T.V Drama BARB Research

This is the BARB ratings of all T.V Dramas shown on week beginning 21/12 alongside their specific T.V Drama genre

And this is a table of U.S TV Dramas and their notable UK BARB Ratings

Prop Planning

My thriller film will consist of only one prop, but a prop that is seen as pivitol in thriller films; especially in our genre 'British Gangster.' This prop is the cigarette.

Cigarettes are seen all over the thriller genre. From the sophistocated cool of Noir legends like Humphrey Bogart to the much grittier and modern characters seen in thriller cinema today.

Film Noir legend Humphrey Bogart with his iconic cigarette.

Smoking can mean a vast array of things in thriller cinema, from the desperate, weak and betrayed Walter Neff in 'Double Indemnity' to the dangerous, firey femme fatales such as Rita Hayworth in classic noir flick 'Gilda'.

'Gilda's smoking links into her character as dangerous, firey and passionate; explained by her unfaithfulness to her husband in the film.

In my thriller opening the cigarette will be used as a link into the foreseeable events further on in the plot, with the silm, white figure of the female character being 'stubbed out' by her pursuers; the events further on being the female being killed by the men at the climax of the opening.

Thriller Audience Research Proposal

I am doing this research into thriller film audience in preparation for my thriller opening. This research will aim to find out:

1) The audience expectations of an independant/mainstream film
2) What settings audiences would most like to see in a thriller
3) What plot-line/scenes are most unsettling and effective
4) How the audience expects their characters to be presented (dialouge, costume)
5) Would the audience prefer an independent or mainstream film.

This will be acheived using the methods of online questionaires and screenings of selected video clips alongside them, feedback will be gathered via instant messaging or email.

I expect to find out that the audience expects an independant film to have an original plot yet lack a variety of sets and equipment, relying much more on the natural enviroment. This relying may contribute to the realism that comes with most independant films.

I also expect to find the opposite for audience expectations of a mainstream film, an unoriginal plot that draws a mass audience willing and eager to watch the same old film. This explains why I also expect the audience to prefer a mainstream film.

Costume Planning

Our thriller film is set around the sub-genre of "British Gangster." Setting the themes of moral ambiguiety and struggles in a flawed enviroment in a more modern and gritty enviroment.


These themes and how they are presented are relative to the costume used, therfore the costume required must be modern and recognisable alongside promoting the gritty and dangerous topics presented.

This coat is a good example of the requirements needed. Its dark colouring emphasises secretive exploits. It also draws attention to the shoulders of the wearer, reinforcing a threatening bulk carried by characters of british gangster films such as 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Essex Boys'.

Characters of 'british gangster' film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'

The costume can also be seen in the film 'Once Upon a Time in America." With the threatening bulk mentioned creating a moral ambiguiety of the characters, who can be seen as both heroes and villians in the film. This confusion of morality is common in gangster films.

Many of these requirements are found in the leather jacket. Alongside its drawing of threating attention it also emphasises a rigid coldness in its material and impact on the body, connotating merciless images of hardness. The contrast between the loose and tight fittings and the images they draw may be explored in our thriller film with the costumes of the two men, with prehaps the wearer of the leather jacket being the dominant of the pair. Leather jackets are iconic in british gangster films, with an exceptional example being the character 'Big Chris' in the film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.'

The character 'Big Chris' in british gangster film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.'

These boots also emphasise the hard-worn and tough lifestyle, alongside the coat they are also dark, bulky and draw threatening attention to the feet of the wearer. All these factors promote the hard-wearing, gritty and usually violent activities of the wearer and are usually seen in films like "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch"