Section 3 - Content and Classification

Content

      To come up with the content of my thriller, I have first explored a number of different ideas and concepts, evaluating each one and deciding the one which would be most effective:

-        A ‘slasher’ film in which a serial killer presented with a series of knives chases vulnerable young women and strikes them down within a maze. This incorporates the codes and conventions of mazes and labyrinths and also the idea of blood which is often present in thrillers, as well as the naïve “damsel in distress” character. However, it is a very unoriginal concept and idea, and would be very repetitive and boring, therefore I have decided to move away from the idea of weapons and the overuse of blood altogether.

-        A film involving a stalker following a young girl, who is a damsel in distress again. This follows the codes and conventions of a thriller, but is, again, repetitive and very boring, as well as highly obvious and doesn’t have much potential in developing a plot or characters.

-        A film involving a villain of another species or world e.g. alien or killer dog. I moved away from this idea, also, because it would be difficult to do this without it looking very unprofessional and it is additionally very unoriginal, as well as quite patronizing to the audience and rather boring in subject.
-        A psychological thriller, in which a man moves into a house thinking it is empty but he has a "room mate", his exact opposite, who he witnesses kill someone. After going to the police he finds out there was never any room mate - her being a figment of his imagination - and he is really the killer. I have decided to use this idea because from my questionnaire it is apparent that a psychological thriller is the most effective, and it is also an idea which has potential to be developed and allow character development within the story.

Classification

      The certificate of the thriller will be 15 with a target audience of both genders, between 15 and mid-twenties. This is because “young people aged 15 to 24 are the most likely age group to go to the cinema” (statistic from ‘www.statistics.gov.uk’) and so people in that age range are more likely to go and watch it. The certificate is not lower because there will be scenes designed to make the viewer be on the edge of their seat in suspense and may moreover have scenes of gore and violence which will be unsuitable for younger viewers. There could furthermore be bad language or swearing unsuitable for viewers of a younger nature or nervous disposition. It will not, however, contain enough bad language or dwell upon pain and infliction enough to fall into an 18 category, though the violence may be strong. We will make sure it does not by limiting the frequency and intensity of swearing and by using any indications of excessive violence or gore subtly, e.g. by filming shadows showing the actions of a character being killed or by the character covered in blood in stead of showing a full scene of someone being murdered. Strong threat and menace could be used, though not in a sadistic or sexual way, and it would still be considered a 15, and dangerous behaviour will be a feature in the film as long as a weapon which is easily obtained is not included. The work as a whole will additionally not be discriminative in any way.