Research Part One By Jade Holt

GenreThriller refers to a fast-paced adrenaline film that is full of suspense and drama that entices the audience and keeps them interested the whole way through.Most Thrillers contain a Protagonist and an Antagonist (Hero and Villain). Usually the Antagonist is not revealed such as in Se7en (1995) to create tension and suspense.

When the Antagonist isn’t revealed, it’s called an Enigma. A thriller is usually filled with apprehension that keeps the audience interested in the plot. The Protagonist is usually unsuspecting and more often than not- male.

From a thriller and audience expects to be scared or be jumping out of their skin. They expect to feel safe once the film has ended and they have been returned to normality.

1927The Lodger: Alfred Hitchcock(Silent Film)

1929Blackmail: Alfred Hitchcock(Silent Film)

Thrillers from 1927-2010

2010Lovely Bones: Peter Jackson.Inception: Christopher Nolan.Paranormal Activity 2: Tod Williams

2008The Dark Knight: Christopher Nolan

1960Psycho: Alfred Hitchcock

1973High Plains Drifter: Clint Eastwood

1975 Jaws: Steven Spielberg

1989 Die Hard: John McTiernan

1994Pulp Fiction: Quentin Tarantino (Voted Best Thriller Ever)

1985 Terminator: James Cameron

1996 Se7en: David Fincher

2002Ocean’s Eleven: Steven Soderbergh

2003Kill Bill Vol. 1: Quentin Tarantino

I used these films as they are some of the more iconic Thrillers. I started with The Lodger as it was the first ever Thriller film created by the founder of the Thriller genre- Alfred Hitchcock. The rest of these films I used as they were the some of the most iconic films in the Thriller genre.

Hybrids and Sub-GenresHybrids and Sub-genres are the

merging of two or more different genres in one film. Each subgenre has a different role and makes the audience feel different things, for example a psychological thriller will make the audience feel as if it is playing with their minds and produces suspense.

Psychological Thriller Action Thriller

Romance ThrillerCrime Thriller

Sci-fi/ Horror ThrillerComedy Thriller

Characterisation

ConstructionCamerawork

There are lots of different camera shots that directors of Thrillers use such as; Extreme Close up- used to create tension, usually on the eyes or hands; Establishing shot, used to set the scene; Close Up, usually a close up on a whole face; Medium Shot as shown in this picture from Drive (2011), a shot of half of the body used when filming conversations.

EditingThis is how each shot changes into the next. A jump cut can be used. A Jump Cut is seen in the opening title sequence of Se7en when we see the antagonist scribbling out somebody’s face and then it jumps to when the face is completely scribbled out.

SoundThere are two different types of sound- Diegetic and Non-Diegetic. Diegetic sound is Actual sound. For example it is the voices of the characters, music if a CD is being played in the scene etc. Non-Diegetic sound is any sound that is added in afterwards. For example a soundtrack, sound effects, the sound of a someone being punched etc.

BibliographyTitle Page:Psycho (1960) IMDb.Now You See Me (2013) IMDb.Drive (2011) IMDb.The Happening (2008) IMDb.The Butterfly Effect (2004) IMDb.Disturbia (2007) IMDb.Collateral (2004) IMDb.The Shining (1980) IMDb.Timeline:http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/history-of-thrillerGenre:Se7en (1995) IMDbDrive (2011) IMDb.Construction:Pictures from Google. Information from lessons.http://filmsound.org/terminology/diegetic.htmCharacterisation:Pictures from Google. Information from lessons.Hybrids and Sub-genres:http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.htmlIMDb: The Dark Knight (2012), Kill Your Darlings (2013), Double Indemnity (1944), 2 Guns (2013), Skyfall (2012), Sixth Sense (1999), Margin Call (2011), The Purge (2013)

Feedback

A more detailed analysis of the sub and hybrid genres would push this into a very good piece of work, Your character analysis is good but make sure you understand the definitions.

Stu