The thriller genre can overlap with the horror genre as they are quite similar to each other. The horror genre has more blood and gore in it, where as the thriller genre is more about getting the audience involved and trying to figure out things in the narrative. A few examples of thriller films would be: 'Seven', 'Memento', and 'Saw', as all three of these films get you thinking and trying to solve the clues as the narrative goes on. The thriller genre like to gradually build tension and keep suspense They also leave the audience in uncertainty, with them on the edge of their seats wanting to know what is going to happen next.
Due to the thriller genre being very large, it has let the genre open up into sub genres such as:
Crime thrillers
Psychology thrillers
Mystery thrillers
Spy thrillers
Conspiracy thrillers
Relationship thrillers
Crime thrillers normally focus on the criminal and then the detectives and police trying to figure out who has committed the crime. The crimes which have been committed are usually or armed robber, murder, money, or having a hidden identity. An example of a crime thriller is 'Witness', 'Silence of the Lambs' and 'Untraceable'.
Psychological thrillers are usually about the protagonist and what they are going through. In these thrillers it can involve a lot of drama and mystery, and you are always thinking about what is happening as they focus mainly on the mind of the characters. Psychological thrillers usually draws in the audience and has a hold over them, as they normally have a personal feel due to the first person narrative. An example of a psychological thriller is 'Se7en' which we were extremely influenced by and also 'Psycho'.
Mystery thrillers are one of the most popular types of thrillers as they are well known. These types of thrillers normally have someones identity revealed or a crime getting solved. They normally include police officers and detectives who try to solve the mystery. Mystery thrillers sometimes make the audience feel like an omniscient viewer as they might find out information before the protagonist, which can build tension.
Spy Thrillers are normally where the protagonist is an agent within the government. They usually include a lot of action scenes, shoot outs and car chases due to all of the chase scenes. They also have an aspect of science fiction due to the gadgets which gets used.
Every genre has codes and conventions in order to
represent the mood which they want to portray. The thriller codes and
conventions are quite similar to the horror codes and conventions as the two
genres can link over to each other. The thriller codes and conventions are represented
through camera angles, sound, mise-en-scene and editing. In order to create a feature film, mise en scene of the film making trade, such as music, script, costumes, camera angles and framing, are used. These are only a few examples of film codes. It is the way they are used that helps us understand which characters are playing each role in the story. The directors use the mise en scene so they can encourage us to like or dislike a character and also help us to understand how important each character is in the story. Mise en scene is very important in a film as the little details such as lighting, camera angles, props and music set the mood which they want to convey. In a thriller the lighting is usually dark and has low lighting, as this connotes a creepy and mysterious atmosphere. An example of a film which does this is 'SE7EN' in the opening, when a lot of close up shots of the villain planning his victims death. Also throughout the film low lighting is used for effect such as when one of the detectives are in the library trying to find research.
A lot of different camera angles get taken when doing a film. They often switch between different shots in a thriller to make the viewer seem uncertain about what is going on. Low angle shots can be used for villains for example to show them as powerful and dominate, whereas the high angle shots can be used for a victim to show innocence and vulnerability. Another convention is extreme close ups on important object, props or face expressions within a movie. This helps the audience to focus on a certain thing which connotes that it is an important moment in the film. the film 'SE7EN' uses alot of extreme close up, close up, and mid shots in the opening of the film. This is because it is showing the important props within the movie, and this gives you an inside of the film.
The third code and convention is the editing. It gets edited so there is fast and slow paced editing, this makes the movie more exciting, and can cause a disorientated effect. When editing you can also use flashbacks, these are used quite a lot in thriller movies. An example of a movie which does this is 'Menento'. They use flashbacks to show important parts of the movie, which makes the film make sense later on.
The final code and convention is the music which gets used. It can either be slow or fast paced. It normally is quite and slowly gets built up to create tension and suspense. In a lot of movies they use instruments such as pianos and strings which creates a tense atmosphere. In the opening of the film 'SE7EN' they start off by having slow paced music which eventually gets built up to create tension. The codes and conventions in every thriller film are important as they help set the scene and atmosphere, and they also help establish to thriller genre through camera shots, editing, lighting and props.
We had to analyse a thriller film, and we have chosen to analyse the thriller/crime film 'SE7EN'. We chose to definitely analyse this film because after we watched it we were extremely influenced by it. We thought that the film was incredibly successful because of the narrative and opening. We thought that they had a good effective opening, which made the audience start to guess, question and figure out things straight away.
The opening of se7en starts with a low angle shot that’s a close up shot
of a book that being opened with the credits of the production company ‘New
Line Cinema’. With Se7en being produces by ‘New Line Cinema’ we can tell that
the film is going to be very good as this company is very successful with past
films that have been very popular. The beginning font is very rough and
scratchy which ties in with the thriller genre. Also with the font looking
distorted and distressed it gives the audience an idea that the film has got
something to do with a murder. Then there are many different shots used ranging
from extreme close ups which helps us focus on the characters/objects which may
become significant during the film to high angle shots which show the victims weakness. Then
the movement of the arc shot shows disturbance within the status quo. Then
there is a tracking shot of the books and this shows that he has took his time
to plan and organise what he is going to do as it is a very long shot.
The montage of shots includes a black and white filter of picture of someone’s
hands, which looks like a plan to torture someone.
Moreover jump cuts to add a sense of disorientation along with the fast
paced editing between shots heightens the suspense. This is insightful on the
viewer as it also makes them feel uneasy and scared. The actors 'Morgan
Freeman' and 'Brad Pitt' and directors names are given in the same style and
flash on and off screen quickly which shows the audience the film more as they
are well known actors. Furthermore the cleaver use of the change from shots to
the black screen adds uncertainty which also gives a variety of different film
to entice the audience and make it more interesting for them. As the title is
shown it is a white scribbled font which is flashed onto the screen, then they
use the effect of zooming to bring the title closer to use and to make it look
bigger and it now stands out. At the end of the opening sequence of se7en there
is a shot of a person, which we assume is a victim, and there is a red filter
over the lens which this symbolises hate, violence and death, these are the
common themes of a thriller. However it also could connote blood which can show
the audience that the killer may be insane and have no emotions at all.
The music has been added in afterwards, you can see this because there
is no diegetic sounds within the opening. The non-diegetic music that has been
chosen is very distorted with screams as this adds to the suspense to the quiet
drum beat in the background and this can add disruption to the rhythm of the
drum beat. The non-diegetic music then ends with a backing track saying ‘bring
me closer to god’ this represents that people are going to die.
The mise en scene that is used throughout the opening of se7en has made
a massive impact on the genre of seven because it uses a variety of many
different props and this adds to the crime theme, for instance: the prop of the
razor blade used with the close up of the ‘killers’ hand shows that the killer
is fearless and that he is very clever and can do anything and may harm others.
Also the use of religious symbols and the reference to the seven sins shows the
meaning of the film and that the deaths of the victims have a lot more to them
than just random people he is choosing to kill, this gives a real twist to the
film.
For our third analyse of a thriller we have chosen to analyse 'Hostage'. We chose to analyse this film as we felt like the credits were done well as they are different and original compared to a lot of thrillers. This influenced us to be creative with our credits and do something original which would link to out thriller 'The Last Chapter'.
The opening of the thriller ‘Hostage’ starts off
with the credits. It is an animatic all the way through it with buildings, skyscrapers,
people, guns and roads within it. The first credit is the production company which
is ‘Stratue‘ which is in blocked, capital red letters, which stands out from
the black dull background. The credits appear quickly and slowly zoom into them
as they come closer towards the screen. The
bold, red colour connotes negativity suggesting violence, death and danger to
the audience which also suggests to the audience that it is a part of the
thriller genre.
The first image which is shown is an image of a
location/city which is shown by an Ariel shot. This three second shot is very
effective for the first opening shot as it helps set the scene and gives the
audience an inside of where the film is going to be shot. The following shot is
then a long shot which gradually gets closer by zooming into it. Within this
shot there is another credit which is the producer say ‘A film by Florent Siri’.
This credit is on a brown brick wall which is done with white bold capital letters
which makes it stand out from the dark dim background setting. I think this is
effective as it ties in with the theme of the film. It is followed by several
different shots including tilt and tracking shots which look around and view
different buildings from different perspectives which also helps the audience
to grasp the setting.
Throughout the opening of the film there are many
credits which include the producers, directors and actors names which are all
done in the same style, font, and colour and are shown on buildings, walls,
guns etc to give it a continuous theme throughout. All of the credits are done
in capital black or white colour with the opposite colour as the background
which makes them stand out. This suggests to the audience that the names which
are being shown are great significance. The only credit which is different is
the title ‘Hostage’. It begins with the middle letter which is ‘T’ and slowly
zooms out whilst turning landscape. It is in capital bold, large, red letters
which stands out from the dark background, which is an aerial shot from above.
The two red thick lines above and below the title makes it stand out and catch
the audience’s attention, making them realise that it is the title. The title
is one of the key credits within the opening as it lets the audience have an
inside of what they think the film is about, as the title usually sums the film
up within a few words. It is also a lot larger and bolder than the rest of the
credit which also catches the audience’s eye. I think that they have done this effectively
as it is at the beginning of the opening (25 seconds) making the title have a
lasting memory in the audience’s mind.
Finally, they use non-diegetic music within the
opening which starts off quite quietly and gradually builds up. It is an orchestra
which have different sounds throughout it. The main instrument you can hear is
the beat of the drums which builds up the tension by it creating a mysterious atmosphere
towards the audience. I thought they used the non diegetic music very effectively
as the drums stop when the title is shown, and a high pitched sound comes in
which makes the tension decrease then suddenly builds up again when the next
credit come up.
Overall, I think that they have done this opening
very effectively as they have used effective credits which are continuous
throughout the film, which also stand out all the time, making the most
important one the most dominant ones.The non diegetic music is also effective
as it increase and decreases the tension throughout it, making the audience
keep interest in it
For our thriller opening we decided to look into a few different directors which produced different thriller films. We were influenced by three different directors which were David Fincher, Christopher Nolan and Pierre Moral.
We have decided to look in to the director of Pierre Morel as we have analysed the film 'Taken' which he directed.
Pierre Morel was born on the 12th of May, 1964. He is a French film director and cinematographer. He spent a lot of his years in cinema school, where he studied different types of films. He then became a famous director who is mostly known for directing 'Taken', 'District 13' and 'From Paris with Love'.
We have decided to look in to Christopher Nolan in more detail as he has directed thriller movies, and our AS coursework is about the thriller genre. We were influenced by him as he has directed the film 'Memento' and we have watched and analysed this film.
Christopher Nolan was born on the 30th July, 1970. He is a British- American film director, screen writer and producer. He has directed many films over the years, but his most popular and well known films are: 'The dark knight trilogy', 'Inception' and also the thriller film 'Memento'. He was nominated for the BAFTA award for his film 'Inception' and also won AFI awards of 'AFI screen writer of the year' for his film 'Memento'.
We were influenced David Fincher because of his successful films such as: 'SE7EN', which he directed in 1995. Due to use being influenced by this film for our opening we wanted to research more into the director of this film and see what other films he has done.
David Flincher was born on the 28th August 1962, and is an American film director who is mostly known for his success in thrillers such as 'SE7EN', 'Alien 3' and 'The Game'. He has received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his film 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button' in 2008 and 'The Social Network' in 2010 made him win the Golden Globe and the BAFTA for Best Director.
We chose to analysis a second film, which was 'Memento'. We chose to do this as we were also extremely influenced by it when thinking about our opening of our thriller as it is a psychological thriller. We were influenced by this due to the Polaroid pictures which are used throughout the film. We thought that the Polaroid pictures would be good for the photos of the five victims, when we burn each one of them after the killer has killed them. We also thought the pictures would be a good effect for our credits.
Most of the opening scene is an extreme close up shot where you can see the Polaroid picture and little of the dark blurry background, and it also has a bit of a hand in the shot. The hand suggests that it is the protagonists hand. The picture has a man laying down dead on the floor with blood around him, every time the picture is shaken, the image on the picture changes. The lighting of the picture keeps changing, which is making it more difficult for the audience to figure of what it is. Due to having most of the opening of the pictures, this suggests that it play an big and important role throughout the film. By using an extreme close up shot it blocks our view from anything else and makes us focus just on the picture, A mid shot is then used when you can see the Polaroid picture and the body of the protagonist. A close up shot it used when the protagonist has the camera in his hand and taking a photo, this is then followed by a close up shot of his face. This reveals his identity and shows that he is the main character of the film, and the film will revolve around him. By using a close up of his face it lets the audience see his reactions and emotions.
There is then a close up shot of objects such as: blood, bullet, glasses, and back of a head of someone being shot with blood around them. All of these close up shots connote importance and that they suggests that they will be important parts throughout the film. A low angle show is then used which connotes importance and power. Close up shots are used once again of the objects, however they are going in reverse, which suggests that the film could be in reverse order. This lets the audience have an clear understanding of the murder and helps them understand the film. The final shot is an extreme close up of the protagonist face, going from his mouth to his eyes.
Throughout the opening, they have used low lighting, as this implies a typical thriller film. By having a low lighting setting it can cause a shadowy effect sometimes. The darkness suggests a mysterious and curious atmosphere, which can make the audience feel unsure and unsettled, and memento uses this effectively.
In the opening of memento they use slow paced music which are strings which helps set the atmosphere as it is quite mysterious, which makes the audience feel uncomfortable and unsure about what is going to happen throughout the film. This type of music is used a lot in thrillers as it can build up tension before the film has even started and make people feel on edge. The music dies down when on the objects and then builds back up with a heartbeat sound when the close up shot of his face is used. This builds up tension and makes the audience wanting to watch the film. Non- diegetic sounds are used, for example the Polaroid picture getting shaken the sound of the camera, the shouting of the man getting shot "what?". These are all used to help build the tension of the film. The sound of the bullet going across the floor creates a scraping and screeching sound which can be unnerving. Also the loud bang like sound of the gun shot builds tension as this gives you an inside of the film.
In memento they don't use that much editing as most of the clip is the Polaroid picture which takes up at least one minute, and they do not want to confuse the audience anymore as the film is in reverse. The title and credits are very simple as they are in a light blue font which appear over the Polaroid pictures which are red and white, this makes the font stand out. The title of memento are in capital letters which makes it clear and the colour blue connotes coldness and sadness which also links in with the slow paced music which can also connote sadness.
For our credits we would like the font
colour to be red and black as it connotes death, dark and evil. It also
symbolises the thriller genre. The font style which we are thinking of is a
thin but slightly long which has a disorientated effect. We are thinking of
having the credits long and stretched out because of the serial killer dragging
out each one of his deaths due to the planning and stalking. Also because we
think it is original and unique.
We planned carefully on how we wanted the credits to look and how they could link in with our opening thriller. We decided to use the Polaroid picture theme to show a continuous theme. We got a piece of square paper which we tea stained to show it being old and have a decaying effect, which we slight scrunched up to add to the effect. We used fake blood to do the writing, which we thought looked effective as it represented blood. We also spreaded a bit of the blood around the tea stained paper to add to the effectiveness. We filmed it hanging on the same rope as the pictures of the victims were hanging, so it had the same setting and atmosphere which it created.
The first credit which we used in our opening
was the production company ‘New Line Cinema’. We choose to use this production
company as it is very popular and well known due to the many different
successful films which they have presented. We chose to put it straight away on
our opening as most films tend to do this.
Our second credit which we used was the staring credit. This had the three main people who stared in it such as: Matt who is the killer, Fliss who is the 4th victim and Tonicha who is victim 5 and who the film is set around as she is 'The Last Chapter' of the film which is why our film is called this.
Our third credit was the directors, which was us two, Laura and Gabby. We decided to use this credit as in every film they show the directors names as their names play an important role in the credits. For example if it was a famous director such as one of the three which we researched about a lot of the target audience would watch the film as they are well known. If i director is well known and has produced many successful films this makes people most likely watch the rest of the films which they have directed and produced.
Our final credit was the title of out film which was 'The Last Chapter'. We decided to put this credit near the end of the thriller opening. This was because the last scene shows the 5th victim walking in a park whilst getting stalked by the serial killer. We put the credit just before this scene as it explains to the target audience that she is the 5th victim and the final victim, meaning it is the final chapter to the story and her life.
Crime thrillers normally focus on the criminal and then the detectives and police trying to figure out who has committed the crime. The crimes which have been committed are usually or armed robber, murder, money, or having a hidden identity. An example of a crime thriller is 'Witness', 'Silence of the Lambs' and 'Untraceable'. 
Psychological thrillers are usually about the protagonist and what they are going through. In these thrillers it can involve a lot of drama and mystery, and you are always thinking about what is happening as they focus mainly on the mind of the characters. Psychological thrillers usually draws in the audience and has a hold over them, as they normally have a personal feel due to the first person narrative. An example of a psychological thriller is 'Se7en' which we were extremely influenced by and also 'Psycho'.
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