Mr Brookes

In this film, Mr Brookes is a serial killer who appears to be addicted to killing. He tries to stop, but he can’t. He has a bit of a split personality, which is shown by another actor playing his bad side – he talks to him, confides in him, and even gets egged on by him. Mr Brookes has a family, but thinks his daughter is like him, as someone at her college is killed. He covers up her crime, by committing another murder in the same manner, therefore proving his daughter could not have done it.

He is seen by a witness who blackmails him into taking him on his next kill, which he does, and then as he wants to stop, he tries to get the blackmailer to kill him, but changes his mind and kills the blackmailer!

No-one would ever guess he was a serial killer, which is very effective. When he kills there is no emotion on his face or in his voice. I think this is how the person at the start of my film should be like.

Chase Scenes

Thrillers often have chase scenes in them; whether it be the victim being pursued by an unknown assailant, or the bad guy being chased by the police. These are used to build tension and suspense; will the victim escape and live or be captured and die a horrible death?

Kiss the Girls has a really good chase scene; the victim is pursued through underground tunnels; she keeps looking back, but she (and therefore we) never quite see who it is after her. She finally burst from the dark into the light of the woods, but she does not know where she is. Finally she jumps from a cliff rather than be caught and returned. All the time the killer speaks to her, he is calm and reasonable.

Audience Research 2

I think we should also target a male audience; partially because we are male ourselves, and it makes it easier because we know what we like! Also, from the statistical yearbook 2010 (http://sy10.ukfilmcouncil.ry.com/14.0.asp) I found that women tend to watch more of a romantic story type of film, and that males watched the more action thriller type of film.
The table below shows this. (http://sy10.ukfilmcouncil.ry.com/14.2.asp)

Greater male audience share	Male %	Female%
Terminator Salvation	72	28
Brüno	67	33
Planet 51 (UK)	67	33
Lesbian Vampire Killers (UK)	67	33
X-Men Origins: Wolverine	66	34
Avatar	65	35
The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus (UK)	64	36
Star Trek	62	38

There is also little difference in what percentage of men and women go to the cinema.
(http://sy10.ukfilmcouncil.ry.com/14.1.asp)

 

Table 14.1 Frequency of cinema visits by gender, 2009

	Male %	Female%	Overall%
Go to the cinema at least once per year (proportion of population 7+)	60	61	60
Go to the cinema at least once a month (proportion of population 7+)	19	17	18

Characters

The characters in thrillers seem to be split into several similar types

.

a) the normal guy in the street who is actually a serial killer

b) the detective/law enforcement person caught up in the case

c) the victims

I thought that Heath Ledger in Dark Knight was brilliant as The Joker, but it was Aaron Eckhart, who went from being the white knight to murderer who was more effective and scarier, especially after he had been scarred.

Killers 2

In Surveillance (2008) the start of this film is really effective; there is no talking and the music is quiet. The credits are interspersed with what looks like flashing images, but is actually the light of a torch shining on things. You then see a woman lying in bed and then a flash onto a VERY scary face – is it the killer wearing a mask?

This is a scary killer, completely the opposite to normal looking ones like in Mr Brookes and Sleeping With the Enemy. This shocks the audience, but I think it doesn’t remain with the audience, whereas a more normal looking killer is much more frightening and effective within a story. The plot can twist and turn with a killer who looks and behaves like a regular person.

Killers

Killers in thrillers are either really normal on the outside but psycho on the inside, or just plain weird, like in Wolf Creek.

 

I think the more normal a killer looks the scarier he is; again this will build suspense in the viewer. In Sleeping with The Enemy, Patrick Bergin looks to everyone as a normal person, but he bullies and terrorises his wife, Julia Roberts, so much that she pretends to die rather than stay with him. He finds out and goes to find her; this is where subtlety plays a part in the thriller; she does not know he is there, but little clues, towels moved in the bathroom, cans turned in the kitchen, and music playing tell her, and the viewer, that her husband is somewhere.

Conventions of Thrillers

Black and White

As a group we think that if we set our film in a black and white theme it will help draw the audience in and will make the film more thrilling. Whilst using the black and white theme we think it would be a good idea to depict the colour red through-out the whole of the scene. As thrillers are usually aimed at a niche audience this black and white theme would also be appropriate for that type of audience.

As a group we think that if we set our film in a black and white theme it will help draw the audience in and will make the film more thrilling. Whilst using the black and white theme we think it would be a good idea to depict the colour red through-out the whole of the scene. As thrillers are usually aimed at a niche audience this black and white theme would also be appropriate for that type of audience.

I think it would be a good to use this theme; however we should base it on people who have a colour blindness disorder called Protanomaly, this disorder means that the person see mostly black and white but also some pigments of red, blue and pink, setting our thriller in this perspective give an added effect to the audience. This disorder could  help add effect to our psychological based thriller.    

The image above is from the film 'the man who wasnt there' that was produced in black and white in 2001, it shows us that the theme adds an extra effect, it makes the image look older than that it is, when films are set in black and white it helps set the scene for the audience.

Ideas for Props

Props

There are many key props that we could use that could symbolise so many things. An obvious one is the use of a gun. This shows the audience that maybe something dangerous is about to happen and a key part in the film is about to take place. However even though it is an obvious prop and is used in so many thrillers I still think it would still be a good prop to use as this would convey our message about the assassin setting out to kill the victim.

This gun would be a good prop to use as it has a silencer, the silencer creates the impression to the audience that the kill is going to be done secretly without anyone knowing.

Through-out our opening scene the victim is on a computer printing pictures, the use of the computer prop and printer shows that the character is printing images off and looking at important information, this would make the audience think about what is going to happen in later on the film etc, and use of a close up shot on the images and computer shows the audience that it is an important part in the film. The computer symbolises that the images that are been printed off are very important, it also shows that the character is very involved in the film.   

This is the sort of close up shot we want to use when we show what the victim is doing on the computer. The image also shows a point of view, this shot shows what the character can see. Having the close up shot allows the audience to work out what the character is working on and it will draw the audience in. The image below on the right shows an over the shoulder shot of the computer screen this would also be a good shot to use as it helps place the audience in the characters setting.

Ideas for Costumes

Costumes

There are two main characters that are going to feature in our thriller opening, I think that both of the characters should wear smart dress, suits, ties etc, as it gives the characters an image of importance and wealth. I think it would be a good idea if the assassin in our film would wear a long coat, a suit, this gives a classic sort of image. To fit the same sort of wealth and importance theme I think the victim should also be wearing a suit, except not looking as smart as the assassin.

I got the image on the left from Gettyimages. The man in the suit is the type of clothing I want the assassin to wear. It is a classic image and the sort of costume has been used in a lot of thrillers with criminals. As it is a well known image for a criminal, I think it will help the audience follow the film with more ease.

Vacancy

This is another lonely type serial killer film, starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson. He and his partner stop at a motel after their car breaks down. The suspense builds as it turns out the hotel is used to make snuff films.

I like the location in this film; I think we could apply some of this in ours. The motel is very dingy and dirty; the wood is rotten and the wallpaper is peeling of the walls. Our location could be similar – dark and dingy as this would build up an atmosphere of fear.

Costume Ideas

I think the simpler the better. Anthony Hopkins in his blue jumpsuit in Silence of the Lambs is good; it is stark like the building in which he is housed. I also think that we should keep the killer normal looking – even though characters like The Joker, Micheal (in Halloween) have ‘masks’, the killers we are more scared of are those that make us think “Wow, they could live next door…this could happen to me!”

Religious thriller

Religious thrillers are films where the plot if heavily driven by or use elements of religion throughout.

Examples of religious thrillers are:

The Da Vinci Code (2003)














The Devil's Advocate (1997)














The Ninth Gate (1999)

Rape and Revenge thrillers

Rape and Revenge thrillers are explotiation films, bust use thriller themes such as suspense and tention, they are generally fast pased instead of relying on scares and the supernatural.

Examples of Rape and Revenge thrillers are:

The Last House On The Left (2009)














I Spit On Your Grave (2010)














Baise-Moi (Fuck Me) (2000)

Political thriller

Political thrillers are thriller the uses some variation and a plot that consists of a character that must ensure the stablility of hi/her government.

Example of political thrillers are:

The Constant Gardener (2005)














Rendition (2007)














The Ghost Writer (2010)

Mystery thriller

Mystery thrillers are films that incorporate a sense of mystery to add to the tention and suspence needed in a thriller film.

Examples of Mystery thrillers are:

Shutter Island (2010)














Identity (2003)














Vertigo (1958)

Medical thriller

Medical thrillers are films in which the main character is usually a doctor trying to solve a medical case.

Examples of Medical thrillers are:

The Experiment (2010)














Pathology (2008)














Anatomy (2000)

Legal thriller

Legal thrillers are mainly based around a lawyer who risks not only his case, but also his life in an attempt to bring down the criminal.

Examples of legal thrillers are:

A Time to Kill (1996)














A Few Good Men (1992)














Presumed Innocent (1990)

Erotic thriller

Erotic thiller's are films that use elements of erotica.

They include:

Basic Instinct (1992)














In the Cut (2003)














Lust, Caution (2007)

Techno thriller

These are films what incorporate elements of sophisticated technology.

Examples of these are:

The Matrix (1999)














I, Robot (2004)














Eagle Eye (2008)

Supernatural thriller

These are films in which there is an element of supernatural and otherworldliness.

Examples are:

Fallen (1998)














Frequency (2000)














Jacobs Ladder (1990)

Disaster thriller

This sub genre focus' around the event of a natural disaster for example an earthquake, flood, volcano, hurricane ect. it also inculdes 'man made' disasters such as a nuclear disaster.

Examples include:

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)














Knowing (2009)














Twister (1996)

Speech and Dialogue

We will have no scripted speech as such in our thriller opening as i think this will leave it more to the audiences imagination. At the beginning of the opening, one of he policemen does say "see ya" to the other, but this is the only dialogue we have in the opening. I think if we do have and scripted speech in our opening, then it will ruin the atmosphere we will bring across in the music and dark setting.

Conspiracy thrillers

Also known as a paranoid thriller, this sub genre focus' around a character who confronts a large, powerful group of enimies whos true intentions only he/she knows.

Examples of this sub genre are:

JFK (1991)














Flightplan (2005)














Edge of Darkness (2010)

Group Meeting

Group Meeting for Ideas

Today we had a group meeting deciding on what we should involve in our thriller film. We jotted down our ideas on a spider diagram on paper, this diagram featured at all the different parts to a thriller theme, including what thriller genre we were going to use and also what we were going to do about the opening credits.

The diagram below is a slightly less detailed version of the diagram we created in our meeting, however it gives you an idea about what our thriller is going to be like.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENGLARGE

Thriller Themes and Ideas

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

These two spider diagrams helps give us an idea of what themes are in thrillers also what the importance of the opening five minutes of a thriller are. Using these diagrams we can look at what we should include in our thriller opening.

Evaluation for Preliminary Task

Evaluation for Preliminary Task

For our preliminary task we used   many different camera techniques to film our task. For the task we had to match the camera shots. For our task we decided to film a person opening an electronic door and then entering a lift, after the person had entered the lift the next shot was the person leaving the lift. In our task we also had to use some dialogue, we filmed this dialogue using the 180 degree rule as this helped to not confuse the audience.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENGLARGE

We put the filmed task onto youtube.com, the pictures above show the different camera angles and techniques used. The top left image, shows a close up of the disabled button for the door, the top right image was filmed above the door with the character entering for this shot we were trying to imitate a cctv camera to add more effect.