Thriller Treatment

Name of our film; Routine. (may change at a later date)


Outline of ideas; Repetition of an OCD man's daily routine (wake up, brush teeth, leave house etc). This is repeated several times, getting slightly faster each time. On the last time, things have changed- The alarm clock is on the other side of the bed, the cereals gone (mans confused) He hears a bang, grabs a knife, but the knfie already has blood on it. This shot is followed by an over the shoulder shot, with this you can see a silhoutted man behined, he punches him, man falls to the ground, see's footsteps, then the killer looks down into the camera (masked).

What resources are needed? Two actors (and OCD man and a 'killer') only setting needed is a house (a bedroom, hallway, bathroom and kitchen) props include an alarm clock, cereal box, toothbrush, knife, front door and a mask.

Justifications in relation to genre; Will include affective and appropriate camera angles, editing and mise en scene whilst creating both tension and build up.

AS Coursework Thriller; Initial ideas

 This first brainstorm was created to get our first first few general ideas as to what type of Thriller our film would be, whether a phsycological, political, legal etc. We also started to think of engimas and maguffuns, along with a few storyline ideas.

The second brainstorn went into a bit more detail, we had chosen the type of Thriller we wanted to create (a phsycological thriller) and we started to think a bit more into our storyline, bringing up ideas we could use to create tension (used in most succesful Thriller openings- shown in earlier film annalysise) and ideas such as time and repetions were brought up. Along with the type of camera angles and editing we could use- a bit like a pre-treatment.

AS Coursework Thriller; The Brief

This particular bit of the coursework is 50% of the course. It entitles creating both the titles and opening of a new fiction film in the Thriller genre which has to last around 2 minutes.

Cliffhangers

-Cliffhangers are often, but not always, used in thrillers.

-They often feature a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shaky revelation.

-This can entice the audience to keep watching in order to see how the situation resolves itself.

-Originally named after the first movie cliffhanger in which the scene ended with an object literally hanging off a cliff.

Image shown above displays the cliffhanger (literally) used in the film; The Italian Job.

North By North-West; Hitchcock 1958

The "Crop Duster" scene

This particular scene in North By North-West features the main character of Thornhill being sent to meet a man who will explain why he has been mistaken for a goverment agent and, we beleive, help him. There are large amounts of tension created during this scene, this is made through a lack of noise, and through a number of 'unsuccessful' tension build ups (such as when he is waiting by the road for a car, but several pass by without notice).

'Red Herrings'

A Red Herring is the name given to a device in which intends to divert the audience from the truth or an item of significance. It can also work with other devices (enigmas) to create suspense.

The Difficulty Of Defining A Thriller

A common definition is -'Films of suspense that instil terror into the audience'

"The Thriller is a very difficult genre to pin down because is covers such a wide range of films' - Susan Hayward, Key Concepts In Film Studies.

'Enigma'

Within Media termonology, an enigma refers to a puzzle, something mysterious/inexplicable or a riddle/difficult problem. In Thrillers, this is commonly something which the protagonist has to try and find out or solve before the narrative is resolved and the film finishes.

Narrative- Structure, Formulas + Devices

e.g automatic use of 'continuity in editing'

-Clear establishment of cause and effect plotting which establishes character motivations and helps tell an interesting story which proceeds logically and steadily.

The 'Psychological' Thriller

The mind, conflict + past.


The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon anothers mind, either by playing decepting games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the others mental state. Sometimes the suspense comes from within one soliteray character where characters must resolve conflicts with their own minds. Usually, this conflict is an effort to understand that something has happened to them.

Suspence in Hitchcock's 'Sabotage'.

Sabotage- (1938) Hitchcock

How was suspense used in Sabotage?


-Clocks were used and constantly to shown, to show a sense of panic and excitment.
- Music sounded like ticking, to exaggerate the rush.
- The fact that the boy within this movie has been shown so much means we have been grown attached/to like him, which draws us into the movie as we don't want him to be killed.

Hitchcock's "Magumuffin"

(McGuffun or Magaffun) is a plot device that motivates the characters and and advances the story, but has little other relevance to the story.


Alfred Hitchcock; "We have a name in the studio, and we call it the McGuffin.It is usually the mechanical element that usually crops up in any story. In crook stories, it is always the necklace and in spy stories it is always the papers".

Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. 


Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades. Often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker, he came first in a 2007 poll of film critics in Britain's Daily Telegraph, which said: "Unquestionably the greatest filmmaker to emerge from these islands, Hitchcock did more than any director to shape modern cinema, which would be utterly different without him. His flair was for narrative, cruelly withholding crucial information (from his characters and from us) and engaging the emotions of the audience like no one else." The magazine MovieMaker has described him as 'the most influential filmmaker of all-time' and he is widely regarded as one of cinema's most significant artists.


(sources; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_hitchcock)

'A History Of Violence' + 'No Country For Old Men' + 'Zodiac'

Analysis of 3 thriller movie openings;

A History Of Violence;
- Minimal amount of shots
- Lots of diegetic sounds
- Strong mise en scene via accents, location and costume- Very effective.







No Country For Old Men;
- Cool, calm atmosphere
- Large range of camera angles
- Voice over sets the scene
- Over shoulder shot when man attacks other man = sneaky, gives the audience a position of power as we know what is coming but the character doesn't.
- Man in shadow in the back of the car, creates a uncomfortable, dangerous atmosphere
- Rolling shot when man is being strangled makes the audience feels queezy and shows insanity.

Zodiac;
- Darkly lit with spotlights creating an atmosphere and drawing our focus (pulling focus)
- Repetion of actions create tension
- The killers face is concealed, creating a mysterious feel










In all three of these films, there is an essence of surprise that keeps the viewer ont he edge of their seats. This is created through a quick contrast between a beginning of slow, calm shots which are then followed by several quicker, more dramatic shots. The action/drama of each film starts pretty much straight away and really draws the audience in, mainly due to this element of surprise, but without it being jumpy and turning it into a horror movie. 

What to include in a Thriller

There are many different types of Thrillers, so it may be difficult to create a story of our own. It could include;

- different technology
- plot generalisations
- re-occuring themes/situations

Do films follow rules?

Some film makers claim that 'there are no rules' or that 'rules are there to be broken'

However, most would agree that there are certain conventions that mainstream films observe in order for them to be acceptable for the mass audience.