Initial Ideas

Two themes featured prominently in our planning process. First we looked at two thrillers, Fight Club and Se7en which are both set for the most part in urban areas.

There is a certain bleakness associated with that of industrial areas which translates well to the thriller genre, as it provides a feeling of stark eeriness regardless of plot. In particular Se7en plays on the bleak backdrop to provide a more monochromatic environment which at parts almost appears to be shot in black and white.

'The urban streets filled with crowded, noisy denizens and an oppressive rain that always seems to fall without respite was an integral part of the film' translate into a film which explores a city, corrupt, dirty, ruthless and depressing.

We initially thought that our thriller could be shot in an industrial environment, as we thought initially of approaching our piece from the perspective of the killer.

However another point of interest was how well the thriller genre translates to rural, countryside areas. Most of the thrillers set out 'in the middle of nowhere' follow the path of a killer from the perspective of a police officer or official.

'No Country for Old Men' achieves this very effectively, and the shots of endless landscape provide a completely neutral background but also helps to emphasise the desperation of the sheriff trying to catch the killer across vast open wasteland.

This 'genre' of thriller was very influential in the planning of our piece. The opening voice over being a point of interest. However what I find really attractive about the wild west - cum - thriller is the completely implacable costume. A film set in the early 60s could carry the same connotations as one set today where costume is concerned.

The officers are kitted out in a dusty beige with signature spurs and hats, which allows the audience to be pulled into what could, in effect, be an unknown time.

We used 'No Country' as a strong point of reference in planning our thriller, and in the end decided on filming on a cornfield which acted as a completely neutral backdrop for our murder to be committed. However due to problems with this location we moved our piece to an area of woodland close by, which would make our piece appear more English, but would also be very practical as our plot suggests the body is not found straight away.