Research
Location
A thriller films location varies throughout the whole film, this is because the ‘villain’ is based in one area and the ‘hero’ is based in another, on their way to finding each other they pass various locations which the ‘hero’ must overcome problems and missions, usually involving personal people or memories; possibly sacrifices. However through research, thriller films usually take place in ordinary suburbs and cities as normal day life activities go on, however they can also take place in exotic areas such as a desert, or even enclosed places. The location on the film depends on the narrative of the film, for example it can be based in a house (insidious), a university/school(the roommate) or a prison (the Shawshank redemption), the list goes on.
A mystery film also has many settings for the location; this can be because the film may be mainly based on the crime scene as mystery films usually include a detective or spy of some sort in which there is a problem to solve. This crime scene/ where the problem is based can be in a ‘local’ area such as a house people know of or an unknown area to the society in the film, e.g. a cave near a beach.
A mystery film also has many settings for the location; this can be because the film may be mainly based on the crime scene as mystery films usually include a detective or spy of some sort in which there is a problem to solve. This crime scene/ where the problem is based can be in a ‘local’ area such as a house people know of or an unknown area to the society in the film, e.g. a cave near a beach.
QUESTIONNAIRE results and analysis
We asked 10 questions on our survey, but these are the ones are the most important in helping to garner our audience and graft our film.
From this we garnered that a lot of the responses were from teenagers, we decide that our target audience would be teenagers and young adults, which is perfect as it exactly what we were going for. Young adults are also perhaps the most targeted audience by thriller these days and so watching other examples could be extremely helpful in showing what attracts and make a film of this genre successful.
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There were mixed response from both genders which means we won't specifically aim our film to audiences of certain gender. This isn't a feature predominately featured in thriller films anyway, with the exception of films such as The Roommate which would have had a female audience given it's story line and main actors like Leighton Meester. Given this, I do think it is important to include character stereotypes such as the female character often being presented as weaker or in the most danger.
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The majority of responses wanted the teaser trailer to start off calm before turning intense. Again this is exactly what we wanted and so we will definitely try to implement this into our film. Starting off slow will allow us to delve into the characters and then the faster pace will allow us to keep the audience interested. The faster pace will allow us to implement some tension and action, moving away from the narrative.
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Using these results we now know a few things about our film- it's going to be targeted towards young adults/teenagers. However, instead of having a film targeted at a specific gender, we will make it universal and find ways to attract both genders. In addition to this, though the results we found out that most of the volunteers wanted a trailer that started off calm but quickly turned intense. Based off this, it would only be right for the soundtrack to also start off slow before getting faster. After changing our idea several times, we are sticking the idea that the trailer should start off slow and introduce the characters before a montage of tense and action moments occur.
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The slideshow on the left is a few questions that we first asked for the our initial idea. These questions did not become as useful for the final product as we went through several idea changes. These few questions related to a story where people seeked help from a mysterious figure who could fulfil promises from them as long as they completed his job. From this however, we garnered that the audience wanted someone to be hurt or have to kill someone. In addition to this, they wanted the mysterious characters identity to be unknown and called "the devil". For the gender of this character, the audience chose male, but also it was quite high for unable to tell gender. The calling card was something I was really pushing and I was glad to see that the audience feedback on the questionnaire showed they felt the same way.
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No Country for old men analysis
The narrative is about a man called Moss (played by Josh Brolin), who stumbles across a bag of money, and inadvertently became caught up in a cat a mouse chase between a dangerous hitman known as Chigurh.As I watched the film I noticed that it had a slow pace throughout that would increase as the action kicked in. This is stereotypical of thriller films as the intention is to build tension. The film used natural lighting (in the sense that very little artificial light was used) to show the gritty and realistic world that the film is set in. In the tense scenes low-key lighting was used to convey the tension and to the make Javier Bardem's antagonist appear to be raw. The film often uses long takes, until the action began, whereupon both quick cuts and cross reverse shot was used to also create this effect. In terms of sound, there was very little dialogue between characters which allowed for the appearance of the villain enough to be the main cause of tension. I believe that the film was successful in that through the use of little to no non-diegetic music, the dependence on the actors abilities to convey their characters emotions made for more more intimidating antagonists and enjoyable characters
High Key (or natural) lighting/ EYe Line Match
The Purge (2013)analysis
The Purge came out in 2013 and was directed by James DeMonacho.
Genre - The genre of this film is thriller with a sub genre of horror. This is evident as of the props being used such as weapons and masks during the 12 hour crime event once a year. Also it is evident due the narrative of the film which builds up tension for the audience. Narrative - The trailer tells us that the film is based on the one day where all crime is legal for 12 hours with no legal help services available for anyone. Also the family who are starred in the trailer will be the main characters who think they are safe but end up being the victim which is the plot twist in the film. USP (Unique Selling Point) - The unique selling point is that there are no films with the same or a similar narrative. Everyday except one there is no crime, no deaths, and unemployment is at the lowest; almost a perfect world except one day called 'The Purge' where this all changes. This is what makes the film and the film trailer unique. Target Audience - The age rating for this film is 15+ so the target audience would be teenagers to adults who are interested in thriller and horror and possibly crime. Due to the sub-genres the film allows itself to have a bigger target audience that just and original horror or and original thriller enforcing a larger success. Sound/Music - The soundtrack at the beginning contradicts the violence shown in screen as the music is calm and soothing but the view is completely opposite. It builds up tension to imply that the violent images on screen in the trailer are only a preview of the film and that there is much more and much worse to come. Camera - The majority of the camera shots used are close ups and mid-shots. The close up shoes the fear of the characters faces to build up tension and to make the audience feel how the characters feel. The mid-shots are used to show what is in the surrounding to show the thriller aspects. An establishment shot is used to show where the majority of the film will take place (the house) These shots are very good as it gives the audience an idea about the film through the trailer about where it will be set and a sense of what will be happening to the characters. Credits - The credits are black and white which is a binary opposition making it stand out. But also this could imply that things are not always black and white (as you see them) which is the whole plot twist on this film. At the beginning the credits tell you about this 'perfect world' but then tells how it becomes like this. Also towards the end the font moves slightly as if it is shaking and the cut is as if its a recoding but keeps cutting out (cctv). This is effective as on cctv you are being watched and on this night of 'The Purge' you must watch your every move. Pace - The pace of the trailer starts slow but then builds up getting faster suggesting that the film will do this as well. Dialogue - It portrays what will happen in the film by foreshadowing that the family is confident that they will be safe when in fact they are completely wrong. |
The Roommate (2011) Trailer analysis
Camera angles/shots:
Establishing shot
Medium shot
Extreme close up
Close up
Credits/titles
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Story plot: The psychologlical thriller is about a college freshman girl who is extstreamly mentally disturbed with Bipolar issues and other mental issues but is able to control them in front of her roomate who she falls in love with which causing her to show her darker side through the jeoulousy she has towards her roommate interacting with anyone but her.
Genre// evident codes and conventions from trailer: Egnima codes is a popular convention of Thriller trailers. It is evident in the Trailer that Egnima codes are used, for example with the slow paced editing which happens at the beginning of the trailer. To suit the slow paced editing effective music is played with it which creates an atmosphere where the audience doesnt know what will happen. Thus this creates suspense. The beginning of a trailer makes the film seem like not much of a thriller but more of a teen film however through the drastic change in music at (0.56) brings a whole new view on the film to the audience as they can start to sense the thriller element that they were anticipating from the film. The remaining time of the trailer the pace of editing speeds up creating suspense and excitement. Another key convention of the genre 'Thiller' is the use of young people as this is done so that the film could appeal to a wider audience and this is evident in ' The Roomate' using the college freshmans. Narrative: The trailer gives us a understanding that the film is set in a college. It then focuses on the story of two girls who get close to each other by being roommates. The story of the film is bulit up by first showing the film in a good light suggesting nothing bad to happen until the change of music which shows the darker side of having a roomate. The way the story is set through the trailer is chronologically as in the start everything is normal and good until the girl who is disturbed ruins everything and the trailer becomes heavily suspenseful. Unique selling point: In my opinion the unique selling point of this film is the fact that the film introduces a whole new view on psychological disorders. By this i mean it creates more awareness of how when you meet someone new you need to be careful about what type of person they really are and of their past. In this film is not obvious that Rebecca ( the mentally unstable) roomate has bipolar disorder at the beginning. Rebecca is shown as being normal until she is pushed on the edge of her desires to have her roomate to herself. This film shows that its not always obvious when someone is suffereing from a psychological disorder. Target audience: The target audience of this film could be teenagers as the characters themselves are freshmans and so immidiently this sets out a tone of what type of people would be intrested in watching the film as generally young people like watching other young people in 'thriller' films. In my opinion the trailer does meet the fans expectations as the trailer is powerful in creating great suspense which the film also has as from the start everything seems normal until something happens. Music: The music is highly effective in the trailer as it creates an atmosphere where things are happy and normal in the beginning until things drastically change and a very suspenseful eerie atmosphere is created through the use of fast editing and action. Shot types/camera angles/movement: 1) Establishing shot which shows wear the main action is going to take place which is a college campus. 2) Medium Shot showing the main two characters but as if everything is normal, at this point the audience wouldnt being able to predict the events that happen later and how oen fo the characters isnt who she says she is. 3) Extreme close up showing the distubed roommates eyes creates suspense as to follow this shot is tense music. 4) Close up creates fear within the audience as the character suddenly looks strange and abnormal as she doesnt seem herself all young and happy and pretty. Now she seems disturbed as looks like a stalker at this point as it seems like shes stalking her roomates boyfriend. Credits/titles: In the trailer the title is effective as it looks spooky and mysterious as the font it is in suggests its not going to be a teen chick-flick about two girls who dorm with eachother. The title introduces the thriller element. Dialogue/voice over: The first dialogue in the film is shown when the main character is introduced as she asks for a room to stay in or dorm. Instantly the audience know who the film will be focused on whcih is her view on everything. The trailer then builds up a story through dialogue of this girl and her new roomate showing this connection between them two as if they hand a unbreakable bond. The plot of the trailer is built by using these snippets of dialogue to show the audience that the two girls become really close. Then after the altercation where the main character meets the psychotic girls mother and finds out her roomate is on medication is where suspense is built. |
Trailer analysis- Super 8
There is a fast pace in this trailer and a lot of action that invites the viewers to join the protagonists on this mystery. The text shown "all materials were to be transported to a secure facility in Ohio" introduces the audience to this mystery and the aim is clearly to drag them into it- much like the teenage protagonists have been in the film (although we do not meet them in the trailer). Another point is that they way the film is advertised is that it looks like a horror or thriller with the certain text fonts used and the editing style. For example, this can seen below:
The trailer is effective in that it uses action to try to appeal to a mass audience but does not tell us much about the story which has the effect of ensuring that it's a mystery and stays true to it's genre. In addition to this, it does not introduce the audience to the protagonists but reverts to showing the context, helping to set up the narrative.
Trailer analysis- Chronicle
Chronicle's trailer is quite the opposite to Super 8's in that it's a bit more lively/energetic (with quick cuts and fast editing style/pace) and has a diegetic soundtrack to introduce us to the character. At first it starts off fun and this is conveyed through the use of the handheld and found footage camera style that relates to their age and what part of society they are a part of. It also shows that they are modern and are a part of this new 'techy' generation. The found footage editing and camera style is a massive part in what separates this film from others and is part of it's selling point. The diegetic soundtrack of Jessie J's 'price tag' song which contrasts the ending of the trailer in which the music is more tense provides a hint about the twist and turns of the film and shows its thriller aspect. The music also happens to represent the fact that they are teenagers and are a part of that generation. The first person point of view is very new to the genre and is targeted towards the younger audience, and therefore it's not a convention of the genre.However, the idea that the pace increases is a convention because it represents how the ante is upped during the full film. The trailer uses the equilibrium theory from Tzvetan Todorov, in which the lives of these teenagers are disrupted by the source of their discovery ad the effect it has on their lives.
Fatal Attraction trailer
Now that we have changed our idea so that it's about one characters dark and delusional obsession about someone he feels loves them, I felt it was only right to analyse and use Fatal Attraction (1987) starring Michael Douglas as an potential inspiration for our teaser trailer.
In the trailer we are immediately introduced to the characters, played by Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. We are shown their affair and almost instantly know that for Michael Douglas's character it is a major mistake, which is shown through the narration "a mistake he regrets all his life" and the idea that he is a married man with children. Glenn Close's character is represented as being obsessed with Dan Gallagher "I need to see you." The effect of this is that it quickly creates the tension and problem. It progressively gets quite dark and interesting, which is helped through change in pace. There is a narrator which was a common convention of 80's and 90's films, however not too much today.In modern trailers, I've noticed how trailers often use character dialogue to briefly explain the narrative and help introduce the characters. In our trailer, one way in which we will challenge real media products is by using dialogue as well. There's also not many transitions or modern editing conventions present. The trailer uses simple quick cuts. In modern Hollywood, trailers use a lot of fades,dissolves and wipes a long with a loud,bustling soundtrack.
Ideas
4 teenagers that don't know each other- some get text, some get letter. they meet at random locations and theres a diamond in their letter. One of them isn't meant to be there- they all want the diamonds,so they start taking each other out. The exam trailer.
Wishes:
Four London teenagers seek a mysterious man who offers to help them in return for them each carrying out a job.
Four London teenagers are granted an chance to fulfil a once in a lifetime opportunity if they wish to follow his orders.
Thriller/Mystery
Film4/ StudioCanal
Something to watch for inspiration: The Booth At The End
Wishes:
- death
- money
- someone to get better
- someone who wants a brighter future
Four London teenagers seek a mysterious man who offers to help them in return for them each carrying out a job.
Four London teenagers are granted an chance to fulfil a once in a lifetime opportunity if they wish to follow his orders.
Thriller/Mystery
Film4/ StudioCanal
Something to watch for inspiration: The Booth At The End