Location shots

Here are some pictures of location shots for our thriller. We used canted angle shots because to make it seem unusual and on edge. We also wanted to captivate the audience with the use of different types of shots. We also chose Chesterfield as it is our biggest local town and was a suitable place to air our thriller.

Importance of sound in films

Sound Design in Film. In filmmaking, the most important audio element is… You guessed it: Dialogue. ... It is the dialogue, unlike music and sound effects, that hooks the audience and carry the story forward, so a lot of emphasis and money is placed in getting the audio recorded in optimal quality. Sound can be used to create tension in films like horror movies. The sound is the most scary thing in the horror movie. It unnerves the audience and makes them think something is going to happen but often nothing does.

For example, some horror movies use little or no sound just before a jump scare which creates even more fear.

No sound is also used in action movies. An example of this would be when a large explosive is used, the sound is cut off and then slowly returns with a ringing noise to show how loud the explosion would be.

Conventions of Thrillers

The thriller genre includes a wide range of films but it is possible to include some specific characteristics. The aim of the thriller is to create suspense and excitement for the audience. A thriller film often uses busy streets and environment of is usually urban or suburban areas. The narrative resolves around the investigation of an enigma or the hero is the only person able to solve the enigma and reveal the truth. Violence is often the main focus of the thriller. The hero often uncovers hidden societies that often controls the government or the police. They are often rational rather than supernatural. The hero and villain although on opposite sides, often share some characteristics. The hero is often an outsider, secretive but moral.
They also often have:

• Low-key lighting
• Quick cuts
• Tension music
• Changes in the angle of shots
• Diegetic sound of breathing
• Black and white shots
• Montage of shots
• Protagonist is in the mercy of the Antagonist

The protagonist is often a brave male who seeks to restore order.
The Antagonist will have a secret identity but will have met the protagonist at some point which has fuelled his need to go after the protagonist to begin with.
The Thriller storyline will also make the audience feel like it could happen to them and make them scared.
There is also lots of close ups of the protagonist.
The location is often important to the thriller and will set the scene to how it all begins.

My research in to screenplay

The role of a screenwriter is to write what's going to happen in particular scenes. Once the screenwriters writes the screenplay, it is then turned in to a storyboard. The directors and editors can then edit the storyboard as they see fit. Most films often turn out different to the original screenplay because of different opinions and views. For example here is the Jaws script...
This script went through a lot of editing to get where it got to at the end of the production.

Se7en textual analysis

This is my textual analysis of the film Se7en.

"A film about two homicide detectives' desperate hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. The movie takes us from the tortured remains of one victim to the next as the sociopathic "John Doe" sermonises to Detectives Somerset and Mills - one sin at a time. The sin of Gluttony comes first and the murderer's terrible capacity is graphically demonstrated in the dark and subdued tones characteristic of film noir. The seasoned and cultured but jaded Somerset researches the Seven Deadly Sins in an effort to understand the killer's modus operandi while the bright but green and impulsive Detective Mills scoffs at his efforts to get inside the mind of a killer..." - IMDB.

Camera
There are many camera shots that have been used throughout Seven. An immediate camera shot I saw is a low angle camera shot whilst the detectives are talking. This shows the dominance the 2 characters have but it also gives the character a persona and character in the location of the scene; being in a run down, tatty street where the crime rate is considerably high.
Later on in the extract we are presented with a lot of close up camera shots, for example a detectives hand, as Somerset works on some documents among other things. This is used to show how detectives work using forensics. The fact these shots are close up gives the audience a real look at the characters face and features.

Sound
While watching the extract, I could hear sirens in the background throughout apart from the metronome. This gives the film a negative image as it shows a race against time to stop a serial killer who is on the loose. It also suggests that the sound is constantly in their heads throughout the film.

Editing
The first piece of editing skills visible is a montage. This editing technique shows the way Somerset has a set of things he does each day. This shows how he likes to keep things in order. The audience may feel he is a very particular person.
The piece of editing match-on-action is displayed to viewers whilst Somerset selects a folder and then opens it after. This helps show a passage of time in the extract.

Two Step Audience Theory

Two Step Flow is about how key/influential people in media can affect other people, it was discovered by Paul Lazarsfeld in a classic voting poll in New York in 1940.

 

It explains how people such as YouTubers or movie reviewers can act as 'gatekeepers' for what people see or know about in media. Also how media (such as a film) doesn't just go from producer to consumer. It goes to people that are in the middle first.

 

For example, a film could be released, and sent to a reviewer (or reviewed by another person independently) and what they say about the film -positive or negative- can affect how their viewers/fans respond to the film. This can put people off from watching films that they would actually enjoy.

Active vs Passive

The passive audience theory is an audience that merely observes and event rather than actively responding to it. There have been a few studies done on what is called the 'audience effect'. The active audience theory argues that media audiences do not just receive information passively but are actively involved, often unconsciously, in making sense of the message within their personal and social contexts. Decoding of a media message may therefore be influenced by such things as family background, beliefs, values, culture, interests, education and experiences. The audience may be scared of our thriller which is an active theory.
I am hoping that the audience of our horror thriller will be scared which will be an active audience.