Three major film makers during the 1920's to 1940's in the thriller genre were; Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang and George Cukor.
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock had a silent film 'The Lodger' which was in 1926. He used this to be able to help shape the modern day thriller genre. This was a Jack the ripper film which caused a lot of suspense. He always continued to make his recognisable brand of suspension with thrillers to a good standard throughout the early thriller time. Releasing many films during that time.
Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang was known for directing the German film 'M' in 1931. This was based on a serial killer, including the main character being a criminal deviant using the genre of thriller to create the suspense and the intense shock throughout the film.
George Cukor
George Cukor was known for his psychological thrillers. In 1941 he made a thriller 'Women's face'. This film is about a female blackmailer with a disfiguring facial scar who meets a plastic surgeon. The plastic surgeon offers her the possibility of looking like a normal woman.The genre always helps to create suspense as you are never too sure of the outcome.
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Fight Club
Looking at the opening title sequence it isn't clear as to what all the abstract images are at first, but as it gets further into it you can see that it is his brain. The titles are in white writing but have a flash of blue lighting over them as if electricity is passing through him. There is a bold font which seems serious so we can tell that it is going to be a serious film. The music is fast and upbeat which makes us think that something big is going to happen even though we are not completely sure what it is. There is a lot of black which symbolises mystery and is associated with thrillers. When it zooms out of the brain we see a gun inside the man's mouth which makes us think that he is going to get shot. You don't actually see the man with the gun just hear his deep voice. This causes suspense because we are not sure what he looks like we only know that his voice is mysterious. Each shot is led into another and is continuous because it is just flowing through his brain. Even when it gets to the end you can still see that it flows as it follows all the way up the gun right to the shot of the man with the gun in his mouth.
Taxi Driver
The opening of Taxi Driver introduces the main character/setting. It sets the mood of the film and tells you something about the story. The city seems distorted and so when the taxi driver stops at the red light it suggests anger, danger and warning. Close up camera shots are used to create the sense of mystery. During the opening scenes we are able to see the city through his eyes explaining how the taxi driver sees the city as bleak and blurry. The taxi driver appears through sewer fog which means that he doesn't just appear he is basically part of the environment. He seems like he is searching the streets looking for his next victim, this can create the thought of threat.
The Usual Suspects
There is not much happening in the opening titles of The Usual Suspects. There is a shot of water with a flicker of light after every few shots. This gives the mystery and suspense a thriller film needs, by leaving the audience not knowing what is happening. The water is continuous and the light flickers are all blue with a change in colour every now and then. This could show that things can change quicker then you think. The dark lighting is part of the mis-en-scene which helps to create the thriller in the film.
Narrative techniques
Linear
A linear film is a film which is set out in the order of beginning, middle and end. This means that it is easy for the audience to understand and follow. An example of this is starting with an opening line for the beginning and finishing with a good closing line like in fairy tales. Once upon a time and they lived happily ever after. The middle is the actual story but is in the correct order. This makes it easier for people to understand.
Non-linear
A non-linear film is when the film does not go in order but instead it could start at the end and be in reverse order of just starting in the middle before explaining the beginning. This could be confusing for the audience but is a good way to create mystery. By using this technique it makes the audience want to watch more to find out what is going to happen.
Omniscient
Omniscient gives the audience a 'god' like perspective about the film. This is because they may have seen the end of the film at the beginning, meaning they know how it will end. Also they then know why it ended that way. The audience can then come up with there own conclusion about how it will happen before they see it on the film.
Restricted
Restricted is when the audience are kept in the dark about what is going on. This means they may know a lot about what is happening but they are being kept out of a major part of the film. By using this technique the audience will be shocked once it does happen as they are not expecting it.
A linear film is a film which is set out in the order of beginning, middle and end. This means that it is easy for the audience to understand and follow. An example of this is starting with an opening line for the beginning and finishing with a good closing line like in fairy tales. Once upon a time and they lived happily ever after. The middle is the actual story but is in the correct order. This makes it easier for people to understand.
Non-linear
A non-linear film is when the film does not go in order but instead it could start at the end and be in reverse order of just starting in the middle before explaining the beginning. This could be confusing for the audience but is a good way to create mystery. By using this technique it makes the audience want to watch more to find out what is going to happen.
Omniscient
Omniscient gives the audience a 'god' like perspective about the film. This is because they may have seen the end of the film at the beginning, meaning they know how it will end. Also they then know why it ended that way. The audience can then come up with there own conclusion about how it will happen before they see it on the film.
Restricted
Restricted is when the audience are kept in the dark about what is going on. This means they may know a lot about what is happening but they are being kept out of a major part of the film. By using this technique the audience will be shocked once it does happen as they are not expecting it.
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