Editing - Psychological Thriller

Continuity editing - This is used when the audience needs to understand something making it likely to be used at the end of the psychological thriller when the mystery is revealed The shots are long, running smoothly and they all link together (unless there are flashbacks). Continuity editing is used in American Psycho. At the end of the film when Patrick Bateman realises that he hasn't really killed anyone the shots are long and there is also a narrative where Patrick is speaking out loud trying to make sense of what is happening to him. The speaking out loud also help the audience understand it as well.

Straight cut - This is seen when there is a lot of action going on. The shots jump from different focus points when there is a tense part going on. These can be running scenes. A example of this is in The Bourne Ultimatum. The fast cutting produces a fast paced, action feel. It keeps the audience on edge and filled with tension and anxiety. 

Match Cuts -  This type of editing cuts two unrelated scenes together but show the relationship between them. This is especially used in thrillers to show how the unexpected can be related together. The video below shows many different films that all include match cut editing.

 

Iconography - Psychological Thrillers

Iconography is being able to recognise a film based on one image, logo or symbol.

Shadows - these provide a psychological thriller with the 'on-edge' feeling as there is an uncertainty as to what that shadow is. Generally, when shadows are present, the protagonist is unaware of the figure behind them which creates this fear. One example of this is in paranormal activity.  

Running water - This is a very iconic factor in thrillers, it creates some discomfort and is a little sinister. It can parallel the draining of life (like in psycho) or parallel dripping blood.

Confined Spaces - This creates discomfort amongst audiences and makes them anxious as the audience will imagine themselves in that situation. This brings out the insecurities and fears that the audience hold. 

Knifes - These are the most recognisable icons regarding psychological thrillers. They portray the idea of violence and murder. A knife (or any sharp object) sets the tone for he film. An example of iconography is the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' 

Different kinds of recognisable props:

• Blood 
• Guns 
• Drugs 
• Everyday objects 
• Mental Illness 

These are used to stick to the general theme of psychological thrillers and they guide the audience and hit to when something bad is going to happen (like when a gun is shown on camera but hidden to one character on screen). The everyday objects help the audience imagine what they would feel like in that situation. An example of a recognisable prop is the masks from 'The Purge'. The anonymity that comes with the masks is scary for the audience, making them iconic. 

Psychological thriller - Camerawork/Cinematography

• Low angle shot - looking down makes the figure or object look inferior and vulnerable.

• Extreme long shot - puts the settings into perspective (if used on a house etc)

• Close up - these are used to show the reaction on the actor/actresses face,capturing detail by showing emotion.

• High angles - perfect to show intimidation and superiority. 

• Over the shoulder shot - builds suspense. 

• Tracking/Planning shot - used to show id a character is being followed and to build up suspense as the audience doesn't know what is going to be shown 

Sounds and Music within Psychological Thrillers

Often in Psychological thrillers the music and sounds that are used are known as ‘Contrapuntal’. This means that the sound does not match the action on screen. This creates a disorientating effect on the audience - making them question what they are seeing - while also leaving them wondering what will happen next. 

One example of this is in the film Reservoir Dogs (Dir. Quentin Tarantino). During the very gruesome scene where 'Mr Blonde' slices off a Cop's ear. However during this scene, a very upbeat song come on the radio totally juxtaposing what is happening in the scene.

Another example is in the film American Psycho directed by Mary Harron. In this slasher film, Patrick Bateman is preparing for his next kill. While this is happening, he asks his victim if he likes 'Heuy Lewis and the news'? moments later, once the song is on, Norman kills the victim. This music is the exact opposite to what would be expected in a horror film.

In psychological thrillers, Paralleling sounds are also used. These are sounds and music that relate to the situation on screen. If you were watching a film about a car chase, you would expect to hear things like, horns, tires screeching and the roaring engines. 

One example is in the movie The shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick. In the famous 'here's Johnny scene' tension building music is played in the background. This causes the audience to feel on edge as they don't know whether the victim (Wendy) is going to make it out of that situation alive. 

A final example of paralleling sounds is in fights scenes. The use of nerve wracking music in the background creates tension as well as this, screams in the background, gun shots, explosions and more all make the scene seem more realistic. The Highway scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a good example of this as you can hear all these factors. 

Psychological Thrillers - Characteristics (settings and characters)

Psychological Thriller - Characteristics from ashleighlovitt

Sound/Music within Films

• Eerie and intense music to build up tension and suspense

• High pitches sounds create discomfort

• e.g. Jaws music creates a suspenseful atmosphere building up and prepare the audience for conflict or sudden change

• Fast paced music for action scenes e.g. chase scene

• Low vibrations usually used to instil fear in the audience

• Noise of panic e.g. alarm , to create an unsettling and unnerving atmosphere

• Music and sounds are used to heighten our senses and make us more aware of the situation as it changes our emotions to fit with particular scenes

• Ambient sounds within dramas used to create realism

Chracters Features within Thriller/Drama Films

Character Features with Thriller/Drama Films from NinaBalaj

History of Crime Drama / Crime Thrillers - Joe Sheldon

The history of Crime Drama / Crime Thrillers:

Crime is a genre that has emerged through different eras that had varying attitudes to criminals. First appearing in 1900 with the publication of the first Sherlock Holmes novels. These detective books would be some of the first to explore the nature of crime and the relationships between crime and criminals. Over time, attitudes toward showing crime and portraying criminals as more human would become accepted in common media, leading to the modern crime thrillers we experience today.

1940 - 1960:

The early Holmes movies were the first time that the idea of crime was shown in a mainstream movie for a large audience. Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942). Holmes and Watson must assist the creator of a bomb from the German army. While this idea seems highly non-controversial now, this notion of protecting a criminal was novel at the time. Typical features of this time period include a stereotypically 'heroic' protagonist, a conclusion in which the protagonist catches the criminal and a villain with no remorse.

This opened the door for the twenty year span of the film noir genre. This involved many private eye and New York detective films, with the protagonist of a private investigator getting involved in their client's case while trying ton remain neutral and keeping a cold exterior. Typical deatures of these films included a detective protagonist, dark scenes and more emotion surrounding the crime. This spanned 20 years, from Laura (Dir. Preminger, 1944) and continuing through to Touch of Evil (Dir. Welles, 1958)

1950 - 1985:

Touch of Evil is a film that tipifies the transition from film noir to cop dramas, with it being a blend of both. The actual crime within the films becamke more serious and violent, following the mafia and serial killers. Mafia movies such as The Godfather and Goodfellas became box office hits. Two distinct types of crime drama ran alongside each other, cop dramas and mafia movies. These directly contrasting genres complimented each other at the time, as the protagonist in each subgenre was the opposite of the other. The fast succession of the releases of Bunny Lake is Missing (Dir. Preminger, 1965), In the Heat of the Night (Dir. Jewison, 1967) and Bullitt (Dir. Yates, 1968), all cop dramas, showed the rise of cop dramas toward the 60s and 70s.

 

Meanwhile, the 70s and 80s saw the rise of mafia movies as a response to the cop dramas. The Godfather (Dir. Coppola, 1972) and Scarface (Dir. De Palma, 1983) were defining movies of their decades. These movies usually featured a central character who had power, a strong theme of family and the law as the enemy.

 

1990-Present:

Since 1990, the crime genre has changed to show the main character as the criminal the majority of the time, but the protagonist is shown as a character that you can empathise with to a greater amount. Good examples of this are Enemy of the State (Dir. Scott, 1998) and the incredibly successful TV series Dexter (2006-2013).  The protagonist is a serial killer, but he is presented as human and empathetic, only killing those that he deems bad. We see him in his daytime job as a detective and how his family life is affected by his actions. This would have been unusual in the past, when all enemies were presented as purely bad. This period of crime thriller most influences our storyline- despite him committing terrible acts, you understand his remorse and mental illness is causing him to do this - he's good at heart. Features of the modern era of crime drama include more sympathy for the villain, a greater focus on emotion and a story that focuses on both opposing sides.