Thriller - Exploring/Developing

After forming an initial idea for a thriller I have been placed in a group that together with me will create an opening thriller sequence this school year. During the past couple of days we had the occasion of sharing our opening thriller concepts. Each of stated what it is that they enjoy about their thriller idea and what it is that they would like to contribute from their individual thrillers towards the group project. By doing so our group was able to distinguish what all of us would like to see within our groups thriller and blend together our ideas in a way that at the end we were left with a fixated and comprehensible idea that we could improve upon further. We have done this through deciding on a certain motive and feel to the main thriller that we would like to achieve prior to even sharing our ideas.  So far our group is set on creating an introduction to a psychological-thriller. Ultimately we generated an idea that was composed out of more or less my plot line, together with Kami’s thrilling tension builds and Victoria’s idea for the sounds within the thriller, as well as the make up and props. One major change our group agreed upon was to switch around the ending and have the protagonist meet his contractor in person, after which the girl would shoot him down in the back of his head. Additionally we have gone into detail as in what sounds and music should be present throughout the sequence as well as what lighting should there be so that it corresponds to the mood of the media piece. From that point we went on to talk about the possible mise-en-scene, editing, and camera angles/shots we could potentially use/incorporate in our thriller. Overall as a group we have been able to establish a clear and developed opening sequence through group collaboration.

Thriller - Initial Idea

I would like for the opening sequence of the thriller to explore the morning routine of an assassin. Visually the audience is first introduced to the setting through a number of establishing shots of the bedroom. The bedroom will be fitted with prestigious props, alcohol, guns, drugs and other such items. This is a crucial part of the sequence as it displays the items that allow the audience to denote what type of person the protagonist is, such as for example a gun, I.D. card and cocaine clearly point towards an extraordinary persona. Afterwards the assassin will be  shown lying in the bathroom in a pool of blood with cuts all over his left arm. This is to display the emotional state that the protagonist is currently in, as well as the contrast between the way he acts after he wakes up and the way he looks during the process of waking up. The next couple number of shots will represent the character waking up, covering his scars in bandages, and dressing up in a suit. At this point the audience should be astonished by the simplicity and emotionlessness that the protagonist portrays while getting ready.  Succeeding an aerial shot will display the protagonist walking into the bedroom. In addition to presenting what is happening the aerial shot reveals the overall state of the room,and additionally a girl sleeping covered in sheets at one side of the bed. Shortly after the shot begins the protagonist will enter the bedroom and the girl will wake up and begin conversing with the the main character. The girl will have some type of an issue with the protagonist, which will cause him to secretly begin reaching for his gun, which will gradually build suspense and tension. Although ultimately the assassin will not take out his gun as he will be interrupted by a phone call that he answers after leaving the bedroom. The phone will be a job offer for the protagonist, who is a contract-killer. After accepting the job the assassin will return to the bedroom, smile at the girl, say his goodbyes and leave the room. I would like this to leave the audience in awe of the main character, which is what I hope will interest them in the rest of the film as they want to find out who the protagonist is.

Sub-genres of a Thriller

A Psychological thriller is a film, which places emphasis on the psychology of its characters and their unstable emotional states. An example of a psychological thriller is Shutter Island. Shutter Island explores the mental issues and instabilities of a young patient at a correctional centre with serious delusional issues.  The following film can be classified as a psychological thriller because it mainly develops upon the protagonists psychological and emotional state as the film progresses.

An Action thriller is a film that melds together the main characteristics of a thriller together with recurring action sequences, tension and suspense. John Wick is an example of an action thriller. The film is mainly composed out of action sequences separated by thrilling builds up and an atmospheric suspense that drag the audience into the film. The following film is model exemplar of a film that is able to meld together the aspects of an action and thriller film together so well, that the film simply flows.

An erotic thriller is a movie that places emphasis on eroticism and most commonly revolves around some sort of sexual relationship. An example of an erotic-thriller is Basic Instinct. Erotic Thrillers are not very common an dare rarely well received. The latest widespread erotic-thriller 50 Shades of Grey was generally received very poorly by the public.

A disaster thriller is a film that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device, whilst being enriched with the characteristics of a thriller such as suspense and tension. Into The Storm is a disaster thriller thats main plot device is a storm that is gradually laying destruction to to the local setting. The film is composed in a similar manner to John Wick, as it consists of action sequences separated by thrilling builds up and and atmospheric moments and dialogue. Most commonly disaster films display a character or group character attempting at escaping or facing a natural disaster.