Recipe for a Thriller

The recipe for a thriller details the archetypal characteristics of a thriller. A thriller is defined by a series of genre conventions:

1. The first point is that thrillers are characterized by fast paced frequent action. The action must be spaced out during the film to keep the audience interested. 
2. Second is the resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains. The hero is usually portrayed as being against the odds so that the audience side with him and are willing him to succeed.
3. Directors use devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers extensively. These devices are used to fool the audience and keep them guessing and also keep the level of interest up. 
4. A thriller has a villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles for the hero to overcome.

These points create a stereotypical thriller convention movie however directors and writers are always looking to break the genre conventions to create new and interesting hybrids and variations. I would like to aim to break a few conventions in my own film to make it unique and exciting new breed. A thriller covers a broad variety or mediums and covers many sub genres such as:

Thriller sub genres from Agon Koshi

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene means everything in the shot, it covers iconography, composition, sets  actors, costumes and lighting. These all contribute to the overall effect of the film and help set a sense of time and space as well as setting the mood and even suggesting the characters state of mind. Some key aspects of mise-en-scene are;

Lighting-The lighting can influence the way the audience perceive the characters, actions, mood and theme. The light emphasises time of day, mood and distance. The way light is presented for example in shadows can create more depth to the film by creating a sense of mystery or fear. However because light has this effect on the audience it has to be well planned by the cinematographers.

Composition-This is the way the props and actors have been placed in the shot. This should generally be kept in a balance of symmetry unless it is purposely unbalanced to emphasise certain aspects of the shot which the director wants to give particular attention to.

Costume-The costumes are what the actors are required to wear by the director. Costumes create the effects of time periods when combined with the hair and make up and they also reveal things about the character and distinguish the character.

Narrative and Genre

A narrative is an account of connected events or simply a story. Narratives can come in many forms such as fiction and non-fiction or linear and non-linear. The narrative is the story of the film and is what connects separate events together to develop a plot-line.

The genre is the different type of film for example horror, comedy or thriller. Genres are split up into many categories and sub categories and also hybrids. The thriller genre is the genre that I will base my film around and this genre can be split up into many sub genres such as psychological, crime or action thrillers.

Genres are there to be broken because they all contain specific elements or 'recipes' for the perfect/typical genre movie however these are their to be broken and when they are broken they create interesting and new hybrids and sub genres that do not fit into the mould and ask questions of the audience.

Coursework Brief

For our coursework we have been asked produce the titles and opening of a new fictional thriller genre film. The sequence can be up to 2 minutes and will be worth 60% of the coursework grade, the other 40% being made up of the blog. Overall the coursework makes up 50% of the AS level. Acting is not assessed so anyone is allowed to star in the sequence.

Welcome Post

Hi, I'm Jake Yellop and this is my AS media Studies blog where I will record all the filming, planning, research and production that make up my AS Foundation Portfolio. I will record details of my progress through the course and through the making of my coursework project.