Plot
Two sisters in the 1930’s (Sylvia and Ellie), who look very alike are shown at the same time in different locations, Ellie is dead and blood soaked, the other Sylvia is alive and walking down a cobbled street in the night time.
As the sequence progresses the shots pan up each girl individually until their faces are shown, a dark figure of a man is also included and it becomes obvious to the viewer that Sylvia may suffer the same fate as Ellie.
Once the girl who is walking down the street sees the predatory male, she runs and he follows after, walking at a steady pace.
Location
- Where the girl is walking is a sophisticated and obviously affluent area.
- The streets are cobbled and the buildings are elegant.
- I am using Elm Hill in Norwich for this part of my sequence.
- Where the girl is hanging and dead is a dirty, un-glamorous room.
- The streets are not cobbled, and there is evidence of litter etc
- I am using an empty room for these shots of the sequence.
- For the lift sequences I will use the old lift in the school.
Lighting
- Dark Chiaroscuro.
- Ambient Street Lamps.
- Reflection on wet cobbled streets.
- Car Lights.
- Low-Key and from below to cause shadows.
Sound
- Diegetic footsteps, passing cars.
- Non-diegetic music
Titles
- On varying surfaces throughout sequence.
Brief synopsis of narrative
- Shot of window, shadow is seen through curtain of a female figure.
- Shot of hands and antique mirror and accessories, the female figure is painting her nails, but then accidentally spills the nail varnish which drips over the dresser ledge.
- Blood dripping with a dark background.
- Shot of a drain cover and wet, reflective cobbles on a street. A door being closed and footsteps walking closer to the drain can be heard.
- Shot of identical drain cover with blood dripped over it.
- Same shot of first drain cover, close up of woman’s legs as they walk over it.
- Cuts to another shot of legs and feet, though these are suspended off the ground and blood is running down them.
- Camera pans up walking girl till it reaches painted red nails.
- Camera pans up hanging girl until it reaches painted red nails.
- Camera pans up walking girl till it reaches shoulders, more of attire shown.
- Camera pans up hanging girl until it reaches shoulders, her clothes are blood soaked and more of her clothing is shown.
- Shot of male figure in lurking in the shadows of a doorway, no features can be seen though ember of cigarette and smoke are visible.
- Close up of man’s face (Harold) as car lights pan over it. Features are seen and he is grinning and looks mischievous and villainous.
- Close up of hanging girl’s face, which is pale and obviously dead, on a tilt with a noose around her neck.
- Close up of Sylvia’s face, the relation to the other girl is severed as they look different and are not the same person as the audience may have predicted. A look of horror is placed upon her face as she sees the man.
- Final tilt shot of the girl running down the remainder of the street and the man walks behind, following her.
- Girl turns into a building and gets into a lift, thinking she is safe.
- Final shot of lift doors opening on second floor and Harold standing there.
Basic Thriller Plot and Impact on Audience
Shot of a window at night time, and within a shadow of a female figure is shown on the blind.
The shot cuts to the female figure (Sylvia) putting red nail varnish onto her nails and accidentally spilling the pot so the varnish drips over the edge of the dresser she is sitting at. This cuts to blood dripping from a height.
The shot changes once again and focuses on a drain cover on a cobbled street, the sound of a door shutting and footsteps can be heard in the distance, getting louder and closer. This cuts to the blood that was dripping earlier onto an identical drain cover.
The shot changes back to the first drain cover and a pair of female legs (Sylvia’s) walk over it. This cuts to a pair of legs (Ellie’s) that are suspended from the ground and are dripping with blood.
The shot then pans up each girl separately and with synchronisation till it reaches each respective girl’s shoulders. Their attire is very similar and this could lead to interpretation that the two girls are the same person. It also defines the era the Thriller is based in with the costumes.
Then a shot of a man (Harold) lurking in the shadows of a doorway brings an unsafe element to the plot and relates all three characters, especially the fate Sylvia could face.
Close ups of each of the three characters rubbishes the link that the two girls could in fact be the same person and shows Harold as villainous creature. It also creates a possibility that Sylvia could suffer the same fate as Ellie as they are very similar and are sisters.
Sylvia quickens her pace away from the Harold as he walks slowly behind her. She enters the building that she was heading for and gets into a lift. The lift arrives at a floor, stops and opens to a view of Harold in the archway.
Storyboards
Characters of Thriller
Sylvia Rose
20 years old
Sylvia appears attractive, intelligent and strong willed; a classic 1930’s beauty.
Her dark hair - which flicks out intentionally at the bottom - connotes strength and along with her painted nails and lips implies she is well maintained and takes pride in her appearance. She is well dressed, wearing furs and copious amounts of jewellery; showing her awareness of fashion in era as well. We see this throughout the whole sequence.
She is a role model to her sister and is unaware of her abduction throughout the scene. When she sees Harold her confidence is blown and a vulnerable side shines through, which Harold brings out with his uneasy grin that serves to cause Sylvia discomfort for the rest of the sequence.
(SKETCH TO BE SCANNED IN)
Ellie Rose
18 years old
Before Ellie was killed she was very similar to her sister in personality and style. She is similar too in appearance, enough so that a connection can be made between them. Her hair colour is a lot lighter than her sisters and this implies classic vulnerability in blonde characters in the thriller genre. She is abducted by Harold, stabbed and hung till death after being raped, a brutal murder.
(SKETCH TO BE SCANNED)
Harold Mardel
25 years old
Harold is a young deranged character who is taking his revenge out on the Rose family. He blames them for being too rich, and for belonging to an upper class society that he believes he should belong in. His jealousy leads to the murder of Ellie Rose and the threatening of Sylvia. He will appear tall and menacing.
(SKETCH TO BE SCANNED)
Casting
My thriller needed three characters that would be able to pull off the sophisticated 1930’s look, and create an air of mystery that would surround them, and in doing so capture the audiences’ attention. After a couple of mishaps and re-casting, the committed few were cast.
Isabelle Davies as Sylvia Rose
I chose Issy to play Sylvia as she has the appearance of an elegant woman already. Her face connotes classic beauty and with the help of my costume and props she looks as if she has just walked out of the 30’s.
Corrin Johnson as Harold Mardel
I chose Corrin to play Harold in my thriller. Corrin is tall, slim and handsome; exactly what I needed. He has the ability to look menacing and his height helps to add to his threatening appearance.
Costumes of Thriller
All three of the costumes relate to the 1930’s. I will use furs and dresses for the females as well as plenty of accessories and make up. This will connote wealth, femininity and awareness of fashion within the era. The two ladies’ attire should make them appear as if they are in the upper class society of 1930’s Britain. The male figure will be dressed smartly, with a long black over coat and hat. This relates to the fashion of the era too.
Sylvia and Ellie – The two girls in the sequence will be dressed head to toe in 1930’s styles. They will be dressed similarly to imply that they are both members of high class society in the era and to make the audience question whether or not they are the same characters. Styles in the era included; fur coats, hats, lots of jewellery, pale coloured dresses and high heels.
Fur coats/hats – These are a symbol of Hollywood film star qualities. They imply not only femininity but glamour and wealth too.
Jewellery- This connotes wealth, femininity, glamour and awareness of fashion in the era. Many necklaces on top of each other was considered fashionable in the 1930’s. Especially using pearls necklaces and lockets.
High Heels – Implications of femininity and social standing within society at the time. These also help to make a substantial and recognizable sound when walking which will help build the tension when Sylvia is walking.
Harold – Dark coloured fabrics, all over. This corresponds with the fashionable colours at the time (which, my research suggests were blacks, browns and greys) and also the mysterious feel the character gives off. In the era, men’s suits and overcoats were shaped to create the image of a large torso, to do this the shoulders were squared (using shoulder pads) and there were peaked lapels that framed the V-shape, these adding yet more width to the shoulders.His persona and appearance is an Intertextual reference to Harry Lime from the classic 1949 thriller The Third Man by Carole Reed who appears in a dark overcoat and top hat.
Black overcoat – A signifier of mystery and sleek sophistication. The coat gives who ever wears it; a certain toughness preventing not only bad weather from reaching the body but also helps to cover identity. The high backed collar also helps protect the character’s identity from being uncovered and is a symbol of mystery and a prime aspect of a villain’s costume.
Bowler Hat – This once again helps to cover some of the face if tilted downwards. It was essential wear for smart men of the 30’s and so Idecided that I would include it in my villain’s costume. It gives Harold a mysterious edge and also a Intertextual reference to The Third Man once again.
Brogues – Essential and proper footwear of men in the 1930’s. These shoes are able to sustain winter conditions and endless miles of walking as well as keeping up an aspect of smartness. These aspects are much like the character wearing them, who is a hard, un-forgiving man.
Antique Furnishings – In the sequence these props will help to establish the era that it is set in. The character Sylvia Rose sits at an antique dresser and in front of her is a hairbrush, mirror, nail varnish and varying other 1930’s accessories and jewellery. These items also connote wealth, femininity and awareness of fashion in the era. Sylvia obviously possesses a relatively high social status and could be labelled as ‘upper class’.
Noose- This is a signifier of death which is made of rope. It is supposedly used by Harold to kill Ellie. The noose is an uncommon thriller prop, as most thrillers use guns, knifes and other such weaponry to kill, therefore I believed that it would be a more original method. Killing with hanging also makes no noise, unlike a gun and so could be thought of as a silent sly weapon.
. Its colour and texture relates it to blood. It connotes femininity and wealth.
Cigarette – This prop is used with Harold when he is lurking in the doorway. The cigarette gives Harold an air of mystery and sophistication as well as a sign of danger.
Location of Thriller
I have chosen to film the majority of my Thriller in Elm Hill, Norwich. This area is the oldest remaining street in Norwich and it still retains its original cobbles and many of the Tudor buildings (which it in fact has more of than in the entire city of London today). It has recently been used in the 2007 film Stardust as a location for a bustling street. The narrow and uneven cobbled streets are still lit by early 20th century street lamps that give it a yellow glow in the night. These elements have made it a perfect location for filming my sequence as it connotes a wealthy and glamorous setting, and the wet cobbles will give it a sophisticated feel. The area will be ideal for shooting as, although a tourist attraction in the daylight, it is relatively empty in the evening with people usually taking the modern routes to their destinations main road.
Here I have located Elm Hill on Google Maps, the red line indicating the actual street I will be filming on. As you can see the street is relatively long and on either side joins onto a modern street. When filming I will have to take precautions in order to not catch any modern attributes on film as it will ruin the 1930’s feel.
Here are some of the pictures I took of the location;
Other locations I have chosen to include are; the CNS school corridors and elevator and a corner of a room and window of a house. These locations give my thriller naturalistic settings and allow my thriller to be related to by the audience. During shooting I will have to take precautions, as any modern attributes of the buildings or interiors will lead to my thriller to be inaccurate and less believable that it is based in the first third of the 20th century, opposed to modern day.
Sound
As the thriller is to have no dialogue or diegetic sounds through out, the non-diegetic music has to heighten tension, and create an underlying drama to the mise en scene. It also must compliment the sub-genre of thriller and era it is based in.
After endless searching I have chosen Jerome Moross’ “Bawdy House Stomp” to accompany my thriller. The New York University of Music graduate Moross was born in 1913 and worked as a composer during the 1940’s in which he orchestrated the piece. I stumbled across the composer after listening to similar music such as Anton Karas which relied heavily on classical string based instruments, on the internet website “Last.Fm”. After listening to several of his songs, I decided “Bawdy House Stomp” would compliment my thriller production perfectly. I believe it gives my thriller film the pace it needs, as well as heightening tension in certain areas.
Title of film
I have decided to title my film “Obliquity”. This word has several meanings which I thought could be associated or have intertextual references within my thriller sequence;
1. the state of being oblique.
2. divergence from moral conduct, rectitude, etc.; immorality, dishonesty, or the like.
3. mental perversity.
an instance of mental perversity.
Number 1 can be related to the many canted angles used within the filming of my thriller.
Number 2,3 and 4 can all be related to the perverse, sinister character of Harold Mardel.
The way my film production reflects the conventions of the Thriller genre
- Crime at the core of the narrative;
Harold Mardel has killed Ellie and Sylvia’s life is in danger due to the fact that they are siblings.
- False paths, clues, red herrings, enigmas;
Girls appear similar when camera pans up them – implying a similar end for both and adding dramatic irony.
- Resolutions to the crime often ambiguous;
Ambiguity in the fact the two girls almost mirror each other. Sylvia’s life is in jeopardy.
- Protagonist/main character is disempowered and drawn into a web of intrigue by antagonist;
Sylvia is stalked by Harold – stalking makes her vulnerable. Harold is vulnerable due to his jealousy that rules him. This could be linked to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in which the antagonist Norman Bates becomes intrigued by Marion Crane and eventually killing her.
- Antagonist/villain often attractive but arrogant – hinders and leads to downfall;
Although Harold’s downfall is not included in my 2minute entrance to the thriller, the audience may foresee his downfall eventually. In my thriller this can be related to the character of Harry Lime in the Third Man who eventually looses out.
- Extraordinary events occur in ordinary situations;
The surroundings of my thriller are glamorous and upper class. The events that take place here would not usually be predicted to do so. This again relates my thriller to Carol Reed’s The Third Man which is set in the beautiful aesthetics of Vienna.
- Themes of voyeurism;
Through the window of Sylvia’s bedroom, in which she is painting her nails. The red nail-varnish dripping from the dresser and the blood dripping from Ellie.
- Elements of mise-en-scene frequently reflect the protagonist’s emotional state;
The shadows created by the dimly lit streets. Tilt shots. The lift represents the entrapment of Sylvia which could be linked to the entrapment the shower curtain creates when Marion Crane is showering in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.
Thriller Changes
The the planning of my thriller through to the finished product has been a lengthy ordeal and several aspects I once wanted to include have unfortunately fallen to the floor as it were, and have been scraped due to the allocated 2minute time allowance. I have had to rid my thriller of the victim 'Ellie Rose' as time does not permit me to introduce her character and weave her into the story line without creating a piece of work that is cluttered. The exclusion of Ellie also exludes the need for a noose and the confusion that may have existed between Slyvia and her as the same character. In doing this however, certain shots do not have as much significance now, such as; the painting of Slyvia's nails and her walking a grate. These however could indicate her impending troubles and potential bloodshed that lurk behind the corner.
Black & White V.s Colour
Last minute editing of my thriller provoked me into seeing what my thriller would look like in Black and White, as a true Noir thriller like those that have influenced it, i.e The Third Man and Murder my Sweet. Since I have been debating which one to send off as my final piece. Ideally I would have used the Sepia setting on my film, giving it a monochrome finish that will highten the sophistication and glamour of certain areas. This however was unachievable as the editing program used did not include this modification setting.
Colour sees my thriller glow in several areas. The wet cobbles are given a pink glow by the street lamps and Sylvia's red nails are highlighted well. However, areas of my Thriller do not appear truely believable in colour, for example; the blue Christmas lights that are situated on the left hand side of Harold as he walks out to follow Sylvia down the street, the dark lighting in certain areas of the street and the modern colours that are used in the interior where Sylvia gets in the lift.
I believe that Black and White irradicates these imperfections as they become far more acceptable under Noir conditions. The Black and White gives the cobbles a shiny, elegant feel and although the red of Sylvia's nails and lips is gone, other areas affected are more prominent features.
Final Edited Sequence