Film/video Editor

Film editors assemble footage of feature films, television shows, documentaries, and industrials into a flawless end product. They manipulate plot, score, sound, and graphics to refine the overall story into a continuous and enjoyable whole. The film editor is responsible for assembling raw film work into a final finished piece suitable for broadcasting. The material they tend to work on, consist of raw camera footage, dialogue, sound effects, graphics and special effects. This is mainly the key role in the post-production process, as the editor’s skills can determine the quality and delivery of the final product. The editor may be part of a team and they will usually work closely with the director to achieve the desired end result. Editors are specialised to be able to have sharp skill in areas such as digital technology, computer software and high-quality digitisation of sound and pictures. Depending on the type of video the editor may be very involved in creating the narrative, structure, and tone of the programme.

The process of work for an editor involves:

• Receiving a brief, and possibly an outline of footage, script or screenplay.

• Assembling all raw footage, with camera shots either recorded/transferred onto a video tape in preparation for inputting into the computer.

• Inputting uncut material and sound, and synchronising ad storing them into files on the computer.

• Digitally cutting the files to determine the sequence of the film and determining what is usable.

• Creating a ‘rough cut’ of the programme/film and determining the exact cutting for the next/final stages.

• Tweaking the content to ensure the logical sequencing and smooth running of the film/video

• Overseeing the quality and progress of audio and vision engineering and editing.

• Experimenting with styles and techniques including the design of graphic elements.

• Selecting the most effective shot of a scene in terms of drama, story relevance or continuity.

• Writing voiceover/commentary.

• Suggesting/selecting music.

The final stage of the process requires the skills of the online editor, who is often employed in a specialist post-production facility. They are responsible for delivering the final product to the required specifications, the online editor's role is focused on technical aspects such as correcting faulty footage, grading/colouring, and adding special effects to finish the film or programme. In lower budget productions one editor may perform both the offline and online editing.

Skills

A willingness to get involved and be prepared to do the most menial of tasks from the outset is highly required. At the same time, a skill with appropriate editing software packages such as AVID and Final Cut Pro should be developed. The following personal qualities are also crucial:

• A keen eye for detail

• Reliability

• Perfectionism

• The ability to listen to others

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral

A passionate interest in film/video editing and being creative through visual and aural perception is also essential, as well as being highly technically skilled in order to construct the product.

Lighting


Natural light is light which is made by things in the nature, and the sun. However, artificial light is light from electricity and the contrast and brightness can be changed. Artificial lights are from photofloods, halogens and “local light” (lamps, TV, street lights). Hard lighting comes from the source. Sunlight and on-camera flash are two types of hard lights. Strong types of light that create shadows can eliminate details and produce shadows. Soft light is indirect, e.g. the sunlight coming through curtains. The shadows are not as harsh and this type of lighting is ideal for portraits.


3 point lighting is important as it conveys the mood or atmosphere of the scene. Bounce lighting is when the light bounces of a particular source (e.g. umbrella, wall and blank drop sheet). This is to surround the central object with light. Bounce lighting can only work through reflection, and a form ambient light can bounce indirectly which will illuminate the central object of a photo.


Blogging

Blogs are used to record the daily events that happen in their lives, or to keep family or friends updated. Photo blogging is for mainly photographers who like to share their photos to the public. Video blogging, is when instead of writing anything, they would record themselves on camera to share to the public. Blogs have conventions and some are with our without templates, so the write can write about anything other than what the template has structured out for the writer. 


 Information which is referenced should be linked with a text link to allow readers to read on about any further information. Some blogs are categorized, and allows readers to view all of the articles to do with a certain topic of their choice.

BBFC Guidelines

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Professional Job Roles


Producer


Producers are one of the main roles, in television, film, and video productions and they manage everything that would take place. They will conclude everything that will take place, and will turn it to a finished piece. Producers can also be involved in distribution and marketing. A Producer must also report directly back to the client about any changes made or anything they would like to contribute to, such as adding something to the film. The Producer works close with the director, and other staff included. The Producer needs to have some directing skills, as they may direct themselves. They would also take care of all project operations. The producer is responsible for the budget and allocates each crew member a certain budget for them.


Pre-Production – Producers bring together all members on the creative team. They assist the Executive Producers to raise the finance for the Production. They then choose Line personnel e.g. Line Producer, Production Manager, and Associate Producer. Producers also participate in the location, approval of the final Shooting Script, Production Schedule, and Budget.
Producers are responsible for everyday operations that proceed, even though some are responsible to the Line Producer and any Associated Producers. The producer is in constant communication and consultation with the director. Producers approve on script changes and cost reports.


Producers must be good businessmen/women, strategists, motivators, negotiators and creative visionaries, with the ability to spot and deal with any situations that occur, because they have to make sure everything is going successfully and there are no problems involved. They also do whatever it takes to get the film made. They need knowledge and a thorough understanding of all creative processes in the film making. They must know how to prepare a budget for the production, and how to secure financial recourses for the production. Producers need to be excellent communicators, so they are able to work with others sensitively under pressure. They are also expected to plan, inspire and supervise. Producers have a legal responsibility under health and safety for the workplace, as they make sure nothing will cause any injuries for anyone and it is a safe and clean environment to work in. Must be able to identify hazards, asses the risks and develop procedures to control the risks.


Director

Directors may write the script. They must develop a vision for the finished film and design a practical way of achieving it. During pre-production, there are crucial decisions made as they have to select the right type of cast, crew and locations for the film. This is crucial, because it has to be suitable for the type of movie that is going to be produced. Then they will direct the rehearsals and the performances of the actors once in production. They also manage the sounds, lighting, camera, sound and special effects. 


When in post-production, directors work closely with editors through many technical processes of editing. At all stages directors are responsible on motivating the team to produce the film they have envisioned.
Directors must have a very artistic vision and creative skills to develop an engaging film. The are also expected to be confident leaders as they are in control of what happens on set. Director’s must also have a passion for filmmaking. They should constantly make decisions, but must also work with the others in the team. They should have outstanding communication skills to get the best from the filmmaking. Directors also need self-belief and motivation to succeed.

Interview Questions 2

1) What do you look for in a thriller?

2) What grabs your attention most in a thriller?

3) Would you prefer a thriller to end resolved or with a cliff hanger and why?

4) When you watch a thriller from a certain sub-genre, what do you expect to be in it?

5) If you were to expect something different in a thriller, what would it be and why?



1) I like a top billed cast, as most times they are just the best acting talent out there, and I like to get immersed in the characters, which I can’t do if the acting is terrible. With a thriller there needs to be plenty of action, if I want a slow movie id watch a rom-com or a documentary etc I don’t like my films to be realistic; I find it sometimes to be quite disturbing and boring, because real life is boring. Therefore I like a large amount of fantasy to keep me interested.

2) The action scenes and their build up. There’s always a tense bit of music before the action, then the fast camera cuts and the clever wide panning to close-up transitions, when the action gets going. There’s always loud, fast paced dramatic music, and the actions the main part of the film. I feel like everything else just leads up to the action, or sums up the action at the end.

3) I like it to end resolved. Cliff hangers are supposedly for you to make your own ending of it, but then the producers bring out a mediocre sequel; ruin the viewers made up ending by replacing it with a shoddy excuse for a decent film. Clearly just trying to make more money off the first film rather than trying to make just a good film. So I prefer when a film has an absolute ending, to prevent bad sequels and such. Although it is difficult to find many resolute endings which work nicely, some seem rushed and are done poorly, and you always run the risk that the ending you dreamt up yourself would have been more satisfactory than the one the film makers provide.

4) Well I do like the predictability of action has to keep to the general setup of all action films so at the beginning we meet a character unsure of themselves (top billed of course) who is going to be our hero then a large problem comes up, still near the beginning: there’s nothing worse than a slow build up - I like the main character to be introduced and then get on with it so the main character starts plotting how to fix this problem, I expect of course a love interest at this stage, and normally an unsuspecting civilian innocently thrust into the line of action always works nicely then huge action scenes, dramatic, good music, has to look like a struggle then a resolved ending, "baddy" defeated, guy gets girl I do rather enjoy a happy ending.

5) If this was in terms of an action thriller then I would have to say the hero does not survive at the end and instead the love interest or friends/family have to suffer. I chose this reason as many action movies these days just have the love interest dying and the hero surviving throughout the whole film.

In accordance to my group’s research, the analysis had found that mainly male teenagers were familiar with thrillers and enjoyed it on a daily basis, and a horror sub-genre had fit their key interest. Also, in a month, the majority watch one to five thriller films, which is the lowest amount amongst the category. On average, films certificated with an 18 were more enjoyed than 12A and 15, showing young/mature teenagers preferred to watch film above their age limit, which conveys, extreme levels of intensity with a thriller is favoured within this audience. More so, these teenagers tended to have a preference of a cliff-hanger to a resolution of the thriller movie; further conveying the type liking to films that linger in the mind.

Overall, I can conclude from this, and ideal movie for this specific target audience within the age range of young teenagers to 20 years of age would be, a horror thriller with a certificate of 18, which is ended in a cliff-hanger, with conventions specifically suited to the likings of a male, however with a common appeal to females as well, to broaden the audience range. Nonetheless, certain popular films like Paranormal Activity, Scream, The Ring, Inception and Bad Boys, were commonly favourite between the interviewees, which falls under the categories of action and horror. Therefore, we have determined to base our thriller on this combined genre of action-horror. Also focusing on the features that will attract the viewers is vital, therefore to embed these techniques in the production of our opening sequence, we would need to focus on analysing the desired existing movies, and extract useful information; so when it comes to filming, these properties will be enforced.

To be able to familiarize with the characteristics of the film we aim to create, is inevitable to be a difficult process, considering two sub-genres are being combined (action/horror), which means the group need to concentrate on covering all the elements that can montage together without juxtaposing each other; these can be planned when we are storyboarding ideas for the finalized film, hence looking deeper into the movies that are greatly popular amongst our target audience, to see which films work with each other, thus basing our final piece on these movies. General ideas and thoughts have been drawn amongst the group without having a confirmed plan, so we plan on officialising, after our in-depth analysis of these films. In this first step, we all distributed the films between us to watch all the movies and share ideas on a verbal note, but similar ideas will be recorded for official reference in the near future. We do plan on having more group discussions, in an improvised manner just to acquaint with each other’s goals, and narrowing down a specific storyline.

Nevertheless, we also plan on drawing views on personal experience and encounters with useful and relevant movies, as well as summarising ideas from class notes and personal research. Moreover, looking into mise-en-scene, lighting, camera-work, props and so forth, this will allow us to get a vague feel of what expectations will need to be met in the making of our film. For instance, visiting locations to see if it is appropriate enough to use for our movie and such. Also one crucial part we plan to achieve is having feedback from professionals in this field, such as directors and producers in the specific genre of action and film, which will benefit our knowledge.

Interview Questions 1

1) What do you look for in a thriller?

2) What grabs your attention most in a thriller?

3) Would you prefer a thriller to end resolved or with a cliff hanger and why?

4) When you watch a thriller from a certain sub-genre, what do you expect to be in it?

5) If you were to expect something different in a thriller, what would it be and why?



1) Originality is substantially the most important aspect of a thriller, in my opinion. If it lacks innovative ideas and plots then I have no intention of watching the film. An underlying plot, perhaps misleading the viewers is quite appealing too but I’ll always expect something like that so a twist within a twist would end up making me motivated, I’d like to think that this would work effectively with mystery thrillers. I always look for clues or anything apprehensive that will develop a sort of idea of where or who is the source of the “problem” is and if too much is given away or too less. It could not even be a mystery thriller and could lead the viewers into deeper contemplation about little clues about each character. Character development is critical, if the actor cannot bring forth emotions correctly then what we make of the character goes completely downhill, so I usually like to see who is in the film; their past roles may alter the viewers decision of watching the film.

2) What grab’s my attention most in the thriller is the inimitable clues that I endeavour to find, I normally find myself trying to figure out the source of the plot with all the clues I’ve found or construe what will end up happening next from all the dialogue and events that have happened beforehand. The main characters immediately acquire most of my attention, they have to be played well and if they’re part of the disclosed plot then they should maintain their identity through out the film. Conversely, if they are put forth as the “villain” then they should depict a faint relationship between their rival, likewise with horror thrillers, if the murderer has a motive that will intrigue me because I would love to hear the reason of they chose their victim. I particularly enjoy a slight tinge of humour in thrillers, lots of action and chemistry between the characters. A realistic, believable screams usually makes the ambience a little better, it can change a lot about the scene.

3) I, for my part, prefer cliff hangers, because the anticipation and all the excitement leaves you thinking what actually did happen, and if your discussing the film with friends or family people will all be drawn from different conclusions because we all psychologically apprehend the film differently. That’s what thrillers all about right? ...Anticipation and shock, so why ruin the thoughts over the concluding scene by revealing what was given to the viewer to chew over.

4) Thrillers that I usually watch consist of the sub genres: Horror, Mystery, and Psychological. The conventions of those sub genres usually conclude in a twist or require a lot of thinking. I always expect misleading events because that’s just the way the films work, and the setting of the film I usually expect to be an ordinary place or town that people has never seen publicised that frequently.

5) It’s quite difficult to expect something in a thriller that you wouldn’t really expect because thrillers usually adapt to the opposite of peoples psychosomatic expectations; therefore making the shocking affect. However, if I was to see something different it would be making the following scenes or characters quite conspicuous so your initial thought would be “This is too evident”, therefore making you seek an unlikely source and try to find a motive behind their actions.

(Interviewee 1)

1) What do you look for in a thriller?

I like to have an effect where I can jump to unexpected parts, no matter how predictable it is.

a) could you expand on that please?

As you know, in most movies, you would expect, a villain, hero or a good guy, and he has to save the day, considering the ghost or demon or whatever is doing its business, I would like to see a twist to break this typical style of thrillers, however much the storyline is fascinating. I basically would like to see something different.

b) Have you seen anything like this before?

Yes! The film, Disturbia!

c) What do you like about this movie?

I like the actors in it, like Shia from the ‘Transformers’ movie, and the plot is brilliant!

2) What grabs your attention the most in a thriller?

The thrills and chills of it!

a) So in particular?...

So the thrill could be how the bad monster or something is confronted, and the chills are like, maybe the gruesome or shocking parts!

3) Would you prefer a thriller to be resolved, or have a cliff hanger and why?

Cliff hanger, so there is a possibility we get to see more films, like Paranormal Activity, 1 and 2, and I would like to see different storylines within the film rather than one, because it would be more captivating that way.

4) When you watch a thriller from a certain sub-genre, what do you expect to be in it?

Although I do like horror types of thrillers, I do enjoy crime thrillers. I expect a lot of action and humour.

a)That’s different, why humour?

Because, humour kind of neutralises the scary part of the movie, I can’t really handle a hard-core scary movie, so a bit of humour would be perfect!

5) If you were to expect something different in a thriller, what would it be and why?

Well from the films I have watched, I haven’t really seen a satisfying happy ending, so personally a good happy-ending would be nice for a change.

(Interviewee 2)

1) What do you look for in a thriller?

Mainly that the film is interesting, and doesn’t have a typical plot, but is different and it keeps me gripped to the climax and storyline of the film until the end.

a) Have you come across this type of film you’re talking about?

Yes, The Ring, I always manage to be caught off-guard every time I watch that film, its epic.

2) What grabs your attention the most in a thriller?

Something that takes you through a rollercoaster, and is not consistent in terms of emotions, I always do like to be sitting on the edge of my seat throughout a thriller movie.

3) Would you prefer a thriller to be resolved or have a cliff hanger and why?

It depends, I would want it to be resolved if there’s not going to be a sequel, but if there was going to be sequel, then I would like a cliff-hanger, so I will have the urge to watch the next film.

a) Do you have any examples?

I think Final Destination is a good one, but recently I watched Harry Potter 7, and you know how it is a two part film, I can’t wait for the second part to come out, because I still remember how it ended, and I think it was really clever how the director decided to end it, it’s definitely keeping me waiting!

4) When you watch a thriller from a certain sub-genre, what do you expect to be in it?

I expect there to be interesting characters, like Denzel Washington in the film ‘Training Days’.

5) If you were to expect something different in a thriller, what would it be and why?

Some of the mysteries in parts of the film could be solved, so it doesn’t anticipate viewers too much.

a) Could you expand on that please?

Some films can use the cliff-hanger technique to continue onto a sequel, but when the next movie does come out, there can sometimes be a lot of unanswered questions from the viewers like me, which can be disappointing as we would be expecting to feel satisfied watching it without any confusion from the previous film, sometimes it can be interesting, but other times, its just plain annoying!

b) Could you name any films you’re talking about in particular?

Well to be honest, I can’t really think of any at the moment, because there have been a lot of films I have watched. But I was just meaning in general, being a movie fanatic, I do remember the things that are irritating, and thought I should let you know that sometimes these things should be avoided in concern of the viewers and to keep them from disappointment.

Analysis of questionnaires

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Thriller questionnaire

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Conclusion of Questionnaires and Interviews

We sent out 30 questionnaires overall to the public with different age ranges. We did this, because we wanted to find out what the public look for in a thriller, to help us decide on what type of thriller we would make. Also to find out whom our main target audience will be.

From our research we have found out that all our recipients have watched a thriller, and many know what a thriller is. Many of our questionnaires were fill out from the age range between 17 and 20. Another majority of questionnaires were filled out by ages between 13 to 16 and 21 to 25. A small amount of questionnaires were filled out by ages 26 and over’s. From this we concluded that our thriller will be aimed at 15 to 20 year olds. We chose this because it was the highest amount of age ranges and we thought that people who fall in this age range would watch a thriller.

We had also found out more males watch a thriller than females. From the pie charts, we can see that more than a half of males had answered the questionnaires whereas there are less than a half of females. From this we concluded that our thriller may contain some features which may be more appealing to males however the thriller will still be suitable for females to watch.

We then asked what sub genres of thrillers they are interested in. From this a big majority of the public had chosen Action, Psychological and Horror. However the minority of people chose crime and supernatural. From this we concluded that our sub genres for the thriller we will produce are Horror and Action. We chose this because our feedback had shown that more people are interested in these sub-genres. So we chose the two main sub genres and will base our thriller on them.

We also asked the public what their favourite thriller movie is and what sort of villain they look for in a thriller. In these two questions we had got a wide range of answers, but most the questionnaires had got the same which were Paranormal Activity, Scream, The Ring, Inception and Bad Boys. This is due to the fact that from out sub genre’s our main ones chosen were psychological, action and horror and these thrillers consist on the sub genres. As they chose their favourite thriller and chose they sub genre, the villain they would mainly look for is a psychotic villain. However a small amount of the respondents wanted a serial killer, and as action had been chosen quite a lot, the audience preferred to see a super hero fighting a super villain. From this we had concluded that our villain would be psychotic as our target audience would be more interested in that.

We also asked how many films they would watch in one month, a very large amount has responded between 1 to 5 movies, and another amount had said 15 or over. This had shown that thrillers have been watched consistently. We also asked what certificate rating for a thriller they would watch. More than a half of the audience had said 18, a majority of people said 15 and a minority had said 12. From this we concluded that we will choose the certificate rating 18 as most of our target audience watch it with that rating. Even though our target audience is 15 to 20, we had found out that the people who are under 18 still watch certificate movies.

Our final question for the questionnaire was if the Public prefer a cliff hanger or the ending to be resolved. Over a half of the audience prefer a cliff hanger, whereas a small amount of people prefer the ending to be resolved. From this we concluded that our ending will end with a cliff hanger. We chose this because our target audience prefer a cliff hanger.

We also used another type of research to find out what our target audience prefer in a thriller. We used an interview because it is more in depth and we can get a lot more information.

The first question we asked was what they look for in a thriller. Most of them wanted a different two of lot and not a typical one. They wanted a thriller to have a very good story line and to keep the audience gripped to the movie until the climax. 
The respondents would also prefer a thriller to have a very complex twist and something very mysterious with suspense. Also many referred back to the music as they thought music can have a big impact on a thriller to add more tension and suspense to keep their attention throughout the movie. This helped us decide to think of a more complex story line and not just a typical one which will get our audience bored within the two minutes.

The second question we asked was what would grab their attention in a thriller. From all the responses, we had gathered that the audience want the actors in the thriller to be played very well and have a big impact to make them interested. The thriller has to be very realistic, as they are not very interested in movies that look fake and poorly edited. Some respondents said that the dialogue and the adrenaline grabs their attention as they know what is going on and makes the thriller seem more thrilling and keeps the audience watching on. 


Lastly, there has to be a good storyline, instead of a typical one. Such as a thriller with the sub-genre of horror, would have a storyline about a haunted house. To the responses we got back from our audience show that they want a more different and exciting storyline then just a normal one. Overall, we have concluded that, our storyline will be different and exciting which will keep the audience gripped. We will use music, with a lot of impulse and exaggerate scenes that will have a lot of adrenaline.

The third question we asked was that if the audience prefer the ending of a thriller with a cliff hanger or to be resolved. From this we can conclude what they prefer and we can decide if we will end ours with a cliff hanger, or to be resolved. From the responses many preferred a thriller to end with a cliff hanger. They chose a cliff hanger, as it brings more anticipation and excitement to them. The audience are left thinking, and making up their conclusion’s to the film. However, a minority prefer it to end resolved. They don’t want something that we carry on as a sequel.
 They would prefer it to be resolved if it weren’t a sequel, however if the thriller is a sequel, they would want it to be a cliff hanger, as they have the urge to watch the next one. From this we have concluded that our thriller will end with a cliff hanger, as it keeps the audience on edge and leaves them thinking and feeling shocked.

The fourth question we asked was that if they watched a thriller from a certain sub-genre, what they would expect to be in it. We asked this question to get an idea of what our audience looks for in certain sun genres, so we get a rough idea what we can do in our thriller, to keep them interested. Our responses show that they would expect there to be misleading events, meaning expecting something they didn’t know what was going to happen.


 This grabs their attention as the thriller would be unpredictable and keeps them watching to see something happen unexpectedly. Also, one respondent had out Sci-Fi, and we had found out that in a Sci-Fi our audience would expect it to be very hi-tech and computerised. There should be a lot of adrenaline and fast pace camera movements also they expect it to be non-realistic. A minority said that they would expect some action and humour.


 They chose humour as it neutralises the scary part of the film, which can give the audience a reaction by them laughing. From this we concluded that our main subgenres are horror and action, and there would be a lot of adrenaline, and fast pace. This makes the thriller seem very impulse exciting, however the audience will be kept on the edge of their seat, as there will be horror included.

The final question we asked was that if they were to expect something different in a thriller, what would it be and why. From this, we can find out what the audience wants for a thriller to be different than any other thriller. This helps us as we can think of a genuine storyline which is completely different to other story lines in other films, which makes our target audience want to watch it and find it very appealing. 


The responses we got, were that a majority of our audience, would prefer something mysterious with a big twist, which then builds up during the film and it is all resolved. They expected this because the viewers can then understand the climax more and it is unpredictable. Also, they expect the characters to be illustrated clearly, this way we can find out the motive of that character which helps the audience; understand why the character is portrayed in that certain way. From this we concluded that in our thriller, there would be a big twist, yet it won’t be very confusing as some of the audience would not understand it, and they would lose interest. 
Therefore, if there are twists going on, there is more likely to be more action and slight horror, when the tension starts to build up.

Paranormal Activity

(Psychological thriller genre – 5 minute clip)

The opening sequence starts with a few seconds of plain, pure black background and silence, this ensures the audience is kept in eager bewilderment and kept at the edges of their seats, thrilled to see what happens next. Then slowly a simple white caption stating, ‘Paramount Pictures would like to thank the families of Micah Sloat & Katie Featherston and the San Diego Police Department’, appears in the middle frame of the screen with a fading in transition, and fades out after a couple of seconds. The simplicity and vague content within this statement can be intentionally developed to create confusion and speculation amongst the audience. Also the use of documentary style format is generally associated with police investigative files/cases, which further enigma codes a major/serious event lays ahead.

Moving on, the audience is then startled with the sudden burst of diegetic sound appearing of the music coming from the television where we view a medium-shot of the television, which seems to be among an environment of a home. We notice the realism within this movie straight away, once we see this home is existent, and is just as similar to any other home, this mise-en-scene suggests a sense of ordinariness. Also considering the fact, up to this point, there has been no special use of instrumental music as such to influence the film’s mood, however just capturing the audio which is heard in the atmosphere.

A panning motion of a segment of the room is shown, where we immediately discover this element is being captured from a hand-held camera, where then we see a cut to the character who is holding the camera as he films himself in the mirror, this could have purely been sequenced this way in order to allow the viewers to acknowledge what type of movie they are watching, which begins to connote a documentary style conventional film, considering the non-professionalism in the type of film work, with the titled, shaky angles of the camera position, which can further suggest a sense of mass disorientation.

More so, the lighting within the house denotes natural lighting as the uneven consistency in the spread of darkness to light can connote uncertainty, and also further solidify the fact this is an objective home video, in a sense of, what we see is what we get, which can begin to alert the viewers, as they begin feeling the events that unfold in this film could actually reflect supposed reality, due to the natural features in this film. There is an enhanced use of ambient sounds of the atmosphere in the background; the intensity of the sound seems to be purposely deteriorated in volume to build an unsettling effect. Also the heightened sound effect of his footsteps accelerates the rising tension amidst the eery silence. Furthermore, the perplexed panning shots with the use of irregular editing, confirm filming of improvised instinct, where we begin to hear the sound effects of a phone ringing, this is bound to alarm the audience, as this can be generalized as a typical convention of a horror thriller.

However this interpretation is juxtaposed when we see a mid close-up shot of the man’s phone ringing; where when answered, he initiates the conversion with an informal ‘wassup’, which signifies this casual manner of conversing conveys a close-relationship, of the participant on the other side of the phone. We then see the man approaches the door to supposedly greet in the person on the phone,(considering up to this point, and at random times throughout the clip he has used the camera as his point-of-view shot), where as we see a medium-shot of the setting outside the door, showing a clear, blue sky, and calm surroundings, when yet again the same type of format in which the statement at the beginning of the clip had occurred, a white font caption had faded in and faded out stating; ‘San Diego, CA September 18th, 2006’, this allows us to recognize, the location and the time in which these actions are taking place, also highlighting a documented theme.

At this point a car drives into the front car park, and the camera shot slowly zooms into the other character, while approaching, when we are introduced to a female character, as they begin bantering in a friendly way, with dialogue references to each other such as ‘baby’ indicating there is an intimate relationship between the two characters is due to the fact they are a couple. These mundane actions link to reality as being as normal as any other day, further drawing in the audience, as they can similarly relate to these characters. The clip uses a few jump cuts and continuity editing throughout this clip, suggesting the film camera is manually stopped and recorded in different intervals of the day, which can also be interpreted as a slight use of minimal ellipsis.

The clip progresses for a couple of seconds with this use of technique, as the couple tour their new house and converse warmly. At around 1 minute and 30 seconds into the movie clip, the audience begin to acknowledge the purpose and concept of this documentary style home video, as we begin hearing dialogue of the male character, who begins talking about the reason behind filming, as there is a first reference to the title of this film; ‘paranormal phenomenon’, and he further elaborates while in the kitchen on the fact that if any bizarre activity happens within the house, it will be detected on camera and light-heartedly says he will take care of it, while gesturing with a knife, where this is a use of non-diegetic sound, amplifying the aggressive motion in which he is moving it, implying a certain level of threat.

More over, whenever both characters are talking into the camera, it seems they are indirectly talking to the viewers; this assures that full attention can always be drawn in, especially when Micah approached the camera, and personifies the camera by making references such as; ‘are you ok’ and such, firstly showing his attachment to this camera and also secondarily check whether their audience still hold their interest, which personally creates a bond and comfort zone immediately with the viewers and themselves, as we begin recognising these couple, as the protagonists. This is represented by their occasional share of affection when kissing each other, connoting their deep caring and love fore each other, as we primarily feel empathy for them. Nevertheless, the conversation slowly begins entwining into the notion of the movie, as Micah begins mentioning, setting off any ‘paranormal activity’, yet again in the somewhat carefree manner, without realising the seriousness of the situation, which by Katie questions him, ‘you believe me right?’. This enigma codes the entire sequence of the film, considering the psychological aspect involved in this type of genre base, allowing the viewers to take a minute to venture on their own beliefs, guaranteeing the audience’s focus is sharper at this point.

We begin to sense a change in the atmosphere around 4 minutes and 40 seconds into the clip, as the couple are seen to carry on with their leisure/everyday life, when Katie suddenly turns her head to the left portion of the room, connoting the hidden panic to any type of encounter with indistinct movement or sound in the house, showing us how Katie is put on edge, as she taps Micah to direct this sound, making them both nervous, leaving us anticipating to see what this may be, since the camera is only facing them. There is a jump cut, to the camera being faced in a different area of the house, where the couple are trying to trace this sound of movement, which denotes the fact that the camera was yet again switched off and back on, to create a genuine effect, however in terms of editing, I believe this specific jump cut, could have been deliberate to play with the shaky threshold of fear we experience, once we realise there may be some sort of peril in the house. Tension slowly builds and rises, amidst the overwhelming lingering silence, the camera is touring the part of the house to uncover the truth behind the specific noise or movement, the natural effect of the camera motion, connotes the inclusion of viewers, while altering camera angles, from a high level to a low level, almost juggling the apprehension in the viewers’ emotions.

Conclusion of Genre

The main elements that consist on making a successful thriller are suspense, tension and excitement. The sub-genres of a thriller are mystery, crime, psychological, and horrors. Thrillers are mainly characterised of violence, crime and murder which shows that the society is dark and corrupt. Thrillers are based with plot twists, mysterious scenes and cliff hangers. They promote moods with adrenaline rushes, anticipation, expectation and terror. This adds more of a thrill to the audience. In common psychological thrillers it mainly consists on mind games, death traps, stalking, horror and obsession. Also, there is always someone who is generalised as a villain. The characters in thrillers are mainly criminals, stalkers, assassins, innocent victims, menaced woman, characters with a dark past, psychotic individualists, terrorists or cops.

The conventions of a thriller generally associates with lighting, sound and editing. There are quick cuts and camera angle change as the music builds up on tension and suspense. This grabs the audience’s attention as it shows the main sub-genre of a movie from the way the camera is positioned and the pace of the music. The audience are more likely to be interested in a movie with different types of shot which makes it a lot more exciting, than just keeping to a single shot. The pace of music has a big effect, as it created a certain atmosphere for a certain sub genre. E.g. if it were a horror thriller, there could be slow, low pitched incidental music to create tension. 


The lighting also can be used in two different ways; it can either be naturally occurred, or artificial. Natural lighting can be used in horrors, as they might just use the light from the streetlight, sun, or moon. This makes the scene look a lot gloomier and the audience will know straight away that it is a horror. However, an artificial lighting can be used, by changing the colour. E.g. if they are showing a flash back in a scene, they can use artificial lighting by changing it to black and white. This helps the audience know that it is a flashback, and grabs their attention even more, as it helps them focus more to understand the plot. However, the forms of a thriller show that it is constructed, and tells the audience how the story is told, from a person’s point of view narrative. 


There are many combinations of a storyline which ultimately make up a thriller. Some forms of a thriller are flashbacks, which encounter the pervious lifestyle of a character, which tell the main parts of the story, and so the audience understand the storyline clearly. The flashbacks are either used at the start or run throughout the film. This provides interest, as it first can start off by being very confusing and mysterious, until a flashback is shown and it helps explain and concludes the storyline.

The forms and conventions relate to the Similar Textual Analysis we did on an opening scene of a film. Fast and Furious, is a thriller with the sub genre of action. However, Paranormal Activity and The Ring are horror. In both these films, there are good uses of conventions when using certain camera angles and sound. In Fast and Furious, there is a whipping shot when it reveals the rest of the setting with incidental music playing in the background. This grabs the audience’s attention as it has a lot of adrenaline and impulse which makes it interesting for the audience. Ambient sound is used in Paranormal Activity and The Ring, which are emphasised and non-diegetic.
This gives more exaggeration and keeps the audience on edge of the seat. In The Ring, the storyline is mainly told by two girls having a conversation about their own experience. From this, the audience know what to expect yet, the tension builds up and becomes a lot more thrilling.

Similar Text Analysis – Fast and Furious

The clip starts with a superimposition caption of the location of the setting. A tracking shot then establishes the setting more clearly revealing a lorry driving on a hugely cracked road with the mountains and trees in the background. The caption reveals the location of the setting is in the “Dominican Republic”. Loud sound effects of the lorry driving are heard as it bumps up and down on the cracked road. Tracking shot continues as the camera gets slowly closer then it whips to the right to reveal 3 cars driving behind the lorry. The incidental music then begins as the cars are seen which connotes that they are going to cause trouble with this car judging by the speed they are driving to catch up with it. The clip cuts to a CU (Close-up) shot of two characters in one of the cars. The characters are male and female with the male using a walkie talkie denoting that he is communicating with the other characters in the car. Male character is driving the car wearing a short sleeved shirt as it’s a sunny day. Another CU shot reveals the two characters kissing each other, connoting that they are in a relationship. The clip then cuts to a MS (Mid-shot) of the car in more detail and the female character climbing out of it while the male character is driving. Then we get a LS (Long-shot) of the car driving behind the lorry and getting closer to it. Incidental music is growing louder as the suspense continues to build. The camera then starts to move closer to the female character as she climbs on top of the car and then it cuts to a CU shot of the male character talking into the walkie talkie and saying “Everyone in position” connoting that they are about to start robbing the lorry. A high angle crane shot reveals the female character on the front of the car and then the clip cuts to a MCU (Medium close up) of two new characters in one of the other two cars.

The male character is talking into the walkie talkie with the other male character and the female character with him is eating from a brown bag. The clip then cuts to a CU shot of the female characters face that is on the front of the car revealing nervousness and anxiety because of the danger she is currently in, then her expression changes to excitement connoting that she has done this before and enjoys robbing money.
The camera then cuts to the third car revealing two male characters this time, and the driver is talking into the communication device. The characters in the two cars are all talking in a foreign language so a translation is seen in English as they talk. Sound effects are used here to highlight the sounds of the cars as they drive through the bumpy road. MCU tracking shot of the woman about to jump onto the lorry is then seen.

Tracking shot of the front of the car and loud sound effects are used as the male character who is driving revs the engine. Constant tracking shot of the front and back of the car is seen as it drives next to the lorry. The camera then cuts to a CU crane shot of the lorry drivers expression as he begins to realise what is happening. Expression from the lorry driver shows shock and bewilderment as he sees the car speeding and getting closer to him. POV (Point of view) shot of the lorry driver shows the male character in the car gaining fast on the lorry. The scene cuts to a tilt up shot of the female character climbing on top of the lorry connoting that she is experienced in this sort of situation. High angle crane shot of the setting is then seen revealing the lorry and the cars driving behind it. More trees can be seen on the side and the road continues to be bumpy with large cracks in it.

The crane shot moves to the right to reveal the female character running on top of the lorry. Incidental music continues to create suspense as the clip carries on. The clip then cuts to a MCU shot of the expression on one of the characters driving the car from behind the lorry. The expression reveals determination and excitement denoting that he is determined to finish the job and succeed. CU shots of the character hitting the accelerator hard and pulling the gearstick shows that he is about to do something to the lorry as he prepares to speed up faster. This can also be seen when another CU shot of the speedometers cursor going up high. High angle crane shot of the characters car reveals him turning it quickly and connects it with the lorry, denoting that the robbery heist is near to taking place. Incidental music continues to grow louder as the suspense builds. Loud sound effects are heard as the car connects with the lorry, building to the scene of tension. Female character shouting “IT’S LOADED” denotes that the lorry has connected with the car. High crane angle shot reveals the female character from the lorry jumping on to the bar connected to the lorry from the car. Loud sound effects are heard as she lands on to the metal connector.

Camera cuts to a POV shot of the lorry driver looking in his side mirror to see what has happened. Expressions on his face reveal fear and anxiety denoting that this character is not looking forward to what may happen. Loud sound effects are heard as the lorry driver starts’ beeping at the car in front of him, but this reveals that he knows what is happening as he keeps looking to the side mirror and the front of the car with a terrified expression on his face. Camera then cuts to a low angle CU shot of the female character from the lorry spraying a substance on the metal to freeze it. The sound effects of the spray sounds can be heard clearly. Camera then cuts to a MS of the character driving in the car at the front of the lorry, and his expressions reveals greed and excitement as the lorry driver continues to honk his horn. Camera then cuts to the female character getting a large hammer out and banging on the metal connector which she sprayed the substance on. Sound effects of the hammer and metal connecting with each other are very loud and the incidental music continues to grow louder as the suspense is building up. High angle crane shot reveals the lorry separating from the fuel tank.

Textual analysis on the 5 first minutes from the opening scene of ‘The Ring’

The scene opens with a long shot of a house which is where the main scene is set. It then cuts to the next shot of two girls, who are watching TV. This is a point of view shot from the television which then zooms into a mid shot. This all shows the main settings and what the two girls are doing. The camera then cuts into an over shoulder shot showing the conversation between the two girls. This has been used as it shows the two girls are having a conversation with each other, and it connotes no one else is around.

 As the tension builds up, the camera zooms close up into Becca’s face. This was an eye-level shot, so it shows the scene is becoming more intense. The camera then shows a long shot of the two girls by zooming out. The shot then changes to a worm’s eye view at the bottom of the stairs at a still shot. As this happens, you see both girls slowly walking down the stairs as if they are walking towards the camera. This is used to show how they are scared to answer the phone and gives a more focused shot.

 There is then an extra long shot of the corridor with a big close up of the phone on the side, the girls walk towards the camera, but turn to answer the phone. This builds up tension while they walk slowly and answer the phone. This is used to gives more tension and shows an enigma code that something could happen when the girls answer the phone. As she walks into the kitchen a long shot occurs as she pours a glass of juice. She walks on as the camera then cuts to a big close up of the side of her face.

The shot then cuts to a close up of the remote as it then cuts to show the fuzzy TV. A long shot is used as she walks up the stairs and stays in one position as she walks past. This used to create more tension as we see their reaction from the walk, which connotes that they are scared to answer the phone.

There is use of synchronous dialogue in this scene. The scene opens with an ambient sound of the rain. This is non-diegetic sound which enhances it even more. They used this to give more effect of the scene and create a scarier atmosphere. As the dialogue between the girls occur, we can hear the background sounds of the TV until they switch it off. When the TV switches off, there is an enigma code that gets the audience thinking something unpredictable will happen. “We thought it was some sick joke.” As she says this line, incidental music is used to build more tension into the scene as it becomes continuous.

 The phone then rings, which is non-diegetic, as it has been enhanced. This gives more tension and shows that something will happen. The ringing becomes louder as the camera shot zooms closer to the phone. We then hear a TV being switched on and being very fuzzy. This sound is diegetic as the sound increased from the TV. We then hear another diegetic sounds, as she walks past the camera, you can naturally hear her footsteps.

The mise-en-scene of this scene for costume would be formal uniform. They both are wearing a skirt with a white shirt. This connotes that they both are students who still go to school.

The lighting is natural at the start of the scene; there is natural atmosphere lighting, in one room the light is on. This connotes that this is what the atmosphere outside is like, and it is night time. The room’s with the light on, shows that there is someone in that room and no one else is in the house as there are no other lights on.

 During the scene there are mainly natural house lights and a TV light which would enhance it a bit more. This gives it a more vibrant environment and as the lighting becomes darker, as she walks into the living room shows that something unpredictable will happen and creates more tension for the audience. The lighting made me as a viewer seem more curious and spooked out. During the shot of the fuzzy screen on the TV, the lighting was enhanced and this made me feel that the atmosphere did not seem normal and made me question myself on what is going to happen next.

There were different settings used in the shots. The main setting was in the house whereas the different shots took place in a bedroom, kitchen corridor, and living room. The props for this opening scene that were used were a remote. This showed that they were watching TV. A clock and phone were also used which built up the plot, including the television.

The shot position then opens with the girls sitting on the bed. As the tension build up during the scene, their facial expression became more serious, scared, shocked and curious. This shows that as Becca’s friend tells the story about a tape which kills you in seven days after being watched.

 As the pace of the shot moves along, Katie starts to panic and rushes her dialogue as she wants to tell her part of the story when she watched the tape. The ways they change their positions and start to have a pillow fight, shows that it isn’t structured. And the phone rings and the camera zooms to a close up of the clock to show the time, both the girls turn their head at the same time to give a more realistic and scarier atmosphere.
 This shows that it is structured, from their timing of the phone ringing and when they turn their heads around.

As they answer the phone, they both have a very stiff body language as it shows something mysterious can happen. They both sigh with relief when they find out it is Katie’s mum. Katie is then waking around the kitchen pouring her a glass of juice. Her position is very free and unstructured. As she hears the TV turn on, her position becomes a lot more stiff this connotes she is scared and confused on what is going on.

Thriller Genre

Thriller is a genre that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. The primary subgenres of thrillers are: mystery, crime and psychological thrillers. They are mostly characterised by an atmosphere of menace, violence, crime and murder by showing society as dark, corrupt and dangerous, though they very often feature a happy ending. Thrillers heavily base on plot twists, red herrings (an expression referring to diverting attention from a subject of importance; for example, ‘mystery fiction’) and cliff-hangers. They also promote on moods, such as a high level of anticipation, adrenaline rush, arousal, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and sometimes even terror. The tones in thrillers are usually gritty, slick and lurid. Each subgenre is seen to have its own characteristics and methods. Common methods in crime thrillers are mainly ransoms, captivities, heists (robberies from institutions such as bank or museums etc), revenge, kidnappings and, more common in mystery thrillers are, investigations and the ‘whodunit’ technique. Common elements in psychological thrillers are mind games, psychological themes, stalking, confinement/death-traps, horror-of-personality and obsession; while elements such as conspiracy theories, false accusations, paranoia and sometimes action are common in paranoid thrillers. More so, a thriller can be generalised as a villain-driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles that the hero must overcome.

Characteristics

A genuine thriller is a film that provides thrills and keeps the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the character(s) is placed in a menacing situation, mystery, or an escape from which escaping seems impossible. Life is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Characters in thrillers include 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, and more. The themes of thrillers frequently include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder. Thrillers mostly take place in ordinary suburbs/cities. Though sometimes, they may take place wholly or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, polar high seas etc. The heroes in most thrillers are frequently ordinary citizens unaccustomed to danger. However, more common in crime thrillers, they may also be characters who are accustomed to police officers and detectives. More so, while such heroes have traditionally been men, women lead characters have become increasingly common. In general, jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements. While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others. In thrillers influenced by film noir and tragedy, the compromised hero is often killed in the process. In recent years, thrillers have been slightly influenced by the horror genre; they have more gore/sadistic violence, brutality, terror and body counts.

Conventions

The conventions of the thriller genre are generally associated with Sound and Editing; for example: the use of quick cuts and camera angle changes, and music that builds on tension and suspense. It can also be associated with lighting, especially through the use of shadow. Mirrors and stairs are also common/traditional conventions of thriller movies. The one way to link thrillers to standard conventions is to supposedly create the storyline in a perspective where we hear and see the story from the killer/villain’s etc point of view, and you are made to feel sorry for the male protagonist when you are told the story with the use of flashback and quick-paced editing. Otherwise this film will lack authenticity unlike most thriller movies and avoid the main conventions and may even not be classed as a thriller but a psychological thriller which is a play on the mind, rather than what is usually shown in a conventional thriller.

Forms

The forms of the thriller genre show how it is constructed, for example it tells us how the story is told, and it is mainly in the first person narrative. A thriller normally consists of several different storylines which is why there are so many characters and so many solutions within the film. The combinations of storylines are ultimately what make up a thriller, and this technique is used for the effect of confusion amongst the viewers, encouraging them to pay more attention in order to understand and clearly follow the plot. Some storylines can be dual, triple or even narrative. Other forms of thrillers are flashbacks; they seem to be popular with directors and are used for a certain sense of disorientation. Normally they occur at the start or end of films, but sometimes they can run through the whole film, which can all create different levels of intensity. Another form is a pseudo documentary style (fictitious events are presented in a non-fictitious format) where a video is seen to be used by the characters. The conventions of a thriller normally contain a mix of ordinary and extraordinary plot twists, which include irony, endings and intelligent storylines. There is usually some action and drama in thrillers to add more impact to the film.

Sub-genres

The thriller genre can include the following sub-genres, which may include elements of other genres:

Conspiracy thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. For example, the movie, Edge of Darkness falls into this category.

Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double-crosses. An example of crime thrillers involving murderers includes, Seven. An example of crime thrillers involving heists or robberies includes The Asphalt Jungle.

Disaster thriller: In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. An example includes 2012.

Erotic thriller: In which it consists of erotica and thriller. It has become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. The genre includes such films as Lust.

Legal thriller: In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. An example includes, A Time to Kill.

Medical thriller: In which the hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem. An example includes, Pathology.

Mystery thriller: Suspense films where characters attempt solving, or involved in, a mystery. An example includes, Shutter Island.

Political thriller: In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. An example is, Rendition.

Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. The pioneering English filmmaker and producer, Alfred Hitchcock films, Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train.

Rape and Revenge films: Out of the sub-genres of exploitation film, this focuses more on the thriller elements such as suspense, tension, some action and fast-pacing rather than scares and the supernatural. Some famous rape and revenge films are Kill Bill and I Spit on Your Grave.

Religious thriller: In which the plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions. While suspense stories have always shown a significant affinity for religion and philosophical issues. A popular example includes, The Da Vinci Code.

Supernatural thriller: In which the film brings in an ‘otherworldly’ element mixed with tension, suspense and plot twists. Sometimes the hero and/or villain has some psychic ability. An example is, The Others.

Techno thriller: A suspense film in which the manipulation of sophisticated technology plays a prominent part. An example includes, The Thirteenth Floor.