Best Openings to Thrillers

Golden Eye

Lots of things happening

Endless supply of ammo

Lots of action - fast editing

Starts with thriller action - straight into it - Jumping off a dam

A lot of action in a small space of time

28 Days Later

Music - Chromatic - gets faster as the build-up of information reveals what has happened

The Departed

Starts about racism – Past in history

People can relate to it, easily relatable

About something that has happened.

Memento

Psychological – plays on the fact that he can’t remember information after 5 minutes

It has crime in it as main character is an investigator and it is really confusing which suits the psychological thriller sub-genre.

Drive

Crime uses a criminal to outsmart the police, music is percussive like a heartbeat and it speeds up increasing tension.

Involved with crime and is from a criminals perspective.

V for Vendetta

Alternate view on Britain, twisted made to be the opposite of what it is now.

Dystopian and a “what if?” question is posed. It has explosions in it which relates to action thrillers.

Bangkok Dangerous (2008)

Obeys two types of signifiers from thrillers but relates more to action.

Point of view of a criminal.

Action thriller as it involves guns being shot and escaping which heavily relates to action thrillers.

The Hunger Games

Tells us a story of what already happened.

Makes it easier for us to understand the dystopian world.

Means that we can get to grips with the world and understand what the characters are going through.

Soundtrack Samples

1)      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOf1AsaJWXY

It’s a good soundtrack because it uses children’s voices; they say things like ‘he is coming for you’. This makes it a good soundtrack because it uses the chromatic feature to make it sound more intense and also the percussive sound makes it sound like a heartbeat and it also gets faster which adds tension.

2)      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST2H8FWDvEA

This is a good soundtrack because you get the string instruments gently coming through, it then increases in volume. It is also quite a modern piece of music which could work well if the thriller intro is filmed in up to date circumstances but on the other hand if the thriller intro was filmed later in history, this music wouldn’t suit the style of the era.

3)      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbD-jb-ovOo

This soundtrack is a good because it uses the chromatic feature by only going up a half tone, it makes it sound like a heartbeat and also the speed increases as it goes along. Also the instrument used to play the piece is very deep, and then you get the high pitched violins then play over the top making it sound like screaming or panic.

Sub - Genres

Action Thriller – 15+yrs, mainly for males. Weapons and speed that gives the rush of excitement plus the physical violence.

Sci-Fi Thriller – 18+yrs, both genders would like it; surreal element of aliens and future weapons attracts them.

Noir Thriller – 18+yrs, the action, violence and romantic scenes creates suspense. Also the unreal side makes it almost like fantasy. Appeals to both genders.

Crime Thriller - 18+yrs, aimed at the younger generation. Involves action due to a murder. Gives suspense and tension. Appeals to both genders.

Religious Thriller – 18+yrs, the religious experiences, e.g. the devil, gives surreal emotions on the genre. Appeals to both genders.

Psychological Thriller – 18+yrs, gets the viewer thinking about what’s going to happen and the storyline. Appeals to both genders.

Erotic Thriller – 18+yrs, gets the exploring unthinkable action displayed in the film. Appeals to both genders.

Supernatural Thriller – 18+yrs, viewers see unreal but believable events. Appeals to both genders.

Political Thriller – 18+yrs, Usually a crime happens and a fair/justice has to happen. Appeals to both genders.

 

Dystopian Thriller – 16+yrs, Usually different worlds to ours and has outrageous games

or rules. An altered view of our world. Appeals to both genders.

 

 

 

Boyle Assignment

How is social class represented in Shallow Grave?

Boyle uses mise-en-scene costume to represent certain characters in Shallow Grave. For example, when all of the three characters are sat around the table the audience can clearly see what each of them is wearing. David is wearing a shirt and tie, Alex is wearing a scruffy t-shirt and Juliet is wearing a jumper. This suggest to the audience that David and Juliet are more upper class because they are wearing more fancy clothes around the house whereas Alex is wearing just regular clothes. Furthermore this suggests that David and Juliet have had a better upbringing because they regard their clothes to be normal every day wear and Alex regards his clothes as normal but their interpretations of normal clothes are very different. Also mise-en-scene location is also used to represent the characters in Shallow Grave. For example, when the characters have discovered the suitcase full of money it cuts away to a pan showing a tidy room in the flat. This suggests to the audience that they are very house proud and like to have a tidy front room. This also suggest that they have a high social class because most lower social class people wouldn’t have a tidy room compared to theirs and they also would have as nice furniture as they do.

Boyle also uses sound to represent a characters social class. For example, the soundtrack played throughout the scene when the body is decomposing, it is very lively and is the sort of music played in a fancy restaurant. This music suggests to the audience that they have intellectual taste and only expect the best of things possess. This further suggests that they have a high social class because you would only expect live music to be played in fancy, high charging restaurants. This makes the audience think they are posh and you would only assume posh people listening to fancy music like that.

Cinematography is also used to represent social class in Shallow Grave. For example, when all of the characters are sat at the table they are all shown in mid-shots to emphasise there different opinions but when Alex finally decides to not take the money they are shown all together which emphasises the fact that they are all agreeing. This suggests to the audience that Alex is easily manipulated, because the money is there in front of him he can’t resist it, but he doesn’t understand how complicated it all really is. David and Juliet are on the same sort of side but Juliet is more undecided. This suggests that David is more sensible and more realistic about the situation. This further suggests that David and Juliet have a similar social class because they aren’t changed by the money; it gives the sense to the audience that they might have already been in wealth or privilege before. Alex on the other hand is completely changed by the money, it suggest to the audience that he has a lower social class than David and Juliet because he’s acting all excited over it. This behaviour makes the audience think that he is less privileged that the other two and hasn’t had wealth before. 

Editing has also been used to represent social class in Shallow Grave. For example, the audience can see a montage of all of the character at work and then it cuts back to the body decomposing in the bedroom. This suggests that the director is trying to compare the task of disposing the body with their everyday jobs. This further suggests that their social classes are different because of the places that they work in. The audience first see Alex in an office, on the telephone in a busy office. This suggests that he has a middle/high social class because it gives the impression that he’s hardworking and a good education to get in the position he is in now. Then the camera cuts away to Juliet working in a hospital.  This suggest to the audience that she has a middle social class because she is seen in an average paying job and also its not anywhere that the audience would call special. Finally David works in a quiet chartered accountant’s office where everyone is wearing a smart clothes, this suggest that he has a high social class because everyone around him is very focussed and there is a sense of intellectuality about the place, also there is a sense of wealth because of the books and the decoration of the room.

Boyle has used a variation of mise-en-scene costume and location, sound, cinematography and editing to represent social class in Shallow Grave. Overall I think Boyle represents the middle social class characters by the way they dress and act throughout the film. The middle social class character in Shallow Grave I think is Alex, he doesn’t dress particularly fancy but just regular, and this why most people in the audience could probably relate to him because he’s very similar to them. Also this is why they find funny because he’s so much like them that it’s just the sort of think the audience would do. Boyle then represents the higher social class characters based on their clothes and appearance. The higher social class characters in Shallow Grave is David, he keeps himself look presentable at all times, like when the audience see him at this work place. I think that the audience find it harder to relate to David because he seen as being boring, but I think he could relate to a few members of the audience but not as many compared to Alex.

Thompson Assignment

How does Thompson create an atmosphere of threat in the school yard scene in Cape Fear?

Thompson uses costume mise-en-scene to create an atmosphere in Cape Fear. For example, when Nancy is walking out of school the audience see her wearing a plain white top and a skirt. This school uniform makes Nancy seem innocent and the plainness of the clothes doesn’t attract major attention to her and she is also wearing exactly the same as to what the other kids are wearing. This creates an atmosphere of threat for the audience because she seems very vulnerable with such a big threat on the streets following the family it makes the audience feel uneasy because she is on her own in the middle of town with lots of people about. It also creates tension too because with all the people around it keeps the audience on their toes about what will happen next and whether max will get her. Also as Max is walking towards Nancy in the park, the audience can see he takes a cigar out his mouth and gives a sinister stare at Nancy in the car. This cigar is meant to be a sexual representation of what he’ll do to her, meaning he’ll rape her or worse if he caught her. This creates an atmosphere of threat because he’s such a dangerous man there’s nothing stopping him from getting to her. It’s the sense of danger that is staring her directly in the face and there’s nothing really she can do because he knows where she is.

Thompson also uses set mise-en-scene to create an atmosphere in Cape Fear. For example, when Nancy has ran away from the car and into the school it cuts away to a close up of Max walking behind the school gate bars. The bars suggest that Nancy is trapped or that there is no way out or no escape from Max. This creates an atmosphere of threat because there is a sense of danger that Nancy will get taken away by Max. This sense of danger creates tension too, the audience feel like uneasy by the fact that he is so close to Nancy but yet to far away. Also the school gate bars make Max look like he’s in prison, it reminds the audience that he was a convict and is still a threat to the community for all the bad things he has done. This creates an atmosphere of threat to the audience because a dangerous criminal is outside Nancy’s school following her. This makes the audience feel unsafe and worried for Nancy because he’s just outside the school and he now knows where she goes to school.

Another technique Thompson uses is diegetic sound to create an atmosphere in Cape fear. For example, when Nancy is in the car the audience can hear the car’s radio. This is trying to give some calmness and security to Nancy because she’s alone and she knows about Max so it’s trying to distract her. This creates an atmosphere of threat because the audience can see Max across the road but Nancy cant so it makes more nerve racking because she can’t see the danger. This creates tension because the audience don’t know when she will spot Max so she might not have time to get away. As well, when Nancy is running in the school the audience can hear the footsteps of Max’s shoes when he walks. The footsteps are a very heavy sound and they never change tempo meaning they stay the same speed, this makes it seem very robotic and consistent. This creates an atmosphere of threat to the audience because they can hear the footsteps and they get louder as he gets closer, so Nancy can’t see where he is but all she knows is that he is coming towards her. This makes the audience feel uneasy and unsafe because they don’t know where he is until it’s too late.

Cinematography is also used in Cape fear to create an atmosphere of threat. For example, when Nancy is first walking to the car the audience can see that she has stopped and everyone is still walking away, this gives the audience the sense of being abandoned. This creates an atmosphere of threat because the audience know if she gets into trouble then she will not have anyone to help her. She will be isolated, just her and Max. This further creates tension because the audience know that if she does meet Max then they already know her fate, she will not have much options to choose from, if she can run away she’ll be temporally safe until she finds one of her parents but it won’t solve the problem.

Lastly non-diegetic sound is used to create an atmosphere of threat in Cape Fear. For example, when Nancy has just climbed through the window to escape out of the basement the audience can hear a Discord; it is the sudden high pitched jar as Max captures Nancy. This creates an atmosphere of threat because the sudden burst of sound makes the audience feel scared and worried for Nancy because she can’t be saved. It also makes the audience feel sympathetic for her because she has no one to help her. As well when Max is chasing her into the basement we hear the violins screeching and percussive tone under it. The sound has a chromatic order to it so it sounds really creepy and when the footsteps get closer the percussive sounds get faster. The percussive sounds are meant to sound like your heart beating faster and the chromatic sounds makes it creepy because it’s very high pitched. This creates an atmosphere of threat because it very fast paced, suggesting the speed at which the chase is going and when it starts getting faster is suggests that Max is getting closer and that her run is almost over.

Wilder Assignment

How does Wilder convey the characters and their relationships in the penultimate scene of Double Indemnity?

In Double Indemnity, Wilder uses cinematography to convey the characters and their relationships in specific ways. For example, when the audience see the two shot of Walter stood behind Phyllis, they are close together. And then in the next shot we see that Phyllis is still in the same position but Walter is in the other corner of the room. This suggests that there is closeness between them when they are together but when they are apart they are very distant, but also Walters has his hands either side of Phyllis’s neck, this suggests that there is something else going on or that there is an unstable relationship between them and it’s causing them to doubt each other. Wilder shows Walter as being a bit blind, he can’t see that Phyllis is using him to get the money from the insurance, Phyllis is getting lots of money from and it and she tries to kill him near the end of the scene.

Wilder also uses Noir generic features to convey the relationship in Double Indemnity. For example, when Walter is just entering the house, the audience first see his shadow rather than him then after then a couple of seconds later you see him step through the archway, another Noir feature. This shadow is a good example of the doppelgänger effect, it give the impression to the audience that Walter is leading two life’s or that there is two sides to him: a good side and an bad side, the good side is on the outside and the bad side is on the inside. Also the use of shadow helps the audience to understand when the good or bad side is present, so when his face is dark it shows that he is going to do something bad. Also the stereotypical woman figure smoking in the arm chair is a noir generic feature, usually you see a man figure in the arm chair smoke a cigar but it’s a woman, this might suggest that Phyllis is strong character and uses her body to get the men to do what she wants. This means her relationship between her and Walter is based on lust and Walter doing what she says because he so in love with her false identity, she puts on an act to get the men to like her.

Another technique Wilder uses is expressionist mise-en-scene. For example, when Walter walks into the room where Phyllis is, the audience can see the shadow created by the venetian blinds on the walls. This creates an effect that radically changes the mood in the room; also the blinds fracture the light coming through the window. The light contrasts to the colour in the room already, the light coming through the window is shown up as white and the colour in the room is mainly black or a dark shade of grey. Also it’s extremely exaggerated the light is being shone all over the back wall; this makes Walter and Phyllis harder to see and also makes them look like silhouettes so the detail of them is reduced. This suggest once again that Walter and Phyllis both have bad sides to them and the darkness showing is showing that something bad will actually happen in the scene. 

Lighting is used to convey the characters and their relationships in the scene. For example, when Walter walks into the house the audience can see that he is very well illuminated but when you see Phyllis in the big arm chair you can only just see her. This plays on the idea of good and bad again, in this case Walter is the good character and Phyllis is the bad character. This is stereotypical of a woman in a noir thriller; the woman is the person in charge getting foolish men to do all the work for her. This might suggest that Walter is too in love with Phyllis to see that she is trying to use him to get the money from killing his husband, but when he actually sits down and starts talking the audience realise that he is a lot smarter than we think. The relationship between Walter and Phyllis is unstable and Walter realises that the insurance company are onto them and he wants out. This shows that there relationship is not what it was at the start and that it’s not going to work out. Later on in the scene we see the lighting portraying the two characters in a different way, when Phyllis is hugging Walter it goes to an over-shoulder shot and Walters face is in the dark and Phyllis’s face is lit up and also it seems to look like a halo above her head, in this situations the roles have reversed and now Walter is that bad person and Phyllis is the good person. This representation of the Phyllis being the good person is anti-stereotypical.

Finally Wilder uses Costume/props to convey the characters and their relationships in the scene of Double Indemnity. For example, when Walter goes to shut the window Phyllis pulls out a gun to try and kill him, this shows Phyllis trying to get rid of Walter so she can have all the money, it’s also very stereotypical of a woman to try and get men to do the hard work and get then rid of them all just as they’re going to get the money in a noir film. Also the costumes are very stereotypical for the time that the film was made in. For example, you can see the clothes that Walter wears when he walks and stops in the archway. This suggests that he is the stereotypical man of that time period, going out to work and getting the money for the family. Also it’s a bit anti-stereotypical in the way he goes off and has this plan with a woman that he has only just met and expects her to fall in love with him. The average man wouldn’t do this because they would be married whereas Walter isn’t. Its might suggest some other things about his character and might make the audience wonder why he isn’t married too.

Hitchcock Assignment

How does Hitchcock use cinematography to create tension in the parlour scene in psycho?

In Psycho, Hitchcock uses shot types to create tension in different ways. For example, When Norman Bates and Marion Crane are talking in the back section of the office, its cuts from a mid-shot to a close up shot looking up at Norman. This creates tension by making Norman looking dominant and also it’s a close up therefore showing his facial expressions, whenever Marion has told him that he should put his mother in a mad house you see his facial expressions change from a pleasant/kind of expression to an upset/angry expression. Also this shows that Norman is peculiar character, he was very kind at the start to Marion and then when he was aggressive he started being more unpredictable. This says that he can change moods very easily depends on what is being talked about might suggest that there may be a darker side to Norman that we do not know about.

Hitchcock also uses composition to create tension in Psycho. For example, When Norman is angry about his mother, it cuts from a mid-shot to a low-angle shot looking up at Norman. It shows him in the bottom right-hand corner and in the top left-hand corner there is a big owl with its wings fully extended. This has the effect of making the audience feeling powerless and vulnerable. It also shows that there might be a relation between Norman and the owl, the owl is seen as a predatory animal and in this case the audience see Norman as a predator too, this creates tension. Also it follows the golden mean and at the time of the shot they are both shown together, but in the previous shot they weren’t shown together. It was only when he was angry that they were together so it might suggest again that there is a darker side to Norman that we don’t know about.

Another technique Hitchcock uses are camera angles to create tension in Psycho. For example, when Norman starts talking about how he would leave his mother it cuts from a mid-shot looking at Marion to a low-angled shot looking up at Norman and then back to a mid-shot again. This helps the audience understand the progression of the story and convocation; it shows Norman and Marion talking and the camera angles help the audience understand how each of the characters are feeling. The low-angled shot signifies that Norman is getting more aggressive as they continue to talk and as it cuts back to Marion is suggests that Norman is powerful and Marion is vulnerable. But also during the heated discussion, there is a moment where Norman is shown in a mid-shot but the camera is at a different position, so we see him leaning forwards. I think seeing him from a different angle makes him look less powerful and more calm and relaxed. And now the aggression has gone, it has resolved itself, this makes the tension fade out because the uncertainty in the audience has gone.

Shadow is used to create tension in the parlour scene. For example, When Norman and Marion are talking in the back office about why she has come to the motel; you see a mid-shot of Marion talking to Norman and the audience can see that she is very well illuminated. It then cuts away to a mid-shot of Norman leaning forward listening to her and only half of his face is illuminated. As the convocation progresses, Norman leans backwards and you really see the shadow across his face as he thinks about leaving his mother. This leads us to think that Norman is easily manipulated into thinking dark thoughts and also the audience can see two faces, the illuminated side being the good or pure side to Norman and the Shadowed side being the darker or impure side. This is very good at creating tension because it leaves the audience uncertain about him, they cannot tell whether he is going to go through with the suggest plan that Marion said or just ignore it and stay with his mother. Also again the good and evil effect or double life of Norman is seen in the same shot, you can see his shadow on the wall behind him but when you cut to Marion she doesn’t have a shadow. This may just be the positioning of the lighting but still leads the audience to think about his darker side.

Finally Hitchcock uses framing to create tension and suspense in the parlour scene. For example, you never see Norman and Marion in the same shot together; in the back office they are both sat down, Marion in one corner and Norman in the other. This leads the audience to think about what the other person is doing and makes them wonder why they aren’t sat together. Also it makes them think further about what keeping them apart, it seems like there is a physical barrier between them. This might show that they have differences; Marion could be hesitant or uncomfortable to go near Norman because they have only just met, this hesitant behaviour displayed by Marion creates tension because the audience can see that she is acting in a different manor than before and then letting them know that something maybe wrong.

Thriller Conventions

Camerawork:

Close ups and Mid shots - Showing Emotions and actions of the characters, they also make the audience feel involved and claustraphobic.

Composition & Framing  - Exculsion of objects to create tension

Camera Angles - To show power and authority

1st/3rd person view - 1st person used to show perspectives also creates empathy through the victims eye's.

A good example of a good soundtrack has to be Jaws. This soundtrack is a good because it uses the chromatic feature by only going up a half tone, it makes it sound like a heartbeat and also the speed increases as it goes along. Also the instrument used to play the piece is very deep, and then you get the high pitched violins then play over the top making it sound like screaming or panic.

Editing

Transitions - Dissolves link events, Fades to white/black shows time passing by, Quick cuts  creates tension, Non-chronological creates tension because its harder to understand.

Thriller Conventions

Titles - Who's in it, people roles in the making of the movie and idents (Film Company).

Introduce key characters and create atmospheres.

Plot intro - Creates an unsettling feeling, key events?

A good example for this is Bangkok Dangerous. The opening for Bangkok dangerous is good as it obeys two types of signifiers from thrillers but relates more to action. One of these is that it is from the point of view of a criminal, this gives us an inside feeling of what it’s like to be a criminal. The other is action thriller as it involves guns being shot and escaping which heavily relates to action thrillers.

Sound

Music/Soundtrack - Atmosphere and enhance the plot - Always stringed instruments (Abient)

Avoid dialogue - Maybe choose voice over

A good example for this is friday the 13th. It’s has good sound because it uses children’s voices; they say things like ‘he is coming for you’. This would make a good soundtrack because it uses the chromatic feature to make it sound more intense and also the percussive sound makes it sound like a heartbeat and it also gets faster which adds tension.

Mise-en-scene

Props - Hint plot, knifes and guns suggests that someone will get hurt.

Setting - Realism and isolation, needs to seem realistic

Males - Authority/ Power/ Killer/ Hero

Females - Damsel in Distress/ Powerless

Lighting - Light and Dark - Atmosphere

A good example for this is the film Snatch. It uses the fact that it is a gangster thriller and shows the brutal side to it. The main characters would be dressed differently to the other characters making the audience aware that the other characters aren't as important. Also in a typical gangster thriller there are always gun shootings, stand-off's & drive by shooting. This makes Snatch a good gangster thriller because it very stereotypical and this creates an atmosphere that the audience will only get with this specific sub-genre.

Narrative

Revenge/ Crime/ Justice

Psychological effect

Dual Narrative

Sometimes things dont go in logical orders

A good eample of this is Momento, the film starts from the end and works it way back to the begining. This is a good film because the audience find out information when the main character does in the film. This is very good because it makes the audience feel more involved and also makes them think about what actually happened.

Sub-genres

Techno, Supernatural, Religious, Crime, Action, Psychological, Film Noir, Sci-fi, Conspiracy, Medical, Spy, Political, Eco, Disaster and Romance.

Media Thriller Prelim

ISL 6

1920’s + 1930’s

1926 - Alfred Hitchcock – The Lodger – was a silent thriller that followed a Jack the Ripper plot.

They used conventions that most modern thriller films use in today’s films.

1940’s

Hitchcock cintinued to release thriller films including:

1940 - Foreign Correspondent

1940 - Rebecca

1941 - Saboteur

1942 - Shadow of a Doubt

Also George Cukor directed a Psychological thriller called ‘Gaslight’ in 1944

1950’s + 1960’s

Hitchcock made a massive change to the thriller genre in the 50’s. He made his thriller is colour, so they were no longer in black and white. He also added a touch of glamour to his films by casting blonde’s to play the leading ladies.

He also released several other films, these include:

1951 - Stragers on a Train

1954 - Dial M for Murder

1954 - Rear Window

1955 - To Catch a Thief

1958 - Vertigo

 

Other films released by other directors:

1955 - Night of the Hunter by Charles Laughton

1958 - A Touch of Evil by orson Welles

1962 - Cape Fear by J.Lee Thompson

 

1970’s + 1980’s

Thriller films of this time started to add horror genre, adding violence into the films, while still maintaining the clear difference between the two.

Thriller films released:

1971 – Play Misty for Me by Clint Eastwood

1971 – Duel by Steven Spielberg

1972 – Frenzy by Alfred Hitchcock

1972 – Deliverance by John Boorman

1973 – Don’t Look Now by Nicholas Roeg

1990’s

Thriller films released:

1990 – Misery by Rob Reiner

1991 – Sleeping with the Enemy

1992 – The Hands That Rocks the Cradle by Curtis Hanson

1992 – Unlawful Entry

1992 – Single White Female by Barbet Schroeder

1993 – Malice by Harold Becker

1999 – The Talented Mr. Ripley by Anthony Minghella

2000’s

Duringt the 21^st century the triller genre moved even closer towards the horro genre. Films contained more blood, gore and deaths. Also combining codes and convetions of actions movies.

Instead of re-using plots from old thriller movies, they decided to modernise the plots. They did this by adding plots the involved governemnt conspiracy, terrorism and large world-wide issues.

Thriller films released:

2001 – Ride

2005 – Hostage

2005 – A History of Violence

2006 – Cellular

2006 – Firewall

2007 – Captivity

2007 – P2

2008 – Eden Lake

2008 – Funny Games

2009 – The Last House on the Left

2011 - Unknown

ISL 5

Thriller Openings

Golden Eye
This film has a good opening because there is lots of things happening when it starts, E.g. the plane flying over and the man running across the dam. Also when the action increased in the opening the editing got faster and it also started with action, E.g. the man jumping off the dam, this attracts the audience because it cuts out the boring parts of the film and gets straight into the action.

28 Days Later
This film has a good opening mainly because of the music, its very chromatic making it creepy because in the video it shows a man on his own and he can't seem to find anyone else. Also the music seems to get faster as the character and the audience finally realise what has happended to all the people and where they went to.

The Departed
This film has a good opening because its relatable or that its a significant event in history that most people will know about. It starts off with self shot footage and its all about racism and how people had to fight for equality, and there is a voice that talks over, like an all knowing person, about life and how its unfair.

Momento
The opening to this film is more of a psychological opening, in the film the main character has short term memory loss and he can't remember anything apart from what he's taken photos of. This makes it a good opening because the audience knows that it would be difficult for him to make judgements but he has written on the photos instructions for him to do, so it makes it thrilling because hes acting on these instructions that he can't remember writing.

Drive
This has a good opening because it uses a man who is using his head to out smart the police so he can get away from them. The music is good in the film too because it has a percussive tone to it and it speeds up when the police try to chase after him. The pace of the music speeds up just like his heartbeat, this then increases the tension that audience feel.

V for Vandetta
This has a good opening because it uses an alternate view on Britain, it has twisted it making it competely the opposite to what it really is. It's good because it plays of the fact that its is the opposite again and that there is one character trying to make it what it was before. All of the film is extremely exaggerated which makes it easy for the audience to realise that it is a different sort of film.

Batman - The Dark Knight Rises - ISL 4

Location: The location to the opening of the dark knight stars off in a very remote place; it seems to be a mountainous place that has large rock formed hills or boulders, the audience can see a small personal jet flying very low to the hill side. The shots used to show it are mainly ariel shots or crane shots; they show the scale and the speed at which the aeroplane is moving. It also gives the impression that they are all alone and that if something goes wrong they will have not help. It is also a high angled shot so it gives the audience the impression that they are powerless and also we find out later that they are being chased by a second plane that they don’t know about.

Costume of key characters: The first main character of the scene is bane, he is wearing: a long sleeved black t-shirt and some grey trousers with extra pockets on the sides. These clothes are very colourless and plain, the long sleeve t-shirt covers the majority of his arms and the trousers cover the whole of his legs. This suggest that bane is an unknown character and hints to the audience that there is something mysterious about him and that will get them to find out what it is about him that makes him seem that way. And for the second Character in the scene, he is wearing some light brown coloured trousers with a brown belt, a blue t-shirt and a black zip-up top/jacket over it. Apart from the blue t-shirt it is again a very colourless and bland set of clothes but the blue top is very bright and light, so the audience may associate the light colour with the good guy but in the actual scene it seems like he’s the bad guy because he has a couple people held hostage. This again makes the audience think who the real bad guy is.

Props: The mostly seen prop is the hand gun or the assault rifle, the guns help the audience to recognise that it is a dangerous place and also that death and violence is apparent in the movie, also the weapons suggest that there is a dominate power and a powerless side. Also the most weird prop is banes mask, it adds a sense of surrealism and the fact that he looks completely different with it on to when he has if off. It makes the audience wonder why he has it on and what has happened to him in the past to make him need the mask in the first place. It makes the audience want to find out why he needs it.

Analysis of still shots - Die Hard - ISL 3

This is a long shot showing a helicopter shooting into the building, this creates suspense and tension for the audience because it looks dangerous and they don’t know what will happen. Framing is used in the shot, the audience can see the helicopter and the building its shooting at but you can’t see any other buildings so you don’t get a sense of height or scale of the damage done but the guns. Composition is also used in the shot, the main centre image or object is the gun fire coming out of the barrel, that what the audience’s eye would be draw to also the helicopter and the smoke under it is equally as important. It’s a level shot so you don’t get a dominant or weaker force but the audience could tell who has the advantage.

Analysis of still shots - Die hard - ISL 3

This is a long shot showing a large van speeding down a narrow street smashing cars that get in its way and causing mayhem. Framing is used in this shot, the audience can see the large van speeding down the street it’s almost in the centre but as well you have undamaged cars central to the shot that are about to get damaged, this suggests that the cars in front of the large van are going to get hit. Composition is also used in the shot, the cars lined up on the street as if they were parked there in a normal city centre and also the audience can see a bit of the buildings that surround the street so the audience get a sense of location and possibly so they could understand the narrowness of the street. This camera shot is a hight angled-shot; it’s looking down at the large van. This creates the effects of the van looking powerless and makes the audience feel dominant.

 

Analysis of still shots- Die Hard - ISL 3

This is a mid-shot but also a two shot, its shows an event happening and saves you from having to cut away to see the other character reactions and also could show action happening. Framing in the shot is also used, you can see that the characters are in the centre of the shot but the audience can also see what looks like the front part of a lorry and also you have something in the foreground obstructing the view of the character wearing the black coat. Composition is also present for the shot, The rule of thirds has been applied to the shot, you can clearly see that the two characters take up the middle band, this suggests that they are the most significant objects the shot and the audience may wonder what the object in the foreground is and why it’s there. This shot is a level shot, it might suggest that there is dialog and this they are equal or on the same side (good or bad).

Analysis of still shots- Die Hard - ISL 3

This close-up shows expressions from the characters face, this helps the audience understand how the character is taking the information that he has just been given. Framing is used in the shot, you can see that the majority of the shot is taken up by the characters face but there is still a large portion of the background showing, this helps the audience to get a sense of location and understand what type of location it is, e.g. urban, also it helps to telling whether is a dangerous location too. Composition is used in the shot as well, the characters face is very central to the shot, this suggests that it is the main object and also the background is out of focus. This immediately brings your eye to the in-focus character; this again supports that idea of the character being the main object. The camera shot is level suggesting that he is a conversation with another character, also that there is no dominance over one-another.

Analysis of still shots - Die Hard - ISL 3

This extreme close-up shows great detail and expression on the characters face, this helps the audience to understand what they think of the pervious event. Framing is used in the shot, we can see that a large portion of the shot is taken up by the characters face but also there is a small section showing the location of the shot, it might be a window to a vehicle. Also the audience can see the door of a car or a van which suggests that the character is moving to another location. Composition is also used in the shot, it follows the Rule of thirds so the characters face is mainly central to the shot and also the window of the car/van is just in the background. This suggests that the characters face is meant to be the main detail but the door pillar and the view out of the window is also significant but not as the character. This is an level shot suggesting he might be in a conversation which another unknown character which could mean this shot is to show his reaction to what’s being said.