Target Audience results - Miss Miller

Target Audience results - Miss Miller

Research was carried out to find out what types of thriller films people like and what they think makes a good thriller film. The results we get will help us to make our opening scene, as we will know what people like in thriller films. 

Question 1 How old are you?

The results for this question show that a majority of the people we interviewed are between the ages of 11-20 of age. This result shows that our opening sequence should be made with the intentions of the film to be for people aged between 11 and 20, This also shows that our narrative is likely to be more conventional as the younger audience will be able to keep up with a fast paced sometimes confusing narrative. the age certificate we will aim for is a 12A, these certificate films are usually more detailed and rely on suspense and clever editing styles rather than gore to create suspense and scare the audience.

Question 2 What is your gender?

The majority of the people we asked were male. The result of this question doesn't really have a big effect on what the conventions and narrative of our opening sequence will be as both genders that will choose to watch a thriller film will like the same conventions that are typical of thrillers. 

Question 3 After watching the first film do you want to find out what happens next if it ends on a cliff-hanger straight away?

This question asks whether the audience want to find out what happens after there is a cliff hanger in a film. The results clearly suggest that the audience does enjoy the used of the cliff-hanger so therefore, when planning the narrative of the opening sequence we should consider that if ending on a cliff hanger would be effective at engaging the audience into our film. The results came out as that ending the film on a cliff hanger would be a good idea.

Question 4-What is a typical setting of a previous thriller film you have seen?

The setting of a narrative is very important to the audience, if the audience can relate to the setting of a film then they might feel more venerable, which creates suspense as they feel the could be in the situation that the victim is in. from our results we have seen that conventional locations include cities or forests, we should consider using housing estates or cities as these are places that the audience might be able to relate to.   

Question 5- What is you're favourite thriller sub-genre?
The favourite thriller sub genre is Psychological by my questioned sample. This sub-genre contains such films as Se7en and Shutter Island which are very successful, popular films. We should consider basing our narrative of the phycological sub-genre as people prefer it to other thriller sub-genres.

Open Questions Results
The open question results gave a wide range of answers, so the use of a graph would have been unhelpful, but these questions did provide some good ideas for the opening sequence of our thriller. Question 7 asked, What typical sounds can you remember from previous thriller films that you have seen? the most popular answers were 'knife' and 'screaming', which are both conventional to the thriller genre so we should consider using them in our opening sequence. 

Summary of Results
From the target audience questionnaire we have found out lots of important information for our opening sequence, such as what our target audience is and what age certificate we should aim for and what conventions are most effective in the thriller genre. These results will be used to make a more engaging and conventional thriller opening sequence.

Vox Pops
Here are a few of the vox pops that I did to my sample. They of are my Mum and my dad.

Opening scene analysis - Miss Georgiou

“How does the opening sequence of Halloween, inform the audience of the codes and conventions of a thriller film?”

The opening scene of a thriller film is important as it shows briefly what kind of film it is, and the conventions that will be repeated throughout the film. The opening sequence is important as it can engage the audience, which will make the film enjoyable for them, or it will make the audience lose interest in the film. the opening scene can show the audience what types of setting, themes and the genre of the film, without giving the main narrative away to the audience.

Conventions
After watching the opening sequence of Halloween you can see that there are many different conventions that are typical of the thriller genre. Such as the use of a blonde female victim and a masked killer, which is used by many other thrillers before and after this film. Other conventions were used like eery high pitched music in the background. The blonde female victims are a popular convention in the thriller genre and they are portrayed as weak, this is important as it helps the audience relate to her and want her to survive, which builds a relationship in the film between the characters and the audience, this is important because it can help to build suspense. The masked killer adds mystery to the film, this is mainly why the masked killers are a popular convention of thriller films as they need mystery in the film.

Cinematography
The opening sequence of Halloween uses only two different camera angles. The first camera angle is Point of View of the killer. the audience can see exactly what the killer is doing, which is very effective at creating suspense in the scene. The other camera angle is a High Angle. The high angle is used to pan out of the scene. It has a dramatic effect on the audience and it creates an emotional distance with the character. Other conventional camera angles in the thriller genre could be a close up shot, which many thriller films use to focus on a specific character and to help build suspense in the scene.

Sound
The sounds used in the opening sequence are important as they are the first sounds that engages the audience. In the opening sequence of Halloween there is use of a high pitched key which is used to build the suspense. This is a use of non-diagetic sound, which is added during the editing stage of the film, but still one of the most important and popular conventions of any thriller film. other sounds used that are conventional to the thriller genre include, the clock that is steadily ticking as the character is walking up the stairs and the soundtrack which is also-non diagetic, the soundtrack builds up for the death of the victim, which helps to create suspense in the scene and build a relationship between the audience and the characters. The sounds used in this opening sequence are typical to the thriller genre as they engage the audience in the scene and that helps to build suspense.

Characters
In the opening sequence the is only a few characters, mainly the killer, who is dressed in a Halloween costume, which is normal for a child on Halloween night.  There is a use of teenagers, which is another popular convention in the thriller genre, as they are portrayed as naive, this helps thriller films to use them as victims. The parents are seen at the end of the scene, they look scared and are questioning their son as to why he has a bloody knife in his hand. the family seem like a normal family, which is also a convention that is used in thriller films as the use of a normal family and characters helps the audience relate to them, and build a relationship between them and the characters.

Narrative
The narrative contains various conventions such a typical blonde female victim, who is murdered by her brother, this is the main focus of the scene and the suspense is building to the climax of that. The scene is ended with the parents coming home to the horror of their son outside with a knife. The narrative is effective at building suspense and showing the theme and genre of the film. The setting of the opening scene is in a typical American suburb, which the audience may relate to and be able to imagine themselves being in the same position as the characters in the film.

 Editing
There is a use of continuity editing, this means that the editing is smooth throughout the sequence. Also the timing of the shots is typical of thrillers, as the sequence is edited to make it look like the sequence is fast, which adds suspense. during the murder the editing is more fast paced to get the audience excited. These types of editing are typical to thrillers as they are used to create suspense and shock for the audience.

Conclusion
The opening sequence of the thriller inform the audience of the conventions of a thriller as it shows them from the start, with a house in a suburban area, which the audience can relate too. As the first sequence continues other conventions are shown such as the mask and the knife are focused on as is the blonde female victim which is highly focused. The conventions that are used are again repeated in the film so the conventions in the opening sequence do show the audience alot about the film.

Summary

After analysing the opening scene of halloween, I have gained more of an understanding as to what codes and conventions to use in my own opening scene, I have also seen what are effective at creating suspense. 

Research into the history of thriller films- Miss Georgiou

Research into the history of thriller films.

Introduction.
The thriller genre uses the idea of suspense, excitement, anticipation and terror to keep the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats. Thrillers are sometimes similar to mystery stories but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a conventional thriller, the hero sets out to stop the  plans of an enemy rather than uncover a crime that has already happened.

Time line of change in thrillers.
1923.
Safety last was the first ever thriller film made. It was directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, and written by Hal roach, same Taylor, Tim Whelan, H.M. walker, Jean c. Havez, and Harold Llyod (information from http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/69797/History-of-the-Thriller-genre/#vars!panel=636139!). Safety last was the first thriller film ever made so, every film after it that is classed as a thriller has some similar conventions to it.

1927.
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog: this film was Alfred hitchcocks' first thriller film and it was based on a real life event. this film is recognised as the first of its kind and it helped to shaped the thriller genre into what it is now.


1931
M was a German drama-thriller directed by Fritz Lang, it was Lang's first sound film and became a classic. the use of sound in thriller films is very important to create the conventional suspenseful atmosphere that is still popular today.

1951
Strangers on a train: Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Strangers on a train is about two train passengers: tennis pro Guy and Bruno who staged a battle of wits and traded murders with each other. This film was the first thriller film made by Alfred Hitchcock in what some say was his 'peak years' and it is still one of his most recognised films.

1960
Psycho initially received mixed reviews, but outstanding box office returns prompted a re-review which was overwhelmingly positive and led to four Academy Award nominations. Psycho is now considered one of Hitchcock's best and most recognised films, and this film had a big impact on how thriller films were made and it raised the bar for other thriller films. the narrative included a serial killer that had a strange obsession, which started a trend in the thriller genre.

1989
Phillip Noyce's Dead Calm was a psychological thriller. This films narrative was based around a mass-murderer getting help from others in the middle of the ocean and betraying them and stealing the couples boat and taking Rae, Johns wife hostage. this films narrative was clever and engaging for all audience. This thriller had conventions that had not previously been popular like obsession and trapped victims who must find a way to escape the clutches of the villain – these conventions helped influence more thrillers in the following years, the early 90's.

1991
The Silence of the Lambs was a widespread success. The film has been recognised as a classic alongside films like, Psycho, and Halloween. the silence of the lambs broke away from a popular theme of the late 1980's and early 1990's that was obsession and it used another popular theme of detectives and police forces hunting down serial killers and murderers.

1995.
Seven was a majorly successful thriller film written by Andrew Kevin Walker, directed by David Fincher, it made over $327 million dollars in the box office and received many positive reviews. Seven further continued the trend of police hunting down serial killers. the use of a serial killer with his own message or morals, which were about the 'seven sins' gave this film unique edge against other thriller films at the time and other films such as 'SAW' have use a similar narrative since.

2009
The Last House On The Left. The last house on the left is a modern remake of a classic thriller film. To cut the repetitiveness in modern thriller films that usually have a theme of obsession or a Detective hunting a murderer, there are a number of recent thrillers that maintain some aspects of the horror genre; having more gore, terror and body counts.

Task 2.
This is a list of the top 10 thriller film of all time, according to the money it has made.

1. Hannibal
Hannibal is the highest grossing thriller film of all time which grossed $165,092,268 in 2.292 theaters. Released in 2001 it made $58,003,121 on its opening release. Hannibal is the sequal to The silence of the lambs, and features some of the original characters. This film was set at the target audience was late teens and adults, as the marketing for the film was made to appeal to this age group.
2.The slience of the lambs.
This is the second most highest grossing film of all time grossing in at $130,742,922. And on release date in 1991 earned $13,766,814. The film is a prequel to Hannibal.  The plot follows the story line that a U.S trainee, seeks the advice of Dr. Lecter to imprison a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill. Dr. Lecter played by Anthony Hopkins. The target audience for this film is the also late teens and adults.
3.Basic Instinct
Despite initial critical negativity and public protest, Basic Instinct became one of the most financially successful films of the 1990s. Basic Instinct opened in theaters in the United States and was one of the highest grossing films of 1992, after its March 29 release. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $15 million. It was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1992, grossing $352,927,224 worldwide. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes.

4. Seven
The newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt) and the soon-to-retire William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) are homicide detectives who become deeply involved in the case of a sadistic serial killer whose meticulously planned murders correspond to the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, lust, and envy.
The film was released in the United States on September 22, 1995. Grossing $327 million at the box office internationally, Seven was a commercial success, and received positive reviews from most critics.

5.Red Dragon
Red Dragon is a 2002 American thriller film based on Thomas Harris novel of the same name, featuring psychiatrist and serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It is a prequel to both The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Hannibal (2001). Red Dragon grossed $93,149,898 in the United States and Canada and $116,046,400 overseas. In total, the film has grossed $209,196,298 worldwide.

6. Saw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film, a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw franchise, directed and co-written by Darren Lynn Bousman. Saw II was released on October 28, 2005 and, despite negative reviews from critics, was a financial success, with opening takings of $31.9 million and grossing $88 million in the United States and Canada. It has remained the highest grossing Saw film in those countries.

7.Saw III
Saw III was released on October 27, 2006 and was a financial success, opening to $33.6 million and grossing $80.2 million in the United States and Canada. It is the highest-grossing film of the series in the international market with $84.6 million and the highest-grossing film in the series with $164.8 million worldwide. It received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

8. The bone collector
The Bone Collector is a 1999 thriller film starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, directed by Phillip Noyce and produced by Martin Bregman. The bone collector has made $151,493,655, the film had mixed reviews.

9.Saw IV
The film grossed $63,300,095 in the United States and an additional $71,228,814 internationally, bringing the theatrical total to $134,528,909. The review were negative but the film was still a major success.

10. The cell
The Cell is a 2000 science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Tarsem Singh, and starring Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn and Vincent D'Onofrio. The film has made $104,155,843, and some positive reviews.

 

 

Summary.
The films I have researched have shown me how the thriller genre has changed, from a silent black and white film, to multi-million dollar productions. the narrative of the films has also changed over different times and what the themes throughout different decades were. I have noticed what a massive influence people like Alfred Hitchcock has had and the successful films he has made.
The research I have made has helped me understand what conventions are popular in thriller films and what popular plots entail. I feel that this will help me when creating my own thriller opening scene. Specifically the way suspense has been focused on in the thriller genre is being developed all the time and it has changed since early thriller films, as new technology has aloowed film producers to add suspense to films easier, for example films can add specific sounds and soundtracks to their films, which wasnt avalible to early thriller film producers.
The target audiences for the films in the list above are all adults and late teens, the marketing for all the films were expensive campaigns and they were successful, as some of the films on the list didnt have the best reviews but they made the most amount of money, they done this by targeting their audience and making it avertising to them.

Research into Sound in Thrillers - Miss Miller

I have chosen to use a clip from the film 'The Women in Black'. I have chosen to use this clip as it uses sound to create suspense and it engages the audience into the scene. I will be analysing sounds used in the scene I have chosen and how it is conventional to the thriller genre and what effects it has on the audience.

On screen sound
On screen sound was used when it shows that male character trying to open the door (at 0.33), this is on screen sound as the audience can see where the sound is coming from. The character is seen to be angry that he cant open the door as he is struggling, this creates anticipation in the scene as the audience are not aware of why he is desperate to open the door or why he is struggling to open it, this is also conventional to a thriller film as the on screen sound is used in thrillers to make it clear for the audience what is happening in the scene and  it is used conventionally to build anticipation and engage the audience.

Non-Diagetic sound.
Non-diagetic sound is used in the scene when the soundtrack is added after the scene was filmed, the use of non-diagetic sound in the form of  a sound track was very effective at creating suspense in the scene, as the character is seen to be worried, the use of the mysterious soundtrack helps build the suspense and the sound track creates a reaction from the audience at the end of the scene. The sound track is a convention of most thriller films because it is quick way for the suspense to be built in a scene and different sound track can mean the difference of the audience feeling scared while watching the scene or not. (from 0:40)

Off screen sound.
Off screen sound is used throughout most of this clip, the sound of footsteps without a visible source is mysterious and creates tension very effectively in the scene, the audience can feel the tension build up as the footsteps get louder, and once the male character sees the locked door become open the audience can still hear the loud footsteps get closer to the male character which is a good use of non-diagetic sound to create a suspenseful scene. (footsteps from 0:10)

Silence. 
Silence was used towards the end of the scene for a few seconds, the use of the silence was very effective at creating even more tension in the scene as the audience couldn't hear anything along with the scared face of the main character the silence was used very effectively to scare the audience. The silence is conventional to the thriller genre as the silence makes the audience anticipate what is going to happen next in the scene and the silence can also be the climax of the tension build up that usually leads to something scary happening, this all helps to engage the audience, so it is a useful convention of the thriller genre. (silence from 0:50)

Evaluation.
All of the sound techniques used in this scene are effective at creating suspense and they are all relevant to the thriller genre as they help build the tension quickly and effectively in this scene which was effective at engaging he audience. This clip has inspired me to consider adding some of these techniques into my own thriller scene as they were effective at building tension.

Individual ideas for a narrative

Individual ideas for my thriller film.

For my thriller film I am going to use conventions like a female victim, have the killer use a specific weapon and use a tense upbeat soundtrack that fits in with the thriller genre and my specific film. I am going to use these conventions because they are effective at building a tense atmosphere and engaging the audience, which is important in thriller films. The narrative will appeal to the audience as the use of popular thriller conventions will attract audiences that enjoy thriller films, the narrative will also appeal to the audience as the use of a villain that is trying to be a kind of vigilante, which i think will appeal to a large audience.

My idea for a narrative.

In a empty are at night time the long shot shows a group of teenagers that are trying to hurt an old man that's on his own, the camera then shows a close up of the 'villan' in a mask, he is angry at what he is seeing happen to the old man, so as he comes out of the shadows he shouts over to the group of teenagers to stop. The camera shows the reaction of the old man as he is on the floor with tears rolling down his face, the camera then cuts to the leader of the group who is laughing at the 'villan' who is walking slowly towards them. As the man gets to the group there is silence until the 'villan' shouts at the group of teenagers who are standing there surprised at what is happening, the villain then helps the old man stand up, he then tells him to leave, the man is seen to be limping home as he is holding is arm in pain. Some of the teenagers begin to walk away as they are laughing but the leader of the group stays and the masked villain then whispers to him, 'there will be consequenses'. That is all that is said, he looks scared and he turns away and sprints off, the rest of the group follow him shortly after. There is a long shot that focuses on the masked villain standing on his own in the middle of the street in darkness. The next shot is of an abandoned wear house, where the masked villain is sitting alone sharpening his saw, the shot after is of the group of teenagers from the previous night, they are all laid on the floor with their Mouthe's taped shut and their legs and arms tied together, one or two of them are crying. The final shot is of the masked villain slowly walking in their direction, and he whispers in the same teenagers ear, 'what did I tell you'.





Research into the conventions of the thriller genre- Miss Miller.

Research into the conventions of the thriller genre.

I will be discussing the different conventions that are typically used in the thriller genre to create emotion from the audience and build suspense,the definition of Convention is : Conforming or adhering to accepted standards. They are the elements/patterns that the viewer expects to see when they are watching a film of this specific genre. I have chosen to use 'It's showtime!' from Scream 2 because it uses typical thriller conventions to a good effect to create a tense atmosphere in the clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdPtumdfg9c

Sound
On-screen sound is used in this clip when the phone rings, the audience can clearly see that the phone is ringing and the girl picks up the phone. The phone ringing builds a shot moment of suspense in the clip because the audience anticipate what is going to said to the girl. This helps the audience build a relationship with the character as they see that she is anxious about picking up the phone, this in turn engages the audience and makes them worried for her. Non-diagetic sound is also used in this clip, for example the soundtrack. The soundtrack is a vital convention in thriller films because it builds suspense quickly and makes the audience react to what is happening on screen. the soundtrack is most effective once the killer appears, this is because the sound is building up on the phone when  the killer is talking to her, but once he appears the music builds up and is fast paced. this is emphasized when the girl runs to her boyfriend, that is when the music stops, it once starts again when he goes inside the house after the killer. The sound track is effective at building a tense atmosphere that can scare the audience and show the audience when the characters are in danger, as the music was stopped when she was safe and then started when the male returned in the house.

Knife
The use of a knife in this scene is typical of a thriller film as the killer usually has a weapon and in this film the knife he uses is his trademark, the use of the knife is important to the scene as when the audience see the knife it builds a tense atmosphere because they audience are scared for the woman being chased by the killer with a knife. The knife also helps build a relationship between the characters and the audience because the audience want the woman to survive so when they see they knife they feel scared for her and it makes the audience dislike the killer. they way the use of the knife quickly builds tension in a scene and builds a relationship between the audience and the characters is why weapons are important in the thriller genre, as they are a stimulant for the audience.

Female victim
Female victims are a popular convention in thriller films because they female victims are portrayed as weak and helpless against the killer in most thriller films and especially this clip, so the use of the female victim builds tension in the scene for the audience who are scared for the female in the scene. The audience begin to build a relationship with the female character as they want her to live, this is why the female victim is used because it helps the audience engage in the scene, which again, builds a tense atmosphere for the audience.

Masked killer
Masked killers are a popular convention in thriller films because they are immediately recognised in the scene and build suspense quickly when the audience know the masked killer is looking to kill someone, so the audience are scared for the other characters. The masked killer creates a sense of mystery in a film, which is why they might be so popular in thriller films because the mystery can be scary for some of the audience and it makes a lasting atmosphere for the whole scene when you can see the masked killer. This is why masked killers are used, as they are mysterious for the audience and leave a lasting scary atmosphere for the film, which engages the audience.

Summary.
Overall the clip I have chosen uses these popular conventions to a good effect, I would consider using every convention that they have used because they build a suspenseful atmosphere which is important in thriller films. When I am creating my scene I will have to take these typical conventions into consideration,so i might be able to re create the tense atmosphere in this scene.

Research into age certificates and the BBFC.-Miss Georgiou.

Research into age certificates and the BBFC.



The British board of film classification watch all films that are released in the Britain and award each with a film classification. They have an age rating and give some information about what to expect from each film. The age rating is decided after they judge each film with their classification guidelines. The age ratings are there to protect children from seeing unsuitable content in films. The BBFC have to watch every film released in the UK and decide what age rating to award it.

The U certificate stands for universal, this should be suitable for all ages above four. Example films include 'Teletubbies', 'the smurfs and 'cars 2', these films were put into this age category as the BBFC had reviewed it and decided that the content was in the guidelines of what  a 'U' certificate would be.

 Not all films rated U are children’s films – many adult films, many older films, are rated U because they don’t contain any strong issues .A U film might cover various of different themes, as long as it is appropriate to a young audience.

PG stands for Parental Guidance. Parental guidance is suitable for general viewing, although some parents might decide before their child watches it if it is suitable for them.

Some PG films explore challenging aspects such as bulling or anti-social behaviour, although this behaviour will be shown to be wrong and will be resolved.

Examples of PG rated films include 'Home alone,' 'shrek' and 'Up'.

12 rated films are for children that are 12 and older, their might include moderate language and violence but mostly in context to the story. Popular 12 rated films include, 'The dark knight', 'The hunger games' and 'Iron man 3'. 12A is a category  specifically for the cinema, this means that you must be accompanied by someone over 18 to watch the film in the cinema.

15 rated films are not suitable for children younger than 15, they can include, strong language, strong violence, portrayal of sexual activity, drug taking and brief scenes of sexual violence. Many horror and thriller films are rated 15, although the horror and thriller films with very gory images are rated 18. Examples of 15 rated films are 'MAMA', 'friends with benefits' and 'Flight'.

18 films are not suitable for anyone under the age of 18, as they contain strong issues such as:very strong violence, frequent strong language  and/or very strong language, strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, real sex (in some circumstances), discriminatory language and behaviour. examples of 18 rated films are 'The godfather', 'Alien' and 'se7en'.

Summary.

after carrying out this research i have concluded that my own opening sequence to a thriller film will be made to be awarded with a '12' or '15' rating, as these films are usually the scariest by using suspense that is conventional to thriller films but without gore that some films use to get '18' certificates.

References.

I taken some information and facts from the internet to research the BBFC, the websites are en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Board_of_Film_Classification, ‎www.BBFC.co.uk and 

www.imdb.com .