1. Similar Film Research
The Perfect Guy
Synopsis: After breaking up with her boyfriend, a professional woman gets
involved with a man who seems almost too good to be true.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director: David M. Rosenthal
Split
Synopsis: After three girls are kidnapped by a man with 24 distinct
personalities they must find some of the different personalities that can
help them while running away and staying alive from the others.
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Director: Stephen Gaghan
The Boy Next Door
Synopsis: After three girls are kidnapped by a man with 24 distinct
personalities they must find some of the different personalities that can
help them while running away and staying alive from the others.
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Director: Rob Cohen
All three films are dominated by a male antagonist, and
female protagonist. The three Thrillers also have male
directors; this may be a conventional trait of Thriller
films in the industry. The Thriller film genre is a genre
that revolves around anticipation and suspense. The
aim of the genre is to build tension around the main
problem the film is built on and maintain this level of
tension throughout the film until finally finishing on a
highly stressful climax. We will need to include this in
our production to ensure that audience is able to
instantly identify the genre of the piece.
Thriller is not just one black and white genre; there are
many different sub-genres of Thriller. These sub-genres
are: Action Thriller, Crime Thriller, Film-Noir,
Psychological Thriller, Science Fiction Thriller, and
Religious Thriller. I would say that the piece we intend
to produce would fit in the category of a Psychological
Thriller. This is because a Psychological Thriller
incorporates elements of both drama and mystery film
(which our piece also does). In Psychological Thriller the
threat the protagonist faces throughout the film is more
mental/psychological than physical. This is the case in
“Tail of Obsession” as the threat does not intend to
harm our protagonist physically but as a result of this,
unintentionally and obliviously harms her mentally.
2. Mike Regan is a successful, self-made man who has it all: a gorgeous wife, a beautiful teenage
daughter and a sleek, state-of-the-art "smart home". But he soon finds himself in a deadly,
high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse when his I.T. consultant, Ed, starts using his skills to stalk
Mike's daughter and endanger his family, his business, and his life. In a world where there is
no privacy, and personal secrets can go viral by the click of a mouse, Mike needs to rely on his
old connections to defeat a new kind of nemesis.
The opening scene of I.T starts by glorifying the assets of the main character as well as
himself by using many different camera shots like establishing, extreme close ups and mid
shots to emphasize the details of these assets and how luxurious his life is before we see the
buildup of tarnishing which is done by his I.T consultant. This scene focuses on the well-being
of the main character and how his life starts to change under the actions that the I.T
consultant is doing.
I.T:
This film unfolds over a teenager's computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an
unseen figure who seeks vengeance for a shaming video that led a vicious bully to kill herself
a year earlier.
The opening scene of Unfriended starts with a found video footage of a girl committing
suicide in her high school in the quiet suburbs of Fresno, California after an embarrassing
video of her was posted online which later fast forwards to the video that caused the girl to
commit suicide. The video uploaded was from a camera and has a wide shot throughout it to
show where the girl is and her whole body. It suggests the director intended to make the
audience feel like they just saw the video as it aired live, as it refers back to reality as we see
many things appear on our social media randomly and most common now being streamed
live. Furthermore, when the movie moves onto the next video, it foreshadows there will be
consequences for the people within the video.
Unfriended:
Thirteen years after her cyber-stalker murdered her parents and eluded arrest, Aiden has yet to go
back online. Years of therapy have done little to assuage her fears, and she leads an anonymous life
off the grid. Now, someone is watching Aiden from afar, awaiting the perfect moment to strike. As
the fearful young woman struggles find someone she can trust, she realizes that every move she
makes could be her last.
The opening scene of Cyberstalker shows a hidden figure gathering information about a woman, he
had previously stalked 13 years ago and tracking her through her internet usage. This scene is very
intense and mysterious as the audience has no idea or insight as to why this mystery person is doing
these things. This would draw the audience in as they would want to know what the end game is for
the mystery person and the woman.
Cyberstalker:
Opening Scenes
3. Unfriended Comparison
This title is taken from the original film. The image depicts a black screen firstly; Black is associated with power, elegance,
formality, death, evil, and mystery. Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes etc). It usually
has a negative connotation (blacklist, 'black death'). Black denotes strength and authority. Black gives the feeling of perspective
and depth, but a black background diminishes readability. The use of a black background makes the other colours stand out. Black
contrasts well with bright colors. Combined with red or orange – other very powerful colors – black gives a very aggressive color
scheme.
Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion,
desire, and love. Red is widely used to indicate danger. Its negative expression of anger and aggression to fuel war and
destruction. And in relation to the poster, we assume these will be associated within the film.
White is color at its most complete and pure, the color of perfection. The color meaning of white is purity, innocence, wholeness
and completion. In color psychology white is the color of new beginnings, wiping the slate clean, so to speak. It is the blank canvas
waiting to be written upon. While white isn't stimulating to the senses, it opens the way for the creation of anything the mind can
conceive. White contains an equal balance of all the colors of the spectrum, representing both the positive and negative aspects of
all colors. Its basic feature is equality, implying fairness and impartiality, neutrality and independence.
4. Mood Board
These choice of images each show how the
opening scene will be merged together, as it
depicts what the main character will be
experiencing as she is being followed, which
you can see from various images in the mood
board. You can also see from the images that
the person following the main character
identity is hidden, which will be incorporated
in the opening scene.
5. Audience Research
Interview: A student in my media class
Q: What is your favourite genre of films? And why?
A: My favourite genre of films are Thriller films, this is because it involves
the viewers to be alert and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as
the plot builds towards a climax.
Q: What do you think makes a good Thriller/mystery film?
A: Edge of your seat drama, as it creates tension and directly involves the
viewer and encourages them to be engrossed in the film and watch it till the
end. The Mystery keeps the viewers thinking throughout the course of the
film.
Q: What type of characters do you think should be in a Thriller film?
A: The first place to fortify a thriller is its cast of characters. The main
character which should be a hostile and crafty male, he needs to struggle
with issues inside as well as outside and also have a very strong physical side
to him. A Woman who the main character has a soft spot for, and at some
point in the film, is put in an exposed situation. The enemy of the main
character should have a lot of power, whether it is physical and
intellectually.
Q: Which films do you think have good openings?
A: Split, Fast and Furious Sequel, Olympus has fallen
Q: What attracts you to films?
A: As long as the theme relates to reality, focusses on the topics which badly
need to be discussed then I will watch it .Also if the movie has good actors
from previous movies which I like and if it’s has a popular sequel.
Most likely to have the best opening
sequence?
Thriller
Action
Crime
Animation
6. Audience Research
Stylers
Still representing status and style, it’s about partying, looking good and staying ahead of cool.
Stylers hold strong on the UK Tribes map – innately cool and stylish, the rising influence of Urban fashion
and music have made them a hugely aspirational Tribe for youth today. As luxe sportswear and Urban high
fashion has hit the Aspirants (check out the Hypebeasts), more young people than ever before are looking
like a Styler and aspiring to their luxury lifestyle.
Trackies
Trackies are laid back enthusiasts motivated by the need to chill, whether that’s gaming, watching films
or listening to music.
They’re all about hanging out, playing sports and computer games, ordering pizza and getting their hands
on a bit of weed! Typically seen as those with the potential to achieve but lacking in motivation, these guys
just want to chill out man
Townies
Always there at the bottom of the influence pyramid, the Townies are an entry-level Tribe, open to all
that want to play…
Townies are as Mainstream as you can get – high street fashion, pop chart music, Saturday night TV and a
night on the town. As the rest of the Tribal map is becoming more fashion-forward and fast-moving, the
Townies are still in the local Wetherspoons or on the bus to college – they are likely to be friends with
Blingers and other Tribes, but prefer to go with the flow and don’t want to stand out.
Hypebeasts
Urban and Skater inspired, US-rooted breed of New Casual – who love Hip-
Hop and electronic, niche knowledge, luxury sportswear and limited
editions.
Hypebeasts are a new breed of New Casual/Hipster– obsessed with the
aspirational Urban lifestyle and the brands that go with it. With a thriving
online culture, key icon products and their own language (Bump, OG, Grail,
Wavey…) they are thriving – but bitchy too!
7. Audience Research
Blumhouse is mostly known for producing low-budget horror films, such as Paranormal Activity,
Insidious, The Purge, Sinister, Split and Get Out. The company's model is to produce movies
independently and release them wide through the studio system.
I think Blumhouse Productions would produce my film due to the fact that they have work
widely around horror/thriller films in the past and this is what they're mostly known for, also for
the fact that they do all of this on a low budget. Most Blumhouse produced films become very
popular and receive good feedback from their audience as well as grossing in millions of dollars
for most films made on low budgets i.e. Blumhouse produced Insidious, which grossed over $97
million worldwide on a budget of $1.5 million, and Sinister, which grossed over $77 million
worldwide from a budget of $3 million.
Blumhouse know how to produce and distribute low-budget films very well and with their
expertise and experience on how to do this, I believe that my film could go far as they have
shown multiple times what they can do with my type of film.
