Sub-Thrillers

There are many types of sub-thrillers. They are thrillers, but have other genres in as well.

An example of some are:

• Spy - James Bond
• Science fiction - The Fifth Element
• Crime - Layer Cake
• Romantic/Comedy - Mr and Mrs Smith
• Animal/Birds/Fish - Jaws
• Psychological - Psycho
• Horror - Seven
• Supernatural - Sixth Sense
• Action - Snatch
• Comedy - Doghouse

Ideas for opening sequence of 'Black' - Part Two

After re-thinking our idea of our thriller film, 'Black' we decided that it would be more of a horror than a thriller. Also some of the filming may have been quite hard to film and the effects would have been difficult.

Here is the new idea for our thriller film:

• A normal young person (15 - 20, depending on actors available) is cutting vegetables downstairs in their kitchen.
  
• At the same time they are listening to the radio and they look at the radio (which is when the FLASHBACK starts, everything from this point turns to black and white.) The radio starts to turn off and make unusual sounds.
  
• The young person tries to sort it out, but for some reason can't.
• There are lots of unusual noises which they can here and then it suddenly goes silent.
• The decide to call someone, the phone rings, but then goes dead.
• The stop and listen and can hear nothing, nothing apart from a faint buzz (or other sound).
• The camera will spin around them to give a sense of them being un-secure.
• Over the shoulder shot, with the camera facing the door, then the character walks towards the door with the camera staying in the same place, then again the character opens the door with the camera in the same place. Music playing while this is happening.
• Camera comes out of the door and faces towards the character who turns around to look for people/movement/anything. NOTHING!
• House is seen with a door open and they walk over into it and the door creaks. Then SILENCE!
• Loud noise comes from another room, (this could be a loud piano sound maybe, minor?)
• Hand held camera and heavy breathing.
• The lights flicker and turn off, and footsteps are heard hurtling towards the character.
• The character runs with a man chasing him, only the legs and feet can be seen.
• Also hand held camera for this section, and creepy music.
• The character heads for a small room and locks themselves in it. (The music stops and SILENCE starts again.)
• They open the door and see nothing, mainly because there is no light, so they walk out. Name of the 1st character on the door.
  
• Some kind of weapon/object strikes them along with a sudden strike of sound. Name of the 2nd character comes up when the 1st character is hit, maybe in place of the weapon.
• Black screen comes up with 'Black' in black font, so it can't be seen, but then has a white outline around it, which will eventually fade to white. Simple text, quick cut.
  

Research on Directors

David Fincher

• His full name is, David Andrew Leo Fincher.
• He was born on the 28th August 1962.
• He is well known for his dark stylish movies, which include; Alien 3, Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
• He has also music videos and commercials.
• He first started to make movies at the age of 8 years old.
• He went to film school and had jobs such as; loading cameras and doing other hands-on work at Korty Films.
• In 1980 he was hired at Industrial Light & Magic, where he tried to promote; Twice Upon A Time, Return of The Jedi and Indiana Jones: The Temple of Doom.
• He was brought to attention by producers om Los Angeles.
• He worked with artists such as; Madonna, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Nine Inch Nails and Michael Jackson to direct their music videos.
• He also helped direct commercials for; Nike, Levi's and Apple.

Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan

• He was born on the 6th August 1970.
• He is known as M. Night Shyamalan.
• He usually creates films that include twists and unexpected turns.
• When he went to New York University, he began work on his first film which was Praying The Anger (1992).
• One of his most well known films is called The Sixth Sense, which was released in 2000.
• His most recent film is The Happening which was released in 2008.
• When he was 17 he had made about 45 home movies and was a big fan of Steven Spielberg.
• Sixth Sense, had a $40million bidget and $600million at the box office worldwide.

Ideas for opening sequence of 'Black' - Part One

• (The first section before the flashback is of them at the end of the film)
  
• Someone with a knife, looks like they are going to kill someone, but they are in fact just cutting vegetables.
  
• The director is on the knife.
• Cuts to their face and then to the radio.
• Fades to a flashback (past time) which is in black and white apart from the blood which is in red.
  
• Person in a pool of blood is being dragged, pan from feet up, but not too his head.
• Whistling sound and echoes, maybe some scratching.
• Trails of blood.
• Dissolves to the next day**
• Possible crime scene, with flashing blue and red light.
• Someone standing in a long coat looking like a detective flicking through photos of dead people.
• He sighs and puts it in his pocket.
• A quick cut back to the persons face, which will be in colour (present time)
• Another flashback (past time), to when the person is getting killed.

** Transitions between the flashbacks and present time. Killer looks at the book of victims, and the camera zooms in to the book and out as the detective looking at the book. OR zoom into a close up of the killers eye and zooms out as the detectives eye.

Conventions of Thrillers

• A thriller lies on a plot to create fear and tension.
• It should involve puzzles to make the audience think.
• The hero/heroine is seen in a situation that means they are in danger.
• Narrative (the plot) builds tension for the audience.
• They must have an ordinary location with extraordinary event and behaviour.
• The killer or villain ensnares hero/heroine through a series of intricate moves.
• Thrillers are usually centered around crime, and often horror.
• The hero/heroine is fallible.
• The audience are put in position of voyeurs.
• There is often a mistake of identity.
• Mirrors may be included to make it suspicious, and give a theme of reflections.
• Mazes and labyrinths are often used (real or psychological)
• Women are seen through a male gaze.
• There must be a build up to the action, which creates fear and a doubt over the characters.
• Dark, dull, shadowy atmospheres are ideal.
• Delay in showing the face of the main characters.
• Suspense using a soundtrack that fits well into the film.
• Flashbacks.
• Twists and unexpected things that might happen to create mystery for the audience.
• Realistic settings.
  
• Other types of thrillers can be; spy, science fiction, crime, action, supernatural, horror, psychological, animal, fish, birds and romantic/comedy.

Analysis of Thriller Films (Open Sequence)

Layer Cake

White on black for the title, simple font.

Silence, just voice over of the main character.

Fade from black and white to colour after the explosion at the start.

Background changes whilst the foreground stays the same for when the main character is in a chemist.

The name of the film is in the form of a number plate.

The title appears on a door and disappears when the door opens.

Names of the actors come up on screen and and the font is small and discreet but also noticable.

Flightplan

Calm orchestral music.

The music is eerie which give the audience a sense of fear for what is going to happen.

Slow at the start of the film.

The film starts off with a quick glimpse of a train going past which cuts to a black screen with white simple font.

There is a camera angle of a train going past and the side of the train is right up against the camera. This brings a sense of fear and also is a loud sound.

Some dark scenes and low light.

The establishing shot is on a plane, but the beginning starts at a train station, these are both places which involve transport.

While the woman is at the station, a train comes and she just sits and waits, meanwhile there is a flashback which is shown, and then it cuts back to her at the train station.


The Constant Gardener
The titles are in simple capital letter fonts.

Black background with white fonts.

Footsteps which are the sound over while the titles are on screen.

Some voice over of a man talking after he has got out of a car.

Fades into a two silhouettes of the people, the husband is saying goodbye to his wife, this gives a sense of fear because the audience wonder why the people can't been seen probably.

Also the surrounding environment is dark/dull.

When the woman is walking off, there is a sound of a plane overhead and she fades into white and goes blurry.

Blurred close up on the tire as a car falls on its side.

Low angle shot of the spinning wheel, then a panning shot of a flock of birds flying across the screen.