With reference to Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960) and at least ... · PDF...
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Media - Thrillers V 1.0 dannyfranklin.co.uk/media Page 1 With reference to Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960) and at least two other thrillers you have studied, as well as your wider research, discuss the thriller and its forms and conventions. Thrillers are a very successful genre type and they are also normally quite heavily linked within other genres as well. A lot of modern genres are linked with the thriller genre due to its popularity. Alfred Hitchcock is probably one of the most notable thriller directors with a fairly notorious film of his being Psycho. The whole idea of a thriller is to engage the audience and keep them on the edge of their seats. They often are about crime or some sort of murder which are quite gripping. Thrillers are often mixed with the action genre due to the nature of them. Thrillers often build suspense in a number of ways, this could include fast paced cuts between different camera angles to increase the speed of the movie to increase the amount of action or long drawn out clips to slow down the speed which creates a totally different affect. Music is often used in thrillers as music can create a tenser atmosphere and create the suspense and tension necessary for the thriller genre. The storyline is an important part of a thriller as a poor storyline in a thriller would not be successful. The storylines of thrillers will have many twists in them, leading you to believe one thing which later turns out to be wrong. Thrillers sometimes end with and unresolved storyline or a cliff-hanger at the end as for one, this leaves it open for another film but it allows the audience to make their own mind up based on the events. This is not as common as people by human nature like an ending. Often thrillers will include a lot of violence whether that be in hand to hand combat or someone getting shot, this is typical of a thriller genre and is commonly used to intensify the storyline. Modern day films get quite gory as it is more acceptable and there is more technology available to add computer generated images (CGI) and effects on. The more modern audience is used to more gore and special effects which means that they can feel undersold or bored if a film lacks them. The characters are another part of any movie however they have a stronger significance in a thriller. Characters are the people you like or dislike or even hate, this is all built on there ability to act – if they cannot act a serious part well, it looks comedic. Characters are all designed by stereotypes and how we already understand cinema to be however many new films such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens appear to cast a black male as a main character which is unusual as black people or foreign people are normally an enemy in a film (Terminator Genisys casts Arnold Schwarzenegger as an ally). The protagonists attire normally consists of lighter clothing or a suit, a suit suggests a posh gentleman which is associated with spies and spy movies. The antagonists attire is normally mainly black in colour and they will often wear clothes which subverts the expectations of that style of clothing – like on Kingsman: The Secret Service, Valentine who is the enemy will wear different styles of suits compared to what a traditional suit looks like.
Transcript of With reference to Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960) and at least ... · PDF...
Media-Thrillers V1.0
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WithreferencetoHitchcock’s“Psycho”(1960)andatleasttwootherthrillersyouhavestudied,aswellasyourwiderresearch,discussthethrilleranditsformsandconventions.Thrillersareaverysuccessfulgenretypeandtheyarealsonormallyquiteheavilylinkedwithinothergenresaswell.Alotofmoderngenresarelinkedwiththethrillergenreduetoitspopularity.AlfredHitchcockisprobablyoneofthemostnotablethrillerdirectorswithafairlynotoriousfilmofhisbeingPsycho.Thewholeideaofathrilleristoengagetheaudienceandkeepthemontheedgeoftheirseats.Theyoftenareaboutcrimeorsomesortofmurderwhicharequitegripping.Thrillersareoftenmixedwiththeactiongenreduetothenatureofthem.Thrillersoftenbuildsuspenseinanumberofways,thiscouldincludefastpacedcutsbetweendifferentcameraanglestoincreasethespeedofthemovietoincreasetheamountofactionorlongdrawnoutclipstoslowdownthespeedwhichcreatesatotallydifferentaffect.Musicisoftenusedinthrillersasmusiccancreateatenseratmosphereandcreatethesuspenseandtensionnecessaryforthethrillergenre.Thestorylineisanimportantpartofathrillerasapoorstorylineinathrillerwouldnotbesuccessful.Thestorylinesofthrillerswillhavemanytwistsinthem,leadingyoutobelieveonethingwhichlaterturnsouttobewrong.Thrillerssometimesendwithandunresolvedstorylineoracliff-hangerattheendasforone,thisleavesitopenforanotherfilmbutitallowstheaudiencetomaketheirownmindupbasedontheevents.Thisisnotascommonaspeoplebyhumannaturelikeanending.Oftenthrillerswillincludealotofviolencewhetherthatbeinhandtohandcombatorsomeonegettingshot,thisistypicalofathrillergenreandiscommonlyusedtointensifythestoryline.Moderndayfilmsgetquitegoryasitismoreacceptableandthereismoretechnologyavailabletoaddcomputergeneratedimages(CGI)andeffectson.Themoremodernaudienceisusedtomoregoreandspecialeffectswhichmeansthattheycanfeelundersoldorboredifafilmlacksthem.Thecharactersareanotherpartofanymoviehowevertheyhaveastrongersignificanceinathriller.Charactersarethepeopleyoulikeordislikeorevenhate,thisisallbuiltonthereabilitytoact–iftheycannotactaseriouspartwell,itlookscomedic.CharactersarealldesignedbystereotypesandhowwealreadyunderstandcinematobehowevermanynewfilmssuchasStarWars:TheForceAwakensappeartocastablackmaleasamaincharacterwhichisunusualasblackpeopleorforeignpeoplearenormallyanenemyinafilm(TerminatorGenisyscastsArnoldSchwarzeneggerasanally).Theprotagonistsattirenormallyconsistsoflighterclothingorasuit,asuitsuggestsaposhgentlemanwhichisassociatedwithspiesandspymovies.Theantagonistsattireisnormallymainlyblackincolourandtheywilloftenwearclotheswhichsubvertstheexpectationsofthatstyleofclothing–likeonKingsman:TheSecretService,Valentinewhoistheenemywillweardifferentstylesofsuitscomparedtowhatatraditionalsuitlookslike.
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Psycho(1960)Arguablyoneofthemostnotoriousthrillers.PsychoisdirectedbyAlfredHitchcockwhoisrenownforhisthrillerfilms.Hehasrevolutionisedthethrillergenreinmanyways,heusedgraphicviolencewhichaudienceswerenotusedtobeforeitwasquiteashockconsideringthepaceoftherestofthefilm.OneofthemainreasonsthatitwasfilmedinblackandwhiteotherthantocutcostswasbecauseHitchcockknewhewouldnotpastthecensorsofthattimewithredbloodgoingeverywhere.TheBBCsaid,“To get the scene past the censors Hitchcock claimed the knife never touched the victim, but studies have since suggested it does”.Thiswasalsooneofthefirstfilmsofitstimetohavesympathyforthekillersuggested.Hitchcocksettoplaywiththeaudience’ssympathiesinawaythatnoonehaddonebefore.OtherdirectorsofthetimeusedathirdpersonneutralperspectivewhenfilmingkeycharactershoweverHitchcockusesfirstpersoncamerashotswhichbuildacloserconnectiontothecharacterwiththeaudience.Hitchcockalsowentoutofhiswaytomakesurethattheendingtothefilmwasnotspoiledwithpromotionalsloganssuchas,“Don’tgiveawaytheending–it’stheonlyonewehave!”.Thefilmwasalsonotscreenedforcriticsorcinema-ownersbeforereleaseandallofthecastandcrewhadtosignnon-disclosureagreements.HitchcockusesmusicinPsychowhichchangedthewayitwasusedinallofcinema,theviolinsfromtheshowersceneareoneofthemostrecreatedscenes.However,thewholesoundtracksaddstherightatmospheretothefilmtocreatesuspenseandtensionplusanunknownfuture.CameraanglesandeditingwereanimportantpartofPsychoasHitchcockusedthemtomaketheaudiencefeelandseewhathewanted.Theshowerscenewasamontageoffasteditinganddifferentcameraangleswhichmadeitlookalotmoreviolentthenitactuallywas.
Kingsman:TheSecretService(2015)Kingsman:TheSecretServiceisdirectedbyMatthewVaughnandhasbeenaverysuccessfulfilm.Alotofcriticscomplainedofitsoverthetopviolenceandgraphicsceneswithlotsofbloodeffects.YoucouldsaythatthissortofactionhasbeeninspiredfromAlfredHitchcock’spsychoastheywerethefirsttopushthecinemaboundariesofthetimeandthankstothatthisfilmwasabletoonceagainpushtheboundaries.Thewholefilmisaboutamaleteenagerwhoisgrowingupinaroughareawherehismotherisinanabusiveandviolentrelationshipwithherpartner.HethendecidestoapplytobeaKingsmanspyandhepassesallofthetestsapartfromonewhichmeanshecannolongerbeaspyandhegoesbackhome.CollinFurthplayshismentorwhotakeshimbacktohishousetotellhimnottogiveup.ItisallthenaboutstoppingValentinefromendingtheworldandhowthemaincharacterhastosavetheworld.Stereotypesareusedwithinthisfilmasthemainenemyisablackmalewhoisaccompaniedbyatypicalfemalevillain.Themainprotagonistisayoungerpersoncomparedtonormal
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spyfilmshowevertherearethesamecharacteristicsasheisshowntobecaring,brave,strongandpowerfulwhenultimatelyhedefeatstheenemyattheend.Italsoshowsthemainprotagonistwithrealworldproblemsthatotherpeoplemaybeabletorelatetowhichallowstheaudiencetobetterengagewiththefilm.Theattirewasamajorpartofthefilmaseachpersonwasgivenspeciallymadedesignerclothesjustforthefilm.EachpieceofclothingwasbrandedKingsmanwiththelogoonitaswell.Infact,alloftheclothinginthefilmisavailabletopurchasefromMrPorterawellknowndesignerretailer.Thisisshowingjusthasimportantitisandtowhatlengthstheyarewillingtobuildtheconnectionwiththeaudience.Italsoshowsthepopularityofthefilmandtheexpensivelypricedmerchandise.Theclothesmainlyfeaturesuitsofwhichistypicaloftheaveragespyfilm–givingtheideaofaposhgentlemenspy.
Youcanseefromtheshotabovethatoneofthemainprotagonistsiswalkingawayfromagangofpeoplewhichmostpeoplewouldfindquitedauntinghoweverheiswalkingawaycalmly.YoucantellthisbythewaythatCollinFurthholdshispostureandhehasawideopenstance,hisbodylanguagesuggestspowerashehasnotgothisarmsfoldedacrosshiminanyway.Thesuitgiveshimapowerfullookasitistidyandsmartandisalwayswarnbypeopleinpower.Pleaseturnover.
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Thisisshowinghowthemaincharacteristalkingtothepeoplewherebyheisoutnumberedandhehashisbacktothem.Thisisquiteavulnerablepositionasyoucannotseebehindyounordefendyourselffrombehind.Thisisshowinghowconfidentheis.
Theythenproceedtoattackhimhoweverheisabletodefendhimselfandwell.ThisisprobablythemostcloselyrelatedtoPsychoasthisiswheretherehasbeenalotofbloodandviolenceusedwhichbytodaysstandardsPsychoseemsquitedulleddowncomparedtothishoweverIimaginetheyarequitesimilarinimpactwiththeprogressionoftechnologyandwhatpeopledeemtobeacceptable.ThisparticularversionisanextractfromtheYouTubevideowhichservedsortofasatrailerbyshowingthisonescenehowevercomparedtotheactualfilmthereishardlyanybloodorexcessiveviolence.Therewassceneisthispartofactionwhereoneofthecharactersgetsstabbedandtherearelotsofaddedbloodandgraphicimagerywhichisverysimilartopsychosphilosophy.
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AlsothereisalotofgadgetsshownonthefilmaswellandIfeelthatthisstemsdownfromJamesBondwhichisoneofthemostpopularspyfranchisesintheworldwhichisnotoriousforgivingtheiragentloadsofgadgetshowevernotsomuchrecently.MostmodernspyfilmswhetherthatbecomedybasedornormalwithgivetheircharacterssomeformofgadgetsforthemtouseasthisiswhataudienceshavetocomeexpectasJamesBondisprobablythelongestrunningfranchisewhichmostpeoplewillhaveseenandmeansthatthisiswhattheaudiencesareusedto.
Misery(1990)MiseryisanothergreatthrillerwhichhasbeenrankedhighlyonthelikesofRottenTomato’s.Itmanagestokeepaudience’sengagementwiththeslightlystrangeatmospherefeltthroughouthis“capture”untilitisfinallyrealisedthatshewon’tlethimleave.Miseryismainlyathrillerhoweveritdoeshavelinkswiththehorrorgenreaswell.
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Youcantellfromthisclipjusthowpoweringandstrangethewomanis.Shehastiedthemaincharacter,whotheaudiencehasbeenmadetoempathisewith,downtothebedsohecannotescape.Thestrangewayinwhichsheactswithaquickchangeintempercreatesascaryandtenseatmospheretensionisbuiltfromnotknowingifsheissuddenlygoingtogetreallyangry.ItseemstolookalotlikePsychoespeciallyasthisissetinabedroomandaroundahousemuchlikePsycho.
Thecharacterherselflooksquitescaryandevenscarierwithaknife.AlotofthrillerfilmsseemtouseknifesinthemafterPsychodid.Ithinkthereissomethingalotmorescaryaboutaknifethanagunasmaybeaknifeismorepersonalthanjustshootingsomeone.
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Shealsobreakshisanklessothathecannotescapefromherwhichisquiteaterrifyingsceneasitisactedsowellthattheaudiencecanalmostexperiencethepainwhichthemaincharactergoesthrough.Overallthrillersareanimportantpartofcinemawhichappealtoavastamountofpeople.Theyhavemanyhybridconnectionstoothergenresandtendtobeaboutcrimeofsomesortofviolencelikemurder.Violencesignificantlyincreasesinthrillerfilmswiththeincreaseintheamountsoftechnologyandhowweareabletoexceptitinsociety.WithmildviolenceinPsycho(althoughatthetimeseenasquiteexcessive)allthewaytoKingsman:TheSecretServicewhichhasalotofstrongexcessiveviolenceevenbytodaysstandards.Storylineisanimportantpartofathrillerastheyoftenhavemanycliff-hangersandhavetokeeppeopleinsuspensewantingtokeeponwatching.
