Music

For our thriller opening we need copyright free music. This avoids us any issues with using music in our sequence. We have searched for our music using http://www.freeplaymusic.com/. This site allows you to preview and download clips of music to use at your own expense. By searching through hundreds of clips, we have found three that we were happy with for our thriller. We have only decided to use one piece in our opening though because the other two seemed to upbeat and action filled.

Our final piece of music was called Autumn Nights, from a piano solo album. We feel this piece of music fits really well. It is of the right tempo and we have cut shots to fit parts of the track that create suspense.

Along with our music, we have three voice overs. Our first one is a female voice over a blacked out screen. This is recorded by Ellie Dawson. My second one is a male voice over, it is one of the CID officer giving a police press conference. This was recorded by a teacher at our school, The same one who acted the part. This is put over scenes of the girl and the CID officer. The third and final one is another male voice over. This one is by our young male actor. This is over scenes of him waiting and mostly ones of the girl walking away. This voice over is a answer phone message left by the boy on the girls phone.

These voice overs are the only scripted sections in the opening of this thriller. They add vital information and facts to the sequence. See my scripting post for scripts.

Forms and Conventions of Thriller Films - The Talented Mr Ripley

The Talented Mr Ripley (2000) - Directed by Anthony Minghella

'Starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow'

This film shows a young man who is falsely thought to be a graduate of Princeton University and a friend of Herbert Greenleaf’s son. Herbert Greenleaf is a wealthy business man who wants his own son to return to the states to take over and run the family business. He enrols the help of Tom Ripley who he asks to travel to Italy and persuade Dickie, the son, to return. Tom Ripley agrees even though he knows nothing of this Dickie Greenleaf and never was a student of Princeton University.

Minghella cleverly establishes the mood and atmosphere throughout the film. He use the mise en scene to create drama. Directors always film a scene where it is for a reason. Its the same fact with mise en scene. What ever is on the scene has a motive with the film. Ripley's flat in the film is situated right next to the back of a butchers. So the audience view gore and threatening scenes with that as its back ground. This suggests there is even more threatening scene to see later on in the film.

I love the way Mingella uses music in his shots. Within the first sections of the film, based at the airport, Ripley imitates the boy he is trying to find. At the point of using a new identity, the music begins. This highlights the change in the scene and the unusual happening.

Like most thrillers Minghella, in the first two opening minutes, delays the showing of the face. This adds more focus on to the action being carried out but also encourages the audience to ask questions. I love the mystery in this film. At some points, no one has no idea what is going on. The main character, Tom Ripley, begins to steer away from his orders and seems to be taking part in a cunning plan of his own. This films is full of unexpected turns and twists. It keeps the audience thinking and makes them begin to relate different parts. This is definitely a convention i would like to include in my thriller opening. I would like to create a sense of confusion and mystery, and convey the feeling of the unexpected to the audience.

Forms and Conventions of Thriller Films - Vertigo

Vertigo (1958) - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Vertigo is a film about a retired police detective Scottie Fergusson who is asked by an old college friend to follow his wife, who he thinks to be behaving weirdly. Scottie manages to stop her suicide attempts after saving her and begins falling in love with his friend's wife. This film stars James Stewart and Kim Novak.

In the opening two minutes of this film Hitchcock cleverly delays the showing of an important event. This is recognised when the character recalls of a dream and the unknown event to another character in conversation. This makes the audience begin to question.

With out using to much, Hitchcock adds effects with music and varied camera shots. This film begins with classical music with dialogue over the top. He uses music to highlight significant parts in the film. When the flashback is shown the music changes to high pitch sharp sounds, This adds affect showing the tension and the mood of the certain flashback. When the music stops all together, the atmosphere within the shot changes.

This thriller highlights many of the expected thriller conventions; The story line makes the main character morally ambiguous when he wants to follow his wife. This scenario is unlike normal life and suggests drama ahead and that something isn't right. It shows the normal situation of the hero/main character being in threat or a struggle with the flash back highlighting the characters fear and involvement in a previous experience.

Like many of Hitchcock's thrillers, he uses another realistic setting to create the sense of 'the unusual' occurring within a normal setting. This film is set in an office and the busy city of San Francisco.

I really like how Alfred Hitchcock uses conventions of a thriller and would like to show them in my own. I really want to use music to add tension the way he does and the variety of camera shots he uses, such as; the establishing shots and the high angled shots in some flashbacks. Alfred Hitchcock has the talent of making the simple conventions into a complex exciting thriller.

Key Thriller Films From The Decades

1950s - Rear Window 1954 - Alfred Hitchcock

• PLOT; In this Alfred Hitchcock Thriller, James Stewart plays L.B. Jefferies who is homebound after breaking his leg. To pass time, he begins spying on his neighbors with binoculars out his window. Soon the seemingly harmless activity gets Jefferies into trouble when he believes he has witnessed a murder. With the help of his girlfriend (Grace Kelly) and his nurse (Thelma Ritter) they begin to investigate.
  

1960s - Psycho 1960 - Alfred Hitchcock

• PLOT; Marion Crane on impulse steals $40,000 that has been entrusted to her by her employer. On the evening of her run-away she stops at a dark, off-road motel for the night and encounters a friendly, but deranged manager and soon meets an untimely death. Starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins.

1970s - Taxi Driver 1976 - Martin Scorsese

• PLOT; A New York City cab driver becomes increasingly disgusted with the scum and low lives of the city. When he meets an underage prostitute, he sets himself on a mission to save her and the city. Starring Robert De Niro and Cybill Shepherd.

1980s - Raiders Of The Lost Ark 1981 - Steven Spielberg

• PLOT; In 1936, as WWII looms near, Indiana Jones is hired by the Government to find the Ark of the Covenant, which is believed to still hold the ten commandments and mystical powers. Meanwhile, agents of Hitler are also seeking the Ark. Starring Harrion Ford and Karen Allen.

1990s - Pulp Fiction 1994 - Quentin Tarantino

• PLOT; Pulp Fiction is a mix of crime fiction and dark satire. The film follows two professional hit men on the hunt for a briefcase. The story then tells the tale of several individuals and their relationship to crime boss. Starring John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson.

2000 - United 93 2006 - Paul Greengrass

• Plot; Based on stories and pilot reports about how passengers on United flight 93 banned together on Sept. 11, 2001, when their plane was hijacked by terrorists, to divert their plane from crashing into it's assumed target - the White House. Starring Christian Clemenson and Trish Gates.

Preliminary Task

For our preliminary task we have to film and edit a sequence of a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with who they then exchange a couple of lines of dialogue. For this task we have had to research and demonstrate the following shots and filming techiniques;

• Match on action; The rule that states two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship ship to each other. This keeps continuity/consistency within as film by avoiding 'crossing the line' and confusing the audiences' prospective.
• Shot reverse shot; Action in one shot is continued into the next. If a charcter begings an action in the first shot and completes it in the next, this keeps continuity and a visual bridge is created. For example in this task an exterior shot of a character opening a door can be used, followed by the next shot being an interior shot of them walking into the room.
• 180 rule; This Technique alternates between over the shoulder shots shwoing each character. Often used in conversation scenes. The camera cuts between two different viewing points to follow conversation and show reactions. Helping the audiences understanding and to show them the motive/mood of the characters in shot.

Film Titles

Titles always appear before or with the opening sequence of a fillm. The can appear before, between or on shots.

Order of credits in opening sequence;

- 'ABC pictures' Presents...
- A 'Producers name' Prodcution
- A 'Directors name' Film
- Main actors name
- Main supporting actor
- 2 Other supporting roles (in desending order of importance)
- Casting by ...
- Music by ...
- Costume Designer
- Editor
- Director of photography
- Executive producers
- Produced by...
- Story by ...
- Screen play by ...
- Directed by ...
- FILM NAME

Plots of Thrillers

Plots of thrillers usually involve charcters in conflict with either each other or outsiders. It usually places them in a life threatening situations, with dangerous missions and mystery mind playing aspects.

For Examples;

Momento (2000) - By using photos, notes and tattoos, an insurance agent with short term memory loss tries everyday to solve the mystery of his wifes murder. I love the mystery in Momento. I think the use of flash backs works really well and would like to involve this some how in my own thriller. I like how the scenes encourage the audience to question the plot.

The Departed (2006) - America mafia boss, Frank Costello, has enrolled some of his most promising youngsters into the police acadamy. while the police have poisoned the gang with one of their own. Neither groups know they have a spy amongst them. I really like the use of gangs amd rivalry in this film. Creates drama and tension straight away with out the added effects or need for mystery.

Friday the 13th (1980) - In 1958 two camp counsellors are mysteriously killed in the woods. After 20 years the camp is reopened despite the warnings of an old local man. Soon the bodies of current counsellors are found brutally murdered in an act of revenge. In this film, i like how they have used a realistic setting, which should usally be a happy place, in the drama with unexpected turns and twists.

White Noises (2005) - When the unexpected happens and Jonathon Rivers becomes a widow, he wallows in deep confusion over his wifes death. But a paranormal expert approaches Jonathon with the unlikely; the ability to hear from his wife beyond the dead. In this film i like the use of special effects and the use of dramatic music. I would like to use music in my peice to create tension suspence.

Psycho (1960) - Marion Crane on impulse steals $40,000 that has been entrusted in her by her employee. on the night of her run away she stops of at a empty motel for the night, where she meets a friendly but strange manager and soon meets her death. I love the use of camera shots in Psycho. I like the use of different viewpoints, camera angles and close ups to highlight vital parts.

Research of Thrillers - Actors

Actors
Harrison Ford
-The Fugitive
-What Lies Beneath
Tom Cruise
-Collateral
-Eyes Wide Shut
Matt Damon
-The Bourne Ultimatum
-The Departed
Robert De Niro
-Untouchables
-Taxi Driver
Jude Law
-The Talented Mr Ripley
-Final Cut

Julia Roberts
-Duplicity
-Conspiracy Theory
Grace Kelly
-Rear Window
-Catch a Theif
Janet Leigh
-Psycho
-Touch of Evil
Michelle Pfeiffer
-What Lies Beneath
-Batman Returns
Nicole Kidman
-The Others
-Eyes Wide Shut

Research of Thrillers - Directors

Directors of Thrillers

Alfred Hitchcock:

- Psycho 1960

- Vertigo 1958

- Shadow of doubt 1943

Alfred Hitchcock has directed some old thrillers. He uses many camera shots. I like how his thrillers are based on realistic storys that are imaginable in everyday lifes. His thrillers do not need added effects or fantasy worlds.

Martin Scorsese

-The Departed 2000
-The Taxi 1976

-After Hours 1985

Steven Speilberg

-Jaws 1975

-Raiders of the lost ark 1981

-Indiana Jones and the last crusade 1989

I love Steven Speilberg's sub genre of action thriller. His thrillers are not psychological but rather action packed, exciting and keep the audience tense on the edge of their seats.

Sam Raimi

-Spider man 2002

-Spider man 2 2004

-A simple plan 1998

I love Sam Raimi's Use of realistic setting twisted with the use of super heros. The mixture of normal lifes intertwined with the lifes of rivalry superheros.

Micheal Mann

-Collateral 2004

-The Insider 1999

-Man Hunter 1986

The Thriller Genre

Coventions

Thriller is a genre of not only film but literature and TV too. NOTE; directors includes everything in the shot deliberatley. Thrillers have the following conventions;

• A build up to action
• Creation of fear/anticipation/confusion.
• Dark, shadowy atmosphere. Created by lighting.
• Establishing mood and atmosphere throughout the film.
• Delay in showing the face of significant character, or the action of an important event being recalled. For examples; Seven and Usual Suspects.
• Creation of suspence using soundtrack music.
• Morally amibiguous central character.
• Murder encouraging a suspecting audience.
• Realistic settings to create a sense of 'the unusual' occuring within a normal setting.
• Flashbacks
• Hero(ine) in a situation of threat or struggle.
• Red Herrings.
• Twists and unexpected turns.
• Making and keeping the audience tense on the edge of our seats.
• Encourages us to ask questions.
  

Sub Genres

A thriller can include the following sub genres;

• Action Thriller; In which there is often a lot of violence, a race against time and an obvious hero with enemy. These films usually contain large set pieces with guns and large explosions. These films create a lot of suspension and violence. They can contain elements from crime and mystery films. For example; James bond.


• Crime Thriller; This sub genre is a hybrid of both crime films and thrillers. It is often a told suspenseful story of a failed or successful crime. These films focus on the criminals rather than the hero. These films can be about murders, robberies or kidnapping. For examples; Seven and The Godfather.


• Disaster Thriller; In which the main problems is caused by a natural or artificial disaster such as an earth quake, volcanoes or hurricanes. For example; Twister.


• Drama Thriller; In which the story contains elements from both drama films and thrillers. The film is usually more skow and has a big character build up with plot twists through out. For example; The Illusionist.


• Spy Thriller; In which the hero is a government agent who must take action against rival governments or terrorists. For examples; The Bourne Identity and Misson Impossible.