Genre conventions (thriller)

A thriller is a novel, play, or film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage.Thrillers create suspense, uncertainty and tension. This will be achieved by using different lighting, sounds and camera angles. The narrative of a thriller, there is usually a crime involving a protagonist and and antagonist. There is a disruption in the equilibrium which then links on to a chain of bad events, building up tension and suspense ready for the climax. There will be a protagonist that seeks to restore the equilibrium whereas the antagonist, in which is very hidden and quiet, seeks to go and seize revenge as a result of a past event. 
A thriller is unrealistic to real life but there is a potential which perhaps one of the reasons people watch them, as they know there is a potential to this happening in present day society and the curiosity to see what happens as a result of this. Thrillers are very complex and try to lead the audience away from what is going to happen to give a sense of shock and fear. This will have an effect on the audience by leaving an enigma, constantly making them question what is going to happen next. This keeps them involved and also ensures their attention is on the film completely. Their concentration will be on the film and they will be thinking how the problems will be resolved, they watch intently to find out what does happen. Often, the audience will try and put themselves into the characters shoes to think more clearly. Its the sense of how this could happen to them gives them the adrenaline rush. There is usually an action scene in the film, giving a sense of horror, but the film will build up to this climax. The horror aspect of a thriller is due to the tension that build throughout the film to then finish with a shock. 
Conventions:


Low level lighting

Quick cuts or cross cutting

Tension music

Changes in angles of the shots, sometimes to create shadows.

Diegetic sound of breathing

Montage or flashback shots

Maybe in black and white shots

Cross cutting is used to build up the suspense, the thrillers unique effect. 

Jump shots; these will hide important or significant objects to mask the importance of it to the audience.

Continuity editing is used so the audience can follow the film better, so they understand the narrative.  

Mise en scene:

Editing:

Mise en scene is extremely important in thrillers. The music is in the background to often determine the mood or emotion. The lighting is often very dark and mysterious set in dull/dark environment. The environment in a thriller can/should immediately allow the audience to establish the theme. The costume for a antagonist will be dark and dull clothing which connote no emotion and mystery whereas the protagonist and other characters will be in ordinary clothing. The makeup will further emphasize the role of the character, so an antagonist may have an unusual or creepy hairstyle. 
Music:
The music is used to highlight the characters emotion and perhaps to imply a specific scene is important, to grab the audiences attention. The music may increase in speed or slow down to create tension or fear and mystery. 
Cinematography:
It will consist of many close up shots to highlight the characters importance but it will also be to emphasize a characters emotion/reaction. The shot of the antagonist will often be obstructing to keep the idea of hidden identity (dirty shot), this provokes the audience to want to know more about the character. 

Poster analysis of Star Wars The Phantom Menace

The main characters we see in this poster are Qui-Gon Jinn, young Anakin, and Queen Amidala are front and center here, the real star of this poster is Darth Maul, the literal Phantom Menace. His red coloring and black-outlined tattoos, along with the telltale yellow and red Sith eyes. The red connotes evil and danger, this perhaps implies that conflict will unfold in the film. This shows the contrast between good and evil is noticeable through the appearance of the characters.Young Anakin is the main image we see a long with the image of Qui-Gon Jinn. This shows the audience who the key characters are in this film as well as highlighting their significance. The sinister image in the background of Darth Maul signifies the fact that he will play a significant role also in this film and connotes evil due to the red colouring and the angry expression on his face. It gives a sense of danger. The looming presence of evil in the background is also echoed in many of the posters, with Darth Vader being replaced.The banner at the top of the poster informs the audience that there will be sequels to this film and perhaps implies that the film will end on a cliffhanger. Moreover, the colour contrast between the yellow/gold on black makes the information stand out to ensure the audience read it. This black and yellow/gold contrast shows all the key information and brightens the poster overall but also gives a futuristic theme. The space ships and lightsaber show the sci-fi genre, Ja Ja Binks also exaggerates that. The lens flare seen in the centre of the poster also brightens up the poster but also implies the protagonists and antagonists in the film. For example, the lens flare is behind young Anakin. Whereas Darth Maul is in complete darkness suggesting his antagonist nature. Moreover, the two Jedi's, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-wan Kenobi are facing the audience directly suggesting power. The small font at the bottom of the poster maybe irrelevant and just extra information. The larger font is the information that needs to be seen hence it being larger. This font is seen on all of the Star Wars posters and is recognized by everyone. 

Genre specific film opening analysis- Focus

The film Focus is considered  thriller with its low level lighting and sense of misdirection. The music develops the image of the character at the beginning, a man who is smooth and very secretive. It intrigues the audience to want to know more. 
The film begins showing New York city, an aerial shot. It provides a sense of wealth and implies that the main character is wealthy. The shot is then followed by a pan up to the main character. The film begins showing

New York city, an aerial shot. It provides a sense of wealth and implies that the main character is wealthy. The shot is then followed by a pan up to the main character. A man with obviously a lot of wealth as he is seen on a balcony of a high star hotel. The setting simply emphasizes the wealth of the character. The character cannot be seen clearly and almost looks like a shadow, this provokes though onto what he looks like. He is obviously very masculine and strong, the fact we can't see him gives a sense of mystery and slightly creepy. he audience cannot clearly see him, there is an element of fear as a result of this.

As the camera follow the character into the hotel suite he is never in the centre of the camera, this shows his surroundings and perhaps infers that this man is very successful. The low level lighting creates a mysterious mood yet the non-diegetic music creates a romantic vibe. This perhaps foreshadows that this film will have some romance and maybe it will interfere with the main plot.

The shot cuts to a low angled shot of the character lightly to the right, it makes the character appear to be very dominant and powerful. This further emphasizes his hierarchy in this society and how he is a very successful person. One side of his face has light where as the other side is in the shadow implying he has two sides to him or he perhaps has something to hide. Moreover, it may mean that he is very secretive and people do not know who he really is. There is still an element f not knowing his true identity which provides a sense of fear because we don't know what he is capable of. It leaves the audience in suspense , waiting to see what is going to happen next. Due to the fact it is appears to be smooth and simple, the audience expect something that will surprise them.
The next shot is a track across the restaurant area, the lighting is still at a low level but is more mood lighting.  As it continues to pan across the room, we see a number of people. They are all smartly dressed and appear very business like. This sets the scene, showing it is a classy place. It allows the audience to make more assumptions on the type of character he is.

The wide shot of the character is obstructed slightly, this makes the audience feel as if they are actually there and it develops the rapport. The lighting is still very low with only a lamp to light up the characters face. The light is created under the characters face, it can appear quite sinister and creepy. In addition, the fact he is sat on his own is unusual but the audience develop a sense of sadness for the character because the people in the background are at with people.

The medium shot of the man and women is out of focus and instead focuses on the male character  the background. Perhaps implying the female character is going to be significant and will have something to do with the male character. The shot with the man standing above her makes her appear vulnerable, he has a dominance. The low level lighting emphasizes the power he has over her and provides fear and danger. She appears uncomfortable needing help from a strong man, a damsel in distress. The man is always above her, showing he wants to hold his dominance. This further Implies that there is a male dominance in the film.

There is little dialogue at this stage, thrillers often have little dialogue to allow the tension and suspense to build. It allows the audience time to anticipate what is going to happen next.
In relation to mise en scene, the female character is wearing a black dress. The colour black connotes mystery and secrecy. It also has connotations of elegance and formality, suggesting that this character is similar to the male character. She may have wealth and be very high up in society having achieved a lot. However, once again it is hard to truly understand her because the colour black has many associations.  

The male character is in a grey suit, the top shirt button is undone showing he is relaxing and is not really bothered about his appearance. Moreover, the colour grey has connotations of sophistication and formality. The darker the grey the more masculine it feels. In comparison, the two characters are very formal considering they are both alone. The y are sophisticated however, the female appears more guarded or false. The way in which she sits, shows how she is private. Her body language is very reserved at the beginning. His body language is very open and relaxed. However, as the scene continues her body language shows that there is an attraction toward one another. She leans in whilst he sits back appearing quite secretive. The male looks as If he is trying to read her before e allows himself to be vulnerable. They both appear to hold things back from one another, its intense atmosphere is amplified through the low level lighting. It also is slightly romantic but still there is a sense of not knowing what is going to come next. Once again due to the lack of light, the characters face cannot be seen clearly further emphasizing the secrets they hold.

In our film, the idea of love is the main reason for this murder. The love becomes too powerful and takes over, resulting in a death. In addition, the love Tim has for Ben is kept secret so we will definitely consider the components that have been used in this film.

Genre specific time line analysis of Harry Potter and the half blood prince, camera angles/shots.

0-2 seconds: wide shot of train, establishing the area. 
2-9 seconds: pans on a slight diagonal. 
9-12 seconds: wide shot.
12-19 seconds: over the shoulder shot, tracking closer to the newspaper. 
20-22 seconds: tilts up to character, goes into focus. 
23-28 seconds: medium shot, character is slight to the right showing the background. 
29-35 seconds: low shot, looking up at the character. 
36-39 seconds: medium shot, character is slight to the right showing the background.
40-42 seconds: low shot, looking up at the character. Character walks out of the shot. 
43-44 seconds: medium shot, character is slight to the right showing the background.
44-45 seconds: zoom shot to focus on character. 
45-45.5 seconds: camera turns to round, medium shot of character. 
46-54 seconds: low shot of character.
54-64 seconds: medium shot of character, character is slightly to the left.
64-67 seconds: wide shot with character to the left. 
68-71seconds: track shot, following the character. 
72-74 seconds: dirty shot and zooms into the window at the same time. 
75-76 seconds: dirty shot and zooms out. 
77-80 seconds: dirty shot and zooms in. Point of view shot. 
80-92 seconds: point of view shot being obstructed by the window. 
92-93 seconds: dirty shot (window obstructing).
93-100 seconds: medium shot, character to the left showing the surrounding. Also showing other character coming into shot.
100-108 seconds: low level wide shot.
108-120 seconds: wide shot of two characters, showing background as characters are slightly to the left of the shot. 
120-123 seconds: extreme wide shot, point of view.
123-127 seconds: reverts back to wide/medium shot of characters.
127-134 seconds: dirty shot. Self tightening shot. Starts as a medium shot with other character to the right, then the other character comes into focus.

Genre specific film opening analysis- The dark knight rises

At the beginning of the film, the idents appear on screen. The idents in which we have seen before, are not done in colour. This creates a creepy and sinister feel, as the screen is rather dark. It immediately informs the audience of what type of film this is, an action thriller. It also sparks some enigma within the audience, they think that this is not a typical superhero film. The music also builds suspense and a sense of fear. The transitions between idents, emphasize the genre and further give a sense of doubt. The short period in which its a black screen, it builds a sense of uncertainty and also gives the audience time to anticipate what's going to happen next.
Slowly, the Batman logo/symbol appears. There is ice cracking, which begins to form the symbol.  This perhaps informs the audience of an event in the film which involves coldness and winter. The connotations of ice are unwelcoming and inhospitable. This further suggests that an event will occur which cause the characters to feel this way. There is a diegetic sound of the ice breaking, its a lot louder than the music. As this shot continues, the music goes slightly quieter and a voice over begins of a man. The cracking of the ice occasionally interrupts the male character perhaps suggesting that this character is not taken seriously or is ignored.
The shot goes dark quickly then goes to the shot of the man, It zooms out. The audience understand that as the shot appears, who the character Harvey Dent is. In addition, we understand by the way the character is talking (past tense), that this character has died. This character obviously had a real significance in previous films. The flags in the background signify that he maybe fought for the country or was a very significant influence.

As the character leaves the stand, the shot fades out.
The shot of the car is very low and wide. The car enters the shot, this shot emphasises the speed at which the car/truck is going. A track shot is used.  
Immediately, in the next shot we see three men who we presume have been caught. They have been blind folded, it gives a sense of mystery. It is a point of view shot (POV), which builds a rapport with the audience as it makes them feel as if they are there in the car. It gets the audience involved with the film.

It then goes on to the next shot of men in a plane, in which we see them about to through out a man. The mise en scene in the film ranges a lot within these first few shots. The characters at the beginning are seen in business attire whereas in the next shot the characters are in Army gear. The opposite in costumes implies that these set of characters will not get on.
The low angle shot makes the men standing, appear to have more power and control. They appear more dominant and threatening, making the man on the floor look weak and overpowered. However, the man then lowers himself to be at eye level with the character kneeling. This suggests that the man on the floor may overpower him in some way, he has already managed to lower him physically. The character is wearing black and looks at lot larger in comparison to the other man. Black has connotations of death and evil. The man in the pale blue shirt implies innocence and purity. These two juxtapose and suggests a clash.

The next shot is an establishing shot, it simply clarifies that they are in a plane. Now, the character who appeared to be overpowered is above the other character, the high over the shoulder shot makes the other character look very vulnerable, the shot is unsteady making the audience feel as though they are there. It builds a rapport with the audience. The low angle shot of the man with the mask (Bane), fits in with the thriller conventions. The character is presented as even more menacing. As the character talks the shot cuts to a wide shot (aerial shot) and shows that a much larger plane is close to the other plane that we assume they are in. The size of the plane shows that whoever owns it has a lot more power and money. This continues with the theory of the masked character overthrowing the other male. The shots vary from low angle shots of the plane to high angled shots to show that it is above the other plane.

We see the large white plane actually end up sabotaging the smaller plane, it is a wide shot and remains at eyelevel. It cuts to a side shot of the smaller plane, this once again brings the audience in. It is very actioned pact with quickly cutting from one shot to another.
Once again there is a low level shot, the masked character is very dominant and shows that he does have a lot of power. He is in complete control, we realise this quite late as does the other character. It is too late for them to act. This masked character is very muscly and is much larger in comparison to the other character so he has a physical strength over him. The worms eye view is a very sinister and provides the sense of fear, yet also gives a point of view.

The next number of shots contain a lot of action which builds suspense and tension, of not knowing what is going to happen. It contains a number of point of view shots making the audience feel like they are apart of the action. It is very shaky making it more real, a modern audience want films to be very realistic.
So much has happened within the first five minutes of the film, we immediately know who the protagonist is despite the fact we haven't been introduced to him yet. We also assume that Bane is the antagonist.

Methods of promotion

The big six are the big companies which own multiple media businesses. These businesses can include broadcast and cable television, film, radio, newspaper, magazine, book publishing, music, video games, and various online entities. Much of the debate over concentration of media ownership in the United States has for many years focused specifically on the ownership of broadcast stations, cable stations, newspapers and websites.

Comcast Corporation, formerly registered as Comcast Holdings, is an American global mass media conglomerate and is the largest broadcasting and cable television company in the world by revenue. It is the second-largest pay-TV company. Comcast services U.S. residential and commercial customers in 40 states and the District of Columbia. The company's headquarters are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the owner of the international media company NBC-universal. since 2011, Comcast is a producer of feature films and television programs intended for theatrical exhibition and over-the-air and cable television broadcast.

Comcast operates over-the-air national broadcast network channels (NBC and Telemundo), multiple cable-only channels (including MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network,NBCSN, E!, The Weather Channel, among others), the film production studio Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks & Resorts in Los Angeles and Orlando.  In February 2014 the company agreed to merge with Time Warner Cable in an equity swap deal worth $45.2 billion. Under the terms of the agreement Comcast was to acquire 100% of Time Warner Cable. However, on April 24, 2015, Comcast terminated the agreement.

Comcast has been criticized for multiple reasons. The company's customer satisfaction often ranks among the lowest in the cable industry. Comcast has violated net neutrality (the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites) practices in the past; and, despite Comcast's commitment to a narrow definition of net neutrality. Its revenue is $74.51 billion (NBCUniversal: $28.46 billion).

The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, is an American diversified; multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. It is the world's second largest media conglomerate in terms of revenue, after Comcast.Disney was founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, and established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and theme parks. The company also operated under the names The Walt Disney Studio, then Walt Disney Productions. Taking on its current name in 1986, it expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theater, radio, music, publishing, and online media.

In addition, Disney has since created corporate divisions in order to market more mature content than is typically associated with its flagship family-oriented brands. The company is best known for the products of its film studio, Walt Disney Studios, which is today one of the largest and best-known studios in American cinema. Disney's other three main divisions are Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney Media Networks, and Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media.Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, A+E Networks, and Freeform; publishing, merchandising, music, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 14 theme parks around the world. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. Mickey Mouse, an early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, is a primary symbol and mascot for Disney. Its revenue is $52.46 billion. 

Twenty-First Century Fox (stylized as 21st Century Fox and simply known as Fox) is an American multinational mass media corporation. It was one of two companies formed from the 2013 spin-off of the publishing assets of News Corporation, as founded by Rupert Murdoch in 1979; 21st Century Fox is the legal successor to News Corporation, and primarily deals in the film and television industries. The other company, the "new" News Corporation, holds Murdoch's print interests (both owned by him and his family via a family trust).

Its assets include the Fox Entertainment Group—owners of the 20th Century Fox film studio and Fox television network among other assets, pan-Asian pay channel operator STAR TV, and a stake in European pay TV company Sky plc. The companies revenue is $28.98 billion.

Time Warner Inc. (TWI, at one former interval named AOL Time Warner, stylized as TimeWarner since 2003) is an American multinational media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Time Warner was formed in 1990 through the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications. The current company consists largely of the assets of the former Warner Communications, as well as HBO (a Time Inc. subsidiary prior to the Warner merger) and the assets of Turner Broadcasting (acquired in 1996). Time Warner currently has major operations in film and television, with a limited amount of publishing operations. Among its assets are Home Box Office, Turner Broadcasting System, The CW Television Network, Warner Bros., CNN, DC Comics, and as of August 2016, it owns 10% of Hulu.

In the past, other major divisions of Time Warner included Time Inc., AOL, Time Warner Cable, Warner Books, and Warner Music Group. All of these operations were either sold to other investors or spun off as independent companies between 2004 and 2014. Its current revenue is $28.11 billion.

CBS Corporation is an American mass media corporation focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The president, chief executive and executive chairman of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's majority shareholder and serves as chairman emeritus. The company began trading on the NYSE on January 3, 2006. Until then, the corporation was known as Viacom, and is the legal successor to said company. A new company, keeping the Viacom name, was spun off from CBS. CBS, not Viacom, retains control of over-the-air television (CBS, CW) and radio broadcasting, TV production and distribution, publishing, pay-cable, basic cable (Pop), and recording formerly owned by the larger company. CBS has its headquarters in CBS Building, Midtown, Manhattan, New York City, United States. Its revenue is $13.88 billion.

Viacom, Inc. (known simply as Viacom) is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in cinema and cable television. Voting control of Viacom is held by National Amusements, Inc., a privately owned theater company controlled by the billionaire Sumner Redstone. Redstone also holds via National Amusements a controlling stake in CBS Corporation.

The current incarnation of Viacom was created on December 31, 2005 as a spin-off from the original incarnation of Viacom, which was renamed as CBS Corporation after the spin-off. CBS Corporation currently retains control of the over-the-air broadcasting, TV production, subscription pay television (with Showtime Networks) and publishing assets (with Simon & Schuster), which were previously owned by the original Viacom. Predecessor firms of the original Viacom included Gulf+Western (which later became Paramount Communications) and Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Comprising BET Networks, Viacom Media Networks and Paramount Pictures, the current Viacom operates approximately 170 networks, reaching approximately 700 million subscribers in approximately 160 countries. Its revenue is $13.27 billion.

This infomation was found on Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_cross-ownership_in_the_United_States

Conglomerate- Disney

A conglomerate is the combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate group, usually involving a parent company and many subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company. Conglomerates are often large and multinational.
An example of a conglomerate is Disney. Disney own a number of companies and TV channels which enables them to vertically integrate when making a film. This allows them to save money. Whereas, an independent film company would have to pay companies to work alongside them or promote their film (horizontal integration).