In our group we talked about possibly filming the thriller sequence at brick lane, so I took the liberty of going to brick lane and taking some photos for future reference.

Genre, Hybrid and Sub- Genre

What is a Genre?
A Genre is a way to categorize films based on their content and the narrative. For example a Comedy

What is a Hybrid Genre?
A Hybrid Genre is a type of genre that contains two genres as one. For Example a Romantic-Comedy

What is Sub-Genre?
A Sub-Genre is a genre within a genre. For example a Teen Comedy

Why is genre used?
Genre is used to attract a target audience and to easily market a type of film for people who enjoy the same kind of genre.

What are Genre conventions?
They're things that you recognize with a genre, for example in a romantic scene it is common to see roses, wine or candles. Genre conventions are used to convey the atmosphere to the audience and set the scene.

What are 3 different things that films within a romantic genre might share in common?
Firstly one would usually find roses, wine and candles as explained previously. These would be an example of props that are associated with a romantic genre. Actors such as Channing Tatum, Jennifer Aniston and Zac Efron could also be associated with a romantic film and finally it is common to find slow paced romantic soundtracks with modd lighting adding to the mise en scene of the film.

Thriller

What is a thriller genre?
A thriller genre is a type of genre that is suspenseful and thrilling to the audience, it creates tension within the piece as well as it also playing
with the element of surprise and anticipation

Conventions of a thriller?
Some conventions could be dark alley ways, knifes and suspenseful settings that create tension

Sub-Genres of thriller?
Action Thriller
This is a hybrid genre. Take a thriller, give it’s defining elements a back seat, and focus on the action, and you have an action-thriller. This is more common in movies than novels because of the visual appeal of explosions and violence. Die Hard: Kill Bill Vol. 1, The Born Identity

Aviation Thriller focus on air flight, and the battle of human wits and technology against the force of storms, or sabotage, and always of sheer gravity.The High and the Mighty, The Flight of the Phoenix

Conspiracy Thriller

In this subgenre the protagonist must confront a large, powerful organization whose threat only he sees. Usually he must do so alone. Murder by Decree

Crime Thriller
This subgenre focuses on crime, and is usually from the criminal’s point of view. Physical action and eluding the police take the place of gathering evidence and trying to discover the criminal. The Usual Suspects, The Fugitive

Disaster Thriller
In this subgenre a (usually) natural disaster is taking place, and the antagonist is either trying to stop the disaster, the extent of the disaster, or just save themselves before time runs out and the disaster has run its course. The Poseidon Adventure, Into the Storm, Twister, Armageddon

Exploration subgenre stories were more popular when much of the globe was mysterious, and long before Google Earth. Even now the hero's stint in rugged mountains, or along jungle rivers, can provide a thrill. Sanctum

Forensic Thriller
In this subgenre the protagonist(s) are forensic scientists whose involvement in an unsolved crime threatens their lives.

Legal Thriller
This subgenre takes place in and around the courtroom. Usually the protagonist is a lawyer who has found their case threatening death for either them or their client. A Few Good Men, A Time to Kill, The Firm

Medical Thriller
This subgenre involves something usually used for medical purposes becoming a deadly weapon. Often it is a virus that is leaking out to the public. The protagonist or antagonist or both are doctors. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Political Thriller
In this subgenre political relations or the whole government is at stake, and the protagonist is employed by the government to stop the decline. The protagonist may have been low-level before having attracted attention.

Psychological Thriller
A personal favorite. In this subgenre a lot of the conflict is mental, rather than physical. The protagonist has become involved in a dangerous situation which literally threatens their sanity. They must use mental prowess to overcome their opponent, whether the battle is inside their own head or it a battle of wits.

Religious Thriller
This subgenre uses the history and myths of religion. Usually a religious artifact or historical secret is discovered, and different people and groups vie for control.

Spy Thriller
It’s hard to call this a genre mash-up when spy novels almost have to be thrillers. At any rate, this subgenre focuses on the high adventures of field agents. It is usually set against the backdrop of some war.

Supernatural Thriller
In this subgenre other worldy elements are introduced, usually as an antagonistic force, but just as in the romantic thriller, the plot line and feel or distinctly that of thrillers. Some characters may have psychic abilities and other supernatural novel elements may be present.

Survivalist thrillers center upon such rugged specimens of humanity. A disaster has struck a specific group of people, if not the entire planet, and survival depends upon toughness and skill. Jerry Ahern's epic "Survivalist" series leads this pack, and devotes long descriptions to every knife, gun, and other weapon in use. David Brin's novel The Postman, filmed by Kevin Costner, reverses this by making survivalists the villians. On a more personal scale, Michael Armstrong's short story "A Little Walk Home" depicts its stranded protagonist hiking 500 miles across the Alaskan wilderness.

IMMERSED - click here to watch

How does the opening sequence create tension?

Throughout the clip tension is created through music, changing of camera angles and shots as well as the use of slow motion. The camera is underwater in some scenes so the vision is not clear making the audience uncomfortable as they cant see what is coming. The use of light, the sun, through water is used to make it evident that the audience is underwater, not the other way around.



The changing of camera angles gives the audience a feeling of being in the room with her which makes us feel more connected to the clip, thus making us more aware of what might be happening. The weather is decent as the sun is out, this gives us the impression that it is a relatively ordinary day in which something might happen making the plot more realistic.

The music creates tension as it begins with a slow hum at the beginning and it grows louder and more intense throughout the clip. There is then a change at (1:00) when the man walks through the door.

The clip also builds tension as it does not allow the audience to see the man who is entering the house. We are shown his chest when walking through the door and his slow paced, sort of villain like walk. This explores the aspect of unknown which is commonly used in thrillers to build up tension and suspense.

Another way in which the clip builds tension is the prolonged wait of nothingness in the plot, for exactly 1 minute the clip is portraying a girl practicing her competitive swimming and having no connection to the outside world. As the audience knowing you're watching a thriller, you are expecting an instance to occur but it takes longer than expected which creates suspense.

However, when the man does appear, the girl swimming is completely oblivious to the fact that someone has just walked in, potentially intending to harm her. This is the use of dramatic irony as we, the audience, know the man is there but the swimmer does not. We then feel the need to forewarn the girl swimming, which is a classic feeling to get when watching a thriller.