PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER CONVENTIONS

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29.12.2014

Researched on psychological thriller's code and conventions to be able to learn how visual effects were applied to the film to classify as a psychological thriller. I researched common sound, shot types, editing style, lighting keys, costume and setting, which gives a general understanding to me about psychological thrillers, some conventions were applied to the coursework such as the smart dressing, venue inside the building, eerie music, shot types and editing sequences.

Final Story Board - Home

SCRIPT

Story Board - 1st Draft

Target Audience

Thriller sub genre audience from Histmedia

Conventions of Thriller

We watched thriller movies and identify its conventions. 

Film Opening Analysis

Goodfellas (1990)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Writers: Nicholas Pileggi

Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci   

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Opening Sequence: Graphic Design

Saul Bass

Saul Bass born on May the 8th 1920 and died in April 5, 1996. He was an American graphic designer and Academy Award winning filmmaker, his design of motion picture title sequences, corporate logos and film posters were best known. Bass was one of the most famous filmmakers of Hollywood. His most prominent title sequences are the animated paper cut-out of a heroin addict's arm for Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm. Th credits racing up and down and eventually becomes a high-angle shot of a skyscraper in Hitchcock's North by Northwest and the distorted text that moves together and apart in Psycho.

Saul Bass started the modern sensibility taking him to the next decade, the credits themselves tells the story and woke everyone up with "The Man with the Golden Arm" credit. Before Saul bass credit sequence that was perfunctory, nothing to do with the story did not progress the psychological emotional state of the character of the film. Literature based film which opens literally like a book, however does not help tell the story, but a identification text.

Kyle Cooper believes that "Vertigo" opening scene is impressive is because the ideas of title in that era is that the credit will turn into smoke, however in Vertigo, has a pair of eye, goes into the eye with spiralling effect and at the end goes back out of the eye again. It has a beginning middle and end which is makes it more interesting.

The three things that Saul Bass kept in mind while creating the opening sequences. The title designs were not only be inventive and impressive they were thematically link to what follows. Saul Bass understood what the movie is about and made designs appropriately for example "Psycho" where the writings were distorted which shows that something is not quite right which is exactly the storyline of the movie. Audience involvement should begin with the first frame.

Saul Bass's advice to graphic designers;

"Learn to draw! If you don't you're going to live your life to compensate that"

Composing Music

The Making of The Dark Knight

Zimmerman didn't want a happy score but a truly provocative and a soundtrack that people can truly hate. His aims were achieved by these qualities, the sound track sounded like razor blade on string extraordinary tension, punk, minimal that could say whatever he wanted to say, so that when the audience hears the sound they would know that the joker is lurking around somewhere  unsettling sound. Fresh approach, an idea of anarchy, fearlessness, challenged himself to identify these characteristics with two notes, a sound of strings getting tighter and tighter but never breaks, it was the cello that did this. Quiet sound of rising tension, edgy, grubby sinks perfectly with what he sees in the character. Very personal, very close to you, its like whispering to your ears instead of screaming, just like Joker drawing you in to his world, drawing your energised ideas.

In my opinion the final score works perfectly, it works perfectly with the character, with the sound alone is very intimidating and you can feel the tension building up. I feel like the music itself has a character, the character in which symbolises Joker. My favourite part is the cello, as Zimmerman described " the string gets tighter and tighter but never breaks" which in my opinion is a very intimidating creating suspense of when Joker will break, when will this fearless antagonist looses. The song gives an edgy feeling that would not let the audience lay their back on the chair at the first note. 

I've learnt how simplicity actually communicates more and how much the character has been taken into in order to produce a score. From the sub genre video where we tried to explore different sub genres of thriller, I was struggling to find the right music to create tension and impact on the audience, after watching Zimmerman and his delicate steps creating the joker soundtrack, how he make it minimal but has an impact on the audience at the same time.

The Studies of Shot Types

David Flincher

David flincher cares about information, seen through the two shots, where people are having conversations. Most film makers would avoid exposition but he does nothing but giving information away to the audience, what the character already know and how it fits with the crisis.

"They know you can do anything, so the question is what don't you do. Not what you do"

David flincher avoids using hand held, he loves the use of tripods. In his movies the scenes he uses hand held shots can be counted; Dragon Tattoo uses hand held twice, Zodiac once, Social Network only one scene and Se7en which hand held camera is used most with five scenes, however he designed the shot types, using tripod with John Doe who has the most power in the scene he is shot whilst the detectives were shot with a handheld shot which isn't stable to show that the detectives are struggling. Flincher uses his shot types to create ominous, his camera work does not have a personality it is just what is happening and what is doomed to happen as the camera moves perfectly and swiftly from one place to another. He does not cut to a close up often, he says

"Every time you go to a close up the audience knows that this is important you have to be cautious and careful about when you choose to do it."

 Flincher would only go to a close up to one or two movements. His close ups are very powerful as he withholds the shot else where and then it becomes a close up.

He uses shot angles and composition to show relationships; for example the three way  conversation when Sommerset discusses about wanting to drop the case with the chief with Miller in the room. The angle of both Sommerset and the chief changes to Mill's point of view when Mill is trying to work his way in the conversation. Flincher saves the close up of the cheif to the scene where he totally dismissed detective Mill.

Flincher uses shot types and angles to show the progression of the detective's relationship. Without dialogue and sound you can see how close they became. Starting with the scene where detective Sommerset is  explaining his case shooting a long shot to show the character's distance and as he continued with his theory detective Mill's respect grown as suggested in the two shot where they looked each other in the eye with detective Sommerset standing up whilst detective Mills sitting down, showing different statuses. Ending with the shot where the characters are facing away from each other but are relatively close together.

In Flincher's later movies he made use of emptiness more often. In "Social Network" where he cut to a frame with an empty chair. Or an over the shoulder shot to an empty shower room to show absence

I've learnt that the shots and composition in a movie can say more than what a dialogue could. Each shots has a meaning, which will give the audience more of an idea to its story line. Flincher's films can be understood even if the voice is muted through his shot compositions, angles and shot types. Moreover, in my coursework the opening scene we or "Vivian" are going to make is about separation and absence of the protagonist's love interest Tia, can be symbolised by Flincher' use of empty space. Additionally, to use shot compositions to express the couple's relationship progression.

Film Opening Analysis

Limitless

Opening sequence analysisLimitless (2011)Directed by: Neil BurgerBradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert DeNiro

We know that the protagonist is quite successful and smart, he has four digit IQ he has just moved into a luxurious penthouse apartment. Despite this he is considering suicide and has killer trying to break down his door. We learn that he was to near fulfilling his dreams. 

The opening scene created several enigmas are created such as;

who is this man?

why are people after him?

how was he about to impact the world?

why does he have a flu digit IQ?

why is his stuff in boxes?

who is after him?

why is he contemplating suicide?

why would he rather kill himself than be killed?

why is he so seemly in control of the situation?

The narrative uses the action code (an action or event that implies something else is going to happen). Such as banging on the door suggests that the antagonist (or so the audience assume) are going to get in. Non diegetic voice over suggest he's going to tell his story, he is the protagonist as he got most screening time and he is telling his story through this movie. The scene where he stood on the edge symbolises suicide and the fractal zoom and fly by shot symbolises that the he will jump. 


The atmosphere is a contemporary and very busy modern city. His condo is luxurious with top notch technology. Floating camera or the fly-by camera action scaling the building gives it a dreamlike quality, suggesting the protagonist's quick elevation to achieve his success and earning a place in the condo. The tension, violence and aspect of crime shown by the panning across the lobby revealing dead security guard, over the shoulder shot of his neighbour being shot and exaggerated diegetic sound of metal door being smashed, the credits were edited on the noises. 

Protagonist's representation is established through the combination of micro-elements. The close up of a worried facial expression of him standing on the edge of the building suggests that he is going to kill himself. Along with the non-diegetic voice over telling us that he is successful and smart despite these aspects he is going to kill himself. The boxes and the clean, untouched furnitures suggests that he has just become successful, he is a new money. The bird eye shot shows how high the drop is and symbolises how high up in status and success the protagonist is, by jumping he will loose everything.

MOOD BOARDS

PLAN

Sub Genres

NON COMPOS MENTIS

We explored the sub genres of thriller films, namely action, supernatural, horror and psychological under the restraints of once minute. The codes and conventions of each sub genre are distinctly presented.

'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' Deconstruction and Analysis

Genre

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Representation

Mr. and Mrs. Smith were deeply in love, it was a love at first sight which Mr. Smith stated later that Mrs. Smith looks like “christmas morning”, the lighting when they first met is bright with dominant bright colour such as yellow, green and white. Yellow symbolizes their happiness, green symbolizes their growth in love and white symbolizes pureness and can suggest marriage, which they married after meeting each other for six weeks. Jane’s costume is a white dress showing her famine and cute side whilst Mr. Smith’s costume a white top and short shows that he is easy going, chilled and is very relaxed.

However, their blooming love does not last for long after five or six years of marriage. They became distant which is shown by the shot types such as over the shoulder shot, a two shot with back towards their spouse and editing such as shot reverse shot. There are not many two shots where they faced each other. Moreover, their distant relationship is also symbolized by the car scene where they took off at the same time and nearly crashed into each other, suggesting that they do not try to compromise and does not put their spouse’s needs before themselves, Mr. Smith’s car needs to stop for Mrs. Smith’s car showing that Mrs.Smith is in power and is a controlling person. Just like the dinner table scene when Mr. Smith asked for the salt and she said, “It’s in the middle of the table”. The dinner table also symbolizes their relationship, it is a long table and both of them sat either side. The conversation is shot with an over the shoulder shot reverse shot, which makes it feel very distant and uncomfortable, having to reach for food and in order to get the salt, Mr. Smith has to stand up and reach for it. The atmosphere created is uncomfortable, there were no dialogue, but silence and both of them are drinking and reading silently. Mr and Mrs Smith kept their true identity in secrecy, the scene where Mrs. Smith got a phone call and Mr. Smith looking at her through the window as a frame within shot, which symbolizes the secret that is kept between the two and the barrier they have not demolished. The costume also symbolizes their relationship, when they were happily in love the couple would wear the same colour, whilst when they were in a distant relationship they wear different colour, colour which does not even match. Suggesting that the couple does not feel like they belong to each other anymore.

The scene at the neighbor’s house for a party right after their work, taking their dark coloured coats off and revealing the pastle colour inside shows that they have a parallel life, of the assassins and a humane life with feelings. However, as an assassin, when Mrs. Smith held the baby, a potential life  she feels awkward because her job is to assassinate heartlessly.

When both Mr. and Mrs. Smith suspect their spouse of being the assassin in the competing firm, the dinner scene has the diegetic sound of knife clinking emphasized, suggesting violence. The tension in this scene is created by the point of view shot, which consists of Mr. and Mrs. Smith staring at each other intimidatingly.  Alongside with non-diegetic music creating tension, it starts with a slow beat then accelerates as the scene becomes more tensed.

At the end where they have a gunfight in the house, destroying the walls and the structure of the house, suggesting that they are breaking the walls of secrecy since it has been revealed they are bound to be closer together since the barriers were destroyed. Therefore in the scene where they pointed guns at each other they did not pull the trigger, realizing how much they love each other. The emotion is carried through the close up shot. The long shot with the gun being smacked down and the couple started kissing, which is the same shot used in the beginning, however using different lighting keys. Suggesting that although someone is flawed they can still be loved, love doesn’t always need to be perfection and happiness but something flawed and broken can also be loved.

Narrative

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Levi Strauss

Binary oppositions are set of opposite values, which reveal the structure of the media texts. An example would be GOOD and EVIL – we understand the concept of GOOD as being the opposite of EVIL. It is the establishing of these binary opposites that propels the narrative forward. The narrative can only end when this conflict is resolved.

Conventions of Thriller

The Narrative of Seven follows the criminal investigation of a series of murders. The killing follows the 'seven deadly sins'.

The Protagonist Brad Pitt's character detective Mills is a conventional hero. His love for his family and his tendency to be driven by his emotions (specifically his anger) allows him to be manipulated into completing the killer's plans.

Voyeur the pleasure in viewing others, usually during moments of intimacy.

Sub genres of Se7en

sub category of a certain classification

Action 
Action sequences includes stunt work, gunplay and dramatic chasing sequences. It usually includes fast editing and close ups. 

Horror
Horror dwells on the killing, it is detailed in its gore and mutilation and gives a gothic tone. It can be identifies clearer with what it NOT a horror, a natural threat which always expose the murderer after the act and an intrigue rather than repulsion.

Tragedy
Tradgedy consists of human failures which the ending is predetermined with human's loss. 

Serial Killer
(sub genre of thriller)
The serial killer is usually a private person, which is psychologically unstable, intelligent and precise the murder cases are as if they wanted to get caught playing games with the detectives. 

Crime Drama
Crime drama shows the police procedure which is an evidence based case to be solved. 

Narrative

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LEVI-STRAUSS

Binary oppositions are set of opposite values, which reveal the structure of the media texts. An example would be GOOD and EVIL – we understand the concept of GOOD as being the opposite of EVIL. It is the establishing of these binary opposites that propels the narrative forward. The narratice can only end when this conflict is resolved.

NOIR

Black vs White

Old vs Young

By the book vs Renegade 

Calm vs Hot tempered

CHARACTER'S characteristics


We analysed the character's characteristics with two sets of cards identifying detective Mills and detective Sommerset, we came to a conclusion that John Doe has the two detective's characteristics combined. 

THRILLER vs HORROR

Genre : Thriller

Thriller

Definition or Convention?

Thriller is defined as a suspenseful sensational film, the storyline will be designed so the audience will think that it can happen to them which will make them feel scared. The conventions of a thriller includes, low key lighting, quick cutes, shadows, tension music, changed in the angle of shots, diegetic sound of breathing, black and white shots, montage of shots, protagonist is in mercy of the antagonist. Tension is built throughout the film, the audience anticipates for excitement and mysteries. 

Difference from Horror?

Horror and thriller's aims and structure of the movies are different. The genre, horror film, has the attempt to make the viewer experience fright, fear, terror, disgust or horror. The plot often involves the intrusion of an evil force, event, or personage, sometimes of supernatural origin, into the World. The most common elements in a horror film are forms of resurrected corpses and mystical creatures. Whilst thriller's aim is to make the audience fear that it can happen to them, this feeling is created by using fast pace, frequent action scenes, and plots in where a small number of resourceful heroes often fight violently. It emphasises more on the plot than character development, using suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers. 

What is expected?

To be seated at the edge of our seats, watching a cliff hanger as the plot leads towards a climax. When the main character is placed in a menacing situation. mystery, an escape or dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible, makes it seem as is it is life threatening.

Fears

Fear

Why do we watch scary films

Media plays with human fears, fears in another way attracts the audience because it gives the audience thrills and challenges the audience. Physical responses appeals to the audience to satisfy the need for emotional stimulus, the thrill and excitement created by the film. This is due to the adrenaline and noradrenaline release due fear, which satisfies the audience, since adrenaline combats stress.

Glenn D Walters : What makes a film scary?

Tensions

The tension created in the film which requires skills from the filmmaker. 

Relevance

Films are made scary due to the universal, societal, personal and subgroup relevance, when audience can relate to the film, they will tend to feel scared since it convinces the audience that the storyline can happen in real life. 

Unrealism

We know that it isn't real, therefore we watch the film to relieve our negative emotions.  Aristotle believed in CATHARSIS ( release of repressed emotions), we are attracted to violence and what scares us. In order to purge negative emotions.

Excitation Transfer Theory

Zolf Zillman

Negative feelings gained from watching scary imagery INTENSIFY the positive feelings gained when goos triumphs.