Convention of Thriller: sound

The sound used in our opening scene will be non diegetic sound which will able use to create a specific atmosphere in our scene. Also we will use diegetic sound such as dialogue to give the audience knowledge about the mood of the character speaking and their relationship with other characters. We will also use silence in our opening scene to create a sense of mystery behind our characters while also making the audience think about what the characters are doing and why.

Conventions of Thriller: Camera shots and angles

The shot mostly used in thrillers is the close up. This kind of shot is used in films such as Se7en and Phone booth. This shot is used to build suspense as it can be used to distort what the audience can see as they can only see a certain amount of the image. Also these shots build up mystery around what the camera is looking out as sometimes the audience will have to think about what the object is. However if the object is a gun for example the audience will have to figure out who will use it and what for.
We will incorporate in our thriller the use of close ups as this allows us to build mystery and suspense around certain characters as well as keeping the audience guessing about what is happening. Also many fast paced jump cuts between close ups could be used to build a fast paced momentum or to add shock into our opening scene.

The angles used in most thrillers are low angles for the hero type character as this makes the character shown seem more powerful or that they are in a powerful position. Additionally this can be used on either character as in different scenes either character may hold more power over somebody else.
In our thriller film we will use low angle shots to make our characters seem more powerful as well as being strong. However we will also use high angle shots to make our characters seem less powerful and that they are not in control. This can be used in the scene with the police detective as he will not be in control of the killers movements or killings. Additionally high angle shots can be used to set the scene of an area.

Props

Props - Fake Blood

There are many different types of fake blood that we could use such as non-toxic blood, edible blood, chocolate blood, and then you can also buy fake blood from joke shops.

I think the non-toxic blood looks the most surreal and it is also easy to make. To make the blood we will need to mix water, flour and red and green colouring, the blood can be made within minutes and would look effective in our thriller opening.

Conventions of thrillers: Titles

The credits of most thriller films are put onto a black and white screen which is used to set the scene. Also non diegetic sound is normally heard as this sets the mood of the opening scene as well as allowing for sound effects that add dramatic effect. Also the use of non diegetic sound could be used for a narrative commentary.
However in our film we will incorporate our titles into our opening scene to set the scene early on in the film. The use of putting our titles into our opening scene will allow us to put effects onto our titles to make then add suspense and hints towards what the films theme is as well as what it may be based on. This is also present in the film Se7en however our credits will not fade when images are shown they will be present throughout the scenes.

Here is a link to Se7en's opening credits:

Conventions of our thriller: Hero and Villain

The hero type character in our film will be a man who is employed in a dangerous job, such as a policeman. The male heroes aim will be to defeat the villain by stopping him from committing a certain act such as a killing. He is also trying to preserve the life's of other innocent people.
However our Villain character the killer will be a man who is well tall and look out of the ordinary so he can be easily noticed and remembered. This will make him look more suspicious which will give the impression that they are not to be trusted.

Our thriller sub genre

Our film will be in the sub genre of a crime thriller this is because we are aiming our film to focus more onto the criminal rather than the policeman or other authorities. However our film will focus more onto psychological aspects rather than action events. Additionally our centre topic will be on a serial killer who will be involved in chases and double crosses.
We have chosen this sub genre above the others as it can be incorporated into our film easily as well as making it a lot more exciting.

Technical Convention

There a three distinct groups when referring to media conventions; technical, symbolic and written and audio. This group, technical, is mainly about camera techniques and shots. We will use lots of different types of camera angles in our film, including; close up, extreme close up, over the shoulder shot, tracking and long shot. The close up and extreme close ups will be very useful to focus on the killer and the things he is doing.

Symbolic Convention

The symbolic category refers to clothing and colours. Our clothing is very simple as we only have three characters in our piece. The two policemen wear; smart, black trousers, a smart shirt, black shoes, and one wears a jumper and the other, a casual jacket. The killer wears; wellington boots, jeans, a white T-Shirt and an apron. The policemen’s costumes represent professionalism to them and the job they do, whilst the killers costumes brings him across as a scruffy and dirty person. For the colour part of this convention, for the policemen scene, we will edit it on final cut express to make the colours allot brighter than the original footage and for the killer scene, and then the colours allot duller and darker than the original footage. This contrast of dark and light we will have in the scene change between the policemen and the killer will really bring out the mood of the scene and will give the audience a feel of the atmosphere they are in.

Written and audio Convention

The music we will have in our film is an intense, yet moderately paced tune which will give a really dark, creepy feel to it. The music will begin when the killer, Gabriel McKay, appears on the policeman’s screen in the police records. This immediately gives the audience a dark feeling whilst in his presents.

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.

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.

Conventions of Thrillers- SHADOWS

This image is a prime example
of a shadow scaring the audience.

There are many different themes that feature in thrillers such as the use of excitement or suspense. However most films usually use the similar types of effects to entertain the audience or scare them. For example when I watched Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ the other day I realised that a common scaring technique that is used amongst thrillers is the idea of a shadow. Using shadows helps tell the audience that someone is there and the other characters don’t know, also it creates suspense as usually something dramatic happens after the appearance of the shadow.

I think the use of shadows in our thriller opening would be a good idea as it would help make the film more scary and revealing, however if we did use shadows we could maybe put a twist in it and surprise the audience, this would help make our thriller opening more exciting.

Bullitt

Bullitt was produced in1968 and was directed by Peter Yates, the thriller film is about an American cop that becomes determined to find the underworld kingpin that killed the witness in his protection.

I found the opening credits to the film at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S__L_OQe6NE The opening credits last for 3minutes and 34 seconds. Through-out the credits non-digetic music is played in the background, the music sounds very creepy and mystical. This music helps create and set the scene for the audience. 12 seconds into the opening credits the first title appears ‘Warner Bros’ this immediately tells people who helped distribute the film, it would also help create an audience as it is a well known company. 26 seconds in, the first name appears ‘Steve McQeen’, he was a very well known actor that had starred in films such as the great escape. 9 seconds after this credit, the title of the film appears ‘Bullitt’ it is blended into the back ground of the scene. Through-out the rest of the opening credits, credits such as famous actress Jacqueline Bissett appear and many other people that featured in the film are presented. Having these names appear has a huge effect on the audience as it helps draw in and attract an audience.

Vacancy Film Research

Vacancy

Vacancy is an American made film with a horror/thriller theme. It was distributed in 2007 through the company ‘Screen Gems’. Screen Gems is part of Sony Pictures entertainment’s Columbia TriStar Motion Picture group, Gems aim for mass audiences, the film was released onto DVD in 2007. In the first week at the box office takings the film grossed $7.6 million at 2,551 locations. This turnover profit shows us how big the film was and how it aimed for a mass audience.

Vacancy is about a married couple that become stranded at a motel and then realise that they are being watched on hidden cameras. Nimrod Antal was the director of the film, he has made other films such as Predator and also Kontroll. Having a known director helps attract an audience as they will have a vague idea of what his work is like.

On http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452702/ratings showing us the demographic breakdowns. The graph shows us what sex preferred the film and what age group they are. Having these facts helps us in making the decision of to aim our thriller film at.

This graph tells us how more males watched it and reviewed in comparison to females. Also there were more Non-US users than Americans. According to this graph the most popular age group was 18-29. I think this age group would be ideal to aim our thriller at, as according to most film reviews this age group is the most popular. However I think a thriller aimed mainly at females would be a good audience to reach as there are not many thrillers that target that audience.

CEMS for opening credits of ‘North by Northwest’.

The opening credits for the film blend in with surrounding buildings, these buildings may have a certain significance in the film, however the audience are not sure at this point as it is right at the beginning of the film. There is also music played in the background of the credits, the music is energetic and bouncy, having this music helps set the scene for the audience and it creates a certain mood.

 This is an example of the opening credits blending into a building.

CAMERA-

The first shot in the film is an establishing shot, this helps show the audience what surrounds the people in the scene and what the environment they are in is like. As the scene carries on, there are different types of camera shots used. We are confronted with a man and woman walking together talking, there is a two shot used, this helps show the audience that two people are talking to each other and the other people in the scene are irrelevant. The camera tracks the people all the way to when they get into the cab. Whilst the two people are getting into the cab there is an over the shoulder shot of the man and woman. There is also a high angel shot used when the man tells another person that they are getting into that cab, this use of the high angel shot makes the man who wants to get into the cab look superior and more powerful.

EDITING-

 When the man and woman are in the cab driving, there is obvious use of special effects as you can tell that they are not really in a cab driving,- the back window of the cab gives this away. The special effects are obviously not going to be as good as they are these days as the film was made in 1959 and since then there has been a lot more technology invented. The use of special effects helps convey the image that the two people are actually in a cab. From each scene in the film there is jump cuts, this helps save time in the film and also it shows what other people are doing in the film. The use of jump cuts helps keep the audience interested and it also tells them what is happening in the film.

MISE EN SCENE-

SOUNDS-

There is non-digetic sounds in the background of the first scene with the hotel, the music is quite classical, this conveys an image to the audience that the hotel is posh. There is also non-digetic sounds in the restaurant when people are talking in the background, this helps set an atmosphere and shows that there is other people eating.

This is the front cover of the film. With the man’s expression on his face and the plane chasing him, helps attract the attention of the audience. As it stands out and looks very exciting.

The man is dressed up in a suit and tie, this helps tell the audience that he is an important person and maybe quite wealthy. Also in the first scene there are many people in suits this tells the audience that the area maybe in a city with lots of people working for businesses. The man also reads ‘The Times’ newspaper in the cab, this helps tell the audience that he is quite intellectual.

 This is the main character in his suit, with others around him in suits, they look very wealthy, it conveys an image to the audience that they are rich and important.

Alfred Hitchcock

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Alfred Hitchcock was an English filmmaker and producer, he had a hugely successful career, he mainly made films with psychological and suspense genres, which were thrillers. After making his name in England he moved to Hollywood.

Alfred often had strange psychology of characters, this helped make his films so popular and it helped them fit into thriller themes. 

He made many famous and popular films such as ‘Foreign Correspondant’, ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ (which later on had a remake), ‘North by Northwest’ and many more.

                  

Codes, Conventions and representations of Thrillers

Codes, Conventions and representations of Thrillers

From the opening scene of ‘Silence of the Lambs’(1991) I have concluded that representations of opening scenes from thrillers are generally quite energetic and scary. I think the reason why films do this, is because they are able to draw the audience in and keep them glued to the film. Freaky and mystical messages are generally conveyed and usually it makes the audience think about what will happen in the film, this curiosity will help keep the audience watching.

  Below is the front cover of the thriller 'Silence of the Lambs', as you can see the front cover is quite a freaky image, the use of a light blue coloured face and orangey coloured eyes helps make the film cover look both attractive and scary.

Most thrillers generally have the same themes as other thrillers; these themes are usually things such as, reality, perception, existence, identity, death and also mind. Reality is a good theme to have as it creates a much more surreal experience for the audience, and audience will feel as though they can interact with the film and relate to it. Perception can help twist a story plot and make the film more revealing and interesting, often characters misperceive the world around them. Thrillers usually have existence themes, existence can mean character have an aim or a goal they strive towards. Having an identity theme can create the feeling characters are confused or doubtful of to who they are, and have to try and find out there real identity. Death in thrillers can often scare the audience and make them worry, this feeling would appeal to the audience.

Props such as knives and significant signs such as the KKK’s (Klu Klux Klan) outfit can lead the audience into thinking something bad is about to happen. Props are significant in thrillers as they help set the scene and can help build up the next scene for the audience.

Uses of images such as knives can indicate to the audience that something bad is about to happen.

Non-digetic sounds are sounds that are off the scene, such as sirens in the background that are sometimes not relevant. However thriller films use non-digetic sounds to great use and they can help emphasise a point in a film. For example in a thriller, the siren of a police car immediately indicates that someone may be caught doing something bad and the police are on their way. This also helps set the scene for the audience.

In thrillers, the volume of the sound is incredibly important, the volume can indicate and suggest that something bad is about to happen. If the scene suddenly silences this implies to the audience that something bad is about to happen and it can really play with the audiences mind and make them curious about what will happen in the film next. Loud volume can make an audience jump this could make thrillers more enjoyable to watch.

Editing is generally used in thrillers to make something more authentic and surreal, the use of editing can make the film much more enjoyable for an audience as it would look more real. Editing is also used to put in special-effects this can make the film more exciting.

5 Films, Opening credits-Benji Baxter

The Negotiator

The first few minutes of Negotiator and the opening credits have a powerful influence on the audience. Having continuous photo shots relevant to the film in the background of the credits helps draw the audience in and it would also make the audience curious of what would happen in the film, it would make the vast majority of the audience think about the story line. The first credit we see says ‘Regency Enterprises presents’ this immediately tells the audience that the film has been distributed by the companies Fox and Warner Brothers, as these institutions ‘parent’ Regency Enterprises.

The film was produced using synergy; synergy is where two or more agents join together, in this case, Mandeville Films and New Regency joined together. Throughout the credits, music is played this could help draw in an audience as they may have a personal liking to the song. In the opening credits famous actors such as Samuel L Jackson and Kevin Spacey are the first names to come up, this implies that they are the main characters also they are well known, this would help grab the attention of the audience. The last credit is ‘directed by F Gary Gray’, Gray is well known for directing famous films and also famous music videos. for example 'Friday' released in 1995.

This is the film cover of Negotiator, it lists all of the institutions involved in the production.

 

Catch me if you can

The first few seconds of the opening credits it tells us that it is Dream Works Pictures presents the film. Dream Works is very famous institution that is known worldwide. The credits also tell us how it is a Kemp Company and Splendid pictures also a Parkes/Macdonald production, this shows that synergy was used in the production of the film. Steven Spielberg is the, or one of most well known directors in the world. He is an American director that has directed films such Shindlers list and Saving Private Ryan. Steven Spielbergs name is repeated three times throughout these credits, this use of repetition helps put across the point that he is the director and it aims to draw the audience in.  Also in the credits the famous actors in the film such Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks are blended into the 1960 style pictures.

In the credits is says ‘Based upon the book by Frank W. Abagnale‘ this would help attract in the audience as some people may have read the book and may want to see the film as well.

The music in the opening credits of the film is very inter-connected with the cartoons, they are both very 1960s style with usage of props such as type writers. The music fits in with the film as it is evocative of American life in the 60s. The music is written by the famous artist ‘John Williams’ this would definitely attract an audience as he is a well known musician, as people would be guaranteed a good sound track.

Right at the end of the credits it says ‘Based on a True Story’ this would make some of the audience relate to the film and also some people may have a particular liking to films based on true stories.

  This is the soundtrack of catch me if you can, the music is by John Williams, producing a sound track will help create an even larger profit.

Kung Fu Panda

The film was also a Dream Works production. In the credits it tells us this twice, this really gets the point across. The cartoon in the back ground of the opening credits shows an elite panda performing many Kung Fu moves, this creates the impression that the Panda is going to be a professional at martial arts. However in film the panda is totally the opposite. This creates a twist for the audience and makes the film more interesting. There is non-digetic sounds in the credits such as a narrator and background music. The narrator tells an exaggerated story line, using words such as ‘awsomeness’ this would help persuade the audience to carry on watching.

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This is the opening for the Kung Fu Panda, it is called the Opening dream. It shows the exaggerated story line etc.

This Is England

The opening credits of ‘This is England’ are incredibly powerful. Non-digetic sounds such as the music in the background is relevant to the film as it was produced in the 1960’s when the film was set. Some films such as the ‘Negotiator’ have pictures that are from the film, however ‘This is England’ opted to use authentic images and video clips from real events from the era, 1960s. This sets the scene for the audience, it shows everyone what the times were like in that era. The images are incredibly powerful such as racist images and riot videos.

The first credits of the film says ‘In association with Big Arty Productions’ this is a British company that make British films, however the institution has not made many mainstream films. Even though the institution has not made many famous films before, being a British film appeals to the British audience immensely. When the video clips are being shown, the casts’ names are blended into the bottom right hand corner; this gives the audience an idea of who is starring in the film.

These are images that are used in the opening credits of the film, these images show events that were happening in the 1960's such as Margret Thatcher and Ronald Reagon. Also skin heads, as the film is all about skin heads and MODs.

Blade II

The music is in the background of the credits is very energetic and upbeat it creates a scene for the audience and draws the audience in. The credits open with ‘New Line Cinema presents’ this makes the film look more professional and it would build up an atmosphere for the audience.

There is a non-digetic narrator who is actually the main character in the film, he gives a brief story line and gives the audience a brief idea of what is about to happen in the film

The images in the background of the credits are very scary and non-fictional. This sets the scene for the audience.