•Films in the thriller genre often revolve around suspense and anticipation.•They are intended to excite the audience and keep them on the edge of their seat.•The narrative will be gripping to keep the audience enthralled and interested.

The Thriller genre started as a form of literature, poems, folktales and eventually novels all being produced as the years went on. Alfred Hitchcock is the most famous director of the Thriller genre and he was known for his creation of suspense and anticipation. He made 54 films in total from 1922 to 1974 up until his death in 1980. Hitchcock's most notable films being Psycho, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Rear Window and The 39 Steps. When the Thriller genre first hit the cinemas in the early 1920’s, War Thrillers were heavily produced due to the second world war. Spy thrillers were incredibly popular in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s with James Bond becoming an increasingly massive franchise in the latter. In the late 1970’s - 80’s, Thrillers became a lot more violent and up until the present day have became more elaborate while still using themes and elements from past decades.

Psychological Thriller•Cape Fear•Shutter Island•Se7en

Crime Thriller•No Country for Old Men •Silence of the Lambs•Collateral

Fantasy Thriller•Donnie Darko•Knowing•Unbreakable

Spy Thriller•Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy•Taken•Casino Royale

Sci-Fi Thriller•Jurassic Park•I Robot•Cloverfield

Political Thriller•State of Play•The Interpreter•JFK

•There is usually a crime at the core of the narrative, for example in Brick, the narrative revolves around the murder of Brendan's ex girlfriend.•The narrative is usually complex to keep the audience in suspense and contains lots of twists and turns to keep them guessing. For example, The Usual Suspects has a complex anachronic narrative containing lots of twists in the plot as verbal tells his improvised, untruthful story to the cops. •Often, the plot builds towards a climatic finale. The most famous example of this is the well known ‘box scene’ from Se7en. The whole plot builds towards John Does final kill of the seven deadly sins, taking the detectives to the secluded area where Tracey Mills’ head is delivered to Detective Mills in a box. •The plot will sometimes have a restricted narration where questions will be left unanswered until the end of the film. This is used very well in The Sixth Sense as the audience do not find out that Malcolm, the child psychiatrist that Cole has been seeing throughout the film is actually dead from the start when he is shot.

Tzvetan Todorov came up with a theory that conventional narratives follow a five stage structure. His theory was that there was a state of equilibrium at the start which is then disrupted. This is recognised usually by the hero who then attempts to repair the disruption and reinstate the equilibrium. This structure can be applied to many modern mainstream films and has became very familiar to us. It appears in many thriller films, such as Collateral.

1. Equilibrium – Max is a normal, day to day taxi driver.2. Disruption of Equilibrium – The hitman, Vincent, gets into Max’s taxi.3. Recognition of Disruption – Max sees Vincent kill someone.4. Attempt to Repair Disruption – Max stands up to Vincent and rescues

Annie.5. Restoration of Equilibrium – Max kills Vincent meaning he can go back

to his normal life.

Protagonist – •Often an ordinary person, re enforcing the theme of the extraordinary happening to the ordinary. For example in Phone Booth, the protagonist is a businessman called Stu Shepard.•A lot of thrillers revolve around crime so there will often be cops as heroes in the film. For example the protagonist in Heat, Lt. Vincent Hanna, is a cop who is trying to catch the infamous bank robbers.•They will usually have a flaw which the antagonist knows about and uses to his advantage to gain the upper hand. For example the protagonist in Memento, Leonard Shelby, suffers from short term memory loss.•They are often put in very dangerous situations where they are out of their comfort zone, making it more tense and exciting for the audience to watch. For example the protagonist in Silence of the Lambs, Clarice Starling, is a trainee FBI cadet who gets put on one of the biggest serial killer cases ever and is left to take down Buffalo Bill by herself.Antagonist – •They are often Psychotic individuals who have something mentally wrong with them. However, they can be extremely intelligent and clever. One of the most famous villains in thriller history is Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. He is a terrifying cannibal kept in a high security mental asylum who has a lot of knowledge and escapes from the grasps of the police force very intelligently.•The antagonists identity is often kept hidden from the protagonist and the audience for a long time. For example in Usual Suspects, the detective only works out that Verbal is Keyser Soze at the end of the film.

Vladimir Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narrative ‘spheres of action’ or functions. He came up with seven different character types from studying folktales. These were hero, villain, donor, helper, princess, dispatcher, and false hero. Each character can fulfil more than one character type and all are evident in the thriller, Se7en.

Hero – Detective Lt. William Somerset (Morgan Freeman)

Villain – John Doe (Kevin Spacey)

Donor – Librarians who allow Detective Somerset in the library at night to get information.

Helper – Police in the swat helicopter who guide the detectives at the end.

Princess – Tracey Mills (Gwyneth Paltrow)

Dispatcher – Police Captain (R. Lee Ermey)

False Hero – Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt)

• Setting – Thriller films are usually set in a city. This is because they are busy with lots of different people in and it is where the viewer will most likely live, making it more thrilling as they feel like it could happen to them. It also re-enforces the theme of the extraordinary happening to the ordinary. For example, Phone Booth is set in New York, a incredibly busy city where we see thousands of normal people, one of these being the New York publicist, Stu Sheppard showing this could happen to any ordinary person, maybe even the viewer.

•Props – Thriller films are likely to have a weapon as the main prop, usually a knife or a gun. Thriller film narratives usually revolve around a violent crime which disrupts the equilibrium, as shown in Todorovs theory of narrative. The protagonist may carry a gun if he's a detective or a spy but the antagonist will almost always be equipped with a weapon. For example, in Taken, Bryan has to shoot his way through enemies to rescue his abducted daughter. The kidnappers (antagonists) he has to fight also have guns and is a very dominant prop within the film.

•Costume/Make up – Thriller films usually have dark and dull costume/make up to match the tone and atmosphere of the diegesis. The costume that actors are wearing introduces us to the characters personality. For example, in Se7en, Detective Somerset wears a suit and trench coat to show he’s professional and also establishes him as a detective to the spectator. This contrasts to Detective Mills’ leather jacket which shows he’s unprofessional and doesn’t play by the rules.•Figure Expression – In Thriller films, whoever has power and is in control seems confident and assured. This could be the antagonist or the protagonist. If one seems powerful the other will look weak and vulnerable, these roles may change throughout the film. For example, in Se7en we see antagonist John Doe look very in control when he's in the car from his relaxed body language. We also see protagonist in Brick, Brendan, look very weak and vulnerable when he sees the body as he is crouched down in the foetal position, making him look alone and scared.

•Lighting/Colour – Thriller films are usually dark to match the dark genre that it is. This is done by using low key lighting which makes the film very suspenseful as it creates lots of shadows. The editor may also desaturate the colours of the film and add a blue/yellow tint to the scene to make it look dull, making the audience feel sad/depressed. This is very noticeable at the end of The Shining as there is a definite blue tint and low key lighting is used in the maze to make it look mysterious.

•The wide angle shot is often used in thriller films. It is used as it has negative space which leaves the spectator scared with anticipation and tension, waiting for something to fill it. This is used cleverly in The Shining when Wendy locks herself in the bathroom, it shows a wide shot of her face for a few seconds with negative space to her left. The spectator is then left wondering what's going to happen and then suddenly, the axe flies through the door, frightening the audience after the suspenseful moment.

•The High Angle/Low Angle shot combination is used a lot in the thriller genre to establish who has power whether it be the antagonist or the protagonist. If it’s a high angle, looking down on the subject, the spectator feels powerful and in control. If it’s a low angle shot, looking up at the subject, the spectator feels weak and vulnerable. For example in Dirty Harry, we see the power struggle between Harry and one of his victims in the stadium scene. Whenever we see Harry, it’s a low angle shot but whenever we see the victim it’s a high angle shot. This establishes who has the power and lets the spectator feel the contrast in emotions as the shots alternate.

•The POV shot is used to put the spectator in the characters shoes so we feel the characters emotions and it makes us think ‘how would I react if this happened to me’? This can frighten the audience if we are looking through the eyes of the victim but can also be disturbing if we are looking through the eyes of a serial killer. This is used in Reservoir Dogs and shot from the trunk of a car where a policeman they have kidnapped is held. We feel the terror the cop is feeling as we see the power of these dangerous gangsters.

•The POV/Associated POV and tracking shots are used to put the spectator right in amongst the action. This makes the spectator feel scared and worried as it makes them feel like they are actually there so they understand and get these strong emotions that the characters do. A good thriller tracking shot is in Panic Room, when people are trying to break into the house. It is all filmed from the inside so it puts the spectator inside the house making them feel like this is actually happening to them.

•A Close Up shot is used to bring significance to an object. It is usually a prop which is important to the narrative or gives clues about a characters personality. A good example of this is the close up of the briefcase in Collateral. This is used to show the significance of it and links to the narrative as he cannot do his job without it. It also shows us he’s professional and takes his job seriously.

•A Extreme Close Up shot is used mainly when the camera is focused on a characters face, to show the feelings and emotions that the character has. It creates suspension as we see the fear in a persons eyes or could create fear as a character cries, the spectator reacts to the characters different emotions. It can also be very uneasy to watch as it takes up the whole frame and is very claustrophobic. For example, in The Blair Witch Project, we see the character shaking and crying with fear which creates tension and makes the audience scared.

•Unconventional angles are sometimes used such as the canted angle or the Dutch tilt. These are used to make the audience feel confused and uneasy while they're watching as it is unnatural and different. In Enduring Love, a canted angle is used when they’re having a picnic on the hill to show the viewer that something isn’t quite right.

•Continuity editing is used in the majority of all thriller films but there are one or two exceptions. The 180 degree rule being disobeyed is an example of this. When disobeyed, the audience feels disorientated and confused which may be a feeling the filmmaker is trying to imply in a Thriller film. Stanley Kubrick was known for doing this as seen in The Shining. It is used in the bathroom scene when Jack is talking to the butler to show Jacks mental state and how he is feeling. This contrasts to at the beginning of the film when Jack speaks to Wendy and the rule is obeyed to show he is normal and sane.

•Graphic Match – A graphic match is used to make the change in shot seem smooth and it shows the two shots have a connection with something in common. This would be used in a Thriller film to link two characters together or it could link a character with a prop. For example in Brick, the shot of the dead girls arm with bracelets on fades to the same arm putting a letter in a locker, linking the two together and also letting the audience know we have gone back in time.

•A Graphic Contrast is used to create an impact and make it uncomfortable to watch. It will usually be very obvious and striking. An example of this is in the famous shower scene from Psycho when Lila is being murdered. It cuts dramatically from her in the shower to the killer and his knife. It cuts many times and very quickly to various different shot sizes, making it very uneasy and hard to watch.•Fast paced editing is used to create suspense. It makes the film exhilarating if the editor wants the audience to be on the edge of their seat when watching it. An example of this is the chase scene from Se7en in the block of flats where it cuts quickly between shots to make it tense and thrilling.

•Parallel editing (also known as cross cutting) is where it cuts continuously between two alternate shots which are usually happening at the same time but in different locations within the diegesis of the film. The two shots may have a prop which links the two scenes together, helping the audience recognise the connection. Parallel editing is a good technique to use in Thriller films because it build tension and pace, meaning it is very climatic. An example of this would be in Silence of the Lambs where we see Clarice and the SWAT team go into two separate houses. The cross cutting however, leads the audience to believe that the police are at the right house but its Clarice who is infact about to meet Buffalo Bill.

•Diegetic – Sound which occurs within the actual diegesis of the film such as dialogue or doors closing. This also includes ambient sound, naturally occurring sound in the scene. In Thriller films, the ambient sound will be very urban to match the typical urban Thriller setting. Diegetic sound can be increased in volume in post production to bring significance to it. You would not usually be able to hear footsteps very well but in a thriller film you may want to increase the volume so the audience can hear the killer creeping up on his victim. An example of this is in Limitless, when the blinded thug is walking up towards Eddie, all the audience can hear are his footsteps adding suspense.

•Silence can be as powerful as sound. Its unnatural, eerie and creates suspense incredibly well as the viewer wonders why its silent and what's going to happen. We find this in American Beauty when Lester is murdered. There's a ten second gap between the gun entering frame and the trigger being pulled which is unbelievably tense and leaves the audience thinking ‘is he going to be killed or not?’

•Non Diegetic – Sound which is put on in post production such as a voiceover, extra sound effects or theme music. The films score is also non diegetic and will usually contain mainstream music and music specially composed for the film. The music specially composed will usually be produced after the films made so it can match the tone of the film (dark tone for thriller films). This is known as pleonastic sound, sound which re-enforces the action on screen and occurs in most films. An example of this is the iconic Jaws theme. When the shark kills someone, it is played because it grows in pace making it tense and climatic. It is also of a dark tone because the notes played are very low, matching the dark tone of the Thriller genre. In the first kill scene, the music plays along to the sharks attacks, meaning it is pleonastic sound. If the sound contradicts the action, it creates disharmony and leaves the viewer confused, questioning the choice of music. This is known as contrapuntal sound. An example of this is from A Clockwork Orange in the flat block marina scene. Its filled with violence yet the music is an operatic piece, calm and soothing unlike the attack in the scene.

• A typical thriller age rating is a 15 because the majority of thrillers are either this or possibly 12/18 depending on how graphic the violence is. A 15 allows strong threat and menace and also allows strong violence as long as it doesn’t include extreme gore, sexualised or sadistic violence. Thrillers usually contain quite a lot of violence in the narrative so this applies to the genre the most. No themes are prohibited meaning they can be as dark as needed to match the dark, thriller narrative. Other guidelines that might appear in thrillers such as sex/nudity and strong language can be included as long as it can be justified by context. Drug use is stricter as it can’t encourage the misuse of drugs or show the misuse of easily accessible drugs.

• A psychological thriller, such as Taxi Driver or Se7en, could be given a higher certificate as it makes the reader really think about the action and is made to mess with the viewers mind so it will be quite frightening. A fantasy thriller, such as Donnie Darko, may be given a lower certificate as it will be in a made up world where unrealistic things happen. This means the viewer will know it is fake so will not be as strongly affected by the action.

• When watching a thriller, we expect the audience to be on the edge of their seat with suspension as a thriller is meant to be exhilarating and tense. A thriller is also meant to be quite scary and shocking because of the dark themes they usually have. The audience will be nervous as well because a good thriller builds up anticipation and leaves the viewer thinking about what's going to happen next.

• Sub Genre – Psychological • Certificate – 18• Sex/Nudity – An underage prostitute makes many advances towards the main

character. The main character goes to a theatre and watches a pornographic

film but the viewer does not see the full graphic image, they only hears a few mild sounds.

• Violence – The final scene is extremely gory and shows a shootout between the main

character and many other men. He also shoots a robber in the face earlier in the film and the viewer is shown the bloody aftermath. He also refers to strong violence throughout the film.

• Profanity – Frequent use of strong language such as ‘sh*t’ and ‘f*ck’. The main character also occasionally uses racial/gay slurs as well as one use of ‘c*nt’. Explicit sexual dialogue is also used when talking about a prostitute.

• Drugs – Several characters drink, smoke and use drugs. However, no hard drug use is actually shown. 18 Rating on BB

FC

• Sub Genre – Fantasy• Certificate – 15• Sex/Nudity – Main character thinks about sex while under hypnosis. There are

also some sexual references and some kissing shown.• Violence – Person shot in the eye which is not seen but the injury is shown

later in the film. There is some fighting between teenagers and the main character

is threatened with a knife. A girl is run over and a body bag is seen being taken out of a building, insinuating that there has been a murder.

• Profanity – Occasional use of ‘f*ck’, ‘sh*t’ and ‘b*tch’ throughout the film.• Drugs – Teenagers are seen frequently drinking alcohol and smoking

cigarettes. There is also a brief scene where we see one teen snort what seems to be cocaine.

15 Rating on BBFC

Two detectives are set on a case to stop a hooded assassin who is terrorising the streets of London. The cop duo consists of a good cop/bad cop, distinguished by their perfect/scruffy suit wear. The bad cop has a flaw though, being very corrupt, he is the killer. He is very clever and stealthy to keep his identity hidden, the significant prop being the hood which helps him to do this. As he is on both sides, he exploits the polices knowledge to make kills and then clear his tracks. The equally intelligent good cop starts to piece the puzzle together at the end of the film and meets the bad cop. However, the bad cop has met the good cop to kill him. A climatic fight occurs and the good cop reveals the assassins identity to be the bad cop, solving the case. I used the good cop/bad cop duo because I thought it worked very well in Se7en. I also got the costume idea from Se7en because it hints at one detective being corrupt. The split personality of the policeman is an idea I got from Fight Club, a person having two very contrasting personalities, so different its like they’re two separate people (hero/villain).

The identity of the villain is hidden for the majority of the film like in The Usual Suspects and a significant prop (hood) is used to this like the sunglasses in Collateral.It is set in London because it’s a very urban area which is typical of a thriller and London is the setting for the gritty film Harry Brown. I think the huge twist at the end of The Sixth Sense is extremely clever because it leaves the viewer to work out what's happened after the film has finished and that’s what I want to happen when the serial killers identity is revealed at the end of mine.

This is a moodboard for the initial ideas of my film.