Thriller: a suspenseful adventure story or play or movie

How our thriller idea came around was from a practical that we done in class a few weeks ago. When we started our thrillers, we had to list different types of thriller, within the thriller genre, such as; spy thrillers, crime and we also discussed the difference between horrors and thrillers. In doing this activity in class, I learnt the very close meaning of a thriller and a horror. Also, preliminary tasks that were done in class also inspired me and my group to continue filming something like a thriller. My group and I decided that we wanted to do a thriller that required a lot of investigation within it, somewhat like a crime thriller. This concept can be used in various ways, such as, leaving an open ending and (considering that this is a thriller opening) whether or not the rest of the film will show the whereabouts of the girl that was kidnapped. We then explored different types of crime thrillers and then we came up with the concept of someone being kidnapped.
We also looked for types of thrillers that can be similar to ours. In doing so, we watched The Bourne Identity. Also to establish shots similar to ours, we took shots from The Shining, where the young boy is being followed along the corridor, and we are behind him constantly. My thriller has the impact of a sort of “who don’t it” situation. However, in terms of gender groups, you could stereotype my thriller by stating that, as a society we usually associate females to be prone to things such as kidnapping and rape, reasons being we are seen to be quite delicate and vulnerable. Also, in terms of age, it is not really a representation on a particular social group or particular religious groups.
In the editing process of my thriller, my group and I decided to use a lot of transitions and cuts to establish time difference between the person who is being kidnapped to the person who is kidnapping. This was also done to create suspense and tension, in order for the audience to feel slightly uneasy. My group also established the use of a still image once we get to identify the kidnapper. Also, in the very start of our opening, when the coffee cup is continuously stirring, my group decided to slow down the speed, which also affects the sound, causing it to be much slower and to make it seem more eerie.
During the sound process, we decided to add a continuous beat underneath the eerie tones of high pitch violins. We then came up with a jazz bass, which was altered at points whenever the kidnapper was viewed on screen and on the other hand increased the sound of the eerie tones to symbolise that something is not quite right.
In terms of camera angles that were used, when the actual kidnapper, seizes the victim, my group and I decided to get the action at three different angles, which was all shown at a very quick pace. Besides this, very basic camera angles were used in other parts of my thriller. Such as, actors walking out of frame and into frame, as well as, shots from behind the victim.
My thriller does not specifically represent a particular social group. Although, based on schoolgirls, it can be relatable to anyone, for example, a mother that may have had her daughter kidnapped, a friend, etc. However, this does not mean that these kind of people will watch this kind of film, as it will remind them of times which they’d rather forget. Although, people that might watch it will be people that are interested in stories that require a lot of thinking as the story unravels, the whole of the thriller
In terms of media institution and media distribution, my thriller will seem more powerful within a small UK ‘arthouse; cinema and via the Internet. Reasons being, I feel that the content of my thriller is not as strong as other films that distributed by big Hollywood blockbusters. However, such films as ‘Kidulthood’, which were also distributed within small cinemas have done exceptionally well under a low budget, which could invariably be similar to my thriller. Other distributors, such as Working Title, will also be able to spread out my thriller. Reasons being, they are use to distributing a lot of British films. As well as being a British distributor, they are in partnership with Warner Bros, this could also help with the distribution, over seas, meaning it can be distributed in America and in Europe. We have also chosen, Momentum as a distributor, reasons being they distribute a variety of films and British Films. Also, considering that Momentum is one of the leading UK distributor and sell and average of 20 films a year.
In terms of the technology that I have used in processing my thriller project, such as Final Cut Pro, LiveType and Soundtrack Pro. I have learnt a lot from these programmes, in terms of how to edit and credits. How my group devised responsibilities of who is to do what in terms of the editing process, I was given the responsibility of sound. When placing the jazz base on the thriller, as something that is continuous, I found it difficult in the beginning, as I was told that my original base had too much rhythm, meaning. As a technical aspect, it had a continuous up beat then low beat; this would make the audience, to unconsciously move to the beat. After considering this factor, I looked for another base that was not that jumpy, and more one beat. I then wanted to establish, a difference between, the two characters, in doing this I added on eerie tones, whenever the kidnapper was shown on screen. I have also learnt that the process of making and editing a film is not as easy as it seems. Software such as Final Cut Pro, took me quite long to get use to, however, in the end it got easier.