Question About Coursework

1.     What is the purpose to the opening to a film?

The purpose to the opening to a film is to set the scene for the viewer of the film to know what is going on.

2.     What techniques can a director use to create suspense in a film?

Techniques such as slow music and sudden bursts of fast, tense music are used to create suspense in a film.

3.     How do you think a thriller film is defined?

A thriller film may be defined by the primary mood, for example the fear.

4.     What films can you think of that would fit into the thriller genre?

Films such as; Shutter Island, One Hour Photo, Identity, Psycho and more recent films such as Black Swan all fit into the thriller genre.

5.     The thriller film can be divided into sub-genres – What different types of thriller films do you think exist?

The different types of thrillers are murderous passions thriller, political thriller, change or identity thriller, psycho- traumatic thriller, moral confrontation thriller and innocent on the run thriller.

6.     What are the characteristics or conventions in a thriller film?

A thriller will have characteristics that provide thrills, and keep the audience on their toes.

7.     What do you think is the audience pleasure of the thriller film?

I think the audience’s pleasure of the thriller film is the suspense, because it will keep on your toes due to the intensity.

8.     What do you think are the differences between a horror and a thriller film?

I think the differences between a thriller and a horror film is that a thriller will usually contain more psychological terror than a horror and a horror will have more blood and gore than a thriller would.

9.     Using the Internet research the ‘top 50 thriller films’. Look at the top twenty – Which ones are you watched? If it is not many, why do you think this is the case?

Out of the 50 top thriller films I have seen 8 of them, I think the reason I haven’t seen many of them is because I don’t really like thrillers and some of the films mentioned I haven’t heard of.

10.  Using the Internet to find three posters for thriller films. Complete a brief semiotic analysis of the posters. What colours are used, what kind of imagery, taglines, certificate, narrative?

Please see post, posted on 11/02/2011