Practice Shots

To practice for filming i decided to practice capturing different shot types and angles specific to the thriller genre, including within it the typical villain makeup i learnt from my makeup research.

Extreme close up:
Extreme close ups are often used to create dramatic effect by creating a reaction shot. They often show a characters eyes (typically the hero/victim) looking at something beyond the camera that they are clearly scared of. This builds tension to the audience as they are apprehensive to see what it is that is causing the characters fear.

Close up:

Close ups can be similar to an extreme close up but allow the viewer to see more than just the eyes. It means they can see their whole facial expression so is often used for happier emotions as the mouth can also be seen.

Head and shoulder:

A head and shoulder shot allows the audience not only to see the characters facial expression but aspects of the miss en scene around them and their stance. Therefore, this shot is often used to show a characters emotions in relations to their surroundings. 

Mid shot:

A mid shot can be used to create emphasis on a certain part of a frame depending on its position within it. It can also be used to show a lack of trust between the audience and a character as they are not close enough to them to know them intimately.

Long shots:

Long shots can consist of one person or more (a two shot etc) to show the audience the location and what the miss en scene around them consists of.

Low angle:

A low angle shot is typically used on the villain in the thriller genre to represent them as being more powerful and threatening. This highlights to the audience that the character in the shot is usually the villain as they are the bigger and more prominent presence.

High angle:

This shot is usually used on the hero or the victim as it represents them as being small and powerless. It highlights to the viewer how vulnerable they are as they have a smaller influence at that moment.

Birds eye view:

A birds eye view shot is often used when a character, usually the hero or victim, is in an isolated location. It shows the viewer how small they are in comparison to their surroundings and can highlight how helpless they are. 

Shallow focus:

This can be used to show the viewer what is in the foreground of a shot whilst also creating an enigma around what is in the background. This shot will often be  used to put the victim out of focus in the foreground but the villain in focus behind the victim in the background to show the villain is stalking or creeping up on the victim.

Deep focus:

This shot is often used to show the villains perspective whilst stalking or creeping up on on a hero or villain. The villain will often be out of focus in the foreground and the hero or victim in focus in the background.

Establishing shots:

Establishing shots are often used to set the scene and location of a thriller film. They often consist of abandoned looking houses and isolated locations that foreshadow there will be typical narrative events taking place here (eg. murder/stalking) meaning no one is around to witness them.

How this has helped me:
Researching the representation behind different shot types has helped me think about the shot types I will include in my section of the opening sequence. For example, it has made me consider how the audience should relate to each character. I could use close ups to represent that the audience think they know a character well. However,er I could then gradually introduce more long shots to create enigma around the fact that the audience originally thought they knew the characters well but now more is being revealed, its not what they originally expected. It has also given me more experience in framing and composition within a shot and how to position a character to make them seem more threatening or vulnerable.