Review of chosen cast

I worked very well with Carmella in this project, I believe she created a convincing performance which aided the atmosphere of the opening sequence and took direction well. My only criticism is that occasionally we had to redo shots due to laughing.

I only had to work with Karen (my mother) briefly as she was only required for two shots. Despite her lack of acting experience she was very easy to direct and managed to portray her role to the best of her ability.

Lists of Camera Shots/Movement/Angles used in Opening sequence

• Close-up Shot
• Extreme Close-up Shot
• Wide/long Shot
• Mid Shot
• Point-of-view Shot
• Side shot
• Cut-in
• Zoom
• Pan
• High Angle
• Eye-level

Institutional research/ film Industry: The Skeleton Key

Production

·         “A distinctly American, non-traditional ghost story,” says screenwriter Ehren Kruger, who penned the hit thriller The Ring.

·         Produced by  Universal Pictures

·         ShadowCatcher Entertainment

·         Double Feature Films

·         Daniel Bobker Productions

·         Brick Dust Productions LLC

·         MFPV Film (in association with)

·         Budget: $43 million

·         Director by Iain Softley

·         Box Office: $47,806,296

·         Financial success with a worldwide gross of $91,974,818.

·         In the US it raised $16,057,945 in its first weekend, reaching number 2 at the box office, taking a total domestic gross of $47,907,715.

·         Filmed at the historic Felicity Plantation

·         Located on the Mississippi River in Saint James Parish as opposed Louisiana, not the coastal, swampy Terrebonne Parish where it’s set.

·         The house and the grove of trees surrounding it are real, but the swamp that seems to be on the verge of engulfing the house was created by the director for the movie.

·         Behind the house actually lie hundreds of acres of fields. In reality, the house is not really run down; it was decorated with ivy, among other things, to set the tone.

Distribution and Marketing

·          It was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2005, and in the U.S. on August 12, 2005.

·         The film received generally mixed reviews from critics.

·         Reported that 39% of critics gave positive reviews (based on 142 reviews)

·         Numerous television spots touting this film as a "return to the classic psychological thriller" and "the best thriller since The Sixth Sense.”

·         The New York Times said "One of the most enjoyably inane movies of the season, this faux Southern Gothic offers an embarrassment of geek pleasures".

·         San Francisco Chronicle gave a negative review of the movie and said "A well-intentioned horror film that is weighted down by stellar cast members who for the most part act as if they do not want to be there".

·         3 Nominations: Best Horror, Best supporting actress  Gena Rowlands (Saturn Award) and Best Horror (Empire Award)

 

Changes to script

Once I got to editing my opening sequence I came to the decision to cut out the news reporter voice over. I made this decision because I personally felt that it disrupted the atmosphere of the sequence and didn't work well with my selected music. I did however use some of the news reporter's dialogue in shots of the newspaper article. I also chose to include the mother of the victim instead of a friend as I believed it would make a greater impact on the audience in terms of the emotional aspect.

Script

"Beneath the Surface"

Fade in from black to shot of newspaper article, headline reads "Murders Continue”, gradually zoom in as music and voiceover starts.

Voiceover 1: At approximately 11.30 AM today another body was found

Cut to close-up of victim’s (teenage girl) foot running down country lane

Shot of newspaper article page; pan to the right over the words "serial killer on the loose”

Voiceover 1: Authorities believe the recent death is connected to the recent string of murders

Victim quickly looks behind her, her eyes filled with terror

Shot of newspaper article, close-up of the words "butchered alive"

Wide shot of victim running down lane

Shot of newspaper article, close-up of the words ‘bodies left in unrecognisable condition”

Voiceover 1: The police have yet to identify the one responsible for these killings, however they have learned that those being targeted are teenage girls.

Point-of-view shot from killer’s perspective chasing after victim

Close-up of victim’s photo on a kitchen table which is being held by victim’s friend

Wide shot of friend sat at table staring at the photograph

Mid shot of victim being thrown backwards into fence

Cut back to close-up friend’s face eyes filled with sorrow

Music fades out

Zoom in to close-up of victim’s face, victim stares directly into camera panting heavily in fear, looking around for help but finds none

Extreme close-up of victim’s eye widening in terror.

Cut to black, title appears.

Editing preview

As you can see here the beginning of my editing for my opening sequence. I have started going through my takes and selecting those I think are most appropriate and then trimming any unwanted footage and removing any unnecessary audio.

Vox Plot

The people I asked:

Carmella Lowkis Age 17
Shannen Palk Age 17

What would you expect to see in a opening sequence of a film (generally)?

C: The title and staring actors should obviously appear at the some point, but most important feature is for it to be captivating. I'd  expect some music that sets the mood of the film and some opening shots that build tension  and interest, to introduce the plot and/or main characters.

S: Introduction to main characters. Brief insight into storyline, music to draw viewer in. Opening scene should build the audience's interest.

What would you expect to see specifically in a supernatural thriller opening sequence?

C: I would expect to dark lighting, possibly with hints of blue or red. Faces or areas should be in shadow and something pertaining to the genre should happen e.g a ghost/murder. There should probably be shots from the perspective of a supernatural creature. I would expect eerie music and maybe being set at night or in a mist.

S: I would expect quite dark colours and maybe lots of shadows. Also probably bad weather. An event should happen like a murder to fit the genre and plot. Events should be seen through supernatural creature's eyes. I would imagine lots of screaming or maybe panting from the creature.