notes on last year's thrillers

Successful elements:

silent water: fab storyline, is actually spooky, builds up good tension, music helped build up tension. a few great shots, e.g. end shot of girl in the water, the shot where the girl's dead friend is seen in the mirror is in my opinion one of the best shots from all of last year's thrillers. good credits.

the stepfather: Great cinematography, continuity editing of cooking sequence is almost seamless, use of small girl is great, adds eeriness. Use of children is generally effective. some fab shots, e.g. the cutting of the cucumber, the shot of the girl where there's loads of space above her head


things that i think could have been improved on


silent water: I think that the lighting could have been inproved on, as alot of the scenes are too dark. Also, i think the final shot of the dripping tap doesn't add anything, and they could have just ended on the shot of the girl lying in the bath

The Stepfather: The credits could have been easier to read. Again, there are some points where the lighting could have been brighter, especially in the kitchen. although there is a contrast with the bright outside and the dark inside, which makes a good binary opposite, it is quite hard to see. I think that the dialogue could have been clearer, as it is hard to make out what the characters are saying.

In summary, for my own thriller i will try to make sure i keep as simple as possible, and have some good shots. i also need ot remember to keep my credits as readable as possible, and to make sure that all my scenes are well lit.