In this essay I will be looking into the history of thriller films, and how they have evolved over the years. A thriller is 'A genre that revolves around anticipation and suspense, the aim for thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of there seats'(Thescriptlab.com) I will also be researching on the jobs people have done that have contributed to thrillers, and have been successful.
Thriller films have evolved over the years, The quality and tension it causes for the audience has changed even more. The thriller film 'gun crazy' came out in the 1950, the film is only in black and white and the only camera angle is a two shot in the back of the car, so we know there's just a camera at the back in present thrillers there are camera's from all different angles of the characters location, but we the audience still don't see them. The quality is also not as good the sound quality isn't as clear, also the goriness of killing's isn't really intense no blood nothing. There's no shock for the audience or tension. This is because during those decades you couldn't show the actual killing.
The next film 'I saw what you did' a 1960 horror still in black and white, there are more angles used and more sound is used for effect. The film creates tension and surprise we as an audience can also connect more with the victim probably because we see more close ups of her killing. Also we see blood, but comparing to the thrillers of today there is still not any view of the stabbing, we can't actually see it which minimizes the amount of terror. But we can definetley start to get more adrenaline rushing excitement from how fast paced and gritty it is. With the 1950s-1960s films being black and white it really decreases the realness to the film as life is not in black and white so its much more unrealistic, so its harder for us as an audience to relate to the film.
In the 1974 film silent night Bloody night there is a use of commentary non-dieagetic sound in the film, the sound used also relates more to whats going on to the film increasing tension and suspense for the audience. Low-key lighting is used more increasing the intensity of the film, its more gory, much more graphical and bloody;the actors seem to be acting better than the older films. They seem to have more emotion, this emotion is allowing us to feel as if it's real and play on our moods and make us anxious.
The 1980 film dressed to kill has many more camera shots, close ups, two shots etc. Better editing styles, cinematography and its much more mysterious, so we don't actually know whats going to happen compared to the older films. The sound used isn't just the off screen sound but we can now start to hear footsteps and smaller body sound movements. Showing that the quality of production and equipment is getting better and updating. There are also more characters involved not just the main characters this again makes it more realistic for the audience to then make us feel like its real. It's also more confusing and has more of a detailed story line than just a killing, it's more difficult for us to know what's going on, it has much more enigma. The music is also fits in better with whats happening,the pace increase's as the character starts to panic which again creates excitement and pace for us, making us scared and making us prepare for what is going to happen next. You can also see much more of a use of panning, showing that they can hide the camera's better now.
In the film reservoir dogs in 1992 it drives away from the typical thriller by using a less suspected killer Its more of a brutal killing from a normal man.There's stronger language which helps us to know who the character is more. There's much more interaction with talking etc. Not just a quick killing, this makes us more anxious of when the killing is going to happen. The film also makes us stay looking at the screen as there's much more going on, so it's much more entertaining for the audience.
The 2002 thriller 'Wise girls' there's a bigger cast there's much more on screen sound, again its more heartfelt and there's much more of a story line. The low-key lighting is starting to produce shadows, making it much more intense. Its much more gory and the blood is also shown up close. The strong language is much more frequent and more emotions except for scared are shown,such as angry, happy etc.
Lastly the film insidious in 2010. There are more hidden meanings to things, I am noticing jump shots, mid shots which all signify things. We can see clearly where the music is coming from, colours of the film aren't black and white or coloured but are just plain and dull mise-en-scene.There are more sounds going on at once. There are more hints on what is going to happen next, the goriness also doesn't come straight away. Suspense is built up till we see anything violent/graphic. This has more of an impact to the audience.
From this research I have discovered that over the years thrillers have updated themselves to connect more with the audience, create more of a reaction from the audience and to make it more of a experience than just another thriller. Even though they still show the conventions of a typical thriller. But they do all these extra things, which then add up to make the audience nervy, anxious and scared. Even though the audience are blatantly safe. Thrillers have evolved for the better to entertain us more and shock us. The quality, story lines and actors have all improved to play on the audiences emotions.
By Blessing Dada
This post demonstrates some understanding of how thriller films have changed over the years. You have included a variety of films, but you need to ensure that the films that you have included, are all thriler films!
ReplyDeleteWhen you are explaining each film, you need to consider the conventions of the thriller and the narrative in more detail, rather than just focusing on some of the micro elements. Also aim to include screenshots to support the points that you have made.
Finally, within your summary, you need to explain what inspirations you have gained from your research and how will this will assist you with planning your thriller.