We decided to analyse the opening sequence of the women in black, a horror thriller as it is important to identify key elements that make up an opening sequence of a horror thriller. The woman in black follows the journey of a character called Arthur Kipps whose wife recently died however, the lawyer was sent to a secluded village out of town. He soon discovers that the house is haunted and the village is hiding it. He realises that the women lost her son and she is out for revenge. The opening sequence starts with a close up of a little girl pouring tea into small teacups the girl then gives some for her dolls to drink this suggests that the audience are watching a tea party. There is then a wide shot of three little girls the mise en scene suggests that this was shot in the Victorian times as the girls are wearing pink and white long Victorian styled dresses which connotes purity and innocence. The house looks older as there is old styled furniture and wooden toys. The mise en scene also suggests that the three girls are playing tea parties with their toys and they have a china tea party set this implies that this is what the typical little girl would do in the olden days as now we have more advanced technology. There is then a close up of one the girls combing her dolls hair there is then a wide shot of the three girls playing but from another angle with the long old styled window in the background. There is then a wide shot from the other side of the window by the room. Suddenly, all three girls turn towards the window at the same time as if they are being controlled this builds up the suspense suggesting that there could be something there. There is then a close up of the window and the camera slowly zooms in. There is then a quick jump cut back to the girls still looking out of the window as if they are being hypnotised this makes the audience question what’s going on. There is then non-diagetic intense, music in the background, which suggests that something’s not right and builds up the tension. The girls then stand up the camera focuses on one of the girls who drop the china mug and the other two starts to set on the tea party sets as they destroy the tea party as the three girls walk towards the window, which is shown by a close up this shows the audience that something is controlling them as they wouldn’t do it by purpose. The camera frame then shows a wide shot of the three girls with their backs turned towards the camera and then there is a match on action of the girls unlocking the windows. All three of the girls jump out of the window at the same time proving that something is controlling them after all three little girls jump out of the window Suddenly a diagetic shrill scream is heard there is a close up of the window but nothing seems to be there suggesting it is a sprit. There is then a close up of the doll that the one little girl was combing her hair of. The keeps the audience on edge as they are focused on the doll this suggests that the women in black is harming young children as they play with dolls. The suggests that could be possessed as the doll is facing the window and is trying to possess the audience which builds up the suspense of what’s going to happen later on in the movie. To end the scene there is then a wide shot showing the rest of the room as the camera is zooming out towards the other end of the room. On the left side of the camera frame it shows the back of a women’s head wearing a see through black veil which suggests that the death of the three little girls had something to do with the women in black controlling their actions.
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We decided to analyse the opening sequence of Skyfall, an action thriller, as it is important to identify key elements that make up an opening sequence of an action thriller. Skyfall is about when a character called James Bond is set up on his latest assignment, which goes terribly wrong this leads to actions and adventure; undercover agents expose all around he world and the M16 being compromised. The mise en scene starts with a high angle shot of an explosion, which is shown by a grey cloud above the surface of the ocean. The camera frame shows the character of James Bond smartly dressed falling into the ocean. The non-diagetic sound of instruments and the large grey cloud suggests there was an explosion his connotes action and danger and keep the audience on edge. As he is floating deeper into the ocean the non-diagetic dramatic sound the non- diagetic music becomes quieter. He camera moves to eye level of James Bonds falling into the ocean this makes the audience feel as if they are in there too and are watching him fade into the darkness. The camera frame then shows a hand, at the bottom of the frame pulling the character down deeper, which suggests that he would be facing danger and people could be dragging him down. A non-diagetic song sang by Adele is an interesting song choice as it suggests that he will be facing danger and the character would be put in compromising positions. The song continues playing until the end of the opening sequence. There is then a high angle shot in the eyes of James Bond the camera frame shows a shot of him falling being sucked into the seabed. There is then a wide shot of this. There is then a high angle shot of the hole closing up. The camera movements make the audience feel as if they are getting sucked into the sea as well to make them feel part of the action. This could imply that he gets sucked into situations and there is no way out. The camera frame shows shooting targets in the shape of James bond with blood coming out of the places where the shooting target has been shot. Blood can connote danger violence and love, which fits in with the whole theme and storyline of the film and builds up the tension, as no one knows what would happen next. The camera then zooms in on that particular place where the blood is coming from. To show that she has a special place for her the character called M is shown by a tilt the camera movements however, within the camera movements there are jump cuts and the mise en scene is dark this suggests that she is part of the action the camera not showing her full body suggests that she needs to hide her identity. The blood, the camera movements and how she is introduced suggests that there is romance and a relationship between them The opening sequence continues to flow and gives a forward shot camera shot zooming into the sea. As the camera passes through guns and knives fall to the ground leading to a graveyard. This connotes action, violence and aggression, which could result in death. The fact that the camera shows a whole graveyard and not just a grave could be a symbol of numerous deaths of many characters. The colour change of the sky from dark blue to red in the graveyard could represent blood and danger and completely changes the mood of the opening sequence. The non-diagetic music gets faster suggesting that as the movie goes on there would be more action, danger and drama. Within this scene there is also an extreme close up of the main characters eye which leads to another scene because the opening sequence seems to flow with only a few edit cuts. The slow close up on the eye widening and eyebrows rising keeps the audience on edge because it could suggests that something bad is going to happen. It could be in the point of view of the experiences James Bond has faced and the compromises he had to make. As the camera zooms into the eye more it leads to another scene, which is of him shooting shadows this is ironic because you can’t shoot shadows and could have a deeper meaning of not being able to trust anyone and shows us that he has to be alert at all times because he is in danger and its hard to find people. The shadows then surround him, which normally happens in action films. However, the camera focuses on one particular shadow that aims a gun at him this implies that there could be betrayal and danger as the shadow is behind him. The bullet hole from the shooting board, which is then zoomed into and leads to blood and cells bursting floating in lighter blue water the blood then turns into a skull which connotes death and danger. The mise en scene then turns very dark and the camera frame shows the female sidekick aiming a gun at the camera (the audience). This is very rare as not many women are in action thrillers because they are normally portrayed as being weak and always the one being saved by the male characters. This suggests that the character is an independent and well-respected female. The camera then zooms into the gun and then follows to the next scene in the opening sequence where the shooting targets of James Bond are on fire. As they pass the camera frame Chinese dragons appear which are legendary creatures within the Chinese culture. The dragons have many animals like features. This could suggest that James Bond or the other character M is very legendary in being undercover agents, which builds the tension and suspense because the audience does not know what is going to happen to those characters. One of the dragons then appears to breath smoke on to the camera lenses to show danger and build up on the suspense. This then lead to a shadow of a girl dancing in front of a white background and guns, skulls and knives fall which are common weapons or props used in action films and are typical codes and conventions of action thriller films. This then lead to the graveyard to show the audience that there will be death, danger and destruction of homes and families. The camera then focuses on a grave, which has been dug up and the camera then appears to be going into this to assure the audience that they have got themselves into watching a dangerous action film. As the camera goes into the grave the shadows of James Bond is shown by the camera movement who appears to be shooting mirrors. The then turns and aims the gun at the camera and the bullet hole appears again with red blood to connote danger and death as guns are commonly used in action thrillers. This then leads to red blood vessels, which take the audience back to the graveyard this time it is red and the shooting targets appear to be red and falling to the ground the camera zooms into his eye again this opening sequence gives an insight to the audience of all the things he has been through and all the dangers he has faced. As a group we thought it was important to do some re search on typical locations of where thrillers are shot, as our short opening sequence would be a thriller. We realised that different sub genres of thrillers have different locations so we decided to do some re search on some sub genres and where their opening sequences were located. Action thrillers Action thrillers usually are located abroad in cities and suburbs to show the audience that a normal lives of citizens can be easily disturbed. The mise en scene is usually quite bright and busy, which builds up the tension and suspense because the audience is on edge waiting for the action to take place. The story line is usually about a hero trying to save the world. The movie skyfall was shot in Scotland, Bahamas and in South America. Most of the action was taken place in the Bahamas and South America as the character jetted off their for the action. Psychological thrillers The opening sequences of psychological thrillers usually take place in forests or houses. The opening sequences of psychological thrillers are normally mysterious and intense. The mise en scene is always dark and scary to make the audience want to keep watching. I have also noticed that not much is given away in the opening sequence as the story unravels as the movies goes on, which makes the audience question what’s around the corner. Spy and detective thrillers Spy and detective films also contain a lot of action and are mainly located abroad as some characters are taken to different locations for missions. The mise en scene is normally lively however; the spy and detective scenes are dark and intense. The storyline follows the thought process on trying to catch a criminal mastermind. An example of a spy and detective thriller is the tourist where scenes are shot all around Europe. Film noir thrillers Typical locations of film noir thrillers many classic film noirs are located in small towns, rural areas or on the open road. Film noir could be based on gangster films; police chases and most film noir thrillers include romance. Film noir films are identified by low-key lighting and are located in dark places and some older films are black and white. Disaster thrillers Disaster and thrillers show the audience the struggles of the characters through an artificial disaster that could be predicted to happen in the future for example, 2012. The mise en scene suggests is busy and everything is normal to show the audience how a lives can be easily disturbed by natural disasters. They are normally located in big cities and show how well known tourist attractions can be broken down and destroyed by natural disasters. Crime thrillers Crime thrillers could either be from the point of view of the criminal or the people trying to catch the criminal. Crime thrillers are usually located abroad and the scene normally starts with a crime, which could be located in unknown locations to build up the tension. Crime thrillers are usually located where crime scenes would take place for example, in banks or jewellery stores. Romantic thrillers Romantic thrillers opening sequences tend to be located abroad in mysterious places or in hotels that are not very well known to create mystery and a sense of danger as the characters are in an unknown place. The story is usually based on a relationship between two characters and the audience is taken on a journey, which involves plot twists. The mise en scene is lively and normal usually includes people having a good time to keep the viewer on edge because anything could happen at anytime such as, Mr. and Mrs. smith. The film starts of with a very normal view of a couple living a normal life in their home however, the characters go to an unknown exotic location where the action takes place. Horror thrillers Horror thrillers are usually located in unknown locations normally in cities and suburbs to keep the audience on edge and show them how certain activities as disturb a normal life. Their typical locations are abandoned houses, which look haunted and old the mise en scene is normally dark and mysterious however most of the supernatural scenes take place in locations like dark forests at night to create tension as the character is trapped. Supernatural thrillers Supernatural thrillers tend to be located in normal family homes, holiday homes, and old dark mansions. These homes are mainly located in a quite secluded area away from most people and many shops or other houses are far away. The story line is usually based on a family that have moved into a new area and a new home where supernatural things start to happen as the movie goes on and the tension builds up. 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. As part of our research we decided that it was important to know the definition of suspense, as it is an important technique used in thrillers.
What is suspense? Suspense is the build up to a state or feeling of being excited or anxious. Suspense is the uncertainty of the future, which develops from unpredictable events. It is an important technique used in thrillers as suspense makes the audience keep watching and creates an emotion attachment between the viewers and characters as they feel a mix of emotions towards the situation. Alfred Hitchcock We then decided to do some research on “the master of creating suspense” Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock was a British film director and producer born in 1899; some of his most famous and successful movies were pyscho, vertigo and the birds. He was more focused into creating psychological thrillers he would do this by in co-operating frame shots to make the audience feel high anxiety levels, fear and sympathy for the characters in the scene. He would also involve twists with in the science and create unexpected endings. Alfred Hitchcock would link a psychological clever view on violence, murder and crime and how it would affect the characters in a psychological way to really connect the viewers with the character Alfred learnt that to do this he would have to position the camera at eye level so the audience could feel the same way. How Alfred created suspense I was interested in how Alfred Hitchcock created famous movies and how he created suspense so I decided to do some further research into how he created suspense as it would be helpful for when we make out thriller opening sequence because suspense is a key technique.
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. 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. During our first media lesson we had a lesson based on different techniques and uses of camera angles one of the techniques is called shot reverse shot. Shot reverse shot is when one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. The shot reverse shot is shown when the two characters are standing opposite each other in a scene and communicating, although they are looking in opposite directions the viewer assumes they are looking at each other. This is done by using the camera ‘over the shoulder angle’. This shows a one character at a time as the camera is held over the shoulder of the other character opposite them, it will then cut to the other character. As theconversation resumes, the camera angle continues to alternate 'over the shoulder' of each character. |
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February 2016
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