Section 1- The Thriller Genre

The Thriller genre is a genre which highlights films of a more physiological nature. The films are intended to make the audience think about what they are seeing and will enthrall them, as they would be excited and tense about what will happen in the film. The majority of the time the plot lines will be focused around danger, usually in the form of murder or natural disasters and many times, the films will contain a complex narrative which sends the audience on a ride as they watch it.

There are different interpretations and theories as to what a Thriller movie actually is, and all thrillers will contain at least one of these theories;


The Question and Answer Model (Noel Carroll)This theory highlights the idea that when the audience are presented with a question in a film, they are most likely to wait in suspense for the answer which involves the audience in the narrative structure, as it allows the audience to discover the answer along with the protagonist/antagonist. There are two sub-factors involved in this, known as the probability factor and the Moral factor. The Probability factor focuses on the possible outcomes of the film which is a lot more exciting for the audience, hence why Caroll believes it is so important. The Moral factor highlights the fact that what the audience believe is the morally correct thing to do, may not be the actual outcome of the film, and this can cause shock.

The Transformed City (C K Chesterton) This theory indicates the belief that a seemingly ordinary or bland location such as an urban city (where many thrillers take place) may become extraordinary as the plot of the film unfolds as the event would be the most 'exciting’ thing to have happened there

Concealment and Protraction (Lars Ole Saurberg) This theory suggests there are two forms of suspense, and both of them can intrigue and interest the audience. Concealment is the form of creating suspense by hiding important information from the audience, and Protraction creates suspense by delaying a suspected outcome, as the audience already has a brief idea about what will happen, but the actual event is stretched out.

The Heroic Romance (Northop Frye) The protagonist in a thriller generally begins as a normal person, just like any other member of the crowd, but according to the situation which occurs in the film, they will need to react and adapt. Frye believes that a protagonist in a thriller film is generally forced to react and behave in a certain, extraordinary manner to be able to survive and stated that Thrillers 'move the world in which ordinary laws of nature are slightly suspended' and this allows characters to perform amazing acts and survive.

Partial Vision (Pascal Bonitzer) This theory follows the idea that what cannot be seen in a thriller, such as subtle hints about what is actually occurring, is just an important as the points the audience actually see. When you can't physically see or guess what is going to happen in the thriller, it makes the audience want to follow the 'maze' like structure to see if the main character is able to figure this information out for themselves, for example, if we already knew the identity of a murderer, then the film would be less of a surprise and less suspense would be formed, giving the thriller less impact.

Mazes and Labyrinths (W H Matthews) This theories origins originate from the Ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The theory is, that the protagonist finds themselves in a certain predicament, and they must pass through a 'maze' to reach the final outcome. Mazes are often filled with dead ends and wrong turns, and that is exactly what happens in the films. Actual mazes are also found a lot in Thrillers, such as the Shining, as it identifies with the plot, symbolizing the path that the main character has to follow to find their way out, but the maze can be both literal and metaphorical.

The Exotic (John Cawelti) This theory generates around the idea that both buildings and objects that can found in Thrillers are items which may not be found in everyday life. It isn't unusual in Thrillers for props to have originated from the Middle East and this provides the film with the sense of abnormality and difference. The presence of a foreign object in a film provides the audience with further knowledge that the film is set in a completely different reality.

Section 2: RESEARCH INTO EXAMPLES OF COPARABLE MEDIA PRODUCTS (Kill Bill)

Kill Bill is directed by Quentin Tarintino and stars Uma Thurman, Lucy Lui, Vivicia A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madson and David Carradine

Narrative Structure
The film has a complex Narrative, as it starts at when the bride is 'killed' by Bill and when she is in the hospital in a coma, but then there is a large time lapse to when she kills the second person on her hit list, but the first name is crossed out, and we get no explanation about how she woke up or when, but the audience is given this information later on in the film.
The film also has 'Chapters' which is illustrated just before a scene begins and helps move along the Narrative.

Thriller Codes and Conventions

• The Transformed City- To begin with, they are in El Passo Texas, a small town which is shook by the 'massacre' 
• Concealment and Protraction- The fact that the Bride's daughter is still alive is hidden to us until the end of the film, though we do expect what is going to happen in the long run, as we know the Bride is going to go on a killing spree
• Question and Answer Model - In this case, the film concentrates mainly on the probability factor, as there are several ways that the film could end. She could kill them all, or she could be killed herself, which makes the audience wait in suspense.
• Tension- There is mounting tension in the film, due to several points. The audience hears the sound of a gun's safety catch being taken off, and then visually, the audience will see how the bride reacts to this, as her eyes widen in obvious fear, and this builds tension as to what will happen next.

Camera Work

• First Scene- Technically a birds eye view of the bride's face, as we are able to tell she is on the floor, and it is a close up shot
• Second Scene- This is a closeup of Bill's shoes, and the camera is panning right to follow him
• Third Scene- It switches back to a a birds eye view of the bride's face
• Fourth Scene- This is a still, side image of the bride, showing that she was in a coma
• Fifth Scene- It is a still shot of the suburban house, and the bride's car pulls up into the shot, with her as a mid-shot.

Mis-En-Scene

To begin with, the scene is in black and white, and shows the main Protagonist bleeding and in obvious pain wearing a wedding dress and a wedding veil, which then earns her the nickname 'The Bride'
The fact that this part of the film is in black and white compared to the rest of the film could signifies that this is the motivation to the killing spree the bride goes on later in the film and it tells the audience that this particular scene is a past event.

Next, the audience sees shoes walking along the floorboards, which are scattered with bullet shells, which hints that there has been several guns used and that there was most likely a massacre which occured here.
It then switches back to the Bride, and after speaking for a few moments, the Antagonist reaches down and begins to wipe the blood off of her face with a hankerchief and the audience can clearly see the name 'Bill' embroidered onto it, which is the introduction to our main Antagonist, the films nakesake.



When the gun is being loaded and the safety is removed, we see the Bride's eyes widen and she looks scared. And then, when the shot is fired, we see the blood and her eyes shut, then immediately it cuts to the credits.
As the credits continue on, in the background, a still silhouette image of the bride is seen in a hospital bed, signifying that she is still alive, but is either comatose or just severely injured and asleep.
The image fades and suddenly, the film becomes colour instead of black and white, and we see a fully healed bride in casual jeans and a leather jacket drive up in front of a happy household, which has lots of children's toys, indicating that a family live here.
She takes out her 'Death List' and we see already that a name has been crossed off, and it confuses the audience as they want to know what happened to the Bride when she woke up and how she got rid of the first victim.

Sound
To begin with, there are no sounds except the sound of the Bride crying and gasping for breath, which then is mingled with the sound of Bill's feet as he walks towards her, and this signifies how along they are, and that there is no-one around to help her.
The sound of the guns safety being taken off is significant as it highlights the real severity of the situation, and it makes everything much more tense.
When the bride says "Bill, It's your baby" and the gun fires, the audience is shocked and will feel a mix of emotions towards both Bill and The Bride.
The opening titles play a song about shooting which is also about love, and this is foreshadowing towards the Bride and Bill's relationship.
When the film switches to the scene when the Bride is well again, the audience can hear an ice cream van in the background, and this shows that this is a happy, normal suburban home, which is about to be rocked by what happens.

Editing
The film is in black and white to begn with, but is then suddenly changes to colour and this signifies a stretch of time.
There is a relevant quote/proverb to open the film, which foreshadows what is about to take place.

Graphics
The opening credits which reveal the main antagonists in the film is almost identical to the Bride's Death List which signifies the order in which they will be killed.

Section 2: RESEARCH INTO EXAMPLES OF COPARABLE MEDIA PRODUCTS

American Psycho is directed by Mary Harron and Stars Christian Bale, Reese Witherspoon and Jared Leto

Narrative Structure
Bateman gives a detailed commentary about his lift, which helps us gain an insight to the character, so the Audience learn that he does actually have a motive for the murders which he commits.
The narrative is also influenced by the dialogue of the characters and their actions as it helps push the story along when it seems not much else is happening with the plot.

Thriller Codes and Conventions

• The Question and Answer Model - As Bateman continues to kill and murder people throughout the film, the audience will start to wonder who he will kill next and what the reason for that may be. It also highlights how the audience will be willing to wait for the answers to their questions as it will keep them in suspence.
• The Transform City - The normal city where Bateman lives is shook up and changed by his killings as he is a psychotic murderer in a place where everything seems quite calm, and this is illustrated by the happy music at the beginning of the film where the camera pans on the city.

Camera Work
There are a lot of closeups and mid closeups in the shots, including when the camera pans out to view the city, giving the audience a extreme long shot of the city, highlighting the normality about to be changed by the way Bateman acts.
Mis-En-Scene
When it is explained how Patrick lives his day to day life in a routine, this is highlighted with a montage of his day in the morning, and this allows the audience to see what kind of a person he is. Organized, straightforward and vey hygenic and clean. This is illustrated in the all white front room he has. And this is a great contrast to the red of the blood which is created when he kills his victims.





The fact that a lot of what he does happens at night is also interesting, as this highights the way he wishes to be unseen, which is added with his quote during the beginning of the movie: "I am simply not there"

The Scene with the business cards highlights the need to be higher than other people and the need to be the best. It highlights how rich they all are, and it tells the audience a lot about Patrick's character as it shows how upset he can easily become over one little thing, even though to the audience, there is very little different about the cards.



Sound
There is a lot of ominous music throughout the film, and the first twenty minutes are no exception. The opening credits have jarring strings and generally discordant, sharp sounds which give the film a creepy edge. It contains atmospheric droning which eventually moves to lighter, more free music.
The music typically builds up to crechendos and suits the mood of the scene.

Editing & Graphics
The opening credits were a red background with red text and a red sort of liquid being moved around the screen, and it automatically makes the audience think it is blood, though it is actually something much harmless. The use of slow motion also adds extra effect, as it builds up tension and makes the audience's heart rate pick up.

Section 2: RESEARCH INTO EXAMPLES OF COPARABLE MEDIA PRODUCTS - Se7en

Seven (Se7en) is a thriller directed by David Fincher and stars Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey

Narrative Structure

The Narrative of the film is generally kept flowing through the dialogue of the characters and their actions. The audience is also reminded of the time passing by captions on certain points in the scene, which say “Monday”, "Tuesday" and so on. This reminds the audience that Mills and Somerset are on a tight schedule and have to catch the killer as soon as they can.

Thriller Codes and Conventions

• Concealment- The Killer's identity is hidden until the end of the film.
• The Transformed City- Though the city does seem to have its share of murder and crime, none are as terrible as the seven sin murders, and these effectively shake up the city, turning it into an extraordinary place.
• Mazes and Labyrinths- Mills and Somerset are led on a maze of murders and clues, which eventually is unsolved, as the killer comes to them, and then the whole plot unfolds.

Camera Work

• First Scene - Mid long shot of Somerset in his kitchen at Eye-level.
• Second Scene - Medium Close up of Somerset performing his every day rituals, of getting ready for his day, which then switches to just a shot of his legs and his jacket on his bed.
• Third Scene - Murder scene- Long shot of Somerset walking closer to the camera, into the apartment until it reaches a mid-shot.
• Fouth Scene- Looks at the other officers at a Mid-long shot, then switches angles to look back at Somerset from the right instead of left.
• Fifth Scene - Camera cuts to outside, Mid-long shot of Mills and Somerset at a low angle
• Sixth Scene - Long shot of Somerset in bed which then switches between a close up of the metronome and a mid-close up of Somerset's face at an eye-level angle.
• Seventh Scene - Close up of Mills and girlfriend Tracey at a slightly higher angle.

Mis-En-Scene
Somerset is dressed in a plain white dress shirt to begin with, showing that he works in a place where formal wear is required. We see a Chessboard on his kitchen table, which implies to the audience that his character is logical, and the lighting is fairly dim, hinting that this is in the morning.


Later the audience is shown that he is getting ready for his day, and he has all of his equipment laid out neatly which signifies the presence of a routine.
In the murder scene, we learn two things about Somerset. One, that he is compassionate, as he worries about the child who may have seen the murder of his father, and we also learn that he is a detective, but he is leaving the force.



When Mills enters the scene, the audience can immediately see a difference between the two detectives. Mills wears a leather jacket and a wrinkled shirt, signifying a more modern approach, whereas Somerset sticks to a typical detective coat, which indicates his refusal to give up the old ways of investigation, and to do things his own way.
In the film, there is a significant amount of rain involved, which is an indicator to how gloomy and depressing the city is, and it is also a form of foreshadowing, predicting the terrible events about to take place there.
When Somerset and Mills are walking down the street, Somerwalks walks on the left, closer to the road, whereas Mills walks to the right and is intercepted by several people. This highlights how Somerset has experience and is aware of the city, whereas Mills has a lot to learn.
Somerset is seen as being alone in his home, whereas Mills has his wife Tracey, which makes him more vulnerable, as he has someone who the killer can hurt in order to get to him, whereas Somerset has no-one, and has no loose ends to his character.

Sound
In the beginning of the film, though it is set in a normal apartment, there is a distinct sound of chaos in the background. Dogs barking, police and ambulance sirens and shouting. This is also seen in the scene with Somerset in his bed, as he uses a metronome to block out the noise.
The song in the credits is eerie and also has foreshadowing in it, as it mentions God at the end and John Doe claims he is doing God's work.

Editing & Graphics
The opening credits are unique to the film, as they embrace the genre and give the film a more scary and thrilling edge, with the black and white contrast, along with the flashing lights and also the images that we see that are actually of John Doe, though we don't see his face, we see some of the things we later see in the film, such as his journals, and cutting off his finger prints.

Section 2: RESEARCH INTO EXAMPLES OF COPARABLE MEDIA PRODUCTS (Shutter Island)

Shutter Island is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley

Narrative StructureThe Narration is moved along by the dialogue of the characters. When the characters speak, usually they say something which helps to continue the story and plot. There is also captions to help set the scene



Thriller Codes and Conventions

• Mazes and Labyrinths - When Teddy and Chuck arrive on the island, they begin a huge search and it turns out almost like a labyrinth, the story twisting and turning until it completely baffles the audience.
• Partial Vision- The characters in the film all seem like they're hiding something, which is why, at the end of the film, it is such a shock when the audience discovers that Teddy is actually a mentally ill patient.
• Concealment- The actual outcome of the film is hidden and evidence that Teddy is actually a patient is hidden from the audience until the end.

Camera Work

• First Scene- Long shot of a boat appearing through the mist.
• Second Scene- Medium Long shot of Teddy throwing up in the sink and then a mid shot of him looking in the mirror at himself and finally a close up of him looking out of the window at a side angle
• Third Scene- Close up of Teddy, then a medium long shot of Chuck's back.
• Fourth Scene- Medium long shot of the two of them talking
• Fifth Scene- Extreme long shot of the island
• Sixth Scene- Zoomed into the docks, and then we see a direct cut to a medium long shot of Teddy and Chuck walking with the guards.
• Seventh Scene - Mid shot of a guard speaking and then Mid shots of guards holding guns.

Mis-En-Scene
It begins as a boat emerges from the mist with two people people visibly on it. It then cuts to a room with chains hanging from the ceiling, and a connecting bathroom, where someone in a long trench coat seems to be throwing up. He looks up to the mirror and he looks pale and ill. He turns around and holds his stomach, gasping for air before looking out of the port hole, before turning to throw up again.
He seems to steady himself and walks out into the room where the audiences can see chains connected to neck braces and handcuffs, which is foreshadowing to the end of the film, as this boat is most likely a prisoner holding boat.




He pulls on his coat and steps out of the room so he's on the bow of the boat, and he spots Chuck. He stumbles his way over and leans on the railings. He talks to chuck and we find out they are detective Marshals. They speak about Teddy's wife, and the audience sees a flashback playing in Teddy's mind. and then Chuck offers Teddy a cigarette.
The view changes to the actual island, and the audience is able to see how secluded it is, surrounded by water with no way to escape.
As the boat approaches the docks, the audience can see all the guards with guns and this effectively creates tension.

Sound
The music starts off quite eerie and tense, and it mixes in with the clanging of the chains and the rush of the sea, as this creates a stranger atmosphere. There is just dialogue for a few minutues until the marshals see the island, and immediately, the horns become louder and the music plays, effectively creating more tension.


Editing & Graphics
The movie goes straight into the opening credits, indicating that the director and editor wanted to get straight into the film without any cuts.
The amount of water also hints to the fact that it shows how secluded the island is, and how vulnerable Chuck and Teddy are.

Section 2: RESEARCH INTO EXAMPLES OF COPARABLE MEDIA PRODUCTS (Red Eye)

  

Red Eye is directed by Wes Craven and stars Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy and Brian Cox

Narrative Structure
The film is moved along by both the actions and the dialogue of the characters, as that explains what is exactly going on, in a linear structure.

Thriller Codes and Conventions

• The Heroic Romance- Lisa is just a normal person who is thrown into this terrible situation on the plane, and she must react and adapt to it at that point, as she has no time to adjust.
• The Question and Answer model- Probability and Morality factor.

Camera Work

• Scene One- Begins with the camera panning along some photos of Lisa at a close up. It zooms out as the audience sees legs walk past
• Scene Two- Zoom in on the wallet
• Scene Three- Mid-shots of this 'conspiracy' beginning to take place 
• Scene Four- Pans left to the characters and a shot reverse shot occurs
• Scene Five- Shot reverse shot between Lisa in the car and the girl in the hotel as they talk on the phone
• Scene Six- Shot reverse shot between Lisa and her dad over the telephone.

Mis-En-Scene

The scene begins with pictures of our main protagonist as a young girl and then a set of legs walk past. the owner drops a set of keys and a wallet onto the table, and then someone else off screen grabs the wallett and takes it away.
There is then a montage of pictures, files and pictures once again of our main Protagonist and curiosity is raised as the audience begins to wonder what was going on.
We then see a hotel and a girl talking to two customers. Tthey are complaining about the service, so the employee phones up the protagonist who is sat in a taxi in a busy road. Everything is hectic and the audience can see Lisa, the protagonist's life is very busy, as she get two calls at once. She informs the girl of what to do, and then leaves to the airport, which is extremely busy.
When her dad calls her back, the audience are able to see that he lives a lonely lifestyle as he still has her childhood bedroom set up, whereas she lives an extremely busy lifestyle.


Sound
Where Lisa is and where she works, there is always the hustle and bustle of city life, indicating she is always busy. This is contrasted with Lisa's fater, as when they are talking over the phone, his end is silent, showing he is alone.
The tense music in the beginning informs the audience that this was the situation, this was why everything in the movie is taking place.

Editing & Graphics
The credits are found before the film showing the director didn't want to cut between scenes.

Section 2: RESEARCH INTO EXAMPLES OF COPARABLE MEDIA PRODUCTS (Jaws)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8SnZmUjhAA

Jaws is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Roy Scheider

Narrative Structure
There is a distinct connection between the ocean in the opening credits and the beach in the first scene, and this helps the narrative as you know Jaws will strike there next.
The film is set in a linear narrative, as the the film follows in one plot, Jaws killing people. The narrative is also driven by the characters communication.

Thriller Codes and Conventions

• Transform City- A peaceful little beach and the lives of people who live by there are shaken up by the killings.
• Partial Vision- You don't actually see Jaws, which also creates suspence, even though the audience is aware it is a shark.
• Concealment- the audience have vital information kept away from them to create suspence

Camera Work

• First Scene - It is from the POV from Jaws, and the audience are given the authentic feeling like they are actually under water.
• Second Scene - Medium Close up of a group of teenagers on a beach, having fun and laughing. It's in the dark, so it is either night or early morning.
• Third Scene - A shot-reverse-shot of a boy looking at Chrissy before the scene switches back to him at a medium close up
• Fourth Scene- There's an extreme long shot of them all sat on the beach and then Chrissy and the boy leave, running away from the group.
• Fifth Scene- Long shot of the two of them running down the beach stripping off their clothes until Chrissy jumps into the water.
• Sixth Scene - There is an extreme long shot of Chrissy in the water, showing how vulnerable she is.
• Seventh Scene - Mid shot of her being thrashed around in the water until she is finally pulled under.

Mis-En-Scene
Under the water, there is a blue lighting which gives everything a cold feeling, whereas on the beach, the orange-red glow of the fire makes everything seem safer.
It shows a group of teenagers having fun, and we are introduced to the 'main' characters of the scene due to camera shots. He is smoking and drinking, whereas Chrissy isn't.
When they run down near the fences, what seems to lok like bite marks have been made in the wood, which is foreshadowing what will happen to Chrissy


When Chrissy jumps into the water, there is no sign that she is going to be attacked as the water is calm, yet, compared to the ocean, she is so small and vulnerable, so the audience have the feeling that she is going to be attacked.
The audience see from Jaws's point of view as he spots Chrissy's legs, and the audience immediately know that she is going to die.
She begins to be pulled under the water, and is screaming for help, but even the boy who she was with can't hear her, so she is doomed. When she is eventually pulled under, the sea is calm again, and there is no trace left of her, not even blood.

Sound
The typical Jaws themetune (Heard below) creates a tense atomosphere and trains the audience to know when an attack is about to occur.


At the very beginning, there is a non-diagetic sound showing up before the image, which sounds like a submarine. Also, during the credits, there is an anti-climax as the music becomes louder as the audience expects something to happen, but instead, a boy playing a harmonica with a happy tune comes on screen instead, which is a diagetic sound.
When Chrissy is being killed, you can hear her screaming and ringing the bell, whereas on the beach, where the boy fell asleep it is silent, showing that no-one can hear her. But when she is dragged under, there is complete silence.

Editing & Graphics
There is a shot-reverse-shot during the scene Chrissy and the boy catch each others eyes. and the ocean shows how small Chrissy is compared to it, indicating her vulnerability.

Section 3: BRAINSTORM OF CONTENT AND CLASSIFICATION OF FILM

Idea 1 -> Assassination
Idea 2 -> Man forgotten
Idea 3 -> Identity Theft

Idea one was our final choice.
The basical general plot, is a man must choose between the love of his life or £10 million, and the film follows his life as he goes on this journey.


In the mindmap above, the ideas presented with a tick next to them, were ideas which we created and chose to be in the final product, whereas the ideas with a cross next to them are the choices which we scrapped and decided to not do. Ideas with a question mark next to them are ideas which are debateable and were things which would change upon creating the treatment of the whole film.
We eventually decided on having profiles of the victimes, such as pictures in a triangular hierarchy on the walls to easily convey the idea of a recurring pattern.
We chose a complex narrative for the opening sequence as it conveyed a much more interesting plot and would build up the audience's curiosity.
The opening scene takes place in three places, which has been edited since the original brainstorming. It takes place outside in the dark, walking into a typical home and in a bedroom so we could contrast and compare this Thriller to others of a similar genre, which was Action Thriller.

Overall, The certificate rating which we as a group had decided on was a  as it is an Action Thriller and the overall film, once we as a group had dicussed the full plot would be a bit too much for under fifteen's to handle, whereas 15 and older would enjoy it more than those under that age. We decided to not make it an as there was no nudity, graphic murder scenes, or excessive profanity, which meant that the best rating possible would have been the 15.

Section 4: AUDIENCE RESEARCH

I created and distributed with the help of my group, a thriller questionaire which would ask our target audience what they wanted and expected from a typical thriller. We collected and examined the results and made graphs and pie charts accordingly to more thoroughly examine the results to help us create the thriller.



Verbal Questionaire Answers






We asked equal numbers of boys and girls, 15 of each gender which helped make the questionaire less bias and helped give more reliable results.



The typical age group asked was aged 15-20, which helped created a rating certificate for the film.



12 out of the 30 prefered Action Thrillers compared to Crime, Supernatural and Psychological, though Psychological was a close second, so we combined the two to create our thriller.



14 people out of the 30 prefer to have two main characters, one male, and one female and this helped establish what kind of character we will have.




The two main aspects of a thriller chosen were cliffhangers at 11 choices, and Plot twists at 17 choices, so in order to comply with this, we created a plot twist which would hopefully shock the audience.



12 out of 30 feared insects more than anything else.



17 out of the 30 disliked clichés in thrillers, so we attempted to make our thriller slightly different to normal ones.



26 out of the 30 prefer to see a death rather than simply hearing about it so in the threatment, we make is clear that the deaths are seen and not just heard.



13 out of 30 prefer to hear violins as background music.



14 out of 30 people prefer Assassins as characters.



16 out of 30 dislike the police as characters.


When given the choice between fast or slow paced music or silence, the majority (15) chose fast paced.



There was a wide variety of choices for location, but the highest noted one was houses, abandoned or not.



21 of the 30 prefer to have adult victims.



29 of 30 think that plot twists are essential in thriller movies.



27 of the 30 beleive that night is the best setting for a thriller.



the majority of people (17) think that scary fonts are not necessary.



19 of 30 prefer to see the film in the victims point of view.



28 of 30 prefer to have the killer hidden.



14 of 30 prefer rock music.

Section 5: TREATMENT

Treatment

Synopsis
Brad Hope is a hired assassin. His next assignment? Kill his way up to the top of a gang hierarchy. Personal loyalties are tested however, when he discovers that his main target is the father of his girlfriend. Brad must choose between the love of his life and the ultimate wealth, but he finds not everything is as it seems.

Treatment
The film begins and the scene is set in an alleyway, where the audience can clearly see a pair of legs belonging to Brad running down the alleyway quickly, seemingly in an attempt to escape someone or something. Brad runs into a house, shutting the door behind him quickly. He pulls off a pair of latex gloves, dropping them on the side along with his jacket. He turns silently and looks up into the mirror. He notices a black shadowy figure behind him and spins around, but nothing is there. He goes upstairs into his room and heads to a cork board where a triangular hierarchy structure is pinned up, where all pictures but one, the top one is crossed off. Brad goes to the cork board and picks up a red marker and slowly crosses the picture off. He sits down silently on his bed and turns on his TV, where a murder report is being shown.

(Opening Credits)

There is a time lapse to a month ago, and Brad is eating dinner with his girlfriend Rachel ‘Lopez’ at a restaurant, and we are informed of this due to a running commentary made over the scene by Brad. Brad informs the audience of his career and his normal life behind it.
He and Rachel begin to walk home, and they stop in front of her house. She kisses him goodnight and goes into her home, and Brad begins to walk home. He goes inside his own home and goes up to his bedroom and looks at the corkboard, which only has the bottom line crossed out. As he examines the corkboard whilst smoking a cigarette, the voice over informs the audience that Brad was approached by a firm which requested him to kill these gang members, and a flashback suddenly sends the audience to three months ago. Brad meets up with a woman named Karen Whitefair who informs him that she works for a man named Peter Johnson, who requested him to kill Andy Carter and his gang members in exchange for £10 million.
The scene fades back to Brad lying in his bed and falling asleep. As he closes his eyes, the sound of chaos, such as cars is heard in the background and it cuts to black.
The next day, Brad is heading into the roughest part of the city, wearing a trench coat to protect him from the rain. The streets are still busy, so he silently slips down into an alleyway and ends up at the side of a house. He manages to scale the wall with the help of a drainpipe and picks the lock on the window, slipping inside silently. He makes his way downstairs and hears voices coming from the living room. He glances through a crack in the door and sees a rowdy group of people playing cards and joking around, and in the group, he sees five of the people he is supposed to assassinate and pulls out a gun. He slips it through the gap in the door and with incredible precision, he shoots at them, killing all five of them one after the other. Chaos breaks out in the room as this happens and Brad slips away silently, pulling up the collar of his trench coat and moves out of the house, unnoticed.

He heads home, pulling off his coat and gun belt and leaving them on his bed. He changes into formal wear, and then crosses the five he had just killed off the list, leaving five left. He hears a beep of a horn outside and slips his gun into his tuxedo jacket and walks outside, spotting a taxi waiting for him. He gets inside to find Rachel waiting for her, also in her formal wear. He asks where they’re going and she replies to one of her father’s parties. They pull up in front of a manor house which has rich and obviously influential people going inside of it. Brad follows her inside and the audience see him fight an internal battle when he spots four of the remaining five he has to kill, one of which the voice over informs the audience, is her Andy Carter, the mafia boss. Rachel pulls him over, informing Brad that he is actually her father, and Brad, too shocked to react in any other way replies “You said your name was Lopez” inferring that she used a fake name, and Rachel reveals it was too dangerous for her to reveal her real name.

Andy pulls Brad aside to discuss business opportunities with him, and though Brad is clearly uncomfortable, he smiles and talks with him. After a while, he excuses himself, noticing that the three gang members he was targeting were leaving. He pretends to leave to go to the bathroom but actually just follows them, slipping into the shadows. The men are talking about the recent murders in their gang, and Brad steps out, shutting the doors. The men turn, startled and raise their weapons, and Brad, wide-eyed, holds up his hands in surrender. Upon seeing him, they relaxed and turned away, and Brad moved forward, pulling out his gun. He shoots one, and the other two put up a fight, one of them punching him in the face, but he manages to kill them all.

People are beginning to run towards the sound and noise of the gunshots, so Brad jumps over the side of the balcony and ducks into the bushes to hide. He tries to walk about, but the fourth gang member is waiting for him and the two fight, which lasts longer than any of the previous fights, but ultimately, Brad defeats him.  He is obviously distressed about what has occurred and manages to escape the manor, before walking home, obviously deep in thought. He goes inside, crosses off the four he had just killed and circles Andy’s picture, though he looks apprehensive. He changes out of his clothes, leaving his gun on the bed and leaves, in such a state that he forgets to lock the door and drives off.

As he leaves, a taxi pulls up and Rachel gets out, looking confused and concerned. She goes to his door and knocks, and realized the door is still open. She goes inside and looks around, and goes upstairs to look for him. She goes into his room and sees the gun and the corkboard. She sees her father’s picture at the top and extremely scared and terrified, she quickly runs out of the house, jumping back into the taxi and demanding to be taken to her father’s manor.

Brad returns, and goes into his house, cursing himself for leaving it unlocked, he has obviously made a decision and goes to get his gun and belts up. He leaves the house, remembering to lock it this time and gets back into his car, beginning to drive to the manor. He pulls up outside and scales over the wall, jumping down into the garden. Avoiding the guards, he slips into the house and goes into the main hall and comes face to face with Rachel, who confronts him. He tries to explain everything to her, but she forces him to choose, and in a fit of anger, he shoots her. He goes to find Andy and they face each other in a showdown, and Andy reveals that he is not in fact a mobster, but was merely a rich influential businessman with a lot of bodyguards. Brad calls him a liar and shoots and kills him. He starts to see the shadows and faces of the people he has killed around him, and in fear, he flees the building, and the opening scene repeats itself.

It skips to a month later, and we see Brad is locked in a mental institution and his doctors are discussing his treatment. They are going through his file and speak out loud, revealing he has Delusional Disorder, meaning he fabricated up the existence of Karen Whitefair and Peter Johnson, and there was no money involved in the situation at all. They also note that the stress of killing all these people caused Brad to develop Hypnagogia, which explains the shadows and faces he sees.

The scene cuts to Brad sat in his cell with his knees pulled up to his chest with the shadows surrounding him, never giving him peace.

(Ending Credits)

Section 6: CHARACTER OUTLINES AND SHOOTING SCRIPT

Character Profiles

Brad Hope- He is 27 years of age with black hair and blue eyes. He is quite tall with a good muscle tone and upon speaking to him, people find him rather pleasant. He is the main Protagonist, but he is also considered an Anti-Hero, due to revelations made later in the film. He was adopted as a child, and was also beaten, and suffered greatly during his youth. He suffers from Delusional Disorder and also, due to the people he kills in the story, he actually suffers from Hypnagogia. The Delusional disorder caused him to fabricate up a story of assassinations, and thus he saw Andy and his bodyguards as notorious gang members. He is dating the daughter of Andy, though he doesn’t realise they are related at the time. He is eventually committed to a mental institution.

Rachel Lopez, or Rachel Carter- she is 25 years of age and has long brunette hair which reaches to just below her shoulders in light curls, and brown geyes. She is slender and petite and for the most part is rather quiet, though she will speak up if she wants her voice to be heard. Her real name is Rachel Carter, but she uses a fake name because someone is hunting down her father’s bodyguards, presumably in an attempt to get to her and him, so she used her mother Alexandra’s maiden name. She is eventually killed by Brad when she tries to make him see sense.

Andrew ‘Andy’ Carter- 56 years of age, has brown hair which is greying slightly, and green eyes like his daughter. He is a wealthy and powerful businessman who is often protected by a lot of bodyguards. Due to his illness, Brad fabricates him as a renowned mobster who is dangerous and needs to be killed. He is very much a family orientated man, and after losing his wife due to illness, he is very protective of Rachel and would do anything to protect her. He is eventually killed by Brad.

Karen Whitefair – A 30 year old personal assistant to Peter Johnson, who runs a firm which pays people to kill certain individuals. She is tall with black hair in a short bob and cold ice blue eyes. She often wears pencil skirts and it is revealed that she doesn’t actually exist, that she is merely a figment of Brad’s hallucinations.

Peter Johnson- Not a lot is known about the head of the firm which hires people to kill others. He is shrouded in mystery and is only mentioned in the film by name, and is never seen on screen or described. It is discovered that he too is also simply a fiction of Brad’s imagination.

Andrew’s bodyguards- they are there to protect and watch over their leader, but Brad creates a fictional world, where these bodyguards are actually dangerous mobsters, and in order to get his payment, he would have to kill them all and he creates a hierarchy system to place the bodyguards in.

Below is the script of the opening scene of the thriller

Script

[Scene begins in an alleyway at night. Everything is silent except for his breathing]

                    [BRAD is panting for air, his hands on his knees and is finding it hard to breathe]

[BRAD glances around nervously]

Men in background: [Shouting loudly]

[BRAD hears them and begins to run down the alleyway. He runs out of the alleryway and to his garden]

                 [He fumbles with his keys to unlock the door and drops them]

[BRAD picks up the keys and opens the door, running inside]

[New scene]

[Set in a open hallway with a table with a mirror above it, with stairs in the background]

[BRAD is leaning against the door, out of breath from running. He walks to the mirror and table and takes off his gloves and coat and looks up at the mirror.

Brad: [sharp intake of breath as he sees a dark shadow behind him] [turns around]

[Nothing is behind him, so BRAD turns back to the mirror and nothing is there.

[BRAD exits upstairs and goes to his room]

[New Scene]

[Set in a normal bedroom with a bed, corkboard and television]

              [Corkboard has crossed off pictures of men on it, leaving only the top one uncrossed]

[BRAD walks to the corkboard]

                   

Brad: [picks up a pen and goes to cross off the last picture, but sees a picture of a girl flash in his minds eye] [shakes head]

[BRAD crosses off the last picture and picks up the TV remote, sitting down on the bed and turning it on]

            [A news report about some murders plays in the background]

Brad: [lies back on the bed smiling and closes his eyes]

[Scene fades to black]

[Opening credits roll]