Conventions of Opening Sequence - individual

Themes in the Thriller Genre - individual

Themes in the Thriller Genre

One theme that is shown in the thriller 'Bird Box' is Survival (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2AsIXSh2xo&t=94s). This theme is denoted at 0:55-1:00 where a mysterious force destroys the population and the civilians are running to safety to survive. The survivors must now avoid coming face to face with an entity that takes the form of their worst fears. If they see it, they die. Survival is also shown at 2:24-2:32 where the women uses a gun to protect herself and is then suddenly forced to fight with a mysterious creature in order to survive. This theme is used to create a tense atmosphere and make the audience feel on edge as they are unsure as to whether the characters will survive.

Another theme that is used in 'Bird Box' is Love (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBLK5FAAp1Q). Familial Love is shown through the relationship of the mother and her children. An example is denoted at 5:05 where the mother is comforting her daughter and says "It's not the end of the world". This connotes her love and care for her children as well as their familial bond. Romantic Love is also used as a theme in this thriller film. Malorie and Tom begin to build feelings for each other and become boyfriend and girlfriend. At 5:06, denoted in the shot is Malorie and Tom kissing. This connotes their love and care for each other as well as their passionate relationship. This highlights the theme of Love which makes the audience feel emotional and sympathetic for the characters as they want them to overcome this mysterious force that is trying to kill them.

                     

A theme that occurs in 'Bird Box' is Death (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2AsIXSh2xo&t=94s). The narrative of the thriller film, depends heavily on the theme on death. This is because, if they make eye contact with this mysterious force, they will die.
An example of where death is denoted is at 0:55, where there are fires, car crashes and civilians being killed. This is shown at the beginning of the trailer/film which may shock the audience. It also allows the audience to identify the theme of death and understand that it plays a big part in the film. Another example that connotes death is at 1:22. This is when one of the survivors says "Every contact we've had with the outside has brought us death". This means that every time the survivors have gone outside, someone has died. This creates an anxious effect on the audience as it could make them think that all of the survivors will eventually die and that there won't be a new state of equilibrium at the end of the film.

Thriller moodboard - individual

Thriller movies mood board

        Camera shots

1.  A Close up at an eye level angle is used in Thriller films. An example is shown in the film ‘Get Out’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRfnevzM9kQ). At 1:54, the shot shows the main character with tears strolling down his face as he is being hypnotized by the antagonist. This shot is used to show the audience the characters facial expressions which conveys the characters state of shock. The angle helps to engage and thrill the audience as the character is looking directly at them. Therefore, this shot makes the audience feel anxious as they are unsure of what is going to happen next.

2.   A Long shot and a fast pan to the right is used in the chase scene from the film 'Taken' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPJVJBm9TPA). At 1:23 the protagonist is chasing the antagonist who has kidnapped his daughter. A long shot is used to show the characters actions as well as the setting. Whilst a fast paced pan keeps the character in shot and shows his determination and strength to save his daughter. This makes the audience feel on edge as they want to know whether he will catch up to the antagonist.



Editing techniques

3.     A montage of shots with fade is used in the film ‘The Strangers: Prey at Night’. At 0:56 there is a quick montage of scenes that happen throughout the film. A Montage is where shots are juxtaposed in an often fast paced fashion that compresses time and conveys a lot of information in a relatively short period.This will thrill the audience and engage them in the film. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxOHhAV4lAc)

4.   Parallel editing is used in the film 'Taken'. At 0:44 it shows two/three scenes that are happening simultaneously but in different locations. The father - who is in America - is calling the daughter who is in Paris where she is about to get kidnapped. Whilst her father tells her what to do from one side of the camera screen, the daughter is responding to his instructions (such as hiding under the bed) from the other side of the screen. The audience can therefore see what is going on in both scenes which keeps them engaged as it shows each characters emotions and actions  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPJVJBm9TPA).


Mise-en-scene

5.     The Location creates both a sense of place and a mood and it may also reflect a character’s emotional state of mind. An example of where the location is established is in the film 'Halloween' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMCLVSlk1Tk). At 0:53, there is an establishing shot of a gloomy, dull house that looks abandoned. This is used to set the scene and could also give the audience an idea of the narrative. This house also creates a mysterious atmosphere.

6.       The use of Costumes/Props can be seen in the thriller 'Halloween' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMCLVSlk1Tk). At 1:49, it denotes the antagonist putting on a halloween mask to hide his identity. This mask reflects the character's personality/status and signifies the differences between the characters in the thriller. It is also used to scare the audience as this film is a combination of Thriller and Horror. 

Sounds


7.    Sound effects are used in films to create a certain atmosphere. For example, in the action thriller 'Taken' there are many sound effects used (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPJVJBm9TPA). At 1:29, there are sounds of gunshots and glass windows smashing. This creates a tense atmosphere and helps to build up to the climax of the film. It also makes the audience feel on edge and gives them a thrill as they may not be expecting a loud sound such as a gunshot. 


8.  Music is used in films to make the audience feel a certain way and create a certain mood. An example can be seen in the thriller 'Halloween'  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMCLVSlk1Tk). At 1:50, suspenseful and mysterious music starts to play (which is also the main theme music for the film). The effect of this music is to create a tense atmosphere and also helps to build up to the climax of the narrative so the audience is aware something unexpected is going to occur. 

Mise-en-scene Moodboard

Written Synopsis

Three Act Structure for our thriller film

Act One:

Shailee is being held hostage in a cellar that is located in the middle of a forest by one of the antagonists, Josh. When she finally escapes, she finds a man in the forest called Adam. She tells him to call the police. Suddenly, Josh, the kidnapper, appears and shoots Adam with a gun and takes Shailee back to the cellar. However, outside the cellar, a tall, dark, mysterious man called Liam appears. Liam then shoots Josh. Shailee appears behind Liam and bangs a chair on his head. Liam is unconscious on the floor. She decides to escape to France in the hope that they will not find her.

Act Two:

Michael, a 35 year old man who is a Police Detective arrives at the cellar with the police and other investigators. However, when he looks at the DNA results gathered by forensic investigators, he realises Shailee is his daughter. He is now on a mission to find her. Whilst on his mission, he finds a girl called Chloe, who is the girlfriend of Liam (one of the kidnappers). Chloe and Liam try to kill Michael as he is now an enemy. Michael eventually puts them both in prison at the end of this act.

Act Three:
Michael finds out the location of Shailee. He goes to France and arrives at her place of work. Shailee is confused and asks Michael who he is. Michael explains that he is her father. Shailee distances herself from Michael for a while. However as time goes on, Shailee and Michael form a close familial bond. This is the end of the film and a new equilibrium has been made.


Key Characters
Shailee is one of the main characters/protagonist in the film. She is a 17 year old girl who is of a British/Indian ethnicity. Shailee is 5ft7, skinny, and has long brown hair. Shailee is extremely smart and strong. She thinks about ways to get out of bad situations and tricking the antagonist. In the film, Shailee is kidnapped by a group of men but manages to escape and moves to France. She is then encountered by the men again in France.

Michael is another key protagonist in the film. He is a 35 year old man of a British ethnicity. He has short black hair and is tall. Michael works as a police detective and is very smart and strong. When he finds out that the antagonists in the story, Josh and Liam, are trying to kill his daughter, he goes on a mission to rescue her. He is seen as the hero in the film.

Chloe and Liam are the antagonists in the film. They are both in a large criminal group/gang. Chloe is 24 years old and is a psychotic and dangerous woman who has committed many crimes. She has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is also Liam's girlfriend. Liam is a 28 year old male, who is very violent and threatening. Liam is a tall, muscular man. Chloe and Liam look for Shailee as they want to kill her due to her adopted father, who has caused a lot of problems for them. They then encounter Michael who becomes their enemy.


Todorov's Narrative

1. Equilibrium
Shailee is trapped in a cellar in the middle of a huge forest. She has been kidnapped by Josh, who is a part of a gang. The gang wants to kill her as her adopted father has caused them a lot of problems, as he was also involved in criminal activities. Shailee plans her escape and waits for the right moment.

2. Disruption
The Equilibrium is disrupted when Shailee eventually escapes from Liam and Josh, after being caught once. She tries to get as far away as possible from them by escaping to France.

3. Recognition
Michael, a police detective arrives at the crime scene (cellar), with other investigators. However, when he looks at the DNA results from evidence gathered by forensic investigators, he realises the girl who escaped, Shailee, is his daughter.

4. Repair
Michael is now on a mission to find his daughter and protect her. Whilst on his mission, he encounters the enemies, Chloe and Liam. This creates a lot of problems for both the protagonist and antagonists as they try to kill each other. Eventually, Michael catches them and puts them in prison.

5. New Equilibrium
Michael finally identifies where Shailee is and goes to France. When he finds her, Shailee is confused and asks who he is. Michael explains what has happened and that he is her biological father. A new equilibrium is created as Shailee has found her father, Michael.


Linear and Non-Linear Structure
The Narrative of our film is a combination of both non-linear and linear structure. This is seen when the opening sequence of the thriller film starts with a flashback from 3 years ago which shows Shailee being kidnapped and then escaping. After the title sequence, it goes back to the present where the police finally find the cellar and also see Josh's dead body. The rest of the film is in a linear narrative structure.



Narrative Devices
One Narrative device we will be using is a flashback. This will be used in the opening sequence of the thriller film, where there will be a flashback from 3 years ago. This will show Shailee escaping from her kidnapper.

Another narrative device we will use in our film is McKee's five part structure. He states that there are five parts in a narrative; an inciting incident, progressive complications, crisis, climax, and resolution. The inciting incident is Shailee being kidnapped and escaping from her kidnapper. Progressive complications will arise when the police detective finds out his daughter was the victim. A crisis occurs when Michael encounters Liam and Chloe, who want to kill him and his daughter. The climax is when there is a big fight and Michael ends up putting Liam and Chloe in prison. Finally, the resolution is when Michael finds Shailee.

Another narrative device we will use is poetic justice. This is when the good characters are rewarded and the bad characters are punished, by an ironic twist of fate. In the film, Shailee and Michael - the protagonists - are rewarded at the end of the film, as they meet each other for the first time. Whilst Liam and Chloe are punished by being put in prison.




Genre
One thriller convention that will be included in our film is suspenseful music. We will add suspenseful music throughout the film to create a tense atmosphere. Another thriller convention that we will use is violence. Violence is a key part to the thriller genre as it creates a lot of action and thrill. There will be a lot of fights with weapons such as guns and knives. There will also be a lot of blood to connote the thriller genre. We will also use low key lighting, which is another convention of a thriller. This will be used throughout the film to create a creepy and suspenseful atmosphere which will keep the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats.

The subgenre of our film is action thriller. This will be shown through the fights between the protagonist and antagonists. There will be lots of explosions, blood, and weapons in the film. Quick shots and fast tempo/tense music will also be used. These aspects of the film reflect the subgenre of an action thriller.

The thriller themes that are included in our film are crime, violence and escape. Violence is shown through the fights between the characters and also with the use of guns and blood. Escape is a theme in our film as Shailee escapes from her kidnapper who had locked her up in a cellar in the middle of a forest. Crime is also a theme in the film as the antagonists will commit a lot of crimes in the film such as murder and kidnapping. The protagonist is also a police detective who eventually puts the antagonists in prison.



Style
In our thriller film, we will include a lot of close up and establishing shots. Close up shots of the characters will be used to show their emotion and appearance. For example, when Shailee escapes from her kidnapper, there will be a close up shot of her face which shows her emotions and the blood on her face. Establishing shots will also be used in the film to show the setting of the scenes. For example, in the opening sequence there will be an establishing shot of the forest to set the scene.

When editing on Final Cut Pro, we will add transitions and video effects. Transitions will be used to help the change in shots flow naturally. We will mainly use fade ins and cuts throughout the film. Video effects will also be added when editing. We will add effects such as explosions to thrill the audience and connote the action thriller genre.

We will include suspenseful music and several sound effects in our thriller film. Tense and suspenseful music will be used throughout the film to create a tense atmosphere. Sound effects will also be used in our film. This may include sounds such as a gunshot, fast breathing, and explosions. This will enhance the visuals of the film and make the audience engaged.

There will be several locations throughout the film. Locations such as the forest and the dark cellar will create a creepy and mysterious atmosphere. A lot of the scenes will also be set in urban areas of London. We will also use a lot of props in the film such as guns and blood. This will help to thrill the audience.



Brief Interpretation
Thriller Chiller Film Festival wants the thriller film to be targeted towards "16-24 year olds from the UK". We will achieve this by including characters of the same age group. Using characters such as Shailee, a 17 year old girl, may allow the target audience to relate to the character. We will also aim our film towards a British audience by filming most of our movie in the UK. We will include a lot of action which a young audience will enjoy as they will be thrilled throughout the film.

We will also meet the brief by including "all the conventions of a film opening". We will include many opening sequence conventions such as graphics, music, title, and introduction of characters/narrative/setting. Graphics will be used to tell the audience the name of the directors, main actors and the production company. Music will also be used in the opening sequence to create a suspenseful and mysterious atmosphere. The opening sequence will include shots of the characters and location. It will also inform the audience on the narrative. This will help to engage the audience from the beginning.

Our film will also include "many of the techniques used in the thriller genre". We will use several thriller techniques/conventions such as low key lighting, close up and establishing shots, violence, and suspenseful music. This will allow the audience to identify the thriller genre of the film.