2. Research / case studies:AS Media Case study 2(UPDATE)

Knowing Too Much Short Film : Thriller / Action film

Directed by Mathew Morton
Sound Effects: Mathew Morton
Music: Gino and VC Pro stores.
Cast: Michael and Andy.

Knowing too much is a short film which is very similar to my own. It is very comparable to my actual short film video. This short film uses useful techniques which can be useful towards my video.
Knowing too much is about a young man who is possibly a student followed by a killer . The scene opens with a young boy who is with some private documents. He is then been seen followed by a killer perhaps after the documents itself. During the film as expected he gets killed and the killer takes he documents and flees.

The film uses a linear structure which is shot in live action. The characters represented are both modern we can see this by their outfit. The killer was dressed in a suit perhaps indicating he is organised with some institution and is probably sent out as a hitman.

The Camera Techniques used are: Medium Close up, Long shot, extreme close up, establishing shot, Birds eye view, Doll shots, Panning shot are examples we consider to use in our film. More information is on the prezi.

Editing:
Cross Cutting- This is used in fast paced scenes for example it is effective during the chase scene with the boy running up the stairs. It helps build suspense it also works well with tense music.

Invincible Editing- The flow of cuts are very smooth. Very smooth to the point that the audience can’t even tell and are so concentrated on the actual film itself. This has been done very well in the short film and we look to edit it and structure it the same way. The film also uses line cuts to create this as we see the scene in various camera angles. Additionally there was a lot of cutting to help build the continuity by using plenty of angles and positions.

Establishing shot- This Helped set the scene and allowed the audience to get a good view on the setting of the scene which is again a cliché with the use of a dark deserted place. However the codes and convention must be followed in order to achieve a successful thriller short film.

Miss En Scene:
.The lighting used in the scenes are very low which adds tensions as it follows the usual codes and conventions of a thriller short film. The low lighting does not allow the audience to get a full glimpse of the hitman making him more mysterious. This aspect of the film really inspired to us to follow and use this sample of the film.

.Sound- The use of Sound effects is also a big element to increase the quality of this short thriller. The Music builds in the epic fast paced scenes. There is however only limited dialogue in fact it’s only used 2 times. Too much dialogue decreases the tension of the thriller.
Costume-The Costume is represented very well and clear. We only have two characters. (The Victim and the Hitman. With barely any dialogue the clothing of the character needs to be clear portrayed by the type of clothing. In this instance the hitman is wearing a full smart suit indicating he is in an organisation of some sort of professional firm whereas the victim is a young boy in casual clothing which indicates he is minding his own business just having a normal day. We plan to follow this similar structure in our short due to the fact there is very little dialogue so it is important we make the audience understand better by emphasising other elements such as i.e. Clothing.

Make up- Again make up is not really portrayed as the other elements as it to some extent does not have much of an impact.

Props- The props is another vital element which help indicate and emphasise the thrill of this thriller. The Document used helps again create that mystery to the scene. It is portrayed quite important due to multiple camera shots and close ups. Also a big giveaway at the end where he takes the document. The hitman also uses a gun which is of course a big giveaway. The gun itself creates suspense as a gun will automatically indicate danger/violence arriving to the audience. This is contrasted with the victim however as he is with a key and a phone again this emphasises that he is venerable and just minding his everyday business.

Target audience - Target audience is again ranged pretty much any age as there is not a lot of violence. It is targeted to those who like thrillers but I would say an ideal age rating is 15+.

Ideas for short film- We have looked at this film as a great role model to create ours. We especially loved the fact that how some elements were represented for the storyline to make sense. The Clothing and sound especially were great along with the camera angle/techniques we can use for our short film.

Narrative:
The sequence is structured very simply and just flows through. There are no flashbacks or pauses to show the past so everything is in the present. By doing this creates a cliff hanger and the audience does not know the specific purpose so we have to assume what the reason for murder was. The story has a closed structure as it flows through at we know what is going to happen step by step.
It also contains enigma by the building of suspense and action multiple times.