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Todorov stated that narratives are led by events in cause of band effect format:

• The narrative starts with an equilibrium.

• An action/character disrupts the equilibrium.

• A quest to restore the equilibrium ensues.

• The narrative moves to a confrontation/climax.

• Resolution/equilibrium is restored.

I think that our thriller opening follows this. However, in our opening the first two bullet points are swapped. The narrative to our thriller opening goes straight into the disruption that causes the equilibrium to crack. We did this is because we wanted the opening to be fast paced. Although the beginning establishing shots of the woods make the mood calm and peaceful again. The viewer has just seen the newspaper which will make them curious to watch more.  It is clear that the equilibrium has been broken when the dog runs happily towards Bertie but is then frightened by what he turns into (devilish creature).

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The character Bertie fits into two of Propp's character types. One of them being the hero because he is the brave male protagonist who seeks to defeat the devil and restore the equilibrium. However, the devil inside him wants to ruin everything and go against Bertie's soul. Therefore, making the devil the villain (antagonist). Although, it could be argued that Bertie is also the antagonist because the reason the devil got a hold of Bertie's soul is because of Bertie wanting vengeance over his family’s murderer.

Another character which fits Propp's character types is the character Anna. The reason for this is because she wants to help Bertie defeat the devil, which is suggested in the song lyrics. Therefore, making her the helper.

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In our thriller opening we used mainly long shots, mid shots and close ups. The reason for this is because it was important that we showed Bertie's emotions clearly, this meant that close ups and mid shots were essential. This is a common convention in thrillers, especially when showing that a character is frightened. We used long shots to emphasize how young Bertie really is. Therefore, making the audience feel more sympathetic towards him. The couple of slow zoom ins from long to mid to close up shots also created the same effect.

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I think that we developed the usual conventions of real media products with the main score of our opening. The reason I think this is because usually thrillers have non-diegetic tense music as their background sound. However, I created a song which I wrote using the melody of the hanging tree from The Hunger Games. I thought this was a good way to challenge forms and conventions in thriller films because although the music has a steady beat which picks up/builds in places, if you listen to the words it reflects the mood that the shots give. This is mystery and suspense. Therefore, we were not going against the conventions used in real media products but developing them. Creating a new way to get the same effect the tense droning music makes in real thriller films.

Another aspect of sound we decided to add was sound effects. Sound effects are often used in real media products and create a good effect. This inspired us to use some. This is shown when the dog whines and when Bertie screams. The scream adds to the shock factor and makes it clear that something is wrong. Also with it being in sync with the footage shown (screaming towards camera with black eyes) it gives the audience the information that this film involves the supernatural.

Furthermore, we added layered voice overs of the actor saying "Please help me" at the end of the opening to create an effect of trepidation for the audience. The reason for this is because the audience will be worried about the boy and fear that something bad is going to happen to him. Voice overs are often used in media products so the audience know what a character is thinking.

We also used diegetic sound at the end of our thriller with the birds singing. The reason that we used it rather than muting the clip is because birds symbolize freedom. This is the one thing the character Bertie does not have. Therefore, showing that although Bertie no longer has a family to restrain him, he was freer with them than he will ever be with the devil. Tragically, due to Bertie being possessed by the devil he has isolated himself and is no longer the happy young boy he was. Making the sound of the birds ironic.

Also, the birds bring atmosphere to the shot making things both tranquil and scary. The reason for this is because the birds are unaware of the happenings around them, while the audience has just witnessed it all. This makes the general mood of the opening end on an eerie note.

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The reason that we chose to do our thriller in the woods is because it has connotations of isolation and loneliness which links into our thriller nicely.

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There are editing techniques used in our thriller opening that our quite common. For example, ghosting. This is when you overlap footage. I added this effect because I thought it would be an excellent way to make Bertie's mental instability visibly clear to the audience. But it also creates an unsettling feeling. This effect is used typically in thrillers to show hallucinations or a person who may have been drugged. However, we developed this convention by using it to show Bertie's inner battle with the devil.

As mentioned in the box about my inspiration for our thriller, we also added white flashing to our opening. This is when you add a layer of white under the footage that then creates a flashing effect. The reason, we wanted to use this is because it makes the shots cut quickly to one another. To keep this fast pace we also edited the speed of the go-pro running footage so it would be faster. The reason for this is because we wanted to keep the audience engaged throughout. But also keep the fast pace which is typical in thrillers. Therefore, we do use typical conventions of real media products in our thriller. However, this is not a bad thing because this genre would not suit the slow style of film with long duration shots because it would seem boring. While going for the quick paced style of film keeps the tension high and the audience’s attention.

Finally, I decided to add something that would show Bertie when the devil is fully in control. Therefore, I decided to edit the part when Bertie screams towards the camera so he transforms into a devilish creature. This is commonly used convention in films involving a person who is possessed or it acting out of the norm. For example. in Lord of the Rings when Bilbo Baggins becomes obsessed with the ring making his evil side come through.

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Research I did and how it built on my aims for our thriller:

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Research I did and how it built on my aims for our thriller:

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Before we began filming our opening I thought it would be a good idea to get some inspiration. Therefore, I decided to watch The Blair Witch Project. I also watched the opening of Se7en .

Inspiration from this film:

My idea of doing the POV shot using the go-pro came from The Blair Witch Project. The Blair Witch Project used a hand held camera throughout making the film seem more realistic but also heightened the tension. Although the go-pro shot is obviously not the same as doing a shot using a hand held camera, it created a similar effect. The effect which I wanted to create was Bertie's panic of seeing a person he used to know and not wanting to be seen by her. I think if we had done it in third person perspective it would not of put this across as clearly.

Secondly, I finalised my idea of setting our film in the woods from The Blair Woods Project. The reason I came to this conclusion is because woods have connotations of loneliness and isolation. This links to our thriller because when Bertie is in control of his body he means no harm. Therefore, by isolating himself  in the woods from the outside world he can keep everyone in his community safe from himself. However, this causes him great loneliness.

Finally, the editing in the Se7en opening is what inspired me to do the white flashes in our opening. The reason for this is because I thought that it created a dramatic effect and make the pace of our opening seem quite quick. However, it does not cause the audience to get confused to what is happening.