Audience Expectations Of A Thriller

The audience has certain expectations they will want in a thriller, the use of techniques, lighting and editing all fall into these expectations. The audience will hope to see: 

• There is usually a murder weapon a gun or knife
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• Location can be set anywhere but normally the directors want to make the background dark to tie in with the thriller mood so a lot of the scenes will be shot during the night and in urban cities
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• There is commonly death throughout a thriller or at some point during the film, these can be natural but usually murder because this builds up the feel of mystery 

• Police, detectives, victims, suspects, Protagonists, Antagonists, terrorists, assassins, stalkers, criminals, prison inmates and many more will help the thriller seem more real and the audience will expect to see them in thriller movies
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• In most films there are stereotypes but in thrillers there are definitely because there will always be hero's and villain's. The audience will expect the hero to become triumphant towards the end of the film and defeating the villain.There is also a stereotype of their appearance such as the villian will look evil, crocked maybe have symbolism such as a scar. The hero's will be fresh , strong willed and seem like they have determination to stop the villain. 
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• The editing can also be important because they help create the thriller genre with use of quick snappy shots and jump shots which create the tension and suspense for the audience
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• Another vital convention is the lighting, it has to be low key lighting and dark scenes which creates the suspense and mystery, concealing of the antagonists identity will entertain the audience draw them in as this will encourage them to watch on

• Thrillers also include another clever technique which make the audience side with a character and can feel attached to them, personal lives of the victims make the audience think they are more vulnerable. The thriller plot is also vital, it must consist with the ‘perfect crime’  which involves 3 different types of plots to keep the thriller strong all the way through.  The first is ‘Open Thriller’ this identifies the crime being committed and shows the audience who the character is who is associated with the crime this can create tension and suspense. The second is ‘Closed Thriller’ which is different to the first as it creates more mystery because we do not see the crime being carried out, all the audience views is the crime being discovered and because we are not aware of who done the crime it grabs our attention and gives us a sense of desperation to find out who it was. The third is the ‘Changing thriller’.  This changes the narrative between open and closed. For example by changing the plot from positive attitudes to negative.
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• Although thrillers aim to make the audience endure suspense and mystery they also want them to feel anxiety and feeling scared, by using camera shots they can achieve this. The camera shots will always consist of match on action, rule of thirds and 180 degree rule but they will use close ups to help make the audience scared, for example they could put it on the killers face to move the audience and so they feel for the victim and see them as more vulnerable and weak. 

The Taking Of Pelham is a good example of a thriller with all of these expectations it has the quick snappy shots when it comes to action scenes. Theres the example of the hero and villian the villian is john javolta as he holds hostages on a train with weapons such as a gun. The hero is the random guy who works for the train station and he comes triumphant at the end. Its set in an under ground where it is dark and low key lighting. Also in this trailer it shows the police and them interacting with the criminals. This is an open thriller because we see it all being happened and the man stealing the train and holding hostages. We also can be attached to the hero because of his family also and he wants to get back home these are all what people expect when watching a thriller

Preliminary Task Evaluation

We've done an evaluation for our preliminary task. We evaluated our camera shots, angles and every other technique we have done for our video. ^

Preliminary Task ( Script & Stage Directions& Camera Shots)

 (non linear)
Dark room with one light directing on the table where suspect is sitting ( Kieran). Interrogator( Mag) walks in room- match on action and mid shot of Mag as she sits down opposite kieran.
Over the shoulder shot.
Magg: I'm not going to mess about let's get straight to the point did you kill her
Kieran: Well maybe i wana mess about
Magg: did you mess her about?
Shot reserve shot
Kieran: Well lets face it shes in a mess now
Magg: Your sick!
Kieran: I loved her so much ( hands are rubbing face , sense of unaccountability)
Magg: Then why did you do it
Close up
Kieran: He made me
over the shoulder
Magg: Who's he? James who is he? ( asks anxiously)
Kieran: Isn't it weird that something so beautiful can perish within seconds before your eyes
Magg: STOP FUCKING WITH ME( leaps up and hits the table with frustration), YOU DID IT DIDN'T YOU, YOU KILLED YOUR WIFE. What about your kids?
Two man shot
Kieran: i have no kids
Magg: What are you talking about, your son Jack and what about your daughter Jessica
Kieran: (Pauses) I dont remember
Magg: Just let me help you
Kieran: I don't need anyone but me and him...now leave us alone( Suspicious)
Over the shoulder shot
Magg: There's no one here ( begins to feel scared)
extreme close up on kieran's eyes
Kieran: I know I Know, she wont leave ( speaking to himself)
Magg: Your scaring me James!
Kieran: JUST LEAVE PLEASE GO! ( Shouts with desperation)
Policewomen walks out the room in a hurry
Mid shot
Magg: He's not right in the head, I couldn't get anything

Preliminary Task Film

Preliminary Task - Synopsis.

written up by Magg

"A young, super-intelligent female police-detective, Emily Jarvis, interrogates a genius psychiatrist, James Atkinson, who is suspected of killing his own wife. During many interrogations and interviews, James Atkinson is trying to trick the police detective's mind with clever questions and statements that make no sense at first but then suddenly it all falls into place, when Emily Jarvis does a particular research on the famous, genius psychiatrist. It turns out James Atkinson is not who he said he was. It appeared from the early documentation that James Atkinson used to be a completely another person before he started his research on mentally diseased people. Emily Jarvis tries to find out the truth but she finds herself being dragged into a dark past of the suspect, his wife, his -what it appears to be amnesia -and other aspects that make Emily Jarvis question her own existance and identity and state of mind.
So who is James Atkinson and who was the man before him? Why there appear to be two people of the same looks but different names? Is it amnesia that affected James Atkinson, or was it just denial? Will Emily Jarvis find out the truth? Or will just lose her mind just like James Atkinson?"

Preliminary Task - Research - Lighting.

Researched and written up by Magg.

Film noir - low key lighting - expressive lighting :

Film Noir is always a black and white film. Quite popular technique to be used in thriller films including investigations and detectives. It is a great way to create mystery as you only shine the light on things you want the audience to see and keep the rest in the dark. To create that kind of light, intense focused hard light is needed. It should be focused only on the parts of the character or room that the audience is supposed to see to create that mysterious and suspicious feel. When creating a film in the Film Noir style, the things that should be avoided are even lighting, greys and fill light mostly focused hard light and low key lighting should be used only. Also, very useful shots in film noirs are low angle shots or high angle shots. Also the use of shadows is very useful as they create a lot of suspense and mystery. Another very popular technique is to insert silhouettes in the film. Silhouettes are achieved by putting the light behind the object – potential character –so that their body is outlined but no details revealed –neither their face or what they are wearing etc. Another popular technique for film noir is the use of smoke –usually cigarette smoke. It helps to bring that aura of mystery into the scene. Close-ups of faces to show emotions, using shadows and light.

Iconography - Moodboard.

Moodboard put together by Magg:

Opening Title Sequence (Se7en)

Opening title sequence(Se7en)

Comparison to Se7en title sequence. In groups of 2 me and kieran used the program final cut to create our own thriller title sequence. We watched the title sequence Se7en and evaluated the aspects of the techniques used such as visual effects, font, color, camera angles, mise en scene and many over features. We then used this knowledge of a thriller title sequence to create our own original short sequence. Using the se7en music in our background to help that thriller effect. We found images that were iconic of a thriller and footage, then edited to create an original piece we did not film any of our footage used.

Research - Typical Synopsis Of A Thriller Film

Typical Synopsis Of A Thriller Film written up by Adam

There are many characteristics what help create a thriller genre, I researched them and found that thriller films include a lot of components. I also looked at the sub-genres. Thrillers will always have the mood of mystery and suspense so i looked into this further so i could see what aspects create these moods.


Setting, characters and story are a few of the important characteristics. They stories will usually have an atmosphere of creepy menace and sudden violence, they normally have crime, murder, investigation and detectives this ties in with the theme mystery. Thrillers are dark and fast paced, they are adrenaline rushing. There's always suspense, intense excitement, anxiety and tension. The characters are commonly assassins, stalkers, criminals, detectives, cops, innocent victims, terrorists and many more, this relates to the idea of it being violent and there will always be an example of murder and investigation. The setting of a thriller is mostly located in suburbs or cities but there have been occasions where they have been presented in deserts, exotic places or high seas.

In a thriller, the hero must stop an enemy such as a villain or murderer rather than uncover a crime that has already happened. We usually find out the identity of the murderer and know all along. They involve violent confrontations what are standard plot elements in the genre. The mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain and saves his life and others however sometimes the hero can be killed in the process but the hero being triumphant is the common ending to a thriller.










Sub Genres




Action-Adventure Thriller- Treasure hunt, a mystery of lost time reminds us of the child fantasy of being an adventurer. In this type of sub genre there is a lot of action required. A good example of an Action-Adventure thriller is 'Sahara'.















Serial Killer Thriller- This is a very popular sub genre of a thriller because it falls into the category of murder, crime and investigation. There can be horrific violence and the detective must stop the serial killer. An example is 'Seduction In Death'.








Religious Thriller- This is also an example of a sub genre and is an interesting way to present a thriller. Its uses the rich and long history of religion to build stories with high stakes and deadly politics. An example of this is 'The Da Vinci Code'.

Monday, 3 October 2011

Composition

Composition looks at editing a photograph or camera shot, adding effects and altering the image. I was asked to research the elements of composition


The Rule Of Thirds- Cutting the picture into thirds so their are 9 sections in one image. Makes the picture more appealing and avoids attention in the middle of the shot.




Perspective- The perspective plays an important role in having successful composition because it affects how good and original the shot is. Its from your perspective out of your eyes and what your viewing. This can give effects such as nice angles, showing people a depth and a feeling of 3 dimension in the image also greater idea and volume of space.

Lines And Patterns- Lines add to the perspective of a picture. Lines lead your audience or observers eyes to a specific point in the image, can set up structure. Patterns are everywhere there interesting and draw attention to a shot

Balance- Balance in an image can be achieved by having 2 items of the same size on both side of the picture or an empty space on one side and an item on the other so it can focus on one side but it still balances out.

Simplicity- The picture is simple but effective, not complex not making the viewer work to hard to observe it. An example of making an image use simplicity is removing the background















The Divine Proportion- A structured spiral on an image, can be found in nature. An example is it can be used as a template to check to see if your shot is composed correctly

lead Room- The idea of this effect is to give the viewer space to see where a moving object is going.An example is a american football game, When a player is throwing, we want to see whats ahead (who will catch the ball) not what's behind. So we frame the shot to give him lead room.

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Mind Map(Thriller Films)

9 frame analysis title sequence(catch me if you can)

We were asked to select a certain film and capture 9 frame analysis opening. We had to judge what to pick and to be able to explain it. Looked at the colors and features of the font and text and how they linked to the animations in the background. I chose the film catch me if you can because there is a lot of visual effects.

Research on Match on Action - Adam, + Shot-rev-shot -Magg.

Match On Action researched and written up by Adam.

A match on action shot occurs when an action begins in one shot and is continued or completed in the next. In a exterior shot Julia Roberts opens the front door to a house. In the next shot the camera(now indoors) photographs her entering the foyer and closing the door.


Another example is a shot of someone tossing a ball can be edited to show two different views, while maintaining temporal continuity by being sure that the second shot shows the arm of the subject in the same stage of its motion as it was left when cutting from the first shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haF0vzXFP3g

Shot - Reverse/Shot researched and written up by Magg.

Shot /Reverse- Shot is used in films for the continuity effect. It is a film technique used usually in particular scenes, such as conversations where one character is looking at another and then that character is showing looking at the first one. Usually the other character that the first is looking at is off-screen and the first character is the main subject of the shot, and vice versa. This technique is usually used for the audience to perceive the continuos action that develops logically and chronologically. Over-the-shoulder shots are very often used in shot/reverse-shot editing as -shown above in the video I have found on Youtube. ^

Preliminary Task - Script/CameraShots/StageDirections

Preliminary Task ( Script & Stage Directions& Camera Shots) written by Adam

 (non linear)
Dark room with one light directing on the table where suspect is sitting ( Kieran). Interrogator( Mag) walks in room- match on action and mid shot of Mag as she sits down opposite kieran.
Over the shoulder shot.

Magg: I'm not going to mess about let's get straight to the point did you kill her
Kieran: Well maybe i wana mess about
Magg: did you mess her about?
Shot reserve shot
Kieran: Well lets face it shes in a mess now
Magg: Your sick!
Kieran: I loved her so much ( hands are rubbing face , sense of unaccountability)
Magg: Then why did you do it
Close up
Kieran: He made me
over the shoulder
Magg: Who's he? James who is he? ( asks anxiously)
Kieran: Isn't it weird that something so beautiful can perish within seconds before your eyes
Magg: STOP FUCKING WITH ME( leaps up and hits the table with frustration), YOU DID IT DIDN'T YOU, YOU KILLED YOUR WIFE. What about your kids?
Two man shot
Kieran: i have no kids
Magg: What are you talking about, your son Jack and what about your daughter Jessica
Kieran: (Pauses) I dont remember
Magg: Just let me help you
Kieran: I don't need anyone but me and him...now leave us alone( Suspicious)
Over the shoulder shot
Magg: There's no one here ( begins to feel scared)
extreme close up on kieran's eyes
Kieran: I know I Know, she wont leave ( speaking to himself)
Magg: Your scaring me James!
Kieran: JUST LEAVE PLEASE GO! ( Shouts with desperation)
Policewomen walks out the room in a hurry
Mid shot
Magg: He's not right in the head, I couldn't get anything

The History of Thriller Genre.

I have done a research on the history of thriller. I included the key and most siginificant films in the thriller genre over the years from 1920's to the last decade in the thriller cinema. I am happy with my research as I think I have presented it in a creative way, taking samples of thriller's trailers and editing them together with my own voice-over and research I have done.

Research: Typical Synopsis

Research on typical synopsises for different subgenres written by Magg.

Welcome To Our Blog.

Welcome. This is our Group blog, on which we will post all of our work that we will perform from this day up until our deadline. The work will include our understanding of the theme, the genre of the thriller, of specific techniques, of the reasons behind the used techniques. We will demonstrate our ability of filming and researching, planning, managing the group and splitting work equally between each other, and working together as a team. We will try our best to make this film as good as we can and use our abilities and understanding of thriller genre to the fullest and demonstrate that through our work.