Location Scouting

Once we had established the basic plot for our thriller opening, we began to research various locations which would suit the story. Using a stills camera, we photographed possible areas which could create the desired effect when it came to filming.

Brainstorming/ Storyboards

Initial Planning
Here is a basic brainstorm we drew up as a group, showing the typical forms and conventions of the thriller genre. When creating our opening thriller sequence , we will try to apply as many of these elements as possible.



This is the basic sequence run through form the opening of our thriller.



Storyboards
The importance of storyboarding in film making ensures the easy planning- it results in effective time management when filming, where details of camera shots/ angles and even mise-en-scene can be applied effectively.

'Taking Lives' Essay

In what ways does ‘Taking Lives’ conform to or subvert what you consider to be forms and conventions of the thriller genre?

Like most thrillers, ‘Taking Lives’ begins with a scene that sets a vague overview of the content for the rest of the film, which helps the audience establish a brief understanding of characters, setting etc. During the opening of ‘Taking Lives’, a main character is brought into focus, alongside a supporting role. As the audience you get the feeling that the two characters introduced would be the main story for the film, in some way. The scene that follows is aimed to shock the audience, and it indeed delivers, as you begin to understand the characters. Yet the director [D.J. Caruso] brings it back to the intended thriller genre, with an accident suddenly occurring after a line of speech, designed to make the viewers speculate about what is meant. The predictability of the event is quite subtle, as the viewer is almost drawn into the storyline, forgetting what the genre is, even thought you know in the back of your mind something is going to happen, it does so in an unlikely way. Most thrillers conform to a cliché of suspended shock, be it from an event build up or character act, ‘Taking Lives’ builds anticipation until the audience is sat on the edge of their seat, yet instead of shock, the thrill subsides and re-appears when it is least expected.

'Taking Lives’ could be considered as a classic thriller, in the sense that there is a protagonist, who appears to have a pretty mundane background, yet as the story unravels in a series of unnerving events, it becomes apparent the lead character is far from the ordinary. The director builds up a storyline with many factors to build up the tension of the plot including the typical dark rooms without a working light, leading a FBI agent into a room alone with only the company of a single torchlight. One of the main conventions of the thriller genre involved the use of psychology, be it mentally unstable or otherwise. This forms the main focal point for a classic thriller, as the mind patterns of the main character almost entice the viewers, giving them the ability to allow their own minds to wonder where or what they are going to do next.

The film lives up to the predictability of the thriller genre by the means of the typical instrumental music, it never fails to create a dramatic suspense, drawing the audience even deeper into the plot. However, what the director does using this well know technique is to play the music when one character is alone, the music is played, creating the tension for the audience, yet when the instrumentals build up to a climax nothing happens, creating a false illusion of where the plot is going.

When relating ‘Taking Lives’ to the typical convention of the thriller, there are aspects which subvert the genre, setting it aside from the rest. Violence is frequently associated with thriller films, be it for audience shock, or storytelling; the opening credits of this particular film involve a young man being thrown in front of a moving vehicle, and suffering a blow to the face with a rock, by the mysterious main character. Although this sets the scene and creates that instant and vital impact for audience capture, there is barely any violence until the pinnacle of the film is reached. If watched through again, you can see Caruso has primarily used sound effects to shock the audience, and that what is interpreted is purely down to audio illusion and human imagination.

Conforming to the shock value of a typical thriller, the suspense in ‘Taking Lives’ is done so through sequences of characters being alone in darkened rooms, for example the scene where the main female character is in the suspects bedroom. The mise- en- scene in this particular scene is characteristic for a psychotic individual; a bleak setting with dirty, shambolic surroundings. The shadows cast upon the walls by the female give the illusion she is not alone and with the suspense heightened by the instrumental music, the audience is lead to believe an event is about to take place. Caruso subverts the film from the cliché of the thriller genre when the woman lies on the bed of the murderer, adding an element of relaxation. The fact the female is un phased by the situation she is in, the scene plays with human emotion by questioning if she is too, mentally unbalanced on some level. The sequence provokes thought amongst the audience, until shock value is restored when hands suddenly emerge from the bed, where the detective is lying. The constant ‘on-edge’ aspect to the film conforms to the typical features of a thriller, yet Caruso pushes this boundary by capturing the audience with mental confusion.

In conclusion, ‘Taking Lives’ conforms to the typical elements of a thriller, yet the plot and use of audience expectancy subvert the norm, and with judgement enticing the audience, the film can be praised in a whole new context.

'Taking Lives'

Here is the trailer for 2004 thriller 'Taking Lives'. Directed by D.J. Caruso, starring Angelina Jolie & Ethan Hawke, the story plays on the emotions of romance and psychotic disturbance, which sets the film away from the typical thrillers within the genre.

The Thriller genre

Definition of a thriller....

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television that includes numerous and often overlapping sub-genres. Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Writer Vladimir Nabokov, in his lectures at Cornell University, said that "In an Anglo-Saxon thriller, the villain is generally punished, and the strong silent man generally wins the weak babbling girl, but there is no governmental law in Western countries to ban a story that does not comply with a fond tradition, so that we always hope that the wicked but romantic fellow will escape scot-free and the good but dull chap will be finally snubbed by the moody heroine.
Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively. "Homer's Odyssey is one of the oldest stories in the Western world and is regarded as an early prototype of the thriller." A thriller is villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome. The genre is a fascinatingly flexible form that can undermine audience complacency through a dramatic rendering of psychological, social, familial and political tensions and encourages sheltered but sensation-hungry audiences, in Hitchcock's phrase, "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like.”

Characteristics
Thrillers often take place wholly or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, polar regions, or high seas. The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger: law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers, seamen or aviators. However, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident. While such heroes have traditionally been men, women lead characters have become increasingly common; for an early example see Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley, in the movie Alien, 1979.
Thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened; while a murder mystery would be spoiled by a premature disclosure of the murderer's identity, in a thriller the identity of a murderer or other villain is typically known all along. Thrillers also occur on a much grander scale: the crimes that must be prevented are serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination, or the overthrow of governments. Jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements. While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others. In thrillers influenced by film noir and tragedy, the compromised hero is often killed in the process.
In recent years, when thrillers have been increasingly influenced by horror or psychological-horror exposure in pop culture, an ominous or monstrous element has become common to heighten tension. The monster could be anything, even an inferior physical force made superior only by their intellect, a supernatural entity, aliens, serial killers, or even microbes or chemical agents. Some authors have made their mark by incorporating all of these elements (Richard Laymon, F. Paul Wilson) throughout their bodies of work.
Similar distinctions separate the thriller from other overlapping genres: adventure, spy, legal, war, maritime fiction, and so on. Thrillers are defined not by their subject matter but by their approach to it. Many thrillers involve spies and espionage, but not all spy stories are thrillers. The spy novels of John le Carré, for example, explicitly and intentionally reject the conventions of the thriller. Conversely, many thrillers cross over to genres that traditionally have had few or no thriller elements. Alistair MacLean, Hammond Innes, and Brian Callison are best known for their thrillers, but are also accomplished writers of man-against-nature sea stories.
Thrillers may be defined by the primary mood that they elicit: fearful excitement. In short, if it "thrills", it is a thriller. As the introduction to a major anthology explains;
“Thrillers provide such a rich literary feast. There are all kinds. The legal thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure thriller, medical thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller, historical thriller, political thriller, religious thriller, high-tech thriller, military thriller. The list goes on and on, with new variations constantly being invented. In fact, this openness to expansion is one of the genre's most enduring characteristics. But what gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job.” James Patterson, June 2006.

Sub- Genres
The thriller genre can include the following sub-genres, which may include elements of other genres:

• Action thriller: In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James Bond films, The Transporter, and the Jason Bourne novels and films.
• Conspiracy thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. The Chancellor Manuscript and The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Three Days of the Condor, Capricorn One, and JFK.
• Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The Killing, Seven, Reservoir Dogs, Inside Man, and The Asphalt Jungle.
• Disaster thriller: In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, Tremor by Winston Graham, and the 1974 film Earthquake.
• Drama thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The Illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige.
• Erotic thriller: In which it consists of erotica and thriller. It has become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. The genre includes such films as Basic Instinct, Dressed to Kill, Color of Night, Eyes Wide Shut, Fatal Attraction, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Obsessed, and In the Cut.
• Legal thriller: In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. The Innocent Man by John Grisham is a well known example of the type.
• Medical thriller: In which the hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem. Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Crichton, and Gary Braver are well-known authors of this subgenre. Nonfiction medical thrillers are also a subcategory, comprising works like The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Films such as Awake are other examples of medical thrillers.
• Political thriller: In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. The success of Seven Days in May (1962) by Fletcher Knebel, The Day of the Jackal (1971) by Frederick Forsyth, and The Manchurian Candidate (1959) by Richard Condon established this subgenre. A more recent example is the 1980 film Agency.
• Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. The Alfred Hitchcock films Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train and David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet are notable examples of the type, as is The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (who also wrote Strangers) and The Good Son starring Elijah Wood and Macaulay Culkin.
• Spy thriller (also a subgenre of spy fiction): In which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. Examples include From Russia, with Love by Ian Fleming, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, and television series such as Mission: Impossible and 24 (the latter demonstrating a break from the norm by Robert Ludlum, as it is as much a psychological thriller as a spy thriller).
• Techno-thriller: In which (typically military) technology is described in detail and made essential to the reader's/viewer's understanding of the plot. Tom Clancy defined and popularized the genre with his The Hunt for Red October, and is considered to be the "Father of the Techno thriller".
• Religious thriller: In which the plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions. While suspense stories have always shown a significant affinity for religion and philosophical issues (G.K. Chesterton's novel The Man Who Was Thursday has been called a "metaphysical thriller"; and Umberto Eco's novels The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum both display thriller characteristics), Dan Brown's 2003 best-seller The Da Vinci Code has led to a current boom in religiously oriented thrillers.
  Most thrillers are formed in some combination of the above, with horror, conspiracy, and psychological tricks used most commonly to heighten tension. Combinations are highly diverse, including:
  • Science fiction thrillers: Jurassic Park, Sunshine.
  • Techno/political/conspiracy/military: Robocop, S.M. Stirling's Draka novels.
  • Legal/forensic/psychological/: Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs novel, Seven.

*disclaimer- the above information is taken from Wikipedia.com and is therefore not my own words*

Thriller Brief

Main Task- the titles and opening of a new thriller film, to last from a minimum of two to a maximum of four minutes. All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copy-right free source.

Preliminary Continuity Exercise

Here is our preliminary continuity exercise, created using Imovie software. The content of the piece corresponds with the brief given, which required an exchange of dialogue. We have used a variety of camera shots to get the desired angles and have edited the sequence to add drama.

As our first attempt at a continuity piece, I am very pleased with the outcome of what we have produced.