Brainstorm of Ideas

Thrillers
- Action
- Horror
- Spy
- Supernatural
- Sci-fi

Our group has decided to use Action - thriller.
Camera
- LS, CU, ELS, ECU
- Tracking in chases
- Panning around action
- Over the shoulder
- Fly on the wall
- POV

Editing
- Jump cuts
- Fast pace

Sound
- Fast pace music
- non-digetic sound = rock music

Mise en scene
- high technology
- cheesy cliche
- gadgets
- car chases
- guns

Audience Research

'15' – Suitable only for 15 years and over

No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video or DVD.

Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate to 15 year olds.

Language
There may be frequent use of strong language But the strongest terms will be acceptable only where justified by the context. Continued aggressive use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed but without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.

Violence
Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.

Imitable techniques
Dangerous techniques (eg combat, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on imitable detail. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.

Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.


'18' – Suitable only for adults

No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.

In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC's public consultations, at '18' the BBFC's guideline concerns will not normally override the wish that adults should be free to chose their own entertainment, within the law. Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:

where material or treatment appears to the Board to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – e.g. any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which is likely to promote the activity. The Board may also intervene with portrayals of sexual violence which might, e.g. eroticise or endorse sexual assault.
the more explicit images of sexual activity – unless they can be exceptionally justified by context and the work is not a 'sex work' as defined below.

I found this information from the website: www.bbfc.co.uk

After considering all the different certificates through my audience research I believe that our horror extract would appeal to people over the age of 15 years old. However the target audience for our piece will range from 15 to 35 year olds.

Actual Continuity Task

We were given brief guidelines to follow in order to complete the task, the main objective was to film a person entering a room having a conversation with person B and exiting, I believe that we successfully achieved this. We completed a storyboard in order to show how each shot would flow to the next, Lewis drew the shots, I wrote the notes and Lawrence scripted. When we began shooting we decided not to use the original script as it did not fit in with the guidelines that were set so we introduced a new script in order to keep the narrative consistent throughout. We learnt from our practise continuity task that our extract would look professional if we used actors. Therefore we decided to use an actress called Maizie in the task to make the whole thing seem more realistic however we decided to also use Lewis, who was a member of the group. This allowed me to use the camera- which is something that I hadn’t professionally undertaken before- I felt it was useful because it helped me understand how to differenciate the angles and distances used in each shot. Although the camera was not as effective as it could have been I feel that I gained a lot of technical knowledge. I learnt not to break the 180 degree rule, which was something that we repeatedly broke in our practise task. If I were to do this again, I would use a more suitable location in order to avoid the background noise. I would also make the camera closer to the actors by either moving it forward or zooming in. This is because some of the dialogue was not as clear as it could have been. Despite this I believe that the text created was successful and followed the guidelines originally set.

Animatic practise

We were placed into groups (Me, Lewis and Lawrence) and had to come up with an ‘Animatic’ for a thriller extract. We began working in rough as to how each shot would look and what would happen in each scene. We did this so that the audience could see which direction we were heading with the narrative of the story. After this we did a storyboard to show the flow of events in the text, Lewis drew the various shots that were needed for the animatic and I wrote down notes for the length of each shot, how each shot would be made using sound and editing and what effects could be added to it. After creating the storyboard we were given a digital camera so that we could place the images directly on the computer for editing and sound purposes. Each shot was carefully designed to meet the specifications that we had previously listed in the storyboard. Lewis and I then placed the shots together and tested different sounds to increase the effectiveness of it. I believe that our animatic was not particularly great, but we learnt a lot of things in preparation for our actual filming. We learnt that it vital to design each shot specifically to the storyboard so it is clear what the narrative is supposed to suggest to the audience. This task also enabled us to establish our strongest and weakest abilities when working in a group to deliver the most effective piece.

Practise Continuity Task

Just before October half term, me, Lewis and Jamie created our first continuity piece. Overall the whole thing went well, our work was satisfactory and it gave us an idea of what we should expect when filming our real piece.
We felt that in the real thing it would be a better representation of the narrative if we used actors and actresses instead of ourselves. I believe it would allow us to concentrate on other areas of the task instead of just the acting.
The task was predominately about discovering how to do 'shot reverse shot' without breaking the 180 degree rule. Unfortunately we did break the rule but when we discovered were we went wrong the mistake was clear to see. The editing was fairly consistent mainly demoninated by straight cuts and shot reverse shots. No sound was included in the sequence as we didn't feel it was necessary for the narrative and we run out of time. The task was filmed down a technology corridor and a classroom within my school. It was good using such an open space although we didn't include many props within it.

All Thriller research

A thriller is a particular genre that is used excessively in the filming industry it is often apart of a sub-genre, for example an action-thriller film like ‘Casino Royale’.

Some examples of a sub-genre:
• Action thriller - In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James Bond films, The Transporter, and the Jason Bourne novels and films.
• Conspiracy thriller - In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. The Chancellor Manuscript and The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Three Days of the Condor and JFK.
• Crime thriller - This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The Killing, Seven, The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, Inside Man, and The Asphalt Jungle.
• Disaster thriller - In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, Tremor by Winston Graham, and the 1974 film Earthquake.
• Drama thriller - In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The Illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige. (www.wikipedia.org)
“Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively”. (I found this information from www.wikipedia.org)
Thriller films promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension. Thriller and suspense films are virtually synonymous and interchangeable categorizations, with similar characteristics and features. (http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html)
Thriller films are often set out in a stereotypical fashion, to allow audience members to relate to the event that is occurring within each scene. A thriller film will always end in a climax, often in the form of a cliff-hanger.
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980)[1] was an iconic and influential British filmmaker and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres.

Conclusion: What should you expect in a thriller film?

From the research and analysis that I have conducted I feel I am able to clearly distinguish how a thriller film is created. The directors will always intentionally create a thriller film that contains aspects to allow the audience members to relate to it. Nevertheless a thriller film is often part of a generic hybrid where sub-genres are used to construct the narrative and plot of a film. In a typical horror- thriller film I would expect to see gloomy and dismal music that runs parrarell to the events happening on screen. Depending on the type of thriller it will change the diversity of the film, for example in Casino Royale a soundtrack was added to help promote the film. However because it was an action-thriller the music worked well with the Bond narrative that followed after. Secondly I would expect the editing to be either quick and jumpy or slow and lengthy to either build the tension or create suspense as to what will happen next. Thirdly I would expect three main colours to dominate the thriller genre, these consisting of black, white, and red that would connote danger and venture. Lastly I would expect particular scenes to use close ups so that the audience are kept waiting for the action. It also helps make the thrilling movements more intense than they really are as the audience members cannot see everything in shot.

Thriller 5: Mission Impossible 2

Camera

An establishing mid shot is used to begin the extract with the main protagonist throwing a pair of glasses in the direction of the camera. This is used to show how the narrative will have action/thriller parts embedded within it. Close ups are used when red images are collided together to create the title “Mission Impossible 2”. This helps the audience recognise the mystery behind the narrative and shows that the red has been used to connote meaning of blood, danger, and a thrilling text. The close ups also help build the tension by not showing the audience everything that is happening in the scene until towards the end.


Editing

Jump cuts have been used excessively to show the fast paced narrative and the representation of the sub-genre – thriller/action- this is reinforced by the red flame that is used after the title sequence in order to introduce the next scene. The flame connotes meanings of violence and action.


Sound

The non-digetic rock music begins once the male protagonist has thrown the pair of glasses towards the camera. This creates a very tense atmosphere which is reinforced by the close-ups that are used instead of showing the audience everything that happens within the scene.
The Rock music that is used contains multiple instruments throughout the text this can also mean that the film will obtain multiple thriller sequences too.


Mise-en-scene

The location appears very hot, this is reinforced by the way the male protagonist is dressed- t-shirt and shorts. The location looks very calm and peaceful which is a juxtaposition to the sub-genre of the text. The director has intentionally created this opposition to allow audience members to expect something different from the film.

Thriller 4: Walk on the wild side

(VIDEO FOUND ON THE VLE)

Camera

At the beginning the camera shakes, this makes the audience think that they are waiting for something to appear into the scene. The camera uses various shots like tracking and panning in order to follow the cat. Close ups and mid-shots are used so that the audience are kept waiting for something to happen next, thus increasing the tension. Close-ups are especially used in the cat fight, so that the audience is limited to what they can see. This makes the fight seem more dramatic and violent than it really is.

Editing

The pace of the sequence is slow, in order to allow the tension to be built and the audience to be kept captivated by the narrative of the extract. Once the black cat meets the white cat the pace is much quicker and jump cuts are used to represent this in a juxtaposition to the rest of the scene.


Sound

The non-digetic sound is very dramatic and it has been used to reinforce each step that the cat makes. More instruments are introduced throughout and the music begins to heighten. Thus making the audience realise the action/ thriller sequence is about to take place.


Mise-en-scene

The cats that are used are black and white this has been stereotypically created to allow the audience members to relate it as being good verse bad like in any other thriller films. If this obvious contrast was not created it would make the audience less interested and more confused with the way the narrative of the film is represented.

Thriller 3: The Illussionist

--VIDEO FOUND ON VLE--

Camera

The camera is constantly shaking throughout the whole of the extract which appears parrarel to the mysterious non-digetic music that plays in the background. Therefore allowing the audience to relate to the time in which the film was set in. The camera shaking is also used to reinforce the movements made by the people that appeal in long shots during parts of the extract.

Editing

The editing is a very slow pace to correlate with the classic music playing. The director has used a slow pace to also build upon the narrative and draw the audience to the conclusion that something thrilling will happen soon.

Sound

Classical non-digetic music is used throughout to allow the audience to connect with the narrative of the film. It has been used by the director so that a tradional era is being transmitted to audience members throughout the sequence.


Mise-en-scene

An old transition has been created on screen to reflect the characters that appear in some of the long shots of the sequence, these people are dressed in a way that make them look traditional. The last part of the sequence ends with a man sitting on a chair on stage whilst a still audience is watching. This is some what simple yet affective as the sound has stopped and the tension builds towards the next scene.

Thriller 2: Casino Royale

Camera

The iconic gun barrael sequence uses a long shot to allow the audience to relate to what is happening as they have seen it in previous Bond films. The generic hybrid of thriller and action is established when the main protagonist points the gun at the camera and shoots. This is again reinforced throughout the extract by the shooting hearts on the screen. The director has used CGI throughout, to reinforce that the film is a contemporary classic. Playing cards, guns, and fighting is used in the sequence to show the audience what they will expect from the narrative.


Editing

The gun barrarel sequence begins in black and white but when the protagonist shoots the screen bursts into colour- red- this has been done to allow the audience to become introduced to the action that will appear throughout. The director has used this to show that Bond is not just simply black and white as a character, he is feisty and this has been reinforced by the splash of red on the screen which also connotes meanings of danger, violence and blood.


Sound

There is one song called “You Know My Name” that is used in the extract. The music is quite loud and boisterous this has been created intentionally to show that the action/thriller film will appeal to a particular group of people. This is reinforced by the guns and gambling that appears in the text.


Mise en Scene

Bond wears the iconic black and white suit throughout the extract the black connotes meanings that he will be in a very dark situation throughout the narrative which is reinforced and clearly emphasised by all the gun shots that occur in the sequence.

Thriller 1: Sin City

Camera
The extract opens with an establishing shot of the woman (in red and white). A long shot is used to allow the audience to connect with what the character is doing and make assumptions based on first appearance. The camera then begins to use a mixture of mid-shots and close-ups, this connotes meanings of a ‘close’ relationship that the two characters in the film are apart of. The director has used these particular shots intentionally in order to allow the audience to recognize the characters facial expressions which thus helps establish what the character is like in the opening extract of the film.

Editing
The director cleverly uses a combination of red, white and black throughout the opening extract. The setting is mainly black and white, therefore allowing the red to be used in poignant parts of the scene in order to establish importance. The pace of the scene is slow and the movements appear calm and relaxed, which is a juxtaposition to the event that takes place in the scene -where the woman is shot by her supposed lover- this is used to build tension and also to keep the audience interested in the upcoming scene. Throughout the opening scenes black and white cartoon images have been used and some use pausing images in order to draw the audience to a particular part of the sequence. The director has used this to make the audience closely identify with the reaction of the two characters and how the narrative will develop. A bright light is used behind the two main characters, the director has used this to highlight where the action is taking place. It has also been used to allow the audience to relate to the lights that are around the location/buildings.

Sound
At the beginning of the extract, the director uses a non-digetic saxophone this is used for multiple reasons. Firstly it creates a slow, romantic atmosphere through the jazzy tones which is reinforced by the two people that meet together. It is also used to establish the American location, which is again reinforced by the spoken dialogue of the American accents that both characters use.
Non digetic sound is used in the form of spoken dialouge by the male protagonist, the director has used this intentionally so that we can see the narrative from his perspective.


Mise-en-scene
The main character is wearing a red dress and red lipstick, whilst the rest of the scene is in black and white. The red connotes meanings of danger, love, and blood, which is symbolic towards the end of the extract. The director has done this to make it obvious to the audience that something will happen to the woman and not the man, which is reinforced by the fact he is in black and white and not red. CGI and animation is used throughout the extract in order to build tension and also develop the narrative of the story. The director has used this to freeze certain images to make them poignant to the audience. The two characters wear very sophisticated clothes and it seems that they are the only people that are moving in the scene and the surroundings/background. Therefore the director has used this to focus the attention of the scene rather than the location of the film, which becomes more apparent towards the end when a long shot, panning and tracking is used to establish the setting.

Thriller Research: WIKIPEDIA ONLY

Thrillers often take place wholly or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, polar regions, or high seas. The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger: law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers, seamen or aviators. However, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident. While such heroes have traditionally been men, women lead characters have become increasingly common; for an early example see Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley, in the movie Alien, 1979.
Thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened. Thrillers also occur on a much grander scale: the crimes that must be prevented are serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination, or the overthrow of governments. Jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements. While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others. In thrillers influenced by film noir and tragedy, the compromised hero is often killed in the process.
In recent years, when thrillers have been increasingly influenced by horror or psychological-horror exposure in pop culture, an ominous or monstrous element has become common to heighten tension. The monster could be anything, even an inferior physical force made superior only by their intellect, a supernatural entity, aliens, serial killers, or even microbes or chemical agents. Some authors have made their mark by incorporating all of these elements (Richard Laymon, F. Paul Wilson) throughout their bibliographies.
Similar distinctions separate the thriller from other overlapping genres: adventure, spy, legal, war, maritime fiction, and so on. Thrillers are defined not by their subject matter but by their approach to it. Many thrillers involve spies and espionage, but not all spy stories are thrillers. The spy novels of John le Carré, for example, explicitly and intentionally reject the conventions of the thriller. Conversely, many thrillers cross over to genres that traditionally have had few or no thriller elements. Alistair MacLean, Hammond Innes, and Brian Callison are best known for their thrillers, but are also accomplished writers of man-against-nature sea stories.
Thrillers may be defined by the primary mood that they elicit: fearful excitement. In short, if it 'thrills', it is a thriller.
(This information was gathered from http://www.wikipedia.org/)