The document outlines conventions and techniques used in psychological thriller films. It discusses including fast-paced and frequent action, ordinary citizens drawn into danger, a mental/emotional conflict between characters who can't be trusted, and creating a mood of fearful excitement. It provides examples from films like Memento, North by Northwest, No Country for Old Men, Psycho, and Suspicion to illustrate these concepts and how they may be applied to the proposed film "The Hypnotist".

2. “Fast-paced and
frequent action”
‚The conflict
between the
main characters
is mental and
emotional as
‚Primary mood:
‘fearful
excitement’‛
“Ordinary citizens
accidentally drawn to
danger”
‚Resourceful
heroes who
must thwart the
actions of more
powerful and
better equipped
villains‛
‚Characters who
switch sides or
who cannot be
trusted‛
‚The use of a
staircase as a
motif for
impending
danger or
suspense‛

3. ‚Fast-paced and
frequent action‛
The frequent visions of Rupert’s
create a non-linear narrative that
jumps from the visions back to the
session in the doctor’s office. The
murder scene is a particularly
strong representation of this fast-
paced and frequent action. We
regularly jump back to the tense
office scene while the hypnotist
mysteriously injects his patient.

4. ‚Fast-paced and
frequent action‛
Each time the shot
returns to either
location (1: the
alleyway, 2:
doctor’s office),
the action
intensifies which
increases the
audience’s
anticipation for
the next shot.
1
3
2
4 5

5. ‚Fast-paced and
frequent action‛ Non-linear narrative:
Memento follows a man suffering
from short-term memory loss using
pictures and tattoos to identify the
man who he believes shot his wife.
The opening sequence, which is also
the end of the film, travels in
reverse chronological order and is
shown in colour. The sequence begins
with a Polaroid picture of a dead
man and when the sequence begins
we see the picture go back to its
undeveloped state before a man is
shot in the head by the protagonist.
The opening:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=RmK0eQ2GC6U

6. Although this is not achieved in the
opening, the two main characters create
the basis for this thriller convention to
unravel in the remainder of the film’s
plot. The character of ‚Rupert‛ is
vulnerable in comparison to the
antagonist doctor who has the power of
his medical knowledge. He uses this to
manipulate his patients into carrying out
violent crimes. However, by seeing that
Rupert is capable of being equally strong
and powerful suggests that he can be
resourceful in the remainder of the film.
‚Resourceful
heroes who
must thwart the
actions of more
powerful and
better equipped
villains‛
The plot would continue by following up
on more of the doctor’s patients who have
also committed murder. The audience will
discover that the doctor is behind each and
every murder that will result in his victims

7. Each of Dr. J. Smith’s patients are
‚ordinary‛ however by chance (by being
advised to choose his services) they fall
victim to become murderers through his
mental influence. We gain the sense of the
ordinary through Rupert’s genuine
confusion and disorientation which
clarifies that he was not intended to
become a murderer.
‚Ordinary
citizens
accidentally
drawn to
danger‛

8. This thriller convention is used in
North by Northwest and Source Code.
Cary Grant and Jake Gyllenhaal’s
confused and disorientated reactions
are how we wanted to convey the
character of Rupert.
‚Ordinary
citizens
accidentally
drawn to
danger‛
North by Northwest:
Cary Grant
Source Code: Jake
Gyllenhaal

9. ‚There is one thing that I get to offer you,
and that is hypnotherapy‛ (1:05) is the
‘chilling’ line that will commence the
action scenes of Rupert chasing down his
victim. This intends to leave the viewer
anticipating what is to follow while
feeling slightly on edge after already
having viewed the visions that have made
Rupert appear mental and obsessive.
‚Primary mood:
‘fearful
excitement’‛

10. I noticed that this was relatively similar
to the ‘Coin Toss’ scene in No Country For
Old Men. The response to the simple
question of: ‚heads or tails?‛ was either
life or death for Chirgurh’s victim. This
scene contrasted the rest of the film
because it consisted of mainly dialogue-
the ‘fearful excitement’ builds because of
this odd extended scene of speech.
‚Primary mood:
‘fearful
excitement’‛
Coin Toss scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLCL6OYbS
Tw

11. We attempted to develop our film into a
‘psychological’ thriller by focusing
mainly on the mental conflict. ‚Mental‛
conflict is displayed through the patient’s
visions and the influential hypnotherapy
of the doctor. Although an incident of
‚physical‛ conflict occurs during the film
(the injection), its purpose is to affect
Rupert mentally to cause him to continue
having visions until he carries out the
murder. The same applies for when Rupert
‚The conflict
between the
main characters
is mental and
emotional as
opposed to
physical‛

12. ‚The conflict
between the
main characters
is mental and
emotional as
opposed to
physical‛
The Hypnotist is very similar to Danny
Boyle’s psychological thriller, Trance.
Plot:
‚An art auctioneer who has become mixed
up with a group of criminals partners with
a hypnotherapist in order to recover a
lost painting.‛
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1924429/)Official Trance website and trailer
http://www.trancethemovie.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=rvTW1JecmZo

13. This applies to the doctor’s character-
although it isn’t made explicit, there are
subtle hints that alert the audience that
Dr. J. Smith is not genuine and may be the
cause of Rupert’s aggressive visions.
Rupert also has two sides to his
character- while on one hand, he is being
victimized and quite clearly cannot
control what he is doing, we cannot trust
him entirely because we know that he is
‚Characters who
switch sides or
who cannot be
trusted‛

14. ‚Characters who
switch sides or
who cannot be
trusted‛We have taken influence from Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock to
create the character of the deranged doctor. Like Norman
Bates, the viewers are lead to believe that he ‚wouldn’t hurt
a fly‛ because he is in a position of responsibility. But over the
course of the film, the possibility of the doctor being the
root of Rupert’s obsessive and violent visions (and later, his
obsessive and violent actions) comes through in flaws of his
conversations. While Bates begins to stutter and chew
violently, the doctor in The Hypnotist
becomes overly confrontational in conversation. Additional
clues
such as the injection and the matching photo were included in

15. ‚Fast-paced and
frequent action‛
This is a Hitchcockian convention
which is used in his films. They are
visible in Suspicion (1941) as Cary
Grant carries what appears to be
poisoned milk for his wife and again
in Psycho (1960) where Detective
Arbogast is killed. We have
attempted to re-enact this symbol
that is typical of a Hitchcock
thriller as the film begins. This
scene will introduce Rupert, with his
‚The use of a
staircase as a
motif for
impending
danger or
suspense‛

16. ‚Fast-paced and
frequent action‛
‚The use of a
staircase as a
motif for
impending
danger or
suspense‛
Suspicion (1941)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Kk8FW9atXuw