In the film genre of psychological thriller/mystery: Protagonists typically display signs of mental instability or trauma, such as PTSD from war. Antagonists aim to undermine and manipulate the protagonist's fragile mental state. Symbolic objects like black clothing and funeral flowers are used to suggest death and unease. Lighting commonly uses low-key shadowy styles to build tension and reflect the dark emotional themes.

1. Know your Genre – Additional Group Research
FilmTitle: Genre (andor sub-genre) :
Group Members:
Popular films– list5 populartitlesfromyourchosengenre andwrite a 1-2 sentence synopsisforthem.Youdonot
needtohave watchedthese films,thoughitmayhelpyourawarenessof yourgenre towatchthemoverthe next
fewweeks. Donotcut and paste synopsis;putthe storiesintoyourownwords.
Film1 –
Title Synopsis
ShutterIsland The main detective goestoaninsane asylumonanislandinthe middle of nowhere to
investigatethe disappearance of one of the inmatesinthe asylum.Throughoutthe
investigationthere seemstobe alot of strange behaviourcomingformthe guards
and the otherpsychiatrists,whichpusthe detective onedge andcauseshimtodo
thingsthat are not allowedtotryand complete the investigationashe feel thatthe
people workingtherehave done somethingtothe patientthe disappeared.The entire
filmisolatesthe maindetective tomake himfeel alone,andatthe pointthat he feels
he has figuredoutwhathappenedtothe patientandgoesto gettem he meetsthe
personincharge of keepingthe islandrunning,whothenproceedstotell himthathe
isinane and hascreatedthisalterego as the detective totryand getoverthe guilt
that he has killedhiswifeaftershe murderedtheirchildren.Thiswasall anact in the
hope that he will finallybe able tosnapoutof thispatternof insanitysothathe can
returnto the real world.
Film2 –
Title Synopsis
inception A man infiltratespeople dreamsandstealsinformationaboutthemforanemployer
that isunknown.He isaskedto implantanideainsomeone’sheadinsteadof steal
information.He needs togeta new teamtogethertogo intoa new dreamand pull of
the most complicatedjobof hislife.
Film3 –
Title Synopsis
The dark knight Batman hasbeenaroundfor some time now andhas gainedthe trustof the police in
the city.A newenemy(the Joker) hasemergedandisthe most dangerous and
unstable foe he haseverfaced whichcausesbatmanto be face witha numberof
scenariossetupby the k=jokerto try and prove thathe isjustas insane as he isas he
attemptsto getthe batman to brake hisone rule.

2. Film4 –
Title Synopsis
Phone booth A man iswalkingdownastreetinNew York whena payphone rings,he proceedsto
answereditand fromthere findsoutthat the man callinghasa gun pointedathim
and that he muststay on the phone at anycosts or he wouldbe killed.Fromthere a
seriesof eventsunfoldthatwouldtestswhatthe mancan do to ensure thatthe call
doesnotend andthat he isnot harmed.
Film5 –
Title Synopsis
The revenant In the earlystagesof Americanexpansiontothe West,a groupof frontiersfins
themselveslostaftertheirtemporarycampwasattackedby native AmericanIndians.
Onlya small numberof themremainandtheyrelyonthe maincharacter playedby
LeonardoDiCapriotoget themback to the camp. Afterhe isattackedby a bearand
severelymauledone of the more impatientmembersof the groupwantsto leave
LeonardobehindbutLeonardo’ssonwouldn’tallow thattohappen.The impatient
memberthenkillsLeonardo’ssonandburiesLeonardoalive inthe snowydirt.
Leonardo isable to dighimself upandspends the restof the filmgettingthroughthe
deadlyfrontiertofindthe manthat didthisto himand hissonand endhislife.
Settings
What are 6 settingsthathave appeared frequentlyinfilmsfromyourchosengenre?Listfilmtitle nexttoanswer.
1. In a dreamsequence/flashback featuredinthe film:Inceptionandshutterisland
2. Enclosedspaces/darkrooms featuredinthe film the dark knight,shutterislandandphone
booth
3. Brokendown/abandonedbuildings featuredinthe film shutterislandandthe dark knight
4. wilderness featuredinthe film the revenant
5. Fictional places/notreallythere featuredinthe film inceptionandthe darkknight.
6. In cities featuredinthe film inception,the darkknightandphone booth

3. Cinematography
Find3 iconicshotsfromfilmsof yourchosengenre.Copythe imagesandpaste thembelow.Identifytitlesunder
Shutterisland the dark knight the revenant
List the majordifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweenthe images. Atleast3pointspercolumn.
Differences Similarities
Shutterislandisa flashback/memory/nightmarescene.
Seemstobe verybrokendownand destroyedsimilarto
the personthat ishavingthe dream.
Theyare all representativesof the challengethatthe
protagonistmustface inthe film.
The dark knightshowsthe jokerstandinginthe middle
of the road,whichreflectshispurpose of the filmbothin
the waysthat he itout purelytocause chaos and
disruption,butalsotoprove to batmanthat he is notthe
symbol of hope thatthe people thinkhe is.Because he is
standinginthe middle of the roadnormallywhere he is
not supposedtoitreflectsthatfactthat he doesnot
have orderin a wantto followwhatpeople do,butis
there to onlycause chaos.
Theyare all at pointswithin thatfilmthatare of the
mostclimactic
While the firsttwoimagesare lowerlightingthe thirdis
ina brightand openspace
Theyare all setin wide openspaces
Image analysis
What do youbelievemakesthe imagesabove soiconic(orhave sucha strongimpact)?
The firstimage aboutShutterIslandisverymeaningwhenlookingatthe contextof it withthe film.Thisscene isone
of the pivotal momentsof the filmwhenthe audiencerealise whatthe characterhasbeenstrugglingwithandwhy
he feelsthe waythathe has beenfeelingforthe film.The image depictshiminaburningbuildingholdinghislate

4. wife thatburnedalive inthe buildingwhile he wasatwork.It isdoingthisas a metaphorforhisentire life burning
downaroundhimand he isthe onlythinginhisdream thatis not burningintoashwhile all thathe lovesandall of
hismemoriesare destroyedwhilehe canonlystandand watch.
The secondimage of the jokerstandinginthe middle of the roadisa great depiction of his entire existenceinthis
world.The jokerisonlythere tocause chaosand disruptionwithnoreal sense of whatitwill achieve.Thisimage is
verypowerful asitreflectsthatthe character mindlesslydoesthingsthathe thinkswill have badeffectsforeveryone
aroundhim,in thisscene inparticular showsthathe doeswhateverhe thinkswill cause disruptionashe isstanding
inthe middle of the roadwhile batmanisdrivingathim.Throughhisinsanityhe encouragesbatmantohithimand
prove that he isnot the hero everyone thinksthathe is,causingthe realisationbythe audience how derangedthis
man isand the lengthsthathe will goto so that he can produce chaos.
The third image isfromthe revenantandit showsthe maincharacter havingbeenbeatendownbyabearburied
alive andstill healingtobe inthe middle of thisfrozenforestwasteland.Itgivesthe sensethatitisman vs. nature
and that he has zeroto no chance of makingoutof there alive.The particularfrozeniciclesonhisbeardemphasise
that he is alone inthisandthat he hasnothingto helphimself withbesideshisknowledge andskills.Thisgivesareal
scope to the filmandreallyshowsthe strugglesof the maincharacter.
Colour scheme
Are there any coloursor shadesthatcan be associatedwithyourgenre?Listthe colour,whywe mightassociate this
withyourgenre (whatwe see that isthiscolour) andany connotationsconnectedtothatcolour.
Colour Where that colour appears in your
genre
Connotations – what we associate with
that colour.
redis a veryhighvisibilitycolour,asmall
objectinthiscolourwouldstandout.It
couldbe usedin the filmasthe lipstickthat
ison Catherinandcouldbe a cause for one
of jakesflashbacksto apart of the war.
The double edgedcolourconnotationscan
be usedto an advantage,asit wouldhave
the audience wonderingif the objectis
meantto displaythe negative connotation
or the positive.
There are variousplaceswhere thiscolour
can appear.One example wouldbe the
formal suitand tie or formof powersuit
whichCatherine canbe dressedforwork.
Thiscan supportthe ideathatshe is a
professionalorisgoingto a place of
profession.Once Catherineismissing,Jake
or Joe can start to wear blackmore often
as a way to mournfor the “loss”of
Catherine andthe unbornchild.Dr
Mark/Jake wouldwearblackor associate
himself withitemswhichare inthe colour
of black,e.g.a notebook(blackbook),this
wouldemphasisesecrecyandsomething
theywantto keephidden.
Black isnormallyassociatedwithpower,
elegance,formality,death,evil,depression,
isolation,hiddenandmystery.
Black isa mysteriouscolourwhichis
normallypairedwiththe fearof the
unknown,whichisanegative connotation.
Furthermore,blackisthe normal colour
wornwhenmourning.Howeverthe other
side tothiscan representelegance and
power,whichisinhuge contrast to the
otherconnotations.
Whencombiningothercolourwithblack,it
createsan aggressive colourscheme,such
as yellow andblack,connoting
danger/warning.

5. Protagonists V Antagonists
Find an image of a notable protagonist and antagonist from your chosen genre.
Paste their image below.
Protagonists V Antagonists (continued)
What are the key or common characteristics of the protagonists and antagonists
from your genre?
Protagonist Antagonist
Jake is a returned war veteran
that has shown some signs of PTSD
What are some other common character types from your chosen genre?
- Eg, Damsel in distress Antagonist (Dr Mark)
- Hero Achiever (Joe)
Props
Jake isa returnedwarveteranthat
has shownsome signsof PTSDbut
feelsembarrassedtogoto the
militarydoctorsohe goesto a
therapistthathiswife knowsfrom
the past.
The antagonist’sjobinthisfilmisto
pushthe character of Jake to the
pointof insanitywhile tryingtoframe
himfor the kidnapof Jakeswife so
that he can get awaywithit. Because
Eugene seemsemotionallydistant
Jake triesto findoutabouthim and
that’swhat causesJake to be framed.

6. What props appear significantly or commonly in your chosen genre?
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Costume and Make-up
What types of costumes are prevalent in films from your genre? Describe them
and find examples.
Description - ______________________________________________________
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Costume option 1 Costume option 2 Costume option 2
How is make-up (or prosthetics) used significantly in your chosen genre?
Describe its use and find any notable examples.

7. _________________________________________________________________
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Lighting
How is lighting used commonly and in your chosen genre?
When looking at the method of lighting used in the Drama Thriller Genrewe see most
commonly , the useof; shadow-casting low-key lighting. Oneexample of this would be in
the Crime Thriller genre. When an antagonist or protagonistis in view, their body is given a
silhouette so only the background is lit. This mostcommonly occurs in closed/abandoned
locales o signify a characters mental state. The image can reflect violence, yet at the same
time produces an air of peacefulness which frequently breaks tension in films. One of the
most notable of these occurances would be in the film ‘Seven’ featring; Brad Pitt, Morgan
Freeman and Kevin Spacey. When Spaceys character John Doe, is evading police, he is only
seen as a dark figure/silhouette. This use of lighting both protects Doe’s identity and
creates a sinister view of the an reflecting more the image of a murderer.
What is the effect of these styles of lighting?
The Effects of Back-lighting creates a silhouette and casts shadows which createmore dark
emotions whilstalso allowing for conflicting contrastbetween the brightness of the
anterior to the darkness of the interior. In some cases we see useof bright lights to signify a
moment of perfection which is than replaced by low key which shows the change which is
usually negative.
Find 2 examples of where lighting has been used significantly in your chosen
genre. Briefly explain the type of lighting used and the effect that is created by
the light scheme and shadow.
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8. ___________________________________________
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Lighting Continued
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Character action and movement
How would you expect your 3 main characters to act and behave? How would
they carry themselves/ pose/ act towards one another. Why would they act in
this way?
Veteran -> Wife = The Veteran would act quite kindly to his wife by caressing
her, however due to his troules with PTSD we would expect some form of
negative reaction to being touched, whilst also acting quite detached to his
wife. We may see actions such as; refusing to kiss, yet they can be as simple as;
stepping away from touch or refusing to say goodbye.

9. Veteran -> Psychiatrist = The Veteran would be quite negative to the
psychiatrist to begin with due to his generally partial relation to being helped by
others. We would see him later develop a dependence on the psychiatrist, as he
is his only output to voice his problems and opinions, even becoming
accustomed to the presence. After the event the Veteran would suspect the
Psychiatrist and become extremely hostile towards him. Eg- Prisoners.
Symbolism
What symbolic objects/colours/concepts/gestures/costumes might appear in
your film? Look to other films from your genre for inspiration. Find images of
your own symbolic objects. What could these objects symbolise?
When analysing other films it seems that we should be drawn towards objects
such as flowers and mementos (cards) as these would reflect the idea that the
wife is not missing however she is dead. The flowers would be reflective of
those found at funerals and would be an emphasis of the idea of death. We also
would see a heavy use of dark clothing such as black suits and dresses to reflect
the idea of death.
Examples of notable symbolic items
Psycho - 1969