REVISE The Good Daughter

Title
The Good Daughter


Genre
Physiological thriller


Brief plot


Isabella murders her lover Joules by stabbing him in the heart. Isabella murders her lover for the twisted thrill and to please her father Christian. Christian disliked Joules, Isabella and her fathers close; obsessive relationship leads to Isabella killing Joules, pleasing her controlling father. The cuts between Isabella and Christian reflect the close cut between Isabella's eyes to Christian's, the father is watching his good daughter.


Shots


C.U of Isbella looking in to mirror putting on lipstick
C.U of Isabella smoking - 'smokescreen production' title is over this shot
M.S of Isabella's feet walking across the room and picking up suitcase leaving through the door
C.U of the reflection of Christians's eyes in the the reversing mirror of his car.


'The Good Daughter'

We chose to call our production 'The Good Daughter' because it reflects the controlling, obsessive relationship between Christian and his daughter. It also suggests Christian pleasure that Isabella has done what he wanted and killed Joules. The title could also been seen an ironic, doing bad to be good. The title integrates the theme of the obsessive, controlling relationship between Father and Daughter; it also reflects the ironic and twisted nature of the characters and their actions.

Soundtrack

Hyperions fate - Sunny Days Are Over

Genre

Progressive / Experimental / Classical

Looking though the a search engine style site full of unsigned artists and music called www.unsignedbandsweb.com we found this song. The song was posted under 'instrumental'. We felt that the song was dramtic and errie and would acoompily are footage and mood of our production well. I have written to the artist via the site to let them know we are using the song in our production/ ask for premission, below is the body of the email:

Hello


I am a student at CNS 6th form Norwich, England studying A Level media, as part of my coursework I have to construct the opening to a thriller film. For the soundtrack we have to use a copyright free piece of music. After looking though the site I found that your track 'Sunny days are over' would be perfect for my production. I writing to ask/ inform permission if I can use it in my production.
Kind Regards
Elizabeth King
CNS 6th form

Further contact information:

www.myspace.com/hyperionsfate

Audience feed back on the sound track

When asked  'Does the sound track effectively enhance the mood & tone? 12/12 people said it did.

Example of questionnaire anwser:

The sound track adds to and heightens the mood and tone of the mise-en-scene fitting the action well. The steady but intense beat of the music means that when editing we could cut the footage to the beat, heightening tension and drama further. The sound track evokes tension and fear, the sound track is quite dark, moody and heavy. The stings in the sound track make it eerie.


I have uploaded the track onto my account on You tube:


Titles

'Smokescreen Productions'

Are production company is called smokescreen productions
'Smokescreen Productions' will appear over the C.U of Isabella smoking.
We have decided to have the production company on a separate frame as we have time to. This will appear for 4-5 seconds at the start of film.

'The Good Daughter'

The title of our fill will appear towards the end of the opening somewhere. Possible over a shot of Isabella that then cross fades to one of Christian, to establish and intensify the link between the characters.



Actors names

The actors names will appear over the establishing shots of them. For example the establishing shot of Isabella is when she is looking in the mirror putting on lipstick, the establishing shot of Christian is the C.U of the relection of his eyes in the reversog mirror, and Joules when he is waiting behind the railings on the bridge for Isabella. When placing the actors names over these shots it is important not to spoil these shots with the titles, if they do indeed do so they will be moved to a secondary shot.

Thelma and Louise - Thriller research

Thelma and Louise

Director
Ridley Scott
Release date
12th July 1991 (UK)
Production companies
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Pathé Entertainment
Percy Main
Star Partners III Ltd. (in association with)
Filming locations
Bakersfield, California, USA

Bedrock, Colorado, USA
Canyonlands National Park, Moab, Utah, USA
Cisco, Utah, USA
Colorado, USA
Courthouse Towers, Arches National Park, Moab, Utah, USA
(scene where Thelma & Louise lock police officer in his patrol car trunk)
Dead Horse Point State Park - State Highway 313, Moab, Utah, USA
Gorman, California, USA
La Sal Mountains, La Sal, Utah, USA
(opening vista)
Moab, Utah, USA
Shafter, California, USA
Silver Bullet Saloon, Long Beach, California, USA
Taft, California, USA
Tarzana, Los Angeles, California, USA
Thompson Springs, Utah, USA
Vagabond Inn - 3101 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
(Oklahoma City motel scenes)
Valley of the Gods, Mexican Hat, Utah, USA
West Valley City, Utah, USA

User comments/reviews and ratings

From looking at the user rating report on IMDB the information reflects that this film was most highly enjoyed by female aged 30-44, fameale aged 18-29, and males under 18 who all had the same average (7.8)

IMDB user comment/review
"loved this movie from the first time I saw it, but it wasn't until I sat through it the third time that I figured out why. It is clever, exciting, and funny and is shot in the middle of the breathtaking scenery of the American Southwest. However, the thing that makes it special is its illustration of pure friendship. It may be difficult for some men to cross the gender boundary and connect with Thelma and Louise, yet doing so is critical to appreciating the film. If you can make the connection then you can get its message -- we all need a friendship like the one Thelma and Louise had. This movie will strike a deep emotional chord.....if you aren't afraid to let it. And if you happen to be too emotionally closed off to appreciate what I think the movie says about friendship I think that you will still enjoy the characters, acting, action, and humor. It is a ten out of ten."
Steve from San Antonio, Texas

External comment/review
'The film switches moods violently, and sometimes it just jerks your chain. But this is movie dynamite, detonated by award-caliber performances from Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in the title roles.'
Peter Travers for Rolling Stone

Thelma and Louise and the main characters in the thriller 'Thelma and Louise'. They are an example of the 'modern' femme fatale, the strong women. Dressed in denim and wearing aviators they are almost the opposite of the classic femme fatale. They are dressed to look strong and confident, masculine andnot for the visual pleasure of men. Ridley Scott challenges the pre-conceptions and conventions of the thriller genre with Thelma and Louise, the main characters, two women in control, powerful and dangerous. This is taken from the scene where they look a policeman in the boot of his own car, Ridley Scott mocks the conception that men have power over women and noticably policeman. The girls take his gun and sun glasses and ride off, very much a 'girl power' moment. They are two women who took the law in there own hands and because of it are now on the run and proving to be clever strong and deviant.

After discovering Louise being assaulted by Hal, a man Louise had got friendly with in a bar, she warns him to back off, and pulls a gun to his neck. Thelma is in control of the situation, she is the one with the power- the gun. Thelma takes up around two thirds of the mise-en-scene, also indicating strength as she takes up more space in the mise-en-scene, pushing Hal out. Thelma is dressed in unflattering, gender neutral clothes, she is covered and not exposed - this makes her look strong and not vulnerable to the exploitation of a drunker man with only one thing on his mind. The lighting is dark and it is raining outside, a generic signifier of the thriller genre. The gun is a generic signifier also, connoting crime and murder.

The damp, dark urban location is a generic signifier of the thriller genre. As Thelma and Louis speed away from the scene of the murder Louise takes control and drives the car. Louise having taken the control of the situation into her own hands and murdering Hal she now has to avoid deal with the consequences, she and Thelma's fate lie in her hands. The dark, damp mise en scene represents the dark and dangerous situation Thelma and Louise are now in, they are on the run, not knowing what will happen next. The darkness could represent the characters uncertainties, anxiety and desperation.

Thelma & Louise tiny car against the huge transport trucks is a metaphor, the trucks representing male dominance. Misogyny means hated or fear of women, this is implied by the directors as he cleverly uses the trucks to symbolise male dominance as they close in on the females, represented by their small car. This could represent the director’s perception of the conforming representation of women in the thriller genre. It could also represent the attitudes towards woman during America at that time and how they are represented, how they do not have the same rights and responsibilities as men.

REVISE Developed storyboards

Developed storyboards, developed from the first idea for the opening.

REVISE Initial storyboards

Initial storyboards for the first idea for the opening:

REVISE rough storyboards for final plot idea

Rough storyboards for final opening idea.

Developed storyboards detailed

Shot No. 5

Shot Type. Close up

Action Christian picks up briefcase from resting place.

Close up of hand/ watch establishes charater, gold rings, expensive watch.

Sound

Diegetic sound of breifcase being lifed up.

Lighting

Non-ambient street lighting.

Shot No. 6

Shot type. Close up

Action

Close up of Joule's feet/ bottom half of legs. Bottom of briefcase 2 can also be seen. Joules is waiting to meet Christian for the exchange. The close up of the shoes/legs establishes his smart dress.

Sound

Lighting

 Non ambient street lighting

Shot No. 7

Shot type. Close up, tilted shot

Action

Joules is waiting to meet Christian for the exchange.

The tilted shot connotes uncertaintity, anxioity.

The fact that he is framed in a doorway connotes/forshadows that he is being framed/decieved.

Sound

Lighting

Non ambient street lighting.

Shot No. 8

Shot type. Medium Shot

Action

The breifcase exchange