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.
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
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.
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.
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.Zoe's Five Successful Thrillers!
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.
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.
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.
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....
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.
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.
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: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:
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
· Jaws (1975)
· Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
· Indiana
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
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)
No comments:
Post a Comment