Thriller Director

Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980)

Hitchcock was a British filmmaker and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in the United Kingdom in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood. In 1956 he became an American citizen while retaining his British citizenship.
Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades. He remains one of the most popular and most recognized filmmakers, and his works are still popular today. Often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker of all time, in 2007 Hitchcock was ranked #1 by film critics in The Telegraph's list of 21 greatest British directors.

Film Career
Hitchcock left St Ignatius to study at the London County Council School of Engineering and Navigation in Poplar, London. After graduating, he became a draftsman and advertising designer with a cable company.
During this period, Hitchcock became intrigued by photography and started working in film production in London, working as a title-card designer for the London branch of what would become Paramount Pictures. In 1920, he received a full-time position at Islington Studios with its American owner, Famous Players-Lasky and their British successor, Gainsborough Pictures, designing the titles for silent movies. His rise from title designer to film director took five years, and by the end of the 1930s, Hitchcock had become one of the most famous filmmakers in England.
Hitchcock's first few films faced a string of bad luck. His first directing project came in 1922 with the aptly-titled Number 13. However, the production was cancelled due to financial problems and the few scenes that were finished at that point were apparently lost. In 1925, Michael Balcon of Gainsborough Pictures gave Hitchcock another opportunity for a directing credit with The Pleasure Garden made at UFA Studios in Germany. Unfortunately, The film was a commercial flop. Next, Hitchcock directed a drama called The Mountain Eagle (released under the title Fear o' God in the United States). This film was also eventually lost. In 1926, Hitchcock's luck changed with his first thriller, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog. The film, released in January 1927, was a major commercial and critical success in the United Kingdom. As with many of his earlier works, this film was influenced by Expressionist techniques Hitchcock had witnessed first-hand in Germany. Some commentators regard this piece as the first truly "Hitchcockian".
Following the success of The Lodger, Hitchcock hired a publicist to help enhance his growing reputation.
In 1929, Hitchcock began work on his tenth film Blackmail. While the film was still in production, the studio, British International Pictures (BIP), decided to make it one of the UK's first sound pictures. With the climax of the film taking place on the dome of the British Museum, Blackmail began the Hitchcock tradition of using famous landmarks as a backdrop for suspense sequences.
The 39 Steps (1935), is often considered one of the best films from his early period. This film was also one of the first to introduce the concept of the "MacGuffin", a plot device around which a whole story seems to revolve, but ultimately has nothing to do with the true meaning or ending of the story.
At the end of the 1930s, David O. Selznick signed Hitchcock to a seven-year contract beginning in March 1939, when the Hitchcocks moved to the United States.
Hitchcock's films during the 1940s were diverse, ranging from the romantic comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) to the courtroom drama The Paradine Case (1947), to the dark and disturbing film noir Shadow of a Doubt (1943).
North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963) are all recognised as being among Hitchcock’s very best films. After completing Psycho, Hitchcock moved to Universal, where he made the remainder of his films.
Psycho is considered by some to be Hitchcock's most famous film. Produced on a highly constrained budget of $800,000, it was shot in black-and-white on a spare set. The unprecedented violence of the shower scene, the early demise of the heroine, the innocent lives extinguished by a disturbed murderer were all hallmarks of Hitchcock, copied in many subsequent horror films.
Family Plot (1976) was Hitchcock's last film.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock

Thriller Titles

Using this list that I found in the Radio Times, I have selected a few of the films that they have listed to upload some clips of as examples of thrillers.





















Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Kiss Me Deadly is a film noir drama produced and directed by Robert Aldrich. It stars Ralph Meeker and Gaby Rodgers.

I think this scene is probably the opposite of how I want my film to look so none of it has inspired me. I definitely want to do my film all in colour to create a scene of modern realism.

Se7en (1995)
Se7en is an American crime film directed by David Fincher. It stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow.

During this clip, you only see parts of the scene as close-ups when the credits come up. This has inspired me for my car accident scene. Instead of showing the audience the full scene, I am going to show them close-ups of various parts of the scene and then let them piece the events together as this part of the film is a flashback.

Insomnia (2002)
Insomnia is an American remake of the 1997 Erik Skjoldbjærg film of the same name. The film was directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank.

This clip hasn't inspired me because I am not going to have any violence in my opening scene. As my thriller has the sub-genre of psychological I wouldn't put very much violence into the film at all.

Hide and Seek (2005)
Hide and Seek is a psychological thriller film directed by John Polson. It stars Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning.

I think the death of the mother at the beginning of the film sets up the narrative and is the driving force for the action that occurs. This is similar to my opening scene as the death of the woman in the accident sets up the events that follow and is the reason for them happening.

Thriller Conventions

• Thrillers often take place wholly or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, polar regions, or high seas.
• The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger: law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers, seamen or aviators. However, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident.
• While such heroes have traditionally been men, women lead characters have become increasingly common.
• Thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened; while a murder mystery would be spoiled by a premature disclosure of the murderer's identity, in a thriller the identity of a murderer or other villain is typically known all along.
• Thrillers also occur on a much grander scale: the crimes that must be prevented are serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination, or the overthrow of governments.
• Jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements.
• While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others. In thrillers influenced by film noir and tragedy, the compromised hero is often killed in the process.
• In recent years, when thrillers have been increasingly influenced by horror or psychological-horror exposure in pop culture, an ominous or monstrous element has become common to heighten tension. The monster could be anything, even an inferior physical force made superior only by their intellect, a supernatural entity, aliens, serial killers, or even microbes or chemical agents.
• Similar distinctions separate the thriller from other overlapping genres: adventure, spy, legal, war, maritime fiction, and so on. Thrillers are defined not by their subject matter but by their approach to it.
• Many thrillers involve spies and espionage.
• Conversely, many thrillers cross over to genres that traditionally have had few or no thriller elements.
• Thrillers may be defined by the primary mood that they elicit: fearful excitement. In short, if it "thrills", it is a thriller.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)

Thriller Sub-genres

• Action thriller: In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Some examples include the James Bond films and The Transporter.
• Conspiracy thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. Some examples include The Chancellor Manuscript and Three Days of the Condor.
• Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include Seven and Reservoir Dogs.
• Disaster thriller: In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Some examples include Stormy Weather and Earthquake.
• Drama thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involve a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Some examples include The Illusionist and The Prestige.
• Eco-thriller: In which the protagonist must avert or rectify an environmental or biological calamity, often in addition to dealing with the usual types of enemies or obstacles present in other thriller genres. This environmental component often forms a central message or theme of the story. Examples include Nicholas Evans's The Loop, C. George Muller's Echoes in the Blue, and Wilbur Smith's Elephant Song, all of which highlight real-life environmental issues. Futuristic eco-thrillers are of the science fiction genre that propose ideas that will or may occur. Some examples include Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy and Ian Irvine's Human Rites Trilogy.
• Erotic thriller: In which it consists of erotica and thriller. It has become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. Some examples include Dressed to Kill and Fatal Attraction.
• Legal thriller: In which the 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. Some examples include The Innocent Man.
• Medical thriller: In which the hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem. Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Crichton, and Gary Braver are well-known authors of this subgenre. Nonfiction medical thrillers are also a subcategory. Some examples include The Hot Zone and Awake.
• Political thriller: In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. Some examples include The Manchurian Candidate and Agency.
• Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. Some examples include Shadow of a Doubt and Blue Velvet.
• Spy thriller (also a subgenre of spy fiction): In which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. Some examples include The Bourne Identity and Mission: Impossible.
• Techno-thriller: In which (typically military) technology is described in detail and made essential to the reader's/viewer's understanding of the plot. Some examples include The Hunt for Red October.
• Religious thriller: In which the plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions. While suspense stories have always shown a significant affinity for religion and philosophical issues. Some examples include The Name of the Rose and The Da Vinci Code.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)

Definition of Thriller

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television that includes numerous and often overlapping sub-genres. Thrillers are characterised by fast pacing, frequent action and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliff-hangers are used extensively. A thriller is a villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome. The genre is fascinatingly flexible form that can undermine audience complacency through a dramatic rendering of psychological, social, familial and political tensions and encourages sheltered but sensation-hungry audiences.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)

Thrillers are often hybrids with other genres - there are action-thrillers, crime-caper thrillers, western-thrillers, film-noir thrillers, even romantic comedy-thrillers. Another closely-related genre is the horror film genre. Thriller and suspense films are virtually synonymous and interchangeable categorizations. They are types of films known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension.
www.filmsite.org/subgenres

A thriller is a book or film which is designed to keep the reader or viewer on edge with suspenseful and sensational action. Thrillers have also been produced in the radio, theatre, and television media. This genre is incredibly large, and thrillers often overlap with pieces of work produced in other genres; mysteries, for example, are often thrillers. Many people find thrillers very enjoyable, and they appreciate the fast pacing and complex plots associated with this genre.
Several characteristics help to define a thriller. Thrillers typically involve sudden plot twists and lots of red herrings, for example, keeping people unsure about what is going to happen. This suspense can get almost unbearable, especially in a long piece or a television series. Thrillers also have a lot of action, which is often chaotic, and they typically feature resourceful heroes and exotic settings.
www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-thriller

Evaluation

I am very proud of that fact that I have managed to create this film without the help of a group. I think this is a big achieve and will help me to feel more confident if I choose to work on my own again.
For me, I felt that the whole process went well even though I did have a slight issue over casting and location. This was something that I was able to deal with quite easily though.
I am pleased with how the music and the editing turned out. I'm pleased with the music because this was the first time I have used Garageband and I think that the piece of music I created fitted well with the film and the genre. I'm pleased with the editing because the piece of film had no obvious continuity errors and I've managed to make the film fit together without too many problems.
I think the low point of the process was the audience feedback as I had a few problems with it and a few things came to light. I found it quite difficult to get feedback from friends who I'd e-mailed as I just didn't get the e-mails back from them. I discovered that year 9s were the wrong group to show the film to in order to obtain feedback as they didn't really understand the concept of an anti-climax and they took the phrase "what could be improved" a bit too literally and so most of their feedback consisted of this whereas I could have done with more of their opinion on the film and what they liked about it. I found that my media class were a bit harsh with their feedback, I'm not sure whether or not this is just me being biased but I felt that this was the case compared to the way I evaluated their films. I also feel that they didn't really understand it too well either but this is because I wasn't there to actually explain what the film was meant to be and none of them decided to find out.
The blog has been a positive part of this process as I have found it quite easy to use and I've only had one major problem with it which I was able to rectify by using the help forum facility.
I am very pleased with the overall turn out of the film. I think this is contributed to by the fact that I worked on my own to create it this time.
Finally, I am also proud of and pleased with my actors as they've made this experience worthwhile as they have been easy to work with as well as making the filming process quite entertaining. I would definitely consider asking them to be in my films in the future.

Conclusions from Audience Feedback

I used a number of different ways to obtain my audience feedback. I showed the film to my actors, I went into a year 9 history class and I sent an e-mail to some of my friends asking them to have a look at the film and then let me know what they thought of it.
The 2 main areas that came across through the audience feedback were the music and the understanding of the film.
There was an obvious split in opinion about the music. Many people said that they didn’t like it very much, that it was weird or that it wasn’t eerie or scary enough for the film. On the other hand, many people said that they really liked the music and that it suited the film well.
A lot of the year 9s I asked said that they didn’t really understand the film but I noticed that this only came through with this age group. From this, I have decided that the film isn’t really aimed at this age although it is suitable for them if they chose to watch it. As a result of this, I have adapted my target audience to suit this.
A few of the year 9s thought that the conversation about the crisps was a bit strange but at the same time they also thought it was quite funny. I think this may have been because they didn’t really understand the concept of an anti-climax ending.
Some people said that the start could have been made a bit darker. I agree with this but I had all of the lights off and I was unable to make it any darker. Had I have been able to, I definitely would have made the opening darker.
Overall, the feedback I have received is positive and no faults were to be found within the editing so I have conformed well to the task of continuity editing.

Audience Feedback

C. Finbow: “I like the transition from tense to funny.”
Alice Whiting: “The tension builds well, good unexpected comedy. The shot of her face and the handle added good drama. You could see the fear in her face. All round, eerie, funny and enjoyable to watch.”
Sophie Chapman: “It was very good. I especially liked it when there was a close-up of Alice’s face as she was opening the door.”
Aileen Peecock: “Starring roles! I’ll never eat crisps again! Good transition from person to person. Good close-ups.”
Conor McCormick: “I think that you should make the walk into the 'darkened area around door' dark too?! Around the stairs it will just make even more 'horror like' before then revealing FINBOW! HA Good one though! ;)”
Nikki Klimowicz: “The Pom Bears made me giggle so much! Although the slamming door and the dark bit to walk into was pretty awesome! But overall it was pretty good, fabulous acting from Alice.”
Claire Jenkins: “I thought because it is horror that there could of been more "danger" and suspense. Maybe different clothing as well, but I really liked it!!”
Anya Tooley: “It was so good...I was honestly getting quite scared, such a good anti-climax, although it did take me a while to get it. Anyhow...editing was fabulous so no worries. :)”
Andy Logan: “Hahaha ... that was hilarious! Especially like Mr Finbow stuffing his face. It was definitely an anti-climax. I must confess I was expecting Mr Finbow to get out something ghastly, or a pair of fluffy handcuffs. Really good. Well done my clever headed friend.”
Neil Brinkley: "Not really sure what was happening but I thought it was pretty good. Music was a bit loud at the start."
S. Allison: “Could have racked up suspense more at start. Liked twist at the end.”
Year 9: “I think the video was confusing. I didn’t know what was happening. To make it understanding.”
Year 9: “The music could have been more scary. The girl did not look scared.”
Year 9: “Good scenery. Scary start. It could have been a little bit longer. Weird conversation about crisps but funny. My favourite part was the start, very good.”
Year 9: “I think that the music is cool. It is actually quite atmospheric at the start. The bit where she opened the door was quite atmospheric. The end is funny but a bit stupid. 4 stars.”
Year 9: “Very good flow to film. Why crisps? I didn’t understand. Good actors.”
Year 9: “Good. Didn’t really get it - why the crisps? Didn’t like music/bit weird. Good actors.”
Kieran McGregor: “Why did you have a suspense like beginning then have Mr Finbow eating Pom Bears?”
Year 9: “Good idea. Awesome.”
Year 9: “Good work. Different music.”
Year 9: “Different music. Good ideas it was very good.”
Year 9: “Music too loud. Lack of sound effects, footsteps could be louder. Video quality (use different camera?) Lighting. Maybe work on audio tracks. Rest was fine.”
Rosie Howes: “Ideas were great but what you should do is make it darker at the start. But I like the idea of the door handle it’s great. My mark out of 10 is 8½. Well done.”
Georgia Musiol-Carter: “I thought that it was very good. I like the bit when she opened the door. There should have been longer conversation.”
Shannon Jaggard: “Good idea. The video was good and looked pretty real. But the door part, it went a bit dark and couldn’t see. I think it is a very good video with an ok build up. It looked pretty ok to me. :)”
Eve Taylor: “Different shots when she was walking. Different music. It was good but I think the last bit was a bit like an advert for Pom Bears.”
Paige Smith: “The different camera angles and shots were really good. The girl could have spoke with more enthusiasm. I thought the dramatic build up was really good and grabbed your attention.”
Laura Bloomfield: “Good suspense. Good when you zoomed in on door handle. The music suited.”
Year 9: “Very good start and the conversation did work on an anti-climax ending. It could have been made better by using different music (possibly more eerie) and the actor showing more emotion.”
Year 9: “I think the video was a bit confusing, but I liked the horror movie type beginning.”
Year 9: “The music was not very scary.”
Josh Flack: “Very good dramatic scene. Very good music. Good creativity. I would give A*.”
Year 9: “Very good. Door maybe could squeak when opened.”
Year 9: “Good idea. Rather funny. More light at the door. Good dramatic scene.”

Film

Why I decided to work on my own rather than with a group this time

For all of my previous films I have worked with a group. 2 out of 4 of these didn't end very well on the group side of things. I've learnt a lot from this so I decided that I wanted to work by myself and see how it turned out.
By working on my own it meant that I was solely in-charge and could take control of the decision making.
One problem I came across was casting. With a group, you have a cast there ready but I didn't have this option. With the help of some friends I was able to solve this issue and get a cast together without too many problems.
Working on my own meant that I had to do everything but I found that this wasn't too difficult as I was able to be completely sure of what had been done and what was still left to do. I was then able to do things as and when I needed to and I could work around a set filming schedule.
Overall, I have enjoyed working by myself and would definitely consider doing this again. I've been able to get on with what I needed to do without having to worry about or consider other people's ideas and opinions. I think that working like this has turned out better than I had expected and it was also easier and more enjoyable than I thought it would be.

Technical aspects I would like to develop

I would like to develop my skills on Garageband further as this is the first time I have used it. I am going to develop my skills by creating practice pieces. For these practice pieces I will create a short piece of music for a funeral scene, a first kiss scene and a Christmas film.

What I've Learnt

As an AS/A-level student I will learn more so I am able to build on my existing knowledge as a media student. So far as an AS student I have learnt;

- Lots more media terminology for;
- camera movements
- camera composition
- editing
- sound
- mise-en-scene
- Conventions of;
- teen drama
- soap opera
- period drama
- Representations of;
- individual characters in TV drama (teen)
- youth in TV drama (teen)
- ethnicity in TV drama (teen)
- gender in TV drama (soap opera)
- class in TV drama (period)
- status in TV drama (period)
- How to work on my own without the help of a group.
- How to use Garageband;
- create a score of music using the existing pieces of music on the software
- How to do a blog using Blogger;
- how set up a blog
- how to create posts
- how to upload still images
- how to upload videos

What I Already Knew

Throughout my time as a GCSE media student I have learned as lot of things that will help me as an AS/A-level student. This is what I already knew when I start the AS level course;

- How to use a camera.
- How to edit using iMovie.
- How to work in a group.
- Lots of media terminology for;
- camera shots
- camera angles
- camera movements
- camera composition
- editing
- sound
- mise-en-scene
- Conventions of;
- horror
- sitcoms
- TV news (Channel 4 news)
- Internet news (BBC news site)
- newspaper (The Sun)
- Audience pleasures of;
- sitcoms
- How different media appeal to their audiences;
- TV news (Channel 4 news)
- Internet news (BBC news site)
- newspaper (The Sun)
- Representations of;
- ethnicity in adverts
- people in war footage
- places in war footage
- events in war footage

Elements

• 2 settings
• 2 characters
• Mise-en-scène
• Props
• Soundtrack

• Settings;
- A low-lit corridor with a door (and preferably a stair case). The door needs to open off the corridor (if able to) and have no windows in it.
- A dark room lit only by a table lamp on a table with 2 chairs around it, opposite each other.

• Characters;
- A man (preferably dark haired).
- A teenage boy or girl (preferably blonde).

• Mise-en-scène;
- Man – black shirt, black trousers, black shoes & a colourful tie.
- Boy or girl – white t-shirt.

• Props;
- Black table lamp.
- Table.
- 2 chairs.

• Soundtrack;
- Eerie, horror style music to use at the start (non-diegetic).
- A door slamming shut (diegetic).
- A creaking door (non-diegetic).

Storyboard

Shot List

A horror style opening with an anti-climax, not a comedy though.

• Initial shot;
- Low key lighting
- High camera angle
- Pan & follow the person (1) coming towards the door
• Shot 2;
- Close up of door handle at eye level
• Shot 3;
- Close up of person’s (1) face at eye level
• Shot 4;
- Close up of door handle at eye level
- Hand comes into the shot & slowly opens the door
- Non-diegetic creaking door
o Shots 2, 3, 4 in quick succession
• Shot 5;
- High angle camera
- Person (1) walks through the door & it slams shut
o Non-diegetic eerie music plays through shots 1-5 & is cut by the slamming door
o Action match between shots 4 & 5
• Shot 6;
- Darken room with only a table lamp to light it
- Over the shoulder shot
- Person (1) walks into the frame & sits down on the other side of the table to person (2)
o Action match between shots 5 & 6
• Shot 7;
- Wide shot from the side of the table
- Main lights in the room are switched on
• Shot 8;
- Mid-shot of person (2)
• Shot 9;
- Mid-shot of person (1)
• Shot 10;
- Mid-shot of person (2)
• Shot 11;
- Mid-shot of person (1)
- Fade to black
o Shots 8-11 show a pleasant conversation between person (1) & person (2)
o All transitions are straight cuts