WM - Genre Analysis

What is your chosen genre? Research your genre. What sub-genres exist? Are you following the conventions of a sub-genre? Outline some films which fit into this genre which you find interesting in some way.

Our chosen genre is Thriller; we are going to follow the sub-genre of crime thriller, this is one of many sub-genres. The thriller genre usually involves some sort of action or investigation, usually with a ‘hard man’ as the lead character. The genre involves many sub-genres including:

· Crime thrillers

· Action thrillers

· Physiological thrillers

· Disaster thrillers

· Drama thriller

· Conspiracy thriller

Some thrillers that I find interesting are:

· S.W.A.T

· 16 Blocks

· Inside Man

· Fast & the Furious

· Lucky number slevin

· Miami Vice

· Reservoir dogs

· The Transporter

· Phone Booth

· Bourne Identity

· LA Confidential

Pick three of these and outline specific techniques or style which you think might be useful for what you are planning.

By looking at the opening for ‘The Transporter’, the opening shot shows what looks like a broken TV with a green wash, then a white flash reveals the location, I like this as it adds suspense and tension as it is not clear where it is and what’s going to happen. The music is also effective as there is no dialog so it is the only sound playing; it adds tension as the high pitched noise is playing over some unrecognisable sound. The shot of the man in the car is also a nice shot as half is face is covered in shadow, this ads mystery.

During the opening of ‘Lucky Number Slevin’, I like the idea of the titles being separated with lines of action and shots in the middle; this is useful as this is part of our idea for the film opening we will be producing. There is no dialog within the first 3 minutes of a film, only low music and during the titles, some non-digetic sounds of a sports commentator. All these sounds add tension and mystery because the audience haven’t been shown anything to give them meaning. The opening shot of the telephone also seems odd as it seems to have no relevance to what is going on during the opening minutes. so the main thing I like about this opening Is the montage editing intermingled with the title clips as this is one of our ideas we may use.

L.A. Confidential has a slightly different opening; it starts off like an advert for Los Angeles by explaining how wonderful and amazing it all is. With upbeat music and lots of colours it seems to say nothing will go wrong, but towards the end of the voice over there is a twist when it is mentioned that there is a man who runs crime all over the state. The way it is all mentioned makes it seem not as bad as the voice seems happy and light hearted. Once again this opening is shot as a montage which is how we are looking to shoot ours.

What is a typical narrative for this genre of film? How could this be set up in the opening to create enigma or suspense?

Typical narratives of thriller films, or crime thriller films, are that there is a man or group that commit an action that is against the law, sometimes it is drugs or murder, but it all ends up with some kind of authority involvement. Usually there are two sides, the good side and the bad side, oh which usually the good side come out on top. Although there are two sides, not always is one for the law. In films like lock, stock and two smoking barrels there are two sides but both against the law, the audience is positioned with one side always as it gives them someone or some people to root for.

What kinds of characters are conventional to this type of genre? Identify archetypal heroes or villains, stock characters?

Usually in Crime thrillers, the main characters are the ‘hard men’ who are either investigating or find themselves involved in the action. Bruce Willis, a detective, was the main character in die hard who always found himself in tough areas.

Sometimes you find that it’s a regular person who gets dragged into the situation, for example Colin Farrell in phone booth. The archetypal hero is usually an attractive male while the villain usually looks different and/or strange. This allows you to judge the character by their looks as it is easy to tell which character you should be positioned with. Other stock characters that exist are usually close friends or family to the main character and sometimes work associates.

What are typical locations or settings for this genre?

The thriller genre often occurs in an urban location and an unfamiliar environment of the lead character, sometimes a foreign country. Usually the areas seem dirty or gloomy to add some suspense as you cannot see everything clearly.

The locations used often seem to be large with a lot of hiding places or places to run so there is always a way of escaping.

What iconography would you expect to see in this genre?

Guns are seen a lot in thriller films as they usually represent crime and violence. Also the concept of money or in the hunt for money is iconic in thriller films as it has the connotation of greed or the need to be rich.

Find examples of suitable costume

Costumes worn in Thriller films can be anything from smart clothes to a more military look.

How is lighting/colour used? What effects would you want to create with lighting? Identify connotations of particular colours?

Lighting in thriller films is like in any other film, it has to be done right. In some sequences there is great use of shadow to either hide someone’s identity or to add tension to the shot. Lighting can make characters look suspicious or mysterious; this means that the audience can see early on what the character is all about

Find examples of fonts which would be suitable for this genre for title sequence