J.Cork - Genre Analysis

Q1)

The genre that I have chosen to research is thriller. Within the thriller genre there are many other sub-genres that exist. These sub-genres are all slightly different as they focus on specific areas, here are examples of some of the sub-genres that exist within thriller:

1. Action - often against the clock, feature many fight/action scenes, and there is an obvious villain the cause carnage throughout.
2. Spy - the hero is often a government agent who is sent on a mission to track down a villain, and halt their evil plans.
3. Legal - the hero is often a lawyer who must overcome many obstacles to win their case when it previously looked like they had no chance of winning. They usually have to overcome threats on their lives, and face persecution from people who are against what they are doing.
4. Crime - these thrillers offer accounts of successful or unsuccessful crimes, and what the criminals had to do to plan the crime, and the way in which the police attempted to stop them. These types of thrillers normally engage the audience, as the plot often features many twists and turns, requiring the audience to think about what is happening.

I think that we will probably follow the conventions of the crime sub-genre, because it will enable us to create suspense, jeopardy and mystery within our film. Some films that are in this sub-genre that haves styles that I would like to emulate are Taken (Morel, 2008), Se7en (Fincher, 1995), and Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino, 1992).

Q2)

Se7en

he film uses some very interesting techniques that I think we could use when filming our film. On of these is the lack of dialogue throughout the opening scenes. This creates a sense of mystery surrounding the characters, and leaves the pictures and soundtrack to portray feelings to the audience.

Taken

When the man is on the phone to the kidnappers in this film, the technique of fading to black and then fading back to the mans face is used repeatedly during the phone call. There is also a sound bride used so that we can still hear what the man is saying even when it has faded to black. This emphasises the short sentences the man is saying to the kidnappers and helps to show the man’s power and anger. I think that this is an extremely effective technique that we could use when we make our film.

Reservoir Dogs

At the very start of the film there is a sound bridge over the opening credits that leads to the opening conversation. There is also a handy cam shot that circles around a table with six men sitting around it. This is an incredibly effective shot because it allows you to see who is speaking, but at the same time the audience is able to see everyone who is present. The fact that this is a handy-cam shot also means that the audience is able to feel as if they are actually walking around the table. Narration is also used later in the film, and this allows additional details to be given to the audience, without them actually seeing anything happen. I think that we could use narration in our film because if it is used in the correct way I think it could create a feeling of unease and tension at will fit in well with the thriller genre.

Q3)

The typical narrative in a thriller film is that someone is trying to catch someone else for one reason or another. We are doing a crime thriller however and so the typical narrative is that the police are trying to catch a criminal/killer.

Suspense could be created in the opening of a crime thriller by showing little parts of the overall narrative, that offer clues as to what is going to happen later in the film. For example you might see the actually crime happening or just being planned by the killer. This will create suspense and tension, as the audience will be left wondering who the killer is and why they acted how they did. The soundtrack is also very important when creating suspense in such a short amount of time. Eerie noises are often used, as are gun shots and loud/intense drum beats, amongst other things.

Q4)

In crime dramas there are usually two main characters, they are:

The Detective…

And the Criminal…

Q5)

A crime drama is usualy set in one of two places, they are:

An Urban City…

Or in a Woodland Area…

Q6)

The iconography associated with a crime thriller is things like:

Handcuffs…

Guns…

Dead bodies…

Jail cells…

Q7)

There are not specific conventions of costume within crime thrillers. However the stereotypical costume of a detective and criminal are as below:

This is an image of a stereotypical detective who is wearing a trench coat and hat. However in many modern day urban crime thrillers the detective simply wears a suit or normal clothes.

This is a balaclava and it is very iconic of criminal. However, this is hardly ever worn in modern crime thrillers, as the criminal is usually just a normal man, and so he wears normal clothing.

Q8)

A lack of light is often used to create tension and suspense in crime thrillers. This is because it creates silhouettes and the effect of only half seeing a persons face. This effect can be seen below:

The camera can also have colour washes put over the shots during post production. Different colours can be used to connote different things, some examples of this can be seen below:

This is the man's face in black and white. This gives an artistic impression of the man, and makes him look like a normal person.

Red = Danger

The red filter that has been put over this image makes the man look more sinister and evil. This filter is likely to be used in a sinister, horror scene, that is designed to scare the audience.

Blue= Cool/Kind

This blue filter makes the man look kind and almost emotional. This filter is likely to be used in an emotional, sad scene, rather than an action scene.

Q9)

Here are some examples of fonts that would not look out of place in the opening title sequence of a crime thriller:

Thriller Rough Typewriter

Thriller MPOK Hand

Thriller Northwood High

Thriller Frakturika