Thriller Comparison

Do you think you have created a successful thriller sequence and why?
I believe that the thriller sequence that we have created is very successful as we have made it very conventional but at the same time it portrays the modern aspects of a thriller film. This has enabled us to create a thrilling and terrifying thriller sequence. Furthermore I believe that we have attracted our target audience very well by including a relateable character as a victim. By doing this we have appealed to our audience as they will be able to put themselves in her situation. I believe that by including this typical aspects of a thriller film, we have created a very successful opening sequence. In addition, we have included an enigma which urges the audience to continue to watch and see what happens.

Which micro element best shows your understanding of thriller conventions and creativity?
In my opinion the micro element that we have used to its potential the most is editing. I believe that we maximised the editing, such as using the bad tv effect and the recording camera effect. Both of these are examples of how we have understood the thriller conventions as they both add suspense and an enigma to our opening sequence; the recording camera poses the question as to who is recording and why. The bad tv effect creates suspense as it is disturbing and leaves the audience on the edge of their seat. Furthermore, the editing that we have used in our opening sequence have demonstrated our creativity as they make the film more interesting to the eye and also make the film seem more professional.

This microelement has proved our understanding of the thriller genre as it demonstrates that we are able to strike fear into our audience and also generate tension amongst them. In addition, the use of editing has enabled us to make our film resemble many other successful films in the thriller genre such as Sinister and Paranormal Activity which both use similar effects to us. This gives evidence that we as a group have a strong understanding of the thriller genre.

Compare your opening sequence to a successful thriller and explain how your thriller is conventional.

I will be comparing our thriller to Sinister.

Our thriller has parallels to the film Sinister, which is a hugely successful thriller film of the past decade. Both our opening sequence and Sinister have used the theme of innocence in order to generate a reaction from their audience, we have used an innocent teenage girl who is helpless in order to gain the audiences concern. Similarly Sinister uses children as their victim in order to gain the audiences concern. Both of these has aspects of innocence and the victims are inferior, therefore the audience feel although they need to help the victims and they are therefore more attracted to the films. This use of an inferior female victim has also made my thriller conventional to the thriller genre; a female victim is often used in the thriller genre as they are a symbol of inferiority, making the antagonist seem even more scary.

In addition, both Sinister and our opening sequence have used an enigma. Our enigma is in the form of our antagonist who has an hidden identity through a mask. Sinister have also included an enigma in the form of their antagonist, who is often blurred out in the shots and also wearing a mask. Using an enigma in thrillers attracts the audience as they want to find out who the antagonist is and why they are doing what they are. An enigma is a convention of the thriller genre, this therefore means that my opening sequence is conventional to the thriller genre. An enigma urges the audience to watch on as they will want to find out what happens. Enigmas are also used as a way of creating suspense and tension among the audience, as they leave the audience wondering what and why?

Finally, the soundtracks that have been used in Sinister and my opening sequence are similar. Both soundtracks are disturbing and connote that something bad is about to happen. Tense music is a convention of thriller films as they attract the audience and leave them on the edge of their seat. Both thrillers use the soundtrack to engage the audience and get their attention.