Brainstorm Concept Creations
Inital Brainstorm
Our original plan for our A2 Media Studies short film was to make a mystery thriller about a typical basketball game night that rapidly turns into a scary evening. The narrative opens with five guys in the home of the main character, who is additionally referred to as the homeowner’s son, while his girlfriend is “away”. They discover that one of them may be connected to a murder after receiving a strange message from an alarm that sounds and takes them into a locked challenge. As the movie goes on, a countdown builds suspense and tension while the characters race against time to find clues, including evidence like shoes and other hidden facts. Which ultimately leads them to not escape but not find out who the killer is.
Second Brainstrom
This brainstorm shows the early stages of our A2 Media Studies short film concept and how we arranged our ideas prior to developing a final plot. We used a mind map approach to planning, which enabled us to fast capture and link concepts without sticking to a strict sequence. After determining that the primary genre in the center was a murder thriller, we branched out into important conventions including a linear narrative, a female killer, a young target audience (about 17–22 years old), and a restricted setting at a home party. This kind of planning worked well since it encourages creativity and made it easier for us to see how different plot parts may complement one another.
We used basic lines and arrows to create a basic plot outline beneath the mind map. Our original idea was a 5 person party where a murder occurs, building conflict and distrust among the players. With the possibility of another person dying every hour (which we then changed to 10 min), the story’s timer heightened the suspense and forced characters to solve the mystery before the allotted time ran out. We also thought about using an open ending to keep the audience wondering what actually happened, and we planned for hints to be delivered throughout the movie. We were able to define the essential elements of a psychological thriller through this planning process, which also provided us with a solid basis on which to develop and improve our final production concept.
About Us
Original shot list and death list
The creation of our original short film narrative and the sequence of the major events are depicted in the first storyboard. In order to establish a typical and familiar scenario for the audience, we planned for the story to start with the homeowner inviting his buddies over while his girlfriend isnt there. An alarm system then locks all the doors, trapping the group inside the property and creating a cramped, tense atmosphere. As the plot develops, one of the characters passes away, and the surviving pals must look for hints to get away and identify the murderer as even more people get murdered without an explanation. In order to heighten the suspense, the storyboard also features a countdown clock, implying that failure to solve the riddle could result in the death of another person. A storyline surprise when the audience learns that it might have been the girlfriend’s idea all along is hinted at in the last frame. We were able to visualize the plot and determine how to employ suspense, mystery, clues, and an unexpected conclusion by making this storyboard.
The second storyboard focuses on the hints that will enable the viewer to solve the mystery while elaborating on the plot’s specifics. We intended for the alarm code to be the girlfriend’s birthday, which would be concealed in a knocked-over picture frame that the characters would find out later in the movie. We also came up with several theories about how the victims would vanish or pass away, such as one death involving a candlestick, another that seemed to be brought on by drugs or alcohol, and a third that just vanished. As part of our planning process, these concepts helped us consider how to build tension while keeping the audience in suspense.
Updated shot list
1st Shot list
We changed our shot list after finishing our first storyboard to make our concepts more specific and useful for filming. The particular camera angles and shots that we intend to employ are included in this version, including long views, close-ups, tracking shots, mid shots, over the shoulder shots, and shallow focus pictures. We were able to consider how to create tension and direct the audience’s attention to crucial hints throughout the movie by organizing our camera work beforehand.
1st Shot list
The setting and characters are introduced in the first part of the storyboard. Subtle indications, like a pair of heels on the floor, suggest that something is off as the movie opens with a long shot of the house and the homeowner holding a boys night. A tracking shot shows the homeowner passing a picture and jewelry that will eventually be crucial pieces of evidence as the characters mingle. When one of the characters abruptly vanishes, the alarm system goes off, keeping everyone within the house and causing panic.
2nd Shot list
Creating suspense and mystery is the main goal of the second section of the shot list. While searching the house, the remaining protagonists find dead bodies and attempt to figure out what is going on. Because someone passes away every ten minutes, the viewer is reminded that time is running out through repeated close ups of the clock. As the survivors look for clues and try to flee, the use of sound, such as a ticking clock and a nursery rhyme, contributes to the ominous mood and heightens the suspense.
2nd Shot list
While certain issues remain unanswered, more of the enigma is revealed in the final moments. The viewer is kept in suspense as one of the missing boys is never located, despite the characters discovering the alarm code by knocking over a picture frame. The movie first seems to finish with the credits rolling, but in the last scene, the girlfriend is seen pulling a body away, indicating that she was complicit the entire time. By updating our shot list, we were able to enhance the narrative’s structure, incorporate a greater variety of camera approaches, and guarantee that our movie adheres to the standards of a psychological thriller with tension, concealed clues, and an unexpected conclusion.
Character Outfits
Mood boards for each character
Prop list
Potential Actors list