Typical costumes/Make-up - Psychological thriller

Here is a picture of a shot from the film Shutter Island. The characters are all wearing similar clothing, they all look smart and look like what is classed as an average person. This makes the audience feel like they are the same and can relate to the characters more, therefore, they will feel more connected with the film and will make it feel more real.
The characters hair here is well groomed and they all look presentable, and their make-up doesn't include and bruising or injuries.

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The the main characters wife is wearing a cheery summery dress which creates sympathy for the character as she looks innocent and happy. This creates a sense of false hope, as later on in the film the audience find out that the woman is in fact mentally ill and ends up killing her children.

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Here the other characters are wearing all white which could be associated with hospitals as they are usually all white and clean, suggesting that these characters are ill in some way. These characters are clearly separated from what are seen as the normal characters.

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Title sequence - Hard Candy

This is the title sequence for the film Hard Candy:

           




Here there is a red block and these are there throughout the whole of the credits. Red has connotations of blood and danger. This shows that there could be danger in the film and that something is not right.

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Throughout the title sequence there are shadows on the objects and text. this makes the film look sinister and creepy. We could use this technique for out titles as our film has psychological elements.

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The background for the title sequence is white, which could be linked to a hospital scene, as hospitals are usually all white and clean. This could suggest that one of the character are ill, either physically or mentally.
We could also use something like this for our film as one of our characters finds out that he is mentally ill.

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The music/audio in this title sequence sounds like something a child's toy would play, really slow and calm, but also sounds tense and sinister.

Genertic conventions

Themes of Psychological Thrillers

There are many themes that run through Psychological thrillers ranging from reality to death.

The reality side of a psychological Thriller is normally the thing that either, the audience is told and the main character is trying to find out or, its the main part of the puzzle that although way through the film the character has been collecting information about which in the end, reveals the big secret.

The death side of a psychological Thriller is normally the piece of information that is known. Like for example in our film The Forgotten Truth the audience knows that lily is dead as she was killed by Damian, the question running throughout the short film is how and why did it happen? and will Damian find the answer?.


The costumes in a psychological thriller are usually simple but yet dark in colour.
A common theme that runs through psychological thrillers is the distortion of either the chronological order in which events are shown or the distortion of the main characters perception on what is happening. For example in The Forgotten Truth we have placed memories that Damian is having between bits of reality where he is looking for Lilly. However we have also made it seem like Damian is confused and is not seeing things that are really there.

Iconographies of sound for psychological thrillers

Sound Iconographies

In most films there is non diegetic sound laid over the top of the clip. In psychological thrillers this mostly happens when the main character is on a journey (this doesn't have to be a physical journey it can be a mental one). This music helps the audience to understand what is happening not only in the film but also, what is happening in the characters head, as it displays their emotions. The music helps to bond the character with the particular setting they are in when the music is playing (it creates depth).

In our film The Forgotten Truth we will use a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic sound to create an eerie yet not horror like feel to the settings as well as the characters.

The diegetic sound will consist of  character dialogue and everyday sounds to make the film seem realistic. (Everyday sounds being a door closing, foot steps,background noise of people talking etc...)

The Non Diegetic sound will be a low under cutting sound that in places will change between feelings of joy(in the memory scene) to feelings of distant loss

Iconographies for psychological thrillers mise-en-scene

Iconographies

In typical psychological thriller the mise en scene is one of the most important parts of making the film/clip this particular type of genre.
Some examples of props, make up, sets and costumes that an audience might see in a psychological thriller such a psycho are: knifes, shadows/silhouettes, small rooms or places, running water, street lights and covers over objects.

The props in our film The Forgotten Truth that are going to help symbolise the genre of psychological thriller are going to be:

• A knife
• Blood
• Shadows/unclear images(out of focus)
• Eerie lights(over exposed during mental corridor scene)

Typical settings for psychological thrillers range from dark sets that you could possibly find in horror films to over exposed white scenes that daze the character as well as the audience.
Some examples of locations/ sets that could be used in psychological thriller could a an island, prisons, mental institutes, small rooms etc....

The settings we are going to use to help represent that The Forgotten Truth is a psychological thriller will be:

•  Small rooms
• Empty over exposed corridors
• Parks

In at lot of psychological thriller the makeup is normal/natural  (like everyday makeup). The way mainstream companies make the makeup symbolise thrillers is they make the characters look more ghost like (white) or use makeup to show that some injuries have occurred.

In our film we are going to use makeup to show that Lily has been killed therefore she is just a figure of Damians imagination.

There are many types of costumes that could be used to portray the film as being a psychological thriller however, it is the combination of ordinary clothes mixed with themed clothes (e.g. if it is set in a prison then the actors show wear jail clothes)that create this affect.

Link to section about character costumes

Conventions of Psychological thriller- mis en scene

The genre concerns a psychological story with aspects of thriller

These films tend to involve obsessive characters having relationships with psychological characters such as in the film Saw. They often involve drama themes like development in realistic relationships like in the film Shaw shank redemption.


Mis en scene 
Setting

The setting would tend to be somewhere in the suburbs/city and isolated such as a prison, building or a mental asylum where the protagonist is set a mission such as an escape or a trap.

Props

Thriller movies usually feature the following props:
Knives- scares the audience
Money-adds aspects of crime
Mask- disguise/mystery
Gun-scares the audience/keeps them on the edge of their seat
Torch-  Adds lighting to the scene to make the audience wonder what's to come when the light shines on an object or place

Costumes

The costumes in a psychological thriller would conform to the setting e.g.- business suit for office building, prison/mental asylum- orange jumpsuit/white clothing

Makeup

The makeup of the antagonists would look more dull/look older whereas protagonists would have brighter makeup/younger looking faces as they're less stressed. Blood on the face could show this film is a psychological as something thrilling could have happened to make this blood eg. fight scenes

Risk Assessment - Mental Home

Shooting Pack Day 7 Outside the Mental Hospital

Shots List 

• Master shot of mental institute panning to the sign
• man see's the mental sign and realises he's in the mental home

Locations 

This will be the front location of the mental hospital that Damian will be kept in.

Character Profiles.

Name: Damian Ross
Age: 23
Occupation: unemployed due to illness but was a ex-businessman.
Date Of Birth: 27/07/1991
Hair colour: blonde/brown
Eye Colour: blue
Mental illness: Bipolar
Costume: old clothes looks homeless.
Status: widowed

Damian is the main character that this film will revolve around. This film is about Damians life to which he doesn't know the truth about. The truth is that he has murdered his wife by beating her to death but, doesn't realise it. This makes him a widowed man who as a result of his condition is being held in a psychological home for criminals who are ill.

Before Damian killed his girlfriend Lily he was a very quirky and happy person. He liked to spend time with his family and like to take long walks through the park. On his first date with Lily he took her to a small restaurant which is where their love for each other bloomed.




Damian is a widowed man who has bipolar so is in a mental home. He has murdered his wife but doesn't realise it.
Outfit 2) In another scene Damian will be wearing normal clothes to show that he has gone into his mind.


Props
A sign for the hospital to inform the audience that Damian has a illness that he doesnt know about .

Storyboard

Risk Assessment

Shooting Pack Day 6 File room

Shots List

• medium shot Damian follows Lily into a room and sees his file on the table
• Over the shoulder shot of him looking through the file.

Location

This is the room where Damian is going to find out the horrible truth that is the fact that he killed his wife Lily.

Character Profile 

Name: Damian Ross
Age: 23
Occupation: unemployed due to illness but was a ex-businessman.
Date Of Birth: 27/07/1991
Hair colour: blonde/brown
Eye Colour: blue
Mental illness: Bipolar
Costume: old clothes looks homeless.
Status: widowed

Damian is the main character that this film will revolve around. This film is about Damians life to which he doesn't know the truth about. The truth is that he has murdered his wife by beating her to death but, doesn't realise it. This makes him a widowed man who as a result of his condition is being held in a psychological home for criminals who are ill.

Before Damian killed his girlfriend Lily he was a very quirky and happy person. He liked to spend time with his family and like to take long walks through the park. On his first date with Lily he took her to a small restaurant which is where their love for each other bloomed.

 Outfit 1)
Damian's costumes will be white or black for all the scenes where we are inside the mental hospitals. In other films where the characters are in mental asylums they wear either all white to show the clinical side or they wear white top and black trousers.

Damian is a widowed man who has bipolar so is in a mental home. He has murdered his wife but doesn't realise it.


Character profile Dr Luna




Name: Dr Annabelle Luna
Age:24
Occupation: Doctor in a psychological hospital
Height:5ft 5
Eye Colour: brown
Status: In a relationship
Date Of Birth: 16/08/1994
Personality: Serious when at work but, a happy and likes to be social


Dr Luna's role in our film is that she is Damians doctor. She is also the one who sends Damian back to his room thinking he wouldn't hurt himself. However she was wrong as when Damian returns to his room he hangs himself. Originally the film was going to end with Dr Luna walking into his room and finding his body but we decided to leave it so that the last thing the audience see if Damians feet elevated from the floor giving the impression he hung himself.


Out of work Annabelle likes to relax after stressful days. She does this by watching TV and making homemade food. She also likes to play Sudoku (as it keeps the brain active) and read through her medical books so that she is able to diagnose patients when needed.

Outfit) In our film doctor Luna will only have one outfit. She will be wearing a type of lab coat and it will have a clinical look.

Character profile


Name: Lily Harper
Age: 20
Height: 5ft 2
Eye Colour:blue
Hair colour:blue, blonde and red
Occupation: Training to be primary school PE teacher.
Status: Dead
Date Of Birth: 04/04/1994
Date Of Death: 10/09/2014


 Lily's role in our film is that she was Damians girlfriend before he murdered her by beating her to death.
She is part of what helped to bring out Damians bipolar illness as he became attached to her and wouldn't let her go see her own friends. Lily was threatening to leave Damian and that is why he killed her.

Before Lily meet Damian she was a caring and easy to be around person. She was interested in keeping fit and was at university training to become a PE teacher as she loved children.


Outfit 3) will be after she has been killed therefore these clothes will be ripped and covered in blood, to make it look like she is dead.








Props

• File full of information about patients condition of Bipolar and how he killed his wife. This is very important as it is how Damian learns the truth about what he did to his wife and the fact that he has a mental illness. 

Risk Assessment - File Room

Shooting Pack Day 5 corridor scene

Shots List

Long shot looking at wife at the end of the corridor
Over the shoulder shot of man walking towards wife with his hand out

Location

Corridor in the mental hospital where Damian will see Lily for the first time.

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Character Profiles 

Name: Damian Ross

Age: 23

Occupation: unemployed due to illness but was a ex-businessman.

Date Of Birth: 27/07/1991

Hair colour: blonde/brown

Eye Colour: blue

Mental illness: Bipolar

Costume: old clothes looks homeless.

Status: widowed

Damian is the main character that this film will revolve around. This film is about Damians life to which he doesn't know the truth about. The truth is that he has murdered his wife by beating her to death but, doesn't realise it. This makes him a widowed man who as a result of his condition is being held in a psychological home for criminals who are ill.

Before Damian killed his girlfriend Lily he was a very quirky and happy person. He liked to spend time with his family and like to take long walks through the park. On his first date with Lily he took her to a small restaurant which is where their love for each other bloomed.

Damian is a widowed man who has bipolar so is in a mental home. He has murdered his wife but doesn't realise it.
 Outfit 1)
Damian's costumes will be white or black for all the scenes where we are inside the mental hospitals. In other films where the characters are in mental asylums they wear either all white to show the clinical side or they wear white top and black trousers.

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Name: Lily Harper

Age: 20

Height: 5ft 2

Eye Colour:blue

Hair colour:blue, blonde and red

Occupation: Training to be primary school PE teacher.

Status: Dead

Date Of Birth: 04/04/1994

Date Of Death: 10/09/2014

Lily's role in our film is that she was Damians girlfriend before he murdered her by beating her to death.

She is part of what helped to bring out Damians bipolar illness as he became attached to her and wouldn't let her go see her own friends. Lily was threatening to leave Damian and that is why he killed her.

Before Lily meet Damian she was a caring and easy to be around person. She was interested in keeping fit and was at university training to become a PE teacher as she loved children.

Role: Lily's role in our film is that she was Damains wife before he murdered her.
She is his trigger into seeing what he has done as he has a mental illness of Bipolar and doesn't remember killing her.

Outfit 3) will be after she has been killed therefore these clothes will be ripped and covered in blood, to make it look like she is dead.

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Storyboard

 

Risk Assessment