Thriller Planning (re-draft)

CHARACTERS

There will be three main characters in our thriller: 'The Rep,' the shopkeeper and the shop assistant.

The Rep: Grace Jones.

Our film will be set in the modern day, and therefore the costumes of all our characters will be fairly simple. The Rep - our femme fatale will probably have a few signifiers or traits stereotypical to Hollywood's idea of a femme fatale. This may include high heels or lipstick etc. I will be wearing a black denim skirt and tights with heels as this is the 'classic' image of a stereotypical femme fatale but also casual enough to not arouse suspicion or give the character too much attention. I will be wearing a leather jacket as stereotypically these are worn by 'bad guys' and in my audience research, when I asked what the ideal villain should be, many of the participants relayed the wish for them to be wearing a leather jacket. We believe that wearing a red t-shirt underneath may be a good idea as it connotes blood and danger, foreshadowing what will come.

I have mentioned multiple times that Grace Jones is a femme fatale. However, different directors have different takes on the idea (the femme fatale in Tarantino's 'Kill Bill' is contemporary and powerful whereas the one in Hitchcock's 'Psycho' is slight and fragile.) Grace Jones will be more contemporary - with a denim skirt and leather jacket, however still hold generic aspects of the classic femme fatale - with heels and confidence etc.

Props for The Rep will include a handbag and a knife - obviously we are aware that we will not be able to have the knife with us in public locations, however as the basement of the shop is private property, it will be completely legal. Obviously, we would have a responsibility to make sure everybody involved is safe at all times, and we will ensure that nobody is in danger.

The Rep will be played by myself. Originally, Sam's sister was going to play this character however she unfortunately went back to university before we could film. I'm now playing the character as I will be available for each filming session and will understand how we want to shoot certain shots. It also doesn't really matter about my facial features etc. as we are not planning to have any shots of the face (as this will build suspense and also leave the audience wanting to watch more.) For the parts we will see (hair, legs etc.) I will be able to do this as I have dark hair - which will connote an evil nature etc.

Shopkeeper: Julie.

Again, our thriller is set in modern day life, and therefore our shopkeeper will be wearing an ordinary outfit. This will include the uniform that she wears on a daily basis to connote power (ironic as she will know nothing about our femme fatale (Grace Jones) and therefore is powerless!) The real owner of the shop will be playing this part, and therefore we could just ask her to wear what she would on an ordinary working day. We thought that she would be a fitting person to play this as she would know how to act this role naturally, and would make the film more believable. It woudl also give us a wider age range to make the film look less amateur. This should include smart clothing etc so she is easily identifiable as the shopkeeper.

The only prop needed for the shopkeeper is money, as in one of the scenes she is handing over a wad of money to the shop assistant so he can take it to the bank. Again, we will have a responsibility not to lose any of the money but we be extremely cautious.

Shop Assistant: Sam

I believe that the shop assistant will be played by Sam, himself. He, too will be wearing modern clothing that is also formal enough that it is believable he is working in a shop. This will include a shirt and plain black trousers, or something similar. This gives him a distinction against the customers so the audience knows who is meant to be doing what. We thought Sam would be an effective person to play this role as he is about the right age to have a part time job, and therefore it's realistic for him to play it. Him playing the role would also hopefully cause empathy within the audience when he is killed because he is so young.

The props needed for the shop assistant include a coat which plays a vital part in our thriller. The coat is the reason the character heads to the basement and ends up being murdered - therefore, without it the whole basis of the film is disrupted.

Other responsibilites
Other responsibilities we will have include making sure we treat both the shop and everything within it with respect. We would hate to do any damage and therefore would treat it as carefully as possible. We will also ensure that we take great care with the school equipment so that it is not damaged in any way.

Films/Shots that have influenced our thriller
So far, there are two films that have influenced our film. The first, and most dominant being 'Psycho.' One of the shots in our film is a sihlouette of the shop assistant being stabbed by The Rep. This is our own take on the shot from Hitchcock's 'Psycho' where Norman Bates stabs Marion in the shower. We believe that the shot was extremely effective, and has also gone down in history as one of the most classic thriller moments of all time.

Another shot that inspired us was from Oliver Parker's recent film adaption of Oscar Wilde's novel 'Dorian Gray.' The film included a shot where Dorian is ascending a set of stairs, and the camera is situated at the top of the stairs with the character walking towards it. I believed that this was an effective technique of raising tension as the audience cannot see what is behind the camera - or what is causing fear in the character.