Inspiring thrillers

Which thrillers have influenced or inspired me in planning my own thriller?

1)
Non-Stop released in 2014 directed by Jaume Collet-Serra starring Liam Neeson for me is a inspiring thriller, not mainly due to the storyline but due to the amount of tension created by the enormity of the situation, the way it was produced is very interesting because you could see how the director wanted to create suspense by fast moving action and the inability to predict the outcome. The action side to the film adds to the atmosphere of suspense allowing the director to further dramatise the scenes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiHDJ19A3dk

From this trailer despite not being a clip from the movie we can see how, although tension and suspense is created naturally through the setting, the director purposely shows certain scenes where a close up shot and pan are used to create tension. Throughout there are plenty of tracking shots which is one of my favourites because it allows the audience to connect with the scene more-so than a still shot where the audience feels more like a spectator then someone who is there.

2)
Batman Dark Night directed by Christopher Nolan making over 1 billion dollars on box office is one of the best movies ever not just thriller. Starring several famous actors, notably; Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. The individual roles tying in with the unique story line make this film one of the best, the use of the camera shots creating fast paced action and suspense, there are so many close ups in this film which adds to the feeling of anxiety when you are staring these villains and heroes in the face seeing raw emotion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXeTwQWrcw

This trailer shows the fast paced action of the movie yet also shows how Nolan wants the audience to understand the characters. The range of camera shots notably including lots of tracking shots and long shots to allow the audience to connect with the scene yet also understand whats happening throughout. The music used within the film intensifies the climax to nervous scene endings adding to the tension.

3)
Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig as James Bond. The first Bond movie starring Daniel Craig received widespread attention for the love of the new man featuring Bond, being one of the most successful of the series. The different approach for this movie sets it apart as the focus is more set on Bond himself and gaining his place within the MI6 regime. Being an action based thriller naturally the intensity of the scenes is high and with lives on the line and a compelling amount of character exploration there is lots of reasons why people love Casino Royale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK7PbujRUOk

From watching this trailer the viewer can immediately notice the various elements of this film making it a great action thriller, from the ever famous music to create an sense of something inevitable about to happen is an under-lying tone to all Bond movies yet with Casino Royale it is difficult to foresee where it may occur.

Personal favourite thrillers

Personal favourite thrillers



The Shawshank Redemption-

Directed by Frank Darabont The Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne is one of the best drama thrillers of all time representing the true story of the escape at Shawshank prison. Dufresne is sentenced to life for murder and after showing no intention of escaping one night doesn't answer his name when called in the morning where soon after was found to escape through his cell wall crawling through a sewage pipe. Co-starring Morgan Freeman as 'Red' who is paroled after serving 45 years. Winning several awards and nominations The Shawsank Redemption is one of the best prison drama/thrillers ever.

Hacksaw Ridge-

Mel Gibson's 'Hacksaw Ridge' is a war based thriller displaying the incredible true story of Desmond Doss heroic actions winning the medal of honour despite not carrying a rifle. Set in Okinawa, Japan the moving reality of Doss' story wins the viewer over immediately as he sticks to his morals despite all around him saying otherwise. Saving 75 soldiers during his service, Doss has several awards for his contribution, the only contentious objector to be awarded the medal of honour. The film strongly portrays his values and after almost being in-prisoned for his belief and being called a 'coward' by many did more than any other man of the war. Gibson crafts the film astonishingly and deservedly winning 19 awards.

The Imitation Game-

Released in 2014 the incredible true story of a mathematician genius played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Telling the story of the near impossible task of cracking the enigma code during the second world war. Directed by Morten Tyldum the tension created by the enormity of the task and the lives which depend on the ability to solve the puzzle, for me that is the best feature of this film as it directly shows the meaning of thriller. Alongside keeping the mission secret to Britain and not alerting the Germans despite all the spies. Character relationship is ever interesting as Cumberbatch and Keira Knightly show.

Best thrillers of all time

Best thrillers of all time

The silence of the lambs-

The silence of the lambs directed by Johnathon Demme is one of the best critically acclaimed thriller films of all time due to the amount of suspense, tension and the inability of the viewer to predict the outcome of the movie.

Critics Consensus: Director Jonathan Demme's smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study and all-out horror, and benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.

Source- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silence_of_the_lambs/

Psycho-

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock 'Psycho' is borderline horror but remains a thriller because of the amount of unpredicted events throughout and is truly a 'hair raiser' in the thriller genre.

Critics Consensus: Infamous for its shower scene, but immortal for its contribution to the thriller genre. Because Psychowas filmed with tact, grace, and art, Hitchcock didn't just create modern horror, he validated it.

Source- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/psycho/

Memento-

Crafted in every aspect by Christopher Nolan the viewer grows into the film as it goes along due to the intense scenes almost resulting in his death, the tension and suspense is the main reason of films large success.

Critics Consensus: Christopher Nolan skillfully guides the audience through Memento's fractured narrative, seeping his film in existential dread.

Source-https: //www.rottentomatoes.com/m/memento/

Most notable directors of thriller films

The most notable directors associated with thrillers


Stephen King-

 Stephen King was born in Portland, USA in 1947 and is director and book writer and throughout his career has created some of the most famous thriller films including; The Mist in 2007, Cat's eye in 1985 and his latest, IT which was released in 2017

Critic reviews:

IT-
Critics Consensus: Well-acted and fiendishly frightening with an emotionally affecting story at its core, It amplifies the horror in Stephen King's classic story without losing touch with its heart.

Source- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_2017/

The Mist-

"The Mist" is worth watching!

Author: Groovespeed from Los Angeles, CA
22 November 2007

Source- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884328/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_3

Cats eye-

Stephen King seems to be working his way through the reference books of human phobias, and Cat's Eye is one of his most effective films.

Source- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cats_eye/                                
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 3/4

Frank Darabont-

 Frank Darabont was born in 1959 in Montbeliard, France and is known for his directing and story-writing roles within his movies. He has been in the thriller film industry for over 35 years and has been involved and directed in several highly acclaimed movies, his most notable coming in 1994 with The Shawshank Redemption winning several awards for its outstanding storyline and acting, another example would be his movie The Green Mile shown in 1999 and finally The Blob from 1988.

Critic Reviews:

The Shawshank Redemption-

Critics Consensus: The Shawshank Redemption is an uplifting, deeply satisfying prison drama with sensitive direction and fine performances.

Source- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shawshank_redemption/

The Green Mile-

A rare gem of casting and direction.

Author: Henrik Koskinen (henrik.koskinen@hut.fi) from Espoo, Finland
10 February 2000

Source- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120689/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_3

The Blob-

This film is FUN!

Author: preppy-3 from United States
7 May 2004

Source-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094761/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_3

M. Night Shymalalan-

Shymalalan born in India in 1970 has had, compared to others, a relatively short career yet despite this has produced incredible award winning films and is known for his unpredictable element of surprise throughout most of his films. 7 years after entering the field Shymalalan directed The 6th Sense one of the most famous thrillers of all time. In 2002 his film, signs, was released which received widespread attention for its surprising ending, a theme of Shymalalan's work, and finally of recent his psychological horror called Split which has done very well since its release in 2016.

Critic Reviews:

Split-

Critics Consensus: Split serves as a dramatic tour de force for James McAvoy in multiple roles -- and finds writer-director M. Night Shyamalan returning resoundingly to thrilling form.

Source- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/split_2017/

The 6th Sense-

Critics Consensus: M Night Shayamalan's The Sixth Sense is a twisty ghost story with all the style of a classical Hollywood picture, but all the chills of a modern horror flick.

Source- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sixth_sense/

Signs-

Riveting and clever scarefest reinvents the modern horror film

Author: Rob from Charlotte, North Carolina
6 August 2002

Source- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286106/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_3

Characteristics of a thriller film

What are the characteristics of a thriller film?

Location:

The location of a thriller film is something a director must think about carefully considering all aspects of the film and how the director wants it to reach the viewer. A generic setting for a thriller film is usually in a dark, mysterious and eerie environment where neither the viewer or the characters know what might happen next, this builds tension and suspense within the movie both of which are key elements to the success of a thriller firm as both suspense and tension thrill the reader and without them the film will not be a high quality thriller.

Plot:

Thrillers have been around since the 1920's and throughout the life-span of the genre despite all the different directors and story lines the plot and main events of the films remain similar in most of the films. This is a generic example of what a thriller story line would follow:

1. THE BEGINNING

a. Set the scene
Or the calm before the storm. Paint a picture. Be descriptive. This will provide a background, a contrast to what's to come. It's got to be intriguing, though, not dull. You need to gently entice the reader onward. Yet make it compelling, too. Easy, huh?

b. Pull the Trigger (or Plot Point #1)
Something happens that is unexpected, out of the ordinary. It can be mysterious or unsettling. It sets a ball rolling, wheels turning. The reader gets into it. The engine has started.

c. It's a Mission. So Get Started
Whatever the trigger, you now need to physically or metaphysically get on that bus or follow that taxi. It's a journey, of sorts. Tell the backstory, too. You have the reader on board, so keep them moving, too. 

2. THE MIDDLE

a. It's the Middle Third
You are well and truly into it by now but it's time to pull out some surprises, complications and obstacles. The reader won't have seen that coming. Resolve each mini-crisis as it comes but let the whole thing build, too.

b. The Writer's Choice (or Plot Point #2)
Well, someone's choice, anyway. It's a decision point, a big one. A lot will hang on this. It can be moral or physical, left or right. Right or wrong. Good or bad. Black or white. Make the wrong move here and the reader will think it's a comedy, not a thriller!   

c. The Epic Climax (or Plot Point #3)
This is the peak of your epic tale, the emotional highpoint. Your story and its decision points have led to this tension-filled moment. What will happen if he pushes that red button? Will the reader explode?

3. THE END

a. Consequences, Always 
Everything has a reaction, a consequence. What did that epic climax really mean? Make it real, pertinent to the story and unfold it like a tablecloth on a picnic table. Well, unfold it anyway. 
.
b. Resolve Into a Dew
You can relax, let the story arc itself gently back into relative peace. It's resolved. It's over. The tension has left. Or has it? Is there a sequel, a follow-up in the wings?

Source:https://www.quora.com/What-would-be-a-general-plot-structure-for-a-thriller-revenge-novel

Characters:

Characters of a thriller film is generally where directors can experiment more due to giving the audience a more unique experience rather then generic characters alongside a generic plot which would be dull and uninteresting. A good example of an experimenting thriller idea was the first batman movie which after the following became one of the most notorious thrillers of the time.

What to expect from a thriller:

The choice to watch a thriller can be due to many factors, one being that a thriller film is very different to many of the other genres due to the type of excitement it provides, suspense and tension being the main sale point for these films going with the love for the characters which develops over the film due to the different events.

What is a Thriller?

What is a thriller?

The most basic definition would be the prolongation of something inevitable.
A definition from source:   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thriller              

Definition of thriller-one that thrills; especially :a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense. 

The thriller genre has been one of the most successful and long standing fan favourite genres since television was introduced. During the uprising of thriller films, most were not violent, as most directors took the approach of using romantic tension between two characters to provide for the suspense.

-Early on, make clear what your protagonist wants and what he fears. You should know what the protagonist wants and how he would end the novel if he were writing it.
(http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-conferencesevents/qp7-migration-maui/10-basic-ingredients-of-a-successful-thriller)

The modern day perception of a thriller is mainly to do with crime based tension, where the director early on, outlays the likely events so the viewers can understand the intent of most characters and from this naturally suspense is created.

Thriller movie sub-genres:


-Action

Action thrillers is one of the most common sub-genres for the thriller genre, mainly due to the increased amount of tension throughout. Action thrillers revolve the story mainly around the main character being involved in something crime based. For example the James Bond series of movies are a notorious example for an action based thriller.

-Crime

Crime thrillers from the start to the end revolve around fast paced action, typically in a crime thriller the main character is integrated into most of the dramatic scenes of violence. Another generic convention of a crime based thriller is the main characters romance throughout the film providing for a bit of character exploration.

-Medical

A medical thriller is one which's story line is based around a fatal casualty which impacts a lot of different characters within the film. A different approach to a medical thriller would be one set in a futuristic environments where, for example, humans are used as research to investigate a mad scientists idea.

-Romantic

A romantic thriller alone without any other sub-genre coming into play is very uncommon, a typical link to a romantic thriller is one which involves a lot of crime and where the romance is shown typically just before and just after.

-Supernatural

A supernatural thriller is almost always set in a time where everything is more advanced. Additionally there is usually an evil presence which is something of supernatural nature battling against the human which the audience feel an attachment too as it is difficult to defeat.