This is the storyboard for my thriller opening, comprising of the 42 shots which I decided on in my shooting script. I have included images and annotations to show what each shot will be. I have made sure that I have tried to be as accurate as possible with anatomy and camera shots because stick men do not give an adequate representation of size, expression or camera perspective.
This is an anematic storyboard, created by taking photographs of each of the shot pictures and putting it into a movie.
These are the shooting locations for my thriller opening, with the layouts of all of the rooms needed and the outside of the house. There are any necessary health and safety risks included, which will be avoided within the shooting locations.
Appearance:Short dark hair, Average height, bulky.
D.O.B:December 14th 1970
Background: Russian business man. He started at working within his fathers industry at a very young age, eliminating his childhood. His father believed in hard work and sacrifice and Victor, unfortunately experienced this throughout his childhood. His mother was an alcoholic waiting for Victor’s father to die and neglecting Victor each and everyday of his life. His mother eventually died of alcohol poisoning, it was inevitable, and Victor knew it was going to happen. As for his father, he was kidnapped by a rival company hoping to take out the competition. Soon after, Victor fled from his country, leaving behind his fathers industry and began to live with his sister in England all of this while was only 15 his sister was 18 at the time. 7 years had passed and Victor’s sister had passed away. Victor had a bond with his sister that he never had with his parents, losing her was devastating to Victor. Victor couldn’t live in a place that reminded him of his sister any longer so he decided to move, somewhere where he could be easily distracted. This is where he meets
Tam Noiginai
Gender: Female
Appearance: Short blonde hair, average height (for a girl), petite.
D.O.B: September 10th 1986
Background: Born in the North of England she always ready to relax and eager to party. Her parents were divorced at a young age and because of that both they both gave her enormous amounts of attention giving her an insane amounts of confidence which Victor envies the most. She was always the first of her friends to do something new, whether it would be having her first kiss first or losing her virginity – it wasn’t down to a lack of common sense or understanding, it was down to her adventurous attitude towards life.
Shooting Script
This is a vague outline of the shots which will be used in my opening scene.
Shot 1 - A man walking down the street towards the house he is going to move into, this is going to be a mid shot to show his surroundings, and location of where the thriller is going to take place. He has a map and key in his hand, while carrying bags of luggage.
Shot 2 - Close up of the map he is holding to make it clear to the audience what it is, as well as the key.
Shot 3 - Mid shot from behind character of him walking up the path of the house.
Shot 4 - Close up of the “To Let” sign to create the assumption that’s the house he is going to be living in.
Shot 5 - Back to the mid shot of him walking down the path.
Shot 6 - Match on action of him opening the door.
Shot 7 - Front shot of him walking into the house and this will be a medium long shot so you can see in his house and the surroundings on the house.
Shot 8 - Camera in the front room so you can see his face when he walks round the corner, this will be a medium long shot to see his face and some of the room.
Shot 9 - His point of view pan of the room to show the audience the room in more detail.
Shot 10 - Drops his bags in the front room, low shot with exaggerated sound of the dropping bags on the floor.
Shot 11 - Behind shot of walking towards the stairs to show her looking around the new home
Shot 12 - Mid shot from the top of the stairs of coming up.
Shot 13 - Shot from in the mirror as if someone is looking at him from behind the door.
Shot 14 - Pan of the bedroom to reveal some make up on the dresser.
Shot 15 - Close up of the make up on the dresser.
Shot 16 - Low angle shot as if someone is looking from the make up at him.
Shot 17 - High shot of him unpacking on the bed.
Shot 18 - Mid shot of him walking into the bath room.
Shot 19 - Close up of more female things in the bathroom.
Shot 20 - Long shot of him going back down the stairs.
Shot 21 - 3rd person shot of looking at the pictures and items around the house.
Shot 22 - Out side views to reveal the darkness.
Shot 23 - High shot of him watching TV (not specified).
Shot 24 - Extreme close up of his eyes.
Shot 25 - Cut in of the clock to show that the times is getting on and its getting late.
Shot 26 - He then looks at his own watch, this will be a close up shot.
Shot 27 - Shot of him asleep in the chair.
Shot 28 - Door slams
Shot 29 - Him waking up this will be a normal shot to see his whole body reactions.
Shot 30 - His point of view of him looking around the front room to reveal a black shadow running past the door way.
Shot 31 - Mid long shot of out of the front room to show him running after the shadow.
Shot 32 - Show the back of him still running after the shadow and towards the stairs.
Shot 33 - His point of view looking at the top of the stairs at the shadow again.
Shot 34 - Match on action of his hand reaching for the banister.
Shot 35 - Close up of him taking his 1st step on the stairs.
Shot 36 - Mid shot from the top of the stairs.
Shot 37 - Pan of the upstairs, to reveal that 1 door is shut and all the others are open so he goes to the door that’s shut.
Shot 38 - Close up of his face to show anxiety.
Shot 39 - Hand on the door handle which will be an extreme close up.
Shot 40 - Shot from inside the room to show the door opening slowly.
Shot 41 - Head comes round the door and whole body is revealed.
Shot 42 - Extreme close up of the shocked look on his face.
Victor Bogdanovich Rumianova believed that when he moved to England he’d be safe. Safe from his abusive father’s business and from the cold of Russia, to enjoy an English life with his sister and start afresh in his own house, alone. But when things begin to not go completely to plan when the surprise introduction of Tam Noginai, a young fun-loving squatter who has made herself at home within his four walls, brings him quite far out of his comfort zone. But Tam has secrets, secrets which Victor has to find out – and he slowly begins to realise that even by himself he isn’t safe at all.
“Utterly brilliant – full of twists and turns which will leave you on the edge of your seat” Daily Star
☆☆☆☆
Treatment
(bold = opening scene I will be filming)
Victor Bogdanovich Rumianova, a Russian immigrant and CEO of Rumianova Industries, has moved to England and is going to find the house he has purchased; a moderately small house just for his few weeks away from his home. He has been told that the house is empty and all his. The camera shows him walking down the street towards the house, holding an advertisement to the house and a map which symbolises his vulnerability and relates to the exotic because he does not belong there. The shot is to be a mid shot to show him, his surroundings and the items in his hand.
Victor sees the house in question, recognising it only from the advert which is made obvious by the way that he has to look at the advert and back at the house to identify it as his own, heightening the idea that he is naïve, vulnerable and doesn’t belong there. He removes a key from his pocket and slowly moves towards the house, of course appearing quite apprehensive about living alone in a strange place. But as soon as he opens the door he finds that he is not living alone, since there are signs of inhabitancy in the house – make-up in the bathroom and dishes in the sink, beer bottles, food packets and female clothes scattered around.
After staying up all night waiting for the unknown person to come “home”. This will involve cut ins of the clock ticking to exaggerate how long he is waiting. There will also be his own heavy breathing included as the questionnaire stated that that creates fear and tension within the audience, therefore it will be following the codes and conventions of a thriller. In the early hours, the front door opens and slams shut quickly. Victor sees a dark shape run past the door way and up the stairs to the bedroom. He follows, looking around to see where she is which can follow the idea of mazes and labyrinths (like in Silence of the Lambs). There is also irony in the fact that the “good guy” of the film is following the villain, which deviates from the stereotype of females being vulnerable in thrillers because she ends up being the killer, which is not at first apparent. There is a match in close up of Victor’s hand on the door of one of the bedrooms, from behind which there are sounds emanating. He hesitates for a moment before swinging the door open, where, in the room, there is a girl (who is later introduced as Tam Noiginai) mostly naked and clearly getting changed. There is a slight glimpse of her before she screams (“Get out of my house!”) and throws an ornament at him. He closes the door, apologising profusely in an eccentric Russian manner. He remains there fore a few seconds, his back to the door, which creates humour within the thriller (because ‘sometimes’ most people like humour incorporated in the thriller genre).
The next scene is Victor and Tam sitting in the living room in awkward silence. It is clearly morning because of the light coming through the window, though the lighting will still be dark because of my editing, as dark lighting best represents a thriller (says the questionnaire). There is dialogue between them in which it is explained who they are and why they are there; the housing agency said that the house was empty to Victor, so he is inevitably unhappy at the squatter, Tam. They soon realise they are blatant opposites to each other, with Tam being fun-loving and carefree and Victor being the uptight, straight-backed business man. It will also become apparent that Victor is in England because his abusive and alcoholic parents are dead and he has come to live with his sister, and he is envious of Tam’s great relationship with her loving parents, shown through his facial expression. The audience will realise this with the two characters, and will learn about both characters through this dialogue, which could provide a subtle indication to the rest of the plot. She pleads with him to let her stay and he agrees, secretly appreciating the company after the neglect and lack of human contact in his childhood.
Throughout the rest of the film the two characters don’t acknowledge each other much, making small talk most of the time and going about their own separate lives, with Tam going out and partying every night and Victor having his early nights. However, one night Victor hears Tam come home somewhat early. Thinking this is strange he rises from his bed to see if she is alright, calling out her name to no reply and the sound of running water in the bathroom. He enters and finds Tam washing her hands, with the water stained red. She looks up to the mirror and, seeing Victor standing behind her, intakes a breath and whips around, quickly coming up with a story about her cutting her hand, stumbling over her words. After she refuses his offer to get bandages for her, he returns to bed, listening to her retire to her own room.
This unusual behaviour continues throughout the film, with Tam repeatedly coming home and immediately washing her hands, saying she keeps cutting herself but there is never any scar on her. Victor catches her throwing out clothes early in the morning covered in red. Becoming suspicious about this, Victor follows closely behind Tam when she goes out one night, making sure she can’t see him by staying in shadows, following her into the park next to their house. Within the trees Tam begins to run, and he follows briskly after her, twisting and turning through the trees to try and follow her while making sure she doesn’t detect him. After a while, in which time Victor loses sight of his room mate, he stops to catch a breath, when he hears a muffled male scream very close by. He winds through the trees, towards the distressed sounds, finding to his horror Tam stabbing a man, straight through the chest; looking perfectly calm and collected as she does. She knifes the man to the ground, repeatedly stabbing him until he stops moving, soaked in his blood and still looking quite emotionless. This deviates greatly from the stereotype of the vulnerable female in thrillers being stalked and killed, with the woman being in the position of control and the generic man being the one killed. Moreover, this follows my idea that a calm and collected killer is most effective in a thriller (found from my questionnaire), and also follows the code and convention of protraction because it is an inevitable outcome that there will be a killing in a thriller, and the many hints lead to the fact that Tam will be the one to do it. The killing shall be shown quite subtly, in the dark so not as many potentially disturbing images can be seen and without focusing on any pain, so that is fits in with my certificate of 15.
Victor, of course being completely traumatized by the experience and too afraid to return home, goes straight to the police station to tell what he had witnessed – the police take one look at him and immediately take him to a questioning room, asking who he is, what happened and where. Forensics are sent to the scene of the crime and Victor’s house instantaneously while he explains the whole thing he witnessed and the policeman, confused, asks if he just ran away how did he get looking like he is. Victor, clearly just as confused, stares at the policeman, about to reply, but the man is called out. He does not return for a long while, but when he does he just has one simple question: “why did you do it?”
Through the dialogue between Victor and the police the plot unfolds, with the revelation that no, no you don’t have a room mate. No one else has ever lived there. and the fingerprints of the knife are actually his – and all of the blood stains he saw upon Tam’s body during the killing is actually on himself, the clothes she threw out actually his own with no sign of any female ever living in his house. There is also the fact that Tam Noginai is an anagram for Imagination. His fingerprints have been connected with numerous other deaths over the time he has spent in England, being unidentified because of his lack of information on the police database and because of his recent immigration. He is taken from the police station to go to a bigger one where he will be locked up until he can make a plea, forced into the back of a police van to be transported. He looks out of the window where he sees Tam holding the For Sale sign from outside his house, before she turns it around and the words “I told you to get out of my house” are shown. The police van is then driven away.
The final shot is a shot of the house, moving away from the front door and showing the For Sale sign, before the screen cuts out and goes completely black, immediately into the final song and credits. This follows the answers given on the questionnaire because it ends on a cliff hanger, which most people think is effective in a thriller.
This is the questionnaire given to members of the general public to find out what the viewers believe to be most effective representations of the thriller genre when incorporated into films. Thirty questionnaires were distributed and filled in. The results are all shown below.
1.Gender?
□ Male□ Female
2. What makes you scared?
□ Spiders□ The Dark□ Heights□ Tight Spaces□Blood
3. Whats your favourite thriller?
□ Seven□ Jaws□ Silence of the Lambs□ Red Eye□ other……………………………
4. Do you like having mystery in thrillers?
□ Yes □ No
5. What’s you opinion on Blood/Gore?
□ Love it□ its ok □Don’t Like it□ I detest it
6. What type of font do you think best suits the thriller genre?
□ Thriller□thriller□thriller□ thriller□thriller
7. Do you like having some humour in thrillers?
□ Yes □ sometimes □No
8. What colour do you think best suits a thriller?
□ Red□ white□Yellow□ Black□Pink□Blue
9. What type of music do you think would best represent a thriller?
□Rock□Orchestral□Fast Pace□Slow Pace□eerie
10. How would you like a thriller to start?
□introduction before the credits□straight into the action□ credits before the film
11. What kind of killer would be most affective?
□calm and collected□psycho□ monster□older person□other?.....................
12. Whats you favourite kind of thriller?
□physiological□ horror□action□dark humour□ gore
13. Would you prefer the killer to be:
□male□Female□either
14. What would the ideal location be for a thriller?
□Forest□ city□castle□house□beach□airport
15. What ingredients best suit a thriller?
□cliff hanger□paranormal□hidden messages□gore
16. What noises do you find scary?
□ Screaming□footsteps□heavy breathing□laughter
17.what kind of lighting would best create a scary atmosphere?
□pitch black□dark□normal□really light
18. What do you look for in a thriller?
□something scary□makes you think□makes you want to watch it again□makes you jump
Conclusion: I have collected results from exactly the same number of males and females, therefore the other results of the questionnaire are representative of both genders and so are not biased towards one or the other.
Conclusion: The things which most make people scared are spiders, therefore spiders should be included subtly in my thriller to bring the edge of the seat tension from the audience. Moreover, a lot of people are afraid of tight spaces, so claustrophobic situations should be used.
Conclusion: Most people's favourite thriller is Se7en, therefore features of Se7en should be incorporated into my own thriller to make it more effective and pleasing to the audience, e.g. constant rain and a very interesting theme within the story. People's 'other' favourite thrillers were House of Wax, Saw, Misery, Blade and Paranormal Activity.
Conclusion: 87% of people said they like having mystery in thrillers, therefore I should should use partial vision, concealment and a range of other different features in my own to create a sense of mystery and unknown.
Conclusion: Most people asked consider blood/gore to be "okay" and more love than hate it. For this reason I shall include mild blood/gore in my thriller (which moreover coincides with the certificate I am giving my film).
Conclusion: Most people think that thriller is the font which best represents a thriller, but a considerable amount of people also think the bolder fonts are better, therefore I shall use thriller with a bold theme (which furthermore follows the codes and conventions of thriller graphics).
Conclusion: Most people say that they like humour in thrillers sometimes, so I may include mild humour in parts but concentrate more on the codes, conventions and editing of my thriller.
Conclusion: Most people said that black is the coloured best representative of a thriller, therefore black shall be primarily evident in my thriller's editing, graphics and overall theme, as well as red because that was also considered a highly representative colour. I may moreover use white, because red and white stand out boldly against black which is a convention of thriller graphics.
Conclusion: For the theme music of the thriller, I shall use orchestral music which is fact paced and eerie, as they were voted for as most representative of a thriller and what features make the most effective opening for the genre. Following the codes and conventions the music shall be in a minor key, being oppressive and sinister.
Conclusion: To start my thriller, I shall use an introduction before the credits because people have voted that the most effective way to begin a thriller. This also relates to thrillers such as Se7en because that had a brief introduction before the credits in which the characters were introduced and slightly developed.
Conclusion: Most people surveryed said that the most effective killer in thrillers is the 'calm and collected' kind (50% said that is the most successful type of killer), therefore in my thriller I shall have a calm and collected killer/villain with a motive.
Conclusion: This graph shows that people think the most successful type of thriller is psychological, which makes my decision of creating a psychological thriller effective. In a psychological thriller twists, turns and an ending that the audience was not expecting is incorporated, thus I shall make sure that I include all of these aspects into my own thriller to suit the genre.
Conclusion: Most people said either gender would make an effective killer, but more said that a female killer would be better than a male, therefore I shall use a female villain in my thriller. This will furthermore follow the feature of Silence of the Lambs and Red Eye which deviates from the idea of a vulnerable woman in thrillers, and puts a female in control and power.
Conclusion: Most people said that a house is the ideal location for a thriller, possibly because it is the normal place of safety and security which is transformed into a place of extraordinary and tension (which furthermore follows the idea of transformed city). Because of this I shall use a house as my main setting.
Conclusion: Since people think that all of these ingredients suit a thriller, I shall use all of these themes subtly in my thriller at some point, though I will keep the paranormal and gore subtle to make the film more realistic and keep to the 15 certificate respectively. I shall incorporate hidden messages relating to life into my film, and also end both my opening scene and film on a cliff hanger, as that was moreover voted an effective ingredient in thrillers.
Conclusion: The noise that people find most scary is heavy breathing, therefore this shall be included in my thriller at some point, following the codes and conventions of creating suspense. Screaming may also be used, as many people also said that sound is scary, also.
Conclusion: Most people said that the best lighting for a thriller is dark, but not pitch black. This is effective because some features of the surroundings can still be seen while keeping the audience guessing what is happening and where the setting it, exaggerating the theme of partial vision and concealment.
Conclusion:People look for a number of things in thrillers, most notably the thriller being scary, thought-provoking and contains scenes which makes the viewer jump. For this reason I shall incorporate all of these things into my own thriller, making sure I use things that people think most effective for a thriller and people's fears (dark lighting, spiders etc) to create suspense and play on the idea of making the audience jump.
Conclusion: This shows that most of the people asked were in my target audience age range of 15-24, the age group which most often goes to the cinema. This is effective because I can analyse the results and assume that most of them are representative of my target audience, therefore the features I include in my thriller will appeal to them.
Conclusion: Since this graph shows that people most dislike bad acting in thrillers, I shall try to avoid that at all costs, still trying to create an ending, storyline and editing which engages the audience and is visually pleasing to the viewer.
To come up with the content of my thriller, I have first explored a number of different ideas and concepts, evaluating each one and deciding the one which would be most effective:
-A ‘slasher’ film in which a serial killer presented with a series of knives chases vulnerable young women and strikes them down within a maze. This incorporates the codes and conventions of mazes and labyrinths and also the idea of blood which is often present in thrillers, as well as the naïve “damsel in distress” character. However, it is a very unoriginal concept and idea, and would be very repetitive and boring, therefore I have decided to move away from the idea of weapons and the overuse of blood altogether.
-A film involving a stalker following a young girl, who is a damsel in distress again. This follows the codes and conventions of a thriller, but is, again, repetitive and very boring, as well as highly obvious and doesn’t have much potential in developing a plot or characters.
-A film involving a villain of another species or world e.g. alien or killer dog. I moved away from this idea, also, because it would be difficult to do this without it looking very unprofessional and it is additionally very unoriginal, as well as quite patronizing to the audience and rather boring in subject. -A psychological thriller, in which a man moves into a house thinking it is empty but he has a "room mate", his exact opposite, who he witnesses kill someone. After going to the police he finds out there was never any room mate - her being a figment of his imagination - and he is really the killer. I have decided to use this idea because from my questionnaire it is apparent that a psychological thriller is the most effective, and it is also an idea which has potential to be developed and allow character development within the story.
Classification
The certificate of the thriller will be 15 with a target audience of both genders, between 15 and mid-twenties. This is because “youngpeople aged15 to 24 are themostlikelyagegroup togo to the cinema” (statistic from ‘www.statistics.gov.uk’) and so people in that age range are more likely to go and watch it. The certificate is not lower because there will be scenes designed to make the viewer be on the edge of their seat in suspense and may moreover have scenes of gore and violence which will be unsuitable for younger viewers. There could furthermore be bad language or swearing unsuitable for viewers of a younger nature or nervous disposition. It will not, however, contain enough bad language or dwell upon pain and infliction enough to fall into an 18 category, though the violence may be strong. We will make sure it does not by limiting the frequency and intensity of swearing and by using any indications of excessive violence or gore subtly, e.g. by filming shadows showing the actions of a character being killed or by the character covered in blood in stead of showing a full scene of someone being murdered. Strong threat and menace could be used, though not in a sadistic or sexual way, and it would still be considered a 15, and dangerous behaviour will be a feature in the film as long as a weapon which is easily obtained is not included. The work as a whole will additionally not be discriminative in any way.
-The narrative structure is quite conventional, being that the story begins with a setting and character development before rising to a conflict and ending in a conclusion. The story is moreover presented in a clear and chronological manner. It is a complex structure, however, because it involves multiple twists and turns.
-Everything is told through the dialogue of characters; the entire story is told through diagetic sound, without a non-diagetic narrator. - Follows Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory because the film start with an equilibrium, reaches a conflict, is resolved and then returns to an equilibrium at the end. This is shown in the movie respectively before the villain, the villain acting and murdering people, the villain being killed and then after the villain has been disposed of. Sound
-Music put over scenes to emphasise a certain mood e.g. soft classical music over a calmer scene with louder and faster music over a dramatic scene.
-Constant city sounds at all times – cars honking and people arguing.
Camera Work
-Camera mostly still and controlled, using pans and other camera techniques to suggest that the film is high budget as well as giving the idea that the characters are in control; more movement of the camera in chase scenes suggests that the characters are not in control of the situation.
-Low angles of the detectives often, to show their authority.
-Pans out often to show the entire mise-en-scene (arrangement of props and scenery to represent surroundings) of the respective setting so that it is clear to the audience where the characters are. For this purpose, also, establishing shots are used. Mise-En-Scene
-Run down urban surroundings, deliberately deteriorating, to create a depressing atmosphere and dismal impression of the city, which supports the sombre subject of the film (the murders). This is supported by the dark lighting of film. Editing
-Fades out into the next scenes – a lot of editing used in the credits, with the film constantly merging. -Uses simultaneity to show two character’s different actions moving towards one situation. Graphics
-Strange creepy music which relates back to the film, as well as the video behind which also relates with the killers’ journals etc. The makers also didn’t put Kevin Spacey’s name in the credits, so the killer can’t be easily predicted. Codes and Conventions
-Tension and suspense keeps the audience guessing, with the plot full of twists and unexpected moments.
-Scenes to make the viewer jump.
-Some features of other genres: action with chases and cars crashing; psychological with the final twist and the idea of the characters getting into the mind of the villain; supernatural because of the sins theme etc.
-Pascal Bonitzer’s theory of partial vision is used, with details hidden from the viewer and character, which become more apparent as the plot unfolds.
-Follows W. H. Matthews’ maze-type plot, with many twists and turns and dead ends which the characters have to overcome to continue to the villain. Furthermore follows his theory with the idea of mythology from the use of the Seven Deadly Sins.
-Follows Northrop Frye’s theory since the city is seen as a fantasy world – quite literally, since sins are associated with hell, therefore the city is directly compared to hell. Moreover, the heroes are normal people following a villain doing extraordinary things.
-John Cawelti’s theory of the exotic comes into play with the use of Detective Mills’ wife, who does not belong in the city or the plot in general.
-The narrative structure of the opening is quite conventional, being that a setting is defined (the sea and beach) but is quite unusual because it starts with the viewpoint of the shark which could be confusing at first for anyone who has not previously heard of Jaws.
-All of the story is told in dialogue and through visual aspects rather than with a narrator. Camera Work
-The camera starts off under the ocean, with the shark’s viewpoint, which both hides the shark and shows something is lurking in the water.
-Above the water, on the beach, the camera slowly pans and uses establishing shots to show the entire scene with everyone there. -Shot reverse shots are used to show a connection between the young man and woman.
-While the girl is being attacked the camera stays above water, so it is unknown what is happening to her because the shark has not been seen yet.
-Camera framing exaggerates the idea of how vulnerable she is, by showing how tiny she is compared to all the water.
Mise-En-Scene
-The way the girl and boy remove their clothes is symbolic of how vulnerable they are, also, and signifies that they are stripping away their defences.
-The teenagers drinking and smoking show a relaxed scene, and the warm colours of the beach and fire contrast heavily with the starting shots of the cool blues under the ocean.
-The fence can be seen as the skeletal bones of a large fish and in places looks as though is has been bitten by a huge set of jaws, which can suggest what is about to happen to the two youths. Moreover, the way she lifts her leg in the water looks like a shark’s fin. Sound
-The music is very recognisable, even to those who have never seen Jaws. Orchestral music, it starts off low and sinister in an oppressive minor key before the rhythm starts to evolve and more instruments join the music, slowly getting faster and more dramatic to signify something is steadily moving closer and closer.
-The dramatic orchestral music turns straight into the music of a harmonica, again showing a vivid contrast between the water and people on the beach; hinting the two are enemies. Editing
-The film starts off as black, with just underwater sounds all around which set the scene even before an image has been shown. It fades in from the black to the underwater view of the shark. Graphics
-The credits fade slowly in and out, and though they are plain, they are very bold and striking – can relate to the size and power of the shark in the film, and also gives the impression that you can’t escape. Codes and Conventions
-The naïve, vulnerable “damsel in distress” is a typical feature in thrillers, because it is often young, pretty girls who tend to be the victims of attacks. Moreover, the way she runs off from the group follows the codes and conventions, because attacks in thrillers tend to happen in isolated places where no one can help.
-The screaming follows the codes and conventions of a thriller because there are often the sounds of panic such as screaming. Also, it follows Pascal Bonitzer’s idea of partial vision because the shark is not seen, always hidden under the water which makes the viewer wonder what it is that is killing the girl.
-Lars Ole Saurberg’s idea of concealment and protraction is used because the enemy is concealed to the audience, and protraction is used in the struggle of the girl, who the viewer knows is going to inevitably die, against the shark.
-The transformed city is used within the beach, where something extraordinary is going to happen even though it is an ordinary place.
Silence of the Lambs Analysis
(0:00 - 5:16) Narrative Structure
-The narrative structure is quite unconventional since the setting is not immediately defined and it is not immediately apparent who the woman is or what is happening to her.
-Like most other thrillers, the narrative is shown only in dialogue, leaving other indications of what is happening out. Camera
-The camera is very controlled and static all the time, as though to show either she or someone else is in control of what is happening in the film.
-The camera follows the running woman as though it is chasing her or is someone observing her, which can make the viewer believe that she is vulnerable like the girl in Jaws.
-A shot of her feet running shows more movement and so a more erratic and desperate pace. Mise-En-Scene
-An FBI and obstacle course helps set the scene, and first implies she is not actually running from anything. Moreover, the time of year is told because the trees are bare and dying – implies death.
-Signs saying “Hurt”, “Agony”, “Pain” signify what will happen in the rest of the film and can represent the struggle throughout the character’s life. Sound
-Non-diagetic orchestral music is sinister and played in a minor key to be low and dramatic, like Jaws. Additionally like Jaws, the music gets lower and louder as the forest thickens and it gets darker, building suspense.
-The diagetic sound of her heavy breathing and animals exaggerates how isolated she is, while the gunshots later in the opening contrast that because they show she is not alone at all.
-The sombre music is played again at the end of the opening when she is looking shocked – eyes wider and camera zooming in – getting louder until showing what she is looking at. Graphics
-The titles, like other thrillers, are very bold; black and white shows a contrast, also. Codes and Conventions
-The opening follows the idea of transformed city because the setting is rather extraordinary in itself, being an FBI training facility in the middle of a forest where something extraordinary could happen. Moreover, the forest follows codes and conventions because it is stereotypical that that is isolated and so where bad things happen.
-The main character is unconventional because she is obviously a strong woman to be in the FBI, which the viewer doesn’t pick up on immediately because it deviates from the idea of the vulnerable woman running away which they first assume in seeing her running through the forest.
-The opening follows the idea of mazes and labyrinths because of the tortuous nature of a forest and the way she looks around to see where she is going.
-Partial vision is used because it is unknown what is going on or who she is for a long time. This is also represented by the mist she runs through, because she can’t see beyond it and the camera angles in front of her, showing the mist behind her and symbolising she can’t turn back.
-There are aspects of the exotic in the film because she is clearly out of place where she works, like Mills’ wife is out of place in the city in Se7en. This is because the FBI is clearly a male dominated environment; everyone is taller than her and she is wearing different clothes to them, therefore she is quite alienated.
-The “Behavioural Science Services” which she is seen to walk into relate to the idea that it is a psychological thriller.
Red Eye Analysis
Narrative Structure
-The narrative structure is quite unconventional in the way that it skips to many different scenes, showing different things, before settling on one definite location with the protagonist.
-The dialogue between people and the main character are the only indication of what is happening in the story. Camera Work
-Establishing shots around the protagonist to show exactly where she is, while in the other scenes the camera is focused on one area to hide the entire location.
-Close up on the wallet and keys; zooms in to draw focus to just them, framing them to the right a little to still show the photograph in the shot, bringing the assumption that something will happen to the woman featured. Mise-En-Scene
-There is a lot of rain in the settings which relates back to the continuous rain in Se7en and suggests something bad will happen.
-JR on the wallet so it can be identified in later scenes; the audience knows that the wallet is stolen by someone else because of the laws of continuity, with the hand stealing the wallet coming from the same direction that the man who dropped it has just gone in and wearing different clothes to the man. Sound
-Very energetic music is used, deviating from the orchestral music of other thrillers, but it is still face paced and loud leading up to the first scene. Both the diagetic and non-diagetic music is like this in nature. Moreover, in the opening credits the music builds up to the noise of an aeroplane’s engines in the background.
-The music and what is going on in the scene compliments each other e.g. when the wallet is stolen the music reaches a climax. Graphics
-The credits come in immediately and, like most other thrillers, are bold with white text on a dark background. The text effect makes it look like the credits are moving away, like a plane going down a runway. Codes and Conventions
-Like Silence of the Lambs, the main character is a very strong willed and powerful woman which deviates from the conventional idea of a woman in a thriller.
-Heroic romance comes into play because the entire film begins with an image of the protagonist in the photograph, looking very clever and powerful.
-Partial vision is used because the audience can’t see who dropped the keys and wallet and who stole them. It is also a mystery what is in the box which was so carefully transported.
Gamer Analysis Narrative Structure
-The narrative structure of the opening is quite unconventional, being that barely anything is told about the story and it is very confusing. The main points of the story are told through visual aspects and the viewer’s perception, and within the dialogue. Moreover the images in the credits give subtle hints as to what the film is about. Camera Work
-The camera is quite frantic with many different shots showing the entire scene rather than an establishing shot. Most of these shots are close up so there is a constant feeling of disorientation and unknown as to what is happening. This relates to the confusion of the character, also, and so brings the idea of partial vision because neither Kable nor the viewer really knows what is happening, just that there is fighting.
-The camera sometimes takes the viewpoint of the character which relates to later in the movie because Kable is being controlled by someone else. Mise-En-Scene
-The characters have guns, shooting each other around a war ground, making it seem like a proper first person shooter game. One of the characters “teabags” a dead soldier which is conventional of what people do in a war game, therefore there are hints of the storyline. Sound
-The sound is mostly diagetic at the start because there are mostly gun shots, shouting and dialogue as opposed to music like other thrillers. The socialising game, however, has upbeat music in the background which contrasts to the war game highly.
-There is a well known slow and dark song as the theme song, by Marilyn Manson. Editing
-The film fades in from black, and there is a sudden change from the music to the first scene. In the credits the scenes are sped up, moreover. Credits
-The credits are simple and bold, like most other thrillers. Codes and Conventions
-The opening takes into account the transformed city because as well as the usual real life city there are the gaming worlds, which are very much extraordinary.
-There is the theme of partial vision because the viewer and character are unsure what is happening until the film begins to unfold.
-There is the idea of mazes and labyrinths because the characters are running around torturous buildings trying to find and kill each other. There is also a metaphorical labyrinth in the way that Kable does not know where he is going or doing.
-The idea of heroic romance is included because Kable is an ordinary man who was framed and put into the extraordinary gaming world. There are also many unfair fights which he, as an underdog, wins.
-It follows the codes and conventions of an action-thriller because apart from these conventions of all thrillers it involves guns, car chases and explosions etc.
The Butterfly Effect Analysis
(0:00 - 6:12)
Narrative Structure
-The narrative structure is unconventional because it starts from the end of the film before going to "thirteen years earlier". This is a confusing narrative structure and already causes questions from the viewer, for example who is the person he is writing about in the diary? It is also quite unconventional because the protagonist tells part of the story out loud while he is writing, which is not shown in any other researched thriller. Camera Work
-The camera is very controlled even in the scenes where the character is frantically running around, which can suggest a psychological thriller because the characters always think they are in control when they are not. Establishing shots are used in the 'thirteen years later' part to show a street, but in the first setting it is unknown where he is and the audience is not yet told. A particularly long establishing shot is used to show the institute which may suggest is plays a big part in the movie.
-There are only two close ups, on the page he is writing ("save her") and on the picture he drew of a murder. This can suggest that there is a woman who is very important in the story and hints that something bad will happen, and the fact they are the only close ups can hint that the film centers primarily around her and around his psychotic tendencies. Mise-En-Scene
-At the beginning the character is wearing a blue robe which is associated with sick people, and can suggest where he is though it is not obvious. There is a great contrast between the darkness of the first part and the bright day in the thirteen years later, which can furthermore suggest a psychological thriller because of changes in personality. -The character is seen holding a knife, which relates back to conventions of a thriller because of violence and gore, which is often seen in the genre. Sound
-There is non-diagetic sound over the film constantly, which is very low, opressive and eerie, whereas at the start is is louder and more fast paced. This is another contrast which hints changes in personality and therefore suggests a psychological thriller. The music slowly fades in from silence, which is effective because it is quite eerie and makes the viewer wonder what is happening. - The viewer can hear what the main character is thinking at points, which is quite an unconventional example of non-diagetic sound but gives a good impression of a psychological thriller because it is a typical idea that insane people talk to themselves.
Editing
- The music gets louder and with a faster pace as soon as he kicks the door in, which is an example of good editing. Credits
-There is an extract from the chaos theory instead of credits which is very unconventional but is effective because it shows inspiration for the film. It also gets into the story quicker which will capture the audience's attention more effectively. -The name of the film appears with a scan of a brain which can relate back to the idea that it is a psychological thriller. The music gets louder and more eerie when the title is shown. Codes and Conventions
-The opening takes transformed city into account because the settings are normal (a house, a school, etc) with abnormal circumstances (he is found with a knife in his hand, drawing murders in school etc).
-There is the theme of partial vision because the viewer is unsure what is happening until the film begins to unfold. The viewer learns things as the character does because of going back to thirteen years earlier, but because of the unconventional narrative structure (starting with the end of the film) the viewer knows that a girl is in trouble, meaning that, unconventionally, they know more than the character.
-There is the idea of mazes and labyrinths because the character doesn't know what he is doing and is lost in a metaphorical labyrinth. Moreover his mind which is being tested could be an implication of mazes and labyrinths because doctors do not know what is going on and so are too lost.
-The idea of heroic romance is included because the main character is an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances, and by the end the viewer begins to empathise with his situation. There are also many situations which seem to have the potential to beat him but he prevails through them (the underdog wins).
-It follows the codes and conventions of an psychological-thriller because it involves the brain and obvious contrasts and juxtapositions between situations etc.
