Take some time today to discuss your ideas for possible suspense films! If you have one you feel strongly about, you can begin writing it. Next week, we will be writing our drafts, pairing up, and pitching concepts to our partners.
You’ll have the remainder of the block to complete an outline or even get started on the draft.
We will be producing a short suspense film where we have an idea of what is happening but are dreading it coming but still don’t know precisely how it might play out. Content should be PG and school appropriate. You don’t have to, but if you want to make things easier, try to use the school setting to your advantage and think of things that you have experienced that are suspenseful (i.e. running out of time on a test, being late for the bus, talking to a cute boy/girl) that don’t necessarily have your character(s) in mortal danger. Each group will have two shooting days and will likely need two split their film to be set in two or more locations. Lets look at some of your (not so terrible) ideas from last week.
Easier To Produce |
Hard To Produce |
| A young man is stalked by a guy in a hoodie who has rented the room next to him, where, at night, a strange sound emanates… | After a couple gets married, the wife finds out that her husband always has some strange behaviors and he is hiding a big secret. |
| A boy has a crush on his lab partner. Unfortunately for him, she is an alien. | A father puts bomb in his estranged wife’s car after a very violent custody battle. What he didn’t plan was for his kid to also be in the car. |
| A group of people go to camping. Each day there is one person missing. | There are horrible events continue happen in this town. A person is being eaten at midnight every night. The girl finds out that the killer is her boyfriend. |
| A women found a diary and it is about her daily life. She discovered someone is watching her every day. Who could it be? | A girl who cannot tell the difference between dreams and reality. |
| Set at school, not violent, doesn’t require too many actors, props, or locations, easy setup, scope is appropriate for a story told in ~3 minutes, doesn’t require too many special effects. | Requires challenging settings, violence, requires many adult and/or child actors, too many props or locations, scope is too large for ~3 minutes, complex setup process, excessive number of special effects. |
Over the next several weeks, we will be producing a 2-3 minute film that builds suspense well through the use of cinematography, lighting, writing, performances, sound, and music. We will be working in pairs to produce this film that follows the plot chart we used previously including…
The four primary areas of focus for this project are:
The three secondary areas of focus for this project are:
Days 1-3: Brainstorm concepts. Begin writing first draft.
Day 4: Finish first draft. Pitch to partner, debate merits, and choose a script you want to produce. Develop that script and complete the final draft.
Day 5: Draw your storyboard. Complete a shot list. Meet with and prepare actors. Practice using audio equipment.
Day 6+8: Group 1 shoots, group 2 acts.
Day 7+9: Group 2 shoots, group 1 acts.
Day 10-13: Editing a post-production work.
| Mystery | Thriller (Suspense!) | Horror |
| We don’t know what is happening. Who did it? Where are they? What happened? | We have an idea what is happening but are dreading it coming. We still don’t know precisely how it might play out. | We are surprised and shocked by things that we may not have expected. |
Today we will be watching some suspenseful old TV shows and talk about what techniques they use effectively. We will be starting with “The Eye of the Beholder” (Wiki) from the original Twilight Zone, a mysterious story about a disfigured woman stuck in her hospital bed.
Your challenge for the weekend? Watch a “scary” movie! I have created a suggested viewing list here of great Thriller (suspense!) films, but you can choose any film you would like, as long as it contains some element of suspense. Try to pay special attention to the techniques that are used to build suspense. Please be prepared to potentially give a brief written or spoken statement to the class or within small groups about the successful techniques used on Monday.
You’ve probably heard the name “Alfred Hitchcock.” Why is he still considered one of the greatest and most innovative filmmakers ever nearly a century later?
You’ve also probably heard the name “Steven Spielberg.” He is probably the most famous living filmmaker, but he first made a name for himself through his mastery of suspense and emotional manipulation.
We are going to play a game! This is an exercise designed to prevent writers block and get your creativity flowing. Your challenge for the day is to come up with five pitches for potential thriller/suspense films and submit them here by the end of the day. Take a look at some from last years class. You aren’t committed to using any of these, it is just a technical exercise marked for completion. If you are struggling, you can look at this list of great thriller films on IMDB.
A reminder for those who need it, here is the process you should be following each time you complete a project.
Complete the self-assessment form in Teams. It will help you confirm that you’ve met all criteria. It should take 10-15 minutes to thoughtfully complete; you need to finish it all at once, so make sure not to start it in the last few minutes of class. It is a crucial opportunity for you to reflect on your work and to identify the successes and shortcomings of your project and how you can improve in the future.
We have a terminology review coming up next month! Any time that you finish your work early and are looking for something to do, you can study this terminology set. There are lots of fun games to play, so mix it up!
We are going to be making a short film in the genre of your choosing. In the process, we will refine our understanding of the various aspects of pre-production such as screenwriting, storyboarding, art design, and production planning.
“Good artists copy; great artists steal.”
We are going to steal from some of the best. Today we will begin our focused studies by viewing and analyzing clips from a handful of great films from a variety of genres. We will be emulating and employing some of the techniques in our own projects to help build suspense.