Shots Used In Our Interrogation Shoot

High Angle Shot

The reasoning for us using a high angle shot was to create the idea that the interrogation was being watched, almost as if there was CCTV in the room. Thus helping us to follow the mise en scene of a crime thriller which props may include a tape recorder, table, chair and also cameras watching the on going procedure. This helped us to capture the true atmosphere of an interrogation.

Over The Shoulder

An over the shoulder shot can show the dominance of one character against another, in this case that would be the detective over the culprit. Over the shoulder shots are used allot in these situations, because in the shot the other character is usually smaller than the other.

Point Of View

In this shot we used a point of view shot (POV) in order to capture the true seriousness and tension in this scene. The point of view shot allowed us to capture Kasper's (detective Victor) emotion and anger, underlining the gravity and magnitude of the situation. We continued to use lighting within the scene even though it was low key and low lit, in order to allow us to carry on the darkness within the area.

Experimenting: Interrogation Shoot

Script For Interrogation Scene Experimentation

Detective Victor: My name is detective Victor, this interview will be recorded.

Detective Victor: At the moment you're facing a ten year stretch... But you can drop that...
Saeed: I'm not a terrorist

Detective Victor: That's a lie

Detective Victor: What did you do at Albert Square with your friends Ahmed and Iqbal?

Saeed: We were chilling
Detective Victor: Chilling doing what?

Saeed: We were just chilling.
Detective Victor: Is chilling killing a hundred people heinously, unmercifully is that what chilling is to you?

Saeed: What do you mean killing people I don't know what you're talking about.

Detective Victor: You know exactly what I'm talking about.

Detective Victor: You and your friends Ahmed and Iqbal, went to the festival in Albert Square, planted a couple bombs and killed hundreds of people.

Saeed: Do you have evidence of this?

Detective Victor: We have so much evidence... Fingerprints, CCTV, DNA. We even have eye witnesses.

Detective Victor: So here's what you're going to do. You're going to infiltrate your little friends gang and get evidence for us.

Saeed: I can't do that!

Detective Victor: On the contrary you may just.

Saeed: And if I don't?

Detective Victor: If you choose to disobey us, we can make you disappear...

Research: Thriller Background Music

Background music can make a massive difference to your a thriller movie. This is what brings the correct atmosphere to your thriller. Thriller music can be described in many ways. I am going to explain them.

Thriller music tends to be fast paced (Formal term would be 'at a high tempo'), with random sudden bursts of loudness. this can tend to shock and disorientate the viewer. Thriller music can sometimes start of slow (to set an equilibrium). If synchronised correctly with a specific scene, this can build up tension and suspense.

Most thriller music tends to be contrapuntal, this can cause disorientation to the viewer as there will be allot of things all happening at once. some thriller music uses musical technique, created by Schoenberg, known as klanfarbenmelodie (this is when large 'clusters' of random notes are played at the same time, the sound can often be discomforting but contributes well to a thriller film as it catches you off guard).

In some thrillers, music is hardly played, it may only be played, suddenly, at significant points of the film, e.g. If a character is attempting to escape from an enemy and the believe they have got away, when they really have not.

Example: 

Freddy VS Jason

The opening of Freddy Vs Jason opens with an monologue of Freddy explaining how he kidnapped young children and murdered them. Freddy is heard to be speaking in a low tone, demonic tone which sounds very sinister and malevolent. This opening voice over sets the tone for the film as it mirrors a terrifying scene where Freddy is sharpening his blades and towers over a young girl, and is clearly about to cause harm to. Within the tone of his voice Freddy seems remorseless in all of his heinous actions. The effect of this opening is extremely effective as the audience gets an insight into Freddy's character without even seeing Freddy being violent, from this we get that he is sinister and demoniacally evil.Summary - Only when i figure out what my story, can i decide what music i want on my opening.

Batman Begins Soundtrack - Antrozous

In this soundtrack, the music start of slow and is quite, but then there is a sudden burst of instruments playing; these instruments would be a trumpet, cello, violin, most orchestral instruments. They are all being played in a contrapuntal texture, meaning that they are all playing different melodies at the same time, however there are essences of homo phonic texture, where some of the instruments are playing the same melody in synchronisation. This soundtrack sounds as if it would fit well with a sequence of events sped up. This is a soundtrack that would fit on an action thriller as opposed to a horror thriller or psychological thriller as the music is being played at a faster tempo, meaning this soundtrack would better off being used on an action scene. The  majority of the notes that are being played are minor, which could suggest that the soundtrack is being played over a scene which is more serious that fun and joyful.

X-Men: First Class Super Theme Song

This thriller background music is similar to the previous one, using orchestral instruments, however this soundtrack sounds as if its should go over something which seems more 'monumental' and/or 'astonishing', something that expresses awe. Furthermore, the whole mood of this soundtrack is uplifted, more major keys are being played which gives it a joyful and charismatic feel to the soundtrack. The soundtrack starts of at a fast tempo and maintains its fast tempo through out the whole piece. The soundtrack is also being played loud and gradually begins to get louder as the piece carries on. The whole piece is being played mostly in a homophonic texture (meaning all the melodies are the same and are being played at the same time by different instruments), however there are parts where the piece begins to be played in a contrapuntal texture. The piece almost sounds angelic as it gets to the end as the key is then heightened as if its reached a new 'level'. Furthermore, at the end of the piece the use of a female soprano choir is used which increase the whole angelic and awe feeling.

Hanz Zimmer - Time

This soundtrack was used in the movie inception, and is more of a 'goal achieving' soundtrack. The soundtrack starts of mellow and slow paced, and gradually begins to get louder and begins to speed up as well. Again, most of the instruments used in this piece are orchestral except the use of the guitar. This has a sad feeling to the movie, which would go better of on a psychological movie (which is what inception is). The texture of this piece is mainly homophonic.

What We Did In Our Preliminary

What Shots Did We Use?

This shot established to the audience that the character seemed to be running in order to save or look for someone, with the audience beginning to question who is he looking for?

Wide Shot

We used a medium shot, to get a glimpse of the character running at a fast pace. We did this to connote that there is some sort of problem. The medium shot, also helps the viewer take not of the body posture and/or language of the character, in order to denote any sort of emotional communication. furthermore, the use of using a long shot, benefited the sound effects, as you can hear the character yelling 'Jordan'; the fact that he is yelling can heavily connote that the character is communicating to the person the character is trying to find, is in a very difficult or scary predicament (this is highly emphasised as the character is running through a public place).

Medium Shot

We then used a medium shot, in order to get a glimpse of the character walking up the stair. The reason we used the medium shot, is because this was footage, was running at a fast pace. The use of a medium shot at a fast pace, can really engage the viewer as they will be able to analyse the body language of the character, which will allow them to connote and/or denote any other body language which can make further implications. Also, using a medium shot, can add the effect of  'shaking the camera'. This can add the effect of building up tension, and the shaking of the camera can denote the feeling of the character e.i hesitant to enter the room.

Low Angle Shot

The use of a low angled shot, allows us to exclude part of the body, in this case we excluded the upper body. The exclusion of  body parts can exclude certain body language; in this case, it excludes the way the character is walking, due to the fact different people have different walking sequences and/or posture, which can denote what type of person they are. Using low angled shots allows to see other things that may be on the character. For example, in the feet of the character could be drops of blood, which can denote that they are a violent and gory type of person, which can thus suggest to the viewer what role they play in the movie. Another thing we could of done, is have a low angled shot of the character walking, while the camera is moving back with the character, and seconds later the character could have dropped a weapon, which can denote the intentions he has.

These shots allowed us to further increase the tension as the audience is still unaware of who the character is and what their intentions are. its almost a small sequence of the journey the antagonist took to go and murder the protagonist.

Extreme Close Up

Here we used an extreme close up of the character pulling on their gloves, signalling that they apparently are up to something sinister.

Wide Shot

In this shot the character's figure can be witnessed however they remain hooded. Due to the previous shots only showing different parts of the character's body we decided to finally reveal the character's full frame to the audience, still retaining a sense of tension without revealing the character's true identity.

Blurred Close Up Shot

 In our final shot we used a blurred close up shot in order to retain mystic and tension as the character's face is not completely revealed and the music also begins to increase in instrumentation thus leading to the climax of the film.

Preliminary Task

Our Props For the Interrogation Shoot

This is a tape recorder, which is a very stereotypical prop that is used in most interrogation scenes. tape recorders are a very significant part of an interrogation, the tape recorder is used to record evidence and quotes given by the prosecuted. The use of a tape recorder can emphasise the seriousness of the situation at hand.

A simple chair will be used for the prosecuted to be prosecuted in. The use of a chair alone can allow the character to be tied up and tortured, which is a typical trait for thrillers.

Character Profile - Ahmed

Character Profile - Detective Victor

One of the main protagonists in the opening detective Victor is the chief inquirer during the investigation. From the beginning it quite apparent to the audience that Victor is quite aggressive and forward towards the character Saeed, in some circumstances showing brief flashes of ignorance, making brief references to Saeed’s character. Throughout the interrogation he appears to be biased in his questioning towards Saeed, almost forcing him into confessing a crime he merely didn’t commit. Numerous times during the investigation Victor claims to have the power and influence to put Saeed into jail, even though he had not committed to any crime. Although he is subtle with his aggression, the audience is aware that he is corrupt and wants to convict Saeed without a proper trial.

We used the crime thriller ‘Training Day’ as inspiration for Ahmed’s character. For example in the film the two main characters were hardly dressed in smart attire, so we followed suit by allowing one of our characters to fulfill this  role.

Whilst the detective’s counterpart appealing to more of an urban demographic here we have detective Victor seemingly adhering to an older age demographic due to being seemingly quite mature and smartly dressed. We believe  that in all this will help to contribute to the mise en scene as of the opening as the costume adds to the authenticity of the character.

For the interrogation we needed a detective who seemed to be dominant and in control of the situation so was able to remain calm but still frustrate and pressure Ahmed whilst questioning. Following convention we gave him a smart look with trousers, shirt and a tie. However we decided not to give him a blazer, although it seems like a small aspect it in fact can have a large effect on how the audience now see the character. by not wearing one it shows he is different and does not follow convention in the way in which he interrogated his suspect.

The detective is not only different in his costume aspect but also he is very honest and harsh towards his suspect. He is a patriot so is eager for information that can protect his country which explains his anger although it is controlled. He is also very unaccepting of any other people for there racial type or beliefs which is shown in his  speech.

                     

Target Audience

My Target audience revolves around the age group of 16 to 35 year olds. The reason for me targeting the teenage demographic is due to the fact that through past experience many teenagers have been stopped by police, in which they feel is injustice although it can be argued that the police are simply doing their job, even at the cost of brewing tensions not only between teenagers but also different cultures and races. However my targeting of a youthful audience is also due to the use of young actors in the film, thus displaying viewpoints and ideas that a younger generation would be able to relate to. The reasoning for targeting an older demographic (20+) is due to them being alive during recent terrorist activities so they may either be able to relate to the film or may be intrigued by being able to have another insight into what may occur in the lives portrayed. This is a movie that can only be understood by the socially and politically aware people.

Research: Interrogation Scene

The main aspect we plan to have in our thriller opening is an interrogation scene involving a young boy accused of causing destruction. Interrogation scenes are often found in this type of genre (thrillers). This is because they are powerful scenes which can withdraw information from characters that can change the audiences entire view on the film and completely change their expectations.

This scene is from the opening to the 2012 film Lockout. It has the type of foundation which we aim to achieve in our thriller opening. The basic conventions of an interrogation scene have been incorporated in this opening however there are some things which are different but i think work well. First the room is much brighter than usually (most of these scenes have low key lighting) and there are many different light sources.

An aspect which has been used well is the editing. Each time the man moves from being punched and different tittle appears. This is an inventive piece of editing which i had not seen before but i think is good as it is unexpected and brings the editing to the main attention of the audience.

The editing which has been used is something we may try to involve in our opening however the many sources of bright lights is something i do not think we will use. This is because i think it takes away some of the thrill from the scene and does not create suspense for the audience.

Conventions Of Interrogations

Audiences are used to typical features the most common being a single chair in a near empty room. The reason for this prop and room setting i believe is because the lack of other objects and the blankness of the room does not take away any focus or awareness of what is actually happening in the scene.

Low-Key Lighting

Low key lighting is also commonly used. This is because it gives the scene a serious tone which is vital for this type of scene. Also it usually helps to keep the focus just on the villain. Also the over the shoulder camera angle (shown in the picture) is another aspect which helps to maintain focus on one character as they are the most important in the scene. Low-key lighting is also used in order to create some sort of fear for the prosecuted, as it lowers their vision and what is around them which is known to cause psychological trauma.

Changes And The New Concept

Following a group meeting among our group members we have decided to change our original action thriller concept of 'ANBU' and change our concept into a crime thriller. We came to this decision as our group critically analysed our piece of work and came to the conclusion that our opening was too closely linked to another television series and we were placed in a situation where we felt that we were no longer using our own creativity. So in turn we have decided to follow a new project named 'London's Burning'. We believe that this switch is best for all parties and we will continue to ensure our project will be of our own creativity and talent.


We had decided that we wanted to create a thriller opening which showed more aspects of the reality and things that we thought where the current world issues. Because of this we diverted the whole project towards the theme and idea of terrorists. We decided this because our 'ANBU' idea was more toward one particular target audience which was the manga and comics. Also through our new idea we could show the view of victims who have suffered from terrorism and the views of the people wrongfully accused of terrorism, due to a stereotypical characteristic.

The concept for our short media piece revolves around the interrogation of a young male who is involved with a conspiracy against his own country. This correlates with the concept board I previously placed on the blog. The short film is meant to give an insight into the stereotypes placed on young Muslims as well as ethnic minorities within the UK. However we have considered the script and idea and taken away any thing which may have been seen as controversial. 

Within the opening 30 seconds we used a montage of the Woolwich attacks along with the news coverage that it attracted. The soundtrack 'Death is the road to awe' in order to set the tone for the film. We hope that with this the film will give off the effect of fear and tension that is necessary in order for the audience to adapt their own opinion. The song itself of sets an extremely tense and negative mood, which we believe in imperative for a thriller opening. All of this sets the viewer up for the next scene, which involves the interrogation. 

This then follows where the innocent victim is interrogated by an apparently ignorant detective who seems to enforce his own negative stereotypes,  which eventually manifests itself...