Stephen- Evaluation Question 1

 How our thriller opening develops upon or challenges the typical conventions of produced thriller films

Mise-en-scene

In all films Mise-en-scene is important; the different elements of it give a vital and subtle way of showing what the film is like.

Colour and Lighting

For example, looking back at the Bourne Ultimatum every colour is rather dark; giving a simple dark outlook of the film. It's shrouded, it's full of mystery; it follow a typical thriller convention. Darkness is a simple aspect of Mise-en-scene which results in a very powerful message.

Darkness; the city is shrouded in it

Our film followed that convention for the very dark and twisted scene; the colour reflects it perfectly. The darkness hides the torture that is occurring, how Susan is left in the darkness so no one can find her, and yet, when it turns bright when the Assailant walks in to the room, it is as if the Assailant wants to be seen beating the young woman. The audience has been left with more questions than answers, perfect for an opening- and perfect for a thriller.

Evil lurks in the shrouded darkness, or does it lurk in the light?

Additionally, the colour of our flash-back scenes drastically changed to a grey-scale to give more emphasis of it being in the past; this was done to make a seamless transition from present to past. Moreover, the shots show that Geoff can't think clearly, how his memories are fading due to the tragedy that has occurred to him. The grey-scale breaks conventional thrillers; where the colours would typically be black as opposed to grey, however the black would remove most significant details from the sequence.

Costume, Hair and Make-up

Each of these aspects are vital in showing what characters are like; if their hair is tidy we know they are a tidy person. In thrillers, costumes will typically be dark and will be un-revealing, keeping the characters hidden.

Looking back at the Brighton Rock analyses, found here, you can see that their costumes are dark and cover-some; we get the feeling of shrouded mystery from this. Brighton Rock clearly follows thriller conventions.

For our film, we also showed thriller conventions in the costumes for the Assailant and Geoff. Both wore dark suits; each meaning they are hiding something- though one being more sinister than the other.  Additionally, their hairs are equal too- both somewhat messy. This is done for Geoff to show how upset he is and how disturbed he is about what has happened. For the Assailant, it is simply to make him seem more crazy. Both of these things are conventional in the thriller genre. 

The Assailant, dark coat with a scarf,
clearly ready to be in the cold

Geoff- dark suit, showing his profession

However, Susan's character breaks typical thriller convention. She is wearing a light jogging outfit with a pink top. This shows that she was clearly un-prepared to be attacked, and had no idea anyone was after her. It shows how innocent her character is. Additionally, with her hair being tied in a pony-tail, it further shows her innocence as a character- she isn't trying to be seductive, or a killer, she's simply a jogger.

There is very little make-up in the opening; this is to give the illusion of normality, where nobody has to get specifically dolled up and looking pretty. This has also somewhat broken thriller convention, as most thrillers desire to have some eye-candy to shock the viewer when they die- this can be just as effective with an innocent young woman. Where we did use make-up it was for the Assailants scar, which will later be used to prove a man's innocence in the storyline. 

Rachel, the enigmatic character we see, has very little known about her in the shot. All we see are her jeans, showing her as a non-avid jogger, the contrast to Susan, and her jogging shoes. The shoes are important; the red signify the danger of the character (And also desire) and the black shoes the darkness that surrounds her. 

Brief shot of Rachel

Props

In thrillers props are often composed of deadly materials; guns, knives- those sorts of things. They are used to create fear upon the audience, and to give a look at what kind of killer they are. Props like this are used conventionally in thriller films. Such as the Usual Suspects, they use a prop gun in a way to incite fear and shock upon the audience- the bullet sounds are rather loud.

Another case of a weapon being the main prop is in Brighton Rock, where they use switchblades- something anyone can conceal easily (Making you more afraid in real life than when you watch the film)

For our thriller, we wanted something less dangerous as a primary prop- something to show loving, something that people will relate to easily. Super 8 had a good prop; a mothers locket, it shows how much the son cared for his mother, and vice-versa, creating an emotional bond with them and the audience.

So, we ended up with a rose- not conventional to thrillers but definitely to romances. We wanted to show how close these two characters were (are), and in doing so we created an emotional bond. This will be something that the audience will not want to see broken; and if it does get broken they will be shocked- the purpose of thrillers.

Narration:

A films narration gives a vital look into the films plot and storyline. There are three types of narration, and they all work effectively for the thriller genre. Subjective narration gives an almost point-of-view look at the plot; we only know what the protagonist(s) know(s) and they talk us through it. Subjective narration will feature shock factors surprising the audience as they do not know what will come next. The same can be said for restricted narration; where some parts of the plot will not be seen giving the audience intrigue. The opposite is unrestricted narration. This is where we get am omniscient view upon the plot. We know what is going to happen before the characters do, causing a suspenseful ambience, causing us to wonder when a confrontation or disruption will occur. 

In most thriller films I have looked at I have noticed them  being told in restricted narration. A prime example would be 'The Usual Suspects' where we don't fully understand what is being done in the opening except that there's a killer and several dead people. This inadvertently creates suspense for the rest of the film; we are left wondering- questioning- what happened at the opening. More can be read about the opening here

A dead body surrounded by fire! Enigmatic and enthralling; we need to know more!

Our thriller opening was also done in a restricted narration; the most prominent example being the character Rachel. She is a major plot point later in the story; but the one shot that she's in doesn't fully show her. This is done simply to create an enigma- the audience are left wondering who this character is, and why they don't see her again.

The brief shot of Rachel

However, our film also broke a convention of sticking to one narrative; to give the story more of a sinister ambience we show a few unrestricted narrative scenes. In the below shot the audience are left surprised and shocked at the appearance of 'the assailant,' both emotions vital for a good thriller film, and something that all thrillers abide by. In this shot we hoped to shock the audience; making it feel as if they weren't the only omniscient beings at that time- that 'the assailant' will always be watching you.