Characters are the main focal point within any film and play a key role in engrossing the audience. Characters keep the audience engaged as they form a relationship with specific characters. This means they are more interested in the narrative as they are concerned about what will happen to this character. Characters also play a crucial role within the narrative as stereotypical thrillers will follow a protagonist being terrorised by either ghosts or the antagonists therefore the narrative will closely follow this journey usually focussing on the victims, such as the Purge, or in rare occasions the narrative follows the antagonist like in Human Centipede 2.
My opening thriller sequence will only consist of two main focal characters. We plan to use a blonde female victim and a masked male villain. These two types are stereotypically used within the thriller genre as the blonde female victim is often appears vulnerable which adds to the fear factor within the audience as they are aware of the antagonists superior stature over the victim. Her 'normal' appearance also allows the audience to easily relate to this character and therefore can empathise with there emotion.
The antagonist is also stereotypical to a thriller film as he will be masked and quite tall, this will make him appear powerful and intimidating due to his superior stature. The mask will hide his identity making appear mysterious and create suspense as well as making him appear scary. This type of killer is very common within the thriller genre used in many films such as Scream and The Strangers this is because a simple contrast between the sizes of the two characters easily makes the victim appear mor vulnerable and in more danger. Masks are usually worn by villains as it hides the identity and see fore creates suspense as it could be anybody within the film and therefore the audience don't know how or why he is acting in such a brutal manner.
Our victim will be played by Ellie Holt, she will be blonde female who's about 17 years old this is a stereotypical victim to the thriller genre which means the audience will immediately recognise her as vulnerable. This character will reflect a large number of our audience therefore characters of similar age and gender will be able to relate to her and instantly form a relationship. This bond they form and the 'vulnerable' stereotype means that the audience will be extremely interested in the film as they don't want her to be in any danger yet they know she most probably will be.
The other focal character will be a tall 25 year old man who will be significantly wearing a mask. He will be wearing a mask throughout the opening sequence which is stereotypical to a thriller as it is often used to create suspense due to the unknown identity of the antagonist. The villain is the main method used within thrillers to create fear within the audience as they have formed a bond with the protagonist and therefore his position of power is emphasised by the vulnerable victim.
To conclude character play a vital role within the narrative as they are stereotypically the focal point within thriller story lines, they also help intice the audience as the audience will for, bonds with the characters they can relate to therefore they are conscious of that characters journey and its outcome. The characters I plan to use are stereotypical to the genre as the young blonde victim is relateble to my target audience and the tall intimidating villain immediately evokes fear within the audience.
You have briefly explained the purpose of characters within a film and given detailed recounts of the characters used within your sequence; however, you need to elaborate on your reasons for using these characters.
ReplyDeleteTo improve you post you need to:
1) Relate all points back to the audience; explain how and why the audience are able to build a relationship with the victim and how can they relate to the situation (unknown killer makes it easier to relate to most people as they can imagine who they want as the antagonist).
2) Explain how the use of your specific characters will make your sequence more interesting etc.
3) Explain how and why certain elements used for the characters help create suspense, empathy etc.
4) Include a summary explaining how and why your characters are conventional to the thriller genre and how you feel they will help create suspense etc. within your scene