Research- 7 REPRESENTATIONS

7 Representations In the Media

Preliminary Task 1- FINAL EDIT

 Preliminary Task 1

Final Edit

Preliminary Task 1- CRITICAL CREATIVE REFLECTION

Preliminary Task 1- FIRST EDIT

Final Edit

Preliminary Task One 

Research- BOURNE IDENTITY

The Bourne Identity-

Analysis Essay

At first glance we receive a fade in establishing wide shot. Already this fade from black adds a sinister, stealthy feel to the film extract. The fact that the first image we see is black also foreshadows the protagonists’ unknown past, while the fade in foreshadows the quick ease that he has in recovering certain aspects from his past; for example the moment Bourne bursts out in French).

Overlapping this establishing shot is low foreboding stringed instruments, at a relatively fast tempo. This music is very emotive and effectively plays on the audiences’ apprehension, increasing their tension from the start.

 All we see from this quick establishing shot is a port (seemingly empty) however as the camera switches to a view of the protagonist Bourne, he looks around, helping the audience take in the surroundings of a bustling port street. The shot shows us that the protagonist knows as much as we do, both of us are unfamiliar of the surroundings of the film extract. This helps us to side with the Bourne from the start.

It is important to note that Bourne is wearing a red jacket which pops out behind the dull, drab, rainy street. This theme of red is repeated through the movie as a metaphor of Bourne’s future. In this setting, it is applicable as he is on a journey approaching the unknown (finding his past identity and what has happened to him in his past).

The non-diegetic ambiance of street conversations forebodes the contemptuous dialogue to follow. The fact that we see the bustling streets with Bourne included in the shot signifies that Bourne is fully involved with the following action. Bourne continues down the street and then disappears after a blue truck blocks the shot, driving through the foreground. This speck of blue is one of the only spots of colour (apart from the red jacket) that stands out in the drab, rainy street, and signifies Bourne’s past identity. That fact the Bourne simply vanishes after the blue truck passes, emphasises that his past identity has also vanished from his recollection. This vanishing also ignites a sensation of mystery and enigma.

 If the grade lines in the rule of thirds were placed over this shot, Bourne would be positioned in the middle square, as he walks down the street. His centring in the shot, collaborating with the long duration of the shot reveals to the audience that Bourne is the key character, the protagonist in the film. This centring also offers the audience an atheistic composition, which contrasts to the alarming, tension built through the ominous music and dark drab setting.

The shot changes into a slow areal zoom of a blue train entering tunnel. This theme of blue is again brought through the icon of the train signifying that Bourne is on a journey to find his identity. The areal zoom is followed by a hand held shot of Bourne as he stares at his reflection in the train window. This unsteady zooming shot implants uncertainty, which connects us to the uncertainty that Bourne is facing. His reflection again provokes a scenes of angst, as it appears dark and distorted. The fact that Bourne is examining an unclear image of himself parallels to the examining and searching to find out his past.

The shot switches to a close up of Bourne’s hand fiddling with a bullet. This icon adds a scene danger to the movie, and helps us understand that Bourne is dwelling on the previous events (which include the bullet) and trying to piece together information. The subsequent shot tracks Bourne walking through a crowded train station, and as he comes to a stop next to the front of a train projecting red headlights. This colour red again represents Bourne’s future, and specifically in this shot, his place within society. This is shown by the masses of people surrounding him. It enlightens the audience to the thoughts swirling through Bourne’s mind, who is he, and what connections does he have to in the world around him. (Who does he ‘know’, who are his enemies…)

The next shot discloses Bourne stationary in a dark snowy alleyway in silhouette. The camera pans smoothly and slowly upwards. Firstly, the shot is tranquil, and lacks music (silent) showing us Bourne is obviously contemplating something, due to his lack of movement or noise; indicative to the fact that he is having a hard time coming to terms with his situation. His dark figure lacks detail paralleling to the lack of details Bourne has about both his past and identity. This concept of his lack of knowledge and truth is evidently expressed through the repeated symbol of blue (Bourne is filmed in the silhouette of a blue street lamp).

The film then continues and we receive a view of two polices’ feet tracking to a park bench the Bourne is sleeping on. This tracking foot shot emphasises the sense of ambiguity about who these two men are, friend or foe? The camera changes to a close up of Bourne’s face, after he bursts out in French to these policemen. The show reveals to us that Bourne is suddenly struck with a revelation of key to his past, that he can speak French. As he converses the camera switches back and forth from a close up of Bourne, to a shot from behind Bourne revealing the Police. This switching in perspective adds a jumpy, unnerve, which is followed by even quicker cuts from a diverse array of angles of a fight scene that breaks out between the men. This again creates a disorientation and further action/movement, which accumulates tension in the audience.

This scene was filmed in a dark street. This dim lighting casts dark, defining, shadows across Bourne’s face making his features sharp and distinct. This lighting along with the cold snow covered set, adds a sinister tone emphasising, as Bourne defends himself, the potential Bourne has to wound, and how naturally fighting comes to him.

The fight scene ends and changes to a CU of Bourne’s face looking between the two police men and the swift damage that he has instinctively inflicted on them. The camera then shows a CU of the gun held comfortably in his hands. We realise in the moment that Bourne himself does that he is familiar with handling a gun. He discovers more about the type of person he must have been: violent. We can see that Bourne is wary, and uncertain about this realisation, from the CU of his face. The gun, an icon of maliciousness is dropped and disabled, and we understand that Bourne is moral, virtuous, not aggressive and malicious.

The shot then tracks Bourne running and leaving behind his coat. This ridding of his RED coat symbolises the fact that Bourne has discovered a part of his past and doesn’t want his FUTURE self to participate in the kind of violence he perceives his past self to have dabbled in. He sprints AWAY from the site where he beat up the police men which again emphasises this point.

In the beginning on this film, it is filmed as Laura Mulvey puts it, in a ‘male gaze’. She quotes that film is split between, ‘active males and passive females’ and that ‘film opens with the woman as object of the combined gaze of spectator and all the male protagonists in the film. She is isolated, glamorous and on display….But as the narrative progresses she falls in love with the main male protagonist.’ This theory is most certainly incorporated in the start of the Bourne Identity, where Marie falls in love with male protagonist Bourne, however the movie excludes Mulvey’ s theory of the audience acting as a ‘peeping tom’ though watching and objectifying the woman through the perspective of the male protagonist. The woman Marie first fits in to the stereotype of a ‘damsel in distress’ (passive) portraying women as helpless and in dire need of a heroic male character, however her character transforms into a strong, independent, stable female , paralleling to the rise in feminism in society. Marie is not objectified by Bourne, but rather respected and depended upon progressively throughout the film. This again contradicts Mulvey’s theory that all women are portrayed as solely object of lust and desire from a males POV. Specifically the film extract, when taken out of context, does not include any women, and may be critiqued for the dominance of male characters, especially through the eyes of strong feminists

Research- THRILLER SUBGENRES

Thriller Subgenres

Psychological Thriller-

Incorporates conventions of normal thrillers, such as suspense, fast pace and action, as well as its distinctive drama and mystery. Characters are no longer reliant on physical strength to overcome their enemies but are reliant on their mental resources by battling for equilibrium in the characters own mind. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying on one another's mind.

v For example in the movie Shutter Island, Andrew Laeddis the protagonist who was a former WW2 veteran has spent two years in a psychiatric clinic after killing his wife for drowning their three children. Andrew Louis played by Leonardo De Caprio struggles with accepting truth, so creates a new world with an imaginary identity as a man named Teddy Daniels- a US Marshal. Teddy faces flashbacks and illusions that reveal distorted past traumas and are incarnations of Teddy’s guilt. Teddy is also Bipolar switching from mania and hysterics to lethargy and depression. Other key characters Rachel Solando, Chuck Aule and Dolores Chanal are all in fact delusions that aid Teddy’s insanity, which he uses to reassure himself, from facing the truth. He is a threat and danger to anyone who challenges him with the truth of his identity.

 Shutter Island includes typical themes and conventions attained most psychological thrillers. These include flashbacks and illusions. Flash backs are time disorientations, confusing the audience or showing the past to give an insight into why the characters are the way they are. Illusions on the other hand give the impression that the protagonist is delusional and insane, showing the audience the extent of their psychological disorder. For example in Shutter Island, in one of Teddy’s illusions, a dead girl suddenly awakes from the dead repeating the same sentence over and over again “You should’ve saved us. You should’ve saved me.”

Tommy’s delusions indicate his incapability to distinguish between truth and illusion, this disorder is also common within psychological thrillers.

In another scene Teddy wakes up from a nightmare with heavy breathing, another convention typical in psychological thrillers. This convention is indicative of the inner turmoil and intellectually battles that occur in the protagonists mind. It also shows us how detrimental, their psychological disorders are to their wellbeing, and the lack of peace that they condone.

Tommy’s psychological conditions of depression, mania, bipolar, and his struggle to accept the truth, are classic examples of the key issues that protagonists face in psychological thrillers.

v Another example of a psychological thriller is Inception. Don Cobb (Leonardo De Caprio) the protagonist, is a high practice thief in the extraction of valuable secretes from within a person’s subconscious during dream state, via his extreme skill and state of the art equipment. His practices cause him to be a hot commodity amongst corporate industries, but his job has cost him everything he ever loved. After showing his wife through this dream world, she got stuck in the delusion that the dream was a reality, subsequently killing herself in reality trying to convince Cobb that the dream world was reality. Her death appeared like Cobbs’ murder, restricting him from seeing his kids’. Cobbs finds himself battling with his situation and faces the prospect of staying in the dream world with his deseeded wife and kids thus denying reality. This appealing idea drives him mad.

Inception also shares the convection of the protagonist attaining psychological disorders. Leonardo’s character’s Dom (Inception) and Teddy (Shutter Island) both have some elements to their life stories. Their wives cause them internal conflict showing the extent of the tricks a traumatised mind can play on an individual especially when inflicted by the ones they love.

Again the theme of determining truth from falsehood runs through this movie, much like Shutter Island. This is strategically emphasised at the end of the movie, where it leaves the audience guessing if Cobb has chosen to stay in reality or if he is in his subconscious dream world. This enigma leaves the audience on a cliff hanger, another theme that is present in some psychological thrillers.

The concept of time is regularly distorted and ‘played with’ in psychological thrillers. In inception, the characters who seem to experience a day, are actually only unconscious for a few minutes in reality. This concept of bending the reality of time is often used in psychological thrillers, weather flash backs which appear to travel back in time, time travel, or speeding and slowing time, the character’s in such movies often experience something abnormal in the time continuum.

v The psychological thriller The Prestige begins in Victorian London. Illusionist Alfred Borden is on trial for the murder of fellow illusionist Robert Angier’s wife. Angier’s wife fell through a trap door in the stage floor into a clear water-filled tank below. The tank was a prop for one of Angier's tricks performed earlier in the show. Angier’s wife ended up drowning as the tank was locked after she fell into it. Angier suspicion is placed upon Alfred since the two of them (Angier and Borden) shared a rivalrous past in the magician profession. While Borden was arguably more charismatic and accomplished in the technical aspects of the illusions, Angier is the overall better showman. Throughout the movie they try to outsmart each other by means of concocting more dangerous illusions than the other. Their feud had ignited such fierce competition that neither of the men were willing to back down, even at the expense of putting their audience in danger, and causing collateral damage.  The question the audience lingers with, is did their rivalry extend to the murder of Anger’s wife?

Appearance Vs reality is a key concept running through this movie. Through certain illusion tricks, the most prestigious being the ‘transportation’ trick, the audience questions what is reality and what is merely and illusion or ‘apparent truth’. For example, Alfred's marriage begins to suffer when he takes Robert Angier’s former assistant Olivia (Scarlett Johansson) as his lover, as part of his rival against his fellow magician. At this moment we question the sanity, character and genuineness of Alfred. We see the dark malevolent truth behind Alfred’s ambition, yet we see he appears to be this charismatic, exuberant, sophisticated professional on stage. This situation challenges the appearance of Alfred Vs his reality. It shows the audience the reality, enlightening the truth behind things as they appear.

 The Prestige also incorporates the theme of self-deception. It challenges the audience to question their conception on things. For example, in the illusion of the disappearing man, if your five scenes tell you that the man has disappeared, can your perspective simply deceive you, or is it magic? It makes the audience decide what they believe about a situation. This cognitive manipulation through illusion, is a common theme in psychological thrillers. They tend to challenge the audience’s perception of what is truth.

Action Thrillers-

Use fast pace physical chases, and battles to build suspense and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Usually based around a semi realistic plot lines with several twists, and a mounting climax of fighting action.

v For example Non Stop.  World-weary, British air marshal Bill Marks (Liam Neeson), sets off on a Boing 767 from New York to London. On flight, Mark receives an anonymous text stating that someone on board will die every 20mins unless $150 million is transferred into a stated bank account. Mark comes swiftly to his scenes, trying to identify his threat. Sure enough, passenger after passenger are illuminated as they drop like flies. Mark races against time to stop the madness.

   In this action thriller, the convention of racing against time is presented. This convention helps to build suspense, as a time limit approaches, giving a scenes of emergency in both the protagonist and the audience simultaneously. The question that plays in our minds is ‘are they going to make in in time?’

   Another repeated theme is danger. In almost every action thriller, lives are placed in jeopardy. In this instance, it’s the lives of innocent civilians, which makes their deaths so much more unethical, and socially immoral. Putting lives in danger, again, creates a scenes of enigma and uncertainty (are they going to live or die)?

   Adding to this theme of danger is the use of weapons. Weapons are useful icons that signify danger, and create suspense through the power they hold. How weapons, such as blow darts aboard the plane in Non Stop, represent the moral conduct and character of those who possess them. For example, we can discern that the character possessing the blow dart at the end of the movie, who is responsible for the murder of multiple innocent civilians, is a psychopath. However weapons can also be used in the hands of a hero. Marks, in the movie, possesses a gun for the use of defence in order to safeguard lives on board the plane. Action thrillers utilise weapons to either add suspense through the power they have to injure and kill. Or to show the audience the morality of the characters who hold the weapon.

   Death is a topic in action thrillers. The death of certain characters adds an element of drama that human nature tends to crave. Death is often the outcome of battle scenes such as the battle to determine the threat aboard the Boing 767 in Non Stop. When people’s lives are at stake, it arouses in the audience the emotions of suspense and ambiguity.

v Drive is a great example of an action thriller. In this movie Driver (Ryan Gosling) plays as a stunt double driver by day and a taxi driver for armed criminals on heists at night. Driver falls for his beautiful next door neighbour, Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into dangerous mishaps when her husband returns from jail. Driver finds himself behind the wheel, protecting the girl he loves from serious deadly criminals who are wanting more than the bag of cash in his boot, they are coming straight after Irene and her son. Driver is forced to get his hands dirty, in defence.

This action thriller includes a convention that has increased significantly in recent times. This convention is the incorporation of females playing major parts in movies, in some cases, playing the protagonist. Due to strong feminist movements, female figures have advanced in productions. In this case, Irene follows the stereotype of a ‘damsel in destress’. She appears to be a horrific judge of character, marring a criminal, and having a love affair with Driver, who is also involved with criminal activity. This lack of intellect follows the stereotype of the ‘dumb blond’. These stereotypes show female characters in a bad, unintelligent, light, and do not follow the modern convention which includes a strong female character who is fully capable and independent.

Romance is a key convention in action thrillers and is assimilated effectively in this film. Drive makes himself completely venerable as he falls in love with Irene. His quiet patient nature along with her gentle, soft deposition makes this love affair ironic and eccentric in such a violent action movie. The passion behind their relationship, however, is a common theme that is used to add another element to the movie to capture the audience and add breaks to the tension that is built through action.

Again the theme of lives in jeopardy is shown in Drive. This time however, character development has emotionally attached us to the character (Irene) whose life is most vulnerable. Her vulnerability makes us as the audience more suspenseful as she has little control over her situation.

v The action thriller Taken portrays a 17 year old girl Kim (Maggie Grace). She is the pride and joy of her father Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson). Bryan reluctantly agrees to Kim to go on a trip with her best friend to France. He is horrified to hear that she has been kidnapped by an Albanian gang whose specialty is prostitution rings. With only 96 hours to go before he'll never find her again, Bryan rushes to France to save her. Bryan's only lead is a short snippet of a conversation from when Kim phoned him in a panic. With that, he's able to identify the origin of the speaker and which criminal gang she's with. As a former CIA agent, he has all the skills necessary to rescue her, that’s only if he can only find her.

The convention of broken communication is brought up in Taken. For instance, the scene where Bryan receives a broken telephone call of his daughters plea for help, makes the audience angst and restless. The sound its self is broken and scratchy which helps to disquiet the audience. This is intensified in the audiences as we can see the daughter (Kim’s) distressing situation and what she is trying to communicate, yet Bryan cant. It’s frustrating and unnerving, when we have important insights that a character is oblivious to.

Another convention is the idea of a hostage. This hostility puts a character in danger, and makes them vulnerable and is included in a numerous numbers of action thrillers. The kidnapers are often extremely cruel and often psychopathic which increase the scene of danger.

  

Separation of characters is another theme. In this instance it’s the characters own volition that separates the two major protagonists as Kim takes a trip to France. However in many other movies, characters are separated outside the characters’ will, such as losing a child in a crown or being separated through being forced to participate in war ect. Never the less in this movie, the distance between Kim and her father Bryan becomes a major problem. This separation instils a strong desire in the audience to see the character reunite.

Disaster Thrillers –

A film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters include natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis or asteroid collisions; accidents such as shipwrecks or airplane crashes; or calamities like worldwide disease pandemics. They usually feature some degree of build-up, the disaster itself, and sometimes the aftermath, whilst following through the perspective of a particular protagonist or family.

v One classic example is the Titanic. 100 year-old woman named Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story to her granddaughter Lizzy Calvert, of her youth full days, about her life set in April 10th 1912, on a ship called Titanic. Young Rose boards the departing ship with the upper-class passengers and her mother, and her rich snobby fiancé Cal. Meanwhile, a drifter and artist named Jack Dawson wins third class tickets, on board, due to winning them in a frivolous game. Rose feels helplessly trapped by her situation and makes her way to the aft deck and thinks of suicide until she is rescued by Jack. Cal is therefore obliged to invite Jack to dine at their first-class table where he suffers through the slights of his snobbish hosts. In return, he spirits Rose off to third-class for an evening of dancing, giving her the time of her life. Cal finds out and has Jack locked away. Soon afterwards, the ship hits an iceberg and Rose must find Jack while both must run from Cal even as the ship sinks deeper into the freezing water. In the sub-zero ocean Jack dies.

A common convention tied in to disaster thrillers is love and romance. This kind of relationship gives the protagonist a purpose for survival, and is often the hero in the story, defending the life, in this case escape of their love interest. It adds a scenes of drama and appeals to a wider audience of people.

Another common theme in disaster thrillers is techniques of survival. The battle to live is often action filled and vary time dependant (racing against a clock). In the fight to survive, the protagonist is often the hero who saves a small group of people. Survival attracts the audience as it requires sheer intelligence and bravery, which people are attracted to as these traits are attractive, and drawing.

 The death of the protagonist is often used in movies. In the titanic we are attracted to the lively, good natured, enchanting and confident demeanour of Jack. We are shown his rough background and have sympathised with his unfortunate living standards. This emotional connection makes his death even more sorrowful and depressing to the audience. This idea of a macho heroic character, who sacrifices themselves in dignity on behalf of other characters, moves the audiences in an emotional roller-coaster.

Another convention would be the non-fiction element. A disaster that the audience knowns has existed, increases the verisimilitude of the movie and therefore the intensity of the audience’s apprehension regarding the plot line.  In this instance the audience already understands that the ship will sink, giving them uncertainty that follows this foresight.

v The Impossible is an example of a disaster thriller. Christmas Eve 2004. The Japan residing Brits, the Bennetts - husband and wife Henry and Maria, and their three sons Lucas, Thomas and Simon - have just arrived at the Orchid Beach Resort in Khao Lak, Thailand, for their Christmas vacation. They are all at the resort's pool area - Henry with the two youngest in the pool, while Maria and Lucas are off doing other things on their own - when, without warning, a massive tsunami hits. In the tsunami's aftermath which results in a landscape full of carnage and destruction, the surviving family members, some with serious injuries, are separated from each other.

    The first priority for each is to find at least one other family member so that he/she is not alone in dealing with the uncertainty of the situation. Along the way, each person will have to decide whether to help others, and conversely if others are willing to help them, most of who are facing the same situation of being injured and requiring medical assistance and/or are looking for missing loved ones, not knowing if they are dead or alive.

A convention shown in The Impossible, is the inclusion of young children. The children symbolise innocence and vulnerability. This innocence makes it even harder for the audience to cope any deaths that may proceed. Young children have still yet to live their lives and to have life stripped from young characters at such a young age can be unbearable to audience. Also consider that children often lack the intelligence, weapons, or maliciousness needed to survive, leaving them at the cruel hand of whatever situation they are placed in, again leaving the audience more despondent than if the characters had been adults.

 Families are another repeated icon which represent relationship, connection and love. When families are broken up and separated due to disaster, it inflicts a remorse in the audience due to the loss connection which is essential to every human. In the Impossible when the family is driven apart, we feel a strong drive and ambition for the characters to reconnect. When family members die, we perceive the loss of the character not only through our perspective, but also through the perspective of other family members.

v  The movie The Day after Tomorrow is a disaster thriller. Jack Hall, a scientist who studies the planet's weather patterns, thinks that because of global warming, a new Ice Age is imminent. He tries to air his suspicions at a conference which the Vice President also attends. Since Hall's rants means that certain industries, who are supporters of the administration, could be in trouble, he shoots Hall down, But another scientist thinks Hall might have something so they talk. The man who works at weather monitoring station sees that the planet's climate is rising calls Hall who is surprised and tries to inform the government but the Vice President again doesn't believe him. But when things get worse, Hall advises the President to move everyone from the Southern part of the continent further south till the weather improves. While everyone in the North should do their best to survive the cold. Hall then learns that his son is in New York so he tells his son to stay inside till Hall can get to him but the weather gets worse can Hall make it.

The concept of mass killings is a repeated theme in this disaster genre. The climax of The Day After Tomorrow shows a huge surge of water, murdering hundreds of trapped, vulnerable people in a city centre. This adds a dooming effect on the movie, and adds to the unlikelihood and sometimes the surreal survival of the main characters. The fact that the characters have survived more than the average man, adds to the suspense of their future survival.

Science and technology is a common theme. In The Day after Tomorrow, the cause of the disaster stems from negative, irresponsible actions of humans and their disastrous, destructive creations. Science and technology have been portrayed in an extremely negative way, perhaps the intension of this was to decrease the unsocial, detrimental obsession of technology in much of today’s society.

Another theme is the unsung protagonists’ common scene overriding and outsmarting all the world’s leaders, politicians, and military put together. Protagonists’ perceptions and solutions are often used to make the world leaders seem unintelligent and often selfish. In this situation the disastrous effects of global warming could have been prevented by the world leaders if they had been intelligent enough. This affixes frustration in the audience.

Medical Thriller-

Incorporate often gory scenarios where diseases, virus or sickness outbreaks become inflicted on the protagonist or become an epidemic. They transform current medical 'hot topics' into nightmarish scenarios, preying on the audiences fear.

v The movie Contagion is a medical thriller. Soon after her return from a business trip to Hong Kong, Beth Emhoff dies from what is a flu or some other type of infection. Her young son dies later the same day. Her husband Mitch however seems immune. Thus begins the spread of a deadly infection. For doctors and administrators at the U.S. Centres for Disease Control, several days pass before anyone realizes the extent or gravity of this new infection. They must first identify the type of virus in question and then find a means of combating it, a process that will likely take several months. As the contagion spreads to millions of people worldwide, societal order begins to break down as people panic.

Medicine is a powerful convention in thrillers because it is in itself mysterious. To a victim, disease and injury can both handicap and mystify as is the case in Beth, and her young son. The ambiguity of unknown disease thrusts fear into the audience, and concern for the protagonist’s wellbeing.

Patients under operation, are important images in thrillers. When a character is under the knife, we see seem them vulnerably lying unconscious in the hands of the physician.  These operations are often vary risky incorporating close ups of the operators hands, and fast pace music, adding suspense to a situation. The audience learn to either trust or mistrust the operator and this decision we make is vary nerve racking, as we know that the operator has the power to bring life or to murder a patient.

Blood is another image used to intensify suspense. It represents life and wellness. When we glimpse the protagonist bleeding from disease or virus, we see perceive the evidence of the internal devastation occurring inside the character. This revelation can make the audience squeamish, and severely concerned with the character and their wellbeing.

v  Another medical thriller is Awake. Clay Beresford is wealthy, young and in love. He also needs a new heart. After a spur-of-the-moment wedding to his fiancée, Sam, he undergoes heart transplant, with the chief surgeon his friend, Dr Jack Harper. However, the anaesthetic has a strange effect on him, paralyzing him but not putting him to sleep. The surgical team are not aware of this and continue with the operation. They also reveal that they intend to murder him.

This movie has the theme of distrust. The physician is the villain in this case attempting to murder his patient. We can pick up before the unconscious patient does, the malicious intensions of the operator, and therefore as the audience we feel a strong inclination to warn the protagonist and bring him out of such a vulnerable situation. This idea of a malicious, vindictive doctor is repeated throughout many medical thrillers.

Sharp deadly operating tools are a convention that adds suspense. Just as weapons like guns add a scene of danger in action thrillers, operating tools that hold power to kill, add a heightened suspense in medical thrillers.

v In the film Repo Men- a medical thriller, where in the future humans have extended and improved lives through highly sophisticated and expensive mechanical organs created by a company called "The Union". The dark side of these medical breakthroughs is that if you don't pay your bill, "The Union" sends its highly skilled repo men to take back its property... with no concern for your comfort or survival. Former soldier Remy is one of the best organ repo men in the business. But when he suffers a cardiac failure on the job, he awakens to find himself fitted with the company's top-of-the-line heart-replacement... as well as a hefty debt. But a side effect of the procedure is that his heart's no longer in the job. When he can't make the payments, The Union sends its toughest enforcer, Remy's former partner Jake, to track him down.

This movie is set in a futuristic perspective as are many medical thrillers. The ideas for medical advancement and legislations are ceaseless. Repo Man incorporates a nightmarish element where lives are not valued and murder is permissible. This futuristic method attributes the audience with imagination.

Gender roles are challenged in this movie. Men complete all the ‘messy’, ‘dirty’ work while females are portrayed as a safe haven, and could not be expected to complete such tasks. The concept that men are, braver, stronger, and more capable of harm, s significant in this movie.

Spy Thriller-

Spy thrillers include high adventure of field agents, often trying to gain important inform through espionage. Often include international, criminal organizations, global terrorist networks, and marine sabotage threatening Western societies. Spy thriller typically injected in the backdrop of war.

v The Man who came in from the Cold is a spy thriller.

British espionage agent Alec Leamas is ready to quit job as a spy and take on a desk job, to "come in out of the cold". He is given one last mission, and it's an incredibly dangerous and complex one. By disguising as a former agent he is to be recruited by the East German secret police, in the hope of planting seeds of doubt. The stakes are high and the risks great.

In this movie loyalty is a key theme. Alec Leamas’ loyalty is pinned upon the Capitalist West who has a vendetta against the Communist East. In doing so he disguises himself having a facade of loyalty to the East in Germany. This concept make the audience feel a scene of enigma, questioning the Alec’s motives and whose side he is actually loyal to. It credits the audience with their own opinions pertaining to the outcome of conflict and subsequent events.  

A convention that this movie follows is the lack of colour. It is filmed in black and white, and this is to show the cold, horrific, brutal conditions of war. Without the glossy, attention seeking glamour of colour, the black and white images don’t draw the audience’s eye to one thing in particular, but instead the whole image in its entirety. This makes the image sharp and harsh, like the reality of the scene.

v Another spy thriller is Salt.

Evelyn Salt is a CIA agent and highly respected by her boss Ted Winter and acquaintances alike. Out of the blue, a Russian spy walks into their offices and speaks a vital piece of information: the President of Russia will be assassinated during his forthcoming visit to New York City as he attend the funeral of the recently deceased U.S. Vice President. The name of the assassin: Evelyn Salt. Concerned about the safety of her husband, who she cannot contact, she goes on the run. Winter refuses to accept that she is a double agent but her actions begin to raise doubts.

This movie brings forth the hot topic/theme of feminism. The protagonists is a strong female character, with a high status and who meddles with espionage. She is a fully capable, high capacity woman. In fact, this movie is in high contrast to normal gender roles in most thrillers, so much so that she is protecting her husband, signifying that the male role is the person in vulnerability, unable to protect themselves.

Secrecy is an important factor in any spy thriller. To indicate a level of secrecy, movie use soft, hushed conversations. On top of this movies also exclude the audience from important information. This makes the audience understand that information is not only hidden from us, but also from key characters in the move.

v In the film Secret Agent, Verloc the protagonist, has made his living spying for the Russian government while simultaneously providing information to the London police. (Specifically Chief Inspector Heat). When the new Russian ambassador demands he prove his worth or lose his salary, Verloc triggers a disastrous chain of events that involves his pretty young wife Winnie. Her intellectually disabled brother has a fascination with explosives and destruction so Verloc calls on him when he needs a bomb.

The double agent is a repeated theme in spy thrillers, used to emphasis the power the protagonist holds. In this movie, Verloc has the choice in whom he will serve. This double agent concept also helps us determine the morals of the protagonist. Usually, pot agonists will chose the most human, and socially respectable side, so that the audience can confide in their good will, and moral.

Often in spy movies, the protagonist/spy will have a close relation that defers and interferes with their work. In this case, the life of Winnie Verlocs’ wife stands between Verloc and his job. This is done to show that humans rely on close relationships to keep them sain. Human connection is vital, and should not be shoved aside for any preoccupation or responsibility.

Mystery Thriller-

This is a subgenre including enigma and hidden secrets. The protagonist is often on the run, trying to find the truth in situations. They are often under a time limit, from the next mystery that needs to be solved.

v Movie example: Searching

    After David Kim’s 16 year old daughter goes missing, he searching the scene further than even professional investigators.  A theme that is brought up is technology. David browses his daughter computer files excessively, for hidden clues. This modern aspect, relates to a wide a growing market audience, and draws them in to the possibilities and parameters of technology and how it can be used.

In this movie, the search for clues is high paced, and builds from the original placid opening scene. The quiet slow start adds apprehension to the audience who would have watched the trailer and known that there is a mystery involved. The slow start also contrasts to the pace that is built up through the movie.

v Movie example: Buried

 In this movie the protagonist Paul Conroy, falls victim to a band of rebels. He awakes to find himself in a coffin, with only a phone and lighter. A large chunk of the movie is filmed within the coffin. This confinement is a classic convention of thrillers. The confinement is shown throw close ups of the protagonist, and this shows and emphasises the horror and anxiety painted on Pauls face.

Low lighting is a lighting convention that has been used. With only a lighter, to determine his location, Paul’s face is lit in a red hue, from the flame. This flame also creates shadows that flicker and create a taunting affect, illuminating the contours Paul face and the horror on it.

The sound in this film consists majorly of diegetic screams and shouts of Paul’s frustration. This increases the verisimilitude and tension in the scene. Thrill cries of the protagonists shows the audience just how dire his situation is.

v Example of mystery thriller: Unknown

In this movie, Dr Martin Harris awakes from a car accident to find his world is in chaos. His wife doesn’t recognise him, assassins are trying to kill him and someone is using his identity. He struggles to find the truth. It includes the convention of fast close up shots. These subsequent shots often proceed in a montage of pictures. This is done to exclude the audience from a full scene of information, regarding the action of the film. As the audience we are left wanting to know more, whilst being drawn in by a roller-coaster of different shots, scenes, and perspectives.

Slow black fades between scenes are a convention that adds an effect as if we as the audience are blinking slowly. This slow tranquil ‘blinking’ contracts to the fast action in the scenes. This can frustrate the audience whilst again drawing them in to receive more information.