Research into editing styles- Miss Georgiou

Editing

Editing is essential to any kind of film, it can immerse you into the film world and make you feel as if you are there with the characters on screen. It can also make you scared as jump cuts are specifically used for this effect. For thrillers they use editing to create a suspenseful atmosphere that makes the audience tense. As an example I would like to use this scene from "no country for old men".

The first example is a reaction shot of the door lock being blown off the door and then it cuts to a reaction shot the lock hitting the protagonist in the chest. This shows the impact of the hit as we see his facial expression change to pain. The audience can relate to this as they see the impact of this on the protagonist, the audience have seen the danger this man possesses and are then fearful to our protagonist. This is conventional as the audience are commonly worried whether or not the protagonist in a thriller will be okay.

The next shot we see are protagonist running in an alleyway and Chigurh takes a shot at the protagonist, the timing of shots have increased from earlier scenes. This shift in tempo is used to demonstrate the change from a suspenseful scene to a fast paced scene. The audience can relate to this as the whole scene emphasizes the confusion of the protagonist that is on screen. This is conventional to a thriller as the editing always speeds up along with what is happening in the context of the scene.

The final use of editing is the scene where Chigurh is looking at the blood on the floor after finding the car that the protagonist was just in and tries to follow the blood trail. The effect this creates is that the antagonist or Chigurh has the upper hand is probably thinking it as well. The audience relate to our protagonist as he is against someone confident and the audience are then further into thinking that the antagonist may win. This is conventional to a thriller as nearly all the time the audience are fearful that the antagonist may be better than the protagonist.

In conclusion, the editing in this scene is essential as the timing of each of your shots can convey the mood and the pace that you want for certain scenes. I have learnt that when doing my own thriller that you should only really make the editing fast in a sort of action sequence or chase but when nothing is happening in the context then make the editing slow.

Research into cinematography- Miss Miller

Cinematography

In the film "se7en" there is a scene where the camera displays many uses of angles and movements that are conventional to a thriller. At the start of the scene, there is a handheld camera angle of Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman searching a room. This portrays the urgency of the situation as they think the killer is here, which makes the film a bit more chaotic as the characters rush around. The audience relate to this as they also feel as if they are there rushing around, so the audience are able to build a relationship with the characters on screen, this kind of panic is conventional to a thriller.

The very next shot is a point of view of the swat officers going into the room with the air fresheners hanging on the ceiling. The point of view is used to see it from the perspective and again to further emphasize the relationship between the audience and the characters. This also creates suspense as we don't why the air fresheners are there or if the killer is even in the apartment. This type of movement is conventional to a thriller as it creates suspense even for the characters.

In the next shot, we see a low angle shot of the swat officer named California as he touches an air freshener and then looks into a room with his gun aimed. This shows the power that is behind the character and also his bravery. It's a low angle to show the audience that the character himself is not in any danger, therefore the audience can identify him as a strong character later on in the film. This type of angle on a protagonist is conventional to a thriller as it is building a relationship with the audience and the characters.

Another movement the camera does is when they find the victim the camera zooms in onto the word "sloth" written on the wall. This is used so that there is focus to the subject that is being zoomed in. The audience focus as this has dramatic impact on the story and it also the audience build a relationship with the subject of the zoom in. This is conventional to a thriller.

There is an close up as the detective looks at the pictures of the victim, there is some background but it is all blurred out. This is done convey the importance of the pictures, as this is leading evidence of what the killer has done. This then grabs the audiences' attention as they focus on the pictures, the characters are also paying close attention to the photo's which makes us feel as if we are there, therefore, it further builds up a relationship between the audience and the characters on screen. This is conventional to a thriller.

Research into sound - Miss Miller

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to a film is extremely important, without sound the whole film would collapse as sound is the best way to convey the mood the director is going for, for example for a horror you would have long high notes held for several seconds to increase tension within the scene, you would also have a sudden loud noise to make the audience jump in terror. I will be researching how sound can emphasize the what is happening on screen.

An example I will look at is the famous johnny scene from the shining.

As the scene starts we see Jack, played by Jack Nicholson, Walking up a few steps with some eerie music in the background whilst he holds an axe in his left hand, this is non-diegetic sound which means the characters on screen cannot not hear nor will they interact with it. This shows how out of place the characters are. Though we hear the suspenseful music, the characters can't, the audience relate to this as the characters don't know what is about to happen, this is conventional to a thriller as most of the time the characters do not know when they are going to die or not yet the audience will make the assumption based on the music alone.

Further into this scene we see Jack, again, trying to get into the bathroom but the door is locked when he attempts to open it. This is trying to portray that the situation is normal as the door lock sound is normal. The audience can relate to this as they know in the context of Jack holding an axe this situation isn't normal and contrasts with the characters on screen and tries to pretend nothing fearful will occur. This is conventional to a thriller as they always try to build up a full sense of security with the audience.

As the scene progresses, we see Jack is axing down the door slowly while we hear a woman screaming from the other side, this is parallel sound as the sound and the axe swings go together well in the context of the scene. This shows that Jack is a danger to the woman, or Wendy Torrance, is in danger. The audience then sympathize with the woman as the audience see what danger she is in. This is conventional to a thriller as they always let you see what the main threat is to another character.

There is also use of off screen sound when the camera goes into the bathroom with Wendy we hear the axe whacking the door but we don't see the axe itself yet. The reason this is off-screen sound is to remind the audience of the ever looming threat of death for our protagonist. The audience then feel sympathy for the woman as we seem to know her inevitable fate. This is conventional to a thriller as they show you who is in danger rather than the danger to make the audience feel more suspense.

In conclusion, the sound in this scene is essential as it built up suspense excellently, i have also learnt that off screen sound is useful to get confusion with the audience and make it them feel fear for the characters on screen.

Research into mis-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

Shutter island

In the film "Shutter island" mis-en-scene is used to show the codes and conventions of a typical thriller. For example, the characters positioning (Teddy Daniels/DiCaprio) is right in the middle of the shot, this is when there is a noise and DiCaprio turns and it shows him smaller in the wide corridor. This shows the DiCaprio is the main attention and has the audiences focus. The fact that the audience see him smaller now shows that he is not powerful so this conveys to the audience that he is not powerful, this therefore creates suspense which is conventional to a typical thriller.

In the next shot we see a clear use of low key lighting when he lights the match and the camera is now a close up of the face. The lighting is low key, the key light is the match, the filler light is the one shining down onto his clothes and the back light is the light just behind him to the left. As the lighting is low key, we can only see our protagonist. This implies that there could be something lurking in the shadows around him as we also cannot see much else. The audience relate to DiCaprio as both the audience and the protagonist cannot see much, this creates suspense for the audience and they feel fear for DiCaprio, the lighting here is conventional to a thriller.

We see another element of mis-en-scene whilst DiCaprio is walking down the corridor of cells, we see a small glimpse of one cell holding several prisoners without any clothes at all. This is to show that the prisoners are vulnerable and that they have been striped away of even the most basic of items that they may hold. The audience feel sympathy for these people as they've been treated very cruelly and cannot even have clothes, this is quite a dark theme which most the time is conventional to a thriller film.

In another shot DiCaprio nearly gets grabbed by a prisoner and just after this he lights a match and we can see his facial expression. This is another use of mis-en-scene as the protagonists face is clearly worried. This shows that he is shocked as he didn't see the prisoner coming. This further creates suspense for the audience as even our protagonist is scared, the audience sympathies with DiCaprio's character which is conventional to a thriller.

The last example of mis-en-scene is when DiCaprio puts his arm through into a cell to see someone crouched down. The example is the use of iconography or little of it there is. This shows the danger DiCaprio is in as he doesn't have any sort of protection or weapon only a match, this emphasizes the fear that the audience feel for the protagonist, all he has is a match for light and nothing else. This is also conventional to a thriller as the protagonist may be in peril. 

History of a thriller - Miss Georgiou

The history of thriller films

The thriller film genre can be defined in many ways, some would say it's about someone trying to solve something most of the time it is crime but can be a range of different mysteries the protagonist tries to solve, another would say it is the protagonist trying to get the antagonist whilst facing many obstacles, which can be like trying to solve a crime and it could also be a film that builds up suspense creatively. A thriller film consists of the three S's, suspense, shock and surprise.

However it's up for argument when it did begin but I will start with a film made in 1940 by Alfred Hitchcock called "Rebecca". The film is about a woman who gets married to Mr de winter, she finds out that he had wife before and everyone seems to think that the new Mrs de Winters is not a good replacement and that she needs to go. The reason that this film is a thriller is because the music is very atmospheric and creates suspense throughout the scene. The reason the music creates the whole atmosphere is because that the music gets louder and higher as it keeps building up as we see our protagonist look around the house. This is conventional to a thriller film as the scene builds up suspense for the audience.

Another example of a thriller also made and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and one of the most well known thrillers in cinema history, the film is about a woman who is trying to escape the police and is then killed while staying at the bates motel. This film may have been the biggest leap forward in the thriller genre as this was a psychological thriller, which means you need to pay close attention to the whole film, It also means that the story may have the main aspects of a thriller (shock,surprise and suspense). The film has on the most famous scenes in cinema history known as the shower scene, the reason this scene is so famous is because of the amount of edits that are in just one scene, the editing before and after the attack is slow and long however when she is being attacked the edits a fast and short to create a sense of panic for the audience. This is conventional to a thriller as it makes the audience feel as though they are there in this situation as the editing is quick so it feels as if youre there trying to quickly fight back or narrowly avoid death.



The next film was made by Stanley Kubrick based on a novel called the Shining, it's about a family that is snowed in at the overlook hotel, and the dad slowly goes insane from the isolation. The reason behind this film being a thriller was that the music was constant and would always build up suspense, the music as well was very creepy and always gave the audience the sense that something horrible was going to happen. This was a leap forward in thrillers as this film heavily focused building that suspense up instead of giving you jump scares. An example of the music building up suspense is this scene called " all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". The music is always high in the background as this is supposed to connect with the mid of jack as he is going insane slowly, but the music emphasizes the fact that something bad is going to happen as it is always high and loud. This is convetnional to the thriller genre.



The next film was released in the 2000's, it's called memento directed by Christopher Nolan, staring Guy Pearce and it's all about him trying to track down his wife's killer and his attacker while he suffers from short term memory loss. This plot alone is unique and the narrative is told is completley original, The reason this builds up suspense and then turns it into shock is because in the whole film they pretty much just keeping droping you right in the middle of it all. For example There is a scene where Guy Pierce is running, his narration even ensures you he doesn't what is happening and if he is running for someone or running away from someone. This builds suspense and then shocks the audience as we didn't know what the finishing result would be, this does enable a relationship to be built with the audience as his narration went alongside the audiences first intial responses tot he start of this scene. This is conventional to a thriller as they try to make the audience build a relationship with the characters on screen.









The last film that is a clear example of a thriller was released in 2010, directed by Martin Scorsese and staring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley. It's about 2 US marshels that go to an island for the criminaly insane, and one of the prisoners have escaped and he has to find her. The way this film creates suspense is through the use of low-key lighting or mise-en-scene to be precise. The scene I am refering to is the rat in a maze scene where Dicaprio is talking to George in the prison cell. The reason this is supenseful is because George seems quite disfunctional compared to our protagonist. The reason the lighting is key here is because the limited and small source of light can be associated with George, Dicaprio doesn't seem to recognise him nor do the audience or the protagonist know him at all, this coincides with the limited light as we have limited understanding of George. The audience then build a relationship with the protagonist. This is again conventional because this is the aim of the director, to make sure you build up a relationship with the characters.

Rank	Title (click to view)	Studio	Lifetime Gross /Theaters		Opening / Theaters		Date
1	Hannibal	MGM	$165,092,268	3,292	$58,003,121	3,230	2/9/01
2	The Silence of the Lambs	Orion	$130,742,922	1,642	$13,766,814	1,497	2/14/91
3	Basic Instinct	TriS	$117,727,224	1,884	$15,129,385	1,567	3/20/92
4	Seven	NL	$100,125,643	2,528	$13,949,807	2,441	9/22/95
5	Red Dragon	Uni.	$93,149,898	3,363	$36,540,945	3,357	10/4/02
6	Saw II	Lions	$87,039,965	2,949	$31,725,652	2,949	10/28/05
7	Saw III	LGF	$80,238,724	3,167	$33,610,391	3,167	10/27/06
8	The Bone Collector	Uni.	$66,518,655	2,623	$16,712,020	2,587	11/5/99
9	Saw IV	LGF	$63,300,095	3,183	$31,756,764	3,183	10/26/07
10	The Cell	NL	$61,334,059	2,476	$17,515,050	2,411	8/18/00

What this table shows is the box office of many of the thrillers that have been produced over recent years. the top two of the list have a narrative that connect together, hannibal has more of a box office because people who had seen the first may have said the first was good so the sequel will be good as well, most likely. There is another film in this series at fifth this probably because the series slowly lost momentum and people had probably suggested that they may have been cash grabs, but it still made a commendable box office so it means it must have stayed true to the series and was quite influential to the thriller genre, to highlight this is the actor playing the terrifying killer Hannibal, Anthony Hopkins as his portrayal of this particular antagonist was excellent. Saw is another series on the list, the reason this is here is because the narrative of each of the films is very gritty and hard hitting but it also shows many victims in the film which are conventional to the thriller genre.

Research into the BBFC - Miss Miller

Who are the BBFC?

The british board of film classification are the ones that give age certificates to films, these age ratings are different depending on the films themes that are conveyed, for example, a film thats story is about a murderer and you see his rampages then the film would probably be an 18 as death is a heavy theme for this film, but if it is a film about a girl that collects flowers then it will probably be a U for the theme is not mature in any sense. They started in 1912 and are still around today assessing whether or not a film is appropriate of a certain aged audience.

What is a U?

"U" stands for universal, meaning that anyone aged 4 and over can watch the movie. Drugs cannot be a main theme throughout the movie and bad language is not spoken, except for the occasional "damn" but this would have to be with the context of the film. There maybe hugs and occasional kisses but not too much sexual references. Violence will be made funny, though it will not be gory, violent references will not be extreme at all, the way in which these films make violence funny is through the means of slapstick. An example of a U film is "monsters inc." and animated movie. The reason this film is a "U" is because it doesn't have any references of death throughout the film. Drugs are strictly strained away from, meaning there isn't a single reference to them. Most of the violence is slapstick apart from the end of the end of the film where Sully and Randall fight several times and Mr Waternoose at the end, but this all works within the context of the film and makes maturer audiences feel as if the film is realistic or slightly realistic on monsters inc.'s case.  

What is a PG?

"PG" stands for parental guidance, these films are okay for viewers aged 8 and over. This up to the parents decision whether or not to let their children watch the film, as they BBFC have given the information that this might be unsuitable. The themes step up a bit from the U rating as these films can explore tough ones that kids may suffer from like bullying. Sexual inneudos might be passed as long as the child doesn't know what it means, but again it will have to work within the context of the film. Drugs will not have a main focus but might be mentioned, again within the context of the film. Violence may be a bit stronger than a U and might have more of a focus but gore will not be seen, maybe a cut or a bruise but nothing too much. An example of a PG rated film is "UP" another pixar animated movie. The reason this one is different from monsters inc. is because it has much more maturer subject matters like parents getting divorced and death right the beginning of the film. There is a scene where russell is being targeted by dogs in a plane whilst having to hold on to a rope for his life, they are shooting tranquilisers at him but again not too much focus is on this. A mature theme they deal with right at the start where it seems everything goes well and then they are both hit with bad news is when she can't have babies, this is a reason why the film is a PG, this theme is very hard hitting and some parents may think that is too much for their children. However we don't see much of this happening it is only implied.

What is a 12 and 12a?

A 12a means any child under the age of 12 cannot see the movie unless accompanied by an adult, 12 is only for retailers, children under 12 cannot buy or rent the DVD. The tone of the film cannot be too dark or unsettling even if it is within the borderlines of a traditional 12 rating, as some kids may be in the cinema finding the film a bit unerving. some bad language is acceptable but it cannot be repeated and spouted at evry possible time, the BBFC will allow for f**k but only depending in the way in which it used, if it's used in a jokey way then it may be allowed and keep the film at a 12 rating. Some use discrimination may be allowed as long as the film isn't implying you should do this. Sex references can be a bit more adult themed but not too much, just little inuendos here and there but not too graphic, nudity may be seen but not for longh periods only just glipmses, so in summary not too much focus given to this aspect. Horror films can be permitted at this rating but threats will not be too graphic and the overall tone of the film cannot be too gritty as this would mean it becoming a 15 or 18 rated movie and not a 12a. Drugs can be referenced to, but can not be shown graphicly to a degree that children may copy. Violence and gore again is limted as this is meant for kids as well, but can sometimes seem mature. The example of a 12a/12 is "The dark knight". The reason this was that rating was becuase of the mature themes the film covered, an example of this was the character Harvey Dent becoming two face as one side of his face was burnt, we do see this burnt side but it is very graphic which means it appropraite for this rating as this would never be rated a U or PG. The joker has a very scary performance throughout the whole film and always threatens innocents of death yet the protagonist does manage to save the day most of the time, sometimes he doesn't and this is what deals with the subject of death whoch is why this seems mature themed. However there is absolutley no reference to sex and there is no nudity shown at all.

What is a 15?



A 15 film means anyone below the age of 15 cannot watch the film or buy the film with that same age rating. The film may have some graphic themes but if it is too graphic then it may go up to the 18 rating. bad language is allowed but it can't be used if it does get to a certain degree. Racism may be present but it will have to be a part of the narrative that the film is going for however, it is still at the stage where the film will not say you should be racist. There is more time allowed for nudity than a 12a rated movie, some sexual references may actually be shown on screen like a sex scene but it wouldn't show much. There can be strong violence in these films but there wouldn't be much focus on pain or torture too much. Horrors are allowed but if the theme of the killer is too dark and twisted it may be moved to an 18 rating. You may see drug taking in these films or movies but it wouldn't show you precise things like where to buy it from and most of the time the references may not be too strong. An example of this is "shutter island". The reason this film is a 15 is because in some of the films flashbacks, we are briefly reminded of the horrors of the holocaust and the film in general has a very dark tone, for example children being killed, though we don't see their deaths it is strongly referenced for the narrative of the film to seem darker. The reason it isn't an 18 is because swearing my be present but it is not displayed as often as an 18 rated movie and there isn't much nudity apart from you scene in a prison where you may just see a bit.

What is an 18?

No one under the age of 18 can watch an 18 rated movie at the cinema, purchase or rent one unless you're older than 18. Very strong language is used quite commonly throughout these films, also any particular word can be said. Very strong violence is allowed and even intense gore is allowed this can be anything from seeing someone explode or being shot in the head. Sex references are allowed to furthest of barriers though it cannot show the actors actually having sex, we may see sex scenes but nothing too detailed, though there may be rape shown it will only be allowed by paid actors who aren't actually doing it. Discrimination will be allowed and can even be said as a good thing, but this won't be random it will have to go along with the context of the film or movie, it can't just be said out the blue. Drugs will b shown and referenced, the film may even detail their affects they can show you how to make them but nothing too much, for example they will show you some ingredients to make some but it will not detail it too much. However somethings cannot be shown for any film, for example if crimes are actually taking place on screen then the film may be canceled. An example of an 18 rated movie is "Robocop" the reason why robocop was an 18 rated movie was because of its intense violence throughout the whole film. Drug taking is also present and the film has a whole sub-plot about who will own all of the drug ring. There is even a reference that some men are going to rape a woman but robocop, the protagonist saves the day, but it is referenced.