Textual Analysis Of Storyboard

My chosen genre for my creative project was a thriller. I chose this as I felt I could do a lot more with this chosen genre. The sub category I would put it into is a Gangster thriller. The main codes a and conventions of a Gangster thriller are building suspense in a classy yet subtle way. An example of this would be to say if someone was to be killed, it would be in a quick way such as a shooting or an explosion, this is what splits the genres of horror and thriller, as horror is normally slow and filled with more blood and gore. The main aspect of a thriller in my opinion is mystery is builds suspense and gives the audience a feeling of expectation of the film however no feeling of certainty. A good example of this is shot four this shows a phone receiving a unknown call. This adds mystery but also gives away no information about the character and adds more questions to be answered, such as the characters appearance as in the shot you can see the characters reflection in the phone but only a mere outline. Another example of this is shot seven where the same aspect is used but in a different context. The shot is symbolising the other half of the unknown phone call. Again the character is shown through the reflection of the telephone box but only a vague outline. When creating the storyboard itself we decided not to show the two main characters faces until the peak of the thriller arises i.e. the meeting. One other technique we incorporated into our story board was a Dutch tilt however we did this twice to give a better effect but raise the issue about who had more authority, both shows are done from a low angle to give the audience the impression they are being looked down on, and the figure has a high role with authority. This again works well with the costumes as it portrays the characters to be people of importance.

A shot to show verisimilitude is then brought into the storyboard as when you actually see the two main characters face to face for the first time. This is shown in shot thirteen in a high angle two shot, but still keeping the environment in the scene. As the location is quite raw and gritty showing the cities underbelly this gives the audience feeling of the situation of the meeting and how it relates to the location, they match as they are both raw and gritty. Shots fifteen, sixteen and seventeen add suspense to the scene as it shows a character gradually getting close and closer to a main character without him knowing, this add suspense to the audience as they know what is coming so it leaves them on the edge of their seats, and asking if the main character is going to realise someone is behind him. We used various props to portray one of our main characters getting attacked, such as a toy weapon, spray painted make it look as though it was a real weapon. Certain issues rose as this was filmed in a public place so we had to be careful of where the prop was seen to avoid making the public panic or worry. Therefore we decided to go to a quiet place were the public hardly go; we had to consider the same aspects when we included the balaclava as a prop. We took into account the body language and facial expression of the character in the navy suit in shot fifteen we wanted the male to have a smug and confident look in his face as he was reaching for his ‘gun’, and the body language shows he is full of confidence as his shoulders are broad to show he has no fear which connects which can tell you that the character is not used to being scared. This shot was inspired from a clip we saw in The Goodfellas which is also a gangster thriller programme.

The question of to who has the most authority is then answered in the scene as the second main character looks on as the male in the navy suit is being attacked and robbed in shot twenty- on. This is accompanied by a Dutch tilt, this actually shows the male in the black suit high on the actual frame than the male in the navy suit that is actually lower and still on the floor. This shows the male in the navy suit has been put in his place which again is a common code and convention of a Gangster thriller as two rival gangs normally are at a feud until one side is convinced forcefully of their place in the ‘food chain’.

Creative Storyboard Project.