Before conducting primary research I wanted to first complete secondary research in order to gain an idea of the standard age range of the genre, remind myself of the sub-genres and this also allow me to compare my own results to my Internet findings to see if they corroborate.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) set the guidelines for film makers to work with and then certificate them afterwards. From previous research thriller films tend to be geared towards teenage and adult audiences, indicated by the film certificates. This becomes more obvious when on the BBFC website:
12/12A:[1]
Suitable for children aged 12 and over, taking very young children not recommend.
Strong language may be passed, dependent on the manner in which it is used. Aggressive use of strong language not suitable. There may be moderate language.
Discriminatory language and behaviour not allowed.
Sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Verbal sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Comedy may lessen the impact but frequent crude sex references are unlikely to be accepted. There may be nudity but in a sexual context should only be brief and discreet. This is all irrespective of sexuality.
Moderate violence is allowed but it should not dwell on detail. No emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by their context.
Action sequences and weapons may be present, there may be long fight scenes or similar. Easily accessible weapons, such as knives, should not be glamorised.
Sexual violence, such as scenes of rape or assault, may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated. Must also have a strong contextual justification.
Moderate physical and psychological threat is permitted as long as horror sequences are not too frequent or sustained and the overall tone is not disturbing.
Dangerous behaviour, such as hanging and suicide, may be present but will not dwell on detail which could be copied or present those activities in a manner that children are likely to copy.
Anti-social behaviour should not be endorsed.
There may be infrequent sight of drugs misuse but portrayal should not be glamorised or provide instructional detail.
15:[2]
Not suitable for children under 15 years of age.
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.
Strong violence permitted but it should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable
Frequent strong language permitted. Occasionally there may be uses of the strongest terms, depending on the manner in which they are used. Continued or aggressive use will not normally be passed.
Portrayals of sexual activity permitted, but usually without strong detail.
Strong verbal references to sex permitted but portrayal depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and justified by context.
Sexual nudity permitted, but usually without strong detail.
Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence permitted.
Discriminatory language or behaviour permitted.
Drug taking permitted but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances like aerosols or solvents is unlikely to be accepted.
Dangerous behaviour such as hanging, suicide and self-harming should not dwell on detail which could be copied.
I also looked at the 18 certificate but I deemed it not suitable for the film I am making. I feel that by pitching at an older audience I would loose a portion that I could really represent well due to being able to cast younger actors.
However 12 seems too young as there are many restrictions, obviously in place to protect younger members of the audience, but this may hinder my opening sequence.
I looked at the age ratings for some popular thriller films to help me decide: [3]
Inception (2010): 12A
Pulp Fiction (1994): 18
The Dark Knight (2008): 12A
The Usual Suspects (1995): 18
The Silence of the Lambs (1991): 18
Se7en (1995): 18
Memento (2000): 15
Die Hard (1988): 15
Heat (1995): 15
From this it seems that there are thriller films exist successfully across all three ratings. However this does mean that thriller films are usually targeted at teenagers, young adults and beyond. For this reason I will try to aim my product at 12 year olds and older. If, once my product is finished, my opening sequence does not meet the strict requirements of the certificate then it will have to be pushed up to a 15. I would like to aim for 12 as it would widen my audience.
I also want to ask people what their favourite sub genre of thriller films is, as I would like to see if there is any pattern between certain sub genres with age or gender. Here is a very helpful slideshare, explaining several sub genres, that I used for research: [4]
Primary Research:In order to execute my research I created a questionnaire, based on my secondary research, the opening scenes analysis and my own ideas for my opening sequence.
Blue Velvet is an American mystery film, incorporating film noir and surrealism features. Although initially unpopular with critics, it is now regarded as one of Lynch's finest works. It is named after the popular song of the same name, originally by The Clovers' in 1954.
The opening scene includes a distorted version of the original above song. This ends at 3:37:
From black appears a production company logo. The various components slide and turn onto the screen before again the screen fades to black and continues this blackout for a couple of seconds.
Unlike the previous opening scene from Pulp Fiction, the opening titles arrive before the story sequence. As the titles appear, so does the music. It starts with a low drum roll and becomes slow and eerie, which builds tension. It is evident from the music that the film is not a light hearted one, suiting the theme of mystery. The tone is set very early on.
In the background is dark blue velvet, an obvious representation of the film's name. The fabric is swaying slowly as if it is caught in a light breeze. This slow movement matches the slow tempo of the music and helps to further create tension. It is also more visually engaging than a static background when seen on a cinema screen. The opening titles start at 0:15 and are as follows:
De Laurentüs Entertainment Group Presents
A David Lynch Film
Blue Velvet
Starring Kyle MacLachlan
Isabella Rossellini
Dennis Hopper
And Laura Dern
With Hope Lange
Priscilla Pointer
George Dickerson
Francis Bay, Ken Stovitz
Bard Dourif, Jack Nance
and Dean Stockwell
Executive Producer Richard Roth
Production Designer Patricia Norris
Music Composed and Conducted by Angelo Badalamenti
Sound Designer Alan Splet
Edited by Duwayne Dunham
Director of Photography Frederich Elmes
Screenplay by David Lynch
Produced by Fred Caruso
Directed by David Lynch
The titles initially seem an off-white colour, but they are in fact semi-transparent. This conforms to the pattern of 'everything is not always as it seems' that runs throughout the clip. The lighter colour stands out against the dark blue background, similar to the white clouds on a blue sky that it dissolves into at 1:34. The font is curly and slightly whimsical, a complete contrast to the eerie music and dark tone to the clip thus far. It can also be noted that more important names are emphasised by either making them bigger or by allowing only a single name at a time onto the screen. An example of this can be seen at 0:53-0:56 and at 0:56-0:59. Two names appear on the screen simultaneously and are also smaller than the main stars towards the beginning of the title sequence, again drawing significance to more recognisable names.
After a dissolve into a blue sky, the sequence continues as a montage of establishing shots of the area. The distorted Blue Velvet track also starts, creating a happy and jolly but disconcerting atmosphere.
The camera tilts down onto a white picket fence with roses in front of it. The sky is mainly clear and sunny, the pathetic fallacy suggesting that this is a happy day. The fence is bright white and the roses are vividly red, in contrast to the fence, and perfectly formed. The whole shot is perfect. However looked into this a little closer then the roses could be to represent a mask of something more sinister underneath, like the thorns that are below the petals.
This dissolves into long off-centre shot of a street. Again it seems very perfectly formed as the streets are clean, the weather is bright and sunny and there is a lot of greenery in the shot. These are all the typical signs of a happy atmosphere and a way that Lynch breaks the typical conventions of a thriller. A bright red fire truck strolls along, holding a man and an iconic Dalmatian. Red is a reoccurring colour throughout the clip and could be signs of danger in the future. Although the fire engine is not tending to an emergency it again suggests that there could be in the future or that it is being concealed from the audience. The man breaks the fourth wall by waving at the camera, however it could be a representation of a friendly, at least on the surface, community. Also the slow movement of his hand is unnerving and uneasy to watch, adding to the thought that things might just be too perfect.
Another dissolve is made to a similar looking white picket fence, this time with tulips in yellow. In Turkish culture tulips have represented paradise on Earth, conforming to the impeccable form of the scenes shown so far. The colour yellow could also show happiness, sunshine, wealth and optimism, all positive symbols, however yellow could also represent betrayal, perhaps of the audience as they continue to watch and see the façade of perfection fall apart. The flowers are also drooping, adding to reoccurring theme of 'everything is not as it seems'.
A dissolve is once again made this time to a road with a lollipop lady and a line of children walking across it. Children are usually a positive symbol to indicate that a place is good and friendly but just like the previous shots this is not the case once the surface has been scratched. The children are all walking in what seems like silence and in single file. This could be to illustrate discipline but may instead be oppression.
Yet another dissolve at 2:11 is made to an off-centre long establishing shot of an American suburban house, previously seen behind the fire engine. A straight cut is made to a long shot of an elderly man watering his garden with a hose. The scene looks idyllic and calm, very much fitting in with the rest of the extract thus far.
A straight cut again is made to a mid-shot of an elderly woman sitting in her old fashioned living room with a cup of tea on her lap. This initially seems like she is relaxing stress-free due to living in such a perfect place, however the next cut reveals that she is watching a television programme with a gun in it. This foreshadows a bad event in the future and is also the first clearly negative image in the extract so far. The dissolve transitions have also been replaced by this point. The dissolves earlier on elongated the transitions, adding to the sense of calm but the straight cuts take this away and build up to a much faster editing pace as the clip continues from this point onwards.
The clip returns to the man, this time featured in a mid-shot. The repetition of his (implied) house and him draw attention to this character as a significant point in the narrative, at least for the opening sequence.
A close up of the hose attached to the tap follows. A closer close-up is also featured later in the sequence, drawing attention and building suspense. The diegetic sound becomes very apparent and increases in volume. The hose is not attached properly and high pressure water is escaping from the sides. This also foreshadows that something is not right. The sound of the pressure also adds to the tension, which is ever increasing in the sequence from now on.
Again the camera returns to the male character as he tugs on the hose. This could be interpreted as him attempting to fight back the inevitable or against nature, as he later suffers a fatal stroke, but this is not made clear until later on in the film. The next straight cut is made to a match on action shot of the hose wound round a twig. This struggling of the man to free the hose and the pressure of the water increasing continues, all using straight cut transitions. This sequence is created to build frustration and tensions inside the minds of the audience. The diegetic, but increased, sound of the hose continues and raises in volume. This again adds to the suspense and tension that is built up within the sequence.
The man now clutches the back of his neck and collapses, physically struggling. The patch he was previously watering is where he falls and consequently his back becomes covered in mud. This is metaphorical of the façade of perfection finally shattering.
He still holds the hose and the water droplets are shown in extreme close up and in slow motion. Perhaps this is to portray that nature continues without man but a more immediate interpretation is that the hose and water has triumphed over the man after their tug of war earlier on.
A dog and child also appear into the frame, unknowing of what has gone on. Children, pets and the elderly are generally accepted as signs of a good and friendly neighbourhood within societies. Despite all three being in frame the denotations are not of a positive environment. The dog also features in a close up in slow motion of his own, again just elongating the sequence and adding to the tension and somewhat confusion that the audience is experiencing.
The last straight cut is made to an extreme close up of the lush green grass on the ground. The camera tracks slowly forward, with each blade of grass moving out of the way, to reveal the earth underneath and all the scuttling beetles. The non-diegetic Blue Velvet track and the diegetic pressure sound effect fade away and are replaced by the overwhelming sounds of the insect movements. This reveal of the insects underground is symbolic of the whole extract, as something may seem pretty and perfect from afar or at a glance but underneath lies the chaos and filth, even in nature.
Pulp Fiction is an iconic film for its non-linear plot and marriage of both violence and comedy. The film challenges many conventions of typical thriller films and could be an interesting approach to my own opening sequence. The film begins with a fade into a dictionary definition of the word 'pulp'. Since the film is named Pulp Fiction the second definition is more relevant to the themes present in the film. However this first meaning could have some significance, which will be discussed later.
The definition is taken from 'American Heritage Dictionary' immediately setting the place for the film. This is further established as the screen dissolves into a two shot of a couple sitting in a diner, an iconic American setting. However a diner is very unusual setting for a conversation like the two are having, one example of conventions being broken. Here is the opening scene, (not including the definition or opening titles):
The couple are seen conversing with each other, the dialogue is dominated by the male. This may also explain why the shot is angled towards the man despite being a two shot.
This mid-shot introduces two major characters to the audience. The male with the British accent is leaning back and has quite open body language. He is also smoking a cigarette and swears generously, suggesting that he is at ease and currently quite relaxed in the presence of the woman opposite. Due to the topic of conversation the man can be recognised as a rebellious figure, however his costume does not reflect this. The costume is casual, relaxed and blends in with the hot American setting. He almost looks like a tourist, perhaps aided by the British accent in an American setting.
The woman contrasts the man as she is sitting straight up, perhaps implying that she is awed by the man's presence. It may also be that she displays better manners and can more easily create a facade than the man, as demonstrated later on in the scene at 0:36-0:42. The woman's American accent is comparatively sweet and seems a slightly out of place in such a conversation. Her costume emphasises the 'cutesy' perception as she wears a pink dress and natural, minimal looking make-up. Another interpretation could be that she has split-personality tendencies, having a quirky and cutesy side (such as 'Quack, quack, quack...' at 0:22-0:25) and a more violent side seen at the end of the clip.
When the waitress arrives at 0:35 the conversation between the couple stops. This emphasises that their conversation, although not so much at this point, is not for anybody else ears due to their bad intentions. Comedy can be created form this as despite the private nature of their conversation, they are talking in a public place. The woman turns to the waitress and acts very gratefully saying 'Thank you' followed by a cutesy shrug. The scene is uncomfortable to watch as the level of appreciation the woman is giving is unnecessary and suggests that she may be someone who has many sides to her personality and can change between them very quickly. It also suggests that she has something to hide, thus creating the need for her to do this. Although probably added more for comedic purposes, the theory that she may have something to hide and is troubled by this could be supported by her over-indulgence in sugar during 0:49-0:52 and her hands over her face before this, as if she is worn out from acting friendly with the waitress.
After the waitress has left the male gets onto the topic of bank robberies, clearly a topic he is very fond and passionate about, revealed by his body language. He leans forwards and uses his hand gestures on the table. This is contrasted to the previously relaxed position he was in before this point. The woman holds his gaze whilst adjusting her coffee, showing interest too. Apart from being passionate about the subject the leaning towards each other also indicates that their conversation is not to be heard by other people.
After this two shot a straight cut is made to several shot-reverse-shot sequences, sometimes incorporating over-the-shoulder shots and always returning to a two shot in between sequences.
For the first shot-reverse-shot sequence, beginning at 0:58, the shots of the woman are regular mid-shots and the previous waitress visible in the background.
The shots of the male however are over-the-shoulder shots of the woman. This could be to demonstrate that the conversation is being held mainly by the male and so the female is listening very intently. During the same conversation a cut is made back to the original two shot and the woman asks 'did they hurt the little girl?' A close up of her face is not shown, emphasising how trivial the question sounds based on the conversation and in the eyes of the man. This question also strengthens her innocent persona.
The second shot-reverse-shot sequence starts at 1:28 and like the previous one it starts with the camera on the female. The difference this time is that the female put forward a meaningful question in relation to the story, in contrast to being a listener previously. The next shot of the male is not shrouded by a shoulder this time, as if he is not fully in control of the conversation anymore and/or been put on the spot due to the unexpected question. This is emphasised by the fact that the shot is not off centre like the previous ones and the man's somewhat shocked facial expression. The words 'no more liquor stores?' confirm that the two are partners in crime and it is a common occurrence.
After once again returning to the off centre two shot at 1:38 the male says 'too many foreigners own liquor stores'. This suggests again that he is not a friendly character and the conversation proves that he is involved in illegal actions.
The cutesy characteristic assigned to the female can once again be seen at 1:50 as the female states 'I'm not going to kill anybody'. This clashes with her iconic line at the end of this scene. She says it very sweetly and innocently, perhaps trying to outweigh the tougher character she showed when participating in the conversation about robberies. The scene is an over-the-shoulder shot from the male perspective. This could symbolise that the male can be easily swayed by the female when she acts like this. At 1:53 the first non-static shot appears in the clip so far. The camera moves forwards, starting from an over-the-shoulder shot of the male, and moving past it. This is whilst he talks about being in a situation where he may need to kill someone. The zoom could be to draw attention to this and perhaps foreshadow to suggest that the man may end up in a situation like this.
The two shot returns at 2:15, and the male avoids the woman's suggestion of 'day jobs' by asking for coffee, or as 'boy' in another language as he puts it. This is a reference to the man's rant starting at 1:38 when he states 'they don't even speak f***ing English', which is ironic as the man is clearly unable to speak another language, leaving both parties on the same page. He finds this quite amusing, perhaps believing that English is a superior language and/or that the same waitress (seen in the background walking away) his female friend behaved quite friendly to, he did the opposite to. The conversation again ceases during this interaction. From 2:30 onwards the most of the scene is made up of shot-reverse-shots, using straight on mid-shots of the male and off centre mid-shots of the female. This is again due to the male dominating the conversation. This is due to the intimacy of their conversation whilst they are contemplating robbing 'this coffee shop'. This is further emphasised by the male lowering his voice at 3:26. Although the logic of the robbery seems flawed, the female eventually jumps on board. He praises her for her idea of 'taking their wallets', and she replies with a smile and 'thank you' at 3:36. This could be the male accepting the female as an equal partner in crime. During the course of the conversation the female becomes more and more aggressive, initiating the robbery by saying 'I'm ready, let's do it, right now, right here'.
A close up of the gun slammed onto the table is seen. This is to draw attention to the weapon, another convention of thriller films, and to inform the audience that the robbery is underway. The man, taking the lead again, hands out the roles and the two rush into a somewhat sloppy looking kiss. This is as the scene has picked up the pace and the nature of their relationship is clarified, even more so by the nicknames 'pumpkin' and 'hunny bunny'.
The man stands up first, declaring a robbery. The camera tilts upwards from a longer distance two shot. The woman, coming out of her shell, also pulls out a gun, unexpectedly, and moves to the foreground of the shot, taking control. As part of her iconic line, she says 'I'll execute every motherf***ing last one of you' - the complete opposite of 'I'm not going to kill anybody' mere minutes before. The recognisable music starts as the screen freeze frames and the opening titles begin to appear. Here is the title sequence:
The opening titles in this case are separate and not incorporated into the story section of the opening sequence. First appear the production companies, in orange, and the director's name, also in orange. This colour stands out on the black background and ties in with the titles, which scrolls upwards at 0:17. This orange colour could also be a reference right from the beginning of the clip to the first dictionary definition of 'pulp', like from an orange fruit.
The main actors then appear upon the screen, on by one, whilst the titles slowly shrinks into the background. The colour of these actors is white, to separate itself from the black and orange already present.
At 1:15 'co-starring' appears on the screen, in orange, as by this point the title has disappeared. Then several names scroll upwards. This scrolling of names is unusual for a title sequence and is conventionally used in the end credits. Yet another way this films breaks conventions.
From 1:31 onwards many of the names appear in pairs or groups, as they are less prominent and will most likely not mean much to the audience.
At 1:34 the music becomes disported and as if 'someone' has changed the radio station. A more upbeat and relaxed tune follows and this music remains for the rest of the sequence.
Here is the opening titles in text format as they appear:
Miramax Films presents
A Band Apart
and Jersey Films Productions
a film by Quentin Tarantino
Pulp Ficition
(Actors) John Travolta
Samuel L. Jackson
Uma Thurman
Harvey Keitel
Tim Roth
Amanda Plummer
Maria de Medeiros
Ving Rhames
Eric Stoltz
Rosanna Arquette
Christopher Walken
and Bruce Willis
co-starring
Paul Calderon
Bronagh Gallagher
Peter Greene
Stephen Hibbert
Angela Jones
Phil LaMarr
Robert Ruth
Julia Sweeney
Quentin Tarantino
Frank Whaley
Duana Whitaker
Casting by Ronnie Yeskel C.S.A (and) Gary M. Zuckerbrod C.S.A
Music Supervisor Karyn Rachtman
Costume Designer Betsy Heimann
Production Designer David Wasco
Editor Sally Menke
Director of Photography Andrzej Sekula
Co-Executive Producers Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein (and) Richard N. Gladstein
Executive Producers Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg (and) Stacy Sher
Trailers are different from opening sequences in films. To ensure that I do not result in creating a trailer, we have looked closely at a trailer to differentiate the two. In lesson on Thursday 12th we looked at a trailer for the film Homefront (2013).
Sound:
Trailers use a variety of sound techniques. Most sound is non-diegetic and it is present to add drama and emotion to the visuals. If diegetic sound is included within a trailer, it is amplified, an example of this being dialogue.
Non-diegetic sound in the Homefront trailer incorporates a slow piano piece for the slower, more emotional scenes at the beginning of the trailer, this is replaced by a deep but slow drum beat as the narrative becomes more tense. The pace of the trailer once again quickens and this is reflected in the music as first there is a break with only quiet and not very frequent drum beat, to increase tension, and this eventually manifests into a high tempo electric and techno style piece to accompany the high action sequences. Towards the end, a slow piano piece takes over once again to match the high emotion and to underpin the father-daughter relationship.
Sound bridges are used throughout, usually on dialogue. An example of this is the children's party at 1:34 where 'Happy Birthday' is being sung. The sound is at first diegetic, as high-angle long shot is seen of a party, but the montage continues with the track still playing. First of all this adds an eerie feel to the clip, enhanced by the drum beat and electric added in and also highlights this as a significant point in the film.
Editing:
The editing pace is fast. This is to incorporate the best moments of this film and but simultaneously refrain from giving away any narrative plot points. Montages also allow many different sequences in the film to join and almost create a micro-narrative for the trailer. Along with the soundtrack it is attention grabbing, exactly what a trailer wants to achieve.
Transitions are mostly straight cuts,to avoid any unnecessary halts to achieve the speed. During the Homefront trailer, many transitions are quick fade-up and downs from black, and during the fight sequence with the girl 0:27-0:29, fades with white. These fades are accompanied with drum beats. They add dramatic tension to the scenes are sometimes aid the fact that some snippets of the film do not fit together in the full version. At some points there is more than one black insert to create a 'blinking' effect, again to create tension.
The production companies involved in the film appear at the beginning of the trailer, after 2:01 inserts are incorporated with lead names and finally the title at 2:24.
Camera:
A surplus of camera shots and angles are incorporated. The editing showcases a large variety of them into a two and a half minute trailer.
There are long high-angle shots to establish the surroundings, especially at the beginning of the trailer. These also showcase the big budget locations, sets and equipment such as cranes that feature films tend to have access to.
Close-ups are shown of major characters, to introduce them, and of significant props, such as the guns.
Character: Dis-empowered protagonist, anti-hero, damsel in distress, psychologically disturbed.
Structure: Todorovian.
After the lesson I further researched into the conventions of thriller films. I found this very useful Prezi that goes into detail about thriller conventions[1]:
From this Prezi I learned that conventions extend to aspects such as low-key lighting, fast paced editing, forboding music and some commonly used plot devices such as mirrors and flashbacks. The Prezi also gives many examples of thriller films that are prime examples of some conventions.
We watched this film during the lesson. It is a good example of a thriller film as it includes many of the conventions discussed in the previous research. These include:
Confusing narrative
Dis-empowered protagonist
Police
Crime
Murder
Flashbacks
Mystery
Villain not revealed until the end
Weapons-guns
Drugs
Gangsters
References:
1. 'The codes and conventions of the thriller genre.' by Kayleigh Dennis
Not suitable for children under 15 years of age.
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