Madison Rubin AICE Media Studies Final Project

 This song shows up in the horror movie 'A Nightmare On Elm Street: 2". This song relates to the movie which might not be caught onto unless you pay close attention to the hidden details.  The song refers to somebody being in a dream where the are experiencing their dream state. This connects back to the title by them "walking" through their dream. This also relates to the movie because of how Freddy gets rid of his victims. These lyrics highlights Freddy's special abilities. This also evokes a sense of fear correlated to dreaming. This relates to my final project by giving me ideas on thriller music to use. This also teaches me how to give off a sense of fear to the audience. 

 In the movie Final Destination 4, the song Devour plays in the beginning. The song gives off hidden meanings before it is shown to the audience, giving them hints on what is bound to happen.  Before the main character had a vision of racecars crashing and killing everybody in the stadium, this song plays. This song has lyrics that reference to how death plays within the movie. For example, the lyrics say "Its your final hour", this gives off a sense of anticipation and fear.  the lyrics also say "smash it and crash it". This relays to the vision the main character will see which is the cars smashing into each other to the point where the stadium crashes down. This connects to m final project b giving me the information on what to do with matching lyrics to what is happening.

 Split screens is a technique used in movies to immediately draw attention. This technique helps divide attention into multiple frames. This helps elevate the story.  One of the most memorable split screen is used in Carrie by Brian De Palma. The split screen technique made the movie more dynamic especially in the blood scene. As the audience watches the panic beginning, the split screen adds a chaotic feeling to the scene.  This creatively-infused technique helps the brain to have a workout by working out both sides of the screen. This connects to my final project because I will be using split screen to give my final project a creative feeling. 

 A tilt shot is defined as a camera movement that involves rotating the camera vertically while keeping it i a fixed position. It is very similar to the motion of raising and/or lowering your head.  Tilt shots can be used in many ways. One being to establish a shot like introducing a setting or character. Tilt shots can also be used to make a dramatic effect. For example, tilting down from a murder weapon to the victim on the floor.  This cinematic technique is a very useful but easily achieved shot. As the shot can be used to reveal more about the plot, it ca also be used to convey different feelings or meanings. This correlates to my final project because I am planning on using this technique. Unless something happens during filming that prohibits me from using it, I will be.

 In movies, being able to see the characters face gives off a sense of trust due to being able to know who is really who. However, when you hide the face of a character it signifies a inner conflict within the character. This signification also helps build suspense within the movie by having the audience trying to guess the person's true identity.   Hiding the face of characters also helps build character development. As the movie progresses, the characters face will be slowly revealed. This gives the audience something to wait for as the anticipation builds.  As this mysterious person keeps getting shown without their face, fear and secrecy continues to build up. This connects to my final project because due to my characters faces being hidden for the beginning, It will help build anticipation until they are finally revealed to the viewers as well as their true intentions. 

 In my final project, my main theme is going to be thriller/stalker. This will impact the audience in a various amounts of ways throughout the film. Which will overall make them cast an idea on my movie.  Thrillers are normally meant to evoke an emotional response. This includes fear, tension, and suspense. This all will make the audience constantly on edge and anticipating what is going to happen. This will cause the audience to want to continue on with the movie.  However, a stalker theme makes the audience feel this emotional response in other ways. Such as using complex and unknown characters and as well as realistic fears. Stalker movies will not just leave the characters, but also the audience, with a feeling of confusion on who to trust.  This all connects to my final project by showing what is intended from my audience to expect and feel throughout watching the opening 2 minutes. 

For my final project, I decided to use music as my main source of sound. For this, I decided to plan out my initial thoughts on what clips would be on screen when each lyric played out. For my song, I am using 'Me and the Devil" by Soap&Skin.  SPLIT SCREEN 0:06-0:14 him looking in while she gets ready (props: makeup) 0:10-0:18 her peaking through blinds as he puts on coat 0:14-0:22 she is locking the door from outside as he looks at her from trees 0:18-0:26- she watching him as he checks the mailbox 0:22-0:30- he is watching from inside the car (front seat) as she walks by with cart 0:26-0:30 she is watching from the car as he walks into gym 0:30-0:36 her side is her walking in heels from back (just feet) his side black 0:36-0:42 switched 0:42-0:48 FULL SCREEN . her walking and it panning up to mouth smirking 0:48-0:52    SPLIT SCREEN both sides at once showing pictures of each other of them on their walls 0:52-0:58 slowly pan out to show the amount of pictures and p...

 Props in movies are objects that are used by actors in the film. Props help provide realism and create a world for the audience to imagine. In my film, props are used to give off a sense of authenticity. One of the props that I will use is makeup. This makeup will be shown when the man is stalking the woman through her window. As she is applying her makeup it will make it seem as though it is actually happening due to the real life scenario that many woman do throughout their daily routines.  Another prop that will be used is a bunch of pictures on the wall. This will be shown when the fact the woman is also stalking the male is revealed. This reveal along with the prop will leave the audience stunned and fearful by seeing how obsessed the woman actually is, as well with the man. All of this connects with my final project by allowing me to plan out everything I need. Overtime I will add more props onto the story which will help me be ready when I actually need to start filmin...

 Costuming within movies can help secretly guide the storyline, foreshadowing what is to come. Costuming allows the mood to be set for the audience whenever they see a certain character, depending on their costume. I took this into consideration when figuring out what my main male character will be wearing.  In most of the male's screentime, he will be in an all black outfit. This will give off a sense of suspicion while also the feeling of desire for power. This gives the audience the urge to fear this character and fear when the other character is in his proximity.  However, in some scenes he will be in 'normal clothes'. Such as a gym like outfit when we see him walking into the gym. This gives of realism by showing that he is wearing what people in real life would normally wear to the gym.  This connects to my final project by providing a clear road path that I need to take in order to accomplish this project. This will also prevent delays when shooting due to me ...

 Costuming within films is one of the most crucial ways of telling the story. The costuming of a character helps reveal not just their personality the their role within the movie. I took this into consideration when coming up with what I wanted my female character to wear throughout my opening two minutes.  As of right now, majority of the female's scenes will consist of her in a dress along with a jacket. She will also be wearing heels. This shows how she is going out somewhere that makes her care how she looks. The woman will have red lipstick on, making her stand out while also giving her an aura of confidence and boldness. This will help signify an assertive personality within her. This vibrant color will attract the attention of the audience as well as characters within the opening two minutes.  This connects to my opening scene by allowing me to thoroughly plan out what my character will be wearing. It also allows me to tell my actor before hand what they will be we...

 in my final project, my second lead character is a male. From the beginning it is made known that he is not a good man due to him stalking the main female character. This gives the audience a sense of fear and suspense whenever he is shown on screen. This sense is advanced by the male's full face  never being shown until the ending of the opening scene which adds a feeling of anticipation.  Even though the male is seen as the bigger threat for the first half, the roles of him and the female switch. He soon becomes known as the prey while she is known as the bigger threat now. Despite the man still doing bad things such as stalking, his aura that gives off fear is diminished by him now being naive since he does not know he is also being stalked.  At the end of the opening scene, the audience may begin to fear even deeper for him when the woman's true intentions are revealed. 

 In my final project, I will have two main characters, including a female and male. For the female, she is shown as a young adult who is very confident. This is shown by her costuming such as her heels and bold lipstick, which shows how she isn't afraid to put herself out there.  Although she looks like a confident woman, in the beginning of my final project she will be seen as prey. It is revealed that she is unbeknownst to the man watching her throughout her daily routine, making her seem innocent and naive.  However, halfway through my opening two minutes, it is made known to the audience that the young woman is actually more capable then how she was previously perceived by the young male and the viewers. We find out that the woman is actually also stalking the man throughout his daily routine.  Her character is deepened into a more evil being when the ending of the opening two minutes shows her true intentions behind stalking the man. My final project will show h...

 For my final project I am using the song 'Me and the Devil' by Soap&Skin. This non-diegetic noise will allow me to leave the audience feeling like they are in danger due to the deep suspense that comes from the song.  The phrase "Me and the Devil" is often used to correspond the meaning of  "myself and a powerful evil source". However, in the song, the meaning behind the music is where the singer is battling inner demons, which is essentially what my characters are doing by going against morals to satisfy their own needs.  The snip-it that I chose has lyrics that will correlate to the deeper meaning behind the scenes that will play for the audience to watch and relate to each other. 

 In the thriller genre, there are many successful directors who became famous throughout their film career. These directors also allowed people to continue to enjoy the thriller genre.  One of the most famous directors is Alfred Hitchcock. His films were most known for the suspense and shock that was placed within his movies. His most popular films consisted of "Psycho" (1960), "Vertigo" (1958), and "North by Northwest" (1959). These movies often ended with a twist which further engaged his audience to his other films, making them anticipate more.  Another famous thriller director is Christopher Nolan. Nolan's films consisted of more crime/phycological movies. This consists of "Memento" (2000), "Insomnia" (2002), and many more. He often used the crime relation in his movies to explore human phycology. Nolan's often goal was to leave his audience questioning what will happen next.  This correlates to my final project by allowing ...

 In thriller films, producers use a wide variety of music types to create tension, suspense, and fear within the audience. Music is used in thriller movies to create the perfect atmosphere for the specific scenes. Non-diegetic music is highly used in these types of movies. This music is something that plays in the background of the film that doesn't match what is happening on screen. This allows the audience to understand the emotions that are happening within the scene.  Suspenseful music is also highly used in this genre of films. This variety of music uses techniques such as silence, tempo changes, and dissonance. This all allows the movie to make the audience feel anxiety, anticipation, and many other emotions that the directors are trying to persuade.  This research on music in thrillers allows me to be able to know what is normally used in this genre. The score in my final project will be used to build a sense of fear and suspense towards the viewers. 

  In the movie "Se7en" (1995) there are several different codes on the cover to give meaning. The two characters on the poster are looking straight forward, making it seem like they are looking at the viewers. This gives a eerie feeling towards the audience. Also the seven tally marks below the word "seven" creates a feeling of suspense.  The film "Parasite" (2019) also uses codes to convey meaning. The legs of a limp person gives off a sinister vibe while also leaving the audience to want to know more since they don't know who it is. All the people on the cover have their eyes blacked out, which gives off the feeling that the characters might not be reliable. 

 In thriller movies, lighting is one of the most important aspects in the film. Directors often use low-key lighting to put the audience more on edge. This is caused by the dark shadows that surround the scene and a light source on most likely the most important subject.  Back lighting is also a commonly used kind of lighting in thriller movies. Back lighting is when the light is coming from behind the character, creating a silhouette and shadows.  Lighting is very important because it helps define the genre of the movie its based in. Lighting also counts as a convention, since when you think about horror and thriller movies, you would think of dark instead of bright lighting.  Lighting helps define the mood in films, which I will put into consideration when filming the opening two minutes of mine for my final project. 

In this first photo, I used the rule of thirds. This rule allows me to build a more appealing visual that makes it seem on the professional level. Also the background such as the reflection of the bright lighting, embraces an almost happy feeling like there is goodness ahead. Using the rule of thirds shows that I am able to create a scene that grabs the attention of the audience on what I want the main subject to be.  For this shot, I did an over the shoulder two shot. The body language of the girl gives off the feeling to the audience that she is in an uncomfortable situation and wants to leave. The lack of the male's facial expressions leaves an almost mysterious tension by not allowing viewers to know how he is feeling. This shot adds depth to the context by making it be perceived as immersive. This shot is a low angled. In this shot, the cone is in focused compared to the out of focus background. This draws the attention of the viewers to the cone instead of the setting. The lo...

 Conventions are something used by producers to construct familiarity into different genres. Conventions are used to help build an accepted understanding of what to expect when watching movies from a favored drama. In the thriller genre, there is a wide category of different conventions used to captivate the audience's attention. Suspense is one of the most popular conventions in the history of the thriller genre. When people start watching a thriller movie, they are expecting to be on the edge of their seats due to the amount of suspense within the film. Suspense defines a thriller movie by how widely used it is in film industry.  Conventions within characters are also a big part of thriller movie. The protagonist within thriller movies often have a dark past full of secrets. This causes the narrative to be filled with more turns throughout the story, engaging the audience deeper.  Unreliable narrators are also very common in thrillers. Unreliable narrators make it hard ...