Notable films of the crime thriller genre

The film Now You See Me is less conventional crime thriller following a troupe of illusionists.
They baffle the authorities by carrying out a number of high stakes robberies in front of a live audience seemingly by magic and as the stakes  get higher, the illusions become more and more dangerous. 

It's concept is unusual for the genre due to the lack of general violence and it focusses on the intellect behind illusions and the 'magic' craze that is popular at live venues in cities such as Las Vegas.

The bank robbery committed using illusion cannot be proved but the authorities know it was the troupe which creates a public game of cat and mouse with the troupe being two steps ahead at all times. 

This chase is the only true staple of the crime thriller drama but what is more unusual (yet not entirely unique) is that the film focuses on the criminal element rather than the police.

Silence of the Lambs is the archetypal crime thriller as it is often regarded to be the film that set the tone for the genre and the with it the standard for which others are set to.

It features FBI agent Clarice Starling attempting to decipher the cryptic clues given by imprisoned cannibal serial killer, Hannibal Lecter to catch a serial killer called Buffalo Bill. 

This single film created the Hannibal Lecter film franchise and inspired many other intelligent serial killer material that focuses on the killer him/herself. 

The staple of the chase is present, along with the confrontation with a murderer but it's unique qualities is the relationship between Starling and Lecter that is synonymous with the franchise and book series.



The film Sin City is based on a collection of stories from a noire comic book. 
The only colours used in both are black, white, red and a few exceptions intrinsic to the story lines. 
It is set in a crime ridden city nicknamed Sin City and it follows all the generally archetypal crime thriller conventions. 

These include: chases, focus on private detectives, dark underworld themes, sexual elements, violence and extreme violence.

Being based on an amalgamation of all the crime thriller elements, the film is considered the epitome of the genre.  

Action Mood Board

Production company logo

The CakeBox Productions logo is inspired by Battenberg cake. It is simple an minimalistic so not to overcrowd the design. The other information such as Box and Production will be added using standard text. The yellow box around it however, differs from the traditional cake design and represents the box in the name. 

The name of CakeBox Productions came from several hours of research with the group. We had a lot of difficulty finding a non-copyrighted name to use. It is ironic as the production company is creating a serious piece. 

Questionnare results

Upon deciding on our group idea, we carried out both qualitative & quantitative research. This is because we were able to refine our ideas to cater to our target audience. We then constructed the data in the form of a pie chart.

Key:

Highlighted Green - Popular Data

Highlighted Red - Not as Popular Data

Quantitative:

Qualitative 

We asked 3 people questions that could influence our final product.

Questions

What is your preferred genre & why?

Person 1: My favourite is crime genre because I enjoy attempting to solve the crime as the show progresses.

Peson 2: I really like thriller as I enjoy non stop action as it is entertaining.

Person 3: I really enjoy crime genre since I like the lead up to the reveal of the villain.

Due to this information, we decided to make our media project based on the crime genre.



What makes a good opening to a film of the crime genre?

Person 1: I like slow build ups. Then I like there to be a cliff hanger as it makes me want to watch more.

Person 2: I think that a good opening effectively establishes the main protagonist. I like it when there is clear elements of foreshadowing to showcase the villain like when bad things happen and the face is never revealed - only things like hands, feet, etc.

Person 3:  I like when the villain plays a large role with clear elements of screen time. I like having a visual insight as to what he/she is up to but still retaining the mystery aspect of it all.  

From this research, we decided to show elements of antagonist in the opening whilst still retaining his identity. Perhaps have a monologue from the protagonist to give a bit of his back-story to the audience (like the movie "Snatch").

Do you prefer a solo cop, crime fighting partners or a whole team of cops?

Person 1: I like to see the dynamic of a team and see how they tackle a crime. However, the character development is usually lacking unless it is series based like CSI or Criminal Minds.

Person 2: I'm more into the partner in crime choice. I'm a huge fan of DC Comics & I love seeing the bond between characters like Batman & Robin, or Commissioner Gordon & Harvey Bullock.

Person 3: I prefer partners as usually a strong amount of trust is required to solve a case. I think it's interesting to see just how much they become reliant on one another & at what lengths they'll go to ensure both the safety of each other whilst solving the case.

As a result, we'll make the protagonists of the production be two crime fighting partners. We'll take inspiration form Commissioner Gordon & Harvey Bullock from the hit crime show "Gotham."

Mood board for the opening

Here is our group's mood board. It presents different films/TV shows  that have inspired our opening or has relations to it.
Sin City incorporates the ssoliloquieswe want to incorporate into the opening.
Luther has the gritty mystery elements.
Skyfall brings the sense of a larger force at work - in the shadows.
Hitman Agent 47 creates a sense of high octane action.
Jack Reacher influenced us due to the sophisticated subtleties and themes.
The Italian Job is, of course, the archetypal crime film.

Group for Main Project

My group for the main project consists of
Keenan Myers
Harry Garwood.
Myself (Kieran Cudbertson)

Already we have assigned characters for the project even though they are currently unnamed:

Keenan: the antagonist (based on John Doe from Se7en)
Harry: the main protagonist (inspired by BBC's Luther's eponymous character)
Kieran: the secondary protagonist (inspired by BBC's Luther's Ripley)

Idea Storyboard

This storyboard follows the plan idea in a previous post. It includes all the usual conventions of a storyboard such as mis en scene, drawing of the shot, lighting and sound. 

There are no timings included since this is the beginning of the production of the project so they are subject to change.

Movie Opening Intro

For movie intro and opening credits project, I will be in a group that consists of myself, Harry Garwood and Keenan Myers.


Plot Draft #1
Thriller and more specifically police drama taking inspiration from Luther and Sin City.
The opening will follow a similar art-house-esque bleakness. It will open with a seemingly villainous bomb maker with cuts to a detective looking man walking down a street with a monologue running through. It will reveal the personality of the main character who is the detective. The cuts to the bomb maker will be surreal and take elements from the Se7en opening (the frantic hand movements and sinister sounds). There will be a use of non-digetic sound in these cuts to the bomb-maker creating a surreal juxtaposition and the music we had in mind was the cheerful song Baba Yetu by Judith De La Santos. The music that follows the detective will be digetic city sounds such as car horns and sirens. 
The scene will end with a cut to the detective when he gets a phone call telling him that there has been another attack and it will follow with a final line from the monologue before the main movie titles begin.
Throughout the scene at the bottom of the shots, credits will fade in and out in a way that is noticeable but not distracting from the action on screen.

Inspiration:

Horror Mood Board

Comedy Mood Board

Audience Research

Based on this list of most successful movies to date, a pattern is clear. All these movies on the list are larger than life and far from reality. Even the top highest grossing movie is set on a distant planet followed by a romanticised version of the Titanic story. 
3 of the top 5 grossing movies are big budget science fiction, action or fantasy films showing a popular modern trend.

The list also shows that the film does not have to be abundant in animated effects (such as Avatatar) to be successful for example: The Dark Knight.

From this list, it is clear that the comedy genre is very popular with the general audience based on these figures. In my opinion, this is because of the wide audience comedy appeals.

Opening Titles

Dexter: 

The opening sequence presents everyday tasks and events in a more sinister manner. This is achieved using extreme close ups on objects to create a darker perception of them. 
It relates well to the themes within the show. These include, murder, lies, the sinister or scary etc. The opening encompasses those things hiding sinister and murderous elements within routine activities and in this case: getting ready for work.

The music adds a mischievous tone to it which juxtaposes the nature of the titles at face value. It creates an atmosphere of mystery and the way it transitions with the visuals compliments the revealing sinister nature of the eponymous character, Dexter, who is the focal point through out the opening. 

Here you can see a timeline of the opening that I made on Word.

The use of reddish hues in the titles and backgrounds also adds a sinister tone as the colour red (in correlation with the seemingly sinister actions on screen) has connotations with blood and danger.

BBFC

Main Exercise Intro

The titles and openings of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of 2 minutes.

E.g. 

This example lasts for more than twice the time given for the task but is a good example of an action movie opening nevertheless. 

(Note from here on there will be more and more posts on the production and planning of the main exercise)

Movie Studios Research

In this, I will be looking into two movie studios (one multinational and one independent).




Warner Brothers Pictures 
This movie studio was founded in 1903 in America during the first wave of movie making, being one of the first major studios to be founded since cinema itself was invented in 1891.It is one of the most successful and long lasting movie studios ever. 
The studio itself is a subsidiary of the much larger Time Warner Inc. which in also owns CNN, HBO, Cartoon Network and many more. Technically the studios is a sub-subsidiary of Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. which encompasses the studios, DC Comics WB Television and many more. Effectively, the studio only handles the movie aspect of the larger multinational corporation.

They have produced movies such as the Harry Potter franchise, Batman, Superman, Looney Toons, Sherlock Holmes, Clash of the Titans, the Final Destination franchise and many, many more dating back to their first film in 1918: My Four Years in Germany.

The most risky and exciting investment in modern times with Warner Bros. Studios was and is considered to be director Tim Burton. It paid off however and his macabre, strange classics such as Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns and A Nightmare Before Christmas. In total the Tim Burton risk has made Warner Bros. Studios a massive $905,985,098. In fact, it was down to Warner Bros. in 1985 taking on Tim Burton's first movie that made him a household name.






Film4 Productions

Film4 Productions or Film Four Productions, is a subsidiary of Channel 4 Television Corporation. It's first movie was made in 1982 and was called Walter. 
It has been re-branded several times since its creation for the first movie made and most notably so in 2006 when the company was designated its own digital TV channel especially for broadcasting films. This generated more revenue for the company allowing it to contribute and create more exciting blockbusters.

Its roster of films  that Film4 have made themselves or have contributed to include: Trainspotting, This is England, The Iron Lady, The Selfish Giant, Macbeth, Four Lions and many more. 

(Due to it's small size, Film4 information is limited compared to the likes of Warner Brothers but I will add more information when I find it)

Codes and conventions research

Conventions:

The conventions literally mean something that is usually done or associated with. They are the norm where normal parameters where movies or TV programmes fall into during the opening sequence. There are many variations such as:

Purpose - hooks the audience and conveys genre, mood etc.

Timing - this is the time of the opening sequence which normally lasts 2-5 minutes.

Sets the scene - (relatively self explanatory)

Introduces key characters: protagonist, antagonist, sidekick etc.

Key credits: such as the director, headline actor, producer etc.
Equilibrium: the key event that kick starts the movie usually takes place in the opening scene.
Introduces pre-plot: establishes the platform or scene.







Codes: the codes are in three categories that allow the director to convey a message to the audience.The 3 categories are:
Technical Codes: these include camera techniques, framing, depth of field, editing, lighting and Mis en scene.
Symbolic Codes: these refer to objects, clothing, colour etc. For example red lighting = danger.
Written Codes: these come in the form of headlines and other text. 




An example: (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone opening)

Conventions - 

Purpose: the purpose is to hook the audience to watch the film and to become engrossed with the series and also conveys the fantasy genre.

Timing: 4 minutes.

Sets the scene: a dark night in the UK or more specifically a suburban street called Privet Drive.

Introduces key characters: Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid and the main character, Harry Potter. 

Key Credits: this example doesn't really show the cast however it does show the Warner Brothers logo which tells the audience which movie studio the franchise belongs to.

Equilibrium: the magical element of the film is established and baby Harry Potter is left at the doorstep of the Dudley family.

Introduces pre-plot: already we know that Harry Potter has special relevance in the magical world and there are deadly threats that must be faced.

Codes -

Technical: there are varying camera shots and angles along with different lighting tones and accents changing the mood of the scene.

Symbolic Codes: the key one in this scene is that Harry is placed in the only bright light in the scene symbolizing that he will be the light in the darkness that surrounds him.

Written Codes: the reconcilable Harry Potter lettering and titles shows instantly that the film will have a magical tone that will be bright (due to the golden colour of the typography).

Here is a easy way to see how conventions work with codes:

Camera shots and angles research

Establishing shot (ELS) : it establishes the setting of the scene and normally shows the type of location and mood of the scene itself. 




Master shot : a continuous shot with no stops or cuts throughout. It allows for swooping and fluid shots setting the pace and tone of the scene.



Close up (CU): the shot concentrates on a single object rather than multiple for example someone's face. This is often used to create tension or capture a reaction or action even of a person or object in the shot.



Mid shot: similar to a close up, mid shots show more of the object for example rather than someone's face, the shot is of the waist up. It gives the audience more of a clear shot of the scene and details such as clothing without distorting the view of the character's action or face.


Wide shot: similar to the last, this shot is most like a long shot but as the name suggests, a wider shot that reveals more of the rest of the scene without the need to be further away. It gives the audience to see more of the setting in the scene without compromising their attention to the scene's focal point.


Long shot: a shot taken from a far distance from the scene's focal point revealing more of the scene and context to the audience. In this example the focal point is the coffin.


 Bird's eye view: is a shot taken from above the subject to give the audience a view of the landscape around the scene and what it appears like from the above. This view is strange and often eerie due to the unnatural feeling of flight.


Point of view shot (POV): is taken from the perspective of a person or an object to make the audience connect with it/them more by being in their shoes or alternatively for the audience to connect with the subject interacting with the camera.

Extreme close up: this is an extreme version of the conventional close up focusing on more minute things like an eye or fingers etc. This allows the actors (actor in this example) to exploit micro-expressions that allow the audience to see subtle changes in tone in the single shot.


Extreme long shot: this is the opposite of an extreme close up being very far away rather than very zoomed in. It allows the audience to view the whole scene with ease focusing on the bigger picture rather than the smaller details.




Low angle shot: this type of shot is taken from below the object or person of interest in the scene. It creates a different and unique perspective allowing the audience to see another side to the scene.


Eye level shot: this shot is taken at eye level of the person of interest and as the name suggests only works at eye level. It increases the impact of a characters reaction to an action in the scene.


Two shot: this is where two characters are in the same shot. This allows the audience to see the reactions of two characters, an interaction between the two or rather one talking with another listening on.


Aerial Shot: this is a shot taken from an elevated position in the air thus the name. They are not cut and dry so often blend into the establishing shot to preview a scene's setting and mood. They also blend with master shots and in fact the example given is also technically as panning shot. 


Pan Shot: the pan shot is a shot that literally pans across a scene like a master shot. In one continual shot, the camera drifts across revealing the setting, characters and other focal objects/points.This gives the audience a wide range of things to focus on while not distracting from the director's intended focal point.

Finished preliminary exercise

Continuity: this is the consistency of the scene/film etc. It allows the story of the scene/film to be shown in a continual linear flow. Continuity allows the audience to easily follow the flow of the movie with ease. A lack of continuity may occur due to human error:  e.g. a object being moved from one shot to the next without anything occurring in the scene to allow it to happen. Alternatively, the lack of continuity may be down to the director's style that may consist of flashbacks and other cuts.




Preliminary Exercise: Here is my/ our group's first attempt at creating a small scene. This Preliminary Exercise consisted of a match-on-action shot, an example of how the 180-degree rule works and an shot/reverse shot. We learnt from this shot to definitely find a better place to film with less people around and because of that we had some unwanted speech in one of the shots. We also need to use editing software to cut out unwanted things such as: "open the door." The lighting was bad for the shots we wanted but as there was nothing we could do with that, it was unavoidable. The continuity error where a character was not seen through the door's window, will definitely be addressed for next time.In all though, it wasn't a bad first attempt. Obviously there is plenty room for lots of improvement that will be addressed.

Preliminary exercise

Preliminary Exercise

Produce a continuity exercise which involves a character opening a door crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite to a character, with whom the task should demonstrate:

Match on action: where the shot perspective of the shot changes during a scene to focus on an object. The shot is different however the action is still the same. The shot draws the attention to the focus point/action.

Shot/Reverse Shot: often used in a conversational scene where the shots would alternate between characters showing them looking at each other. The back and forth dynamic of the shot works like a conventional conversation showing action and reaction.

180 Degree Rule : to create this effect, an imaginary line called an axis is created that connects two characters in one shot. When the scene and line is established the camera must keep on one side of the line in the shot. It shows the two characters in one shot facing each other clearly to the audience.