Research: Themes

Narrative Themes:

These are the Ideas that are represented in the movie. The Ideas are mainly represented by the characters. This allows the audience to feel emotion with the character which is the reason why it is important for the audience to Identify themes..

Themes in thrillers:

The main themes that are represented in thrillers are:
 .Death
.Crime
.Vengeance
.Obsession

DEATH:
The theme of death will create a emotion of sadness from the audience. Death Is usually a terrible experience, therefore it brings a emotional reaction of sadness from the audience and anger as well.

THEME OF DEATH PORTRAYED:
The Scream Quadrilogy mainly portrays the theme of death. The audience will be more saddened at the fact that death will occur from the starting conversation on "what's your favourite scary movie?" or watching a scary movie. Death is set to happen in the film, due to the dialogue that is said and the connotation of the victim and antagonist in the same scene. Also, the because of the tension that is created by the film with the use of sound.

CRIME:
Crime is another theme in a thriller, what I mean by crime is action that takes place and is criminal activity. For example, a rape scene that takes place in a thriller would be criminal activity, therefore bringing an emotion of fear as well as anger to the audience, making them think something else more drastic is going to happen next crime is always carried out by the antagonist.  At times in thrillers, crime may be used as a tool to make the audience unexpectingly turn against the protagonist. Crime is a theme that can be complex to the audience at times.

EXAMPLE OF CRIME BEING PROTRAYED:
American Gangster is a crime thriller that mainly portrays the theme of crime. The audience are drawn by the film, to sympathise with the main character who is morally a anatagonist because of his actions and motives. Crime in this film is used to make the audience saddened and emotional, for they will probably have sympathy and care for the character due to his family, but he still is commiting crimes.

VENGEANCE:

Vengeance is another theme that is common in a thriller, it will bring tension and anxiety to the audience. The theme of vengeance is usually carried out by the antagonist.  The audience will propbably see the motive for carrying out the vengeance, but the fact remains that the vengeance is most likely to be deadly.

EXAMPLE OF VENGEANCE SHOWN IN FILMS:

The theme of vengeance is shown in the movie Taken. Where the daughter of a bodyguard is kidnapped by thugs. In fury, the bodyguard has to save her and he will commit vengeance by killing the people who were involved in his daughter's kidnapping.


OBSESSION:
Obsession is another common theme in thrillers, specifically pschological. This theme is probably the theme that gives the audience the most anxiety and tension, because obsession generally (in real life) has an impact on people's lives. Therefore, obssesions in thrillers would be likely to end in a deadly consequence, obsession is a perfect collabarating theme with death. The misery is a good example of a film that involves the theme of obsession.

OBSESSION PORTAYED IN FILMS:
The movie the Misery mainly portrays the theme of obsession, when a nurse does all she can to kidnap and kill, a famous author she adores and most importantly obsessed with. As always, there is a natural consequence of a obsession of anything. In this film, the obsession that the nurse has of the author who she has tied to the bed will lead to a consequence of pain and a consequence of death for either characters.

MORE THEMES:
Due to sub genres  of thriller more themes can be identified. Romance is another theme that can be associated with thrillers, but in a negative context. It is more likely that romance would be potrayed as the cause of death or murder. Humour is another theme that occurs from sub genres of thriller but it would also be portrayed in a negative context as humour tends to link with or foreshadow the death that later occurs.

I will need to introduce themes in thrillers otherwise I won't be gaining emotion from my target audience making my thriller not appealing to them. The themes I would introduce in my thriller is death, obsession and romance.

Research:Opening credits

OPENING CREDITS:

Opening credits is information that is shown to the audience at the beginning of a film. The Information that is told the audience, is the people that are involved in the film, like the actors, directors, producers etc. Most importantly the titile of the film is told to the audience.The purpose of this is to attract the audience, like the actors that are in the film are probably well known and well liked by the audience. This could also apply to the director or producer. Opening credits may used to honour people who have died, that probabaly influenced the making of the film.

THE IMPACT OF OPENING CREDITS ON THE AUDIENCE:
The opening credits could excite the audience, for they are usually are about to watch famous actors, making them entrigued because they can relate to them. The audience will also feel tension(along with excitement) as the opening credits are usually accompanied by a soundtrack.

EXAMPLES OF OPENING CREDITS IN FILMS:

The Departed is a good example. The audience will be intrigued by the opening credits of the Departed, mainly because of the famous actors in the film like: Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson etc. As well as the famous director Martin Scorcese. The audience are Instantly attracted to the film because of these famous people that are involved in the film.

Another film that is a perfect example for opening credits is Pulp Fiction. The audience will yet again be intrigued by the actors starring in the movie like: John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson Uma Thurman etc. As well as the director Quentin Taratino. The usual order of the opening credits is that the actors are shown first all the way to the director who is shown last. Before the opening credits of the film, a robbery of a cafe had taken place. This creates tension among the audience during the opening credits making them wonder wht is going to happen next after the opening credits.

The Information I will use in my opening credits, is the people who are Involved in my thriller movie. This has taught me the Importance of opening credits, for they can be used in a way to stir up tension amongst the audience, that's if a action first takes place. I will also need to Instantly attract the viewers to my thriller, especially during the opening credits.

Research:Age certificates

Age certificates:

Age certificate are ratings that are giving to every film, to find out what is suitable for every target audience(age group) to watch.

In the Uk, it is the BBFC that give the age ratings to every film that comes out. This means they are providing public information on the films as they come out.

Age Ratings:

U: This age rating means that a person from 4 years over can watch the film. This is due to the fact that the film is set within a framework of positive morale. There will be reassured counterbalances to any horror or violence. There will be mild violence or language in U rated films. U means universal, anyone acn watch the movie. It is suitable for a child to view alone.

The animated disney pixar movie Up is a good example of a U rated movie, for it contains mild violence and language. In addition, the plot of Up Is set within a positive moral. The movie was ranked U by the BBFC.

PG: PG stands for parental guidance, meaning the child may not be able to view a film without the supervision of an adult. Parents are advised to consider the risk of the film upsetting younger or sensitive children. A child 8 years or older could be allowed to view the film alone. In PG films there are only some sex references, it will be allowed because the child is unlikely to understand the sex references. PG films may also contain scenes of anti-social behaviour, but in these films they would not be promoted or glorified, for there should be a clear message that this is bad.

The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is a perfect example of a PG film. Although, the content of the film is child based, It does contain scenes of violence which   may not be suitable for a child to view without the company of a adult. This is the reason why the BBFC ranked the movie PG.

12: This age rating Implies that a person aged 12 or over can view the film alone. 12 films will contain use of moderate strong language but It wouldn't be constant, or else it will be ranked up to a 15. Furthermore, 12 films would contain sexual content through nudity, violence etc. In addition, 12 films will contain violence that is very moderate. Grusome scenes can be tolerated only If It is justified by It's content.

The A team, is a brief example of a 12 rated film. The movie contains scenes of violence, but it is suitable for A child 12 years or over to view. In addition, the movie contains use of strong language but it is not constant, meaning that it is still suitable for a child 12 years or over to view. The A-TEAM also contains sexual content, but it still maintains it's suitability for a 12 year old to view.

12a: The difference this age rating has from a 12 rating is that it only occurs in cinema viewing. The A means accompanied, In other words a 12 year old or under may need a company of an adult to view a film. For the content may be unsuitable for the child to view alone. 12a films will probably contain more violence and sexual content which coul be inappropiate for a 12 year old to view alone.

The Dark Knight Rises was rated a 12A by the BBFC, this was due to the moderate use of violent content and use of strong language. Nevertheless, adults had the resposibilty to decide if it was suitable for a child to view this film altogether.

15:These aged films contain a constant use of violence and strong language. In addition, 15 films portay scenes of sexual content throuch nudity,activity etc. There is no limit to the amount of strong language that is used in 15 films. Furthermore, there is use of drug taking even in a way which can be promoted. More Importantly, these rated films contain language or behaviour that associates with discrimination.

The Departed is a perfect example of a 15 rated film, for it especially contains the constant use of strong language and stromg violence as well as strong drug use, this is the reason for It's ranking at 15 by the BBFC.

18: These rated films rank higher than 15 due to It's strong use of horror and violence as wellas sexual activity. In some cases, 18 films can contain real sex that is taking place, which is the main reason while these films are only ranked for adults to view, for the sex act is endorsed in 18 films. Another reason, is the strong use of illegal drugs can be portrayed and endorsed


Pulp Fiction, is a splendid example of a 18 rated movie for it mainly contains scenes of strong violence that may really upset the viewing audience as well as language that associates with discrimination.

Age rating changes: An age rating of a film may change between the the time it comes out in cinema and the time it comes out on dvd.

Spiderman is a perfect example, It was the film that Introduced the rating of 12a in cinema viewing.

The reason why spiderman was raised from a PG to 12A, was because viewers had argued that spiderman was too violent, as wellas having a controversial narrative. Other viewers, disagreed for spiderman was a comic book hero, therfore children should have a right to view the Spiderman movie.

Thrillers age rating:

The age rating, thrillers usually tend to get is 15 or 18. The reason is because, they always contain violence, strong language. Meaning, it would upset a young audience. Also, the violence may be unsuitable for a under 15 year old to view.

For my thriller, I would give the age rating a 12, for It would not contain strong language and the duration will be a short time.

Not all films go through classification, there are 2 reasons for that. One reason is because a film can be totally suitable for every target audience, meaning that there is no scene that will be inappropriate for any target audience.
 
Another reason, would be that another film would be totally inappropriate for every target audience. Therefore it would be banned from being released by the BBFC in Britain.

My Thriller:
My thriller would be a 12 age rating, for it won't be suitable for anyone under that target audience. The reason is people under the age of 12 wont be able to relate to the theme of murder, that it down to mental Immaturity.

Research:Mis es scene: Body Language and Facial Expressions and costume

Costume:

The element of costume in film, Influences any film to become typical of it's genre. Costume is what the characters wear in the film. Along with colour representation, costume can make the audience understand the motives of a character. In other words, costume InfluenceS character representation.


Scream 3 contains a scene that highlights the represenatation of costume, one of the victims and the antagonist is wearing a costume of dark colur to connote the coming of danger and death to the audience. Meanwhile, the other victim is wearing a costume of white colour, this connotes his weakness and vulnerabilty. This very well collabarates with the action  and dialogue that is taking place. In addition, the anatgonist is wearing a mask which means he has a hidden identity, this makes the audience suspicious of every character along with tension.


Body Language:

Body language is crucial aspect of a character in a film. Body language defines the movement of a character, the action and the presentation that they give of themselves.

With every film genre there is a conventional body language with every character. In thrillers, the characters are protagonists, antagonists and victims.

For antagonist, the body language could be any posture, good or bad, along with calm and confidence. The body language will influence how intimidating the antagonist is in the film, making it a factor of the audience give a chilling feared response to the antagonist making them suspicious of the antagonist due to his mysterious body language .

For a victim, their body language associates with their fear and vulnerability. They can have a bad posture in the state of being afraid or vulnerable. This would increase a feared response from the audience.Furthermore, body language in thrillers gives and maintains a sense of reality to the audience. Body language, reflects the emotion of a character and can influence the audience to judge the personality of the character. Body language in thrillers can make the audience respond with a scared emotion, for body language(in films) can make the audience realise what is going to happen or what the character is attempting to do.

From the movie the shining i have selected a scene where body language is perfectly portrayed
Facial expression

Antagonists, will always have a facial expression that will scare the audience whether they smile or not. Their facial expression can be an evil smirk, which could be the message of satisfaction they have with what they done even at the moment they have been defeated. This makes the audience hate them more. Usually, the antagonist will show a facial expression that intimidates the audience.

For a protagonist, the facial expression could be good or bad depending on the situation or the mood. Since the audience like and relate to the protagonist, they would respond in a good or touching feeling for the protagonist. The protagonist can show a facial expression of defeat even at the point of victory over the antagonist, due to the lack of satisfaction  which could be in contrast to the antagonist.

As for the victim, They usually show a facial expression of fear, when there either being chased or about to die. Other times, victims will show a facial expression of unawareness, in other words at times they don't know that they are about to die, which frightens the audience more. The victim tends to be a person that is very attractive to make the murder appeal to the audience, therefore when the victim is about to die, the audience will give a reaction that collaborates with the facial expression of worry the male or female victim.

Facial expression gives the audience a sense of reality to keep them engaged in the film. Also, facial expression has influence in highlighting a theme in a film. Furthermore, facial expression tends to be a reaction to a situation, making the audience react to the facial expression the character is giving. Regarding plot facial expression can have little significance into the ending of any movie.

These videos is an example of body language and facial expression of a antagonist, protagonist and victims in thrillers.

This scene is a perfect portrayal of facial expression. From se7en the villain John Doe shows a facial expression of unremorse for the murders he had committed , especially the murder of David Mill's wife. This makes the audience hate him more for this reason as well as showing no remorse for the crimes he comitted. Meanwhile in contrast, the two detectives David Mills and William Somerset show facial expression of defeat, David Mills especially. The audience will be upset and they will show the same emotions as the two detectives in the film, for they can relate to both of them.

What this has taught me is the importance of costume, body language and facial expression. Costume presents the colour representation of every character. Body language is used by the character to make it conventional of the type of character they are in a thriller. Facial expression is used to collabarate with the character's action and body language, as well as signallins a true message to the audience. This is what I will apply to my thriller

 

Research:Mis es scene:Lighting and Colour

Mis es scene: Lighting and colour


Lighting:

In a film scene, lighting helps to convey the mood and atmosphere. Also, light can guide the audience's attention to a particular object, person or emotion. In addition, lighting can be used to cast tension that is taking place, shadows and suspense. Most importantly, there are different angles and types of lighting. This partly Influences the response given by the audience.  The changing of lighting style can have a Influence in changing a film genre.


Angle of lighting:
Like I said before, there are different types of lighting and it depend on what angle the light is being used from.

Under Lighting: This when the angle of lighting comes from below the character this tends to have a distorting effect. Under lighting can be used to forecast the danger of a character. This will Influence the audience to give a chilling response. 


Top Lighting: This occurs when lighting comes from above the character, highlighting his or her features. Often, this gives the character a glamourous Image. However, this type of lighting can usually highlight the victim of a thriller causing anxiety amongst the audience.

Back Lighting: This is when the light is being used behind the character. Silhouettes are created if there is little or no light used behind the character this could cause suspense among the audience.

Types of Lighting:

Low-key lighting: This type of lighting Is very conventional in thrillers. It is when lighting is dark meaning there are small areas of light, which creates shadows.

High key Lighting: This occurs when the light appears natural than ever but clearly brighter.

Natural Lighting: This is what the audience expects to view, no lighting is added. This is used to Influence the film to be more realistic.

Scene analysis of lighting:
The lighting that is used in this scene of silence of the lambs is low-key lighting. The low-key lighting is being shown on the antagonist Hannibal Lecter. This is obviously used to make the antagonist more intimidating to the audience as the low-key lighting is collaborating with the actions of the antagonist in the scene. This creates a response of fear and tension amongst the audience, as they will probably fear that something else drastic will occur and the lighting that is used will influence the audience's assumption that the antagonist in the scene is the cause of it.


Colour In Scenes: Colour representation

In Film scenes, the use of colours is vitally Important. Colours are used to make different Interpretations of the scene. In other words, colours make connotations of a character or action. For Instance,  dark colours like red and black will be colours that connote: danger, death, warning etc. Meanwhile colours like white will connote: Innocence, vulnerability, weakness. Colour representation would eventually make the audience highlight the victims, protagonists and antagonists. When a character weras bright colours It connotes their unawareness of a crucial situation, which could lead to their fate.

Colour representations can make the audience understand the personality and motives of a character. A perfect example of where this is proven is the film Misery which stars Kathy Bates.

In the film Misery, Annie Wilkes (played by Kathy Bates) is torturing a famous author who she adores. Colour representation is shown in the famous hobbling scene. Paul Sheldon (played by James Caan) is wearing a white Jumper as he is strapped to his bed. This connotes vulnerability and weakness to the audience. The audience is shown that this character is destined to be victimized with death or torture for he Is shown to be the victim. Anne Wilkes is clearly the anatagonist in the film, for she wears dark colours that connotes her dark and evil motives for the victim/protagonist. The colour represenatation of Anne Wilkes Influences her Image to look Intimidating and superior to the audience. As for Paul Sheldon, his wearing of bright colours and white influences his character to be weak and inferior to the audience. Since the character of Paul Sheldon is wearing bright colours, It Influences his unawareness of the consequence and torture he is going to receive, which could cause more tension and upset amongst the audience.

I now know the significane of colours in film scenes a they are used to connote someone's motives whether good or bad. This is what I need to apply to my thriller. Also, I have learned the significance of lighting, as It's main use is to collabarate with the action and dialogue that takes place. This is another element I will apply to my thriller.

Research: Censorship

Age Censorship:

Age censorship happens when part of a film is deleted for the suitability of age groups. In other words film scenes are told to be deleted from a film because the content may be unsuitable or inappropriate for viewing.

Age censorship is decided by the BBFC: British Board Film Classification. The company have authority on what films should have scenes cut or in some scenarios banned. The company regulates what comes out in a film and what does not. The purpose of this is to protect the viewing bpublic from anything offensive or upsetting.

The main content that is censored are:

Violence which could be grusome or violent that could influence the young. Language such as swearing or language that could be offensive to viewers. Events or word that could cause controversy. Drug abuse which could upset the audience or influence the young target audience. Culture which could be no tolerated by the audience. Religion which could be shown in disrepute or be not tolerated by the audience. Race Issues that could cause major conflict issues and true events that could be upsetting or misinterpreted upsetting the audience.

When a film is banned it is completely taken away from cinema viewing, due to material taht is indecent, harmful or offensive.

A cut occurs when a film is edited with film scenes taken out to make it appropraite for viewing.

A perfect example of a banned movie is the movie Canninbal Holocaust. The movie was banned in 40 countries including the Uk. The film contained upsetting, grusome and brutal material. The director was arrested for suspicion that he had his acting crew killed. To be specific the movie contained grusome murders of animals and humans. This would have been very upsetting and sickening for the audience to watch. This was why Cannibal holocaust was taken away from cinema viewing. I have selected 2 videos from the controversial to see reasons why it was banned.                                                  Trailer:

Heart scene:

There are famous movies that have had scenes deleted due to inappropraite content for viewing. Like the Bodyguard due to extreme sexual and nudity content. Overall, every film is examined by a film agency to see if it is suitable for viewing. The original exorcist was a thriller that was banned for its horrifiying scenes and for religious reasons.

What this has taught me is, as a director or producer, I should be aware of the content I use in my thriller. This to make sure my film doesn't upset or offend the viewing audience. 

If the BBFC allowed every film to be viewed, it would have likely caused outrage from the audience who might be offended. Another consequence could be that the film could Influenece the young target audience in a wrong way. Like a young person watching a rape scene can influence them to tolerate it.

Not all films are required to go through the BBFC for censorship, there are 2 reasons for this. The film might be fully clear of contatining scenes that need censorship. Another reason could be that the film may not be intended for a entire target audience, it may only be intended for a private audience.

RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL PORTRAYAL:
The directors of a film would have to be really careful with the way they portray religions and cultures from around the world. The reason being is because they could especially offend people from their target audsience who believe in the religion or live in that culture.Also, there would be huge uproar of rioting if the culture opr religion is portayed in the wrong way.


FORNA vs KEMODE:
 A debate occured on the use of age censorship, between Aminatta Forna and Mark Kemode.
Forna was for the use of censorship, stating that it protects the viewers from anything that they might find extremely upsetting or offensive. Otherwise, rivalry hatred could occur from the films and most Importantly, it can corrupt the minds of the young viewers, Influencing them to harm society through rape,murder etc.

In contrast, Kemode was against the use of age censorship, saying that viewers don't have to and shouldn't be corrupted by any film material. Regardless, if it is offensive, upsetting or inappropiate. People should decides for themselves if they want to view this material, not the BBFC deciding for them, meaning it is a breach of human rights. Furthermore, there is always a difference between reality and fiction, therefore people shouldn't be upset or offended by any film material. 

This post has made me consider the element I put in my thriller, making sure that it is not offensive or extremely upsetting or corrupting.

MY OPINION:
Personally, I agree with the use of age censorship mainly for the reason taht it could offend the target audience.

Research:Narrative Theory.

NARRATIVE:

Narrative is a description of what happens in a story, so that the audience can follow what is happening.
 There are different types of narrative that are used by film makers to apply to the audience.The audience are able to construct meaning in texts this throught different ways. Connotation is one of them, this occurs when the audience is allowed to read between the lines. Denotation happens when a film contains factual evidence, foretelling the action. The characters with their personality. Genre with the category the films falls into, and most importantly the structure, Equilibrium(start), disequilibrium(middle) and the end knowing what is going to happen.

THEORIES BEHIND NARRATIVE:

Propp Theory

Vladamir Propp was a soviet scholar that produced his theory on narrative. Propp theory is centred around folk tales, for he belived that folk tales represented the same struggles. This was because of his type of characters: Female victim, lover, protagonist, anatagonist etc. The narrative determined the characters., for the characters have a narrative function, they provide a structutre for the text.

Here is the structure of what the characters will go through in the propp theory:

Complication: Disaster strikes, to the audience the issue is explained. The audience are introduced to the characters. The action are planned by the hero against the villain.

Transference: The hero will react to the aid of the donor, who usually is the person that helps the hero in his quest or mission.

Struggle: The strong solution is made that the villain has to be overcome and defeated, no matter what it takes.  This is where the climax action starts to take place. This can create tension among the audience.

Return: The battle is over, but the hero is not recognised as being the hero for his actions. So the false hero takes all the credit.

Recognition: The hero in the end gets recognition and gets respected, for the villain has been defeated and the false hero unmasked.

This film theory would be targeted towards children in folktale movies such as shrek or the incredibles, where propp's type of characters and structure are conveyed.

Film that portray the Propp Theory:

Thriller movies don't usually portray the propp theory, for the theory is mostly based around fairytales and myths.


Todorov:
Todorov Theory: This is the narrative structure theory of Izetan Todorov

Start is the Equlibrium when the character appears stable at the beginning.

Middle is the Disequilibrium when a disrupting event occurs and there needs to be a resolution, when there is recognition of the disturbing event. The attempt is being made to have the situation repaired and restored.

The End is the new equilibrium when the usually the disruption has been sorted out, meaning the narrative is closed, therefore ending the story.

Thriller movie that is influenced by the Todorov theory:
The movie se7en is influenced by the todorov theory in a classic way. In se7en the equilibrium, is a rookie police detective that has arrived in a new city. The disequilibrum is that murders are occuring and they all relate to each other and the resolution is that it must be stopped. The new equilibrium is that the cop kills the serial killer especially after the killler murders his wife. 


The Aristotle theory focuses on the plot whicah always has a beginning, middle and end.
The theory states that events in each scene had to relate to each other, making it necessary or probable.

It is essential (according to this theory) to gain emotion from the audience, especially with tragedy. The difference is that this theory requires a climax when the action reaches it's peak and that there is a scene of recognition.

Movies that are Influenced by the Aristotle Theory:

 The bourne identity partly portrays the aristotle theory when Bourne goes into DeJa Vu as he is about to shoot someone. 

Roland Barthes: A late semiologist.

Barthes Theory:

The film begins with the action, the understanding and resolution is understood due to the action that has taken place.Then enigma takes place when the audience is teased by a riddle orpuzzle that needs to be solved. Afterwards, connotation occurs when something is symbolised. The next phase is denotation where there is factual evidence of something happening. Most Importantly, there is cultural understanding, where events that take place can have recognition for being part of a culture.

Barthes theory portrayed :
 For example, in the Godfather it is known that people will be killed due to the structure and culture of the mafia which to murder to be at the top and in power.I have selected 2 scenes from the movie.

This post has taught me that narrative is essential, in order to gain the focus on the viewing audience.

Research:Mis es Scene- Iconography and Setting

Iconography:

Iconography is objects that have significance to the scene.
In other words, the objects can make up a scene. In addition, Iconography is a crucial aspect for a genre of a film. At times, in a film it could just be iconography that makes the audience assume what genre it is. Iconography can also represent the theme of a film. For instance, pumpkins represents hallowen, hearts represents valentines day.

Iconography in Thrillers:

In thrillers especially the Iconography is: Knives, guns, phones, mainly. This is another element that makes it conventional to a thriller. Iconography In thrillers influences the audience to give a scared reaction. The reason is because Iconography collabarates with the action and dialogue that takes place. For example a gun is an object that would be used to kill someone, meaning that it has significance in the film.

Connotations of Iconography in Thrillers:

There are connotations of Iconography that would give a certain message to the target audience. For example, knives would give the audience the message that murder is likely to take place in the thriller film, this would obviously make them scared.

Conventional Items of Iconography in thrillers:

Knives are a conventional item in a thriller because murder is always a theme within the thriller. Phones are also a conventional item in thriller for usually in thrillers a situation would arise that originated from a phone call.

In addition, Iconography can also influence the audience to realise the personality of a character. The video I have selected shows the example of the point I just made.

The video is a film scene from the movie the shining which starred Jack Nicholson. Iconography is used significantly in this scene. The character Jack Torrance is chasing his wife and son with an axe and smiling. The audience will give a disliking reaction to him for they can see that he is a dimented and evil man, partly due to the axe he has in his hand to attempt to murder them both.


Setting:  

Setting is where the action takes place in a film. The type of location can make the audience give assumptions.

Setting in thrillers: 

 In Thrillers, the setting are usually: dark, haunted, intimidating and petrifiying to the audience. Settings are made to be very conventional toward it's genre. Settings in thrillers can be what the audience expects, for example a dark looking hotel or a alley way. However, there are settings that would not match the expectations of the audience, what I mean is a film scene that contains  tragic action that takes place on a beach for instance. Jaws is a perfect example for a setting that the audience does not expect the action to take place. I selected a scene from the movie to higlight the unexpected action that takes place in the scene.

Settings can convey a theme of a film, making the believable for the audience. In thrillers, settings would play an important element in the fate of a character. In addition, the setting always collabarates with the action and dialouge in every film. It is impossible to make or produce films without a location. Settings are used to make a film realistic. Most Importantly, setting are used to blend in with the action that is taking place.

Connotations of Settings in Thrillers:
Some Settings in thrillers connotes that murder is going to take place. This message is directed at the target audience. For example a dark haunting looking house would connote that something terrible would occur to the audience.

 

 
At times in thrillers, action can take place at a setting where the audience doesn't expect any action to happen at all, this creates more of a chilled response from the audience.

I will take into consideration the significant use of Iconography, for the connotation it represents in the action. As for setting, I probably make it as convetional to a thriller as possible.

Research:Scream analysis

Scream Analysis:

The opening  sequence of scream is conventional  to a thriller in many ways.

Regarding Iconography, the phone was originally used by the girl named Dru  (who is played by Drew Barrymore) to have a entertaining conversation. Ironically, the phone becomes used to blackmail and stalk the girl. Every time the phone rings, it creates tension among the audience knowing or feeling that something bad is going to prevail from that phone call, and rightly so. Also, the knife is another Iconographic element used in the opening sequence. Originally the girl plays with the knife, but Ironically again it is used to kill her, even when she tries to use it to protect herself. A phone is a convetional object in a thriller for it's typical use is to help a villain blackmail someone. As for the knife, the typical usage is to murder somone.

Further on, In the content of costume, the girl Dru wears a white Jumper, the colour white connotes her vulnerability and her Innocence. This makes another conventional element to a thriller. Also, the girl is quite attractive with her beauty, lipstick and physique, therefore her murder will appeal to the audience, for her beauty attracts the attention of the audience especially when she is murdered. Meanwhile, the antagonist is wearing a black cloak with a face mask. The mask shows that the anatagonist who is also the mysterious caller has a hidden identity.The colour black connotes warning ,danger etc. This means that the audience will give a feared response to the chararcter for they know that the character is attempting to cause mayhem and to murder. Meanwhile, the boyfriend of the girl wears bright colours , this connotes unawareness of a crucial situation or event, making him also a victim as he is killed in the garden. Costume representation helps the audience to understand the character.

Camera shots, are another element that is significant in the scene. During the scene, a establishing shot is taken of the house where the girl is alone. This tells the audience that this is an isolated location, another conventional element to a thriller. A close up shot is also used in the scene on the girl to view her facial expression, which is fear and fright as the mysterious caller is blackmailing her.

Furthermore, light is a significant element that is conventional that is conventional to thriller. At the beginning of the scene, the lights are on to know that for the meantime the girl is safe. But as the scene goes on, the light goes dimer and darker, this sends a visual message to the audience that the girl is not safe. This is in order to create tension among the audience. The use of light collaborates with the dialogue and action. The audience will give a feared response to the collaborating tension of the lights, action and dialogue. 

Sound is also another feature that is used is the opening sequence of Scream. For example, digetic sound is used to maintain a realistic element to the scene. It starts, with the phone ringing, this helps the audience that digetic sound has an influence in what happens in the  scene and how it ends.

Editing, is another essential feature in this opening thriller scene. Slow editing was used specifically when the masked killer captured the young girl. This helped to build tension amongst the audience as they watched with fear the girl slowly be caught up and stabbed to death. Fast editing was used when the masked killer entered the young girl's house to murder her. This speeded up the tension of the audience as they were waiting for the brutal murder to occur. 

Research: Sound

SOUND:

Importance of sound:

In films sound is used to create understanding for the audience, In other words,  the audience would be able to understand what is happening to the tuning of the sound. Sound is also used to create more meaning about the characters and their emotions as well as receiving a response from the audience. 

Types of sound:

Diegetic sound means a sound which is part of a film, that would be dialogue, music from a cd player. The sound can either be on or off screen. This would benefit the audience in terms of them understanding the importance of the diegetic sound in film. 

 Non diegetic sound happens when  there's a sound not part of the film world. That would be soundtracks, sound effects etc. The audience will respond with understanding and enjoyment since the non diegetic sound is adding more value to the film. For example, in terms of playing a creepy soundtrack when a scene of tension is taking place. In other words, non diegetic sound can connote with the action that is taking place.

In any movie, if the audience can see where the sound is coming from It is called an on-screen sound. This gives the audience clear assurance that the on screen sound is part of the film.

However if the audience can't see where a sound is coming from the technique is called a off-screen sound. This technique adds great effect to the film. Sirens can be an example of  an off screen sound. This could create anxiety among the audience, when this takes place in a thriller.

A sound in a film that is expected by the audience is called a parallel sound. The example would be at a recent crime scene you would hear police sirens. In other words, parallel sound can contribute to any movie to make it conventional of its aimed genre.


 When a sound occurs but it subverts the expectations of the audience it is called a contrapuntal sound. Jaws is a good example of a movie that has used contrapuntal sound for the scenes on the beach are followed by a creepy theme tune"dur dur" which creates suspense and tension among the audience. The fact of the matter is contrapuntal sound is used to have response of suprisement or even fear from the audience.

Sound is a micro element of mis en scene.

 In the great thriller classic, Pschyo, the famous shower scene when the young lady was killed in the shower the makers mainly used sound to create tension . Before the attack, the sound tempo is slow which in film terms is at normal pace. But when the attacker arrives, the sounds suddenly goes faster,  as the woman was being stabbed to death, the sound they used was crucial in portraying that scene, for they intended to have a chilling feared response from the viewing . Furthermore, the point could be argued that the scene contained contrapuntal sounds for the audience will probably expect the lady to be safe in her hotel room.
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