Individual storyboard - Miss Miller

The importance of a story board is that when filming you don't have to waste time thinking about what shot to use or editing technique to use. It helps you when filming knowing what is going to happen next and this also helps bring all the ideas together. By using a story board it means that you are pre planned as you know exactly what you are doing for each shot and it helps to be able to input your ideas with the rest of the group. The importance of a story board means that you can share ideas with the rest of the group as to what they think the narrative is about and you can improve the narrative by sharing ideas. The story board also creates a clearer idea what is happening in each shot.

I have created an individual story board within my group so that we can each have our own ideas about what we think that narrative should be like. Within our group, we each creates a story board and we did this so that we can come together and discuss the best ideas within each story board which would help to create the most thrilling sequence for the audience. By creating a story board it will allow me to see how I want my sequence to be and it will show me what I want in each shot. It will also allow me to see if any changes need to be made in order to make my sequence conventional or to see if if i can improve my sequence to make it more jumpy and thrilling for my target audience. Within my story board I have included what I want each shot to look like but I have also included what editing, sound, actors, lighting, iconography and location is going to be used in each shot. This is important when creating my sequence because it makes it easier when filming as I know straight away what I want to use and this will waste less time, as our group won't be deciding what techniques to use.

My story board consists of images of what I think my scene will look like. I used inspirations from other thriller films that helped me to create my storyboard and apply it to what I want to feature in my sequence.

This is the first page of my story board. It shows how the opening sequence is going to start and what the audience are first going to see when they watch the thriller sequence. On my first page I have the victim looking down at herself when she is tied up and shown to be kept in hostage. Throughout my first couple of shots I am going to use low key lighting to show that my audience are watching a thriller film. The first shot engages the audience and tells them straight away that they are watching a thriller film, as low key lighting is used and the camera focuses on the rope which already suggests vulnerability of the victim. The next four shots all use low key lighting and all focus on something. For instance in the second shot, the camera focuses on her facial expressions and shows her looking worried and confused which tells the audience that she doesn't know what is going on and she is portrayed as weak and helpless. the next two shots show iconography of the knife and a dead person. Both are covered in blood and this implies to the audience that a death has already taken place which is conventional to a thriller film. Suspenseful music is going to be played over these two shots which portray a killer and show how the victim is meant to be alone. My ideas from this page of the story board have been inspired by some thriller films that I have analysed. The iconography of the knife was inspired from the film, "Scream" and "The Strangers" in which both used a knife to kill the victim and to cause pain. The knife engages the audience by foreshadowing a death and by showing that there is going to be a lot of pain towards the victim which makes the audience feel sorry for the victim and feel threatened by the killer.

The next page shows what is going to happen next in my sequence. The first shot uses low key lighting because it still shows the victim being kept in hostage and shown to be left in an abandoned house, however the next two shots show a more natural lighting because the shot is filmed outside and is portraying how the girl is alone which also makes her seem vulnerable and helpless but also gives the killer a better chance to kill her. The final shot shows her once again looking down at her hands to show she is still tied up. However it shows her escaping from the rope. The sound used in this shot will be non diegetic to create tense music and engage the audience by creating an enigma and making them wonder what is going to happen next. The editing used in the two scenery shots are linking of section and this was used in "The Strangers" when the girl has just been stabbed and it shows the isolated surroundings which portray that she is helpless and nobody can hear her scream. I have used this in my story board so that in my thriller sequence it will create tension for my audience as they begin to feel sympathy for the victim. Linking of section also helps to portray the victims weakness and innocence. I have decided to use linking of section as it shows a transition from the abandoned room and creates more of a natural lighting for the audience which makes the sequence seem more realistic which engages my target audience more. I also got inspired to use point of view within my sequence and this was shown in "Paranormal Activity" which is used throughout the thriller film. This is shown in my story board from the last shot when it shows the girl escaping from the rope and this will engage my audience because they have a positive outlook on the girl as she is escaped but the broken rope also foreshadows that something bad could happen.

These four shots show that the girl has escaped but has seen a shadow figure in the curtains. As she makes her way towards the curtains she finds a picture frame on the floor which triggers a flashback. The first 3 frames will also be in low key lighting as she is still located in the abandoned however when it gets onto the 4th frame, high key lighting will be used to show a different setting and to show a change in mood. The setting is located in the victims bedroom and high key lighting will also show that a flashback has occurred. Parallel sound will be used in the first two shots and this is shown when she is getting closer to the killer. This was also used in the film "Scream 4" when the victim was making her way towards the killer and parallel sound was used to foreshadow her death and portray that the killer is overpowering her. This is going to be used for the same effect in my sequence as I want my audience to be left on edge as to whether she is going to die or not. I have also used linking of  shots in the last two frames and this is because it will relate to the flashback. Diegetic sound will be used of the broken glass and this will have an effect on the audience as the glass makes the victim seem unstable and broken. The glass is also sharp which foreshadows pain and death as it could be used to harm someone and so the audience know that a death is going to take place. Diegetic sound is used in most thriller films. It was used in "Insidious" when the phone kept bleeping and this created suspense for the audience because they wanted to know what was going to happen to the victim and whether she was alone or not. I want to create the same sort of effect within my sequence as I want my audience to become engaged by diegetic sounds such as stepping on broken glass which creates instability and instantly triggers shock and surprise for the audience.

These next four shots show what is happening in the middle of the sequence. It shows flashbacks of how the girl became a hostage and why she was targeted. The frames show a mixture of high key and low key lighting which portray the flashbacks and when the victim is in hostage. Close up is used in a lot of these shots and this is because it makes the audience focus on certain things in the shot that are important. For example in the first frame, the audience are looking at the girls social media and seeing a video of the victim. The audience need to focus on this because it gives information about why she was targeted. The second and third frame also show close up and point of view of a phone and this also triggers a flashback of nasty messages she got from an anonymous person which could be the killer. The final frame shows a picture of the victim with a target sign on it and shows that this is who the killer wants. By using close up it means that the audience become more engaged within the sequence    they are focusing on objects in the film which help create the narrative. The audience are intrigued into the sequence because they want to know how all the objects are linked and this leaves them on edge as to if the victim is going to survive. Close ups are always used in thriller films and is conventional to the thriller film genre as they create tension for the audience and they get the audience on edge. Close ups are used in the film "Final Destination" and this is where I got my inspiration from to use them in my sequence. In the film, close up is used to portray a sharp object and foreshadow a death that is going to take place to the victim. I have used this in my storyboard when the smashed glass and phone foreshadow that something sinister is going to happen and creates a dark atmosphere which gets the audience on edge and left in suspense.  

The last page of my story board shows my sequence is going to end. It shows the victim walking towards the curtain and seeing a bloody hand at the window. The victim then panics as she realises she isn't alone and the last frame shows the killer standing behind her. Timings of editing is used in these frames as in the first frame it is slow editing as the victim makes her way towards the killer and this represents her life and shows that it is coming to an end but also shows that the killer is overpowering her and she is shown as small and weak as there is nothing she can do to get away from the killer. In the second frame, fast pace editing is used to show instability and that something sudden has happened. The fast pace editing also represents that her life is coming to an end and this is engaging for the audience as they can build a relationship with the victim because they have empathy for her as slow pace editing puts the audience in the victims shoes. The audience are also left in suspense and surprise and shock is creates because the bloody hand was unexpected and made the audience jump. Slow pace editing is used in the film "Annabelle" when the victim is turning her head to see where the killer is. This has inspired me to use slow pace editing in my story board as it builds up a lot of suspense within the audience and gets them intrigued into the sequence. It creates an element of surprise and shock and makes the killer seem more threatening towards the audience as they don't know when the killer is going to appear. In the last frame, silence is used to finish off the scene and this is shown when the killer is standing behind her with the knife. The knife implies that is how the killer is going to die however the silence makes the shot seem more tense as an enigma is created as to whether the victim is going to die or not. Silence builds a relationship with the audience and the victim because they feel sorry for the victim and they want the victim to survive however she seems helpless and innocent which implies that she is going to die. Silence also makes the audience feel intimidated by the killer as the audience are waiting for the killer to strike and also for the killer to reveal his identity. Silence is used in the film "Shutter Island" when the two men are looking for the killer on their own in a dark place. Tension is created for the audience and silence foreshadows the victims life coming to an end. Shutter Island has inspired me to use silence as it gets my audience engaged and makes them want to watch the rest f the film.

Having created my story board I think that this will help my group when planning a group story board as my group can get ideas from my story board and apply it to their own. It will also help bring ideas together and maybe use some of my ideas for sound or editing techniques. I hope that it will inspire my group members to create a perfect storyboard between us that includes each of our ideas. I hope that some of my ideas will be placed on the group storyboard and this will help when creating the thriller sequence as we have the best ideas put into one to create a sinister thriller sequence that engages our audience and makes them want to watch the whole sequence to find out what happens. My story board is useful as it tells tells you what techniques and effects are used in each shot and how the shot is going to look like. It also gives a brief description of what is going to happen in each shot. When coming together as a group we can choose the better narrative and each give our ideas on what sound, editing, Mise-en-scene techniques could be used and where the shot should be set. This will help us to produce the best thriller sequence and create a suspenseful thriller opening sequence which will thrill the audience for their enjoyment.