Conventions of Thrillers

There are many different conventions of thrillers, all of which should be portrayed at some point in each thriller film:

A build up of action is shown in Bourne Identity as the music gradually picks up pace and therefore the audience are expecting something, similar to Psycho where there is an unsettling feeling due to the change of colours in clothes from white to black representing the change from good to bad. A dark, shadowy atmosphere is created at the beginning of The DaVinci Code where the titles are lit by a simple torch light establishing the atmosphere of mystery and danger, like in the opening of Flight Plan where they delay showing the face of the character by zooming slowly into the back of her head. An atmosphere is also created in this film by the soundtrack music that is played to the child to send her to sleep - this creates a tense feeling for the audience. The protagonist in Flight Plan could be described as morally ambiguous as you could see her story from two sides, and therefore the audience would not know how to feel about them. Murder is encouraged in Bourne Identity because you always feel the protagonist is in danger and therefore, when in threat, murder is encouraged. Like in The Sixth Sense the setting of the film makes it a thriller, because in these two films they are in realistic settings to create a sense of 'the unusual' occurring within a normal setting.

Sub Genres

Sub-Genres within Thrillers

Thriller and suspense films are known for interchanging with other genres. An example of this would be Batman: The Dark Knight where it is a cross between fantasy (the idea of a superhero) and thriller (the hidden identity of The Joker).
Action- thriller
Action-thriller films first appeared in the 1970s in films such as Dirty Harry and soon became the inspiration for many major blockbusters such as Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. The significant characteristics of action-thriller movies are:
- Against the clock racing (convention of an action or thriller film)
- Lots of violence (convention of an action)
- A clear, evil character (convention of a thriller)
Crime thriller
A crime thriller is a film that has suspense in the success or failure of a crime throughout the showing. The films tend to focus on the criminals rather than the policemen and they usually emphasise the action more than the psychological basis such as The Killing or The Getaway. The significant characteristics of a crime thriller are:
- Following the criminal
- The crime is the main focus of the film
- Moving from place to place
- Police seen more as the enemy than the ally
Psychological thriller
A suspenseful movie emphasising the psychology of the characters. An example of this would be Enduring Love. The genre incorporates the mystery genre in addition to the elements of psychological and thriller. The significant characteristics of a psychological thriller:
- Focuses on the plot over the character
- Intense physical action over the character's psyche
- Character's play on the other character's mind
Spy thriller
In a spy thriller, the protagonist is generally a government agent who must take action (usually in a violent way) against rival characters (such as over government agents or terrorists). Examples of spy thriller movies are The Bourne Identity or Mission Impossible. The significant characteristics of a spy thriller are:
- The protagonist is a heroic spy
- Confrontation of enemies
- Character may have a background story that would need to be uncovered
Supernatural thriller
A supernatural thriller is a film which contains an unreachable enemy, such as a ghost, or in the supernatural thriller Final Destination 4 death itself. It is suppose to make the audience feel uneasy about the unknown. Examples of thrillers are Unbreakable directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Typical characteristics of a supernatural thriller are:
- Battle of a paranormal force
- Graphics of horror (e.g. blood)
- Characters are trapped in a situation where they are unlikely to escape from
My Thriller
The genre that would associate with my film would be an action thriller because it is the idea of a race against the clock with the hit man, which is included in a lot of action thriller films. The violence presented would make it an action thriller film because it is the confrontation of two enemies. However, this film would be more of a thriller than an action because it contains more thriller conventions with a hidden identity, flashbacks and the atmosphere it creates. The action conventions are the possibility of an escape, the adventurous side of it and also fights.

Analysis of Preliminary Task

My preliminary task included someone opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down on a chair opposite another character. Through this I was able to achieve the shots that were asked for such as shot/reverse shot and match on action. By the person walking across the room I was able to present the 180° rule as the camera was kept on one side of the person. However, there were problems in filming:To begin with, both tripods available at the time of filming were being used and so the entire task had been filmed using hand held shots, taking the feeling of professional filming away and leaving the images slightly wobbly and not in a fixed position, which may leave the viewer feeling distracted by the unsteadiness of the camera and not focusing on the film itself. This was a problem due to lack of equipment, and as it had to be filmed on this particular day, it was out of my control.Also, the actors in my preliminary task were not wearing the clothing I would have expected or planned and so there was a lack of props, and the room chosen was a small classroom, which was not being used due to limited access to wider areas of the school building.In the filming, I did not go with the storyboard chosen. The general plot was kept the same but parts were edited:My first original shot was of a door, where there was knocking on the other side. In my film, there is the second shot of the storyboard as the first - someone saying "Come in." The match on action was still used for the opening of the door, but instead of the person entering the room peering around the edge, they walk straight in. I did not use shots four and five of my storyboard as they were unnecessary for the task at hand. The 180° rule was represented in shot six as the camera is kept on one side as the person walks across the room. Shot six was split into two shots (a and b) but I kept B as a close up of the feet as there was limited room to make it realistic of having a long shot of the person, and also a close up of the feet when the distance between the door and chair was quite small. Due to the limited space, I was not able to use shot seven as I would not have been able to get a high angle and also a long shot. I was able to keep shots eight, nine and ten of shot, reverse, shot as they were vital for the dialogue. I added another shot of the gun put on the table as I was not originally going to use a gun, but the plan in my mind was for blood on hands to be revealed. I do not mind this change particularly because it is more dramatic and sudden to have a gun than blood on hands.
Despite the problems of filming, I was extremely pleased with the editing process. I had never used iMovie before, and as a first time use, I am happy with the outcome of my preliminary task. I had not realised the wide variety of transitions available and so I experimented until I found the perfect ones. For the match on action where the character is walking through a door, I faded in between and so they seemed in sync. Also, I did a dissolve transition between the one character looking at the other and then down at the gun to show a surreal business these people are involved with. The effects I used were black and white on the gun to show danger yet simplicity and I also used a dream effect on the character looking down at the gun. This was also slowed down to build up tension and suspense, which is a regularly used convention of a thriller. Slow motion was also used as the character walked from the door to the chair to build up anticipation for the audience of what the conversation will be about. For this clip, I brightened the lighting as it was very dark due to the limited lighting in the room - so dark it was difficult to see the feet in the shot.
As I was pleased with my editing, I am not overall disappointed with my preliminary task. I feel it could have been better had I had the option to use the tripod, but as there was limited equipment, I made do with what I had. It is successful in the thriller genre and so I have achieved that when filming.

Title of Film

When I created the post 'Idea for my Main Task' I had an idea for what I wanted my film to be called. The ideas were Hunted or Hunter but for audience feedback I thought I should place a poll on my blog. For this, I needed other titles to give the audience to choose from so I chose:
- Hunted

- Unknown

- XYZ

- Found

I managed to receive 22 votes and the name which received the most was XYZ as it received 50% of the votes. Hunted was second favourite and Unknown and Found were least favourite. Now I have seen the audience feedback, I will title the film XYZ. My personal favourite moved from Hunted to XYZ when I was creating the names for the film. I believe it suits the film the most because I have decided not to reveal the name of the protagonist, similar in Layer Cake, as the protagonist's job is on the opposing side of the law and therefore should remain anonymous. Instead of a name, the protagonist could be referred to as XYZ as this would keep them anonymous and portray that no one knows the protagonist's name.

Scripting of Dialogue

Scripting of Dialogue

Car Park Opening Dialogue

HM - Hit man
C - Customer

Fades in on a deserted car park in black and white. Two men are standing awkwardly. One is hooded and unseen (C), another is dressed in simple clothes (HM). The hooded man is shaking nervously while the simply dressed man is standing calmly and patiently.

HM - Have you got my money?

C - Of course - can I call you by a name?

HM - You don't need to know my name.

HM walks off proudly down a path. Fades out. Fades in on a crowded street.

This opening dialogue is meant to create an opening with impact and convey the image that the protagonist (the hit man) is anonymous. Through their stances it is meant to show that the hit man is calm and natural at this kind of meeting through him standing calmly but the hooded man has never done something like this before, shown through him shaking nervously. The hooded man is meant to be grateful hence why he wants to know him name, but the hit man clearly wants to remain anonymous which is made clear with, 'You don't need to know my name.'

Street Dialogue

HM - hit man

WM - walking man

WW - walking woman

HM is leaning casually against the wall, talking directly into the camera.

HM - Hi there. You're probably wondering what that business was about. Well, I'm a hit man. I know what you're thinking, how disgusting am I? What kind of person does a job like that? But, it's good money and in my opinion it is helping people - I'm a helpful kind of guy. That man, the nervous, shaky man had asked me to kill his brother-in-law... I never ask why... why would I want to know? There are four rules you should know about a hit man. [Hit man starts walking down the path] One - do not get involved with the customers...[WM walks by casually shakes hands with hit man.]

WM - Hey there, mate you alright? [WM continues to walk away.]

HM - That's an old client - he's very thankful for what I did for him. I've forgotten his name though... Anyway, the second rule of being a hit man is remaining anonymous. I cannot stress this enough. If the client doesn't know your name, nor can the... well... victim. Number three, have two professions, something that if you do get found out (which if your an expert like me is highly unlikely) you can say you have a job. [WW walks by casually. They make eye contact and smile at each other. Both carry on walking.]

HM - And number four - if you have a relationship, keep them out of it.

The dialogue of the hit man walking down the street is introducing the audience to the protagonist. At this point in the opening, there are three characters introduced all of which could have a chance of being a murderer. The idea is that the story behind each relationship is revealed throughout the film and then eventually the audience will come up with a theory to who it was. The idea is to show that the hit man could have an ordinary profession but has chosen this route. My original idea was the hit man would tell the audience his name, however, that would defy one of his rules that the character has spoken about, 'The second rule of being a hit man is remain anonymous.'

House Dialogue

HM – Something which to me is important is money – they have to pay on time. Most of the clients are scared of me and so if they don’t… [Flashback to hit man attacking a client] So, from the mostly on time money, I am able to give myself a partially ‘normal’ life as in a home, a T.V, comfortable furniture. Nobody knows my identity, no one knows anything about me… so why would someone want to kill me? [In the reflection of the mirror on the wall, a shadow grows. Close-up of HM’s face and straight cut to a black screen.]

This piece of dialogue is the end of the titles and opens up the plot to the film by stating what has happened and that the audience are going to unravel ‘why would someone want to kill’ him. The audience have built a bond with the protagonist and therefore will want to uncover the mystery. It also emphasises the genre by using conventions such as an anonymous protagonist, use of reflections, flashbacks and hidden faces. It creates a dramatic ending which has hooked the audience and so the audience will continue to view the rest of the film.

Planning of Locations

Planning of Locations

My main task opens in a hidden area, where there is limited light to create a dark atmosphere and also limited people to create the idea of confidentiality between the protagonist and the client. For this, I have chosen Waitrose Car Park, Hitchin because it is an indoor car park and therefore there will be hidden corners and eerie shadows created. There are several car parks within my local area but the majority of car parks, except this one, are outdoors, and I will have to plan the time to record and film when my actors have the time, not by the weather. There are two indoor car parks in close by towns, however they are linked to the shopping centres and may well be far too busy and therefore dangerous to be able to record in them, whereas Waitrose car park, known from experience, is never overly crowded.

The high street where the protagonist will be walking down when he is talking of his career will be Bancroft Road, Hitchin as it has a lot of high street shops mixed with unique boutiques. Also, with its historic look makes it seem as if it is a middle-upper class area and therefore gives the impression he earns a fair amount of money. The reason it has to be in Hitchin is because it is accessible to all my actors and also as I will have limited time with the video camera, it may be able to be filmed in one day, dependant on the weather.

The match-on-action shot linking town to the protagonist’s home will occur in my house as in the living room there is a large mirror on the wall. Mirrors and reflections are a convention of thrillers, and therefore will portray the film as a thriller. The shadow of the murderer will be seen in the mirror as Tom is looking at the camera through the reflection of the mirror.

Planning of Actors

Planning of Characters/ Actors Chosen

The Protagonist

The protagonist in my film is a hit man who is being chased by a murderer. The protagonist has to be an anonymous character as his job is a hidden one and so I chose someone called Adam Wood. He may be 16, but appears above that age and so he will be able to be the protagonist. He has experience in acting and has the right image of how I imagined the hit man. He has blond hair, which portrays the image of an innocent person, which adds a twist to his image. Also, he will be wearing casual clothes that are dark of colour. The fact they are dark of colour portrays the character as slightly evil or perhaps has a hidden identity, which the hit man does. The clothes I was planning for him to be wearing were dark jeans with a plain white t-shirt half tucked in and a black suit jacket. The casual clothes suggest he does not stand out in public which means he does not draw attention to himself and therefore will keep his identity hidden. The idea of hidden identity was drawn from the film Layer Cake where the protagonist, played by Daniel Craig, is a drug dealer and keeps hidden from much contact with the outer world.

Man in Car Park

My titles open on Tom talking to a man in a car park. This is meant to be a flashback as it is shown in black and white. The man in the car park makes it clear he has acquired Tom's services as a hit man previously, and has met to ensure he has murdered the person for him. As it is the opening scene, I must make it clear that this is a thriller film, and so I felt the man in the car park will have a concealed identity. This will be achieved as he will be wearing a hoody and standing in the shadows to show a dark personality and for his face not to be shown so he may well be an option for the murderer of Tom. The actor I have chosen for this character is Charlie Szarvas, who is a skilled actor. He may only be 16, but he appears a lot older. This means that the film will not be age specific and appeal to a variety of age groups.

Woman

The Woman is walking down the street casually and makes eye contact with Tom as if it is flirtation. This is to show that Tom could have an ordinary life as he meets new people like an ordinary person. The Woman will be played by Kirsty Reeder who appears quite angelic. She will be dressed in a red dress/ outfit as the theme of the film will be black, white and red like Sin City to show that Tom's life to him is simple but it is full of murder.

Murderer

The murderer and Tom meet on the street and shake hands. This is foregrounding they know each other - he may have been one of Tom's clients. The audience will not know he is the murderer as through the titles there are two options: him or the man in the car park. The murderer will be played by Rhys O'Flanagan as he has long hair, which will conceal his face and so the audience will not receive a clear shot of him when Tom and him shake hands. He will be wearing dark hooded clothes, and will be wearing the hoody at the end of the titles when he rises from the shadows to murder Tom.

Original Idea for Main Task

Original Idea for Main Task

Plot

It begins in a flashback in black and white where Tom, the protagonist, is talking with someone who is a customer and appears to be anxious. It is made clear Tom is meant to be anonymous as when the other man asks for his name, Tom simply replies, 'That's for me to know.' A voice over begins as the camera fades into a high street where Tom is walking casually and shaking hands with people he knows and making eye contact with a woman he likes - the voice over is explaining his job: a hit man. The camera watches Tom open his door and enter (match on action) where he casually sits down on the sofa and switches on the television. A shadow grows with a knife in the hand on the wall behind him followed by a close up (CU) of Tom gasping in fear.

Setting

One of the conventions of a thriller is an ordinary location with extraordinary events or people in it. Because of this, I decided to set the meeting of the customer and Tom in a car park, something of which many people use, and for it to fade into an ordinary middle class high street. The apartment where Tom lives is modern and simple, which will link to his low profile lifestyle.CharactersThe characters I have decided to use will have their own profiles:Tom:- Protagonist- Hit man- Dark, simple clothes - dark jeans (navy or black), plain white t-shirt, suit jacketCustomer:- Casually dressed - jeans and hoody- Quite distressedWoman:- Dressed in red - theme of film is black, white and red- Smiley, happyMurderer:- Hooded in shadow- Shake hands in high streetTitlesThe titles are subtle, in a plain white font in the bottom right corner. This adds to the idea of the characterisation of Tom with him being mysterious and hidden amongst the chaos. These particular titles are the names of the actors, directors and producers but the actual name of the film will appear after the action where it zooms in on screen to represent the unexpected event of someone trying to kill a hit man - this is the reverse of something as it is usually the hit man killing someone.

Music

My first thoughts of the music would be a clear beat throughout which would represent a heartbeat linking to Tom's career choice. The music would continuously be added to throughout the two minutes and end in a high pitched mix of strings to show confusion, but when the title of the film appears in silence. I am not completely set on the music as of yet.

Title of Film

The title of this film would be something to show what has happened such as Hunter or Hunted but the name I am most fond of would be Unknown as you cannot tell from the shadow who the murderer is and also the protagonist is anonymous.

Location Shots

Location Shots

Car Park Shots

This is an outside shot of Waitrose Indoor Car Park, Hitchin. As you can tell from the outside it appears to be quite a dark and dismal building with its black bars making it look as if it is a prison.This was my chosen location because this shot will be used as an establishing shot – it looks as if it is forbidden and unused. The darkness of the building shows confidentiality.

The inside of the car park is lit by low incandescent lighting. The first thing I noticed was this no entry sign, which will represent danger. As it is in a flashback, I decided to make it black and white to represent it. By taking a shot of the no entry sign, it will show that their conversation is about something illegal.When I went to take the location shots, the car park was completely deserted. There was not a car in sight. This, I thought, would add to the tension of their conversation as it would build an atmosphere of danger as they are alone and the career of a “Hit man” is revealed.The anonymous Hit Man walks away shamelessly from his customer.

I felt this would be a good location as it as if he is walking towards the light, away from the danger of his job. As it is a narrow path that only one person can fit down comfortably, he would be walking alone and it shows he is hidden away from the true world.

Street Shots

The protagonist is walking down the high street. He is meant to be a middle-upper class man and as this street contains some branded shops, I felt this would be the best location for him to walk up. It also has old buildings to enhance this image of him. Also, it is not too crowded so on the filming day, I will not be disturbing people when filming.This is the opposite direction of the street where the protagonist will be walking up. This means I have two options to use when filming. I would like to film from where the traffic lights are and go in the opposite direction to the view of this shot as the road is straight and there is a turning where I will be able to go from one place to the next – the town to his house.

Room Shots

There will be a match-on-action shot used to enter this room. It will be eerily quiet with little motion from the protagonist to build up an atmosphere. It will be at night so the lamp shown will be on but the wall lights will not. I may position the lamp differently as the shadow that grows with the weapon will be on a plain wall.A quick scan of the room will be done to show that there is nobody there at first. This will set the scene and also add confusion to how the intruder was not noticed.

Target Audience

Research into Thriller Audience

Thriller films are known to create a large amount of suspense and anticipation, but to also create a feel of excitement. There is supposedly an element of mystery throughout the film and this could be portrayed through settings or characterisation. Something that defines a thriller is the unusual happening in a usual setting, making the audience feel uneasy and therefore emotions build up.
The image on the right shows that thriller films appear mainly to the age group of 25 or below. To appeal to the audience, I could use modern music and the over voice of the character will be talking in a calm, casual manner, not overly mature.
Also, as the film appeals to younger audiences I will have to ensure it does not reach a high age certificate as that would mean a large sum of the audience would not be able to see it if it were to go into the cinemas. Certificate 15 would most likely be the age certificate as the popular age range is from 14 - 25 so it would only be eliminating one year.
The pie chart shown in the top left shows there is not a specific gender that prefers thrillers and therefore I will not have to conform to a particular gender when making my opening sequence, however, I will have to ensure that what I have made will appeal to both genders. This can be done by putting the unusual in the usual settings as this is something that will relate to both.

My Thriller

Audience

My target audience will be those whom enjoy action thrillers. As the protagonist is male, it would relate more to a male audience, but according to a study, both males and females enjoy thrillers the same amount. This means that some females may chose to watch this particular thriller film as the genre is liked by both genders the equal amount but due to the protagonist it may appeal to one gender more. Thrillers appeal mainly to the age group 15 to 24, therefore the protagonist is quite young in order to relate to the thriller genres favourite age group. There is no particular occupation that this would appeal to as the protagonist has an abnormal career and therefore should not relate to anyone, but it may relate to the more secretive type of people because the main character has to keep the majority of his life hidden.To certificate my film, I used the

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ website. I feel my movie would be certificate 12 because it contains far too much discriminative behaviour for a PG movie, but not such an excessive amount that it would be a 15. Also, it does not contain drugs, nudity or sex and so would not be a 15 but it does contain imitable behaviour where the protagonist uses a baseball bat as a weapon which links to the violence, which is not overly promoted and does not show blood, but a swing of a baseball bat.To meet the expectations and interests of my audience, I will have the protagonist talking to the camera for a large amount of the opening which means they have created a bond with the audience. Also, the protagonist is walking down a high street and doing normal things which links with the normal interests of people like window shopping or accidentally bumping into someone. To meet the expectations of a dramatic opening for a thriller, it will start with a flashback with a number of conventions: the flashback is a convention, limited lighting, hidden identity of the protagonist and an unnamed business. The flashback is in black and white and so makes a sinister feel to get the audience tense for the thriller.To consider the audience for my thriller, I have created a poll for feedback for a title for the film. The one which received the highest number of votes (50%) was XYZ and so has become the title of the thriller. My original idea was Hunted or Hunter but as this did not receive many votes, I rethought my decision and went with the most popular title. To decide the gender of my protagonist I researched on which gender prefers the thriller genre - there was an exact split meaning both genders like thrillers the same amount. I also researched into the age group and 15 to 24 year olds' are the biggest thriller fans. This is why the protagonist is reasonably young. I also created a questionnaire for the font for the title to create the most dramatic opening, which is a still receiving vote.This particular audience would be encouraged to watch my thriller because it starts with a dramatic opening based on their feedback. Because of this, they will want to continue to watch to unravel the mystery murder of the hit man.

Genre Conventions

My thriller film is partly action as well as the main genre thriller making it stand out more as it appeals to two audiences: the thriller and the action fanatics. From the thrillers I have studied, none of them have included a protagonist that is a hit man - many have included small part actors as hit men but not the main character and so it is a unique idea. Also, it leaves the opportunity for a female character to be one of the main characters as she is introduced in the opening titles, which is unusual in a thriller film.Many thriller conventions are strongly used in the opening titles. It opens on a flashback where the protagonist has a hidden identity - this is two conventions within the first fifteen seconds. The idea of the abnormal within the normal is used with the protagonist's job - a hit man. Also, as a large part of the opening titles is set in a town centre this emphasises this feeling for the audience. An unsettling feeling and atmosphere is created towards the end as the closing line of, "So why would someone want to kill me?" is followed by a slight pause and then action which is a build up to the action. Not only that, the protagonist is looking in the mirror - mirrors and reflections is a popular thriller convention as the characters may see something in the mirror that they cannot see normally. Throughout the opening titles, there is a sense of realism which will reach the audience as this will make it seem that the plot is possible. Through the conventions said above, I feel my film will achieve them and be a successful thriller.In some ways, my thriller opening matches Layer Cake with the over voice and the protagonist having a job on the wrong side of the law - this was originally where I got the idea for my protagonist. However, it was partially inspired by The Sixth Sense as in the opening they effectively use a reflection through an award creating an unsettling feeling. Not only that, Hancock was an inspiration where the protagonist causes destruction but ultimately ends up being a good person. The actual job for the protagonist was given to me by Bourne Identity however, I wanted the protagonist to be aware of his job and what he is doing.

Significant Developments in Thrillers

CGI

CGI is computer generated imagery, which is the application of computer graphics such as 3D to create special effects in film and other forms of media. It was first used in the 1970s but it's importance was proved in 1993 in the adventure science-fiction thriller movie Jurassic Park, where the dinosaurs were simultaneously edited with the live action scenes. It, from then, has been a vital part of television and film as it enhances the original image. CGI helps thriller films as it creates an element of fear because everything is so well defined in the movies, they become realistic creating an eerie atmosphere for the thought of the plot becoming real life. The sub-genre in which it is mostly used is action, such as the guns and blood.

3-D Movies

This is an effect created when the camera records two images through lenses that are only several images apart. The audience are able to watch the movie using special glasses - the left eye allows the audience to see the recording by the left camera lens and the right for the right camera lense. The idea of 3-D movies is to shock the audience as an object is catapulted from the screen to the audience, which adds to an effective thriller film. Examples of 3-D thriller movies are My Bloody Valentine and Scar.

Explosions

Explosions are a common item within gangster thrillers or crime thrillers - but how do they create them? Through CGI. An example would be the opening of Layer Cake is an explosion, showing perhaps chaos throughout the movie. An example of a CGI explosion is this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rf_Y-xHPGU taken from Terminator 3. These computer generated images are fairly new as the technology has only been realistic enough in the recent past. Some thriller movies do start with explosions because it grabs the audience's attention and therefore engages them for the film.

My Thriller Film

Due to limited access to programmes that create CGI I have decided instead of explosions or gun fire, to use weapons which could be found in a household, such as a knife or a baseball bat. The only effects that can really be used are black and white and the transitions from one frame to another.

Research into Thriller Institutions

Research into Thriller Institutions

Hollywood Pictures is part of The Walt Disney Company's. It produces films for a more mature adult audience than those of Walt Disney Pictures. It has been producing films since 1984, and it's first official film was The Blues Brothers. This is a comedy film, but soon enough Hollywood Pictures broadened their horizons and moved into other genres such as the action thriller drama Run with director Geoff Burrowes. The film Run was co-produced with Amblin Entertainment which was founded by thriller director Steven Spielberg in 1981. Cape Fear was the first thriller film released in 1991 by Amblin Entertainment. Cappa Films also co-produced Cape Fear and it was their first thriller film, and also their last.

Universal Pictures is a household name that often appears on the big screen when you go to see a film. This is because it was founded on June 8 1912 and has been producing ever since. It is split by two owners: General Electric (USA) and Vivendi (France). It has distributed some of the most influential thrillers of all time, such as the most recent make of the crime thriller Public Enemies from director Michael Mann.

New Line Cinema distributed their first film in 1968 titled The Virgin President and by 1984 produced their first horror thriller film Nightmare on Elm Street. This film was such a success they produced a number of sequels to go with Nightmare on Elm Street such as Freddy's Revenge, Dream Warriors, The Dream Master and The Dream Child. More recent thriller films they produced were Se7en and Final Destination which are classed as blockbusters showing the success of thriller films produced.

The most influential thriller film director of all time is Alfred Hitchcock and throughout his life time produced, directed or scripted around 79 films. Through all these films, he must have tried several different film companies, however one name that continuously reoccurs is British Picture Company which was founded by John Maxwell in 1927. It distributed famous Hitchcock movies such as Murder! and Blackmail. British Picture Company (BPC) became Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC) in 1972 when they became more involved in television companies showing a variety of experience within the company.

Out of all these institutions I feel the one that would be most likely to produce my film is Universal Pictures because they have created a number of crime thrillers that have been successful such as Public Enemies which was a successful blockbuster, similar to the film I am creating where the protagonist is on the wrong side of the law, but has to keep a low profile.

Directors

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

"Drama is life with all the dull bits cut out." Alfred Hitchcock's famous quote.
Alfred Hitchcock is a legendary director who's career spanned over six years. Even throughout his childhood, he had a love for the cinema, somewhere he could escape to. When he was only a young man, he made a decision that would change his life forever: he went to the film company 'Famous Players-Lasky' and asked for a job designing titles for silent films. He started in designing the titles and eventually moved up the company until someone from 'Gainsborough Pictures' offered him a chance to revise scripts and then perhaps a chance to direct. This was for the film Number Thirteen which collapsed due to finance, but his talent was not looked over and his career developed from there.
The most widely known thriller film Hitchcock has directed is Psycho, which is known for it's jumpy eerie music and it's twists and turns in the plot; he has clearly got a talent for it as he was named "Master of Suspense".
Something that makes Alfred Hitchcock one of the most influential directors of all time is him having to portray the thriller genre in black and white for most of his films and he even managed to portray the genre in nine films with no sound! He is and will always be known as Britain's Top Director.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Shyamalan, who was once known as the greatest new director of the time, uses supernatural aspects in his thriller genre, which shows skillful directing where he is combining the two. The most famous thriller Shyamalan has done is The Sixth Sense, which was nominated for six Academy Awards, with it's combination of the supernatural where the young boy can see the unseen and the element of mystery of the man who ultimately ends up being a ghost. This is hiding something of the character, which makes the audience uneasy and therefore portrays the thriller aspects in a skillful way.
M. Night Shyamalan is mostly known for his twists at the end of films hence why he is known as the "plot twist" director. He achieves this in many of his films such as The Happening and Lady in the Water.
Shyamalan is also a producer and a screenwriter showing he has a wide range of skills in the film industry. As he wrote the thriller The Sixth Sense he was able to make sure the film was accurate.

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Tarantino is part of the "video store generation of filmmakers". In other words, Tarantino gained most of his knowledge of films from merely watching them rather than studying them. While he was young and working in a video store he began to write his first screen play True Romance but could not get the financial back up to convert it into a film so he sold the script. He used this money to make his film Reservoir for Dogs, which was funded by LIVE entertainment. This film was a hit and therefore so was Tarantino.
Tarantino is known for his mindless violence shown through his thrillers such as Kill Bill where the bride appears to kill anyone who gets in her way to her boss, Bill.
Despite his poor upbringing, Tarantino is extremely successful and made $4.5 million dollars from his first low budget film and is known as one of the greatest directors of time.

My Thriller

Out of the directors I have researched, the one most likely to direct my film would be Quentin Tarantino as he has created a large amount of action thrillers whereas Alfred Hitchcock is more one for the mystery behind the thrillers and also M. Night Shyamalan prefers the supernatural thrillers. Quentin Tarantino is also known for the violence used in his thrillers and as this is about a hit man, it would be difficult to find a more violent job.

Film Analysis

Film Analysis

Layer Cake

Layer Cake has been my favourite thriller to analysis as it compromises comedy within the thriller genre making it more light-hearted for the audience, but also still contains successful elements of thrillers. Something I found most striking of Layer Cake was the titles - their subtlety portrayed a lot of the characters as they remain hidden from the outside world, hence why the title of Layer Cake appeared on a black door representing a dark anonymous world they live in. The opening is striking due to the CGI explosion, which grasps the audience's attention and keeps them on the edge of their seat. It also creates a jumpy atmosphere, a well-used convention of thrillers. The over voice used on the opening foreshadows later events, such as the protagonist saying, "one cock-up and I leave it all behind" shows that perhaps there will be trouble in the drug world. The title Layer Cake is ingenious as it represents the drug business world that is shown throughout the film, but only revealed and made clear at the end (the one at the top of the cake dances the others like puppets). The unexpectedness of the character's true personality such as Jimmy shows a hidden identity - it was completely unexpected Jimmy was broke and it was not made clear who the murderer of The Duke was. I disliked the first showing of the murder of The Duke because it cut between two images, and made it very confusing for the audience. Despite that, all unanswered questions were answered at the end. It also not until the end of the film you realise you do not know the name of the protagonist and even in the credits; he is called "XXXXX". To end this thriller, there is a sudden surprise - the protagonist has got all he wanted: money and the woman he loves, but he is shot by Sydney, The Duke's nephew and the protagonist's girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend and so he has a clear motif. This, however, does not mean it is expected and finishes the film with an explosive ending.

Enduring Love

This psychological thriller is addicting and interesting. It shows the slow deterioration of the science-based logic protagonist, Joe Rose, from the continuously growing obsession of Jed Parry. This is a successful thriller due to the audience not knowing the name of Jed's illness, but at one stage, you believe Joe Rose is seeing Jed and Jed himself may not be real. This is due to Clare's role in the film, as her characterisation is the questionable one who questions all Joe tells her. The build up of tension between Jed and Joe and also between Clare and Joe leads to a dramatic ending of murder and chaos, which leaves the audience feeling stunned. We know Jed is definitely real when we are revealed of his stalker obsession by being allowed inside his flat where instead of wallpaper there are pictures of Joe and Clare (the ones of Clare have scribbles all over them). It is then we find Jed in Clare's flat, where the silence and little music, shows tension and that there may be a large amount of action about to surface. This occurs when Jed stabs Clare and so Joe stabs Jed in return resulting in murder. This ending was unexpected, and makes the audience re-think their decisions of all the characters.

The Sixth Sense

The film The Sixth Sense is one of the biggest thriller films of all time. It is about a child psychologist who attempts to help a young boy who can see 'dead people'. The line 'I can see dead people' has gone down in history as a famous film quote. It successfully achieves the conventions of thrillers by there being a twist at the end where the child psychologist is actually a ghost, in the opening a use of reflection when he receives an award and also the idea of a dark shadowy atmosphere created whenever the young boy sees a ghost. The combination of the supernatural into a thriller is successfully achieved as it does not represent the horror concept of screaming and fear but the thriller one of logic and a tense atmosphere. Something that really makes this film interesting is the subtle clues to the twist at the end that the audience would think as nothing (such as the mother of the boy who can't see ghosts does not talk with the psychologist). This film was directed by M. Night Shyamalan who is known as one of the greatest thriller directors of all time, and so this film was already a hit before it was even released.

Perfume

Perfume starring Ben Wishaw is an unusual thriller. It is about a poor boy that is born with a heightened sense of smell so much so he can smell for miles and miles but he cannot always put words to the smell. Ben Whishaw is working alongside big film stars Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman. The introduction of Perfume is engaging because it starts with the ending - the audience know what happens to the protagonist but what makes the audience keep watching is how the protagonist is sentenced to death. The story is unravelled slowly and steadily. The idea of the ending being at the beginning is something I have adapted to my own opening thriller because you know the hit man is going to be killed but the audience has to unravel who did it and why it happened.
From the beginning we know it is set in the past due to the chanting of people from the streets ordering the man to be sentenced to death. The name of the character is soon known - Jean-Baptise (Ben Whishaw). John Hurt (the over voice) talks of the character's childhood and how he spent it in near isolation because the other children at the orphanage were frightened of him and his excellent sense of smell meaning the character has developed into one with no social skills. This engages the audience because it gives the character a sympathy factor.
The first murder is soon committed when he is sold to a tanner and on his trip to Paris he captures the scent of a girl who he soon kills accidentally. He then grows obsessed with the scent that he can no longer find.
Jean-Baptise are employed by a man who owns a perfume shop. Baldini, the man who owns the perfume shop, is impressed by his strong sense of smell and so Jean-Baptise, as his apprentice, tries his best to recreate the smell of the girl he has become obsessed with. Through this, he begins to become a serial killer as he is trying to recreate the smell but cannot and so looks for young women, similar to the one who he killed first, to try and get that smell back.
This does not sound like a thriller, but while watching the movie, there are many conventions used such as flashbacks, the hero stuck in trouble and the protagonist has no identity near the beginning of the film. The dull colours used create a dark and shadowy atmosphere and so the audience feel tense throughout the film.
Overall, I feel Perfume is a cleverly made thriller as the over voice is not too dreary and keeps you attached to the film. Also, the performance from Ben Whishaw as Jean-Baptise engages the audience as he has the sympathy factor at the beginning but makes the audience's opinion change by the end as someone who simply needs help in keeping him on the right track in life.

V for Vendetta

The most obvious thriller convention presented in V for Vendetta would be the hidden identity of the protagonist throughout the film. V for Vendetta uses CGI to its highest ability as the houses of parliament are blown up in order to represent the government have complete control in the future and the character, V, wants it to stop. This portrays conventions of action as well as thriller and also the futuristic sense of the film carries science-fiction genre conventions. The genre, to me, that stands out the most would be thriller because the identity is never revealed and the person who appears to be a hero is in some sort of threat and danger. The Guy Fawkes mask used in this movie was inspiration for the mask used in my thriller opening - the fact the mask is white represents innocence and purity and at the beginning of V for Vendetta the audience may feel this is ironic because he is clearly an evil character but at the end of the film it is revealed he was trying to help people rather than hurt them making the mask a heroic symbol. This would not be the case in my film - in my film, the mask represents an anonymous character that has remained hidden in his career and should continue to.
The contrast in colours for V's outfit is clever because it represents the split mind of the audience - the black cloak versus the white mask shows the evil known at the beginning versus the good revealed at the end. The idea of a colour scheme will be used in my film. I want the colours to be black, white and red because black and white are the two most simple colours and red represents his job as a blood bath and therefore a negative thing.
Evey Hammond is V's partner supposedly and it is suppose to be a sexist future where women are not allowed out on the streets past a certain hour. The fact the co-star is a female is significant because it is as if the director and writers want to break away from the bleak future they can see happening.
The music from V for Vendetta shows continuity throughout the film as it is Beethoven's 5th. This shows continuity because the character V is obsessed with the letter V and therefore the number five because V is the Latin way of writing five. This was first introduced at the opening where V conducts the music while the Houses of Parliament are exploding with fireworks, explaining the Guy Fawkes mask.
Overall, V for Vendetta is a fantastic, engaging thriller where every single aspect is thought out carefully enough for the writer’s opinions to be added into the script. Everything is related to one another, and it uses the conventions of thrillers successfully.

Thriller Openings

Thriller Openings

Title: Flight Plan Director: Robert Schwentke

I found the opening of Flight Plan effective because it contained a wide number of conventions of a typical thriller film, such as a build up of action through an establishing shot, a creation of fear through eerie music and sudden diegetic sound and many more. The first image was effective because it was a delay in showing a significant characters face by slowly zooming in to the back of their head. As there was no music, it had an eerie silence, but later, the lullaby also added an eerie innocence about it creating an unsettling feeling and it keeps the audience tense. One convention shown in many thriller openings is the dark, shadowy atmosphere as much of it is set at night, or has limited light, such as the plane shaped lights. I will use the atmosphere in my film as I will start it in a car park with limited light, where it is not too crowded. Despite the dark, shadowy atmosphere of Flight Plan, it is set in realistic settings with unusual occurrences but at night, combining two conventions making the opening of Flight Plan effective. The titles were subtle, but effective because one could argue a theme of the film is what is remained hidden from the audience. I liked the use of these conventions, however, I feel the opening to Flight Plan was long-winded as it last around five minutes, which is unusually long.

Title: Layer Cake Director: Matthew Vaughn

Another effective thriller opening is Layer Cake due to its essence of secrets. This is portrayed through the titles where the title of the film is a number plate, which is simple yet distinguished. It appears on the door of the protagonists' home, which meant it was unnoticeable portraying the character as hidden and secretive. I am considering using the subtle titles of Layer Cake in my own because similar to Layer Cake my protagonist has a job with a hidden identity and so it will portray my protagonist as well. The soundtrack is an effective convention of a thriller used in Layer Cake because of its heartbeat sound through the bass line. Also, the unusual happenings in an ordinary setting gives an unsettling feeling for the audience as they may feel it is happening around them on a daily basis. Noticeably, the director managed to keep a significant characters' face hidden by sending a representative for him giving a confidential feel and by delaying a characters face, you are using a convention of a thriller. This confidential feel is kept in dark and shadowy places giving a dark and shadowy atmosphere, such as when the protagonist and employee are sorting the drugs, they are in a boarded-up room with limited daylight. Overall, the opening of Layer Cake is an effective opening due to its use and subtlety of the conventions of thrillers.

Title: The Sixth Sense Director: M. Night Shyamalan

The opening of The Sixth Sense is dramatic and sudden. From the first shot, you can tell it is going to be a thriller film due to it being dimly lit giving a dark, shadowy atmosphere. An event is expected because when listening closely, you can hear the smashing of something but they do not investigate it. At this point, there was a disequilibrium because of the protagonists wife shivering when the glass smashed. The use of reflections is good for a thriller because, for example, they may see something in the reflection and when they turn around it is not there. I may use the idea of reflection and mirrors in my thriller to show an unexpected character appearing, which could create a jumpy atmosphere. I particularly liked this thriller opening due to its unexpected twists and turns as you did not expect to see an ex-patient in his bathroom considering the protagonist just received an award for helping mentally unstable children. However, I disliked the use of titles at the beginning because it was complete silence and no action, but just white on black titles, which was plain and was not very engaging for the audience.

Filming Diary

First Section of Filming
Date - 22/01/2010

I started filming today. As the only time my actors and I were free were during free periods, I was limited to the area I could use and so I was unable to film the first flashback in the car park. My first thought was to use the overgrown greenery areas of the school but as it was raining I was unable to film as the handheld shots would have damaged the camera whereas if it was just tripod shots I would have covered it with an umbrella. The final idea was to film in a part of the school which is often undisturbed. This area was steamed up by the windows, which was helpful as I will explain later.
In my storyboard, the first shot is of an over the shoulder shot of the conversation between the hit man and the customer. To create an atmosphere I decided to do a long shot of the customer looking nervous. From this I was able to extend the atmosphere and give the audience a feeling of the emotion the character has by using handheld shots of the character firstly looking out the window and wiping it, then by walking and the camera is looking at his foot and by having shots of the character looking at his watch. This means when the hit man arrives it creates an intense atmosphere as it was unexpected. The mask the hit man is wearing adds to the concept of the film being a thriller because of the hidden identity. After the hand held shots I stuck to my storyboard of shot, over the shoulder, shot but I added in a shot of the hit man and customer shaking hands as if they are exchanging money and then there is the long shot, as planned, of the hit man walking away.
The over the shoulder shots facing the hit man are at a slight high angle to show authority - the hit man is in control of the conversation. This was something I decided while filming because I did not realise the height difference between the actors. This accidental error worked to my advantage because the tripod was too short for me to be able to get it to the hit man's height.
I took several takes of each shot so I have a large variety to chose from when it comes to editing. This also meant errors I did not realise when filming are not permanent as I do not have to use that clip.
Overall, I feel my first day of filming was very successful as now I have done a third of the opening of my thriller.

23/01/2010

This was my second day of filming and my last. Today, I filmed the parts in the high street but I changed what was happening because, according to my storyboard, the protagonist is moving constantly but I felt this would distract the audience from the dialogue which is critical to the storyline it would be better if he was sitting down and talking to the camera and later I would edit so it would not be one continuous piece of dialogue. This worked well as it meant the actor could focus mostly on the lines rather than the movement and I would later move the screen around him. There was a problem during this: it began to snow. Had my video camera been HD it would have picked up the snowflakes but it did not. This meant regardless of the weather I could continue to film.

In my storyboard, the protagonist makes eye contact with a woman and talks of not letting those he loves get involved with his job - I had to cancel this out of the film because this was filmed first and he had his coat undone, which meant there was a lack in continuity with the parts where he is doing his coat up.

I was able to get a successful tracking shot to show movement which broke up the dialogue and made it easier to watch on the audience's behalf. It is also shows I'm using a variety of handheld and tripod shots.

In the house shots, I stuck to what was planned and it went smoothly. The ending was slower than the beginning when watching the clips back adding a dramatic effect to shock the viewer in to watching more.

Main Task Storyboard

When filming I edited the following in my storyboard:

1. I added a hand shake in between shots 3 and 4 to add emphasis the protagonist sees being a hit man as a business rather than morally wrong.

2. I did not include the long shot of the street as the timing was reaching over the limit and therefore it felt sensible to cut that bit out as you could gain an understanding of the atmosphere from the background.

3. The flashback in shot 8 was removed as there is another flashback later - I felt the one in shot 8 was too much and disrupts the dialogue.

4. Instead of shaking hands, I made the customer bump into the hit man as the customer would not recognise him due to him wearing a mask.

5. When it came to editing, I realised that there was a lack in continuity because the coat was done up when he was moving and when he bumped into the woman it wasn't therefore I had to remove everything with the woman in it.

Preliminary Storyboard

Since I created this story board, I have edited certain shots:

1. There were no close-ups of the eyes as there was no mask avaliable and therefore it would not convey a thriller as successfully.

2. Instead of doing two seperate shots of the person walking and then a close up of the feet, I panned so they were all linked.

3. A did not include the longshot of the table as there was no where I could improvise to get the long shot.