Thursday 3 December 2009

Section 1: Background to the Thriller Genre

Background To Thriller Genre

Thriller Definition: from the Film Studies Dictionary. "Thriller is a loose genre term referring to any film that generates suspense and excitement as a major aspect of its narrative."Theories about Thrillers;G.K. Chesterton: The Transformed City- Chesterton argued that thrillers took urban settings and transformed them into exciting locations for dramatic stories.- For example; Seven - the unnamed city, full of crime, grim and depressing. Mission Impossible 3 - the Vatican is transformed into a criminal organisation. Batman - The Dark Knight - Gotham City, is a superhero thriller, the city is transformed into a superhero place which wouldn't normally occur.Northrop Frye: Heroic Romance - Frye argued that Thrillers were stories that took ordinary people and threw them into extraodinary situations.- For example; The Negotiator, Die Hard, Derailed, Spiderman, and War of the Worlds.John Cawelti: The Exotic- Cawelti argued that Thrillers took the elements of ordinary life and added an exotic element.- For example; James Bond, Jumper, and Wanted.W.H. Matthews: Mazes and Labyrinths- Matthews writes about how human beings have a fascination for physical puzzles - often seen in mazes and labyrinths.- Thrillers often use the idea of a mysterious quest in a confined location that feels like a labyrinth.- For example; National Treasure, Tomb Raider, Saw, Resident Evil, Di Vinci Code, The Mummy, and Indiana Jones.Pascal Bonitzer: Partial Vision- Bonitzer discussed how in thrillers the audience is only given a partial view of things, with important details being obscured. (Something which we, as the audience, do not know)- For example; The Sixth Sense.Noel Carroll: Questions and Answers- Carroll argued that thrillers are structured around a series of questions for which the audience is led to want answers.- For example; Stir of echoes, and The Others. Rowland Barthes: Enigma Codes - Barthes analysed all narratives in terms of codes, he said a good narrative should contain enigma codes (concept which is unknown)- He said that this was very important in thrillers for telling a story in a suspenseful way.

Section 2: Research into examples of thriller opening scenes

Red Eye
In the film Red Eye in the opening scene we see close up pictures of a girl, this indicates that the characetr must be improtant as we see so many different close up of different pictures of the girl. Each picture we see tells us something different about her, the photos of the girl tell the story as in one picture she is playing sport which tells us that she must be very fit,strong and healthy. In another picture we see her in a cap and gown too indicate that she has graduated wich connotes that she is very successful. We know already that she is a main character as there is very much focus on her pictures, also we know all these things about her but we do not know her name, or why there is so much attention on her, which leaves us wondering. There is also a picture of the girl with a man so we know already that she has a man in her life. Also in the opening scene we see a man put down a wallet next to these pictures of the girl, he walks away and then we see another mans hand take the wallet very swiftly which indicates almost instantly that there is some danger and that the wallet is important some how. We also see two men loading out a box full of iced fich then in the box a black box which they load into a van very quickly, as they are moving very quickly we automatically think that they are up to something bad. There are some office scenes that have close ups of blueprints of a penthouse. The man who takes the wallet throws away the credit card, whcih makes us wonder why and we know that the story must not be about money.
In the opening scene we are left ask many questions, like who is the man in the picture with the girl could he have sometihng to do with what is goin on? What is so important and special about the girl? Is the it her house that the wallet is being stolen in? Also there are the intitials J R on the wallet and we are left wondering who J R is? Whos hand took the wallet as we never see any faces apart from the girls on the picture? Is the building important that we see at the end? Why is the mans wallet important if he has throw the credit cards away?
The camerawork in the opening scene is mostly close ups showing detail, also a lot of forward tracking, to add suspense. There are many over the shoulder shots so we do not see the faces we see the actions and bodies.
The sound in the opening scene is very loud and heavy to create suspense and connote that something dangerous is happeining and it creates a bad atmosphere. The graphics at the begining are very small and black and white which can represent good and evil. Then the title comes up in red representing danger, evil, blood, death and anger.
State of Play
The setting of the film is in the city, Washington which automatically links to politics with the White House being there. We see a very busy road and busy street, this can indicate danger as there is so much going on that no one would notice danger as much as they would if its was a quiet place. Also it is a rainy dark night, which can connote stress and danger more accidents happen in the rain. Also creates an atmosphere rain is not usually a good thing so the atmosphere is very dark and stressful. Also we see two old people which connote fragile and naive, which makes them an easy target as we know they will not fight back if anything happens to them. We see the man run into the middle of the road , as he does he gets hit byt every car that puts him in extreme danegr and his urgency to cross the raod and risk his life must mean he is running away from someone and it is very important for his to get away, we know straight away that what he is being chased by can be life thretening as he is putting his life in danger. Also he runs through a shop and destroys everything in the shop as he runs through it and he carrys on running very unapologetic he is in such a rush that he is falling over almost all the time. the man who is running his clothes and his appearance suggest that he is not very wealthy or proud. he is taking very serious risks so it must be serious.
The actions of the character we see at first tell us that something bad is about to happen. Then he gets shot by a man that looks very professional and appears to have experience as he found the man straight away where he was hiding and as the victim was very tired and out of breath from running the man who shoots him appeared to be fine, he looked professional as he was holding a breifcase as well and also his gun was very quiet when he fired. The setting around the running man we see a political building , so it could have something to do with politics. As well the shooting man gets seen by an innocent passer by , which he shoots as he is a witness.
All these happening in the opening scene leave us thinking why did the man shoot him ? Who is the victim what has he done?
Also the next day we see a man going to the scene of the crime and wanting to know the names of the victims and this makes us wonder why he needs to know this information.
The camera work in the opening scene include big city shots, ariel shots, low angle then high angle shots. The big shots of the city set a professional atmosphere, also sets a buisness atmosphere as in the city is where all big companies are based are where most importantt buiness goes on, so this also sets a serious atmosphere that the man is being killed for serious reasons. In the first 3 shots the camera is still, and it pans and titls. Then the camera follows the man running. We then see a close up of the victims face so we feel sympathy for him when he dies. Also the close up shows us the mans facial expressions showing him very worried, this creates more sympathy. Then as the killer runs off the camera stays with the victims leaving us to see what happens to them, also this creates a question for us where does the killer go? who is he? What was his purpose?
The sounds in the opening scene are diegetic, as we hear the characters breathing. Then there is very loud tension building music. We also hear the sounds of the city including helicopters and cars on the road. We hear people muttering , the pattering of feet, the rain and also we hear his falling and colliding with cars.
The editing in the scene are long takes at the begining when it is calm then when the action kicks in the takes become shorter and snappier to create pace.
The font at the begining of the movie is small and blue then goes to white then flashes to blue- these coloures are the american flag which can connote the story could be political.
Seven
Seven is set in a busy city, this gives the idea that crime could go unnoticed. The city has lots of high tal buildings which can give the impression that the city can be intimidating and make finding things very difficult. Also we never know the name of the city which give a scence if mystery ans earyness. Also the city is a very dull looking place with no sun or colour, all the building are grey, this sets a dull atmosphere and implies that there is goin to be something bad and mysterious going on. The setting plays a big part in setting the atmsophere, and mysteriousness. By the city being un named it highlights how the city is mysterious and not many would want to stay there, also that many things could happen that are mysterious which shows how the city could be dangerous and very un welcoming.
The film is based around the seven deadly sins and in a very constructed oreder as the film is set in seven days, also the detective has seven days until the detective retires, this shows how organised and thought out the killings were and how clever and deceiving which can give an intimidating atmosphere between the detectives and the killer showing how the city can be deceiving but also organised.
The characters in the film are detective Mills and Somerset. They both are very different and opposite in everyway.
Mills- Detectice Mills comes across as a very strong character, he is very passionate about his work. Also we see his wife and how he loves her, this can also highlight a weakness as this could be an easy target for the killer. He is also a lot younger than Somerset which means he is less experienced. Mills always seems in a rush and his clothes are always creased, and never look clean, this can lead to him comeing across unorganised and scatty. As he is young he can be very energetic but always needs coffe to wake him up in the morning.
Somerset- Somereset is a lot older and more experienced and knows what to expect and how to handle things. He comes across as being very lonely and as if work has taken over his life as we never see his family and always see him very organised at home. This can show how work has made him lonely and we understand why he is resigning, and we see everyday how trired he is of being lonely. He also tries to pass his education and certain ways of dealing with his temper but it fails in certain ways as the killer gets the best of Mills in the end which Somerset is scared of all along.
Fight Club
Narrative Structure-
The film comes across very complex towards the end as the main charcter and his alter ego that he wants to be, he then sees this man as a real person and develops a life around this character, we constantly see the "imanginary friend" and him fighting and they create a very realistic friendship which makes us beleive that they are vey much two different people. Only towards the end we find out that they are both the same person but he has developed a divide in his mind. This gets him very much trouble as he has started a club based around fighting which quickly gets out of hand. He then is constantly on the run from his troubles and finds himself lost without his alter ego but then he fears this as the alter ego is the one that is causing all the trouble in his life.
Jack- Jack is very lost in the big city that he lives in, he own an appartment and he has an obession with buying furniture, but becomes very bored and frustrated with life. This leads to him developing insomnia. Jack works in an office which he is very bored with and finds very alienated. Jack is very unhappy with his life he sees it as dull and boring and constantly wants to break out of the normal.

Section 3: Brainstom of ideas for your film

Idea 1- A strange boy or girl that is disturbed by being stalked by a demon that appears in the form as a normal man. He could be her brother and we do not know. Girl has powers that only she knows about and the demon is trying to kill her because she has human blood.

Idea 2- Two evil villians that are friends at first and then they both fall out and split up and go to war with each other.

Idea 3- A girl has a valuble that she does not know is worth billions as her dad gave it her. There is a group of people that know about this valuble and they killed her dad that she does not know about. They all then come after the girl but do not succeed.

Idea 4- Someone owes drugs to a dealer and hasnt payed his debt, the delear then comes after him trying to kill him.

Idea 5- A kidnapper lingers outside a primary school and waits to kidnap children in his van.

Idea 6- Mysterious deaths in a collage, likely to be a student or a person unknown. No one finds out who it is.

We also came up with the idea of a man stalking a girl and he comes to her house and tries to kill her.

Section 4: Audience Reseach - and reasearch into BBFC film classification system

Research Into BBFC Film Classification System.

15' - Suitable only for 15 years and over.No-one younger than 15 may see a '15' film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a '15' rated video or DVD.Theme.No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate to 15 year olds.
Language.The may be frequent use of strong language (e.g 'fuck'). But the strongest terms (e.g 'c*nt') will be acceptable only where justified by the context. Continued aggressive use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.Sex.Sexual activity may be portrayed but without strong detail. There may be some strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.
Violence may be strong but not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.Imitable techniques.Dangerous techniques (e.g combat, hanging, suicide and self harming) should not dwell on imitable detail.
Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.Horror.Strong threat and menace are permitted. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.
.Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.

Section 5: Treatment

Treatment for Obsession.
Obsession is a teen thriller that will address real life situations that will bring to light many scary situations.

Concept

Class mate becomes obsessed with a girl. The girl has no idea he is in love with her as he barely speaks to her or anyone else. He becomes overly obsessed and begins to lose his mind as he goes to extremes to try and kill her.

Synopsis

Beginning
A school boy, James is unusual and quiet as he is fostered and often stays in a foster home , he has never met his mother or father. All the pupils at his school often think James is very strange as he is very quiet and when he speaks he comes out with unusual things. He is not your typical teenage boy. One girl Sally, Shows him some attention and kindness one day by feeling sympathy for him and smiling at him and asking if he is okay. James falls instantly in love with Sally.

Middle
James then begins to think about Sally all the time and even follow her around school without making it obvious. Sally becomes the point of living in James’s life as she comes across to him as the only nice genuine person in the world as all the other teens make fun of him. James quickly becomes obsessed with Sally, and takes it to the extreme as taking some of her belonging and keeping them he begins to find out where she lives by following her home. James asks Sally out eventually but she already has a boyfriend and lets him down gently. James automatically sees this as ultimate rejection and the end of the world, James reacts as if he has nothing to live for as he has become so obsessed with sally. One night he decides that his only way that him and Sally can be friends is if they both die, together. James follows Sally home one night from school to make sure that she is going to be in. He then goes home and collects his weapon that will bring him to Sally’s death and also his. He walks up to her house one night while Sally home alone, he knocks on the door and barges his way in. Sally Struggles free from his grip and manages to ring the police but already a neighbour has shouted and James runs off. James then goes missing for a few weeks.

End

Sally and everyone else think that James has left town for good and she has no worries. Until one day Sally on her way home from work is attacked by James but manages to struggle free again and run. She instantly calls the police and James is found and arrested. Sally is relieved and then James is released from prison and comes after again, this time he succeeds.


Opening Scene

The film will begin with a pan of photos of the main character, Sally. The close ups of the photos hint that this girl is the main character and something bad may happen to her as the photos are making us remember her face. Then the camera goes to a shot of the actress picking out clothes from her wardrobe. We see the girl putting down the clothes on bed and walking out and closing her door. Then we see a strange hooded man walking looking very suspicious down the street. We see cross cutting of the girl getting ready and the boy walking which allows the audience to think that he is going to where this girl is. Then we hear a knock at the door and the girl goes to open it and leaves us on a cliff hanger.

Target Audience

The target audience would be teenagers 15+ , it would also be a good film for adults to watch. Teenagers can relate to the characters in the film. Also the serious realistic story line can shed light on what can happen in real life so it can raise awareness to lots of young people.
The film will have a 15 certificate as there will be swearing and violence within the film and a disturbing nature which will only be suitable to age 15+.
Other Details

Locations will be very ordinary and simple to make the film more realistic. Also locations that can highlight backgrounds of the characters like the boy walks past a field which then bring his animalistic side out as he is not normal and more animalistic than human as he is killing an innocent.

Characters
Sally- 17, Small, Blonde, girly.

James- 18, tallish height, quiet, strange different, mysterious.

Section 6: Character Outlines and Script

Character Outlines
Sally
Sally is 17 and goes to a nromal public school where she shows kindness to a boy who is ridiculed. Sally is very kind and different from her friends as they picked on the boy who is very different as he has had a difficult up bringing. Sally is very popular and has lots of friends also a boyfriend. Her kindness gets her into trouble which she didnt realsie would happen.
James
James is 18 and goes to the same school as Sally a girl who he falls in love with and develops an obsession. He has had a very difficult upbringing as he has been in and out of different foster homes. This has left him a little shy and distant which therefor made him come across weird to students at school who made fun of him and left him feeling very lonely. James is mentally unstable and we soon find this out in the movie.
In the opening scene we dont have any talking as there is just music to build tension as the camera changes scenes from Sally in her house getting ready to go out and James on his way to her house looking very suspicious and creating a dangerous atmosphere.

Section 7: Production Material - Storyboards & Shotlists

Storyboards & Short list