The Bourne Identity

What does the set up reveal about setting? Where is this place? What gives you this information?

The first setting shown is the Mediterranean Sea, this is revealed in the set up due to writing on the screen. However, also in the set up, slightly later on, another location is revealed which is The Central Intelligence Agency Langley, Virginia. This location is also revealed via writing on the screen.

What does the set up reveal to the audience about characters? Choose one character and explain HOW the set up reveals this information.

In the set up, the audience is introduced to Jason Bourne who gets rescues from the sea by some Fishermen in a storm. This is revealed through the surprised behaviour of the men on the boat who think he is dead, but then quickly try to save him. They do this by lying him down, and one of the men surgically removes a couple of bullets and a device from his back. The set up also reveals to the audience that Jason doesn't know where he is or why he is there, this becomes clear when he regains consciousness and demands answers from the man operating on him.

What does the set up reveal about the interrelationship between characters?

The man who operates on Jason appears to hold authority over the other fishermen. However Jason challenges him when he wakes up on a table in a fishing boat. The man reassures Jason that he is his friend, trying to help him and that he doesn't mean him any harm. The set up also reveals the language barrier between them, Jason (not knowing who he is) struggles to communicate with the other characters in the set up, but despite this, the fishermen get him off the boat safely into Switzerland.

What is this world like? Safe? Happy? Dangerous?

This world is dangerous and mysterious. In the set up we don't know who Jason is and neither does he, but the fact that he is found floating on the ocean with bullets in his back insinuates that the world he is living in is not at all safe.

What possible conflicts or strains are there that will become part of the story later on?

The main issue is that Jason Bourne appears to had lost his memory, but he keeps discovering things about himself, like that he is good at fighting when he needs to. Also, he finds his passport which he uses to find out basic information about himself, i.e. that he is called Jason Bourne and he lives in Paris. This becomes important to the story later on because he has to find out what he is doing with his life.

How does the opening fit with the codes and conventions of thriller films?

Establishing shot of boat in the water
Fast paced editing (when Jason attacks people)
Point of view shot (when he is looking down at the bag he dropped when he is hanging from a building)
Zoom (onto the boat)
Hand held (men playing cards in the boat)
Close-Up shots to show facial expressions
Tense, eerie music to arise a fearful mood.
Over the shoulder shots to give the impression something is going to happen behind the character.

*Questionnaire Results*

Age

4% = 13-14 years 16% = 17-18 years
80% = 15-16 years

Gender

56% Female 44% Male

Do you watch thriller films?

96% said yes. 4% said no.

What is your favourite sub-genre of thriller?

32% said psychological. 4% said crime.
28% said action. 28% said comedy.
0% said political. 8% said romance.

In a thriller film, would you prefer the victim to be...?

60% said man. 12% said teen.
8% said woman. 12% said other.
8% said child.

Where would you most expect a thriller film to be set?
8% said graveyard. 44% said old house.
24% said woods 24% said other.


What excites you most about thriller films?

(Mixed results e.g. “the suspense and adrenaline”)

Do you prefer thriller films that make you think or ones that are obvious?

8% said ones that are obvious. 92% said ones that make you think.

Do you like thriller films?

88% said yes. 12% said no.

Our progress so far...

Pre-production, we have been doing a lot of work finalising our idea by focussing on plot and character. Already we have chosen who we want in our film, where we want to film it and what is going to happen. We have also thought up some interesting shots which we want to use to create effect in various parts of our thriller. Our 'film treatment' includes detailed descriptions of our characters, including their appearance and personal attributes. Also included in this treatment is description of Hopton church, park and alleyway where a majority of our thriller will be filmed. We have thought about extra conventions that would be interesting to use, for example, a red herring to send the audience off course to create a more impactive finish., we have also considered fast-paced editing because we think it will fit in nicely with the Thriller genre. Probably the most challenging thing we have had to do so far is come up with a name for our film. Initially, we chose roughly 6 names that were suitable and then we asked other people what they thought i.e. our media class and other people our age (the audience is our peers therefore their opinions are very important to us) and also the poll on our blog should hopefully bring in some more votes.

Holly & Katie x

Location Pictures

Film Treatment

Character Profiles

Brian Kennedy, 47

Susannah Kennedy, 42

Mary Kennedy, 17

Morris Kennedy, 9

Brian: What everyone would perceive as an everyday family man, he has a secure job with a respectful firm. He is friendly and popular within his friend group. Brian sometimes finds it difficult to speak out when something is wrong and struggles to express his opinion sometimes. The only thing that really matters to Brian is his family, which is why it is such a shock when he brutally murders them. He is of an average height and build with grey hair and brown eyes. He is 47 years old.

Susannah: Caring and genuine, Susannah is loved by all who know her. She is be perceived as the perfect mother and in a lifelong marriage of 20 years which is envied by many. She enjoys cooking for her friends and has an impeccable taste for fine wines.  She stands at 5”8 and has a big heart.

Mary: She is everything to be expected of a teenage girl. She loves socialising with her friends, listening to chart music and going clubbing. She regularly goes to her best friend Lucy’s house that lives nearby. She falls out with her little brother Morris on a regular basis, but deep down, she loves him. Her appearance is quite striking, she is blonde and slim and very pretty.

Morris:  He is 9 years old and enjoys playing football with his dad, hanging out at the park with his friends and playing Xbox. He is academically challenged but makes up for it with his charming personality. He hates his name because he gets bullied for it at school. He is about 5 foot tall with blonde hair and a big build. 

Location

Church

Park

House

Alleyway

The introductory scene will be filmed in a church, at night in candlelight. We will see Brian kneeling on the floor praying, in dire need for repentance.

The park will be used to film Morris playing with his friends on the swings, before they leave him and then when he is alone being spied on.

The house will be used to film Susannah in her home with Brian drinking wine, and then perhaps later when she is found dead.  (Undecided as of yet).

The alleyway will be used to film Mary walking home at night from her friends; it will be the place of her murder.

Codes and Conventions

In our thriller we will be using the following techniques:

·         Tracking

·         POV shots

·         Reveals

·         Eerie, tense music

·         Low key lighting

·         Jump cuts

·         Face paced editing

·         Silence

·         Exaggerated sound

·         Flashbacks

·         Red Herrings

·         Pursuits

·         Morally complex characters

·         Principle of concealment

Name ideas for our film

1.      Crazed  (1)

2.      Hunted  (1)

3.      The Sinner  (5)

4.      Repentance (2)

5.      The One Who Sinned  (1)

6.      Take Me With You  (3)

Review Of Last Years Work

I watched the finished film from one of last years groups "Reflect Productions" and I thought it was really impressive. First of all, I love the establishing shot of the man typing on the keyboard because it is original and made me wonder what was going on. Also, I think the use of music is suited to the thriller genre well, it is easy listening but also relatively unnerving. I think it is really brilliant how they titles their names through objects like paper and the ipod, that was impressive as well. And it's really smooth how they have transitioned the man to walk from one place into a completely different one so effortlessly. The only criticism I have for this example, would just be that I didn't get quite what it was about, but that is OK because it was just a thriller opening and I'm sure that if it was made into a complete movie then the rest would be unveiled.

'Psycho' Trailer

This trailer for 'Psycho' is helpful for us and the development of our thriller film because it shows us what kinds of characters have been used and the mise-en-scene, as well as the variety of shots suited to the thriller genre. I think that from this we can start to think about what has been used and why and then apply this to our own film introduction.

Who is our target audience?