In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
What is a thriller?
A thriller is a genre of a film
that includes an exciting plot; a thriller typically involves crime or
espionage. Thrillers have many different sub-genres, some of these sub-genres
are; psychological, action, sci-fi, horror and crime.
We chose to create a psychological
thriller this is because we thought that it would appeal to our target audience
and by using this type of sub-genre we could come up with an exciting plot and
narrative for our thriller opening title sequence. Our target audience will
have expectations for our thriller and the type of sub-genre we are using, the
audience’s expectations for this genre and sub-genre are that it will be
challenging mentally and will make the audience overthink.
The elements of the genre we used
in our thriller opening sequence were the use of extreme close ups and close
ups. We used these shots because they are used a lot in real thriller films and
we wanted to add this element to our thriller to make it look like a real
thriller and also to create tension and suspense throughout our thriller
opening title sequence. We also developed one of the typical conventions used
in thriller films; this convention was the use of sound including diegetic and
non-diegetic sound to create suspense and excitement for the audience. We
developed the sound by making sure that the soundtrack was slightly quiet and
it builds in crescendo, as well as making sure the other sound effects such as
the banging noise the teenage girls hears and the sound of the door creaking
was blended in with the soundtrack to create suspense, these sound effects were
made louder so that they were heard over the soundtrack.
The typical conventions of a
thriller are:
- The aim of the thriller is to
create suspense and excitement for the audience through using diegetic and
non-diegetic sound as well as different types of shots placed in a sequence
that creates suspense or tension such as shots like graphic match.
- Thrillers often use busy streets
and the environment is usually urban or suburban areas for the setting this is
because it is more realistic and the stereotypical urban scene is used so often
because it is believed to be the place where most crimes occur.
- The hero is the only person able
to reveal the truth and also in most thrillers the hero or the protagonist
deals with a death either their own or someone they know or don't know.
- Violence is also used in
thrillers and they often reveal the workings of a particular institution such
as the police, army or the government.
- The hero and the villain share
some characteristics, the hero is an outsider and the enigma of the narrative
will be solved by the hero and the villain also has their own story and is a
part of the hero's life or story.
- There are usually a lot of
close-ups to show important factors, there is quick editing and panning used.
This is because it gives the audience clues into what might be happening or is
going to happen.
Leon:
This shot is a close-up, two shot,
showing the man in front of Leon to be the most important person in this shot.
This character is the most important because you can see him clearly and the
lighting is on him to make him stand out and so that you can see that something
might happen to him. Whereas Leon is in the background and you can only see his
hand and face, Leon is wearing black glasses which makes the audience think
that he is suspicious and closed off. As the glasses are black, this could
represent his personality and also could suggest that he is a dark person or a
cold blooded murderer. The fact that Leon is holding a knife to the man’s
throat could suggest that he is going to hurt him or even kill him. The music
in this scene is like a heartbeat, but as soon as the knife touches the man’s
neck the soundtrack stops, this could connote that his life is about to end as
Leon is going to kill him. Leon inspired me as it is an interesting thriller,
the use of shots close ups and extreme close ups inspired me because this is a
convention that is typical of the thriller genre this inspired my thriller as I
wanted to make sure that I added these shot types to my thriller to make it
more interesting and also to look like a real thriller.
The thriller Leon follows all
typical conventions and the screenshot above is from a clip of the film, it is
clear from this shot that this is a thriller film. We know this because the
main prop which the killer is using is a knife this is a typical convention of
a thriller and is mainly used in action thrillers as well as other weapons such
as guns.
The Butterfly Effect:
This is an over the shoulder, three
shot, which uses the rule of thirds with the main points of interest being each
of the characters and the background. Each character is one of the main points
of interest this is because the two characters on the right look smart as they
are dressed up, this could show that they are wealthy. However the main on the
left is not dressed up smartly, this could suggest that he is going to mug/ rob
them as they look like they are wealthy and have money. The background is another
main point of interest because it shows that the couple could be walking home
from a party or an event. The couple are wearing smart looking clothes, the
male is wearing a tuxedo and the woman is wearing a simple black dress this
could suggest that this couple have been on an evening out or that could even
be at a party or an event and the guy not wearing smart clothes could be a
valet or helping out at where ever they are. This screenshot shows that
suburban places are typically used in thrillers; this is because it makes it
look more realistic.
Mise-en-scene is typical of the
thriller genre in this film because all the mise-en-scene which is used shows
that this film is a thriller. The typical costume which is normal everyday
clothes are used in this film to show the era it is set in, for example the Great
Gatsby uses clothing from the 20s as it is set in that era. The sound is
typical of the thriller genre in this film as it sounds like the sort of music
which would be used in thrillers because it creates tension. Also it uses lots
of diegetic and non-diegetic sound to create tension in the places and to
create a sense of mystery and suspense, for example in Batman there is a chase
scene and the sound is what makes it tenser than the shots. Editing is typical of thriller genre in this
film as a lot of quick editing has been used in the opening title sequence. The
camerawork is typical of the thriller genre as lots of close ups have been used
throughout this film to show character facial expressions and important
features in this film such as important objects, for example in the shower
scene in Psycho there is a series of extreme close ups of important objects
like the knife and her face. The target audience of this film is young people
and young adults this is typical for the thriller genre as this film contains a
lot of action and some violence.
We followed the thriller
conventions in our thriller opening title sequence as we made sure that we
included conventions such as the non-diegetic and diegetic sound to create
suspense and excitement for the audience by making the track louder in some places
as well as adding extra sound effects to show things like the characters shock
and the building suspense. We also made sure that it was clear who the
protagonist and antagonist was in our thriller, we did this by showing the two
characters in different costumes, the protagonist wore light clothing whereas
the antagonist wore dark clothing. We followed the conventions that are
typically used in thrillers because we wanted to make sure that our thriller
stood out and looked like a real thriller, we also wanted to make sure that we
created the correct atmosphere and suspense in our thriller so that it would
appeal to the audience.
The conventions that are used to
make an effective thriller opening are; a range of different shot types for
example extreme close ups, close ups, tracking/ pan shots, angled shots and
long shots. The use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound to create suspense or
tension helps to make an effective thriller as well as quick editing so that
the thriller has a quick pace and a wide variety of shots can be used this
helps to create suspense and makes the thriller effective. In our thriller opening we made sure that we
included a range of different shots including extreme close ups and close ups,
as these shots types are used frequently in thriller opening sequences we made
sure that we included several close ups to make our thriller look like a real thriller
opening title sequence.
The butterfly effect influenced our work because we wanted our
thriller to look like a real thriller and professional, therefore we included
some conventions of a typical thriller that we saw in the butterfly effect. By
including these conventions such as the use of the soundtrack to create
suspense and tension and the use of extreme close ups and close ups, we could
make our thriller look professional and like a real thriller. The real thriller
that influenced our work were; Se7en and Dexter because they are both two
different types of thrillers, however both of the film’s opening title
sequences are effective and helped us when making our thriller opening title
sequence.
Se7en:
The aspects of the thriller Se7en
that inspired us and influenced our work were; the uses of the different shot
types such as extreme close ups and close ups, the use of lighting and the way
that the thriller followed the typical conventions of a thriller.
Dexter:
The aspects of the thriller Dexter that influenced our work were; the use of shot types including extreme close ups and close ups, the use of these shots also helped to hide the identity of the character as well as show the characters personality and his role in the thriller, the use of lighting also influenced our work.
The images above show the main
title from our thriller and the main title from the thriller Dexter. The two
titles are completed different as they appear at different times, the title
from our thriller is shown at the end of our thriller and the title from Dexter
is shown towards the start of the thriller. Both main titles also have
different typography; however both titles relate the each of the thrillers.
Both shots are close ups of the main titles, this is typical of a thriller and
this shot type is also a convention of a thriller. Therefore the shots above
show that I have used thriller conventions when filming my thriller.
The images above show the
setting/location that both my thriller and Dexter where set and filmed at. The
locations are different; however my thriller and Dexter were filmed in the same
sort of location. Our thriller was set and filmed at a house, we filmed here as
it was relevant to our narrative and this location also shows that our main
character is an ordinary teenage girl. Dexter was set in an apartment or hotel
room, I have used thriller conventions as I have used a location that is
typically used in thrillers. Both shots are mid shots and both have a similar
setting/ location.
The two images on the left are
from my thriller and show the costumes that the two characters in my thriller
wear, the image on the right is from the thriller Dexter which shows the main
characters costume. In my thriller the characters are female whereas in Dexter
the character is male, therefore the type of costume the character in my
thriller will have will be different from the character in Dexter. The first
shot from my thriller is a mid-shot showing one of the characters reading a
magazine on the sofa in her house, her costume is mainly white to show that she
is innocent and pure; it also shows that that she is the protagonist in our
thriller. The next shot from my thriller is also a mid-shot showing the second
character in the teenage girl’s bedroom sat on the floor; she is dressed in all
black to show that she is a dark character and the antagonist in our thriller.
The last image is from Dexter and shows the male character wearing everyday
clothes, he is wearing a white polo top with a faded blue shirt over the top
and is wearing light coloured trousers, this shows that he could be the
protagonist in the thriller Dexter. I have used this thriller convention, as
the costumes I have used
in my thriller are sometimes used in thrillers.
The images above show some of the
props used in both my thriller and Dexter. The main prop used in my thriller is
the magazines, whereas in Dexter there were many different props although the
knife was used the most throughout the opening of the thriller. The magazines
in my thriller connote that the alter-ego doesn't like the way she looks and
how women are portrayed as shown in magazines today. The knife in Dexter
connotes that this prop could be used a lot in this thriller and could suggest
that the character using the knife in this thriller opening uses this prop to
commit murder in the thriller, in this shot the knife has tomato sauce on which
looks a lot like blood, this could connote that this thriller could contain
bloodshed and could suggest something about this characters personality or role
in the thriller. The magazines used in our thriller are not typical of the
thriller genre, therefore we broke the thriller conventions, however we also
challenged the thriller conventions as we chose not to use the typical props
used in most thrillers as weapons such as knifes were not relevant to our
narrative.
All of the images above show my camerawork and different shots that are from my thriller. The first three images are from the start of my thriller and the last three are from the end of my thriller. All these types of shots are typically used in thrillers and therefore these shots show that I have used thriller conventions. I have chosen these shots as I think that they are interesting shots from my thriller and I think that I filmed these shots well.
All of these images above are
from the film Dexter and show the camerawork. The first three are from the
start of the thriller and the last three shots are from the end of the
thriller. I have chosen these shots because I think that they are interesting
and they show the characters personality.
All these images show how I have used thriller conventions when filming the shots for my thriller opening. The shots from Dexter are all close ups and extreme close ups, whereas the shots from my thriller aren't all the same shot types as Dexter.
The shots above show how I have edited the different parts in my thriller. The first three shots are from the start of my thriller and the last three shots are from the end of my thriller. The first three shots show how I have edited them so that the start of my thriller was interesting; the first shot was the start of the tilt to show the magazines. I spilt this clip and had shots of the blood dripping on the magazine between the clips I split, this continued until the magazine that had the blood on in the bedroom was shown. By splitting these clips to make the shots shorter it made the start of my thriller look interesting and it was also clear to the audience how the blood got onto the magazine. The last shots show how I have edited part of the ending of my thriller; I split the clips to make the shots shorter and added a shot of the alter-egos eyes between the clip I spilt of the alter-ego looking up at the camera. I did this to make the shots shorter and also to make it look interesting and make the audience want to keep watching.
The shots above are from the thriller
Dexter and show how the shots have been edited. The first three shots are from
the start of the Dexter; these shots are short and could suggest that this
character could be a killer as he has killed the mosquito that was on his arm.
The last three shots are from the end of the thriller and show how the shots
have been edited to make it look like someone is being suffocated with a piece
of material, and then the characters face is shown and it is clear that he was
putting his t-shirt on.
The images above show how the characters are introduced in my thriller and in the thriller Dexter. In my thriller the first character is introduced at the start of the opening reading a magazine on the sofa in her house, this suggests that she is a typical teenage girl and therefore the audience can relate to her because she is of a similar age to our target audience. The second character in my thriller is introduced towards the end of my thriller and is shown once the teenage girl enters her bedroom and pulls back the door, this suggests that she is the antagonist in my thriller. However in Dexter the character is introduced at the end of the thriller, the way he is introduced is clever and interesting, in this shot he puts his t-shirt on and then his face is shown to the camera. The character is Dexter is not shown until this point, this creates mystery and suspense as it makes the audience want to keep watching in order to see the characters identity. The shots of my characters being introduced are mid-shots, whereas the shot of the character in Dexter being introduced is a close up to show the characters face as his identity has been hidden throughout the thriller opening, therefore having a close up of his face allows the audience to remember his identity and also shows them that he is the main character in the thriller.
All of the images above show my camerawork and different shots that are from my thriller. The first three images are from the start of my thriller and the last three are from the end of my thriller. All these types of shots are typically used in thrillers and therefore these shots show that I have used thriller conventions. I have chosen these shots as I think that they are interesting shots from my thriller and I think that I filmed these shots well.
All these images show how I have used thriller conventions when filming the shots for my thriller opening. The shots from Dexter are all close ups and extreme close ups, whereas the shots from my thriller aren't all the same shot types as Dexter.
The shots above show how I have edited the different parts in my thriller. The first three shots are from the start of my thriller and the last three shots are from the end of my thriller. The first three shots show how I have edited them so that the start of my thriller was interesting; the first shot was the start of the tilt to show the magazines. I spilt this clip and had shots of the blood dripping on the magazine between the clips I split, this continued until the magazine that had the blood on in the bedroom was shown. By splitting these clips to make the shots shorter it made the start of my thriller look interesting and it was also clear to the audience how the blood got onto the magazine. The last shots show how I have edited part of the ending of my thriller; I split the clips to make the shots shorter and added a shot of the alter-egos eyes between the clip I spilt of the alter-ego looking up at the camera. I did this to make the shots shorter and also to make it look interesting and make the audience want to keep watching.
The images above show how the characters are introduced in my thriller and in the thriller Dexter. In my thriller the first character is introduced at the start of the opening reading a magazine on the sofa in her house, this suggests that she is a typical teenage girl and therefore the audience can relate to her because she is of a similar age to our target audience. The second character in my thriller is introduced towards the end of my thriller and is shown once the teenage girl enters her bedroom and pulls back the door, this suggests that she is the antagonist in my thriller. However in Dexter the character is introduced at the end of the thriller, the way he is introduced is clever and interesting, in this shot he puts his t-shirt on and then his face is shown to the camera. The character is Dexter is not shown until this point, this creates mystery and suspense as it makes the audience want to keep watching in order to see the characters identity. The shots of my characters being introduced are mid-shots, whereas the shot of the character in Dexter being introduced is a close up to show the characters face as his identity has been hidden throughout the thriller opening, therefore having a close up of his face allows the audience to remember his identity and also shows them that he is the main character in the thriller.
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