4 Ideas & Final Idea

1. Action Thriller:
When Anna`s parents are murdered in front of her when she’s a child, she dedicates her life to avenging them, no matter what it takes.

The feedback received from this idea was that;"good. Good topic relating to family and murder,"
"female more attractive, strong, independent as in relation to the film Columbian and covers a wide audience"
The suggestion for the name would be "Grown Avenger"
"Good, not the same as other typical thrillers"
"It has a motive and more of a purpose"

2. Romantic Thriller:Young lovers on the run from the police, the male has been previously convicted of murder whilst serving time whereas the female, has cheated but fears what the consequences will be for her. Does she know what he is capable of? Who will be his next target?

The feedback received from this idea was that;
“It effectively appeals to women and teenagers that have had been cheated on" (personal experience)
"The idea of prison, good idea in general, simple"
"Targets only one type audience"
"Interesting and a very good plot"

3. Action Thriller:
Based on a true story, the clocks rewind as memories and secrets are revealed from one of the country`s worst disasters. Ex- police officer is assigned to discover the truth.
 some things are not to be said.
The feedback received from this idea was that;
"Yes, I like the plot because it sounds interesting and engages us"
"It makes me want to know more and find out what actually is going to happen"
"Reminds me of a typical disaster movie"
"The beginning of the end"
"The theme of the idea is mysterious and relates well to the plot"

4. Horror/Crime Thriller:He`s the unknown and the unseen, his targets scare young teenage girls around California. He`s dressed in black blending with the night, unasked but who is he? Will they find him on time?. Are you next?

The feedback received from this idea was that;
"People thought of calling it Are you Next?"
"Need more detail as it wasn’t gory enough for them"
"Situated in California is a good location and makes the audience seem more terrified of the character"
"Liked the fact that they use rhetorical questions at the end to make people think.

Skyfall opening sequence and titles

Film similar to mine

Columbiana - A young woman, after witnessing her parents' murder as a child in Bogota, grows up to be a stone-cold assassin.

This film opening is similar to ours because it has a similar storyline, and also it is an Action Thriller. This means that the films will have similar codes and conventions. In the film opening there is a chase, which is a code and convention of an action film, this kicks off the action nearly instantaneously from the beginning of the film and pulls the audience in as they're on the edge of their seats wondering if she will get away. During this scene there are a lot of fast cuts used to show all the different things happening at the same time. The fast cuts keep the audience updated on the whereabouts of the characters and build up suspense. The fast cuts imply energy and keep the audience in anticipation. The cuts bring our attention to the antagonists getting closer to the little girl, so from the beginning we want to see her get away. The chase is a code and convention of an action movie because it determines who are the good and bad characters, also it captures the audience’s attention and keeps them guessing throughout the whole scene.

Props such as weapons are usually seen in action movies. Knives and guns are codes and conventions of action films, so the use of them here will be similar to our idea. They show the danger the main character has to face in order to complete a task or quest and makes the experience more scary for the audience, making them feel fear for the protagonist. As well as this they help the protagonist defeat the enemy, however many good characters don’t use violent weapons that hurt people. This is done to distinguish the bad from the good and help the audience understand the characters and their purpose.

As well as this the setting is typical for an action movie because it provides lots of obstacles for the protagonist to overcome in order for them to get away. For example running on roofs and falling though wooden shed roof tops, they usually provide some kind of injury but the protagonist has lots of spirit and has to continue to get away. You become attached to the protagonist and want them to get away for their own safety. You feel sad if they're sad and worried when they're worried.

Final Idea

After witnessing her parents' murder as a child, Anna dedicates her life to getting revenge, no matter what it takes.

My group and I chose this idea because we got very positive responses from our audience feedback, it was useful and we recieved no critisisms. Although all of our idea's recieved positive audience feedback, we chose 'Idea 1' because we thought it would be interesting and fun to make as the idea appealed to us. We liked the idea because it stood out from other Action Thriller movies, this is because the female is the protagonist instead of a male. Also, we thought that with this idea we would be able to target females specifically as its quite emotional, and it represents strong independent women, breaking stereotypes.

Some feedback I recieved:

• "Using a family is a good storyline because it makes the film more meaningful."
• "Using revenge as a theme makes a film more interesting and grabs the audiences attention."
• "The motive will grasp the audience's attention because everyone can relate to having a family and doing anything for them."
• "It will provide a sense of escapism."
• "Using a female as the main character will make it different from other thrillers so more people would want to watch it and see if its any good."
• "You could call it Grown Avenger."
• "You could call it 'An Eye for an Eye."

While chosing our final idea, my group and I discussed all four of our ideas together. We all discussed our individual feedback. After our discussion we decided that we would use 'Idea 1'. Here is some of the reasons why we chose 'Idea 1'.

• "It will engage the audience because its different and unique."
• "It's exciting and will keep the audience entertained."
• "It will be fun to make."

Entertainment Independent Film Distributor

Entertainment is the UK's leading independent film distributor. It was founded in 1978 and has shown continuous growth and success since, distributing a wide range of products and building a significant film library. It released The Lord of The Rings Trilogy which was one of the most thrilling epic adventures in motion picture history which resulted in them receiving 17 Academy Awards. Over all it has got 38 Oscar wins and 22 BAFTA's. 

It released Traffic, Million Dollar Baby, Hairspray, 17 Again, Sex in the City, Saw, The Final Destination Franchise, Run Fat Boy Run and more.

They operate in the UK and The Republic of Ireland and distribute in theatrical, DVD rental, and retail fields as well as licensing substantial catalogue in both Free-TV and Pay-TV sectors.

What is an independent film distributor? How are they different from the major film distributors?

An independent film is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. They are sometimes distinguishable by their content, style and the way in which the film makers' personal artistic vision is realised. Usually, independent films are made with considerably lower film budgets than major studio films. They are often screened at local, national, or international film festivals before distribution. An independent film production can rival a mainstream film production if it has the necessary funding and distribution.

Scenario films is an example of an independent film distributor.

They say "Finding the right local producer to provide and manage production services can prove to be key to a successful shoot."

They have long experience of working with co-producers from around the world and can assist those who wish to shoot in London or elsewhere in the UK. They work with clients in several European languages,in German, French and Italian, easing the communication process with UK crews. They also have a trusted pool of creative colleagues and strong relationships with most of the talent agencies in London and abroad. Plus besides casting they can provide top directors, designers and composers, as well as highly skilled creative technical staff, among the best in the world.

The 3 films on their website are named; Desire, Denial and Delight. They are a trilogy & you can purchase desire on DVD.

They develop and produce film and television projects for the British and international markets, in co-production with partners at home and abroad.

They are also an award-winning team with a long track record of television and film creation: Gareth Jones (writer/director/consultant) and Fiona Howe (writer/producer/consultant/composer).

What is film distribution?

A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for the marketing of a film. 

A major film studio is a production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of film annually and consistently commands a significant share of box-office revenues in a given market. 

The "Big Six" majors, are all centred in film studios active during Hollywood's Golden Age of the 1930's and 1940's. These are 20th Century Fox,Warner Bros, Paramount, Columbia, Universal and Walt Disney Studios. Walt Disney Studios was an independent production company during the Golden Age, it was an important Hollywood entity, but not a major.

The company was founded in 1904 in New York City by William Fox, a 25 year-old Jewish Hungarian immigrant, who sold his cloth processing business and with the profits earned bought a lowly "common show." At that time, "common show" was the legal phrase for the exhibition of motion pictures in a store remodelled for that purpose and containing fewer than 299 seats. These primitive movie theatres charged five cents admission and therefore became known as "nickelodeons."

Mr. Fox, a born showman, bolstered attendance by hiring a magician to perform in front of his store to attract customers. His growing number of patrons sat closely together on folding chairs (which were rented from a neighbourhood undertaker's parlour) and enjoyed simple short films. These early movie audiences viewed films that were hand-cranked through a lighted box which caused images to be magnified and projected against a white wall at the opposite end of the store.

In June 2008, they won ‘Retail Distributor of the Year’, ‘Rental Distributor of the Year’ and ‘Overall Distributor of the Year’. Home Entertainment also won a Marketing Award for ‘Best Film Marketing (Blockbuster)’ for The Simpsons Movie.

Warner Bros Entertainment, a fully integrated, broad-based entertainment company, is a global leader in all forms of entertainment and their related businesses across all current and emerging media and platforms.

Warner Bros. Studios began when the brothers Warner (Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack L.) incorporated their fledgling movie company on April 4, 1923. In 1927, the release of the world’s first “talkie,” (synchronized-sound feature film), The Jazz Singer, set a character and tone of innovation and influence that would become synonymous with the name Warner Bros. And--as Al Jolson foretold in this milestone movie--“you ain’t heard nothin’ yet!”

In 2012, the Warner Bros. Pictures Group grossed $4.3 billion at the worldwide box office ($1.66 billion domestic, $2.67 international) with both its domestic and international divisions crossing the billion-dollar mark for a 12th consecutive year, a feat unmatched by any other studio. The Pictures Group has exceeded $4 billion globally for four consecutive years, also a milestone no other studio has ever achieved. 

Definition of film distribution

The distribution of a film (or movie) is the process through which a movie is made available to watch for an audience by a film distributor.

What is film distribution?

Below is an explanation as to how movies get from the motion picture studio to the theatre.

At first, someone will have an idea for a film, and then they create an outline and use it to promote interest in that idea. If the film appeals to a studio or independent investor they will decide whether or not to purchase the rights to the film. If they purchase it, then people are brought together in order to make the film (producer, director, cast, crew, screenwriter). After this the film is completed and sent to the studio, where the studio makes a licensing agreement with a distribution company. The distribution company will then determine how many copies (prints) of the film they will make. After this, the distribution company shows the movie (screening) to prospective buyers representing the theatres. In addition to this, the buyers negotiate with the distribution company on which movies they wish to lease and the terms of the lease agreement. The prints are sent to the theatres a few days before the opening day, and the theatre shows the movie for a specified number of weeks (engagement). The result of this is you buying a ticket to watch the movie. Finally, at the end of the engagement, the theatre sends the print back to the distribution company and makes payment on the lease agreement.

After a distributor has leased a movie, they will try to determine to best strategy for opening the movie. Opening refers to the official debut of a movie. There are several factors to consider: studio, target audience, star power, buzz and season.

The two ways for a theatre to lease a movie are bidding, percentage. 

A diagram of movie distribution flow:

Movie distribution table:

Who watches Thrillers?

Thrillers normally fall under the 15 and 18 category and these are their classifications.

Below are the box office findings from 2009.

Who watches Thrillers?

The pie chart below shows findings on what peoples favourite sub genre of thriller movies are.

The pie chart below shows findings on how many people like thriller movies.

Who watches Thrillers?

Out of the 503 films that were released in 2009, 31 of them were thrillers, taking 4% of the years box office earnings with £42,578,104. The reason why thrillers only took 4% could be because majority of them have age restrictions for example 15+ and 18+.

When the National Metro conducted a survey which showed that 18 to 24 year old's were the main age range that watched thrillers. They also discovered that mainly women watch thriller movies.

Who watches Thrillers?

After doing some research I found a pie chart showing which ages are more likely to watch thrillers.

Analysis of thriller openings 2.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (original title in Swedish: Män som hatar kvinnor – literally, Men who hate women) is a crime novel by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. It has been described as a frostbitten, dispassionate thriller. It's a thriller, mystery and crime fiction. Above is the opening sequence of the film. 

By looking at the opening sequence we can come to the conclusion that the film is about violent attacks and abuse, and also that it's about being held against your will. We get the idea that it's about being immoral and making people suffer. As well as this we see elements of a battle or fight between the two figures in the scene which tells us there could be some kind of chase if the submissive escapes or a plan for revenge later on in the film.

In the opening sequence you hear lot's of music and no dialogue, the music supposedly does the talking for the people-like figures in the scene. The music sounds a lot like 'Screamo' music because there is lot's of screaming, and isn't mainstream music. This suggests that the film is a little different to your typical thriller and makes it mysterious, and so this makes the audience want to know more. As well as this the voice you can hear sounds like a female screaming or moaning in pain. This could foreshadow the upcoming events in the film, for example the painful moans and screams could represent sexual pain/abuse such as rape. Also as the music is constantly very fast and loud, you could suggest that it has a purpose, and this purpose could be to prevent other people from hearing the screams. However the screams are so loud that we can still hear them above the music, this tells us the screams are not actually part of the soundtrack, but the sound is used as a device to cover up or hide a secret. This is known as synchronous sound. This affects the audience by making them feel uncomfortable, but leaving them in anticipation as they want to find out what happened. The music is the 'theme music' it introduces the film to us and gives us an insight to what we're in for. It indicates the mode of the film and the personality of the character(s), giving us the impression they may be twisted and not what we perceive as 'normal'.

At the beginning of the opening sequence there are many flashing images which fade out used to show different images at a fast pace, so the action instantly starts from the beginning and kicks off the mode of the film. It automatically makes the audience feel excited to watch it as it grasps their attention quickly and keeps throughout the opening scene by using different editing skills such as cuts. Also the fades and flashing images match the beat of the music, giving it a more dramatic effect and helping the audience keep up with the action, this also keeps them entertained. Also in the opening scene there are many fast cuts used to speed up the action making it more exhilarating to watch and preparing the audience for the upcoming action. The fast cuts confuse the audience as they show a large variety of different images in a small amount of time which keeps them guessing. They get the audience trying to piece together the story by looking at the images as soon as the film starts which lures them in to carry on watching the whole film as it challenges them. As well as this the cuts help to create and maintain the logic of the story. The whole sequence of images at the beginning of this film is called a montage. This is a series of shots that are connected together to create meaning, they intensify emotions through the collection of images. For example the close ups on the eye and the water coming out of the mouth signifies drowning and suffering.

There is a wide range of different shots used during the opening sequence. A lot of the shots that are used are close up shots, this is because there is a lot of detail to pay attention to in the images that are shown. The close ups are used to ensure that the audience pay close attention to an image and make it stand out, because it will be relevant later on in the movie and also will help them to understand the concept and story line of the film. For example, there  are many close up shots of eyes which have stuff coming out of them, this is because that is what the director wants us to see. This is done to suggest that the film is about someone who witnessed something horrible them self or had a bad experience who is scarred with the memory of it. These images help us to build an understanding of the film and help us to come up with our own interpretation of it. An aerial shot is used to show the person who is tied up and struggling in the water. This is one of few aerial shots used and so has a lot of significance to the rest of the film. The director done this to ensure that the audience notice what's going on in the scene, and also to confuse them as they don't know if the person is a man or woman. Purposely not revealing the gender adds an element of secrecy to the film which really intrigues the audience. This helps tell the plot of the story and keeps the audience involved as it shocks them, but still keeps them on the edge of their seats. The aerial shot gives the whole picture of someone who is unwillingly being tortured or hurt, this is shown by the ropes and body language of the character which the director wanted us to recognise. A reverse shot is used to show the relationship that the rose blooming and the hands ensconcing the face have. This is done to show us that they are connected and makes the rose an important part of the film. As the rose blooms freely in the open the character gets violently pulled away. This represents conflict between freedom and being trapped, the director does this using fast cuts to highlight the relevance of the rose and makes the 2 completely different images look alike to make it stand out and impress the audience leaving them wondering what he's trying to tell them. 

The whole sequence is left to be black and white which are contrasting colours, this could be done to show us the personality clash between the two character figures we see, black to symbolise being bad and the antagonist, and white to resemble being innocent, pure and maybe a protagonist. Black and white is the colour scheme until around half way through the scene when we're introduced to the orange flames, and with this we see the wings and the dragon. This matches the title and so we can use this to help figure out who 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is. From the flames we could get the idea of there being a revolution, a burning of the past, and the light could be leading her out of the darkness, but you can tell its going to be a dangerous, but passionate battle possibly rising up to defeat the person who tied 'the girl' up, and fight for her freedom. Also the flame could represent being angry and wanting to scold someone who hurt her badly too. The flame and the water contrast, they are each others enemy which resembles the 2 characters. The woman being the flame as the water can put out the flame, showing that even though its unlikely   she still has hope regardless of how much power the water has over her or how little the chances of freedom are. The fire could also be used to symbolise a burning desire and obsession that someone has over the girl. The fire is ambiguous and so leaves the audience wondering if 'the girl' will survive.

Analysis of thriller openings.

American Psycho is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by Patrick Bateman, a serial killer and Manhattan businessman. The book's graphic violence and sexual content generated a great deal of controversy before and after publication. A film adaptation starring Christian Bale was released in 2000. Above is the opening scene of the thriller.


This is a psychological thriller, where the opening sequence is so simple, in fact too simple which makes it very disturbing to watch almost immediately, even though he's just reciting his everyday morning routine he is going into a lot of depth about it which we, the audience, see as abnormal. As well as this, there is no tone in his voice or facial expression, showing he is very serious and likes things done very specifically and orderly, plus we learn that he pays very close attention to time. This isn't what your average male does in the morning which makes the character slightly creepy and unusual. From this we get the impression that if things do not go his way, it will ruin his whole day, as he is a perfectionist.


The first sound we hear is a piano which is peaceful; this introduces us to the character and is also used to indicate his personality. It can also represent his emotional journey and when we hear it further on in the film we will expect him to be there or be near.  The piano supposedly puts him at ease. The sound used is a voiceover, this is to narrate, however it's in first person so it's telling us that the character who we are seeing is telling us this, or he is thinking it while he's doing his routine and we also get the impression it is a very important part of his day. We find this odd because when you're showering you don’t recite your routine, or know all the products that you use like the back of our hand, this makes us interested in the character and want to find out more. The peaceful music and monotone voice of the narrator gives a strange effect as its quite abnormal, and disturbing, but it still draws in the attention of the audience. The first thing he tells us is his name age and address, this tells us he is very formal and high class, probably a business man who’s quite successful, this is odd because it’s less likely for a successful person to be a ‘psycho’ stereotypically. Also when he starts speaking about alcohol “I always use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older” tells us that he is very knowledgeable about his products and how to keep himself looking fit.


The characters position in the fame is always centre, which makes him the main focus and puts all our attention on him. This tells us instantly he will play a big part in the film. Also it tells us he lives alone as there are no other family members present in the scene or any mess or signs of a female living there. As well as this we get the idea that he is very self-obsessed as it’s all about him, we get this impression from his morning workout and morning wash and beauty routine showing he values his appearance. From this we can conclude he is very vain. He looks at his reflection twice; once in the photo on the wall where a close up shot is used to show us his expressionless face and increase the attention of the audience. It’s also used to make us feel quite tense. Another close up shot is used while he is making himself look nice in the mirror in the bathroom, however this before this is a slow zoom in on his face, this is done to create suspense and to gives us an idea on the characters personality. This makes us very weary of the character because from his facial expression we get the feel that he has no emotions, he just has a cold gaze which make us feel slightly uncomfortable and fearful of this unusual character.


From the moment the character wakes up until the end of the opening scene, continuity cuts are used to make the scene appear natural and seamless, this makes us think that he is quite normal in the way he carries himself until we hear the voiceover. As well as this there are a lot of cuts from the products he uses while in the shower from the products to him washing himself. This tells us he may be a clean freak, and also his apartment is extremely clean especially for a male, which tells us he may have OCD. From this we learn that the character values cleanliness and hygiene. Also, that if you interfere with his routine he will be unhappy and it could possibly ruin his whole day.


Mirrors are used in the opening scene to reflect the soul and inner self of the character, they represent the darkness within and gives us an idea that he has some kind of split personality. Also while looking into the mirror the character ‘peels his face off’ and this could represent him having another identity or some kind of dark secret this makes the character seem mysterious and untrustworthy. As well as this we see that he is comfortable in his own skin as he’s wearing no clothes and his boxers are white, which resembles being pure and clean which coincides with the colour scheme of his house and how clean and orderly it is. The fact that he washes a lot and then wears white shows he may be washing away something, maybe his sins or possibly his past, or maybe he gets messy while he’s at ‘work’ and likes to rid himself of his guilt or bad memories. Or possibly he likes to hide under white clothes and products so that no one suspects him to be some kind of criminal, it could all be an act to fit in with ‘normal’ people.

What is a thriller?

What is a thriller? from denibright

My Prelim Task