mise en scene

Location - Acton - alley way - the location for our clip will be in acton, in the middle of a very dark alley way, which is dark and foreboding, to make it the perfect location for a kidnapping. we chose this location, because we thought it would be the best to create tension and anticipation as the kidnap actually builds up. 

 this is a picture of where the protagonist (rory) will be attacked by the antagonist (max).

main character - Rory - was chosen for the main role, because he fitted the right age group, for people who may get kidnapped and fitted description for the type of person we were looking for.

he will be wearing casual clothing e.g. trainers, t-shirt, jeans. to fit the profile of a normal teenage boy going out.

main characters girlfriend - Cecile -  is the girlfriend of main character in real life and also fitted the description of the type of girl we were looking for to play the role of the girlfriend. will also be wearing casual clothing for girls as she is a normal, casual girl and will be spending time off screen in her home talking through the phone to her boyfriend until she runs out of her home.

villain - Max -  is a shadowy type of guy, not a lot is known about him and he remains a conspicuous character throughout the whole clip. Since he is the villain and remains for the majority of the clip as a shadowy figure he would be wearing a hood over his head and perhaps wearing a scarf around his face to conceal himself as well as wearing gloves to keep up with the appearance of a shadowy figure.

van driver - charles' dad

synopsis

Synopsis

Synopses are summaries of a film though does not reveal everything towards the audience this is to help give them an understanding of the setting of the film and its plotline without spoiling the suspense and tension in the film.

A written summary starts with a lead, including title, author, text type and the main idea of the text. It has a clearly arranged structure and is written in a logical, chronological and traceable manner. In contrast to a résumé or a review, a summary contains neither interpretation nor rating. Only the opinion of the original writer is reflected paraphrased with new words without quotations from the text. Unlike a retelling, a summary has no dramatic structure and is written in present tense or historic present. Because summaries should be significantly shorter than the original, minor facts have to be left out. However all major conclusions should remain. In summaries only indirect speech is used and depictions are avoided.

I will be giving summaries to the situation of the character in our clip so as to help the audience understand what is going on without trying to give too much away this way it will help audiences want to know what happens next. The subgenre that will be used for this clip will be mixed between conspiracy and psychological thriller an example of a psychological thriller I would use to help me would be Phone Booth which helps give a good understand of a Psychological thriller as in this film you never see the antagonist only hear him through the phone mocking and taunting the protagonist. The psychological impact of this causes the protagonist to change his ways of lies and deceit. Another example would be Saw often containing riddles that will either save or kill the unfortunate character though often these riddles contain a secret message that tells them another way to save each other though this is never revealed until the end

script

scene 1 - interior

night

scene starts in a dark room with a lone figure tied in a chair, blind folded and gagged, with heavy breathing heard from the character who's shaking and shivering. the only light illuminating the room, sways slowly above the character. scene fades away with a tableau saying "6 hours earlier". credits go on through scene 1.

scene 2 - exterior

night

establishing shot of the city at a distance. camera moves to alleyway where character from scene 1 is walking along, chatting to his girlfriend, cross cutting back and forth from character to his girlfriend until a shadowy figure from behind him, grabs him.

scene 3 - exterior

night

the girlfriend can only listen as her boyfriend is struggling with the shadowy figure. the boyfriend is knocked unconscious and is thrown in to a blue van. the phone lying behind on the ground. girlfriend sticks her head out the window seeing a blue van drive by. she runs out to the alleyway, finding his phone on the ground.

scene 4 - exterior

night

back to scene 1. in the dark room, the door opens and a flash of light pours in, a shadowy figure stretches towards the bound character. title roles on.

scene 4 was changed at the beginning, because we wanted the audience to make the assumption of the character being kidnapped by themselves, rather than telling them. scene 4 was originally meant to begin with the girlfriend running to the police station and telling them that he boyfriend as been "taken". eventually we thought it better, to take this out, as the audience are capable of working out for themselves what has happened.)

audience for thriller genre

Audiences: What audiences may be drawn to the thriller genre? Which types of thriller could appeal to different audiences?

Thriller genres often attract a number of audiences due to the films containing moments of suspense, intrigue, mystery and most often action such as fast paced chase sequences like Fast and Furious or moments of feats of defying gravity like Matrix. The thriller genre has a number of sub genres that attract different groups of audiences that watch these films such as:

Action thriller: In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James bond films, The Transporter, and the Jason Bourne novels and film. This is often the most popular sub genre that audiences often view because of its fast pace sequences and scenes of violence.

Conspiracy thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. The Chancellor Manuscript by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Three days of the Condor and JFK. Often they contain a mystery that needs solving which is revealed at the end this is also used in crime thrillers though not as large scale as a conspiracy.

Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The Killing, Seven, Reservoir dogs, Inside Man. Crime often contains red herrings, suspense and often with a climax at the end. Same as conspiracy, crime often has a mystery that needs solving at the end.

Drama thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involve a great deal of character development along with plot twists. Examples include The illusionist, The Interpreter and The Prestige. These are focused mainly on audiences who are focused on character build up on pro/antagonist characters that would reveal a secret towards the audience such as gossip.

Psychological Thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. The Alfred Hitchcock films Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train and David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet are notable examples of the type, as is The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highstands and The Good Sons starring Elijah Wood and Macaulay Culkin. This sub genre is fairly popular amongst the audience as it often plays mind tricks which help pull the audience further on to solve it at the end of the film.

common techniques and conventions of opening sequences

Analyses of relevant opening sequences: techniques and conventions

History

Since the invention of the cinema, simple title cards were used to top and tail silent film presentations in order to identify both the film and the production company involved, and to act as a signal that the film had started and then finished. In silent cinema title cards were used throughout to convey dialogue and plot and it is in some of these early short films that we see the first examples of title sequences themselves, being quite literally a series of title cards shown at the beginning of a film. The arrival of sound did little to alter the convention except that the sequence was usually accompanied by a musical prelude.

This remained the convention for many years until the advent of television forced the major film studios to invest in developing cinema in order to win back a diminishing audience. The "cast of thousands" epics shot on various patent widescreen formats were a direct response to television's successful invasion of the leisure marketplace. Part of cinema's new prestigious and expansive quality were orchestral musical preludes before the curtains opened and long title sequences,  all designed to convey a sense of gravitas it was hoped television would be unable to compete with. As cinema's title sequences grew longer we begin to see the involvement of graphic design luminaries such Saul Bass, which directly influenced the 1960s television predilection for creating strong graphics-led sequences for many shows.

Film-makers at the beginning of the 21st century have many options open regarding title sequences. Some films superimpose opening credits over the opening scenes, while others elect to do away with titles entirely, instead including elaborate title sequences at the end of the movie.

Movies

Since the late 1950s, film title sequences have often been a showcase for contemporary design and illustration. The title sequences of Saul Bass and Maurice Binder are among the best examples of this though they inspired many imitators both in cinema and on television. In recent years Kyle Cooper's celebrated title sequence for David Finche's Se7en(1995) again influenced a whole host of designers, though it is by no means unusual to see a film whose title sequence merely superimposes text over a black background, reflecting that the form's function remains the same today as it did with the advent of silent cinema.

Television      

    In general a television title sequence will at some point badge the show with a typographic logo. Around this key element can be incorporated shots of highlights from earlier episodes or shows and key presenters' or cast members' names. Musical accompaniment can be either instrumental or a song and aided by the visual treatment of the images helps to convey the tone and mood of the programme.

In serials, because a title sequence is produced at the outset of a series, it will usually include scenes from early episodes already shot when the sequence was prepared. Short clips of key characters will often climax in a freeze frame as that cast member's name is Superimposed In and around these elements will be other footage depicting the locale (a particular city, country, building or fictitious location) in which the series is set and therefore its era. A title sequence might also be used to explain the premise of a series, normally using clips from its pilot episode.

Examples of opening sequences in television series

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cYgqSdjMTk

This clip shows the opening sequence of the popular television series Futurama notice that in every opening the opening sentence is always different. 

Clip provided by Youtube.

opening sequence

The purpose of an opening sequence is to set up enigmas at the beginning of the movie that will be answered within the main body of the film. In addition to this the opening sequence of a movie will always establish the plot that is to be found in the movie. It gives the audience an insight to what is going to happen and sets a frame for the rest of the story. In a thriller movie, the opening sequence is used to create suspense and anticipation, so that the audience is intrigued and continues on to watch the movie to figure out the answers to the enigmas that are set in the opening sequence. The opening sequence is key to any movie, because it attracts the attention of the audience. If this is not achieved the audience may perceive the movie as being uninteresting and may not be inclined to continue watching.

The main-title sequence or the opening credits of a movie can be considered the most important piece in a film. Other than trailers and marketing elements, they are the first images the audience sees when the lights go down. These quick clips (all about two to three minutes) outline the filmmaker's intentions and set up the expectations of those watching.

In a television program, motion picture, or videogame, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There may or may not be accompanying music. Where opening credits are built into a separate sequence of their own, the correct term is title sequence

In movies and television, the title and opening credits may be preceded by a "cold open," or brief scene, that helps to set the stage for the episode or film

The Matrix (1999 - The Wachowsk Brothers)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn0i0Co67sM

The Hidden (1987 - Jack Shoulder)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHaZ-vf0lWE 
Enemy Mine (1985 - Wolfgang Petersen)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq5_XzlXeaA 

Analyses of RELEVENT opening sequences.

Analyses of RELEVANT opening sequences.  

this is an analysis of three relevant opening sequences that i thought would be good examples. we have chosen these movies, because they offered a lot of key aspects to analyse for an opening sequences, such as structure.

The 3 opening sequences from the movies.    

•  007 from Russia with love.
  
•  28 days later. 
  
•  London to Brighton.
  

007 from Russia with love (1963): 

Structure:

1.       Opening motif
   
2.       Opening sequence
   
3.       Titles

Action plays out undisturbed by title The purpose is setting a sequence of enigmas to be unfired in the rest of the film. 

No 5 part narrative structure. No narrative closure exist independently from the main structure of the film doesn’t have to be linear.

Film title – start of title sequence

Start: main actions

• Producer
  
• Director
  
• Editor

28days later (2002) 

Structure:

1.       Opening motif
2.       Titles
3.       Opening sequence

Actions played out with no disturbs until someone gets bitten by a deceased animal and cuts straight to the title “28 days later” played with no score only silent. Next is opened with man in a hospital and title of date and time and the film is carried on.

London to Brighton (2006)

Structure:

1.       Opening sequence
   
2.       Title
   

The opening sequence starts with a black background with heavy breathing from to women for a couple of seconds; we don’t know what is happening. Next a title overlaps the black background “London to Brighton”. Then the movie starts off with the two women in a bathroom.

Links:

• From Russia with love,
  

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm131896064/tt0057076

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057076/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Russia_with_Love_(film)

• 28 days later,
  

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm648322304/tt0289043

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Days_Later

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/28dayslater/

• London to Brighton 
  

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm361403136/tt0490166

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490166/

http://www.l2b-themovie.co.uk/

http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/review.asp?ID=626

link to "28 days later" trailer

link to "london to Brighton" trailer

link to "from russia with love" trailer

conventions of thriller genre

Conventions of a thriller genre

Thriller genre is very broad most often used in films and television as well as literature which have a number of different sub-genres. Devices most commonly used in the films for this genre are suspense to help viewers become anticipated as to what will happen next , red herrings are also used mostly for plotlines which involve a mystery one example would be Alfred Hitchcock’s film Psycho or today’s modern films such as Final Destination though it isn’t noticeable to the viewer and also cliff-hangers which are used extensively through out films and television programs to keep the viewer fixed on the screen and wanting to know what happens next to the protagonist or antagonist.

The average plotline for any thriller genre would be this; it is characterized as being fast paced with frequent action and resourceful heroes that are quick witted, that must face against villains that are more powerful and better equipped than the hero which is trying to stop a diabolical plan that the villain is creating which in some way affects the hero or someone they know or perhaps where they live.

Most commonly thriller genres are based in exotic settings such as foreign cities, rainforests, deserts etc with it starring a hero that is quite often used by directors as men who are tough, fearless and genuinely are accustomed to the danger for example swat police, war veterans, spies though men are often used to play the role for these characters. Women sometimes play these roles one example would be the actress Sigourney weaver who played as Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise.

Thrillers often involve mystery but these can be put into a variety of ways depending on the stories plotline. Thrillers often involve the hero who must stop the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened, while a murder mystery would be ruined if the murderer where to be discovered too early on in the film, thrillers will usually have the identity of the murderer revealed throughout the whole film. Thrillers also involve things on a much larger scale for instance it could involve a crime that needs to be stopped or else it would lead to mass murder an assassination on someone of great importance or acts of terrorism which could lead to chaos. Times of jeopardy and confrontations which lead to violence are a common use in the thriller genre of modern day films. Mystery often climaxes when the mystery is solved where as a thriller climaxes when the villain is finally defeated by the hero who in the process saves his own life and the lives of all the other people.

 

 

 

thriller subgenres

thriller sub-genres

Genres are often divided into sub-genres. these sub genres help to categorise the movies into more accurate groups. they also provide a wider range of movies to produces for a particular genre, such as thrillers, where it can be made into an action, crime or drama thriller. this offers a more diverse range of genres to produces. this is an analysis of three sub-genres for thrillers that we would consider to create.

Action thriller: In which the work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James Bond films,The Transporter, and the Jason Bourn novels and films.

 

Conspiracy Thrillers: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes. the chancellor manuscript and The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Three days of the Condor,Capricorn One, and JFK.

 

 Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The killing,Seven,Reservoir Dogs and The Asphalt Jungle. 

 

Drama thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama films. These films are usually slower paced and involve a great deal of character development along with plot twists . E.g. The Illusionist,The Interpreter and The Prestige.

 

 

analysis of relevant key texts

                 Analysis of 28 Days later (2002)

Theme:  the themes that can be identified in 28 days later are, religion seen at the beginning in the church, the end of the wold, seen by the destruction of the location and pursuit, which is identified through the chase by the zombies of the main character.

mise en scene: the mise en scene that is identified in 28 days later is of the costume of the main character which is hospital gear. this creates enigmas of why is he wearing the hospital gear and what has happened to him.

Lighting- the use of low key lighting can be identifies in the clip of 28 days later, through the shadows and shafts of light that can be seen at the beginning of the clip.

Performance: the performance of the zombies is very sharp and unnatural and shows an enigma through the fact that it is unknown where the zombies have come from.

Location: the location is a church, which can be identifies by the cross. there are a lot of connotations for this location such as it is dark, mysterious, but also spiritual.

Sound: there very little dialogue used in the clip and this creates tension that is unexplained, because the audience is not aware of why the tension has been created. there is no score in first part of clip and this builds slow tension as what will happen cannot be predicted. there is some diegetic sound such as a creaking door, footsteps. this is  amplified sound that shows isolation.

Cinematography and editing: there is a lot of cinematography used in 28 days later, such as long paced shots/ slow editing that creates anticipation as well as the eye line match which alerts the audience to important events/objects/actions. there is a change in the cinematography as the clip progresses and it becomes quick movement, with fast editing that builds excitement and tension. in the church scene, overlapping editing (hits the priest) can also be identified and this emphasises an important action and expands the duration of the action.  

the aspects of 28 days later that can make it seem like a thriller genre would be, that it contains enigmas, which add a lot of mystery to a thriller movie. in addition to this, suspense can also be identified in 28 days later and this is a convention that can be identified in thriller movies. finally there is also tension created in some areas of 28 days later and this is what makes it a scary horror movie, with some codes and conventions of a thriller movie.

images taken from the movie "28 days later"

History of the thriller genre.

this is some information on the history of the thriller genre. it is made up of a list of famous directors who have made successful thriller movies as well as how many movies the have directed. in addition to this, there has been information added on a famous director(steven speilberg) on one of his most famous films "Jaws" as an example for his work.

Directors: Old and New

Directors	Total movies	Top 3 movies
Alfred Hitchcock	58	Psycho, the 39th step, vertigo.
Martin Scorsese	31	Taxi driver, after hours, the departed.
Steven Spielberg	32	Jaws, Indiana Jones, Star Wars.
James Cameron	13	Aliens, Terminator, Avatar.
Quentin Tarantino	9	Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill 1 +2, Reservoir Dogs.

Techniques

How does Spielberg make his films have suspense? and how is it different to other directors?

 “Jaws” is regarded as a watershed film in motion picture history, the father of the summer blockbuster movie and one of the first "high concept" films. Due to the film's success in advance screenings, studio executives decided to distribute it in a much wider release than ever before. The Omen followed suit in the summer of 1976 and then Star Wars one year later in 1977, cementing the notion for movie studios to distribute their big-release action and adventure pictures during the summer. “Jaws” is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. Jaws was number 48 on American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Movies, a list of the greatest American films of all time, dropping down to number 56 on the 10 Year Anniversary list. It was ranked second on a similar list for thrillers, 100 Years... 100 Thrills. The film was followed by three sequels, none with the participation of Spielberg or Benchley: Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983) and Jaws: The Revenge (1987). A video game titled Jaws Unleashed was produced in 2006.

There are some differences of the old and new directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and  Quentin Tarantino. Hitcock's films were alot more to with suspense and finding out who was the antagonist is. on the other hand Quentin Tarantino's films are different because we know who the antagonist is already, and how the protagonist is going to catch him. 

 

http://www.cockeyed.com/personal/directors/directors.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_director

http://www.britfilms.com/britishfilms/directors/

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

http://movies.toptenreviews.com/directors/list_all_time_director.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/eb/JAWS_Movie_poster.jpg

http://larryfire.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/ln0001-star-wars.jpg

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/IMAGES/152/PhoneBooth.jpg

http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/300/i/ijsd1.jpg