Evaluation

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge the forms and conventions of real media products?
Our film includes a number of forms and conventions typical of the thriller genre. Most thrillers rely heavily on music, hoping it will create the perfect dramatic soundtrack and reinforce what they are trying to convey (for example, a crescendo may be used at a pivotal moment.) I think we used music to a good effect, especially to create tension and a suspenseful atmosphere during the chase and discovery sequences. We also conformed to the conventions of the thriller by choosing not to reveal the indentity of the killer. In most thrillers, this is usually one of the last mysteries to be revealed, having led the audience through a number of twists and turns and eventually shocking them at the end by revealing a villian completely different to the person they suspected. By concealing the murderer, we created a feeling of suspense and left scope for it to be maintained throughout the rest of the film. However, where our film challenges the conventions of real thriller films is the contrast between the comparitively relaxed opening and the following chase scene. The shots of scenery and the voice-over talking about the small-town do not throw the audience directly into the action as with most thrillers, they settle them.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In terms of character, I feel our film represents two particular groups. The opening voiceover implies a young woman, who happens to be old before her time. She talks about a town which is classed as 'dead' and seems wise to everything that is going on. The town in question is said to have an aging population where the residents are 'hard-working, honest and religious'. This social group of people is very easy to conjure an image of in your mind, and the audience will feel that they are good people who don't deserve to live in a town so plagued by disapperences. Our film also represents teenagers. Although the media nowadays tends to portray the younger generation as living crazy lifestyles, spending time drinking and partying, our film shows how vulnerable teenage girls especially can be.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
A film institution such as film4 would be best to distribute our product. They are a British company, famous for creating films using British money, directors and actors, which our film has done too. They responsible for gritty down-to-earth films such as 'This is England' and 'Slumdog Millionaire'. They don't rely on explosions and special effects as Hollywood produced films tend to do and work more on creating an air of realism - something we have tried to achieve in our media product. Film4 is assured as the best choice as most of its films are aimed at the younger generation - like ours is. Its films are shown both on its tv channel and in the cinema, making them very accessable for teenagers and young adults.

How did you attract/address your audience?
We aimed to attract our audience by contrasting the initial and fairly relaxed voiceover and scenery shots with the cut to a chase sequence. Just when the audience are settled we aimed to throw them into the action and hook them so they will want to continue to watching the rest of the film. Our film approaches a mature subject matter, hence attracting older teenagers and young adults.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of contructing this product?
I have learnt a lot about the technologies used in physically contructing a media product, in this case a film. Whilst filming I have learnt how to use a camera to its best effect and how to frame shots to portray what I wanted. I have also learnt how to take advantage of equipment such as the tripod for steady filming. Before I entered into the process of making this film, I was not aware of how much work went into the editing. This occupied my group and I for the bulk of the time we had to construct our film, and left us with knowledge of the program iMovie and some of the effects it can provide you with - slow motion, fade in, fade out and the 'dream' effect we used on the scenery shots at the beginning. I now have a good knowledge of how to edit a film, how to import music from iTunes, how to add text, how to record a voiceover and import it into the film, how to burn the film onto a disk and export the finished piece to Youtube.
I have also learnt how important new technologies such as the internet are to film-makers. Youtube especially is a brilliant platform to get your film seen by a wide audience, it is extremely simple to upload a clip onto it, and it is effectively free publicity. Many feature films have their trailers uploaded onto Youtube to generate a word-of-mouth campaign and make sure that as many people as possible hear about the film. Facebook was also a website that helped us in the process of making our product, we posted our thriller on the social networking site to gain feedback and it made our film even more accessable - there are always large numbers of people on Facebook at any one time. This did make me aware of the damages piracy causes, especially to independent film companies, as it is so easy to put films onto sites such as Youtube.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you think you have learnt in the progression from it to you full product?
One of the key things I have learnt since filming our preliminary task is not to make any amateur mistakes. In one scene during our continuity piece, there is what is clearly a thumb in the corner of the screen. Our awareness of ourselves around the camera has improved greatly. My understanding of technology has hugely improved since the first task, I feel much more confident using iMovie and editing a film to convey different atmospheres. I also have a greater knowledge of camera shots and different cuts and how to use them to to their full effect. In our first task we attempted using quick cuts to create a building sense of tension - something we carried into the full product. In the final film I feel the cuts worked better as they seemed a lot smoother, the shots were all framed better and a lot more thought was put into the planning and filming of them.

Our finished piece!

Here is our finished thriller opening entitled 'The Forgotton'.




We posted our video on to Youtube for two reasons, one, so we could easily post it onto the blog and two, in the hope of generating feedback. However, none was received, possibly due to the sheer amount of films on the site. We then posted it to Facebook as it would be more accessable this way (it would appear on everyone's 'news feed' so at the click of one button they would be watching our piece.) We requested any type of feedback, praise, suggestions and criticisms. Here are some quotes of feedback that we recieved...

"Really good use of different shots/camera angles. Creates a good effect."

"The music in your piece is brilliant, and I think you've done a good job of creating a continuous feeling of suspense."

"I really enjoyed your film. I thought your title sequence (splitting up the action) is very effective and makes it look professional."

"Really well done! I think you've edited it very well, especially the murder. I would actually buy this film!"

"This had everything which makes me not want to watch a thriller...spooky backdrop, clues to sinister events, a struggle for survival (futile) and a gruesome discovery. It's the suspense and shocks which I can't cope with and this introduction would have me seriously worried about the horrid events to follow...it's back to Disney for me, I'm afraid !"

"I know how much hard work they put in whilst filming and planning for this and i think it has paid off. I especially like how the costume is realistic. Well done!"

We were very grateful for the praise we received, especially regarding how we chose to edit our piece.

Music

As music is crucial in creating an atmosphere to any film, we spent many an hour trying to find the perfect soundtrack. Ideally, we wanted instrumental, copyright free tracks, but this meant that our search was severely limited.

To accompany the voiceover and shots of scenery at the beginning we decided on Everything is Broken - Bob Dylan. It involved us cutting up the song so it was purely instrumental; words in the song probably would have become confusing given that it was to be played in the background of a voiceover.

For the chase sequence, we wanted something that sounded dark and dramatic. We found that Cthlu Thlu - Caravan fitted perfectly. It has an ominous tone to it and the timing seemed to work out even better then we anticipated. For example after the quiet and eerie start of the song, the guitar kicks in just as the victim reaches a tree to pause and look over her shoulder. This makes for, what we felt, was a striking moment within our piece. Also, during the murder sequence, the victim's foot conveniently twitches in time to the words 'no, no, no' in the song.

We wanted something subtle to act as background music for when the two hikers discover the body, as thrillers are rarely absent a soundtrack especially during pivotal moments such as bodies being found. Maroon 5 -Secret has an introduction that lasts 1minute and 40 seconds, the first 48 seconds of which is purely high-pitched, haunting notes that are held for a long time and overlap each other. It created exactly the atmosphere we wanted.

Stills from filming

Here are some stills we took on location on the day of filming...

New storyboard

As our location change resulted in a plot change, another storyboard was necessary.

The general plot of the film is one centered around a chase sequence. We will begin by showing four or five establishing shots of the woods. These will be accompanied by a voiceover telling of the narrator's town, the woods and suggesting all is not what it seems in the supposedly sleepy town. The action begins with the victim running down a hill in an area of harsh woodland. Eventually she falls, and whilst on the ground she is strangled by the murderer - the identity of whom will remain anonymous. The victim struggles but after a while her legs stop moving and her hand falls to the floor, showing the audience that she is clearly dead. Next, two hikers appear over the hill, talking casually. One drops a hiking pole and during the process of retrieving it, sees the body lying at the bottom of the hill. The hikers both rush to the body suggesting calling an ambulance and attempting to find a pulse. Their attempt is unsuccessful.

We have planned to include a variety of camera shots and angles, such as establishing, tracking, tilt, long, and medium shots, as well as close ups. We have also planned to utilise the slow motion effect in two places throughout the film.

Voiceover planning

Our inspiration for the voice-over came primarily from 'No Country for Old Men'. This film captures the rustic, neutral setting that we wanted to convey in our piece, and the voice-over combined with shots of the barren wasteland reinforce this. Whilst watching this opening it became clear that we all admired the way in which such a simple opening captured the audience's attention so well. No gimmicks are used, not even music, just a sombre tone and a powerful monologue. As our location, Cannock Chase, is not as aesthetically striking as the vast American plains shows in 'No Country' we decided that music in the background would benefit us. It could also aid us in helping set the unthreatening tone we required in the first few moments of our film, to create a greater contrast with the chase scene and the dark music used in it.



In our voiceover, we wanted to give an introduction to the town and set the scene a little bit. We knew that we wanted to give an impression of a small, rural town, unremarkable except for frequent disappearances.

Narrator: I've lived in this town my whole life, which is surprising because people don’t usually last that long. No-one stays. This town makes a nice stop for travellers who, true to their name, travel on. This town is dead. Nothing seems to go on here except...people disappear. You get used to it after a while. Most of them are never found. Beyond the town is Morse Woods and I figure that if you were going to be found, you'd be found in there. The few people who do stay here are hard-working, honest and religious. Even so, they've seen their fair share of murder.
*first scene of our thriller opening plays, ends with the victim lying dead on the ground*
Like I said...their fair share of murder.

Costume Sketches

These are sketches of the costumes that will be worn by the characters. The main girl will be dressed in jeans, a black vest top, a grey hoodie and a black leather jacket. These are very casual, non-descript clothes that are quite implacable and don't suggset too much about the character or setting. This allows the audience to completely focus on the murder, and also implies that any ordinary person could be the victim, creating an uneasy and unsettling feeling amongst the audience.

The hikers will be wearing typical hiking attire, waterproofs, fleeces, combat trousers, hiking socks and hiking boots to make them look as authentic as possible.

Further planning

This is an example of further planning of our thriller opening. We considered options such as a non-digetic voice over to begin our piece and set the scene. It will provide a short description of the town and expand to talk about the forest (the setting for our scene) and supply any other details the audience may find relevant. Also on this sheet we planned out the costumes for the characters, and a list of props and equipment we will need on the day of filming. This list comprised of

• white powder to make the victim look dead
• red lipliner and blusher to create a strangulation mark
• hiking poles
• crime scene tape *
• white sheet *
• camera and tripod
• holly's camera
• voice recording device *

* revised, and not needed. We were thinking about adding a third scene to our piece where a detective investigating the case is taking photos and examining the body and utilising the crime scene tape, white sheet to cover the body and a voice recorder. We later deemed this scene unnecessary as we felt that the two scenes we already had were enough to create an effective opening to a thriller.

Relocation

Here are some stills of our new location. We came across a steep hill which will provide a striking image and hopefully make for a dramatic chase sequence. The dense trees eliminate any suggestion of a time period and create an air of mystery. It seems our setting change could possibly work out for the better?

PROBLEM!

We have encountered a setback in our planning - the cornfield we were going to use has been completely ploughed and reduced to a field of what is effectively - soil. This does not have quite the same effect as the corn did, so we have chosen to relocate our thriller opening to Cannock Chase, a woodland area nearby. As some areas of Cannock Chase are closely packed trees, it can be made to seem a very dark and eerie enviroment, which we think will work just as effectively as the cornfield would have done.

The plot of our scene has had to be altered slightly to allow for the location change.

• Our victim will now be running through a forest amongst the trees before she falls over and presents the opportunity for her persuer to catch up and strangle her.
• The body will now be found by two hikers, as this fits with the setting.

This is the plan of our adjusted film.

Storyboard

This is the storyboard I have drawn up; it is a more specific plan of our scene. It has helped us to map out and time the camera shots, and also means we have a definite plan to stick to when we come to shoot our film.

Location scouting / walk-through

This is a sequence of stills from our 'location scouting' which, as you can see, turned into an informal run through of our opening scene. Maybe with just one look we realised that empty cornfields = dramatic murder, who knows, but the fact of that matter was that we decided straight away we wanted to use the field. A flaw in our plan was that on one side of the field is a very modern looking housing estate - a slight departure from the timeless, neutral feel we were hoping to acheive - so this run through also served the purpose of working out how best to avoid the estate sneaking into shot. We hope to film at dusk as this will create more tension than this unusually bright, sunny day did.

This is the alley way that leads into the field. We thought that it would look especially menacing at night, and that the main character could walk down it into the field oblivious to the murderer lurking in the shadows behind her.

Our victim would then proceed to walk accross the field. A panning shot would be used.

The victim, having become unnerved and suspicious she is being followed turns and looks over her shoulder. The camera would follow her head as it turns around and the killer would be then seen in the background silhouetted against a tree. (The details of this shot are not finalised as of yet.)

Quick cuts will then be used between the victim approaching the tree...




...and the murderer, here preparing an invisible piece of rope to use as a weapon.




The cuts quicken as the victim gets closer.




The murderer appears silhouetted/half in shadow. This is when the murder will then be committed, drawing inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' whereby no explicit violence is shown but fast cuts are utilised to give an impression of panic.


We will then cut to a long shot of the field. The next scene will start with the same long shot, only at a different time of day to show the time lapse and differentiation between the scenes. Originally, we contemplated a shot where the sky is filmed overnight and then sped up so the shot lasts a few seconds to show the time passing, but the technical and logistical issues with this meant that it was an unrealistic idea.

'Psycho' analysis

The 'shower scene' in 'Psycho' is one of the most iconic moments in cinematic history. Whilst viewing it I found it especially interesting how despite portraying a brutal attack, Hitchcock does it without actually showing any explicit violence. Quick cuts are utilised to their best effect and this combined with close ups and shadows delivers a realistic and scary murder scene. We are planning on including a murder scene in our thriller opening,so we will be taking notice of this technique; I think that if we try and explicitly show a murder taking place our film may end up looking too amateur.

Initial ideas

This is our first mind map of ideas for our thriller opening. To produce this we remembered the conventions of a thriller that we had researched (violence, suspense, action sequences, an unusual setting, ordinary characters in extraordinary situations) and brainstormed for some potential plots. Some were developed more than others, and through discussion we arrived at the idea of a chase sequence.

We especially drew inspiration from 'No Country For Old Men'. The idea of a countryside setting proved both appealing and accessable, and the neutral background, costume and props was especially interesting to us as a group.

Scene 1 - Our main character would be stalked through a cornfield - possibly at dusk for a more dramatic feel. The killer would be shown subtly, either silhouetted or in shadow. The main character would then be strangled.

Scene 2 - The next day. The main character would be found by a girl merrily roaming through the field.

Film Classifications

The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification, and is responsible for classifiying cinema films to advise the public wether a not a film is suitable for their viewing.

U - films given a U rating must be suitable for children over the age of 4, they must contain a 'positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counter-balances to any violence, threat and horror.'

PG - PG stands for 'parental guidence' and should not disturb any child aged 8 or over. However, some scenes may be unsuitable for young children - parents should use their discretion as to wether or not they allow their child to watch it unaccompanied. Mild bad language is accepted in a PG film, as are mild sex references and moderate violence, but frightening sequences may not be prolonged or intense.

12A - This is a cinema classification only, no-one younger than 12 can watch a 12A classified film unless accompanied by an adult. Discrimination may not be included unless it is being clearly condemned, drug use should not be glamourised, moderate horror is permitted as long as it is not sustained, moderate language is allowed, as are discreet sex references and mature themes - as long as they are portrayed in a way acceptable for young teenagers.

12 - The same criteria exists in classifying a 12 film as with a 12A film, however the 12 classification is used only for video and dvd works.

15 - Children under 15 may not watch or buy a film with a 15 rating. Drug taking may be shown as long as the film does not promote misuse, strong horror may be used, strong language is justifiable based on the context, sexual activity may be shown without strong detail, no theme is prohibited and violence may be strong.

18 - An 18 film does not prohibite many elements on the basis that adults are at liberty to choose their own entertainment. The only exceptions are where there are explicit sexual images not justifiable by context, or where the material risks harm to individuals or society .

R18 - R18 films are only to be shown in specialised cinemas or liscened sex shops and may not be supplied via mail order. Any content is permitted except that which may encourage sexually abusive and illegal behaviour such as paedophilia or rape.

Information courtesy of http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

Most thriller films tend to fall into the category of 12, 15 and 18 classifications, as use of violence, bad language, adult themes and suspense and tension are almost always included. Category '15' is often the most desirable rating for film companies especially when making a thriller, as this means their film can reach a very audience without having to compromise on the content. In our thriller we are keen to include the conventional elements such as violence and suspenseful sequences, maybe not in the opening but definitely in the rest of the film if we were to make it. Therefore, we are aiming to make a film that would be given a rating of '15'.

This is the opening to 1995 thriller 'Se7en'; I think it is particularly effective. The use of extreme close ups, quick cuts, odd camera angles (for example, one shot is upside down) and some out-of-focus shots all create a dramatic feel and heighten tension right from the very start - the quick cuts directly contrasting with the slow deliberate movements of the person featured also help this. As is typical with thrillers, the colours in the sequence are kept dark with mainly blacks and browns being used and the use of shadow is prominent. The effect of this is that the film exudes mystery and suspense with the audience already hooked and wanting to know more. A lot of the shots overlap, with images and text being super-imposed on top of each other, sometimes there are two seperate shots on the screen at one time and sometimes there are flashes of scribblings and text too quick for the audience to fully read. This implies that there is a lot more to know with this film and that hidden meanings and many layers are going to be used. The music used is very sombre and dark, with echoing, industrial sounds built into it. It sounds ominous and heightens the tension. As the content itself is not that scary, the music plays a huge part in making the scene seem it. For my thriller, I will really have to consider how music can change the mood of the scene.

'Taking Lives' analysis

After watching 2004 thriller 'Taking Lives', I decided to write an analysis aiming to reach a conclusion as to wether it conformed to or subverted the typical conventions of a thriller.

In what ways does ‘Taking Lives’ conform to or subvert what you consider the conventions of the thriller genre?

Each genre of film has its own set of techniques and elements that define it. Films classed at thrillers generally make use of things like suspense, complicated storylines usually with many twists and character driven action sequences. The film Taking Lives features some typical thriller characteristics, but rejects others.

The storyline of Taking Lives is one you would expect from a thriller. The basic overview is that there are a series of murders and the detective is trying to track down the killer. Special agent Illeana Scott uncovers various clues and becomes closer to solving the identity of the killer. There are various twists, turns and red herrings along the way designed to keep the audience guessing, as is usually the case with this genre. Near the end of the film, Costa (who was previously believed to be a witness, a love interest and the next victim) is revealed as the killer, but just as the audience have got over that shock, at the very end of the film another twist follows. Illeana is seen to be living in a remote house, and it also pregnant. Costa tracks her down and they fight in the house, culminating in him stabbing her in the stomach. Illeana then stabs him back, whilst telling him she wasn’t really pregnant and it was a trap devised to catch him. This twist at the very end when the audience think the film is over is used in many thrillers, for example The Usual Suspects where Verbal Kint is shown to be Kaiser Sosay and Layer Cake where Daniel Craig is shot in the last few seconds of the film.

Taking Lives is full of tension and suspense. A particular scene that exemplifies this is when Illeana Scott is walking around the killer’s old bedroom. Dramatic music is used, the room is dark and Scott is slowly walking around it on her own. Suddenly the killer grabs her from under the bed accompanied by an increase in the music’s volume and tempo, and runs out of the room before the audience or Illeana can see his face. This makes the audience jump, even though the built up tension means they were expecting it. The use of suspense shows Taking Lives conforming to the conventions of this genre.

This film is very character driven, as usual with thrillers. The protagonist, Illeana Scott starts off in a normal situation – working as a special agent and doing her every day job. As the plot thickens she becomes part of a situation that is extraordinary even for a special agent, she becomes romantically involved with a suspect who turns out to be the murder and almost becomes a victim before becoming a murderer herself. However this act of murdering Costa symbolises her life becoming ordinary again, as the audience gain a sense that things can now go back to normal and Illeana can have her life back. Films in the thriller genre often follow this structure, with a character starting and ending with a normal life and a problem being encountered in the middle. This film also follows the idea that the hero is usually someone in a dangerous job such as a police officer, spy, assassin etc, and in this case Angelina Jolie plays a Special Agent. The film ‘Taken’ is one of many that follow these elements, the family start of living quite normally - although the dad is a retired spy – before the daughter is kidnapped. The bulk of the film is taken up with the dad trying to track down his daughter, and at the end he succeeds and normality is restored.

However not all elements of Taking Lives follow the conventions of the thriller genre. The genre typically includes violence, either for the shock value or to tell the story. On first viewing you may think that Taking Lives is quite a violent film, but actually it is not very graphic and hardly any actual violence is shown. It focuses on the aftermath of brutality, with quite a few gory shots (particularly a shot of Costa in a lift holding his mothers head which he has just severed). Even the first scene where a boy is pushed in front of a car and then gets beaten with a rock, sound effects mainly create the illusion of violence. This makes Taking Lives similar to legendary thriller Psycho, where in both cases the lack of actual violence subverts the conventions of the thriller genre.

The lead character in Taking Lives is Special Agent Illeana Scott. This is unusual for a thriller, the protagonist is typically a strong male character. In this case it also makes the film slightly implausible, the idea that someone such as Angelina Jolie would have a job like that, let alone fall for average-looking witness/killer Costa. It is refreshing to see a strong female lead though, especially someone like Illeana Scott who is tough, good at her job, organised and meticulous. This makes it similar to ‘The Bone Collector’, as this is one of few other female-lead thrillers (also starring Angeline Jolie in the main role). In this regard, this film subverts the typical ideas of the thriller genre, along with any sexism that occurs when writing a film such as this.

In conclusion, Taking Lives is very much a typical thriller including all the elements you would want to find from one. However there is enough examples of it subverting the genre’s conventions to make it individual and stand out from other films in the thriller genre.

The 'thriller' genre

'Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, television, and gaming that includes numerous and often overlapping sub-genres.'

The genre 'thriller' contains many characteristics specific to it. It can encompass many sub-genres: medical ('Awake'), war ('The Hurt Locker'), crime ('Seven'), science-fiction ('Donnie Darko'), religious ('The DaVinci Code) and many more. As my final piece is to be the opening to a thriller I will have to research the conventions of them in order to fully understand the genre and make my piece as effective as possible.

• Thrillers often take place in exotic or foreign settings. This makes the action seem more fantastical, providing a sense of escapism for the viewer and making the film more dramatic. An example of this is 'Taken' which is set in various locations throughout Europe whilst Liam Neeson's character is on a mission to find his kidnapped daughter.
  
• Tension and suspense are key features in thrillers, these are often acheived through the use of dramatic/eerie music, quick cuts, camera angle changes and the use of features such as shadows, mirrors and darkness.
  
• Violence is often used in thrillers, as is the inclusion of various shocking events and images of horror, for example dead bodies.
  
• The protaganist is often a man of action or a "hard man", often a spy, assassin, police officer, gangster, detective or other government operative. Examples of this are 'The Bourne Identity' where Matt Damon plays assassin Jason Bourne and the 'James Bond' films where many actors over the years have played spy James Bond who aims to defeat the infamous 'Bond villains' and their evil plans.
  
• The main character often endeavers to defeat the villain or the evil of the situation to allow good to prosper.
  
• The storylines of thrillers, no matter how different they seem, mostly have a similar structure. The protaganist starts off in a regular situation just living his or her life, when an event happens which plunges them into an extraordinary situation. Following this, there are always many twists and turns designed to keep the audience guessing until the very end when the main character eventually returns to a normal life.
  
• Thrillers often start by setting up the story straight away, by beginning at a crime scene or in the midst of a dramatic event. This intruiges the viewer and keeps them hooked from the very first scene.
  
  

  

  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Continuity piece

This piece was created to show a range of skills and techniques we had at the start of the AS course. As the plot of our film called for a dressing room, we decided our location should be the drama studio at our school. This meant that our film should look realistic as we are not trying to make our location look like something it isn't, for example, trying to make a classroom look like a drug den is never very effective. The music is from Atonement and we found that the black and white effect compliments the old-fashioned sound of it. A variety of shots are used, such as tracking shots, tilt shots, over the shoulder shots, medium shots and close ups. To edit the film we used iMovie for Mac's, and the skills we learnt on this will be useful in creating our main piece of coursework later on.

practice camera shots

This was an exercise we did in class to demonstrate a variety of camera shots. We decided to create a sequence of photographs that would look as though Liv and I were being stalked by Holly.

This is a long shot/establishing shot. It is also a point of view shot, as Holly (our stalker) is hiding in the bush you can see in the foreground.

A very attractive medium close-up of me looking slightly confused - perhaps I heard our stalker roaming around the bushes.

A long shot of Liv and I walking away from the scene, unnerved by our possible follower.

This is a long shot of me walking away, yet a medium shot of Holly and her stalker-ish ways. She doesn't appear to be a very good stalker however, as you can see that she's not actually holding a camera...

A medium shot of Liv. Subtle glance to try and spy Holly?

A two shot of Liv and I, having a casual chat in the middle of all the suspense and uncertainty. This is also a tilt shot, from below.

This is a medium/two shot.

An extreme close up of our stalker!

The last picture is a long shot of mine and Liv's chat on the steps. It is also a downwards tilt shot from the top of the hill. I think we could have been better prepared for this shot however, as I appear to be flicking my hair around like an idiot.