We used many elements in our film of a typical thriller, here they are;
Jump Scares
At the end of our thriller opening we used jump scares. At the end we see Stacey in a mask, the lights then go off and it is completely pitch black, the lights then come back on where Stacey is gradually getting closer to Alex. Each time the lights come back on we have a stinger using the soundtrack. This creates a jump scare for the audience as they do not expect it to happen and then along with the soundtrack it makes it much more dramatic.
Our Thriller Never Look Back
Real Media Product - Dead Silence
Soundtrack
We have used several soundtracks throughout our thriller opening. We first used quite a dramatic soundtrack at the start of our thriller opening when we see Alex following Stacey. We build up the tension with the soundtrack, in this part, to make the audience think that Alex has got it in for Stacey and he is the one stalking her. However, we see later on that this isn't the case and that it is actually Stacey stalking Alex. Later on in our thriller opening we use a very dramatic and tense soundtrack when we see Stacey in the mask with Alex on the chair tied up. This is to build up the tension and make the situation seem dangerous to the audience and it gets them thinking what Stacey is going to do next which then leaves the audience on a cliffhanger. In the scene below from the conjuring the use of soundtrack is really good. When the woman is walking up to the wardrobe the music gets quieter and then stops this makes people think that something is going to happen and then jul out of the wardrobe, when something does finally appear there is a stinger and the soundtrack is tense signifying that it is a scary and dangerous situation.
Real Media Product - The Conjuring
Pace of Editing
The pace of editing at the start of our thriller opening is quite slow when we see Alex and Stacey in the school together because at the start it looks like a normal day with students at school. We then cut to the scene where Alex is threatening Stacey which again is still quite slow paced because there isn't a lot of action because Alex is holding Stacey so she cannot go anywhere. We then see Stacey run off and then Alex starts to follow her. This is when the pace of editing starts to get quicker, this shows that Stacey is rushing to get away from Alex and it also builds up tension as we do not know what is going to happen, then when stacey goes into her house the pace of editing slows down as Stacey has got away from Alex. The pace of editing starts to pick up again at the end of the opening when we see Stacey wearing the mask this is because the audience think that Alex is in danger which is shown through the fast pace of editing.
Real Media Product - Psycho
Another important part of addressing any audience is knowing the genre that your film is going to be based on. Genre is a way of categorising a particular media text according to its content and style. Genre is French word that means 'type' or 'kind' and plays a major role in the way films are planned, produced and packaged by the studios and the way they are consumed and understood by the audiences. This could be either n the form of sub genre or hybrid genre as well as single genres.
Example of a Hybrid Genre - Taken
Example of Sub Genre - Scream
Audience pleasures and conventions are also very important when addressing any audience to the type of film you are making here is a little bit about the two;
Audience pleasures which are provided through genres are;
- Emotional pleasures - romantic films/horror - creates anxiety
- Visceral pleasures - Horror/thriller/action e.g. SALT
- Intellectual puzzles - unravelling a mystery or a puzzle e.g. adventure
- Counter-culture attraction - society's moral and legal regulations being broken e.g. crime drama
Visceral pleasures create a visual effect on the audience e.g. a rollercoaster ride feeling. This cam be seen in thrillers, action and horrors. Below is a image taken from final destination whereby a character is on a rollercoaster however the language used makes us as the audience feel as if we are also on that rollercoaster with the characters.
A visceral pleasure in our thriller is the part where we see Stacey hit Alex over the head with a bottle. As it is from Stacey's point of view it makes the audience feel as if they are involved in the scene.
To see this part of our thriller click here and skip to 1 minute and 24 seconds.
Intellectual puzzles, unravelling a mystery or puzzle. This method is used in mainly horrors and thrillers, the whole idea is to create suspense, it challenges the audiences minds and actually makes them think in more detail about every aspect of the film. The film below represents intellectual puzzles brilliantly. The Da Vinci Code.
Key genre conventions include;
- Characters - their role in the film and representations
- Mise-en-scene - costume, props and setting
- Verbal signifiers - dialogue
- Visual signifiers - props
- Musical signifiers - diegetic and non-diegetic sounds
After looking at some audience reviews for the action-thriller film Taken I would say it is the case. "I was not disappointed, the start of the film even before it came onto the screen built up so much tension and excitement, before you know it 93 minutes are gone in a blur of fighting, fear, chasing and excitement at serious pace. It gives you the feeling that you are the one attacking and that horrible feeling of those girls being used and exposed."
I am now going to embed a video of an audience reacting to our thriller opening Never Look Back.
My next post will be Evaluation Question 6.
