Props - Caroline

We are shooting our thriller short film at Emily's house and so many of the props we will need are already fixtures within that location. Specifically we will need:

• A mirror as the idea of reflections, and the motif of the couple and in particular the man brushing his teeth are very important within the film. The mirror is also important in maintaining the realistic aspects of the bathroom within the house. In connection with this we will need a toothbrush and toothpaste and a sink.

The use of the mirrors will become very poignant within the film as the brushing teeth scenes come before any major action, and is an action that both the man and the woman partake in on more than one occasion, making it the motif or normality. Brushing your teeth also has conntations of going to bed, (the main theme surrounding our thriller) and so when the audience see the characters brushing their teeth they will expect what happens. The idea of mirrors in thriller is also a well known and used technique, as mirrors can be manipulated to display unconcentional reflections which induces fear in an audience, and also provides a seperate point of view in some cases as the audience sees more than the character or we witness the characters realisation with them (in the reflection). A well known example of a mirror being used in thriller short film is as follows:

"Man in the mirror" by Nicolò Trunfio - The man sees himself in the mirror holding a knife towards his family, when in real life he is not, and so sees a part of himself he did not know was there. The mirror acts as a different way to see himself, (a violent way) and so the audience and the character discover this ab out the man at the same time through the manipulated image in the reflection.

• A bed is also important in conveying the aspect of dreams and sleeping not only by connotation but by the physical shots of the couple asleep. It will become a key prop in filming the dream scenes as a conventional, harmless looking object is turned from innocent to sinister. Another element in which this is key is within the scenes when the man wakes up and realises what he has done as the high angle shot that we have used on other occasions to show the couple waking up together, will reveal him to be alone, which will be uncharacteristic of the other shots in the film, and also evoke mystery as to where the woman has gone, and whether what we have seen and presumed to be dream is in fact real. Beds are not only a signifier of sleep, but of love, and through our film, and the shots and lighting in the bedroom during the beginning of the film we intend to use the bed signify the love between the couple, and the innocence of their relationship, so as the truth hits the audience in a more visceral sense. Beds are also a very common, everyday item, and so not only will the use of one be relateable to, but when the truth is revealed in the final shots people may doubt themselves, making the thriller have a greater fear factor.

Beds have been used in other thriller for example:

"Unmade Beds" is a film that reveals concerns surrounding the feelings of dreams. In this shot the subtitles have just said "when you fall in love in your dream, and that feeling stays with you until the day after". The image of a bed in this context not only literally links to sleeping, but connotes the love that has just been mentioned. Interestingly though, the bed shown the the medium long shot is not very welcoming and denotes that of a hotel, or someone less friendly. This may show a sinister edge to the love described, and maybe the subtitles are mocking true love. Here the bed is powerful in the meaning of this sequence of the film, and the bed in our film will do the same.

• A phone is needed during the scenes at the end of our short film when the male character cannot find his partner, important in his realisation of what he has done, and the severity of this. As he rings her, there is no answer, forming a theme of communication as throughout the film the couple seem to communicate well, and both are not seen to worry. The presense of this worry in the male character at thsi point in the film build on this theme as we see him in a different way to how we have seen him before. We can infer that he is beginning to doubt the dream was a dream as he gets increasingly worried about his partner. The use of phones in thriller film is common as they represent communication and safety; without a phone many people feel unsafe as they have no way of contacting the outside world in a dangerous situation. The importance of the man using the phone at the end of the film shows that he is in control, (as we have seen him in the dreams) as the woman has been completely dominated by him in what he thinks are dreams, but what is in fact reality.

Phones have been used often in other thriller films as signifers of safety (and through the lack of) danger:

"Telephone" is an amateur film, but uses the telephone in a way the plays upon the communication element of the device. The film sees a man using phones to kidnap people and trap them in unknown situations. The playing on the conventional idea of communication and the innocence of this makes the ideas concerned relevant to the audience, and in turn, making the fear factor even greater.

•  A knife is also needed during our short film as there is going to be violence and the final attack is going to be using a knife for a stabbing. Though in this final attack it will be obvious to the audience what has happened (even though it is not obvious if it is dream or reality) we are only going to imply the attack rather that explicitly reveal what happens to the woman. The knife is an important signifier of the reality of the situation that the woman is in, and will contribute to the audience's realisation that it was not a dream. It also acts as a signifier of the dangerous nature of the man, and what he is capable of (even if he is unaware of it himself).

Knifes are used often in thrillers not only as important props in the physical act of violence towards another character but also as signifiers of danger. A knife was used in this way in "Stanley Knife" a short film centred around knifes. In the sequence it is clear who has the edge on who from the camerawork (eye level shots with the man in the grey coat with a gun and low angle shots of the knife man). These two examples of camerawork show us who has the power, which also tells us who has the power between the gun and the knife - the knife.

• Fake blood is really important in conveying the attack and the consequences of it on the woman. It is essential in making the scenes realistic and in creating a sense of the danger that we want to convey. It will also be important in the realisation that the man's dream was real as dreams dont leave trails of blood. The audience's confusion as to whether the sequence was dream or reality is also heightend by the presence of this blood.

• The bath is a key factor in the realisation also, and a key part in the mystery at the ending when the man turns around and the woman is no longer there. This creates mystery and fear and fits the genre of our short film. Baths are used often in thriller films to connote danger, and the image of a body in a bath has connotations of suicide which fits the genre and also creates a sense of fear for the audience. The bath is a very ordinary, everyday situation that everyone has experienced, giving a universal element to the fear induced; the every-day nature of the prop means that more of the audience will find the object scary in this context - fitting the genre.

A very famous example of a film that used a bath/shower to connote danger is Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". The shower initially creates a sense of innocence as the woman washes happily, and we infer a comfortable environment. The contrasting image of the woman washing, and the shadow appearing behind her induces the fear as a normal situation is turned sinister.