Genre Research
Tuesday 13th June 2017
Research into the Thriller GenreThe Collins Dictionary Definition of "thriller" is as follows:
Thriller
1 a book, film, play, etc, depicting crime, mystery, or espionage in an atmosphere of excitement and suspense
2 a person or thing that thrills
From this it is clear that thriller films are a genre that is supposed to excite and thrill its audience as well as creating suspense. However the genre "thriller" is extremely broad and can be broken down into many sub-genres that all have slightly different purposes which I will delve into throughout my research.
Presentation created using Canva
Here I have used a website used Padlet to show a timeline throughout history of how the thriller genre has changed throughout time.
Here I have used a website used Padlet to show a timeline throughout history of how the thriller genre has changed throughout time.
I have made a mind map using the website bubble.us to show a selection and range of the different sub-genres of thrillers and how they interlink.
More Detail on the Differences and Similarities
Despite the vast number of sub-genres and hybrids within the thriller genre, there are many conventions which I have researched that stay consistent throughout. One of the main similarities is the use of lighting. In particular the low key lighting that is used in order to enhance the scenes intense and sometime eerie atmosphere. It is likely even in action films, that tend to have scenes set in the day, for there there to be low key lighting used in the dark and gloomy moments to amplify the tension.
No matter the sub genre, all thriller films have the same purpose which is to excite and thrill its audience.
Having said this, there are also many differences between each sub genre. The ways in which they go around having this impact are different and I will go into detail on how a few of the main sub genres differ from each other.
Action Thrillers: these tend to "thrill" their audience through high paced and exciting scenes of movement and action.
Political Thrillers: these thrill their audience through using governmental events that are sometimes extremely close to those in reality to almost spook its audience into thinking how close to truth the film's story line really is.
Romance Thrillers: they thrill their audience through combining elements of darkness and suspense with that of love and romance in order to create a mixed love story that both fulfils joy and uneasiness within the audience.
Wednesday 14th June 2017
Specific Sub-Genre: Psychological Thriller
Here I have gone into further detail on the conventions that link to the particular sub-genre of psychological thrillers.
Created using Visme. An easy-to-use Infographic Maker.
Another conventional plot theme that is found in psychological thrillers is discovering the difference between reality and illusion as I have touched upon in past research. From an audience's perspective this theme makes them constantly question themselves and their own perceptions as the narrative can often be unclear or complex to fully understand.
Friday 16th June 2017
The first film I will be analysing is called Circle. Below you will find the official film trailer embedded from YouTube to the film to give a brief insight into what the film is about before my detailed analysis.
Hard candy from Eleni Papaioannou
Next I have made a shot by shot analysis of the trailers where I point out the conventions, shot choices, mise en scene and other elements of the trailer. To make this trailer, I used a free trial of a software named Camtasia and then uploaded it to YouTube to be uploaded to my blog.
Here is an interview taken from YouTube of Ellen Page who plays Hayley in the film. This interview helped to further my understanding of her character and the film as a whole. One of the most interesting parts is at 0.36 when the interviewer asks how difficult it was to get inside Hayley's head. Page's response allows use to see her feelings and perceptions on her character and states that Hayley was a girl that saw something wrong with society and it had to stop being overlooked. This gives a new perspective to the audience into her character as many may just see her as psychotic and torturous rather than seeing the reasons for it.
Another interesting part is when the interviewer asks Hayley about the certification of the film which is rated R in America and 18 in the UK. At 7.50 we see how Page is slightly annoyed about how the film is rated 18 because the message of the film, which is about the dangers of talking to people online, cannot be watched by the demographic this affects most which is young teenagers usually around 13 - 18. They are aware that the high certification is because of the violent content within but it shows how the target demographic of the film isn't always decided by the certification of the film. They also bring up the point that teenagers will be able to see the film when it comes out on DVD as this will allow them to watch it at home where the certification is a guideline.
Saturday 17th June 2017
Next I have made a shot by shot analysis of the trailers where I point out the conventions, shot choices, mise en scene and other elements of the trailer. To make this trailer, I used a free trial of a software named Camtasia and then uploaded it to YouTube to be uploaded to my blog.
Created using Visme. Free Online Presentation Software.
Monday 26th June 2017
British Board of Film Classification
Wednesday 28th June 2017
Film Magazine Analysis
Friday 14th July 2017
Film Poster Analysis
Magazine front covers are a common way films can be targeted by conglomerates to a mass audience. However there are many other ways that companies promote their film to their specific demographic. One way they do this is through film posters which are also a type of printed media texts. They are extremely useful in advertising the film to the specific target audience and to help create a hype around the product. This in turn will draw a larger attraction towards the film and therefore generate a larger revenue.
Film posters are a main priority for the distributor of the film and are usually similar to the trailers, newspaper articles and magazine covers advertising the film in order to create a cohesive and effective marketing campaign.
I will be researching and analysing the conventions of film posters for psychological thriller films in order to gain a deeper understanding into how distributors of films advertise and promote their product to their target audience.
Film Poster Conventions from Eleni Papaioannou
Psychological Thriller Film Poster Analysis: Red Lights
Psychological Thriller Film Poster Analysis: Red Lights
In order to gain a detailed understanding and knowledge of how film posters are used to promote and advertise their film to its specific audience demographic, I have decided to analyse another psychological thriller poster. This will allow me to see if my findings are similar throughout the genre. From this I will create a detailed annotated version of a film poster using all the conventions that I have discovered from my research.
Tuesday 25th July
Continued Film Poster Analysis:
Shutter Island Film Poster Annotations
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