What is a questionnaire and why is it important? A questionnaire is a set of question asked to a specific audience which will gain specific answer from what you where looking for. Primary evidence will give me accurate response from the audience and what to include in my research. In my questionnaire I have put the concentrations in questions that relate to the thriller genre as I am creating a thriller opening. In addition from creating a questionnaire I know what the public expects and wants from a thriller opening as I choose conventional questions and my target audience. There are three types of questions which are:
Closed questions - Yes or No
Multiple questions - Provide options
Open questions - Can write in more details
In my questionnaire I mostly used Closed and Multiple questions in order to make it interesting for the audience. Questionnaire are important because they allow direct feedback from the viewers creating a products that they will definitely watch. This is because I will follow what will mostly appeal to them and fascinate them.
Advantages of a questionnaire:
Easy
Quick
Reliable
Engaging in the mind of the audience
Establish if my ideas have sense
Easy to analyse
Practical
Disadvantages of a questionnaire:
Some people may not want to respond the questionnaire
The person might be lying in his answerers
Lack of validity
The response might not take it seriously
The respondent may not understand the question therefore it will not be answered
Who did you ask and why?
I gave out 30 questionnaire to people that were over 11. This is because my target audience for my opening thriller are teenagers that will understands the genre and be able to give appropriate feedback for my opening thriller that I will create. My sample included both sexes which will give me a range of views and preferences, as the male genre and less sensible towards theme of violence and rape. Furthermore, having a wide audience allows more diverse response which will help me to make decision for my opening. Lastly, this questionnaire was important because it gave me specific ideas and response on how to produce a conventional and professional thriller opening.
MY QUESTIONNAIRE:
Conclusion: In conclusion, this research was beneficial to my understanding because it gave me a specific audience to relay on and also gave me expectations on what they wants in a thriller opening.
What are opening credits & what are their purpose? Opening credits are usually shown at the beginning of a movie listing the most important people who contributed to the production of the film. The most important credits comes first during the opening which are the names presented in order of significance with the most important name last. For example, the director of the film is usually presented at the end after the other names because the director is the most important person in production, as the audience are more likely to remember the last name they saw. Often opening credits follow some themes that will support that film genre in order to establish the movie type. The purpose of the opening credits is to show the significant stars who are playing in the film and the production team to allow the audience to see who is starring in the film and the names of people who have contributed in the movie. For example if the company is well known or the director is credible the viewers are more likely to watch the movie. What information they provide?
Order of credits:
Name of studio
Name of the production company
Producers name
Directors name
Starring
Film's Title
Edited by
Music or Music Composed by
Story boarded by
Alternative credits:
Production company
Title
Lead cast
Music composer
Editor
Producer
Writer
Director
These are information that the opening credits provide in the movie. In the first configuration the name of the studio such as Universal, Miramax Film, New line Cinema etc. are being presented. Firstly followed by the production company, producer, director, starring, film title, editor and story boarder. Whereas the second format include the production company presented first followed by the title, lead cast, music, composer, editor, producer, writer and then the director. Opening credits allows the viewers to identify which person is responsible for each job in helping to produce the movie. Overall, the opening credits provide essential information to connect with the audience so they are more aware of the production.
THE NUMBER 23 ANALYSIS:
The opening credits from the movie 'The number 23' follows the first format, it begins by introducing the production company, which is New Line, and it continues by showing the name of the production name, producers and director names. Moreover, it shows the name of the main characters and then the title of the film. This allows the audience to identify the importance of the characters and introduce the film narrative. After the title the lead cast in introduced which is then followed by the music composer and editor. This structure is typically used in many films and it works well as the audience can identify the importance of roles in the films, which also makes them have predictions about the movie and characters. Lastly, it allows them to immediately connect with the movie as they are being introduced to the people who support the production of the film before watching it. From this scene, we can see that the typography used is hand written and also scribbled on top, which may connote the frustrated mind of the protagonist trying to solve a case, or perhaps the psychopath mind of the antagonist writing a secret message. The opening credits looks like that is written in an old papers and the typography is coloured in black which makes the spectators feel threat as the black colour connote death and misery. Furthermore, the opening credits is complemented with the use of an eerie soundtrack which create suspense and tension through the viewers. Overall, this opening credits is really effective as the number 23 is permanently show which makes the audience wonder what the number could mean making them think all the different connotations of this number, thus engaging the audience and making them feel curious. What is the audience response? Although the audience don't usually put much importance in the opening credits, they still have different effects on the audience according to their representation. If credits are accompanied by unexpected and dark soundtrack the viewer will feel nervous and a feeling of suspense and tension will be created, which will also make them predicts what may happen in the narrative of the movie. However, to make the spectators feel fear of the unknown the credits used should be demonstrated by using images behind it and presented on a black screen so the audience will be left in suspense as they are ensure of what will happen next. Overall, opening credits can be effective as well as using the narrative of the movie presented, which will create excitement as the audience will know the themes demonstrated in the movie. For example, in 'The number 23' scene the opening credits have a huge impact in the movie and the audience response. This is because they way is demonstrated which allows the viewers make assumptions about the movie. Also as they are well represented we can infer that the film had a big budget, therefore was able to make a good first impression. Moreover, the credits can help establish the nature and genre of the film by using specific codes. For example from this scene we can suggest that the movie is a psychological thriller because of the different references of the number 23. Overall, this opening credits is really effective as it follow the codes and conventions of a thriller genre which engage the audience a create the right atmosphere.
MEMENTO ANALYSIS:
In the opening scene from the film 'Memento' the credits are
simply shown by the text and a black backgrounds. The credits are highlighted
by the blue colour used in the typography, which makes the audience have a
feeling of tension and fear as they do not know what will happen next. From the
start of the opening we can hear the non-diegetic sound of an eerie soundtrack
is used, which immediately create a
feeling of anxiety to the viewers as they can suggests that something dark and
unpleasant might happen. As the scene develops, the production company and the actors
names are shown making the audience aware of what to expect from the actors,
then the other names of people contributing to the production such as producers
of music, costume etc. are presented with a close up of a picture with an hand
moving the image. This makes the audience create a feeling of frustration as
the picture captured shows a dead person with blood spreads all over the floor
and wall. As the scene progress, we can see the producer and directors names appear at the end of the credits as these individuals had a huge impact on the film production and therefore it will remain memorable by the audience who are likely to remember these names. Finally, we can see that the scene is edited backwards. This is visible when we see a characters taking the picture of the dead body. As the scene continuous backwards we can see that the character in the antagonist as he shoot the vulnerable character which makes the audience questioning why the antagonist killed the characters which is conventional to a thriller movie. Overall, this opening of the thriller movie 'Memento' has the correct impact on the audience as they will respond within unpredictability and tension.
Conclusion:
For my opening thriller my credits will be shown within the narrative that I will create. I will ensure to include my production company names first, and then provides the other information such as title, lead cast, music composer, editor, producer, writer and then director, so my thriller will look professional and provides the audience with information about the production of the opening thriller. My opening credits will also accompanied by a sinister and mysterious soundtrack creating fright and suspense for the audience. This will ensure that my opening credits are successfully produced with the correct response from the audience. Also the typography will play a huge role in the opening credits scene. I would like to use a spooky and edgy typography to connote evilness and danger. Also the typography will be in red connoting blood, while the narrative of the scene is shown to make the audience feel thrilled.
What is typography? Typography is how the writing is presented to the audience which can be differentiated in different films according the genre of the movie. For example, the typography of a thriller movie would be edgy and spooky to have a chilling response, it also caused by the size, font, and colour of the text which could be intimidating and exciting. The typography used in movie should be discreetly selective to make the audience response and build tensions before even watching the movie. MYSTERY GENRE:
The typography's style of this image is simple and professional which may connote to the cunning persona and mind of the antagonist, also it connotes mystery as the audience would not be able to predict whats going on in the narrative of the movie. The typography used has a big size to make it stands out, also the colours used have a huge impact on the image. The white connote to innocence while the black suggests death and evil action. This makes the audience assume that there will be the theme of good vs evil or perhaps, the antagonist will kill innocent life which is conventional to a thriller movie. Moreover, we can see that the typography is cracked suggesting the disturbed mind of the antagonist which makes the audience have a feeling of suspense as they don't what he is capable of doing. Overall, the typography from the title connotes intensity and mystery through the use of size and font style.
ACTION GENRE:
The typography used in this picture imply excitement and action through the use of the style text which gives it a sense of movement by the light blue colour. The typography is white which connote to holiness, which suggests that the protagonist has good intentions for the society. Also the use of the black background makes the text stands out and have the fully concentration from the audience to the title of the movie. The font used is professional suggesting that the main character is agile and expert in his job. Furthermore, the typography used connotes to action and thrill which is conventional to an action thriller movie. Lastly, the number seven is been modified, representing a gun. This is conventional to the action genre as the gun is conventional iconography used in this type of movie. Overall, the title of the movie is cleverly set to demonstrate the popular number of the agent '007', which makes the audience feel intrigue and excited. PSYCHOLOGICAL GENRE:
The typography from this image connotes mystery through the use of the shadows from the top of the letters which makes the viewers feel anxious and create a feeling of suspense as they do not know what to expect. The font used are fancy and high-class, suggesting that the protagonist is intelligent or possibly that the narrative is cleverly done. The colour used looks golden brown which could connote to treasure, but the use of the black background not only makes the text stands out but it contradicts the narrative themes as it could connotes to crime and danger. In conclusion, the typography used is conventional to a thriller movie as it creates suspense and tension to the viewers. SCI-FI GENRE:
The typography of this movie connote to technology and is futuristic. The colour gloomy green highlights the white title making the image moving which makes the viewers feel excited and intrigue. The letters are distorted and a little crack which makes the audience assume the main protagonist have good intention yet he will make mistakes to reach them. The background of the image is black connoting the dark times the protagonist will pass through. Moreover, there are gloomy green lines of number and letters put together in vertical lines.The green colour connotes the evolved technology which makes the audience feel excited as the narrative is based on the future.The vertical lines of number and letters makes the audience feel confused and nervous as the do not now what to expect next. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the theme of mystery is presented. Typography inThrillers:
The typography from the horror-thriller movie 'The Unborn' connotes to heaven or perhaps giving life as the typography is highlighted and white. Also we can see that 'Unborn' has a bigger size than the other text signifying that is the main themes of the narrative which will give suspense and fear to the spectators. The typography is contrasted by the picture used as we can see a woman standing in front of the mirror and see another creepy character mirrored. On the top on the image we see the writing 'Evil wants to be born now' which makes the audience assume that supernatural action will be edited in the movie. The typography of the writing is more sharp and small, which makes it conventional to a thriller movie
The typography from the action-thriller movie 'Hanna' are in bold and white. This makes the audience witness that the protagonist will fight for her life and save other innocent people. Also we can see that the letter 'H' is picked-on suggesting that the main character will seek revenge by using different weapons that may cause her trouble. Moreover, we can see other text saying, 'Young. Sweet. Innocent. Deadly'. This makes the audience assume that the main character is antihero. The title stands out on the poster and immediately grabs the audience attention due to the bold lettering. This is conventional to a thriller genre as it expected for the title to foreshadows the events that will be evident on the movie.
The typography from the horror-thriller film 'Jennifer's Body' connotes to danger and death due the red colour used. Furthermore, the letters are spaced out creating more anticipation as it draws the audiences attention to the writing. The title is of a medium size which allows the viewers to pay focus to the image dues it's presentation. Also we can see the 'Hell Yes!' writing text which symbolising that the narrative will about teenagers as they typically used colloquial language. Also is written in a black board with white chalk, which suggest that the narrative would be placed in school, which attract the younger audience. The style of the writing 'Hell Yes!' is simple and plain, but distorted which connotes to the disturbed persona of the antagonist. Lastly, the typography utilize is conventional to a thriller genre as it connotes to danger and death which creates a sense of suspense and anxiety to the audience.
EXTRA ANALYSIS:
The typography used in these different title movies we can see that all of them connotes to danger, excitement and thrill through the use of their sizes, colours and fonts. The audience immediately will draw attentions on these movie as the conventions are well used. An example is the colour red that usually connotes to blood and death, whereas the black connote to danger and threat. The fonts used are all similar the sense that they are in capital letters. The 'Seven' typography looks stretched connoting to mystery and danger, while the typography of 'Insidious' demonstrates death and supernatural through the use of shadows and bold lettering. The 'Black Swan' uses only the black colours but although is still effective. Compered with 'The Exorcist' the typography used is simple yet disturbing but the use of the colors that connotes to brutal murder or supernatural actions. All these conventions makes the title stands out and makes the audience feel threatened and scared yet effective for a thriller genre. For my thriller opening I am more likely to use the the typography style of 'Seven', this is because it connotes to mystery and alludes the audience that something positive will happen. I might change the colour of white being red to connote blood and death which will make the viewers feel threat and curious. Conclusion: In closure, for my opening thriller I think that I will use medium size and bold font in order to grab the audience attention. It will also be conventional to the thriller genre as I will use black and red colours to make the audience feel scared yet excited. The letters would be stretched out like 'Seven' to make the audience feel frustrated by the gab that will connote to the narrative of my thriller opening. Also the black colour will be used for the background to make the title stands out, while the typography will be in red to connote danger and blood which will make the audience feel scared yet curious which conventional to the thriller genre.
How is the opening of 'Scream' conventional to a thriller? The opening scene of Scream use a
variety of micro-elements that I will be analyzing which create meaning in the
entire sequence and audience response. The sequence revolves a young girl who
is home alone who keeps receiving prank calls from an unknown character which
demonstrates the scene as conventional for a thriller opening because the theme
of threat and death are demonstrated throughout the entire scene.
Firstly, in the living room we can
see the female victim picking up the phone and slow paced editing and on-screen
sound of the telephone ringing is used to create the natural and habitual atmosphere
of the scene. The slow paced editing suggest that it’s an ordinary day which
makes the audience feel relaxed and normal, but the loud and squeaky sound of
the phone ringing makes the audience
witness that something dangerous might happen. In addition, we can see that the
female character wears a white jumper that connotes her innocence and vulnerable
persona. Her blonde hair and pale face connotes that she is holy and pure which
means that she is an easy target for the antagonist to kill which makes the
audience have a frightened responds to her. Moreover, from the antagonist we
only learn about his voice. He uses a childish and smug voice which connotes
his psychopath persona as he uses the phone as main iconography to threaten the
female victim. At this point, we can suggest that he hides his identity to make
his victim feel more scared and psychologically disturbed. This is conventional
to a thriller movie as the antagonist hides his identity to make the audience
feel anxious and want to find out more about the movie.
Moreover, we can see that high key lighting and
a canted angle is used when the damsel in distress pick up the phone, again in
the living room. The use of the high key lighting makes the victim look in two
ways, one is exposed and the other is that the scene feel natural and calm, but
the use of the canted angle makes the scene foreshadow obstruction as the
female victim is seen distorted which the audience could infer that something negative
might occur and make them feel anxious. Furthermore, a cross-cut is used when
we see the outside of the house captured with an establishing shot with low key
lighting. This warns the audience that an evil action will take place in that
specific setting, which is the house. The house is a symbolical signs of
security and safety, but it’s subverted with the use of the low key lighting
and the establishing shot of the house which warns the spectators that the
location is isolated, signifying that if the victim will shout and beg for help,
nobody will hear and rescue her. This is conventional to a thriller opening
because the theme of mystery and isolation is present as we don’t know who the
character on the phone is.
In addition, we can see the victim
established with a medium shot in the kitchen cooking popcorn and playing with
a knife as iconography. This makes the spectators have a feeling of foreshadow
that the female victim will use that iconography to protect herself later on,
or possibly killed by the specific knife from the antagonist. Furthermore, as
we follow the female character going in the living room again, we can see that
low key lighting is utilize through the corridor which makes the viewer witness
that she is vulnerable and something somber and mysterious may happen. Also, we
see her flirting on the phone with the mysterious character, that later we found
out that he is the antagonist. While she talks on the phone with him, we can
hear the non-diegetic sound which sound eerie and mysterious which creates the
meaning of something dangerous will take place. The sound is bizarre and creepy
which proposes that danger is approaching. As both characters talk to each
other we can see that a reaction shot and zooming in is used on the female
victim’s face, this is because the antagonist knows who she is, as he said her
name which makes the audience have a fearful response. As the scene proceeds,
the victim begins to worry about her safety, so she starts to manage her
surrounding by controlling outside hanging up the phone and locking the doors. This
constructs the audience to have sense of frustration and threat toward the victim’s
life which makes it conventional to a thriller opening as the theme of danger
is not exactly shown, but makes the audience have a feeling of suspense. From
the reaction shot that took place, we can see that the body language and the facial
expression of the victim changes as she goes back to the kitchen. She becomes
worried and stressed. This is a huge shift in her behavior as initially she
felt self-assured and relaxed as she was flirting with the villain not knowing
his intentions, which now juxtaposed her feelings on that moment on how the
antagonist knows her, so she questions him with an increasing tone of voice. From
the medium close up of the female victim we can see that she keeps to ending
the conversation on the phone which suggests that she wants to end this prank
which emphasis that as the antagonist knows of her, he will, perhaps eventually,
know where she lives and could cause her harm as he is in control of the
situation and dominant due the fact that the victim is a female which are stereotypically
seen weak and fragile. This generates the audience to have a sense of fear for her
life, as she starts shouting on the phone, which makes the scene conventional
to an opening thriller as we see the theme and emotion of threating in the
sequence.
Furthermore, as the scene develops,
we can establish that fast paced editing and non-diegetic sound of a soundtrack
is used to reflect to reinforce the threat of the antagonist. This is visible when we see the damsel in
distress run towards every door in the house and lock them to prevent any
danger that might happen to her, and the sound increasing volume as the viewer
could suggest that the antagonist is getting nearer to the house, which makes
the audience feel terrified and stressed for the weak victim’s life. This also
builds the scene as it create a sense of suspense, therefore, the body language
of the female in distress becomes frantic and worried. She keeps talking on the
phone and begins to threat the antagonist that her boyfriend will find him and
kill the villain so she will feel secure and finish the prank call. But as the
antagonist reveals the name of her boyfriend, a reaction shot take place to
show the anguished face of the girlfriend. The use of low-key lighting and the
zooming out of the door makes the audience witness that the antagonist may come
out of the door which builds a sense of exasperation as the female victim seems
further and further away from help. This is conventional to a thriller opening
as a sense of fear and insecurity is present in the sequence.
Moreover we can see the victim
crying from all these pressures looking like a baby so perhaps the villain will
feel sympathy for her and let her boyfriend have more chances to live. A point
of view is used when the female character looks outside and finds out that her
boyfriend is tied up and captured on the chair. His face is covered with his
own blood which suggests that he was kidnapped and tortured, which causes the
audience to feel sympathy for him as he could die in a painful way, reducing
his chances of survival. As the scene continues, a close up and a slow movement
of a zooming in is used in the female characters face to emphasis her emotion
of sadness and sympathy towards her boyfriend. As she turns off the light
outside, her body language is crouched down signifying that she is hiding and
looking for comfort. This is conventional to a thriller movie as the theme of
death in demonstrated to make the audience feel thrilled and anxious. The scene
ends with the brutal death of the male character tied up in the chair which is
conventional to the thriller opening as the conventions of blood is presented
which makes the audience feel disgusted yet terrified.
In conclusion, this opening scene
is really typical of a thriller as it creates a sense of suspense and
excitement toward the viewers, which is common because of the distorted
narrative which makes the viewer want to know what will happen to these
characters and make them watch the whole film. In my opinion, the opening is effective
and really elaborated, as the key elements of the phone, blood and theme of
threat are demonstrated through the entire scene. When creating my thrilleropening I will ensure that the micro elements I use are conventional and typical in a thriller genre to create meaning and response from the viewers. For example, the characters that I think I will use are the female victim as they are seen stereotypically weak and vulnerable whereas my antagonist will be unattractive and emotionless as it typical for a thriller opening. After analysing the 'Scream' opening scene I understand how to develop and make a professional opening scene that will create a fearful response.
What are themes? Why are they important? A themes is a subjects or action that a person speaks or write about. The theme should be conventional to the genre in order to portrays meaning and response towards the audience expectations. Themes such as violence, death mystery etc. are important to a thriller genre as it allows the audience to identify events that may occur in the scene and responds in the appropriate manner. It also create originality on the narrative, whereas it will be the same film over and over again. Themes and genres: Themes are depended on genres because the viewers should be able to predict the actions that will take place in the movie, therefore the themes should match the genre to meet the audiences expectations. Different genres include different themes however similar genres may have similar equal themes presented, e.g:
VERTIGO (MYSTERY-THRILLER GENRE) opening scene themes:
Chasing
Good vs evil
Death
Desperation
SAW (HORROR-THRILLER GENRE) opening scene themes:
Violence
Murder
Massacre
Mystery
SHUTTER ISLAND (PSYCHOLOGICAL-THRILLER GENRE) scene themes:
Violence
Threat
Supernatural
Denial
Lies
INCEPTION (ACTION-THRILLER GENRE) scene themes:
Violence
Kidnap
Disaster
Death
Battle
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT (SCI-FI-THRILLER GENRE) scene themes:
Concentration
Supernatural
Time travelling
Childhood
Friendship
Age
CONTRABAND (CRIME-THRILLER GENRE) scene themes:
Death
Good vs Evil
Kidnap
Conspiracy
Family
Vengeance
Impact of themes on the audience: Before watching a movie the spectators will be aware of the genre, therefore have an idea about the events that will happens in the film, which will allow them to interpret the movie and chose if the genre interest them. The theme that are usually portrayed in thriller movie are death, torture, and psychological which are likely to create tension and suspense towards the audience and sometimes could be psychologically disturbing. Moreover, the audience need to be able to identify with the themes according to the genre because they are likely to create tension and anticipation from the audience. Conclusion: Overall, the theme are applied to create meaning and emotional response from the audience. When creating my opening thriller I will choose the theme of death, rape, kidnap and probably supernatural as they are conventional to the thriller genre and builds anxiety and suspense from the audience. The theme of death and rape will be shown to create sympathy from the audience. Also the theme of vengeance will be demonstrated to create excitement and anxiety to the viewers.
What is narrative and why is important to audiences? Narrative is the story line of the movie that tell us the situations or problems that are happening in the film. It allows the audience to follow the actions therefore engage them with the movie. Also the viewers will construct meaning by the:
Connotations & Denotations - These helps the audience have a better understanding in certain objects that are demonstrated in the movie. Also make the viewer infer and guess the meaning behind these iconography. For example the colour white will be the denotation, and it would connote to holiness, heaven and innocence.
Characters - This helps the audience create a connection with the character as well as the storyline, as the viewer can feel different emotion within different characters. For example in a thriller movie the feeling of hatred and and disgust will relate to the antagonist caused by his disturbing persona and evil actions.
Genre - This helps the viewers establish the possible themes that may portrayed in the movie. Foe example the theme of mystery and supernatural will usually associated with the horror-thriller genre. A theme that is common in every thriller movie is death.
Structure - This allow the movie have a clear and fluent composition which can be easily read by the viewer. Foe example a thriller movie will usually have a clear start, middle and end. Sometimes thriller movie are likely to end with a cliffhanger.
Theories: TODOROV THEORY: Tzvetan Todorov is a literacy critics, philosopher and historian that improve the idea of narrative and came up with a theory. Todorov's narrative theory is based on that most story line follow the same pattern which are: Equilibrium: is the start of the plot showing how the characters appear stable and in control of the situation. For example, the protagonist will be enjoying his evening with his family. Disequilibrium: is the middle of the movie showing that something negative happens and change the occurs, like someone of the member of the family is kidnapped by the antagonist. New equilibrium: is the end of the narrative line that usually shows that every problems are solved and the narrative is closed. When the protagonist rescue the victim and the antagonist is put in jail or dead. PROPP THEORY: In the 1920, Vladimir Propp was a Russian critic. He was mainly interested in narrative Folk tales as he believe that Folk tales were about the same basic struggles, therefore had the same characters.
According with the Propp theory, characters have a narrative function as they provide a structure for the text. Here are the stages that take place in a movie: Complication: when the hero plans actions against the villain. For example, the protagonist is looking or trying to solve something. Transference: when the hero reacts, and the antagonist struggle against the protagonist. Struggle: when the villain has to be overcome the issues and defeat the protagonist. Return: when the hero arrives at home and is not rewarded. Recognition: The false hero is unmasked, therefore the protagonist is recompensed. ARISTOTLE THEORY: Aristotle was a great philosopher that produce his own theory, that says having a beginning, a middle, and end events must casually relate to one another as being either necessary or probable. Exposition: is when the audience gets to know the main character. Rising Action: is when the hero understands his or her goal and begins to work toward it. Climax: is the greatest overall tension; the phase in which everything goes mostly wrong. Falling Action: is the turning point of the story, where the main character makes the decision that defines the outcome of the story . Denouement: is the resolution, all problems are solved. BARTHES THEORY: Roland Barthes was a French literary theorist, philosopher, critic and semanticist. He suggested that the narrative can be 'open' or 'closed' so he develop his own narrative theory which can be defined by using the following codes: Symbolic: This code is about symbolizing within the text, which is typically utilize where new meaning arise out of opposing and conflict ideas. For example, a red rose can symbolise blood and death or passion. Semantic: The semantic code points to any elements that suggest additional meaning by the use of connotations which the story infers. For example, a skull has connotations of death and misery. Cultural understanding: This code looks at the audience wider cultural knowledge. For example, the traditional festivity of Halloween have references to evil and supernatural actions. TODOROV THEORY EXAMPLE: In this action-thriller scene called 'Apocalypto' the Todorov theory is evident. The equilibrium starts with the protagonist resting himself by the lack of air. As he sees a cub he can also hear the big alpha jaguar roaring and as the protagonist turn around he sees the animal is behind him, therefore this makes the audience feels worried about the protagonist's life as he is in danger. The disequilibrium begins when we see the protagonist chased by the antagonist which in this case is the jaguar. Also we can see the buddies looking for the protagonist, which makes the audience have some hope for the life of the protagonist. The new equilibrium is when the buddies find the protagonist chased by the jaguar, which one of them is killed by it. However, they menage to kill the antagonist and protect the protagonist which is conventional to a thriller scene as the protagonist is not dead, whereas he faced issues that he had to deal with.
PROPP & ARISTOTLE EXAMPLE: In this horror-thriller titled 'Deliver Us From Evil' the Aristotle and Propp theory are utilize. Firstly, the exposition begins with the protagonist introduction which allows the audience assume that he will be the main character that will save civilians and the society from evil menace. As the scene proceed, we learn that he has a family which increase the options of threatening and hurting the protagonist as they are his weakness, which makes the audience feel anxious as his action may not be successful to save the day. Furthermore, the rising action starts when the protagonist look after a missing person, as she finds her we can infer that she is the antagonist as her body language and facial expression seem psychopathic. The scene develops, and another character is represented. Here the audience can suggests that he is the buddy as he gives information to the protagonist about the female antagonist. As he receive these information he begins to work towards it by investigating on this case. The climax begin with the protagonist driving and a dead body drop on the front of the car. Also supernatural activity start to emerge on the protagonist's house provoking danger and frightfulness to his family. This makes the audience feel frustrated as negative consequences are occurring in the protagonist's life. Moreover, the falling action continues with the main character exorcising the evil character which allows the audience assume that everything comes to the end. However, the denouement is not shown in this video as it's a trailer, therefore it makes the audience questioning what will happen next and leave them in suspense. Lastly the characters portrayed in this trailer are the hero, the villain, the princess and the child in distress.
BARTHES THEORY EXAMPLE: In this thriller opening 'We need to talk about Kevin' the Barthes theory can be applied. It's noticeable that the festival the people are celebrating is 'La Tomatina' that take place in Spain. Also the semantic code of the tomatoes that firstly appear as blood is important too. This allows the audience have a better understanding throughout the narrative of the movie. HALLOWEEN 1978 ANALYSIS:
In this opening scene 'Halloween', all the theory are evident. The scene begins with a panning shot showing a pumpkin which makes the viewers assume that is Halloween as the pumpkin is cut out in the typical face of Halloween. Therefore, the Barth theory can be applied as the denotations is the pumpkin but the connotations is danger and death as the genre of the video is a thriller movie. Also the themes of Halloween allows the audience propose that the location that the movie is taking place is in the USA as it's a famous celebrations in America. In addition, Aristotle theory can be applied. The exposition is shown when the characters are established which makes the audience see which character will take place in the sequence. The rising action starts with the antagonist spying on the couple. Therefore, the climax begins with the cruel murder of the antagonist. The falling action happens when the antagonist leave the house and the denouements take place when the audience discover the antagonist's identity. This makes the audience feel sympathy and pity for the victim which is conventional to a thriller genre as the theme of death is represented. Moreover the Todorov theory is clear from the structure of the scene. The equilibrium begins with the couple enjoying their evening, then the disequilibrium occurs when the antagonist enters in the property and kills the female in distress, the new equilibrium is when the antagonist's identity is demonstrated which makes the audience feel shocked and create a chilling response. Lastly, the Propp theory of characters is presented. This is evident by the roles that the characters take place. The first character is the villain that murders the female young woman, which is conventional to a thriller movie as women are stereotypically seen weak and vulnerable. Also the character that interpret the villain is a child which is conventional to a thriller genre as the they subvert the idea of the child in distress seen vulnerable and innocent. Theories in thriller movies: In my opinion, I think that all theory can be applied to the thriller genre. For example the Todorov theory can be applied because there is always an equilibrium where the protagonist is in control of the situation and everything is going great. Then the disequilibrium when the protagonist is threatened by the antagonist for something like money. Then the protagonist overcome this issue, save the victim and the antagonist is unmasked. However, Todorov's theory is often subverted to create more excitement and engage the audience to meet the thriller conventions. Moreover, Proop's theory can also be applied in thriller movie. This is because if there are no characters there will be no movies to watch, also characters are adjusted in order to create the right response from the audience. Additionally, Aristotle's theory can be applied because of the many themes the thriller genre include. For example the theme of death and revenge is usually seen in this type of movie as it conventional and create meaning and response through the viewers. Lastly, Barth' s theory can be applied because of the different denotations that have meaning and connotations throughout the narrative. For example, a cigarette is the denotations and the connotations will be death and misery. Also some movies will have cultural references, like the Christmas festivity portrays Christianity as well as Easter where christian people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Overall, these theory suits the thriller genre if used properly with the right conventions. Conclusion: In conclusion, from this beneficial research which I analysed different theory that are conventional to the narrative story of a movie I am more comfortable to make my narrative conventional to the thriller genre. For my opening thriller I would like to subvert the Todorov theory, by starting with the new equilibrium, then the equilibrium, and finally with the disequilibrium leaving the audience questioning what will happen next and create suspense throughout the narrative story. I would also introduce the Barth theory. For example the iconography that I will use is a knife which the connotation will be death and danger which build tension and a fearful response to the audience which is also conventional to a thriller genre.
