Story Board

Thriller Opening Locations

We chose Hannah’s house to film at. We filmed in:

-        The Kitchen – this is where we first catch a glimpse of a figure out of the window, and also where the intruder initially tries to get in. It is where any weapons (knives) for Holly's self defense should be.

-        The Living room- what would usually be a welcomin family room, but in Holly's case it isn't and is where the first unsettling events are heard by Holly. 

-        The Hallway- where we see the first sighting of the intruder in the house.

-        The Bedroom- somewhere safe and private for Holly, however for the final shot, being dragged from under the bed, it doesn't look very safe and homely anymore. The bedroom is also used to portray Holly's tomboyish nature.

-        Outside – for the establishing shot and setting the scene that it is just a normal house on a quiet, normal street.

Thriller Opening Props

-        Keys – Holly’s way in and out of the house, when these go missing and she is locked in we know she is trapped and in danger

-        Knives – used to cut the cake so initially just a normal, everyday item. But Holly chooses to use it as a weapon when she is worried, to find her choice of protection has gone, and so have all the other knives

-        Cake

-        Mobile phone – used to indicate the presence of the intruder in the bedroom, when we discover it is in fact not this phone which is ringing, but somebody else’s (and Holly is supposed to be home alone)

Thriller Opening Cast and Costume

Holly – Played by Holly Watson

Holly is a schoolgirl, which will initially make her appear vulnerable, however we also wanted her to have a tomboyish manner to try and indicate that she isn’t going to be a girly ‘princess’ character. She will wear:

-        A red hoodie - to connote that she could be in danger

-        Dark jeans with a camouflage pattern – to connote her tomboyish nature

-        Black shoes

-        Shoulder bag – to denote that she is a school girl

 

The Intruder – Played by Hannah Cocklin

The intruder remains anonymous through the whole of the opening to create mystery. They will wear:

-        Black pants – to connote their dark, evil nature

-        Black coat/hoodie – to again connote their dark nature and also cover their head and face to make them more unknown and mysterious

Thriller Opening Script

EXT. WALK UP TO HOUSE - EVENING

One girl, HOLLY, is walking up the road to her house when her phone rings and she answers.

HOLLY

Hello… yeah alright. Let me ring you back in 5 minutes. See you.

Holly walks through gate and into her house. 

INT. HOUSE - EVENING 

INT. KITCHEN - EVENING

Holly goes straight into the kitchen to get some food. INTUDER walks past window.

INT. LIVING ROOM - EVENING 

Holly sits down on the sofa in the living room to eat her cake. Suddenly she hears a thud at the window and gets up to investigate. She looks out of the window to see the gate swinging shut but nobody there. She closes the curtains and sits down to carry on eating. 

Holly is startled by the loud noise of the intruder trying to get through the back door. She gets up and runs into the kitchen. Panicking, she feels around for knife. Realising it has gone, she checks the kitchen for another knife, but they’ve all gone.

INT. HALLWAY – EVENING

Holly runs to do the front door to try and lock it, but finds the keys are gone. Instead she tries to get out, but somebody has already locked the door. She runs upstairs to hide.

INT. BEDROOM – EVENING

Holly hides under her bed in a panic. Suddenly she hears the sound of a mobile phone ringing.   

HOLLY

Oh no, oh no…

She tries to grab her phone to turn it off, realising it is not her phone which is ringing. She tries to stay as quiet as possible, but is dragged out from under the bed by the intruder.

HOLLY

(Screams)

Thriller Opening Shot List

1. Establishing long shot of Holly walking up the road
2. Medium shot of her getting her phone out
3. Long shot of her walking through the garden gate
4. Shaky POV long shot from intruder inside the shed, watching Holly walk to the house
5. Medium shot of Holly walking  up to the front door
6. Close up her unlocking the door
7. Cut back to a medium shot of Holly opening the door
8. Match on action medium long shot of Holly going through the door
9. Close up her hanging the keys by the door
10. Medium long shot of her putting down her bag and walking down the hallway
11. Match on action of her walking into the kitchen
12. Medium close up as she goes to grab a knife
13. Extreme close up of her picking up a bread knife
14. Medium shot of Holly cutting some cake, the intruder walks past the window in the background
15. Ellipsis edit from the kitchen to the living room
16. Medium long shot of her sitting down on the sofa
17. Medium close up and pan as she stands up and goes to the window
18. Holly’s POV out the window, she sees the gate swinging shut
19. Medium shot of Holly closing the curtains
20. Intruder’s POV looking through the gap in the curtains
21. Close up of Holly eating her cake
22. Extreme close up of the kitchen door handle moving, someone is trying to get in
23. Medium tracking shot as she runs out of the room
24. Match on action into the kitchen
25. Medium shot of Holly checking the door and turning to look for the knife she left on the kitchen surface
26. Extreme close up of the knife stand, no knives in it anymore
27. Cut back to a medium shot of Holly searching the kitchen for a knife
28. Close up inside the drawer, no knives in the drawer
29. Cut back to a medium shot of Holly running out of the kitchen
30. Match on action as she runs into the hall way
31. Close up of Holly reaching for the keys to lock the door, no keys on hook
32. Cut back to long shot of Holly at the door
33. Close up trying to open door, it’s already been locked
34. Cut back to long shot, intruder appears from under the stairs
35. Close up of Holly’s feet as she runs up the stairs
36. Match on action medium shot of her reaching the top of the stairs and running into the bedroom
37. Match on action medium shot of her entering the room and closing the door
38. Medium close up of her panicking and looking round the room for a place to hide
39. Shaky, POV long shot of her scanning the room
40. Medium shot of her running to the bed and climbing underneath
41. Close up of her under the bed, hear a phone rig and Holly panics to find her phone
42. Close up on phone screen to show it isn’t ringing, it must be the intruder’s phone ringing
43. Close up of her being dragged out from under the bed