Thriller Trailer 2- Psycho

Psycho is a psychological thriller and uses sereval and perhaps a model film that enforces thriller conventions. The trailer begins with extreme CU of a hand sliding down a mirror with blood. This immeaditely creates enigma with the spectator, which is a convention of a thriller. Denoted is rapid editing with flashes between the shots, creating confusion and panic, again another convention of a thriller. A mid shot of a man in shadow is denoted, holding a knife, connoting that he is the antagonist. It is a typical representation that the antagonist's identity is concealed to create mystery for the spectator. The iconic soundtrack of screeching violins also adds suspense and tension to the trailer. Sound effects and soundtrack is an exteremely mirco element in thrillers to add suspense to a film. I would like to recreate techniques such as rapid editing and effective use of sound to make my thriller sequence to create a more emotional response out of my audience. Another convention I will also use in my thriller is hidden identity of the antagonist by using restricted framing. I feel that this is an effective way of creating enigma for the audience. The mise-en-scene denotes of an 'average normal hotel' creating a sense of security and 'the norm' with the spectator. This is also another convention that I will be using in my thriller sequence as it is is cost effective. Out of all the thrillers I have analysed, creating a pyschological thriller opening is more realistic on the bugdet that I have and more interesting as it is important to have a strong narrative to support it, which is what I aim for in for my opening sequence.

Thriller Trailer 1- Gothika

Gothika is a supernatural thriller about a psychiatrist who, after a car crash, wakes up to find herself a patient at the same instituation she works for. The trailer conveys many conventions and codes for a thriller. It starts with a voiceover but breifly with a black screen; this is usually used to creating intrgiue for the audience as the setting or character is unknown but updates them with the narrative. It then denotes that the two main characters are in an asylum; which the audience can now connotes things such as the antagoanist is another human being and perhaps psyhoglogical twists within the narrative. However, this could also be denotated as a 'safe setting' as the trailer shows houses and offices 'normal settings' in which the audience is meant to feel safe. This is an often used convention of a thriller to lull the audience into a 'safe sense of security'.

The lighting used through out the trailer is low lit and very little natural light e.g from outside, which gives the surroundings a claustorphic feeling and can even create suspense. The mis-en-scene varies from being clutterd or with very little in it although the restricted camera shots makes it seem smaller and prision like. The characters all wear either dark coloured clother (black/grey) or whites. Another convention is not a lot of use of colours to add to the sombre atmosphere.

The use of typograpy in a 'type writer' style font, as if the audience is reading a past case at the asyslum, using the colours white and red. The white could asscosicate with the supernatural e.g ghosts in which is part of the narrative and the red, often seimotic for danger in the thriller/horror genre. The use of non diegetic sound is also important; slow paced tense music helps to create suspense, while the high pitched screeching violins fastens the pace and gives the impression that something bad will happen in the narrative.

Editng: The use of slow pace scenes to build suspense and then fast pace rapid cuts to add confusion and tension to the audience. This is a typical convention of a thriller. Another thriller convention is 'Theatre of the mind'. In the trailer the protaginst has a car carsh although only sound effects are heard and the events are shown afterwards. This is often used as the viewer's imagation is more likely to be worse than the actual events shown which can create more suspense and thrill the audience.

Se7en Anaylsis Essay

What makes a thriller and how is this evident in ‘Se7en’?

A marco/mirco analysis of ‘Se7en’

The thriller genre is a popular genre within the film industry for filmmakers and audiences alike. I will be analysing the conventions of a thriller and how this is present in the film Se7en. I will also investigate the marco elements, (including narrative techniques and representation), as well as mirco elements, (cinematography and sound for instance).

Se7en is a psychological and crime thriller directed by David Fincher, released in 1995. Fincher’s previous work constituted of music videos for famous musicians such as Madonna, Rolling Stones and the third Alien movie. The success of Alien 3 and the curiosity of Se7en’s script led him to direct the movie. New Line cinema, at the time an independent company, produced and distributed the film. This has influenced the film, as it does not always conform to a typical ‘Hollywood’ film. The film deals with dark subject matter (graphic murders) and does not give a sense of closure at the end, unlike most Hollywood productions. At the end of the film, Detective Mills is arrested for the murder of John Doe and his wife and unborn baby killed, making the protagonist end up with a melancholic ending. This is usually a convention of independent films that it doesn’t have an expected ending the plot should have or full closure for the audience. The actors in the film are Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow, all big budget, mainstream Hollywood actors. The film’s narrative focuses mostly on the protagonists- Mills and Somerset, who are played by Pitt and Freeman, while other characters are played by lesser known actors, so the focus is completely on the main characters. Gwyneth Paltrow’s character, Tracy, was a much smaller role but was still publicised in the marketing campaign. However, Kevin Spacey, who portrays John Doe and an extremely successful actor, withdrawal from publicity, as he felt it would distract the attention from the film itself. The actors in the film have mass appeal to audience, especially mainstream, as they are well known and would generate more publicity for the film. The more publicity the film gets, the more profits are created through ticket sales. New line cinema is now a major film studio and subsidiary of Warner Brothers. We also know that Se7en is a thriller as this is Fincher often directs this genre (Zodiac and Panic Room is also thrillers) and uses recurring actors (Brad Pitt starred in Fight Club).

The target audience for Se7en is 25-40 years old. The film deals with dark subject matter, with heavy dialogue and plot driven narrative. This would not appeal to teens but to a more mature audience that could understand a complex plot. This is also supported by the fact the protagonists’ are in the 30’s and 60’s and while eating dinner, the two talk about marriage and children. The 24-40 year old niche market would be able to relate and appreciate what the characters are going through then a younger audience, as they would have experienced this. The film would also attract to males more as the violent content is particularly graphic (e.g. the pride scene, where the model’s face has been severely slashed). The two protagonists’ are also male, as with most of the cast in the film, with expectation of Paltrow’s character, who has significant smaller part and is killed off at the end. Although females could be drawn to this film for Brad Pitt because of his sex appeal. The film was grossed $327,311,859 and proved to be extremely popular.

The narrative of se7en is linear, a convention for a thriller as it creates a sense of investigation as the film and plot progresses. It also uses typography by detonating the day of the week before certain scenes. It has a heavy use of use of enigma codes, a frequently used convention of thrillers to help drive plot and keep the audiences interested. An example of this is the scene where Detective Somerset finds fingerprints behind a painting, which leads to the next victim. Another enigma and narrative code was halfway through the film; where a board in the police office is denoting the sins murders that have been discovered, crossed out. With the other four sins left, the audience is kept up to date of has happened and what to expect. Actions codes and fast pace editing are also used in thriller to drive tension and suspense, while progressing plot. The chase scene between Mills and John Doe uses a lot of jump cuts and poor lighting, which adds excitement and drives the plot further when Doe doesn’t kill him when he had the oppurinity. This creates intrigue for the audience that is explained at the penultimate climatic scene of the film. The film also uses a restricted narrative, each new clue for the protagonists’ is also for the audience to piece together. This is an often-used convention of a thriller to create the sense of investigation. However towards the end of the film it becomes omniscient when the audience discover that Doe has killed Tracy before Mills found out. In this scene, Somerset finds a parcel and opens it. We have a medium shot of him opening the box, although we only see the back of the box. The next shot is a close up of Somerset’s face, detonating an expression of pure horror. The audience do not see what is in the box but using ‘theatre of the mind’, another thriller convention. This conjures horrific images of what could be in the box. The audience later find out that Doe’s monologue that it was Tracy’s head. The disturbing images of what it would look like come back into mind, although the spectators never do see what was inside the box. The film doesn’t follow Todorov’s narrative as it starts with disequilibrium, where in most thrillers it starts with the opposite to create normality. Se7en also opposes the ‘classic Hollywood structure’ and ends up with an unhappy ending for the protagonists. This is a typical step for ‘indie’ films as it wanted to break tradition from Hollywood.

The two protagonists are Detective Mills and Detective Somerset. They fit into the convention of ‘heroes’- they both work within the police and work homicides within the city, they are represented to be protecting the city. The audience detonates Mills as young, eager to put people to justice. He wears a shirt and various coloured ties, although during the chase scene and becomes covered injures and his white shirt becomes covered in blood. Could this be symbolising the fact that by the end of the film, he would of spilt the blood of another i.e. John Doe? His visual codes are of a rebel. The audience denotes him to be wearing a black leather jacket, a convention for the ‘bad boy’ image. He also wears a stubble , representing that he is not tidy and proper and not very professional. This is proven when he backchats Doe in the police car calling him a ‘freak’. His verbal codes are fiery with typical American accent, which constantly swears and is sometimes irrational. His body language is also violent, frequently using his arms and shouting to show that he is passionate. This is a positive representation of a detective as the audience responds well to a character who is rebellious but on the side of good. Somerset is the contrast to Mills. He is of black ethnicity and of an older generation, in his 60’s. The clothing denotes an older style with colours of brow and grey. He conveys a father figure to the other characters, especially Tracy, when he tells her whether to keep the baby or not. His verbal codes are in a calm manner, where he only talks when necessary. His old style clothing also conveys his personality and style; he is more traditional in the way treating the criminals and investigating the crimes (e.g. Somerset wanted to get a permit but Mills wanted to knock the door down). He is also very precise, the spectators see the mise-en-scene of his room that is immaculate and of plain, soft colours, i.e. whites. This is another positive representation, as the audience look to him as a father figure. John Doe is the antagonist of the film and is not seen until towards he end of the film. The name of his character is an enigma code itself. When his identity is revealed, the visual codes consist of him wearing a white shirt covered with blood-like Mills previously. It is a thriller convention that the antagonist is concealed until the last minute. The white shirt is semiotic for purity that Doe believes in although it’s tainted with the bloodstains of others. In the scene where he is in the police car, his visual codes are a bright red shirt. This is semiotic for danger but also passion-in which he has for religion and repents. He also has a shaved head and verbal codes of an eerily calm manner and talking cryptically. This conforms to the stereotype of a crazed, disturbed thriller antagonist with a pious attitude. Another example of this is in Psycho, where the antagonist is Norman Bates who dressed as mother while killing his victims. He conveys a calm but insane manner and his body language is very still. This is a negative representation because the audience fears this character. Tracy’s conforms the stereotype of a woman. Her visual codes are of long, blonde hair and wearing demure clothing of a wife. Her verbal codes also conform as she is softly spoken and represents feminity and purity in the film.

Many codes and conventions of a thriller are evident in this film. Firstly, the location is in the city and is always raining. This creates a bleak atmosphere in which is in most thrillers. A city location is used to create a sense of ‘normality’, in which most thrillers try to create, as the events take place, it becomes more disturbing. The lighting is dull or poorly lit to create suspense and mystery. For example, the crime scene of Gluttony is poorly lit, in so creating suspense and atmosphere because the whole mise-en-scene is not revealed. The film also uses enigma codes to appeal the audience and drive the plot. An example of this is the fingerprints behind the painting. Mirco editing such as slow pace editing is used to build up tension and to action. Se7en also conforms to thriller conventions by using ‘theatre of the mind’ by showing the victims after the attack, not during. It also uses a ‘cheap surprise’- when the junkie who was presumed dead, shocks the audience by gasping for air. This not only grabs attention of the spectators but also sometimes speeds up the pace of a previous ‘slow scene’. Nonetheless, it does not use many sound effects to emphasise the murders and there is no red herrings. Se7en is a psychological thriller- a sub genre that deals with the darker side of human nature and uses enigma codes rather than straightforward action. The antagonists in this sub genre are always human.

Se7en’s ideology deals with themes of religion and the breakdown of society. Mills and Somerset discuss about the crimes they have investigated and how they have become disgusted with the breakdown of society. While having dinner with Somerset, Mills tells him that he has though about move to the country, while Somerset talks of retirement as he felt he has ‘seen enough’; ‘I just don’t think I can continue to live in a place that embraces and apathy of the world…’ This is similar to Doe’s view on society. They are both angered that ‘people are not prepared to work hard at being virtuous’. Although Somerset sympathises, Doe is unforgiving. The film’s ideology also deals with religion, in the form of John Doe. This is a negative portrayal of religion as Doe is connatated as a psychopath, killing his victims according to the seven sins they have committed. Doe’s ideology is that only extreme acts could redeem trivial sins for the greater good. Doe decided that if society didn’t correct themselves, he would do it himself. Somerset also takes on this attitude although he is taking a more humane and positive way. At the end of the film, a non-digetic voice over from him is heard , quoting from the novel For Whom The Bell Tolls: ‘ The world is a fine place worth fighting for’ and decides to carry on working for the police. However he adds ‘ I agree with the second part’, connotates that he is still bitter by the acts of mankind.

Overall, Se7en can be classified as a thriller as it uses many codes and conventions within the genre. It is under the sub genre of psychological as it deals with human nature ad does not opposes codes and conventions of a thriller. However, it does oppose a typical ‘Hollywood ending’ with the protagonists forced to do actions that neither wanted.

Preliminary Task Practice

For my preliminary task, we had to create a thriller sequence that appiled:

Match On Action- This is when the a movement is shown in two shots e.g opening a door.
180 degree rule- When the camera stays on one side of the set, keeping continuity.
Shot/reverse shot-When the camera goes to one shot of something, and then goes back and forth. This is often used when filming conversations.

Conventions of thriller and to add a small amount of dialogue had to be included within the film. The conventions that where used within the film included the hidden identity of the antagonist. This creates enigma for the spectator and often drives the narrative forward. A lot of P.O.V shots was used as well so the emotional response of the spectator would be more intense as they are in the protagonist's shoes. Restricted framing was often used to keep the antagonist's face hidden and create suspense. Another convention used was the mise-en-scene, set in a school, this creates a sense of normaliaty for the spectator and a cheap surprise, to create a thrill for the spectator. The soundtrack was used to help add tension to the scene and used a restricted narrative to add suspense. However, certain thriller conventions was not used such as red herrings and theatre of the mind as it wasn't necessary to the narrative.

For the Match On Action shot, we decide to film the character going through the door was look most effective as it shows technical detail of filming from outside and moving to a new location, as well as editing so continuity looks effective. When filming the 180 degree rule and Shot/reverse shot, we decided to film this during the conversation between the protagonist and her friend. This is often used in filming to keep the sense of continuity. Overall, I felt that we had effectively met the criteria, used some conventions of a thriller and contained this with a solid narrative.