Interview 2


1) What do you look for in a thriller?
I look for adventure, suspense, good knowledge of things, big impacts and build ups. Good dialogues as well, they are the main thing otherwise if it is just ordinary dialogues it doesn’t interest me that much. For example, in Gladiator, there were a lot of motivational and appealing dialogues that I really liked. Also I like the music as well, if it is an action the music has to go with it and that would grab my attention and make me enjoy the movie more.


2) What grabs your attention most in a thriller?
The acting and dialogue, because they tell the storyline and can get a message across to the viewers. A good story line that isn’t boring or simple, and which isn’t similar compared to other movies. I like something which is unique, original and completely different. Also a lot of adrenaline, rush and impulse. That way it keeps me on edge and keeps me watching.


3) Would you prefer a thriller to end resolved or with a cliff hanger and why?
Resolved, it should have to have a conclusion and not something that carry’s on. I prefer it to end that way because it would conclude everything that’s happened in the movie, instead of ending without anything and waiting for the next release if there is one.


4) When you watch a thriller from a certain sub-genre, what do you expect to be in it?
In a Sci-Fi, there would be a lot of high tech visual equipment, something that has a lot of power and very fast adrenaline and impulse which appeals to me more.


5) If you were to expect something different in a thriller, what would it be and why?
A lot of confusion from the beginning till the end climax where everything is resolved. I would expect this because the viewers would then understand the climax and be more it would be a lot more interesting and unpredictable.

Interview 1
1) What do you look for in a thriller?
There has to be a good story line, a lot of action scenes and something different and unique not like other movies.


2) What grabs your attention most in a thriller?
The actors, the acting required grabs my attention, for example If there is a very sad and dramatic scene the actor has to show the emotions and that will grab my attention. Also there has to be an interesting topic, nothing boring or similar to other plots in other films, something original and unique.


3) Would you prefer a thriller to end resolved or with a cliff hanger and why?
I prefer it to end with a cliff hanger because it keeps you thinking after it has finished and keeps you on edge. I can also give is my own conclusion and it makes the movie overall more dramatic.


4) When you watch a thriller from a certain sub-genre, what do you expect to be in it?
I expect a science-fiction, something that is futuristic and not realistic. This way it separates me from the realistic world and I can focus on this and it builds more of an impact.


5) If you were to expect something different in a thriller, what would it be and why?
It would be a big twist, because it would build up a really good climax. Something that would get you thinking during the film, and when it comes to the climax; the audience would then understand the story line. This would keep them on edge. For example, in Inception, the audience had to concentrate and understand until it came to the climax. Which then, it ended with a cliff hanger and had a big impact.

Initial Idea

Idea for movie:

A character has just watched a horror movie, something very gory and unpleasant that has really messed around his mind and caused him to be paranoid. Later on that night, when the character starts to fall asleep the camera goes blurry and cuts to a scene which is his dream which results in him being a part of that horrifying movie. Some action should be included in this because it would make the sequence look more unique, and action has been very highly preferred too. The movie can have a psychotic villain whom the person must kill, so that would mean there would be a hero and a villain which must die. The villain can be an incredibly messed up serial killer who likes to feast human organs.

Professional job roles – Cameraperson

A camera person is responsible for filming a movie or television show. They must always try to get the shot sizes and angles right for the benefit of the audience. A camera person works with digital, electronic and film cameras. They usually have assistants to help them when filming so they can get the work done faster with an extra pair of hands at help.

A camera assistant has many jobs in helping their boss out such as repairing camera equipment, planning camera shots, studying scripts and so much more. The camera person is responsible for operating the camera physically and maintaining composition throughout a scene or shot. In filmmaking, the camera person will talk with the director/actors/film crew to decide how to film certain parts of a scene so the right decision would be made in the end.

Important camera operator skills include choreographing and framing shots, knowledge of and the ability to select appropriate photographic lenses, and other equipment (dollies, camera cranes, etc.) to portray dramatic scenes. If someone was looking to be a camera person they would need to have an interest in lighting/video/film/theatre, excellent hand-eye co-ordination, knowledge of editing and so on. A fan of camerawork is a must if it is expected of you to work in this type of job.

Funding & Distribution

The main priority for film makers is finding someone to fund their movie. Funding is the most complicated issue when it comes to film making because the company who is financing your movie has to agree with your script and may need to make changes to it so they can fund it. Hollywood has many film studios that directors can pitch their movie to for funding. Warner Bros, Paramount Studios and Walt Disney are a few examples of huge film funding studios. The British film industry is not as big as the likes of Hollywood. Most directors within the UK have to rely on small places for loans to fund their movie, such as banks or different companies. For example, I met the producer of Kidulthood, he had mentioned that he had gone to Costa coffee Inc for funding his movie. There are certain film studios within the UK that are partnered with a US film studio such as Working Title who is partnered with Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures have been one of the big film studios that distribute British films worldwide.

In 1989, British cinema hit its all time low, however, since 2000; British cinema has become quite successful. BBC Films and Film 4 are known to have funded many British films, and independent companies such as Working Title which has been mentioned above have secured financing and distribution deals with major American studios. Working Title had mainly produced worldwide international hits with its rom-coms such as Love Actually which grossed $239 million. Mama Mia had been the most successful in 2008, when it grossed $601 million. Many Hollywood film directors have been influenced by British culture and history. This can be seen in many of the Disney animated films such as Robin Hood and Alice In Wonderland. Although Hollywood is way ahead of the British film industry, the British film industry has produced many successful actors in its time such as the likes of Sir Alfred Hitchcock who directed one of the most successful films of all time, Psycho (1960). The future looks good for the British film industry as many British films released are successful from the likes of Harry potter to James Bond which are US funded but played by British actors. However, at the same time many UK film productions are never released.

Film directors need to rely on good film distribution companies because they are responsible for releasing the films to many cinema companies. If a good distribution company is selected for the film, then there is more chance of the movie making lots of money because it will be shown in lots of cinemas. Distribution also describes all the things that happen when making the film and then the sales of the movie when it goes on DVD. It is basically responsible with getting the film promoted and shown to a large audience. Promoting the film means advertising it so the audience are notified of it. Advertising the film is very complicated, because there are so many different ways in doing it. Some distributors promote their product by the use of action figures. This is mostly done for movies based on superheroes from magazines.

Clothing is also a way to advertise, by putting the film pictures on clothing items such as shirts. Fast food adverts such as Burger King and McDonald’s are used to advertise the films within their meals by giving the advert a theme of the film. Toys are also used in children meals in certain fast food restaurants if the distributor is promoting a children movie.

Subject Matter

From our questionnaires and interviews, we have gained a lot of information for our 2 minute opening sequence. We had asked the target audience all the questions that we thought would help us decide what to do for our 2 minute sequence. From these bits of information, we had learned that all of the target audience had watched a thriller so this was very helpful because we would be able to get different opinions on different types of thriller movies.

In regard to the sub-genre categories, we asked the target audience which had been their favourite. Horror had been the most preferred sub-genre of a thriller movie, with action and psychological behind by a few votes. So this has helped us in thinking different types of ideas for the thriller movie and what should be included.

The results from the questionnaires also showed us what movies are liked by the target audience, with Paranormal Activity, Inception, The Ring, Bad Boys and Scream as the most liked. This can be understandable as they are all the highly preferred sub-genres of thrillers chosen. The ratings of thrillers the target audience has preferred watching was 18 movies, and this was picked mostly by the 13-16 year olds. This information we got from the interviews and questionnaires have really given us a wide range of ideas in creating the thriller sequence and making it as good as possible.

Useful Video Editing Techniques

Applying Transitions

A video transition defines how a movie moves from one clip to another therefore giving the viewer a sense of continuity. There are many types of transitions. For example: the cross fade moves smoothly between two video clips, without grating the viewer. Also creating title slides is beneficial for beginnings, endings and credits of videos, for a similar outcome.

Adding Effects

An effect produces results that cannot be achieved by normal techniques. For instance, one substantial effect is the brightness/contrast effect. This can be used to correct images that appear too bright, dark or dull.

Removing noise and adding music or narration

Optionally a narration can be added in using a voice. This can be a great insertion to types of films based on a home video genre, that usually tend to contain a lot of distracting audio, where you can delete the original audio completely, or replace some parts with narration or a music track.

Final Cut Pro Properties

Final Cut Pro provides non-linear, non-destructive editing of any QuickTime compatible video format including DV, HDV, P2 MXF (DVCProHD), XDCAM, and 2K film formats. It supports a number of simultaneously composited video tracks (limited mainly by video format and hardware capability); up to 99 audio tracks; multi-camera editing for combining video from multiple camera sources; as well as standard ripple, roll, slip, slide, scrub, razor blade and time remapping edit functions. It comes with a range of video transitions and a range of video and audio filters such as keying tools, mattes and vocal de-poppers and de-essers. It also has a manual 3-way colour correction filter, videoscopes and a selection of generators, such as slugs, test cards and noise.

To progress efficiently in post production, editors need accurate shot lists of all the recorded material (rushes). Therefore, each shot needs to be carefully logged during the shooting process, as valuable time will be wasted writing up everything from scratch in the edit suite. Each tape must be clearly labelled up during/immediately after recording, protecting form accidental erasure.

1) Logging the material

• Go through material carefully, making sure that an accurate description of each shot is given, adding the precise time codings.

• While progressing, marking the particular takes/shots that is desired to be used in the final edit is vital.

• Establish whether or not the timing of each scene is going to correspond to script timings to ensure the programme will not be too short/long for the brief. If there is not enough material, flagging this up with the director as soon as possible will be required, as it may be possible to shoot the necessary material (known as pick ups).

2) The paper edit

To complete this stage, all shots should be written down in the order which is going to be used. This is called the edit decision list (EDL). This list is extremely crucial and should be approved by a professional before allowing editing.

• Construct EDL, by listing all the shots/takes which is wished to use, in order, from the very beginning of the programme to the end. List each shot/take alongside the corresponding source tape number and the correct time counter numbers.

• During the creation of the EDL, it may be voluntary to insert notes on where you plan to have shot transitions, cuts, fades, music, sound effects, graphics, and voice over etc.

3) The actual edit

This step includes physically assembling the edit.

• Load up all the EDL material, using separate bins as required, ensuring a methodical structure is used, and a lot of time is pent on this part, which will save time trying to find shots later on.

• It may be wanted to do a simply assembly (all the shots, slightly over-length, bolted together in sequence), before moving into a full blown rough cut (the first attempt at making a final edit, including any special effects and transitions).

• Once the necessary approval for this rough cut is delivered, procession to the fine cut can be made (the final version of the programme for copying onto DVD).

Sound recording

Technical features

Sound recording is an electrical/mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording. Acoustic analog recording is achieved by a small microphone diaphragm that can detect changes in atmospheric pressure (acoustic sound waves) and record them as a graphic representation of the sound waves on a medium such as a phonograph (in which a stylus senses grooves on a record). Analog sound reproduction is the reverse process, with a bigger loudspeaker diaphragm causing changes to atmospheric pressure to form acoustic sound waves.

Digital recording and reproduction converts the analog sound signal picked up by the microphone to a digital form by a process of digitization, allowing it to be stored and transmitted by a wider variety of media. Digital recordings are considered higher quality than analog recordings not necessarily because they have higher fidelity (wider frequency response or dynamic range), but because the digital format can prevent much loss of quality found in analog recording due to noise and electromagnetic interference in playback, and mechanical deterioration or damage to the storage medium. A digital audio signal must be reconverted to analog form during playback before it is applied to a loudspeaker or earphones etc.

The Equipment & Properties

Before beginning filming, the decision whether audio is required to be recorded onto the video tape or not needs to be made. Features such as, MiniDV, HDV, DVCPro or even the new tapeless systems, you get the choice of recording onto the camera, or onto an external device like a hard disk recorder or a laptop. Both methods has their advantages, as the mic (amps) on digital video cameras doesn’t usually give the best possible results, however the sync can be mostly reliable. But with an external device you can achieve as many channels of audio as you like.

In regards to the type of mic used, a decent shotgun condenser is considerably useful. Also a wireless tie-clip mic can be exceptionally versatile as they can be hidden on the actors and capture a very clean sound. A boom pole would be vital for the mic, and the most important device is the suspension mount for the mic, as these prevent any physical knocks and such which can affect the recording.

Also a fluffy cover for the mic would be essential to stop the wind from causing any practical problems.

Finally, a significant prop would be an adequate set of headphones, which are bound to be useful when shooting in noisy environments. Therefore the frequency and closed design would need to be taken into account.

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.