By using Survey Monkey on the internet, we were able to create an account and produce a survey for a range of audiences to complete. In total we managed to get around 15 people to fill it out who were of a variety of ages and gender. Along with the interviews which helped us by giving more of an idea of who to aim our thriller opening at. We collected a range of responses however some areas people chose similar answers which will help us identify our target audience and help us decide what story line our thriller should be. By sharing the our survey monkey questionnaire to social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr to select a variety of answers.
To help analyse the results, I have created graphs and collected the data from each question:
By including this question at the beginning of the survey, it helps us identify the age range in which the public are interested in thrillers. The pie chart shows that more teenagers took part in the survey than middle aged citizens. This helps us to establish the targeted age to aim our thriller opening at and what sub-genre to select.
From looking at the pie chart displaying the answers from 'What do you expect from a good film?', we can see that the majority of the people that we asked would watch a film if the storyline/plot interested them and it was a unique style. This indicates that we need to make sure that our thriller storyline needs to be unique and capture a majority of the audiences' eye.
We decided to ask the audience what Thriller would attract them the most as it will give us an idea of what sort of genre is most popular. For example, The Dark Knight which is known as a crime/action thriller, endured to keep the audience watching with the action-packed scenes, giving them an adrenaline rush. The Black Swan and Shutter Island were also popular choices which may establish that the people questioned, enjoy watching recent films rather than 1990's films like The Sixth Sense.
How would you describe a Thriller film?
A dark twist that happens to either the main character or the supporting role.
Eerie effects.
Cliffhanger, mystery.
Tense, exciting, mysterious characters and good music.
Dark lighting, eerie effects, motivated cuts
Eerie, a twist in the storyline, realistic
Thrilling to watch- on edge of your seat.
Dark lighting, fast paced storyline
A story line which may be quite complex with some twists and good acting.
In this question, it seems that a lot of the people asked answered 'Different/unique storyline' which suggests to us that we need to create an original plot which isn't cliché and contrasts with other thrillers. Nobody selected 'Adventure' which shows that not everyone is excited about action and that they want a fast paced film which gets the adrenaline pumping from the start.
What makes a good Thriller opening in your opinion?
A clear introduction to each main character and an introduction to his/her life.
Camera angles and good music.
Immediate action.
Fast paced introduction, exciting action scenes and pulsating music/fast music.
Introduction to characters, intense scenes and music, different camera angles to identify different/important aspects of the film/scene.
The music.
Building of tension.
Camera angles.
Starting with an action scene with different camera angles.
The majority of people in this question preferred a Psychological thriller which isn't that surprising as most thrillers involve a mind-twisting plot that captures the audiences' eye. Mystery and Action were also very popular which will help us to decide upon which sub-genre to pick as mystery provides an exciting plot for the audience, which will attract them.
In order to know what our target audience dislike about some current thriller films, we decided to ask them. The most popular answer was films 'ending with an anticlimax' which is very common in thrillers as they are hard to master the ending to compliment with the film. Also everyone would prefer a different ending, some people have different opinions about the film's ending. Another common aspect in thrillers is an unrealistic storyline which also seemed popular with the audience asked. So in our thriller we need to think carefully about the plot, for instance make sure that the storyline hasn't already been used and try not to make it cliché.
From the analysis of these particular questions, we have found that our target audience prefer more recent and popular films like The Dark Knight, Black Swan or Inception.They tend to interpret thrillers as being the majority of the time having unrealistic storylines but more ending with an anticlimax. The majority of people asked tend to enjoy more of a Psychological thriller rather than for example a Medical as the film is more enjoyable when it includes a mind-twisting, tense and mysterious plot.
By gathering some audience research together, it will help us to identify our target audience in the genre, thriller, and what sub-genres of thrillers is most popular. So by doing some research it will help us decide on a sub-genre for our opening, such as a psychological, crime, mystery etc.
I have decided to look into a thriller film which will have a particular sub-genre.
The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest:
When researching 'The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest', I found some interesting websites which can help establish the popularity and people's opinions of this film. One of the websites I found was http://industry.bfi.org.uk/exitpolls in which I could click on a particular film and it would lead me to a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel. In this spreadsheet, I found out that the majority of the surveyed public were female however the percentage of men to women was very close at 49% to 51%. This tells us that this film was popular with both men and female. When looking at the 'Sources of Information', 30% of the public heard about the book beforehand which establishes that most people when going to see films, see the film because they have read the book already. This occurrence has also happened in the Harry Potter sequel, The Help, Mama Mia, Life of Pi, and the film before the The who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
I have researched 'The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest' thoroughly and I found on Amazon some personal reviews from the public. From looking at the results, the majority of people said they thought it was a 'great film' which indicates that a crime thriller is a popular sub genre. I think this is because it builds up a lot of suspension throughout the film and the action involved keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.
When focusing on the target audience of this film, the research shows that more people over the age of 35 saw this film rather than people under the age of 35. Perhaps this is because the film is quite complex and not suitable and appealing to the younger ages as the film involves murder and experiences with court cases. This film was cleverly produced as it attracted both males and females. I think the fact that the film included aspects in which females could relate to but also for the males, the film involved a lot of action scenes.
As previously said we have decided to carry out online audience research and find some secondary data that people have found, we have also completed primary research with interviews and questionnaires. In order to discover our target audience we are looking at opinions, figures and reviews to help us establish and guide us to who we need to aim our production at.
I was able to collect data on IMDb with a rank of the Highest Rated Thriller feature films with at least 1,000 votes. I have collected the Top 24 and published them in a excel graph which picks out the main information for them that is needed for my research. The original page is linked here.
With the help of this information I can look into why these films were so successful and how the Thriller was received so well and what an audience likes now. I am going to research into some of the older films and newer ones and try and find some recent information from them both as the audiences are different with each film.
Alfred Hitchcock Psycho
I thought the best place to research a Thriller was to look at the classic Alfred Hitchcock films and look at there reviews and figures. I decided to look at Psycho as it is the most highly rated of his films and it is the most popular meaning it could have some good information about it.
Psycho was rated no.11 in the Top rated Thriller films from IMDb. I decided to start my research on this film by looking at YouTube which gave me statistics from the original Psycho trailer itself and who watched it.
The link to the YouTube clip i got the statistics from is here.
The target audience shown from this film seemed to be Males aged 35+ possibly because it is an older film and wouldn't appeal to the younger generation as much. I could also see where the trailer was mostly viewed which was the U.S, U.K and Slovakia. This information could help us reach our audience once we have established who they are. The YouTube clip of Psycho had only 14,885 views on this particular clip but 0 dislikes showing how popular and good well received it has been.
After using YouTube I decided to find in more detail why the audience liked this film so much, I used the information from Rotten Tomatoes to do this.The information shows that 90% of audiences liked this film. Audience have written reviews on this website and this is a random example of some of them which have all issued 4-5/5 stars. Information from Rotten Tomatoes is also very recent information which makes the information more valid for what audience enjoy now.From this information you can see that the majority of the audience have found that they enjoyed the suspense of this Thriller and the slow build up of tension that is created. The top review also explains how they enjoyed the twist in the film. Many of the reviews I have read have explained how they believe that it is a Horror which may be an element of our Thriller opening that we would like to incorporate in and possibly attract the audience that prefer this. I have not come across a bad review of this film so far which gives us a good indication of what this audience enjoy in a Thriller.
Inception
I decided to look at a more recent well ranked Thriller. Inception was rated no.3 in the Highest Rated feature Thriller films and was released in 2010.
Inception's main trailer on YouTube has received over 14 million views with only 886 dislikes. Unfortunately the statistics for Inceptions trailer have been disabled so I decided to look at the audience that have ranked the film on IMDb itself and see who enjoyed it the most.
From this information you can see that both Males and Females enjoyed it just as much but more males have voted giving the impression that more gave watched it. I believe both males and females enjoyed it because it had a male and female lead. Under 18's rated this film the highest and seemed to have viewed it the most, whereas the lowest votes and least came from the over 45's which makes us believe that the target audience were not them and they did not enjoy it as much.
Both US and Non-US users seemed to enjoy the film equally. From the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes you can see that the film was very well received mostly getting 4 or 5 stars out of 5 and receiving a 93% success rate of likes from the audience. This film is very different to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho as it is described as more of a mystery, or as one of the reviews said a Sci-fi. The audience of Inception seemed to enjoy the 'pulse-pounding and utterly mind blowing edge of your seat thriller.' which I believe is what you want your audience to experience in any type of Thriller so I believe this is a good convention I want to incorporate into our own. It is also clear that storyline and the depth of the story really makes a difference for success and failure for a thriller.
After contemplating what film to look at for a final piece of online target audience I decided to use Rotten Tomatoes list of the top Movies that involve mystery and suspense which I believe is one of the main conventions of a thriller. A film that was rated as a high no.2 on the list was also on at no.9 on IMDb's list, Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Although I have already researched up a Hitchcock film I believe that his work is some of the most famous pieces ever and that all his productions are rated so highly that getting information about why the audience enjoyed his films then and now really gives us a good understanding of what an audience want in a thriller.
Alfred Hitchcock Rear Window I looked on IMDb again as I believe that it had a good amount of statistics and enough votes for it to be reliable information. On average Rear Window seemed to be well received by both male and females equally and had a wide range of ages liking it. I believe this could be because mostly a male is lead but they have a strong female character present in it also. It seemed like over 45 enjoyed it just as much and under 18 showing that it can appeal to all age ranges. I was also happy to see that Non-US and US users enjoyed the film although US users slightly more. I will continue to research why the film was so well received.
I decided to use Rotten Tomatoes to find the audience reviews as I feel as if the people who use it really enjoy their film and know what they want from them and so I find that this will give me a really good implication of what makes the audience really receive the thriller convention and take pleasure in watching it.
On Rotten Tomatoes the film obtained a 95% like rate from audiences and an average of 4.2/5 stars. From the reviews I can see that the conventions of a thriller are very present in this Hitchcock film especially the sense of voyeurism which the audience seemed to really enjoy. The audience keeps repeating 'The Master of Suspense' which they are referring to Alfred Hitchcock and I believe that his films are successful because of the classic suspense and mystery of a Thriller. From the reviews and the link between the films I have looked at I believe that suspense and mystery are key for the audience in a film and some of the worst thriller films possibly looked at action and had a different approach to a Thriller.As I was searching further into Rear Window I realised that Alfred Hitchcock's work was not just received well by the audience but was also a inspiration to other Directors.
http://explore.bfi.org.uk/sightandsoundpolls/2012/film/4ce2b6955c6ba is the website which I came across which had information about Hitchcock's films and how Rear Window was 53rd in the Critics poll and 48h in the Directors Poll with 11 directors voting for it. I believe that many Directors have come to Alfred Hitchcock's work to discover their audience and how they would like to have their films received and I have found some very enlightening and helpful information for my own Audience Research.
When doing my audience research about thriller films i found out that lots of people went to see thriller films if they were a remake of a novel and the book being such a huge success. this was the case with films such as We Need to Talk About Kevin 39% because it was based on the book and The Girl Who kicked the hornets nest, which is part of The Millennium Trilogy over 51% of people who saw this had read the book.
The demographics of an audience is always key. The gender of the person, what films men and women like is always different. Age is important for a thriller because they need to know what certification to pitch the film at. Other demographics would be
-Ethnicity
-Class
-Region
-Sexuality
-Religion
-Family
Another thing that is important about an audience is their Psychographics these are things that are different with every person that change their views of films. For example one's interests may change the way they look at a film, an example would be somebody who has read the novel may want to go see it when it has become a thriller film. Other psychographics are:
-Ideology
-Beliefs
-Morals
-Values
Another thing found when doping my audience research is that with thrillers its very even in gender when it comes to thrillers for example The Girl Who kicked the hornets nest.
Male
49%
Female
51%
and for We Need to Talk About Kevin it was
Male
46%
Female
54%
i believe it is slightly in favour of females in both these films because of a female main role.
Following on from our previous post about research methods we have now created our online questionnaire. Below is our online survey that will help us expand our research about our target audience. It will help us discover in more depth what our type of audience wants to see in a Thriller film. Our interviews gave us a good amount of detail but our answers were from a limited age and is not representative of the target audience. This online survey will help us to understand what a variety of demographics and psycho-graphics like to watch and give us a real insight of what to include in our Thriller opening.
We made the survey involve both open and closed questions to gather as much information as possible but we didn't make it too long so people will be more likely and willing to complete it. The questionnaire can be accessed here and we have also posted it on our social networking sites to gain more people to complete it.
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
For our first form of Audience Research we decided to directly speak to people in the form of an interview.We decided to ask questions needed to give us an idea of what people of all ages enjoy in Thriller, and what they expect from them.Opinions were also important as it gives us a closer insight into what they do not enjoy in a thriller so we can not make the same mistakes as some Thrillers made. We have decided to do an Open questionnaire as it is more likely to give us the information we need.
I interviewed a mixture of genders and ages.
My Interview First person- Age 16, Male Second Person- Age 27, Female Third Person- 45, Female
What do you expect from a good Thriller? First: A twist in the storyline and a mystery Second: Cliffhangers, jumps Third: Entertainment, Racing heart
What do you enjoy in a Thriller? First: Believable character, watching closely to not miss anything, confusion, leading you to believe something else Second: Different character personalities, big climax in storyline Third: Good storyline, believable characters
How would you describe a Thriller? First: Always gets you thinking, your always on the edge of your seat Second: Scary, Real -life (believable), dark, jumpy, tense, scary music Third: Tense, Jumpy, Keeps your on the edge of your seat
What makes a good opening to a Thriller? First: The start of the Thriller shows the ending of it (creates confusion), mystery Second: Gets your questioning, tense music Third: Immediately catches your attention, big beaty music, you question until the end of film (doesn't give anything away)
Your favourite Thriller? First: Inception because the start of the film shows the ending. The credits of Inception also show the mystery as the title 'Inception' is made out of a map Second: Taken because of the suspense Third: Fracture because it is about outwitting a cold hearted murderer and the tension
When establishing which methods of audience research to use, I think the best methods to use is an online survey to perhaps attract the teenager's opinions as they tend to use the internet more with social networking, and also do individual interviews to grab the middle aged/older citizen's opinions.
In the interviews we need to provide direct, specific questions that relate to our task in order to make our audience research as beneficial as possible. We need to ask questions that involve their likes/dislikes, their favourite thriller films, what they tend to expect, sub-genres and then link to a thriller opening. For an interview, open questions tend to be used to receive answers which include more detail, opinions and feelings. Whereas when a questionnaire is being provided, closed questions tend to be used which involve single answers, short phrases and also yes or no. They usually include tick boxes. They are more convenient and easy for the audience but you don't get as much detail as you would with interviews.
An example of a closed question would be "What sub-genre of a thriller would attract or interest you most out of the following? (please tick the boxes)"
-Action
-Psychological
-Crime
-Historical
-Mystery
An example of an open question would be "What do you dislike the most about thriller films?".
Anna's Interview:
I have decided to interview 3 people, the ages I have included are a male of 19 years (person 1), a female of 45 years (person 2) and another male of 50 years (person 3). This will help give an insight as to whether middle aged people are interested in Thriller films and if they are attracted by them. But it will also give me an idea if teenagers are interested as well.
"What do you expect from a good film? e.g. characters, camera angles, storyline, special effects etc.
Person 1: Good use of actors, something different about it. If British film, it will attract me more as good actors sucha as Colin Firth will be used.
Person 2: Well known actors involved with a good, interesting storyline. A film that engages the brain. If a humorous film, needs to be able to make me laugh. If a Thriller film, I would want to be genuinely scared which includes a good atmosphere within the audience.
Person 3: Has to have a unique style which includes a different storylines to other films.
"What is your favourite Thriller film and what made it enjoyable?"
Person 1: Inception. I think it is a good film as it is mind twisting and captivating as its about a dream inside a dream and so on. It engages the brain because it is a mystery and it keeps the audience like myself interested.
Person 2: My favourite thriller film would be Taken as when I was watching it, I didn't know what would happen next. It kept me captivated with the motivated cuts involved. I felt I could relate to the storyline as I am a mother of the same aged girl.
Person 3: The Silence of the Lambs. I enjoyed this film as it is plausible and well acted. It brought a good, unique storyline out into the world at the time. It was ahead of its time.
"How would you describe a Thriller film?"
Person 1: Camera angles from the antagonist's point of view to give to sense to the protagonist's that someone is watching them. Built up of tension in many parts to excite and build up hype of the audience.
Person 2: Dramatic, spooky feel, mind twisting. The music involved to be pitchy and strong. I would expect there to be occasional silences. Perhaps the music included would be recorded by an orchestra- non-diegetic sound.
Person 3: Weather conditions to be gloomy, dark and foggy or raining. Tracking of the cameras moving stealthily down corridors.
"What attracts you most in a Thriller film?"
Person 1: Good actors, action involved, fast speed and adrenaline pumping. An interesting, different storyline.
Person 2: Adventure, excitement. Usually completely different from normal way of life.
Person 3: Plausible storylines, fast pace, exciting.
"What makes a good Thriller opening in your opinion? E.g. music, camera."
Person 1: Introduction to some characters, clue of location. Motivated cuts included to hype the audience.Built up tension used by different pitches of music.
Person 2: Action sceme, perhaps a preview of what's about to happen- keeps the audience intrigued.
Person 3: Built up of suspense. Powerful imagery which draws attention and creates focus for the rest of the film.
"What sub-genre of a Thriller would interest or attract you the most?"
Person 1: Action, mystery, historical.
Person 2: Adventure and mystery.
Person 3: Historical, Serial Killer, Crime.
"What do you dislike the most about Thriller films?"
Person 1: Too complex, ridiculous, badly acted.
Person 2: Too realistic, if it ends with an anti-climax. -Need to end with Drama.
Person 3: Unrealistic, too long.
From looking at the results of my interview it shows that a wider range of people from different ages and gender is needed to discover what people really like to see in a thriller film. However, the interview does show that most males tend to have the same opinions, for example both the males I asked both said for 'what they thought makes a good thriller opening' that a good thriller opening needs to include a build up of tension and suspense.
I think to gain a real insight into what people may like, dislike or prefer in films, television programmes and in our case, the opening to our thriller film.
What is your favourite sub-genre for a thriller and why?
Answer 1 aged 49 (man):
My faviourite sub genre is a crime thriller, due to you not knowing fully whats going to happen until the climax of the film. Answer 2 aged 19 (man):
I like an action thriller due to the intense fight scenes and there normally being a strong battle between a good character and a bad character Answer 3 aged 49 (woman)
i like to watch thrillers that i have read a book of because i like to see if the intensity is portrayed in the film
Faviourite thriller film and why?
Answer 1
My faviourite film is probably Harry Brown due to it being very easy to relate to for me and that it has a strong meaningful storyline Answer 2
My faviourite thriller is deja vu with denzel washington i like this because i like the full on action through out the film and the tension between the two main characters, and denzel washington is my faviourite actor Answer 3
I like the films of the Millenium trilogy, due to me having read all three books and enjoyed them. i watched the films and they reached my expectations because they had me gripped all film long
What do you not like about thrillers?
Answer 1
I dislike thrillers when the storyline is very obvious and there is a lack of mystery, i like to find out what happens at the very end Answer 2
I dont like a love story in a thriller, i like it when its all about the storyline Answer 3
I dont like thrillers when there is too much action and explosions i like it to have me on the edge of my seat, but not to make me jump and be scary
Different audience research methods used can help us as a group to identify what aspects are important at the beginning of a thriller film, the type of audience that watch thrillers and how we can entice the audience at the start. This will help us establish what target audience to aim our thriller opening at.
Different audience research methods include; Questionnaires,Interviews, Focus groups, Online questionnaires and Data Collection.
Questionnaires A group of closed questions ask to the public, or your audience to extract specific information you want to know for research.
A benefit to a questionnaire is that you receive useful information quick and it is easy. You can also give a questionnaire to a large portion of your audience or the public without wasting time.
A drawback to using a questionnaire is that the public partaking in the questionnaire may not be able to explain their reasons for this as it is a closed question, so you do not receive as much information and it may not be very strong.
Interview An interview is when the researcher will ask the public or audience open questions, they then extract information on what they want to know and follow up or probe their answers with ones to get more information and detail from them, in a conversational way.
A benefit to an interview is that you gain a better insight into the customers wants, their opinions, their likes and dislikes and there is no set questions meaning you can work your questions around their personal feelings.
A drawback to an interview is that it is time consuming. This is a problem because it is very informative but asking enough people and bringing the information we gathered together from everyone means it is hard to analyse and will take a long time.
Focus Groups A focus group is a small group of people who have a discussion about a particular product or in this case a topic. It aims on a discussion more than responses to formal questions.
Benefits of a focus group are that the researcher can get information from body language, by seeing a response like this they can tell how they feel about that specific topic, the information is also easy to get, you are able to probe more answers and gain a deeper knowledge of their views and opinions and you can also gain the information quicker than if you interview people individually.
A drawback to a focus group is that focus groups may not be able to stay on topic and you can't gather the information you specifically need, the public may also feel peer pressure to answer like everyone else.
Online questionnaires An Online questionnaire is a questionnaire that you created set up online for the general public to be able to complete. It can have open and closed questions on it.
Benefits to an online questionnaire is that is it usually free, fast and simple to set up, quick and accurate to gather results as the website that your survey is linked to will gather the information for you. Anyone can access it on the internet also meaning that it is more valid to the population because you do not have to send out and collect the questionnaires that may not be able to reach the general public but using the internet it is possible.
A drawback to an online questionnaire is that people may feel less obliged to take part because they have not been specifically asked to take the questionnaire, there also may be technical difficulties that could postpone or stop people being able to access it, both giving you a lack of information.
Data Collection Data Collection is done to gather secondary research online from existing websites to gain an insight into the likes and dislikes, the success and fail and general knowledge of the topics information you need, in this case about a specific genre.
Benefit to online secondary research is that the data is already collected meaning it is cheap, easy and quick to gather.
A drawback to this is that the information may not be specific to your topic that you are looking for, so it isn't completely relevant to you. You could also not gather information from reliable sources making your data wrong and you may base your idea or topic on that.
From the benefits and drawbacks we have decided that we will complete the secondary research data collection but make sure it is from reliable websites such as, boxofficemojo, IMDb and independent.bfi. We are also going to do a small interview consisting on 3 people each, all different ages and genders making it informative but not time consuming, we are also going to create an online survey giving people opportunities t fill it in and giving us a large, informative and representative result that we can use to help us find our target audience.
In Media Studies, audience is the term used to describe those who consume media texts. For instance, films, television programmes, newspapers, magazines etc. For many obvious reasons, media producers and institutions like to consider audiences in groups. To investigate how large their share of the mass market was, television companies and advertisers came together to perform new techniques of market research. This involved quantitative surveys where they attempted to count how many people they reached. Most commonly used was the system of television ratings which still today, has an enormous effect of the workings of TV stations.
We can divide our audience into two categories; demographic and psycho-graphic.
Demographics involves the audience's:
-Gender
- Ethnicity
- Age (certification)
- Social Class
- Region
- Sexuality
- Religion
- Family
- Education/Occupation
This clip is the start of the thriller The Usual Suspects, it does not include the credits which is a pan of the sea introducing the actors in the film.
The Usual Suspects is a crime thriller, written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. The thriller which received 2 Oscars starred Stephen Baldwin and Kevin Spacey, the film includes a twisted storyline about a boat that was destroyed and the key to the mystery lies with the one survivor whose story leads to five crooks in a police line up.The conventions of a thriller are shown through the camera, editing, Mise-en-scene and sound to create tension and mystery.
Camera by Whole Group In terms of camera, there is a frequent tilt involved to reveal an identity or a situation. For example when the fire is lit there is a slow tilt to establish the character on the boat urinating to prevent the fire from spreading any further. This presents a sense of mystery to the scene as the camera slowly reveals the body of the man but the tilt is cut just before the character's identity is shown. Between cuts there is a zoom in on the ropes which gives a sense of voyeurism as to the audience, it feels as though the scene is being watched.
Mise-en-Scene by Aimée
Mise-en-scene is used to portray the thriller conventions into the opening of The Usual Suspects by creating tension and mystery. The location of this opening scene is firstly shown by the camera by using a pan, it is the sea and the pan of the camera that shows the wide range of emptiness which establishes the setting. The sense of being alone in this scene makes the audience possibly feel tense as to why it the characters in the scene are alone and if them being alone will create danger. The location is established in the scene with editing showing a matched cut and the camera showing a zoom on ropes giving the impression that they are on a boat, supporting the credits of the sea. The props in this scene give a sense of the characters and the mystery of the opening scene. After the credits you are introduced to the scene by matches being lit for a cigarette in a line which was then dropped into some fuel, this creates a sense of danger for the audience as fire may be hard to control, we are then shown another fire source later on in the scene which is a gold lighter.This may create tension as to whether the lighter is going to be used to create fire but it also shows the wealth and power that that character has in contrast to the box of matches. This is a binary opposition possibly showing the protagonist v antagonist or weak v powerful, the use of binary opposition create a tradition convention for a thriller. The wealth of this character is extended by the used of camera showing a close up of a gold watch. A eye-catching prop used to create apprehension is the leaking oil barrel, after seeing the fire being created by the small matches makes the audience realize the possibility and danger that there may be a fire. In the scene you are shown various dead bodies firstly by the fire passing one man and the wealthy man walking past another with a gun indicating he is the antagonist, this constructs the sub-genre for this Thriller that it is crime and violence which are main conventions of a thriller.The lighting of the scene is very dark but the characters are shown through a reaction shot when the lighting up of a cigarette from the gold lighter is used revealing the face; again fire being a hazard.The lightening at the end of the scene is brighter to show the character and his importance when he is speaking to the investigators.
Editing by Anna
In the first 5 minutes of Usual Suspects, editing is used to emphasize the slow motion and detail in the scene. A slow cutting rate is identified to show the slow motion of the cigarette dropping to provide a tense feeling to the audience as they know it won't be a wise action to do. The slow motion is supported by the build up of sound which is known as a crescendo. This helps the audience to build up excitement for what's to come in the film as sound plays a big part in making people tense and eager. This is also supported with the slow cutting rate.
Near the end of the first 5 minutes, a zoom in on an area of ropes is shown to portray the sense to the audience that someone is watching the scene which is called voyeurism, commonly used in thrillers. After the camera zooms in on the ropes, editing is used to use the effect of dissolving to help hint to the audience that the next scene where the first character that speaks was the person watching through the ropes. The character in the next scene tells the audience the sense of the time and location when the previous scene occurred by saying: "It all started 6 weeks ago back in New York..."
Sound by Danny
This thriller has the non diegetic sound of an orchestra playing over the petrol lighting. This gives the effect of tension because the orchestra playing feels like something big is going to happen with the sound bridge building up to something. At the very start the lighting of a match the diegetic sound is over emphasized to add more drama to the scene this builds the effect of that he will use that light to do something important. Also you can hear the diegetic sound of pouring before you see what he's pouring or what/who hes pouring on, this adds the effect of mystery it gets the audience asking themselves questions of why and who so builds the thriller effect of mystery. The non diegetic sound of footsteps does the same you only hear them first so they also build this effect. Also the loud volume of the explosion shows how epic the explosion was giving the effect nothing will be left.
The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American thriller that blends elements of the crime and horror genres. It was directed by Jonathan Demme and stars Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Levine and Scott Glenn. It is based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris. In the film, Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee, seeks the advice of the imprisoned Dr. Lector to apprehend another serial killer, known as "Buffalo Bill". The film involves hyped scenes and action to excite the audience.
Camera by Whole Group
The use of camera in The Silence of the Lambs can create intense scenes and suspense to portray the thriller conventions. At the beginning of the first 5 minutes of the film the camera sets the scene and identifies the character by using a tilt to show the hill Agent Starling is climbing up and slowly approaching the camera on, which makes the identity of the character clearer to the audience. Voyeurism is portrayed when the camera follows the female which makes the audience feel as if they are involved and chasing the character. This can also bring in a sense of mystery which is a thriller convention early on in the film by making the audience question why she is running. The camera helps show the personality of the protagonist as it shows a side shot of her face where she is gritting her teeth as if to show determination. A zoom of the camera help establish the FBI building, which gives us a sense that this thriller will be related to a crime. The camera also zooms in on Clarice running which helps the audience to see her in context. Once in the office camera is used to show the reaction shot of the character when she see's the the shocking photos on the wall. After the reaction shot a point-of-view shot is shown to help the audience understand why she has reacted in the way she has and also tells the audience that the photos are an important aspect to the plot of the thriller.
Mise-en-scene by Anna Mise en scene is used in the Silence of the Lambs to help establish the story line, characters and location in the first 5 minutes of the film. The opening starts off in a known spooky location of a forest which gives out a eerie feeling to the audience and as forests are known to be spooky and mysterious, it links to how The Silence of the Lambs is shown as a thriller to the audience. The two ropes shown when Clarice Starling is running up the hill indicates to the audience that another person is meant to be running alongside her. This shows the determination the character has in the film and that she is possibly alone in the forest.
A medium shot is then shown to identify the character and what she does as on her jumper is says: "FBI Academy" which indicates her career and more information about the main character. The jumper she is wearing is sweaty which shows she is hard working and committed. The audience also soon know that the film involves mystery as a man runs after the woman, wearing a hat with capitals on the front reading: "FBI". The scene in the forest includes foggy weather and with the leaves on the ground establishes the season, Autumn. The foggy location is known to the audience as spine-chilling as it makes the audience aware that perhaps something might jump out or give out a sense of voyeurism. -This helps portray a thriller.
A long shot of the building establishes the FBI Academy and the people that work there are wearing different clothes which shows they are at work and gives a sense of mystery to the audience. When the main character is near the top of the building, she is surrounded by men in suits who are looking down upon her as if to say 'you don't belong here'. It shows the proxemics in this part of the building, especially in the lift where Clarice is the only female, the amount of men featured shows the dominance they have. Proxemics is also shown when Clarice is in the office as she looks like a schoolgirl who's noisy and interested in everything. A motivated cut is then used to help the audience get eager to know what she is staring in shock at. Once the cut to the photos on the wall is shown, this helps identify the plot to the audience as there are newspaper article headlining "BILL SKINS FIFTH" which tells the audience that the film will be gruesome with also the help from the photos shown. This helps establish that the silence of the lambs is a thriller as this genre usually has some gory scenes involved.
Editing by Danny
Editing is used to portray a thriller during The Silence of the Lambs, when a match cut is used when the main character goes into a lift. This portrays a thriller because she goes into the lift last when its full, then is the last to come out. What this does is show the importance of the situation, that she has to go to the very top of the police building to talk over it. A motivated cut is used when you see the main characters face in reaction to what she has seen on the wall. This portrays a thriller because you see her face before you see what she's looking at so its not a normal reaction shot because it leaves you on a cliffhanger like a traditional thriller. A cut from the opening credits to the location is used to portray a thriller. It cuts to a very secluded location which is covered with fog. This links to a thriller because everything is hidden.
Sound by Aimée The sound used in The Silence of the Lambs is used to create an immediate sense that it is a thriller and that the situation in the film is already untenable. In terms of sound the music plays a big part in the opening of this thriller by creating an eerie situation.The piece of music starts as high pitched then starts getting deeper and then becomes high pitched again. This music gives a tense suspense for the audience as the camera also works with it showing the forest but the mystery and suspense of not knowing what is going to happen. As we are introduced to the character when she is running the music starts getting faster, more mysterious and higher pitched, this builds the tension and makes us think that she is running away from danger or possible unknowingly is approaching danger. The music is then stopped, but the music possibly being in that area of the scene shows that the setting itself there may be dangerous and that's why tension is created. When agent Starling is in the office the trill on the clarinet and music then starts again when she see's the crime wall with the deaths on it, this makes the audience tense as the same music was used in the forest making a slight indication that it may be linked. The diagetic sounds of the eagles squawking and the clear crisp sound of the leaves makes a tense situation as the character Agent Starling is alone which makes the audience uneasy. The sounds of the prison gates and gun shots creates a picture of crime and death which is a sub-genre and convention of a Thriller. Finally dialogue is used both to introduce the character and create anxiety. The character is approached by a man calling her "Agent Starling"; he is a higher rank than her as she answers "yes sir". This helps introduce the character and establish her role, Mise-en scene also helps support this. She is also seen panting and out of breath which bring ups the question of why? and if she is running from someone, if so who?
How are the conventions of the thriller genre and the conventions of the film opening used in the Da Vinci Code?
The Da Vinci Code is a fast paced thriller where the main characters have to decipher clues in artwork, architecture and riddles to get to the bottom of a murder and save themselves. It is originally a novel written by Dan Brown but in 2006 was produced into a film. The film is directed by Ron Howard and the screenplay is written by Akiva Goldsman. The Da Vinci Code stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen.
Camera by Whole Group The use of camera in the opening scene creates a truly tense and mysterious opening scene for the Da Vinci Code. The use of camera was used to create a close up, this was of the paintings in Le Louvre; it was a close up of the peoples eyes that are present in the paintings.This is a traditional feature in a Thriller and it is used to create a sense of voyeurism like the characters are being watched which makes the audience tense that someone is around. Another way the camera creates tension and a sense of danger is using a hand held camera. This is used when the male staff is running through the gallery, this is used to represent his panic and makes the audience feel as if they may be running with him and part of this scene, this is also a way to make the scene more disrupted and uncomfortable. Following a character running through the scene can also show the setting, which gives the audience a greater understanding of where they are. Another thriller convention that was used in this opening scene was an extraordinary event in an ordinary setting. This is shown by an aerial view down onto the gallery roof as you see the male staff and the antagonist inside; the ordinary setting is also supported by the sound used. The sound used is diagetic of cars and general traffic in Paris. This creates a sense of mystery also as the conversation taking place in the gallery is not heard but the diagetic sound of traffic is in its place, the dialogue between the two characters is also an important piece of information which makes the audience want to watch on to know what was said and why it creates mystery and was not heard. Mise-en-Scene by Aimée
The Mise-en-scene used in the first 5 minutes of The Da Vinci Code introduces us to characters, but not until the end of opening 5 minutes do we meet the Main Character. In the opening scene we see the antagonist chasing a museum manager. From costume we can tell that he is the antagonist as he is in a black cloak,which is a contrast to a normal suit as we see the manager in. We can also see he is the antagonist as of the props we see him using, a gun, which you usually link to death.The black cloak may be religion based which can also be linked to the props as what we see on the paintings around are ones of God and Jesus. The make up of the antagonist also makes it clear that he is bad as he is very pale with darkened eyes, compared to the manager.The location of the opening scene is at night in Le Louvre Paris. This atmosphere of Le Louvre at night is eerie as it is a big empty place and they are alone, this is shown by the sound also as at the start we can hear the sound of the running footsteps linking this to the conventions of Thriller we can see that it is an extraordinary situation in an ordinary location, we can also tell that they are alone as the camera switches to an aerial shot of them in the building which also emphasises how big the place is an how alone they are.The props used in the scene are fitting to the location as it is Le Louvre but with a close up of the camera onto the eyes and faces of these paintings give a sense of voyeurism. The lighting of the scene also creates an eerie situation as it is dark and it makes you tense not knowing what is hidden and what may happen, but the lighting is to dark to know what is there. After the jump cut we can see that the contrast of lighting from the museum scene and how much lighter in the lecture hall it is which creates a very different scene but also drawing attention to the fact that the lighting is now focusing on another character, indicating his importance to the storyline. We are introduced to the Main Character by the props, the screen used behind the main character shows his name and also introduces us to the presentation he will be giving. The amount of people who came to his lecture also makes us believe that he a very well known man in his profession.
Editing by Anna Editing is used in the first 5 minutes of The Da Vinci Code to emphasise the important scenes to the audience. A fast cutting rate is frequently occurring at the beginning to show the shots of voyeurism from the paintings and the man running away from the antagonist. The fast cutting rate builds up the suspense as the camera also shows a variety of different shots of the protagonist which establishes the speed and the urgency within the scene. Voyeurism is shown through editing to indicate to the audience that the paintings in Le Louvre are perhaps watching them. This is shown through the cuts between the man running and the camera switching to show the eyes in the portraits. Throughout the beginning, the cutting rhythm is slightly in sync with the non diegetic sound. As the music changes pitch, a different perspective or view is shown. This creates a dramatic effect which links to how a thriller film is presented to the audience.
Themes of identity are shown through editing as reaction shots take place of the protagonist. The different cuts bounce around the protagonist running away from the antagonist which presents the protagonist's facial expressions through close ups of the camera. The reaction shots emphasise the urgency and energy needed to keep running at a fast pace which leads to an excited audience with the use of motivated cuts. The motivated cuts creates an intense atmosphere as the audience are eager to see what the antagonist looks like and who he is.
Cross cutting is used after the protagonist is shot to introduce another character to the audience and to create the sense that two scenes are happening at the same time which are somehow linked to one another. After the shooting, a cut is made to establish another scene. It shows a lecture happening and the projector behind the speaker reveals the main character of the film, Robert Langdon (played by Tom Hanks). The scenes then cross cut between each other telling the audience that these scenes are an important aspect of the film.
Sound by Danny
Sound is used to portray a thriller at the very start of the film in the opening credits when the musical score is playing. The musical score builds in volume and pitch through out the opening credits and then both reach their peak when the title of the film is fully revealed. this portrays a thriller because as the volume and pitch are building so does the intensity making the movie have a tense feel from the start. This is then followed by a diagetic sound bridge from the credits to the opening scenes. This portrays a thriller because the footsteps that the audience hear are running, and without a picture on the screen, this then leads the audience to start to ask themselves questions. For example who is running? why are they being chased? who is chasing him? This all portrays a thriller because during a thriller questions are always running through an audiences head.
To the right is a clip showing the opening credits of Se7en. This is an analysed along with the first five minutes of the film.
Se7en is a psychological thriller film with neo-noir and horror elements, written by Andrew Kevin Walker and directed by David Fincher. The Thriller is starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in which they play the role of homicide detectives. This thriller includes the use of Camera, Mise en scene, Editing and Sound to highlight the mystery and drama within this genre.
Camera by Whole Group
Throughout the opening of Se7en camera is used to highlight the conventions of a thriller and to introduce the characters. In terms of camera there is an over the shoulder shot of the main character, Detective Somerset. He is established in the mirror, this is supported by mise en scene as he is wearing a suit to emphasise the power and importance of his job. The camera then tilts to introduce his character to the audience. The knowledge of the character increases as the high angled close up of his equipment, for example his detective badge and a knife indicating he may have a dangerous job. The scene then cuts to his work place of the crime scene which involves a tilt of the camera to show the damage he has to face. This includes a dark, gloomy room and a dead man with a pool of blood surrounding him which makes the audience wonder what has happened in this scene and why this situation has occurred This adds to the mystery of the genre early in the film.
During a low angled shot of the two detectives walking, the camera has a chance to show the audience the rough neighbourhood the two characters are working and living in. This area is portrayed as a dangerous, dirty and scary by the mise en scene and sound involved.
A mid shot of Detective Somerset in his bedroom is presented in the next scene to establish his lifestyle by showing the props in his bedroom.
Editing by Aimee At the start of the opening scene we are introduced by one of the main characters getting ready for work, the editing used in this scene has a slow cutting rate, this makes the audience really watch what the character is doing. From this and the Mise-en-Scene you can see the use of props such as the chess board which implies that he is an intelligent but possibly lonely man, which also includes a use of Camera on his props to show that he is a detective and may need a knife for protection. The use of Editing gives the audience an insight into the importance of the main character for the film and the type of man he is. In terms of editing jump cuts are used to show the contrast of his home life and work life. For example when a jump cut was used between him getting ready for work in a calm environment to him at work at a crime scene this may increase the tension and suspense of the thriller as it is a shock and a big contrast for the audience to see a crime scene already in the film, it is used again to show the rough neighbourhood where him and his work partner are talking, the jumping to Detective Somerset in bed. There is an increased cutting rate when the detective is in bed and the metronome is ticking. The use of Editing and Sound in this makes the audience feel on edge as it is repeated many times and you don't know what is going to happen and why the Detective is reacting and blocking out what is around him. The cutting rate on the opening credits is fast and last only a couple of seconds. The editing used for the opening credits matches the thriller genre by making the audience question what is going on and feel tense that they don't know. The use of cutting keeps the scene fast paced which therefore builds tension throughout, the use of Sound is also a factor in the opening credits as the music is speeding up when this is happening, building on the tension and suspense even more. A black background is often used to place and put emphasis on the credits, such as the actors names and the director, this is to show the well known actors in the film for the audience to see. The on-screen graphics are in a font that looks like it has been handwritten or scratched which is what the character we see in the credits has been doing. this matches well with the Mise-en-scene when we see the character making a type of scrapbook, which makes the audience already question what is happening, which thriller is set to do throughout a film. The font used for the credits are jagged and distorted which creates a creepy sinister like feel. The black background signifies darkness and death and mystery as it questions what is there, which relates to what the audience have seen in theMise-en-scene of the film so far, when the man is dead on the floor of his apartment.
Mise-en-scene by Danny
Detective Somerset is shown taking all his police equipment in order and slowly at a close up angle, he also which shows the attention to detail he shows this again when taking off a tiny piece of fluff from his suit, this shows he's a detective who pays attention to detail this shows that he may notice key things that other characters will not in the thriller, making him a key character. Setting is used also to show the characteristics of the main character when his bedroom has only a single bed, which shows he is a lonely character this is added to by the chess board in the kitchen which he had been playing on his own.Setting is also used to represent the thriller as being set in a rough area this is shown by boarded and barred windows on the street this shows the people in those houses and shops dont feel safe without these. Also the crime-scene was in a dark dusky flat just on the street the lighting makes it seem very mysterious and puts across the classic feeling of a thriller. Costume is used to show the sub-genre of this thriller which is an American-crime-thriller. This is shown by the classic smart wear in which Detective Somerset is wearing, he wears a smart white shirt, black tie, braces, classic long coat and trilbie hat which are all stereo typical detective clothing.
During the credits lots of things involved with a crime scene where shown across the screen cutting from one to another very quickly to hide what is going on in the cuts. This gives across the effect that something is hidden because these are done in a close up shot to make a mystery effect. Props are again used to promote the genre when things relating to a crime scene are shown in the credits for example razor blades, crime scene pictures, crime notes, evidence and strands of hair.
Sound by Anna
Sound plays a big part in the opening of the film, Se7en. It is evident through the incorporation and combination of sound elements such as music, dialogue, sound effects and silence that relate directly to the emotions presented visually. There are two types of sound techniques used at the beginning of the film, non-diegetic and diegetic sound. Non-diegetic sound is only used at the first opening 18 seconds of the film other than the opening credits later on. This is where the Distributors of the film's logo is shown, it is silence. However diegetic sound is shown through the dialogue and the sound of the objects the characters touch. Such as when the hero of the film, Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is in the kitchen tidying up, you can hear as an audience the clash of the coffee jug and his mug being bundled into the sink to emphasise the neatness within the main character. Throughout that long shot of Detective Somerset in the kitchen, you can also hear background sound from outside in the streets such as, the beeping of car horns and shouting which helps identify the busy location he lives in. There is also a TV programme sounding in the background to perhaps show the relaxation he tries to savour in the morning.
A change of scene is shown when the location of the detective's house switches to the crime scene. A police radio can be heard to represent the importance of the characters and how dangerous the scene is to the audience. Whilst the sounding of the police radio, the camera leads up the dead man surrounded by a pool of blood in which establishes the detective's job and what he has to face. Use of dialogue is then portrayed from Detective Somerset: "Did the kid see it?". This quote shows that the detective pays attention to everything and makes the audience anxious as to whether the kid will appear at some point later in the film.
Once introduced to Detective Mills (played by Brad Pitt), a cut is made to show the two detectives who will be working together, talking outside the crime scene. Sound and Mise En Scene both help identify what the rough neighbourhood is like. The scaffolding surrounding the detectives indicates that damage is always caused and the area is always being worked on or getting fixed. Whilst Detective Mills and Detective Somerset are walking down the road, the scene looks dark and gloomy and with the sound of rain pouring down, it gives a mysterious, sinister impression to the audience. This links to how a thriller is constructed and how a thriller can come across as spooky and eerie.
Diegetic sound is used when Detective Somerset is lying in bed; sirens can be heard outside in the street and what sounds like fighting and shouting also. This tells the audience that a crime may happen every night. A close up of the metronome shows the Detective starting it up which builds up the suspense and tension within the scene. This constant, consistent ticking of the metronome leads subtly into the opening credits. An example of non-diegetic sound is featured here as a mix of unusual music can be heard to the audience. Sound effects and selective sound has been used here to create a 'screeching' effect. Constant sounds can be heard throughout it for instance, a siren, a heartbeat and an high pitched screaming effect can be heard now and again.
Action/Adventure
The Action genre is regularly used in a Thriller but focuses on the action, violence and explosions rather than the typical Thriller Conventions. Therefore it is a film with elements of action implemented into the twists and thrills throughout a Thrillers story line. An example of this is James Bond: Quantum Of Solace.
Disaster
In this sub-genre a natural disaster is usually taking place, and the antagonist is either trying to stop the disaster, the extent of the disaster, or just save themselves before time runs out and the disaster has run its course. An example of this is the film 2012.
Medical
This involves something used for medical purposes becoming a deadly weapon. Often its a virus that is leaking out to the public. The protagonist or antagonist or both are doctors.An example of this is Contagion.
Religious
This sub-genre uses the history and myths of religion. Usually a religious artifact or historical secret is discovered, and different people and groups compete to control. An example of this is The Da Vinci Code.
Techno
This genre is a cross between near-future science fiction and Thrillers.Cutting edge technology pays an important role, either as something to obtain, or working for or against the protagonist. An example of this would be I, Robot.
Crime
This sub-genre focuses on the crime, and is usually from the criminals point of view. Physical action and eluding the police take the place of gathering evidence and trying to discover the criminal. An example of this sub-genre is Se7en.
Psychological
In this genre a lot of the conflict is mental,rather than physical. The protagonist has become involved in a dangerous situation which threatens their sanity. They must use mental ability to overcome their opponent whether it is inside their own head or a battle of intelligence. An example of this is Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
Conspiracy
The protagonist must confront a large, powerful organisation whose threat only he see's. Usually he must do it alone. An example of this Thriller would be 1991's JFK.
Mystery
This is a sub-genre of both mysteries and thrillers. It differs from being a regular mystery to being much more faced paced, with the protagonist on the run and the threat of another crime performing as the "clock ticks". An example of a Mystery Thriller would be Identity.
