1. The Girl in RED
OUR FILM IDEA FOR A2 MEDIA STUDIES- GENRE FOCUS
2. GENRE- Thriller Romance
Setting.
Because our film involves two genres that oppose to each other, there are multiple
kinds of settings which can be used in these types of films. Films that cover this genre,
can feature settings from both individual genres, and combine them together within
the same film. This is seen evident in the Thriller Drama Romance film ‘SAFE HAVEN’
which includes the following settings at different stages within the movie.
The photo above shows one of the first settings to be seen in the trailer, so it
initially gives us a first impression of the film. This setting acts as a distinct
location common for the genre Thriller or even for a horror movie. Because of
it’s dark low-key lighting it creates the impression that it is set a nighttime,
which also adds the theme of thriller to it, to scare a potential audience. Other
thriller films are also known for setting their films at night-time to add
suspension and fear. Also the narrow alleyway caving around the main
character, adds to the theme of thriller and darkens the theme for the audience
watching, as it makes the character vulnerable.
The image above also conveys the
theme of Thriller, due to the setting. It
shows a woman running through the
road and out of a house, using these
settings in collaboration with the action
displayed also conveys the theme of
thriller and crime.
The images above however convey the theme of romance and
portray the genre due to their common use in other films. The use of
using daytime natural high-key lighting is a good way of portraying
happiness which is a common way of using the weather / time of
day to reflect the theme. Also the setting of a beach and lake with a
boat are both common settings for romance movies, where boy ’falls
in love’ cliché.
3. THRILLER
Most thrillers have specific/ distinct locations featured in order to help establish the
genre and to create a intensity of emotions, which deter between the following
depending on sub-genre.
At nighttime, for visual suspense.
Dark scary rooms and mainly take place in houses, deserted or detached from
civilization for example this is seen evident in the film ‘When a stranger calls’ and the
use of houses being a key setting for the thriller action to take place in is evident in
‘The boy next door’ , By using a normal house it can help create fear as it shows a clash
of normality and thriller, potentially scaring an audience showing the audience it can
happen to anyone.
Although locations outside, including woods, roads, streets are still common also.
4. ROMANCE
Romance films rely more upon the serene surroundings and can be shot in the
day-time and night-time for different purposes.
A beach or park for example is a common example used in romance films for
meet-ups and the development of a relationship seen upon screen. Whereas
restaurants and bars are seen to be shot in the later hours of a day, for more
passionate and serious purposes.
The lighting can also help contribute to establishing the genre, as a romantic
lighting can be created and instantly trigger an audience response to be aware
romance will be present.
5. CHARACTERS
The characters in my film trailer involve a protagonist female character, she acts as the hero within our film
who saves the antagonist from his ultra-ego past of murder. However she can at times be seen as the damsel
in the sense that she’s getting herself into trouble by watching a murder.
The antagonist in my film is the male character who is seen in some sense as the villain with the wrong
intentions who then in the narrative is transformed as a character and changes, the film focuses upon this
transformation.
In Thriller films there usually is a protagonist and antagonist which always are prone to conflict. Alongside
this, movies including romance as a main genre almost have a completely opposite purpose, where the
protagonist and antagonist fall in love and find some unexpected connection to which both character’s can’t
deny.
Thriller films also usually involve the protagonist overcoming and defeating the antagonist who is inter
fearing, in my film we are going to make sure this is evident in the trailer, but through other terms of
changing him instead of generically killing him off.
A film which follows the same genre as our own, being a Thriller romance subgenre, in which evidently shows
the conflict as well as romance of the protagonist and antagonist is the film ’The Boy Next Door’. To the right
is a display of the film’s marketing poster, which helps establish these two genres. It is evident through the
poster that the physical border between the female character and the male character, highlights some sort of
intended separation and shows some kind of conflict has took its toll. The conflict is evident as-well due to
the main protagonists worrying expression and body language.
6. Narrative
We think for our film trailer we will not have it in Chronological order but will play around with the timing, and
include many flashbacks as we feel this is a common attribute seen in Thriller films.
For example in the ‘SAFE HAVEN’ trailer I previously picked out a screenshot in one of the previous slides, (seen
on right) of the main character seen running away from her problems and is seen to be a flash back, made
evident by the distorted effect and slightly tinted filter. As well as a flashback is used for narrative purposes, this
flashback also helps intrigue an audience as to what is going on and it may lead to a build up of sympathy for
the character due to their traumatic or unfortunate past.
Also some thrillers, such as the trailer of ‘SAFE HAVEN’ also tend to open on an action scene or the moment that
changed the character’s life to create suspense which introduces the hero and villain straight away, and shows
us the problem within the story occurring early on. Most thriller’s follow the three act structure, of the
introduction/setup, problem/confrontation and resolution.
However romance films tend to be the complete opposite and tell their stories in chronological order, in trailers
and in the actual movies also Romance films tend to sometimes show two perspectives, one of the males life
and then of the females/ potential love interest’s life and how there paths cross but they can also revolve
around one key individual character who plays as the main protagonist. Romance films can sometimes contain
an antagonist such as the (ex-boyfriend or over protective mother/father figure) who adds drama to the plot,
but romance films can rely upon conflict between the two main characters for the confrontation stage. The two
most famous romance films being Titanic and Romeo and Juliet both follow this narrative. Romance films can
typically follow the three act structure too. We may incorporate both typical narrative structures of a thriller and
a romance as well, together in our film trailer.
7. Iconography- Thrillers
Thrillers tend to have quite a recognisable iconography as well as Romance films, both have common props and reoccurring
themes used for both. They are beneficial for films as they help connote to the audience what genre the film is trying to
present.
For a thriller a common prop may tend to be the use of a weapon, a knife as such, a gun and the presence of blood and
shadows. These help connote fear and danger upon an audience, and in cases shadows for example can build up suspense
as they show an unrevealed identity. Linking to this a hooded figure or use of a hood/dark piece of clothing within a thriller
is common in terms of also hiding a character’s identity to put the audience at unease, this is seen evident in our AS media
film and also in the safe haven trailer. A location which is used commonly in thriller films is the use of confined spaces,
this can be any dark room or alleyway as seen in SAFE HAVEN. Also the thriller film taken also uses confined spaces of the
main character’s daughter hiding underneath a bed, which creates suspense as she lacks knowledge of what’s going on
around her. Abandoned or normal day to day houses are used quite frequently in thriller films, as they provide a great use
for trapping victims in from the use of doors, with no escape, this is seen in the film ‘When a stranger calls’ and ‘The boy
next door’. The concept of having no escape can scare a potential audience, so it is great for conveying the genre.
I also feel other iconography factor in which we used in our AS media video, is the use of dripping water, the isolated image
and sound of a tap dripping on its own as it can create an eerie feel of something not being exactly right. In our AS Media
piece we used the concept of dripping water to represent the fact that our main character doesn’t look after herself.
Also some thriller films can be set at nighttime, which helps establish the genre, and scares a potential audience putting
them at un-ease . Other thriller films also known for setting their films at night-time to add suspension and fear, ‘When a
stranger calls’ is a good example of this.
8. Iconography Romance
In Romance films the purpose is for us to feel affection towards the two main characters, to do so some common
props and locations are used for the audiences purpose to connote romance. Usually the iconography is used so we as
the audience can establish the genre very early on in the film.
A common prop used in romance film is the use of exchanging gifts, these gifts can be anything from flowers to bikes
(SAFE HAVEN), to chocolates, all which display the character’s affection for one another. Alongside this the common
prop of candles and use of low-key lighting can be used when the film is trying to connote passion and further
romance, this is usually seen later on in the film as the relationship progresses.
A common location used in romance films tend to be beaches or cities, which are realistic locations for common dates,
so the audience have a sense of realism and common knowledge of the situation and draw them into the genre.
There are also common conventions to Romance films which affect the storyline, usually there can be a supposed ‘love
triangle’ or influence from a strict/overprotective parent (as mentioned in narrative) as a common confrontation theme
within romance films. These can be seen evident in the films ‘Angus thongs and perfect snogging’ from the multiple
love triangle between main character’s Georgie, Robbie and Libby, and also Georgia, Robbie and Dave, to create the
most drama as possible. In the films ‘A Cinderella story’ and ‘Titanic’ they both show how the influence of the
protagonists family intefer with their relationship.
Also romance films can be well known for their choices in music (soundtracks) and many romance films have made hits
out of their soundtrack. In cases some songs are written just for the film to match the events happening screen. Films
such as these are ‘PRETTY WOMAN’ and ‘FIFTY SHADES OF GREY’ which both created hits from their use of music.
9. Style
In thriller films, the style is very important in conveying a visual sense of the genre, as some aspects are commonly used
throughout many films. For instance thriller films can be known for using dark low-key lighting to create the impression of
isolation and lack of awareness when a character is usually seen isolated in a shot by themselves. This is done to create fear
upon an audience and make the character seem vulnerable, this makes us aware as the audience that something is about to
happen.
Common shots used in thriller films may involve the ‘bird-eye view’ shot which we actually used in our AS media film to make
the character appear as vulnerable and hopeless. Close ups and extreme close ups are also great in this film for showing the
character’s reaction and face in response to a particular action, it is used to show the most emotion, so we as a audience are
aware of how to react. Also tracking shots are great to use in Thriller films especially in chase scenes, to create the illusion that
the main character is being followed. Tilted shots are also great especially for flashback sequences as it shows an action at a
uneasy angle giving us the impression the character who witnessed it was at unease too, what we are seeing is what they see.
Long shots also are great for helping signify how isolated or abandoned a place or a person is in terms of their location.
Also parallel editing is commonly used within thriller films, to show two different character’s actions at the same time, it can be
used inn thriller’s to contrast what the protagonist is doing in association with the protagonist, it helps build tension because
only we as the audience know what is going on and the characters don’t. So suspense it created while we await the outcome
and the character’s responses.
Thriller films are also well-known for their fast-paced editing and sudden jump cuts especially in tense scenes, to startle an
audience, and are good for action scenes. When it comes to editing, titles are a great use of conveying this genre through font
especially. The following film title seen above, ‘TAKEN 2’ in red black and white, conveys thriller due to its boldness and use of
dark colours which convey dark emotions. Red is a common colour to use in thrillers to represent blood, and I may use this in
my own film trailer’s title for connoting the theme of thriller as well.
Red to signify Blood and Fear
Dark background to
represent dark emotions
10. Style- Romance
In romance films, the style on how films of this genre are made are equally as important, as it assists in establishing the genre, visually.
Usually romance films contain high-key lighting to connote the sense of light and happiness reflecting the character’s emotions. So settings
such as the beach on a warm summer’s day are a typical use to help assist this style. But however romantic films can use lighting in a
completley different concept, by using romantic candle lighting to convey the themes of passion and romance and is usually evident when
the couple go for a ‘romantic dinner for two’.
When it comes to shot types romance films are well known for their use in two shots to show the relationship between the two characters
and how it develops. Also it shows how comfortable they feel around each other due to the use of body language captured. Over the
shoulder shots and close-ups are also used quite a lot within these genre films too, to show the character’s perspective of the love-interest
and can show any clear facial expressions that the other character makes. Close-ups more so offer an insight into what the other character
is thinking and feeling and can be used in kissing scenes so we can see also where the other character’s gaze is heading. Long shots also
can be used to deter how much space is between the two characters, and this can help signify once more how close the relationship is
between the two character on screen, as a lot of space between them for example can suggest a lack of interest.
Editing in romance films can be similar and reoccurring at times also. For instance as titles are concerned, bright fonts against bright
coloured backgrounds are tend to be used for romance films to convey the emotions of happiness and light, following the genre
conventions. The photo above shows how the font also is affected in terms to the film’s chosen genre, and a swirly font can signify the
happiness and romance to a film. Other Editing in Romantic Comedies tend to be simple and use simple cuts, but parallel editing may be
used to show the two different character’s situations and actions before there paths meet.
Swirly font to signify happiness
and romance- potentially even
youth
Outside, flowers present and a
beach, both common attributes to
a romance film.
