MS2 Production Processes- Pre Production.
Thrillers are a genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements.
The conventions of thrillers, that the audience feels;
Narrative;
Literary devices such as red herrings and cliff-hangers are used extensively. The cover-up of important information from the viewer and fight/chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own characteristics and methods
Different elements of genres;
A standalone thriller is a film that provides thrills and keeps the audience cliff-hanging at the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the character(s) is placed in a menacing situation, a mystery, or a trap from which escaping seems impossible. Life is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation.
Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the threat is sometimes abstract or unseen. Thrillers with a crime-related plot mostly keep the attention away from the criminal or the detective, where they focus more on the suspense and danger that is generated.
There are many different films such as suspicion, strangers of a man, and shadow of a doubt these are all thriller films.
Thriller Films;
· The colours used are black and white, the colour back is a conventional colour in horror and thriller films, this is because it presents connotations of death and violence, it could also represent mystery which represents this film well.
· The language used such as ‘Saw’ this presents connotation of machinery, destruction and pain. Also ‘He helped me’ this suggests mystery and makes the audience want to know what will happen.
· The font follows the conventions of the genre thriller, as the ‘w’ looks dangerous, and the font keeps changing which has connotations of intimidation and uncertainty.
· The image represents the genre, as it is a man in pain and suffering, it includes chains, saws, which reflect this idea.
· The camera angle is a close up, this makes you at first see the machine element to the image, but then you see the horrific image of a man’s head being trapped and this scares the audience which is the purpose of this genre.
· I believe the anchorage meaning to this image is danger, that someone in this film will be trapped and vulnerable, and this scares the audience as they relate to the character’s thoughts and feelings.
Mise en scene;salt
- The directors have featured Angelina Jolie as she is an instantly recognisable actress; this instantly sells the film as she is a well known successful actress. She is also inspirational to many people and they would watch this film as it features a well known actress.
- The background shows denotation of a blurred image this provides connotations of speed and thrills, it makes the film seem exciting which is a convention of this genre; it also provides an element of mystery as you don’t know what is going to happen.
- The main image is of Angelina Jolie, as she looks like a spy, as she is wearing all black, and the colour black represents mystery which is clear convention to this genre
- The camera angle is a long shot of her body, this is to show her facial expressions as she looks vulnerable, but it represents action because she looks sceptical. However there is a shot of a gun to symbolise action and danger.
- The anchorage of this poster is to advertise Angelina Jolie as a sexy spy, and make people want to watch it as she is in it, and to provide connotations to the audience of action and violence through the use of the gun as a prop.
Mise en scene; the happening
· The colours (denotations) we see are blue and black, this presents connotations of mystery and death, the demographic is curious at to what is going to happen.· The distorted background is a convention of the thriller genre as it has connotations of exciting, and danger, it shows a pathway which is mysterious and exciting, and makes the target demographic want to watch the film.
· The people in the image look scared and vulnerable, and the demographic see this image and feel involved with the film as they aspire to be scared.
· The setting is an abandoned street; this is a convention of the genre thriller, as an abandoned area shows vulnerability, thrills, and excitement.
· The font is simple, I think this is to contrast with the complex background, so the writing stand outs and the demographic find it memorable. The language used ‘the happening’ makes it seem dangerous as it something will happen, this encodes as being dangerous and exciting to the audience.
· The anchorage of this poster is to make the audience think about what will happen, for it to excite the audience and to make them feel in the characters role and to be scared and vulnerable.
Mise en scene; the orphan
· The medium shot camera angle is very effective as it shows the young girls character, the thriller genre’s conventions uses young children as it provides connotations of vulnerability and it makes the demographic sympathise the character but to also feel scared of her. It is also an informative camera angle as you learn a lot about the girls character, while learning a lot about the film through the title and subtitles. · The thriller genre uses conventional images of innocence we can see this through ‘orphan’ and the use of a young girl makes the audience sympathise and it scares them more as it is unconventional for a child to be a main character in a thriller film.
· The font is not neat, is presents connotations of danger, or of a child’s writing this is exciting for the audience as it shows thrills, excitement and danger.
· It has low key lighting for the background, but a higher key lighting to make the main focus of the film stand out.
· The anchorage message of this film is to scare the audience through the child being scared and in pain, it scares the audience as it is a young child, which is a unconventional character to use in the thriller genre and it makes it exciting, and thrilling.
Mise en scene; the uninvited
· The colours used are black and white, this has connotations of death, violence, and uncertainty, it is convention of the thriller genre and appeals to the target demographic, it also shows a contrast from high key lighting and low key lighting, so you can clearly see the image of the woman in the window.· The language used ‘the uninvited’ is conventional of the thriller genre as is presents a ghost or monster image threatening people, it also makes the demographic feel scared and threatened and this is the purpose of the film.
· The camera angle is effective as it shows a window from a long shot, so you can see everything that is going on, however it makes the audience think what could be ‘the uninvited’ and you can’t see it in the image, it also shows a black part where the writing is so you know the title.
· The font is un even and scary, it is stereotypical writing for this genre so the demographic knows the context.
· The anchorage of this poster is to intimidate the target demographic by showing a silhouette looking scared, and makes the audience wonder what is hiding, it makes the film thrilling, scary and exciting which are the conventions of this genre.
Between Lund (The Killing), and Salander (Girl with the dragon tattoo) who is clearly the more showy character. With her bisexuality,motorcycle leathers and ‘fuck off’ T-shirt, she is a classic rebel. The character has, however, come in for criticism, particularly when compared to Lund. What the two apparently very different characters reveal are aspects of the undercurrents in Scandinavian society
Through their representations Lund and Salander have become iconic, whilst behaving in ways that are actually iconoclastic. Salander in no way made her sexless, and that her ownership of her assertive sexuality is itself part of her empowerment. This is appropriate for characters whose identities are so strongly tied to their gender yet who remains outside of the ‘male gaze’ stereotypes still widely applied to women in the media. They are not defined by the people around them and are not, as was often the case with female detectives of the past, ‘the story of a woman in a man’s world’. Both characters subvert the stereotypical view of women, and women in crime, genuine, interesting and idiosyncratic human beings.
