Mini Pitch

Mini Pitch

Profile

Our ideal typical audience member would be:

• From the age range of 15-24
• The last film they would have seen would have been Taken 3 (Megaton 2014) or The Gambler (Wyatt 2014) since they have recently been released into the cinema
• They would usually wear up to date casual fashion from Asos or Topman, also they would most likely be in an education from high school to university so they would have a lot of spare time to watch films
• They would listen to a variety of music from indie rock to rap to house and drum 'n' bass
• In their spare time they would go out with friends, listen to music and watch films to kill time

My Thriller opening pitch

Thriller Opening - Focus Group

In our focus group we showed our participants the opening few minutes to the hit thriller, 'The Maze Runner' and asked them a series of questions relating to their opinions of the opening and their idea about different thriller opening conventions. 

What did we learn?

• Music was considered the convention that they liked the most which suggests that music must be a key component in the making of a thriller opening
• In this case it demonstrated how the build up of music and sudden sounds (what the audience hears) is extremely useful in creating suspense and tension in a film opening and subsequently making the audience want to see more of the film
• Also visual elements where also useful in the creation of suspense, for example our focus group found it suspenseful when it was dark in the beginning of the opening as it was likely that it made them think about where the scene was taking place, who Was the boy shouting? Was he in an elevator? and where was it taking him?

FDA - Film Distributors Association

Which thrillers are on release/ have been released/ are due to be released?

Taken 3 (Megaton 2014)
On release:
Budget: $48,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend:$39,201,657 (USA) (9 January 2015)
Gross: $66,969,880 (USA) (20 January 2015)

Successful: i believe that Taken 3 was very successful for audiences since it brought in around $19 million in profit which tells us that audience wanted to go see the last film of the taken trilogy. Because it has already made a profit in the USA alone, we can see that once it hits worldwide, more of a profit will be dragged into from audiences. they set the last film at a rating of 12A which bring more teenagers to watch the film and gives a wider range of opportunities to bring in money from different age groups.  

Escape Plan (Håfström 2013)

Have been released:
Budget: $50,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend: $9,885,732 (USA) (18 October 2013)

$9,800,000 (USA) (20 October 2013) (2,883 Screens)
£961,470 (UK) (20 October 2013) (362 Screens)
Gross: $25,121,291 (USA) (10 January 2014)
Worldwide Gross: $137.3 million 

Successful: i believe that on a worldwide gross it was successful as it produced almost triple the amount of money that the budget. it was rated in the UK as a 15 which tells audiences that its more graphic and more violent which would increase its appearance to a action thriller audience. it did not though make even 20% of the budget on the opening weekend which tells us as an audience that it didn't strike out to many people as their type of film to go watch. 

Project Almanac (Israelite 2015)
Are due to release: 
Released on the: 30th January in the USA and the 20th of February in the UK
Production:Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, Paramount Pictures

Successful: the film is rated 12A which i believe is an appropriate age to rate this film as it is a film about teenagers social lives which would target specifically age range of people 20 and under. the trailer shows it being presented as a documentary by the teenagers with a free lowing camera which would drag audiences who also like how Cloverfeild (Reeves 2008) and Chronicle (Trank 2012) 

Audience Research: IMDb Thrillers

Box office Figures:

Divergent (2014)

Opening Weekend $54,607,747 (USA) (21 March 2014)

Gross: $150,832,203 (USA) (4 July 2014)

Maze Runner (2014)

Opening Weekend: $32,512,804 (USA) (19 September 2014)

Gross: $102,333,052 (USA) (9 January 2015)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Opening Weekend $95,023,721 (USA) (4 April 2014)

Gross: $259,746,958 (USA) (15 August 2014)

Lucy (2014)

Opening Weekend: $43,899,340 (USA) (25 July 2014)

Gross: $126,546,825 (USA) (31 October 2014)

Gone Girl

Opening Weekend: $37,513,109 (USA) (3 October 2014)

Gross: $167,122,875 (USA) (9 January 2015)

Nightcrawler

Opening Weekend: $10,441,000 (USA) (31 October 2014)

Gross: $32,098,401 (USA) (9 January 2015)

What have I learnt?: 

• Major 'Hollywood blockbuster' films such as these require a very large budget
• They almost always have huge worldwide releases which allows them to have much bigger platform for a very widespread audience, far more than a UK independent film for example.
• This therefore means that they have much higher grossing factors than smaller releases
• However even without big worldwide releases, it is still possible for smaller scale, independent film to achieve success (e.g. 'The King's Speech') therefore its still possible for an independent film such as our own to be successful
• In addition to this, these are prime examples as they demonstrate the importance of the opening weekend of major films as it sets the tone for the level of success (financially) that a film will achieve in the coming weeks. 

AUDIENCE RESEARCH

Age Classification

12 Age Rating

Films classified at the age rating of 12 may not endorse discriminatory behavior which includes the use of racist or homophobic terms. Linking to this, crude sex references are unlikely to be accepted. However, sexual inuendos or jokes may be appropriate.The BBFC's guidelines state that strong language, e.g s*** or f*** may be passed depending on the way in which they are expressed. In terms of violence the content must not dwell on the act of being violent and should not be detailed. Therefore, there must not be blood or injuries. However, occasional gory moments may be permitted if there is justification.

 15 Age Rating

The guidelines of a film classified at a 15 age rating includes the allowance of strong violence, frequent strong swearing, some sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex and sexual nudity. Short scenes of sexual violence, discriminatory behavior and drug taking may also be endorsed by a movie at this age rating. Despite this, there are still minor exceptions. For example, although violence can be strong, it should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury and strong gory images are unlikely to accepted.In terms of drug use it is accepted but not allowed to be encouraged. For example, it must not promote the using of drugs by portraying it as enjoyable or euphoric. Moreover, dangerous behavior that a teenager is likely to copy is not permitted such as hanging, suicide or self- harm. 

18 Age Rating

This age rating is for adults and no one under the age of 18 may watch an 18 at the cinema or for their own entertainment. The guidelines of a film classified as an 18 may include very strong violence, frequent strong language e.g c***. There may also be strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horrow, blood and gore as well as real sex. Films classified as an 18 may also include discriminatory language and behavior.

3 THRILLER PLOTS 

(NARRATIVE)

TAKEN (morel 2008)

The actioned packed international thriller is based on the story of the protagonist's estranged daughter who is kidnapped in Paris whilst she is holidaying with her friend. The audience later learns that the main protagonist was a former spy and so tracks down the ruthless Albanian gang that abducted her and launches a one man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter. 

Maze Runner (Ball 2014)

• Thomas wakes up in an elevator recalling nothing but his name. Surrounded by a community of 60 boys trapped in a living space called 'The Glade' surrounded by a maze
• The following day, the leader of the group, Alby, and one of the maze runners, Minho, find themselves trapped in the maze alongside Thomas
• Thomas and Minho protect Alby and defeat a bio-cfmechanical beast called 'Griever's', They return to the Glade, finding a girl who arrives and appears to know Thomas
• Thomas becomes an official maze runner and ventures into the maze with Minho unlocking more secrets of the Maze
• Griever's attack the Glade, killing several of the boys and capturing their leader Alby
• Thomas leads a group and they find a way out of the maze, discovering the real reason why they are in the maze

Batman Begins (Nolan 2005)

• Bruce Wayne's parents are killed when he is a young child and spend his childhood being taken care of by his butler Alfred
• When he is grown up, he moves to asia to be mentored by Henri Ducard and Ra's Al Ghul on how to fight off evil
• when learning Ducards plan for Gotham, he returns home from asia to help defend his home city
• Bruce adopts the image of a bat to strike fear into the criminals of Gotham 
• The corrupt icon "Batman" now watches over Gotham and defeats Ra's Al Ghul upon his return but is Batman considered a Hero or a Heretic by the people of Gotham? 

Thriller Genre

Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960)
Sound is a very key element when it comes to making a thriller film, one of the most iconic thriller scenes that demonstrates this is that of the shower scene in 'Psycho' (Hitchcock 1960), an old yet one of the most well known films of the 20th century. The scene depicts a woman, going about her normal day and enjoying a shower, when she unexpectedly becomes a victim of the violent attack by a mysterious character  as she is stabbed multiple times and left to die in the shower. 

However what makes it so recognizable is the iconic non-diegetic sound of high pitched, screeching violins, violas and cellos used in the background as the lady is being stabbed by the 'psycho' in the shower. The sound itself has however, has become even more recognizable than the film itself as you're more likely to have heard the sound elsewhere, perhaps on a modern film.
This scene is also shown effectively using very fast cuts as the attack begins in the shower, cutting back and forth to show the woman's face and the 'psycho' stabbing her which increases the pace of the scene to reflect the fast action and corresponds with the loud and fast violin sounds.
What i found from this piece is that suspense is always created before any action actually occurs in virtually all thriller films. 

The Sixth Sense (Shyamalan, 1999)


In the intro for 'The sixth sense' the main convention of a thriller opening shown is based largely around sound. The background sounds in this film are similar to that of Hitchcock's 'Psycho' with orchestral music of piano's and violin's playing at first very quite and slow, then the sound getting louder with more instruments, although the music does stop altogether at different parts of the scene, in particular when Malcolm is trying to calm down the man.This creates more tension and suspense within the scene, and throws the audience   However this sound ceases towards the end of the opening scene which again throws off the audience as they may believe perhaps the suspense is over, but through all the silence the man pulls out a gun and shoots Malcolm and the shoots himself. 



The Maze Runner (Ball 2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCTVZ-SjG0M
The Maze Runner is a very modern piece based on the best selling novel series of the same name by James Dashner. The story follows a young protagonist named Thomas who is deposited in a community of boys with no recollection of his life, however they are all trapped and the only way out is through the ever-changing maze. 

The above scene again shows how sound is important within a thriller film but also shows the importance of editing and camera work. in thrillers sound is used to add suspense and tension, usually with music beginning slow and quite then building up and increasing in pace, this scene does just that. At the start their is only the diegetic sound of things like crickets but as the maze doors begin to close, violin music begins playing and escalates, getting louder and louder until Thomas enters to the maze, (against the rules of the others) and the music reaches its peak with a very fast pace. The dialogue is also useful in creating suspense as the characters say things like "They're not gonna make it" and 'Either they make it back or they don't" provoking questions in the audience like: Who are they talking about? What happens if they don't make it back? & What is in the maze?. This creates even more suspense with the audience as we wonder what is going to happen next.
However the initial suspense is created mainly through the use of diegetic sounds like crickets in the background and silence as the boys look out into the maze, and after this a gust if wind blows dust towards their faces. This initially creates an uneasy feeling as there is no dialogue with mainly silence and you start to wonder if perhaps something is wrong. 

In terms of mise-en-scène the use of lighting and also facial expressions are also useful in creating tension. At the start of the scene two wide shots are used so we see it is very light behind the group of boys but very dark within the maze suggesting that its perhaps safer on the brighter, greener side and that the maze is unsafe and sinister. in the first gif we see Thomas running into the actual maze and the further in he gets, the darker it gets, suggesting further that danger lays ahead and Thomas is now out of safety. 

CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER

    Psycho: Shower scene  (Hitchcock,1960)                        

The infamous shower scene has been called one of the finest cinematic moments in American film making. The scene from the 1960 thriller film "Psycho" forever changed Hollywood film making. 

The thriller conventions become very   obvious through the sound, music, camera angles and use of lighting. 

The lack of any sort of music in the first         few shots leaves just the raw tension of    what we know is coming, no other apprehension is present. As the camera pans and zooms to the left to highlight the killers silhouette the diegetic sound of the shower reduces in volume, this creates almost a split second of silence until the killer pulls the curtain back with a sharp grasp, the sudden noise of this action effectively has the potential to make us jump. This is where the iconic screeching sound effect begins as the protagonist is being repeatedly stabbed. This in turn creates an element of tension and intensity within an audience.

        The Sixth Sense: Murder Scene     (Shyamalan, 1999)

 The opening scene of The Sixth Sense is a prime example of a beginning of a thriller film as it cultivates so much tension and leads an audience to raise questions as to what is happening. 

The scene begins with a close-up at eye-level on the protagonist's face as he approaches and this is effective as it shows his anxious and cautious expression- intensifying our own apprehension. A non-diegetic sound of chromatic and uncomfortable-sounding music predominantly made up of orchestral strings and horns is used- it gets gradually louder as Malcolm nears the doorway and this increases the tension continually. Slow camera movements are often used to create tension which is seen when the  camera very slowly zooms in toward the bathroom, and then gradually pans the bathroom floor to show the clothes lying there. This raises further questions as to who is in the main character's house. Prior to the murder there is  a constant low tone music can be heard with a few high-pitched minor piano notes creating unease at the situation.

Taken: Kidnapping scene (Morel, 2008)

A tension building sound effect begins to         play at the start of the kidnapping scene.   The following shot is shows the audience a close up of the daughter hiding under a bed and he supporting dialogue tell us that these intruders intend to kidnap her and her friend. This creates theenigma code: what do these kidnappers   want with the girls? Why have they targeted them specifically? The lighting remains dark in both the bedroom shot and the shot of the main cgaracter giving directions over the phone. This creates unease as the audience are not able to see     what surrounds the girl.

The music increases in volume, building the suspense until Kim is dragged screaming from under the bed where she was hiding.

Conventions of the Thriller Genre

By Maximilian Mayo-Dell

In Psycho (Hitchcock 1960), the shower scene uses a key convention of a thriller which has now been used throughout the film industry for 55 years. the sound is essential to highlight the mood of the characters and to create a significant part of the film. it would often start at small paves and then build up to make the shots more dramatic to the audience. This was the use of the high pitch "EEEE"sound created by violins to produce a suspenseful and tense atmosphere.

Another convention used in this scene is the cinematography. This would usually contain extreme close up shots of the character to show their emotions, also of the props to convey the actions in the scene and close up of the background (shown left of the drain) to create suspense and a sense of knowing to what has happened to the view without having to actually see it which creates more suspense and tension. Also he antagonist character would usually be quickly cut to hide his/her identity which is also helped by the shadow and low lighting onto the character.

 In The Sixth Sense (Shyamalan 1999), another convention shown is the two different types of characters, the protagonist and the antagonist. this is shown in the right where the protagonist (young boy) is scared and looking away from the window where the antagonist is looking at him and the camera is focused upon her. this is another way of creating suspense throughout the film by making the protagonist in danger and keeping the audience on edge.

In addition to this, Camera angles play a big part in the Thriller genre. the low levels of framing and the high camera angles are used to show who has the power in the scene, for example in the right photo we can see that even though the boy is closer to the camera, because it is looking up at them it makes the audience feel that those two characters have more authority over us but it can also be shown that the man is "controlling" the young boy and is more dominant.


 In The Dark Knight (Nolan 2008), the use of lighting played a key convention as it used mostly low key lighting and the set being at night to create a more sinister and tense tone. We can see that low key lighting was used in the scene with the joker (left) as it produces a sharp contrast between the dark and light areas on the screen to suggest to the audience him being the villain as a menacing tone is set.

In Editing, jump cuts are short, fast paced clips are used to create tension and build up suspense within the scene. in the scene when the batman interrogates the joker, the editing is extremely fast to keep the audience on edge as we now have the hero of the film finally having the villain trapped in his grasp but it still keeps the audience vigilant for any twists as the editing doesn't make it seem that the conflict is over.