Thriller Research

Thriller:

A genuine thriller is a film that relentlessly pursues a single-minded goal- to provide and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the edge of their seats as the plot builds towards a climax.

Today most thrillers are now hybrids with other genres unlike the classics. There are several genres that have been mixed with the thriller genre. For example action/adventure, sci-fi, crime-caper, western, film noir and romantic-comedy.

Action/Adventure-An action-adventure is a genre that is driven mostly by the action in the film, such as a high-speed chase.

Sci-Fi- A science fiction is a genre that uses speculative, science based descriptions of phenomena that aren't necessarily accepted by mainstream science.

Crime-Caper- A crime caper is a genre that is driven by crime and comedic aspects.

Western- A western is a genre that is driven by the later half of the 19th century in the American Old West.

Film Noir- Film noir is a genre that is driven by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, menace and cynical characters.

Romantic-Comedy- Romantic-comedy is a genre driven by a light hearted, humorous mood centered on romantic ideals.

I am going to analyse the opening scenes from Vertigo (1958) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Panic Room (2002) Directed by David Fincher, Se7en (1995) directed by David Fincher and Psycho (1960) directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Sound

• The soundtrack of the opening mainly consists of minor chords. This is to give a sinister tone to the opening credits and allows the audience to connect to the theme as a thriller.
• The soundtrack is written in a 6/8 time which gives a fast waltzing sound to it. Due to the waltzing sound it gives an impression of dizziness which is one of the symptoms of vertigo and so linking it to the title of the film.
• The soundtrack builds to a crescendo when the Director's name and the name of the film appears to signify the importance of the names.
• Towards the end of the opening credits the soundtrack changes to the sound of fast strings to build tension as the story begins.

Editing and Camerawork

• At the beginning of the opening credits there is a close up of a girl's eyes. In her eyes she is showing fear. This gives the impression of the genre and it makes the audience feel scared.
• Towards the end of the opening credits there is another close up shot of the girl's eye. This time it has the main symbol of the film. This gives an idea of importance towards the logo and gives the audience a taste of what's to come and makes them want to continue watching it.
• The editing mostly consists of dissolves from one image to another. The images are spinning around. This could suggest dizziness and so once again linking to the title of vertigo.

In conclusion I have found from Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, that using the techniques that I have highlighted he tends to give the audience a taste of the genre and also a taste of what's to come in the film. I have also found that he subtly links the opening credits to the title of the film so that he doesn't give too much away as the audience already know the name of the film.