Stevie Pell: Re-sit Coursework

In this PowerPoint, the slides which have a white background are the pages and

information added by Stevie Pell for the re-sit of the coursework as well as the title

page.

THRILLERS.

ThrillersGoogle Word Net Glossary: A thriller is a suspenseful adventure story or play or movie.

Thrillers concentrate more on suspense, although gore and violence may be shown at times, the focus is on the suspense. Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes. Devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliff hangers are used extensively.

Thrillers combine action and suspense in to one group. They do this by including twists or secrets whilst including fights or action shots. Thrillers also concentrate on the intensity of emotions they create especially apprehension, exhilaration and tension by showing the emotional break-down or emotional mind state of the protagonist. The audience identifies with the main protagonist either through emotion or fear of the situation.

There are many sub-genres to thrillers, including action thriller, drama thriller, crime thriller, psychological thriller, spy thriller and supernatural thriller. These thrillers may differ to each other in terms of pace, for example, an action thriller would be quicker paced than a drama or physiological thriller.

Disorder (2006) is a thriller concentrating on the intensity of emotions, presenting a horrific past, memories as well as growing fear and suspicion. This therefore shows the break down of the character trying to overcome these emotions.

Action and Crime Thrillers

Both these sub-genres of a thriller include weapons as generic signifiers. Although these weapons differ to keep in with the pace, the weapons used show murder and a mystery or solving of a problem through a protagonist. The way the protagonist solves the problem is different, in pace and action.

Although the action thrillers are quicker paced, both concentrate on action rather than the psychological thoughts and aspects of characters.

Because action thrillers are fast paced, focus shots showing foregrounds and backgrounds are not often used. Quick panning shots, quick close up shots and used, but more often, wide shots are used to produce a setting and show all the action. An example is the action Thriller Taken (2008). This is a film about a father finding his daughter that has been taken by abusers. The shots are fast paced and packed with gun shots and fights. Another example is Bourne Ultimatum (2007). This is a quick paced thriller including guns as the generic signifier with fast paced scenes and quick panning shots.

Crime Thrillers may use more close up shots, showing facial expression of the criminal character or close up of the dead bodies. As well as this, for both these thrillers, there are many level camera angles used, showing everyone on the same level, although sometimes the odd low level shot will be used to portray strength. However, by using wide shot on a mid level, the full action shot is produced

to the audience. Eagle Eye (2008) and Se7en (1995) are crime thrillers including serial killings or threats and dangerous situations as well as including the generic signifiers of the police and cops.

Drama and Psychological Thrillers

These thrillers are more slow paced, including more mental aspects than action and murder. They show the characters developing emotionally and psychologically throughout the film, with the audience viewing the progress or deterioration of the antagonists.

Both types of thriller often include twists or a real life situation, especially used in physiological thrillers. These two thrillers appeal more to a female – orientated audience, as fear of real life situations affect females more, and the horror, gory aspects of the action and crime are not so appealing. The Sixth Sense (1999) is a psychological thriller, one that includes a twist as to who is really the spirit and the dead. This shows the emotions of the dead and presents a surprising twist for the audience.

An example of a drama thriller is The Interpreter (2005) and for a psychological, The Ring (2002) or When a Stranger Calls (2006). These thrillers usually consist of a female protagonist appealing to the most popular audience for that sub genre. These genres may used focus foreground and background shots, as well as low and high level angles showing a characters weakness. A slow panning of a setting is also used as well as tracking of a character, both these camera movement shots build suspense for the audience. For example, in When a Stranger Calls, the first floor of the house is panned slowly, showing the female protagonist in the forehand, however in the background, out of focus, the stranger is up against the window. This creates apprehension and fear from the audience as the audience is aware of the figure whereas the protagonist in danger is not.

Supernatural Thriller and Spy Thriller

Supernatural Thrillers may include the non human such as aliens. They build suspense through low level camera angles from the human looking up to the supernatural aspect. In addition, supernatural thrillers can include superhero and villain storylines where one has the advantage of a supernatural power such as Unbreakable (2000). The protagonist learns something extraordinary about himself after a devastating accident of physical strength and whilst remaining unharmed from an accident.

A spy thriller can combine with a crime as it is fairly quick paced at times and can contain violence. This therefore uses guns as a generic signifier and quick low level and high level angles as the generic conventions. High and low level angles are used as the spy thrillers, are usually based on a protagonist having a relationship with a member of the government and usually including the storyline of terrorists. Films such as the Mission Impossible 3 (2006)and Casino Royale (2006) are all examples of a spy thriller. The action and storyline pace are the complete antithesis. The action shots are fast paced whereas the storyline in contrast is slow paced. This slow pace storyline creates tension or apprehension for the audience.

Common story lines, characters and settings.

Thrillers all have some kind of mystery storyline and are all quite jumpy. It normally involves 1 or 2 main characters quite a few contain a storyline with ghosts, phone calls, mirrors, being alone, suspense, scary music, crime, heavy breathing etc.

There will always be a character you want to know more about but you never find out until the twist at the end. There may also be a a female protagonist. The setting could be dark woods or a rural house in the middle of no where.

Audiences assumptions of the films

When an audience watches a thriller, or is about to watch a thriller, they always assume there will be a vulnerable character or vulnerable situation. They expect the protagonist to be placed in a menacing or dangerous situation where escape seems impossible, however, finding a way out in the end. Audiences also assume a narrative twist or mole in a specific situation. This is because the storyline in a thriller is slow in contrast to the action. Thrillers always have a twist in their storyline from the films including Sherlock Holmes. These original classic thriller films set in stone, the twist in a thriller.

A Sherlock Holmes film was The Hound of the Basketvilles (1939). Following from this, more modern twist thrillers including The Sixth Sense 1999, a supernatural thriller where the protagonists is a therapist and has a younger child client who claims he can see and talk to ghosts. The twist is the protagonist being the ghost. However the slow paced storyline doesn’t reveal this until the end of the film. Once this secret twist is revealed, everything falls in to place and the audience reflect on the film to show hinting shots.

Target audience

We feel that when it comes to thrillers, as long as the person (s) viewing are at the right age they can be thrilling and enjoyable for everyone. This being said we have looked into it and they are most popular among teenagers and young adults. The rating for the film “Shutter” is a 15. Even though this film is a 15 the cover suggests its really quite scary as the image makes you feel really uncomfortable and therefore the target audience is sometimes suggested to be older than the rating. It is usually for viewers less than 30 years of age but usually aimed at the younger generation. The cover of a film can often make more influence over who watches it rather than the rating.

Target AudienceWe feel that when it comes to thrillers, as long as the person (s) viewing are at the right age they can be thrilling and enjoyable for everyone. This being said we have looked into it and they are most popular among teenagers and young adults.

Our Target Audience will be young adults, the ages reflecting the actresses in the opening of the thriller. We aimed for this audience, as the thriller can relate to this age group, where the audience can refer to a real life situation, creating more fear and tension for the audience. Thrillers audience is stereotypically for a female orientation, this is because the gore and blood are not shown as much. As well as this, the building of tension and fear is more apparent and has a better effect on females. In addition, the protagonist in distress is a female. I would aim the thriller at an audience group D or E, showing a working class audience, one that can relate and enjoy the thriller. This is due to a slow pace of the film, watching the suspense and the deterioration of the protagonist.

With regards to Cross-Cultural Consumer Characteristics, we would aim our thriller at ‘mainstreamers’ and ‘the individual’. This is because, for a thriller we want to attract a large audience, however, a more relaxed by ambitious target audience can capture the audience within the opening without being tedious, but also have a slow pace and a storyline to follow whilst building suspense and tension. Our target audience will also be Renaissance Women, Struggling Singles, Free Bird and Early Adopters who are prepared to watch the film whilst engaging in a real life situation building tension, anxiousness and fear. We would specifically aim our thriller opening at Renaissance Women to attract a caring and fearful audience, who are affluent and may worry about the real life situations. As well as this, the early adopters are important when referring to the camera angles as well as the genre of the thriller and the generic conventions.

Technical codes

There is often editing in thriller films, usually the use of negative or night vision in a very dark setting with creepy sounds (door creaking) and scary, thriller music.

The camera shots usually appearing are a lot of wide shots and panning shots, to see the room and people inside, this creates suspense because it plants the idea in the audiences head that someone else is in the room with the protagonist.

Showing the foreground

High level angles are often used to give the impression that someone is being watched from above. Panning shots are often used to show to close sets for the characters to show different people. Changing of focus to show the foregrounds and backgrounds of a scene e.g., someone in a mirror and another character appearing behind them.

Technical Codes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbdY3_vLc2k

The camera angles in Thrillers include a lot of high and low level angles to portray strengths and weaknesses of the characters. There are also a lot of close ups to show the characters facial expressions when reacting towards a certain event.

These two screen shots from Sorority Row show the use of an inverted extract effect increasing the fear of the viewer as well as the focus on the foreground but seeing the antagonist situated in the background, building tension and suspense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqlz_u7RvjA

The shot above shows the use of low level angles to portray a strength. As this character is physically powerful, the audience is shown to be looking up to the character as well as being in the eyes of the weaker character.

Generic Signifiers

Generic Conventions

Generic Conventions are specific settings, roles, events, and values that define individual genres and their subgenres.

To make these conventions identifiable to the audience, writers and film directors use generic signifiers to portray to the audience the genre.

Thrillers:

Settings: Thriller’s settings are very spread out depending on what thriller it is. When a Stranger Calls (2006) is a good example of how setting is used in thrillers. This film is a psychological thriller, concentrating on emotions, tension building a real-life fear. The huge house, in a secluded area is very typical of a psychological thriller, creating the fear of being alone.

Roles: There is also a protagonist, who must go beyond the powers and equipment of the antagonists within the film whether this be in an action thriller, overcoming the antagonist with gun fire or tactics, a supernatural thriller, over-riding the antagonist with mental control or a psychological thriller, out running the antagonist.

Generic Signifiers

GhostsA ghostly figure is commonly associated with thrillers as it a regular occurrence in thriller films. Ghost thrillers are extremely controversial, as it questions whether audiences believe in ghosts or not, however, with good thriller, the target audience is aimed to scare even those not believing in ghosts. Ghosts are also a generic signifier of a thriller as it is very supernatural, and can appear whenever and wherever keeping an audience under constant tension and suspense. These are included in supernatural thrillers, creating an inhuman plot to the genre. Thir13en Ghosts (2001) is an example of a ghost thriller, including a group trapped in a house with thirteen ghosts and trying to escape.

Knives

The knife is a generic signifier for a thriller as it relates to a murder and horror within the movie. A knife is a weapon often shown in the hands of a killer, either threatening or murdering a character or characters within the film. When the weapon is shown in a shot, the audience are automatically intrigued as to what the following part of the film building suspense and tension from the audience. Knives are often used in crime thrillers or psychological thrillers as the action is not fast paced. It can also be used in a spy thriller. Scream (1996) is an example. This is a psychological action thriller including the antagonist using a knife when killing his victims.

Generic Signifiers

Blood

This is a generic signifier of thrillers presenting action, murder, death and an exploitation. It keeps the tension of the audience as well as keeping the thrilling suspense and anxiety by relating to a painful aspect that the audience can feel themselves. Blood is very gory, and therefore helps to appeal to a wider male orientated audience, whilst the plot lines and tension from murders attracts a female orientated target audience. Blood is often used in many different thrillers, crime, action, drama, spy and the supernatural. This is siding towards the horror and fear of a thriller, so blood is not often seen for a long period of time but then occurs at regular intervals. This is because it is familiar to the audience and creates an uncomfortable reaction from the audience, reflecting the characters in the thriller. Wanted (2008) and Blade (1998) include a lot of blood which is parallel to the action packed storyline.

Old House

A haunted house or old mansion are usually a signifier of a thriller, where the action of the film takes place. This is used as it sets the location and general feel for the audience before any action as occurred preparing them for the thriller and encouraging them to feel tension and suspense just by the location. This connotes to the audience the feeling of entrapment, a claustrophobic place compacting the action as well as restricting the characters escape. A haunted house is often used for psychological thrillers, having the mental feeling of being trapped. House of Wax (1953) includes an old an house as its main setting.

Generic Signifiers

Colours

Darkness, as well as the colour red are signifiers of a thriller intensifying the tension and suspense from the audience. These colours are associated with death and mystery, as well as the unknown. The darkness attracts all audiences as it is a common fear of people. Silence is also a sound signifier of a thriller building suspense and anticipation of the audience. This is used in all thrillers, constantly building suspense and tension to the audience. Awake (2007) uses darkness to hide characters, action and create tension for the audience.

Dead Bodies

Dead bodies are also generic signifiers of a thriller. This is an exhilarating factor to the audience showing death, murder, action and tension. It appeals to most male orientated audiences though catching females attention in a horrifying sense. It is common due to other factors, such as guns and weapons, murders and blood. Dead bodies are shown in most thrillers, especially the crime, action and supernatural thrillers as weapons are used and murders take place. This creates the problem for the protagonist to solve, building suspense for the audience. The Shooter (2007) and Braveheart (1995) are prime examples of thrillers including dead bodies.

Generic Signifiers

Guns

Guns are an extremely common signifier in the thriller genre as it is fast paced action with suspense, murder, tension and blood for the audience. It is a very common signifier used as all audiences are familiar with the weapon and the action scenes of guns are fast paced, thrilling and stimulating for an audience. Guns are a constant occurrence in action thrillers as they keep the pace quick, whilst keeping the action within the thriller. Smaller guns are also often used to keep the pace flowing quickly. The Transporter (2002) is an action thriller including guns and violence.

Supernatural

Supernatural are also signifiers. Although this type of thriller differs to action thrillers, the blood, guns, darkness and dead bodies are still reoccurring aspects in the thrillers. Aliens, although supernatural keep a thriller fast paced and keeps the audience captivated throughout the film. Aliens are used in the supernatural thrillers, as an un human significance to the audience. The mental control and powers are also supernatural, used in The Sixth Sense (1999) and other psychological thrillers.

Thriller Opening ConventionsA thriller will open with a hint towards the storyline, the action or the twist. The opening scene includes the protagonist and the reason for the thriller. For example, in The Sixth Sense, the opening presents the younger protagonist in a real life situation, including cops and a crime scene. The supernatural event occurs where the protagonist sees a ghost where the mother doesn’t see it. This presents the idea of the thriller and shows the general storyline of the film. Other openings include the build up to a situation, however, always including generic signifiers to define the sub-genre of the thriller.

Films of the genre

• Shutter- Director: Masayuki

Ochiai - Year: 2008- Origin : America

• Hide and Seek- Director : John

Polson- Year: 2005- Origin : America

• Cabin Fever- Director : Eli Roth- Year: 2002- Origin : America

• When a stranger calls

- Director : Simon West

- Year: 2006

- Origin : America

• The Dark

•- Director : John Fawcett

- Year: 2005

- Origin : America

ShutterVideo extractsThis is a trailer to the new

box office release of Shutter .

A newlywed couple Ben and Jane move to Japan for a promising job

opportunity - a fashion shoot in Tokyo. During their trip on a dark

forest road they experience a tragic car accident, leading to the death of a

young local girl. Upon regaining consciousness, they find no trace of her body. A bit distraught the couple arrives in Tokyo to begin their new life. Meanwhile Ben begins noticing strange white blurs in many of his fashion shoot photographs. Jane

believes that the blurs are actually spirit photography of the dead girl who they hit on the road, and that she may be seeking vengeance.

We think this is a very powerful psychotic thriller, the storyline is very

interesting also it uses amazing techniques such as, mirror shots, changing focus etc. We found this

one very terrifying and rate it 5/5 for our age group.

This is a trailer to the 2005 film ofHide And Seek

After the suicide of his wife, the psychiatrist Dr. David Callaway (Robert

De Niro) decides to move with his

traumatized daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) from New York to the country to give more

attention to her. In their huge old house, Emily finds a new and violent invisible friend called

Charlie, making David very concerned with her

mental state.

This thriller was not as scary as “Shutter”

however its a lot more tense with the suspense it builds up. We would rate it a strong 4/5 for

our age group.THRILLOMETER!

5

“Shutter”

4

“Hide & Seek”

3

“When a Stranger

Calls”

2

“The Matrix”

1“Big Foot”

BOOO!

Bibliography

By Sophie, Emma, Becky And Stevie.

Bibliography

I researched on thrillers, generic conventions and generic signifiers through use of the internet. I used the following websites and links:

• you tube – this was used for my generic conventions and technical codes screen shots of the thriller films.

•Google – this search engine was used for most of the information in the PowerPoint. However, camera angles and camera movement was identified through my own knowledge I have gained as well as the viewing of the clips from YouTube.

•I viewed a couple of blogs which were links from the search engine on media thrillers and horrors to get ideas for the research on the thrillers. These were very helpful and the points were clear and simple, allowing me to expand using the search engine on specific areas.