Conventions of a Thriller

A thriller is usually a film about justice vs. injustice involving a price to be paid near the end of the story. The structure of a thirller usually involves an everyman character being drawn into a dangerous situation- the movie builds and builds with tension until a dramatic climax occurs.

Our film adheres to this structure- Matthew is a normal man at first, but with the murder of his girlfriend, he is drawn into a world of drug warfare and the movie would end with a climatic battle between he and these men.

Technical conventions

- Often, thrillers are told from two points of view- the protagonist's, and the villain's. This is to allow insight for the audience, for instance, to know whether the main character is about to walk into a trap. It can also be to gain empathy for the villain.

- The dialogue is often cryptic so as not to give away critical plot points too easily. This is done to build tension and suspense.

- The damsel-in-distress stock character is a regular feature in thrillers- there is frequently a woman that the male hero is required to rescue.

- Dim lighting, dark colours and shots obscuring something are also common- this is to add to the mystery of the film, and also the danger that the protagonist is in.

- Fast cuts are the most regular editing feature- this is to keep up the fast pace of the film and show the audience the contrast between characters.

- Colour is used to signify emotion- for instance, red means danger, blue means mystery.

Character stereotypes

Matthew fits in very well in the role of everyman protagonist drawn into an extraordinary situation. He responds with shock at first, but then faces up to his task with resolve and is unwilling to let go until he has unravelled the mystery. Often, this kind of character has a weakness that will affect him during the plot in some way. (For example, Scotty in Vertigo is afraid of heights and is unable to save a woman from suicide because he cannot climb some steps.)

Rachel is also an example of the damsel-in-distress stereotype- however, the plot does not revolve around rescuing her, as she is already dead, but rather avenging her murder, which makes for the same conclusion.

How well our film fits in with the conventions of the genre

As our movie is only the opening two minutes, we were unable to include cryptic dialogue, as we wanted to focus on establishing complete normality before the brutal murder of Rachel to create a contrast. For this reason, we also used reasonably bright shots throughout the two minutes- except the opening shot, indicating a darkness surrounding the couple's loving relationship, and the last, where Matthew discovers Rachel's corpse and it has become night time. We did, however, think about use of colour- we based out costumes around this.

Music from the motion picture: my ideal soundtrack for Blackout

To get into the mindset of the characters, and the vibes of the movie, I decided to compile my ideal 'soundtrack album' for the movie, using songs I think fit the film well.

A quick recap of the plot points that would occur should we film the entire movie:

- After Matthew's girlfriend's murder, he runs away in fear and lives rough for a while.

- After encountering a girl who looks like her on the streets, he vows to discover her murderer.

- Goes back to the flat and finds some clues.

- Follows where they lead him- into a seedy drug world that Rachel had become tangled in and discovers her murderer, who has set up a cast iron alibi and framed Matthew.

- His tie had been planted at the murder scene, so he is forced to live life as a fugitive because he cannot prove that who the murderer is.

1. David Bowie- Rock & Roll Suicide



I think this song would be ideal for the point where Matthew is still numb after finding Rachel- the line 'time takes a cigarette and puts it in your mouth' is particularly fitting, as I imagine him sitting in a doorway smoking, looking dishevelled.

2. Marina & the Diamonds- The Outsider



I thought this song would be perfect for Matthew revisiting the flat and resolving to avenge Rachel- the lyrics "Sitting on the outside observing the fun, don't get on my bad side, I can work a gun" perfectly sums up his state of mind in that moment.

3. Amos Lee- Colours



This is a very sad, heatrbreaking song, which I think would be a perfect accompaniment to a montage of Matthew's memories of Rachel, showing the audience that he did truly love her.

4. Boston- More Than A Feeling



I imagine this song playing a few times throughout the movie- perhaps it was Matthew & Rachel's 'song' and the fact he keeps hearing it spurs him on further to avenge her.

5. Brokencyde- Blue Steel




I have an image of Matthew entering a grimy club to locate the drug barons Rachel became entangled with, and this song playing in the background- the background music is ominous, the lyrics reflect the uncaring and misogynistic mindset of those he has come to find, and the screaming in it could represent Rachel's demise.

6. Crystal Castles- Alice Practice

The distorted vocals and screechy nature of this song would make it perfect for a face off between Matthew and the drug barons. It is a little surreal in feeling, which reflects the situation Matthew has found himself in. Also, the line 'Drop it- it's dead' reflects how the drug dealers think Matthew should let Rachel's death slide.

7. D-Mindz- Monster



I can imagine this song being used during a dramatic police chase scene- the lyrics 'I've turned into something I don't wanna, but you've made me so cold' sum up Matthew's changes since losing Rachel, and the repetition of the word 'Monster' shows how the authorities regard him. The beat is also dramatic and the female voice adds melodrama.

Storyboard for our main project

This is the storyboard for our main project. The quality of the photographs is slightly poor, but they convey the images we wanted to get across. In every frame, we have thought our certain elements- for instance, the colours visible, the props in sight, the clothes of the actors and so on.

We wanted the audience to be unsure of what to make of the character Matthew. Sometimes his behaviour appears cold and he does not seem to care much for his girlfriend- for example, his distateful expression when he is on the phone to her. However, on other occassions, such as the opening shot of them watching the film, we wanted them cuddling and looking like an extremely happy couple. Another way we mixed the signals was via his clothing- he wears dark coloured clothes throughout the clip, but a silver chain, indicating he holds something in sentimental value. A lot of low angle shots are used, intended to make Matthew seem physically dominant, for instance, the shot in which he is preparing dinner.

For the character of Rachel, we tried to effectively convey innocence and vulnerability- for instance, the most prominent colours she wears are white, which symbolises purity, and red, which foreshadows the impending danger. However, as later on in the movie we find she was not as wholesome as first thought, we had her wearing black jeans (black being a colour of the ominous) and smoking a cigarette so as not to seem entirely perfect. To convey her vulnerability, we had a shot of her sitting in a large chair- it makes her look small against the size of the chair, and therefore vulnerable.

Script: Draft 2

Scene opens with couple cuddled on sofa and audio of a romantic film.

Music begins to play- Represent by The Kitchen Club.

A montage of events plays on the screen- Matthew making breakfast, getting ready for work, etc.

Cut to Matthew on a park bench.

Matthew: (as though in mid-flow) ...yeah, yeah, I'll cook dinner tonight. (pause). Alright. See you later, Rach. Yeah... I love you too.

Shot of Matthew walking away towards a park. Next we see him making tea and discovering he is out of cigarettes.

Matthew: I'm just popping to the shop. Do you want anything?

Rachel: Erm... I think we're out of milk if you wanna be helpful.

Matthew: Right.

Rachel: Cheers.

Matthew walks outside and the shot fades to black.

The blackness lifts and all we hear is Matthew's heavy breathing as he sees Rachel's nody. He runs out of the room- we see him pick up the bloody knife in the hallway and drop it with a clatter.


This version of the script cuts out the voiceovers and the scene with the police interview. This is because we could not think of a suitable location for filming this scene to make it look realistic. We have also included less dialogue and focused more on the movements of Matthew- we wanted to establish normality and focus on his daily routine before seeing him wrenched out of it by the violent murder of his girlfriend. We felt that hearing the characters talk very little would add the to the mystery of the ending of the scene.

Camera angles/shots

Shots, framing and camera movement.

Before we started filming, we had to carefully consider what kind of shots we wanted to use in our film to convey particular messages and meanings.

Shots

Long shot/ Establishing shot

A long shot is often used to show the surroundings of a character- usually to set the scene or establish a character. An establishing shot is a variation on this- it is used to set up a scene, often a far away long shot of a neighbourhood or a building, to help the audience understand the location of the character and setting.

Mid shot

A mid shot shows a character from the waist upwards. This is used when a director wants to create more intimacy with the character than a long shot, but still include aspects of costume and background in the shot.

Close up

A close up generally shows only a characters face. This is used to establish intimacy with the character, so the audience can easily see the expression of the character.

Extreme close up

An extreme close up is similar to a close up- a person or object is placed directly in front of the camera and fills the screen. This is used to emphasise the importance of something or show in more detail a character's reaction.

High/low angle shot

A high or low angle shot is used to indicate the power of something or someone. A high angle shot involved the camera pointing upwards towards the object- this indicates that the object is powerful, and the viewer is intended to feel less powerful. A low angle shot is intended to have the opposite effect- the object is meant to seem vulnerable and hold less power than the viewer.

Point of view shot

This kind of shot is used when a director wants the audience to feel that they are viewing events through the eyes of a character. This helps the audience relate to the character and gain understanding of them.

Movements

Pan

A pan shot is when a camera slowly moves horizontally to one side. This is often used to follow a conversation or establish a scene.

Track

A tracknikg shot is similar to a pan shot in that the camera can move horizontally. However, it can also move backwards or forwards, similar to a zoom- the tracking shot can follow a character.

Tilt

Tracking is when a camera pans up or down. Downward tilting is often used at the beginning of a scene, to indicate the beginning of an event. Upward tilting tends to be used when a scene is finished, as though the camera is floating out of the scene.

Main project: costume analysis

Costume is important in film- it subtly tells the audience a lot of information about a particular character and their status in the film. We have thought carefully about what our characters ought to be wearing in each scene to convey the messages we want the audience to get.

Matthew

Matthew is the protagonist of the film, so it is pivotally important that we give out the right message about him. Here is a scene-by-scene run through of the costumes we want him to wear:

Scene #1: Establishing shot of Matthew & his girlfriend
Matthew is wearing a black polo shirt, blue jeans and black socks. The use of blue jeans emphasise his position as a normal man, but the black items foreshadow the sinister events to come.

Scene #2: Matthew getting ready
In this scene, he is wearing a white shirt and black trousers. It is obvious he is getting ready to go to work, but he still manages to show his preference for darkness in choosing a black tie.

Scene #3: On the phone to Rachel in the park
Matthew is wearing the same clothes as above, but we can now see slightly scuffed black shoes in the frame, and peeking out from the top of his shoes we can see he is wearing odd socks. He wears a black coat, and breaks up the monochrome with a blue striped scarf. The purpose of the costume in this scene is to show that the charachter is not entirely dark, as has been demonstrated by his preference for black- the use of colour indicates that there is a different side to him.

Scene #4: Matthew at home, and discovery of Rachel's body
The character's idea of casual constitutes a dark coloured Back To The Future T-Shirt and the same blue jeans as in the first shot. The dark colour reinforces the previous themes, but the quirky logo on the shirt shows a lighter side to his personality.

Scene #5: Interview room
Matthew is wearing the same clothes he was wearing in the previous scene.

Overall, we want Matthew to be wearing lots of dark colours, because the audience are not sure until the end of the film whether or not he did kill his girlfriend, but we want to include a few little quirks and splashes of colour to give them hope that he could be innocent.

Rachel

Rachel is Matthew's girlfriend, and the unfortunate murder victim. She only appears briefly, so we have to show her innocence and vulnerability within her costumes. However, due to the ending of the film we concocted, we wanted there to be subtle signs of an edginess to the character.

Scene #1: Establishing shot of Rachel & Matthew
Rachel is wearing a red and white striped T-Shirt and leggings. This is quite a feminine outfit, and the colours represent both her innocence and the danger it has put her in. However, the stripes could also represent a convict- which, as we later find out, could have been Rachel as she is involved in illegal drugs.

Scene #2: On the phone to Matthew
Rachel is wearing a white Bruce Springsteen T-Shirt and jeans. She is wearing several brightly coloured bracelets. This colourful costume is a huge contrast to Matthew's dark clothes. She is wearing these clothes when she dies. The Bruce Springsteen T-shirt is a nod to her love for classic rock- this is intended to indicate something slightly 'heavy' about her.