Unit G321 evaluation of your thriller
1) Our film uses, develops and challenges the forms and conventions of thriller films. Our film was primarily inspired and influenced by gangster thrillers, (predominantly ‘Essex boys’ and ‘Lock, stock and two smoking barrels’). These helped to influence our gritty, unglamorous location (a desolate track surrounded by three empty crates). We were also inspired by the sewer scene in ‘The Third Man’ and tried to recreate the sense of the moral descent of Harry Lime in our character Sam by filming him dying in a dirty puddle. We were also influenced by the Femme Fatale character in ‘Jackie Brown’, ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Psycho’ when developing the character Monika. For example, Hitchcock uses sequence in Psycho in which Marion Crane changes her underwear from white to black, which represents her decision to be deviant. This inspired us to film Monika getting ready to kill Sam by putting on a pink/red lipstick, which signifys her sexuality and the danger that lies ahead. Our costume for Monika was also strongly influenced by these three films and included stiletto heels, a high waisted skirt and fishnet tights. We chose to use a piece of classical music over our film by Richard Strauss (‘the last song’), as it is a piece of music recognised as being about morality (similar to the issues raised in our film). The music also links to our character Sam, and his dreams of being a composer, which he did not live to fulfil. Our choice of music was so influential to the dynamic of the film we decided to include it in the films title, ‘Monika’s Last Song’.
2) Our Thriller film represents women as strong, powerful characters and has feminist influences when representing gender. Although our research showed that our audience preferred a male lead in a thriller we decided this was only chosen because it was the most familiar and instead we chose a strong, femme fatale (Monika). Our challenging of gender stereotypes is established in the high angle close-up opening shots which portray our lead male Sam as a victim. Our film is set in Norwich, England and does not portray the area in a positive light. For instance, we purposely used no cultural signifiers and explored the issue of identity in the English culture by the way Monika turns to illegal drugs and violence because she does not feel British (this can be seen in the scene where she uses an identity card to cut her cocaine, which she then tosses aside). The rising issues of assault and gang violence in Britain are also presented in the killing of Sam.
3) Our thriller film would be distributed by a media institution such as Multiplex because the film was made to suit and be available to a wide target audience and is therefore more mainstream. It is likely our film could have funding problems and therefore we could use social network sites, sites like YouTube, and sites such as LoveFilm as a way of distributing our film to a wide audience and offering a way of downloading the film to an MP4. This could be very successful as we have an aged 18-25 demographic and this type of audience is the most likely to be familiar with and use such technology. We could also distribute the film straight to a DVD, including BluRay.
4) Our target audience is males and females aged between 18 and 25 and mostly working or middle class as they would tend to empathise the most with the main character Monika and her more difficult upbringing and sitituations that occur in the film, for instance the involvement in drugs because of a struggle with money. Our target audience would also be interested in some ambiguity (for example in the beginning of our film it is not clear who the characters are and why they are fighting). Our target audience would be interested in contemporary gritty thrillers such as ‘Fight club’ and ‘Seven’ as these deal with similar issues and characters to our own film, and older classics like Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ and Carol Reed’s ‘The third man’, as the audience would enjoy recognising the references to them and the way they have influenced our film. Other films our audience might enjoy are ‘Lock stock and two smoking barrels’, ‘Essex boys’ and ‘The third man’ because they are of a similar ganster/thriller genre.
5) We attracted our target audience by basing our film on the results of the questionnaires. We chose an Monica, an attractive woman, as our main character as she appeals to a female audience through ability the empathise and in some respects aspire to be, but she also appeals to man as she is sexually attractive, interesting and has the agrresive aspects that would traditionally be found in a male lead role. We chose not to use a voice over to help the audience to empathise with Monica because we wanted to give a sense of mystery towards the beginning of the film and a effective voice over would require extremely good acting, which we found difficult to find in a short space of time. However our opening scene does help define Monica as a character, with a classic femme fatale like sequence of her looking extremely vulnerable as she puts on her make up in a badly lit room, which will later surprise the audience when her darker side is revealed. Our target audience would be familiar with gangster thrillers films (such as “Lock, Stock…” and “Essex Boys”) and the influences from these would meet the audiences generic expectations of this genre of film. The action in our film (for instance the violent scene showing Sam’s death) would grip the audiences attention and indicates that there is more action that will follow. We also took the risk of using the classical piece of music ‘The Last Song’ (Richard Strauss), as it is an interesting contrast to the action the audience are watching and is not what our demographic would be familiar with or used to, and therefore would add interest. It also helps the film from looking cheap and instead more classic.
6) The process of constructing our thriller film has taught me a lot about how to use different technologies. I have learnt about the conviences of using digital cameras, especially since we were shooting in difficult locations. I have also learnt that to keep a film visually interesting, there is a need for a range of and a variety of diverse camera angles and shot types. I have also learnt that a scene can be dramatic and effective without the use of lots of extreme close ups. I have also learnt how to use the editing software Adobe Première Elements, and skills on this such as how to edit diagetic sound without it seeming unnatural. The importance of continuity in our narrative structure has taught me how to achieve a good quality film using the editing software. I have found the fade in/out effects on the software extrmemly useful and this has lead to in my opinion the most effective part of the film where there is a flashback of Monica and Sam over the top of the scene where she is washing his blood from her hands.
7) The progression between the preliminary task and our finished thriller film has helped me to learn how to work constructively in a group when planning, shooting and editing a film and how to plan a filming schedule. I have also learnt the importance of filming the same scene in lots of different ways until everyone is satisfied with the outcome, as there are some obvious improvements that could be made in the Preliminary and less obvious mistakes in the thriller as we obviously tried to perfect it a lot more. I think the strength of our film is the mis-en-scene, for example the femme fatale costume and the objects such as the identity card and the metrodome (influenced by the beginning scene of Seven). We achieved continuity when editing and a range of effects in our film. The thing I have learnt the most from the whole process is that when shooting and editing a film it is important to be flexible and work with and around changes. We had to change our entire cast due to reliability and our original story board featured only one location and a car, which was an unrealistic prop to aspire to use.
Monday, 30 March 2009
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
G321 thriller research. Case Study. Pulp Fiction
Name: Pulp Fiction
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Date Released: 21 October 1994 (UK)
Made in: USA
Awards: Won Oscar. Another 43 wins & 40 nominations
Overall as a film, Pulp Fiction has many of the codes and conventions of a thriller. For instance, the majority of scenes are in unglamorous settings, and the themes in the film include identity, gangster crime, drugs and sex.
I will be discussing two scenes that represent this thriller influence, ‘Mia’s adrenalin shot’ and ‘Butch, in taxi after fight', and the film as a whole and how it has influenced the thriller genre.
Mia's adrenalin shot...
(Vincent finds Mia after she has overdosed and drives her to his dealer’s house for help. They decide to give her an adrenalin shot but neither have done this before.)
Tarantino uses an extreme close up of two hands on the syringe, and this zooms to an even further close up of the needle of the syringe. This helps to build tension and scare the audience. There is then a point of view high angle shot of Mia unconscious. Tarantino uses a close up of the red magic marker blotch (used to show where the needle will be inserted) on Mia’s heart/bust. This red colour signifies danger. This scene objectifies Mia, and causes her to appear vulnerable, as we literally know where her heart is. Mia also appears as exposed, as her shirt has been ripped open and her underwear is revealed. It also signifies Mia’s deviance and her sexuality.
Tarantino uses a countdown to three to increase the tension: 1) close up of Mia’s bloody face, Vincent panting, zoom into face, needle. 2) Two men’s faces, extreme close up of pen mark. 3) Close up of Vincent’s face, raised hand.
As the needle is stabbed into Mia, she awakes and there is a close up of her face as her eyes open wide and she screams. This helps to shock the audience, as the shot is so quick in contrast to the slow countdown.
Butch, in taxi after fight.
Tarantino uses a black and white background outside of the taxi as an inter-textual reference to film noir. Tarantino uses gender reversal, as the taxi driver is female. The driver (Esmeralda) is a typical femme fatale. Men killing men intrigue her and her appearance is very sexual. She is also surrounded by smoke (this can also be seen in female characters in other thrillers, such as Fight Club).
Tarantino raises the issue of Butch’s identity in this scene. Tarantino uses the sentence “I’m an American honey, our names don’t mean shit”. This shows that Butch feels he has a lack of an individual identity and his only identity is that he is an American.
Esmeralda is a more contemporary representation of a femme fatale. She is similar to the ‘Buffy’ (the vampire slayer) character in that she represents contemporary women, for example her tradionally masculine job (taxi driver). Her words are darker and in some ways less obviously sexual than, for example, Mia’s (for instance, “So what does it feel like to kill a man with your bare hands? It's a topic I'm very interested in.”). Esmeralda’s costume is less sexual than Mia’s. Her character represents an independant woman who still maintains her sexuality. She also has the mystery of a femme fatale, for example she says she is from Columbia, which is a referral to cocaine as it is where it is mostly made. Mia is a contrast to many of the original femme fatales and shows the way feminism has changed the way women can be presented.
The film as a whole
The whole film is extremely modern for its time, especially when it's pop culture and cinematic references are considered. The (non-linear) unconventional structure has helped it lead to being named one of the most influental postmodernist influences in cinema. Tarantino used this film to influence many others, such as Reserviour dogs (Vincent from pulp fiction is brothers with Vic "mr. Blonde" Vega, and Tarantino uses the fictional resturant 'Big Kuhuna Burger' in both films. There are similar links to 'Jackie Brown', for instance Jackie Brown wears exactly the same suit as Mia's and drives the same model Honda as Butch.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Date Released: 21 October 1994 (UK)
Made in: USA
Awards: Won Oscar. Another 43 wins & 40 nominations
Overall as a film, Pulp Fiction has many of the codes and conventions of a thriller. For instance, the majority of scenes are in unglamorous settings, and the themes in the film include identity, gangster crime, drugs and sex.
I will be discussing two scenes that represent this thriller influence, ‘Mia’s adrenalin shot’ and ‘Butch, in taxi after fight', and the film as a whole and how it has influenced the thriller genre.
Mia's adrenalin shot...
(Vincent finds Mia after she has overdosed and drives her to his dealer’s house for help. They decide to give her an adrenalin shot but neither have done this before.)
Tarantino uses an extreme close up of two hands on the syringe, and this zooms to an even further close up of the needle of the syringe. This helps to build tension and scare the audience. There is then a point of view high angle shot of Mia unconscious. Tarantino uses a close up of the red magic marker blotch (used to show where the needle will be inserted) on Mia’s heart/bust. This red colour signifies danger. This scene objectifies Mia, and causes her to appear vulnerable, as we literally know where her heart is. Mia also appears as exposed, as her shirt has been ripped open and her underwear is revealed. It also signifies Mia’s deviance and her sexuality.
Tarantino uses a countdown to three to increase the tension: 1) close up of Mia’s bloody face, Vincent panting, zoom into face, needle. 2) Two men’s faces, extreme close up of pen mark. 3) Close up of Vincent’s face, raised hand.
As the needle is stabbed into Mia, she awakes and there is a close up of her face as her eyes open wide and she screams. This helps to shock the audience, as the shot is so quick in contrast to the slow countdown.
Butch, in taxi after fight.
Tarantino uses a black and white background outside of the taxi as an inter-textual reference to film noir. Tarantino uses gender reversal, as the taxi driver is female. The driver (Esmeralda) is a typical femme fatale. Men killing men intrigue her and her appearance is very sexual. She is also surrounded by smoke (this can also be seen in female characters in other thrillers, such as Fight Club).
Tarantino raises the issue of Butch’s identity in this scene. Tarantino uses the sentence “I’m an American honey, our names don’t mean shit”. This shows that Butch feels he has a lack of an individual identity and his only identity is that he is an American.
Esmeralda is a more contemporary representation of a femme fatale. She is similar to the ‘Buffy’ (the vampire slayer) character in that she represents contemporary women, for example her tradionally masculine job (taxi driver). Her words are darker and in some ways less obviously sexual than, for example, Mia’s (for instance, “So what does it feel like to kill a man with your bare hands? It's a topic I'm very interested in.”). Esmeralda’s costume is less sexual than Mia’s. Her character represents an independant woman who still maintains her sexuality. She also has the mystery of a femme fatale, for example she says she is from Columbia, which is a referral to cocaine as it is where it is mostly made. Mia is a contrast to many of the original femme fatales and shows the way feminism has changed the way women can be presented.
The film as a whole
The whole film is extremely modern for its time, especially when it's pop culture and cinematic references are considered. The (non-linear) unconventional structure has helped it lead to being named one of the most influental postmodernist influences in cinema. Tarantino used this film to influence many others, such as Reserviour dogs (Vincent from pulp fiction is brothers with Vic "mr. Blonde" Vega, and Tarantino uses the fictional resturant 'Big Kuhuna Burger' in both films. There are similar links to 'Jackie Brown', for instance Jackie Brown wears exactly the same suit as Mia's and drives the same model Honda as Butch.
G321 preliminary task shot list.
Shot 1: Medium close up of two main characters.
Shot 2: Long shot of the two main characters walking down the corridoor. zooms out.
Shot 3: Close up through the doors
Shot 4: Long shot of the two characters from behind when they go through the door.
Shot 5: Long shot of characters from in front (continuity).
Shot 6: Low angle medium shot of characters going into the classroom.
Shot 7: Birds eye view shot of the characters going into the classroom.
Shot 8: Camera zooms out to show the characters walking to the desk.
Shot 9: Camera pans as the characters sit down at the desk.
Shot 10: Over the head shot while characters argue, close up of face.
Shot 11: Long shot showing the characters looking at each other
Shot 12: Birds eye view shot as one of the characters walks out.
Shot 2: Long shot of the two main characters walking down the corridoor. zooms out.
Shot 3: Close up through the doors
Shot 4: Long shot of the two characters from behind when they go through the door.
Shot 5: Long shot of characters from in front (continuity).
Shot 6: Low angle medium shot of characters going into the classroom.
Shot 7: Birds eye view shot of the characters going into the classroom.
Shot 8: Camera zooms out to show the characters walking to the desk.
Shot 9: Camera pans as the characters sit down at the desk.
Shot 10: Over the head shot while characters argue, close up of face.
Shot 11: Long shot showing the characters looking at each other
Shot 12: Birds eye view shot as one of the characters walks out.
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
G321 preliminary filming task evaluation
G321 preliminary filming task
1) what techniques and codes did you use in your film and how do they influence the audiences understanding of the film?
In our film we used the 180-degree rule (that two characters must have the same right to left relationship) to help our audience to understand the action better, avoid confusion of the two characters, and keep our film looking professional. We used close ups and the faces to make the reactions clearer and to make the action more intense. We shot the girls close together and holding hands at the beginning of the film, but opposite each other and further away when they argue.
We used shot reverse shot when one character looked at another, and then we filmed from over the other characters shoulder to create the idea they were looking back at the other. This was also useful when we filmed different reactions of each character and could edit it to look like it was one shot.
We used Match on action when filming our characters walking through two double doors. First we filmed behind the characters and then in front of them as they entered through the doors. It was difficult to make this accurate, as everything had to be in the right place.
These three techniques help the film look continuous and make sense to the audience.
2) How did you use new technologies in your construction, planning and evaluation, and what skills do you have at using this technology?
When planning, we uploaded our story boards (through a scanner) to our blogs. Whilst constructing our Preliminary Filming Task we used digital cameras, which helped us look back at what we filmed and film over things.
We used non-linear editing software to cut scenes we didn’t want to use and blend our shots. This took a lot of practice but now we have gained more independence when using them.
We used YouTube and our blogs to upload the film.
We also developed the skills of using a steady (instead of shaky) camera and using a variety of different shot types (including practising high angle shots).
3) How successfully does your final product meet the brief? I think that our final product meets the brief successfully because we achieved the aim of showing continuity by using techniques like Match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule, and editing.
1) what techniques and codes did you use in your film and how do they influence the audiences understanding of the film?
In our film we used the 180-degree rule (that two characters must have the same right to left relationship) to help our audience to understand the action better, avoid confusion of the two characters, and keep our film looking professional. We used close ups and the faces to make the reactions clearer and to make the action more intense. We shot the girls close together and holding hands at the beginning of the film, but opposite each other and further away when they argue.
We used shot reverse shot when one character looked at another, and then we filmed from over the other characters shoulder to create the idea they were looking back at the other. This was also useful when we filmed different reactions of each character and could edit it to look like it was one shot.
We used Match on action when filming our characters walking through two double doors. First we filmed behind the characters and then in front of them as they entered through the doors. It was difficult to make this accurate, as everything had to be in the right place.
These three techniques help the film look continuous and make sense to the audience.
2) How did you use new technologies in your construction, planning and evaluation, and what skills do you have at using this technology?
When planning, we uploaded our story boards (through a scanner) to our blogs. Whilst constructing our Preliminary Filming Task we used digital cameras, which helped us look back at what we filmed and film over things.
We used non-linear editing software to cut scenes we didn’t want to use and blend our shots. This took a lot of practice but now we have gained more independence when using them.
We used YouTube and our blogs to upload the film.
We also developed the skills of using a steady (instead of shaky) camera and using a variety of different shot types (including practising high angle shots).
3) How successfully does your final product meet the brief? I think that our final product meets the brief successfully because we achieved the aim of showing continuity by using techniques like Match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule, and editing.
G322B working title film production research...
My Research into Working Title films
Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London, England. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1984. It produces feature films and some television productions. Eric Fellner and Bevan are the co-owners of the company now.
The company gained mainstream traction after the unexpected global box-office success of Hugh Grant-starrer, Four Weddings and a Funeral. Among the company's films are Richard Curtis-scripted romantic comedies, which usually star Grant, and Coen Brothers' films, but has in recent times moved into many other types of film, such as United 93.
In 2004 it made a profit of £17.8 million pounds. As of 2007, all its films are distributed by Universal Pictures, which owns a 67% stake in the company, and many of its recent films are co-productions with StudioCanal. The remaining shares are owned by the company's founders, BBC Films, and private investors.
The film company also has a smaller low-budget film brand, WT2 (Working Title 2) which has produced films such as Billy Elliot (2000) and Shaun of the Dead (2004).[1]
Recently the company produced Burn After Reading, a comedy starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
1991 ITV franchise bid
In 1991 Working Title was involved in a bid for the London weekend ITV licence. Mentorn, Palace, Polygram and Working Title wanted to take over from London Weekend Television and broadcast to London under the name London Independent Broadcasting. In the event LWT retained its licence; London Independent Broadcasting's proposals were deemed by the Independent Television Commission, which was overseeing the bid process, to fail the quality threshold.[2]
Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London.
The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in the late eighties.
It is famous for its Richard Curtis scripted romantic comedies and Coen brothers films.
During the mid 1990s British film was boosted by the success of many Working Title comedies like The Borrowers, Bean, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Fargo.
In 1992 Working Title Films joined forces with PolyGram, and saw the departure of Sarah Radclyffe and the arrival of Eric Fellner as co-Chairman.
All its films are currently distributed by Universal Pictures, which owns a 67% stake in the company, and many of its recent films are co-productions with Studio Canal.
The remaining shares are owned by the company's founders, BBC Films and private investors.
In 2004 it made a profit of £17.8 million.
Since the turn of the century Working Title has been producing some of the biggest hits at the box office with films such as O Brother Where Art Thou?, Billy Elliot, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Bridget Jones, Shaun of the Dead, Pride and Prejudice and Hot Fuzz. Working Title's Action! Training Program encourages future filmmakers by allowing 3 candidates with the opportunity to work in their London office.
Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London, England. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1984. It produces feature films and some television productions. Eric Fellner and Bevan are the co-owners of the company now.
The company gained mainstream traction after the unexpected global box-office success of Hugh Grant-starrer, Four Weddings and a Funeral. Among the company's films are Richard Curtis-scripted romantic comedies, which usually star Grant, and Coen Brothers' films, but has in recent times moved into many other types of film, such as United 93.
In 2004 it made a profit of £17.8 million pounds. As of 2007, all its films are distributed by Universal Pictures, which owns a 67% stake in the company, and many of its recent films are co-productions with StudioCanal. The remaining shares are owned by the company's founders, BBC Films, and private investors.
The film company also has a smaller low-budget film brand, WT2 (Working Title 2) which has produced films such as Billy Elliot (2000) and Shaun of the Dead (2004).[1]
Recently the company produced Burn After Reading, a comedy starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
1991 ITV franchise bid
In 1991 Working Title was involved in a bid for the London weekend ITV licence. Mentorn, Palace, Polygram and Working Title wanted to take over from London Weekend Television and broadcast to London under the name London Independent Broadcasting. In the event LWT retained its licence; London Independent Broadcasting's proposals were deemed by the Independent Television Commission, which was overseeing the bid process, to fail the quality threshold.[2]
Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London.
The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in the late eighties.
It is famous for its Richard Curtis scripted romantic comedies and Coen brothers films.
During the mid 1990s British film was boosted by the success of many Working Title comedies like The Borrowers, Bean, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Fargo.
In 1992 Working Title Films joined forces with PolyGram, and saw the departure of Sarah Radclyffe and the arrival of Eric Fellner as co-Chairman.
All its films are currently distributed by Universal Pictures, which owns a 67% stake in the company, and many of its recent films are co-productions with Studio Canal.
The remaining shares are owned by the company's founders, BBC Films and private investors.
In 2004 it made a profit of £17.8 million.
Since the turn of the century Working Title has been producing some of the biggest hits at the box office with films such as O Brother Where Art Thou?, Billy Elliot, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Bridget Jones, Shaun of the Dead, Pride and Prejudice and Hot Fuzz. Working Title's Action! Training Program encourages future filmmakers by allowing 3 candidates with the opportunity to work in their London office.
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Friday, 12 December 2008
G321 audience research/ G321 thriller research. Graph results.
Our results show that the favourite aspect of a thriller of males we asked is action.
Our results show that the favourite aspect of a thriller of females we asked is both violence and suspense.
Our results show the majority of the females we asked don't mind if a lead role is male or female.
Our results show the majority of males prefer a male lead in a thriller.
Our results show that the majority of both the males and females we asked prefer ambiguity in a thriller.
Our results show that females prefer a modern day thriller.
Our results show that the majority of the males we asked prefer there thriller to be in colour.
Our results show that the majority of the females we asked prefer colour in a thriller.
Our results show that the majority of the females we asked prefer to watch a thriller in the cinema.
Our results show that the majority of the males we asked are split between preference of watching a thriller at home or in the cinema.
Our results show that the majority of the females we asked prefer a thriller to last between 90 and 120 minutes.
Our results show that there is no specific prefered length of time of a thriller for the males we questioned.
Our results show that females prefer a modern day thriller.
Our results show that the majority of the males we asked prefer there thriller to be in colour.
Our results show that the majority of the females we asked prefer colour in a thriller.
Our results show that the majority of the females we asked prefer to watch a thriller in the cinema.
Our results show that the majority of the males we asked are split between preference of watching a thriller at home or in the cinema.
Our results show that the majority of the females we asked prefer a thriller to last between 90 and 120 minutes.
Our results show that there is no specific prefered length of time of a thriller for the males we questioned.
These results have helped us to decide:
* we are going to have our film in colour
* we are going to set are film in modern day
* we will include ambiguity in our thriller
* we will keep our female lead role but also include some males with important parts to play throughout the film.
G321 Thriller planning: Our setting
We have chosen to use the crates near our school to film in.
we have chosen these because they seem to have the generic features of being claustraphobic, desolate and unglamourous.
We have had some problems in getting permission to use the crates but have contacted the council and our headteacher about it.
The long track that leads to the crates will be used for our female to walk up.
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
G321 thriller planning. costume ideas.
This is my costume ideas
our henchmen will wear suits and trainers, or normal clothes (eg. top and jeans) if suits are not easily available. The henchmen should look a bit rough and unclean even if they are in suits. The henchmen's clothes should not take attention away from the female or distract the audience.
The female should wear black patent stilletto heels, a high waisted skirt (or a skirt with a waist belt) with detail (eg. fringing), black stockings (preferably with a seam), red lips and a black or white detailed top (eg. pinstripes). We have chosen this costume so that our character looks like a typical femme fatal.
Friday, 14 November 2008
G321 thriller research.Case study. The French Connection
The French Connection
Director: William Friedkin
Release Date: 9 October 1971
Genre: Action/crime/thriller
Awards: 5 oscars
Country: USA
I watched ‘The French Connection’ at home to get some ideas for our own thriller. Although I watched the whole film I mainly focused on the beginning (and made notes).
The beginning of ‘The French Connection’ is a black screen with opening credits. There is quite disturbing music with high pitched sounds, which may be an inter-textual reference to the beginning of Physco as they sound quite similar
Once the music stops, the audience sees a very unglamorous location. After the music stops there is only diagetic sound. The silence is very disturbing and adds towards suspense. Though the audience sees men talking they do not hear what they are saying, as it is from the point of view of the man watching them. The main sounds heard in this opening are cars and at one point a child wailing, both of which seem very background and unimportant. As the man walks down the street the silence is very unnerving even though he seems quite relaxed and care-free. Once the man enters a building, it is almost completely silent.
The audience then see a hand holding a gun pointed towards the man. There is then quite a long close up of the man’s face, giving the audience a chance to go from feeling shocked at the sight of the gun and then process this into what will happen next, causing even more tension. The camera then shows the man holding the gun’s face, and the gun’s trigger is pulled. There is a very brief but horrific shot of the man’s bloody face before he falls to the floor.
I found watching the beginning of this film quite useful as it helped me to see how our group could create more tension at the beginning of the film. Both the music and the silences were disturbing, and the contrast between the two also helped to emphasise the silence once the music had stopped. The close ups also gave me ideas on how we should shoot our film as we have also planned on using a lot of extreme close ups in our story boarding.
G321 Thriller research. Case Study. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock)
Name of film: Psycho
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Date of film release: 16th June 1960
Country where made: USA
Hitchcock’s Psycho is filmed in black and white as a tribute to classic 1940s noir thrillers.
Hitchcock focuses on music to create a scary atmosphere. The sound graphics used in the credits also help to create this kind of chilling atmosphere.
The film begins with an Ariel pan shot. The time and place appears at the bottom of the screen to help to give an idea that day has some importance.
The camera then zooms into a hotel window. Hitchcock does this to show that he feels that cinema is voyeuristic. It also creates a sense of no privacy and being watched.
There is then a shot of a woman lying in bed, with a man standing in front of the bed and getting dressed. The first impression this stimulates from the audience for the woman is that she is a whore/sex object. It also suggests the woman as a femme fatale: deviant and manipulative.
The conversation that then follows suggests a secret relationship and also shows the woman as vulnerable.
Hitchcock uses an unglamorous, claustrophobic setting (a cheap hotel). These types of settings feature in many different thrillers.
When we see the woman (Marion crane) in this scene, she is wearing white underwear. This indicates purity. (Later on in the film, when Crane decides to steal the money, her underwear changes to black. This indicates corruption, temptation and moral descant.)
Another (very famous) sequence in Psycho is the shower sequence (and the conversation between Marion Crane and Norman Bates shortly before this).
There is a repeated theme of birds throughout the film. Bates has lots of stuffed birds in his office, and Hitchcock often has shots where they seem to be part of his body. This gives the audience a sense of entrapment. The names of the two characters give clues to their personalities and fate. Marion ‘Crane’ suggests she, like the birds, will die. There is also a link between the birds being passive and her character being passive. ‘Bates’ (or ‘baits’) suggests he lures prey and is predatory.
This predatory nature also appears when there is an extreme close up of Bates’ eye watching Crane through a hole in the wall.
In the shower sequence, Hitchcock uses close ups of Crane’s legs to show how vulnerable she is. The shower implies she is trying to wash away her sins. Again, the use of a confined space is used for intimidation and claustrophobia. Although as an audience we don’t actually see Crane getting stabbed, the implied violence is just as scary. We only see a shadow of the person who is stabbing her, which adds mystery.
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