In this post I am going to be analyzing different sound techniques used within a clip from 2004 remake thriller film 'The Grudge' starring 'scream queen' Sarah Michelle Gellar.
The scene begins with a weird rustlingly sound, it sounds both creepy and supernatural, hence adding to the fear factor of our antagonist this would be non diegetic sound. The effect of this makes the audience curious as to what is going on and who/what exactly is in their with the victim hence building further intrest from the audience and keeping them more engaged with the film by doing so they are more able to enjoy it as they are keeping up with the events of the film and won't become lost and therefore bored as they are unable to follow the plot.
We hear the protagonist gasping in fear, this would be diegetic sound hearing her make these noises instantly enforces the idea of how panicking this situation must be for her, the audience is shown how vulnerable she is and how frightening the situation is for her this makes the audience feel sorrow for her building a stronger reletionship between the two as the audience grows to like her more as they begin to sympthiase with her they find themselves on her side hoping for the best outcome for her and really routing for her this is another factor which keeps the audience engaged in the film as they contiune to remain focused as they wish to witness the survial of the victim hoping that this will be the way. From this the audience is also able to grow greater fear for her, they become anxious as they hope that she will be able to make it out alive, hearing a young female protagonist or victim scream or make other terrified noises is often used within a thriller hence 'The Grudge' is conventional to one as it displays many elements such as this which are used within the genre so to have the effect needed to be created within a thriller for it to forfill its job of being one. Often within the thriller genre audiences are shown young attractive girls as victims or protagonists in great danger, as often girls similar to those used within these types of films can be stereotyped as being unindependent, weak, stupid, generally being portrayed as people who need protecting by others. Female protagonists are often shown this way within thrillers to make the audience feel more sorry for them and feel further anxious about whether they shall survive, this also provides more power onto the antagonist.
There is very intense music playing in the background of the scene this would also be non diegetic sound as the music itself is not apart of the actual film, it would also be classed as off screen sound as you can hear it but cannot see it on the screen, the music builds up the tensity of the film and leaves the audience feeling further suspense this keeps the audience feeling sense as they await the upcoming events of the film.
Another diegetic sound displayed within the film would be the sound of the door banging, this grabs the audiences attention and takes it to the door, it keeps members guessing as they don't know who or what is banging at the door are they trying to get in or just frighten her? It also highlights that essentially she is locked within this room yet even in there she is unsafe this will be quite a scary thought for some viewers espeically those who have a phobia of being in tight or confinded spaces as they picture their selves in her postion and begin to feel worse for her.
A lot of the sound within the scene is exaggerated, for instance items smashing onto the floor and breaking, this would still be diegetic sound however, this technique is used to draw further attention to what is happening and make it more dramatic.
As you can see sound makes a big difference telling the story within a thriller film, without sound it could often be hard for viewers to even work out what was going on, or be as frighten they may miss main events in the film because of it. Without sound we wouldn't be able to hear things such as a character screaming far away, the sound of a gun going off, etc often sound is used to make people jump without sound many thriller films would have the shock effect or even simply be as scary.
Looking at sound within the thriller genre has made me more aware of how important it really is to the genre hence I will be making sure I use plenty of sound when creating my own thriller.
The sound of the lighter is diegetic on screen sound which was exaggerated for dramatic effect.
One of the most important techniques to use when creating a film from the thriller genre is editing. Editing is essential within the thriller genre for a variety of different reasons, for example many of the crucial 'jump scenes' created within a thriller are done so through the use of clever editing, often editing can be used to create characters such as monsters within these types of films.
Above I have selected a video clip to demonstrate how important editing is for thrillers, the clip begins with a mid shout, loud intense music is playing it appears to frighten the character she seems shocked to hear it, this creates the idea that perhaps someone is there that shouldn't be, or someone that she is unaware of, the music itself creates an intense vibe the use of different shots adds to the effect of the music at first we are shown the character through a mid front shot after which we are shown a low angle mid shot of just her legs following the music this also involves panning so the audience is able to follow her movements. This allows the audience to feel as though they are walking with her it also creates the fear of the unknown as we can't really see where it is that she is going or what is going on above our view point yet the audience feels as though they are walking towards danger. Allowing the audience to feel as though they are following the character and therefore on this journey with her makes her struggle much more relate-able for members of the audience. This is conventional to the thriller genre as within thriller films in the intention is there for audience members to be made to feel more of a connection/bond or relationship with characters so to feel more sorry for them and root for them more. This makes scenes such as chase scenes much more intense as the audience is hoping for the characters safe out come.
The camera movements are very slow as we follow her through the corridor (otherwise known as slow editing), this creates a build up, the longer said character takes to reach her destination the more fearful the audience becomes of what she is to find it courses the suspense to grow as the viewers wait becomes more agonizing hence again this is conventional to a thriller.
Reaction shots are a common way to make people jump, especially when they appear very suddenly, they create a rapid fear, they are able to make people jump as they can be unexpected and often show a main event or a fearful expression, for instance the camera editing could zoom in on a shot of a weapon (displaying an important piece of iconography), a frightful expression, etc. This is also conventional to a thriller as often within the genre these things are highlighted so to relate back to the genre and create the effect of those things which make it. For example showing a shot just of a piece of iconography such as a knife relates back to the genre instantly reminding the audience of the death which either has or will take place within the film as well as displaying just how scary and unstable the character of the antagonist is. Displaying a reaction shot such as a close up of a victims face relates back to the fear of the victim and the trouble they are suffering and so fourth.
We are also shown a long shot of the protagonist standing looking very on guard in a room, she is edited at an angle which courses her to appear very small next to a lot of the objects in the room, this adds to the idea of her being vulnerable and not quite sure of her situation this is set up to provide the audience with further sorrow for her. This is conventional to a thriller as showing her like this will bring about a contrast to the antagonist who will seem rather board and powerful making her situation appear further frightening and unsafe for her.
There is another mid shot closed in on the doorway, this leaves the audience in suspense as they are expecting someone to come through it, like our antagonist we have no idea who this person may be but it is made clear that this person is most likely our antagonist. The effect of this courses the audience to feel anxious as they wait expecting something to happen. The idea of leveling the audience waiting leaves them under further suspense which again is a convention of a thriller as it is important to create suspense within a thriller because it is one of the key elements.
All of a sudden after mainly slow edited camera movements, the camera speeds up we are shown a number of fast close ups in a matter of seconds, first of all a close up of a mask then a mid shot this is all done in an apart of a set of linking shots as you can tell the timing of shots was largely taken into account when editing this has been done so to add emotional impact by prolonging her fearful calls and reactions as well as her walking towards her discovery of the masked character. This was all done in an attempt to surprise the audience after they thought it was safer as there was no-one at the door way, then back to a close shot of their weapon of choice, in this case being a knife. Highlighting the knife adds tension to the situation as it displays that this person has a killer motive, a knife represents much more than just death and murder, a knife is thought to be a much more sociopath weapon, in order to use this you would have to get extremely close to your victim as well as having to actually physically force it into them this is thought to be a very difficult thing for most people, most wouldn't even consider it which demonstrates a total lack of a empathy for the way in which their actions are being carried out. The timing of these shots were edited together carefully so to make it appear that everything is happening rather rapidly this brings tension and suspense as the audience can relate to the damage that is often done during a harsh rapid moment, they also feel pressure to keep up with the on screen antics.
A jump cut is used to show the transition from Christine walking through the hallway to entering a room. This is done to show the importance of timing for Christine within this scene. At this moment in time she is unsure of who is in the building with her and the audience are made to believe that it is a serial killer with a hidden identity. If she was to make the wrong move even by a second then audience members are lead to believe that it could result in the ending of her life. Hence these fast paced transitions from the different scenes are set to represent that as well as to keep the audience fully engaged and focused as everything is happening so quickly at this moment in time they need to be able to keep up.
As you can see editing is an important part of creating a thriller film as it adds so much to the concept of the genre as well as urging the film to appear more realistic for instance a bad cut between scenes can really ruin the experience of watching a film, the editing can also make a thriller appear mo re frightening as editing techniques can be used so to display conventions to the genre. Through watching this scene and focusing on editing I have been inspired to add different editing techniques within my own work. I plan to use reaction shots as I know that they are effective as they can add to all three surprise, shock, suspense key factors of the genre.
Within this post I will be writing about cinematography within the thriller genre, cinematography is the art of the camera work and photography within a film, to further explain this to you I have chosen a well known film from the thriller genre to display my points to you. The scene I have selected is from Scream 2 starring 'scream queen' Sarah Michelle Gellar. I have chosen this scene as it is of a typical thriller chase scene between a female protagonist and an antagonist.
There is little dialectic within this scene it is mainly based around the music and what we are shown, hence it is very important that the audience is provided with the best possible camera angles so to give the story justice.
The scene begins on a mid shot, this is a good shot to begin with as it provides the audience with both a good view of Cici as well as the background, this can urge audience member's to be looking out for the antagonist prevalent hiding in the house, it also gives the audience a good idea of where Cici could go further gaining the audiences interest as they are able to work out what their next move would be in said situation hence keeping them more active and involved with the film further obtaining their intrest. The audience can also capture a clear view of her facial expressions displaying her wide range of emotions as she is realizing that she is not alone.
The camera begins to pan as we watch Cici check the house, as she stops as does the panning and the camera goes back to a mid shot this makes the audience feel more engaged with Cici as they feel like they are with her, the stopping of the cameras movement also brings more attention to that section of the scene, it leaves audience members on the edge of their seats as they anticipate what might happen next. The stopping of the camera suggests that something is about to happen or that it shall somewhere along the line. This happens again as Cici stops to check behind the door without the use of different camera shots these pieces of the screenplay wouldn't be able to do there job of making the audience jump or leaving them in suspense.
After this the audience returns to a mid shot view point where they are able to get a good view of the door behind Cici where the antagonist urges the audience to jump by suddenly running out of it, from here the camera goes back to panning and then we receive a high view as we watch Cici attempt to escape up the stairs, we are given the view we would have if we was to be standing at the top of the stair case to the side of it, again this causes the audience to feel as though they are there.
The camera pans throughout their chase scene showing every aspect clearly, including the antagonists fall giving the audience hope for Cici's survival, the camera continues to follow them as they go up the stairs until they're in a room and Cici is at a dead end we see the masked character run up behind her as the camera angle is on a mid shot, this creates further suspense as it shows how close the characters now are. This brings panic to audience members as they await the outcome of this situation in suspense.
As the masked character stabs Cici and throws her off of the balcony the camera is on a aerial camera angle, this shows the audience the great height Cici is being thrown from, it also provides the audience with a clear view of what is happening. After which the camera is on a low angle looking up at the antagonist making them look powerful. The camera angle then returns to the top of the balcony with the villain with a shallow focus aimed from behind the masked character and their chosen weapon this causes the audience to focus on them but still see the damage they have coursed and consider what they may do next as they are clearly capable of killing more the act of highlighting the knife transfers that they are no where near done yet and out to kill more. This is conventional towards the genre as it foreshadows the later actions of the antagonist this is often done within thrillers as often viewers like to pick up hints and guess so that they feel as though they are working out who the killer is this also keeps them more involved and gains their interest.
Right before Cici is thrown from the balcony the audience is shown a two shot: as shown below.
A two shot is one where two people are featured within the frame. The effect of this displays to the audience just how close the antagonist managed to get to Cici before killing her from that moment the audience is shown to the extent of how fearless this masked character is when coming into contact with their victims. It also makes the audience gain further sympathy with Cici as she was doing so well there were times when audience members may have thought that she'd got away. They'd realise that once the antagonist had hold of Cici there was really no hope for her that was pretty much the end. This is a convention of a thriller as it makes audience members feel even more sorry for Cici as she wasn't some frustrating to watch Damsel in distress making all the stupid moves she was really trying hard to survive and she almost done it but she physically couldn't save herself. Often within the genre characters such as Cici are killed early on like this so that the viewers are able to see from an early stage the strength of the antagonist and just how hard he is to come up against. Almost making him appear unbeatable.
The scene ends on a birds eye view as the audience are shown Cici's dead body on the ground after being stabbed and thrown from the balcony. This shows the cruelty of the act of Cici's death all of the pain and suffering she was facing as she died and then to finish her of the antagonist carelessly throw her off of the balcony without any concern for anything around them. Highlighting Cici's killing in this way is conventional to a thriller as it portrays the antagonists lack of care for anything other than killing his victims making them appear even more unstable. This is done with the genre so that audience members become even more fearful of them as they witness the extremes this person is willing to reach in.
This research has enabled me to embark upon ideas of camera techniques etc which I could be able to use within my own film. For instance such panning I like the concept of the doing a panning shot as someone is walking through my own film I think that it is good for building suspense as shown within the clip above as it was leading up to the chase scene which took Cici's life.
If the genre is to be defined strictly, a genuine thriller is a film that rentlessly pursues a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. (definition came from Google)
timeline of thrillers
The nineteen forties:
Theatrical release poster of the film BEFORE I HANG
Before I Hang is a 1940 American thriller/horror as well as a science fiction filmreleased via columbia pictures. Said film was directed via Nick Grinde although it was under the working title 'The Wizard of Death', it was one of several films Karloff starred in contract with Columbia.
Theatrical release poster for the film FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
Foreign Correspondent is an American spy thriller film from 1940 directed via the infamous thriller director Alfred Hitchcock. The plot revolves around the story of an American reporter which tries to expose enemy spies within Britain, a series of events involving a continent-wide conspiracy which eventually leads to the events of a fictionalised world war two. It stars Laraine Day and features Joel McCrea,Herbert Marshall, George Sanders, Robert Benchley and Edmund Gwenn, along with Albert Bassermann. Here is a video from you tube of director Hitchcock talking about his works on Foregin Correspondent:
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13
August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English producer and film director. Often
referred to by a nickname "The Master of Suspense", he displayed
various techniques in the suspense as well as the psychological thriller genres.After a successful career within British cinema in
both silent films and
early talkies,
renowned as England's best director, Hitchcock decided to moved to Hollywood in
1939 where he became a US citizen in 1955. Over a career spanning
more than half a century, Hitchcock fashioned for himself a distinctive and
recognisable directorial style.
Kiss
of Death is a film noir from 1947 directed by
Henry Hathaway and written by Ben Hecht, alongside Charles Lederer based
around a story by author Eleazar Lipsky. Said story is about a former
robber played by actor Victor Mature swell as the ruthless, violent Tommy Udo
portrayed via Richard Widmark. The movie also starred Brain Donlevy and introduced
Coleen Gray in her first billed role. The film has since received
much critical praise, with two Academy Award nominations.
Here is a scene from the film, the set up is much more innocent than to many of the thrillers you would see today, the innocence adds shock factor to the not so innocent happenings of the thriller hence it is conventional to one.
the nineteen fifties:
The killer that stalked New York
The Killer That Stalked New York (also known as Frightened City) is a film noir from 1950 starring actress Evelyn Keyes. The Killer That Stalked New York was shot on location within a semi-documentary style. The film is based on the real threat of a smallpox epidemic in the city, as described in a story taken from a 1948 issue Cosmopolitan magazine with an article on the subject.
plot:
Arriving at New York City's Pennsylvania Station after a journey to Cuba, Sheila Bennet a character of whom is portrayed by the actress Evelyn Keyes, whom is smuggling $50,000 worth of diamonds with her into the country, whilst doing so she realises that she's being followed via the authorities. In reaction to this she mails the diamonds to her husband, Matt Krane portrayed by Charles Korvin, rather than carrying them around, after which then tries to shake the Treasury agent following her. (information from Wikipedia)
Here is a scene from the film, as you can see unlike thrillers which we are more likely to watch today not much is done with the lightening in an attempt to create an atmosphere or add to the scene, it appears much more innocent in this system which doesn't match the situation.
Stage fright
Stage fright is a
1950's British crime thriller which was both directed and produced by the
infamous Alfred Hitchcock. The story was adapted for the screen by Ranald
MacDougall, Alma Reville and Whitfield Cook Whitfield, with additional dialogue written by James Bridie James, Stage fright was based
upon the novel Man Running' by Selwyn Jepson. A lot of the
plot has a theatrical setting. There is a female protagonist; also early on the
film features an account delivered via an unreliable narrator that the
audience sees as though it is as flashback. The plot is also punctuated by
numerous humorous scenes.
As you would still see in thrillers today, music is added to the film for dramatic effect etc however the music used in the 1950's is very different to the music used now it is much more classical it stands out much more than the general type of music which would be used within most thrillers today at times it may take some viewers away from the actual film.
Dial M for Murder
The
storyline for the film was adapted for the screen via Whitfield Cook, Ranald
Macdougall and lastly Alma Reville who was also the director’s wife. Whitfield,
with additional dialogue written via James Bridie, based on the novel ‘Man
running’ written by Selwyn Jepson.
Much of the plot has
a theatrical setting. There is a female protagonist, and early on the film features
a narrative via an ‘unreliable narrator’ that the audience views as a
true flashback. The plot is also punctuated by numerous humorous scenes.
This scene experiments with the lighting in a much more extreme way to most thrillers of today, the whole changing of the lighting appears very theatrical like which makes the whole aspect appear rather unrealistic and potentially to some viewers could become much more funny than serious.
The killling
The killing is an American thriller from the year 1956, directed by Stanley Kubrick at the age of 27 being his third film. With a certificate rate of PG many people believe that to be a truly scary film the rating needs to be higher, yet the killing is still classed in the category of a thriller.
The nineteen sixties
Psycho
psycho is an American horror/thriller from 1960 directed by popular director of the genre Alfred Hitchcock. Starring the likes of Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, John Gavin and Vera Miles. The screenplay written by Joseph Stefano is based upon the 1959 novel with the same title by author Robert Bloch loosely inspired via the crimes committed by grave robber Ed Gein and Wisconsin murderer.
This scene displays music typical of the thriller genre even in today's film this type of music would be suited to a thriller, it's very engaging as it allows the audience the knowledge that something unjust is occurring, it also builds suspense as viewers await the surprise they are expecting. Again as they would be within thrillers today the close ups shot within the screen obtain great importance, they provide hints to the audience of the male characters personality, his facial expressions suggest a change in his thoughts at certain points or the uncovering of an act he is putting on. However for some audience member's the scene may appear a little 'to set up' it doesn't appear particularly natural in some parts, the tone of the actors voices appear much more innocence as though they are aware that they are playing a part rather than being themselves. It could be seen that the actors are being more careful or the liners we're more carefully structured regarding guidelines to film which were harsher during this period.
Taste of fear
Original theatrical poster
Taste of fear or as it in known in America 'Scream of fear' is a 1961 British thriller by director Seth Holt which was shot in black and white by Douglas Slocombe, released with Hammer films. Although the film wasn't a large success in either the united kingdom or the united states it grew very popular within Europe and led to many similar films.
Pretty poison
Pretty Poison is a 1968 psychological thriller from director
Noel Black, starring Anthony Perkins along side Tuesday Weld,
revolving around the antics of an ex-convict and a cheerleader in high school.Although the film isn’t
generally considered as an example of neo-noir, the film does include certain
elements of the genre, such as a Femme fatale, a character trapped into
circumstances beyond his control, criminal protagonists and, murder.The film is based around the
novel ‘She Let Him Continue’ by author Stephen
Geller; hence this was the working title of the film.
plot information:
Main character Dennis Pitt is a very disturbed man on parole from a mental
institution while he becomes attracted to teenager Sue Ann Stepenek. He
lies to the young girl by telling her that he is a secret agent, and takes
her along on a series of so called "missions" which result in murder.
While Dennis is racked with guilt over both what he has done and what he has
allowed to happen, Sue Ann is excited by the "adventure" and entreats
Dennis to run away with her to Mexico. First, however, the pair has to
find a way to deal with Sue’s mother. Dennis is aware that the police will take
Sue Ann's word over his own, so he takes the blame for their crimes. Sue Ann,
meanwhile, betrays him easily and quickly, leading him into a prison sentence set for life. Dennis
however is more than happy to be locked up, as it keeps him far away from Sue
Ann, who he has now become rather frightened of. While Dennis won’t tell
skeptical parole officer Azenauer the truth about whats really going on, he
asks the officer to "see what Sue Ann is up to" hoping she will
be exposed. The film ends with Sue Ann meeting a young man and lamenting to him
that the people who took her in after her mother's death won't let her stay out
late; it is implied that she will use and destroy him the way that she did to
Dennis. However Dennis's parole officer is watching as she deals with her
latest victim.
The nineteen seventies: The Kremlin letter
The Kremlin letter is an American spy/ thriller film, directed by John Huston released in in February of 1970 by 20th century fox, the screenplay was written as a faithful adaption of the novel by Noel Behn. In 2009 the film was listed in in 100 greatest spy movies: A special collectors edition in magazine- American History.
PLAY MISTY FOR ME
Play Misty for me is yet another psychological thriller film, from America brought out in 1971, directed by Clint Eastwood as his directorial debut. Eastwood also starred in the film as Dave Garver, among being an actor and director Eastwood is also a composer and a producer, he reached his international fame with his role as the man with no name in Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy of spaghetti Westerns during the 1960's as well as his role as Harry Callahan in the five Dirty Harry films during the 1970's through to the 1980's.
plot:
Dave Garver is a KRML radio jockey who broadcasts nightly
from a studio in Camel-by-the-sea, California, often incorporating poetry into his program.
At his favourite bar, as what appears to be by coincidence, he encounters a
woman called Evelyn Draper. Dave offers to drive Evelyn home, where she informs
him that their meeting was in fact not coincidental; that she deliberately
sought him out after hearing the bar mentioned on his radio show. He guesses
correctly that she is a recurring caller who always requests the jazz standard
"Misty." The pair then sleeps together. Evelyn begins to display
symptoms of severe borderline personality disorder. She begins by showing
up at Dave's house uninvited. She also disrupts a business meeting, mistaking
Dave's lunch companion - a representative who has come to offer him a career
opportunity - for his date.
Despite his best efforts to gradually and gently sever ties with
Evelyn, she feels abandoned as well as lonely and angry. These feelings
eventually lead her to attempt suicide at his home. After another
rejection from Dave, Evelyn breaks into his house, where his housekeeper finds
her maniacally vandalizing his possessions. Evelyn stabs the housekeeper with a
knife and as a result is committed to
a psychiatric hospital. During Evelyn's incarceration, Dave finds himself back
in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Tobie Williams. A few months later,
Evelyn again calls the studio to request "Misty." She tells Dave that
she has been released and is moving to Hawaii to give herself a fresh start in
life. She then quotes an Edgar Allan poem, "Annabel Lee".
That night, while Dave is asleep, Evelyn attempts to kill him with a butcher
knife. However Dave fights her, coursing her to flee, and Dave contacts the
police. Dave tells Tobie about Evelyn and is put under a caution to stay well
away from Dave until the woman is caught. For her own safety, she returns to
her home. There, she meets with a girl who answered her ad for a roommate: Evelyn,
using the alias Annabel. Tobie eventually realizes that Annabel is Evelyn, but
before she can escape, Evelyn takes her hostage. Evelyn also murders McCallum,
a police detective who had come to check on Tobie. At the radio station, Dave
makes the connection between Tobie's roommate and the quote from "Annabel
Lee". When he calls Tobie to warn her, Evelyn answers and says she and
Tobie are waiting for him. Dave switches from a live show to taped music and
rushes to the house, where he finds Tobie bound and gagged. Evelyn attacks
again with the butcher knife. Unable to take it from her, he punches Evelyn,
knocking her out a window and down a cliff. Dave and Tobie look down at
Evelyn's dead body as Dave's voice on the taped radio show dedicates "Misty"
to Evelyn plays one final time.
The music for the trailer appears to be very misleading for a modern day viewer, the way in which the characters voices sound much more innocent as to the way actors pronounce their words within films today, you can tell that this film was made at a time where restrictions on films were much harsher and it was harder for them to do anything a little bit controversial.
Thriller a cruel picture
Thriller – A Cruel Picture(Swedish:Thriller – en grym film, also known asThey Call Her One Eye,Hooker's Revenge andThriller) is a
1973Swedish exploitation film which is called withinin the "rape and revenge" genre both written and directed via Bo Arne Vibenius under the stage name
"Alex Fridolinski". The film tells the story of amuteyoung woman being forced intoa heroin addiction, for which
she has to work as aprostitute,
and her revenge on the men responsible
Jaws
The
film Jaws is
a 1975 American thriller film directed via the famous Steven
Spielberg based on Peter Benchley’s novel with the same title. The
prototypical summer blockbuster, its release is regarded as a watershed moment
in motion picture history. In the story, a giant man eating great white
shark which attacks beachgoers on Amity Island, a fictional summer resort
town, prompting the local police chief to hunt it with the help of a marine
biologist and a professional shark hunter. The film stars Roy
Scheider as police Chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as
oceanographer Matt Hooper, Robert Shaw as shark hunter Quint, Murray
Hamilton as the mayor of Amity Island, and Lorraine Gary as Brody's
wife, Ellen. The screenplay is credited to both Benchley, who wrote the first
drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the script
during principal photography.
Generally well received by critics, Jaws became
the highest-grossing film in history at the time, and it was the most successful
motion picture of all time until the Star wars series. It won
several awards for its soundtrack and editing and is often cited as one
of the greatest films of all time.
As well as Star Wars, Jaws was pivotal in
establishing the modern Hollywood business model, which revolves around
blockbuster action and adventure pictures with simple "high - concept"
premises that are released during the summer in thousands of theaters and
supported by heavy advertising. It was followed by three sequels, none
with the participation of Spielberg or Benchley, and many imitative thrillers.
In 2001, Jaws was selected by the Libary of congress for
preservation in the United States National Film Registry, being deemed
"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Here is the opening scene from Jaws:
Straight away a modern audience is able to tell that this scene was produced during a period when the quality of cameras wasn't so high, the picture is at times unclear the audience isn't receiving a good enough quality in today's world to feel as though they are really there.
Carrie
Carrie is a 1976 American supernatural thriller/horror film based upon author Stephen King's novel of 1974 with a matching title. Said film was directed via Brian De Palma and written by Lawrence D. Cohen.
Carrie received two Academy Awards nominations, the film also featured numerous young and coming actors including Nancy Allen, Amy Irving, William Katt and John Travolta whom careers were either launched or escalated from the film. Carrie also had the power to relaunch the career of actress Piper Laurie who portrayed the role of Carrie's abusive mother, Laurie had been out of the industry since 1961.
Here is a scene from Carrie, which isn't much different to a typical thriller film we could see today, aside from the camera quality. If the film was done today more effects probably could have been used in regards to her power which would make her differences more apparent to the viewer as well as providing her with a more frightening edge.
Things are done within the film which couldn't be done within a film set within today's time period for instance teachers hitting students etc as social standards have since changed and it is not only now seen as unacceptable for teachers to hit students but it is illegal.
Throughout the film the audience is made to feel rather sorry for Carrie, she is shown to be this innocent sweet girl who not only has a difficult home life with her mother being religiously obsessed so much so that she forces her to pray for forgiveness for receiving her period but she also faces difficulties at school with her peers, as what appears to be due to her odd up bringing Carrie can appear rather clueless leaving her set out from the rest this is something which she can be picked on for. Although her caring teacher sympathies with Carrie and understands that she hasn't been introduced to life in a way which most people would consider normal she still finds her behavior to be frustrating and can understand why the other girls pick on Carrie for her oddness. This teacher is also well aware of the ill doing behind what one of the girls in Carrie's PE class tired to make appear a kind deed of persuading her boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom however this teacher doesn't stop this some taking place instead she focuses on making sure that Carrie enjoys her night a goal which was achieved until towards the end of the night.
Pigs blood is poured all over Carrie as she stands on the stage accepting her role as prom queen, for Carrie this is the final straw having come to grips with her powers she is now able to use them at a strong force, coursing complete destruction within the prom due to the period there was limitations to the effect of certain editing styles etc within this scene however the latest remake of the film would have been able to do much more with the scene due to the rise in modern day technology.
The nineteen eighties Dressed to kill
Dressed to Kill is a 1980 erotic crime thriller film both written
and directed by Brain De Palma. Starring Michael Caine, Nancy
Allen, Keith Gordon, and Angie Dickinson. Revolving around the basis
of the murder of a housewife
and an investigation involving a young prostitute who
witnessed the murder, the victim’s teenaged son and her psychiatrist.
The cut in our victims hand coursed by the knife doesn't look as realistic as it should do if it was shot in a later period, the blood seeping from it as the camera zooms out should also look more life like, the blood splattered across the buttons as we see a close up of them should also be more realistic if shot today.
The theme to the film as shown within this clip is very conventional to a thriller, it contains elements of horror, murder, tension, suspense a female victims, a hidden identity, a chosen weapon. The moment when the woman trying to help the victims eyes meet that of the glasses of the killer is very chilling and very relevant to a thriller as the connection between the two is tense and thrilling, it courses adrenaline as the audience awaits what will happen next the killer is clearly unstable and capable of doing all kinds of damage to this woman, the audience feels relaxed as the woman drops her knife only to receive a second rise as her motives for doing so become clear. Eyewitness
Eyewitnessis a thriller film from 1981 about atelevision newsreporter and
ajanitorwho team up to solve a murder.The film was directed byPeter Yates, written bySteve
Tesich and starsWilliam
Hurt,Sigourney
Weaver, andChristopher
Plummer.
plot:
New York janitor Daryll Deever (Hurt) is an avid fan of television news reporter Tony Sokolow (Weaver). A wealthy man suspected of criminal connections is murdered in Daryll's office building and Tony suspects Deever knows something about it.
She keeps after him for information, a pursuit Daryll allows because he is romantically interested in Tony, and a "cat and mouse" game ensues. This convinces the real killers that Daryll does know vital information about the murder, so he and Tony end up with their lives in danger over this false assumption.
(plot information taken from Wikipedia)
Deathtrap
Deathtrap is a thriller from 1982 based on Ira Levin's play of the same name. Starring Micheal Caine whom portrays a very successful playwright for Broadway and Christopher Reeve.
Visiting hours
Visiting hours or as it is also known 'get well soon' and 'the fright' is a thriller/slasher from 1982 directed by Jean-Claude Lorde and released with 20th century fox. The film is centered around a feminist journalist that becomes the target of the film serial killer who follows her to the hospital after attacking her at her home.
Here is a scene from the film:
At 0:45 there is a long shot of the scene, we see the stress ball being toyed with in the man closet to the cameras hand as the man laying in the bed has a blurred lens over him, this is done so that the audience focuses on the mans hand but still sees the man in the hospital bed the audience is expected to view this mans way of playing with the toy standing in front of a man unable to defend himself laying down in a hospital bed as rather threatening to his well being. Viewers are suppose to recognize this hand movement with someone who is either dangerous or unstable hence building suspense as the audience awaits the build up of what is to happen next between the two men.
What happens next happens very suddenly this is done to make some audience members jump as what as to empathize what is happening and how little control the man in the bed has over the situation. A close up of his face is done to show just how terrified he is the audience sympathies with him as it is plain to see he is scared and in great discomfort as this man has total control over him some audience members will hope that someone comes in to save him.
After which we are shown a close up of the antagonist his face is set to frighten the view and to make them see just how dead set he is on his mission this shot is also displaying the protagonists sight which is aimed to give the audience another reason to feel sorry for him.
Masquerade
Masqueradeis a 1988 American
romance/mystery/thriller filmdirected viaBob Swaim. StarringRob Lowe,Meg Tilly,Kim Cattrall, andDoug Savant. Written byDick Wolf, the film is about a
recently orphaned millionaires who falls in love with a young yacht racing
captain who isn't completely truthful with her about his past.The film was nominated for the Edgar
Allan Poe Award for Best (Mystery) Motion Picture in 1989.
As the scene begins the body language of the two men suggests that there is great tension between them this creates suspense as the audience wonders what will come of it. Some audience members may be surprised as the man in uniform kicks an object across the room, this indicates that this is quite an aggressive man and makes the audience consider whether a physical fight will break out between the pair. Viewers could be shocked as the man in uniform pulls very aggressively at the other mans head then doesn't do anything, it indicates that although this man has a short temper he is aware of his problem and does try to stop it however it does show that if pushed far enough this man could react in a very nasty way. This identity s him as a clear antagonist as not only is his behavior seen as horrible but he also appears rather psychotic.
Kill me again
Kill me again is a thriller neo noir American film from 1989, the film tells the story of a young woman who escapes from her abusive boyfriend then hires character Jack Andrews who is a second class private investigator to plan and make it appear as though she is dead.
Blue steel
Blue Steel is a 1989 American action/thrillerfilm directed via Kathryn Bigelow, starring Halloween's Jamie Lee Curtis, Clancy Brown and Ron Silver. Blue Steel was originally set to be released via Vestron Pictures as well as its offshoot label Lightning Pictures. But it was ultimately acquired by MGM due to Vestron's financial problems and eventual bankruptcy at the time.
The nineteen ninety's
Sleeping with the enemy
Sleeping with the Enemy is a 1991 psychological type of thriller film directed via director Joesph Ruben and starring Pretty Woman's Julia Roberts. The film is based on Nancy Price's 1987 book with a matching title. Roberts portrays a woman who escapes from her abusive, obsessive husband from Cape Cod to Cedar Falls Iowa, , where by she captures the attention of a kindly college drama teacher.
(text from Wikipedia)
The crush The Crush is yet another Psychological thriller from American in 1993. Both written and directed by Alan Shapiro, which stars Clueless's Alicia Silverstone alongside Cary Elwes in Silverstone's feature film debut. It was filmed on location from 24 September 1992 - 20 November 1992 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Within the editing of the film for broadcast TV, the character of Darian's name(Darian is the girl the story is based on) was changed to Adrian after a lawsuit against Shapiro by the real-life Darian Forrester. The VHS and laserdisc versions of the film still use the original name, but DVD releases and later cable TV airings also change the name to Adrian. The plot of The Crush was based on an actual incident involving the neighbor of writer Shapiro.
Here is a scene from the following film:
This scene demonstrates good use of exaggerating sound. Film makers have taken the on screen sound of Adrian screaming and exaggerated in to make the audience jump and create suspense as viewers await the news as to why she is screaming. The sound of her screams have been fitted to the tense adrenalin building music this is done to make the scene more frightening and really grab the audiences attention. Their is a close up of Nick's face as he turns around to face a screaming Adrian as he does we can see in his face that his attitudes towards her have changed a great deal as the film has progressed this shows how much of a nice person he really is to have tolerated her for so long as well as how far she has gone to course him to react in the way that he is.The sound of Nick punching Adrian is also exaggerated for a similar effect as well as to dramatist the situation.
The firm
The Firm is a 1993 American legal thriller film from director Sydney Pollack. Starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter, Ed Harris, Hal Holbrook and David Strathairn. The film is based on the 1991 novel 'The Firm' by novelist John Grisham.
Doppelganger Doppelganger (a.k.a. Doppelganger: The Evil Within) is a 1993 film starring Drew Barrymore. The story follows Holly Gooding (Barrymore),as she moves from NYC to LA after being implicated in a murder. Holly is followed by what is supposedly her own evil twin. Whilst in LA, Holly finds a room for rent via a writer and the pair embrace on a love affair. After some strange occurrences, it becomes less and less clear whether the woman is in fact Holly or her Doppelganger. She finds a roommate to share an apartment, and befriends him. Patrick ( the writer) soon starts to realize something is odd about Holly. As he spends more and more time with her things heat up and he falls for her. Not knowing that she is as crazy as her brother Fred, who is in a physiciatric hospital after killing his own father. And when Patrick finds out that Holly's mother was murdered and she was the prime suspect, he starts doubting her sanity. But by that time he is too attached to her and does not want her going to jail. So when her brother Fred is attacked and she once more is a suspect he decides he is going to get to the bottom of it no matter what.
Seven Seven (stylized as Se7en)[3] is a 1995 American neo-noirthriller film written by Andrew Kevin Walker and directed by David Fincher. The film stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, with Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, John C. McGinley, and Kevin Spacey in supporting roles.
The newly transferred David Mills (Pitt) and the soon-to-retire William Somerset (Freeman) are homicide detectives who become deeply involved in the case of a sadistic serial killer (Spacey) whose meticulously planned murders correspond to the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, lust and envy.
The film was released in the United States on September 22, 1995. Grossing $327 million at the box office internationally, Seven was a commercial success, and received positive reviews.
(From Wikipedia)
Psycho is a 1998 American mysteryhorrorthriller film produced and directed by Gus Van Sant for Universal Pictures, a remake of the 1960 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Both films are adapted from Robert Bloch's 1959novel of the same name, which was in turn inspired by the crimes of Wisconsinserial killerEd Gein.
Although this version is in color, features a different cast, and has been set in a contemporary timeframe, it is closer to a shot-for-shot remake than most remakes, often copying Hitchcock's camera movements and editing, and Joseph Stefano's script is mostly carried over. Bernard Herrmann's musical score is reused as well, though with a new arrangement by Danny Elfman and recorded in stereo. Some changes are introduced to account for advances in technology since the original film and to make the content more explicit. Murder sequences are also intercut with surreal dream images. The film was both a commercial and critical failure in contrast to its 1960 antecedent, which had been highly successful in both fields.
(text is from Wikipedia)
The two thousands American Psycho
American Psycho is a 2000 film starring Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman - a wealthy investment banker living in Manhattan during the late 1980's, over all the film generally received good reviews with critics main praise being focused on the screenplay as well as Bale's portrayal of the role. The film has since developed it's own cult following, even having its own musical of which actors such as Mat Smith joined the cast in which he took the role of Bateman.
The beginning of the opening scene to American Psycho as shown above works in juxtaposition to the ending, it starts with a calming atmosphere this is set by a variety of things including the music and colours of the setting that is his apartment.
Many things within this mans apartment provide clues as to who he may be, the actual building itself suggests that he is of good wealth and successful within a high regarded job. There is a clear shot of a poster for popular musical 'les miserables' this provides further belief to the idea of this being a nice, clam, well thought of man, stereo-typically this is often the way men within good jobs who are interested in theater are viewed.
The audiences first sign that this man may not be living the perfect life he seems to be occurs once we are introduced to his evident vanity and obsessive strict routine. However although there have been hints of a sinister motion the scene has remained almost like an advert for the ideal perfect working man in America until the music changes. The scene becomes more harsh this is where the character begins to inform us of his hidden intentions, his true mind which he has hidden with his typical charade life.
Fulltime killer Fulltime Killer (simplified Chinese: 全职杀手; traditional Chinese: 全職殺手) is a 2001 Hong Kong action film produced and directed by Johnnie To, and also written, produced and directed by Wai Ka-fai, and also produced by and starring Andy Lau. The film was released in the Hong Kong on August 3, 2001.
The film is based on Pang Ho-cheung's novel of the same name. It is informally known by Hong Kong English title You & I.
(information found on Wikipedia)
Femme Fatale
Femme Fatale is a 2002 French mystery/ thriller film realsed in 2002 director via Brain De Palma. Starring Rebecca Romijn alongisde Antoni Banderas. The film was screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002.
Kill Bill volume 1
Kill Bill Volume 1 is an American thriller/martial arts action film both written and directed by the beloved Quentin Tarantino Starring Uma Thurman as the bride who seeks revenge on an assassination squad led via Bill portayed by David Carradine after the squad attempts kills her and kills her unborn baby. This isn't the first time Uma Thurman and Tarantion have worked together they have also worked on classic 'Pulp fiction' when they decided to work together again the idea of Kill Bill came about. The film is the first of two Kill Bill films produced at the same time and was followed by the second volume the next year.
Here is the end scene from Kill Bill Volume 1:
Although the music for this scene is rather peaceful the audience has been warned that what is to come wont be so calm as it is contrasted by the death list Thurman's character is writing out between scenes. As well as the characters talking about pain and suffering the music does however nod towards Thurman's characters quest to find revenge it also shows how shes attempting to move on and accept what has happened and how she is finding a way to come back at her past.
Phone booth
Phone booth is a 2002 American physiological thriller centered on a man who is held hostage within a phone booth whilst being watching from afar by a man claiming to be a sniper. The film stars Conlin Farrell as well as Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell and Forest Whitaker.
Whilst usually the concept of a film almost all taking place in a phone booth sounds as though it was done on a tight budget and rather dated, something that would happen in the production in a film many years ago before the improvements in film production took place 'Phone booth' puts a modern spin on the concept and makes it rather interesting.
Suspense is built up through the character of the supposed sniper, although the audience grows to understand that Stew is far from innocent they still hope for the safety of him and those around him, this man on the other end of the line portrays himself to be rather psychotic (a typical thriller convention) making the audience fear him further as it seems that he could do anything without remorse this feeling becomes scarier and more realistic once the angry man demanding that Stew leave the phone booth is shot.
The story line is so deep and intense that no other location is needed, the area in which the phone booth is situated is such a busy one anyway that it could never become boring, scenes else where are not only unneeded but they could potentially distract the audience away from what is happening hence losing the suspense which is being built up throughout.
Underworld
Underworld 2003 is the first installment in it's series starring Kate Beckinsale. The film tells the audience of the tales of the secret history of vampires.
The scene begins with a narrative from main character Selene, this really sets the tone for the set of films and she introduces us to her world, the setting is key as it suggests something darker than you would see in real life.The over tone of her voice shows that this film has more of a story to it than most, it isn't going to be about something which could actually happen in the real world it is a fantasy, the modern edited exaggerated weathering effects adds to this, it provides the story with a powerful vibe making it appear that there is a deep twisted side to the story involving people who have something on the average person through powers which most cannot physically contain.
Likewise placing Selene on a high platform looking down at the world associates her with this power. These early clues keep the audience's attention as they learn that they will learn answers to questions through analyzing whats going on around the characters rather than just from what is being said.
As it is later discovered that Selene is actually in the middle of a situation to do with the kinds of begins included within her introduction it suggests that she is really thinking about what is going on around her and what has been for centuries it also shows her to be someone of a good insight which makes viewers listener to her and trust what she has to say even more.
The background music fits with the idea of this being a dark supernatural story. It builds tension as the audience awaits proof of said theory and really brings them into the world of the unknown as it adds to the theme.
Watching Selene jump from the high building also brings us into this world, as she jumps we are taken away from the scene where she is bringing us into the element once she reaches the grown we realize that now we are watching acts which are happening in the moment right in front of us this is the present no longer her narrating her life and the world around her but her living it.
The Prestige
The prestige is a 2006 drama/thriller film directed via Christopher Nolan. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Micheal Caine, Scarlet Johansson, Christain Bale and Rebecca Hall. The plot of said film investigates the rivalry between stage musicians within London at the end of the 19th century.
As shown above the more into the thriller genre we have become the less important it has become for films to really stand out as being a thriller. Yes they remain to stay close to the genre as otherwise it wouldn't really be a thriller film and they display many conventions towards one by doing so however they do not over use effects used purely to scare for instance dark lighting and scary music. Some thriller films are now comfortable enough to stand as a thriller without having to display that it is one throughout. It is able to display scenes such as the one above where the characters are in the mist of a disagreement with a clear protagonist and antagonist yet done in a more casual way this is able to have the effect of being much more casual and relate-able then that of a typical thriller scene between the two as often those situations with the genre can appear unrealistic with viewers often retorting saying things such as 'that wouldn't happen' or 'what an idiot, why would you do that?'.
One way in which that scene does however display conventions of a thriller is through the use of having a 'man in uniform' as the antagonist this is often done as it provides the antagonist further more with the power that need in order to partake in their activities.
I know who killed me I Know Who Killed Me is a 2007 American thriller/horror film by director Chris Sivertson and starring well known child actress Lindsay Lohan. This is the second film Lohan plays twins in after first taking on the job as a young girl in the parent trap 1998.
The film's story revolves around a student who was abducted and tortured by a sadistic serial killer. She manages to make it out alive but after she regains consciousness in the hospital she insists that her identity is that of another woman.
The film was released on July 27, 2007 to which it received very negative reviews. The film itself was nominated for nine Golden Raspberry Awards out of which it "won" eight, setting a new record for most awards "won" in a single year. Lohan tied with herself to win worst actress as well as winning worst screen couple for both characters she portrayed.
This scene from 'I know who killed me' begins with confusion, we see Lohan's character wake up unsure of what is going on around her, she doesn't recognize people she should camera angles are shot from her point of view so that the audience are able to gain a greater idea of what she is going through. We are able to imagine what it is like for her to wake up unsure of what is happening around her with just a view of people staring down at her which could for many viewers potentially be seen as rather intimidating adding further to the effects of this character being our protagonist.
The scene ends with her distress, as she rejects as expected frightened by the figures towering down over her demanding that they do not touch her. This gains sympathy for her as the protagonist it brings the audience more comfortably on her side as they feel sorry for her and are without any question able to identity her as a victim of some sort therefore hoping that she will find justice as the marked 'good character' which they guided to route for.
Obsessed
Obsessed is a 2009 American thriller film directed by Steve Shill. The Rainforest Films production stars Idris Elba, Beyoncé and Ali Larter. Obsessed tells the story of Lisa, an office temp played by Larter, who falls in love with her boss, Derek Charles (Elba), and attempts to seduce him. Derek's wife, Sharon (Beyoncé), learns of Lisa's obsessive behavior, and suspects an affair. Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper conceived the basic idea of Obsessed, which was then developed by writer David Loughery, allocated a production budget of $20 million, and filmed in the summer of 2008. Obsessed was inspired by the work of directors Roman Polanski and Alfred Hitchcock, and its score was written by James Dooley. Lisa and Sharon were dressed in contrasting styles to reinforce their conflicting characters. Obsessed opened in US theaters on April 24, 2009, and UK theaters on May 29, 2009, and was distributed by Screen Gems. Obsessed received generally negative reviews from critics, many of whom were disappointed in the absence of an explanation for Lisa's obsession with Derek. Others noted that the potential theme of interracial conflict between the Charles family, who were black, and Lisa, who was white, was unexplored. The storyline of Obsessed has been compared with that of Fatal Attraction (1987), although film critics disliked the fact that Derek did not yield to Lisa's seduction. The fight scene finale between Sharon and Lisa, however, was commended by reviewers, and won the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight. Obsessed spent its first week atop the US box office, and grossed $73.8 million from theaters, internationally.[1]Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the film for home viewing on August 4, 2009 in the US, and it has sold 1.3 million DVDs, worth $21 million of consumer spending.[2]
(information from Wikipedia)
The two thousand and tens (present day) Black swan
Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological thriller/horror film brought to Cinema by director Darren Aronofsky, starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel. The plot revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet by a prestigious New York City ballet company. The production requires a ballerina to play the innocent and fragile White Swan, for which the committed dancer Nina (Portman) is a perfect fit, as well as the dark and sensual Black Swan, which are qualities embodied by the new arrival Lily (Kunis). Nina is overwhelmed by a feeling of immense pressure when she finds herself competing for the part, causing her to lose her tenuous grip on reality and descend into a living nightmare.
The above clip displays scenes from the film Black Swan which showcase psychological disorders, these scenes help the audience to better understand her condition if we were simply to be shown what was actually going on in the world around her we would miss out on what it is actually like for her which is crucial as it is important for audience members to understand that it is different for her to properly gain anything from the film.
Viewers are shown things as though they are in her mind set seeing them as realistically as she would however it is important that we understand that this is not a supernatural thriller but psychological. It is effective to show the audience what our protagonist is seeing as it creates further fear for her.
Her condition also makes the film more thrilling as the audience has to decide for them self what it actually happening and what is happening within her own mind for instance the case of whether Mila Kunis's character is really personally attacking her or whether she is simply an aspiring actress?
Limitless
Limitless is a American thriller from 2011, from director Neil Burger starring Bradley Copper alongside Abbie Cornish and Robert De Niro. The film is based around novel 'The dark fields' by Alan Glynn.
Copper's character takes a pill which helps him hugely in general every day life however it does so at a cost. Once you start taking this pills if not done so every day you will die as the film progress a shortage of the pills begins to rise due to the creator dying and any information on how to make the pills are is kept top secret.
The Roomate
The roomate is a 2011 American thriller directed by Christian E Christiansen, starring Minka Kelly,Gossip girl's Leighton Meester, Aly Michalka and Danneel Harris (now Ackles).
Here is a scene from the following film:
This scene begins showing Meester's character looking very creepy sitting up on her bed in a dark room staring at nothing in particular indicating that she is thinking hard about something, the hard panicking beating music suggests that there is something wrong with the girl herself, that there is something sinister about her sitting the way that she is it appears very abnormal which hints at her having deeper hidden issues.
We see her turn off her lamp and then snuggle down into her bed clearly wanting to make it appear to her roommate that she was like this the entire time only she suddenly changes again displaying signs that something is not right with her, she was clearly waiting on her roommate to arrive which in itself is quite odd let alone the fact that she wanted to hide the fact that she was awake from her, but then was so panicked but the fact that she didn't immediately walk back into the room that she forgot her plan completely and went outside to confront her.
The dark circle under her eyes which are displayed as she asks her roommate where she has been suggest that this isn't the only time that she has lost sleep worrying over her which reassures the audience that this really is a problem and wasn't just a one off because she was worried about her friend going out and she had been a while.
Savages
Savages was released in 2012 as an American crime thriller from director Oliver stone, based around the novel savages by Don Winslow. The film stars gossip girl's Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, John Travolta and Salma Hayek.
Here is a preview scene to the film:
The music changes as the scene moves to the car, it becomes deeper more sinister this warns the audience that what is about to happen shall contrast the area it is taking place within and the nice shots we have just seen. This is done to show that although we are being shown what appears to be a nice place looks here can be deceiving and bad things do happen as it would appear we are about to be shown.
To begin with this man is provided with a hidden identity, it is hinted to the audience that is man is dangerous as we are seeing the car as though through his point of view, or as if we are sitting in the car ourselves for instance a victim kidnapped in the backseat. The change in music also indicates that this man is dangerous however we do not actually see him, hearing the sweet innocent young girl tell her dad about the man makes him even scarier as this girl doesn't know who he is and he hasn't introduced himself just announced that he wants to speak to the dad it suggests that he is someone this man would rather keep away from his children hence leaving the audience fearing for their safety as well as in suspense wanting to discover who this man is.
The music continues to build along with the panning camera movements as the father walk to the front door where it stops as Lado appears, the importance of the music stopping is that it shows how dangerous this character is, as a result of his presence everything else stops and focuses on him, it makes him appear rather threatening and someone you should watch closely.
Lado takes the father sandwich throws the tomatoes out of it symbolizing that he isn't good enough then eats it enforcing this authority and lack of care for others he is displaying that he can and will do what he wants and that Denis just has to deal with it.
Again this film displays conventions of a thriller such a murder weapon, tense music, intense conversation , both an antagonist and a protagonist as well as innocent children etc however it is not over done with elements of a thriller as though it is having to define itself every few shots. More modern thrillers appear to feel less pressure to do so and feel more comfortable fitting the title of a thriller without having to define to the viewer as to how the film passes as a thriller. The language is also a lot stronger now than you would expect in a thriller from the past as restrictions and guidelines have become clearer so long as filmmakers stick to them they are far less likely to get into troubles so films of the genre are able to do more risky things within their films and simply receive a higher rating for the ages of people who are able to see it.
The Purge
The Purge is a 2013 American action horror film written and directed by James DeMonaco. It stars Lena Headey, Ethan Hawke, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane, Edwin Hodge, Tony Oller, Rhys Wakerfield and Arija Bareikis. It is the first installment within the series of 'the purge' films.
Despite having mixed reviews, the film grossed $89,328,627 during its run, far surpassing its $3 million budget. The film was turned into a 'scare zone' for the 201 annual Halloween Horror Nights as a result of it's success. Monsterz
Monsterz is a 2014 Japanese fantasy horror/ thriller film from director Hideo Nakata. The film is a remake of the 2010 South Korean film tilted 'Haunters'.
The film has grossed ¥697 million in Japan.
In Film Business Asia, Derek Elley gave the film a low rating of 3 out of 10, labeling it a "feeble Japanese remake" with "no atmosphere".
As you can see there have been many developments in the thriller genre over the years. Guidelines and restrictions have allowed for a wide variety of changes for instance the BBFC association taking ownership of the censorship of film has meant that it is made much clearer for film makers when creating their pieces as to know what is acceptable and what isn't it also gives them a good idea what age range they can be aiming towards if they want to include certain aspects of the genre within their film. Hence films can be produced now with these guidelines which people may have been afraid to produce before.
Top ten thriller films:
The sixth sense
The Sixth Sense is a 1999 American supernatural thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film tells the story of Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a troubled, isolated boy who is able to see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist (Bruce Willis) who tries to help him. The film established Shyamalan as a writer and director, and introduced the cinema public to his traits, most notably his affinity for surprise endings. (information from wikipedia) sixth sense grossed $26.6 million just within its opening weekend and stayed at no 1 for five weeks. Forty million was spent on the production of the film and $672,806,292.
The silence of the lambs is a 1991 American film of the thriller genre which also brings in aspects from both the crime and horror genres.
The film budgeted $19 million
made $272,742,922 at the box office
running time is 118 minutes
released February 14th 1991
made in the US
language spoken is English
The usual suspects
The usual suspects is a German-American neo- noir crime thriller film, shot on a six million budget, released for the first time in January 1995 in sundance. The film runs for one hundred and six minutes. It earned $23,272,306 at the box office.
Shutter Island
Shutter Island is an American physiological thriller from 2010. Disturbed by paramount pictures and starring Leonard DiCaprio. The film was released for the first time on the 19th of February 2010. It had a budget of $80 million and earned $294,804,195 at the box office.Running time lasts 138 minutes.
The cabin in the woods
The cabin in the woods directed by Drew Goddard in his directorial debut, he also wrote the film alongside Joss Whedon who also produced the film, the pair had previously worked together on Whedon's works 'Buffy the vampire slayer' and its spin off 'Angel' they wrote the screenplay within just three days. The film had an estimated budget of $30 million and gained $66,486,080 at the box office. The films runs for 95 minutes and was originally released on March 9th 2012 produced by Lionsgate. The pair had hopes to effect the thriller genre with their film.
Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs is a 1992 American crime thriller, originally released on October 23rd 1992, it runs for 99 minutes. The film had a budget of $1,200,000 and earned $4,008,029 at the box office.
The Machinist The Machinist is a 2004 Spanish physiological thriller however the language spoken in English. Starring Christian Bale the film has a running time of 101 minutes, it had a budget of around $5 million and earned $8,203,235 at the box office. The film was originally released on the 18th of January 2004, this first release took place in Spain.
Memento
Memento is a 2000 American neo-noir/mystery/ physiological thriller. The film was originally released in Venice on September 5th 2000, it has a running time of 113 minutes and a budget of $5 million, earned $39.7 million at the box office.
The talented Mr Ripley
The talented Mr Ripley is a 1999 American physiological thriller starring Mat Damon as a young sociopath struggling to make a living in New York during the 1950's. The film runs for 138 minutes and was originally released on the 12th of December at the Fox Bruin theater it was then released again a few days later on Christmas day in the united states. The films budget is said to have been around $40 million and developed $128,798,265 at the box office.
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