FINAL SCRIPT - 'FASCINATION'

As a group we watched the opening clip of the US drama 'The Killing' and decided that this sequence was perfect for our production. We've adapted their ideas, and included some of our inital ideas, to create the final version of our script.
We also changed the title from 'Obsession' to 'Fascination' as we decided that it was more fitting to the storyline.

FASCINATION

EXT. FOREST – DUSK

GEORGIE and MEGAN are walking through the forest, laughing, making mumbling sounds, rather quietly. Deep breathing can be heard in the background.
Both girls are walking forwards whilst a torch/flash light flashes in the trees behind them.

GEORGIE notices the light and turns around to face it, followed a few seconds later by MEGAN, who also turns around.

GEORGIE

What's that?

Megan looks half at Georgie and half at the light.

MEGAN

I don’t know.

GEORGIE

*Pause* Hello?

Georgie continues to look at the light. The killer looks at both girls. Suddenly a dog’s bark is heard in the distance; both girls jumps and they look left to see what is there.
Georgie then begins to back away from the light, turns around and walks away.

MEGAN

Where are you going?

GEORGIE

I'm not staying here, I'm going home

At which point a noise of birds flapping etc. again startles the girls, who look to the right where the noise came from in the trees. The killer continues to look at the girls and Megan looks again at the mysterious light as it switches off, thus Megan
walks to catch up with Georgie.

Georgie and Megan walk swiftly and briskly away from the light.  They both seem confused and scared.

The pace of their walk begins to increase and they break into a jog.
Their faces now in a state of horror, they begin to breathe heavily; the light highlighting the girls' frightened expressions.

Georgie then, in a fit of panic, breaks off from Megan to attempt to hide behind a tree. Light focuses on the girls' feet as Georgie tails off.

As Georgie finds a safe place behind a tree, Megan meanwhile is oblivious to the fact Georgie has disappeared and continues to run in a frantic manner. Unbeknown to them, there is more than one person co-ordinating this attack, and as the man with the light catches up to Georgie, a new person is waiting for Megan in the lake.
Georgie then notices the light has reappeared and has an intense amount of fear in her eyes as she hears a twig snap. Meanwhile, Megan turns around and realises that Georgie is missing, and stops. Amidst running through the cold lake, she proceeds to
look around frantically.

MEGAN

Georgie?

Splashing and swirling of water is heard, Megan quickly jumps to see what’s happening. Georgie continues to run from the mysterious light.

GEORGIE

MEGAN!

Her shout can still be heard as Megan looks from where the shout came. Megan, spinning and quickly moves as the water movements become more frequent and louder.

MEGAN

Who's there?!


Silence ensues as the only thing heard is Megan's deep breathing,  increasing. There is a muffled scream in the background from Georgie. Tension continues to rise as Megan turns around as the spotlight appears out of focus again in the background.  As she turns her head to look at it, the camera quickly speeds up towards her, as it ends on a sharp intake of breath.
End on cut to black screen.

Below is a clip of 'The Killing' in which the opening sequence is weaved throughout. The clip follows Rosie Larson, a teenage girl who is eventually murdered in a forest. We loved the idea of a flashlight, the use of 'night time' and the chase. We hope to include our interpretation of these techniques in our own production.

CLICK HERE

SCRIPT - FIRST DRAFT

Here is a copy of our initial plan for the script. We did not complete this, as we quickly decided that the logistics of this piece did not work. Also, the idea lacked realism.  We are now devising a new idea for our thriller.

OBSESSION

LES/PAN/TRACK shot.
EXT. FOREST – DUSK

GEORGIE, MEGAN, RIZWANA walk through forest, laughing, making mumbling sounds so that focus is on the setting.
MCU of Rizwana looking on her person for her phone, she looks around panicky, and begins to retrace her steps.
CU of phone on the floor, Rizwana approaches it; she goes to pick it up. LS/POV killer of Rizwana as she hears a noise. Hand held shot walks towards CU of Rizwana, cut to black, gasping noise.
CUT TO:

MCU GEORGIE MEGAN, still laughing.

GEORGIE

Rizwana you’re quiet?

MCU MEGAN turning round

MEGAN
Rizwana?

Georgie and Megan continue to look around.
POV from villain. Rustling of leaves etc.


END ON SCREAM - BLACK OUT

SYNOPSIS - FIRST DRAFT

Here are our inital ideas for a synopsis for our producition 'Obsession'.

SYNOPSIS 'OBSESSION'

Three teenage girls, walk through a forest to get home. Rizwana drops an object and hears a noise of trees rustling, and then she mysteriously disappears. Megan and Georgie then realise she’s missing and tensions start to rise. We hear a noise/tree rustle; the two girls are spooked and begin to run.
To try to ‘play the game’ he kills some of his victims, who are young teenage women, but abducts the rest for his own personal pleasure. Unexpectedly, the three girls are not dead and the help the rest of the hostages to escape.

Proposed setting
‘The Plunge’ in Edenfield – forest and small river.
Time – dusk, enough light, but still setting the mood

INNOCENCE - STUDENT THRILLER ANALYSIS

Before creating our own thriller, my group and I decided that we should further research thrillers at a low budget, student level. Not only would this give us a clear insight into the transition from a Hollywood film to a student thriller, but perhaps aid us in the process of generating ideas regarding the filming and editing for our own production.


I searched through Google, You Tube and past students’ work at my old school, and found that ‘Innocence’ grabbed my attention the most. Although it is an older production, and the technology a little dated,  the clearly presented storyline greatly captured the chilling atmosphere vitally important when creating a successful thriller.

The production shows its age mainly within the titles. The technology available today, wasn’t around in 2005.  Therefore the titles are minimal and symmetrical. As a result, they weren’t realistic; this is something to consider when creating our own titles. However, the group had chosen to use a white font against the black background, reiterating Strauss’ theory of binary oppositions i.e. good vs. evil. The San-serif font used, created a psychopathic and ‘documentary’ feel, perfect for the production. I did not understand the choice of ‘invented’ film studio ‘J2GD’ and its relevance to Thrillers. In our production, we should create a  company seemingly apt for the production of films of a horror/thriller genre.


When the credits start, piano music plays instantly, which created a foreboding and ghostly atmosphere for the film. This music remains throughout the two minutes. When the image first appears, the sounds used were reflective of screeching and groaning.  This created tension and drama from the beginning. At this point, strings are also introduced to the classical music.

A fade from black is used to show a long establishing shot of a young girl running in a field. This image was shown in slow motion, which, combined with the girl, immediately presented the audience with a chilling and distressing image. It also presents the audience with enigmas such as ‘Why is she there?’ and ‘Who is she?’, exacerbating the concern the audience  feel for her safety. She is smiling, which is completely incongruent with the music, suggesting something terrible is about to happen to her.

She is wearing pink and purple, typical for a girl of about 7, and her feminine hair flicks behind her as she runs. This image is continuously presented to the audience for approximately 40 seconds, before the title ‘Innocence’ is shown. Straight cuts, tracking shots, slow motion, and various shots (from medium close up to long shot) are used to connect and complement this selection of shots.

The slightly blurred image presented throughout the tracking shots, which can be merely down to the age of the filming technology, only enhances the ‘home video quality’ that creates the eerie and unsettling feeling surrounding this film. This section of the film  has a "point of view" appearance, as if being filmed by a family member.

A medium close up of the young girl smiling and giggling, exaggerates and stresses the gut-wrenching feeling that I certainly felt as an audience member, when watching this. This is again reiterated, later in the same section, at the close up of the young girl sitting in the grass.

Tensions are built, directly before the unveiling of her terrible, imminent future, by a crescendo of string instruments introduced into the music. This technique, birthed from Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’, is extremely prominent throughout all thriller films, and is perhaps something we should research further for our Thriller.

Once again, a straight cut is used before a medium close up of the young girl, facing away from the camera. She slowly turns, this time without smiling, in a ghostly and haunting manner. On this turn, a choir of phantom-like and unearthly voices are introduced into the music. The image shakes and blurs until it is finally black and white. It is at this point that ‘Innocence’ appears, in the same font as previously used.

This beginning is highly simplistic, yet extremely effective. When watching this production, these first few clips immediately jumped out at me as something I would love to try out for our thriller, as I think it perfectly captures the chilling and confusing opening, common to many Hollywood thrillers.

After this sequence, the attention now moves to a dungeon-like room. The chiaroscuro lighting creates deathly and shadowy projections on the wall. The camera pans to reveal the whole width of the room. It falls upon a large wooden table where candles, ropes, brown glass bottles, and other seemingly torturous objects are placed. There is then another straight cut to a white, stone staircase, where again enigmas are created: ‘Why are we here?’ A single candle is placed on each step, and overlay titles, in the same font, gradually start to appear. A faceless. black figure slowly and precisely walks down the stairs.

Quickly, we then move to a shot of the girl running into the forest, looking over her shoulder as if chased. This sudden interlude subtly suggests to the audience that these two images are connected, but they are not sure why. I love the hand held quality to this clip as it really captures the feeling of a person following.

We then suddenly change back to the image of the man walking down the stairs, however this time his back is to us. This not only gives the audience a variation regarding angles, but allows the ‘criminal’ to remain anonymous.

RESEARCH INTO THRILLER CONVENTIONS

VLADIMIR PROPP

Vladimir Propp, a Russian critic, analysed the basic structure of 100’s of folk-tale stories and stated that they were predominantly made of the same components and characters. As well as 31 different, narrative formats and functions, he identified these 8 character profiles:

1. The Villain(s)
2. The Hero
3. The Donor ( who provides a burden or objects of magical importance)
4. The Helper ( to the hero)
5. The Princess (the reward/sought after beauty by the hero. The villain attempts to apprehend this)
6. Her Father ( who eventually celebrates and rewards the Hero)
7. The Dispatcher ( The one who sends the Hero on their quest)
8. The False Hero.


These character profiles cannot only be identified with folk stories, but every narrative and media outlet. For example, within the introductory clip of a thriller we are presented with both a hero and a villain.

In the opening sequence of the Thriller ‘Face/Off’, directed by John Woo, we are immediately presented with the Hero (John Travolta’s character, Sean Archer) and the Villain ( Nicolas Cage’s character, Castor Troy). A Common feature within Thrillers, which is present within ‘Face/Off’, is that the Hero and Villain are apt to be of a similar age, build, and sex. Both men are likely to be aged around 40, good at their jobs and equal in ability and strength, therefore creating an interesting and exciting dynamic for an audience.

Furthermore, other character types are present within Thrillers such as ‘the Dispatcher’; the Police chief’ that allocated that important, particular case to the Hero; or a victim's family that begs the hero to find their child‘s murderer. Another example of Propp’s character profiles, appears within the American Thriller ’Se7en’ where Detective Mills, is ‘the Helper’ to Detective Somerset, ‘The Hero’.

CLAUDE LEVI-STRAUSS

Claude Levi-Strauss, is the founder of the narrative structure ‘Binary Oppositions’, which is found within most films, and certainly all thrillers. 'Binary Oppositions' are couples of opposing values which form the basis of media texts. Within thrillers, this is most commonly seen in the form of GOOD vs. EVIL. Levi-Strauss was not interested in which order events occurred in a narrative, but the connections the themes had within the genre.

E.G within Thrillers:
Good  v Evil
Detective v Criminal
Hero v Villain
Rules v Chaos
Justice v Crime
Normal Characters v Psychologically damaged characters
Moral  v Corrupt

TZETAN TODOROV


Todorov was a Bulgarian philosopher who greatly influenced our perception of a narrative form within a media text. He stated that stories begin with an equilibrium, where opposing forces were balanced. This was then destroyed by a disruption; a terrible occurrence or series of events. At the end of the narrative, the disruption is resolved so that order is restored, and either the old or a new equilibrium is set in motion once more.

Within all of the thriller openings we watched as a class, an equilibrium is disrupted, and the fight to restore equilibrium, is of course, the main storyline for film. It is this sequence of change that creates tension and excitement for an audience.

‘Face\Off’ opens with a somewhat serene and idyllic image of Sean Archer playing in the park with his young son. A disruption is then indictated by the sudden music change and quickened editing pace. The columnisation of the opening is when the boy is shot, the disruption, and Archer vows to seek his revenge. A similar sequence is reiterated and mirrored throughout all thrillers, establishing it as a typical convention.

SE7EN - THRILLER OPENING ANALYSIS

Within the opening sequence of the 1995 thriller “Se7en”, directed by David Flincher, technical decisions regarding the mise-en-scene, sound, editing techniques and camera work, and the titles themselves, depict and influence our perception of both protagonists, Detective Somerset and Detective Mills, who clearly establish the genre of the film as a typical and archetypal thriller.

The film opens with Somerset, played by Morgan Freeman, washing dishes in his organised and structured kitchen. Unusually, there is no dialogue or theme music within this opening sequence. The overriding colours within this scene include whites, greys and peaches, highlighting Somerset as the good and pure character. It also depicts this man as overly methodical, and perhaps dull and lonely; clearly this kitchen has no interference from any woman or child. The lighting is realistic, mostly coming from the window behind the protagonist. Therefore, everything appears slightly silhouetted, creating a foreboding and intriguing atmosphere. Occasionally, pure black objects, such as ornaments, are seen in the midst of the sparse, white kitchen, again reiterating the same feeling. Clearly placed in the foreground, is a chess board (mid-game). This image insinuates that he is a lonely and perhaps dull character, but also demonstrates Claude Levi Strauss’ theory of binary oppositions, often replicated throughout thrillers; the black pieces bad, the white good, and they are in constant conflict and are, in this case, ‘playing a game against one another’. The chess board is also a signifier of intelligence. Throughout this, the diegetic sounds of a television (not in his flat) and sirens, suggest that he lives in a rough and crime-ridden area.

We then cut to a medium close up of Somerset getting dressed for work. The shot, taken from over the shoulder, starts slightly above the waist, and tilts to reveal his blank expression. His clothes are extremely smart and symmetrical, and he takes a great deal of care and accuracy when he is dressing. He picks a piece of fluff from his blazer, which is neatly placed on his already made bed. A close up is used to show his possessions, i.e. a pen knife, badge and hankies, are placed side by side, absolutely perfectly, reinforcing the character’s fastidious and organised qualities, previously mentioned. This sequence as a whole insinuates that perhaps he suffers with a psychological fixation with precision and cleanliness. His clothing are, again, white, grey and black.

After this sequence, a straight cut is used to move to a murder scene, or ‘case’ within Somerset’s job. This scene and cut displays a completely different atmosphere to Somerset’s flat. Its walls are grimy and dirty, suggesting the victims lived in squalid conditions. The chiaroscuro lighting, low key/high contrast, combined with the bloody, stained walls, creates the perfectly unsettling setting for a thriller production. The windows and doors are covered with bars, creating a claustrophobic and caged effect. The flat appears damaged and prison-like. This is the first time we meet Detective Mills, played by a young Brad Pitt. His appearance is somewhat scruffy and relaxed, implying that he, unlike Somerset, has a hedonistic and relaxed view of his job, and indeed life as a whole. Somerset notices the child’s pictures and asks ‘whether the kid saw it’ identifying that Somerset takes a great deal of care and intricacy with his cases, and does not just look for the easy way to ‘close the case’. This obviously makes him unpopular with other, lazy colleagues.

In the external scenes, a blue filter is used, not only to insinuate the dark and dull weather, but to add a dystopian, green tinge to the image, creating a sinister feeling. Again the use of bars is strongly present. The two characters walk down a crowded street, and are filmed using a low angle, tracking shot. The extras, walking directly in front of the shot, help to create realism. When Somerset is talking to Mills, he is filmed at a lower angle, and is slightly in front of Mills, giving him power and authority. The sound of sirens and the police radio, create an intimidating ambiance, showing that this is a heavily crime-ridden area. The exaggerated sound of the rain also emphasises the gloom to the audience.

There is then an ellipsis edit to Somerset, who is in his bed at the end of the day, a bookshelf can clearly be seen in the far corner of the room. This again demonstrates his innate intelligence. He uses the metronome, a device that keeps time, to create order amongst the sirens, alarms, danger and chaos, heard just outside his window. The continuous noise shows this this is a 24 hour crime-ridden city.  The phrase “there ‘aint’ no rest for the wicked” would seem highly appropriate for this Psychological Thriller.

Within the transition between this scene and the credits, the screen goes to black, and a sound bridge of thunder is heard, a technique called pathetic fallacy, where it connotes a menacing and ominous atmosphere about to be produced.

Throughout the titles, a metallic sound is used to accentuate their appearance, creating an erratic and disturbing sentiment. The font is industrious and ‘scratched’, creating the same feeling. The music is a re-mix of ‘Closer’ by 9 Inch Nails, industrial rock that is somewhat threatening and intimidating. Moreover, extreme close ups are used to focus the viewer on darting images, such as cutting photograph negatives, black mail notes, slicing fingertips, dirty nails, needles, razors, and ominous, strange journals. These shots are extremely frightening, and disturbed me, personally, to the core. Black, white and red are the most prominent colours used. Black and white again obviously suggests Binary Oppositions; the red connotes blood, death and danger. The titles flicker and move in the midst of this, appearing aggressive and fragmented. Furthermore, the last line of the song “You bring me closer to God’ insinuates death and religion, themes to be reiterated later in the film.

After the title sequence, the film then resumes, with an establishing long shot of an urban, concrete, American city, high-rise buildings, and blue filter, a highly conventional setting for a Thriller. ‘Monday’ appears in the centre of the screen.



ClICK HERE FOR THE OPENING SEQUENCE

FACE/OFF- THRILLER OPENING ANALYSIS

Within the opening clip of ‘Face Off', technical decisions regarding the mise-en-scene, sound, editing and camera angle, movement and position influence our perception of the main characters: detective, Sean Archer and sniper, Castor Troy. These decisions follow the typical conventions of a archetypal thriller.

Touchstone Pictures produced this film. Their logo is blue, black and gold, written in block capitals using a Serif font. By using this type of font, it creates an element of truth, seriousness and solemnity. Behind the print, is a jagged strip, very similar to lightning. Overall, this image is perfectly in keeping with the thriller genre as it instantaneously introduces a dark and severe impression.

We hear a musical sound bridge, comparable to the ‘tinny’ chiming sound of a merry-go-round or a child’s toy. Although seemingly innocent, it creates a foreboding and slightly chilling atmosphere. The opening titles then appear, one by one, as though they are coming into focus. The white, sans-serif text, that is resting on a black background, immediately signifies Stauss’s theory of binary oppositions, which demonstrates the constant battle between good and evil, ever present in thrillers. The ‘whoosh’ sound that accompanies these credits, emphasises their appearance. The sound, as previously mentioned, has morphed into an ambiguous, classically based, almost melancholic music. Again, ambiguity is a key feature creating the mystery or enigmas which we expect within the opening of a typical thriller.

The fast paced editing between this and the opening shot, a seemingly bright blur that darts from one side of the screen to the other, morphs into an image of Sean Archer and his son playing on a merry-go-round. This editing creates a claustrophobic atmosphere, which I believe is imperative to produce the correct feeling for a thriller. A child’s laughter supplements this transition, again unsettling the audience.

During the loving moment between the father and son, the music changes to a string quartet, and the pace becomes slow motion, producing a soothing ambiance. Dissolves are also used to reiterate the same feeling. The camera clearly focuses on the expressions of the characters, by numerous medium close-ups to close-ups, showing a physical and emotional closeness between the characters. The film has a gentle, sepia quality to it and is faintly out of focus, suggesting that this image is but a memory.

It is at this moment that the camera pans, and quickly zooms, to reveal, at an extreme close up, a telescopic lens attached to a rifle. The sound of the covering cloth is emphasised as it is lifted from the gun, by cymbals and a ‘whooshing’ sound. The title ‘Face/Off’ emerges, as a fade in, and overlays the silhouette of Castor Troy; the ‘Face’ white and the ‘Off’ black, again, visually reinforcing binary oppositions. The music alters to a sound like monks singing. The music is bass heavy, creating a sudden, ominous and menacing sensation. Many extreme close-ups are used when focusing on the villain, Caster Troy, to enhance the drama. His face is calm and collected, also insinuating a cold and sadistic side to his personality. To enhance this further, Troy is simply sipping a drink, showing his relaxed approach to this job.

The point of view, long shot from the crosshairs lens, is used to accentuate the danger and allow the audience to focus on only this momentarily, thus creating tension. We then move to an extreme close up of Castor Troy’s finger on the trigger. The sound of the bullet is exaggerated and its time and distance to hit its target, Sean Archer, prolonged. The camera pans and tilts around the bullet, in extreme slow motion, by the use of CGI. A cause and effect shot is established through this transition; we see the bullet being fired, and the devastation it causes.
A dubbed (non diegetic) sound of a distressed, carousel horse is used to signify the death. And although not real, our brains subconsciously associate this noise with the carousel, due to the blood stain left upon its side, creating an extremely haunting image. Moreover, all colour fades from the scene, apart from the red balloons floating to the sky, also signifying the boy’s death. The music is holy and sorrowful, reflective of the eerie and heartbreaking mood.

The opening finishes with a tilting shot, from the boy and father, to the carousel, still turning. The music reaches a huge crescendo, and the sound of distressed horses is again heard. The carousel increases rapidly in speed at this, and the colour drains to a vivid black and white contrast. The image becomes harsh and fragmented, perhaps a visual representation of the father’s, Sean Archer’s, now broken and distorted mindset.

We then have a fade to black, and a stark, white caption appears reading ‘SIX YEARS LATER’ clearly identifying the passing of time as well as the change of scene. A long establishing shot, from the inside of a window, is used to illustrate the surrounding setting, a heavily built up, urban city, which is highly conventional for a thriller.  The camera pans to reveal a much dishevelled and older Sean Archer. Sean Archer holds his left hand to his face, to express the depressive state he is in, and has been since his son’s death, as well as clearly exposing his wedding ring, emphasising its importance, (we later discover that the death of his son and his obsessive need to fulfil his revenge, has had a knock on, damaging effect on his marriage; reiterating that he is a flawed hero, an archetypal character within thrillers). The music, a harp and xylophone, is soft, gentle and reflective, as the camera tilts from the top of a wall to reveal his many awards and certificates presented to Archer for his occupation; clearly he is an extremely successful and highly respected detective. The shot then falls upon a close up of a gun, to remind the audience of the dangerous and unpredictable aspect to his job; a job perfectly apt for a thriller.

Moving from Sean Archer’s office, a tracking shot is used to move throughout the busy and fast-paced office, highlighting name tags, files and computer screens, showing the hard-working environment Sean Archer conducts in his establishment. The clip then edits back to a shot of Archer, handling the gun and placing it at his side. The music becomes melodic and choir-esque once more, as he looks into the distance, his determined and saddened face set on revenge.

It is at this point that we are introduced to Castor Troy, and his details, through a police data base on a computer screen. This identifies his face, name, occupation, killings and motivations, setting the scene for the following events.

THE FILM INDUSTRY- INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH (PRODUCTION)

Se7en -New Line Cinema


New Line Cinema describe themselves as ‘A Visionary Film Company’. They are an American film studio specialising in massive, Hollywood productions such as the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and ‘Se7en’ .

The logo is dark, emphasising the evil or criminal aspect of a Thriller. The shadow adds an element of suspense, insinuating that all is not right, and something foreboding and secretive is about to occur.

The Serif font is classic and relatively formal, appealing to a modern target audience, suitable for this thriller.

Se7en’s estimated budget was around $33,000,000 to produce, however it took in the gross amount of $316,400,000 world-wide, which just illustrates its enormous blockbuster success.

Casino Royale - Sony Pictures/Columbia

SONY


- Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit within the Japanese technical company Sony.
Sony Pictures Entertainment is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America.

The Sony logo looks similar to that of a photo negative/end of film, giving it a rustic and traditional, yet modern feel to it. This image is therefore highly reflective of the ‘Bond movies’ as the series has been running for an extremely long period, however Casino Royal brings it forward to the 21st century. The font is Serif, again formal and appealing to an adult audience.



COLUMBIA


Columbia Motion Picture Group is an American film production and distribution company, and is a unit of Sony Pictures. Columbia is one of the leading film companies in the world.
This logo embodies a heroic and proud sentiment. The colours are mainly shades of blue and gold, creating a prestige and royal feel to the image. This is perfectly apt for the authoritative and respected James Bond. Sky is present in the background and a very similar to the ‘Statue of Liberty’ statue in the foreground, reinforcing the same heroic and patriotic feeling.

Even though this huge blockbuster had an enormous budget of $150 million, the film managed to create an enormous $594,239,066 in box-office takings, world wide.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed - Cinema NX and Isle of Man Film


CinemaNX is one of Britain’s leading film finance, production and distribution companies, specialising in independent films. They fund a variety of films, not only thrillers such as ‘The Disappearance of Alice Creed‘, but lightweight romantic comedies such as ‘Me and Orson Welles’.

This logo is only black and white, suggesting the binary opposition theory, of good and evil, which manifests itself deep within Thrillers. The font is simple, yet not overpoweringly bold. Everything is set in a militant manner, creating an imposing, claustrophobic tone.

Also, ‘Manx’ is a cleverly subliminal abbreviated name, as the company is based in the Isle of Man.


Throughout the years, there has been a constant debate regarding the level of influence American and other European countries has on the British Film Industry.  For example, many British films are co-produced by American companies and use actors from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.  Many popular and successful Hollywood Blockbusters are based on British historic figures, stories and events.

It is argued that because of the small size of the British Cinema market, it is impossible to produce large, blockbuster films without intervention or financial involvement from the USA.  Hollywood also provides work to British directors, actors, writers, production staff and studios.

IF MY FILM WAS A BLOCK BUSTER
For my film, I would choose a company such as Universal Studios as they have produced numerous thriller films. Some of the classics they have produced include ‘Jaws’. They are very well established, and would therefore be able to fund large amounts of money, if I wished my Thriller to be of a blockbuster scale. ‘Hammer’ production, although famous for their Horror adaptations such as ‘Dracula’, have also made films from a very wide range of genres, including Thrillers. The Horror connection might work in my favour, as subliminal messages of fear and suspense will be recognised by the audience.