Synopsis

At the beginning of the film there is a scene with a dead woman, and a hand reaching towards a phone after this there are clips of a psycho, with a collage of images cutting and editing pictures of unknown people. The killers work pass is on the wall to give the illusion to the audience that she is victim. We are then shown the ‘victim/killer’ walking into work looking smart and sophisticated. 
There is a killer on the loose that is mysteriously killing people at Samantha’s work place; people are made to believe that their work colleagues are off sick or on a holiday although in reality they are being savagely murdered. The killer turns out to be Samantha however she is unaware of this due to her suffering of Dissociative Identity disorder which causes her to lead two parallel personalities that never coexist, hence her memory is severly damaged and she is unaware of the sins she commits.
She convinces herself she is normal although throughout the film signs of her unusual personality are revealed. As more work colleagues go missing she becomes more wary of what is happening. Samantha’s friend Kelly, who has known her for 5 years (since they srated working together), becomes suscpicous of Samantha and is convinced that she has something to do with the missing colleagues. 
Kelly sneaks into Samantha’s house and finds a locked room which she finally opens and discovers Samantha’s dark secret (collage is exposed) simultaneously Samantha is on her way home, the scene becomes intense, Samantha finds Kelly in her home and after a few harsh words it results in a large aggressive fight resulting in the death of Samantha.

Our chosen Institution

Warner Bros. is our chosen company, with dark castle entertainment as
an associating institution. Our chosen genre is psychological thriller
therefore we feel that this company will be beneficial to the
production of our film. As Warner Bros. Is a largely successful
company we feel confident in the fact that our film will be suitably
funded. Since Warner Bros. is an established company that supports
Dark Castle entertainment the company has the ability to be more
specific in it’s chosen genre, horror/thriller. Due to it’s experience
in producing horror/thriller films, we are positive that the film will
be of a high standard in regards to production.
Dark Castle has produced a variety of successful horror/thriller
films, such as Gothika, Orphan, The Reaping and Splice. The success of
these films assures us that the company has a lot of knowledge on what
the audience like or expect to see in a horror/thriller film.
For the production, distribution and funding of our film we have
chosen two integrated companies, Dark Castle Entertainment is a
branching company of Warner Bros. The significance of this association
is beneficial in terms of funding and we think there can be too many
companies in one film and therefore having one main institution in
charge will be cheaper and there will be less conflict.
Warner Bros. have distributed a wide variety of films from different
genres including; Terminator 3: rise of the machines, Spartan,
Exorcist: the beginning, and Dominion: prequel to the exorcist. This
shows that they are able to dispense lots of films from different
backgrounds and have had experience in distributing successful
thrillers.

Presentation of findings

Summary of Questionnaire

What is your sex?

The majority of the people who we asked were females, which in some ways was quite surprising, because Thrillers are usually aimed at males. Knowing this, we expected the results for the questions from the females to be quite light-hearted compared to the results from the males. The age of the people who we asked were mainly 15-17. This shows that before, when Thrillers were first shown, the target age was 18+ because of the nature of the Thrillers. But now, because there are so many subgenres of Thriller, the genre now appeals to more age brackets.

How old are you?

The age of the people who we asked were mainly 15-17. This shows that before, when Thrillers were first shown, the target age was 18+ because of the nature of the Thrillers. But now, because there are so many subgenres of Thriller, the genre now appeals to more age brackets.

What is your main hobby?

The most popular hobby was reading. This could show that the “technology generation” do actually do others thing in their spare time; not just using social networking sites. Also, nowadays, more books are being turned into films, therefore, this could be a way that people find out about the films because the books usually include a bit of information about an upcoming film if there is one.

How often do you watch films?

The majority of the people who we asked watched films in general often. This is very useful, because we now know that films are something that our audience enjoy, so it is quite likely that they may watch ours. Also, film is a good way of advertising other films. E.g. a trailer before a film starts at the cinema or on DVD.  

How do you access films?

DVD seemed to be a popular way to access films. This could be for number of reasons: 1. It is easy to access e.g. buy it from a shop. 2. It is cheaper than paying to go and see it at the cinema- once you have brought it, it is yours.  The internet was the second most popular source, which could show that illegal downloads of film and YouTube have made it even easier to watch films at home. Whereas years ago, you had to go to the cinema or watch them on the television.

How often do you watch thrillers?

The most popular answer was occasionally. This shows that many people like to watch a variety of genres and films and not just stick to one type. Furthermore it may indicate that the audience like the genre of thriller since they do actually watch it. This is further shown by the fact that the next popular answer is always. However rarely is the next option which could represent the fact that not everybody like thrillers therefore we are targeting a specific audience who like the genre. The least popular answer was often which may be accurate due to people not having time to watch lots of films or it could show that the genre isn’t something that people want to watch all of the time.

What type of thriller do you prefer?

The most popular answer to this was drama, which could represent the fact that many audiences like more of a realistic storyline behind the thrillers and not just a ton of blood and gore. Following this was psychological which shows that people like the element of the unknown and the idea of mind games intrigues people. Also the fact that they mess with your head could create an enigma and therefore capture the audience’s interest. The least popular was crime and before this was horror. This shows that the majority of the people that took the questionnaire don’t necessarily like the idea of blood and gore or crime where you follow the investigation of a murder.

Using the answer to question 7 why do you prefer that type of thriller?

Most people said that they preferred their specific genre chosen because it was interesting and exciting; others said they liked the storyline. These are both common features that attract the target audience as they drag the audience into the realms of the film world and involve them. People that choose psychological thrillers in question 7 said that they liked the confusing element of testing your mind the most this is due to the complexity of the plot and shows that audience participation is key to a successful film.

What type of sound do you think creates the most effect in a thriller?

Instrumental was the most popular with music with lyrics being least popular. This indicates that more affect is caused by having music without lyrics because the audience won’t be distracted by the lyrics of the song - especially if they recognise it. Plus the mood of instrumental music tends to have much more effect on people if there are no lyrics. A lot can be said without lyrics in music. The middle answer was also popular; this was sounds within the scene. For example screaming or creaking doors therefore showing that these realistic and more obvious sound effects are also popular with the audience.

What type of lighting do you think is most effective in a thriller?

The data shows that shadows create the most effect in a thriller these can be formed through back and under lighting they make characters appear suspicious and produce an element of the unknown surrounding the setting. Secondly is rain this is a common feature of a thriller and is a stereotypical weather condition as it can cause many hazardous situations in which crime/murder scenes are set.

What is it that you like about thrillers?

Most people answered that the suspense and tension are the key factors that are liked in a thriller these can be created through a variety of things: lighting, colour and props etc… therefore our group will attempt to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Secondly was the storylines that attracted viewers this may be due to the complexity (psychological thrillers) or realistic tones (drama thrillers) of the plot.

What colours would you expect to see in a thriller?

Typically most people choose the colour black, which has connotations of danger, mystery and unknowing these are all fundamentals explored in the genre thriller. As well as this the colour blue is mentioned creating a cold atmosphere that makes the audience feel uninvited. A number of people also choose the colour red this is due to the predictable association it has with blood and danger it also links in with the idea of murder or killing.

What setting do you most expect to see in a thriller?

Abandoned house was the top answer for this question, which shows that the audience must automatically associate this setting with a thriller. Furthermore it is an isolated place that must be considered dangerous and be something that means that the audience would recognise the film as a thriller. The least popular choice was hospitals. This could indicate that the audience don’t want the thriller set in a hospital because the hospital scenes are a place of safety or recovery therefore the main action will take place in a much more dangerous and less secure environment.

What characters are most essential to a thriller?

The main character associated with a thriller is the killer, this is predictable as the killer generally encompasses the villain of the film, who is the character that carries the most suspicion and mystery. Next conventionally comes the victim who is pursued by the killer this may be due to the enigma ceated between the two characters.

Which props do you most associate with a thriller?

Weapons were the most popular with over 75% of the people choosing this answer. This shows that weapons link in with the audience expecting to see death in a thriller therefore there logically must be weapons etc… in order to add an element of danger. Weapons are a broad spectrum so it can be anything from a gun to a futuristic style weapon e.g. a lightsaber. The lest popular prop associated with a thriller was technology which shows that the audience don’t think everyday technologies such as television play that big of a part – unless the film is about it.

What type of costumes do you expect to see in a thriller?

The most common answer to this question was normal everyday clothes, this is common for an audience to choose because it creates a feeling of realism, whereas if the characters were dressed in capes, which was found to be the least common answer, the way the film is portrayed would appear more traditional and less realistic. Outfits specific to character was the second most popular, showing how audiences expect to see regular everyday people in thriller films, whereas black leather etc appears to be less expected of a thriller film.

Why have you ended up watching thrillers?

The most common answer to this question was that they like the thrill of watching a thriller. This is obviously expected from watching thriller movies due to that is what makes them different from other sub-genres of the horror genre. The thrill that is given from watching these films is what attracts the audience and gains their attention into watching them. The least common answer was that it was their favourite genre, this is a less desirable answer to reveal through a questionnaire due to our opening being in the genre of thriller, although the thrill appears to be the most desirable element in watching thriller movies.

How much death do you think a thriller should include throughout the film?

The most common answer to this question was 1 or 2 deaths, this was possibly the most popular answer because in a thriller film, a lot of deaths may appear slightly dramatic to the audience, therefore having only 1 or 2 deaths appears more realistic and maintains that thrill which is desired in thrillers. The least common answer was none, showing that if there were no deaths at all in a thriller film, the audience would not find it very satisfying and thrilling.

What do you prefer in an opening of a thriller?

The most common answer was suspense, meaning that an audience enjoy seeing suspense in the beginning of a thriller film, possibly due to the excitement that it brings, being unaware of what is happening, and creating a bit of mystery. A less common answer was normality, this was possibly less common due to the audience enjoying excitement rather than a normal day scene, creating suspense builds up the tension, meaning a more interactive audience.

Who do you tend to watch thrillers with?

The most common answer to this question was family, this shows how an audience enjoy to watch thriller movies with their family, also another common answer was friends, thriller movies can be exciting and interesting when watched with friends. Therefore our target audience would be more family orientated.

White Noise 2005 part (1/11)

Analysis of film: The Uninvited

This thriller film consisted of a large twist which the audience had no idea about. I thought that this was a very useful technique because it connected all together at the end, which helps the audience to understand the true meaning and the true story of the film.

Throughout the film the majority of the camera shots were medium shots, and there were a few over the shoulder shots used, this creates a feeling of realism for the audience because it makes them feel like they are involved in the action.

There are many disturbing elements to this film which is possibly why it is recognised as a good thriller. There are parts in the film which may be uncomfortable to some viewers but is rather entertaining to the majority of the audience. There are many bodies which are deformed, some of children and some of teenage boys. 

There is a typical teenage feel running through this film due to the main character being a teenage girl that witnessed the beach house that her mother lived in (due to her being ill) being blown up, killing her mother and (which is only realised at the end) her sister. 

During the majority of the film, the girl believes that her fathers new girlfriend, who helped around the house while her mother was ill, was involved and responsible for the death of her mother. The way in which the writers of this film have used the typical, teenage girl disliking her dads new girlfriend was very interesting, because it made the film very realistic. 

The costumes of the characters are mainly summer clothes due to the season being summer. and the characters living at the edge of a beach isolated from the small town which they live by. 

Analysis of film: The Crazies

This film is set in a typical tight-knit town, which have characters which are in a close community. There is equilibrium at the beginning as it is the first day of Spring and there is a traditional baseball game to mark the occasion. The main character, who is a Sherrif, has to unfortunately kill one of his friends, due to him acting suspiciously and bringing a gun to the game. This is where the drama and the thrill begins, not long after that event, more characters appear to be acting suspicously and mentally insane. The whole town is invaded and evacuated due to the citizens being infected by contaminated water, although that is not apparent to the characters as of yet.
As the characters which are infected become to act more psychotic, the thrill of the film is at it's best. The whole population of the town are put into concentration camps, although that is not for long because the characters start a riot. There is a lot of action in this thriller movie, but the killings which occur definatly put a shiver down the audiences spines.
The costumes used in this film are typical everyday clothing, although the Sherrif, who is portrayed as the hero in this film as he does not become infected and is the first to realise that there is something wrong, this character wears a police uniform, this is a typical costume for the hero of a film to wear because the police are typically associated with safety, this reassures the audience.
This film is realistic, because what happened to the characters could possibly happen in real life, this is what also scares the audience, that this situation could possibly happen to them, although it is unlikely.
Throughout the majority of the film, medium shots are used.
A pan shot is used very effectively in this film where the sherrifs wife is admiring a baby mobile in a deserted house, and as the camera pans, is it obvious to the audience that there is a scary infected woman behind her, this immediately scares the audience in the case of the woman, because throughout films, the audience connect and understand characters, and when they are put in danger, this interests and scares the characters also.

Analysis of film: The Orphan

My first analysis was of the film The Orphan which came out in 2010, basically, the film consisted of a regualr family which had tackled the problems of a miscarriage looking to adopt a child, they find a child which is assumed to be perfect, called Esther. At the beginning of the film, there is an equilibrium, the family are happy, the mother has stopped drinking due to her being an alcoholic once she had had a miscarriage. The film are portrayed in a positive way, typically their children are well behaved and the young daughter is almost completely deaf, but is perfect with communication.
This film, at the beginning, seems to be progressing normally, there are typical sudden shots which you would expect to be used to scare the audience at the beginning, for example, the woman has gone to the bathroom in the middle of the night and slides the mirrored cabinate door to get some medication, as she slides the door back, there is a sudden use of non diegetic music which creates fear for the audience, although there is nothing there, which is typically expected by the audience. This technique is used wisely because it keeps the audience on their toes, and maintains their attention to what will happen.
Throughout the film the majority of the shots used are medium shots, this helps to portray the characters to the audience, so they have a fair view of the shots. Long shots are used to show the isolated house that the characters live in, this is also typical of a thriller, because the main characters appear isolated, therefore find it difficult to get help once in a bad situation, this provides thrill for the audience when something bad does happen, because this means the characters have to deal with the situation themselves which once again is more entertaining to the audience.
The costumes used for the characters are generally casual, the orphan dresses in traditional russian clothes, and this connotes a mysterious but routine feel to her character which makes more sense when is later revealed in the film once the audience discover her strategy.
Throughout the film, the audience tend to witness events which the main characters do not see, this makes the situations more realistic and personal because the audience feel as if they are being in the situations that are witnessed.
In this film, the mother becomes suspicious of the orphan but is not believed by the father, due to the orphan acting innocent towards him, although once his back is turned so does her attitude.
Once the mother realises this, she tries to explain to her husband what the child is capable of, but, the mother is not believed because she is a recovering alcoholic, therefore she needs to gain more trust to be believed.
This is used well in the film because the audience feel connected to the film and want to get involved because they know what some of the characters do not.
The most thrilling part of the film is when the orphans true identity is revealed and the main climax of the film is in full flow as she tries to kill the whole family in the house. There is a lot of hiding and jumpy moments, this makes the film more exciting and interesting for the audience because the main reason to watch thriller films is for the thrill.

Opening 5: The Strangers

The films typically starts with titles of producers, the text fades in and out of a black background, this creates the feeling of something mysterious and unknown.
Text appears on the screen and is read aloud by a narrator whilst the text is on the screen, the voice of the man is deep and mysertious, but he hold a serious tone. This communicates to the audience that this is a serious story because it is based on true events.
The narrator reads out the events which happened and how some of the events that occured that night are no entirely known. This creates a lot of fear for the audience and an enigma, because the audience are curious to what had happened. Once the text fades the audience can hear a car engine, and the shot changes from fade ins and fade outs of passing houses, like someone is driving by. This sets the scene of the film, and puts the area in perspective. The fade outs resemble someone closing their eyes, this relates to the audience because it is what they are seeing, therefore making it more realistic. There is just the sound of a dull monotone in the background whilst the shots of houses are shown, this creates a steady feeling to the film and that everything seems to be at an equilibrium. As the last shot of a house fades out, there is non-diegetic sound of a phone conversation between a woman and a 911 operator. This once again creates an enigma because the woman who is in distress is not clear and has not explain what happened, this creates a feeling of fear for the audience also because the woman sounds extremely scared. While this conversation is happening, the screen is just black, this was probably used to keep the audiences focus on the conversation and not a moving image.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLDdPW5yfR4

Opening 4: White Noise

The Universal and Gold Circle idents are shown in the beginning.
Instead of moving image, this film opens with a black background and white text, this is very simple and straight forward. The text shown on the black background relates to a quote made by Thomas Edison, this creates an enigma because the audience do not know what it is relating too, as the text is shown on the screen a slow zoom is used creating suspension, the edits used are mainly fade ins and fade outs while the text is being shown.
However, once the text has disappeared, the background image is of what is described as 'white noise' which is when a television shows no picture and is just black and white movement.
The sound used is diegetic as it connects with the television screen and makes a noise of interference.
Between shots of white noise, there are shots of video equipment, this puts the film into context and makes it clear to the audience what the quotes shown at the beginning are related to. 
Straight cut edits that are used are quite quick and jumpy. Then more white text appears, this simply portrays what the film is about, and once again puts it in context. In the background there are sounds of distorted voices and electrical sounds, this creates an enigma because the audience are curious to know what it is.
Once again between the text, there are shots of white noise, this would create an effect that would make the audience feel more involved in the film due to it being shown on their television screen, so it creates realism for them because it is shown on their television.
Electrical noises are used once again when white noise is shown between shots of text, this sound grabs the audiences attention because it is loud and unexpected.
Suddenly, the title of the film appears on a fuzzy screen and there is a thudding noise of something banging on the television screen. This creates fear for the audience because it is unexpected and therefore more unnerving. The title slowly zooms out leaving the audience feeling possibly shocked and scared of what is to come.
Slow piano music is played in the background whilst titles are shown of actors which appear in the film, this music is possibly used to set the scene and create a feeling of suspence and wonder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsPpqe4h3ZI

Opening 3: The Grudge

 Opening has the Columbia ident, then Ghost House ident.

Rather than going into video, there is a black background with white writing creating a basic yet suspicious and suspense.  The word ‘curse’ was highlighted in red as the text faded into the background, this shows the audience that, a curse is a key role which applies to the film. So without any camera shots, the audience are already informed of what the film entails. It also highlights the word ‘death’ this creates emphasis and once again informs the audience of what the films may involve.

There is then a crane shot above a canal and a bridge, this creates recognition of the setting of the film, the town is seen as rather quiet. A man then comes into the shot and is standing on a balcony over looking the town, he appears to be troubled, this creates an enigma because the audience are unclear as to why he is troubled.

A woman is in the bed behind him, talking to him, he appears dazed, turns back to the balcony and tilts forward, pushing himself off the balcony down onto the street. If is rather unexpected. This deepens the enigma that is already created because the audience are curious to why he jumped.

A high angle shot is used to show the man dead on the street; this puts the image in perspective and provides anchorage for what has happened. A low angle shot is also used showing the woman from the apartment looking down on the man, in a complete state of shock.

The only sounds that are heard are the sounds of traffic, no eerie music is used to create

Opening 2: The Ring

The opening has DreamWorks ident but an effect has been used like the image had interference.  This is related to the film in a obvious way because the film is about a video tape, and the interference used over the ident shot is similar to the interference you would get when watching a video tape, due to them having typically bad quality.

This makes the film seem more real, as the effect of the film is already shown on the ident before the actual film. This creates realisation for the audience, as they feel more involved with the film already.

Over the shoulder shots are used, once again making the audience feel involved in the conversation between the two characters.

The shot of the house is typical of a horror film as is has creeper plants growing over the house, and the setting is at night.

There is a fade in of a long shot of the house as a girl is talking about television, there is a sound bridge of a quick wind like sound as the shot goes from the house at night as it is raining to two teenage girls sitting in a bedroom. An eerie setting is already reached, as two girls are home alone on a rainy night.  

Camera movement slowly zooms in on the girls’ conversation; this creates a feeling of suspense.

As one of the girls describes this videotape that apparently kills you as you watch it, the camera once again slowly zooms into her face, this creates a feeling of involvement for the audience, because it makes them feel like they are part of the conversation.

There is then a straight cut to the other girl, who has ears in her eyes, this creates an enigma to the audience because it is unclear why she is distressed or upset, then she explains to her friend that she has watched the tape. 

Opening 1: The Haunting In Connecticut

The music used is very traditional and eery, this sets the time period to the photos that are being shown, this gives the audience an idea of what the film is based on. There are typical titles at the beginning saying who the film is produced by. 

Fade ins and outs of antique images are shown, but as the photos are shown they appear to be of traditional families, but slowly throughout the opening sequence the photos are zoomed out and it is apparent that the family members are posing with other deceased family members. This could possibly connote that this film could have hidden meanings, much like the photos. This creates an enigma for the audience as they will wonder why there are photos such as these. 

Some of the photos used include dead babies, which can be seen as very disturbing because babies are seen as new life and are used to portray innocence, but here their death is seen to be something to remembered and in a way cherished, otherwise they would not have images of it's death.

Throughout the opening, piano music is playing, and as the straight cuts used increase in frequency, the piano music begins to distort, and sounds of people screaming are brought out  to the audiences notice. 

As these images are being shown, there are straight cuts from the photos and shots of someone handling a dead body, there are shots of the person, who's face you can't see, sticking tubes into what are presumed to be dead bodies, this shows the slightly disturbing things about death that most people do not think about. Also jump cuts are used while the photos are being shown, and there are flashes of white which draws the audiences attention to the photos. 

Camera movement is mainly still as photos are shown of the families and deceased bodies. Although as the images fade and a woman is shown being propped for a video recording, the camera pans across the screen and the audience can see that the woman is being recorded on a video camera, this makes is clear to the audience, and gives the audience the feeling that they are seeing something from behind the scenes. 

As the woman is talking, the camera pans again but it pans from a pile of newspapers which read 'the real hell house'  which shows the audience what she is referring to.

The audience is told that the film is based on a true story, this creates realism as the audience realise that this is not a fictional film and that these events or events similar to these actually happened. But how 'true' the story is, cannot be clear.

Then the title of the film is revealed, while the woman is still talking about how people want to know what happened to her and her family. 

The title fades in and out, it is in very basic text and is clear to the audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh_JEbgblPI