Genre Inspo

um, where do I even begin????

Thinking is easy, it happens without me even trying. Now, organizing my thoughts, trying to visualize what I want to do and how  I want to do it... yikes. There are really so many ways I can go about this project that I became overwhelmed with the never ending spectrum of ideas that for some reason didn't stick. I decided to take a step back and start small: What genre do I want to pursue? 

I turned to music. This could either 1. soothe me or 2. inspire me. I was fine with either. As soon as "Arabella" by Arctic Monkeys came up on shuffle, I felt a little less of #1 and a lot more of #2. 

Arctic Monkeys is an English rock band established in 2002. "Arabella" is a song off their latest album, AM, and it deals with the glorification of a strange, yet attractive female. You can find out more about the band and their music here. In my mind, the edgy vibe of the song instantly clicked with the genre of thriller, and the lyrics inspired me to create a strong, yet somehow damaged, female lead for my film opening. Don't ask me why, don't ask me how my brain made this association. I assume it is part of "being inspired". All I know is that it is a pretty good starting point. As long as I am passionate about it (which I am), I'm all in. 

Not being too familiar with thrillers, I began to do some research. I visited tsl (the script lab) and found some useful information regarding thriller conventions and sub genres to take into account.

Basically, a good thriller should:

• have suspense
• keep the audience alert
• emphasize danger of the protagonist, whether it's an escape, mission or mystery
• lead to a stressful climax

Not fully satisfied with my findings, I continued my search. I stumbled upon a SlideShare that contained more in depth conventions. It's safe to say the slideshow actually became my religion as it contained conventions, along with different tips on how to achieve proper editing, mis-en-scene, sound, and cinematography techniques fit for thrillers. I will most definitely use this source throughout my creative process, making sure I meet all the requirements of a proper thriller. 

Yay for productivity!

sources:
ArcticMonkeys. "Arctic Monkeys - Arabella (Official Audio)." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn6-TItCazo>.

Buffam, Noelle. "Genre: Thriller." The Script Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2017. <https://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/thriller>.

JasonsA2Media Follow. "Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre." LinkedIn SlideShare. N.p., 10  Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2017. <https://www.slideshare.net/JasonsA2Media/codes-and-conventions-of-the-thriller-genre>.