We decided that we should ask the audience some questions that could help us and give us an insight of what type of thriller the audience would like, Whether it is a sub genre or hybrid.We aimed these questions to people who would only be able to watch a 15 rated film. The questions we asked were:
1. Would you watch a thriller?
2. What would you expect to see in a thriller?
3. If you could combine another genre with a thriller, what would it be?
4. In a thriller there tends to be a heroine or a hero, what one would you prefer to watch in a thriller and why?
5. What would be your favourite location for a thriller film?
6. Do you think music in a thriller film creates ambience?
We took videos of the audience answering these questions (they will be uploaded soon)
When we asked the audience these questions we realised that maybe these questions were too straight forward therefore giving a one word answer instead of saying what they really want to see. This is because we found that the answers we got have not really helped us in knowing what the audience want. From looking back we also thought it would be a good idea to ask what films they like as often people think they do not like thrillers, however they may not know that some films are thrillers. Therefore we hope to make some new questions which we hope will help us find out what the audience really like and also try different age ranges and see what they think.
Monday 17 October 2011
Tuesday 11 October 2011
Analysis of Donnie Darco
Camera and Editing
In the film Donnie Darco it begins a fade in from a dark background to a light shot of the daytime. It starts with a tracking shot and then goes into an extreme long shot to show the location of where the film is set. The camera then starts to move towards the character when we see him lying in the middle of the road, it gets close to him and as the character is waking up the camera starts to track around the character in a medium shot so we can see the expression on his face. From the way the camera went from a long shot to a close up without any cutting shows that it is quite a slow pace. However once the character is on his bike there is a lot of panning done and there are much more camera shots which picks up the pace of the film. It then jumps from one location to another, which shows that him on his way home has nothing to do with the story and keeps the fast pace of the film going.
Sound
First of all there is a thunder sound which is non diogetic which is where we hear the sound but it is not shown where it is coming from. The thunder continues as the shot goes into the first scene of the trees, when this happens the sound of birds enter which is also non diogetic. the introduction of music replaces the thunder when we see the boy lying on the floor from a distance, the music is quite deep and sounds quite ominous, which makes the audience wonder why the boy is lying in the road on the floor. When the camera gets closer to the boy the music is a piano and sounds much more calm, it is quite a dwelling sound, this could be because he is thinking back on what happened even though the audience dont know what this is yet. The same time the boy stands up there is very angelic music, which sounds much more happier than before. When the boy gets back on his bike the music is much more up beat with the tempo increased, with this music joining with the more camera shots it makes the film a much faster pace. The song that is used is called 'Killing time' which could of been used to connote that the film is a thriller.
Mis-en-scene
The title sequences of the film is with white text on a black background, the text looks quite old and gives the sense that the film is a thriller because the letters are not formed properly. Our first impression of the shot with the man laying on the floor is that he has fallen off his bike. However then the man wakes up in his pyjamas and his facial expression is quite confused. After this the boy then laughs to himself, which then raises alot more questions for the audience as we dont understand why the boy finds it amusing. When the boy then rides back into a neighbourhood, straight away we think that it is set in the American suburbs because it has wide streets and big houses. We then see a halloween sign which then shows the audience the time, place and events of when this film is set. The sign could also suggest that the genre could be a thriller as we know it is set around halloween which connotes scary things such as witches, demons etc. Another thing we see is a person reading a Stephen King novel which is famous for being horror stories which then backs up the idea that it could be a thriller film. When the boy goes into his house he opens the fridge and on it, it reads 'where is Donnie' which implies that he is always gone for some reason.
I have learnt from watching the first few minutes of Donnie Darco that thrillers do not always have to start off fast pace, they can start off slow paced with still the same effect. I have realised that there are many little things used in films that connotes different ideas to the audience making them think and feel the way the director wanted them too. This will help me in the actual making of my film.
In the film Donnie Darco it begins a fade in from a dark background to a light shot of the daytime. It starts with a tracking shot and then goes into an extreme long shot to show the location of where the film is set. The camera then starts to move towards the character when we see him lying in the middle of the road, it gets close to him and as the character is waking up the camera starts to track around the character in a medium shot so we can see the expression on his face. From the way the camera went from a long shot to a close up without any cutting shows that it is quite a slow pace. However once the character is on his bike there is a lot of panning done and there are much more camera shots which picks up the pace of the film. It then jumps from one location to another, which shows that him on his way home has nothing to do with the story and keeps the fast pace of the film going.
Sound
First of all there is a thunder sound which is non diogetic which is where we hear the sound but it is not shown where it is coming from. The thunder continues as the shot goes into the first scene of the trees, when this happens the sound of birds enter which is also non diogetic. the introduction of music replaces the thunder when we see the boy lying on the floor from a distance, the music is quite deep and sounds quite ominous, which makes the audience wonder why the boy is lying in the road on the floor. When the camera gets closer to the boy the music is a piano and sounds much more calm, it is quite a dwelling sound, this could be because he is thinking back on what happened even though the audience dont know what this is yet. The same time the boy stands up there is very angelic music, which sounds much more happier than before. When the boy gets back on his bike the music is much more up beat with the tempo increased, with this music joining with the more camera shots it makes the film a much faster pace. The song that is used is called 'Killing time' which could of been used to connote that the film is a thriller.
Mis-en-scene
The title sequences of the film is with white text on a black background, the text looks quite old and gives the sense that the film is a thriller because the letters are not formed properly. Our first impression of the shot with the man laying on the floor is that he has fallen off his bike. However then the man wakes up in his pyjamas and his facial expression is quite confused. After this the boy then laughs to himself, which then raises alot more questions for the audience as we dont understand why the boy finds it amusing. When the boy then rides back into a neighbourhood, straight away we think that it is set in the American suburbs because it has wide streets and big houses. We then see a halloween sign which then shows the audience the time, place and events of when this film is set. The sign could also suggest that the genre could be a thriller as we know it is set around halloween which connotes scary things such as witches, demons etc. Another thing we see is a person reading a Stephen King novel which is famous for being horror stories which then backs up the idea that it could be a thriller film. When the boy goes into his house he opens the fridge and on it, it reads 'where is Donnie' which implies that he is always gone for some reason.
I have learnt from watching the first few minutes of Donnie Darco that thrillers do not always have to start off fast pace, they can start off slow paced with still the same effect. I have realised that there are many little things used in films that connotes different ideas to the audience making them think and feel the way the director wanted them too. This will help me in the actual making of my film.
Friday 7 October 2011
Thriller sub-genres
For my research i decided to look at all the different sub genres that we could make for our thriller as i found out that i didnt know all of these sub genres so i thought i would find out a bit about tthem to give us a wide range of options on deciding what type of thriller we were going to do. To find this information i did some secondary research by looking at the internet, i found a good website which helped me to find these out, this was, www.hackmanadams.com/articles/subgenres.htm
Action Adventure thriller - this is usually quite an uncommon thriller. However it brings back childhood fantasies of being the adventurer.
Disaster Thriller - This is where there is some sort of disaster such as a dam bursting, tornado, ship sinking where the protagonists are having to try and survive.
Historical Thriller - These are thrillers that are set in the past, these thrillers are usually quite uncommon
Medical Thriller - where modern medical technology that is supposed to help people is morphed into something deadly.
Religious Thriller - These uses the rich and long history of religion to build stories of high stakes and deadly politics.
Serial Killer Thriller - usually a serial killer terrorizing a group of people with horrific violence. The detectives goal is to stop the killer before he takes the next victim.
Techno Thriller - here technology drives the plot, whether its new military technology for a submarine or forensics.
Conspiracy Thriller - This is where the hero or heroine is usually trapped in a powerful organisation, these often play with the secrecy of governments and major organisations in history.
Crime Thriller - They mainly focus on the criminals and their activities in leading up to the crime or the end of the film leading back to how it all started. Usually include serial killers and murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double crosses.
Mystery Thriller - Focuses mostly on the efforts of the detective in order to solve the mystery. It looks at the circumstances of the mystery or crime itself to try and figure out what the clues are, audiences usually take part in trying to uncover the crime.
Psychological Thrillers - These play with the audiences minds and produces suspense in film because it reflects the main characters conflict being mental and emotionally hindered.
Supernatural Thriller - brings an otherworldly element that shows something out of the ordinary happening to a protagonist that has to overcome this powerful factor. Protagonist or villains usually have a supernatural gift that helps them get to the source of the problem.
Action Adventure thriller - this is usually quite an uncommon thriller. However it brings back childhood fantasies of being the adventurer.
Disaster Thriller - This is where there is some sort of disaster such as a dam bursting, tornado, ship sinking where the protagonists are having to try and survive.
Historical Thriller - These are thrillers that are set in the past, these thrillers are usually quite uncommon
Medical Thriller - where modern medical technology that is supposed to help people is morphed into something deadly.
Religious Thriller - These uses the rich and long history of religion to build stories of high stakes and deadly politics.
Serial Killer Thriller - usually a serial killer terrorizing a group of people with horrific violence. The detectives goal is to stop the killer before he takes the next victim.
Techno Thriller - here technology drives the plot, whether its new military technology for a submarine or forensics.
Conspiracy Thriller - This is where the hero or heroine is usually trapped in a powerful organisation, these often play with the secrecy of governments and major organisations in history.
Crime Thriller - They mainly focus on the criminals and their activities in leading up to the crime or the end of the film leading back to how it all started. Usually include serial killers and murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double crosses.
Mystery Thriller - Focuses mostly on the efforts of the detective in order to solve the mystery. It looks at the circumstances of the mystery or crime itself to try and figure out what the clues are, audiences usually take part in trying to uncover the crime.
Psychological Thrillers - These play with the audiences minds and produces suspense in film because it reflects the main characters conflict being mental and emotionally hindered.
Supernatural Thriller - brings an otherworldly element that shows something out of the ordinary happening to a protagonist that has to overcome this powerful factor. Protagonist or villains usually have a supernatural gift that helps them get to the source of the problem.
Wednesday 5 October 2011
15 rated
If a film is rated a 15 then no one under that age can see it. For a film to be rated a 15 then it must abide by some rules.
First of all it must not include discriminating language or behavior.
If drug taking is being shown then it must not encourage drug misuse, if there are elements of dangerous substances being misused then it is unlikely to be acceptable.
15 rated films can be horror however only light horror such as a strong threat or menace, if anything sadistic or sexualised is shown it can not be a 15. Also things such as hanging, suicide and self harming can be shown but should not be shown in detail so that it could be copied by the audience.
There is allowed to be frequent use of strong language but the strongest words can only be used if it is justified by the context, and repeated use of the strongest language is not acceptable.
Nudity is allowed but without strong detail. There are no constraints of nudity in a non sexual or educational context.
Also sexual activity can be shown but again not in strong detail. Strong verbal references to sexual behavior can be used but the strongest references would not be allowed. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Violence in 15 rated films can be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images, and strong sadistic or sexualised violence are probably unlikely to be accepted. Detailed verbal references to sexual violence can be used but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.
First of all it must not include discriminating language or behavior.
If drug taking is being shown then it must not encourage drug misuse, if there are elements of dangerous substances being misused then it is unlikely to be acceptable.
15 rated films can be horror however only light horror such as a strong threat or menace, if anything sadistic or sexualised is shown it can not be a 15. Also things such as hanging, suicide and self harming can be shown but should not be shown in detail so that it could be copied by the audience.
There is allowed to be frequent use of strong language but the strongest words can only be used if it is justified by the context, and repeated use of the strongest language is not acceptable.
Nudity is allowed but without strong detail. There are no constraints of nudity in a non sexual or educational context.
Also sexual activity can be shown but again not in strong detail. Strong verbal references to sexual behavior can be used but the strongest references would not be allowed. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Violence in 15 rated films can be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images, and strong sadistic or sexualised violence are probably unlikely to be accepted. Detailed verbal references to sexual violence can be used but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.
Thrillers
A genuine thriller is usually a film that provides thrills and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats throughout the whole of the film. There is usually tension when the protagonist is caught in a scary situation or mystery where the escape seems impossible.
The most famous film maker or director is Alfred Hitch cock. Who has made many thriller movies which include films such as '39 steps'(1935), 'The lady vanishes'(1938) and 'Notorious'(1946) His films often placed an innocent victim into a strange or life threatening situation caused because of mistaken identity, misidentification or wrongful accusation.
From the 1990's to the present day the thrillers are usually psychological ones which often have domestic violence, obsession, revenge and mentally ill characters in them where the main character have to try and escape, this decade of films were influenced mainly by the psychological thriller film 'Dead calm' in 1989 which had elements of obsession with a trapped protagonist on a yacht trying to escape from the villainous castaway.
Thriller films still often use elements which have been used in the past. However, they have changed slightly so that the audiences get to see something new. Now there are many recent thrillers that have more horror elements in them with much more gore and violence and terror involved.
The most famous film maker or director is Alfred Hitch cock. Who has made many thriller movies which include films such as '39 steps'(1935), 'The lady vanishes'(1938) and 'Notorious'(1946) His films often placed an innocent victim into a strange or life threatening situation caused because of mistaken identity, misidentification or wrongful accusation.
From the 1990's to the present day the thrillers are usually psychological ones which often have domestic violence, obsession, revenge and mentally ill characters in them where the main character have to try and escape, this decade of films were influenced mainly by the psychological thriller film 'Dead calm' in 1989 which had elements of obsession with a trapped protagonist on a yacht trying to escape from the villainous castaway.
Thriller films still often use elements which have been used in the past. However, they have changed slightly so that the audiences get to see something new. Now there are many recent thrillers that have more horror elements in them with much more gore and violence and terror involved.
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