Question 5

Before I started planning my film I did lots of research on the different elements of thriller films in order for me to understand how to make an appealing and conventional film of this genre. I researched into all the different parts of film including sound, mise-en-scene, camerawork, editing and even the history of thrillers in order to ensure I had as much understanding of the genre as possible. Classic thriller films I analysed include Psycho and The Silence of The Lambs. I also researched into my chosen target audience and conducted questionnaires and vox pops so I could find out what they liked and disliked about films and thrillers so I would gain knowledge into what I should include.

During my film research I made sure to note what techniques were successful at creating a certain effect and how I could use these techniques in my own sequence. For example during my research into editing styles I examined a scene from the film Human Centipede and learned how varying the timing of shots can be used to effectively change the tempo of the film and keep it from getting stale. I learned from Zodiac how eerie music can be used to build tension and suspense and I used what I learned to help with the soundtrack for my sequence. In my analysis of the Scream movie franchise I learned how cinematography can be used to make knives the focus of the shot in a way that makes the audience scared for the victims. In my sequence I used what I learned from Scream to have a shot where the knife appears to glisten as it reflects light and this makes it look more threatening.

During my target audience research I learned what specific elements my target audience liked to see included and also what the didn't like. For example I learned that they prefer thrillers to be set in an isolated location which helped me decide to set my film in a forest. I also learned that they prefer films where the identity of the antagonist is hidden to create enigma. I learned that their favourite murder weapon is a gun and that knives were the second most popular choice. I decided it would be difficult to film a realistic looking gun and that my sequence would work much better if the antagonist wielded a knife which was also a popular choice. The vox pops were useful as they allowed me to record more detailed answers for the open questions in our questionnaire. The questionnaires and vox pops are both forms of primary research as I personally carried it out. The information we gathered helped a lot during the planning process as it helped me decide the setting and what mise-en-scene elements I should include. It also helped me with some simpler decisions like whether or not the antagonist should have a hidden identity. The research I did into other thrillers was invaluable and was extremely helpful with deciding what shots to use, how to arrange the soundtrack and many other elements I was able to make conventional to the genre.