Lesson 4

[Rodney Cavin]

Rod’s B1 Stacking Suspense

Examining Basic Instinct I learned to recognize the conventions of a thriller. Many were quite obvious but there were also many traits more subtle, an I missed an umber of them. I think one of my problems was that I’d seen the picture recently so I wasn’t surprised at the overall, bu did find many, many that I would have missed just watching the picture.

This lesson was revealing in how any conventions were in each scene!

[Rodney Cavin]

Rod’s Bourne Identity Stacking Suspense.

I did the Bourne Identity as mentioned in the video because I had it. My DVD of SOTL had not yeet arrived. (Have no streaming access.)

I found it a challenge to find all the MIS conventions and then a few in filling out the stacking chart, mostly how to separate story MIS and character MIS when they often seemed to be so closely intwined.

And as with Basic Instinct, almost every sequence contained as element of MIS. Although there wasn’t enough to write what I found the later sequences which moved fast but had several subjects covered so I broke them up into smaller sequences. Ended up with 63. And I’m sure I probably missed a number of conventions along the way.

Overall, this lesson was a great exercise to learn to identify thriller conventions and understand how the they are packed into a good script.

Amazing!

[Steven Pickering]

Steve’s BI stacking suspense
Fascinating how each scene contained MIS conventions. I used to like this film, but now it seems quite dated. Good for learning conventions though.

[Steven Pickering]

Steve’s SOTL stacking
This is much better than basic instinct. The stacking is a lot more detailed with several storylines occurring at the same time. Each scene follows a thread of transformation, which is happening to all the characters. The theme of mind games is also strong with everyone trying to manipulate everyone else.

[Ronald Neustrom]

Ron Neustrom Lesson 4 (Basic Instinct and Silence of the Lambs)

Assignment 1 Insights and Learning (*Assgn. 2 below)
Basic Instinct

1. This film definitely fulfilled the purpose of a thriller. Plot twists, suspense, betrayal, MIS built into their characters in a relentless pace.
2. Life and death situations were plentiful.
3. Mystery…scored high on mystery. They gave us enough to make us think and bring us along and then make us doubt our own theories about guilt and innocence as the characters struggle with their own ideas. Who killed Johnny Boz and why? The answers and clues went back many years and left Nick to follow a trail that led to places he couldn’t control. It made for edge of the seat engagement because someone was coming unglued right before our very eyes.
4. Hero/Villain – Wonderful characters for a Thriller. An addicted cop falling off the wagon because of the seduction of a rich, beautiful social deviant writer using him as a story subject. A psychotic psychiatrist who has had a sexual relationship with both of them and one as a client. But she was bent for years on paying back Catherine because of…an affair??? I’m sure Catherine used her the same way she used everyone else and Beth wasn’t up for that. What really made this story great were the characters. Catherine Trammel. Nick. Beth. It was an amazing play on a love triangle and each part fueled the other.
5. Main Emotions – The emotions were way over the top but worked because these characters were in a highly charged environment and fighting lust and addiction, so they fit.
6. Ian Fleming did an interview about writing thrillers and two things stood out for me. 1st he talked about awareness of pace and 2nd he talked about understanding what is thrilling to people. These filmmakers understood both. The pace was relentless and moved like an unstoppable train. The other was these people knew how to make us think yet keep us riveted to the screen. They knew what was thrilling and seductive and played with us and used it against us to build lie and hide the truth.

• All the main characters were deep in MIS. Nick with his addictions and background. Catherine with her history and choices. Beth was probably the most mysterious of all.
• I saw the value in being OBVIOUS and not subtle. It worked well with the rugged, deviant environment the story explored.
• Nick’s character was interesting because he was certainly not the victim type. We never really felt bad for him. He willingly went after what he wanted, and it got him into trouble. Eszterhas wasn’t worried about us connecting emotionally with our hero. It was a trail of bloodlust. However, there was a puzzle attached. We wanted to follow this guy. He led us to places that were forbidden. Yet, he didn’t run away, he ran toward the trouble. So we followed.

Assignment 2 -Insights and Learning
SOTL (Silence of the Lambs)

There were a few things that made SOTL stand out. It really knew it was a psychological thriller and leaned deeply into that subject matter. One thing that stood out for me was when Jack Crawford told Clarice…”Don’t let Lecter get inside your head.” Yet Lecter was a savant at getting inside people’s heads and turning the screws. Even if she tried, most people were unprepared for what he really was. Reaching in and exposing Clarice’s darkest secrets. She had to let him in to get closer to what she wanted. A dilemma. How about the way he got inside the Senator’s head? “Did you breastfeed Catherine?” This is one area where SOTL exceeded expectations. Life and death situations, Mystery, Hero/Villain, Main Emotions. SOLT was a master class on thriller conventions. This movie was thrilling because it took us to the edge of the worst of humanity and Clarice survived. Many of the moments in this film are iconic. You knew it was going to be a wild ride when Miggs throws cum on Clarice’s face. One of my takeaways from watching SOTL this round was the business with the offers of reward for Lecter helping with the Senator’s daughter. I always felt it was a section that didn’t hold up but this time I can see Chilton’s manipulation of the process and elevating conflict for Clarice based on their bogus offer. It increased the chances she might not reach her goal. Fear began to move ahead of hope. The final sequence where Crawford realizes Starling is alone with Gumb, Catherine screaming in the pit, Gumb following Clarice in night vision goggles, is one of the most riveting sequences ever captured in cinema.

• This reply was modified 6 months ago by  Ronald Neustrom.
• This reply was modified 6 months ago by  Ronald Neustrom.

[Lisa Vons Cooper]

Assignment 1 Insights and Learning:
Basic Instinct
– I learned I have a long way to go.
– Basic Instinct had MIS in almost every scene. I didn’t realize that it was needed.
o I need to rethink my movie and it might have to be an action/drama over a thriller.
– Most of what I found was small, not in your face. It was the little things.
– A sentence in passing can give major insight.
– Action can create great intrigue. The chase scenes with Catherine and chase/chicken with Roxy keep you wondering how it’ll end. Does it end at a murderer’s house or in a car going over the edge of an overpass.
– Past actions create mystery. With other movies I always wonder if something that we’re told that happened will happen again.
– A thought I had is who will get caught in the crosshairs? I forgot Gus was killed. When he went into the building by himself that created mystery. What’s going to happen to Gus? Who’s in the building?
– I think a bit of gore is needed for a Thriller. Not horror movie gore but enough to make you cringe.

Assignment 2 Insights and Learning:
Silence of the Lambs
– At the beginning I was a bit overwhelmed while completing the chart. It seemed to take a long time. It was easy to see what was written for Basic Instinct as I played the movie but having to watch and write it was more challenging.
– About halfway through the movie I could stop referencing the Basic Instinct notes and just write. I understand why you had us do this. Once I get through my next few classes I think I’ll do this process before I sit down to write. It really made me think. Thank you!
– I learned to think outside the box.
– It’s like a magic trick, a sleight of hand. Look over here, watch what I’m doing while I do this over there. Even though we can see it all.
– Focus on building one piece of the puzzle on the other. Use this mystery to create that intrigue. All the while making it suspenseful.
– The mystery is what pulls them in, and the intrigue and suspense keep them engaged. Without one every couple of scenes the movie falls apart.
– I’ll take a reference from the movie, we want to make sure we get into the audiences head. Clarice couldn’t help herself and Lecter got in her head, but she also got into his a bit. He wanted more and had to give more than he normally would. We have to do the same. Give a little but put a lot.

A Thriller can have action like a car chase or a game of cat and mouse in the dark. It must have a mind game aspect either way. It has to keep you guessing at every turn. If you go too long without a question of what’s going to happen next the audience will lose interest.