THE BBC! Now this is a place of pure magic! The work behind the BBC is huge, for example you see 30 minutes of the One Show, but there is an all day plan for it... Such as the 2 minutes of an act e.g. singer, takes hours to set up, sound check and shoot. This is them setting up for Gabriella Aplin's 3 minute performance:
This sound checking, the drummer and guitarist are playing so the sound managers can make it sound the same when on the TV, the effort in just making look pretty with the lights etc.. takes hours! You have no idea when you watch on the TV.
However celebrities in general on the show are booked maybe on the day, hour before or even weeks before. But they never know the final line up until the day because celebrities will pull out, step down, outrank each other. The work behind the show is immense.
The BBC itself is a work of pure genius, the main BBC area is huge, filled with over 400 people, all researching about latest stories from UK/The world to appear on TV or appear on Radio. It also has an editing section in the middle where all the articles are sent before they are put on TV.
Understanding the importance of an Audience So before I can jump to conclusions about who my coursework is aimed at I need to understand the importance of an audience so I can aim my coursework at the right people. Everyone has been in an audience. We have all been part of a group of people who come together to experience music, film, theatre or other live event. So when I looked up an audience in media terms, I found out that the audience is any group of people who receive a media text, and not just people who are together in the same place.‘Audience’ is a key concept throughout my media studies, because all the media texts we do, or watch are produced with an audience in mind. So an audience is part of the media world –"a product is produced and an audience receives it." This is because an audience is part of how the media world make it's money; Advertisers need an audience who will see or hear their advertisements and then buy the products.Audience research is a major element for any media producer. So for me I will need to carefully look up what ages / companies/ genders will watch my 'Thriller' coursework. Companies are set up to carry out audience research for media producers, broadcasters and advertisers but I will do it by myself. So to help me I looked up what these companies do. These research companies use questionnaires, focus groups, one to one interviewing, and electronic devices to find out about people’s life styles, and television viewing habits as well as the type of products they want to buy.
Above is the age rating categories
So a focus group I've used prevouisly who unanimously told me a Thriller would be the most effective when I showed them different 2 minute AS coursework of other students, helped me establish that my audience range would be around 16plus. So the age rating on my coursework would be recommended at 15 due to the scary/ jumpy scenes that I may produce. The reason I wouldn't show to any younger viewers is the imposed nightmares and mentally scared scenes might be to much to handle and it would be unethical/unprofessional for me to allow children to watch it. Proper media companies would show short extracts or trailers for up and coming programmes are often shown to focus groups to see how they react. If they don’t like something then the producers may make some changes. Hollywood films are regularly ‘trialled’ in front of cinema audiences in America. In some cases the ending of the film is changed because the trial audience do not like it. Sometimes several endings are filmed and the trial audience asked to choose the one they like best.Media producers spend a lot of time and money finding out who the audience for a programme or media product might be. It’s a serious business; media producers want to know how the audience is made up. A mass audience is very large, so ways of breaking it down into categories have been devised. So until next time you lot...bye!
Within a thriller film, the audience expects the film to meet many conventions. The reason for this is because the conventions of the thriller genre are what makes up the genre itself. If the film doesn’t meet the conventions of the genre, then it wouldn’t count as a thriller genre; therefore it wouldn't meet the expectations of the audience.
An example of a thing that the the interview group I used frequently came up with was JUMPY and SUSPENSE. This is something that is expected within a thriller genre because it creates enigmas for the audience and makes them ask questions.
What the audience would not expect:
I personally believe that in a thriller genre, the audience wouldn’t expect anything happy to happen until the end which my interview group said also and the reason as to why I would say that nothing good will happen until the end is because at the end, the antagonist would have usually been found or exposed and they usually die in most thriller films. The group also mentioned, romance... now to a certain extent, no, but if if was psycho obsessed romantic thriller it would work. But for mine, it will not contain romantic elements. Here is my interview of a range of people, on what they would expect or not expect in a thriller:
So after finding out lots about my genre, i did some research into other a level students horror or thriller movies because seeing how other people did it can inspire me to do better or invent ideas...
Here is a horror opening that is annotated with notes, which i find extremely helpful, but i like this as you get a lots of Point of View shots and innocence. The jumpiness at the end also provides a good thriller convention, as it the unexpected reaction.
Heres another one i particularly like:
I like the use of a girl, and her emotions/ reflections because she is easier to sympathise with. However the weirdness and quirkiness of it does't appeal to me, because i feel a relatable storyline is better in terms of scaring people.
I love the use of sound in this one:
The opening sound is suddenly cut off then the silence is broken by something so simple as a shirt. I love this use of sound because its jumpy, and gets the heart thumping is confusion of the different levels of sound so quick. Although what i like the most is the foly breathing, that has been amplified and made to over exggerate the pain of the situation, just like when its used again for the tapping. The sound of beating music after the stab, builds up the tension of the boys running away. The shots also on this one are almost invisible, there are a few jumpy ones but the majority is flowing. I especially like the where the foreground is focused and the background is blurred....
Plus i love the use of the villain, another character usually a man, helps add fear to the opening.
A films sounds or audio tracks has a profound effect on how it communicates meaning to an audience and how it creates the filmic world. It creates mood and atmosphere by aiding out means of interpretation of characters or action, whilst linking together sequences and moments.
Sound effects are classified in three different audio elements,
Dialogue - all the words and vocal expression of the actor
Music - the music soundtrack that may be in parts or all of the sequence
Effects - other sounds such as footsteps, gunfire, cars, for example
We watch movie in front of us but we here sound in 360 degrees. When I talk about 360, I mean watching a movie, you don't just here dialogue but you might hear all the sound effects you can't see, such as a street you could here talking, bustle of bags, footsteps and birds along side the dialogue of the people on screen.
'Dialogue' and 'Effects' is referred to as diegetic sounds because they exist within the film, the characters can also hear and see them if they are happening.
However 'Music' is non-diegetic sounds, this is when the characters can't hear it, the music overlay is their to prompt out expectations and emotions to create a reaction in the audience. This can also be a voice over.
When filming is taking place then the sound team will mainly concentrate on recording the dialogue. The sounds of what is occurring around the action will probably be added later. Not just added, they will be created.
In order for me to make my two minute opening as good as possible, i decided that i will do some research on the iconic sounds connected with the genre. The reason for this is because i wanted to find soundtracks that will relate to my genre very well and help me deliver the content of the film to the best of my ability. I personally believe that in films, sound is a huge impact and different types of films have different types of tempo. For example, action type films may have fast paced, quick tempo type of music, where a romance may have a slow high pitched music.
In order to find out more about iconic sounds connected to thriller genres, i decided to undergo some research and watch & listen to come sound tracks of thrillers.
One that has been a constant theme throughout my blog is SCREAM the movie, so i went straight to that movie opening to see how they used sound:
This movie's opening title is someone screaming and a slammed door but the first noise we here is a phone ringing. The phone ringing is iconic because its a silence breaker plus it adds the sense of unknowns. The ring would be an overlay of music. The voice on the phone would also be an overlay, but this unknown voice adds the fear to the scene. The opening then carries on to a swing in the wind, you can hear the bustle of the leaves and the creak of the swing. The creak is a well known iconic thriller noise, its to add effect to the swing, originating from a haunted house years ago where the joints would of been stiff, yet the creepy legacy of the creak has lived on. The next sound is the pop corn, as the pop corn pops faster and faster it adds subtle build up of suspense. The piano sounds come in when a a significant moment happens to highlight her emotion for the audience easily. Dog barks in the background could mean danger, as a dog barks at strangers as if someones coming. Now finally this is when they build up the music, starting off with typical strings and then the piano, building up tension followed by the bass and cellos... until a sudden cut off. This is a typical iconic sound effect of building and building up then sudden cut off.
To every film there is a nine shot analysis of the opening scene becuase the most important shots happen here.
SO here is a close high angle shot of the phone... because this where to story starts, the main factor of this scene is the phone. This statement opening shot really emphasises the phone.
Next its the slightly low angle mid shot which shows her as superior, to which to begin with she is. She rules the man on the phone. This shot of her face so soon introduces us to the character quickly.
The next shot is of her putting the phone down, The shot shows the phone as inferior due to the high angle because right now the phone isn't as important.
Then the phone rings again, and the shot gets less low angle on her, showing her loosing her superiorness as the person on the phone starts to win the conversation.
This establishing shot is shown surprisingly late in the scene (usually first shot) indicating its more of a POV shot of the person outside the house.
Then it flicks back to her, doing her own thing... the natural act of making popcorn indicates her unknownness to the situation. This shot is a close up/mid shot...
This is actually a pan shot, showing her walking to the phone as it rings AGAIN. This shot follows her, mirroring the person following/stalking her currently.
This mid shot is a good on because she's foreshadowing the fact a knife will be used later in the film, by sampling playing with one earlier. This highlight the knife as important. This also symbols her ignorance to what is about to happen.
This Shot is more about sound, because as the conversation on the phone gets more and more intense, the popcorn corresponds to the phone. It gets louder and louder, increasing the impact of this scene.
The Top Ten shots for my Genre are usually one that make objects inferior or point of view of the protagonist/antagonist, This Slideshare sums it up really: (BillieWilson) Although there are 11 shots here, they are the most important in a thriller.
My genre would not be the genre it is today if it wasn't for the famous directors incharge of the films we see on screen.
Here is a video I put together of a quick overview of the directors I have chosen as most famous yet greatest Thriller directors of all time:
I chose those 5 because of the name they have made for themselves but here are the 2 like like the best more detail:
The most famous director in this genre goes way back to Alfred Hitchcock as he was born in England in 1899 which to me is big deal because I like to see what our country has produced, and when Hitchcock was only 20 he worked his way into directing. This to me is inspirational because he was so young and he not only made films but they had no sound, such as 'the lodger'. He was able to create movies that made sense without sound, and use his actors cleverly to portray a storyline. He gained the nickname 'Master of Suspense' due his ability to create suspense cleverly whilst using music and certain placements. Hitchcock had common themes throughout his movies, usually the man blamed for a number of crimes, a pretty blonde and suspense. He then moved to the US where he made 'Rebecca' when he made a phycological melodrama which was different to his style normally. However his knowledge of technology was his best expertise, which made his movies one of a kind, as he knew things about editing other directors didn't. I'm taking from this that i need to learn the ins and outs of editing so my 2 minute movie opening is just as good as editing on Alfred Hitchcock's movies.
"I think what sound brought of value to the cinema was to complete the realism of the image on the screen. It made everyone in the audience deaf mutes." -Alfred Hitchcock
Steven Spielberg was also a massive name in directing this genre, however he was an american director that not only was massive in Thrillers, was named the most influential director and producer of films in general. Steven made films such as Jurassic Park, Jaws, Lincoln, Minority Report and E.T. but the most famous one for the thriller genre was Duel. He continues to this day to director as this latest movie Bridge of Spies is due to come out in October 2015. This man to me is inspirational due to the number of movies he's made that have been successes among not only America but the world!
Steven Spielberg also has his common traits such as his iconic track- in shots, I know he doesn't do the actual camera work but he directs how they should be done, and he does that well! Also his framing, he likes to frame shots to show foreground and background.
In terms of a thriller genre, a typical
synopsis is the typical conventions of a thriller that usually happen. For
example in most thriller genres, the protagonist is always placed in danger at
the beginning of the film. It is usually the antagonist that is slowly revealed
throughout the cause of the film. The typical synopsis of a thriller film is when
the antagonist usually exploits the weakness of the protagonist during the
film. Also the typical synopsis of a thriller genre generally includes criminal
activity. For example, it usually includes iconography such as police officers,
weapons, blood and many more.
The one thing about the typical synopsis of
a thriller is the fact that the antagonist isn't always a villain. However the
antagonist does usually try to work against the protagonist in order to meet
the main conventions of a thriller genre. In a few thriller genre's the
narrative usually consists of issues of identity and they are usually explored.
For example, this happens within the storyline of North by Northwest.
The final thing about a typical synopsis is
the fact that it links to the general story lines of a thriller. For example,
the audience are expected to know what happens within the film. It also links
to the conventions of a thriller genre in which the audience are expected to
know the types of things that should be included with the thriller genre. The
main example is the fact that there is usually a protagonist and and
antagonist. Another example is the fact that within a thriller genre there are
usually enigmas and cliffhangers. Examples of the synopsis's for the sub-genres of a Thriller:
Horror thriller - For example,
“the shining” directed by Stanley Kubrick. A family heads to an isolated hotel
for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into
violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of
the future.
Adventure thriller -for example
“ die hard” directed by John Mctiernan. John McClane and a store owner must
play a bombers deadly game as they race around New York while trying to stop
him.
Erotic thriller - for example,
“secret things” directed by jean Claude Brisseau two young women find
themselves struggling to survive in Paris, street-wise Nathalie, a stripper,
and naïve Sandrine.
Psychological thriller - for
example “alien” directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. 200 years after her death,
Ellen Ripley is revived as a powerful human/Alien hybrid clone who must
continue her war against the Aliens.
Psychological thriller - for
example “The talented Mr. Ripley” directed by Anthony Minghella. In late 1950s
New York, Tom Ripley, a young underachiever, is sent to Europe to retrieve a
rich and spoiled millionaire playboy, named Dickie Greenleaf. But when the
errand fails, Ripley takes extreme measures.
Spy thriller - example “Salt”.
Directed by Phillip Noyce, A CIA agent goes on the run after a defector accuses
her of being a Russian spy.
Western thriller - for example
“high noon”. Directed by fred zinneman. A marshall, personally compelled to
face a returning deadly enemy, finds that his own town refuses to help him.
Action thriller - for example
“Taken“ directed by Pierre Morel. A former spy relies on his old skills to save
his estranged daughter, who has been forced into the slave trade.
Romance thriller - for example
“basic instinct”. Directed by Paul detective is in charge of the investigation
of a brutal murder, in which a beautiful and seductive woman could be involved.
Verhoevan.
Carrying on my research into thriller movies and my own idea, I took some photos from the internet and film screen shots to create a mood board of photos to symbolise the typical idea's behind a thiller, to help inspire me for my 2minute film opening...
To break down the photos, There are:
Being followed:
Being followed adds suspense
People in houses:
An imposter in house (like the lighting)
Creepy masks:
Masks create a sense of unknown
Living unaware of events:
Females are easier to sympathise with
The discovery of something wrong:
The fear heightening
Death/ Events along same line:
Casual deaths create more a sympathy as
it unexpected!
The genre I have chosen is still all new to me, so now I know kind of the way I would like to go with the 2 minute Coursework Task i'm producing, I need to look up the key features and conventions that make a thriller good.
Here is a few slides I produced after researching about it and then put to sounds and music etc...
Although I've mentioned sound and editing i'm not focusing on that in this blog, I am focusing on the conventions of a thriller and how the different techniques
A very close type of genre to my Thriller one is Gothic Horror, as I noticed they consist of the same features however there are gothic horror conventions I like that aren't usual thriller features:
- The camera strategically placed behind something e.g. a window/ bars - to give the effect of the audience being trapped.
- Filming the feet first to add unknownness to the character
To understand my genre I need to look further into the history.
During the 1920s to 1930s:
A man called Alfred Hitchcock made his first thriller, this being his third silent film in 1926 was called "the lodger." It was a Jack the Ripper type of story that was filled with suspense, which then led him onto his next thriller in 1926 which was called "blackmail." This was notable foe being his and Britain's first sound film. Then from 1935 most of Hitchcock's films where thrillers.
From a movie like this I note how important it is to use actions to portray words as there were minimal words used and how important it was to use the right type of music to add suspense or fear.
As the thriller film industry took off new types came into existence, such as 'crime thrillers' for example "Murders In The Zoo" by Edward Sutherland which was produced 1933 where Lionel Atwill played a murderous and jealous zoologist.
During the 1940s:
Hitchcock continued to direct suspense thrillers, in this year he produced two films on of which was Oscar winning, these films were "Foreign Correspondent" and "Rebecca", Rebecca being the film which was Oscar winning.
In 1941 he went on release a film called "Suspicion" This was about a women in danger from her own husband. During the next couple of year he released many more films including his own personal favourite "Shadow of a doubt" in 1943 which was based on true events.
As time went on another type of thriller emerged called a 'psychological thriller' to which George Cukor's "Gaslight" of 1944 was the first. The film was about a husband who plotted to make his won if go insane n order to inherit her inheritance! He went onto make a second one called "Noir" which is about a thrilling murder investigation.
During the 1950s:
Hitchcock still continuing to create added "Technicolour" to his collection. This was the era of COLOUR! He produced more classic films such as "Strangers on a train" in 1951 which was about two train passengers who both staged battle of wits and traded murders with each other. He made 4 more movies in this time including the famous "Vertigo" in 1958.
However the famous Marilyn Monroe made her appearance here when she preformed in Henry Hathaway's 1953 movie "Niagara" where she plays a character who plots to kill her husband.
During the 1960s:
Hitchcock still progressing with his movie "Phsyco" in 1960 actually wasn't the first movie of this era! A director named Michael Powell's "Peeping tom" was the first movie out and it was about the psychopathic cameraman.
However films such as Roman Polanski's 1965 movie "Repulsion" was released for the first time in English. This was a surrealist Thriller where a young woman who goes increasingly mad.
This era was filled with Thriller movies, some of which to mention are Terrence Young's "Wait until Dark" in 1967 was a famous thriller made about a victimised blind woman in her Manhattan apartment and a evil con man in search for drugs. Also movie such as "The triple cross" and "The deadly affair" both released in 1967.
During the 1970s - 1980s:
This is when thrillers where hit by a violent wave. The 1972 "Frenzy", was Hitchcock's first British film in almost two decades, given and R rating for it's explicit content.
However famous films such as Steven Spielberg's low budget Tv movie "Duel" Clint Eastwood's "Play misty for me" both came out in 1971. These are two films that have scared the Thriller industry due to there individual obsessive behavouirs.
Nevertheless the 80s brought us "Dressed to Kill" (18980), Assassination Thriller "Blow out" (1981) and "Body Double"
Finally 1990s - present:
The 90s started with Rob Reiners "Misery" 1990 which was absed on a book by Stephen King, then in 1991 came "Sleeping with the enemy".
The famous Jonathan Demme brought us "The silence of the lambs" in 1991 where a young FBI agent is in a phycological war against a cannibalistic psychiatrist named Hannibal Lector.
David Fincher brought us "se7en" in 1995 which was about a search killer who conducted the seven deadly sins.
Then the climb to present day saw films:
Joy Ride (2001)
The history of violence (2005)
Cellular and Firewall (2006)
P2 and Captivity (2007)
Eden lake and Funny games (2008)
Last house on the left (2009)
Unknown - feat. Liam Neeson (2011)
So that's the knowledge I learnt about the profession of Thriller films.
So now with my decided genre of a 'thriller' I though I should do some research of how to achieve a good thriller including the conventions.
The definition of a thriller is:
"Thriller is a genre of literature, film, video game story and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods, giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened exception, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and terror. Films of this genre tend to me adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast paced," - wikipedia
However due to my thriller only being 2 minutes of the beginning it won't reach the high of suspense as say the middle of the movie might reach because to create a full movie it would need to include"
The protagonist faces death - either his/her own or somebody else.
The force of the antagonist must be initially be clever and/or stronger then the protagonist.
The main storyline for the protagonist is either a quest or a character that cannot be pulled down.
The main plot focuses on a mystery that must be solved.
The films narrative construction is dominated by the protagonists point of view.
There may be a suspenseful and atmospheric soundtrack for the scenes of suspense.
All action and characters must be credibly realistic or natural in the presentation on screen.
The two major themes that underpin the thriller genre are the desire for justice or the morality of individuals.
The protagonist and antagonist battle
Either by accident or by curiosity the character is dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are nor prepared for.
So, because mine is only 2 minutes i'll have only the key elements:
Suspense - There may be a suspenseful or atmospheric soundtrack to the suspense
Conflict/Situation - Either by accident or by curiosity the character is dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are nor prepared for.
Mystery - an element of unknown goings on, so that the suspense is heightened.
Known activity - an activity people can relate themselves in to increase fear within viewer.
Also there are many different sub- genres of thrillers such as:
Action Thriller e.g. Die Hard
Crime Thriller e.g. The Usual Suspects
Film- Noir e.g. Sunset Boulevard
Science fiction Thriller e.g. Aliens
Religious Thriller e.g. The devil's Advocate
Supernatural Thriller e.g. The Sixth Sense
Phycological Thriller e.g. Rear Window
The one that interests me the most has to the 'Phycological Thriller' so upon further research I found out that it has traits of a regular Thriller but a phycological thriller incorporates elements of drama and mystery films. The suspense is this sub-genre comes from the mind. The protagonists in phycological thrillers must rely on their mental resources to solve the situation. Because of their nature, many phycological Thriller cross over into the horror genre.
I decided I am going to focus my 2 minutes on a phycological thriller because it's open to interpretation on how you trick and use the mind as a factor of suspense!
For the inspiration to my 2 minute movie opening I went onto 'youtube' and looked at previous ones done before me. I took some notes on the most effective ones and how they accomplished this effectiveness. For example here is one I looked at:
The notes I took from this one is the build up of suspense made by sounds (doors/floor boards) and music made me personally shiver, so i thought sounds and music is so important!
Then, after watching a couple of different genres, I decided to ask a focus group on their opinion of the most effect genre to portray in just 2 minutes and unanimously they agreed a thriller/horror got them most interested in wanting to watch on... therefore I decided to go with a thriller.
However now I had my genre I needed inspiration from real published movies! So after watching some extremely disturbing 2 minutes of each movie I focused in on two movie trailers, 'Scream' and 'Unfriended' to which I found they gave me an idea for my own movie:
I choses these 2 in particular because they both involved school kids from our age, so I know people can relate them to that situation which is what I want for my own thriller. I want people to be scared that they could be in the situation I create for my movie.
i am looking at film openings made by other directors as it is crucial to my research, so i can see how directors create their award winning movies...
For my Genre in particular, i like the 1996 movie 'scream's ' film opening...
“What’s your favorite scary movie?”
"Wes Craven’s self-aware sense of pitch-black humor is complimented only by his ability to engineer a freaky horror set piece, in this case one of the best of all time"– Daniel Walber
I really like this because it's a situation i can relate myself too and in the first 4 minutes the viewer is already on edge, due to the music intensifying and the repetitive phone calls building up suspense.
The director Wes Craven also directed the nightmare on elm street and scream4. This director uses a specific dramatic technique because the music ran through out and the sounds are cleverly put together. This film opening is one i favour because i particularly like the girl home alone idea as it's the perfect setting to empathise with her, because you could imagine yourself in her shoes!
However in general i like these film openings...
Manhattan - Directed by Woody Allen
"Chapter one…”
The music captures the many tempos of New York City and few movies capture its blend of anxiety and romance like Woody Allen’s black & white films. The opening lays down its inexpressible love for the city with rushed class, matching the fits and starts of Allen’s tortured monologue to the unstoppable drive of the music. In the end it is New York itself that wins, pushing past the script into a wordless celebration of its skyline and rhythm that can only explode into fireworks.
I like the voice over because it adds a depth of field to the opening, like a narrative that is speaking to the audience directly. I feel this is something i could encorperate within my 2 minute opening as it bring the effect of more than just a movie to watch but get involved with!
Clueless - Amy Heckering
"looking out a dirty old window..."
I LOVE this film opening because the music is really upbeat and starts the movie off to a good start, it also over laps in the opening titles so it allows the movie to flow from titles to the opening scene. I love the narrative over the top once again, especially how it's americanised over the top. I once again like the use of the girl character as the main character, it adds a unintended feeling of empathy.
So as I progress through my Media AS level, my next task to accomplish is my BIG coursework project. This is where I have to create a 2 minute opening of a movie using a variety of camera shots, different sounds, stage directions and mise-en-scene.
For this I will need to complete the following check list:
