Be the examiner

One of our research tasks was to look at previous examples of work, mainly previous thriller openings, not only from our school. From watching these past openings, I believe I have a better idea of what examiners are looking for when marking our work; I now know the grade boundaries, ranging from 0 to 60 marks, and what is needed to move through the levels from 1 to 4. Below is a copy of what the examiner is looking for when marking, each level has specific requirements that need to be evident in the thriller openings. The grade boundaries are as follows:
U < 24
D = 30+
E = 24+
C = 36+
B = 42+
A = 48+

 

Below is an example of one of the past openings from a different school, this got 54 marks out of 60 which would equate to a grade A. I believe the marks given to this piece of work are not, in my opinion, correct. Hard work, however, is evident mainly through the use of editing as all shots line up and there are very few scenes that jump and look untidy. You can easily tell that the group pre-planned very well as continuity was very good, editing was good, the storyline was clear and they used a wide range of camera angles along with a subtle soundtrack that matched what we saw on screen. The opening is clearly an opening too as it engages the audience and makes you want to know what happens and what to know all about the character who seems disturbed. Despite these good points and the high marks given, I believe the mise-en-scene could've been improved at some points as when in the workshop there is a bottle that is supposed to represent poison, the thing that ruins this scene is that the label reading poison was hand written which bought the real life aspect of the thriller down.

 

 

 

Here is another example of a thriller opening, this one got 44 marks out of 60 which would be a grade B. I believe that this opening looked more like a trailer than a film opening; it didn't engage the audience enough, it didn't leave people with questions about what will happen after, it was more like what happened before and in between these scenes. Despite this, the group used appropriate titles with both sound and smooth editing between scenes; the editing showed off the fact that they had used a variety of shot types and transitions to suit the type of film they were going for. This thriller sticks to the main stereotypes of a thriller in my opinion, it's set in a graveyard, a character dies and it's all a big mystery, because of this I can clearly see that the material is appropriate to the task set.

 

 

 

Below is a final example of one of my favourite thriller openings which received an A grade which is a high level 4 (around 56 marks) when referring to the mark scheme above. The mise-en-scene was crucial in creating the desired effect and mood that this group wanted to achieve, the first few shots instantly create a feeling of isolations and mystery. Every part of the film was clearly thoroughly planned right from the costume all the way through to the location and props; these elements keep the mood at a constant throughout and keep the attention of the audience even when there are flashbacks. This helped me to realise that mise-en-scene can sometimes be overlooked and it shouldn't be at all as it's key that the audience can relate to the opening as much as possible.

 

 

 

This has helped me to have a better understanding of the mark scheme and how the marks equate to grades and what is needed to achieve each grade. I have seen examples of both good and not as good thriller openings and I feel like I now know what I need to do to ensure that my thriller is just as engaging as 'Captive', just as mysterious as 'Torn' and just as eerie as 'Peek - A - Boo'!