Results of Questionnaire (6-10)

Results for Questionnaire (1-5)

Audience Questionnaire

Audience Questionnaire

Me and my partner have decided to design an audience questionnaire in order to find out what the viewing audience like to see in a thriller. This is the questionnaire we designed:

1) Define what makes a thriller film exciting in your own opinion?

2) What style of thriller do you prefer? (i.e. Psychological or action...)

3) What is your all time favorite thriller movie?

4) What key feature would you say make up a thriller?

5) What do you like to see in thrillers?

6) Why do you like thrillers?

7) Who is your favorite thriller character? 

8) What would be your ideal thriller setting? 

9) Would you prefer a realistic thriller?

10) Who is your favorite thriller director? 


Click here for the results of Q. 1-5 : http://www.thedonleonidou.blogspot.com/2012/02/results-for-questionnaire.html

Click here for the results of Q. 6-10: http://www.thedonleonidou.blogspot.com/2012/02/results-of-questionnaire-6-10.html

Characteristics of a Thriller

What are the Characteristics of a Thriller....err???

This clip is about Steven Spielberg talking about what makes a good thriller movie and how it can be really easy to make an exciting adrenaline rushing thriller movie. Spielberg talks about how a thriller movie is all about having a good story to go by and being able to portray that story well. If you can do this then the thrills from the movie should come naturally. He says that, 'its like eating a sandwich without bread, you'll end up biting your fingers. You can have all the filling you want but you better have a good couple of slices of bread to stuff it in.' In other words Spielberg is saying that within a thriller movie you can have as many scary adrenaline rushing moments but without a good storyline those adrenaline rushing thrills won't come. Therefore I am going to take what Steven Spielberg says and focus on having a really thorough storyline so that my thriller will be thrilling. For information on:


Camera angles and shot types visit: http://www.thedonleonidou.blogspot.com/2012/02/camera-angles-and-shot-types.html


Music and sounds: http://www.thedonleonidou.blogspot.com/2012/02/music-and-sounds.html


Characters and characterization: http://www.thedonleonidou.blogspot.com/2012/02/characters-and-characterization.html


Locations and settings:  http://www.thedonleonidou.blogspot.com/2012/02/locations-and-settings.html

Locations and Settings

 The locations and settings of a thriller depend on the type of thriller film, for example a psychological thriller would have a very different location compared to a action thriller. 

A thriller like 'Paranormal Activity', which is a psychological thriller has a setting that is constantly within a modern-day American house that is on the outskirts of a middle sized American town. Whereas an action thriller like, 'Miami Vice' has many different locations such as, exotic beaches, city centers and big boats or yachts. These locations are fundamental to the storyline of the movie because they can provide a better sense of realism and help to produce a good 'thrill' factor.     

However, most thrillers take place in ordinary cities or suburbs but sometimes they can take place in more exotic destinations like, sunny beaches, deserts or even rain forests. 

 

Characters and Characterisation

In most thriller films there is a main character that is innocent and resembled as good and there is a antagonist character that resembles evil. The main character (protagonist) is always given near to impossible tasks or situations to over come. If the protagonist fails to over come the situation or task the punishment for them is usually death. The antagonist usually is smarter and stronger than the protagonist and most of the time has more power or control than the protagonist in almost every situation within the film. 

The protagonist usually has a quest that must be completed in order to restore normality. The plotline focuses on a mystery that must be solved by the protagonist. The movie is mostly viewed through the protagonist's point of view, which reiterates the point of their quest being almost impossible to get through. 

'Teddy Daniels' from 'Shutter Island'

Examples of protagonists in thriller films are, ordinary citizens that are not used to danger, and 'hard men' that are used to danger like police officers or secret agents. The protagonist is usually very realistic and life-like with a strong mental and physical state of health.

'Travis Bickle' from 'Taxi Driver'

Examples of the antagonist in thriller films are dependent on the type of thriller film. For example, in a psychological thriller the antagonist is usually some form of paranormal being, like a demon or an evil spirit.  However in an action thriller the antagonist is usually a criminal or an assassin, for example.      

Music and Sounds

In most thriller movies there is always a low volume of different non-diegetic music, which matches with each different scene. Depending on the scene this music could be sinister and have a gradual build up, which creates tension and suspense for the audience, or it could be soft and very light harmonious music, which eases the audience into a more calm feeling. Most of the non-diegetic music is normally synchronous however there are exceptions  like for example, during the interigation scene of 'Reservoir Dogs' the music is very happy and jolly music but the scene is a person being interigated and having their ear cut off.

Despite having lots of good non-diegetic music in thrillers we also have diegetic sounds that help to create suspense and give off an adrenaline rush to the audience. These sounds can be anything from a slashing of a knife to a creak from a floorboard. These type of sounds also make the audience feel like they are involved in the story as much as the characters are. 

Camera Angles and Shot Types

There are many different camera angles and shot types that can be used within a thriller film. However there are specific shots that really aid the 'thriller' effect within a thriller film. For example, most thrillers start off with an extreme long-shot or it is also known as the establishing shot. This type of shot helps to show solitude and put the audience in the context of the film. 

Close-ups are used to show the character's reactions in a given circumstance clearly and the emotions that they are going through in that circumstance. Extreme close-ups are use to build up or create tension and suspense for the audience. 






A tracking shot or a pan is used to help the audience feel like they are part of the action. High-angle or low-angle shots are used to show which character has more control within the current situation and to convey superiority.  

'Thriller' music video

 


My third inspiration for my thriller has actually come from the music video 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson (R.I.P.). There are elements from this music video that I would like to use in my own thriller movie. For example, I like the setting in this music video and would consider adapting it to my own thriller. Despite possibly incorporating this element into my own thriller I would also consider using the idea of an abnormal creature (like a zombie) to be a character in my thriller.   

'The Dark Knight'

This particular thriller movie happens to be my favourite of all time, therefore I will be trying to incorporate some elements of this thriller, 'The Dark Knight', into my own thriller movie. The elements that I am particularly interested in using are the idea of using masks or a false identity to hide the killer. Another aspect that i enjoy about this thriller's opening scene is the idea of corruption being a main theme for this scene. This thriller movie also seems to interest me because it goes against the idea of a team of villains working together, whereas it is all for one and not one for all. Lastly I am inspired by the idea of having the activity being very general and common, for example, in this clip the activity that is taking place is a bank robbery. However it is still made very interesting with the shooting of guns and use of deception throughout the scene.      

'Scream'

I have decided to focus on this opening scene of  the movie 'Scream'. This opening scene has given me some inspiration for my own thriller movie. For example, the idea of a mysterious voice that is unknown to the victim is quite a thrilling factor for the audience and hooks the audience into wondering who this mystery person is. Despite this being a key inspiration to my thriller movie I still like the idea of the weapon choice being a knife in this thriller. I like the idea of a knife as a weapon choice because it can make killings much more elongated and painful. The last part of this opening scene that I enjoyed was not only the idea of his voice being unknown but the character's identity is masked with a ghost costume, which adds to the suspense and question of who this person is.

18

The '18' film certificate is not suitable for children that are under the age of 18. No person that is under the age of 18 is allowed to buy, view or rent an '18' rated fim. 

15

The '15' film certificate is suitable for children that are either the age or over the age of 15. No person under the age of 15 is allowed to buy, view or rent a '15' rated film.

12/12A

The '12' and '12A' film certificate is suitable for children is mostly suitable for children who are over the age of 12. However some material within this movie may cause parents to be uncomfortable in allowing their children to watch it by themselves. Therefore an adult may choose to watch the film with their child also this child, when accompanied by an adult, is allowed to be under the age of 12.

PG

 

A 'PG' certified film is for general viewing, but some scenes are not suitable for young children. A child over the age of eight, without an adult, should not be disturbed by the content within this film. However it is advised that parents should supervise their children when watching a 'PG' certified film.