Narrative and sub-genre of a thriller

Four types of narrative in a Thriller
-Omniscient: the audience members know everything about the character
-Restricted: the audience only knows what is revealed to them/what the character knows
-Linear: a clear beginning, middle and end
-Non-linear: flashbacks to throw the audience off track

Enigma code
Acts as an intriguing way of inviting the audience to pursue the plot of the narrative as the film gradually unravels. Builds on suspense and drama for the rest of the film

Sub-genres of a thriller
-Conspiracy: A hero/heroine is usually try to bring down a powerful organisation. Espionage and the secrecy of governments is a re-occurring theme in conspiracy thrillers as is propaganda and identification. Examples of conspiracy thrillers are "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "North by Northwest"
-Crime: This hybrid sub-genre constructs a more suspenseful element to the film. Focuses on the criminals and their motives throughout the film, although action and psychological events are emphasised in this sub-genre. Examples of crime thrillers are "Seven" and "A Perfect Murder"
-Disaster: The main following of this sub-genre involves a protagonist (or group of protagonists) that face either natural of simulated disasters (generally include extreme weather like floods or tornadoes). Man-kind and the human race are usually in danger unless they can be "saved". Examples of disaster thrillers are "2012" and "The Day After Tomorrow"
-Mystery: This sub-genre conveys themes of crime thrillers and centres itself around the detective/investigator who attempts to solve the mystery. The narrative of this sub-genre usually follows the path of being restricted; only allowing the audience to know what the character knows which provides and atmosphere of suspense/drama and lets the audience figure out the mystery with the character. Examples of a mystery thriller are "Shutter Island" and "Vertigo"
-Political: Analyses the solidity of governments and the dependence of the protagonist to ensure that unpleasant things don't happen. World wars are a re-occurring theme in this sub-genre. Examples of political thriller films are "The Contender" and "State of Play"
-Psychological: Intends to confuse audiences and includes a protagonist with either mental or emotional problems which causes suspense throughout the film. Examples are "Psycho" and "Shutter Island"
-Religious: This explores the pros and cons of religious ideas. Most religious thrillers include a protagonist on some sort of quest to discover further truth and secrets behind religion. Examples of religious thrillers include "The Da Vinci Code" and "The Ninth Gate"
-Techno: These thrillers are ususally about a futuristic world that is ruled by technology. Aliens, war and robots are typical elements in techno thriller. Examples are "I, Robot" and "The Matrix"

New ideas and alterations for our thriller opening

After visiting BFI Southbank this week, my group and I decided that we need to re-think how we want to film, plan and portray our psychological thriller. We decided to stick to the idea of a female protagonist having paranoia due to being mugged, but personally I think it'd be better to focus on the effect of the event rather than the cause; that way it'd be easier for the audience to understand that it's a psychological thriller and it would link more to paranoia.

If we used the whole two minutes for our opening sequence to explain the character is scared of getting attacked, gets attacked and then realises it was all a dream, that'd be extremely cliche and basic. At BFI Southbank, one of the speakers listed the most common student thriller openings and we realised that we had already used three of those cliches. So, we decided to change a few things to make our thriller film more interesting.

We're still planning to include the mugging scene in our thriller opening, but use it in the form of brief flashbacks during the protagonist's day to day life. Hopefully, this cross-over from hyper-reality to the everyday will make the paranoia more apparent and throw the audience off course. I think it'd be better for our thriller film to take some ideas and influences from the film "Premonition" because it uses ideas of discontinuity in terms of reality and being in a dream state. Another adjustment that I think would be effective with our thriller opening would be the usage of foley - having a loud sound of a clock ticking to create a tense and tedious atmosphere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLsiGGF9DPc



This thriller opening i saw was very helpful and could heavily influence our own opening. This film focuses on the dream state and hyper-reality which is what our group is trying to achieve. We'll take ideas and influences from this film like the change-over from reality to manifestation.

Thriller Locations

I think this secluded footpath in Stone would be a fitting location for our thriller film because it's a long/winding road that has a mysterious look to it. There are a lot of trees/bushes and very few lamp posts which could build up suspense if the scenes were shot at night/in the dark. Seeing as our psychological thriller is based around paranoia, the empty space of this big road would help make the theme effective

The second location that I thought would fit our thriller film is the lakes at Bluewater shopping center. Again, it's a large open space that can make the protagonist feel inferior. It's also got a small woodland area a tunnel which helps create that mysterious effect

Planning our Thriller Introduction

-A psychological thriller that will appeal to 15-25 year old female audiences
-Your film should be a modern homage to a previous thriller director (Vertigo, Fight Club, Inception, Shutter Island)

Psychological Thriller
-Female protagonist
-Paranoia/Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
-Getting mugged  - triggers her into a frenzy
-Dream/flashback - it's a manifestation
-Motion blur editing
-Lighting intensified
-Locations: bedroom, alley/secluded area/long winding hill
-3 films to influence our Psychological Thriller: Orphan, Inception, Crank
-Fast paced movement from the protagonists, trying to figure out what's happening. Uncertainty and terror from the character
-While being mugged she is portrayed as inferior
Paranoia being shown as she wakes up and starts her "precise" routine

Thriller Mind-Map

Action Chicks

Kill Bill
-In this film, women are seen as feisty, powerful, strong and capable of defending themselves
-The female characters in this film challenge their suggested stereotype; they've dared to step out of the domestic role and adapt masculine qualities.
-Although the characters themselves don't want to be seen as sexual objects, they're usually dressed in costume that focuses on their bodies (for example, Uma Thurman's character in Kill Bill is dressed in leather). She wears a semi-tight black and yellow jumpsuit, both physically and metaphorically "wearing the trousers". Throughout the film her costume gets dirty, suggesting she's been doing some hard/manual labour - further challenging the female stereotype.

-The Asian lady is wearing a traditional gown, walks with elegance and has her hair tied up. In physical appearance, she's conforming to the female stereotype but her characteristics and knowledge of violence suggest otherwise. There's a scene in the film where she is leading a group of people; she is center of the camera, dressed in white and everyone behind her is blurred/dressed in black - showing she's dominant and the most important out of the people in that shot.

 

-Sharp camera shots are used to fully engage the audience in the pace of the film. Tilt camera angles are used to show the power status of the character. When there is a low angle and the camera is looking up, there is an implication that the characters are superior. If the camera is looking down, there is an implication that the character is inferior

-Throughout the film there are numerous fight scenes where the women are acting violently. the sideways and crab shots follow the movements of the characters to keep the pace of the scene which infers they have "strong personalities". There's a suggestion of phallic imagery with the swords; women having swords could be a symbolism that they've taken on masculine qualities and genitals.
-The sounds of weaponry and fighting are used heavily in this film. Short sentences are spoken by the characters to create intensity in the atmosphere

Exploring how the role and representation of women has changed from 1970 until today

"Live and Let Die" (1973) - Bond meets Solitaire
-The woman is dressed in all white and a "flowing" outfit. This could possibly be symbol of purity and innocence. She has long hair, a dainty way of walking and a gentle voice. Her character in this film conforms to the female stereotype; fragile, attractive and uses melodramatic gestures. When she enters the room she is standing in a very sensual stance, intended to be seen that way by the male audience.

-She is submissive, barely stands up for herself and is oblivious to the man's intentions - causing the audience to believe she's naive and only used for her body. Emphasizing the theory of the Male Gaze that women are vulnerable and sensual objects.

Mr and Mrs Smith
-The character "Mrs Smith" is dressed in a provocative outfit, openly allowing herself to be seen as a sexual object. She's using her body to get what she wants in the situation she's in. The camera focuses primarily on her body and outfit
-Reversing the role; being a typical feminine object, using the male gaze, then suddenly being violent to show that not all women are weak - taking on masculine features

Thriller Mood Board