Task 3 Target Audience Research

Target Audience Research - Thriller Genre

Many thrillers have age restrictions to stop an under age audience, which the film company think are to young, watching the film in the cinema. This can be for a number of different reasons. Thrillers often include lots of physical violence which can be disturbing and cause problems for a younger, less grown up audience. Psychological issues are also apparent in many Thriller genre films which can be disturbing for many younger viewers. When the film is released onto DVD or Blu-Ray there will be a warning on the back of the cover which states why it is rated as a PG, 12, 15 or 18 film. This could be because it contains extreme violence or sexual scenes.

A key appeal for the target audience of Thrillers is character which they can relate to and build a connection with as the film continues. Scream is a really good Thriller example of this. Scream aimed to target a mostly young adult target audience. Through using a mainly teenage cast, each with their own individual story the audience was able to relate to the character therefore they become more interested in the film and what happens to the characters

Most thrillers these days like to have the use of modern day technology in their films. This is so they attract a more modern audience. A thriller convention is for scenes and the plot in the film to be influenced by events that have or could happen in real life. This is why directors always try and add in the latest technology into their Thriller films to look at reaching out the widest range of audience that they can.

A key element within Thrillers is the theme of disguise which creates mystery within the film. The disguise is conventionally used on the antagonist characters so that the audience are unaware of what the character is like. This can be found in Thrillers such as Scream, Purge and The Black Swan which all use disguise to create suspense within the film.

People that have been asked what the conventions are for a Thriller have said that the conventions can be used in our film to. These can include suspense, tension, constant twists, dramatic atmosphere. It should be scary. The audience should be on the edge of their seat for the whole film. The plot should also give constant shocks.

The target audience for my Thriller film opening is males and females aged predominately 15-19 with Hopefully 80% of the people that watch the film opening will be within this age group. However because of the many sub genres within the Thriller genre some of the audience can branch out of this age range. The target audience for the conventional Thriller is that it will appeal to both male and female audiences and a variety of social classes conventionally through the use of relatable characters and themes throughout the film. Overall Thrillers appeal to a wide-audience and the large variety of sub genres means that the Thriller genre can easily relate to a range of audiences.

Feedback - Miss Spencer

Great research Stuart. You have thought about the conventions of the genre and touched on the history of it as well as discussing sub genres.

I would like to see a little more discussion of the history of the genre as well as taking a look at Auteur theory (in relation to Alfred Hitchcock)

Level 3

Task 2.2 Thriller Genre Research

Research Of the Thriller Genre

Overall a thriller film is programmed to create tension, anticipation and suspense. It is like this because it is meant to leave the audience uncertain on what is going to happen. Thriller films are designed to give the audience an adrenaline rush and they are often very fast paced. 

Thriller genre movies rely heavily on the background music and the editing behind the scenes. Black and white in Thrillers is a convention. It brings a more dark and gloomy feel to the movie. Peoples shadows are often emphasized a lot in Thrillers adding to the uncertainty effect. Props like mirrors are also used a lot to give the audience confusion. This also gives a more physiological approach.

For a Thriller film to be successful it has to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. They should not be able to take there eyes of the film and it should create a rush and excitement with the audience.

The difference between a Thriller and other film genres is that Thrillers are always engaging the audience and making them think through the whole film. The music builds up the tension and is very important in a Thriller because it always there. Lighting is used in a way that it creates mystery and keeps the audience guessing. 

Sub Genres in Thriller Films 

Conspiracy Thriller: Where the hero confronts a large group of enemies where only they know there bad qualities 

Crime Thriller: The sub genre is a mixture of crime of both crime films and Thriller. They offer a gripping version of either failed or successful crimes. These films have a convention where they focus on the criminal more than the good character e.g policeman.

Political Thriller: This sub genre is where the hero must guarantee the strength of the management that pays them.

Psychological Thriller: This is where the war and conflict between the main characters is both emotional and mental. This means there emotions cross and the audience can see them clearly. There is no physical conflict in a psychological thriller.Characters always seem to be in a dangerous situation and have to rely on mental strength to get out of it.

Spy Thriller: The central character is normally a government agent who must take violent action against an enemy government or terrorists. Many of Spy Thrillers are British and use to British Secret Service as the foreground. It usual fuses a bit of action and science fiction together along with Thriller.

Supernatural Thriller: This sub genre of a Thriller is all about something different. This type of Thriller brings a strange element. It brings supernatural disturbances with tension. Sometimes the main character has some sort of super power or unnatural physical ability.

Techno Thriller: This is a suspense film where the use of refined technology plays a significant part.There is also a bit of action and science fiction involved.

A convention of a Thriller is the use of mirrors. They are used for a more psychological effect within the film. They are used to show a reflection of the inner self of one of the characters. It can also signify darkness in some characters. Shadows are another convention of a thriller. They are often used to hide the characters identity and let them remain anonymous for part of the film. Another convention of a Thriller film is the use of flashbacks. Theses can create a sense of time, space and confusion to complicate the audience. It is a convention in thrillers because it can give you an insight into there past life. This can tell the audience more about the character. Codes in Thrillers are often fast paced camera angle changes as this creates tension and suspense among the viewers.

Sir Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Hitchcock was and English film producer and director. He produced many suspense and psychological thriller genre films. He used innovative film editing and framed his shots to create more terror or empathy. Many of his films had a twist ending which caught the audience of guard. Most of his stories frequently featured fugitives  running from the law with a blonde female character. His films featured crime, violence and murder. He directed more than fifty feature films over a career lasting sixty years. He is often acknowledged as the greatest British film maker of all time. 

Codes and Conventions used in the film "Psycho"

The use of lighting in this scene makes it look much more effective. There is a bright light in the top left hand corner which means we cannot see the characters face. This is very well thought out because without the use of a mask they have hidden the identity of the killer. Many thrillers stick to this convention. This makes it scarier for the audience because we all have a fear of the unknown. It also adds suspense because we cannot see there face. The camera angle is face on showing us that the audience want to know who it is but cant because of the lighting.

Titling

Most of the Thriller films I have watched the openings for have had a black screen in the background with some non-diegetic music playing in the background. It is also common for Thriller films to start with a small scene or flashback before the main title sequence comes up. For example Terminator 2 (T2) shows you a clip before the film starts to show you what the film might be about.

Camera Movement

Tracking and pan shots are commonly used at the start of Thriller films. It is normally a shot of a large group of people that we should be interested in as the audience. A really good example of this is at the start of The Dark Night. In the scene there is large camera track of a group of people at different points. 

Framing of Shot

The most commonly used shot in Thriller genre films is the close up. It is used in the film Seven to create and build suspense in the beginning. Long shots are also quite common in Thriller films. They are used to set the scene and show the audience where  most of the Thriller will take place. There will be lots of extreme close ups of the protagonist character. This is often to show their emotions or to focus on props in the story.

Camera Angles

Thrillers can be about mental and emotional. This shown by the different camera angles. For example an aerial shot shows dominance power of the character in shot showing they are more mentally strong. A low angle will show the character that is being overpowered. Most Thrillers will have a main character at the start that will be shown by different camera angles to signify there power.

Props

Most Thrillers use lots of weapons. All these will be props and will be used by more than one character. The most common prop is a gun of some sort. Most characters in a Thriller will carry a side arm. Other props may consist of a fast car, or a harness of some sort for climbing.

Mise en Scene

The general location used in thriller films I have studied depends on the story of the movie themselves. The lighting in Thriller films is used to create atmosphere.

Editing

Jump cuts are very common in Thriller films. This is because in a Thriller multiple things in a scene are happening at the same time and the audience are unaware of them. The jump cuts essentially fill us in. It allows the audience to make assumptions and learn more about the characters in a shorter period of time. When a climax to a scene is near the editing between shots will become faster and more urgent. It will make the audience feel like it is building up to something.

Sound

The sound in Thriller films after looking at a variety of them was mostly non-diegetic. This is used to create an atmosphere and accompany the character. The background music in a Thriller can often tell us a lot about the character.

Positioning & movement of Actors

Actors in Thriller movies tend to be in the middle of the frame most of the time. The movement the character makes heavily depends on the situation that they are in. The way a character moves tells us more about them. If the actor is quick and frantic it tells us they like to get things done quickly. If the actor moves slowly it shows that they calculate more and think about what they do before they do it. The beauty of Thriller genre films is that they include both types of character. There seems to be a convention of having two different groups with two different movement patterns.

Characters

The protagonist is often a brave male who seeks to restore the peace. The antagonist will have a hidden identity that the audience will uncover as the film progresses. Often the antagonist goes out for revenge from a past event. Another convention of Thriller films the protagonist is the only one that can solve the enigma and reveal the truth.

Theme

The main convention for theme in a Thriller is to be designed so that the audience will think it could happen to them. This is what makes them scared and introduces the fear factor. A Thriller convention is to add a supernatural explanation of the puzzle.



Costumes

The antagonist will be in dark clothes if you see them in the film. However on the other hand the protagonist will be wearing the opposite. They will be wearing plain ordinary clothes.

Taken 2

This is a behind the scenes look at the recent Thriller film Taken 2. It looks at how the films are shot and what is used in each of the shots. As you watch through you can see some conventions of normal thriller films. The main character is a strong male character which is a convention of a Thriller film. There is a scene of a teenage girl on the edge of a building. This is safe while shooting, however when it is edited it looks scary and gives the audience an adrenaline rush. It also shows an aerial view shot used by a crane. This is another Thriller convention in that dominance is shown by aerial shots.



These are shots out of the film. The lighting in this shot is coming from sparks maybe from an explosion or some type of combustible material. Explosions are quite common in thriller movies. The lighting in this picture reflects of the protagonists face. This suggests that he is the shining light and the savior when everywhere around him is dark.

The same principal is shown in the advertising poster for the film. Where the font "TAKEN 2" IS written it is pitch black. As you move over the male main character it becomes lighter until you go past the character and it is a completely different colour. It then almost looks like black and white.

This picture is an action shot of the main character in the Thriller. The convention is that character movement tells us about there character personality in a Thriller. In this case this screen shot shows the protagonist likes to get things done quick and does not think about his actions. He is running which means he could be chasing someone. This tells us he has no fear which is what a hero needs in a Thriller

Conclusion

In conclusion Thriller genre is very interesting and has more behind the scenes that is seen by the eye while watching a film. The conventions of a Thriller film are followed quite closely by most Thriller films that i have looked at. In my opinion Thriller genre films are always the most interested to watch because you have to watch every second of the film to get the plot. My favorite type of film is thriller so it has been very interesting looking deeper into this genre.

In film criticism, auteur theory means that a director's film reflects the their personality. It can also man what the director sees is what he wants his audience to see so he adds it into his film. Si Alfred Hitchcock was very famous for doing this and this was his style. Due to this he was a very good director and this is why so many people loved his films.