1. Research task 1

2. Slide 1: Genre
The word ‘Genre’ is used as a way to categorise different types of media texts. A genre is established by using set conventions or ‘key ingredients’ and the audience expects to see certain things in certain genres.
The genre of thriller can at times be difficult to define as it has so many different characteristics and sub genres to it. It is usually defined as a genre which uses tension, mystery and excitement to keep the audience interested.
There are particular key elements that the audience expects to see in a thriller genre. For starters the things mentioned above such as tension, but also things such as it having a hero and a villain in it, in which the villain is usually an enigma throughout the film before building to a dramatic climax at the end and usually revealing the enigma. Mystery is a key element of the thriller genre, as it wants the audience to be kept in suspense during the course of the film.

3. Slide 2: A timeline of the genre
History of the Thriller Genre ’s- A silent movie was Hitchcock’s first thriller- entitled ‘The Lodger’ Hitchcock Went on to movies with sound including ‘Blackmail’, ‘Murder and ‘39 Steps’. They were all under the sub genre of ‘Suspense Thrillers’ -1940’s- George Cukor undertook the sub genre ‘Psychological thriller’ including films such as ‘Gas Light’, ‘The Spiral Staircase’ and ‘Laura’ ’s- Hitchcock added glamorous movie stars to his thrillers in films such as ‘Strangers on a Train’ and ‘Dial M for Murder’ ’s- Hitchcock produced the famous ‘Psycho’ novel for it’s time as it used lots of different shots in the scene, rare in the 1960’s ’s- Don Siegel focused on ‘Spy Thrillers’ including ‘The Black Windmill’ and Alan Pakula did another spy thriller entitled ‘The Parallax View’ Present day- In the modern day thrillers have started borrowing aspects from other films and genres or remaking films that were previously produced. For example ‘Brighton Rock’ and ‘The Cabin in the Woods’.

4. Hybrid & Sub Genres Within a particular genre there are things called ‘hybrid genres’ and ‘sub genres’. A hybrid genre is a relatively new concept and is where two completely different film genres are put together. For example ‘comedy-horror’ such as ‘Shaun of the Dead.’ A sub genre is categories within a specific genre, and compliment each other well to go together which creates a film for example ‘psychological thriller’. Sub Genres Different aspects make different sub genres- Psychological Thriller- This genre is all about using drama and mystery to involve the audience. It is usually more to do with suspense and suggestion as apposed to any actual physical threat, violence or gore that may come into other thrillers such as crime or action. An example of a film in this genre is ‘The Butterfly effect’. Crime Thriller- There is usually some sort of crime to solve, or a crime going on throughout the film, hence the title of the genre. It usually involves some sort of villain such as a serial killer. As there is usually a villain it also normally involves a protagonist, such as a detective, trying to bring the criminal to justice. An example of a film in this genre is ‘Se7en’.

5. Science Fiction Thriller- As the title suggests it incorporates science into the thriller theme of the film, and usually involves heroes, villains, a lot of technology and unexplored, mostly fictional locations. An example of a film in this genre is ‘Children of Men’. Religious Thriller- This genre focus’ around religious aspects, including cults or different religions. There is usually some form of supernatural involved in the thriller side of the film, with a protagonist involved to help with it. Things also typically put into a religious thriller for example are exorcisms, church cover ups, or possession. An example of a film in this genre is ‘The Exorcist’. Action Thriller- It uses physical action to create suspense. Because of the action aspects of the genre it usually has continuous motion for example physical stunts, chases and fights. An example of a film in this genre is ‘Drive’.

6. Slide 3: Characterisation
Narrative Conventions There are certain narrative conventions involved in the thriller genre that make it unique and distinguishable from other film genres. The conventions basically create a common theme throughout the narrative in a particular genre. These conventions have been made into theories by different theorists such as ‘Tzvetssn Tedorrov’ who said that thrillers had a certain narrative structure which sets out how the story goes. For example this structure happens in the crime thriller ‘Se7en’ which starts with an equilibrium, of the detective living happily with his wife, and the other detective ready to retire. Then a series of murders start to occur creating a disequilibrium. Then the detectives start to realise the murders are linked become aware of the disruption and recognise it. Finally they try and repair the disruption by finding the murderer and bringing justice to him, the film then gets concluded, creating a new equilibrium.

7. Character Representation Characters are represented in a certain way in thrillers. Another theorist named ‘Vlademire Propp’ said in every thriller there are always certain characters. These characters help develop the narrative and are- Hero- which is usually male. Villain- which is usually male as well, usually an enigma that gets uncovered. Damsel in distress Sidekick Mis En Scene Settings- This is to do with the geographical location of the film. Thrillers for example are usually set in places such as mysterious houses, or familiar, normally un threatening places such as suburbs. Props & décor- Objects are important as they contribute to the narrative. The type of prop used usually indicates what genre the film. Typical props to see in a thriller are things such as weapons, used normally by the villain, as weapons create tension and threat in a scene making the audience feel uneasy and be expecting something to happen, leading to the mystery and thrill of the film. Décor used in a scene indicates things such as the type of character, if it is décor in the characters house, the location, for example if it’s in a house there will be furniture, and the time, as if it is set in the past then the décor will be vintage.

8. Costume & makeup- Like the props and décor costume and makeup helps set the scene and gives some context for the audience, such as when the film is set, where in the world and the personalities of the characters. For example in the film ‘Se7en’ the detectives wore suits to show they were professional, and the different characters that were murdered wore different types of clothing to show what status they were in society or what type of job they had such as the prostitute wearing just underwear or the business man wearing expensive clothing. Figure expression- Body language is a way that gives further information to the audience about the scene and characters. Eye contact show what type of relationship the characters have, or what type of scene it is, for example if direct eye contact is being kept then it suggests that the characters are at an equal level or are trying to confront each other, whereas if one character is looking away it could mean that they are intimidated, or nervous for some reason. Facial expressions is a very important part of body language, as it usually shows what emotion the character is feeling. Non verbal communication such as gestures help the scene, if the characters are having an argument aggressive gestures make be used such as swearing or large threatening hand movements. The body posture of a character shows things such as their age, mood, or social status. The older a character is the more frail and small their posture may be, and that may be the same for how low their social status is in the scene. Finally proxemics add to a scene, the distance characters stand from each other shows their relationship, if they are standing close it means they know each other well, or in the case of thriller films are being secretive.

9. Lighting & Colour- Different film genres have different types of lighting and colour in their scenes. The lighting is key to generating the mood and atmosphere of a scene. Typically thriller films use dark, film noir type lighting to reflect the dark themes of the film. There is also normally a lot of reds in it, to signify blood and to shock the audience.

10. Slide 4: Construction
Camerawork- In thrillers different types of camera angles and types of shots are used to show different things-
-Close ups- show emotion of the character, which in thrillers is used to show things such as fear.
-Extreme close ups- there is a mystery in extreme close ups, as you can’t see the
whole characters face, so they can sometimes be used on characters such as the villain
to keep the enigma. For example in the opening title sequence for ‘Se7en’ extreme
close ups are used.
-High angle shots- This is shots taken from below, and is good to show a character in
power. That is because the character looks down on the audience, leading to
Intimidation.
-Low angle shots- They do the opposite of a high angle shot, used to make the
audience feel powerful, for example of they were the hero having captured the villain,
or the villain doing something bad and being in control.

11. -Birds eye view- These are shots taken from above looking down, and can be used to help track a fast moving character, such as a bird would hunt they can be used to help represent a character being hunted. -Point of view shots- Shown from the characters eyes, and is used to make the audience feel part of the film, which is thrillers can be used to create fear, if the characters point of view is scared. -Tracking shots- This can also be used to follow a character, or move quickly from one scene to another with the swift movement of the camera typically used in this shot.

12. Editing-In thrillers editing is used to help bring together a scene, and help it flow
better. Different types of editing are typically used in thrillers, for example-
-Jump cuts- They are used to cut quickly from one action to another, and can
sometimes be disorientating as the cut is not expected, leading to mystery which is
good for a thriller. This is used when multiple things are happening that the audience
Is unaware of.
-Quick cuts-This type of editing is used to show the scene from different angles. The
scene is filmed and then quickly it is shown from another angle. For example in the
shower scene of the famous ‘Psycho’ quick cuts are used to show the stabbing from
different angles and to build tension in the scene as the cuts got closer and closer
together.
-No colour- Taking the colour out of a scene and making it just black and white brings
a darkness which is always good to see in thrillers, as they are typically a dark sinister
genre. There is a certain fear people have of the dark, and incorporating that into the
editing process could further bring mystery to a scene.

13. Sound-Sound is essential in thriller films, diegetic and non diegetic sounds are both used to bring another element to the scene, and another thing for the audience to have to focus on.
-Diegetic- These are natural sounds in a scene, for example heavy breathing, a heart
beat or footsteps are all things that are actually heard in a scene. They can all be
used to make the audience feel more involved and part of the scene and can help
show different emotions of a character.
For example of a characters heart was beating that could show fear or tension, of the
character was laughing that could show happiness, and if you could hear footsteps
the audience would be anticipating a character entering the scene, possibly building
the tension.
-Non diegetic- this is things such as music in a scene, which, depending on the type
of music can help the audience understand the different emotions of characters,
Or the type of scene they are watching, be it a happy one, scary one, or mysterious
one.
For example if the music is fast paced and climatic it could help build tension in a
scene, if the music is sinister it would bring an element of darkness to a scene
possibly creating fear or the music could be upbeat, showing a happiness of a
character or the scene in general.

14. Slide 5: Bibliography
Slide 1: Slide 2: Google Images Slide 3: Slide 4: