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

How have i progressed since my preliminary task? from ShannonCJ

Also I feel that I have learnt more about teamwork and how it can help me make a product better than what I would've been able to make by myself. At first when we got told that we could work in groups I was worried that there would be some people who don't put in enough time into the product but my group has turned out to be brilliant for making a media product. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses in media so when one of us doesn't know what to do, someone else in our group will. We all agreed on the idea of the plot from Alex but each of us put in our opinion on how to develop it to make it a group decision. I was the main planner of what we would do in our film and how we would create it. I made the storyboard with inputs from everyone else in the group, I got the main female actress to take part in the film and I organised when we would meet up and what time. I learnt that some of my main qualities are organisation and determination. Where as the other members had other qualities that made the filming and editing of the film easier, such as how to work the software and the camera, Ellie and Alex, or how to compose relevant music to create an atmosphere in the film (Phoebe). Our friendships developed to allow us to feel comfortable offering up our ideas to the group and to take everything each of us said into consideration.
The preliminary was a quick video to shot and the idea was simple to conduct after being told what had to be included but from that to our main outcome, we have learnt that the making of a film takes a lot more time and effort in planning to make it look professional.

How does your media represent particular social groups?

How did we attract our audience?

Attract audience from ShannonCJ

What kind of media institution would distribute our media product and why?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

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

Thriller films have many common conventions and we have tried to portray some of these elements in our video so as to convey the appropriate genre of our film. We especially took influence from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho film as this is one of the most famous thriller films.

 

Bus Stop was influenced by shower scene in Psycho

We wanted to take the element of the unseen protagonist from Psycho into our film. We made sure that the antagonist of our narrative was not seen clearly and that you could only see the outline of him or aspects of his body, you never actually see his face. We found that the mystery of who the antagonist is keeps the audience interested in the film. This technique is also used in the opening scene of No Country For Old Men. The antagonist of hidden in the back of the police car until around 5 minutes into the film when we finally see his face. We filmed the antagonists movements and made him keep his hood up so that his face wasn't visible so as to make the audience feel uncomfortable for not knowing what he looks like and to show that he is dangerous.

No Country For Old Men influenced the idea that you can't see who the antagonist is clearly in the beginning.

    Black and White flashback influenced by Memento.

We also used flashbacks like in the films Memento and the Bourne Ultimatum. I especially liked this technique in the narrative, I think it keeps the audience intrigued about a certain characters story. It will make the audience understand a character more in a short period of time but will also give them leading questions about the narrative. In the film Memento, the flashbacks are major scenes in the film, making it confusing but interesting. When used properly, it can put big twists in the narrative within a short period of time. We wanted people to understand enough about the antagonist in our narrative, to know that he has been obsessed with the female victim since a young age by showing flashbacks of him giving her a rose while in school uniform. We also wanted to show the kidnap scene as we knew that would be the scene that could create the most fear in the audience and it would also explain how she ended up tied in the chair. 

Another convention that is often used in thriller films is voiceovers. We took this convention and used it in our own film. It helps to make the narrative clear to the audience but also helps to create suspense as the audience can't see who is speaking and that would make them uncomfortable.

To add to that the sub-genre of the film had to be interpreted to the audience somehow. Our film is a psychological and crime/conspiracy thriller as the antagonist has a psychological disorder and because the narrative includes a detective as the antagonist trying to save the female. The psychological element was fairly hard to put into the two minutes as the opening focuses in the situation of the female being kidnapped and the antagonist psychological state would've been revealed closer to the end of the film. So the only feature we included to show that it was also a psychological thriller was the flashback of when he gave her a rose when he was younger. The rose is first scene as a stick (which is the reality) and then quickly changes to a red rose (which is what he sees it as). His psychological disorder means that he has a altered state of reality so when someone asks negatively towards him he wouldn't understand and would continue to talk to them. The quick cuts to reality and an altered state of reality shows that he doesn't see things right and has a psycholgical problem, much like in the film the Black Swan. The main character in the Black Swan frequently sees things that aren't real and the quick editing from one reality to another shows this.


Psychological aspects influenced by The Black Swan.

What we have learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Difficulties in using After Effects

After finishing putting on all the credits and after effects on, our final outcome was complete. In the next lesson we hosted a screening of every media groups thriller film clips, including our own. This allowed us to get feedback from a fairly large audience on our video. We asked them questions such as, how do you think we could improve?; did you like it?; and what level do you think it would achieve on the mark scheme? They gave us honest answers so that we could learn how to improve our video.

The initial response from the audience was fairly positive. Certain members of the audience explained that they like the flashback after effects. They said that the black and white effect helped them to understand what the narrative was about and that the effects resembled going back in time. They especially liked the bus stop scene where the victim is about to get kidnapped. This was good news for us seeing as initially we weren't going to use a black and white effect on the flashbacks, we wanted to use a different effect  that meant that the image would appear slightly blurred and brighter, much like the flashbacks in the Bourne Ultimatum as seen below

Unfortunately, we couldn't figure out how to apply this to our own clip on after effects but we could adjust the saturation of the clip so that it appeared black and white instead. We were considering not including any effects on the flashback clips as we thought that the black and white effects might make it too dark and therefore fairly difficult for the audience to understand what they are seeing. However we thought that without the effect, the narrative might be seen as even more confusing as the audience wouldn't be able to tell what is the past and what is the present in the clip so we played around with the effects and eventually managed to adjust the saturation so that it appeared all black and white.

Final Media Opening AS

Credit Analysis in Thrillers

The credits at the beginning of a thriller film often include non-diegetic music to set the scene and create an atmosphere for the audience. This score is often orchestral and dramatic-creating the suspense of the film- or alternative/rock music. Its also fairly common for some thrillers to play part of the film within the first five minutes and then play the credits. This allows the audience to see the major event that started the whole film off. For example, the James Bond films often start of with on opening sequence and then is well known for its opening credits after that seen. In Skyfall, James Bond is shot at and then falls in the water, from then the credits begin with Adele's theme tune song starting bringing it in.

Memento's credit opening includes just one scene but it's playing in reverse so that the picture fades out instead of fading in. Over the top of the first shot, orchestral music is playing to create tension in the audience.

Production and Distribution companies

The Coen brothers founded their own film production company, called Mike Zoss Productions. The company was established in 2000 where it produced its first film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? The company has also produced films such as No Country for Old Men (2007) and The Ladykillers (2004).

Mike Zoss Productions Logo.

20^th Century Fox owned by 21^st Century Fox have produced many films including quite a few thriller films. It has produced and/or distributed films such as The Transporter (2002), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Taken (2009)

20th Century Fox logo

Fox Searchlight Pictures was established in 1994 and is an American film distribution company within the Fox Entertainment Group. It specializes in US distribution of independent and British films. It has distributed films such as 127 hours (2010) and Black Swan (2010).

Fox Searchlight Pictures logo

Warner Bros. produces and distributes various films such as Argo (2012). Christopher Nolan is a famous thriller directer who has worked with Warner Bros. to distribute his films, Inception (2010) and The Dark Knight (2008).

Warner Bros, logo

Universal Studies is another major company that distributes and produces films as well as focusing on other medias too. Steven Spielberg, the director of Jaws and Jurassic Park has frequently worked with Universal studios for his films.

Universal logo

Other Companies

Miramax films has ben associated with a famous thriller director, Quentin Tarantino who directed films such as Pulp Fiction (1994) and Kill Bill (2003). Miramax has also produced the famous thriller, Trainspotting (1996).

Summit Entertainment has produced and distributed various films such as Knowing (2009), Now You See Me (2013) and Man on a Ledge (2012).

New Line Cinema – Se7en (1995), Rush Hour (1998),

Paramount Vantage – No Country for Old Men (2007)

Marvel Studios – Iron Man (2008) , Captain America (2011) Thor (2011)

Lions Gate Entertainment – Hunger Games (2012) , American Psycho (2000)

Newmarket Films – Memento (2000)

Sir Peter Robert Jackson is a New Zealand film director, producer ans screenwriter. He is best known as the director and producer of The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) and The Hobbit trilogy (2012-2014). Peter Jackson has his own production company called Wingnut Films which has produced thriller films such as The Lovely Bones (2009) and Heavenly Creatures (1994).

BBFC ratings

Films are given a BBFC ratings as the content in the film may only be appropriate for certain ages.

How it works;

The system works by using eight different categories that the film would contain, these are the following categories: discrimination, drugs, inimitable, behaviour, language, nudity, sex, threats and violence. The film would have varying degrees of these categories for example one film would show some one taking drugs but having a positive anti-drug message would put it at an 12A film but the drugs taking would be very limited. The 15 age category can show some one taking drugs but it can’t encourage or promote drug miss use, also easily accessible substances like solvents and aerosols cannot be shown. The 18 age rating allows anything to be shown for example how to kill someone can’t be shown in a 15 (showing some die is not the same as showing how to kill) but can be show in an 18.

Rated U (universal)- Suitable for all ages

A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over, although it is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. U films should be set within a positive framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror. If a work is particularly suitable for pre-school children, this will be indicated in the BBFC insight.

 PG Parental Guidance – General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children

A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Unaccompanied children of any age may watch, but parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children.

 12A/12 – Suitable for 12 years and over

Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video work.

The following films (Sherlock Holmes, G.I Joe, Iron Man) are rated at 12A. Their main audience would be young teenagers that want to see a film with a more cartoon like violence, this means no blood would be seen when someone gets shot or stabbed. Also it’s unlikely to contain mature thriller concepts such as kidnapping or extortion.

15 – Suitable only for 15 years and over

No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video work.

• Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.
• There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic or sexual threat is unlikely to be acceptable.
• There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
• Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without strong detail.
• There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.
• Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.
• The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.

(The Black Swan, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, Salt)

The 15 age rating thriller films would deal with more thriller scenarios, such as kidnapping, police detective going after the bad guy and drugs. The age rating allows more to be shown in the film which means the audience is more captivated by film. This is the main age rating for thriller films due to it being the main target market and also more profitable to the producers.

18 – Suitable only for adults

No one younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema. No one younger than 18 may rent or buy an 18 rated video work. Adults should be free to choose their own entertainment.

(Seven, Law abiding citizen, Pulp fiction).

These films would have more graphical scenes containing a lot of blood and psychological suspense. The style of killer would also be more sadistic in their nature. The movies themes would be more sensitive to the viewer containing religious style killing based the seven deadly sins from the bible (Sev7en) or acts of terrorism as in law abiding citizen.

Our thriller age rating 

The age rating of are thriller would be a 15. The reason behind this is that on four out of the eight categories our thriller concept would not be acceptable but we won’t go into as much detail as a 18 film would. There would not be large uses of blood and/or gore in are film as it would be centered on more psychological theories than physical violence.  However it could possibly classed as an 18 rating as the story plot and the antagonists metal state are major themes emphasized in 18 films, such as his obsession with the kidnaped girl and his behaviour that is categorised as being sadistic and sexual. But we will most likely focus the narrative on the detective trying to save the girl and occasionally flick back to the antagonist and the victim of the film. Gathering all this together, the rating of our film would most likely be a 15.

Gender Representaions

Males are often represented as the antagonist of the narrative (the character who opposes the protagonist). They are also represented often as the protagonist. This might be because men are seen as able to cope with dangerous situations better than women however we might think this because females are often played as the victim of thriller films.
The females are usually played by a young actress and are seen as vulnerable and in need of being saved by a male protagonist. A good example of a typical female character is the daughter in the film 'Taken'. In this film, a retired CIA agent has to track down his daughter across Europe who was kidnapped while on holiday with her friend. The daughter is only 17 years old and is seen as helpless so her father who is portrayed as the reserved, intimidating ex-agent has to save her from the male kidnappers who are dangerous criminals.

In Alfred Hitchcock's films, all the females are presented as vulnerable and unable to save themselves. For example, in Psycho the main female character is killed off quickly, showing that she is defenceless and the fact that she was talking to the antagonist before she was killed in the shower scene also presents her as social and sensitive. This is the main female characteristics that is portrayed in most thriller films; being sociable, sensitive and defenceless.
The males in the film Psycho are portrayed as considerate to saving the female and willing to face the antagonist to solve the case. The are seen as more wary of who the antagonist might be and unafraid of facing him.

Our Thriller Opening Storyboard

Our Thriller Opening Storyboard

In the sixth storyboard, we decided to add an extra bit to the film of the victim about to get kidnapped. She is waiting in a bus stop at night and the psycho is watchinhg her and eventually starts towards her to kinap her. This extra bit of filming is a flashback and will be edited into the storyboard in the sixth storyboard after the first scene. There is a star on the sixth storyboard to signal where the two stroyboards below go and then it continues from there.

Equipment List

• DSLR camera
• Rope
• Tripod
• Business clothes
• Light
• Chair
• Phone
• Zoom Audio Recorder
• Missing poster
• Police ID badge
• Transport

Filming Schedule

Park scene -Friday 7th February 2014, 9:10-11:10 (during double media)

Alternate: Wednesday 12th February 2015, 9:10-11:10 (during double media)
Needed: missing poster, detective actor

Garage scene-Sunday 9th February 2014

Needed: Victim actress, Psychopath actor, two chairs, rope, stripes of materials, lighting device

Business park scene -Sunday 16th February 2014

Alternative: Monday 17th February 2014
Needed: Victim actress (dressed in business wear), psychopath actor, mobile phone

Bus stop scene -Sunday 16th February 2014 (needs to be dark so around 6-7pm)

Alternative: Monday 17th February 2014 (needs to be dark so around 6-7pm)
Needed: Victim actress (dressed in same clothes as garage scene), light device.

Genre of our Thriller

Our thriller film would probably be categorised as a psychological thriller due to the emphasise of the stalkers mental state. The antagonist of the film suffers from a mental illness called psychosis which will be the main unconscious encouragement that made him kidnap the victim of the film. 

Adding to that, the police detective also becomes slightly obsessed with the case due to past traumatic events considering his own family. This implicates the psychological sub-genre aspects of the film further. However, because of the use of the detective and involvement of the police to solve an abduction, this thriller could also be classed as a crime thriller.

Target audience for our Thriller Film

How will we link our Thriller with the Research we've looked at?

We will take influence of the style that Hitchcock uses in the shower scene of ‘Psycho’. The scene makes the audience imagine the stabbing even though we never see the knife actually come to physical contact with the lead female character.

We would like to apply this to our thriller, in the kidnapping scene. We will see aspects of him at the bus stop such as his feet walking, as well as hear his breath and footsteps. We will see her stood at the bus stop in the dark, turning around thinking someone is watching her. We will not see her getting kidnapped, like not seeing the knife stabbing in Psycho, but we assume she gets kidnapped when she is seen tied up in the garage. 

Psycho film analysis here

The Editing, Setting and Sound of our film

Script for our Film

All of the speech in the opening two minutes are by the antagonist, Ian Foster who is the stalker.

Voiceover during the first flask back of when he was watching Poppy Leave her work;
"I remember when I saw you again. You were walking through the doors carrying your brown bag. Your blonde hair hanging over your shoulders, flowing in the wind. Your perfect clothes complimenting your body. You never knew I was there"

Dialogue that Ian says Before the childhood flashback:
"I always knew that you liked me, you just didn't admit it to yourself. You do remember it, don't you?"

Dialogue during the next scene in which he drags the chair over:
"We've been so busy recently, we haven't had time to talk (drags chair over). How about we catch up? Let me tell you about myself."

The Characters

Psychopath-

Name: Ian Andrew Foster

Age: 24

About: Had a good upbringing from a high middle class family, but ever since he was a child he would get into trouble at school. The years following on from school few he was diagnosed with a metal illness (psychosis) and this has left him with an altered state of reality.

He lives by himself and is no longer in contact with his parents, and this fact is apparent but not explained in the film. The audience is just left to assume why he no longer talks to them.

He suffers from a form of psychosis. The psychosis has caused him to gain catatonia; a symptom that means he has an agitated state on reality. This has caused him to misread people, e.g. people that hate him he thinks are is his friend. In the case of Poppy, he was rejected by her in school and this has led to him believing that she wants to be with him.

He used to run away from home often when he was younger. At the time, the reason why he did this was not known, but later it was revealed to be triggered by the early onset of his psychosis.

Through his mental illness he has gained a fondness of people that is at the level of interest that is considered to be dangerous and therefore he develops an over eagerness of attachment which has led to him becoming obsessed with particular people.

Rachel Larvey, 27, will be acting as
Poppy Morganstone.

Victim-

Name; Poppy Morgan-stone

Aged; 24

About; she used to go to school with Ian, and they were friends until she found other friends and therefore started to ignore him. After school she attended college followed by university. She later became a successful illustrator, this has led her living in a busy city. She had a good upbringing receiving top grades and a university degree.

She frequently wears business clothing when around the city- smart skirt and blouse with heels. However, when she has been kidnapped and tied up her clothes are rather tattered but she will still look good due to us seeing her through both the normal reality and Ian’s twisted reality.

 Detective-

Name; Detective Parker

Aged; 45

Paul Borgman (one of the group members
dad) will be playing the detective.

About; He is a very experienced chief detective who is particularly interested in the case of Poppy Morganstone and Ian Foster as his daughter was once abducted so he understand how the family of Poppy is feeling and soon becomes obsessed with solving the case and saving Poppy.

Wears a suit and tie as well as glasses to show his importance 

and intelligence. 

The plot to our thriller film

A psychopath stalks a childhood friend who he once had strong feelings for. When at school, he asked her out but was rejected horribly. Later on in life, he was diagnosed with psychosis which left him with an altered state of reality.

This mental state means that he becomes obsessed with her and eventually he devises a plan to kidnap her so that he can be with her. However he becomes panicked when the police are alarmed and a chief detective is sent out to find her. With the police getting ever closer to finding her, the psychopath becomes distressed and does things that he never was meant to do.

Additional information on the narrative

The film is anochronic with flashbacks to memories from their childhood. The narrative will flashback to when they were friends in primary school but she ignored him when they got to senior school and she made other friends. 

No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men is a 2007 film directed by the Coen Brothers starring Josh Brolin, Javier Barden, Tommy Lee jones and Woody Harrelson. It won 4 Oscars at the 2008 Academy Awards and is well-knwon for its bloody scenes and unusual characters.
The film features a Southern American voiceover to match the desert settings the film was based in. It started off with slow-paced long shots of the desert scenery and the only signs of life is a police car going down the only road in the area. The editing then cuts to reveal someones silohette in the back of the police car. The audience is unable to see who this person is which shows that implies that they are a mysterious, reserved character in the narrative but also that they are the antagonist as they are hidden in the shadows, portrayin to us that he is dangerous. The film is mostly in silence playing on the uncomfortable feelings that the victims feel when talking to the antagonist and the fact that they are alone and that no one can save them. During the film, the antagonist is seen killing innocent people and the extreme close ups of his feet walking towards the victims rooms instantly creates tension within the audience. The variety of shot types, such as the close ups which cut to the long shots of a character walking, allow for the audience to feel even more on edge. There is also a variety of camera movements, for example, the tracking shot of a mans feet as he walks past some dead bodies. The editing included transitions such as dissolve and straight cuts to create diversity in the film and to keep the audience interested in the film.

Sabotage

Plot summary

The Alfred Hitchcock film ‘Sabotage’ is about an undercover police detective who figures out a plot to blow up Piccadilly Circus, London. However when the saboteur finds out he is being watched he uses his wife’s brother to help. On the journey to Piccadilly everything that could possibly go wrong, goes wrong and the bomb ends up blowing up on a London Bus with the brother. Fuming with rage of her brother’s death, Sylvia discovers her husband was involved and stabs him with a kitchen knife. Absorbed by grief, she goes to the detective for help, who suggests running away together. Fuelled with guilt she tries to confess to the Chief Inspector who brushes her off. However, before the body was found another bomber explodes in the facility of the body destroying all evidence. With nothing to worry about Sylvia and the police detective then run off together.

The Knife Scene

•The knife scene is a famous scene from the film which builds tension without the use of sound. Through camera movement and actors choices the tension and anticipation of the wife murdering her husband is slowly built up.

•The first scene of the movie is of the definition of sabotage. This immediately makes the audience aware of what sabotage is and questioning who the saboteur is.

The famous 'bomb on the trolley'

•The extended sequence that leads up to the fateful moment is up there with Hitchcock’s best; the boy carrying a package he believes to contain rolls of film across London, generating suspense from the audience’s knowledge that it’s in fact a bomb, scheduled to detonate at 1.45pm. Cutting between the package and a series of clock faces as he dawdles through town, alternately held up by a parade and a market demonstration, the tension builds to breaking point as he finally boards a bus in the final moments. Hitchcock takes no prisoners, throwing in a scene with a tiny puppy right at the end, just before the cuts accelerate and the bomb explodes. Even when you know what’s coming it’s a shocker, ruthless in its willingness to exploit the audience’s trust to the last beat.

•Hitchcock himself was dismissive of the film, and particularly of one sequence, featuring the explosion of a bomb on a London bus - which, he told François Truffaut, broke all of his own rules on suspense. The scene, though, is an undeniably powerful one.

How Hitchcock built suspense in this scene

This scene is famed for the way Hitchcock built tension and suspense:

•The audience was actively involved in the narrative of the film, knowing information the character did not. This built tension because the audience was aware of the urgency of the task, however the distractions that faced the character was putting off the production of the bomb at right time.

•This type of method to build tension proved to be effective and had the audience at the edge of their seat, however because of the sympathy the boy got from the audience, they were left resentful afterwards when the bomb exploded and the boy died.

The Coen Brothers

History of thrillers

First Thriller Film

Rescued by Rover (1905)

• Based on a dog saving a stolen baby.
• Directed by Lewin Fitzhamon.
• Includes individual shots as small pieces of a larger jigsaw.
• It's a silent film that lasts six minutes.
• It created excitement that was unprecedented at the time.
• 400 copies were ordered which was very successful for that time.
• It was influenced by D.W Griffith who thought of parallel cutting.
• The boat scene creates tension as it shows him struggling to get across therefore making the audience anxious.

Alfred Hitchcock Films

Hitchcock is known as a major director for thriller films and his films have certain themes and trademarks that make Hitchcock and Auteur.

• Guilty Secrets and unhealthy relationships
• Sex and death
• Blonde female that often get killed of quickly and are portrayed as weak.
• Sick jokes
• Rubber-necking crowds
• Cameo appearances (Hitchcock playing a small character in the background/an extra in each one of his films)

The Lodger (1926)

• Hitchcock's first thriller film
• His first critical and commercial success
• It draws heavily on the German expressionist
• Includes angular sets, high contrast lights but also low key lighting to create exaggerated shadows
• He made the main female character die her hair blonde
• The film was almost not released due to the horrific scenes
• He made a cameo appearance with his wife in the film
• Silent Film

Blackmail (1929)

• This is Hitchcock's first full-length sound film
• It became a major triumph for Hitchcock in the film industry
• It use of sound in the knife scene became iconic. The word 'knife' is emphasized when the woman is talking by making it louder than the other words spoken, therefore its all we really hear. Hitchcock has done this because it shows that the female character is feeling guilty over stabbing and murdering a man who was attacking her and that it all she can think about.
• It is the film that confirmed Hitchcock as the most admired British director
• It included female vulnerability and male sexual aggression that Hitchcock is known for including in his films
• The film featured a heroine who enters a dazed or 'fugue' state which is emphasized in the knife scene
• There was a also a silent version of this film that was released
• The main female character was polish and once sound was introduced into the film industry so unfortunately was not cast in many films. In Blackmail, Hitchcock even replaced the polish actresses lines with a British woman voice. So even though the actress acted in the film, it is not her voice we are hearing.

The 39 steps (1935)

• Was voted the best film of 1935
• It was loosely based in 1925 adventure novel
• It had a $60,000 budget
• Hitchcock cast Hollywood actors and actresses in a British film so that it would reach USA as well as the UK
• In the film the protagonist is killed of quickly which is a well-known Hitchcock trademark
• There is also a cameo appearance from Hitchcock and a blond female character

Other famous thrillers films (not Hitchcock)

Brighton Rock (1947) directed by John Boulting

• This is a well-known gangster film
• The American gangster films emerged in the 1930's depression
• The film included certain themes such as suicide and manipulation.

The Third Man (1949) directed by Carol Reed

• Included zither music
• The consecutive shots in the film revealed the contradictory aspects
• The lighting in the film is fairly bright but bright enough to be harsh
• Holly Martins is in almost every scene.
• The female in this film develops her character from being fragile to becoming quite active in the plot.