Background to the Thriller Genre

Class notes on thriller film conventions

• sinister plot
• suspense - the audience is anxious about what will happen next
• tension
• deception
• females - in distress
• music to suit the thriller mood
• mystery - audience is in the dark about important information - secrets are revealed
• villian - usually male
• plot twists
• main character - hero

typical narrative structure:

• beggining : normal
• middle : disruption by evil character/s
• end : build up to a tense climax - resolution - villian is killed/foiled

We had a discussion in class about the conventions usually found in a thriller film and listed the main conventions and characteristics. Mystery is a main part of a thriller film,this usually leads to the audience being in the dark about important information,meaning that the audience is constantly asking questions untill the secrets are revealed later on in the plot. Music is also a major characteristic of a thriller film, the music that is used can affect the way that the whole scene comes across to the audience and can dramatically change the mood it creates. Deception is also commonly used in thrillers,this makes the plot more exciting and dramatic, as sometimes, the audience knows that another character is being decieved but the character themselves do not know, this causes the audience to be in suspense about whether the character will find out that they are being decieved and about what will happen next in the plot. Suspense can be created in many different ways,by the music or by the camera,for example,in a situation where a character is being chased, the camera only focuses on one person, creating suspense as the audience are in the dark about where the other character is and wether they are near or far away.The typical narrative structure of a thriller film is a usually normal beggining,where the plot is vaguely introduced and the main characters are usually revealed, the middle of the film is usually the plot unfolds and secrets are revealed,typically,there is disruption by the 'evil' character/s.Towards the end of the film, there is usually a build up to a tense climax, this is usually the most dramatic scene in the film, and typically,the villian is killed or foiled. The villain in a thriller is usually male,and the main character, typically the 'good' one, usually ends up as the hero and defeats the 'evil' character, after they have endured a dramatic battle against each other. Plot twists and a general sinister plot are almost always apparent in a thriller film, the plot twists add mystery and excitement, and keep the audience hooked and interested as things arent always how they first seem, and the sinister plot brings danger and drama to the film, and is also a strong device to keep the audience drawn in to the plot.

How Red Eye follows the conventions of a thriller film

The definition of thriller displayed in the Film Studies Dictionary is “Thriller is a loose genre term referring to any film that generates suspense and excitement as a major aspect of its narrative”, and Red Eye definitely follows this definition. There are many different characteristics that are thought to appear in thrillers, and many of these characteristics are displayed in Thrillers, by Martin Rubin and are typical of the characteristics seen in Red Eye. For example, G.K Chesterton’s idea of ‘The Transformed City’, the argument that thrillers take urban settings and transform them into exciting locations for dramatic stories, is apparent in Red Eye as the film is mainly set on a plane and in an airport, everyday places that are not seen to be out of the ordinary, but in the film, these locations become dramatic and action packed, and become the perfect locations for a thriller. Another thriller convention thought of by Northrop Frye, is Heroic Romance. Frye argued that thrillers were stories that took ordinary people and threw them into extraordinary situations, and this idea is also displayed in Red Eye. The main character, a female, was a ‘normal’ person from an ordinary background that became involved in an extraordinary situation; she met the man who brought the situation on her in an everyday environment and their relationship was even thought of as being romantic, until the true nature of the situation was revealed. The idea by W.H Matthews, Mazes and Labyrinths, another convention of a thriller film, is majorly apparent in Red Eye. Matthews writes about how human beings have a fascination for physical puzzles-often seen in mazes and labyrinths, and how thrillers often use the idea of a character who is lost or trapped and needs to find a way out of their situation. The idea of a maze is something that runs through the whole film, as soon as the main character finds out her situation she searches for a way out and tries many different ways of escaping, but is not successful until the very end, this provoking the audience to think about what she should do next to try and get out of her current situation. Another characteristic of a thriller is the idea of Partial Vision, by Pascal Bonitzer. Bonitzer discusses how the audience is given a partial view of things-with the important details being obscured, this idea is shown in Red Eye such as at the beginning of the film, a wallet is taken from a characters house, but only the hand is shown taking the wallet, this making the viewers think who it might have been and trying to work out the mystery, also, at the end of the film the female main character is hiding in her house and being searched for by the ‘bad’ character, we are only shown where one character is at a time, so there is suspense as to whether the other character can see them hiding, or whether they are near or far away. Noel Carroll’s idea of Question and Answer is also a characteristic of a thriller that can be seen in Red Eye, Carroll argues that thrillers are structures around a series of questions for which the audience is led to want answers. This can be seen in the film in such situations as when the female main character asks the male questions on the plane about his true intentions, and when he answers there are questions put to the audience such as are his answers true? The questions that are put forward throughout the film always keep the audience thinking and wondering what will happen next. It is apparent that many of the conventions of a typical thriller can be found in Red Eye, showing that there are many different techniques used that aren’t visible until the film is analysed, that keep the audience hooked and altogether make a thriller.

Research into examples of thriller opening scenes

An analysis of the opening scene of the thriller 'Red Eye':

Narrative
The story begins with a wallet being stolen from a house,and we see people studying plans of a building, this puts across to the sudeince the sinister nature of the film and immediatley shows what type of film it is going to be.On the table where the wallet is taken, there are photgraphs of a girl,establishing her as a character.No other characters are revealed in the first scene, the fact that we have only seen the one girl in the photo indicates that she may be a very important character in the film.Towards the end of the first scene we see a crate of fish being shipped from one place to another,this starts to raise questions from the audience and creates the mystery that we see continued throughout the film.
Thriller Codes and Conventions
During the first scene, there is the use of partial vision,we are only shown the hand of the theif that stole the wallet, there is also the use of enigma codes such as; who takes the wallet?, why is the wallet taken?,what is in the big silver box?,why is the box hidden by fish?,who is the girl in the picture,what is the significance of the building? These questions are raised to the audience and makes them wonder and think about what will happen next.The music used throughout the frist scene builds up a tense, exciting atmostphere and gets the audience hooked, also, a modern/urban technological setting is used, transforming an everyday urban setting into an exciting, dramatic backdrop for a thriller.
Camerawork
At the beggining, at the moment when the wallet is stolen,a close up is used to focus on objects such as the wallet and the picture,allowing the audience to see the face of the girl in the photo, as she is a very important character in the film.Also,there is then a slow track forwards drawing attention to the wallet, suggesting to the audience that it is important.Tracking shots are used to show the crate travelling and moving, the shots change quickly and the camera moves quite fast,signifying the action packed, rapid movements of the van carrying the crate.Extreme close ups are used as the pictures of the buildings are studied, again only the hands of the crooks are shown, concealing their identity,extreme close ups are also used on the wallet, emphasising the importance of father and daughter.High angle shots are used to look down on objects, signifying the power of the villians.
Sound
Diagetic Sound:
The sound of the keys and wallet being put down on the table before they are taken is heard,also, the sound of footstepwater running and s, then the sound of the car and the box being loaded into it is heard behind the music.
Non Diagetic Sound:
The opening music has a loud, intense, thumping beat, signifying the dramatic nature of the film, there is also the sound of a plane taking off, this linking to the title zooming out on the screen.The music used gives a sense that it is the beggining of the journey and that there is more to come. As the camera zooms in on the wallet, there is a crescendo of sound, showing the importance of this shot,this leads to a boom as the wallet is taken.The orchestral music signifys the seriousness of the scene, and the minor key leads to the music sounding mysterious.
Editing
In the opening scene, time is condensed and compressed so that the action from a period of many days can be shown in two minutes,a montage of shots from different times.The film also takes us to several different places and a dissolve is used to introduce the photos of buldings.
Graphics
A plain white font is used at the beggining of the film,the font used is sans serif and this gives a modern look to the words,this relating to the modern technological aspects of the film.The words then zoom out getting smaller,suggesting the idea of an aeroplane taking off.The title fades out at the end and the words of the title are coloured in red captials,signifying violence and danger throughout the film,the credits finish with the name of the director, and the words are positioned in different parts of the screen each time they appear.


An analysis of the thriller 'Strangers on a Train'

Narrative Structure
The first scene consists of two men going to a train station and boarding a train, they sit opposite each other and accidentally bump feet, this signifying their paths crossing.A linear narrative is used.
Thriller Codes and Conventions
Partial vision is used as we only see the feet of the characters throughout the first scene, untill the end when the characters are revealed. Enigma codes are also used and provokes questions such as; who are the men?, where are they going?, How are they connected?/how are they going to be connected? These questions make the audience think forward about what they think will happen next in the scene and how the plot will unfold.The idea of a transformed city is used in the first scene, as an ordinary city is used as a location for an exciting story, the building that can be seen in the background at thevery beggining of the scene is the capital building in Washington D.C. Northrop Frye's idea of Heroic Romance is found in the first scene, as it is an 'ordinary' man thrown into a wierd situation, meeting Bruno on the train and swapping murders,which is not a usual occurance.
Camerawork
The scene starts with an establishing long shot of Washington, setting the scene and informing the audience where the film is set, there are then mid shots from the waist down, showing the characters feet, this adding mystery to the scene as the characters are not fully revealed.The camera tracks from left to right and right to left following the two sets of feet as they move towards each other,this signifying that they are going to meet soon. A long shot then shows the people going towards the train from behind, concealing their face and still keeping the sense of mystery.There is a point of view shot from the front of the train, tracking forwards as the train moves off, and the scene finishes with a 2 shot of the mens legs stitting opposite each other,this showing that they have now started to cross paths and that the story is just beggining.
Mise-En-Scene
In the opening scene, the shoes that each character wears signifys what kind of person they are,Guy's shoes are plain whilst Bruno's shoes are two tone brogues, which were seen to be very 'jazzy', and unusual shoes to be worn at that time.Bruno's clothing is also seen to be strange, as he has a pin stripe suit on.The tennis racket indicates to the audience Guy's occupation and gives them more information on the character, and the railway lines produce 'X' shapes, linking to criss cross motif's and the idea of paths crossing.
Sound
Diagetic
The Diagetic sounds that are used in the first scene are the sounds of the heels on the men's shoes against the ground, and the shutting of car doors.
Non Diagetic
Orchestral music is used throughout the scene and the same melody is played for each character but in a different key, creating a type of mirror image, and alter ego's for each character.
Editing
Cross cutting is used to connect the two sets of feet as the men are walking,making it seem like the men are destined to meet, and also graphics are used to dissolve into a shot of the station floor from the railway lines, as the shots are dissolving the crossing train tracks can still be seen, again signifying the crossing of paths.
Graphics
In the opening scene the credits appear over the opening establishing shot, then there are no graphics during the sequence.


Analysis on the thriller 'State of Play'

Narrative Structure
The scene opens as a man suddenly runs across a road,darting across in a panicky way,on his way he gets knocked over by cars and knocks people over etc, this straight away shows to the audience that the film is going to be full of action and drama.The man then runs through a shop and out of the back where he hides, when he thinks he is safe, the man comes out but is shot by a gunman, then the gunman then shoots a passing cyclist/witness.Throughout the opening scene of the film, continuity editing and a linear narrative is used.
Thriller Codes and Conventions
Enigma codes are used to create questions such as who is the man?, why is he running? who is he running from?, why was he shot?, who was the gunman? Partial vision can also be seen in the opening scene,as the darkness is used to create a sense of mystery.The idea of a transformed city is also used, as the regular city setting becomes 'transformed' into a thrilling background that becomes a dramatic and exciting backdrop,the gloomy setting of the wind,rain and thunder, as well as the darkenss, adds to the feeling of negativity and danger.
Camerawork
The shot that opens the scene is an establishing shot, a wide shot of Washington D.C. A hand held camera then follows the man across the road, the fact that the camera is hand held creates a sense of panic and movement, and gives the audience a sense of realism, as if they were actually in the scene.The fast moving camera tracking and panning as it follows the man also adds to the sense of realism. There is then a close up on the mans face as he hides, this is the first time that the audience properly see his face. After the gunman shoots, the camera pans quickly as if it is responding to it,then as the cyclist goes by, a point of view shot is used. The final shot zooms in at ground level to the man's face as he is dying, this immediatley shows the audience what kind of film it is going to be.
Mise-En-Scene
The Mise-En-Scene is designed to produce a feeling of mystery, for example with the very dark, low key lighting and the rain and thunder creating a sense of doom and gloom.The gunman wears all black and carrys his gun and a metal briefcase. His breath is also visible against the air, this symbolising coldness,death and devilism. The gun shot into the silence suggests that the man in black is a professional killer,and the setting is of an ordinary city street, the busy front and the sinister back.
Sound
Non Diagetic
The only non diagetic sound that can be heard in the opening scene is a very subtle buzzing noise, this is untill the gunshot, after the gunshot the noise becomes discordant and the music gets louder as the cyclist is killed, the louder sound symbolising the increased action going on after the gunshot.
Diagetic
At the beggining of the scene, the sound of the man breathing heavily can be heard as well as the sound of a helicopter, which relates to ideas and connotations of crime.There is also a constant ambient noise of people,traffic and police sirens, which are normal everyday noises in a city.As the man hits a car as he runs across the road,the scream of the horn can be heard,as can the smashing of glass as he runs through the shop.
Editing
The long takes that are used throughout the opening scene attempts to make the film seem like real life, also continuity editing is used, following the man as he runs.
Graphics
The graphics used are blue capital letters against a black background, these are dark colours that can relate to the dark city and the dark goings on throughout the film.


Analysis on the thriller 'Seven'

Narrative Structure
The opening scene of the thriller consists of a montage of images,the images used suggest some kind of story about crime/investigations,someone can be seen putting together a dark scrapbook of words and images,this opening scene and even the first few seconds put the idea straight across to the sudience about what kind of film this is going to be.
Thriller Codes and Conventions
Enigma codes are used to create questions to the audience such as who is the person, what are they doing? and why? Partial vision is also used as we dont see the face of the man putting together the scrapbook, only his hands,and the images flash from one to the other.The colours used are mainly black,white and red, these colours have dark connotations such as violence,danger,negativity and death and this relates to the film.
Camerawork
Extreme close ups are used to zoom in and place us very close to the unpleasant images, such as the mans fingertips in bandages,and the unpleasant photographs that are used in the scrapbook he is creating.The camera also occasionaly pans across surfaces, such as across the paper when the man is writing.
Mise-En-Scene
During the first scene, we are able to see the man's fingertips with bandages on, which is a strange thing to see and provokes questions from the audience such as what happened?The man is also seen cutting things such as dollar bills,photographs and film strips, he cuts the word 'God' out of a dollar bill, suggesting that religion could be an important theme in the film.Pens and paper can be seen,and he erases some words out of newspaper cuttings by crossing them out, this provoking more quiestions from the audience and adding more mystery to the scene. Scissors,needles and razorblades can be seen throughout the first scene along with the photographs of violent things, suggesting that the film may be unpleasant and a little gory or violent.
Sound
Non Diagetic
The music used is scary,distorted music with a heavy thumping beat, there are lots of layers of sound such as scratches,screams etc, suggesting to the audience the nature of the film and reflecting the twisted mentality of the character. There is a build up in the music where the words "You got me closer to god" can be heard, these are the only lyrics heard in the music in the opening scene,and this is something else that also suggets that religion could be an important theme in the film.
Editing
The opening scene is made up of a fast montage of shots, the montage uses dissolves to change from one shot to another, the images are also made to jump,flicker, and jitter around on the screen,again suggesting the twisted and psychotic thoughts and mentality of the man. Jump cuts are also used and this adds to the effect.
Graphics
White is the colour chosen for the words on the screen, they look blurry and distorted, linking in with the music and the presentation of the images.The credits flip backwards and forwards, and also look as if they have been hand written, linking to the man writing in the scrapbook and seeming more personal as if he has written the words himself.The graphics are unnaturally white,which has connotations of hospitals,mental hospitals and medical objects and makes the scene seem very sterile and harsh.


Summary of Thriller opening scenes

According to our research, opening scenes of thrillers tend to use the following conventions:

• Important narrative elements are suggested without being made too obvious
• There is the sense of a narrative beggining in which ordinary life is disrupted by some threatening force
• There may be a contrast between good and bad characters
• The narrative structure may be linear or non-linear
• Enigma codes are used to raise important questions in the minds of the audience
• Partial vision is often used to withhold important information
• Settings are usually urban - a city that will be transformed into a place of excitement and danger

Thriller openings continued

• Close ups may used to produce partial vision - enigma codes
• Lighting may be low key producing shadows with connotations of mystery
• Objects,costumes etc may be used to suggest ideas about characters and narrative
• Montage editing may be used to combine images from different times and places linked to the narrative
• Continuity editing may be used - starting the narrative off with a thrilling 'taster' scene
• Diagetic sound often combines with Non Diagetic music
• Dark,serious music is usually chosen to signify to the audience what kind of film it is
• Graphics may be designed to reflect the dark themes of the film

Brainstorm of ideas for your film

Audience Research - and research into BBFC film classification system

We researched BBFC the film classification system and found out information about what is accepted into a verificate 15 film,as that is the certificate we are using.

What sort of issues might i find in certificate 15 film?

• Strong violence
• Frequent strong language (f****)
• Portrayals of sexual activity
• Strong verbal references to sex
• Sexual nudity
• Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
• Discriminatory language or behaviour
• Drug taking
• Occasionaly there may be use of the strongest terms eg (c****) although continued agressive use may not be passed at 15
• At 15,drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote drug misuse

We have decided that our project will be aimed towards the under 25's, both males and females because we thought that the under 25's would be a more appropriate audience for a thriller than the over 25's, as the interests of the younger generation are more action packed and contain more violence, and we felt that this would enable us to make our film more exciting. We also chose to aim our film at both males and females because the wider our audience is the more people the film will appeal to and the more succecful it would be.

This was our thriller film questionnaire

Here are ten possible ideas for a new thriller film, give each idea a rating from 1 to 5 according to how appealing you think it is. 5 being the best and one being the worst.

1. A man has been living in a woman’s attic, planning to attack the family, one day she goes up to the attic...
2. A man who has been stalking a woman for a long time, finally catches her at the train station as she gets off the last train
3. There is a crazy man who lives at a cemetery and abuses the people that go to mourn, his attacks get worse
4. A group of girls on a night out, suddenly one gets a call with a cold voice on the receiving end that says they are watching her
5. A woman comes home and finds her children tied up and her husband is stood above the children, her husband died a week before
6. A man has been terrorising a town killing innocent pedestrians
7. A midwife kills every baby born in the ward but blames it on a new disease
8. A woman witnesses a murder and the murderer threatens her not to tell the police, but when he finds out that she has, he seeks his revenge
9. A chef deliberately poisons peoples food


Here are ten possible titles for a new thriller film, give each idea a rating from 1 to 5 according to how appealing you think it is. 5 being the best and one being the worst
1. Attic
2. The last train
3. Platform 13
4. Crossing paths
5. The tracker
6. Cut the cord
7. The comeback
8. Stalk her
9. Gravestone
10. Sniper

The results that we got from the questionnaire are as follows:

The results from the movie ideas:

Number 5; A woman comes home and finds her children tied up and her husband is stoof over the children, her husband died a week before - 96 votes

Number 7; A midwife kills every baby born on the ward but blames it on a new disease - 89 votes

Number 4; A group of girls on a night out, suddenly one gets a phone call with a cold voice on the recieving end that says that they are watching her - 86 votes

Number 3; There is a crazy man who lives at a cemetery and abuses the people who go to mourn,his attacks get worse - 81 votes

Number 2; A man who has been stalking a woman for a long time, finally catches her at the train station as she gets off the last train - 79 votes

Number 8; A woman witnesses a murder, and the muderer threatens her not to tell the police, but when he finds out that she has, he seeks his revenge - 78 votes

Number 1; A man has been living in a womans attic, planning to attack the family, one day she goes up to the attic... - 78 votes

Number 6; A man has been terrorising a town killing innocent pedestrians - 70 votes

Number 9; A chef deliberatley poisons peoples food - 55 votes

Results from the film titles:

Number 4; Crossing Paths - 93 votes

Number 3; Platform 13 - 82 votes

Number 6; Cut the Cord - 81 votes

Number 5; The Tracker - 79 votes

Number 7; The Comeback - 77 votes

Number 2; The last train - 75 votes

Number 8; Stalk her - 71 votes

Number 10; Sniper - 65 votes

Number 1; Attic - 63 votes

Number 9; Gravestone - 56 votes

Treatment

Synopsis

The film begins with a man named Walter, who dies from a heart attack leaving behind his two daughters,Jenny aged 16, and Joanne aged 7. Three weeks after his death, the eldest daughter, Jenny, begins to see obscure things such as objects moving around etc. One night whilst Jenny is in the bathroom, she sees her dead father rise up from the bath, staring gormlessley at her, she turns around screaming, but Walter is nowhere to be seen. Jenny then runs out frantically and runs down the stairs towards the front door, however once again when she opens the door Walter is stood before her with the same gormless look. Jenny screams and slams the door shut, and as she opens it again she notices her father has dissapeared again.
Jenny forgets the thought,believing that it was just herself imagining her father as she has been through stress and misery in the past couple of weeks.Two years have now gone by and Jenny has frogotten about the strange happenings a few weeks after her fathers death. She has taken her sister out shopping for her 9th birthday when the visions begin again. First she thinks she sees her father in a large crowd, but tries to again put the thought to the back of her mind and blame it on the grief. Jenny's younger sister then goes into the changing rooms and when Jenny comes in to have a look at the outfit, all that is in front of her is the image of her father again, wearing the clothes that Joanne had tried on.
Jenny has to turn to her mother now that her father is not here, and confides in her about the strange sightings. At first, her mum doesn't believe her and thinks that the storys are just for attention, but as the sightings get worse for Jenny, she starts to believe that her father is out to kill her. Jenny starts to self harm and it is then that her mother is forced to take her to see a doctor, she is examined, but the results are mixed up with another patients and so she is thought to be fine. Jenny then watches her father tie up her mother and sister and kill them by slitting their throats, infact, it is her herself that is doing this to them, she then stashes the bodies in the attic of the house. A few days later the mix up of the results at the hospital are noticed and Jenny is found and taken away to a mental institute and the bodies are retrieved from the attic.

Character Outlines and Script

These are the character outlines for the main characters in our film.

Walter: A smart buisnessman, very family orientated and has two loving daughters. Dies of a heart attack 3 weeks before the story starts.

Jenny: Young teenager, daughter of walter. Distraught at his death, is messy and crying, was very close to her father.

Joanne: Younger sister to Jenny, too young to understand that her father has died, she is unaware, but a happy child.

Mary: Mother of both girls, always away on buisness and is not family orientated, doesnt really take an intrest in her daughters.

Nurse Sue: Friendly,welcoming nurse that works in a mental hospital, Sue looks after Jenny, secretly knowing that she is mad.


EXT. ROAD/DRIVEWAY. EVENING

Two paramedics are running up the drive and open the door. They look rushed

INT.HOUSE.EVENING

Paramedics go over to WALTER, and pronounce him dead.

PARAMEDIC 1

Time of death, 16:04

Paramedic one then places a sheet over WALTERS face.

INT.BEDROOM.EVENING

JENNY is looking through a scrapbook of pictures,sat on the floor, she is crying. She walks up to the door, opens it, and enters the coridoor.

INT.CORIDOOR.EVENING

JENNY walks down the coridoor and turns on the bathroom light

INT.BATHROOM.EVENING

JENNY looks into the mirror, her hair is messed and up and her face is red from crying.She lifts up her arm to move her hair from her face and tie it back. The shower comes on. JENNY goes over to turn it off and then goes back to the mirror and starts tying up her hair. WALTER then sits up from the bath, he is wet and looks stern and serious.JENNY screams and runs down the stairs.

INT.HOUSE.EVENING.

JENNY runs to the porch door and WALTER is stood in the doorway looking stern and staring gormlessley at her. JENNY screams, her hair is half done.

Production Material - Storyboards and Shotlists

Recce and Location Sheets

Production Schedule

Our project took three days to complete.

Date: 7th December 2009
DAY 1:

equipment used: Camera, hand steadier, tripod, white board.

Location: 9 Keats grove, orford, warrington, Cheshire

Actors: 2 actors, Doctor and Walter

Time started: 6:00 pm

Time finished: 9:oo pm

On this day we only managed to film the first 20 seconds of our film, however this took longer than expected.

Date: 15th December 2009
DAY 2

On this day we filmed the majority of the film however did not have enough time to finish filming all the shots.

equipment used: Camera, tripod, white board.

location: 9 Keats grove, orford, warrington, Cheshire

Actors: 2 actors, Walter and Jenny

Time started: 5:30pm

Time finished: 8:30pm

Date: 21st December 2009
DAY 3
This was the final day which we finished filming, capturing the last 4 shots.

equipment used: Camera, tripod, white board.

location: 9 Keats grove, orford, warrington, Cheshire

Actors: 2 actors, Walter and Jenny

Time started: 7:00pm

Time finished: 8:30pm