Project Name; Twisted Obsession
Length; - 2-3 mins
Group Members;- There is a group of 3 of us. Riham, Anisha and Georgina. Riham and anisha are acting as the characters in the film, whilst I am filming. We all collectively are planning and editing the finished film.
Content Overview: - Toni and Leanne have been friends for years . Leanne after months being spent alone within her unstable childhood, finally finds some stability. In the form of a friend, Toni. Months of getting closer, lead to Leanne conjuring up feelings for Toni. She becomes obsessed a liar, and a thief, stealing possessions of Toni’s to keep in her own lair. She later confesses her feelings to Toni, to discover Toni doesn’t feel the same, and is rather sickened by her. This leads Leanne into a murderous frenzy.
Target Audience: - Our target audience is Teenagers. We believe that considering their lifestyle, and the position the are in as adolescents will allow this film to appeal to them, as they may feel a sense of relevance to their lives. They would be mainly within the middle-working class as a majority of the population are, this social class , permits them to relate to the characters as they two are average, not posh or high classed. Their lifestyle would be quite fast paced and continually exciting, as many teenagers search for exciting things to do, attend and see. As this teenagers are fairly media aware, they would be more likely to notice a film advertisement, and feel more inclined to watch it. This also would affect how we are marketing the film.
Research;- we have considered certain products that have become strong influence to our film’s content. Such as “Notes 0f a Scandal” and teenage dramas such as “ Skins” and “Hollyoaks”. These collectively have enabled us to have a wide range of information to consider, which would benefit us considering the target market they are aimed at. We have also analysed and watched many title sequences. We have done this to gage, the jist of elements within them. What had made them successful, and importantly what had drawn in the audience. I myself analysed the opening of the film “Se7en”. For example an eerie atmosphere. I found the film to uphold many traditional conventions of a Crime-thriller but greatly and uniquely. The directors managed to maintain a strong level of suspense throughout the entire opening. We want to include certain conventions of a thriller, but also subvert them and twist certain stereotypes in society, to intrigue our audience.
Representations, and Stereotypes: -
The Sterotype that we will be displaying is, one of an adolescent/teenager. We will be representing this adolescent in a completely different manner than that of which is exposed commonly in the media of “hoodies”. We will be exaggerating and exposing the deep inner emotional side of a confused adolescent, that leads to her eventual destruction. With this representation we will be twisting the traditional assumptions of teenagers, as confused and wild, but instead portray our character as, calculated and obsessed. The representations of friendships will also be tested. Tradition shows friendships to be perect, however we want to show how they can develop into something ugly. We will show the pretty seemingly innocent side of a friendship, but them twist it slyly and uncover situations that underly it. This will subvert the traditional representations of a friendship and hopefully engage our audience.
How will we check the films success: -
We will be undergoing a private screening of our film to our class and some external members, and posting our film online to get YouTube comments.. Hopefully we will get positive and negative criticism, to help us improve and then finalise the film. Once we receive feedback we will then try to amend our project to suit certain aspects allocated. Which will then hopefully ensure our film meets our audiences needs and accomplishes the effects wanted.
Conventions.
Conventions of a thriller that we want to consider, include:- The maintenance of suspense. The chase and gamesmanship , the story being told from a point of view to engage the audience. The concept of a villain and helpless fair lady. The distortion of view in the characters eyes. Eerie , disturbing atmosphere and the mystery created by lack of knowledge at first.
Constraints:- time is a massive constraint, as we each are undergoing ALevels we have limited time to produce lots of work. We also are at different base sites which isn’t easy, meaning that a lot of planning has to be done in rough and we then each elaborate in our own way on the main concepts.
Some days the weather is not perfect, which means we have to either adapt of postpone, which again puts back our production process. Altogether we have had a lot of constraints but we aim to finalise the production and make it a success!
Whilst Brainstorming names for our Film title, we came up with various different title ideas; we wanted to incorporate at key themes into our title, to give the audience some reflection and indication of what the film may hold and also it’s narrative.. We each tried to come up with at least one title idea, and these were:
- Twisted Love Story
- Love’s Demise
- Possessed
- A Twisted Obsession
- Unwanted Possession
We all decided on the title ‘A Twisted Obsession’, as we felt it conveyed the theme of our film , and also symbolizes our entire plot with just a few words. We also though it hid some mystery within it that may appeal to our target audience.
Our plot is based on a friendship of two young girls, Toni and Leanne. Years past in their friendship, all the while Leanne slowly developing an obsession over her fellow best friend. The obsession begins when Leanne starts feeling differently towards Toni, she starts to feel feelings of jealousy and as though she possesses Toni. Her obsession then leads to her stealing Toni’s possessions in the effort to have anything she could of hers, it then exceeds when she starts taking continuous pictures of her to form her own scrapbook, full of pictures, symbols and anything that could be related to Toni.
The way in which her feelings progress seem normal, Leanne begins to spend nearly every minute with her inside of school and outside, they were like two peas in a pod, and to Toni this felt as a friendship should. But things became different to Leanne, as she started feeling more sentimental towards Toni; eventually she was all she could think about. But as Leanne’s behavior slowly changes, Toni begins to become suspicious of her. Leanne begins to get really bad mood swings when situations arise concerning Toni, - her going out with other friends, - even talking to other people.
Toni eventually confronts Leanne about her changing moods, to her surprise Leanne just breaks down and feels this is the ample moment to exposes all her hidden feelings, hoping Toni would understand and maybe, love her back. To Leanne’s dismay her love for Toni is rejected harshly. Toni becomes livid herself and harshly expresses how she only thinks of them as friends, and how she doesn’t like girls in that way. Toni runs off, hysterically feeling emotionally confused and just shocked at the recent revelation.
Toni naively thinks that Leanne will just stop loving her, that is all she hopes. However she is wrong! Leanne’s long-term obsession with Toni just doesn’t disappear, it gets worse. Her feelings towards Toni become aggressive, she goes on a rampage for Toni after school, finding her and leading her into a secret room. Her previous feelings of love quickly revert into hatred. She turns violent and physical, which leads her into abusing and raping Toni. As a result of this Toni commits suicide.
The climax of the film shows the case of Leanne is still under way. As a result of the rape and abuse, the police are scouting continuously for her in the hope of brining justice to Toni’s name. Leanne in the final realization of the ultimate consequence of her action, which was Toni’s death, comes to the terms of her mentally unstable state. She therefore commits suicide, feeling dead without Toni and as though that is all she deserves. To die.
Our task is just to film the opening sequence of the film. The opening itself is very important. We must introduce the genre, whilst revealing a very small amount of the content whilst engaging our audience with the use of effects and music.
For our opening sequence we had to plan out the shots we were going to use. We have edited very short shots and collaborated many close –ups in a montage. These shots are used to establish the storyline as well as introduce the characters, and highlight the relationship between them as well as engage the audience. We only have 2 minuets and a bit of leeway to do this. Importantly we want to keep enigma code in effect, as we don’t want to give too much away.
Our shots will consist of:
- Our opening sequence beginning with our production logo appearing on the screen with effects whilst the soundtrack begins slowly in the background.
- A close up shot of Leanne’s face, which then zooms in further, to show the passion she has whilst hugging Toni, in that shot she is also smelling her hair and playing with it.
- Title appears with effects of my Anisha and Riham’s names.
- Fades out & into another shot.
- A close up shot of Toni’s face, which zooms in further, to show that Toni is content with Leanne.
- Fades out &goes into titles with effects of My name.
- Extra close-ups, close ups, medium shot of Toni laughing and being her bubbly self to create the effect that she is being watched by Leanne.
- Fades out &goes into titles with effects of the costume designer’s name.
- Fades out into another shot.
- A mid shot merged in with a match on action shot of Toni walking home whilst opening a gate.
- A long shot of Leanne walking sneakily through the gate after Toni.
- Fades out into an over the shoulder shot of Leanne following Toni, which obviously means she’s following her.
- Fades out & into titles with effects of Executive producer’s name.
- Close up shots of Polaroid’s on the mirror, whilst Leanne is stroking them.
- As the beat drops in the soundtrack, this represents Leanne going mad and ripping the pictures up as she feels angry about her feelings towards Toni and she bottles it up.
- A mid shot of Leanne leaning over the sink, in emotion as she doesn’t know what to do, she slowly then lifts her head in deep pain towards the mirror.
- Fades into titles with effects of the main title.
- Whilst the previous shot happens, the voice over plays which over powers the soundtrack in the faint background.
- Last shot of a zoom in of a distressed Leanne, staring deeply at herself in the mirror.
Our film was from within the Thriller Genre but it’s content was to break the conventions of that genre. Had scouted various locations previously and had all sorts of ideas. We wanted to film in a deserted park and at night. However it proved best to film in the day and where we could all meet easily. The perfect location ended up being school and the surrounding area. Our film was going to be mainly a collective to close-up’s and other shots. So we found that we didn’t need glamorous location to achieve clever and intriguing shots.
As we had composed a character profile and storyboard we had plans to follow. Considering this we wanted to film in the day , so that the setting and lighting would be high-key which would produce a natural and also warming setting. As our film is set in everyday times and considering the characters of two friends. We wanted to show them in natural settings so that the story and place could relate to that of our target audience. We also wanted to be careful not to follow the typical convention of a dark gloomy night and contrast that by displaying how this sort of event can happen in an everyday setting. The green area I filmed Anisha and Riham. I filmed various close up shots and extremes and caught the best lighting possible in the light of day. We found the natural lighting complimented the shots being taken and lit them very well.
This toilet is where we spent most of our time. The climax at the end of the sequence would be filmed here. We found it on the day of filming whilst we were still looking for a final location. We decided to use this bathroom in particular as it was hidden , very quite and had a massive mirror. The surrounding of a bathroom also seemed very natural as it was easy to see that it was a school one. This was key as most of our target audience are still attending school and college. This area would be perfect as it is very identifiable and by filming in it we could play around with lighting and filters as well as props within.
Mali and Taylor, 16 & 17 years old. They are young girl in their first year at college, studying A levels in the Arts. They live quite heck tick lifestyles, shopping, coursework and a job they each hold down. They are quite stylish girls, with a strong sense for fashion each. Most of their weekends are spent together as they are very close friends. They have been friends for 11 years now and may indeed agree that they have quite a strong relationship. Mali trusts in Taylor equally as much as they tell each other everything. They enjoy going into London at night to watch the city come alive. They shop in markets areas such as Brick Lane, and enjoy travelling around London freely.
They also enjoy going to many exhibitions and shows, such as art galleries and the French film festival, as well as enjoying the summer outdoor movie screenings, as a treat.
They each watch their own favourite programmes.
Taylor prefers watching lots of teen dramas such as :- Hollyoaks, Skins , misfits etc. which are meant to be a representation of the teen culture within London and surrounding cities. The crazy plots and in depth graphic displays , intrigue her and keep her watching.
Mali prefers watching American dramas such as ;- Supernatural and Vampire Diaries. Both of these programmes have a heavy dark and gothic content. Many plots deal with subjects on the death, good and evil etc. these shows intrigue Mali as they are quite in-depth and scary, and she likes the thrill.
I believe the plot/genre we have chosen would appeal to these two as they enjoy programmes with content similar to that of which we will include in our film. They live a lifestyle similar to the characters in our film and for that fact they may feel that the film may have some relevance, probably not complete, but some relevance to their lifestyles.
Hollyoaks Plot – Lydia and Zoe
Lydia is a demented youth. She has been as lesbian for a majority of her life. Her obsession with zoe ultimately sprung from her obsession with her previous deceased girlfriend Sarah. This was on account of the jealousy she felt towards Sarah’s and Zoe’s relationship, as they had previously had a fling. Lydia earlier this year had plotted ag
ainst Zoe , in order to frame her for Sarah’s murder, which she committed as a result of her consumed jealousy. Her guilt and fear has lead her to create a
web of lies for herself and turn many people against Zoe. Zoe is eventually let out after pleading not guilty, and being found so! Lydia at this point becomes obsessed with Zoe as she reels her in with the notion that “it is what Sarah would of wanted”. Eventually Lydias, murderous betrayal is uncovered and Zoe becomes her next victim.
She goes on a rampage for Zoe and ends up stabbing her, in the hope she will end up dead also.
This on going plot in Hollyoaks has become a large influence in terms of our plot/film. As it is very interesting as well as original. The use of characters themselves as well as narrative provides the audience with a graphic description of the plot as well as a representation of people living in that state of mind. This is a big help as it gives us ideas of what we may include as well as character behavioral ideas.
Notes On a scandal:
Notes on a scandal is a film that covers the issue obsession in a psychological drama. Barbara Covett a conservative teacher hated by her students is nearing retirement. It is her domineering, strong nature that makes her hated. She delights in making notes on the actions of those around her, this immediately allows the audience to question her mental stability. She meets Sheba Hart, a complete opposite or herself , a warming and attractive woman. She is hired as a new teacher at the school Barbara is about to leave. Barbara becomes intrigued by her, creating an obsession, fueled by her belief of Sheba being worthy of her friendship. Barbara finds a terrible secret out, about Sheba- relating to the sexual interest of one of her pupils actually becoming a full blown affair. Barbara ultimately turns against Sheba, and uses her information on her to ruin her life, leading to her demise.
The plot for this film became interestingly intriguing to our group as it broke many typical gory conventions of a thriller, and took a sophisticated sly approach. This film enabled us to consider, the relationships of the characters in our film as well as the overall narrative. The issue of obsession is very strong in this film and leads to one of the protagonist’s demise, which is effectively a part of narrative, which we want to include in our film, in a different way.
Toni becomes suspicious of Leanne’s changing behaviour towards her, and finally decides to confront her. Leanne spills all her built up feelings for Toni, in a sea of words. To her surprise Toni does not share the same feelings and becomes defensive, outraged and feels betrayed. Leanne try’s to express the depth of her emotions , physically by shaking Toni frantically hoping she would understand and ultimately love her back! However Toni refuses and Leanne’s feelings become outraged.
The climax of the film, displays the depth of Leanne's love for Toni. once Toni had reject Leanne's feelings she becomes psychotic and possessive. Going on a rampage for Toni she eventually finds her, to Toni's dismay Leanne has lost her mind and only wishes to harm her. She brutally attacks and rapes Toni, and finally leaves her for dead. As a result of the terrible event Toni , gives up her live and commits suicide. Knowing the severity of the situation she is in Leanne goes on the run, knowing the police are searching everywhere for her.
Ultimately the film ends with Leanne also committing suicide, as she feels this is her only way out and the only and last thing she deserves.
- Final StoryBoard
The opening of “Domino” is very informative, it establishes the historical period, genre, place as well as, the characters from the beginning. The character Domino is introduced in a quite abrupt way. A woman is holding a weapon towards her and rather then using quiet and polite traditionally expected female mannerisms she abruptly shouts abuse at the women in a very superior manner using explicit language. At this point we the audience immediately grasp the characteristics of her. With her hair cut boyishly and her clothes barely stylish, we can see she is as equal and superior if to a man with the sexy, distinguishing features of a woman. Immediately camera editing techniques are used to introduce other members of the cast. The Credits sway on screen, in a suave relaxed manor, but are illuminated with a bright white, drawing reference to the importance of the characters involved and the production team. Split boxes are used to swing film clips onto the screen that then become still images. These images represent the film genre as well as indicate many characteristics of characters as well as narrative and establish the place. Images such as men shooting at unknown targets, fast cars, speeding away , scenery of a city . These images fly in and fly out suggesting that not too much is meant to be given away, but just enough is for us the audience to get comfortable with the genre and characters. This also suggests that it is quite a fast paced film , with the use of continuous movement on screen. The names of the cast are illuminated in animated lights, that suggest their importance, but also raise our awareness of the all-star cast inset. Their pictures are also in the background , as well as a short voice over clip indicating their character role. The ranges of voice over clips indicate the narrative content of the film. “ I employ bounty hunters” , “hello boss”,” where’s my money ?”. These are significant as they indicate the narrative hugely and establish character profile. Place and time period are established by the use of video clips, of the city. The scene of a city is highlighted in a box as cars speed in the dim light of night. This shows the time period to be within the present as the city looks fairly new and the use of cars is within present day.
As the film Se7en opens. It is atmospheric. The character is alone in a low-key lit room as they start the metronome, immediately creating a pace, a beat that the sequence should follow. The camera slowly closes in to a character directly in front of the camera in a scrutinising manner creating an eerie but disturbingly interesting atmosphere. At this point the genre of the film is indicated. The cinematic techniques used particularly at the start of the title sequence conform to the traditional conventions of a horror. The low key lighting, lack of non-or diegetic sound which creates mystery and anticipation to the narrative. The fact that setting is not neutral, but in fact dark, gloomy and rather depressing all lead to us the audience coming to the assumption that this film may be a horror. The pace set by the metronome is consistent as the attention shifts from the lone character , to images and text. The credits and details of cast and crew are presented quite cleverly. They shift and fade in a blurry, scribbled white text, which again looks quite disturbing but importantly maintains the atmospheric trance the start had created. The sound used is very complimentary as there is actually no clear tune. It sounds fairly industrial and scientific, as if some one recorded white noise or interference on a mic. The composition itself is fairly creepy but clever as it goes with the pace of the sequence as well as the pace that the images and short sequenced clips are shown. Camera editing is used to indicate the narrative of the film. There are many close- ups of weird shots of razored skin and manuscripts being sewn together as well as blood being blotted on pure white sheets of paper and images and letters being cut out and replaced in random areas. The images and clips are quickly shifted in and out of the screen, seemingly hidden by a black background and credits, but then reappear just as fast as they then disappear. Every one of these aspects indicate that some sort of displaced or psychotic character is involved in this film and their nature is the central focus, whether it be hidden or exposed. By involving such disturbing images and using the cinematic techniques the directors have established the film’s genre, indicated part of its narrative content and engrossed the audience, successfully by the use of a title sequence.
