Thriller Storyboard

Now's where the Thriller come alive. The storyboard allows us to show out story and what its going to look like before its even been filmed!

What is a Storyboard?

A storyboard is a plan of a film that is in the stages of being created using images or illustrations. A storyboard enables a film production company to display their film and have a plan of what the film is going to look like before its created.

What are the conventions of a storyboard?

Features of a storyboard include:

1.Scene Numbers- Scene numbers are needed to prevent confusion as there may be many scenes and shots could end up in the wrong place.

2.Shot numbers- By putting in the shot numbers, again it prevents later confusion when an animatic is created from a storyboard. There will be loads of shots in just a few minutes of a film so it's important to number the shots.

3.Drawings and sketches of the scenes- This is what brings the idea in your head alive by sketching out the shots that will make up your film. A film really begins to come to life when the shot sketches are created.

4.Shot Selection- Shot selections are shown through the images and sketches, e.g. close up, long shot, mid shot etc.

5.Dialogue- The dialogue going on in each shot is written underneath the image/illustration to give an idea as to how long the shot needs to last.

6.Camera Movement-

7.SFX- Any special effects such as snow, a flash, explosion etc. need to be included inn the storyboard.

8.Location-Location type needs to be added to the storyboard. Where it is being filled and whether its int. or ext. etc.

 Benefits of producing a storyboard before filming?

• By having a storyboard it you have a plan on what you are going to be filming. You don't have to follow it exactly if another shot type or camera movement is better but having a plan that you can roughly follow is helpful.
• Planning out what you are going to do allows the studio team to all be in agreement on what is happening in each shot without anyone not knowing what is going on or disagreeing the day you start to film.
• By planning you know exactly what is going on when which prevents you from getting confused or frustrated.
• Without a plan you are more than likely to lose all hope and sanity. If you plan out each shot you have a fighting chance of creating a good film without ripping someone's head off.
• Allows a studio team to get all the details on each shot like how long they need to last with the dialogue used and when the SFX's are going on.
• You don't have to be an artist to create a storyboard. So long as you can see what is going on in the scene without wondering what the scribble on the page is supposed to represent!

Example of existing media storyboards

This is the storyboard for an extract of Forrest Gump. This storyboard is what we see or hear on the screen illustrated in individual shots to allow easy creation of the film.

From this storyboard the following extract from the film was created and this is what it looks like after all the editing and shooting of the film. This extract starts from 0.12 seconds.


Reflection Studio's Thriller Storyboard

And so here is the storyboard for our Studio's opening to a thriller including all the things needed in a storyboard.

Storyboard for Thriller

With the storyboard now complete and the thriller opening starting to come together next in the process of creating this opening is the animatic.

Research 3- Costume

The costume choice of the both the characters in our film is very important. Each item of clothing represents and stands for something that is either significant to the plot or the characters attitude and motive.

Crimson, the female character in our film comes from a Upper class family, so as she her parents will have an adequate amount of disposable income this will allow her to have a more expensive wardrobe, which could feature designer clothes, bags, accessories etc… However, seen as Crimson is the first to be introduced in our film when she is in her bedroom, she will be wearing a pair of tight denim jeans, a woolly jumper that looks rather expensive and a pair of pink fluffy socks that you would see someone wearing around the house which suggests to the audience that she lives there or it is a place she is familiar with without physically telling the audience this is where she lives. She will be in this outfit as she wishes to relax and feel comfortable in her house and as she is alone, she has know one to impress. Although, she is wearing a golden necklace as she is a 'girly girl' and she loves jewelry and shiny things. The gold necklace also suggest her wealth as an un-wealthy person is less likely to be wearing a gold chain. This again suggests to the audience that she comes from a rich background or her parents are wealthy.
  

Compared to Crimson, the male character Luke, comes from a Working class family who lives on a council estate. He will be wearing a big over sized black jumper, with dark skinny jeans and a pair of Converse.  He shall wear this attire as he is from the 'Gothic' genre and his friends are also Goths. In addition to this, Luke's clothes will not look brand new and they will not look too expensive as he only works at a low paying job and his parents can't afford to waste money on expensive brands. The jeans may be ripped and the converse all dirt covered and scruffy to clearly convey to the audience that he is the complete opposite to Crimson.

When crimson appears in the first and last scene she will need to wear similar style clothes to Luke to create this hidden identity of the character.

We've got all the research we need on our location, props and costume. Next up for our production studio is the storyboard that will bring our story together shot by shot.

Research 2- Props

Props are a major part of a film. Each prop serves a purpose within a film meaning one slight slip in prop choice and the meaning of your film could be changed in the mind of the audience. 

So here you'll find the props research. This includes all of the props that we will be considering using in our Thriller opening. Each item has been analysis as to what the object is designed to represent in the Thriller opening and how the audience may view that object when watching the Thriller opening.

Props List

Now the props research has been completed we've now got to decide on the props that will be used, when and by who. So here you will film a table that underlines all these points to make life easier when collecting all the props needed. 

Final Props List

The location and Props research is sorted. Whats next? Ah, costumes, again a key feature for manipulating the audiences opinions and views of characters and the overall film.

Research 1- Thriller Location

No location is used just because that's the location we can find so we'll have to make do with it. Thought is actually put into finding each location that you see in all these blockbuster films and a lot of time too!

In our thriller, the choice of location has a big impact on the audience's interpretation of the film and what the see on screen symbolises something that is significant to our film ideas. Each part of the location symbolises a part of either a character or the storyline and the plot of the thriller in the opening.
Here is a list of our Locations and images of locations we have found and will be using in the filming of our thriller.


Location 1- Dark gravel filled area- ext.

This location will feature near the beginning of the 2 minute opening. A dark eerie area is needed to represent the mysterious action that is occurring on screen at this location. The location needed to be abnormal and a place you wouldn’t traditionally go to ‘hang out’.

Existing Media:

This gravel grounded area is an idea of what we are looking for in a location for our thriller film opening. The idea that there are crooked paving stones places within the gravel gives us the impressing of a place that isn’t quite right and not a place you would really want to hand out. The location we chose doesn’t need to be as perfect as this location. This image represents the ideas we have as a production team in what we’re looking for in a location for this opening. It has the feature of the opening we had in mind with the gravel ground and stones lying around.


Real Location chosen:
 
The location chosen to us is perfect in representing the action that is going on onscreen at the time this location is shown. The location isn’t prefect which represents the idea that the main character Crimson isn’t as perfect as people thing. It gives the message of not judging things by the way they look. Also this location is rather eerie and not a place in which people would wish to hang out at night or be there on their own. The miss placed paving and broken fencing creates an atmosphere where the audience get the idea that only the eeriest and creepiest of people would hang out in a place like this. This then emphasises the idea of a mysterious figure hanging around in this area at night which allows them to draw the conclusion that whoever the character is isn’t going to be up to any good here. The fencing suggests that the figure shown shouldn’t be where they are meaning again they aren’t the nicest of people to be hanging out with. This again emphasises the action that then follows the establishing shot of this scene when a figure comes on with a hockey stick dragging in their hand. With an obviously creepy location such as this one, the audiences can easily put two and two together and work out that the character just shown has been out causing trouble but doesn’t give away to much of the upcoming storyline.


Location 2- Dark Alley- ext.

This location features in the film when the mysterious character walks off with the hockey stick dragging in their hand. This again needs to follow on from the previous location with its eeriness and darkness that doesn’t quite seem right.

Existing media:

 
This is the style in which we wanted this location to be. The alley is narrow and could probably only fit one or two people down which is what we want. In the dark a place like this would have the ‘you wouldn’t want to meet anyone in an alley like this’ look.






Real Location Chosen:


This location gives us a lot to work with. The over grown weeds within the gravel suggest to the audience that no one ever goes here which instantly gives them the idea that this character that is seen in this location can’t be doing much good if they are hanging around in a place such as this. The gravel floor allows us to create tension though the sound it makes. When you hear the sound of gravel you know someone is coming or is nearby. The fact this loud gravel sound is going to be made and no one has come out to investigate or is around to see who it is suggests that it isn’t a place that people would want to or should go to. The fencing and walls allow us to represent the idea that its blocked off and that no one really should be going down here without permission. With this location the camera work as well as the sound can add to the overall effect and creation of atmosphere.

Location 3- Crimson’s Room int.

Crimson the main female character has two sides to here and so her room has two sides to it. It has this happy go lucky girly girl feel to it and then later on in the film it turns dark and vicious and so through her room we need to reflect this change as well as her personality.

Existing Image:


This image shows the girly girl side of crimson but shows it could easily be a cover up and easily changed to portray the dark murderous side hidden within the character.

 

Real Location Chosen:

This location will be dressed up with clothes and fairly lights to make it look more like a girl’s room. The size of the room will represent the wealth of her or her parents. Usually the more wealthy have a larger room such as this. The large sofa will be covered in clothes that are of fine materials to represent again the wealth she has and the colours will symbolise the innocence and purity the main character has. As the props list will show there will be many toys around the room such as collectable bear and dolls. They will be perfectly aligned around the room to represent the perfect side of the female as well as show the fact she cares about appearance reflecting the perfectness she shows in the way she looks and dresses. The number of bears and dolls will again show the wealth of this female and suggest that she is in some ways too perfect and wealthy. The lighting of the room will also represent the girly girl side of her and not show through her inner evil until later on in the scene. There will be candles around the room which will be there for later on in the opening.

When Crimson’s personality changes the style of her room changes too; the perfect dolls all around the room now not in line. One set of dolls are taken out and the head has been fetched off the male character and stuck to the female’s hand. This is there to represent the breakdown of the relationship between here and her boyfriend. It brings out her inner evil and the opinion she has on the male race. The candles there were there just for decoration are there to represent a sort of shrine now as they are all lit and lined around the room. They’re there to show the audience the person Crimson is becoming as well as allow them to predict the fate of Luke, Crimson’s Boyfriend.

Location 4- Crimson’s Staircase- int.

This really is there just to allow Luke to get into his girlfriend’s house and up to her room which he doesn’t know is a shrine. The stairs just need to look like a normal set of stairs that allow Luke easy access to Crimson’s private life without permission.

Existing Image:

The stairs don’t need to be too fancy even though Crimson is obviously rich as can be seen from the room Crimson is in. The idea of the stairs being metal and rather normal downgrades Crimson slightly which is what needs to happen in a way.

Real Location Chosen:

The stairs chosen will be decorated so that they look more like stairs in which you would find in a home. These stairs are rather large which still allows the audience to see the rich side of Crimson preventing them from suspecting the inner killer that Crimson has. These stairs represent the pathway to Crimson’s private life and that Luke is in the wrong by entering with force rather than asking and not demanding.

Location 5- The door to Crimson's House- ext. 

The door to Crimson's house where her boyfriend is soon to meet his doom in only appears for a few moments when Luke come storming into the house without knocking. We don't want the door to be too fancy and posh as it would detract from the horror that lies within the house now.

Existing Image:

This is the sort of door we were looking for, a wooden door with windows. With this location we want to start detracting from the idea that she's rich and start to give the audiences hint as to what Crimson is really like inside. 

Real Location Chosen:

This location is what we are looking for for this scene. Its simplistic yet it does the job we want it to do, look dark and mysterious when Luke is shown storming through it. The door isn't as posh and intricate as the interior but at the point where this door is shown, we don't want the focus to be on how rich Crimson is. The audiences need to start thinking of the other side that Crimson has to her which leads them to the scene that is going to occur in the next shot up until the end of the film. This location isn't in the opening sequence much however it is an important fill shot for the lead up to the events that are about to unfold. There will be a few plants by the door to give the audience the homely feel that a house should have when you enter it which in a way side tracks the audience from seeing the obvious that Crimson is a killer. It distracts the audiences and prevents them from coming to the right conclusion straight away.


With the location research sorted and all the locations that are starring in our film opening, next up is the props research and list!

  

Thriller Script

With the film treatment sorted, as a film company we now have a storyline to work with meaning we can write a script for the actors and actresses starring in our Thriller.

All you wannabe actors and actresses here we have a masterpiece of a script for the opening of 'The Black Widow'.

The Black Widow

Now the script is written next up is the research to help us create the film. This include location, props and costume.

Thriller Film Treatment

So with the film pitch over and the film studio executives agreeing to letting us create our film, we then had to write the treatment for the film opening.
The treatment is the storyline of the film plot with every little detail added in from a cat meowing to a tree making a slight sound.
So here is the film treatment for the opening of The Black Widow...

Black Widow 


So thats the storyline of our opening sequence to the our thriller. We've got the storyline but there's still a lot more to do before we even think of filming!