In order for our group to make a successful opening for our thriller, we have all wrote our personal ideas so that each of them are equally considered. However in order to make the the most successful thriller opening possible, we have critiqued each narrative in terms of advantages. This way we are aware off the elements that could possibly be included and the others that we feel do not work. Consequently, we will create an opening in which we all agree on through doing so. Below is all our individual narratives following with their advantages.
Jasionowska, Jagoda
Characters:The victim - this character will be portrayed as a fragile young girl which will be achieved by natural make-up and white clothing.The colour white has a connotation of innocence and so enhances the essence of the character's purity. This will convey her to be a vulnerable character that will gain empathy from the audience who will experience her fear and anxiety when she is faced with a series of turbulent events.
The antagonist - this character will only be visible as a dark blurred shadow moving in sharp motions. A hidden identity means the audience will be unaware of who the antagonist is, his intentions unknown. This will create suspense which is conventional to the thriller genre.
Conventions:
- An establishing shot of the room will be shown to familiarise the audience with the current setting as well as set the scene.
- Low key lighting will be used as it is an effective convention that is able to create a tense atmosphere. This will create a dark setting as well as shadows which can be suggestive of the antagonist's presence without providing the audience of certainty. Although a dark setting will be used, the moon light seeping through the window will provide enough light for the character's facial expressions to be visible.
- Non-diegetic music i.e. the background music will be increasing in volume throughout the progression of the opening sequence in order to build up tension.
- Exaggerated diegetic sounds such as the door slam will also be used to emphasise the elements of the scene and simultaneously provide the audience with fear.
- Close up shots capturing facial expression will be used to convey the emotion felt by the character.
The Narrative:
A young girl being awoken by a gentle voice repeatedly whispering the same phrase which imitates a nightmare increasing in pace. The girl's eyes open and a tear runs down her cheek. Shivering, she reaches over to the bedside table where an alarm clock showing the time is seen. The sound of wind rushes through the room as a dark blurred shadow moves across it. The door slamming shut disturbs the stillness of the night. The girl gets up hurriedly and grabs her phone in which she dials the number 999 whilst struggling to open the door. Her breathing is rushed and uneven. The lighting is dim yet the moon light seeps through the window, creating suspense. As she forcefully opens the door, she sees nothing but a photo laying on the floor. She picks it up, her hands shaking. The photograph is revealed to be of her sleeping peacefully; dressed in the same white gown. The words 'RIP' written across it in big bold letters.
Themes:
- Psychological trauma : this theme will be emphasised by a rushed heartbeat and heavy breathing of the main character who will be emotionally disturbed by the events. This will also be conveyed by the tear running down her cheek when awoken and traumatised. Struggling to cope with the events will create empathy for the character that will be enable a connection to be established between the character and the audience.
- Horror : this theme will be portrayed by the antagonist's appearance that will cause fear and panic for the victim as well as the audience. The dark shadow means it will be a sudden and rushed appearance which would not have been anticipated.
Advantages:
- The location used in this narrative is a bedroom, a relatable setting for viewers making the scene highly realistic and increases of audience's fear because of this. A bedroom is a convention of the thriller because of impact of affect previously stated.
- In this opening, an enigma is created through a suggested narrative without giving too much information as to who the villain is, what he is doing and why. However, enough information is given to the audience to make them become engaged to the scene, making them want the answers to these questions in the rest of the film.
Gold, Harriet
Characters:- Stalker/Young Man - My idea for a thriller opening will consist of a young man who will be a stalker and also the boyfriend of the victim. He will be stalking her constantly which will be sticking to the conventions of a thriller as this shows obsession.
- Young woman - I have decided to use a young vulnerable female as the victim that will also be sticking to the conventions of a thriller as this will portray her innocence.
Themes:
The themes that will be presented in my thriller will be stalking/obsession. This will be shown by the boyfriend also known as the stalker constantly watching the victims every move. This can also be shown in the theme of psychological as of the mental instability of him stalking the victim.
Narrative:
In my idea there will be a young couple that have been together for 5 years and have lived with each other for only a year. The woman thinks everything is normal and that they are going to be a happy family with there own children. What she doesn't know is her boyfriend in fact has two identities and stalks her every move while she's out the house. Before they met he'd been stalking her for 3 years, taking photographs, taking pieces of her belongings whilst she was out the house, which was all part of the plan to get into her life. The woman starts to suspect things while she's at work or out for a coffee but doesn't think to mention anything. This then starts to panic her when she finds strange things happening in the house. The last thing she'd imagine it to be is a stalker when in fact she's living with one right under the same roof.
Advantages:
- The theme of obsession is displayed effectively through pictures and belongings of the victim, a conventional theme to the thriller genre.
- Relatable characters for the audience to build a relationship with to become emotionally involved and therefore affected by victim's state through sympathy.
Sutherland, Ella
Characters:- In my thriller opening I plan to have a young woman portrayed as the victim. By using a character such as a younger female to play the victim, this will stick to the conventions of the thriller genre as the female will suggest innocence through her gender alone. Females are often associated with victims in the thriller genre as this increases their perceived weakness as a character, making them more vulnerable. She is a similar age to our target audience (18) and therefore they can relate to her.
- A male stalker will be used as the antagonist in out thriller opening. He will be shown as having an obsession with the victim and consequently stalks her every movement. Obsession is a conventional factor between antagonist and victim within the thriller genre.
Narrative:
The narrative will consist of a young woman being stalked by an older male as he is shown to have an obsession with her. She is entirely oblivious of the stalker however begins to have dreams of the same nature suggesting she has become a victim. She later becomes suspicious and sub-consciously aware that she is not alone when thought to be. It is later revealed that the stalker is someone very close to her. The scene opens with the victim on her own in her bedroom, when hearing a noise coming from somewhere else in the house. She shows recognition of the noise but does not act upon it, building suspense. She then goes to bed, having a nightmare that takes place in her house, as if it were happening in reality. The nightmare consists of her seeing where the noise came from and seeing a mystery man in her house. She wakes up screaming, running to see where the noise came from but no one is there. Slow editing is used to build suspense. She then turns around and the mystery man is there. Abrupt editing to highlight the shock.
Themes:
a main theme within the opening will be obsession. Obsession will be shown with the younger woman by the antagonist. This is conventional to a thriller to make the audience feel uncomfortable and plays on the venerability of the female/victim.
Advantages:
- Conventional characters that can build an effective relationship with audience.
- Within the thriller genre, dreams are very suggestive of the narrative through imagery and emotions of the character dreaming. However, as it is not real it doesn't give too much information away to ruin the further narrative.
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We have decided on a unanimous group narrative by analysing the advantages our our individual narratives. Below is the narrative of our final thriller opening, that we will start to produce.
Our Thriller
Characters:we have decided that our characters will consist of young female as the victim as all 3 of us chose this character in out individual narrative and it is also conventional to the genre as her gender will imply innocence. We will also use a older male as our stalker as this is highly conventional and affective in suggesting an intimidating character through the male gender. The conflict between male antagonist and female protagonist is common within the genre as it highlights the power of the antagonist through the contrasting weak female character, increasing her vulnerability.
Themes:
A main theme within the opening will be obsession. Obsession was evident in all three of our narratives as we felt this was a conventional and effective theme to have the narrative based on. The theme of obsession implies that the antagonists is psychologically threatening thus increasing the protagonist's vulnerability. The antagonist's representation can be manipulated so that they appear more eerie and disturbed, making the audience feel on edge. Obsession will be shown with the younger woman by the antagonist. This is conventional to a thriller to make the audience feel uncomfortable and plays on the vulnerability of the female/victim. Themes of obsession can also be identified in other existing thrillers that we have analysed as part of our secondary research such as Obsessed and Prom Night, suggesting that the target audience find such theme appealing. Also, in the primary research we have conducted we have gathered results as to whether the target audience find violence appealing, in which the split between the contrasting opinions was very close. Therefore by having a theme of obsession, this implies violence without dwelling on the illustration on it, appealing to a wider audience.
Narrative:
The female victim will be stalked by the male antagonist as a result of his obsession with her. The female will be in her room when she hears a noise in the hallway and she begins to think it is her mother returning home from a night out. When she calls out to her and hears no reply, she decides she is being paranoid. However, then everything in her room turns off and she decides to check if someone is out in the hallway. We decided to include this in our final narrative as it reinforces the suggestion that someone is there, as well as the vulnerability of the protagonist as a result. When discovering that no one is there, she goes to the bathroom to splash her face. This is a clear indication that the victim is distressed by the situation which builds suspense to an indicated climax. She rings her mum in panic but it goes straight to answer phone which in turn, reiterates her isolation, making the audience feel on edge. She then goes back to her room when someone puts their hand on her shoulder. This will be achieved through the use of shadows as it keep the antagonist's identity a secret, a convention in the thriller genre as it builds suspense. Finishes with her screaming to suggest threat but finishes on enigma as the audience are unaware of the level of threat as well as its source.
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