Thrillers from the 1920's to 2013

1920-1930's

A man called Alfred Hitchcock made his first thriller (the third silent film in 1926) this film was called 'Lodger'. It was one of the first thrillers to be made and is about a landlady who suspects her new lodger is a madman killing women in London. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dfyhFWoNARk

His next thriller in 1929 was a film called 'Black mail' this was notable for being his and Britain's first sound film. From this point Alfred Hitchcock was known for producing thrillers.

There were also many other notable british directors who produced thriller films such as Walter Forde, Victor Saville,  George A. Cooper and the young Michael  Powell up to the years 1940.

1940's

Alfred Hitchcock went on to direct more suspense thrillers, in this year he produced two films in which one was oscar winning. These films were 'Foreign Correspondent' and 'Rebecca'. Rebecca being the oscar winning film. In 1941 he went on to release a film called 'Suspicion' and then released a film called 'saboteur' in 1942 and 'Shadow of a doubt' in 1943 which was one of Hitchcocks own personal favourite.

1950's

In the 1950's was when Hitchcock started adding technicolour to his thrillers, as the time changes you can see the development. Strangers on a train, made in 1951 is about a psychotic socialite who confronts a tennis star on how two complete strangers can get away with a murder, a theory that he plans to follow through.

1960's

By 1960's

Modern Day thrillers

Most thrillers now borrow themes and elements from those in the past, but to avoid repetition they often use ideas and aspects from other genres such as horror where they add things in such as sadistic violence/gore etc which is why some people mistake thrillers for horrors. This is when we get sub genres and hybrids.

Music used in thrillers

Thriller is a genre of literature, film, video gaming and television that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements. The best examples of thrillers are the films of Alfred Hitchcock. 

Sub-genres include crime thrillers, mystery thrillers, paranoid thrillers, psychological thrillers, and horror thrillers.

I am now analysing 4 different titles sequences' music throughout them and comparing them to one another. With this I am seeing if there is a trend in the type of audio used in Thrillers or if there is a variety. My aim is to find out as much about the sound in thrillers by analysing these following four movie title sequences: Inception, Shutter Island, Seven & Limitless; and from this hoping to gain knowledge in what is typical music of a thriller which my group and I can therefore go on to use when creating our own for our title sequence.



Inception:


loud dramatic 

symphonies 
building 

up
repetition
 loud 

dramatic 

build up 

fades out to loud 

waves
 

ambient sound of waves 


sound of children in distance


ambient 

calm tide coming in
 

eery sound developing


calm eery beat with calm tide


loud shriek/scream of a child in the middle of peace


sudden noise.



Shutter Island:
long orchestra sounds


sharp sounds


deep loud sudden sounds


loud to quiet


repetition


build up


deep horrific trumpets and symbols


small sharp blips


replica siren sound



Seven:


lightning and thunder like sounds


static sounds


repetition


computer generated sounds


robotic


sci-fi sounds-space


sudden sharp sounds


radio tuning


strange sci-fi/space fake eery music


constant beat


music layering


fast beat
non-digetic narrative or speech


quiet end



Limitless:


silence


loud bangs


sudden sound


quiet ticking clock in background building up


banging getting slightly faster


quiet speech in background begins


louder bang and narrative starts


mellow melancholy quiet noise


faster banging and mechanical drills


digital sounds


non digetic up-beat music


quiet low sounds


parallel foley sounds of police cars


parallel sound and gun shots




What have I learned from my group members work?

I have leaned that depending on which sub genre of thriller it is depends of the type of music and or sound effects played. For example, I can see that Limitless which is a mystery/psychological thriller, uses music and sound effects to build tension for the audience. This has been done by the use of bangs getting louder and quicker as this could create the effect of signifying someones heart beat and as tension and mystery builds it gets more intense. However, the sci-fi thriller Seven uses different sound effects and music. For example it uses effects such as static, robotic and electric sounds which gives the effect of reinforcing that is is a sic-fi thriller as these sounds are quite futuristic. 

Questionnaire

Please fill in the questionaire if you get the chance to. Thank you.
 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16jhLZsNIGKDPn-d8wotbGSSxFaCTFccNs8RcYlomqQU/viewform

Difference between a 15 and 18 rated film

There are age limits on films as the media believe that some content is unacceptable to be shown to certain ages. With 15 certificate films No-one under 15 is allowed to watch a film in cinemas without ID or buy/rent a 15 certificate film. Films rated 18 are for adults only. Again no-one under 18 is allowed to watch  films in the cinema or buy/rent a 18 certificate film. This is because the film is considered unsuitable as it contains explicit content.

A 18 certificate contains:

-very strong violence
-frequent strong language and very strong language
-strong portrayals of sexual activity
-strong verbal references to sex
-strong horror
-strong blood or gore
-real sex (in some circumstances)
-discriminatory language or behaviour (e.g racism or homophobic)
-drug taking.

A 15 certificate contains:

-strong violence
-frequent strong language
-portrayals of sexual activity
-strong verbal references to sex
-sexual nudity
-brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references
-discriminatory language or behaviour (e.g racism or homophobic)
-drug taking

This is a piece of work done by one of my group members.

Thriller genre

Research on the Thriller genre.

What is the Thriller Genre?

The thriller genre is the type of films that use intense excitement, suspense, high level of anticipation, anxiety and tension. Thriller and suspense films are literally the same types of films with the same features and categorizations as each other.

The aim of a thriller film is to leave the audience constantly on the edge of their seat in suspense and anxiety with cliff hanging experiences as the plot builds up to a climax. Tension usually arises when the main character is dealing with a mysterious situation from which either he could be in trouble or escaping on some dangerous mission that seems impossible or shocking. When their life itself is threatened and they are in the unknown or not expecting something when in or potentially involved a dangerous situation or atmosphere. Thrillers usually involve characters that come into conflict with each other or with outside force.

Thrillers are often sub-genres of the genre ‘thriller’ as there are so many varieties that also fit into other genres. For example:

• action-thrillers (Kill Bill - 2003)
• sci-fi-thrillers (Donnie Darko - 2001)
• psycho-thrillers (se7en - 1995)
• romantic-thrillers (Live Flesh - 1997)
• political-thrillers (Malcolm X - 1992)
• psychological-thrillers (Requiem for a Dream - 2000)

Horrors are commonly closely related to thrillers. As the horror genre are designed in the same type of way - to provide the audience with intense suspension or tension, however horrors take their audiences through agony and fear. Suspense-thrillers come in many different ways: there are murder mysteries, chase thrillers, women-in-danger films, courtroom and atmospheric, plot-twisting psychodramas. Thrillers tend to stay away from crime, gangster and detective related plots and rather focus more on the suspense and thrill of the film.

Thrillers include such characters as convicts, criminals, stalkers, assassin, innocent victims, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, terrorists, cops and more. The themes of thrillers frequently include conflict, terrorism, conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder or danger.

The reason there are so many different sub-genres of thriller is because within one thriller there may be other aspects of say a romance, horror, sci-fi or any others. This may be because of different directors intentions or their target audiences; furthermore even down to the evolution of genre or thrillers to be exact in which films are now being changed to set to the current time in which they are made or evolving to the new likes and dislikes of the mass.

Evolution:

The first thriller was made in the 1920’s with a film called ‘The Lodger’ by Alfred Hitchcock which was made in Britain. This therefore brought a new type of film to the world. HItchcock took influences from German expressionist techniques as well as murders by “Jack the Ripper”.

Thrillers then in the 1940’s changed when director George Cukor in 1944 created a psychological thriller called ‘Gaslight’ which gave insight into the different sub-genres within the thriller genre itself. This film was about a scheming husband planning on making her wife go insane to gain the inheritance. Then in 1946 Robert Siodmak directed the film ‘The Spiral Staircase’, which was also a psychological thriller about a serial killer murdering disabled-young women in the local community.

In the 1950’s Hitchcock went on to adding Technicolour to his films, which led to the classic film ‘Strangers on a Train’ in 1951, where two passengers join in a battle of wits and exchanged murders with one another.

Cape Fear was then made in 1962 by director J.Lee Thompson which is a psychological thriller about an ex con seeking revenge on his attorney who holds responsible for his convictions. However this film had aspects of crime too which made it a crime-thriller and therefore emphasised the use in sub-genres within the thriller genre.

The 1970’s of film were very different as Hitchcock hadn’t released anything for 2 decades. where he released the violent film ‘Frenzy’ which came about when films were now containing R rated scenes with viscous and explicit footage which Hitchcock therefore used in ‘Frenzy’.

In the 1980’s  Stanley Kubrick directed the film The Shining made in 1980 which was a psychological thriller as well as a horror, mystery and drama. This therefore emphasises the mix of genres and how thrillers evolved over time due to the change of other genres and audiences enjoying psychological films. The Shining is about a family going to an isolated hotel where the father gets influenced by a spiritual presence, while his psychic son sees horrific and violent memories of the past and future. This film can be debatebly a horror or a thriller.

The main theme throughout the thriller genre in the 1990’s was the psychological kind, of mental themes and character’s escape. For example Rob Reiner’s ‘Misery’ based on the book by Stephen King in which the character Annie whom is a unbalanced fan, terrorizes an immobile author, where in one scene she actually breaks his ankles. This shows just how much the thriller genre had evolved by then as before it would be too horrific for a thriller to even show such scenes let alone any movie.

In modern day thrillers compared to earlier thrillers tend to divert from the traditions of a classic thriller towards the more horrific and gorey themes. This is because the mass audience have become so desensitized to the classic thriller scenes that they find it boring and therefore need something else to keep them intrigued and ‘on the edge of their seats’ with anticipation like thrillers should do. This is why thrillers and any other genres evolve as they need new aspects and ways of keeping their audience’s happy. Therefore this is why the thriller genre has evolved the way it has and how I have said turning from the classic thriller through psychological to a more horrific theme where it seems to be argued to cross over in cases.

What I have learnt from this research. (Done by a member of my group)

I have learnt from this research, done by a member of my group, what the thriller genre is and what the codes and conventions of a thriller film are, to make it what it is. I have also learnt that thriller can be combined to make a hybrid thriller such as, an action-thriller, and also to make sub-genres.

I have learnt from the evolution of the thriller genre, that is was founded by a man called, Alfred Hitchcock. As he was the first ever person to make a thriller film (‘The Lodger’). 

And after this event thriller became hybrids and sub-genres which revolutionized the genre we have in today's society. 

Typography

Inception: The typography used is set in a bold, san-serif font, and is red. This makes the title stand out from the background images. The text has a large font size adding to the clearness and boldness of the title. The colour red is associated with anger, blood and danger which connotes that this thriller film involves action. The colour red can also connote love and desire in this thriller. 

Shutter Island: The typography used is set in a bold, san-serif font, and is red. The style of the fonts looks like the text has been blurred. This connotes that the film involves hidden identities or actions that should not be scene.  The large font size and the colour of the text makes the title stand out from the background images. The text has a large font size adding to the clearness and boldness of the title. The colour red is associated with anger, blood and danger which connotes that this thriller film involves action and murder.

Black Swan: The typography used is a serif style of font. This symbolises the elegant aspect of this film, as serif font styles are commonly associated with females. This connotes that the target audience for this film is woman. The font size is large to make it clear and bold to read. The black text colour links to the title of the thriller and connotes a dark or evil sense to the film.

Casino Royale: The typography used is a san-serif font with a blurred ultra blue effect. This connotes a hidden identity or criminal offences, that should not be seen, involved in this thriller film. The blurred effect connotes speed and pace to the film, suggesting this film involves action.

Taken: The typography used is a san-serif font to connotes masculinity. This suggest this film involves action and violence. The white text colour with the large font size and all the letters in capitals, makes the tile bold and stands out from the background. 

Se7en: The typography used is a san-serif style of font which makes the title bold. The white text with the large font size an the text in capital letters, adds to the clearness and boldness of the text from the background images. The font also has a blurred effect. This may connote crime and hidden identity as blurred images are commonly associated with things that should not be shown.
The number '7' replacing the 'v' in the typography links to the title of the film and makes the title unique and creative. 

Identity: The typography used is a serif style of font with a black to red colour fade/gradient. The colours red and black connote: anger, blood, danger and darkness within this thriller film. The colours also link to the images shown above. The large font size make the title clear to read and bold and outstanding from the white background.

This piece of work was done by one of my group members.
I have learnt from this that typography can differ depending on which sub-genre of thriller it is, what year it is from and what is going to happen during the film. I can see the most popular type of font used is sanserif which may be because it can have a range of different meanings to it as apposed to serif font, which is typically used in romantic comedies as is can have a feminine feel to it. 

Key Terms

Camera Shots

Ariel shot: This is when the camera is above the characters and scene and is looking down on them. It is similar to a birds eye view.

Tilt shot: This is when the camera is stationary but moves up and down. It gives the effect of allowing the audience to see the full scale of something or someones size.

Pan shot: Is when the camera moves across the screen side to side. This allows the audience to see a wider shot of the scene.

Tracking shot: This is when the camera moves with the character or things within the shot. It creates the effect of showing speed and energy. It is used mainly in car chasing scenes or fighting scenes so the audience feel more involved.

Close up shot: This is when the camera is right up to someone or something and it makes the audience focus on what is in the shot. Usually see closeups of faces' as to show characters emotions.

Long shot: This is when the whole of a character can be seen to either reinforce their body language or to show isolation within a large area.


Sound And Music

Parallel sound: This is sound which links in with what is happening in the scene. For example, a siren when seeing a police car.

Non digetic sound: This is sound or music used that only us as the audience can hear. For example, classical music used in a romantic film.

Analysis of thrillers

Psycho:

The first thing we see is the company the film is representing which in this case is "Paramount Release"  which can interest the audience as it was not seen to present a thriller. In the background we can hear upbeat music which creates tension for the audience. Hitchcock is the first name to appear on the screen which suggests he is the most important. The name of the film then moves across the screen which creates tension


Seven-1995

"New line cinema" is the first thing we see as it is the company the film is representing which is typically how all films open with. We then see someone opening a book which is unusual in a thriller as a lot of fantasy or childrens films have the opening of a book. However, the book used is unlike a fairy tail book as it is empty as in has no words or pictures. This could give the effect of making it look suspicious to the audience and therefore reinforcing the fact they are about to watch a thriller. The music playing in the background is very tense and eerie. On top of the music we can hear digetic sound of the pages of the book being turned which suggests it is significant to the story. The music contrasts the book as it is intense yet the book seems quite boring as there is nothing in it yet at the same time quite the book and the musics contrast could be quite intriguing. The typography used for the names of actors and crew is filmic and looks like un-neat handwriting which gives it a creepy feel. We then see a drawing of a pair of deformed hands which again could make the audience suspicious of why they have been drawn, and who ever drew the hands are clearly artistic and detailed. A shadow then moves across the scene and we hear a door creaking as the light moves over the drawing it brings the focus onto it. Jump shot is used as we see different images of unusual tools which suggests the character is planning to make something. 'Brad Pitt' name is parted and flashes to bring focus and attention on the actors name for audience recognition and interest. There is then a split second scene where we can see writing on a wall which says "D-35" which might give the audience clues if it is relevant later on in the film. The last thing we see is someone scraping their skin off their fingers which makes the audience uncomfortable and wonder why someone would want to do that and what must of happened to make them do it.


Limitless - 2011 - mystery/sci-fi/thriller

The music played throughout the opening is quite upbeat and new which reinforces the fact it is a modern type of thriller. We see images of planets and stars when showing which company is representing the film which in this case is "Relativity Media", this denotes the film is going to be a science fiction thriller. There is then a close up shot of a crystal ball which gives the idea of looking into the future - again a sic-fi feel. the first name to come up is Bradley Cooper, this is shown in the bottom right corner where actors names are typically shown in openings of films. the typography used is white, bold, capitals which stand out from the background and makes the audience focus on the name. Unlike most of the thrillers I have previously looked at, the main colour used is blue which gives a mysterious feel to it. It also suggests the film is not going to be dark or scary. We then see the crystal ball moves across the screen at the same time revealing an actresses name. This could connote mystery and hidden meanings within the film. Jump shots between names of crew and actors creates tension and excitement. Producers and crew names are only shown for a few moments which is less than actors as to show importance for the audience. The name Neil Burger is shown at the beginning and the end of everyone elses names to show how important he was i the production of the film. The music fades out and the screen goes black to confuse the audience as this would normally happen at the end of a film. We then hear bangs in the background which reinforces the mystery and tension. The screen then lights up and and we see a metal door shaking. This intrigues the audience as they now want to know who of what is behind it which makes it thrilling.

Codes and conventions of a thriller

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Codes and conventions used in a thriller

Mirrors:

Mirrors are used in a thriller through the use of reflection of someone’s soul and inner self.

They could also represent darkness within a character

Shadows:

Shadows, like mirrors could also represent a characters inner darkness being exposed

Obstructive editing:

Quick shots and obstructive editing are often used in a thriller to increase the state of suspense and tension

Used in “thrilling” scenes sometimes creating disorientation of time and space by using montage editing

Flash backs:

Contribute to the idea of disorientation as this confuses the audience

Also gives the audience an insight of the characters past

For example, Momento by Christopher Nolan

Black and white:

Accentuates the use of shadows and can often appear quite eerie and dark.

For example, Psycho.