We have decided on a final idea which we have presented within a prezi which is shown below. We had to then present this to the rest of our class and their feedback will allows us to tweak and change our idea to something a bit better.
Within some of the feedback we were given, people have said that they like the idea of our story and that it was very detailed, allowing them to clearly understand what our opening is going to be like. They have also said that they think our idea will create a lot of suspense and will keep the audience 'on the edge of their seats'.
However, our negative feedback that we have had include that they think our pitch didn't identify well enough what camera angles that we are going to use. They also have said that they were confused as to how our location is going to build enough suspense. We were also given advice to use various close up shots when our victim is under the bed.
We will be using within our thriller different camera angles allowing the audience to get a realistic view from the POV of the victim and of the captor. Furthermore, we will be using different locations within the house as hiding places, and to show the captors travel throughout the house looking for the victim.
Olivia Sharrock, Sophia Khan, Sophie Ongley, and Megan Rider
Within this analysis I will be looking at the camera angles, mise-en-scene, titles and music used in the AS Thriller Opening.
Firstly, the camera angles which are used within this opening are very
effective because they show every angle that the audience would want and need to see to not only know what is happening, but also to create suspense. The blurry effect used within the first shot, allows for the perspective of the main character to be recognised. The long shot from a birds eye view also allows the audience to see what is happening. With the character seen to be rather disorientated, the slight canted angle and blurry effect is used well. The long shot shows not only the character on the floor, but also a snippet of his surroundings. This then sets the scene for the audience and shows where the scene is taking place. This quickly cuts to a close up shot of the characters eyes, showing them rather squinted and again, disorientated. Quick cuts are then made from close ups to mid shots and also long shots, showing facial expressions reacting to an unknown tattoo, and the character standing up and exiting this setting. Further similar cuts are then made showing the character trying to contact his mum, to which there is no answer. The facial expressions and close ups used are allowed to create suspense because the audience will begin to feel scared for the forthcoming events. A quick close up shot of the character travelling on a skateboard in a different surrounding allows for the audience to then see that the character is no longer in the same setting that he was in earlier. This then creates suspense because it shows to the audience that there are different things in different places about to happen. An over the shoulder shot of a house then shows that the character is now walking towards his destination and that there may be things inside for him to discover. The same shot also shows
vehicles outside of the house. This then tells the audience that the property may be occupied which creates suspense. Mid and long shots are then used showing the male walking around the empty house. This creates suspense as it is unexpected and also leaves the audience feeling nervous as to what is going to happen. Furthermore, facial expressions used when showing close ups, mean that the audience are able to connect with the character and what they are feeling. Long shots of unknown posers of the characters tattoo on the wall then create suspense because it leaves the audience feeling confused and maybe even scared. Midshots then show the character crouching on the floor picking up and throwing news articles and letters which are all unknown to the audience. this the creates suspense because it may foreshadow later events within the film but due to it only being a short clip, this isn't clear to the audience. Furthermore, a close up of the characters face is seen in the final shot showing confused expressions. this is then used as a cliff-hanger which also confuses the audience and leaves them wanting more.
Sound is also a very good contribution to this thriller opening when creating a lot of suspense. For example, when the thriller starts, there is minimal non-diegetic music playing. However, when the camera angles and setting changes, there is also a change in the speed and tempo of the music. The tempo and pitch of the music then changes when the tattoo is shown to the camera. This then shows and insinuates that there is something about the tattoo which isn't normal. This then allows for the scene to create suspense. All throughout the opening, the non-diegetic music changes dependant on what is happening. The pitch tends to be either very high pitched or very low pitched when something big happens. The volume is also projected a lot louder, notifying the audience that it is something to be recognised.
This then creates suspense because it will leave the audience frightened and wondering why there is such noise.
The titles within this opening are very clear and bold allowing for the audience to be clear on what the film is called, and who was involved in the making of it. The opening begins with the company of the film makers being shown. This is large and dark, allowing it to foreshadow the tone of the opening. This is then followed by a title opening made by the students which is very professional. I like the idea of incorporating something like this within our opening, as it shows that we are creative and able to think outside of the box. The name of the film is also shown along side the back of the characters head when it is a POV shot. The font is clear, bright and bold. Although the font is white on a light background, it isn't too light, therefore still being visible and bold. Further into the opening, names begin to appear on the screen showing what people have taken part in what roles within the film. These are of smaller size and are white in colour. These then are also shown to appear and disappear gradually. The font is an obvious blocked font all in capitals, allowing the writing to stand out well.
The mise-en-scene used within this opening is very good because it creates a large amount of suspense. Costume and clothing within this is very simple but does create a lot of suspense because of how normal everything seems to be. The dark clothing also foreshadows from the outset, the theme of the thriller opening. Furthermore, the tattoo that is used as part of the costume and clothing is very effective because it isn't somethings that you expected to see. This is due to him being a 'young' male and him also being in unfamiliar surroundings. Furthermore, if a male was to have tattoos, there are no need to being attention to them. However, the fact that they have bought attention to a tattoo, creates the idea of branding/imprinting. Another use of mise-en-scene that is effective is an empty house. The empty house is very effective because it insinuates that the male has come home to his family household to find everything gone. This creates suspense because you don't know where the stuff has gone, what has happened or what is going to happen.
Inner Evil AS Media
by
Kristine Gulden
Titles are shown at the beginning of this thriller opening which make the opening look very professional. The use of bright colours of the badge against the dark background, makes the titles clear and bold. The transition into the dark 'Lionsgate' titles then foreshadows the theme and the overall feel of the thriller to come. The clear and bold white titles with a easy to read font allow for the wording to stand out. Even though
the writing is white, the light background doesn't make the writing invisible. The titles then show the name of the main character when she looks into the mirror. At this point the character is looking at herself as we discover who she is. I like the fact that these two things coincide and would think that this would look good within our thriller opening as well. However, at this point there is quite a problem with visibility where it comes to some of the names. Due to the font colour being white and the background being very light, it is rather difficult to make out what is on screen. The final titles on the thriller opening is the reveal of the film name. This is on a dark background and also clears up what the film is about.
Camera angles are very effective within this thriller opening because it helps create a lot of the suspense which is created. The opening begins with a moving shot of a close up of the main characters body. The shot then shows her face looking up at the camera with what seems to be a bullet hole in her forehead. This then creates suspense because the cause of this is unknown, leave the audience on the edge of suspense. This then switches to a shot of the charcter waking up. The close up of the females face shoes her expressions and panting. showing that its just a bad dream. Many different shots throughout the opening switch between close ups, Midshots and long shots. These then accentuates the things that play a big part within the opening. For example, a key which she has a vision about. All of these things that are highlighted, shows that there is something playing with her mind. This creates suspense as they constantly don't give away too much information, thus keeping the suspense high. Other examples include editing of different close ups over the top of the other to create a slight canted angles. Long shots also show the female looking over her shoulder and being paranoid, creating suspense to what might be there.
Within this blog, I will be analysing the film Sixth Sense on three different moments within the film that suspense was created. I will do this by looking at mise-en-scene, camera angles, editing and sound.
The first moment that created suspense is at the point beginning 34:33. Within this scene, Cole is sitting at his desk at school and is blowing his pencil back and fourth. The close up of just his face blowing the pencil back and fourth allows for the audience to be aware that there is something building up. It also allows the audience to be focussed specifically on what they need to be focussed on in order for suspense to be created. The silence within this scene also allows for suspense as there is just the diegetic sound of the pencil rolling. The next shot then shows a series of long shots of Cole's teacher within his classroom as a POV shot. The teacher of the class then begins to ask a number of questions about the history of their school. This then allows Cole to answer but however, he is seen to be incorrect even though he knows the is right. The POV shot os Cole then shows that the whole class including the teacher is giving Cole a very disapproving look based on his answer. This creates suspense because it allows the audience to feel almost humiliated the same way as Cole would. Also, these disapproving looks spiral into the thing that makes Cole snap. The match on action quick cuts then show the conversation between the teacher and Cole, always using mid shots to display facial expressions clear enough but also the reaction of body language. The mid shot then shows the final disapproving look which leads to the suspense being created as it is the beginning of a scary moment within the film. The silence within the scene also makes the environment very uneasy, as the audience is almost waiting for something
to happen. The silence allows for a jumpy moment which may be unexpected.
Something else also unexpected is the mise-en-scene. The mise-en-scene of a normal classroom, with children in uniform and a teacher in professional clothing, makes the audience also feel uneasy. This may be due to the connotation that children have when it comes to scary films, or the fact that the school is so innocent there is nothing that could happen which would be scary or unnerving. The POV shot of the teacher then shows the facial expressions of Cole as he asks the teacher not to look at him in that way. As the audience already knows that there is something rather scary about Cole anyway, they also know that if Cole gets angry something bad may happen. This is why the visibility of Cole facial expressions becoming angry is very effective. This also creates suspense because it's as if the audience have to wait and see what is going to happen to him. The sound of Cole shouting also makes the audience surprised as he seems like a very innocent little boy. The volume of him shouting also creates suspense because they can tell that he is about to 'snap', they just don't know in what way. The same camera angle is kept as Cole begins to get angrier, shouting at the teacher 'You're a Stuttering Stanley'. This then makes the teacher angry which is seen from the POV shout from Cole. There is also now non-diegetic sound being used within the scene which is rather unnoticeable at the beginning. It is of low tone and low volume but also a moderately high pitched. As Cole repeatedly shouts 'Stuttering Stanley' at the teacher, the cuts between the two POV shots become quicker. The facial expressions become more and more disturbing from both Cole and the teacher as the teachers stutter becomes very noticeable. At this point, the non-diegetic sound grows louder and faster and becomes more of a very high pitch. This creates suspense as the music is used as a build up, which then leaves the audience waiting to see what is going to happen. The sound then becomes at it's highest pitch when there is an extreme clos up of Cole's mouth as he screams 'Stuttering Stanley'. This all builds suspense as the audience
are waiting for something bad to happen. Then a POV shot from Cole shows the teacher getting extremely angry and banging his hand down on the desk which makes every one jump. This is then seen to be what the suspense was building up to as he shouts at Cole 'SHUT UP YOU FREAK'. This then reaffirms to Cole what everyone thinks of him. The POV shot from Cole showing the teacher very angry is scary as it is unexpected.
Within a thriller opening there are four different conventions that are featured. They are storylines, titles, music and camera angles. Within the different types of thrillers, they will be adapted to suit the type of thriller that is being featured. Within this blog I will be talking about the conventions of a psychological thriller opening within the film 'Black Swan'.
The first convention of storyline is rather simple within this opening title. It shows what seems to be a woman's hand using charcoal to draw a picture. The dark colour of the charcoal foreshadows the fact that the drawing is going to be of a black swan. The fact that it is also a woman's hand that looks very feminine, foreshadows that the main character in the film is a female ballet dancer that aims to dance the famous swan lake performance. This opening scene also links to the genre of it being a psychological thriller. This being the look of the hand drawing is rather hypnotic and entrancing. The idea of hypnosis is very common within psychotic treatments.
Another convention of a thriller opening is titles. Within this opening scene titles are very subtle but also rather effective. They begin to appear at the very beginning of the scene on a black background with a bold font but light colour. The font all being in capital letters foreshadows how bold that the film may be. As the first set of titles fade away letter by letter rather quickly, the charcoal in hand appears. Whilst the charcoal is in the woman's hand, more titles appear and then disappear the same way as the previous did. This then continues until the end of the title sequence, repeating each time, the appearance and disappearance of the titles. At the end of the titles, when the music becomes very loud and startling, the words 'Black Swan' appear on the screen in the same font and colour as previously used with the other titles. This then attracts the audience into watching the film because it builds and creates suspense. The use of the harsh font also foreshadows the theme and feel of the rest of the film.
Camera angles is another convention of a thriller opening. This is used within this opening as a close up for the whole scene. The close up of the hand drawing with charcoal doesn't yet reveal the identity of the person drawing but leave a lot to the imagination, by using a feminine hand with dainty fingers. This then foreshadows the fact that there is going to be a ballet dancer as the main character and the dainty finger also contrasts to the sorts of things that the character will be facing within the film.
The final convention of a thriller opening is music. This plays a very big part within this scene as it is used with the sound track of swan lake. This then foreshadows that the film is going to be based around the ballet production of swan lake. The music starts off very subtle at the beginning, playing a good role along side the feminine hand within the scene. The music then begins to speed up, as does the hand. This then leads to the thickness of the charcoal increasing and the gentle strokes of the hand becoming more aggressive. The music runs parallel to this theme by becoming louder, stronger and again, more aggressive. This can be seen in the picture above this. you can see the charcoal is very thick and has indeed snapped due to the force that has been used. This can then insinuate that the female character within this film is also going to 'snap' due to the pressure she is being put under; just like the charcoal. At the end of the scene, the music becomes very bold, loud and even
scary when the titles 'Black Swan' is being shown. This the juxtaposes the way that a swan is usually seen and ballet is usually portrayed.
Within a thriller opening there are four different conventions that are featured. They are storylines, titles, music and camera angles. Within the different types of thrillers, they will be adapted to suit the type of thriller that is being featured. Within this blog I will be talking about the conventions of a horror thriller opening. Within this blog I will be analysing the film opening of 'Insidious'.
Within the opening of 'Insidious' music plays a huge part in order to create the feel that is intended. At the beginning of the film opening there is low tone build up music which stays at a steady and gradual pace within the scene as the camera pans across a room. At 0.52 seconds within this scene the music then changes very suddenly and dramatically to a sharp and high pitch violin which is playing at a very fast pace. This instantly creates a lot more intensity within the scene as it makes you wonder what the music is building up to. As this begins to create to suspense, it is hard to see but there is a change with the setting in the room. It is shown that there is a shadow in the window. This is clear to see and is obvious that this influences the change in music but the whole lighting of the room is still very dark which gives the scene more of an intense feel because it is a shadow of someone standing outside a young boys window in the middle of the night. The music then builds up as the camera approaches the window and the figure standing outside the window moves away in the right direction. The speed of the music picks up and gets faster and faster. Gradually, as the camera
is panning off to the right, the music slows down and it quietens. As the camera turns right and shows the face of a very scary old woman, the music stops altogether. Then as the picture of the old woman fades away, the title of the film appears very quick and bold, accompanied by the same high pitched screeching violin as previous except it is a lot louder, almost intending to make the audience jump. This then foreshadows the rest of the film, showing that it's going to be jumpy and scary, and that the old woman is going to be a significant figure within the film.
Another convention of a thriller opening is the storyline. Within this opening the storyline foreshadows the storyline of the main film. This is down by showing a boy asleep in bed which is where in the main film he becomes within a comatose state. The camera then pans along the hallway where the old woman is seen standing. Within the main film, she is the reason as to why the boy wend up within this comatose state so this then again links to the foreshadowing. The storyline then allows the audience to se that from the off, the film is going to be very scary. This then allows for suspense to see if the rest of the film is as good as the opening and intrigues people into wanting know why the boy is in bed and why/who the old woman is.
Titles are also another convention of a thriller opening. Within this
opening scene, there is a very small amount of title, but there is just enough for it to be effective. The first title you see is the name of the director of the film James Wan. This is shown on the only light in the whole of the opening scene. This is then rotated around to reveal that is on the lamp shade of the light in the little boy's room. The rotation can have a connotation of how peoples heads spin and rotate 180 degrees when they are possessed by demons; the same way that the lamp rotates 180 degrees. Another section of the scene that contains titles is the final few seconds of the scene where the music builds up to reveal that title of the film 'Insidious' in blood red lettering. The bold, bright appearance of the titles shows that the film is something to be feared, with the colour red representing danger, anger and blood (pictured above). Furthermore, the font of the title is somewhat spiked. This can show some sort of foreshadowing to the spiked teeth that are seen within the mouth of the 'red demon' which terrorises the life of the family within the film.
The final of the four conventions of a thriller opening are camera angles. Camera angles within an opening are very important because they shape the impression that they are trying to give and it point your focus in the direction that they want you to look. This is seen within the Insidious opening at the beginning when there is a close up of the lampshade of the young boys light in his bedroom (pictured above). This then makes you focus and realise on the fact that as I previously explained, this light is the only light within the whole scene and setting of this opening. The next camera angle to be effectively used is the long shot that is shown of the boy laying in bed asleep. This shows the mise-en-scene that emphasises that it is a young boy because you can see he has colourful bed sheets. This camera angle also makes it obvious that he is the focus of the film because he is the only thing within the shot that is shown as colourful whilst everything else is dark. Furthermore, this is emphasised because he is in the centre of the shot. As the camera then pans away from the boy, there are close-ups
shown of his lava lamp and various other toys which again, places the emphasis on the fact that he is a young boy. Further on, there is a 180 degree rule of the living room which shows a figure standing at one of the window. As the camera continues on it's path through the house, the figure slowly walks away as the camera gets closer to the window. This shows that there is something there to focus on, and leaves the audience wondering what the figure is. The camera shot all the way through the house is a P-O-V (point of view) shot which shows what it would be like if the audience were a person walking through the house themselves. This allows the audience to get into the film better and feel more involved because they are within the film. As the camera is being walked through the house it takes a turn to the right once the figure has moved away from the window. The turn to the right from the camera shot reveals a long shot of a dark hallway with only a small amount of lighting of which comes from a candle. This candle is seen to be held by the old woman. This is only shown to the audience as the camera gets closer and closer to the old woman at the end of the hall. The close up of the old women's face reveals how scary she is and that she is quite obviously going to be a big part within the film. As the face of the old woman fades, the title 'Insidious' is shown on the screen. The titles are seen to flicker like candle light which refers back to the previous close up of the old woman holding the candle. Furthermore, the editing of the flicker can make the audience feel rather scared because if you were in a house that you knew to be haunted with just a candle light, it would be very scary.
Within our preliminary task we have used the techniques of match on action, shot reverse shot and 180 degree rule. The use of match on action where Balinder walks through the door one side and come through it the other side shows how the action will look from both perspectives. This makes the filming more fluid and natural and will allow the audience to feel like they have all the information they need because they've seen the scene from all possible angles. Another camera angle that we have used is 180 degree rule. This is used where Balinder approaches Aimee and starts they conversation. This gives an overview of the scene and allows the audience to understand what is happening. The final camera angle that we have used is shot reverse shot. This was used in order to show the conversation between Aimee and Balinder. The use of this shot makes the conversation flow better and seem for natural. Furthermore, within shot reverse shot, unlike 180 degree rule, there is a mid-shot which is used. This allows the audience to view better the actor's facial expressions and how they are feeling at that point in the conversation. Within our preliminary task we have also used titles sty the beginning just to outline to the audience what the video is and who created it. Furthermore, we have added credits at the end to make it look more professional and to show who the characters were within the clip. We have also used a transition from where Balinder walks through the door to when she starts to talk to Aimee. This makes the clip look seamless and makes it flow a lot better and more naturally just as it would in a normal everyday conversation.
Within a thriller opening there are many different conventions that make a thriller opening the best that it can be. One of these things is the storyline. To have a good thriller opening the storyline need to be intriguing and captivating. For example, a storyline that grabs the attention of an audience would include things such as suspense, excitement and action.
One film that does this is Gone Girl. In the opening scene, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is seen stroking his wife, Amy Dunne's hair (Rosamund Pike). She then looks up at Nick with a blank expression on her face and just stares at him. This can be seen as rather creepy due to Nick seen to be loving and Amy being portrayed as acting quite cold towards him because of it. If Amy was seen to have a smile on her face when she looked up, it would be seen as sweet and loving. Furthermore, the storyline of the first scene matches the final scene of the film. This then foreshadows that the end of the film will be just as sinister as the begin.
Another convention of a thriller opening is titles. This then gives information about the film to the audience at the opening. This is an important convention because it means that the font and transition of how the font appears and disappears can create an effect as to the mood that is created within the film. For example, if a font is bold and bright then it would give more of a happier mood and feel about the film (Juno). However, in a thriller film, the font will need to be darker and sleeker in order to create a more tense feel and introduction to the film (Sin City & American Horror Story).
Camera angles are also a very important convention of a thriller opening. For example, in the opening to a clockwork orange, it shows the characters sitting in the distance. The camera then being to zoom in and focus on the four focussed characters eliminating more and more of their surrounding until the audience can only see the face of the main character Alex (Malcolm McDowell). The focus on the characters face whilst showing a sadistic and sly look on his face allows the audience to realise that the oncoming film will be rather sadistic and sly like Alex's face is implying.
The final convention is music. Within a thriller opening the music could be of rather low volume gradually building up to a loud intense music. The type of music that would be used could either be very high pitched to give a make the audience think about almost a frightening/screeching idea or very low pitched and low volume which would become very loud and bold when the main title is shown. Both of these ideas of music show suspense and will be more likely to keep the audience intrigued.
There are many reasons behind why I decided to take Media Studies as an A-Level. One of these reasons are my passion for English. Media Studies includes a wide variety of different English skills within the course. One of these being analytical skills. I love being able to pick apart different types of texts and different types of media, allowing me to find out different reasons behind the media and reasons for why the publisher decided that that would be the best type of media to use. Another reason for why I chose A-Level Media is because I find the world of Media Studies very interesting. Being able to watch, listen and read different forms of media is something that I find informative and captivating. The idea of being able to create my own forms of media is very exciting to me. Also, I love the fact that I will be able to use the skills I have learnt inside the lesson, outside of the lesson. For example, when I am listening to my music, watching television, watching films or reading magazine. An addition reason as to why I decided to take Media Studies as an A-Level is because I believe it will be a great subject to aid my university application. Due to wanting to study Primary Education and English at Reading University, I believe that my skills will be able to project into my university course when I am studying english. Furthermore, I would like to be able to gain my PGCE degree and go on to teach in secondary schools. With my english degree in hand, I will be qualified to teach English. I believe that with my Media A-Level that I hope to gain at the end of this year, I will be able to teach Media Studies also to GCSE and A-Level student. Therefore, Media Studies as an A-Level is opening my opportunities that I have later on in life.
