Thriller is a genre that has a very broad range, it can be included in books, films and TV shows. It incorporates suspense, tension and anxiety along with other feelings to draw the audience in and shock them with the outcome, as well as the audience who try to work out what is going on in the media piece.
There are many conventions of a thriller, including, a crime at the core of a narrative, sometimes it is a murder, this is most common but not always the case. A complex narrative structure, with misleading concepts that get the audience guess and unlikely answers. A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the audience expect to be resolved during the events of the film. A protagonist who is somehow dis-empowered by the antagonist and ends up playing by there rules to save someone or uncover a mystery. Ordinary situations with extraordinary events taking place, themes of identity and voyeurism. A protagonist with a flaw that is used to the antagonist's advantage.
Who is being represented in the opening scene? How are they represented? Is this positive or megative?
Jaws
In the opening scene of Jaws, only teenagers are being represented. They are represnted in a negative way as we see them as out late doing things they shouldnt be doing on the beach such as smoking and drinking which they are also probably not even old enough to do. We also see the teenagers as a happy, sociable group which could be seen as a positive representation.
Although these teenagers are out with their friends doing things that they shouldn't, it doesnt necesserily mean they are a bad group of teenagers, lots of teenagers in society do this to have fun with their friends.
Vertigo
In Vertigo it is only a women that is being represented. When we see her she comes across as scared and confused, as if she is looking for someone. The shots then focus of different areas of her face such as her eyes giving us different emotions from the way she looks. The women is represented in a negative way as is shows that she is scared, and this gives the representaton that women cannot look after them selves and would need help in a situation like this. This would usualy be the other way round for men, if it were a man in the scene, most likely he would be putting on a brave face in the danger, but it is women who are being represented in this opening to Vertigo.
Panic Room
In the opening to panic room there are no people seen, it shows the city of new York from a sky angle, weaving in and out of buildings. Although no people are being represented specifically, New York as a whol is represented, as it shows a vast area of the city, and sounds in the background, such as police sirens can be heard to show that the city may not be the best of places for crime, and shows this is everyday life for New York, representing it in a negative way.
Se7en
The opening scene of seven doesnt show a full person, merely their hands. We can tell that this person is a criminal and a possible murderer, due to the things he or she is doing. They have images of dead people, and they are removing the skin from there finger tips to remove there fingerprints, a common way for criminals to avoid detection. This puts the person in a negative light, and the audience will link this person later in the film as the criminal.
Se7en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY
Panic room
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqIclb4qsJI
Audeince expectation of a thriller
Audiences will already has a certain degree of expectation of a thriller film. Different thriller films have different audience expectations as the all include the protagonist and the antogonist and a mystery plot, but how that is relayed to the audience can be done in many ways. The word thriller makes an audeince expect that the film will contain a deep storyline that will build tension throughout and keeps the audience in suspense.
Jaws
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8SnZmUjhAA
Location
This is a part of the scene called "jaws bridge"
The location is set in the fictitious Amity Island is holiday retreat Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts.
Genre
I am chosing this film to look at and analyse because this is also a thriller genre, the sub-genres to the film would be action and horror. This is because it includes alot of death and blood making it a very villiant film.
Camera shot/angle/movement
The shot begins with a point of view going through the sea as if it was an animal (shark) this already starts to give us an inside of what the film is going to be about and based around within the first few minutes. Once the shot comes out from the sea it continues on to a tracking movement along side the group of teenagers, this allows us to see how many people there are in this scene and also what the teenagers were doing. The tracking movement continues through the teenagers on the beach till it gets to the end and stops at a medium shot of two characters a girl and boy showing that they are a main focus from the rest and something could possible happen at this time. As the scene progresses we get differented angles shots such as high angled to get a whole outlook of the set location, what is happerning, what they are doing and also who is there. Gradually we get to the shot were the girl is being attacked by the shark around 3:57, as we get to this time we get another point of view shot of the shark looking at the girl ready to attack her. Then once the girl has began to be attacked the camera shots begin to become more close-ups as we can see better facial expressions and get better emotions and see the girls pain and tears.
This shot shows a close up, high angle shot of chrissie in the water seconds before she is attacked by a unseen monster.
Mise-en-scene
Costume: The teenagers sitting on the beach are all wearing dark clothing that is quiet thick such as coats and jackets.
Lighting: The lighting in the scene is very dark but focuses around the main characters. They use the idea of natural light as it is night time so kept it very dark with only the light coming from the fire. Another example of the use of natural light is when Chrissie is being killed in the sea and the moon is reflecting onto her causing a natural light.
Location
This is a part of the scene called "jaws bridge"
Genre
I am chosing this film to look at and analyse because this is also a thriller genre, the sub-genres to the film would be action and horror. This is because it includes alot of death and blood making it a very villiant film.
Camera shot/angle/movement
The shot begins with a point of view going through the sea as if it was an animal (shark) this already starts to give us an inside of what the film is going to be about and based around within the first few minutes. Once the shot comes out from the sea it continues on to a tracking movement along side the group of teenagers, this allows us to see how many people there are in this scene and also what the teenagers were doing. The tracking movement continues through the teenagers on the beach till it gets to the end and stops at a medium shot of two characters a girl and boy showing that they are a main focus from the rest and something could possible happen at this time. As the scene progresses we get differented angles shots such as high angled to get a whole outlook of the set location, what is happerning, what they are doing and also who is there. Gradually we get to the shot were the girl is being attacked by the shark around 3:57, as we get to this time we get another point of view shot of the shark looking at the girl ready to attack her. Then once the girl has began to be attacked the camera shots begin to become more close-ups as we can see better facial expressions and get better emotions and see the girls pain and tears.
This shot shows a close up, high angle shot of chrissie in the water seconds before she is attacked by a unseen monster.
Mise-en-scene
Costume: The teenagers sitting on the beach are all wearing dark clothing that is quiet thick such as coats and jackets.
Lighting: The lighting in the scene is very dark but focuses around the main characters. They use the idea of natural light as it is night time so kept it very dark with only the light coming from the fire. Another example of the use of natural light is when Chrissie is being killed in the sea and the moon is reflecting onto her causing a natural light.
