Research - Favourite Thriller Films

Favourite Thriller Movies

A Quiet Place (2018)

One of my favourite thriller films is 'A Quiet Place', released in 2018. This film is an American post-apocalyptic sci-fi horror film directed by John Krasinski, who stars along side his wife Emily Blunt. The plot is based around a post-apocalyptic world that is overrun by extraterrestrial creatures that have high levels of hearing and will kill anything living that makes sound. The family have to survive in this world without making any noise, which obviously can't always be the case due to accidents that may be caused by the characters, which evokes a sense of tension and horror.

A Quiet Place (2018) - Full Trailer

Originally, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods began working on the story in 2014, then Paramount Pictures bought their spec script in 2017. Krasinski then joined as a director and wrote a new draft of the script. The film became a major box office hit and grossed $332 million worldwide, and received acclaim from critics, who praised its originality and atmosphere, as well as the acting, direction and sound design. It was said to be a "smart, wickedly frightening good time". The idea that the film is completely based of not making sound, and how that is evoked through the use of diegetic sound in the film, really helps to build excitement in the viewers and is one of the reason I really enjoyed this film and found it really interesting.

Breakdown of a scene by John Krasinski

IT (2017)

IT, is an American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti, based of the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The film is set in the summer of 1989 and tells the story of seven children in Derry, Maine, who are terrorized by the eponymous being, only to face their own demons in the process. The eponymous being, a terrifying clown named Pennywise, haunts the children and influences their greatest fear upon them throughout the film whilst trying to essentially eat them.

Pennywise the Clown, who is played by Bill Skarsgard is one of the main reasons I really enjoyed this movie. The ability that Skarsgard has to portray Pennywise as a scary clown really made the movie more enjoyable and really evoked the 'horror' aspect of the film a lot more. Furthermore, the voice acting of Pennywise I feel was done really well by Skarsgard and made him feel a lot more intimidating. On top of this, the actors and staff were said to stay away from Skarsgard during the off-stage sessions due to how scary he actually looked, even without visual effects.


IT (2017) - Opening Scene

Upon release the film grossed $700 million worldwide and set numerous box office awards. It received positive reviews, with critics praising the performances, direction, cinematography and musical score, with many calling it one of the best Stephen King adaptations. Furthermore, Skarsgard received praise from several film critics on his role as Pennywise and that it was very enjoyable to watch and experience. 

IT (2017) - Trailer

Don't Breathe (2016)


Don't Breathe is an American horror film directed by Fede Alvarez, and co written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues. The plot is about three teenagers who make a living by breaking into houses and selling stolen items. The teenagers find a home that houses a retired veteran who happens to be blind and pursue to rob him, based on a rumor that he has $300,000 in a safe in his house, which he received as compensation for when his daughter was killed in a car accident years ago. They believed that robbing the old man would be easy because he's blind, but they didn't expect him to end up almost killing all of them.

Don't Breathe (2016) - Full Trailer

The reason I really enjoyed this film is similar to A Quiet Place. The idea that the film is completely based around avoiding diegetic sounds and how a sound no matter how big or small will set of the antagonist, makes the film really thrilling to watch, on top of this there are several scenes within the film where there is complete silence and ambience which creates lots of tension. Overall the film received good praise from film critics and grossed $157 million.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Quiet_Place_(film) (Visited 15/01/19)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_(2017_film) (Visited 15/01/19)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Breathe  (Visited 15/01/19)

Research - Best Thrillers of All Time

Best Thrillers Of All Time

The Silence of The Lambs (1991)

The Silence of The Lambs is a psychological horror thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme. In the film, Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee, seeks the advice of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer to apprehend another serial killer, known as "Buffalo Bill", who skins his female victims' corpses.

The film was releases on the 14th of February 1991 and grossed a massive $272.7 million worldwide against its budget of $19 million, becoming the fifth-highest grossing film of 1991 worldwide. Critically acclaimed upon release, it became only the third film to win Academy Awards in all top 5 categories, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) - Full Trailer

Jaws (1975)

Jaws is an American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg. In it, a giant man-eating shark attacks beach goers, prompting police chief Martin Brody to hunt it with the help of a marine biologist and professional shark hunter. Jaws had some issues during production as they went over the budget and were past schedule. Due to the art department's mechanical sharks occasionally malfunctioning, Spielberg suggested that they only use the sharks presence, which was then exacerbated by employing an ominous and minimalistic theme created by John Williams to indicate its impending appearances. Jaws was considered one of the greatest films ever made and it became one of the the highest grossing films of all time until the release of Star Wars in 1977.

Jaws (1975) - Trailer

Inception (2010)

Inception is sci-fi, action thriller, written, co-produced and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infiltrating he subconscious of people. He is offered to have his criminal record erased as payment for the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious. The film also contains one of the most popular themes composed by Hans Zimmer that is repeatedly played throughout the movie and adds emphasis to the 'thrill' of the movie. It grossed $828 million worldwide and became the fourth highest grossing film of 2010. It won four awards for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction and Best Original Score.

Inception (2010) - Trailer

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_of_the_Lambs_(film) (Visited 15/01/19)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film) (Visited 15/01/19)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inception (Visited 15/01/19)

Research - Popular Thriller Directors

Popular Thriller Directors

Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was an English film director and producer, born on the 13th of August 1899. Hitchcock was regarded as one of the most influential film makers in the history of cinema and was commonly called "the Master of Suspense". He directed over 50 feature films over a career spanning six decades, such as The Lodger: A Story Of The London Fog (1927).

This film was Hitchcock's first successful film and was based on the Novel, "The Lodger". It was released on the 14th of February 1927 and was about the hunt for "Jack The Ripper", naturally this film shaped the Thriller genre.

By 1939 Hitchcock was a filmmaker of international importance, and was persuaded to move to Hollywood by film producer David O. Selznick. A string of successful films followed such as; Rebecca (1940), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and The Paradine Case (1947), of these, Rebecca was nominated for 11 Oscars and won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

By 1960 Hitchcock had directed 53 films, four of which are considered to be the best of all time, Rear Window (1954),Vertigo (1959), North by Northwest (1959) and Psycho (1960). His 53 films have grossed $223.3 million worldwide and garnered a total of 46 nominations and 6 wins. He received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1979 and was knighted in December that same year, four months before he died.

Psycho (1960) - Trailer 

Brian De Palma

Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and screenwriter, born on the 11th of September 1940. In a successful career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in genres such as suspense, psychological thriller and crime drama. Throughout his career he has been inspired by other great directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, his inspiration has led him to direct some very popular films such as;


Scarface (1983), The Untouchables (1987), Mission Impossible (1996) and many more. His films have frequently garnered controversy for their violence and sexual content, however have also been championed by prominent critics such as Roger Ebert and Pauline Kael.

Mission Impossible (1996) - Full Trailer

Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo del Toro Gomez is a Mexican filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, author and former special effects makeup artist. He is best known for the Academy Award-winning fantasy films Pan's Labyrinth (2006) and The Shape Of Water (2017), on top of this, winning the Academy Award for Best Director and Academy Award for Best Picture for the latter. Furthermore, he has also directed films like Hellboy (2004), Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), Pacific Rim (2013), Pacific Rim Uprising (2018) and many more popular Thriller movies.

Del Toro's work has been characterized by a strong connection to fantasy and horror, furthermore he has had a lifelong fascination with monsters, which he sees as symbols of power, leading to his inspiration of films like Mama (2013), Troll hunters (2016-2018) and more.

Mama (2013) - Trailer

Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg is an American Filmmaker. He is considered one of the founders of the New Hollywood era and one of the most popular directors and producers ever. Spielberg gained his notoriety through his work as the director for Jaws (1975), which was critically and commercially successful. His subsequent releases focus typically around science fiction and adventure films, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), E.T the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the Indian Jones and Jurassic Park series, all of which are seen as archetypes of modern Hollywood escapist film making.

Spielberg later transitioned into creating films that displayed humanistic issues such as the The Colour Purple (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Schindler's List (1993), Amistad (1997) and Saving Private Ryan (1998) and has largely adhered his outlook during the 21st Century wiht his critically accalimed films Munich (2005), Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (2015) and The Post (2017).

Spielberg also co-founded Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Studios, where he too has served as a producer and created many successful films like Back To The Future, Men In Black and the Transformers series, he then later transitioned into producing several video games within the video game industry. 
Evidently, Spielberg is one of the most successful filmmakers, with praise for his directing talent and versatility and has one the Academy Award for Best Director twice. Some of his movies are among some of the highest grossing movies of all time and is the highest grossing film director in history, with an estimated net worth of over $3 billion.

Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Full Trailer

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock (Visited 15/01/19)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lodger:_A_Story_of_the_London_Fog (Visited 15/01/19)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_De_Palma (Visited 15/01/19)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillermo_del_Toro (Visited 15/01/19)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Spielberg (Visited 15/01/19)

Research - Generic Conventions of a Thriller

                

Generic Conventions of a Thriller

There are several characteristics that compliment the genre of a Thriller, such as;

Narrative

- The aim is to create suspense and excitement for the audience.
- Violence is often a key theme.
- A protagonist who is immoral or an outsider, or even an anti-hero but still has good intentions is usually present.
- Typically begin with equilibrium which is disrupted throughout the course of the film , however then restored by the protagonist.
- Thrillers will often begin in an unjust society, which the protagonist works against.

Protagonist - The leading or one of the main characters in a play, film, novel, etc.

Mise-En-Scene

- Antagonist(s) usually wears dark or black clothing.
- Blood and violence.
- Guns, knives, weapons, etc.
- Low-key lighting to create a sense of suspense or gloom.
- Setting will usually be isolated, such as haunted houses, alleyways, etc.
- Proxemics utilised in order to stimulate claustrophobia.
- Dark colour palette.

Antagonist - a person who actively opposes or is hostile towards someone (Protagonists) or something

Proxemics - the study of human use of space and the effects that population density has on behaviour, communication and social interaction

Sound

- Begin with slow tempo,
- Slow or eerie music to create suspense or uncertainty.
- Silence.
- Heightened diegetic sounds such as door creaking, small items being pushed or knocked accidentally, etc.

Diegetic Sounds - any sound presented as originated from the source within the film's world

Camera Angles ,Shots and Movement 

- Tilt shots or otherwise disorientating angles and shots to create discomfort within the viewer.
- Close-ups and Extreme Close-ups of the protagonist.
- High angle shots to show a characters dominance over another (Antagonist over the Protagonist or the other way around)

Sources:
https://www.mindmeister.com/685037204/conventions-of-the-thriller-genre (Visited 15/01/19)

Research - What is a Thriller?

What is a Thriller

A Thriller is broad genre of literature, film and television and generally containing may sub-genres, such as crime, missions, mystery, supernatural, detective skills, psychological, kidnap and more.

Thrillers are characterised and defined by the moods and emotions they convey, giving viewers various heightened emotions such as suspense, excitement, anticipation, anxiety and many more.

Thrillers generally keep viewers on the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax.

Throughout a Thriller the 'cover-up' of important information is a common element and literary devices such as plot twists and cliff-hangars are used to compliment the general structure of a Thriller and to evoke the emotions stated above.

A Thriller is usually a villain-driven plot, whereby he, she or it presents obstacles that the protagonist(s) must overcome.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre) (Visited 15/09/18)