THRILLER PRESENTATION

By Carina Schou

Thriller Genre – An Overview• Thriller is an broad genre of literature, film, and television, that branches into many different

sub genres – e.g.:

CRIME – ‘Usual Suspects’

MEDICAL- ‘Awake’

SCI FI – ’28 Days Later’

ACTION – ‘The Dark Knight’

PSYCHOLOGICAL – ‘American Psycho’

• Suspense, tension and excitement are the main elements. Thrillers are intended to give the

viewers a high level of anticipation, heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety

and/or terror.

• Thriller films are usually adrenaline-inducing, dark and fast paced. Literary devices such as red

herrings, plot twists and cliffhangers are largely used. Alfred Hitchcock used red herrings in his

films to confuse the viewers and therefore create suspense.

• Often the heroes are ordinary people, who are drawn into danger unwillingly/unknowingly. The

protagonists are usually men, but women can also take a lead role.

Narrative Conventions

TODOROV’S THEORY OF NARRATIVE

Todorov’s theory of narrative suggested that narratives were structured in 5 stages –1. A state of equilibrium at the beginning2. A disruption of the equilibrium by some action3. A recognition that there has been a disruption4. An attempt to repair the disruption5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

Todorov’s theory is very familiar to us as an audience and can be used in many different types of film narratives.

For example Collateral is a clear example of Todorov’s theory-Stage 1: Max (Jamie Foxx) the protagonist is in his taxi with a customer. The customer leaves.Stage 2: Vincent (Tom Cruise) gets in Max’s taxi and offers him money to drive him to 5 different places.Stage 3: Vincent reveals himself as a hitman.Stage 4: Max attempts to undermine Vincent, but his plan fails.Stage 5: Vincent dies, leaving Max to return to his daily life.

WATCH THE TRAILER – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzgjeBB6WG4

CHARACTERISATION• For the narrative to develop, the villain causes a narrative that must be resolved by the

protagonist/hero.

• Some characters are only associated with certain (sub) genres such as superheroes in action-

thriller films.

• In many action/crime thrillers, the protagonist will have a partner/or the other half to a duo.

• ‘THE FINAL GIRL’ - (term coined by Carole Clover in her 1992 book ‘Men, Women and

Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror film’)

The final girl is a character in thriller and horror films (particularly slasher films) that refers to

the last female alive to confront the killer and stop him killing, she is usually the one left to

tell the story. The final girl is typically a virgin who is sweet/innocent, which contrasts against

the victims who are usually hedonistic (i.e. drug use, promiscuity) – E.G. Lila Crane from

‘Psycho’ (1960): whilst investigating the disappearance of her sister, she covers Norman's

secret and saves Sam Loomis (Lila’s sister’s boyfriend) from the killer.

WATCH MRS BATES SCENE-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUn7cnlgjWI

CHARACTERISATION – PROPS/COSTUME/BODY LANGUAGE

Thriller characters (especially the antagonists) usually use props that indicate the genre, and contribute to the narrative. It can also offer information about the character that may not be presented in the film itself.

C COSTUME & MAKE UP• Offers historical context – ‘Arthur Kipps’ in ‘The Woman In Black’ – his Edwardian outfit gives us context for the film.• Social status – • Emphasizes a particular character within a certain scene – COLLATERAL – Vincent’s grey suit emphasizes his ability to blend in, therefore showing no one really knows him: COLLATERAL AIRPORT SCENE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6ij2S3Oz4A

FIGURE EXPRESSION/BODY LANGUAGE• Proxemics – the distance between each character indicates what type of relationship they have• Body posture – indicates the mood, status, age, gender• Eye contact – symbolizes relationships and power• Facial expressions – emotions/state of mind – E.G Jack Torrance in ‘The Shining’-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7JB68sLGY8&feature=related

THRILLER CHARACTERS• Antagonist – VILLAIN. Evil characters whose identity is often hidden for a large part of the film.• Protagonist – Innocent/Hidden dark past which is exploited by antagonist. Phone Booth is a good example of this: the protagonist Stu is cheating on his wife, which the antagonist

holds against him, telling him he will kill him if Stu doesn’t tell her.

VLAMIDIR PROPP’S THEORY OF CHARACTER• Vladimir Propp developed a character theory by analyzing the basic elements of Russian folktales which

can be applied when studying media. In the 100 tales he analysed, he came to the conclusion that there are 7 broad character types:

1. The villain (struggles against the hero)2. The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)3. The (magical) helper (helps the hero in the quest)4. The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)5. Her father (usually dies during or before the film/book)6. The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)7. The hero or victim/seeker hero, reacts to the donor, weds the princess.

THESE CHARACTERS CAN BE APPLIED TO ANY MAINSTREAM FILM, ESPECIALLY IN THE THRILLER GENRE.

Thriller Characters• The main plotline focuses on a mystery that must be solved.

• The protagonist(s) faces death, either their own or somebody else's.

• The antagonist/forces of antagonism are initially stronger than the protagonist's.

• The main storyline for the protagonist is either a mission or a character who threatens their

life/family, for example when the villain has the protagonist’s family hostage,

such as in Taken – Taken Speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgmO32IdwuE&feature=related

• The film's narrative is seen/narrated in the the protagonist's point of view.

• The two major themes that are most prominent in the thriller genre are the desire for justice and human

morality. E.G ‘Taxi Driver’ (Martin Scorsese, 1976), where the main character is disgusted by the immorality of the

outside world (Prostitution, drug use etc) and becomes a vigilante to make the world a better place.

•One aspect of a thriller is the presence of innocence in what is seen as a

corrupt world. (Themes of innocence are also important in slasher-

thriller/horror films- i.e. ‘the final girl’.)

• The protagonist and antagonist not only fight in a physical way, but in a

mental one as well. I.e. the antagonist might hold a dark secret from the

protagonist’s past against him/her.

• Characters are usually dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that

they are not prepared to resolve by accident. – (the idea of ‘extraordinary’

things happening in ‘ordinary’ situations)

Mise-en-scene‘Mise-en-scène’ is a French phrase and originates from the theatre. It literally means "put in the scene.” - in other words, mise-en-scène describes the stuff in the frame and the way it is shown and arranged. It encompasses the most recognisable elements of a film – the setting and the actors; including costumes and make-up, props, and all the other natural and artificial details that characterise the spaces filmed.

Typical thriller settings: The location for thrillers can be set anywhere, but can vary slightly depending on the genre or subgenre (for example, a crime thriller wouldn’t be set in space).The location is usually urban but in the ‘darker’ areas E.G:• Cities – usually back alleys and tunnels• Forests/wooded areas – ‘cabin in the woods’/deserted woodlands make a good isolated setting, which is perfect for a psychological kidnapping/horror thriller.• Hospitals and schools – Regarded as safe places which makes the spectator uncomfortable and makes their fear more realistic as it is a setting that they are familiar with.• Houses – often thrillers are set entirely in one location e.g. “Cherry Tree Lane”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq9O7sIUfYQ - setting a thriller in such an ordinary location makes the viewer even more unnerved/scared as they can relate to the homely environment.

Props and Decor: Props and décor in mise-en-scene are very important as one look at the setting can tell the viewer about the location, narrative and characters/character’s role in film. It can even give more information on the character such as social class, status and what job it has within that scene. Props are particularly important as they can be weapons used by the antagonists I.E Freddy Krueger’s hand – which is an iconic thriller weapon.

Lighting: Lighting is important because it can create different types of moods. Desaturated light (blue/low-key tones) gives a cold/unwelcoming sensation which is perfect for night time/dark settings in thrillers. Saturated (the opposite of desaturated) is warm and bright but can give an intense feeling to the scene which could be used in a very gory/bloody scene.

Costume: Costume is similar to props and décor in the way it can give a lot of information about a character, like their social class and status. Costumes help the viewer to associate the characters with certain stereotypes, E.G in Shutter Island at first Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is not named as a detective but his clothes suggest that he is.

Figure Expression:

Mise-en-sceneSETTING:Setting creates both a sense of place and a mood and it may also reflect a character’s emotional state of mind. It can be entirely fabricated within a studio, but it may also be found and filmed on-location.

FIGURE EXPRESSION: In the image above of the film ‘Brick’ (Rian Johnson, 2005), we see Brendan, the protagonist crouching in an upright foetal position. This suggests he is in shock over seeing the dead body, implying he is not the killer.

The location (a tunnel) also suggests a remote setting and that the body has been placed there on purpose.

LIGHTING:The lighting is desaturated to give a cold effect, and it is low-key with shadows which alludes to the murder that took place there. The dinginess of this picture connotes danger and negativity which are associated with drugs/death.

COSTUME: Although we don’t see his face in this picture, in the same scene there is a close up of his face, where we see he is wearing glasses and has dark unkempt hair which suggests he is intelligent but also a loner. His outfit is jeans, smart shoes and a coat which shows he is just a normal young man who has been unknowingly dragged into a dangerous situation.

OPENING TITLE SEQUENCEThe aim of an opening title sequence is to show the title of the film. It also shows the main members of the cast and crew for copyright purposes. Over time, this has changed from being purely about the legalities to being a way of introducing the narrative to the audience.

NARRATIVE: The title introduces the key themes of the film, such as in Se7en, where the seven sins are presented in the OTS, showing the main theme of the film.

SHOOTING TECHNIQUES: shot sizes, handheld, steady, etc – presents the character's) in different ways, E.G an establishing shot introduces the location and sets the scene for the characters to be introduced.

TITLES/TYPEFACE: The titles are usually placed in a place where they are the most visible, but don’t detract from the opening scene. Sans Serif is usually used as it is simple and much easier to read, it is also used more commonly in Thriller OTS.

AUDIO: Usually at the beginning of the OTS there will be an opening song or score which introduces the film and can sometimes represent the genre of the film. Other times an OTS will have diegetic sounds (i.e. natural, every day sounds like birds singing and cars driving past), which isn’t used so commonly in thrillers.Another type of audio used in an OTS could be a voiceover, most likely of the protagonist telling the story.

SAUL BASS Saul Bass (May 8, 1920 – April 25, 1996) was a graphic designer and filmmaker, perhaps best known for his design of film posters and motion picture title sequences.He became the king of title sequences, revolutionising the way they worked in films, and the way people look at them now.

Bass worked for some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. Amongst his most famous title sequences is the disjointed text that races together and apart in Psycho. Psycho OTS- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tek8QmKRODw

FILM TITLE SEQUENCES: • Goodfellas -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8pQJOeTkFs•Vertigo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz46qS38OgM• Cape Fear - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoO0ZsQ7tBg

“Design is thinking made visual.” – Saul Bass

CINEMATOGRAPHYEstablishing shot: First shot of a new scene, usually designed to introduce a location and to show the audience where the action is taking place. Usually a wide or extreme wide shot. Although not uncommon, establishing shots aren’t often used as many thrillers used Restrictive Narrative to keep the audience watching and guessing right until the end.WATCH AN ESTABLISHING SHOT - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyDifF2_Csk

Cinematography is the creation of motion picture images.

Wide Angle Shot:The subject or object takes up a full frame with ‘safety room’ above and below it. It is usually used as an establisher. Long shot:

Often used to show surroundings and the subject/object is at a distance from the camera.Can be used in thrillers to present a setting (mise-en-scene but is not always commonly used.

Point Of View (POV): Shows the shot from the actor’s point of view. The audience feel like part of the action and it creates tension/anxiety which makes a good thriller. WATCH POV SHOT - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp5mLbSpKT8&feature=related

Associated Point Of View: The camera is positioned behind the subject, so the spectator can see it from the subjects perspective or their own. – This shot helps the audience to follow the dialogue and see both characters’ figure/facial expressions.

Extreme Close-up:ECU: often used with eyes, shows extreme details. ECU’s are good to use in thrillers, as eyes are ‘the window to the soul’, which highlights the emotions and the viewer sees what the character is truly feeling.WATCH AN ECU: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7q2pFDpfMwMid-shot/Medium

close-up/close-up: MS: Subject and surrounding fill roughly equal parts of frame, shot finishes above the waist.MCU: Just head and shoulders.CU: Shows small part of the scene, usually a character’s face.

CAMERA ANGLES:Camera angles can change the mood of a scene, a low angle can heighten the importance of the object or person which gives them power and respect, and the opposite applies to high angles, they can make the character look weak and small. Low angles are good for villains/murder scenes which make the antagonist look powerful and terrifying. High angles are often used when there is a victim/protagonist in trouble to make them appear vulnerable.

CAMERA ANGLESHigh Angle: Shows view from above subject, which means the camera looks DOWN on the subject. In thrillers it is commonly used to make the character appear weak and vulnerable.

Low Angle: Shows view from below the subject so the camera looks up at the subject. Used to make subject appear powerful. It conveys the weakness of the victim and the power of the antagonist which is an important key in thrillers. WATCH CITIZEN KANE LOW ANGLE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReHAg29c-64

Handheld: Creates a shaky effect, as if the character is filming it, or a more personal version of POV. Gives a realistic feel of tension and anxiety that the viewers can see through the character’s ‘eyes’.WATCH HANDHELD EXAMPLE ‘Amores Perros’ -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5HTBYR7m0o

Pan: Horizontal camera movement where camera moves left to right on a tripod.

Tilt: Moves up and down. WATCH CAMERA TILT (0:00 – 0:05 SECONDS) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9JWgU9YVcU

Tracking shot: A movement parallel to the action- the camera follows/tracks next to the action. Most thrillers contain a lot of action, so it is a good angle to use to follow the action in certain scenes. WATCH GOODFELLAS TRACKING SHOT - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1mHtkpkxiA

Reverse tracking/Dolly zoom: This is also known as a ‘Hitchcock zoom’, the camera moves in or out on a dolly or track, at the same time as the lens is adjusted to stay the same size in the frame which creates an unnatural effect. The unnatural effect creates a feel of discomfort which is typical of thrillers. WATCH VERTIGO HITCHCOCK ZOOM SCENE (0:45-1:10 seconds)- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7sznnL0NZ0&feature=related

SOUNDDIEGETIC SOUND• Diegesis – internal world• Diegetic sound –naturally occurring sound i.e. birds, children playing, cars driving. THE DARK KNIGHT DIEGETIC SOUND EXAMPLE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBROSkcatJs

• Non-diegetic – the sound has been purposely placed there/been added in post-production during the editing process.E.G:-Voiceover-SFX -Film score/soundtrack-Theme music specifically written for the film and played in OTS and credits.Goldfinger film score (1:17-1:32) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVg23yjKl1g

Pleonastic sound (often non-diegetic) that imitates the screen action. PSYCHO SHOWER SCENE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WtDmbr9xyY - The music reflects the motion of the knife stabbing the girl.

Contrapuntal sound – opposition to what is seen on the screen/contradicts the action to create disharmony. A Clockwork Orange – 9th Symphony - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqpaxL2G2Zw

DESCRIBING SOUND• Volume – Describes level of

sound.

• Pace – Speed of music.• Pitch – Describes range of

sound.• Timbre/tone – Describes

texture of sound.

• Silence – Can be a powerful tool to create a mood than sound itself.

EDITINGTo create tension, thrillers use pace. Fast paced cutting helps create suspense, but at the same time long slow shots can make the spectator unsettled with anticipation. The pace of the shots normally go in unison with the music. Cross cutting is commonly used in thrillers. There is normally some kind of end to this sequence, when the two individuals or groups meet, in a final climax.

Editing – the stage in the film-making process in which sound and images are organized into an overall narrative.

Continuity Editing – the most common type of editing, which aims to create a sense of reality and time moving forward.

Jump Cut – An abrupt, disorientating device in the middle of a continuous shot in which the action is noticeably advanced in time and/or cut between two similar shots, usually done to create discontinuity for artistic effect.

Credits – the information at the beginning and end of a film, which gives details of cast and crew etc.

Freeze Frame – the effect of seemingly stopping a film in order to focus in on one event or element.

Cross Cutting – the editing technique of alternating one narrative action (scene, sequence or event) with another – usually in different locations or places, combining the two. Often used to dramatically build tension and/or suspense in chase scenes or to compare two different scenes.

Flashback – a scene or moment in a film in which the audience is shown an event that happened earlier in the film’s narrative.

Linear Narrative – a style of storytelling in which events happen chronologically.

Match on Action - A shot that emphasises continuity of space and time by matching the action of the preceding shot with the continuation of the action. (For example a shot of a door opening after a shot of a close up of a character’s hand turning a door handle)

Typical Thriller Target Audience

Typical thriller target audiences don’t have one specific audience as there are many aspects that appeal to people of both genders and of various ages.

AGE CERTIFICATE:12/15 are the most common age certificates for thriller films, 18 being slightly rarer as not all thrillers contain elements of an 18.

AGE: The most general ages for watching thrillers are 15-30 (the ‘young’ age group) and 30-50 (‘middle aged’ group). This is because thrillers don’t typically interest younger (12 and below)/older (50 and above) age groups due to scenes of violence/complicated narrative/drugs/death.

GENDER: Thrillers can appeal to both genders, for example males may be more attracted to the action and violence aspects of a thriller, whereas females might prefer a strong male protagonist/hero throughout the narrative.

EXPECTATION OF THRILLERS: When watching a thriller film, audiences expect certain things that make it engaging and enjoyable to watch. Thrills and excitement are a prerequisites of a good thriller, twists and ‘cliff-hangers’ in the narrative create an emotional rollercoaster for the viewer immersing them in the film and leaving them confused right until the end. Without these suspense can’t build up and the spectator cannot experience the tension.

American Psycho Certification

• Sub-genre: Psychological thriller• BBFC rating of 18

— where the material is in breach of the criminal lawis in breach of the criminal law— where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to

individuals or to society – for example, any any detailed portrayal of detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous actsviolent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug useillegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sexual portrayals of sexual or sexualised violenceor sexualised violence which might, for example, eroticise or endorse sexual assault.

— where there are more explicit images of sexual activity explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context.

• American Psycho – strong and detailed violence, graphic sexual/sexual violence scenes, sexual assault, drug use and profanity

Sunshine Certification

• Sub-genre: Science Fiction/adventure thriller• Cert. 15• Violence & Gore– Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the

infliction of pain or injury. • Sunshine: Lots of blood and strong elements of violence

but not graphic scenes or imagery.• Language― There may be frequent use of strong language.• Sunshine - 11 uses of ‘fuck’ and milder language.

INITIAL IDEASIn order to form ideas for my own research, I took inspiration from various thriller films. They were all psychological thrillers as I particularly enjoy them and I like the elements of darkness they use. I chose Memento, Hide and Seek, Fight Club, Black Swan and American Psycho as my main influences for my initial ideas.

Character:I wanted the main character to narrate the voiceover as a sort of internal monologue. I thought this would link in well with his struggle with good and evil which I wanted to incorporate into the mind of the character. I also wanted him to be mentally unstable, with deep flaws. As the character would actually be two ‘people’ in one body, I wanted to give them different characteristics and mannerisms, as if they were two people. The ‘protagonist’ side would have deep seated insecurities that would be used against him by his other personality which would be bitter and loud.

Plot devices: Like any thriller, I wanted my narrative to have shocking twists and so I decided to make the protagonist the antagonist as well. I would do this by giving the main character a split personality, and because of the Restrictive Narrative throughout the film, the audience would not be aware of this until the end, just like in Fight Club when the Narrator realises Tyler Durden is a figment of his imagination.

Mise-en-scene:I wanted it to be set in a house for the day scenes, and for the dead body/violent scenes it would be set in the city in alleys, parks, deserted streets to represent the character’s darker, evil side. His ‘evil’ personality would have bags under his eyes, and sallow skin with yellow teeth to represent a perversion of himself, which would contrast with his normal self.Obviously the knife he uses to kill people, and eventually uses to kill himself is a primary prop throughout the film.

Narrative:Beginning of film starts with ending of film, protagonist is covered in blood. The rest of the film then shows the scenes taking place chronologically. The protagonist finds a dead body and becomes confused as to why the bodies keep appearing. He realises he can never exactly remember the moments before he finds them but always catches himself standing over them. He then goes on a violent mission to catch the killer, which takes us back to the beginning when he kills the ‘murderer’ who is himself, meaning he commits suicide by stabbing himself.

INITIAL IDEAS

OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE IDEA:I wanted to used the OTS as a tool to introduce the protagonist to the audience without revealing too much information and keeping it tense.

The narrative will be shown as the ending at the beginning, with the character’s voiceover and flashbacks to his past. This way I can use Restrictive Narrative to show only the scenes that are crucial for the audience to see so that they get some idea of what is happening in the character’s life.

I think that this genre of thriller and the character and location choices are very practical, as there are no special effects required and the locations are accessible. The characters don’t require special costumes, and the recurring theme throughout the film is ‘extraordinary things happening in ordinary places’ which will make it easier to shoot and base the narrative happening in the city.