Thriller Rough Cut

Strengths
There is continuity and flow in the edit.

Weaknesses
There is no soundtrack, which needs to be added to help build tension, and other sounds such as a phone ringing need to be added. The shot at 0:19 is wobbly and not very smooth panning over to the tree. Also, titles need to be added and the font needs to be changed at 0:13. Half of the film needs to be added.

Soundtrack

Soundtracks in film openings

Se7en
In the opening of the film Se7en, diegetic sounds of the city are used as the character gets ready for work. There are sounds of cars and people, which create a busy atmosphere in the city which contrasts to the silence of the inside of the character's apartment which helps create feelings of isolation and loneliness in the scene. Sounds of keys being picked up, lights being switched off and cups being put in the sink are emphasised which reinforces the loneliness in the scene as they emphasise the silence in the character's apartment. Later in the opening, the diegetic sound of the metronome is used to reinforce ideas about the character to do with order and precision, as well as loneliness. The title sequence uses distorted sounds and music to create a chaotic effect, it includes scraping sounds, screeching and creaking sounds which create a confusing and chaotic mix of sound with a slightly grungy feel. The music and sounds get louder and louder towards the end of the title sequence, as well as faster, building tension.

Layer Cake
This film uses narration at the start, with calm music playing in the background which alters slightly at the start to match the tone of the opening better, it changes to calm electronic music to fit the light tone. The narration is also calm and laid back suggesting a cool, light tone. Nearer to the end of the  opening an energetic light rock piece plays as a car drives down a long road, this is used to get the audience excited and to change the tone from cool and relaxed to excited and energetic, to get the audience engaged and enthusiastic, it helps represents themes such as crime as cool, and possibly even glamorous.

Essex Boys
At the beginning of the opening, silence is used while information is displayed on a black screen, this is to build tension. After this the silence is replaced by only diegetic sounds of a garage door opening, a light turning on and footsteps, which are all emphasised and used to cut through the silence, but also to maintain the tension as there is no non-diegetic sound at this point. The sounds of the garage door screeching open could be representative of certain elements or themes of the opening, such as violence. Non-diegetic music plays when the car is driving, which sounds like electronica and rock, the music could be used to help set the tone of the film and also get the audience more engaged and interested in the film. Other diegetic sounds include emphasised or added punching or hitting sounds, to emphasise the violence in that part of the opening, as well as car sounds, footsteps and shouting.


Our Film

For our film we will need to collect or record diegetic natural sounds such as wind or trees rustling and bird calls to emphasise the location and the isolation of the area. Other sounds we will record or find will be sounds of a phone ringing from a caller and to the receiver, as well as some non-diegetic instrumental sounds or music, so the piece isn't too silent and boring, the music will hopefully get more intense and loud as the opening progresses up until the kidnapping to build tension. Also, sounds such as the antagonist's footsteps, leaves or branches rustling which already exist in the film. Diegetic sounds will be used to create tension in our piece and emphasise actions and the location. Sounds will be collected from various websites, especially music/non-diegetic sounds as well as the sound of a phone ringing (from both sides of the call). Sounds such as the diegetic sounds of the wind will be recorded or emphasised from the footage we already have, whichever creates a better atmosphere and doesn't sound like it cuts every time a shot changes, so we will probably be using recorded sound to make the piece and the edit smoother.

Conventions of a Thriller Subgenre

Psychological Thrillers

Psychological thriller is a sub genre that focuses on the unstable psychological state of its characters, they usually involve mystery as a plot point or a feature of the characters, elements of horror, mystery and drama are often incorporated in psychological thrillers. Themes often explored in psychological thrillers include reality, perception, mind, purpose, identity and death, and these are used to develop the plot or the characters.

Codes and conventions

In psychological thrillers, one of the main elements to distinguish the subgenre from other types of thrillers are flashbacks, these are to often confuse and disorient the audience as it distorts and disorients time in the film, they make the audience think more about the film. They are also used to create mystery but also to reveal important elements of the plot which the audience overlooked in a previous scene, or the character and show reasons why the character is how they are.

Similar to traditional film noir, modern psychological thrillers also use shadows and low key lighting for a similar effect. They are used to represent a character's morality or inner darkness, the low key lighting creates a contrasting chiaroscuro effect which is often enhanced by black and white. Another reason shadows and low key lighting is used is to create tension and the feeling of uncertainty.

Mirrors are used a lot in psychological thrillers, they are used to reflect the characters and their morality and inner self. They could also be used to represent the character's state of mind, as a cracked mirror could represent a damaged or broken person, or state of mind.

Psychological thrillers often include montages and quick edits are used to create a sense of disorientation as well as panic. They can be used to confuse the audience or help establish the tone or reinforce the feelings of panic in the scene.

Another important element to psychological thrillers that separate it from other thriller subgenres, and horrors especially, is the location, as most psychological thrillers are set in urban areas instead of rural areas like horrors. This could be to make them more realistic than horrors, as they also focus more on smaller, more personal issues which add to their characters which are often focused on more than the plot, unlike horrors.

The camera movement is often quick and the camera is often handheld, this is to create a sense of panic, and put the audience in the position of the character. The camera movement lets the audience know how the character is feeling especially when they are feeling panic, the camera helps the audience empathise with the character.

Tense, eerie music is used to create feelings of panic and to reinforce the quick, disorienting camerawork, this type of music is used to build up tension in the scene. Sometimes the music juxtaposes with the scene which is also used to create a tense, eerie atmosphere and tone.

Themes

Reality
Perception
Mind
Purpose
Identity
Death

Examples

Shutter Island
- In Shutter Island themes of reality, perception, the mind, identity and death are explored as the character finds out about himself, and his true identity as well as the deaths of people close to him which caused his mental state and inner darkness. The film incorporates conventions of the mystery thriller subgenre and also incorporates horror conventions, such as the location, which is more horror than thriller as it is isolated and mostly set in an asylum, which is a common setting for horrors. Flashbacks are used, which is a convention of the psychological thriller subgenre, they allow the audience to gain new information with the character, which could also be conventional of the mystery subgenre. The film focuses on the characters more than the plot which is another convention of psychological thrillers, as they usually focus more on the mental state of the characters and personal issues rather like Shutter Island does.

Se7en
- The film Se7en explores themes of reality, purpose, death, and the mind as the film focuses on each of the character's state of mind and is focused around murder. This film also incorporates conventions of other genres and subgenres such as horror and mystery, the main plot is centred around a mystery, like Shutter Island. Conventions of psychological thrillers in this film are focusing a lot on character as the main character is established in the opening before the main plot is. Another convention are the locations, the main location is the city which is a convention as most psychological thrillers are set in urban areas. Horror conventions could be seen in the isolated and grim locations as well. Another psychological thriller convention Se7en uses is low key lighting and shadows, especially in the opening, which is also similar to traditional film noirs.

Other examples - Memento, Black Swan, Vertigo

Essex Boys

How are metaphorical spaces used to create meaning in the opening of Essex Boys?

This shot uses claustrophobic space with the reflection of the neon lights which look like prison bars which could be foreshadowing future events and the fate of the character in the shot, the bars create a feeling of entrapment and suggest that that the character is trapped in the surroundings and his fate. The darkness of the scene emphasises to the feeling of entrapment, and the bright bars in the shot. The darkness could suggest that the character has an inner darkness or that there is no hope for him left.

The large space of the seemingly never ending plain makes the character seem insignificant and powerless. In the shot we can see the horizon which emphasises the space and also the helplessness of the character and therefore his desperation, which is reinforced by the leading lines that lead to the vanishing point at the horizon. Also, the character is placed at the bottom of the shot which emphasises the space and the character's desperation. In addition, the vanishing point is off centre which could suggest uncertainty about the character, the character's destination or fate. The colour palette also emphasises the metaphorical space, as the colours are all very similar and there is little contrast in the shot, this makes the plain seem even larger and the character even more insignificant compared to the space.

This shot uses light and contrast to create space and meaning as the darkness surrounding the light tunnel creates and enclosed or entrapped space within the shot. The entrapment in a dark space could suggest danger or represent the immorality of the character, the tunnel could also represent his transition to a life of crime. The leading lines in the shot could reinforce the idea of a transition or journey to criminality, they lead to a vanishing point in the tunnel which is where the light is coming from, which could suggest that there is hope, alternatively, the light is surrounded by darkness which could suggest that there is no hope for the character or the future in this film.

Fonts

Shooting Schedule

Storyboard

Location Scouting