Director Research - Alfred Hitchcock

Hitchcock was born on 13 August 1899, in Leytonstone, London, the second son and youngest of three children of William J. Hitchcock (1862-1914), a greengrocer and poulterer, and Emma Jane Hitchcock (née Whelan; 1863-1942). He was named after his father's brother, Alfred. His family was mostly Roman Catholic, being of Irish extraction. Hitchcock was sent to the Jesuit Classic school St. Ignatius College near Stamford Hill, London. He often described his childhood as being very lonely and sheltered, a situation compounded by his obesity.

On numerous occasions, Hitchcock said he was once sent by his father to the local police station with a note asking the officer to lock him away for ten minutes as punishment for behaving badly. This idea of being harshly treated or wrongfully accused is frequently reflected in Hitchcock's films.

Hitchcock's mother would often make him address her while standing at the foot of her bed, especially if he behaved badly, forcing him to stand there for hours. These experiences would later be used for the portrayal of the character of Norman Bates in his movie 'Psycho' (1960).

Hitchcock's father died when he was 14. In the same year, Hitchcock left St Ignatius to study at the London County Council School of Engineering and Navigation in Poplar, London. After graduating, he became a draftsman and advertising designer with a cable company.

During this period, Hitchcock became intrigued by photography and started working in film production in London, working as a title-card designer for the London branch of what would become Paramount Pictures. In 1920, he received a full-time position at Islington Studios with its American owner, Famous Players-Lasky and their British successor, Gainsborough Pictures, designing the titles for silent movies. His rise from title designer to film director took five years, and by the end of the 1930s, Hitchcock had become one of the most famous filmmakers in England.

Research into the Thriller genre

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, television, and gaming that includes numerous and often overlapping sub-genres.

Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively. "Homer's Odyssey is one of the oldest stories in the Western world and is regarded as an early prototype of the thriller." A thriller is villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome. The genre is a fascinatingly flexible form that can undermine audience complacency through a dramatic rendering of psychological, social, familial and political tensions and encourages sheltered but sensation-hungry audiences, in Hitchcock's phrase, "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like."

Characteristics
Thrillers often take place wholly or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, polar regions, or high seas. The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger: law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers, seamen or aviators. However, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident. While such heroes have traditionally been men, women lead characters have become increasingly common; for an early example see Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley, in the movie Alien, 1979.

Thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened; and while a murder mystery would be spoiled by a premature disclosure of the murderer's identity, in a thriller the identity of a murderer or other villain in typically known all along. Thrillers also occur on a much grander scale: the crimes that must be prevented are serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination, or the overthrow of governments. Jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements. While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others. In thrillers influenced by film noir and tragedy, the compromised hero is often killed in the process.

In recent years, when thrillers have been increasingly influenced by horror or psychological-horror exposure in pop culture, an ominous or monstrous element has become common to heighten tension. The monster could be anything, even an inferior physical force made superior only by their intellect, a supernatural entity, aliens, serial killers, or even microbes or chemical agents. Some authors have made their mark by incorporating all of these elements (Richard Laymon, F. Paul Wilson) throughout their bodies of work.

Similar distinctions separate the thriller from other overlapping genres: adventure, spy, legal, war, maritime fiction, and so on. Thrillers are defined not by their subject matter but by their approach to it. Many thrillers involve spies and espionage, but not all spy stories are thrillers. The spy novels of John le Carré, for example, explicitly and intentionally reject the conventions of the thriller. Conversely, many thrillers cross over to genres that traditionally have had few or no thriller elements. Alistair MacLean, Hammond Innes, and Brian Callison are best known for their thrillers, but are also accomplished writers of man-against-nature sea stories.

Thrillers may be defined by the primary mood that they elicit: fearful excitement. In short, if it "thrills", it is a thriller. As the introduction to a major anthology explains,

“ Thrillers provide such a rich literary feast. There are all kinds. The legal thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure thriller, medical thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller, historical thriller, political thriller, religious thriller, high-tech thriller, military thriller. The list goes on and on, with new variations constantly being invented. In fact, this openness to expansion is one of the genre's most enduring characteristics. But what gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job.

Sub-genresThe thriller genre can include the following sub-genres, which may include elements of other genres:

Action thriller: In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James Bond films, The Transporter, and the Jason Bourne novels and films.

Conspiracy thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. The Chancellor Manuscript and The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Three Days of the Condor, Capricorn One, and JFK.

Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The Killing, Seven, The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, Inside Man, and The Asphalt Jungle.

Disaster thriller: In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, Tremor by Winston Graham, and the 1974 film Earthquake.

Drama thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involves a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The Illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige.

Eco-thriller: In which the protagonist must avert or rectify an environmental or biological calamity_often in addition to dealing with the usual types of enemies or obstacles present in other thriller genres. This environmental component often forms a central message or theme of the story. Examples include Nicholas Evans's The Loop, C. George Muller's Echoes in the Blue, and Wilbur Smith's Elephant Song, all of which highlight real-life environmental issues. Futuristic eco-thrillers are of the science fiction genre that propose ideas that will or may occur and include such works as Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy and Ian Irvine's Human Rites Trilogy and Dasavathaaram.

Erotic thriller: In which it consists of erotica and thriller. It has become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. The genre includes such films as Basic Instinct, Dressed to Kill, Color of Night, Eyes Wide Shut, Fatal Attraction, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and In the Cut.

Horror thriller: In which conflict between the main characters are mental, emotional, and physical. Two recent examples of this include the Saw series of films and the Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. What sets the horror thriller apart is the main element of fear throughout the story. The main character(s) is not only up against a superior force, but they are or will soon become the victims themselves and directly feel the fear that comes by attracting the monster's attention. Other well-known examples are Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs.

Legal thriller: In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. The Innocent Man by John Grisham is a well known example of the type.

Medical thriller: In which the hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem. Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Crichton, and Gary Braver are well-known authors of this subgenre. Nonfiction medical thrillers are also a subcategory, comprising works like The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Films such as Awake are other examples of medical thrillers.

Political thriller: In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. The success of Seven Days in May (1962) by Fletcher Knebel, The Day of the Jackal (1971) by Frederick Forsyth, and The Manchurian Candidate (1959) by Richard Condon established this subgenre. A more recent example is the 1980 film Agency.

Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. The Alfred Hitchcock films Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train and David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet are notable examples of the type, as is The Sixth Sense by M. Night Shyamalan and The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (who also wrote Strangers).

Spy thriller (also a subgenre of spy fiction): In which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. Examples include From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, and television series such as Mission: Impossible and 24 (the latter demonstrating a break from the norm by Robert Ludlum, as it is as much a psychological thriller as a spy thriller).

Supernatural thriller: In which the conflict is between main characters, usually one of which has supernatural powers. Carrie by Stephen King, Unbreakable by M. Night Shyamalan, and Torchwood are notable examples of this genre. This type of thriller combines tension of the regular thriller with such basic horror oriented ingredients as ghosts, the occult, and psychic phenomenon; the supernatural thriller combines these with a frightening but often restrained film. They also generally eschew the more graphic elements of the horror film in favor of sustaining a mood of menace and unpredictability; supernatural thrillers often find the protagonists either battling a malevolent paranormal force or trapped in a situation seemingly influenced or controlled by an other-worldly entity beyond their comprehension.

Techno-thriller: A work that usually focuses upon military action, in which technology (usually military technology) is described in detail and made essential to the reader's/viewer's understanding of the plot. Tom Clancy defined and popularized the genre with his The Hunt for Red October, and is considered to be the "Father of the Technothriller".

Most thrillers are formed in some combination of the above, with horror, conspiracy, and psychological tricks used most commonly to heighten tension. Combinations are highly diverse, including:

Science fiction thrillers: The Terminator, I Am Legend, Blade Runner.
Science fiction/horror thrillers: Jurassic Park, Alien, Predator.
Techno/political/conspiracy/military/horror thriller: Predator, Robocop, S.M. Stirling's Draka novels.
Legal/forensic/psychological/horror thriller: Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs novel, Seven.

Propp and Todorov

Propp
Propp examined hundreds of examples of one kind of folk tale, the 'heroic wondertale', to see whether they shared any structures. He argued that, whatever the surface differences, it was possible to group characters and actions into:

• eight character roles (or 'spheres of action' as he called them - to indicate how inseparable are character and action)
• thirty-one functions (such as a 'prohibition or ban is imposed on the hero' or 'the villain learns something about his vicitm')

Propp argued, make sense of the ways in which many very different figures could be reduced to eight character roles. These are:

•  the villain
• the hero, or character that seeks something, motivated by an initial lack.
• the donor who provides an object with some magic property
• the helper who aids the hero
• the princess, reward for the hero and object of the villain's schemes
• her father, who rewards the hero
• the dispatcher, who sends the hero on his way
• the false hero

Todorov
Todorov argued that all stories begin with an 'equilibrium' where any potentially opposing forces are 'in balance'. This is disrupted by some event, setting in train a series of other events, to close with a second but different 'equilibrium' or status quo. His theory may sound just like the cliche that every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. But it's more interesting than that. His 'equilibrium' labels a state of affairs, a status quo, and how this is 'set up' in certain ways and not others.

Workers today decided to reject a pay offer of 1% for instance, begins a news story with a disruption to an 'equilbrium', but we know who has offered the pay rise, for what kinds of conditions, after what negotiations. How, where and when else could the story have begun are always good questions to ask.

A example of how Propp and Todorov is applied, with the portayel of John Doe played by Kevin Spacey in David Finchers 'Se7en'

Daylight Macabre

Daylight Macabre is a thriller directed by Ben Hume, edited by Jake Hipwell which also stars Sam Askey and Alex Hyden. The opening scene above shows me as an extra during the party in a variety of shots. I appear numerous times such as, when playing poker and situated along the wall. The reason for starring in the thriller was because Ben, being the director, wanted to have extras to attend a halloween party. I decided to help because they are my friends and it also made the scene look more realistic by incorporating a large amount of people to portray a party.

The basic plot to Daylight Macabre is a teenage boy (Jake) who attends a halloween party. He finds that he cannot fit in with the crowd and becomes lonely throughout the party. During the scene it shows the boy being sick in the toilet aswell as others drinking and smoking, this helps the mise-en-scene look realistic. Eventually it portrays the teenage boy lying dead on the ground outside, when another party boy notices and alerts the others of his death. Another shot shows the suspected killer, however, his identity is hidden due to the fact that the full length thriller would consist of trying to find the identity of him and his motives into why he killed the teenage boy.  

Analysis and Influence of Psycho

A film which we watched in our media class was Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' (1960), this film gave us great inspiration to when filming our thriller piece, especially the shower scene shown above. The influence it gave was to set the scene in a similar location and make the viewer feel intrigued about the killer and think why is he doing these acts.

'Psycho' (1960) shows Marian Crane who is the lead female character being murdered in the shower, however, the viewer does not see any form of violence such as the knife puncturing the flesh. The illusion is then created by incorporating screeching string instruments and short duration shots to make the sequence feel more subjective. As you can see from our thriller below, this was a major influence when shooting the flashback of the murder through the reflection of the mirror. However, unlike 'Psycho' we let the viewers see the killers identity because we wanted them to question the killers motives in why he was doing what he was doing.

Hitchcock also adds a suprising element by killing off a major character early though the film. A big twist is also added with the use of this, this is because the audience are already interested in Marian after she stole the forty thousand dollars. By achieving this, the audience get a sense of fear and therefore listen more intently, this also makes the reader think who will die next? This is also which we incorporated into our thriller by showing a early murder to set the scene promptly.

Final Cast and Crew Positions

Cast
Sam Pearson - Killer
Adam Dean - Victim

Crew
Haran Timana - Director, Co-Writer, Camera 1
Sam Pearson - Assistant Director, Editor, Actor, Co-Writer
Adam Dean - Actor, Co-Writer
Chris Dean - Camera 2, Co-Writer

We decided the Cast and Crew during Pre-Production and also allocated people specific roles which they were responsible of to ensure everybody equally put input into the thriller piece. During Pre-Production I made my interest clear in being Camera 1. This was because I had previously been acting in a continuity piece shortly before and wanted to have a experience in different roles. Others also expressed their preferred roles such as Adam who wanted to be acting, we all came to a decision that it was fine seeing as he was talented in acting. We had also come to an agreement that Sam would be editor, this was because he had a keen interest in the role and was very talented.

Parity - Final Product/Plot/Feedback/Analysis

The plot of our thriller is as follows. The (unnamed) protagonist, who is Sam has a psychological issue in which every positive deed that he does, has to be met with a just-as negative deed in return to return the balance. However, he cannot help this, as when the time arrives, an alter ego takes over and he loses all recollection of what has been done, leaving him to clean up the mess and face up to the consequences. The murder takes place during a party in public toilets.

The name of the film is called Parity. Initially we had not thought of the thriller name during pre-production aswell as the production, but during the time Sam was editing the thriller opening he had a idea. Sam then e-mailed me a possible thriller name aswell as a possible plot, this was so I could give my approval. We therefore ended up with the name 'Parity' which also means 'balance'. This went well with the plot in which he has to do a negative deed to balance out with any positive deed which he has done. Proof of the e-mail is evident below.

The following image shows some of the comments which we received about our opening thriller scene. As you can see the majority of the feedback was very positive which reflected in the strength of our thriller scene. The feedback ranged from "really good sound and editing, quality cinematography." by bentomhume to ''really like some of the low angle camera shots too. Good work guys :-)''... ''doesn't have that amateur feel to it that some others do :)'' by deano4262 and larryinabox. This feedback ensured we had successfully achieved the sound, editing, cinematography and camera angles. However, not all the feedback was positive. As you can see the last comment by kasrkin45 states, '' if you look properly you can see his head moves randomly when you touch him xD'' this shows that maybe next time we film, we need to ensure we do not occur any slip ups to avoid comments such as this.

Another person who gave us feedback was Mr. Silverwood, he expressed that it was very good, however we could of added a little bit extra to the scene, such as a different location. We decided to ignore his advice because we felt that we may lose the suspense and tension.

The final set of people who gave us feedback was our media class. After Mr. Silverwood showed the final product the class was asked to give us feedback. On the whole, the feedback was positive, most of the feedback related to the good cinematography, sound and editing. All of this feedback is fantastic, and the fact that 'Parity' now has nearly 300 views is a brilliant achievement.   

Thriller Evaluation

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our Thriller opening uses many forms and conventions of the thriller genre. In general the thriller genre is one of suspense and tension, if the film thrills it can be classed as a thriller. In our opening we have created suspense using a variety of different techniques.

Sound is one of the most important factors in building suspense. Our inspiration for our thriller opening was from 'Psycho'. This was a film we watched together in class and analysed the importance of sound to the suspense of particular scenes. Similar to 'Psycho' our thriller would be no where near as tense without the soundtrack. For example the sound of the water drop twinned with the further sound effects at this point just before the main protagonist opens his eyes where the tension peaks and begins to fall again.

Editing is also an important part of creating suspense. Using short cut clips are very effective at creating suspense. This is a technique we used alot when Sam is moving the dead body. We also used a flashback in the reflection of the mirror. This is also a very short scene with fast transition which helps to add to the suspense, also with the additional sound effects this scene in particular has a high amount of tension. Another important editing technique used was altering the ambient lighting. By making it darker, and adding a blue tint, makes the scene more gloomy and overall more eerie/scary, another characteristic of thrillers.

Camera Techniques are also used to create the tension required. For example as Sam moves the body he kicks the knife away. We then position the camera at ground level, with the knife in full view, as the main protagonist is about to leave. This helps to raise suspense as the viewer is starting to wonder whether he has forgotten about the knife, something which will effect the rest of the film. This is very similar to 'Psycho' as the viewer is thinking exactly the same as the main protagonist cleans up after a murder.

Mise-En-Scene is also used to create tension. This is also very similar to our inspiration of 'Psycho' as we did not show the main protagonist commiting the murder. Instead we showed the dead body and the clearing up. Our reasons for this were that we wanted to make a thriller opening rather than a horror opening. Also the clearing up of the murder can actually be more tense than the murder itself. This is because the viewer is wondering whether the character has forgotten anything. This is also less predictable than an actual murder.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The particular social class which we based our thriller on was the upper class. Our thriller represented the type of people who had a comfortable living and who also had sufficient amounts of disposable income. The mise-en-scene in the thriller shows the class, with the use of public toilets being hygienic and clean and the choice of dress. Both murderer and victim were dressed formal by wearing suits to show they were at a higher class party. The usual stereotype of lower class mainly murder is also questioned with the murderer in this scenario coming from a more upper class background.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
When creating our film we based a lot of our ideas on the film 'Psycho' (1960) such as the murderer cleaning up the blood with a mop. Universal studies and Paramount Pictures distributed this film, so we believe this media institution would be the ideal company to distribute ours because it is a globally known, therefore attracting a much larger audience and revenue. As our thriller contains strong violence, we would have to be careful when advertising. It would be inappropriate to advertise our product before 9pm or to advertise on children's television programmes. However, since our thriller is low budget, it makes it increasingly difficult to attract global distributors. An alternative would be to use a smaller studio such as, Filmfour, this is because they tend to show the latest independent british films, which also suits our thriller,  but would lack the mainstream global success and audiences.

Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for our media product would be aimed at people who are aged 15 and above. The reason for this is stated by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). Our product would be given the rating 15+ by the BBFC, due to the reasons that the thriller would incorporate; Dangerous behaviour such as the murder with the use of a weapon which is the knife. Violence is also evident however, only for a short duration. The use of blood is also glamourised which gives the rating a 15+. Our film will be targeting both males and females, the reason for this is that the males may be able to relate to each of the characters. We also notice that the thriller genre is not everybodys cup of tea, therefore we have made the audience one who likes the thriller genre and who may also be intellectual so they can unravel the reasons behind why the killer is performing these hideous acts.

How did you attract/address your audience?
We would show advertisments on all of the major television channels who incorporate breaks, such as ITV, Channel 4 and Five. However, due to the age certificate, the advertisements would be shown after the 9pm watershed to avoid any stress which may occur on younger viewers. Also due to the targeted age range, social networking sites are very popular, facebook and twitter accounts would also be activated so fans will be able to keep updated on the latest news and events which are happening related to the film. As our film 'Parity' resembles balance we would make it clear to our audience that for every good deed he does the killer balances it out with a bad deed. By having frequent flashbacks tells the audience he has a very vague memory of what he has just done. Rather than having just dialogue, using a scripted narrators voice makes the film seem more eerie/scary, therefore making the audience wanting to see more.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
It is very important to have the correct technology to create a professional looking product. Although the camera we used had a small FOV and was not in HD, the final product still looking professional, simply down to the filming techniques used, and the editing. The film would not have been as good if not from the use of modern and professional editing software, such as Adobe After Effects and Sony Vegas, which contain many tools and features that would simply not be present in something less professional. We eventually came to use Sony Vegas because we did not suit using iMovie on the Apple iOS.

Technology has also made communication and showcasing much more effective and time saving. When not in class, we used e-mail and mobile phone messaging to stay in contact with each other and make decisions regarding the film, such as the naming of the title.

The use of the blogs has made showcasing our work much more effective, being able to put all of our work into one place has saved a lot of time. Viewers can see everything they need on the blogs, without having to switch between sites like YouTube, as it is possible to embed YouTube videos into the blog. YouTube has also assisted greatly with distributing our film to the widest possible audience. Through YouTube, we are able to track how many people have viewed our film, whether they like it or dislike it, and what feedback they have left in the form of comments. YouTube even has the option of looking into demographics, and showing us the "hot spots" of our video, where viewer attention was gained, or lost.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Our Preliminary Task was a short clip about our understanding of continuity. From this I have learnt a huge amount and feel that my skills have progressed dramatically. The first and main thing that I have learnt from my continuity piece was the small mistake that we made in this task. This mistake was where our actors swapped places at one point in the scene. However thanks to this mistake I have learnt the importance of continuity in order to make a successful film. I believe our final product as a result is stronger because of this mistake as we took extra care in making sure that we made no such slip up again.

I have also learnt various different camera techniques in the preliminary exercise that I used in the thriller opening. These techniques included the usage of a tripod, panning (with and without a tripod) and various different camera angles. Without conducting a preliminary exercise our thriller would have taken alot longer to produce and wouldn't have had the same proffessional feel, a comment made by a youtube user, without this practice.

The preliminary exercise also taught us the importance of planning thoroughly. We did plan our continuity piece but perhaps not in enough detail. As a result of this we planned for much longer and went into much more depth for the planning of our thriller. By conducting this planning it allowed us to set deadlines and keep track of what needed to be done. Also by extensive discussions with the whole group we managed to create a story line strong enough to make a quality thriller opening.
I believe without the continuity task our thriller opening would have not been up to the same standard that it is now. The preliminary task helped us gain valuable experience of filming and editing and these skills were then used in our final product.