The results from our Questionnaire

Our group gave out the questionnaire we produced in class. We questioned twenty people, thirteen of those were female whilst seven were male. five of the twenty people were sixteen, and seven people were seventeen and eighteen.
Using our results we found out that the genre which scored the highest in popularity was the psychological genre that scored fourteen out of a possible twenty. We also discovered that not many people enjoyed the action genre or the fantasy genre which neither scored over five.
Similarly to this, the character most people chose was Psychotics scoring twelve closely followed however by criminals. Unfortunately for innocent characters, it only scored one out of twenty.
Most of our questionnaires showed clearly that males were more popular as the gender of the protagonist. Male protagonists scored seventeen beating females by a clear score.
Many people likely the idea of the location to be in an abandoned house or isolated town. There was only one score in front with the winning location being an isolated town. The graveyard was unpopular and scored zero. As well as this the score of complex plot scored a higher mark than a simple plot scoring just two.  Therefore these results showed our group that most people enjoy psychological films that are complex and make you work.
" i like the suspense,exciting"
"i like the suspense and plot twists"
" it has to have a good story line"
"i like the suspense and the unknown"
"the twists that you don't expect"
" the way i have to think about what is going on"
"unpredictable"
" the fact that you have to think"
" making me scared"
Above are a list of many of what people had to say about what the like best about thriller films.
We recognised that most people enjoy the suspense the idea about not knowing what is going to happen next.

Our Questionnaire

1.      Male or Female?

2.      How old are you?

3.      What do you like best about Thriller films?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

4.     

Which sub genre of thriller films is most appealing to you?

              Psychological

               Action

              Fantasy

              Mystery

              Crime

5.      What type of character do you prefer?

             Criminals

              Stalkers

              Psychotics

              Evil

              Innocent/naïve

6.      Would you prefer a male or female protagonist?

7.      Do you prefer a simple or complex plot?

8.      Which location would you prefer?

                 Abandoned house

                 Forest

                 Graveyard

                  Isolated town

                 Other

9.      If you go to the cinema, do you often choose thriller over other genres?

10.   What type of music do you feel should be played throughout the film?

 

Slow paced

 

Fast paced

           Cruscendo (building up)

What is a thriller?

We think a thriller is...
designed to build tension, excitement and creates suspense. If the thriller is presented in such a way these emotions give the audience their desired thrill! 

Set up-How is it used in Shutter Island?

1) What does the set up reveal to the audience about setting?

The setting during the set up is portrayed as very mysterious. The boat revealing itself from the mist makes the audience have to really think about what is going on. The hospital itself looks prison like with electric barbed wire surrounding it suggesting to the audience that there is going to be escape. 

2) What does the set up reveal to the audience about characters?

Teddy is a mysterious character right form the beginning. His reaction to the water whilst on board the boat suggests that water is something we need to consider later on which does show importance further on in the film about his past. He also mentions how he's seen barbed wire before but can't answer where when questioned about it making the audience wonder where he has seen this barbed wire. He also wears a ring even though his wife is dead highlighting his difficulties coming to terms with the loss. 

3) What does the set up reveal to the audience about the interrelationship between characters?

Teddy's relationship between the officers is immediately shown as very tense. As soon as he approaches them they show their fire arms equipment and look very on edge almost like they have previously seen or heard about him. Teddy and his assistant ( the doctor)  is told to hand over his fire arms to the officers. Whilst Teddy whips his gun out and hands it over, the doctor struggles to get his out looking unexperienced. This later reveals that the reason for this is because he isn't even a detective but is an act on behalf of the mental hospital. 

As well as this we realise that Teddy, alone is known to be a dangerous character therefore handing over his fire arms was because he was a killer.

4) What is this world like?

we are given important information right at the beginning that this is a mental hospital and that Ward C is for the most dangerous patients. When teddy is first introduced to the hospital he comes across prisoners with chains wrapped round their feet and hands suggesting the danger these patients. As an audience we only receive a negative view in the set up of what this place is like; a dangerous, isolated prison. 

5) What possible conflicts or strains are there that will become part of the story later on?

The main conflict that is revealed through the set up is the flash back he has of his wife. Originally we believe that his wife was disastrously caught up in a fire and was killed. His flashbacks juxtapose with the real world in that it's all bright and joyful colours with happy faces and laughing together in his flashbacks contrasting with the eerie music and grey colours in his reality. Therefore the audience get a sense that his life with her was better and he was in love with her however later on we understand that he didn't ever have time for her which made her go crazy and result in killing their own children. As well as this she is always be dripping wet which again relates back to water being a key theme. She was supposed to be killed in a fire but every time she confronts Teddy in his flashbacks she is always wet. 

6) How does this film opening fit with the codes and conventions of Thriller films?

Shutter Island fits well with the codes and conventions of a thriller. For example: the grey colours and the weird mist in the opening scene. The colours used have connotations of mystery which is perfect for the Thriller genre. The flashbacks also fit as this confuses the audience about time and makes us work hard to think about what is going on. Even before the opening scene, the title sequence is hidden with shadows suggesting that there is mystery to come. The use of close ups at the very start showing Teddy's reaction to the water fit well with the codes and conventions. This helps us place him as the main character to look out/ watch out for throughout the film. Another example of a convention is the use of slow motion of the prisoner and teddy first meeting eyes. She is a mysterious, weird-looking character that we almost feel will have a significance throughout the film when she does the "sh" signal like there is something to hide however she turns out to be red herring. Finally the dramatic angles throughout the sequence such as the low angles looking up and P.O.V of teddy arriving at the gates along with the dramatic music over the top creates tension and suspense which is also important for a thriller to work. 

 

Steven Spielberg.......

Name: Steven Spielberg

Date Of Birth: 18th December 1946

Place of Birth: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential film personalities in the history of film, he is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest film makers in the world.

He was born in Cincinnati in 1946 and went to California State Univer

sity Long Beach, but he dropped out to persue his entertainment career. Spielberg's first major directional effort was "The Sugarland Express," the film that marked him a rising star. It was his next effort, that made him am international superstar, "Jaws."

Steven Spielberg is known for:

• Schindlers List
• Saving Private Ryan
• Artificial Intelligence
• Poltergeist

Other films......

• Men in Black
• Jurassic Park
• Shrek
• Taken
• Catch Me If You Can
• The Haunting
• E.T
• Gremlins
• The Terminal
• Transformers

My Thriller Advert :)

ATTENTION: We want you... or do we? Can you play mind games, and win? Or will you fall victim to paranoia? You must have the ability to plot heists on a large scale, the knowledge to throw out a red herring to cover your deathtraps. You must NEVER be afraid to take on some heavy stalking.

Can you leave people wanting more...

The Director, Tony Scott

Birthday: July 21 1944


Born: Stockton-On-Tees


Thriller Films: Spy Game, Numb3rs, The Hunger


Interesting facts about him:
-"Enemy of the state" a political thriller was thoroughly enjoyed and received terrific reviews which was a vast improvement with the response from his stalker flick "The Fan."
-His mum was an avid movie goer who passed her passion of cinema into her children including him.
-"Revenge" a hard edged crime thriller about an ex pilot who fights over the love of a rich beautiful woman with a powerful mexican crime lord failed to perform a the box office because of his arguments over editing. He nearly got fired!
- He has been one of mainstream hollywood's most reliable and stylish film makers since the mid 1980's.
-In 1973 Scott partnered with brother Ridley to form the London-based company in RSA. Over the next decade Scott created some of the world's most entertaining and memorable commercials.