Silence of the lambs

Analysis: The opening shot catches the eye because it shows a tree without leaves and looking like dieing, with a foggy background. This immediately put the idea of danger in the audiences mind because you cannot see far, and so you do not know what is out there. Danger is then highlighted again by this woman climbing up a hill, looking around and then running. With this along with very slow music makes it appear as if she is the victim and in grave danger. The camera work helps with this because it tracks her from behind to make the audience believe she is running away, and make the audience intrigued about what she is running from. In films it is a common theme for women to be represented by the victim and men the hero. This means that the audience were already expecting for the women to be the victim.

The opening few shots of the women running would imply that the movie will base around how she got there or more likely her trying to find out who is after her and will get help from a man character (hero) who would end up saving her. However then through the clearing the audience see part of an assault course which the woman climbs and suddenly what the audience was expecting to see gets proven to be very wrong. The assumptions would be that she is training now and is part of the army or something like that. Then it is confirmed that she is not the victim by a man going up to her with a message and wearing a hat saying FBI, and this is made clear to the audience by the camera shot (close up of the face and hat).

The signs shown on a post at the edge of the training camp could be giving hints at the future of the film or it is giving an insight into how the FBI is being run. As she runs past the sign she looks like the signs are describing the FBI because she has the pain from all the hard work but she does love what she is doing and showing that she is a strong protagonist which is unusual for any film.

Her walking down into the elevators is interesting because it shows that she is a liked by her peers, and well respected around the FBI. However it also shows (especially in the elevator) that she is in a very much male dominated job and she is very rare, But it also shows that she is not put off by stereotypes and whole heartedly believes in her own ability to get the job done. Which in a thriller is rare to have female main character that is confident, the protagonist, stands up for herself and does not need saving.

Foley artists

Foley artists are the ones behind creating the sound for a movie. They are necessary for movie's because the vast majority of the sound used in movie's (not including speech and music) is recreated by Foley artists after the filming. Foley artists are used because most sound is lost when filming so would not be heard by the audience of the film.

Five examples of how Foley artists recreate sounds: Corn starch in a leather pouch sounds like crunching snow, An old chair makes a good creaking sound, Half a coconut shell sounds like horse feet, a telephone book surrounded in tape sounds like body punches and cellophane sounds like a crackling fire.

This sounds like snow crunching.

Evaluate own work: The difficult part of this was to think of how the sounds could be recreated. This was difficult because Foley artists use items very different to the object making the sound so is not always easy to work out what to use. The easier part was to actually make the sounds after working out what to use to create the sounds. The sounds we used were to tap a shoe against a wall to replicate walking down stairs. This gave the sound of the tapping of the shoes as I walked down the stairs. I did enjoy doing this because it is unusual and not what you would think of when talking about the making of films.

A Foley artist showing what he does.

The knowledge of Foley sounds will be useful in the making of the thriller opening because it means that with a bit of editing, the audience will be able to hear everything clearly. This will help with the building up of suspense and bring the audience into the film.

Thriller conventions

The narrative based around a crime like a murder or kidnapping. It would show why it happened, how it happened or it being solved in the film. The narrative is often complicated with fake paths and clues supplied by the antagonist.

The title gives away the protagonist's weakness.

The title might give away the protagonist's weakness that would be used by the antagonist in there attempt to bring down the protagonist. This would leave the protagonist looking in trouble in one or more scene (makes the audience think that the  protagonist is going to fail).
Also the protagonist would feel isolated due to the antagonist leading him the wrong way through the film.
Extraordinary things happening in ordinary situations which would make the effect on the audience greater because it could allow them to relate to what is happening to the characters.

A there is a common theme of mistaken identity in thrillers especially on the run thrillers because they are being chased for something someone else had done.
The theme of mirroring shows that it is not just the one person in the situation but a group of them. Also the audience are shown something they feel they should not be seeing (Voyeurism).
The titles are often showing a glimpse of what the movie is about and how it will start.

The use of bright lighting reflecting the happiness in the characters.

The mise-en-scene would reflect the protagonist (e.g. if the protagonist is happy then it would use such things as bright lighting to highlight it to the audience).

Thriller sub genres

Conspiracy thriller: The hero or heroine is usually an investigator/reporter. The protagonist would find themselves tied in with a powerful organisation. To free themselves they have to look for evidence to bring them down. In the end the organisation is brought down by the protagonist. The organisation is often government (e.g. Bourne Ultimatum)

Mystery thriller: Focuses mainly on the detective and the mystery of crime. Finding clues and trying put the puzzle together. It brings the audience in as they try to solve the crime at the same time as the detective.

Crime thriller: Often focus more on the criminals and there actions leading up to the crime. Usually ends with the crime and showing how it was done. Also linked with mystery thriller due to the mystery aspect to the crime.

Political thriller: Shows a reliance on the protagonist to help the government they work for to prevent bad things from happening. E.g. world wars.

Disaster thriller: Follows people trying to survive natural (earthquake and volcanoes) and artificial (invasion of earth) disasters. Also a lot of disasters a due to what mankind had previously done and is there fault. It plays with thought of what the future could hold.

Psychological thriller: Plays with the audiences mind and creates suspense from playing with the main character being mentally and emotionally hindered.

Techno thriller: Looks at the incredible technology and how it is trying overrun people. The hero or heroine will be the one who tries to prevent it from happening. It commonly shows action and war and what the future could be.

This is from I Robot and shows the technology out of control with the dark lighting showing danger.

Religious thriller: Usually a quest to find the truth in religions while going through the good and the bad. (e.g The Da Vinci Code)

Evaluation of genre video

I  was disappointed with my part since I believe I did not go into enough detail. I should of said something like  this: This image I am looking at is from the film dodge ball. The image clearly shows the antagonist and the protagonist standing with their backs turned to each other, and standing apart. The colours used on there cloths are clear indicators of who the antagonist and protagonist are. The protagonist is the person further away in much brighter colours whereas the antagonist in the foreground is wearing darker colour with a cobra on. It also highlights the importance of this scene by the way the light is highlighting the two players while leaving the rest in the dark to show there is nothing they can do. Also the facial expression of the antagonist is that on determination because his is desperate to defeat the protagonist. It is also clear that this is a comedy because of the clothes the antagonist is wearing by this I am referencing to the childish way of trying to intimidate the opponents by having a cobra on his chest. As well as that both of the main actors are widely known for doing comedies and are rarely seen doing anything else.

Generic conventions - Just go with it

Genre: Romantic comedy

Narrative: The 'hero' has a life he is not happy with and is looking for someone to love. He thinks he has found it but due to a funny turn of events he works out that it is the 'heroine' of the film that he knew all along.

Iconography: We expect to see funny scenes not necessarily just about the characters but about the situation they have gotten into. The audience also expect for there to be a happy ending when the 'hero' and 'heroine' live happily ever after.

Characters: The 'hero' is the male character who knows something is missing from he life and goes looking for love as an answer. The 'heroine' is the female character that the 'hero' finally goes for even though she has been there since the beginning.

Camera work: Slow shots are used for when there is a romantic moment. Sometimes tracking shots are used when someone is moving quickly and the audience needs to know who to follow. Romantic Comedies would also use panoramic shots to show the settings of the scene.

Settings: For Romantic Comedies The setting would be a quite, peaceful setting such as a beach in the Caribbean. This is to show that the characters are not going to be detracted by people making lots of noise or from it being over crowded. It also gives the film a calmer feel to it because there is nobody rushing around or trying to call a cab like there would of been in a city setting.

Generic conventions - The Bourne Identity

Genre: Action/Crime

Narrative: The 'hero' has no memory of anything and has to try and discover who he is and how he has gotten to where he is. He will do this by following a trail of clues often flashbacks or things found in his possession when he wakes. The victim will be pulled into this by being connected with the 'hero'. The villain would be trying to stop the 'hero' from trying to work something out whether its his own memory or something else.

Iconography: We expect to see a race to retrieve his memory involving fast paced action including car chases. (It gives the audience the feeling that film is going at rapid pace). We also expect the 'hero' to go through missions/trials and he needs to overcome them before time runs out.

Characters: The 'hero' is the character who the villains are going after while he is trying to get his memory back. In the end he would of got his memory back and then would be able to defeat the villains. The victim is a character who is somehow linked to the 'hero' and is targeted because of that. The victim is often a love interest as well. The villains is the ones chasing the 'hero' for their own benefits, and do not care who else they put in danger.

Camera work: Quick shots used to increase tension in action scenes (car chases and fighting). Tracking shots used for car chases so it is easy for the audience to follow it. Also extreme close ups used to emphasis an object and its importance such as a weapon which would be used later in the film. As well over the shoulder shots to show the audience who is talking in a conversation.

Settings: The majority of the film is in a busy city centre because in the chases whether running or in cars there is still the fact that innocent people would be endangered  The more violent and fighting scenes will be n places where the 'hero' and victim are alone so the audience know there is no one to help them it is down to them.

Generic conventions - Blade runner

Genre: Sci-Fi / Thriller

Narrative: The 'hero' will be informed about the robots that look like ordinary people. He will then go of trying to track them down but is finding it very difficult. It will start to look like he might fail but will receive help from the 'love interest' and together will come through it at the end.

Iconography: The use of cities being used as the main setting to give the audience the sense that it is closer to home than they thought. Dark confined spaces used to show entrapment of the person and make it seem that there is no way out. Also the use of shadows to build tension a mystery while also getting the audience to guess what is going to happen.

Characters: The 'hero' is the main character and is the one who tries to save others by going after the villains. The helper/side kick is the character that will help the hero when he needs it most. (This is also sometimes a love interest for the hero). The villains are in this case the robot human lookalikes that are out to defeat the hero and put many of other in danger doing so.

Camera work: It would be common for the speed of shots to increase at times to increase tension just before something happens. It might also use panoramic shots to set the location of a large city.

Settings: It uses a busy city setting because it means that the robots are hard to find and also it means that the 'hero' has to be careful not to in danger innocent lives. Also a busy city is similar to a large section of the audience and would make them feel that there is a possibility of it happening near them.

Opening credits

This is the opening credits that I made using live text. I am a bit disappointed because I forgot to add sound so I had to go back and add it. As well as that when it was exported it was not of good quality. However I think that I have learnt from this and when I do it again it would be vastly improved.

Quantum of Solace title sequence

Moodboard

I did a mood board looking more at cop thriller. It shows how suspense is created it the image of a persons shadow through a window. It also shows a couple of cop thrillers as well as the common black cop white cop and smart cop dumb cop. It also shows how lighting is used and in this case it is clear the characte is worrying about something.

Analysis of two thriller openings

Memento:
This opening engages the audience by showing them what is going to happen and get them to start to guess about how and why it has happened. It also introduces the audience to the characters but only shows a small part of them. This is done by the dialogue used between characters and by the inner monologue used. The opening shows mystery by having the first scene going backwards it shows the future but does not say how it got to that point. The opening titles are all done in the same blue font and shown before any movement so its on a still background, this keeps the audience guessing about what is being shown in the picture the character is holding. The music shows that this is a tragic opening scene and that it is a sad moment in the film, this is also shown to be the point when the two characters are shown to have previously been friends. Props have been placed separately so when having an extreme close up on them it is clear for the audience at what they should be taking note of, and it tells them about what has happened. It shows the bullet show you know that one of the characters has been shot and with the characters glasses on the floor away from everything it shows which one of them has been shot. The editing has been used so the speed of the shots quickly picks up just before the gun gets fired to highlight the tension in this scene and how quickly it all happened. The camera looks up at the main character to show that he is the one with the power and is in control of the situation. The opening scene being played in reverse shows that the rest of the film will be set before this, and that this is the ending.

Enemy of state:
The opening scene pulls the audience in because they want to know why an authority figure would have another killed and if he has gotten away with it. It also makes it look like he has gotten away with it because it is a very open and empty setting with no one around. It shows the authority figure a cruel unjust man who does anything to get his own way, but does not introduce any of the other characters of the film. This starts to  make the audience think that there is no one who can stand up to this man. It shows that the character is trying to get his way with a new law but is facing lots of problems with it. The shots highlight who is talking and to whom. So they will have close up shots on the one talking or they would have an over the shoulder shot, this is done to keep it simple and easy to follow for the audience. It uses long shots to highlight that it is a calm situation and that the authority character was in charge and knew what he was doing. The opening titles are shown at the same time as in the background the audience is being show where the film is based and the editing highlights the point of tracking people and how it is done everywhere. The music hints that there will be lots of action and tension in the film, this is done by the music having quite a fast pace to it and keeping with the editing. The shots highlight who is talking and to whom. So they will have close up shots on the one talking or they would have an over the shoulder shot, this is done to keep it simple and easy to follow for the audience. It uses long shots to highlight that it is a calm situation and that the authority character was in charge and knew what he was doing.