Thriller research

Action thriller: In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James Bond films, The Transporter, and the Jason Bourne novels and films.

Conspiracy thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. The Chancellor Manuscript and The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Three Days of the Condor, Capricorn One, and JFK.

Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The Killing, Seven, The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, Inside Man, and The Asphalt Jungle.

Disaster thriller: In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, Tremor by Winston Graham, and the 1974 film Earthquake.

Drama thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The Illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige.

Eco-thriller: In which the protagonist must avert or rectify an environmental or biological calamity, often in addition to dealing with the usual types of enemies or obstacles present in other thriller genres. This environmental component often forms a central message or theme of the story. Examples include Nicholas Evans's The Loop, C. George Muller's Echoes in the Blue, and Wilbur Smith's Elephant Song, all of which highlight real-life environmental issues. Futuristic eco-thrillers are of the science fiction genre that propose ideas that will or may occur and include such works as Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy and Ian Irvine's Human Rites Trilogy and Dasavathaaram.

Erotic thriller: In which it consists of erotica and thriller. It has become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. The genre includes such films as Basic Instinct, Dressed to Kill, Color of Night, Eyes Wide Shut, Fatal Attraction, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Obsessed, and In the Cut.

Legal thriller: In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. The Innocent Man by John Grisham is a well known example of the type.

Medical thriller: In which the hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem. Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Crichton, and Gary Braver are well-known authors of this subgenre. Nonfiction medical thrillers are also a subcategory, comprising works like The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Films such as Awake are other examples of medical thrillers.

Political thriller: In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. The success of Seven Days in May (1962) by Fletcher Knebel, The Day of the Jackal (1971) by Frederick Forsyth, and The Manchurian Candidate (1959) by Richard Condon established this subgenre. A more recent example is the 1980 film Agency.

Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. The Alfred Hitchcock films Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train and David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet are notable examples of the type, as is The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (who also wrote Strangers) and The Good Son starring Elijah Wood and Macaulay Culkin.

Spy thriller (also a subgenre of spy fiction): In which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. Examples include From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, and television series such as Mission: Impossible and 24 (the latter demonstrating a break from the norm by Robert Ludlum, as it is as much a psychological thriller as a spy thriller).

Techno-thriller: A work that usually focuses upon military action, in which technology (usually military technology) is described in detail and made essential to the reader's/viewer's understanding of the plot. Tom Clancy defined and popularized the genre with his The Hunt for Red October, and is considered to be the "Father of the Techno thriller".

Still shots from Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia

I chose this Action/Thriller film as i have recently watched it. I think that there are some interesting techniques have been used to achieve what they have. They are as follow;



I like this shot as its a long and high angled shot which has zoomed downward. So it could also be classed as a high angled mid-shot. I feel as though the rule of golden line has been used as the two main parts of the picture is the garage with the fire and the oil tanker in the background. As the fire could easily spread, also the sole reason that they are using binoculars shows that they could be undercover.

The mise-en-scene is one of an airfield, with suspicious activities which would be easy to construct. It can be cross referenced to the type of genre in which James Bond or War films would fit into. From this shot it could be interpreted as a first person view, which is showing that the person is under threat or in danger. The colour difference between the heat and all the other objects points out where the danger is.

The other screen shot i took is the following;



This shot is very soon after the previous screen-shot, i thought it fit in well as it shows the audience what was in the building the binoculars could see.
The shot type is pretty much at eye level, but its a two shot as there is more than one person within view. The camera angle is used in the form to make the person with the gun is more powerful.
The camera crew have also made it blurry so that the detail of each character is minimal, as its more important about where the action is taking place rather than the characters. The lighting in this picture also makes it more tense as its hard to see the actors, but the light is in the middle where the action is occurring.

The scenery surrounding the innocent chef makes it more realistic as it would bring perspective to the general public as they could see themselves in his position. Also the way that the chef has no weapon shows his innocences. The mise-en-scene shows a war image as they are all dressed typically for a bunker.

Film Poster

Deconstructing a film poster

This film poster is for Sin City.
There are various techniques used by the designers, to make this poster rememberable and obscure. For a start the picture of the main characters are at a tilt which juxtaposes the film title. The dress and body language of the characters show that they are very powerful, as they are wearing all black like what a gangster might wear. Also they have guns and weapons which also show that there will be violence.

This is a long shot with a low angle, looking up at the characters this also goes back to point that they are powerful. The way that the tilt is used it implies that what happens in film is very unusual, something which most films wouldn't involve.

Another good technique used is where there is a door opening which implies that the characters will be involved in a sequel of life changing experiences. The mise-en-scene shows that the film will be in the genre of Thriller/Action, the way that the title is in bold red makes me feel as though there could be some killings. In a way this poster is showing who is the most important character this is shown by the way that they are in a formation, almost forming an hierarchy.

The reason that they have chosen to have a long shot is so they don't give away to much information, leaving the audience in suspense. All of those reasons are why i think that this is a very clever film poster.

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I am in year 12 and i am studying Media Studies at AS level