The document provides details about the production of a thriller film titled "Before Dawn". It summarizes the title selection process, introduces the three main character locations, discusses the use of costumes, props, camera work and editing techniques. It also provides an overview of the thriller genre and a brief summary of the film's plot which involves a psychotic criminal abducting women for ransom.

1. Evaluation 1

2. Our title – Before Dawn
To begin with, all four of us decided to construct a
spider diagram of all the original thriller titles we
had come up with. We wanted the name to be
memorable and intriguing, we also wanted the
name to be no longer than two words. The name
we went for in the end is Before Dawn. We
appreciated the theme of time this name creates
as well as how it intrigues the viewers, it entices
the viewer as it still relates to the film but doesn’t
give away any of the storyline. It relates to the
film as the main character, Jack Tyler, has to get
his girlfriend back before dawn or the
consequences could be fatal. This follows the
codes and conventions of a thriller as films such
as ‘the woman in black’ follow the same concept
of including danger and intrigue into their titles
without giving much away.

3. Our setting/location
There are three main settings within our opener.
The first location is Chris Partlowe’s house, it is bright and vibrant.
Also the shots are fast paced and the music is energetic to show that
at this point there is no danger and the individual is just working out.
The second location juxtaposes the first as the ambience is now eerie
and desolate. The dramatic music shows the viewers that the
characters are now in danger as the tension begins to build. The
group really liked the idea of the undisturbed lake surrounded by the
overgrowth to show that the location is untouched by society and
therefore is a viable place for crime to occur.
The third location is the most significant of the three as it is where all
of the three characters meet. Like the second location, it is once again
surrounded by overgrowth and feels as if its hidden away from
society. The one-way road is narrow, this gives the clip a
claustrophobic feeling especially with the progressive dramatic music
as the tension becomes unbearable. This setting was perfect for our
clip as it also allowed us to be creative with our shots as we could
implement the nature around us to show the secrecy of the exchange.
It is common amongst thrillers to have a ‘soft’ opening before moving
on to the serious and unbearably tense story.

4. Costume and props
Mise en scene was served as a massive importance to our clip. It
was used to explain the character’s position within the clip, this
was helpful as there is no dialogue.
For Chris Partlowe, his costume needed to be that of a fitness
enthusiast as he was participating in a work out. However,
nothing out of the ordinary as he is just an average civilian who
gets caught up in it all.
Jack Tyler’s mise en scene is also meant to be very average to
show the audience that he could be any one. This allows the
viewers to relate to the character and establish an emotional
connection with him thus making the whole sequence more
gripping.
Mike Toreno is a psychotic criminal so his costume had to reflect
this in some way. He’s wearing a shirt with no blazer or tie to
highlight that he's been getting his hands dirty. We used the
convention of the cigarette to send a message to our youthful
audience that only the bad guys smoke. His gun, which is also a
convention of a thriller, also shows his power as it towers over the
other characters. It places the characters in danger and thrills the
audience.

5. Camera work and editing
We used a high variety of shots, some integrating into others through the use of focus pulls. The focus
feature allowed us to also direct the audiences attention to any props to show the significance they hold.
This variety is useful as it keeps the viewers interested. We kept the shots short, varying from 2-4 seconds.
This is effective as it allows the sequence to flow at a quick pace and, due to the amount of shots we got, we
can fit in a lot of shots so a minimal amount are wasted. When tension and drama is running high we used
close ups to capture the NVC of the characters so we can understand what they are going through. To make
the clip look film-like we used two editing techniques. One is called ‘the letterbox’, this is an effect place on
top of the clip and allows the viewers to focus more on the middle of the frame due to the parallel black
boarders running horizontally opposite each other. The second one is the filter. The first filter is bright and
energetic (as seen in Chris Partlowe’s work out clips), this gives the clip an aesthetically pleasing look as
well as matching the energy shown by the character. It then turns dark and cold as we travel to the other
characters. This is done to reflect the tense atmosphere we are now in, also it highlights the desolate
winter forest which surrounds the characters. The filters add to the clip as they give the picture an edge
and compliments the story we have created.

6. Title style and fontOur title is big and
bold, it may be
simplistic but we
wanted it to be
memorable in the
minds of our viewers.
The font is Bebas
Neue and looks
familiar amongst the
main posts we have
made. We chose it as
it is clear and
professional to give
our work a
seriousness to relate
to the genre it is in.

7. Genre, story and what happens next…
Before Dawn fits into the thriller genre we don’t want to frighten our audience, but make
them anxious for the characters (who are in life threatening danger). The plot of the film is
that Bill (Mike Toreno) is a retired officer turned psychotic gangster who is part of a gang
who abduct women and hold them for ransom. Chris (Jack Tyler) is one of the unlucky few
who have been the victim of Mike’s gang, not directly, but Amber Miller (who is Jack’s first
and only love) is one of the women who has been abducted. Jack will try and get Amber back
at all costs. Chris Partlowe (Ryan) is a fitness enthusiast who has no links to the other
characters but has somehow got caught up on it all and now has the power to expose Mike
for who he really is. A manhunt now takes place as Mike has no leverage and Chris is
effectively a ghost. We leave the characters when Jack is held by one of Mike’s assistants
whilst Mike deals with a ‘problem’. Chris is tracked down by Mike after his lucky escape of
death and this is where the opener ends (this is the cliffhanger). The story continues as
Partlowe continues to be fortunate as he evades Mike and his thugs time and time again. He
also learns more about the gang and knows that he is the one who could bring an end to all
this madness. As this is going on Jack is also abducted and then held by the gang with Amber
as he tries to overcome them and take her back. The two manage to escape their
imprisonment and join with Partlowe by luck and eventually manage to serve Mike his
justice.

8. How are the characters
introduced?
The characters are
introduced one by one as
we give the viewers a
briefing of their
characteristics and to
give them a better
understanding of what is
going on. After the
introduction their lives
begin to intertwine and
thus the story begins.
We follow the codes and
conventions of a thriller
because we only had two
and a half minutes to
present our idea and
wanted to give our
viewers as much info as
possible. Also they are
used to openers having
this structure.