Thriller MoviesNicole Agnew

World War ZThriller Conventions

Quick Cuts to emphasis the fast pace of the movie

Fast paced dramatic music playing in the back ground and narrations and voice overs

Montage of different shots to portray quick tempo and add drama

Background sounds such as; cars honking, helicopter sounds, people talking, engines rumbling

Thriller ConventionsWorld War Z

Urban settings- New York city helps set the scene)

Guns and weapons used to show the audience that it is an action/thriller

Real clips of movies, TV programmes and news (includes realism)

Themes include terrorism and supernatural events

World War ZThriller ConventionsThe letter Z in the

opening scene is nigger than the rest of the title. This may be seen as foreshadowing, that the zombies will attempt to take over the city and something horrific will happen in relation to the Z. In the opening scene loads of tragic events and news reports are played, which gives the audience an indication that something dramatic, along those lines will happen and that the human race is going to face difficulty or some sort of supernatural attack.

The opening scene of this movie has different variations of angles. It shows long shots and close ups of the worlds surroundings to remind the audience how beautiful and majestic the earth is. However, to contrast with this, the opening scene then adds in very long shots and video coverage of slums, poverty, over crowding and underlining problems that the world currently faces. This Is so the audience understands that there will be a downward spiral in the plot twist.

World War ZOpening Scene Conventions

Landscapes and establishing shots to set the scene

Title sequence and actor names blend in with background clips

Soundtrack includes voice overs and news commentation

Compilations of photographs and videos to add realism and context

World War ZOpening Scene Conventions

Narration is included at the start (news reporters)

Opening scene included flashbacks to show context and real life footage

Action scenes and come animations are shown to help audience establish the genre

Chase scenes and compilation clips are included

World War ZOpening Scene Conventions

World War Z opening scene starts with non-diegetic acoustic music. This calms the audience but also prepares and unnerves them, as they already know that the movie is a thriller, so it makes them suspicious. As the clips continue, the music slowly picks up pace and increases in volume, this builds subconscious tension. The sound of the news voice overs also overlaps the clips and music and provides information and subtext for the audience

The letter “Z” in the movie title “World War Z” stands for zombies, but the audience wouldn’t actually know this by looking at the title (unless they are aware of the plot of the movie). This provides mystery and secrecy which goes well with the whole theme and genre of the movie itself. Although the words “World War” already provide information that there will be a conflict in the movie.

Gone GirlThriller Conventions

Dim lighting to set a calm, spooky scene

Dim, low contrast colours (grey, blue) to lower mood

Low level, tense but calming music to fit the camera shot

Flowing scenes (no cuts)

Gone GirlThriller Conventions

Flowing angle scene to add rhythm and slow tempo

Sound includes main actor narrating

Close up shot of actresses face to express emotions of threat and fear

Shadows and slow zooming out to flow with narration

Gone GirlThriller Conventions

The opening shot depicts a woman and her husband narrating the scene about how he wants to “crack her skull” , which straight away shows flaws in his character. Her face and the emotions she portrays shows that she does not feel much love and affection towards him, which makes the audience question the stability of their relationship and question what the two have done to each other.

The first scene also shows the husband standing outside after taking the trash out and looking back at his house, reluctant to go in. This may tell the audience that he is not happy with his home life and something in his life is making him miserable/unhappy. This further more helps the audience establish the destructive relationship he has with his wife and their seemingly unhappy marriage.

Gone GirlOpening Scene Conventions

Opening scene includes production logos, title and actor tributes

Narrative is conducted in the opening scene by the husband (main character)

Landscape shot of the husband outside his house starts the movie

A soundtrack of very low pitch and calming creepy music is used

Gone GirlOpening Scene ConventionsAt the beginning the

establishing shot of woman's face is shown

Title sequence is included at the start

Quick scene cuts to set the pace

Flashbacks of the couples memories together are shown to portray their love

Gone GirlOpening Scene ConventionsThe opening scene

contrast highly with the following scene in which Amy (main character) is writing in her diary about her first encounter with her future husband. The lighting is bright and easy, compared to the opening scene where the shot of her head has dark lighting and a lot of dim contrasts and shadows. This may be a representation of her mental state and how it changed

The flashbacks followed by the opening scene are used to show the audience of what type of relationship the couple had before and how happy they were, in comparison to now, where everything is presented in a dark, negative light. This allows the audience to understand how their relationship has taken a dark twists and how it will effect the plot of the movie and its context

Black SwanThriller ConventionsVery dim and

low key lighting to set the tone

Variations and changes in angle shots

Tense music that increases as the scene continues

A lot of shadows and contrast to build tension

Black SwanThriller Conventions

All black and white shots to help build scene

No narration, but dramatic music that builds up and then releases tension

Protagonist (swan)

Montage of different shots and dancing variations (music based)

Thriller ConventionsIn the opening scene the spotlight shines on the woman dancing (Natalie Portman), which shows the audience that she is going to be that main character throughout the movie. The fact that she is dancing alone and is in such a dark and isolated environment may show her mental state (as we later find out is true). This character is the lonely female protagonist and seems very vulnerable and pure in this lighting.

At the start of the scene, Natalie Portman is dancing alone but seems to be in control of herself and her movements. This shows that she is independent but may also mean that this stability she finds within herself may be destroyed as the movie continues. This scene is filmed via a long shot but straight angle which makes the audience feel very close to the character and as though she is right there dancing in front of them.

Black Swan

Opening Scene ConventionsTitle sequence is included after the opening scene

All background sounds are eliminated by the classical music

The camera angle is always centred on the dancer (shows main character)

All background light is blacked out by blackness and shadows

Black Swan

Opening Scene ConventionsEstablishing and landscape of the black swan performing

This is a an action/physical dancing scene that helps establish the context

Production logos are added before the opening scene

There is a spooky soundtrack that includes, deep and loud classical music

Black Swan

Black SwanOpening Scene ConventionsThe close ups used

in this movie create tension and a spooky feel. The fact that Natalie Portman does not wear makeup in a lot of the scenes can reflect the fact that she is stressed/depressed and it makes the audience feel closer to her because she is revealing her true self. Although most scenes have well lit rooms, there are still a lot of shadows (thriller effect)

The protagonist usually wears white which represents innocence and purity, which is a contrast to her actual characteristics, as the audience know she is not stable and is disturbed. One scene contrasts both sides of a room (mirror scene) which can represent her emotions and bipolar personality, one side is light and the other is dark. Use of mirrors is typical for thrillers.

LucyThriller ConventionsQuick cuts

between scenes that show different locations

Constant angle shot changes, close ups and long shots, very long shots

Background noise of city, animals, human life (no music)

Montage of different shots, locations, cities.

LucyThriller ConventionsProtagonist is

introduced straight away

Movie starts of faced pace to show the genre (action/thriller)

Sounds of nature, birds, animals at the beggining

Animation of first human ever (Lucy)

LucyThriller Conventions

Protagonist and main character of the movie is Scarlett Johansson who at the start of the movie is portrayed as the first Homosapian human called “Lucy” and this scene is used both at the start and end of the movie and is considered a flashback and foreshadowing without the audience even knowing.

The opening scene has several camera edits and cuts from one image to another of different locations around the world such as cities and rural area. The cuts between the scenes are really fast and set the action based feel of the movie. It also prepares the audience for the thriller/action that will be practised in the following scenes

LucyOpening Scene ConventionsOpening scene

includes foreshadowing and flashback

Animation is used to create Lucy the first homosapian

Actors credits and title are played during opening scene

Title sequence is shown during opening scene

LucyOpening Scene ConventionsChase scene and

fast scene cuts shown at the start

Landscape and long shot of first human on Earth (animation) is shown

Narrative content by Scarlett Johansson to introduce the scene

Production logos are visible before the opening scene

LucyOpening Scene ConventionsThe opening

scene depicts a landscape and long shot with bright rich colours. Although this is not typical for a thriller/action movie, it helps the audience prepare for the rest of the scenes, as they are also consisting of bright vibrant colours and characters, but the whole movie is action based

The opening scene includes a narrative conducted by Scarlett Johansson (Lucy) the main character. Here she asks the audience a rhetorical question “What have we done with the world?” this could be interpreted as a moment of foreshadowing, where she warns the audience of what they are about to see, through a question. She is setting the scene for the movie