ThrillersResearch task 1

An Overview of the Thriller Genre

Thrillers is a genre that is able to be identified by thrill and suspense throughout the duration. The aim of a thriller is to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats and undermined the whole way through. The intensity rising of the viewers creates great excitement and a roller coaster of emotions. The initial main problem in a thriller film is built upon all the way through that leads to an anxious, emotional climax. Most often, a thriller is set in a mysterious, darkened suburban city, in an ordinary setting and situation where in which extraordinary events take place in order to create the genres’ job of thrilling the audience to it’s full potential.

“If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on.”

- Alfred Hitchcock

History of the Thriller Genre

1920’s – 1930’sAlfred Hitchcock promoted the Thriller genre by creating the silent film “The Lodger”. He was influenced by impressionist techniques in Germany. He then decided to base the film on the Jack the Ripper murders.

1940’sIn 1944, George Cukor created a Psychological Thriller called “Gaslight”. This was when people started making sub genre’s. In 1946, Robert Siodmak directed the film “The Spiral Staircase” which is a Physchological film about a serial killer.

1950’sIN the 50’s, Alfred Hitchcock added Technicolour to his Thrillers. He then made a film called “Strangers on a Train” in 1951.

1960’sIn 1962, J.Lee Thompson directed “Cape Fear”.Michael Powell directed the tense “Peeping Tom” as a Psychopathic cameraman which was release in 1960 just after Hitchcock’s film “Psycho”.

1970’sIn the 70’s, Thriller films started to get more violent and take more action. For example, Hitchcock’s film “Frenzy” in 1972 was given an R rating due to it’s explicit and vicious strangulation scenes.

1980’sPhillip Noyce directed the film “Dead Calm” in 1989 which is a film about castaway. It contains elements of obsession – this device influenced a number of thrillers in the following years.

1990’sRob Reiner based the film “Misery” which is based on the book by Stephen King in 1990. Jonathon Demme’s crime Thriller “The Silence of the Lambs” in 1991 is a typical Thriller where the detectives/FBI hunt down a serial killer.

In Thrillers today, we have many sub genres such a psychological, crime and so on, and they seem to be more in depth with playing with your brain sub consciously. – 21st Century.

Thriller Film TitlesThriller Film Titles

As clearly seen, it is noticeable that the Thriller’s approach into drawing the attention in of viewers, is presented in a dark, background – the majority of the time, black. This straight away tells the audience that the film they are about to watch as an advertisement or even in cinema (in case they didn’t know already) is a thriller.

The format of the writing tells you about the sub genre/ hybrid e.g. “The Silence of the lambs” is a serial thriller. Sometimes it is easily identifiable, however, sometimes you have to watch on to actually experience and find out the sub genre for yourself.

Thriller directors and creators make it very well recognised that the film falls under the thriller genre – in which all directors do with any genre. It is important that it gives the spectator the effect that it does, of discomfort and awareness to what they would be letting themselves in for.

When the title sequence continues it shows it’s real importance. It gives you a hint of what happens in the film and sometimes even lies about things that turn out to be a massive twist when it finally comes to watching it. For example, the masses amounts of importance that Se7en has is incredibly high. It hints at the events foreshadowed, which later on have importunity amongst the other elements in the film. The director will not put something in the opening title sequence that doesn’t have any regards to the meaning and overall message of the film. In Se7en, John Doe, the protagonist, is victimising innocent people into his twisting mind. We see a clip of him shaving his finger tip skin off, which hints that the idea that he has no identity and can’t be caught. The writing of the titles suggest the writing of what in which was in the journal that he was writing in, and also makes it feel a bit closer to home because it is written free handily. The leaves the viewers with unanswered questions where in which they will continue to watch because they want them answered. The director has then succeeded.

Thriller Subgenres

Action Thriller Conspiracy Thriller Crime Thriller Psychological Thriller

Disaster Thriller Mystery Thriller Romantic Thriller

Narrative Themes & Conventions

When analysing the codes and conventions of a horror, we examine many different elements. These are;

• Narrative and Plot

• Mise-en-scene and Characters

• Camera work, Sound and Editing

There is very much often a crime at the core of the narrative. These can include: murders, serial killers, kidnapping, stalking, agenda, jeopardy or abduction/missing. All of these aspects build suspense, provide, intellect and difficultness to find about what’s going on alongside the protagonist.

Thrillers have ‘Restricted Narration’. Questions and riddles will be left unanswered until the end of the film to keep you watching and full of intensity.

The genre ‘thrills’ at one level that simply depicts danger and violence.

The frame is placed in a way in which you as a viewer feel uncomfortable because there is a hidden identity, and you are eager to find out more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymr63ctH1aw“Killing Secret”.

CharactersIn Thrillers, we would typically find, an antagonist and a protagonist. An antagonist is a character that usually lacks in emotion, is intelligent, smart in costume (can occasionally look business like depending on the film e.g. The Usual Suspects). They have masses of control and power, and a lot of the time have no identity – because it is hidden it is categorised under physically or metaphorically hidden e.g. Collateral. They know exactly what they are doing. They are psychotic which means there are incredibly unpredictable.

A protagonist is typically ruled in by the assassin. They are usually the vulnerable, ordinary person changed by extraordinary events, who are threatened and left with the antagonists’ dirty work. They have law enforcements and can be flawed in the same way which can be used by the antagonist.

We can also have:

Detectives that are haunted by their pasts, people who are hiding something from their pasts, people recovering from injuries, and women of a certain age range, cap duos, legal teams, detectives etc.

Antagonist & Protagonist ExampleCollateral

Max – The innocent taxi driver

Max is the innocent taxi driver who gets ruled in by Vincent (the picked up assassin who just happened to jump into Max’s taxi). He is threatened with violence such as a gun, to abide by what he says. Max is flawed; we see he is a dreamer who dreams of escapism to a desert island but he has not got the courage to succeed in what he destines to do.

Vincent – The assassin

Vincent is the guy with no identity. Reason being is because he is an assassin and we also never find anything else out about him out of the full duration of the film.

He is a cold blooded killer (psychotic) and he also looks normal, as you can see by this photo, therefore he blends into the City’s society/ environment.

He draws ordinary people to play his extraordinary games. He is has anyone who he likes under his control whenever and however he pleases to.

Vincent can get Max in and out of anywhere, he is dominant and in complete and utter power.

BrickMise-en-scene example

Questionable to the viewer of his identity. His glasses suggest intelligence also. The messiness of his hair suggests the mental state he is in at this present moment.

This shot in the frame is obvious to the viewer of the characters age range. A young person with not much money would wear a bangle such as this. The bright blue stands out amongst the desaturated colour.

Establishing wide shot of a storm drain on the outskirts of the city. This establishes the setting of the film. It seems to be deserted and the dark tunnel suggests that in this context, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. The figure expression of the boy shows his vulnerability and weakness.

The school seems to be deserted, and as a viewer makes you feel very edged, because you feel something is going to happen. This links into the ordinary place extraordinary events take place. He figure expression is suggesting loss and loneliness in contrast to his emotions.

The lighting throughout the opening scene looks dusky/misty, and it very grey and dark. The low angle shot shows massively the expression on the characters face – anxiety, fear, worry. The character on the other side suggests hidden identity and the phone booth on the outskirts of the city on a deserted road contrasts to his emotions during that moment.

The art of photography and camera work in filmingCinematography

Mise-en-sceneMise – en – scene is everything that’s in the frame. These include: location, décor and set design, props,

costume, makeup, figure/facial expression, lighting (high key, low key, back and colour. The lighting ranges and varieties of low key lighting levels used creates the atmosphere to look mysterious and builds a slight suspense subconsciously to the viewers E.G. shadows produce fear and tension rising. The editor also uses desaturation, and yellow tints which makes the viewer feel uncomfortable because you want to clear the lenses to be able to see exactly what goes on. Jaws

Location is the most obvious option in trying to grasp the genre. Like said before, ordinary places, extraordinary events take place in e.g. towns, cities but in dark areas (busy suburban places but in quieter places like alley ways and abandoned apartments and so on. Examples on slide 4. Iconography helps construct un visual images to the audience – shadows, create mystery and suspense, knives (connote that somebody is going to get killed), confined spaces make the audience feel uncomfortable, and it also makes the situation seem realistic to the viewer.

Props in Thrillers are typically things/ objects such as weapons, gadgets, knives, mobile phones, technical devices (depending on the era), guns, rope (for strangulation). Wearing a suit, having a brief case and so on can suggest he status of the character, and also wealth in some ways. Props also suggest power one may have when other don’t in certain situations – e.g. Collateral.

Claustrophobic atmosphere, giving this sense off to the audience.

Conventions, Iconography and Settings

Safe Haven – Little Village / Country Side. Normal town, where a girl with a hidden identity escapes to but is still continued to be stalked.

Sleeping with the enemy - Set in a town. Controlling partner makes the other half run away and fake her own death. Abandoned from civilisation, house is deserted on the opposite side of the city – (beach house).

Rear Window – Obvious in a suburban town or city. Busy, and very open, in which a man stuck at his window with a broken leg supposes a murder he has witness from his window view. (Ordinary person).

Collateral – Busy city, again, a normal town, inside smaller, deserted places, e.g. abandoned, parking lots, alley ways, dangerous, unfamiliar surroundings and so on.

Set in a City because it feels relatable to the viewer, and feels more suspense and intensity because it’s something that could quite possibly happen to them and feel real.

Costume and MakeupCostume and makeup are used in a way to also identify the genre/subgenre of a thriller. The types of clothing they would typically wear in a Thriller is smart uniform, ordinary clothes, statins and dark clothing that an antagonist would wear alongside the trench coat… Typically in Thrillers, the more controlling and in powered characters would be wearing either a suit, a trench coat and hat, and may often wear glasses that stereotypically indicate intelligence, where as the weaker characters would wear ordinary clothing perhaps. Costume suggests the characters status, their age, class, job and their role in the film.

Rear Window -Ordinary clothing. Seemingly to a viewer unknown to this film, I would say that they were middle classed, people and middle aged, the girl in front being slightly younger. Her makeup suggests her care about her appearance, which can also relate to her age, you get to a certain age when you are massively bothered about the way you come across, and also get to an age where you don’t care, therefore I would say she is somewhere in the middle.

Piggy – ordinary guy, which is very noticeable by costume. He looks as if he significantly fits into society, and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb, therefore, when he puts the pig nose on, he shows no obvious identity.

Collateral – smart business like clothing, defines intelligence and formaty. Again, in Collateral, all characters all fit into the city vibe, therefore there looks nothing suspicious about them.

Target Audience

• Varndean Moodle

• Wikipedia

• Google Images

• Slide Share

• YouTube

Bibliography

The typical target audience of the thriller genre, is a 15+. As you start to get older you seemingly start to realise that it’s your favourite, or in your top 3 genres. A lot of people watch thrillers because it can’t relate back to real life situations, and you feel full intensity and major involvement whilst watching the movie. People who watch thrillers like to feel suspense and feel on edge. They like solving things out for themselves (e.g. mystery thriller). It is a mainstream genre, therefore it attracts a wider range audience of both genders and ranges of age. Most thrillers are an 18 or 15, so when they first come out in cinemas, it is only legal for 18+ people to view. On the other hand, it is drawn to very graphic action, and intense storylines of the thrillers. Working out particular scenarios in this genre tends to draw most attention to young adults, attracting a wider range audience. EXAMPLE OF A 15 – Paranormal Activity EXAMPLE OF AN 18 – SE7EN. This is due to the gore, and un normal view of reality, disruption.