Sound
A thriller film
commonly use non-diegetic music within the trailer of their films as it creates
tension, suspense and sets the mood for the entire film, it’s a sound bridge to
create a certain atmosphere which again acts as a big giveaway for the category
of genre the film fits into.
Camera movement and angles
I consumed a
large extent of my time to review various thriller trailers that existed
worldwide to look for all of the conventional features that took place in the
limited time a trailer had to promote their film, this meant I had to look at,
analyse and evaluate different camera movements and angles involved in the
process. I believe that every different genre has their own techniques when it
comes to the camera movement and angles, e.g. romantic films may use close up
angles to show the emotions on the characters face as romantic films involve a
lot of emotional rollercoasters.
In terms of a
thriller film I’d suggest pan and track shots to be used most frequently,
however in a very short period at a time as it goes from scene to scene
relatively fast when the action features take place. They’re usually used
within the beginning of a trailer because this is when the happy features occur
and set the storyline, once the trailer goes more in depth that’s when the more
concise and faster movement happens.
The angles I’ve
generally seen in thriller trailers have been relatively low angles when the
mysterious features are happening, for example: if I was watching a trailer
about an abduction (like, The Lovely
Bones) low angles usually feature so that the audience aren’t directly aware
of who’s responsible for the abduction as they want the identity to usually be
revealed within the film so viewers want to watch and find out. Close ups are
done to visually express the emotions of the characters, for example: in
thriller film Prisoners a lot of
close ups are used within the trailer because the father is expressing his
concern for the missing daughter, the officer helping the search also expresses
a great concern as we explore his emotions through the use of a close up shot.
Long shots are
usually present within a thriller genre as they set the scene for where all
takes place; this is beneficial as it reveals the setting which ultimately acts
as the giveaway of the films genre.
Mid shots are
generally used so that the viewers have an idea of the clothing used, this also
gives the idea of what the thriller would be about, an example of this would
be: if the viewers were able to identify someone in dark baggy clothing such as
a coat or hoody, they’d be able to associate it with a film about perhaps a
stalker, or someone who’s part of a gang.
Fades and
cross-dissolves between each different scene commonly occur in thriller films
as it mysteriously takes one scene into the other without major blocking of the
two; it merges them together so each scene blends in with one another
gradually. Towards the end the speed of the cuts increases and then fades off
into a black for the name of the film to be listed, I like this effect and wish
to replicate it so that my finalised film trailer looks official and realistic.
Location
I feel that thriller films tend to be set within a very
dismal, dark and mysterious location in order to reinforce the idea of a
thriller genre. I generally associate thriller films with an eerie field or
forest with dim natural lighting as if the sun had set and the evening was to
come very soon. Becka and I have briefly spoken about what location we wish to
use and have decided upon the following possibilities:
· A wood, a country lane (where the baby’s car
seat is left rocking), a dingy flat where the father, Jason lives and a park
(where the first scene would happen).
Location is very
important because I believe it sets the scene and acts as the giveaway for the
film genre, the viewer is able to adapt a pre-conceived idea of what the film
genre is and what the film may be about if the location is correct and fits
within the conventions of a specific genre. However with a horror film there
can be various locations used to benefit the film itself, thriller films could
range from the conventional; eerie field or forest to a high tech laboratory.
Nevertheless I’d always associate thriller films something that looks
mysterious and dingy as it provides the idea of something bad, frightening or
weird will continually happen.
Lighting
Lighting is also
very important in terms of creating a good film that correctly links with the
genre; I would always suggest dim lighting to be present when thriller films
scariest features happen because it gives off the most mysterious and
frightening feel to the viewer. Everyone is able to associate darkness with
feeling frightened or vulnerable so it’s cleverly used within thriller films so
that the same vulnerability the characters are facing in the actual film will
be imitated by the viewer’s themselves.
From researching
the lighting used in thriller films I’ve been able to unravel the techniques
used, thriller movies use various techniques and conventions within the film to
get a key point across or to add credibility to the film.
There are two
main lighting techniques generally used within a thriller film, this is:
Low key lighting: which tends to give a high contrast where one part of
the light directs the lighting at a part of the scene making it very unbalanced
and one sided to the viewer eyes.
· High key lighting: which is an
entirely diverse type of lighting because instead of using one light source
there are many that are used, it’s generally done to capture one main feature
in a high contrast over the whole scene, so it makes the focal point stand out.
Research has allowed me to understand that directors use the lighting paired
with reflectors and minimisers as it reduces the chance of shadows being
formed, it creates a well-defined and crisp image.
Editing
Jump cuts are
generally used within a thriller film as it takes one scene to a completely
diverse scene, this is either displayed by past and present or present and
future, however can also be used to go from the various different scenes, locations
and features of the film. This is done in thriller trailers because it allows
the audience to see a small synopsis of the films best features without
revealing too much of the storyline, essentially selling the film so the
viewers are gripped and then want to see it. It allows the audience to make an
assumption of whether they want to see the film or not, whether the films
features and characters would be entertaining enough to watch an entire film
on. The cuts increasingly speed up towards the end of the film as it provides
the viewers with a sense of excitement and suspense, it builds tension as the
cuts start slow when explaining the story then increase rapidly so the audience
is left wanting more, leading to a climax.
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