Thriller conventions + "Se7en" opneing titles + "Shadow of a Doubt" - Alfred Hitchcock

Welcome back!!
Today I'm goping to tlak through the genre "Thriller" conventions. The thriller convention are:

• A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder but not always).
• A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions.
• A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas (problems) which the viewers expecs to be resolved.
• A protagonsit (the main character) who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist (the person aposing the protagonist).
• Extraodinary events happening in ordinary situations.
• Themes of identity.
• Themes of mirroring.
• Themes of voyeurism (looking at other poeple).
• Protagonist with a 'flaw' which is exploited by the anatagonist.
• Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonist's psychological state.
• There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril.
• Mise en scene which echoes/mirrors the protagonists plight.

During class time we anaylised the opening credits of the thriller "Se7en", here are the notes I made:

• Edgy titles, they never stay still they are continuous moving or shaking on the screen.
• Very good use of music as it is full of high pitch squaks and sounds.
• There is repetative pictures and the camera is never still its seems to be shaking and jumping.
• Most of the shot dissolve into the next shot create this feeling of a bond between the pictures.
• Definatly shows the state of the anatagonists mind as it is not psychologically sound.

We then watched the first 10-15 minutes of Alfred Hitchcocks - "Shadow of a Doubt". This film follows the thriller conventions almos perfectly. We see the protaganists from the very start and he is almost always covered in some form of shadow. During one scene shadow falls over his face and he almost comes to life, this therefore gaves us the idea that we has darkness wihtin his character. The opening credits to this film are in stark contrast to the first scene we see. The opening credits are absed around a posh ball but upon asking my teacher about this he told me that the music come from an old opera and the music was called the "Merry Widow" which did have some releance in the film itself.