Similar Media Texts

Here are two video games which will be similar to our product. They are both incorporate the genre of thriller with a small incision of action. They are also similar as they both include an assassin/spy type character which will be involved within our thriller too. These 2 video games are Metal Gear Solid V and Hitman Absolution, made in 2015 and 2012.


Here is Casino Royale made in 2006, directed by Martin Campbell. The main actor is Daniel Craig and the film was made by Columbia Pictures. This film will be similar to ours as once again there is an inclusion of a spy type character, and there is lots of violence and mystery within the storyline.












Here is Leon made in 1994, directed by Luc Besson. The main actor is Jean Reno, and it was made by Gaumont, a french film producing company. Once again, this film has an assassin who is extremely professional it was he does. This is the impression that we want our character to have, so this film has huge inspiration for us.













Here is the final component of the Bourne Trilogy: The Bourne Ultimatum. It was directed by Paul Greengrass and was made in 2007. The main actor is Matt Damon and the studio which produced it was Universal Pictures. In this film, there is a top agent who is ruthless and very good at what he does. Similar to Leon, this is the impression we what our assassin to have, so this will be a similar media text to ours.

Finally, this is the film Hitman made in 2007, directed by Xavier Gens. The main actor is Timothy Olyphant and it was produced by Twentieth Century Fox. This is most likely the most similar film to ours as the character in our thriller is called a pitman, as is this character. Also, the costume for our male character is going to be focused on being similar to this, especially the red tie. This is because this film most definitely shows off how professional and ruthless the hitman is, which is what we want with our male hitman.

Storyboard for our Thriller

Here is the storyboard we created for our thriller.

Intended target audience and how you will attract them

Age

The target age range of our thriller is 18-23 year olds. This is because the certificate for our thriller will be at least a 15 as there is lots of gore and as a result of the level of violence we have.

Gender


The gender we are aiming our thriller at is males.

Why

This is because there is lots of guns and action, and one of our main characters is a merciless male figure. Our thriller is also quite similar to video games such as Hitman:Absolution, which our target audience will like as they would play video games quite often. Our young male audience like action and death, and the mystery of our male actor. They will also like the briefcase which we plan to include and the whole story about what's inside.

How we intend to attract them in the first two minutes

We intend to attract our audience straight away by having a really tense scene which ends up with an unexpected event. This could be a death of a character or a significant event which alters the narrative drastically.

More Genre

What is a Hybrid Genre?

A hybrid genre is a mixture/combination of different genres. For example: Action-Thriller, Romantic-Comedy.   

Why is Genre used? 

Genre is used to classify each film made into categories, which is a way of targeting specific audiences for which the film is made for. These genres additionally provide multiple varieties of films which allows for people of all ages to enjoy movies, depending on the genres which they like. 

 What are genre Conventions?

Genre conventions are inclusions in a film to help the audience associate that film with its genre. For example, conventions of horror include jump scares, scary setting etc. These different genre conventions are illustrated through the use of camera movements, the editing, the sound used and the mise-en-scene in the films.

Thrillers

What is a thriller genre?

A thriller film is a film which is created to thrill the audience, and is done so by leaving the audience with questions and for them to wander what will happen next, and normally finishes with a shocking twist or a powerful ending.  

What are the main Conventions of a Thriller?

The main conventions of a thriller are: Suspense, Tension, mixture of slow and fast paced, Powerful ending, and normally includes an exciting and unpredictable twist. 

Genre, Audiences and Institutions

WHY IS GENRE A RELEVANT CONCEPT FOR AUDIENCES?

A genre of a film can be a method of describing what films people enjoy, such as a comedy, romance film or a horror. The genre of a film has a massive affect on whether the audience will ever watch that film or not. 


HOW DOES GENRE EFFECT FILM PRODUCTION AND FILM DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES?

A genre is a huge part of a film and to its audiences. A genre determines what a film's target audience is. Film production companies want to make as much money as possible, so they make their films using as much of the conventions of that particular genre as possible, to make their film as attractive as possible to its chosen audience. Distribution companies advertise the films, using many methods such as trailers and posters. In these media texts, are some enrapturing parts of the film being advertised, such as the main characters and some sort of action in the background. Once again, this is too reach out to the chosen audiences, as lots of conventions of the chosen genre is used, and to get as many people watching the film as possible.  

Sub Genres

Despite thrillers coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes, within thrillers are sub-genres, within which there will be a high degree of similarity.  

What is a Sub-Genre?

A sub-genre is a division/genre within a genre which makes the film more specific in detail when classifying the film.  For example: Psychological-thriller, Political-thriller, Erotic-thriller. 

Here are 3 Conspiracy Thrillers, which is an example of a sub-genre in Thrillers. 

SIMILARITIES:

In each of the 3 films, there is a main, male protagonist whom is followed most closely by the audience. Additionally, there is also a woman character whom acts as a backup-role of the male protagonist, but who is seen on screen a lot with the male character. The themes within these films are similar too, as they all include the twist of how its a conspiracy, which is designed to shock the audience whilst watching. 

Here is a list of Thriller Sub-Genres:

Personally, I find that psychological thrillers to be most exciting. They are done to confuse the audience and let them leave asking a load of questions, which i think is a great ay to end a suspenseful film. Our Opening Sequence for our Thriller which we are making has a lot of questions which are unanswered, which is used to keep the audience entranced into watching it. 

Genre Difference, Repetition and Simialrity

The thriller genre is different from most other genres because on the surface, many of them look entirely different from each other. Here are some examples:

These films are all classified as thrillers but are very different. The far left film is about an ex CIA agent on the run from the CIA. The middle film is about a group of businessmen who do their work within peoples dreams. The far right film is a political battle between President Nixon and a TV interviewer. The key differences are the variety in violence levels, narrative, and the character differences. 

However, despite these differences, these films are all very similar. They all successfully are very tense and suspenseful, and keep the audience on the edge of their seats at all times. The three all have, in one way or another, a main antagonist included, whether its the ex-president, the CIA or an enemy of the protagonists.