SUMMARISING THE CONVENTIONS OF THRILLER OPENINGS

DEADLINE SUNDAY FEB 3RD, MIDNIGHT.

You have all been analysing the openings of thriller films to identify features used to create suspense, intrigue, enigma, fear and so on. These are some of the ways in which thrillers engage their spectators and create the genre. You should now be finding your own examples individually and applying some of our findings to these to explain how the openings are constructed in a way typical of the thriller genre. You should also explain how the opening is unique and different to others. You can use the check list below if you wish to analyse your own. YOU HAVE TO DO FOUR EACH.

CAMERA

·                  ECUs to distort

·                  shallow depth of field to draw attention to objects of
significance or distort perspective

·                  tight framing to restrict view - called restricted narration - eg
where only parts of body are visible, identity concealed>
shock delivered or enigma created

·                  Wide shots to create unrestricted narration and dramatic
irony and suspense

·                  Still (tripod) camera work (observation? suspense?)

·                  hand held camera for realism and/or subjectivity

·                  canted frame for disorientation

·                  pov shots/voyeurism

MISE EN SCENE

·                  variety of exterior settings, but often urban , or rural (rarely
suburban like Haywards Heath!)

·                  interior settings often reflect threat or sinister action - everyday
objects create menace

·                  Iconography of suspense: props may add to characterisation, OR
may create ENIGMA

·                  low key lighting

·                  desaturated colour or symbolic use of colour (eg red)

·                  creation of 'pathetic fallacy' (symbolic weather)

·                  costume, hair, make-up create realism and/or symbolise who
spectator is expected to dislike or like

EDITING

·                  continuity editing used for sense, flow, coherence and
realism

·                  parallel cutting used to connect 2 characters or places -
simultaneous action

·                  cross cutting used to connect 2 or more characters and
CREATE SUSPENSE

·                  occasionally: DISCONTINUITY EDITING (jump cuts or
shock cuts) used to fragment and disrupt sequence,
matching unsettling mood

SOUND

·                  diegetic sound used for realism and/or mood

·                  non diegetic sound as music or sound fx used to
construct mood/atmosphere and suspense

·                  parallel sound enhances vision

·                  contrapuntal sound may introduce threat or create
sinister mood

·                  dialogue used sparingly

WHERE TO FIND THRILLER OPENINGS

Can't think of any thriller films?
You will need to be prepared to spend several hours finding examples.
You can try using lists made by film fans on the internet (search for thriller films). Check with me that they can be classified as thrillers for our purposes (remember the difference between thrillers and horrors). If you are in college, ask to borrow some from our office for the lesson. Try to find UK thrillers, as UK films like yours will be, have distinctive use of mise en scene. Use youtube for some, but remember that you cannot use a trailer (look for the title 'part 1'). Have a look on the college streaming page for TV - planet estream - linked from the student homepage or moodle home page and browse TV thriller openings, but make sure that most of your research is based in Film as the pace is often different. Don't forget to search for big name directors in this genre: Alfred Hitchcock; Kathryn Bigelow; David Fincher; Quentin Tarantino etc.

LIGHTING AND SOUND TASKS DEADLINES

You should all be getting on with finishing the sound work (garageband, foley and copyright free music task) and the lighting task set (see moodle under FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO). I gave groups 1 week for both tasks, which means that this work should be finished by the beginning of next week and uploaded to the blog with comments/explanations.
YOU SHOULD BE BEGINNING YOUR THRILLER OPENING RESEARCH TOO, SO START TO LOOK FOR OPENINGS YOU MIGHT ANALYSE - DON'T FORGET - TRAILERS ARE NOT OPENINGS, THEREFORE NOT ALLOWED!

FINAL PRELIMINARY DEADLINE AND NEW SOUND WORK DEADLINES

 

THE FINAL EDITING DEADLINE FOR THE PRELIMINARY TASK IS WEDNESDAY 23RD. THERE WILL BE NO EXTENSION ON THIS DATE DUE TO THE SNOW DAY AS THIS WAS MORE TIME THAN MOST GROUPS NEEDED.

YOU WILL ALL HAVE DONE SOME WORK ON GARAGEBAND, ADDING SOUND TO AN EXISTING FILM CLIP. THIS MUST BE FINISHED IN YOUR OWN TIME BY THE END OF THIS WEEK, AND EACH GROUP MUST POST THE RESULT TO THEIR BLOG. THIS WILL BE MARKED AS PART OF YOUR RESEARCH AND PLANNING.

In the next lesson this week, you will be learning key LIGHTING terms and you'll be set some practical homework to post to blog.

PRELIMINARY EDITING DEADLINE APPROACHING!

THIS WEEK YOU WILL BE DOING THE MOCK IN YOUR DOUBLE LESSON.
YOU WILL HAVE ONLY 2 FURTHER LESSONS TO EDIT THE PRELIM, BUT YOU MAY CONTINUE TO EDIT IN YOUR OWN TIME.
EVERY STUDENT IN SHOULD BE PRESENT FOR THE EDITING TO DEVELOP SKILLS, SO CHECK WHEN YOU ARE FREE.
THE FINAL DEADLINE FOR THE PRELIM TO BE FULLY EDITING AND UPLOADED TO YOUR BLOG IS: 23RD JANUARY.
THERE WILL BE LESSONS ON SOUND THEORY AND PRACTICE, AND LIGHTING THEORY AND PRACTICE FROM THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK ON BOTH SIDES.