Detailed Extensive, Creative and Analytical Research - Characters (Audience Research)

Interview for Typical Characters in a Thriller Film

We asked three different people about the typical ideas and conventions for a Thriller Film. The results were similar and give us a rough idea of what we would like to do for our own opening 2 minutes for a Thriller Film.

What we get from analysing the three interviews are most thriller films have a protagonist and an antagonist. The Protagonist mostly wear formal clothing, to represent the prestige and power that the character conveys, and the antagonist wears mostly informal wear, such as casual clothes, or all black clothing, this gives the sense of mystery for the audience, and keeps the thriller entertaining and suspense filled.

We also got from the interviews that Thriller films are normally antagonist verses protagonist, which adds the sense of suspension and tension with in the film

Interview with the Director talking about Characters

Detailed Extensive, Creative and Analytical Research - Setting/Location (Interview With Location Manager)

Film Settings That Have Inspired Our Choice

Cabin In The Woods 

Re-created Inspired Camera Shots: Psycho

Our Re-Creation of Different Shots from the Thriller Film 'Psycho'

We have re-created six camera shots from one of our favourite thriller films 'Psycho'. We used a variety of different shots, such as close-ups, low and high angle shots and long shots.

Psycho Version                                                                                                 Re-Created Version

The first shot we re-created, is a low angle long shot and is one of the opening scenes in 'Psycho', which is the house the protagonist is staying in. We re-created this by finding a building in a suitable location and taking picture with a camera that was resting on a tri-pod. Once we had taken the picture, we went onto Photoshop, change the picture to black and white, and raise the contrast. By doing this, it gave the effect to the audience that the photo was taken back when there wasn't colour in pictures, suggesting the film that this shot was from may have been old.

Psycho's Version                                                                                               Re-Created Version

The second shot we re-created, is a high angle shot. We re-created this by finding a suitable location and taking picture with a camera that was resting on a tri-pod. Once we had taken the picture, we went onto Photoshop, change the picture to black and white, and raise the contrast. By doing this, it gave the effect to the audience that the photo was taken back when there wasn't colour in pictures, suggesting the film that this shot was from may have been old.

Psycho's Version                                                                                          Re-Created Version

The third shot we re-created, mid shot of two people having a conversation. Normally in a conversation, a shot called a ‘Shot-Reverse-Shot’ would be used, but because this film is old, there are usually just mid shots of the two people having a conversation. We re-created this by finding two people that would model for us, and pretending to have a conversation, while the cameraman takes the photo. Once we had taken the picture, we went onto Photoshop, change the picture to black and white, and raise the contrast. By doing this, it gave the effect to the audience that the photo was taken back when there wasn't colour in pictures, suggesting the film that this shot was from may have been old.

Psycho's Version                                                                                                             Re-Created Version

The fourth shot we re-created, close up shot. A close up shot is normally used when the director wants to shot the emotion on a character’s face; in this case, we had to re-create the shot with someone screaming. We re-created this by finding a suitable location with a blank background, so it all the attention was found on the person’s face, and taking picture with a camera that was resting on a tri-pod. Once we had taken the picture, we went onto Photoshop, change the picture to black and white, and raise the contrast. By doing this, it gave the effect to the audience that the photo was taken back when there wasn't colour in pictures, suggesting the film that this shot was from may have been old.

Psycho's Version                                                                                                     Re-Created Version

The fifth shot we re-created, over the shoulder shot. We re-created this by finding a suitable location and taking picture with a camera that was resting on a tri-pod. Once we had taken the picture, we went onto Photoshop, change the picture to black and white, and raise the contrast. By doing this, it gave the effect to the audience that the photo was taken back when there wasn't colour in pictures, suggesting the film that this shot was from may have been old.

Detailed Extensive, Creative and Analytical Research into Camera Shots - Maze Runner

Maze Runner - Camera Shots

This camera angle is a low angle shot of Will Poulter that plays ‘Gally’ in the film. A low angle shot is used when the director wants to show that one character has more power over another at that particular moment, or throughout the film. The low angle camera shot includes a long shot with in it; a long shot represents the location in which a character is situated, in this case Gally is standing above a cage. This shot is very clever as beforehand it shows a high angle shot of Dylan O’Brien, which plays the character Thomas in the film, a high angle shot of Thomas displays he is vulnerable, therefore with the low angle shot, it shows the perspective of Thomas implying that Gally has more power over him at this point in the film.

This camera angle is a long shot of Thomas through the crack of two shutting walls, this long shot is unique as it displays Thomas as being shut out, implying that behind the two walls there are things of the unknown that have greater power over Thomas, and tells the audience he is, or will be in tremendous danger.

This is a close up camera shot of Thomas, a close up is used to represent the emotion shown on a characters face, as you can see Thomas is looking very tense and concerned, which tells the audience that Thomas may be very anxious during the film.

As you can see in this shot, it is a low angle shot of Thomas Brodie-Sangster, he plays the character Newt in the film. A low angle shot is used when the director wants to display a character or an object as having more power over another, in this instants, Newt has greater power over Thomas. Within this low angle camera shot there is an over the shoulder shot of Thomas, implying that Newt has greater power over him and informs the audience that Thomas could be in serious danger.

This is a bird’s-eye-view shot of Thomas, a bird’s-eye-view shot is used when the director wants to show dramatic effect or to show a different spatial perspective. This bird’s-eye-view shot is used to show a different spatial perspective, as it informs the audience that Thomas is in grave danger and shows him almost falling off a ridge of a rock, which could have possibly lead to serious injuries, or death.

Audience Research Into Music

Audience Research Into Music

We asked two members of the public what type of music they would expect to see in a thriller film. As you can see in the video, they're very intrigued by the cause of tension and mystery as the music gradually builds up. One way in which the music producer rewards the audience with tension, is to gradually increase the volume and have a faster beat. This puts the audience on edge and captures them into the film. Often music producers, have an anticlimactic ending in the trailer or in the opening two minutes of a film, in order to do this music producers either suddenly stop the music, or suddenly have a change in music, this also puts the audience on edge as they will not know what is about to happen.

The two people we asked also mention the ways in which the editor puts a drone noise in the background of the music. This will also create tension for the audience and again, put them on edge. By putting an audience on edge either at the start of the film, or in the trailer it intrigues the audience to want to watch more of the film as they want to discover the mystery that will later be unfolded.

What we can gather from this information is the audience wants to always feel part of the film, and want to know more about the film. This can be done by using music that gradually builds up and/or having a drone noise in the background of the dialogue or the music, to aid the increase if tension.

Filming Schedule

Filming date -> 13th/14th January
Filming location -> Gosfield Woods
Filming time -> 15:30-17:00 (before dark/just getting dark)
Equipment needed -> 1 camera
                                 1 tripod 
                                 Costume (for one female protagonist)
                                 Prop (silver bracelet)

We will use one actor in our film, a female protagonist, but there will have to be three people present at the filming; the actor, the person with the camera and someone to be the antagonist, who is off camera but we do need his height as there is tracking shots designed to show that he is following her. There will be two people managing the filming and the cameras. We will start editing on the 15th January onwards. 

Storyboard

Detailed Extensive, Creative and Analytical Research into Camera Shots

Inception - Camera Shots

The Inception trailer starts with a High angle shot of Leonardo DiCaprio which is a the character 'Cobb' in the film. The high angle camera shot represents Cobb as being vulnerable at this present moment, he appears to be staring at something that is in the air, which suggests that there is something of greater power that Cobb. During the high angle camera shot of Cobb, there is a close up of his face, the close up shot represents the emotion that is shown on Cobb's face, which is tense and anxious.

As you can see in this clip, there is what appears to be a building that is moving further and further towards Cobb and Ariadne. Ariadne is played by an actor called Ellen Page. During the scene of the building there is an over the shoulder shot of Cobb and Ariadne with a low angle shot of the building moving towards them, this implies the building has greater power over these two characters, also suggesting that Cobb and Ariadne could be in tremendous danger.

In this shot, there is a close up of Copp's face. A close up represents the emotion that is shown on a characters face, as you an see Copp is very tense and concerned, which suggests to the audience that Copp may be very anxious later on in the film. In the shot there is a city with in the background, this shot is extremely clever as it has been editing to connote the colour blue, which can signify sadness or depression, also suggesting that during the film, Copp and the citizen's of the city will be depressed of sad in the film. During the close up shot, the camera pans around Copp's face, and shows the overlooking city that is behind him, this suggests that Copp has greater power over the citizen's with in the city, implying that Copp may be a danger to everyone that lives in the city.

This is a long shot of Copp standing at the bottom of two staircases. A long shot is used when the director wants to show the location in which the character(s) are situated. As the scene continues, there is water that floods in from the roof, there is a low angle long shot of Copp at the bottom of the two staircases, this suggests that the location of which he is situated, is a danger to him, and puts the audience 'on edge'

Detailed Extensive, Creative and Analytical Research into Storyline

Se7en

A film about two homicide detectives on a desperate hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as forgiveness for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins.

The movie takes us from the tortured remains of one victim to the next, the killer chooses his victims according to the seven deadly sins. The sociopathic John Doe addresses to Detectives Sommerset and Mills one sin at a time. The sin of Gluttony comes first and the murderer's terrible capacity is graphically demonstrated in the dark and quiet tones characteristic.

The seasoned and cultured but exhausted Sommerset researches the Seven Deadly Sins in an effort to understand the killer's modus operandi while the bright but naive and impulsive Detective Mills mocks at his efforts to get inside the mind of a killer.

This is very typical in a Thriller film as there is one detective that wants to get to the bottom of the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible, and the other cop that mocks the efforts and doesn't really care about his own work. An example of this is in the film ‘Bon Cop, Bad Cop’ which has the typical ‘Good cop, bad cop’ scenario with it. Having ‘Good cop, Bad cop’ with in a Thriller film creates a tension with in the audience, which provides for a fantastic Thriller film.

Detailed Extensive, Creative and Analytical Research into Storyline - The Prestige

The Prestige

In the end of the Nineteenth Century, in London, Robert Angier, his beloved wife Julia McCullough and Alfred Borden are all friends and assistants of a magician.

When Julia accidentally dies during a performance, Robert blames Alfred for her death making them fierce enemies-for-life and consequently jeopardizing the lives of everyone around them. Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London. The rivalry is so intense that it turns them into murderers.

When Alfred performs a successful trick, Robert becomes obsessed trying to disclose the secret of his competitor with tragic consequences.

 ‘The Prestige’ includes two friends that turn into enemies after a disaster occurs amongst them. This is typical in a thriller film where two friends become rivals, an example of a film that is similar is Jenifer’s Body which there are two friends, one of which becomes a zombie and starts eating friendly civilians including her friend. This creates an interesting plot of which can cause controversy and keep the viewer engaged with the film.

Thriller Questionaire and Research Into Target Audience

In order to collect first hand and reliable information about our target audience, we conducted a questionnaire asking various questions about the thriller genre and who watches it. Many of the people we asked were aged seventeen to eighteen, although to make our questionnaire more reliable we also asked some older and younger participants. The youngest participant we surveyed was 15, purely because thriller films mostly contain violence and include unsettling or discomforting scenes which would be inappropriate for anybody under the age of 15 by law. This tells us that the target audience for our film would have to be over 15. 

Findings of our Questionnaire

We surveyed 10 people and got them to answer the questions above, 5 were male and 5 were female to make the questionnaire fair and to give us a clearer understanding of what conventions males and females feel are most important in a thriller film. The age range of the people we questioned were between 15-25. 70% of the people we surveyed preferred staying indoors than going out and about which could suggest that they were more likely to watch more films than the 30% that preferred going out and about. The most popular genre of film was comedy with 40% of the votes 2 male and 2 female picked this, the second most popular was thriller with 30% 2 male and 1 female picked this, horror was third with 20% of the votes with 1 male and 1 female and rom-com had 10% and it was a female that chose this. This conveys that more males are likely to watch a thriller than females. There were only three sub-genres that had votes from our survey: mystery thriller with 30% 2 female and 1 male, action thriller with 40% 3 male and 1 female and crime thriller with 30% 1 male 2 female, these results highlight that the sub-genre which appeals the most to the audience is action thriller. For example of different genders being attracted to different types of films, females are more likely to be inclined to watch a film with a leading female role like Salt (2010) as it means they're more likely to connect and engage the audience with the protagonist.

The most appealing convention of a thriller film was the next area we explored, compelling characters and challenging story lines both received 40% of the votes with both having 2 male and 2 female select it and suspense and tension received 20% of the votes again with an equal 1 male and 1 female, this gave us a good understanding on what an audience wants from a thriller film, and with equal votes we are able to attract both male and female into our thriller film. The most important feature of a thriller film was the final question we asked; characters, costume and props, acting and camera angles were chosen. Characters received 20% of the votes both being female, costume and props also received 20% of the votes chosen by 1 male and 1 female, acting received 30% of the votes with 2 male and 1 female and camera angles also had 30% 1 female and 2 male chose this, we will take into account the answers given to us and focus on the areas that our audience will find the most appealing to make our thriller film more exciting to watch.

Focus group of target audience: what they expect from a thriller,

opinions on our film idea.

From our focus group and our questionnaire we can see what 16-18 year old expect from a thriller and use this to make our thriller film more effective; as mystery thriller had the second most votes as the best sub-genre of a thriller film we have decided to create a mystery thriller mixed with crime and psychological to make it more appealing for our target audience and we felt this was the most appropriate to create with the resources we have. Compelling characters and challenging story lines both had an equal amount of votes and were themes highlighted in our focus group , so we will include both of these and focus on them more than the other conventions that were on our questionnaire to connect with our audience and show that we are taking into account their views and opinions in order to make our film better. Camera angles were the most voted feature of a thriller film in our questionnaire and again we will focus a lot on our camera angles to give the audience the right atmosphere, and having a good actor was mentioned a lot in our focus group, so we can make the role believable. These results show us what our target audience expects from a thriller film, and we will focus on these to make our thriller film more effective. 

After pitching our idea to a focus group of the target audience, they suggested using a prop to add depth to the storyline and to add opportunity for different pathways for our film to follow. As they said, a prop could offer a whole new twist to the storyline such as a weapon. We have considered this idea and decided to include a discarded bracelet in our storyline, in order to create further mystery. We found a focus group to be a very helpful way of gathering new ideas and considering different options of where the storyline should head. 

Research into the British Board of Film Classification

Research into the British Board of Film Classification

How does classification work?

The BBFC examines a film before realise and age rates it, they do this in order to protect children from unsuitable or harmful content, this allows information to the viewers before whether to view it or not. Normally two examiners will view a film and from what they have viewed they will make an age recommendation, then in most cases a senior examiner will confirm the recommendation that was made by the first examiners.

The issues examiners look for when rating a film are; Discrimination, drugs, horror, dangerous and easily imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex and violence.

Different Age Classifications
Suitable for ages four and Upwards

 

U- Stands for Universal, a universal film is suitable for the ages of 4 upwards.

What sort of films pass at U?

A U film can have a wide range of themes as long as it is suitable for a young audience.

Children's U films will usually contain positive messages, these messages will relate to loyalty, honesty and friendship. The film should have a happy ending for the child and the overall storyline should be one of reassurance. U films are unlikely to contain discriminatory language or behaviour unless its clearly disapproved of. Examples of U films are The Lion King and Up, these films are a U because they contain no material that could be likely to offend or harm.

Films that Require Parental Guidance

 

PG- stands for Parental Guidance, this means it is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG should be suitable for a child 8 years or older. A PG film will not contain any themes that may been deemed as inappropriate for a child, however PG films can explore challenging issues such as bullying, bereavement or Racism.  Examples of a PG films are Frozen and Wreck It Ralph, these films are PG because they contain mild threat within some scenes of the film.

Under 12/12A Films

12/12A- These films are not generally suitable for children under the age 12, no one younger than 12 may watch a 12A unless accompanied by an adult. If the film contains strong language it may be passed as a 12A, however discrimination will not be in a 12A unless it is condemned within the film as being bad/unacceptable. Moderate violence is allowed within a 12/ 12A as long as it is not dwelled on or in detail, this is the same rule for any violence or imitable behaviour within the film, or the use of drugs by characters within the film. Examples of 12/12A films are The Hunger Games - Catching Fire and Inception, the reason that these films are certificated as a 12/12A is because they contain moderate violence and threat, and infrequent strong language.

Under 15 Films

15- No-one under the age of 15 is allowed to watch a 15 film.

No theme is prohibited providing that it will be suitable for a 15 year old to be exposed to. Issues that could be included in a 15 film are, Strong violence, Frequent strong language, Portrayals of sexual activity, Strong verbal references to sex, Sexual nudity, Brief scenes of sexual violence, or verbal reference to sexual violence, Discriminatory language or behaviour and Drug taking. Examples of 15 certificate films are Ouija and Shutter island, these films have been certificated as a 15 because they contain strong horror, threat, strong language, bloody injury and disturbing images.


Under 18 Films

   

18- Films rated 18 are only suitable for adults, no theme is prohibited at 18 providing that the material within the film is not illegal or potentially harmful, so it is possible that some themes tackled at 18 may offend some adult viewers. Issues that could be included in a 15 film are, Very strong violence, Frequent and/or very strong language, Strong portrayals of sexual activity, Scenes of sexual violence, Strong horror, Strong blood/gore, Real sex (in some circumstances) and Discriminatory language/ behaviour. Examples of 18 certificate films are Wolf on Wall Street and the SAW films, these are certificated 18 because they contain very strong language, strong sex, hard drug use, very strong bloody violence and gore.

Our Final Idea - Maria

The final idea for our thriller sort of run along the genre of a psychological thriller mixed with a crime thriller. The general idea is that the protagonists sister has been murdered, but the only thing known about her murder is where she was found. The protagonist goes back to where her sister was found, to try and feel closer to her as she misses her very much. When she goes back, she finds her sisters bracelet which previously had not been there when the body was recovered. This scares her, so she makes a swift exit but is then followed. The identity of the killer is to remain a mystery throughout the film, although the killer does go on to follow and kill the protagonist. The only character shown in the whole film will be Maria's sister. The name of our film, Maria. is the name of the sister. We used this one name for the title because it is short and snappy, and reveals that even though Maria isn't in the film, the whole film is about her. It will also be made clear throughout that the protagonist is being followed, but it isn't until the end that she realises this. 

The location we will use is a wood near Gosfield which is quite secluded. The purpose for using this location is because we know it has a hut/shed there which is disused, which is a main feature of our storyline as this can be used for where our victim was known to die. Also, theres not really many paths in the woods so filming can be more random and it wont really look like the protagonist knows where she's going. which is what we aim for. 

The music used for our film will be tension building, so the audience can sense something is about to go wrong. This will be subtle, so that the audience can focus on the protagonists movement and the main prop of the film. 

The costume used in our film will be just plain costume. The protagonist will be wearing minimal makeup, and just leggings, a scarf and a jumper to show that they are just a normal plain person. This is so that they can be relatable to a wider audience, and not seem special in any way to highlight that these heartbreaking and scary things happen to normal people. 

Our titles will be nothing too fancy. They will just be simply black and white, again in order to not take focus away from the protagonist.

Brainstorm Ideas for our Thriller film

https://www.mindmup.com/#m:a1f2b7cdf050950132d6e44e064024706e

This is a mind-map of our ideas for our Thriller film. The mind-map includes features for a typical Thriller film, for example, Sound, Storyline, Camera Shots, Characters, Setting, Mise en Scene and Editing. 

Music and Sound

For our diegetic sounds we may include footsteps of certain characters, for example a stalker that is following another character. A diegetic sound that is vital for a thriller film is a piece of dialogue that will be exchanged between two characters.

For our non-diegetic sounds it is vital to use music to build up suspense, an example of another thriller film that uses music to build up suspense is Jaws.

Characters

Characters is a vital part of any film, not just a Thriller film, but for a Thriller film, it is vital to have a protagonist and an antagonist, which will fight against each other to create a suspense fulfilled Thriller film.

Storylines

We have thought of two ideas for our storyline, the first one being a stalker that had previously killed a relative of another character. The stalker will then follow that particular character, and attempt a brutal murder. We then discussed whether the Stalker will catch the character or whether he/she shouldn't, we still haven't come to a final verdict. Our other storyline consists of a character that buys illegal substances of the antagonist, then ends up dying due to the illegal substance. The brother of the first character that buys the drugs, then goes after the antagonist and tries to avenge his younger brother.

Camera Angles

We will use various camera angles in certain situations, for example we will use low angle shots of characters or objects, that hold greater power or prestige than another characters or objects.

Mise en Scene

The costumes will consist of the protagonist wearing formal clothing and the antagonist wearing dark casual clothing. 

The make up will be used when attempting to make a character look wounded or dead.

Various props will be used in the film, for example in both of our ideas for the Thriller film, there will be uses of Mobile Phones.

Setting or Location

Obviously for our Thriller film we have to use a location that has been permitted to use, but what we are looking to use in our thriller film is when outside, it may be raining, dark and cold, which will build suspense for our film. Indoors we will be using rooms with various lighting, for example when the stalker is following a character, it has to be dingy to build suspense and mystery.

Timeline of Thriller Films

Timeline of Thriller Films

http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/359157/Timeline-of-Thriller-Films/

 How have thriller films changed throughout the years? And what do they have in common?

From 1913-1917 thriller films are being mainly based on kidnappings or thefts for example the $5,000,000 Counterfeiting Plot's (1914) storyline includes a forged note that ends up in the wrong hands consequently resulting in an entire gang being brought to justice. A film similar to this is Blind Justice (1916) as this films storyline also includes a crime and kidnapping as John Sikes is taken captive and imprisoned until years later when he is released early and on the hunt for his son Robert. 

Thriller films alter from 1916 during the 1920's as there is a rise in films being created that contain psychos and more obscure characters from earlier created thriller films, this is shown in the film Drakula halála (1921) in which the storyline is where a young girl visits an insane asylum and one of the inmates convinces her that they are Dracula, and now she is left to decide whether her visions are just a nightmare or reality.

Another film with an obscure character also from the 1920's is He Who Gets Slapped (1924) as this film is the first thriller film to use a clown within it, this film is similar to earlier films as the storyline to this film is also based around a kidnapping, as the clown goes out to rescue the young woman he loves from the count who once betrayed him.

In 1926 a film was created called Midnight Faces which is one of the first thriller films to be created that has an element of supernatural activity, as they believe they see someone in a house that is supposedly uninhabited. Midnight Faces is similar to Drakula halála in regards to characters as this film also contains a young girl who is running from the a knife wielding psychopath, however this is different from earlier films as many of the earliest thriller films will only contain male characters.

Although in 1929 and 1931 films were created called Blackmail and Night Nurse, in these films female characters have become more important within the films as in Blackmail a female is the main character as the suspect of a crime and in Night Nurse a female is the main character as well as the hero/rescuer of the film.

In conclusion many of the conventions from the earliest thriller films are still very similar to the conventions and features being used in thriller films in the 21st centaury, for example the use of music to build up tension, the use of low key lighting and the use of specific locations and characters to create a better atmosphere within the films.

Audience Research Into Conventions Of A Thriller

Conventions of Thrillers

We asked  members of the public to complete a survey that we had created. We analysed each individuals answers and have established that most people like to see a Thriller that has the main two characters, which play the 'Protagonist and Antagonist'. As a result of this, in our opening two minutes of out film, we would like to include a character that plays the role of the antagonist, and another character that plays the protagonist.

We also established that all the people we surveyed, think Se7en and Shutter Island are excellent films. We have researched into the two films and discovered that Se7en and Shutter Island have the editing in time with the music, such as fast cuts and explosions, this will create a mysterious and tension building atmosphere around the audience, in turn attracting the audience to the film, therefore making it enjoyable to watch.