Thriller Film Opening Analysis

Enemy of the State Opening Scene.

The opening scene to the film 'Enemy of the State' is a typical conspiracy/political thriller.

The opening includes the different forms and conventions that makes it a typical thriller. 

The iconography of the murder weapon used in this opening scene is unusual for some thrillers because it  is a needle rather than a gun or a knife. However, the suits are typical thriller iconography because it shows power and authority which belongs in a political thriller. 

The characters are typically male between the age of 30-40 which is typical for thrillers to feature more mature men. They come across in typical thriller fashion as cold, heartless, ruthless and very professional as they kill the victim, set up the murder to look like suicide and callously disposing of the body, showing no emotion. Thriller characters like these are always calm and heartless as they go about their business in a cool, controlled manner. The ‘innocent victim’ (stereotypical thriller character) is a man who we would sympathize with because he has a dog and just wants to get on with his day like any one of the audience would like to do if put in that situation. He is a politician who has ‘principles’ and resists corruption – hence we know that he is in danger, because in thrillers the ‘good guys’ are always at risk

The narrative is also typical of a conspiracy/political thriller as it involves corrupt government officials who plan on getting what they want. Their plans go wrong, however, they don't get what they want and so they have to get rid of the main person who stands in their way. The setting of the opening has been placed in a lake, it is a fairly isolated area where not many people go which makes the character vulnerable. Dramatic irony is used as part of the build up of suspense because we realise that the character is being set up to be murdered before he does.

The typical thriller themes of corruption, greed and a conspiracy to cover up a crime are also introduced in this opening sequence.

As regards the audio-visual style, the music is low and ominous all the way through and is used to build up the tension so the audience knows something bad is going to happen. The colours used are also rather ‘dull’, restricted to cold blues and greys, giving the serious feel that thrillers need.

Analysis of 'The Crazies' Poster

The background is dark except for a few lights this indicates a lot of low-key lighting in the film. The background also includes what looks to be a hospital which gives us the hint of the setting; this also gives us the hint that a character has something to do with the hospital which is normal for thrillers to be the innocent victim.

The iconography of this film is different to most thrillers because normally they are guns this time it is a pitch fork which is used to pick up/throw loose material. But in this case it is dripping with blood which indicates it as the murder weapon.

Neighbours are normally the characters that get pulled into the mess so by saying ‘Fear Thy Neighbour’ is giving you the hint that maybe this time the neighbours are part of the problem. This is unusual for thrillers. ‘The Crazies’ is written in red because the colour red can suggest danger or blood.

Analysis of 'Underworld' poster

There is a lot of low-key emphasis the lighting which could suggest that the film will be mostly in dark settings, this will represent the audio-visual style through the film. The rain in this poster gives the impression that it is dull and dreary. All of these elements are typical of the thriller genre. 

The moon in the background could be hinting that the narrative could be related to the moon; something supernatural. The guns are an obvious part of the iconography to make it a thriller because it shows power and it gives us straight away that there will be violence. 

The background as well gives us the idea that it is a typical thriller because of the urban city and the run down area. 

This character is unusual for thrillers because normally women are the innocent victims. But this woman is just as serious as any other person would be in a thriller, and she shows that she is fierce by being all dressed in black. The low-angle makes her look more dramatic in a typical thriller fashion.

 

The theme of this film may include something dark/evil because of the colours used in the poster.

The Forms and Conventions of Thrillers

The forms and conventions of thrillers are divided into 5 different groupes, these are:

1. Characters
2. Narrative
3. Themes
4. Iconography
5. Audio Visual Style

Characters:
There are all different types of characters for the different sub genres, however, most thrillers always include: corrupt cops/politicians, hit men, psychotic maniacs, but most thrillers always have an innocent victim who has to learn how to fight in order to survive what is happening. Such as in 'The Resident,' the young Juliet Bliss Devereau (Hilary Swank) becomes the victim of a psychopath as he becomes obsessed with her and she has to fight her way out of a situation that you think there is no way out of. Characters are important to thrillers because the innocent ones get the audience to feel for them and to share emotions this is good because it brings them into the film more. Some characters i.e. the bad guy differs for different sub-genres, some could be hit- men while others could be killers.

Narrative:
A narrative is also known as the story. Thrillers usually base their stories on crimes such as drug use, killings etc that happens at the start, or leading to a climax. Thrillers can sometimes be a race against time to stop something from happening i.e. in Silence of The Lambs someone of importance gets kidnapped by a killer and the FBI have to find her before she gets killed.

Themes:
There are all different types of themes for thrillers these include: madness, obsession, revenge, betrayal, deception, paranoia, love, alienation. However, the most common ones for thrillers are: revenge, obsession and betrayal. An example of revenge would be ‘Leon,’ an innocent victims life gets shattered so she takes it upon herself and a hit man to get revenge on who ruined her life.

Iconography:
Iconography is the 'visual elements' such as: props, costumes, locations or buildings. In thrillers these normally include: guns, urban area (city), drugs, suits, high-tech equipment, dirty run down environment and cops/government offices. These provide us with the knowledge of what sub-genre that thriller belongs in.

                                         Audio- Visual Style:

The audio-visual style provides us with: low-key lighting, fast editing, dramatic/tense music, jerky hand-held camera work. The type of music affects the audience because it helps build up suspense which is a key factor to a thriller, it works because hearing is one of our senses and the different type of music we hear affects our moods. Whereas, the jerky hand-held movements tend to make the audience feel like they are a part of the film and by seeing the camera shaking because the innocent victim is scared or hurt makes us feel sympathy for them.

Sub Genres Of Thrillers.

An action thriller will generally have a fast-paced, and definite plot and normally include a hero/herion and a vilian. Films I have seen include:

• To fast to furious
• xXx
• Kill bill vol 1 & 2
• Blade: trinity
• The fast and furious
• The fast and the furious: Tokyo Drift
• Snakes on a plane
• Underworld
• Underworld evolution
• Speed
• Mission: Impossible
• Kindergarten Cop
• Buried
• Rambo

A revenge thriller normally includes when something happens to someone’s family/ loved ones and they take it upon themselves to get them back or to punish those who done it, revenge films I have watched include:

·         Leon

·         Law abiding citizen

·         Taken

Physiological thrillers involve characters that do not have enough physical strength to overcome their enemies but rely on their mental resources. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state. Films I have seen to do with p physiological thrillers include:

• Phone booth
• The Silence Of The Lambs
• The Resident 

Political/conspiracy thrillers are usually aimed at the older audience because of the political element. This sub genre usually is based around the government like Enemy of the State where part of the government is trying to cover up a political murder. These are the political thrillers I have seen:

·         Enemy of the state

Suspense thrillers normally rely upon excitement to make the audience on the edge of their seats, films I have seen to do with suspense thrillers:

·         Cliff hanger

·         Jaws

·         Deep blue sea

Horror thrillers are typically aimed at teenagers because it includes gore and blood in the film, more than a typical thriller. Most horrors are focused on serial killer plots, that is why it’s more for the younger audience; here is a list of thrillers I have seen:

·         The crazies

·         Devil 

Post apocalyptic thrillers are set in a world where a big universal disaster happens. Films I have seen involving this are:

• I am legend

A science fiction thriller contains elements that do not exist in this life, films I have seen involving this are:

·         Jurassic park

·         I, Robot, Knowing

 

Target Audience For A Thriller

A typical audience for a thriller would range between teenagers to people in their late adulthood, it all depends on if they enjoy thrillers or not and also, depending on what type of thriller i.e. any James Bond films, the audience are normally male. Teenagers normally get drawn towards horror thrillers because of all the 'gore.'

Definition Of Thirller

A thriller is a film genre of literature, film, and television programming which relies on high stakes, non-stop action, plot twists, suspense and action to make the audience 'grip the edge of their seats,' or 'surprise and excite.' A thriller also includes a hero fighting off a villain an example could be a doctor and an illness or a father and a kidnapper. People are not just engaged in the story of the thriller but by the way they are told visually.