Camera Angles

Camera angles and movements combine to create a sequence of images, just as words, word order and punctuation combine to make the meaning of a sentence. You need a straightforward set of key terms to describe them.

Describing Shots

When describing camera angles, or creating them yourself, you have to think about three important factors

— The FRAMING or the LENGTH of shot

— The ANGLE of the shot

— If there is any MOVEMENT involved

When describing different cinematic shots, different terms are used to indicate the amount of subject matter contained within a frame, how far away the camera is from the subject, and the perspective of the viewer. Each different shot has a different purpose and effect. A change between two different shots is called a CUT.

Framing or Shot Length

1 . Extreme long shot

Extreme Long Shot

This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action eg in a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information.
The extreme long shot on the left is taken from a distance, but denotes a precise location - it might even connote all of the entertainment industry if used as the opening shot in a news story.

Long Shot

2. Long Shot

This is the most difficult to categorise precisely, but is generally one which shows the image as approximately "life" size ie corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). This category includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still emerges: we can tell the coffins on the right are in a Western-style setting, for instance.

Medium Shot

3. Medium Shot

Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Variations on this include the TWO SHOT (containing two figures from the waist up) and the THREE SHOT (contains 3 figures...). NB. Any more than three figures and the shot tends to become a long shot. Background detail is minimal, probably because location has been established earlier in the scene - the audience already know where they are and now want to focus on dialogue and character interation. Another variation in this category is the OVER-THE-SHOULDER-SHOT, which positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder.

4. Close-Up

This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object (think of how big it looks on a cinema screen) and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get THAT close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character, and usually uses a zoom lens in order to get the required framing.

5. Extreme Close-Up

As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever. This is a very artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect. The tight focus required means that extra care must be taken when setting up and lighting the shot - the slightest camera shake or error in focal length is very noticeable.
Camera Angles
The relationship between the camera and the object being photographed (ie the ANGLE) gives emotional information to an audience, and guides their judgment about the character or object in shot. The more extreme the angle (ie the further away it is from eye left), the more symbolic and heavily-loaded the shot.

1. The Bird's-Eye view

This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things. Hitchcock (and his admirers, like Brian de Palma) is fond of this style of shot.

2. High Angle

Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture.

3. Eye Level

A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that eg actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.

4. Low Angle

These increase height (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise or James McAvoy) and give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the disorientation of the viewer. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.

5. Oblique/Canted Angle

Sometimes the camera is tilted (ie is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (very popular in horror movies). This technique is used to suggest POINT-OF-View shots (ie when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character,seeing what they see — a hand held camera is often used for this.
Camera Movement
A director may choose to move action along by telling the story as a series of cuts, going from one shot to another, or they may decide to move the camera with the action. Moving the camera often takes a great deal of time, and makes the action seem slower, as it takes several second for a moving camera shot to be effective, when the same information may be placed on screen in a series of fast cuts. Not only must the style of movement be chosen, but the method of actually moving the camera must be selected too. There are seven basic methods:

1. Pans

A movement which scans a scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.

2. Tilts

A movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to a pan.

3. Dolly Shots

Sometimes called TRUCKING or TRACKING shots. The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object. Complicated dolly shots will involve a track being laid on set for the camera to follow, hence the name. The camera might be mounted on a car, a plane, or even a shopping trolley (good method for independent film-makers looking to save a few dollars). A dolly shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character.

4. Hand-held shots

The hand-held movie camera first saw widespread use during World War II, when news reporters took their windup Arriflexes and Eyemos into the heat of battle, producing some of the most arresting footage of the twentieth century. After the war, it took a while for commercially produced movies to catch up, and documentary makers led the way, demanding the production of smaller, lighter cameras that could be moved in and out of a scene with speed, producing a "fly-on-the-wall" effect.This aesthetic took a while to catch on with mainstream Hollywood, as it gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at odds with the organised smoothness of a dolly shot. The Steadicam (a heavy contraption which is attached a camera to an operator by a harness. The camera is stabilized so it moves independently) was debuted in Marathon Man (1976), bringing a new smoothness to hand held camera movement and has been used to great effect in movies and TV shows ever since. No "walk and talk" sequence would be complete without one. Hand held cameras denote a certain kind of gritty realism, and they can make the audience feel as though they are part of a scene, rather than viewing it from a detached, frozen position.

5. Crane Shots

Basically, dolly-shots-in-the-air. A crane (or jib), is a large, heavy piece of equipment, but is a useful way of moving a camera - it can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it. The camera operator and camera are counter-balanced by a heavy weight, and trust their safety to a skilled crane/jib operator.

6. Zoom Lenses

A zoom lens contains a mechanism that changes the magnification of an image. On a still camera, this means that the photographer can get a 'close up' shot while still being some distance from the subject. A video zoom lens can change the position of the audience, either very quickly (a smash zoom) or slowly, without moving the camera an inch, thus saving a lot of time and trouble. The drawbacks to zoom use include the fact that while a dolly shot involves a steady movement similar to the focusing change in the human eye, the zoom lens tends to be jerky (unless used very slowly) and to distort an image, making objects appear closer together than they really are. Zoom lenses are also drastically over-used by many directors (including those holding palmcorders), who try to give the impression of movement and excitement in a scene where it does not exist. Use with caution - and a tripod!

7. The Aerial Shot

An exciting variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish setting and movement. A helicopter is like a particularly flexible sort of crane - it can go anywhere, keep up with anything, move in and out of a scene, and convey real drama and exhilaration — so long as you don't need to get too close to your actors or use location sound with the shots.

Definition of suspense and example (trailer)

Suspense is a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions, most often referring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work.

Black Swan

On the weekend i watched a film in the cinema called 'Black Swan' which is a Drama/Suspense/Thriller‎‎, staring Natalie Portman. It is a movie based on a ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odette's evil sister, Odile, the Black Swan.

I found this movie very canfusing yet interesting.The way the movie was filmed tricked the audience into believing in the real truth behind the movie, as the audience was watching and following the life of Natalie Portman we assumed what she saw was the truth, however as the plot thickened we later realised what she was seeing and believing was in her own imagination.

Black Swan also gave me insperation for the film that me and my group will be making 'The basement' as our film will also have the thrilling/ horror energy that Black Swan has - Also as our film will be a phycological thriller, we can take tips from 'Black Swan' because it also has the esence of being a phycological thriller.

My review of 'Salt'

In my own time I watched a film called 'Salt' it is a action thriller staring Angelina Joli, this movie interested as it always 'kept the audience wanting to know more', as the plot thickned so did the story behind the characters for example the audienced assumed Angelia Joli was an innocent CIA officier, later discovering that she was a russian spy and had been planning an assenation on the the russian presidant.

The most thrilling part of the movie was that it always made the expected, unexpected. And always left me on the edge of my seat, thinking that i knew the plot- but i didnt.
 The film ended with a clif hanger which made it even more exciting as now i was clueless to the outcome of the story and wanting to know what happend at the end. However now 'Salt' has drawed me in and left a cliff hanger, I am sure their will be a 'Salt 2' that i will i will be watching.

Pitch (location)

For our pitch we had to make sure that we discussed everything, and made sure that we each had something to do so we could equally be apart of the pitch.

First of all we had a list of what to include in out pitch, and we each chose which one we would do and present in the class. For me i picked to chose our location, but before we came to our conclusion we had thoughts on filming outside of college either at one of our old schools or at Malika's house. We decided not to do it at one of our schools because they were being done up and we didn't want to do it at Malika's because the other two members of the group live to far away. We then came to the decision to use the colleges basement as we thought it would be a perfect location because it was very dark, damp looking and quite scary. 

To confirm it we had to ask one of the technician to see if we could use it, after that we had to inform our teacher so she could write a medical and safety not for us.

Pitch

Match Cut Technique (180 degree rule)

Understanding match cut was pretty easy but is quite challenging at the same time because you have to remember the 180 degree rule, and if you cross that it will not count as a match cut 180 rule any more.

You must stay on the same side for every shot to not confuse the audience, Here is my image that i made simply explaining the rule:

"A character opens a door, walks into a room, sits down opposite another character and they share a few lines of dialogue" 

Here is a video showing and explaining how to use the 180 degree rule

When researching i also found out about other shots such as Tracking shot, Wide angle shot and Dolly shot:

Overall we got to use this for our final primarily shot and jelly baby animatic story board 

Colouring And Editing

One thing that i love to do is look for new editing techniques and edits to use and test for certain images, i also know that a lot of professionals do this so they can produce high standard  advertisement and posters or any internet based work.

One really nice edit that i across was this : 

I really like it because of the colouring and pattern technique that is used to create quite a dark and gloomy atmosphere. This reminds me of the harry potter poster which has also used this, by giving it a dark or gloomy pattern as if its layering over them.

I tried this myself by adding both techniques and this what my one came out as.

Here i just got the original image of the girl and put another image over it which was of lots of fast moving lights. I then got a pattern PSD to put on top of it, to give it a medal like texture.

Video Camera (Interesting information i came across)

A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in experimental broadcasts through the 1930s. All-electronic designs based on the cathode ray tube, such as Vladimir Zworykin's Iconoscope and Philo T. Farnsworth's Image dissector, supplanted the Baird system by the 1940s and remained in wide use until the 1980s, when cameras based on solid-state image sensors such as CCDs (and later CMOS active pixel sensors) eliminated common problems with tube technologies such as burn-in and made digital video workflow practical. Video cameras are used primarily in two modes. The first, characteristic of much early television, is what might be called a live broadcast, where the camera feeds real time images directly to a screen for immediate observation. A few cameras still serve live television production, but most live connections are for security, military/tactical, and industrial operations where surreptitious or remote viewing is required. The second is to have the images recorded to a storage device for archiving or further processing; for many years, videotape was the primary format used for this purpose, but optical disc media, hard disk, and flash memory are all increasingly used. Recorded video is used in television and film production, and more often surveillance and monitoring tasks where unattended recording of a situation is required for later analysis.

Modern video cameras have numerous designs and uses, not all of which resemble the early television cameras. Professional video cameras, such as those used in television and sometimes film production; these may be studio-based or mobile. Such cameras generally offer extremely fine-grained manual control for the camera operator, often to the exclusion of automated operation. Camcorders, which combine a camera and a VCR or other recording device in one unit; these are mobile, and are widely used for television production, home movies, electronic news gathering (including citizen journalism), and similar applications. Some digital ones are Pocket video cameras. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, generally used for security, surveillance, and/or monitoring purposes. Such cameras are designed to be small, easily hidden, and able to operate unattended; those used in industrial or scientific settings are often meant for use in environments that are normally inaccessible or uncomfortable for humans, and are therefore hardened for such hostile environments (e.g. radiation, high heat, or toxic chemical exposure). Webcams are video cameras which stream a live video feed to a computer. Larger video cameras (especially camcorders and CCTV cameras) can be similarly used, though they may need an analog-to-digital converter in order to store the output on a computer or digital video recorder or send it to a wider network. Digital cameras which convert the signal directly to a digital output; such cameras are often small, even smaller than CCTV security cameras, and are often used as webcams or optimized for still-camera use. The majority are incorporated directly into computer or communications hardware, particularly mobile phones. Special systems, like those used for scientific research, e.g. on board a satellite or a spaceprobe, or in artificial intelligence and robotics research. Such cameras are often tuned for non-visible radiation for Infrared photography (for night vision and heat sensing) or X-ray (for medical and video astronomy use). 

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

How to professionally use video camera

Before we started doing any filming, for our mini film clips we had to learn how to use the camera professionally to make sure the cameras safety and ours was under control. First of all we had a technician come into our class to teach us the basic of how to use it.

• One thing that he said to do was make sure that we had our media cards and other SD cards put into the side of the camera, if not we wouldn't be able to film any shots. 
• He then told us that we need to make sure that we knew how to turn the camera on which was by pressing down on a small button at the front of the camera

Movie Premiere Experience

Last week i was able to visit a special film premiere at the O2 in London which was a amazing experience for me as i hadn't gone to one before. This premiere was for Justin Biebers new film documentary called 'never say never'. At first i wasn't sure if i wanted to go because i knew it would be very busy and jam packed with fans, but me and my friend decided that we should anyway no matter how busy it would get. It didn't take that long to get to the O2 from angel so i would say roughly 35mins. When we got there it was very busy and we had to stand in a very long line to wait to get into the main premiere area, but while we was waiting i meet some really nice people and the time went quick.

Finally when we was in the O2 we had to wait for another hour for Justin and the other celebrities to come out which was very tiring and stressful because i was getting squashed to the railings as i was at the front, we also had tv presenters come up to interview us and take pictures. When Justin and the other celebrities finally showed up it was really fun and exiting and i got to get their signatures and talk to them. 

Overall i think film premieres are a nice way to get to meet stars from all kinds of media based work, and just snaps you back to reality that they are just the same as us and are not any more superior then us. 

Here is a clip of the Premiere from itv gossip news which im also featured in.  

 I also thought i would show my own video that i got to record (not very good quality but its something)

*Beware of loud humorous screaming

The pitch

Before we could began to start are short film we first had to come up with a idea which would could then pitch in front of the class.
As a group we first looked at all the different sub genres of thrillers and decided which one we would most find exciting to do, we decided on a phycological thriller. Then we had to come up with a idea of what the story was going to be based on, we knew if it was a physcological thriller we would need a character who played this role. we also would need a victem - in return we will achieve a suspensful yet thrilling short film.

As their will be glor and sense of horror in our film, we wanted to have a target audience that were most into this kind of things - We thought about our film and then thought of the kind of personalities that would most suit it, with thought a person whom enjoyed glor and was good at solving puzzles. They would be 18+ and have an interest in plot making and be okay with the tense and suspensful atmosphere that our short film will bring.

We had to decide a location that we thought was practical but also fitted our ideal movie set to film. firstly we thought to use my basment however some members in the group did not live near me and we didnt think it would be easy enough for them to get their. then we thought of a cemetry but this did not fit the idea location we wanted, as we planned to shot our short film incide we then asked a teacher and found out that their was a basment in college college, we went down to check out the basment before deciding, and found that it was the best place possible as it gave us easy access and a more convient place for all members of the group to get to. 

Live Type

Live Type is a media programme our group used in order to create credits for our video clips. For this programme you can add different features in order to enhance and bring our credits alive.
This programme has been made so you can edit

• Texts
• style 
• timing 
• Objects 
• Textures - add various different textures to the font as well as the background of the video clips.
• fonts - which are used in order to create stylised texts. 

All these effects help to create the best type of credits for opening title sequences.

prelim story board

prelim film (screen shots)

These are screen the shots of the making of our short film, Each of these shots show our progression to get our final outcome.

How to use the cameras

In lesson we had a short tutorial of how to use the cameras, These cameras are used for professionally filming in films therefore their were more advanced technology and required a lot more skills.

In our groups we were handed one camera. We then had to learn how to put the stand up, making sure that each 'leg' of the stand was levelled with the other 'Leg' reassuring that the camera was in a steady position.

Learning how to use the camera's was the tricky part- as their were much more buttons on the camera then say a digital camera would have.

The applications on the camera we used.

• Rec 'Button' 
• middle button to access our film clips.

The Most Used Buttons

When you pick up a typical camcorder and put your hand into the strap, your fingers should automatically fall near the most frequently used buttons. This includes the power switch, the record button and zoom control, which is often a rocker switch or a slider. The power button might also include a small tab that has to be depressed as well, which makes it harder to accidentally turn the camera off or on. With very few exceptions, the record button will be under your thumb on the right side of the camcorder. Yes, most cameras do indeed favor righties. (But lefties are favored in a different way, more on that later.) Sometimes, you'll find a review button close by the record button. This lets you rewind and review a few seconds of what you just shot without leaving the recording mode. The power button switch frequently lets you select from a few modes as well. Besides recording to tape, you may also be able to shoot still images in another mode, which may be marked "memory" as opposed to "tape" for video. Of course you'll also want to switch the camera into playback mode to view your video. The back of the camera is usually where the battery pack lies flush with the camera body. Look for a small button that you push in to release the battery for recharging it away from the camera.

Many professional camcorders have removable lenses, but almost all consumer models have a permanently attached zoom lenses. Usually there's a rocker button or tab that you push one way or the other to zoom in or out.

The differences between the animatic and the final outcome

For the animatic story board it was very fun to create and set up, as we had to opportunity to use our own manual skills. I loved the fact that we could use our own mini props to make a short clip and tell a story through it.  I found this a lot easier to do, and enjoyed editing / putting the images together. However when having to produce our final clip it was a lot harder because of the use of equipment and techniques that we had to use.

For example when filming the clip we had to remember how to set it up, which i sometimes forget how to. Another problem was the lighting that we had trouble with as the lighting was very dark, but we after got it sorted out by pressing one of the buttons on the site of the video recorder that brightened it.

Before (dark)

After (light)

We also had to do acting which made it sometimes difficult because i didn't know how to show certain expressions that we wanted. But after i think it turnt out great, as we made sure that we had as many tiny clips as posible to use incase one didn't fit into another.

Jelly Babies - Animatic Story Board

Before creating our final story board we decided to use a animatic story board to see how it would turn out, to be able to see and observe it in real life. This went really well and the results turnt out great, even though there was a few difficulties while taking the images, as the photos came out very blurry and unclear however with luck i was able to fix this and the images came out perfect and crisp.

For our animatic story board we decided to make it as simple as posible using shots such as; over the should shot, birds eye view and the 180% rule

Steps to creating our animatic story board,

1. Got out our jelly babies (our main object)
2. Got some Paper
3. We then had to draw on the paper to create two sofas which was going to be our prop for the jelly babies.
4. After we had to discuss and plan what we wanted the story to be based on 
5. We then decided what shots we wanted to use 
6. Finally we took the shots and we was done  

                                             Jelly Babies - Animatic Story Board - Video

Some pictures that we didn't use because of the bad quality, (The first set of shots that i didn't like)

My Movie experience

Yesterday afternoon i was flicking through the channels and came across step up 2 which was showing on itv2.

I thought i would discuss this because of the typical use of non digetic sounds that was presented to compliment certain scenes. for example the kiss scene that is at the end of the film really helps bring the scene to life by adding soft strings and a bit of piano in the backing (soundtrack). Without the backing the scene it would be less intriguing , and would not give it the right sort of atmosphere to carry the scene off.
With this i also realised that i didn't even need to watch my screen too see that it was a romantic scene, addressing this i actually asked my parent if i was correct, which i was.

I decided to add this too my blog because it just interested me and made me wonder why it makes a such a impact if you dont use the right music for the right scenes.

story board for short film (Thriller story board)

Fonts

font - a specific size and style of type within a type family


The main fonts are

• serif fonts - such as Times and Courier, serif fonts are generally more traditional and often slightly more formal than sans serif fonts. (A serif is the extra detail at the end of each stroke of every letter).
• Sans Serif Fonts - Such as Ariel and comic sans, sans serif fonts are generally more informal, modern and more 'friendly'. 

Sub- genres

a sub genre is one of several categories within a particular genre. For example ; Thrillers that express different sub genres.

- 

Action Thriller

These films are characterized by fast-paced, hero-centered narratives full of action and excitement. They often have elements of mystery and crime films, but these elements take a back seat to the action.

• Die Hard (1988)
• The Hunt for Red October (1990)
• Point Break (1991)
• Cliffhanger (1993)
• Air Force One (1997)

Conspiracy Thriller

Only the hero knows the truth about a particular person, group, or situation, and he or she must prove it to the rest of the world before disaster strikes and the bad guys win.

• The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
• The Conversation (1974)
• JFK (1991)

Crime Thriller

These films often focus on criminals dealing with a successful or failed crime and the suspenseful results. Common themes include robberies, murders, and double crosses.

• Double Indemnity (1944)
• The Usual Suspects (1995)
• Sin City (2005)
• No Country for Old Men (2007)

Disaster Thriller

These films deal with some type of disaster, either natural or man-made. Along with sometimes showing the disaster itself, these films concentrate on the chaotic events surrounding the disaster, including survival strategies and the effects on the characters and their loved ones.

• Deep Impact (1998)
• Final Destination (2000)
• The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
• Cloverfield (2008)

Erotic Thriller

A sensational genre that is a mix of erotic and thriller films.

• Body Heat (1981)
• Fatal Attraction (1987)
• Basic Instinct (1992)

Legal Thrillers

In which the main character is a lawyer and must confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom. These heroes are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives.

A Few Good Men (1992)

The Pelican Brief (1993)

A Time to Kill (1996)

Medical Thriller

In these films the hero is a medical professional struggling to solve some type of dangerous/frightening medical problem.

• The Andromeda Strain (1971)
• Coma (1978)
• Awake (2007)

Psychological Thrillers

The ones that mess with your head. In these types of thrillers the suspense is character-driven rather than action-driven. Characters play deceptive games and try to destroy one another. Sometimes the conflict exists within one character's mind.

• Freaks (1932)
• Laura (1944)
• Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

Political Thriller

The main character must ensure the stability of the government that employs him or her against enormous odds.

• Notorious (1946)
• The Crying Game (1992)
• In the Line of Fire (1993)
• Valkyrie (2008)

Religious Thriller

Thrillers based on religious teachings, events, and customs. Religious prophecies, evils unleashed, and ancient scriptures often come into play. At times they can be quite controversial as they examine people's beliefs, not always in a flattering way.

• The Omega Code (1999)
• The Da Vinci Code (2006)
• Angels and Demons (2009)

Spy Thriller

The hero is usually a government agent who must take violent action against agents from a rival government or terrorists.

• Mission Impossible (1996)
• The Bourne Identity (2002)

Supernatural Thrillers

These are very similar to horror films, but are often not as violent. The character (could be the hero or the villain) has some sort of supernatural power that must be called upon. Supernatural thrillers often find the protagonists either battling an evil paranormal force or placed in a situation controlled by an other-worldly force beyond their comprehension.

• Cat People (1942)
• Carrie (1976)

Most thrillers are formed in some combination of the above, with horror, conspiracy, and psychological tricks used most commonly to heighten tension. The sub-genres overlap and can be put into several different categories. All of them create tension, suspense, and excitement for the viewers.