Choice of Genre and Movies to Research

I have recently sat down with my partner to discuss which genre we think we should pursue and for which reasons. The genre we have settled on has been Crime-Thriller for a number of reasons.

#6 Highest Grossing Thriller

#19 Highest Grossing Thriller

Firstly, the thriller aspect of the film would suit most audiences as films in the thriller category are among those that generate the most ticket sales, good examples of this genre include films like 'Skyfall' ($300 Million) and 'The Bourne Ultimatum' ($227 Million).

Secondly, Thrillers are something of a connective genre, in a lot of cases thrillers can be combined with other genres to make very successful outcomes such as the Sci-fi-Thriller category ('Hunger Games' $408 Million) or the Mystery-Thriller category ('The Da Vinci Code' $218 Million). On this subject I would like to draw attention to one key factor in this, most thrillers are tagged alongside the Sci-Fi genre, it seems to be the most common use for it with titles such as 'Transformers', 'Gravity' and 'X-Men'.



The Opening Scene to skyfall uses lighting
to intensify the suspense of the situation

Thirdly, The reason why we  have specifically chosen the Crime genre as the connection to the thriller is because it suits our limitations much better than any other genre, the crime category uses much more subtle effects for suspense, effects like lighting and sound design add an air to the scene that wouldn't work with CGI. The key point here is that Crime is a genre that is grounded in reality with situations that could relate to the viewer giving them a much more intense experience. Given that we have limited use of CGI in terms of skills we can focus more clearly on factors such as Lighting, Dialogue and Composition.

Given that I now know which genre to operate in, the 5 Films I will be researching and analysing the opening of, are as follows:

1. Skyfall- I have chosen Skyfall as one of the research focuses as I believe that it is an interesting film to see, the opening sequence is one many are familiar with and I think looking into the mass popularity of it would be very worthwhile.

2.Batman Begins- For many Christopher Nolan is seen as a genius in bringing the well beloved comic book hero to the big screen in his 2005 Blockbuster. I for one largely enjoyed the film and I think that given the movies focus of stopping crime it could give me a much more raw look at the whole Crime aspect of this genre.

3. Limitless- This spot was going to be between 'Limitless' or 'Now You See Me', The reason why I have Chosen Limitless is because I think it would be good to see how the story develops one particular chracter throughout the entire film, Now You See Me seemed to ride its popularity solely on its CGI which is something I'd rather avoid. It also gives me insight into the Mystery aspect of a thriller to more accurately see what still remains in the genre when you change its style, which key elements are crucial to a thriller that will remain no matter what genre focus you take.

4. Panic Room- For these last two research items I am going to keep them solidly focused on Crime-Thriller working hand in hand, for this reason I have chosen Panic Room, having seen this film many times before I can say that the suspense in some of the scenes is incredibly tense. Most notable are the moments where Jodie Fosters character (Meg Altman) is skulking through the house avoiding the criminals, the darkness of the scene also helps to increase this tension and the story from there on takes many twists and turns creating an interesting piece with something new around every corner. Being remembered as a classic this films lighting effects and pacing are superb and it would be useful to see what it does to keep the audience thrilled as it were.

5. Red Dragon- This classic Crime-Thriller is one that takes the Psychological nature of crime and ramps its up to new limits, among the intense moments with Hannibal Lecter the pacing is once again one of this films key feature, the tension and suspense is simply incredible and could be a key asset to my production.