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.