Research into editing styles - Miss Georgiou

Editing is essential in a the thriller genre because all the different elements add to the emotions and actions of the scene, I am using the car scene from the film strangers because is uses good editing styles which make the film more effective.

The first editing technique used is slow editing, which is when the shots last for longer and don't change as much as a normal shot change. It is used when James is walking towards his car to investigate what has happened to it, the shot last for longer as we is walking down the lawn to create tension. This technique creates suspense because of the slow pace it make it clearer to the audience that he is being cautious of what has happened. The audience can fell the suspense because they are expecting some to happen to shock them, the suspense build up to there being a surprise, and the audience react to this by becoming very sheltered and preparing themselves for the actions that are going to take place.

  Another editing element is the jump cut, this mean the shot changes from one scene or location to another. We can see this used when James is out side by the car investigating the earlier accident and the shot changes to Kristen inside the house as she waits to hear from James to say it is safe. Using a jump cut is effective because it shows the difference in characters or even how they are the same, in this case we can see that they are both nervous and cautious, but that Kristen is worried for James's wellbeing . In this particular part it shows that both characters are feeling the same, they both have the same worried facial expressions, wide eyes and straight faces. The audience can connect the two of them from this because of their emotions being shown they can relate to the way they are feeling and can build a relationship on that by feeling sympathetic.

The last Editing technique is a reaction shot, this is when the camera changes to react to an action in the film. The audience can see this when the antagonist creeps up behind James and grabs his shoulder gently, but because James knows he was on his own before he is shocked and jumps around to see who it is.The camera shot changes suddenly as he turns his head to show his panic and fright and to make it more intense. It is used to emphasise his shock to the audience it is also to shock and surprise, this let them eel the same as the character as they have both been scared. This is conventional of a Thriller because you expect to be scared if there is tension is built and all the attention is added to the shocking part of the film.


In my research into the editing of Thriller genres has helped me understand what i am going to need to have in my film to make it effective when they audience are watching it. I am going to have a jump cut but to show the two different situations my characters are in and i am also going to be using reactions shots to create the same emotions that are created in the sequence is analysed. I have found that this editing style emphasis on the actions in the film making them more dramatic for the audience. The editing technques are effective when trying to create suspense, shock, and suprise which is need to make a thrller film scary,  i am going to use as many editing techniques as possible that help emphasise on the characters and narrative in my film.



 

Research into sound - Miss Miller

The haunting in Connecticut 2 is the film I am going to be analysing for sound. The sequence I am using is when Heidi gets lost in the forest when trying to find her dog, and sees a ghost sitting on the swing, it uses many different types of sound. Sound includes many different parts, it can include sound effects, music, talking, all of these come under different sound types for example diegetic sound is sound that is part of the film world like talking or a car radio. Or off screen sound which is when the audience cannot see the source of the sound e.g. if the car radio is still being heard although the car has gone of screen. Sound is important to have in the film to show the different types of action going on and sound effects are there to build even more suspense than all the other micro-elements do in the thriller films.

The first type of sound used is diegetic sound, this means the sound is part of the film world for example, dialogue or music from a car radio. The audience can hear this sound when the dog, Chief is crying as his owner is trying to get him out to the trap. We know this is diegetic sound because it is part the film world and the audience can see that it is coming form the dog. Diegetic sound is used to make the film more realistic, it is used well in this clip because it shows the audience the panic and distress of Chief almost showing him as a victim. In this clip the audience relate to the sound, this particular diegetic sound is on screen, as the audience can see the source of the sound and therefore feel sympathetic for him as they know he is scared and upset. The conventions of this sound are that it shows of the victim in the film letting the audience know there is an antagonist targeting the characters, this is conventional as there is always a victim in the thriller genre and the antagonist normally focus on a family group which is shown through my sequence.

The next sound used is off screen, this is when the audience can not see the source of the sound. The off screen sound is when Heidi is calling for her dad and the shot changes into him but we can still here her calling faintly in the background. This is off screen because we can not see Heidi at this point in time but we can still hear her calling for him when she starts to hear people whispering her name. This sound is effective because it keeps the audience aware of what the characters surroundings are without having to see it all, they know Heidi is in trouble and that her dad is panicking trying and find her. The audience connect with this sound because makes them aware of things that are about to happen or what could be approaching the characters. This sound can create different emotions like tension and suspense because they know what is around and are afraid of what the outcome could be. This section of the sequence is conventional because the sound highlights that Heidi is alone in the woods, portraying her as the stereotypical lone female victim of a thriller genre.

Another sound is Parallel, this is what the audience expect to hear or what matches in with the shot. An example of this in The Haunting In Connecticut sequence is the noise of the swing. They swing is old and rusty and when it moves the audience can hear the screeching of the chains rubbing together as it moves back and forth. Having Parallel sound draws attention onto the subject and makes the audience focus on the sound and image linking them together. It is effective because the audience can relate with the sounds as they know what they are and it makes them more aware of the surroundings in the film.

The last sound is Non diegetic, Non diegetic means the sound is not part of the film world for example voice over narration. This sound is used when Heidi walks past the tree and the ghost suddenly appears on the swing the music get faster and louder. Before the ghost shows there is barely any sound it is very subtle and quiet. The music gets louder and bolder when she walks past the tree building the tempo. Having this non diegetic sound here causes a build up for the audience as approaches the tree, and then when she sees the ghost the music become suddenly louder and fast creating shock and surprise the same as the characters. The suspense and worried emotions created for audience are conventional to a thriller as suspense is what makes it scary for the viewers they build up and prepare them selves for what is going to happen.

Sound is very important to have in a thriller film because it adds too the suspense, shock and surprise with in it, making it even more dramatic to the audience. My research into the sound in thriller has helped me understand what sounds would be effective in my thriller sequence and why i should use them. I have decided that i am going to be using alot of non deigetic sound to build up tension in my film and create shock when actions take place.

Research into cinematography - Miss Miller

Cinematograpy is all about the camera angles, movements and positions. They show a characters situations and positions within the film and within the other characters. My chosen clip is from Scream 2 it called 'it's show time' it has lots of points to write about which could help with my opening sequence I am going to be making.

The first cinematography element I saw was a zoom in, it was used on Sidney whilst she is on the phone to the antagonist. Zooming in is a movement of the camera which approaches the object or character. In this case it zooms in from a mid shot of the character to her to face emphasise Sidney's facial expressions whilst she is in conversation, it shows her fear and anger towards the antagonist. she looks afraid, her eyes are wide and she is shaking. Being able to see her emotions allows the audience to feel sympathy for her and relate to how she is feeling. The audience can see that she is being focused on as the victim of the antagonist because of the zooming in movement whilst she on the phone to him it shows that he is targeting her, making the audience worry for character.

    The next cinematography asset I saw was a shallow focus this usually includes two character or subjects in the shot and one is blurred out whilst the other is sharp. This is used when Sidney turns around to talk to the man waiting for her outside, she stays in focus but he is slightly faded as she speaks to him and he turns away. This shows the importance of Sidney and that the other person is possibly in danger but less than she could be, it could foreshadow death of both the characters creating suspense as he is blurred out showing distance and she is in focus showing her vulnerability. The audience can understand the characters purpose in shot and they can relate to what is possibly going to happen, they automatically feel fear for the characters.

      Another position used was a two shot which is when there are two characters in the shot together. My example of this is when Sidney and her friend run into each other when she is trying to escape from the antagonist. Having both characters in the frame at the same time shows the audience the relationships between the them and how they are reacting to each other. it shows him comforting her and protecting her from the killer. This lets the audience relate to characters emotions through their facial expressions and body language towards each other. It allows them feel the connection between both characters, and it shows a convention for the thriller genre because the always a victim with someone who wants to protect them which is shown in this shot.

     The last cinematography element is a high angle, a high angle is when the camera is positioned above the character, to look down on them. The low angle takes place when the two men are on the floor, it is effective because one of the men is injured so it emphasises that he is weak and in danger. This angle is used to show weakness or instability of a character which is shown through the man being sat on the floor and being looked down on. The audience relate to this because it is conventional of a thriller to have a victim and it shows his pain and instability allowing them to understand the position of the characters in the film. They can tell that is in danger and he is not at his full strength.

My research in cinematography has helped my decide on what angles, movements and positioned I am going to use in film, it has helped me understand how they work with audience and how they portray the characters. I am going to be using high angle to show the weakness of the victims in my film and I am going to use zooming in to focus on import parts of the film because I think these two are the most reflective of the characters and the foreshadowing of the rest of the film. The researched has helped me to see what is the most effective and what creates the shock, surprise and suspense needed to make a thriller film create the right emotions in order for the audience to relate and carry on watching.

Research into Mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

This post is going to about Mise-en-scene and how it builds suspense, i am going to be using it to analyse a short clip from the thriller film, Mama. Mise-en-scene stand for placing on stage/shot, it is made up of five sections;

• light + colour
• Setting + Iconography 
• Costume, Hair + Make up 
• Facial expressions + body language 
• positioning of characters 

Lighting includes different types for example low key light is darker colours, browns or black and high key light is bright colours. It is also about the positions of the light in the shot e.g back light and fuller light.

     Setting and iconography is about the place, the film takes part and the props which are used for example a forest and guns or knifes, these could be used to foreshadow possible danger in the film.

    Costume, hair and make up is all about what the character looks like and how they are shown. The costume is what they are wearing for example a superhero would be wearing a mask or a cape. Make up and hair shows how the character looks after themselves e.g a wealthy women would have their makeup and hair done nicely. But a less wealthy person would have normal everyday make up and styles.
     Facial expression and body language are all about the way the characters hold and show themselves, If they are hunch over it could show emotions like worry or tiredness, and if they are frowning it would show anger or concentration.
     Positioning of characters is about where the character is placed in the shot, for example in the back or in the middle. If they are in the middle it normally means that they are important and need to be concentrated on.
     

                                       
                                           This is the Sequence from Mama i am analysing.

At beginning of the Mama clip the older investigator is the first character to enter the scene, in his shot we can see the empty forest and the dirty, old door of the house. The forest is quiet and still and it is visible that, that is all there is for a long distance, therefore the audience can see that the house is in a remote place and is away from any help, they can see that it will not be easy to find or escape from. The setting of this clip shows the audience that the characters could be in danger and that they are extremely isolated. This creates worry because the viewers will be waiting for something bad to happen or for the investigators to find something which could be unexpected and cause a threat.

   
The lighting in the clip is low key, any day light in the house is very limited and when the two investigator are entering the house we see straight away that it is dark and dirty. Having low key light is very effective in this scene because the darkness makes it harder to see and gives objects and corners shadows, the darkness creates mystery as the unknown is being highlight through the shadows. The low light creates suspense because of the mystery the audience are left with as they cannot see lot of what is happening around the men. The audience react to the low key light and become very engaged about what is happening in the house with the characters they are intrigued into what is going to happen. The low key light is conventional to the thriller genre because the emotions is creates, the audience expect to be left waiting to find out what happens to the character.

The most effective costumes are the girls, Victoria and Lily. They are wearing old rags which are ripped and dirty and they have wild flower headbands placed on their head. Their hair and make up is also effective, they have dirty skin and there hair is dried out, messy hair. These assets show that they are not properly looked after and that they are unhygienic, they look feral as though they have not being in contact with civilisation for a long time. The audiences emotions can react to this, it shows they have had to fight for themselves and haven't been cared for properly. It also builds suspense about how the girls will react to the investigators because they almost seem wild. The conventions for this is also about the unknown, thrillers involve lots of mystery in order to create suspense shock and surprise, the girls are strange to the investigators as the do not expect to find them there and they are also strange to the girls because they are not used to normal human contact.

Further on in the sequence we see the positioning of characters, part of mise-en-scene. Victoria and Lily both climb onto the top of the fridge, this positions them into the middle if the screen. The girls being in the centre of the shot draws attention to them from the audience, it makes the viewers watch them and focus on them whilst they are in shot. The audience know they are important in the scene, it also allows them so see their hunched over body language. From this the audience can relate to the girls as the main characters and know that they need to be watched carefully throughout the film, it is clear that the girls need to be investigated and they will want know what has happened to the girls that has made them become like this and why they been abandoned it the house on their own.

Body language is a key part of how the characters come across to the audience. A good example of body lanauage in my chosen sequence is of Victoria and Lily are sitting on top of the fridge. They are both hunched over on all fours looking animal like, the girls come across as very closed of and scared of the investigators. Victoria is above lily showing her love for her and how she protective of her, showing how they have had to defend for themselves and that Victoria has had to look after Lily. The audience can relate to the girls because they can connect with their feelings of love towards someone that they care for. It shows the girls personality and lets the audience build a relationship with the girls though their relationships in reality and the girls relationship in the film. The conventions of the body language is Victoria protecting Lily although she is not being a clear targeted victim she is still being protected by her sister, there is normally a relationship like this in a thriller so the audience want to see this behaviour.

All the mise-en-scene assets are very important to have within a film because they make it realistic, they show the audience everything they need to know about a character or the setting. Having all five of mise-en-scene elements is very effective and they are shown and used very well in my chosen clip. My research into mise-en-scene has shown me what I need to include in my film and what will make it create the best emotions for the audience. I will be using low key light as my film as it is also a thriller it builds more mystery and suspense for the audience as I saw in the mama sequence research. I will be having iconography in my film, like pictures of the antagonist's victims and weapons. My main character will be positioned in the centre of the screen most of the time when they are in shot and the victims will have obvious body language that shows their fear. All these things link in with the thriller genre as shown in my clip, they are conventional because of the mystery and suspense they create which is in most thriller films. This research into mama and mise-en-scene has helped me understand what really makes the film effective and how without mise-en-scene it wouldnt be realistic or build any emotions with the audience.

History of a thriller-Miss Georgiou

A Thiller is a genre of a film which usually has a plot involving exciting crime scenes or something scary going on.

 1940 -  Foreign Correspondent - This film is a spy thriller , the plot is about an american reporter who tries to expose the enemy british spies, the events in the film lead up to a fictionalised world war. This plot is conventional of a thriller because it involves victims for example one of them is Van Meer, he is a victim because he purposely gets shot before he goes into a conference by a disguised photographer in the crowd, and there is also a antagonist. The antagonist would be the person who shot Van Meer incase he is unknown which builds more tension for the audience because they could be any where or any one and they characters would know. They are also conventional to a thriller film because it shows that people are in possible danger and it is unknown who by. The antagonist are expected to be seen by the audience because they are common in all thriller films. The director was Alfred Hitchcock he was a very popular director from the 1920's to the 1960's throughout this era he did many thrillers which were successful. The timings of the release of the film were very effective because the war was still at action when it was put out. This meant the audience cause relate their current problems and emotions to the events in the films they could understand the characters in a more detailed way.



1960 - Psycho - The director for Psycho is also Alfred Hitchcock he was still successful through out the 50's and 60's although he diet do as much as he used to he did many other thrillers for example, Vertigo and The Birds. Psycho is has story lines about a murderer and grave robber, the was also effective to the time of its realise because there actually grave robbers around then, so people could relate to stories they had heard of before.           



1987 - The StepFather - The Stepfather is a 1987 American thriller slasher starring Terry O'quinn in the title role. It is loosely based on the life of mass murderer john list, although the plot is more commonly associated with slasher films of the era than a true story. The film was directed by Joseph Ruben and written by Donald. E. Westlake. I watched the opening sequence of The step father and straight away we can tell something is wrong because the music and the when the first character comes you the was blood of their hands and get in the shower this shows they have hurt someone or even murdered someone, immediately we know that he is the antagonist and that he is dangerous. 
                             

2002 - Trapped - Trapped is a 2002 American-German crime thriller film starring charlize Theron, Courtney Love, Stuart Townsend, Kevin Bacon, Dakota Fanning, and Pruitt Taylor Vince and is directed by Luis Mandoki. I watched the trailer for this film and the first part shows the girl has been taken it creates fear and emotions for the viewers because she is an innocent little girl. It also lets the audience know that there's is villain straight away. 




                            






2014 - Purge, Anarchy - it is a 2014 American action thriller film directed and written by James DeMonaco. It is the sequel to the 2013 film The Purge, The  purge: anarchy is the second purge film to be released it is about and annual purge that takes place in future. It means that for on night all laws are aloud to be broken and everyone can take part. A lot of the characters in the film where masks, which we can see in the image, they do this to acre the audience and other characters because they have a hidden density, it make it hard for anyone to judge what they are going to do or what whey are capable of.




From my research I can see that as it gets closer to present time the plots and narratives get much more adventurous which is due to the audiences the time. In the later days people were a bit more sensitive to thriller plots and they were stricter on what was suitable, but now days things can be a bit more creative without offending people, society has become a lot more advanced allowing the story lines to be exciting and have more detail to there actions.

Rank	Title (click to view)	Studio	Lifetime Gross /Theaters		Opening / Theaters		Date
1	Hannibal	MGM	$165,092,268	3,292	$58,003,121	3,230	2/9/01
2	The Silence of the Lambs	Orion	$130,742,922	1,642	$13,766,814	1,497	2/14/91
3	Basic Instinct	TriS	$117,727,224	1,884	$15,129,385	1,567	3/20/92
4	Seven	NL	$100,125,643	2,528	$13,949,807	2,441	9/22/95
5	Red Dragon	Uni.	$93,149,898	3,363	$36,540,945	3,357	10/4/02
6	Saw II	Lions	$87,039,965	2,949	$31,725,652	2,949	10/28/05
7	Saw III	LGF	$80,238,724	3,167	$33,610,391	3,167	10/27/06
8	The Bone Collector	Uni.	$66,518,655	2,623	$16,712,020	2,587	11/5/99
9	Saw IV	LGF	$63,300,095	3,183	$31,756,764	3,183	10/26/07
10	The Cell	NL	$61,334,059	2,476	$17,515,050	2,411	8/18/00

The top thriller film is hannibal it is a 2001 American crime thriller, directed by Ridley Scott, it is a squeal to the 1991 film the Silence of the lambs which it number two on the chart above. The plot is about a serial killer who returns. when hannibal was realesed it broke box office records in the united states, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom in 2001.
    The cell is number ten on the top thriller films its plot is about a child psychologist, her job is to try and coax people into consciousness. A serial killer falls into a coma before the FBI can find his last victim, so they ask the psychologist to try and enter his mind and discover his final victim. But she becomes trapped inside.
   Number five is Red dragon it also includes a doctor of some sort, there is a psychiatrist who works along side an FBI agent and a psychologist. They are working on a case about a serial killer who is a cannibal. The film is based over several years and has different serial killers involved.
    Most of the films in the top  ten thrillers have a plot to do with serial killers and involve doctors like psychiatrist and psychologists. It shows the audience prefer these sort of films which are more disturbing and involve non - fiction characters. The audience like this more because they can relate to the real life careers and the character involved.

Research in to BBFC - Miss Miller

BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification, having the correct age limit on a film is essential to its success and if the wrong one is selected then it could mean losing essential viewers. The classification needs to match with the target audience and the content of the film needs to considered. The BBFC is what puts film into their appropriate age categories, so that; The public are protected especially children from inappropriate content. It empowers the public particularly parents to control what their children are viewing. It responds to and reflects the change in social attitudes towards media content. It also provides a cost effective, efficient classification service within our statuary responsibility. (These four point have been taken from the official BBFC website.)

All of these things give the audience control and knowledge about what they are going to be watching and whether they want to continue to view it. The different classifications are done by what is appropriate for the viewers and what the age limit should be. This also gives parents or guardians control of what their child is going to be watching.

A U classification is the lowest age limit in the BBFC it means the content and story lines for the film must be suitable for a young child, it should have no bad language and very mild violence. The age barrier for this classification is four and over. A good example of a film in this category is The Lion King because it is an animated film with little violence and isn't harmful for children to watch. It is has a typical story line about protagonist and antagonist, simba returns to his home to take the thrown which his uncle took from him when his dad died. It is allowed very mild language such as 'damn' or 'hell' and the characters can also be kissing or cuddling but their shouldn't be any obvious focus on it. Violence is allowed but not so that it is extremely scary for the child to be watching, their will be some scenes when a character will be put in danger which could possibly be emotional for children in this case it will be quickly resolved and shouldn't be continued for long periods of time.



The classification up from U is a PG the stands for  Parental Guidance, this means the content will be a little bit stronger than U but children can still watch it if they are supervised by an adult. There is mild violence which is why it should be considered by the parent or guardian to wether they think it is appropriate for children, although shouldn't unsettle anyone aged 8 or above. Shrek, forever after is rated a PG because it is an animated film with some violence but it is not unexceptable for children to be seeing. There is a stereotypical storyline about a fight between the antagonist and the protagonist so violence it to be expected. Shrek is the hero trying to save fiona from Rumpelstiltskin. When the Having a PG classification doesn't generally mean the film is for children, some films can be for adults viewing but still appropriate for children and nothing upsetting for them should be involved. The bad language included in the film can be words such as 'shit' or 'son of a bitch' but these can only be used in a very mild way not in a extremely manner.


There is also and 12 or a 12A which means people aged 12 and over can view it but on some films you will have to be supervised by an adult which is a 12A. If they have to have adult supervision it usually means that the content needs to be considered by the adult whether it is suitable for the child to be watching. They sometimes change a film to a 12A depending on the story lines for example Blended was changed to 12A because it is about two families on holiday and it is also a comedy these things interest people that are 12 years old there fore they are aloud to see it if they have an adult with them. Blended has some violence and some bad language such as f***, when this sort of language is used it depends in what manner it is used to wether it will be a 12 or a 12A. The violence is allowed to be moderate and the detail injuries or clod should not be focussed on. All these thing show why adults have to consider the content. Blended was not put into the 12A classification because it is a comedy and doesn't go in to detail on and violence or bad language used as if focuses f=more on the funny side of the story lines not the emotional side.

The next classification is 15 which means no one under the age of 15 is allowed to watch the film or buy/rent it. In a 15 you will normally see strong violence, strong language, nudity, discrimination and verbal references to sex. Sexual scenes can not be to strong though and not in to much detail the same is with any drug scenes. My example of a 15 rated film is bad neighbours, it is about a young family, in rival with a college frat house living next to them, they join in with their parties at first but then they get fed up and try to get them closed down. There can be strong language included, words such as f*** can by used a lot there is no limit to that kind of language but the word c***  can only be used occasionally depending on the manner that it is used in. Any sexual scenes can continue for long period of time but they must not be in to much detail. An example of this within the film is the snogging between  scene but there is not extreme sexual acts although nudity is allowed. There are also drug scenes included which include the characters smoking cannabis, but it is not an extremely strong scene, as the drug being used it fairly common and not used in an inappropriate way. If a drug scene is in a 15 rated film it shouldn't encourage or promote the use of drugs.



There is also a 18 classification which means no-one under 18 is aloud to buy/rent the film. The content is very strong, for example bad lanuage, sex scenes, strong violence and drug scenes and lots more things which should only be appropriate for adults to view. An example of an 18 rated fim is The wolf on wall street, it have extremely strong content, like drug use and violence scenes. The It has very strong language and sex scenes and nudity. the story line is about a stock broker who earns a lot of money and becomes extremely rich this changes his whole way of living, he uses drug goes to parties gets in fights, and can have what ever he wants. the content of the film is very strong, for example the drug use, drugs are used all throughout the films and one particular scene is very inappropriate which is when jordan takes cocaine from a woman's naked body, this part also classes as nudity which is again used a lot through the film. Most of the film includes some sort of string content from language to sex scenes or nudity.the language isn't limited in a 18 rated film any word can be used and as often as they like. violence can also be as strong as they like, it can focus on any detail which is not allowed in other age classifications, it can focus on the injuries gore and bloody parts.


From my research into the BBFC i have gained a better understanding of the different age classification. It has helped my learn the rules, details and guidelines of each category. As well the rules I now know why they have them and what separates them from each other, for example i know why 12 and 12A are different. This research has let me understand why it could effect the amount of views the films get and how it could effect the target audience. I have learned that having the right age classification is very important if they film is going to successful and it needs to be considered even before creating a film so that the guidelines can be met. All of the points i have looked into have helped me with deciding what age classification i am going to use in the thriller film. It has shown me what i am allowed to include and what i am restricted on. I have decided that for my film is going to be a 15 certificate because the genre is a thriller and it could involve some violence and scary scenes which may be inappropriate for children to watch, it make effect them emotionally and mentally because the events which might take place.