Evaluation stills

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.

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.

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.