of birds not only coincides with the name of the film but also suggests grace and beauty. However swans also connote hypocrisy, with their beautifully pure white feathers opposes their black skin underneath, The inclusion of both of these two sides of a swan suggest that, as the audience, we will see both purity and darkness feature in this film.  
The beginning of this film presents a fictional and metaphorical narrative. Although the characters are portraying a dance, they are also suggesting what the for the rest of the film will be. 

Character Representation 
Both of the characters introduced in this scene are wearing costumes featuring feathers. This highlights that the elegance and grace of a swan is adopted by these two characters as they dance. Feathers also connote freedom; however this juxtaposes the story being told through the dance as the young princess is cursed and turned into a swan, trapped within her new form. 
The colours of the costumes also reflect the characters roles. The white of Nina's costume connotes purity and innocence, whereas the black of the man's costume connotes death and impending doom. 
The final shot of this scene is a long shot of Nina dancing alone, now in her swan-like form, as the screen fades to black, implying that she has now been taken over by the darkness of the other character. This also links with the character of Nina in the rest of the film, as she has to overcome a darkness that is trying to transform her. 

Conclusion
Overall I think that this is an effective opening to a thriller film as it abides by many of the typical conventions. For example hero and villain roles are introduced from the beginning, and dreary, suspenseful music is played in order to create tension within the audience. Also A sense of mystery and unknowing has been created through this interpretive dance. Although the dance does reflect many of the traits on Nina's character and parts of the plot, it requires much concentration and even then the story is still ambiguous and can be interpreted differently. This makes the opening effective as a lot of suspense is built within the audience as is usually done within he audience.  

Research: Thriller Opening - Limitless

Institutional Information
Limitless is an American thriller film, released in March 2011, and directed by Neil Burger. The film stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a struggling writer who's life turns around when he is handed a mysterious pill by his ex-brother in law. The film was distributed by Relativity media, and was made on a budget of $27 million, going on to make $161.8 million at the box office worldwide. This movie has an age rating of 15, due to some of the violent action scenes. 

Genre and Target Audience 
This is a psychological thriller with mystery and science fiction elements added in. The film has a rating of 15 years old and above due to its more violent scenes. For this reason I think that it would appeal to a teenage/ younger audience in particular, due to the high action content included in parts of the film. However I believe that the complex psychological elements of the film could be considered appealing to older audiences along with the more mature protagonist and the issues that he faces. Therefore this film is appropriate and entertaining to a very wide audience.  

Opening Credits
There are two sets of credits in the opening sequence of this film.The first set of credits are simple; white text in a simple font, on top of a black background. These establish the most important people in the making process of the film, starting with the company 'Relativity' and then continuing to mention other production companies involved, the director and the lead roles. These credits are simple yet effective as the text alternates along to the diegetic sound of a loud bang. This use of sound is effective in creating tension within the audience as it is abrupt and mysterious. Later the source of the sound becomes apparent. A smooth transition is created when a final loud crash occurs, then the non-diegetic sound of the protagonist's voice is played as the shot converts to a medium shot of a door. This thens moves to a close up shot showing the door move as the loud crashes occur. This is an effective use of sound and imagery together as it creates suspense within the audience by generating a sense of mystery, with the unexplained sounds, and then the unanswered questions of; who is at the door? And what do they want? This is all conventional within the genre type of thriller.
The second set of credits begin with a birds eye shot from the top of a skyscraper, zooming in to the busy street below. These credits are played after the main protagonist has established part of the story to the audience in a voice over format. Non-diegetic music is played and the shots used quicken and slow down according to the momentum of the music. For example, at the beginning, when the shot travels downwards from the top of a skyscraper, I Don't Care If There's Cursing by Phosphorescent is played. As the shot nears the pavement, it speeds up and the momentum of the song increases.
The title of the film is presented in the second set of credits. 'Limitless' is written capitals and in a white plain font. This is presented to the audience through a rotating canted angle shot, with loud diegetic car and city sound effects played over the top. This creates a disorientating effect and coincides with the plot as it is representative of the adrift feeling of being on drugs; therefore hinting to the audience as to what the story is about, yet still allowing enough mystery to remain in order to still be representative of the thriller genre. 

Location and Atmosphere Representation
The location of the film is shown to us through a sequence of shots. The camera is always moving around the house on a dolly. The slows pace of these shots juxtapose some of the horrific images that are shown (e.g the dead bodies at 0:55) and presents the idea of 'chaos before the calm', as the slow music sounds both daunting and wrongly calm and the loud banging sounds continue from outside. The camera then moves out of the house as the protagonist's voice over

is played. The music builds in momentum and the speed of the camera movement increases up the building, until we are met with a long shot of our protagonist. A bird's eye shot from above the character shows a long city street far below him as he is perched on the edge of the building. This establishes the setting of the film as being in a busy city in America. 

Character Representation 
The protagonist is introduced to the audience dramatically, with  long build up. This is typical of the genre as it creates tension within the audience. The mysterious scene that we are first met with, of the expensive apartment and dead bodies, combined with the precarious position of our protagonist on the top of a extremely tall building all make the audience question what is going on. A close up shot of the protagonists face, shows tears in his eyes and we realise that he is in a suicidal state and begin to question why, and how the people behind the door are involved. This again produces a feeling of anxiety within the audience as this chaotic setting is like a taught spring ready to be released and for action to ensue. 
The self-conscious narrative of the protagonist allows the audience to recognise his emotions during this scene. His accent and articulate communication translate that he is an intelligent American as he speaks of his high IQ.This is the first insight that we get of Eddie as a character and gives subtle hints to the audience as to what the film is about as he talks about coming to close to 'making an impact on the world' and how he 'doesn't miss much'. 

Conclusion
Overall I believe that this film stays safely within the conventions of a psychological thriller. It does this by keeping a sense of mystery throughout the beginning of the film and also combines the use of sound and shots to build tension for the audience. This has been done effectively as the opening produces many intriguing questions for the audience and leaves the majority unanswered, creating a sense of enigma for the audience. 

Genre research - THRILLER

What is a Thriller

A thriller film is a genre that revolves around anticipation and suspense. The aim for Thrillers is to keep tension in the audience and to keep them on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these type of films is usually set against a problem, of which the hero will have to solve/overcome. No matter what sub-genre a Thriller film falls into, it will emphasise the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly  climax.

Thriller films also have many sub-genres: 

Some examples of thriller films include: 

• Psycho - 1960
• The Dark Night - 2008
• Black Swan - 2010
• The Silence of The Lambs - 1991
• Inception - 2010
• Jaws - 1975

Convention of Thriller Openings

• A Villain and Hero (Good vs Bad)
• Low key Lighting
• Tension and Suspense
• Violence and Blood
• Location, Genre and Character Presence
• Dreary, Creepy Music
• Murder, Crime

Why I have chosen to make a thriller opening:
I have chosen to make an opening to a thriller film as I feel that, with the limited amount of resources that are available to me, I will be able to create an effective opening with a small budget. I also feel that thriller films are very versatile, which leaves me with a lot of room to come up with a specific plot for my film. On top of that, a typical convention of a thriller is that the film usually follows a single protagonist. This is helpful for my situation as I have limited availability to actors. Also thrillers often take place in isolated environments which is convenient for me as I live in rural area.