Soundtrack ideas

For our soundtrack we wanted something more seductive then full of suspense, to mirror the character of the Femme Fatale. After researching into different soundtracks on the internet, we then defined our search to look for soundtracks from Film Noir films which is our chosen sub genre. We then discovered a particular jazz sound that we are going to reinvent and are planning to put together fro scratch. To do this, we will be sitting in on the schools band practice and listening to the high school students as they rehearse. This will allow us to choose who we want to include, and then we will make a soundtrack of our own to use in our thriller opening.

Here is a youtube video of a piece of music that gave us inspiration to go on and make our own version.

Shot List

Certificate Research

After looking into what makes a film a certain certificate, on the BBFC website, I decided to research a couple of films so I could recognize why they are the certificate they are and how violent or horrific a film has to be to take it from a 12 to a 15 or from a 15 to an 18.

The first film I looked into was LA Confidential; certificate 18. According to BBFC, a film has to be an 18 if:

' Material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or, through their behavior, to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sexual or sexualised violence which might, for example, eroticise or endorse sexual assault'

Another reason I decided to look into LA Confidential was because of the film poster. It shows a femme fatale in a white dress, showing attention has been paid to costume and colour, as she is also wearing red lipstick which can signify power and seduction. There is also a glimpse of Hollywood in the background of the film cover, which from my research on Film Noir, I know is part of their usual settings, in addition to lounges and nightclubs. In other versions of the film poster, the woman is seen smoking a cigarette, which  is a commonly used piece of iconography. It is elements like these that we have taken on board and creatively mixed into our thriller opening, but in our own way. Before studying media, I was not aware of the genre 'Film Noir' and had absolutely no idea what a 'Femme Fatale' was, but this is something I have really enjoyed learning about and researching into, because I've always been one to support the idea that women should have as much right to leading roles as men should, and not always as the victim.

Another film I looked into was Terminator 2 Judgement Day, certificate 15. It was given this certificate due to it's use of strong language, bloody violence and horror. Enemy of State, similarly was given certificate 15 due to its use of strong language.

Thriller Sub-Genres Research

Conspiracy Thriller:

This type of genre consists of a hero/heroine who are usually journalists or investigators who find themselves caught up amongst powerful organisations. These organisations are often brought down by the protagonist character, which reinforces the idea of good overtaking evil. conspiracy thrillers often play with the secrecy of governments and major organisations. An example of a conspiracy film is The Game, this film is about an investment banker who receives a mysterious gift where he must participate in a game that integrates with his life. As the lines between his real life, and the game become more uncertain, hints of a large conspiracy are unveiled.

Crime Thriller:

The hybrid between crime and thriller has created a new sense of suspense in thriller movies. Crime thrillers usually focus on the events that take place leading up to the crime, or once the crime has taken place and then look back onto what caused it to happen. There is usually a psychological aspect to these types of films as well. The most common story lines will involve, murders, robberies and heists. An example of a crime thriller is Inside Man, this film is about a robbery that takes place in a big New York bank, where all the customers are held hostage and some are brutally shot throughout the robbery. The police surround the bank and insist they will catch the robbers when they will eventually have to plan their escape, but the robber vows to walk out the front of the bank, just like he entered it, and he does exactly that.

Disaster Thriller:

This genre follows a group or persons survival when they are up against disasters such as flood, volcanoes, or in some cases, the end of the world. In addition, you can have the consequences of man kind possibly leading to the extinction of humanity. This genre also focus's on what the future will bring, if these devastating circumstances arise. An example of a disaster thriller is 2012, the plot follows Jackson Curtis as he attempts to bring his children, ex-wife and her boyfriend to refuge and attempt to escape the heightened change in the elements. The film includes references to  Mayanism, the Mesoamerican long count calendar and the 2012 phenomenon in its portrayal of cataclysmic events unfolding in the year 2012.

Mystery Thriller:
This genre particularly focuses on the efforts of the detective or private investigator in order to solve the mystery. This sub genre looks at the circumstances of the mystery or crime itself in order to try and figure out what the clues are. The audiences usually take part in this and feel like they are part of it as this genre gets into their psyche. This brings more dramatic effect to the films as the investigation unravels. An example of a mystery film is Flight plan  this film follows the journey of a mother flying on a aircraft her late husband helped design, with her daughter as they are taking the husbands body to be buried  When waking up, the mother cannot find her daughter and a search begins on the aircraft. After finding no proof her daughter even boarded the plane, the stewards tell her she is delusional and have her handcuffed. Although the audience know the daughter is on the plane and has in fact been taken as part of a hijack and is hidden by her dads coffin with a bomb on timer.

Political Thriller:

This sub genre looks into the stability of a government and the reliance on a hero or heroine who must ensure the stability of the government that employs him in order to prevent bad events happening. Commonly used examples are the prevention's of war and US elections. An example of a political thriller is State of Play, this film tells of a journalist's probe into the suspicious death of a Congressman's mistress and explores the topical subject of privatization of American Homeland security and to a minor extent journalistic independence, along with the relationship between politicians and the press.

Psychological Thriller

This sub genre is implemented into all the other sub thriller genres. It plays with the audiences minds and produces suspense in the film because it reflects the main characters conflict being mental and emotional, it shows the mentality of a character and the thought processes that they go through. This is essentially what makes this sub gere full of suspense. An example of a psychological thriller is Psycho. In need of money a secretary steals $40,000 from one of her employer's clients and flees in her car. She ends up spending the night at the isolated Bates Motel rather than drive in the rain. The young owner tells Marion he rarely has customers because of his location along an older, less-traveled highway, and mentions he lives with his mother. He then invites Marion to have supper with him. She overhears Norman arguing with his unseen mother about his supposed sexual interest in Marion, who then suggests he institutionalize his mother, making him become aggressive.Marion resolves to return to Phoenix to ret