The storyboard was drawn and annotated by me.
First page:
This is the first page, in which I drew the beginning of the opening - the start of which is a black screen, accompanied by narration and the start of non-diegetic piano music. Then the actual filming begins, where the characters in the storyboard are defined by signature details; the pink shirt on the secondary character, and the blue shirt on the protagonist. Scarlett is wearing the pink shirt in these shots.
The use of sound follows conventions within this page as it includes things such as echoing, piano music, and distorted laughter. These things are often seen in thrillers: the echo gives a sense of isolation, and the distorted laughter gives the atmosphere of a twisted past or some kind of mental instability. It also makes the scene sound much more like a flashback or a dream, which is what it is trying to present in my thriller; I'm using this distorted laughter in order to convey that what the audience is witnessing is a memory, and not the present. The piano music also shows emotion, and creates suspense if it is slow, which is what I plan for it to be in my thriller.
The use of camera shots also follow conventions, as I've used a flashback - this creates binary opposition between the current situation and how things used to be, accentuating the unpleasantness of the event that occurs and causing the audience to feel nostalgic about something they have never experienced. The close ups are also following conventions, as it presents a level of vulnerability in the characters, as all of their facial features are visible. This is especially conveyed in the second shot, as Scarlett laughing presents her character in a pleasant and open way; she is automatically seen as a good character.
Second page:
The arrows on the storyboard show which direction the character is moving, or which way their head turns. This is to aid the actors further when referring to the storyboard.
The diegetic sounds of leaves and branches breaking follows thriller conventions as it creates enigma code and suspense, as the audience (and characters) do not know who is making the noises, or when they will reveal themselves. These sounds will either be recorded separately or alongside the scene, depending on the quality.
The hand-held camera and POV shot also follows conventions, as the unsteady positioning of the camera conveys the mental instability of the stalker(s); they are unable to stay still.
Third page:
I included some aspects of the background when drawing in order to gain a better grasp of the space that will be around the character, and thus which angle would be best in the shot. For example, in the eleventh shot, I have drawn in the character's surroundings so that whoever is operating the camera at that point can see how much of the scene needs to be in the shot.
Fourth page:
In this part of the storyboard I have followed conventions of a thriller by using fast cutting and high angles to create suspense, drama, and also a sense of power. The character is portrayed as being weak by the angle that is clearly looking down on them from above.
Fifth page:
I decided to put in two close up shots right at the end of the opening in order to not only emphasise the enigma code - they wonder what has happened to Scarlett from the shot of her hand - but also to in a way exclude her surroundings. The audience has no information aside from two, small close up shots of seemingly irrelevant details - they have no clue as to whether she is alive, or if she is still in the place she was before.
I decided to end the opening with another black screen alongside the film title; I think this ends the opening well due to the fact it comes full circle and reminds the audience of the name of the character. This further accentuates the enigma code created by the previous shots as well, as it causes the audience to think about why she may be so significant.
