unit 2 suspense

 Task 1 research

For our first introduction into suspense we researched the opening scene in drive and how it succeeds in creating suspense based of , consequences, uncertainty and time with almost no dialogue in the opening scene its the sound and the image alone that tell the full story. The chromatics tick of the clock song plays inspired by the watch that the driver takes off, we are introduced to a new sound the basketball game which was shown in the apartment earlier but also gives us a reference to the time a theme which will be prominent in the opening scene. As the scene grows more intense we are introduced to more sounds in the scene, the watch keeps ticking away, the commentary of the basketball game, the siren blaring and the police scanner crackling. These sounds used in the scene all add to the tension as they pair well with the low-key lighting which adds to the suspense for when it is broke. The lighting in this scene is used as a narrative and an antagonist, as we learn from the scene the sound accents the lighting as when the driver is trying to stay hidden the sound becomes quieter a contrast we see later on as when the driver has been spotted the lighting becomes harsher paired with the sound increasing.

primary and secondary research

In my research leading up to the suspense piece i adapted my knowledge I gained from class work and also spent time analysing a short film to find out how something so short could be so scary after all it needs time to build the tension so how is it so effective in this short a period the time i spent looking i think this was the most effective type of research i did as this first hand media helped provide an understanding of what i was trying to make analysing the visuals and dialogue gave me a great understanding going into the project understanding the different theories and techniques to how this was created from the use of lighting and colour high key and low key lighting harsh lighting cold warm all of them have their own unique ability to twist a scene and the emotion in the scene with these you could take and average shot and turn into a beautiful or terrifying shot. I felt this research was better for me to look at rather then my second hand research based up on great all time horrors such as the first Dracula as this was an unrealistic expectation and our work would not be that standard so comparing ourselves to this and trying to implement some of this work into our own would simply not work. 

Location-For our Whitby trip I put forward some locations in Whitby that I thought would look nice on camera, but what I didn't know how well they would blend with the story this being said it wasn't that great of an issue since we focused on using the environment in the time we spent at Whitby as it was a great opportunity so we tried to use as many locations while we were there as we could while keeping the story realistic and grounded. For our group I also looked over research on vampires through film and how they have adapted to the cinema overtime. I did some secondary research searching up some locations i thought would be useful and look nice on camera, I realised that when I was there my first hand primary research of just being there was a lot more impactful then searching up online as there are many more locations that can be used and are more helpful to our story.

Task 2 design

For design we used most of the environment as there was many great opportunities and locations to take advantage of while we were there for costume most of the actors wore their usual clothes with the requirement that they were black, we first shared ideas of maybe having a cult or a slasher but we then ended up with taking inspiration from Dracula in his home town we went with a modern vampire.

Task 3 planning

  For my planning I created a mood board on the locations that could be used in the film, I also filled in a risk assessment for our filming on the abbey and went over any possible risks that could occur while we were filming there. For my research on Vampires through film I took a look at the lost boys along with marvels new vampire adaption Morbius there are many different ways in which vampires are portrayed in film on one hand you have some who are soulless individuals struggling for survival and have been moved away from Bela Lugosi in one of the most influential vampire films Dracula in 1931 a more stereotypical take on vampires but the first of its time and on the other perspective modern day vampires such as twilight are more grounded take on vampires moving away from the myth and legend it once was.

These are a few of the documents which helped us in our production.

church lane risk assessment

risk assessment

scene breakdown

Task 4 production

The favour

Task 5 evaluation

What we did well- we had a plan of the locations we wanted to use and what order we were going to do the scenes this made it better as we knew what we had to do next and helped us prepare and get organised for this having a plan helped us so that we knew what we required to do the next scene this made the experience easier for everyone working in the cast & crew. 

Improvements-Although we had an idea of what we wanted to do next it was hard to implement this as there were things we couldn't prepare for such as the weather which got worse making it unpleasant for the people on set and harder to film to avoid this next time it would be good to try and get ahead of schedule we could of also planned for something like this to happen and tried to make the most out of the situation we had, towards the end of the film we had planned for a scene inside the hostel looking back now we could of done this scene while the weather was bad outside as this would of helped us focus on other scenes.

Task 1-Creating suspense

One of the simplest and most effective ways to add suspense is through music, music helps add tension to the scene this can be done by having the music gradually increase  to match the intensity of the scene or cutting the tension to prolong the audience to an inevitable climax in the scene. The music can also add a false sense of security to the audience for example if the music is gaining and becoming more intense in the scene cutting the music can be very effective in this case as the tension is broke and the audience are given a false sense of security to if everything is fine.

Task 2 using space to create tension

For our next part in the topic we took a look at the elevator scene in drive to deter how Nicolas Winding Refn uses space to create suspense in the scene. The characters in the scene are oblivious to the circumstances where as the audience are exposed to the gritty underbelly of the of a modern dream Los Angeles. This is a way to create suspense as the audience are waiting for this inevitable climax at the same time as waiting for the characters to make the realisation as well, the scene is setup perfectly from the start, During the scene Ryan Gosling's character acknowledges the situation hes in this is the moment in the scene where he expresses his feelings for Irene this also links in with the lighting topic as in the scene the lights dim and the music cuts emitting this dream like atmosphere where they are isolated from the reality that is upon them, When Ryan Gosling's character makes this realisation he realises that his naïve dream of living a simple life with Irene is at an end, his violent nature has caught up with him again this is the moment where The driver acknowledges that he must flee Los Angles forever so in his final fleeting moments with Irene in the claustrophobic elevator he allows the hope to come over him again which is why he kisses Irene. When the driver and Irene snap out of this fake reality the man in the elevator with them pulls a gun attempting to kill both of them the driver is to fast for this man and stomps his head into bloody oblivion when this happens the dream has died, Irene is appalled stood still in the middle of the grey car park, The driver looks over almost pleading to try live the simple life that simply cannot be reached, The elevator door closes permanently separating there relationship.

Task 3 taking your time to build the scene

We took a look at this scene from Damien Chazelle's whiplash in the scene Terrence Fletcher (J.K Simmons) takes his time in slowly ruining Andrew and his dreams to discourage Miles Tellers character , because of the multiple times Andrew messes up in the scene we see J.K Simmons character slowly build the tension as he questions and threatens Andy passively and slowly.His patience dies out as the audience we start to get worried for Andrew and worried for his safety as we have seen what was displayed from Fletcher beforehand .This scene is great as it puts the situation into place and builds the tension and takes its time with it and doesn't rush into anything which shows the depth of the characters and their true nature, Andrews drive to be the best and Fletcher in the search for his Charlie Parker. What makes this scene so good is its structure how it builds from Fletcher first politeness that is absent for the rest of the film the structure is simply amazing, it simply builds and builds. The tension in this scene is simply built from what the audience already know it is also built upon what we don't know, we know that Fletcher has a tendency to abuse his pupils and discourage them. We know Andrew is determined, desperate to become an incredible drummer under the immense pressures he subdues himself in but what we don't know is how Andrew will react to this.