The reason for analysing a students past work is to recognise the mistakes they have made and to make sure our production does not make these same mistakes. I picked a thriller opening as we are doing the same, this will allow the group to notice the codes and conventions through various shots and editing typically used in thrillers. The opening scene features the production logo ‘Golden productions’ with diegetic sound as it opens. A fade out of the ‘Lionsgate’ institution logo appears whilst the diegetic music is still played throughout. This shows a form of copy right since ‘Lions gate’ is a existent institution.
As the next scene enters a pan of the clouds slightly jitters, this shows the hand held shot was unsteady. A close up of the girls hand, foot and head with blood on whilst lying on the floor this all shows the lead up to a thriller opening as blood connotes danger and horror. The cut of her getting out of bed carrying on with her normal morning routine shows that the sequence is in reverse chronology. When she looks into the mirror it gives off nervousness since in most thrillers’ this shot appears frequently. As she exits the house with the key in her hand a flashback appears of the key being used to cut her neck. The disoriented shot allows the audience to see that it could have happened a while ago therefore to make it clear that it was a flashback the colour is suitable as an off white colour. As she walks through what looks to be an empty, deserted path the unsteadiness of the camera shows it is a hand held shot taken as a POV to demonstrate she is being followed. Again another flashback occurs from the same place she got kidnapped. When the flashback occurs a blurred effect around her creates the image to show she is remembering what happened. The over the shoulder shot of someone following her appears to be herself, taken from the title ‘Inner Evil’ the storyline relates with the title exactly and taken from some typical thriller film storylines.
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Creating a thriller mood board, i have research many thriller genre films from old to new featuring key words that are used in thriller/horror films. The pictures connote fear, danger, death and terror which is displayed through the colours of black, red and grey.
When I was visiting London I came across a wall with a range of scary masks, horror film names and characters which had been painted on into one large mood board. It was near to London Dungeons which showed conventions of thriller. This inspired me whilst creating my thriller mood board with trying out various ideas and pictures, being extra creative.
The wall has various codes and conventions and connotations. The wall is near London Dungeons which is a known terror place therefore is an appropriate location to be. The scary images and names connote a fear upon people and link with the horror/thriller genre. In thrillers the music does not always match with the scene. The music is used to create tension and suspense within the audience, making them feel frightened. The music helps to build up a climax when approaching a scary part in the scene. They often include synthesised sounds, this helps to create the mood in the film.
The most commonly used sounds in thrillers are: Dark, eerie, sounds which usually start off slow paced at first Director's like to use asynchronous sounds to create tension, as the viewer can hear a sound but can not see its source. Tiptoe through the tulips which was featured on the thriller film 'Insidious'. The music is asynchronous, with a Hawaiian, up beat sound juxtaposes with the storyline creating unexpected scenes throughout. The reason for researching two titles on opening sequences was to identify the difference with two different styles and the way they are portrayed. Both films are of a different sub-genre however they both have similar aspects with one another, such as the dark colours used. When producing our opening sequence we want to make sure that our title is suitable and relates to our film well. Twilight Eclipse: The title font is chosen to contrast with the title name and background design. The plain, dusty look creates the effect of a moon with the white coming from the bottom towards the ‘Eclipse’, making that the main focal point. The letter ‘P’ is pointed at the end which shows connotations of a knife, fear, power and murder. The moon in the background shows an eclipse with red bright mist around the edge juxtaposing with the dark colours around it. ‘Eclipse’ is larger than ‘The Twilight saga’ since its showing that it’s part of a series of films and the name of this one is made clear and big. ![]() Triangle: The title for this thriller is a clean, straight font which usually would not be seen as a typical font for thriller/horror movies. The triangle replacing the ‘A’ looks as if there is blood smudged around the shape which connotes blood, fear, death. The triangle is also used to relate with the title name, making it different and since the rest of the letters are plain they want to make that specific part effective. The background white colour shines around the title name which highlights the main focal point, since the colour of it is dark the colours contrast well with one another. Meanwhile the ends are dark, the light leading to the dark represents that in the films storyline will be going from good to bad. The reason for analysing thriller opening sequences is to have an idea of what sort of opening sequence we should make. Looking at various openings from different sub-genres will guide us in what to do. Below I have first analysed the film ' The Usual Susupects (1995)'. The usual suspects: Mise en scene: The events of the opening sequence occur chronologically and relate clearly to each other as the scene does not defer from this location. . We are introduced to a character with a match sticks on a burning ship with several dead men about. Immediately, the contrast between the extreme close up and match sticks disrupts the narrative flow, making it uncomfortable for the audience. The character lights a cigarette and starts a fire that will kill him and another man on the ship. The fire snakes along a line of oil, passing a dead male before being extinguished by a shadowed figure standing above the character who urinates on the flame. The symbolism from the high position of the character and his actions form a sense of power and also suggest he is the villain of the scene as he is either in shadow. The attire worn by the man Is a stereotypical gangster outfit. The reason being is crime/thrillers in the 70’s such as the film ‘The God father’ a typical gangster film wore long dark cloaks with black hats. The anticipating danger and juxtaposing the water surrounding the boat. The bloody dead bodies around the ship shows connotations of danger, fear and power. The main male character is stood up large and broad, displaying a counter type of males. The way in which the male is holding the gun comfortably demonstrates how well he knows how to use the weapon. Mission Impossible (1996) Editing: The editing throughout the opening scene shows various clips of the characters whilst they are on their job. Each clip being show is a sharp cut between them with the credits cutting in. As the credits cut in, in the background the institution 'Paramount pictures' zoom through in the background. This advertises the institution. As there is only one character presented in the opening sequence, Ethan Hunt gets alot of screen time and from this the viewer can infer that they will be the protagonist. Jaws ( 1975) :
Sound: The non diegetic crescendo/staccato sound is played in the background as the woman happily enters the water. The soft instruments suit the scene of the glistening water but as the shark appears on the scene the sound gets faster and faster. This matches with the excitement of the woman but juxtaposes with the way the shark is tearing her apart under the water. An unexpected sound to the audience as its ominous. Now you see me (2013) lighting: The lighting in this opening sequence initially shows on when the card is shown on the big building. The bright lights across the City shows they are in a beautiful, scenic location dominating the other colours around. The pan of the large City buildings allows the audience to recognise they are in a City such as New York or Las Vegas. The reason the audience are able to recognise the location is because of the known bright lights connoting a wealthy, beautiful place. Following the scene the woman in a large stadium with spotlights travelling around the room is recognisable that she is in a large room. Lights of this kind show who is the focal point as they beam down onto her. Also Definition: The term auteur originates from France which translates as author, which means that a directors film reflects their creative vision. I went on to researching about Hitchcock who is a famous auteur director known for some of the top thrillers. Hitchcock has a certain inimtable style that he has carried out throughout his life. The video below shows Hitchcock speaking about his techniques and film examples to back it. |
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