Thriller: In genre thriller movie’s there are many codes and conventions such as Low key lighting, plot twists, jump scares, death, high tense music, shadows and so many more. Audiences who watch thriller films like to watch the genre because it taps into their desire for excitement. The thriller genre use of plots, death and high tense music creates an overall high tension which keeps the audience entertained and wanting to know more which is due to the enigma codes. The genre is full of adrenaline and is designed to shock the audience. Some of the most famous thriller movies include Apartment 7A, Small things like these and The end we start from as well as many more films within the genre.
Panic Room is a thriller film as it has the use of shadows which conveys to the audience mystery and suspense of wanting to know what is going to happen next; this is a generic trope of the genre. We see this in the scene when the men are entering the house the producer only allows the audience to see the shadows which adds to the suspense of the film. The producer has used shadows to add more tension to the narrative of the plot before we find out who the shadows are. Later in the scene we find out that these shadows represent the three Asian, Black and white men who are working together to get into the house. These men are encoded to the audience based on Neale’s theory of repetition and difference a stereotype of dangerous men. By using men the theorist Hall states that this is the typical preferred reading that men are stereotypically to be more dangerous then women are represented to be. However, the white male is the leader of the group this connotes that stereotypically white men are the leaders in society. The audience decode this is a thriller because the use of shadows creates a mystery and it makes the men seem more intimidating. This excites the audience as they are made to feel scared of who the men are and what they intend to do next. The use of enigma code signifies to the audience that the men are stereotypically dangerous people based on their race and their costume’s.
Panic Room
Another example of why Panic Room is a thriller film is because the producers have used non-diegetic music throughout the film to add tension. We see this in the scene when the mother (Meg) is waking up her child(Sarah) and they are being chased through the house by the three men who are represented as dangerous, Meg and Sarah are seen trying to get to safety. This is represented through Propp’s character theory which signifies that Meg is the damsel in distress who is trying to get away from the danger of the three men. The men are seen as the villain’s as they have broken into the house. The audience decodes this film as thriller because the non-diegetic sound of high tense creepy music being played signifies the danger of the scene at the same time as the camera cuts to the actors. This excites the audience as it gives the adrenaline of wanting to know if the mother and child are going to be safe or not. The narrative is typical of Todorov’s circular narrative theory, there is uses of disequilibrium in the film, however the multi stranded narrative changes the equilibrium to different new equilibriums constantly. The use of the enigma codes signifies to the audience the danger of the men who have entered the house. One of the men is wearing a mask in this scene which adds to the adrenaline of which adds to the overall tension of the film.
Another example of why Panic Room is a thriller film is its use of different camera angles throughout the film. The producers use different camera angle such as extreme close up, close up and many others. An example of the camera angle of extreme close up in the scene when the men are using the Dad of Sarah to try and get Meg and Sarah to come out of the Panic Room. The use of the extreme close up of one of the men’s leg coming up to kick the dad encoded to the audience that the men are violent and will do anything to get into the Panic Room. The men decided to torture the father in attempt to persuaded Meg and Sarah to come out of the panic room to save the father. The use of Mulvey’s theory is male gaze which is used in this scene. According to Mulvey, women are objectified and are seen as damsels in distress, and this is seen when Meg and Sarah needs to be rescued as they are represented as weak and needs to be saved by a man. In this scene the producers have also used a jump cuts which is an editing technique the camera jumps to show the audience an extreme close up the camera angle jumps to see the Dad’s face cut up and bleeding. This image is a plot twist in the film as well as this subverts Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze as in this image the Dad is seen as vulnerable and weak his is being represented as the damsel in distress who need rescuing. The Meg and Sarah are represented as subverting the stereotypical as they are being shown as rescuing him from the men. Meg and Sarah are also seen as the protagonists in the scene.
The audience denotes this is a thriller as we are shown close up of danger as well as the audience can decode the blood as related to the codes and convention of a thriller film. This excites the audience to want to know what is going to happen next in the film. The use of the enigma code of the Meg and Sarah curled together hugging each other signifies that they are trying to protect each other from what they can see of the CCTV of the house from inside the panic room. This is typical of the multi strand narrative of the background of where Meg and Sarah came from and there life before being trapped in the Panic Room.
Another example of why Panic Room is a thriller film as it has it stripes away Maslow’s Hierarchy theory. The audience sees this through the rising of action in the scene. This is signified through the use of the close up on locking the doors to the house and the phone not working in the panic room. This is shown to the audience in the scene when the Meg and Sarah are in the panic room the three men lock the whole house stripping away Maslow’s theory of people needing to feel safe in their own homes. By the men locking the house up they safety is taken away. The audience decode this as a thriller because the Mum and Kid are being frightened and forced to stay in the house which could be dangerous with the men there. This excites the audience as the Meg and Sarah are maybe to feel vulnerable which makes the audience keep watching to feel the adrenaline of what is going to end up happening to them. This signifies to the audience that if you take away someone’s safety they feel really vulnerable and unsafe. The audience have an oppositional feeling towards the Panic Room as it is usually signifies a safe place. The uses of the enigma code of the men locking the doors signifies to the audience that the men don’t trust Meg and Sarah to stay in the house without them locking the doors. This allows to the audience to encoded that Panic Room is unnerving the audience but also providing entertainment.
Misery
Similar to Panic Room Misery uses props to represent different intentions of the character in the film which is signified in the scene when Annie is strapping Paul to the bed not allowing him to move. This encodes Annie’s intentions of causing harm or violence to Paul. Also signifies how Annie has all the power over him this is decoded to the audience by Paul being strapped to the bed signifying he is vulnerable and weak. This scene subverts Mulvey’s theory, of the male gaze she says that women are seen as objects to men. In this scene Paul is encoded to the audience as the damsel in distress who need rescuing which is also shown throughout the whole film. However, Annie in this film is encoded to the audience as violent, this is signified by the use of the prop the ‘sledgehammer’ as Annie is causing harm to Paul by hurting him. Referring to Todorov’s theory of disequilibrium as the audience would typically wouldn’t think that a middle age women would be violent. This is subverting the stereotypical women in her 40’s. In this film Butler’s gender theory is subverted since stereotypically, as in films white people are represented both as bad and good. Annie is being shown as the Antagonist which is subverting the typical stereotype for an Antagonist.
Similar to Panic Room Misery uses Maslow’s Hierarchy through the character Annie. However, Misery uses Maslow’s Hierarchy differently to Panic Room. In Panic Room Maslow’s Hierarchy status of safety is stripped away from the women and the kid stuck in the Panic Room. But in Misery Annie needs a family to make herself feel like she belongs and has a purpose in life. She always wants to belong in society and is aspiring to have a family or be desired. This is encoded to the audience through Annie in the beginning of the film rescuing Paul from his car to take care of him. With her doing this she feels like she has a purpose to belong. The use of Todorov theory of the disequilibrium, New equilibrium and Equilibrium Annie has created a new equilibrium by making her life all the book Misery that Paul wrote she feels like she has a family but she also doesn’t by not letting Paul live, feels like she has control making her feel power she has left her equilibrium behind. Using Neale’s theory of difference Misery is a psychological thriller due to keeping the readers guessing all the way through. This also gives the audience a cliffhanger’s making them want to find out what happens next this makes the audience more wanting to watch the film. As well as her attachment to Misery at the end of the series the audience is told that a character dies, Annie would like the character to stay alive as Annie thinks that if a fictional characters life dies then her life with end. As she is trying to relate to a fictional character someone who doesn’t exist so when this character in the book dies she feels like she doesn’t have a purpose in life anymore. This fits the narratives genre as it makes the audience think of the psychological reasons of what made Annie the way she is, as she is attached to a fictional character, this signifies the disequilibrium to the audience.
Similar to Panic Room Misery uses low camera angles to show the power and dominance that Annie has over Paul. By the producer making Annie encoded to the audience as powerful this signifies that Paul as weak and vulnerable compared to how Annie. This subverts the stereotype of the stereotypical Antagonist. The Antagonist stereotypically male, who is seen through a low angle of having the power the protagonist is typically women who are seen as vulnerable and weak. But in Misery, Annie is encoded to the audience as the Antagonist and Paul is encoded as the Protagonist. One scene that signifies the difference in the narrative of thriller is when Annie ties Paul to the bed. The setting is has flowery wall paper with picture the bedroom looks like a traditional home for a middle age women this encodes Annie seems typical for someone who is middle age but instead the audience sees her as evil. According to Neale this is difference as the location, while isolated is not stereotypical of a thriller as the audience typically thinks a thriller film location is in a city as it creates more intense feeling then a location that is isolated.
When Annie uses the prop of a sledgehammer to break Paul’s ankles this is unexpected because stereotypically the audience seems middle age women as innocent and not dangerous. In Misery the audience sees Annie as dangerous in the scene she uses the prop sledgehammer to break Paul’s ankles she does this in the day light this is different to Panic Room. In Panic Room all of the tension and danger is at night time but Annie however, doesn’t care what time of day it is she will do as she pleases. She does this because she is isolated in Misery so no one will hear what is happening. The uses of high key lighting subverts the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. Which makes the audience feel sorry for Paul that he has no control over what happens to him.
Gender is both similar and different between the two films Panic Room and Misery. In Panic Room the men are stereotypical seen as the Antagonist. However, Misery subverted the stereotypical Antagonist and Protagonist.
This is encoded to the audience in the scene when Annie has tied Paul to the bed which also encodes to the audience in the scene when the producer have used a Extreme close up of the door locking this is decoded by the audience as Paul is trapped unable to leave. This is different in Panic Room as Sarah is the princess who is ill and needs medicine to help her with her diabetes. Both Paul and Sarah have some sort of help with there illness with is the stereotype of a female acting like a nurse as stereotypically we see women as being caring for other people. The theorist Neale says that genre uses individual convention and stereotypes that the audience will recognise in the film. The two films Panic Room and Misery have the similarities of both Paul and Sarah are trapped were they feel vulnerable, also they are both ill and are injured this encodes to the audience the typical conventions and stereotypes of the thriller genre. However, using Levi-Strauss theory of binary opposites the two film are different as they use different genders and age. Panic Room the men are seen as having the danger and the women as the damsel in distress but Misery has Paul as the damsel in distress and Annie as the danger. They both uses different generations in Panic Room they use a young person but in Misery they use old people.
Superhero Film: Within the genre of Superhero movie there are many codes and convention such as high key lighting, hero vs villain, extraordinary abilities, cities, problem to a solution and so many more. Audiences who watch Superhero films want to watch the genre as it provides entertainment that people need it takes them away from the real world and into a hyper-reality. The audience appreciate the uses of connected universes, epic fights and fantasy elements allowing them to see the characters dynamics change throughout each of the films. Some of the most famous superhero movies include the Spiderman movies, Batman and The Incredibles as well as many more films within the genre.
Hancock is a superhero film represented through the different costumes throughout the film. At the beginning of the film Hancock is first shown in the costume that isn’t typical for a superhero to wear. The costume consists of grey zipped hoodie with a grey, white and red hat with shorts. This costume makes Hancock seem more like a homeless person not like a typical superhero we see in other films in the genre. However, towards to end of the film we see Hancock being encoded to the audience as a typical superhero. Hancock is shown in a black superhero suit the black however subverts the typical superhero costume as the audience mostly sees black as something a villain would wear as it gives connotations of dangerous but in this film the black costume represents Hancock as having power and abilities. On the other hand, by using Propp’s character theory of the helper costume is the a suit. A suit signifies someone who is important. So the helper Ray costume is the suit has it shows that he is important to the story Ray is the one to change Hancock from who is originally was to someone who is seen as a hero.
Hancock is a superhero film this is encoded to the audience through the setting. In superhero films typically we see different locations within the genre where we see the superhero in different situations this film is no different it follows the typical superhero film. In Hancock the main setting of the film is in a big city where there are thousands and thousands of people this is typical of a superhero film as it encodes to the audience as many people are watching the superhero be a hero. But in the film we see different locations of where Hancock does something good or bad. When we see Hancock in the prison he is trying to change to become the hero this is encoded to the audience as Hancock wants to help people. We also see Hancock in the hospital when he has been shot after saving someone from being robbed this is decoded by the audience that Hancock is seen as someone who is brave and heroic like a hero should be. Hancock however, subverts the stereotypical superhero as he is black. According to Gilroy black people in superhero genres and other genres are represented as negatively however in this film it somewhat subverts this theory. In the beginning of the film Hancock is treated in the preferred way in a negative way. This is because people have certain stereotypes of what is typical to be. In the film we see Hancock sleeping on a bench looking homeless this shows that he is represented as a typical stereotype for someone who is black. However, Hancock later in the film subverts Gilroy’s theory of black people being represented in the genre as negatively as when Hancock changes in prison people start to realises how much they need him for crime. He goes from being black being represented as negatively to being a black person who is represented as positive of doing something good for other people and himself.
Gender stereotypes is subverted in the film Hancock through binary opposites and equality. In the film Hancock, equality is subverted to a typical superhero film. In Hancock, men and women have equal roles which is represented to the audience through the characters Mary and Hancock. Mary is a white woman who is represented as a superhero, typically her powers would be weaker then the male superhero. This is because women in the media are represented as having weaker powers and abilities then men are. Women are often represented as objects for the men this refers to Laura Mulvey’s theory. As well as stereotypically male superhero’s are represented as having all the powers they are also encoded to the audience has having stronger abilities then women. However, in the film Hancock the characters Mary and Hancock are represented as having equal power, strength and abilities as each other.
In the film Hancock, binary opposites are used for the audience so they can understand the narrative of the story. One of the binary opposites in this film is hero vs human. The audience are encoded that there is a superhero because the producers have shown the audience a typical human. This helps the audience to understand that the character who is being represented as the superhero subverts the typical stereotype of a human by the audience seeing a typical person they can decoded who the superhero is. In this film we see Hancock as the superhero have extraordinary abilities but when the audience first is introduced to the helper Ray they understand that Hancock’s abilities aren’t typical. Also the use of the binary opposites of black vs white the producer as represented both black and white people in the film as positive in the film this encodes to the audience that black people should be represented as they should be treated the same as they both are humans.
Camera Angles are used in the film Hancock to conveys different powers and meanings to the audience. In Hancock the camera angles that are used include Low angle shots, Close up, over the shoulder and point of view as well as many more. The uses of over the shoulder shot in the scene when Mary and Hancock are fighting in one of the camera angles the producers show as an over the shoulder shot of Mary’s face. The audience only sees Mary’s face this encodes that in this moment Mary’s face is the most important. This also conveys that this moment between Mary and Hancock is important to the plot of the film as Hancock is finding out his true identity. The love interest is a generic trope of the superhero genre as it bring Propp’s character theory into play because the hero always falls in love with typically a princess however in this film he falls in love with another hero. The point of view shots engage the audience and offer escapism as they can see how with Hancock extraordinary abilities capitating as it allows them to escape their own lives and engage into a world that doesn’t exist. The superhero genre makes people want to escape from their lives into a world that has hero’s to save them. The point of view shot also shows the audience what is it like to have extraordinary powers.
The low angle is a typical code and convention also as this makes Hancock appear more powerful then the typical people. The scene in Hancock when Hancock is in prison he jumps over the high fence to get a ball that as been thrown over. The use of the high hang of Hancock jumping over the fence encodes to that audience his extraordinary abilities as well as that in that moment he has all the power of being able to jump over high objects when ever one else can’t.
Samaritan
Samaritan is similar and different to Hancock which explores character and subverting stereotypes throughout the film. For example, in Samaritan Joe works as a typical lower class man who works as a bin man. This is similar to Hancock as he is represented to the audience as lower class this is signified through his costume of dirt, baggy clothes making himself look homeless. The films have similar characters in both films. In both of the films the audiences decodes the two opposable superheroes as reluctant to be the heroes. They are both represented in the beginning of the film as wanting to fit into society wanting to hide their identities so be seen as typical in society. This is represented throughout both the film.
However, Samaritan and Hancock are represented as different, this is shown through the different subverting stereotypes throughout the two films. In Samaritan Joe subverts the typical stereotype of a superhero though his age however, Hancock subverts the stereotype through his race. Joe subverts stereotype of a superhero though his age. Joe is represented as a being off old age. This is represented through dialogue, movement, how he looks. Throughout the film the audience on various occasions though the dialogue that is used. The audience here the line ‘I am not as strong as I used to be.’ This signifies that Joe is much older than a typical superhero he is less powerful than what is typical for a superhero. On the other hand, Hancock is subverted the stereotype in a different way which is race. A stereotypical superhero has the stereotype of being a white male. But in the film Hancock the character Hancock is represented as a black superhero who is trying to change to become the superhero with the help of others.
By the producers subverting stereotypes referring to Gauntlett’s identity theory of the audience uses media role models to shape their own identities so when audience see these films it signifies to them that no matter what age or race you are you can choose to be a hero.
In the films Samaritan and Hancock they uses similar non-diegetic sound. In both films Samaritan and Hancock Non -diegetic music is used this signifies the tension within the film. In Samaritan in the fighting scene non-diegetic music is used to signify to the audience the tension of the battle that is taking place between Joe trying to save the kid and Cyrus who is encoded to the audience as being the evil person. This is similar in Hancock as the Non- diegetic music is used to add tension to the film. In the scene when Hancock is fighting with Mary the uses of Non-diegetic music signifies to the audience the tension that is between both Mary and Hancock in this scene. The audience also can decoded through the editing technique of jumps cuts this also signifies the fast pace of the scene allowing the tension to be obvious to the audience throughout the scene and the rest of the film. This subverts Neale’s theory of genre’s individual conventions and stereotypes that a film subverts the genre to keep the audience interested. By the producers of these two films keeping the stereotypical non-diegetic music it keeps the audience aware that they are still watching a superhero film as well as keeping the audience wanting more.
In the films Samaritan and Hancock is similar. In the film Hancock at the beginning of the film Hancock’s costume is dressed like a homeless person. He is wearing dirt, baggy clothing. His costume includes blue trousers with a grey jacket and a grey hat. This signifies to the audience that he isn’t a stereotypical superhero. This is also encoded to the audience through the setting around him in this scene of him being on the streets signifies that he is homeless. Similarly to Hancock in Samaritan the superhero Joe costume is very casual as well as him wearing dark clothes he doesn’t want to draw any attention to himself. Both in the superhero’s in Samaritan and Hancock they want to draw away from any attention of them being a superhero. This offers the audience an enigma code and is a difference in the narrative which Neale says exists the audience.
In the film Samaritan and Hancock we see representation of props character theory as the damsel in distress is used. However, in Samaritan the damsel in distress is subverted. It is subverted as the damsel in distress in Samaritan in a young boy (Sam) Stereotypical in this genre the damsel in distress in encoded to the audience as a women who is reply on the men come and help her but in Samaritan the Sam is represented as the damsel in distress replying on Joe the superhero to come and help him. In Hancock the damsel in distress isn’t just one person it is the whole of the public as Hancock has to save everyone from himself as he becomes dangerous when he meets his sibling.
Conclusion: The genre of superhero and thriller film are similar and different in the following ways. The genres are similar because the audience sees the disequilibrium of what their lives used to look like before their lives changed. However, in both genre’s they change from the disequilibrium to a new equilibrium which is their new reality. Similarly, both genre’s use Prop’s character theory of the damsel in distress, the hero and the helper. The movies both include antagonists an example of this is in Misery, as Annie subverts the stereotype of the antagonist because she is a women. Stereotypically men are seen as the antagonist this is according to Propp’s character theory. In the superhero films the antagonist signifies as stereotypical of the men is encoded to the audience as the antagonist.
However, the genre’s are also different in the following ways. The superhero films are set in a city where different dangerous things will happen that the superheroes will have to save the city. But in the thriller genre the films are set in an isolated place with very little help available. Another difference is the use of different special effects – in the superhero genre there is the use of CGI in the film which adds to the dynamic of the film. However, in the thriller genre they use less special effects such as non-diegetic sounds and using lights to create the tension within the genre. The films use different idea of protagonists. In the film Misery, the protagonist is Paul as he is signified as weak and vulnerable. But in the film Hancock, the protagonist is the female hero Mary.
In fiction films which include the genre’s of superhero and thriller they all uses similar narrative tropes throughout the genre, but the mise en scene and camerawork used within the film give the films there own clear identities.
