Media Initial IdeasBy Ben Bailey

Ideas

When it comes to deciding on a storyline I like choosing storylines that involve a lot of mystery and plot twists that no one sees coming.

I am a particularly a big fan of psychological thrillers because often the antagonist is revealed at the very end of the story if at all allowing the audience to make up their own ideas about characters and speculate what is going to happen next.

Initial Idea 1My first idea is a thriller trailer.

The sub genre of it is most likely going to be psychological/stalker as then I can use a lot of dark scenes and give the audience very vague ideas about the plot line and add hints throughout the trailer.

The concept would be something along the lines of a person who is disillusioned with public life and it is implied that they have murdered someone. However, there is no proof that they did do it and this would allow me to add twists to the plot.

The actor’s features would never be properly shown which helps dehumanise the actor and allows for audiences to have their own ideas about the ‘antagonist’. The colours and lighting throughout would be dull adding to the effect of fear and suspense.

Initial Idea 1 Inspiration

Shutter Island: The idea that the actions of a character are unknown to the audience is where I got the inspiration for initial idea 1 (and partially for idea 2) from. This is because in shutter island Leonardo Dicaprio plays a character who throughout the film is perceived to be a normal person but actually is the complete opposite

Initial Idea 2

My second initial idea is a short film for a crime thriller.

It would follow a well renowned detective who recently has been having health issues and has been passing out a lot.

He is currently investigating a murder but as time progresses more and more hints turn up that suggest that the detective himself actually committed the crime.

The detective at first strongly believes that he is being set up and covers up the clues leading to him, but as time goes on he becomes paranoid about the situation he is in and his colleagues start to pick up that something is wrong. Eventually it is uncovered that the detective did commit the murder and he goes on the run.

Initial Idea 2 Inspirations

Fight Club: I have got inspiration from fight club by how the main character in that film lives two lives one of which he is not aware of this leads him to undergo actions that he does not even realise he is doing himself.

Seven: Seven follows two detectives who are investigating a string of murders that all relate to the seven deadly sins. However, one of the detectives becomes personally involved when a person close to him is murdered.

Thriller Quote

According to Vera Dika, the stalker film, (a subgenre of the Thriller genre) can be distinguished by; ‘The representation of the films' major character: the killer. Kept primarily off screen for the duration of the film, this killer is usually made knowable by a distinctive shot or series of shots. The Stalker film can also be distinguished because of the particular combination of setting, character, and plot conventions it presents.’ This quote by Vera Dika reveals how the killer in a stalker film is usually hidden from view, which builds suspense for the audience and keeps them guessing at who the killer could be, often creating an enigma.

Thriller ConventionsI have done a past project on a thriller and so that is why I am more comfortable with doing thrillers and I already have knowledge of what codes and conventions are used in typical thrillers such as:

Extreme close ups

Low key lighting

Quick cuts

Shadows

Tension sounds (diegetic and nondiegetic)

Changes in the angle of shots

Comments

If there are any comments about how I could improve the ideas or which you think is the better idea then please let me know.