AUDIENCE PROFILE

The demographics for my target audience are those who are aged at 18 to 24. The reason for this is is that the short film will contain graphic images and violent underlying themes, that the effect theory would show to be as desensitization for younger audiences. Also in terms of psychographics, the short film is a thought provoking piece designed to make the audience uncomfortable and to shock, so psychologically in theory people aged 18 and above should be able to handle the mentality behind the film.

 Also in terms of demographics, the film would be aimed at the social category C1. This is because this class of society would become more enthralled by the psychology behind it and it the narrative’s conclusion would play upon their minds afterwards.

The main audience in terms of gender for this short film would probably be female over male. I believe this because from speaking with different social circles, the number of female people that have seen psychological films such as ‘Shutter Island’ and loved it were much higher than the males.

Also other genres and things the audience would be into watching, would be things like horror and thrillers.

Reception theory apllied to short film

The individuals in the audience will have numerous different reactions to the narrative. Some will decode the enigma and twist in the tale faster than others, and others in the audience may not agree that the conclusion means the same as their opinion. The film would be left to an open interpretation for all to debate over.

Treatment

Henry (protagonist) has captured the psychopath who murdered his wife and has him bound to a chair. After beating the psychopath in the head, he begins to taunt Henry about the situation and his wife. As Henry grows increasingly angry proclaiming all of these brutal and vial acts that the psychopath has committed we are taken to flashbacks of these crimes. The first is taken to the psychopath holding up a woman by the throat against a wall promising he won't kill her if she tells him where the wife is. After revealing the location and pleading the psychopath slits her throat and drops her to the ground.

We are then placed back into the dark room where the psychopath is cackling out loud, saying that he has but a fragment of the truth, then receiving another punch, it flashes back to a scene in the home of Mary. The psychopath is seated on the kitchen table surface playing with a knife in his hands. Mary walks into kitchen shocked to see the psychopath there, telling him to leave, she'll get help for him. He chases her through house  into hallway where he slits her throat (camera does not show this, only shows him cradling her body).

We go back to the dark room, where the psychopath no challenges Henry on his misguided facts of how everything really happened. The psychopath then narrates over a new set of flashbacks where it is revealed that Henry was the actual murdering psychopath, and the flashbacks are the exact same apart from it being Henry in the other place and occasional flickering in the editing changes the setting to a medical ward and then back to the house setting with the women changing from Mary to a nurse.

Back in the black room Henry wakes on the floor and sits up disconnected from the world and as he rises so does the psychopath behind him. Taunting him the psychopath begins to dance around Henry as Henry draws a knife and the screen goes black, slowly as we hear a violent struggle the room begins to slowly gain light, until the knife pierces the psychopath in the chest and Henry cradles him the same he did with his wife. A door in the distance opens allowing natural light to flood in, where we are then transported into reality as he is actually cradling a nurse in his arms in a hospital room. It suddenly becomes apparent to him that he has had another violent episode in his ward, showed through quick flashbacks and as the camera becomes disorientated like Henry it tracks him moving through the corridors of the hospital trying to escape as the sound of the psychopaths voice leads him, ending with the blurred outlines of two workers grabbing and pinning him to the ground as he screams out.

Brief History of the Psychological Thriller

The Psychological Thriller genre has been constant, popular genre which we can see being used in some of the very early literature texts. It focuses on manipulating the audience, and the building of suspense. It has been popular with authors and film directors alike, as it captures and stimulates the audience in a way that is different to something of the horror genre, or the action genre. Psychological Thrillers, even if in a 'fantasy' setting, tend not t try and suspend the audience's belief of what is going on in the film. They have been known to commonly feature narrative points which are used to catch the audience members off guard; it builds up a high expectation, before making them feel uncertain of what they have just seen.

Examples in Literature:

• The Count Of Monte Cristo (1844) is a swashbuckling revenge thriller in which the protagonist is betrayed by his friend and is sent to a prison in southern France from which he later escapes and seeks revenge. The story uses conventions such as revenge, power and betrayal which relate to the thriller genre.
• Heart Of Darkness (1903) is a first person within a first person about a man who travels the who travels up the Congo River in search of an enigmatic Belgian trader. Layer by layer, the atrocities of the human soul and man's inhumanity to man are peeled away. This could be seen nowadays as a psychological thriller because of the psychotic theme and conventions it contains.

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Examples In Film: 

• Alfred Hitchcock's first thriller was the third silent movie The Lodger (1926) which was a Jack the Ripper story. This film was a psycho thriller because it dealt with a psychopath murderer and so had a typical story line of this genre. Hitchcock also produced thrillers such as Blackmail (1929)- his first sound film, Murder!, Number Seventeen,The Man Who New Too Much. These were all suspense films.
• The chilling German film M (1931) directed by Fritz Lang, told the story of a criminal deviant who preyed on children.
• me of thrillers was the FBI/agent hunting a serial killer and the most famous example of this was the picture winning, The Silence Of the Lambs (1991) by Jonathan Demme. This was classified as a crime thriller but it also merged into the psycho thriller sub genre  as it dealt with a psychological issues. David Fincher's Se7en (1995) is another example of a crime thriller that was famous.

FILM SCRIPT – TWISTED

FILM SCRIPT – TWISTED

 by Jack quinlan 

Scene 1 Int. Blacked out room - unknown

The Psychopath is tied to the chair after being beaten his eyes are wild and mocking as he has a low cackling laugh. Sharp non diagetic violin sounds as he sits ups and there is a close up on the Psychopath as he sits up.

Psychopath: (playfully)

Aren’t you getting tired yet?

Cuts to low angle medium close up of Psychopath, his eyes look to his left, licks his lips sadistically.

Psychopath: (mockingly)

 You do realise you’re looking at this from the completely wrong angle right?

Cuts to close up to side of Psychopaths face as he is punched from Henry whose face is still consumed in the blackness.

Psychopath: (sarcastically)

I’m not actually a bad guy if you get to know me.

Cuts to medium close up between the Psychopath and Henry.

Henry leans in very close to Psychopath.

Henry: (growling)

You are a sick little fuck

Cuts to close up to the bound hands behind chair, his hands are wriggling rhythmically.

Close up to Psychopaths face.

Psychopath: (playfully)

 You know I prefer the pink fluffy cuffs

Cuts to low angle medium close up of Henry; his rise in anger begins to make him shake as he clutches the Psychopaths shoulder.

Henry: (furiously)

You’re a real funny guy. A real (punch) funny (punch) fucking (punch) guy

Cuts to high angle close up of Psychopath shaking off the punches his eyes darting around the room, then his eyes lock in on Henry, as Henry leans in closer.

Psychopath: (playfully)

Funny how Henry? Like a clown, like I amuse you? (laughs)

Cuts to medium long shot between the two. Psychopath is hysterically laughing as Henry paces back and forth behind the psychopath then places leans over the shoulders of the Psychopath and without looking at him begins to speak.

Henry:

So why’d you do it?

Psychopath:

 Do what?

      Scene 2 ext. Alleyway - dusk

Cuts to medium long shot to flashback of Psychopath he is pinning a woman to the wall by the throat, she is repeatedly struggling and squealing as his grip tightens and he brings the knife to her cheek.

Psychopath: (playfully)

C’mon now don’t, don’t struggle

Cuts to medium close up to the Psychopath holding the woman, she freezes as the knife moves to her face and looks away.

Psychopath: (angrily)

Look at me, no, no, no, look at me. Tell me where to find her and I’ll let you go.

Cuts to close up of woman’s face as she stares at the knife eyes frantic and then stares into his face. Narration from Henry.

Henry:

And so she told you.

Psychopath:

 And so the piggy squealed.

Cuts to over shoulder shot as Psychopath slits throat fade back into black room.

Scene 3 int. Blacked out room - unknown

Cuts to medium close up to Henry staring into face of Psychopath the Psychopath having a sadistic and mocking sneer.

Psychopath: (mockingly)

I think you might be bending reality a bit there pal; I guess you think Mary was my fault as well?

Scene 4 int. House – night

Cuts to medium close up of Mary tracking her walking through her house into the kitchen, she looks up freezes and drops her keys to the ground and takes a step back.

Cuts to medium long shot of Psychopath sitting upon the kitchen worktops playing with a knife in his hands; switches to a close up shot of his face as he looks up with a big grin.

Psychopath: (stretching the word I’m) 

Honey I’m home

Cuts to medium close up of Mary as she shudders at him being there.

Psychopath:

What’s the matter honey? Surprised to see me?

Mary: (shaking voice)

How... how did you get in here?

Close up of Psychopaths face smirking

Mary: (shaking voice)

Look I can get you help, just... just put the knife down and we can talk.

The Psychopath jumps off of his seating spot and leers towards her knife pointed at her. The camera goes to a medium long shot and tracks both their movements as she screams whilst chasing her through the house, the camera slows at it turns a corner to find the Psychopath slowly sinking the knife into her chest.

Scene 5 int. Blacked out room – unknown

Henry violently shaking places his hand back upon the Psychopaths shoulder slowly moving it to the back of his head and yanks him back by the hair preparing to beat him in the head again. Camera cuts to close up of psychopath.

Psychopath: (challenging)

Have you ever asked yourself Henry how it was I got into the house, how I knew exactly who it was that would tell me where to find Mary, and how you even knew it was me doing all of these acts of a madman. Think back Henry, really think back for a moment, open your eyes.

Scene 6 ext. Alleyway - dusk

Cuts to medium long shot to flashback of Henry he is pinning a woman to the wall by the throat, she is repeatedly struggling and squealing as his grip tightens and he brings the knife to her cheek.

Henry: (playfully)

C’mon now don’t, don’t struggle

Cuts to medium close up to Henry holding the woman, she freezes as the knife moves to her face and looks away.

Henry: (angrily)

Look at me, no, no, no, look at me. Tell me where to find her and I’ll let you go.

Cuts to close up of woman’s face as she stares at the knife eyes frantic and then stares into his face.

Woman:(hysterically)

Henry Please!

Cuts to over shoulder shot as Henry slits throat and camera fades straight into the home scene.

Scene 7 int. House – night

Cuts to medium close up of Mary tracking her walking through her house into the kitchen, she looks up freezes and drops her keys to the ground and takes a step back.

Cuts to medium long shot of Henry sitting upon the kitchen worktops playing with a knife in his hands; switches to a close up shot of his face as he looks up with a big grin.

Henry: (stretching the word I’m) 

Honey I’m home

Cuts to medium close up of Mary as she shudders at him being there.

Henry:

What’s the matter honey? Surprised to see me?

Mary: (shaking voice)

How... how did you get in here?

Close up of Henrys face smirking

Mary: (shaking voice)

Look Henry I can get you help, just... just put the knife down Henry and we can talk.

Henry jumps off of his seating spot and leers towards her knife pointed at her. The camera goes to a medium long shot and tracks both their movements as she screams whilst chasing her through the house, the camera slows at it turns a corner to find Henry slowly sinking the knife into her chest.

Scene 8 int. Blacked out room – unknown

Cuts to medium close up as Henry awakes on the floor in shock, his eyes wild and frantic, camera then cuts to a medium long shot of Henry sitting upright and the Psychopath sits up behind him, a pitiful look on his face, eerie violins play again).

Psychopath:(mockingly)

Bad dreams honey?

Cuts to medium close up as Henry turns his head startled by the sight of him starts to get up, the camera tracks his movement as he rises to find the Psychopath is now in front of him clutching him by the throat.

Psychopath: (Screaming, Mary’s voice being used over the top)

You killed her, you twisted psycho!

Cuts to a black screen where we can hear a struggle and grunts as the two begin to fight, Henry wailing that it’s not true, and then light enters the screen to a medium long shot of Henry stabbing the Psychopath in the chest with a knife.

Cuts to close up of knife sinking in and Henry cradles the Psychopath in his arms.

Scene 9 int- daytime

Cut to medium close up, Henry cradling a nurse in his arms, a blade protruding from her corpse as the Psychopath begins to narrate.

Psychopath:

Looks like somebody’s has been a naughty boy again.

Cuts to close up of woman’s face and then to a shot reverse shot of Henry’s shocked face, cutting to a blurred medium long shot of Henry rising and staggering out of the room.

Final cut to first person view as Henry staggers down a corridor where the blurred images of to workers approach grabbing him and pinning him down, an overwhelming sound of static plays over the shot.

End

Creative descion

During the production of my film, I came to the conclusion that my project would be better if I 'teamed up' with another person to rach the films full potential. Both of our films had similar themes, and narratives - we both had themes of the psychological mind, and how it twists and confuses itself. By joining our films together, we felt we are able to bring a more polished product forward. My previous film will not be tossed away, but rather it help influence the style that we hope to bring across in the final product.

Link to Jacks Blog: http://jackquinlana2media.blogspot.co.uk/