Production Company

Conventions of thrillers

Conventions - Narrative

• Thrillers are supposed to create suspense and excitement for the audience.
• The narrative resolves around the investigation of an enigma or the hero is the only person who can solve the enigma.
• They mostly involve violence.
• If often reveals the workings of particular institutions such as the police, the army or the Government.
• The thriller centres on injustice in society but solves these wrongs.
• There will be a rational rather than supernatural explanation of the puzzle.

Conventions - Setting

• A thriller can be set in an urban environment or a rural environment.
• They can be set in old abandoned buildings or new city buildings.
• They are usually set over big areas as there are usually chases.
• They can also be set in abandoned buildings and asylums.

Conventions - Characters

In a thriller there is usually:

• A Protagonist - They are usually a detective or someone on the run.
• A Antagonist - They are usually a villain or a prisoner.
• A Damsel
• Villains - They are usually English, Russian or German.
• Innocent victims/Bystanders
• Characters with dark pasts
• Psychotic people
• Terrorists
• Spies
• Special organisations (MI6 or the CIA)

Mise-en-scene

- Props

• In thrillers there are usually guns, knives and others.
• Cars are usually used for police chases or as a signal to the hero to run.
• Technology is used especially when organisations are involved.

- Costumes

• The main character tends to wear black clothing to hide their face and look inconspicuous.
• There are a lot of people wearing suits in some thrillers to show their authority.
• Police uniforms are worn in most thrillers too.

- Camerawork
Thrillers feature a lot of different camera shots.

• Long shots which allow the viewer to see the location and the setting which can make them wonder why or how they are there.
• Mid shots to focus more on a certain area.
• Close ups to capture the facial expressions of the character or to make them the centre of attention.
• Cut-Ins to show the characters hands or injuries.
• They might also have high and low shots to make the hero or villain seem more, or less powerful.
• Two-shot which usually features the boss and their aid.
• They also feature cutaway shots which takes away the attention of the main character onto something different (like a S.W.A.T team).
• They feature lots of quick cuts.

-Lighting

• The lighting in thrillers is usually dark and mysterious to compliment the story. 
• The darkness allows the characters to hide their identity.
• Lighting helps to connote emotions and thoughts             

Conventions - Sound

• Thrillers use a lot of dramatic music and face pace music.
• The music usually starts off at a slow pace and gradually speeds up which helps to create tension and build up climax.
• The sounds in thrillers change from loud to quiet depending on the pace and action. 

                 

Overall, the key elements of a thriller are to have an ongoing investigation and someone on the run from the government. It should be set in an urban environment and it must have a protagonist and antagonist. They should also contain a damsel and a villain. A thriller must contain weapons and cars to create fight and chase scenes. Police uniforms, suits and civilian clothing is another key aspect of any thriller.

There should be lots of different camera shots in a thriller that hide or show certain parts of the story. The lighting in a thriller should be low-key to create tension and the sound must be very dramatic.

Sound in our prelim

Song 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjP6i_px1qg&list=PL540068A2EF5162A1&index=4

This music is taken form 'The Bourne Identity' when Jason Bourne is at the bank going through his safety deposit box.

This type of music is commonly used in thrillers to create tension and suspense. It also alerts the audience that something is happening when the music builds up speed and volume.

We will use this music from the start and up to the point when the man meets the second Mexican in the lift. We will use it because it is slow at the start which will help build tension and it also speeds up which will fit in when the man is running away.

 

Song 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OksV3SuJejY

The music is taken from the film ‘The Good The Bad and The Ugly’ where the 3 men are standing around in a graveyard as they have a face off and draw their weapons.

This type of music is most commonly used in western and showdowns and help to create tension through it use of non- diegetic sound because the instruments used create a range of high and low pitch with different speed.

We will use this music during an intense stand-off between the man and the second Mexican, who he appears from the lift and then hits the man. We chose to use this because it fits the scene very well and it is dramatic.

 

Interrogation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVf4AqjNU9M

This music was taken from the game 'Alpha Protocol' where a man is being interrogated.

This type of music is sometimes used in interrogation scenes because it is very calm which is as it does not fit the mood.

We will use this music during the interrogation scene at the end because it is designed for that but also because it won't be too loud so it doesn't overpower the original audio.

Actors, costume and props in our prelim

Actors

-Sam Hargrave - Man

-Tom Branch - Mexican no. 1

-Glen Burton - Mexican no. 2

Costume

-Sam Hargrave - Coat/Jacket

-Tom Branch -  Sombrero and poncho

-Glen Burton - Sombrero and poncho

Props

-Revolver pistol

-Briefcase

-Chairs/Stools

-Maracas

-Torch/Lamp

Cameraman

-Sam Thistlewood

Analysis of snatch opening scene

In the opening sequence of Snatch we see the main characters in the film doing something. When we see each character it shows them doing something and then it freezes and zooms in on their face and highlights them with a thin line. A coloured background wipes behind them and then their name appears in a western style typography with a star. This is quite a cartoon style effect. 

During the next sequence the shot is made to appear as if it was one continuous pan. However, it is not but it is cleverly edited to make it appear so. This makes a really interesting sequence and it also stops the use of boring straight cuts. This effect of one shot is made by using graphic matches. For example, they cut from someone holding a diamond to another person holding a diamond by getting extremely close up and rotating the shot.

This whole opening sequence tells us that the genre of the film is an action thriller. This is because it shows us the characters doing their jobs or hobbies which give us an idea of what type of people they are. We can tell that the film is an action thriller because the characters are fighting in scenes and they are putting people into car boots.

By seeing the characters in the opening sequence we can tell that they are violent and dangerous. We can also tell that they are criminals as they are playing illegal poker games and they have diamonds and lots of money. It also implies that some of them are less violent than others and that some are maybe into the business sides of whatever they are doing. Furthermore, their clothing suggests that they are different types of people.

The sequence also gives the audience an idea as to what the film is about. Their clothing and actions make them appear as criminals which makes you thing that they are going to do something illegal. When they are in the back of the van with guns and they take off their masks it suggests that they have robbed a bank.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene - "Having put into scene"

It is used to describe visual effects. This includes:

-Props             

-Costume        

-Makeup         

-Lighting

-Actors

-Setting

-Background

-Camera work

-Visual effects

-Shadows

Why is mise-en-scene important?

It helps to define the genre.

It sets the atmosphere.

It engages the audience.

You can understand more about the characters.

It allows directors to make their own style - Auteur

 

 

 

 

Mise-en-scene In snatch opening

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



analysis of bourne identity soundtrack

The first song that we hear in the film is a very calm song. There are string instruments playing which makes it high pitch. In the background you also hear some thunder (Ambient sound) which creates the effect of danger and distress. The thunder is probably non-diegetic sound that they added in to add effect.

The next song that we hear is also very calm to start of with but it speeds up. This creates tension and it tells the audience that something is happening. The song has low pitch string instruments throughout but also has high pitch strings when it builds up pace.

The next song is very fast most of the way through and has lots of drums in it and electric guitars. This makes it more intense and implies that there is a chase. The drums add loud bangs which is accompanied by diegetic gun shots and doors being kicked open so it fits the scene very well. Towards the end it slows down which suggests that the chase has or will soon come to an end.

The fourth song is very quiet and slow which is used to split up the fast paced music scenes and it also allows for conversations and information to be exchanged. It is incidental music as the slowness of it fits the slow moving car in the scene.

This song is very fast paced throughout. It features a lot of guitars and drums. There are some lyrics in it but they are only two or three words at a time. This music accompanies the scene very well as it is a fast paced car chase. The loudness of the song also fits with the loud car engines.

The next song is very fast pace which suggests that it is a fight rather than a chase. It is made up of lots of drums which creates loud noises like in a fight. The song has an angry and strong feel to it which immerses the audience into the fight more.

The final song starts off very calm and quiet but it builds up speed and volume. It creates tension towards the start as it is quiet and you don't know what is going to happen. When it starts to build up speed it indicates that something is about to happen and it prepares the audience rather than throwing them straight into it. Finally, when it becomes really fast it is synchronous as it fits what is happening. This song is made of string instruments which creates that high pitch noise which is unsettling.