Thriller: Investigation into the soundtrack

G321 Thriller Soundtrack:

In searching for music to use for the thriller film I found a composer called Matthew Pablo who made several tracks which could be suitable for the film - several of which I will link below with an explanation why.


This here is a composition you would expect to find in a classic noir film. It's quite mysterious but possibly too lighthearted for a film sequence that features a killing.



The above soundtrack is most likely what I will use as the mysterious elements will set the tone for the film sequence and add to the psychological elements of our thriller. The typical thriller elements in this music are clear but it also has quite a modern sound to it.

This music isn't royalty free but I emailed the composer who gave permission for it to be used.

Other thriller soundtracks:

My personal favorite thriller soundtrack is that from Vertigo (1958). It is quite a difficult film to understand (as a first time viewer) since the main character, John Ferguson - along with the audience are lead to believe a narrative which has been made up as part of a murder plot.
The introduction of this soundtrack is quite significant as the unsettling qualities give the impression that something isn't quite right, setting the tone for the film.




The main title track above is from from Halloween (1978) which is actually a horror film but it is worth a mention as it has many similarities with that of 1950's thriller films and clearly draws inspiration from the Vertigo soundtrack. The repeating piano melody's at around 2 minutes in the Vertigo track and 1.30 for Halloween are very similar.

John Carpenter composed this music himself and the film has many references to Psycho (Sam Loomis being a notable character name in both etc.)

Film Noir Test

I did some experimenting with lighting in my house part in preparation for the indoors sequence of our thriller film. In doing this I discovered that taking advantage of lighting and shooting through internal frames makes the shots more effective.

Thriller Planning: First Update

Setting:

St Andrews Car Park:

We chose this car park for several reasons:

• It is located in Norwich which is an easy place for every member of our group to access
• We scripted a car in our scenes which makes it a realistic place for a person to be parking
• There was a nearby lift that could be used 
• It has some lighting so it was possible to film even after-hours during 

The lighting was absolutely ideal as the nearby street lamps were quite modern and cast a white glow over the mise en scene which gave the floor and nearby objects a slick, shiny glow - reminiscent of film noir.

It was important to film during the evening hours for several reasons:

• This area can be busy in the afternoon which would dis-interpolate our audience 
• The darkness helps create a more film noir ambience
• Later in the day is usually a more convenient time to film

Costumes:

Shot from our film

• The main characters are wearing relatively formal attire which connotes wealth
• The main male character is wearing a suit jacket, shirt and hat combination which is typical for thrillers and film noir in particular and helps to establish a sense of professionalism and power. It is also an archetypal costume for professional criminals in thrillers which will make first time viewers question their role in the narrative.