Task 2.2: Analyse Genre - Thriller

Analyse Genre - Thriller 

Conventions of a thriller;

• A thriller is supposed to create tension and suspense for the audience.
• Often set in a urban or suburban area.
• Generally there is violence in a thriller.
• Can be a supernatural explanation of the puzzle.
• Villain and hero share some characteristics.
• Can be centred around injustice in society.
• Plot twists
• Cliff hangers
• Conspiracy
• High intensity chase scenes
• Peoples minds, thoughts- linked with paranoia, mental illness, schizophrenia.
• A mission or puzzle

Conventional Characters;

• Convicts
• Soldiers
• Men associated with danger
• Stalkers
• Criminals
• Prison inmates
• Spies
• Innocent citizens that get dragged into danger

Character Shots;

• There's a lot of close up shots and extreme close ups of the protagonist usually to show their emotions.
• The shots of the antagonist character will usually be cut quickly this is to hide their identity eg; the shot will be of their back, silhouette, shadow of character ect.

Film Shots;

These kind of shots are used to make it look like their is a person looking down. This creates a dominate shot as it makes the character on the floor vulnerable and powerless.

The medium shot is used to show the characters emotions, what props they may have and part of the location. This helps set the scene and mood of what the character is feeling. This shot is from the film Taken which is a typical thriller. Guns a commonly used in thrillers.

Close up and extreme close up shots are used to show what the characters are feeling. Also these shots are used in thrillers when a character sees something and this shot establishes what they are feeling.  

Tracking and panning shots are used in high intensity car chases. They can be used to follow the car or used to show the intensity and adrenaline of the chase. These shots can also be used to show that a character is being watched or followed.

Point of view shots are also used to show that a character is being watched or followed. The point view shot is when the shot looks like what a person see's for example in the picture the shot looks like a person is looking up before he gets shot.

Editing;

•  They will use lots of jump cuts to create tension. At the time they may be unaware of what is happening but further on it will become visible.
• Cross cutting is used to create suspense when something big is happening. This creates a dramatic atmosphere.
• The sound will often build throughout the thriller film. The music is often intense and dramatic.

Mis en Scene;

• The lighting is low key to create an on-edge atmosphere. Often when the villain is shown the lighting is dimmed to show that he is the antagonist.
• The clothing that the characters wear can sometimes represent their type of character for example the antagonist could wear dark clothing whereas the protagonist could wear everyday clothing. Sometimes the protagonist could wear every day clothing so that its not obvious that he is the villain in the film this is used a lot in films especially when they want to make it look like the villain is somebody else then at the end of the film its revealed that its the 'ordinary' looking person.
• The location is important for a film because it gives the setting of the film. Most of the time thrillers are set in a urban or suburban area.

Thriller Sub-Genres;

• Action thriller; uses physical action to create suspense in the film.
• Crime thriller; based more on the criminal than police.
• Physiological thriller; overlaps with a horror.
• Spy thriller; usually a spy completing a mission.
• Supernatural thriller; either character has a physic ability or film is out of this world with tension, plot twists and suspense.
• Conspiracy thriller; when hero confronts a large group of enemies.



The clip above is from the film 'Taken 2'. This demonstrates several conventions and shots that are seen in thriller movies.

Firstly there are many shots of the car driving to establish that the car they are driving is there car.

When the antagonists look in the car, the shot pans around to make it look like they are looking inside the car. This is a point of view shot. This is so we can see what they can see.

There is no music in the background of the scene but there is street noise to show that they are in a public area. After a while it is shown that they are in a market stall. Every couple of seconds a short soundtrack will fade in to create tension. Also the sounds of the car a intensified.

When the intensity and adrenaline speeds up the shots become shorter.

Typical Thriller Films;

Seven



Silence of the Lambs



Cellular





Taken

        

Inception

 



Feedback - Miss Spencer

Your analysis of Incention is competent, you pickup on many of the elements within the opening that contribute to meaning. However it needs mor work. When you say the shots switch rapidly, you could improve this by making it clear you understand this is editing.

You should also use DISTINCT
Don't
Ignore
Setting
Technical code
Iconography
Narrative
Characterisation
Themes
You probably covered the setting and technical code (but it needs more mise en scene and editing discussion) but there is little for the rest of the areas.

Level 2/3 border. These improvements would secure a good level 3

Angus, thongs and perfect snogging
Again a decent analysis, and you go further into the DISTINCT formula. go ovet this again and see if you cna cover the areas you have missed (themes and some of the technical code as well as iconography) also can you change eye birds view to birds eye view...

Similar level to above.

Task:2.1 Thriller Film Analysis: Inception

Thriller Film Analysis: Inception

The opening music is loud and sounds like a trumpet it being played. The title 'Legandary Pictures' appears on a black/grey, cloudy background. It slowly gets louder and then fades out which creates tension.


The first image we see on the screen is the serenity of crashing waves (slightly slow motion) which is seen as a pleasant, soothing sight however after a few seconds a washed up body is revealed which is more unpleasant. Which contradicts the mood. Immediately we are unsure of what's going on as the character opens its eyes to see a scene of a child laughing and shouting. We, at this point, are unsure of whether it is real like or a hallucination. The shots cross back and fourth from the character laying on the beach and the children playing which suggests that they are linked in some way in the story. The close up here of the main character allows the audience to get a bit more of the story as we can make out some cuts and bruises, which automatically makes the audience question what has happened.

The noise of the waves and the children's voices are drowning out the character thoughts as they are loud and exaggerated. We can see the character is confused as shown by his facial expression.

The shots switches very rapidly. There has been no establishing shot to set the scene therefor the audience is unaware of what's happening. However soon after a giveaway is shown of a beach, with cliffs and a house. We are unaware of whether the character lives in the house on the beach at this point.

A shot is shown of the character lying face down and a second character is introduced as he pulls up the back of the first character top to which a gun is revealed, this tells the audience that the genre of the film is a thriller.

In the second setting a prop placed on the table. To an audience this is a unimportant prop however further on in the film it is shown to be very important therefor establishing it in the opening sequence allows the audience to recognise it further on in the film.

After the first minute the music becomes very deep and quite in the background of the dialogue which reflects the characters to be antagonists. Prior to that their is light music in the background as there is hardly any dialogue in the first minute.



Task:2.1 Romcom FIlm Analysis: Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging

Opening Sequence Analysis For Romcom: Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging



title sequence from 0.33 - 4.10minutes.

Shots;

• Camera follows car whilst driving as the father is following his daughter in the car.
• Establishing shot when character was running to set the scene  of where they are. They use connotations of town eg; when she runs horizontally with the sea to show that the film is set by the seaside.
• Point of view shot when she walks into the party and everyone stares at her to show the feeling that everyones looking at her so the audience knows how it feels
• A few eyebirds eye shots; one when she was running in the fancy dress costume and the second when she jumps into bed and cries because shes embarrassed.
• Hardly any close up shots, maybe because in the first scene they don't want to get too intimate with the characters as they just want to set the scene in the opening sequence.

Editing;

• Each shots is fairly long as it follows the main character running through the town however the pace of the character is represented by her running.

Sounds;

• At beginning of the scene we hear light hearted music and we also hear hand snapping/triangle playing, then speeds up then fades in and out.
• Another connotation of the seaside is seagulls and you hear them throughout the opening scene
• Theme tune fades in quickly and loudly. Still hear the street noise in the theme song eg cars driving past, bike bell, birds

Titles;

• The opening title of the film is white to suggest purity and swirly which is quite a romantic connotation, the fact that there is lively music being played whilst the titles are on suggests that the films genre is romantic comedy therefor the audience doesn't need to be told the genre of the film as it is known from the beginning.
• The way the credits are displayed aren't very 'romantic' like but they just pop onto the screen then disappear. however the swirly righting is continued.

Characterisation;

• Within the first few minutes of the film you can tell the main character Georgia is going to be a comical one as there are already a few jokes thrown in in this first scene. You can tell just from the opening that she's a teenage girl who sounds like she's having a mental breakdown half the time.
• The enemy or the antagonist is also introduced however this type is much different to a horror movie antagonist. As this is a Romcom this antagonist will inevitably steal the man.