Inspirations
Before something can be made there needs to be an inspiration in the creator to make something that has meaning and is valued by others as it has been worked on out of wanting to make something that honors other valued creations of the same type. When making a thriller film that you want to be successful it is best to take inspiration from the already made thriller films that have themselves been successful and using the different techniques and styles used in the film to influence and shape your own piece to make sure it follows the conventions of the genre that the audience will recognize and engage with. In my own piece I have taken inspiration from slasher thriller films like Scream in terms of a knife wielding killer that's identity has been hidden while using cinematography techniques like a point-of-view shot that is used to make the audience feel like they are in the thick of the action which I have seen in the thriller film Disturbia. I have taken the usage of weapons for iconography from Saw except where they have used a gun I want to use a knife to connotes elements of danger.
An inspiration that I gathered from 'Halloween' was the technique of hiding the killer's identity. The audience never see the killer's face due to the use of a point-of-view shot from he killer's perspective as well as the addition of the killer wearing mask. This inspired me because it engages the audience and makes them want to keep watching to find out who the killer is, inspiring me to use a similar idea of a hidden killer as this will allow the audience to engage in the story and try to work out who the killer is. By having a hidden identity in my intro it will attract my audience into watching more so they can discover who the killer is after he has committed a crime to make thee audience want to know who he is and how he is able to get away with his crime. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience expect to be presented a killer that they do not know who the identity of who has just killed a person that the audience want to know the identity of as they want to feel part of the investigation and chase to find out his true identity so he can be brought to justice.
An inspiration that I gathered from 'The Shining' was the technique of on-screen sound. In 'The Shining', the audience hear the sound of an axe hitting a door as the killer attempts to chop down the door between himself and the victim. This inspired me because it sets the pace for the scene and creates tension as it takes him some time to cut down the door while the audience are left waiting to see if the victim will get away in time or if the killer is able to kill the victim before anyone sees. I want to use on-screen sound in my piece in the form of the pounding of the footsteps of the victim running to connote the intensity of the situation and leaving the audience's heart beating to see if the victim gets away which will attract the audience to want to continue watching in order to confirm if the victim does get away. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience expect to see a chase scene in which the victim is trying to escape from the clutches of the killer in which they may not possibly get away in time.
An inspiration that I gathered from 'Disturbia' was the point-of-view shot. In 'Disturbia', the audience see a point-of-view shot through the eyes of Kale as he watches the killer's house to see if he has seen him witnessing the murder which allowed the audience to feel in the shoes of the victim. This has inspired me to use a similar camera shot as I would like my audience to feel a deeper connection with the character in order to increase suspense as they will feel as if the killer is coming after them as well as the victim. By using a point-of-view shot of the victim checking a dead body in my opening sequence I will be able to get the audience to create a relationship with the victim as they will both feel victimised by the killer and so the audience will have a stronger support of the victim to live through the events of the film as the audience can somewhat understand the nightmare they are going through. This is conventional as the audience expect to be shown ways in which the victim deserves to live and will want them to survive at any cost while also being put in a position where they can understand the power and presence of the killer and begin to worry for the victim's sake.
An inspiration that I gathered from 'The Purge' was the use of sped-up timing of shots. In 'The Purge', the audience see faster editing to create a fast-paced scene when James begins to fight on the floor with the stranger after the latter attacks his daughter. This has inspired me to use a sped-up timing of shots as it would allow for a faster scene connoting that there is more hanging in the balance based on the outcome of the fight while also providing some suspense for the audience as they have less time to think of what will come next while also unsure of who will emerge victorious from the fight and how the victor will hinder the progress of the loser, either the victim's escape is hindered or the killer's plans are disrupted. By using a sped-up timing of shots when the victim is running to save someone I will allow the audience to become further engaged and gain more suspense as they are unsure of what the victim is running into and whether it could be a trap left by a killer but can also show the determination of the victim, creating a relationship between the character and the audience as they think the victim can survive the attacks from the killer and bring him to justice. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a chase scene by using a sped-up timing of shot to show the power and determination of the killer to get his targets while also showing how the victim is lucky and skilled enough to get away in time.
An inspiration that I have gathered from 'Saw' is the use of an abandoned and isolated setting. The audience see the two victims locked in a long abandoned bathroom with just themselves and no one around to hear their screams and calls for help. This has inspired me to use an abandoned and isolated setting as it will create suspense in the audience as they do not know how the victims will escape as they are chained to the wall with no one around to help them escape as well as whether they will be able to get to safety before the killer can catch them again, while the audience watches them still attempt to escape it shows the audience how brave and determined the characters are to escape from the killer. By using an abandoned and isolated setting like a small woodland trail I will be able to show that the killer is able to get away with the murder before anyone arrives in order to show that he is smart as he is able to plan ahead and make sure no one interrupts. The isolated setting also makes sure that no one will be an eye-witness to the murder in order to make sure the killer gets away, also showing that the killer is smart enough to plan ahead. This is conventional as the audience expect to see an isolated setting to connote that the killer will be able to hold the victim for as long as possible with no one interfering leading to the audience to expect the victim to escape themselves.
An inspiration that I have gathered from 'Halloween' is the use of shock to affect the audience. At the end of the sequence the killer's mask is lifted and the audience are shown a mid shot of the killer to reveal that it is just a small boy clutching at a knife after he has just murdered his sister. This has inspired me to use shock in my sequence as it will take the audience off guard and cause them to become more engaged with the film as they want to find out more about what has shocked them, in the example I have given the audience will want to know if the boy is the killer, while also allowing the film to stand apart form other thriller films by having a unique plot twist that the audience do not expect. By using shock in my sequence in the form of a plot twist or piece of evidence I will be able to entertain and engage the audience as they will be taken by surprise and have their expectations for the plot of the film to be dashed as they will have to adapt and pay extra close attention if they want to try to work out what is really going on against what they have thought has been going on. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a plot twist or a shocking element in order to entertain them or engage them as they do not expect to see this while making the film seem more unique to other films of the genre.
An inspiration that I gathered from 'Halloween' was the technique of hiding the killer's identity. The audience never see the killer's face due to the use of a point-of-view shot from he killer's perspective as well as the addition of the killer wearing mask. This inspired me because it engages the audience and makes them want to keep watching to find out who the killer is, inspiring me to use a similar idea of a hidden killer as this will allow the audience to engage in the story and try to work out who the killer is. By having a hidden identity in my intro it will attract my audience into watching more so they can discover who the killer is after he has committed a crime to make thee audience want to know who he is and how he is able to get away with his crime. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience expect to be presented a killer that they do not know who the identity of who has just killed a person that the audience want to know the identity of as they want to feel part of the investigation and chase to find out his true identity so he can be brought to justice.
An inspiration that I gathered from 'The Shining' was the technique of on-screen sound. In 'The Shining', the audience hear the sound of an axe hitting a door as the killer attempts to chop down the door between himself and the victim. This inspired me because it sets the pace for the scene and creates tension as it takes him some time to cut down the door while the audience are left waiting to see if the victim will get away in time or if the killer is able to kill the victim before anyone sees. I want to use on-screen sound in my piece in the form of the pounding of the footsteps of the victim running to connote the intensity of the situation and leaving the audience's heart beating to see if the victim gets away which will attract the audience to want to continue watching in order to confirm if the victim does get away. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the audience expect to see a chase scene in which the victim is trying to escape from the clutches of the killer in which they may not possibly get away in time.
An inspiration that I gathered from 'Disturbia' was the point-of-view shot. In 'Disturbia', the audience see a point-of-view shot through the eyes of Kale as he watches the killer's house to see if he has seen him witnessing the murder which allowed the audience to feel in the shoes of the victim. This has inspired me to use a similar camera shot as I would like my audience to feel a deeper connection with the character in order to increase suspense as they will feel as if the killer is coming after them as well as the victim. By using a point-of-view shot of the victim checking a dead body in my opening sequence I will be able to get the audience to create a relationship with the victim as they will both feel victimised by the killer and so the audience will have a stronger support of the victim to live through the events of the film as the audience can somewhat understand the nightmare they are going through. This is conventional as the audience expect to be shown ways in which the victim deserves to live and will want them to survive at any cost while also being put in a position where they can understand the power and presence of the killer and begin to worry for the victim's sake.
An inspiration that I gathered from 'The Purge' was the use of sped-up timing of shots. In 'The Purge', the audience see faster editing to create a fast-paced scene when James begins to fight on the floor with the stranger after the latter attacks his daughter. This has inspired me to use a sped-up timing of shots as it would allow for a faster scene connoting that there is more hanging in the balance based on the outcome of the fight while also providing some suspense for the audience as they have less time to think of what will come next while also unsure of who will emerge victorious from the fight and how the victor will hinder the progress of the loser, either the victim's escape is hindered or the killer's plans are disrupted. By using a sped-up timing of shots when the victim is running to save someone I will allow the audience to become further engaged and gain more suspense as they are unsure of what the victim is running into and whether it could be a trap left by a killer but can also show the determination of the victim, creating a relationship between the character and the audience as they think the victim can survive the attacks from the killer and bring him to justice. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a chase scene by using a sped-up timing of shot to show the power and determination of the killer to get his targets while also showing how the victim is lucky and skilled enough to get away in time.
An inspiration that I have gathered from 'Saw' is the use of an abandoned and isolated setting. The audience see the two victims locked in a long abandoned bathroom with just themselves and no one around to hear their screams and calls for help. This has inspired me to use an abandoned and isolated setting as it will create suspense in the audience as they do not know how the victims will escape as they are chained to the wall with no one around to help them escape as well as whether they will be able to get to safety before the killer can catch them again, while the audience watches them still attempt to escape it shows the audience how brave and determined the characters are to escape from the killer. By using an abandoned and isolated setting like a small woodland trail I will be able to show that the killer is able to get away with the murder before anyone arrives in order to show that he is smart as he is able to plan ahead and make sure no one interrupts. The isolated setting also makes sure that no one will be an eye-witness to the murder in order to make sure the killer gets away, also showing that the killer is smart enough to plan ahead. This is conventional as the audience expect to see an isolated setting to connote that the killer will be able to hold the victim for as long as possible with no one interfering leading to the audience to expect the victim to escape themselves.
An inspiration that I have gathered from 'Halloween' is the use of shock to affect the audience. At the end of the sequence the killer's mask is lifted and the audience are shown a mid shot of the killer to reveal that it is just a small boy clutching at a knife after he has just murdered his sister. This has inspired me to use shock in my sequence as it will take the audience off guard and cause them to become more engaged with the film as they want to find out more about what has shocked them, in the example I have given the audience will want to know if the boy is the killer, while also allowing the film to stand apart form other thriller films by having a unique plot twist that the audience do not expect. By using shock in my sequence in the form of a plot twist or piece of evidence I will be able to entertain and engage the audience as they will be taken by surprise and have their expectations for the plot of the film to be dashed as they will have to adapt and pay extra close attention if they want to try to work out what is really going on against what they have thought has been going on. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a plot twist or a shocking element in order to entertain them or engage them as they do not expect to see this while making the film seem more unique to other films of the genre.
My research has allowed me to get ideas for my narrative as I can see what is a compelling story and what feels like it fits into the thriller genre and that the audience will engage with and want to find out what is going on and what they will enjoy finding out with enough mystery to keep the audience intrigued. By analyzing different thriller films I am able to get a larger amount of inspirations with a different variance in films with some being older, some younger, some famous and some that aren't as popular to show how a technique may have hindered or helped a film to become more of a fitting thriller film.
This post demonstrates a good understanding of why inspirations are essential to consider. The various points that you have included, demonstrates good research techniques and this is because you have explored the micro elements and conventions that have inspired you. You have also explained your examples and reasons in good detail throughout too.
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1) Evaluate the points that you have included and relate this back to your individual narrative, to demonstrate further understanding of the inspiration points that you have included