Thriller 1: Casino Royale

Casino Royale (2006)
Director: Martin Campbell
Action-Thriller

Camera -

Opens with a LS of Bond, shooting towards the screen at a eye-level shot, the zoom out causes Bond to seme further away making it an ELS. Panning is used when Bond is sat, making the use of playing cards more significant - informing the audience of the theme. LS and ELS of Bond are used throughout, with the occasional MS (as he's loading his gun) and a few ECU's are used when the hands appear to be doing something associating gambling. LA shots are used when Bond is fighting, making his character seem more significant compared to the antagonists. CU of the antagonists face as he punches them accentuate Bond's strength.

Editing -

The main character is introduced immediately, and then zoomed out from, suggesting the start of Bond's adventure, and that the audience are about to learn was it to come. Cuts from one gun to several guns reinforcing the intensity of the fighting that will take place. Speed is generally quick, and fast paced. Characters are posterized making the importance of the characters easier to see, and Bond is always in bold colours compared to the others.

Sound -

The diegetic gunshot sound to open the film immediately establishes the action-thriller genre. Song "You Know My Name" is played throughout, reinforcing Bond's significance in the film. Music is loud and energetic, targeting a boisterous audience, seeking action. The music speeds up as the pace of the film speeds up e.g. fighting scenes.

Mise-en-scene -

Opens in black and white, followed by red blood dripping connotes danger. Gun is the first prop seen, suggesting the fighting that will take place in the film. Bond is wearing the iconic black and white suit throughout, reinforcing his importance and power - emphasised in the fighting scene which he wins. The white also portrays him as the protagonist, whereas the black shows his mystery and pain he inflicts on those who deserve it. Antagonists are shown in block colours of either red or yellow, whereas he is always in the iconic black and white suit - stands out above the antagonist, and shows his professional personality. Begins with black, white and red colours, connoting seriousness, danger, death, and that he's the protagonist, but soon after a mixture of blues, greens and yellows are incorporated - may suggest the presence of the antagonists and highlights the gambling theme. Setting is symbolic of gambling, Bond is shown sat next to the King, also symbolic of gambling, who pulls out a gun at the same time as him. Images of spades, diamonds, hearts, clubs and roulette board are iconic of gambling. Credits are shown in a small white font, meaning the action is not interrupted, and the audience are not drawn away due to the credits.

Questionnaire

Target Audience Survey

Are you male or female?

What age category do you fit into? (please circle)
15-17, 18-22, 25-30, 10-35, 36-40, 41- 45, 46+,

What part of a thriller film do you find most exciting?

How much gore do you expect to see in a thriller?


What are your favourite types of characters in thrillers? (Tick as many as apply)

Criminals

Stalkers

Assassins

Innocent victims (often on the run)

Menaced women

Characters with dark pasts

Psychotic individuals

Terrorists

Cops and escaped cons

Private eyes

People involved in twisted relationships

World-weary men and women

Psycho-fiends

What are your favourite plots of a thriller? (Tick as many as apply)

Terrorism

Political conspiracy

Pursuit,

Romantic triangles leading to murder

What is your favourite hybrid selection of thrillers? (Tick as many as apply)

Action- or adventure thrillers

Sci-fi thrillers

Crime-caper thrillers

Western thrillers

Film-noir thrillers

Differentiating between a certificate 18 and certiface 15 film.

Certificate 15 - Suitable only for 15 years and over

No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

A certificate 15 film has a theme, however must be appropriate for the audience. Drugs may be shown in a certificate 15, however they cannot promote or encourage misuse of drugs. Frequent use of strong language is accepted, but the likelihood of stronger terms being repeated is highly unlikely, however terms which are stronger may be heard if in context. There are no constraints against nudity when it's in a non-sexual context. However, in a sexual context nudity and sexual activity may be portrayed but without strong detail. Lastly, violence may be strong, but will not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury; strong, sadistic violence is unlikely, however there may be discreet verbal references with strong contextual justification.

A certificate 18 - Suitable only for adults

No one under the age of 18 may see an 18 film in cinema nor can they rent or buy one.

A certificate 18 film entitles the over 18's to be free to choose their own entertainment. However, content appearing to promote dangerous acts to both the audience and society are deemed unacceptable. As well as this, any sexual or sexualised violence which may eroticise or endorse sexual assault does not follow the principles of a certificate 18. Lastly, explicit sexual images must be justified by the context.

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/guidelines

Differences:

Clearly, a certificate 18 allows much more gore, sexual references and strong language in contrast to a certificate 18. Certificate 18 accepts far stronger language and detailed explicitness and violence. However, both certificates must be justified by the context for the allowance of explicit content.

What is a thriller?

A thriller is a book or film which is designed to keep the reader or viewer on edge with suspenseful and sensational action. Thrillers have also been produced in the radio, theater, and television media. This genre is incredibly large, and thrillers often overlap with pieces of work produced in other genres; mysteries, for example, are often thrillers. Many people find thrillers very enjoyable, and they appreciate the fast pacing and complex plots associated with this genre.

Several characteristics help to define a thriller. Thrillers typically involve sudden plot twists and lots of red herrings, for example, keeping people unsure about what is going to happen. This suspense can get almost unbearable, especially in a long piece or a television series. Thrillers also have a lot of action, which is often chaotic, and they typically feature resourceful heroes and exotic settings.

The plots of thrillers can vary widely. Some are supernatural, for example, centering around mystical antagonists. Others are scientific or medical in nature, forcing their protagonists to contend with biological agents or mysterious scientific happenings. Some are simply straight mysteries with clever, horrific, or intriguing antagonists, while others be focused on the inner workings of the legal system, environmental threats, technology, or natural disasters. One long-established thriller genre is the spy thriller, featuring an often heroic and dashing spy who must confront whichever enemy happens to be popular at the moment.

Some thrillers are extremely intellectual and of very high quality, encouraging more educated people to enjoy them. Many such thrillers incorporate a psychological aspect, forcing people to examine the motivations and backstories of the characters to figure out the plot. Others are more simplistic, in the vein of the penny dreadful and designed to appeal to a much wider audience. Many thriller books are adapted into movies, and thrillers can also be turned into comic books and television shows.

What is a thriller?

Thriller hybrids:
action- or adventure- thrillers
sci-fi thrillers (such as Alien (1979))
crime-caper thrillers (such as The French Connection (1971))
western-thrillers (such as High Noon (1952))
film-noir thrillers (such as Double Indemnity (1944))
even romantic comedy-thrillers (such as Safety Last (1923))
Hybrids

Thriller Research - Camera Codes

Codes – camera, editing, mise-en-scene, sound, lighting
Camera

• ECU: these shots are taken from a fairly large distance which generally show the setting of the scene and often they are often an exterior e.g. outside of a building.
• LS: This shot shows the entire human body, with the head at the top of the frame and feet at the bottom. A fair amount of background detail is still in the shot.
• MS: Contains usually half of the human body, often in dialogue scenes. They are usually part of a two-shot as well.
• CU: Very little background shown, focus on either a face, or a specific detail of the mise-en-scene. Often shows the important of the object, allowing the audience to understand the emotions or reasons for the actions.
• ECU: Only shows something such as the mouth or eyes, with no background detail, used for dramatic effect.

The most common camera shots used in thrillers are mid-shots and close-ups, they create tension and anxiety within the narrative.

Camera Angles

• Bird’s-eye view: positioned directly overhead, causes audience to look down on the action in a superior way.
• Eye Level: positioned at eye level of the audience.
• Low Angle: positioned low, increasing the height inspiring fear, as the audience is dominated by a large figure or object on the screen.
• High Angle: scene shown from directly above, makes the object seem smaller and less significant.

Low angles and high angles are used throughout thrillers to change the significance of the character, a protagonist are often filmed using a high angle, as it makes them seem less powerful and dominated by the antagonist who is often filmed using a low angle.

Camera Movement

• Zoom: The subject is magnified, and attention is concentrated on details previously invisible as the shot tightens. It may be used to surprise the viewer.
• Following pan: The camera swivels to follow a moving subject.. A pan usually begins and ends with a few seconds of still picture to give greater impact. The speed of a pan across a subject creates a particular mood as well as establishing the viewer's relationship with the subject.
• Surveying pan: The camera slowly searches the scene: may build to a climax or anticlimax.
• Tilt: A vertical movement of the camera - up or down- while the camera mounting stays fixed.
• Crab: The camera moves (crabs) right or left.
• Tracking (dollying): Tracking involves the camera itself being moved smoothly towards or away from the subject. Tracking in draws the viewer into a closer, more intense relationship with the subject; moving away tends to create emotional distance.
• Hand-held camera: A hand-held camera can produce a jerky, bouncy, unsteady image which may create a sense of immediacy or chaos. Its use is a form of subjective treatment.
• Process shot: A shot made of action in front of a rear projection screen having on it still or moving images as a background.

Tracking and panning shots are often used at the beginning of thrillers, to introduce the setting to the audience. Zoom shots may be used to surprise the audience and create more tension.

Editing

• Cut: Sudden change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another. On television cuts occur on average about every 7 or 8 seconds.
• Matched cut: In a 'matched cut' a familiar relationship between the shots may make the change seem smooth:
• Jump cut: Switch from one scene to another which may be used deliberately to make a dramatic point. Sometimes boldly used to begin or end action. Alternatively, it may be result of poor pictorial continuity, perhaps from deleting a section.
• Motivated cut: Cut made just at the point where what has occurred makes the viewer immediately want to see something which is not currently visible.
• Cutting rate: Frequent cuts may be used as deliberate interruptions to shock, surprise or emphasize.
• Cutting rhythm: A cutting rhythm may be progressively shortened to increase tension. Cutting rhythm may create an exciting, lyrical or staccato effect in the viewer.
• Cross-cut: A cut from one line of action to another.
• Cutaway/cutaway shot (CA): A bridging intercut shot between two shots of the same subject. It is often used to shortcut the passing of time.
• Reaction shot: Any shot, usually a cutaway, in which a participant reacts to action which has just occurred.
• Insert/insert shot: A bridging close-up shot inserted into the larger context, offering an essential detail of the scene.
• Buffer shot (neutral shot): A bridging shot (normally taken with a separate camera) to separate two shots which would have reversed the continuity of direction.
• Fade, dissolve (mix): Both fades and dissolves are gradual transitions between shots. In a fade the picture gradually appears from (fades in) or disappears to (fades out) a blank screen.
• Superimpositions: Two of more images placed directly over each other (e.g. and eye and a camera lens to create a visual metaphor).
• Wipe: An optical effect marking a transition between two shots.
• Inset: An inset is a special visual effect whereby a reduced shot is superimposed on the main shot. Often used to reveal a close-up detail of the main shot.
• Split screen: The division of the screen into parts which can show the viewer several images at the same time. This can convey the excitement and frenzy of certain activities, but it can also overload the viewer.
• Stock shot: Footage already available and used for another purpose than the one for which it was originally filmed.

Jump cuts are a commonality in thriller films as the high-speed action makes it harder for the audience to concentrate on all the action, the jump cuts allow the audience to make assumptions about the plot and characters, with a high cutting rate creating suspense, often used in the openings.

Sound

• Direct sound: Live sound. This may have a sense of freshness, spontaneity and 'authentic' atmosphere, but it may not be acoustically ideal.
• Studio sound: Sound recorded in the studio to improve the sound quality, eliminating unwanted background noise.
• Selective sound: The removal of some sounds and the retention of others to make significant sounds more recognizable, or for dramatic effect - to create atmosphere, meaning and emotional nuance.
• Sound perspective/aural perspective: The impression of distance in sound usually created through the use of selective sound.
• Sound bridge: Adding to continuity through sound, by running sound (narration, dialogue or music) from one shot across a cut to another shot to make the action seem uninterrupted.
• Dubbed dialogue: Post-recording the voice-track in the studio, the actors matching their words to the on-screen lip movements.
• Wildtrack (asynchronous sound): Sound which was self-evidently recorded separately from the visuals with which it is shown.
• Parallel (synchronous) sound: Sound 'caused' by some event on screen, and which matches the action.
• Commentary/voice-over narration: Commentary spoken off-screen over the shots shown. It may be the voice of one of the characters, unheard by the others.
• Sound effects (SFX): Any sound from any source other than synchronised dialogue, narration or music.
• Music: Music helps to establish a sense of the pace of the accompanying scene. The rhythm of music usually dictates the rhythm of the cuts. The emotional colouring of the music also reinforces the mood of the scene.
• Silence: The juxtaposition of an image and silence can frustrate expectations, provoke odd, self-conscious responses, intensify our attention, make us apprehensive, or make us feel dissociated from reality.

Non-diegetic sounds and sound bridges are used throughout thriller films. Non-diegetic sound creates a dramatic effect, and informs the reader what the film may be about. Sound bridges are used to make the action still seem present when it's not visible, meaning there is no suspense and anxiety lost.


Lighting

• Soft and harsh lighting: Soft and harsh lighting can manipulate a viewer's attitude towards a setting or a character.
• Backlighting: A romantic heroine is often backlit to create a halo effect on her hair.

Mise-en-scene

• This refers to all of the things which are 'in the scene'.
• The setting and props; people and how they move, look and dress; and abstract design principles in the frame, such as colour, line, shape and plane.

Thrillers are often set in either the busy urban area, or a secluded country side area. The lighting is often dark and dull, portraying danger and suspense. The appearance and clothing worn in thrillers is dependent on the plot of the film, they may differ from naturalistic looks, to heavy dark make up. Typical colours are colours such as red symbolising blood and danger.

Character – what characters are introduced?
Often, in the opening of a thriller, the main characters are introduced, often the protagonist and antagonist. This allows the audience to create an opinion on the character before the narrative begins.

Are openings important? Why?
The opening of any film is extremely important; depending on the quality of the opening the audience will want to watch the rest of the film. The opening is the very first insight into the film that the audience will see; the short two-three minutes sets up the audience’s expectations, and informs them of what type of film they’ll be watching. In the case of a thriller, it enlightens them into whether they’ll be watching a film based on criminals, romance, psychopaths etc. It also informs the audience as to whether they characters are psychopaths, assassins, terrorists etc.

What are the conventions of the thriller genre?

What are the conventions of the thriller genre?

Sound
The non-diegetic music in thrillers is fairly repetitive, creating anxiety and agitation for the audience. It's typically non-diegetic sound used to increase the tension and create a sense of pessimism, desperation and paranoia. The music acts as symbolic of the genre, as it prepares the audience for what's to come. Sound bridges are used to cut to another shot, without the action being interrupted, this is very important in a thriller as it allows the audience to still feel tension even when the action is no longer viewable. Dialogue is diegetic, and often the dialogue creates a very tense atmosphere, causing the audience to be 'on the edge of their seats' waiting for the action to begin. The speed of both the dialogue and music is dependent on the action taking place, thus, if the action is energetic and racy, the music and dialogue will match it.

Characters
The most common characters in a thriller film are often binary opposites, including a protagonist and an antagonist; the antagonist is commonly a psychopath, stalker, criminal or assassin attempting to harm the protagonist who is often an innocent character. Furthermore, they are often a character of alienation, and melancholic behaviour. The protagonist typically endures danger, having to escape a hazardous situation.

Narrative
Common narratives surrounding thrillers are: terrorism, romance triangles and political conspiracy. Generally, the narrative is very complex and convoluted, with twists within the plot, this keeps the audience intrigued, and interested in what may happen as the climax building plot progresses. The audience should be 'on the edge of their seats' as the plot builds to its climax, which is often when the protagonist is faced with a menacing situation.

Camera Work
A combination of close ups and mid shots are most commonly used in thrillers; these shots increase the anxiety and tension within the narrative. Long shots are rarely used, however when they are it is to allow the audience to see the setting, and gain knowledge of where the action will take place. Additionally, skewed camera angles are frequently used to portray the characters personalities, for example a low angle shot makes the character look bigger and more superior. As well as camera shots, editing plays an important part of thrillers as well; for example, flash backs are often used to increase the suspense and tension.

Mise-en-scene
The settings of thrillers are usually the same throughout, e.g. the same house. The colours in the setting are symbolic, using colours such as red to represent blood and danger. As well as this, semiotics is used in the setting to create tension and anxiety, the use of semiotics plays a more important role than the setting itself. An example of this is the common haunted house. Lighting is often dark, symbolic of the fear and tension the audience should be experiencing, shadows are used frequently to connote fear and danger. Colour of clothing does not vary an awful lot, reds, whites and blacks are commonly seen to represent danger, antagonist/protagonist characters and is also iconic of blood etc. Props are not used largely, however objects such as guns and weapons are used to highlight the ongoing theme throughout the film.

Editing
Editing is often fast paced, again increasing the tension within the film. Cuts are commonly use to switch between scenes and characters perspectives without interrupting the action and also increase the pace of the action, increasing the tensity within the film.

Genres

The Concept of Genre

- A set of conventions - recognisable usually through iconography, familiar narrative, mise-en-scene, actors and style of representation

- Genres ar

e not static, but constantly renegotiated between industry and audience - a combination of familiar reassurance and new twists.

- A creative strategy used by film producers to ensure audience identification with a film - a means of trying to predict risk.

- Genre is a way of working thro

ugh important myt

hs and fears by repetition, variation and resolution

- Genre offers comforting reassurance in an uncomfortable world. Threat is quashed, outlaws become civilized, gangsters are punished. Genre is a way of tidying up the mess of life.

- Genre functions like a language - a set of rules and a vocabulary with which to organise meaning.

- Robert Altman believes that genre is defined in terms of certain signs (iconography)

Hybridisation

This is when genre mixes and links together.

It can be argued that there is only a set of semantics and no syntax, and the continuing shift social ideology and technological advances e.g. Predator begins like Rambo and ends like Aliens.

Robert Altman

Altman argues that the relationship between syntax and semantics link how we understand genre evolution and hybridisation. Genre begins with semantics and eventually evolves into genre. What limits this is the shifting social ideologies that can affect themes, issues and ideas. He argues that genres start out with a set of semantic elements, and only achieve true genre status when they complete a process of evolving an accompanying syntax.

Traditional Theorists

Traditional theorists look at genre in a compartmentalised way, thus no overlapping with specific ways of identifying genre, these traditional theorists include Thomas Schatz and William Wright.

Regenrification

This is when the boundaries of genre are merged into one e.g. the creature from the 1956 sci-fi "Black Lagoon"