Questionnaire

In order to find out more about our target audience to help us produce a thriller that will be of interest to those viewing it, we produced a twenty-question questionnaire and handed out forty copies. The questionnaire consists of a number of optional answers instead of many open ended questions in order to allow us to count votes more easily. The questions were written in such a manner that the people that they were issued to - over 15's - were able to understand all of the questions with ease - group members were present while they filled out the questionnaire to offer any help or definitions. Enough space was given for the person to write their answer and extra space was provided should they wish to explain their answers. Here is a copy of the questionnaire - the question's options are written in bold.

Questionnaire

1.) Are you male or female?

2.) How old are you? (15-25, 26-35, 36-45, 46+)

3.)What is your favourite of the following thriller films? (Seven,  Red Eye, The Silence of the Lambs, Jaws)

4.) What music genre do you like to hear in a film? (Rock, Classical, Metal, Industrial Metal, Dubstep)

5.) What music genre do you think is best suited to a thriller film? (Rock, Classical, Metal, Industrial Metal, Dubstep)

6.) What is your favourite colour? (Black, Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, Purple, White)


7.) What are you most afraid of? (Spiders, Darkness, Blood, Footsteps, Ticking Clocks, Heartbeats)

8.) What time of day do you think is most suitable for the setting of a thriller? (Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Night)

9.) Would you prefer the narrative to be slow or fast?

10.) What kind of location do you think is most suitable for setting a thriller in? (House, Forest, Alley)

11.) What kind of font suits a thriller best? (Simple, Detailed, Scary, Bold)

12.) Would you prefer a thriller title to be short and simple or long and detailed?

13.) What is your least favourite of the following thrillers? (Seven,  Red Eye, The Silence of the Lambs, Jaws)

14.) Should the film's editing be fast or slow paced?

15.) Would you rather characters remain concealed in the opening or not?

16.) Should the film's narrative be linear or non-linear?

17.) What scares you the least? (Spiders, Darkness, Blood, Footsteps, Ticking Clocks, Heartbeats)

18.) What is your least favourite colour? (Black, Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, Purple, White)

19.) Do you think sound effects have a positive impact on the atmosphere of a thriller or not?

20.) Do you think that lighting in a thriller should be low-key or high key?

Certificate

Our film will be the '15' age rating. The reason for this is because none of the group members are over 18 and therefore cannot legally watch a '18' film unsupervised. As it is a '15' there will not be excessive (or no) amounts of gore and/or foul language as well as no nudity or any other things disturbing to those under the age of 18. Due to it getting dark early during British winter time, we will film the bulk or all of our thriller indoors. Instead of using teenage characters, we will use adult actors. 

Initial planning of thriller: mind map

To help us come up with a suitable idea for our thriller, we produced a mind map listing a number of different themes that could be included and/or explored in our thriller's storyline and in particular the opening sequence. Doing this would allow us to experiment with many different initial ideas until we could decide on one that would be most suitable for use in our thriller, and would allow us to compare different features to see how well they interlocked with each other. It also helped structure our questionnaire.

List of Thriller Codes and Conventions

In class I made a simple list of as many different codes and conventions commonly found in thrillers as I could. I decided that all or most thriller films include the following:

- The 'transformed city' model in which a seemingly safe environment turns dangerous
- The 'romantic hero' model where the main character seems to be a perfectly normal person with no supernatural abilities
- The 'question and answer' model where the audience is made to ask questions about things that they see, questions that may or may not be answered later in the film
- Concealment where things are hidden from the viewer to create tension, confuse them, and keep them questioning thing
- Partial vision where something is not completely shown to the viewer to keep them guessing and to create a sense of suspense
- The 'mazes and labyrinths' model where the viewer is led around mazes by the film where things are constantly changing and turning to keep the viewer interested and to make it seem more tense
- Opening sequences that end with disequilibrium to make them seem more tense and to allow the actual film to build up slowly after an intense opening
- Protraction to create tension and keep the viewer interested
- Tracking shots to follow characters or objects and make the viewer feel like they are part of the action
- Non-diegetic sounds to create tension and make the film seem realistic
- Point of view shots to make the viewer feel like part of the action and to show how certain characters behave
- Establishing shots to set the scene and allow the viewer to relate to what they see on screen
- Common use of close ups to create tension and overwhelm and scare the viewer
- Tension built through sound to add a sense of realism and stimulate the viewer's senses and make them more wary
- Quick cuts to create tension and give the film a fast pace
- Linear narrative to allow the viewer to understand the story easily
- Limited dialogue in the opening, to allow the scene and story to be set through the use of intense camera work and music, etc
- Super imposed graphics so there is no stop in the action while credits and titles are displayed on screen
- Sound effects used to heighten tension and make the thriller seem more realistic
- Dim/dark lighting to make the viewer concentrate harder and make the atmosphere scarier and tenser
- Extreme close ups to overwhelm the audience and put focus and emphasis on things
- Diegetic sound limited to sound effects with main focus on non-diegetic sound for tension
- Slow zooming to bring a slow and tense focus on things
- High angle shots to show more of the action and make the viewer feel superior to whatever is on screen
- Match of actions to add tension
- Mise en Scéne that heightens tension by putting emphasis on significant things and never showing too much on screen at one time
- Dissolving shots to add a disturbing edge and unnerve the viewer
- Unknown locations to keep the audience asking questions and make the atmosphere seem more tense
- Long takes to build tension and make the audience concentrate harder
- Low camera angles to make on-screen characters/objects seem superior to the viewer and intimidate the audience
- Limited number of characters in the opening sequence to keep it simple and set the scene and story without confusing the viewer too much early on
- Graphics do not retract from on-screen action to keep emphasis that the on-screen action is the most important thing to be watching
- Use of non-diegetic sound usually has no vocals as this could be a distraction from the footage and vocals can be instead provided by the actors
- Eyeline matches to make the viewer feel like they are part of the action
- A vunerable character is usually shown to allow the viewer to relate to them and put themselves in their position, making them more afraid and wary of what is happening to the character

Evaluation of the opening titles of 'Pulp Fiction'

I then evaluated the opening credits of some thrillers which I chose myself. The first of these was Pulp Fiction (1994).

Narrative Structure:

The film starts with a dictionary definition of the word 'pulp' before quickly changing to a scene inside a coffee shop with a man and a women sat around a table. They are locked in the middle of a heated conversation about something before they are offered coffee by a waitress, which they accept before continuing with their discussion. As the conversation continues it becomes clear that they are discussing robbery. After a while the man raises his cup and asks for more coffee, and their discussion continues to reveal that they are seemingly planning on robbing the coffee shop. They discuss their plans before the women claims that she is 'ready' - at which point the man draws a gun from under his shirt and places it on the table. They passionatly kiss and tell one another than they love them before the man stands up on his chair pointing his gun and claiming that it is a robbery. The women then stands up and threatens to 'execute every last one' of the people in the coffee shop should they not obey her. The shot then freezes and the opening credits begin to play - first 'Miramax Films presents' is displayed as a super imposed graphic over the image before the screen blacks out and the rest of the credits are displayed over the top of the film title which is constantly zooming out and away from the camera during this sequence.

 

Thriller Codes and Conventions:

The romantic hero model is used as the characters shown in the opening sequence seem to be ordinary and do not behave in supernatural manners. The question and answer model is also used as viewers are made to question the intentions of the man and women at first, and also what they are discussing and how the intend to pull off their crimes amongst other things. The transformed city model is also used as everything appears to be safe at first but the atmosphere soon turns intense and dangerous.

Camera Work:

During most of the man and women's conversation, both characters are usually visible either by a mid shot facing the table or over the shoulder views from either characters. Shot reverse shots are used during their conversations to help create tension and anger in their relationship, and during these sections close ups are shown of the character's faces to help familiarize them with the viewer. A close up of the waitress' face is used when she offers them coffee to focus attention on her smiling face which creates a safe and kind atmosphere. A close up of the characters is used when they kiss to create emphasis on their love. A low shot is used when they stand up with their guns which makes the viewer relate to the other people in the coffee shop as they feel less significant and underneath the dominant force in the coffee shop - the armed couple.

Mise en Scéne:

There is never a lot happening on screen at a single time which helps the viewer focus on the important action. For most of the opening sequence, the only characters seen on screen are the man and women sat at the table, the only exceptions being the waitresses that serve them and a few anonymous people who walk past the camera. Enough is shown to allow the viewer to instantly establish that the setting of the sequence is some form of diner or coffee shop. Once the actual footage ends and the credits begin to show, the title of the film can always be seen zooming out into the background as the names of those involved are credited. 

Sound:

Throughout the coffee shop scene typical music can be heard in the background along with the voices of people which helps set the scene. As soon as the couple stand up and the image freezes a heavy, fast paced song with heavy drum beats and wild voices suddenly begins playing which represents how the atmosphere suddenly turns chaotic when the couple draws their weapons. The song continues throughout the rest of the opening sequence to help sustain the intensity of the scene before.

Editing:

The opening sequence has short cuts to help keep the conversation between the couple fast paced and intense and to keep the viewer interested. The clips are all in order so the opening of Pulp Fiction is linear. The shot freezes when the couple reveal their weapons and the credits display over the top of the image before a blackout which leads to the rest of the credits, an example of super imposed graphics.

Graphics:

No text is displayed over the image during the coffee shop scene to help the viewer focus on the action. When the shot freezes the credits begins to play, firstly the studio name is shown as a super imposed graphic over the image before the screen blacks out and the remaining credits are displayed over the top of the title of the film which is slowly zooming away from the screen.

Evaluation of the opening titles of 'Memento'

Narrative Structure:
The film begins by showing the title of the film as the first thing which goes against typical thriller codes and conventions as the film's title is usually displayed at the end of the opening and not the start. While the title is being shown, a hand holding a photograph can be seen in the background. This image stays here whilst all of the credits are displayed. The hand occasionally shakes the photograph supposedly to help it develop but the image actually disappears which is confusing to the viewer. The hand then inserts the now blank photograph into a camera and takes a picture. The person's face is now shown and he is clearly shocked or disturbed. He puts the photo into his pocket and then various objects such as a used bullet and some bloodstained glasses are shown lying around. Then, a presumably dead man is shown lying face down in a pool of blood. The man with the camera then raises his hand and a gun inexplicably flies into his hand. He then bends over and it becomes clear that time is going backwards, as the glasses are cleaned and returned to the dead man's face, the bullet returns to the gun and a loud scream is heard. The opening sequence appears to all take place with time reversed which confuses and panics the viewer.

Thriller Codes and Conventions:  
The question and answer model is prominant in the opening of Memento as the viewer doesn't realise that it is in reverse until near the end and until then they are constantly asking and wondering what is happening until it is explained. Concealment is also used as the fact that time is moving backwards is not told to the viewer and partial vision is also used as certain things such as the bloodstained glasses and the bullet are seen but the dead man is not shown at first.

Camera Work:
The film begins with a close up of the man's hand holding the photograph. A close up also is used on the man's face and the items as well as the dead man which draws attention towards them. A tracking shot follows the man's hand as he puts the photograph into his pocket which makes it seem like he is hiding something. Most of the shots in the opening are still and close up and do not reveal much.

Mise en Scéne:
There is never a lot shown on screen at a single time so to not reveal too much to the viewer and to allow the viewer to just focus on the important things on screen. Only two characters are shown in the opening sequence and both of them remain stationary throughout the entire sequence. At most times only one thing is shown on screen at a time such as the photograph, the glasses and the bullet which tells the viewer that these objects are important and significant.

Sound:
A slow and saddening piece of music plays throughout the opening sequence which reflects the morbid and shocking atmosphere of the scene. The only significant sounds heard are the firing of the gun and the man's scream - both of which scare and shock the reader as they are loud and piercing.

Editing:
There are very few shots used in the opening of Memento to make it seem more tense and simple. Most of the shots are quite long which helps build tension and but emphisis on things and the entire opening is arranged in such a way that time appears to moving backwards which confuses and excites the viewer.

Graphics:
All of the film's credits are shown as the first things, super imposed over the first shot. They are written in an eerie light blue font that stands out on the dark background and are written in an old-fashioned and scary font.

Analysis of the opening titles of 'Red Eye'

The next film that I evaluated in class was Red Eye (2005).


Narrative Structure:
The first image seen on screen is an photograph of a girl in a graduation outfit - because she is the first thing shown we instantly assume that she has some role of importance to play in the film and the graduation outfit suggests that she is successful and intelligent. Other photos of the same girl are shown of her doing things such as playing sport and holding trophies which suggests again that she is a successful and versatile person. A number of items are shown being put down on a desk by the hands of an unseen person - the last thing being a wallet with the initials 'JR' written on them. The way that the wallet is put down after everything else draws attention to it and makes it seem significant. A few seconds after the wallet is placed down a different hand to the one that placed it snatches it away and the scene quickly switches to one inside some sort of warehouse which seems to store large cargo crates containing seafood. The wallet is then shown being picked up and emptied of all the cards inside it, including an ID card of an unknown man which makes him seem significant and is an example of foreshadowing. A picture of the girl seen in the photographs at the start is then observed by a few moments by the mystery person emptying the wallet before the wallet is closed again - this makes us think that the girl or man will be the protagonists or victims of the film. A large cargo case full of frozen seafood is shown being closed briefly before being broken open again and all of the fish and ice inside is scraped out to reveal a large metal case, which is removed.

Thriller Codes and Conventions:
The romantic hero model is used as the characters shown are ordinary and do not behave in any supernatural ways. The question and answer model is also used as the viewer is made to wonder a number of things such as who the thief is, what was in the metal box hidden inside the frozen seafood and how was the wallet stolen so easily. Concealment and partial vision are used as only the hands of the thief are shown and the transformed city model is also used as everything seems safe at first but a sense of danger is soon inflicted.

Camera Work:
At first, a close up panning shot is used to show the photographs on the table. Close ups are used whenever hands are seen doing something in the opening sequence - such as the stealing of the wallet and the opening of the containers - so to conceal their owner's identity. Another example of this is when the wallet is being emptied where an extreme close up is used to only show the wallet and it's contents. The camera zooms on the metal box when it is first revealed in the ice block which draws attention to it and makes it seem significant to the story. A mid shot is used when the men in the warehouse are shown moving a container but their identities are still kept anonymous which helps support the impression that the camera work in the opening of Red Eye contributes greatly to the concealment and element of mystery of the sequence.

Mise en Scéne:
Not much is ever shown on the screen at a single time in the opening sequence of Red Eye to help keep most things concealed and leave the viewer asking questions, an example of the question and answer model as well as concealment and partial vision. At first only titles - including the 'RED EYE' title - are seen on a black background before old photographs can be seen on a desk with nothing much else until a number of items are placed on an empty spot on the table; the last of which is a wallet which makes it seem more important than the rest of the items. The wallet is snatched away and the scene switches, but the only part of the people ever shown on screen is their hands which conceals their identities and creates a sense of mystery and suspense. In the warehouse scene not much can be seen apart from anonymous men pushing large crates around which leaves the situation open for the viewer's interpretation as they are left to decide what they think is happening. When the wallet and crates are emptied they are the only things shown on screen aside from the people's hands which makes it clear that they are important and significant.

Sound:
The sound of a plane can be heard building up throughout the credits sequence which is an example of foreshadowing as later events in the film take place on a plane. The sound is non-diegetic and ends abruptly when the credits end. A consistent beating sound can also be heard throughout the opening which bears similarities to the sound of a heart beating and has an eerie echo which makes a tense atmosphere. Non-diegetic music is also used to help create suspense - it gets louder and faster when the camera is shown focusing on the wallet which helps draw attention to it and imply that it is significant. A heavy drum beat sounds when the wallet is snatched which makes it seem like a heavy blow to the owner of it. The scene in the warehouse has dramatic, fast music which creates a tense mood and atmosphere.

Editing:
The clips are arranged in a linear fashion and separated into two different scenes during the opening to help set the story. It is made clear that the warehouse scene takes place after the scene where the wallet is snatched because the wallet has obviously been transported from the table to the warehouse.

Graphics:
White lettering is used on a dark background which makes it stand out. The font is very 'official' and is in capital letters which makes an important, powerful image. The wording zooms out away from the viewer into the centre of the screen which catches the viewer's eye and makes it look as if it is trying to get away from the viewer which makes the viewer feel more involved and could suggest a theme explored in the film as an example of foreshadowing; escape. The lettering is all basic apart from the large 'RED EYE' logo which is written in red; significant as red could symbolise danger, anger, death or revenge. The titles start showing before the actual footage which allows the viewer to concentrate more on the footage once it starts playing. The words are super imposed during the warehouse scene as they are shown over the top of an image.