Opening scene analysis- Miss Georgiou

“How does the opening sequence of Halloween, inform the audience of the codes and conventions of a thriller film?”

The purpose of an opening scene is to introduce the audience to what is happening in the scene. It introduces the audience to the setting of the film, the main characters which will most likely include a killer and victims and the mise-en-scene of the scene, it will also include a clear narrative of what is going to happen so that the audience can understand what the film is going to be about. It will also include something that will grab the audience's attention that will make them want to carry on watching the film. The opening scene should incorporate and introduce the rough narrative of the film, this is shown by the cinematography, sound, conventions, editing and the characters in the film. 

The narrative of the opening sequence of Halloween includes a young female blonde girl who is alone in her house with a boy, this makes the audience feel more relateable to what is happening as it is a real life setting and therefore makes the audience feel more involved. The audience can tell that she is alone as her parents aren't there as the boy mentions that they are alone. This makes the audience feel more frightened for what is going to happen to the couple as they are building a relationship with the character as they feel more related to what is happening to them as they can see the whole storyline and can tell something bad is going to happen to them, as it is a code and convention to a thriller for something bad to happen whilst you are home alone. 

The cinematography used in the scene includes a point of view shot when the killer is walking outside and therefore shows us the true view of the character and reveals the true thoughts and feelings of the characters. There is also a high angle zoom out shot also, this is effective as it makes everything look still and vulnerable. This shows the audience the background of the house and is conventional to a thriller as it shows an emotional distance which makes the house look vulnerable which is where the death has taken place. This makes the audience feel more interested in what is going on as it has built an emotional relationship between them and the killer as throughout the film the audience will know that he's the killer and is witnessing all these deaths.

The sound that is included in the scene that helps build suspense for the audience , this includes when the bedroom light turns off which focus' the audiences attention and is conventional as it shows where the victim is. There is also contrapuntal sound when she is brushing her hair, this makes the audience feel more involved and makes the scene much more relate able as she is doing something they can relate back to and put themselves in her situation, therefore they feel more emotional when the character gets killed which is portrayed in the sound which guides the audience how to feel at the specific time. The clock starts ticking louder when the killer is walking up the stairs, this shows to the audience that she hasn't got long left and builds the suspense as they know something is going to happen and therefore feel to blame themselves for what is happening as they knew it was going to happen to the character. This is part of codes and conventions of thriller films as without eerie sound the audience wouldn't be filled with tension and sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for something to happen. 

The conventions to the scene  are created by the killer who has a hidden identity by wearing a mask, this is conventional to a thriller as his identity is a mystery and creates a eery atmosphere for the audience, it also makes them feel scared as its a fear of the unknown. The scene is also set at night with eery music throughout, this creates fear amongst the audience as it foreshadows that something bad is going to happen, especially as there is a blonde female victim who is likely to be the victim of the killer. This makes it conventional to a thriller as the victim is relateable to the audience meaning they will be more scared from the film as they would be able to imagine themselves in the characters position, grabbing their attention more. 

The characters in the scene include a killer who is in a Halloween costume which also highlights the fear of the unknown from the unknown identity of the killer, which is conventional to the thriller as it makes the stereotypical oblivious teenagers more vulnerable. This makes the audience feel and predict that something bad is going to happen as someones identity is being disclosed and that makes the audience wonder what that character is trying to hide.

 The editing builds suspense as the timing of shots vary throughout the scene which makes the audience more scared for what is going to happen to the victims as conventionally when the camera shots are slower there isn't any danger but when the shots are quicker it makes the audience's heartbeat faster and makes it harder to make out clearly what is happening in the scene. Throughout the scene you can't notice cuts in the scene and point of view shots are also used, this is conventional to a thriller as it makes the audience feel more involved in what is happening and therefore build a relationship with the characters involved.

The target audience for this clip would be 15 as it doesn't include too much gore but it uses different aspects to build suspense for the audience and keep them fearful for what is happening. The target audience can also be identified by the fact that the two teenagers are the same age as the target audience would be, this would make them feel more involved with what is happening and will be able to relate to what is happening better. The emotions that the audience will be feeling in this scene for the characters will that the audience will be worried for what is going to happen to the characters as during the beginning part of the opening scene it is foreshadowed that something bad is going to happen to the main character as the conventions build the suspense and anticipation for the audience through low key lighting, point of view shots and eery music.

Overall the sequence informs the audience of the conventions of a thriller well as it displays a large amount of the conventional aspects of a thriller scene, these include; a masked killer, low key lighting, eery music, female blonde victim, relate able setting, point of view shots and the fact that the teenagers are alone which makes them vulnerable. All of these aspects help to make the audience feel more involved in what is happening in the scene and make things more relate able for them as they will be able to put themselves in the characters shoes which will make them feel more scared.

This analysis of the scene will help me with my overall planning of my own thriller as it has helped me to understand that i need to include different conventions to a thriller, this is very important as it helps the audience know how to feel at certain points and helps set the atmosphere and scene. I also need to make sure i include a vary of different techniques such as cinematography, sound and editing styles, this will help the audience stay involved and interested in what is happening rather than being bored. This will help make my clip tension packed and making the audience sit on the edge of their seats wanting to know whats going to happen next. The key aspect i need to make as clear and easy to understand as possible is my narrative. Without this being clear my audience will not understand what is happening and loose interest in the rest of the clip, i have learnt this from watching and analyzing scream as it includes a very clear narrative which was portrayed well which has kept me (as the audience) interested with what is happening.

inspirations - miss miller

Inspirations

Throughout the past few weeks i have analysed and discussed different films and their different techniques such as sound, characters, camera angles and mise-en-scene. Many of the different clips i have looked at, have inspired me for ideas for my thriller opening scene. Inspirations are important before creating our ideas for our thriller as it allows us to plan and get other imput from other sucessful thriller films. You can take inspirations from many different films and other media, i have taken my inspirations from different thriller films including: The Woman In Black, Scream 3, The Haunting In Conneticut and Insidious. ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````1` The first clip i analysed that gave me inspiration was the cinematography used in 'The Woman In Black'. The cinematography used in this clip included: point of view, mid shot, establishing shot and close up. The establishing shot really inspired me to use this camera angle in my own idea and clip as it allows the audience to be aware of the surroundings and to have a better idea of what is happening in the clip. It also allows them to build a better relationship with the character as the audience can relate more to the character if they know more about where they are and what is happening. I'm going to use this camera angle to establish my surroundings and characters in my clip this will help in making my narrative more clear and easy to understand. 


The second clip i looked at was focused on the editing styles on the clip Scream 3. The editing styles used in this included jump cuts, reaction shots and various different timing shots. The reaction shot used when the girl realises the killer is behind her inspired me to use this shot in the same sort of way as it helps guide the audience in knowing what to feel and why the character is reacting in that way. I'm going to use this shot using the same idea showing the girls reaction to seeing the killer for the first time so it helps the audience understand the narrative better and why the character is behaving in a certain way.

The third clip i analysed, The Haunting In Conneticut was based on conventions of the thriller genre. The conventions mentioned in this clip were: low key lighting, jerky unsteady camera shots, non diagetic horror sounds, and female victims. In my clip i have made sure I'm going to include a range of conventions such as making sure i have a female (preferably blond) victim, this will show her vunerability to the audience and create suspense and they're waiting for something to happen. I am also going to include non  diagetic horror sounds and low key lighting,  both of these will create suspense for the audience as the horror sounds will emphasise what is happening and shock the audience more, I'm going to include train doors closing, the voice announcing stations and the train rattling. The low key lighting I'm going to use will be present when the train comes out of the station, this will shock the audience as it will contrast the high key lighting used in the previous shot, this will make the audience prepare themselves for something bad to happen as its conventional for dangerous things to occur in the dark, emphasising the fear of the unknown.

The last clip i looked at focused on sound, the clip was from Insidious the sound techniques used included non diagetic and diagetic sounds. I'm going to use a lot of non diagetic sound in my clip which will include the train doors opening and closing, eerie creepy off screen music and the rattling of the train tracks. All of these sounds will be emphasised to make the audience feel more involved with what is happening and help them to guide them how to feel.

All of the clips i have analysed in the past few weeks have given me inspiration on what i am going to include in my opening thriller scene. The techniques i will include will make the audience more involved in the scene and what is happening with the characters, make the plot and narrative more relate able for them and guide the audience in knowing how to feel at a certain time in the scene.

Research into sound - Miss Miller

Research into sound

Sound is one the most important aspects of a thriller film, it helps build tension and keep the audience in suspense. The sound of a thriller goes along side the narrative of the film which manipulates the audience on how to feel whether its to be happy, sad, scared or in suspense in ways in which the actor cannot.

Throughout the clip the non diagetic sound of the constant ringing and murmuring adds suspense for the audience as it keeps them thinking what's going to happen next. This is conventional to a thriller as the eerie, creepy music sets the scene and atmosphere for whats going to happen. By gradually building the tension with one type of sound, this allows another style of music to change the mood afterwards as the audience wouldn't be expecting it therefore creating shock and suspense. At the beginning of the scene when the man is walking down the stairs the atmosphere is created by the creepy non diagetic whistling sound, this puts the audience in suspense as it prepares them for what is going to happen as 'whistling' is conventional to a thriller as it is creepy and suspicious which shows that he is not alone, creating fear of the unknown.

At 0:45 there is a dramatic loud piano sound, this is to show to the audience that something dramatic has happened this helps the audience understand how to feel about what is happening by guiding them with the soundtrack and other sounds that are played. This is conventional to a thriller as it creates a relationship between the audience and character and makes it much more relateable and realistic as it allows the audience to feel the same emotions as the character where they can picture themselves in the same situation, therefore grabbing their attention. At 0:50 the whistling starts again, this prepares the audience for another shock like before when the whistling started and the dramatic piano sound appeared, so the audience will expect to be shocked again.

At 0:59 a non diagetic gunshot is heard, this puts the audience in suspense as it brings the element of danger, this makes the audience fearful for the character as . Later on at 1:20 the gunshot is repeated numerously this indicates more danger and as the man goes to investigate at 1:41 the loud piano sound shows something dramatic has happened and helps the audience how to feel about what is happening.

In my opening scene for my thriller clip i will include dramatic music throughout to build the suspense and keep the audience involved and interested. When something dramatic happens which is key to the clip i will include a loud piano sound which will elaborate how important that particular thing is and will help the audience how to feel and to also build a relationship with the character. I will make sure the soundtrack, diagetic and non diagetic sounds are relevant to my storyline of the clip. I have learned that different sounds can create different moods and feelings for an audience and how it can make twists and plots more dramatic and eery.

Research into the history of thriller films - Miss Georgiou

History of thriller films

The thriller genre usually include main aspects of tension and suspense and try to stimulate their audience to create anxiety, suspense and shock. They are also known to keep their audience in suspense by giving a cliff hanger, unaware of the fate to come. 

1920s/20s

Alfred Hitchcock helped promote the thriller genre and made most impact throughout the UK by introducing a new type of genre. He done this by creating the silent film 'The Lodger' based on Jack the ripper events.

• 1929 Hitchcocks next thriller was called 'blackmail' and was noted to be his and Britains first sound film. The film is about a woman who kills a man when he tries to rape her, it starts Anny Ondra, John Longden and Cyril Ritchard.
• 1928 one of the first spy films was created; 'spies' this projected and portrayed 'James Bond' films of the future.
• 1931 'German film' was created by Fritz Lang, the film was about the serial killer Peter Kurten and his life.

1940s
In the 1940's Hitchcock continued to create thriller films, in this year he produced 'Rebecca' which was oscar winning.

• 1941 'suspicion' is a romantic psychological thriller, this was about a woman who was in danger from her husband. It starred Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine.
• 1943 he released his person favorite 'Shadow of a doubt' which was based upon true events from a 1920s serial killer known as The Merry Widow Murderer. It starred Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotton.
• 1944 George Cukor's psychological mystery thriller 'Gaslight' was released, this was about a man who plotted to make his wife insane to inheret her inheritance. It starred Joseph Cotton, Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman.
• 1946 'The spiral staircase' directed by Robert Siodmak is an american psychological thriller is about a serial killer who murders disabled young women in the community.

1950s

In the 1950s Hitchcock creates more classic films such as 'Strangers on a train' (1951)

• 1954 'Dial M for murder'
• 1954 'Rear window' where a man convinced himself his neighbour was a killer
• 1953 'Niagara' by Henry Hathaway, this started the iconic Marilyn Monroe where she played a woman who plotted to kill her husband
• 1955 'Kiss me deadly' by Robert Aldrichs

1960s
Through the 1960s many more people were making thriller films other than Hitchcock, such as Michael Powell, J.Lee Thompson, Stanley Donens and Roman Polanski.

• 1962 J.Lee Thompson created 'Cape Fear' which featured a menacing character seeking revenge.
• 1965 Polanski's first english film;'Repulsion' where a young woman goes increasingly mad
• 1967 Terrance Young's 'Wait until dark' which was a famous thriller during its release date. It featured a victimised blind woman in her Manhattan apartment and an evil con man in search for drugs.

1970s/80s
There was a violent wave of thrillers in this period. In 1972 Hitchcocks 'Frenzy' was given a rating of R for its explicit context.

• 1971 came a film where an individual became disturbingly obsessed with their idol, this was Clint Eastwoods 'Play misty for me'
• 1980 'Dressed to kill'
• 1981 the assasination thriller 'Blow out' and 'Body double'

1990s/present

• 1992 'The hand that rocked the cradle' by Curtis Hanson is about a nanny who was seeking revenge against her dead husbands patient.
• The famous Jonothan Demme's 'The silence of the lambs' 1991 where a young FBI agent is in a constant psychological war with cannibalistic Hannibal Lector.

During present time, we are brought the best thriller films to date such as: Eden Lake (2008), The last house on the left (2009), Sinister (2013), Hostage (2005). Thriller films have evolved greatly over the past few decades as present audiences expect to see much more frightning and suspense filled films compared to audiences in the 30s and 40s who were naive to thriller films and were much more greatly disturbed and offended by psychological films. Modern day thriller films are much more grewsem, psychological and disturbing such as 'The human centipede' and 'The woman in black' compared to much less full on films such as ones in the 20s and 30s. Researching the history of thriller films will help in my research and thriller clip as i know what to include in my clip and know the standards i have to live up to. It has also taught me how the thriller genre has evolved from the early 20's to the present day.

Hannibal made $58,003,121 and is therefore number one on the box office thriller films. On its opening weekend, this may be because audience's prefer to watch more iconic characters on screen, this is shown in Hannibal as the character Hannibal Lector features in a TV series and is in a iconic 1959 Hannibal film also, which has been remade. This may have drawn viewers from the original to this one as the original was a massive success and therefore automatically has a high expectations. The cell is 10th on the box office list and made $17,515,050 on its first day, the reason why the public may not have enjoyed this film as much as Hannibal is because, The Cell may not appeal to the target audience as much as they may not enjoy action thrillers as much as scary psychological thrillers such as hannibal. Also The Cell doesn't have many well known actors in unlike Hannibal which has Anthony Hopkins in who is a well respected actor and therefore any fans of his will appreciate and go and see films he is in, but with The Cell, there aren't any well known actors which may not appeal to audiences as much. 

Individual ideas for a narrative - Miss Georgiou

Individual ideas

Inspiration from other films:

• Insidious: 'the Further' the idea of a sinister limbo area where characters become stuck in. I would want to include this as it is a sinister idea and therefore make the audience feel more scared and therefore indulged and intrigued in whats happening in the scene.
• nightmare on elm street: where the victim is accessible through their dreams/sleeping. This would be a good idea to use as it would relate to all my audience's as its a relate able idea. This idea would include that when characters fell asleep they would be a victim of a killer, through their sleep. This would grab the audience's attention as it is not a common idea for a thriller and therefore shock and surprise the audience.
• haunting in Connecticut: a realistic horrific storyline that links to the history of the house and has terrifying affects to the next owners. The audience would be able to relate to this well as they would be able to picture themselves in the characters position and therefore create a relationship with the character also.
• the woman in black: the use of low key lighting to build suspense for the audience in a old fashioned style (Victorian) haunted house. This would intrigue the audience as its set in a different time period to the present and therefore make the storyline more interesting.
• Friday 13th : masked/hidden identity of the killer this will create suspense and tension for the audience as its a hidden identity and therefore fear of the unknown creating a mystery, it will therefore make the audience want to carry on watching the clip to find out what happens and who is the killer.
• insidious: disturbing music which doesn't fit the scene to create suspense for the audience as it portrays that something is going to shock and surprise them.
• the sixth sense: where the main part of the storyline is revealed at the end to shock the audience

Narrative idea:  point of view of the victims as it will make the audience feel more involved with what is happening and therefore build more suspense.

Opening sequence: unsteady short camera camera shots with the sound of a heartbeat and uncomfortable/disturbing noises (insidious).

Characters: a young girl and her house mates who recently moved in, killer is unknown.

Conventions: blond female victim, killers hidden identity, disturbing music

Mes-En-Scene: (low key lighting) in a haunted house (the woman in black) 

Plot: killer can only access and hurt the victim through her dreams (the nightmare on elm street) but the victim doesn't realise its not just a dream and why the killer is after her until the end 

Target audience: my target audience will be 15 as it doesn't limit the amount of people who can watch the film too much but still allows me to make the film scary.

research into conventions of the thriller genre - Miss Miller

Conventions of the thriller genre

Conventions of a specific genre are very important as they are aspects of a film you would expect to see when watching a film. These help set the mood, setting and feeling of the scene as they help create suspense and keep the audience on their feet. The main conventions of a thriller film are: low key lighting, point of view shot, close ups, female blond victim, chase scenes, killers hidden identity, scary diagetic/non diagetic music and handheld shots. The iconography used in films is also very important such as knifes, guns and weapons. These all help to create a suspense filled thriller film that keeps the audience wondering whats going to happen next.

Low key lighting is used throughout the clip, you can see this right from the beginning until the end with flashes of light occasionally. This helps build suspense for the audience as there is the fear of the unknown as they can't see clearly what is happening which adds an element of danger. This is conventional to a thriller as danger is associated with the dark and therefore brings the feeling of danger into the scene. This helps build a relationship with the characters as the audience will be able to imagine themselves in the same situation and therefore feel more involved in whats happening, at this point there will be a lot of close up shots showing the characters emotions. This will also make the audience feel more involved with whats happening and build a relationship with the characters as they will be guided to feel the same emotions.

There are a lot of jump cuts used and jerky unsteady camera shots used during the clip, they're mostly used at the beginning and then occasionally throughout. This creates a feeling of uncertainty for the audience as the clips change a lot, also they don't have a clear view of what is happening so it keeps them prepared to be shocked as they don't know what they'll see next or happen next. This is conventional to a thriller as it impresses the audience by keeping them on the edge of their seat in suspense and terror, it also creates suspense and tension as it is clear something bad is going to happen as the character would be running away from danger shown by the unsteady shots. This will create a relationship with the audience as they would be able to relate to what they are doing in the scene as the audience would feel like the characters are venerable and therefore care for what they are doing.

Non diagetic horror sounds are present throughout the clip, this adds emphasis to what is happening by the disturbing noises corresponding with the clip. If there was no non diagetic sound in this scene, it would be very boring and un-gripping for the audience to watch as it would make whats happening not very scary at all. This is conventional to a thriller as the sound builds up the suspense as the repetitive noises make it sound like something is going to shock you.


In my own thriller clip i will make sure that i take into consideration all of the conventions associated with thriller films as i want my audience to enjoy the film as much as possible and not be bored. I will include a lot of non diagetic sound as i think it is a key element of grabbing the audiences attention and to keep the suspense high. I will make sure i use the appropriate conventions where i want it to have a specific effect on the audience.