Mise-en-scene

The mise-en-scene in our opening is very specific to our thriller genre.

Location

The choice of car park is to sure it is set in a urban environment, the city which adds to the whole thrill as it is almost like a secret world, which is a scary thought for the audience to imagine things like this do take place.

It is also a public place however it is very secluded, but it adds tension to the story line as a member of the public could intervene at any point.

Lighting

We have chosen to film outside and set it in dim afternoon light, to give at a mysterious, more eerie atmosphere to our scene.

Props

We are not going to use many props, only rope, masking tape, and balaclavas. We didn't want to bring too many props into it as it would make it harder to film. We just decided to use our surroundings and work with what we had.

Costume

The victims are going to wear casual everyday clothes, that a young adult would wear to show their age. And the Kidnappers are going to be dressing in tracksuit trousers, and dark clothing also balaclavas to make them look scary and also to add to the thriller convention of hiding the antagonists identity to add mystery to 'who did it'.

Sound

We are going to add a soundtrack over our captured footage. Are track is going to be dramatic and action, but match the action happening in the film and create suspense and tension for the audience. We may also have some diegetic sound to make to setting seems more realistic.

We are not going to have a lot of long dialogue as we feel it would be more effective without, however we are going to have some screaming, to show the victims terror and struggle.

Feedback from our pitch

People questioned us on costumes and although it was in our blog maybe it wasn't clear. The criminals are going to be wearing dark colours, such as black tracksuit bottoms and a balaclava. The victims will be wearing typical teenage clothes.

We are going to keep our film a thriller as we will not actually show the violence but the kidnapping is what our film will revolve around.

We also got asked about our shot types and we said we would mainly be using long shots to show the chase, close-ups to show the character reactions and shot-reverse-shot to show both the chase and the kidnap.
And we were asked if we would all be in the shot at the same time but we explained that we would be taking it in turns to film by shooting the two scenes at different times, but embedding them in the editing.

The feedback generally was that it was going to be visually interesting and artistic.

We were also told that we had to ask permission to film on the car park, but it is owned by the council so it should be fine, but however if it is not we will have to find another location to film.

Sub-Genres: Political Thriller- Munich

"Munich is a 2005 historical fiction film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation attacks after the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes by Black September militant group. The film stars Eric Bana and was co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It was written by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth.

The film shows how a squad of assassins, led by former Mossad agent Avner (Eric Bana), track down and murder a list of Black September members thought to be responsible for the eleven Israeli athletes' murders. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture.

The second part of the movie, which depicts the Israeli government's response, has been debated a great deal by film critics and newspaper columnists. Spielberg refers to the film's second part as "historical fiction", saying it is inspired by the actual Israeli operations which are now known as Operation Wrath of God. The MPAA had rated this movie R for Strong Graphic Violence, Some Sexual Content, Nudity and Language."

This is wikipedias overview of the film Munich.

http://www.youtube.com./watch?v=NA1CMZALmPc

We analysed the first four minutes of this.

The music at the beginning sets an eerie atmosphere, making the audience feel tension. Some characters are foreign showing it is dealing with different races and cultures. The characters shown are clearly antagonists as they have guns. It is obviously a thriller as it has lots if dark colours. The antagonists are breaking into Olympic grounds which show that they are angry because of something to do with politics as that is what the Olympics is about. The film starts with them breaking the law by trespassing. The American Jocks are the innocent bystanders in the fact that they could have intentionally got involved in something violent and dangerous.

Our presentation pitch

Narractive ideas
Our opening sequence will be a chase, there will be people being chased, people running in balaclavas and also people that have been caught and are tied up. It will be a gripping opening as the audience will want to know why people are being chased and who is catching them and why. It will create lots of questions for the audience so therefore creating suspense.

Character/Actor ideas
There will be two criminals and two victims. One Victim will be running and one already tied up. The criminals are working for someone that has got a grudge against their dad who was a judge that wrongly put them in jail for a five year stretch for an assault. They are back to seek revenge as they were tormented by other prisoners and guards in the prison, making them go crazy. So, they are fighting against the system and higher people in society. This would become obvious as the film progresses.


Kate-Criminal tying up victim
Scarlett- Victim being chased
Maria-Victim being tied up
friend-Criminal chasing Scarlett

Location
Grand arcade level 6 car park and lift. We can create a scary atmosphere up there. This picture gives a rough example of what the location will look like.




Certificate
15 as it is a film aimed at older teenagers and adults. It is violent but the images that are seen will be quite mild violence.



Subgenres
crime thriller - There is a clear antagonist and protagonist and a rivalry between them. There will be an action scene and is all based around the one crime, the kidnapping.

Titles
We are going to have the titles on freezes of each character. Every time there is a climax, just before we will freeze it for 2/3 seconds and have there name. We are going to have the font in a bright colour such as red so it contrasts with the dark background. We will have the font in a font that looks like it has been written by a type writer.

Music/Shot information
We will have dramatic music to go with the action and to help set the mood of tension and suspense. We will have a range of shot distances and types. We will have panning shots to show the loctation and some of the action. We will have a tracking shot to put people in the view of the criminal/victim. We will use close ups on the person that is tied up to show there reaction.

Intertextuality
Our film is slightly based on the thriller film, 'Taken'. With the kidnapping aspect. It is also based around the film 'Sleepers' as the background story of our thriller revolves around the same sort principal in the film as they too are out for revenge due to a horrible experience in prison.

Thriller idents

We choose to have the background as skyscrapers to fit with the convention of a city settings.
And used dark colours because it creates a scary atmosphere and is more mysterious perfect for a thriller.
The helicopter adds to the crime sub-genre of thriller which we were are using for our film

Sound Terminology

Diegetic - We see the source of the sound

Dialogue (tone/account/phrases)

Background (TV/Radio)

Ambient Sound (natural sounds e.g. rain)

Non Diegetic - Sound that is added in

Sound effects

Sound tracks (character motifs)

Asynchronous - Sound that contradicts the image

Sound Bridge - Smoothes the gaps between scenes

Marking Past Thriller Openings

http://www.youtube.com/longroadmediastudies#p/search/0/rgfsMj-BD60

we thought this movie was really good and met a lot of the expectations. However, it did not meet the criteria of being a thriller movie as it was too gory making it more of a horror film. The effects used were effective in making a scary atmosphere and grabs the attention of the audience. It didn't use much variety of shot types mainly just close ups, however these shots were mostly necessary to keep the tension and mystery. It also disorientates the audience as they don't have audience privilege.
The editing effect of flashing up images and almost embedding them is really effective as it creates suspense and gives just a taster of what is to come in the film. Also the font with the titles and peoples names is really effective as they are kind of edgy and it fits with the music.

Analyzing past students videos

How successfully do they meet the criteria and thriller conventions?

Last Breath - Dark atmosphere - this shows how it is more of a thriller as it is dark and sets the scene well so the audience has a heads up on what to expect
Tracking shot following a masked man walking up to a house, it then pans up to a window in the house and shows a girl. This makes the audience wary and scared for her as it seems like she is a victim, However, this film is more of a horror than a thriller.

The mise-en-scene is very basic as everything in the house is what you would expect from a bathroom. When the girl turns the radio on, the audience could believe that she is going to be electrocuted. The audience does not know if she will live or not which increases tension.
It meets all of the criteria, however it is a bit more scary than a thriller so fits the conventions of a horror instead.



The very few seconds show the camera slowly zooming into the boy. This makes it obvious to the audience that he is the main character or one of them. The fact that it is set in daylight relax the audience into falsely believing that he will be okay. The fact that it is set in a forest/woodland area takes all the beginning sense of content away as there won't be anyone around so it is not the safest place to be even in daylight. The jump cuts increase tension and apprehension in the audience that makes them want to watch the rest of the film to see what happens.



Being set in black and white increases the tension. It meets the criteria of a thriller and make you wonder what is going to happen to the character and if they are going to find the stalker/baddy
- the pictures are a unique way of introducing the character and at the same time makes the audience wonder how and why the person going through the photos have the pictures.
The hand held camera increases the tension as it is shaking and makes the audience wonder what is going to happen.

Marking criteria

LEVEL 4
- 48/60
Demonstrate an excellence in the following:
- holding a shot steady
- framing a shot - excluding/including elements as appropriate
- using a variety of shot distances
- selecting mise-en-scene
- editing so that meaning us apparent to the viewer
- using varied shot transitions/effetcs
- using sound with images
- using titles appropriately

Expectations of opening
Introduction to characters
we should be able to see setting/location
music should indicate the genre
themes of your film and narrative structure should be clear.

Sub-Genre: Action- The Bourne Identity

Conventions
-Obvious antagonistic.
-Race against the clock scenario.
-More violence than other sub genres
-Disruption to equilibrium requires the protagonist to use action to solve it (most be still from some form of combat)
-Usually involves a character of the opposite sex to drive the narrative (however, their loyalty may be doubted, double cross scenario).
-Often involves high character profiles.
examples are: The Bourne Series, James Bond, Mission Impossible

The Bourne Identity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD-uQreIwEk

The trailer starts with the usual universal pictures ident but with a scope of a gun over it. This tells the audience straight away that this film is an action film.

The actual first bit of the montage is introducing the main character, he looks like a normal guy from his costume, however the next shot we see him in a fight scene, using moves that only trained fighters would know.

The whole trailer is a race against the clock, as he is trying to find out who he is and why these people are after him, which is a typical convention of an action thriller.
Men in suits are shown in an office environment giving the impression they are in a city or general urban location and we are not sure if they are the protagonist or antagonist.

Lots of guns and other weapons are used to create excitement and a thrill. It also creates suspense for the audience as people usually get hurt or killed with weapons and the audience don't know who it will be.

A women is brought in to add more to the story as it creates also a love story which will appeal to a wider target audience. Also she may be a antagonist which creates tension. She is also beautiful which is typical for the sub-genre as it gives the men in the audience a thrill.

The music uses diegetic and non diegetic sound. However the main soundtrack is fast paced and dramatic which exaggerates the action being shown in pictures. It also makes the audience tense and eager to watch the film. Without the music the trailer would not have the same effect.

The main character is the actor Matt Damon, who is well known in Hollywood, and is found attractive by women which is an added selling point for the film. He may also be idolized by young males.

Sub-Genres: Crime- Reservioir Dogs

Conventions
-Film is a suspenseful account of failed or successful crimes
-Involves murders/robberies/shoot-outs/double crosses
-Can glorify the rise and fall of criminals
-Often set in large crowded cities to provide a view of a secret world.
-Characters have an ambitious desire for success or recognition
-Strong rivalry between binary opposite characters
-Several locations, often seedy interior locations



The film Reservoir Dogs challenges the conventions of of a crime thriller as in this film the main characters are gangsters and are fighting against the police, however as they are the main characters we relate even though they are also the antagonists. This is usual for a crime thriller as usually we are trying to find the baddies and we relate to the protagonist. It is easy to distinguish the opposite characters as they as the antagonists, but in this case the protagonists, are dressed smartly in blacks suits and one of the antagonists, the police are in uniform and other criminals are dressed in regular, casual clothing.

It fits with failed success as the boss Joe Cabot is too old to carry on as he was so he hires 4 younger guys to carry on name and work.

Another unconventional aspect of the film is that it is also quiet comical, which is unusual for a crime thriller. However this does help to glorify the criminals as it show not remorse for what they are doing but instead they have a joke about it.

The film however does involve a lot of violence, shoot-outs, murders and the film is based around a robbery.

Silence Of The Lambs analysis

Silence of the Lambs is a psychological thriller than focuses on an FBI who's on a serial killer's trail, but in order to track him down she'll have to let him inside her head. This is a prime example of a psychological thriller as it has all the elements of one such as mind games.

Sound

At the beginning of the clip there is complete silence except from them talking on the phone. When she goes to the old warehouse there is only diegetic sounds, making the audience realize how few people are there, this increases the audience's tension. As the clip progresses so does the sound. The further along it becomes the more tense the music comes, this makes the audience apprehensive about what is to come.

Lighting

Right from the beginning of the clip there is almost no light. This gives off the impression that something bad is going to happen to the woman and that the audience should be aware of that. When she goes into the old storage building the light decreases dramatically even more.

Mise en scene.

When the woman goes into the storage building the camera pans around the room. It shows a child's rocking horse firstly - this plays on the idea that there are children involved in the serial killer's plan, this then makes the audience apprehensive and worried about who the victims are. It also helps feel sympathy and respect for the main character as she is doing this investigation to stop the serial killer and help all the potential future victims.

Conventions of a psychological thriller

- Elements of both drama and mystery

- Danger on a mental level initially rather than physical

- 2 or more characters preying on the minds of each other to create conflict or one solitary character in mental conflict with their own mind.

- characters try and discover their own purpose.

- characters have a fear or fascination with death

- Narrative - confusion of what is real and what is not

- Non-linea edits/flashbacks/montage.

Sub-Genre: Psychological-American Psycho

Conventions
-Drama/mystery
-Danger on a mental level rather than physical
-2 or more characters praying on the minds of each other to create conflict
or one solitary character in the mental conflict with their own minds
-Characters try and discover their own purpose
-Characters have a fear or fascination with death
-Narrative confusion of reality

From the trailer our first impressions of him are that he is average guy who appears to be well educated and intelligent, as he is wearing a suit and shown in an office environment giving us the impression he is hard working and earns a lot of money. The trailer also gives us the impression at the beginning that he is a womanizer as it shows him interacting with lots of different women. In the first few shots he is shown smiling and laughing, he comes across as a friendly guy, however in later scenes of the trailer his friendliness seems to be odd and slightly too forward and we begin to suspect there is something more to him

The shot that changes our opinion of him is one where he appears naked and is holding a chainsaw chasing a women who is obviously distressed and scared. It here forth becomes apparent that he is a psycho, fitting with the name of the film.

It is then clear that there is something wrong with him and that he is fascinated and obsessed with killing people, mainly women. It is clear that he is aware he is not normal as he can interact with people, who believe him to be normal but then changes and becomes slightly odd and ultimately ending up with him killing them.

Seven Analysis

Whilst Morgan Freemans character was being introduced there were noices coming from outside, like police sirens and lot of general noise, this sets the scene of the character being in a big city that is a rough area. We can see this from an establishing shot.

In Morgan freemans room it is tidy and there is books everywhere which shows he is well organised and intelectual Whereas, in brad pits room it is a complete mess and there are no books giving them constrasting characters. Morgans character dresses more formally than brad pitts character showing that he is the one in charge. This makes us relate more to Brad Pitt's character as most people have to answer to someone higher

However the camera uses low angle shots making both of them look equal which confuses the audience as they can not tell how the more powerful character is. They also switch places as they are talking which is almost like a battle of power. When the fat man is shown a canted angle is used create a disorientating effect which puts you in the place of the two detectives as that is how they are feeling. There is also a close up of the fat mans arms and legs which have been tied with barbed wire, this shows it is a murder and is shocking to the audience.

http://www.youtube.com./watch?v=VHZ1zUfIqMU

Classic Thriller Analysis

Set in dusk lighting, disorients the audience and characters as its not quite dark. Also adds the idea that they could be caught easier as people would help them catch him.

Opening clip is of his hands, the main focus is his knuckles as they are white it shows how tense the character is feeling and how hard he is gripping the bar. You immediately get the impression something is wrong as he almost jumps over the bar instead of being cautious.

The background shows how high up they are which reinforces the films main theme of the fear of heights. Then you immediately know they are on top of a building as you see the other building tops in the back. However when they jump onto the tile roof the audience is tricked into thinking it is not that high until the detective slips and is hanging over the edge. This creates a sense of tension and suspense as the drain comes off, the audience fears for his life as a high angle shot is used to show the street below and you are then aware of how high he really is. This puts the audience in suspense as the policeman goes to save him as we fear for him falling as well. This is a shock to the audience when the policeman falls not the detective, however we are left on a cliff hanger as we do not know if he lives.

The music is really dramatic and creates the mood for the audience of suspense. As it bulids up with the chase.

preliminary film

taken

The begining of this sequence starts with only diegetic sounds, there is the conversation between the girl and her father and the upbeat music that Amanda is playing. This makes the audience feel relaxed. When the music that Amanda is playing can not be heard any more the conversation gets more tense, making the atmosphere more tense. When Amanda is being taken non diegetic sounds are used, they are high pitched and add to the diegetic sounds already there of her screams. These sounds carry on throughout the phone conversation, adding to the suspense and tension that the audience is feeling, wondering if she is going to get taken or not. When the villains are speaking they talk in a different language. This adds even more suspense as the audience has no idea why the men are taking her and if they could understand what they were saying, the audience would know. From when she is taken only diegetic sounds are used, these sounds are her screaming and the phone conversation.

Editing is also used to add tension to this clip. Parallel editing is used for the phone conversation. It shows both sides of the phone conversation and whilst one is in lots of danger there isn't much the other person could do. This makes us feel sympathy for the dad as the audience can hear how hard he is trying to help her, and by all the equipment he takes out the audience can tell how prepared he is for those sorts of situations. Editing is used effectively during the part when Amanda is being taken. The camera is cutting quickly between Amanda, Kim and the dad the shots lasts for just enough time to see all of their reactions. This makes the audience feel sympathy for Kim and Amanda, as Amanda is being taken and Kim looks terrified. The dads reaction is concern for his daughter but then after stays calm making him seem very in control.

The settings of the two sides of the conversation are very different. One is in a dark room and one is a huge house, full of light. At first the audience feel the jelousy towards the girls as where they are seems much nicer. However this changes quickly as when the audience realise that the villians are there they quickly change there mind to where they want to be.

The costumes of the people shown in the film are clothes that are quite typical for people of that age. This makes Kim easy to relate to for teenage girls making the teenage audience more emotional when she is taken. Men watching that have children will be able to relate to the dad as he also just wares the clothes that men typically wear.

analyse of a thriller

The Dark Knight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKjr7HWkbqA

Sound
The beginning of the clip stats with just diegetic sounds such as the buzz from the TV and the car turning up, however this then changes to non diegetic sounds such as the drumming beat and then increases to a fast beat. This makes the audience more tense and wondering what is going to happen next. As the tension increases the music becomes more dramatic and faster. This plays on the audience's feelings of apprehension and confusion as they wonder what is about to occur next.
As Lau is talking and explaining about how the police are planning to seize their funds, the film shows the police raid the bank. This makes the audience see what the police are doing and hearing why it won't work from the Lau through the TV. This makes the audience realize that even though the police have the right idea they are not going to be able to seize the money as it has already been moved to a more 'safer alternative'. This makes the audience then wonder if the police will ever succeed.

Lighting
In the beginning the room with all the people in is shown to be darker than where the police are which gives an indication to who the 'good guys' are and who are the villains. Strangely it seems that the second the Joker walks into the room instead of the previous lighting, it turns brighter which puts contrasts to the Joker's(Heath Ledger) body which gives the illusion of a silhouette. This makes the audience weary of the Joker and apprehensive of him.

Costume
Everybody in the room first is dressed in posh suits and at first glance look like they are very hard working men who are in a conference. This is obviously not the case though and it uses the audience's feelings to manipulate the situation. This is because the audience will relate more to people who are dressed more casually than those who who are dressed smartly and like they have a lot of money. This helps the audience weary of them and not trust them.

preliminary task story board

This is a picture of our storyboard. For when we film so we know what he are doing and how long the shots last etc.

Kate- camera
Maria- Sitting in the office
Scarlett- Walks in

preliminary task continuity task

Establishing shot
This shot sets the scene of the film as it shows the location of the place most of the film is set. It is the titanic, the establishing shot shows the huge size of it and the amount of people that were on it making the end more dramatic as it shows how many people died.


Close up shot
This shot shows the main characters but focuses on his facial expression the first time that he sees rose. From his facial expression we can see that he falls in love with her at first sight. Which is the main theme and storyline to the film.



Match on action shot
This shot shows the iceberg hitting the boat. It shows it from two different point of views, one which is the actual contact with the boat and the other the reaction of the passengers. This is an audience privilege as they know whats going on but the people on the boat don't. It is effective because we know the intensity of what could happen.


Reaction shot
This is the reaction of the look out when he sees the iceberg and the boat are going to collide. From his facial expression you are on edge as you don't know what he has seen and can see the fear in his face. This is effetive because it builds suspense.


Long shot
This long shot of her attempting suicide is made more effective as it shows how far she will fall, and that she will fall into the sea. It also shows to the audience how she differs from how she is portrayed, as she is supposed to be an upper class spoilt girl with everything she wants yet she is still not happy.




Filming a conversation
This shows a conversation between a boy and his mum when the titanic has started sinking. It shows the anger with the mum and the concern of the boy. It shows how the lower class were the last to get onto the boats. The conversation makes the audience feel sympathy for the lower class people as they are easier to relate to.