Researching Thriller Films - 'Vertigo' (1958)

'Vertigo' (1958)
Originally uploaded by Adam9309

'Vertigo' (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)

Dark, shadowy atmosphere - A light, airy appartment - happiness?
Creation of suspense using soundtrack music - Violins in background, horns at action
Morally ambiguous central character - Character who asks Scotty to follow his wife
Murder encouraging a suspecting audience - Man falling from roof?
Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting - Man still working with ex-fiancee
Flashbacks - Making out that man 'killed' man on roof
Hero in situation of threat or struggle - Flashback - 'saving' the man on the building
Twists and unexpected turns - They were engaged 
Other notes - I didn't really like the film, and for that reason, I don't want to use any of the elements in my thriller. It seemed too thoughful to bring any drama to the viewer.

Researching Thriller Films - 'The Talented Mr Ripley' (1999)

'The Talented Mr Ripley' (1999)
Originally uploaded by Adam9309

'The Talented Mr Ripley' (Anthony Minghella, 1999)

A build up to the action - Massive fade in at the start
Creation of fear/apprehension/anticipation/unsettling feeling/confusion/doubt over a character - Keeps changing his name 
Delay in showing the face of a significant character - Didn't show characters faces for a certain period
Creation of suspense using soundtrack music - Piano and singing - very slow
Morally ambiguous central character - Name change 
Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting - New York's jazz clubs 
Flashbacks - Flashbacks to when he was younger
Other notes - I'm going to try and incorporate some of these elements into my thriller, as I think that the use of delaying showing the face of a character really added to the drama of the film. The choice of soundtrack is also something I may try and use, as I felt it really complimented the film well.

Researching Thriller Films - Forms and Conventions of a Thriller

Examples

• 'The Hitchhiker' (Ida Lupino, 1953)
• 'Vertigo' (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
• 'Psycho' (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
• 'Blue Steel' (Katheryn Bigelow, 1991)
• 'The Vanishing' (George Sluizer, 1993)
• 'Se7en' (David Fincher, 1995)
• 'The Usual Suspects' (Bryan Singer, 1995)
• 'Face/Off' (John Woo, 1996)
• 'Mimic' (Guillermo Del Toro, 1997)
• 'Sixth Sense' (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)
• 'The Talented Mr Ripley' (Anthony Minghella, 1999)
• 'What Lies Beneath' (Robert Zemeckis, 2000)
• 'Phone Booth' (Joel Schumacher, 2002)
• 'One Hour Photo' (Mark Romanek, 2002)

What are the forms and conventions of a thriller?

• A build up to the action
• Creation of fear/apprehension/anticipation/unsettling feeling/confusion/doubt over a character
• Dark, shadowy atmosphere (use of light and dark images)
• Establishing mood and atmosphere throughout the film
• Delay in showing the face of a significant character, or the acion of an important event by first showing the hand of a character for instance or a reaction of someone watching the event
• Creation of suspense using soundtrack music
• Morally ambiguous central character (e.g. film noir - 'Se7en')
• Murder encouraging a suspecting audience
• Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting
• Flashbacks
• Hero in situation of threat or struggle
• Red herrings (e.g. Hitchcock films)
• Twists and unexpected turns
• Making and keeping the audience tense and on the edge of our seats

Preliminary Task - Storyboarding Terminology

CLOSE-UP SHOT - a close rangle of distance between the camera and the subject
DISSOLVE - a transition between two shots, where one shot fades away and simultaneously another shot fades in
FADE - a transition from a shot to black where the image gradually becomes darker is a fade out; from black where the image gradually becomes brighter is a fade in
HIGH CAMERA ANGLE - a camera angle which looks down on its subject making it look small, weak or unimportant
JUMP CUT - a rapid, jerky transition from one frame to the next, either disrupting the flow of time or movement within a scene or making an abrupt transition from one scene to another
LEVEL CAMERA ANGLE - a camera angle which is even with the subject; it may be used as a neutral shot
LONG SHOT - a long range of distance between the camera and the subject, often providing a broader range of the setting
LOW CAMERA ANGLE - a camera angle which looks up at its subject; it makes the subject seem important and powerful
PAN - a steady, sweeping movement from one point in a scene to another
POINT-OF-VIEW SHOT - a shot which is understood to be seen from the point of view of a character within the scene
REACTION SHOT - either a shot of someone looking off screen or as a shot of someone in a conversation where they are not given a line of dialogue but are just listening to the other person speak
TILT - using a camera on a tripod, the camera moves up or down to follow the action
ZOOM - use of the camera lens to move closely towards the subject

Preliminary Task - Storyboarding

What is a storyboard?
Once a concept/script is written, a storyboard is then made. It visually tells the story of a specific scene shot by shot, like a comic book.

What goes into a storyboard?
A storyboard should contain:

• What characters are in the frame, and how are they moving?
• What are the characters saying to each other?
• How much time has passed between the last frame of the storyboard and the current one?
• Where is the camera in the scene?
• What sounds can be heard in the frame?

Why make a storyboard?
Creating a storyboard will help you plan your footage shot by shot. Changes can be made to your storyboard prior to filming, and this helps stop your mind from changing later on. You can also talk about your film, and get feedback on your ideas.

How do I make a storyboard?
Storyboards tend to be drawn in pen and pencil. It isn't necessary, however, as you can also take photos, cut out pictures from magazines, or use a computer program to make and develop your storyboards. Your drawings can be simple, as long as they contain enough infomation about the shot. Use basic images, stick figures, and simple backgrounds. You can cut out your shot cards, and rearrange them to create different sections of film.

Preliminary Task - Continuity Principals

An opening sequence is designed to:

• Establish character and narrative context
• To set up some sort of curiosity or question that will be answered within the film
• To help the audience understand location, character and purpose
• Display credits while explaining some sort of action

For the preliminary task, there are 3 rules that we must abide by:

Match on Action
Two shots that connect together, to seamlessly show a piece of action. The movement/action usually starts in one shot, and ends in another.

Shot-Reverse Shot
A technique, where the camera shows Person #1, look at Person #2, over his shoulder. The next shot is Person #2, looking at Person #1, and the final shot is back to Person #1 looking at Person #2. It usually is used during certain lines of dialogue.

180° Rule
Two characters in the same scene should always be showing on the same side. For example:

Researching Thriller Films - Actresses

(l-r) Foster, Kidman, Weaver, Therman, Stone, originally uploaded by Adam9309.

Jodie Foster
Thrillers starred include:
Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Nell (1994)
Flightplan (2005)

Nicole Kidman
Thrillers starred include:
Billy Bathgate (1991)
Batman Forever (1995)
The Others (2001)

Sigourney Weaver
Thrillers starred include:
Alien Franchise (1979-97)
Copycat (1995)
Vantage Point (2008)

Uma Therman
Thrillers starred include:
Final Analysis (1992)
Les Miserables (1998)
Kill Bill franchise (2003-04)

Sharon Stone
Thrillers starred include:
Total Recall (1990)
Basic Instinct (1992)
Casino (1995)

Researching Thriller Films - Actors

(l-r) Pacino, Damon, Jones, Wahlberg, Washington, originally uploaded by Adam9309.

Al Pacino
Thrillers starred include:
- The Godfather Trilogy (1972-90)
- Serpico (1973)
- Scarface (1983)

Matt Damon
Thrillers starred include:
- The Talented Mr Ripley (1999)
- The Bourne Trilogy (2002-07)
- The Departed (2006)

Tommy Lee Jones
Thrillers starred include:
- The Fugitive (1993)
- Batman Forever (1995)
- No Country For Old Men (2007)

Mark Wahlberg
Thrillers starred include:
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
- The Departed (2006)
- Max Payne (2008)

Denzel Washington
Thrillers starred include:
- Courage Under Fire (1996)
- American Gangster (2007)
- The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

Researching Thriller Films - Directors

Quentin Tarantino

Tarantino is a well-known director, specialising in thrillers. He is known for his very violent films, and was named the 12th best director of all time by 'Total Film' magazine in 2007.

Thrillers directed include:

- Reservoir Dogs (1992)

- Kill Bill franchise (2003-04)

- Death Proof (2007)

Alfred Hitchcock 
Hitchcock is the 'Godfather of Film'. He is known for his quirky films, with most being psychological thrillers. In the 'Total Film' list, Hitchcock was listed as the best director of all time.

Thrillers directed include:

- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956; 1 Academy Award)

- North by Northwest (1959)

- Psycho (1960; 1 Golden Globe)

Christopher Nolan

Nolan is only 39, but has created two of the best thrillers of all time - reviving the Batman saga. His achievements as a director have led to him being named as 32nd best director of all time in 'Total Film.

Thrillers directed include:

- Batman Begins (2005)

- The Prestige (2006)

- The Dark Knight (2008; 2 Academy Awards, 1 Golden Globe)

Martin Scorsese

Scorsese is one of the most renowned directors of all time. He was listed as the 2nd greatest director of all time by 'Total Film', and his work has included some of the great films of the last century.

Thrillers directed include:

- Goodfellas (1990; 1 Academy Award)

- Cape Fear (1991)

- Gangs of New York (2002; 2 Golden Globes)

Stephen Spielberg

Spielberg is one of the best directors of the last decade or so, and has made billions of dollars in revenue from his films. The 'Total Film' list named him as the 3rd best director of all time.

Thrillers directed include:

- Jurassic Park (1993; 3 Academy Awards)

- Minority Report (2002)

- Munich (2005)

 











(clockwise from top left: Tarantino, Hitchcock, Nolan, Spielberg, Scorsese)


The 'Total Film' director list can be found here.

Researching Thriller Films - Sub-Genres

Some genres link in with each other, and this is what has happened with the thriller genre. These are known as 'sub-genres'. A more in-depth link to these can be found here.

Action Thrillers

An action thriller tends to be a thriller crossed with an action, a drama or a mystery film. They have an element of each of these genres, and films such as the James Bond films are prime examples of this.

Crime Thrillers

These films are always a cross between crime, mystery and thriller films. They tend to build up to a 'big reveal' at the end of the film. 'The Godfather', 'Se7en' and 'Reservoir Dogs' are good examples of these.

Drama Thrillers
A cross between a thriller and a drama. Lots of description is involved, and complicated twists and turns tend to appear when least expected. Examples of these are 'The Prestige', and 'The Interpreter'.


Psychological Thriller
An example of this is 'The Talented Mr Ripley'. They tend to link emotions and feelings, and is a story about these, rather than violence and death.

AS Media Studies 2009-10

We are studying the OCR specification, which includes both:

• Unit 1 - G321 - Foundation Portfolio in Media
• Unit 2 - G322 - Key Media Concepts (TV Drama)

The coursework task we are undertaking is 'the title and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.' Over the next few weeks, we will be building this up, planning, researching, filming, editing and producing this film.