The British Board of Film Classification!

The BBFC have produced a set of guidelines. The BBFC's relationship with Government is known as a 'Gentlemen's Understanding' which means that parliament observes from a distance and the BBFC regulates itself. There are three main areas that are taken into consideration for any film which are Legal, Protective and Social. The classifications, as published in the BBFC guidelines are:

U: Universal (Suitable for all)

PG: Parental Guidance (General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.

12 and 12A: Suitable for 12 years and older. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video or DVD. Responsibility for allowing under 12's to view lies with the accompanying or supervising adult.

15: Suitable only for 15 years and over. No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video or DVD.

18: Suitable only for adults. No one younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema. No one younger than 18 may rent or buy an 18 rated video or DVD.

R18: To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults of not less than 18 years.

A typical Thriller film is either a 15 or 18. Our Thriller film falls under the classification of a 15 as it has scenes of someone being kidnapped, which is not appropriate for anyone under the age of 15.

Lauren Kay & Rachel Fradgley :)

Questionnaire Results!

Questionnaire results!

After asking our friends in our Media class here are the results from the Thriller questionnaire.

What type of music would be most common?

There was 1% between the top answers with Classical at 39% and Eerie at 38%. Classical and Eerie music set an automatical tone for the film.

What colours do you expect to see?

Most popular answer was Black at 50% and Red at 31%, these two colours are iconic in thriller films such as Sin City, and I plan to use them in my film.

What type of thriller film do you enjoy most?
Crime thrillers were the most popular, with dramatic thriller second most popular. This result maybe due to my questionnees and their individual taste in film, if there was a larger group of people asked then the results would differ.

What sort of thing do you most expect when watcing a thriller film?
The most popular answer was suspense with 31% and plot twists and hero's and villians in second place with 23%. Surprisingly male roles recieved 0% of the votes, however I assumed it would have considering most thriller's contain male characters.

How do you think a good thriller

should open?

Suspense was the most popular answer with 36% of the votes and second being everyday life and chase.

Do you enjoy ambiguity or a given away plot line?

Unsurprisingly the most popular answer with 54% of the votes was ambiguity however I was not expecting a give away plot line to be in second place with 31%.

What colour is a thriller film best in?

46% of the votes was for Black and white with colour in second place with 31%. I would have thought that Sepia would have been more popular because it creates an 'old feel' to the movie.

Where do you prefer to watch a thriller?

The most popular answer was Cinema with 39% and in a close second most popular was Home with 38%.

Which is most important to you in a thriller film?

Again the first and second most popular answers were so close at 1% between them, however City was 39% and Forest 38%. Churchyard and Countryside both got over 15% but Hospital recieved 0%.

Which is most important to you in a thriller film?

Music was 39% of the votes and Characters 38%. Surpringly Location was only 8% of the votes.

Rachel Fradgley :)

Location ideas!

When coming up with an idea of where to film our thriller, we was thinking about where there is a phone box as they are not very common now a days, then we found one on a corner of a street in Gosfield, where it is quiet and only has a few cars driving past giving more of a suspense as no one can see the characters "supposedly", and the passerbys could be anyone.

Lauren Kay! :)

Where our film idea came from!

While thinking of an idea for our film, I thought about the thriller films I have watched in the past and thought about what would be fairly easy to film but would still be an interesting and good idea, and I came up with the film Phonebooth. In 'Phonebooth' a regular city guy is walking down a busy street and hears a public phone ring, which he then answers, not knowing that this could be a life or death situation. This is a simple plot but keeps you gripped till the end. So I came up with the idea that we could use a phone box, a ringing phone and a stalker.

Lauren Kay! :)

Thriller Films!

These are the top ten thriller films that had the most votes on IMDb;
1. The Dark Knight
2. Pulp Fiction
3. The Godfather
4. Fight Club
5. Se7en
6. Memento
7. Batman begins
8. The Usual Suspects
9. The Departed
10. Sin City


Lauren Kay! :)

Thriller Questionnaire!

1. What type of music would be most common in a thriller?
*Classical
*Eerie
*Rock
*Hip-hop

2. What colours do you expect to see in a thriller?
(Tick two)
*Black
*Yellow
*Blue
*Red
*Pink
*Grey

3. What type of thriller film do you enjoy most?
*Gangster
*Crime
*Physiological
*Action
*Drama
*Romantic

4. What sort of thing do you most expect when watching a thriller film?
*Violence
*Plot twists
*Action
*Hero's and villains
*Fast camera movement
*Suspense
*Male roles

5. How do you think a good thriller should open?
*Death
*Everyday life
*Chase
*Flashback
*Suspense

6. Do you enjoy ambiguity or a given away plot line?
*Ambiguity
*Give away
*Dont mind

7. What is a thriller best in?
*Colour
*Black and White
*Sepia

8. Where do you prefer to watch a thriller?
*Cinema
*Home
*Friends house
*Other...................

9. Which is most important to you in a thriller film?
*Music
*Characters
*Costume
*Location
*Camera shots

10. What is an ideal location?
*City
*Forest
*Countryside
*Churchyard
*Hospital

Lauren Kay :)

Music idea!

After watching the Twilight films, their choice of songs of Paramore inspired me which made me look into all their songs on youtube, and the song that stood out most that is appropriate for our thriller film is Decode. I decided I prefered the Instrumental version as using lyrics made it less Eerie and Dramatic.

Paramore - Decode Instrumental
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1dIo14jwiw

Lauren Kay! :)

Costume!

The costume of the characters in the thriller majorly depends on the genre of the thriller, for example in Sin City the characters tend to wear casual suits with the top button undone. The villain often wears clean cut and smart fitting suits to emphasise power and status. Female characters costumes dramatically changes depending on the type of thriller, in slasher-thrillers the women often wear very little clothing how in period-thrillers women have a tendency to wear long, covering clothing.

The colour of the clothing also implies a lot about the character, antagonists tend to black and dark colours to emphasise their sinister temperament whilst protagonists wear white or pale colours reinforcing their innocent and good nature. Sometimes one bright colour is used to shock and catch the audiences’ attention; more than often this colour is red.

Sin City is an excellent example of a thriller film which uses costumes to add to the atmosphere. Sin City opens with a woman wearing a Red dress; the film is in Black and White which means the coloured dress stands out and grabs the audience’s attention. The colour Red not only suggests that she may be dangerous but also that she is sexy. The low cut backed dress reinforces her attractiveness in a seductive manner rather than having her cleavage on display.

Rachel Fradgley :)

Camera Angles!

o Middle Shot - Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.

o Long Shot - The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible.

o Close Up - A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

o Extreme Close Up - The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.

o Over-the-Shoulder Shot - Looking from behind a person at the subject.

o Point-of-View Shot - Shows a view from the subject's perspective.

o Low-angle shot - A shot from a camera positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eye line, looking up.

o High angle shot - A shot from a camera positioned high on the vertical axis, anywhere above the eye line, looking down.

o Worm's-eye view - A shot from a camera from below, as though the observer were a worm.

o Bird's-eye view - A shot from a camera from above, as though the observer were a bird.

o Panning - A movement which scans a scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.

o Tracking - The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object.

o Tilt - The camera tilts up or down, rotating around the axis that runs from left to right through the camera head.

o Dutch Tilt - The camera shot in which the camera angle is deliberately slanted to one side.

o Shot reverse shot - Film technique where one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.

o The 180° rule - Basic guideline in film making that states that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line.

Rachel Fradgley and Lauren Kay! :)

Music Inspiration!

I Gioni - Ludovico Einaudi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhuGfmoIv_M&feature9

Fuori Dal Mundo - Ludovico Einaudi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_gRRNfljk0

Dietro Casa - Ludovico Einaudi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNJakREljvM

Nuvole Bianche - Ludovico Einaudi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTkzyyv0DuA

For the above pieces of music, I was inspired by Shane Meadows' 'This is England' which they all feature in.

9 Crimes - Damien Rice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgqOSCgc8xc

Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pid0nCrsQxM

Rachel Fradgley :)

Characters!

Characters typical of thriller movies include:

· Criminals

· Stalkers

· Assassins

· Innocent victims

· Menaced women

· Characters with dark pasts

· Psychotic individuals

· Terrorists

· Private eyes

· Hero/Anti Hero

· 'Hitchcock Blonde'

· Femme fatale

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)

Rachel Fradgley :)

Edited Plot!

After talking, Lauren and myself have slightly changed the plot of our Triller, due to fact that letters are not really modern however using texts instead instantly updates the thriller, allowing the audience to relate to the characters and their situations.


Every day for a month, school boy Adam receives unpleasant texts from an unknown person. Finding himself trapped by this psychopath, he feels there's nothing he can do than go along with what this person says. Not knowing whether this is a joke or not, when one of the notes tells him to meet at the phone box, Adam leaves his house to see what awaits him beyond the phone box. Realising that he got there too late and somebody else has already answered the phone, Adam doesnt know what else to do apart from following the mistaken person is and seeing what happens next.

Rachel Fradgley :)

Reverse Zoom Shot!

For one of the shots in our thriller, I got the 'reverse zoom' from the iconic scene in Steven Speilberg's 'Jaws'. To recreate the shot, the camera has to zoom in whilst the camera man is walking backwards, this creates the zooming in/out effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svEPWBxpYjo

Rachel Fradgley :)

Plot!

Every day for a month, school boy Ben receives unpleasant letters from an unknown person. Finding himself trapped by this psychopath, he feels there's nothing he can do than go along with what this person says. Not knowing whether this is a joke or not, when one of the notes tells him to meet at the phone box, Josh leaves his house to see what awaits him beyond the phone box. Realising that he got there too late and somebody else has already answered the phone, Ben doesnt know what else to do apart from following the mistaken person is and seeing what happens next.

Lauren Kay :)

Inspiration Two! :)

Just a few more opening thriller scenes!

Heat - Michael Mann
Can't find a clip online! :(

The Birds - Alfred Hitchcock
Can't find a clip online! :(

Pyscho - Alfred Hitchcock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tek8QmKRODw

Crimson Tide - Tony Scott
Can't find a clip online! :(

Casablanca - Michael Curtiz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-T8ZhBc4I4&feature=related

Blade Runner - Ridley Scott
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaR5wVL9x2I&feature=related

Rachel Fradgley :)

Inspiration! :)

For inspiration I have been watching the opening 2 minutes to different thriller movies, all of which have been made in different years. I have been paying key attention to the the denotations and connotations of the thriller genre and working out which sub-genre each thriller falls into.


Se7en - David Fincher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-u3fQOOZ34

The Godfather - Francis Ford Coppola
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhy_Se6FNEE


Rear Window - Alfred Hitchcock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTl7i1I_fFE

Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ2RofOEAEU

Sin City - Frank Miller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm4YTs_Mr5M&feature=related

LA Confidential - Curtis Hanson
Can't find a clip online :(


Rachel Fradgley :)

What makes a thriller?

Thriller: Noun - One that thrills especially a sensational or suspenseful book, story, play, or movie.

The thriller genre is so vast that it is often categorised into sub-genres that are easier to understand. The main thirteen groupings are;

1. Conspiracy thrillers - Hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognises - Edge of Darkness & JFK

2. Crime thrillers - These films often focus on the criminal rather than a policeman, usually emphasise action over psychological aspects - Seven & No Country for Old Men

3. Disaster thrillers - In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster - Earthquake & The Day after Tomorrow

4. Erotic thrillers - Consists of erotica and thriller - Basic Instinct & Dressed to Kill

5. Legal thrillers - Lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives - The Runaway Jury & A Few Good Men

6. Medical thrillers - Hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem - The Hot Zone & The Expriment

7. Mystery thrillers - Suspense films where characters attempt solving, or involved in a mystery - Identity & Memento

8. Political thrillers - Hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him - The Day of the Jackal & The Constant Gardener

9. Psychological thrillers - Conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical - Strangers on a Train & Blue Velvet

10. Rape and revenge thrillers - Focuses more on the thriller elements such as suspense, tension, some action and fast-pacing rather than scares and the supernatural - The Last House on the Left & Kill Bill

11. Religious thrillers - In which the plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions - The Da Vinci Code & The Devil's Advocate

12. Supernatural thrillers - In which the film brings in an otherworldly element mixed with tension, suspense and plot twists. Sometimes the hero and/or villain has some psychic ability - The Skeleton Key & The Gift

13. Techno thrillers - A suspense film in which the manipulation of sophisticated technology plays a prominent part - The Matrix & The Thirteenth Floor

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)


Rachel Fradgley :)

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night!'

When I was told that our coursework task was to create a two minute opening scene to a thriller film, I thought to myself "well this will be sure damn easy", however as I soon worked out it is alot harder than it first looks. When you think of a thriller movie the first things that come to mind are; ghosts, stalkers, fast cars and the Mafia, however when you live in a small village and have a small budget these things are very hard to duplicate. With this in mind Lauren and myself got our 'thinking caps' on and turned to watching classic thriller openings for inspiration!

Rachel Fradgley :)