Opening sequence of Halloween conventions- Miss Georgiou

The opening scene shows the audience what genre of the film it is and to give the audience an idea of what is to follow in the film. The opening sequence has to be interesting to keep the audience engaged with the film. Many conventions are used in an opening sequence to create suspense and tension for the audience.

In the opening sequence for the film Halloween there are many conventions of a thriller film are used. A main convention of a thriller film is hidden identity this is where you can not see the killer creating suspense, this is used in the opening sequence when the killer had his identity covered with a mask. Not knowing who the killer is creates a lot of suspense and mystery which keeps the audience entertained and interested in carrying on watching the film. The enigma started when the killer was watching the girl through the window of the house, the shadows from the dark setting do not allow the audience to see the killers identity. Once the killer is approaching the girls room he picks up mask from the floor and puts it on, it seemed as if the killer was being taken over by the mask and it gave him a motive to kill his own sister.

Another convention of a thriller film which is used is a blonde female victim this used in the opening sequence of Halloween- blonde female victims are one of the most stereotypical victims as they are portrayed as weak and dumb so the audience relates to them as the audience can tell this is the character something is most likely to happen to first, this can be proved as this is what directly happens in the opening scene. The audience creates a bond with the character as they can see that the characters life expectancy has been lowered dramatically. This convention is typical of the thriller genre as blondes are always left on there own in vulnerable settings because they are an inferior victim.

There's editing used in the opening sequence, a jump cut is used of the knife where it suddenly focuses on the knife. This reveals to the audience that someone will be attacked by that weapon which builds suspense and excitement for the audience. By focusing on the knife it builds tension successfully as the audience may start to feel on edge or scared. It conventional to thrillers as there is always weapons used in thrillers to kill the victims which panics the audience. There is also timing of shots used where before the kill,the pace of the shots are quite slow including the music. This builds up to the kill, building tension for the audience and leaving them on the edge of there seats. After the kill the shots are faster showing that the killers panicking and might be regretting what hes just done. The shots are ultimately faster so the film is more engaging for the audience and makes it more interesting to watch, Its conventional to thrillers as it adds an element of excitement and engages the audience successfully.

History of thriller films Miss Georgiou

The thriller genre started in the early 1920-1930's, however it only grew popular in the 1940's. Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest British filmmaker many of his films were thrillers, He had many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres, one was Rebecca which won best picture and best cinematography.

Through out the years thrillers have changed dramatically. 1930's and 1940's thriller films are based on more crime thrillers, they didn't have any monster killers and was based on true life situations. Thrillers back in the 1930's and 40's were more realistic then thrillers we have today. The thriller conventions we have today are low key lighting, pain, blood, and elements of suspense. Thrillers back in the 1930's and 40's were also mainly based around a romance where the men character's run off with a woman to protect themselves or to keep them from trouble. Having a mystery element was common in thrillers back then also. In the 1960's and 1970's thrillers started moving on from a mystery theme to a fast paced horror theme. There was more killing in thrillers from the 60's and 7o's with the murderer having a hidden identity. The characters in the film showed more pain and created an element of suspense for the audience. Thriller films we have today are all fast paced and are more edited to build tension for the audience. Some are gory and the killers are monsters for example the film mama the killer is a monster.

In the 70's and 80's thrillers started to become a lot more vivid, killing scenes were more violent and explicit. A lot of plot elements included the strange killing off the victim in early stages of the film a lot like psycho, another element that a lot of thrillers included was obsession. Many plots were based around killers being obsessed with their victims.

Recent thrillers have a lot of influence from the horror genre and tend to use more gore, also recently there has been a lot of thriller films based on paranormal activity like ghosts and demons for example paranormal activity 1 and the devil inside are film where you can't see the villain at all this makes it more scary for the audience as you can not see the killer (hidden identity).

Over the years the thriller genre has developed due to the advance in technology, audience and narrative.

70's thriller films:

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• The thrillers in the 70's were violent and we based or real-life fears. Films such as Jaws which was made in 1975 was based on real life shark attacks.  The film is based on a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it. This made the audience in that particular time anxious because there fears were of real life situations.

80's thriller films:

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• The thrillers in the 80s developed towards the supernatural thriller genre.Film such as Beyond Evil is about someone who moves into an island mansion that has been vacant for 100 years. The last person that lived there was a black magic practitioner. She has made a pact with the devil after being murdered by her husband to come back and get revenge. She does this by possessing the person living in the house.

90's thriller films:

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Thrillers in the 90's continued to change developing to the psychological thriller. The thriller The silence of the lambs is an example of this. in the film a young FBI agent Clarice Starling is assigned to help find a missing woman to save her from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight into the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lecter, who used to be a respected psychiatrist.

Over time the conventions to the thriller genre has change. There has been a increase of blood and gore and over time they have used twists to shock the audience. Thrillers have changed through the years as the early thrillers was not allowed to show any proper violence for example showing someone getting stabbed was not allowed to be included into films also erotic scenes like sex scenes could not be shown this is very different to recent years where as extreme amount of sex scenes and violence can be shown in thrillers.

Top Box office thrillers:

Rank	Title (click to view)	Studio	Lifetime Gross /Theaters		Opening /Theaters		Date
1	Hannibal	MGM	$165,092,268	3,292	$58,003,121	3,230	2/9/01
2	The Silence of the Lambs	Orion	$130,742,922	1,642	$13,766,814	1,497	2/14/91
3	Basic Instinct	TriS	$117,727,224	1,884	$15,129,385	1,567	3/20/92
4	Seven	NL	$100,125,643	2,528	$13,949,807	2,441	9/22/95
5	Red Dragon	Uni.	$93,149,898	3,363	$36,540,945	3,357	10/4/02
6	Saw II	Lions	$87,039,965	2,949	$31,725,652	2,949	10/28/05
7	Saw III	LGF	$80,238,724	3,167	$33,610,391	3,167	10/27/06
8	The Bone Collector	Uni.	$66,518,655	2,623	$16,712,020	2,587	11/5/99
9	Saw IV	LGF	$63,300,095	3,183	$31,756,764	3,183	10/26/07
10	The Cell	NL	$61,334,059	2,476	$17,515,050	2,411	8/18/00

Research into editing- Miss Georgiou

Editing is used in thriller films to show the different lengths of shots, for example some shots last for a few seconds and some last for a few minutes.

The first editing shot that is used in the Strangers video is the reactions shot. The evidence for this is when the women character is looking out of the window after she heard the women at the door walk away (she heard her foot steps). This shows that the main character is scared and she wants the to know if the girl that has knocked at the door twice has gone from her house. It relates to thriller films because it shows that the woman is scared and she is very jumpy, it is conventional because it shows that the women character is going to be attacked and this is common within a thriller film because the victims are usually females because females are the seen to be the weaker gender so the audience feel sympathy for the female character and can relate to her more. It also makes the audience feel on edge because they know something is going to happen to the girl, its make the audience feel sorry for her.

The second editing shot used in the Strangers film was the linking shot, this was when the she goings into her bed after looking out of the window in the living to look out of the window in her room, she is checking weather the girl has gone for a second time. It shows that the woman is still very shaky and still very scared and she wants to make sure that the women is gone. It relates because it shows that the women character is on her own and very vulnerable. It is conventional because it shows how weak and scared the women character is and this is typically found in a thriller film. This is because the women characters are most commonly the weak, vulnerable ones. Also the audience will feel the suspense from the film and they they feel the emotion that the girl is going through which is conventional to a thriller because it pulls the audience in and makes them think more about the film.

The third editing technique that was used was slow editing, the evidence for this was the girl was walking to the door after someone has knocked on it. This shows that she is hesitant to open the door, it also shows that the girl is weak. This represents to the audience that the character is scared which is meant to be seen in a common convention of a thriller. Also it shows that the girl is worried about they person knocking on the door coming back to her house, she is on her own and scared that the person who knocked on the door would come back, this is conventional to a thriller film because it makes the audience understand what the girl is going through in her situation. Because the situation is a dangerous, scary one, this makes it even more conventional because the weak female victim is in danger and is alone when she is more scared, which builds tension in the thriller.

The final editing technique that was used was a jump shot, this shot was used when the alarm drops on the floor and the camera focuses on this then the camera moves quickly to the door because there are noises at the door.  It shows that the mystery women is still trying to enter the house and the main character is still very scared and weary of the women knocking at the door. This is conventional because it makes the audience have suspense and it makes them want to know who the mystery women is knocking on the door so this is conventional to a thriller film because the mystery makes the film more interesting. Also it makes the audience think about what is going to happen next and it makes them feel the emotions of what the girl is going through which is conventional to a thriller film.

This analysis has taught me when do you different editing for example I would use slow editing to create suspense. Also it has taught me when to use different lengths for some shots. In my thriller film I want to include long shots to get the emotions and the body language into the same shot. I would also want to include an over the shoulder shot also as I feel it would get a picture of what the person is looking at and what they are doing in that time and place.

Research into Conventions of the thriller genre- Miss Miller

Conventions with in films are elements that are common in different film genres, they are patterns that can be used in the same category. 

 

Conventions you would normally find in a thriller film are:

• Diegetic sound - Diegetic sound is where the source is visible on the screen. For example, characters voices or sounds made by objects in the scene.
• Non-Diegetic Sound - Non-Diegetic sound is where the source is not visible on the screen or has been implied to be in present in the action. For example it could be sound effect that is added for dramatic effects of music to adjust the atmosphere of the scene.
• Location - Types of locations are conventional in the thriller genre such as forests to help build suspense.
• Iconography - Iconography is a convention used in the thriller genre as it also contributes to the suspense. Weapons such as knives and guns keep the audience in suspense as it imposes a threat on the victims.
• Low angle - This is where the camera is positioned low down below the eye line. This is conventional in the thriller genre as it could be used to conceal a identity.
• High angle - This is where the camera is positioned above the audience eye line. This is conventional to the thriller genre as is could be used to highlight the vulnerability of the victim. It could be used to make the victim appear smaller or looked down on.
• Mid shot - This is where the camera is a a medium distance. This is used in thriller as it could be used to focus on certain characters facial expressions.
• Long shot - This is where the camera is placed at a long distance showing some of the location. This us used in thrillers to introduce the locations such as a haunted house.
• Low key lighting is a convention of a thriller, throughout my thriller clip the lighting is very low-key, this connotes that something bad is going to happen, darkness represents death/danger for the audience. This then creates tension which is also conventional of a thriller film as it connects with the audience and draws their attention to what is about to happen.
• Blonde female victims are very conventional of a thriller, there are two in this film. In this clip, it is revealed that the husband is actually the killer of the young blonde victim who was killed and in the bottom of the lake. The inferior victim is always chosen, applying to the thriller genre as it can connects the audience with the characters. The wife then becomes the victim; an ordinary marriage turns into a strange murder mystery. The wife is very venerable just like the young girl victim who was killed before, they are targeted because they are weak, and this creates so much suspense for the audience, which makes there even more relief when the dead girl helps the new victim to escape.
• Twisted plots are very common in thriller films, they engage the audience with the film in depth as the shock created causes a link between the characters and the audience. They’re shocked that they have been tricked throughout the whole film. Twisted endings are often clever as they enable the audience to watch the film for a second time and not become bored; this is because usually after finding out the twists and re-watching the film, all hidden things become obvious to the audience now that they know the truth. This can also strengthen the link between the audience and the victim. For example, through out what lies beneath, the young girl is portrayed to be haunting the wife of the unknown murderer. However, she was the victim all along try to aware the wife that her husband is a crazy killer.

Research into age certificates and the bbfc- Miss Georgiou

BBFC is important to the film industry because it gives films a certificate showing what age you have to be to watch a certain film. A story that has made a big affect on the rating system is the release of Spiderman (2002). The final fight scene with the Green Goblin was said to been too violent for 12 year olds but should not be put up to a 15, this is because the fight scene was very intense and not so animated like the other fight scenes this scene also showed knifes, blood and death; by there superhero using such weapons it makes them more glamorised making younger children want to play with them meaning as they grow up they may think that it is normal to act like this. They could also copy the actions while playing making them dangerous. The creators tried to change how intense this scene was but did not want to loose the storyline. The main audience for this film was around 12 and if the BBFC increased its age rating to 15 then they would have lost a high percentage of there audience. After much consideration the BBFC made a new category called 12A meaning with adults consent a 12 year old can watch the film with them.

U:The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range. The film UP is an example of a U rating film as it only contains mild threat.

PG: PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content might upset younger or more sensitive children. The film Spy Kids is an example of a PG rating film Contains mild fantasy action violence. 

12 and 12A: 12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (for example someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them. The 12 certificate is just for videos, DVDs and Blu-rays. 12A is for films at the cinema only. The film Spiderman is an example of a 12A rating film as it contains scenes of strong violence but because it was believed many younger children wanted to watch it is a comic book film so the BBCF introduced the age rating 12A which meant under 12s could watch a film if they were accompanied by an adult.

15: No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a ‘15’ rated DVD. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age. The film Strangers is an example of 15 rating as it contains strong psychological horror, violence and language.

18: Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children. The film Saw is an example of a 18 rating film as it contains strong bloody violence and language.The ‘R18’ category is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. ‘R18’ videos may not be supplied by mail order.

I want my thriller film to have an age rating of 15 as my film wont contain any gory scenes or sex scenes I also want a wider audience and having it as an 18 will restrict the percentage of my audience.