Thriller
Questionare What
location would you like to see for in a thriller?
-Urban road -Forest -Avenue -Park -County lane
What
kind of villain would you want?
-Male -Female -Doesn’t matter
What
kind of person would be a good victim?
-Adult male -Adult female -Young male -Young female
What
theme would you like as a thriller?
-Crime -Action -Detective -Science Fiction
What
type of music?
-Mysterious -Sad-Heroic -Contemporary/Mainstream
I came up with a questionnaire for my thriller to find out what would be the best theme/characters and location for it. I emailed 20 people and recieved 18 responses. The words in green are the options that most people picked for each question.
The music is predominantly string and remains in only a few deep notes; minor chords, which emphasises wonder and amazement in secrecy. The music suddenly builds with the rattling of symbols and drums as the title for 'KING KONG' appears and four loud note scale down at the end with the string orchestra. This makes the title look bold and striking by giving it a sense of menace and danger.
Fades are used in between each title so that the picture changes are not as sudden. This is done to convey wonder and to leave the surprise for the main title of King Kong.
The colour black is used for the back of the title in order make the title appear bold and antagonistic.
Camera:
The first shot establishes the location: Gotham City (Urban buildings.) The camera also zoom-pans towards a particular building where a window is smashed. The next shot shows the cause of the broken window- a man with a harpoon.
The camera stays on one side of the 180 degree line. The line is marked by the zip chord which the bad guys use to get across to the roof of the opposite building. The rule is kept in the first scene so that it gives the audience a chance to adjust to the movie. If the rule was not obeyed in this instance the scene would be too confusing and people would not be able to relax enough in order to watch. The opening sequence is therefore very important for grabbing the audiences attention, by giving an impression of what to expect throughout the film.
The next shot is a low mid-shot which zooms in on the back of the character by the road waiting to be picked up. The main part of the image which the audience is drawn to is the clown mask so that they can identify on what side (baddies or goodies) the person is without revealing their face.
It creates a sense of curiosity and suspicion. Sound:
The sound begins with a deep boom and then a ticking noise and one long string like note as the first shot appears after the titles. This gives a good introduction to the film by creating tenshion which increases expectations of the audience for an exciting movie.
As soon as the window is smashed, the music builds and the ticking noise gets louder. A second low boom occurs when the shot changes again and the music dies down to the same simple long note as before for more suspense. The car pulls over and the music goes into an electric guitar/violin like sound.
The sounds is most used to increase tension and excitement during the clip. Every so often the music increases or decreases in volume when either a scene changes or a door is opened, e.g. one of the bad guys opens the door to the room with the safe and the music quietens immediately. Editing:
Computer graphics are used for the titles at the beginning. The colour blue is used in the logos and the flames to show aggression.
Cuts are fast at points of action to create tension.
The overall editing is seldom, so that is doesn't distract the audience from the narrative and the action. Mise En Scene:
The location is urban as shown in the establishing shot.
Props, e.g. the clown face masks, are used to resemble the main villain 'The Joker' (Heath Ledger) so that the audience knows who's side they're on. The idea of wearing a mask indicates that they are guilty, i.e. bad guys.
Guns are used in scenes of action. Other weapons such as the grenade that was given to one of the civilians. The concept of a life threatening event means that the audience is excited by what would happen next.
Titles shown in the Opening Sequence:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Legendary Pictures
DC Comics
People Involved:
Director:
Christopher Nolan
Producer:
Christopher Nolan
Emma Thomas
Charles Roven
Written by:
Christopher Nolan
David S. Goyer
Actors:
Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Heath Ledger
Gary Oldman
Aaron Eckhart
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Morgan Freeman
Music by:
Hans Zimmer
James Newton Howard
Photography by:
Wally Pfister
Editing by:
Lee Smith
Produced by:
Legendary Pictures
Syncopy Films
DC Comics
Distributed by:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Camera:
Throughout the sequence clip, close-up shots are used, mainly on props, e.g. the typewriter and the parcel.
The camera's angle is kept low so that the characters aren't revealed until later on which portrays mystery and emphasizes clues to the plot. The main focus of the camera is on the parcel so that the audience is drawn to it in question 'what is inside the parcel?' The camera angle is also used to hide whoever gave the parcel to the woman who later interacts with Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.)
The establishing shot of the cathedral is used to indicate the location and era. Sound:
The music is the first sound to be heard, starting with a subtle violin which fades into a repetitive guitar plucking/strumming then a cello and a piano melody which comes in when the titles are removed to the scene with the magnifying glass. The music brings suspense at the beginning which captures the audiences attention.
The sound of the typewrite is used also to give the audience an idea of what year it is which is confirmed by the dialogue as '1891'.
This next part of sound is non-diegetic dialogue as the Sherlock's assistant (Jude Law) is at the typewriter telling us what he is writing about, but because his lips don't move, it implies that he is thinking.
The narrative dialogue gives a good introduction to the film which keeps the audience patiently waiting for the first bit of action. The dialogue ends as the establishing shot of the cathedral leads into an bomb explosion, immediately grasping the audience's full attention through the excitement and thrill of the action. The sound of the bomb explosion is clearly made louder than normal so that it is most exciting.
Ambient sounds in the market and off the newspaper seller are again used to refer to the location, the time and bombing event: when, where and what.
The music becomes a full string orchestral piece as the tension and excitement increases. Editing:
So far the editing is subtle.
The titles at the beginning are part of an animation of a book.
The takes are long in the first half of the clip lasting approximately 8-20 seconds each. The cuts then become faster when the first shot of Sherlock Holmes is shown, lasting barely 8 seconds until the camera shot where the two main characters meet. The cuts are spaced out more onwards.
The cuts are fastest at the points most thrilling and action packed so that no excitement is lost, however to my surprise I found that the bomb explosion was on a long take, which worked well because it allowed time for the audience to think about the bomb explosion and it's significance. Had the shot been very short, the event would not have been easily remembered. Mise En Scene:
The props on the desk are used to represent when, where and what; the typewriter and the magnifying glass.
Clothing is traditional fashion of the 1890's.
The location is is shown in the establishing shots of the market and the cathedral, typical buildings of the age.
Here are the researched people involved in the production and distribution of the film:
Directed by:
Guy Ritchie
Produced by:
Joel Silver
Lionel Wigram Susan Downey
Dan Lin
Written by:
Kieran Mulroney
Michele Mulroney
Actors:
Robert Downey Jr.
Jude Law
Noomi Rapace
Jared Harris
Stephen Fry
Kelly Reilly
Rachel McAdams
Music by:
Hans Zimmer
Cinematography:
Philippe Rousselot
Editing by:
James Herbert
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures (Time Warner Produced by: Village Roadshow Pictures Silver Pictures The titles that appear are only The production and distributing companies' logos. Warner Bros. Pictures is in serif font Village Roadshow Pictures is in sans serif font.
Camera:
The shots in the opening scene are extreme close ups, so the audience cannot see who is the person. By focussing only on the hands, it intrigues the audience to want to know who it is at work. By only showing small parts of a location such as this (Only showing one particular prop) it indicates that what the audience is looking at is important during the rest of the film. For example, we only are seeing the construction of a book, hand sown and with photos cut and stuck in. This tells us that the prop will be referred to regularly throughout the film, even if only in dialogue. Sound:
In the clip, the main sound that is heard is a music track with percussion; scratchy sounds which are tied in with a repetitive drum beat. There are also electronic sounds and synthesizer noises. The music builds on the beat until just over half way through, it becomes louder as more sounds begin to be played. All these sounds are used to represent the picture, e.g. we see hands piecing together a book or diary and the sounds are mechanical, which grasps the audience's attention and makes them think we are in the 'hands' of an unfriendly, almost disturbing character. Editing:
A great deal of editing is used in this opening scene: Many of the shots have been divided and superimposed at different angles to separate them and give this edgy effect. The titles of course are superimposed. The cuts are paced with the music; they have short to mid takes then very short takes when all the sound types are played straight after the other. The shots gradually get short and cut faster as the opening scene progresses.
The shots become faster in order to bring suspense and therefore tension to the audience. Mise En Scene:
The set is shot so close up that it is almost impossible to identify where it is. This cleverly allows the audience to maintain interest throughout the long intro so that they will continue to watch.
The opening scene shows props:
photos
book
written notes
sowing needles filmstrip.
Presented by New Line Cinema
Arnold Kopelson Production
Directed by David Fincher
Actors:
Brad Pitt
Morgan Freeman
Gwyneth Paltrow
Richard Roundtree
R.Lee.Ermey
John C.McGinley
Julie Araskog
Mark Boome Junior
John Cassini
Reginald E.Cathey
Peter Crambie
James Hawthorne
Michael Massee
Leland Orser
Richard Portnow
Richard Schiff
Pamala Tyson
Cast:
Billy Hopkins
Suzanne Smith
Kerry Borden
Music:
Howard Shore
Costume Deginer:
Michael Kaplan
Editer:
Richard Francis-Bruce
Production Designer:
Arthur Max
Photo Director:
Darius Khondji
Co Producers:
Stephen Brown
Nana Greenwald
Sanford Panitch
Co Executive Producers:
Lynn Harris
Richard Saperstein
Executive Producers:
Gianni Nunnari
Dan Kolsrud
Anne Kopelson
Written by:
Andrew Kevin Walker
Produced by Arnold Kopelson
Phyllis Carlyle
The titles are very sans serif in a handwritten style. The words jerk about and are placed mainly on one or the other side of the screen. Large letter dart across the screen to demonstrate an old style film.
The shots are very rough and the camera flickers in and between titles. The titles also flicker to a larger size and lines can be noticed across the screen. This clearly shows that the style they are aiming for is of an old early american film genre of the 1950s. However the film is set in the 1990s.
Bourne Identity Fight Scene. Camera:
The camera is often close to the action so that it draws the audience into the fight. The camera movement is frantic which enhances the motion of the two actors. The 180 degree rule is broken to create a sense of disorientation. The camera swivels so that the audience can see a 360 degree view of the fight and where it's taking place. The camera angles allow some conflict to be hidden; the fake punching and kicking.
Sound:
The music play track is percussion; drum beats and clicking noises which create suspense by giving an element of time and its' relation to the beating and kicking of the two men.
The sound effects for the beating and kicking are in fact enhanced in order to balance well with the track and to draw the audience in.
Editing:
Cuts are short and fast paced to keep the pace of action at a high level.
Mise En Scene:
The set is an apartment where Jason Bourne (Matt Damen) stayed used cleverly to tie into the plot line that Treadstone (The head office of the enemy assassin) are looking for Bourne, yet there is an essence of the apartment being Bourne's territory 'his defence for his property and the woman depend on the fight'.
Both actors are wearing baggy thick clothing to show that they are tough.
In one of our lessons we watched a thriller- The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer 1995) the whole way through, but the main part we took notes on was of course the opening scene.
We discussed what gives a film the name 'thriller' on the basis of camera, editing, sound and mise en scene.
We noted that the camera involved many close-ups and were used at an angle so that not all of a set was revealed including characters who played an important role, particularly in the opening scene, e.g. the character who is Keyser Soze was not revealed until the end of the film. Also the 180 degree rule was broken many times throughout the film in tense action to create that sense of disorientation as I have mentioned before.
The editing was simplistic but cuts were notably much shorter and faster, especially in fight scenes.
The sound involved many loud noises, e.g. shouting, cars etc. which were used to give a sense of busy urban lifestyle and a panicked atmosphere.
Finally the mise en scene was mostly urban, e.g. offices and block buildings, but also at sea. Sets were dark including the first scene to create mystery. But altogether there was a large range of locations and sets, costumes, e.g. leather jackets and suits and t shirts.
Thrillers have many sub genres it seems that are all tightly packed into either an action packed plot line or a more relaxed but mysterious plot line. There is always conflict within a thriller.
