Inspiring Thrillers

Jack Reacher
Jack Reacher was a really interesting thriller with many twists and turns throughout the film. I really enjoyed the film mainly because of Tom Cruises performance as Jack, especially the bar scene when Sandy and thugs want to start a fight with him. I would like to implement some of the effects Jack Reacher had in the film in to our media production if possible, the lighting in the film was exceptional which I think is something we can take away and use ourselves.




Bourne Ultimatum

Bourne Ultimatum was action packed leaving you on the edge of your seat throughout the film. Bourne's character is really interesting in the way he's trying to trace his steps and recover his past. I don't believe there is much we can take away from this thriller as it's more action based than ours.


Se7en

Se7en had a very suspicious feel to it which the murders and working out who it was that was committing them. I thoroughly enjoyed this film due to it's tension, especially at the end when they capture John Doe and have him in the desert.

Thriller audience research

The target audience of many thrillers is usually 18+, this is because many contain violent  and other disturbing scenes may be distressing for younger people. However, this shouldn't be an issue as DVD boxes clearly state the age restrictions and also give warnings of violent and disturbing content. Personally, I will be aiming our production at young adults as the production will contain violent aspects. It will most likely be a 16+. I believe films like Football Factory are similar to the audience I will be aiming our production act due to the fact that it's a 16+ . There's no specific location for the target of my audience and it's mainly aimed at the male gender.

Audience Research

Audience Research

To be able to appeal to our target audience, we as a group have decided to carry out a questionnaire to find out which age group we will be targeting and will be trying to get some useful feedback on the location, costumes and props. We questioned 30 people for our research and here are our findings.

Audience Questionnaire

Are you male or female?

Male: 15

Female: 15

How old are you?

12-17: 14

18-25: 12

26-30: 2

30+: 2

What movie genre interests you?

Thriller: 18

Comedy: 4

Horror: 2

Action: 4

Sci-Fi: 0

Drama: 2

Other: 0

What location would you associate with a thriller film?

A House: 13

A dark deserted area: 13

A shop: 2

A busy communal area: 0

Other: 2


What should the thriller be called?

When Saturday Comes : 12

AwayDays: 15

Dare To Fight: 2

Fight Until You Drop: 1 


 

Thriller research task

Bourne Ultimatum


Sound
Throughout the opening scene, fast paced, tense music is used to demonstrate the dangers that Bourne is in, the music intensifies the escape of Bourne as he is being chased down by waves of police officers. Sound is also used to show Bourne's frustration over his past as the clip uses a fast beating heartbeat as his flashbacks are being shown. This illustrates Bourne's frustration over his past and how he's trying to put the pieces together. The heartbeat creates tension due to the police officers closing in on him whilst the heartbeat gets faster. The melancholic music used when the flashbacks are shown suggests that his past frustrates him.

Camera
 Handheld camera shots are used throughout the clip which increases the tension as it makes it feel like you're there like a spectators view which emphasizes the thriller genre. Stuttered shots are used in his flashbacks to illustrate how he struggles to remember his past and it confuses him. This helps the audience learn more about the character.

Editing

Fast paced cuts are used to increase the intensity which is a typical convention of a thriller. The fast paced cuts increase the intensity by the fact hes being chased whilst this is happening. Different strains of light are used when Bourne is having flashbacks. The different strains of light emphasize that he is having flashbacks and that it's very vague to him

Mise en scene
Guns are seen throughout the clip to reinforce the genre of the film, Bourne is confronted in a small dark room with one of the two officers having a gun.



Representations

Bourne is represented as a confused man trying to recover his past, his fighting ability is shown clearly throughout the clip when the officers approach him and he takes them out with relative ease.

Directed By:
Paul Greengrass

 Screenplay By:

Tony Gilroy (screen story too)
 Scott Z. Burns
George Nolfi

Based on the novel by:
Robert Ludlum

 Produced By:
Frank Marshall
Patrick Crowley
Paul L Sandberg

 Executive Producers:
Jeffrey M. Weiner
Henry Morrison
Doug Liman

 Director Of Photography:
Oliver Wood

Production Designer:
Peter Wenham

 Editor:
Christopher Rouse

Casting By:
John Powell
John Hubbard
Dan Hubbard
Avy Kaufman

 Costume Designer:
Shay Cunliffe

 Visual Effects Supervisor:
Peter Chiang

 Actors:
Matt Damon
Julia Stiles
David Strathairn
Scott Glenn
Paddy Considine
Edgar Ramirez
Albert Finney 
Joan Allen
Tom Gallop
Corey Johnson
Daniel Bruehl

Jack Reacher (2012)

Director: Christopher Mcquarrie

Writers: Christopher Mcquarrie and Lee Child

Stars: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins

Sound
Sound is used for effect when the final fighter screams, the sound of sirens fades in to his screams. This is effective as it foreshadows what is to come with Jack ending up in jail for his crime.

Camera
A shot-reverse-shot is used when Jack and Sandy are having a heated conversation. This creates dramatic effect as it shows the two characters facial expressions and how they are dealing with the situation. A point of view shot from the police car as it's approaching the scene is used to give an overview of what Jack has done and shows how the other fighters have all fled the scene.

Editing
Fast paced cuts are used as Jack takes on the fighters which adds a level of intensity to the scene making it more exciting for the audience.

Mise en scene
The setting in the clip is a gloomy crowded bar and the deserted street outside. The deserted street was a great setting for a fight as there was no one around and the area in general looked quite rough. This made the fight look better overall.

Representations

Jack Reacher is represented as a very confident character who believes in his ability. He regularly makes jokes at Sandy and isn't bothered in the slightest about fighting the five guys. His fighting ability is evident when he takes out all 5 guys with relative ease. However, he turned out to be quite unfortunate when the cops show up and everyone had fled the scene. He didn't want to fight the 5 guys and only fought because they wanted to which shows that he's not a nasty character as he'd rather not fight.

Preliminary task editing

For the editing of the clip, many straight cuts were used as the characters rarely moved in the clip. Most of the clip was shot in one room. The clip starts with a fade in transition to Toni opening a door approaching the room where Tommy is sat. Suspenseful music was used in the background to increase the intensity and to make the build up to the climax more exciting. A gun shot effect was used at the end of the clip to illustrate Tommy's death by Toni's pistol, the clip goes black when the shot is fired to show that Tommy has died.

Preliminary planning

For the planning, the group I was in used a storyboard to plan out how the clip was going to be shot and how storyline would be developed step by step. The characters were casted by a decision made by the group.

Toni (AS Media Preliminary Task)

For the preliminary task, I was put in a group with three other students
to create a short clip. Before filming the group had to illustrate a
storyboard to be able to plan what the scene would be about and where
actors would be positioned. The script of the scene was also created
with the characters being named Toni and Tommy. The scene starts with
Toni walking down a corridor and entering a dark room but has her hood
up so it is unclear as to who it was. When entering the room, Toni sits
down at a table infront of Tommy and reveals herself. Words are
exchanged between the two characters before Toni pulls out a gun and
shoots Tommy ending the clip. Dark lighting is used in the scene to
create dramatic effect to make the scene more tense. Many different
camera shots are used throughout the scene to make the scene more
interesting and professional. Close ups of the two characters at the table are used to illustrate the two characters emotions.
The lighting didnt go as planned in the clip as it was too dark to see the characters faces at times and it made the clip very pixelated and unclear. Overall the clip was not too bad but it could have been shot better if we had more time to perfect it.

Prelim clip

 Preliminary Task

For the preliminary task, I was put in a group with three other students to create a short clip. Before filming the group had to illustrate a storyboard to be able to plan what the scene would be about and where actors would be positioned. The script of the scene was also created with the characters being named Toni and Tommy. The scene starts with Toni walking down a corridor and entering a dark room but has her hood up so it is unclear as to who it was. When entering the room, Toni sits down at a table in front of Tommy and reveals herself. Words are exchanged between the two characters before Toni pulls out a gun and shoots Tommy ending the clip. Dark lighting is used in the scene to create dramatic effect to make the scene more tense. Many different camera shots are used throughout the scene to make the scene more interesting and professional. A point of view shot is used from Tommy's position to illustrate what he's looking at which makes the audience more involved as it's like they are there.