Evaluation Question 1

                                                                Evaluation Question 1

Narrative

Before we established a plot or genre for our film, we each did individual research on a genre of our choice. In my case, it was romance. We then presented our research to the rest of the group and decided to combine elements from each of our genres as they were all very divergent from each other. We decided that the genre of our film was going to be a psychological thriller as it allowed us to include different elements from each genre, therefore each group member had their input and their ideas included in the final plot of the film.

We decided to make our film non-linear as we felt this was the typical expectation of the audience when watching a psychological thriller film. An example of a successful psychological thriller that has a non-linear story line would be the film 'Momento'; a man suffering from short-term memory loss as a result of his wife's murder uses notes, pictures and tattoos in an attempt to jog his memory and hunt down his wife's killer. This particular film contains two plot lines that have a parallel narrative before connecting in the finale.

We also felt like the non-linear story line would intrigue and captivate the audience; also, since the film is from Summer's point of view, the non-linear story line mirrors the fact that she has a mental illness because usually when a film is in chronological order, it suggests to the audience that everything is as it should be and that nothing sinister is going on- however, we wanted to create a sinister tone for our film and therefore I feel that the non-linear story line achieves this in the best way possible.

We felt that the key scene which establishes our film as being non-linear to the audience is Summer's flashback where her and Tom are having a romantic stroll in the park. This particular scene presents our film as being non-linear as the audience have already seen Tom committing suicide.

Camera Angles/ Editing

We were also inspired by the film 'Psycho' for the match-cut when Summer is sat in the therapists office:

Our film                                                                                            The shower scene from 'physco'



We decided to use a clock in our match-cut as it represents the fact that a passage of time has gone by since Summers boyfriend Tom had committed suicide. We used a close-up of Summer's eye to reflect the fact that the film is told from her point of view (aka through her eyes) since we as an audience experience seeing the same horrifying things as she does, such as the blood on Tom's face and the ghostly nurse she believes is following her around for example.

The impact cut at the end of the film of Tom's face covered in blood (watch from 2:19) as he turns around to look at Summer scares the audience and leaves an open ending as they are left on a cliff hanger. In the psychiatrists office, the camera angle on the shot-reverse-shot is kept at an equal level. This represents the fact that the atmosphere is relaxed and that no one is superior or inferior.

The tilt-shot on the bridge scene when Tom is about to commit suicide could also be considered as a point of view shot as he is looking down towards the traffic in which he is about to jump down into. This builds empathy and connects with the character Tom.

Codes & Conventions

We decided to use a red colored font for our text on our title sequence as we believe the color red carries connotations relating to death, blood and danger; all of which are key themes in our film. Therefore, the color red represents our film well as it foreshadows events such as Toms suicide. The color red is also a typical convention of the thriller genre as it is a color that the audience expect to see.


Also, the bold font and capitalization of the text represents the intensity and suspense that is contained within the film. An example of the way in which we built the suspense would be the bridge scene in which Tom commits suicide. We used several short clips of different close-up shots of his face, his hands latching onto the bridge railing and his feet climbing up onto the bridge railing. By alternating between the different shots in a quick pace, it creates tension for the audience as they anticipate what is about to happen (aka him committing suicide by jumping off of the bridge).

   

We decided to make the color of the font for the text 'Delusion' begin in a white color and then gradually turn red. I believe the white represents the fact that the atmosphere of the first scene is calm, and the red represents how the film gradually gets more intense and dangerous as Summer's mental illness becomes more severe due to the fact red is considered as a color which conveys 'danger'. (watch from 1:25- 1:30)

A typical convention of the 'thriller' genre which we used in our film was the scene when Summer wakes up from a nightmare and lets out a blood-curdling scream (watch from 1:32). This appeals to the audience as a loud scream is what they typically expect to hear when watching a thriller film.

Blood is a fluent theme in our film. We feel this reinforces the thriller genre throughout the film. We hired a makeup artist to apply fake/ costume blood onto our actors and makeup to make them look ghoulish. The frequent image of blood on the actors faces also relates to the red font of the text.

Mise en Scene

As Summer experiences all psychotic delusions, she is wearing dark colored clothing. This is a hint to the audience that something sinister is going to happen- for example, when the ghoulish nurse appears in the bushes behind Summer. Also, dark colors enforce the thriller genre.

Also, during the romantic flashback scene in the park Summer is dressed in black clothing, whereas Tom is dressed in white. This highlights the fact that Summer is the one with the mental illness as she stands out from Tom.

Sound

The sinister sound affect when Summer is sat on the park bench could foreshadows what later happens when she sees the nurse behind her (0.55). Also, the rumbling "typical" thriller music that plays over the clip when Tom looks down at the fast moving traffic sets a sinister tone for the film and makes the audience aware that something chilling is about to happen concerning Tom's suicide (1:23).

The happy, guitar music playing over the clip of Summer and Tom taking a romantic stroll in the park sets a peaceful tone and could trick the audience into thinking everything is going to be okay.