Production Schedule of ‘To Kingsway’
Film Title: To Kingsway
Director: Gemma Ritson
Classification: 18
Cast: Emily Connor, Matthew Emson, Scott Williams
Filming Crew: Gemma Ritson, Lauren Edwards, Charlie Smiddy
Equipment: The equipment needed:- camera, tripod and a battery and charger for the camera.
Mise-en-Scene: The appropriate props for the opening sequence are copper coins and a highlighted map as they are iconography associated with journeys. A photo of Heidi’s mother will also be needed and we will modify the photo in order to make it appear and old and valuable item of Heidi’s. We will also need water to represent Heidi’s emotion, a warm black coat will also be used and the filming will take place in Warrington Central Station.
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Section 7: Recce and Location Health and Safety
Recce
We have chose Warrington Central Station as our priority/first choice filming location because of it's industrial setting and element of transport which is relevant to our synopsis. Warrington Central is easily accessible but is also a popular train station at peak rush hour times, so we must consider the public when deciding on our filming times. It is a popular train station which has a pay phone and vital amenities as if our group encounter an emergency we will have a source of contact, there are also toilets on the Bank Quay site.
Location Address :-Winwick Street, Warrington, Cheshire, WA2 7TT
The Health and Safety Aspects of Production
Before filming as a group, we must consider the Health and Safety Aspects of production in order to be certain of our own safety as well as correctly and safely using the equipment. This is essential with in a working environment and we must remain professional and considerate as we will be filming in a public area.
Applying health and safety:
Emergency Procedures
It is vital that the filming crew and cast are aware of the nearest fire exits and emergency procedures, therefore it is essential that we keep fire exits clear if we film indoors. It is also necessary to be aware of the nearest first aid kit available and each crew member must carry a phone in order to be able to contact an emergency number if necessary.
Costume
As the weather conditions are extremely poor at the moment, it is important to consider the costume which the cast will be wearing as well as considering our own welfare by wrapping up. As we will be filming mid-day and the protagonist will be wearing a warm coat, we should hopefully not be concerned with costume malfunctions.
Weather Conditions and Lighting (Time of Day)
Because of the poor weather conditions it is essential to check our location out for any ice which may not only harm us but also damage equipment. We must be able to work with the weather and it is vital that we don’t leave it until too late in the afternoon as the lighting will be poor, if filming late or early it is important to make other team members and family aware of this in case of an emergency. Torches and extra lighting may be necessary in a dark condition.
Location
As we are filming offsite it is important that there are three crew members on site whilst filming, this is for protection as if one is to get hurt, one can go for help whilst the other stays with and helps, it also prevents any mugging and is extra protection. It is extremely vital that each crew member has one another’s contact details in a case of an emergency and that family are aware of the location and access to it. It is also important to consider any additional danger, as our film will be set outside a train station the biggest risk may be security guards so it is important that we are prepared in explaining our legal rights to the security guard.
Equipment Safety
As we are using college equipment and could be liable for any damage, it is important to maintain the welfare of the equipment in order to use it again. It is important to ensures that all tripod clips are fastened and level in a safe place, this is in order to avoid any trips by crew members or public and also to avoid the equipment falling over, by taping down cables this ensures a safer working environment. If our group decide that lighting will be necessary we must be extremely careful when working with the lights as they can be up to 1,000 watts, therefore we must wear gloves to avoid burns and don’t touch the framing and outside of the light too as that is also extremely heated. It is vital to check that the lights have wire mesh or protection around the lighting to protect ourselves from a bulb exploding and firing hot pieces of glass! We must also choose whether to use the redhead lighting or the blonde lighting.
We have chose Warrington Central Station as our priority/first choice filming location because of it's industrial setting and element of transport which is relevant to our synopsis. Warrington Central is easily accessible but is also a popular train station at peak rush hour times, so we must consider the public when deciding on our filming times. It is a popular train station which has a pay phone and vital amenities as if our group encounter an emergency we will have a source of contact, there are also toilets on the Bank Quay site.
Location Address :-Winwick Street, Warrington, Cheshire, WA2 7TT
The Health and Safety Aspects of Production
Before filming as a group, we must consider the Health and Safety Aspects of production in order to be certain of our own safety as well as correctly and safely using the equipment. This is essential with in a working environment and we must remain professional and considerate as we will be filming in a public area.
Applying health and safety:
Emergency Procedures
It is vital that the filming crew and cast are aware of the nearest fire exits and emergency procedures, therefore it is essential that we keep fire exits clear if we film indoors. It is also necessary to be aware of the nearest first aid kit available and each crew member must carry a phone in order to be able to contact an emergency number if necessary.
Costume
As the weather conditions are extremely poor at the moment, it is important to consider the costume which the cast will be wearing as well as considering our own welfare by wrapping up. As we will be filming mid-day and the protagonist will be wearing a warm coat, we should hopefully not be concerned with costume malfunctions.
Weather Conditions and Lighting (Time of Day)
Because of the poor weather conditions it is essential to check our location out for any ice which may not only harm us but also damage equipment. We must be able to work with the weather and it is vital that we don’t leave it until too late in the afternoon as the lighting will be poor, if filming late or early it is important to make other team members and family aware of this in case of an emergency. Torches and extra lighting may be necessary in a dark condition.
Location
As we are filming offsite it is important that there are three crew members on site whilst filming, this is for protection as if one is to get hurt, one can go for help whilst the other stays with and helps, it also prevents any mugging and is extra protection. It is extremely vital that each crew member has one another’s contact details in a case of an emergency and that family are aware of the location and access to it. It is also important to consider any additional danger, as our film will be set outside a train station the biggest risk may be security guards so it is important that we are prepared in explaining our legal rights to the security guard.
Equipment Safety
As we are using college equipment and could be liable for any damage, it is important to maintain the welfare of the equipment in order to use it again. It is important to ensures that all tripod clips are fastened and level in a safe place, this is in order to avoid any trips by crew members or public and also to avoid the equipment falling over, by taping down cables this ensures a safer working environment. If our group decide that lighting will be necessary we must be extremely careful when working with the lights as they can be up to 1,000 watts, therefore we must wear gloves to avoid burns and don’t touch the framing and outside of the light too as that is also extremely heated. It is vital to check that the lights have wire mesh or protection around the lighting to protect ourselves from a bulb exploding and firing hot pieces of glass! We must also choose whether to use the redhead lighting or the blonde lighting.
Section 6: Script and Character Profiles
Character Profiles
Heidi Williams
Name: Heidi Williams
Age: 17
What she looks like: She’s a tall baby faced girl with curly hair, she’s very pretty but doesn’t seem to know it. She looks innocent and pure.
Personality: Heidi is fairly shy apart from when she’s around people she feels comfortable with. She trusts to easily and because of this she’s very influential. She likes to be liked, an often gets walked all over. She seems confused quite a lot but she isn’t stupid, she has good grades in all her exams and has a good amount of common sense. She has been desperate to find her birth mother for years, and because of this she seems constantly sad and upset. Although she hides her feelings quite well, she is quite easy to read.
Background/Where she’s from: She’s been brought up in a nice family home with a loving father and stepmother. She’s lived in Ipstones all her life and loved it. It’s a rural place, with lots of animals. She has a cat and two dogs of her own, this seems to make up for her lack of a close companion or sibling. Her life has always felt a bit empty and she’s felt a bit lost all her life, even when she’s at home with her Dad, step mum and pets.
Job: She has worked as a waitress in her local pub/restaurant since she was 13 and is respected as she’s always on time and works to the best of her ability. She also helps out a few families in her little village by babysitting whenever they need her to. She’s very trustworthy.
Relationships: She had a boyfriend for a few months but he left her village to go to university so they decided to just stay as friends. When he left she felt like she was more alone than ever, as not only has she lost her boyfriends but also her best friend. She always had a close relationship with her dad, and although she did get on well with her step mum, she always felt like she couldn't be herself with her around.
_______________________________________________________________________
Name: Spike – It’s his gang name but the audience or other characters never find out his real name. Heidi and a lot of the other gang members just refer to him as ‘boss’.
Age: 36
What he looks like: He’s tall, well built and muscular. His head is shaved, and he has large scar down the left side of his ear and neck.
Personality: Spike is aggressive and controlling. He likes to be in control of every situation thrown at him and his gang and he’s well known by everyone around the surrounding areas for being such a notorious criminal. Since teenage years he’s been a bully. He’s very dominant, and he makes it obvious to everyone exactly whose boss. Spike’s continuously patronising towards Heidi, and he makes her feel like she can’t do anything without his guidance and help. He has a secret soft spot for Heidi, as he thinks she’s a really attractive girl, but he wouldn’t let anyone know this, so to counteract it, he’s even more horrible to her than he should be. He is very powerful in the sense that whatever he wants, he gets, and he’s a bad influence to both gang members and non-gang members.
Background/Where he’s from: He hasn’t always been a bully. He was brought up in a rough, central London council flat with his parents, who were both druggies. They bred pit-bulls, and trained them to fight illegally at there local drug den. His parents weren’t good parents, so he had to try and bring himself up from an early age as they were never around to look after him. Through-out his early teenage years his parents mocked him mercilessly for being skinny, and they’d always call him horrendous names. This set the ball rolling in Spike’s head to want to get bigger and prove his parents wrong. So he started using steroids and weight lifting anything he could that was heavy. As soon as he felt he was ready he packed the little things he had into a bag and left his family home. He knew he could make a better life for himself elsewhere; and that’s what he thinks he’s done.
Job: He’s never been employed by anyone but himself, as no employers would ever give him a chance, not that he gave them much of a reason to. He’s now a well known drug dealer and pimp throughout the whole city. This rakes in a lot of cash, but also trouble with it.
Relationships: Spike has had countless sexual partners and one night stands, but got married nine years ago to Tracie. He still sleeps around; and Tracie knows it but pretends it isn’t happening because she loves him. Spike only got married because he knew Tracie loved him and would do anything for him, so he though it was best to get married for stability. He walks all over Tracie, and she lets him. She likes to think he loves her, but doesn’t ever ask him, because she’s afraid of rejection.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Name: Justin Nicholson
Age: 19 years old
Appearance: Justin is 6’2 and well built, he takes care of his appearance because of his hidden insecurities. A good looking guy with blond hair, blue eyes and a well structured jaw line. His dress sense is good, but because of his financial situations Justin tends to wear similar clothes.
Personality traits: Justin is easily approachable and extremely laid back, this is reflected in his kind hearted attitude and relationship with Heidi. However, Justin is also insecure and his vanity shows this, his false over confidence is dramatic irony as Justin appears as a rock and genuine strength for Heidi. He considers her well being over his own.
History & Family background: Raised in Kingsway, Justin is aware of the dangers in which living in a city may lead to as he has witnessed and suffered from tragedies in his home town. Despite being laid back he is always first to consider and protect. His mother and father suffered a fatal car crash five years ago and with little heritage Justin left school with poor grades leading him to immediately get a full time job. Living in a 10th floor apartment, Justin has no close family to support him and can therefore emphasise with Heidi’s situation.
Lifestyle: Since the age of 16, Justin has been forced to work in a call centre due to lack of qualifications and motivation to move on and leave his home town. However, Justin likes to support his local community by volunteering to life guard at the local swimming pool. Being well built, most of Justin’s income is spent on food and the gym as well as paying the weekly rent to live in his flat. He does not smoke or take drugs, however keeps an open mind on those who are part of that culture. Justi n alienated himself from his friends after his parents’ death and therefore when Heidi moves into the flat across from him, he welcomes her with open arms in order to seek a friendship which he needs.
Relationships: Justin has no immediate family left and has found it hard to get close to anybody since the death of his parents. As Justin is stereotyped by the local community as the ‘nice guy’ it has led to a lot of female attention, however Justin has not felt ready to commit into a relationship due to the pressure and stress in his current life.
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Script: Script
TITLES END. EXT L/S AND SAD NON DIEGETIC MUSIC. HEIDI exits the noisy train station after leaving her hometown in search of her mother. Heidi is nervously looking around and is unfamiliar with the area.
M/S Heidi stops at the corner unsure of which way to go. Looks left and right and then nervously and hastily continues
C/U and Z/I in on MAP and PHOTOGRAPH in Heidi’s hand before Heidi begins to cry
L/S and Z/O as passerby bumps into Heidi leaving her nervous [cries more]
EXT Z/I of TAXI
MUSIC ENDS
Heidi Williams
Name: Heidi Williams
Age: 17
What she looks like: She’s a tall baby faced girl with curly hair, she’s very pretty but doesn’t seem to know it. She looks innocent and pure.
Personality: Heidi is fairly shy apart from when she’s around people she feels comfortable with. She trusts to easily and because of this she’s very influential. She likes to be liked, an often gets walked all over. She seems confused quite a lot but she isn’t stupid, she has good grades in all her exams and has a good amount of common sense. She has been desperate to find her birth mother for years, and because of this she seems constantly sad and upset. Although she hides her feelings quite well, she is quite easy to read.
Background/Where she’s from: She’s been brought up in a nice family home with a loving father and stepmother. She’s lived in Ipstones all her life and loved it. It’s a rural place, with lots of animals. She has a cat and two dogs of her own, this seems to make up for her lack of a close companion or sibling. Her life has always felt a bit empty and she’s felt a bit lost all her life, even when she’s at home with her Dad, step mum and pets.
Job: She has worked as a waitress in her local pub/restaurant since she was 13 and is respected as she’s always on time and works to the best of her ability. She also helps out a few families in her little village by babysitting whenever they need her to. She’s very trustworthy.
Relationships: She had a boyfriend for a few months but he left her village to go to university so they decided to just stay as friends. When he left she felt like she was more alone than ever, as not only has she lost her boyfriends but also her best friend. She always had a close relationship with her dad, and although she did get on well with her step mum, she always felt like she couldn't be herself with her around.
_______________________________________________________________________
Name: Spike – It’s his gang name but the audience or other characters never find out his real name. Heidi and a lot of the other gang members just refer to him as ‘boss’.
Age: 36
What he looks like: He’s tall, well built and muscular. His head is shaved, and he has large scar down the left side of his ear and neck.
Personality: Spike is aggressive and controlling. He likes to be in control of every situation thrown at him and his gang and he’s well known by everyone around the surrounding areas for being such a notorious criminal. Since teenage years he’s been a bully. He’s very dominant, and he makes it obvious to everyone exactly whose boss. Spike’s continuously patronising towards Heidi, and he makes her feel like she can’t do anything without his guidance and help. He has a secret soft spot for Heidi, as he thinks she’s a really attractive girl, but he wouldn’t let anyone know this, so to counteract it, he’s even more horrible to her than he should be. He is very powerful in the sense that whatever he wants, he gets, and he’s a bad influence to both gang members and non-gang members.
Background/Where he’s from: He hasn’t always been a bully. He was brought up in a rough, central London council flat with his parents, who were both druggies. They bred pit-bulls, and trained them to fight illegally at there local drug den. His parents weren’t good parents, so he had to try and bring himself up from an early age as they were never around to look after him. Through-out his early teenage years his parents mocked him mercilessly for being skinny, and they’d always call him horrendous names. This set the ball rolling in Spike’s head to want to get bigger and prove his parents wrong. So he started using steroids and weight lifting anything he could that was heavy. As soon as he felt he was ready he packed the little things he had into a bag and left his family home. He knew he could make a better life for himself elsewhere; and that’s what he thinks he’s done.
Job: He’s never been employed by anyone but himself, as no employers would ever give him a chance, not that he gave them much of a reason to. He’s now a well known drug dealer and pimp throughout the whole city. This rakes in a lot of cash, but also trouble with it.
Relationships: Spike has had countless sexual partners and one night stands, but got married nine years ago to Tracie. He still sleeps around; and Tracie knows it but pretends it isn’t happening because she loves him. Spike only got married because he knew Tracie loved him and would do anything for him, so he though it was best to get married for stability. He walks all over Tracie, and she lets him. She likes to think he loves her, but doesn’t ever ask him, because she’s afraid of rejection.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Name: Justin Nicholson
Age: 19 years old
Appearance: Justin is 6’2 and well built, he takes care of his appearance because of his hidden insecurities. A good looking guy with blond hair, blue eyes and a well structured jaw line. His dress sense is good, but because of his financial situations Justin tends to wear similar clothes.
Personality traits: Justin is easily approachable and extremely laid back, this is reflected in his kind hearted attitude and relationship with Heidi. However, Justin is also insecure and his vanity shows this, his false over confidence is dramatic irony as Justin appears as a rock and genuine strength for Heidi. He considers her well being over his own.
History & Family background: Raised in Kingsway, Justin is aware of the dangers in which living in a city may lead to as he has witnessed and suffered from tragedies in his home town. Despite being laid back he is always first to consider and protect. His mother and father suffered a fatal car crash five years ago and with little heritage Justin left school with poor grades leading him to immediately get a full time job. Living in a 10th floor apartment, Justin has no close family to support him and can therefore emphasise with Heidi’s situation.
Lifestyle: Since the age of 16, Justin has been forced to work in a call centre due to lack of qualifications and motivation to move on and leave his home town. However, Justin likes to support his local community by volunteering to life guard at the local swimming pool. Being well built, most of Justin’s income is spent on food and the gym as well as paying the weekly rent to live in his flat. He does not smoke or take drugs, however keeps an open mind on those who are part of that culture. Justi n alienated himself from his friends after his parents’ death and therefore when Heidi moves into the flat across from him, he welcomes her with open arms in order to seek a friendship which he needs.
Relationships: Justin has no immediate family left and has found it hard to get close to anybody since the death of his parents. As Justin is stereotyped by the local community as the ‘nice guy’ it has led to a lot of female attention, however Justin has not felt ready to commit into a relationship due to the pressure and stress in his current life.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Script: Script
TITLES END. EXT L/S AND SAD NON DIEGETIC MUSIC. HEIDI exits the noisy train station after leaving her hometown in search of her mother. Heidi is nervously looking around and is unfamiliar with the area.
M/S Heidi stops at the corner unsure of which way to go. Looks left and right and then nervously and hastily continues
C/U and Z/I in on MAP and PHOTOGRAPH in Heidi’s hand before Heidi begins to cry
L/S and Z/O as passerby bumps into Heidi leaving her nervous [cries more]
EXT Z/I of TAXI
MUSIC ENDS
Section 5: Film Synopsis and Film Treatment
Film Synopsis:
Seventeen year old Heidi Williams (Emily Connor) leaves her foster parents and home town of Ipstone in order to search for her birth mother who abandoned her at the age of 3. Lost and confused, Heidi arrives in Kingsway; a suburban city filled with gang crime and poverty, with no friends, income or support, only half of a photo of her mother and herself. Heidi is forced to prostitute in order to pay rent for her 10th floor flat, befriending opposite resident Justin (Scott Wilson) along the way. Heidi is constantly struggling in order to keep her dreams of finding her mother alive, but when one of her highest paying clients Spike (Matthew Emson) offers her £30,000 to join and work for his notorious gang X2, Heidi sees this as an offer she cannot refuse. Becoming a key member of the gang, Heidi grows closer to the gang members in particular oblivious Spike’s wife Tracie who acts as a mother figure to Heidi. However despite Heidi’s new social status, she is now faced with rape, theft and drugs and realises she is trapped in the vicious circle of infamous X2. Witnessing murders, mentally and physically scarred Heidi confides in friend Justin who states that she is no closer to finding her mother and therefore helps Heidi plan her escape from dictating leader Spike and the lifestyle she so desperately wants to escape. Putting her plan into action, Heidi’s brutal plans see her kill and trap key X2 members in order to assure her own well being. After her barbaric actions, Spike is informed of the killings committed by Heidi and kidnaps her unaware that companion Justin is just around the corner. Heidi kills Spike and wife Tracie in a brutal and emotional showdown which leaves distraught Heidi in a suicidal state after finding the other half of the photo in Tracie’s room, realising that the woman that she had just murdered was actually her birth mother.
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Film Treatment
'To Kingsway'
Heidi Williams slowly stands outside of Kingsway Station, sobbing and hugging onto a photo of her mother who she has just moved here in search of. Slowly and sadly, she tells herself that ‘a girl should never have to grow up without her mother’. Streaming with tears, Heidi looks at the photo of her mother and walks to the nearest taxi in seek of beginning her search, Heidi’s makeup is smudged and her posture is slumped, she is extremely vulnerable and emotional and when she opens up the scrubby palm of her hand, Heidi has little but coppers in her hand. As the rain pours, she steps through puddles and leaves the taxi after being rejected by the driver. Now feeling more alone than ever, Heidi gets bumped into by a rude and inconsiderate passer-by and drops the little pennies which she had. Desperate Heidi feels ready to give up on her journey but a final look at her map persuades her to continue as Kingsway is circled and after a few sighs and cries, Heidi pleads to a local passer-by and begs him to help her in the right direction of finding her council flat and her mother, but he hastily avoids Heidi, leaving her to find her own way ‘home’.
Seventeen year old Heidi Williams (Emily Connor) leaves her foster parents and home town of Ipstone in order to search for her birth mother who abandoned her at the age of 3. Lost and confused, Heidi arrives in Kingsway; a suburban city filled with gang crime and poverty, with no friends, income or support, only half of a photo of her mother and herself. Heidi is forced to prostitute in order to pay rent for her 10th floor flat, befriending opposite resident Justin (Scott Wilson) along the way. Heidi is constantly struggling in order to keep her dreams of finding her mother alive, but when one of her highest paying clients Spike (Matthew Emson) offers her £30,000 to join and work for his notorious gang X2, Heidi sees this as an offer she cannot refuse. Becoming a key member of the gang, Heidi grows closer to the gang members in particular oblivious Spike’s wife Tracie who acts as a mother figure to Heidi. However despite Heidi’s new social status, she is now faced with rape, theft and drugs and realises she is trapped in the vicious circle of infamous X2. Witnessing murders, mentally and physically scarred Heidi confides in friend Justin who states that she is no closer to finding her mother and therefore helps Heidi plan her escape from dictating leader Spike and the lifestyle she so desperately wants to escape. Putting her plan into action, Heidi’s brutal plans see her kill and trap key X2 members in order to assure her own well being. After her barbaric actions, Spike is informed of the killings committed by Heidi and kidnaps her unaware that companion Justin is just around the corner. Heidi kills Spike and wife Tracie in a brutal and emotional showdown which leaves distraught Heidi in a suicidal state after finding the other half of the photo in Tracie’s room, realising that the woman that she had just murdered was actually her birth mother.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Film Treatment
'To Kingsway'
Heidi Williams slowly stands outside of Kingsway Station, sobbing and hugging onto a photo of her mother who she has just moved here in search of. Slowly and sadly, she tells herself that ‘a girl should never have to grow up without her mother’. Streaming with tears, Heidi looks at the photo of her mother and walks to the nearest taxi in seek of beginning her search, Heidi’s makeup is smudged and her posture is slumped, she is extremely vulnerable and emotional and when she opens up the scrubby palm of her hand, Heidi has little but coppers in her hand. As the rain pours, she steps through puddles and leaves the taxi after being rejected by the driver. Now feeling more alone than ever, Heidi gets bumped into by a rude and inconsiderate passer-by and drops the little pennies which she had. Desperate Heidi feels ready to give up on her journey but a final look at her map persuades her to continue as Kingsway is circled and after a few sighs and cries, Heidi pleads to a local passer-by and begs him to help her in the right direction of finding her council flat and her mother, but he hastily avoids Heidi, leaving her to find her own way ‘home’.
Section 4: Audience Research
Audience Research
For our audience research we are conducting a Questionnaire in order to get an understanding of assumptions and expectations of the Thriller genre, this is so as a group we are able to take these ideas and opinions into consideration when editing our storyboard so we can appeal to our target audience.
From our results we should hopefully be able to improve our storyboard and synopsis in order to create the best opening sequence to a Thriller possible, enabling us to attract a mass audience.
Our film is classified as an 18 on the British Board of Film Classification; this is because our film involves domestic matters, sexual references, strong language, a drug culture and strong gang crime and violent scenes. As our film will be an 18 it is vital to take this into consideration when conducting our audience research and therefore we will be aiming our questionnaire for those who are 18 and above.
Audience Research Questionnaire
(Please circle the appropriate answer)
1) What is your Gender?
Male/Female
2) Which age gap do you fit into?
15/25 25/35 35/45 45+
3) Do you like the Thriller Genre (Thriller films and novels), please state the reason for your answer.
Yes/No
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4) What is your favourite sub-genre of a Thriller? (If you answered no to the question above then please skip this question).
Psychological / Legal Biohazard (Disease) / Supernatural / Terrorist / Other (please state) __________________________
5) What do you expect to see in a Thriller film? (Please give an example from a film which you have seen).
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6) What would you expect to see in a Thriller involving gang crime, and why?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7) Would a Thriller based on domestic issues appeal to you? Please state your reasons
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8) In the opening sequence of a Thriller what would appeal most to you? For example; immediate action, or an introduction to the story and character’s life. Why would this opening appeal to you?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9) Please read this brief synopsis and comment on its title and indicate whether you would be interested in watching this movie if it was to come out in cinema, what could be improved in the synopsis and whether you think it appeals to you and why.
'To Kingsway
Seventeen year old Heidi Williams (Emily Connor) leaves her foster parents and home town of Ipstone in order to search for her birth mother who abandoned her at the age of 3. Lost and confused, Heidi arrives in Kingsway; a suburban city filled with gang crime and poverty, with no friends, income or support, only half of a photo of her mother and herself. Heidi is forced to prostitute in order to pay rent for her 10th floor flat, befriending opposite resident Justin (Scott Wilson) along the way. Heidi is constantly struggling in order to keep her dreams of finding her mother alive, but when one of her highest paying clients Spike (Matthew Emson) offers her £30,000 to join and work for his notorious gang X2, Heidi sees this as an offer she cannot refuse. Becoming a key member of the gang, Heidi grows closer to the gang members in particular oblivious Spike’s wife Tracie who acts as a mother figure to Heidi. However despite Heidi’s new social status, she is now faced with rape, theft and drugs and realises she is trapped in the vicious circle of infamous X2. Witnessing murders, mentally and physically scarred Heidi confides in friend Justin who states that she is no closer to finding her mother and therefore helps Heidi plan her escape from dictating leader Spike and the lifestyle she so desperately wants to escape. Putting her plan into action, Heidi’s brutal plans see her kill and trap key X2 members in order to assure her own well being. After her barbaric actions, Spike is informed of the killings committed by Heidi and kidnaps her unaware that companion Justin is just around the corner. Heidi kills Spike and wife Tracie in a brutal and emotional showdown which leaves distraught Heidi in a suicidal state after finding the other half of the photo in Tracie’s room, realising that the woman that she had just murdered was actually her birth mother.'
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10) Is there anything you would like to add to your expectations of a Thriller genre or what you believe works/doesn’t work in a Thriller film and why?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We’d like to thank you for your time in taking part in this survey
________________________________________________________________________________
Results from our Questionnaire
After handing out 30 questionnaires to 30 volunteers, we were able to collect our results and draw conclusions from these. Our results are as followed.
The first question on the questionnaire was ‘What is your Gender?’ this question was asked in order to be able to draw gender preferences with the Thriller genre. From the results14/30 were male and 16/30 were female, this is nearly half and half which gives us enough results to work off and draw a conclusion with.
When put into a bar chart, our results from the first question looked like this:
As our film will be certified as an 18, our target audience for our questionnaire is for those who are 18+, however we split ages into categories, in order to group each questionnaire volunteer, we split into the following age groups: 15/25 25/35 35/45 45+. As our target audience is aimed for young to middle aged, we labelled a group as ‘45+’ as this age category isn’t considered as important as the other groups. Our results identified that 11 out of the 30 were between the age of 15/25, although this is our intended audience, we are unable to identify who is between 15 and 18 and this therefore should have been considered before creating our age categories for our questionnaire.
We then asked if the participant liked the Thriller genre, this is because it is direct and straight to the point. It also gave us an indication of who was aware of the genre and why they did (didn’t) like the genre. 21 out of 30 said that they liked the genre, 6 out of the 9 who circled ‘no’ reasons for not liking the genre were because they didn’t know what it was. This immediately narrowed our questionnaire results as the nine who didn’t like the genre or know what it was are only able to give us limited information as they don’t have particular interest in the genre.
Our fourth question focused on the sub-genres of Thrillers, this was to narrow those who ‘liked’ the genre into different categories so we could establish the most popular type of Thriller. Although 9 out of the 30 claimed not to have liked Thriller’s, they all continued with the questionnaire. From our results we were able to identify that the most popular sub-genre of a Thriller was psychological as 17 out of 30 identified this as their favourite, 8 out of the 30 preferred supernatural Thriller’s and 5 preferred terrorist Thriller films. By offering the category ‘other’ it enabled the audience to list a film which they consider not to fall into this category, as well as giving reasons for why. However, none of our participants circled ‘other’. We collected our results in a tally chart. As our film includes domestic and slightly psychological issues, our results may work to our advantage.
By including our synopsis on the questionnaire it enabled us to get feedback from potential viewers and those who are interested in the genre. From the response, a clear 13 stated that they believed the synopsis to be good and that they would consider going to see it in the cinema, 8 of the 13 were women. Out of the remaining 17, 11 did not respond or leave comments and 6 although saying it was a good synopsis, suggested rooms for improvement through the following:
- less domestic/more domestic narrative
- more detail in the rapes and crimes
- giving the viewer a role to play or dramatic irony within the film
- Spike being the protagonist’s real father!
Each criticism/room for improvement will be considered in any redrafting. However, as our opening sequence is fairly simple, restructuring the storyboard isn’t necessary.
Our research has been essential in order to maintain that our film is targeted at the correct audience, yet also appeals to a mass. From our results we are able to conclude that despite including elements of the most popular sub-genres (from our participants) there are still areas for improvement and consideration within our opening sequence.
For our audience research we are conducting a Questionnaire in order to get an understanding of assumptions and expectations of the Thriller genre, this is so as a group we are able to take these ideas and opinions into consideration when editing our storyboard so we can appeal to our target audience.
From our results we should hopefully be able to improve our storyboard and synopsis in order to create the best opening sequence to a Thriller possible, enabling us to attract a mass audience.
Our film is classified as an 18 on the British Board of Film Classification; this is because our film involves domestic matters, sexual references, strong language, a drug culture and strong gang crime and violent scenes. As our film will be an 18 it is vital to take this into consideration when conducting our audience research and therefore we will be aiming our questionnaire for those who are 18 and above.
Audience Research Questionnaire
(Please circle the appropriate answer)
1) What is your Gender?
Male/Female
2) Which age gap do you fit into?
15/25 25/35 35/45 45+
3) Do you like the Thriller Genre (Thriller films and novels), please state the reason for your answer.
Yes/No
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4) What is your favourite sub-genre of a Thriller? (If you answered no to the question above then please skip this question).
Psychological / Legal Biohazard (Disease) / Supernatural / Terrorist / Other (please state) __________________________
5) What do you expect to see in a Thriller film? (Please give an example from a film which you have seen).
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6) What would you expect to see in a Thriller involving gang crime, and why?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7) Would a Thriller based on domestic issues appeal to you? Please state your reasons
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8) In the opening sequence of a Thriller what would appeal most to you? For example; immediate action, or an introduction to the story and character’s life. Why would this opening appeal to you?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9) Please read this brief synopsis and comment on its title and indicate whether you would be interested in watching this movie if it was to come out in cinema, what could be improved in the synopsis and whether you think it appeals to you and why.
'To Kingsway
Seventeen year old Heidi Williams (Emily Connor) leaves her foster parents and home town of Ipstone in order to search for her birth mother who abandoned her at the age of 3. Lost and confused, Heidi arrives in Kingsway; a suburban city filled with gang crime and poverty, with no friends, income or support, only half of a photo of her mother and herself. Heidi is forced to prostitute in order to pay rent for her 10th floor flat, befriending opposite resident Justin (Scott Wilson) along the way. Heidi is constantly struggling in order to keep her dreams of finding her mother alive, but when one of her highest paying clients Spike (Matthew Emson) offers her £30,000 to join and work for his notorious gang X2, Heidi sees this as an offer she cannot refuse. Becoming a key member of the gang, Heidi grows closer to the gang members in particular oblivious Spike’s wife Tracie who acts as a mother figure to Heidi. However despite Heidi’s new social status, she is now faced with rape, theft and drugs and realises she is trapped in the vicious circle of infamous X2. Witnessing murders, mentally and physically scarred Heidi confides in friend Justin who states that she is no closer to finding her mother and therefore helps Heidi plan her escape from dictating leader Spike and the lifestyle she so desperately wants to escape. Putting her plan into action, Heidi’s brutal plans see her kill and trap key X2 members in order to assure her own well being. After her barbaric actions, Spike is informed of the killings committed by Heidi and kidnaps her unaware that companion Justin is just around the corner. Heidi kills Spike and wife Tracie in a brutal and emotional showdown which leaves distraught Heidi in a suicidal state after finding the other half of the photo in Tracie’s room, realising that the woman that she had just murdered was actually her birth mother.'
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10) Is there anything you would like to add to your expectations of a Thriller genre or what you believe works/doesn’t work in a Thriller film and why?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We’d like to thank you for your time in taking part in this survey
________________________________________________________________________________
Results from our Questionnaire
After handing out 30 questionnaires to 30 volunteers, we were able to collect our results and draw conclusions from these. Our results are as followed.
The first question on the questionnaire was ‘What is your Gender?’ this question was asked in order to be able to draw gender preferences with the Thriller genre. From the results14/30 were male and 16/30 were female, this is nearly half and half which gives us enough results to work off and draw a conclusion with.
When put into a bar chart, our results from the first question looked like this:
As our film will be certified as an 18, our target audience for our questionnaire is for those who are 18+, however we split ages into categories, in order to group each questionnaire volunteer, we split into the following age groups: 15/25 25/35 35/45 45+. As our target audience is aimed for young to middle aged, we labelled a group as ‘45+’ as this age category isn’t considered as important as the other groups. Our results identified that 11 out of the 30 were between the age of 15/25, although this is our intended audience, we are unable to identify who is between 15 and 18 and this therefore should have been considered before creating our age categories for our questionnaire.
We then asked if the participant liked the Thriller genre, this is because it is direct and straight to the point. It also gave us an indication of who was aware of the genre and why they did (didn’t) like the genre. 21 out of 30 said that they liked the genre, 6 out of the 9 who circled ‘no’ reasons for not liking the genre were because they didn’t know what it was. This immediately narrowed our questionnaire results as the nine who didn’t like the genre or know what it was are only able to give us limited information as they don’t have particular interest in the genre.
Our fourth question focused on the sub-genres of Thrillers, this was to narrow those who ‘liked’ the genre into different categories so we could establish the most popular type of Thriller. Although 9 out of the 30 claimed not to have liked Thriller’s, they all continued with the questionnaire. From our results we were able to identify that the most popular sub-genre of a Thriller was psychological as 17 out of 30 identified this as their favourite, 8 out of the 30 preferred supernatural Thriller’s and 5 preferred terrorist Thriller films. By offering the category ‘other’ it enabled the audience to list a film which they consider not to fall into this category, as well as giving reasons for why. However, none of our participants circled ‘other’. We collected our results in a tally chart. As our film includes domestic and slightly psychological issues, our results may work to our advantage.
By including our synopsis on the questionnaire it enabled us to get feedback from potential viewers and those who are interested in the genre. From the response, a clear 13 stated that they believed the synopsis to be good and that they would consider going to see it in the cinema, 8 of the 13 were women. Out of the remaining 17, 11 did not respond or leave comments and 6 although saying it was a good synopsis, suggested rooms for improvement through the following:
- less domestic/more domestic narrative
- more detail in the rapes and crimes
- giving the viewer a role to play or dramatic irony within the film
- Spike being the protagonist’s real father!
Each criticism/room for improvement will be considered in any redrafting. However, as our opening sequence is fairly simple, restructuring the storyboard isn’t necessary.
Our research has been essential in order to maintain that our film is targeted at the correct audience, yet also appeals to a mass. From our results we are able to conclude that despite including elements of the most popular sub-genres (from our participants) there are still areas for improvement and consideration within our opening sequence.
Section 3: Ideas and Film Classification
Film Classification
Our film would probably be classed as an 18, this is because it contains very strong language and violence and also has scenes of a sexual nature.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our film would probably be classed as an 18, this is because it contains very strong language and violence and also has scenes of a sexual nature.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Section 2: Write up of Se7en
Se7en Review
The film I am analysing is called Se7en, it was directed by David Fincher, it was released in 1995 and it starred Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow. This film’s plot revolves around the seven deadly sins: Gluttony, greed, lust, wrath, sloth, pride and envy.
The narrative structure of Se7en is linear, so it follows the A-B-C structure, due to having this structure the audience is put into the roll of the detective and is trying to solve the mystery and what twists and turns have been put into the thriller.
Thriller films have certain rules (codes and conventions) that the director has to follow, they are what the audience expects to see, each genre of films have different rules. Se7en has many of these rules for example: its very dark in nearly every scene, when its daytime the weather is still very dark and stormy, and even when they are indoors the lighting is still very dimmed, like when each body is found they are always in dark places. All this darkness relates to partial vision, where the audience can only ever see a certain area, this add’s suspense. The film is also constantly asking questions and having them answered for example, when they think they know has been committing the murders and go to arrest him, they find that he is the next victim. By using this question and answer method the audience can’t solve the mystery. Another code and convention they use is that the film is based in a city, by setting thrillers in cities it can create more chaos than say the film being set in the country side, another reason for setting them in cities is so that it is extremely difficult to find the criminal. In the last scene they use Lars Ole Saurberg’s method of delaying an outcome, when the box arrives at the scene you have no idea what’s in it and they don’t immediately open it so you ask your self “What’s in the box?” and then it takes a while for him to open the box with his knife adding to the suspense.
The camera has a variety of moves in each scene, there are a lot of close ups, to show the characters emotions, like when Mills finds out it’s his wife’s head in the box, the camera zooms in on his devastated expression. There are also a lot of low angle shots of John Doe to show that he has the upper hand on the detectives and this coincides to when Somerset shouts “John Doe has the upper hand!”
The Mise-en-scene includes the following: costume, lighting, acting, make-up and performance (C.L.A.M.P) the costumes for Se7en are very stereotypical, for example: the detectives wear long trench coats, hats, suits and have gun graces, they use these costumes because it is what you expect the detectives to wear.
The lighting is extremely dark all throughout the film, in every room the lights are dimmed, and even when it’s daytime they make the weather very dark, however in the last scene it is very sunny to me this connotates that the city is a much lighter place now that the murderer has been caught, then when he wasn’t and the city is a much darker place.
The performance of characters is extremely important in a film because it gives the audience a better insight into their life. Brad Pitt’s character(Mills) is very passionate about his job and is extremely aggressive when it comes to a case; he is very much shoot first and ask questions later. Morgan Freeman’s character (Somerset) contrasts Pitt’s a lot, he is less passionate about his job and can’t wait to retire, and he is also really reserved and does things by the book. By both being very different they compliment each other quite well, like the other ones weakness is the others strength, so they make a good team.
Both characters make-up and hair reflects their personality very well for example Mill’s has a much more rugged look, with his ruffled hair and unshaven complexion and Somerset is extremely neat and tidy with his immaculate hair and being clean shaven.
Props are a major factor in thriller movies and have to be carefully chosen, in Se7en the props mainly include weapons, for the detective’s there are guns, which you would expect and the criminal has a wide range of weapons, which you would also expect from the thriller genre.
The main sound in se7en is sound effects of the city e.g. Cars, trains, crowds etc. However music is used throughout the film and especially in chase scenes, this adds suspense to the chase and makes it more excitable for the audience.
In Sev7en there are quite a few montages an example of this is where Somerset is in the library and he is doing research, they also use a lot of cross-cutting, this is where one actor will be doing something and then it will cut between some else doing something at the same time but somewhere else. Shot-reverse-shot is also use quite a lot, using this you get to see the character reactions to what is being said in the conversation.
Finally in Se7en there is a certain colour scheme used and this is, black and dark green, these colours keeps to the thrillers quest of darkness, there are also flashes of red which connotes blood and anger so you know that there’s going to be blood spilt and makes you ask the question ‘will the main character survive?’
The film I am analysing is called Se7en, it was directed by David Fincher, it was released in 1995 and it starred Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow. This film’s plot revolves around the seven deadly sins: Gluttony, greed, lust, wrath, sloth, pride and envy.
The narrative structure of Se7en is linear, so it follows the A-B-C structure, due to having this structure the audience is put into the roll of the detective and is trying to solve the mystery and what twists and turns have been put into the thriller.
Thriller films have certain rules (codes and conventions) that the director has to follow, they are what the audience expects to see, each genre of films have different rules. Se7en has many of these rules for example: its very dark in nearly every scene, when its daytime the weather is still very dark and stormy, and even when they are indoors the lighting is still very dimmed, like when each body is found they are always in dark places. All this darkness relates to partial vision, where the audience can only ever see a certain area, this add’s suspense. The film is also constantly asking questions and having them answered for example, when they think they know has been committing the murders and go to arrest him, they find that he is the next victim. By using this question and answer method the audience can’t solve the mystery. Another code and convention they use is that the film is based in a city, by setting thrillers in cities it can create more chaos than say the film being set in the country side, another reason for setting them in cities is so that it is extremely difficult to find the criminal. In the last scene they use Lars Ole Saurberg’s method of delaying an outcome, when the box arrives at the scene you have no idea what’s in it and they don’t immediately open it so you ask your self “What’s in the box?” and then it takes a while for him to open the box with his knife adding to the suspense.
The camera has a variety of moves in each scene, there are a lot of close ups, to show the characters emotions, like when Mills finds out it’s his wife’s head in the box, the camera zooms in on his devastated expression. There are also a lot of low angle shots of John Doe to show that he has the upper hand on the detectives and this coincides to when Somerset shouts “John Doe has the upper hand!”
The Mise-en-scene includes the following: costume, lighting, acting, make-up and performance (C.L.A.M.P) the costumes for Se7en are very stereotypical, for example: the detectives wear long trench coats, hats, suits and have gun graces, they use these costumes because it is what you expect the detectives to wear.
The lighting is extremely dark all throughout the film, in every room the lights are dimmed, and even when it’s daytime they make the weather very dark, however in the last scene it is very sunny to me this connotates that the city is a much lighter place now that the murderer has been caught, then when he wasn’t and the city is a much darker place.
The performance of characters is extremely important in a film because it gives the audience a better insight into their life. Brad Pitt’s character(Mills) is very passionate about his job and is extremely aggressive when it comes to a case; he is very much shoot first and ask questions later. Morgan Freeman’s character (Somerset) contrasts Pitt’s a lot, he is less passionate about his job and can’t wait to retire, and he is also really reserved and does things by the book. By both being very different they compliment each other quite well, like the other ones weakness is the others strength, so they make a good team.
Both characters make-up and hair reflects their personality very well for example Mill’s has a much more rugged look, with his ruffled hair and unshaven complexion and Somerset is extremely neat and tidy with his immaculate hair and being clean shaven.
Props are a major factor in thriller movies and have to be carefully chosen, in Se7en the props mainly include weapons, for the detective’s there are guns, which you would expect and the criminal has a wide range of weapons, which you would also expect from the thriller genre.
The main sound in se7en is sound effects of the city e.g. Cars, trains, crowds etc. However music is used throughout the film and especially in chase scenes, this adds suspense to the chase and makes it more excitable for the audience.
In Sev7en there are quite a few montages an example of this is where Somerset is in the library and he is doing research, they also use a lot of cross-cutting, this is where one actor will be doing something and then it will cut between some else doing something at the same time but somewhere else. Shot-reverse-shot is also use quite a lot, using this you get to see the character reactions to what is being said in the conversation.
Finally in Se7en there is a certain colour scheme used and this is, black and dark green, these colours keeps to the thrillers quest of darkness, there are also flashes of red which connotes blood and anger so you know that there’s going to be blood spilt and makes you ask the question ‘will the main character survive?’
Friday, 13 November 2009
Section 1: Critics and Authors
Critics and Authors Write Up
What is a Thriller?
There are many codes and conventions of the thriller genre and many authors have written books on it, they all came up with different rules, which directors should follow when making a thriller and also what the audience expects to be in a thriller. The first book explaining this was written in the 1900’s by G.K Chesterton, he came up with the basic rules, for example: Chesterton was determined that the thriller genre should be set in modern times, so technology id more advance, so they could explore more options than say a thriller set in the 1800’s. He said; A thriller should be set in an urban landscape. This is because if its set in a town or city, then there can be more destruction and devastation. And also more people would suffer in an urban landscape than say a country side area. He also said; Find excitement in everyday life, this means that the plot should follow an ordinary person, who does 9 to 5 instead of someone who has superpowers. And finally; Transform the ordinary into extraordinary, again this is taking the ordinary guy and making him do extraordinary things.
Northrop Frye wrote a book where he elaborates more on the points that Chesterton makes in his book for example he says; the hero is often an ordinary person but he adds to this by saying, “the hero of romance movies in a world in which the ordinary laws of nature are slightly suspended.” This means that the hero in romance films is similar to the ones in thrillers because they are usually just a normal person, but they are put into a slightly more complex world. He then goes on to say; “we are happy to believe the situations because Thrillers are similar to romance fictions.” This is elaborating on the point made earlier because it’s saying that the situations like in romance are a bit far fetched and cliché but they are believable because it is everyday life. And finally he says “The thriller turns the enchanted forest into the modern city” by this he means a thriller is like a fairytale but with a modern take to it.
John Crawlett then wrote a book which combines both points made by G.K Chesterton and Northrop Frye but he adds “The exotic into everyday world” which means they put something different into everyday life, something the characters aren’t use to. For example ‘The Terminator’ puts killer robots into normal life.
W.H Mathews although agreed with the points above he thought there was more to Thrillers than just that, so he said “The image of Theseus descending into the underground maze full of twists, turns, puzzles and dead ends” this means that in Thrillers nothing can be simple or straight forward, something has to be difficult to solve, like in ‘Se7en’ when the characters think they are about to solve the case it takes a different turn and puts them back to square one again. Another reason for doing this is so that it is never boring for the audience member. He also says “Complex twist and turns so the audience doesn’t solve the problem too easily.” And finally “A thriller must have a puzzling journey.”
Pascal Bonitzer agrees with the maze theory but he adds that there should be partial vision when he advocates mazes; this means that the audience shouldn’t be able to see what will happen. He also says “The audience should only see so much” and “What the audience doesn’t see is part of the system of Thrillers.”
Lars Ole Saurberg adds to these points and then talks about the two ways suspense can be added to the thriller genre. The first one is deliberately hiding something from the audience, an example of this is when someone enters a room with a torch and you can only see what the torch illuminates. The second is delaying an expected outcome, an example of this is when a bomb is being defused and the person doesn’t know which wire to cut so they take forever before cutting even though the audience knows it’s the right one.
Finally Noel Carroll combines all of the above but he adds “A thriller should constantly ask a question and have it answered” and “One factor for creating suspense is in a battle against the odds” and finally “Will the hero survive?” all these add suspense to the thriller genre, making them more exciting for the audience.
What is a Thriller?
There are many codes and conventions of the thriller genre and many authors have written books on it, they all came up with different rules, which directors should follow when making a thriller and also what the audience expects to be in a thriller. The first book explaining this was written in the 1900’s by G.K Chesterton, he came up with the basic rules, for example: Chesterton was determined that the thriller genre should be set in modern times, so technology id more advance, so they could explore more options than say a thriller set in the 1800’s. He said; A thriller should be set in an urban landscape. This is because if its set in a town or city, then there can be more destruction and devastation. And also more people would suffer in an urban landscape than say a country side area. He also said; Find excitement in everyday life, this means that the plot should follow an ordinary person, who does 9 to 5 instead of someone who has superpowers. And finally; Transform the ordinary into extraordinary, again this is taking the ordinary guy and making him do extraordinary things.
Northrop Frye wrote a book where he elaborates more on the points that Chesterton makes in his book for example he says; the hero is often an ordinary person but he adds to this by saying, “the hero of romance movies in a world in which the ordinary laws of nature are slightly suspended.” This means that the hero in romance films is similar to the ones in thrillers because they are usually just a normal person, but they are put into a slightly more complex world. He then goes on to say; “we are happy to believe the situations because Thrillers are similar to romance fictions.” This is elaborating on the point made earlier because it’s saying that the situations like in romance are a bit far fetched and cliché but they are believable because it is everyday life. And finally he says “The thriller turns the enchanted forest into the modern city” by this he means a thriller is like a fairytale but with a modern take to it.
John Crawlett then wrote a book which combines both points made by G.K Chesterton and Northrop Frye but he adds “The exotic into everyday world” which means they put something different into everyday life, something the characters aren’t use to. For example ‘The Terminator’ puts killer robots into normal life.
W.H Mathews although agreed with the points above he thought there was more to Thrillers than just that, so he said “The image of Theseus descending into the underground maze full of twists, turns, puzzles and dead ends” this means that in Thrillers nothing can be simple or straight forward, something has to be difficult to solve, like in ‘Se7en’ when the characters think they are about to solve the case it takes a different turn and puts them back to square one again. Another reason for doing this is so that it is never boring for the audience member. He also says “Complex twist and turns so the audience doesn’t solve the problem too easily.” And finally “A thriller must have a puzzling journey.”
Pascal Bonitzer agrees with the maze theory but he adds that there should be partial vision when he advocates mazes; this means that the audience shouldn’t be able to see what will happen. He also says “The audience should only see so much” and “What the audience doesn’t see is part of the system of Thrillers.”
Lars Ole Saurberg adds to these points and then talks about the two ways suspense can be added to the thriller genre. The first one is deliberately hiding something from the audience, an example of this is when someone enters a room with a torch and you can only see what the torch illuminates. The second is delaying an expected outcome, an example of this is when a bomb is being defused and the person doesn’t know which wire to cut so they take forever before cutting even though the audience knows it’s the right one.
Finally Noel Carroll combines all of the above but he adds “A thriller should constantly ask a question and have it answered” and “One factor for creating suspense is in a battle against the odds” and finally “Will the hero survive?” all these add suspense to the thriller genre, making them more exciting for the audience.
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