Target audience research - Miss Miller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVBCCQboZbQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTrcKWv0ZeE

My results from my questionnares have been put into pie charts and within this post I will be discussing and analysing why each questions results are relevant for my research into making an opening sequence for a thriller film. We will use our feedback to help create an opening sequence which will attract to our target audience.

From my questionnare results I have found out that 60% of my audience was male, this shows how the thriller genre appeals more to the male gender rather than the female (40%). This is a very stereotypical theory which my results can prove to be correct, this means I will try to make me opening sequence appeal to the male gender as much as I can. I can do this in ways such as using a young attractive female victim, or making the killer male to show they are an inferior gender.

My results show that people prefer to hear soundtrack (48%) within a thriller rather than screaming (17%) or sound effects (30%), this shows that the soundtrack makes a big impact onto the film. When asked to elaborate on there choice most participants had simular opinons in that they believe the soundtrack creates suspense and reflects on the audience as to how they should be feeling whilst watching. From this I have decided to use a very effective soundtrack that summarises how the audience should feel fear and adrenaline when the girl is being followed. This will show how the girl is in trouble and the audience can predict a disturbance to the equillibrium in the sequence.

Another unanimous result my questionnare collected was that people prefer to watch a thriller film that is set in a dark forest at 47%, rather than a derelict house (22%) or a graveyard (18%). However over suggestions for their prefered setting would be was a hospital and a park. Therefore for my opening sequence my group have decided to film within a forest with a darl lighting, we believe this will appeal to our target audience and set a frightening atmosphere.

Our results showed that people prefered subgenres of a psychological thriller (40%), rather than crime thrillers (32%) and action thrillers (23%). From our idea, if our opening sequences of a thriller film had to fall into a catogary of a subgenre we would like it to be psychological, therefore we will make the killer seem mentaly unstable and make it aware to the viewers.

When asked what characters they would like to see in a thriller a high majority of my participants chose a mental character (37%) rather than demons (30%) or pretty victim (23%). When asked why the participants further commented that they found mental characters interesting to watch as you they are not predictable therefore more entertaining to watch. This was interesting feedback and to represent this in our opening sequence we will use a mental antagonist.

When asked which age certificate each participant enjoyed watching the most with 48% was 15, age 12a received 20% and 18 received 33%. I believe this is because 15's include horror and shock to an extent that is bearable to watch, which is appropriate to my target audience. With this information we will add shock, surprise and suspense into our opening sequence with not to much or little horror. 

We asked participants what they enjoy watching within a thriller 40% chose chase scenes,  25% chose enigma and 20% chose shock, another 10% was on the option of giving one of there own suggestions which included various elements such as suspense, ghosts and little children. Through the results we collected we have decided to include a chase scene within our opening sequence as well as enigma.

The last question we asked our participants was what do they expect to see in a thriller, 38% expected for it to be set in night, 25% expected for there to be a victim and 22% expect to see death within thrillers. From this we have decided to set our opening sequence in dark hours to make it seem more thriller conventional and there will be a victim within the sequence. 

Group narrative - Miss Georgiou

The purpose of a narrative is to set the atmosphere of the genre and to engage the audience into the film to carry on watching. For example within a thriller film, the narrative would be frightening and involve a lot of mystery and suspense. In our group we discussed all of our ideas within a media lesson, debating on advantages and disadvantages of each one.

Narrative one- Scott:
This narrative involves, a paranoid child who can see a ghost however his parents do not believe him and neglect his suspicion of the ghost being the reason of behind the strange happenings going on inside the house. The ghost then returns and kills the boy. Advantages to this narrative is that it would create a lot of suspense and involves a lot of shock, using a young boy as the victim is also an advantage as it relates to the audience. Disadvantages are that we do not have the skills and equipment to include a ghost within our opening sequence and we would find it difficult to find parents that would be willing to act for us.

Narrative two- Tom:
The narrative is about a couple staying in a house in the mountains, the first night there are noises from upstairs so she goes to find out what is making the noises, she finds a locked room which the house owner doesn't want her to see. This happens for a few nights and then one night the male goes missing, she then goes onto find that her husband has been taken and murdered in the room even though the husband didn't believe that the room existed, as she tries to rescue him she is trapped in the room herself. Advantages to this narrative is that it is quite simple therefore it will be easy to film. However it is a very long opening sequences therefore we could not film it all.

Narrative three- Devon:
The narrative is that a male and female are walking late at night through a forest and they hear noises, the man goes to check for danger and leaves the woman alone. She waits for his return yet he does not come back for a while, she feels as if she is being watched so she decides to head out of the forest. As she is walking the noises return and she starts to run, as she is being chased she trips over a figure on the floor. It is her boyfriends dead corpse. Advantages to this narrative is that it would be easy excess to the location and the storyline is very simple. However it will be hard to film during dark hours as the lighting will not be very clear.

Narrative Theories 

Vladimir Propp- Vladimir's theory consisted of 9 different characters always being in films, they are:

• The hero
• The villain
• The donor
• The dispatcher
• The false hero
• The helper
• The princess
• Her father

Tzvetan Todorov- Todorov's theory was that films are not defined by the characters but the narrative.

He believed every film has five stages, which are:

• A state of equilibrium 
• Disruption occurs
• Recognition of the disturbance
• Attempt to repair the disruption
• Return to a new equilibrium 

Aristotle- Aristotle believed films were not consistent on characters or narrative, but included at least one of these 7 themes:

• Character goal
• Stakes
• Resolution
• Dramatic question
• Inciting incident
• Sympathy
• Antagonist/Protagonist

Within our opening sequence we will be using the theory of Aristotle, as we will be using the theme of an antagonist, which is the killer we use. The killer is the antagonist, he is consistent throughout our opening sequence and he is the main focus of the opening sequence. I also believe that Artistotle's theory has a very good logic as it seems to fall into my narrative.

Conventions of a thriller film within Halloween - Miss Georgiou

I am going to be discussing how the audience are informed of the genre of the film through the conventions used within the opening sequence from the film 'Halloween'. Conventions are the typical elements that make the audience aware of what genre the film is, typical conventions within the thriller would be things such as suspense and death.

One of the conventions used within the opening sequence that informed the audience of the genre was the dark, quiet setting of a large house which was shown at the very begging of the sequence. Low key lighting was also used in link to the setting, this gave the audience an idea of the thriller genre as it set a erry atmosphere and an element of enigma. Being in a dark, large house on halloween night would scare the audience as they could relate to this type of situation and the low key lighting used creates a sense of mystery as shadows are visible in the shots, this kind of enigma would be feared by most viewers. This is because they cannot clearly see the characters identity or intentions through body language.

Another convention within the opening sequence of Halloween was the loud, fast music which was used when the killer was walking up the stairs before he killed his vicim. The music was used to create excitement and build up adrenaline for the audience as they could tell something bad was going to happen. As the killer became closer to the victim, the music became faster and louder, this effect is used to create an unstable atmosphere therefore a bigger shock was made once he started to murder the girl. The music also makes the victim seem even more vunreble to her death, as the audience could all predict her murder however she was oblivious to it.

The killer had his identity covered with a mask, this is another convention of a thriller as it is a use of enigma. Not knowing who the killer is creates a lot of suspense and mystery which keeps the audience entertained and interested in carrying on watching the film. The enigma started when the killer was watching the girl through the window of the house, the shadows from the dark setting do not allow the audience to see the killers identity. Once the killer is approaching the girls room he picks up  mask from the floor and puts it on, it seemed as if the killer was being taken over by the mask and it gave him a motive to kill his own sister.

Iconography is also another convention that was used within the opening sequence, as the killer approaches the house he opens a draw and takes out a knife which he uses to murder his sister with. The representation of the knife is death and danger, which is what is used within all thrillers. While the killer is walking through the house with the knife, the audience become aware of his intentions and this creates suspense.

Inspirations for opening scene - Miss Miller

Throughout analysing many clips from various thriller films, I have found out alot of information including techniques such as; sound, conventions, cinematography and editing. From this information I know how to create a very effective and inspired opening scene for my own thriller film.

Sound
After analysing sound by using a clip from the thriller 'Inception' I would like to include many techniques that I believe highly impacts the audience, these techniques include;

• Silence- This was used when the man had just shot the killer, this creates alot of suspension and normally has a hidden meaning which builds the audience up for more surprise or to emphasis the death of a character. Silence also connects the audience to the characters as it focuses on the actual noises within the setting. We will be using this just before our victim gets dragged from behind the tree.
• Soundtrack is used to create excitement for the audience as it increases in speed as the scene becomes more dangerous, this is a very effective technique which helps create surprise and shock. We will be using this when the victim is being followed and begins to notice.

Cinematography
After analysing cinematography using a clip from the thriller 'Shutter Island' I would like to include many techniques that I believe are covnentional and could be used within our opening sequence.

• High angle- This was used to make the man from Shutter Island seem very inferior and weak, this is a useful camera shot to use when filming the victim hiding from the killer as she will be vulnerable. This camera angle helps the audience establish who the victim is within the film.
• Long shot- This was used when the dead children were laying on the ground and will be used to establish the setting and characters which we are using for our opening clip which is an alley way with a victim and killer. This helps set the atmosphere as the audience can tell the genre of the film is a thriller when its in a dark, derelict setting.

Conventions

After analysing conventions using a clip from the thriller 'Halloween' I would like to include many techniques that  I believe are appropriate for our opening sequence.

• Iconography- Within the clip from halloween a knife was used as the weapon choice to kill the victim. Whereas within our clip we have decided to use a hammer for the killer to use to murder our victim, we believe iconography is a very important convention within thrillers as it creates more danger. The audience will also associate the hammer as a weapon when they see the killer holding it when following the victim, we decided to use a hammer as our killer is supposed to seem deranged.
• Hidden identity- Within Halloween the killer is wearing a mask in which covers his identity to the victim, this creates mystery and suspense. In our opening sequence our killer will have his identity covered by wearing a hood which creates a shadow over his face. We believe this will help create an enigma which will entertain the audience as they are unaware of how the killer looks, therefore they will be curious and engaged as to who he turns out to be.

Research into sound - Miss Miller

Within thrillers sound is a crutial element to be included, sound within films is key to making the audience experience feelings and emotions towards to narrative and characters. There are many different sound techniques that can be used to create effect, I will be writing about some effects used within the film inception. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvDba2nMv_U&feature=youtu.be

Non-diagetic sound is used when the man is being followed down the hallway, the music is added through editing and placed over the scene (0:40). The music is at a quick repetitive pace and represents danger . This is used to build up suspense which is a very important within the thriller genre as it is one of the 3 S's, suspense, shock and surprise which are crucial to include. Once the fighting begins the music then becomes faster and louder which creates excitement and adrenaline for the audience as they cannot predict the outcome of the violence.

Another sound technique used within the clip from inception was on screen sound, which is when you can see and hear where the sound is coming from in the film. This is used in the fighting scene when the gun falls against the wall (2.00 & 2.08) the noise of the gun would not normally be heard against all of the other noises being made and the background music. However it was emphasised to show the significance of the object, it highlights that who ever reaches the gun first will survive. This connects to the audience as they feel tension and panic for the character, this is very important in the thriller genre and a lot of emotions should impact onto the audience.

Silence is another sound technique used within the clip, this occurs once the gun has been fired and the villain is killed (2.25) this creates a very strong effect on the end of the scene. The silence is used to to suggest the life has come out of the man, as it is released the music and chaos stops. However the silence also ends the fight, by showing the winner and relieving the audience from the panic they were feeling throughout the fight. Silence is a very effective sound technique used within thrillers, which is normally unnoticed but creates a massive impact on the feelings of the audience.

Sound bridge is used throughout the clip from inception, the same soundtrack is used over both scenes of the man in the hotel and the man driving the van. This helps maintain continuity in the sequence of the transitions between scenes, which helps the audience understand who the antagonists are within the film. The music is relatable towards each scenes within the clip as there is violence in them both and they are both under attack, this creates even more suspension for the audience as in the situation if the man dies in one of the scenarios he dies in both.

In conclusion from my research I have found out what different sound techniques there are and how they are effective within certain areas of the sequence. This will make it easier at the editing stage as adding sound will become much more efficient and organised, which means we will know what to do and how to do it.

Research into the history of thriller films - Miss Georgiou

I will be researching the development within the thriller genre over the years. The thriller genre provides a lot exhilaration, emotions and excitement for the audience, there are a few sub genres for example crime thrillers, erotic thrillers and mystery thrillers.

1940
Rebecca-Alfred Hitchcock

• The thriller genre started in the early 1920-1930's, however only really seriously developed in the 1940's. Hitchcock was often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker. He had many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres, one was Rebecca which won best picture and best cinematography. 

1960
Psycho-Alfred Hitchcock

• Hitchcock was still very big 20 years later when he directed the film Psycho which was ranked among the greatest films of all time, this shows that not just Hitchcock in particular but the whole thriller genre had started to develop a lot more in terms of quality and the content. Famous film stars and exotic locations were now being use within thriller films, broadening the genre.

1980
Dressed To Kill-Brian De Palmer 

• By the 1990's thrillers were very popular and many talented directors were starting out in the genre, for example Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. 

2000
Deja Vu-Tony Scott

• The sub genres of crime and mystery thrillers, became much more popular.

2010
Dark Knight Rises-Christopher Nolan

• In the present day many of the inspiration and techniques used in thrillers are from the previous decades of work. However action and spy thrillers are a lot more popular than the stereotypical thriller movie, which includes horror and violence. 

Hannibal is ranked number one in the thriller genre, within the film there is a lot of torture or gory scenes this shows how the target audience of thrillers enjoy the graphical scenes. Hannibal also includes crime, as hannibal is wanted by both the FBI and various detectives.
Ranked at number 8 is The Bone Collector, this film involves crime and many gory scenes as well which is very similar to the top ranked movie hannibal. This shows how crime is a very effective theme for the thriller audience as they enjoy to watch the mystery.
Ranked at number 17, the film includes no explicit torture and does not go into any detail of the murders. However there is enigma involved due to the audience not knowing the identity or truth behind the killers mother. Psycho is most likely ranked lower than the other films because of its lack of crime and graphical scenes, therefore this is what the target audience of thrillers enjoy to watch. 

Conventions of a Thriller - Miss Miller

The clip I chose is from the movie Jaws, the scene is called 'Chrissies last swim' within the clip she is eaten alive by a shark in the ocean. I will be analysing the conventions used within the clip to make it categorise into the thriller genre. Conventions are the elements that reflect a specific group or category. For example a convention of the thriller genre would be shock.

Within the clip a lot of suspense is used this is a very common convention of the thriller genre, as suspense connects the audience to the characters as they can feel the same anxiety. Suspense is used when the girl is swimming alone and slow eery music is played to raise tension of something bad that is going to happen. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable as they can sense a bad atmosphere however still get shocked when the shark starts to eat the girl.

The event of an attack is also another convention of the thriller genre as it creates terror and surprise, the film  transformed a common, relate able task of swimming in the ocean into a frightening scene which may emotionally impact the audiences lives. The attack is a use of violence which is also the cause of the girls death, this shows how crucial the attacks are and this is used to make the audience fear the situation the character is in.

The use of a female victim also applys to the thriller genre as it shows how vulnerable and unprepared characters are targeted. The victim used is a young blonde attractive woman who has no chance of surviving the shark attack. This is relate able to the audience as they feel they would react in the same way as the woman did by screaming and swimming for her life, as she is an inferior human being compared to the man eating shark used as the villain.

Another convention the clip follows is the mystery used in regards to the villain, within the clip the shark is the antagonist however the shark is never shown when eating the girl. This raises mystery and adrenalin as you cannot predict what it will do next to the girl. Mystery is a very important part within thrillers as it puts the audience on edge and encourages them to carry on watching and find out what happens next.

Relationships between the audience and the film are built through the conventions by making the situations and characters relate able, by using a young, blonde, female actress the audience can relate to the vulnerability they may be faced with if they experienced the situation in real life. A relationship is also built through the convention of using death as the outcome, this is because within many different genres many characters survive the impossible due to an unrealistic approach. However within thrillers death is a common occurance which provides the audience with a sense of reality, as they know if faced in the same situations as the characters they would not survive.