Thriller Film Posters

Posters are a big part of promotion to a movie, and the way they look helps sell the film, as with any product.

Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)


This poster for the recent film, 'Inception', is dark, eerie and it makes you ask questions, such as 'why are they there?', 'what is the film about?'. It shows that the main characters are prepared for something - that something is going to happen, and that they could be united as a team. The red title against the black, blue and grey background makes it stand out, and it's eye-catching. Also, it could mean 'danger' or 'anger', which could be a large part of the film.
The subtitle underneath 'From the director of The Dark Night', helps promote the movie even more, for example, if a person liked 'The Dark Night', then there is a larger chance they will enjoy this movie. The way in which the subtitle is written is also eye-catching.

Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

The poster for Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is very eye catching,and surprisingly colourful for a dark, mysterious thriller movie. The colours go well together and contrast from one another. The yellow title helps catch your eye, as it is written in large, bold lettering, with a sort of cracked effect. The main character is tinted yellow, and the other two photographs are tinted red.

Alfred Hitchcock's name is written above the title in large white letters which contrast completely with the black background. 'A new- and altogether different-screen excitement!' is written near the main character's photograph. This could mean that, seeing as she is in her undergarments, the movie was a step into a new revolution of movies, and that this was quite erotic back in 1960.

A small list of cast and crew is running down the right-hand side of the poster in white on a purple background.

Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)

The poster for Blade Runner links to the prominent science-fiction aspect of the film, for example, there is large machinery near the bottom.
At the bottom section of the poster, Harrison Ford's name is above the title of the movie, in large white lettering, this could draw you in before the actual title of the movie, as it contrasts with the black background. The actual title of the film is written in an unusual font in red. Underneath that, in smaller, white text, is the director's name and the like.
The film could be reminiscent of old film noir movies, with a femme fatal, and dark lighting. The female character pictured is typical of the femme fatal auror, as she is smoking, and it was usually only the femme fatal characters in film noir movies who smoked, as this made them look more dangerous and mysterious.
The way in which the poster has been painted, instead of being photographed could add to the authentic feel of it. 
The slogan at the very top, right 'Man has made his match...now it's his problem' could give a little insight to what the film is actually about, and whether 'man' is going to overcome it.



Target Audience Of Thriller Movies

The target audience for the thriller genre can differ slightly with every sub-genre (for example, some people may be interested in political thrillers but not very interested in medical thrillers, perhaps.) Overall, however, thrillers are targeted at people who enjoy mystery and suspense, and people who like analysing situations and working out clues as to who the criminal is, and/or why they are doing what they're doing, etc. A main aim of the thriller genre is to 'put the audience on the edge of their seats', which means incorporating suspense, tension, eeriness, questions, apprehension and cliff-hangers into the plot-line.
I think, specifically, thrillers are aimed at either gender aged around 20+.

Script For Preliminary Task

Alice opens the door, walks into the room and sits down on the chair opposite Kirsty.

Alice: 

 How would you describe a Thriller film?

Kirsty: 

 A Thriller is based on tension and suspense, and they have a more action-packed feel to them.

Alice:  

What would you say is the difference between a Thriller and a Horror film?

Kirsty:  

A Thriller consists of more suspense than a horror movie. Horrors are much more involved in gore and violence rather than having a lot of psychological and realistic aspects.

Research Into Film Classification

There are many different factors that go into deciding what age certificate to give a particular film. For example, the amount of violence, crude language, drink and drugs references and erotic scenes are contained within the film. 

For example, a film will be classed as a '12' rather than a 'PG' if it contains things that may upset children, such as discrimination, infrequent use of drugs, moderate horror, imitable behaviour (although, easily accessable weapons should not be glamourised), moderate language, nudity (but sexual context must be infrequent), brief, infrequent sexual activity, and moderate violence. Films such as Batman are a 12.

A film will be classed as a '15' if the language content is more frequent, more violence, more horror, more frequent sexual content, drugs, more nudity with a more sexual context, more imitable behaviour, and more discrimination. Memento is a 15 rated film.

Certificate '18' films are only directed at adults, and they fit into this category because, the language content is more prominant, there is more sexual and violence context, discrimination is a lot more offensive, drugs are used a lot more, horror is more frightening, offensive language, imitable behaviour, nudity is mostly seen in a sexual way, sex is much more prominant, violence is a lot more realistic, etc. Se7en is an 18 rated film.

A History Of Thrillers

A thriller's main elements include suspense, tension and apprehension, and the main forms of thriller are mystery, crime and psychological. After the assassination of President Kennedy, political and paranoid thrillers became very popular. Audiences who tend to watch thrillers can accumulate clues and find out who, for example, was the murderer, etc.


Subgenres of thriller:

- Conspiracy thrillers,
- Crime thrillers,
- Disaster thrillers,
- Erotic thrillers,
- Legal thrillers,
- Medical thrillers,
- Mystery thrillers,
- Political thrillers,
- Psychological thrillers,
- Rape and revenge films,
- Religious thrillers,
- Supernatural thrillers,
- Techno thrillers.


Main characteristics of the thriller genre:

Thrillers tend to use cliffhangers and thrills to keep the audience (or reader) interested. Tension and suspense is a large factor within thriller films, and things such as sound, editing and lighting help to create a tense atmosphere within the scene, as well as the situation the character (or characters) has found themselves in. Death is also a large factor as many characters lose their lives in a thriller film.
Thrillers are known for usually taking place in urban areas, such as New York, etc, although it has been known for a thriller film to be set in other areas, such as polar regions and exoctic countries, or even the ocean. In many thrillers, the hero is usually an ordinary citizen who's life does not involve a lot of danger, however, in most crime thrillers in particular, the hero tends to be a harder, stronger character who is accustom to danger and the like.


Timeline of thriller movies:

1926:-
         - The Bat (Roland West)
         - The Bells
         - The Lodger (Alfred Hitchcock)

1928:-
         - Spies (Fritz Lang)

1929:-
         - Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock)

1931:-
         - Charlie Chan Carries On (Hamilton MacFadden)

1932:-
         - Freaks (Tod Browning)
         - Tangled Destinies (Frank Strayer)

1934:-
         - The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock)

1938:-
         - They Drive By Night (Arthur B. Woods)
         - The Lady Vanishes (Alfred Hitchcock)

1940:-
         - Gaslight (Thorold Dickinson)

1942:-
         - L'Assassin Habite au 21 (Henri-Georges Clouzot)

1945:-
         - Spellbound (Alfred Hitchcock)

1949:-
         - Whirlpool (Otto Preminger)

1950:-
         - Side Street (Anthony Mann)

1953:-
         - The Hitch-Hiker (Ida Lupino)

1958:-
         - Elevator To The Gallows (Louis Malle)

1960:-
         - Psycho  (Alfred Hitchcock)

1963:-
         - Charade (Stanley Donen)

1966:-
         - Cul-de-sac (Roman Polanski)

1969:-
         - Z (Costa-Gavras)

1970:-
         - And Soon The Darkness (Robert Fuest)

1973:-
         - The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman)

1978:-
         - The Big Sleep (Michael Winner)

1980:-
         - Bad Timing (Nicolas Roeg)

1984:-
         - Blood Simple (Joel Coen)

1987:-
         - Extreme Prejudice (Walter Hill)

1990:-
         - Blue Steel (Kathryn Bigelow)

1995:-
         -  Assassins (Richard Donner)

1999:-
         - Fever (Alex Winter)

More Exploration Into Thrillers

Aims: -

'What makes a good thriller opening?'

- Look at thriller openings,
- Think about examples of students' films,
- Look at mark scheme


Leon (1994)

- Describe camera movement and what it means.

Panning and tracking - this adds tension and establishes where the scene is taking place. The scene then cuts straight to the glass.
Shows the sign for 'Little Italy', which could link and emphasis the large crime aspect in the film.
Tracking shots of characters show their importance to the plot.


- Describe the types of shots used, including close ups.

Close up shots intensify the moment, they also obscure the identity of certain characters, which adds mystery. Mid-shots are also used on the criminals to show who they are and to include several of them in one shot.


- What props or objects are used and why?

Guns, knives, drinks, money.
The drink of milk could contrast against the character, its not something that you would expect a menacing hitman character to drink. It adds to the sinister feel.


- Describe the camera angles, e.g., on the hotel stairs, etc.

There is a shot looking up and down the spiral staircase. This could establish the sense of despair that the character is feeling at that time. It could also show how far he has to fall when he gets pulled over the banister.

Planning The Opening Sequence To Thriller

Group Members:

• Pip Greenroyd
• Alice Oakley
• Kirsty Davies

Planning:

For the opening sequence for our thriller, our group has decided to focus on the themes of Film Noir and murderous passion. Because of this, we have decided to film our clip in black and white, which gives a sinister and mysterious vibe. Our main idea will be focusing on a man who has cheated on his wife, the wife then finds out and kills him. At present we are discussing how the man could be killed, we feel that the man could be poisoned or shot.
Recently we have watched film openings from 'One Hour Photo' and 'Leon' which focus around one particular item, and we decided that this was an effective technique and created a sinister atmosphere, so we through a wedding or engagement ring could be the prominant item within our film. It could emphasise the theme of being unfaithful.
The camerawork that we have recently discussed included close up and extreme close up shots to create a sinister, identity concealing vibe, and it also portrays emotion. We also thought we could use tracking shots as it makes characters seem more important, and it also makes it feel as though the camera is hunting the character.

Types Of Thriller Films

Aims:-

- To explore types of thriller films: -
                                                        - Murderous passion,
                                                        - Psycho-traumatic,
                                                        - Innocent on the run,
                                                        - Identity,
                                                        - Political thriller,

                                                        - Film noir

- Codes and conventions of the thriller genre.

Panic Room (2002)

- How does this film create a feeling of suspense?

Eerie music is used, with a single-take tracking/panning shot, showing the house and where the people who are trying to break in are. There is no dialogue to begin with, the scene consists of just low, cello-based music. The music itself gives the scene a sense of foreboding.

- What does the audience not know when they watch this clip? What mystery or enigma is set up?

The audience does not know who is trying to get in, or why. We do not know what the criminals' plan is - whether they want to steal something, if so what? Etc. We don't know why they want what they are there for.

- How are victims/heros isolated and how does this make the audience feel?

To begin with, they do not know what is going on and there is only a mother and daughter - they could be portrayed as vulnerable and perhaps not be able to defend themselves against the burglars.


Types of Suspense Thriller

- Murderous Passion: 
Husband, wife, and sometimes either one of their lovers. Someone ends up being murdered. 


Blood Simple

- How does the opening sequence use lighting and conversation to create mood or atmosphere?

The very beginning of the film consisted of shots of different landscapes. When the man and woman were talking in the car, it is very dark, but everytime another car drives past, the light fills the screen to add tension.

There are pauses and awkward silences in the conversation between the man and woman. Their faces are hidden from the camera, which adds a sinister feel, as you do not know who they are - their identities are hidden.

The voice-over at the beginning is very blunt and strong - he makes a point about how different communities operate and the contrasts between a Texan communities and others. 


- Psyco-traumatic:
Main character is so damaged by past events that he/she commits more crimes.

Psycho (1966)

- Describe the use of camera and type of shot in this scene.

The camera does not show all of the woman's body while she is in the shower. Also, when she has been killed and the camera zooms into the plug hole and fades to become her eye, this adds a good effect, perhaps showing that her life is gone?
The camera shots also hide the knife actually piercing the skin from view.

- How is sound used?

To begin with there is just the diegetic sounds of the shower, but when the killer draws back the curtain and begins to kill her, high-pitched, tense music plays. When she is dead, the sound of the shower is the only thing the audience can hear again.

- Is tension or suspense created in any other ways?

Shadows from behind the shower curtain could emphasise that something is going to happen. She isn't aware that someone is behind her. The film, even though it could have been in colour, it is in black and white, this might add to the harsh, morbid feel of it.


- Innocent on the run:
Someone who is accused of a crrim, or is mistaken for someone else, and they have to go into hiding, or get away.

- Thriller based on changes in 'identity':
Characters changing their identities to avoid getting caught, etc.

-'Political' thrillers:
Government conspiricies, assasinations, etc.

- Film Noir:
(made originally in America, 1940s/50s)
Sinister, grim, pessimistic.
- Low-key lighting creating patches of light and dark. Implies that society was grim and gloomy. Creates shadows perhaps emphasising the trapped feeling or situation of a character, or characters.

- Isolation - characters can look isolated by having just one light shining on them, and the background in total darkness.

- Femme fatale - often very dramatic, seductive characters. They usually smoke, to show emphasise their danger. They sometimes get men to commit crimes for money, or they commit the crimes themselves.

- Camera angles can also play a big part in film noir type movies, for example, there are layers and poses involved in various scenes to show superiority, and importance, etc.


Mildred Pierce (1945)

- How is mise-en-scene, including lighting, used tp create suspense and tension?

Dark patches and shadows play a large part. Shadows travel across the walls, ceilings and characters. There are not many lights on in the house, these cast eerie shadows on the rest of the rooms, etc, emphasising the man's isolation, and/or trapped situation - there is nobody there to help him.

'One Hour Photo' (2002), Director: Mark Romanek

How does the film use sound to create tension or suspense?

The film generally used instrumental music. It was low and eerie sounding, and quickened in pace when something was about to happen.


How are locations like the supermarket or family home and hotel portrayed? And how does the film use lighting to create mood or atmosphere?

They seem like normal locations, however, the music, editing and situations give them a sinister feel. For example, the lighting in the hotel and supermarket. There is not much lighting in the hotel room when the main character, Sy, is supposedly taking photographs, this emphasises the eerie atmosphere. The lights in the supermarket create also create an eerie feel, especially the lights in the car park - these are dim, yellow street lights.


What props or objects become an important part of the plot?

Photographs and cameras are a big part of the film, and in some parts of it Sy's face is obscured by a camera, mirror or magnifying glass. This could mean that sight is a large part. Also, photographs become sinister, as Sy has an entire wall in his home covered in photographs from one family, this adds a strange and sinister feel. Also, when Sy finds out about the man of the family cheating on his wife, he then scratches out his face in every single photograph he is featured in on Sy's wall. This creates a sort of obsessive, insane characteristic to Sy's personality.


Describe Robin Williams' character, Sy, in this film.

Sy seems a lonely, isolated character, who needs something in his life, this is why he latches on to one family, and tries to include himself within them, for example, saying he 'almost felt like Uncle Sy', and imaging himself making himself at home in their house.

Introduction To Thrillers

Aims:
- To start exploring ideas for creating our own opening to a thriller film,
- To watch an example of a thriller film,
- To discuss thrillers as a genre of film.

Thriller

'...suspense thrillers focus either on victims of crime or on pursued and isolated criminals...' - Steve Neale.

Factors of thriller films:-

- Thrills,
- Surprises,
- Mystery/enigma,
- Suspense,
- Cliff-hangers,
- Victims/Criminals,
- Police.

How do thrillers typically create a feeling of suspense of tension?

They use music. Sometimes this is off-key, and tends to be slow and eerie, thus adding to the atmosphere.
Ordinary objects, activities and places can become sinister and mean something to the storyline. For example, perhaps a doll plays a significant part throughout the plot.
Anticipation and expectation - the audience is waiting for something to happen, and the tension builds.
Despair and doubt - the audience empathises with the character/s' situation.
Appropriate editing to add tension - faster cuts, faster music, etc.
Accumulation of clues - the audience finds the clues, and then tries to work it all out, as though they are a detective in the film.