Thriller opening film timings

Film	Average shot length in seconds	Number of different shots	Titles
Taxi Driver dir. Martin Scorsese 1976	4-20	9	Blood red on a black background.
Nikita dir. Luc Besson 1990	5	20	Blood red on a black background
Leon dir. Luc Besson 1994	2-14	28	White on a black background.
Momento dir. Christopher Nolan 2000	1-2	17	Blue against one long opening shot.
London To Brighton dir. Paul Andrew Williams    2006	2-3	31	White on a black background.
Red Road dir. Andrea Arnold 2006	1-10	32	Blue and white on a black background

 

From this It appears that generally thriller openings have a large number of shots that change every few seconds and also a large number of shots.  The opening titles all have greatly contrasting colours to show the title.  Depending on the the degree of violence or sinicism I may choose to use red titles for my thriller opening.  I shall try and replecate a similar number of shots within my thriller opening.

Warp Films and Working Title Films

Warp Films

This company aims on bringing realism to its audience without the mainstream novelty that is used within Working title films for example.  This is what they said "we don't want to have a carbon copy, hollywoodbig blockbuster film".  This company does not simply aim to entertain but enlighten the audience to good film.  Warp Films aim to be original "an artist-led company".  They have also stated that they aim to be "cutting edge, innovative, interesting, independant".


Warp Films was set up in 1999 as a branch from Warp Records which began just over ten years before hand.  Warp Films have had funding from NESTA and they currently have a low budget maxing out at about £1,000,000.  Warp Films has only 14 employees and because of the small scale, less expensive film genres are made more, i.e comedies, social realist or horrors.  The films therefore generally have higher age group certifications. 

Working Title Films

Working Title Films was set up in 1983.  The maximum budget for the films they make is £25,000,000.  They have had funding from the Lottery and in 1999 they had funding from Universal studios (a reported 600 million dollars) and within this deal they could make films with a budget of up to 35 million dollars without permission from Universal.

Shooting techniques

How (I've learnt) to shoot walking in film...

The main techniques that we have studies in class have been focusing on the characters feet with an extreme close while they walk. Also, a wide variety of shots tend to be used to make the movement more interesting to the audience.  Multiple takes are often used for this.  Often in film, long shots are used of the character walking directly towards the camera. This creates a strong impression and creates distance and the desired speed and atmosphere.  The cameras movement will often match the characters walking speed and often the walking speed will also be in sync with the music.  Action match is often used while a character is walking for a sense of continuity.  Shot/Reverse shot is used if the audience is supposed to be seeing the character walkings perspective and over the shoulder shots help this too.

How (I've learnt) to shoot a conversation...

A conversation usually uses a single mastershot (this tends to be a two, three or wide shot) of both/all of the people in the conversation as the conversation takes place while switching to various cutaways but most often, over the shoulder shots that are usually close ups.  of the faces of the characters.  These usually swap to show the person speaking in turn but sometimes a noddy shot is used to show a key emotion or opinion if needed.  To prevent disorientation of the audience, when a conversation is shot the cameras usually stay on one side of where the conversation takes place.  This is called the 180 degree rule.  This makes the situation easier to understand when shots change.  Eyeline match means that the shots of each character, whether taller or shorter are shot in a way as to make their eyes seem level with eachother whilst they talk.  This may have either character looking down or up but their faces are both shown the same on the shots.

How does Hitchcock use binary opposites to create suspense in the 1960’s Thriller, Psycho?

Hitchcock uses binary opposites throughout the film Psycho.  Binary opposites, in this context, are things that are opposites and also have other connotations.  In some cases, they are used to represent morals such as right and wrong.  Another example is wealth and poverty.  They are also used to emphasise points or situations.  Hitchcock uses them extensively and effectively in the film Psycho to create suspense.

Immediately in the opening we see a wide open long shot panorama of Phoenix, Arizona.  The shot eventually cranes in towards an open window where the camera enters a dark room.  This in its self presents an opposition from the outside world and the public as opposed to the secretive darkness that fills the apartment.  Inside the apartment there is a couple who are having an affair.  This is yet another binary opposite of morality against love.  Also, the couple discuss their relationship.  This creates an opposition between the respectability of a relationship in marriage and family against the affair that they are having.  This in turn creates suspense as Marion is struggling between right and wrong.  She is not happy about her situation but does not know how to get out of it.

When Marion is at work at her office there is a distinct opposite between the wealth of the outgoing customer and the much lesser wealth of the workers, Marion and the other staff member.  In the same scene there is another opposite of the intellects and desires between Marion and the other office worker who seems simple and content with her life whereas Marion is not because of her affair and struggling relationship.  This opposite emphasises how Marion is not content with how her life is.  She does not want to spend the rest of her life with little money, an unhappy relationship and the guilt caused by her affair.

Another binary opposite used by Hitchcock is white versus black.  In the initial apartment scene we see that Marion is wearing a white bra.  White is a colour that represents goodness and purity and this encourages the audience to see Marion as an essentially ‘good’ person.  This changes later on, after the office scene where she is faced with a moral dilemma.  Should she put the money in the bank or just keep it for herself? Having been given money, £40,000, to put in the bank, she takes it home instead.  There is then a scene where she changes her clothes and moves the money into her bag which she takes with her as she sets off to make her escape.  When she is shown changing, she wears a black bra which signifies how she has changed and how she is now a criminal who has lost her morals, respect and goodness as a woman.  This builds suspense as she leaves the city, as does the hurried manner in which she changes at her place.

Marion leaves the busyness of the city and heads for isolation.  This opposite represents the transfer from good to evil that she has made.  The isolation connotes that she has done wrong and that people in the city she lived and worked with were good.  This also suggests that Norman, the man who runs the motel where she stops off, is also on the wrong side of life and may be evil.  The character of Norman Bates is also representative of the binary opposite that is connoted by the stuffed birds of prey.  This is the concept of predator and prey.  Marion, although this does not appear so to begin with, is prey to Norman being the predator.  This is also true on another level within Normans mind.  His split personality suggests that his personality is prey to his Mothers personality.  Most of the time he appears to be a nice person, but the darker side of his personality is perhaps caused by his mother.  This creates further suspense because we fear for Marion, now that she is in the company of Norman.

In conclusion, all of the binary opposites that Hitchcock uses move from safety, security and goodness to opposites which imply danger and vulnerability, for example when Marion leaves her family and job for isolation and a less certain future. The police man emphasises the increasing vulnerability Marion faces as he follows her when she leaves the city.  This builds an atmosphere of suspense which makes the intense murder scene sinister and gruesome.

my cosmetic aftershave advert

cosmetics ad powerpoint

Cosmetic ad

View more presentations from samsandwiches.

Cosmetics Advert

Who is your target audience?

The target audience tor my Aftershave advert would be people of middle or lower middle class males (B, C1) of an age group between 25 – 35 years old.  These people would value smart appearance, success, nice cars, a successful business and an exciting and dynamic set of interests. 

The advert shows a defined man in a suit who is standing in a Paris street which connotes class, success and wealth.  The man in the ad is young, this would be idealistic of people towards the slightly older end of the demographic but similar to the younger end of the demographic as to not make the concept un-fitting to the demographic but optimistic to aging.  The bottle its self relates to a more simple depiction of what the aftershave its self will give you.  A sleek, professional image which appeals more towards the middle class but however many lower middle class people would want to copy the image in an attempt to improve their own image.  The masculinity in this image comes from the person in the ad.  The Aftershave bottle being black suggests class and simple brilliance.  The background location also creates a sense of class and a level of success is associated with the product because of this.  A male who saw this ad would aspire to be like the image portrayed by the character.  This is what would ‘sell’ the product.

How did the technologies help in the process of constructing the advert? And how comfortable you are to the technologies…

The technologies I used were essential to what I was aiming to create because I could not create the scenario in the advertisement without the Photoshop I used (Adobe Premier Elements 8) I am not too comfortable with using this software and this shows clearly on my advertisement.  I used a digital camera to take the photo of the man in the advertisement.  Having taken the photo I needed I was then able to put it onto my computer and start photo shopping.  I used the Photoshop to put a completely fake background behind the man in the original image, the background I had simply copied off Google images. I was also able to use the clone stamp tool to remove any writing which was originally on the aftershave bottle.  Finally I used ‘Dafont.com’ to get a title for my advertisement which I copied and pasted onto my advertisement and put new text on the aftershave bottle it’s self.  I believe I could have done the photo shopping better provided I had known how to use the software more effectively. 

How does your advert represent particular social groups?

My advertisement represents a social group of a successful male roll.  The advertisement portrays males as professional and youthful and this is not exactly who it is aimed at because it is aimed at people who would aspire to be like that as well.  This advert suggests that whoever buys this product will be made higher in society because of it and will gain masculinity.  I believe it could have represented this social group better because in this advertisement there are no sexual connotations which would create more desire for the product and therefore this advert may not appeal to everyone in the demographic.

This trailer builds up a situation immediately showing characters, what the film is about and many significant shots.  Dramatic music and dialogue builds up the footage and the tension within the trailer.  This creates a level of understanding of that we know what is to unfold to a certain extent if we see the film.  This means the trailer has to be very intregueing and exciting in order to persuade people to the Cinema.  In my opinion this trailer appears to give too much away, but I have not seen the film and so therefore i cannot judge accurately.

This trailer persuades the viewer by creating a scenario where very little is given away other than that someone is trapped underground.  The intensity of the situation reflects the type of film and the urgency of the situaion.  This makes the viewer obviosly, curious as they want to know more about the situation.  I like the fact that visually little is given away and the fact that the sound tells us nearly everything in the trailer.  This creates suspense brilliantly.

Local Cinema survey

I sent a survey out to 20 of my friends on my Facebook account (20 being the maximum amount of people allowed for me to send my message to).  My target for my surveys was at the ages 16-17. 

This was the survey i sent.

1. How often do you go to the cinema?
2. Which is your favourite cinema and why?
3. How do you hear about films?
4. Whats the last film you've seen?
5. What is your favourite genre of film?
6. How and where do you prefer to watch films?
7. Is there a british film or TV drama you have seen recently? if so, what?
8. Why do you think that film directors consider cinema to be the best place to view their films?
Resposes:

1)
weeks?
1 - monthly - 4
2 - every other month - 2

2)
Vue - 5 - Due to price and convenience.
Odeon -
Cinema City -
Hollywood Cinema -

3)
Adverts -
Adverts/Friends - 5
Friends -
Reviews -

4)
Adventureland
The Expendables
Toy Story 3D
Devil
Inception
Shrek

5)
Comedy - 1
Sci Fi - 1
Romance - 1
RomCom - 2

6)
Cinema - 4
Home (DVD) - 1

7)
This is England 86 - 1
An idiot abroad - 1
Downton abbey - 2

8)
Their own profit - 1
The experience - 1
Both - 3

These are my results so far, i am still waiting for replys.  However, this clearly shows some trends of teenage Cinema goers.

Local Cinema research

The films showing at the Odeon on thursday 16/09/2010 were:

1) Dinner for Schmucks, rated 12A, UK
2) Going the distance, rated 15, USA
3) Grown Ups, rated 12A, USA
4) Marmaduke, rated U, USA
5) Resident Evil 3D, rated 15, USA
6) Scott Pilgrim Vs the world, rated 12A, USA
7) Tamara Drew, rated 15, UK
8) The Expendables, rated 15, USA
9) The Last Exorcism, rated 15, USA
10) The Switch, rated 12A, USA
11) Toy Story 3 (and 3D), rated U, USA

Two of the eleven films showing are American.  This makes 81.81% of the films showing at Odeon American. 18.29% of the films are British.  None of these films are foreign language.  From this I can conclude that the Multiplex cinemas are aiming at a very specific teenage, mostly male demographic with films produced with little effort and for a quick profit.

Cinema City is an independent cinema; these are the films showing on Wednesday 06/10/2010:

1) The Town, rated 15, USA
2) Made in Dagenham, rated 15, UK
3) Go fish, rated 18, USA
4) Eat Pray Love, rated PG, USA

Here, 75% of the films are still American.  However, a much wider demographic is attracted (age ratings) making for a more widespread interest of different ages and interests.  25% of the films were British, but as there are only four films showing it is hard to tell a huge difference.

It is clear that the British public do not consume a rich and diverse mix of film; I believe we are all too used to the formulaic styles of American Hollywood style films. 

None of the films I have listed are directed by a female director

Film Noir and 'The Third Man'

Film Noir and ‘The Third Man’ (1949)

How does the third man use film noir conventions?

Film Noir

Film Noir is a type of film/genre of thriller that came from post second world war.  This was a time of great depression and socioeconomic collapse.  These were originally American gangster films (about the 1940’s).  Film Noir tends to have a mood of bleakness, fear and paranoia.  The characters within film noir generally encounter a degree of moral conflict creating a difficult situation.  Flashback and mystery are often involved and a narrator tells the tale as a twisting plot unravels.  Femme Fatale is used in this type of film.  This usually links directly to the moral conflict often present.  Film noir derives from German expressionist paintings and artwork.  The contrasts for example show this.  Conventions of film noir include heroes and corrupt characters, often villains.  Moral ambiguity is often present and so is the concept of femme fatale.

Femme Fatale is where a significant character (a woman) is ambiguous in that they are deceptive because they use their sexuality and innocent appearance to exploit what they want within a situation.  They are generally good looking and confusing to the viewer of the film. 

Extreme lighting effects are used to exaggerate extreme moods.  This lighting creates great contrasts.  Chiaroscuro lighting is a main feature of film noir where light appears to be coming only from one source that is often not natural.  The films in the film noir genre are black and white; this makes the Chiaroscuro lighting even more obvious and crucial to the genre. 

Codes and conventions of a thriller

Conventions of thrillers generally have a suspicious and unusual beginning creating something that is to be discovered throughout the rest of the film.  Thrillers often use flashback to confuse the viewer making for a more interesting film.  Spiral stair cases are also stereotypically found in thrillers, these can be seen as symbolic of aspects within the film because of their distance and hidden floors.  The Third Man uses most of these conventions within film noir.

The Third Man

The Third Man is a Film Noir mystery Thriller directed by Carol Reed.  The Third Man uses Film noir conventions excessively.  For example it begins with a lone man in an unfamiliar place that he does not know.  Also, the animalistic appearance given to Harry, showing him as if vermin within the city and the sewers below.  This creates an ideal level of corruption to create a complicated plot for the film.

Chiaroscuro lighting is used throughout the film.  For example when Harry escapes and disappears down the sewers.  The lighting hints to the viewer that he has gone through what is discretely a sewer entrance but it is not easy to make out.  The lighting adds a hint of suspicion to the entrance and the reflection of light off the cobbles creates scattered light giving definition to what otherwise would be a bleak shot.

The film is set in Vienna.  There are many shots of empty alleyways with only the main character present.  Also, the sewers of Vienna symbolise the state of the city and the socioeconomic climate.  The rain slicked stone cobbled alleyways in the film and the gloomy dank, dark and disorientating sewers are all classic conventions of the film noir genre. 

Anna is a significant character in the film as she feels for Harry even though he is clearly evil.  There is no perfect femme fatale in The Third Man; however Anna possesses some of the qualities.  She is independent and attractive.  She is morally ambiguous in that she loves a man who is evil and being chased by the police and what seems to be everyone.  Anna uses her innocence as a victim to try and get what she wanted from the situation.

Despite the atmosphere killing music The Third Man uses unusual camera angles to show obscurity of situations; Or to show the drunken state of Holly Martin.  These angles give expression and make the viewer feel physically part of the situation and therefore making the film brilliant from a media perspective.  The atmosphere gained from these shots presents for an uneasy atmosphere, perfect for film noir.

The film ‘M’ uses a child character to represent innocence in the film, The Third Man also uses this when the child rolls his ball accidentally in amongst an argument about the suspicions that Holly Martin has of the supposed death of Harry Lime.  This creates juxtaposition between the innocence of the child and the sinister situation making both of these sides seem more extreme.

I used mainly…

http://www.filmsite.org/filmnoir.html