Group Blog

There is now a blog for our media studies group which I assisted in setting up. I helped with the blog's design, as well as assisting on deciding the name of the group.

You can find the blog at chrisedjonjack.blogspot.com.

Thriller Subgenres

There are many subgenres within the thriller genre, which often incorporate elements from other genres.

• Crime Thrillers combine elements of the Crime genre with those of suspense and excitement of the Thriller genre, and often place action over characters emotions. The two most recognisable types of crime thriller are heist situations and serial killers, for example "The Inside Man" and "Seven".
• Supernatural Thrillers mix themes of the supernatural in with the thriller conventions of storytelling and composition, which may occasionally crossover into the horror genre due to the defining suspense of the Thriller genre.
• Psychological Thrillers use emotional struggles struggles to create suspense and excitement. Whilst physical violence is often present in psychological thrillers, emotional and mental struggles are more important in the plot.
• Conspiracy Thrillers depict the struggle between a relatable character and group or government with vast size and power. Thriller conventions such as plot twists are ever present.

Analysis - Thriller Editing Conventions

Match on Action

A match on action is an editing technique in which multiple shots are used to convey a single action occurring. This allows for very fast, but understandable editing.

Shot/Reverse Shot

A shot/reverse shot is where a character is shown looking at another character, cutting to a shot of the other character looking back. Due to use of the 180° rule, the viewer understands that the two characters are looking at each other

The 180° Rule

The 180° rule is a core fundamental of continuity editing in which an imaginary line which passes through the scene cannot be crossed by the camera, as not to confuse the viewer. The 180° rule is especially prominent in dialogue heavy scenes, in which often important characters are positioned as centered in the line.

Scene Analysis - The Birds

For this blog post we decided to do a voice over analysis to further interest the viewer. We did this by downloading clips from youtube and adding a voice track in iMovie. This approach was fast however we are limited by the choice and quality of clips we could find on the web. Overall, I am pleased with the result of this, and I hope you find the analysis engaging and fun.

"The Birds uses many conventions of the genre of thriller, which can be witnessed in the scene in which a gas station is blown up due to a petrol pump leaking. The scene begins with an establishing shot of the petrol station, which helps to hint the danger of the birds which linger nearby, setting the dramatic mood. A medium shot reveals several characters leaving the building they shelter in to help the man who has been knocked down by one of the birds. This emphasizes the hectic atmosphere of panic, which is a common convention of the thriller genre. Next , we see a close-up of the petrol puddle which is seen approaching the camera very swiftly, used because it clearly highlights the danger of the flammable substance.

This sequence is highly conventional to the thriller genre through use of suspense. The emotion of suspense is created in this section of the sequence through use of reaction shots. Multiple reaction shots are used to show how the unknowing gentleman is in peril, with suspense being created though the slight zoom on the protagonist with each reaction shot, as well as the unclear ending of the scenario."