Target Audience Research

For our target audience research, we created a small questionnaire that we gave to people of various ages to see what type of people typically watch thriller films. This gave us an impression of who we should make our film appeal to. The questionnaire is below:

• How old are you? ........
• Are you male or female? .....................
• Do you watch films? ........
• What is your favourite genre of film? ............................
• Do you enjoy thriller films? ..............................
• Please state your favourite thriller and say why you like it: ...................................................................................................................................................................
• What age characters do you like to see in films? ..........
• Why do you like to see this age of character? ......................................................................

From our questionnaire, we determined our target audience. Here is what the results showed:

• Young people do not watch thriller films, largely due the unsuitable themes associated with the genre
• Boys often enjoy thrillers more than girls
• People in there late teens are very fond of the thriller genre
• People over the age of 50 do not like thrillers as much as the younger people
• Men who are aged between 25-45 enjoy thriller films with crime themes
• People like characters similarly aged to themselves, so they can relate to them more

We decided that our thriller film is targeted at older teenagers and adults below the age of 50. This is because the characters we wish to use in the rest of the film are aged around 40, so people of this age can relate to their situation. Also, we found that older teenagers liked most thriller films for the excitement, rather than the relatability factor. This is why our film will also appeal to them. The older generations may not appreciate the violent themes running throughout our film. We are not excluding them totally however, as they have just as much right to enjoy our film as anyone else, this is merely from what the questionnaires showed us.

Plot Outline For Our Own Thriller Film

• Jenny Vincent is a babysitter. She is looking after a couple’s young child at the family home. The child’s parents are having a meal at a restaurant that evening, hence the need for a babysitter.
• Whilst the husband and wife are out, Jenny receives a peculiar phone call from a mysterious man asking after Mrs Anderson, the mother of the child Jenny is babysitting. When the man is informed that Jenny is merely the babysitter, and that Mrs Anderson is not in, the line goes dead.
• Our opening scene suggests that the film will revolve around Jenny being endangered, but this is in fact a red herring and we have intentionally done this to add more excitement and ambiguity to our thriller. Jenny is not a very important character in the film whatsoever.
• When at the restaurant, Mrs Anderson vanishes without a trace when making a routine trip to the toilet. Mr Anderson, her husband begins to worry when she doesn’t return after a considerable length of time.
• Mr Anderson questions the waiter about the disappearance of his wife, to which the waiter replies - Mr Anderson entered the restaurant alone and he knew nothing of his wife’s location. The husband continually tries to prove that he came to the restaurant with his wife and she has now disappeared, but the response he gets suggests otherwise. There is evidence which suggests she really wasn’t with him at all, such as her coat vanishing from the coat room and only one meal order being processed.
• All these things, together with the confused staff’s reactions to Mr Andersons behaviour make Mr Anderson begin to doubt himself and question his own sanity.
• When Mrs Anderson went to the toilet, she was abducted by a gang whose plan had been organised by her husband’s old business partner. Mr Anderson had a lot of financial problems with the ex-business associate and could not repay what was owed to him currently. The gang had taken his wife and had paid the restaurant excessive amounts of money to assist them with their evil scheme. Mrs Anderson was now being held at ransom and the crime had been covered up by the restaurant alibi.
• Throughout the film, Mr Anderson is continuously tested by a variety of tricks the gang plays to make him feel as though he really is losing his mind. This includes removing all his wife’s belongings from the house and any other trace she was in existence.
• There are short flashbacks during the film which give the audience clues about what has happened to Mrs Anderson, but the entirety of her disappearance is not uncovered until the end of the film.
• Mr Anderson works his way through the film, gradually piecing together what has happened to his wife. Discussions with old friends, and the babysitters strange phone call, lead him to the fact his wife’s disappearance has something to do with his old business associate.
• He visits the suspect and he states he knows nothing about any disappearance, but Mr Anderson knows better than to trust him and gives the man an ultimatum. ‘Give me my wife back, or I’ll kill you’ The man breaks down under the strain and reveals all about Mrs Andersons whereabouts.
• Mr Anderson is so furious, he shoots the business partner anyway and goes to the place his wife is being held immediately.
• Mr and Mrs Anderson are reunited after a battle with many other men working for the business associate and Mr Anderson sees that Jenny gets a reward for her help in foiling the businessman’s master plan to get one over on Mr Anderson.

Analysis Of 'Silence of the Lambs' Opening

• The opening scene of 'The Silence of the Lambs' is a continuous narrative. This means that the story continues on from the opening. This has been done so that it seems like the audience is following the main character 'Clarice Starling' throughout.


• The first shot is a high angle establishing shot of the forest, the camera then pans down to the main character setting the scene for the audience. The forest is misty, which creates a more eerie atmosphere. This is a technique that many thrillers use and the eeriness is a convention which is again used in the thriller genre.


• It is clear that the women is running on an assault course, which could connote the fact she is a strong, independent women who can keep up in a male orientated environment. The women is portrayed as not being the stereotypical female. This is due to the casual tracksuit she is wearing and the fact she is sweating.


• Whilst she is running, we hear the sound of a flock of birds flying away just out of shot. The noise comes from behind her, meaning that something had disturbed them, indicating that someone was behind/following the women.


• Whilst she is running, a variety of camera shots and angles are used to create a sense of confusion. These include, close ups of her feet, her face (facial expression) and shots from behind her.


• A pan shot is used when the women climbs over a rope obstacle on the assault course, giving a full 180degree angle of the action.


• When the camera is behind the women following her, the audience feel anxious and suspense and tension is created because we wonder who is chasing/following the women. This technique is used further on as, out of shot, the audience hears a voice calling the women's name which again builds tension as we do not know who this person following her is.


• The audience is brought to an anti-climax when the person following the women is revealed. She turns around as a man comes into the shot and discover he is a member of the FBI, meaning that the women must be training for them.


• As the women is running back to the FBI headquarters, the camera focuses in on nearby tree which has the words 'Hurt. Agony. Pain. Love it.' This is a clever use of irony as this could easily be the villain of the story's motif. It seems to be however, the motto of the FBI, who are working to find said villain.


• The credits are block capitals whice are in bold black font that has a white border, they are also in the centre of the screen. This is done for ease of reading. The black colour could connote evil, as this is a very appropriate theme for this film.


• The scene is continually edited and the editing is slow paced. I think this has been done to show the seriousness of the themes within this film and the issues it contains.

Analysis Of 'Se7en' Opening

• The opening credits for the thriller film 'Se7en' has no narrative structure, instead, non-linear techniques are used. This means that small parts of story have been cut up and are played in a random order, so the entire plot is kept hidden and the audience cannot get the whole effect.
• The audience are shown a person writing in a book, this is intended to keep the audience interested as it poses such questions as: Who is writing in the book? What is the book about? Why are they writing in it?
• The audience are also shown a variety of images in the form of a montage. The images are very graphic and unpleasant, which is a convention of the thriller film genre. They have been chosen specifically for use in the opening scene to engage the audience. The images include such things as;

- A picture of disfigured hands

-A razor blade being used to cut the skin off of a persons finger.

-Newspaper cuttings with certain words crossed out - 'homosexual', 'pregnant' and 'God'.

-Photographs of murder victims

-A needle and other sharp objects

• The images seem very random at first, but at the end of the film, the meaning of the chosen images becomes clear. hey are infact very important factors in the plot. This is called foreshadowing.
• Another convention used in this opening is partial vision. We never see the persons face, and the majority of the images are blurred, distorted or not entirely shown. This creates a more exciting opening and keeps the audiences attention as they have to figure out what is going on.
• The opening focuses on the villian of the story which is another convention of the thriller genre, like the eerie, very dark, mysterious atmosphere which this film opening also has.
• Predominantly still shots are used in this opening, with close ups on the writing in the book and extreme close ups on things like the razor blade and the needle and thread. This makes the audience intrusively near to the horrific imagery thats being used.
• The disturbing pictures used appear to be photographs that the person has taken. I think this shows that the villain has pride in his work, which turns out to be gruesome murder. The objects selected also connect with the villain. The needle and razor blades are sharp objects which connote pain and suffering. Exactly what the murderer is inflicting.
• To add to the tense atmosphere, white noise, what sound like record scratches, thuds, bangs and creaks are used. Music that sounds very intense and serious also creates this effect.
• Graphics are used very well in the scene, the credits look scratchy and the font looks like handwriting which relates to the book reference. The credits are white font on black background, which is meant to make them clear. However, they flicker across the screen instead, which I think adds to the sinister theme.

Analysis and Planning Of Preliminary Task

Planning

Analysis

The brief was as follows: To create a short video showing someone walking across a room, sitting down and taking part in a short conversation. It should show continuity, the 180 degree rule, a match-on-action shot and reverse shot.

Below is the analysis of our final outcome:

• When making our preliminary task, I was originally in a group with three people. I had to go on a geography field trip so missed the actual filming of the preliminary. This meant that when I returned, I hadn't had as much input as the others and so I joined a group with other people who went on the field trip. We had to come up with a new storyboard and filmed our preliminary task again.
• As we were already behind, and had limited time left to complete and edit our filming, we decided to base our preliminary in a school environment as this meant we could film during lesson time.
• The idea behind our preliminary was a teacher - parent consultation at a school parents evening. As we could not gain access to a real teacher, we had to use members of our media class. This is less realistic, therefore less effective, but we had no option.
• Again due to lack of time and preparation, we could not plan the costumes we used, so the 'teacher' is not in the smart attire she may well have been in at a real parents evening. This also applies to the parent. She is in a smart business suit which may or may not be what the parent would wear.
• We only had access to a classroom, that was quite messy. We had to move around tables and we only used two desks next to each other for the teachers desk which made it look less professional. Also, we could not choose how we used lighting in the clip, as we could not block out the natural lighting from the window behind where we set up the desk. This meant that the 180 degree rule shot we used appeared darker than the shot reverse shot in the same clip. This means that we did not maintain continuity, which is something we would have to change were we to do this again.
• Overall, I think our prelimary task was moderately successful as we stuck to the breif. There are a few things which could be improved upon, which I have outlined above. I think it was a good idea to do the prelimary task, as we have learnt alot from it, including how to use the camera and the editing software, how important it is to maintain continuity and how different settings, costumes and props can make a big difference in how realistic and professional the filming looks.

Analysis Of 'Flightplan' Opening

• At the start of the opening, a repeated shot of a train zooming past at high speed is alternated with a black screen. When the screen is black, a basic white font is used to display the credits. The simple typography doesnt fit the generic conventions of other thriller films I have analysed, but the editing of the alternating shots creates the dramatic atmosphere instead.


• The music that is played over the opening of the film creates tension. This is due to the high pitched violin sounds, suggesting that something out of the ordinary may happen. A Foley sound is used when the women opens the door, this is used to add emphasis to the action being performed.


• The zooming from behind, over the shoulder of the female when she is sitting on the train platform creates the feeling of anxiety and makes the audience think that someone is behind the women, and may be putting her in danger. It also makes her appear vulnerable, as she is unaware of what actually is behind her and she is looking in the opposite direction.


• Many questions are generated from the opening scenes of Flightplan, which makes it a successful opening. This is because the audience gets engaged immediately and will be more likely to continue watching the film to find out the answers to their questions.


• Some of the questions generated by the opening to this film are: Why is the women sitting at the train station alone? Why is the women in a different country? Who is in the casket dead? Who is the man who leads the women from the train platform?


• The use of a flashback in the opening scene is also another way of engaging the viewer as they want to continue watching to find out the relevance of this flashback. The flashback creates confusion at first, but you get the sense that all will be explained later on in the film.


• The flashback occurs when the women is sitting on the platform sitting in silence thinking. This gives the impression that the flashback is a memory she is now going over in her head. The flashback involves the viewing of a body, so you can sympathise with why the women would be mulling this over in her head, as it is a particularly distressing matter.


• When the train pulls away from the platform, a very effective close up of the vehicle is used along with a sudden loud sound effect which creates fear and startles the viewer.

Thriller Film Directors - Adrian Lyne and Robert Schwentke

Adrian Lyne

Adrian Lyne is an English film director and producer. He was born in 1941 in Peterborough. He is best known for directing films that involve sexually charged characters. He uses natural lighting in his films and often uses a fog machine. This is a way Lyne creates erotic atmosphere. He received a nomination for an 'Academy Award for Best Director' in 1988 for 'Fatal Attraction'.

Unfaithful
Unfaithful is a 2002 American erotic thriller film starring Richard Gere, Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez, directed by Adrian Lyne. It is about a couple living in the suburbs of New York City whose marriage goes dangerously wrong when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling with a stranger she randomly encounters in Manhattan.

Fatal Attraction
Fatal Attraction is a 1987 thriller film that stars Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer. It was directed by Adrian Lyne. It is about a married man who has a weekend affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end and who becomes obsessed with him.

These two films are strongly influenced by sexual tension and have strong female characters.

Jacobs Ladder
Jacob's Ladder is a 1990 psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne. It stars Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello, and Jason Alexander. It is about A traumatized Vietnam war veteran finds who finds out his post-war life isn't what he believes it to be when he's attacked by horned creatures in the subway and his dead son comes to visit him.

This film by Adrian Lyne however, is not of the same genre and has a very different type of plot which is almost completely the opposite of the previous films mentioned.

Robert Schwentke

Robert Schwentke is a German film director born in 1968. He is best known for the films 'Tattoo' and 'Flightplan'. He wrote and directed for German TV before writing and directing his first feature film, 'Tattoo', which won a Special Mention at Fantasporto as well as Special Mention at the Swedish Fantastic Film Festival.He then directed 'Flightplan', a thriller about a woman whose daughter goes missing on an airplane in flight.

Tattoo
Tattoo is a 2002 German film directed by Robert Schwentke. Marc Schrader, a rookie cop caught red-handed with drugs in a police raid of an illegal rave, joins a homicide investigation conducted by Chief Inspector Minks. The victim is a naked young woman with the skin stripped off her back, killed as she staggered into traffic.

Flightplan
Flightplan is a 2005 thriller film directed by Robert Schwentke. Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) is a propulsion engineer based in Germany. Her husband David died and now Kyle and her six year-old daughter Julia are flying home to Long Island to bury him and stay with Kyle's parents. After falling asleep for a few hoursKyle wakes to find that Julia is missing.

These films both have an element of mystery in them which makes them exciting thrillers, as what you are expecting, is not always what actually happens.