Teen Thriller and Psychological Thriller

Teen Thriller and Psychological Thriller

GenreA teen genre is targeted at teenagers and young adults. The plot is normally based on specific interests that teenagers have, for example coming of age, first love and rebellion. Thriller is a broad genre in literature, film, books and has numerous sub genres. There are many sub sections to the thriller genre for example psychological thriller, conspiracy thriller and crime thriller. The sub genre me and my group chose out of these three was psychological thriller. Thrillers can be targeted at my different audiences depending on the narrative and themes. Teen thrillers will often be based around high schools (America) and college (UK) because they are teenagers/ young adults therefore the audience can relate because of the similarity in age.

Setting

Teen thrillerA typical setting in teen thrillers are suburban cities or small towns/ communities where there is a school. There will be an immediate connections with the audience because the target audience would be of a similar age. They are usually set here because schools are attended regularly and are a big part of teen life.

Psychological thrillersPsychological thrillers are usually set in small towns and communities or sometimes in places that are isolated e.g. abandoned houses, farms etc. They can sometimes change locations depending on the plot. For example some scenes are set in mental hospitals and prisons or in cities. They are set in these places because they can bring a lot of mystery and suspense into the narrative.

CharacterTeen thrillerStereotypical characters in teen thrillers are: The female victim portrayed as being venerable, usually attractive. Sometimes can be portrayed as dumb and annoying but other times can be smart. These types of characters help build suspense.

Non believer Can be portrayed as being cocky/ arrogant, tries to convince the other characters they are over reacting, usually the first to be killed because they are over confident. This gives the audience a sense of insecurity once they have been killed.

The hero Nearly always a male character. Tend to be the brave character and save the female victim but can often end up being killed right at the very end. In some modern films the hero has become a female, this makes the film more unpredictable because it isnt traditional.

The hysterical character Usually a female who cannot cope with what is going on leading to her being killed early one compared to the other characters. This characters hysterics cause a build up of suspense.

Characters

Teen thrillerThe Villain Can be a serial killer, ghost, monster, poltergeist etc. They are often human and will wear a mask or costume to hide their identity and to scared their victims. Never react normally to their injuries making them seem super human or unhuman. This will shock and scare the characters and audience. The villains who are monsters or ghosts will play on the fear of the unknown. This will play on the audiences fears and thoughts they have usually at night. This character will always have the biggest impact on the audience and will cause the most suspense throughout.

The couple - These characters will usually be to obsessed with each other and not realise what is going on. They are nearly always killed and have an impact on the audience because they get frustrated by them and their obliviousness.

CharactersPsychological thrillerStereotypical characters in psychological thrillers:

In psychological thrillers there will almost always be a character who is portrayed as mentally disturbed. This person is usually seen as the villain because normally their aim is to kill or harm people.

The stereotypical characters in psychological thrillers are basically the same as teen thrillers, the only difference is that the characters are usually more intense and are seen as more mature/realistic than characters in teen thrillers.

The female victim in psychological thriller is usually smart but ends up becoming overly confident making themselves venerable. The hero tends to always be the non- believer as well, they usually dont see the big picture of what is going on until the female victim is in danger. These two characters are sometimes very close therefore they can end up becoming the couple at the end of the film.

NarrativeThe typical narrative in the thriller genre tend to be based on a group of teenagers/ young adults getting themselves into trouble and some how get caught up with a killer/ criminal who causes them harm or torment. The harm causes is more mental than physical in these types of films. The antagonist will play some type of psychological game with his/ hers/ its victims. The victims will have to solve games, riddles and puzzles to be able to get away from the villain or defeat them. The narrative often involves scenes with weapons, drugs, police, car chases/ regular chases, creepy house, traps, psychological games, prison, hospitals etc. Thrillers have a lot of action scenes involving these elements to keep the audiences anticipation high. The narrative will start off very slow and then cut straight to action that is fast pace when the audience least expects it, going by the saying expect the unexpected.

IconographyLow key lighting, knives and confined spaces are just a few things that make the iconography of psychological thrillers.Knives andweapons can indicate danger. Theseobjects represent violence and murder. Confined spacesinpsychological thriller canmake the audiencefeel unsafe,insecure, in danger and uncomfortable. This is because claustrophobia is aimed to scared the audience because they canrelate to it. Iconic sounds in thrillers can also be identified in horror films because the two genres are so similar. Iconic sounds from thrillers are, screens, crying, knocking, creaking floor boards, gun shots and chains rattling.

Camera WorkBirdseye/ high angle shots are used to make the character on the ground look powerless and venerable.

Close ups are used to see the reaction of the characters face, this shothelps the audience seethe characters emotions clearly and capturedetail in important scenes.

Tracking or panningshots are used to watch movement, in thrillers these shots are used to show that the character is being watched or followed. It can also be an establishing shot so the audience can see what is happening or where the character is on a wide scale. When the camera moves it can also build suspense because the audience don't know what they are going to see next.

Reverse shot are used in thrillers to show consequence ofa characters actions, it shows characters under going realisation and can also show flash backs.

Tilted angle can add dramatic tension. It also shows something in a different way to how the audience would normally see it. A tilt shot can also be used to make it look like the character is on the floor and as the audience you are seeing what they are seeing.

An extreme long shot/ long shot can establish that it is a thriller film and can show the audiencethe setting properly.

Low angles can emphasis a characters power or show how scary/ intimidating they are towards another character. It canalso make the audience feel insignificant, intimidated and powerless. Again it can also make theaudience not like that certain character because theyare making them feel over powered orareintimidating the character that the audiencelikes.

Hand held camera shots can make thefilm seem like a reality to the audience because it is as if an actual personhas filmed the action, it can also make the audience feel as if they are actually there.

Point of view shots(POV) are taken from the character point of view that way the audience can see the film through the characters eyes and have a better understanding of the character. This is veryeffective in thrillersbecause the audience feels as if it is them and get emotionally attached thereforemakingthe audience scaredbecause it seems like the action for example a gun being pointed in the characters face is actually happening to them (the audience).

Over the shoulder shots build a lot of tension and is also used to create suspense. It is especially used around mirrors andsurfaces that reflect so the audience can see what is happening as soon as the characterdoes.It is also used to show a figurestanding behind a victim.

Birds eye view Close up Tracking shot Reverse shot Tilted shot Long shot

Low angle shotHand held shotPoint of view shotOver the shoulder shot

Lighting

Lighting can help to define the genre of the film, therefore it is very important in any film. The lighting is also important for the audience to have a successful viewing experience.

Key lighting - is the brightness light which is very influential, It highlights the object making it stand out. It also allows the audience to be able to focus clearly on the person/ object its focusing on allowing them to understand the situation that object/ person is in.

High key lighting - is used to create a realistic light. It is used when shooting a scene which are outside during the day.

Low key lighting - in these films can represent and imply danger and uncertainty, it also makes the setting seem very disturbing and unsettling. This can warn a character if a place or a person in dangerous. Low key lighting canalso be used to only show one side ofa characters face, in psychological thrillers this represents asplit personality makingit clear to the audience that that charactercan also be dangerous indicating that there is more to that character than what meets the eye

Under lighting - comes from below an object/ person. This can create a distorted effect making an object or character look like a large shadow form, this makes them look mysterious.

Back lighting - is when the light comes from behind the subject, it has the ability to create silhouettes and new dimensions within the background. Back lighting helps to emphasis the thriller genre of the film.

Top lighting - is where the light is places above the character or an object. This technique is useful when highlighting a characters face to make them stand out. It is used in horror and thriller films because it creates a sinister effect on the subject.

EditingObtrusive and montage editing is used frequently in psychological thrillers. It highlights the feelings and emotions of characters and creates suspense within a scene. It is mostly used in key/ important scenes.

Flashback - Flashbacks are a typical convention in psychological thrillers because it shows what has previously happened. Flashbacks give the audience an insight into the characters past or highlights an important message that wouldnt fit into scenes and that the audience would not have known otherwise. Flashbacks are used to show the audience why the characters are the way they are.

SoundSound in psychological thriller is important because it creates the tensions and suspense, without this they would not have the same effect on the audience.

Sounds in psychological thrillers can be screams, crying, creaks, weather (wind, rain, thunder and lightning), evils laughs etc. All these sounds can be related to thriller because these sounds can be distorted to fit in with the thriller genre. Certain sounds are enhances, for example the wind opening a door and then the door creaking. Enhancing the sound makes the audience focus on it more, if done well this can make the audience feel more involved because they will feel as if they are there.

Instrumental music is a consistent theme in thriller and horror films. They create tension and this dramatic effect causes suspense. The instruments are used to build up tension, the music can be high pitched and very eerie to give the audience shivers. For example one of the most well known examples would be Bernard Hermanns psycho show music. This type of music is created to put the audience on edge.

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