Collateral (2004)

Collateral is a crime thriller starring the gorgeous Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. And directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie.

Mann introduced this as his first feature film which was shot using the new technology of high-definition cameras. The use of digital cameras made it quicker and easier to edit, which meant making films using digital cameras was more efficient.

The trailer introduces the thriller in a peculiar way; a love song plays at the beginning when the main character is with his potential love interest. The lighting dark, creating a mysterious atmosphere which lures us in to prepare for the action coming up next. It was as if the original agenda for the film was to be romance, however the scene is cut and "but plans change," appears on the screen.  Someone enters his cab, who happens not to be his love interest; this creates an uneasy tension right from the moment he enters as the music changes into a dark, sinister and eerie tone. The tone picks up its pace as the man Vincent, tells Max he needs to a make a couple of stops. Immediately, we see a body smash unto his cab and we sense danger. Vincent pulls out a gun which startles Max as well as the audience. The scene switches back where Vincent is in the cab, continuing being driven by Max which makes the viewer wonder why Max did not just run away. Furthermore, more shots are shown but with shorter timing, making the shots much shorter and faster paced. The shots being shown are gun shots, running, chasing, more gun shots, a hospital area and life risking actions. 

Mann famously chose to use the Vioer Film Stream High-definition Camera to film numerous secs ends that appeared in the film of Collateral. It was the first use in a major motion picture. If you look closely you may be able to recognize were the digital camera was used; in particular the scenes where the beautiful Los Angeles skyline or landscape is evidently visible in the background.

The filming of the Coyote running across the road contains the low light, which allows Mann to spontaneously film the fix without having the hassle to set up lighting for that particular shot. Later, Mann employed the same camera for his other famous movie of Miami Vice.

A fascinating sequence is the Korean nightclub scene (shot in 35mm). 

DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures co produced the film. The former studio handled North American rights, while The latter held international rights. Paramount acquired the US/Canadian rights on the purchase of DreamWorks in 2006. The film was released in Blu-Ray by Paramount on March 30th, 2010. This happened to be the first Region 1 video release they distributed. Previously, Universal Studios were the company distributing them.

DreamWorks development books were say in for three years by Collateral. Initially, Mimi leader was attached to direct then passed on to Janusz Kamiński. The project wasn't generally starting any heart until Russell Crowe became interested in playing the part of Vincent. Michael Mann brought on board Crowe, however there was constant delays which lead to Crowe leaving the project. Tom Cruise was then immediately was contacted by Mann, Cruise adapted the idea of him playing the hit man and Adam Sandler as the cabbie. Robert De Niro was the actor Beattie wanted to cast as Max (the exact opposite of Travis Bickle, making him a taxi driver). Unfortunately. the studio refused and emphasized how they wanted a younger actor to play the role.

The film successfully opened in the year of 2004, August 6th. It was opened in 3,188 theaters in the United States and Canada; it grossed $24.7 million in just its opening weakened and was number 1 at the box office. 14 weeks it remained in theaters and grossed $101, 005, 703 in the United States and Canada. It also grossed in other countries, with a total of £116, 758, 588 and worldwide, $217, 764, 291.

Scenes from Collateral 

"Collateral Briefcase."

Max's hands are tied up in the car by Vincent, to make sure he does not attempt to escape. He grows increasingly anxious and determined to escape. He sees no option but to cry for help as he sees a group of males, hoping they will respond. Max feels relieved that a young male with long hair seems to appear innocent and willing to find out what is wrong. But that is only for a few seconds; for those few seconds the audience feel relieved also, until he reaches out for a gun and starts to act extremely aggressive. He is the dominant character of the moment. Tension rises back up again because not only is Max's life in danger because he's in the hands of Vincent, but Vincent is absent and his life is still in danger. At this point the audience knows the young male is some sort of thief as he takes Max's wallet and reaches out to steal Vincent's briefcase. He begins to walk away with the briefcase proudly, until Vincent appears he walks towards him, thinking he is dominant until he is shot. The dominance is rewarded back to Vincent as he retrieves his briefcase. The area is quiet, and isolated so that no bystanders are present to witness. The absence of music allows the audience to really feel the fear that Max feels, as if they are actually right there with him.

"Pulled Over."

The windshield of the cab Max drives is smashed and he is stopped by the police. There is a glimmer of hope that Max might be able to seek for help and escape. He asks for license and registration to ensure that he is an actual cab driver. Max begins to feel rather uneasy. He has to try to figure out what might happen next; his mind is confused on what to expect and how to respond as carefully as he can to avoid trouble with both the police and of course, Vincent. As soon as the police mentions blood on the cab, we as the audience begin to worry for Max for he is the innocent one having to ask questions. He responds by mentioning he hit a dear but the police are not buying his story, therefore asking him and the passenger to step out the vehicle and mentions opening the boot. They both eventually step out the car, Vincent holding a gun incase he senses a threat, but the police have another investigation so they inform Max to go "straight to the garage." When the police leave, they go back into the cab together; shattering the hope that the audience had that Max might be able to escape and pursue freedom from Vincent's company.

"Vincent's New Friend"

Flowers are given to Max's mother and she is aware of Max's financial state so she acts slightly bitter towards the gift, until she finds out that it wasn't from Max, but Vincent. She acts kindly towards Vincent, and acts somewhat kindly back. The audience's anxiousness rises as we are not entirely sure what Vincent's intentions are, especially with the sickly mother of who he holds captive. Max's mother says "you have to hold a gun to his head to make him do anything," which immediately increass tension as he gives Max a smirk. He surprisingly tells Max's mother that he is a friend, but friends do not hold one another captive and put them into serious danger. It is quite ironic because Max would not particularly consider him a friend. This makes the audience wonder why he chose the term "friend" of all terms he could've potentially used. Max becomes increasingly agitated because his mother may be in danger, as well as Vincent's intentions are not exactly clear. 

Past Student Thrillers

Finders Keepers


This is a very good example of a level 4 thriller as it contains the right qualities that a thriller should contain. The genre convections

Sound Exercise (YouTube) and Evaluation

The sound extract involves a person who happens to hear mysterious noises while sitting in a desolate room, this sequence illustrates a showcase of various sounds to create a dramatic effect.

Non-diegetic was played during the introduction of the film. A soundtrack was played in the background in order for the audience to feel that eery, suspicious atmosphere. 

There is an on screen sound in which the door slams shut rather abruptly. Following that event, there is an off screen banging. Off screen sounds continue while a laugh which is non-diegetic is heard by the audience, but not the character as the character witnesses writing on the board. As follows, the on screen diegetic sound is heard by both the audience and character as the door lock is being rattled violently. This stimulates the audiences senses as attention is drawn to what may occur next. After that, the foot is opened and a blackout occurs, followed by various off screen sounds to enhance the uneasy nature; enabling the extension of diegetic sounds. 

All in all, we were able to demonstrate correctly the terminology used for different sound techniques. Since we were familiar with the distinction between diegetic and non-diegetic sounds as well as on screen and off screen sound, we were able to work efficiently. Also, the sounds were correctly recorded as there was no problem with the mic like last time. The equipment did not limit us significantly. In order to improve the sound exercise, a sound bridge would've been ideal as we only had parallel noises. This included in our sound exercise would show a wider variation of sound and perhaps enhance the story as a whole 

The Birds

Watch out for The Birds!




Birds have never been so intimidating, so cruel.

The Birds Trailer

The trailer is introduced by a dark voicing informing the audience, "there is no need to be afraid," but as the audience we already know that this thriller contains material that of course we are going to be afraid. Thousands of birds are seen together as if they are in a gang, awaiting their prey. They don't appear welcoming, especially because all the birds are black; he black could potentially suggest danger, death and destruction. Next, they swam like hungry animals, attacking the children viciously. If they are able to attack children, then most defiantly they are able to attack anything, no matter what the humans have nothing against these cruel birds. "I hardly think a few birds are going to bring about the end of the world," is that so, lady? Her naivety caused her to doubt the capability of these menacing birds. More and more birds are seen, and a woman who seems her anxiety is eating her alive screams in panic and worry. The birds continue to flutter and screech while they attack.

This thriller conns 119 minutes of weird, but ever so frightening company of thousands of birds. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

North by NorthWest

Watch out Roger!



Seems like he can't ever escape trouble...

What did we expect? It is a thriller. Expect trouble, and more trouble.

The trailer captivates us from the first set of words "The Master of suspense weaves his greatest tale," it prepares us for the intensity of the tale of a thriller. The word "suspense" already creates that thrilling tense atmosphere. The feeling you get just before the roller coaster starts, you're in the seat just like you would be seated in the cinema audience; that same curious feeling erupts of not knowing what to expect.

The music is intriguing, luring you in while its violin and harsh piano plays in the background, slowly preparing you for what you might have in store. At the end its fast paced, increasing the cruel tension it has already created.

"Its a deadly game of tag," its a life risking game he has to play, "against his own will."

Roger is run over by a fast pacing truck? When, how, what and why are the questions buzzing through your head. That my friend, is the power of the thriller.

So what is this thriller about you ask?

An supposedly "innocent" NY advertising executive is thought to be a government agent, wrongly assume by a group of foreign spies. He is chased and monitored ever so closely as he tries to survive this deathly game.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock



Writer: Ernest Lehman



Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason.




In what ways is this an archetypal thriller?

Fast pace, frequent action are characteristics that are dominant in thrillers.

This is illustrated in the Mount Rushmore Chase scene; the music and the characters are demonstrating these characteristics.

The heroes must hinder the plans of more powerful and equipped villains. Roger must find out what the enemies plans are up to, so he tries to investigate what is going on whenever he can or else if he was fully unaware, his chances of survival would have been increasingly limited. For example, Roger finding out the hotel suite where "he" was suppose to be and finding a note in a suit pocket. Therefore, he has to try to outsmart the villains whenever he can, even though it might not always work.

Suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are the devices used extensively throughout.

The fast violin stimulates the suspense as Roger comes out the car an enters the auction, alone. The next thing we see, is a hand which isn't Roger's stroking the neck of the Red Herring. This suggests there is a suspect of danger; she is in danger because she is in the company of the enemy. Roger approaching the enemy, increases the suspense that was created at the beginning of the scene. Also, it becomes difficult for the audience to fully know which side the woman is on as she has very little to say and attempts to sit in composure. This is the most obvious cliffhanger; it leaves the audience questioning the trustworthiness of the woman.

"I didn't realize you're an art collector. I thought you just collected corpses." Roger knows what the villians are up to.

The Crop Duster Scene is an iconic action sequence

Roger is stranded in the middle of nowhere. This emphasizes how he isolated; that his journey to survival has to do all by himself. The woman he thought was by himself deserted him; for now he is alone. A crop dusting plane comes from the sky aiming directly at the hero of the story. It seems as if he can't escape danger as the plane continues to try to aim at him, and he attempts to run away but the plane continues to pursue him. Time is limited for Roger. He also tries to hide, but the plane still spots him; he cannot hide from danger. This scene highlights the limitation of time, and the increase in danger he is in.

North by North West contains obstacles caused by the villains in which the hero needs to overcome which is typical in a thriller. Roger comes across various troubles in order to understand what is going on. It is a particularly confusing situation for him, therefore clues that he came across helped him come closer to the enemies and their wicked plans.

The thriller contains a MacGuffin, sometimes referred to as McGuffin or Maguffin, which is the striking plot which captivates the viewers attention. The main characters in the story are willing to sacrifice or even do anything in order to do anything to obtain it, no matter what the actual MacGuffin really is.

The nature of the MacGuffin can be undefined, indefinite and unclear which leaves it open to interpretation. For example it could be potential threat, money, survival or something which is completely unexplained.

They are common in films all over Hollywood, particularly in thrillers. In most cases, not all; the MacGuffin is the centre of focus in the first act. However it declines its own importance as it struggles as well as the characters play out.

On the other hand, there is a possibility that it may appear at the climax, but unfortunately its not always the case because there is also a possibility that it gets forgotten by the end of the story. Hitchcock defined a MacGuffin as the object around which the plot revolve, but he declared that, "the audience don't care." 

As the audience, do you care? 

I previously mentioned in a prior post, that Hitchcock famously said thrillers allow the audience, 

"to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like."

He succeeded in this film as every time Roger is danger, we fear with him as if we are there by his side. 

Hitchcock discusses North by North West.

Thriller Recipe and Conventions

What is the recipe to a thriller?

Fast pace, frequent action and inevitable heroes and villains are the recipe to a classic thriller.

What makes a thriller is  the intense suspense, red herring and nail biting cliffhangers. We cannot forget the villain driven plot where the heroic figures must overcome various obstacles that get in their way. Its genre is certainly flexible because of its ability to engage the audience effectively, whether its through dramatic rendering of psychological, social and even political tensions.

The famous Hitchcock praised thrillers by saying



"to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like."

Rather exotic locations are used when it comes to filming thrillers; such as foreign cities. However some still adapt to the cities of California or New York City such as Psycho and North by Northwest.



The heroic figures in thrillers are normally described as "hard men" as they are ever in the company of danger, for example policemen. However, in some cases they just may be ordinary citizens that attract danger but not to their fault.

Traditionally, men were the leading roles as heroes but feminine leads have been growing around the late 1900s. Sigourney Weaver played a fantastic role of Ripley.

Alien, 1979

Thrillers VS Mysteries 

Often, thrillers tend to overlap with mystery stories, but you can distinguish the two by the structure of their plots. In a thriller the hero must hinder the plots of the enemy instead of uncovering a crime that has already occurred, while in a mystery there is likely to be a premature disclosure of the murderer's identity. The identity of the villain is known throughout the film in a thriller.

In most cases thrillers are revolves around situations on a grander scale such as mass murder, terrorism, assassination or even on a political regime; the overthrow of governments. Thrillers like to shock on a typically rather extreme level. Jeopardy normally occurs as well as violent confrontations in thrillers. Mysteries like to climax as soon as the mystery is solve, on the other hand the climax in a thriller happens when the hero defeats the villain.

Mystery film example: The Maltese Falcon                    

Thriller film example: Psycho 

                                   

                                      

The influence of film noir and tragedy are heavily used in thrillers, unfortunately the hero (who is tends to be our favourite) is most likely killed in the process. If a thriller is what it calls itself to be, they will create the primary mood that they will elicit, such as fearful excitement.

There are all kinds of thrillers, such as:

• Legal thriller
• Spy thriller
• Action-adventure thriller
• Medical thriller
• Police thriller
• Romantic thriller 
• Historical thriller 
• Political thriller
• Religious thriller 
• High tech thriller 
• Military thriller

And the list goes on and on.

One of the most enduring characteristics to thrillers is the openness to expansion.

What thrillers have in common is the intense emotions involved, especially those of apprehension and exhilaration of excitement and elements of breathlessness. These features are designed to stimulate that "thrill" in thrillers. If a thriller isn't able to thrill, then its not what its surprisingly to be.

Sub-genres 

There are sub genres in the thriller genre which have their own particular uniqueness.

Action Thriller
Example: The Transporter (2002)



This sort of genre works with features of a race against the clock; where time is limited and things need to work at a fast pace. It contains a large amount of violence and ofcourse, an antagonist. Guns, explosions, and elaborate set pieces are all in these films.

Conspiracy Thriller
Example: Three Days of the condor 



A large powerful group of enemies are confronted by a hero who knows the true intent of the group's wickedness sugarcoated by their power. The hero is the one who truly recognizes their intentions.

Crime Thriller
Example: The Asphalt Jungle (1950)



Crime thrillers focus more on the criminal/criminals rather than focusing on the police. Action is emphasized over psychological aspects. Murders, robberies, chases, shootouts and double-crosses occur in the centre of the film.

Disaster Thriller
Example: Earthquake 1974



The main conflict is caused by a natural or even artificial disaster like floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, nuclear disasters aswell as artificial disasters.

Drama Thriller
Example: The Interpreter (2005)



Drama thrillers consist of both elements of drama and thriller film. They are slower paced and there is a vital involvement of character development.

Erotic Thriller
Example: Dressed to Kill (1980)



This genre contains both erotica and thriller and has become increasingly popular since the 80s, additionally the VCR market penetration rose.

Legal Thriller
Example: An Innocent Man (1989)



The confrontation of enemies outside, and inside the courtroom is done by the lawyer heroes, but they are in danger of losing their case as well as their own lives.

Medical Thriller
Example: Awake (2007)



The heroes in this genre are medical doctors/personnel who are working to solve a medical difficulty that is expanding. Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver are famous authors of this particular sub-genre.

Political Thriller
Example: Seven Days in May (1962)



The stability of the government is dependent on the hero. The hero must maintain that and they are there to save the day while solving conflicts that may occur.

Psychological Thriller
Example: Blue Velvet (1986)




This genre revolves around emotional and mental instability between main characters. There is often a violent resolution, however the emotional and mental instability is more highlighted than the physical aspects.

Spy Thriller
Example: With Love, from Russia



The hero is normally an agent who works for the government who must take violent action against other rival agents working with the rival government, or even terrorists.

Techno Thriller
Example: The Hunt for Red October (1990)



It is typically military and the technology is heavily the re-occurring theme throughout the film. The technology is normally described in detail, in a way in which the audience understands the plot. Tom Clancy popularized the genre with this film and was described as the "Father of the Techno thriller."

Religious Thriller
Example: The Da Vinci Code (2006)



The plot relates very closely to religious related objects, institutions and questions. A large amount of religious thrillers have shown a significant affinity for religion and philosophical issues. The famous Da Vinci Code has led greatly, a current boom in religiously related thrillers.



Thrillers have a combination of relating aspects to them such as conspiracy, psychological tricks  and of course, horror. All these elements are used to elevate tension, to cause that absolute "thrill" we look for when we see a thriller. 


Many thriller novels have adapted into movies, such as the Bourne Identity starring the famous actor Matt Damon, which  used many of the thriller conventions of the plot. The sequals, The Bourne Supremancy and The Bourne Ultimatum drift away majorly from Robery Ludlum's storyline, the conspiracy-thriller is very well preserved.