Classification of Thrillers

This is a presentation I made on the 'Prezi' software. It describes what each of the BBFC's film certifications mean, and gives an example of a thriller film that fits each one for context.

Vlog

              

This is a blog we produced to conclude our preliminary filming exercise. 

Final Preliminary Piece

              

This is the end result of our preliminary film exercise; a short thriller film in which we demonstrate some of the technical skills that we have been focusing on as a class. These are: the 180 degree rule, a match on action shot and a shot-reverse shot. The process of filming took roughly three lessons and editing took just one.

Preliminary Animatic

Once our storyboards were completed, we needed to use them to put together an 'animatic' - an animated montage of all the storyboards in order, coupled with voiceovers to explain the events depicted in the storyboards in greater detail. 

We each did voiceovers for the storyboards we drew ourselves: Connor did the first six, Joel did the second nine, and I did the last six.

Here is our final animatic:

Preliminary Storyboarding

Over the half term, we were tasked with creating the storyboards for our preliminary practical exercise. Connor did the first few shots, Joel did the second few and I did the last few. The shot types I had to draw included: match on action, shot/reverse shot and an upwards track.

Drive Opening Sequence Timeline

Research Task: Continuity Techniques

Shot/Reverse Shot
The shot/reverse shot is a film continuity technique used mostly in conversation sequences. It features one character looking at or talking to another character in one shot, and the other character is shown to be looking back at or replying to that character in another shot. One such example of this technique being put into practice can be found numerous times in the clip below, for example from 0:51 to 1:01.

 

180 Degree Rule
The 180 degree rule is a basic filmmaking princple, which states that regardless of the number of different types of shot, one character must always be on the same side of the screen. It is commonly featured in conversation sequences in which both characters are in the frame together. However, this rule is often broken purposefully, the objective of which is to disorientate and confuse the viewer, as it provides another perspective on a character. It can be seen being abided by (1:59-end) and broken (0:32-1:59).
 

Match on Action
Matching on action is a continuity technique where more than one shot is used to display an event that would otherwise happen relatively quickly, opening a door for example.  This can be seen in the clip below, from 0:06 to 0:08, where the character opens the door.
 

List of Shots

This is the list of shots that we will include in our preliminary film:

·      Tracking shot-Protagonist walking
·      Close-up shot-Tracking his gun in his hand
·      Close-up shot-Protagonists body
·      Close-up shot-Protagonists face
·      Shot-reverse shot-Antagonists talking over table about briefcase
·      Shot-reverse shot-Antagonists talking over table about briefcase
·      Match-on-action shot-One of the men opening the briefcase
    -Various angles to complete the match-on-action
    -Extreme close-up shot-Latch on briefcase
·      Shot-reverse shot-Antagonists talking over table about briefcase
·      Tracking shot-Protagonist walking
·      Medium-range shot-Protagonist enters the frame
·      Close up-Protagonist’s eyes
·      Reveal shot-Protagonist eavesdropping on the antagonists
·      Match-on-action shot-Protagonist kicking in door
    -Various angles to complete the match on action
    -Side shot
    -P.O.V
    -P.O.V of antagonists
·      Medium-range shot-Antagonists are bewildered
·      Reveal shot-Protagonist aiming gun at antagonists

Basic Preliminary Thriller Plot

- Two men sat on either side of a table having a conversation in a dimly lit room. Between them on the table is a closed briefcase.
- A man is sneaking down the hallway outside the room. He is dressed in a suit and holding a gun.
- He knocks down the door and raises his gun to the two men.
- The implication is that case and its contents belong to this man, and he has come to retrieve it. The fact that it ends with the gun being raised will (in theory) create a 'cliffhanger' moment.

Click to enlarge

The spider diagram we create using bubbl.us in order to come up with the premise for our short preliminary film. Joel's ideas are in red, Connor's are in blue and mine are in green.

Conventions of the Thriller Genre

Conventions of Thrillers

The typical thriller features one thing at its core: a struggle between good and evil. This will often be represented in the form of a protagonist who is being hindered in one way or another by an antagonist and so must overcome this, which is where the plot arises. A thriller film will typically feature a growing sense of threat or danger, which builds up to a climax or cliffhanger, the idea of which is to leave the audience 'on the edge of their seats', anxious to know what happens next. Thrillers will typically be set from the protagonist's perspective, allowing the audience to follow their story more, and become more sympathetic to them as a result. Often it will be the case that in a simple, less tense scene such as a conversation, not all information will be revealed on purpose, in order to keep the audience guessing, and allow tension and suspense to mount more as a result.

Typically, the protagonist in a thriller will be a relatively straightforward and easy to understand person, allowing the audience to relate to them as soon as possible. Though having said this, in some cases (such as Adrian Lyne's Fatal Attraction), the now seemingly normal characters may have a dark or hidden past, which can be the reason they inevitably come into contact with the antagonists, who are consistently more complex characters. For instance, antagonists will often be things such as: escaped convicts (as seen in Daniel Zirilli's Curse of Alcatraz), psychotic individuals (as seen in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining), or obsessive stalkers (as seen in Mark Romanek's One Hour Photo). This unlikely meeting of a seemingly innocent and ordinary protagonist and an usual and often sinister antagonist provides the basis for the events of a thriller film.

Thriller soundtracks are typically totally orchestral. The less tense, more everyday scenes will often be coupled with calm, pleasant pieces of music. The combination of these two elements is designed to lure the viewers into a false sense of security. However, during more crucial, tense scenes, soundtracks will often be dissonant and harsh sounding, perhaps to reflect the thoughts of the antagonist. A common feature is the use of 'stings' in the soundtrack which sound at the same time as certain events on the screen in order to put added emphasis on them. Often, a total absence of soundtrack will be used deliberately in order to provide suspense, and create tension before this is ultimately released with whatever event comes next. A good example of these conventions being put to use is the shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock's seminal Psycho. The soundtrack to this scene has become arguably one of the most recognizable in cinema history.

The Rebel Alliance: Preliminary Example

The Rebel Alliance

Match-on-action shots have been used effectively in this short film, as seen below when the character slides the briefcase across the table.

The 180 degree rule is made good use of in the conversation sequence, as seen below...

...and this moment also serves as a good example of a shot-reverse-shot, when the camera is back on the other character.

All three shot types are used effectively, however I noticed one instance of the 180 degree rule being broken, and a minor continuity error.

The 180 degree rule is broken where the character with the glasses reaches down to pick the briefcase up off the floor. In doing this, he is on the left of the screen facing right, and for the conversation sequences he has been on the right facing left. This is shown below:

Reaching for the briefcase, the character is on the left, facing the right

When bringing the briefcase back up to the table and talking, the character is on the right facing left.

The minor continuity error is that the briefcase is open in one shot, and is closed in another when neither of the characters actually close it, as seen below: 

Here, the briefcase is open

Two shots later, in the next shot in which the briefcase is actually visible, it is closed. Neither of the characters close it, so this is a continuity error.

The fact that the viewer doesn't know for sure what's in the case helps build a certain enigma and sense of mystery around it, making it the main point of interest. This uncertainty is a classic convention of thriller films.

The costume choices make it instantly obvious what roles these two characters might have in their line of work, even when the dialogue reveals practically nothing about them. One character is dressed in shabby clothes and looks relatively scruffy and unkempt giving the impression of him being thuggish and brutish, suggesting that he is at least a rank below the other character. This other character is dressed sharply in a suit complete with fedora, connoting importance, power and wealth, perhaps the leader of an organised gang. These are two stereotypical characters of the crime/thriller genre.

The pace of editing is quite slow on the whole, which subtly helps to build tension and a sense of mystery, along with the points about the briefcase that I mentioned earlier. This is a useful technique as it reflects the tension in the room, as the 'thuggish' character must be feeling a certain amount of pressure as he knows that he does not have enough money to please the 'boss'.

Preliminary Filming Exercise

Over a period of two lessons, myself, Joel and Connor have been making a short film. The plot was irrelevant, the point of the exercise was purely to practise using the 180 degree rule, match-on-action shots and over-the-shoulder shots.



One thing that came up consistently with other groups critiquing our film was that the 180 degree rule was broken. This is true and can be identified by the fact that I was stood on the left in the shot at 0:24, and on the right in the shot at 0:34. This is something that we will have to consider and improve on for our next piece of practical work, as by breaking the 180 degree rule you sacrifice consistency, which is something you need in a simple conversation. 
We also didn't include a soundtrack due to time constraints, though this will be improved upon when it comes to our proper piece of practical work as we will have much more time.

Thrillers

Thrillers

Silence of the Lambs 

1990 - Johnathan Demme

 One theme we noticed when watching the extract of this film is that it's an incredibly male-dominated environment that the protagonist, Clarice (played by Jodie Foster) is operating in. This is made obvious at moments such as the shot of her surrounded by male co-workers in the elevator, seen below.

An interesting directorial technique I noticed is that whenever something important or personal is said to the protagonist, the character saying it looks directly into the camera in a close-up shot. This has been used to help build tension, as it allows the viewer to see things from the protagonist's perspective, and so experience the events the same way as them.

Black Swan

2010 - Darren Aronofsky

Uncertainty is a key theme in this film, and in the two short extracts we watched, the protagonist Nina (played by Natalie Portman) keeps thinking that she literally sees herself when walking around town. In the first extract, on the train, the crowd of people leaves the viewer as unsure as the protagonist as to whether or not it was herself that she just saw, but in the second, it's very obvious that it is. The use of handheld camera helps create a sense of disarray and confusion.

The Shining

1980 - Stanley Kubrick

An interesting feature of the 'main character' above, Jack (played by Jack Nicholson) is a protagonist who transforms over the course of the film into an antagonist. Kubrick pioneered the use of steadycam in this film (see below), which works perfectly for a filler as the eery stillness of the camera even when moving creates an ominous sense of dread and being followed.

Title Sequence Analysis

Title Sequence Analysis: Repo Man

1984 - Alex Cox

Repo Man's Opening Titles

The first thing the viewer sees in this title sequence is the striking red typeface over the black background, introducing the stars of the film. The total absence of noise puts emphasis on this, and the colour red does have implications of danger, albeit subtle ones. This is fitting, as this features car chases, drug use, amongst other things of a similar nature.

The initial, bold typeface

The tone of the titles changes abruptly after this section. The most obvious thing to point out is the music selection; fast punk rock. This is in line with certain elements of the plot of the film itself, as the protagonist, Otto Maddox, is a young punk rocker living in Los Angeles.

The use of such music works nicely with the frantic, fast-paced nature of the main section of the titles themselves, which feature a map of a part of America being rearranged using an interesting editing technique. 

An example of the fast-paced editing technique

The title of the film itself is written in a different typeface, whilst maintaining that dangerous red colour. This typeface looks is wild, messy, as if it had been done in a hurry without a second thought. This perfectly compliments the uncompromising, coarse events of the film and some of the hasty decisions made.

The main title

Introduction

Hi, I'm Sean, a Media Studies student at Torquay Boys' Grammar School.

What is Media Studies for?

I think that Media is becoming an increasingly important subject in school, as the media itself is something that, nowadays, it's impossible to live without. It can entertain us through film, it can inform us through news, and so by studying it we are learning valuable things that we can apply to life outside of school.

Favourite Actors/Films

In no particular order, my current favourite actors are: Bryan Cranston, James Hardy, Ryan Gosling, Robert de Niro, Paul Whitehouse, Mark Heap and Kyle Mooney. Cranston, Hardy, Gosling and de Niro are four serious actors who I admire for the intensity of their performances in what I've seen by them. For example, Breaking Bad for  Cranston, Bronson for Hardy, Drive for Gosling and Taxi Driver for de Niro. At the other end of the scale, Whitehouse, Heap and Mooney are three actors who have built their careers on excelling at writing and performing in sketch comedy, which is something I am quite interested in. Kyle Mooney I admire particularly as he can be remarkably subtle - you'll find that you could watch the same sketch over and over again (whether it was his solo work or with his trio 'Good Neighbor') and notice something new every time.

Some of my favourite films of all time include: Drive, Akira, Taxi Driver, Ghost in the Shell, District 9, Alien, Shaun of the Dead, Little Miss Sunshine, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Napoleon Dynamite and Scott Pilgrim vs The World. You can probably tell that my favourite genres are sci-fi, thrillers and weird, quirky comedy.

Kyle Mooney

                                                                           

Napoleon Dynamite trailer