https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k Crime/Thriller Genre en-us 2017-10-11 10:38:20 UTC 2017-11-30 09:14:21 UTC hello@padlet.com joewilliam_gallagher00 https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/195954090 My chosen genre of crime/thrillers (specifically in the Cat and Mouse subgenre) tend to have a dystopian outlook in their narratives. This is mainly down to the fact that most films within the genre tend to deal with the concepts of legality and criminality. This then leads to ominous themes such as murder, betrayal and greed which help consolidate a bleak, dystopian atmosphere. Below is the trailer from the 1991 crime thriller "The Silence of the Lambs" which, as well as falling into the sub genre of Cat & Mouser thrillers, it also strongly adheres to dystopian solutions due to the incredibly bleak themes within its narrative. ]]> 2017-10-11 10:43:03 UTC https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/195954090 joewilliam_gallagher00 https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/197245017 Some other films within the genre of crime/thrillers that follow this "Dystopian" narrative are The Dark Knight, Seven, The Usual Suspects, The Departed and Reservoir Dogs. It is clear that the majority of films within the genre of crime thrillers adhere more towards a dystopian narrative which, in turn, makes the audience already familiar with what the plot may entail. When looking more closely at the sub genre of "Cat & Mouse" thrillers, the Dystopian solution becomes increasingly more defined and noticeable. The main antagonist of the film (metaphorical for the cat) usually holds some amount of power over the protagonist which leads to moments of tension, worry and paranoia. However, sometimes the dystopia can come from the protagonists looking for the antagonists which creates an abundance of enigmas for the audience. Below is the theatrical trailer for the film "seven" which released in 1995. This film contains all the aspects for a crime thriller within the sub genre of the "Cat and Mouse" category. The overall narrative revolves around two detectives hunting down an anonymous serial killer who kills in correlation with the seven deadly sins as depicted in the old testament. Mystery, intrigue and tension are just three of the many themes that are portrayed in this dystopian narrative.]]> 2017-10-16 08:20:23 UTC https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/197245017 joewilliam_gallagher00 https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/197254181 However, although that the majority of films within the genre of crime thrillers adhere towards the "dystopian" setting, there are a few exceptions. An example of this is 2002's "Catch Me If You Can". Although the film contains the elements of a typical crime thriller such as law and disorder the film does contain light hearted elements which are consolidated through comedic moments. This, in turn, could mean that the film adheres more towards a utopian solution for the viewing audience due to the fun moments within the film as well as the happy ending. This, however, is a rarity when it comes to films within the genre of crime thrillers - and even more rare when looking at the sub genre of "cat and mouse" thrillers. It is for these reasons that Richard Dyers "dystopian" solution is much more fitting for the genre than the "utopian" solution which, thus, gives an explanation to why audiences are attracted to films within this genre. A successful crime thriller tends to deal with themes such as crime, law and violence which, in turn, makes the idea of using "dystopian solutions" much more applicable due to themes involved.]]> 2017-10-16 08:58:28 UTC https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/197254181 joewilliam_gallagher00 https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/198159801 In some respects, it can be argued that films within the genre of crime thrillers do not treat their audiences as passive, thus making the Franfurt School Model irrelevant to the genre as a whole. Syntactic themes such as violence, theft and greed are heavily prominent throughout a variety of films within the genre of Crime Thrillers and make the motives of character morally ambiguous - thus making members of the audience think about actions and their consequences. The 1995 film "Heat" is a good example of this as the audience is meant to support the police chief "hanna" but he, himself, has many questionable morals such as how he treats his wife and ]]> 2017-10-18 10:58:45 UTC https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/198159801 joewilliam_gallagher00 https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/203231552 However, the hypothesized theory of an "active audience", as suggested by Blumer & Katz, could be applied for some media products within the crime thriller genre. Audiences may in fact choose to watch a crime thriller to fulfill certain needs or gratifications such as wanting to see action set pieces (cop chases, heists etc.) or a desire to see the binary opposite of Law and Disorder within a certain theatrical product. They may want to simply have a form of escapism form their everyday lives or be informed/educated by a factual product from within the genre. In terms of wanting to be satisfied through action set pieces and adrenaline, 2017's "Baby Driver" is a clear example of how a film, within the crime thriller genre, can fulfill certain gratifications. Semantic elements such as fast cars, guns, weaponry and heists are all abundant within the films narrative and could be deciding factors in whether or not an audience would watch the film. The film also features a heavily prominent soundtrack that consists of many mainstream songs. This might also be a deciding factor in choosing to watch the film if the audience are fans of music as well as theatrical products.]]> 2017-11-03 11:27:03 UTC https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/203231552 joewilliam_gallagher00 https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/203231664 Many crime thrillers tend to deal with controversial and explicit subjects such as death, criminality and violence. It is for these reasons that many films within the genre of crime thrillers tend to have a mature age rating - generally 15+. Many crime films aren't catered towards the "teen" audience which ultimately means that teenagers wont be able to relate to many of the syntactic themes within the various narratives of crime thrillers. However in saying this, some crime thrillers may prove to be educational for teenagers in the various aspects of law and criminality. They may also be useful for young audiences to understand the viewpoints of others and gain an insight into why people commit crimes. 1990's "Goodfellas" is a good example of these points due to the fact that, as an audience, we can understand why the protagonist (Henry Hill) chose the life of a gangster. His abusive upbringing meant that Henry couldn't find an alternative route in life and the aspects of criminality were, consequently, extremely appealing to him. A young audience could be able to learn from the mistakes of Henry Hill and learn that, in the end, crime doesn't pay.]]> 2017-11-03 11:27:26 UTC https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/203231664 joewilliam_gallagher00 https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/209884770 Blumler and Katz identified different needs for audiences when they consume media products. These needs were "Entertainment & Diversion", "Relationships/Social Interaction", "Personal Identity" and "Information/Education". It could be argued that audiences will choose a film within the genre of "Crime Thrillers" for a variety of different needs and gratifications, but the most common would be "Entertainment & Diversion" because of the unfamiliar themes within typical crime thriller narratives.]]> 2017-11-24 10:45:35 UTC https://padlet.com/joewilliam_gallagher00/76rn7h8f1l2k/wish/209884770