Brainstorm of Content and Classification of Film

Thriller - Planning
Ideas

• Woman is running through forest covered in blood and screaming, running away from a killer
• At a childrens park, shots of the park at night empty, foggy, eerie things happen such as a swing/see-saw moving 
• A house at night, couple sleeping, they hear noises from downstairs, killer is downstairs
• Man wakes up in a box, see shots of him taking life for granted, someone has put him there to torture him
• War veteran is tortured by his thoughts and wonders if those events actually happened
• Man has been held hostage by a group of teenagers, he manages to break free, spends the opening escaping
• Family are enjoying a gathering at home, they hear a scream from upstairs, the intruder is then chased down a street

Final Idea - Synopsis
A woman has been captured in a room and is having a nightmare and we pan into her head, we see her nightmare of being abused through her childhood. Flashbacks of childhood and keep seeing shots of her scars on her wrists as she has been tied up, montage of abused childhood. Then the cellar door opens revealing a silhouette of the woman's mother.


Certification
This opening will be suitable for a 15 audience because there is graphic detail of scarring, burns and nail-less fingers. We have kept within a 15 boundary as there are no sexual scenes, drug usage or violence. We wanted to make it a 15 so it will appeal to our audience.

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Own thriller


Narrative Structure
Starts off with an establishing shot of the house in which it takes place. Then we go into the house and we see a woman and a girl coming down some stairs and enter the cellar, the little girl is left there on her own. Then we see the girl in the cellar much older. Then we see the girl in a living room, turning the tele on. She then watches tele but we don't see what she watches. The mum then comes in and accidentally drops plates in shock.

• Non-linear storlyine - to tie in with codes and conventions + it was the top answer on the questionnaire.
• Plenty of enigma codes, gives the audience questions and to find out, they must keep watching.
• Taking away things to make it a restricted narrative so the audience journey on.

Thriller Codes and Conventions

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Unbreakable


Narrative Structure
On a black screen, white text is faded into the screen, the sentences read "There are 35 pages and 124 illustrations in the average comic book.". The next sentence says "A single issue ranges in price from $1.00 to $140,000.". The next says "172,000 comics are sold in the U.S. every day.". The next "Over 62,780,000 each year." and the next "The average comic collector owns 3,312 and will spend approximately 1 year of his or her life reading them.". A baby crying starts to gradually get louder, the screen fades from black to a back room in a department store in Philadelphia, 1961. A woman has given birth and a doctor has come to check the baby's health. The crying doesn't seem to cease at all, so the mother asks if he should be excessively crying, the doctor wants to know if the baby was dropped after being born, with he answer being a definite 'no', the doctor says that the baby has 2 broken arms and 2 broken legs. Then we see a bald man on a train journey who is then joined by a young woman, he takes his wedding/engagement ring off, she then attempts to sleep.


Thriller codes and conventions
As it is known to the audience that a woman has given birth in the back of a department store, the audience immediately ponder, why is she giving birth there?
Camera Work
The camera movements in the film are done in a stealthy and bumpy way, as though we are in the film and peeking in so we feel apart of the narrative, rather than just watching from the side.


Mise-En-Scene
Facts regarding comic books are shown on screen. These facts could foreshadow some of the effects which may take place within the film. Then a crying baby is slowly getting louder and louder, the shot fades into a department store in 1961, 2 women, 2 policemen and a doctor rush in to the mother and the crying baby. At first glance we can tell the setting is old, automatically this tells the audience to apply certain standards that existed back then, in order for the story to flow realistically. It looks as if the woman has recently given birth in the back of a department store. The baby is persistently crying and it is unknown as to what is causing this. The baby is handed to the doctor who is sceptic as to what has happened to the baby. He concludes that the baby has 4 broken limbs. The positioning of this room is quite interesting, there is a mirror right behind the mother, allowing the camera to see the reactions of the mother aswell as the doctor and other characters. The shot then fades to black on the crying mother. The next shot is of a bald man on a train looking bored. The atmosphere is different to the last shot, it's alot more calmer and quieter. A little girl in the seat in front is doing a hand stand on the seat, creating a comedic slant. The bald guy signifies his tiredness by rubbing his eyes, he is wearing a black suit which looks pretty average. Then a young woman comes along and asks if he's alone, he replies 'No' and she puts her luggage away, as she does this her 'toned' stomach is shown from under her t shirt,  the guy then takes off his wedding/engagement ring discreetly, hoping that she hasn't noticed. She then sits down and goes to sleep, much to his anticipation.


Sound
In the beginning there a baby crying which gradually gets louder, this crying doesn't stop throughout the entire first scene. Other sounds include the ongoing sound of a train which mirrors the sound of the baby crying, both sounds could become irritating over time.


Editing
The editing is quite basic, most used edits are cut offs and fades.
Graphics
The graphics in this film are basic and white, nothing fancy, they are appropriate to the film.

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'Red Eye'


Narrative Structure
First we see a girls photograph of her in a graduation outfit and playing hockey, we get the idea that she is loved by her family. Then a man walks from the right to the left of the screen and put his wallet and keys down on the desk next to photos. The wallet has the letters 'JR' printed on it. The wallet is then taken from the right side of the screen. Then a cut off to people packing up crates of fish for transporting and then being stamped for approval. The crate is then put in the back of a truck and drove off. Then it is cut off again and we see pictures of a sky scraper, a house, house blueprints and layouts, a living room. 


Then Someone is opening a package and out of it comes the wallet we saw a few seconds earlier. The wallet is opened and we see the owner of the wallets face, also we see a small photo of the girl who was in the graduation outfit earlier. The unimportant cards are taken out of the wallet and put back into the envelope and then thrown into the bin. The wallet with the photos in is kept. Then we see two men rapidly opening the crate of frozen fish, which is now revealed to be a secret hiding place for a metal container. In the next shot we a hotel, we go in to see the reception desk, there has been a mistake, details of a couples stay have been deleted. This causes a lot of panic for the receptionist. She then reluctantly rings her manager to help with the situation. We learn that the manager is not available due to her grandmothers death. Still, she calls her and the situation gets sorted, throughout the phone conversation we realize that Lisa (the Manager) copes well under pressure, has a sense of humour, and is quite wealthy due to her letting the taxi driver keep the change and that she is quite a busy woman due to always being on the phone. Also she knows what she is talking about, this gains her authority which is essential due to her being the main character of a thriller. Security is mentioned a lot in the phone conversation.


Her phone rings again and this time it is her dad who is ringing from home. Through this conversation we know that her dad misses her as her room has not been touched by the decorators, also that the house isn't very safe as burglars could get in. After this we learn that Lisa's flight has been cancelled through the tannoy system. A conversation is started between Lisa and the woman next to her in the queue which ends in her giving her book away. Their conversation is interrupted by an airport employee, shouting out for people going to Atlanta. This angers a fellow queuer and he begins to argue with the employee, which leads to Lisa butting in defending the employee, trying to calm the situation, then the guy behind her also tries to calm the situation. This guy keeps very calm and tries to reason with the arguer, he comes across as peaceful, but threatening at the same time, his light blue eyes give him that edge. At the end of the reasoning he insults the arguer by saying he has a ' job that's a lot less thankless than his'. After this line he stares at him, and the arguer backs off and leaves the queue.


Thriller codes & conventions
To use your brain and be intellectual as things can easily be missed.


Camera Work
Zooms in on the wallet to give it the main focus of the shot and so we notice the initials on it.
There is an establishing shot of the Lux Hotel which is where Lisa works.


Mise-En-Scene
This opening scene is very fast paced and difficult to keep up with.

Sound

Straight away there is an eerie piece of music which sounds quite apocalyptic, this is during the opening credits. Then there is a build up of an air plane jet noise [Non-diegetic]. The climax finishes on a girls graduation photo. The there are a few diegetic sounds like keys and a wallet being put on a table. During the zoom in on the wallet the music builds up again and then when the wallet is taken by the mystery hand, the music goes loud to try and make the audience jump. The the sequence continues and the music continues a steady pace. During the montage of buildings the music slows down to sound quite mysterious. Then there are lots of diegetic sounds, the box being ripped open with crow bars, the ice and frozen fish being thrown off the metal box, the metal box being out into the back of a van, the van doors being slammed and a man knocking the back of the van. Then it is cut to the front of a hotel and the music stops, there is dialogue of a couple checking in. Then diegetic sounds of a busy hotel ground floor, the noise of a keyboard. Then there is noise from a car, rain , a horn and a phone ringing. Now we are in the airport and there is a lot of conversation and footsteps. Near the end of the clip the man that helps Lisa in the argument. This man then asks Lisa on a date and he is turned down, mellow music from the piano is played.

Red Eye Movie Poster

Editing

In this film there are a lot of general cuts.

Graphics

The graphics in this film are quite basic, they are white with a sans serif font. Although the title of the film is shown very boldly. The font is very straight and bold, also the red makes it stand out even more. Red makes the audience think of danger.

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'Silence of the lambs'


Narrative Structure
Opens in a forest, lots of mist and trees. A woman appears to be struggling to get to the top of a hill by climbing up a rope. We don't know if she's being chased or not yet. She gets to the top of the hill and looks left then right, and then carries on running into the mist. Then she approaches a net which she climbs over instead of going round, so we know she is now doing a work out. Then she is stopped by a man with 'FBI' on his cap and tells her she is wanted by someone. She then changes direction and runs towards the FBI headquarters, so now we know she is someone that works for the FBI. As she enters the building she is greeted by friends passing by her, while still running. We can see that she is a strong willed woman as she is still running despite being covered in sweat, also she is quite popular. She makes her way through the corridors and eventually reaches where she needs to be. She enters the room at a steady pace and takes a look around and when she looks towards the camera, she stops and looks shocked.


Thriller codes and conventions




Camerawork
When we are outside there are lots of wide shots showing the audience where we are and what is going on


Mise-En-Scene
Lots of trees, mist and white cloud. Bottom right of the screen there is a location so we know where it is taking place, but not the exact location which is essential for the storyline. The misty forest is a perfect setting for a thriller, the mist stops the audience from not seeing what's coming, which heightens the intensity due to the unpredictability. She then approaches a climbing net and presumably climbs up it so we know she is a macho woman. Then a man with an FBI cap calls her and tells her she is needed by somebody. She then calls him 'sir' so we know he has some sort of authority. On her way she passes 3 signs which say 'Hurt', 'Agony' and 'Pain', this could be 'foreshadowing' future events which are yet to happen in the film. Then there are many shots of her running towards the FBI building, including an establishing shot of the building to show where we're going. Once we are in the building there are lots of people around. Then we see a sign of a department which says 'Behavioural science services', therefore we know there will be some sort of psychology involved. After she has entered the room, she looks around and suddenly stops with a shocked look on her face.


Sound
The opening music contained diegetic sounds like crickets and eagle noises. It was also quite mellow. Some diegetic sounds are footsteps and panting.


Editing
The film fades in from black. There aren't many edits in this opening, there is mostly clear cutting.


Graphics
The titles in this film are black, bold and of a standard font, the audience can't miss them.

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'Jaws'

Narrative Structure

First the film begins under the sea, as if we are swimming under the sea in a fish's point of view. Then it’s cut and we see a gathering of young people around a campfire on a beach, the atmosphere is quite chilled. Two people have their eye on each other and decide to go for a swim together. This is call concealment and protraction as the man and woman are leaving their territory behind and becoming vulnerable. The woman gets into the empty waters, and then all of a sudden she is dragged under and hurled around by an underwater creature. The shark delays her death for quite a long time considering what it would do in reality, the sharks is playing with her and prolonging her pain, perhaps to mirror her stupidity. And then we see the guy on the beach has passed out, leaving the beach silent with no trace of the girl.

Thriller Codes and Conventions

Camera Work

At the start there are a few shots of the bottom of the sea, moving around as if we were a fish, Then there is a huge cut off to the camp. Lots of panning over people on the beach, birds eye view shots to solidly get the idea of being on a beach. The camera then stops on a man looking at something to show he has some importance to the story, then a shot of a girl also staring, which we now is staring at the man, the reverse shots confirm this and there is a connection established between them Shots from underneath of the woman from the sharks point of view. Wide shots of woman swimming in a huge ocean, she looks tiny, out of depth and very insignificant.


Mise-En-Scene

(fig. 1)Shark bite like shape in the fence

Beginning - Sea bed, lots of underwater creatures, plants. Lots of blue and vibrant see colours. Then at the camp fire there's lots of orange, red and black. The costumes and hair styles here signify the 80's decade. Also there is a lot of people smoking which was very common back then. There is a recurring shape which crops up in different points of the film (fig. 1). This may be considered as symbolism of how the girl may die. Then the woman begins to undress herself while running. The woman enters the sea naked with a dive and reappears 2 seconds later. There are then shots of her swimming across the screen in extreme long shots, shots from under the water, then all of a sudden she is jolted underwater by a shark. The shark then drags her around the water with her head bobbing in and out of the water, she is then released by the shark and she searches for refuge by ringing the bell on a buoy. Eventually she is pulled under again, and then there is nothing but silence. She is screaming for the whole time the shark had hold of her. The next shot is of the man laying on the beach passed out in a sunbathing position, meaning the shot is very peaceful with the sun in the background, this shot provides a contrast from the recent shots we have just witnessed which were very loud and very dramatic.


Sound
The music at the start sounds very sonar, so we straight away get the hint that we are underwater. The classic Jaws music begins and it starts to build up, gaining tempo. Then when the music comes to a climax, there is a cut off to the camp fire and the music stops completely. Then we hear people chatting, a harmonica and there is the sound of a burning fire. All these noises contribute to the calming atmosphere which builds a false sense of security with the audience. During the boy and girls journey to a different part of the beach, the girl gives a very obvious but devilish giggle. This gives the 'doing something they shouldn't' impression because what they're about to do is dangerous. Another sound to consider is the splash she makes as she enters the water, this could symbolise her non return to land, or that she could already be considered dead due to her inevitability of living or that she isn't heard or seen by anyone after this point. Also when she is being  the girl is screaming very loud, but nobody hears her, not even the guy on the beach due to excessive alcohol consumption.


Editing
At the start the shot fades in from black


Graphics
Titles - They are big, bold and white and unmissable.

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'Se7en'
Narrative Structure
First we see a main character, inspector sommerset, looks like an ordinary guy,
Then we see the second scene, there has been a killing, a gun had been fired.
Sommerset looks for clues on the fridge, we are then introduced to inspector Mills, they walk outside along the dark and dreary street, through their conversation, we discover Mills is new to the case. Then we cut off to see sommerset in bed, reading, we can tell he is single.


Thriller Codes and Conventions


Camera Work
Beginning shot - As if we are peering in on him, blurred door to the left of the shot
Over the shoulder shot when getting ready in the mirror
Depth of field - sommerset looking at fridge, man in background blurred out
Man steps away and reveals blood on the curtain
Walking on the street, low angle shot, men are far apart showing the importance and power of the men, also it makes the city look busy with the people pushing past them.
In Sommerset bedroom, the door on the left of the shot is blurred to make it look like we're peeping in.


Mise-En-Scene
There is lots of white and neutral colours to suggest nothing too eccentric, just an ordinary apartment. The man is getting ready for work. On the table he picks up his things which suggest what sort of profession he may have. His bed is immaculate, which suggests a tidy person. Next scene we see a dead body with a trail of blood coming from it, there is low-key lighting, dull colours and plenty of shadows. The Mills comes into the scene from up the stairs, they introduce themselves so we know their names. Outside the city looks dirty, grey and mossy.


Sound
Before the image appears, there is city noise (diegetic), inspectors talking, rain outside, in sommersets room there is a siren outside and it is still raining. Also there is a metronome which could symbolise his need to concentrate, or to symbolise time ticking more obvious. Then there is a loud rumble of lightning and this blends nicely into the theme tune which now begins.


Editing
Fade in beginning scene.


Graphics
The graphics for Se7en were quite interesting and unique, on a patch of black in the background the title fades in roughly, juttering about to looks unsteady and volatile. The font looks like ribs/x-rays, its movement is quite irratic which could mean the unbalanced mind of the killer.

Analysis of Comparable Thrillers

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Theory 1 ~ [C.K.Chesterton] - The Transformed City

New York City, a common setting
for many thrillers

Chesterton was an author of thriller stories in the 20th century. His theory demonstrates a modern genre, set mainly in urban and current environments. It transforms the ordinary into the supernatural. The modern city is a good place for an exciting plot as it is always moving, there is always a lot going on, also the tall buildings contribute, thus creating momentous  and tense opportunities for murders and police chases. In the film 'Se7en' there are establishing shots of the city buildings showing the urban environment which is the setting of the film.

Theory 2 ~ [Northrop Frye] - The Heroic Romance

Northrop's theory claims that the hero is always an average citizen, like 'us'. In certain situations the character acts in superstitious ways due to their circumstance, but still staying within the boundaries of mortality. 'Se7en' demonstrates this by having ordinary characters like Mills as heroes. Also the murders are connected by the careful choosing of the victim, each victim repeatedly committed a deadly sin. Some scenarios in the film put characters out of their comfort zones or awkward situations.

Theory 3 ~ [John Cawelti] - The Exotic

'Inception' is an incredibly
done film filled to the brim
with mazes and labyrinths.

John said that the exotic was almost like a foreign body, it doesn't belong in its surroundings, therefore becoming similar to a target or goal. This can be an object, artefact or even a person. In 'Se7en' the wife of Mills, Tracy, is the exotic, she doesn't fit in with the city or the film, she has no friends, she sticks out, and ends up being killed in the end.

Theory 4 ~ [W.H.Matthews] - Mazes and Labyrinths

Matthews declares that human beings like to be faced with a challenge, as it is very self-rewarding when completing one. The same goes for thrillers, it is pleasing for the audience to part take in the storyline to try and figure it out, which is why this theory is used a lot, hence the popular thrill genre. The hero is often faced with a predicament, like the mystery of a cold blooded killer. He will be thrown into all sorts of situations in order to reach the villain. The theory could be literal or a metaphor for narrative. In 'Se7en' the seven deadly sins create this maze of mystery which needs to be solved by them, they keep finding dead ends and thrown into different directions during their investigation.


Theory 5 ~ [Pascal Bonitzer] - Partial Vision
Pascal theory is the whole idea of keeping important information hidden away from the audience. Blind spots are introduced in order to build tension and leave unanswered questions for the audience, this then grips the audiences attention. The things which we see in the film are just as important as what we do see in the film. The character is thrown into an unlimited prison. In 'Se7en', when a death is shown, the killer leaves a sin engraved or drawn with blood somewhere, the actors see this before the audience does. Then the audience sees it. Also at the end of the film their is a package, which we don't see into at all, but through the dialogue the audience realises what was in there.


Theory 6 ~ [Lars De Sauerberg] - Concealment and Protraction
Suspense can work in two ways in order to pull the audience in various ways. 'Concealment' is when something is deliberately hidden from the audience, for example in the film 'Se7en', at the ending there is a package which the audience don't get to completely see, but through dialogue we are made clear as to what is in the package. 'Protraction' is when something is intentionally delayed, for example in the film 'Se7en', the audience are made to wait for the final two deadly sins, the audience know that they're coming but the question is 'When?'.


Theory 7 ~ [Noel Campbell] - The Question and Answer Model
The audience are presented with uncertainty with the story, making them question what will happen to the characters, 'Will they live or die?', 'What is their identity?', 'Who is the murderer?'. A probability factor is whether something is sure to happen or not, although a definite outcome is not as exciting as a battle against odds. A moral factor is introduced when the character has to make a difficult choice, this increases involvement with the audience. In the thriller 'Se7en', there is a point at the end of the film which forces the audience to question whether Mills would be right in shooting the serial killer.

Thriller Genre

Thrillers
Thrillers are a specific genre of film, television and literature which include aspects of suspense, tension and emotion. Also there is always an aura of mystery which gives the plot a focus. The plot steers the storyline to a climax near the end which usually sees a dangerous and life threatening situation.

'The Shining' 1980
Horror thriller

Sub-genres
There are a lot of sub-genres which derive from thrillers, but incorporate a different approach in storyline and setting. Here are a few examples but there are many more:

• Action/Adventure thrillers
• Disaster thriller
• Historical thriller
• Medical thriller
• Religious thriller
• Serial killer thriller
• Technological thriller
• Psychological thriller
• Crime thriller
• Supernatural thriller
• Political thriller
• Erotic thriller
• Horror thriller
• Drama thriller

Mask used by killer in 'Scream'

Thrillers consist of precise codes and conventions in order for it to get its label. For example, tense music, fast camera shots, low key lighting, shadows and mirrors. Also there are certain costumes, for example the signature mask from 'Scream' is used throughout the series, the elongated mouth which looks like someone screaming is now associated with that particular film series. This has helped the film series 'Scream' gain lots of recognition. Other codes and conventions are complex story lines, suspense and deep characters. Deep characters are used quite often in thrillers, they give the 'killer' a motive, perhaps they have had an unfortunate childhood, and the audience finds out more about them throughout the film, this gives the film a chance to demonstrate the different theories in thrillers.