Genre is an artistic work which is based on a specific style, form, or subject. Sub-Genres Sub-genres are sub divisions of a specific genre They are used to make films more exciting, by mixing different themes together e.g. psychological thriller Normal thrillers have a basic story line: the hero gets pulled into a potentially life threatening situation, trough no fault of their own, and in the end they resolve this situation. They will always make audiences thrilled and keep them on the edge of their seats. Sub-genres divide up the genre thriller and include slightly different plot lines. This means people can find exactly what they want easily and watch their perfect thriller. Hybrids Hybrids are slightly different to sub-genres, instead of mixing themes they mix different genres e.g. Action thriller These do the same thing as sub-genres, were they blend to different storylines to make one amazing one Most thrillers nowadays are hybrids or sub-genres Sub-Genres Crime Psychological Legal Medical Revenge Spy Hybrids Action Horror Sci-fi Rom-com Western Film Noir What is thriller? A thriller is a genre of film that is created to thrill us, by using: suspense, action, crime and many other things. It generally has a very exciting plot that twists and turns throughout the story to keep us hooked and to jeep us guessing. Key points in thrillers Thrillers will always involve a hero and a villain, which can help to move the story along and it may involve other characters, such as: donor, helper, princess (damsel in distress) and anti-hero. The hero in thrillers is generally a very normal and relatable character that is not usually involved in danger, in everyday life, but has been pulled into a bad situation because of a romance or their past. Thrillers also use relatable settings, such as schools or big cities, to make the viewers believe that it could happen anywhere. Thrillers will generally involve an unexpected twist at the end which makes the overall story make sense and also to make the viewer shocked. Audience expectations When going to see a thriller the audience will expect to be on the edge of their seat form very early on in the film. They will expect to be thrilled. History of thrillers A very early silent thriller was created in Australia, called what women suffer(1911). In 1915 black and white thrillers where created. This one is Dr. Caligari (1920) and involved many savage killings Alfred Hitchcock, a legendary director of thrillers, came about in 1922 with the film number 13 which is still unfinished. His first big thriller was Rebecca (1940), but he went on to do many more. The first ever thriller to be released was The count of Monte Cristo(1844). After another thriller by Hitchcock they started to become much more popular and well known as a genre. The film that made this happen was Psycho(1960). Thrillers started to expand immensely. Many sub-genres were created and soon the genre thriller appeared in most films. They became big blockbusters and ranged from superhero films, such as Batman,films about animals, such as Jaws and films about criminals, such as The Godfather(1972). Narrative Conventions 1.One thing always in the narrative is a theme, this could be: Love suspense Good vs. bad psychological 1.One thing always in the narrative is a theme, this could be: Love suspense Good vs. bad psychological 2.Characters are also always part of the narrative. There are many characters ion thrillers including: Hero Villain Anti-hero Princess (damsel in distress) Dispatcher Donor 2.Characters are also always part of the narrative. There are many characters ion thrillers including: Hero Villain Anti-hero Princess (damsel in distress) Dispatcher Donor Narrative Conventions 3.The structure of the thriller is the convention that moves the story along. There are 3 main structures that thrillers will follow: Equilibrium theory (Todorov) 1.Equilibrium 2.Disruption of equilibrium 3.Recognition of disruption 4. Attempt to repair disruption 5.Reinstatement of equilibrium Characters (Propp) 1.Characters push the story on 2.May involve characters in a disruption, romance or repair Three act structure (Field) 1.Act 1, Act 2, Act 3 2.This generally also follows the equilibrium theory, but in a slightly different way. 3.The structure of the thriller is the convention that moves the story along. There are 3 main structures that thrillers will follow: Equilibrium theory (Todorov) 1.Equilibrium 2.Disruption of equilibrium 3.Recognition of disruption 4. Attempt to repair disruption 5.Reinstatement of equilibrium Characters (Propp) 1.Characters push the story on 2.May involve characters in a disruption, romance or repair Three act structure (Field) 1.Act 1, Act 2, Act 3 2.This generally also follows the equilibrium theory, but in a slightly different way. Character Representation 1.Hero Usually male, masculine, strong, well-known character Wouldnt usually be involved in the problem. Pulled into it usually via: romance, revenge or job. Likeable and relatable character Saves the day (reinstates the equilibrium) Gets the girl 2.Anti-hero A character with a dark past Bad but likeable, as they save the day Gets the girl Usually male, masculine, strong, well-known character 3.Villain Person who creates the disruption Get defeated by hero, or anti-hero Gender varies more than hero's, but majority are male Identity is often hidden for some of the film 4.Princess Can bring hero into disruption through their relationship Generally ends up with the hero at the end Always female, usually petite, pretty and famous/ well-known 1.Hero Usually male, masculine, strong, well-known character Wouldnt usually be involved in the problem. Pulled into it usually via: romance, revenge or job. Likeable and relatable character Saves the day (reinstates the equilibrium) Gets the girl 2.Anti-hero A character with a dark past Bad but likeable, as they save the day Gets the girl Usually male, masculine, strong, well-known character 3.Villain Person who creates the disruption Get defeated by hero, or anti-hero Gender varies more than hero's, but majority are male Identity is often hidden for some of the film 4.Princess Can bring hero into disruption through their relationship Generally ends up with the hero at the end Always female, usually petite, pretty and famous/ well-known Character Representation In the film The Hunger Games (2012) unlike most thrillers the hero is female. In the end she gets the boy and saves the day. In the film Drive(2011) he is the classic anti-hero. Hes someone that is in a bad situation because of what he has done. In the film The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) Hannibal Lector is a typical villain. Hes male, much like other villains and he is the person that creates the disruption and gets defeated. The princess in Brick(2005) is the reason the hero gets dragged into the bad situation. She dies in the film which causes him to seek revenge. Mise en scene Mise en scene means- to put in the scene, or frame. Its made up of 8 different things: Setting Location Set design Props Setting/ location Location offers ideas: Geographical location e.g. westerns- desert Psychological location creates an emotional response e.g. secluded castle- uneasy Atmospheric location sets mood and atmosphere set, sound, lighting Props Contribute to narrative Indicate genre iconography e.g. knife indicates power and murder Offer information on a character- shows status Dcor also offers information- location, time, class They can have connotations or meanings e.g. gun- power and masculinity Iconography is where there are expected objects in a film which relate to the genre e.g. props Mise en scene means- to put in the scene, or frame. Its made up of 8 different things: Setting Location Set design Props Setting/ location Location offers ideas: Geographical location e.g. westerns- desert Psychological location creates an emotional response e.g. secluded castle- uneasy Atmospheric location sets mood and atmosphere set, sound, lighting Props Contribute to narrative Indicate genre iconography e.g. knife indicates power and murder Offer information on a character- shows status Dcor also offers information- location, time, class They can have connotations or meanings e.g. gun- power and masculinity Iconography is where there are expected objects in a film which relate to the genre e.g. props Costumes and makeup Facial expressions Lighting/ colour Iconography Costume/ makeup Historical context Futuristic Social status Character situations and changes Emphasise a particular character within a scene Facial expression/ body language Proxemics- social distance will indicate relationship between characters Eye contact- relationships and power Facial expressions- emotions and state of mind Gestures- primary gestures have their own meaning and secondary gestures support actions and dialogue of a character Body posture- indicates mood, status, age, gender Lighting/ colour Colour is read differently by different people but we all attribute meanings or connotations to different colours High key lighting is bright/ colourful- used to show off sets and props Low key lighting is dark makes the mood seem weary and can make you uneasy Lighting in a scene generates mood and atmosphere Costume/ makeup Historical context Futuristic Social status Character situations and changes Emphasise a particular character within a scene Facial expression/ body language Proxemics- social distance will indicate relationship between characters Eye contact- relationships and power Facial expressions- emotions and state of mind Gestures- primary gestures have their own meaning and secondary gestures support actions and dialogue of a character Body posture- indicates mood, status, age, gender Lighting/ colour Colour is read differently by different people but we all attribute meanings or connotations to different colours High key lighting is bright/ colourful- used to show off sets and props Low key lighting is dark makes the mood seem weary and can make you uneasy Lighting in a scene generates mood and atmosphere Mise en scene The costumes in the film Seven clearly shows the status and role of the characters. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are both in suits which shows their high status and also their roles as heroes. Kevin Spacey is in a jumpsuit which clearly shows he is bad, so is the villain, and it also shows he has a lower status. The setting for Shutter Island(2010) is a very atmospheric setting as its very secluded and unknown which sets an eerie mood and makes you feel unnerved. Sound Diagetic sound- sounds that the characters can hear Silence Conversation/ dialogue Guns Screams Sound effects (SFX) Non-diagetic- sounds that the characters are unable to hear Background music Voice overs Sound effects (SFX) Soundtrack Classical Tense and eerie to increase heart rate No vocals Music will always fit with the mood of the scene Sound Diagetic sound- sounds that the characters can hear Silence Conversation/ dialogue Guns Screams Sound effects (SFX) Non-diagetic- sounds that the characters are unable to hear Background music Voice overs Sound effects (SFX) Soundtrack Classical Tense and eerie to increase heart rate No vocals Music will always fit with the mood of the scene Construction Camerawork Wide angle- gives a sense of what surrounds you (spatial distance) Long shot- shows subject and surroundings fully in the frame Establishing shot- first shot of a new scene, shows where its taking place. Usually panoramic or aerial shot. Point of view shot (POV)- you see the film through the subjects eyes Mid shot (MS)- shows upper body Medium close up (MCU)- shows head and shoulders Close up (CU)- shows small part of scene and characters face in detail Extreme close up (ECU)- focuses on characters features in extreme detail (eyes, nose, mouth) High angle- makes someone look smaller, provides a view from above subjects. This can make them look vulnerable and weak. Low angle- makes someone look taller and offers a view from below subject. Used to make someone look more powerful and dominant. Aerial view- a view from directly overhead, provides a very clear view Canted or skewed angle- provides disorientation Hand-held- provides a shaky effect Camerawork Wide angle- gives a sense of what surrounds you (spatial distance) Long shot- shows subject and surroundings fully in the frame Establishing shot- first shot of a new scene, shows where its taking place. Usually panoramic or aerial shot. Point of view shot (POV)- you see the film through the subjects eyes Mid shot (MS)- shows upper body Medium close up (MCU)- shows head and shoulders Close up (CU)- shows small part of scene and characters face in detail Extreme close up (ECU)- focuses on characters features in extreme detail (eyes, nose, mouth) High angle- makes someone look smaller, provides a view from above subjects. This can make them look vulnerable and weak. Low angle- makes someone look taller and offers a view from below subject. Used to make someone look more powerful and dominant. Aerial view- a view from directly overhead, provides a very clear view Canted or skewed angle- provides disorientation Hand-held- provides a shaky effect Construction Camerawork Construction This close up is from Psycho (1960). This is used to show the expression on her face in detail, so here you can clearly see she is scared. This is an establishing shot from The Shawshank Redemption(1994). It from a aerial view and allows you to see the setting and provides an insight into where the scene will take place, which in this circumstance is a prison. This is a long shot from Brick (2005). A long shot is very similar to a wide angle shot as it shows the subject fully in the frame and its surroundings, but the subject is at a distance from the camera Bibliography Films used: Slide 1: The Conjuring(2013), Phone Booth(2002), The Hunger Games(2012), Shutter Island(2010), Seven(1995), Casino Royale(2006), The Silence Of The Lambs(1991), Psycho(1960), The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo(2009), Drive(2011), Brick(2005), The Sixth Sense(1999), Inception(2010), Donnie Brasco(1997), The Bourne Supremacy(2004). Slide 4: Seven(1995), Memento(2000), Only God Forgives(2013), The Client(1994), Coma(1978), From Russia With Love(1963), The Dark Night(2008), Insidious(2010), High Noon(1952), Alien(1979), Safety Last(1923), Double Indemnity(1944) Slide 6: The Count Of Monte Christo(1844), What Women Suffer(1911), Dr Caligari (1920), Rebecca(1940) Slide 7: Psycho(1960), The Godfather(1972), Jaws(1975), The Dark Night(2008) Slide 11: Drive(2011), The Hunger Games(2012), Brick(2005), The Silence Of The Lambs(1991) Slide 14: Seven(1995), Shutter Island(2010) Slide 17: Psycho(1960), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Brick(2005)