one night after school, we met up and we watched 'The Butterfly Effect' which is a psychological thriller about a man (Evan) who suffered traumas as a child, and frequently blacksout part of his life. He has theorpy and whilst reading parts of his journals he kept as a child, he goes back in time and can redo parts of his life, however by doing this it changes his present. He decides to change everything back to normal however even though it meant his girlfried (Kayleigh) from his childhood was malested by her father and his best friend (her brother) tormented her. It ends with everything back to "normal" eight years in the future with Evan passing Kayleigh on the street, and having to ignore her.
This film had many codes and conventions of a psycological thriller e.g. fast snappy camera angles, dark lighting, and something that makes the audience uncomfortable and never knowing what will happen next. We used this movie night to discuss these codes and conventions with one and other and to make sure we include the msot obvious in our own work
We then went to youtube to look at lots of different psychological thriller film openings which were on the list jakob created after researching. This was was helpful as we could clearly identify the codes and convetions once again as well as researcihng what type of movie production companies created these genre of film.
Some of the companies which came up when researching were New Line cinema, Lionsgate, Darkcastle, Film Engine, Universal, Newsline cinema and Fox. However no company came up twice therefore we will need to research each one to identify which would be idealy suited for our opening.
Monday 4 January 2010
Focusing on the Genre (Jodie)
Taking a step back from researching the specifics related to our media film opening, I (Jodie) wanted to relook at the the genre of psychological more in depth to see how it works and to make sure the group has the true understnading of it in order to perfect our project. I used to a wide range of websites to obtain a mixture of views and theories.
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre. However, this genre often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre in addition to the typical traits of the thriller genre. Also, occasionally this genre will border into the also wide-ranging Horror genre.
Psychological thrillers are often slightly more challenging than other (relatively) mainstream movies. In part, this may be because they reverse, to some extent, the traditional 'thriller' balance of plot and character. A standard thriller emphasises plot; psychlogical thrillers, understandably, emphasise character equally or more.
Within psychological thrillers, suspense is created through playing with characters minds whether that being the character doing it to themselves or to someone else. While researching the genre, I discovered that there is usaully extreme focus of philosophical theories and issues such as metaphysics and ethics. However one theory which became real interest is the Kübler-Ross model
The Kübler-Ross model
The Kübler-Ross model is sued to describe the 5 stages you may go through when dealing with death or tragedy. In was discovered by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross after carrying out the research on 160 people in the USA. The 5 stages are;
1.Denial — Denial is usually only a temporary defense for the individual. This feeling is generally replaced with heightened awareness of situations and individuals that will be left behind after death.
2.Anger — Once in the second stage, the individual recognizes that denial cannot continue. Because of anger, the person is very difficult to care for due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy. Any individual that symbolizes life or energy is subject to projected resentment and jealousy.
3.Bargaining - The third stage involves the hope that the individual can somehow postpone or delay death. Usually, the negotiation for an extended life is made with a higher power in exchange for a reformed lifestyle.
4.Depression — the dying person begins to understand the certainty of death. Because of this, the individual may become silent, refuse visitors and spend much of the time crying and grieving. This process allows the dying person to disconnect oneself from things of love and affection. It is an important time for grieving that must be processed.
5.Acceptance — This final stage comes with peace and understanding of the death that is approaching. Generally, the person in the fifth stage will want to be left alone.
We can use this theory within our film opening as we portray the main character as just witnessing a tragedy. Although people do not necessarily follow the stages in the above order, our character can be going through the denial stage which can be shown through the washing the blood off the hands as well as the voices in his head. Also typically these stages are experienced over a long period of time, the last shot of the opening cuts just as the main character expresses his anger at the mirror's reflection which can demonstrate stage two of the Kubler- Ross model. By incorporating this theory into our opening, it shows we have really looked at genre.
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre. However, this genre often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre in addition to the typical traits of the thriller genre. Also, occasionally this genre will border into the also wide-ranging Horror genre.
Psychological thrillers are often slightly more challenging than other (relatively) mainstream movies. In part, this may be because they reverse, to some extent, the traditional 'thriller' balance of plot and character. A standard thriller emphasises plot; psychlogical thrillers, understandably, emphasise character equally or more.
Within psychological thrillers, suspense is created through playing with characters minds whether that being the character doing it to themselves or to someone else. While researching the genre, I discovered that there is usaully extreme focus of philosophical theories and issues such as metaphysics and ethics. However one theory which became real interest is the Kübler-Ross model
The Kübler-Ross model
The Kübler-Ross model is sued to describe the 5 stages you may go through when dealing with death or tragedy. In was discovered by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross after carrying out the research on 160 people in the USA. The 5 stages are;
1.Denial — Denial is usually only a temporary defense for the individual. This feeling is generally replaced with heightened awareness of situations and individuals that will be left behind after death.
2.Anger — Once in the second stage, the individual recognizes that denial cannot continue. Because of anger, the person is very difficult to care for due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy. Any individual that symbolizes life or energy is subject to projected resentment and jealousy.
3.Bargaining - The third stage involves the hope that the individual can somehow postpone or delay death. Usually, the negotiation for an extended life is made with a higher power in exchange for a reformed lifestyle.
4.Depression — the dying person begins to understand the certainty of death. Because of this, the individual may become silent, refuse visitors and spend much of the time crying and grieving. This process allows the dying person to disconnect oneself from things of love and affection. It is an important time for grieving that must be processed.
5.Acceptance — This final stage comes with peace and understanding of the death that is approaching. Generally, the person in the fifth stage will want to be left alone.
We can use this theory within our film opening as we portray the main character as just witnessing a tragedy. Although people do not necessarily follow the stages in the above order, our character can be going through the denial stage which can be shown through the washing the blood off the hands as well as the voices in his head. Also typically these stages are experienced over a long period of time, the last shot of the opening cuts just as the main character expresses his anger at the mirror's reflection which can demonstrate stage two of the Kubler- Ross model. By incorporating this theory into our opening, it shows we have really looked at genre.
Locations continued... (by Thea)
Tesco toilets (Private staff toilets)
Looking at the toilets, they met our criteria as they had a white basin sink with a mirror directly above. However, they had push taps not twist which means there may be an interruption in the water flow which could be an issue in the production.
Also, they have a semi-public feel, similar to the ones at school which is what we were trying to avoid, although perhaps with a bit of work we could mess it up to look more public.
Also, the male ones did not have a mirror above the sink and therefore we would have to use the ladies but this make cause a lack in authenticity as there will not be any urinals. Also, permission will need to be obtained but hopefully will not be too difficult as I (thea) work there and will hopefully be able to get permission from the manager easily although it could potientally be an issue.
Have enquired about using the public toilets at sevenoaks train station as they are the ideal ones for our film opening, was told to come back tomorrow between 8:30-6:00 to speek in more detail about what the filming would involve.
Looking at the toilets, they met our criteria as they had a white basin sink with a mirror directly above. However, they had push taps not twist which means there may be an interruption in the water flow which could be an issue in the production.
Also, they have a semi-public feel, similar to the ones at school which is what we were trying to avoid, although perhaps with a bit of work we could mess it up to look more public.
Also, the male ones did not have a mirror above the sink and therefore we would have to use the ladies but this make cause a lack in authenticity as there will not be any urinals. Also, permission will need to be obtained but hopefully will not be too difficult as I (thea) work there and will hopefully be able to get permission from the manager easily although it could potientally be an issue.
Have enquired about using the public toilets at sevenoaks train station as they are the ideal ones for our film opening, was told to come back tomorrow between 8:30-6:00 to speek in more detail about what the filming would involve.
Blood!!! (Kathy)
hey, this is my (Kathy) entry about blood.
Firstly i mixed together several types of food colouring mainly red and green which came out an amazing great colour. Then i tried to thicken it up using corn flour, coco powder and hair gel!
Some of these sound weird i know but it was for the colour effect, and i just used whatever was in the house at the time.
The best result was the hair gel with a mixture of red and green food colouring, which was pretty awesome with the thickness and colour, it also doesnt stain the skin as much as the corn flour. It also comes off easily which is good for after filming however we will need to re-apply it during filming so we get a constant flow with the water.
I also added soil to create more of a messy effect and to show that the character had been in some sort of woodland area.
The pros and cons: hair gel- the right consistancy, colour was good, it was easy to get on, doesnt stain the skin that much, however it comes off easily which is an issue when the character washes his hands.
The food colouring on its own was too runny, and it stains the hands a lot therefore doent come off easily. The only pro to this, was the colour.
The food colourng mixed with corn flour was gloopy, looked unrealistic, it stains, and the colour wasnt good.
Although in the pictures i didnt put soil with the hair gel sample, in the filming we would because the body is found in a forest area.
Firstly i mixed together several types of food colouring mainly red and green which came out an amazing great colour. Then i tried to thicken it up using corn flour, coco powder and hair gel!
Some of these sound weird i know but it was for the colour effect, and i just used whatever was in the house at the time.
The best result was the hair gel with a mixture of red and green food colouring, which was pretty awesome with the thickness and colour, it also doesnt stain the skin as much as the corn flour. It also comes off easily which is good for after filming however we will need to re-apply it during filming so we get a constant flow with the water.
I also added soil to create more of a messy effect and to show that the character had been in some sort of woodland area.
The pros and cons: hair gel- the right consistancy, colour was good, it was easy to get on, doesnt stain the skin that much, however it comes off easily which is an issue when the character washes his hands.
The food colouring on its own was too runny, and it stains the hands a lot therefore doent come off easily. The only pro to this, was the colour.
The food colourng mixed with corn flour was gloopy, looked unrealistic, it stains, and the colour wasnt good.
Although in the pictures i didnt put soil with the hair gel sample, in the filming we would because the body is found in a forest area.
Sunday 3 January 2010
Pschycological Disorders (Jakob)
As part of our film opening, our main character will suffer from hallucinations as a result of a past incident resulting in the death of a woman. Following are the results of my (Jakob's) research into what underlying problem could cause this.
PANIC DISORDER
In Panic Disorder, a person suffers brief attacks of terror and apprehension, often marked by trembling, shaking, confusion, nausea and difficulty breathing. These panic attacks can be triggered by stress, fear, or even exercise, although the specific cause is not always apparent.
This suits our character in some ways: the terror and panicking works perfectly, and the fact that it can be triggered by stress, although vague, fits our character's back story. However, the main problem with using this would be that panic attacks do not induce or include hallucinations.
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
This is an extreme anxiety disorder which results from a traumatic experience. It can result from an extreme situation, or even a serious accident. Common symptoms include flashbacks, avoidant behaviours, and depression.
Again, this works in that it's caused by a traumatic experience, but does not induce hallucinations. The Fashbacks could be very useful, as flashbacks are part of our storytelling method. If we choose this as our character's ailment the flashbacks could change from being purely for the sake of the viewer, at least on the surface, and become a symptom and expression of the character, which could prove interesting.
PSYCHOSIS
Psychosis is a generic psychriatric term for a mental state often described as a loss of contact with normality. Functional causes of psychosis include the following:
PANIC DISORDER
In Panic Disorder, a person suffers brief attacks of terror and apprehension, often marked by trembling, shaking, confusion, nausea and difficulty breathing. These panic attacks can be triggered by stress, fear, or even exercise, although the specific cause is not always apparent.
This suits our character in some ways: the terror and panicking works perfectly, and the fact that it can be triggered by stress, although vague, fits our character's back story. However, the main problem with using this would be that panic attacks do not induce or include hallucinations.
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
This is an extreme anxiety disorder which results from a traumatic experience. It can result from an extreme situation, or even a serious accident. Common symptoms include flashbacks, avoidant behaviours, and depression.
Again, this works in that it's caused by a traumatic experience, but does not induce hallucinations. The Fashbacks could be very useful, as flashbacks are part of our storytelling method. If we choose this as our character's ailment the flashbacks could change from being purely for the sake of the viewer, at least on the surface, and become a symptom and expression of the character, which could prove interesting.
PSYCHOSIS
Psychosis is a generic psychriatric term for a mental state often described as a loss of contact with normality. Functional causes of psychosis include the following:
- Brain tumors
- Drug abuse
- Brain Damage
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder
- Severe Clinical Depression
- Severe psychosocial stress
- Sleep deprivation
- EXPOSURE TO SOME TRAUMATIC EVENT
Two interesting and relevant points here: Firstly, according to chemistrydaily.com, 'people experiencing a psychotic episode in the context of depression may experience persecutory or self-blaming delusions or hallucinations', i.e exactly what we want our character to experience.
Secondly, en.academic.ru states that "A history of psychologically traumatic events, and the recent experience of a stressful event, can both contribute to the development of psychosis", i.e, exactly why we want our character to be hallucinating.
CONCLUSION
Our character is suffering self-blaming hallucinations as part of a psychotic episode triggered by a recent traumatic experience.
On film, we will show the hallucinations by contrasting P.O.V shots from our protagonist in which he has blood on his hands with P.O.V shots by passers-by in which his hands are clean. The traumatic experience will be portrayed with the use of crime scene photographs of a murdered woman at the beginning of our opening, and his guilt implicated by the literal blood on his hands. A sense of panic will be created with sound effects such as heavy breathing and by fast editing.
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