THRILLER - Codes & Conventions

Codes and Conventions

-Darkness: This makes the audience feel that something is being hidden from them. It sometimes makes a scene more realistic/believeable and therefore more intense. Darkness in a scene provides a cover for any crimes that are being committed. The use of lighting in thriller films creates the shadows which will leave the audience making guessing about what is going to happen next.

-Creepy: Suspense is created throughout the film. There are various ways in which this is achieved (darkness being the most obvious way). As tension builds up, the pace of the film gathers leading up to the conclusion. The audience is manipulated by the director to feel certain ways at different points in a film. The intention of a thriller is to build up tension for the audience for the conclusion, whilst still scaring them at the same time. This is sometimes achieved by the use of quick cuts.

-Close Ups: Not being able to see a lot of what is going on behind the characters makes the audience feel more connected to them and their story, as they are not distracted by what is going on in the background. Also, it could imply that there aren't any weapons involved and that there are more psychological elements to the film. It also gives the audience the chance to see the characters emothions and subtle reactions to the events in the film.

-Objective Point of View: Another common shot in thriller films is the objective point of view. This is when the audience can see what the character cant. Essentially, we are in a much better position than the character. The audience will feel a connection to the character as they empathise with them and want them to survive over the villain or source of evil.

-Theme: A common theme in thriller films is a crime being committed and/or investigated. In most cases, the crime/s are down to a serial killer. Thriller films typically follow the efforts of a detective trying to piece together the evidence of a crime that has been committed. However, whilst this is going on, the serial killer will be planning his/her next crime.

-Sound: The use of sound is critical in thriller films, as it creates an atmosphere and tone to the film. The use of string instruments e.g. violins, assists in creating a tense atmosphere. As the pace of the film gathers the frequency of the music does as well. It builds up throughout the film as the plot develops. When there is a crucial event in the film, the strings will build up to indicate to the audience that something is happening. The event will be marked by the cresendo of the music. Sometimes to create even more tension, the music will be built up and there will be a sort of anti-climax, so that the audience are expecting something to happen.

-Red Herring/Twist: Thrillers are well known for evoking thought within the audience. When watching thrillers, people will be considering what the character is - or should be - doing, and how they, themselves, would react in the situations portrayed in the film. Thrillers are a lot less predictable than other genres like romantic comedies, and people watching them are constantly left guessing. An important factor in making the film unpredictable and effective at the same time is a red herring/twist. The audience are lead to believe certain things as the film progresses, but as the story unfolds, certain things are revealed about a character or the story that completely changes the audiences perception.

Preliminary Task

For our preliminary task, we had to create a short sequence which included the following:
- Someone walking through a door and sitting on a chair
- A brief conversation between 2 charcters
- The exchanging of an object (of our choice) from one character the other
When filming the sequence, we had to keep in mind the following
- Obide by the 180 degree rule
- Include a shot reverse shot
- Include a match on action
The final scene was recorded straight onto the camera as we wouldn't of had time to edit the footage on the computer. I worked with the group that I will be doing my final coursework with, and together we decided on what would happen in our sequence.


Our sequence was...
- Establishing shot of door
- Close up of door
- Insert/close up of clock (ticks for a few seconds)
- Close up of fingers tapping on table in time with the ticking of the clock
- Medium close up of door, girl bursts through the door
- Pan follows the girl as she runs to the front

- Medium shot of man sitting down (will be to the left of the screen)

- Girl runs into shot from the right and sits down
- Insert/extreme close up of man's shifty eyes
- Medium close up of man saying "You're late"
- Shot reverse shot of the girl making excuses
- Close up of fist slamming the table as the man says "Enough!"
- Medium close up of the man asking "Have you got it?"
- Insert of bag as girl pulls out an envelope

- Low angle as she starts to hand over the envelope
- High angle shot and match on action as the man receives the envelope

- Girl fastens her bag

- Tilt up to the expression on the girls face
- Long shot of door slamming.

I was working in a group of 3 including Hannah, Matt and myself. Before we could start filming, we had to buy a mini DV tape that we would record the footage straight onto. We filmed our sequence in the Media Centre. As a group, I think we worked really well together. When planning the storyboard, we all had the chance to give our input, and most of our ideas were included in the final sequence, which I believe worked effectively, and suited the criteria. I am confident in saying that we managed to record the footage successfully and efficiently. I am glad that we will be in the same group when completing our final coursework, as I felt that we did do well and didnt have any disagreements. Below is our preliminary task...

Purpose of an Opening

The main intention of a films opening is to grab the audiences attention and hook them into watching the rest of the film. This is done by questions being left unanswered. The opening of a film will introduce the main characters to the audience, and will set the mood/tone of the film at the same time. It is a chance for the setting/location of the story to be displayed. It will also give a brief insight as to what the storyline of the film will include. All of these things make the audience want to continue watching, and this is mainly because of the editing. The editing of the sequence is the directors manipulation of the audience to get them absorbed into the film.

Codes and Conventions

To get a better understanding of each genre, we watched 3 film (focusing on the opening). Each of the films portray the codes and conventions that are typical for Thrillers, Horrors and Romantic Comedies.

Thriller - Red Dragon

Released in 2002, Red Dragon is the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, directed by Brett Ratner, and starring Anthony Hopkins and Edward Norton.

There are a lot of close-ups throughout the film which clearly display characters emotions and subtle reactions. It could be suggested that the close-ups of characters faces in Red Dragon are a way of showing that there isn't necessarily a weapon used, the plot may be more psychological. There is an extensive use of objective point of view shots in the film, which give the audience the advantage of being able to see what the characters cant. This is a way of making the audience "connect" to the vulnerable character, as they feel sorry for him and want to help him. Majority of the film is very dark, which puts the audience on edge and also starts to build the tension. The darkness is also used as a cover for the crimes that are taking place. Another way in which tension is built is through the use of music. It consists mainly of string instruments which create an eerie atmosphere. As the tension in the film gathers, the pace starts to increase as well. Another common feature in the film, as with many thrillers, is the red herring - the audience are convinced of the ending and as the climax of the film approaches, there is a twist or break in the block and there will be a revelation of some sort that changes our perception of a particular character or the film as a whole.

Horror - Halloween

Halloween is a 1978 film, directed by John Carpenter, starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis.

A common theme in horror films is the concept of a broken equilibrium or formula. They will usually involve the innocence of the main character/victim being compromised. The victims in horror films are usually teenage girls, as the audience see them as vulnerable and naive, this is reflected in the choice of casting Jamie Lee Curtis for the role of Laurie Strode in the film. This also gives dramatic effect to the events of the film. As the equilibrium is broken, tension starts to build up and a more sinister mood/tone develops. Mystery also plays a big part in horror films, as the audience know that something is happening, but we dont know who is doing it. The mystery (and therefore tension) is created by the masking of the killers face. There are also shots and lighting used so that the killers identity remains concealed e.g. dark, over the shoulder/subjective point of view. A lot of the outcomes in the film seem to be left up to fate/chance as the events appear to be unanticipated and unpredictable. In most horror films, there will be a hero/victim and a villain. It is inevitable that there will be deaths in the film, and there is usually a battle towards the end of the film between good and evil, which is most likely to contain lots of blood and gore. The main purpose of a horror film is to scar the audience or make them jump. An effective way of achieving this is through the use of sound/music, as this, coupled with the editing, creates tension and fear among the audience and puts them on edge. There will usually be high pitched string instruments which gather pace and frequency as the scene becomes increasingly intense. At the end of the film, there will be a survivor, who is believed to of overcome the villain. However, there is almost always a cliffhanger at the end of a film, Halloween being a perfect example, suggesting that the villain isn't dead.

Romantic Comedy - Four Weddings and a Funeral

Four Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell. It was directed by Mike Newell.

Most romantic comedies will usually follow a very basic formula - a couple who get together, but for some reason face obstacles in their relationship. In the end, the resolution may not always be a happy one, but can show the reality of the relationship between the characters. The characters in romantic comedies are typically middle/upper class, this is so that the audience can identify with them and connect to them and their story. With regard to the storyline/plot, there may be a "cinderella" story between the characters and their status. Another typical feature of a Romantic Comedy is a friend of one or both of the couple, they will help the characters to make decisions and will also be a source of comedy in the film. Most of the situations in the film will be lit brightly to lighten the atmosphere. Finally, the music that is used will be upbeat popular songs that people can easily recognise. The song will almost certainly have words that relate to the narrative of the film e.g. Love Is All Around - Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Introduction

This is my AS Media Blog that I have set up to keep track of all the work I do leading up to the completion of my final coursework. For my coursework, I will be creating the opening 3 minutes of a film from one of the following genres - Thriller, Horror, or Romantic Comedy. My final piece will have to follow the codes and conventions of which ever genre I choose. I will be working in a group of three, and together we must decide which genre we want to use for our opening, and then film and edit the sequence. As well as this, I will be completing individual research into each of the genres.