We used and practise shot types that we intend to use in our thriller opening, and I feel that we are now a lot more confident with our camera skilles, and have had a good chance to get a feel for the editing program.
Monday, 26 January 2009
Continuity Task
Before creating my thriller, my group and I practised shot types, editing and camera skills by creating a short film, just filming a conversation and a character walking in and out of a room.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Thriller Openings- (Miller's Crossing, Layer Cake, Essex Boys)
In order to get more inspiration for my own thriller opening, I looked at the openings to a couple more typical thriller films.
Miller's Crossing
Firstly, I looked at the opening of the Coen Brother's 1990 thriller - Miller's Crossing. The film begins with diagetic typical noises of being in a bar, whilst we see, in a close up, a glass being filled up with ice and a, presumably, alcoholic drink. The camera then pans with the glass onto a table, whilst a man in a suit talks into the camera. We see classic american gangster brown mise en scene, aswell as slatted blinds. We are shown a man sat to the side, making him appear laid back and powerful. The camera starts as a long shot, and then, to add variety, uses a mid shot of the same area to zoom in and get closer to the action. Evidence of shallow focus is used through out the shot, which then changes to an effective worm's eye view of trees, which pans down and follows as we see a hat fall on to the grass, which is extremely simple yet effective. The hat connotes upper class masculinity, proper-ness, the era the film is set and manners, however the way in which it is blowing away suggests that these characteristics are forgotten and pushed aside throughout the film.
During the opening credits, the mise en scene is excellent. The brown suits that the male characters wear, teamed with the crystal glass tumblers and brown mise en scene all add up to create an excellent depiction of typical american gangster thrillers. The lighting and setting reflects the naturalistic, realistic effect that the director is trying to create for the audience. The camera work is stylish, which compliments the overall style of the piece.
Just within the opening sequence we are drawn into the narrative, and already establish some of the key themes the film intends to explore - gambling, deceit, loyalty and betrayal. From seeing this opening, I intend and hope to use a similar style of having simple yet effective shots, and also have learnt new, more interesting, camera techniques which will add variety.
Layer Cake
Another opening that I watched was Layer Cake. I found the opening to this film very effective and different to all the other thrillers I have watched and analysed so far. The film openings with a black screen, split down the middle, leaving the audience to guess what it is. As the camera pans down and zooms out, it is made clear it is the back of a van, which then explodes; creating drama for the audience, and hooking them into the action. I found this a brilliant way to start a film - beginning with action straight away. The shots following the explosion are slowed down in speed and show the chaos that has been created. The camera then pans and we enter a new scene of hippies smoking and taking drugs. The mise en scene is very stereotypical of hippies and the 60s and 70s, making it seem more realistic for us. The camera pans to follow a girl only wearing pants, showing the girl as a kind of femme fatale- sexual yet dangerous, and changes into a scene in a typical prison, where the same hippies can be seen as prisoners which icreases the continuity of the shots and helps the narrative structure. The camera pans again and we see a man walk down an aisle filled up of FCUK products, which change as he walks down the aisle, adding a modern, stylish feel to it. We follow this man, assuming he is the male protagonist who is also doing the voiceover which engages the audience and helps to build the narrative, and watch him buy something, and then walk in to an 'every day' looking house. Here we see him with 'Clark' weighing and boxing up cocaine, in a dark, dingy room which looks surprisingly clean and medical.
Throughout the piece, we see naturalistic setting, with suitable mise en scene in each setting, for example in the scene with Clark boxing up cocaine, there is a lot of white, clean, sterilised looking mise en scene, aswell as characters wearing surgical masks, which creates a very medical modern look to the film. We also see suitable lighting in each setting, with the prison being brightly lit showing how modern it is, whilst the hippies' room is dingy and smoky, giving us the impression that they are stereotypically smoking cannabis. The shots are extremely well done; showing the action using panning shots, whilst the voice-over first person male narrator is very successful in engaging the audience.
The whole sequence uses brilliant editing which makes it appear to be done all in one shot. The editing also gives the opening a very stylish feel, which i hope to capture in my opening. I also enjoyed the voiceover, and hope that I will also encorporate this into my production. I also liked the credits that the opening used, as they were inobtrusive as they were written in small writing and were incorporated into the action.
Essex Boys
I also watched the opening of the British thriller Essex Boys, which is based on a true story. The film begins in the pitch black, and then we hear the diegetic sound of a garage door opening. Light from outside the garage shines into the shot, creating chirascuro lighting, as a tribute to the old black and white film noirs. The garage creates a very claustrophobic atmosphere, making the audience feel trapped, and we see the male protagonist pushing aside spiderwebs, which are a very gothic element, yet not out of the ordinary. We follow the protagonist get into the car using close ups, long shots and panning and tracking, and view him driving out of the garage as if we are the passenger, making the audience feel engaged with the action and helping us relate more to the protagonist. Throughout the sequence there is an internal monologue in an essex accent which sets the scene. We follow the protagonist in his car, and see the thriller convention of rain lashed streets, and also a lack of colour through out the scene, which makes it appear to be noir monochrome lighting - another tribute to the classic film noirs of the 1940s. We continue with a point of view shot and enter a tunnel, another enclosed claustrophobic space which appears like the barrell of a gun, giving an indication of the kind of ideas the director is planning to portray throughout the film.
I really enjoyed this opening, because I thought it appeared very realistic, and was easy to engage with. I felt that many people would be able to relate to the protagonist, and also would like to see common, everyday settings. I thought that the chirascuro lighting and claustrophobic settings were highly effective, and would like to use these ideas in my own production.
Miller's Crossing
Firstly, I looked at the opening of the Coen Brother's 1990 thriller - Miller's Crossing. The film begins with diagetic typical noises of being in a bar, whilst we see, in a close up, a glass being filled up with ice and a, presumably, alcoholic drink. The camera then pans with the glass onto a table, whilst a man in a suit talks into the camera. We see classic american gangster brown mise en scene, aswell as slatted blinds. We are shown a man sat to the side, making him appear laid back and powerful. The camera starts as a long shot, and then, to add variety, uses a mid shot of the same area to zoom in and get closer to the action. Evidence of shallow focus is used through out the shot, which then changes to an effective worm's eye view of trees, which pans down and follows as we see a hat fall on to the grass, which is extremely simple yet effective. The hat connotes upper class masculinity, proper-ness, the era the film is set and manners, however the way in which it is blowing away suggests that these characteristics are forgotten and pushed aside throughout the film.
During the opening credits, the mise en scene is excellent. The brown suits that the male characters wear, teamed with the crystal glass tumblers and brown mise en scene all add up to create an excellent depiction of typical american gangster thrillers. The lighting and setting reflects the naturalistic, realistic effect that the director is trying to create for the audience. The camera work is stylish, which compliments the overall style of the piece.
Just within the opening sequence we are drawn into the narrative, and already establish some of the key themes the film intends to explore - gambling, deceit, loyalty and betrayal. From seeing this opening, I intend and hope to use a similar style of having simple yet effective shots, and also have learnt new, more interesting, camera techniques which will add variety.
Layer Cake
Another opening that I watched was Layer Cake. I found the opening to this film very effective and different to all the other thrillers I have watched and analysed so far. The film openings with a black screen, split down the middle, leaving the audience to guess what it is. As the camera pans down and zooms out, it is made clear it is the back of a van, which then explodes; creating drama for the audience, and hooking them into the action. I found this a brilliant way to start a film - beginning with action straight away. The shots following the explosion are slowed down in speed and show the chaos that has been created. The camera then pans and we enter a new scene of hippies smoking and taking drugs. The mise en scene is very stereotypical of hippies and the 60s and 70s, making it seem more realistic for us. The camera pans to follow a girl only wearing pants, showing the girl as a kind of femme fatale- sexual yet dangerous, and changes into a scene in a typical prison, where the same hippies can be seen as prisoners which icreases the continuity of the shots and helps the narrative structure. The camera pans again and we see a man walk down an aisle filled up of FCUK products, which change as he walks down the aisle, adding a modern, stylish feel to it. We follow this man, assuming he is the male protagonist who is also doing the voiceover which engages the audience and helps to build the narrative, and watch him buy something, and then walk in to an 'every day' looking house. Here we see him with 'Clark' weighing and boxing up cocaine, in a dark, dingy room which looks surprisingly clean and medical.
Throughout the piece, we see naturalistic setting, with suitable mise en scene in each setting, for example in the scene with Clark boxing up cocaine, there is a lot of white, clean, sterilised looking mise en scene, aswell as characters wearing surgical masks, which creates a very medical modern look to the film. We also see suitable lighting in each setting, with the prison being brightly lit showing how modern it is, whilst the hippies' room is dingy and smoky, giving us the impression that they are stereotypically smoking cannabis. The shots are extremely well done; showing the action using panning shots, whilst the voice-over first person male narrator is very successful in engaging the audience.
The whole sequence uses brilliant editing which makes it appear to be done all in one shot. The editing also gives the opening a very stylish feel, which i hope to capture in my opening. I also enjoyed the voiceover, and hope that I will also encorporate this into my production. I also liked the credits that the opening used, as they were inobtrusive as they were written in small writing and were incorporated into the action.
Essex Boys
I also watched the opening of the British thriller Essex Boys, which is based on a true story. The film begins in the pitch black, and then we hear the diegetic sound of a garage door opening. Light from outside the garage shines into the shot, creating chirascuro lighting, as a tribute to the old black and white film noirs. The garage creates a very claustrophobic atmosphere, making the audience feel trapped, and we see the male protagonist pushing aside spiderwebs, which are a very gothic element, yet not out of the ordinary. We follow the protagonist get into the car using close ups, long shots and panning and tracking, and view him driving out of the garage as if we are the passenger, making the audience feel engaged with the action and helping us relate more to the protagonist. Throughout the sequence there is an internal monologue in an essex accent which sets the scene. We follow the protagonist in his car, and see the thriller convention of rain lashed streets, and also a lack of colour through out the scene, which makes it appear to be noir monochrome lighting - another tribute to the classic film noirs of the 1940s. We continue with a point of view shot and enter a tunnel, another enclosed claustrophobic space which appears like the barrell of a gun, giving an indication of the kind of ideas the director is planning to portray throughout the film.
I really enjoyed this opening, because I thought it appeared very realistic, and was easy to engage with. I felt that many people would be able to relate to the protagonist, and also would like to see common, everyday settings. I thought that the chirascuro lighting and claustrophobic settings were highly effective, and would like to use these ideas in my own production.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Analysis of film posters
Film posters have been used in the advertising of films since the earliest public exhibitions of films, and since then they have been fighting for our attention. Film posters have to be noticable enough to catch our attention, if only for a split second. They need to grab our attention, then hold it long enough for us to digest the information they contain. Graphic designers are constantly working to make the most noticable, most eye catching, and most attention holding poster. Film posters can be seen wherever we are - buses, magazines, billboards etc, it is hard to escape them, but the majority may not even register with us, despite the amount of money spent on them. Thousands and millions of pounds are spent on film posters, with, according to the OCR Media Studies textbook, 50% of the money pumped into a production going on promotion rather what is seen on screen.
I am going to look at 2 different film posters advertising thrillers and analyse them in order to discover how different companies advertise and attract their target audience.
I am going to look at 2 different film posters advertising thrillers and analyse them in order to discover how different companies advertise and attract their target audience.
Firstly I chose to analyse the film poster for the 1960 Hitchcock classic - 'Psycho'. The poster is quite attention grabbing; only using a few colours - blue, yellow, red, black and white makes it stand out and draws attention. Obviously these colours have been picked for a reason, as red connotes feelings of anger, danger, passion, masculinity and power. In this poster the colour red is used to tint the males, which gives a suggestion of the image that Hitchcock will put across to his audience in the film. The graphic designer has chosen to tint the female and title in the poster as yellow, which connotes feminity, dishonesty, cowardice, hope and deceit, which straight away suggests how Hitchcock intends to portray females and his film in general to the public. It should also be noted that studies have shown that a yellow and red cloth enrages animals, which can suggest even further the ideas that will be shown in the movie. The blue background suggests truth, peace, harmony, strength, and calmness. It is obvious here that the film will cover up these feelings, just like in the poster, and replace them with much more negative feelings - those that red and yellow connote.
The characters shown in the poster are also used to attract audiences to the film. This is clear because the woman is shown as a clear femme fatale; wearing only underwear, but still looking attractive to the male audience. On the other hand, a male character is also shown without a top on, which is used to attract the female audience, and also to act as a role model and someone to connect to for the males.
The layout of the poster uses photos which look roughly cut and stuck down, which can reflect the uncertain and confusing narrative viewers of the film will be faced with. This layout also uses diagonals to attract and draw attention to the poster, and the point of the picture of the woman points downwards, highlighting the director's name.
The writing used on the poster is large, white, thin font, which gives the impression that it is modern (which it would have been at the time the posters would have been used). The font used for the title, 'Pyscho', is in capitals, is bold and yellow in colour, and looks as if it has been ripped and then stuck back together. This draws alot of attention to the title, and helps it to stick in our minds.
The other film poster I am going to analyse is the poster used to advertise "Wanted", a British thriller directed by Bekmambetov.
Straight away the audience's eyes are drawn in towards the guns, which are highlighted by the lighting, and symbolise death, anger, power and masculinity. The guns look modern which also gives us an idea of the kind of era the film will be set in. It should also be noted that, in the foreground, it is a woman who is holding the gun, which, especially with her tattoos, make her seem alot more masculine but still enables her to have the danger aspect which makes her similar to femme fatales; typical of thriller films. Looking closely at her tattoos, we can see "XIII", roman numerals for 13, which can be linked to North American gang culture, where members of the white supremacist gang, the Aryan Circle, use "13" as their symbol. The fact that she has the word "tear" written boldly on her arm could also link back to American gang culture, where tears are drawn to represent the number of people a person has killed. The word also obviously makes links to unhappiness. Her other tattoo is of different patterns of the numbers 0 and 1, which suggests it could be written in binary code, again linking to the modernism that will be expected to be seen in this film.
Despite seeing the woman in the foreground looking maculine and strong in her powerful stance, we can see behind her a man holding two guns; one pointing towards her and one pointing in our direction. This suggests that the man still holds more power than the female character. The background for the two characters is flat land below, making them seem superior to everyone below on the ground. It also makes them seem stronger and kind of Godly ; looking down on the world, with laws not applying to them. The whole poster is tinted with yellow, meaning the two colours are primarily yellow and black. The yellow aspect connotes hazards, intelligence, dishonesty, greed deceit and death. The colour yellow also used to be used to symbolise the devil. The black within the photo adds feelings of modernity, power, mystery, evil, death, unhappiness and unarchism, which can be reflected in the ideas that the poster suggests.
The font used to advertise the film is big, bold, sans serif, and a similar shade of yellow to the colour used on the poster. It easily grabs attention and the word, "wanted", sticks in our minds. The only other script used on the poster is in the same style as the title and simply tells us the date the film comes out.
By looking at these two film posters I have learnt how graphic designers intend to catch our attention, and how much these posters really tell the audience about the films.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Warp Films
Warp Films is responsible for creating some of the most new, different and exhilarating pieces of British film since being set up in 2002. Warp Films has won numerous plaudits and awards (including three BAFTAs) in the last 5 years.
'My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117', directed by Chris Morris, was Warp’s first short film and won the BAFTA in 2003 and for its television premiere on Channel 4. More than one million viewers tuned in to watch it, and 22000 DVDs were sold after its premiere, making it the first DVD single in the UK market.
Shane Meadows’ 'Dead Man's Shoes' was Warp's debut feature, and received a record eight British Independent Film Award nominations, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Achievement in Production. ‘’Dead Man’s Shoes’’ was also nominated for a BAFTA and won the Southbank Award for Best Film.
Warp’s next film, directed by Chris Cunningham, was ‘Rubber Jonny’, an experimental 42-page book that shocked and amazed audiences. Warp’s next venture was ‘Grow Your Own’. This film written by Frank Cottrell Boyce received critical success, and tackled the subject of immigration. 2006 saw Warp Films creating their most successful film to date: Shane Meadows’ ‘This is England’. The film received rave reviews and has won numerous international festival awards as well as winning Best Film at the British Independent Film Awards and Best British Film at the BAFTAs.
Arctic Monkeys are also connected with Warp Films as they have produced two music videos for the band, and collaborating on the short film ‘Scummy Man’, which one an NME award for best music video. A feature length live film of the Arctic Monkeys has recently been directed by Richard Ayoade.
Warp Films currently have projects with directors Shane Meadows, Chris Morris, Chris Cunningham, Richard Ayoade, David Slade and Lynne Ramsay. One of their aims is to seek out new voices; which is reflected in their latest projects of promo making and their new venture, Warp X, a digital studio fuelled by imagination, innovation and a digital business model that rewards everyone involved in all aspects of the creation of the films. Their financiers have agreed that creative talent should share in the gross revenue of any film once the commission and expenses of distributors and sales agents have been deducted. Warp X intends to build and improve on Warp Film’s excellent reputation for combining originality with success.
Chris Cunningham started working with Warp Records in 1995 and has directed multiple unique, innovative videos for the likes of Squarepusher, Bjork, Madonna, Portishead and Aphex Twin. With Warp Films, Cunningham has created several films, including 'Rubber Johnny'. Cunningham’s music video, 'Africa Shox' is extremely shocking in its portrayal of America and how white Americans treated Black African/Americans. The camera follows a black man walking through the streets, gradually getting more and more broken at the fault of the white characters, whilst noone, apart from one white man in a heaving urban city, even attempts to help him. There are many examples of similarities between the music video and Meadows' 'This is England'. Firstly, we see in each white characters ignoring the problems and racism that ethnic minorities face. Both of the films are also set in urban lower class areas, and try to show the reality and make it alot more hard-hitting for the audience. Overall, both are extremely successful in engaging their audience and spreading their messages to the public.
(basic information collected from www.warpfilms.com)
'My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117', directed by Chris Morris, was Warp’s first short film and won the BAFTA in 2003 and for its television premiere on Channel 4. More than one million viewers tuned in to watch it, and 22000 DVDs were sold after its premiere, making it the first DVD single in the UK market.
Shane Meadows’ 'Dead Man's Shoes' was Warp's debut feature, and received a record eight British Independent Film Award nominations, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Achievement in Production. ‘’Dead Man’s Shoes’’ was also nominated for a BAFTA and won the Southbank Award for Best Film.
Warp’s next film, directed by Chris Cunningham, was ‘Rubber Jonny’, an experimental 42-page book that shocked and amazed audiences. Warp’s next venture was ‘Grow Your Own’. This film written by Frank Cottrell Boyce received critical success, and tackled the subject of immigration. 2006 saw Warp Films creating their most successful film to date: Shane Meadows’ ‘This is England’. The film received rave reviews and has won numerous international festival awards as well as winning Best Film at the British Independent Film Awards and Best British Film at the BAFTAs.
Arctic Monkeys are also connected with Warp Films as they have produced two music videos for the band, and collaborating on the short film ‘Scummy Man’, which one an NME award for best music video. A feature length live film of the Arctic Monkeys has recently been directed by Richard Ayoade.
Warp Films currently have projects with directors Shane Meadows, Chris Morris, Chris Cunningham, Richard Ayoade, David Slade and Lynne Ramsay. One of their aims is to seek out new voices; which is reflected in their latest projects of promo making and their new venture, Warp X, a digital studio fuelled by imagination, innovation and a digital business model that rewards everyone involved in all aspects of the creation of the films. Their financiers have agreed that creative talent should share in the gross revenue of any film once the commission and expenses of distributors and sales agents have been deducted. Warp X intends to build and improve on Warp Film’s excellent reputation for combining originality with success.
Chris Cunningham started working with Warp Records in 1995 and has directed multiple unique, innovative videos for the likes of Squarepusher, Bjork, Madonna, Portishead and Aphex Twin. With Warp Films, Cunningham has created several films, including 'Rubber Johnny'. Cunningham’s music video, 'Africa Shox' is extremely shocking in its portrayal of America and how white Americans treated Black African/Americans. The camera follows a black man walking through the streets, gradually getting more and more broken at the fault of the white characters, whilst noone, apart from one white man in a heaving urban city, even attempts to help him. There are many examples of similarities between the music video and Meadows' 'This is England'. Firstly, we see in each white characters ignoring the problems and racism that ethnic minorities face. Both of the films are also set in urban lower class areas, and try to show the reality and make it alot more hard-hitting for the audience. Overall, both are extremely successful in engaging their audience and spreading their messages to the public.
(basic information collected from www.warpfilms.com)
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Progress Made on Our Thriller
Alot of progress has been made on our thriller, as we rapidly changed from one idea to another and had to repeat the whole process. We quickly location scouted and discovered an urban block of flats which are very modern and symmetrical, and which suit the style of our thriller completely. During this process we also quickly discovered two much more reliable actors - Guy and Mary, who both have drama experience and who would co-operate and stay focused.
After re-planning our new thriller, we started filming. We concentrated alot more on establishing shots and mise en scene, using generic thriller signifiers including spiral staircases and a white van. We had two filming sessions with our actor and actress and one alone in order to create good focused shots. In general, the shooting went well and we achieved alot in the sessions.
Once we were happy with the shots that we had collected, we recorded our voice-over. We decided to have a female voice as the narrator, despite the female character being a femme fatale. We felt that this would go better with our shots and opening in general, and wrote the script as follows : 'It wasn't the first time I've got mixed up in a deal like this. For some reason something went wrong, and the rest is kind of a blur. All I remember is those flats and being carted away in that white van. Everyday I find myself walking back there, hoping that somehow I can change what happened.' We chose to keep the speech simple, and intend to separate it into sections to fit with relevant parts of the film.
As well as adding the voice over, we have chosen a break beat piece of music to add to it during editing. So far we have made great progress with our editing. We have changed the colour scheme to black and white in order to reflect chirascuro lighting and to give it a thriller-ish feel, whilst appearing more stylish. We have also used both fast and slow paced editing where necessary to create the desired feel. We interspersed the chase scene with clips of the femme fatale walking, to suggest a spiralling narrative, full of flash backs and intrigue. We have begun to add the credits along the bottom left of the film. We intend to add the final touches of the film title at the end and minor tweaks as soon as possible.
We have also decided on a name - "Iniquity", which means, according to 'Google' definitions - "Gross immorality or injustice, wickedness. Often interchangeable with the noun, “sin”". We felt this was a fitting, and catchy name for our thriller.
After re-planning our new thriller, we started filming. We concentrated alot more on establishing shots and mise en scene, using generic thriller signifiers including spiral staircases and a white van. We had two filming sessions with our actor and actress and one alone in order to create good focused shots. In general, the shooting went well and we achieved alot in the sessions.
Once we were happy with the shots that we had collected, we recorded our voice-over. We decided to have a female voice as the narrator, despite the female character being a femme fatale. We felt that this would go better with our shots and opening in general, and wrote the script as follows : 'It wasn't the first time I've got mixed up in a deal like this. For some reason something went wrong, and the rest is kind of a blur. All I remember is those flats and being carted away in that white van. Everyday I find myself walking back there, hoping that somehow I can change what happened.' We chose to keep the speech simple, and intend to separate it into sections to fit with relevant parts of the film.
As well as adding the voice over, we have chosen a break beat piece of music to add to it during editing. So far we have made great progress with our editing. We have changed the colour scheme to black and white in order to reflect chirascuro lighting and to give it a thriller-ish feel, whilst appearing more stylish. We have also used both fast and slow paced editing where necessary to create the desired feel. We interspersed the chase scene with clips of the femme fatale walking, to suggest a spiralling narrative, full of flash backs and intrigue. We have begun to add the credits along the bottom left of the film. We intend to add the final touches of the film title at the end and minor tweaks as soon as possible.
We have also decided on a name - "Iniquity", which means, according to 'Google' definitions - "Gross immorality or injustice, wickedness. Often interchangeable with the noun, “sin”". We felt this was a fitting, and catchy name for our thriller.
Monday, 5 January 2009
Conventions of Thriller
During the Media course so far, I have learnt about the thriller genre and key conventions of this genre. I have learnt about these conventions by watching different thriller films and have used them to help create an effective opening of a thriller for my coursework.
One key signifier of a thriller is to have a narrative based on crime. One example of this is in the film noir thriller, "Third Man". This has crime as the basis of the narrative as we discover that Lime, who leads the authorities to believe he is dead, has been effectively murdering children as he has been diluting the penicillin which they have been prescribed. We have encorporated this convention of the genre into our thriller, as our plot is based around a drugs scam.
Another convention of thrillers is that the resolutions to the crime are often ambiguous. There is a clear example of this at the end of 'Chinatown' as Gittes, the detective is arrested, whilst we see Katherine being taken away by Cross, meaning we never know if Cross gets away with his crimes. In our thriller plot synopsis we intend the film in a similar way, with the main protagonist being shot, and the audience never knowing if anyone ends up paying for their crimes.
Thrillers also include the aspect of the protagonist being disempowered and drawn into a web of intrigue by the antagonist. This is key in "Third Man" as Holly Martens, the protagonist, is obviously drawn into the intrigue and is completely out of his depth. If we were to make our entire thriller, this would be vital in our plot as we see the protagonist getting caught up in a downwards spiral of drugs and gangs.
In thrillers, ther protagonist is often flawed, for example in "Pulp Fiction" Jules, a hitman with a brutal past, redeems himself by turning to the fundamentalist church. The flawed protagonist is often presented in thrillers as a male with an obvious drinking and/or smoking habit. The protagonist within our thriller will be flawed as he works in the underworld of the city - in the drugs trade.
Extraordinary events in ordinary situations often occur in thrillers, with an example of this being in "No Country for Old Men" when Moss, who is out hunting, stumbles upon several cars full of dead bodies and $2 million. Our thriller synopsis doesn't really include this convention, although the fact that small-time drug dealers get lucky and end up in control of a big drugs deal could be classed as this.
Themes of voyeurism are also very common within thrillers, as the majority include several scenes of focusing souly on a scene or character, giving the impression that we are watching the action. A good example of this is in the opening of "Psycho". Our opening aims to include this theme within it.
Another convention of thrillers is the fact that elements of mise-en-scene reflect the protagonist’s emotional state. This is clear in a scene from "Vertigo" as the spiralling staircase represents Scottie's state of mind. The dark rainy stylised streets shown within "Sin City" connotes corruption in the characters, aswell as reflecting their emotions. We hope that our thriller opening we create can show examples of this, by using staircases and dark settings to show the characters' emotional states.
Thrillers often begin and / or end with the protagonist in peril. This is clear within the television series "Spooks" where the characters are often endangered and agents are often killed. In our thriller, we begin with a chase scene involving the protagonist, and end with a gun pointed to the protagonists' head.
Another feature of thrillers which we have chosen to encorporate is the presence of femme fatales, glamorous, seductive and dangerous women. "Double Indemnity" is a good example of this, as is "The Black Dahlia".
We also hope to embrace the convention of blur between good and evil in making our thriller, and think that our narrative will easily be able to show this. A good example of this is "Pulp Fiction" with the protagonists killing multiple people, even an innocent bystander, yet saving and stopping a shooting at the end of the narrative.
Twisting and convoluted narratives are also a convention of thriller genre films. The narrative within "Chinatown" reflects this, as does the majority of thrillers, including the good example "Double Indemnity" in which the narrative loops round, and features a lot of flash backs, which reflect the the character's state of mind and the twisted morality the protagonist has.
One key signifier of a thriller is to have a narrative based on crime. One example of this is in the film noir thriller, "Third Man". This has crime as the basis of the narrative as we discover that Lime, who leads the authorities to believe he is dead, has been effectively murdering children as he has been diluting the penicillin which they have been prescribed. We have encorporated this convention of the genre into our thriller, as our plot is based around a drugs scam.
Another convention of thrillers is that the resolutions to the crime are often ambiguous. There is a clear example of this at the end of 'Chinatown' as Gittes, the detective is arrested, whilst we see Katherine being taken away by Cross, meaning we never know if Cross gets away with his crimes. In our thriller plot synopsis we intend the film in a similar way, with the main protagonist being shot, and the audience never knowing if anyone ends up paying for their crimes.
Thrillers also include the aspect of the protagonist being disempowered and drawn into a web of intrigue by the antagonist. This is key in "Third Man" as Holly Martens, the protagonist, is obviously drawn into the intrigue and is completely out of his depth. If we were to make our entire thriller, this would be vital in our plot as we see the protagonist getting caught up in a downwards spiral of drugs and gangs.
In thrillers, ther protagonist is often flawed, for example in "Pulp Fiction" Jules, a hitman with a brutal past, redeems himself by turning to the fundamentalist church. The flawed protagonist is often presented in thrillers as a male with an obvious drinking and/or smoking habit. The protagonist within our thriller will be flawed as he works in the underworld of the city - in the drugs trade.
Extraordinary events in ordinary situations often occur in thrillers, with an example of this being in "No Country for Old Men" when Moss, who is out hunting, stumbles upon several cars full of dead bodies and $2 million. Our thriller synopsis doesn't really include this convention, although the fact that small-time drug dealers get lucky and end up in control of a big drugs deal could be classed as this.
Themes of voyeurism are also very common within thrillers, as the majority include several scenes of focusing souly on a scene or character, giving the impression that we are watching the action. A good example of this is in the opening of "Psycho". Our opening aims to include this theme within it.
Another convention of thrillers is the fact that elements of mise-en-scene reflect the protagonist’s emotional state. This is clear in a scene from "Vertigo" as the spiralling staircase represents Scottie's state of mind. The dark rainy stylised streets shown within "Sin City" connotes corruption in the characters, aswell as reflecting their emotions. We hope that our thriller opening we create can show examples of this, by using staircases and dark settings to show the characters' emotional states.
Thrillers often begin and / or end with the protagonist in peril. This is clear within the television series "Spooks" where the characters are often endangered and agents are often killed. In our thriller, we begin with a chase scene involving the protagonist, and end with a gun pointed to the protagonists' head.
Another feature of thrillers which we have chosen to encorporate is the presence of femme fatales, glamorous, seductive and dangerous women. "Double Indemnity" is a good example of this, as is "The Black Dahlia".
We also hope to embrace the convention of blur between good and evil in making our thriller, and think that our narrative will easily be able to show this. A good example of this is "Pulp Fiction" with the protagonists killing multiple people, even an innocent bystander, yet saving and stopping a shooting at the end of the narrative.
Twisting and convoluted narratives are also a convention of thriller genre films. The narrative within "Chinatown" reflects this, as does the majority of thrillers, including the good example "Double Indemnity" in which the narrative loops round, and features a lot of flash backs, which reflect the the character's state of mind and the twisted morality the protagonist has.
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