Media Questionnaire :)The aim of this questionnaire is to gather research for media coursework about the trhiler genre, and people's opinions on it. Please answer all the questions, and thank you in advance for taking the time to fill in this questionnaire.How old are you?◘ 15 and below ◘ 16 ◘ 17 ◘ 18 ◘ 19 ◘ 20 and aboveGender?◘ Male ◘ FemaleHow often do you go to the cinema, or watch a fim, on average each month?◘ Never ◘ Once ◘ Twice ◘ Once a week ◘ Every day ◘ Most weeksHow would you define the thriller genre?__________________________________________________________________________________________Do you like the thriller genre?
◘ Yes ◘ No
Why?
____________________________________________
What do you think makes a good thriller?
Do you prefer gory or psychological thrillers more?
◘ Gory ◘ Psychological
In your opinion, what is the difference between a certificate 15 thriller, and a certificate 18 thriller?
Thursday, 20 November 2008
section 4: audience reasearch
Synopsis
The central character is a teenage girl. She was brought up by her father, after her mother died in mysterious circumstances when she was fairly young. The relationship with her father is very strained and almost hostile. It is obvious the effects of such: she is introverted and 'just another face in the crowd'. However, the diary helps her to provoke this other side to her: the cheerful, optimistic side to her. In this diary, she collects pictures of her mother, and writes accounts to her, as if it was a normal conversation. In a usual trip to the library to look through old personal family history, she stumbles across a newspaper account: her father was a suspect in the disappearance of her mother. This disregards any remaining trust and love she had for her father, and in an insecure state, runs away from home; taking shelter at night outside the library. However, the darkness, an insecure state of mind, and her imagination play a part in her somehow being admitted to hospital. From there, her father finds her, and takes her back home. (this scene will be made to look like he has hunted her down, and very provocative). When they finally get home, he has her cornered in the room, and she confronts him about her findings, screaming at him in hysterics: only to be faced with the fact that she was actually the killer ...
The central character is a teenage girl. She was brought up by her father, after her mother died in mysterious circumstances when she was fairly young. The relationship with her father is very strained and almost hostile. It is obvious the effects of such: she is introverted and 'just another face in the crowd'. However, the diary helps her to provoke this other side to her: the cheerful, optimistic side to her. In this diary, she collects pictures of her mother, and writes accounts to her, as if it was a normal conversation. In a usual trip to the library to look through old personal family history, she stumbles across a newspaper account: her father was a suspect in the disappearance of her mother. This disregards any remaining trust and love she had for her father, and in an insecure state, runs away from home; taking shelter at night outside the library. However, the darkness, an insecure state of mind, and her imagination play a part in her somehow being admitted to hospital. From there, her father finds her, and takes her back home. (this scene will be made to look like he has hunted her down, and very provocative). When they finally get home, he has her cornered in the room, and she confronts him about her findings, screaming at him in hysterics: only to be faced with the fact that she was actually the killer ...
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
section 2: reasearch into examples of comparable media products
Seven ( 1995)
is a thriller about a cerial killer who kills people because the commit one of the " seven deadly sins"
It has a linear narrative structure ( so the events shown happen in time order). It starts off with the finding of a body of someone who has been tortured and forced to die.
This is where the two main characters are introduced both to the audience and to each other. They rae " detective Mills" (Brad Pitt) and " detective Somerset" ( Morgan Freeman).
Because the audience are introduced to them both at the same time they feel as if they too are detectives that are going to be working with them to catch and convict the killer which is good for a thriller as it makes the audience feel involved which means they will become more thrilled by events in the film.
Seven Notes.
Detective David Mills - Brad Pitt
Detective William Somerset - Morgan Freeman.
Tracy Mills - Brad Pitts wife/girlfriend.
John Doe/Killer - Kevin Spacey.
Sloth, Lust, Envy, Wrath, Pride, Greed, Gluttony.
Mis-en-scene - all of the settings and locations are always in bad weather, like raining or cloudy.theres not much light. always dark. which makes it have an eerie theme. CHM - Somerset always looks smart and he dresses nicely and takes pride in his aperiance this reflects his character. Mills looks scruffier, he is careless. Props - old books are used by each main character. Doe uses notebooks, thousands of them. Somerset spends time in the library with all the old books, which some of them he gives to Mills. Ironic in the way that the killer and the detectives have something so small in common. The torches that Mills and Somerset both carry around with them add an eerie effect to all the scenes/locations that they visit, as the torches bring such little light into such dark places. The gun Mills carries is another way to devide him from Somerset, as Mills acts on impulse and follows his feelings where as Somerset doesnt see the need ( he's only ever aimed his gun once but never fired even though he's been working in a toucher city for a long time).
Sound - the non diagetic sound is mainly tense music. often tempo of music increases/speeds up as it reaches the climax which emphasises the scene. diagetic sounds used are the more natural ones, city noises - police sirens - rain - cars/traffic. these things show that it is always a busy city with bad things appening because of dogs barking, trains, police sirens. Somerset also uses a metronome to drown out the noises of the city around him - used for stress relief/relaxation, blocks out screaming, sirens, traffic etc. Sychronons - sound in sync. Music that comes on when Somerset is in the library is classical, calm music - contrast with the tense music, traquil calm, safe place to be, the audience knows nothing bad is going to happen here. and this music is diagetic in the scene with Somerset but it shows Mills reading too in a diffrent place but has the same music, it is not niagetic for Mills as he cant hear it, this shows the connection with the two detectives.
Editing - at the beginning the introduction to the film makes no sense, as to us it is just images placed on top of each other, this gives the audience the sense that something odd/eerie is happening, gives a sense of what is to come or be expected. Montage - small clips of different things put together - builds on mood - builds on character - builds on story. The speed of the shots changes depending on how fast the audience is allowed to look at the images, some shots fade in and out, always hiding something from the audience.
Codes and Conventions - the film fits most of the thriller codes and conventions. John Cawelti talks about introducing the "exotic" into modern normal life, the old books and pictures that are looked at or read in the film are not what you'd usually be looking at, and the seven deadly sins are also the exotic. GK Chesterton said thrillers are best done in urban areas, which this one definatly was. WH Matthews said that there should be some sort of puzzle/journey on which the audience should be taken on, or try to find out. Something like a maze, which Seven had, as the audience never knew what was going to happen next or who it was going to happen to. Pascal Bontizer says that the audience should only have partial vision of whats going on in the film, to add suspense. Seven incorporates this as in some scenes we don't see everything, eg. the murdered prostitute, the box with Mills' wife's head in at the end, the audience isn't shown who the murderer is until the end, his face is always covered. Partial vision to the actual narrative story. Lars says that thrillers should hide things on purpose, eg, the entire plan - or in this case, the killers face is hiden right up until he wants to be seen. Noel Carroll came up with the question and answer model, where the film is constantly making the audience ask questions, eg, will the hero survive? when Mills puts the gun to John Doe's head, will he shoot him? Moral factor - hero in a moral situation where hes not supposed to kill the killer, makes him an anti-hero. If you have the moral factor in a hero, is he still a hero?
section 1: thriller genres
Martin ruben wrote the book "Thrillers" which explains all aout thrillers...
He wrote about what other people had said about the thrillers genre. The first person he wrote about was "GK Chesterton" ( the handsome fellow below)
W H Matthews - his work relates to mazes and labyrinths - Theseus, maze, puzzles etc. - to design a thriller, add complex twists and turns so that the audience doesn't solve the problem too easily - but don't make it aimless - a puzzling journey.
Pascal Bonitzer - thought that W H was describing "partial vision" when he advocates mazes, audience can't see too much.
Lars Ole Saurlberg - concealment and protraction, two ways suspense can be added deliberately hiding something from the audience, delaying or protracting an expected outcome - eg. a bomb explosion.
Noel Carroll - the best way to build suspense - Q & A model. all the way through the script asks questions. will the hero survive etc. battle against the odds. moral factor also increases suspense as it may not be morally right for the hero to "survive".
He wrote about what other people had said about the thrillers genre. The first person he wrote about was "GK Chesterton" ( the handsome fellow below)
It starts off with theorys from "Gilbert Keith Chesterton". He felt that he had defined it, he was determined that it was a modern genre that were usually set in sub-urbs and cities.
He said that thrillers are about "looking for poetry in everyday life" and that they find excitement in everyday environments and that they transform the ordinary into the extra ordinary.
The next person Ruben wrote about was "Norththrop frye"
He built upon Chesterton's theorys and added that there is always a hero/heroine in a thriller and this person is usually a normal everyday person.
He said that thrillers take us to words where the laws of nature are twisted.
"turns the modern city into an enchanted forest"
He also said that " thrillers are like romantic fictions"
The next person that Ruben picks on is " John Calvetti"
He combines Chesterton and Frye's theorys.
He says that thrillers " transform a city, a modern centre of cpmmence, industry and science into a place of enchantment and mystery".
He said that this is achieved by introducing " the exotic" into the everyday world.
( NOT FINISHED ... MISSING NOTES )
John Cawelti - combines both what Fry and Chesterton say. - this is achieved by introducing "the exotic" into the everyday world, strange objects into normal life.
W H Matthews - his work relates to mazes and labyrinths - Theseus, maze, puzzles etc. - to design a thriller, add complex twists and turns so that the audience doesn't solve the problem too easily - but don't make it aimless - a puzzling journey.
Pascal Bonitzer - thought that W H was describing "partial vision" when he advocates mazes, audience can't see too much.
Lars Ole Saurlberg - concealment and protraction, two ways suspense can be added deliberately hiding something from the audience, delaying or protracting an expected outcome - eg. a bomb explosion.
Noel Carroll - the best way to build suspense - Q & A model. all the way through the script asks questions. will the hero survive etc. battle against the odds. moral factor also increases suspense as it may not be morally right for the hero to "survive".
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