For
this task I was expected to watch an opening scene of a thriller film, I was
then asked to record the most significant moments of the opening credits for
example, when the music started and stopped playing, when the names of stars
were introduced along with the producers and Film Company. On this photo you
will see the documented times and lengths of the opening scene and the
important aspects listen around it. This task enabled me to get a grasp on how
a popular thriller movie such as Se7en operated their sequence, it has inspired
me on how and what to incorporate on mine as there are conventions that stood
out, that I know could have an influence on how I edit my final piece. The use
of the timeline has guaranteed me that my opening will be as specialized as
possible. I believe that creating this timeline has given me many ideas on what
my final opening could include as well as aid me in challenging the typical
thriller conventions.
During
this task was able to have researched
various production and distribution companies in
order to help me come to a decision on which company
is going to be the best and therefore
most likely to produce and distribute my
opening sequence that I will be producing
through a range of technical media equipment. My research
contains
what
films the companies have produced and distributed along
with some background data on
the companies. E.g. where they
are based and when they were founded,
the information helps me to recognise the more experienced ones and the ones
who seem more reliable. . The
companies I have researched are Columbia Pictures, New Line Cinema, Lions
Gate Entertainment Corporation, CBS Corporation, 20th Century Fox,
Spyglass Entertainment and Paramount Pictures. Some of these companies are
both producers and distributors,
which is listen within.
Here
are my two mood boards surrounded by the Thriller genre, I found doing both
electronic and DIY mood boards enabled me to further my research and
develop more of an understanding of this particular genre. I found that the key
colours that evoke tension are red and black; this is down to their dark and
deep connotations of danger, blood, mystery and death. Silhouettes are equally
a highlighted factor as hiding an identity increases the anticipation and
therefore the viewers are left feeling uneasy. I have incorporated elements of
different thriller films in order for me to understand what actually is
featured in one and why, there are also various words that link with this genre
as these are aspects we frequently see within a thriller film.
“Romantic comedy films are films with
light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centred on romantic ideals such as
that true love are able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie,
play, or television program about a love story that ends happily".” -Google
Definitions
The
Holiday opening sequence first presents a soundtrack
to us rather than a visual piece. The music comes across as romantic and
light-hearted which is what this genre is all about, it also foreshadows the
future narrative of the film. The use of music could create the interpretation
that music is a key element within the film. This creates a sense of realism as
this is an aspect many people every day relate to, it makes the film seem more
realistic from the very start and therefore an audience can engage with
characters more thorough. From the darkness of the black screen appears a long
take of a nature shot, this includes a blurred shot of a tree or some form of
flora, this could represent the film being focused in the countryside, a light
and natural setting, which is something different from a usual romantic comedy
in a large popular city.
The opening scene then displays the credits of all involved in The Holiday,
the font is a classical lettering and is white. The typography could be the
signifier that the film is light hearted and comical, as we know from watching
the film, it is set around Christmas time, this could show a link between the
white print and the snow, this makes it appealing to the target audience as it
seems classy and romantic. The colour white signifies innocence and purity, we
can also associate white with love due to wedding dresses and flowers etc.
Therefore the font makes constant links with the genre. The typography is small
when presenting something and then increases for the name of whom it is; this
is also in capital letters so it stands out to an audience as some feel it’s
important to know who is in the film and who else was included during the process.
The credits fade in and out gently as the scene continues, the is an elegant
movement, the elegance of this could reflect the romance in the film.
The development of the scene
then shows a loved up couple jumping into each other’s arms and having a passionate
kiss. This reflects the romance of the genre, however some may see it as a
cheesy action and therefore find it humorous, and the genre aims to include
both amorousness and comedy, so by including this in the opening scene it
achieves both laughter and cheeriness immediately. The fact that romance is a
key element immediately within the titles, could depict that this is what the
narrative revolves around, this entices the audience as they begin to get the
feel of the film and decide whether or not they are interested. The camerawork
then implies it is zooming out which reveals that what we thought was the movie
was actually part of the narrative
and we are watching a film within a film, this is misleading yet comical, the
film maintains the comedy throughout the opening scene.
The use of camerawork
implies that the genre is a romantic comedy, for example as the extract
progresses a mid-shot of the male
protagonist is close enough to show his face which in turn shows the emotion of
how he feels and how important the something is that he is looking at. A match
on action shot then shows a mid-shot of the girl which in turn implies to the
audience this is what he is looking at. The emotion on both their faces and the
non-diegetic sound increasing the tempo suggests that the two are in love; this
is definite when we see the use of a close up to show the holding of hands,
this is a stereotypical gesture that usually represents love and affection, it
can also be associated with safety, which could demonstrate them looking after
each other.The camera focuses more on
the male than the female, this may denote that he is more of a romantic that
the woman, the facial expressions he portrays show how he feels about her. The
fact the male also has more screen time could suggest that he is more of an
importance to the film than his partner, this could reveal parts of the story
line as it leaves our imaginations wondering.
The editing
within the opening credits stays minimal, this could be so that we focus more
on the narrative than the actual editing its self. We see long takes of the
musical screen which may imply that the romance of a song is a key element
throughout The Holiday. The use of jump cuts show an audience who, who is
talking to, this is an easy and subtle way to portray a conversation. As the
woman leaves the camera edits back to the man, we notice that he begins to play
the keyboard again, as he does this the soundtrack picks up and the crescendo
increasing, the use of this editing leaves the audience with the preferred
meaning that he is happy, as music can be known as the signifier of happiness
due to it being a way to express yourself.The use of a voice over equally presents the genre to us. A voice over
is stereotypical to a fairy-tale, this could show the audience that there is
going to be a happy ending. With the genre being a romantic comedy this is
something we want as the outcome, the voice over narrates over the top of a
romantic scene which could foreshadow the happenings of the film later one.
The use of mise
en scene shows the social status of the characters and how they live. It
looks as if they are in a home therefore to hold all of the editing and musical
equipment in a house shows the wealth of the protagonists. The house also looks
very modern with glass windows surrounding them and displaying the nature
around the, again this shows that they are well-off, this could signify they
are hard working well deserved people. Their clothing however shows no signs of
wealth and seems very normal, this could connote them as being very down to
earth people, this is important for the audience as its easier to relate and
engage with them. The lighting seems natural and light throughout; this gives
the realism to the viewers like they are actually there.
“Thriller is a genre
of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension,
and excitement as its main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the
viewer's moods, giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened
expectation, uncertainty, surprise,
anxiety and terror.” – Google
Definitions
The mise en scene within Shutter Island is very significant within as
it enables the audience to engage further with the nature of the film as well
as work out some parts of what the narrative could involve. The lighting
surrounded with mise ne scene exposes the darkness within, the lighting is very
minimal during the first shot and the only source of light we can see is from a
small caged window at the end of the gory corridor. This could signify a prison
as there are elements that can be associated with a prison, for example the
caged window shows the entrapment. Furthermore the low key lighting could also
be a link with a prison, as when in prison you are alienated from everyone and
everything, the word loneliness having dark, connotations uncovers this more. The
extract progresses and we can see a large spiral staircase which in itself is
an optical illusion as the camera spirals with it. The use of this emphasises
how large and tall the building is, it again relates to the idea of a prison as
there seems to be no way of escaping, again the visual effect of the camera
spiralling creates a deception of madness; this could be a sign of the nature
of the film. Along with the staircase there are many other props that are an
imperative concept within, for example the large black gates that are being
opened and closed by what look like prison guards, this confirms the prison
like environment and engrosses with the audience more. Black is a key colour
and usually signifies death or danger; this may be a way of telling the
audience parts of the storyline. A dark room appears which contains different
sorts of handcuffs and chains, connecting with the theme of prison-like, this
gives the audience some sort of idea of what Shutter Island encloses.
The soundtrack behind the scene immediately
evokes a suspended response from the audience has the tempo and tension within
it is exposed immediately, the use of different musical instruments and beats
work effectively together and have viewers on the edge of their seats uneasy of
what is to happen next. A loud crash of music is played to show the difference
in scenes throughout the extract of Shutter Island, this is a unique way of
doing so as it builds tension and also leaves the audience wondering for
example, this piece of music is played when the gates are being opened, it
builds anticipation of what is behind them. The soundtrack maintains building
suspension all the way through and does this particularly well during a darkly lit
scene where it is interrupted by a match being lit. The music takes dramatic
turn which when the striking light appears, the powerful editing in this scene
leaves the audience anxious and troubled. Towards the end
of the opening titles, the music picks up and fades and continues to do this
when the title appears in and out, this gives the illusion something is going
to happen, which is something we commonly see in a thriller film as the
intention is to thrill, the music is a such an important concept that ensures
this.
The editing
is very fast pace in the extract, the shots cut from one to the other very fast
which is a jumpy effect, the fastness usually isn’t something used within a
thriller because It doesn’t tendto
build tension, however this really does and does it well. The faster the
editing becomes the less aware of the surroundings of the film, this could
evoke an uneasy feel from the audience as nobody really knows what to expect.
The use of
camerawork within provokes the audience’s intentions of what the film is
based on. Throughout the clip we do not see an actual character it seems as
though the opening scene is through a point of view shot sometimes, for example
when we watch the gates open it seems as though we are watching it through someone
else eye. The fact that a protagonist is not shown during the extract leaves
the viewers feeling confused as to why someone is hiding their identity to us,
a hidden identity is a typical convention used within the thriller genre and
therefore this extract fits the stereotypical elements. Close ups of hands and
feet show the audience that something is being concealed, this gives a feel of
uncertainty as there are no clues as to why they are displaying this to us and
not anything else. A scene then changed to a close shot of a room engulfed with
flames, adding danger and tension.
“Thriller is a genre
of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension,
and excitement as its main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the
viewer's moods, giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened
expectation, uncertainty, surprise,
anxiety and terror.” – Google Definitions
The mise en scene within this film opening
suggest different interpretations of the narrative and characters, the use of
colour connotations help to demonstrate this. For example the opening scene
begins with James bond and what we perceive to be a villain both using guns as
props. James bond wears a black tuxedo which may show that he is the more
powerful and dominating protagonist, this may also suggest that he is the hero
as he wears the stereotypical clothing of one. The black shows a harsh contrast
with the white wall he stands in front of, this could show the use of binary opposites as black may connote death
however white could connote purity, this leaves the audience guessing which is
a typical convention within the thriller genre, another example of binary
opposites displayed may the protagonist and antagonist, this again is a usual
convention used mainly in Thriller. We then become introduced to the colour
red, this colour demonstrates its connotations as blood pours down our screen, this
suggest danger and death, it reveals anticipation from the audience and leaves
viewers on the edges pf their seats as we don’t know what to expect next, the
many different colours used entice an audience in further. The opening
progresses and the narrative starts become more ambiguous, we see an array of
suit symbols, this implies that the narrative may be based around poker and the
lexis ‘casino’ in the title could confirm this to us. The use of cards and
poker chips are a key thread throughout, this helps show the nature of the film
and allows the audience to become aware of the surroundings; it can also
reveal whether or not the audience should continue watching. The opening
usually enables the characters to become more vivid and helps the audience engage
with them more, whoever this opening challenges this as we see that a lot of
the identities within the film are hidden with silhouettes or codes, this is the thriller genre and James Bond films so we would expect nothing less. The different patterns and colours used as we watch further could suggest that the film is set in a different country than to England, this leaves a feel of excitement as we don’t know what to expect, and the uncertainty is unnerving. Each convention of mise en scene is used effectively and therefore it is suspenseful, as a thriller should be.
The camerawork in the Casino Royale equally evokes tension as we see
the different shots take place they leave different meanings, which heightens
the suspense. a shot that is focussed on a lot in the opening is the long shot,
we never really see anything less than all of Bonds body, feet to head, this
could be done to demonstrate his full power, the fact that he gets more screen
time perceives him to be more important than the other characters, an
interpretation of this could be that he is undefeatable. As the opening is
mainly cartoon work Bond is not a key feature in it like we would expect
however towards the end we can see a close up of him which displays his facial
expressions, he looks powerful and worthy of a fight, the audience may feel
excited about this yet uneasy on who he is to be against. There are also some
close ups of just his hands, this could show that he is hiding his identity
sometimes, this could reveal parts of the storyline which builds anticipation
for the audience, it makes it seem real as we don’t know what to expect next.
The intentions of the thriller genre become apparent in this opening through
the use of camerawork.
Editing is a key element which ties
the thriller genre together in this scene. As the scene opens we see Bond point
and fire the gun as the non-diegetic sound of a gunshot is incorporated over
the top which could be done to make the opening seem jumpy from the start, this
may denote the nature of the rest of the film. The use of animation cartoon
within the opening creates immense tension as it feels as if this is used to
hide identities and evoke a mysterious feel to it, so nobody knows what to
expect and therefore anticipation builds. The opening scene is a series of
shots that follow into each other with fades and dissolves, this means the
editing is slow pace which is a contrast to the harsh action we see within the
scene, some of the cuts are faster and this could show time passing, it is also
an effective way to demonstrate how the film plays out, from both slow action
to faster paced. The typography is small and white which makes it both stand
out yet blend with the background, there is so much going on that it would be
hard to always notice the fonts. The font type is simple which may depict that
the editors wanted it to show but not too much that it’s the only thing the
viewers devote their attention to.The
only names that really stand out is who it was produced by and the name of the
main star ‘Daniel Craig’ for example, this is because the white font is placed
against a red background therefore the difference in colours are significant.
The sound
in the opening credits begin with a loud non-diegetic gunfire, this is
immediately builds tension as itshocks
the audience into watching it further because our attention is grasped straight
away. After this, the soundtrack kicks in of You Know my Name by Chris Cornell,
the song is played for the duration of the credits and this is a simple way of
demonstrating sound within a scene, as the song doesn’t change it enables us to
focus more on the images within because this is the main thing that creates
fear and mystery.
This is our final preliminary
exercise, within the video we have included an over the shoulder shot, match on
action, dialogue, a shot reverse shot, a protagonist opening a door and walking
across the room as well as considering the 180-degree rule. My participation within this task involved me creating the idea and making it come to life by casting the right people for the job in order to make the final task have a sense of realism to it. Another part of contribution I did was filming the different shots and scenes, this gave me a good experience ready for the final Thriller opening. I enjoyed the process of creating the preliminary task and I think without doing this I wouldn't be as experience and as ready to plan film and organise my final opening.
The
genre
‘thriller’ intends to make the audience feel a sense of suspension throughout.
They achieve this by using tense music, cliff hangers and fast pace action,
along with many more conventions, each of these conventions make the audience
maintain their interest in the film and sometimes feel engaged with the
protagonists. Thrillers provide the viewers with a high level of anticipation
and uncertainty.
Name
of Thriller - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1
The trailer for the thriller
includes different types of codes and conventions, each that evoke a response
from the audience. The lighting sustains low-key throughout, and is then
high-key when the actions becomes more immense. The darker lighting shows that
the film itself is going to be dark and eerie, therefore shows the nature of
the film to the audience before they even watch it. The soundtrack seems quite
contemporary which contrasts with the action we later see, the music builds up
into a faster and louder atmosphere which could denote the storyline of the
film, we can hear drums both fast and slow pace which could be perceived as
heart beats, suggesting death is a highlighted event in this film, whilst it
could also identify with the audiences heart rates as they watch the film as
thriller intends to leave you on a high with lots of anticipation. The costumes
of all the characters in the trailer are all dark and shadowy colours, a key
convention of the genre; the dark colours show the grittiness of the film and
can also create tension as the dark colours contrast with President Snows white
roses, which have connotations of innocence.
Name
of Thriller – Se7en
The trailer involves
different conventions that help the audience to distinguish that it is under
the thriller genre. For example, the sound throughout entices an audience as
the pace and volume fluctuate, this creates immense tension because as the
music builds so does the action therefore the audience know something is to
happen yet they are unsure what. Likewise the audience get this same feel as
the fast pace editing of the shots, it cuts to different scenes of the film
that are all revealing and therefore uneasy on the mind, it exposes parts of
the storyline but leaves viewers predicting, which is what a thriller film
proposes to do. The lighting, like The Hunger Games is also very low key,
meaning it is dark again hinting at parts of the plot, the lighting becomes
brighter when on certain characters, and this highlights their important and is
something we can usually see in thriller films, as it shows the lead roles. We
can also see many props, which are displayed as weapons, this can aid the
audience in knowing that death and fighting is an element within.
Name
of Thriller – The Beach
In the thriller The Beach, we
see an array of themes and convention that stereotypically fit with the
thriller genre, for example, low key lighting is a common thread throughout the
trailer meaning that the film is dark; this leads to multiple interpretations
as nobody really knows what to expect an intention made by the thriller genre.
Within the trailer we can see the use of silhouettes, this helps hide
identities which in turn is an element linked with thriller the fear of not
knowing who someone is in a film or what they could is exciting yet tense
therefore an audience keep watching to perceive. The soundtrack behind the
non-diegetic voice over in some ways shows fundamentals of thriller, as the
crescendo builds so does our anticipation, however the music we hear is does
not fear us as much as we think it is going to. The music then instantaneously
cuts off into almost a silence and this is then broken by what could be gun
shots, along with shouting. This does evoke fear as we don’t know the narrative
therefore we’re uneasy on what is happening and it shocked us to watch more.
Throughout the trailer there is never a consistent soundtrack, it stops and
starts and changes the track each time, this is something that works
effectively with the voice over as all though there is a lot going on it works
and you can hear both. When the song changes for a second time the soundtrack
becomes more eerie and wants the audience to expect something, the tempo
increases and so does the suspense. The trailer starts off as quite
light-hearted which is something that goes against our imaginations as we
aren’t really expecting this, this is effective when we see a change in the
narrative and we know that it was all just a build-up. The use of camera work
helps develop characters more and the editing too. We see many different shots
including a Worm’s Eye View of the three friends swimming in the ocean, this
shot suggests they are in danger and therefore we feel the need to watch it,
however the editing works against this and makes a fast cut to the three of
them out of the ocean. This is a match on action as it shows time passing and
allows the audience to understand what is going on. The costumes of the
protagonists do not give anything away that the films nature is dark; the
clothing seems quite normal for when it was set and nothing seems abnormal.
However when we see the change in the narrative it becomes evident that
Leonardo DiCaprio does not wear a shirt much and only wears shorts, this could
be done for the Female gaze however it shows that this is a key part of the
plot and it works as we pay attention to this.
Name
of Thriller – Silence of the Lambs
The trailer begins with a
large build-up of tense music, the music
infers that something is going to happen due to the crescendo, as the track
builds up our imaginations do as we have no idea what to expect from the film.
As the protagonists speak, it equally induces suspense as its eerie and soft
almost as if they too want to bring fear upon the audience. The setting is
first displayed to us as a darkly lit prison, this suggests that the storyline
is about criminals or a prison itself, this in a way is eerie as prisons can be
daunting, therefore it works well in this genre. The lighting seems brighter
than what we usually expect from a thriller film, this could suggest that there
is a lot of innocence and purity within, which contrasts to what we expect from
a film of this genre. The use of close ups help the viewers understand the
darkness of the tale as well as the voiceover intervened by a diegetic
dialogue. The close ups help portray the emotion of the characters which gives
off a sense of realism to the viewers, making them feel this is real which in
turn makes the audience uncomfortable as the tale could be true in real life.
At some point in the trailer there is a shot of Hannibal’s reflection behind
Starling, looking down on her. His face is pure veil and this implies that
there is a plan behind is maleficent look, this can also give away to the
audience part of the storyline through the use of foreshadowing. The trailer
finally provides a creepy final sequence; this makes the viewer feel uneasy yet
helps them remember the trailer. The Mise en scene equally presents the
thriller genre through the use of costume, we know that the setting is based in
a prison therefore the navy overalls fit with this, it shows the navy overall
distinguish him as a prisoner. The newspaper snippets imply that the killer
being labelled is very well known, this leaves the audience feeling anxious on
the situation but we feel the need to continue to view.
Name
of Thriller – Taken
In the trailer of Taken, the
soundtrack immediately kicks in during the first shot of a protagonist getting
out of a car. The non-diegetic sound seems suspenseful as though it is building
up to something. The music seems angelic which could symbolise the female
protagonist innocence, this creates a feel of emotion for the audience as we
immediately engage with the father daughter relationship and we don’t want
anything dark to come between this.The
lighting seems natural, which creates a sense of realism for the audience, this
is beneficial as it makes the film seem more real and like an everyday experience.
However as the trailer progresses the lighting becomes more low key, which
makes the film seem more like a thriller as it initially didn’t, the use of
dark lighting leaves the audience on the edge of their seat with anticipation
as negative things usually happen in the dark. The Mise en scene of the costume
imply that Liam Neeson means to hurt someone, the darkness of the clothes he
wears suggest he wants to keep his identity hidden and this is confirmed in a
mid-shot of him hiding his face the a newspaper. Close ups of lean Neeson also
show the desperation for his daughters safety this evokes both sympathy and
tension as we only want the best out of this situation. The close up of his
daughters face whilst being taken equally creates unsureness and the diegetic
high pitched scream only adds to this. Not only does her father fear for her
life, we now do. There are constant flash backs between different scenes and
back to Liam Neeson on the phone, this shows how he feels about the occurrence,
how important it really is and as the music builds it creates more and more
tension for the viewers. There are fades of credits within and the editing
seems fast pace, this is to show how intense the action is and again it
provides us with uneasiness.
Whilst researching this genre, I found that…
The
setting
within a Thriller movie varies, whilst some locate themselves in an exotic
location, for example James Bond maintains this throughout its films, others
are set within a family home which builds immense tension as it shows the
antagonists disturbing the normality and realism. In some Thriller films, we
see that closed/constricted spaces are used to show the entrapment of some
characters and how they struggle; equally building the tension the genre
anticipates doing.
The
costume in a
thriller movie helps form the narrative as well as developing the characters.
Darker colours are used more frequently because of their obscure connotations;
these help create suspense which in turn entices the viewers more. Costumes
differ between the protagonists which can aid the audience in distinguishing
between characters and their personalities, for example if someone is dressed
smartly in a suit however the opposition is dressed in rags, for example in The
Hunger Games, Katniss’ character where’s rags at the beginning of the film
whilst Effie shows her ‘wealth’ as such, by wearing exaggerated dresses and
wigs.This demonstrates a contrast in
personalities and social status, which could be portrayed as a mystery for the
audience.
Thriller surrounds itself
which different types of soundtracks, an ambient sound is used regularly
to generate tension and terror in the given situation. An eerie soundtrack is a
stereotypical convention of the Thriller Genre, and therefore we see this type
of sound more often than others. We can hear different types of sounds that
portray characters being in pain, or characters running away from something,
this shows the audience what type of nature the film is.
Lighting in
a thriller movie does not particularly differ from its low key darkness
convention. The darker lighting creates the feeling of strain as we expect
something bad to happen in the darkness, but the audience do not know what
therefore we feel a level of certainty. However the lighting sometimes changes
to high key when we see more action, this equally evokes a reaction from the
audience as we see more of what the film is about, it can help reveal the
narrative of the film, which can make the viewers feel more suspense as its
uncertain what is to happen next, it leaves them on the edge of their seat
guessing.
My name is Elle Lewin; I am
currently at Ashfield School post 16 studying Media Studies, English Lit and
Lang Combined and Business Studies.
I chose to study Media at A
level after doing a two year course of the specification at GCSE. I really
enjoyed this type of work as it challenged me yet was amusing therefore I
looked forward to further my education and knowledge in this subject. I
thoroughly enjoy being creative within Media whilst producing different types
of work in the film, magazine and music industry. It helps me to express myself
and use my own ideas as well as others. The theory side in Media Studies can
also be equally creative as I like to justify different points in given extracts; the work
challenges me, which aids me in other lessons too. I look forward to the course
at A level and what I can achieve in this field, I hope to extend my knowledge
on Media and achieve a great outcome overall as I don’t currently have a set career in
mind. The two year course could benefit me in finding a career that
suit me best as there are many different options surrounded by media.
