Evaluation: Question1 Duncan Mortimore

Intro…  Our opening sequence is typical of the thriller genre. These features include fairly dark lighting, most scenes being situated in dingy, urban isolated areas, reflecting Eli’s solidarity. These aspects are typical of the thriller genre as they often develop the theme of evil or corruption, creating a sense of fear in the viewers. Additionally the theme of isolation is constructed and is conventional of thrillers, as the fact that there is ‘no one around to hear you scream’.  However we incorporated crime to develop the main element of disruption, to help prompt the narrative and begin to shape character representation. Also the crime aspect provides an additional level of intensity, creating an effective thriller sequence by adding another sub-genre, which therefore appeals to a larger target audience. We have also been inspired by the criminal aspects of ‘kidulthood’ which used a similar gritty urban setting, similarly having a drug related theme. Additionally, we incorporated aspects from films like ‘The Wolf of Wallstreet’ elements of heavy drug-use controlling the main characters life. We were inspired to use this in our main characters representation as it makes for an exciting, unpredictable viewing experience, which therefore is intriguing and appeals to a larger audience.

Title:  Title: The title of our film is ‘recreation’ which is an ambiguous term, having multiple connotations. Dictionary defined as ‘activity done for enjoyment when one is not working’.  We initially called it ‘recreation’ as it links with our sequence theme of buying and selling drugs (recreational drug use). However, due to the fact our protagonist is selling drugs, he's negatively ‘re-creating’ himself into dark and selfish antihero. We believe the use of this title provides multiple connotations, making it an effective title for our sequence. We incorporated the the red into our title as it relates to blood and anger, being a typical element of thrillers. Also to convey danger and mystery surrounding our main character. The combination of the red and white, with the strong black background makes the title stand out and is eye catching, which is important as it therefore makes it memorable. Additionally, we used this graffiti font as it also relates to the crime based thriller element present throughout the sequence.

Setting/Location: We set our OTS in Brighton. We filmed in Preston Park to start off with and then recorded shots in the north lanes and the seafront. We managed to get the famous palace pier and the Brighton Eye in the time lapse. We incorporated the time lapse to convey Eli’s isolation in the sequence. As he sits there by himself, with time passing very quickly, it helps to suggest his loneliness which is an overall theme in our sequence. Additionally, this theme is added so that his involvement or interest in drugs is more understandable from the audiences point of view. Additionally, as the sun sets, it creates an effectively dramatic scene, reinforcing our main theme of isolation. This image is a wide shot (actually a time lapse aswell) conveying our main character Eli sitting by himself.

Costumes and Props  Our main character Eli is portrayed in the close up, dressed in all black; hoodie, trousers and beanie. We ensured Eli to appear like this as its reflects his age, as typically teen agers wear clothing of this style, and it suits his character’s rebelliousness, whilst the black stands out in his urban surroundings. The full black could also suggest his state of mind, being quite dark and depressed, and closed off. We wanted him to appear as if he has a cold exterior, making it more understandable his involvement of illegal drug activity. Although his clothes help him to stand out in urban settings, he tries to conceal his identity by wearing a hat, conveying the type of character Eli is, being very deceptive and secretive. This relates to a typical antagonist being intelligent and discrete with their illegal involvement. For example, in the film ‘Collateral’ the antagonist uses his intellect to deceive Max, the taxi driver’s honest personality. He additionally wears full black to appear intimidating and to blend in with the darkness of the night-time: off the radar from the police.

Camerawork and Editing We filmed this shot as a time lapse which we thought would be effective to resemble Eli’s loneliness and isolation, as he sits there in normal time with his surrounding, like the clouds and the Brighton Eye, sped up immensely. In the editing section, we added a cross dissolve layer of a £20 note in the sky to reiterate his craving and need for money. We had to adjust the lighting and brightness to make it appear fluid and smooth. Additionally, the use of the time lapse, with Eli appearing in real time, creates an enigma in the viewers minds. Why is he sitting there by himself? Who is he waiting for? We filmed the time lapse recording the same place for a continuous time, and then sped it up in the editing stage. We kept Eli in real time by cutting his image out before speeding it up. We thought this was effective as it suggests his loneliness and he has nothing to do.

Title font and style This frame conveys a medium shot of the titles for our film. We decided on applying a graffiti styled font as it relates well to the crime thriller conventions incorporated in our film. We decided not to use a serif style font as they appear quite fancy, which is something we did not want in our sequence as it wouldn’t relate to our theme of violence, gangs and drug use. They would appear more typically in romantic or rom com films. The graffiti could be considered as being quite an irresponsible and reckless thing, which conveys Eli’s lack of intellect. The graffiti used connotes a gritty and realistic portrayal, relating to the typical British theme of ‘Hoodies’ and gang violence. It also reflects Eli's age, as its regarded as typically being a young persons hobby- we were inspired by Menhaj Huda’s film 'Kidadulthood'.

Story and how the OTS sets it up This image portrays Eli ingesting drugs. Its added for its effect on the narrative as it provides the audience with the important idea of this characters involvement with narcotics, and the fact it appears he using them. Drug using is a fairly typical element in crime thrillers, as inspired by Brian De Palma’s 'Scarface’, the famously iconic ending scene where Capone has a mountain of drugs on his desk. The drugs could also indicate Eli’s recklessness and lack of intelligence. Additionally, it creates enigmas in the minds of the viewers, as you can’t actually see Elis face, suggesting the type of person he is being deceptive. This first image conveys a close up of our main character Eli, on the right, observing a accidental colliding that results in the character in the middle to drop a mysterious package, which Eli goes and picks up. After further investigation, Eli opens the package, and the following shot is the one below. The incorporation of the package ads a mysterious element to the ending of our sequence. This is effective as it makes it interesting on behalf of the audience, and it effectively creates enigmas surrounding the purpose of the package.

Genre & how the OTS suggests it  This frame conveys a close up of money passing through two sets of hands making it obvious a drug deal is taking place. This gives obvious indications to our genre, as drug dealing tends to be a typical feature in crime thrillers and is somewhat conventional, additionally with the background wall reinforcing the urban setting. This reflects Eli's desire to make money, which is a key narrative element as his greed could cause his downfall. The fact both characters have black sleeves also reiterates the fact of drug dealing taking place, as they typically wear black to hide their identity and steal concealed in the darkness of the night.

How characters are introduced?  This image shows a medium shot of two sub characters, who are unknown to the audience, doing a drug deal. They are involved in a very early stage of our OTS as it suggests the genre and fits to the generic conventions of this genre well as the characters resemble dealers or drug users, with their hoodies on and hoods up. This shot could create enigmas in the sequence, as how these characters are involved. could be inspired by many films. Whereas the image above conveys another secondary character. However we blurred the shot to conceal his identity at this early stage. We did this so we could reveal him later when Eli is more heavily involved in this area of life. They are both secondary characters, in hoodies, being a stereotype of drug dealers. They are both re- introduced later in the film.

Special Effects  This image portrays Eli standing up against heavily graffitied wall, which reflects the genre. This shot is continued on for around seconds, having flashes of stacks of money appear, syncing to the music. This is effective along with the song as it creates tension, which is a key element in thrillers. This image to the left conveys the Brighton Eye, where we incorporated our time lapse. We additionally added and effect in the sky of a £20 note, suggesting Eli’s desire for money, which is consistently shown throughout the sequence.