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2. Our Choice of Genre: Psychological
Thriller/ Semi-Biopic
We chose to produce a Psychological Thriller/Semi-Biopic
based around the journey of a young woman experiencing
sleep paralysis. We chose this genre as we wanted to
incorporate a lot of the codes and conventions often used in
psychological thrillers into our own film. We also chose this
specific genre to keep a sense of realism to our film and make
the experiences of the young woman seem believable and
more non-fictional. We felt that this genre best suited the type
of short film we wanted to produce in terms of the content and
the topic, sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is a sleep disorder
and thus is not fictional so we felt it wouldn’t be appropriate to
use one of the mainstream genres that are incorporated to
portray fictional events. After watching Psychological Thriller/
Semi-Biopic films such as ‘Thirteen’ (2003- a coming of age
film surrounding topics such as drug abuse, sex, violence and
self harm) we felt that this would be the best genre to use in
portraying our film in a way that is both unbiased and
empathetic towards those suffering from this sleep disorder.

3. Iconography/ Codes
Props
Knives/Weapons
Knives/Weapons symbolize death, destruction and brutality illuminating some of the key themes of
a thriller genre. One of the most iconic knife scenes in a psychological thriller is the infamous
shower scene from the film ‘Psycho’ (1960, Alfred Hitchcock). This has been done to suggest the
violence and brutality expressed towards the female protagonist, this scene runs for approximately
3 minutes and includes 77 different shots mostly consisting of Extreme Close-Ups and Close-Ups.
This specific shot has been used to reflect the fear and horror of the murder and places the
audience in the position of the female woman adding to the terrible savagery of this scene. The
shower has also been incorporated to reflect a sense of claustrophobia and confinement and
running water is also an ominous effect used to build up tension. The shot also shows the
antagonist’s face and body being merely a silhouette, hiding the true identity of him/herself to the
audience.

4. Shadows
Shadows/ Reflections are often used in psychological thrillers to create a sense of uneasiness and
distortion between dreams and reality. Shadows are generally used to induce a sense of fear and
to add to the dark nature of the film; the silhouette is often the antagonist in the film which may not
be revealed until the film draws to a close, allowing tension to be built up. They are also often used
to reflect a character’s inner darkness or to portray their sinister side. This may add to the eerie
nature of the scene and allows the audience to see the character from a new perspective. In this
example, from ‘Vampyr’ (1932) a shadow effect has been used to instill a sense of fear as the
shadow looms over the bedroom wall. In this circumstance the shadows are alternate beings who
resemble dark forces that are self-led. One of the scenes from this film shows the shadows
dancing, acting as both a sinister expression but also resembling the freedom of these beings.

5. Confined Spaces
The use of confined spaces in psychological thrillers adds to the sense of claustrophobia and
entrapment, often used to portray the characters’ insecurities and fears or as a way of expressing
their vulnerabilities. These small spaces are often used to create a sense of uneasiness and plays
on creating a sense of dread and fear from the audience. The use of confined spaces is often used
in a psychological thriller plot to show the protagonist trying to break free of their confinement that
has been created or enforced by an antagonist. In this example, from the film ‘Panic Room’ (2001)
they use confinement as a key theme as the protagonist experience a break in, the ‘Panic Room’
acts as both a safety net and a indestructible force preventing the young girl from reaching her
emergency glucagon syringe after suffering a seizure. The confined space the two protagonists are
kept in, contrast to the extensive house in which they living, providing an eerie parallel to their life
beyond the Panic Room’s walls.

6. Woods/ Vast Landscapes
Vast landscapes are often incorporated in psychological thrillers to create a sense of loneliness and
desolation. The contrast of dark trees and the flecks of light filtering through the leaves creates
ominous undertones and sheds light on the vastness of a landscape with the small amount of light
often being hit on the character for dramatic emphasis. Woods are often used to create a sense of
confusion and reflect a character being lost and trying to escape their surroundings. Thrillers often
incorporate woods as a surrounding in which an antagonist is hidden, lurking in the shadows. In this
example from ‘The Lovely Bones’ (2009) the protagonist is situated in the woods, despite the shot
being taken during the daytime we can see mist emerging from the undergrowth and the wood
gradually darkening with the depth of field. The protagonist has a worried looking expression on her
face evoking a sense of fear and worry for the young girl.

7. Running Water
A slow dripping tap is often used in psychological thrillers to build up tension within a scene. It acts
as an ominous, foreboding symbol of something bad occurring later on in the film. Running water
can also symbolize death and can echo the dripping noise of blood seeping through a ceiling or
floorboard etc. it suggests a character’s life being drained or slowly coming to a halt just as the tap
gradually ceases to drip. In this example from ‘Double Identity’ (2009) the dripping tap is an
indicator of the protagonist’s life being in a significant amount of danger. The dripping builds up
suspense in the film and hints towards the terrible outcome of the protagonist.

8. Conventions
Low Key Lighting
Low Key lighting is used in psychological thrillers to evoke a sense of
danger and create an unsettling and disturbing effect on the audience.
It’s often incorporated to emphasize shadows and hues in the scene
which often just highlight one side of a character’s face to add to the
mysterious nature of a character or to portray a character’s alter ego or
dark side. The film ‘Thirteen’ manipulates the lighting and saturation of
the film to add to the film’s emotionally taunt script. The beginning of
the film before things start going badly for the protagonist, the film is
ever so slightly desaturated. Soon after this happens, the saturation is
changed to a ‘glowy’ effect after the disequilibrium occurs in the film
where the protagonist is shown to steal money to impress the popular
girls at her school. After this happens the saturation gets less and less
to mirror the protagonist spiraling out of control and the mood gradually
darkening and becoming more intense.

9. Mirrors/ Reflections
Shadows/Reflections are often a symbol of a character’s inner turmoil or reflects their psychological
state, such as in this frame from the film Black Swan (2010), where it is used as an ominous force
building up suspense and creating the sense that the character is being watched and is not alone. A
reflection can also entail a character’s dissatisfaction with themselves and what they may possibly
see in the reflection is not what the character appears to see. In this example the reflection acts as
the protagonist’s alter ego: the ‘Black Swan’, and adds to the dark undertones of the film. This
creates an unusual effect, and adds to the tragic irony of the scene as the audience has an insight
into what her reflection/ alter ego is doing yet she does not.

10. Costume
The costume used in psychological thrillers often contains very bland monochromatic colours to
both focus on the character’s facial expression and to give the sense that they could be any other
person adding to the realism of the film. In this circumstance, from the film ‘Silence of the Lambs’
the character is wearing a white top splattered in what appears to be blood. This costume choice is
effective for this narrative as it brings in to focus the blood on this man which otherwise may not
have been as obvious if he were to have worn a darker shirt. We have the contrast between the
whiteness of the character closest to the character and the dark clothing of the man who is lying on
the floor behind him.

11. Obtrusive Editing
Short interrupted shots, often incorporated with jump cuts are used followed by obtrusive editing of
the film. This creates a sense of panic and disorder within the dialogue to allow the build up in
suspense. They are often used in a climactic scene to portray a sense of drama and chaos and is
often used to create a fragmented narrative in terms of time and setting. It may also be used to
decipher or reveal a certain presence or character being introduced into the film. An example of this
is in the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’ a series of four shots portraying the motions of the protagonist
are used in a series of quick short shots, the entirety of these four shots are captured in under a
second, an effect created through the use of obtrusive editing creating an alarming effect.

12. Narrative Structure
Todorov’s narrative theory is often followed in psychological thrillers (although not all) as well as
many other genres to establish a clear emotional, psychological and/or physical journey that the
protagonist(s) goes on. His theory is as follows:
1. A state of equilibrium
2. A disruption to the equilibrium
3. Recognition of the disruption
4. An attempt to resolve or repair the damage
5. Establishment of a new equilibrium/ return to the original equilibrium
An example of a psychological thriller which follows this structure is in the thriller film ‘The
Resident’. The film opens with the protagonist just having broken up with her boyfriend and looking
for an apartment. The disruption occurs when the film reveals her to being stalked, the protagonist
eventually realises who her stalker is and attempts to frame him. A new equilibrium is established
when the stalker is killed alongside her ex-boyfriend.

13. History
1920s
The first psychological thriller produced was by Alfred Hitchcock in 1927 entitled ‘The Lodger’ which
was both a silent film and black and white film. The film follows the plot of a serial killer known as
‘The Avenger’ who has been hunting down and killing blonde girls, a woman named Daisy Bunting
is shown to be at risk from this, however is oblivious to these dangers. Despite the intense and
terrifying themes illuminated throughout the film it is only rated a ‘12’ possibly due to the lack of
sophisticated technology and effects that may make the film seem less believable.
Through 1926-27 the ‘talkies’ developed allowing films to be produced with sound, however at the
start the sound was of a very low quality and didn’t become mainstream until the early 30s. The first
feature film originally presented as a talkie was ‘The Jazz Singer’ released in October 1927 and
became hugely successful.

14. In 1929 the film ‘Blackmail’ was produced (by Alfred Hitchcock) becoming the first thriller film
including sound. The film was originally made as a silent film yet due to the boom in ‘talkie’ films
Hitchcock re-made the film with sound. ‘Blackmail’ was also well known for exploring adult themes
such as rape, a topic not often discussed in the world of film. The plot follows the story of Alice
White a young painter who is almost raped by a man who wants to show her his studio. In self
defense the character lashes out and ends up murdering the man, the rest of the plot builds up to
the character concealing what she has done before eventually admitting to what she has done. This
film is frequently cited as being a landmark film and the first British film that is truly an ‘all-talkie’
feature film. It was voted as best British movie of 1929 on a national UK poll.

15. 1960s
One of Hitchcock’s most well known films ‘Psycho’ was produced in 1960 ranked as one of the best
films of all times and made headway for themes such as violence, deviant behavior and sexuality to
be accepted into films. It received much controversy for the unprecedented use of violence and
sexuality especially in the opening scene where two characters are shown as lovers sharing the
same bed and the infamous shower scene showing some nudity and is very explicit in terms of
violence. The plot follows the story of a woman named Marion Crane who embezzles money in
order to afford getting married to her boyfriend. On her way to meet her boyfriend to dispose of the
money she takes a wrong turn and ends up at a motel where she meets a man called Norman
whose mother is mentally unwell. After having dinner with him she decides to return the money and
takes a shower before she leaves where she is brutally stabbed by Norman’s mother. Norman
disposes of the evidence and the rest of the plot leads up to discovering who is responsible for her
murder. The shower scene set a landmark in film history, consisting of 77 different camera angles,
50 cuts, running for 3 minutes.

16. 2000s- Present Day
Black Swan (2010) has become known as one of the most influential psychological thrillers of the
present day. It illuminates themes of disturbing alter-egos, self-inflicted violence and sensuality in a
way that is unique yet unusual. Aronofsky directed the film, relating the films to Polankski’s
‘Repulsion’ (1965) and ‘The Tenant’ (1976) as providing inspiration for his film and influencing the
final production of Black Swan in a big way. The story illuminates the journey of Nina Sayers, a
young dancer who is determined to win the role of the White and Black Swan, whilst she perfectly
captures the innocence and fragility of the White Swan she lacks the passion needed for the Black
Swan. Eventually she is cast as the Black Swan after the director is exposed to her more
passionate side when she bites his lip when he attempts to kiss her. Despite this she is constantly
being criticized for not losing herself in the role like Lily can; Lily approaches Nina and invites her to
a night out where she spikes her drink with ecstasy and the two end up going back to her house
and having sex. A lot of what happens are revealed to be hallucinations which grow stronger as the
film progresses, resulting in Nina stabbing her alter-ego which turns out to be herself. The film is
unique in the way it presents mental health in film, and has become largely recognized as one of
the best films of 2010.

17. Audience
Typical Target Audience
The stereotypical audience that will be targeted for a psychological thriller film will be young adults
normally aged between 18-25. This is due to the content displayed in psychological thrillers often
covering disturbing unsettling topics such as murder, rape, stalking etc and including frequent use
of violence. For these reasons the films aren’t aimed at a younger audience who may not have
been exposed to such issues and thus would find them very emotionally draining and strenuous.
Psychological thrillers often portray mental/psychological problems of a character, which a younger
audience may not be able to deal with. Whilst the portrayal of mental health issues in psychological
thrillers may be flawed, the citing of these issues may resonate with young people who have
experienced similar issues. Psychological thrillers appeal across different genders, ethnicities and
classes, however research has found that upper classes tend to stray away from psychological
thrillers, potentially due to their portrayal of mainly ordinary/ working class people rather than
people from a more affluent background. Ordinarily, there will be a rating and explanation of why it
is rated as it is, for example: ‘contains extreme violence’ or ‘contains sex and nudity’. Psychological
thrillers tend to be rated either 15 or 18 due to the brutality of the violence and the difficult, and
often unsettling, issues it covers.

18. Our Target Audience
Our Target Audience for our psychological thriller film will be young people (aged 15+) who enjoy
psychological thrillers and/or horror films and are used to watching films including violence and
difficult topics. It is also targeted at people who have either experienced sleep paralysis or know
people who have experienced it who could relate to the emotions and experiences of the
protagonist. Our film will be semi-informative with the ‘counsellor’ character informing the female
protagonist that what she is going through isn’t uncommon and giving her advice. We would hope
that our film could inform those who want to discover more about sleep paralysis, as it is still a
somewhat undiscussed topic and we would hope that our film would open up the discussion about
it. We decided not to rate our film as an 18 as the content isn’t hugely explicit and the violence
displayed will be relatively mild however the content may still be emotionally taunt for a younger
audience. Due to our film only being up to 5 minutes long it wouldn’t have been fitting to launch into
a lot of violence as the main appeal of psychological thrillers is the build up in suspense thus we
decided to place more emphasis on constructing the rise in tension rather than brutal violence. We
would hope that our film would attract people from different genders, classes and ethnicities and
are making sure that we portray our characters in a way that isn’t stereotypical and is accurate of
that societal group.

19. Psychological thrillers/ Semi-biopic films with a similar Target Audience :
- Black Swan (2010)
- Thirteen (2003)
- The Butterfly Effect (2004)
- Psycho (1960)
- Gone Girl (2014)
- Hard Candy (2005)
- Fatal Attraction (1987)
- The Sixth Sense (1999)
- Taxi Driver (1976)