Shot List

      1)  Tracking shot of car pulling up

       2) Wide shot of detectives waiting outside the scene, this will be boarded up.

       3) Wide shot of detective.

       4) Close up of him looking at his watch.

       5) Close up of his face.

       6) Cut to mise-en-scene

       7) Tracking shot of detective approaching the body (only witness, ambigious if he is dead or alive).

      8) Close up of the victims face

        9) Tracking shot from the victims face to the area of incision (ie: knife in the back of their head).

     10) Low angle shot of detective preparing himself with the blurred view of the dead body.

     11) Cut to wide shot of other detectives

     12) Close up of knife, to reveal clues/suspense.

     13) Over the shoulder shot of the dead body to view the bodies perspective.

     14) Cuts to the viewpoint (ie; cupboard of drugs).

     15) Wide shot of detective approaching the viewpoint (ie: cupboard of drugs)

     16) Tracking shot of detective leaving the scene.

Costumes

For our two detectives, we wanted to convey a classic, conservative, Eastern European winter style.  For this purpose, we wanted them to wear black trenches, boots, smart beige trousers, scarves, gloves and hats.  The main detective (played by Simon) would wear a tie to signify that he is in charge, he is the professional.  The assistant (played by Charlie) would not wear a tie to reinforce his youthfulness.

Here are a few screen grabs of the costumes we want them to wear.  We can source them from the costume department at school, as well as the personal closets of the actors (for gloves, boots, trousers and shirts) however if we were to purchase them online, these are the ones we would choose.  

The dead body would probably be wearing a thick sweater and some jeans, casual and indicative of his submission to a higher crime boss.

Props List

1. Prop knife

        This medium handheld knife needs to be able to be easily attached to the back of someone's head/neck area.  We will need to purchase it online or in a prop store.  We will make it look like a realistic stabbing by adding makeup/fake blood to the back of the actors head. 

2. Clutter/paraphernalia

     The clutter, already located inside the shipping container, sets the scene for a drug-dealer's hide-out.

3. Clipboard and pen

      These props will be held by Charlie (playing the detective's assistant) to signify that he is there as an intern/assistant.  It also shows Simon (playing main detective) to be experienced and in control.  These have both been sourced from the media office.

4. Car

     The car is needed for when the detectives pull up and leave the scene.  We have arranged to  borrow it from one of the teachers.  

5. Tweezers, duct tape and note

     We have decided that the killer will leave a note in the body's mouth, under the duct tape.  The tweezers will be used by Charlie to remove the note and read it, keeping it for evidence.  The tape is available at school, as is the paper for the note, and the tweezers will be borrowed for the day from the nurses' office.

6. Armchair and tarpaulin

     This is where the dead body will sit, hidden underneath the tarpaulin.  There is a ready tarpaulin in the shipping container, and the armchair we are borrowing from the studio.  

 7. Red paint/fake blood

     The red paint will be used for the killer to put his bloody handprint on the wall, however might be changed to fake blood for a more realistic texture and colour.  The paint AND blood have already been sourced from the theatre department.

Casting List

Simon Wood : This is our main character, the detective.  He is an Eastern-European (specifically Latvian) early-middle aged adult, the same heritage of our protagonist.  His style is classical and indicative of detective status.   This stylish, aware appearance (as well as majority of screen time) conveys him to be the protagonist, the one that the audience sympathises with, as well as targeting the male audience, specifically the middle-aged to older males (as someone to relate to).   In addition to this, he is an experienced actor, acting mainly in short, low-budget thrillers such as ours.






Charlie Farish : Farish plays the detective's assistant/intern.  He is young, but looks mature (older than a teenager).  In addition to his youth, he is of Pakistani heritage, which helps us to represent the ethnicity in a positive way, as he is the assistant to the detective (protagonist).  He is a well-groomed young adult, which reflects positively with the market research (audiences preferring to see visually appealing people on-screen).  In addition, it will target the female audience (attractive young male), more than anything else in the thriller.  He is a moderately experienced actor as well.

Archie Clark : Dead body.  He is the ideal dead body because he is also of European heritage, keeping with the setting of the film and representing (with Simon) the more common ethnicity.  In addition, it subverts the stereotype of minority ethnic groups being associated with crime.  He is able to withstand the cold filming conditions outside in the shipping container and in the snow.  Archie is old-enough looking to be the sidekick or goon of the man who supposedly kills him, his boss.

"Yes sir." - Thriller Script

For our thriller, we will not be having a very long script, just the detective (Simon) making a few observations.  We may not use the dialogue in our actual thriller, but have ambient sounds or a soundtrack over it.

Here's a possible script if we were to use one:

[in the car]
ASSISTANT: "Is this it?"
DETECTIVE: "Here it is."
ASSISTANT: "Okay let's go."

[outside of the container]
DETECTIVE: "Pull the lever, open it up."
ASSISTANT: "Yes sir."

[inside the container]
DETECTIVE: "Interesting. You see the handprint?"
[pause, then looking at body]
DETECTIVE: "You want to be a detective, so detect.  Open the mouth. I think you find a note inside."
ASSISTANT: "Yes sir."

[detective walks out of container while assistant is still opening note]
DETECTIVE: "Does it mention dancing horses?"
[assistant opens message to find it reads 'Bring on the dancing horses.']

[back in the car]
DETECTIVE: "What took you so long?"
ASSISTANT: "I was looking at the body for the case."
DETECTIVE: "It's solved."
ASSISTANT: "How did you know about the note?"
DETECTIVE: "I know about the note. We go capture the killer now."
ASSISTANT: "Yes sir."
[they drive off]

Sound

The sound in our thriller will be emphasised, with all sounds being louder than normal in order to build tension.  These sounds will be accompanied by a beat (non-diegetic) in the background.  This beat will be synchronous to the action sequence.  This will help to build tension and suspense as well.  We will add it in and experiment with it during editing.

We came to this conclusion by watching some of last-years thrillers, for example "Delusion".  We also drew inspiration from the action sequence in "Hanna".

Photos of our Shots

Here we have some shots we took on shoot day, and the order we might use them in!  (All ordering subject to change)

Car pulling up the drive (unsuccessfully, we were not able to use this shot)

Detectives driving to the crime scene

Backseat shot of their conversation

Inside of container after blackout from car doors shutting

Establishing shot of container

View from the outside, establishing again

Body under the tarp

Flashback, body is about to be killed

Detective finds the bloody handprint

Bloody handprint

Assistant finds note in body's mouth, searching for more clues

Flashback of body being covered/killed

Locations and Set

Opening the Shipping Crate

Our thriller will be shot in the shipping containers outside of the studio, as well as the road leading up to it. The road leading up to it is where the car will drive up, stopping next to the shipping container, the scene of the crime being inside (see storyboard for more details!).  The shipping container, as well as the rock/chicken wire wall will help build the industrial feel, creating a setting that is ordinary but at the same time where a lot of crime has be known to have happened.  The mystery of what happened inside a shipping container will build suspense.

We will have to clean out some of the stuff from the inside in order to fit the actors and equipment in it, which will not be an issue.  The messiness of the container is adding to the mood.  Here are some photos of the inside of the container:

Paraphernalia

Inside of Shipping Container

Inside of Container

Interior of container

Closing the container

Driveway

Industrial looking rocks

Looking in on the clutter

Tables and other Paraphernalia

Why A Shipping Container?

We were inspired by the industrial imagery that a shipping container manifests.  A shipping container can have many stories behind it. Where has it been? What's inside of it? Who's is it?  Additionally, it was a natural set, so no building was required.  We were on-location instead of filming in the studio. 


For example, in the film "Hanna", when she is being chased by the assassins, she is stuck in a maze of shipping containers.  This brings tension to the film, as it is more of a trap.  It's a mystery what's contained in them too. What if they were to explode?


Or, in "Dexter", when he is snooping around the port looking for 'clues'...
The fight scene makes us imagine that whomever loses the fight will end up being hidden in one of the many shipping containers.  The fact that he is looking for a body in the shipyard also manifests some anticipation. 





In conclusion, a shipping container is a less-common setting for creating tension and industrialism.  It can symbolize secrets, which in turn creates suspense and anticipation. 

Storyboard

0:00 - 0:07
Tracking medium shot of car pulling up

0:07 - 0:30
Wide shot of detective and intern outside of the shipping container, opening it

0:30 - 0:34
Close-up of door opening

0:34 - 0:40
Wide shot of detective entering the shipping container

0:40 - 0:43
Close-up of detective looking at watch

0:43 - 0:47
Close-up of detective's face, serious

0:47 - 0:53
Wide establishing shot of shipping container interior

0:53 - 1:00
Tracking shot of detective approaching the body (ambiguous whether he is dead of alive)

1:00 - 1:04
Extreme close-up of victim's face

1:04 - 1:09
Tracking/pan shot from victim's face to the knife at the back of his head (close-up)

1:09 - 1:13
Low angle shot of detective preparing his notes with body unfocussed in the background

1:13 - 1:16
Wide shot of intern, detective and the rest of the shipping container (re-establishing shot)

1:16 - 1:20
Extreme close-up of knife wound

1:20 - 1:25
Focussing and unfocussing over-the-shoulder shot from dead body's perspective

1:25 - 1:29
Close-up of detective's face, satisfied

1:29 - 1:34
Wide shot of detective leaving scene

1:34 - 1:38
Mid-shot of door closing

1:38 - 1:40
Fade out

** Storyboard is subject to change **

** Credits will be either alternating with the scenes, or all at the end, whichever turns out to be more suitable **