Inspirations - Miss Miller

To create something, we need inspiration to help expand our creativity and ideas. Taking small elements from other films etc and changing/personalizing them helps immensely with the creative process. I have taken inspirations from openings and scenes from other thriller films, as shown in previous blog posts. This is a list of all the thriller films that I have looked at: Se7en; Halloween (1978); Orphan; The Happening; Scream 4; The Conjuring; Dawn Of The Dead (2004); Saw II; Saw V; Saw 3D; Psycho (1960); The Shining; The Sixth Sense; and Final Destination 5. I will now discuss how some of these films have influenced and inspired me and my group.

The first of the sequences that I have previously researched that I will now discuss is The Happening. I researched and analysed the cinematography used in this film's opening scene. It gave me and my group inspiration for our opening scene. This film's opening sequence contains conventional-to-the-thriller-genre cinematography that we have tried to incorporate in our thriller sequence, but in differing ways. For example, a point of view shot is used to show the audience what the character sees - people stopping in the street all of a sudden. This engages the audience with the narrative, and also makes them empathetic with the characters. We will also use a point of view shot in our thriller opening to create the same effect. We will use this type of shot whilst showing the photos in the photo album. This will build the relationship between the audience and the character as the audience will be seeing exactly what the character sees, and can draw their own conclusions about what is happening - helping them relate to or empathise with the character's situation. This will make the audience actively involved with the story.

Secondly, I researched Saw 3D in relation to sound techniques. The sound in this film is quite conventional to the thriller genre. It has inspired me to use conventional sound techniques in my thriller film as it gives the audience a sense of familiarity if they are experiencing things that they've seen in other thriller films. The audience is then more likely to enjoy the film and build a relationship with the characters in it if there are familiar, conventional sounds included. Also, thriller genre conventions are used because the audience reacts well to them and likes them, so this is partly why we will use these techniques. For example, we will include creepy and intense music throughout the sequence to enhance the atmosphere and engage the audience. This general technique is widely used throughout the thriller genre.

I researched conventions within the film Saw V. This research involved the several elements shown throughout the entire thriller genre. These conventional elements include: hidden identity; isolated setting; low key lighting; unexpected twists; and 'scary' weapons/iconography. Firstly, the killer in our thriller film will have a hidden identity as they will be wearing a wedding veil, obscuring the face. This is conventional as it leaves a mystery for the audience as to who the killer is. Secondly, the setting will be seemingly isolated - no other characters will be seen within the main setting in the sequence (dark bedroom). Isolated settings also add to mystery, and suspense. The isolated setting in Saw V (and Se7en) inspired this isolated setting in some way. Thirdly, there will be low key lighting, as briefly mentioned in the previous conventional element. Low key lighting creates a sense of danger, frightening the audience and making them anticipate the murders to come. Fourthly, there will be one or two unexpected twists in the plot of our thriller film - seeing the woman in a wedding dress, the woman searching through a scrapbook, etc. Unexpected twists are a big part of thriller films because they keep the audience engaged in the narrative and on-edge/tense. We considered using this convention of unexpected twists as most of what makes the Saw V sequence that I analysed interesting is the unexpected twist of the man - who was supposed to survive - died, which keeps the audience connecting with the characters and narrative. Lastly, the main pieces of iconography in the scene will be a knife and a photo album. These objects are connecting because the killer is stabbing some people whose pictures are in the photo album. Knives are especially conventional to the thriller genre. The audience can build relationships with characters and narratives more if they are somewhat conventional and familiar. Also, conventions in thriller films are common mostly because they are effective in engaging the audience and helping them enjoy a film.

I researched a clip of Scream 4 in relation to mise-en-scene. I, and my narrative, has taken much inspiration from this analysis, such as having a domestic setting for most of the opening scene. This is very conventional as domestic settings in thriller films provide a false sense of security for the audience and the characters. For example, in the ending of our opening sequence, the 'groom' and his new girlfriend are sitting innocently on the sofa, watching tv. The 'groom' then goes upstairs. This domestic setting is relatable for the audience, increasing their sense of fear, as they can empathise with the character that is about to be killed.

In many of the films that I have previously analysed, there are both conventional characters and characters that challenge the conventions of the thriller genre. The film Orphan which I have previously researched includes an unconventional, female and unexpected killer. The killer in Orphan [appears to be] a young orphaned girl who has been adopted. She is revealed to be 33 years old who wears ribbons to hide scars from her straitjacket. This shows that not every character is as they seem. We have adopted this idea for our film - the 'bride' in the film looks like she should be innocent, but she is in fact a killer. This engages the audience as they are caught off guard because they do not expect a bride to be a murderer.

My research was incredibly helpful while planning my group's thriller film. We familiarised ourselves with popular thriller films, and learned the conventional aspects of the thriller genre that make up a thriller film. This is useful as we can apply most of these elements to our thriller film opening, making it more enjoyable for the viewer. For example, we now know that building suspense is essential for the shocks and surprises to be effective for the audience. Our thriller film opening sequence includes some aspects similar to those seen in the film Halloween that I researched in this post and this post. The setting is domestic - in a house - and our opening scene is also set in a house. Furthermore, the killer is someone close to the victim in Halloween - this is also true for our opening scene.