In this blog i will be discussing Conventions are the typical things which feature in a film to make it
belong to a certain genre. Typical conventions of a thriller genre are
suspense, enigma, low key lighting etc. The opening scene of a film has
to have loads of different conventions to engage the audience and
encourage them to continue watching the film. The opening scene of
Halloween features a variety of conventions of a thriller film. I am
going to discuss how the audience are informed of the thriller genre
through the conventions used in the opening sequence of Halloween.
firstly the convention the audience see in this opening scene is
low key lighting, this type of convention is perfect for the setting due to the darkness in the scene and also it is in the night time of day. this this lighting was used when the killer was outside the house, this lighting emphasis es on the scene thus making it easier for the audience to relate to, overall the low key lighting reinforces that the this is from the theriller genre due to the creating of the suspense.
Iconography is used in this clip to inform the audience that the film is a thriller. As the boy is approaching his sisters room he picks up a knife, the lethal weapon forshadows the danger that may occur; a murder, which happens to be a convention of the thriller genre. This use of iconography is also used to build suspense because it makes the young innocent boy become so dangerous and the audience become aware of what he is about to do.This type of iconography shows that this is from the thriller genre, in my thriller opening
Another convention of a thriller film we see in this opening sequence is
the use of hidden identity, this is when the young boy puts on the
clown mask. Again this convention is used to strike fear among the
audience as they know who is behind the mask but the victim is unaware.
This convention makes it clear that the film is a thriller as it is a
type of enigma, a mystery to the character as to who is behind the mask,
and a mystery to the audience as to why the young innocent boy has
become so evil.
In conclusion most of the conventions in this opening thriller will be used in my own to create a better thriller, i will try to fit as many conventions as possible regardless of the narrative.
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Sunday, 20 October 2013
research into the history of thriller films-miss georgiou
Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods, giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and/or terror. Films of this genre tend to be adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast-paced.
A thriller provides the sudden rush of emotions, excitement, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace. It keeps the audience on the "edge of their seats", akin to a sensation of hanging from a cliff, as the plot builds towards a climax. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is usually a villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.
Thriller timeline:
1920s/30s:
The famous Alfred Hitchcock created his third silent thriller film called 'The Lodger', this was based on Jack The Ripper and was filled with suspense. In 1929 he then released the first thriller film which contained sound, this was called 'Blackmail', and also created history as it was the first sound film that was produced in Britain. Many other directors created thriller films in this time period such as Walter Forde who made nine thriller films.
1940s:
In the 40s Alfred Hitchcock continued to create more thriller films in this era, such as 'Foreign Correspondent' and 'Rebecca'. In 1946 films about people being terrorized began to be released.
1950s:
These were the years when Alfred Hitchcock flourished most and were the high points of his career, he released his most notable films such as 'Strangers on a train' and 'Rear Window'. Other directors such as Charles Loughton and Henry Hathaway began to release thriller films.
1960s:
Possibly the most famous thriller of all time was released in 1961, Psycho, it was certainly Alfred Hitchcocks most well known creation and it was also labelled as the film which saved his career. This film was shocking and engrossing and featured things the thriller genre had never before seen.
1970s/80s:
The decade saw a violent start in the thriller genre, with Frenzy (1972), Hitchcock's first British film in almost two decades, being given an R rating for its vicious and explicit strangulation scene. Steven Speilberg's low-budget early TV movie Duel (1971), which got a cult following, was about road rage between a hapless traveling salesman and the unseen, relentless driver of a truck. Spy and conspiracy films were scattered throughout the two decades.
1990s - Present:
The decade started with a film called Misery by Rob Reiner, this was based on a book by Stephen King. Notable films of the 90s included Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, which both did very well. Obsession in thrillers was a common theme in the 90s, as well as detectives hunting down serial killers, which features in the two films i just mentioned. Until today, thrillers do borrow themes and elements from those in the past decades. However, to cut the repetitiveness, there are a number of recent thrillers that maintain the aspects of the horror genre; having more gore/sadistic violence, brutality, terror and body counts. Films such as Eden Lake and The Last House on the Left took this approach.
Notable Thriller Actors:
Janet Leigh - She was the main character in one of the most famous thriller films, Psycho and she was involved in the most memorable scene in film history. Her career spans right through from the 40s all the way to the 00s. She also featured in A Touch of Evil.
Leonardo DiCaprio - DiCaprio has been in many of the best thriller films over the last two decades, including The Departed, Inception and Shutter Island.
Famous Thriller Directors:
Alfred Hitchcock - He was the king of the thriller genre and for sure the most prominent individual in the history the thriller genre. His career spanned through from the 20s to the 70s. However it wasn't always so good for Hitchcock and at one point it looked as though his career would go down the drain. But he created many classic films including Psycho, Rear Window and Vertigo.
Christopher Nolan - One of the more recent famous thriller directors, Nolan has created many of the most famous thriller films of the past decade, including Batman The Dark Knight, Inception, Memento and Insomnia. He is best known for his cerebral, often non-linear storytelling.
This research on the history of the thriller genre will help me improve my thriller opening scene as it helps me evaluate what techniques and conventions.
A thriller provides the sudden rush of emotions, excitement, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace. It keeps the audience on the "edge of their seats", akin to a sensation of hanging from a cliff, as the plot builds towards a climax. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is usually a villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.
Thriller timeline:
1920s/30s:
The famous Alfred Hitchcock created his third silent thriller film called 'The Lodger', this was based on Jack The Ripper and was filled with suspense. In 1929 he then released the first thriller film which contained sound, this was called 'Blackmail', and also created history as it was the first sound film that was produced in Britain. Many other directors created thriller films in this time period such as Walter Forde who made nine thriller films.
In the 40s Alfred Hitchcock continued to create more thriller films in this era, such as 'Foreign Correspondent' and 'Rebecca'. In 1946 films about people being terrorized began to be released.
1950s:
These were the years when Alfred Hitchcock flourished most and were the high points of his career, he released his most notable films such as 'Strangers on a train' and 'Rear Window'. Other directors such as Charles Loughton and Henry Hathaway began to release thriller films.
1960s:
Possibly the most famous thriller of all time was released in 1961, Psycho, it was certainly Alfred Hitchcocks most well known creation and it was also labelled as the film which saved his career. This film was shocking and engrossing and featured things the thriller genre had never before seen.
1970s/80s:
The decade saw a violent start in the thriller genre, with Frenzy (1972), Hitchcock's first British film in almost two decades, being given an R rating for its vicious and explicit strangulation scene. Steven Speilberg's low-budget early TV movie Duel (1971), which got a cult following, was about road rage between a hapless traveling salesman and the unseen, relentless driver of a truck. Spy and conspiracy films were scattered throughout the two decades.
1990s - Present:
The decade started with a film called Misery by Rob Reiner, this was based on a book by Stephen King. Notable films of the 90s included Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, which both did very well. Obsession in thrillers was a common theme in the 90s, as well as detectives hunting down serial killers, which features in the two films i just mentioned. Until today, thrillers do borrow themes and elements from those in the past decades. However, to cut the repetitiveness, there are a number of recent thrillers that maintain the aspects of the horror genre; having more gore/sadistic violence, brutality, terror and body counts. Films such as Eden Lake and The Last House on the Left took this approach.
Notable Thriller Actors:
Janet Leigh - She was the main character in one of the most famous thriller films, Psycho and she was involved in the most memorable scene in film history. Her career spans right through from the 40s all the way to the 00s. She also featured in A Touch of Evil.
Leonardo DiCaprio - DiCaprio has been in many of the best thriller films over the last two decades, including The Departed, Inception and Shutter Island.
Famous Thriller Directors:
Alfred Hitchcock - He was the king of the thriller genre and for sure the most prominent individual in the history the thriller genre. His career spanned through from the 20s to the 70s. However it wasn't always so good for Hitchcock and at one point it looked as though his career would go down the drain. But he created many classic films including Psycho, Rear Window and Vertigo.
Christopher Nolan - One of the more recent famous thriller directors, Nolan has created many of the most famous thriller films of the past decade, including Batman The Dark Knight, Inception, Memento and Insomnia. He is best known for his cerebral, often non-linear storytelling.
This research on the history of the thriller genre will help me improve my thriller opening scene as it helps me evaluate what techniques and conventions.
| Rank | Title (click to view) | Studio | Lifetime Gross /Theaters | Opening /Theaters | Date | ||
| 1 | Hannibal | MGM | $165,092,268 | 3,292 | $58,003,121 | 3,230 | 2/9/01 |
| 2 | The Silence of the Lambs | Orion | $130,742,922 | 1,642 | $13,766,814 | 1,497 | 2/14/91 |
| 3 | Basic Instinct | TriS | $117,727,224 | 1,884 | $15,129,385 | 1,567 | 3/20/92 |
| 4 | Seven | NL | $100,125,643 | 2,528 | $13,949,807 | 2,441 | 9/22/95 |
| 5 | Red Dragon | Uni. | $93,149,898 | 3,363 | $36,540,945 | 3,357 | 10/4/02 |
| 6 | Saw II | Lions | $87,039,965 | 2,949 | $31,725,652 | 2,949 | 10/28/05 |
| 7 | Saw III | LGF | $80,238,724 | 3,167 | $33,610,391 | 3,167 | 10/27/06 |
| 8 | The Bone Collector | Uni. | $66,518,655 | 2,623 | $16,712,020 | 2,587 | 11/5/99 |
| 9 | Saw IV | LGF | $63,300,095 | 3,183 | $31,756,764 | 3,183 | 10/26/07 |
| 10 | The Cell | NL | $61,334,059 | 2,476 | $17,515,050 | 2,411 | 8/18/00 |
Hannibal made the most amount of money in the opening weekend after its release in 2001. I believe this is because at the time there was a large demand for psychological thrillers as these had been popular throughout the 1990's in films like silence of the lambs. It also may have done so well in the opening weekend as it was the sequel to silence of the lambs which was extremely popular, so people would have been keen to see the sequel.
Another film on the list is SAW 2 along with 3 and 5. The fact that these films are on the list shows that peoples tastes in films have changed. The conventions of gore and blood have become more popular in recent years which shows people are more inclined to watch films with these conventions rather than psychological thrillers which may have been more popular in the 1990's.
I believe se7en is on the lost because it caters for both the psychological audience and the audience who are more interested in the blood and gore side of thrillers. Se7en includes conventions from both as Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman follow a set of clues to track down a murderer. However, there is also the bloody murder scenes and gore which caters for a wider audience which is why it may have been so popular in the opening weeks.
research into mise-en-scene miss georgiou
mise -en-scene is everything the audience sees on the screen . this includes sets,props,actors,costumes and lighting.mise-en-scene also includes the positioning and movement of actors on stage including facial expression.
The five elements of Mise-en-scene are....
- Setting and iconography
- Costume/Make up (hidden identity)
- Body Language
- Lighting/Colours
- Positioning
In this blog i will be analyzing, into mise en scene on a clip from insidious from the thriller genre.
setting and iconography:
When the female character is explaining her dream, she walks in to this dark and erry childs room, the darkness enables us to understand the endless fear in the setting hence the darkness in the setting. this setting is also used to represent unknown danger as we cannot see any thing besides the child, thus making this setting perfect for the thriller genre. usually thriller genres would contain this settings for a more effective scene, in my thriller scene i will try to use this setting to give a more powerful effect towards my audience.costume and/make up (hidden identity)
The evil character next to the child in the same setting is hidden in the darkness and is presented with a dark pitch black body, this effect in the same setting is hidden identity. this is used to create a mysteries character which foreshadows the unknown danger it may cause later on in the thriller, this is also used to once again create fear from the audience and create a reaction, in addition to this in the end of the scene, she than sees the face of the unknown character and the character has a dramatic amount of make up consisting of colours of black and red, these colours are quite dark and bloody colours and once again promotes fear and danger thus relating to the genre of this film perfectly, in my opening scene, hidden identity will be crucial because it will contain more of a impact than just simply showing the evil character.
body language:
The body language of the character in the room was rigid this screen shot the body language being displayed is quite anxious, several people are looking on in anticipation of what the dark character is going to do. This body language creates suspense amongst the audience as they can see that the characters in the film are feeling worried about the bad intentions the shadow character has in mind. Body language is often used in the thriller genre to create emotions amongst the audience, it’s one of the more discreet ways to do this.
lighting:
When she is explaining her dream and when she is present in the hallways there is a sense of low key lighting being used just before she enters the child's bedroom on the hallways, this creates a sense of tunnel vision and we only see the the top of the hallway which makes the hallway a lot more intimidating than it realistically is. this technique of lighting creates suspense and cautiousness up to the peak of the scene and creates an emotional distance between the audience and film, the suspense created from the audience and the film is crucial as this make shows that this film is conventional to the thriller genre.
positioning:
In the end when the evil character is revealed with the red and black make up he is position behind the exorcist, this shows that the exorcist is unaware and may be surprise attacked, with this position the audience will be aware of the characters potential threat, also because both of the characters are positioned so close together the audience may think an intense scene will occur, this is also conventional to the thriller as it contains suspense and awareness also. nevertheless in my scene i may position my character differently and not so close because the scene will only be an opening scene.
in summary the mise en scene will be vital in my thriller as it will form the base for the entire thriller with the five elements, this analysis will assist me in my own thriller because i now know what aspects make a good thriller and what aspects i can use to differentiate my thruiller from others, in addition to this, studying the mise en scene will help me plan the mise en scene for my own thriller and therefore i can also use the correct terminology for the evaluation.
Friday, 18 October 2013
group narrative-miss georgiou
Group Narrative
The basic
purpose of a narrative is to entertain, to gain and hold a readers
interest. The narrative is to be clear and is to present the setting and
way in which, the whole story is set. In media it is important to be
able to tell the differences between the narrative and the story. A
story is a sequence of events where as a narrative is the way in which
this is told. So, when we are analysing a narrative we are analysing the
construction of a story eg, the way its put together not the story
itself. From our group narrative we must be able to show the audience
the theme of our narrative from the off set; our theme being thrillers.
As a group we discussed and took into consideration each-other's
individual ideas in order to take the best parts of each to formulate a
narrative as a group that fits into the main focuses of a narrative.
sharleys idea
My idea for my
narrative consists of a car crash taking place and a young girl being
killed. A young, blonde, female driver is the reason for this and is
then haunted by the young girl she killed in the chase who is out to get
revenge. The scene is vaguely shown but, we mostly see her getting
haunted and the crash is the background story to this. She gets haunted
in a series of events and we witness within the opening scene these
occuring to her. For example: door's slamming, strong gusts of wind
following this and objects unexpectedly falling off of shelves. The
setting would be in a house to add to the realism of the event, and
small glimps of the girl will be shown to the audience but, not the
victim (dramatic irony). When the girl is shown to the audience, creepy
music is played that will then thus create an atmosphere and a suspense
for the audience.
Advantages of this idea:
An advantage of this is that my narrative falls into the thriller genre and obtains many thriller conventions such as, the female victim, the un-expected killer, a murder being taken place and the conventional setting of night-time in a isolated area. However, having seen the advantages of my idea we discovered disadvantages that came alongside them.
Disadvantages of this idea:
A disadvantage of my narrative idea is that there is a great deal to be able to be placed within the time we have been allocated to create our opening scene. The car crash, the death, and the chase for revenge are quite longwinded and although, would be a good idea for a whole thriller sequence, perhaps is too much for a short snip-it of one.
Advantages of this idea:
An advantage of this is that my narrative falls into the thriller genre and obtains many thriller conventions such as, the female victim, the un-expected killer, a murder being taken place and the conventional setting of night-time in a isolated area. However, having seen the advantages of my idea we discovered disadvantages that came alongside them.
Disadvantages of this idea:
A disadvantage of my narrative idea is that there is a great deal to be able to be placed within the time we have been allocated to create our opening scene. The car crash, the death, and the chase for revenge are quite longwinded and although, would be a good idea for a whole thriller sequence, perhaps is too much for a short snip-it of one.
The idea we
decided to take from mine was that using transport was an exciting thing
to use for our clip. After differing we decided that we could use
public transport such as, a train in order to create our scene. This
will be the easiest thing for us to use as it will not involve getting
permisson and will allow us sound effects to create suspense and
tension.
My Own Idea For A Narrative
My Own Idea For A Narrative
My individual narrative consists of an extremely
vain girl who keeps looking at herself at every mirror or surface with a
reflection once the eerie music comes in she realises someone has been following
her and eventually gets killed after sprinting through the retail shop floors
from the psychotic killer.
Advantages of this idea:
The main character is conventional to the thriller genre and the use of music will add suspense and tension to it.
Disadvantages of this idea:
It will be hard to film this without people getting in the way meaning, there will be a lot of disruptions taking place when filming.
Sophie's Idea
My
individual narrative consists of a young blonde girl who is alone in
her house she recently moved in to. The house is old fashioned and has a
creepy atmosphere as there is low key lighting and close up shots. She
starts to hear doors slamming and other noises in her house, when she
realizes something is wrong a creepy erry soundtrack starts to play,
when she realizes she is not alone in the house a more upbeat faced
paced music is introduced. When she is investigating the house, the
masked killer appears behind her and she see's his reflection in the
window and a non diagetic disturbing loud sound is played to shock the
audience and grab their attention. By the end of the clip she wakes up
in her bed and realizes it was a dream the soundtrack is more calm, so
she goes back to sleep and there is a heartbeat sound building the
suspense. When she is asleep there is a extreme close up of the killers
face. The audience is left in suspense of a cliff hanger.
Advantages of this idea:
- The narrative is clear and easy to display to the audience
- Easy place to film without any disturbances
- Easy to re create the scene for more filming time
- Good place to film, as everyone in the group can easily get there
- different camera angles and sound used
- the audience will be able to relate to the scene well as its set in a house
Disadvantages of this idea:
- Simple, predictable scene for a thriller film
- Parts of the plot may not grab the audiences attention
- May be hard to add the effects in such as the doors slamming
Overall idea
Our
overall idea consists of a small group of people on their way to a
party with the main character being a teenage blonde girl. The train has
a maximum of 15 people on and is in the middle of the day. There is a
panning shot so the audience can be aware of the surroundings and the
number of people in the train, there is also a mid shot of the girl and
her group of friends so the audience can understand that she is not
alone and be prepared for what is going to happen next. As the train
goes through a dark tunnel the soundtrack changes from happy laughter
and upbeat music to creepy sinister music with a heartbeat sound in the
background. As the train comes out of the tunnel everyone in the train
has disappeared and the girl is left alone, the time of day has changed
as well to late evening as it is dark, this sets the scene for what is
about to happen for the audience and there is a loud eery sound as the
train comes out of the tunnel. The girl starts to look around and
pressing the 'open' button trying to open the doors but nothing happens,
as she looks up she see's a masked man looking back at her and she
falls back. The train door noise is exaggerated as the masked man now
enters the train. As the masked killer goes to kill the young girl, she
is transported back to when she is on the train before it goes in the
tunnel with her friends and in the middle of the day, as the train pulls
up to the next station the masked killer is standing in front of her at
the next station and the clip ends. The audience is left in suspense
and on a cliff hanger. This will grab their attention to find out what
will happen and leave them wanting more.
There are three different narrative theories that films can chose to follow discovered by, Vladimir Propp, Toderov's and Aristole. Vladimir's theory consists of "Characters providing functions for film's providing a structure." This structure then allows the audience to understand the narrative better. These characters consist of: The hero, the villian, the donor, the dispatcher, the false hero, the helper, the princes and her father. The Toderov's theory consists of a simplified idea of a narrative whilst also allowing a more complex interpretation of film texts within this theory of Equilibrium or disequilibrium. It goes in the order of 1) Equilibrium- Everythings normal, 2) Disequlilbrium- a disruption, 3) then a new equlibrium. The third theory was Aristole's theory which is based on "the unties; time, place and action." The structure of this narative is under the following headings: inciting incident, dramatic question, character goal, antagonist/protagonist, stakes, resoloution and sympathy/empathy. Our narrative folows the structure of Todorov's theory as we have an equlibrium of the girl being on the train with her friends en route to a party, the disequilibrium of her struggle to get off the train and meeting the killer and the new equilibrium of her trying to get away back to normality. By following a theory we will enable our opening to have a structure and will hopefully flow through a lot more freely due, to the orgainisation of it.
There are three different narrative theories that films can chose to follow discovered by, Vladimir Propp, Toderov's and Aristole. Vladimir's theory consists of "Characters providing functions for film's providing a structure." This structure then allows the audience to understand the narrative better. These characters consist of: The hero, the villian, the donor, the dispatcher, the false hero, the helper, the princes and her father. The Toderov's theory consists of a simplified idea of a narrative whilst also allowing a more complex interpretation of film texts within this theory of Equilibrium or disequilibrium. It goes in the order of 1) Equilibrium- Everythings normal, 2) Disequlilbrium- a disruption, 3) then a new equlibrium. The third theory was Aristole's theory which is based on "the unties; time, place and action." The structure of this narative is under the following headings: inciting incident, dramatic question, character goal, antagonist/protagonist, stakes, resoloution and sympathy/empathy. Our narrative folows the structure of Todorov's theory as we have an equlibrium of the girl being on the train with her friends en route to a party, the disequilibrium of her struggle to get off the train and meeting the killer and the new equilibrium of her trying to get away back to normality. By following a theory we will enable our opening to have a structure and will hopefully flow through a lot more freely due, to the orgainisation of it.
Monday, 14 October 2013
research into sound, miss miller
I will be researching into sound on a scene from the thriller genre. i will be analysing a scene from scream and what do the different sounds project, sound is a key element in thriller genres, different sound techniques gives different effect from the thriller.
at the beginning of the film, a type of dialogue is being used, this dialogue is being used to create a dramatic effect and set an atmosphere to the thriller, the dialogue is said by the male character on the phone to the the female, this is used to make the male male character feel superior to the stereotypical blond victim. this dialogue is known as digetic sound. this sound creates a sense of hidden identity which reinforces the fear created by the film and also which the audience can relate to, this relates to the thriller genre of the scene, in addition to this i will be using this type of dialogue for my own thriller scene.
during this clip the non digetic doorbell is used this is to alert the female character and the audience that she is in great danger. moreover this digetic sound promotes fear and suspense as it foreshadows the heartbeat of the female victim, also this non digtic souns creates an emotion between the audience and the scene, this reinforces the thriller genre as non digetic sound foreshadows danger, i will be using this sound in my thriller to also create a similar sense of suspense and fear to relate to the audience.
the the female character proceeds towards the door their is an instant an intense sound, this sound is known as parallel sounds and is used to emphasis the suspense and fear in the thriller also this parallel sound suits the thriller genre due to the fear and frightening sound created,in my thriller i will also be using parallel sound as it will help the audience interact, feel the suspense of my scene.
at the beginning of the film, a type of dialogue is being used, this dialogue is being used to create a dramatic effect and set an atmosphere to the thriller, the dialogue is said by the male character on the phone to the the female, this is used to make the male male character feel superior to the stereotypical blond victim. this dialogue is known as digetic sound. this sound creates a sense of hidden identity which reinforces the fear created by the film and also which the audience can relate to, this relates to the thriller genre of the scene, in addition to this i will be using this type of dialogue for my own thriller scene.
during this clip the non digetic doorbell is used this is to alert the female character and the audience that she is in great danger. moreover this digetic sound promotes fear and suspense as it foreshadows the heartbeat of the female victim, also this non digtic souns creates an emotion between the audience and the scene, this reinforces the thriller genre as non digetic sound foreshadows danger, i will be using this sound in my thriller to also create a similar sense of suspense and fear to relate to the audience.
the the female character proceeds towards the door their is an instant an intense sound, this sound is known as parallel sounds and is used to emphasis the suspense and fear in the thriller also this parallel sound suits the thriller genre due to the fear and frightening sound created,in my thriller i will also be using parallel sound as it will help the audience interact, feel the suspense of my scene.
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