Thriller Tropes: Protagonist

James Bond was created in the 50's by ex-SIS agent, Ian Fleming. He has been the face of the action thriller genre for over fifty years with each actor to take on the role bringing the character to a then modern audience. The character is the most successful of his kind, spawning a uber-franchise that has arguable kept MGM afloat during financial crisis.  

Classically a sexist dinosaur, he has inspired the creation of similar characters throughout the thriller genre and sub-genres. The Bond-appeal even became a coined term for the thrill of being a spy which is often used to describe both the reality of  espionage and the fictional world of movies.

By all accounts, it is also arguable that James Bond has become an iconic institution of cinema which continues even now (which the latest instalment of the franchise being released later this year). 

Jack Ryan was created by Tom Clancy and spawned a sporadic array of films which included a variety of actors to play the character. Being based on a more modern look at espionage the analyst/operative/president never completely picked up in steam at the box office, however. 

For more information on the Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit film in particular, refer to the film study. 

Popular Thriller Trope: Location

First of the locations is probably the most famous of all crime ridden, thriller-esque locations is Gotham City from the Batman franchise which has been in existence since 1939. It is the set archetype for locations as such and has been shown to be the gritty place where no one wants to live. Such has been the stage for a number of film franchises each visibly taking aspects from the age old creation which itself, has appeared in a number of incarnations (from based on Chicago, New York to a fictional built and in Batman vs Superman, Detroit).

Basin City from Frank Miller's Sin City saga is a secluded city trapped in a basin/sink hole. It was nicknamed Sin City for its noire apparel and violent history. What also adds to the 'rough city' is the predominant red light district where a large portion of the stories to do with Sin City take place. 

The most used location for a thriller is undoubtedly New York. With Gotham being the archetype for a gritty city, it's no surprise that the eponymous TV show is filmed here. With boroughs ranging from the super funded to impoverished - it boasts a wide array of urban enviroments that have been adopted by a number of thriller TV shows such as Elementary, CSI, Blue Bloods etc.

Script changes

When filming, we came to the conclusion it was easier to use the script as guidelines than strict rules. 

We came up with all the dialogue when on set which made the filming much quicker as we weren't restricted by what we had to follow. The one fixed thing, however, was the monologue which is going to be played over the travelling scenes. We compromised the script so the filming could expand and evolve without being restricted. It cut time and also gave us more freedom for what we wanted to do.

As of now, the script is only exists due to the script and the rest is pretty much obsolete now. 

‘Untitled’

By CakeBox Productions

A bleak city landscape. The camera is following a man walking through the grey streets. He is wearing warm clothing indicating winter. Camera pulls focus in and out changing focus from him and the scenery around.

John(aside)-: I always wanted to be a police detective. I don’t know why.

Cut to next shot. Close-up match on action of Jon brushing past a building.

John(aside)-: Maybe it was the TV shows. The good cop always catching the bad guy and he somehow manages to rescue everyone at the end. Cool story.

                Cut to extreme close up of the Bomb Maker tinkering.

Cut back to John. Low angle shot like the camera is behind a car following the approach of John.

John(aside)-: No. It was a nice thought, though. Maybe one day I’ll get given a case where the killer is some idiot with a clear motive, prints at the scene, the works.

                Cut to extreme close up of the Bomb Maker’s mouth area. He slowly smiles.

                Cut to shot of traffic with muffled car noises allowing the monologue to be heard.

John(aside)-: That would be nice before I retire. That old cliché.

Shot of the back of John. He is looking down at traffic on an overpass. The sound of wind and traffic is muffled.

John(aside)-: Long time until that, unfortunately.

                Cut to two-shot. Another person approaches. It is John’s partner, Pedro La Guerta.

Pedro-: John?

John-: Pedro. What d’you need?

Pedro-: You at the station. Someone’s there claiming that they’ve set up a bomb in the city. They’re asking to speak to you personally.

                Close up of John as he replies.

John-: And here I thought that I could have the morning off.

Cut to main titles.

The red highlighted portions show the obsolete sections as the dialogue was revised.

The green highlighted portion shows the cut cues rather than strict instructions so these are open to change. 

A film that inspired our project - Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

The film based on Tom Clancy's character once played by Harrison Ford, was released in 2014 as a reboot to the Jack Ryan franchise. Starring and directed by Kenneth Branagh as the arguably trend setting, evil Russian tycoon villain. 

Based on characters created by Tom Clancy and adapted for the screen by Adam Cozad and David Koepp, the film grossed $135.5 million at the box office from a budget of $60 million. 

It brought together currently popular actors such as Chris Pine (Star Trek), Keira Knightly (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Kevin Costner who is a Hollywood A-list veteran.  

Comparatively, the film flopped compared to previous Jack Ryan films such as Clear and Present Danger and Air Force 1.  Currently, it is unknown whether there will be a sequel to the film as funding has currently not been confirmed.

Risk Assesment Table

Weather:

Attempt to shoot on a day where there is light but it is cloudy. Use of pathetic fallacy to reflect mood of film.

Careful not fall into lake:
When shooting scenes that require us to approach the lake in Cuckoo's Hollow, do not stand too close to the edge of the brush. Also be sure to not drop the camera in the lake in filming over the bridge or rails.

Neighbourhoods:
Do not make too much noise to disturb people living in the neighbourhood.

Beware of traffic:
Don't get hit by a car.

Beware of passer-bys:
Could accidentally get them in the footage without consent.

Alchemy scene:
Be careful not to cut self on equipment.
Don't drop glass bottles/jars.
Beware of any spillages.

Risk	Consequence	Risk chance	Precautions
Dropping camera while filming	Broken property and inability to film	Low	We will take regular breaks.
Canine interference	Pet dog(s) on set ruins take or post-production sound recording with barking or intrusion.	High	Ensure the dogs are in another location so they do not provide non-diegetic sound.
Road traffic accidents	Injury	Medium	Take standard road safety precautions when encountering roads.
Falling/tripping	Injury	Low	Be cautious when travelling by foot.
Camera breakage due to wind knocking over tripod	Camera is broken and the product is unable to be filmed.	High	Be vigilant of wind and hold onto tripod and camera at all times..

Popular Thriller Tropes: Villain

A thriller film is often defined by the villain rather than the main character. Their menace/threat that they pose is often the driving force of the film and so they are remembered for that. 

The film Skyfall which is part of the James Bond uber-franchise is remembered for his unique appearance and sheer insanity. 

Despite the plot hole that the character was disfigured by cyanide (which would be impossible), this scene is regarded as a highlight from the film. 

John Doe from Se7en (played by Kevin Spacey) is a methodical religious extremist. 

His crimes in the film are gruesome and horrifying making him a more formidable foe. 

The reality of the character is the most memorable part of his character. It feeds into the fear of the film and the macabre oddity of the mis en scene. 
He as a person, is cool and collective with his face value nature only giving a peak into the super-disturbed mind within.

The xenomorph in Ridley Scott's original horror/thriller, Alien is first and foremost a hunter. 
A monstrous killing machine, the xenomorphs sole purpose is to kill making him/her unpredictable and highly dangerous.
Arguably the greatest villain of all time due to their ferocity, the xenomorph has spawned a whole franchise lasting even now.

TV shows that inspired our project

The Killing (US) is a bleak look at police work and follows a gripping and twisting murder case. The style of it and the simplicity of the scene set ups. It also has very dark themes such as addiction, the abuse of Native Americans, corruption of power and money, and depression. 

The narrative is relatively basic for a murder mystery show but it extends to follow a more realistic narrative where the lines between good and evil becomes more blurry.

The lighting is very poignant as it is all very grey scale adding to the atmosphere of mystery and oddly oppression.

Luther is one of the most focal inspirations for our project as it highlights the tormented lives of people who solve the most heinous murders.

It portrays a deeply troubled individual working on the fringes of acceptable law enforcement. A running sub-plot focuses on this and a task force designed to remove Luther from his job which he does in a controversial unorthodox way.

Supernatural: Shelved

Due to practicality of filming and timing, it was deemed that a parallel script and filming schedule was generally impractical. We also believe that due to our research that we have conducted, we have not encompassed a supernatural element. To this end, we have not seen the potential audience reaction so making a film of that nature will be both painstaking and a risk due to the unknown element. 

In conclusion, the supernatural alternate script has been shelved. We are instead continuing with the crime thriller film that we intended to produce.

Spoken Sound

In films, spoken words may take the form of dialogues, monologues, or narration.

Overlapping dialogue can create or reinforce a sense of nervousness, stress, and isolation.

Dialogue is invaluable for revealing a characters ideas, goals, and dreams, though often it does so more concisely, obliquely and revealingly than conversation in life does.

Parallel Script and Filming

We, as a group, were torn between two versions of the script.
One being our original and the other containing alterations to include cross-genre elements including supernatural elements. 

The elements that will be present in our supernatural product:

• Mentions of magical element
• Potentially gloomier tone to make it a more bespoke supernatural tale such as Fables or Once Upon A Time.
• Characters being visibly fantasy themed
• More supernatural conventions such as fantasy terms and setting.

The elements that will be present in our crime thriller product:

• Grey skies
• A monologue narrative
• A hinted villain presented in a mysterious way
• Clear protagonist and side-protagonist
• Explosion

Unable to decide which track we wanted to go down, we have decided to create the alternate script and during filming, we film the alternate script alongside the original. In the editing process post-filming, we will come to the decision of which path to take.

Movie Rating

We decided as a group that the appropriated rating for the full film that we are creating an intro for was 15. This is because of the strong language such as the word f*** present and the themes of terrorism in terms of the proposed bombs and extremism. 

In the full theme we would expect to include instances of nudity when entering certain settings relevant to the case being solved within the film.

We also would have intended to include a scene of torture when the main characters close, blind friend, gets captured by side-villains. It would not be gore to the extreme of Se7en but more reminiscent of Casino Royale or more generally the modern James Bond films where violence is more commonplace and extreme yet fits snugly in the boundaries of the ratings.

We believe this rating would be appropriate as we intend to allow a wide audience to see the film yet at the same time have an appropriate rating that full fills the requirements of the rating by the BBFC).

Film Opening Script

We devised a script for the clip.  It is subject to change at the time being but it is unlikely it will be. 
So far, the piece is untitled and the name of it will likely be devised in the creation of the movie title effects.

‘Untitled’

By CakeBox Productions

A bleak city landscape. The camera is following a man walking through the grey streets. He is wearing warm clothing indicating winter. Camera pulls focus in and out changing focus from him and the scenery around.

John(aside)-: I always wanted to be a police detective. I don’t know why.

Cut to next shot. Close-up match on action of Jon brushing past a building.

John(aside)-: Maybe it was the TV shows. The good cop always catching the bad guy and he somehow manages to rescue everyone at the end. Cool story.

                Cut to extreme close up of the Bomb Maker tinkering.

Cut back to John. Low angle shot like the camera is behind a car following the approach of John.

John(aside)-: No. It was a nice thought, though. Maybe one day I’ll get given a case where the killer is some idiot with a clear motive, prints at the scene, the works.

                Cut to extreme close up of the Bomb Maker’s mouth area. He slowly smiles.

                Cut to shot of traffic with muffled car noises allowing the monologue to be heard.

John(aside)-: That would be nice before I retire. That old cliché.

Shot of the back of John. He is looking down at traffic on an overpass. The sound of wind and traffic is muffled.

John(aside)-: Long time until that, unfortunately.

                Cut to two-shot. Another person approaches. It is John’s partner, Pedro La Guerta.

Pedro-: John?

John-: Pedro. What d’you need?

Pedro-: You at the station. Someone’s there claiming that they’ve set up a bomb in the city. They’re asking to speak to you personally.

                Close up of John as he replies.

John-: And here I thought that I could have the morning off.

Cut to main titles.

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: