My 5 things that I can do to contribute to the group are:
Part 1 (0:00 - 10:00)
Part 2 (10:01 - 20:02)
The opening sequence of 'Final Destination' starts off with a normal, every day scene with Alex at home packing for his trip to Paris followed by Alex asleep. It is at this point that we are shown clues foreshadowing what will later happen in the film including the fan being still, pages of books flapping and the clock appearing to read 1:80 instead of 1:00.
This dissolves into the flight board at the airport with flight number 180 and it at this point that we are introduced to the rest of the characters.
However it is not until Alex is at the desk to get his boarding pass that we are given the most clues. This keeps building up until Alex wakes up on the plane and there is a fight in the aisle of the plane.
The music creates an eerie mood throughout the film's opening which carries on after the plane crash itself.
There is a change in time within the first 10 minutes, which shows the detailed accident which is simply shown as an explosion when it actually happens. I think this is effective and could work for my own thriller, however the current idea may not fit with a change in time.
All of the 'Final Destination' trilogy have the same style of opening with a premonition that comes true, which works well for the style of film.
The credits for 'Catch Me If You Can' are very different to those for 'Se7en'. There is no actual clips from the film, everything is animated and doesn't appear to relate to the film, but once the audience has watched the film they would realise the credits told the story to them.
The credits are very cleverly displayed with the words coming from lines that smoothly go on and off the screen, and also providing a way to further the journey of the characters. The animation focuses on important changes that happen to the main male man, including getting into a lift dressed as a doctor.
The colours of the credits make it almost mesmerising, everything stands out and the transitions between colours/locations is seamless. You can also clearly understand taht there is a relationship between the men who follow the same paths, and that one is chasing the other, yet you are unclear as to why.
The opening credits for the film 'Se7en' contain a lot of the features I listed in my previous post, but displays them in an interesting way.
Between each of the titles flashing up is a small clip of the story that is currently happening, which enables the film to develop and give the audience a sense of what is going to be happening at the start of the film. The genre of the film is clearly identified through the font, which looks like a child's writing (clearly formed letters and not in a perfectly straight line) however the flashing/mirroring/movement effects used on the words is what most strongly shows the genre because it is a technique often used in thrillers.
There is a mix of the titles being on blank screens and being displayed over the film being shown, which works well yet it wouldn't be something I would necessarily want in my own opening sequence, but is a possible idea. There isn't necessarily a title with each new frame, but they come at regular occurrences.
The following list is what always and often appears in the opening credits of a film:
Always:
Film production company's name - "In association with ___"
Director's name - "A ___ film"
Title of the film
Main actors/actresses - "starring___"
Other actors/actresses - "co starring___"
Often:
Writers - "screenplay by___"
"Casting by___"
"Edited by___"
"Based on the novel by___"
Assistant director
"Music by___"
Director of photography
Other main behind the scenes people:
Silent Water
This is one of my favourite sequences because it works very well by following the rules but is still different to the others. The only diegetic sound is taht of the water, which is significant. The running water shows that the main female is still alive, yet by the time the tap is dripping she is drowing in her bath.The non-diegetic sounds of the eerie music and voice overs work very well, the dialogue explains the background to the story so that it makes sense. The music and choice of shots build up suspense, and you begin to wonder what is about to happen. The credits also help to maintain the suspense and tension, because without them the sequence might not have worked in such an effective way.
Under The Gun
This sequence was very different to 'Exposure' in several ways. Firstly, the clip was in colour and appears to be focused more on the underworld rather than voyeurism. Secondly it is very clear from the start who's side we are meant to be on.
The credits of this clip are much clearer and break up the sequence, allowing the movemnet from the hostage to a record player to cards, whichthey wouldn't have been able to do without the titles as effectively.
The dark and shadows gives teh sense that something sinester could happen in relation to crime, and the gun further connotes the thriller genre.
A sense of sympathy is created through teh choiuce of shots. Many of them are the female's POV and those that aren't often show what is happening to her. The main male character's face is oftern half in shadow, which shows that he is evil, however the female also has shadows cast over her at some points showing that she isn't innocent.
Exposure
This sequence has successfully followed the rules, such as the 180 degree rule. As well as following the rules, they successfully used match on action several times, noticeable when he was running up the stairs and as he comes through and closes his door.
The use of diegetic sounds is very effective and makes it seem more real than if you were to hear no door slam or feet on the stairs.
The sequence being in black and white reminds me of older thrillers, such as 'Psycho', and but is also effective yet simple. The change from black and white to colour is very effective, it signals that something is different about that room.
There is only one character to follow in the same house, which makes it very easy for the audience to follow. You aren't told too much about the character or the plot, which makes you want to watch to find out more and to have the questions that are raised answered.
The credits themselves weren't very noticeable, the colour stood out from the black and white a bits but the words were small and appeared insignificant.
The use of dissolves in the room with pictures over the walls shows that the pictures and the character are connected somehow, but doesn't reveal how to keep you watching.
There was a variety of different shots used, from establishing shots to close ups to show the importance/emotion. However I found that the most effective shot was the tracking of the character's feet because it created a strong sense of suspense, and effectively linked the two different rooms together. The slow music added to the suspense when it started at the point of the low level track, which I feel was a very good place to start it.
Seeing as Ms B told me to plan around my location shots, here's some more info on the place.
The school is called Mount Grace school in potters Bar (it's about 5 minutes away from the station and has bus routes from Enfield).
There are underground tunnels under each building and we could use whichever places we wanted but probably the one I took pictures of is teh nicest, least smelly and safest.
The tunnels themselves are home to a few rats/mice/spiders etc. but I think they add to the thriller-esque mood. Lighting might be an issue, it'd have to be all artificial because only a tiny bit of natural light can get in.
Right now I don't have any ideas that I can write down, but I would like to use this location because not many other people will have access to the same kind of locations. There is also 16 acres of land and a lot of trees that could provide another location to be used if need be
Act 1
We see Dan's normal life with his wife and daughter and then see him meeting Alex. Within the first 30 minutes Dan and Alex have started their fling
Alex slitting her wrists is the transition between act 1 and act 2
Act 2
We see Alex begin to stalk Dan and each time it gets slightly worse (from turning up at work to the tape to forcing his way into his family life to boiling the bunny to taking his daughter)
The bunny's death is the point at which Dan realises he's been trying to solve the problem the wrong way
After he realises he tell s his wife hoping that Alex has nothing else to use against him, and goes round to her house to threaten her
Act 3
The plot culminates into a fight in which Alex dies, and the problem is therefore solved
The 'problematic' of 'Fatal Attraction' is Alex's obsession with Dan which starts off as a simple fling but ends up with her stalking him, ultimately leading to her death.
Steve Baker's article suggests that all single, independent women are evil and obsessive. He also suggest that they will ruin your life, so all women should remain the stereotypical housewife who looks after the home and kids, not work.
Act 1
Within the first 10 minutes the audience will decide if they will like the film or not so they must be given the following information:
Withing the first 30 minutes they must find out what the main problem of the film will be
Act 2
The longest of the three acts should show the main character in extreme situations where they helplessly confront their problem until they realise t hat they are going about it all the wrong way and change what they do
Act 3
The hero takes control of the situation and often confronts their enemy on their home territory leading to victory.
The following are opposite themes in 'Fatal Attraction'
Good v Evil
Marriage v Affair
Love v Lust
Freedom v Entrapment
Truth v Lies
Fear v Happieness
Day v Night
Normality v Abnormality
Wife v Lover
Calm v Turbulence
Young v Old
City v Country
Action
The phone ringing
Front door being locked - Sidney has nowhere to run except upstairs
Sidney's bedroom door being kept shut by the cupboard door - stops people getting into her room
Tatum not turning up when she said she would when Sidney's dad's away
Tatum going to get beers alone
Talking about the three rules at the party
Sidney climbing out the window and falling
Shown Sidney's dad's car in a ditch
Find out how Sidney's mum died
Enigma
Why isn't Sidney's dad at the hotel?
Where's Sidney's dad gone after escaping?
Where's the camera man's body gone?
Why did Billy have a phone that fell out?
How did Billy get to Sidney's house so fast?
How did the killer know all of the people's names and about their lives?
The villain
Robert Turner
He tries to fill Kale's father's shoes to disguise his villainous activities
The hero
Kale Brecht
The donor
Kale's Mother
She takes away his TV, X-Box etc. when he is put on house arrest which forces him to be aware of his surroundings and watch out the window
The helper
Ronnie
He's sent to do all of the tasks Kale wants done to prove Turner's teh murderer (eg. breaking into his car to get teh garage code)
The princess
Ashely Carlson
Kale wants to impress Ashley because he likes her
AND
Kale's Mother
He want to do his father proud and look after his mother, and saves her life
AND
Kale's father
He wants to do his father's memory proud and become the son he wanted him to be
"Her father" character
Kale's Mother
Kale wants to show her that he's doing the right thing
AND
Kale's father
Kale is able to do the right thing by his memory
The dispatcher
Kale's Father
His death causes kale to be put on house arrest which means he's punished which leads to Kale watching out the window
AND
Ashely
She encourages him to keep watching, helping him at times
The false hero
Officer Gutierrez
Claude Levi-Strauss’ Oppositions:
Levi-Strauss said that every element of a story had a pair within the same story, which is the direct opposite.
Some common examples are:
Good v evil
Male v female
Day v night
Within genres there are also stereotypical binary opposites, for example in romantic films there are often two males, one being the typically charming gentleman and the other a womaniser, who both want the same female.
Roland Barthes action/enigma codes:
Barthes decided that every film is made up of a narrative code that consists of action and enigma codes which are used to create suspense.
Enigma codes are the parts of the plot that raises questions in the viewer's mind, for example in 'Final Destination' the audience question why the plane is blown up at the beginning, when there is a whole film left to watch.
Action codes refer to the actions that lead to other actions that happen in the film, for example in 'Snakes On A Plane' we see the snakes being sprayed with something, leading to questions about what the spray will cause the snakes to do. Action codes create suspense.
Tzvetan Todorov’s narrative structure:
His theory states that every film has three stages:
There are then five stages that every film has five stages that the narrative goes through:
'Scream' was one of the best thrillers I've seen recently, there was comedy as well as thriller elements and it wasn't until the end that I was sure of who the killer was because the clues given to you throughout the film were then given another reason for being there (for examples Billy's "cellular telephone".
The three basic rules* of the film were as follows:
- You may not survive the movie if you have sex.
- You may not survive the movie if you drink or do drugs.
- You may not survive the movie if you say "I'll be right back."
The killers then added their own extra three rules*:
- You may not survive the movie if you ask "Who's there?"
- You shouldn't go out to investigate a strange noise if you wish to survive.
- Never believe the killer is dead, as he'll return for one last scare...
These rules helped the audience to determine who they think will be next to die.
'Scream' also pointed fun at itself, with Sidney saying (about the female victim in thrillers) "when she is running up the steps when she should be going out the front door...", which is exactly what she does only a few minutes later.
Overall I would give scream 9/10
*Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_(film))
I wasn't as impressed with memento as I thought I would be, I'd heard that it was one of the best films some people had ever seen, but I've seen better! I did like the way that it was backwards with flashbacks, and how we were left with ananswered questions at the end (was his wife dead? etc.), but I found the plot quite long and tedious to follow, almsot like I'd seen it before (and I did think of a film that was quite like it whilst I was watching it). Overall I'd give it 7/10
Shallow Grave
| Signifiers | Signified |
|---|---|
| VLS of people | Shows costume, action and gesture codes |
| 3 people in the shot | |
| CU of foot & spade | Shows a comedy element with the foot sticking out of the grave – linked to title |
| Low angle | Shows expression on character’s faces, but they are still slightly blurred faces |
| Signifiers | Signified |
|---|---|
| Dark colours (sky & ground) | Dark colours suggest a dark storyline |
| Title is highlighted | The effect is like the glow given off from an angel, which is connected with death |
| Foot is sticking out of the grave | Hints at a comedy element |
| Old outfits | Again hints at a comedy element |
| Tall trees | Look daunting & scary |
| Cloudy sky | Shows that the film will be set at night for at least part of it |
| 18 rating | Shows the film will have more grown up content than a 12 or 15 |
| Actors are named, not the director, and there’s no review quotes | The film isn’t being sold off the director’s name, only the actors, and not from anything said by critics |
| Light has been made to look like natural moonlight | Creates a sense of mystery |
| Foot & spade in the foreground | Them being on the foreground suggests that they will be prominent in the film |
| Signifiers | Signified |
|---|---|
| 3 people – 2 male, 1 female | Identifies them as the main characters |
| Middle aged | |
| White | |
| British | Shows it’s likely to be a British film |
| Can’t clearly see faces | Makes audience want to know what their faces look like |
| Watching the grave | Shows the characters are connected to the body in the grave somehow |
| Can only see dead body’s foot | Signals that they might be dead near the start of the film |
I've been thinking about why a young girl would be kidnapping a young male, and why a film would start off with revealing that. One idea that I had to explain it was that the girl had kidnapped the guy who's father had murdered her parents when she was younger and she wanted revenge on their murderer so kidnapped his son. The film wouldn't actually have to be about her getting her revenge, it could focus on her parent's death and go back in time to show the story about how they died.
I'm not sure if I'm meant to be thinking about this kinda thing, but I thought I'd post it anyway =)
This is an area of woodland which is very deserted and isolated. It has an eerie sense to it when you're there, which could add effect to anything shot there.
This is the entrance to the back of my garage (where the workshop is). The wall is really tall and daunting shot from a certain angle and the graffiti makes it look quite deserted. 
This is the alley way behind my house, there's 3 other alleys but they all pretty much look the same just some are more overgrown or have rubbish in them. The alley is twice as long, my house is in the middle so there's another side, and they're rarely used by cars or people. I think it would look good at night to have someone walking down it, it could be quite a scary location with a lot of doors, gaps and plants. 
This is the light switch in the workshop which could be used to have a finger turn on the light before the kidnapper is revealed. 
This is the door to the workshop (see below) which is very plain and no one would suspect that someone would be held hostage in the room behind. There is also a lock on the door so it would be ideal to show someone unlocking the door.
This is the view inside my dad's workshop. The room has no windows and only one entrance through a very plain wooden door (see above picture). I think this would be a good location because the room looks very isolated and could be quite a scary place with the tools and dust, as well as the rickety cupboards and workbench.
This is a photo of the walkway down the side of my house. At night it has shadows cast down it from the bush above it and there is a light which can be turned on to add more light if needed. I don't know how this location could be used in my current idea, but it has potential
I've been thinking about some ideas for my own trailer and I think it'd be quite interesting to break the conventions of a typical thriller and give the audience something unexpected by having the female character as the villain and the male character as the victim yet set it up in to look like the female is in fact the victim but then at the end of the trailer show that she's the villain. I got the idea from watching some of a TV show on Channel 5 a few days ago called 'Women Who Kill' and thought that it would be worthwhile at least trying to include it in my own project.
Right now the vision of the trailer I have in my head is of a woman walking down dark alleys looking scared, checking all around her for anyone watching. She would be dressed quite innocently, be young and have blonde hair, a typical thriller victim. She could stand under a street light and make a call on her phone or look for something in her bag then walk off and the camera focuses on her feet. Later in the trailer the same feet would be shown going down some stairs to a cellar where she could unlock a very bland looking door, turn on some lights (strip lighting is what I imagine right now) and the camera cuts to the face of her victim - a young guy - who's tied up on the floor with gafa tape across his mouth looking terrified. Then it would cut to the girl again and the audience would realise she is in fact the villain.
If we couldn't have her going down stairs then an alternative idea is to have her going into a warehouse.
There are many different sub-genres of thriller.
What was this shot trying to achieve?
This shot was trying to achieve the sense of a vulnerable victim that was unaware of anyone being behind her.
How does the shot represent 'thriller'?
The shot represents thriller in the following ways:
The shot itself is a two shot that has been taken at an angle. It has been taken at a high angle from the point of view of the victim and at eye level from the point of view of the stalker.
What works and what doesn't work in the shot?
The following works well:
The following doesn't work well so I would change them:
This image shows Norman Bates as he is stabbing Marion Crane. He is silhouetted so we cannot see his face and as he is wearing a costume to be like his mother we cannot recognise his outline. He is shown from the point of view of Marion Crane, so we can see the water across him. His arm is raised showing that he is about to stab marion. The shot is also at a low angle, showing that Norman has a height advatage and looks imposing as he is coming from above. 
This image of Marion Crane shows her expression as she turns around to see her murderer, who we later find out is Norman Bates, wielding a knife at her. She is shown to be vulnerable because she is in the shower and was therefore unable to hear anyone enter the room. She would also have been unable to see much, and wouldn't have expected anyone to be in the room because she would normally shower alone. She is also naked and wet, both of which increase her vulnerability. The close up on her face shows the fear she is overcome by and her open mouth is accompanied by a scream. 
This image of the Bates house, shows the imposing image that hides Norman Bates' secrets. It looks like a typical haunted house, which has connotations of death, ghosts and spookiness. The house in the film is the setting of Detective Milton Arbogast's death at the top of the stairs. The house is featured most often in the film at night with the moon in the sky, casting long and dominating shadows. The people going up to the house became silhouettes because the house blocked out the light from the moon. When the house was show in daylight it was at the end of the film when Lila Crane is going up towards the house, about to discover the truth about Norman's life.
http://www.disturbia.com/
Disturbia had many similarities to Rear Window, which I found myself spotting as the film progressed, yet I thought Disturbia was the more effective of the two films because it is aimed towards a modern day audience.
Disturbia was also the first film to ever make me scream, so it can't have been that bad =)
The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. It includes numerous, often overlapping sub-genres.
Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings, and cliffhangers are used extensively.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_%28genre%29
♥
My layout isn't very thrillery, but none of the codes would work so I have a heart for a while =)
x
