Conventions of a thriller genre

Alfred Hitchcock is an English film maker/producer who uses these conventions for a thriller. He preferred to use the suspense technique (instead of surprise) in thriller genres. Hitchcock once said "It's not the bang that scares you, but the anticipation of it". The visual sequences he used enable his films to unfold fluently.
"Psycho" uses dark lighting apart from a centre key light that shines on the main character, Marion. Not only does this soft lighting surround her, but the mise en scene behind her contains round picture frames. The other character, Norman, is harshly lit with angular picture frames behind him. The camera also views him from both sides of his face, whereas Marion has a full front preview. False suspense makes the viewer surprised and interested because we never know what will happen. Hitchcock creates false suspense in a number of ways. When Marion has been sleeping in the side of the road in her car, a cop comes and wakes her up. The audience feels tense and wonders if she is going to get caught with the $40,000. Marion is very nervous and we are afraid if the cop is going to search her bag. Her uneasy behaviour adds to the tension. The policeman's sunglasses add to the tension because we cannot see his eyes, hiding his identity.
Commonly, he uses a device whereby the audience knows something that the characters don't know. For example, people are sitting around a table, under which is a bomb ticking away, the people at the table don't know it's there, but the audience does. I will take this into account when creating my main task; the audience will know for definite that the ex-husband/father is stalking his daughter, when he thinks he's stalking his ex-wife. This creates suspense for the audience and eagerness to know what is going to happen next.

Alfred Hitchcock uses many of these conventions when making a thriller:
-Quick cuts/camera angle changes
-Tense music (often strings)
-Dark/dull lighting
-Use of shadows
-Sympathy towards victim
-Hand-held camera
-Characters may dress in dark colours
-Close-up of the characters face to show emotion of anger/revenge/fear
-Large, threatening weapons for props
-Colour effects (e.g. red indicates danger)
-Element of surprise, expected and unexpected

Todorov's Theory

Todorov's theory is the way we look at narrative and structures. Tzvetan Todorov devised a way of analysing narrative according to the way they move forward through different stages. He suggested that many narratives, regardless of their genre, could be broken into specific stages for analysis. I will use these stages when planning for the main task, so it has a set structure and this will make it easier to create the film.

Todorov's Narrative Stages
Equilibrium- the setting is established, key character(s) are introduced and the storyline is set up.
Disruption- oppositional character(s)- appear and the story takes a particular direction.
Recognition of disruption- the lives of characters and events are interwoven. Tension builds throughout this section, which is often the longest.
Attempt to repair disruption- the highest point of tension after which there is a change in dynamic.
Reinstatement of equilibrium- matters are sorted out, problems are solved and questions answered.

For example, the thriller "Phone Booth" has this narrative structure:
Equilibrium- We are introduced to the main character, Stuart (an arrogant publicist)
Disruption- He makes a call to a woman who he was been cheating on with his wife, so his wife can't trace the call. However, unlike any other day, the phone rings and Stuart picks it up.
Recognition of disruption- There is a dangerous yet intelligent psychopath with a sniper rifle on the phone, and threatens him to not hang up or he will kill his wife, who he has been cheating on. He tells him instructions on what to do, such as telling his wife the truth. If he doesn't follow these instructions, someone will be shot.
Attempt to repair disruption- The police come and Stuart confesses to his wife.
Reinstatement of equilibrium- The police search all the buildings that someone can look out of to watch the phone booth. The villain is caught and he ends it with his girlfriend so he can be with his wife.

This image is from http://asanda2mediastudies.blogspot.com/2007/11/todorovs-theory-of-narrative.html



Research on trailers

Today, we looked at a trailer promoting many films that will be coming out in the cinema. Here is what I have learnt today.
FDA is the organisation who represents all of the film distribution in the UK. This is done because the show reel wants to promote these films, so people will go and pay to watch them.
Although these clips have been selected to reflect the expectations of the summer season, some of the extracts from films do not include a summer aspect to it. However, it shows a range of fast moving and exciting films.
I would associate children's films with summer because children and parents are on a summer holiday off from school and work, therefore they will have time to watch the films.
An extract that made me particularly curious is a clip from an action/adventure film, where it includes a stunt and this makes it exciting and engaging to watch. Curiosity is also stimulated when seeing well-known actors, unusual settings and bold lines of dialogue that also links with the voice-over.
Two films that were in the show reel that I think could have a U or a PG certificate are Ice Age because it's a comedy cartoon, and Camp Rock because it includes children and young teenagers doing activities that children nowadays are interested in.
Two films that were in the show reel that I think could have a 15+ certificate are Bruno because it includes sexual references/scenes, violence and inappropriate behaviour, and, The Hangover because it contains adult humour.
We also watched trailers for Public Enemies and Armored and made notes on these films. For homework, we had to find conventions of a thriller genre. To help me, I found a prezi which I found very useful. Note: I do not own this.
Click here to view this prezi.
This prezi makes several interesting points, and I agree with the majority of these. "we are set up to realise that it is too late for Marion to 'repent' and we understand that her punishment is inevitable." This quote from the prezi relates to the plot of my main production. However, in my main production the victim doesn't need to repent; the killing is a mistake. The punishment of my main character, Sarah, is also inevitable but in a way that she is being punished by losing a loved relation. The audience doesn't know if this is the end of her punishment because it is only a 2 minute clip from the whole film (approximately).

Evaluation of the Preliminary Task

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The preliminary product would be a scene in a TV programme; the main aspect of the series would be drama. It contains typical conventions of a TV drama; including a close-up of the secretary's face to show emotion and a sinister facial expression. The camera shots/angles used clearly show an insight of the characters' personalities. I think it is a realistic representation of a typical modern working day. We achieved this by the office-like location, characters formal costume and props (such as a laptop and a whiteboard). One way of identifying markets is to use a system of grouping people according to their job. In the scene, they are office staff; therefore, they are in the grade C1.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My media product clearly represents a working class of the females; there are only women in this short office scene. This shows the dominance of women, and how society has changed so that women can have high-level jobs as well as men. In previous years this has not always been the case as men were controlling more power in the employment industry.

3. What kinds of media institution distribute your media product and why?
I think the media institution Channel 4/E4 would distribute this media product because they already show Drama series, and I think this product would fit their criteria with the other programmes and target the same audience. Millions of viewer's watch E4’s best programming whether it is on premiere, repeat or through their VOD service. They are very successful with the commissioned programmes such as, Skins, The Inbetweeners and Hollyoaks.
http://www.channel4.com/corporate/4producers/commissioning/e4.html

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
E4 is the UK’s most-watched digital channel amongst 16-34 year olds, so we aim for this age group to watch our product on Channel 4. However, I believe the scene is quite formal, and maybe too complex or bromidic for younger viewers, so the audience might differ slightly to 18-40 year olds.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?
We want to keep the audience interested and attentive but we also want to keep it realistic. At the start of the scene, a woman is walking down the corridors, so this may build tension for the audience because they want to know where she's going and why etc. In addition, at the end of the scene there is a close-up shot of the woman's sinister facial expression. This makes it more interesting and intense for the audience. Also, it ends on a cliffhanger because the audience doesn't know what is going to happen next. This keeps them in suspension, and creates an attachment to the programme.

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
By constructing this product, I have learnt how to use editing technology. This is called 'Windows Movie Maker'. I found by using this programme, I have learnt many different transitions and effects I can use in the piece. For example, I know how to adjust sound to make it louder and to change a short clip in the scene black and white. I have also learnt that camera angles can represent a character's mood. For example, a close-up will be used to show emotion on the character's face, and if the camera is at an high angle, looking down on the character, it may show that the character is feeling low or not very good about themselves.

7. What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from to the full product?
I haven't got a lot of previous media experience so I think I have learnt several aspects of the filming industry by doing this preliminary task. Firstly, working as a team was very useful because we all listened to each other's opinions and discussed ideas on the types of camera angles and dialogue, which I feel will help in later life. In addition, I think I am better at creating storyboards. Next time, I know to write the storyboard in much more detail and be as specific as I can with colours and images.
We also came across a fault in our scene. We didn't follow the task completely, as in our scene no one came into the office and sat down. I have learnt to read in depth and use more time for planning.

Practising with the camera

This is part of our preliminary practice. We included an establishing shot, tracking shot, mid-shot and cutting on action. When I edited it, I added in some effects such as, fade in (from black), an eye transition, grayscale and fade out (to black).

Preliminary Task

This is the finished preliminary video. This helped us, as a group, pratice camera shots and continuity. Some of these camera angles include, the 180 degree rule, cutting on action, mid-shot, tracking shot and close-up. I think the continuity in this task was good because you are not able to tell the scene was filmed at different times. We then, individually, edited the video. I did this by cutting out unwanted clips that I didn't want, adjusting the sound and adding transitions such as, ease in, slow down and fade out.

Cinema City

For a media trip, our class went to Cinema City to watch 'La Haine' and 'The Scouting Book for Boys'.


La Haine
La Haine (1995) is a Crime/Drama and was directed, and written, by Mathieu Kassovitz. 
"The film follows three young men and their time spent in the French suburbs over twenty-four hours. Vinz, Saïd and Hubert have grown up here where high levels of adversity coupled with the racist and oppressive police force have raised tensions to a critical breaking point. During the riots that took place a night before, Vinz finds an officer's handgun and vows to kill a cop if his friend Abdel dies in the hospital, due the beating he received while in police custody."
I thought La Haine was an interesting didactic film because it covered a range of racial aspects. A camera shot I thought was well filmed was when there is an establishing shot of the housing estate, but the camera is at a very high angle, almost like it was filmed in a helicopter. Normally, when a high angle shot is used it makes the characters appear vulnerable.
I also noticed that gender mostly included males, which added to the violent nature. Women included;
Hubert's mum- An average woman, positive role model but uninspired.
Hubert's sister- A hopeful girl but gets left out.
Women in the gallery- Representatives of middle class people.
Said's sister- A contrast to Hubert's sister because she doesn't feel like she belongs in the male dominated environment.
I think the purpose of this film was to show a different type of society that we live in today, and it represents a different perspective.

The Scouting Book for Boys
The Scouting Book for Boys is a Drama/Thriller, directed by Tom Harper and written by Jack Thorne.
"Thomas Turgoose stars as David, a teenager who discovers his best friend Emily is being sent away from their caravan park home to live with her father. Instead, she runs away to hide in a nearby cave. But their plan goes wrong, first dangerously when the police intervene, then tragically, as David misreads Emily's affections."
In my opinion, The Scouting Book for Boys was more thrilling than La Haine. For example, when Thomas is about to break Emily's leg, it builds up tension. I also noticed an interesting camera shot; when Emily is jumping on the caravans and the sun is setting behind her, it looks like a silhouette and represents her innocence, which makes us more sympathetic towards her when she dies at the end. The camera is also at a low angle; this shows that she is like a role model because the camera is looking up at her.

I have analysed some of camera angles and conventions of a thriller genre in both films, and I will take these into account when producing the main task. For example, I have chosen to use a high angle on a shot of the victim in my film to show her vulnerability. I especially think "The Scouting Book for Boys" creates intense suspense towards the end of the film. This shows that music and sound effects are very important to create tension.

Location shots for the preliminary task

Before:

After:

I have chosen this location because it is a typical working area, and it was easily adaptable to make it look like an office.

My storyboard for the preliminary task

What I have learnt

By taking part in the preliminary task, I have learnt the different types of camera angles/shots, transitions and how to overcome continuity errors.


Camera angles/shots
In the preliminary task, we used the 180° rule, which is a basic guideline making that states that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle. We have also used an over the shoulder shot and mid shots. 
Other examples of shots we could have used are as follows;
Establishing shot- An establishing shot sets up a scene's setting/location of where the scene is taking place. It may also establish a concept.
Cutting on action- Cutting on action or matching on action refers to a film editing technique where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action and energy. It gives the impression of continuous time when watching the edited film.
Cutaway- A cutaway is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It's sometimes followed by a cutback of the first shot.
Insert- An insert is a shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle or focal length from the master shot.
Axial cut- An axial cut is a type of jump cut, where the camera suddenly moves closer to or further away from its subject, along an invisible line drawn straight between the camera and the subject. However, It does not involve a temporal discontinuity.
Panning shot- the camera moves slowly across from side to side from a fixed axis.
Tilt shot- the camera moves up and down from a fixed axis.
Tracking shot- the camera follows the action, moving along tracks laid for that purpose, often pulling backwards from a scene.


Use of transitions
In film or video, scenes consist of a sequence of shots. Each shot is made from a different perspective and then they are joined together. The joining together of the individual shots to make a particular scene is accomplished through transitions (to lead your listener from one idea to another.)
In the preliminary task I have used transitions such as, a Cut (an instant change from one shot to the next), a fade from black at the beginning of the scene, a fade to black at the end of the scene and other digital effects. I have chosen these because they fit in with the mood of the clip.


Continuity is the property of a continuous and connected period of time. Parts of a scene might be shot at different times, but with good continuity, you won't be able to tell. These things will include the same costume; the same hairstyle and the props will be in the same place.
In the preliminary task, we also had a continuity error- in the background of a shot you can see a tripod. We can overcome this error by cutting the tripod out of the shot and making sure this won't happen again.
However, I am please with the continuity in the characters walk through the door because it runs smoothly to fit in with the scene.

The filming process for the preliminary task

Recently, Serena, Vicki and I, have been filming for the preliminary task. Firstly, Serena and I got changed into smart clothing. Then, we had to alter the location so it wouldn't look like a classroom, but more like an office. To do this, we took down school posters that were showing in the camera shots. However, we left the desk untidy because we thought this would show a bit of the character's personality. We also made sure all the props were in place.
Next, we adjusted the lighting so that the only lighting in the room was set over the desk, which is the main focus of our filming.
The filming process didn't take as long as we had expected. There were not many problems and the outcome was satisfactory. The short video clip will be edited and uploaded in due course.

My Prezi

http://prezi.com/slaqgeffpyzm/alicia-watts/

Preliminary Task

The preliminary task is a very short piece to practice filming camera angles, and to improve our knowledge for media. We will also be editing the short piece of film individually.


The scene will be set in an office-like location. This is an appropriate location because the desk is messy, and this shows the manager's personality before you actually meet the character. A smartly dressed manager (Mrs Smith) will be typing at her desk. This is interrupted by a knock at the door and a secretary coming with something she has to sign. The manager doesn't read what she's signing, and doesn't realise she is being conned.
Dialogue:
Mrs Smith: (knock at the door) Come in
Secretary: Hi, can you sign this please Mrs Smith?
Mrs Smith: Yes of course
Secretary: You know, you should really read that before you sign it.
Mrs Smith: Oh I trust you completely, I don't worry about that.
Secretary: OK, I'll just leave you to it (as the secretary walks away, she smirks and says to herself) Gotcha!
Camera Angles:
- Close-up
- Shot, reverse shot
- 180° rule
- Mid shot
- Pan
Costume:
Mrs Smith: her costume is professional, and represents superiority.
- Light grey pencil skirt
- Grey blouse
- Darker grey cardigan
- Black tights
- Grey shoes
Secretary:
- Green blouse
- Purple jumper
- Black and white tie
Props:
- Paper
- Pen
- Office equipment
- Laptop
- Desk
Lighting:
- High-key/everyday lighting
- Main light on the desk (centre stage)
Music:
- Sinister undertone when camera does a close-up of the secretary's face


My main role was coming up with the idea of the plot, while Serena and Vicki helped with the scene, dialogue, camera angles, costume, props, lighting and music. Vicki filmed the scene, while Serena played the character of the secretary and I played the character of Mrs Smith.