Question 1

Thriller Evaluation
By Jessica Doran

Location

We specifically used one location for our thriller opening.

This added to the feeling of claustrophobia and being held

captive, which we intended to use for our concept upon
domestic abuse. Because the opening doesnt escape from
the confined space of the basement, it suggests you will
never leave. In the opening scene, the man is trapped and
so the cramped, yet isolated location essentially gives you
his point of view. As Maria travels from either side of the
room, the camera shows you just how small the space is,
and conveys closeness between the pair. Not in the sense
of a relationship or friendship, however it suggests that
Maria revenge is personal, similarly to how the Bride goes
to Bills house in Kill Bill, the enclosed space of the room
suggests that her revenge is more personal. The abuse our
anti-hero has suffered, she then wants the man to feel too,
therefore for the location to be in an open space I feel
would have suggested her showing more of a mercy for
him as opposed to her trapping him. Instead, the
claustrophobic space of the cellar enhanced her
empowerment over him when he cannot escape.
Additionally, with the cellar being below the surface of the
ground, it foreshadows the thrillers element of the
unknown and the idea that the abuse and danger is done
where others cannot find it or see it. This appeals to the
thriller genre as a way of suggesting the unspoken and
corrupt happenings within a society.

Location
We used a vintage styled house in order for our cellar
location to have an authentic style to it. This connoted our
sophisticated intentions of making a classic thriller that
appealed to an adult target audience. We created the
generic conventions of a noir thriller by using an old wooden
interior and authentic clock and fireplace, creating a similar
location to that of in Once Upon a Time in America. The
opening scene where Eve is ambushed, the mise en scene is
authentic, representing a 1930s set and a claustrophobic,
tightly spaced room. Though our thriller is not specifically
set to be retro, the similar concept of having an enclosed yet
vintage room places the audience out of their comfort zone.
Once again, it appeals to the generic conventions of a
thriller location as something old, abandoned and alone.

Lighting

For the majority of our film we focussed on using chiaroscuro lighting in order to
suggest the generic conventions of the noir genre. This would enable our film to
make an inter- textual link from the very beginning of the opening, to the
elements of suspicion and the unknown in which we intend to use throughout our
film. Films such as Psycho or The Third Man, who tend to use the aim of using
chiaroscuro lighting in order to make their scene aesthetically pleasing. It creates
the effect of disillusionment and suggests an eerie nature to the image. Moreover,
by using single key lighting, the scene is able to be intensified as opposed to a
more naturalistic choice. It does this as it reinforces the trapped feeling and
conveys the dazed, mysterious atmosphere in which the opening intends to
conform to. Bright or naturalistic would have not worked for our opening. It
suggests less of the unknown and more of a psychotic or exposed feel. Instead,
our aim was to create an enclosed, trapped atmosphere.

When we finally inform the audience that Maria has stabbed the man, we decided
to continue with making the image into something of the unknown. This meant
whilst we were hinting to the audience what had happened, we could still make it
seem suspicious. Hence, we used a silhouette of Maria wiping blood off the knife,
to make her still seem like the character full of suspicion. Similarly in Psycho,
Hitchcock uses a silhouette of Norman Bates when he is about to murder Marion
Crane. For the same purpose as how we have silhouetted Maria, Hitchcock uses
the shadowy figure to suggest the unknown for both the audience and Marion.
Moreover, by referencing the hidden thoughts/ sinister expression of the
murderer, we reinforce a predatory atmosphere. It suggests Maria as bloodthirsty
and enhances the thriller genre as something savage, though her reasoning for

Sound
In order to conform to the sinister representation of the thriller genre, the soundtrack for my
thriller became integral. I chose to use the music Ava Maria by Schubert to both complement our
anti-heros character, but to also create the binary opposite of innocence to corruption with the
peaceful soundtrack against a perilous situation. This enhanced the sense of sincerity and insanity
we wanted Maria to maintain as a character throughout the opening. Her thought process has
almost been tainted by the abuse she has faced from The Man and the contrast between the
operatic soundtrack and severe situation, developed these connotations perfectly.
In addition to this, the operatic soundtrack creates an inter-textual link between our film and
Peter Jacksons Heavenly Creatures. Where he creates feelings of insanity along with a childlike
vulnerability with a very peaceful soundtrack, we intended to do the same thing. Showing Marias
vulnerability through this only enhances the fact she is gaining revenge and was never a murderer
before The Man abused her. Moreover, once again reinforcing the element of corruption that
makes Maria so thirsty for revenge.
In the moment where Maria kicks the light out, diegetic sound became a key use of maintaining
the eerie nature of the film. When the Ava Maria soundtrack turns off, there becomes silence all
apart from the sound of Marias footsteps and the torch being switched on. This was deliberate in
order to develop the realism of the opening. Where previously there had always been a
soundtrack, now the diegetic sound suggests that there really is no one else around, and the one
in power is Maria because all you can hear is her footsteps or her creating the noise.

Narrative
Death at No.52 does not follow a linear narrative. Instead, we relied
on the element of flashbacks with the purpose of creating the
suspense and making our audience want to know why they were
there, and essentially want to watch the film. The flashbacks reverse
the situation so that Maria is the victim; moreover it makes the
audience think that her motive in the present situation may be
revenge and suggests the motif of the film. By hinting at this, it then
becomes a prime way of attracting our specific target audience.

Thriller Conventions
A basic way in which we created conventions of a thriller
opening was by showing the title of the film in between
the movement of a shot. This was one way in which
specifically in the case of our film Death at No. 52 we
could prolong the time in which the audience didnt
know who the other person is in the room The Man.
For example; I placed the title in between the shot of
Maria and The Mans feet, and when you see Marias
face. The title itself created conventions of a thriller
with its short and enigmatic feel. It creates the idea of
there being a murder case, or an investigation, which is
the half the aim as it reinforces the fact that no one
knows where Maria has hidden The Man, the case is to
be solved by the audience because the opening only
gives them snippets of what has gone on prior to the
attack - with the flashbacks.