Today we were told to research a genre and explain all the different aspects of the genre. The genre I chose to research was a psychological thriller. I chose this genre because most of my favorite movies are of this genre such as Shutter Island and Memento.

    The target audience for psychological thrillers is Adults and Older Teens. Psychological thrillers usually have a lot of mature themes and focus on mental illness and trauma. This genre usually has unreliable narrators that lead the viewer astray, mind games and manipulation to give red hearings to the audience, and plot twists that reveal hidden layers of the story, often dramatically shifting the audience's understanding.

    Some typical genre conventions are Close-Up Shots to highlight emotions and draw viewers into the character's mind, low lighting, and high contrast which creates a moody, tense atmosphere, and nonlinear editing like flashbacks, dream sequences, or weird timelines that create a fragmented reality. All of these conventions add to the misguidance and twists of the story which make the genre so addictive and fun. Usually, these movies have trailer teasers with tension that emphasize the buildup of suspense, using jump cuts, and close-ups. The genre also uses a lot of minimalist posters which use dark color schemes, shadowy figures, or symbols creating mystery to draw in the viewer.

    These things can be seen  In Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese. Viewers follow U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels as he investigates the disappearance of a patient from a mental hospital. The film uses isolated settings, eerie music, and flashbacks to show Teddy's headspace. As he uncovers clues, viewers witness Teddy become more and more insane, with psychological twists blurring the line between what's real and whats not. The way the narrative is manipulated, the unreliable protagonist, and the depth of the story make Shutter Island an amazing psychological thriller.

    Another movie that features these things is in Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan. Here we see a focus on memory, identity, and mental illness. The story follows Leonard Shelby, a man with short-term memory loss who relies on photographs, notes, and tattoos to investigate the murder of his wife. Nolan uses a skewed timeline, with scenes presented in reverse chronological order making it so that he and the viewer can't trust what he knows.

Some other examples of this genre are seen below

Gone Girl (2014)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267998/

Se7en (1995) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/ 

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_silence%2520of%2520the%2520Fight Club (1999)

The Machinist (2004) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361862/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_the%2520machinest

Prisoners (2013) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392214/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

American Psycho (2000)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144084/

Representation

  In Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese, the idea of representation has many layers, both in the story and through the visuals. One of the biggest pieces of representation is how the film shows mental illness. The movie is set in a mental hospital, and through the main character, Teddy Daniels, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, the audience experiences the thin line between what is real and what isn’t. Teddy becomes a symbol of the struggles between trauma and mental breakdowns. His personal battles highlight his mental health, and the film talks about the harsh treatment methods used in places like the one in the movie.

The movie also represents authority figures like doctors and police. Dr. Cawley, the head psychiatrist, is shown as a character who is caring but also controlling, making viewers question how much power he should have. Teddy Daniels, as a U.S. Marshal, represents the law, but throughout the story, he starts to lose control and question everything he thought was true. This creates an interesting message about how people in power can manipulate others, especially when dealing with people who are vulnerable or unsure of themselves.

Shutter Island also touches on gender representation, though it’s not as obvious. There aren’t many girls in the movie, and most of them are shown through Teddy’s memories, especially his wife, Dolores. She plays a huge role in his trauma, and her character is both a victim and a source of pain for Teddy. On one hand, she is shown as a tragic figure dealing with mental illness, but on the other hand, she is part of why Teddy’s life falls apart. This makes her character both powerful and complex.

Lastly, the way the island itself is shown adds to the deeper meaning of the film. Shutter Island is isolated, harsh, and gloomy, which reflects the mental state of the characters. The island can be seen as a symbol of how trauma and guilt can trap people in their own minds. The constant storms and rugged landscape also show how hard it is to physically and mentally escape. Through these different forms of representation, Shutter Island explores psychological and social themes.

Soundscape Project

 Today we finished out soundscape projects. This is a project where we need to convey a story with at most 7 words but mainly by using sounds you would hear if you were preforming that specific action.        

    During this project I learned  that Foley is a technique for creating custom sound effects for movies, TV shows, and video games in post-production in a secluded sound proof room. This helps you hear the things that help emphasize a scene and bring everything together. I also learned how many sounds are in everyday things that we just skip over and don't realize so I learned how to listen and analyze them.

    Before we started the project we needed to brainstorm what our project would be about. My partner and I decided to convey a student going to an assembly during school. Once we figured out what we we were going to do we needed to figure out all the various sounds within the multiple environments and we needed to figure out how we wanted to display them so they would be cohesive and help develop the plot of the story. Once we got that sorted out it was very clear to see what we needed to record and what we could use sound effects for so we could get all the recording out the way and get to editing as fast as possible. I put all the clips into adobe premier and edited all the sounds together to create our final project.

    Within our project I think we created our project really well and edited everything together really nicely so that everything flowed and helped develop the story. Next time though I think I will work harder on the Foley aspect so that the sound effects we create are clear and vibrant to create a more interesting piece. 

Below Is my project if you would like to view it

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cvTvuWKprVKHFijXm9A13s6GNm-mf_MQ/view?usp=sharing