Final plot

Our final idea is alot different to that in the pitch. This is because the idea is unrealistic and doesn't meet the criteria.
 Our new plot is...

 Now the opening sequence will entail a kidnap of young man who will be visiously interrogated. The start of the film shows the prisoner getting kidnapped, the rest of the opening sequence shows him been taken to a secret location where he will be interrogated. During this scene the prisoner will experience multiple flashbacks that are blended together to create a sense of confusion. We enter the film at stage 2 of Todorov's theory where the equilibrum is disrupted.
The main sequence of film shows the lead up to the events in the opening sequence. The seen will show his everyday life whilst letting the know he has been falsely accused. The opening is near the end of the narrative, so when the opening sequence is shown again in chronoliogical order of the film, we will understand what is going on and why. The end will stick to the natural order of films with  with narrative resolution where the prisoner is rescued and the villians taken down by law enforcement officers.


We have changed the plot based on the audience feedback sheet in lesson and the target audience feedback sheets. We decided to change the idea because we need to create a film that will be gripping to our audience therefore it would be foolish not to take there views into consideration.
 Both sets of respondants say that the film wasn't necassarily a thriller and it was more action based. To change this we looked at the thriller conventions and chose confusion as what we want to aim for in the opening sequence. By having an interrogation scene where not everything is clear for example the reasoning behind it and who the chatacters are it will make the audience want to watch and see what the resolution will be.

Blog update

I have now uploaded both questionnaire's on to my blog, After this I analysed the feedback from both sets of data. As a group now we going to create the final plot bearing in mind the target audience feedback.

Questionnaire

We gave to other people of all age groups to get a wider response to narrow down the good ideas-

Media film questionnaire

We have already explained the plot and ideas to you now please fill out the questionnaire.

1.     What do you think of the overall plot?

2.     What do you think to the point of which we join the film?

3.     Which ideas could be improved?

4.     What age group do you think our film is aimed at?

15-18    19-22   23-27   28+

5.     Do we introduce the characters/ plot/ Setting?

6.     Will the main sequence of film be able to continue on from our opening sequence?

            

7.     Does our opening sequence grip you the viewer to watch the rest of the film?

class questionnaire for audience review

Here is the one for the class audience review-

Mark Northcott

Tom Ryder

Tom Riley

Arthur Scholes-Furness

Audience feedback

1.     Do you think this film has the potential to be an effective thriller?

2.     Does this idea meet all the criteria of the task?

3.     Which ideas of the planned product did you personally find effective and why?

4.     Which bits of the ideas of the planned product did you feel were not particularly good and why?

5.     What could we change with our idea to make it a better product? 

6.     What age of target audience do you think that this idea is best to aim at?

Questionnaire analysis

Questionnaire Analysis

In our group we all asked different people to get a range of results; we will eventually compare notes to get the better analysis of our opening sequence. I asked 10 people of a variety of age groups to fill in the questionnaire.

In the analysis I will average out the results and have an overall conclusion for each question.

1)      What do you think of the overall plot? (I told them the new plot which will be on the blog later)

Overall the feedback was very positive with the recurring response that confusion will be created, this is what we wanted for our film

I asked a 19 year old female what she thought of the opening sequence, she said “ I think the plot is exciting, yet quite typical which means the audience will know if they will enjoy it”

By typical I believe the respondent means that it is suited naturally to the thriller genre.

I then asked a 44 year old male who said “The plot sounds very exciting and suited to a normal thriller movie; however it might be a bit far fetched in terms of filming it and making it look realistic.”

These two comments show the plot could be very attractive but difficult to create on film. However our ideas are going to come to life through editing techniques so really I’m not too worried about creating the opening sequence.

2)      What do you think to the point of which we join the film/

This question asks the respondent if the opening sequence start is suitable to our plot.

One person I asked said “To have the start as the near end is effective because it will make the viewer think and possibly create confusion”

This as a group is what we wanted to hear because seen as confusion is the main element we want to aim for as well as been one of the main elements of thriller shows that we are picking the correct stage of Todorov’s theory to come into.

However one person said “this might be to confusing for the audience, film it in chronological order.”

 I respect this response but we chose to do the opening like this because confusion is created as well as creating a gripping introduction for the audience.

3)      What ideas could be improved?

Overall the respondents suggested the opening is suitable but if one part had to be changed it would be to use something else instead of an interrogation because it seems very difficult to film. To get round these difficulties we will use a hand held POV shot with sound effects added from the actor afterward filming and during the editing process.

4)      What age group do you think our film is aimed at?

If I did the questionnaire again I would increase the range of age in each category so instead of ‘15-18’ I would do ‘15-20’ because in this day and age 18 to 20 year olds will think very similarly to each other.

The results are shown in the bar chart below.

 The age groups are '15-18' '19-22' '23-27' '28+'

The graph show that the respondents believe the film is aimed at the ages of 15 to 27 year  olds which is exactly what we were going for because our group is in that age range.
Sorry graph is unclear it wouldn't copy and paste.

5)      Do we introduce characters/ plot/ setting?

The respondents all agree that the location isn’t recognizable to the character but not entirely to them, this is what we want to have. We want an audience who don’t understand straight away why the events are happening which are taking place.

 The main character isn’t introduced clearly, facial features show him but not a lot of detail about him is clear. We do possibly need to show the protagonist which allows a character audience bond which will help set up the film and there understanding.

6)      Will the main sequence of the film be able to continue on from our opening sequence?

A 26 year old male says “yes, because the while film is unclear, which makes the audience want to watch the rest of the film to see what happens.” We aim to have an opening sequence which encourages the viewer to continue watching therefore we don’t want to give too much away yet show hints of what is to come.

7)      Does our opening sequence grip you the viewer to watch the rest of the film?

There was mixed reviews on whether or not my respondents would want to watch the rest of the film. Some elements determined whether the audience would watch. Gender was an issue and so was age. Unfortunately the majority of people I spoke to were under 28 meaning that the views aren’t shared with people over 28. The younger viewer is our target audience. By younger I mean 15 to 25, we are aiming at this age group because we fit in to and also the action and plot our suited to the younger generation that have grown up with this type of film. In the sense that the construction of films is forever changing to suit the current demands of the audience. So we want to create a film to fit in with others in 2011 not films from 1960 because the audience has changed and so have expectations.

Blog update

We have a new plot for our film because the original idea wasn't upto scrtach and didn't have any relavent thriller conventions.
 Now the opening sequence will entail a kidnap of young man who will be visiously interrogated. However due to camera work and editing the location and other chasracters won't be clear until the main opart of the film. The drugs raid is no longer existant because it wass to difficult and common to achieve it. Now we feel confusion can be created (a typical thriller convention) therefore giving the audience a more enjoyable opening sequence where anything could happen.

Also the questionnaire will be based on the new and improved plot.

My pitch

I tried to upload my powerpoint presentation straight on to blogger, this didnt work, Slideshare didnt work either.
 I apologise for my pitch not being a presenatation anymore, but I had to turn it in to a word document.

My pitch was previously on Powerpoint and this consisted of 8 slides.

Genre

We are going to create a hybrid of the Thriller genre. It will comprise of both sub genres crime thriller and action thriller. We have chosen this hybrid because it is on the edge of your seat action.

THE PLOT

The year is 2015 drug related crime is at an all-time high. Law enforcement officers are struggling to keep the peace. It’s outer city Manchester, The Greater Manchester police department are out on patrol, when they are called out in pursuit of a notorious drug Lord. The film starts near the end then cuts back to 2 weeks earlier where many people have been dying due to increased drug use. Due to this increase Greater Manchester police have recognised this has to come to an end sooner rather than later leading them to tackle the problem head on. Intel suggested that there is a King pin in hiding within the local area who is the cause of the wide scale distribution of the drugs to various gangs. To tackle the problem the police put the most feared tag team on the case, there job is to go round each and every gang to collect vital information on the King pin to bring him down before it’s too late.

How will this appeal to the audience?

This will appeal to the audience, as it will be high action, none stop thrill ride, all the way through. It will keep the audience on the edge of their seats and they would not want to look away incase they miss a thing. The hybrid genre will allow the audience to experience a thriller at its best. The opening sequence has to grab the attention of the audience that is why we are doing an adrenaline filled opening to get the audience straight into the film.

Opening sequence

Are opening sequence will start at the heart of the action where the police duo have found the last gang member who has Intel on the where about of the King pin’s hideout, we are doing this because it is highly effective at keeping the audience interested and want them to keep watching to see the outcome and the events leading up to the resolution We are starting at stage two of Todorov’s theory of the story.

Introductions to the film

The opening sequence will introduce the main characters so the audience can build up a relationship with each character to help them understand the rest of the film. Also the audience will understand from the start the hybrid genre, which introduces the narrative at the same time. The narrative is introduced because having the end at the start allows the audience to know what's happened but not why, which creates confusion ( a thriller convention). The product doesn’t necessarily introduce the location because the hideout is supposed to be unknown but all will become clear throughout the rest of the film.

What are the representations?

We are representing some of the characters very stereotypically this is because the audience can decide for themselves if a character is the hero or the villain. The police duo are going to be like any other heroes but without the powers meaning they rely on their own ability whilst not appearing immortal which means that anything could happen to them at anytime. The villain is very similar but doesn’t understand the right and wrongs of the law making him a dominant force.  

What are we hoping to achieve?

  From the opening sequence we hope to set the tone for the entire film letting the audience know if the film is suitable for them or not. The mood isn’t going to be dull or sad, its going to be excitement due to the high octane action. Also hope to set the mood in the opening sequence and keep it like that for the entire film to stop the audience losing interest.




After the pitch we asked the audience to fill in an audience feedback sheet, from this we now understand that the idea wasn't suitable for the criteria and was to hollywood blockbuster. Although our new idea is aiming to be quite Hollywood we want to include more thriller elements, there the new plot creates a lot of confusion but sticking to our before element of excitement.


(Our new plot is to come on to my Blog in the near future)

Blog update

We did the pitch today for the our film, we received feedback from other groups allowing us to see what worked and what didn't. From this we have decided to change some ideas to show conventional thriller methods to suit the criteria.

Blog update

Finally completed my textual analysis. My next media coursework lesson is Tuesday  22/11/11.

I found the textual analysis difficult because i struggle with explaining points and writing in masses without losing focus.

Textual analysis- Swordfish, Collateral and Con air

Textual analysis

The three thriller films I’m evaluating are Swordfish, Collateral and my own choice Con air. The three films are all sub genres of Thriller therefore they all contain different elements and conventions to each other. I’ll analysis each film against each other in sub categories.

Sound

All three contain non-diegetic sound at the start when the cut from the titles to the opening scene. However Swordfish uses a soundtrack that doesn’t link with what’s on screen but Con air uses a voice over of an army officer talking the rangers (United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army), which lets the viewer know a bit of background information of the main character.  Collateral uses synchronous sound because the first few 30 seconds is in an airport although you don’t see the runway the viewer still knows the location.  To support the sound of the plane and to distinguish location the well known sounds for an airport. The dialogue and the way the main antagonistic characters speak are very serious and recognisable in all thriller films. John Travolta in swordfish speaks fluently and stubbornly, which enables him to get his views across. Through his tone of voice the viewer recognises he is a dominant figure and shows signs of his intellectual intelligence. The first few antagonistic characters in Con air show a negative stereotype compared to John Travolta because they result to swearing and using insults, which shows a person as having low levels of intellectual intelligence. Whereas in Collateral we don’t hear Tom Cruise speaking for periods of time leaving his character more of a mystery. The diegetic sound in the background of Swordfish appears to be muted to emphasis what’s been said by Travolta. Only do we realise the severity of the situation when he stands and the emphasised sound of military rifles been loaded can we even start to imagine what’s happening. As time goes on do we understand what is happening because of the non-diegetic and diegetic sound been edited in together, the sound bridge for the soundtrack adds to the continuity, but the diegtic sound of the helicopters and police car’s is now selective sound to add to the narrative. This is the case in many thriller films mainly for effect and to show the genre. However the sound isn’t stereotypical in Con air because the opening sequence isn’t as hectic as in Swordfish but for about 30 seconds during the opening sequence the natural equilibrium is disturbed by the fight scene. No backing track is used though; they just use synchronous sound for example the construction site which is the ambient sound along with the selective sounds of the bottle smashing on the metal fence. Also selective sound is used when punches are thrown and connect. The diegetic sound in Collateral is significant, when Foxx gets into the taxi the background noise is overpowering but when he slams the door shut we hear nothing. This shows the viewer that the inside of the taxi is his way of escaping the outside world and that he can just relax.

Mise-en-scene  

Lighting

The mise-en-scene in Collateral and Swordfish is very recognisable in the thriller world because the dark café room in Swordfish makes the scene more intense and confusion is created because the viewer doesn’t really know what is happening and the location of the café, these are conventions of the thriller genre. Whereas in Collateral the opening sequence starts with the bright lights of the airport, this is unusual because the viewer knows the location and suggests that the equilibrium is currently undisturbed.

The jump cut from morning to evening in Collateral contrasts the lighting in Swordfish. The same goes for Con air, the jump cut from day to night shows the undisturbed equilibrium, the bar is lit up with soft colours to show the film with a relaxed mood but it contrasts itself to the outside world in the car park where the street lamps provide the only light meaning something could happen because anything could be waiting in the shadows, this perfectly introduces the fight scene.

The lighting is different in the explosion scene in swordfish and the scene in Con air because one has the jump cut and the other has continuity to the editing leaving the time of day the same, however the explosion scene in Swordfish had to be done in the day to create of the effect of the equilibrium been destroyed during the busy day and the destruction is clearer to the viewer. The only dark street lamp lighting in Collateral is to show Jamie Foxx’s character having to driver his taxi all day. This creates subtle suspense because we know something is going to change Foxx’s day for the worse, which is a true thriller convention.

On Foxx and Cage soft lighting is used to create a positive relationship between these two characters and the audience, whereas the lighting on Cruise is relatively harsh with the bright intruding lights of the airport.

Costumes

The main theme between the main antagonists and even the protagonists is smart formal dress. Travolta in Swordfish, Cruise and Statham in Collateral all appear to be antagonists and wearing suits, all of the suits are black or charcoal to show them as antagonistic characters in the film, Cruise is going against the typical villain stereotype because he is wearing a light grey suit with a white shirt possibly leaving the viewer confused about whether or not he is going to be the hero or the villain in the film.

Cage in Con air is clearly the protagonist in the opening sequence; this is shown through his costume, the smart armed forces parade uniform shows he is disciplined. Compared to the protagonist in Collateral Foxx wears very casual clothing this is because he is a taxi driver and would look out of place in a suit and tie, this makes him appear as your stereotypical average man. To contrast the costumes even more the opening sequence in Con air the villains are also wearing casual clothing, but this enables the viewer to see who is going to be the superior character. They are purposely made to look like a stereotypical ‘red neck’ by this I mean not looking very intelligent and acting without any clear thought. The two protagonists in Swordfish Cheadle and Jackman wear completely different attire; this is because of their status in society. Cheadle is a highly ranked police officer who needs to dress formally to show this, whereas Jackman is dressed smart casual because he isn’t a superior character compared to Travolta and Cheadle, if he wore a suit the viewer would miss interpret his character as someone else.

Props

The props play a major role in the opening sequence of all three films. The significant prop we see in Swordfish is the cigar and cigar cutter; these items show the high class of Travolta and wealth because they are thicker than most cigars. Also the cigar is a phallic object which reinforces Travolta’s masculinity.  Both Con air and Swordfish have the use of weapons in the opening sequence, the weapon in Con air does contrast the weapons in Swordfish due to the scale of destruction that could be caused, Swordfish uses a variety of light machine guns, rifles and sniper rifles, along with the obvious explosive bomb jackets on the hostages. Also there is a lot of emphasis and exposure of the bomb trigger held by Travolta this is because he could kill and take out a street with one move of his finger. Where in Con air the main prop weapon is the knife and possibly the broken bottle, these seem like deadly weapons, this effect is created by the simplistic setting and the position Cage is in. Swordfish is the only film to use dialogue in the film to explain what could potential happen of the bomb device was triggered, this creates suspense again which is a typical thriller convention.

The most significant prop in Collateral isn’t a weapon but a black briefcase that is used between the briefcase switch. This leaves confusion for the audience and gets them guessing what it could be. This is also a typical convention of thriller.

A very subtle yet effective prop in Collateral is the advertisement used in the airport which matches the one on Foxx’s taxi; this shows the link between the characters and alerts the viewers that a meeting between the two is unavoidable.

Camera angles/ movement and editing

Most films across all the genres follow the trend of using an establishing shot in the opening sequence to show location of where the film is set. However in Swordfish the camera goes straight into a close up of Travolta, through editing Travolta appears to be talking to a CCTV camera creating enigma. Also the confusion of where the film is set, also there aren’t any cuts to other characters during this part of the scene, on the other hand the start of Con air has fast paced editing from when the viewer sees the war zone up until Cage gets off the boat in his hometown. The camera shots are high angled looking down over the squadron which shows their formation and appearance as a unit. Also Swordfish doesn’t use a shot reverse shot during Travolta’s opening scene, even when Cheadle and Jackman talk, this shows who has the power in the scene. Collateral is very in keeping with other genres of film by using the establishing shot to show Cruise walking through the airport, the cut to mid shot tracking backwards is used to show his power because no-one walking in to frame in front of Cruise, also this shows he is going to be main character throughout the film. The same shot is used on Statham but this time extras walking into the foreground of the frame to show that he isn’t going to play a major part. The two shot of both of them means that are similar to each other in terms of power because no angle change is used on either of them during the switch over. However the camera does cut to ground level and focus is on the two briefcases to emphasis what is happening. Through this sequence of events the editing is slow paced.

A jump cut through time is used in Collateral to show Foxx has a hard working taxi driver who starts in the morning and carries it on in to the late evening.  Also it shows the natural equilibrium for his character with no serious problem; however the viewer can anticipate that it could change at any time. Con air uses as a lot of fast paced editing at the start of the sequence, with many cuts between from artillery to tanks and general warfare, like Collateral, Con air uses a jump cut through time but it is more significant because it travel lot further through time than just a day. All the information though the viewer can gather about Cage’s character is very important because it sets him up as a force to be reckoned with whilst keeping him as the protagonist.

The most unique and successful editing used on Swordfish is the slow motion 360 degree panning shot which shows the audience full scale detail of the explosion and its effects on everyone in the shot and surrounding area. The slow motion puts emphasis on what has just happened. If the explosion was in full speed then so much of the action would be missed on screen having less of an effect on the audience and the opening sequence as a whole. Sound linked with this editing very well because whenever the pan got near specific events you would hear the steel pellets rushing through and parting the air. The sound was clearly diegetic even though if the editing was full speed the characters wouldn’t necessarily hear the steel pellets hurtling through the air it is still there within the scene. All these components linked together show the convention of thriller in just a few seconds because anticipation and confusion is created because it takes a while to sink in that the equilibrium has been destroyed well within a split second. Moments before the explosion the equilibrium shows signs of becoming disturbed because the editing turns to fast paced with cuts between the café, the bank and the street, this also creates a sense of confusion but shows desperation in characters because the cuts go to a close up of a character to show desperate facial expressions again another thriller convention with characters looking desperate and worried about certain events. In the opening sequences  Swordfish is the only one with as significantly large scale action sequence, whereas Collateral and Con air use hints of what’s to come and sets the narrative of the film, this is shown through the pace of editing. The fast paced editing shows disruption but the subtle cuts in Collateral show an ordinary day but the camera shots and props lets the audience know that it wont stay like that for long.

Special effects (SFX)

Special effects play a large role in the opening sequence of Swordfish to set up the plot. The most obvious use of SFX is the explosion in the street. Although explosions can be used in any genre this one is stereotypical of a thriller just because the audience doesn’t know why it has happened and the events leading up to it. The explosion is CGI (computer generated imagery), by using CGI the explosion can look s dramatic and realistic as the budget will allow. Also the cars been tipped over by the explosion is also special effects. With the technology been so advanced the whole scene looks very realistic. Con air uses CGI explosions as well for example with the tank firing the projectiles. This also gives as realistic view of what Cage’s background is, the SFX can link with the narrative by making it seem real. In contrast Collateral uses CGI to represent and show the location for the film setting. The CGI is used when the taxi is been tracked by an aerial shot driving round LA.

Actors and Representations

Both the antagonists and protagonists in all three films are recognisable for playing parts in thrillers. In Swordfish Travolta’s known for his roles in other thrillers for example ‘Pulp fiction’ (1994) which is very similar sub genre. Hugh Jackman is recognised for been in action based films like ‘X-Men’ (2000). Finally Cheadle’s role in ‘Devil in a blue dress’ (1995) made him recognisable as an actor in crime based films. With a set of actors who recognisable for certain genres makes the film more appealing to the audience also the success of the film can be increased. Travolta is represented as your powerful, strong minded villain. This is shown in the opening sequence through his    dialogue, he is very confident and intellectual because there is no stuttering and it’s very fluently spoken. The close-ups on his face show the sequence been based around him. Jackman is shown as the more thoughtful character that appears to be siding with the “bad guys” but not by his own desire. Also he seems to be phased by the surroundings shown mainly through camera shots, the shot reverse shots from him to specific people or vehicles show this. The shots are low angles looking up to him not to show power but they enable the viewer to see into the sky from Jackman’s point of view. Cheadle is represented as a character the audience can feel sorry for because he knows what could happen if people mess Travolta about and he has no control over the situation even though he should considering he is powerful figure, but he’s a powerful figure with no control.

Cruise and Statham are very similar to each o9ther because both have the appearance as powerful character, contrasting to Foxx’s character that looks vulnerable in the real world when he isn’t in his taxi which he recognises as his safe place. Cruise known for previous roles, most famously prior to Collateral was ‘Minority report’ (2002) which was action based but could pass for thriller based on the plot means he was best suited for this role due too the background and status

as one the best actors of modern times. Statham known for his highly successful role in ‘The Transporter’ (2002). With both having acted in thrillers the audience recognises the film as a thriller. Foxx is represented as a stereotypical average man. This is shown through the mise-en-scene of the opening sequence. This tells the audience he isn’t powerful or controlling like Cruise.

Although ‘Con air’ is a lot different to the others it has very much the same representations, however Cage is the dominant force which is traditionally the case to have the protagonist more powerful than the antagonist. This is shown through his representation as a Ranger for the armed forces because of his skills as a trained fighter. Whereas the villains in the opening sequence are contrasting to Travolta in ‘Swordfish’ because through the mise-en-scene and sound they are certainly less powerful and forward thinking. Another important character in the opening sequence of Con air is Cage’s wife, she is represented as been very stereotypical because she is blonde haired slim and very vulnerable when she is on her own. The blonde hair is meant to represent her as dependant on others because she isn’t capable.

Narrative

We get hints of the narrative in ‘Collateral’ right from the start. The briefcase switches over alarms the audience that it must have significant importance in the film. For most of the opening sequence though the narrative is in stage one of Todorov’s structure, this represents the five stages of a thriller film. Stage one is the undisturbed equilibrium of the film, ‘Collateral’ is at this stage because Foxx is going through his daily routine of driving his taxi. This though hints that stage two of Todorov’s structure could occur at anytime, the disturbance of the equilibrium in the film. The audience can see that Cruise is going to be the disturbance of Foxx but we don’t know why. We do get however a build up of a relationship with Foxx’s character because we can see he is just an ordinary guy who wants to move up in the world and stop his embarrassment of driving a taxi. There is significantly less narrative in this opening sequence than in ‘Swordfish’.

There is an extreme contrast between the two opening sequences because ‘Swordfish’ starts at stage 2 of Todorov’s structure then instantly jumps to stage three where the audience can recognise something is wrong. Also there is a mix up in the chronological order of the film, usually we would see the build up to understand what is happening but ‘Swordfish’ goes straight for the main sequence of film creating confusion.

Compared to the other films Con air’s opening sequence is similar to Collateral’s because we sense the equilibrium but it gets disturbed. However where it does differ is where the film starts, straight away we get information on the main character similar to Foxx’s character in Collateral but we get a sense of family orientated sequence, Cage been he alpha male protecting his wife. We don’t get that in the others because in this the protagonist can protect himself and others. As well as this we get as proper set up for the film ahead, we the audience know that Cage is going to get in trouble and that the plot involves villains.

 In the opening sequence of the films two out of the three have an actual title edited into the film. ‘Swordfish’ title links with the narrative because the text is from the original computers and recognisable to the audience.

 Con air also uses a title that links with storyline. This title is similar to the logo you see on the sides of planes therefore it is relative to the film.

However Collateral doesn’t have a title in the opening sequence of the film leaving the viewer to watch the film uninterrupted. But Con air use the title as link from the opening sequence to the main scenes.

It is unusual not to have the title in the opening sequence because the majority do; also it is not a thriller genre convention so it doesn’t hint to what the film is about.

blog update

Over the past six days i've been working on my textual analysis essay, the three thriller films i'm comparing and analysing are Swordfish, Collateral and Con air. We told to do the first two then we had to choice another film for ourselves. I chose Con air becaue it is a lot different compared to the other two narrative wise.

Media lesson 15/11/11

We were told we could use lesson time to complete the textual analysis whilst doing it outside of college.
Also we have started talking about ideas for our films and for next tuesday i will need to complete with my group a presentation about our opening sequence

Blog update

We started to taslk about the main task and set a deadline for a short research task about our chosen genre Thriller- this has to be uploaded on the blog by Monday 7th November.

Thriller genre research

What is a Thriller film? Thrillers are a genre of film, literature and television programming that makes the viewer feel tension, suspense and excitement as its main elements for this. Also they can make the viewer think alot more unlike in a comedy which is easy to follow with a simple setup with its three part narrative, its opening to introduce, in most cases the disturbance of equillibrum and finally the narrative resolution, a Thriller can makes the viewer watch due to the twists and turns throughout often causing confusion. This makes them gripping and you can rate the success on how gripping and tense the film can become through certain events.


What does a Thriller have to achieve? A thriller film has to heavily stimulate the viewers with high levels of anticipation, uncertainty, tension, suspense and excitement. It is more complex than most film genres because it has many sub genres and many elements it has to meet to become successful.  


How has the genre developed historically? One of the earlier Thrillers was directed by Alfred Hitchcock called 'The Lodger' which shaped the modern Thriller genre we see today. this film created suspense where the plot was about 'Jack the Ripper' story.
The most well known Thrillers stick to the basics created by Hitchcock these include: 
The Dark Knight (2008) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ5U8suTUw0
Pulp Fiction (1994) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZBfmBvvotE
The Adjustment Bureau (2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHVU3fKhsjI
These films are thrillers but arte different sub genres, these examples show the different ends of Thriller genre. From sci-fi romance to action. This also allows the viewer to watch any type of Thriller which caters for all viewers needs.
What are the conventions of the genre? The conventions of a Thriller are: Tension, confusion,excitement, anticipation. The settings are usually irregular to everyday life or rundown areas. Also there can be common themes and sub genres such as comedy 'horror thriller' and science fiction thrillers to name a few. Thrillers have to contain these but not all because depending on the genre you cant always use tension. But even an Action Thriller like 'Con Air'  doesn't contain all these elements for example confusion isn't created because it is extremely straight forward and viewer friendly but it does have excitement this is why it is categorisied as a Thriller but necassarily a thorough breed Thriller it is more of a mixed breed.


Sub genres of Thriller films:
Sci-fi Thriller- Adjustment Bureau-
Action thriller- Watchmen-
Psychological thriller- The silence of the lambs-
Crime thriller- Taken-
Horror thriller- Apollo 18-
Drama thriller- Goodfellas-
Mystery thriller- The Prestige-