Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

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  • Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

    I've heard that the market is interested in "contained thrillers," with "Taken" being given as an example.

    Someone defined a "contained" thriller as not having any "unnecessary" explosions.

    "Taken" was made on a budget of $38 million and grossed $145 mil in the US alone.

    Interestingly, another "contained" thriller with better reviews -- "Ghost Writer" -- cost $35 million and made only $15 million in the U.S.

    I've got both movies at home and plan to watch them this week. Does anyone have other recent examples of this sub-genre to suggest?

    Any thoughts on what makes one "contained thriller" a success and another a failure?
    "People who work in Hollywood are the ones who didn't quit." -- Lawrence Kasdan

    Please visit my website and blog: www.lauridonahue.com.

  • #2
    Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

    TAKEN is not a contained thriller at all. Nor is GHOST WRITER.

    A contained thriller is one where the story is contained at a main location - people are trapped somewhere, or maybe the story just takes place at a central location. ROPE is a contained thriller. PANIC ROOM is a contained thriller.

    - Bill
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    http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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    • #3
      Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

      "Taken" was given as an example of a "contained thriller" by a rep in a Screenwriters Online class. It's not my definition, it was his. Maybe the term has different meanings to different people?

      Just found an interesting post on this subject:

      http://www.gointothestory.com/2010/0...-thriller.html

      So are people looking for "contained thrillers" or thrillers like "Taken"? And if "Taken" isn't "contained," then how would one describe it to distinguish it from other types of thrillers?
      "People who work in Hollywood are the ones who didn't quit." -- Lawrence Kasdan

      Please visit my website and blog: www.lauridonahue.com.

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      • #4
        Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

        And contained thrillers and getting more contained...

        Devil... Buried...

        Where to go from there?

        Buried worked for me because of the ticking clock of him running out air, plus there were no big gaps in logic making you scream the screen (saw it at a festival where it went down very well) Buried is very much a "what-if-I-was-there" type movie, where you always question what he should do next... and that could ruin the film if the screenplay stumbles.

        My biggest fear at watching contained thrillers is that they will start to bore me real quick.

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        • #5
          Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

          contained flicks are like 80% or more in one location
          they cost less to make because the cast and crew do not have to pick up and move to a new location every few days.
          their success is due to the writer's skill in creating an intriguing and compelling story without all the bells and whistles needed in an action flick. they're more character driven than plot driven. and character driven stories attract A-list actors who are true actors as opposed to celebrities.

          Panic Room
          Phone Booth
          Flight Plan
          Tape
          Death and the Maiden
          Dog Day Afternoon
          Dead Man Walking
          Open Water
          One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
          The Shinning
          Das Boot

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          • #6
            Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

            Originally posted by sherbetbizarre View Post
            And contained thrillers and getting more contained...

            Devil... Buried...

            Where to go from there?
            Well, they're remaking "Fantastic Voyage" which is set INSIDE a human body....

            "People who work in Hollywood are the ones who didn't quit." -- Lawrence Kasdan

            Please visit my website and blog: www.lauridonahue.com.

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            • #7
              Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

              Originally posted by NikeeGoddess View Post
              contained flicks are like 80% or more in one location
              they cost less to make because the cast and crew do not have to pick up and move to a new location every few days.
              OK, but you can have "contained" and also expensive. Alien and Aliens were both "contained" but not cheap. Even Titanic was "contained"!

              So is the main issue the "contained" or the "cheap"?
              "People who work in Hollywood are the ones who didn't quit." -- Lawrence Kasdan

              Please visit my website and blog: www.lauridonahue.com.

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              • #8
                Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

                "Contained" is as it sounds. And producers love them because they cost sweet F.A in comparison to stories that focus on big sets and lots more than just a room and some actors.

                SAW, Funny Games, The Thing....

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                • #9
                  Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

                  I'd say there are two types of contained...

                  Physically Contained like Buried and many others mentioned above.

                  Contained Budget would be a slightly broader category to include a limited number of locations and/or cast and without expensive effects. I can see putting Taken in this zone despite outdoor scenes and foreign country shooting sites. Many of those big outdoor shootouts and chases are at night and in places like the industrial site which are relatively cheap to close off for filming for a few nights compared to shutting down the Brooklyn Bridge or Times Square.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

                    Originally posted by wcmartell View Post
                    TAKEN is not a contained thriller at all. Nor is GHOST WRITER.

                    A contained thriller is one where the story is contained at a main location - people are trapped somewhere, or maybe the story just takes place at a central location. ROPE is a contained thriller. PANIC ROOM is a contained thriller.

                    - Bill
                    Bill, I know the definition of a Contained thriller, but have a question for you. What if it was contained in a single main location -- such as a hotel. I have a thriller concept that's stuck in the front of my brain that takes place in a 20-30 floor hotel. Though the main action happens on a few floors and in few locations, could it still be considered contained?
                    2011 Screenwriting Goal: 15 pages a day.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

                      So Die Hard and Flight Plan would count as "contained" even though they take place in multiple locations within a single master location (office building, plane)?

                      Or are people looking for scripts that can be shot in 3 rooms (e.g., a stage play)?
                      "People who work in Hollywood are the ones who didn't quit." -- Lawrence Kasdan

                      Please visit my website and blog: www.lauridonahue.com.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

                        Originally posted by Lucha Scribre View Post
                        Bill, I know the definition of a Contained thriller, but have a question for you. What if it was contained in a single main location -- such as a hotel. I have a thriller concept that's stuck in the front of my brain that takes place in a 20-30 floor hotel. Though the main action happens on a few floors and in few locations, could it still be considered contained?
                        You should pitch it as one location (hotel), not ten locations (rooms, lobby, elevator, etc).
                        Looking to take the "Bono" off my screenname.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

                          I think we've hit a point in this genre that movies like BURIED, DEVIL, and ATM are confined thrillers.

                          And movies like Panic Room, Flight Plan, and lesser Die Hard are contained thrillers.They take place in one building and not just one room.
                          Introduce a little anarchy.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

                            I'm currently working on one in which I wrap a married couple and a psycho killer in duct tape.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Examples of "contained thrillers" and why they succeed?

                              Mike Figgis' Hotel takes place in a hotel. It's an experimental horror movie. He did some cool stuff shooting in four quadrants with four cameras.
                              Last night, Jesus appeared to me in a dream and told me that loving me is the part of His job He hates the most.

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