Response to Preliminary Task

After reading through our comments, I felt that I agreed on the whole. For example, they suggested that the shot of the antagonistic figures was too long and could be clipped. I agreed with this as I feel we could have shortened this sequence to increase the tension and build excitement in the viewer. I was also glad that they noticed our use of lighting as this was one of the aspects that we were most proud of.

Overall, I feel this exercise has taught me a lot. We discovered that the flashing lighting we used really accentuated the eerie atmosphere that we were creating, while it also served to reflect the drug-user's state of mind. We did have one continuity error - the syringe changes hands - which could easily be avoided next time by filming these shots in sequence which would limit the chance of the actor changing what he's doing. Overall, I feel our group were well prepared as we were able to film as soon as we were ready and filming went very smoothly. Although, we did end up diverging from our original storyboard as we realised some shots would be hard to shoot, such as them walking up the stairs as there wasn't enough room, but this did help us to create an equally effective shot - when the antagonistic figures emerge from the room and walk past the camera, which reveals the drug-user who has also turned into one of 'them'.


In this task, we ensured that our film followed the 180-degree rule, during the dialogue between the drug-user and the 'other people'. This allowed the dialogue to be followed more easily and the audience understand what is going on as the characters always stay on the same side of the shot. Also during the dialogue, we used shot/reverse/shot. This meant the clip cut from a shot of the 'antagonistic figures' to a shot of the drug-user, and then back to a shot of the 'antagonistic figures'. This allowed the viewer to see both characters reactions. Finally, we used a match-on-action, when the drug-user drops his syringe. This helped the audience to understand the scared state of mind the drug-user is in as he has dropped his syringe in shock.

Thriller Film Examples

In our last lesson (25th November), we looked at a number of thriller films to try and identify some of the common conventions.

One film we looked at was Cape Fear (1962). This film is about a convict who has been released and starts to stalk the lawyer who had him put away. The clip we watched demonstrated how this film broke one of the conventions in that the antagonist was wearing white when usually they would wear black to symbolize that they are evil. There was also an interesting camera shot where it was a long shot and the convict was a long way away, so very small, yet he was in the very centre of the frame which was very ominous.

Another film we saw was What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). This film demonstated a common thriller convention which is to create dramatic irony - where the viewer knows what is going to happen but not when or how. There was dramatic irony when Blanche had thrown the note out of the window and her sister had found it. The viewer knows that the sister will not be pleased about this, as they know the character already, and so they wonder what will happen and when. This creates tension - a convention of this genre.

We also had a look at Fatal Attraction (1987). This film is about a woman who stalks a man and his family after having a one-night stand. This film demonstrated, again, dramatic irony as the viewer sees the woman watching in the shadows, as the man ascends in a lift to his car in a car-park. The viewer knows she has done something but are not sure what or if she's about to do it. This creates tension. It is then revealed that she has thrown acid on his car as the alarm goes off. We also learnt that the famous phrase 'bunny-boiler' comes from this film after the woman puts the family's pet rabbit in a pot, boiling for the family when they get home.

Finally, we looked at The Silence Of The Lambs (1991). This film demonstrated how the use of shadows can be effective. We see Hannibal loitering in the darkness through the use of a close-up where you can only just see him waiting to pounce on the woman. This film also built tension effectively as we see Hannibal reaching out for the woman and within touching distance, using a point-of-view shot from Hannibal, as she fumbles in the darkness.

Preliminary Task Research

In todays' lesson, we researched ideas for our preliminary task by watching other peoples work. This gave us an idea of what to do and also gave us ideas of what not to do.

For example, we realised that many people, when filming an example of match on action, film someone opening a door. Therefore, we thought it would be a good idea if we could come up with something original. A few ideas we came up with included throwing a rock at a wall, pulling a chair out, or switching a computer on.

We also thought that it may be a good idea to use different locations and/or costumes so that the film could be made more interesting, as many groups seemed to base their scenes around school and school life.

Research into Thriller Sub-genres

There are many different sub-genres within the thriller genre, each of which have it's own set of conventions:

Action Thriller

These often contain race-against-time, violence and an obvious antagonist. These films often contain weapons, explosions, and large elaborate sets/locations for the action to take place. These films often overlap with mystery thrillers and crime thillers, however these elements are usually not the main focus of the film. An example would be the James Bond films.

Crime Thriller
This particular genre is a hybrid of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double-crosses. Examples include Reservoir Dogs, Seven, Ocean's 11 and No Country for Old Men.

Conspiracy Thriller
These often revolve around a hero/heroine confronting a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. For example, Enemy of the State.

Disaster Thriller
In these films the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes or nuclear disasters. An example is The Day After Tomorrow.

Erotic Thriller
These are a mix of erotica and thriller. It has become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. An example would be Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.

Legal Thriller
In these films, the lawyer confronts enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. Michael Clayton is an example.

Medical Thriller
This genre involves the hero/heroine, who are often medical doctors/personnel, working to solve an expanding medical problem. For example, Coma.

Mystery Thriller
Suspense films where characters attempt solving, or are involved in, a mystery. A good example is Shutter Island.

Political Thriller
In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. An example is In the Line of Fire.

Psychological Thriller
In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. For example, Phone Booth and Psycho.

Religious Thriller
In these films, the plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions. A good example is The Da Vinci Code which has led to a current boom in religiously orientated thrillers.

Supernatural Thriller
In which the film brings in an otherworldly element mixed with tension, suspense and plot twists. Sometimes the hero and/or villain has some psychic or supernatural ability. For example, The Sixth Sense.

Techno Thriller
A suspense film in which the manipulation of sophisticated technology plays a prominent part. An example would be The Matrix trilogy.

Eco-thriller
 In which the protagonist must avert or rectify an environmental or biological calamity - often in addition to dealing with the usual types of enemies or obstacles present in other thriller genres. This environmental component often forms a central message or theme of the story.


Horror Thriller
In these films, the conflict between the main characters is mental, emotional, and physical. What sets the horror thriller apart is the main element of fear throughout the story. The main character(s) is not only up against a superior force, but they are or will soon become the victims themselves and directly feel the fear that comes by attracting the monster's attention. An example is 28 Days Later.

Spy Thriller
This genre often involves the hero being a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. For example, The Bourne Identity.

Film Techniques

Match-on-action

In this extract of The Bourne Identity, there are a couple of examples of match-on-action. The first example I noticed was about 20 seconds in, and there is a close-up of the steering wheel. It then cuts to a long shot of the Mini turning right into the alleyway. The steering wheel is the start of the action and the car turning is the completion of the action.

Another example is after around 1:45 minutes and there is a shot of a car crashing into a yellow van. It then cuts to another shot from a different angle which shows the van toppling over. The car hitting the van is the start of the action, and the van toppling is the completion.

Shot/reverse/shot and 180 degree rule

In this extract from Enemy of the State, there is an example of both shot/reverse/shot and the 180 degree rule. After about 2.30 minutes, there are two men having a convosation on a bench. During this next sequence, only two shots are used which are close-ups of each characters face as they talk. However, these shots are used repeatadely to create a convosation. During this sequence, the camera always stays in a 180 degree arc, which is behind the bench. This means each character has his own side of the frame which avoids confusion for the viewer.

Analysis of Marnie Clip

Francois and I worked together in this task to analyze this scene from Marnie. I think we worked well together and managed to come up with some good ideas. We shared the workload so that we both wrote the script and both spoke over the extract. Originally, we were working on separate tasks but we decided to collaborate as we thought we would be able to achieve better results. 

The process started with us downloading a clip from YouTube and loading it onto iMovie. We chose this clip as we thought it demonstrated some good areas that create tension. We then wrote our script, recorded us speaking it and then uploaded the video to our blogs. One problem we faced was trying to record us speaking to time it with the clip itself. So we decided to practice speaking it in time with the clip so that it fit much better.

Conventions of the Thriller Genre

Tension:

·         Fast editing, quick cuts and camera angle changes add tension

·         Dramatic music adds tension

·         Use of shadow and lighting also adds tension

Crime, often serial killer:

·         Viewer doesn’t see killer until very late to add mystery  

Protagonist often has a weakness or is vulnerable:

·         Film title often is named after protagonists weakness, e.g. Vertigo

·         Antagonist often uses weakness to his advantage

Antagonist often drives protagonist deeper and deeper into an intricate plot where the protagonist eventually feels helpless and defeated:

·         Protagonist finds a way to defeat antagonist near the end of the film

Some thrillers use the theme of identity to create confusion and mystery:

·         Plot may revolve around amnesia, mistaken identity or doppelgangers

Mysteries or dramatic irony create tension:

·         The audience may not know the identity of the killer, e.g. Psycho

·         The audience may know the identity but the characters don’t creating dramatic irony e.g. Dirty Harry. This builds suspense and tension.

Reservoir Dogs Timeline for Title Sequence

My Favourite Title Sequences

 Lord Of War

One of my favourite opening sequences is from Lord Of War. This follows the life of a bullet as it is made, transported and finally shot at someone who is killed.

One aspect of this sequence that I like is the film that is reeling behind the credits. This is very interesting as it is a story in itself. It starts off very ordinary as the camera pans across the factory but the audience are taken by surprise when the camera zooms into the machine and starts to follow the bullet using an almost POV shot. I found myself being drawn into what was happening to the bullet as it is shipped, dropped and then loaded into a gun. We then follow the bullet until it strikes someone in the head. The bullet moves in slow-motion before the screen fades to black and the audience are caught unawares. Another interesting piece of camerawork is when the bullet is rolling as this disorientates the viewer.

Another aspect I like is the music. I thought Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth was a good choice as it such a laid back song. This is acheived because it is mianly acoustic so is quite simple. This juxtaposes against what we're seeing as we're watching a bullet capable of killing. There is also a link between this song and the Vietnam war as it was released around the same time so the theme of war is brought in straight away.

The titles themselves are also interesting as they are white and in simple block capitals. This makes them inconspicuous and although the viewer can easily see them the eye is not drawn away from the bullet. This is interesting as often filmmakers make the credits very obvious so as to show off the credentials.

Reservoir Dogs

Another favourite title sequence of mine is from Reservoir Dogs. 

One aspect of this sequence that I like is the use of simple camerawork. Similarly to Lord Of War it doesn't use a lot of different shots, however it differs because where as a lot of things are going on in the titles for Lord Of War, in Reservoir Dogs the camerawork is very basic. However I think this works well for the film as the rest of the film is very intricate and has a non-linear storyline. The sequence starts off with a camera tracking the group as they walk down the road. This shows that they are a team but also makes them seem ominous as they are all wearing smart black suits and black shades. Close-ups on each of the characters faces are then used to show us who the characters are. Again, the characters are shown to be ominous as they smoke cigarettes and their dark shades hide their eyes.


Another aspect I enjoy is the choice of soundtrack. George Baker's Little Green Bag is a good choice, in my opinion, as it is once again a very laid back song as the main element of the song is the bass. This has a link back to jazz which has always been a laid-back, 'cool' feel. This lures the viewer into a false sense of security and contrasts against the violence and language throughout the rest of the film.


The titles themselves are another aspect I found interesting. The names of the actors are displayed just as the close-up of their character's face is shown, this allows the viewer to recognise each character from the start. I thought the font chosen fits well with the film because it looks very vintage and classy like the Mafia would be. The colour chosen, yellow, is interesting and unusual as usually titles are displayed in white text. This could represent how the characters are not the stereotypical protagonists or how the film itself is not in a conventional linear format. I also like the film name title as it scrolls from the bottom of the screen and stops above the heads of the characters. This creates a nicely framed shot that shows the name of the film and the main characters.


Moon

 My final choice is the opening sequence of Moon. 


The thing I like about this sequence is the way the titles themselves are weaved into the camerawork so that they fit into the scene. Whereas most films have their titles almost pasted onto the screen, these titles fit along the angles and are woven into the clip. The fact that these are hovering in midair gives a feeling of weightlessness which links back to the setting - on the moon. What I also find clever is the way that these titles cast shadows on the walls behind them. This adds to the concept that the titles are actually in the scene. The clip ends with the title 'Moon'. This is again cleverly woven into the shot and the title is 'revealed' much like an eclipse. The shadow covering the title withdraws from the top and the title is made to look like the moon after an eclipse. This added to the 'floating' effect creates a very weightless atmosphere. The font used also reflects a space station which is the setting. It is in block capitals so looks very clean and ambiguous which reflects the baron atmosphere of a space station on the moon.

Another aspect I like is the camerawork. Throughout this sequence, slow cuts between  shots are used which creates a slow, lethargic feel which creates the sense of walking on the moon. It also creates a slightly ominous tone as if something is not quite as it seems which indeed turns out to be the case. One of the shots used is a zoom out followed by a pan. This shows the loneliness and emptiness of living on the moon. The sequence starts interestingly as it almost a prelude to the film. It is presented like an advert for this new HE-3 energy. This lets the audience know the background and the reason why this man is on the moon. I thought this was very interesting as it is quite original and seems rather out of place as it is the first thing we see.

Finally, I think the music creates a moon-like atmosphere. It is very simple with a piano repeating the melody which, again, creates an empty, weightless atmosphere. The fact that it repeats does create an ominous tone which is answered later in the film.