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THRILLER
Thriller is a genre that aims to anticipation and suspense.
The aim for Thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on
the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set
against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No
matter what sub-genre a Thriller film falls into, it will
emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The
tension with the main problem is built on throughout the
film and leads to a high climax.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
The very first taster of thriller entertainment is The Arrival Of A Train At La Ciotat
(1895). This was just simply a video clip of a train coming towards the camera. But as
the audience of the 1890’s had never seen anything like this it frightened them and
introduced a whole new film genre. One of the earliest thriller films is Alfred
Hitchcock's, silent film ‘The Lodger’ (1926). This is believed to be the film that helped
shape and form the typical thriller genre we see in films today. ‘Alfred Hitchcock is
considered the acknowledged as the master of the thriller or suspense genre,
manipulating his audience's fears and desires, and taking viewers into a state of
association with the representation of reality facing the character.’ Another famous
early thriller film is psycho (also directed by Hitchcock) this included a very famous
shower scene murder that has influenced many other thriller films to this day.
http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html
THRILLER IS A HYBRID GENRE
Hybrid (noun)- a thing made by a combining two different elements; a mixture.
The thriller genre can be broken down into many different hybrid genres such as;
action- or adventure- thrillers
sci-fi thrillers (such as Alien (1979))
crime-caper thrillers (such as The French Connection (1971))
western-thrillers (such as High Noon (1952))
film-noir thrillers (such as Double Indemnity (1944))
romantic comedy-thrillers (such as Safety Last (1923))
psychological-thrillers (such as The Black Swan (2010))
http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html
NARRATIVE THEMES AND CONVENTIONS
Most stories employ suspense in order to maintain interest, but thrillers exploit that particular
narrative quality as much as possible. Main characters in thrillers are placed in menacing situations
from which they escape seems impossible. Themes often include terrorism (Arlington Road (1999)),
political conspiracy (Shutter Island (2010), love triangles that lead to murder (Orphan 2009)),
Crime (Collateral (2004))etc. Often the heroes are ordinary folk who are drawn into danger
unknowingly or unwillingly. More often the heroes are men, but occasionally women take the lead
(The Terminator (2004)).
As opposed to stories where a crime is already been committed and needs to be dealt with the plots
of thrillers usually involve the hero having to work out the plan of a villain. The villain presents
obstacles throughout the narrative that the hero must overcome. Usually the identity of the villain is
already known to the hero and the audience, as opposed to mysteries where his or her identity must
be uncovered. The villains' plan is usually grand in scale and will result in mass destruction and
many deaths.
http://suite101.com/article/hollywood-thirllers-overview-a121560
TYPICAL CHARACTERS
Protagonist; Innocent victims, sometimes characters with dark pasts / Cops / Ex cops - a
protagonist is the main character of the narrative which ends up in a conflict situation
because of the Antagonist. The Protagonist usually ends up facing their own death or the
death of somebody else in which they have to try and prevent. The antagonist typically
sets up a kind of quest that the protagonist has to complete. The film's narrative
construction is dominated by the protagonist's point of view. The protagonist and
antagonist may battle, themselves and each other, not just on a physical level, but on a
mental one as well. The protagonist is usually a man.
Antagonist; Convicts, criminals, stalkers, assassins, serial killers, kidnappers, terrorists-
the antagonist is the ‘evil’ character in the thriller film. This character is usually very
sinister and devious, playing with the protagonist's mind and the audience. The antagonist
can vary from male to female depending on the film. Many thriller films I have watched
use children as antagonists.
EXAMPLES OF MISE EN SCENE
Mise en scene (placing on stage) is the objects
used in the films to create the right genre/context to
what ever is being filmed.
The key aspects of mise en scene are; set, lighting
and actors.
Iconography is an aspect of genre. We expect to
see certain objects within the mise-en-scene of a
particular genre.
MISE EN SCENE OF SIXTH SENSE
The mise en scene in this picture helps the
audience know what is going on. The character
is in a car. The interior is a beige leather colour
suggesting that the family may have a bit of
money or family that does as they can afford
such luxury. Outside the window you can see a
tree, gate and buildings suggesting the
characters car is in a street. The other
character in the scene is obviously injured. The
camera is focused on her which means she is
obviously important. The look on the main
characters face although out of focus we can
tell he is concerned.
We expect to see come in contact with characters that are dead because of the title. The women in the screen grab is obviously dead which plays to the thriller genre as seeing a dead person is not
normal.
MISE EN SCENE OF TAKEN
In this scene from the 2008 film taken there
is not much mise en scene, but the objects
that are tell us a lot about the movie and
characters. The main character is obviously
the man holding the photograph. His sleeves
are rolled up and his top button is undone
which suggests that as he is wearing a shirt
and tie he is usually a smart dressing
character but because of whatever is on the
photograph he has had to make himself feel
more comfortable. From the look on his face
and the character opposite him it looks like an
interrogation. The photograph is of a teenage
girl who obviously means something to the
man holding it.
In the background you can faintly see a run down, abandoned room. There is broken furniture and the lighting is very musky and eerie. This could suggest that the place that they are in is in a very reclusive place and they don’t want to get found.
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