Thriller Magazine Advert Analysis

Although it isn't directly related to Thriller openings, I made the decision to take a brief look at some Thriller magazine adverts in order to look at the kind of colours used and what character types they use in order to represent the film. It also made for a good opportunity to look at costume.

Thriller Film Magazine Adverts Analysis by George Tuvey

There were a few interesting things I learnt through these adverts because they have some things in common. It seems like females are a lot more popular when advertising Thriller films, probably because they are stereotypically a lot more vulnerable than males. Also, dark colours are used in both adverts.

Both adverts are also very minimalistic, which is contrasting with the complex narratives of the films themselves and so hints at what the films may be about without giving away too much.

I have learnt from this research project that it is important we use dull colours in our film. Although we would like the house to be as normal as possible, the hit man should wear a dark suit - a black or charcoal colour, as opposed to wearing a blue suit or something like that. Also, we need to make sure we have a woman as a victim and that she is dressed normally, possibly wearing colours such as white and pink to express innocence and femininity. 

23rd & 25th October Lesson - Audience Research

23rd October - 

In this lesson we started to look at story boards and how to put them together. We decided that we didn't want to draw so went with using photos instead of drawing. After a discussion about where we were going to photograph our storyboard we finally decided on one darker classrooms and the back of the field to act as the woods.

After spending about half an hour taking photographs, we went back to the media room and uploaded them to the computers. We didn't get to put our storyboard together in the lesson but we will hopefully be able to start putting it together during half term or after half term. 

We then went onto the subject of audience research and started to think about how we could get some feedback from our target audience. I suggested the idea of taking people from different years in school and asking them thriller film related questions, which we planned to ask the audience and film the next lesson. 

25th October - 

This lesson we decided to start filming our audience research and spent a while trying to figure out some simple but effective questions to ask the audience and help us with our planning. 

These are the questions that we asked - 

• Do you watch thriller films?
• What is your favourite narrative? e.g. murdering, kidnapping, capture, heists etc. 
• What is your biggest fear?
• What age of a villain do you consider to be the scariest and most intimidating? e.g. old age, middle age, teenager?
• What is the scariest gender of a villain?
• What setting do you consider to be the scariest in a thriller film?

We filmed about 10 - 15 people and will hopefully have the answers up on the blog soon!

Our 3 Thriller Film Ideas - Brainstorming

Thriller film ideas from j3ssmitch

Audience Research - October 22nd Lesson

We looked at audience research and the different categories people fall into.

We looked at the 'Appendix' a way in which people are classed due to their lifestyle:

The comfortable Full Nesters:

Family orientated with older children and high incomes

Combine home activities with going out and away from home activities

Very high readers of magazines, high consumers of radio, newspapers and television

Innovative product purchasers

The Settled Seniors:

Usually retired - 70% over 55 years old

Low incomes but manage well, significant savers

Highest viewers of television, high radio, newspaper and magazine consumption

High sporting interests

Conservative, buy well known brands and are suspicious

The Lonely and Dissatisfied:

Primarily old and retired, however a 3rd are in the age group 15-39

Some feel quite lonely, no sense of purpose in their life, believe it's too late to awaken new interests
Mainly low consumers of media

Next Generation:
10-14 age group
TV dominated and very active
Account for 9% of the 10+ population

Liberal Sophisticates:
Financially well off and well educated
Low consumers of television and radio, high consumers of newspapers and magazines
Set opinions on environment, culture, youth, education and women's issues
Active lifestyle

The Young Hopefuls
15-29 age group, predominantly male
Low personal incomes, many beneficiaries

High television and radio consumers, low newspaper and high magazine readership
Strong desire for success
Extrovert lifestyle

The Affluent Acquires:
Broad age group ranging from 25-64 years
Active consumers and lifestyle
Low television consumers, high radio, newspaper and magazine consumers
Concern about issues of contemporary life

Struggling Young Families:
Lifestyle based around family, especially children
Budget conscious
Frequent church attenders
Low carrer aspirations
Low consumers of all media, only interested in local news


This audience classification is based on their personal aspirations:

Mainstreamers:

Seek security and unconformity

Tend to buy well-established brands, eg. Heinz Baked Beans

Aspirers:

Care abut status

Tend to buy smart high-tech and high-fashion goods 

Succeeders:

People who have climbed the ladder 

Want to keep control of what they have

Adverts based on power and control appeal to this category

Reformers:

Want to make the world a better place

Educated professionals, eg. teachers, doctors

Buy eco-friendly products and healthy foods

Individual: 

Respond to advertising which emphasises quirkiness and individuality

We used this model to classify the Simpsons characters into these categories:

Contemplating Other Thriller Film Openings

After speaking to our media teacher and evaluating the feedback that we got from our 'final film idea' presentation to the rest of the class, I thought that another thriller film opening idea would come in very handy as our film which we pitched to the class was seen as (in a funny way, it wasn't intended to be serious and critical) pornography. This is mainly due to the descriptions of the man's actions and how he carried them out (for example, taking off his dressing gown/whispering into the girl's ear etc.). As I said, although it was not intended for harsh and serious criticism, our group couldn't look at our film (the idea of the film) in the same way anymore. Our group did find it amusing as well though, but because of this feedback, I just thought it was best that we have open arms to some more solutions and ideas for a legitimate final film idea. After speaking to my media teacher, I took the feedback back home with me and evaluated it further, which then lead me to start brainstorming a few ideas. I wanted something completely fresh, but something that still maintained threads of our other 'final film idea' which we presented to the class (titled: the house - which wasn't actually the title for the film, we just needed something to call it just for when we show to the class because a name is better than no name...). The way I did this was scrap the other idea which we had planned for 'The House' and start from scratch and build a completely fresh idea so that it didn't sound like pornography (haha). Although, saying that, the narrative for 'The House' was my idea which I pitched to the group so I should be to blame for it sounding like pornography. In the new idea, I still wanted to incorporate my house as one of the primary location because considering that it was going to be the only location for 'The House', I thought that everyone was comfortable with using it as a location and that everyone would still be enthusiastic about incorprating it as well. In addition, in our film idea 'The House', myself and another member from our group (either Amy or Jess) because George was very pushy and 'keen' to be in the film (maybe a bit too keen haha) and so due to their only being the idea of one other character in the film, someone would operate the camera and taking a prioritised role in the filming and editing of the film because we would not have been in the inital film, acting. So, because of this, I wanted to create an idea where we call be involved with the film and all take on a position and role in the film where we are all seen on camera and not have 2 people heavily involved in the acting side of the film and the other 2 heavily involved with the filming an editing of the film. I wanted everything to be an equal effort.

After finshing the new narrative I had planned, I pitched the idea to the group. Amy and Jess took on the idea very enthusiastically and had high hopes and ideas on how to work with the idea. They loved it and preferred it over 'The House'. George on the other hand, was not so enthusiastic and criticised it with "there is too much dialogue" and "it's too complex" for a thriller film opening (considering we actually learnt in our lessons from out teacher that thriller openings are very dark, eerie and mysterious and are very confusing and complex because you only find out the narrative and understand it towards the end. So, by making it a bit complex, we're actually following a vital key convention of thriller films). To be fair though, it isn't really that complex so I'm just hoping that myself, Amy and Jess can work on George and try and get him to understand and become enthusiastic about the new idea which everyone else. But, we can't force him. It is a group effort after all and if someone in the group has an issue with an idea or has an opinion on something then they have to share it because then it can only lead to greater teamwork and lead to possible better ideas. Fingers crossed though that he'll come round and like the idea because at least it's better than having a film idea which has been described through peer feedback as pornography (and also Amy and Jess have stated alongside myself that that idea has become quite boring and we're not greatly keen on creating something similar to that proposed thriller film opening).

Fingers crossed everyone likes it!

Directors Study - Danny Boyle

Danny Boyle 

Danny Boyle is an academy award winning film director. Born on the 20th October 1956 in Lancashire, England; he went on to study English and Drama at Bangor University, Bolton.

Boyle has not only directed films, but he has directed theatre too; some of his theatre work includes The Genius, Saved (both performed at Royal Court Theatre). He also directed five productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2011, he directed Frankenstein for the National Theatre and also was the artistic director for the 2012 summer olympic games in London. He was offered a knighthood but turned it down in the New Years Honors List.

In 1987, Boyle started working in television, working as a producer for BBC Northern Ireland where he produced 'Not Even God is Wise Enough', 'Inspector Morse', 'For the Greater Good' and a few others. He has also directed two other TV movies for the BBC; 'Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise and 'Strumpet'.

Boyle first realized his love for films when he viewed 'Apocalypse Now'. The first movie Boyle ever directed was Shallow Grave, which is a crime/thriller dark comedy starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston and Kerry Fox. The film was quite successful in Britain and was named the most commercially successful British film of 1995. After the success of his first film, he then moved to Hollywood where he sought a deal with a major US studio; he then declined an offer to direct the fourth film of the 'Alien' series. He then continued to direct films such as 'Trainspotting' and 'A Life Less Ordinary', which both starred Ewan McGregor.

Boyle's next project was 'The Beach', which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and filmed in Thailand; this lead to a feud between Boyle and Ewan McGregor, the star of his first three films.

After 'The Beach', he directed '28 Days Later', a post apocalyptic horror/thriller film, starring Cillian Murphy, Christopher Eccleston and Naomie Harris, he had collaborated with Eccleston in two of his films before this. 28 Days Later was a big success and became very profitable on a budget of £5 million. It became a big hit in the US too, taking over £45 million despite only being released in about 1500 theatres. The film ranked at seven in Bloody Disgusting Top 20 Horror Films of the decade. The film won Best Horror Film, Best British Film, Best Director, Best International Film, Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Cinematography. A sequel to 28 Days Later was later created and directed by Boyle, it did not do as well as the first film but still received mainly positive reviews.

He then went on to direct many other films, such as 'Millions', 'Slumdog Millionare' and '127 Hours'. '127 Hours' is a thriller/survival film released in 2010, it received very good reviews and many notable awards, such as, outstanding british film, best director, best cinematography etc. Slumdog Millionaire won many awards too and is an outstanding film.

List of Danny' Boyle's films as Director -

• Shallow Grave (1994)
• Trainspotting (1996)
• A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
• The Beach (2000)
• Vacuuming Completely Nude In Paradise (2001)
• Strumpet (2001)
• 28 Days Later (2002)
• Millions (2004)
• Sunshine (2007)
• 28 Weeks Later (2007)
• Alien Love Triangle (2008)
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
• 127 Hours (2010)

Deadline (brainstorming)

Deadline

Location:

-Island

Props:

-Mobile phone

Characters:

-Serial killer

-Group of teenagers

Line of dialogue:

-"You better start running"

Specific Narrative Events:

-Boat crashes and they get washed up/stranded on the Island

Basic Narrative:

-People get trapped on the Island from the boat crashing

-They look around and found a shelter, inside they find a mobile phone

-The phone rings and they hear a voice telling them to they are being hunted and they should start running

-People start to run, realise they're under threat from a serial killer

-The killer starts hunting them down

-Plot twist at the end, they realise the serial killer was the first one to 'die' in the group

Black and White (brainstorming)

Black and White

Location:

-Sea

-Yacht

Props:

-Briefcase

Characters:

-Detective

-Psychopath

Line of dialogue:

-"Where are we?"

Specific Narrative Event:

-Science gone wrong (an operation)

Basic Narrative:

-Detective and psychopath wake up on a boat

-The detective doesn't know he's a psychopath, thinks he's just stuck on a boat with a normal person

-They find a briefcase , has all the notes about the psychopath but it can't be opened

-The psychopath tries to hide the briefcase and then plots to kill him

Refuse (brainstorming)

Refuse

Location:

-Abandoned building

Props:

-Electric chair

Characters:

-Private investigator

-Kidnapper

-Child 

Line of Dialogue:

-"Did you do it?"

Specific Narrative Events:

-Kidnapping/hostage

Basic Narratives:

-Child gets kidnapped, a police investigator (main character) gets put on the case

-Whole film has flashbacks throughout linking to a narrative event that happened to the police investigator 

-Kidnapping leads the investigator to an abandoned warehouse

-Audience find out the person who kidnapped this child also kidnapped the police investigators child years ago and never got caught (what the flashbacks link to)

Our Target Audience Survey

We have created a Target Audience survey, now that we have a better idea of what is going to happen in our Thriller film, to research more about our Target Audience.
We have created the survey using Survey Monkey and are using Social Networking (such as Facebook and Twitter) to try and get as many responses as we can!

We've Changed Our Mind!

We have had a change of heart about our Thriller film - we received various feedback when giving our presentation to our media class and realised that it sounds a bit too ... well, like a porn video. So instead, we have decided to go with another idea which involves two hit men working together in order to murder different people. It's still very much an idea which is in the works but when we do finalise the idea we will post it online!

Narrative and Technical Conventions

Detectives that are often used as the hero.

What narrative conventions are often used in thriller films?

• The hero will always be the one to solve the story/crime. (detective solving a murder)
• The villain will often have some sort of criminal background or be a type of criminal. (a thief will have stolen before this specific crime)
• Often the criminal/villain will carry some sort of weapon as a threat. (gun, knife etc)
• It is often almost impossible to be able to guess what will happen next in a thriller film, the plot will almost always twist and take you by surprise. (e.g. the character that the audience first thought was the villain will turn out to be the hero. 
• Thrillers tend to involve some sort of deadline for the hero. (e.g. a deadline to find a missing person)
• Most thrillers involve an element of psychological scale, which will keep the audience interested and thinking.
• All thriller films need to be sustaining suspense and tension throughout, often created by chases, deadlines, plot twists, some sort of dialogue etc. (e.g. a car chase in a spy thriller)
• Most of the time, the audience will not be able to see who the villain or criminal actually is visually, and will be able to hear them and listen to them. This demonstrates the idea of a concealed image which is often kept secret until the very end, if not forever. (e.g. the villain who kidnaps someone will not be shown to the audience until the very end of the film or the audience will never find out)
• There is often the chance of death or injury involved, often threats by the villain and sometimes the hero.
• Main plot's are often that there is some sort of mystery that needs to be solved by the hero.
• Two major themes are often justice and sanity of individuals.
• There is often conflicts between characters, which sometimes result in death or further deadlines. (e.g. a phonecall between a detective and a kidnapper, with the criminal setting the hero a deadline)
• Sometimes the hero may battle with him/herself and question their own mortality and sanity.
• Thriller and crime and thriller and mystery are the two most popular themes of thriller films. 
• A lot of thrillers often involve a woman who is the victim, for example; Alfred Hitchcock always used blonde women as the victims in his films. 
• Characters usually include stalkers, murderers, thief's, assassins, psychopaths and prisoners, in terms of the villain but in terms of the hero, characters can include; a detective, agents, spies, etc.

Feedback from our Thriller Film Pitch

Casino Royale - Opening Analysis

This is my analysis of the opening for Casino Royale.

The credits are in black and white, this adds tension to the opening sequence and fits in as the sequence is also in black and white. The black and white throughout creates quite an eerie atmosphere, the lighting in the office also adds to this by putting Bond in the shadows, this makes his character look sinister and mysterious. The lighting in the office is dark and gloomy, this helps show it to be a mysterious and possibly dangerous place. Whereas the lighting for the fight scene is light, this is so everything’s clear to audience the audience and doesn’t have a hidden danger like the office.

The music in the office is quiet, this creates a tense atmosphere because it’s eerie, it also helps the audience focus on the speech which is important. In contrast the music for the fight scene is very loud, this helps build up the tension and make the fight scene seem extreme. It helps show the audience when important things during the fight are going to happen by building up at certain points. The music for the credits is eerie and quiet, this builds up the film before it’s even started. To start off with the main sound the audience can hear is diegetic, and there’s almost no music. This is so the audience focus on the dialogue in the office as it is important and needs to be focused on, where as if there was music they wouldn’t be able to focus.

The first shot used is an establishing shot, this sets the scene for the opening sequence, it shows a building which looks quite eerie as there is almost no music. When the man first gets out his car he is shot from a low angle this immediately makes the audience think he’s in a position of power, but then when he is going up in the lift he is shot from a high angle possibly highlighting how he is not as powerful as he’s perceived. During the fight scene Bond is filmed from a low angle, this is to show he is the more powerful character in the scene. There’s also close ups on Bonds face throughout, this is to show he’s the important character in the fight scene and the audience don’t really need to focus on the identity of the other guy. They also use close ups to help show his emotions, at the end of the fight scene the do a close up of him looking distressed, this helps the audience see that he still is the protagonist because he feels bad.

Bond is introduced to the audience as a mysterious character, when they first see him he is hiding in the shadows this creates an enigmatic atmosphere. The audience then see him beat up and kill another guy, this makes him seem like a dangerous and corrupt character, yet the audience still see him as the protagonist because of the history of Bond films. He is also seen as menacing and a threat because he is there to kill the guy in the office, the menacing atmosphere is created by how he’s sitting in the shadows like he’s waiting. The guy in office is introduced as a character of power as he tries to kill Bond and seems like he is invincible to him.

A flashback is used to show the fight scene, this is a common convention of Thriller films as it creates more of a backstory and gets the audience asking questions, like for example “why did Bond kill him?” Fast paced editing is used during the fight scene, this helps make the scene exciting and enthralling, it keeps the audience on edge. A grainy effect is also used, this helps show the audience how it’s a memory and has happened in the past by giving it the effect of looking old.

Bond is dressed in a suit throughout the opening sequence, this fits in with the old conventions of thriller films where the men are dressed smartly. He is also seen wearing black, this connotes he is a dark, mysterious and dangerous character. At the start there is a theme of unknown identity about him, this creates a sense of mystery to the atmosphere and makes the audience begin to question who he is and what his story is. 

Dark Knight Rises Opening Analysis

I looked at the Dark Knight Rises and how it uses different conventions and effects to achieve a tense atmosphere and fit in with the Thriller genre. 

One of the elements of mise-en-scene used to create an atmosphere of danger is costume. At the beginning of the opening sequence you see men standing outside the plane dressed in army uniform, this helps show the audience that they are the more protagonist side because we associate the army with being there to protect us. However they also look dangerous as they are carrying weapons, these props help show how they’re also a threat and are also a common convention of thriller films.

The lighting in the plane is dark and eerie, this shows that the plane is a negative place and dangerous. It contrasts with the end of the opening sequence when they come out of the plane and it is light, this helps show how the danger is over.

The music throughout this sequence creates a very tense atmosphere. At the start when the credits are being introduced the music is quiet yet it creates the idea that it’s building up to something by gradually getting louder. The music then stops for the next scene, allowing the audience to focus and listen to what’s being said, showing the scene is important. The music then begins again, quiety to start off with, it builds up throughout the rest of the opening sequence. The music is extremely tense and almost menacing when the bag is removed from Bain’s head, this helps show the audience how he is the antagonist and dangerous. It also builds up again when they’re taking the Doctor out of the plane this shows how something big is about to happen and helps the audience feel the danger/tension in the scene. Once the plane is dropped to the ground the music goes almost silent, this helps show the danger is over.

Diegetic sound is used like gunshots and the windows smashing, this helps create a sense of danger for the audience and also show them that something dangerous is happening. This is a common convention of Thriller films.

At the start of the opening sequence there’s the scene of someone speaking about Harvey Dent, this then fades out into a different scene. This is done to show a transition of place but also to confuse the audience and give them a clue to what the plot is going to be about. Jump cuts are also used between the people in the van and the men standing in front of the plane, this is to show these two events are linked and helps build up the start of the film and get the audience to start asking questions. The editing during the action scene, when Bain reveals who he is and his men attack the plane, is extremely fast paced a lot like the music. This is to build the tension in the scene and helps build up the action by making it seem quick and exciting.

The character Bain is introduced as a powerful and threatening. The audience can already tell he’s the antagonist because he is seen wearing black which connotes darkness and evil. He is also seen to be important because he has a whole ‘team’ of people doing exactly what he says, they are also prepared to die for him. To start off with he has an unknown identity as he has a bag over his head, this makes him mysterious and makes the audience already start questioning who he is. Another sense of mystery about him is his mask, the audience are left wondering why he wears it, this is adds a threatening persona about him as it makes him sound and look sinister.

For camera angles Bain is usually filmed from a low angle shot, this is so he looks more important as he is higher up, it also helps show his authority as he is seen to be towering over everyone even when he is on his knees. Over the shoulder shots are used to show different characters points of view.

The opening credits to the film look quite sinister and eerie. All the logos of the film producers have been edited to look dark and menacing, and the soundtrack is quiet and echoey which creates tension and already makes the audience on the edge of their seats. This is used often in Thriller films.

Shutter Island

Shutter Island Opening Analysis

1)   The set up reveals that the setting is a place called Shutter Island which is a prison for the most dangerous criminally insane. It is revealed by Teddy and his partner what the place is and then the prison guards go into more detail later on, the block on the top of the hill is shown to be more dangerous and creates an ominous and creepy atmosphere looking over the rest of the prison.

2)   The set up doesn’t reveal a lot about the main character Teddy. The audience are left asking many questions after only the first few minutes of being introduced to his character, this is a common convention of thriller films as it makes the audience want to carry on watching and find out more. One of the techniques used to create a mysterious persona about Teddy is the use of the flashback, a common convention, this hooks the audience in.

3)   There’s quite a cold relationship at the start between Teddy and his partner, and the prison guards. It’s clear the prison guards want to show how they have authority over them, they do this by taking their guns. Teddy and his partner are seen to be establishing a relationship as they have only just met, it seems a lot like Teddy’s partner looks up to him and maybe isn’t as strong as a character. Also Teddy and the convicts in the prison, it is clear they have some sort of relationship as one of them seems to recognise him by waving at him and another tells him to ‘shh’. The goals of Teddy, his partner and also the prison guards is to find the escaped prisoner, I feel this will be important later on as this is what the whole plot will be based around.

4)   The atmosphere created of the ‘world’ Teddy and his partner have just entered seems very dangerous and negative, this is shown to the audience by the music used when they arrive on the island, it’s very tense. Also the establishing shot of the island shows it to be a dark, gloomy and creepy place. The audience knows it’s a dangerous place as they are told it is a prison for the most dangerously criminally insane and also they are there about an escaped convict.

5)   It seems there may be some conflict to come later on between Teddy and his partner, and the prison guards because they are in charge and it’s evident the other two do not like having their authority taken away from them.

6)   This film fits in with the codes and conventions of thriller films by using enigma codes to create a mystery about Teddy and keep the audience interested. It also uses tense and eerie music which builds up to help create a tense atmosphere.

Preliminary Task

We have recently finished our preliminary task, this involved us making a short film.

For this task there were a certain number of things we had to include:

• Action Match: continuing a piece of action through two shot (eg.someone opening a door)
• Shot Reverse Shot: where the camera shot goes back and forth between two people
• 180 Degree Rule: creating a 'line of action' on which the camera does not cross over
• Someone opening a door and then walking across a room
• Dialogue between at least two people
• Continuity
• A random prop (ours being a gingerbread man oven timer)

This task allowed us all to have a go at filming and using the camera to achieve a range of different shots and sequences. We used a tripod to film most of the shots, but some were handheld. Everyone had a go at filming so we could all get to grips with how the camera worked and how best to do each shot. 

After we had finished filming we moved on to the editing process, we edited our film on iMovie. We all took it in turns at editing and cutting the clips, adding in music and sound effects. This helped us practice editing for when we come to our thriller film.

Overall I am pleased with our final outcome as I feel we have achieved everything effectively and produced a good short film.