Ryan Carroll's AS Media Coursework Blog

Evaluation of 'Tracker'

2009-05-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In my final media product, we used, developed and challenged the generic codes and conventions seen in real media products of the thriller genre and action-thriller sub-genre. Through research into current thriller films, such as James Bond and The Bourne Trilogy, we were able to gain an insight into how the camera is used in combination with the mise-en-scene, sound and editing to make the piece effective and engaging. For example, a frequent shot type used in action-thrillers is LS, as this emphasizes the vast locations that are common as an action-thriller setting. Additionally, action-thrillers nearly always have some form of chase scene, so the pace of editing tends to quicken to make the chase more exciting to watch (See blog post 'Finally Up – Tracker – Final Cut' - 1:32). By examining the use of the typical conventions, we were able to incorporate them into our own work to create a professional piece.

Furthermore, we followed the typical convention of having the hero dressed in smart attire to reinforce his importance. Generally, the villain / henchman type characters are commonly featured in more casual dress, so we decided to feature our antagonist in less smart clothes, but still fairly formal.

Our use of sound also sticks to the common conventions of thrillers. Thriller movies tend to have slow, low hey music that slowly pick up pace to build tension and engage the audience. By including such music, we were able to make the footage much more tense and interesting to watch. Additionally, we were able to represent the divide between characters through are, extremely limited, use of dialogue. We decided to take our most diegetic sound so the audience is able to focus purely on the footage and non-diegetic music to make it more engaging. However, at one point, we decided to add a small section of diegetic dialogue (see blog post ‘Finally Up – Tracker – Final Cut – 2:02’) that shows our antagonist cursing. Stereotypically, cursing is more common with lower class, less educated people. So by showing our character cursing we are able to reinforce the difference in social status between the two characters.

However, we also chose to challenge a certain convention typical of real media products in order to try and make our own product unique. Generally, the main characters in action-thrillers are mostly male Caucasians, in their early thirties. However, we decided to challenge this convention by casting a younger, Asian male to add a sense of diversity to our film. The effect of this being that it will generate intrigue amongst our target audience as it is out of the norm. Additionally, we made sure that the audience registered our protagonist as a main character by editing it in such a way so he has more screen time over all. By having longer shots of the protagonist in comparison to the antagonist, we were also able to show his dominance, importance, and superiority over his tracker.

As we chose to mostly use the generic conventions of action-thrillers, the audience is able to immediate establish the sub-genre that our film fits into. Our choice of location is also a typical convention seen in the sub-genre of action-thriller. Most action-thrillers choose to feature city landscapes that promote a business / work like atmosphere in order to represent importance, social status, and the business aspects to things such as villainy (drug empires, illegal gambling, etc…). This is why we decided to film in a business / city like setting, as it suits the characters lifestyle. Furthermore, by featuring things such as a train station (a common choice in action-thrillers as an escape route), we again were able to represent that our film was of the action-thriller sub-genre.

This is beneficial as it allows the audience to have a brief insight into what the film may feature, meaning they can base whether they view it or not on solely their opinion of the sub-genre.

How does your product represent particular social groups?
For my thriller opening, I followed very typical representations that coincide with the up-market setting of Gerrards Cross. As the location has a direct link to London through the train network, it produces a very business like atmosphere. This meant that the characters in my opening had to appear as if they would thrive in such an environment, so we reinforced this with the mise-en-scene. For our protagonist, we decided to feature him wearing a simple black suit and white shirt, and a leather jacket, much like something worn in the work place. The black of the suit also connotes mystery, which is important as it coincides with the narrative, whilst the leather jacket is common with the ‘bad-boy’, aggressive image. We also had him carry a briefcase as this is common with businessman. For our other character, we kept with the smart attire but had it much more casual to suggest that he is inferior to the protagonist. However, we kept the connotations of black, to continue the element of mystery within the narrative.

The use of camera also helps to establish the stereotypical representation of male dominance. The combination of low-angle shots and CU’s of the characters help to create a sense of superiority and importance, which is common with males in action-thrillers. Furthermore, the use of camera to make the characters seem more superior matches the choice of costume to promote the greater sense of masculinity, as suits are linked with middle-aged, powerful males.

This coincides with our target audience (young to middle-aged males) as they expect to see men viewed as superior. We achieved this through the use of camera angles making the characters appear larger and more dominant, for example, a tilt shot we used to show the antagonist straighten up from his chair (see blog post ‘Finally Up – Tracker – Final Cut – 1:00 – 1:08’).

In addition to this, the location also helps to reinforce the class and social background of the characters. Stereotypically, the main characters of action-thrillers (such as James Bond) are fairly wealthy, so the location helps to establish this as Gerrards Cross is an expensive place to live.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
We made our media product with the intention that it would be distributed as a major Hollywood film. This is because of the simple fact that Hollywood has produced a vast amount of action-thriller that have been big hits, making them masters of the sub-genre. Additionally, with successes in the action-thriller genre such as James Bond and The Bourne Trilogy, there is a huge audience for our type of film, meaning large media institutions will be interested.

A good example of a media institution that could distribute our product is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). They are an extremely well established company, with many film successes including the famous James Bond franchise. After producing a wide range of successful action-thrillers, they have a high level of experience within the sub-genre meaning that they could produce ours and distribute our product on a global scale for maximized profit.

The reason our film could be released is because like the James Bond franchise, the action-thriller genre offers many merchandising opportunities. The style of our film, being action / espionage, already has a huge presence in the toy industry due to the younger generation being more intrigued by violence and action, with many children wanting to live the ‘hero’ lifestyle. By creating toys that such as action figures and copies of props from the films (toy guns, gadgets, etc…), a huge profit could be made.Additionally, official collectables / memorabilia could be sold to satisfy the niche market of collectors. These products could be of higher quality / value in comparison to the toys, and could also vary in rarity, meaning more money could be made as specialized collectors expect to pay more money for a higher quality, more realistic product. This would again persuade media institutions to distribute our product as it would generate a further profit.

Who would be the audience for your media product?
The intended target audience for my media product is mainly males, aged from 15 years onwards, simply because of the complex nature of the narrative. Action-thrillers tend to appeal more to males as the majority of films feature a high-level of violence, which stereotypically attract more of a male audience. After thorough research into the sub-genre, it was evident that it attracts males of late teens and onwards as they prefer to watch films with action and violence, and as our thriller incorporates such things we were able to efficiently judge our who our audience would most likely be. Additionally, unlike other successful films in the action-thriller sub-genre such as James Bond and the Bourne Trilogy which are certified 12, we made our film with the intention of it being a 15 certificate (see blog post Thursday, 27 November 2008 – Film Certificates – 15 or 18?) as it allows us to include much more violence, bad language and generally a more mature plot to make a more enjoyable film. Also, as the members of our group and myself are in this age category ourselves, we know what to include in a film certified 15, as we watch them first hand.

Although the characters featured appear to be of middle class, and Gerrards Cross as a location is associate with the middle class, it’s not only the middle-class that our media product will appeal to. Research proved that the working class enjoy action-thrillers due to them normally including elaborate stunts, high-tech gadgets and fight scenes (much like James Bond) which introduce them to an intense, exciting lifestyle.

By following the codes and conventions of the action-thriller genre, we were able to create a familiar form of narrative that would appeal to our target audience. For action-thrillers, this means excitement, mystery, and complexity to keep the audience engaged.

How did you attract / address your audience?
To attract our target audience, we had to first consider what appeals to them most, and then feature it in our media product. By doing this we were ensuring that the audience will remain engaged throughout the entire opening. We decided to include a great sense of mystery in our film in terms of plot, as we knew this would intrigue the audience and keep them interested. Doing this required great consideration in terms of mise-on-scene and camera. For example, we featured POV shots (see blog post ‘Finally Up – Tracker – Final Cut’ - 1:35-1:37) so the audience could gain the perspective of the characters and make them feel more engaged with the developing narrative.

Additionally, we featured our characters in black which connotes mystery, so that coincides with what we were trying to achieve. Another aspect of mise-en-scene that helped to promote a sense of mystery was the choice of the key prop, the briefcase. The prop helps to reinforce the protagonists social status as the briefcase is an item carried mostly by businessman, as well fits the specification of a spy (carrying top secret documents). This again intrigues the audience to watch out film as they want to find out exactly what he has in the briefcase, and whether the reason he is being followed has anything to do with its contents.

Furthermore, the music chosen helped to build and sustain the tension to help keep the audience engaged. The way in which it slowly builds up, with crescendos for dramatic effect helps to entertain as well as make the chase more exciting and intense. The effect of including little dialogue is that it allows the audience to focus more on the use of camera to tell the story, combined with the tense music.

The choice of setting, which is much like a city, would also appeal to our target audience. Firstly because the city-type environment is common to thrillers,, the audience becomes easily familiar with the setting. Secondly, Gerrards Cross is a location that some people may be familiar with personally, making them excited to see it because of its familiarity. The lighting also helps to attract the audience, with an obvious contrast at certain points throughout the piece. For example, the café scene (see blog post ‘Finally Up – Tracker – Final Cut ‘– 0:30-1:18), whereby our protagonist is featured sitting out in the open, with only natural light, represents that he is comfortable and calm. Whereas the antagonist is featured inside the café which is very dimly lit, suggesting that he is more sinister in comparison.

The editing of the opening is kept fairly slow paced throughout, coinciding with the slow, tense non-diegetic music. As the music quickens pace, the footage is edited to match in order to make the narrative more engaging and exciting. This would appeal to our audience as it makes our opening more typical of a conventional thriller, or more specifically, action-thriller.

By combining these different aspects to create a more engaging piece, we were able to ensure that our target audience would find our film appealing, and remain engaged throughout.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
Over the duration of making my final media product, I was introduced to different technologies; some which were familiar to me, some which were not. My knowledge of how to use the camera effectively and professionally has increased vastly, allowing me to film high quality footage. The cameras used were efficient for the task, even though they had the tendency to auto-focus when it wasn’t needed, ruining a few of the shots. Looking back at our preliminary continuity task, my knowledge of how to use and set the camera up is now significantly better, with me now being able to film a variety of shots ranging from simple long shots to things such as pan and tilt shots.

One problem faced was issues with lighting. Due to a limited budget and equipment, some shots were difficult to obtain as we were shooting outside, making the lighting incredibly unpredictable and almost impossible to manipulate. With more advanced equipment, I feel that the overall quality of our product would have been increased as shots would have been clearer, sound better, and lighting more effective.

To edit our opening, we used a wide range of Adobe software, including Adobe Premier Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Flash CS3. Adobe Premier Pro acted as the main piece of editing software in which we ordered shots, adjusted timing and added sound. This specific piece of software was incredibly efficient at editing our opening as it includes many advanced features that help to make the final piece look exactly how we intended. For our titles, we used Adobe After Effects as it includes a wide range of features to help create professional looking work. Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Flash CS3 were only used to make the individual titles for our cinema (New Focus) and production (Worthwhile) companies.

Looking back to your preliminary tasks, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
The progression made from the initial, preliminary task to the final product is quite substantial. The preliminary task required little planning and was very limited in terms of skill, however, the basic skills gained from the preliminary task allowed further development when producing my final piece. Organizing the production of my project required a lot of time and consideration in order for me to be able to produce the best piece of work I could. In the beginning stages, it was hard to comprehend exactly how to start such a project as I didn’t have any previous experience, however, as with anything in which you have little knowledge, research is always important. I viewed and analyzed current thriller openings in order to gain an insight in what to expect from an opening. This then allowed me to brainstorm my own, original ideas for my own media product, and then decide upon one final idea which I would storyboard.

In the early planning stages, my group intended to have a complex chase scene, with a group of people following the actors instead of just the one. This made the planning of the shoots much harder to plan and organize because they had to be filmed on such a large scale and more consideration had to be taken in terms of the timing of footage. Additionally, as my group had little experience with using the camera, we found it difficult to shoot the complex shots in which the chase scene entailed, and felt that our lack of experience reduced the quality of the footage.

Storyboarding was a great way to plan each and every stage of my opening, shot by shot. This allowed me to see which angle / type of shot worked best, as well as changes to the narrative if needed. Additionally, digitalizing the storyboard in the form of an animatic was also extremely beneficial, as it allowed the experimentation of timing and sound along with the different shots, to create a very basic version of my opening. Learning this basic technique helped our group plan our thriller much more precisely in terms of how it looked and sounded.

Additionally, I believe my organizational skills have grown significantly. Before this task, I had not been involved in a group activity like this or for as long a time as this. This made it difficult for me to comprehend how to manage my time and role within the group (director). However, as time moved on, my ability to manage my time effectively and make vital decisions when needed improved, making our progress as a group much more steady and consistent.

The one aspect of production from the preliminary task to the final product, that I feel I improved in the most was editing. I had no experience whatsoever with editing any form of footage before I started, so when first approaching the preliminary task I found it difficult to become familiar with the software, However, over the duration of the task, I slowly become more competent and even began experimenting with new features to try and improve our opening further. Although, I feel further progression could have been made, especially with the concept of sound, as I still feel that the sound is the one aspect that reduces the quality of our piece.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the skills and progress I have made over the duration of this task. The skills and knowledge I have gained will aid me in any media work I go on to do and will help me to continue my own, individual progress. It is because of this that I feel myself and the other members of my group have succeeded in creating a professional looking piece that incorporates the typical codes and conventions of an action-thriller making it engaging for the audience.

Grade A!

2009-04-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

As each and every group had now produced a final cut, we spent a lesson looking at each groups final thriller opening and peer assessing them in order to help them write our own evaluations. In addition to this, our teacher gave us the grade he believes we achieved and gave us final feedback of what we did well / what we could have improved.

After watching each opening, our teacher revealed our grade, along with the list of what we did well / improvements that could have been made. Our teacher then gave each group a large piece of paper, on which each of the other groups would write 3 comments about your final cut for you to ponder.

Grade achieved: A

Positives
+ Good tilt shot.
+ Good POV shot.
+ Music was a lot better and much more engaging.
+ Pace of editing with music and narrative worked really well, editing was generally really good.
+ Effective tilt.
+ Smooth transitions.
+ Good variety of shots - keeps audience engaged.
+ Good choice of location.
+ Steady camera work.

Negatives
- Last 10 seconds wasn't as smooth, in terms of editing.
- Narrative was a little slow and not engaging.
- Font of titles could have been better.

In addition to the feedback we receive in class, we though we'd make a 'Facebook' group in order for people outside our AS media class to view it. This will help us evaluate our media product sufficiently as we will be gaining the views of people of all different ages, meaning we can see if it appeals to our intended target audience more than others, We can also gain the opinions of other media students from different years and schools, who will be able to analyse it like an official media text.

[Click the Facebook link below to go to the 'Tracker - AS Media Coursework' group page]

Finally Up - Tracker - Final Cut

2009-04-21T04:46:00.000-07:00

[Make sure you click on the 'HQ' button for a higher quality video]

This is the final cut of my AS Media Thriller opening entitled tracker. The additional footage as well as any shots that needed to be changed / re-shot have been added and edited to improve the overall flow and development of the narrative. However, there were still some more shots needed and some that we deemed unsatisfactory. Firstly, we were still unable to capture a smooth, pan across Gerrards Cross for a professional-looking establishing shot, and any attempt made our opening appear very amateur, as the camera-work wasn't steady a all. So after looking over the copious amounts of takes, we decided against putting the shot in. Secondly, we failed to re-shoot a reaction shot of Andy as Sebh escapes on the train, thus having to settle for a sub-standard shot that lacks the dramatic effect needed. With more time, I feel that we would of been able to obtain all of the shots that we needed which would leave me one hundred percent satisfied with the final cut.

In addition to changes in the footage, we also though a change of music was needed, as our original, up-beat musical score simply wasn't working. I found a copyright-free piece of music from the Internet, which works much better as it slowly builds the tension which helps hold the audiences attention. This is good as it also fits the conventions of a typical thriller more than our original music.

Overall, I am very pleased with how the final piece turned out. After much fine tuning, I feel the narrative flows, the shots we used work well, and the music helps to build tension, which is a key aspect of the thriller genre. The camera work seems steady throughout, and the titles appear clearly, without drawing focus away from the footage. Additionally, by adding things such as the name of the production company, individual from the main opening, we have achieved a more professional-looking film opening.

Difficulties With Exporting

2009-04-19T11:47:00.001-07:00

After completing the final editing of my thriller opening, I needed to export it and publish it on to the Internet to be able to include it on the blog, as well as allow my peers to review it and give me constructive feedback.

However, an error warning kept appearing every time I tried to export it from iMovie (I was advised to first export it from Adobe Premier Pro, then import it into iMovie, then export it as iMovie allows the footage to be exported as a smaller file size to better suit its Internet purposes). I was unable to resolve this, but will be persistent and keep trying to export it as it is vital that the final cut be on the Internet.

9/04/09 - Required Improvements and Last Minute Changes

2009-04-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

On the final day of school before the half-term, I had to leave early in order to catch my lift home, so I left the exporting of the final cut to one member of my group. However, unknown by me, they were unable to do so.

My teacher therefore contacted me to ask about the final-cut, and I was asked to go i today to do some last-minute editing and then hand it to him. After watching how I left it on the final day, it was evident that further changes were needed, and a lot of time needed to be shed off in order to meet the 2 minute requirement. Firstly, I began trimming down the lengths of shots, as well as re-ordering them so the flow of narrative became much more tense and engaging. Shortly after, I was joined by the other members of my group - so with their input, we made any agreed changes and then began on the titles. Our teacher had advised us that the titles shouldn't always appear in the same place, so we took this advice on board and changed the location of each title over the footage, and also added more in to make our opening seem more realistic.

After a solid few hours of editing, our final-cut was complete to the standard we were all happy with. So we handed the final piece to our teacher so he could mark it and give us some feedback to include in our evaluation.

1/04/09 - Final Day - Last Minute Fine Tuning

2009-04-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the very last day of filming four our thriller opening. Although I could not make it to the shoot, the other members of my group were successful in obtaining every shot from the list given to us by our teacher (see blog post '19/03/09 - Feedback and Further Improvements'). The members of my group were sure that the footage shot was of a high standard and would be more than enough to be able to finalize our opening.

Today, with the new footage uploaded on to the Mac, we began editing and add last-minute touches to improve the standard of our piece. We began by adding the new footage in order to see exactly what we had in terms of amount and quality of the footage, and put it into the correct order - adjusting length of shots to improve the flow of the narrative and keep to the two minute requirement for the coursework.

Following this, we made a group decision that the music just didn't work. So we decide to get rid of 'Nina Simone - Sinnerman' and find a new, tense, and more engaging piece. I searched the Internet for copyright-free music and found the perfect piece of music. It slowly builds the tension by become louder and faster, so by matching the footage on screen to the music, we were able to make a much more engaging opening.

When the footage was fully edited and the sound matched it accordingly, titles were next. For this, we used Adobe After Affects as it allows some really professional titles effects to be applied, helping to achieve a high standard piece of work. As our thriller is based in a business / work associated location, and the characters look like businessmen themselves, we decided to go with simple, modern looking titles - that were both effective yet not too dominant, as this would draw focus.

Finally, we acquired the help of a fellow media student to teach us some basic skills in Adobe Flash. This is because we wanted to make some professional looking titles for our cinema and production company. They will appear at the very beginning of the opening, before the actual footage starts, as is seen in most professional movies,

19/03/09 - Feedback and Further Improvements

2009-04-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

After watching our opening, Mr Michie (Media Teacher) gave us a sheet with helpful feedback including the good points and bad points regarding our thriller.

Overall, we achieved 30 marks out of 60. This results in a level 2 mark band giving us a D grade.

Feedback:
- Camera work is mostly controlled and steady throughout although there is one / two small errors.
- Framing of shots is poor with many shots too far away.
- Some variety of shot distances is evident but this is limited to the first 60 seconds.
- A large portion of the material is the same and this makes it a very boring film - there is no sense of pace of narrative structure.
- Mise-en-scene has been clearly thought out with the effective choice of location, dress and props.
- Editing is competent - there is considerable scope for improvement here which will also improve pace and continuity.
- Shot transitions are mostly ok but they need work - again this is directly connected to the sequencing and continuity of the piece.
- Diegetic sound and non-diegetic need significant improvement - the music feels simply placed on with little thought to how it fits the narrative structure.
- Titles have been well conceived and effectively distributed across the extract.

Targets for improvement:
- You need to cut a lot of material as it is way too long.
- You need to include a wider variety of shot distances and angles to convey meaning - particularly close ups. This will require some re-shooting.
- Some shots need to be held for longer.
- Confusing why Sehb simply sits down for about a second and gets back up again - this has very limited verisimilitude.
- The narrative structures needs to be addressed - this will be achieved by tightening up the editing.
- You need to incorporate the diegetic sound.
- You need to match the pace of the non-diegetic score the the pace of the extract.

My group has taken this feedback on board and will edit our opening accordingly, ultimately creating a better piece of work.

Class Evalutation

2009-04-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

We spent a media lesson looking at each group's thriller so everyone could see what other group's had accomplished and offer them constructive criticism if needed. Each opening was shown, and in turn, was briefly evaluated by our teacher and the members of the class. In addition to this, our teacher asked us to rank each opening from best to worst, and the agreed order by the class was as follows:

1. 'Money' (Lewis Yates, Clare Martin and Lawrence Rayment)
2 (Joint). 'Next' (Emily Prescott, Amber Stubbings and Sebh Hundal), 'Reflections' (Andy Johnson, Georgia Shepard, Jade Stevenson and Charli Casey)
3. 'Disturbance of the Un-Woken' (Amber Gamble, Jamie Winter, Gemma Bicknell and Huw Harris)
4. 'Tracker '(Sophie Hogan, Helen Skipworth, Charlottle Looney and Myself)

Of course, I was unhappy with the fact that our group's opening was ranked as the worst, however, and unfortunately, I agreed with them. We now had 2 weeks to make final improvements that will result in the very final cut.

13/03/09 - Last Minute Shots and Editing - Deadline...

2009-03-23T02:43:00.001-07:00

As it's the day of our deadline, and there were still a few shots needed, me and another member of my group decided to go out early with one of our actors and try to capture the last few shots. The main shots needed were for the train station scene in order to end the opening in a dramatic way (the station manager kindly let us film there). Firstly, we needed a POV shot of the train coming into the frame and coming to a stop in front of the protagonist. Secondly, we needed a shot of him actually getting on the train and the doors closing behind him which would act as one of the final shots of the opening. Lastly, we wanted a shot of the train leaving, this however wasn't possible due to time limitations.

After getting all the shots we could, we had to get back to school to edit them in order to meet our deadline. As I had no other lessons that day, it allowed me to spend the entire day trying to finish our opening in time. I managed import all the footage and make a start on the titles. However, the opening was substantially too long but unfortunately we ran out of time and could therefore not trim it down to meet the two minute requirement.

I was reluctant to give our opening in this state and wasn't pleased with the standard of which it turned out, but as it was our deadline I had to bite the bullet and give it anyway, knowing full well it wouldn't achieve the grade I was aiming for.

11/03/09 - It's All About Andy...

2009-03-23T02:38:00.002-07:00

This afternoon, we needed to film some more shots but only one of our actors could make it, and with our deadline fast approaching we had no other choice but to go out and shoot shots that only involved our antogonist, Andy Johnson.

Due to most of our shots of our antogist involving our protagnoist in some way (either directly in shot or in the background), some shots required changing and a little bit of creativity. It was also difficult to film the shots in running order (which is how we had dilmed on previous shoots) due to us having to skip a few shots each time as our protagoniost wasn't there.

However, the progress we made in terms of sheer amount of footage is substantial, and we now have all of the footage of our antogonist that we should need for our entire opening.

04/03/09 - More Filming

2009-03-23T02:38:00.001-07:00

Today was the first group shoot in which I could actualy be present for and I beleive it went extremely well. The actors both turned up and performed to a high standard, making filming far easier, so I was pleased. The camera work was good and steady throughout, meaning the footage was of a high standard. The weather stayed fairly bright and sunny, meaning lighting wasn't an issue (as it has been in the past).

We took our media teachers feedback on board and made a few changes which I believe were for the best. Shooting lasted approximately an hour and a half, and in that time we managed to obtain about a fith of the footage needed for our opening.

Charlotte Looney (Cinematographer) has made it her duty to upload the footage onto the Mac so we can start editing immediately.

26/02/09 - Where to Go From Here

2009-02-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

After watcing each group's rough-cut of thier thriller opening, and giving / recieving feedback on each, we were able to judge the quality of our own work and how others percieve it. Our teacher also gave us some feedback that my group will take on board when we go on to complete our opening

We were asked to rank each opening in order of best to worst. This is mine:

1. Next - Emily Prescott, Sehb Hundal and Amber Stubbings
2. Reflections - Andy Johnson, Georgia Sheppard, Charli Casey and Jade Stevenson
3. Money - Lewis Yates, Clare Martin and Lawrence Rayment
4. Disturbance of the Un-Woken - Amber Gamble, Jamie Winter, Huw Harris and Gemma Bicknell
5. Tracker - Sophie Hogan, Helen Skipworth, Charlotte Looney and Myself

Our opening consistently ranked bottom amongst the class, and with good reason. By watching the other group's openings, it was evident that our rough-cut was nowhere near the standard it needed to be. Our opening needs a lot of improvement to reach the standard it needs to be to obtain a high grade, but I feel that as a group, with more dedication and time we can easily accomplish this.

Grade: D
Mark: 30
Level: 2

Improvements:
1. The titles are too big- they need to be more subtle.
2. An establishing shot is needed, with the cafe in view, a slow pan would also help to build tension.
3. Get rid of the mid shot/close up of sehb, instead just get the brief case and torso in shot.
4. Hold the shot of sehb sitting down- tension.
5. Slow the pace down.
6. Do not cut before the character leaves the screen- hold the shot.
7. Cut straight into Andy at the fence watching Sehb escape- editing.
8. More emotional reactions.
9. Instead of loads use just one good shot of Andy running off screen- cut to Sehb walking through the entrance of the train station.
10. Finish with Sehb on the train, get a shot of Andys reaction, last shot will be the train pulling away.

Overall, I think that the narrative needs a lot of work so it flows and becomes more engaging, Additionally, the editing needs to be much more concise to help build the tension of the extract and help quicken / slow pace where appropriate. By doing this I feel the entire quality of our opening will be increased vastly.

23/02/09 - Rough Cut Finally Up

2009-02-26T07:12:00.001-08:00

ERROR - Trouble Uploading Our Rough Cut

2009-02-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

For some reason or another, a problem must have occured when copying our rough cut onto my USB flash drive, as it now will not upload onto youtube or google video due to an unknown error. This a major inconvienience for my group as our deadline for posting our rough cut was: 13/02/09.

I will persist and keep on trying to upload the footage, however if it still doesn't work, I have no choice but to postpone it until 23/02/09 as I am currently on my half-term break from school.

13/02/09 - Capturing the Establishing Shot

2009-02-16T04:45:00.001-08:00

This morning, I decided to go out early, before school, to capture the establishing shot of Gerrards Cross. Due to availability, I filmed alone but as it was only a single shot it wasn't really an issue.

At the moment, the tripods in school are hard to come by as they are either booked out or in some cases, broken. Luckily however I have my own one which I bought along to the shoot in order to capture a steady shot.

The only problem I encountered was the level of traffic in Gerrards Cross due to it being rush hour. But I persisted and waited until the traffic died down in order to get the best shot of the different shops. After I captured the shot, I walked to school and immediately uploaded it on to the Mac and imported it into Adobe Premier an edited it with our other footage.

Woah! A Lot More is Needed...

2009-02-16T04:44:00.002-08:00

After we began editing the footage we have, it became evident that we need to go out and shoot a lot more in order to be able to produce 2 full minutes off high quality footage. There are also gaps in the current footage meaning the narrative loses a lot of flow, thus become confusing for the audience making our opening less engaging to watch.

By going through the footage we currently have, the other members of the group and myself will put together a list of the shots still needed and then produce a schedule of when we plan to go out and get the shots.

Getting Down to Business - Editing What We Have

2009-02-16T04:44:00.001-08:00

Even though we still needed more footage to be able to prouduce a full 2 minutes, the deadline for our rough-cut was approaching so we had to start editing whatever we had to try and make a decent first minute. This howvere, proved very diffficult. The camera was very shakey as majority of the filming had been done withouth a tripod. This made the footade look amateurish and reduced the overall quality of the piece. Additionally, there were gaps in the footage meaning gaps in the narrative, making the story hard to follow.

With all this in mind, we still tried our hardest and managed to produce a minutes wort of footage for our rough-cut. We were to show this to our teacher in order to gain his opinion and feedback on how we could approve it in preperation for our final deadline.

08/02/09 - Second Day of Filming - This is Fast Becoming a Habit...

2009-02-16T04:39:00.000-08:00

Much like the first day of filming, I was unable to be present at filming again today due to job conflictions. In the future, we will need to organise a day where I can actually make it to the shoot as it is vital for the director (me) to be there for all aspects of production to offer my input.

I asked the members of my group who could make it to the shoot exactly hwo it went, and they assured me that the footage they obtained was of good quality and we'd definately be able to use it fr our opening.

For further details regarding the shoot, click on the link to Sophie Hogan's (group member) blog post:

http://sophiehogan.blogspot.com/2009/02/filming-8th-february.html

Change of Plan... Bring on Sehb Hundal

2009-02-16T04:23:00.000-08:00

After looking over the footage from the first day of filming, we made a group decision to change the main actor. Originally, we had cast Jacob Grimshaw, a tall, slim Caucasian male. However, we believe that he doesn't possess the right look that we need. So in order to rectify this, we decided to cast an all new actor, called Sehb Hundal, a shorted, Asian male. The heavy contrast will also help add a sense of diversity to our opening as well, giving a unique factor that most other action-thrillers do not have.

25/01/09 - First Day of Filming - Disaster!

2009-02-16T04:20:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of filming after weeks of preperation, but uinfortunately, as it was a sunday I had to work and therefore couldn't make it. This was a huge drawback to my group as I am the director and should therefre be present in order to actually direct the shoot. However, the other members of my group still managed to go out and film some shots, which they found an enriching new experiecence, providing them with an insight into what its actually like to produce films.

For further details regarding the first day of filming, click on the link to Sophie Hogan's (group member) blog past:

http://sophiehogan.blogspot.com/2009/01/25th-january-filming-in-gerrards-cross.html

Bringing the Story to Life - Animatic and Evaluation

2009-02-16T04:18:00.000-08:00

[Animatic still to be uploaded]

My group's animatic, although it was finished late, turned out fairly well in my opinion. The reason it was overdue was mainly because of group conflicts, in terms of ideas on what our animatic should include. However, we eventually were able to produce a piece of work that every member of the group was satisfied with. After this task, its evident that our communication and organizational skills as a group need to be improved to enable us to complete work on time and to a high standard.

After showing our final animatic to our teacher, he offered us some imporvements to consider in order to increase the quality of the animatic as a whole:

1. We missed the 'Directed By' text in the opening.
2. An 'Establishing Shot' needs to be included.
3. Edit the dialogue to not give too mush away too soon.
4. Include an 'Establishing Shot' of the train leaving at the end of the opening.
5. More diagetic sound in the animatic e.g. footsteps.

Additionally, we discussed each member of the group's class / personal schedule in order to find dates that we could film, and drafted a shooting schedule to tell us when we will be filing and exactkly what we need whilst out on location. However, because it's still early in the year and we are filming outside, the weather has to be taken into consideration and the forecast must be checked on the day of the shoot to see if its still possible. If shooting is not possible due to weather, it should be re-scheduled for the nearest possible date.

We have also begun to think about possible actors to featur ein our opening. We have many friends / class mates that study drama at out school, making them a wise choice to cast as they having acting ability making our film more realistic and convincing.

Shot by Shot - Storyboarding the 2 Minutes

2009-02-16T04:15:00.002-08:00

Once my group had collectively decided on the final narrative, we started to storyboard our opening shot by shot, in able to plan what will happen / how it will look (shot types). A sketch of each shot was drawn along with a description of what is happening along with key details we need to know when we take the storyboard out to film (shot type, duration, etc...).

By storyboarding our entire opening, and digitalizing it in the form of an animatic we are able to gain a rough idea of what our final opening will look like. So we each took it in turns to draw a shot in order to spread the work load amongst us all.

Upon completion, we will take still photographs of each sketch and upload them onto the Mac and start putting them into an animatic.

Managing My Time: Important Dates for the Calender and Things That Need to Be Sorted...

2009-02-16T04:15:00.001-08:00

Order of tasks:
1. Animatic (requires storyboard)
2. 1 Minute Rough Cut
3. Final Cut

After storyboarding our opening and producing an animatic, a shooting schedule must be produced including such information as the date of shooting, the shots that are to be filmed, the actors that will be present, props needed, etc...

The storyboard should be taken to every shoot so we can film in running order to prevent any shots being left out.

Dates:
30th January - Initial footage deadline
27th February - No more filming
27th March - Finished film, evaluation, shown presentation of opening.

Que the Music

2009-02-16T04:11:00.001-08:00

For our Thriller opening, we decided upon the song 'Sinnerman' by Nina Simone. The other members of my group weren't familiar with the song, but as I played it to them we all agreed that it worked very well.

However, to be able to use this song in our Thriller opening we first need to gain the permisson of the distribution label that own the copyrights to the song - Decca and Phillips Classics. I took sole responsibility to directly contact the label to try and get the permission we needed.

I e-mailed them through the link on their website with the hope that they'd be able to get back to me as soon as possible, but unfortunately I am still waiting for a response. We have no choice no but to wait and see if they reply. If not, the hunt for a new song begins.

Inspiration

Our teacher, Mr Michie, told us of a film that also uses 'Sinnerman' in a chase scene not too different from our idea. We decided to find the clip and use if for inspiration.

Shot List - Everything We Need to Know Whilst Filming

2009-02-16T04:09:00.000-08:00

Today we found out about producing shot lists, and how they benefit us in creating a high quality piece of work. A shot list is essentially a table, including all the information required for a successfull shoot.

Things to include:
- Date of shoot
- Time
- Shoot duration
- Shot Number (in relation to storyboard)
- Location
- Who will be there? (group members, actors, etc...)
- Props / Equipment
- Additional notes - things to be taken into consideration whilst filming. E.g. weather forecast

Thriller Title - Vague Is Good...

2009-02-16T03:59:00.000-08:00

'Tracker'

For our thriller title, we have decided to go with 'Tracker' as it coincides with our narrative (a male agent that is being tracked) but is also vague enough to not give too much away. I find the title top bit bold, simple, eand easy to say, which is all a good movie title needs. If at any time the narrative changes, we may have to re-think the movie title but at the moment I am happy with the title my group has chosen.

Out and About - Potential Places to Film in Gerrads Cross

2009-02-16T03:47:00.000-08:00

As we have decided upon our location (Gerrards Cross), we now need to decide on the places that we could possibly film. As there are quite a lot of shops and cafes in Gerrards Cross, there is no shortage for places to film that you would see in everyday, real life. However, before we go out and film, we need to inform the appropriate people where and what we are filming in order to gain their permission to film there. Hopefully, they will say yes and allow us to film, but in the circumstance that they may say no we need to have alternate locations within Gerrards Cross so shooting doesn't get delayed.

Potential Places to Film:
- Train Station / Car park
- High Street
- Odeon Cinema
- Costa Coffee
- Gerrards Cross common
- Gerrards Cross woods
- Barclays car park

Location - Where and why?

2009-02-16T03:41:00.000-08:00

For our Thriller opening we decided to film in Gerrards Cross as we deemed it the most suitable. This is because the train provides a direct route to London, meaning many business-types are regularly walking around the streets which is good as the suit-and-briefcase look is something that we were aiming for as our protagonist won't appear out of place. There are also many good places to shoot and most of the shops if not all have glass fronts, which could be effective for point-of-view shots. The fairly high buildings also provide quite a city-like environment with many streets making it easier to shoot our chase scene.

Gerrards Cross is also convenient as it is easy for all of us to get to, meaning filming should not be too hard to schedule.

Development of Idea

2009-02-16T03:40:00.001-08:00

Our film is going be spy / espionage based, full of mystery in order to keep the audience engaged throughout the 2 minutes. We've decided to have our protagonist, who is renound for his tracking abilities, to be chased by 3 dark-suited villians though a city. At this moment, we've chosen to keep the opening full of mystery, with no details about the characters being revealed (as the openings in most action-thrilllers tend to do, as it keeps the audience intrigued).

The basic plot is that our protagonist is walking down the street with a briefcase, although he doesn't stand out because of the business-like atmosphere of the city, whereby many people carry briefcases. The contents of the briefcase remains unknown throughout the opening. As he walks down the street, he is stalked by 3 villians, who watch him from inside shops / around corners, whilst slowly surrounding him from all sides.

Intial Thriller Opening Idea

2009-02-16T03:35:00.000-08:00

At first, we considered having our opening purely title based, without any actors, much like the film 'Se7en' (mostly computer generated titles, with only a small number of shots like CU's of hands, etc...), as when we watched the opening of that particular film as a group, we found it to be very engaging and thought that we should go for something of the same style.

As our skills with software that would allow us to create such an opening was very limited, we knew it would be hard to accomplish. With this in mind, we made the group decision of not using this particular idea, and going for one that is more footage based.

After much deliberation, we've decided upon a chase scene, whereby a main character is being followed / chased by a number of villains through a city (a scene common with thrillers). Additionally, we've decided to produce an action-thriller (much like James Bond and The Bourne Trilogy), as its a genre that every member of my group enjoys, meaning that we all know what films of that sub-genre typically include so we can try and incorporate such things in our own film.

Film Certificates - 15 or 18?

2008-11-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Certificates are given to movies in order to make a firm judgment on their suitability for certain target audiences. After researching in depth about each age rating, my group can have a better idea of what we can include in our opening and what type of people we can aim it at. Although we have no budget, we can use creative means to make our opening look as real and professional to achieve a good piece of film.

Brainstorming Possible Thriller Openings...

2008-11-27T04:59:00.000-08:00

Continuity Task - Break-up time...

2008-11-27T04:58:00.002-08:00

First Filming Task - Getting a Feel for the Euipment

2008-11-27T04:58:00.001-08:00

Animatic and Evaluation - Intro to Adobe Premier

2008-11-27T04:57:00.000-08:00

Conclusion - What to Expect from a Thriller

2008-11-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

After thorough analysis of a variety of thriller openings I've realized that certain things differ, such as speed of editing and types of camera shot, depending on the sub-genre of thriller. Common colours that are featured are usually dark and rich such as blacks, greys, whites and reds. Using these colours helps to construct a sense of danger and mystery which ties in with the narrative. Openings are usually quite slow paced with quite long takes to help create suspense. A variety of mid-shots and long shots are used to help the audience engage with both the surrounding environment and the characters, thus supporting the narrative. In addition to this, close-ups are used to show facial expressions to allow the audience to familiarize themselves with the characters. Furthermore, most openings are accompanied by a musical score, to support the narrative by being parallel to what’s happening on screen. It also allows the audience to create their own idea about what is going to happen, again adding to the suspenseful nature of thrillers. The opening credits are normally superimposed with the footage on screen in order to both inform the audience about actors/actresses, directors etc, without re-directing their attention away from what’s happening.

Thriller Opening 5 - Saw II

2008-11-10T17:51:00.000-08:00

Thriller Opening 4 - Psycho

2008-11-10T17:47:00.001-08:00

Thriller Opening 3 - Casino Royale

2008-11-10T17:45:00.001-08:00

Thriller Opening 2 - Walk On The Wild Side

2008-11-07T05:27:00.000-08:00

Camera

Long shot of cat emerging, zooming in to a close-up of the cat. Mid-shot, high angle tracking the cat as it walks. Mid-shot again tracking the cat as it walks. Close-up shot of the cats feet, still tracking. Mid-shot of the cat walking toward the camera. Long shot tracking cat. Mid-shot tracking the cat walking. Long shot tracking the cat. High angle long shot tracking. Mid-shot of black cat stopping. Close-up of white cat hissing. Close-up of original cat hissing back. Long shot of cat jumping on other cat. Mid-shot of them fighting on floor. Close-up of cat hissing. Mid-shot of fight. Close-up of black cat hissing in triumph. Mid-shot of white cat turning away after losing fight. Mid-shot of black cat returning to normal casual walking.

Editing

Super imposed text displaying film title. Shot fades slowly into next shot, cats eyes slowly disappear into the next. shot. Super imposed text on the left hand side of the screen, fades into new text. Shot fades into the next shot. Super imposed text again on the left hand side. Fades into next hot. Super imposed text on the left. Fades into next shot. Super imposed text in the center.

Thriller Opening 1 - Sin City

2008-11-04T01:41:00.000-08:00

Film Title: Sin City
Released: 2005
Director: Frank Miller

Camera – distance, angle, movement…
Sin City opens with an establishing high angle shot, tilted in a way that shows both the city landscape and an elegant looking woman emerging from the bottom of the screen. The effect this creates is that it allows the audience to firstly; become familiar with the setting of the film (an unspecified city) and secondly; introduce the distinctive editing techniques that have been used, that being that almost everything is shot in grey scale, bar certain things shown in red to add contrast to the scene, which in this scene happen to be the woman’s dress and lipstick which suggests that she may be killed as red connotes death.

A mixture of CU and MS are then used to establish a flirtatious and somewhat close relationship between the two characters (the woman and the man that has just joined her). SRS are used to track the conversation and show the characters facial expressions in order for the audience to develop an understanding of the characters. As the man showers the woman with compliments the camera doesn’t show him talking but shows the audience how the woman is reacting, which allows them to see that she may feelings for the man due to the longing and fairly lustful look in her eyes.

This is followed by a MS of the two characters; the woman standing with her back to the man as he remains staring at her. The camera slowly zooms in which is effective as it coincides with both the dialogue and music, creating a sense of growing attraction between the two characters.

Next there is a CU of the man leaning in to kiss the woman, followed soon by a mid, two shot of the distinctive silhouette of the couple embracing. The camera tilts up and down (due to obvious height differences to show the facial expressions of the characters; hers appearing to be a sense of hope and his being a blank gaze at the thought of what he is about to do. After he has shot her, the camera tilts down to follow the pair as she collapses on him, followed by a HA shot of him holding her as she slowly dies in his arms, reinforced by the camera slowly zooming out to represent her life fading away.

Sound – effects, musical score…
The extract begins with a mix of ambient sound (cars) and a non-diegetic saxophone and a piano. The jazzy mix of a saxophone and piano is effective for a number of reasons. Firstly, it establishes a sense of location, as jazz is a cultural signifier of America, especially in American cities such as New York. The American location is reinforced by the fact that the dialogue is said in an American accent. Secondly, it produces a romantic atmosphere which is important as it runs parallel with what is happening on screen. Dialogue plays a key part in this extract and is used to generate a certain attraction between the two characters. Both speak very calmly and slowly, using very complimentary and flirtatious language reinforcing the sense of a mutual attraction. Ambient sound continues throughout the scene, with the start of the rain being signified by thunder, which could also suggest a climax within the scene. Also, as thunder was heard to signify the beginning of the rain, it is heard again as he shoots the woman to signify the end of her life, and promote a sense of sadness.

Editing – speed, style…
From an editing stand point, Sin City uses one of the most distinctive and unique editing styles to date. The extract is cleverly shot in black and white, with the contrast of red introduced with some elements (such as the woman’s dress and lipstick in this scene). The shots have been edited to make the colours contrast more, with black elements being darker and white elements appearing much brighter, making every look much more vibrant and striking than it normally would in standard black and white. The effect of having everything in black and white with only a few splashes of colour is to create a ‘comic-book’ feel to the extract.

In this scene, red has been used for emphasis of both the woman and what she is wearing. She is shown in a long red dress which suggests that she is quite elegant, creating a sense of femininity. The dress could also be seen as a signifier of her class, as it looks quite expensive and sleek. Red also connotes love and passion, which can be seen as a key theme in this extract. However, this is juxtaposed with the fact that red also connotes death and murder, which suggests that she is in danger. When the couple are talking, the woman’s eyes flash green as the man compliments them. This emphasizes the fact that he likes them and also shows how she is gazing at him longingly.

The pace of the extract is kept slow throughout to allow tension to slowly build by the development of the conversation. The calm straight cuts help to create a calm and casual atmosphere which juxtaposes the fact that she is going to be killed, as even when this happens the pace remains slow.

Mise-en-scene – props, costume, setting, lighting, colour…
The main character is wearing a red dress with red lipstick to provide contrast to everything else which is shown in black and white, such as the man’s suit. Red connotes both love and death, which is important as the scene focuses on both of those factors. The woman has been chosen to be shown in red as it suggests to the audience that something will happen to the woman, either something positive (love) or negative (death).

Both characters wear fairly sophisticated and high class clothes which suggest the types of lives they lead. This is reinforced by the strong, charming character of the man and the quiet yet confident character of the woman, who remain casual throughout to coincide with the slow pace of editing. The man uses very positive facial expressions and seems very sure of himself and his actions. Similarly, the woman matches the man by replying in the exact same manner, which suggests a close bond between the two.

Thriller Genre and Sub-Genres and Technical Codes and Conventions

2008-11-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

The purpose of film genres:
Film genres were created to categorize films to make it easier for the public to create initial impressions about films. Each genre has its own specific technical codes and conventions that are consistent throughout the genre and sub-genres. This allows the audience to have some idea of what to expect when seeing a film in a certain genre. We can use the idea of codes and conventions to delve deeper into the thriller genre and find out what makes a successful thriller film.

What is a thriller?
The term thriller refers to the types of film that, quite simple, thrill the audience. To elaborate, they are able to promote a high level of excitement and suspense, as well as including elements that add ultra-heightened expectation to create nerve-wracking tension.

Thriller films only have one aim – to provide something that is thrilling to watch that leaves the audience constantly wanting more. They do this by including intense plots that slowly build up to an exciting climax. Tension is usually created when the main character or group of characters (which is becoming increasingly common) is placed in a dangerous or menacing situation, such as a spy trying to complete a mission that seems impossible. In most cases, the life of the characters is always threatened, usually by placing them unsuspectingly or unknowingly in a deadly situation of which survival appears to be unlikely. Thrillers use plots ridden with villains or monsters which provide some sort of conflict with the protagonist as this makes the story much more exciting.

As thriller is such a wide genre with many sub-genres, it is rare to see a film simple categorized as a thriller. Sub-genres are classed as hybrids as they are made up of two separate genres to create one single, more specific sub genre. With the thriller genre, most films are able to be categorized as these ‘hybrids’ and each include their own set of codes and conventions which differ slightly from others in the thriller genre as conventions from the other half of the hybrid add to make each sub-genre different and unique.

Examples of Sub-Genres of Thriller:
Crime Thriller - This sub-genre offers an account of either successful or failed crimes but presents them in a very suspenseful way to make them more interesting to watch. These films often choose to focus more from the criminal(s) point of view as opposed to the policeman/detective’s side. This is because the lifestyle of the criminal and the part they play within the story tends to be more fast paces and enjoyable to watch. Crime thrillers also include a lot of psychological aspects to play on the audiences emotions which creates a much more thrilling plot. Common themes throughout this sub genre are: robberies, drugs, murders, chases, framing other characters and shootouts.

Action Thriller - This sub-genre usually includes a race against time, in which the main character has to complete a task in a set time period but has to overcome certain obstacles, often using violence and things of that nature. These films also often include an antagonist that challenges the protagonist throughout the film trying to prevent them from succeeding in their task. Common elements of this sub-genre are large amounts of gunfire and explosions and elaborate set pieces and locations. Perfect examples of a successful action-thriller are the James Bond films.

Drama Thriller - This sub-genre includes aspects from both drama and thriller based films. These types of films are normally a lot slower than other thriller films to create a dramatic effect. They also often choose to focus on one character and the development of the character throughout the film including many twists in plot to create an unpredictable ending. A good example of this is the film The Illusionist.

Conspiracy Thriller - This sub-genre focuses on a hero/heroine that confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. Films such as The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum fall under this sub-genre.

Disaster Thriller - This sub-genre focuses on problems that arise from a natural or artificial disaster. These include things such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, volcanoes and asteroid/comet collisions or in case of an artificial disaster, nuclear disasters. A good example of this is the film Twister by Jan De Bont.

Horror Thriller - This sub-genre focuses on the conflict concerning the mental, emotional and physical state of the main character(s). The horror thriller sub-genre differs from the other sub-genres of thrillers simply due to the consistent element of fear thoughout the story. The main character is always seem to be victimized either as a random act of evil or as a strategic attack for some reason or another. A good example of this is the recent ‘Saw’ series.

Legal Thriller - This sub-genre focuses on a lawyer-heroes/heroines confront foes both in and outside the courtroom, usually using unconvential means to support their case. This commonly poses the risk of the character not only losing the case bu endangering their lives. The Innocent Man by John Grisham is a well known example of this type of film.

Political Thriller - This sub-genre focuses on a hero/heroine that must ensure the stability of the government that employs them. A good example of this type of film is The Manchurian Candidate.

Psychological Thriller - This sub-genre often focuses on the disturbed emotional and mental state of the main character and the way in which this effects their actions, such as random violent acts. David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet are notable examples of this type of film.

Spy Thriller - This sub-genre focuses on a hero that is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. The James Bond films and The Bourne Identity films are perfect examples of this sub-genre.

Supernatural Thriller - This sub-genre focuses on characters that usually have some form of supernatural powers. This type of film includes the regular aspect of tension that are seen throughout the thriller genre with some elements that are also included in the horror genre, such as the occut and and psychic phenomenon. They also generally eschew the more graphic elements of the horror film in favor of sustaining a mood of menace and unpredictability; supernatural thrillers often find the protagonists either battling a malevolent paranormal force or trapped in a situation seemingly influenced or controlled by an other-worldly entity beyond their comprehension.

Techno-thriller - This sub-genre usually focuses upon the military and the technology used by them. The technology is described in detail which is important as it is key to the audience being able to understand the plot correctly and prevent them from being confuses, as technology can be for some people. After the release of The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy is now considered to be the "Father of the Technothriller."

Thriller Conventions:

Below is a list of the conventions of the thriller genre, obtained from - http://thrillerproject.blogspot.com/

o A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder, but not necessarily).
o A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions.
o A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved.
o A protagonist who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist.
o Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.
o Themes of identity.
o Themes of mirroring.
o Themes of voyeurism.
o Protagonist with a ‘flaw’ which is exploited by the antagonist.
o Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonist’s psychological state.
o There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril.
o Mise en scene which echoes/ mirrors the protagonist’s plight.