THRILLER SUB-GENRES

As a group, we researched on sub-genres of thriller so that we could have a brief idea of each sub-genre in order to produce a short film of the one we chose.

My group (Michelle and Ohm) decided to produce a short film of crime thriller. This was because we came up with a plot quite easily.

We sketched out a simple story board in order to make our work easier while filming and editing.



I worked with the camera and editing, Ohm was the main actor and Michelle came up with creative ideas for the story board and also directed the film.
This is the end product.

    EDITING PROCESS

As you can see, there are many layers for the audio. This is because we were focusing on the sound (in the micro elements) to build up tension and to keep the audience amused. 

   COLOUR GRADING

I watched some trailers of crime-scene thriller movies to figure out what sort of tone and colour the film is. I found that most films were colour graded to a cold and dark toned colour so I tried to apply the same effect onto my film to give a more cinematic look.

'HANNA' OPENING ANALYSIS

How do the micro-elements create meaning in this film opening?

Hanna (2011), Directed by Joe Wright

                     

In the beginning of Hanna’s opening, we are able to sense a feeling of loneliness within the first few minutes. This was created by a series of scenes of individual animals which symbolises isolation. The use of mise en scene; which in this case is the pale white snow that covers the entire frame emphasizes the emptiness, blank, plainness. This also notifies the audience that the main character “Hanna” lives in an isolated area where there is no help.

We also see different longshots of the icy scenery. This sets the tone and mood of the film, allowing the audience to become more engaged as if they are in the film as well. Moreover, the lack of sound creates a calm atmosphere of the setting, informing the audience that this is an unpolluted place.

This shot creates a sense of suspense due to the fact that a girl suddenly appears in between the shots of wildlife. We are able to notice that the girl is hiding from something as there are trees blocking the camera.

In addition to the suspicious feeling, we can foreshadow a negative event that is about to happen from the change in tone of colour from white; of the animals (swan, polar bear), to a darker tone; being the tree trunks, the deer. Therefore the audience automatically starts to feel the build up of tension straight away. The contrast between dark and light colour may symbolise the sinful and the innocent.

We immediately know that the girl is hiding from the deer because the clip cuts to this shot of the deer from a distance right after the shot of the girl. We also know that this scene is from the girl’s perspective because she turns away from the camera which the cut comes in after.

This scene is when the deer gets shot by the girl’s arrow and is trying to escape for help. However the high angled longshot of the white empty scenery suggests that there is nowhere to escape, nor help. The audience is able to acknowledge the fact that they need to learn to survive on their own in this film. This changes the mood of the set, making the audience feel uncomfortable.

This slightly low angled canted shot emphasizes the collapsed deer. By being literally 'on the ground' with the deer makes the audience feel victimised.

Personalities of main character (Hanna) that I was able to identify from this film opening.

     Hanna (Saoirse Ronan)

• Brave / Fearless
• Tough
• No mercy
• Mature
• Smart
• Skilled / still learning to hunt
• Able to survive on her own

STORY BOARD (Childhood memory)

We were set a task to sketch a story board of our interesting moment from our childhood. This is what I came up with.

PHOTOGRAPHY

UNDERSTANDING THRILLER AUDIENCES

Examples of Sub-genres of thriller:

• Action thriller

More common in movies than in novels because of the visual appeal of explosions and violence.

E.g. The Bourne Ultimatum / Furious 7 / Spectre / Mission Impossible

• Conspiracy thriller

Protagonist usually confront a large, powerful organization.

E.g. The Da Vinci Code / All the President's Men / Angels & Demons

• Crime thriller

Focuses on crime, usually from the criminal's point of view.

E.g. Sicario / Legend / The Gunman / Green Room / The Danish Girl

• Mystery thriller

Differs from a regular mystery by being more fast -paced, with the protagonist on the run and the threat of another crime serving as the "ticking clock".

E.g. Knock Knock / The Gift / The Boy Next Door / Crimson Peak / Blackhat

• Psychological thriller

Conflicts are usually mental, rather than physical. Protagonist becomes involved in a sanity threatening situation. They must use mental powers to overcome their opponent.

E.g. We Are What We Are / The East / Maniac / The Conjuring / Gone

• Romantic thriller

Plot line follows a typical thriller's tension, suspense, and excitement, but a main element is the growing relationship between two characters.

E.g. Mr and Mrs Smith / Safe Heaven / Unfaithful / Vertigo / Basic Instinct

• Supernatural thriller

Unnatural elements are introduced, usually as an antagonistic force. The plot line and feel or distinctly that of thrillers. Some characters may have psychic abilities and other supernatural elements may be present.

E.g. The Sixth Sense / Orphan / The Babadook / Sinister / Carrie / Drag Me to Hell

RECREATION OF ZODIAC INTERROGATION SCENE

CONVERSATION IN THRILLER

I analysed Alonzo and Jake's conversation from the film "Training Day".



 How is meaning created using micro-elements in this clip? (Training Day)

At the beginning of this clip, a wide shot of the city view is shown to set the scene and notify the audience that this film is set in an urban area. There is a cut after the city scene to a panning shot of the inside of a small local diner, we know that this diner is in the city because of the cut. Diegetic sound is used within the scene inside the local diner, for instance the news on television, frying egg, and the clattering sound of plates and metals. This gives a ‘home-like’ mood and atmosphere to the scene which creates a comfortable feeling for the audience.

During the conversation between Jake and Alonzo, I was able to identify the power of each character. Alonzo seems to be the ‘boss’ with more power. This was shown through the use of the low angled shot when the camera faces Alonzo compared to when the camera is facing Jake. Low camera angle suggests that he is higher in the hierarchy, and also his intimidating personality. In addition, his personality is portrayed through the use of mise en scene, in this case, his clothing. Alonzo is wearing black throughout his body, this may symbolise his inner self; being that he is a moody person, hot tempered and gets irritated easily. He is also wearing accessories such as a diamond piercing and a chain necklace. This might suggest that he is a guy who cares about his appearance. Furthermore this also represents his place in the hierarchy of the police department, in other words, he gets paid more than other workers in the police department because he is the ‘boss’. This explains the fact that he owns diamond piercing and the silver necklace.

In contrast, Jake is more of a polite guy. We know this from the way he came into the local diner with his head slightly down. This also tells us that he is not used to this environment and feels uncomfortable. He also seems to be uncomfortable during the awkward situation when Alonzo was reading the newspaper. Adding on to the fact that he was not used to this environment, I was able to notice that Jake did not know hot to act. This may suggest that he works for Alonzo and does not want to ruin his good reputation towards his boss. The close up shots of his face after Alonzo’s speech shows us his reaction which is often a frightened facial expression.

CONVENTIONAL CREDIT STRUCTURE 

Opening of the film "Panic Room"

INSTITUTIONS:

 

THRILLER CONVENTIONS

AUDIENCE SEGMENTATION

Dividing the audience into specific groups. - focus on marketing / satisfy their needs and desires.

Examples of audience segmentation:

• Gender
• Age
• Race/Ethnicity
• Experience / fears / personality
• Occupation
• Interests
• Wealth / Class

We categorised people into different stages of income and social grading.

ZODIAC (2007)

Directed by: David Fincher
(Also directed: Fight Club, Se7en, Gone Girl, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network)

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller, Non-fiction, Mystery - SERIAL KILLER
Starring:

• Robert Downey Jnr.
• Mark Ruffalo
• Jake Gyllenhall 

Storyline:
1) Murder
2) Investigation begins
3) Another murder - recognised pattern
3) Slowly track down killer
4) No suspects match

Unrestricted Narrative Range:

• Zodiac never got caught. -----> Long shots, Wide angle, High angle (taxi scene)
• We know about the killings  

Big picture (long shot, wide angle, high angle of the city) - notifies the audience of how big the city is which allows them to understand the difficulty in finding the zodiac.

High angle shot - The camera follows the taxi that the killer is in. The avoidance of the surrounding cars symbolises isolation. The audience is also able to observe and sense something negative that is going to happen from a distant. 

Restricted:

• Details of case and number of suspects. -----> Close ups (we learn evidence as the characters)

In these scenes, the audiences are able to learn the clues as the characters do. We do not know more than the character, which puts us in the character's perspective. And also creates a sense of curiosity within the audience making them eager to know what is going to happen next.

Characters:

GRAYSMITH: 
- Detached from other people
- Motivated
- Friendly
- Curious
- Brave
- Obsessed
- Dedicated
- Passionate



Scenes that portray his impressions: 
Graysmith always seem to be outside doors

This is a shot of Graysmith's perspective. He his looking into a room full of workers in the same company. This suggests that he is isolated and does not join in as much.

This long shot shows Graysmith looking into the Vallejo police department. This suggests that he does not have as power to be able to enter the police department. However he does not give up as he becomes extremely curious and obsessed.

TOSCHI:
- Idealistic
- Hardworking
- Devoted to the case and law
- Stylish
- Realistic
- Logical

NARRATIVE RANGE

UNRESTRICTED NARRATIVE RANGE
Audience knows more than the characters.

RESTRICTED NARRATIVE RANGE
The audience learns information/plot same time as the character.

ABANDONED BANGKOK

During August break this year (2016), me and some friends decided to explore some abandoned places in the city (Bangkok). This is a short video that I made after the one day trip.

SHAPE THEORY/CONNOTATIONS

TRIANGLES                                                  CIRCLES                                                 SQUARES                                       
- nasty                                                               - fun                                                           - experienced
- evil                                                                  - nice                                                         - tough        
- illuminati                                                        - innocent                                                   - mature  
- violent                                                             - cycle                                                        - sensible
- sharp                                                               - harmless                                                   - confident
- harmful                                                           - earth                                                         - kind/helpful
- hierarchy                                                         - calm                                                         - masculine
- anger                                                               - gentle                                                       - fearless

We applied these shape theories to a Tv show opening known as "Dexter".

The opening of this Tv show shows a man who works as a police getting prepared by following a typical boring morning routine. However, the director has made it exciting by combining shapes together to symbolise the man's violence.

This scene shows blood soaking into the tissue paper. The deeper meaning of this may be the fact that he is trying to dispose the evidence by cleaning up the blood of his victim.

This is the scene where he cuts the meat with a sharp triangle shaped knife, fries it, then eats it from the knife. The meat can be seen as human flesh, and the fact that he eats it can suggest that he is a carnivore. The action of eating the meat from the knife is also a violent action.

An egg is being cut in half with a knife in this scene. The egg can be seen as an eye, this then means that the man is stabbing an eyeball. The ketchup dripping onto the plate may represent splattering of blood. 

We can see an action of someone typing their shoelaces. However this can be seen as the man strangling someone. We can see that through the excess amount of strength that is put into a simple action of tying a shoelace.

This scene shows the man simply putting on his shirt. But we can identify this as him trying to suffocate someone.

WHY DO WE WATCH SCARY FILMS?

SUBVERSIVE

Sadistic: Deriving pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others.
 Masochistic: Putting ourselves in the situation of the victim.

ARISTOTLE (384BC - 322BC)

CATHARIS

 We purge/cleanse our own negative/violent feeling, by watching/experimenting violent negative imagery.

DOLF ZILLMAN

EXCITATION TRANSFER THEORY 

 The negative emotions gained from violent/scary/negative imagery - intensify the positive

GLEN D. WALTERS

TENSION

 Create use of micro-elements, and manipulation information and narrative.

RELEVANCE

 The fear generated has to be relevant to the audiences - and believed.

UNREALISM

 The audiences have to be aware it ins't real.

OUR FEARS
Movies often use our fears to create a sense of scariness. We identified some of our fears and found related movies.