Thriller analysis.

Conventions of a Thriller
The genre we decided we are most likely to use for our film was thriller, and they have many conventions that other film genres may not. In terms of Sound, lots of tension music is often used, this can also be known as ambient sound, and an example would be the constant music playing in the background during the opening scene to 'The Dark Knight'. Editing is also key, and fast cuts between scenes are common, as to keep the fast paced parts of the film flowing nicely. Cinematography is also used frequently in unique ways, such as crane shots of high up action to give a clear view on the setting. For example during the opening scene to 'Casino Royale' a crane shot is used of Bond and the man he is chasing, as they fight on a construction crane, far above the ground. Finally changes in pace are common, as it tends to peak and fall, to create sequences of action and less eventful scenes. These are often important scenes, that may suddenly break out into action, and usually contain some sort of key foreshadowing or foreboding of later events in the film.

Best Thrillers of 2012

The Dark Knight Rises

Without doubt the latest film in the batman trilogy was a huge success last year. Produced by Warner Bros it was the second biggest selling film in the UK and Ireland, making a gross profit of £56.3m over the year. It also had a good opening weekend gross, making £14.4m which was 4th out of the top 20 films. Perhaps the biggest reason it did so well, especially just after it entered cinemas was the hype surrounding the batman series. It has always been very successful series with the other two films in the trilogy 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight' also being hugely successful. 

Final Pitch idea- 'The Forest'

The Forest.

The sequence begins with a shot of the forest. The only sounds that you can hear are that of birds, and the wind blowing in the trees.

       

       Next we simply see the feet of one of the two main characters, a male, rushing through the forest. We hear their heavy breathing and the sound of leaves being rustled as they run. It then cuts immediately to the side of this character running, at a reasonable distance then back to the feet as they unknowingly break a stick lying on the forest floor.

       

      Then the first flashback, of 3 characters in school talking about going camping. It will be a relatively short clip, with not too much dialogue involved. This will be followed by a return back to the forest, as the boy continues to attempt to flee whatever is chasing him.

       

      The second flashback, will be also set in the forest, however it will be an extreme long shot of the 3 characters, two girls and two boys, walking towards the camera off in the distance, approaching the camera. 

       

      Then we will learn about a possible cause of his attempt to flee the forest, as the third and final flashback will take us back to when the 3 characters were setting up camp, from the point of view of someone else, looking through the trees at their prey.

      A second male character then appears. He is also running. What from? The same thing? His face shows fear similar to the other boy. He is looking back and forth. Whatever he is looking for, he would rather not find. 

     Then disaster, he falls. His foot catches a loose tree root. He can do nothing to stop his fall, face first into the dirt. His lack of control over his body, represents the hopeless lack of control he has over the situation. He looks up, finally seeing his impending doom standing right in front of him. What he wanted to avoid he has found. He looks up slowly.

      

My first pitch idea- Outbreak.

 Outbreak.          

      After weeks of rumors that an infectious disease has  been spreading around the world, and causing  increasingly worrying symptoms among sufferers,  Kris Johnson’s life is about to change forever.

           

      Knocked unconscious after a fight with a ‘friend’, Kris   awakens to a changed world. With no signs of life  around, his town has been evacuated, and he is all  that is left. His goal now is simple. Try and find some  sort of help, in an abandoned, lifeless wasteland, with  no connections to the outside world. Or maybe not so  simple, then.

           

     A thrilling horror, with adventure thrown in for good   measure, ‘Outbreak’ is an awesome experience.

            

     We want to aim this film at an audience of 16+, due  to some graphic and violent content. Obviously Kris is  the main character, however he will have some  company along the way.

           

     The film will be set in Tamworth, more specifically   across certain areas in Tamworth, like Hopwas  woods. 

My Survey- Summary of results

General summary
The general idea of my survey was to find out about what people though of the film genres that I have been researching and what they expect to see in them, as well as to learn a little bit in general about my target audience. I only had 18 responses to my survey, however some clear patterns did appear

1. How old are you?
Out of the 14 responses that I considered, the main answer was between 15-18 years old, as 7 of the responses pointed this out. This shows that i am working with a mainly teenage audience, and this could affect the sort of film i make in terms of content and humour, as a teenager would find different things interesting or funny to say a 40+ year old.

2. Are you male or female?
The answer here shows a rough split, as i had 10 males, and 8 female responses. This shows that my target audience will be slightly more male than female, but mostly even. I therefore should consider making my film attractive to both sexes.

3. What social class would you say you are a part of?
The responses here were quite varied, however 7 people were lower middle class, and 5 working class which shows they will be the main aim in terms of social status. Again this will determine the type of humor and content my film should contain, as social standing often affect what people want to see in a film.

4. What is your ethnic background?
I left this question open, and got quite a few results that were not usable, however 6 people were either white or caucasian (same thing) so i guessed that would be my main audience in terms of ethnicity. Although race generally wouldn't have too much effect on content, white main characters will appeal more to a white audience than other races.

5. What is your education status?
7 of my responses were from someone studying at college or sixth form, which is expected considering my age responses. This will therefore back up the idea that i will be aiming at a teenage audience, and that they will be mostly well educated people. 


6. On average, how many films do you watch per week?
Unsurprisingly, most of my responses to this question either went for the third of fourth option, saying they watch quite a few films, suggesting my audience will know what to expect from a good film opening sequence. It is not surprising that only 2 people said they never watched films.


7. What is your favourite film genre?
The other category actually had the most votes here, maybe due to people being in to genres such as action or sci-fi. However some films that fit into other genres have conventions of a horror, thriller or rom-com. Horror was the most popular of my 3, with 4 votes, whereas thriller had 3, and rom-com just 2. So maybe a horror would be the most popular genre to choose.


8. What would you expect to see in a thriller?
'Action' was the most clear semantic field expressed in the answers to this question, with people dieing and fast paced action being the general consensus. This would suggest people are interested in thrillers like 'The Dark Knight' with lost of fight scenes, and loud action involved. If i choose to do a thriller, i should look to put in some of the conventions shown in that film then possibly.


9. What would you expect to see in a horror?
Answers here included 'blood', 'deaths' and 'things that make you jump'. So people like the conventions of  a horror that could also be seen in a thriller which is interesting. They are also conventions that are very prevalent in most horror films.

10. What would you expect to see in a rom-com?
As well as the obvious 'romance and comedy' responses to this question, people seemed to expect to see more emotional scenes than in the other two genres. Of the 8 valid answers i got, 5 were from females, suggesting rom-coms appeal more to females than males.   

BFI 2012 yearbook analysis

2012- Most popular films and genres.
The year 2012 was a great year for film, with many huge successes and a general rise in viewings in the U.K and Ireland. There were many great films, however it is clear that the majority of box office successes are either U.S or U.K made films. There are of course acceptions, that may include popular films from India or Europe, but the U.S and U.K are the two most prominent countries by far.

In terms of box office 'hits', it is clear a few main genres stick out, in having the majority of success over the years, not just in 2012. For example the biggest success of all time, in terms of sheer money made, the most recent in the 'James Bond' series, 'Skyfall' can be categorized as a thriller. The sixth most popular of all time- 'Mamma Mia!' is a romantic comedy, and although its biggest hits are not right at the top of the list, the 'horror' film is a classic genre, and has been prevalent for many years, one of its most famous 'big screen' hits is 'Jaws' from 1975. Last year, some of the biggest hits could be categorized into these genres, and the ones that are not, at least contain elements of them.

                      

It might surprise you then to find out that none of these genres are listed right at the top of all film genres, in terms of money made last year. But it is important to consider that many films are listed under one genre but contain conventions of another, for example a lot of action films contain conventions of a thriller.

Horror was listed as the most popular out of the three, however it is worth noting that a lot of the 142 films listed as comedies may have been romantic comedies. Thriller was the 9th most popular overall, despite having 41 releases, quite a lot in comparison to some. This could suggest a bad year for thrillers, or just that certain films may not have been categorized as a thriller despite having quite a few normal conventions of one.