Thriller Evaluation

Planning:

1)      In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Fran: At the start of the term we watched lots of different thriller films and analysed for all convention that are used. We developed these ideas into our thriller opening like; the murderer being secretive and unrevealed like the thriller opening of ‘Seven’. This is an effective convention because it keeps the audience focused and interested in what will be found in the rest of the film.

We used this idea, by showing the back of the murderer’s head and shadowed face so the audience couldn’t see who the murderer is. This idea came from the shower scene of ‘Psycho’. We developed the idea from completely blacked out figure to make the audience feel more tension.

Zoe: We challenged conventions by using our USP. We wanted to make the audience feel the tension. A normal cutting rhythm would be slow images with calm/relaxing music to relax the audience and make them feel safe. A fast cutting rhythm would have sharp cuts, tension music and shocking images to make the audience feel frightened. We challenged this convention by us using a slow cutting rhythm but with tension music and shocking images. This would make the audience feel disoriented because the effect changes in the audience because they are used to the conventional cutting rhythm. We want them to feel like this because it will make them feel unsafe and on the edge of their seats.

2)      How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Fran: Our thriller conventional representations are that the victim is a woman. This convention is used in a lot of films like ‘Kiss the Girls’ when he murders them at night. This convention/representation is used because women are shown as powerless. We used this convention because the audience will instantly know she is a victim.

Zoe: Also, we have a man killer because they are always shown as powerful and strong. Our challenged conventional representation is that the murderer is the investigator because it shows he is more powerful in society and not just working class.

3)      What kind of media product institution might distribute your media product and why?

Fran: 20^th Century Fox could distribute our film because they distributed the film ‘Taken’. ‘Taken’ is similar to our film because the film starts off with a party scene. We started with a party scene because it sets a happy and excitable mood for the audience. Another reason why ‘Taken’ is similar to our film is because throughout the film the murderer is a mystery. We have used this too because our murderer is not revealed. This is effective like other 20th Century Fox film because it keeps the audience interested throughout the film.

Zoe: Another media institution that could distribute our film could be Paramount. They distributed films like ‘Kiss the Girls’. ‘Kiss the Girls’ is similar to our film because the victims in this film are all girls. In our film, most of the victims are female. This is effective because it shows that girls are the weaker sex and are easy targets within the film industry. Also, the film ‘Kiss the Girls’ has a male killer. We have used a male killer because it gives the story has a bigger, darker impression because it shows that they abuse women because they are easy targets.

4)      Who would be the audience for your media product?

Fran: Our audience would be 12-15 year olds. The rating would be 12a. The reason we have only rated it a 12a is because there isn’t any violence or a lot of blood. There is no sex content or language.

Zoe: The topic of our film is murder which attracts this age range because they like mystery and suspense. Our thriller theme is a mystery, a mass/serial killer. This rating would be suitable because there is no blood when murders are committed and you do not see the violence within the film.

5)      How did you attract/address your audience?

Fran: We attracted our target audience by producing something they specifically wanted to see. This was researched by audience feedback where they told us what they wanted in our film. We looked at other 12a/15 rated films and followed some of their thriller conventions. The audience suggestions we included were; a cliff hanger, a mystery and a shocking twist.

6)      What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Zoe: The technologies we used helped construct our film because it was under our control. We used Final Cut Express through all our process by creating the structure of our film and add or taking away what we wanted. We learnt how to add sound on top of action to create more tension. We learnt further information on YouTube. We learnt how to convert sound from another thriller film to Final Cut Express. YouTube also helped our process because we could look at extracts of other thriller films to help create effective ideas.

Fran: The research that we did helped construct our product. We researched about how to create suspense using different techniques like a closer camera angle or add a montage for effect. Internet helped with our process because it helped us find specific music, find information, and email for copyrights. Working with cameras helped with the process because it helped create the final product. Also, cameras helped show the evidence of us working on our media product.

7)      Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from in to the full product?

Fran: Looking back at our preliminary task, we have taken the process more importantly. We used a clear and structured shooting schedule so that we knew where and when we would be filming. With our preliminary task, we left the music to the end, but with our product we thought about what kind of music we wanted for what section. In our preliminary task we didn’t use the tripod at all times which made the shots seem shaky. With our thriller opening we used the tripod at all times necessary so that there would be smooth camera shots.  

Zoe: Lighting was thought about more effectively in our thriller because we wanted to film at night so we had to make sure we could still see what is going on. Our cuts in our preliminary task were very jumpy, so when we were editing we planned what transitions we would use.  When we were filming our preliminary tasks, our location was not effective. We were bothered by other people. So when we were looking for locations, we had to make sure we wouldn’t be bothered or we would bother others.

Thriller Evaluation is on Final DVD

Audience Research

First Audience Feedback

Once we had discuss what our plan for our thriller opening, other groups in our class gave us feedback on strengths and other ideas that could make our opening more interesting.

Strengths:

• Interesting Storyline,
• Good use of setting and unexpected twists,
• Cutting rhythm,
• Appeals to modern audience,
• USP (Unique Selling Point) sounds interesting,
• Conventional Thriller,
• Realistic,
• Slow pace - like Fugitive.

Other ideas:

• Horror rather than thriller,
• Plot cliché - try and make plot unique,
• Create original Storyline,
• Be sure to use camera angles and continuity editing that emphasise her isolation and nervousness/fear,
• Get movie point across.

Second Audience Feedback

Once we had look at the feedback, we decided to use this to our advantage to notify on what we have done that is successful to our target audience, and also what we need to improve to help our target audience to understand our opening.

Third Audience Feedback

This is a reflection on what our target audience replied to our film draft to help use make it better, also on how we have made it successful.

Fourth Audience Feedback

We asked people from our media class which was our target audience some questions for our thriller and we got some useful feedback in which we can use to make our thriller opening more appealing to them.

'What has the film done to earn marks and make it successful?'   

The Feedback was:

· Sound Bridge to show the person is in the same place

· A Montage - shows creativity

· Music on the titles, the fit with the genre

· The range of camera angles

· Sound with the action

· And The framing of the shots

'What would you recommend the directors of the film do in order to improve the film further?'  
The Feedback was:

• To use a range/ more transitions
• To show more creativity
• Tense music at the beginning
• Create our own production company
• To  improve the shake of the camera during the end

This feedback was very useful, as it helped us to improve our thriller opening to make beneficial changes and then to make it to a more desirable quality.

Questionnaire Feedback:

We asked our target audience from outside of our media lesson on feedback from the thriller film so far. We wanted to make a wider audience research because it would show the different opinions from different audiences. This would help us with our thriller opening because it would suit more people and more people would enjoy it and would want to watch the rest of the film.

1) What do you think would make this opneing more interesting?

• You already have a cliffhanger which makes me want to watch the rest of the film.
• I find that your opening is already interesting and i don't think it needs any extra information.
• I think that you could establish that the man is constantly following the girl. 

With these results it was hard to show what we could have done to make the opening more interesting. There doesn't seem like alot of answers that is because most people agreed with each other.

2)  Is there anything in the opening that isn't needed in this opening so far?

• Most of our target audience said no. They think that we have covered the right information and story plot into the opening and that all of the information given is revelant to the meaning and plot of our thriller. 

With this results we were proud that we haven't made the opening too confusing and unclear. We are proud that they find that the information is revelant to what we want to get across.

3) Is there anything neede to make the opening clear and unstandable of the storyline? 

• Following the question before our audience found that the opening was already clear and that there wasn't anything in their opinion that needed any more information to show what we wanted to get across. Our target audience said that we had already made our story clear and understandable on what was going on.

Last Audience Feedback

After we got our feedback we had to decide on what to improve in our final draft.

'How does the person get killed and why?'

We replied we didn't want the mystery to be revealed at the begining so we could get the audience to watch the rest of the film. We wanted to leave our opening on a cliff-hanger to build suspense.

'When it goes straight to the phone, it's a biot confusing where she gone. As it don't show her before the phone call and of the house.'

We replied that we would add a shot of her leaving the house, so that it would be more clear and understandable of what is going on.

'It's not obvious that the murderer turns into a police office.'

We replied that we didn't want to make it clear that the police officer was the murderer. we wnated to keep the audience interested by telling them the muderer later on in the film. this will help craete tension and a conventional twist at the end.

Thriller Planning

 Planning:

- Detailed Summary:

A woman is at a party and has to leave early, so she starts walking home alone. She starts to hear noises like footsteps and rustling bushes, etc. She gets a phone call from an unknown number and answers. There’s a man’s voice “I can see you!” She laughs thinking it’s her friends. “Stop (Laughs) stop joking around”. The man repeats himself several times. She starts to get scared and realise it isn’t her friends. She walks through a subway (back lighting, but very dark). She stops and shouts “Who is this?” The man is now standing behind her with some light on his face, which is sweating and covered in blood. He says “I’m guna get you!” (Blackout cues by woman’s scream.

For the titles, there are going to be stalking photos of many people with crossing outs drawn on them. Also, shocking images of possible weapons for each death (each photo will be positive turned into negative image to show that something has happened to them). Lastly, there is a picture of a woman, another stalking picture to show that this could be the next victim.

The next scene is the next morning, the police have found the body, the investigator and police are talking about how the death could have been committed, etc.

- Short Summary:

A woman walks hoe alone from a party, gets a phone call from an unknown number. She walks into a subway and a man is on the phone and says “I’m guna get you!” The next morning, the police investigate the body, while a police member and an investigator talk about how the death was committed.

- Setting List:

• Subway - Where the first murder is shown.
• Street - When the girl is walking home herself.
• House - A house party is taking place.

- Character Description:

Investigator: Doesn’t like the site of blood, it makes him feel ill. He has been really good at his job but not so much recently with this new murderer. He can’t seem to work out any clues because there haven’t been any clues left. He dresses very casual in a long coat when he is investigating a murder.

            Women Killed: Left from a party early, killed for reasons not clear at the beginning. She is dressed in party clothes.

            Police Member: Doing his day to day job. He does private work for the investigator because he was also employed by him to help with the blood situation. He is dressed in police uniform.

            Murderer: Knows who he goes for, every time. He plans everything before he kills a victim. He doesn’t leave any clues. He makes sure he isn’t found. You don’t see what he is wearing. You just see his face covered in sweat and blood.

- Script:

Scene one:

            At a party, girl getting ready to go while everyone is still having a good time. She leaves the room. See her walking down the street, she hears footsteps, etc then her phone rings.

Girl: (answer phone) Hello!

Man: (Creepy voice) I can see you!

Girl: (Laughs) Stop it guys?

Man: I can see you!

(No reply)

Man: I can see you!

(Girls start to get scared)

Man: I can see you!

(Girl stops in subway)

Girl: Who is this!?

Man: (standing behind her) I’m guna get you!

(Blackout)

Scene Two:

            Near the subway, tape around the entrance, people police/further investigators in background checking the area and body. Investigator and police member enter.

Investigator: So, what do you think has happened?

Police member: We have no idea.

Investigator: (look surprised) what no clue at all?

PM: We think it may be stabbing or shooting, but we can’t be sure, so much damage has been made!

Investigator: (look concerned and worried) OK! Thanks anyway. I need to check back with the office

(Police member walks back to the crime scene, investigator walks off scene.)

Shooting Schedule:

Green = Proposal Idea
Location - House/Living Room and Front Hall

Camera Angle ‘Long Shot’ of room with everyone dancing – 1-2 seconds

Camera Angle ‘Medium Shot’ of girl getting ready to go – 2-3 seconds

Camera Angle ‘Long Shot’ of girl walking out of the house – 1-2 seconds

Location - Street/Path

Camera Angle ‘Moving subject walks into space’ of girl walking in the street –2-3 seconds

Camera Angle ‘Over the shoulder’ of walking behind her – 2-3 seconds

Camera Angle ‘Long Shot’ of girl looking behind her – 1-2 seconds

Camera Angle ‘Close – up’ of phone ringing – 2-3 seconds

Camera Angle ‘Crab Left/Right’ of girl walking while talking on the phone – 5-6 seconds.

Camera Angle ‘Crab Left/Right’ of girl walking into the subway – 1-2 seconds

Location - Subway

Camera Angle ‘Close-up’ of girl stopped in the subway – 1-2 seconds

Camera Angle ‘Close-up’ of man standing behind the girl – 2-3 seconds

Blackout while hearing a scream – 1-2 seconds.

Location - Unknown (Titles)

Camera Angle ‘High Angle’ of past victims with crossing out drawn on them – 4-5 seconds

Camera Angle ‘High Angle’ of first weapon – 4-5 seconds

Camera Angle ‘High Angle’ of second weapon – 4-5 seconds

Camera Angle ‘High Angle’ of third weapon – 4-5 seconds

Camera Angle ‘High Angle’ of fourth weapon – 4-5-seconds.

Camera Angle ‘High Angle’ of picture of possibly next victim -4-5 seconds.

Location - Subway Entrance

Camera Angle ‘Medium Long Shot’ of Subway entrance – 1-2 seconds.

Camera Angle ‘Medium Long shot’ of police member walking towards the investigator – 2-3 seconds

Camera Angle ‘Two shot-Medium Shot’ of Police Member and Investigator talking – 3-4 seconds.

Camera Angle ‘Over the Shoulder’ of police member talking to the investigator -3-4 seconds

Camera Angle ‘Over the Shoulder’ of investigator talking to the police member – 2-3 seconds

Camera Angle ‘Medium Long Shot’ of police member walking to crime scene and investigator walking off scene -2-3 seconds.

Proposal:

We would like to use a slow Cutting Rhythm but play with convention to make it seem tense, instead of relaxed. We think this would make our piece creative because techniques are there to use effectively and accurately and we think this could cause the audience to feel disorientated and that is the aim of Thrillers but we want to try it in a different style to make our piece unique.

First Storyboard:
This storyboard was created before we started planning and filming. As the process when on it changed in various ways which left us we our final product.

Filming Evidence:

This is evidence of when we were shooting a short scene for our second to last draft.

This is evidence when we were shooting a close up in the scene before the titles. Again this was for our second to last draft.

Evidence of Editing:

This is evidence of editing where we would shorten certain clips. As you can see the editing has improved and progressed throughout the images.

Email for Copyrights:

This was our email that we sent to Charlie Clouser for permission to use a soundtrack from 'Dead Silence' for our thriller opening.

Audience Feedback

We asked people from our media class which was our target audience some questions for our thriller and we got some useful feedback in which we can use to make our thriller opening more appealing to them.

'What has the film done to earn marks and make it successful?'   

The Feedback was:

· Sound Bridge to show the person is in the same place

· A Montage - shows creativity

· Music on the titles, the fit with the genre

· The range of camera angles

· Sound with the action

· And The framing of the shots

'What would you recommend the directors of the film do in order to improve the film further?'  
The Feedback was:

• To use a range/ more transitions
• To show more creativity
• Tense music at the beginning
• Create our own production company
• To  improve the shake of the camera during the end

This feedback was very useful, as it helped us to improve our thriller opening to make beneficial changes and then to make it to a more desirable quality.

Questionnaire Feedback:

We asked our target audience from outside of our media lesson on feedback from the thriller film so far. We wanted to make a wider audience research because it would show the different opinions from different audiences. This would help us with our thriller opening because it would suit more people and more people would enjoy it and would want to watch the rest of the film.

1) What do you think would make this opneing more interesting?

• You already have a cliffhanger which makes me want to watch the rest of the film.
• I find that your opening is already interesting and i don't think it needs any extra information.
• I think that you could establish that the man is constantly following the girl. 

With these results it was hard to show what we could have done to make the opening more interesting. There doesn't seem like alot of answers that is because most people agreed with each other.

2)  Is there anything in the opening that isn't needed in this opening so far?

• Most of our target audience said no. They think that we have covered the right information and story plot into the opening and that all of the information given is revelant to the meaning and plot of our thriller. 

With this results we were proud that we haven't made the opening too confusing and unclear. We are proud that they find that the information is revelant to what we want to get across.

3) Is there anything neede to make the opening clear and unstandable of the storyline? 

• Following the question before our audience found that the opening was already clear and that there wasn't anything in their opinion that needed any more information to show what we wanted to get across. Our target audience said that we had already made our story clear and understandable on what was going on.

Independent Study - Tips when filiming a Thriller Film/Opening



Step One: The Mind of the audience!

 Change everything in your screenplay so that it is done for the audience.  Nothing is more important than how each scene is going to affect the viewer.  Make sure the content engages them and reels them in. Use the characters to tease the viewer and pull them along desperately wanting more.
             Hitchcock knew why people are drawn to a darkened theatre to absorb themselves for hours with images on a screen.  They do it to have fun. The theatre audiences know they are safe.  As a film director you can throw things at them, hurl them off a cliff, or pull them into a dangerous love story, and they know that nothing will happen to them.  They're confident that they'll be able to walk out the exit when it’s done and resume their normal lives.  And, the more fun they have, the quicker they will come back begging for more.

Step Two: Frame the emotion!

Step Three: The Camera is not a Camera!

            The camera should take on human qualities and roam around playfully looking for something suspicious in a room.  This allows the audience to feel like they are involved in uncovering the story.  Scenes can often begin by panning a room showing close-ups of objects that explain plot elements.

Step Four: Dialogue means nothing!

One of your characters must be pre-occupied with something during a dialogue scene.  Their eyes can then be distracted while the other person doesn't notice.  This is a good way to pull the audience into a character's secretive world.
           “People don’t always express their inner thoughts to one another” said Hitchcock, “a conversation may be quite trivial, but often the eyes will reveal what a person thinks or needs.”  The focus of the scene should never be on what the characters are actually saying.  Have something else going on.  Resort to dialogue only when it’s impossible to do otherwise. 

Step Five: Point of View Editing!

Putting an idea into the mind of the character without explaining it in dialogue is done by using a point-of-view shot sequence the eyes of the characters and add something for them to look at.
- Start with a close-up of the actor
- Cut to a shot of what they're seeing
- Cut back to the actor to see his reaction
- Repeat as desired
           You can edit back and forth between the character and the subject as many times as you want to build tension. The audience won't get bored.  This is the most powerful form of cinema, even more important than acting. The audience will believe they are sharing something personal with the character.  This is what Hitchcock calls “pure cinema.”

Step Six: Montage gives you control!

Divide action into a series of close-ups shown in succession.  Don't avoid this basic technique.   This is not the same as throwing together random shots into a fight sequence to create confusion.  Instead, carefully chose a close-up of a hand, an arm, a face, a gun falling to the floor - tie them all together to tell a story.  In this way you can portray an event by showing various pieces of it and having control over the timing. You can also hide parts of the event so that the mind of the audience is engaged. (Truffaut)
            Hitchcock said this was “transferring the menace from the screen into the mind of the audience.” The famous shower scene in ‘Psycho’ uses montage to hide the violence.  You never see the knife hitting Janet Leigh.  The impression of violence is done with quick editing, and the killing takes place inside the viewer's head rather than the screen. Also important is to know when not to cut.
             Basic rule: anytime something important happens, show it in a close-up.  Make sure the audience can see it.

Step Seven: Keep the story simple!

If your story is confusing or requires a lot of memorization, you're never going to get suspense out of it.  The key to creating that raw Hitchcock energy is by using simplistic stories that the audience can easily follow.  Everything in your screenplay must be streamlined to offer maximum dramatic impact.  Remove all extraneous material and keep it crisp.  Each scene should include only those essential ingredients that make things gripping for the audience. As Hitchcock says, “what is drama, after all, but life with the dull bits cut out…”
          An abstract story will bore the audience. This is why Hitchcock tended to use crime stories with spies, assassinations, and people running from the police.  These sorts of plots make it easy to play on fear, but are not mandatory for all movies.

Step Eight: Characters must break Cliché!

            Make all of your characters the exact opposite of what the audience expects in a movie.  Turn dumb blondes into smart blondes, give the Cuban guy a French accent, and the criminals must be rich and successful.   They should have unexpected personalities, making decisions on a whim rather than what previous build up would suggest. These sort of ironic characters make them more realistic to the audience, and much riper for something to happen to them.
             Hitchcock criminals tend to be wealthy upper class citizens whom you’d never suspect, the policeman and politicians are usually the bumbling fools, the innocent are accused, and the villains get away with everything because nobody suspects them.  They surprise you at every step of the plot.

Step Nine: Two things happening at once!

Build tension into a scene by using contrasting situations.  Use two unrelated things happening at once.  The audience should be focused on the momentum of one, and be interrupted by the other.  Usually the second item should be a humorous distraction that means nothing (this can often be dialogue.)  It was put there by you only to get in the way.

For example, ‘in Spellbound’, Ingrid Bergman sees a note which has been slipped under her door.  Just when she grabs for it, her colleagues walk in and speak with her about the disappearance of Gregory Peck, completely unaware they are standing on top of the note from him! The end result is – the audience pays for attention to what’s happening.

Step Ten: Suspense is information!

“Information” is essential to Hitchcock suspense; showing the audience what the characters don’t see.  If something is about to harm the characters, show it at beginning of the scene and let the scene play out as normal.  Constant reminders of this looming danger will build suspense.  But remember - the suspense is not in the mind of the character.  They must be completely unaware of it.

In “Family Plot” Hitchcock shows the audience that brake fluid is leaking out of a car well before the characters find out about it.

Step Eleven: Surprise and Twist!

Once you've built your audience into gripping suspense it must never end the way they expect.  The bomb must never go off!  Lead them in one direction and then pull the rug out from under them in a surprise twist.

For example, in the climax scene of ‘Saboteur’, Norman Lloyd is cornered on the top of the Statue of Liberty as Robert Cummings holds him at gunpoint.  Just when you think it's over, Cummings begins to speak, startling Lloyd to fall backwards over the edge!

Production Log

Francesca Peters

• Codes and Conventions of a thriller film - 8 th November 2010 

• Top Five Thriller Films - 12th October 2010
• Definition of a thriller film - 28th September 2010
• Textual Analysis - Matrix, Along came a spider, The Sixth Sense and Kill bill - 12th October 2010
• Camera angles and their effect - 8th November 2010
• Arts of the Titles:Timeline of Mean streets
• Planning of Preliminary Task - 8th November 2010
• Top 10 thriller directors - 26/02/2011
• Audience Feedback for Thriller Opening - 14th March 2011
• Rules of thirds - 15th March 2011

  

 Zoe Mackie

• Top Five Thriller Films - 12th October 2010

• Textual Analysis - The Mummy, Master and Commander, Psycho and The Sixth Sense - 12th October 2010

• Planning of Preliminary Task - 9th November 2010

• Editing Techniques - 9th November 2010

• Indepentdant Study - Tips when filming a Thriller Film/Opening - 12th January 2011

Group Contribution:

• Thriller Opening -
• Planning - 12th January 2011 
  

  • Planning was completed by Zoe Mackie and Francesca Peters 
• Storyboard - 8th March 2011 
• Completed by Zoe Mackie and Francesca Peters
• Evidence of Filming and Editing - 11th March 2011
•  Evidence of Filming Taken by Francesca Peters
• Email for Copyrights - 11th March 2011
• Written by Zoe Mackie
• Audience Feedback - 13th March 2011
• Questionnaire Feedback - 14th March 2011

Genre Research

What is a Thriller?

Definition of a thriller film is:

Thriller films are a genre of film that uses suspense, tension and excitment as the main elements to engage the audience. Thrillers include fast paced and frequent action with resourceful hereos. The sub genres of thriller films are psychological, mystery and crime. Thrillers are mostly categorised by an atmosphere of violence, crime and murder although they often appear to have a 'happy ending' where the villians are killed or arrested.

This is a spider diagram of the conventions of thriller films.

Francesca's Five Successful Thrillers!

1. Psycho (1960):

This Alfred Hitchcock film is certainly one of the best thrillers of all time and possibly also the best thriller film ever made. This movie is based on Robert Bloch's novel, and tells the story of a woman Marion Crane, who steals a big sum of money from her employer, and wants to start a new life with the money.

Review : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/usercomments

Review: http://www.filmcritic.com/reviews/1960/psycho/

2. The Sixth Sense (1999):

This is the best film yet made by director M. Night Shyamalan.This movie is about a child psychologist (Bruce Willis) who is treating a boy (Haley Joel Osment), who can see dead people

Review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167404/usercomments

3. The Silence of the Lambs (1991):

This masterpiece is based on a book by Thomas Harris, and tells the story about Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) and a young FBI cadet (Jodie Foster), who are trying to find a serial killer.

Review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/usercomments

4.Se7en (1995):

This movie stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as homicide detectives', who are hunting a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the 7 sins.

Review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/usercomments

5.Memento (2000):

This is a very unique movie about a man who is trying to find the man who killed his wife, by using notes and tattoos to compensate for his short term memory loss condition.

Review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/usercomments 

Zoe's Five Successful Thrillers!

What makes a good thriller film: http://www.familyvideos.co.uk/what-makes-good-thriller.html

Kiss The Girls (1997)

Washington, D.C. detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross heads to Durham, North Carolina when his niece Naomi, a college student, is reported missing. He learns from the local police, including Nick Ruskin, that Naomi is the latest in a series of young women who have vanished. Soon after his arrival, one of the missing women is found dead, bound to a tree in a desolate forest, and shortly after that, intern Kate McTiernan is kidnapped from her home. When she awakens from a drugged state, Kate discovers she is being held captive by a masked man calling himself Casanova, and she is one of several prisoners trapped in his lair. She manages to escape and is severely injured when she jumps from a cliff and into a river to escape from his clutches. After she recuperates, she joins forces with Cross to track down her sadomasochist captor, who Cross concludes is a collector, not a killer, unless his victims fail to follow his rules. This means there is time to rescue the other imprisoned women, just as long as they remain subservient. Clues lead them to Los Angeles, where a series of gruesome kidnappings and murders have been credited to a man known as the Gentleman Caller. Cross deduces he is working in collusion with rather than imitating his East Coast counterpart, but his efforts to capture and question him are foiled and the man escapes. Upon returning to North Carolina, he eventually discovers the underground hideaway used by, as well as the true identity of, the man who calls himself Casanova.

Review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119468/usercomments

Dead Again (1991)

Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson were once one of Hollywood’s premier power couples. They burst onto the American film scene in 1991 with the Branagh directed thriller Dead Again. The film runs two plot lines, with Branagh and Thompson each playing double roles. In 1949 we have the story of Roman Strauss and his wife Margaret. Their lives are filled with intrigue, uncertainty and ultimately murder. In the present we have the story of PI Mike Church and enigmatic amnesiac Grace. Through a rather shady hypnotist known to Church, Grace hopes to recover her memory as well as an explanation for the nightmares she has about the murder in 1949. Somehow these people are connected, but how? Branagh directs both stories with a flair for the dramatic and a feel for the intricacies of such a complicated plot. He and Thompson have a tense and dynamic chemistry on screen that adds depth to the characters and the relationship. The film manages the double story line without difficulty, swirling the two together expertly into a stylish and suspenseful whole.

Review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101669/usercomments

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, FBI agent working on a serial murder case. She is sent to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), serial killer extraordinaire, in order to gain insight into the case she is working. Big whoop. Except that Foster and Hopkins create characters and a relationship that are utterly fascinating. Both smart, both driven, both with demons and secrets, these two do a gripping, absolutely compelling dance as each tries desperately to maintain the upper hand. The duo is well balanced by the murder case at hand, and both stories are well served. The Silence of the Lambs is tight, fast, has great characters and will scare the daylights out of you.

Review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/usercomments

Psycho (1960)

Marion Crane is a Phoenix, Arizona working girl fed up with having to sneak away during lunch breaks to meet her lover, Sam Loomis, who cannot get married because most of his money goes towards alimony. One Friday, Marion's employer asks her to take $400,000 in cash to a local bank for deposit. Desperate to make a change in her life, she impulsively leaves town with the money, determined to start a new life with Sam in California. As night falls and a torrential rain obscures the road ahead of her, Marion turns off the main highway. Exhausted from the long drive and the stress of her criminal act, she decides to spend the night at the desolate Bates Motel. The motel is run by Norman Bates, a peculiar young man dominated by his invalid mother. After Norman fixes her a light dinner, Marion goes back to her room for a shower....

Review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/usercomments

Memento (2000)

Leonard (Guy Pearce) and his wife are attacked in their own home. Leonard's wife is raped and murdered. Leonard was thrown onto a mirror and now Leonard cannot make new memories, he forgets things after 15 minutes or so, however he can remember everything before the accident. So Leonard goes on a mission to kill the man who killed his wife, but its not that easy since he can't remember the clues, so to take clues he must keep track with Polaroid pictures, notes and tattoes. Along with Carrie Ann-Moss and Joe Polantino, this is a great thriller. Full of suspense, camera work, and scenes each engineered to keep you thinking.

Review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/usercomments

Camera Angles and their Effect

Camera Angle - Interviewee looks into space in the frame

Effect – Lets you see their facial expressions and you know who they’re having a conversation

Camera Angle – Low Angle Shot

 Effect – Makes the character look big, powerful and superior

Camera Angle – Two Shot

 Effect – Lets you see more and see the relationship between characters

Camera Angle – Close-Up

Effect – Lets you see and feel the emotion and the whole of the characters face

Camera Angle - Long Shot

Effect – Shows you a lot of what is going on like the person and background

Camera Angle – High Angle Shot

Effect – Makes the character look small and inferior

Camera Angle – Medium Long Shot

 Effect – This lets you see more like their clothes and some of the background

Camera Angle – Big Close-Up

Effect – Lets you see and feel the emotion and lets you see close up details

Camera Angle – Extreme Close-Up

Effect – Lets you feel the emotion of the scene and see very close details

Camera Angle – Very Long Shot

Effect – You can see how the character interacts with the surroundings and you can see their body language and posture

Camera Angle – Medium Close-Up

 Effect – Lets you see the characters facial expressions aswell as a bit of their clothes and surroundings

Camera Angle – Medium Shot

Effect – Lets you see the characters facial expressions, body language, hand gestures, clothes and surroundings

Camera Angle – Over the Shoulder Shot

Effect – Lets you feel like you’re listening into someone’s conversation

Camera Angle – Tilted Frame

 Effect – Lets you see things in a different way than you normally do

Camera Angle – Moving Subject walks into space

Effects – Lets you see that something else is going to happen and who’s going the scene

Editing Techniques

Definition: What is Editing?

Selecting and Combining a combination of shots into a sequence. It involves adding effects and cutting shots to suit your target audience. You end up with the finished product.

Types of Transitions:

Cuts -

Effect - These can be manipulated for atmosphere.

Dissolve - To show passing of time or change of location.

Effect - Time has past or different location.

Fade - As it relates to film, is the process of causing a picture to gradually darken and disappear or reverse. Often known as a 'fade out' or a 'fade in'.

Effect -

Clock Wipe - It is a wipe that sweeps around the centre point of the frame to reveal the next shot.

Effect - Shows time has past.

Jump Cut - It is when a shot jumps - no continuity - goes from one to another.

Effect - Disorientating the audience.

Zoom in/out - Setting,character or objects moves closer or further away from the camera.
Effect - Show detail or surroundings.

Cross - Cut - Goes form one scene to another.
Effect - Action occuring at the same time in different location.

Iris - Used in comedies and cartoons.

Effect - Focus on one thing - scene changes - different scene.

What are the Titles?

- What the film is called

- Institution

- Actors

- Directors

What is the purpose?

To inform information who contributed to the film

What information do we expect to see?

1)      Institutional Marker

2)      Production Company

3)      Title of film

4)      Names of major actors

5)      Casting

6)      Music

7)      Costume

8)      Visual Effects

9)      Editor

10)  Directors

11)  Producers

Rule of thrids

The rule of thirds is a concept in video and film production in which the frame is divided into into nine imaginary section. This creates reference points which act as guides for framing the image.
this is usually used in a mid shot, the characters eye line is on the top third, and they have speaking/ looking space - which is the first third into the screen. as shown below:

 

Timelines of Titles:

Arts of the Titles:

Timeline of Mean streets

This is a an timeline of the opening sequence of Mean Streets. It shows you the Titles and the Instittutional information are.

The title are affective as the name of the film is bold and red, which stands out against the black background. Also the text is small which is around the clips. The text is white against the back background.the clips in the opening sequence and central and small which helps you focus and on both the titles and clip. At the beginning is a big picture (full screen) but then shrinks to a smaller size to show the titles, which then at the end zoom back into the full screen, which ends the title sequence and starts the film. juring the squence you learn about the character and the location, also the relationships within the location. The music helps sets the scene, its very up-beat and its a love song, so maybe the film like that.

Thriller title sequences



Top 10 Thriller Directors

1.     Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred was best known for his films:

·    Rear Window (1954)

·    Psycho (1960)

·     Vertigo (1958)

·     Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. Many of Hitchcock's films have twist endings and thrilling plots which includes of violence, murder, and crime.

2.     Steven Spielberg

Steven was best known for his films:

·     Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

·    Jaws (1975)

·     Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

·     Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

3.     James Cameron

James Cameron was best known for his films:

·     Aliens (1986)

·     Terminator, The (1984)

·     Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

·     Abyss, The (1989)

4.     Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino was best known for his films:

·     Pulp Fiction (1994)

·     Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)

·     Reservoir Dogs (1992)

·     Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

5.     Martin Scorsese

Martin was best known for his films:

·     Taxi Driver (1976)

·     Departed, The (2006)

·     After Hours (1985)

·     Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

6.     Christopher Nolan

Christopher was best known for his films:

·     Dark Knight, The (2008)

·     Memento (2000)

·     Inception (2010)

·     Insomnia (2002)

7.     Roman Polanski

Roman was best known for his films:

·     Chinatown (1974)

·     Repulsion (1965)

·     Ghost Writer, The (2010)

·     Cul-de-sac (1966)

8.     David Fincher

David was best known for his films:

·     Fight Club (1999)

·     Zodiac (2007)

·     Se7en (1995)

·     Game, The (1997)

9.     John Carpenter

John was best known for his films:

·     Halloween (1978)

·     Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

·     Dark Star (1974)

·     Escape from New York (1981)

10.     David Cronenberg

David was best known for his films:

·     Dead Zone, The (1983)

·     Fly, The (1986)

·     History of Violence, A (2005)

·     Eastern Promises (2007)