Pitch

Pitch notes

LIZZI,DANNI and CHLOE

Slide One.

Films of the thriller genre are known to be some of the best-selling films in today’s society, and on average make a worldwide income of around $200 million in the first month of screening.

We have chosen to go deeper into this, and have decided to create a psychological thriller based on three things: 
It is an incredibly popular genre, and so will attract and appeal to a large audience. 
It is commonly known that this particular sub-genre generates a lot of money for the film industry. 
There are few films of this sub-genre in production at the present time, making them much more desirable to our target audience.

Slide Two.

Via research ranging from interviews to questionnaires, we have decided that our chosen target audience will be within the 18 to 30-age range, as we have found it is primarily this age group that favors the genre of thriller. 


Slide Two.
Our primary audience will be females within this age range, and secondarily males, since research has shown that it is predominantly females that are interested in the sub-genre of psychological thrillers. By aiming our film at a female audience, it is more likely to become successful and meet the correct criteria while realistically adhering to the masses.

Slide Three.

During our research process, we also found that the mass of answers we received showed that psychological thrillers were preferred over other popular sub-genres, such as action, crime and supernatural.
We similarly found that the majority enjoy some form of violence within this genre, be it physical or mental in order to satisfy their subconscious desire for some form of taboo content that would not be acceptable in society.

Slide Four.

The basic plot to our film will be set in the 1960’s, and revolve primarily around our antagonist, a thirty seven year old man named Eric Mathieson, who lives in a remote home close to a stretch of road in the Netherlands, which he offers for the night to travellers. The narrative will reveal that he was once a respected neurologist, before losing his license after developing psychological problems due to witnessing the brutal death of his wife and unborn child in a car crash. However, being intelligent our antagonist will know that there is something wrong with the function of his mind, and so dedicates his life to attempting to put this right and rebuild his inner equilibrium. In order to do this, he kidnaps men, women and children as they sleep and confines them to a small room built underneath his home, where he binds them and performs a number of experiments on them to test exactly how far the human mind can be pushed before entirely breaking, and then if it can be rebuilt. If he fails, he kills them and disposes of the body.
As the narrative continues, he will be faced with a particularly quick-witted victim who attempts to escape, wounding him and herself in the attempt, though will do this to no avail. The ending will be left open to the viewer’s digression, when our antagonist will simply be seen left, kneeling by his victim’s body and wounded himself, before he is seen again at the front of his house, closing the door on us.

Slide Five.

We plan on addressing several themes and representations throughout, conventionally found within the thriller genre and particularly the psychological sub-genre.

Realism – There will be a clear sense of reality versus illusion, particularly found through a point of view shot, where we will see things through the effected victim’s eyes.

Disability – We will address this in a slightly unconventional manner, and look at the disabilities that psychological disturbances can bring about rather than physical disabilities.

Mind Games – There will be a clear sense of the disturbance of the mind, particularly within scenes where we will see our antagonist performing his tests on others and breaching their minds defense.

Obsession – Our antagonist will show an obvious obsession with his one goal, to study the mind and fix his own at the expense of other lives.

Horror of Personality – We hope to give some insight into the true, visceral nature of mankind, and have taken many of our influences from men such as Stanley Milgram and John Watson, both men known for imposing psychological tests on humans.

Human Subconscious – Similar to the Horror of Personality, this will apply to revealing our raw need for normality and knowledge.

Slide Six.

Using Todorovs narrative structure, we will be coming into our plot at point three: At the point of recognition that there has been a disruption. This of course, will be a disruption in our natural world and also a disruption of the natural state of the mind.

Through doing this the audience will instantly be thrown into confusion and the conventional question of ‘why?’ will be asked. This also allows the audience to experience a sense of suspense and fear of the unknown situation they have been placed into.

To do this, we will specifically use the mise-en-scene of our setting to our advantage and attempt to create an eerie, disturbing mood instantly. This will be done through a variety of ways, such as the use of shadow and silhouette to increase the feeling of the unknown, and information being hidden. Dim lighting, and an unmotivated camera will add to this effect and create a sense of unease, obstructing the audience from any tangible information to begin with. We will also focus heavily on the sound element and plan to use a lot of silence, with occasional disruptions in the form of loud, electronic, and discorded notes paired with the non-diegetic sound of screams, as the camera distorts, matching the sound. At the end of the opening sequence, we will switch this around and turn the scream into a diegetic noise before ending on a blank screen and therefore grasping the audience instantly, creating tension and again bringing in the aspect of an uneasy silence.

Slide Seven.

This is a picture of our ideal location. As you can see, there is a lot of debris and scaffolding, peeling paint, rotting floor boards and general deterioration that would be ideal for a film following the conventions and themes we have listed.
This is actually a picture from the abandoned Stafford County Lunatic Asylum and would be accessible, but would require many months to receive permission to use.

Because of this, we have decided to use one of two locations we have access to at the moment. The first would be the underground rooms located in the small church in Cheddleton, which we have permission to use if need be. The second would be an unused barn in Endon. In order to create the same disturbing atmosphere found in the picture on the screen, we would have to take serious consideration into what to do with our space.

Some ideas we had would be to line the floors with cloth, paints and dirt, as well as using old papers and photographs, littering them around the room to create a very dirty and untrustworthy atmosphere. We would also place a single chair in the middle of the space, and bundles of rope, frayed at the edges around the room to be used as props during filming. This alone would create a very distressing scene.

Slide Eight.

The only character we plan on initially introducing will be our antagonist. We will do mostly through camera and editing, keeping the camera unmotivated but allowing the character to constantly pass through the frame. This repeated motion will familiarize him with the audience, and the lack of lighting will create the sense of suspense we require.

The victim seen in the opening sequence will be of little importance, and so will only be seen once throughout the entire film. They will be a mere symbol of the narrative and our antagonist’s motives and so will simply come into view as a shadow, submissive to the looming figure of our antagonist.

Textual Analysis

Textual analysis-

All of the three films that I have analysed, Swordfish, collateral and eagle eye are thrillers which have some differences and some similarities in both their entire plot and the opening sequence.

In all three of the opening sequences they start with either music or sound playing over the opening titles.


In swordfish the film starts with sinister non-diegetic music which creates distortion as the audience doesn't know what it going on as you do not see any footage just the production titles and then the title of the film, this is the same for eagle eye as you do not see the start of the film just the DreamWorks production alongside some sinister music this creates tension straight away which is what a thriller film should do. Unlike the other two films collateral doesn’t start with music it starts with diegetic sounds of an airport this unlike the others sets the scene as you can tell that the film is going to be at an airport from the noise of the plane landing in the background, although the music doesn’t create an sinister feel like in the other films, the black and white DreamWorks sequence which sets a dark tone of the film to follow instead of the non-diegetic music.

In the film collateral the scene opens up in a crowed airport where there is two men in focus and the rest are being focused pulled as they are walking you can hear their footsteps which are closely miced as you can hear them over the noise of the crowed airport, the footsteps that you can hear match their personalities and what their appearances are, both men are smartly dressed but one is wearing sunglasses and seems to be in control and calm as his footsteps are slower, he is not looking around but just straight ahead looking where he is going, which is unlike the other man whose footsteps are much faster which emphasizes his bobbing and constant looking around like he isn’t in as much control as the other  man. This is unlike eagle eye and swordfish as they have different sounds in the opening sequences. Swordfish has very sinister non-diegetic music that has carried on form the opening titles this changes slightly to fit the dialogue, as Gabriel says certain words that need highlighting and are important to the events later in the film they are recognised by a change in music that gets higher in pitch and makes the scene on a whole seem more sinister which is consequently making the audience confused and intrigued, it also makes them scared as the dialogue its self is sinister and confusing, this continues throughout the majority of the opening sequence. Whereas in Eagle eye the music form the start continues with the film until you see the small village over the hill this then changes when the scene cuts to jeeps driving down a road the music becomes diegetic as you can hear the car on the road but you can also hear some drums in the background creating tension and uncertainty in the scene as when it cuts back to the village using parallel editing, the diegetic sounds then turn into the non-diegetic  music that was heard at the start of the opening sequence this change in music and sound keeps happening throughout the sequence which makes the audience wary of what is to happen, parallel editing is used. Then once the scene changes to the USA surveillance the music changes again to an up tempo action like non-diegetic sound this shows the audience that there is going to be some action but at the same time they don’t know what, which creates tension which is what a thriller film should do.

Both swordfish and Eagle eye have parallel editing but they both have different effects on the audience, in swordfish the parallel editing creates tension and confusion although the parallel editing in Eagle eye also creates confusion it has a completely different effect through the music and the situation of the characters and the place it has taken place in the narrative.

 In Eagle eye the parallel editing is at the start of the sequence and it makes you more confused because you don’t quite know what is going on so there is not much tension. But in swordfish you know more of the narrative so there is more tension created this is also helped by the chaotic sounds and background noise in the scene which is not present on Eagle eye.

Collateral also has parallel editing at the start of the film where the two men are walking through the airport this shows the two events that are going on at the same time the two men in the scene are also framed on either sides of the screen.

Also both Swordfish and Collateral have focus pulls this makes the object or subject in the focus the more important thing in the scene, again in the two different films they have different effects although they both have the effect that the person/object in the focus is the main object in the scene, in Swordfish this changes to always keep you thinking and entertained which we later find out is a surveillance camera following the moves of Gabriel the main character, this makes the audience confused and wanting to see what will happen. In Collateral the focus pulls are used to make the two men seem the most important in the scene so you just focus on them and not what is happening in the background behind them, showing that the background scene isn’t important.

All of the films have different lighting, creating different effects and moods of the audience. In Swordfish when you are in the cafe there is dark lighting which is common in thrillers as they either have extreme dark or light lighting and this film has both, the light lighting is when you see the SWAT team in the street, in the crowded streets you see this contrast in both the lighting and the Meese on scene in the scene at that particular moment. The lighting has gone form one extreme to the other by doing this you are shocking the audience because that is not what they would expect after the minimal light in the previous scene. The contrast in Meese on scene also shocks the audience as they don’t not expect there to be a whole SWAT team greeting them in the streets.

In collateral the lighting is normal it has no extreme lighting which goes against the conventions of thrillers, whereas in Eagle eye there is gold and yellow lighting that represents innocence of the two boys running around on the hill this gives a false impression of the film thinking that the film will be innocent, where in actual fact the film has quiet a sinister message. There is also low level lighting in the government scene this makes the audience feel like what they are doing is secretive as there is not much light in the room this creates both tension and confusion both conventions of thrillers.

There is a mixture of shots featured in all of the opening sequences which they all feature a close up, this close up shows that something is important in the scene and makes you take notice of it when you wouldn’t normally see it. In swordfish the close ups show the characters sudden movements like lighting his cigar or where he is placing his hands around the table. In Collateral there is a close up on the picture of a beautiful island this shows that this picture is important to the cab driver and he cares about it, it also makes the audience feel that this island will be in the film later on also while you see this close up you hear him shut his cab door and the noise from outside goes it almost sounds like a vacuum this then emprises the photo making it seem as an escape form his job as he seems to be in his own little world because of the photo.

Both swordfish and Eagle eye have Arial shots to show the scale of the location, in swordfish the aerial shot is to show the scale of the operation as it is after we see the SWAT teams, this makes the audience shocked but also intrigued to why the operation is on such a large scale, with the accompanying music the scene feels tense and chaotic at the same time, whereas in eagle eye the aerial shot is of the village where you assume the two children live as we have seen them in the previous shot, because the shot is of the whole surrounding area the audience feels like it will be important later in in the film, this shot is also seen as an establishing shot to show the whole area. Another example of when an aerial shot is used is when the men in the jeeps enter the village there is an aerial shot used to show the villagers fleeing showing that there are scared or threatened by the people in the jeeps there is also a pan used to show that they are at a funeral, these shots also reveal that the characters are foreign to us- the viewer, it also lets us see how poor and simplistic their lives is which contrasts when you see the government with high tech equipment, there are close ups and pans to show the expense and the quality of the equipment.

In collateral there isn’t any particular shots as when the scene cuts to outside from the airport you see a shot montage of the cabs and the surrounding environment, at first this confuses the audience as they are not sure what it is in the shots due to the short edits on the shots, it is very fast paced which creates confusion. Also in collateral there is a few wide/ establishing shots which are used to show a long journey that have taken a long time, this is also accompanied by non-diegetic music that changes with the different locations indicating that there has been a lot of time passed or a long journey.

Miese-on-scene is important in all films, in the tree films that I am analysing there is very different mise-on-scene but there are similar props and settings. In both swordfish and eagle eye there are uses of guns and weapons but they have different effects on the audience, even though they are in the hands of the government or a police department, in swordfish the audience feel more threated by the person who the guns are aimed at – which is the main character Gabriel, because the police are there in person pointing the guns at him, and the fact that Gabriel doesn’t seem threatened by them, the audience feel agitated and on edge. This is different in  eagle eye because the government are in complete control of the situation as the people who are targeted are not aware of the situation this makes the audience more relaxed, this is because you are seeing the men from a high angle showing authority, the audience also feels relaxed because of the nature of the situation- the government are watching the area on sevalience cameras and even though there is weapons involved they do not feel threatened because they are not in the same location as each of the parties, as there is parallel editing used.

There are not any weapons used in the opening of collateral. But there is suits and smart clothing used in the airport scene of the film, indicating power and wealth; the suits are also a convention of thriller films often used to create a wealthy in control image of the characters, in collateral this is exactly what their costumes do, this wealthy man is also present in both swordfish and eagle eye, this shows the control and the professionalism of the characters, especially in swordfish as the main character is in full control of the situation and the police around them which is a role change if what usually occurs with police and the villains in an ordinary situation but this is also common in thriller films to have the villain in control.

 The suits in eagle eye are worn by the US government showing their power over the smaller country that their targets are situated, it also shows their wealth in comparison to the poorer country involved, the audience can tell that they are less wealthy by the clothes they are wearing and the sounding meise-on-scene around them. They are wearing earth coloured clothes that are torn and not of good quality, this shows that they are poor, the location that they are living in also gives an indication that they are poor, as it is very simply, there is not much there apart from some houses and a what looks like a fire this juxtaposes the image of the government facility as there is very expensive equipment and blacked out windows.

In Swordfish and Eagle eye the villains cause a disruption to the everyday scene, in eagle eye we see this disruption happening which builds up tension. But in Swordfish we don’t see this disruption the audience are thrown into the disruption this creates confusion, but as there isn’t any disruption in collateral this also creates confusion of what is happening. But in collateral there is no change to the everyday life meaning that the narrative has started in different places according to Todrovs theory.

There are explosions in both Swordfish and Eagle eye, which use special effects.

There are many representations in all three of the films, in eagle eye there are representations of innocence this is shown through the two boys running through the hills and then the women and children in the nearby village, this is also represented in Swordfish through the hostages being captured. It is also represented in collateral through the man in the cab. There are also representations of violence in the films Swordfish and Eagle eye. In Swordfish there violence throughout the whole of the opening sequence in both the words and the action, the dialogue at the beginning of the sequence is sinister and is violent in the words that are said then the violence from the hostage situation. There is also violence in Eagle eye as you see a village get blown up.

Overall I think that Swordfish has the better opening sequence because it keeps you confused as you don’t know what is happening because of the part of the narrative the audience have been put into, I also think it the better of the three because it has a variety of shots and builds up tension straight away.

Thriller research

What is a thriller film?

A thriller film is a piece of media that uses suspense, tension, excitement, anticipation, uncertainty and terror to keep the audience both entertained and on the edge of their seats. Red herrings and cliff-hangers are often used within this genre to help create some of the moods mentioned. There are many subgenres and hybrids of the thriller genre some are mystery thrillers, psychological thrillers and crime thrillers they are all different types of film that was created from the thriller genre. Thrillers tend to have fast paced plots and action scenes and most of the time keep you thinking,the main characteristics of thrillers are that they are usually set in a remote or exotic setting such as deserts or foreign cities. 

Thrillers often overlap with mysteries but they can be distinguished by the structure of their plots. Thrillers generally show justice and injustice fighting against each other, with an overall fell of suspense, usually the antagonist is known and the protagonist must stop their plans; a thriller film usually has a growing sense of threat and/or danger. A thriller film is usually told from someone’s point of view allowing them to become more involved in the events and get to know the characters more in different situations.

Events that have occurred in the film previously are important to later scenes that reveal the confusion and the plot of the film; there are a lot of action scenes to keep the audience guessing what will happen next with builds suspense and confusion. During a scene that has a conversation taking place the audience can understand what is happening but as a result the whole plot or events happening are not fully explained which keeps the confusion throughout the film and if it is done right it will keep the audience entertained and want to keep watching. The two different main characters (the antagonist and protagonist) are usually distinguished by their character but the way they look is important as well. The hero in thrillers are usually people who encounter danger on a daily biases like a police man or someone else who would wear a uniform or just someone who has just been pulled into the situation by accident. The villains in thrillers are typically men and are tall but with a shady sense about them which gives the impression that they are not to be trusted, they will usually have a deformity or had suffered a traumatic experience that has changed them completely.

Other characters in thrillers are usually on the protagonist side and females are seen as innocent and helpless until they are needed within the narrative. 

The type of clothing that is worn is different depending on the character but they are typical and generic of that character. Most characters will appear smartly dressed or well dressed, but different types of thrillers and sub-genres will cause the dress to change accordingly. The colours of the dress is also important, they will relate to their personality, villains will usually appear in black as they are dark and evil,  whereas, innocent young characters will wear pastel or white colours to emphasize their personality.

Although thrillers are usually set in an urban city they can also be set in a quiet village, where the people there live a normal live.

There is usually only a small range of colour used in thrillers, the main colour being black or grey, this shows how normal life is, there are other colours that correspond to points in the narrative, if there is a, lot of blue we can assume that someone is going to die or already has, if there is read we see that the person is in danger as it is a warning colour.

The camera shots are usually either steady or move around a lot like if you using a hand held camera. If there is dialogue in the scene or the character is having an intense moment then the camera will be still and focus on the characters more than they would the background behind them. If there are one or more characters in the shot then there will be a medium shot used or a two shot to show how they relate to each other, if they are standing together and or close to each other. The camera moves around a lot more if there is action taking place, in action scenes there is an increased cut rate this makes the audience on their feet and makes them watch more closely so that they don’t miss any of the action. More camera movement is also used when there is a sense of vulnerability or something has gone wrong, which increases the suspense.

The lighting is dim and hides part of the character or location to add confusion and mystery to the scene. The props that are mainly used are weapons.

The main themes in a thriller are based around something that is relevant to society and what they think and worry about, these can be anything from kidnapping, isolation to terrorism and the effects of it, most often the narrative will be from the hero’s perspective and the crime will be portrayed be the villain.