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."

Conventions of the Thriller Genre

The Thriller genre is defined as having a fearful and exciting plot. There are a huge variety of sub genres in the Thriller genre, such as spy thriller or a romantic thriller, but there are many common elements which thriller films share.

Plot/Narrative

• Twist/s: What the viewer may have anticipated/been hinted is far from the truth
• Dark characters: Sometimes with serious emotional problems or a dark backstory. Sometimes revealed in the form of flashbacks
• Protagonist's weaknesses often exploited
• An Enigma: A question which is not immediately answered which draws the viewer's interest. Many Triller films are based around an enigma: "Who is the murderer", "What event in the past had a deep impact on the protagonist"...
• Themes of danger, menace and mystery
• Suspenseful, gritty and fast paced storyline
• Storyline often about crime, murder, corruption

Mise en Scene

• Dark lighting/noir, low key
• Dirty and dusty props and scenery
• Often modern props/scenery (guns etc), although not restricted to any time period. This is more relatable to the viewer, increasing emotive reaction

Editing

• Varied, fast paced action and slow, brooding suspense
• Dark grading, often with cyan and orange highlights
• Occasionally obtrusive: Flashbacks, slow-mo etc

Title Sequence - Vantage Point

From Art of The Title

"Vantage Point" has a short, one minute title sequence, in which an attempt is made to convey the themes of the movie to the audience.
The main stylisation of this piece is the use of a 'fractured' layering of shots over each other, which is highly relevant to the key slant of the film, of how different people perceive an event.
As such, some elements of the sequence, such as the gun, may go unnoticed or surprise a viewer.
The use of this effect also makes the sequence much more interesting than if the clips were static.

The colour scheme of this sequence is fairly restrictive, with almost every element having a gradient mapped tint of sepia/gold, with the credit text being the exception.
The text is easy to read, which contrasts with the odd and confusing shapes of the other elements.
Names of companies and organisations in the title credits are emphasised in uppercase, while all other text is lowercase.
The main title is a mix of the two contrasting styles, beginning as unrecognisable shapes which slide together to create clear, dark text, which contrasts massively with the yellow and orange tones of the clips behind.

Very conventional music is used throughout, ominous beats and clicks with deep bass crescendos, which clearly conveys the thriller genre of the movie.

Moon Title Sequence Time line

Title Sequence - The Untouchables

From Art of The Title

The title sequence in "The Untouchables" is fairly unsophisticated compared to some other films, however the stylization complies with the crime genre, whilst innovating with more recent effects.
The title sequence is comprised of off-white serif type fading in and out in the lower half of the screen, with unrecognizable shadows traveling across the screen. The presentation of the title sequence is good, the typeface used is very relevant to the time period that the movie is set in.
A grain effect is also used in the title sequence, which makes the graphics appear less flat, and also provides an effect reminiscent of the movie technology available in the 1920s/30s time period.

Near the end of the sequence, the camera pulls back from the close up of the shadows, revealing the main title text. This text is similar to the credit text shown below, however is greatly contrasted as it is black, signifying to the audience that it is very important.

The large 3D text is pulled away from the camera, and fades into the soft brown background, and the sequence fades to black.

Whilst the title sequence for "The Untouchables" is not the most memorable, it certainly is appropriate for this genre of movie and prepares the audience for the style in the film to come.