Thriller conventions

Camera work

Typical shots:

- establishing shots (location)
- mid shots (Characterization)
- close ups (disorientation)

Use of Composition/framing:

- Key props
- Creates suspense

Use of camera movement/angles:

- High/ low angle shots to show power/status

Use of perspective

1st person empathy

Editing

Some use straight cuts, without fade aways so it is very quick. Phsyco use this technique.

Thriller opening conventions

Drama tension
Use of music
Titles - name of film, actors, directors, company identity
One significant event

Sounds

Use ambient sounds - music/noises fade in and out = great atmoshphere
Voice over to create back story
Avoid dialogue

Mise-en-scene

Setting - realistic/isolated
Costume - realism
Actors - males (protagonist, antagonist)
Women are usually the victims
Weapons - realism
Lighting - shadows etc.

Narrative

Disorientating - start halfway through an event - audience asking questions
Chronological? flash backs and forwards

Sub-genres

Action thriller
Crime thriller
Psychlogical thriller
Conspiracy thriller
Disaster thriller
Dystopia thriller
Medical thriller




                      
                      

Psycho Assessment

Media Assessment

The Shower Scene In Psycho shower scene, exploring how film techniques are used to create effects.

In the film Psycho it often tries creates tension and confusion while you watch. It is very effective at doing this and this shower scene is a good example of when they cause the tension and confusion. They do this with the help of camera shots, editing techniques, sound, Mise-en-scene and many other ways, by using these to the best of their ability the make us feel the way they want us to feel.

The camera shots that they use at certain times are used to show different things. They start off with a close up of the shower head, here they have used a point of view shot of the victim and they have showed us this so that we know she cannot see much around her and with the sound of the shower she also would struggle to hear much around her. This gives us the feeling that if something or someone bad is to come at the victim will not realise until it’s too late to escape or defend herself. So this makes us feel worried and now we feel anxious to find out what is going to happen. At the time all we can here is the water hitting the floor and this is diegetic so the character can here this and only this. When showing the shower head they cut into a point of view shot so we know what the victim is experiencing at that moment in time. The lighting in the room is very bright making us aware of every little thing surrounding the woman.

Another good use of camera work and editing in the mise-en-scene was when the woman is cleaning herself and the camera starts to pan slightly to the left of the woman. The have used this type of editing to show the audience that the woman is oblivious to the things around her. Once it pans across fully we see a figure in the background. The figure looks distorted through the shower curtain but the viewers can just make it out. This could have been shot like this to add a bit of tension and mystery the killer and make the viewer’s guess what it is until we see it. This makes the viewer’s panic and worry when once they notice it. We feel the danger that the victim is in. But she is still oblivious to the danger. The woman is naked in this scene and this is to show her vulnerability as there is nothing on her to protect her. All of these build the tension towards what is going to happen, this is very conventional for a thriller.

Another great shot which goes well with the conventions of a thriller is the figure of the murderer. They have not showed the face and the killer expression but you can see the stance of her and the way she holds the knife in an attacking stance. They have used diegetic sound to scare the viewers the woman screams and the non-diegetic sound links makes us feel scared when she strikes the knife. The music they use for this is very conventional thriller music so It links very well. It is a close up of the killer but you cannot see the expressions which is very unconventional.

So this in this Mise-en-scen they use very good methods and techniques the make the audience scared and feel really tense before the murder. These methods have all been used to make the audience feel scared and intimidated by the killer and it also shows us the vulnerability of the victim. They have used all the editing techniques and camera shots very well in this film to make us feel tense and scared.

 

 

Glossary Of Shots

Glossary of shots

ES (Establishing shot or extreme long shot)

This type of shot is used to show the audience where they are. It will show a large area so the characters will usually be somewhere in this area. They would take these shots in a plane, helicopter or on a crane. But they are sometimes taken on the ground.

VLS (Very long Shot)
The subject is visible (barely), but the emphasis is still on placing him in his environment.

LS (Long Shot)
The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible.
AKA: Wide shot, full shot.

MS (Mid Shot)
Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.

MCU (Medium Close Up)
Half way between a MS and a CU. This is mainly to show what his expression is in his upper body and face.

CU (Close Up)
A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

ECU (Extreme Close Up)
The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.

Cut-In
Shows some (other) part of the subject in detail.

CA (Cutaway)

A shot of something other than the subject.

 (OSS) Over-the-Shoulder Shot
Looking from behind a person at the subject.

Noddy Shot
Usually refers to a shot of the interviewer listening and reacting to the subject.

Point-of-View Shot (POV)
Shows a view from the subject's perspective.

Weather Shot
The subject is the weather. Can be used for other purposes, e.g. background for graphics.

Two shot

A shot of two people next to each other, often used to show both of their reactions.

Bourne Identity

The first shot you see of the doctor is a mid shot and looking down on Bourne. The surroundings are very dirty, which connotes the doctor is not the best for the job as he may not have washed his equipment. The angle of the shot is slightly low angle; this means that at this moment in time that this character has a big role in Bourne’s survival making him a powerful character for now. When you look at the doctor’s clothes they are quite dirty and this signifies he is unhygienic and Bourne is not in best environment for the state he is in. The doctor’s body language makes the viewers feel he is concentrating extremely hard and this may be because he is drunk and he finds this task hard. This is another reason for us to be worried about Bourne. The tension we feel for Bourne right now links perfectly with the thriller genre and how it is quite thrilling for us to see how Bourne will turn out. Here in the second shot the Doctor fiddles with the equipment to find the right one, but there are not a lot to choose from. They have used a close up for this so it shows the audience that the Doctor was not prepared at all for this. The shot also shows the bullet wound in Bourne’s back so they know what he is going to pull out. They cut to this after they showed the doctors expression when he saw the bullet wounds. Then they pan across the body to show the doctor is going to try and get the bullets out with the equipment that he has. The lighting in the mise-en-scene is very dim which makes the atmosphere tenser. The lighting could also connote that it is a dark time for Bourne in his life. The third shot is a mid shot showing where Bourne was a few seconds earlier. This links perfectly with the thriller genre as it is a typical for someone to suddenly disappear to someone when there back is turned. There is a shocked expression on the Doctor just before you see the table so that signifies to the audience that the Doctor is concerned for his life and slightly worried; especially after pulling bullets out of Bourne. The surgical knives on the have been scattered so this could mean he has taken one to kill the Doctor. The audience will feel all this suspense building in a matter of seconds until they see Bourne come charging into the doctor seconds later. Once again the dim flickering lights add more tension to the mise-en-scene, as they don’t know where Bourne could be. Here in another shot they have used another mid shot showing the back of Bourne and the Doctor facing the camera. They have used a two shot here and put them both in so they can show the fear in the doctors face but at the same time show how Bourne is going for him. It is a high angle camera looking down on the doctor, this connotes that the Doctor is the weaker of the two and it shows that he is scared of him. They are using a one motion camera to follow the action around the room. For a tense gritty affect, this makes us feel like we are Bourne and moving quickly and aggressively towards the Doctor. Using the one camera to follow the action links very well with the Thriller genre and this is often used when filming an action scene. In this final shot we have an over the shoulder shot each time one speaks it cuts to there the other shoulder like you are in the conversation. They are conversing between each other and the doctor asks “who are you” and then Bourne realises he has no knowledge of who he is. This is also a close up shot on Bourne’s face, it is completely blank and this shows the audience he does not know who he is and his expression signifies this. The Doctors body language towards Bourne is quite aggressive but he has done it in a way to calm Bourne down so that he will trust the doctor. Finding out that Bourne has lost his memory leaves the audience with large suspense as they want to find out exactly who he is and why he has been shot. This suspense keeps the viewers interested and hooked on the film while watching.