Stevie Pell: Re-sit Coursework

In this PowerPoint, the slides which have a

white background are the pages and
information added by Stevie Pell for the re-
sit of the coursework as well as the title
page.
THRILLERS.
 Thrillers
Google Word Net Glossary: A thriller is a suspenseful
adventure story or play or movie.
Thrillers concentrate more on suspense, although gore and
violence may be shown at times, the focus is on the
suspense.
Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action,
and resourceful heroes. Devices such as suspense, red
herrings and cliff hangers are used extensively.
Thrillers combine action and suspense in to one group.
They do this by including twists or secrets whilst including
fights or action shots. Thrillers also concentrate on the
intensity of emotions they create especially apprehension,
exhilaration and tension by showing the emotional break-
down or emotional mind state of the protagonist. The
Disorder (2006) is a thriller concentrating
audience identifies with the main protagonist either through
on the intensity of emotions, presenting a
emotion or fear of the situation.
horrific past, memories as well as growing
There are many sub-genres to thrillers, including action fear and suspicion. This therefore shows
thriller, drama thriller, crime thriller, psychological thriller, the break down of the character trying to
spy thriller and supernatural thriller. These thrillers may overcome these emotions.
differ to each other in terms of pace, for example, an action
thriller would be quicker paced than a drama or
physiological thriller.
 Action and Crime Thrillers
Both these sub-genres of a thriller include weapons as generic signifiers. Although these weapons
differ to keep in with the pace, the weapons used show murder and a mystery or solving of a problem
through a protagonist. The way the protagonist solves the problem is different, in pace and action.
Although the action thrillers are quicker paced, both concentrate on action rather than the
psychological thoughts and aspects of characters.
Because action thrillers are fast paced, focus shots showing foregrounds and backgrounds are not
often used. Quick panning shots, quick close up shots and used, but more often, wide shots are used
to produce a setting and show all the action. An example is the action Thriller Taken (2008). This is a
film about a father finding his daughter that has been taken by abusers. The shots are fast paced and
packed with gun shots and fights. Another example is Bourne Ultimatum (2007). This is a quick paced
thriller including guns as the generic signifier with fast paced scenes and quick panning shots.
Crime Thrillers may use more close up shots, showing facial expression of the criminal character or
close up of the dead bodies. As well as this, for both these thrillers, there are many level camera
angles used, showing everyone on the same level, although sometimes the odd low level shot will be
used to portray strength. However, by using wide shot on a mid level, the full action shot is produced
to the audience. Eagle Eye (2008) and Se7en (1995) are crime thrillers including serial killings or threats
and dangerous situations as well as including the generic signifiers of the police and cops.
 Drama and Psychological Thrillers

These thrillers are more slow paced, including more mental aspects than action and murder. They show the
characters developing emotionally and psychologically throughout the film, with the audience viewing the
progress or deterioration of the antagonists.
Both types of thriller often include twists or a real life situation, especially used in physiological thrillers.
These two thrillers appeal more to a female – orientated audience, as fear of real life situations affect
females more, and the horror, gory aspects of the action and crime are not so appealing. The Sixth Sense
(1999) is a psychological thriller, one that includes a twist as to who is really the spirit and the dead. This
shows the emotions of the dead and presents a surprising twist for the audience.
An example of a drama thriller is The Interpreter (2005) and for a psychological, The Ring (2002) or When a
Stranger Calls (2006). These thrillers usually consist of a female protagonist appealing to the most popular
audience for that sub genre. These genres may used focus foreground and background shots, as well as
low and high level angles showing a characters weakness. A slow panning of a setting is also used as well
as tracking of a character, both these camera movement shots build suspense for the audience. For
example, in When a Stranger Calls, the first floor of the house is panned slowly, showing the female
protagonist in the forehand, however in the background, out of focus, the stranger is up against the window.
This creates apprehension and fear from the audience as the audience is aware of the figure whereas the
protagonist in danger is not.
 Supernatural Thriller and Spy
Thriller
Supernatural Thrillers may include the non human such as aliens. They build suspense through low
level camera angles from the human looking up to the supernatural aspect. In addition,
supernatural thrillers can include superhero and villain storylines where one has the advantage of a
supernatural power such as Unbreakable (2000). The protagonist learns something extraordinary
about himself after a devastating accident of physical strength and whilst remaining unharmed from
an accident.
A spy thriller can combine with a crime as it is fairly quick paced at times and can contain violence.
This therefore uses guns as a generic signifier and quick low level and high level angles as the
generic conventions. High and low level angles are used as the spy thrillers, are usually based on a
protagonist having a relationship with a member of the government and usually including the
storyline of terrorists. Films such as the Mission Impossible 3 (2006)and Casino Royale (2006) are
all examples of a spy thriller. The action and storyline pace are the complete antithesis. The action
shots are fast paced whereas the storyline in contrast is slow paced. This slow pace storyline
creates tension or apprehension for the audience.
 Common story lines, characters
and settings.
Thrillers all have some kind of mystery storyline and are all
quite jumpy. It normally involves 1 or 2 main characters
quite a few contain a storyline with ghosts, phone calls,
mirrors, being alone, suspense, scary music, crime,
heavy breathing etc.

There will always be a character you want to know more

about but you never find out until the twist at the end.
There may also be a a female protagonist. The setting
could be dark woods or a rural house in the middle of no
where.
 Audiences assumptions of the films
When an audience watches a thriller, or is about to watch a thriller, they always assume
there will be a vulnerable character or vulnerable situation. They expect the protagonist to
be placed in a menacing or dangerous situation where escape seems impossible, however,
finding a way out in the end. Audiences also assume a narrative twist or mole in a specific
situation. This is because the storyline in a thriller is slow in contrast to the action. Thrillers
always have a twist in their storyline from the films including Sherlock Holmes. These
original classic thriller films set in stone, the twist in a thriller.
A Sherlock Holmes film was The Hound of the Basketvilles (1939). Following from this,
more modern twist thrillers including The Sixth Sense 1999, a supernatural thriller where
the protagonists is a therapist and has a younger child client who claims he can see and
talk to ghosts. The twist is the protagonist being the ghost. However the slow paced
storyline doesn’t reveal this until the end of the film. Once this secret twist is revealed,
everything falls in to place and the audience reflect on the film to show hinting shots.
 Target audience
We feel that when it comes to thrillers, as
long as the person (s) viewing are at the
right age they can be thrilling and
enjoyable for everyone. This being said
we have looked into it and they are most
popular among teenagers and young
adults. The rating for the film “Shutter” is a
15. Even though this film is a 15 the cover
suggests its really quite scary as the
image makes you feel really
uncomfortable and therefore the target
audience is sometimes suggested to be
older than the rating. It is usually for
viewers less than 30 years of age but
usually aimed at the younger generation.
The cover of a film can often make more
influence over who watches it rather than
the rating.
 Target Audience
We feel that when it comes to thrillers, as long as the person (s) viewing are at the right age they
can be thrilling and enjoyable for everyone. This being said we have looked into it and they are
most popular among teenagers and young adults.

Our Target Audience will be young adults, the ages reflecting the actresses in the opening of the
thriller. We aimed for this audience, as the thriller can relate to this age group, where the audience
can refer to a real life situation, creating more fear and tension for the audience. Thrillers audience
is stereotypically for a female orientation, this is because the gore and blood are not shown as
much. As well as this, the building of tension and fear is more apparent and has a better effect on
females. In addition, the protagonist in distress is a female.
I would aim the thriller at an audience group D or E, showing a working class audience, one that
can relate and enjoy the thriller. This is due to a slow pace of the film, watching the suspense and
the deterioration of the protagonist.

With regards to Cross-Cultural Consumer Characteristics, we would aim our thriller at

‘mainstreamers’ and ‘the individual’. This is because, for a thriller we want to attract a large
audience, however, a more relaxed by ambitious target audience can capture the audience within
the opening without being tedious, but also have a slow pace and a storyline to follow whilst
building suspense and tension. Our target audience will also be Renaissance Women, Struggling
Singles, Free Bird and Early Adopters who are prepared to watch the film whilst engaging in a real
life situation building tension, anxiousness and fear. We would specifically aim our thriller opening
at Renaissance Women to attract a caring and fearful audience, who are affluent and may worry
about the real life situations. As well as this, the early adopters are important when referring to the
camera angles as well as the genre of the thriller and the generic conventions.
 Technical codes
There is often editing in thriller films,
usually the use of negative or night
vision in a very dark setting with creepy
sounds (door creaking) and scary,
thriller music.
The camera shots usually appearing are a
lot of wide shots and panning shots, to
see the room and people inside, this
creates suspense because it plants the
idea in the audiences head that
someone else is in the room with the
protagonist.
Showing the foreground
High level angles are often used to give the
impression that someone is being watched
from above.
Panning shots are often used to show to
close sets for the characters to show
different people.
Changing of focus to show the foregrounds
and backgrounds of a scene e.g., someone
in a mirror and another character appearing
behind them.
 Technical Codes
The camera angles in Thrillers include a lot of high and low level angles to portray strengths and
weaknesses of the characters. There are also a lot of close ups to show the characters facial
expressions when reacting towards a certain event.
These two screen shots from Sorority Row show the use of an inverted extract effect increasing
the fear of the viewer as well as the focus on the foreground but seeing the antagonist situated in
the background, building tension and suspense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqlz_u7RvjA

The shot above shows the use of low

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbdY3_vLc2k
level angles to portray a strength. As
this character is physically powerful,
the audience is shown to be looking
up to the character as well as being in
the eyes of the weaker character.
Generic Signifiers
 Generic Conventions
Generic Conventions are specific settings, roles, events, and values that define
individual genres and their subgenres.
To make these conventions identifiable to the audience, writers and film directors use
generic signifiers to portray to the audience the genre.
Thrillers:
Settings: Thriller’s settings are very spread out depending on what thriller it is. When
a Stranger Calls (2006) is a good example of how setting is used in thrillers. This film
is a psychological thriller, concentrating on emotions, tension building a real-life fear.
The huge house, in a secluded area is very typical of a psychological thriller, creating
the fear of being alone.
Roles: There is also a protagonist, who must go beyond the powers and equipment of
the antagonists within the film whether this be in an action thriller, overcoming the
antagonist with gun fire or tactics, a supernatural thriller, over-riding the antagonist
with mental control or a psychological thriller, out running the antagonist.
 Generic Signifiers
Ghosts
A ghostly figure is commonly associated with
thrillers as it a regular occurrence in thriller films.
Ghost thrillers are extremely controversial, as it
questions whether audiences believe in ghosts or
not, however, with good thriller, the target
audience is aimed to scare even those not
believing in ghosts. Ghosts are also a generic
signifier of a thriller as it is very supernatural, and
can appear whenever and wherever keeping an
audience under constant tension and suspense.
These are included in supernatural thrillers,
creating an inhuman plot to the genre. Thir13en
Ghosts (2001) is an example of a ghost thriller,
including a group trapped in a house with thirteen
ghosts and trying to escape.
Knives
The knife is a generic signifier for a thriller as it relates
to a murder and horror within the movie. A knife is a
weapon often shown in the hands of a killer, either
threatening or murdering a character or characters
within the film. When the weapon is shown in a shot,
the audience are automatically intrigued as to what
the following part of the film building suspense and
tension from the audience. Knives are often used in
crime thrillers or psychological thrillers as the action is
not fast paced. It can also be used in a spy thriller.
Scream (1996) is an example. This is a psychological
action thriller including the antagonist using a knife
when killing his victims.
 Generic Signifiers
Blood
This is a generic signifier of thrillers presenting action,
murder, death and an exploitation. It keeps the tension of
the audience as well as keeping the thrilling suspense and
anxiety by relating to a painful aspect that the audience
can feel themselves. Blood is very gory, and therefore
helps to appeal to a wider male orientated audience,
whilst the plot lines and tension from murders attracts a
female orientated target audience. Blood is often used in
many different thrillers, crime, action, drama, spy and the
supernatural. This is siding towards the horror and fear of
a thriller, so blood is not often seen for a long period of
time but then occurs at regular intervals. This is because
it is familiar to the audience and creates an uncomfortable
reaction from the audience, reflecting the characters in
the thriller. Wanted (2008) and Blade (1998) include a lot
of blood which is parallel to the action packed storyline.
Old House
A haunted house or old mansion are usually a
signifier of a thriller, where the action of the film
takes place. This is used as it sets the location
and general feel for the audience before any
action as occurred preparing them for the thriller
and encouraging them to feel tension and
suspense just by the location. This connotes to
the audience the feeling of entrapment, a
claustrophobic place compacting the action as
well as restricting the characters escape. A
haunted house is often used for psychological
thrillers, having the mental feeling of being
trapped. House of Wax (1953) includes an old an
house as its main setting.
 Generic Signifiers
Colours
Darkness, as well as the colour red are
signifiers of a thriller intensifying the tension
and suspense from the audience. These
colours are associated with death and mystery,
as well as the unknown. The darkness attracts
all audiences as it is a common fear of people.
Silence is also a sound signifier of a thriller
building suspense and anticipation of the
audience. This is used in all thrillers, constantly
building suspense and tension to the audience.
Awake (2007) uses darkness to hide
characters, action and create tension for the
audience.
Dead Bodies
Dead bodies are also generic signifiers of a thriller.
This is an exhilarating factor to the audience
showing death, murder, action and tension. It
appeals to most male orientated audiences though
catching females attention in a horrifying sense. It is
common due to other factors, such as guns and
weapons, murders and blood. Dead bodies are
shown in most thrillers, especially the crime, action
and supernatural thrillers as weapons are used and
murders take place. This creates the problem for the
protagonist to solve, building suspense for the
audience. The Shooter (2007) and Braveheart
(1995) are prime examples of thrillers including dead
bodies.
 Generic Signifiers

Guns
Supernatural
Guns are an extremely common signifier in the thriller
Supernatural are also signifiers. Although this
genre as it is fast paced action with suspense, murder,
type of thriller differs to action thrillers, the
tension and blood for the audience. It is a very
blood, guns, darkness and dead bodies are
common signifier used as all audiences are familiar
still reoccurring aspects in the thrillers.
with the weapon and the action scenes of guns are
Aliens, although supernatural keep a thriller
fast paced, thrilling and stimulating for an audience.
fast paced and keeps the audience
Guns are a constant occurrence in action thrillers as
captivated throughout the film. Aliens are
they keep the pace quick, whilst keeping the action
used in the supernatural thrillers, as an un
within the thriller. Smaller guns are also often used to
human significance to the audience. The
keep the pace flowing quickly. The Transporter (2002)
mental control and powers are also
is an action thriller including guns and violence.
supernatural, used in The Sixth Sense (1999)
and other psychological thrillers.
Thriller Opening Conventions
A thriller will open with a hint towards the storyline, the action or the twist.
The opening scene includes the protagonist and the reason for the thriller.
For example, in The Sixth Sense, the opening presents the younger
protagonist in a real life situation, including cops and a crime scene. The
supernatural event occurs where the protagonist sees a ghost where the
mother doesn’t see it. This presents the idea of the thriller and shows the
general storyline of the film. Other openings include the build up to a
situation, however, always including generic signifiers to define the sub-
genre of the thriller.
 Films of the genre
• Shutter • When a stranger calls
- Director: Masayuki
Ochiai - Director: Simon West
- Year: 2008 - Year: 2006
- Origin: America
- Origin: America
• Hide and Seek
- Director: John • The Dark
Polson
- Year: 2005 •- Director: John
- Origin: America Fawcett
- Year: 2005
• Cabin Fever
- Director: Eli Roth - Origin: America
- Year: 2002
- Origin: America
 Video extracts
Shutter
This is a trailer to the new This is a trailer to
box office release of Shutter. 5 the 2005 film of
Hide And Seek
A newlywed couple Ben and Jane
move to Japan for a promising job “Shutter” After the suicide of his
opportunity - a fashion shoot in wife, the psychiatrist Dr.
Tokyo. During their trip on a dark 4 David Callaway (Robert
forest road they experience a tragic De Niro) decides to
car accident, leading to the death of a “Hide & move with his
young local girl. Upon regaining traumatized daughter
Seek” Emily (Dakota Fanning)
consciousness, they find no trace of
her body. A bit distraught the couple 3 from New York to the
arrives in Tokyo to begin their new country to give more
“When a
life. Meanwhile Ben begins noticing attention to her. In their
Stranger
strange white blurs in many of his huge old house, Emily
Calls”
fashion shoot photographs. Jane finds a new and violent
believes that the blurs are actually invisible friend called
spirit photography of the dead girl 2 Charlie, making David
who they hit on the road, and that very concerned with her
she may be seeking vengeance.
“The Matrix” mental state.

We think this is a very powerful BOOO! This thriller was not as

psychotic thriller, the storyline is very scary as “Shutter”
interesting also it uses amazing 1 however its a lot more
techniques such as, mirror shots, “Big Foot” tense with the suspense
changing focus etc. We found this it builds up. We would
one very terrifying and rate it 5/5 for rate it a strong 4/5 for
our age group. our age group.
THRILLOMETER!
Bibliography

By Sophie, Emma, Becky And Stevie.

 Bibliography
I researched on thrillers, generic conventions and generic signifiers through
use of the internet. I used the following websites and links:
• you tube – this was used for my generic conventions and technical codes
screen shots of the thriller films.
•Google – this search engine was used for most of the information in the
PowerPoint. However, camera angles and camera movement was identified
through my own knowledge I have gained as well as the viewing of the clips
from YouTube.
•I viewed a couple of blogs which were links from the search engine on media
thrillers and horrors to get ideas for the research on the thrillers. These were
very helpful and the points were clear and simple, allowing me to expand
using the search engine on specific areas.