Research into Target Audience - Miss Miller

Research into Target Audience

I carried out this research in order to gain more knowledge of what my target audience would like to see so that I can make my opening sequence appeal to my target audience. When making my questionnaire I decided to ask 40 people to get a larger amount of results for my questionnaire so that I can have a wider range of opinions on what I should add or omit. With these results I can alter my plans for my opening sequence so that I will make an opening sequence that is both conventional and fits into what my audience want to see so it is more enjoyable for them.

What Gender Are You?

This question was asked to determine the gender of our target audience we asked. The information told us there were slightly more men then women asked in the question. This tells us that when we come to make the thriller we should add more violence as this is more interesting to male viewers, who we have more of. Stereotypically men enjoy violence more when it comes to their thriller film whereas women are seen as enjoying more of a psychological thriller. As there are more men in questioned group they may wish to see a man as the main victim as it would make the plot more relatable to them. When making our own opening sequence we had already planned for the main victim to be a female as we believed it would be more conventional to the genre, these results show that the female victim is a more conventional character. This will be done so the characters can be more appealing to the target audience because this is what they want to see and will enjoy more to see.

What Age Are You?
This question was asked to determine the age of our target audience we asked. The information we gathered told us that the largest group of ages were from 18-20 and the second largest group being 22+. This tells us that when we come to making our opening sequence that we can add more content that fits into the higher age certificates as we will be able to do more things that we can get away with like violence and swearing while still having an audience that will be able to view the film. When we come to making our opening sequence we could show more blood and a longer chase scene that the victim is in at the end of the opening sequence when the killer confronts her to show more violence and create more suspense in the audience as the fight would show more danger and lethal nature of the situation and so would become more appealing to the age of our target audience as it contains the content they want to see.

What's Your Favourite Type of Thriller Sub-Genre?
This question was asked to determine what sub-genre our target audience liked. The information we gathered told us that the favorite sub-genre our target audience liked was the psychological thriller with the second most liked genre was the action thriller. This tells us that when we come to making our opening sequence that we should focus more on elements of a psychological thriller by focusing on plot twists and playing with what the audience thinks is going to happen by having the narrative have unexpected twists and turns. In our piece we have decided to have a plot twist when the victim turns out to overpower the killer and kill him with little effort which will lead the audience to not understand who the dominant character is and what the real killer will do next as the chain of events has been disorientated. Using plot twists and altering the expected conventions of the genre to throw the audience off of what they expect to be going on will appeal to them as it will follow more of a psychological thriller narrative.

What Weapon Would You Like To See Used?
This question was asked to determine what weapon our target audience would like to see. The information that we gathered told us that the killer using a blade was the most chosen weapon while the second was a gun. This tells us that when we come to making our opening sequence that we should have the antagonist use a knife as a weapon in order to satisfy what  our target audience. In our opening sequence we will have the killer approach the victim with a knife in his hand and threaten her with it but after a fight between them the victim uses the knife to kill the killer showing how the knife comes in to play as it will be used by the victim to save herself. The knife will be used to connote danger in the sequence and how the power balance is being shifted in the scene as the knife is changing hands between both characters. This will be used to create shock and tension in the audience as they will have to wait until the end of the fight to see who will come out on top. This will also satisfy our target audience as they want to see the antagonist using a knife to kill his victims and may want to see the killer perform his kills silently and get away with it if he is using a knife, a weapon that has silent connotations.

Which of These Settings Do You Find Most Conventional To Thrillers?
This question was asked to determine where the target audience would like the setting to be. The information that was gathered told us that the target audience would like the opening sequence to be in a domestic setting with the second highest option being an abandoned setting. This tells us that when we come to making our opening sequence we should set it in a domestic setting in order to fill what our target audience want. In our opening sequence we can set parts of it in the victims house with the killer shown in the background to show that the killer is smarter than her as he is able to follow her and find where she lives without being found. The use of a domestic setting will allow the audience to recognize that the killer is able to break into an area where the victim should be safe and be comfortable showing how he has power over her. This will create surprise in the audience as they will not be expecting the killer to be able to get to the victim in her house as it is perceived as being a place where someone is safe and they should not be threatened in their own home. This will also satisfy our target audience as the sequence may be set in part in the victim's home which will allow the audience to see the strength and wit of the killer as he can penetrate the victim's defenses.

What Is Your Favourite Thriller Film?
This question was asked to determine what the target audience's favourite thriller film is and how we can use this to influence our own opening sequence. The information we gathered told us that Scream was the audience's favourite thriller film with Saw being second faovurite. With the answer of Scream our target audience said that they liked the familiar settings and characters that were featured in the film and thought the film was relatable to them. When we are making our opening sequence we can employ this into our own piece and feature a setting that the audience can relate to through the use of the school or a home setting as well as making sure our characters are recognizable and relatable to the audience through their behavior and actions like having the victim being an everyday schoolgirl in a school that most of our audience can relate to. This will make the audience feel more familiar and related to the audience so they can feel more connected to the characters and empathize with them more as they can see themselves in the character's shoes in the hostile situations they find themselves in. This will be used to make sure the audience are satisfied in that it allows them to see some of their favourite film in our film and so make them see parallels in each other and enjoy our opening sequence.

Which Of The Following Creates More Tension?
This question was asked to find out what the audience think created more tension for them while watching, with the options being light, camera and sound. The information that was gathered showed us that the audience felt that sound created the most tension for them with lighting being the second highest. This tells us that when we are making our opening sequence we should pay extra attention to what the audience can hear as they feel that that is what affects them the most. This can be done by adding loud non-diegetic eerie music when the killer is stalking the victim at the end of the sequence before he attacks her. This will create suspense in the audience as they want to know what the outcome of the situation will be and why the music has changed to something so extreme all of a sudden. This will satisfy the target audience as they want to hear sound that makes them feel tension and my including it in an already tense scene this will add more to the tension already shown.

Would You Rather Have The Antagonist's Identity Hidden Until The End or Revealed Straight Away?
This question was asked to find out if the audience think that the killer's identity should remain hidden. The information gathered told us that the audience would like to see the killer's identity hidden for as long as possible. This tells us that when we come to make our own opening sequence we should strive to have the killer's identity hidden for as long as possible. We could add this by making sure that the killer's identity is not shown through the usage of costume to cover his face and stop the audience or victim from recognizing the killer. This will create suspense in the audience as they want to know who the killer is and why he has targeted the victim as they may have a history together but the audience's imagination is left to think of why the killer has started murdering people. This will satisfy the target audience as the killer's identity will be hidden which leaves his identity and motivations up to the audience so that they can engage more with the story as they try to figure out the narrative.

Do You Think The Main Victim Should Be Male or Female?
This question was asked to determine whether the audience wanted to see a female or male victim. The information gathered told us that the people we asked would like to see a female victim. This tells us that when we come to making our own opening sequence we should have our victim be a female character. We will do this by having our victim be a girl who is shown as being weak through low angled shots and introducing her as a schoolgirl to the audience. This will create sympathy for the victim as the audience do not know if she will be able to oppose the killer and survive through the events of the film as she is being portrayed as weaker than the killer so it should be hard for her to overpower the killer. This will satisfy the target audience as the victim being a female will mean she is less likely to win in a fight and so this will create more tension and suspense throughout the sequence. The female character is often stereotyped as being weaker than the male character and so the female will have to work hard to overcome the male if they get into a fight.

Should The Main Antagonist Be Male or Female?
This question was asked to determine whether the audience would like to see a male or female antagonist. The information gathered told us that the audience would like to see a male antagonist in our opening sequence. This tells us that when we come to make our opening sequence we should make sure to show that the antagonist is a male who is killing people. We will show this by making sure the audience is aware that the killer is a male, this ill be shown in his stance and his face when he is unmasked at the end of the sequence. This will create suspense in the audience as when the killer and the victim finally confront one another the audience do not know if the victim will be able to get away or whether she will be killed by the killer. This will satisfy the target audience as they want to see an antagonist that is a male as it will connote that he can overpower the victims and that the victims will have to work harder to survive as the male is stereotyped as being stronger than the female characters.

Vox Pops
A Vox Pop is a recorded interview that shows a snapshot of the public opinion, the name comes from 'Vox Populi' which is latin for 'voice of the people', that I have recorded as part of how I gathered my research and how I can use these to alter my plans. I used Vox Pops in order to show evidence that I had carried out my questionnaire and how I asked the questions and gathered the information while also showing the different variances in the people I asked with a varied group of people and how their opinions differed. My Vox Pops also allowed the people I questioned to expand upon their answers and give a more detailed response.

In conclusion, the research I have collected has allowed me to see what my target audience want to see in our opening sequence with their input allowing us to alter what we have planned to make sure our target audience enjoy it more. like how we are going to use a knife for the antagonist when he is attacking the victim to show his power over the victim as that is what the target audience want to see as well as including a more domestic setting to make the target audience relate more to the narrative and get a sense of how powerful the killer is as he can penetrate where she is safe. Another idea used for the target audience was the use of a female victim that can connote that the character is weak which can create suspense for the character if they get into a fight with a male character. If I were to carry out the research again I would use a larger group of people to analyse in order to get a larger amount of results and get a more accurate idea of what the target audience want.

Research into Conventions - Miss Miller

Research into Conventions

A convention is something the audience expect to see to help them to recognize the genre they are watching and increasing the shock, surprise and suspense in the audience as the narrative unfolds. A convention of the thriller genre is that the killer's identity will be kept a secret in order to create suspense when the killer appears as they do not know who is under the mask. Another convention of the thriller genre is the use of a suburban area to show the power and confidence of the killer as he knows he will be able to kill the victim before help arrives. I have chosen the opening sequence from the film 'Scream' as it is successful at creating suspense in the audience due to the mysterious nature of the killer and the relatable nature of the victim in the sequence. The URL for the clip is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3lSvJ5RXKA.

A convention of the thriller genre shown in 'Scream' is the use of a female victim. The audience see a girl as she is getting ready to watch a scary film then the killer begins to harass her with more angrier phone calls. This tells the audience that the victim will not be strong enough to fend off the attacks of the killer due to women being stereotyped as weak while men are stereotyped as being strong. The fact that the killer appears to be a man tells the audience that should he attack her head-on she will not be strong enough to fight him off and will most likely die due to him being the more dominant character. This convention shows how strong the killer is while the victim is weaker than him and also that because the victim is a woman and he is a man shows he doesn't care about who he kills regardless of their gender or who they are. This creates suspense as the audience want her to get away from danger due to her being innocent but because she is female and the killer is male it seems that the odds are stacked against her. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the first kill to be a female to show how the killer will kill people even if they are innocent and weaker than him to display how he is a ruthless killer. This convention makes the audience feel sympathy for the audience as she is less likely to survive an attack from the killer due to her being a female who is usually stereotyped as weaker.

A convention of the thriller genre shown in 'Scream' is the killer's hidden identity. Throughout the sequence the audience do not see the killer or his face but instead hear him through a phone that the victim is using. This tells the audience that the killer will be able to escape capture from the authorities and remain an enigma to the characters and the audience as the killer remains anonymous to the audience, giving them nothing to go on as to who the killer could be as well as the fact there have been no other characters introduced at this point. This convention allows the audience to engage further in the narrative as they will want to work out who the killer is before he is revealed through the actions of the characters in the narrative in order to feel more connected to them, while also making themselves feel like they are in the same situation the victim is in and they need to find the killer in order to prevent more deaths . This creates suspense as the killer is presented to the audience with unusual qualities, horror movie fascination, and a violent temper and attitude towards people he clearly doesn't know, while the audience are looking to learn more about this killer to know a way to stop him from killing anyone else. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a mysterious killer whose identity is hidden at the beginning of the film in order to fuel the narrative as the characters attempt to work out who the killer is. This intrigues the audience as they want to learn more about the killer in order to feel more connected to the narrative due to them knowing a vital piece of information that the characters do not know that the audience believe that if they know it, the victims will be able to work it out as well.

A convention of the thriller genre shown in 'Scream' is the use of a realistic setting for the opening sequence. The opening sequence takes place in an ordinary house while the victim goes about doing ordinary things with nothing out of the usual until the killer starts calling. This setting allows the audience to relate to the victim's situation as they can imagine themselves in the same setting due to the audience having a place in their life that matches the one shown in the opening sequence while the audience may have done what the victim is doing, making it easier for the audience to see themselves in the victim's shoes. This convention makes the audience feel more relatable to the victim as so feel more uncomfortable with the events as they feel as if they could be the victim just as easily as the victim is. This creates shock as the audience can imagine what they would do in the situation and whether they would be able to fend off the attacks of the killer. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a setting that they can relate to and feel as if they are in the victim's shoes. This creates sympathy for the victim as she is alone in her own house and the killer has attacked her in a place that the audience would think is a private and safe place where this can't happen to them.

A convention of the thriller genre shown in 'Scream' is the use of silence in terms of sound. The audience can hear this when the victim is moving around the house while crickets are audible in the background until a sharp ringing is heard from the phone out of nowhere, this can be first heard at 00:08-00:10. This tells the audience that the killer is interrupting her everyday life and how the victim wants her sequence of events to go by calling and piercing this idea while using his power to insert his own idea of how the night should go. This convention is used to show how the killer has power over his victims due to his ability to make them act how he wants without physically being there. This creates shock as the killer's persistence and constant calling coupled with the piercing ringing of the phone can take the audience off guard as the calls come unexpectedly throughout the opening sequence, showing how the killer does not want to give up chasing the victim. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the killer hound the victim through any means possible while also torturing the victims mentally by constantly harassing them showing how he will kill people when he wants to due to his confidence in his abilities. This makes to audience see the victim as weak as she is unable to handle the calls and what the killer is threatening her with.

A convention of the thriller genre shown in 'Scream' is the use of a slow paced editing. Throughout the scene the timing of shots do not speed up to that of a chase scene and instead stays at the steady pace the scene begins with. This shows the audience that the victim doesn't understand what is going on and that the killer's calls are serious and that she will be in danger very soon. This also reinforces the idea that the victim thinks she is safe on her own home and so is not as scared as she would be if she were in an isolated setting rather than a familiar setting. This convention makes the audience not feel as threatened by the phone calls as the victim is as the slower pace leads them to believe that the killer can't get to her due to it not showing signs of a chase scene and so not having the same suspense and severity that a chase scene would have. This creates suspense in the audience as they want to know whether the killer will actually be able to get to her or if he is drawing the kill out for his own pleasure and her fate is unfortunately sealed. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the killer toy with the victim before killing them in order for the audience to feel more sympathy for them. The audience begin to feel sympathy for the victim as she is being harassed by the killer who is more powerful than her, telling the audience that she will most likely die.

This clip was successful in creating a conventional sequence as it featured a lot of suspense in the conventions used to make the audience feel uncertain of what was going to happen next due to the scene being drawn out with the audience having to wait to see what comes next while at the same time being left to come up with their own ideas of what could happen. I like the use of the telephone ringing at unexpected moments in the sequence as it can take the audience by surprise and make them more uncomfortable as they will not be able to see it coming and so when they have gotten used to random phone rings they will not expect the killer to enter the scene for real if I decide to use a sudden noise to signify their entry. I also like the use of a relatable setting to make the audience feel shock and tension as they will be able to picture themselves in the shoes of the victim and so  increasing the shock they will feel when the victim comes under attack from the killer.

Opening Sequence Analysis of Halloween - Miss Georgiou

How does the opening sequence of the film 'Halloween' inform the audience of the conventions of a thriller film

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', a multitude of different micro-elements have been used to create effect for the audience and draw them into the film. In terms of the purpose of these micro-elements, they are used to establish a narrative and set a mystery for the audience to follow which gives them a reason to continue watching as they want to find out who did the killing and what the outcome of the film will be to see if the killer was brought to justice or if there were any plot twists. The opening sequence of the film should also set the genre of the film to see if the audience want to watch it or if they do not like particular genre shown, as an action-thriller may contain too much fast-paced content for some audiences and a psychological-thriller may be too complex for people to want to invest their thoughts into. The opening sequence should also contain conventions, a constant trait in the genre, of the thriller genre like keeping the killer's secret an identity in order to give the audience something to follow and speculate upon, allowing the film to gather the audience's attention by giving them something to keep watching for. In terms of the content shown, the opening sequence should set the scene for the genre of the film like how in this scene the audience witness a murder committed by an unknown killer, connoting the thriller genre as there as it presents a mysterious antagonist that the protagonist will have to stop in order to cease the disequilibrium. The opening sequence should also set the physical scene for the film and where it takes place like in this film the opening sequence takes place in a suburban house, a relatable location for the audience that in turn increases the shock factor for them as they can imagine it happening it to themselves. The opening sequence should introduce key characters, for example in this clip the key character introduced is Michael as we see a lengthy shot and hear his name called. The opening sequence should also serve to create shock, suspense or surprise in the audience in order to entertain them and keep their attention. For the actual plot, the audience should be kept in suspense by using features like an unknown killer and a murder in the first five minutes to entertain the audience and keep them questioning. The clip in question is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELF1DCf1ChA

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', cinematography is used to create suspense in the audience. The audience see a continuos point-of-view shot from the killer's perspective as he does various things around the house like locating a knife in a drawer, finding his sister and stabbing her before leaving the house. This hides the killer's identity from the audience as it will add to the mystery in the narrative as they do not know who the killer is and will want to find this out. The inclusion of the halloween mask being placed on the face of the camera allows the audience to feel as if they are the killers as well, due to seeing the events through the eye holes of the mask. This creates suspense in the audience as they want to find out who the killer is and why they have decided to kill their own sister as this is not a normal thing to do. The scene itself causes suspense as the audience are trailed around the house after the killer with no indication as to what is going on with tension increasing as the unknown figure heads upstairs with a knife. This is conventional as the audience expect to see someone die by an unknown killer in order to shock them into watching more, as well as fuelling the narrative that will take place. The scene creates a relationship between the audience and the killer due to the audience being curious as to who the killer is and wanting to know more about what the killer plans to achieve by doing these killings.

In the opening sequence the audience see a high angle shot, it is used to create shock in the audience. The audience see the killer looking down on the girl that he has just killed, she is covered in blood and lies naked on the floor. The use of a high-angle shot tells the audience that the killer is powerful as he is able to overpower a person and kill them, something that requires a deal of strength regardless of their gender. This also suggests the mental state of the character as they are able to look down on the person they have just killed and not feel any evident remorse perhaps even feeling like they have the moral high ground, represented by the high camera angle of the killer. This use of cinematography creates shock in the audience as it is unexpected for the killer to look down on his victim rather than fleeing the scene, as well that the audience later find out that she is his sister, suggesting a deeper psychotic break in that he has been able to kill his own sister. This is conventional as the audience expect the killer to have no human emotions and not be able to empathise with the distress his victims are going through and stop what he is doing, rather he enjoys it. This use of a high-angle shot creates a relationship between the audience and the victim as they feel sympathy for her as she was murdered by the killer and was unable to escape and live her life, instead she died too soon.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', a mid shot is used to create shock in the audience. The audience see a mid shot of the young child who is revealed to be Michael, the murderer, holding a bloody knife with a startled look on his face. This tells the audience that he was the killer as he is seen holding the knife with blood on the end from killing his sister. This scene is also used to get audience thinking as the boy is revealed as the killer but under suspicious circumstances, with the shocked look on his face giving the idea that he was framed and doesn't understand what is going on. This creates shock as the audience do not expect the killer to be a small boy, rather expecting an adult as they possess the strength to overpower their victims, with the boy appearing to not know what is going on, suggesting that he does not see what he has done wrong. This is conventional as the audience expect to see a plot twist in order to make the plot feel unique and surprising rather than the narrative being too alike to other films in the genre. The use of the mid shot also creates a relationship between Michael and the audience as they can start to get s strong dislike towards the character due to his nature of killing people that do not deserve it, with this relationship fueling the audiences drive to continue watching the film to see if he gets justice.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', a zooming out shot is used to create shock in the audience. The audience see a zooming out shot of Michael holding a bloody knife on an incredibly dark background as he gets smaller and smaller as the camera gets further away. This tells the audience that this could happen in a normal neighborhood due to the killer becoming equal with the background in terms of size and then being overtaken by the size of the audience. The inclusion of the house in the background as well as a family in the shot, Michael and his parents, juxtaposes the sinister actions of Michael with the normalcy of his surroundings suggests to the audience the domesticity of the murder and makes them feel vulnerable. This creates shock in the audience as they do not expect a child to murder someone let alone in the middle of the suburbs where someone could hear it happen, suggesting that either the child is not the killer or he is confident that no one will believe that he is the killer. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see a red herring that will throw them off who they expect to be the killer. This use of cinematography creates sympathy for Michael as it is clear that he doesn't understand what he's doing or doesn't see that murdering his sister was the wrong thing to do.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', a reaction shot is used to create surprise in the audience. The audience see this when, after the killer murdered the girl, the killer's mask is taken away to show a young boy looking frightened. This tells the audience that there is something very wrong with this situation that they want to know more about it due to the very odd circumstances of a young boy committing the murder and allowing himself to get caught whereas it would be expected for the killer to be and adult and expect to escape. This creates surprise in the audience as they expect the killer to be an adult and deranged yet the reveal shows a young child which takes the audience by surprise as there does not seem to be anything wrong with him. This is unconventional in a thriller film as the audience do not expect to see a young child to be the killer as children are usually represented as being innocent and good yet this child is shown as being bad. This makes the audience want to know more about Michael in order to determine why he has killed his sister and the audience will have to watch more of the film to learn this, hooking them into the film to understand what is going on. There are not many editing techniques used in this sequence due to a higher focus on cinematography to create effects on the audience.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', non-diegetic sound is used to set the expectations of the thriller and create suspense in them. In the additional clip, the audience hear the sounds of children singing Halloween rhymes with an echo effect to them, this can be heard from 2:07-2:22. This tells the audience that this will not be an ordinary Halloween and the innocence of the holiday and the children will clash with the violence and sinister nature of a murder in the town. This sets the expectations that the film revolve around the misleading ideas of a child's innocence and how the child will grow up to kill again. This creates suspense in the audience as they want to know how the presence of children will affect the story or whether they will be in danger at any point in the sequence as this is thriller film and their survival is in question. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see innocent people in danger from the killer who will try to escape from the killer and survive the events going on. The clip for this sound is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tGvktfjjk

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', diegetic sound is used to create suspense in the audience. The audience can hear the sound of a clock striking as the killer walks up the stairs to the girl who is on her own, this can be heard at 2:17-2:30. This tells the audience that the girl's time is running out and she will soon be dead due to the chiming signifying the end of an hour with the slow chiming and the slow walking of the killer tormenting the audience as they want to know if the clock chiming will mean her death or if she will be able to get away in time. This creates suspense in the audience as they do not know if she will get away from the killer or if she will meet her fate and the audience must wait to see rather than know immediately with the most likely chance being that she dies, so the audience is left to imagine her death. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see someone die in the opening sequence of the film and 'Halloween' plays on this by making the audience wait out a long drawn out scene before the killing takes place. This creates sympathy for the victim as the audience and the killer know she will die in a vicious manner yet she does not and the audience are powerless to stop it, meaning they have to watch her be attacked.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', hear parallel sounds to create suspense in the audience. The audience hear a constant piano sound while Michael finds a knife in a drawer and proceeds through the house to the stairs that remains in pace and gets gradually louder, it can be heard from 1:17 to 1:36. This tells the audience that the killer is determined to kill the girl and there is nothing to stop him from doing it with the increasing volume showing how closer he is getting to his target. The beginning of this sound when Michael picks up the knife represents how his plan is being set in motion and can now come to fruition while the quieting of this sound shows how the girl's boyfriend coming down the stairs has halted his plans temporarily. This creates suspense in the audience as they are left wondering what the piano indicates and what it shows about the killer and his plans while also leaving the audience thinking about what the killer will do to the girl as the piano is a very frightening tune and more of a creepy tune that is constantly playing. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see the killer's plans begin with the acquisition of a weapon that he can and to see them be interrupted by outside interference or the victim acting out of the killer's expectations of them. This allows the audience to worry about the fate of the girl's boyfriend as he has come close to interfering with the killers plans and is less equipped to deal with the killer.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', the codes and conventions of a thriller are apparent as the killer's identity is covered up, creating an enigma. This is shown when the killer puts on a mask coupled with the use of a POV shot throughout the scene. This tells the audience that the killer has gone to an extent to hide his face from his victim, indicating that the victim will recognize the killer if she sees him and that this will allow him to be identified easier if the victim got away, indicating that the victim knows the killer. This creates an enigma for the audience as they do not know who the killer is and will not find out until the end of the scene with the audience still wondering if the killer is a child due to it being an unconventional character of a killer child. This is conventional as the audience expect to be kept in the dark about who the killer is yet the killer is unveiled very soon after the murder so it has elements of being unconventional. This allows the audience to understand the struggle the police will go through to find the killer as neither the audience nor the police will know who the killer is, where the audience can be unsure if Michael is the killer due to his young age.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', another convention is stuck to as the setting is during Halloween night, creating suspense in the audience. The audience see that it is the 31st of October in the form of writing on a black screen before the scene starts. This tells the audience that there are likely to be sinister events as the setting of Halloween connotes that there will be something evil going on due to the connotation of dark and evil things during this holiday. The setting of Halloween night in particular connotes that no one will be around to see the murder take place. This creates suspense in the audience as they expect that there will be something sinister happening in a film set on Halloween night but the audience are left to imagine what will happen with the only surefire thing that will happen is that a murder will take place. This is conventional as the audience expect that something bad will happen on Halloween night due to the dark connotations associated with the holiday. This allows the audience to feel pity for Michael as on Halloween night he should be out taking part in regular activities that kids do yet he is alone with no one there for him as his sister would rather spend more time with her boyfriend.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', the killer is represented as being smart and more powerful than his victims, creating surprise in the audience when he is revealed to be a child. The audience see the killer walk into the house and move around quietly without getting found and also able to locate a large knife to use in his favor. This tells the audience that the killer is more powerful than the victims and that he will be able to overpower his victims easily and successfully get away with the murders. His ability to move around quietly shows that the killer is cunning and will be able to evade the capture by the authorities. The inclusion of a knife in the killers possession shows the elements of danger present in the film. This creates shock in the audience when he is revealed to be a child as it is unexpected that a child be able to find these things and move around without being found as well as being physically dominant over adults. This is conventional as the audience expects to see the killer be physically dominant over his victims and able to time after time successfully kill the victims, both men and women, without any getting away. This creates sympathy for the girl as the audience know that she has a low chance of survival due to the physically dominant nature of the killer.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', the victim is represented as being weak and vulnerable to the audience. The audience hear the girl screaming as she is attacked by the killer, this can be heard from 3:05-3:15. This tells the audience that the victim is weaker than the killer and unable to hold her own against the force of the killer as she is unable to contain herself and must let out a scream in order to express how scared she is. Her nakedness also shows that she is weaker than the killer as she has less protection to his attacks on her. This creates shock in the audience as they do not expect such a vicious attack on the girl without any clear reason especially when she is alone and vulnerable when she is attacked which shows that she is weaker than the killer due to her lack of clothing and the absence of anyone to save her. This is conventional in the thriller genre as the audience expect to see the victim to be weaker than the killer in order to show the killer's power and to set the events in motion that will the fuel the films narrative. It is also conventional that the women is weaker than the man in the situation. The audience feel sympathy feel for the girl as she is clearly weaker than the killer and that her death will inevitably come to her in a way that is unnatural and unceremonious to her.

In the opening sequence of 'Halloween', the film's narrative is used to creates shock in the audience. The killer's identity is hidden from the audience throughout the sequence until the killer is revealed to be a young boy named Michael. This presents to the audience the disequilibrium of the film in that the a person has been murdered and that it appears that the child has been set up due to his facial expressions that the audience want to keep watching the film to discover who the killer definitely is. The creates shock in the audience as they do not expect for a child to be the killer and that it is quite unbelievable that a child could perform such violent acts and left audience wondering whether the child is the actual killer or whether he has been framed for the murder. This is conventional for the thriller genre as the audience expect to not know the killer's identity and be left guessing until the end of the movie, however the killer's identity is revealed at the end of the intro so it is quite unconventional. This makes the audience want to know more about Michael as it is unsure whether he is the killer or not due to his childlike innocent.

In conclusion, this opening sequence informs the audience of the conventions of a thriller as it contains very conventional elements that make it a very good opening sequence due to elements like the killer's hidden identity that will leave the audience guessing as to who the killer is while there also being other conventional elements like the killer being able to overpower the victim easily as he is an armed male and she an unarmed female, with these conventional elements being used previously in other thriller films making this film recognizable to the audience as a thriller film due to these elements. This opening sequence will help me to make my own because this is a very good example of a highly regarded opening sequence to a thriller film and so I can learn how to use its elements for my own needs like a lack of editing to create a more realistic and natural flow to the events on scene and by adhering to the style used in this opening sequence I can see how it can be adapted to my own piece in order to give it an authentic and classic thriller feel to it.

Research into Sound - Miss Miller

Research into Sound

In this post I will be researching how sound is used for effect in my chosen clip from 'The Shining' (1980). Sound, in terms of film, is what we hear on the screen as we watch whether it be the dialogue or non-diagetic sound, sound that isn't part of the film world, as well as other different sound techniques, those two just being an example. In thriller films, sound is used in the genre to create shock, suspense and surprise in the audience at different times like, for example, if a victim were moving around a house with the killer coming up behind them, the audience would hear non-diegetic sound to create suspense in the audience. In the scene that I'm analyzing, Jack (Jack Nicholson) goes insane and attempts to murder his family, Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and Danny (Danny Lloyd), with an axe in their family's apartment in the lodge the family has been tasked with looking after. The URL for the scene is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDpipB4yehk.


In the clip from 'The Shining', sound is used in the form of non-diegetic sound to create suspense in the audience. The audience hear a high-pitched, scratching sound as Johnny walks down the hallway of their apartment, this can be heard from 0:00-0:30 in the clip. This tells the audience that Jack is now blinded by his rage and can't see past what his anger and his desire to kill his family. The sound in the scene mimics this as it is very piercing and uncomfortable to hear although the audience can't hear past it, and it can be assumed that this is somewhat like what Jack is hearing that is making him unable to see reason. This use of sound creates suspense in the audience as they want to know what he is going to do to his family or why he wants to do it, as his wife and child's reluctance to outright kill him shows that  they have love for him and want to talk him out of his current state, supporting the idea that the audience feel suspense. This creates a relationship between the audience and Jack as they feel sympathy for him due to his rapidly deteriorating mental state that is causing him to want to kill his family, something that is not normal for a father to want to do which suggests something has manipulated him to want to kill his family that he can't overpower, represented by the scratching sounds. This is conventional in the thriller genre as we expect to see the victim attempt to escape from the killer that is unable to control themselves and has an overwhelming desire to murder someone.

In the clip from 'The Shining', sound is used in the form of on-screen sound in order to create shock in the audience. The audience hear the sound of the axe making a constant thump against the bathroom door as Jack tries to get into the bathroom, it can be heard from 1:17-2:00. This thumping of the axe tells the audience that Wendy is in danger and Jack is very determined to get to her due to the constant thumping showing that he did not slow down when trying to get to her, creating suspense as the audience have to await him coming through the door to find out what he has planned for her, something that takes a nail-biting 47 seconds of continuous thumping. The banging of the axe can also represent Jack's heartbeat and how calm he appears in his methods even though he has to chase someone to kill them, this shows how confident he is in his power over the two as he does not worry about how long it takes him, knowing he will get there before she escapes. This use of sound creates shock in the audience as the thump is loud and unexpected, causing a jump in Wendy that the audience may also take part in, while there is suspense in the scene also as with each shocking bang the audience is left to think of Wendy's fate if Jack gets through and what he will do with her with the axe. The audience feels sympathy and are frightened for Wendy as she is put into a horrible position of being trapped in a bathroom with no way out while her husband is chopping down the door trying to kill her while she has only a knife, at this point the audience want her to have a chance to escape as she is the victim of the killer and is in a weaker position than the antagonist. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect for the killer to have the more dominant position over the victim, as well as there to be a chase scene between the killer and victim to create excitement and suspense as the victim attempts to get away.

In the clip of 'The Shining', sound is used in the form of silence to create suspense in the audience. The audience hear a few seconds of silence as Jack goes to open the locked bathroom door but after he realizes he can't get in the scratchy noise can be heard again, the silence can be heard at 00:30-00:34. This tells the audience that Jack sees the locked door as being an obstacle in his way that is blocking his rampage temporarily before he breaks it down, shown by the silence, as well as showing he retains some of his wit as he can stop the scratching in his head to think on how he can get to Wendy by chopping the door down. The silence also suggests to the audience that the locked door will stop Jack from attempting her as he can see that he can no longer get to her. This creates suspense as the audience do not know what to expect next as Jack's face shows that he does not seem to be disappointed that the door is locked so the audience must wait and see what his next action is and how he plans on getting into the bathroom, although it can be assumed he will use the axe as it is readily available to him. This also makes the audience want to know more about Jack as his actions are almost humorous in the fact that when he is unable to open the door and resorts to breaking through the door he begins reciting a child's poem, so the audience want to know why he would sing this and whether he sees this as a game. This is conventional for the audience as they think the victim is safe and has managed to escape from the killer, while the killer appears to have given up before giving the murder another attempt.

In the clip of 'The Shining', sound is used in the form of parallel sound to create shock in the audience. The audience hear high scratchy noises throughout the scene, with only a few gaps of silence, with the sound increasing and decreasing in volume for the duration of the scene. This tells the audience that the scene is very chaotic due to the events on screen, a potential killing, and that the audience's focus is kept on what is happening in the scene. This constant noise could represent Wendy's feeling as, unlike Jack being distracted with chopping down the door, she is focused on saving herself and Danny and so is always paying attention to the insanity that Jack is developing in order to keep ahead of him. This creates shock in the audience as they have to constantly listen to the sound of the scratching tune that keeps them uncomfortable and unable to be at ease, with it making constant dips to take the audience by surprise without actually leaving the audience's ears, this can be drawn parallel to Jack as his actions are sometimes unexpected, like reciting children's stories. This scene reinforces the feeling of sympathy for Wendy as she is an incredibly vulnerable state and has to worry about her safety as well as Danny's safety while also trying to fend off Jack's sanity. This is conventional as we expect to see the victim in a weakened state while going against the killer in an attempt to create tension in the audience as they don't know whether the victim will get away from the killer.

This research has helped me to learn how sound is applied to successful films and how I can use it to my own thriller sequence and achieve my own success in the same way the analysed film sequence has. This sequence has created suspense as not a lot happens in the sequence although the audience is always left the audience wondering what could happen rather than what will happen as there is a lot of different things going on in the scene with Jack breaking down the door, Danny running off into the night and Wendy left in the bathroom with a knife.The research has helped me to see different kinds of sound techniques and how I can use them in my scene for a effect like the ones used in the film, although I will have to know my own limitations as my sequence will not have the facilities that this film did. I would like to use an on-screen sound like the axe in order to mimic the heartbeat of the audience and manipulate them into feeling tension. I would also like to use silence tactfully to create extreme tension in the audience. Both of these techniques are easy to use but can also be very powerful if used properly like in this scene.

Research into Editing Styles - Miss Georgiou

Research into Editing Styles

When making a thriller film it is important to use different editing techniques in order to create a multitude of effects on the audience as well as supporting a relationship between the audience and the character. Techniques like slowed timing of shots can be used to create eerie moments and tension in the audience while techniques like a reaction shot can be used to create relationships between the character and the audience based on the expression shown. The clip I have chosen to analyse is from 'The Purge' from 2013, in the scene James Sandin is trying to negotiate his daughter, Zoe's, life from the hands of the stranger that has invaded their home, bringing along a group of 'purgers' who want to kill him. The URL is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo70vB9nubo

In the clip from 'The Purge', a reaction shot is used to create suspense in the audience. The audience see this when the stranger tells James he does not want to hurt his family but instead just wants to live, James has a shocked face. This tells the audience that James is having a hard time believing if the stranger is being genuine, due to the stranger holding a gun to his daughter's head. This shot also allows the audience to see the horrific decision that James has been put into as he has to either preserve the lives of his family by delivering the stranger to the purgers or sheltering the stranger and having to face a superior forces waiting on his doorstep. This creates suspense as the audience does not know what James' response will be, as well as not knowing whether James believes him at all yet so the audience must wait to see what his actions are as well as there being no outcome of this situation that is beneficial to the victim and it being very difficult for the victim to negotiate the life of his daughter. This creates a relationship between James and the audience as they can feel sympathy for him due to the unimaginable situation he has been put into, having to decide on of the stranger is telling the truth and whether this is worth the gamble of his daughter's life. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect to see the protagonist in a position where the antagonist holds something dear to them that the protagonist will have to work hard both physically and mentally to retrieve.

In the clip from 'The Purge', a jump cut is used to create a surprise for the audience. The audience see a back and forth conversation between  James and the stranger until he orders Mary, his wife, to shoot him as she is situated behind him. This tells the audience that the Sandin family are organised and can work well together which connotes that they will be able to survive the night as they will be able to stand together against the attacking purgers. Although, Mary's hesitance to shoot suggests that she does not agree with James' opinion of killing the man in order to save the family which connotes that there may be friction between James and Mary that will hinder their survival. The use of the jump cut creates surprise in the audience as they do not expect James to attempt to outright shoot the stranger as we do not expect the protagonist to quickly jump to the idea of sacrificing an innocent man which suggests to the audience that the victim is beginning to care less for his morality and will do anything to save his family, showing his devotion to saving his family. This is conventional as we expect to see the victims attempt to survive through the events no matter what shown by Mary, a housewife, and her use of gun in order to protect herself. This also creates sympathy for Mary as the audience can see she has been forced into a position that she is not comfortable with but will have to remain in this position in order to make sure that herself and her family can survive through the night.

In the clip from 'The Purge', a sped up timing of shots has been used to create shock in the audience. Later in the scene after James tells Mary to shoot the stranger, the audience see a scuffle between James and the stranger as he attempts to escape before being hit over the head with a vase. This tells the audience that James is dedicated to protecting his family and try as hard as possible to end the night in his favor by whatever means necessary regardless of how hectic things become. The speeding up of the shots also mimics the chaos of what is going on in the scene for the audience allowing for them to empathize with what the Sandin family are going through. The use of sped-up shots also creates shock as before the shots were slower and suggested a more calm atmosphere whereas the sped up shots indicate a more intense and dangerous atmosphere as the two men, of equal strengths, fight on the floor where there will be one loser and one winner while also showing how far the victim has fallen as he starts beating a man to incapacitate him to sacrifice him to murderers waiting outside to kill him. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the protagonist fight to protect himself and what is his while also warding off the antagonist. This creates a relationship with James as we see him participating in a physical fight in order to save himself and his family, while the fight itself represents the chaos that the family has been plunged into.

In this clip from 'The Purge', a shot reverse shot is used to create suspense in the audience. In this scene, James is seen negotiating the life of his daughter from the stranger as they hold one another at gunpoint. The back and forth between characters shows that they are both equally matched and are able to hold their own in the negotiations due to neither relenting on their parts. However, the stranger is able to catch and hold James' daughter on his own, while James needs his wife to help him to get the jump on the antagonist which suggests that the stranger is stronger then James and will be able to manipulate the Sandins to protect himself. The way the stranger hides himself behind Zoe suggests that he knows that he is outnumbered and that he expects the Sandins to sacrifice him at the firs chance. This creates suspense as the protagonist is in an equally dominant position rather than the more superior one than the audience want him to be in and so they must wait to see what the antagonist will demand from him and how he will try and get out of this situation while also wondering what the stranger will demand of him, if he does, and how James will go about it as the stranger has control over him by using his daughter as leverage. This is conventional as the audience expect for the antagonist to be in more dominant position than the antagonist by holding something over them and thus compelling them to attack. This scene causes the audience to want to know more about the stranger as he has appeared out of nowhere and has been able to take command of the situation by taking the protagonist's daughter hostage.

In conclusion, this research post has helped me to plan my thriller film as I can see how a successful film has used different editing techniques in their favor and how I can use these same techniques to engage and entertain my own audience. As for the techniques that I will use in my clip, I would like to do a shot reverse shot with a high-angle on one shot focusing on the protagonist and a low angle shot focusing on the antagonist to create suspense for the audience as it is expected for the antagonist to appear more powerful than the protagonist, and would also have the audience wonder whether the victim will be able to escape the killer and end his killing spree. I would also be interested in using a slowed timing of shots in my sequence before a surprise or shock to create suspense and tension in the audience as they are left to wait to see what might happen during the build-up, in this time I could have a chase scene to have the fast paced, dangerous nature of a chase juxtaposed against the slow-paced timing of shots to conflict the audience on what they are seeing on screen
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Research into Mise-En-Scene - Miss Georgiou

Research into Mise-En-Scene

Mise-En-Scene is a french term for 'placing on stage' is, simply put, what the audience sees in the scene and is used subconsciously in the film to create effect in the audience. The 5 elements of Mise-en-Scene are Settings and Iconography, Costume, Hair and Makeup, Facial Expressions and Body Language, Lighting and Color and Positioning of Characters. The film I have chosen to analyse is 'Saw' and the scene in analysis is the opening scene in which Adam (Leigh Whannell) awakens in an industrial bathroom with Lawrence (Cary Elwes) and a dead body resting between the two with a gun and tape recorder in his hands. Both Lawrence and Adam are bolted to pipes by the ankle, restricting their movement and further reinforcing the idea that they are both trapped in the situation. The URL link to the video is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAWK9V9Hk_A.

In this scene, Mise-En-Scene is used to create surprise in the audience through the use of body positioning. The audience see a dead man lying in the middle of the room between both Adam and Lawrence, with a revolver in one hand and a tape recorder in the other, and although he may not remain in the shot the whole time his presence is always noted by the audience. This tells the audience that this man is important to the future events of the film and should be taken note of by the audience. His equal distance from both Adam and Lawrence also suggests that they are both equally close to death as they are both trapped in a situation where they are not in control and could die, with both being in trouble and neither being superior to the other. This creates surprise in the audience as they want to know why this man is dead under suspicious circumstances, as it appears he chose to kill himself after listening to something on the tape recorder with no clear instructions in the room, and why he has been left in there with them, as a killer so organised as to chain them to a wall and lock them in would clear the body out before he moved his next victims in.

In this scene, Mise-En-Scene is used to create shock in the audience through the use of costume. The audience see both men wearing sweaty clothing with dirt on them, Lawrence wears a ragged suit while Adam wears casual clothing. This tells the audience that they have been kidnapped and left in poor conditions, the dirt, and that they have been there awhile, the sweat. The different styles of clothing also show how both men are of different social standings yet they have both been kidnapped suggesting that they have been specifically targeted by the antagonist. This creates shock as the does not expect our protagonists to be this damaged upon the beginning of the film and so this makes the audience question how long the protagonists will be able to survive in the conditions they are in due their already damaged state.

In this scene, Mise-En-Scene is used to create intrigue in the audience through the use of body language. The audience see Adam and Lawrence walk with a hunch when they start to walk around after the lights come on. This tells the audience that both men are physically hurt or under duress due to the way they are unable to stand up straight. This creates intrigue in the audience as they want to know why these men are hurt or under duress as they have both just appeared to the audience and they do not know why they are so hurt or tired. This effect of suspense is also supported as the audience want to know whether the protagonists will be able to hold their own if they were to physically oppose the antagonist.

In this scene, Mise-En-Scene is used to create suspense in the audience through the use of iconography. The audience see a gun, as well as a tape recorder resting in the hands of the dead man, both outside of Adam and Lawrence's reach. This tells the audience that these represents the choices that the dead man, Adam and Lawrence have in that they can play the game that the killer wants to play, represented by the tape recorder, or they will die, represented by the gun. This creates suspense in the audience as they want to know what's on the tape and why the man has killed himself although both objects being in the man's hand suggests the tape said something he did not want to hear and he killed himself because of it. This suspense is further supported by the question as to whether Adam and Lawrence will play the killer's game or if they will kill themselves like the man did.

In this scene, Mise-En-Scene is used to create suspense in the audience through the use of color. The audience see, as the lights come on, that the room is tinted blue by the lighting. The use of blue to light the room connotes to the audience as sense of cold and justice to the audience with the coldness of the lighting suggesting to the audience that they are both out of their element and not comfortable in the situation they are, while the justice that is felt in the audience by the lighting opposes the lawless situation that they are in and connotes that the antagonist will face justice at some point in the film. This creates suspense as the audience want to know why the room has been lit blue rather than standard lighting as well as the connotation of cold and how the characters being out of their element will either help or hinder their attempt to escape from the clutches of the killer. The sense of justice gathered from the lighting also creates suspense as the audience want to know how the killer will face justice in the end and how it will affect the protagonists. In this scene, key and top lighting is used to create shock for the audience. The audience see the lights come on in a wave illuminating the room that Adam and Lawrence are in, temporarily blinding the two. This connotes to the audience how the police will attempt to track down the killer. The way that the light passes over the body in top lighting connotes to the audience that the police, Tapp and Sing, will come across death as the narrative progresses, because the top lighting casts light on the entire room and doesn't leave shadows, and the room being fully lit at the end of the scene represents that the police will have a full understanding of what the killer is doing by the end of the film. This use of key lighting that lights the room up light by light connotes to the audience that the police will not be able to catch the killer in a fluid motion and will instead encounter step-backs that lead them to taking their time. This creates shock as the lights come on suddenly, startling the audience, representing how the police will find the antagonist amidst the chaos.

In conclusion, by analyzing this sequence I am able to see how Mise-En-Scene has been used in a highly successful thriller film in different ways and see the different kind of effects that have been put upon the audience and the different combination of effects that they have wanted the audience to feel and why they may have done it. In making my own thriller I would like to include iconography as it is very easy to create an effect with the iconography as it is easy to hold the audiences attention and will be easy to provide and use in making my own thriller film. Another Mise-En-Scene element I would also like to use costume as it allows for the audience to create the effect themselves by seeing the audience and even working out character's positions themselves. Costumes are also easy to create and use as the character will always be wearing the costume whereas something like lighitng or body positioning may go unnoticed by the audience unlike how iconography and costume is always focused upon.