Costume Planning

Our thriller film is set around the sub-genre of "British Gangster." Setting the themes of moral ambiguiety and struggles in a flawed enviroment in a more modern and gritty enviroment.


These themes and how they are presented are relative to the costume used, therfore the costume required must be modern and recognisable alongside promoting the gritty and dangerous topics presented.

This coat is a good example of the requirements needed. Its dark colouring emphasises secretive exploits. It also draws attention to the shoulders of the wearer, reinforcing a threatening bulk carried by characters of british gangster films such as 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Essex Boys'.

Characters of 'british gangster' film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'

The costume can also be seen in the film 'Once Upon a Time in America." With the threatening bulk mentioned creating a moral ambiguiety of the characters, who can be seen as both heroes and villians in the film. This confusion of morality is common in gangster films.

Many of these requirements are found in the leather jacket. Alongside its drawing of threating attention it also emphasises a rigid coldness in its material and impact on the body, connotating merciless images of hardness. The contrast between the loose and tight fittings and the images they draw may be explored in our thriller film with the costumes of the two men, with prehaps the wearer of the leather jacket being the dominant of the pair. Leather jackets are iconic in british gangster films, with an exceptional example being the character 'Big Chris' in the film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.'

The character 'Big Chris' in british gangster film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.'

These boots also emphasise the hard-worn and tough lifestyle, alongside the coat they are also dark, bulky and draw threatening attention to the feet of the wearer. All these factors promote the hard-wearing, gritty and usually violent activities of the wearer and are usually seen in films like "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch"

Location Scouting

One location our group agreed on using was a burnt down community known as 'The Civ.' This was chosen as it is a particularly bleak, dark setting that connotates images of immorality and destruction.
A lane that leads up to the location we will primarily be filming in. It may be included in an opening shot of our film, intertwining with the opening titles of our film. This was chosen as it connotates images of isolation with its narrow, forest lane alongside its very dark and gothic surroundings.


One of the few entrances to the civ. This frayed hole in a fence may be used in the first shots of our scene as it emphasises entrapment and a feeling of desperation if used for either an entrance or exit. Such factors as the rust of the gate also indicate certain qualities of thriller, indicating a lack of care and a flawed enviroment.

A gate that blocks off many entrances to the civ. This may be used in our film because of its connotations of not only isolation and entrapment, but its paticular structure of sharp points at the top indicating danger and harm. It also contains the qualities of the hole in the fence with its distinctive lack of maintenance, emphasising the bleak and dark qualities of thriller.




This is the main corridor once entering our location. This will definatly be used in our thriller as it shows many factors of the thriller films we have been studying. The distinct destruction, grafitti and litter indicates a dark, flawed enviroment and the long, bleak and isolated setting draws many comparisons scenes in "The Third Man".



(Above) Film group member Dan going through the main corridor of the civ. (Below) Two scenes of iconic thriller film "The Third Man" that shares qualities of the scene above, particulerly the very narrow, unavoidable path.

This image will most probably be included in our film. Mainly because it emphasises not just a flawed, destroyed, immoral word shown in many thriller films but the light beaming through indicates a battle of morality, something also scene in "The Third Man."































(Left) An image from location scouting in the civ. (Right) An image from "The Third Man" that draws up the same imagery of a battle of morality, light and dark. Another similarity is how this battle is shown, with light breaking through a particuler hole and exit in what is scene as somewere dark and isolated. The left image may be shown in our film with our title spraypainted alongside the hole, used in our opening sequence. Drawing imagery from the image below, the music album cover of "Who Needs Actions When You've Got Words" by "Plan B", which also connotates images of bleakness and desolation.

Continuety Task 2

1) The planning for my filiming task consisted of my group and I constructing both a storyboard and a shooting map consisting in detail what we were going to film and how.





2) The 180 degree rule used in my filming task a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera infringes the axis connecting the two characters the audience is confused and disorientated.

A picture showing the definition and rules of the 180 degree rule.

3) In the continuety task my group used an array of shot types and angles, with the main shot in question when character 1 walks down the corridor. This is shot with a tracking shot, emphasising the location used, a school, as it creates the illusion someone is also going down the corridor, following the character.

How Is The 'In Bruges' Conventional/Unconventional Of Thriller?

Just some notes taken in class, when we were discussing several British gangster thrillers and how they are linked to conventional thiller.

Conventional

Lighting shows battle of morality in the contrast of light and dark

Mis-En-Scene shows a theme of bleakness and darkness

Gothic, angular, sharp settings, churches and statue of cupid shows moral ambiguity

Unconventional

Large, light space, focuses more on the characters being insignificant than relying on the theme of intrapment and isolation shown in films like 'The Third Man'

Burger King references to modern culture, doesn't create its own world like many films in 'Film Noir' to display morality, good and evil.

Scenes of comedy

Continuity Map

This is the map plan for my continuity task, in which a character must walk through a door, sit at a table and have a two line conversation with another character, showing camera shots and storyboarding the scenes

Cosmetics Advert

The Conventions Of L.A Noir

L.A Noir is a sub-genre of film that takes elements such as moral uncertainty, deception and bleak content and displays them in the bright, famous and glamourous setting of L.A. The use of the bright setting shocks and creates unease the audience, the bleak, harsh happenings taking place in what can be seen to many as 'paradise.'



In the opening for L.A noir film 'L.A Confedential,' many comparisons can be made with the opening for 'The Third Man.' Both use a bright, cheery soundtrack alongside the seedy, dark plot to unsettle the viewer. This is also achieved by the narration, a light, happy voiceover of the crime and dark scenarios taking place, the voiceover also mentions L.A being "A Garden Of Eden", ironically conveying themes of morality and moral battles, more irony is conveyed by the voiceover when the audience is informed that L.A have "the best police force in the world.