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.
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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. During the process of researching thriller films and their marketing, I decided to each analyse 4 thriller film posters in detail to gain a better understanding of mise en scene used in thriller film posters. This will help us when creating our own film poster for our production as we will know how to make sure that our film and its poster fits into the thriller genre.
In our lesson we looked out the Hypodermic needle theory. This relates to our production because our target audience all get similar reactions from watching our production which shows there is no individual difference.
The video below explains the theory in couple of minutes, allowing people to understand the concept clearer. Below is our location at Windsor car park which we are going to film out thriller production. We intially chose the car park because the film 'The Call' which had a scene in the car park with a scene which was to a similar storyline to the one we wanted to do. The dark and empty building suits well with our storyline, creating the perfect crime thriller setting. The car park is an arechetype for a thriller location, however it is used in some thriller films as the location is classes as a quiet, unknown place. The darkness and emptiness within features all sorts of places to hide or to shoot a thriller scene in. For example in the film 'P2' which is shot in car park majority of the scenes are filmed on the rooftop and stair cases leading to various levels. Typical Thriller locations: Films such as Deliver a devil to us, saw, Triangle, Blair witch project are examples of some films which are held in typical locations. · Forest · Haunted House · Island · Boat · Town · Mental Asylum · Hospital · Church · Childs bedroom The video above is from the movie ‘Blair Witch Project’ which is held in a forest. I went on doing research on various typical thriller locations which have been in films. I looked at different sub-genres with locations that have been used more than once and are seen in majority of films. The car park is an ac for a thriller location, however it is used in some thriller films as the location is classes as a quiet, unknown place. The darkness and emptiness within features all sorts of places to hide or to shoot a thriller scene in. For example in the film 'P2' which is shot in car park majority of the scenes are filmed on the rooftop and stair cases leading to various levels. |
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