Title Sequences

After making out preliminary task, I wanted to look more in depth at title sequences as I feel they are just as important as the movie itself, I have tried to vary the time gap between the three of them so see how it has changed over the years and get a wide variety of ideas to put forward towards the planning of our thriller.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

I feel our preliminary task went extremely well considering we didn’t have a very long time to plan or shoot our short thriller.

I feel our use of steady camera work was consistent throughout our thriller, the majority of the opening shots were done with a stable tripod and the tracking shots were done by hand, though they were done by hand we tried to give it a professional, smooth look, which I think we succeeded in doing.

The framing within most of our shots were just how we had planned them, such as the shot where the character with the briefcase is in the foreground, however slightly to the right, which holds your main focus whilst still giving you some focus upon the background in which we had the two other characters following him, I feel this was a very effective shot. Whilst we are planning our thriller I would like to incorporate some more adventurous shots like this one.

I felt we covering the main shot types in our preliminary, such as a mid-shot, close up and also a long shot. I felt the use of variety kept the viewers interested and kept the video professional, I would like to replicate this in our thriller.

I feel our preliminary covered the main objectives of the assignment, as we used a range of shots and added some dialogue whilst keeping it short and effective. Our use of Mise-en-scene worked well as we set it in dull lighted corridors, the clothing was appropriate as the use of suits helped add an importance and power to the characters; we also used props such as the briefcase to keep mystery and suspense within the storyline.

We used mainly straight cuts within our task, we took this tip from watching thrillers and found they used straight cuts to help show immediacy and bring tension to a specific area of film, however we used a fade transition from the first scene to the second, this helped represent how it has gone from one area of the building to the next, we also used a fade to black at the end to leave it on a slight cliffhanger and also help use then put in our credits.

We used a soundtrack with a simple sound to it and then added thuds to it when we felt tension hit the hardest, this was to enhance the effect it had on the viewer and keep them on their toes, however I would like to try and make our own soundtrack when we make our thriller, the little time to edit our production meant we had to find a basic suitable soundtrack, however I still feel it works well to hold tension.

We have used the 180° rule at the very start of our preliminary, this helps the audience to not get confused with the placement of characters, also the use of dialogue at the start of the movie helps set the plot and general idea of the scenes ahead.

We have also used an effective shot reverse shot as one of the chasers shouts “Oi”, the camera cuts from over the shoulder of the target straight to the side of the character chasing him, we have done it very clearly to speed up the tempo and create tension.

I feel our editing techniques also made a large positive impact on our preliminary, we used colour correction to filter out unwanted light areas and create a darker, more eerie feel.

In conclusion I believe our preliminary task went very well, we had a large variety of shots, an easy to follow storyline, well placed props and steady camera work. However I feel that lighting might have been a problem as in some scenes it is very dark, though this adds to the effect I think we will consider having extra lighting handy to keep certain areas of focus visible. I also feel we should look into different styles of title sequences to use in our thriller, as they can be very effective if done correctly. 

Preliminary Task Feedback

Below is our feedback we were given by Beth Ryman http://bethrymanfoundationproduction.blogspot.co.uk/ and Libby Gelsthorpe http://libbygelsthorpefoundationproduction.blogspot.co.uk/

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task Shot List

Scene 1

• Mid-shot of security guards
• Over the shoulder tracking shot of security guards
• Back to mid-shot of security guards
• Back to over shoulder tracking shot of security guards

Scene 2

• Tracking shot behind victim

(Security walks behind the victim)

• High angle shot from the security camera’s perspective
• Back to tracking shot from behind

(The victim and security all walk through the first door)

• Long shot of victim walking towards the second door
• Match on action shot of the door handle
• Tracking shot in front of victim
• Back to long shot of security walking through second door
• Back to tracking shot of the victim and security
• Long shot of the victim walking through the third door
• Close up shot of victim’s feet
• Long shot of victim
• Close up of security’s feet
• Long shot of security splitting up
• Back to long shot of victim and one security guard shouting to get the victim’s attention
• Long shot from behind of victim looking back
• Close up shot of victim dropping briefcase
• Tracking shot from behind of victim running
• Jump shot to victim being caught and thrown against the wall
• Close up of security guard’s face

Preliminary Task Script

Scene 1

Security Guard 1 - Kingston Capes - 'Kieran It's him again'

Security Guard 2 - Kieran Hill - 'Naa, hes a gonner'

Security Guard 1 - Kingston Capes - 'Naa, you need to check this'

Securtiy Guard 2 - Kieran Hill 'Allright dont worry, ill call in the boys'
Security Guard 2 on radio - Kieran Hill - 'Yeh, its definately him'

Security Guard 3 on radio - Max Hutchinson -'Are you sure?' 

Securtiy Guard 2 on raido - Kieran Hill 'Dont muck it up this time'

Security Guard 3 on radio - Max Hutchinson -'Will try not too' 

Scene 2 

Security Guard 4 - Domanic Saint - 'Oi'

Security Guard 3 - Max Hutchinson - 'You're screwed'

Preliminary Task Storyboards

These are the storyboards we created as a group to give ourselves something to aim towards, our overall product was very similar to these, so I feel this shows good planning and following of plans as well.

Leon Mise-En-Scene

Plant	plant is a large contrast to his normal nature, the use of the plant symbolizes life, how he treats it with such care and affection, however, his job is to take life. His plant his placed in centre of the hallway, this is so when he walks in it is the first thing he sees and when he walks out it is the last thing he sees.
Guns	As he takes off his jacket you see all the guns attached around his waist, this hints that he is a very wanted man because he feels he is always in need of guns for protection. Also can represent how he might have messed with the wrong people and got himself into trouble.
Picture of God	He lays his gun down on the table right next to a picture of God, the picture of God could indicate he is a religious man, however I feel it is set to confuse the audience, how he can be a religious man, yet still kill people.
Milk	He seems to only drink milk, this could show that he might miss his childhood, which then brings out a sense of insecurity. As milk is white and white symbolizes purity, it could be trying to tell you he is pure inside.
Glasses	He seems to be wearing sunglasses everywhere unless he is in his house, this could be to hide his identity.
Mothers Clothing	Mathilda’s mother is introduced as a very under dressed lady, this could indicate what she does for a living, also shows how poor the family are as she needs to sell her body for money.
Sister	Mathilda’s sister is first seen to be working out, which shows she cares about what she looks like compared to her mother.
Lighting	Throughout these scenes it is very natural lighting, giving you the sense of realism and time of day.
Clock	Sounds like it ticks to a different beat than real time; might show how he is always one step ahead and in his own time zone when he is on his own.

Leon Analysis

‘Leon’ is a thriller that uses crime and drama to withhold its audience. It is about a professional assassin that rescues a teenage girl after her parents were killed in a police raid. It was directed by Luc Besson in 1994.

The opening shot is unlike a typical thriller, it is a point of view shot to help set the location and general feel of the movie, the fact you have taken the point of view of a character makes you instantly feel you are part of the movie however leaves you with mystery as you are unsure as to who’s perspective you are taking.

The next scene uses extreme close ups, these are not commonly known to be used in thrillers unless showing a very important section of information, even though it is an extreme close up, the use of the dark lighting helps mask the appearance of the character, this helps keep a mysterious essence to him, he is also wearing glasses to hide his identity and create a sense him having little or no emotion. This scene helps set up the story line as Leon is given his task, this indicates he must kill someone, however you are not told why, this helps keep the audience at a third person perspective on the plot.

In the next scene Leon takes one of the guards hostage, he uses him as a means of communication to the targeted man, he does this by holding a gun in his mouth and getting him to contact the target through the radio, this shows how he is a very strong character and he can manipulate people to do what he wants through his own techniques. When asked who he was, the only word that was used was ‘serious’, this helps keep the viewer still out of the loop and helps keep the tension high. Even after the guard does what Leon wants of him, he shoots him, this shows how he is a very cold hearted character and is determined to get his job done, this ease of killing shows how he might have done this before or it might be his job. They have then used a straight cut to a close up of the target looking extremely worried, this show of close up emotion helps contrast the calmness nature of Leon’s killing.

They have used a close up shot of the elevator floors, this helps build tension as Leon gets higher up the building and closer to the target, the cuts in shots are then becoming more frequent, this build up using faster cuts is much like what you would find in a conventional thriller. When the elevator reaches the top floor, the camera is set to fully focus on the elevator as everyone in the scene is looking towards it, as it opens it reveals the dead body of the guard; this shows how Leon is a smart  and a humorous killer and knows exactly what he is doing.

Throughout the whole scene you do not see Leon at all, this is very unconventional of a thriller as you can’t relate to the main character, mainly because you have seen little of him and heard very little about him.

The main props used in this scene are the guns, the fact they aren’t little hand guns show the audience that Leon is a serious enemy to these people and they want to get rid of him as soon as possible.

When Leon has killed all the guards protecting the target, they have added in diegetic sound of a heartbeat, this noise gets louder and faster as Leon gets closer, this effectively builds tension. The sound then completely stops, letting the audience know something is about to happen, that something being that Leon is right behind the target with a gun pressed to his back, however Leon remains hidden, you only see what you have already seen, keeping to their unconventional style.

Thriller Comparisons

Sixth Sense:

The camera work for the car scene in sixth sense is very simply done, using only 3 shots, the first one being a mid-shot from outside of the car, this helps the audience get a sense of location, environment and helps them see both characters emotions throughout the scene, the second shot is from the ladies side of the car, this only had the little boy in the shot, this close up shot helps you grasp how scared the little boy is because you can see his face very clearly, this enhances the atmosphere he is creating. The third shot you see is the same shot but now from the boy’s side of the car, this helps you show how the lady reacts with the stuff the boy is telling her. In all shots the camera is put at eye level, this brings you into the conversation more, meaning you feel you can interact with their lives a bit more.

Throughout the scene there is no soundtrack or other non-diegetic sound played over the top, this makes the scene very realistic and effective, it also helps take your central focus towards what the boy is saying and the emotions it is causing them both.

The editing within this clip is also very simple, unlike a traditional thriller, there is no fast cut shots to show tense areas, this is also to help you concentrate on what the characters are saying, I feel it also helps create a very slow uprising in tension, this helps make the whole scene very effective rather than one specific area of it.

The Terminator:

The camera work in the terminator is quite unlike ones you would see from a thriller, at the start of the scene you see the terminator walk into the bar, the camera is set behind a cage, and this placement puts a sense of danger straight into the film, giving it a prison style look, this is then followed by the camera doing a tracking shot in front of the character, this shows how he is a dominant character , the camera is also eye level, as if you are walking back from the character, making him very intimidating for the viewer. You never take upon the point of view of any of the characters, this gives the whole scene a sense of helplessness, this is effective as you have 3 characters, you may get confused and it would drop the suspense. Helplessness is also shown when the camera is pointing down on Sarah Connor, this makes her seem very small and unprotected.

I think within this scene, it is mainly non-diegetic sound, the soundtrack over the top of the clip defiantly is because as it goes to slow motion the music is playing just as fast tempo as before, though I think this is done purposely to help bring chaos to the scene. Also things such as the knuckle cracking and guns firing are all sounds that will have been put in after as non-diegetic sound, this way of sound helps means you will get the sound exactly where you want and exactly how you want it to sound.

The lighting in this specific scene is very similar to ones used in a thriller, the whole scene is very dark and eerie, there is a small level of smoke which adds to a certain degree of mystery, it also helps hide some identity.

Comparison:

Though both of these movies are classed as a thriller, the aspects within them make for different styles and emotions.  The only thing I feel I can pick out between the two that is similar is how the camera is placed at eye level within most shots to help the viewer interact with the movie as much as possible being on the same level as the actor. Also both films don’t really seems to follow all the typical conventions of a thriller, they seem to both like to show thrilling areas in their own ways, such as the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound, sixth sense doesn’t use any non-diegetic sound over the top of its scene, however in a traditional thriller they might use a tense music to help enhance the effect its meant to have on the audience.

Shutter Island Analysis

Shutter Island is a very effective psychological thriller starring Leonardo Di Caprio as Teddy Daniels, a U.S Marshal who is assigned a task to find a patient that has escaped from the remote and dangerous shutter island, a mental institute for only the most severe patients.

This movie opens with the sea and mist, giving an instant eerie feel, then a boat slowly emerges from this mist set just above the water, the boat is set right in the centre of the shot to bring all the attention to it, also brings the attention that they are very much alone here.

As you come to terms with Teddy Daniels, you get quite, staggered flash backs, as this is the start of the movie, you are unsure as to whether these are from his past, or maybe hinting as to what is to come, we know these are of a different time period as there is a large change in lighting. These flashbacks also make us feel more connected to the character as you have seen his past, which you then learn his wife died, this is a quite touchy subject to be putting right at the start of the film, however it lets you know he is a strong willed character and shows he has come through that and it has made him into the man he is.

As you are on the boat with the characters all sound it non-diegetic, this gives you a very strong sense of realism and bring you closer to the film.

All shots that are taken whilst both characters are talking have a section of background In them, constantly reminding you that they are alone and helpless on the boat.

As both characters step onto the island, you soon realize that is the only form of transport, as they find this out the boat leaves, showing to the audience they are literally stuck on this island, this makes you feel for the characters and starts to add a little amount of tension.

Seven Analysis

The starting scene of ‘Seven’ shows Morgan Freeman ( Detective Lieutenant William Somerset)  in very formal clothing, this instantly makes you wonder where he is going so dressed up and what his part of the movie is, he is also shown at the very start because he is one of the main characters, this helps you have an instant connection with him. Throughout the time he is getting ready, a lot of the shots are close ups, this reflects his personality, how he is very picky about what he does, so the camera work is also very picky with what you are seeing. When he picks up the objects off the table, he does it in a very particular order, this shows how he takes care for anything in his life, it also shows he is quite a stubborn character who is set in his own ways.

After 54 seconds of the film you see a straight cut shot of a dead person on the floor, this very unconventional of a typical thriller, usually you would witness the murders happening or they would be built up with tense music or faster cuts, this shows how things in this movie won’t be what you expect. The shot is a mid shot and is a high-ish angled shot, this shows how you are looking upon the body, the lighting is also set upon the body, bringing all your focus directly onto it. I feel this shot works very well, as the shots before it are of a perfect, clean house, then to a dead person and general mess and chaos, this contrasting change is effective.

As Morgan Freeman is talking to the police officer, the shot is a plain and simple mid-shot and the character is centred nicely, however unlike most shots, you focus is swung to the blood on the blind behind the character, this makes the scene quite hectic as you have two focus points within one shot.

As Brad Pitt (Detective David Mills) is brought into the film, it helps show how this is a very unconventional thriller, as Morgan Freeman is a very stubborn and perfectionate character, however Brad Pitt is set to be a very scruffy, layed back character, you know these two will be working very closely so it makes you think they will cause a lot of debate throughout the film.

As Morgan Freeman goes to bed, he starts up his metronome, the camera shots then go from an extreme close up of the object to a mid shot of the character in his bed, this continues cycle of switching shots shows how time is constantly ticking, the metronome could also represent the ticking down of time to a specific event in his life. There is also diegetic sound played over the top of cars, this makes you think they could be memories playing in his head.

Opening Credits:

The first shot you see is of a book and the pages are turning, this is a still shot to set the mood, however you feel like it is more of a journal, this is quite conventional of a thriller, it has been done in films such as ‘Butterfly Effect’, the use of a journal to record certain events that will become key within the film itself.

All the shots are extreme close ups, this will make the audience feel very uncomfortable and edgy as it will be on a large scale and things will be constantly moving, this use of extreme close ups also enhances how detailed the work is that the person is doing and also helps hide certain aspects, leaving you with no idea of who this person is or what the overall outcome is of this scene.

The whole opening credits are made to make you feel uncomfortable and unsure as to what is going on, as you have no idea who this person is or how he relates to the movie, the cutting off of the fingers tips creates a very eerie feel, however it tells you this character is smart, cutting off his fingerprints to keep his identity hidden. Some scenes also have a red colour to them, this gives you an instant representation of danger, blood, death, passion or anger, the red also hides some of the information.

The diegetic sound played over the top of the scene is conventional in the way it is used, being played over a clip to bring tension, however the music itself is very different, as if it’s made to make you feel uncomfortable rather than scared. The weird screeching noises could be a multiple of things, but it sound like a girl screaming, but it has been manipulated and altered.

Psycho Shower Scene Analysis

The camera work in this scene is very much perspective shots, you start the scene with a close up shot of the victim writing on a pad of paper, this gives you an instant connection with the film as you are taking on her point of view, this is then supported by a following mid-shot of her putting the lid on the pen. You either take the point of the view of the victim or a 3^rd person perspective within the start of the scene, however the 3^rd person shots seem to be used for mainly location of what room she is in and what is in the room with her. Whilst she is in the shower the camera takes on another perspective, as she is washing, the camera pans slowly to the left, slowly revealing the killer walking into the bathroom, this is a good way to ease another character into the scene. Most of the shots are either close ups or mid-close ups, these shots help bring the audience closer to the action and also helps show emotion. The use of different points of view helps create an overall chaos to the scene because you are constantly switching characters and therefore crossing emotions.

Throughout the whole scene, the editing is very much the same as what you would find in a conventional thriller, at the start of the scene, the lady moves from one room to the next, this is all very smooth cut, nothing is fast and the transition between shots is steady, this helps give a very relaxed atmosphere to the section of film, as you start getting closer to the part when the killer enters the room, the cuts between scenes become increasingly faster, they also change more to still camera shots, this change it technique from the tracking shot of her walking into the bathroom helps start to foreshadow a sense of irregularity. Once you see the killer, all shots become very sharp and rapid, this brings instant fright and chaos into the scene, the fast shots also represent how everything Is happening so quickly, however straight after she is stabbed, she slumps onto the floor, this is then followed by slow editing again, this helps enhance the fact she has just died, as the most thrilling bit of the scene is sandwiched by two calm sections. The use of a cutaway shot was unusual for a thriller, this was the part of the scene when the killer was stabbing the victim and it cut to the storm, this use of pathetic fallacy is something I feel helps push this to be different and more engaging than a lot of thrillers I have witnessed.

The sound in this thriller is very typical of most thrillers, the diegetic sounds in this scene comes from mainly just the shower, however, noises such as the ripping of the paper and flushing of the toilet will all be diegetic, but as I watched it, I feel the water had a slight bit of echo on it, though this helps enhance the emptiness of the room after the victim has died, as if her life is draining away. The non-diegetic sound within the films is very obvious, but its needed in those places to make you realize it is a thriller, such as the soundtrack, this use of the violin in the background gives it a very eerie feel, the fact that is doesn’t sounds quite in tune also enhances the fact that something is not quite right, furthermore when the lady dies, the music is played in a very low, deep sound, making the death more meaningful and dramatic. Non-diegetic sound is also used for the thunder and the stabbing, though I don’t feel the stabbing noises are particularly realistic, it would not make sense if they were not there.

The main use of lighting comes within the most dramatic point, the light is coming from behind the killer, this helps conceal his/her identity whilst in the next shot it is in the perfect place to fully reflect onto the knife, giving this shot a huge impact on the scene, revealing what the killer is going to do to the victim.