Audience expectations from thrillers
To find out what audience's expectations of thrillers are I decided to conduct a questionnaire. This way I'd be able to get straight answers from the audience and be able to understand what it is that they expect from a thriller. This was my questionnaire:

1. What is the last thriller you watched?
2. Why did you decide to watch this film?
3. What scared you about the film? Was there any particular moments that you found particularly scary?
4. What emotions did you feel when watching the film?
5. Was the thriller conventional or did something happen to make it a bit different?
6. Did the thriller fit into any of the following sub-genres?

• Psychological thriller 
• Political thriller
• Action thriller
• Crime thriller
• Romantic thriller

7. How did you feel after watching the film?

Conventions of a thriller
These days most thrillers are hybrids and have more than one obvious convention. However, there is a pattern that all thrillers follow to ensure that it is categorised in the genre of thriller.

• The narrative sets around the antagonist disturbing the equilibrium e.g a theft or robbery
• The protagonist is usually an every day person that is thrown into the situation, yet deals with it all considerably well.
• The protagonist will be seen in peril on numerous occasions before there is any resolution
• Themes of identity and who they are as a person come into question
• Usually violence through either physical means or psychological means
• Mirrors and low lighting are common to create a sense of mystery and unawareness
• The protagonist usually has a major flaw or weakness that the antagonist picks up on, and throughout the duration of the film the protagonist will have to overcome this.

History of Thriller
The term thriller is described as a genre which is used in literature, film and television to evoke suspsense, excitement and tension. In the genre of thriller there are many sub-genre's that film can be classified under, for instance; Pyscological thriller or political thriller. There are many iconic film directors that are famous for their successful achievements in thriller films, for example Steven Speilberf. However, Alfred Hitchcock begun the phenomena in the late 1920's, with successes like 'The Lodger' and 'Vertigo'.

Thrillers are often easily confused with horror's as they both evoke the same emotions; fear, nervousness and panic. A typical thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat and continuously guessing the plot line, while constantly shocking you. However a horror is more focused on scaring you and having gruesome special effects and blood.

Thrillers are a very popular and broad genre of film. They contain many different sub-genres that make them so widespread and easily assessible for an audience. Thrillers tend to be rated at 12 or above as some scenes may be too distressful for a younger audience.

Youtube documentaries/programmes which give an insight into thriller

Both of these videos give a clear underlining as to what a thriller involves, what it can connote and what different types of thrillers they are. They have educated me a lot on thrillers and have helped me solidify my knowledge.

Still Frame Analysis








The still frame i have chosen to study is from the critically acclaimed thriller film 'Inception', directed by Christopher Nolan. There is a lot to say about this particular still frame, our protagonist is standing directly in the middle of the frame. He immediately gains our attention and this is what the audience's primary focus is on. Furthermore, he has his back to us and we mainly see a sillheoutte of him, rather than an actual clear shot. This already creates tension and mystery, and makes him contrast considerably against the bright background. This could connote that perhaps he is going through a dark period or that he in fact has a deep, dark secret or something to hide from the audience and that he is now stepping into the light or being called upon for it.

Moreover, we can briefly make out water streaming in through the windows in the very front of the picture. This can be seen as both ominous and foreshadowing. Water can symbolise purity and being woken up, as in many films people have been rudely awaken by cold water. This co-incides with the scene actually being acted out, as once Leonardo Dicaprio's character has been found out to be in the world of the dream, he falls back into the bath-tub to wake him up, hence why the water surrounds him.

In addition to this, the staircase is also in shadows as well, this contrasts with the brightness of the water which again makes it stand out considerably and suggests what is important in this still frame. Also, the stance Leonardo DiCaprio's character has suggests a lot about his character, he is standing with his legs apart and from his body language we can deduce that he is quite a strong and powerful character that has a lot of authority. However, the fact he has cupped hands shows a slight vulnerablity and perhaps wasn't expecting what has happened to have occured.  

Font Analysis
Thriller font are typically meant to be spooky and ominous. This is to let the audience already have a eerie feeling when looking at the title. The title font can affect the whole feel of a movie poster, therefore by deciding what text you have can immediately decide the genre of your film.



Psycho

The font used on this movie poster is typical of the thriller genre. The title of the film is in bold and capitalised, immediately standing out to the audience. It has the expected font, an effect that gives it a slight mystery. The cracks in the 'c' of psycho could represent cracks and instability throughout the film. Also there's a huge line going through the title. This could also symbolise instability but as the title is 'Pyscho' something that usually refers to someone losing their mind or having two sides to them; a split personality. The line could represent the two different sides of the antagonist, already creating tension and mystery for the audience. The font colour of yellow co-incides with a colour theme as the woman has a yellow filter over her photo. But yellow usually represents light and hope so is therefore breaking stereotypes and conventions of having at typically dark title.

Furthermore, the font of the actors is different to the main title. This is so the title stands out more. The text is typically thriller-like having elongated letters and skinny text.

Jaws
Jaws also coincides with typically thriller font as it again is in capitals, immediately drawing the audience straight to the title. Moreover, the font is in bright red, red already symbolises blood and death, already foreshadowing the chain of events that are about to unfold. Furthermore, the font has both sharp and rounded edges. The sharp edges could symbolise the sharp teeth of 'Jaws', representing the danger and scariness of the shark. The rounded edges on the 'J' could represent the dorsal fin of the shark that appears on top of the water surface.

Certificate Ratings - BFFC Research
The BFFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification, and their job is to go through a screening process of a film about to be released and make sure what certificate rating is suitable for the content of the film. All films have to go through this procedure; it's mandatory. The BBFC base their decision on 6 main factors:

Innuendos

Mild Language 

Sexual References 

Nudity 

Violent Scenes

Drug use

However this is only a brief insight of what the BBFC have to study and analyse in order to provide a suitable certificate rating. A recent example of a thriller action adventure that had to have it's rating changed is 'The Hunger Games'. The film's content meant that it should have been rated as a '15' due to the violence and distressing scenes. However, the director knew the franchise would have lost it's entire demographic audience by having such a high certificate rating. So the film production team decided to cut out the violent scenes in order to bring the rating down to a 12A.

These are the certificate ratings currently given to films by the BFFC in the United Kingdom at the moment.

Iconic sounds connected with the genre
Over the years many different sounds have become associated with the genre of thriller as they are frequently used in different thriller films, for instance many iconic sounds are:

• The sound of footsteps getting louder as the antagonist gets closer
• Creaking doors
• Crows are often used as they are seen as a death omen, usually foreshadowing the chain of events that is going to happen
• Orchestral music is also used a lot as the calm sounds contrast with whatever is happening on screen. Making the film have a more eerie and ominous vibe.

After some clever films and carefully crafted musical pieces the music that plays have become iconic and people immediately recognise it with the film it came from. For instance in Jaws, John Williams' infamous piece played during the sharks appearance is immediately associated with sharks now.

DVD or poster analysis

Research into typical synopsis
Many thriller films follow quite a simple narrative structure. This structure usually involves the protagonist facing conflict from outside forces which puts the protagonists fatal flaw or weakness on show for the audience to see. The protagonists tend to be an average, every day citizen, this is so that the audience are able to relate or have something in common with the main character. The protagonist is then put in a difficult situation that they are not accustomed to. For example; Alfred Hitchcock's usually places an innocent citizen into a strange or life threatening situation, whether it be a mistaken identity or wrongful accusation. An example of this is his film "The Lodger: A Story of The London Fog" where the main character is wrongly accused as being  a 'Jack the Ripper' type serial killer.

In most thriller films the puzzle aspect of the plot is usually emphasised quite a lot. The is so that the audience are given clues during the film to enigmas which have been raised that the protagonist may be missing and try to unravel the mystery before they do. In a typical, conventional thriller, the protagonist typically has to stop the plans of the antagonist.committed. It is often that in thriller films the film is not focused on who committed the crime, instead it's focused on the protagonist trying to stop the antagonist committing another crime and to bring them to some form of justice.

Iconic Thriller Directors
There are three particular directors that are at iconic in the field of thriller films, they are all well known and have made a significant impact on the thriller genre, inspiring many other directors to follow in their footsteps.

Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock was a British film producer who specialised in the thriller film genre, especially psychological thrillers. He was first well known for his silent movies in Britain, but then moved to America and became well known for his other talents. He had a recognisable style that made him stand out from the crowd. He used spirals to 'mimic' the actors gaze and also had a strange fascination with skinny, blonde women and used them frequently in his films. His first film was 'The Lodger', it was made in 1926 and was critically acclaimed.  A number of his films have twisted endings through the use of violence, sexual undertones, crime and murder, this is to exemplify psychological themes in his characters. He is probably best known for directing 'Vertigo' and 'Pyscho' 

Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino is an extremely well known director, however he is mainly known for his thriller films. He is most famous for; Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, both of these films are based on criminals, This is because his favourite sub-genre is 'Crime Thriller's which is why so many of his films are focused on that hybrid genre. Quentin Tarantino is also famous for his radical twists and plot endings that surprise and captivate the audience. His most recent success is 'Inglorious Basterds' which was an award-winning film that did what he's best known for; standing out of the crowd and shocking the audience.


Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan is the most recent iconic film director, his most famous projects have been The Dark Knight and Inception. Both of which fall under the sub-genre of 'action thrillers'. He often works alongside his brother and wife; both of whom work in the film industry, together they brainstorm ideas and help plan out his ideas. Nolan single handedly rebooted the 'Batman' franchise, he also spent ten years writing the worldwide phenomenon 'Inception'.

Thriller title sequence analysis
Se7en
Who is being represented in the opening scene? How are they represented? Is it positive or negative? In the opening scene both main protagonists are being represented, and also the first victim of the  film. Morgan Freeman's character is almost seen to be as very independent and official. In his house he wakes up alone and during the investigation you see him walk down the corridor alone, thus indicating he doesn't work well with partner's or other people. This is when Brad Pitt's character arrives and you can immediately tell he is less official and somewhat inferior to the other protagonist. He doesn't follow by the book and is slightly less mature. The two character's then exchange their first brief encounter before we are shown that Freeman's character is going to bed alone, again connoting his independence but also loneliness. The titles then give the audience a brief idea of what goes through the antagonists mind and what sort of person we're dealing with.

What do the titles for each opening look like? Do they symbolise the thriller genre?
The titles for Se7en definitely portray the opening as being a thriller as we get brief flickerings, quick transitions and close up shots of what the antagonist is doing. The opening is very sinister and eerie, again symbolising the genre of a thriller. The text font flickers on and off with each credit in an odd font, almost child-like and unofficial, which again gives off this strange and unpleasant vibe, already putting you on edge.

Analyse the camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene. How do these technical areas make you aware that this is the thriller genre?
Camera is used in a particular manner to make you aware of the genre. For instance; during the opening credits, most of the shots are extreme close ups. This is extremely disorientating for the audience as we try to understand what sort of character this antagonist is. Furthermore, the close ups of his hands are also extremely frustrating as we already want to know who this person is, why they're acting so oddly, and what they presumably want from our protagonists.

Sound is used in a similar manner as camera to make the audience aware that this film is classified as a thriller as it puts you on edge. The music playing during the titles are very uncomfortable to listen to to, rather than having a song playing during the opening 'Se7en' uses almost robotic sounding noises. Sharp metallic bangs and squeaks, making the audience already curious as to what is going on and what whoever is making these noises is doing. Furthermore, the further along we get into the credits the louder and less subtle the music gets. It turns more into a song, very detective and crime like as the flickers we see get less ominous and more obvious that this is all to do with some sort of crime.

The editing of the opening credits make us aware of the genre as they're very creepy and ominous, giving off a bad vibe from the get go. The editing is also very fast and jumpy, each shot changing to the next at an abnormal pace. The whole opening is very ambiguous, the shots showing that the antagonist is clearly creating or editing something at his own accord, but the audience do not know what this is, and at the current time neither do the main characters. However, the opening credits aren't shown in the first two minutes, this is a clever example of editing as the director clearly chose to give an establishing scene at the beginning of the two character's being detectives. To show the title of the film in the before or in the middle of their investigation would not have made sense, therefore the title's only get shown after both the character's and the audience get an understanding of this new investigation.

Mise-en-scene is also used deliberately to show the genre of a thriller as the costume's of the man we can see during the opening is very typical of what you'd expect of the antagonist. His hands are grimey and dirty, already insinuating what type of character he is. Furthermore the props used also show it's a thriller for example the old books and highlighted sections already lets the audience infer this is a thriller.

Does the narrative in the opening correspond to the conventions of a thriller film? How?
The narrative does follow the conventions of a thriller film as after the production company and director's name, the credits go in order of the main characters in the film. The opening also creates tension and an air of mystery that leaves the audience wanting more; a typical convention of a thriller. Therefore the opening does correspond to the conventions of a thriller. However it defies the convention as halfway through the title sequence the title 'Se7en' flickers on screen for less than a second, this is unconventional of a thriller opening sequence as the title is never usually displayed in the middle of the opening.

Which production company was the film made by? How might this affect film content?
New Line Cinema produced the film. This might affect film content as the production company have a particular interest in independent films, however since merging with Warner Bros this has altered film content drastically.

What do you think might happen in the rest of the film? Give a brief suggestion of the narrative
I think that the investigation will continue to unfold and get more complex. The two main protagonists may have to deal with many issues and i think it's fair to say that things may happen that may question them as people and affect the decisions they make. Furthermore, obviously the title of the film comes into play. 'Seven' clearly stands for something, so what it does stand for will become clear as the film goes on and the two detectives unravel the case.

Title timeline
00:03 - 00:05 - New Line Cinema presents
00:06 - 00:08 - An Arnold Kopelson production
00:10 - 00:12 - A film by David Fincher
00:14 - 00:16 - Brad Pitt
00:17 - 00:19 - Morgan Freeman
00:23 - 00:28 - Se7en
00:29 - 00:32 - Gwyneth Paltrow
00:33 - 00:35 - Richard Roundtree
00:38 - 00:40 - R. Lee Ermey
00:42 - 00:43 - John C McGinley
00:46 - 00:49 - Julie Araskog
                         Mark Boone Junior
00:53 - 00:56 - John Cassini
                         Reginald E Cathey
                         Peter Crombie
00:57 - 01:00 - Hawthorne James
                         Michael Massee
                         Leland Orser
01:04 - 01:06 - Richard Partnow
                         Richard Schiff
                         Pamola Tyson
01:09 - 01:13 - Casting by Billy Hopkins
                         Suzanne Smith
                         Kerry Borden
01:15 - 01:18 - Music by Howard Shore
01:20 - 01:23 - Costumes designed by Michael Kaplan
01:24 - 01:25 - Edited by Richard Francis Bruce
01:26 - 01:28 - Production designed by Arthur Max
01:34 - 01:36 - Director of photography Darius Khondji
01:39 - 01:41 - Co-producers Stephen Brown
                         Nona Greenwald
                         Sanford Panitch
01:43 - 01:46 - Co-executive producers Lynn Harris
                         Richard Staperstain
01:49 - 01:52 - Executive producers Gianni Nunnari
                         Dan Kolsrud
                         Anne Kopleson
01:53 - 01:55 - Written by Andrew Kevin Walker
01:57 - 01:57 - Se7en
01:58 - 02:01 - Produced by Arnold Kopelson
                         Phyllis Carlyle
02:04 - 02:08 - Directed by David Fincher

Thriller title sequence analysis
Jaws

Who is being represented in the opening scene? How are they represented? Is it positive or negative?
Oddly enough in the opening scene we are seeing from the antagonists point of view; the shark. It's being represented in a negative way, this is due to the infamous background music being sinister and the way in which the camera moves makes the shark appear to be sly; stalking it's prey. Lurking throughout the ocean depths as the title credits appear on screen.


What do the titles for each opening look like? Do they symbolise the thriller genre?
This does not fit the stereotype of a thriller as we don't usually get to see from a character's perspective. Especially not that of the antagonists. This subverts the stereotype as we get an underwater point of view; the view the shark would get.


Analyse the camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene. How do these technical areas make you aware that this is the thriller genre?
Camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene are all used carefully to make the audience aware that the film is in fact the genre of thriller. The use of camera angles helps the audience recognise that the film is in fact of the thriller genre as we get a point of view shot from the antagonist. By using this camera angle the audience can see from the shark's point of view, the way it's stalking and lurking in the water. This connotes that is in fact of the thriller genre. Mise en scene is used to help create tension and represent the genre as thriller, John William's infamous music, is playing while the shark is underneath the water and the titles flash on screen. The music turns what could be something innocently swimming into a ravenous predator that's stalking it's prey. Editing is further used so the opening titles co-inside with the music, flashing on screen when the score hits a louder climax.


Does the narrative in the opening correspond to the conventions of a thriller film? How?
The narrative opening corresponds to the thriller genre, as it stereotypically shows the main actors name's first, then the co-stars and finally ending with the director, thus fitting the conventional opening of a thriller. However, as previously said it subverts a thriller opening as we get to see from the antagonist's point of view for the opening, something that hadn't been done before.


Which production company was the film made by? How might this affect film content?
Zanuck/Brown were the production company. This could affect film content as they would have had very specific ideas about how they wish the film to be portrayed. For instance one of the possible director's John Sturgers got dropped from the job as he kept describing the shark as a 'whale', which the producers were unhappy about.


What do you think might happen in the rest of the film? Give a brief suggestion of the narrative
I think the film will further develop into a cat and mouse chase. The shark will continue causing havoc on the small town thus resulting in people having to hunt the shark down. However, i believe the shark is probably smarter than it looks and instead of the humans hunting the shark, the shark will hunt them.


Title time line
00:31 - 00:35 - A Zanuck/Brown Production
00:38 - 00:44 - Roy Scheider
                        Robert Shaw
                        Richard Dreyfuss
00:49 - 00:53 - 'Jaws'
00:55 - 00:58 - Co-starring Lorraine Gray
00:59 - 01:05 - Murray Hamilton
                         Carl Gottlieb
                         Jeffrey C. Kramer
                         Susan Backlinie
01:05 - 01:08 - Music by John Williams
01:11 - 01:13 - Film Editor Verna Fields
01:25 - 01:29 - Director of Photography Bill Butler
01:31 - 01:36 - Screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb
                         Based upon the novel by Peter Benchley
01:38 - 01:42 - Produced by Robert D. Zanuck and David Brown
01:46 - 01:50 - Directed by Steven Spielberg

Thriller title sequence analysis
Vertigo

Who is being represented in the opening scene? How are they represented? Is it positive or negative?

In this opening sequence a woman is being represented in a negative manner. The sequence stars by showing the woman to the audience before zooming in on her face to see her gulp briefly before teh camera zooms in further for an extreme  close up of her eyes. It is here we seeher look frantically from side to side, as if anxious or worried. This then moves into another extreme close up, this time of just her right eye and as we zoom into the pupil she widen's her eyes dramatically, giving us a somewhat terrified expression. Therefore it is connoted that the woman is clearly scared on edge about something.

What do the titles for each opening look like? Do they symoblise the thriller genre?
Vertigo does represent the thriller genre as it follows many stereotypes linked with that genre. The typical on edge and tension building music creates a certain anxiousness in the audience. The whole scene is also very standard for thrillers, it shows a person already vulnerable from whatever is occuring, in this case the woman being shown in the opening sequence.

Analyse the camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene. How do these technical areas make you aware that this is the thriller genre?
Camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene are all used in different ways to make the audience aware of the genre of the film. For instance in this case, the camera is used deliberately to only focus on certain areas; the eyes, as they show the most emotion out of all our facial features. the ccamera shots play on this by using extreme close ups, making the almost almost uncomfortable at how closely we can see the woman. The camera pan up her face is used deliberately to create tension. The camera only moves up her face when we see her gulp, obviously something a human would do when nervous or scared. It then moves up to focus on her eyes.

Sound is also used deliberately to fit the genre of a thriller. The background music is the typical, slow and unsettling, creepy music that builds tension. Thus connoting already what stereotype the film will fit. The music is used carefully with both editing and camera shots to make sure the big dramatic point of the piece of music coincides with the widening of the woman's eyes. The music then slowly fades out as the other credits appear on screen, such as the co-stars.

Mise-en-scene is also used to fit the stereotype. There's no specific location however, behind the woman is what appears to be a black back drop. This fits the stereotype of a thriller as it makes it seem dark and scary.  We don't see costumes as we only see close ups of the woman. However make up is minimal but the lighting has been used in such a way that she gets lots of shadows on the right side of her face. This could play on the idea that she has inner turmoils and is torn, not knowing what to believe. In addition to this, the camera further zooms into the right eye, the side of her face that has more dark shadows. This could connote that the film is dark, and even though she feels torn over what to believe that she is right about it being dark and twisted.

Does the narrative in the opening correspond to the conventions of a thriller film? How?
The narrative does follow the conventions of a thriller. It's kept us very out of the loop but has shown us enough to intrigue us and make us wonder what is actually happening. It's also shown someone vulnerable in the opening scene, something typical of the thriller genre.

Which production company was the film made by? How might this affect film content?
The production company was Paramount, and they could affect film content as being a more well known production company they might not want too many 'inappropriate' scenes as it could upset viewers and bring down their credible reputation.

What do you think might happen in the rest of the film? Give a brief suggestion of the narrative
From the opening scene I think that it's safe to say something dark and suspicious is going on. And that someone is going to catch on as to what's been happening, whether it's the woman in the title sequence or not. This will then create drama and tension as we begin to unravel the mystery. The title itself uses a word that means 'a sensation of whirling and loss of balance.' The idea of 'whirling' is played upon towards the end of the sequence when a whirling object appears out of the woman's eye and then as the rest of the credits appear on screen more of these 'whirls' are on display. So the title does have some sort of relation to what the film we be about. The idea of loss of balance could play an important role, making the audience already feel unreasy.

Title timeline
00.25 - 00:28 - James Stewart
00:36 - 00:40 - Kim Novak
00:45 - 00:49 - 'In Alfred Hitchcock's'
00:56 - 01:02 - Vertigo
01:10 - 01:22 - Co-starring:
                        Barbara Bel Geddes
                        With Tom Helmore
                        Henry Jones
                        Raymond Bailey
                        Ellen Corby
                        Konstantin Shayne
                        Lee Patrick
01:25 - 01:33 - Screenplay by Alec Coppel & Samuel Taylor
                        Based upon the novel "D'entre les morts" by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac
01:35 - 01:44 - Director of photography Robert Burks, A.S.C
                        Technicolour - technicolour color consultant Richard Mueller
01:45 - 01:57 - Art direction Hal Periera & Henry Bumstead
                        Special Photogrraphic effects John P.Fulton, A.S.C
                        Process photography
                        Farciot Edouart, A.S.C & Wallace Kelley, A.S.C
                        Set decoration Sam Comer & Frank McKelvy
                        Titles designed by Saul Bass
02:02 - 02:15 - Edited by George Tomasini, A.C.E
                        Assistant Director Daniel McCauley
                        Makeup supervision Wally Westmore, S.M,A
                        Hair style supervision Nellie Manley, C.H.S
                        Sound recording by Harold Lewis & Winston Leverett
02:18 - 02:24 - Costumes Edith Head
                        Special sequence by John Ferren
02:26 - 02:31 - Music by Bernard Herrmann
02:32 - 02:36 - Conducted by Muir Mathieson
02:38 - 02:43 - Associate producer Herbert Coleman
02.49 - 02:58 - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock