UK Thrillers.

There are not a large amount of blockbuster UK Thriller films made nowadays compared to the number of US made films. But the ones which have done well such as the recently released Sunshine , and previously 28 weeks later, the sequel to 28 days later, as well as early films from the 90s like Shallow grave were all directed by one Uk director. The director being Danny Boyle.

I was looking at the oipening sequence to 28 days later, and analysisng particularly how the credits are incorporated, also doing some research about the film , when i found out that it was made on a very low budget (only 5 million). I personally think the film is good, and takes the zombie sub genre, and utilises it well. Especiallly as the film became such a hit, i think it is a considerable directoing achievement.

Below is some information on the films success (wikipedia)






The film was a considerable success at the box office and became highly profitable on a budget of about £5 million ($9.8 million). In the UK, it took £6.1 million ($12 million), while in the US it became a surprise hit, taking over $45 million despite a limited release at fewer than 1,500 screens across the country. The film garnered around $82.7 million worldwide.
Critical views of the film were very positive (with a rating of 89% at RottenTomatoes [3]) the L.A. Times describing it as a "stylistic tour de force", and efilmcritic.com describing it as "raw, blistering and joyously uncompromising".


On the DVD commentary, Boyle and Garland frequently call it a post apocalyptic, horror and zombie film, commenting on scenes that were specific references to George A. Romero's original Dead trilogy. However, during the initial marketing of the film Boyle did try to distance the film from such labels. Boyle identified John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids as Garland's original inspiration for the story[2].


I was interested into researching more about Danny Boyles other work and how he got into directing film.

The below is his Road To Succes (wikipedia)

Boyle made his feature film directorial debut with Shallow Grave, an instant commercial and critical success. Next followed the film Trainspotting, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh. Besides being quite successful, the film is considered among the most influential and iconic British films of the 1990s.

Previously known to work with writer John Hodge, producer Andrew Macdonald and actor Ewan McGregor, in the internationally acclaimed Trainspotting, Boyle relocated to Hollywood to seek a production deal with a major US studio. He declined an offer to direct the fourth film of the Alien franchise, instead making A Life Less Ordinary using British finance.
Boyle's next project was an adaptation of the cult novel The Beach. He then collaborated with author Alex Garland on the post-apocalyptic zombie film 28 Days Later.

In 2004, Boyle directed the Frank Cottrell Boyce scripted Millions. His science-fiction film Sunshine, starring 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy, was released in 2007.
Boyle produced the sequel to 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, released on May 11, 2007.

Focusing on 28 days later i found that the general consesus on his directing style is "eclectic, adventurous and daring. This fearlessness has also lead to some uneven films as well. You can say this is a filmmaker whose best work is still ahead of him; yet his artistic output shows an inventiveness and versatility that matches even Sam Raimi."

I think when making my thriller i should look again more closely at his opening to 28 days later, as well as sunshine as he is clearly a renowned British director, and it would be good if i was to possibly use his opening sequences as an influence into making my thriller sequence more British in style, rather than basing it on American concepts.

I also looked on IMDB to see if there were any trade marks or conventions that he applied to his films, that may inspire me towards a more British styled film , and i found the below.

Often uses Ewan McGregor

The opening shot is usually a shot from the middle of the movie.

Often uses electronic music in his films.

Scotland - Often uses places, characters, actors or references to and relating to Scotland

Kinetic camera.

Always collaborates with John Murphy for Soundtrack production.