Moodboard for little curiosities

Casting for film opening

What we need

- Do not need to see the face (close-ups and only body shots)

- Somewhat skinny

- Female

- Long, bony fingers

Why

- Not seeing the face creates suspense and an eerie feel to the video

- Skinnier people are bonier and it looks creepy

- Female because there are shots of putting on lipstick and eyeliner

- Long, bony fingers are creepy and sort of skeleton like which links to death

Who will play the part

May - this is because she can only apply SFX to herself and SFX is needed

Zodiac Analysis

Director: David Fincher (who specialises in Thriller films)

NARRATIVE RANGE

Unrestricted - Audience knows more than the characters

Restricted - Audience learns withe the characters

UNRESTRICTED - It is based off of a real life event (non-fiction). We know the ending.

-Bigger Picture!!-

RESTRICTED - Suspects, case details

-Details!-

EXAMPLES

BP= High shot : large city : unrestricted

Distance : shooting scene

Distance : Following taxi

D = Tracking shot from car : Character view

Closeup : Evidence

Might act on claustrophobia - makes you feel unsafe

Overwhelming - No closure provided in the end

Restricted - See from characters' perspective

CHARACTERS

Graysmith:

• Detached/Outsider
• Motivated
• Curious
• Brave

He peers in from the outside
detached from coworkers

And again

Graysmith is wearing different clothing and colours.
He also has no seat.

And again

Toschi:

• Hardworking
• Important
• Stylish
• Lawful

He is in the centre of the shot

Even talking to Graysmith,
he is centred.

Important man

CONFRONTATION

In the confrontation between the two in near the end, Toschi is shown to be organised, calm and also exerts his lawful persona.

Graysmith on the other hand is messy and expressive. His notes are scattered and his side of the room has a more cluttered and busy atmosphere.

Conventions of Thriller

Fears and the films that play of them

PERSONAL

Clowns - IT (1990)

Trees - Harry Potter (2001+), Poltergeist(1982, 2015)

Insects - Temple of doom(1984)

Spiders - Arachnophobia(1990), Harry Potter(2001+)

Ghosts - The Conjuring(2013), Paranormal Activity(2011)

Loneliness - Martian(2015), I Am Legend(2007)

Death/Pain - Saw(2004), Human Centipede(2009)

SOCIETY:

Terrorists - James Bond(1962+)

Youth - Eden Lake(2008), The Children(2008)

War - Patriot(2000)

Government & Control - V for Vendetta(2005), The Purge(2013)

End of the World - 2012(2009), Day after Tomorrow(2004)

Recession - Wolf of Wallstreet(2013)

Artificial Intelligence - 2001(1968), Ex Machina(2015), I Robot(2004), Terminator(1984+)

Zombie Apocalypse - the Walking Dead(2010+)

Why do we like scary films?

Aristotle

The Catharsis Theory by Aristotle believes in the idea that we watch scary films to cleanse our own negative feelings. Watching or experiencing violent/frightening things can reduce the anger held back (ideas like these are also explored in movies like ‘The Purge’). We go to movies for them to affect us emotionally, otherwise they would not be enjoyable.

Glen D. Walters

Glen D. Walters stated that there are 3 primary factors affect how we enjoy these movies, the first being the creation of tension by the microelements. The information and narrative need to be manipulated. The second factor is relevance to the audience; it needs to be recognisable and hold some meaning. His final point was that it had to be viewed as unrealistic. He based this off earlier studies such as one where students were exposed to real life horrors through a documentary. The vast majority could not watch till the end. However, many of these students would turn a blind eye to the far more graphic depictions of violence in horror, due to the factor of Unrealism.

Dolf Zillman

The final theory we studied was one by Dolf Zillman about excitation transfer, who said that the negative emotions gained throughout the film would intensify the positive ones towards the end (for example: when the bad guy is killed off). The audience enjoys the punishment of evildoers who have caused horrors and grief. This is the Dispositional Alignment theory.