Summary of Ideas and Inspiration

 SUMMARY OF IDEAS AND INSPIRATION



Rough Plot: 

• The film would open with a birds eye shot of tree tops and forest land using a drone to establish the setting which is a convention of the mystery thriller sub-genre. Non-diegetic parallel, eerie music.

-------> One of the film openings that I deconstructed was Inception, although a lot of the effects from this film are done in post production, birds eye view shots are used a lot therefore, we have decided to incorporate this into our opening sequence but with a darker twist of the forest land however, this is also appropriate because it establishes the location for the opening.
(Candice Flannery)

• A girl (the protagonist) will be walking onto the private land, we will use a low angle here to increase tension and a sound bridge will be present.
• The sound bridge will be the girl on the phone talking to a friend that she is meeting in the private land to hang out and drink alcohol.
• After a few steps she drops her bag - she is already a bit tipsy - in her bag we can see alcohol and maybe some cigarettes.

-------> From the research that I pursued of thriller conventions, I found out that it is very common in thriller films that low angles of someone walking are used because you can hear their footsteps, this increases tension and adds suspense to the particular shot which is necessary in a thriller movie.
(Chloee Allen)  
-------> In the opening sequence of Mad Max, a low camera angle is used to show Max himself treading on a lizard, this increases tension and demonstrates the movement of the character which can introduce them in a different way.
(Lucy Harris)

• We will then have a montage of a girl (the protagonist) being chased by a security dog after finding herself on the private land. The music will begin to fade and non-diegetic sound will be introduced of the girl breathing and running.

-------> One of the film openings that I deconstructed was I Am Legend, this film inspired us to include a dog in our opening sequence to increase the level of threat towards the girl. Also, thriller and horror movies sometimes contain a wild animal or beast that is used to further scare the audience.
(Lucy Harris)

• After a very short section of running she will trip over a bone that is sticking out of the floor, at this point the audience will clearly know that something bad is going to happen.

-------> I analysed the opening sequence of Gone, which is a film that includes a big hole that is dug into the earth in the middle of the woods. Inside this hole are human remains; bones. We decided to take this idea and adapt it to our storyline to add a climax moment into our film opening.
(Chloee Allen)

• She has then reached a clearing where the editing will slow down and she will look around to catch her breath however, the Rottweiler will appear from the background and will attack her, leaving her with scratches on her arm. We will film this by having the dog jump up at the camera as if it is from the girls point of view.

-------> From the research that I pursued of thriller conventions, I found out that it is vital for thriller films to have a little bit of gore in them, depending on the rating of the movie. Therefore, we are adding the scratches to the girl to fulfil this convention of the genre.

(Chloee Allen)

• The camera editing will now switch to a slow pan of the farmers location, a shed with trees and shrubs around it. Other mise en scène will include faux fur and flesh that is bloody and ripped as if the farmer hunts but also has human flesh, this will intensify his creepiness and the mystery element.
• A jump scare will take place where the farmer bangs open his shed door after hearing the girls screams, he will grab a shot gun and walk out into the wood land.

-------> JUMP SCARE!!!!

• Finally, a montage of shots of the farmer walking with his gun, the girl screaming and flashbacks from previous shots will conclude the opening. The farmer will raise his gun into the distance and shoot, the title "TRESPASS" will appear at the end of the opening sequence.

Rough Character Description:

• Protagonist - Innocent and vulnerable, pale with dark hair, young female and petite to emphasise the inferiority and danger. Wearing simple clothing, perhaps jeans and a hoodie.

-------> The inspiration for this character and her outfit came from a mixture of the films that we have deconstructed, in Gone Jill Conway (the protagonist) wears simple clothing which mirrors her experience and actions, therefore, we are planning on dressing our protagonist also in clothes that mirror her actions and mode of address. Her manner in terms of her outfit will be promiscuous, she is also drinking which portrays her in a specific stereotype - for example, one wouldn't see a librarian wearing this outfit! Furthermore, it is typically expected in some thriller movies and horror films that someone dies before the opening credits (this is a convention of the slasher genre), this person is usually of a promiscuous nature and impure - which is why they don't survive.
(Chloee Allen)

• Antagonist - Recognisable as a farmer, combat clothing or dungarees, maybe with splashes of blood as if he has been hunting. Facial hair, older male and stern, creepy mode of address.

-------> Inspiration for the antagonist also came from many different areas of our research and deconstructions. In Gone, The Dark Knight and Se7en all of the antagonists are dressed unusually which gives them a creepy and eerie vibe, in Gone the kidnapper is based in the woods therefore, we have taken this aspect for our own film opening and have adapted it to suit our plot.
(Chloee Allen)

• Security Dog - 2 year old Rottweiler, weighs 7 stone and looks fierce.

-------> One of the film openings that I deconstructed was I Am Legend, this film inspired us to include a dog in our opening sequence to increase the level of threat towards the girl. Also, thriller and horror movies sometimes contain a wild animal or beast that is used to further scare the audience.

(Lucy Harris)

(The dog is owned by a friend of mine, who is willing to let us film him. He is a security dog so is very well behaved and exerts no/very little danger whilst filming, especially considering the owner will be present to scold and instruct him. - Chloee Allen)

Prop Ideas:

• To add a gory vibe to our film opening and also to enhance the location of a farm, we would like to have some hanging dead animal skins/furs and fake human flesh by the farmers workhouse as if he hunts for his own food and guts the animals himself. The human flesh will add a mysterious anticipation to the personality of the farmer and his back story.
• We are also going to decorate his shed with old rustic farming tools, for example a rake, spade, spears etc.
• To start off the thriller aspect of our film opening we are going to have the girl trip over a bone whilst running, we are going to make this bone out of clay or a similar substance.

-------> All of the props that we have decided to include in our opening sequence share the purpose of enhancing the gore and thriller aspect of the film opening. From thriller movies that we have analysed we have discovered that they all have at least a small element of gore, for example a cut with some blood etc.

Title Ideas:

Currently, we have a number of ideas for our title. Since the plot of our opening is about private land we think that the title "TRESPASS" will be appropriate because it is simple but clearly labels the film and gives the audience an idea as to the storyline before they watch it. In addition, there are other ways to phrase this title and other ideas that we have had:

• Trespasser
• Private Land
• The Farmer
• The Farm
• No Trespassing

Typography Ideas: