The storyline

Our film is about 6 girls, all the ages of 16 and 17, who are best friends and are always together . One night they go camping in some abandoned waste land which is surrounded by greenery. They are all drinking and most of them are smoking. One girl gets a bag of pills out of her bag and offers them round. They all take some apart from Lauren, who is very nervous and paranoid of what might happen to her so she refuses the drugs. This is very typical of Lauren so the other girls tease her which causes her to get upset and angry so she storms off on her own through the greenery.

She bumps into a middle-aged bald man who instantly makes her feel safe and secure while she is in a vulnerable state. He asks her her name,her age,why she has ended up here and other things about her in general but when she asks him about his life he does not give his name away and is very secretive about other aspects of his life . He asks her if she wants to come back to his house to stay for the night because her parents don't know that she was camping out and thought she was staying at one of her friends house. As she is very scared of what her parents would say if they knew about her camping out and is in a vunerable state, she agrees. They walk out the greenry the opposite way to the wasteland and start walking. It takes them about 20 minutes to walk to his house. He is very nice to Lauren, reminding her everything will be okay and that she is safe now, which makes her feel comfortable and safe. However  Lauren notices that when they aren't having a conversation the man is constantly looking at her with a strange half smile on his face. She finds this a bit intimidating but just ignores it because she thinks he is trustworthy and is just very friendly. They approach a countryside lane, with only about 3 houses which are all spread apart from eachother. 
The man tells Lauren to sit down and make herself at home in the living room. She reluctantly perches on the end of the sofa as the sofa is covered in something sticky and has dubbed out cigerettes on it. He offers her a cup of tea which she is very thankful for, as it was freezing cold outside. He takes his jacket off and wraps it round her gentley and sits down next to her. She tells him that she is tired and asks if there is a spare bed available for her to sleep in. He takes her upstairs and shows her a room she can sleep in. She gets into bed fully clothed and lies down, expecting the man to leave. However he comes over and sits on the the bed on the other side, but doesn't get in the quilt.He gradually moves closer and closer to her. She is aware of this so she sits up and tries to move nearer to the edge of the bed as possible. Suddenly he grabs her round by her shoulders and pulls her towards him.
"What are you afraid of Lauren?" He whispers. She tries to get out the bed but he grabs her tighter. She tries to scream but he puts his hand tightly over her mouth. She struggles to pull his hand off so he takes it off and grabs her wrist tightly. She begins to scream but as she is in so much pain she starts to cry. She asks him to get off but he wont. He climbs on top of her but doesn't hold down her arms and has his own arms on the headboard. She earlier saw there was a glass bottle on the bed side cabinet. She smashes it off the cabinet and cuts his arm. He starts to shout but he doesn't get off her just holds his wound with his opposite hand. He puts the hand round her neck, covering it in blood. He holds her neck tightly but not enough to strangle her. He then rapes her. She is now in a very vunerable state and cant really move. She tries to reach for a piece of broken glass but the man notices and punches her, knocking her unconscious. He finds some thin rope and ties her hands together He thinks that she will be unconscious for a while so he goes downstairs. She wakes up about 15 minutes later and her hands are tied. She manages to reach for some glass and cuts the rope. It takea her a while because its hard for her to do it with her hands tied. She jumps out the window onto his conservatory then onto the ground. But as she fell she twisted her ankle causing her to scream. The man hears her and runs outside. She sees him and she leaves the back gate running as fast as she can but is now limping. She trips over and cuts her head on some gravel that's on the floor. The man catches up with her and is about to kill her when police sirens start blaring. He goes to run off round the corner but runs straight into a police officer. He gets arrested and she gets taken to the police station also, but in a different car. The police were called because Lauren's friend went looking for her and found her phone.

The Pitch

Ideas for our opening scene

Structure Ideas:

• A cyclic structure - This is where the ending is at the beginning of the film, then starts from the beginning and shows the events leading up to the final scene. As the end scene is at the beginning it makes the audience curious as to what is going to happen next and question why it’s happened, this also creates tension for the audience.

Horror film ideas:

• In a park in the night. The swings are moving on their own. Trees swaying in the strong wind.
• In a haunted house. Use night vision effects to create the illusion that the film is being recorded by a person and you see their version of events as you follow the person around.
• Girls go camping and one of them goes missing 

Thriller ideas:

•  A police chase – use sound effects and lighting without seeing any police.
•  See the beginning of a kidnapping.
•   A plane crash – survivor.
•  A crime film – burglary, kidnapping.   

Rom com ideas:

• See a proposal at the start then rewinds to a year before and shows the events leading up to the proposal and in the end it all goes wrong and he doesn't ask her to marry him.

 Our film is still based on the same story line but we have changed the opening scene idea because we had a few problems. Firstly the film is about girls camping overnight in a field which is unpractical because the camera would not pick up the footage in the dark and the lighting would be very poor. Also we could not find a safe area suitable for filming and because it is Autumn/Winter time it is quite muddy and wet which could cause a safety hazard. Furthermore we could not find 7 people who were all available at the same time and were willing to take part. Therefore we had to make a compromise and change the idea.
We are now having our film in the Thriller genre using a cyclic structure and the opening scene is based in a police station but we are filming in Wilnecote High School as there is rooms and corridors available which will look like a police station. We decided to film the victim (the girl that goes missing and is then abducted and raped by the villain) and the villain himself (the man who abducted, raped and tried to kill her) walking into the police station and going into interview rooms ready to be interviewed. This scene follows after the girl got away from the villain and the villain got arrested but as we are using a cyclic structure it is the beginning scene. We asked one of our old teachers from school to play the villain and we asked one our friends who is 16 to play the victim. We also asked another female teacher to play the police officer as she also works with the police in her own free time so we thought she would play the role well and realistically. As we are no longer students at Wilnecote High School we had to go into school one afternoon and ask for permission off the Deputy Head who allowed us to film.

Representation in Thriller

What does Representation mean?

• To present/depict 
• The word that suggests something was there already and has been represented by media
• That which stands in for something else
• The way in which meaning is given to the things which are depicted that stand in for something

What is Representation?

• Representation is portraying something in a specific way. When represententing a person, media texts often focus on age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class and status, disability and regional identity.

What is Stereotyping?

• Portrayal of people/places through a few obvious characteristics

Typical Male Representation

Men in thriller films are often portrayed as the protagonist: the strong hero who protects the women and save the day by solving the enigma which the audience find out usually at the start or middle of the film. A males physique helps to show them as a hero, as the big, built body shows strength and power. It is common for men to be independent, not having the rely on anyone, being a 'lone-hero'. Men tend to take a more active role and less emotion role in comparison to women, they are usually team leader.An example is Matt Damon in Bourne Identity as he is muscly and strong which helps portray the fact that he is the hero. Also he is shown as the team leader as he has control over the female. Males also can represent an antagonist in thriller films which is a villain. There is sometimes a story behind why the male wants to do/be evil, due to previous situations which may include the protagonist. An example of an antagonist is Anthony Perkins who plays Norman Bates in Psycho. In our film the man is the antagonist as he has abducted, raped and tried to kill an innocent girl. The man in our film portrays the antagonist as he looks very intimidating as he has a bald head and has stern facial expressions.


Typical Female Representation

The females in thriller films are very significant because they have no stereotypical role in the genre. In some films they portray cold hearted and emotionless characters, for example Angelina Jolie is portrayed as cold hearted and emotionless in the film 'Mr and Mrs Smith' because she is a trained assassin. She also acts how a male would act, using guns and explosives. 

Females in thrillers can also be portrayed as the damsel in distress, who needs to be saved by the protagonist which is usually a male because the idea of a patriarchal society can be reflected in the representation of women in thriller as they are shown as being highly dependent on men.
It is common for older women to have sexual appeal or to be mothers, where as younger women tend to have a sense of innocence and purity. No matter what role a women plays in a Thriller, she is always portrayed as beautiful and in shape, rather than ruffed up and dirty, as males are sometimes portrayed. This emphasises the male gaze, this will attract the male audience. 
Women in thrillers can also be portrayed as the victim as they are considered innocent and powerless compared to men who are usually the antagonist as they have dominance over women. In our film the teenage girl is the victim as she has been abducted, raped and almost killed by a man (the antagonist.) In our scene she is waiting to be interviewed in the police station and she comes across very timid and innocent as she is is shaking and looking around nervously. Also after what has happened to her she cannot walk properly which shows her powerlessness compared to the man.



History of Thriller Genre

1920's and 30's


Alfred Hitchcock promoted the thriller genre by creating the silent film called 'The Lodger'  which was based on the Jack the Ripper murders. His next thriller was 'Blackmail' in 1929, the first sound film in Britain  Hitchcock released 15 features between 1925 and 1935 but only six were thriller films. These were the two above plus 'Murder!', 'Number Seventeen', 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' and 'The 39 Steps'. From 1935 on, however, most of his films were thriller
Fritz Lang released a spy-thriller film called 'Spies' in 1928. This film anticipated the James Bond films of the future. The German film 'M',directed by Fritz Lang was released in 1931. It was about criminal deviant who preys on children and was based on the life of serial killer Peter Kurten 

British directors, such as Walter Forde, Victor Saville, George A. Cooper and Michael Powell made more thrillers in the same time period. Walter Forde made nine, Victor Saville made seven, Cooper and Powell both made six.

1940's

In the 1940's Hitchcock directed 'Foreign Correspondent' (1940),  'Rebecca' (1940), 'Suspicion' (1941) 'Saboteur' (1942) and 'Shadow of a Doubt' (1943), which was Hitchcock's favourite and was based upon the real case of a 1920s serial killer 'The Merry Widow Murderer'. 'Rebecca' won Best Picture, unusual for a psychological thriller film.

In 1944 George Cukor created a psycological thriller called 'Gaslight.' This was when people started making sub-genres. The film is about a husband plotting to make his wife go insane to gain inheritance.

In 'Sorry, Wrong Number', released in 1948, a woman overheard a murder plot on the phone – against herself. 'The Third Man' (1949), told the story of a writer in post-World War II Vienna who found out that his old friend a black marketeer, was not dead after all.

1950's

In the 1950s, Hitchcock added technicolor to his thrillers. His classic thriller releases of the 50's were 'Strangers on a Train' (1951), 'Dial M For Murder' (1954),  'Rear Window' (1954), 'To Catch a Thief' (1955), 'Vertigo' (1958),  and North by Northwest.

Non-Hitchcock thriller of the 1950s include the film-nourish 'Niagara' (1953) starring Marilyn Monroe as the trashy femme fatale who schemes to kill her unstable husband, 'Kiss Me Deadly' (1955) , 'The Night of the Hunter' (1955), and 'Touch of Evil' (1958.)

1960's

Director Michael Powell' released 'Peeping Tom' in 1960. It was released just after Hitchcock released 'Psycho', also in 1960. After Hitchcock's classic films of the 1950s, he produced the shocking and engrossing thriller 'Psycho' about a woman who steals money from her work place and runs away to a motel where she is murdered by the owner.

Other thrillers released in the 60's include 'J. Lee Thompson's Cape Fear' (1962) 'Charade' (1963) and Roman Polanski's first film in English 'Repulsion' (1965). Another famous thriller was 'Wait Until Dark' released in 1967, starring Audrey Hepburn.

The 007 films inspired other spy thriller films like 'The Ipcress File' (1965), 'Funeral in Berlin' (1967) and 'Billion Dollar Brain' (1967). 

1970's and 80's

The decade saw a violent start in the thriller genre, with Hitchcock's 'Frenzy' (1972) being given an R rating for its vicious and explicit strangulation scene. Also 'Don't Look Now' (1973) which is about a couple grieving the drowning death of their daughter. One of the first films about a fan being disturbingly obsessed with their idol was Clint Eastwood's 'Play Misty for Me', released in 1971. 

Francis Ford Coppola created a character study/spy thriller, 'The Conversation' in 1974, a bugging-device expert uncovered a covert murder while he himself was being spied upon. Directed by Irvin Kershner 'The Eyes of Laura Mars', another stalker themed thriller released in 1978.

Brian De Palma usually had themes of guilt, paranoia and obsession in his films. Similar plot elements include killing off a main character early on, switching points of view, and dream-like sequences. His films include, the psycho-thriller 'Sisters' (1973), 'Obsession' (1976), 'Dressed to Kill' (1980), the assassination thriller 'Blow Out' (1981) and 'Body Double' (1984.) 

Spy and conspiracy thriller films were scattered throughout the two decades. Don Siegel's 'The Black Windmill' (1974), Alan Pakula's 'The Parallax View' (1974) 'Capricorn One' (1978), Sam Peckinpah's final film 'The Osterman Weekend' (1983),  'Defence of the Realm' (1985), John Mackenzie's spy thriller 'The Fourth Protocol' (1987.)

The decade ended with Phillip Noyce's 'Dead Calm' (1989), a psychological thriller with Nicole Kidman, who must fight for her life on a yacht against a crazed castaway. This thriller had elements of obsession and trapped protagonists who must find a way to escape the villain which influenced a number of thrillers in the early 90's.

1990's

The decade started with Rob Reiner's 'Misery' (1990), based on the book by Stephen King. Other obsession thrillers of the 90's include 'Sleeping with the Enemy' (1991), Curtis Hanson's 'The Hand That Rocks the Cradle' (1992),  'Unlawful Entry' (1992),  Barbet Schroeder's 'Single White Female' (1992),  Harold Becker's 'Malice' (1993),  and Anthony Minghella's psychological thriller 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' (1999), 

Despite the fact that the obsession theme was very common in this decade, there was another popular theme of the thriller genre – detectives/FBI agents hunting down a serial killer. The most famous was Jonathan Demme's Best Picture-winning  'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991). That and David Fincher's  'Seven' (1995) are both about the hunting down of a serial killer.

2000's to present

There are a number of recent thrillers that maintain the aspects of the horror genre; having more goreviolence, brutality and terror. The recent thrillers which took this approach include 'Eden Lake' (2008), 'The Last House on the Left' (2009), 'P2' (2007), 'Captivity' (2007), 'Vacancy' (2007) and 'Funny Games' (2008). Even action scenes have gotten more elaborate in thriller films within the past 10 years, especially in spy thrillers. Thrillers such as 'Joy Ride' (2001), 'Unknown' (2011), 'Hostage' (2005), 'Cellular' (2006), 'A History of Violence' (2005) and 'Firewall' (2006) were borderline-action.

Task 3: Target Audience Research

The top film from the top 20 film at the box office between 1989-2013 is Skyfall which is a thriller. Also the Dark Knight Rises, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace are thrillers. 4 out of the 20 top films are thrillers which shows they are quite popular considering there is so many genres of film.

64 thrillers were released in 2013 in the UK and Republic of Ireland, which is the fourth highest of all genres. 17 UK thrillers were released in the UK and Republic of Ireland in 2013 which is joint 3rd with the Drama genre.

There was no Thriller films in the top 10 'U', 'PG' or 12A films of 2013, but in the '15' and '18' top 10 there is a thriller in each. This shows that Thrillers are most popular for people over 15. This is further shown in the top 20 films of 2013 with an audience between 15-24. as three of these films (Kick Ass 2, Fast and Furious and Hunger Games Catching Fire) are thrillers. However the fact that there is only one thriller in the top 10 of both the '15' and '18' age group and only 3 in the top 20 films for the age group 15-24 shows thrillers aren't actually that popular in general.

The top performing film for 18 year olds and over was 'Filth' which is a thriller. There are many genres that could have had the highest performing film and the fact it is a thriller shows that thrillers are popular, especially with 18 year olds and over.


http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2014.pdf

Mass Audiences

Media is often experienced alone but wherever they are in the world the audience for a media text are all receiving exactly the same thing and we therefore become part of a mass

Herbert Bloomer (1950) said during the war Hitler and stalin attempted to use media to persuade mass audiences to follow their polices- propaganda.

It was believed that:
Mass media audience came from all walks of life.
Mass is an anonymous group.
There exists little interaction or change of experience between members of mass. Loosely organised and cant act in unity of crowd.

The internet counteracts this. There is not actually one big mass audience, but instead specific little groups of audiences.

Demography: the study of human population.
Demographics filter people by:

Race, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, job, religion disability


Lifestyle:
Values, likes, dislikes, interests, beliefs, hobbies

Age:
13-15, under 16, 16-19, 19-30, 30-45, 30, 45, 45-60, 60+

Main-streamers- like security and belonging to a group.
Aspirers- want status and esteem of others e.g. status symbols and designer labels, also they live off credit and cash.
Succeeders-  people who already have status and control.
Reformer-define themselves by self esteem and self fulfillment.

Family life cycles:
Singles- young single people living alone
Newly married couples- young people with no children
Full nest 1- young married couples with youngest child under 6
Full nest 2- young married couples with youngest child 6 or over
Full nest 3- older married couples with dependent children
Empty nest 1- older married couples still in workforce, no children living in them
Empty nest 2- older married couples retired, no children living at home

From my research we know that thrillers were most popular for over 15s, in particular 18 year old's so I think the thrillers would be most popular with the 16-19 age group. Also I think that thrillers would be popular with newly married couples. This is because d young people enjoy being scared due to the adrenaline rush they get from it. Teenagers are also peer pressure by their friends to go watch thriller films because if not they may be considered a wimp, so lots of teenagers go to fit in with the crowd.

Thrillers wouldn't be popular with children because it is a common convention of a thriller to have deaths, weapons and other violent or scary elements and they would find this too frightening. Parents, especially newly parents, also probably wouldn't like thrillers, especially if children featured in the film. This is because they may find it inappropriate for such violence and scary elements to be shown. Single people who live alone may not watch thrillers because they may be too worried and paranoid to go back to their house alone, especially if the film included a haunted house or someone home alone, for example. Thrillers probably aren't popular with the elderly either because they can be quite jumpy which could affect their health and they probably wont like the violence and weapons as they may find it inappropriate.

Task 2.2: Conventions of a Thriller

Camera shots, angles, movement and position

Extreme close ups are often used in thrillers to show the facial expression of the characters so the audience can tell their emotions. It also captures detail in an important scene. Mid close ups are used to show body language. These are both important in thrillers as it gives a sense of realism and tension. A film that uses extreme close ups is Silence of the Lambs because the characters are expressing extreme intensity in their emotion, especially through their eyes and faces. These close shots let the audience view nothing but the intense emotions driving the scene. 

Tracking is also used because it creates tension and curiosity for the audience as to what will happen next. It also makes out as if the character is being watched or followed. This makes the audience more tense and also makes them quite nervous and makes their heart beat fast, as they know that something may happen next due to the fast pace.

Birds eye view shots make the person or object that is being looked down on seem powerless and vulnerable. Birds eye view is used at the end of the Hunger Games: Catching Fire film when Katniss is being lifted out of the arena. This is because she has just almost been killed meaning that she is vulnerable. Also the fact she is being lifted by a hovercraft shows the power and dominance they have over her. 

Lighting

Dark and low key lighting are conventions of thriller films as they create a gloomy mood and suspense. Shadows are used to represent the inner darkness within characters. For example at the start of the film Unknown, there is low key lighting and shadowing on Liam Neeson, making you believe he is the villain in the film. The lights get turned on when there is a close up on Diane Kruger which makes the audience    believe she is the victim in the film.

Editing

Thrillers very often use quick cuts. There is usually quick cuts on the antagonist characters to hide their identity and keep their personality secretive until towards the end of the film. Also quick cuts can quicken the pace of films and create tension. Furthermore quick cuts are jumpy which may reflect on the atmosphere of the piece and the action taking place at that time. An example of this is in the film Psycho when the woman is stabbed in the shower.
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Also thrillers usually use fades to black when someone is dying or unconscious. This is effective because it allows the audience to be in the characters position. It also adds suspense as the audience are unaware of what will happen next.
Flashbacks are used in thriller movies to create a feeling of time disorientation which can leave the audience feeling confused. Flashbacks are sometimes used in important scenes as it gives the audience an idea about the characters past. The film Memento is an example of a thriller film with flashbacks.

Sound
In thrillers the non-digetic sound is usually there to add suspense. It will often start as slow paves and then build up when action starts to happen which makes it more dramatic for the audience. Ambient sounds of heavy breathing is also quite common of thrillers because it creates tension and makes the audience feel on edge. Sometimes thrillers play non-digetic sad, slow songs when the scene is sad to compliment it. In our film opening we are going to use a non-digetic sad song because the film is about a man murdering teenage girls and the one surviving girl and the murderer are being shown in a police station ready to be interviewed in the opening scene which is quite a sad topic.

Props
Props such as guns, knives or other weapons and abusive objects are used to emphasise the thriller genre. A lot of the opening scene of the purge includes people using guns and other weapons and objects.
Also mirrors are commonly associated and used in thrillers because it reflects the characters and represents the darkness inside some of these characters. Mirrors also potrays the reflection of someones soul and makes the audience feel uneasy and create a claustrophobic feeling. An example of this is the film mirrors.

Themes
There are different subgenres of thriller films, including:

• Crime thrillers: in crime thrillers the theme is usually  ransoms, captivities, heists, revenge and kidnappings. An example of a crime thriller is The Calling (2014).
• Psychological thrillers: common elements of psychological thrillers are mind games, psychological disorders, stalking, confinement/deathtraps and obsession. An example is the film Memento (2000) which involves a man suffering from short-term memory loss.
• Paranoid thrillers: Elements such as fringe theories, false accusations and paranoia are common in paranoid thrillers. The Conversation (1974) is a paranoid thriller. 
• Spy thrillers: Threats to entire countries, spies, conspiracies and assassins are common in spy thrillers. An example is Mission Impossible 3 (2006). 
• Conspiracy thrillers: Where the hero/heroine confront a large group of enemies who's true extent only he or she recognises. An example of a conspiracy thriller is The Da Vinci Code (2006.)
• Erotic thriller: A type of thriller that has emphasis on eroticism and where a sexual relationship plays an important role in the plot. The genre includes films such as Sea of Love (1989.)
• Techno thrillers: The prominent part of techno thrillers is the manipulation of sophisticated technology. There is also bits of action and science fiction. Examples include The Thirteenth Floor (1999.)
• Political thrillers: Where the hero/herione must ensure the stability of the government that employs him/her. An example of a political thriller is Seven Days in May (1962.)

Iconography

Knives are a typical symbol associated with a thriller as they represent blood, death and pain. An example of this would be in the famous knife scene from Hitchcock's film 'Psycho'. Knives are often used to show that somebody is going to get killed and thus keeps the audience engaged.

Shadows are a common piece of iconography associated with the thriller genre because they build up fear in the audience, by instigating that the protagonist is being watch by a human/animal/monster. The protagonist is often oblivious to this but as the audience can see it it makes them feel on edge and tense.

Street lights at night are often used in thrillers to keep the emphasis and focus on the protagonist and the fact that there is almost complete darkness surrounding them. Also the fact that the protagonist is alone in the dark creates fear for the audience as they do not know what might be underlying in the darkness.

Setting

Thrillers (psycoloigal thrillers in particular) take place mostly in cities as it brings all of the drama closer to home, making the film seem more realistic for the audience. 

Woods are also locations often used for thrillers because they create a sense of being lost as the characters find themselves tyring to figure out how to escape. Woods are often isolated too, which creates a sense of vulnerability and it seems impossible that the characters will ever find any help. It is typical in thrillers for there to be a  house in the woods which often turns out to be the antagonist.

The use of confined spaces in a thriller also makes the audience feels as though they are too trapped. It is usually the protagonist in the confined space and they often start breathing heavily and panting to inform they are trapped or they will struggle to break free.

Characterisation

There are many different characters that feature in thrillers including:

A villain, which is usually a male because they seem more intimidating to have more power over women.

An antagonist, which once again is a man, who saves the prtoganist. It is usually a man because  they are considered strong, indestructible characters. Also saving a women is stereotypically their job in thriller films.

A protagonist, which is usually a female because they are considered weak, vulnerable and not able to fight for herself and therefore needs saving.

Police officers, members of the army and members of the government are also quite common characters in thriller movies because often the film revolves around the workings of their particular institutions. 

Other characters includecriminals, stalkers, assassins, characters with deep dark pasts, psychotic individuals, spree killers, sociopaths, agents, terrorists, people involved in twisted relationships,  psycho-fiends, and more.

The primary elements of the thriller genre:

• The protagonist(s) faces death, either his and/or her or somebody else's.
• The force(s) of the antagonist's must initially be cleverer and/or stronger than the protagonist's.
• The main plot focuses on a mystery that must be solved.
• The film's narrative construction is usually dominated by the protagonist's point of view.
• The two major themes that underpin the thriller genre are the desire for justice and the morality of individuals.
• The protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) may battle, themselves and each other, not just on a physical level, but on a mental one as well.
• Either by accident or their own curiousness, each character is dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve.

Feedback - Miss Spencer

You have noticed lots of conventions throughout your analysis, good use of technicl language (e.g. diegetic sound) but hve not mentioned some of the technical codes (especially editing) this would improve your work. You could also use the DISTINCT formula more successfully, see me to explain again what this means.
Level 2/3 border. Improvements would move it into a level 3

Task 2.1: Thriller Film Analysis: Unknown

Thriller opening sequence- Unknown

The first thing we see when the film begins is a shot of the sky. This makes the audience aware of the location of the beginning of the film. From this shot the audience would gather that they are somewhere high up like an aeroplane. It also gives you an insight on what time of day the film is taking place, which is the early morning sunrise. This shot is a long shot which has no cuts as the camera pans the sky and then reversingly tracks into the aeroplane. Long shots are common in thriller films because they set the scene and keep the audience curious as to what is going to happen next.

There is then close up shots of two characters. This is to show that they are the main characters in the film and that they are important. Their real names come up in titles at the same time. The

   titles dissolve in and out.

There is a close up shot of this stamp which has been put on his passport, which reveals to the audience the date which the film is taking place in. Also because it is close up it gives you the idea that the date may be an important part of the film later on.

From the opening scene you get the idea that the film is about a middle aged husband and wife who are travelling to berlin for a convention. When they arrive in Berlin and are in the airport, there is a close up shot on the mans briefcase, making the audience believe that it is in important part of the story. 

There is dialogue between the two main characters in the scene, also with a lady who works at the airport. Not much is revealed from this dialogue just an insight about the characters. In thriller opening scenes there isn't much dialogue usually, this is so that nothing about the action that will later happen in the film ins revealed. There is non-digetic sound playing in the background, soft, low tempo and frequency music which creates tension as we know the tempo and frequency will increase when the action happens so this is like a build up to it.



Low key lighting is used when they are on the plane and the sunlight is shining through the window. Low key lighting is often used as they produce a sharp contrast between light and dark areas on the screen. This is used in thrillers because it creates sinister and dark tones. 

There is lots of change in camera angles in this scene which is common for thrillers because it shows the audience the film from different aspects and positions. There is a variety of editing used including seamless editing, fades in and out and cuts throughout the scene. The cuts are used because they create tension and are quite jumpy, which may reflect on the action that is going to happen later on in the film. The fades add suspense because the audience are unaware as to what may happen next.

The locations in the opening scene are an aeroplane, and an airport in Berlin. These settings may be used because they are urban areas where many people go in everyday life. This makes the film for realistic and brings the action closer to home.