Original Storyboard:

Re-cap: Changing of Film Title

For my own reasons, I decided to change the name of the thriller from "Snap" to "Captured". I think that Captured is a more powerful and meaningful title. It links to the capturing of Caesar in the camera of Jason Strong as well as suggesting that Caesar has been captured by Jason at the end of the opening.  Snap seemed to be too light hearted and its meaning has diminished from the original idea.

Costumes

Caesar's Costume

Caesar's costume consists of:

• Stylish White Shirt
• Black Trousers
• Black Belt with Silver Buckle
• Black Work Shoes
• White Puffy Coat

We have decided to use the shirt because if signifies that he is quite respectable along with the trousers and shoes. All of these give Caesar status. We chose the white coat because it makes Caesar stand out, it catches the audiences eyes, in the light and the dark and makes him the centre of attention. The idea of his attire to be respectable came from the character Detective Somerset from Seven, Somerset wore shirts and black trousers, common attire for a  respectable detective. Yet the puffy white coat gives Caesar a younger look about him. These ideas also came from the character Milky from This is England, Milky also wears shirts and black trousers but it gives him a different look. Not a respectable look but a casual look.

Helen's Costume

Helen's costume consists of:

• Pink Scarf
• Long Black Coat
• Black Leggings
• Black Heels

We decided to dress Helen similar to "Lisbeth Salander" because we wanted her to look dark, mysterious and perplexing. But we didn't want her to be as indiviual as "Lisbeth", we wanted her to have a stereotypical femme fatale look because she is our representation of a femme fatale. The heels are our main signifier of her being a femme fatale, they seem to be a common signifier in thriller films. The pink scarf is a signifier of feminine aspects of the character, gives her a more of an "Eve" look from Once upon a time in America.

Jason's Costume

Jason's costume consists of:

• Black T-shirt
• Camo Hoody
• Blue Jeans
• Tatty White Trainers
• Necklace with Cross Pendant

Jason's costume was established through his background, as an ex-soldier he has been fitted with a camouflage jacket to give the audience an inference into his past just as the knife does. He is also wearing a black T-shirt so that the Cross Pendant shows up easier on him. Jeans are casual attire and are also practical for the character. The tatty white trainers are also practical and casual but they also show that he is always out and about considering the condition of them. The cross necklace indicates his  strong beliefs in Christianity and shows he is a practising Christian. Jason's character links to Combo from This is England because of his beliefs and racism, but he dresses similarly to him as well as combo wears camouflage trousers.

Re-cap: Changing of Character Name

The character formerly know as David Strong has been re-named to Jason Strong. The name Jason suggests modernity and masculinity. As well as being linked to some other violent characters such as Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th and Jason Locke from Essex Boys. Both of these characters are savage,violent and aggressive just as our character.

Se7en Opening Credits Analysis and Ideas.

These are the opening credits to Se7en, this clip is inspiration to our thriller opening.

Throughout the opening there are close ups and extreme close ups of cutting, writing, sewing, reading and the developing of photos. All of these things indicate planning, suggest someone is plotting something. Some of the images that are shown are disturbing which suggest insanity or obsession. At the start the clip the murderer "John Doe" scrapes off the end of his fingers to be rid of his fingerprints, this also suggests to the audience that this is someone who is up to no good and obsessed. The music used is by Nine Inch Nails and called "Closer". The use of mechanical sounds and other instruments creates a disturbing and gritty effect. The music is enthralling and exhilarating which keeps the viewer interested. Each of the shots cut quickly between each one, this adds a pace to it and makes it more enthralling. The use of cross dissolve also adds a mysterious but smoother cut. The opening also has sections of transparency between each shot which add an interesting link.At the end of the song it makes a link to God, this creates a link between the idea of the killings( The seven deadly sins) and the song.
We based part of our thriller on this because we liked this, it fitted well with idea. The father plotting and planning against Caesar, this then creates an idea then the father is obsessive, disturbed and maybe even insane. We thought this would be a good section to get across the father's views and personality in short clips.

Music Ideas: Motion

This is our thrird music idea called Motion also made on the Reason 4 program by Solay Elibol. This piece takes ideas from Nine inch Nails who make distinctive harsh metallic sometimes clashing sounds. The piece “Something you can never have" inspired  “Motion ". A song consisting of a simple piano chord progression and synthesiser sounds to create a dark and empty feeling tune. This is relevant to our piece as we aim to make the audience feel uncomfortable and put themselves in the film and try to illustrate what they might hear. The climax is created by rising synthesiser sounds and clashy piano chords which represent mayhem.

Music Ideas: Creep

This is another music idea written by Solay Elibol on the Reason 4 program. Creep is based around a Serialist piece and closely to Stockhausen's "Zyklus" and displays  similar elements instruments to produce a mysterious feel and unnaturalness. The heavy clashy piano chords together with the harsh drums create an uneasy feel which is the approach we are heading for. There is a build up to a heavy crescendo as the climax of the film begins.

Objects: Scissors

These are the scissors used in the cutting up scenes. They are used to cut the photos up. We got the idea for that scene from the opening scene of Se7en.

Objects: Photos

These are the photographs that are going to be used in the cutting up scene with the father and the attack scene, where they are pinned to trees. These photographs are photos taken of Caesar by David Strong when he has followed him and checked where he goes and who he is. The idea of photographs came from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when "Lisbeth" photographs throughout the film.

Character Profile: David Strong

Name: David Strong
Actor: Steven Webb
Age: 45
Place of Birth: Norwich, England.
Occupation: Driving Instructor, Ex-Soldier
Ethnicity: White British
Address: 27 Birkbeck road, Norwich
Religion: Christianity









Personal Profile: 
David Strong is a dangerous man, serving the majority of his life in the armed forces, he has gained some experience in the field and is not someone to get on the wrong side of. Although David has his weaknesses, his daughter being one of them, he wants only the best for his daughter, this is why he has raised her under his strong Christian beliefs. David is a very proud man, he is excessively proud of his country being a member of the British National party, he is strict and likes to see himself as what everyone else should be. After David his wife left him, he became a forceful and negative man, this is slowly making him worse in the eyes of his daughter. David is also racist, because of his such strong beliefs he dislikes other ethnicities, since his wife had an affair with someone of another ethnicity, his dislike has become hatred.
Why have we chosen this character?

This character was chosen through influence. We were influenced by several characters from other films. "John Doe" from Se7en is one of them, this character influenced some of his personality, he is obsessive, disturbing and has huge will power. Another character that influenced his beliefs is "Combo" from This is England. "Combo" is racist and truly believes in his country and wants it to be pure. This is where the idea came from but we also added in religion because it would also add to the strength of his views.
 Both "John Doe" and "Combo" are violent, obsessive and high tempered. This is what we wanted our character to be like, but we also wanted him to have a weakness, this being his daughter and I got this idea from Red Eye, as in Red Eye the father is the daughters weakness, she is bribed through the life of her father. This is where I got the idea of his daughter being his pride and joy, the one thing he cares about deep down.
Why have we chosen this actor?
The actor is Steven Webb, my dad, he is 38 and I thought that he would be a suitable to play the role of the character. He can play the character particularly well because he is a high tempered person anyway, he can look quite scary and some people fear him, his look is perfect because it is similar to "Combo" and "John Doe".

Objects: Combat Knife

The combat knife is one of the two weapons used in the attack. We decided to use the knife because the character is an ex-soldier, this meant that the knife would be a souvenir from his old career. The knife is also a straight forward signifier of crime and murder, which is a big part of the thriller genre. 

Objects: Shovel

This is one of the murder weapons, we decided to use a shovel because it is heavy and can cause a lethal blow. Because the character Caesar is so well built, we thought that a knife wound would not be enough to cause him to pass out. So we thought the use of the shovel could take him down and knock him unconscious. It also contributes to a possible cliffhanger of Caesar being buried.(Alive or Dead) 
In the making of the film, the shovel was broken in two due in the attack scene.

Character Profile: Helen Strong

Name: Helen Strong
Actor: Sorrel Lawrence
Age: 18
Place Of Birth: Norwich, England.
Occupation:  University Student
Ethnicity: White, British.
Address: 27 Birkbeck Road, Norwich
 Religion: Christianity(Forced into it)








Personal Profile: Helen Strong is David Strong's daughter, she has lived in Norwich her whole life and been forced into following her father's beliefs and ideals. She has been rebellious ever since her mother passed away and has detested her father her whole teenage life and was scared of him when she was a child. She makes out that she follows his rules but does the complete opposite to whatever he says. The biggest rule she has broken was seeing her current boyfriend Caesar Arjana, this is because he is of a different ethnicity and grew up in the Caribbean. Helen goes to the same university as Caesar and spends as much time with him as possible without her father finding out but when her father discovers her relationship, she is oblivious to what is going to happen.
Why we have chosen this character?

This character is our femme fatale, she is inspired by "Eve" from Once Upon A Time In America and "Lisbeth Slander" from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The character is inspired by "Eve" because she acts innocent and gets caught up in the quarrel between "Noodles" and the gangsters that are after him. Just like Helen gets caught up between the hatred between her father and Caesar her boyfriend. "Eve" acts innocent and knows nothing of "Noodles" whereabouts. This is similar to the personality we were lookin to put across in our character Helen. But Helen also has been inspired by "Lisbeth Slander" from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo because she is rebelious and independant. Her appearance is greatly inspired by her as well, with dark clothing they gives a sense of mystery. "Lisbeth" is mysterious, intelligent and rebellious, this is what we our character to have aspects of.

The name Helen was influenced by the historic character "Helen of Troy" formerly known as "Helen of Sparta".  She is influenced by "Helen of Troy" because we wanted our character to be seen as beautiful, elegant but seductive. The conflict between her husband "Menelaus" and "Paris" the prince of Troy is similar to the conflict between David Strong and Caesar Arjana, it is as if Caesar Arjana is taking Helen from her father, jut as "Paris" takes "Helen of Troy" from " Menelaus".
Why we have chosen this actor?
The actor is Sorrel Lawrence, she is 16 and a member of our group. She plays the character well, she looks innocent but is really rebellious inside. This is what we wanted for the character.

Music Ideas: The Chase

This is the first song that Solay(member of my thriller group) has created using  the "Reason 4" music programme. Throughout the piece he has tried to create a walking pace with deep base sounds and drum beats. This is to represent the stalking scene in our thriller where Caesar is being followed by David Strong.The choir voices give a very heavenly atmosphere which also inter links with our religious aspects to the film. The song is based on John Murphy's "In the House in a Heartbeat" which displays similar aspects. there are three sections to the song , the opening introducing all the instruments using a build up. This creates a steady slope;the middle section braces and quietens somewhat and then leads up to the climax of crashes and explosive sounds to create drama and tension. In the same way the film over two minutes builds up to the attack on Caesar. In the way , the music complements the visuals.

Shot List

1.Long shot looking outside of window of Caesar and Helen.

2.Long shot of Caesar and Helen from opposite side of the road with David's shadow in the window behind.

3.Close up of Caesar's necklace.

4.Bird's eye view shot of photos being dropped in slow motion.

5.Extreme close up of photos.

6.Close up of table from side view and cutting of photos.

7.Long shot of couple walking down pathway.

8.Close up of puddle and their reflections.

9.Extreme close up of photo being cut.

10.Hight angle close up of father stroking his dog.

11.Mid shot of couple at the door.

12.Over the sholder shot of Caesar + Helen + David(Father)

13.Mid shot of caesar walking through woods

14.First person view of biker riding through the woods.

15.Long shot of caesar walking round corners.

16.Extreme close up of caesars face.

17.Close up of picture.

18.Close up of picture.

19.Close up of picture.

20.Mid shot from behind caesar

21. Point of view shot of photos around the woods.

22.Close up of Caesar's face.

23.Mid shot of David(father) hitting Caesar.

24.First person worm's eye view of father (Blurry)


25. Either Extreme close up of Caesar's eye opening or Caesar blacking out.

Shooting Schedule

Title: 'Snap'
Dates: Wednesday 5th January 2011, Thursday 13th January 2011,Tuesday 18th January 2011, Monday 24th January 2011 and Thursday 27th January 2011.
Time: 3:30pm
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Weather Forecast: Cloudy,Rain and a bit of sunshine.
Locations: My house, Birkbeck Road and Never-wood green woods.
Day 1: Shoot inside shots. E.g Photos being cut,stuck and written on.
Day 2: Shoot outside shots. E.g Caesar and Helen walking, Caesar being followed and the assault scene.
Day 3: Shoot All shots again for more of a variety.
Day 4 and 5: Finishing off, Redoing any shots and trying out even more shots for a wider variety for the edit.
Cast and Crew: Me(Camera Man/Director/Producer), Solay Elibol(Director/Producer), Sorrel Lawrence ( Actor-Helen Strong), Caesar Mahamba(Actor- Caesar James) and Steven Webb (Actor-David Strong)
Props/Objects: Shovel ,Scissors,Pen,Photos,Newspaper Article, and Bible.
Technical Equipment: Camera, Tripod, Torch and Lamp.

Character Profile: Caesar Arjana

Name: Caesar Arjana

Actor: Caesar Mahamba

Age: 22

Place Of Birth: Port Of Spain ,Trinidad and Tobago

Occupation: University Student

Ethnicity: Black Caribbean

Address: 67 Lakenfields, Norwich

Religion: Christianity

Personal Profile:

Caesar is a student at his local university in Norwich, he is sophisticated and well organised and takes his studies seriously because he wants to prove that coming from a poor background in the caribbean doesn't stop you from getting far in life. He moved to Norwich in 1997 , leaving his parents in Trinidad and Tobago and joining his uncle in England. He lives in a grimy,dirty area on the other side of Neverwood Green (Forest).  Caesar has strong Christian beliefs and attends church every sunday as well as seeing his girlfriend Helen Strong every Saturday and Monday. Caesar has a feeling that Helen's father David has a dislike for him but he is yet to know why.
Why we have chosen this character?
The character is influenced by "Milky" from This is England and "Detective William Somerset" from Se7en.
He is similar to both of them, sort of a mix between the two. He is sophisticated and intelligent but comes from a lower class background and lives in a run down area. "Somerset" is intelligent, well dressed and sophisticated and dislikes the area that he lives, this is very similar to our character but he has aspects of "Milky in him too; such as wanting to fit in with friends, he gets forced into matters easily and wants to be part of society. With this character we also wanted to destroy stereotypical views of his ethnicity by making him the victim, putting him in the good light and gaining the audiences sympathy and concern, just as Shane Meadows did with "Milky" and also making him look intelligent, sophisticated and concerned about his surroundings and the people around him like David Fincher did with "Detective William Somerset". We used the actors name because it symbolises his power and strength because of the reference to the Julius Caesar of Rome. His last name "Arjana" means Heaven, this is a reference to his Christian beliefs and background.
Why have we chosen this actor?
The actor is Caesar Mahamba, he is 29 and is one of my work colleagues and friends. I thought that we would be perfect for the role and the character built up around him and the ideas about "Milky" and "Somerset". Caesar resembles the character very well because he is strong and powerful but isn't aggressive and is peaceful.



Photographic Storyboard