Spy-thriller Genre Analysis

By: Alina Raza

Thriller and its Sub Genres

The subgenres of the thriller genre are:• Action• Spy• Crime• Psychological• Mystery• Suspense• Horror• conspiracy

• Supernatural• Technical• Drama• Political• Medical• Disaster• Religious

Thriller films are fast-paced to keep the audiences adrenaline rushing. Thriller films keep them on the edge of their seats as they build up tension.

History of Thriller films• Thriller films were first introduced in the 1920's y a man called Harold Lloyd. He

made the very first thriller comic called safety Last. However, it was Alfred Hitchcock who made the very first Thriller film.

1920’s- 30’s• Alfred Hitchcock made his very first thriller which was a silent thriller in 1926 called ‘The Lodger’

which was about Jack the Ripper.• Britain's first sound thriller was made in 1929 by Alfred Hitchcock that was called Blackmail.

1940’s• Hitchcock continued to make suspense thrillers and he won an Oscar for one of his films which

was called Rebecca. This was combined with other genres to make it more appealing to a wider audience.

• 1941 he released a film called suspicious which was about a women in danger of her own husband.

• He later directed a film called the shadow of doubt that was based on a true event in the 1920’s. It was about a serial killer called the Merry Widow murderer.

1950’s-60’s• In the 1950’s, Alfred Hitchcock added a new convention to his thriller films. He added colour as

previously they were all in black and white.• Blonde haired women were also used as the main character rather than brunettes as they were seen

as a sex icon in 1950’s films.• Thriller films released in 1960’s: Cape Fear- Lee Thompson, The night of the Hunter- Charles Laughton

1970’s-80’s• Thriller films in this era became more like horror films as they were scary but also contained a lot of

violence. However there was still a difference between the horror and thriller genre.• Films released in this era were: Frenzy- Steven Spielberg (this contained a lot of blood and gore),

Don’t Look Now- Nicolas Roeg

Thrillers in the 21st Century• Films contain more blood, violence, gore and death• The plots are now more modern compared to previous thriller plots. This is because they have started

to involve violence and world problems as well as governments and other institutions such as the army and police,

• Films released in this era are: Hostage, Ride, Captivity and many more.

Alfred HitchcockAlfred Hitchcock is a director who was most famous for his thriller films. Altogether, he has directed more than 50 films and he has been given the award of the greatest ever film maker in 2007 by the Daily Telegraph. He started off making silent films. However, since he has now introduced dialogue into his films, he has a distinctive directing style of allowing the audience relate with the characters, by using certain camera angles which copy a person’s view. Usually, if he had a female role within his films, he would use a blonde female character as these were seen as sex symbols in the last 1900’s. He also used unique editing to show the point of view shots build up suspense and tension for the audience as he wanted them to be scared. Finally, he usually had twisted ending with violence, crime and murder.

History of Spy FilmsSpy films had ideas taken from real life events such as wars. The first spy film was by William Le called 'The Great War in 1897’’. The film was about a French attack on Britain planned by a Russian spy.

1920’s-30’s• Most spy films were based around the British secret service and other institutions such as the

army.• Aliens were seen as villains, and the hero's were the spies.• Terrorism, violence and assassination attempts were often seen in most spy films in this

decade.• Alfred Hitchcock created spy films in the 1930s to go with his thriller films such as The Man

Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, Sabotage and The Lady Vanishes. These included civilians being caught up in international conspiracies.

Spy films continued to have the same conventions, narratives and characters up to modern day.

History of Spy-Thriller films 1920’s-30’s• In 1928, one of the very first spy-thrillers was made called Spies by Fritz Lang. This

film was the inspiration for the James Bond films that were made many years after. 1940’-50’s• Two Spy- thrillers were made in 1949 called ‘Cloak’ and ‘Dagger’ by Fritz lang.• 2 spy- thriller films made in 1952 included Henry Hathaway's Diplomatic Courier and

Joseph Mankiewicz’s Fingers 1970’s-80’s• In 1974, Francis ford Coppolla made a tense spy thriller called the Conversation.1990’s-present day• The spy-thriller genre today contains explosive action scenes, new technology, twisted

plots. An example of a present spy-thriller includes Mission Impossible III.

After looking at the history of the Thriller, Spy and Spy-thriller genre, I have noticed that there has been a lot of changes over the decades.In modern films, there are a lot stereotypical plots, however, they all seem to have a modern twist on them to make them appeal to a wider audience so the audience don’t know what to expect. Over the years, sound and music has changed from complete silence to non-diegetic loud, dramatic ambient sound and pleonastic sound to build suspense and tension on the audience. 3 point lighting has been introduced and colour has also become introduced to allow the directors to show the dark side of characters and create different moods on the audience.

Conventions of Spy-Thriller NarrativeNarrative• The narrative of a typical spy-thriller genre is usually a hero or a group of heroes fighting against an enemy whilst

completing a quest or objective.• The film will always clearly show the danger that the hero faces.• There will always be a danger or death threat in a thriller. A twist in the plot is often seen to trick the audience

about what is going to happen next.• The narrative of a spy- thriller will cover-up of important information from the viewer to suggest secrecy.• Excitement, suspense, adventure and tension is normally created in a spy thriller genre to thrill and captivate the

audience.• Thrillers sometimes include elements of science fiction, mystery, horror, crime, conspiracy and sometimes include

fight or chase scenes.• Often includes working Institutions such as the police, the government or the army.

Typical Spy-thriller -Todorov narrative

Equilibrium: an equilibrium shown in the first few scenes will create a sense of normality for the audience and the main character who is normally shown in the first few scenes. A disruption- a disruption will happen from where the normality and narrative will change.Realization- everyone realises what the problem is and the characters and events will suddenly become connected. Attempt to resolve- the tension builds up and things need to be resolved so the narrative can carry on.Resolution- most things are sorted and everything comes together. The audience now understand what is going on. Re equilibrium- things change from good from bad and the narrative is back to normality and can have a new equilibrium.

Flashbacks• Creates a feeling of disorientation that can leave the audience feeling confused• Sometimes used to give the audience information about a characters past and can help the audience

understand the film more

Sound• Sound is important in a spy-thriller genre as it gives the film more meaning, helps to build up suspense and

can also set the mood for the film.• Long and fast paced non-diegetic sounds that play in the background get the audiences adrenaline running

and builds up tension.• Some thriller genres have silence in the scenes before something bad happens which also creates tension for

the audience.• Sometimes spy-thrillers contain voice overs to build suspense.• Ambient sound is sometimes used in thrillers to create a panic situation.• Orchestral music makes the audience think something bad is going happen.• Sounds in a spy- thriller start of slow and gradually turns fast pace to build up a dramatic scene.• Sound bridges throughout the scenes

Setting• Dark colour schemes are used to suggest mystery. • Settings of a normal environment is often seen as this creates suspense because the action is unexpected. • The Woods or a forest is sometimes seen in spy-thrillers because the dark surroundings would create an

eerie atmosphere

Lighting• Low key lighting is used a lot in thrillers as this creates an eerie

atmosphere and darkness so the audience are unaware of the surroundings.

• Shadows in thrillers are created through artificial and low key lighting as they represent darkness and evil within the scene.

• Three point lighting - three different lights are used and the intensity of these lights are altered in order to create mysterious and eerie effects.

• Back lighting is used to show the more dominant character in a scene or to create a silhouette

Editing• Reaction shots or slow motion is used in both spy and thrillers.

These clearly show the characters reaction or actions.• A lot of fast scene cuts all together show fast paced action and

gives the audience a ‘never ending’ feeling about what is going to happen next.

Themes• True story, isolation, loss, death, stalkers, murders, assassins,

espionage, hostage and investigation

Camera• Tracking shots are used a lot in the spy-thriller genre to follow characters. This is because it is fast

paced and it exhilarates the audience.• Close ups and extreme close ups are used to show facial expressions and even details of props.• Wide shots show the point of emphasis in the middle of the frame so the audience can see the

surroundings of the characters.• Two shots can show the relationship between characters but it can also show the differences in

the characters which make the audience wonder why they are together.• Canted angle shots are used to suggest to the audience that something is about to change.• Montage of shots• Tracking and panning shots are used in the opening scenes of thriller films.• High angle shots sometimes used to make a character feel vulnerable or weak.

Colour• Single black and white shots are used to

create a dark and gloomy feel to the film. The connotations of black is death and misery which could forebode the rest of the film if it is seen in the opening sequence.

Costume• Costumes determine a characters mood or personality and an audience can form an opinion on a character

by their costume.• Characters working for a particular institution tend to normally wear suits and look smart.

• The hero is usually in a disguise so the villain doesn’t know who they are.

• Costumes clearly show the audience who the hero and villain are.

Props.• Props make a scene look realistic.• Mirrors are used a lot as it can show the darkness and evilness of the character. This makes the audience feel

nervous and uneasy.• Guns, knives- these can show the audience who the hero and villain are and create a violent tone to the film.• A white shower curtain or a tap and blood are used in some thrillers, particularly in murder scenes.• Props can add a sense of suspense to the audience because they will wonder what the reason is for the

characters the props

Spy- thriller: Salt trailer (2010)

I chose to look at Salt as it shows female dominance and power because women aren't usually seen as the hero's in Spy thriller films.I wanted to look at the conventions of this type of film because of the female hero.

In 2003 Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is tortured by North Korean soldiers. She is soon traded for a North Korean prisoner and taken to safety by her boss Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber). Evelyn Salt works for the CIA. All of a sudden a Russian spy comes into their offices and offers an important piece of information. He sais ‘’the President of Russia will be assassinated during his next visit to New York City to attend the funeral of the recent U.S. Vice President. The name of the assassin is Evelyn Salt’’. Salt starts to then worry about her husband's safety as she cannot contact him. She then tries to run away.

Characters: Hero (Evelyn Salt)- The hero is the main character in the film and is played by a woman. This suggests female dominance and also suggests that women aren't vulnerable and don’t always need a man to help them which beats the stereotypes of women. However, Evelyn Salt is the only women but most powerful character in the film. This makes this spy thriller film different from a lot of others because a women isn't usually seen as a hero in many of these films and it challenges the stereotypes of women being incapable and unintelligent, when Salt works for the CIA so therefore is very intelligent.Costume: The male characters which work for the CIA are always in dark suits even when shooting. However, when the action starts to take place, the people involved in this are in bullet proof vests and protective black clothing. Salt is dressed in a suit at first to show she is professional and when she runs away she dresses casually so no one sees her.Setting/colour: New York City- tall buildings, cathedral, indoors a lot, train stations Props: Guns, knives, bombs- these are typical props you would see in a spy thriller as it wouldn't be action packed without these props. Therefore this makes the film a typical spy thriller genre due to the violence created with the props and the CIA.Lighting: Low key lighting for fighting scenes and high key lighting for flashbacks. High key is used for flashbacks as it bring back happy memories for Salt and light has the connotations of happiness. Sound: Calm non-diegetic bridging sound throughout the start of the trailer so the audience can hear the important information in order to know the plot. This is typical of a lot of spy- thriller films. It then gradually becomes louder and turns into extremely fast paced non diegetic music with explosive sounds. Non diegetic voice over monologue of the Russian spy as he is still giving out important information for the audience however, when we see him speaking in the shot this is diegetic. Pleonastic sounds of the knives coming out of the shoe make the shock the audience as it was unexpected. Camera: Close up of Salts face at the start to show she is the main character and her facial expressions show how serious she is about the situation. Over the shoulder shots, establishing shots to show the setting of the film. Editing: Fade-in fade -out transitions change in time with dialogue. Further into the trailer, the cuts are still fades but as they fade, an ambient sound of shutters are used to seal the cut. The men are lay dead in the lift and a negative effect is put on them for about 1 second to show the killer is dangerous. A depth of field shot is usually made on the character speaking in the shot or the one that the directors what the audience to focus on the most. Towards the end of the trailer, the action becomes much faster therefore the music and transitions become extremely faster to match the action and make it more dramatic.

Audience profile of a Spy-Thriller film

Class: Middle classAge: 15-40Gender- Usually male viewers Ethnicity- The film could be aimed at any religion, however, some spy-thrillers especially in an 18 film may contain racism and discrimination against race and religion. Income- Young teens may earn minimum wage in a part time job but older views may earn from £15,000 to £40,000 per annum. Young and rubicam's needs: The audience would be Succeeder as they have the good things in life and want complete control of them because they don’t want to loose them. However, they may also be mainstreamers as they may follow the crowd and doesn’t like taking risks. l they may only watch spy-thriller films because their friends like them.Lifestyle: The audience can range from people being yuppies with high disposable income and nice house to Dinkies with dual income and no children. Empty nesters wouldn’t really be an audience for this genre as they are older and the content many no be suitable.Social grading: can range from unemployed people (E) to high earning doctors (A) depending on their interests. The interests of a spy thriller view would be playing sports and being into the latest technology and gadgets.

Why do people watch Thrillers and spy- thrillers?

After researching the uses and gratifications theory I found out that spy thrillers are watched for: -Entertainment -Information on the genre -Social purposes- friends watch them etc

EntertainmentPeople watch thrillers to be entertained and thrilled. Thrillers create a lot of suspense and tension so therefore aren't relaxing. Some people become so engaged within the film that they forget about everything in real life and they feel involved in the films story line. They also start to feel the same emotions as some of the characters in the film.Information purposes Historical or social events are portrayed in a lot of spy thrillers. Different societies, religions and ideologies in the world can be shown in thrillers as they can involve a lot of traveling. This can educate people about different people, religions and parts of the world. Also people can be taught about human behaviour and emotions by watching any type of thriller.Social purposesThey are also watched for social reasons. Some people, especially teenagers like to go to the cinema with friends. Also, they help build the basis of conversations e.g. people may talk about the film with peers or family.

Audience Theories involved in Spy- Thrillers

Social learning theoryThis suggests that people learn new behaviours by copying the values and beliefs of their role models. They learn from watching and following the examples of others. One of the main examples of this theory is a symbolic reason. A person will carry out the behaviour shown in the media by following the behaviour of someone in a film.Desensitisation theory There is usually a clear difference between good and evil in spy thriller films and if people watch these films a lot, it could influence people to act heroically by watching a certain character or even act evil because they are so much exposed to this and behaviour and will think of it as normal because they're so used to seeing this in films.

Age popularity of Thriller films

• Young, Middle and Older ages show huge differences in popularity of genres.• Genres such as Action- Adventure , Drama, Horror films aren't popular with Older audiences.• The table shows that Murder (thriller) is more popular with the younger audience than the older audience. This is

probably due to the violence and action taking place as they don’t like horror or action adventure and these are similar to thriller.