Researching Thriller Films - 'Jurassic Park' (1993)

'Jurassic Park' (Steven Spielberg, 1993)

A build up to the action - the start of the film shows a man being killed by a dinosaur while working on the island. This is a very small piece that shwos what the film will all be about
Creation of fear/apprehension/anticipation/unsettling feeling/confusion/doubt over a character - there isn't one single main character, as it is a team of people - the film surrounds these people, rather than the other way round
Dark, shadowy atmosphere (use of light and dark images) - it is shot in a lot of undergrowth and in a park, so naturally, it is very dark
Establishing mood and atmosphere throughout the film - the film delves into the lives of each of the main characters
Delay in showing the face of a significant character, or the action of an important event by first showing the hand of a character for instance or a reaction of someone watching the event - as each character is introduced before the main action, there is no delay in character identification
Creation of suspense using soundtrack music - John Williams composed the soundtrack to the film, and it fits the action perfectly
Morally ambiguous central character - there is no central character
Murder encouraging a suspecting audience - there is very little murder, but there is a sense of inquisity into the whole idea of the island
Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting - it is a fictional island based in the real world - and is commonly referred against real countries
Flashbacks - there are few flashbacks that have little significance to the main plots
Red herrings - there aren't any red herrings, but there are setbacks.
Twists and unexpected turns - there are few twists, which give them more 'power' to the film when used
Making and keeping the audience tense and on the edge of our seats - the film seems to go on and on, but each piece of action is another piece of the jigsaw - and once you are at the end of the film everything seems to make sense

Researching Thriller Films - 'The Dark Knight' (2008)

'The Dark Knight' (Christopher Nolan, 2008)

A build up to the action - the start of the film involves The Joker raiding a bank - so the action starts straight away
Creation of fear/apprehension/anticipation/unsettling feeling/confusion/doubt over a character - there is a basic plot for each piece of action, but it elaborates and becomes mroe meaningfula s the film develops
Dark, shadowy atmosphere (use of light and dark images) - a lot fo the film is shot in very dark indoor locations
Establishing mood and atmosphere throughout the film - another dark film, that is a classic battle between good and evil
Delay in showing the face of a significant character, or the action of an important event by first showing the hand of a character for instance or a reaction of someone watching the event - the masks and face paint used against the two main characters give an extra dimension to the film
Creation of suspense using soundtrack music - the soundtrack is very similar throughout the film, which adds some continuity
Morally ambiguous central character - each of the central characters - Batman and The Joker - have different personalities dependent on who they are greeting
Murder encouraging a suspecting audience - each murder in the film adds to teh depth of the storyline
Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting - it is based in the fictional city of Gotham, so the directors and producers can develop the city into whatever they want
Flashbacks - there are few flashbacks that have little significance to the main plots
Red herrings - there aren't any red herrings, but there are setbacks.
Twists and unexpected turns - there are few twists, as the film is about the good vs. evil battle
Making and keeping the audience tense and on the edge of our seats - the drama in each scene keeps the audience watching.

Researching Thriller Films - Sir Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott was born in South Shields, near Newcastle, in 1937. He has been nominated for 3 Academy Awards, was knighted in 2003, and his films have grossed over $1billion.

His brother, Tony, also a director, started a film production company with Scott in 1968, the year he left the BBC. He started by developing TV advert - most notably the Hovis advert in 1974. Scott then decided to move to Hollywood to pursue his big screen dream.

His first big film was released in 1977, called 'The Duellests'. It won an award at the Cannes Film Festival, but didn't make a big commercial impact. It was, however, enough to get Scott noticed.

His first major film was 'Alien', in 1979. He was offered several jobs at the time, but after seeing how big 'Star Wars' had become, he decided to enter the sci-fi market. It was an 'effect' film - one that uses special effects wherever it can, and this seemed to work, as it earned over $100million in the box office.

'Blade Runner' came along in 1982, and crashed at the box office - it didn't make as much as expected. Scott put this down to it being rush-released, so created some 'director's cuts', and since then, it has received a mass cult following, and has been voted one of the greatest films of all time.

In 1984, Scott was approached to create the advert to launch the Apple Macintosh, merely entitled '1984'. They had nearly $1m to spend, and it was only broadcast on TV twice. Despite this, the ad has been voted the best of all time.

After some box office failures, Scott decided to try and stop getting stereotyped as the sci-fi/fantasy genre director. 'Thelma & Louise', in 1991, reignited Scott's media reputation. After another failure, he decided to take a 4-year hiatus.

It wasn't until 2000, when Scott released 'Gladiator' that his reputation as one of the great directors came about. It was massively successful, earning over $450million at the box office. He was then asked to direct 'Hannibal' in 2001, which followed 'Gladiator', and also raised over $350million. Scott was beginning to gain a title of having 'gold dust in his camera.'

In the same year, 'Black Hawk Down' was released, and earned, again, over $200million - Scott has earned nearly $1billion dollars in the space of 18 months. 2005 saw the release of 'Kingdom of Heaven', a film about the crusades. Just like his previous 3 films, most of it was filmed in Morocco, and earned over $200million. In 2007, he released 'American Gangster, based on the true life story of a drugs gang. Again, this earned over $200million at the box office.

Over the next couple of years, Scott will release 'Robin Hood', and 'The A-Team', plus an 'Alien' prequel, and a film linked to the 'Red Riding' trilogy. These films should prove that Sir Ridley Scott is one of the best directors of modern times.

Researching Thriller Films - Opening Sequences

An opening sequence is designed to:

• establish character and narrative context
• set up a degree of curiosity or question that will be answered later on in the film
• help the audience understand location, character and purpose
• cut between credits and action

I have analysed 3 opening sequences, and stated whether it meets the four specified points. This is shown either in green (it meets the criteria) or in red (it doesn't meet the criteria)

Se7en
- The music worked
- Repeated sound effects
- Never see the character
- Confusing, but keeps your interested 

• establish character and narrative context
• set up a degree of curiosity or question that will be answered later on in the film
• help the audience understand location, character and purpose
• cut between credits and action

Catch Me If You Can
- Completely animated
- All links together
- Shots fade in and out

• establish character and narrative context (one character is chasing the other)
• set up a degree of curiosity or question that will be answered later on in the film (why is he running?)
• help the audience understand location, character and purpose
• cut between credits and action (all blends in together)

Usual Suspects
- Real life action
- Very clever use of props
- Dark atmosphere makes you wonder what is happening

• establish character and narrative context
• set up a degree of curiosity or question that will be answered later on in the film
• help the audience understand location, character and purpose
• cut between credits and action

Researching Thriller Films - CGI

Computer-Generated Imagery, or CGI, has become very prominent in thriller films over the last 30 years. It is where production teams add computer-based graphics into TV or film, as can be seen to the right.

The first film to use 2D CGI was Michael Crichton's 'Westworld', from 1973. Its sequel, 'Futureworld', from 1976, was the first to use 3D CGI, and many believed it would be a phase, and would die out within a few years. However, it has become a film phenomenon, and thousands of films a year are now using this piece of technology.

CGI became mainstream when it was used in George Lucas' 'Star Wars IV: A New Hope', from 1977. It was poor quality compared to modern-day technology, but it was enough to prove that this could be the future.

'Looker', in 1981, was the first film to feature a complete 3D CGI human character. It was created using a method called 'scanning', which involves using pictures of a body and putting them through a computer. It was in 1982, in 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' that CGI was proven to be the next big thing. A scene, created by Pizar, where a planet is born, is said to be where CGI really did announce itself on the big stage.

'Tron', also from 1982, used CGI for over 20 minutes, in the first lengthy use of the imagery. 'Young Sherlock Holmes', rfom 1985, was the first to use photo-realistic CGI, and 'The Abyss', a James Cameron film (who has used CGI in ALL of his films), where a 3D CGI character made from water won him a Visual Effects Oscar.

1995 was the turn of CGI, with 'Toy Story' - the first full-length, full-CGI film, which well and truly ended hand-drawn animation. The commercial success of the film proved that this was the future.

'The Matrix', of 1999, was the first real-life, full-length CGI film. Around 20% of the film was complete CGI, but the other 80% had elements in it at all times. Freeze framing, and slow motion was used within CGI for the first time, which was a great success.

The turn of the century was when CGI hit its boom. 'Star Wars Episode I' had 90% of its shots with special effects, and 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' used motion-capture technology to shoot Gollum - a CGI character played by an actor. 'The Polar Express' did this for every actor, to critical acclaim.

'Avatar', James Cameron's epic 3D movie, has recently become the highest grossing film of all time, earning more than $2billion. It uses CGI throughout the film to create a different world. This technique is likely to be used over and over again now, seeing as it has worked.

Researching Thriller Films - 'The Godfather' (1972)

'The Godfather' (1972)
Originally uploaded by Adam9309

'The Godfather' (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

A build up to the action - the calm and serenity of the wedding allows for a dramatic piece of script writing when the action begins
Creation of fear/apprehension/anticipation/unsettling feeling/confusion/doubt over a character - the 'quiet before the storm' in each piece of action - means that you know something is about to happen, but don't know what yet
Dark, shadowy atmosphere (use of light and dark images) - a lot fo the film is shot in very dark indoor locations
Establishing mood and atmosphere throughout the film - it is quite a dark, sinister film, and is based on real-life 'events', as such. It can become quite threatening at times, but quite lethargic at others.
Delay in showing the face of a significant character, or the action of an important event by first showing the hand of a character for instance or a reaction of someone watching the event - this rarely happens, but can be seen later on in the film
Creation of suspense using soundtrack music - the soundtrack, written by Nino Rota, is one of the msot famous soundtracks of all-time. Instantly recognisable, it has become synonymous with 'The Godfather', and for this reason, the Italian flavours within the music has enabled the film to live scenes through the music, without dialogue.
Morally ambiguous central character - Michael Corleone is presented as a man who needs big shoulders to carry the weight of his father's empire.
Murder encouraging a suspecting audience - due to the nature of the film, murder doesn't encourage suspicion, because we know what is happening. Therefore, the film lacks a lot of inquisity.
Realistic settings to create a sense of the 'unusual' occuring within a normal setting - the film was shot in New York and Italy, where it is based.
Flashbacks - there are quite a few flashbacks to Michael's story, which adds to the character's background.
Hero in situation of threat or struggle - the threat from other mafia gangs creates a lot of tension within the film.
Red herrings - there aren't any red herrings, but there are setbacks.
Twists and unexpected turns - most of the film is straight-forward, with some occasional twists, such as the murder of Michael's brother, Sonny.
Making and keeping the audience tense and on the edge of our seats - the drama in each scene keeps the audience watching.

Researching Thriller Films - Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures
Originally uploaded by Adam9309

Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales were founded in 1919 by Harry Cohn, his brother Jack and Joe Brandt. The name wasn't working for them, so in 1924, the brothers bought out Brandt, Harry Cohn became President, and they renamed the company Columbia Pictures Corporation.

The next 10 years brought mild success to the company, as links started to appear between other film companies. Cary Grant signed a freelance contract with CPC in 1937, and MGM also had a contract with them, so as to help CPC keep their contract budget to a minimum. Columbia were also used as the distribution company for the first Mickey Mouse shorts from Disney.

During the 1940's, CPC benefited massively from the war, as people would sit watching films. Rita Hayworth became their biggest contracted star, and the budget and contract list began to get bigger and longer. The budgets were kept very small for films, and Harry Cohn was the last major film company president to give the go-ahead for colour films. 1948 was the big year for CPC, as the Government decided to stop big film companies from owning their own cinemas. This then put CPC into what is known as 'The Big Five' - the 5 major film companies of the US.

The 1950's and 1960's brought major success to CPC. Harry Cohn died in February 1958, and slowly, Columbia became the place to be. They gained the rights to the first James Bond film, and has always remained one of the distributors for the films.

In 1968, Columbia Pictures Corporation merged with some smaller subsiduaries, and became Columbia Pictures Industries. The early 1970's nearly bankrupted CPI, but studios were sold, and new management were brought in.

In 1980, Coca-Cola bought CPI, and bigger, more expensive films were being produced - some being massive hits, and some being flops. The end of the '80's brought a volatile film industry, and Coca-Cola allowed CPI to become their own company again. They changed their name again to Columbia Pictures Entertainment.

1989 brought Sony, who purchased CPE. They spend hundreds of millions of dollars on revamping and refurbishing all the studios and production rooms. The 1990's brought turbulence to Sony, as they wrote off $2.4b towards the start of the decade, but made over $1b revenue in 1997.

The new millenium brought massive success to Columbia, and they made over $1b in successive years for 4 years. The Spider-Man franchise, Casino Royale, The Dan Brown franchise and Men In Black brought massive commercial success to them, and they are still prospering into this new decade.

Researching Thriller Films - Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese was born in 1942, in New York City. An Academy-Award winner, he has directed over 20 feature length films, and has been named the 2nd best director of all time.

In early life, his parents used to take him to the cinema, and Martin took a big interest in historical films. This obviously influenced his future choice of career, and also what type of films he made. Originally, he wished to be a priest, but decided to attend film school instead.

After passing from film school, Scorsese released his first feature-length film with a friend from school, in 1968 - 'Who's Knocking At My Door?' The next 5 years was spent learning, experimenting and creating 3 more films, but it wasn't until 1974, when Martin released 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore', that he suddenly hit the big stage. The film was nominated for 3 Academy Awards, and won 1, for Best Acress.

'Taxi Driver' came next, in 1976.It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards, but won none. However, this did catapult Scorsese into the spotlight, and suddenly he was offered parts within films. It was his second collaboration with Robert De Niro - a man who would become very closely associated with Scorsese.

'New York New York' followed in 1977, and was Scorsese's first venture into musical cinema. De Niro returned, with Liza Minnelli appearing. It flopped massively at the box office, and was known for its Frank Sinatra-covered theme tune. It was almost like a baby for Scorsese, and with the film being so poorly received, he went into a state of depression, and developed a cocaine addiction.

This addiction continued all the way until 1980, when Robert De Niro returned to 'save' Scorsese's life. He told him to kick the addiction, and when he released 'Raging Bull', it became his masterpiece. It received 8 nominations at the Academy Awards, of which it won 2 - Scorsese won his only Best Director Oscar. It has been voted the best sports film of all time.

It wasn't until 1986, however, that his run of blockbusters began. 'The Colour of Money' (1986), 'The Last Temptation of Christ' (1988), 'Goodfellas' (1990), 'Cape Fear' (1991), 'The Age of Innocence' (1993), 'Casino' (1995), and 'Kundun' (1997) all received Oscar nominations - 23 in total. It only won 3, but made Scorsese one of the best known directors of all time.

More recently, 'Gangs of New York', from 2002, gained Scorsese critical acclaim for a stunning work. Some say it is his best ever film. It gained 10 Academy Award nominations, but didn't win any. 'The Aviator' came next, in 2004, and this was another film that was said to be one of the best films ever made. It won 5 Oscars from a possible 11. 'The Departed' was released in 2006, and towards the end of February this year, 'Shutter Island' will be released, in time for Oscars in 2011.

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

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.