Revenge is sweet

Essay Question 3

My film is based around the psychological thriller genre and the main theme in this film is revenge. Some aspects of the genre that my film will have are suspense, tension, mystery. My protagonist will be proactive, she will make things happen and go into action not wait for it to happen. My protagonists' character growth will be what leads to her ability to get through the obstacles and complete her missions in the darkest of hours, and will end with a climatic ending. There will be conflict in my film between good and evil and also between male and female, also in my protagonists mind. There will also be complications making the missions more tense, as well as this the ending will tie all loose ends, and good will defeat bad. In my opening sequence the theme of revenge will be seen when she has flash backs to her family and then to the dart on the mans face, which will foreshadow the pain that's heading his way..

Target Audience Images

Who would be the audience for your specific thriller?

 

Who would be the audience for your specific thriller?

 

The subgenre I have chosen is a psychological thriller. The audience for my specific thriller would be from 15-40+. I think this because this kind of film is appropriate for these ages and people would enjoy the thrill, elder people would enjoy the thrill and would have lots of questions, plus younger people enjoy movies with their friends and scaring each other.

 

Age: 18 – 35

 

Interests: going to the movies, spending time with friends, nights in, learning, watching television, theme parks, fun days out.

 

Gender: mainly males but females

 

Ethnicity: any

 

 

I didn’t specifically chose this age group because thrillers have a large audience anyway, however because the film isn’t a romance which stereotypically stands out to females or a fantasy which is more of a family film, the genre stands out to most age groups anyway. It’s for people who enjoy challenging themselves and who have the time to watch a film or enjoy a film with their partner or teenage daughter. Also this age group is independent and can pay to be able to watch the film or buy it, as well as this they’re active and go out to the cinema etc.

 

My target audience would expect my film to be intriguing and disturbing, with a twist or surprise ending. They would expect it to be tense and full of anticipation, maybe a little jumpy, with eerie music and very interesting. They would like to be fully focused on the film and enjoy watching it as it would entertain them.

 

The sub-genre would attract them to the film as it would make them curious, the fact that the protagonist is a female is different and makes women seem more strong and independent, so the film would appeal to women more.

 

If I were designing a poster for my film I would include dark colours mainly red black green grey and white to make it look dark mysterious and gloomy. I would use a jagged font to make it look slightly gothic and to fit the genre. I would possibly use a really thin font to make it look slightly odd and contrast with the dark colours which stand out. I would also use question marks and shadows, maybe some mirrors and weapons, also some disturbing pictures of mentally ill people, splatters of blood, and maybe a clock to show it’s only a matter of time, I’d also write revenge on it to show the main theme. I’d use a sexy female to look attractive and to use as some eye candy for the males watching it.

 

To attract the audience to my film by using their prior knowledge of the genre I would make my trailer very eerie and use tension building music, I would add this into my opening sequence to make it more effective and to keep the audience entertained. The music would let the audience know that something is about to happen and tell them the mood and mind set of the character. The audience would relate this music to the character throughout the film and it would mirror their emotions.

 

Another film that my target audience may be interested in is Columbiana, or Kill Bill. These films are similar about female main characters, which switches the roles around and has similar story lines of revenge.

 

The theme of revenge will relate to the audience because it would get their adrenaline pumping and make them think of themselves in the situation of the main character is in, it will create a sense of escapism and give them a topic to speak about after the film. The themes would attract the audience because it’s not your typical film about rescuing someone or falling in love, an eye for an eye it biblical and it shows the extent people will go to to avenge their families. Columbiana is a film based on the same theme which my audience may also find entertaining and relatable.

Characters

How does your opening sequence represent particular social groups?

My opening sequence would appeal to people who have an interest in psychological thrillers because it creates lots of tension and confuses the audience from the beginning. The start is quite disturbing and sets up the main theme of the film which is revenge. This kind of film is not for a younger audience as it requires a more complex mind and someone who enjoys problem solving and can understand the story line. Trying to grasp a member of a younger audience’s attention from the beginning of my film would be difficult. My opening sequence grabs the audience’s attention quickly as it is setting up the story, it leaves them in anticipation wanting to know more. The cliff hanger at the end of our opening sequence leaves them on the edge of their seats to find out what happens next. As I previously found out in my research, thrillers have a huge audience, ranging from teenagers to 50+. This means that my opening sequence would appeal to a number of people especially those who enjoy my particular sub-genre. The key characters in my film are; a female protagonist, who wants to avenge her parents but is psychologically disturbed, and a group of men who murdered her parents when she was younger which she plans to kill one by one. As well as this we have some flashbacks of her younger days with her parents and a news reporter in the opening sequence. In the opening sequence one of the victims faces will be shown in a close up shot of a passport photo when a dart hits his face, the news reporter will either be shown in a mid-shot or mid close up while reporting the story. Our female protagonist will be wearing all black to make her look dark and mysterious; when she is on camera she will be in the centre of the frame so that all of the attention is on her. The news reporter will be wearing smart clothing i.e. a shirt and will be to the left or right of the frame and smaller than the story line as the murder will be more important to the story line. The victim will also be in the centre of the frame as he too is relevant to the film. The victim will be wearing casual clothing and have relaxed body language and a blank facial expression compared to the protagonist who will have a cold look, she will smirk and have good posture. My main character reminds me of Cataleya from Columbiana because she was my inspiration to make the film and turn it from an action thriller to a psychological thriller. The villain reminds me of Byran Mills from taken because he looks quite scary and rough.

Moodboard Analysis

Mood board analysis. from _raebrooke

Font for Titles

The reason why as a group, we chose this style of font to appear in our opening sequence because it fully met the codes & Conventions of our thriller, also it is very similar to the image on our moodboard with the tattoo of "bitter sweet revenge". The parts that make this image really effective,is that it represents a dark and horrid past for the main female character, and keeping to the colour theme of black, it is more elegant which enhances the feminine yet violent side of the woman.

Font

4 Ideas & Final Idea

1. Action Thriller: When Anna`s parents are murdered in front of her when she’s a child, she dedicates her life to avenging them, no matter what it takes. The feedback received from this idea was that;"good. Good topic relating to family and murder," "female more attractive, strong, independent as in relation to the film Columbian and covers a wide audience" The suggestion for the name would be "Grown Avenger" "Good, not the same as other typical thrillers" "It has a motive and more of a purpose" 2. Romantic Thriller:Young lovers on the run from the police, the male has been previously convicted of murder whilst serving time whereas the female, has cheated but fears what the consequences will be for her. Does she know what he is capable of? Who will be his next target? The feedback received from this idea was that; “It effectively appeals to women and teenagers that have had been cheated on" (personal experience) "The idea of prison, good idea in general, simple" "Targets only one type audience" "Interesting and a very good plot" 3. Action Thriller: Based on a true story, the clocks rewind as memories and secrets are revealed from one of the country`s worst disasters. Ex- police officer is assigned to discover the truth. some things are not to be said. The feedback received from this idea was that; "Yes, I like the plot because it sounds interesting and engages us" "It makes me want to know more and find out what actually is going to happen" "Reminds me of a typical disaster movie" "The beginning of the end" "The theme of the idea is mysterious and relates well to the plot" 4. Horror/Crime Thriller:He`s the unknown and the unseen, his targets scare young teenage girls around California. He`s dressed in black blending with the night, unasked but who is he? Will they find him on time?. Are you next? The feedback received from this idea was that; "People thought of calling it Are you Next?" "Need more detail as it wasn’t gory enough for them" "Situated in California is a good location and makes the audience seem more terrified of the character" "Liked the fact that they use rhetorical questions at the end to make people think.