Torpidi

ty
 Locatio
nwell as setting the
A key feature of our thriller film was the location, as
scene it creates the atmosphere and tone of the film. When choosing our
location we took inspiration from various films, but the film we were really
inspired by was The Silence of the Lambs. This is because the location of
this film makes the character feel completely isolated and alone, which is
the same emotions we wanted our character to display. The location seen in
Torpidity is an isolated, desolate and intimidating forest, which perfectly
represents the atmosphere of our film. The significance of location within our
film is too amplify the characters feelings and make the audience fearful of Forest scene from The Silence of the
the surroundings. As well as our films location conforming with the thriller Lambs, this environment is the
genre we also challenge some general conventions, for example many exact setting we wanted replicate,
psychological thrillers take place within a dense city such as Memento or the fog and low lighting creates an
Fight Club. This is due to the fact that the packed city gives connotations of eerie and anxious atmosphere.
being watched and being trapped due to the amount of people. However, we
wanted to combat this and go against these conventions, rather than using
tall buildings to convey feelings of being trapped we used tall trees hanging
in and making the character feel enclosed. We used Danby Woods for one of
our locations as it has large overhanging trees and dense woodland. In
addition the contrast of dense amount of trees and open clearings displays
the character as venerable and exposed. The deep forest acts as a maze in
the sense that everywhere looks the same and it seems to be never ending,
this is perfect for our psychological thriller as it shows Joshs looping and
insane mind whilst he tries to find his way through the forest.
This is a picture of the woods in which our film is
being shot in, this picture was taken during the day,
when shooting in this scene we used much darker
lighting. The dense forest is perfect in portraying
the lost and trapped feeling we want to convey.
 Location &
Lighting
Another location we used in our thriller was a garage, this was used to
create a claustrophobic feeling and create an intense and isolated
environment. Furthermore, this location is used as a metaphor to
portray the confused, helpless and fearful mind of our main character.
Also, we used extremely minimal non diegetic lighting to create a sense
of uncertainty and ambiguity. In addition to this, the lack of lighting is
used to create strong and powerful shadows that adds to the tense
atmosphere in the scene. In this location we made sure there was no
ambient light giving the feel that the character was disconnected from
the outside world.
In our thriller we took inspiration from many
great films from the genre, in terms of lighting This is a picture of the garage we
and location we drew our ideas from The used for our piece, the run down
Dark Knight. In this scene where the joker is door complimented by the
in an interrogation room with the Batman, we drawings adds to the idea that
see a pitch black room only lit up by a tiny something isnt quite right and
desk lamp. This creates tension as the gives connotations of insanity.
audience and the character are put in the
same position and dont know what is going
to happen. We played around with the ideas
This is a screenshot from Christopher
of shadows and low key lighting in our film to
Nolans The Dark Knight in which the
create suspense and uncertainty. One reason
Joker is sitting in a dark room unsure of
we did this is because suspense and tension
whos in the room with him.
are key general conventions of the thriller
genre and we wanted to show our knowledge
of the topic and display our skills.
 Camerawork
In our thriller we aimed to use a range of different camera angles and shots in order to
portray various feelings and emotions whilst maintaining a tense atmosphere. In our piece
we included fantastic establishing shots which enabled us to display the location we used
and create an initial atmosphere. Another key shot we used was a close up on the main
character Josh, this close up accompanied by low key lighting created a desperate, scared
and intense atmosphere. Furthermore, the use of a close up creates ambiguity and enigma
around the character. An example of an extreme close up we use is my character, Tom,
punches he camera, this shows his aggressive and unpredictable nature. Furthermore, this
camera shot supports the stereotype that society has for young people that they are
Within our thriller we use a range of shots to portray different images of
criminals and rude.
the characters, a key piece of camera work we use is the POV shot, in
which my character, Tom Rush, is seen following Josh. The significance
of the POV shot is that it puts the audience in the position of the
antagonist Tom, you can hear his heavy breathing as he gets closer to
his target. This could be seen as portraying animalistic characteristics
in Tom displaying his violent and unpredictable nature; this also
coincides with the stereotype that society has for teenagers as criminal
Throughout our thriller opening we include various tracking shots, for
animals.
example in the sequence where we see Josh sprinting. Tracking shots
are used in our film to maintain a fast pace and create a sense of
tension. Especially in our clip where Connors character is sprinting as it
suggests that he is being followed or running away from something.
 Title
We chose to name our film 'Torpidity' because it directly reflects the plot in our film. The
main character, Josh, under goes a mental battle in his mind where he is constantly
questioning what is happening around him, this then presents the idea that this could all
be a dream. This is where the title and the plot of our film relate. Torpidity, or torpid,
literally means paralyzed. These are some of the feelings that Josh is experiencing, he
feels paralyzed and helpless, unable to escape the dark and unfortunate events in which
he is a victim too. However, the title of our thriller also raises questions with the audience
as too why he feels torpid, we never truly answer this question, creating an enigma.
The font that we used for our title sequence is 'Avenir Light', this font has simple
typography with relatively large kerning making it clearer to read. Furthermore, the large
point size coincides perfectly with the reverse type we use in our title sequence to catch
the audiences eye and make them really digest the title and think about its connotations.

Our title sequence can be seen as very typical of the thriller

genre as we use several different conventions. For example, we
used a common method of grabbing the audiences attention
which is too use reverse type. As seen in the film 'Se7en', the
reverse type technique accompanied by the title relating to the
plot is used to create an atmosphere and get the reader thinking
instantly. Another way in which our film in typical of the genre is
once again with the movie 'Se7en', the title of this film perfectly
reflects the plot line which is about the seven deadly sins.
Immediately the reader knows this film has something to do with
this number, which gets you thinking. Much like our film where
the title 'Torpidity' reflects the plot line.
 Characters
When choosing our two characters we made sure we were either challenging, developing or using general
conventions of the thriller genre. Even though we had a relatively limited selection in terms of actors, it
turned out perfectly, we managed to challenge and comply with the general conventions and stereotypes.
Connors character, Josh, seemed to challenge the general conventions of a thriller film. Depicted as an
everyday teenager on the surface but underneath that he battles with his mind, there are possible
questions as to whether he is insane or just short of it. Josh as a character is extremely significant, he
creates sympathy for himself due to his vulnerability, this goes against the stereotype of teenagers as
dangerous and hostile. In terms of costume for Josh's character we made sure to give the perception that
he is a higher class than Tom, from a different background. To do this we chose very everyday, normal so to
speak, clothing which doesn't impose any sort of intimidating atmosphere around them. In relation to
motifs in our thriller, Joshs character is constantly scratching his face and wincing as if he has painful
thoughts in his mind that he desperately wants to escape. Throughout our thriller this action is repeated
constantly showing Joshs unstable mind.

Within our film we portray Josh as a victim, this instantly challenges general conventions as the victim is
often a female character as they are seen as more vulnerable. When filming our piece we really wanted to
In relation this
challenge to my character,
convention asTom, we aimed
we strongly to follow
follow the general
the general conventions
convention for ourofantagonist
the character, Tom.
thriller genre. His aggressive nature displayed when he is seen punching Josh, this
aggression and violence is a stereotype for teenagers and also antagonist
characters in thriller films. We used general conventions in terms of body language
and costume by deciding that Tom should be wearing a Nike hoodie. The
significance of Tom wearing a hoodie is to fit in with the 'hoodie' stereotype that
society has for the youth of today. Tom's character is very similar to 'Cook' from
the British TV Drama 'Skins'. Although not completely basing this character off of
Cook there are various similarities. For example, Cook is often shown to have a
violent side, we wanted to show this in our character Tom. As well as this, Cook is a
largely mysterious character, this makes the audience conjure up a large amount
of questions, this is one thing we very much wanted to incorporate.
Mise en Scene & Props
A huge factor in creating a successful thriller film is mise en scene. Whether it be props or background items
mise en scene is crucial in creating intense scenes and building up suspense, these are both general
conventions of the thriller genre. We were adamant on following the typical conventions of the genre, for
example we chose to incorporate the classic 'breaking of the stick' to suggest the character is being followed.
Although this may be considered as cliche, I believe we executed it perfectly. This piece of mise en scene is
used to create tension and ambiguity, as it puts the character and the audience in a state of uncertainty
raising several questions. In addition to this, another piece of successful mise en scene we used, comes in the
form of a candle, this prop was used in a very clever way in my opinion as we made it the only light source in
the shot. This candle was used in the garage scene to create an ominous and uneasy atmosphere, as the
antagonist Tom psychotically moves the candle dangerously close to Josh's face, this then implies to the
audience Tom is mentally and psychically going to torture the protagonist. At the end of the scene we see Tom
blowing out the candle, this accompanied by the fade to black editing leaves the audience on the edge of
there seat pondering as to what is going to happen next. Also, this scene complies with the psychological
genre conventions and displays evidence of a motif in our film. Throughout the film we aim to use the motif of
a candle to instigate that a certain dark vent is going to take place.