Seb Hallett

1. Seb Hallett Thriller Foundation portfolioresearch document

2. The Thriller genre – an overview The term thriller is actually a loose term that refers to any film that generates suspense and excitement as a major part of its narrative. Many films that are considered thriller films are not always just thriller, what I mean is that there are many types of thriller movies. For example you can have a psychological thriller, an action thriller, a horror thriller and many more. A film which has two genres such as a horror thriller movie is called a hybrid genre. Thriller movies can create many emotions one being a form of escapism. This means when you can almost escape the real world and get lost in a great movie.

3. Sub Genre and Hybrids • A Sub Genre and a Hybrid Genre, is a case when a movie has 2 or more genres. For example, a Rom Com. This is a cross between a Romantic and a Comedy film such as 500 days of Summer. You can also get Thriller Horror’s. No Country For Old Men is a good example of a Thriller Horror and so is Shutter Island. • Definition – “Cross-genre (or hybrid genre) writing blends stylistic and structural elements from two or more literary genres in an experimental format”.

4. Narrative Themes & Conventions • Many thriller movies tend to have a similar narrative, a narrative was defined by Tzvetan Todorov’s and he theory of narrative was the order of the story “a chain of events”. This is the story of a Thriller and what happens in it. Crime is usually at the core of the narrative and the structure of the narrative is usually complex, twists and turns become a regularity. Thrillers also tend to have a Restricted Narrative. This means you only know what you see or have seen. No more. The narrative is usually developed through certain characters, i.e. the villain causes the narrative problem then the hero solves it. • The reason I say that many Thriller movies have a similar narrative; a man called Todorov used his ideas about narrative in literacy and English, and media can also relate to his theory, so the Thriller genre follows his ideas. This is why in most cases the structure of the narrative is similar. Todorov had a literacy theory, and a theory on folk stories and tales, and this was that narratives get played out in one common way. For example in media the Thriller film will start off with a state of equillibrium (everything is good and normal and how it should be) then the disequillibrium occurs (this is when something disrupts normallity, i.e. a villain) after that you recognise the disequillibrium, this is followed by the repair of disequillibrium then finally the re equillibium. This is known as Todorovs Theory of Narrative. An example of his theory would be King Kong it starts of well however the rest of the narrative falls together and in place just how Todorov describes. • Furthermore a man called Syd Field had a theory, however more simple (3 stages). intro, confrontation then victory for the hero. Thriller movies also tend to have similar conventions i.e. character types, sounds (non diegetic and diegetic), costumes the character’s wear.

5. Thriller Character profiles • Propp had a theory on character types, He believed that there were 7 different types of character; the villain, the hero or victim, the donor, the helper, the princess, her father and the dispatcher. However his theory related to folktales not Thrillers. Once people began to hear about Propp and his theory directors and writers began to use some of these characters or at least the majority within Thriller movies and this is why Propp is still such a big influence on Thriller’s and Media as a whole. In almost every Thriller movie there is the villain, and the hero. These are two such iconic roles which are portrayed in many ways in many Thriller’s. E.g. Batman – The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne (Batman) is the hero and his “princess” is Rachel, However the villain (The Joker) uses Rachel to get to the Batman and this is an example of Propps theory. Because now Batman (Bruce Wayne), has to save his prize which is Rachel. • There are other character types also, i.e. the protagonist, this is another term which means the good guy/hero/victim. They often have a floor which the antagonist targets, for example in the movie “The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3” the protagonist “Garber” has just been found guilty to accepting a bribe which could put his company in jeopardy, and the antagonist “Ryder” uses this floor against Garber. The protagonist is often close to death at some point in the narrative. Another character type is the antagonist. This is the bad guy or more well known as the villain in the Thriller film. The characters in a Thriller genre will be wearing clothes which can be easily identified and linked to their profession. For example in shutter island, Leonardo Dicaprio’s character ”Teddy Daniels” is wearing a long suit and a top hat. By seeing this you immediately know he is a detective. Another example is again Batman, you immediately know that batman is a superhero.

6. Mise-En-Scene • Meaning; “An expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production” Essentially what is on screen at one time. In the Thriller genre everything is on screen for a reason. There are five areas of M-E-S; Setting, Costume, Props, Lighting/Colour, Figure expression. • Setting – You will tend to see the location of the film almost straight away, this sets the scene immediately. E.g. in Shutter Island you see the two main characters on a boat travelling to a derelict and run down island, in the middle of no where, this sets the scene and hints at the narrative to come. • Costume – The costumes which the characters wear is also highly important because it helps you understand the line of work they are in and also their personality. E.g. Shutter island “Teddy Daniels” wears a silly green colourful tie and his partner wears a a dull colour tie which is hidden under his suit. This not only hints at the personality of the characters but you can also understand that although they both work together they are opposites, both in characteristics and personality. By seeing both “Teddy Daniels” and his partner wearing the iconic detective suit you understand that there has been a murder and also the genre of the film, M-E-S is highly important for the audience to retrieve useful information about the narrative to come.

7. More Mise-en-scene.. • Props – When props are used they are usually one of the most important features which are occurring on screen, and the director will make this very obvious. I say this because props hint both at the narrative and the plot and finally the genre. Characters wouldn’t be holding a prop if the prop had no significance would they? E.g. Collateral in the OTS of collateral there is a close up shot of the briefcase. This is because the briefcase is very important to the narrative to come and the director wants you to realise that. So he makes this as obvious as he can. • Lighting/Colour – The colours and the lighting of the OTS are also significant because this sets the scene and once again hints at the narrative, for example in the new Batman Dark Knight Rises trailer and OTS the majority of the time the lighting is dark and footage is at night. This is because of the genre and is relevant. Where as if you watch an OTS for a movie such as Shrek the lighting and colours will be the opposite because of its respected genre and it wouldn’t make sense If the lighting was dark throughout. • Figure Expression – The figure expression which the characters show in M-E-S is very important; It shows their personality, genre, and the narrative I say this because in a Thriller such as Shutter Island the figure expressions and facial expressions in the OTS are faces of worry and disbelief because of what has happened, although in other genres the expression of characters differs.

8. Cinematography Cinematography –“is the art or technique of movie photography, including both the shooting and development of the film”. • Thriller movies use many shots which are conventional to all Thrillers and these shots help show and contribute to a characters; emotion, figure expression, the narrative and the genre of the movie. For example the Shot-Reverse-Shot is a shot of two people usually in conversation and the camera will stay on one side of the characters, i.e. if they are opposite each other it will appear on one characters left hand shoulder and then the other characters right hand shoulder. This way the camera doesn’t cross a line and the audience can understand what’s happening with more ease. This shot is used famously in Thrillers for many reason however arguably most importantly is because it show’s the body language of both characters well. In Thrillers the body language of two characters is very important because usually the narrative plays on many emotions of the character. • This shot is used very effectively in the Dark Knight between Batman and The Joker. It shows both of the characters APOV of the situation and you can see the difference in facial expression of the two characters because of their difference in roles. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiXOectaT9U • Thriller films also almost never have an Establishing Shot, this is because of the genre. In other genres such as comedy or a romance an establishing shot is common, however for Thriller it isn’t.

9. Sound, how it is used in Thriller films.. Diegetic sound • Diegetic sound is the sound which is already in the shot and hasn’t been added in, for example speech and dialogue between characters. • In Thriller films typical diegetic sounds include: • Dialogue – this is an important factor of Thriller because you get a feel of what’s going on, the characters emotions and what is going to lead on in the remaining scenes. • Ambient sounds – the ambient sound of a shot is just as important also, this is so the audience get a feel for the atmosphere of the scene and how the characters are feeling. • To be specific in the film Collateral you hear ambient sounds of echo’s and of tannoy announcements which suggests that they are in an airport or train station, furthermore there are many people in the background out of focus speaking to each other, with hand luggage in their hands. this is another suggestion that they are in an airport perhaps. • However, in a film such as Shutter Island it is based in a completely different environment so the diegetic sounds will be different. For example it is based on a remote island so you may here sounds of birds, trucks driving, helicopters flying, the sea and the waves. This is the ambient sound of the island, this contrasts well to Collateral.

10. Sound, how it is used in Thriller films.. Non Diegetic sound • Non Diegetic sound is the sound which is added into an existing shot when editing. This is to improve the shot In some ways and create certain feels to the film. Sound is crucial in many scenes. • In Thriller films typical non diegetic sounds include: • Pleonastic sound - this type of sound is music or a music effect which interprets an action in a scene, such as a piece of music to replicate the sound of a gun being fired. • Contrapuntal sound – this type of the sound is the opposite to pleonastic sound, i.e. it doesn’t match what’s on screen, it is supposed to contradict what’s happening on screen to create a disharmony. • So if you look at the chase scene in Taken 2 the scene is really intense and fills you with anxiety. So the music matches the scene and helps you bring out these emotions. The music is high In volume and pitch to fill the audience with anxiety and suspense. Although this film has a narrative of reassurance. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXm2rV6YCM0

11. Editing, how is it used?.. • The editing which is used in a Thriller movie is key for the audience. You can understand the genre, and differentiate from other genres. For example in Thriller movies there is a lot of fighting and battles between the protagonist and the antagonist, scenes like this require quick editing so the pace of the scene is crucial. An example of this could be Batman Begins when Bruce Wayne is fighting Ra’s Al Ghul. A scene such as this needs to be fast pace, with high volume. Furthermore a Romance may have slower editing, this way you can differentiate between the genres by looking at the style of editing and identify if a Thriller is a Thriller. • Editing also links in with camera work and sound because of how angles and shots are bought together to make a scene in the editing. • Continuity editing will feature throughout, this is so the audience and viewers can get lost in with the action. Continuity editing flows really well and the viewer can watch it with more ease. • Shot Reverse Shot’s are key to editing because the audience can see the faces and reaction of two characters in one scene. • The narrative of a Thriller film tends to be tense and full of action, this means that the editing will be fast paced, this matches the action. • Many other techniques such as Parallel Editing and Match On Action are also used to produce effects and to play on different emotions for the audience. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnFJiEPxwbg

12. Thriller Target Audience • People watch thriller movie’s as a form of escapism, To be thrilled, The tension, The climatic moments and as an emotional test. • Anyone can watch Thriller movie’s, however the main target audience tends to be early teenagers through to middle aged adults at the age of 30. Other ages enjoy Thriller movies also but they are not considered the target audience. • Both men and women enjoy Thrillers but they have different reasons why. The women tend to enjoy the thrills which are offered and the strong male character who tends to have the main role. For example Liam Neeson in Taken and Taken 2. The Men also enjoy the thrills, but they may not enjoy the male character which the women do. Men enjoy the action as well as the tension in the film and also the twists and turns offered on the way. You don’t have to be apart of a certain social class to enjoy Thrillers. • Any person despite their social class background can enjoy this genre. Although if you are high up in the social class hierarchy, you may want the narrative to challenge you intellectually for example Donnie Darko and Momentum. If you are lower down in the social class ranking you may want the narrative to be more simple.

13. The Dark Knight Certification Sub Genre: Action/ Thriller Certificate 12A Horror Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained. The Dark Knight - The Joker’s personality and mannerisms, bring this to the film frequently. Imitable behaviour Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied, or appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised. The Dark Knight – The joker again brings a lot of this to the film because of his motive. Theme Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers. The Dark Knight - The theme of the film is quite strong because of what the film is about and what’s happening throughout. Concerning the joker and who he kills. Violence Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual justification. The Dark Knight – has a few glory moments and has the aftermath of someone’s injuries however you do not see how they get to that state.

14. Casino Royale Certification Discrimination Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned. Casino Royale - Drugs Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail. Casino Royale - Horror Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained. Casino Royale – is full of threats and fights, that’s apart of the fabric of the film and all Bond films. Imitable behaviour Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied, or appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised. Casino Royale – towards the end when Bond is captured, there is a lot. Throughout there is a little but mainly fighting nothing too severe. Language Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’) must be infrequent. Casino Royale – there isn’t too much bad language but some is used, nothing too strong. Nudity Nudity is allowed, but in a sexual context must be brief and discreet. Casino Royale – Bond always has affairs with women but never total nude is used. Usually the scene involves the reaction from when they did make love. Sex Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable. Casino Royale – some sex is shown however mainly kissing and the scene before they actually make love. Theme Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers. Casino Royale – As Casino Royale is rated a 12 teenagers of all age can watch and it is suitable. Violence Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual justification. Casino Royale – The film is very violent but mainly fist fighting and gun shots, the scenes are never overly graphic.