Fonts

Font plays a big role in establishing tone and atmosphere in thriller openings. My font needs to be clear and easy to read, whilst not too intrusive to distract from the film. Following this, i think a serif font would not suit our thriller because it looks very formal, instead, a sans serif font will fit our tone.

This example font is a sans serif font which has letters of varying heights, the letters are thin and they are close together, while this is complex and fits the tone, it is also visible and will be easy to read.

This second font is faded and dirty, it fits the tone of our thriller and would effectively add to the overall look and presentation. All letters are in proportion, this could connote ideas of lost order.

In  Se7en, the font used for the opening of the thriller is incredibly original, the effect was achieved by scratching the words over the film, which gives an eerie effect, and makes the audience uncomfortable, it also contradicts the protagonist who is very organised, as it is an uneven font and isn't straight. Se7en did not show its titles while the opening was on screen, but instead used unsettling imagery to accompany the wobbly text. in this particular shot, the writing is not entirely out of the way, however there is a black corner where the writing can stand out from the image.

Lock, stock and two smoking barrels used black screens between shots with a simple sans serif font in the opening sequence, this broke up the fast pace scene but allowed it to maintain momentum at the same time as the sound still played in the background. this approach is highly effective an I believe it may help to build tension, and may decide to use it in my edit.

Characters Blog post

Character 1

The 'kidnapee' is supposed to appear as an anxious person, who is moved from a clean pure location, to a dark gritty shed. This builds a large contrast of emotions for later on.

In regards to costume, our goal is to establish comfort as she’s within her home. This provides the scene with realism. In order to do this she’s going to wear jeans, a top and a comfy hoodie. Whilst within her home before the kidnapping scene takes place, as oppose to getting ready to go out, she’s doing the opposite. She removes her makeup and takes down her hair. Doing this displays a sense of vulnerability as she will seem more exposed as a character further emphasising her lack of power, especially for the rest of the thriller opening. We intend to establish the character in the initial shot, she will have a cigarette, because she is supposed to come across as anxious and smoking is a common convention of film noir to convey anxiety. 

Our thriller is loosely based upon Alice Creed. Alice’s character is supposed to be dark, strong, and mature, bringing to light the potential vulnerability of all humans when she's captured. By contrast, our character is going to be wearing light coloured clothes, and have blue eyes and blonde hair displaying innocence and vulnerability. The innocence will make the audience like her character and creates sympathy for her.

The suitability of the character is very normal and basic, this allows the audience to relate to her.. This also eludes to a sense of reality, and therefore furthers how far the audience can relate to the character. This character is easily portray-able. 

Characters 2 & 3

The kidnappers are incredibly intense, their dedication to the task they are carrying out needs to be clear within the fist shot we see of them to establish a high level of dominance and a somewhat menacing atmosphere. The female kidnapper is the more dominant of the pair, this is noticeable when correcting the male kidnapper, and when doing things for him. this makes him seem ignorant and careless, however the way the female is clinical in everything she does makes her appear to be efficient with a clear purpose, but cold and detached from the world outside her own.

Both kidnappers will wear identical costumes; black zipped up jackets with black jeans and heavy black boots. This makes the audience perceive the kidnappers as judicious and pragmatic, however their costumes make them seem experienced, which brings an element of fear to the thriller. The audience should not like these characters, so using darker colours will help to discourage any sympathy for the pair as dark colours and shadows are associated with corruption and bad deeds.

These characters are suitable as the antagonists shouldn't be likable, however they clearly know how to execute their plans effectively and look professional 

UPDATED 26/02/2017 Thriller Mood Board

Location Ideas