Research into editing styles - Miss Gerogiou



Editing in film is the process whereby shots from a scene are selected and constructed together to create the final edit. Editing styles create meaning in the film through collages, tempo and timing through the scenes. Which helps highlight the significant parts of the film and also editing styles are used in thrillers to create shock,surprise,suspense

The clip I will be researching and exploring different types of editing styles is Scream 4 - Olivia's Death scene.

 

Shot reverse shot

Kirby on the phone 

Olivia on the phone

My first editing technique i will be analysing is the shot reverse shot, this is mostly used in films when a conversation is taking place and its when one shot quickly follows another. In my chosen scene it starts off with a shot reverse shot from 0:19 - 0:48 where two girls, Kirby and Olivia are having a phone conversation Kirby is inside her house and Olivia is outside walking to her house. As they live opposite each other you can tell that these two girls are quite close to each other. The reverse shot gives both characters more importance in the scene as it keeps cross cutting back and fourth the two making the audience pay more attention on them. The fact that their two girls with blonde hair, this suggest that they're innocent and vulnerable making the audience wonder if they're the victims which creates a closer relationship with them. Furthermore, the this editing technique also reveals where the two girls are, kirby is indoors whilst Olivia is outside. This shows that Kirby is less likely to be the victim as she's indoors and safe in her own home, however Olivia is outside walking where its isolated, dark and quiet. Which makes the audience feel tensed as they feel something is lurking and watching her, this foreshadows that she may be in danger from the antagonist as she is alone which will be appropriate for the thriller genre. The use of the shot reverse shot is conventional to a thriller as the cross cutting between the two creates tension and suspicion on whats going to happen, to either both of them or one as they're the main focus on the scene, making the audience wonder who is going to be the victim. Moreover, the cross cutting gets quicker as she approaches her house which could represent her quickly being close to her death.

Reaction Shot

Kirby and Jill's reactions to Olivia's death

A reaction shot is where ' any shot (often used as a cutaway) in which the subject reacts to a previous shot'. A reaction shot is used repeatedly in this scene when Olivia is getting stabbed by the antagonist. This editing technique is used to emphasise the two witnesses shock and surprise as well as the audiences reaction to Olivia's death. The two girls on the left are friends of the victim who is being hurt by the antagonist at the house which is on the other side of the street. Their

POV camera shot 

facial expressions exaggerate the amount of shock their in as their mouths are open which makes the audience relate to them as they're probably doing the same thing. The purpose of a reaction shot is to show the facial expressions of a character(s) and their body language to show their emotional state, this also helps build a relationship with the audience as they can relate to their reactions as they would react the same as them. Also theres a point of view, handheld camera shot which shows the unsteadiness of the event implying that whatever they are seeing is a blur and its going all too quick to take in, also it places the audience into their position to witness whats going on from where they are watching from. The use of this creates a connection between the girls and the audience making them emphasise them for the horror they are witnessing. This reaction shot is conventional to a thriller as the characters feelings mirrors the way the audience are feeling about the scene too which creates a closer relationship to the victim because no one would ever want to witness anything happen to their friend. 

Timing of shots



Olivia getting stabbed by the antagonist 

Olivia's friend walking up the stairs 

This editing style is when the sequence is edited either really slow or fast to add emotional impact or to create suspense for the audience. From 3:02 - 3:22 , the timing of the shots are increased and made faster , making the audience shocked and jump as they wasn't expecting that to happen. During this time, Olivia is being stabbed all over her body, thrown against the wall and desks by the masked antagonist known as ' Ghost Face '. The speed of the shots are quicker as it creates an emotional impact on the audience as they feel sympathetic for her as she is getting stabbed and no one can do anything about it. Fast editing is conventional to the thriller genre as it shows the audience how fast the event is going, and as it goes too quick it makes the audience feel more tensed and shocked as its a lot to take in. However as the scene goes on the timing of shots become slower as Olivia's friend tries to come and save her. As she is walking up the stairs slowly the lighting is really low and dark making it harder for her and the audience to see whats up the stairs creating more tension. Also her walking up the stairs slowly, shows that she is cautious and weary because the antagonist may still be at Olivia's room where he killed her. Her bravery and loyalty makes the audience create a closer relationship with her, as she is risking her life to go and check on her friend who has just been brutality abused by the antagonist. The use of slow editing in thrillers is conventional as it makes the scene slow which amplifies the suspense of the atmosphere which makes the audience feel apprehensive on whats going to appear.  The timing of shots either slow or fast are conventional to a thriller because they create a emotional impact or create suspense for the audience which makes them connect more with the characters or continue to watch more of the movie.

In conclusion, I believe that this scene I researched has successfully created all elements of shock,surprise and suspense. Also this post has helped me research the different types of editing styles that are used in this clip which created suspense,shock and tension. Also how much editing styles play a role in portraying characters and telling the storyline. I would definitely consider using a reaction shot , to show what my antagonists are feeling and so they can connect with the audience more in my opening thriller scene. Furthermore , i will use a shot reverse shot, to engage the audience to my main characters so that they follow them through the story creating suspense and a closer relationship with them. Also, in my opening I will make sure the timing of shots are quicker when the victim is running away in the woods from the antagonist as this will represent the urgency of her getting away from him.

Research into Conventions - Miss Miller

Codes & Conventions are used in films to create a precise effect on the audience. Conventions are things that we, the audience expect to see or happen as it is typical in the type of genre they're watching. As i am going to being making a thriller opening sequence, i would definitely consider and include the connections that are used in the thriller genre: Abandoned setting/ isolated, low-key lighting, chase scenes, antagonist, victims, enigma, suspense, shock, surprise, tension, eerie music and sounds. 

In this post I'll be analysing the some of the different types of conventions used in my chosen film ' Scream 3 ' - Shattered Glass, I have chosen this particular scene as it does acquire many elements of thriller conventions in it which the audience may gather.

Characters - Antagonists and Protagonists 

Ghost Face - Antagonist 

My first convention to a thriller film that I found in this scene is the use of characters and their positions in the film. Every thriller film usually has an Antagonist, which is seen to be ' bad guy', villain and the one who is the killer.  This is convention because without an antagonist, there will be no thriller, as the antagonist is the one character that the audience follow as they're the ones that are set to kill or have a mysterious dangerous motive for its victims. This creates tension in the audience as they would want to know who the antagonist is killing and why. Most of the time the Antagonist has a hidden identity in thriller but some films may differ, likewise in this film the killer does have a hidden identity as he wears a mask which is known as the ' ghost face '. The ghost face could represent that the antagonist feels like a dead person inside , so they prefer to portray themselves like that because they may like death and not the living. The use of hidden identity is conventional to a thriller as it creates enigma and suspense for the audience, as they're curious on who the person behind the mask is, this can also make the audience want to watch more of the film just to find out who the antagonist is. More over , it creates a distant relationship between the audience and the protagonist as his anonymous prospective makes him not trust-worthy, sly and dangerous because you don't know who he is.

Protagonist - Young lady

In contrast to an Antagonist, the opposite to that is a Protagonist who is the good, hero or victim in thriller films. The protagonist in these films is always set against a problem - an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what, thriller films will emphasise the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the antagonist and protagonist is built throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax. In this scene , the protagonist is a young lady who tries to run away from the masked killer but unfortunately ends up getting killed. The use of this convention is essential to the thriller genre as women are usually seen to be innocent, weak targets for the antagonists. As she is a young lady, the target audience chosen for this film can build a close relationship to her as they're roughly around the same age as her, so they can view themselves in her position, which no one would really want to be in. Furthermore, having a victim in a thriller is very vital as it helps follow the narrative as well as give the audience someone to follow through the story and want to sympathise. 

Iconography

Antagonist stabbing the girl with a knife

Secondly, iconography is another convention that is used in thrillers. In Scream 3, the antagonist uses a knife which is he's signature murder weapon, to stab all of his victims. As a knife is used in an everyday life by the audience, the use of this weapon provokes fear and exaggerates the bad use of it within the film as the audience are used to using it for reasonable situations unlike murdering someone. It also makes the audience shocked when they see the antagonist use the weapon because of its likelihood of being used in the real world. The use of a knife is a weapon that is quite quick to use and access, which suggests that the antagonist has every intention and motive to kill these people. Knifes are often conventional to a thriller because of their easy access, and it gives the antagonist more power and control on his weapon, whereas a gun is not controllable, as the bullets are what effects and harms the person. The use of this iconography makes the audience build a distant relationship with the antagonist as they are taking someones life and using all their power to make sure they do. Also the use of the knife could symbolise a sacrifice that has to made for the antagonist to feel better as he is in control of the possession and he continues to stab into the girl with pleasure.This makes the audience feel angry and sympathise the victim as no one would want to be in her position making them build a closer relationship with her. A knife also connotes blood as we see in this scene, when he is stabbing her with the knife blood is splattered everywhere, which exaggerates the injuries she has from the antagonists act. 

Chase scene

Antagonist pulling the rug 

Chase scene in thrillers consists between the protagonist and the antagonist. In this scene we see two protagonists both trying to get away from the antagonist from killing them. The first protagonist already looks badly injured but is still running for his life away from the masked person. When he is running away from him the antagonist, he runs across a rug which the killer finds an advantage in as he pulls the rug causing the injured man to slip and land on his neck. This exaggerates the power that the killer has as he stops bothering running after him and uses something else to eventually hurt his victim.

Protagonist banging on the mirror

In addition, the second chase scene is with another character who is a girl. As the antagonist is walking; whereas she is running and banging mirrors calling out for help, it shows that the killer is confident that he will achieve his goal and will catch her. This is conventional to a thriller as antagonist often walk to confuse their victims and the audience as they're not trying nor running after their protagonist which makes them more superior and powerful in the situation. Chase scenes are conventional to the thriller genre as they  make the audience build a closer relationship with the victim because they would like them to run away and save their own lives however with the antagonist walking, this creates more suspense as they don't know when they're going to attack.

Low-key lighting 

Protagonist running away 

Low key lighting is essential to a thriller as it creates tension, enigma and makes everything a bit of a blur. This convention is used in this scene when the antagonist is chasing after the girl through the closet hall way. The use of low key lighting in this scene is that it gives a dim, shadowy setting which benefits the antagonist with his hidden identity as in the screen shot on the right, you cannot even see his mask which was another convention used. The use of this low lighting creates enigma as you cannot see clearly where the antagonist and victim are but also suggest that something could be lurking in the darkness which makes the audience feel tense and aware of whats happening. This creates suspense and tension because you don't know what the killers going to do next as he's almost camouflaged in the dark surroundings. To continue, the use of lighting confirms the roles of the two characters in the scene, as the girl you can see her face and whats she wearing means that she's the protagonist. However, in contrast the antagonist lighting is blackish as you cannot see what he's wearing and the only light we see on him is the reflection of the knife, highlighting that he is very dangerous. This is conventional to a thriller as it helps the audience create a a closer relationship with the victim as there is limited lighting, so the audience will want her to be safe. Also and like her, we cannot see clearly on both of hers and the antagonists whereabouts which creates anxiety and tension in the atmosphere, so the audience are made to be put in her shoes.



Conventions in a thriller are very important as it helps convey the three S's: Shock, Surprise and Suspense.  The Scream 3 - shattered glass scene that I analysed was very successful on using conventions for thrillers as each helped make the audience understand the situation and feelings of the characters in the scene. This research will influence my choices of conventions I would like to use in my own thriller as it helps make it easier for the audience engage and understand what is going on. The conventions I would consider definitely using in my thriller are iconography: the knife , as it makes the audience question what the antagonist is going to use it for and creates suspense. Furthermore I will use a dark setting and lighting to create enigma as it will make the audience more focused on what they're watching. Overall this post has helped me explore more and understand the conventions within a thriller so that I can refer to these points when creating my own. 

Research into sound - Miss Miller

Sound is very crucial in films as it gives a variety of effects and certain impacts on the viewer. It is used to create an understanding for the audience and give more meanings about the characters and their emotions. Sound engages the audience and creates a response from them whilst their watching. There are 3 types of sounds ill be researching: Diegetic , Non-Diegetic and Parallel sound

Diegetic Sound- This is when the sound in the film is visible on the screen, or whose source is implied to be present by the action e.g music playing out from a radio, dialogue 

Non-Diegetic Sound - unlike Diegetic sound this is sound which is not visible on the screen nor has been implied to present in the action e.g soundtracks, theme music and background music.

Parallel sound - Is sound that you expect to hear in the film e.g scene with children at the beach you expect laughter, talking and the sea.

Contrapuntal Sound - This is sound that doesn't easily doesn't match what the audience expect to be in the image e.g tip toeing through the tulips in Insidious 

Silence - Even though there is no sound, this can create an impact in the scene 

In this post i will be exploring and researching different sounds techniques that are used in my chosen thriller clip 'The Shining' scene - Here's Johnny!

Jack walking up the stairs

Firstly, at the beginning of the clip its starts off with a non-diegetic screechy sound when jack is walking up the stairs, this creates curiosity and tension making the audience think he is the antagonist as he is carrying an axe with him. The screechy sound quietens when the antagonist gets closer to his protagonists hiding destination, this creates suspense as he is approaching to his victims area making the audience feel unease. Moreover, the screechy sound is quite startling and unsettling to listen to,this could represent jack himself as he is not in his normal state and he is holding a weapon which makes the audience feel uncomfortable and suspicious on what he's going to do with it. Through out the scene the screechy sound gets quicker and higher than normal, which represents the antagonist getting closer to the protagonist like it was a cat and mouse chase. This increases the woman's and audiences fear as he is getting closer to hurt her, making the audience build a sympathetic relationship and pity the woman as she's in a terrible situation with her husband. This type of sound used in this particular scene is conventional to a thriller as they often help build up the tension when the antagonist is chasing its victim which is a key element within the thriller genre. 

Antagonist walking towards bathroom door

From 0:15-0:18 the antagonist says " come out,come out! where ever you are", this is an on-screen diegetic sound as it is dialogue. The dialogue is said in a playful, sarcastic way as he walks towards the door. The sentence jack says is supposedly used when children are playing hide and seek. This suggests to the audience that he thinks its a game creating more of a distant relationship with him because the audience may find it disturbing that he is using a childrens' phrase in a murder plot which they can relate to if they had children. Furthermore this is conventional to a thriller as the antagonists often do use dark humour that juxtaposes the situation making the protagonist fear even more because it is not a 'playful game'.

Jack trying to open the door

From 0:31 - 0:35 , the non-diegetic sound ( screechy noise ) suddenly stops as he reaches the bathroom door where the protagonist is hiding in. This moment of silence has a huge impact on the audience as it makes them feel apprehensive and creates an awkward, tensed atmosphere making them engage more to the scene. After jack tries to open the door we hear a click which is a diegetic off screen sound as we actually don't see the lock or handle its self but we know he's trying to open the door. The click that is heard when the hands is being turned, gives the a sense of normality in the audience as that's what you expect to hear from the object. The click symbolises that time has run out and gives the protagonist inside the bathroom no hope and the antagonist assured that he has reach his goal because she is now trapped. This makes the audience feel concerned and uneasy because they don't know whats going to happen to the woman now that she's trapped which creates a closer relationship with her as they feel sympathy for her. Also the antagonist cannot get in as its locked which makes the audience and protagonist question how he is going to enter the bathroom and how she will defend her self, creating anxiety and making the audience feel on edge as they carry on watching.

Jack banging on the door with axe

When Jack starts banging the door with his axe it is a parallel, diegetic on screen sound. Each time Jack bangs the axe through the door, he gets closer to the protagonist creating suspense and tension between them. As he keeps on chopping through the door, the loud sound effect of the axe gradually dominates the whole sound effects, blocking out the screechy background music. This shows that the chase is over and the antagonist has won which creates tension for the audience as he has become more superior in the situation. Even though the audience have already seen his axe, when he actually uses it, it produces shock and terror which may make the audience jump like the protagonist because it has a thundering and threatening impact. The use of this sound gives a sense of foreboding as it suggests that something bad might occur later on the scene which is conventional to the thriller genre. 



Antagonist attacks protagonist 

Another Parallel sound we hear is when they woman slices the antagonist's hand with a knife. This creates a sense of realism for the audience as you would expect to hear that noise when somethings been slices. The sound made is what we expected even though it may be artificial, but this creates suspense and tension because the protagonist has assaulted him which may make the antagonist furious and want to attack her even more. The sharp sound also makes the audience jump as its quite alerting and quick making them feel on edge.This makes the audience support and build a closer relationship with the wife as they see that she has fought back for her safety showing her braveness in a difficult situation. This is conventional in a thriller because the protagonists usually try and defend themselves but sadly, they fail to and end up getting killed which makes the audience loath the antagonist even more.


To conclude, I have successfully found out research into sound which I will think would be beneficial when it comes to my thriller. I have learnt that sound is very essential in thriller films because it helps to build the 3 main S's ( Shock, Suspense and Surprise. Also it helps create an understanding for the audience and connect with the different types of characters variously helping the audience respond emotionally. Sounds in thrillers is what grabs the audiences attention and gets a response out of them. When I start my own thriller piece I will look into my sounds research so I can gather what would be significant and meaningful to be used e.g like in the shining, I will use silence to create suspense in the audience which will make them engage more and wonder what is going to happen next. I will make sure I use a variety of sounds to give the audience an understanding of my opening scene and engage them to carry on watching. Furthermore I will use different types of speed sounds so it builds up tension and makes the audience feel on edge. Also ill include a small silent part so that it makes the audience feel unease and weary on whats going to happen next. Overall, this post has given me a more understanding on how sounds are used an effective to give a huge impact on whats happening in the film and on the audiences feelings towards the characters. 

Research into Cinematography - Miss Miller

In this essay I will be researching cinematography and how its effects a thriller scene. My research will be surrounding the cinematography in varies of clips taken from the film The Purge (2013). Cinematography is the use of camera angles and shots to create certain moods and atmospheres within a film. Cinematography is also the act of capturing photographic images in space through the use of a number of controllable elements.  These include the quality of the film stock, the manipulation of the camera lens, framing, scale and movement.  

A man hiding behind the brick wall

At 0:23:50 , the cinematographer zooms in onto the CCTV footage, as in the screen theres a man who runs and hides behind a wall outside the house. This creates suspicion as it focuses on the man who is hiding, suggesting that he is running away from something in particular and is afraid of it as he is hiding. The zooming in technique used shows the man is hurt as his body language is not stable as he tries to run. Also implies that the man hiding behind the wall is someone important in the film as they draw the audiences attention onto him to build a closer relationship. Furthermore, this is conventional in a thriller as an protagonist usually hides from the killer, so this suggests that the man is innocent which makes us sympathise him and weary for his safety out there.

Group of people walking towards house

A long shot is used at 0:31:40 when a group of people walk towards the Sandin's house. The use of this shot creates suspense and tension in the audience as this is they're first time seeing these people, so it makes them question who are they? and what do they want with the Sandin's. Moreover the group are holding hands which gives the impression that they're are all united and seek the same motive with each other, also some of the members are holding weapons such as a machete which suggests that these people are dangerous and are not welcomed by the family creating a threatening image towards the house and the audience. This makes a distant relationship with the audience as it is the purge night and these people are randomly turning up to the Sandin's house equipped with dangerous gear, so the audience feel tensed and curious of what they're going to do. A long shot is conventional to a thriller as it allows to show every character in the shot as well as the background, this gives the audience an insight of what is going on and also foreshadows what may happen e.g in my screen shot , the group of people may want to kill the Sandin's as it is Purge night. 

polite leader smiling 

In the scene at 0:45:16 theres a close up onto the ' Polite Leaders' face on an eye level. This shows the audience he's facial expressions as he's smiling whilst James is explaining why they have the bloody stranger is in his home. The close up clarifies that the ' Polite Leader ' is the antagonist in the film as his sarcasm through his smiling looks quite threatening towards James. The use of this close up shot is conventional to a thriller as it shows the audience the characters facial expressions making them feel nervous and anxious of what that character is going to do or what they are in possession with. This eye level shot is also a point of view shot from James perspective looking through the gap at the antagonist. Knowing that this is from the protagonist point of view, this shot automatically places the audience into James position, making them feel tensed and suspicious like he is. The technique helps create a closer relationship with James and a distant relationship with the polite leader as his facial expressions lead both James and the audience to not trust him. This is conventional for the thriller genre as it places the audience into the victims position which creates enigma to what is going to happen next as they don't have control on what to look at. 

James hurt and looking up to antagonist 

The Cinematographer uses a low-angle at 1:06:18 when the ' Polite Leader ' daggers a knife into James stomach and lowers him down onto the floor. This shows that even though both men were the dominate leaders in their groups ( James & his family , Polite Leader with his group), James is no longer dominate as the polite leader is the one who's taking control of the power by setting him on the ground. The low-angle emphasises James vulnerability in this situation as he has no control of his body, This makes the audience sympathise him even more because he was a fighter of the family and now the antagonist has taken his position away. A low angle is conventional to a thriller and is often used on the protagonist when defeated by the killer to show their lack of power in the situation making the audience build a relationship with the victim. It also allows the audience to see a characters facial expression and in the screen shot we can see that James is distressed and tired from his battle against the antagonist, this makes the audience feel sympathetic for the character as his the victim.

Antagonists armed with axes 

In this clip from 1:07:11 till 1:07:23 the cinematographer uses handheld camera movement when the two masked men are smashing their axes onto the walls and breaking pictures along in the hallway. This shows that they're are the antagonists as their trashing up the place, making a statement that they don't care they'll do and hurt whatever they want. The use of this technique is that it creates tension which makes the audience more engaged and curious about what they're going to do next in the scene. Also because of the jerkiness of the screen it makes the audience create a more distant relationship with the characters in this scene because the unsteadiness creates suspicion and weariness which makes the audience not trust the characters in the scene. Moreover, the handheld shot could represent the protagonist running away from the characters holding the axes, which makes the audience feel involved with the scene as it unsteadily follows where the antagonists are heading. A handheld camera is conventional to a thriller as it makes the screen jerky and unsteady making the audience feel on edge as the movements including on the screen are not clear so the audience are anxious about what is going to happen.

In conclusion, I have learnt that cinematography is very important as it is a combination of camera shots,angles and techniques that influence the affect on the film and how the audience feels about the characters and the atmosphere they're in. I believe that this research will help with my own thriller sequence as I've gathered various of information about cinematography and how it should be used in certain situations. I will definitely consider using this technique because it helps build a connection with the characters in the film and also gives the audience an understanding on whats happening. The cinematography used in The Purge was conventional to a thriller because it helped build the story and create suspense and tension throughout. When creating my own thriller, I will use many camera shots to help the audience evaluate what is going on e.g use a hand held camera when the protagonist is running away from the antagonist. I think the technique will be effective as it shows the unsteadiness of the girl running away and will help build a sense of urgency creating suspense within the audience. Another technique that ill be inspired to include in my thriller is a low angle, this will be used when the victim is in danger and the antagonist is looking down on her. This will be essential as it will portray the different types of position they both share, e.g antagonist and victim.  Overall, this post has taught me and gave me more on understanding of camera shots used within a thriller.

Research into Mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

Mise-en-scene is the french term meaning of the arrangement of everything that appears in the framing.In simple terms miss-en-scene is everything the audience sees, there are five elements setting & iconography ,costume (hair and makeup), colour & lighting and body language & facial expressions.

The film I'll be exploring Mise-en-scene is 'The Woman In Black' Opening scene 

Setting & Iconography

The children's bedroom

Firstly, setting and iconography are the first parts of mise-en-scene. In the film The woman in black opening scene the setting is in a children's bedroom where the children play with their toys. As the bedroom in this particular scene is used as the setting, it shows privacy and could represent the characters mindset, as a room is somewhere you feel comfortable in to do anything you want. But however privacy can always be broken, so this foreshadows that theres going to be some kind of threat that's going to happen. This is conventional to a thriller as the antagonist always breaks the victims privacy i.e killing them at their homes or where they are at. Also it is conventional as privacy is when you isolate yourself, so this could represent the children's isolation from the world and the woman in black demands this as they are possessed. The audience can relate to the characters and connect with them as they are vulnerable children having fun in their bedroom but this creates suspense as something could happen to the innocent children. Furthermore, the use of this isolated setting when the antagonist kills the children could mirror her feeling alone when she was alive. And could create sympathy for the women in the black as she has always felt alone. Moreover it foreshadows her past which is revealed later in the film, when her son is taken away from her, and the location of her house was cut off from the marshes where her son died as well. Usually as child the colours of the room would be bright and vibrant to show life but however the colour of the walls in this scene look like a mouldy green, which could represent that death is closing in on the young girls in the middle. Furthermore, the colour of the wall juxtaposes the norm of the girls that are sitting down playing with their toys as they're having fun but it looks like death is taking over them. Foreshadowing that they're lives may be taken soon, making the audience feel tensed as they watch which is conventional to a thriller. 

The girls playing with the dolls 

In this scene the iconography used are normal child's bedroom properties such as bed,tables, toys. However in this scene  the girls are playing with their dolls having a tea party, this represents their vulnerability in the scene as they're getting on with what is seen to be what normal children do. Furthermore the focus on the little girls playing with the dolls shows that they are in control of moving the dolls, this foreshadows on whats going to happen to them, as the woman in black likes to control children to kill themselves. Also implies that the antagonist, focuses on all children and doesn't only target one, this is conventional to a thriller as the antagonist usually has more than one person planned to kill. Making the audience start to wonder what is going to happen to the possible victims in the rest of the film and why the antagonist goes after them. 

ribbons in their hair 

Costumes (Hair and makeup)

The children are wearing old Victorian like dresses, this can represent that their from quite a wealthy background. Also all of their hairstyles are down, with pink ribbons in them, this exaggerates their innocence as ribbons are often used to show 'cuteness'. Thrillers sometimes often use children in their films as it is conventional because it  makes the audience connect with them even more as they are young, making them want to protect them. Also because this film is rated 12A, the target audience who are the parents that are watching the film with their child will feel on edge as they would want to protect their children. 

Facial Expressions, Body Language & Positioning

The girls smiling

In this scene we see two different facial expressions from the characters. The first facial expression we see is when the girls are smiling in their natural state whilst playing with their dolls.This builds a closer relationship with them as it shows that they are having fun and enjoying themselves and not being worried about what might happen to them. This makes the audience feel warmth inside but because this is a thriller film, it makes them suspicious and worried about what could possibly happen to the innocent, happy girls.

Girls looking at the window

However, in contrast it all changes after the girls look across the other side of the room, looking at something in the corner. The smiling turns into a serious facial expression as they look at the corner then to the window, this indicates that someone is in the room with them. The straight faces, makes the audience feel curious on why they have suddenly changed the way they look as they were having fun a moment ago. This facial expression from children is conventional to a thriller as it takes the key element away of children being happy and playful and shows them being serious which makes the audience feel uncomfortable and intrigued to see what will happen to them. 

Girls looking outside the window

Also, as the girls look over to the window they are in a fixed position whilst standing up, their body language suggests that they were being possessed or controlled when they walk over to the window. This implies that they're not in control of their bodies, emphasising their vulnerability in the situation also makes the audience curious and worried on whats going to happen next. This is conventional to a thriller as children are usually always made to do something odd, as this makes the audience sympathise them because they are young. Also the girls are positioned in the middle which is conventional to a thriller as it draws the audiences attention straight at them as they're in a neutral position in the frame. This makes the audience feel tensed and suspicious as thats the only thing that they're focusing on at the moment. 

In this shot, there is a black woman figure positioned in the corner just standing over looking at the room after the girls have jumped out of the window. The high angle implies that the figure is the antagonist because her identity is hidden and most antagonist's hide their identity which is conventional to a thriller as it states that the figure is powerful and threatening to the children as it appears after the little girls jump out the window. Thrillers often place the antagonist in a high angle to show that their more powerful in the situation than their victims and that they're the ones that are in control and dominant.  When the audience see the dark figure, it actually makes them jump because the screen zooms out and then you see it. This creates tension and suspicion in the audience as they do not know who this person is and how they got inside the girls bedroom. 

Colour & Lighting 

The colours used often in this scene are, black, grey and a muddy green which stay the same through out the whole scene creating a gloomy atmosphere. Dark colours are conventional to a thriller as it makes the audience and protagonist not see clearly of the surroundings making them feel tensed and on edge on what is about to happen. The Key light in this shot, is coming from the window which shines on the three girls whilst they stand in front on it. This highlights the fact that they're little girls but also it may suggest that something is going to happen to them as it makes the audience focus on them as they are the clearest. This makes the audience create a closer relationship with them as they're young and it makes the them feel anxious on what is going to happen so the audience would want someone or themselves to protect them from what is going to occur. A key light is conventional to a thriller as it highlights whats in danger or a certain object making the audience think what is going to happen to it, which created enigma and suspense in the audience. 

The back light light in this shot, comes from the door. This sharpens the subjects in the room and shows a black figure at the back of the room. This makes the audience curious on what the figure is and engages them making them question the girls safety building a closer relationship with them. As you cannot see the figures facial expressions, the audience feel unease because of the hidden identity which implies that the dark figure is not safe to be around with.

Finally the filler light is from the walls as it removes the sharpness of the objects in the bedroom. This eliminates the objects in the room making the audience suspicious on whats going to happen because they were used to seeing the children's toys. The contrast of the wall from when they were playing toys to the girls walking towards the window, makes the audience feel anxious in their surroundings as it is quite dark at home so they may think the same thing may happen to them. The use of this is conventional to a thriller as the filler lights highlight whats in danger or who is dangerous in the scene. So it makes the audience feel alert and suspicious on whats going to happen to the highlighted object shown. 



In conclusion, i have learnt that mise-en-scene is all of the visual aspects to help convey the story, the elements help set the mood,environment and create relationships with the characters. It also makes the audience have more understanding of the film,and more interesting so they will engage into it. Mise-en-scene clarifies every ones position in the film for example, the girls are the protagonists and the black figure is the antagonist in this film. Also the way they were positioned, as the woman in black was standing over where the girls were places before , showing that she's the antagonist and is powerful. Furthermore, the use of hidden identity will be used in my thriller as well as it was in this opening scene for the antagonist, so that it creates enigma and suspicion within the audience.With the woman in black the mise-en-scene used were quite simple, this will help me with my thriller as it inspired me to use less as it builds up more tension because the audience expect more. I will definitely refer back to my Mise-en-scene research when I'm creating my own thriller because it will help and give me ideas on what I should include in my piece to connect with the audience.

History of Thriller Films - Miss Georgiou

Thriller is a genre of literature,film and television programming that uses its main elements suspense, tension and excitement. People often get confused about thrillers and horrors but they are very different, a Thriller is more interested in suspense, putting you "on the edge of your seat" or making you nervous for the fate of the characters. However in a Horror movie it wants to make you fear for your personal safety, to make you afraid that what happened to the characters may happen to you even when you've left the theatre.

1940s

In the 1940s , films in this time were in black and white and most thrillers depended a on psychological effect by using sound and editing to give suspense and thrill. The film Gaslight was directed by George Cukor, 1994, is about a girl, Alice who is found by her niece, Paula murdered in her home. Police fail to find the killer, and Paula is sent away to school. Ten years later, Paula returns to London with her new husband and take up residence in her aunt's house, which she has inherited. However, her husband has a secret that he will do anything to protect, even if it means driving his wife insane. This psychological concept was very appreciated by audiences as the husband keeping secrets and driving his wife insane was quite intriguing to watch. The film earned $2,263,000 in the US and Canada and $2,350,00 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $941,000. It was praised for the actors as Bosley Crowther stated " And with Mr. Boyer doing the driving in his best dead-pan hypnotic style, while the games flicker strangely in 
the gas jets and the mood music bongs with heavy threats, it is no wonder that Miss Bergman goes to pieces in a most distressing way. Both of these popular performers play their role right to the hilt. Nice little personality vignettes are interestingly contributed,too, by Joseph Cotten as a stubborn detective, Dame May Whitty and Angela Lansbury as a maid". The film was successful for is use of popular actors which grabbed the audiences to come watch it.





1960s: 

the protagonist point of view 

One thriller genius who was an expert of making amazing thrillers in the 40s was Alfred Hitchcock. He was an English film-maker/director known as the " Master of suspense thrillers" and he's work has helped to shape the modern thriller genre. In the 60s it was Alfred Hitchcock's years, as he created the " mother" of all modern thriller suspense films with Psycho. This was about a Phoenix secretary who steals $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother. Although it's one of the most frightening films ever made, it has all the elements of very dark, black comedy. This film wasn't clearly understood by its critics when released. Hitchcock admitted that Henri-Georges Clouzot's influential thriller LesDiaboliques (1955, Fr.) inspired his film. In the shower scene, it broke the 180 rule; where a line drawn is in the middle to distinguish where the camera should remain to shoot what is in front of them. This is broken because when the disguised women is stabbing the victim in the show, the camera shoots this

the antagonist point of view 

shot from the position of where the protagonist is standing. However when it shows the victims emotional state and her getting stabbed the shot is taken from behind the bath to show her actually getting killed. This was used to obviously show both of the characters point of view in the scene and also their emotional state and body language to convey how they were feeling at the time of the situation. Even though the film was filmed in black and white, the use of the blood indicates that she is hurt and going to die. As we cannot see the actual colour of the blood which is red, this would be a disadvantage of those times thrillers because colour is very essential as it helps convey the atmosphere, feelings and mood of the film. However not seeing the colour red of the blood made the film slightly unrealistic so the audience wouldn't be able to relate to her as the blood would be red and not black. Within this scene, sound effects and the timing of shots were added to provoke and show the suspense and tensity which makes the film a successful thriller as editing techniques were quite simple at the time. 

1980s

In this period of time films were no longer in black and white and After Hitchcock's success with his thriller Psycho, many thrillers were influenced by the film and focused on the physiological aspect including camera angles & sound to create suspense.Fatal Attraction (1987), directed by Andrian Lyne is about a married man's one night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.This type of thriller would not be your typical thriller due to its lack of thriller conventions but the narrative does build suspense and tension within the film, this was why it was voted best psychological thriller at the time. In the scene of the bathroom brawl were the man and the antagonist who's is carrying a knife are having a fight, theres shot which is taken from under water. 

Knife 

Although time has changed , the conventional murder weapon, a knife was still used in this film. This shows that the film has kept the basics of a thriller to make it conventional and suit to its genre. This proves that the technology has improved in this era as now they used water proof cameras to capture shots like this under water. As films this time were mostly no longer in black and white, the colour would portray a more realistic scenario for then the audience can relate and bond with the characters. Psychological thrillers developed within this era and were mostly made as it allowed the audience to explore the character more in depth. 



2000s - Present 

Nowadays films and television are more advanced due to technology.The use of cinematography used to make viewers frightened. Thrillers now have sound effects, Colour and Camera movements which have all increased and improved as the years go on. The Cell (2000) starring Jennifer Lopez is about an FBI agent who persuades a social worker, who is an expert on new experimental technology, to enter the mind of comatose serial killer in order to learn where he has hidden his latest kidnap victim. On the list below, this film was ranked number 10, I believe this was because of its use of characters.
 As Jennifer Lopez is quite known already through the media with her music. The audience were probably drawn to see her in this thriller, also whilst watching the gut wrenching scenes where Jennifer's characters faced in, the audience would build a closer relationship and sympathise her. Its lifetime gross of $61,334,059 was probably successful due to its use of a known actor, Jennifer Lopez entering the minds of her patients. The plot itself is very interesting as it is through the protagonists perspective and of her entering this serial killers mind to find out where his victims are. As this is a thriller, the serial killer would obviously not be nice and kindly let her into his mind so whilst she's in there there are scenes where his twisted personality puts her into danger in the film. 

BOX OFFICE



Hannibal is based on a 1996 novel by Thomas Harris, The reason why i think that Hannibal is the most successful thriller on this list is because of its idea of the character eating his victims are disturbing. The film is about the aftermath of Hannibal attack on three people in the film " The Silence of the Lambs , Hannibal tries to get in contact from exile with disgrace FBI agent Clarice Sterling He also find himself as a target of revenge from a wealthy survivor of one of his attacks, Mason Veger, Hannibal had left him horribly disfigured after a therapy session. Also the theme of cannibalism exploited in this film would attract the audience due to the disturbing unusual nature of it. This makes the audience intrigued to watch the film as the mentality of the weird antagonist and narrative is so strange so they would want to know why he does what he does. As this film was a follow up to The Silence of the Lambs, its success of becoming number 1 on the list proves that this type of movie is very successful to make. 

However, The Cell which was placed 10th on the chart shown earned $61,334,059 and was released a year before Hannibal, was also a psychological thriller. Even though this was the similarity between the two films, I think that Hannibal's use of cannibalism in the narrative made the film more interesting for the audience to watch thats why it was placed at the top of the list. In The Cell the protagonist enters the antagonists mind to find where his victims are hidden, even though this is also un usual to do and is quite weird. Hannibal was on top because Cannibalism is basically eating your own, human eats human, so the strangeness of the narrative shocked the audience and made them fear themselves as it could happen to them. However entering someones mind is not something you can do everyday, so thats why i think Hannibal was more successful than The Cell. 

Red Dragon is the third novel and prequel to The Silence Of the Lambs and Hannibal. The American crime thriller was released in 2002 and at the opening it grossed $13,478,355 and $36,540,945 on its opening weekend. Many said online that the Red Dragon was better due to its character development however it didn't show the character Lector, who is a very known popular character for the wide audience. It landed on the 5th spot on the list and this may have been because it was sequel of the top rated film Hannibal and not many of the audience went to see it which resulted to Hannibal making better profit. 

In conclusion, exploring the history of thriller films was very helpful, as it gave me an introduction to the genre. I have learnt how thrillers have developed over time through this research and thought about how ill use it in my own thriller sequence. When doing my own thriller sequence i will refer back to this post as it will influence my choice on what to do in a thriller and how to make it appropriate for my target audience.