2 Thriller Trailers and Iconography

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

It is easy to spot that this film is a thriller due to the various pieces of iconography shown in the trailer.Right from the very  start of the trailer we are shown the "columbia" page which tells us the producer and distributer of the film. Most of us are familiar with distributer and producer of this film  and we know the typical image logo which is assoicated with Columbia Pictures:

In the trailer for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo the distributer image is darkened purposely to keep a dark and depressing  tone right from the start of the movie.Also right from the start their is music playing  in the background which helps to set the tone of the movie with dark music.The first shot of the movie shows us one of the main characters,but from behind which makes her more mysterious..we can hear a voiceover which tells us information,we see and hear that this character is "an investigator"and that she is "different".This is is  typical thriller iconography as typically in thrillers  there is an enigma and the narrative revolves around the investigation of it and the hero  often in thrillers is very mysterious,isolated and different from other characters .Straight a way we here that she is investigator so this tells us that the film will involve investigation-this is extremely typical.Every time the shot of the trailer changes it fades out to a quickly to a black screen this tells us that the film is likely to be fast pased!This is done because typically in thrillers  through the camera shots change at a fast pase to add mystery and tension which is typical in thriller films so the viewers dont get bored as thrillers are aimed to excite the viewer.The voiceover give us brief backgound information while giving us a hint to the characters personality but without giving away too much,creating a bit of confusion as the viewers want to know even more about the "different"  character-typically part of the thriller genre as  normally in thrillers you find out more about the main characters as the film goes along.

The first shot of the second main character helps to set the narrative up for the viewers.Typically in thrillers there are two detectives or collegues working together to solve a mystery. This is shown here when the actor Daniel Craig is introduced:

When this character is first introduced we see his face.This tells us that he will be easy to read,especially compared to the  previous character  which when we first see her,we only see her from behind(over her shoulder) .This adds more mystery to the other main character as it maked her seem even more mysterious.The voiceover has changed to a womens voice ,the voice of the woman main character is telling us what she thinks of the man and  it tells us that she knows who the man is  and from what she is saying in the audio she seems to know a lot about his personal life which is the opposite to her at the moment as she is quite a secretive character.This adds mystery to the tone of the movie as we want to know how and why she knows this.

Soon after this shot above,there is a shot of a car driving.It looks isolated and shows a new setting which is an isolated forest ,this is a typical part of thriller inconography(a rural area) and forests are often seen in the genre thriller.It also is snowing and looks cold which adds a cold eery atmosphere to the film.Which is typical in many thrillers as it adds  mystery and mystery is often the base for many thrillers to help capture the audience.To contrast to the isolated setting a few seconds later in the trailer we see  a very urban setting ,urban settings are widely used in thrillers,they bring a sense of reality to the film.

A new character is introduced in the trailer called "Harriet" and from the rest of the thriller we are told that it is going to be about investigating the murder and tracking down the murderer.Normally there is a mystery or a puzzle in thrillers and the narrative revolves around the investigation of it.This seems valid in the case of this film.We are entrigued to find out who killed Harriet and it is tense because the investigation of the murderer involves getting  closer and closer to the murderer.This adds tension because often in thrillers and in the case of this film the story is told from the heros points of views and we have a connection with the heros(we dont want the antagonist to win).Thrillers are aimed to excite the viewer  and they are usually tense ,they create suspense for the audience.They do this especially through the use of violence,this is seen in the trailer for the girl with the dragon tattoo.

Low key lighting,shadows and silhoutes are often used in thrillers to add tension   especially in the trailer for the girl with the dragon tattoo and  shadows are what give a thriller the enigma and mystery for the audience. Shadows are a common piece of iconography associated with the thriller genre because they build up fear in the audience.

Shutter Island

Similarly to the previous film.At the very  start of the trailer  when we are shown the producer and distributer page,for instance in Shutter island it is "Paramount". The background music is playing right from this point.Dark music typically is used in trailers to set the tone of the movie.The first shot of the movie shows a boat arriving and it looks very misty and it almost looks black and white which is a convention of thrillers because it brings a more dark and sinister feel to the movie.We see a shot of the place it is going to be set.It shows an island, isolated places are often used in thrillers as they make the viewer feel insecure and tense, afraid of the unknown and this is key in thillers.



The fact that it shows us in the trailer that it is set on an island and we can tell by its name "shutter island" suggests that it is purposely targeted to people who enjoy thrillers.It makes it more tense from the start because we know that islands are hard to escape from. To add to this point of making the viewers feel tense we see a shot in the trailer of a tall wall with barbed wire surrounding it which hints to the viewer that people are imprisoned.Fences and barbed wire connote fear and division.Barbed wire is used are used to show imprisonment and isolation in the trailer and generally in thrillers, which links to the conventional thriller. Fences consisting of razor barbed wire also suggest that the characters are imprisoned and have no way of getting out which shows how they are detached from the outside world and therefore it conforms to the convention of isolation in thrillers.

The main characters costume for example their hats and long coats are associated typically with detectives,from the start suggests that they are investigators which is typical in thrillers as normally,there is a mystery or a puzzle and the narrative revolves around the investigation of it.They are also outsiders coming to an unknown mysterious island and this puts them out of their comfort zone which makes the viewer feel tense.Often in thrillers the story is told from the heros point of view so from the trailer we can tell the hero is Leonardo dicaprio and we automatically are on his side as we are also unfamiliar with the island. In thrillers It often shows the audience insights of how different institutions work for instance in this film it is how the police/detectives work .We know Leonardo dicaprio is a senior detective/policeman because it shows us a shot of his badge.

Conventions of a Thriller genre

Thrillers are normally easy to spot and  analyse because they often have various pieces of iconography associated with them.  Iconography simply means symbolic representations,especially the conventional meanings attached to an image or images.Iconography is very important as it is part of the mise-en-scene and therefore helps to purposely give out certain messages to the viewers.

There are certain elements to a thriller which helps to distingquish them from other genres.The genre thriller includes,a huge variety of many different films.However it is possible to notice some similar traits and characteristics which they have in common.For example:

• Thrillers are aimed to  excite (thrill) the viewers ,they are usually tense and they create suspense for the viewer.
• The setting is usually in rural or urban areas.
• Normally there is a mystery or a puzzle and the narrative revolves around the investigation of it.
• The mystery of the narrative will  be solved by the end of the film.
• The hero is the only person in a thriller who reveals the entire truth and solves the mystery. 
• By  the end of the film,the mystery of the narrative will be solved.
• Rather than a supernatural explanation of the mystery,the explanation of the puzzle will be reasonable/sensible.
• It often shows the audience insights of how different  institutions work ,such as, the police,medics,the army or government.The thriller centres on injustices from within  society but it solves these wrongs.
• Violent crime is almost vital (It is central)
• The hero is normally very mysterious and secretive.Often an outsider and different from the other characters,often no real family but generally moral.
• Even though the Villain and hero are enemy's they do share some traits/characteristics.
• A thiller  usually climaxes when the hero/protagonist finally defeats the antagonist.
• Typically in thrillers there are two detectives or collegues working together to solve a mystery.

In thrillers music is essential as it creates tension which is aimed at the viewer.Often in thrillers the camera angle changes at a fast pace to add mystery and extra tension to the film.Another convention in a thriller is the use of low key lighting,the use of black and white which bring a more dark and sinister atmosphere to the film,the black and white in films are often used to exagerrate lighting and shadow.The use of lighting is so important as it helps to create shadows which add that extra mystery and spookiness to the film.Flashbacks are often used in films to remind the viewer of what is going on and it helps to make them think and question things.

Preliminary Mise En Scene Analysis.

James Bond 

Everything in this still is done with a purpose.Just from looking at this still we assume through his facial expression that the man is evil or the enemy because he is laughing as he is about to murder someone or after he has shot someone,this  shows that he doesnt really have any guilty consence and this is  very inhumane.His body position shows that he is very confident, he is also holding the gun very firmly and this tells the viewer that he is in control  and that he is powerful at this point of the movie.The gun also connotes to us power. The setting and props tells us that the man is rich and powerful,such as the statue behind him and the wood looks expensive.The lighting is high key as the man who is shooting  isnt portraying mystery or doesnt seem as if he is trying to hide the fact that he is murdering someone,this tells us that he is most likely in his comfort zone and that the other people in the building are also in on it. Dull colours are used to suggest that this isnt a happy or funny scene.The characters costume is a black coat which reflects to the viewer that he is evil or that he is the enemy.

The Graduate





From this scene we can tell that the characters are somewhere impotant by looking at  their costume,it is infact a wedding. The white flowers behind Mrs and Mr Robinson also are a clue  that they are at a wedding. The costume and hair involved in this film date the characters clearly into the 1960’s,we can see this from Mrs. Robinson’s typical 60`s updo hair.We can tell that the couple are wealthy from their clothes,for example,his suit doesnt look cheap and Mrs Robinsons fur would have been extremely expensive,her earings also look like diamond or pearl which is  very expensive. Mrs Robinsons leopard print suggests confidence and  reinforces the aspect of her character and that she is provocative and that she is hunting for prey(a man).In mise en scene depending on what the film maker wants to portray , the characters facial expressions will tell the viewer how the character is feeling.To me,Mrs Robinson looks very smug whereas her husband looks a bit worried.