Research into Sound - Miss Miller

Sound in films are used to show different emotions for different characters, it also helps the audience relate to characters in the film during certain parts of a film. In this clip from 'Insidious chapter 2' sound is used in many different ways.

A high pitched violin noise is used at the beginning of the clip when Dalton is speaking to his mum about having a bad dream. The use of the violin sound getting louder gives a sense of foreboding, it also creates tension and suspense as the audience doesn't know what could happen next. This shows that sound can be used to give the audience an understanding of what could happen in the film which makes the audience curious which is conventional to thriller films, also tension and suspense are typical elements of the thriller genre. (0-28 seconds)

A loud, echoed, whispering sound effect is used on the grandma and Dalton's voice when he's is bed and she's talking to him. This puts us in Dalton's position as we feel like the voice is inside our head, and knowing the storyline of Insidious 1 and 2 we know that when Dalton is asleep the ghosts come to him and his family which scares the audience even more. This use of fear and horror helps the audience relate to Dalton as we hear exactly what he can and makes us think what we would do in his position. Fear and horror are typical elements used in thriller movies to involve the audience in the film. (34-40 seconds)

A strange harp or violin sound is used when the camera shows the ghost woman in Dalton's room, this sound is different from other films as it is quieter and more strange than jumpy. This is used to confuse the audience and make them think who the woman is, why she is there and how does Dalton know. The feelings of confusion and curiosity intrigue the audience as they want to find out what is going on. Curiosity and confusion are both key elements when talking about thriller films as they are feelings of the audience.

A loud whisper is used when the dad is speaking to somebody in the hall way, the use of a loud whisper makes us think that he is talking to us because we can hear him so loudly and clearly which involves the audience in the film. Also because we can't see who he is talking to, the whispering sound makes the audience scared because they're curious of who or what the dad could be talking to which is mysterious. The use of horror, fear and mystery used in this clip makes the audience think a lot and is conventional to the thriller genre as it frightens the audience. (1.00-1.11)

In my research into sound in thrillers I have noticed that sound is equally important as camera angles and views as they both evoke scary emotions and have the same mysterious effect on the audience.

Research into the history of thriller films - Miss Georgiou

Thriller films and programmes are a genre that uses elements such as excitement, tension and suspense.

1940's thriller

'Rebecca' is a thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940, the film is about a self conscious woman who is tormented by her husbands first wife who is dead, Rebecca. The use of ghosts and death is conventional to thrillers as they're mysterious and make the audience curious, these conventions are still used in modern thrillers today such as 'Paranormal activity'. Paranormal activity has a similar storyline about a ghostly presence which scares the characters in the film, and also the audience with elements of terror and shock which again, are typical of films in the thriller genre. This shows that films then, and films now both use the same thriller elements to scare the audience.

1960's thriller

'Psycho' is another thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960. The film is about a female secretary who gets secluded in a motel and stabbed to death in the shower after stealing a large amount of money. A vulnerable woman on her own is used in this film and modern films also such as 'The strangers', these characters are used because we can see that the female character cannot defend herself against killers. Also the audience can relate to the character when they are home alone like the characters in the films. This shows that features of thriller films haven't changed over the decades.



1980's thriller

'The Hearse' is a thriller film produced in 1980 and directed by George Bowers. The film is about a girl called Jane, her aunty's ghost haunts her in a house along with other evil spirits. Ghosts are also used in modern day films such as 'The woman in black' which also uses a ghostly lady. The use of ghosts are used to make the audience curious if these supernatural characters are real which scares them as well. This again shows that films in the 1980's haven't really changed with story-lines and characters.



In my research I have found that films in the 1940's, 60's and 80's are very similar to modern films. They use ghosts, killers and vulnerable victims which are also used in modern day films which shows that the thriller genre uses specific elements that creates mystery and horror.

  

 

This list shows us the highest earning thriller films ever made from the 90's to the present day, this could be because of thriller genre being more accessible and popular as the content is appealing and relatable due to the development in technology.

Hannibal - Plot:  Hannibal Lecter is a murdering cannibal who lives in Italy and works at a museum, a man named Mason Verger plans to get revenge on Lecter after what he had done to him in the prequal (Silence of the lambs).

 Hannibal has a lot of elements conventional to a thriller film presented through the characters such as the disturbing killer which creates enigma and fear to the audience, most importantly, the fact that the cannibal is a normal person working in a museum allows the audience to create an emotional link because of the normal job he is as they sense nothing unusual. The themes that the film revolves around are gore and horror these themes evoke emotions such as fear and shock within their target audience which is teenagers.

This in comparison to Saw IV, which came 9th in the list has similar themes of gore and violence due to the horrific scenes in both films, for example the traps in Saw IV and gore related themes in Hannibal.

Despite these similar themes, Saw IV and Hannibal have contrasting narratives as the Saw saga revolves around numerous victims participating in structured and gruesome tasks to save their lives where as Hannibal follows the storyline of a previous victim seeking revenge. This also shows the difference in the prequels of the 2 films as Saw has a similar narrative as the previous films, but Hannibal changes from 'The silence of the lambs' which entices the audience as they don't know what could occur.



Individual ideas for a narrative - Miss Georgiou

My idea for my thriller opening has been inspired by films such as 'sinister' and 'insidious'.

My idea

There is a little boy playing in the garden and looks up and sees someone in his bedroom window  which is a low angle shot, also aloud piano sound is played. He runs (handheld camera shot) to tell his mum and she doesn't believe him fades out to night time and kids asleep upstairs and mum is watching TV alone when the door knocks. she answers but nobody is there then the camera films her face and somebody in the back door window is standing with a gas mask on and creepy music is played and he walked out of sight. Next morning the mum is tidying her sons room and finds the gas mask under his bed and same piano noise is played creating mystery and tension.

Research into conventions of the thriller genre - Miss Miller

Conventions of a thriller clip are features that are typical to thriller films and make them different from other genres such as action or comedy, this clip from 'The conjuring' shows many different conventions which I will analyse in this blog.

A handheld camera shot is used when the girl looks up to the wardrobe, this is used to make the evil girl seem scary because it puts the audience in her position, also because the shot starts low, it makes the little girl seem vulnerable. This is conventional to thrillers as many thriller films make audience shocked and scared, also in thrillers it is typical for the victim to seem helpless and vulnerable to any sort of attack like the evil girl in this particular clip.

Low key lighting is used in this clip in the girl's room, this lighting is used to create mystery of what could be hiding in the darkness such as an evil girl in this clip. Also it creates suspense as we can't see clearly and expect something to make us jump or very scared. Because it is night time, this automatically makes the audience on edge as most scary things are associated with night time and darkness. This use of low key lighting is typical of a thriller as it creates tension, and makes the audience curious of what is going to happen, and who is in the darkness.

A reaction shot is used when the evil girl jumps off of the wardrobe, when the evil girl is seen in the shot, loud music is played and the camera jumps to a close up of her face. This is used to shock the audience and scare them as the girl looked sinister. The element of surprise is used in thrillers to involve the audience so that they share the same emotions as the victim in the film which is also exciting for them. This is conventional to the thriller genre as directors like to involve the audience and excite them like in this clip.

In my research into conventions of thriller films I have found that many different elements are used to involve and shock the audience such as tension, suspense and surprise.

Research into the BBFC and age ratings - Miss Georgiou

U:
The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film is suitable for anybody aged four years and over. However, it is hard to know what might scare or upset a particular child. The film 'Up' is an example of a U rating film as it only contains mild threat.

PG:
PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content might upset younger or more sensitive children. The film 'Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone' is an example of a PG rating film Contains mild fantasy action violence.

12A and 12:
12A means that anyone aged 12 or over view the film without an adult. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are with an adult, who must watch the film with them. The 12 certificate is for videos, DVDs and Blu-rays. 12A is for films at the cinema only. 'Spiderman' is an example of a 12A film as it contains scenes of strong violence but, originally the film was meant for younger children as spiderman was a comic, but the BBFC had to give it a 12A rating.
15:
No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy ‘15’ rated DVD. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age because it may contain strong violence, sexual references and gore. The film 'Insidious' is an example of 15 rating as it contains strong psychological horror, violence and language.

18:
Films rated 18 are for adults. Nobody under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children. The film 'Texas chainsaw massacre' is an example of a 18 rating film as it contains strong, bloody violence and strong language.

Research into editing styles - Miss Georgiou

Editing

I chose to analyse a clip from 'Orphan' because it presents many different editing styles which I will analyse in this blog.

A reaction shot is used to show that the mother is in pain, we can see this when she gets stabbed and the camera instantly jumps to her screaming face. This shows us the horrific pain she's in after being stabbed and also makes the audience feel sorry for her as the shot of her face indicates how much she is hurt, this reaction shot also makes the audience curious of what she can do to fight off Esther after being stabbed which creates tension. Pain and curiosity are themes linked to thriller films such as 'Orphan'.

Quick timing of shots are used to create an emotional impact on the audience and show the emotional impact on the mother, we can see this when Esther and the mother are fighting the shots last three seconds or under. This shows us the rush of the fight, and can represent the fast thoughts going through her head because she is in a very dangerous situation. It also makes the audience feel worried for her as she is in such a hazardous place and close to death, and makes them want to help her which is impossible but shows that the timing of shots can create an impact on the audience. The use of worry and suspense is conventional to thriller films.

Shot reverse shots are used during this clip to show the anger in the two characters, we can see this when Esther and the mother and fighting and the camera switches from character to character. This creates tension because it makes the audience want to know who will win the fight, also, it shows the hatred they have for each other because the shots represent them staring at each other hatefully. This makes the audience feel the same emotions as the characters, these feelings of hatred seen in characters are typical of thriller films as they often involve fights, arguments or confrontation.

Another reaction shot is used to shock the audience, we can see this when the little girl shoots the gun, this shocks the audience because you wouldn't expect her to use a gun at such a young age. It also shows us how much she loves her mother because she tries to save her, the shot jumps to her face to show how shocked she is because of the ice breaking and sound of the gun. These themes also are conventional to thriller films as they draw the audience in.

Research into cinematography Miss Miller

Cinematography

Cinematogophy is The art of movie photography and camera angles including both the shooting and development of the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnq_3jQa2VI

I chose to analyse the camera angles in 'The devil inside' because it has many different shots which show the audience alot about the characters.

A high angle shot is used in this clip to show the audience the room and whats in it. The working man's uniform shows us that Maria is in a mental institution which is mysterious and makes the audience curious of why she is there. Also the high angle shot could represent a security camera watching Maria in case she does anything bad, this makes the audience see her as very sinister which is conventional to a thriller movie. (0-1 seconds in the clip)

A zoom-in camera angle is used to show us Maria's face and more specifically her eyes, the focus on her eyes is used because she is looking at something or someone else who we cannot see who could be a demon or ghost which are conventional to thriller movies. This angle makes the audience feel scared because of the eeriness of Maria's character especially from this angle, and also they may feel intrugued to see what she is looking at. (3-6 seconds in the clip)

An extreme close-up is used is ued to show Maria's arm which has cuts on it. This creates a sense of mystery again, as of why she has cut herself. The extreme close up makes her arm cover the whole shot which looks very gory and strange which are conventional themes to a thriller movie. (16-19 seconds in the clip)

A close-up shot is used on Maria's face to create mystery and suspision. The shot shoes us her cut lip, messy hair and scary red eyes which scares the audience because she looks so sinister and possibly corpse like. This makes the audience wonder how and why this has happened to her and curious of the whole plot of the rest of the movie which many thriller films do. (23-24 seconds in the clip)

A handheld camera movement is used to put us in the daughters point of view, this is used to represent the shaking of the daughter due to her horror of seeing her mothers arm. The fear and terror from the daughter is passed on to the audience who share her feelings because of this camera movement which involves the audience, this is again conventional to thriller movies. (30-34 seconds in the clip)