Compare and contrast the narrative and stylistic codes and conventions of two thriller films (this should include either: 'Panic Room,' 'The Net' or 'Psycho and one other of your choice) using detailed examples to illustrate your points.

 

In this essay, I am going to compare and contrast the narrative and stylistic codes and conventions of two thriller films. From my research, I have learnt quite a lot about the conventions of the thriller genre. I've learnt that the main conventions of a thriller is suspense, the deaths are not shown, they feature tense music and the protagonists try and solve a mystery. The openings of thrillers tend to establish the protagonist and begin to build suspense through either fast cuts or tense music. The films I am going to be comparing and contrasting are ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Phone Booth’.

 

In the opening of ‘Phone Booth’ we are introduced to the main protagonist following a variety of shots of people on their phones, we first see Stu in a two-shot/mid-shot of him walking down the busy streets of New York with his friend. In the opening we can instantly see a blue tint throughout the scenes, this colour represents truth, trust, depression and technology. At the end of the film, we learn some truth about Stu as he is forced by the anonymous caller to admit the truth about who he loves. Also, blue represents technology and throughout the film especially in the opening, we see a variety of shots of people on their phones. In the opening of ‘Panic Room’ we are first introduced to Megan following the credits, we first see her in a two-shot/midshot with her daughter Sarah. Similarly, as ‘Phone Booth’ there is a tint in the film,  however in ‘Panic Room’ there is an orange one instead of a blue one and this establishes the unrest from the outset. Another similarity in the opening of both films is that they are both walking with someone close to them at the start, Megan is walking with her daughter Sarah at the beginning and Stu is walking with one of his work colleagues. 

 

In the middle of ‘Phone Booth,’ we learn that Stu is pressured and under attack from an anonymous caller as he knows he has a sniper rifle pointing at him. Stu is forced to answer his questions, as well listening to him otherwise he could risk his life. Whilst Stu is on the phone he is constantly trying to figure out where the caller is because he knows he is close by as he shot a bullet to the booth. There are a variety of low angle shots looking up at the buildings surrounding him, this shows he is looking up to the anonymous caller as if he is a king which shows he is strong and powerful. In the middle of ‘Panic Room’ Megan and Sarah are asleep until Megan hears intruders in her house, there are three intruders that want something from her house. Megan and Sarah do everything they can to kill them, including setting one of the rooms on fire. A similarity between the action scenes in both films is that there is tense non-diegetic music used, this is used to help build excitement for the audience. This is used when Stu gets lightly shot and when Megan notices that there are intruders in her house. Another similarity between the two scenes is that there are quick cuts, this is a common stylistic code for a thriller film as it helps to build tension and to show a lot of information very quickly. A similarity between the two scenes is that in the ‘Phone Booth’ Stu is pretty much isolated and trapped in one place, which is the phone box, he is told that he will be shot the minute the phone cuts so, therefore, have to listen to the anonymous person. In ‘Panic Room’ Megan is trapped in her house due to the three intruders as they are after something that is in her house.  

 

Narrative

 

The narrative of a thriller is usually a protagonist trying to solve a mystery in their point of view which invites the audience to help as well.

 

In the ‘Phone Booth,’ Stu is the main protagonist, we know this because he gets the most screen time, therefore, we are invited to see the plot from his perspective. Stu was just walking through the streets of New York and picks up a ringing phone in a booth in a busy street to find a killer on the line. The killer was armed with a high-powered sniper's rifle, the anonymous caller soon proves his dominance and presents Stu with a choice of convincing the police of his story before they shoot him or drop the phone and be shot. His only hope lies facing up to the truths of his life.

 

In ‘Panic Room,’ Megan is the main protagonist, we know this because we see more of her character than any other throughout the film. In the opening, we learn that newly divorced Meg is looking for a new house with her daughter Sarah. Meg and Sarah hide in a panic room in their house when intruders break-in. Unfortunately for them, the intruders want something that is hidden inside the room and will stop until they get it. They play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with the three intruders and the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.

 

Conventions

 

The thriller genre often contains a female protagonist. Only the ‘Panic Room’ supports this as Megan (Jodie Foster) is the main character and in the ‘Phone Booth’ the main protagonist is Stu Shepard (Colin Farrell). In the ‘Phone Booth,’ the audience is first introduced to Stu following the variety of close-ups of people on their phones. There is a mid shot/two-shot of Stu and his friend walking down through a busy road whilst Stu is on the phone to Donny. We know that Stu and Megan are both the main protagonists of their film as they are seen the most throughout each film. Both films feature different gender protagonists and therefore the audience is invited to see the narrative from their perspective. Despite the genre appealing to both male and female audiences, it is conventional for the protagonist to be female.

 

Additionally, both films are set in city locations but contain the theme of isolation. In ‘Panic Room’ Megan and her daughter Sarah are at home whilst their house gets intruded by three people, the intruders want something that is inside her house and won’t leave without it so they play a deadly game of cat and mouse. In the ‘Phone Booth,’ Stu was walking across the streets of New York and picks up the phone to a killer and is told he will be shot as soon as the phone hangs up. He is trapped in a small phone box so therefore he is isolated and cannot do anything. 

 

Furthermore, another common convention in a thriller film is tense music. In the ‘Phone Booth,’ Stu gets fed up of the unknown caller and decides to hang the phone up. There is a close up of the phone being hung up and Stu knows he will be shot as soon as he hangs up because the anonymous person told him. As soon as the phone is hung up, there is tense non-diegetic music. This creates tension for the audience as they’re expecting him to get shot. In ‘Panic Room’ Megan notices that they are random people in her house so she instantly runs to her daughter Sarah to wake her up, from there the non-diegetic tense music comes in. The tense music usually comes in both films when the action starts as it creates tension and excitement for the audience. 
 

Both ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Phone Booth’ use low-level lighting which is a stylistic code for a thriller film. Throughout ‘Panic Room’ there are a variety of scenes that have low-level lighting, especially when Meg and Sarah are at home with the burglars in the house. 

 

Stylistic codes

 

The ‘Phone Booth’ uses a variety of stylistic codes throughout the film which helps show an audience that is clearly a thriller film. Stylistically the film is a classic of a conspiracy thriller containing a variety of tense moments throughout the film. An example of one of the tense moments is when Stu hangs the phone up and is surrounded by armed police and is told to freeze, however the phone rings again and is told to pick it up. Another stylistic code for a thriller is low-level lighting, however as the majority of the film was filmed outside so there isn’t any used. Throughout the film, there is a blue tint used and this colour usually represents sadness, in the middle of the film Stu confesses to his girlfriend that he loves someone else and she is left heartbroken. 

 

Similarly, ‘Panic Room’ uses a variety of stylistic codes throughout the film which helps an audience understand that it is a thriller film. A stylistic code that this film uses is fast-paced editing, this is used to reflect the action and to entice the audience. An example of when this is used is when one of the intruders are on top of Megan and trying to kill her, there are a variety of quick cuts, some close-ups of Megan’s face and then some of the intruders and also Sarah. Another stylistic code that is used in thrillers is low-level lighting, this provides anxiety in the atmosphere for tension and this is used a lot throughout the film. As well as that in some parts of the film, there is an orange tint which establishes the unrest from the outset.
 

Overall both films include the stylistic codes and conventions needed for it to be a thriller film, also these help let the audience know that it is a thriller film. A similarity between my two chosen films is that there is a lot of low key lighting used throughout the film, this is one of the key stylistic codes needed for a thriller because it is one of the signs that helps the audience identify what genre it is. A difference between the two films is the gender of the main protagonists, in ‘Phone Booth’ the protagonist is Stu and he is male. In ‘Panic Room’ the main protagonist is Megan and she is female, usually in thrillers the protagonist is usually female.