These are some film poster used to show the theme of a movie, the sub-genre that I have chosen is apocalyptic/disaster thriller. In my group we decided to research different sub-genres of thriller films to see which one we thought was best and will be able to apply to our own opening sequence later on. As you can see in the mood board above all the posters have similarities which show the consumer the theme of the film. Some of the similarities includes in nearly all of the film poster they all have cities shown in the background either half wreaked or dark and gloomy this is shown by the use of dark lighting which gives off a dangerous, hidden affect and could bring up a sense of confusion and mystery as they could be thinking what might have happened? If there anyone else still alive? This is a great way to lure viewers in to watch the film to be able to answers their unanswered questions and makes them want to watch the film whatever the genre is because of the enigma used. Also most of the poster have fire flaming up central of the poster this connoted danger, violence and war which is common in mot thriller films. The background of the above posters are bold, solid colours which doesn’t give too much of the film away and makes the audience focus more on the title and picture and the front.
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Alfred Hitchcock Alfred was born in London on August 13, 1899, he worked for a short time in engineering before entering the film industry during the 20s. He left for Hollywood in 1939, where his first American film, Rebecca, won an Academy Award for best picture. Hitchcock created more than 50 films, including the classics Rear Window, The 39 Steps and Psycho. He was then nicknamed the "Master of Suspense," Hitchcock received the AFI's Life Achievement Award in 1979. He died in 1980. His stylistic trademarks include the use of camera movement that mimics a person's gaze, forcing the audience to engage in a form of voyeurism (secretively, obtaining sexual gratification by looking at sexual objects or acts). In addition, he framed shots to maximise anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative forms of film editing. His work often features "icy blonde" female characters. Many of Hitchcock's films have twist endings and thrilling plots featuring murder and violence. Hitchcock's films also borrow many themes from psychoanalysis and sometimes feature strong sexual overtones. He became a highly visible public figure through interviews, movie trailers, and cameo appearances in his own films, and the ten years in which he hosted the television program Alfred Hitchcock Presents.Hitchcock also uses no music in some of his films as this created fear and tension on its own. The entire movie ‘The Birds’ has no music. The only thing we hear is the sound of birds. This is how the film presents itself in a subtle way that you don’t even notice that there’s no music present. It shows that music isn’t always needed to capture an audience. Christopher Nolan Born in London in 1970, Christopher Nolan began making films at the age of 7 using his father's Super-8 camera and action figures. He graduated to making films involving real people, and his Super-8 surrealistic short 'Tarantella' was shown on P.B.S.' 'image union' in 1989. Chris studied English Literature at University College London while starting to make 16-millimetre films at the college film society. His short film 'Larceny' was shown at the Cambridge Film Festival in 1996, and his other 16-millimetre shorts include a 3-minute surrealistic film called 'Doodlebug'. Narration techniques: Christopher Nolan has a very different way of presenting a movie. He screws with your memory, his movies are edited in such a way that keeps the audience on their toes at all times. Sometimes so much that it becomes difficult to understand the movie completely if you miss the first five minutes. Extremely innovative photography and editing and more importantly a non-linear sequence, except for the movie Insomnia.
The Starting In almost every Christopher Nolan movie the first scene plays a key role later on in the film, which grabs the audience attention immediately in the first few minutes. Examples in Nolan’s films are the bank robbery scene in The Dark Knight, the plane hijack in The Dark Knight Rises, and the ocean scene in Inception. Christopher doesn't believe in slowly introducing the movie, he prefers to start with a huge bang and makes the audience sit upright in their chair. The Non-Linear Storyline Normally we see movies which strictly follows the usual chronological order. First the past, then the present and lastly, the climax. But for Nolan, this had never been true. Instead he likes to break up the entire narration into pieces and scatters them throughout the movie and expects the audience to connect them or make a meaning out of them. Which he did in Insomnia or Memento, he took a simple topic and made such a mess out of it, that it is very easy for the audience to become disorientated. The Theme of the Movie
Nolan also makes sure the theme of the movie remains central and at no point is side-lined by anything else, in the movie. To do this, he relates everything happening in the movie back to the same, one thing. In The Dark Knight's case, it was the Joker or be it Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Terminator 2 opening sequence starts off with a long shot of a motorway in Los Angles. These shots present that nothing from ordinary is happening and it’s just a normal day with people driving. The production company, the distribution company and the director are all presented on screen at the start of the opening sequence. Non-Diegetic sound at the start when the production company is introduced creates enigma because when we look at the footage, it seems like a normal day, however the deep, slow, dark music suggests that the story will not be what we first think and could change in a matter of minutes. Next there is a two shot that shows children playing in a park. This shot represents children’s everyday lives. The camera then focuses on a girl swinging back and forth on a swing showing she is enjoying herself as she is smiling and laughing like any small child would while at a park on a nice sunny day. Diegetic sound when the girl is on the swing emphasises the change of the situation, from happiness to unhappiness, or normality to disaster. The shot of the girl on the swing slows down into slow motion. This may be done to highlight her happiness and to contrast it did not last that long. Moving on from the positive and normal scenes it slowly changes as the camera shows a medium shot of a destroyed and burned out car with a skeleton sitting in the driver’s seat, the camera continues to focus on the skull which shows an element that is included in a thriller genre. The voiceover tells the consumers what has happened and why this has happened. The use of monologue offers an insight into the mother’s feelings. The sub-title “Los Angeles 2029 AD” is used to tell us the year the film has fast-tracked to and the film is set in the future. Furthermore these next couple of shots shows how powerful the robots are as there is a low angle shots which shows the robots body and head with a weapon standing tall. The robots could be the antagonists of this film. This clip also conveys a genre of not just thriller but sci-fi as well so his films genre would be sci-fi-thriller. In this whole scene it shows all different types of shots from long, short , extreme long which helps to show the two different sides which are possibly good and evil (the antagonists and protagonists which is a convention in many thrillers). The clip then changes to a close up of a person in a flashback that shows the importance of this man in the film. This is also establishing a character john Connor (Arnold Schwarzenegger) The man that was in the previous clip then fades into the fire, to help show the contrast between them both and to show how much the setting has changed from before. Then the actor’s names slowly come out of the fire one by one. The background of fire and flames connotes danger, violence and heat which is stereotypical in thriller films. The camera slowly explores the park by panning across the setting that was shown at the start of the opening sequence with the girl on the swing enjoying herself but this time the park has been destroyed and burning. This also shows this is a thriller film because all the good/positive things are being taken away or destroyed and this gives suspense on what will happen next and makes us have many unanswered questions which will make the consumer want to watch the rest of the film. Diegetic sound of the creaking swing shows us that we’re in the same place, just at a different time. The sound when the screen goes to the deserted city adds suspense as we expect something will happen to make us jump. Also, it shows us that time has moved on, but we are still in the same place. The closing scene of the opening sequence is of a robot come through the flames and coming up close continuously staring at the audience, the close up into the robots eyes gives a sense of tension and makes the audience focus on his eyes as they are red and connotes danger and blood which gives away the main theme of the film.
We thought it was important to do some re search on the content, style and feature of the films openings to identify techniques and incorporate the features into our short thriller opening sequence. Different sub genres of thrillers have different openings it’s very important that the opening sequnence engages the audience into the story line. Opening sequences highlight the sub genre and what the movie is about. As I researched in more depth I realised that the opening sequences of the two main sub genres if thrillers; action and psychological. The opening sequences of thrillers are normally very vague and intense most of the time the audience is left to their own imagination. Action In action thrillers the scene starts with fast paced music in the background, jump cuts the actors are normally doing something interesting this keeps the audience want to keep watching. The scene is shot an unknown location and the opening sequence if very vague, which keeps the viewers on edge. The special features used connote to action. For example, the character is holding a weapon, which connotes to danger and action. Psychological Psychological thrillers start of with dark lighting and intense music the camera movement is normally very slow and with slow cuts. The opening sequences of psychological genres are normally very intense to keep the audience hooked. The content is very vague within the scene and the story unravels as the movies continue. The font colour of the film title 'Saw' is in red which connotes blood and danger, also the blood spills and the fact that there is a severed leg in the poster shows that the film is going to be gory and scary. The mouldy toenail shows that the leg is old and the fact that the leg is grey shows it has been there for a long time. Also the toes on the leg are curled and have gone stiff this could show that whoever leg this was could of been in great pain, also there is dirt and dried blood on them which again shows pain but also the amputation wasn't professional. The chainsaw shown at the top of the poster is dirty and look old and worn, which can show it has been used often also the chainsaw could've been the weapon used to severe the leg. The white background could show loneliness and that the body has gone unnoticed. The 'W' at the end of 'Saw' looks like the top of a pitch fork that a devil would have which could show that the film is going to be evil and twisted. The thing that would catch your eye the most in this poster is the blood on the wall which has been made into face. Red connotes danger and pain, the blood spill looks like it has been drawn on by a little girl in her pyjamas and the girl being in her pyjamas can represent innocence and youth. The title of the poster is black and has been smudged down the wall, black connotes death also the way it has been smudged can mean its dirty also it looks like it has been ruined which shows what someone can be capable of doing to an innocent girl. The quote in the poster "Once you see him, nothing can save you." gives you an in site of what is going to happen to the girl in the film, also it tell you that there is someone you have to aware of and who is dangerous. The old tape on the ground has an enigma code because it makes the target audience find it mysterious and want to watch it, this is because it can have many different reasons of what it could be. The little girl looks like she's been hypnotised by something evil this is because she looks sleepy and also because her actions aren't normal. The cracked walls show that the building is old and abandoned. In the film poster you can clearly see a maze in the background, the maze is covered in green moss and looks dark and eerie, this connotes mystery and danger. There are 9 people running from the maze but they are running from a white light this also shows mystery because the white light could be covering up the thing that they are running from. The weather in the poster is cloudy which represents pathetic fallacy because the weather can be reflecting their emotions, fear and panic. The people in the poster also look like they are trapped because the maze makes it look like they have no where to run, no escape from danger. This leads to the text in the poster "GET READY TO RUN" this can mean that there is either something chasing them or something to chase, also the way it has been wrote includes the audience. The people in the poster all have some sort of weapon on their back, this can show that they are fighting for survival but also shows that they are in danger. Codes and conventions
Codes are the symbols ad signs, which create meaning to communicate with the viewer. Codes can be divided into two categories, which consist of technical and symbolic. Technical codes include camera angles, sound and lightning. Symbolic codes include language, the action of characters and how the characters are portrayed. Conventions are the way of which actions are taken and shown however, conventions are genre specific. What goes into a thriller?
Different categories of thrillers: Action These types of films are a mix of two genres action and thrillers. Therefore the movie will have elements from both types of genres. It will be an action movie that plays with the audiences mind which creates tension and suspense, this is a goof combination ad both genres have similar characteristics fast paced music and quick cuts. An example of this category is unknown the movie which includes both action and thrillers. Psychological Psychological thriller is a thriller story which emphasizes the psychology of its characters and their unstable emotional states. These types of thrillers play with the readers mind and helps create tension. Alfred Hitchcock was a famous movie director who created thrillers in the psychological category he did this by focusing and zooming into special features. For example, in vertigo he zoomed into a girl’s eye to create tension and make the viewer question why the scene was shot the way it was. Spy A spy thriller involves the action and excitement of the spy genre and also includes the suspense and mystery of a thriller an example of this is mission impossible. It includes a story line of a spy, fast paced music and quick edits. Therefore it comes under the category of spy thriller. They are both serious movies and they are based on how a spy would act. Romantic Romantic thriller is a narrative that involves romance and thriller. A good thriller provides entertainment by making viewers uncomfortable with moments of suspense, the heightened feeling of anxiety and fright. Mr and Mrs Smith includes a romantic story line however the use of codes and conventions suggests that something is not right and this makes the viewer feel curious and makes them want to continue watching the movie. Crime Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalises crimes, their detection, criminals, and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as historical fiction or science fiction. An example of this genre is the girl with the dragon tattoo this includes a story line of a crime scene which takes a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Film noir Film noir is a French phrase meaning black film this type of category of thrillers is usually about gangster movies made in the 1940’s. The gangster or thriller films where often shot using dark lightning and long editing. An example of this is the unsuspected. Horror Horror is an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. Thrillers take advantage of this use suspense to build up the fear and shocking the viewers giving them an intense feeling of fear. An example of a thriller which falls in the category of a horror is cape fear the viewers are taken on a journey and the use of darkness and faced paced music builds up the anticipation of the viewer. What makes a good thriller? The audience expects to be led on journey where they follow the story and he or she encounters certain types of menacing, dangerous and mysterious encounters. In thrillers there is always an element of suspense. During the journey the audience expects to see quick cuts lighting is dark to create an atmosphere and hear fast paced music to create tension and build up the suspense and create anticipation. Settings are important the directors have to think carefully about the setting because it has a huge impact on the audience the setting has to match the story line. We decided to do some research on codes and conventions because it is important to know how to communicate with the viewers. I also did some further research into what makes a good thriller, what goes into a thriller and different categories of a thriller because we found it is important to know the basics of making a thriller. Black Swan:
The opening of the sequence was very unusual compared to the other film openings we looked at. It started off with non-diegetic music playing whilst someone was drawing on a piece of paper with a black crayon. The black crayon gives connotations of death. The camera didn't show their face, only their hands. The drawing was unclear at this point because you could only see the crayon moving on the paper but never got a full view of the drawing. This gave off suspicion because we could see that she was drawing something but we couldn't figure out what. Then about halfway through the sequence the piano music got louder and faster, this then built suspence also the soft drawing then became hard scribbles, breaking the crayon. After that it had shown that the drawing had then become a huge black scribble taking up all the paper, this then gives connotations of confusion and anger. Shutter Island: This film is a mystery thriller, we could tell this because of the camoflauge trench coats which they were wearing also the characters that were being introduced were holding guns. Whilst the opening scene was playing there was non-diegetic music playing in the background, the music was mainly violins and they were playing high & low pitches. The use of violins builds tension because they were loud and getting faster. Because it's filmed on an island in the middle of no where, we get the feeling that they are secluded and lonely. We also get the feeling that it is secret because it is protected by armed police officers. The characters were travelling in the back of a truck, the scenary whilst they were travelling showed grave stones and barbed wire, this gives connotations of danger and death. Also in the opening sequence the characters were muted only the music was playing this makes it seem mysterious. The Purge: The opening sequence for the purge shows a lot of violence and crime shown through a security camera. There is a-synchronistic music playing in the background, the music was classical and calm whereas the video was the complete opposite. In the video there was a lot of violence and man made fires, from this opening scene you could tell that the film was going to include a lot action and violence. Saw: The opening scene started off with a black screen with the producers and directors names in blue but they were quite distorted this can show the audience that before the film has even started that it isn't going to be a normal film and that it will have a twist involved. A strange object is shown glowing blue but it isn't clear what it is, this can show mystery. Suddenly there is a man struggling under some water it also shows him trying to catch his breath and because it was such a sudden action from the man it could mean that he was underwater for a while, possibly unconscious. The man is then showed jumping out of the what seems to be a bath and crying for help this means he doesn't know where he is, also the room was very dark which makes it unclear of where the man is or who he is. This has connotations of no trust and mystery. Without any caution the bright lights burst on making the mans eye sight blurry, there is a POV shot of the room which is also blurry and slowly focuses it then shows a wide shot of the room, it is clear to see that the room was run down and wasn't a pleasant place to be. Suddenly there is a fast tracking shot which reveals a dead body on the ground in a pool of blood which then goes to close up shots of his hands showing a tape recorder and a gun. After that is then shows that the man in the bath isn't alone as another man is introduced also locked up with a chain around his ankle the opening scene then ends, just from this you can clearly see that the film includes mystery, thriller and danger. Saw 2: The opening scene starts off with very heavy, deep breathing sounds which then goes into a POV and panning shot of someone looking around. The POV shot shows someone pulling a mirror towards them which then reveals his face. In the reflection he is shown to have a swollen eye and a contraption around his neck. A reverse tracking shot is used to film the man sitting in a chair and it suggests to the audience that he is scared because of how quickly the camera is moving. Low lighting has been used to show mystery and loneliness. Fast and quick cuts have been used as the camera magnifies the contraption stuck around his neck in detail. When the man is screaming and yelling for help, a strange face appears on a TV screen of a doll. It started talking to the man revealing details about him and his family and then goes into further detail about the contraption around his neck. He is warned by the doll that his life is in his own hands and that he can either 'live or die'. Film genres are types, categories, classifications or groups of films that have similar techniques or conventions such as: |
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