Research & Planning

Wednesday 29th October

Thriller Film Opening

For the main task we have to film and edit our own thriller film opening, before we begin filming we have to research our genre and plan what we will do using this research.

A thriller film is a film in which the events of the film are designed to create tension, excitement and suspense within the audience. Thriller films are often quite fast paced and filled with adrenaline.
There are various subgenres of thriller films, the most common ones being; psychological thrillers, mystery thrillers and crime thrillers.

Conventions of Thriller films

Plot Twists

Cliffhangers

Murder

Criminal activity in general

Protagonist with obstacles to overcome

Tension building

Main plot is a mystery and/or puzzle

Protagonist with very strong morals

Death of protagonists friends and family

The target audience for thrillers are 15-35 year olds due to the events that happen in the film. Thrillers are usually given either the 15 or the 18 certificate due to their violent themes and graphic images shown in the film. It also takes a certain level of intelligence to understand some horrors due to their psychological and mysterious themes and events this means a younger set of people may not fully understand the film.

A 15 Certificate

An 18 Certificate

The intended goal of a thriller is to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat; thrillers create tension, suspense, anticipation, anxiety and uncertainty within their audience. And often leaves the audience with a lasting feeling of shock about the events of the film.

Thrillers started to become better known in the 1920s when Alfred Hitchcock released his first thriller 'The Lodger' in 1926. A series to thrillers was made in the 1930s names in this period included; Walter Forde, Victor Saville and Michael Powell. Alfred Hitchcock continued to be a popular name when it came to thrillers throughout the 1940s to the 1960s. The start of the 1970s saw an increase in violence in thriller films beginning with movies such as 'Frenzy' and 'Duel'. In the 1990s there was a common theme of obsession in thriller films released, an example being Misery based on a Stephen King book about a crazed fan that terrorises her favourite author. Thrillers have changed since 1920s, violence and gore becoming more prominent in various thrillers of recent however they remain to be a popular genre of film to this day.

One of the most successful thriller films is Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho'. It's one of the most well-known thriller films to this day, possibly due to the memorable shower scene in which a woman is murdered in the shower. Psycho was the most profitable film of his career and the most profitable black and white sound film ever made. Critic’s opinions were mixed initially some not liking the nature of the film and some enjoying it. The public opinion was positive, the public loved the film and because of this there was a re-review in which the film got more positive reviews from critics.

Another successful thriller is Silence of the Lambs (1991). It was the fourth most grossing film in 1991 with a total of $272,742,922. 94% of all critic reviews were positive, the average rating being eight point four out of ten. It's one of few multi academy award winners, it won five academy awards for; Best picture, best director, best actor, best actress and Best adapted screenplay.