Concept:
Wither
Our group chose the title ‘Wither’ for our opening sequence, as it relates to the ‘mystery’ our protagonist goes out to investigate, the village slowly withering away. In addition to this, we liked the impact created from a single word title.
The target audience for our film ‘Wither’ consists of teenagers and young adults, who will find themselves identifying with our main character, Mark Jameson, a YouTuber who sets off into the woods to explore an internet mystery.
On the other hand, Wither is a conventional antagonist. He is dressed in head-to-toe black, with gloves and a scarf. The only skin that can be seen is the top half of his face, making him appear more sinister as his identity is not revealed. Wither is particularly threatening, with the red rope contrasting against his costume, emphasising its importance in relation to our main character’s fate.
Our film is set in the forest, as it fits in with the concept we chose, and is the perfect place to build suspense with, as well as to conceal our antagonist in. Originally, we planned to film at night, but later changed it to late afternoon, challenging normal lighting conventions associated with thrillers, employing the use of natural light only. However, in order to retain that element of tension, we plan to play around with colour grading to achieve the effect we are after.
In formulating our plot, we applied Todorov’s theory about the progression of narratives, and have an equilibrium and a disruption present in our opening. As our film is only a minute and thirty seconds long, it would be difficult to fit in all the stages. However, by only employing these two elements, our film will end on a cliffhanger, leaving the fate of our main character up to the imagination. For the majority of the film, the shots will slowly build up to the chase scene, which will only occur towards the end of the sequence. Thus, to carry elements of tension throughout the film, the score and colour-grading will be crucial to ensure that the chase scene does not feel forced.
Filming and editing techniques play a major role in the production of our film. Like conventional thrillers, our sequence will be put together with a range of editing techniques, playing with shot durations and transitions to build tension and suspense. In addition to this, our scene will include various after-effects related to cameras, such as glitches or static, as well as a camera menu overlay over particular shots, simulating one of the perspectives illustrated in the film. The camerawork too is important, and will work with the editing to achieve the desired effect.
Our film contains two perspectives, a third-person point of view, as well as the ‘recordings’ from our main character’s camera. The first point of view will be used in establishing the setting, as well as key moments in the sequence, whilst the second point of view shows us what the character sees, and limits what the audience can see. The aim of these two perspectives is to control what information is relayed to the audience, and will contribute towards an underlying tension coupled with editing techniques. Other shots that will control information are close-up and wide shots. Camera angles will also be used to represent dominance and vulnerability, especially at the end of the clip.
Typically, thrillers are known to include music to enhance the atmosphere. Our thriller too will use this technique, but will at the same time play with silence, only the diegetic sounds of the woods coming through, or potentially some dialogue. By using this technique, along with the three other technical elements, we can expertly build tension and suspense, playing with the emotions of the audience.
Plot Synopsis:
Our film opens with establishing shots of both the inside and outside the woods, setting the scene as to where the sequence will be set. Our opening will follow Mark Jameson, a YouTuber who goes out into the woods to explore the site of a well-known internet mystery, documenting it for his subscribers in the process. Once he reaches the location of interest, he hears a twig snap behind him, which causes him to whip around, looking for the source of the noise. The camera slowly pans along the trees, revealing our antagonist. Wither approaches and initiates the chase scene, Mark running for his life to get away. In the process he trips and falls, and the sequence ends with Wither slowly approaching Mark. There will be two perspectives in the film, ‘Mark’s’ footage, and a third person point of view, showcasing his arrival at the woods, his exploration of it, as well as the chase scene. For the majority of our opening, there will be little to no suspense, which will slowly be built through the score (or lack of it), heightening at the twig snap and chase scene. In addition to this, suspense will be created by playing around with shot durations.
Characters:
The main character, Mark Jameson, is a YouTuber with a penchant for internet mysteries. He is a naive, yet thrill-seeking character, which is portrayed through his actions, thinking it would be a good idea to explore the woods alone. In the opening scene, Mark is wearing street-style clothing, not fully adequate for venturing into the forest. This highlights his obliviousness to the danger he could potentially face, as he has not properly prepared himself for his little expedition.
The other character that features in this film is Wither, the antagonist who will chase Mark through the woods. Wither will be clothed in a black hoodie, black pants, and gloves, all which link to the concealment of his identity, as his face will not be revealed. In addition to this, he holds a coiled rope in his hands, which is symbolic of death. This paints Wither as an executioner, who will bring an end to the life of the protagonist.
On the day, to avoid complications, we will ensure that we have all components of our filming kits, and that our camera is fully charged. In order to film both of the camera point-of-views, we will be recording on two different cameras, one of them belonging to a group member. In addition to this, to ensure that the sound equipment is working, we will bring along a computer to play back our footage, checking that everything is in order.
In terms of location, we will be filming at Riverhead Forest, in an area just off the main gravel road. As it is a public space, there are no permissions required to film there. In order to avoid any health and safety issues, our group will be filming in a patch of forest with level ground to avoid any injuries during the chase scene, as well as to prevent crew tripping with the equipment.
In order to maximise our filming time and finding a suitable time for everyone, we have decided to film on a Saturday evening, allowing for overrun into Sunday if necessary.
According to the weather forecast, there is a low chance of rain, meaning that we shouldn’t have any complications with our location. However, just in case, an alternative area we can film in is under our school block, which could be a challenge as we need to obtain permission first.