Preliminary Task

Shutter Island Opening

What does the set up reveal to the audience about setting?
The scene begins with the two marshals on a ferry heading towards what we are told is an island of the coast of Boston. The ferry they are on looks old and disused which gives the impression that it is not used regularly and so emphasises the entrapment around the island. When they arrive at the facility they see barbed walls and electrified fences which makes us feel as though this is more of a prison than a treatment centre. They arrive and are told the dock is the only way on or off the island and this increases the feel of being trapped.
What does the set up reveal to the audience about characters?
When we first meet the 'legend' Teddy Daniels it is on the ferry to Shutter island where we find him with his head down the toilet and learn that he is sea sick and scared of water. This gives clues of to what happens further on into the film. We learn that Teddy's partner was recently transferred but has history within being a marshall. This is tested when they arrive at the gates to Ashcliffe and are asked to remove their weapons and he struggles to remove his, it raises suspicions as to whether he is who he says he is. From this point on you are suspicious of him throughout the rest of the scene and film.
What does the set up reveal to the audience about interrelationship between characters?
When teddy and his partner are walking through Ashcliffe, there is a patient that smiles and waves at teddy and it seems as though they have met before. This begins questions as to who she is and how could she possibly know Teddy? We also get clues throughout the opening scene as to what happened to Teddy's wife. He tells his partner that she died in a fire but from the offset the audience is questioning whether thats actually what happened and makes us suspicious as to whether there is a different reason as to why Teddy has come to Shutter island.
How does this film opening fit with the codes and conventions of Thrillers?
The opening introduces many Thriller conventions, one of which is a Femme Fatale. Teddy's wife is introduced as the Femme Fatale. Dark lighting and low set music features heavily in the opening of Shutter island to create a tense and eerie atmosphere surrounding Shutter island. The typical characters of a thriller, law enforcement, convicts and psychotic characters. The plot is typical of a Thriller with a threatening situation and a time limit onto how long they have to capture the escaped convict. There is also many red herrings and misdirection.

Final Idea.

Progress report

Initially, when we decided groups for our thriller project I volunteered to go into a group by myself. This was because there was an odd number of us and I wasn't bothered about working alone. This was until we did our preliminary task and Lennart joined the group. When we did our preliminary task I realised that it was going to be difficult to do my final thriller project alone. At the same time Lennart joined the group so now there were more people to go around. This is when Gemma volunteered to go into a group with me for our final thriller project. This was a good decision because I think I would have been stuffed alone.

Thriller Idea Feedback

Overall feedback

• The general consensus of the feedback was that our idea was too complex for an opening and would confuse the audience too much. 
• The narrative of our thriller opening had good feedback but for the time we had to fit it into would make it crammed and confusing.
•  It was also said that our idea wasn't much of an opening but more of the whole film. 
• Our idea was on the edge of being a thriller and very close to being a horror. 
• it was pointed out that there were flaws in our plot.

after our feedback we decided that we were going to change our idea all together to a less complex, more understandable and shorter.

Original Thriller Idea

Shutter Island- Set up

Shutter Island-  Set up: How is it used in this film?

What does the set up reveal to the audience about setting?

We first meet Teddy with his head down the toilet, then he walks out onto a boat which is when we first get the idea that he is in/on the way to an isolated location. We then see a shot of ‘Shutter island’ which shows the island covered in trees, with only one dock- the only way on or off the Island. This shows the audience that there is something important going on, on the island.

What does the set up reveal to the audience about characters?

Teddy Daniels is a Marshall sent to investigate/find a missing patient, this could confuse the audience as there is only one way off of the island and that was by the dock. The other characters act on edge around Teddy, the ‘legend’ as called by his new work colleague, as if they were afraid of what his actions might be. This gives the audience the idea that he is not here for the reasons he thinks he is. The police officers all had their riffles out, ready to shoot if had to be when Teddy was the very first character to be seen in the opening, which suggests he has great importance in the film, which we find out to be true throughout the film. When he first meets his colleague he addresses him as ‘the great Teddy Daniels’ this also suggests that he is an important character, that holds power, that’s takes his job very seriously.

What does the set up reveal to the audience about interrelationship between characters?

When Teddy and his partner walk through the psychiatric facility garden one patient smiled directly as teddy and waved, giving the image that they know each other, giving the question have they met before? If so where? We also do not find very much out about Teddy’s partner, only that he knows of Teddy, calling him ‘the legend Teddy Daniels’ this creates suspicion not only for the audience but it also seems as if Teddy is suspicious, how could this person that he has only just met know so much about him? Teddy tells his partner that his wife was killed in a fire; he wasn’t surprised when he found out, as if he already knew. This is important later on in the film, as Teddy has to accept what really happened to his wife, he killed her.

What is this world like?

Shutter Island gives off a very tense vibe. As if it is a very dangerous place. This is shown by the amount of police officers, guards and the way the psychiatric facility is laid out, with high walls, barbed wired fences and what looks like cages within the building. Also the way the sailor on the boat tries to usher Teddy and his partner off the boat quickly, giving off the vibe that he doesn’t want to be stuck on the island with them, especially when the storm hits. The storm could also mean that bad things are going to happen on the island, it gives off a negative view on the island when we first see it, as it is dark and shows little sign of ‘life’.

How does this film opening fit with the codes and conventions of Thriller films?

Shutter Island fits in to the thriller genre as it has some main codes and conventions that most thriller films contain. Such as a red herring. Shutter Island uses an old ‘mental’ lady that hushes Teddy, she not only looks as if she knows Teddy, but she also contains many wounds, such as a mark around her neck as if she has tried to hang herself. The audience sees this woman and instantly thinks she is a key part in the film with great significance, but in fact is just a simple red herring to put the audience off of what is really going on. Also as most other thriller films, Shutter Island has a deadline. The storm acts as a deadline, as if the Marshalls have to be off of the Island before the storm comes in, Deadlines are a common code and convention for thrillers.

Progress

So originally Charlie and I wasn't paired up together. 

There was five of us: Charlie, Robbie, Calum, Joe and I. This became a very tricky situation for us very fast, considering the maximum for a group is four.This became a big dilemma as no-one really wanted to part from the group. Charlie- being the good sport he is decided he wouldn't mind being alone.

This didn't last long when we were joined by a new student, a student that knew nobody, being nice welcoming students we befriended him, welcoming him into our group. 

Then we realised... There is too many of us again. 

This is when I decided  would man up and ask Charlie if i could join him, of course he said yes.

This means that being in a smaller group we both get more input into the ideas and planning of the project. As when filming our preliminary (which we done as a 5, half way through joined by another student so ended up being a 6) we found that not everyone got a say in things. 

Filming and editing became dominated by others. So Charlie and I decided that we would do the editing to the preliminary by ourselves, so that the two groups used the same footage but chose to do different things with it. 

In the end our Preliminary final didn't turn out the way we had expected it to, considering Charlie hasn't done media before and the last time I had was a year or so ago, we done well for a first time. 

Working with Charlie has gone off to a good start, neither of us are too domineering and neither slacking. We are both putting in as much effort into the ideas as each other, as I'm quite a quiet girl, my ideas might not have been put forward as much in a larger group. 

Charlie and I live about 2 minutes away from each other and being able to drive means that getting to locations to films or to just in general meet up and go over ideas together isn't hard for the pair of us. 

I think that in a larger group, getting everyone in the same place at the same time would be quite challenging, which is great news that there is only two of us. 

On the other hand, being a pair means that if one person cannot make the filming or editing we don't have a second opinion. Hopefully this won't cause too much trouble and we can arrange times that we can get together. 

Codes and conventions of a Thriller

Thriller Ideas

Thriller Ideas

Thriller Conventions

Narratives

• Tends to provides thrills and keeps the audience on a cliff hanger and sitting on the edge of their seats.
• Tension, threatening situations, mystery, danger, suspense, narrative retardation, plot twists, red herrings, miss direction, multiple lines of action, deadlines and enigma codes.

Themes

• Psychological mind games 
• Crime 
• Spies/ detectives
• Chase
• Suspense
• Political conspiracy
• supernatural events

Typical Characters

• Convicts
• Soldiers
• Spies
• Stalkers
• Law enforcement officers
• Criminals
• Assassins
• Psychotic characters
• Innocent citizens- get dragged into dangerous scenarios
• Morally complex characters