Unit B- Foundation Production: The Opening of a Thriller

Research into existing media practice and products

To answer this section you should visit the library and read at least one book on film analysis, noting it’s title and author.
You will also find this site useful:
http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html


Thriller as a genre
Define genre
Define generic conventions
What are the generic conventions of a thriller?
Are there any subgenres within the thriller genre?

H/W Research task:
How has this genre developed in both the mainstream and independent fields over the last 30 years?

H/W Investigating Directors
Choose one of the key directors listed below and prepare a presentation on their work for the class. You should include a brief biography of the director, a filmography, and a detailed analysis of his style illustrated with at least 2 clips from his films.

Key directors include:

Alfred Hitchcock
Fritz Lang
David Fincher
Francis Ford Coppola
Brian De Palma
Quentin Tarrantino
David Lynch
George Cukor
Ridley Scott
Roman Polanski
John Huston
Jonathan Demme
Brian Singer
William Friedkin
Martin Scorsese
Michael Mann
Roger Michell

You will find information on:
http://www.imdb.com/

7. Analysis of an opening sequence

Seven
Use your skills of textual analysis to explain how the opening sequence uses
Sound
Graphics
Font
Mise-en scene
Voice-over
to create an effective opening that complies with the generic conventions of a thriller

H/W The Fugitive
After viewing the opening sequence of The Fugitive, repeat this exercise



Research into target audience

Choose 5 thrillers and find out what certification they are.
Look up the most popular films of the year for the past 5 years in terms of box office and rental popularity.
How many of these are thrillers?
You should find amongst your research reference to ‘The Bourne Identity’, what makes this thriller so popular with such a wide audience?
What conclusions have you reached about the target audience of thrillers?

Planning the Production

Brainstorm your initial ideas for your film

Working Title
Ideas for the plot
Characters
Settings


Finalising the ideas
Write up a detailed plot summary, character profiles and script (if there is to be one).
Describe each location to be used and include digital photographs illustrate suitability.


The storyboard
Draw a final storyboard for the opening sequence of this thriller



The Production Schedule
Using the deadline set for you and the number of lessons allocated to the production, draw up a schedule for organisation, filming, editing and evaluating this product.



Evaluation of the production schedule
How realistic was this schedule?
Which elements took longer/less time than anticipated?
Were any problems encountered in production?
In the future what steps would you take to avoid these?



The Evaluation

Analyse the various elements of your opening sequence
What is communicated by each element?
How successful was each element?
How appropriate was each element to the genre?
Did you draw on any existing films for ideas?
In what ways does your opening sequence appeal to your target audience?