Blog Customising

I had some problems trying to customise my blog. I used THIS site in order to get a themed blog template. I wanted it to look quite dark and spooky, perhaps with some shadows and to use the colour red to symbolise blood (signifiers of the Thriller genre). However, there were a few issues e.g. loosing the tool bar at the top of the screen, and I ended up having to redo some of my lists and had to go to a lot of bother to get my blog back to looking normal.....so just as a word of warning, don't use that site. It's not worth the hassle.

Pyscho Stills

*Plot Synopsis*

(1) This image signifies the Thriller genre in a number of ways. Firstly, the mansion looks huge and intimidating sue to it being on top of a hill and due to the sheer size of it. It looks old, isolated and mysterious and gives the audience the idea of a haunted house and something going on behind closed doors. The overgrown shrubbery connotes the idea that no one ever goes there and the area is very isolated. The silhouette standing next to the house is a huge signifier of the thriller genre as the fact that you can't tell who it is is an enigma code making the audience want to know who the character is. The character is looking down at the camera making them seem more threatening. The characters posture is very manly giving the audience the idea of typical character roles and makes the audience sure that this is the villain.



(2) This image is very enigmatic. The character is completely in shadow connoting villainy. The character is holding a weapon above their head in a very threatening way and as the still is from the point of view of the victim, it makes the audience feel part of what's happening. The water moving diagonally across the image is obviously from the shower but it also looks like slashes which foreshadows waht is about to happen. The fact that the audience has no idea what the villain looks like is very enigmatic and adds to the excitement of the film.

Thriller Still

Camera:

• The shot is an extreme/a big close up to show the emotion (fear) on the characters face and so the audience doesn't know who they are connoting an air of mystery around the character.
• The still is at eye level and at a straight angle. This makes the character stand out even more because everything (e.g. the door, the window frame) is in straight lines apart from them, signifying that they shouldn't be there.
• I think a single, artificial light is used here to create shadows and create a creepy effect. This is helped by the fact that you tell that this was shot during the night.
• Shot set at a slant in the direction that the eyes are looking therefore putting more emphasis on them.
• The door is more in focus than the character adding to the feeling of entrapment and possibly signifying that the door is more powerful than the prisoner.

Mise-en-scene

• Set in black and white signifying the time period or around 1950s.
• The character is looking out a peep hole which is a frame within a frame.
• The window in the background- shows it's dark outside and the bars represent entrapment.
• The light on the characters face creates a creepy effect along with the shadows and shows off the whites of the characters eyes (which is a signifier for fear)
• The lack of decor and the neutral surroundings of the shot make sure the audiences full attention is on the character.
• The shadows on the characters face make them look almost inhuman.
• The character is looking into the distance to the left of the shot signifying that there is something there which is unknown to the audience and encourages excitement and anticipation and makes the audience predict what might be there.
• The dirt on the door and the shabbiness of the place connotes the idea that the character is trapped in a derelict building which is uninhabited and isolated.

People

• You can only see the characters eyes which focuses all the audiences attention on the expression in their eyes which is fear.
• The characters look off screen signifies to the audience that there's something there.
• No other part of the face is shown on the screen meaning that the feeling in the characters eyes is enough to express the mood.
• You can not be completely sure of the characters gender. However, the character possesses the features of a man e.g. strong bone structure and shot hair, and the lack of make up suggests that the victim is not a woman.
  

Survey

What does the word Thriller mean to you?

• "Captivates the audience right from the start and keeps them guessing" -Ann Rebak
• "A film full of tension, viewer doesn't necessarily know what's going on at the beginning, resolution at the end, usually about a darker side to life" -Marianne Rebak
• " A film that makes you want to hide behind your cushion, usually set at night time- Aaron Rebak
• "A film where the audience doesn't necessarily know what to expect, A thriller movie has to have a clever plot in order to keep the audience interested as opposed to other genres e.g. action" - James White
• "Usually has a good storyline and should have a variety of possible endings to keep the audience interested. Usually a better chance that the cost of the cinema ticket is worth paying for!" - Jon Rebak
• "...Michael Jackson" - Joseph Rebak
  

COMMENT YOUR OWN! =D

Initial Ideas

I have an idea but I'm still really unsure of details. I thought it would be really interesting to do a documentary style opening. I thought a young couple in their teens or a single guy could be filming something with a small camera in a isolated forest area for research or something. He / they would have stumbled over something they shouldn't or have found out something they shouldn't have and are now trying to collect evidence because they know someone/something is after them. You would then keep cutting to very bumpy camera work and hear raspy breathing and the sound of crunching leaves in the forest sort of staggering/running( the villain). There would be a huge build up of tension (i know I'm being very vague, but i did say i was unsure of details) and at the end of the scene the villain would catch up with the guy or the couple and the camera would be dropped in a ditch and the whole screen would go static.
After that, i had the idea that you could cut to a scene about 3 weeks later( it would tell you this) during the day and you would see some feet stop by the camera, which by this time is quite well camouflaged, and see them pick it up.
I know my idea isn't very detailed yet but i really do think it has the potential to make a really original, creative thriller sequence.

Rear Window vs. Disturbia

Disturbia is an modern remake of Alfred Hitchcocks famous thriller, Rear Window. Although the two films are similar, there are also a number of significant differences which are listed below...

Characters

Similarities:

• Same number of characters in each film.
• The caracters have the same roles e.g. Housebound man is the main character, sidekick
• In both Rear Window and Disturbia, the female is seen as a sex symbol.
• Sexual Attraction between the characters
• There is a sidekick in both films who is talkative, not particularly smart and provides comedy for the audience.
• The main characters all get really involved in both films.
• In both Rear Window and Disturbia, the villain is played by the same kind of character and is in the around the same age. Both villains are male.
• In both films, the main male character is scruffy and quite uncarign about his appearence (probably due to him being housebound). In contast the female is quite glamourous and brave opposed to being the typical damsel in distress.
• The victims in both films are female.

Differences:

• The films are set in different time periods. Rear window is set around the 1950s and Disturbia is set in 2007.
• In Rear Window the characters are in their late 20s early 30s whereas in Disturbia, the main characters are in their teens; around 16 or 17 years old.
• In Disturbia, it's the female who originally wants to start watching the man whereas in Rear Window the woman tries to distract the man from looking out the window all the time and only gets involved later on in the film.
• In Rear Window, the female goes to look in the villains flat of her own accord agaisnt the main characters wishes, while in Disturbia it's the sidekick who gets sent into the villains house on the orders of the main character.
• In Disturbia the sidekick is the main characters best friend and is male but in Rear Window the sidekick is the main characters nurse and is female.
• The Villain in Rear window is quite mysterious and the characters do not come into any physical contact with him until the end of the film. In distur bia, the villain is a lot more bold and upfront and you find out much more about him throughout the film.
• In Rear Window, there is only one victim( being the villians wife). howevr, in Disturbia there is high body count (multiple murders, all sexy women).
• In Disturbia, the villian is a serial killer who kills in bloody, disgusting ways whereas in Rear window, the villian is only disposing of his wife and the killing as far as we know isn't gruesome (he doesn't take pleasure in killing).

Themes

Similarities:

• Both plots revolve around the fact that the main character is trapped in their house.
• Due to this, the main characters see things they wouldn't otherwise see.
• Both Rear window and Disturbia share themes of Suspense, Fear, Murder, Suspiscion, Claustraphobia, Spying, Voyerism, Technology, Morales (right and wrong), Sexual Attraction, Justice and they both make you jump at times.
• There is police involvement in both films.

Differences:

• Although characters in both films are stuck in their house, they have different reasons for being there. In Rear Window, the main character is there due to personal injury and an accident. In Disturbia, the main character is under house arrest due to him hitting a teacher and getting involved with the law.
• In Disturbia, the death of the main characters father is the driving force behind the film.
• Disturbia shows paternal relationships (mother and son) but Rear Window has nothing to do with family.
• In Disturbia, the main characters trust him right from the start but in Rear Window, they humour him at the beginning and only start to really trust the main character towards the end.

Narratives

Similarities:

• Both films are character driven (although some events are crucial)
• They aren't particularly fast moving, therefore take time to let the plot unravel and build up tension.
• The point of view in the film is of the hero and his friends.
• Neither film is particularly enigmatic as we only know what the hero knows.
• However, in both films the audience are in the frame meaning not much is held back.
• In both films, there is a case of mistaken identity which the heroes see as proof.
• Dead animals are used in Rear Window and Disturbia.
  
• A main character breaks an entry in both films in order to confirm suspicions.
• There is a party in both films which distracts the protagonist and therefore distracts the audience.
• The main character is believed by his friends in both films but is not believed by the police.
• There is a use of technology current to the time the film was made in both Disturbia (e.g. computer) and Rear Window (e.g. camera).
  

Differences:

• Disturbia builds up it's plot a lot more than Rear Window.
  
• The murder count differs in both films; Disturbia features multiple murders and Rear Window only features one.
• The films are set in different places and therefore create different effects. Rear Window is set in an urban, inner city area meaning the sounds you hear are those of a city e.g. passing traffic, horns etc. Disturbia is set in surburbia which typically is seen as a family place and hence hear the sounds of family life.
• Different animals are killed by the villain in the films. In Disturbia a deer is killed and in Rear Window, a dog is killed .
  

Iconography

Similarities:

• In both Rear Window and Disturbia, artificial lighting is used e.g. street lamps, house lights.
• Frames within frames are used regularly throughout both films e.g. windows, computers, camera lenses, blinds ( all signifying entrapment)
• Knives are used in both films.
• There are ordinary settings used in both Rear Window and Disturbia which taps into the fears of the audience of what's going on behind closed doors

Differences:

• Rear Window is set in the inner city while Disturbia is set in suburbia.
• The size of the set varies in both films. Rear Window is all set from one room whereas Disturbia makes use of the whole house.
• There is different dress codes in Rear Window and Disturbia, due to the time difference.
• In Disturbia, the main character is a teenage slacker and it his own fault he has been put in the situation he is in. In Rear Window, the main character has a job and is quite a gentleman and it is accidental that he has been put in his situation.
  

Definition of the thriller genre

Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings, and cliffhangers are used extensively.
-Wikipedia

My definition of a thiller- A storyline with a plot full of suspense, keeps the audience on the edge of their seat + keeps the audience guessing right till the end.

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Luminaries Of The Thriller Genre

• Alfred Hitchcock
• James Stewart
• Raymond Chandler
• Barbara Stanwyck
• Henri-Georges Clouzot
• Clint Eastwood
• Steve McQueen
• Kevin Spacey
• William Friedkin
• Bruce Willis

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