Thriller Timeline

March 1922: NOSFERATU

It was an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula made by Bram Stoker, made by the F.W Murnau. The names of characters in the film had to be changed as they couldn't be the same as the ones made in Dracula. However it is seen as more of a horror than thriller because of the codes and conventions fit more within the horror genre, however thriller would be its sub-genre.

April 1923: Safety Last

It was the first ever real thriller film made that followed all the codes and conventions, so that it didn't fall into the sub-genre of thriller. It was directed and produced by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor. It is considered to be part of the experimental part of Christian Metz's Genre theory. His theory was that  there are reoccuring expectations throughout the four development stages that can therefore be applied to genre; Classical, Experimental, Deconstruction and Parody. As it was the first Thriller film made every other Thriller film made afterwards had to have elements of the film otherwise it would not be considered in the Thriller genre.

February 1927: The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog

It was directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. It is a film based on the most famous serial killer, Jack the Ripper. It also fits into Christian Metz experimental stage of the theory of genre. It was the first Thriller to based on a real life event.

September 1960: Psycho

It was also directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, it was a horror/thriller based on the 1959 novel 'psycho' by Robert Bloch which was inspired by the crimes made by others at the time. It falls into the classical stage as the time period in which it was created as well as that it is based on a novel.

April 1962: Cape fear

It was directed and produced by J. Lee Thompson and is classified as a psychological thriller. It is an adaptation made by James R. Webb from the novel 'The Executioners' by John D. Macdonald. It is looked on as a classical thriller because of the time period it was produced, as well as that it is based on a novel.

March 1973: Sisters
This film also fits within the classical stage of Metz's theory stage, even though it was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock; it follows the codes and conventions of mystery and suspense in which that others also follow,


November 1997: Alien: Resurrection
This film comes under the deconstruction part of Metz's theory stage as previous thriller codes and conventions were being made, however they mix within the codes and conventions of two other sub-genres; which are Sci-Fi and Action. This was to reinvent the genre making it something new so that the audience would not get bored of the genre.

October 2010: Vampires Suck
This film comes under the parody part to Metz's theory stage, as it mocks previous thrillers such as Twilight 'Hybrid'. It does this by following the codes and conventions of a thriller however includes high comedy throughout the film.

Thrillers and the Sub-Genres of Thrillers

Thrillers: This is a genre that is based around anticipation and suspense. The aim for this genre is to keep the audience alert constantly. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, mission or mystery. No matter what sub-genre a Thriller film falls into, it will always emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a sudden plot twist new-equilibrium (ending).

Action Thriller: This Sub-Genre uses physical action to create suspense throughout, it will also oftenly have continuous motion/action; which includes physical stunts, chases, fights, battles, and races. Normally, these scenes will contribute to the overall sense of danger that the protagonist will face. Examples: Die Hard, Kill Bill Vol. 1, The Bourne Identity.

Crime Thriller: This is a sub-genre that incorporates the suspenseful aspects of a thriller with a crime film plot: the plot usually focuses on a serial killer, murderer, robbery, or manhunt. Which opposes to traditional crime films, where the story line focuses both around the antagonist and the protagonist. Crime Thrillers use both action along with psychological aspects to build tension and suspense within the story line. Examples: The Usual Suspects, The Fugitive, Jagged Edge.

Film-Noir: It is not simply a sub-genre, however it is rather a term for a distinct type of crime-drama or thriller that was popular throughout the 1940s and 1950s. This Sub-Genre is characterised by a black-and-white style with stark lighting effects. The main character is usually a cynical hero. It relies on a narrative voice along with various flashbacks which are there to explain the plot. Examples: Sunset Boulevard, The Maltese Falcon, Sweet Smell of Success.

Psychological Thriller: In addition to a regular Thriller or a Psychological Thriller it incorporates elements of drama and mystery film. The suspense in this sub-genre comes subconsciously, rather than from a psychical threat. The protagonists in Psychological Thrillers must rely on their mental resources to solve the situation and normally gives the story line a twist that the audience would not expect to happen. Examples: Memento, Rear Window, Taxi Driver, Shutter Island, Inception.

Science Fiction Thriller: This incorporates hypothetical, science-based themes into the plot of the film; a Science Fiction film will incorporate heroes, villains, unexplored locations, fantastical quests, and advanced technology. These elements can be used to create anticipation and suspense throughout the media. It will usually explore the “future-gone-bad” theme, including plots that revolve around alien invasions, dystopian scenarios and super-diseases. Examples: Aliens, Inception, District 9.

Religious Thriller: This incorporates religious themes; which includes religious questions, ceremonies, and objects. Although some films can sometimes base themselves around a specific church. Many of these include supernatural experiences not focusing a certain religion. Exorcisms, demon possession, and church cover-ups are typical themes of Religious Thrillers. Examples: The Devil’s Advocate, The Ninth Gate, The Da Vinci Code.

Response

In response to Mr Ford's comment on my post of representation. Since the start of the course my opinion and perspective of media has changed. I have been taught how there are multiple different ways of manipulating a target audience into what you what them to think, such as when an advert is made there are certain conventions added within the advert to persuade you into either buying or watching what has been produced. As well as the use of camera angles and digetic/non-digetic sound can change your reaction to a situation on screen, such as the use of non-digetic laughing used within comedies makes you subconsciously want to laugh to the situation on screen whether or not it is actually funny. Another way it is used is to build suspense, therefore if you were to watch a horror without the sound you would not be as scared as you would if the sound was on as the sound that is used is there to make the audience feel uncomfortable and scared. Then the camera angle is used to make you think of the character in a certain way, the way in which the producer wants you too see them. Such as the male gaze, the camera angles used within this theory make the audience see women in a very sexual light. As well as a close up or a very close up is used to show intimate moments within a scene or relationship.

The Concept Of Genre

From this lesson i learnt how conventions can either help or restrict film production and as a result they are shown to be more helpful than restricting, however they do partly restrict the film makers during production. The ways in which they help producers is that the codes and conventions of the genre they want to produce help them build a foundation to their film, such as what they need to include. I.e. setting, props, characters, plots. However this can be restricting to the producer as if they do not include the foundation to their media or build too far off of the foundation the audience can loose their expectations and be disappointed with the production. Genre evolution has helped producers as most films in modern day can be fixed into multiple genre, so therefore producers can include multiple different foundations within the production. The use of another story line helps a production also as the audience expects to have the same equilibrium, dis-equilibrium and new equilibrium or otherwise they are disappointed, so the producer can use someone else's story but then they just add to it so that the audience do not get bored seeing the exact same film as another. The one problem with repetition or genre evolution is that it is hard to produce a story line that has not been produced before, so therefore it is hard to make an original.

Mise En Scene

From this lesson i learnt that there are six elements within Mise En Scene that need to be followed to produce a good production within media. Without these six elements you will not follow the audience's expectations and guidelines which leads to disappointment and failure within produce and making.

The first element is which props and settings need to be used so that the audience get a clear idea of what is happening within the scene. I.e. If you wanted to produce a western you would need to shoot it in a dead town, which is deserted and the type of props which could be used could be a tumbleweed too show that in a matter of a fact it is morally deserted.

The second element is costume, hair and make up. I.e. if you wanted to produce the image of a cowboy you would need the stereotypical objects to produce the cowboy. Such as the hat, boots, belt, gun, etc.

The third element is facial expressions and body language, this is used to show the audience the relationship between characters and also their emotions. I.e. if two characters were too be sitting on the same sofa but facing each other and had quite stiff body language then it would be obvious to the audience that there is conflict between the two.

The fourth element is lighting so if there was dark lighting used on a character, such as low lighting then it would create a sinister effect to the audience.

The fifth element is colour this is used to highlight important objects/subjects within a frame.

The sixth element is the positioning of characters and objects within a frame, this is to show the audience the important subjects/objects within a frame. I.e if there was someone in the background whilst there is a conversation going on the producer will make the audience focus on him by putting him a certain way into the frame.

Gender and Stereotypes

What i can reflect from this is the real difference between the meaning of sex and gender, as well as what a stereotype actually is and how they are made. The initial difference between sex and gender is that your sex is what you are biologically given, so whether you are literally male or female. However your gender is more based on society and how you portray yourself to others, for example you could be female but portray yourself as a boy. So you speak, act and dress like a boy would therefore making you a 'tomboy' which is the name that has stereo typically been given to people who portray themselves in this way to society.

A stereotype is a generalized idea or statement based on a subject made by an individual or society. For example in society, women are seen as weak minded and should be domestic and men are seen as both physically and mentally strong.

Terror In The Night

This is the practice animation of a horror story, which my coursework group and I composed.  What i learnt throughout the process of production is that the shots/length of shot, transitions and background music can change the intensity of the narrative completely. As before the animation was made i only saw the story as the pieces of paper on the wall, however now that it has been constructed i can put the story together better which i can build my imagination on. Also the use of non-digetic music helps build the suspense of the animation otherwise it would be ineffective on the audience as well as the animation would ineffective as a whole as it would only get bad views and comments, therefore would not have reached the target if having the audience that i would have set it out too.

The Male Gaze

The Male Gaze is a theory made by Laura Mulvey, the concept of the gaze is how the audience reacts to what is presented on the screen. Her theory is that she believes in that the audience have to view certain characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male, in which he clearly shows interests in the women that is being portrayed. For this to be shown the camera angle manipulates the audience by focusing on the attractive and main features of a womens body.

She portrays this to the audience in three different ways:

• How men look at the women
• How women look and portray themselves
• How women look and treat other women

What happens when you change the order of a narrative?

The effect in changing the equilibrium is that it disrupts the order of the original story. Therefore if any of the equilibrium, dis-equilibrium or new equilibrium has been changed the story will no longer be the same story. The same as when two people tell a story of the same event they will either change/alter part of the story by telling the event in a different order or add/remove detail within the order of the story, therefore making two different stories of the same event.
To make the same story but with a different narrative you would need to include the same events/characters as well as the same beginning, middle and end otherwise once the story has become disordered, it can no longer be called the same story.
The equilibrium, dis-equilibrium and new equilibrium, characters and plots are the only technical part of a narrative that needed to be focused on to produce a good story line that people will actually want to view.
In the animation i produced in a couple of posts above i decided to change the beginning with another shot to see that if i changed around the shots would it therefore make a new story? Which in a matter of a fact that if the equilibrium is changed the narrative is also changed because the structure is no longer the same.

Representation

Representation: The way in which people, groups, cultures and ideas are shown by the media.

Mediation: The process in which media institutions select and organize material specifically for their audience.

    What you see physically    = Signified
                                                        +        = SIGN 
What you name the signified = Signifier 

If an object/subject does not have a name it therefore cannot be recognised which means it has no meaning.

Combinations of signs make a code, for example. A bunch of people who were heavy make up and black clothes would be seen as 'Goths'.

Denotation: The Internal meaning of a Sign.

Connotation: The Interpreted meaning of a sign/s.

Polysemy refers to the capacity of all signs to which many would be 'many signed'.



ICONIC: The object/subject you see visually.

SYMBOLIC: Something that makes you realise what the object/ subject is or in other word what you associate with it.

INDEXICAL: Not visually present but can be implied to the object/subject.

               

Binary Opposition

Claude Levi-Strauss and Roland Barthes were two French theorists who worked on the idea that reality must some what still be 'out there' somewhere, from this they proposed that the meaning that we give to objects/subjects must be culturally created. Which in fact means that we accept the meaning we have given things. They then went further to realize that we would never understand what something was completely if we did not have the binary opposite to it. Barthes then went onto say that we subconsciously apply a similar binary opposite when we interpret the meaning of something. Later on, Jacques Derrida a French philosopher took their idea further and claimed that 'binary pairs' are not equal and that in fact a culture normally tends to favour one side of the pair and take it in an optimistic way and that the other opposite is not as focused on and that it is seen in pessimistic way. Also another thing with binary opposites we subconsciously put the one we prefer first without knowing.

Camera Shots and Effects

Aerial Shot: Camera moves at a high angle focusing on a moving object.

Tracking Shot: Follows the movements of a moving object, it helps to involve the audience and make them feel within the scene.

Tilt Shot:Camera is stationary but either moves upwards or downwards.

Pan Shot: Camera is stationary but either moves to the left or right.

Extreme Close Up: It shows minor/intimate detail which can give a sense of mystery.

Extreme Long Shot: The setting fills the whole frame.

Long Shot: The subject dominates their surrounding.

Medium Long Shot: The subject and setting are in equal proportion to one another.

Medium Shot: The subject is cut off at the waist. This gives the effect of being able to focus on their costume and emotions.

Over The Shoulder Shot: It is filmed over a subjects shoulder, the effect of the shot is to make the audience fill within the scene.

High Angle: Makes the subject appear to be vulnerable/weak. Camera will be stationary.

Low Angle: Makes the subject appear powerful/important

Cut Away Shot: Is where you focus on something else when action is going on in another shot. It also gives the audience a clue that there is a link between the two shots.

Cut In Shot: Same as a Cut Away but focuses on something else in detail.

Action Match: Cut in film between two objects/settings/subjects where the two shots match.

Eye Line Match: Is where the camera shows what the character on the screen is seeing.

Foley Sound: The sound of everyday sounds reproduced to a film to enhance audio quality.