Magazine Articles

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/64

http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/dvd/panic-room-special-edition

Internet Video Clips

[Source]:This is a short clip from the movie 'Panic Room' when the antagonists of the movie(Meg and Sarah) first communicate with the protagonists of the movie. I have noticed that in most thriller movies there is always some element of a phone call scene.In most thrillers the protagonist of the movie is usually confused with the current situation and is demanding to know what the antagonists are planning or want. In this scene the house telecom allows the protagonists to talk to the antagonists, however the antagonists are unable to talk back, which gives the protagonists an aspect of power. hey are able to see everything that the burglars are doing which creates an almost ‘Big Brother’ style affect.

Source]:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seRhXyoNrGI&feature=related

This is another video clip example of a phone call scene within a Western thriller movie. Unlike the phone call scene in Panic Room the protagonist is unaware of who the antagonist is, which creates a larger sense of mystery within the sequence. Bryan warns the person on the phone that if they do not return his daughter then he will ‘kill them’, which shows the extreme lengths that he is prepared to go to if they refuse to give him back his daughter. The phone call scene is important for my script as it is a recurring convention used in most Western thrillers.

Research

Focus Film

[Source]: Panic Room (David Fincher, 2002) –I have decided to use this as my focus film as Panic Room is a typical example of a modern Western thriller movie. The director (David Fincher) has included many common thriller conventions which makes it an ideal source to explore this genre. I have included a range of thriller movies from different directors in the 20^th Century to explore how their films conform to the Western thriller conventions or how the director challenges these conventions.


Related Films

[Source]: Taken (Luc Besson, 2008) – I have included this film as it consist of many similar conventions to that of Panic room, which result in it being a very gripping and exciting thriller. Both ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Taken’ show the extreme determination of the parents in how far they are willing to go to protect their children. This creates a heroic theme in both of the movies. In most thriller films the violence is usually unseen; however the director has decided to challenge this convention.


[Source]: Flight Plan (Robert Schwentke, 2005) - This film is a perfect example of a thriller movie as the director has included many key conventions such as ‘kidnapping’ and ‘paranoia’. It creates suspense to the audience and a desire to find out more, which is what a successful thriller aims to do.