Individual Movie Plan 

What is a suspense thriller and iconography associated with it?
 A suspense thriller is a  sub genre characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. This may be achieved by using quick cuts for tension, in particular to hide the identity of the protagonist at the start, creating mystery, and extreme close ups. Thrillers contain a protagonist and an antagonist, presented through a disruption in equilibrium.  Successful examples of thrillers within the genre I'm researching, much similar to my film idea are 'The Hitchhiker' or 'Cabin fever'. Iconography simply means symbolic representations, which often has a conventional meaning attached to an image or object. Iconography is very important as it is part of the mise-en-scene and therefore helps to construct atmosphere for the audience. Lighting is key within mise-en-scene for thrillers. Dark, green screen, grey colours are associated with this sub genre, and often shadows are used to represent the unknown within darkness and the feeling of a stranger being present. Shadows build up fear, and shows how the protagonist is usually oblivious. Small sources of light may be used, such as street lamps which focus on the protagonist and how they are surrounded by darkness, creating a tense atmosphere with low key lighting.
Plot
The genre of my movie will be a thriller, sub-genre: suspense thriller. The name of my film is 'Lost in the woods'. To make it suspense, I will add loud sounds and sudden movements which will get the audience’s heart racing, adrenaline pumping, and emotions at peak.

Within the first few minutes of the film, the viewers will experience emotions felt when loosing family members and feeling isolated, surrounded by no other standing family, just strangers. The movie will begin with a flashback as the man (Adam) looks down at his mother in hospital, after she’s died, reverting back to all the great memories they shared. This will make the audience aware of how close their relationship was and put them in Adams shoes so they emphasize with him. His emotion will be foreshown through his actions, of metaphorically ‘packing up’ the past, and standing on his own two feet and moving away from what he’s used to seeing. In this case, Adam moves to far Australia, where he starts a new life. Within the first few minutes we will see him packing up and leaving behind his old life. This will engage the audience as they will be eager to know where Adam is going and being a thriller, who’s going to confront him or what particularly? 

As the film goes on, Adam gets on a flight ,full of down emotions, hoping Australia will offer an alternative to his’ lost, lonely’  house back in the UK. Once in Australia, he takes a rundown shack-like house off a young man for a cheap price, in hope to refurbish it after settling down. The house is surrounded by forest, in Queensland and is physically in the rainforest, deserted, with no other buildings around. Adam takes on the house, as he’s in a position to take anything without being picky.  He soon is eager to get to know the surrounding areas and goes for a wander into what he doesn’t know is a deep forest. Loosing track of time, Adam wanders deeper and deeper as he has wandering thoughts of his mother and his life back in the UK. Darkness falls over the sky, as Adam wanders into the unknown. Soon to realize, he’s lost. Paranoia kicks in, as he realizes where he is and the risks of this, he keeps looking left, right, behind himself, in front. Once hitting nightfall, he crosses paths with a hitchhiker, which frightens him yet gives him false hope of will he know the way back to his home. Once approaching the hitchhiker, although he’s friendly (fake) connotations tell us he’s a psychopathic, by the way he dresses, his expressions and body language. The hitchhiker is a complete stranger, which Adam has faith in to guide him home, in woodland at 3am. The audiences know this guy isn’t right but does Adam? The hitchhiker turns out to be a serial killer, which Adam realizes when he invites him into his shack, out of kindness, for a drink. When the man goes outside for a cigarette, Adam checks the hitchhikers bag to reassure himself that he isn’t some strange stalker or worse, as he raids his bag, to find many weapons and images of past victims of kill, the hiker happens to come back in, carrying a large carving knife.

Adam apologizes in hope the man will forgive him, however things deteriorate as the man pretends to forgive him, then disappears. Soon to return, torturing Adam till death. This will include many scenes of chasing throughout the forest.
Evaluation

My film will target audiences who appeal towards thriller/scary movies and emotional serious drama films, as the beginning starts on a down scale. The effects and camera angles such as the chase scenes, camera angles will point up towards the hitchhiker to present him as a more powerful character, and camera angles will point downwards to the man being hunted to make him look vulnerable and weak. The camera will have certain filters over such as a green, grey filter which thriller/horrors usually have, with a misty background to portray how you never know what’s hiding in the shadows. I will use close up shots to show the fear during integration of the vulnerable man, and how careless and sharp the hitchhikers features seem.  I will include jumping loud noises to grasp the audience’s attention and get them on the edge of their seat, much like a thriller should. A few long shots will be used as Adams mum dies, to show how his surroundings are busy yet he’s isolated and alone whilst everyone else has each over to fall on. Shots will be delivered in a quick pace of 2 per second, to show the tension build-up of the next occurrences.