A.

4b- Thriller Film Analysis

Film 1: Roadside https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84sKjWyMFoE

Roadside is a film in which a women is walking alone on an open road when a stranger stops
to offer her a lift, she declines but the truck driver insists that she gets in and that he wants
to help her. She is finally persuaded to get in. the man also gets into the truck and begins to
drive, after driving for a short moment the car swerves out of control and comes to a stop,
the women gets out, walks to the driver’s side and pulls the dead body of the man out. She
drives away quickly and the screen cuts to black with the tittle.

Cinematography:
The film begins with a tracking shot of a young lady
walking on an empty road by herself, This connotes
to the audience that the character is alone in the
vast environment, this makes the audience feel
nervous and intrigued because they want to find out
why she is in this situation, the location used is an
example of a thriller convention. Creating a feeling of
suspense and excitement is a key narrative
convention of the thriller genre. Tracking shots are conventional to thriller as we are made
to feel close to the character and her position, it can also make us feel like somebody is
behind her, putting the audience on edge, and this is used in bird box when they are
travelling to their new location.

In this scene the truck pulls up beside the woman to show a

dark figure driving, this is shown through an over the
shoulder shot, by using this shot they have obscured the
man’s face. This creates a sense of mystery and suspense as
we are unsure who he is and what his intensions are, the use
of mystery and lack of identity of the character fits with
thriller films as it can add to their power and makes them
seem mysterious as the unknown can be quite thriller but also daunting, this is used in many
films such as bird box the unknown. The mise en scene for this scene matches the thriller
conventions through the use of a dark colour pallet and low key lighting in the truck to
obscure what the man looks like. Dark colours often connote to dark themes such as death,
evil and mystery. These themes are shown throughout thriller films to put the viewer and
characters involved on edge. An example of this would b e in the film hush when the house
is surrounded by low-key lighting and the man tormenting her is wearing a mask which is
mysterious and is dressed in dark clothes.

Cinematography is also used to show the characters emotions and reactions to events. An
example of this is the close up of the woman’s face as the man approaches her, this shot
type is used to capture scared facial expressions. The shot type of a close up of the
protagonist is an example of a convention of the thriller genre. As it shows the fear of the
character which could add to the fear of the audience as we can clearly see their emotions,
the close up also means we cannot see what else is happening off screen, this technique
was used in psycho in the shower scene and we can see how scared she is.

Sound:

Heavy breathing is used at the beginning of the film when the woman turns to see the car
for the approaching. This reaction to seeing the car tells the audience that she is distressed.
Diegetic sound is used to focus on the woman. By telling the audience that she is distressed
it builds suspense because the audience want to find out why she has had such an extreme
reaction to the car. The use of quiet diegetic sound clearly represents the thriller genre as
heavy breathing is conventional as it heightens how scared the character is and often
victims are under are running to show how terrified they are, this is used in many thriller
films such as shutter island.

Atmospheric music begins when the man gets out of his truck, the slow tempo and low pitch
builds tension feeling of suspense for the audience as the pitch of the music slowly rises as
he walks towards the girl to imply that something will happen. Atmospheric music is
conventional of this tone as thriller films often try to increase tension to engage the
audience which is usually fitting with the narrative. However the music stops when they
both get into the car and the audience are left with silence, this makes the audience
anticipate that something is about substantial is about to happen. We then see the car
swerve and stop as the horn is held on, the use of only diegetic sound here focuses the
audience on the events that are occurring on screen. As the women throws the man to the
ground an emphasized thud can be heard, this heighted diegetic sound is an example of a
thriller conventions this is used to show the brutality of the action of the man hitting the
floor, this is used to shock the audience and is common is the thriller genre as there is often
violence in thriller films, an example of a thriller film the does this would be silence of the
lambs when the women shoots the man and he falls to the floor. Another convention used
is eerie and slow tempo music being played in order to create suspense and uncertainty,
other thriller that use this are get out when the gardener is running towards the main
character to scare the audience.

Mise en scene:

In the short film few props were used, this is to show the importance of these props and
when they are used they will have as more significant impact on the story and the
audience’s emotions. The main prop used in the film is the truck; this is used at the
beginning to create a feeling of imminent danger as it approaches the girl, this connotation
can be drawn from her body language when reacting to seeing the truck as her shoulder are
hunched and her head is down. She might have the body language because she looks like
she was recently in the hospital making it seem that she is in danger or possibly on the run.
Trucks are conventional to thriller films as they are large in size making them intimidating
and stereotypical for antagonists to drive an example of this being used in the genre is in the
film road kill.

Costume is used in the short film to give the audience an idea of who the woman is and her
past. We get an idea of where the woman came from through the hospital band on her
wrist; this tells the audience that she is in need of help this is a common convention of
thriller films as the audience are made to feel sorry for the character and also support them.
An example of this would be Jessica Alba’s character in the eye where she can be seen in a
hospital gown look vulnerable.

The location of the short film is an empty dirt road.

Isolated locations are a key thriller genre convention
as they can create a feeling of seclusion from the
outside world this is scary as the characters in the
locations are vulnerable to threats as they are alone
without help. By placing the woman in this
environment the audience feel as though she is vulnerable and in need of help, this is the
plot of the short film and we are later shown that she was in fact the only danger in the
vicinity. Thriller films that are set is secluded areas is buried when Ryan Reynolds’s character
is stuck without help.

Todorov’s theory:

This film fits todorov’s theory clearly; this is because the different stages of the storyline and
the transitions between the stages can be seen through the actions of the characters and
events that take place. An example of this is when the woman meets the man and is unsure
what to do but decides to get in knowing she can handle herself (disruption stage –
recognition stage).

The film begins at the equilibrium stage when the woman is walking alone, while being
alone could be seen as being in danger it is clear that the woman would rather be alone.
This moves to the disruption stage when the truck arrives and the man begins to talk to her,
she is physically uncomfortable during this dialogue. The next stage is recognition as she
agrees to get into the truck knowing the she is capable of defending herself. The next stage,
the repair happens when the woman drags the man out of his truck and gets back in, this
clearly shows here returning to solitude which is the final stage, resolution. If it does or
doesnt fit with the theory is this common for the genre. This is very similar to the action
thriller film Legend.

Film 2: Trust Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62etCozQTGU

Woken in the middle of the night by an anonymous call, Norman is told by an unknown
caller to get out of the house to escape some mysterious intruders. While running from the
intruders he is told to meet the man on the phone, he arrives at the flat to meet the man on
the phone and it is revealed that it was all a video for social media

Cinematography:
The film begins with the man’s glasses on the side of the table; this is shown through a close
up shot of the characters face before he puts them on to see who is calling him. This is the
opening shot in order to introduce the main character to the audience. This is conventional
to thriller films as it is important to introduce the character to form a strong relationship
between them. This is used in films such as John Wick where we are introduced with a close
up of him and his family so that when they die we are sympathetic with him.

The rest of the film is shot entirely in first person; the effect of this is we get to see exactly
what he is seeing, therefore making the intense scenes of the film even more
immersive/severe due to the audience being in his shoes. It is unconventional for the whole
film to be shot in first person as often thriller films used different camera shots and editing
techniques to show the complete story. However recently more films are using first person
such as hardcore Henry and 1917 as a new way of film making to intrigue the audience by
giving them something different to what they are used to.

low angle shots are used to show the antagonists

dominace over prtoagonist, the effect of this is to
create a clear power imbalace between the characters.
This is a convention of the thriller genre as low angle
shots are used to emphasise how bad the villan is and
so that the audience feel intimidated by them, fpor
exmaple in the film silence of the lamb when hannible
lector is first introduced. This is especially effective due
to the film being in first person becasue we are able to
see the intruders seaching for us, this makes the
viewer anticipate what will happen next putting them on the edge of their seat.

the close up of the antagonists face is used to show the

audience his emtions as well as capture his facial
expressions. The effect of this is that we are able to see
the determanation of the intruders as they attempted
to capture the man. This is an example of when the
first person camera angle creates a feeling of
engagement with the viewer as the man is chased
through the city. as he runs the camera is shown to be
shaky and unstable in order to create a feeling of
panic. Disorienting camera angles are often used in the thriller genre to discomfort the
viewer, for exmaple in the film psyco when there were many different camera shots of quiky
angles to portray the violence of the actions taking place which made it scarier for the
audience.

Sound:

This film goes without any conventional score, instead the film has made use of only diagetic
sound effects. During the pub fight scene the audience hears clearly the sound of stuggle
and heavy breathing, we hear this because of the perspecitive of the film, this is
conventional as gritty thriller films try to create as much realism as possible . Silence plays a
major role in this movie as norman has to escape his house, this means that when paired
with heightened diagetic sound the effects are more impactful on the audience for example,
heavy breathing can be heard when he sprints for the car away from the intruders and they
begin to bang on the window. Silence and hegihtned diagetic sound are common
conventions in the htriller genre. Fort exmaple in te fil hush about a deaf woman there is a
lo of silence used in the film to show her perpective, this makes it scarier as we dont know
where the villan may be.

Mise en scene:

The phone prop at the opening of the film is use of iconography, when looking at the phone
it is shown that the person calling is an unknown caller, this helps to reinforce the thriller
genre from the start as the audience are unsure of what is happening. Mystery is one of the
main conventions of the thriller genre.

Another example of mise en scene are the character’s constumes. The intruders wear dark
outfits in order for them to clearly represent the antagonist to the viewer. Connotiations to
having dark clothing include ambiguity, malevolence and the unfamiliar which is exactly how
the intruders are presented. By having their charcateristic be so negative and potentially
harmful it makes it clear to the viewer that they cannot be trusted and that the phone
charcter should.dark costumes are used in films such as escape room when the villan break
into the house as it hides their identity but implys that they are dangerous.

Mise en scene is also use to show location as the story begins with an isolated house deep in
the woods. The location connotes to vulnrability and lonlieness, this effects the audience by
bringing on a sense of anxeity and dread. This location is a staple of the thriller genre and
can be seen in many hollywood block busters such as cabin in the woods and the shining.

Todorov’s theory:

This film fits with todorovs theory however, the stages are not as apparent as they may be
in other thriller movies. The equilibrium stage is when the protagonist and storyline are at
peace in the begging of the movie, this is shown from him being asleep in bed. The
ditrusption stage begins very shortly after as he stands up and sees figures with torches
approaching his house. This stage lasts until the man is able to escapes the house and gets
into the car to drive away. After this the resoloution stage begins, there is recognition of the
dissruption occuring, this takes place during the bar scene however there is another
disruption phase in which the antagonists find the man and begin to chase him again, here
there is an attempt to repair the damge done by the disruption as he runs towards the
address given to him on the phone. He arrives at the flat where he finds out that it was not
real and is not in any danger, this is the restoration stage and is a return of a new
equilibrium at the end of the narrative. The twist conclusion of the film scews the film form
lining up with todorov’s theory a little however the stages of the story allign well enough. If
it does or doesnt fit with the theory is this common for the genre.

Thriller Film: AMY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpdTnIBmkoY

A man (dan) is on his way home when he tries to take a shortcut through the woods but
gets into an accident and hits a young girl. When he returns from hiding the body he finds
his friend (saurav) has seen what he has done. Dan pleads to saurav but he does not agree
to stay silent so dan attacks and kills his friend and attempts to hide the body in the same
place as earlier. He finds the girl is not there so he hurries to his car to get aaway, he car
breaks down while dricing away and he is forced to hitchhike home. He is rejected until a car
picks him up but it is shown to be the dead girl thast was hit earlier that day. We then see a
new man driving on the original road and hitting the same girl, while she is on the floor
bleeding we seen her eyes open.

The conventions of the thriller genre can be split up into sections; camera angle, shot and
movement, narrative, sound and lastly mise en scene. For example the antagonist will
usually be wearing black or dark clothing as this connotes to mystery and danger, this is
clearly represented in the blockbuster film the departed. Another example of a typical
thriller convention would be slow eerie music in order to create suspence or uncertanty.

Cinematography:

The film begins with a establishing shot of dan driving through a wooded area, this
establishing shot is used to introduce the location to the audience, this is used to begin the
film becasue it will set the scene for the rest of the duration meaning it has to send the right
message. The message convayed is that dan could be vulrable when in the woods, this is a
stereotype of the thriller genre, as thriller films often feature a vulreble protagonist.
Another stereotype of the woods is that they are haunted.

After dan has hit the girl we see a close up of her head on
the ground, this is use of iconography and is very shocking
imagery linking to the thriller genre, iconography is used to
help clearly represent the genre of thriller as this symbolsim
links strongly with the genre, it is shocking to the viewer
because the images shown are very meanigful and impactful
to tadays audience. The camera then tilts up to dan stunned
by what he has done and what he is seeing, by tilting up
form the body we are able to react in the same way as dan
and feel his emotions, tilts are conventional as they show
the power of a character as it tilts from a low angle. Whilst
in the same shot seeing his facial expressions through a
close of his face, the camera shots used make the film very
intense, the scene is further intensified by a cut to an
extreme close up of dans eyes. Ther focus of the shot is his
eyes becasue the eyes can connote to many different pure
emotions, we see his darting back and fourth in his head,
this tells the audience that he is scared and paniced, close
ups in thriller genres are important beause it make the
audience feel close to the character, they are also used to show weapons for example in the
movie scream. In media eyes are often seen as the window to the soul making the seen very
raw and impactful on the audience. Close ups and extreme close ups of the protagonist are
a convention of the thriller genre.

after finding that the girl is not where he left her he

is uncertain of how she is alive and where she has
gone so he begins to panic and run away. A tracking
shot is used to capture him running, a tracking shot
is a shot used in order to capture the action of the
scene, it also allows the viewer to see his body
language clearly and how he is running as desperately, this helps to build an image of how
he is thinking. This is scene is shot without the use of a tripod or tacks for tyhe camera to
move along. By shooting it hand held the camera is shakey and unbalanced. The effect of
this is to disorient the viewer and cause discomfort, this is a common feature of thriller
films, this is often used in thriller films to create resalism to make them more scared. An
example of thgis technique in movies would be the Blair witch project and Paranormal
activity.

Sound:

Diagetic sound is used when dans phone rings and when he goes to answer it he slams the
breaks and hits a girl with a loud bang. While he is driving the rumble of the engine can be
heard, this constant mellow sound create a feeling of ease. This is interupted abruptly when
we heard the high pitched skreech of the brakes followed by a loud bang of a body against
the car. By beginning with a slow tempo then changing to an extreme diagetic sound such as
the brakes it surprises the audience by using such a large contarst in sounds. The sound of
the body hitting the car is very authentic and was intended to make the viewer feel sick in
the stomach, this is done to clearly show the thriller genre as thrillers odten have diagetic
sound to realism to make the audience feel that the story is gounded, this is used in films
such as get out and taken.

Dialouge is used when dan and saurav are arguing about what has just happened, to show
conflict between the two characters, as the arguementy progresses they both begin to
shout louder and louder until saurav walks away. This shows a large amount of tension
between them that is building, this builds anticipation with the audience. As he is walking
away only footsteps can be heard, this builds tension further because the shot lasts for
around 5 seconds making the audience forced into waiting to see what will happen, this
makes the audience very anxios. The silent is brocken with high pitvhed nondiagetic violins
playing a single note as dan comes from behind and strikes saurav. This releases the tension
built form the previous shot making the audience feel a rush of adrenaline as they fight. This
is a convention of the thriller genre as it builds pressure effectivley.

Mise en scene:

Props are used often in this film, one of the most promenasnt of these being blood. When
the girl is hit we are shown a close up of the blood on the floor. Blood is an iconconic prop
used throughout media however espesially in the thriller genre making it clear to the
audience what type of film it is. Blood has many connotations so by showing a close up of
blood the director is trying to link the shot to extreme violence, death and brutality. An
example of blood in hollywood would be the movie psycho, when the blood is shown
running into the drain. Blood is often used to show that somebody has been killed and thus
it is a common device used to keep the audience engaged. Blood is conventional as it has
thrilling effect n the audience and they want to find out what happened, this was used
physcho to intuge and find the killer.

The location of the film is set on an isolated path in the woods and inside the woods. This
kind of location and set design is common in thriller movies. This is because they create a
sense of being lost as trhe characters are trying to figure out how to escape. Due tyo the
woods connoting to remoteness and vulnrability it can create sense that the characters will
struggle to find help, there is only one car that will help which is the antagonist. Woods have
been used in films such as get out and the blair witch progect this is common to ht egenre as
it is an isolated area makinit a good place to hide but not escape.