Film title fonts

In order to get an idea of what would be the most appropriate and best font that we could potentially use in our production.

This an example of an existing thriller font that has been used. In the movie inception they have used this simple block capital font. The font is red against a black ground which makes it stand out. I think that the reason they have chosen a simplistic font like this is because it still stands out and gives a strong impact without be complicated or difficult to read.

Here are some examples of fonts that we could use in our production:


I think this particular font is good because is has character. The bold letters and 3d effect makes it stand out and gives it impact. However this kind of font would be more appropriate in a more classic film. Its style represents that of an old newspaper and therefore it fit in more with a movie set in the past.

 This font is a more science fiction style font. Its sharp edges and cubic style gives it a more futuristic Gothic effect. I think that this font would be appropriate for a futuristic thriller but not for our thriller.


 I like this font because of its simplicity, the block writing makes it clear and easy to read but its square shape also gives it character. The style also reflects the kinda fonts that you would find in a video game or on a computer which relates to the computing/gaming aspect of our story. This would be the most appropriate font that we could use in our production.

Character Analysis

The Usual Suspects

In this film there is a variety of very different, interesting characters including:

Michael McManus (Stephen Baldwin) - This character is a very strange. He finds all violence funny and the very thought of himself being caught makes him laugh. An example of this is when they are in jail under suspicion of stealing a truck full of weapons and McManus just laughs about it as if he knows he is not going to be caught in anything he does.











Fred Fenster (Benicio Del Toro) - This character is very different to the others because he is very flamboyant and spontaneous, nobody knows much about him other than that he has a strong accent and a lisp and also the fact that he wears suits. This shows that he is unpredictable.




















Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) - He seems to be the leader of the group, you get the idea that he is a good guy gone bad because of his past of being a cop. However, all the way through you suspect that Dean Keaton is Keyser Soze. When you find out it is not him you then suspect that he is a good guy turned bad, turned good again because he is trying all the way through to make a break so he can be with his wife a live a normal life. Lastly he was always the man with the plan and always knew exactly what he was going to do next, this suggests that he is intelligent. The fact that you realise he is not a bad guy makes him more likable because you realise he is trying to be good again.













Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint (Kevin Spacey) - He seems to be a very trusting character that could never have done anything to hurt or annoy anybody. He seems so innocent and declares his very believable story to the police. However it is not until the end of the film you realise he is not what he seems and that the whole time he was pretending to be innocent and confused, although he was a genius. The whole concept of his character is reversed into this genius suddenly as he plays his way out of the police station and to freedom. The audience realises he was the one the police had been looking for the whole time, this is proof that he was not afraid of getting caught becaue of his self confidence.




















Officer Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) - This person is a very arrogant and strict police officer. He always thinks that he has worked it out and never doubts himself, he knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. This is shown by the way he treats the other police officers, he thinks he has more authority than the others  for example when he sends the other police officer out of the interview with Roger 'Verbal' Kint. Even though he is arrogant and unliked by the audience he is the good guy because he is trying to enforce the law on a very dangerous subject. The way that he questions Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint leads us to believe that he doesn't think he could possibly be Keyser Soze. However, at the end of the film we find out that he had the man he was looking for in his office and by looking at the board behind him he finds out that Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint was playing him the whole time. This shows that he is an over confident police officer that criminals get the better of.
























Se7en

Se7en has three main characters and one lesser character who has a big part to play in the story.

Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) - In this film Somerset is professional, he is the veteran detective. Somerset is leading Mills throughout the film and giving him hints and tips as if he is teaching him how to be the best. He has no family life and is tired of being a detective, in the film he agrees to do one last investigation. The 'one last job' is often used in films to create a sense of suspention because the audience don't know whether they will make it out of the criminal world. He is a very independent person who always knows what he is looking for and what he wants. It may have been the fact that he was independent and had no family life that made him such a good detective.

Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) - He is a normal character in this film, he has a normal life, a wife, an apartment and a job. When he meets Detective Somerset he's always trying to prove himself, to him to show that he is also a good detective. However, he does try and learn from him along the way. Although he has a normal life it does not mix with his job and in the end it is used against him. This shows his naivety. The fact that there is a classic veteran and rookie character means that they can show each other their lifestyles. Somerset teaches Mills not to be naive and that he should expect the worst from everyone because of the awful sights he has seen throughout his life. However, Mills shows Somerset that there is sometimes a silver lining and that life isnt as bad as first thought. An example of this is when Mills' wife invites him round for dinner.
















John Doe (Kevin Spacey) - This character is an evil genius because he always knows what he is doing and thinks that his plan would never fail. He is never afraid of anything, you can tell this by how calm he is when he gives himself up to the police and when he is in the car with the detectives. However, his intentions are not to be evil because he believes he is doing God's work. This is why each of his murders are linked to the 7 deadly sins.

Tracey Mills (Gywneth Paltrow) - She is a very beautiful character who is in love with her husband (Detective Mills) and lives a very normal life. She represents good and innocents. She is strong willed, we know this because she invited her husband's partner (Detective Somerset) round for dinner and doesn't listen to what her husband has to say about it. However, she is vulnerable and gets into trouble. She turns out to be a key part of the film in a 'damsel in distress' role.




















Rear Window

L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart) - He is a slightly arrogant character at the start of the film, however we may only get this impression because he is frustrated due to his broken leg and him having to change his lifestyle because of it. He has to learn to become dependant because he is in  wheelchair. He was previously an independent professional. Throughout the film he learns to care for other people and become dependant on them. For example, he sends his girlfriend and his housekeeper over to see the murderer's apartment. The actions of his girlfriend and her bravery change Jeffries' mind about her. This is similar to 'Se7en' in which Detective Somerset becomes softened by another character.












Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) - She tries to prove herself to Jeffries throughout the film because he told her that he wasn't sure it was going to work out between them. She is beautiful and loves Jeffries. She gets into danger whilst trying to prove herself to him and he finds out how much he cares for her whilst she is in danger. She compares to Detective Mills and Tracey Mills in 'Se7en'.




















Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) - Seems to be a normal character however, Jeffries is sure he killed his wife. Jeffries was right, Thorwald had the motivation to kill but the action is still extreme and he ends up being caught.


















Silence of the Lambs

Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) - He is a very clever character who is also a psychopath. He tries to get into people's heads and carefully plans things in advance so he knows what his next move is going to be. He never panics and always makes Clarice believe he is on her side. He is very different to other villains because he is very upfront and open about who he is unlike other characters such as Roger 'Verbal' Kint's in 'The Usual Suspects'.















Leon

Leon (Jean Reno) - This character is a very strong willed character however he has a soft side to him. He is a veteran and professional killer who learns to love a girl as if she's his own daughter. He begins to teach this girl how to kill as she requests but realises that it is no life to live and in the end saves her so she can live a normal life. This character can be compared with Detective Somerset in 'Se7en' and L.B. Jeffries in 'Rear Window' because they are both teaching another character their skills and at the same time learning from them.
















Mathilda (Natalie Portman) - She is a very young character who believes she is grown up. She tries to be mature and act like an adult however glimpses of her childishness come through such as during the scene where she dresses up with Leon. She thinks she knows what love is and she repeatedly tells Leon that she loves him, however, he does not say it back in the same way. The reason for her wanting to be a killer was to get revenge on the people who killed her family but at the end of the film Leon avenges them for her. She is comparable to Lisa Fremont in that she learns to become more daring but also contains her vunrability.











Stansfield (Gary Oldman) - He is a corrupt cop who is crazy, he has he own gang and gets away with all his violent actions due to this. He is the killer of Mathilda's family and he knows that the she is still alive. He gets crazed on drugs, taking one capsule before each of his murders to give him the confidence to do it. He dresses in a lightly coloured suit and he cares about his appearance, this makes him look like a respectable cop which throws the audience off when the see the juxtaposition with his violent nature. He is also somebody that is not what you think.














These kinds of stock characters in thrillers are:

• A corrupt cop
• Somebody who's not who you think they are
• A veteran
• A rookie

My stock character is somebody who is not who you think they are. The character will be a computer programmer who appears to be the good guy because he seems to be challenging a big corparation and will be giving the world a million dollar idea for free. However, he is not all his seems and we find out that whilst on the run he has killed police officer. His idea of giving the world this free gift becomes complicated and he loses all perspective. Instead of being a million dollar idea it is actually going to cause anarchy. To reinforce this image we will dress him to look very casual and unthreatening.

Costume, Props, Location and Lighting

COSTUME

For our two characters:

Character 1 (Computer Programmer)

He is a young computer programmer who is good looking and dresses in cheap washed out hoodies and ripped jeans because he is rebelling against society. He has untidy hair with no product in it, it is short and looks like it has been cut by himself because it is scruffy. We may use this 'Atari' hoodie for our production because it is a washed out hoodie and 'Atari' is a vintage game console, this relates to his use of computers.

Character 2 (Man in Black)

He is a unknown character who wears a suit that fits perfectly with black, polished business shoes which gives the audience the feeling that he cares about his appearance and he is well-funded. The suit gives the audience the impression that this man has power and is the opposite to rebellious character 1. The fact that this character dresses in black makes the audience think he is the bad guy because black symbolises evil.

PROPS

Character 1

New computers linked to a second screen:

This shows that he is knowledgable about computers and also quite wealthy because he can afford to buy each of the computers. The audience assumes that his wealth comes from his knowledge. (As shown in location pictures 1 and 2)

Chairs and Tables

These will be used to set the scene. The table will be beaten up and old because he doesnt need it, however, the chair is new and comfortable because he spends alot of time sitting at his computer. (As shown in location pictures 1, 2, 4 and 5)

Posters

These will be gaming and computing posters to set the scene and to show the characters interests and hobbies. (Replacing those on the wall in location picture 1)

Character 2 

A car

This will ideally be a clean, black, corporate-looking car such as a Mercedes. This will give the impression that he is well funded. It gives a intimidating look.

A fake black handgun

This shows he is dangerous, he could either be a criminal or a police officer.
(Note: this gun is plastic, the trigger doesn't work and it only accepts bb pellets.)

LOCATION (and LIGHTING)

Character 1’s Bedroom:

Its going to have computers and spare wires hanging around. Also it will have a run down desk and new comfortable chair. Lastly it will have clothes laying around as if it is a young mans bedroom. The connotation is that he doesnt care about anything other than his computing.

Lighting:

I will use limited natural light coming through the window with the blind almost fully drawn as well as light from the computer. This gives an atmosphere of tension and also give the audience a fear of the unseen and it will draw their attention to the computer. It will be darker than in the location pictures.

Location Pictures 1-5.

Curb side outside Character 1’s Apartment Building:
Any council estate with a road near the building's entrance.

Lighting:
The lighting will be normal sunlight.

Stairwell inside Character 1’s Apartment Building:

Run-down, broken steps with broken handrails and paint peeling off the walls.

Lighting:
I will use dim, artificial lighting to light this part of the scene. Because it is supposed to be a run-down area.

Lighting

During the scene in which the escaped protagonist has been separated from his partner, we will have to use natural lighting. However, we may consider in the later stages of editing that we should use some sort of effect to distort look and appearance of the out door scenes. It seems to me that it makes sense to use a spotlight when filming the interrogation scenes.  During the montage of the making of the object i would like to show the workers in a low lit environment, I believe this would give the impression that they have been working into the late hours in order to perfect this artifact.

Location

As a group we felt that the three key locations featured during this film should be: a deep dense forest setting, a room for interrogation and the main room in which the artifact was made.

I wanted to use the forest scenario as it is off the beaten track making the escapee's seem a  lot more like people who don't want to be found. This setting is also good as the voices will echo much more giving for a much dramatic ambiance compared to that of a city street; this is due tot the fact that it sounds like the enemy is growing nearer with increasing intensity.






I felt the interrogation room would be an effective area as it would re-iterate the fact that the protagonists are being pursued by people who are in the profession in which an interrogation room is required. the interrogation room can also create a dramatic contrast in pace between the fast chase scenes outside and the eary stillness on the inside of the room.



Finally i felt that it would be important to include some sort of a flashback in order to give the object and the main protagonists a more developed back story. Our main protagonists are characters that have previously been involved in the making of the object and have discovered that the government intends to use this object to control the general public. The flashback could then include the showing of the two escapee's working hard to perfect the artifact and looking most enthusiastic with their work.

[still needs finishing]

Props

Our group felt that the commotion and the whole story should be focused around the briefcase and more importantly what is inside it. I believe that the briefcase should be a case which is silver in colour and looks as though it is reinforced and important. Giving it a colour such as silver is important as the shiny reflective cover will shift the audiences attention towards it, making it an item of seeming importance. I also believe that the main artifact should pretty emotionless with a grey, metallic colour. However, it will have a sort of center-piece a part of the item should be bursting in colour and look much more interesting compared to the rest of the object. This contrast between common human machinery and something completely alien tells the audience that this is technology unlike anything we have ever seen before and hints what kind of power this small object could have.

We have also decided as a group that it would make more sense to use small cars as oppose to motorbikes. As it was thought that this would look more professional and be more realistic given that these are men of the law and so should have better equipment to hand.

Costume

In our film all of the government officials and security guards will wear smart uniforms. This will let the audience know that these men are of a higher authority to the escaped criminals. I would like the escaped protagonists to be wearing clothes which are quite casual and more relateable to the common audience. We want the audience to have greater empathy with the escaped protagonists than the government antagonists therefore creating a less relateable image will give this effect. A good example of this is in the film 'the matrix' the characters who act as the computers security program; are all dressed in the same suits, black sunglasses, black tie and smart business like shoes. Here is a picture of three of the main characters from that film:

Also a small little extra feature that has been added to each of the characters outfit is that  each of them have waxed hair with formal styling.