Planning - Building tension

 Planning :

Using my research on building tension, I plan to explore how shallow depth of field and selective focus can be used when building tension in thriller films. In my research, I discovered that limiting what the audience can clearly see is an effective way to create unease. rather than showing everything in sharp detail, blurring parts of the frame forces the audience to question what is happening outside of the focused subject.

What I will use :

- Use 2 Lego figures ( one in the foreground and on in the background )

- A black background to place behind the Legos 

Note : This is a scene from a movie called "The Strangers" that I plan to replicate

 A still from the movie "The Strangers"

Purpose of this setup ? 

The purpose of this framing is to create tension through uncertainty. This allows the audience to be aware of something or someone behind the main subject, but they will not be able to clearly identify it.

  Note : Because the background isn't fully hidden it allows viewers to notice the silhouette, creating suspense. 

What is my plan ? 

I'll experiment with the distance between the two Legos to control how blurred the background appears.  If I place the second Lego farther back, the blur should increase, making it even more difficult to make out what is happening. Taking the lighting into consideration will help keep the figure noticeable while also not revealing too much. 

Expectation :

I aim to demonstrate how cinematography is used as a story telling device. I expect for this to be fairly simple since I have experience with this from other films I've been apart of. I think the hardest part of doing this will be getting the lighting right. This is because the Lego will be placed infront of a black background, which tends to capture the light and not reflect it, dimming the surrounding area. Although, with the right lighting position, I can work around this.