Thriller Pitch

As group T1-29 we have pondered over different opening sequences for our Thriller project. The chosen genre is a 'Crime Thriller'. The essence of crime thriller is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. However, because we are only creating an opening sequence to the film our project will not include all of the listed conventions.

So, our title sequence will begin a phone conversation, shadowed by nothing but a black screen. As the conversation evolves the two characters will introduce the two antagonists who plan to frame the protagonist. Such conversations can be seen in the 'Intro' to 50 Cent's album 'The Massacre'. At the end of the conversation the phone will go cut out and the audience will be left with the stereotypical background 'fuzz' of an unhooked phone. I like the idea of the black screen with a phone conversation as the lack of pictures will mean the audience are fully focused on the phone conversation rather than other material. Due to the audience being 15+ they will be taken in by the phone conversation and won't need pictures or videos to keep them occupied, as younger children would. An orchestrated score will climax after a slow build up, merged from the fuzz of the unhooked phone. Pictures will then bombard the screen dictating the crime that has happened. Pictures will include newspaper reports, pictures of the characters, video reports off journalists at the 'crime scene' etc.

We have chosen this title sequence because in to many past projects students have tried to hard to create a thriller with assets not up to standard leaving the finished project looking tacky and cheap. In our project the majority of work will be done on the Mac's meaning the film won't be shaky and the pictures will fall into shot precise and accurate (as it is controlled by the Mac). We realised doing to much leaves the project looking awful in our 'Children's film' project. We will only need one actor - if we choose to include a journalists report of the incident. This will probably be me, Callum or it could be Ollie or Luke, depending on who would rather film than act. The location will exist on the computer and, if needed we will have one location outside the so called 'crime scene'. This shot will be very easy to film as we will use a tripod and the shot will be stationary - cutting out all shakiness and making the scene simply but effective and successful. The most prominant effect used in the title sequence will be that of pictures giving the audience outline of the crime committed and characters in the film. Still pictures won't give much away and the accompanying music will add an element of mystery. To capture these pictures we will use a decent camera and take shots of the crime scene, the location (centre of cambridge), and some characters - things that will exist in the film. Some of our photos will come from the internet and others will be made ourselves, like the newspaper reports. These pictures and video clips will fall on to the screen, on top of each other to make a sort of collage but each photo landing on top of the other. The final photo will be that of the name of the film. A possible idea for the title is that of an existing name, so the picture can be a building with the name on it rather than a self processed name on Final Cut or Photoshop. The credits will run while the photos are being shown and will begin in the phone conversation.

Our title sequence will finish with the pictures fading out and the music dying down, leaving the rest of the film up to the director.