Our Opening Scene Idea

Our group has decided to base our opening scene around the Jack the Ripper murders, this is because we believe that there is a lot of interest around this subject, and that we can be really creative and imaginative in the way we film. We decided that we will film in an alley in Rochester, as this fits in with the era Jack the Ripper killed in. There are two characters in our scene, Jack the Ripper and a prostitute who ends up being one of his victims. We decided from the beginning that we wanted our scene to be snappy and effective, in order to draw in the audience. We all agreed that our shots would be short, so that when it comes to editing, we can put them all together to create a scene with impact. We also decided that the scene would have no dialogue, this is because as a group we wanted to focus more on the titles and the actual impact the shots have, instead of what the characters are saying. As a group we decided that half the scene would be indoors and the other half outdoors. The indoor shots will be focussed around Jack the Ripper as a person, and how he fantasised and relived the killings. We will have a shot of Jack the Ripper writing one of his notorious letters and a shot of him looking through pictures and newspaper cuttings of the murders. The outdoor shots are used to build up tension for the audience, and to create an atmosphere of danger and mystery. Some of the shots we decided will include Jack the Ripper walking up a dark alley, but not actually showing his face. This is because it creates a feel if mystery, and in the real case, nobody knew the Ripper’s identity. We also decided that we will have some shots of a prostitute approaching the Ripper, and her being killed at the end of the scene. This is because it will make the audience want to watch on and find out what happens. We also decided as a group that we would get some short shots of different buildings and objects in Rochester, as this would be a good opening for our scene. We also decided that we would have appropriate costumes to fit the style and era of the film, and make our own props to make it more effective and interesting. In my opinion, I believe that our discussion went well because we all inputed really good ideas and listened to each others ideas well. Another thing that was successful is that if the group didn’t agree with someones idea, we was all able to compromise and adapt ideas, in order for everyone to be happy with the outcome. We also decided in the discussion who would have what role in the duration of the scene making, this is so that everyone is able to contribute to the making of the scene. Overall, I believed that our discussion went well because we have a strong idea on what we are going to do, and have structured how we are going to carry out our ideas, in order to get things done efficiently. 

Film character comparison

Jack the Ripper 

  

There are many theories on why Jack the Ripper only killed prostitutes, one of these theories is that he had a pure hatred for women, this is why he completely eradicated their identity, by mutilating their faces. Some believe that Jack the Ripper had knowledge on medical procedures, this is because he removed numerous organs and body parts with precision, the fact that he took some organs with him, and placed body parts in different places, shows his sadistic way of thinking. The Ripper killed prostitutes in their forties, most of his victims where homeless which made it easier for him to cover up the evidence. The Ripper taunted the authorities by writing hand written notes to them, this shows his cleverness and need to flaunt his crimes. The Ripper was never caught because their was no evidence to link the crimes to anyone. To this day there is still interest in the Ripper case, this is because people are intrigued by the fact that it is unsolved, and the extremeness of the killings. There are five known victims of the Ripper, all but one was mutilated beyond recognition, the fact that he destroyed their bodies, shows how twisted he was. He killed all his victims at night, and they were all found by the morning, with no trace of the killer. Jack the Ripper comes across as quite a confident character, because he was able to kill the woman without ever coming to close to being caught.

The Zodiac Killer

  

The Zodiac killer took the lives of five victims during the 1960’s and early 70’s. On some occasions the  Zodiac killer targeted couples, he shot a couple in 1968 in California and in 1969 shot a couple, however the woman survived. The Zodiac killer is well known for his letters to the local press, giving details of the crimes. He threatened to kill again if the newspaper did not print the story. He had a recognisable symbol which was portrayed as his calling card, which was a circle with two distinct lines going through it. In one of the Zodiac killers letters, he stated that “I love killing because its so fun”. Cecelia Shepard died after being stabbed repeatedly. The survivors of his attacks described him as  white, heavyset, in his late 20’s, dark hair, and that he wore thick rimmed glasses. Although when he carried out his crimes, he wore a hood. This case has caused much unrest, as it is still to this day unsolved. The Zodiac killer relates to Jack the Ripper because both cases are to this day unsolved and both killers taunted the press and police on the crimes they had committed. Both Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac killer where very confident in the way they killed, this is because they knew the police were struggling to find them.