Thriller genre research

A timeline of thriller modern day thriller has developed by using ideas from old thriller

films. However use different and more complex special effects.

The Lodger (1927)

Hitchcock is regarded as first master of thriller. And early piece by him was the lodger which used techniques which were new to the world of film.

Rear window (1954)

John Michael Hayes' screenplay was regarded as a ‘hitchcockian’ piece of art which further developed the aspects of thriller.

Psycho (1960)A later Hitchcock film where he continued to create famous imagery (eg, the shower scene) with new and unusual techniques (rule of thirds)

Dressed to Kill1980Director Brian De Palma’s earliest, heavily stylistic films are particularly reminiscent of Hitchcock's tense thrillers

What Lies Beneath2000

Robert Zemeckis is the creator of what lies beneath. This film is regarded to use many of techniques originally used by Hitchcock such as canted angle shots.

Canted angle.

Insidious 22013James Wan’s Insidious 2 is a typical modern-day thriller. It uses many different shot styles such as canted angles and close ups. Modern-day thrillers also have become reliant on special effects to dramatize the action which were not as effective in previous years. However this film is not dependent on special effects such as ‘avatar’ or ‘skyfall’.

As technology and ideas develop the genre of thriller will continue to develop and is expected to become more complex and take advantage of electronic effects

Thriller Genres and Sub genres

A genre is a type of film. They often include hybrids and subgenres which are other genres which are often included in film of that main genre.

The thriller genre covers a large range of aspects which ties in to many different sub-genres. Thrillers often include psychological and physical/ dangerous ‘thrills’ for example psycho is ver different to Skyfall but they are both considered thrillers.

Exampels of a few thriller sub-genres;

• Film noir eg.Chinatown (1974) • Crime eg.  Seven (1995)• Horror eg. Nosferatu (1922)• Psychological eg.Shutter Island (2010)• Action eg.Die Hard  (1988)

Narrative conventions and characters

A film which uses all of these features is ‘the Orphan’. However almost every thriller is heavily based on crime which is thriller’s central theme which excites and interests the audience.

In a thriller film there are certain conventions to be expected, these include; twists and turns in the plot (enigma codes) which was originally suggested by Roland Barthes).

Example from orphan- The film encourages us to think that the character Leena is a child orphan, however the enigma code at the end reveals she is a fully grown adult.

Barthes also introduced the idea of disruption solved by action codes which are now a main expectation from the audience of a thriller film.

Example from orphan- Characters Kate Colman and her husband are experiencing strains on their marriage after having a still born child. This even has caused disruption in their lives right from the beginning of the film.

Thrillers often use red herrings to throw audience off the scent often followed by a cliff hanger leaving the audience uneasy.

Example from Orphan: The plot is unsolved at the end when we do not see the death of Leena (the antagonist)

Classic thriller characters.

Thriller is often based around certain types of character: The antagonist – This character is often the main reason for the loss of equilibrium (commits crimes, stalking etc)

In ‘Orphan’ the antagonist is Leena – A russian criminal pretending to be an Orphan.

The protagonist – This character is often classed as an innocent victim, often with a dark past. (eg. Cops, ex-cops..)

In ‘Orphan’ there is a protagonist family whose equilibrium is disrupted by the antagonist, Leena.

Mise en sceneEverything shown in the shot

Props and costume (sinister and dark can show what a character is like and thus foreshadow films evets)

Setting (dark mysterious setting can give an idea of type of film and gives atmosphere to match thrilling or dangerous action)

Body Language(In a thriller body language can highlight power and authority of different characters.)

Facial ExpressionMakeup (often dramatic especially in within the thriller hybrid of horror and crime eg. The joker)

Lighting and colour (dark and mysterious creates atmosphere to make thriller events seems more realistic and intriguing )

Examples of thriller Mise En Scene

Example of body language and facial expression in Insidious 2. It shows threat and power which highlights danger and death.

An example of a mysterious settings is in ‘The Woman in Black’. This setting sets the film up with themes of isolation and danger.

An example of dramatic makeup in ‘Orphan’ symbolises the twists and enigma shots.

This scene in ‘Psycho’ uses traditional thriller film lighting to create an air of darkness, mystery and terror.

Cinematography (classic thriller shots)

Examples from Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor

Mid shot (shows upper body language)

Medium shot (shows almost whole body)

Close up (emotion in expression)

Long shot (establishes distance)

Wide shot (shows character in scene)

POV (show view from eyes. not an example)

Titles

Factors considered are:

- Colour

- Size

- Font

- Logos

- Positioning.

Colour has been considered (stands out from background). An iconic colour to highlight danger is red (as it can represent blood?)

Size has been considered as not to be too big and detract from image). Also the size is small as danger can be subtle and psychological and leaves audience guessing.

Font- eerie but not too extravagant as to not detract from image.

Un-common positioning gives room for picture and makes audience feel disorientated.

The title is a single word statement which suggests that the film is in a stand-alone location suggesting help is not near by..

Titles are important as they give a first impression of the film.

Thriller audience expectations

People that watch thriller films are wanting to see new and original plots and enigma codes however still expect traditional camera techniques and Mise En Scene to be present within the film. Thrillers, especially with crime, psychological and horror subgenres, are aimed at adults and late teens which means the audience is expecting effective editing techniques and unique imagery as well as traditional and iconic set ups expected within a thriller eg. Chases involving guns etc.