Influences to our thriller
Elephant, a thriller describing the events of the Columbine High School shootings, was a title Gus Van Sant borrowed from a film by Alan Clarke. The term ‘elephant’ was suggested for the title due to the phrase “there’s an elephant in the room”, which means that there is an obvious truth that no one talks about and ignores. The idea of this film is thought to be the “elephant in the room”; as such a tragedy is rarely talked about. Furthermore, the social cliques in the film may be the “elephant in the room”, as it shows the tension between different social groups and the film shows the consequence of what happens if it is brought up.
The portrayal of young society in this film suggests the tragedy in youth which is un-noticed. Teenagers are seen to be vulnerable and innocent, yet capable of a horrific event because of this vulnerability. Many would argue that the social cliques in high schools can cause long term psychological damage to the youth of our society – a scary thought for many as youth is seen to be the future, which is the thrill factor of the film. A disturbing, yet sad piece contributes a dark outlook on teenagers and tells the public the truth about teen tragedies.
Paranoid Park, another movie by Gus Van Sant, shows the life of a teenage boy as he takes place in the accidental death of a security guard after going to the locally famous skate park Paranoid Park. The movie shows the growth of anxiety in the young boy as he tries to act casual about the situation to investigators. The title of the film expresses the paranoia that can grow within a killer, no matter what the situation.
Young society is portrayed to, as in Elephant, be a new born innocence, but takes part in many tragic events. However, unlike in Elephant, guilt is brought in to the character to justify his actions to the audience. Whereas, Elephant shows the pure wrath in teen society with no form of remorse. Furthermore, the soundtrack of Elliott Smith shows the misery a teen is capable of as these slow acoustic sounds fulfil the film. This film shows the remorse of a teenager, but his capabilities at the same time. This creates the audience to feel empathy for the character. Whereas, Elephant brings out an atmosphere of sadness for the tragic event, but not for the characters.
These Van Sant films have influenced our choice of thriller through the works of teenage portrayal. Our film, like Van Sants, shows a teenage killer dealing with the aftermath of the incident. We aim to create sympathy for the character from the audience, as well as shock at the incident that has taken place. Our thriller is more similar to Paranoid Park. However, shows differences through the characters reaction to the murder.
By Harriet Bliss
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Friday, 5 February 2010
Findings/Results
Findings/Results
The method used for our thriller research was a questionnaire, which we handed to a group of alternative 15-19 year olds. We chose a young alternative label of people because this is our specified audience for our thriller. Therefore, it will benefit us to use the group of people so that we can find their values and aspirations of a thriller.
Firstly, our questionnaire started off by asking a question about specified genres with the options of psychological thriller, action thriller, gangster thriller and other. Our estimations of psychological thriller being the most popular were extremely accurate, as 75% found it to be the better genre of thriller. However, the option of ‘other’ was also a very popular answer, where people specified their favourite genres to be films such as film noir thrillers EG. Psycho. Furthermore, action thriller proved to be the less popular with a mere 5% of population. In addition, gangster thriller proved to be the middle way of these results. Therefore, our estimations were accurate and our thriller will appeal to our target audience greatly, which is proven in our research.
Secondly, we asked whether this audience preferred independent or mainstream thrillers, in reference to films such as Pulp Fiction (mainstream) or Elephant (independent). We found that the results were very close in finding. Many were not aware of the independent industry of thriller, but those who were chose this type of thriller. Mainstream over rode the idea of independent thriller. However, our film will still remain independent because we do not want to aim to a mainstream audience.
In addition, we found that special effects were not a favourite in thriller film. It is said to be unrealistic and somewhat cheap. Therefore, our film will not consist of special effects and will mainly consist of natural effects/lighting etc. This is due to the fact that ambient lighting was also seen to be a favourite in thriller films. This creates a more realistic view to the audience.
The characters in a thriller were seen to be the most important through our findings. However, camera work is also important to convey how the character is, along with the concept of the thriller creating the base of it. However, in our questionnaire our results showed that the characters were the most important aspect. Furthermore, both diagetic and non diagetic sound was popular within the audience. A mixture of both proved to be a good result for a thriller.
In addition, the location has a huge impact on the audience’s interest to a thriller. Many preferred a suburban city theme of location, whereas others were fond of the idea of a forest area. However, the other options proved to be less popular. A suburban city location proved that people prefer a busy unknown location to create a hectic atmosphere.
Overall, the audience’s expectation of a thriller is a bizarre and original concept, surrounding the idea of the unknown. This keeps the audience of edge whilst in company of the thriller and makes the thriller more realistic. Furthermore, this audience have a more open view of thrillers and prefer an independent based film.
The method used for our thriller research was a questionnaire, which we handed to a group of alternative 15-19 year olds. We chose a young alternative label of people because this is our specified audience for our thriller. Therefore, it will benefit us to use the group of people so that we can find their values and aspirations of a thriller.
Firstly, our questionnaire started off by asking a question about specified genres with the options of psychological thriller, action thriller, gangster thriller and other. Our estimations of psychological thriller being the most popular were extremely accurate, as 75% found it to be the better genre of thriller. However, the option of ‘other’ was also a very popular answer, where people specified their favourite genres to be films such as film noir thrillers EG. Psycho. Furthermore, action thriller proved to be the less popular with a mere 5% of population. In addition, gangster thriller proved to be the middle way of these results. Therefore, our estimations were accurate and our thriller will appeal to our target audience greatly, which is proven in our research.
Secondly, we asked whether this audience preferred independent or mainstream thrillers, in reference to films such as Pulp Fiction (mainstream) or Elephant (independent). We found that the results were very close in finding. Many were not aware of the independent industry of thriller, but those who were chose this type of thriller. Mainstream over rode the idea of independent thriller. However, our film will still remain independent because we do not want to aim to a mainstream audience.
In addition, we found that special effects were not a favourite in thriller film. It is said to be unrealistic and somewhat cheap. Therefore, our film will not consist of special effects and will mainly consist of natural effects/lighting etc. This is due to the fact that ambient lighting was also seen to be a favourite in thriller films. This creates a more realistic view to the audience.
The characters in a thriller were seen to be the most important through our findings. However, camera work is also important to convey how the character is, along with the concept of the thriller creating the base of it. However, in our questionnaire our results showed that the characters were the most important aspect. Furthermore, both diagetic and non diagetic sound was popular within the audience. A mixture of both proved to be a good result for a thriller.
In addition, the location has a huge impact on the audience’s interest to a thriller. Many preferred a suburban city theme of location, whereas others were fond of the idea of a forest area. However, the other options proved to be less popular. A suburban city location proved that people prefer a busy unknown location to create a hectic atmosphere.
Overall, the audience’s expectation of a thriller is a bizarre and original concept, surrounding the idea of the unknown. This keeps the audience of edge whilst in company of the thriller and makes the thriller more realistic. Furthermore, this audience have a more open view of thrillers and prefer an independent based film.
Audience Proposal
To begin with, I decided on a target audience for which I was to find my expectations of thrillers from. Ranging from ages 15-19, I based my research around young alternative teenagers. This is due to the fact that this is the target audience for our thriller in the making. I set out to find the expectations of costume, location, sound/music, genre and lighting. Through this I wish to create these expectations in our thriller film.
Costume
For the likes of costume, I wished to find out the colour pallet of costume design EG. Grey and dim or bright and colourful. Each of these costumes connotes something different. The grey and dim costume would connote a sense of ambiguity and darkness so the audience is kept firmly on edge. A dark costume will fit the theme of a thriller perfectly as it is a mysterious and dark genre. On the other hand, a bright colourful costume would create a contrast to the genre, connoting a sense of insanity in the character, which would keep the audience intrigued and give the thriller an interesting twist.
Location
Locations are an essential figure to our research. The findings of this will determine if the location chosen for our thriller fits our target audience. The options for our research are a suburban city, countryside, a forest or abroad. Our thriller, being set in a city area, hopes to find this is the most popular location. A suburban city, for the audience, would create a more dangerous atmosphere to the area because of the population and business of the place – this means it is harder to pinpoint a criminal. Therefore, this would create edginess to the thriller. However, a countryside location creates isolation, which the audience may feel empathy for and it would be more realistic to them. In addition, the research is based around people in Norfolk. Therefore, it may not be a popular finding because of people’s fondness for change. Furthermore, a forest is a very typical location for a thriller and our target audience, being alternative, aren’t likely to pick a typical location, which is seen in the word ‘alternative’. However, this location is very isolated which is why it is popular. This is due to the fact that there is no outside help around isolation, creating a more dangerous atmosphere than in a city. Additionally, an abroad location is also down to isolation because abroad language is different, therefore it is harder to find help.
Sound/music
The music in a thriller has a huge impact on how the character and concept are perceived. We gave the choice of an upbeat classical theme of music or a slow acoustic sound. An upbeat classical theme of music connotes a hectic atmosphere – this is used in thrillers such as ‘Psycho’. This genre of music connotes a classical stereotypical theme to a thriller and keeps the audience well aware of what is going on. Although, the acoustic sound is a contrast to the concept of the film, which creates ambiguity to the situation. This is evident in films such as ‘Elephant’.
Genre
The genre of film will affect the making of our film hugely. We had a decision between psychological thrillers, gangster thrillers and action thriller. From estimation we thought that psychological thrillers would have a larger audience. This genre is a mysterious and makes you think about the concept and realism of it, creating edginess for the audience. Furthermore, gangster thrillers are the next most realistic of these genres. However, only in certain areas is this concept realistic. The concept of gangster thriller has action elements but is mainly consistent of violence, sex, drugs etc. On the other hand, action thriller mainly focuses on violence and is very unrealistic and attracts a younger, less mature audience. Hence, our predictions were that this would not be popular amongst our research.
Lighting
Lighting creates the atmosphere in a thriller, whether it is light or dark. Therefore, we asked which would be preferred – ambient or non ambient lighting. Ambient lighting would create a more natural feel to the scene, creating a more realistic view for the audience. However, non ambient would create a Hollywood feel, which would make the thriller seem super natural and unrealistic.
To begin with, I decided on a target audience for which I was to find my expectations of thrillers from. Ranging from ages 15-19, I based my research around young alternative teenagers. This is due to the fact that this is the target audience for our thriller in the making. I set out to find the expectations of costume, location, sound/music, genre and lighting. Through this I wish to create these expectations in our thriller film.
Costume
For the likes of costume, I wished to find out the colour pallet of costume design EG. Grey and dim or bright and colourful. Each of these costumes connotes something different. The grey and dim costume would connote a sense of ambiguity and darkness so the audience is kept firmly on edge. A dark costume will fit the theme of a thriller perfectly as it is a mysterious and dark genre. On the other hand, a bright colourful costume would create a contrast to the genre, connoting a sense of insanity in the character, which would keep the audience intrigued and give the thriller an interesting twist.
Location
Locations are an essential figure to our research. The findings of this will determine if the location chosen for our thriller fits our target audience. The options for our research are a suburban city, countryside, a forest or abroad. Our thriller, being set in a city area, hopes to find this is the most popular location. A suburban city, for the audience, would create a more dangerous atmosphere to the area because of the population and business of the place – this means it is harder to pinpoint a criminal. Therefore, this would create edginess to the thriller. However, a countryside location creates isolation, which the audience may feel empathy for and it would be more realistic to them. In addition, the research is based around people in Norfolk. Therefore, it may not be a popular finding because of people’s fondness for change. Furthermore, a forest is a very typical location for a thriller and our target audience, being alternative, aren’t likely to pick a typical location, which is seen in the word ‘alternative’. However, this location is very isolated which is why it is popular. This is due to the fact that there is no outside help around isolation, creating a more dangerous atmosphere than in a city. Additionally, an abroad location is also down to isolation because abroad language is different, therefore it is harder to find help.
Sound/music
The music in a thriller has a huge impact on how the character and concept are perceived. We gave the choice of an upbeat classical theme of music or a slow acoustic sound. An upbeat classical theme of music connotes a hectic atmosphere – this is used in thrillers such as ‘Psycho’. This genre of music connotes a classical stereotypical theme to a thriller and keeps the audience well aware of what is going on. Although, the acoustic sound is a contrast to the concept of the film, which creates ambiguity to the situation. This is evident in films such as ‘Elephant’.
Genre
The genre of film will affect the making of our film hugely. We had a decision between psychological thrillers, gangster thrillers and action thriller. From estimation we thought that psychological thrillers would have a larger audience. This genre is a mysterious and makes you think about the concept and realism of it, creating edginess for the audience. Furthermore, gangster thrillers are the next most realistic of these genres. However, only in certain areas is this concept realistic. The concept of gangster thriller has action elements but is mainly consistent of violence, sex, drugs etc. On the other hand, action thriller mainly focuses on violence and is very unrealistic and attracts a younger, less mature audience. Hence, our predictions were that this would not be popular amongst our research.
Lighting
Lighting creates the atmosphere in a thriller, whether it is light or dark. Therefore, we asked which would be preferred – ambient or non ambient lighting. Ambient lighting would create a more natural feel to the scene, creating a more realistic view for the audience. However, non ambient would create a Hollywood feel, which would make the thriller seem super natural and unrealistic.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Questionairre
Thriller Questionnaire
1. What is your favourite sub genre of thriller?
a) Psychological Thriller
b) Action Thriller
c) Gangster Thriller
d) Other
2. Do you prefer mainstream or independent film?
3. Do you like to see special effects in thriller films?
4. Which do you find the most interesting in thriller film?
a) Camera shots
b) The characters
c) The concept
5. Do you prefer diagetic or non diagetic sound in a film?
6. Out of the following directors, who do you prefer?
a) Tarantino
b) Hitchcock
c) Gus Van Sant
7. Do you prefer:
a) an upbeat classical soundtrack
b) a slow acoustic soundtrack
8. What would you prefer the time of day to be in a thriller?
a) During daylight
b) At Night
c) As it is getting dark
d) As it is getting light
9. Do you prefer:
a) ambient lighting
b) non ambient lighting
10. What kinds of location do you find interesting in a thriller?
a) Dark, forest type location
b) Suburban city
c) Country side house
d) Abroad
11. What kinds of costume do you prefer in a thriller?
a) A dark, dim costume
b) A bright, colourful costume
1. What is your favourite sub genre of thriller?
a) Psychological Thriller
b) Action Thriller
c) Gangster Thriller
d) Other
2. Do you prefer mainstream or independent film?
3. Do you like to see special effects in thriller films?
4. Which do you find the most interesting in thriller film?
a) Camera shots
b) The characters
c) The concept
5. Do you prefer diagetic or non diagetic sound in a film?
6. Out of the following directors, who do you prefer?
a) Tarantino
b) Hitchcock
c) Gus Van Sant
7. Do you prefer:
a) an upbeat classical soundtrack
b) a slow acoustic soundtrack
8. What would you prefer the time of day to be in a thriller?
a) During daylight
b) At Night
c) As it is getting dark
d) As it is getting light
9. Do you prefer:
a) ambient lighting
b) non ambient lighting
10. What kinds of location do you find interesting in a thriller?
a) Dark, forest type location
b) Suburban city
c) Country side house
d) Abroad
11. What kinds of costume do you prefer in a thriller?
a) A dark, dim costume
b) A bright, colourful costume
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