2. What is a psychological thriller?
To start off my research into my FMP, i will look at what makes a psychological thriller as it will give a basic understanding of which
elements to look at within other pieces of work under the same category. Understanding these core principles within this genre is key
to understanding how to create an overarching theme/tone within all my work and to solidify it as a psychological thriller as it is a
rather broad genre, and can fit within many other names. When looking at the definition for Psychological thriller it is described as a
“story that emphasizes the psychology of its characters and their unstable emotional states.” . This definition is crucial to me
understanding the reasoning behind every aspect of my film, and trying to incorporate this very message into each scene i create. But
this is a very loose term and can be applied to most forms of media such as books, when i want to know the characteristics of a
psychological thriller film. One aspect of a PT (psychological thriller) within a film as that of the narrative, often time it is clouded by
the characters mindset and disorientates what the viewers sees or believes as it is shown from the perspective an unstable and
mentally delusional characters point of view. This perspective is typically played with and slowly creates a “dissolving sense of reality”
within the narrative which creates an impactful climax due to the sense of “spinning out of control”. PT’s are a very broad genre,
having influences from mysteries, action, dramas and even horrors. One thing these genres all have in common is the use of suspense,
creating intense set pieces that typically result in an emotional or visible climax. The suspense created emphasises said climax and can
be used to take a deeper look into the characters reactions to the climax or if they are the centre of it. Suspense can be implemented in
many ways but films have to create it visually which can be difficult sometimes, so multiple aspects are needed to be changed such as
the lighting and music. The lighting is typically Low Level to create thick shadows and create tension/fear due to there being sections
of the screen the viewer has limited vision of. Music also has a big part in this, or sometimes the lack of can create an atmosphere that
helps to place the focus of the viewer on individual aspects of the scene. All of these add together to create an unsettling feel to the
scenes they are used within and heighten all emotions that are felt.
-The visible
manipulation of a
characters mental
state
-Slow,unraveling
story with a
snowball effect
-Suspense is used
heavily
-Use of music,
Lighting and Colour
to portray
characters emotion
Key aspects of
Slide:
3. How Does a Psychological Thriller differ from
a thriller ?
The story itself is obviously a huge aspect of a PT as it about seeing a character develop, but often the antagonist is not an
external enemy, but an internal one. This sees the protagonist fighting within themselves and seeing them switch between
their positive and negative personality traits. These traits are shown within the scenes themselves as Plot devices such as
Unreliable narrator, Plot twists, different narratives and a stream of consciousness which shows the character delusional
thought processes. Despite these outlandish characteristics that are shown, the main way to create an effective PT is to make
sure that the audience feels for the character and their flawed nature within the plot. This is done by creating a sympathetic
character that the audience initially feels pitiful for, showing them in difficult situations and them making poor but
understandable decisions that anyone in the right mindset would make. Every aspects of a PT leads directly back to the
creator of the film and them manipulating the viewer to feel exactly what he wants them to feel which is a difficult task but
with a manipulation of different aspects of a shot can be accomplished for the whole duration of a film. Films typically shown
emotions very abruptly and loudly, whether it is verbally said by the character themselves or by the cookie cutter music that
is played over a scene, while a PT goes for a much subtler approach which helps to create a more grounded atmosphere
within the film which is vital when trying to immerse the viewer.
-Internal
Antagonist,
characters
fighting within
themself
-Manipulation of
the viewers
emotions towards
character
Key aspects of
slide:
4. The Manipulation of a Characters Mental
State
The worst thing for psychological thriller to have happen to them, is for the audience to lose interest and zone out as this
means they may miss crucial plot points that change the whole arch of the film. A good way to do this is to keep the
viewers expectations off balance and keep them in anticipation. Most films are split within multiple different acts and are
used to keep the films tempo. PT’s use this to their advantage and place very frequent climaxes near the end of each act
or set pieces that help to keep the viewer intrigued by the plot but also to change the stories tone and narrative if
needed. Many different techniques can be used to implement this into a film such as unreliable narrator, showing a
character's psychological inability to differentiate between what's real and what not. Seeing a character slowly succumb
to whatever is against them is chilling for the viewer, as it is a slow and gradual process so you see the characters changes
throughout each scene. Because of the initial calmness and ‘normal” appearance for the character, the viewer becomes
attached and shares the characters emotions due to the simplicity of the situations they are thrown into. It's only when
the characters are placed into decisions and situations that test their moral ambiguity that the viewer starts to see the
flaws within their personality. The resolutions from the end scenes are typically complex and unexpected. The scene
seals the characters fate of whether they succumb to their flaws or learn to live with them etc. The manipulation of the
character is all about creating an arch that suites the story that is trying to be told, but the balance between direct
effects that set pieces have on the character and ones that are self inflicted is whats important to keep the viewer
interested as it keeps the story personal and unique yet applicable to most people mentally. Looking at this will be
important to my project as it will give me an insight into how to handle the emotions of the characters subtly. This is
important as since i am doing a concept for a film, creating an overarching story for the protagonist is crucial to the
purpose of my film of making a thought-provoking character.
5. Examples of Films That do This
Shutter Island (2010)
Shutter island is a film that is based around a detective
that slowly realises he is part of the mental institution
he is investigating. You see the character slowly
become increasingly worried and scared for his own
well being while believing he is being set up. Watching
the character believe certain idea’s makes the viewer
believe them also which means the climax’s have even
bigger payoff’s as they are unexpected but also hard
to believe, expecting another plot twist after to
counteract. Shutter island explores this concept
greatly and makes you question the characters choices
due to his slow departure into madness, but it also
explains previous details throughout the film and helps
to give you a deep insight into his thought process.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Doctor sleep is the Prequel to the shining and follows
on from the story itself and sees the main character go
through a very drastic change of not just his emotions,
but his whole ideology about the powers he has. He
starts off not appreciating what he has and you see
him at a low point in his life but then slowly brought up
by other characters which leads to multiple payoffs
that help to show a contrast through the characters
journey. Doctor sleep has a slightly happier tone than
other psychological thrillers as it has a happy ending
and it comes full circle, the character destroying his
flaws within himself.
6. Slow Unravelling story with a dissolving
sense of narrative
Creating an interesting story is key to any film, but especially films based around the psychology of a character.
PT’s typically have a very basic plot that doesnt conform to usual structure of a film that gives the characters
certain hoops to jump through for an end goal. This would not work when trying to create a seamless movie that
focuses on the protagonists mindset mainly so the main character is just shown through many mundane situations
until the character reacts to one. You see a certain repetitiveness that everybody's life has whether it is
investigating a murder like in Se7en as the main characters job is being a detective or Going to work in Joker. This
starts off the the tempo as slow and there is no variation as you see him in his idle state. But with the increase in
tempo and the more lucrative situation he is thrown into, you see his true personality flaws shine through and his
submission to the antagonist nature within him. This dissolving sense of narrative is implemented by showing the
characters mindset slowly and only leaving breadcrumbs as to what their real intentions are, revealing more as
the film goes on. Due to PT’s typically revolve around the audiences emotions related to the characters and the
situations they are in, many times they rely on plot twists to subvert their expectations but to also to tie together
the narrative that is used and to align as the scenes in a way that makes sense. This is a highly understated aspect
within a psychological thriller as it is what gives them their signature pay off so it would be efficient for me to use
this narrative choice when writing up my own script and synopsis.
7. Examples of Films That do This
Joker (2019)
Joker actually starts with arthur at work in a dull and
lifeless town, showing the mundane scenario he is in.
he is then thrown into an altercation with young boys
and is promptly beaten up. Starting off as a pitiful
victim and seeing him at his lowest point creates pity
from the viewer which strengthens the emotions they
feel for him. This start contrasts greatly with the
ending as you see arthur actually shoot innocent
people and he almost becomes the antagonist, but
with the way it is presented it is questionable and led
to the audience as to whether he is in the wrong or
not. But it is all up in the air because arthur is known to
have imagined certain interactions with different
people, so it is left to the audience if it even happened
altogether.
Machinist (2004)
The machinists centres on trevor and his life slowly
falling apart due to an incident where he ran over a
small child. This is only shown in the final few minutes
of the film, but the rest revolves around trevor trying
to find out what is causing his anxiety around an
intruder in his house. It is later confirmed that he
himself is the intruder and he is trying to own up to the
crime he is trying so hard to forget. Once he finally
remembers what he has done and turns himself in, he
finally falls asleep after his constant insomnia he has
experienced throughout the film. The resolution of the
film is of him accepting his actions and going against
his previous mindset.
8. Heavy Use of Suspense within a film
Suspense is one of the most important tools for a director to use when doing a psychological thriller, as it
heightens all emotions that are felt during the climax of said suspense. A film, in simple terms, is a question. At the
beginning the question is asked and at the conclusion, the question is answered. In between is the anticipation for
sections of the answer, this is called suspense. It is not used exclusively for for narrative purposes but could also
just be used for jump scares or action set pieces as it holds back whatever emotional/visual punch it is going to
throw. Suspense is so important because its what keeps the viewer engaged so they keep more attention into the
details of each scene and take more influence as to what happens within them. The way suspense is actually
placed into a film is straight after writing the script and the director visualises each scene and finds creative ways
to implement the suspense so it is thought of as an individual aspect of a film, seperate from the script itself.
Different techniques are used to create effective suspense, and they mostly revolve around placing the viewer in
the character's shoes and the perfect timing. Planning ahead for a suspenseful set piece is important for directors,
giving the characters involved more screen time and featuring more close up shots to create a stronger bond
between audience and said character. The bigger the bond, the more anxious the audience will get when stakes
get high. Timing is also important as it means that the scene is not stretched out too long, but is long enough for
the viewers anxiety and uneasiness to increase . psychological thrillers are based on plot twists and unexpected
twists. JJ Abrams has a theory of “the mystery box” and it's basically giving the viewer a mystery early on in the
film and a set goal for them to achieve, to find out said mystery. This sets up the films whole narrative and plot
which stays in the viewers minds and can affect how they perceive whole scenes.
9. Examples of Films That do This
Se7en (1995)
Se7en is a film that focuses on the story of two detectives
that are tracking down a murderer who kills based on the
seven deadly sins. The film doesn't have many plot twists as
the plot is left rather mysterious until the last few minutes
due to the lack of information given to the viewer. The
murderer is actually a unrelated and random character that
the viewer has not seen before. He gives himself up to the
police surprisingly and admits to the murders, solving the
mystery of the whole film. But the final twist reveals he has
killed the main character's wife, who then kills the murderer
and completes his philosophy of the seven sins. The buildup
to the reveal is very long and drawn out but is done in a way
that the viewer doesn't know what to expect and the
murderer is the narrator teasing the reveal and the
characters. What makes the suspense so well is not because
of the music, but the shots that are shown and what the
characters say building up to the reveal, adding very small
amounts of information to keep the audience guessing.
Memento(2000)
Memento is a film that revolves around the main
character slowly remembering information based on
who killed his wife. You see a dissolving narrative due
to him forgetting key information based around the
plot and making plot twists hit even harder as they
were not even hinted at. The twist that he actually
killed his wife was abrupt and didnt have as much
suspense, but that made the reveal hit even harder.
The suspense came from the earlier scenes when
seeing the main character accuse other people of his
crime, and seeing situations slowly escalate. The
suspense was created by teasing the scenario by what
was included in certain shots and letting the viewer
piece together what they expect to happen.
10. The Use of Colour, Lighting and Music
Colour
Colour is a key aspect of almost any film, but
PTs need to use colour correctly more than
other films due to showing the characters
emotions visually which makes scenes more
atmospheric and gives a more detailed look into
the characters mindset and thought process.
Colour can create certain depths, separations
and moods to suite whichever scene they are
creating. Colour is split into 3 main
characteristics, hue, saturation and brightness
and altering these characteristics can have a
drastic look and effect of the colour. An
effective and simple way to add depth to a scene
is by using complimentary colours such as blue
and orange which are opposites on the colour
wheel. We all have different and personal
opinions on each colour which are associated
with different memories. The goal of a
cinematographer is to either make you
disassociate with that emotion or to solidify the
association so that its has a stronger effect on
the audience. In psychological thriller the
colours tend to be much darker and tonal to
make them feel more grounded and in a grisly
version of reality.
Lighting
Lighting is one of the most versatile and
important aspects of a shot because it not
only makes it looks better, it can be make each
scene have a purpose and deeper meaning.
The lighting can sum up a character, tell the
audience where to look or even support the
whole genre of the film as a whole. The visual
mood and atmosphere that lighting can
create is fundamental to every genre of film
and can be applied to every style of scene
whether its dressing a film set or blocking
actors. A very simple technique for example is
to put the key light behind the actor to create
a mysterious and dramatic mood by keeping
the overall image darker different techniques
like these can enhance the feel of a film in a
way that no other technique can because
lighting is one of few areas that filmmakers
have an infinite arrangement of setups to use.
The main way light would be used in PT is to
help with the plot and the mysterious aspect
of the film, covering certain scenes in plenty
of dark light to have a claustrophobic and
unknown feel. This heightens the tension and
creates a sense of anxiety within the viewer.
Music
Music can transform a plain and lifeless scene into a
masterpiece that shows the character at their
truest and most natural form. This is because the
music pairs with what is being shown visually, and is
typically used to show their real emotions,
especially if it contrasts with their actions. The
addition of music to a scene helps to add to its
purpose and is the most powerful factor when
creating a scenes tone. For example, sharp violin
sounds are typically used in horror films to signify
danger and to add an eerie atmosphere. Not only do
certain scenes have music in to signify the tone,
certain characters also have a “theme” that can be
used to symbolise a characters presence in the shot
or even a conversation. Musics main function
though is to get into the emotions of the characters.
A “neutral” expression can be pushed into any
emotion just by the music alone which can help
filmmakers have subtle yet important interactions
between characters and situations. With the
greater insight into the characters mindset it allows
the viewer to understand their motives more and
see the narrative from multiple perspectives. Music
can also be used to set the cultural or geographical
location by using instruments that are native to that
area and means that the film does not have to waste
time explaining where the characters are and
building up the setting.
11. Examples of Films That do This
Joker(2019)
Joker is a film that focuses on the mentality of an individual character and
throws him into situations that alters his mindset and psychological health.
Since it focuses on arthurs emotions, it was important to make sure that it
is done in a way where the viewer can decide what to interpret what they
are being shown. The colour and music used is very ambient and doesn't
jump out of the screen to grab the viewer's attention, instead it is used to
accompany what is shown visually but in a very subtle way. For example, in
the comedy club scene the lightshades are used to dampen the light and
make the focus on arthur instead of the audience. The whole film features
a dire blue/brown to make the city of gotham seem lifeless and the only
colour that is seen throughout the film, is from arthur. This makes you see
him as a joyful character and makes him stand out from crowd and seem
more unique. An interesting note is that the colour turns from an artificial
bright red from his jacket or makeup, to turning to a dark murky blood red
that symbolises a tangent and polar opposite of his morals. The music also
has a very slow and emotional feel that can be seen as an insight into the
sane side of arthur. An example of this is the bathroom scene where he is
dancing with a melodic and angelic tune which can be interpreted as him
being misunderstood and actually a victim of this society, contrasting with
his previous actions.
Taxi Driver(1976)
Taxi driver is very similar to Joker and
sees the life of a social outcast that slowly
becomes insane and a victim of their own
mentality. Multiple time he is shown in
his taxi with the light on his face, but the
taxi is shrouded in darkness showing that
he has a dark mentality that is not on
show. Taxi driver doesn't have as much of
a sympathetic side as joker does, so there
is very little colour and actually shows
the protagonist as the antagonist. It
features many lifeless and tonal colours
as the palette for almost all scenes which
creates an almost boring tone, but helps
to create sympathy for the protagonist.
12. What i have learnt about the genre and how
i am going to implement it into my project
Throughout my research i have tried to make sure that my research was relevant to my project and also in areas that i felt like
my knowledge was substantial or that i knew nothing about altogether. Searching up important techniques and features of
psychological thrillers made me realise that there are many key aspects to include for it to be effective and that the
psychological thriller genre isnt as broad as i anticipated. Looking at the visual aspects such as lighting and colour was very
useful as it showed me how to handle these both differently for each style of scene. I research how light can affect a scene
and how PT’s in particular need it to show the characters emotions and can help divert the focus to more subtle details the
director wants the viewer to see. Colour was also a big query for me as i understand what the effects of certain colours were,
but i never knew how to implement them or how subtle to make them. When looking at colour i learned that contrasting
complementary can do much more than add emotion, then can add depth to a scene and make details stick out. Implementing
these two techniques into my clips will be effective as since i am making a trailer, they won't be overdone and i can
experiment with multiple different styles and arrangements. Experimenting with the two aspects will be interesting and
finding a lighting and colour setup that suites the tone of my film would be beneficial to my practical work.More important
than the visual techniques i learnt about, i made sure to thoroughly research the emotional and mental side of a PT. this
included looking at the scripts and shot layout to understand how to add suspense and other techniques to help with the
unique structure of a psychological thriller. Adding suspense is one of the most important aspect of a thriller and since it is
such a difficult technique to get right due to its subjectivity, researching it was crucial to making sure my final project was as
effective as it could be. Learning about how to structure suspense and the effect is has on the audience showed me a great
insight into how i can implement it and also why it is so important to a PT. overall my research on PT’s was incredibly
thorough and gave me a much greater understanding of the fundamentals of a thriller but also a deeper insight into key
factors that are part of a successful thriller.
13. Trends in modern cinema
The top 10 earning films in the past decade are mostly Marvel or Star Wars films, all featuring heavy cgi and have a reliance
on action to bulk out the duration of the film and keep the viewer interested. These films can be appreciated by all cultures,
ages and preferences as they are easy to enjoy and don't require much thinking or have much intensity. Because of this
reason, it means that they are typically some of the most popular films to release and garner most of the box office viewers.
Very niche films dont require a larger budget since they typically focus on none physical aspects such as acting style or
camera work, such as The lighthouse (2019) which didnt have a large budget at $4,000,000 but over quadrupled its profit and
earned over $17,000,000. This shows that while the lighthouse may not appeal to a wide audience, if filmmakers can
communicate with the target audience well, it can be quite successful financially. Since psychological thrillers typically focus
on dark tones and themes, many younger children are disinterested or simply not allowed to see them which can hinder the
overall “hype” behind a film. So many of the big releases in recent memory are action movies simply because they dont
require much thought of background knowledge to get full enjoyment out of it. One such film that went against all
expectations was the film “Joker” since many people thought that Dark character profile films didnt have a large enough
audience to profit off. But joker was different because people were hooked initially due to the joker being involved in the plot
and he is a character that is widely known so people had some sort of background knowledge about what to expect.
14. Target Audience and Why
Almost every single psychological thriller has an older target audience due to the nature at
which it delves into the characters mindset. This means that i don't have to worry about
keeping a younger watchers attention and can focus on pleasing a more mature and
understanding audience. My target audience would be between 16-40 years old. This is
because i feel that 16 year old are old enough to understand the social and mental concepts
that are shown to them in the film, while a 40 year old would understand the tones that are
given to them and the overall feel of the film will be understood better. Older viewers
typically have more experience in films so understand what emotions should be felt when a
certain style of shot is shown and the overall message is taken easier. Although many females
enjoy thrillers and intense films, many young adult females enjoy more light hearted films that
are easier to follow and not quite as dramatic.
15. Referencing (Psychological Thriller)(1&2)
Anonymous. (2020). What does psychological thriller mean?. Available:
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16. Referencing (Manipulation of a Character)
Ivy Lofberg. (2016). Beginner’s Guide: Psychological Horror. Available:
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Mike Reyes. (2019). Doctor Sleep Ending Explained: What Really Happened?. Available:
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17. Referencing (Slow Unravelling Story)
James Cutting. (2016). Narrative theory and the dynamics of popular movies. Available:
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18. Referencing (Use of Suspense)
Caleb Davis. (2015). 5 Tips For Building Better Cinematic Suspense. Available:
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JJ Abrams. (2007). The Mystery Box. Available:
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John Mccudllagh. (2018). Filmmaking 101: Creating Tension and Suspense in a Sequence. Available:
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Brent Dunham. (2019). 5 Elements of Suspense for Filmmakers: The Ring. Available:
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19. Referencing (Lighting,Colour and Music)
Robin Hoffman. (----). What is The Function of Film Music. Available:
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