180 Degree Rule

Meaning:

• Two characters should always have the same right left relationship to each other. 
• Rule states that the camera should always stay on one side of an imaginary line.
• This enforces the continuity of film.
• An example: if a shot shows a car traveling from right to left, the next shot should also be the car travelling right to left. 
• Breaking this rule will cause confusion for the audience.

Breaking the Rule:

• Normally people only break the rule purposely for effect, to purposely confuse the audience and disorientate them.
• One way around the rule, is to show the audience the movement of the camera. However once its moved it will have to stay on that side unless they show movement again. 

Example:

An example of a film that breaks the rule purposely is in The Lord Of The Rings:

Codes Within Film

Narrative Techniques

Editing Techniques

This Slideshow gives frequently used examples of editing, as well as a clip to demonstrate.

Sound Techniques

This PowerPoint has the definitions of each technique as well as an example:

Propps Character Theory

What Is A Character Theory?
Character theories are used to understand media, its useful for analysing and understanding media in which people take on roles as actors or actresses. They are popular within the education industry when studying media and film studies.

Whos is Propp?
Vladimir Propp was a Russian literary critic and scholar, Propp was essentially interested in the narrative of folk tales. He noticed many tales were similar in a variety of areas, he identified a theory about characters and actions as narrative functions. According to Vladimir Propp, characters have a narrative function, they provide a structure for the text. His theory has influenced many filmmakers to writing and producing successful narratives.

Propp's Character Theory:
Props came up with a theory for studying media texts and productions, this indicates that there are 7 broad character types, these were:
1. The villain (Struggles against the hero)
2. The Donor (Prepares the hero or give the hero some magical object)
3. The (magical) helper (helps the hero in the quest)
4. The princess (person who hero marries, often ought for during the narrative)
5. The false hero (perceived as a good character in beginning but emerges as evil)
6. The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)
7. The hero (reacts to the donor, weds the princess)

The Struggle Scene:
This theory suggested that:

• There is a struggle between the hero and villain.
• The hero is branded.
• The villain is overcome.
• The state of disorder is settled. 

The Recognition Scene:

• At this stage in the film the hero is recognised (an action film, for example Superman)
• Or the false hero or villain is unmasked (a horror film scene)
• As well as the false hero could be punished in this scene (a cops and robbers scene)
• Or the hero attains the rewards (Princess/ kingdom) and they live happily ever after (fairytale)

Research Summary

From my research I have learnt the following things about different aspects of films under the genre of Thriller:

Target Audience:
The majority of thriller films are aimed at audiences of above 12 year olds, 15 year olds or in some cases 18 year olds. This is due to the common use of guns, bombs, violence and bombs in thriller films as a lot of them involve tense action. Films which have a subgenre of action tend to appeal a male audience. Thriller films tend to target younger adults such as 20-30 year olds, as they sometimes include unrealistic storylines and action sequences which would turn older viewers away. However thrillers with a psychological sub genre tend to appeal to older audiences as they are slower paced and involve the viewer to figuring out the plot, this might not appeal to younger audiences as it gets confusing and tiring for them.Thrillers with a subgenre of comedy would be aimed at younger audiences as they are lighthearted and can be viewed as immature and stupid by older more mature audiences, for example The Inbetweeners Movie.

Opening Credits:
From the three thriller films I analysed: Saw, Cabin In The Woods and The Dark Knight, it is demonstrated that lots of thriller films makeover their production logo to give it a more frightening feel using different colour themes and animations. For example the both of the common company logos of Lionsgate and Warner Bros have a different colours scheme to the usual, this immediately sets the tone for the film. The logo for Saw has animation of lightning and barbed wire which again shows the tone of the film and immediately presents the genre.

Mis En Scene: 
For thriller films Mis En Scene used varies between sub genres. Horror thrillers are set in dark, grimy rooms with a cold, damp tone to it, they also use low level lighting, this puts the audience on edge as it isn't a comfortable environment for the characters. For comedy thrillers that appeal to teenagers and young adults the surroundings tend to be places they relate to such as teenagers homes or high schools. For action films, the Mis En Scene tends to be bright lighting, creating a modern feel to it with elaborate locations such as London, New York, Los Angeles or the south of France. This appeals to male target audiences (who most action thriller films are aimed at) as it presents the lavish life which young boys aspire to have, these lives have been presented as desirable through games such as Grand Theft Auto which are popular amongst young males.

Sound:
Like Mis en Scene, sound tends to change with the subgenre of the film. Action thrillers use sharp intense, loud music to build tension and get the audiences adrenaline pumping. Horror thriller films tend to use music that builds up to gradually build tension and suspense, this gets the audience on the edge of their seat making it easier to scare them, therefore having a lasting impact on the viewer. Psychological thrillers use eery music, this makes the audience unsettled. Comedy thrillers tend to use modern well known music, this adds an upbeat feel to the film. However some comedy thrillers will use over-the-top dramatic music to mock the stereotypical thriller genre an example of this is Spy (2015).

Editing:
A common editing technique used in action thrillers is jump cuts. Jump cuts are often used during action sequences for example a car chase, these are common in James Bond films. Crime, horror and psychological thrillers often use cold, grimy filters in their films, this adds to the gritty feel of the film and plays a large part when setting the tone.