ABJ Studios Daytime Talk Show

ABJ Studios Daytime Talk Show

Please find attached below a sketch that we recorded where we answer some questions to do with the Thriller movie genre.

Our Film Schedule

Our Film Schedule

Date: We have chosen Wednesday 26th November as our selected date to film. We picked this date as we were all free and our actors were available. Our decision to film after school is strategic because we want the dark lighting in order to create a sinister and spooky atmosphere which coincides with the winter weather.

Characters: We will spend an hour before filming sorting out our characters costumes in order to create individualised identities for them. Our characters are played Alfie Wyand-Brooks and Jack Berkeley.

Make up: In our hour preparation time our makeup team will darken the eyes of the evil character in order to keep the dark atmospheres.

Location: We will go to Rippers alley which is within walking distance of the school to begin our filming and make our way down from there to the Station Road bus stop.

Inspiration for our film: Soundtrack

Inspiration for our film: Soundtrack

We have looked at many different kinds of thrillers, and paid close attention to the background music and the soundtracks.

The reasons on why we have chosen this soundtracks is because we think they add tension to the film. We have also put them on here because they have inspired us for our soundtrack for our film. 

This soundtrack is called sky fall. The reason on why we like this soundtrack is because of the fact that it creates tension and when this soundtrack comes on, you instantly start thinking of James bond and guns. This soundtrack is catchy and will be stuck in the viewers head.

This soundtrack is called tiptoe in the tulips. Its creates a distinguished, mysterious and frightening vibe. Contrapuntal music; that doesn't fit with the film.

This soundtrack is call psycho. It is a world renowned thriller soundtrack and has earned this tag due to the features it has in it. One of the most noteworthy good points of this track is the fast paced, sharp screeches to start it off with as it adds a exaggerated and heightened sense of danger to the film. This is followed by a deeper, lower tone which carries the mysterious vibe across the entirety of the film.



Mind mapped Ideas For Our Thriller Film

Mind mapped Ideas For Our Thriller Film

 These are our original ideas for our potential thriller films. We looked at a diverse range of thriller based films and tried our utmost to come up with ideas that we could use when we begin the stage of coming up with/inventing our own film ideas. Our main topics were Paranoia, Kidnapping, Dead body and Hit man; all of these have qualities that are very much appealing such as the mystery atmosphere that can be brought through the dead body and the paranoia based films. Additionally, the kidnapping and hit man ideas allow the use of guns and shoot offs which create dramatic scenes which has continuously been used by film directors throughout the years to engage the publics attention due to its fast paced, expensive and dramatized feel.

Conventions of Thrillers Research

Conventions of Thrillers Research

We asked multiple people, that haven't studied media, some questions to do with the conventions of Thriller films. We will go on to use this research towards our own Thriller film.

Q. What would you expect the colour schemes to be like in a typical Thriller film?

A1. Dark colours such as greys, browns and blacks

A2. The colours would be rather dull, and films such as Heat (1995) have a blue tint to the camera shots.

A3. I would expect that the colours wouldn't be very interesting, and this helps to set the mood of the film e.g. if the colours are dull, you would expect a serious storyline, typically crime based films.

Q. What sort of settings would you expect from a typical Thriller film?

A1. Usually it is in a city as typical Thrillers tend to be crime.

A2. It depends on the storyline, but most of the time it is either in a big city or a rural area.

A3. Somewhere either very quiet, or extremely loud, for instance the capital of a country or a rural forest.

Q. What are the typical soundtracks like in a Thriller film? (Slow/Medium/Fast pace)

A1. The most recent successful soundtrack of a Thriller was Adele song "Skyfall" from the James Bond film, "Skyfall". It was a very successful medium pace song that played before the movie began. It helped to create an atmosphere for what the film was going to be like.
A2. Slow paced music as it helps to set a serious/scary/dramatic atmosphere, and this helps the audience to understand instantly that the film is going to be a Thriller.
A3. Fast paced because it helps to add tension, especially when it is played at the beginning of the film over the titles. 

Target Audience - Research

Target Audience

We have searched up different types of thrillers and we have examined the set target audience. The target audience for ‘Goodfellas’ would range from teenagers to middle aged men. This film wouldn’t appeal to women as most of the film has violence in it and strong language. Gangster films are very male dominated and ‘Goodfellas’ shows this idea and all of the characters in the opening scene are male.

The target audience for 'se7en' would range between teenagers to middle aged men, just like 'Goodfellas'. This film wouldn't appeal to women because of the fact that 'Se7en' is a gory film and a lot of scenes with blood in. The two main characters are Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman.

Thriller Conventions Linking To Jack Reacher

Thriller Conventions Linking To Jack Reacher

Plot: Generally, thrillers show justice and injustice (or good and evil) fighting against each other, with an overall feel of suspense. Most often, the identity of the antagonist is known and the protagonist must intervene with their plans; a thriller movie usually has a growing sense of threat and/or danger and there is a clear sense of pursuit, although they sometimes begin with an overall degeneration of events

Narrative: (points of view; events) The story of a typical thriller film will usually be shown from the protagonist’s point of view, following events that the heroes must overcome. This point of view allows the audience to become more involved in the events themselves and therefore closer to the characters, as they see how the characters interact with each other in different situations. However, other points of view are sometimes included in the telling of the plot: often they will be short clips from the villain’s point of view, allowing the audience to see how the antagonist acts while by themselves, or how they used to act (i.e. in a flashback), which creates empathy for the villain and possibly allows the audience to understand why they have become the evil party. Depending on the character that plays the villain or how much is revealed to the audience, a sense of guilt can also be created.

Characters: (dress; typical roles) The two main characters (antagonist and protagonist) in a thriller are set apart from each other in the way the audience views them. The heroes in thrillers are often men that are accustomed to danger in their jobs or lifestyles (i.e. policemen, spies, etc.) or are ordinary citizens that have been pulled into danger by accident. The male hero usually has an aim to defeat the evil of the situation and will persevere even if nothing is going according to plan. The villains in thrillers are also typically men, usually tall and/ or well-built, and with a shady sense around them that gives the impression that they shouldn’t be trusted. This character may have some physical deformity (if their identity is secret for the majority of the film), or a traumatic experience that has changed their outlook on life or humanity. Usually they will work alone.

Iconography: (setting; mise-en-scene; props; colours) The typical setting of a thriller is in an urban city. Usually the main colours used will be grey, black and white to emphasise the helplessness of the first character we see. Thrillers can also be set in quiet country villages, where everyone leads poor and simple lives; often the villain will come from a small village. Usually only a small range of colours will be used, the main being black or grey if it is set in a city environment, to show how normal and mundane life is. However other strong colours are often used at particular plot points; for example if there is a lot of blue we can assume that someone has or is going to die, and if there is a recurring theme of red (i.e. alarms) then we understand the characters are in danger.



Thriller Film Directors That Caught Our Eye

Thriller Film Directors That Caught Our Eye

Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino jolted onto the Hollywood scene with his screenplay for True Romance, before getting involved in the thriller genre by directing the early 1990s films Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. 

QUICK FACTS NAME 

Quentin Tarantino 

OCCUPATION 

Film Actor, Television Actor, Director,Producer, Screenwriter 

BIRTH DATE 

March 27, 1963 (age 51) 

PLACE OF BIRTH 

Knoxville, Tennessee 

FULL NAME 

Quentin Tarantino

James Cameron

James Camerons directional efforts have grossed around $6 million worldwide. He is also the man who created the eye capturing, mouth watering and game changing "Terminator" Film sequence.

QUICK FACTS NAME 

James Cameron 

OCCUPATION 

Film director, conceptual artist, producer, editor, screenwriter, environmentalist, explorer 

BIRTH DATE 

August 16, 1954 (age 60) 

PLACE OF BIRTH 

Kapuskasing, Ontario,Canada

 FULL NAME 

James Francis Cameron

Storyboard of Our Thriller: Paranoia

Psycho: Camera Angles Analysis

Psycho: Camera Angles Analysis

In this post, I will be analysing the camera angles of the classic Thriller/Horror movie, Psycho. I will be explaining how the camera angles portray emotions, and how power changes from character to character throughout the scenes.

After the opening titles, an establishing shot is used to set the scene. It shows a crowded city in the middle of the day. This isn’t what we would usually expect from a thriller setting, as typical characteristics consist of low lighting, Isolated settings and it being set in the evening. This shot pans to the outside of a window where we expect to be introduced to a main character. The pan shot gives time to the audience to anticipate what is going to happen, but to also make them think that the “psycho” is maybe somewhere within this city.

This shot shows Marion hidden in a bathroom obtaining stolen money from her purse. A high angle shot shows her vulnerability and weakness in the situation, and we predict that her criminal actions will detriment her continuingly through the film. Alternatively, the high angle shot is placed in a position where the audience feels like an intruder as we see an action happening that no other character is yet aware of. This creates a connection between the audience and character and makes us feel important than the rest of the characters as we are informed of Marions actions.

A medium close up shot is used to show the character’s worried expression as the non-synchronous sound of her boss fitting the pieces together and figuring out that she has stolen the money is heard. The biting of the lip could suggest the characters apprehension and maybe regret of stealing the money. Alternatively, it could suggest her concern about being caught. Her rigid position again shows the exposed fret that she is feeling, also making the audience feel tense and uneasy.

This shot is a huge contrast to the first establishing shot showing a crowded city with natural lighting. This shot complies to the typical conventions of a thriller setting with little lighting, set in the night time and seeming quiet and remote, with the rain also adding to the mood. This is when we realise that this location might be where an antagonist reveals themselves. The only source of light is coming from one room within the house and this is where our focus immediately goes to as we want to know who exactly is in the house.

An over the shoulder shot reveals Norman uncovering a hole in the wall, that leads to the cabin Marion is staying in. This action is when we figure out that there is more to him than meets the eye. The first impressions we get from this character is a shy, timid man who is slightly awkward but innocent. This shot unearths a different side to his personality adding a mystifying element to him. This is the moment when his character becomes more important and disturbing character. The over the shoulder shot makes the audience again feel like their intruding adding a tense atmosphere to the scene.

A two shot is used when the bathroom door suddenly swings open to reveal a shadowy character. By using this shot, it makes the audience anticipate what we all believe is going to happen next. The tense and anxious atmosphere is emphasised by the fact that the shower is the only sound we can hear. The clear shower curtain allows us to foresee the next event however not who is carrying it out. This still keeps a sense of ambiguity for the audience, making it more appealing to watch as we think we are seconds away from finding out who exactly is behind the curtain.

When the shower curtain is opened the camera zooms quickly, ending up at amid shot of a shadowy figure holding up a knife. As soon as this happens it is accompanied by dramatic violin incidental music which adds to the audiences reaction making it more frightening. The use of no lighting on the silhouette keeps a sense of mystery to the killer, this makes the audience more intrigued to finally find out who the killer could be. The background light is almost used to blind the audience from seeing the killer as well as Marion. The use of one light again creates a more dramatic and theatrical shot.











Inspiration for our Thriller Movie

Inspiration for our Thriller Movie

We have looked into a number of thriller film to get an idea of what we might use to make our own. Some of the film we looked at like a thought we could use for our film were Paranoia, Good fella's, Seven and The Bridge.

What we liked about Paranoia we the setting and the hole storyline of the film. We liked the beginning of the film when he is sitting on a train reading the news paper then when he looks up he see's someone who looks like a wanted and dangerous person. We like the start of this film and we might replicate the beginning of this clip.

Another film that we liked was Good fella's. The reason on why we like this film is because at the beginning of the film when the credits are showing, you can hear a car engine playing throughout the credits. We liked that idea and we might use something similar at the beginning of our film to set the scene.

Conventions of a typical Thriller

Conventions of a typical Thriller

There are numerous different aspects that are used frequently in a diverse range of thriller films that make up the contents of a typical thriller film.

In a typical thriller film I would expect to see intense music starting right from the introductory period of the film, this is typical in films such as Inception where the music uses loud, bold sounds with a low base in order to create a deep suspense around the scene which consequently helps display the dark and dingy atmosphere required for a thriller.

Another strong convention into the field of thriller movies is the standard range of camera shots that appear in most thriller films. Due to the majority of thriller movies involving the hero who has the viewers on their side and the villain. In a lot of thriller films they try to let the audience know early on about the roles the characters fulfil. Low angle shots of the villain are often used to display their importance and power. To establish the scene in a thriller, they use establishing shots commonly or long shots of a character which also show the surrounding area which helps set the scene instantaneously to the audience.

Additionally, there are typical settings which come as part of a thriller film a large amount of the time, due to the way they need to display danger, weariness and a depressing atmosphere, they often film at night or when it is raining/bad weather. Furthermore, settings such as train stations, street alleys and abandoned buildings.

The Dark Knight Rises: Analysis

The Dark Knight Rises: Analysis

The initial 35 seconds of the Dark Knight Rises focuses predominantly on establishing the scene and building suspense for the following narrative, using conventions of the thriller genre. The establishing shot at the beginning of the scene sets the theme of isolation for the rest of the scene; a key component of thriller movies. In doing so, the audience know that if something was to go wrong, there would be no one around to help, showing this is a dangerous situation and therefore building suspense.


This is followed by a long shot of a Government agent. The agent’s clothes represent him as a weaker and vulnerable character due to the mellow connotations of the colour blue – a common representation for the victim in a thriller movie. However, this is a sharp contrast from the middle ground behind him; the armed guards represent him as a powerful character with a lot of authority, due to the connotations of violence and murder connected to guns. Finally, the camera slowly moves towards the Government agent during this section of the scene, placing a further emphasis on his role in the narrative.


At 15 seconds of the way through the opening scene, the focus is placed on these three character. They are represented in such a way that it is clear to the audience that one of these will be the villain of the movies. For instance, this section of the scene uses darker colours because dark colours have connotations of evil, mystery and a possible threat, these characters are represented as such. This follows the thriller convention of displaying the villain in dark lighting.


The conventional thriller theme of entrapment is shown in the confinement of the space they are in – the characters are pushed against each other due to the lack of space. They also fill the space they are in, representing them as key characters in the narrative. For this reason, a lot of mystery shrouds the narrative because the two concepts of them being the villain but at the same time being trapped doesn't represent them as a threat: how can they cause any hard while they are trapped? This engages the audience with the narrative. Furthermore, the diegetic music during the opening few seconds gradually builds – another typical thriller convention which this time builds suspense for when the mystery clouding these three characters is revealed.


At 0:54 seconds through the opening scene, the representation of power in the government agent is once again reaffirmed, but this time shows the presupposed villains in the shot also. The theme of confinement and entrapment also become more prevalent due to the small space inside the plane, raising the tension of the scene because there is it becomes more apparent there is no escape should something go wrong. Themes of death and murder are emphasized in this section of the scene. The middle ground and foreground are used effectively to clearly represent the current power imbalance between the presupposed villains and the Government agent, due to the villains being lower down in the shot. This imbalance forces the themes of death and murder due to the more powerful character (the Government agent) holding the gun which carries connotations of violence, aggression and, of course, death. Death and murder are typical thriller themes, following the conventions of thrillers once more.


At 2:54 seconds, the audience can appreciate the enormity of the situation. The establishing shot shown above represents the power Bane now has over the situation, represented in the size difference between his plane and that of the Government. It reaffirms the themes of death and destruction because of how real the situation is becoming, as shown in this shot. It also continues the deception, because the amount of power Bane had over the situation was, as previously mentioned, made to appear minimal when actually at this point it is very clear he has a lot. Furthermore, the diegetic music now changes to a piece with a faster pace and increased volume, with sharper notes played on violins. From this point on wards, very quick bursts of action are shown instead of long, drawn out monologues. When these to features of the scene are combined, the overall pace of the scene is increased, emphasizing the action and therefore danger/risk of death within the scene. This follows thriller conventions due to the typical narrative of death.


The greatest example of Bane’s power within the scene is shown at 3:41. A point of view shot now places the audience directly below him, once more emphasizing his power and control over the scene. It also makes the audience appreciate the fear that any remaining survivors must feel because they are in the same position that character is in, making the threat Bane poses even greater. A camera shake is additionally used in conjunction with the low angle shot to further the powerful representation of Bane, because it makes him seem so much bigger than he actually is. As well as this, the music stops for this section of the scene, allowing all the focus and appreciation to be placed upon this representation of Bane and nothing else. It is a crucial part of the movie to foreshadow Bane’s character for the rest of the film, and is done by giving a lasting impression.

!The clip we used to analyse this is attached below!