Opening to our Thriller Film (Idea 2): Final Concept with Shot List

Opening to our Thriller Film:
 Final Concept and Shot List For Our Second Idea

Myself and James found it difficult when trying to storyboard our first idea for our Opening To a Thriller Film as it was slightly too complicated. (Original idea and Shot List can be viewed here). We then decided to change the plot but keeping the location the same. We will still use the same location and character from our original idea along with some of our subject matters we have chosen.


The Subject Matter:

• "Not all is what it seems to be"
• Twist on representation - young people
  

Final idea:


A young innocent, trouble-free, "down to Earth" teenage boy around the age of 16. The teenage boy will come across an abandoned/lost item just outside a field/park which is inside a shipping container. He will go towards it and investigate slowly. Then, suddenly we watch a mysterious older man walk through the entrance to the park. Afterwards, we watch as the doors on the shipping container slam shut. Leaving the teenage boy inside. Helpless, trapped and all alone, we ask ourselves: what will happen next? This is our cliff hanger, and the enigma is who closed the doors on the teenage boy and why.

The Shipping Container:


If we are unable to use the shipping container, there is small confined spaces around them. We could always use these confined spaces instead and have the mysterious character walk around the corner where the boy goes to investigate or, with our editing skills we could always film the boy walking towards the container, opening the doors, then cut to a sense where he walks inside. This scene where he walks inside of the container could be the inside of a dimly lilt shed for example if we are not able to use the container - I believe how the idea is put into cinematography is far more important then how "real" (if that's the right word to phrase it) the location is. I hope others agree with this point too. Even through we are trying to make it as realistic as possible, we can only do our best to create our idea onto film.

My group's idea by using the inside of these shipping containers I personalty think is brilliant and would be a great opening to a thriller film. However, if we are unable to use them, due to the fact that sometimes they are locked, or because we are not aloud - I would be slightly disappointed. On the other hand, as I have mentioned above I believe how the idea is put into cinematography/film is far more important. As long as myself and James create the idea onto film then it will become a great opening.

Although, if we can use the container we might need permission to use them from the owners. The way which they look is very convincing that they have been abandoned there, also due to the fact they seem to be empty, rusty, and old. On the other hand, some are locked, which can suggest there is an owner. There are buildings next door to the containers - I will ask if they belong to the owners there or if they know who does and if so, can my group have permission to use them in our film - we will just need to open and close the doors and have someone inside it for a few minutes.

The reason why me and James would like to use them is because of the fact they look rusty, old and abandoned as it will symbolize the aspects of generic locations such as confined spaces, scrap yards, and derelict factories which can be found in thriller films.

Birds eye view of Location: 

Shot List:

• Shot 1) Camera pans down from the sky to a tilted long shot which shows a vanishing point. The vanishing point will be the end of a pathway with tress either side of it. The young teenage boy walks down the pathway and past the camera. Myself and James thought this would be an excellent shot for the opening. The shot was inspired by the ending scene from the film "The Third Man" (1949).
  
  
• Shot 2) Pan shot of the boy walking past trees.
  
  
• Shot 3) Boy stops and takes a drink out of his bag. Close up of him drinking from a clear bottle of water. The boy then stops, and spots a wallet in the shipping container.
  
  
• Shot 4) Close up shot of the wallet to tell the audience that the boy is looking at the wallet inside the empty container.
  
  
• Shot 5) Low angle camera shot from within the container which shows the boy walking towards the wallet.
  
  
• Shot 6) Long shot of a mysterious figure walk round the corner.
                                                OR
  Close up of the mysterious figure's feet walking around the corner which will create an enigma - The enigma is who is the figure? This shot will then relate to the opening of "Kill Bill Vol.1" (2003) when we see Bill's feet walking towards the woman, but we do not see Bill's face. Bill's face is the enigma.
  
  
• Shot 7) Close up of the boy handling the wallet, searching through it to find any cash or credit cards.
  
  
• Shot 8) Camera will be inside the container and will have a low angle close up of the boy still handling the wallet.
  
  
• Shot 9) Medium shot of a mysterious silhouette standing in the middle of the entrance of the container as if the audience is looking through the eyes of the boy. The container's doors will then suddenly slam shut leaving the boy trapped inside. At the exact moment after we hear the container doors slam shut, our film will cut to a black screen where the titles of the film will fade in or suddenly appear - much like the titles in the trailer for Animal Kingdom (Animal Kingdom trailer - click here).