The document outlines a found footage thriller film project. It will tell the story of a home invasion through footage filmed by the protagonist during the event and later discovered by characters. It discusses using handheld camera work, CCTV footage, diegetic sound, and discontinuity editing to create suspense. The film will have four characters, be shot in an empty house, and distributed online to its target audience of 16-30 year olds, especially male fans of the thriller genre.

1. Consolidation of Research

2. My chosen idea
• My chosen idea is a found footage thriller film, where a
protagonist films a home invasion taking place.
• The film will start with characters entering the house
after the events have taken place. This will be shot in a
generic fashion. The characters find the camera and
start viewing the previously shot footage.
• The aim of the film is to build suspense whilst keeping
a realistic feel to the action. By showing two separate
time frames within the film will help direct the narrative
without making it too complex

3. The Genre
• The aim of thriller films is to “thrill” the audience,
this is usually achieved with high suspense,
mystery and intellectual puzzles for the
audience to solve.
• I have chosen the genre of thriller for several
reasons. One reason is that given the limited
time and budget I have, this genre will deliver
the best results, due to the filming technique and
lack of effects.

4. Camera
• For the film I will use mostly hand held camera work to establish the
found footage effect, a steadicam may be needed to improve the
steadiness of some of the shots.
• The other shots will not be handheld and will be shot on a tripod, and
with use of a dolly for tracking shots.
• Also included in the film will be CCTV footage from in around the
house, this will be filmed at a high angle and will be edited in After
Effects to increase authenticity of the film.
• The found footage shots will be effective as the audience will have the
same information as the character of screen, this will allow for higher
tension moments.

5. Editing
• My film will include discontinuity editing as it will be start at the
end of the story. The main act of the film will not having many
cuts as this is not a common convention of found footage films.
However the first act of the film will have cuts.
• The speed of the cuts will vary in the first act. The first act will
have longer takes as there will be an investigation by a
character. However in the final act there will be faster cuts as the
film reaches it’s climax
• There will be darker lighting and filters of the found footage
element of the film to help distinguish it from the other act of the
film.

6. Sound
• In the film there will be mostly diegetic sound. The
protagonist will speak to the camera as they are
documenting the event occurring.
• Examples of sounds used will be diegetic sounds such as
crashing and smashing. Doors opening and closing,
footsteps, movement and breathing. All these will be used
to add suspense to the film, as these are conventions that
audiences will expect
• There will be none or limited music in the film to create a
more realistic take on the situation.

7. Characters
• There will be four characters in my film.
• The protagonist
• Two antagonists
• The friend who discovers the ‘scene of the crime’

8. Costumes
• The antagonists of the film will be wearing mostly black,
this is a typical convention of the thriller genre as it adds
ambiguity and a dark tone to the film.
• Both the friend at the beginning and the main protagonist
will be wearing costumes that represent their age and
area.

9. Location
• The film will be shot in an empty house that I have
access to in Middleton Cheney. The house is in a
residential area. Therefor this adds extra tension and
suspense for the audience as it adds a sense of realism
and realistic danger to the audience.

10. Props
• Props in my film will include domestic weapons such as
golf clubs, knifes and bats.
• A prop of a computer will be used so the protagonist can
view the CCTV footage.
• The camera will be used as prop due to the nature of the
filming style. This will include shots in a mirror where the
camera can be seen, as well as in act 1 where the
camera will be seen as a gateway into the middle of the
film.

11. Distribution
• The distribution of my film will very likely be small.
• Unlike some thriller films that are distributed on a larger
scale my film will only be distributed online on websites
such as Vimeo, Shortoftheweek and blogger.

12. Target Audience
• The target audience for my film will
be young adults aged from 16-30.
• Fans of this genre are usually males
as they stereotypically have interests
around crime, action and suspense.
• My research shows that audiences
under the age of 18 rated David
Finchers Panic Room higher than
viewers over 18