Beth Wyer's Media AS Blog

Evaluation of 'A Fall from Grace.'

2010-04-13T03:36:00.000-07:00

Introduction

“A real thriller [is one that] that pulls me in right from the beginning. The 'what if' premise delivers on the edge of your seat anticipation, and is a perfect fit for [the genre]."- Mark Stern

The opening of a thriller movie is arguably one of the most important moments – the director has around two minutes to capture the audiences’ attention, enthralling them and keep them wanting to watch more. With this in mind, we created our movie opening to be full of action and clear yet still have an enigmatic twist at the end.

Question One: 'In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?'

The title of our film holds a significance and is an aspect of the film which I, myself am very proud of. We searched and discussed many different titles for the film (at one point The Rep being the most promising of titles, despite our group feeling that it wasn’t very effective.) As planning went on and we began to further develop our characters and the background stories, we felt that it may have been a good idea to use the name of the femme fatale. As I was researching well-known sayings that included the name, A Fall from Grace immediately jumped out at me. The phrase has multiple definitions, appropriate as Grace may have many motives or many aspects of her personality which keeps our audience guessing. A fall from grace could mean the loss of respect or prestige – implicating that Grace could have been an innocent girl somehow corrupted and in a biblical sense, the meaning of the phrase is to become immoral; fitting as murder is the most immoral act that can be carried out. The physical meaning of the word was also apt, the ‘fall’ giving imagery of a struggle or a death which then carries on ‘from Grace,’ thus giving the name of the villain and an implication that she has done it multiple times.

Our thriller opens with an extreme-close-up of a female hand turning off the ignition in a car. The woman is wearing red nail varnish, which contrasts against the predominantly black/grey background. Red is a colour that connotes blood and danger as well as implicating the feelings of lust or anger. The fact that this is the colour of her nails is a warning to the audience; giving them a quick idea of the type of person she may be. We then cut from an extreme close up to a tracking shot of the femme-fatale (Grace Jones)’s legs as she walks towards the boot of the car. Here, we decided to acknowledge the classic femme fatale look (such as Marian in Hitchcock’s Psycho) – where the character is wearing a short skirt and heels, which we then modernised with the use of leggings. We decided that this would be a good idea, as the apparel such as this is instantly relatable to classic femme-fatales. This again indicates to the audience that there is something mysterious about this character – this was one of our key ideas to get the audience hooked immediately. The suspicion felt through her costume and accessories is deepened by the use of a low angle shot of Grace picking up a bag, in which a knife can clearly be seen. Here, we used an unusual camera angle, where we shot from inside of the boot looking out. We felt that this would be an appropriate angle as it begins to give a claustrophobic atmosphere and also pays homage to films such as Tarantino’s Jackie Brown where Beaumont is put in the boot of a car by hostile arms dealer and thug Ordell.

Throughout the film, we attempted to show as few features of Grace Jones as possible (as in Usual Suspects). We thought that this would be a good way to create curiosity and thus hook the audience. Not showing our femme-fatales face gives her an enigmatic persona: a feature of the genre effectively used by directors such as Carol Reed with his character Anna (of The Third Man), an inscrutable, glamorous actress whose true identity is not revealed until well into the film.

When choosing out location, we thought that the shop and the basement we used would be perfect for many reasons. The shop is quite crowded, with many shelves and stands: we thought that this would be a useful aspect of the mise-en-scene as it implicates that there will not be an easy escape and also gives the villain many places to hide. The shop floor also has an extremely interesting layout, where the entrance to the basement is tucked away – this was useful as it gave us the opportunity to be able to validate how the character could sneak into the basement and murder the shop assistant whose unassuming appearance grounds the film in reality. His formal manner is in stark contrast to Grace’s fatal plan.

The basement itself was a brilliant location as it was a dark and claustrophobic space (which is a traditional convention of the thriller genre.) It also had various lights which allowed us to experiment with different lighting and to see which types of lighting (along with the torches we used separately) would work best to create an atmospheric thriller.

Many shots we used were inspired by other films, although they were not necessarily thrillers. One of my favourite shots (that unfortunately had to be taken out for timing reasons- and as we already had a more effective shot, we decided the video would be more effective without the shot) was inspired by the recent Dorian Gray, in which, Dorian is walking up a set of stairs towards the camera. I thought that this was extremely effective as tension built rapidly as the audience cannot see what the character is walking towards.

"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." - Alfred Hitchcock

"Give them pleasure - the same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare" - Alfred Hitchcock

Another shot we felt was deeply inspired by another film was the scene in which Grace Jones murders the shop assistant. To film this, we used silhouettes on a brick wall in the basement (as it was effective and safe, as the knife was not physically close to the person that was ‘murdered.’) – A shot that is again reminiscent of Psycho’s shower scene in which Marian Crane is killed by Norman Bates. The use of shadow is another generic convention – used especially in The Third Man. Shadows connote illusion and play on characters imagination, they also suggest nightmare and invisible enemies.

There are many conventions of the thriller genre that we tried to utilise within our short film. Claustrophobic spaces such as the basement we used are widely used within this type of film as they often have one exit, which can easily be blocked; another aspect that these spaces are so popular in these films is that there is nowhere to hide – a phobia of many. We also attempted to use noir and chiaroscuro lighting, which when used effectively can create an extremely atmospheric scene. A good example of this is Once Upon a Time in America where the lighting is one of the main devices used to create tension and suspicion in the opening sequence.

A major influence on our filming was certain camera angles used frequently in thrillers: we used many close up and extreme close ups within our film as it puts emphasis on important aspects of the action. Tilted and canted shots were also extremely important (of which we were influenced by shots in such films as The Third Man) to indicate to the audience that there is something wrong with the character and lend to a disorientation that places the audience into the role of the protagonist. For example, Holly Martin’s first glimpse of his friend (In The Third Man) reflects his growing paranoia and confusion as Lime is meant to be dead.

Narrative structure is another key feature throughout our thriller opening, as we cut frequently between Grace Jones walking to the shop and the shopkeeper counting the money. These two actions would have happened at the same time, and we believed that this was a good way to present this; as well as the fact that the woman is connected. We used this as a device to forewarn the viewer that Grace’s motives are linked to money; the pile of notes also references the money that Marian Crane of Psycho steals, but with which also seals her fate.

Question two: 'How does your media product represent paticular social groups?'

"[A good film is] a great thriller or mystery, but on another level it's a film about the fact that, if you only look at a person through one lens, or only believe what you're told, you can often miss the truth that is staring you in the face." - Kevin Spacey

The characters we created are also stereotypical of the thriller genre. We used a classic villain and victim relationship, although gave it a slight twist. We wanted to stick relatively closely to the classic definition of the femmes fatales in our thriller. Filmsite.org defines this character as a mysterious, duplicitous, subversive, predatory, tough-sweet, manipulative and desperate women.

In my opinion, we pulled it off quite well in A Fall from Grace as our character, Grace Jones, could be said to have many of these characteristics. She has an air of mystery about her from the start as the audience never sees a shot of her face – the camera is always focused around her body or close ups of her hand taking the money, turning off the light-switch etc. We hoped that this would encourage our viewers to continue watching so they can discover more about this mysterious woman. The duplicitous and the desperate parts of the character come into play through Grace stealing the large amount of money. Obviously, this is not the right thing to do, and by showing Grace and the manager of the shop acknowledging each other, it shows that the character can pull off her crimes with an air on innocence. The subversive aspect comes into play through the role of the villain being played by a woman – although this may seem more commonplace than in films such as The Third Man in 1949, a majority of villains in modern films are still played by men.

Grace’s tough-sweet personality is also evident through her dress sense (being a skirt and heels – a ‘sweeter’ look than maybe a more harsh look of jeans and trainers) juxtaposed against her tough act of murder and theft. I believe that we pulled of the predatory part of the ‘femme fatale’ in an interesting way. The fact that the character that Grace kills is a teenage boy is not accidental. In modern times, teenage boys are seen as villainous ‘thugs’ and girls as more innocent – here, however, we flipped the stereotype and attempted to implicate in our film that some things aren’t always as they seem.

The older man in the car was also an interesting character that we added into our film later. We thought that it may add an interesting twist and keep the audience engaged as they watch the predator become the hunted. The older man gives the film more of a variety, so it’s not purely teenage-based and it also gives the impression that Grace may be part of a team of criminals or even is being chased by one. The older man dressed in a suit is an ironic statement, as usually people that wear suits are ‘respectable’ men with ‘respectable’ jobs and are trusted by many people (also proved in a psychological study where it was found that British civilians were more likely to trust and obey people in suits rather than casual attire). This again goes with the theme that things may not be always how they seem.

Question three: 'What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?'

Our film would be primarily distributed straight to internet – to websites such as YouTube, in particular. I believe that this would be the best form of distribution as it is easily accessible and YouTube has millions of viewers and therefore will hopefully capture the attention of many. It is also an interesting place to gain feedback from friends, family and the unrelated public as YouTube offers the opportunity to comment on the video. This will give us an idea of what was successful in our film and what we would change should we do a similar task in the future; for example, it was suggested that the way we showed the murder in A Fall from Grace seemed a little cliché, and so if we had to do to the task again, I would probably propose that we find a more unique way to shoot it. A few people also claimed that the narrative structure seemed a little confusing at times, and had we had more time then I believe we could have tidied it up a little more.

Question four: 'Who would be the audience for your media product?'

Obviously, whilst creating the film we had our audience in mind. Before we began our thriller opening, each member of our group had conducted various pieces of audience research, both generally and focusing on the thriller genre. This research gave us the chance to gain an insight into what audiences expect to see in a successful thriller. We found that generally, middle-class teenagers of both genders would find a film such as ours most appealing. We believe that this age may be interested as they are beginning to find their own interests and old enough to watch other films of this genre such as Extreme Measures. Also, the fact that we used a teenage shop assistant allows our audience to relate to and become involved in the film’s characters as many middle-class teenagers have Saturday jobs in small independent shops. Females in the 15-25 age range may be curious about Grace’s behaviour and interested in how a girl who dresses like them and looks respectable us capable of a heinous crime. The older man in the back of the car, which looks as though he is some kind of mob-boss may also broaden the appeal to older audiences also.

Question five: 'How did you attract/address your audience?'

"I am the audience." - Quentin Tarantino.

Although the above quotation from Tarantino may seen a little strange, I believe it holds a truth in the way films are made. In one way, we made the film for ourselves, as if we would have enjoyed certain aspects (being in the specified age range of our audience), generally many others would feel the same. If a certain part of our film bored us, then we would cut it out, and if we thought an idea would be slightly unnerving; we tried to think of a way to intensify that feeling and would have us on the edge of our seat.

This interview is an extremely interesting one with Alfred Hitchcock about how his films are effective and create fear within his audience.

There are many aspects of our thriller that we planned to ensure the audience would want to continue watching the film. First of all, we tried not to make our plot too complicated – as many people watch films to relax and do not wish to have to think about what’s happening just so they can follow the storyline. We also used both male and female characters to broaden appeal – it also shows that both sexes are capable of dark deeds motivated by greed which we have explored in our film. In our audience research, we discovered that our target audience believe a “mysterious location” would be most effective. They also said that films that start off in a recognisable setting and then take a “scary turn” – therefore, I believe that our location is perfect. We start with a car park and a shop, and then follow our characters into a cellar – a mysterious and claustrophobic location; thus taking the film into the dimensions of the imagination. The action in the opening, we believe is a good way to hook the audience – in the first two minutes of the film, there is a murder, a robbery and a twist (where the murderer has a knife held to her throat by an older man.) Many people do not have an appreciation for films that take a while to get into the action, so we believe that jumping straight in and leaving a cliff-hanger will captivate our audience.

During editing, we also decided on a mix between diagetic and non-diagetic sound. Our soundtrack is playing throughout the whole introduction; however a few sounds can be heard over the top – for example, a creaking door or the heels of the femme fatale. We thought that this would be a good idea as it can give the opening a dissociative and almost dream-like quality which contrasts with the diagetic sounds which grounds the film into reality – this is what may give the audience the incentive to continue watching as they begin to wonder if Grace is about to be kidnapped, killed or whether she may fight off the man who has found his way into her car.

Question six: 'What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?'

Throughout the course of filming our thriller opening, I have learnt more than I expected to about the process of construction. First of all, I learnt the importance of camera angles: not only does a variety of camera shots make a film/programme more interesting, but it also assists in the build-up of emotion and the audience’s judge of characters. For example, a tilt shot could create suspicion or disorientation (often associated with iconic villains such as Harry Lime) and close up’s are extremely important when trying to create atmosphere. We also discovered how different movements are significant in creating a character – for example, in our thriller, the shop assistant jogs down the stairs which gives him a nonchalant air, which also allows the audience to empathise with him, as he is a normal teenage boy. The femme-fatale however, walked with a slower pace, which made her look more menacing and gives her an air of superiority.

Before our project, I had also underestimated the value of editing in the creation of a film. Through editing, you are able to change the tone of a film dramatically. We changed the sequencing of our shots a number of times – the cross-cutting between Grace’s arrival and walk to the shop with the shop assistant counting the money added to the pace and thus suspense. This is good as not only do the stories run parallel to each other, but we were also able to emphasise which characters were linked. Slow motion was also extremely useful as it enabled us to put emphasis on important actions – Grace’s walk through the basement with the knife for instance, slow motion is also useful in creating more tension in the atmosphere.

We also discovered the importance of effective titles in a successful thriller film. Films such as Terry Winsor’s Essex Boys have an extremely effective title sequence which sets the scene for the rest of the movie. Of course, we only had two minutes to draw in our audience, so a title sequence such as this one was not possible. However, we still wanted the titles to be effective. Therefore, we used a large, readable font which was set aside from the action, but with a colour that contrasted against the scene which means that the viewers eyes are drawn towards the words. Hopefully, this has created the desired effect of simple yet successful titles.

The cameras we used were also extremely useful in the filming of our production. Technology has allowed cameras to give quick previews of raw footage on location, which meant that we could shoot a scene and look over it to see what needed changing or what we could add to make the mise-en-scene more effective. This was one extremely useful in our group especially as our location was in North Walsham – a place difficult to reach for the majority of our group. Fortunately, one of the members in our group (Adam Ward) had a father who was willing to drive Adam, myself and Andreas to the shop, for which we were extremely grateful. We then thought that it would be a good idea to give Adam’s father a role in the film, and in the final cut, he plays the part of the older man in the last scene; giving the film a final hook.

YouTube and IMDB were both extremely useful websites into our research and planning for our film. I used them both to look further into the world of the thriller films and they gave me a lot of information about the conventions and also let me watch trailers and clips of classic thriller films. Both websites also allow feedback from the general public, meaning that I could see which aspects most appealed to the audience and which we could include in our own films. YouTube also allowed us to publish our own film online and since, we have had various pieces on feedback; all of which were very useful.

BlogSpot is another website to which I owe a huge part of my project. On this website, I was able to post all of my planning, photos, processes, reviews of thrillers and much more. This meant that all of my work could be organised and laid out for other’s to see and witness my progress through the process of making the film.

"To me, movies and music go hand in hand. When I'm writing a script, one of the first things I do is find the music I'm going to play for the opening sequence." - Quentin Tarantino

As is evident, the internet has played a large part in making our thriller film possible. It has also enabled us to find a soundtrack for our thriller that is un-copyrighted. As is in our prompt, we needed a soundtrack to our film which was either over 50 years old or by an unsigned band. From the MobyGratis website, we found a soundtrack that we believed was perfect for our film. The song ‘across’ is an instrumental/classical piece that could be described as calming; written and performed by an unsigned band. We got in touch with the band and asked whether it would be possible to use the song. They agreed, asking to see the finished production. We wanted to create an ironic statement with our soundtrack, as did Sergio Leone in Once Upon a Time in America with their soundtrack of ‘God Bless America’ in the opening scene. We done this by juxtaposing the soothing piece of music to a violent, ruthless act of murder; out intention was to create a eerie, nightmare-like quality to the atmosphere.

Question seven: 'Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?'

In contrast to our preliminary task, it seems that through this project we planned a lot more. Our plans helped us to shoot, edit (and then re-shoot) as with each step, we knew what we had to film, how to edit and what we needed to change. Within our group, we also shot each scene multiple times, with different camera angles (and on our re-shoots, we also varied the lighting as well, after realising the importance of lighting to the tone of the film.) This enabled us to have a range of shots to be able to chose from when it came to editing, and therefore make our film better overall.

The preliminary task also helped us to understand the 180° rule (a guideline stating that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right position to each other unless we see the character physically move to a different position.) This rule helped to create clarity in our narrative and filming; also helped by our practise in continuity editing.

I have also learnt through this project the difficulty of working in the confines of a genre. Each film wants to have a unique selling point and something in the plot which sets it aside from the rest – however, working within the conventions to show our understanding of the genre proved to be a task more complicated than it at first sounds. In the end, my group decided that to be most effective, we’d attempt to create a mix of conventions; camera shots and a narrative structure that we felt were most appealing in our own minds and ended up with a production that will hopefully be liked by others too.

Within our groups, we each made various contributions to the film. We all completed the planning, each offering different suggestions – a concoction which made up our final project, and we discussed our ideas together as a group for a long period of time until we were all completely happy. I completed two audience research methods; both a general one and one focusing specifically on the thriller genre. I used a variation of people for my participants; from peers to family members with an age range of fifteen to thirty five. I wanted a wider age range to discover how broad the appeal of thrillers was and what we could do to include as much of an audience as possible. We shared ideas of costumes and location. I also contributed the costume of the femme fatale (and was also planning to before the our original volunteer to play Grace unfortunately had to pull out). I turned up to every shooting session and I played the role of the femme-fatale – despite the fact that I am not a drama student, or have never done much drama in my life, I tried to do the best job I could as I knew it would have an effect as our project and the group as a whole. I also brought a few handbags (as well as other props) on our first shooting session, although we decided to use one that belonged to the mother of another group member in the end as it seemed the most appropriate for the role, the black colouring lending to the convention of the thriller film and the leather connoting fashion and yet a sense of cruelty. I also brought a lamp that was proposed we use, but decided not to use it in the film – however, it still contributed towards lighting. Since filming, I have also spent every lunchtime (other than the times I have been ill) with my group helping to edit the film.

Overall, I believe that our thriller introduction turned out much better than I thought that it would, and thanks to the hard work of each member of our group, I am extremely proud of it.

A Fall From Grace: Our Thriller Film!

2010-04-01T01:33:00.000-07:00

We have finally finished our film, and I put it on YouTube to get some feedback and to allow people to watch our final result.

Here is our film: To watch it on Youtube/leave feedback, then please double click the above video or follow the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5upJdkMotFc

Soundtrack

2010-03-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

We spent a lot of time trying to decide on the perfect soundtrack on our thriller, and despite our hesitation at first when we believed it would be difficult to find a track that was uncopyrighted; we soon seemed to be overwhelmed with choice: did we want a stereotypical soundtrack or an ironic one? Did we want an instrumental or a piece with lyrics?

In the end, we decided to use "Across" - an instrumental, classical piece from a website that hosts many uncopyrighted songs (mobygratis). We got in touch with the original artist of the piece and asked for their permission to use the song - they agreed on the condition we let them watch the finished video, which of course we agreed to.

We chose this piece because we felt it would be an ironic statement to the action in the video (in a similar way to God Bless America is used in an ironic way in Once Upon a Time in America.) This includes the way in which throughout the murder, peaceful music continues to play in the background - almost making it seem meaningless.

Equipment List.

2010-03-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

Whilst shooting our thriller, we used various pieces of equipment. These are as follows:

Camera

Tripod

We used a tripod similar to this to ensure that our cinematography was as smooth as possible. During our thriller filming, I discovered how crucial these were in creating a watchable film.

Lighting

We used various types of lighting whilst shooting our thriller film - the majority of which being torches as our thriller was mainly shot in the dark. We used a trial-and-error techniques with the lighting, finally finding a balance that still have us the dark atmosphere that we needed and enough light that the action was visible.

Each piece of equipment was crucial for our filming and extremely effective.

Thriller Title: A Fall From Grace

2010-03-15T03:20:00.000-07:00

Originally, we had planned to call our film 'The Rep' - as we had planned for the villain in our thriller to be a 'rep' for the shop in which we were filming. Whilst shooting, we thought about how effective this would be, and decided that another title would probably represent our film better.

We brainstormed a few ideas, and thought about tie-ins we could make to the character and the plot. I brainstormed around the villain's name: Grace Jones. In the end, we decided to use "A Fall From Grace" as our title.

Whilst researching the phrase, we found several meanings:

1. A loss of status

2. A loss of respect

3. A loss of prestige

4. In a biblical sense, it means to become immoral.
e.g
"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." (from the Bible)

5. In a famous poem, the line: "The fall from grace is steep and swift, and when you land, it does not make a sound, because you are alone" by Cari Williams in 1995 was very poweful.

'A Fall From Grace' holds several connotations about our film. First of all, we thought that it was a good idea as it highlights how Grace is the villain - murdering innocent people. We then thought about how it could hold deeper connotations towards the rest of the film.

The title suggests (as shown by the fourth suggestion of meaning of the phrase) that Grace was a classic 'good girl' and that something has happened to turn her into this murderous villain. We thought that this may intice the audience as they wish to find out what has happened to her in the past and what will happen to her.

Storyboards

2010-03-11T02:24:00.000-08:00

When we were first given the task of creating the opening to a thriller film, we thought out and storyboarded an idea that we did not use in the end. However, I thought that I would put my storyboard on the blog as it shows some of the thought processes of the group and the shots that we kept and how our idea developed over time.

ORIGINAL STORYBOARD:

There was a slight change, and Sam Cameron became a part of our group. A cellar then become available through the fact that Sam's mum owns a shop in North Walsham. We changed our idea as we believed that it followed more conventions and would make a more effective film overall.

Shots that are similar in both ideas include the shot from inside of the boot - we kept this as we thought that not only would this be quite a unique idea, but it would also follow the convention of a claustrophic space. We also thought that the effect the light would have when the boot was opened would create a good atmosphere in the film.

NEW STORYBOARD:

Although I'm not brilliant at drawing (as is apparent), I think that the contrasting storyboards are effective in showing our thought processes and also give an overview of our original ideas.

Write an analysis of Max’s death paying particular attention to how gender and death are represented. (Including micro and macro analysis.)

2010-01-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

Within TV Dramas (and teen dramas in particular) death and gender are often presented in certain ways. Predominantly, teen dramas highly emphasise classic stereotypes. The writers behind Hollyoaks are extremely clever in how they use shots and objects to symbolise a certain message that they wish to present. Max’s death was a scene that was remembered by fans of Hollyoaks as a tragedy. The director has created an effective atmosphere using all aspects of production: characters, costume, sound, camera angles, mise-en-scene and more.

By macro analysing how men are presented in the scene, it becomes apparent that Hollyoaks is a teen drama that utilises the conventions mentioned earlier. One of the most dominant connotations of Max’s character is that he is a saviour – carried through by the fact he was hit by a car after pushing his brother out of the way. This action holds implications of the traditional perspective that men are masculine and strong. Max’s best on-screen friend rushes to the scene and their interactions portray a traditional relationship between close friends with a contemporary twist:

“I love you!”

“Don’t be gay, mate!”

This shows not only that the characters are relatable but also that the cast and crew behind Hollyoaks ensure that the drama keeps us with the trends and general feel of the times to keep the show as contemporary and popular as possible. OB (the best friend), although distressed, is controlled and focused on the situation which is how psychologists suggest men generally react to a stressor which again reinforces the traditional 'masculine' role of men. Another example to back up this point is the fact that the scene is male dominated; suggesting that men are more prepared to deal with this kind of situation.

A micro analysis of the representation of men only reinforces the 'saviour' perspective of Max as the cinematographer has used low angle shots and various vital parts of the scene are edited into slow motion.

In a similar style, Hollyoaks have used the cliché of the damsel in distress to portray Steph (the new wife of Max) as she realises what has happened. As it is their wedding day, the actress is in a white, puffy dress implicating innocence and perfection – as this style of dress is popular in fairy tales. Steph is the picture of the 'perfect' woman; somebody that the majority of men fantasize about - blonde hair, good figure etc. This seems to make the situation even more devastating. The hysteria exerted by the only female character in the scene implicates that women cannot cope with high emotions or need a man to help control their feelings - however, her dominance in the scene (white contrasted with their black suits and the fact that her outfit is so big compared to theirs and also the sound of her screams and crying dominates over any other sound.) suggests that women are an significant figure in the men’s life. Again, the fact that the audience can see that she is the only girl shows how important the day of her wedding/his death is.

As before, a micro analysis is useful to strengthen points that have been raised whilst looking at the macro analysis. Likewise to how editing parts of the drama into slow motion helped to portray Max as a saviour; in this instance it helps to prove the helplessness of Steph's situation and also shows the fact that she can't understand or believe what has happened to her new husband. The nature and grass also visible in the mise-en-scene also juxtaposes the situation in the scene and reflects how beautiful Steph looks. The low angle also implicates that Steph is nothing without Max - or to generalise, woman feel empty when they lose/break up with their partners.

Obviously, death is a major part in this clip. However, the cast have to be careful not to glamorise it too much as shows like these have a reputation of influencing younger viewers (for example, if there is an anorexia storyline, schools have reported an increase in the number of students reporting having an eating disorder.) Nevertheless, if they can't make it too disturbing as the programme is shown before the watershed at 9pm.

Hollyoaks has been clever in presenting death as a tragedy. The fact that everybody in the mise-en-scene is crying or screaming in anguish represents the pain of family members and friends (deterring viewers from anything extreme). However it doesn't want to scare the viewers into giving them a phobia of death; therefore, it attempts to make it optimistic. The music and angles implicate heaven or the fact that Max was 'going to a better place.' The nature (also used to compliment Stephs beauty) in the mise-en-scene also reflects peace, stating that death is not always painful. Although the cast didn't want to glorify death too much, it does tend to 'prettify' it to an extent, the fact that Max is not covered in blood also may give the impression that it's not dangerous and that everyone will look beautiful in death.

The micro-analysis also gives a certain optimism to death. There is a birds-eye view of the situation, which although giving distance to the characters from the audience, but it gives the impression that Max is watching them from above/in heaven. The slow motion used frequently in this clip may imitate how everything is meant to slow down moments before death, and also how precious time is. The non-diagetic choir in the background yet again gives an optimism as it is often related to religion, therefore implying that the character that has died is now closer to God. Another important aspect of the clip that plays a major part in the drama's representation of death is that all of the tiny sounds (such as a toy falling to the floor) are intensified. Again, this could be a suggestion that every moment in life is precious and a hint that people should live every day as if it is their last.

In conclusion, Hollyoaks has created an extremely effective if stereotypical representation of both gender and death using most major parts of production. Overall, although the scene is extremely tragic, it holds a positive light and lets the audience know that although it's not a 'happy ending,' they still have something to live and be grateful for.

An essay to argue for or against the statement that “moving images production has always been led by the audience’s demand for new sensation.”

2010-01-25T03:46:00.000-08:00

Throughout history, there has always been a demand for new technologies and inventions. The further we progress with science; the more we wish to discover. To a degree, this concept is also true with film. Both film-makers and audiences alike yearn for something to make a film more cutting-edge and modern; for something that will make the film more exciting to watch. For example, when moving images production was still new, they were black and white images with only captions for conversation and a live pianist playing inside the cinema (or theatre as it was more commonly known.)

Cinema then became known for films known as ‘talkies’ in which the audience would actually be able to hear the actors talk. This excited audiences, yet it was still not enough. We then developed colour films that contrasted against the ordinary movies that were filmed in black and white and coloured sepia. Then special effects (SFX) began to creep into films. The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots in 1895 was one of the first films to use a special effect, using a substitution shot with a dummy to enable them to shoot Mary Queen of Scot’s execution. The world of cinema then discovered the wonders of animation: now able to integrate the two types of films. Pete’s Dragon in 1977 was the first film that combined animation and live action. The team behind this managed it by creating three scenes that they could composite together with a live foreground and background, but an animated middle ground. These developments were then followed by CGI and 3D (Three Dimensional) films – and these are only a few of the technological advancements that have been made throughout the history of film.

So, it would be a valid question to ask whether it is new sensations that interest the audience. However, there are many other factors to take into consideration. What would a technologically able film be without good actors, a good director or an inspirational plotline?

The Wizard of Oz is a film that when released, was highly publicised for it’s technological advances – this was a film that was able to boast Technicolor! One IMDB user was able to reminisce of the film being introduced with the sentence:

“The following program is brought to you in living colour on NBC!”

The Wizard of Oz was filmed half in three-strip Technicolor (the sequences of Oz) and half in black-and-white (the sequences of Kansas) and later coloured with Sepia. The film was publicised as being in colour – although the black-and-white sections of the film were not mentioned. This gives us the impression that audiences would not be interested in the film had it not been advanced technologically.

When the film was first released, it is easy to say that the fact that it was in colour was the main reason for its popularity as it amazed audiences all over the country. However, this is no reason for the film to be still popular today. I believe that the secret behind its vast popularity is due to the storyline: it holds interesting characters and songs to keep children entertained; for the elder generations, it holds a significance in their past that assists reminiscence and it has also grown increasingly popular with the LGBT (the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender cult.) It is said that this film is the first that represented acceptance towards their sexuality (the black and white sections of the film presenting homophobia juxtaposing against the colourful land of Oz which implicates acceptance.) As a consequence of this, Judy Garland - who plays Dorothy, has since become a big gay icon.

The film of a scarecrow, a tin man and a cowardly lion has since gone down in history – although it may be remembered significantly for it’s technological advancements; its popularity demands a look at the plotline – which in my opinion, has made the film what it was.

Another film that was known for its advances in technology is Toy Story. Disney’s Toy Story was the first ever feature-length animation. The film was made up of 114,240 frames, each of which took two hours and fifteen minutes to complete. As you can imagine, this was a lengthy progress, but was time well spent. To date, Toy Story has grossed over $356 million worldwide and even now is still being widely publicised: for example, a 3D version of the sequel is now being shown in selected cinemas – something you could say that emphasises how demand for new sensation is shaping cinema. However, an argument to this statement is that had it not been for the amazing plotline of Toy Story, would it still be the one film out of thousands chosen to be re-released years later in 3D.

The film Toy Story is loved by many, and remembered fondly by those that saw it in the cinema as children. The plot is easy to relate to – even for younger children. They could relate to Woody (having to compete with somebody for your best friend) and even Buzz Light-year (being new and having to find new friends.) This basic plot made interesting with the use of toys has been extremely popular and also loved by parents for the moral ending of them working together and becoming friends themselves.

It is obvious that this film wasn’t only successful for its technology, and although it played a bit part in the original publicity and income, it has since become infamous for its moving storyline.

The most recent film advertised specifically for its advances in cinematic technology is 2009’s Avatar. The phenomenon of filming in 3D has created a new craze within fans of cinema. One IMDB user stated that the new method of filming debuted in Avatar was “one of the best cinematic experiences ever” which provides us with an argument for the statement that audiences are forever in want of a ‘new sensation.’ Avatar was filmed using two high-definition cameras in a single camera body to create a better depth perception as well as photo-realistic computer-generated characters that were created using motion-capture animations. The characters were made with real actors performances captured on a visual counterpart so audiences could still watch ‘real’ action. The mix of technologies has created a film that audiences have gone crazy to watch. As of yet, bearing in mind it has only been out a few months, the film has made $910,847,633 and has been titled as the highest-grossing film of all time in Australia, Russia, Spain and Vietnam amongst others.

This is a true sign that a film has become popular, and also shows us how willing audiences were to pay more to witness a film more advanced that would increase the pleasure in their cinematic experiences. Avatar is an example of a point towards the fact that moving images production is led by the audiences demand for new sensation: and if this is the reaction willingly given by today’s generation then who would argue?

In conclusion, although technology obviously plays a big part in the advancements of cinema and new films of today, audiences can be extremely stubborn. If the storyline or plot in a film is not enough to impress, then a film will not become successful. Therefore, I believe that although it is important, and although the audience do determine how films are made, technological advancements are not the main reason for changes in the production of film.

Bibliography:
The Wizard of Oz:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_of_Oz_(1939_film)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/

Toy Story:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_story
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/

Avatar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_(2009_film)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/

Other:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete%27s_Dragon
http://www.filmsite.org/visualeffects1.html

Characteristics of Film Noir.

2010-01-25T03:23:00.000-08:00

Primary Characteristics and Conventions of Film Noir: Themes and Styles

The primary moods of classic film noir were melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia.

Heroes (or anti-heroes), corrupt characters and villains included down-and-out, conflicted hard-boiled detectives or private eyes, cops, gangsters, government agents, a lone wolf, socio-paths or killers, crooks, war veterans, politicians, petty criminals, murderers, or just plain Joes. These protagonists were often morally-ambiguous low-lifes from the dark and gloomy underworld of violent crime and corruption. Distinctively, they were cynical, tarnished, obsessive (sexual or otherwise), brooding, menacing, sinister, sardonic, disillusioned, frightened and insecure loners (usually men), struggling to survive - and in the end, ultimately losing.

Storylines were often elliptical, non-linear and twisting. Narratives were frequently complex, maze-like and convoluted, and typically told with foreboding background music, flashbacks (or a series of flashbacks), witty, razor-sharp and acerbic dialogue, and/or reflective and confessional, first-person voice-over narration. Amnesia suffered by the protagonist was a common plot device, as was the downfall of an innocent Everyman who fell victim to temptation or was framed. Revelations regarding the hero were made to explain/justify the hero's own cynical perspective on life.

Film noir films (mostly shot in gloomy grays, blacks and whites) thematically showed the dark and inhumane side of human nature with cynicism and doomed love, and they emphasized the brutal, unhealthy, seamy, shadowy, dark and sadistic sides of the human experience. An oppressive atmosphere of menace, pessimism, anxiety, suspicion that anything can go wrong, dingy realism, futility, fatalism, defeat and entrapment were stylized characteristics of film noir. The protagonists in film noir were normally driven by their past or by human weakness to repeat former mistakes.

Film noir films were marked visually by expressionistic lighting, deep-focus or depth of field camera work, disorienting visual schemes, jarring editing or juxtaposition of elements, ominous shadows, skewed camera angles (usually vertical or diagonal rather than horizontal), circling cigarette smoke, existential sensibilities, and unbalanced or moody compositions. Settings were often interiors with low-key (or single-source) lighting, venetian-blinded windows and rooms, and dark, claustrophobic, gloomy appearances. Exteriors were often urban night scenes with deep shadows, wet asphalt, dark alleyways, rain-slicked or mean streets, flashing neon lights, and low key lighting. Story locations were often in murky and dark streets, dimly-lit and low-rent apartments and hotel rooms of big cities, or abandoned warehouses. [Often-times, war-time scarcities were the reason for the reduced budgets and shadowy, stark sets of B-pictures and film noirs.]

Some of the most prominent directors of film noir included Orson Welles, John Huston, Billy Wilder, Edgar Ulmer, Douglas Sirk, Robert Siodmak, Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger, Henry Hathaway and Howard Hawks.

Femmes Fatales in Film Noir:
The females in film noir were either of two types (or archetypes) - dutiful, reliable, trustworthy and loving women; or femmes fatales - mysterious, duplicitous, double-crossing, gorgeous, unloving, predatory, tough-sweet, unreliable, irresponsible, manipulative and desperate women. Usually, the male protagonist in film noir wished to elude his mysterious past, and had to choose what path to take (or have the fateful choice made for him).
Invariably, the choice would be an overly ambitious one, to follow the dangerous but desirable wishes of these dames. It would be to pursue the goadings of a traitorous, self-destructive femme fatale who would lead the struggling, disillusioned, and doomed hero into committing murder or some other crime of passion coupled with twisted love. When the major character was a detective or private eye, he would become embroiled and trapped in an increasingly-complex, convoluted case that would lead to fatalistic, suffocating evidences of corruption, irresistible love and death. The femme fatale, who had also transgressed societal norms with her independent and smart, menacing actions, would bring both of them to a downfall.

(FROM WWW.FILMSITE.ORG!)

Audience Research: Thrillers!

2010-01-21T09:26:00.000-08:00

I wanted to carry out some audience research so that our group could get a general idea of what our target audience want. We also wanted to get an idea of distribution etc. My audience research proposal sheet is below:

I have created a questionnaire to carry out some audience research that runs parallel to my production piece for Media and that will help me to understand my audience and better my thriller subsequently. I believe that my research is useful as it not only looks at a vast age range (from 15-35) but also looks at various topics that will help us in our production process - characters, soundtracks and which aspects of Mainstream and Independent our audiences like. I have also ensured that I have both qualitative and quantative data. My results are below:

1. When watching a thriller, what main features do you expect to see?

Andy: “Lots of action”
Emily: “A mysterious location and a character that looks suspicious from the start”
Sam: “Moments that will make you jump and a lot of gore.”
Chris: “Sneaking around, characters double crossing each other, spies etc.”
Jess: “Someone getting murdered.”
Craig: “A good storyline.”
Jamie: “Dark lighting, creepy music and a storyline that drags the audience in making them feel involved in the film.”
Becky: “Tense music, moments of suspense.”
Ruby: “Violence, suspense, and a scary man.”
Alex: “For it to start off like a nice, normal film, to suddenly take a turn to make it scary. Usually based around normal life, to make it somehow realistic. Use of creepy music, and a character you don’t trust or are constantly afraid of.”

2. Do you prefer mainstream or independent films and why?

Andy: “I like mainstream because I find that independent films are sometimes lacking in the features and effects of mainstream”
Emily: “Mainstream, because they have actors that I have heard of or have seen in other movies.”
Sam: “mainstream. Because independent films seem "too" low budget and normally some sound is out.”
Chris: “Well I don’t have a preference as they’re both good in different ways. Mainstream films usually have all the amazing special effects but independent films can have a grittier, realistic feel.”
Jess: “Mainstream. Don’t really see many independent films…”
Craig: “It depends on the film itself – independent has a basic storyline but always effective with a low budget, but mainstream films have more action and better casts.”
Jamie: “I don’t have preferred choice, it doesn’t matter if the film is mainstream or independent as long as it is a good watch and entertains me then I like it.”
Becky: “Mainstream because most independent films are a bit ‘weird.’”
Ruby: “Independent films, because it is harder to guess what is going to happen and the characters and story line are normally more normal and relatable.”
Alex: “Independent films, as they focus on characterization, whereas the Hollywood films rely on good graphics.”

3. Describe a character that you would like to see playing ‘the bad guy.’

Andy: “They would be wearing flash clothes – like a suit and they would act as though they are in control and can rule a lot of people – for example, Marlon Brando from The Godfather etc.”
Emily: “Somebody attractive, an intriguing persona: Somebody that wears a hat – maybe with facial piercings that wears a leather jacket.”
Sam: “Dark, mysterious and spooky.”
Chris: “Russians are always a good bet, especially in the current climate.”
Jess: “I don’t know, but usually I like them. So it would help if they were sexually attractive, so you like them when you shouldn’t.”
Craig: “Rouge-like, bushy beard, a dirty look as though they live in squalor.”
Jamie: “The weird neighbour who seems to pop up in the storyline for no reason fooling the audience. Like the villain in Disturbia who seems nice and friendly until you see his true side at the end of the film.”
Becky: “I’d imagine them ugly with stubble, a shaved head and wearing mostly black.”
Ruby: “Someone hot, with a mean streak and chiseled cheek bones.”
Alex: “A naturally creepy kind of person with a creepy face/persona e.g. Alan Cummings.”

4. Describe a character that you would like to see portraying a ‘victim.’

Andy: “An attractive young woman, who isn’t really "with it" so to speak, like a blond sort of stereo type.”
Emily: “someone innocent...almost with an untouchable virgin image”
Sam: “Small, innocent and dorky.”
Chris: “Someone vulnerable and easily influenced.”
Jess: “Someone I don’t really like in the film, so I can laugh at them dying.”
Craig: “Either a femme-fatale or a man that wears suits.”
Jamie: “The ‘victim’ can be anyone really, as long as they seem powerless and weak compared to the villain. Most victim’s would have to be innocent though.”
Becky: “Someone kind that you would like and could empathise with.”
Ruby: “Someone that seems innocent and relatable and grows from the experience.”
Alex: “Someone who deserves it.”

5. What do you believe makes thriller films successful?

Andy: “the ability for the film to capture the undivided attention of the audience and action that makes them think: "I wish this didn’t have to end" ‘The Dark Knight,’ for example.”
Emily: “if they have an original story line...something different to all the rest of the thriller films out there...TWISTS!”
Sam: “I think a dark, jumpy storyline would probably be successful as a thriller.”
Chris: “an intriguing plot and a good balance between exciting action and narrative.”
Jess: “A film that really makes you jump, makes you scared and makes you think. I particularly liked Urban Legends because you were guessing who the murderer was, and how the next person would get killed. Yummy.”
Craig: “A good storyline with ‘normal’ characters.”
Jamie: “A good thriller is one that excites the audience and also installing a sense of fear into them.”
Becky: “The suspense and the fact that the audience themselves can try to discover who the villain is and their motives.”
Ruby: “That people need to know what happens and love the rush and thrill of the horror.”
Alex: “When there is not any unnecessary gore, and when it has jumpy bits, and uses good characters – basically a film based around the characters. And they should be real people – monsters are not scary.”

6. What kind of music would you associate with a thriller film?

Andy: “a piece that creates tension and suspicion for the audience”
Emily: “well in some cases it would be like soft instrumental music...but then you’ve got the metal rock kind of music that suits them too.”
Sam: “mostly high pitched and quite sudden music as this creates tension.”
Chris: “Mainly orchestral music – it’s good for creating tension.”
Jess: “Either really classical stuff (e.g. the music from Jaws) or some heavy metal.”
Craig: “Something like The Pink Panther that builds tension.”
Jamie: “Any music can be played really, even happy ‘safe’ music as this could be used as a ironic statement, like the beginning in Once upon a time in America where the theme tune to ‘God Bless America’ is played. Most thrillers have dark, spine-tingling music that scares the audience making them fear for the character’s lives.”
Becky: “Haunting music.”
Ruby: “Music that builds suspense, usually high pitched violins and low cellos.”
Alex: “Low tones, then high when something bad happens – like in Psycho when she is stabbed”

7. What would you say the best thriller film you’ve seen is and why?

Emily: “I liked ‘Valentine’ because I like the storyline of getting revenge on people that hated you in high school.”
Andy: “‘The Dark Knight,’ because it was action-packed and kept my attention from beginning to end.”
Sam: “‘Scream’ is probably my favourite because the storyline is original and it’s also quite tense so has a good effect on the audience.”
Chris: “If I had to choose, I’d probably say ‘The Bourne Identity’ because the story ties up so well, the acting is good and it’s just a great film overall.”
Jess: “I just Googled Batman: The Dark Knight and supposedly that is an ‘Action-Thriller’ so I guess my favourite film is Batman: The Dark Knight, mainly because I love it when the Joker says: “Madness is a lot like gravity, all it takes is a little push…” Now that is a line and a half.”
Craig: “The Usual Suspects because it has a brilliant storyline and a clever ending.”
Jamie: “Probably Layer Cake as I love the ‘whish’ of it all. The acting is really good, as is the script, and it drew me into the film. And at the end it had the ‘I don’t want it to end’ feeling. The Dark Knight is also very, very good though.
Becky: “Se7en because the victims were the focus of a sin and it’s a storyline that I’ve never seen before. The twist at the end also keeps it interesting all the way through.”
Ruby: “Friday 13th, 1980s version - Because it was so ridiculous.”
Alex: “Psycho as it involved a character you never saw, which added to the sense of the unknown, and was scary. Plus it had a big, unexpected twist.”

Click on the chart for a bigger photo.

Urban Legend Analysis (First Draft)

2010-01-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

Urban Legend
Director: Jamie Blanks
1998
Company: Canal + Droits Audiovisuels
User Comment:

"The opening sequence alone was enough to keep me hooked on as I realized I would watch a great film. The rainy frames and the professional shooting with the distant take angles is enough to pose the threatening tone and warn us about what is to follow. The introductory scene is a stand alone masterpiece."

User Rating: 5.1/10

I only have this film on a VCR Video, so I searched the film on YouTube and found the opening of the movie. I've analysed it, however I just realised the embed link was disabled, therefore I will put the URL so if you want to watch it, you just have to follow the link. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Urban Legend Opening Sequence: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvyMjiDVxDM

The film starts off with an aerial shot of a pavement with heavy rainfall. The rain is the first signifier of the thriller genre and begins to create a tense atmosphere. The soundtrack begins with a song that sounds as though it is being sung by a choir - this brings connotations of a Church or religion, and sounds almost heavenly. Something which is also closely linked to death.

The screen then goes completely black, which gives implications of death yet again. Then, extremely quickly, some car headlights light up a small part of the shot (above). Car headlights are another generic signifier of a thriller genre, as they only show a selected part of the set which is an easy way to create tension - as there is no way of knowing what could be hiding elsewhere. The shot is still an aerial shot which shows the deserted streets - however, other than vague outlines , it is relatively difficult to see anything other than where the car is heading, thanks to shadows etc.

The camera then pans down behind the trees until it meets the road. The weather has gotten lighter, which could signify a passing of time. The car drives along the wet (a feature used by many Thriller film-makers), uneven and winding road, this could be metaphorical for the journey the characters of the film are about to undertake.

The film then cuts into an interior shot of the car. The weather prevents the audience from being able to see much, again - only dark shapes and shadows. It is here that we meet the character, Michelle, for the first time. Michelle is a classic victim for thriller movies - young, pretty and seemingly carefree - instantly likeable to the audience.

In the above shot, we see Michelle's car driving along an isolated road. An easy way of identifying that this shot is from a Thriller film is the structure of the road - there are gates either side of the car which entrap Michelle, although this may not be an obvious feature, it helps to subtly add tension to the atmosphere. It also seem as though the gates/fences on either side of the road are taller than the car, which gives an impression of intimidation and overpowerment.

Another cut is made to a long shot of the road, with the car travelling towards the camera. This could represent the facts that many people believe that things will "never happen to them," and that these instances seem distant, but are closer than the characters think. The camera pans around as the car goes past, giving the audience the feeling that they are watching the car travel. Something that makes them feel suspicious and begin to worry for Michelle.

There is another shot of the interior of the car, however this one is from the dashboard. We can see not only Michelle, but also her backseats and her back window. However, we cannot see it clearly, thanks to the gloomy weather and shadows shrouding the car. This makes the audience question why they can see this much of the car, and cause the tension to rise as they anticipate what is about to happen.

Michelle plays a tape of Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart.' Michelle sings to the lyrics "Turn around!" which is a classic use of irony which foreshadows later on in the opening sequence where there is a murderer in the back seat of her car. Throughout the whole sequence so far, there is a violent storm. The rain is preventing a clear view of everything that's happening and the lightning brings flashes of light to the scenes - where we can see everything for around half a second. This technique is brilliant for creating tension, as the audience are anticipating the next time they will be able to see and whether it's safe for the driver. This is also stereotypical of the thriller genre and has been used for decades in both thriller and horror movies alike (Dracula and Frankenstein classically, as examples of horror movies that use the 'storm' technique.) Another point to raise is that the director could be using the close lightning to signify that an event is about to happen or that something is about to 'strike' Michelle.

An extreme close up of the fuel gauge tells the audience that the car is almost out of petrol. This is a crisis that could happen to anybody; which makes it all the more tense for the audience. The situation is worsened by the way the character is on an isolated road where the storm can prevent her from doing anything or finding anybody with ease. Again, this is another technique used widely in thriller films.

Another close up of Michelle is used, but here she is more surrounded in darkness than in any of the shots thus far. It could be that the director is trying to hint towards what is about to happen, using the darkness to emphasise how Michelle can't see around her.

The story continues with Michelle managing it to the gas station and getting the attendant to fill up her tank etc. etc. The tension reaches a high as the attendant knocks on the window. (Above) The rain had prevented both the character and the audience from seeing him approach, and it seems that the glass is the only thing seperating them, and it's only fragile. The director has also made use of many people's (wrongful) distrust of those that are unable to communicate properly and given the gas attendant a stutter. Thus, making Michelle automatically a bit wary of the character.

The above shot is probably one of my favourites from this sequence, as the whole mise-en-scene creates a brilliant atmosphere and is so effective. There is a two-shot here of the character we have grown to know over the past few minutes, and the one that we have immedietly distrusted. The gas attendant is blurry, and we cannot see him very clearly which constrasts with the clear view we have of Michelle. This could represent the audience's relationship with the characters, or could signify that we cannot see his true personality.

The song (Bonnie Tyler's, Total Eclipse Of The Heart) has since finished and the score becomes more and more dramatic the longer the car is parked, getting louder as the man runs back into the garage. We cannot see clearly what is going on, only glimpses from outside of the car when the windscreen wipers clear away the rain for a split second - this makes it harder for the audience to understand what's going on, also creating a tense, suspicious atmosphere.

The camera cuts to a close up of the meter charging her for the petrol, which also in this situation seems like a stopwatch towards her death - or at least an important event. As Michelle leaves the car, she pulls on a black coat over her white t-shirt. This could signify how death is near, or even how her innocence will be lost.

An aerial view shows the two characters walking to the garage, and the shadows are illuminated over the ground. From this view, we see how it seems as though the gas attendant is following her. It could also be a representation of how she is being stalked by death or danger.

Another generic feature of a thriller film is apparent when they reach the garage. The attendant locks the door, and the camera pans around the room, emphasising the small size of it. The small room creates a feeling of claustrophobia and entrapment, bringing the tension yet higher. The music reaches it's crescendo, at it's loudest and most dramatic of the film thus far.

There is an over the shoulder, low angle shot of the attendant as he tries to prevent Michelle from leaving the garage. The low angle shot presents him as an intimidating figure, stronger and more powerful than the girl. The tension is at it's highest point of the film thus far, and suddenly the noise becomes overpowering. The car alarm goes off, Michelle is locking and unlocking her doors in a panic, she is screaming, he is grunting whilst trying to catch her up, the rain and still the music getting louder creates a confusion within the audience and also a sympathy towards Michelle who just wants to get away from the chaos.

One of my favourite shots of the clip is when we see the gas attendant standing at the gas station after Michelle has driven away (above.) The man is bent over, which can hold connotations of the ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ (a story about a disabled man that was misunderstood.) The man is left alone in the rain, and the darkness is surrounding him. This is a typical mise-en-scene for thriller films, as it holds many generic conventions (the rain and wet roads etc) and also increases the tension dramatically.

The director has then decided to show Michelle using mid shots from the dashboard once again. This could symbolise comfort as we have seen this shot before and are relieved that we are seeing something we recognise as Michelle would be feeling relief at getting back into her car and away from the man that she thought dangerous. The lighting changes from darkness - where the audience can see only half of her face and outlines of shapes that can't be made out, to brightness when the lightning flashes and the audience can see everything in the car. The tension builds as the storm gets worse, the pathetic fallacy implying that something worse is about to happen.

As the "lightning" flashes, the audience become aware of a silhouette that is rising in the back seat with an axe (above); the lighting goes dark again and we can't make anything else out. The fact that we can't make out any of the features of the character in the back seat gives implications of the Grim Reaper: telling us that Michelle's death is near. As you can also see in the screen-shot, the audience cannot see through the windscreen very clearly, this could show that Michelle is neither thinking nor seeing clearly thanks to what had happened, and also because she is crying. The director here has attempted to further increase the relationship between the audience and the main character.

Michelle's eyes then catch the eyes of the murderer through the interior mirror (above). The director could have used this technique to reflect the small amount of space in the car through the small mirror. Thanks to the rain outside (a generic convention that has been widely used in this clip so far), we cannot see anything outside of the vehicle. The film-maker has used this to show that it seems nothing in the outside of this world matters, and also shows how closely we are involved in the film as viewers now.

In the seventh minute of the film, there is a low angle shot of an axe smashing through the driver's side window, there is also blood noticable through the shards of glass(above). The glass and the axe are both things that can be used as weapons, which implicates the dangers of life. The glass smashing could also symbolise how fragile life is. The colours in the mise-en-scene also reflect the tone of the film so far. There are blues of the background which represent misery, and the blacks of the shadows and silhouettes that represents death of evil.

The film then cuts to a university campus (above). The sign welcoming people to the university looks like a grave stone, thus implicating death of those that go there. Diagetic sounds of church bells can be heard, and connote church occasions such as funerals. The rain is continuing to fall, and there are steps up to the doors of the university, represending an uphill struggle, and the railings along the steps also implicate entrapment.

After a few more shots of the university campus, the opening of the film finishes with university students discussing a "scary story" with both diagetic and non-diagetic sounds to increase the tension yet again. There are sound-bites of the choir that is reminiscent to the start of the film, giving the audience the idea that history may be about to repeat itself.

Overall, I believe that this is one of the most effective openings to a Thriller that I have ever seen.

Thriller Planning (re-draft)

2010-01-07T06:36:00.000-08:00

CHARACTERS

There will be three main characters in our thriller: 'The Rep,' the shopkeeper and the shop assistant.

The Rep: Grace Jones.

Our film will be set in the modern day, and therefore the costumes of all our characters will be fairly simple. The Rep - our femme fatale will probably have a few signifiers or traits stereotypical to Hollywood's idea of a femme fatale. This may include high heels or lipstick etc. I will be wearing a black denim skirt and tights with heels as this is the 'classic' image of a stereotypical femme fatale but also casual enough to not arouse suspicion or give the character too much attention. I will be wearing a leather jacket as stereotypically these are worn by 'bad guys' and in my audience research, when I asked what the ideal villain should be, many of the participants relayed the wish for them to be wearing a leather jacket. We believe that wearing a red t-shirt underneath may be a good idea as it connotes blood and danger, foreshadowing what will come.

I have mentioned multiple times that Grace Jones is a femme fatale. However, different directors have different takes on the idea (the femme fatale in Tarantino's 'Kill Bill' is contemporary and powerful whereas the one in Hitchcock's 'Psycho' is slight and fragile.) Grace Jones will be more contemporary - with a denim skirt and leather jacket, however still hold generic aspects of the classic femme fatale - with heels and confidence etc.

Props for The Rep will include a handbag and a knife - obviously we are aware that we will not be able to have the knife with us in public locations, however as the basement of the shop is private property, it will be completely legal. Obviously, we would have a responsibility to make sure everybody involved is safe at all times, and we will ensure that nobody is in danger.

The Rep will be played by myself. Originally, Sam's sister was going to play this character however she unfortunately went back to university before we could film. I'm now playing the character as I will be available for each filming session and will understand how we want to shoot certain shots. It also doesn't really matter about my facial features etc. as we are not planning to have any shots of the face (as this will build suspense and also leave the audience wanting to watch more.) For the parts we will see (hair, legs etc.) I will be able to do this as I have dark hair - which will connote an evil nature etc.

Shopkeeper: Julie.

Again, our thriller is set in modern day life, and therefore our shopkeeper will be wearing an ordinary outfit. This will include the uniform that she wears on a daily basis to connote power (ironic as she will know nothing about our femme fatale (Grace Jones) and therefore is powerless!) The real owner of the shop will be playing this part, and therefore we could just ask her to wear what she would on an ordinary working day. We thought that she would be a fitting person to play this as she would know how to act this role naturally, and would make the film more believable. It woudl also give us a wider age range to make the film look less amateur. This should include smart clothing etc so she is easily identifiable as the shopkeeper.

The only prop needed for the shopkeeper is money, as in one of the scenes she is handing over a wad of money to the shop assistant so he can take it to the bank. Again, we will have a responsibility not to lose any of the money but we be extremely cautious.

Shop Assistant: Sam

I believe that the shop assistant will be played by Sam, himself. He, too will be wearing modern clothing that is also formal enough that it is believable he is working in a shop. This will include a shirt and plain black trousers, or something similar. This gives him a distinction against the customers so the audience knows who is meant to be doing what. We thought Sam would be an effective person to play this role as he is about the right age to have a part time job, and therefore it's realistic for him to play it. Him playing the role would also hopefully cause empathy within the audience when he is killed because he is so young.

The props needed for the shop assistant include a coat which plays a vital part in our thriller. The coat is the reason the character heads to the basement and ends up being murdered - therefore, without it the whole basis of the film is disrupted.

Other responsibilites
Other responsibilities we will have include making sure we treat both the shop and everything within it with respect. We would hate to do any damage and therefore would treat it as carefully as possible. We will also ensure that we take great care with the school equipment so that it is not damaged in any way.

Films/Shots that have influenced our thriller
So far, there are two films that have influenced our film. The first, and most dominant being 'Psycho.' One of the shots in our film is a sihlouette of the shop assistant being stabbed by The Rep. This is our own take on the shot from Hitchcock's 'Psycho' where Norman Bates stabs Marion in the shower. We believe that the shot was extremely effective, and has also gone down in history as one of the most classic thriller moments of all time.

Another shot that inspired us was from Oliver Parker's recent film adaption of Oscar Wilde's novel 'Dorian Gray.' The film included a shot where Dorian is ascending a set of stairs, and the camera is situated at the top of the stairs with the character walking towards it. I believed that this was an effective technique of raising tension as the audience cannot see what is behind the camera - or what is causing fear in the character.

Photos of Thriller Location (re-draft)

2010-01-07T06:19:00.000-08:00

The majority of our thriller film is to be shot in a shop basement. One of the other members of my group (Sam Cameron) has a mum that owns a shop in North Walsham called House of Hobbies. Sam kindly took photos of his mum's shop/our location as the rest of the group are unable to get there easily.

Outside of shop:

We believed that this location would be perfect for many reasons. Of course, the most obvious being that we will have access to all areas of the shop as it belongs to Sam's mum. The outside of the shop will only be in a couple of shots in our thriller, however I believe that it will bring a lot to the shots in which you can see it, especially if it is in the evening/late afternoon with similar light to that in the photo. The binary opposites of the white of the panels on the shop front against the dark windows and light could show the contrast of good against evil. The white panels also could represent jail thanks to the various vertical panels - ironic, though - as they are white, which is the colour of innocence.

Inside shop:

The inside of the shop would be a perfect location for our thriller because as you can see, there is quite a lot in quite a cramped space. This means that there are a lot of places to hide behind and would also be effective to film - we could show Grace Jones (our femme fatale) walking out from around a corner etc.

It is also a small space which enables us to use another generic feature of the thriller genre (claustrophobic space) especially as all the shelves and racks provide hurdles that would prevent an easy escape.

Basement (Where the majority of filming will take place):

The basement is where the majority of our thriller film will take place. The initial reason that we thought this space would be amazing to shoot is that it is a claustophobic space and also underground - both generic signifiers of the thriller genre. The walls and floor are all tile or brick, which will create a cold and dangerous atmosphere and subsequently tension. This will also be brilliant because there are various ways we could use lighting to create some good shots and an effective thriller.

Using shots like this in the basement would be brilliant as it shows not only the claustophobic space in the basement but also a descent (which could connote a descent into hell etc.)

Overall, I believe that our location is brilliant for our thriller film and will help to create a tense atmosphere and consequently a better film.

"Hunted" Continuous Edit Project With Analysis!

2009-12-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

“Hunted” is the short-film made by our media group for the continuous editing task. Although I was not part of the group originally during the planning or filming stages, I helped with the editing. The reason for this being that the person I was originally working with left the sixth form college and I was unable to film on my own.

Our short film begins with thriller-style music, similar to that of ‘Psycho.’ This immediately gives an implication of danger and therefore the audience should start to feel tense. The camera is focused on some lockers at the end of a corridor – something which could signify secrets or entrapment - until a character walks around the corner. The mid-shot shows the character walking on the left hand side of the screen rather than in the centre, this shot follows the rule of thirds – an effective way to draw the viewer’s eye to the character. The character is wearing a red coat, a colour which is often associated with blood or again, danger.

There is then a cut to another corridor. The setting of which is quite repetitive and we can see the same poster in the same position repeated over and over again in the background. This could represent a repetition in the situation, implying that something similar has happened before. Behind the character we met in the last shot, we can see the figure of another person – this time wearing a cream or beige coloured t-shirt; the character tends to blend more with the walls than the main character who is wearing bright colours – red and blue, and gives the impression that she is trying to remain unnoticed.

The camera zooms as the main character walks towards us; giving the idea that whatever is happening is fast-paced. It could also create a sense of confusion or disorientation as the camera is zooming the opposite direction to where the character is walking. It may show that there is something about to happen that the main character is not aware of, or that a plan is about to be interrupted.

There is a slow-motion shot as the main character turns her head. In a femme-fatale style, (which this character follows most of the stereotypes of –red clothes, confidence etc.) the character turns her head, which then means the camera is blocked by her hair. This could implicate that the characters have not seen something or again that there is something that we don’t know. The slow-motion, extreme close up shot also gives the impression that that moment in time was of extreme importance – a moment of realisation or where somebody is almost caught out (as the character behind seems to be following.)

There is a space of around a second and a half where we are left seeing only the second character approaching – after the main character has already turned the corner. Again, the neutral colour of her clothes seems to make her almost invisible – therefore a threat. This is a long shot and so we cannot clearly make out any of the second characters features , something that again may create tension as we could not recognise her or see clearly what expression she is wearing.

The camera jostles, and although this may be accidental or an editing fault, it also gives us the feeling that something is not running smoothly – again adding to the tension.

It then switches to another long shot, where we see the departing figure of the main character. This could either be viewed as a Point of View shot; where we are given the eyes of the second, following character or it could purely be giving us another way to look at the character we have so far only seen from the front. At one point, the character steps into a shadow which could implicate that she’s not one of the ‘good guys.’ In this shot, we can also see that the tiles of pillars do not match exactly – this could give a sense of disillusion or mystery.

As the character leaves the corridor, the camera hesitates on the hallway. The second character is nowhere to be seen, and leaves the scene with an eerie tone. The audience cannot be completely sure of what is going on, and although the room has a sense of grandeur (arched ceilings etc.), it also seems a perfect setting for somebody that is being haunted – a word only one letter away from the title.

The camera then tracks the character as they walk up to a door. The fact that the door is closed signifies a challenge or a hurdle that needs to be overcome. It could also imply that the room is private – meaning that other people become outcasts or outsiders.

The tone of the soundtrack changes as the door opens – to a more light-hearted sound. This changes the atmosphere from tense to one of relief; giving us the impression that the character we have been following has made it safely to her destination. There is a cut to a mid shot and we catch the character entering from inside the room – making the outside world look bleak compared to the room we are now situated in (as the walls inside the room are blue compared to the cream outside.)

The character weaves between tables, which shows that there is not a simple path to achieving what she wants, although she walks with some speed. This could imply that the hurdles are easy to overcome. The main character then takes a seat opposite somebody waiting in the room – somebody that looks as though she has been expecting her. The fact that she sits down also shows us that they are equal, and the main character stops moving for the first time since we have met her, at which point the music cuts entirely. This tells us that the conversation we are about to hear is extremely important, and also emphasises the silence in the room other than their conversation; this carries on the ‘eerie’ atmosphere that had been slightly reduced thanks to the change in tone of the music.

At the end of the film, we see the character that has been following the main character through the clip. She finally contrasts against the white walls with her grey clothes and black hair – although the darker colours show her to have a slightly evil or mischievous nature.

The film also tested our knowledge of the 180 Degree Rule. The 180 Degree Rule is a basic film editing guideline which states that two characters in the same scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to each other. This means that the camera can show various shots of the characters, however he must always ensure that the characters appear on the side of the screen that we originally saw them - unless we see them move from one side of the screen to the other. If the camera crosses this invisible axis, it is called "crossing the line" - creating a new shot called a "reverse angle."

"Crossing the line" is viewed as bad continuity and can often create confusion within the audience, as the characters seem to be shifting positions without moving. However, many film-makers use the reverse angle to intentionally create a sense of disorientation.

"Hunted" does not use the 'crossing the line' technique, as we wanted our film to be as smooth as possible. We also did not believe that using the technique to create disorientation would help our film in any way - just become the cause of the storyline becoming unclear. I believe that we stuck to the 180 Degree rule extremely well - even in scenes where the characters were being followed. The rule is most evident when two of the characters are having a discussion, as we changed shots multiple times but always ensured that Phoebe was on the left and Laura to the right of the screen.

We also used the editing to make sure this worked - cutting out any parts that may not have followed smoothly. Without editing, our film would have been extremely hard to make - after we had cut out the unwanted footage, the shots seemed to jump from one to another, making the film difficult to watch. To remedy this, we added in transitions such as cuts and fades to make the film smoother.

Overall, I believe that thanks to editing and the various shots (long shot, mid shot, extreme close up, close up, tracking etc), the film has a slightly thriller-esque feel and also that with the way it has been edited, it is very successful.

Thriller Planing/Synopsis

2009-12-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

Our original production group consisted of Adam Ward, Andreas Varhus and myself and between us we began to plan an opening to a thriller for our coursework.

We had completed a synopsis and a storyboard for our idea (although our characters were not fully developed):

Shot 1:
Mid shot of 'Man One' in a parked car, holding onto the steering wheel.

Shot 2:
The camera pans out out the car and tracks him as he walks around to the boot.

Shot 3:
Mid shot from inside the boot. 'Man One' opens the boot and it slowly reveals him bit by bit.

Shot 4:
Point of View, low angle shot of a lift descending.

Shot 5:
'Man Two' POV shot from inside the lift, as the lift doors open there is a silhouette in the doorway, however it's just a normal person.

Shot 6:
Cut back to 'Man One' in the car park, long shot - he is pulling a body from the boot of the car.

Shot 7:
Cut back to 'Man Two.' Low angle shot as the lift opens, the camera pans his feet as he walks out.

Shot 8:
Long shot of the man walking from the lift, closer to the camera.

Shot 9:
Cut back to the car park, long shot as we see 'Man Two' coming closer to the car.

*End*

However, the groups were changed (and now consists of Adam Ward, Andreas Varhus, Sam Cameron and myself) and we decided to merge all of our ideas and ended up with a better idea overall.

NEW SYNOPSIS:

CHARACTERS:
The Rep
Shop-Keeper
Shop-Assistant

Shot 1:
Extreme close up of femme-fatale's ('The Rep') hands turning the keys in an ignition, turning the engine off.

Shot 2:
Close up of her feet as she gets out of the car. She is wearing heels.

Shot 3:
The camera pans (close up) her shoes as she walks to the boot of the car.

Shot 4:
Mid-shot from the inside of the boot as she opens it and picks up a bag. The end of a knife can be seen from inside the bag.

Shot 5:
Mid/Long/Over the shoulder shot of The Rep opening the shop door.

Shot 6:
Mid Shot - The Rep and the shopkeeper show an acknowledgement of each other (a nod, a small conversation, a wave etc.)

Shot 7:
Close up of shopkeepers hands counting some money behind the till.

Shot 8:
POV shot of The Rep watching the shopkeeper behind the till giving the shop assistant some money.

Shot 9:
Low angle, medium shot from the bottom of the stairs as the shop assistant walks towards the camera (into the basement) to get his coat.

Shot 10:
Camera angles are the same, the shop assistant walks past the camera and we see a shadow begin to descend down the basement stairs.

Shot 11:
Cut to a mid shot of a silhouette of the rep stabbing the shop assistant.

Shot 12:
Close up of the femme fatale as she leaves the shop.

Shot 13:
Zoom from a dead body lying sprawled to a dead eye (either zoom in front a long shot to an extreme close up, or vice verca). Non-diagetic sounds of the rep's heels as she walks away.

Media Definitions

2009-11-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

FILM NOIR:
Coined by French film critics (especially Nino Frank in 1946) who noticed the trend of dark and downbeat the themes of many American crime and detective films were following the War (although not all Noir films are crime/detective.)

Examples of some of the first recognised Noir films are: The Maltease Falcon (1941), Murder, My Sweet (1944) and The Woman In The Window (1944).

Strictly speaking, film noir is not a genre, but rather the mood, style, point-of-view, or tone of a film. It is also helpful to realize that 'film noir' usually refers to a distinct historical period of film history - the decade of film-making after World War II

(http://www.filmsite.org/)

FEMME FATALE:
1. A woman of great seductive charm who leads men into compromising or dangerous situations.
2. An alluring, mysterious woman.

(www.thefreedictionary.com)

MISOGYNY:
The hatred or extreme dislike of women.

(www.thefreedictionary.com)

Audience Research

2009-11-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

Through my research, I have discovered that most people of the 16-18 age group prefer to go to the cinema with their friends, and the majority of people in my study have admitted that they normally find out about new films through trailers - although a few have said that they discover films through the internet, magazines or are recommended to them by their peers.

Thanks to my survey, I also discovered that it is true that those that go to the cinema the most earn the most money, however this isn't always the case (the participant that went to the cinema the most (once a week) earnt between £101-£200, whereas some participants that earned up to £500 admitted that they 'hardly ever' went to the cinema.

In my questionnaire, I asked participants about their favourite genre of film and music. However, I was unable to gather enough data to make reliable links between the two. There was a hint of a correlation that I saw, which was that many people who said they favoured Alternative music also said that their favourite genre of movie to watch was 'horror.'

My research wasn't as successful as I'd hoped, as I had no time to take to the streets of Norwich to ask people to complete my survey - therefore it was done by only people in my age rage and by a small sample of participants. If I'd had the chance, I would have liked to looked further into the connections between movie and music genres, and also whether those that were taken or had children went to the cinema more often.

My Survey Questions:

Gender:
Male ( ) Female ( )

Age:
13-15 ( ) 16-18 ( ) 19-25 ( ) 26-29 ( ) 30+ ( )

Marital Status:
Single ( ) Taken ( ) Married ( ) Married with Children ( )

Who do you normally come to the cinema with?
On my own ( ) With Friends ( ) With my Partner ( ) With my Children ( )

What is your favourite genre of film?
Romance ( ) Horror ( ) Thriller ( ) Comedy ( ) Rom-Com ( ) Action ( ) Chick Flick ( )

Childrens ( ) Musicals ( ) Adventure ( ) Crime ( ) History ( ) Sci-Fi ( ) War ( )

Westerns ( ) Other _______

How much money fo you earn a month?
Pocket Money only ( ) Under £100 ( ) £101-£200 ( ) £201-£500 ( ) £501-£1000 ( )

Over £1000 ( )

How often do you go to the cinema?
Hardly Ever ( ) Once a month ( ) Once a fortnight ( ) Once a week ( ) More than once a week ( )

How do you hear about the films you go to see?
Trailers ( ) Internet ( ) Peers ( ) Reviews ( ) Radio ( ) Magazine/Newspaper ( )

Posters ( ) Interviews ( ) Merchandise ( ) Billboards ( ) Other______

How do you prefer to watch films?
Cinema ( ) DVD ( ) Computer ( ) TV ( ) Other______

What is your favourite genre of music out of the answers provided?
Pop ( ) Rock ( ) RnB ( ) Drum and Bass ( ) Alternative ( ) Metal ( ) Rap ( )

'Ambition' Perfume Advertisement and Analysis.

2009-11-18T10:49:00.001-08:00

Ambition Perfume Ad.
Originally uploaded by Beth Wyer

My perfume advert shows a locket on the foreground of a British flag with a photo of a couple inside. I wanted to infuse a number of different items onto the advertisement as I believed that it would add some depth.

I used a simple photo of a British flag and edited it to make it look unique and almost dreamy. I wanted to make it look different, as I believe the way I edited it makes it looks more edgy – which insinuates that the perfume being advertised will give you an edge over everybody else and make you stand out. The ‘dreamy’ aspect of the flag goes along with the theme of the advert which is telling the consumer to have a ‘dream’ or an ‘ambition.’

I then decided to use a locket as the main feature of my article, as lockets hold the connotations of special or cherished memories. Again, the colour of the locket (gold) gives the customer an implication of wealth – something which many people are ambitious about. I believed that using a locket would be a good idea as it gives the idea that this perfume will help you to achieve things that are worth holding on to or cherishing.

The photo inside the locket was originally a photo of a couple in a park/field kissing. I edited the photo a lot because I decided that I wanted to put my own mark on it. First, I decided to cut out the couple so that I could choose which part of the background they would stand on – I decided that I should put them under a tree as I believe that it shows the beautiful nature of the world (or England) and it also contrasts with the colours of the flag, therefore drawing the eyes of the consumer towards the main feature of the advert.

As you can see, I have smudged the background in the photo. There are many reasons for my decision behind this – the biggest being that I wanted to carry on the ‘dream’ theme of the advert. It almost makes it seem as though it hasn’t happened – which could imply that it is somebody else’s dream or ambition – something which they wish they can achieve which again tells us that everybody has a dream.

Another main reason behind doing this was the fact that it goes with my slogan of the advert: ‘Do it how you want’ (which admittedly, could be better but I couldn’t think of another phrase that would say what I wanted that hadn’t already been taken by a famous product. I believe that the way the background in the locket almost looks surreal connotes that the purchaser can do whatever they want or alter their world in whichever way they wish to and will have the power to with the product being advertised.

At first I wanted to leave the figures as they were to show that the dream or ambition of the consumer was achievable, however thanks to the light in the original photo, it didn’t stand out very much and was slightly hard to see thanks to the edited background. I decided to darken the couple as I believe it makes them stand out, and also slightly makes them look like silhouettes – which can hold connotations of a sunset or a ‘happy-ever-after.’

I then went on to write the name of the perfume on my ad. I decided to use the Stencil font as it holds connotations of an army or strict regiment which implies there is no ‘mucking around.’ This suggests that the perfume will help give the customer determination and again, the power to achieve their goal. I had to have a background to the name and slogan, as there was no other way it would have been clear to read it. However, I found it difficult to choose a colour, in the end I decided to use the same green that was in the main photo as I believed it showed continuity (that the people could follow their ambition through to the end) and also carried on the theme of nature/beauty.

Dolan's Cadillac Analysis - Ending. (DRAFT)

2009-11-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

Dolans Cadillac
Director: Jeff Beesley
2009
Company: Cadillac Prairie Productions
User Comment:

“I found surprisingly little to gripe about and actually one or two additions that I found impressive. Christian Slater seems to be enjoying his part without turning it camp and Beesley manages to convey some real human emotions without seeming to reach for the Oscars. In this sort of movie, restraint is just as important as ideas, seeing as how countless thrillers just go overboard on a desperate quest for "impact". The cinematography and sound engineering stand up to scrutiny and the minor parts are well executed. In short, this one works.”

User Rating: 5.8/10

Dolans Cadillac is a movie about the main characters’ drive for revenge after his wife has been murdered. The audience follows Rogerson as he attempts to find a way to get back at Jimmy Dolan - and thanks to the music, camera angles and various brilliant mise-en-scenes, by the end of the film, the audience is completely on Rogerson’s side, despite the fact he ends up slightly crazy.

The end of the film is extremely effective, and Beesley has included many signifiers of the thriller genre in this particular part of the film. Rogerson has tricked Dolan’s driver onto a road that will collapse, and results in the driver dying, one of the men to get seriously injured and Dolan to get extremely mad. In this part of the movie, the camera tracks Dolan’s car driving down an isolated road (pictured), the black colour of the Cadillac contrasting with the subtle, dull colours of the fields around it. The fact that he is driving down an isolated road is a generic signifier, although it is the exact opposite of the classic signifier of a claustrophobic space, an isolated field can be just as scary as there will be nobody around to help or see you. Another reason an isolated space can be seen as a signifier is also that there is nowhere to hide, The car almost symbolises the evil of Dolan, and the looming shadow it casts shows how it can be intimidating and also how out of place it is – such a big, ‘city’ car on a small, inoffensive and dull coloured country road. Looming shadows are yet another signifier of the genre in question.

We then see a close up of Rogerson watching as the car falls through the road (pictured.) The close up, here, is extremely effective as we can see the emotion and his reaction to what he has done. Close-ups is a shot that is frequently used within the genre, this is for many reasons: for one, the audience can clearly see the emotion of the character, and secondly, when there is a close up, it is impossible to see what is around or behind the character (unless a close-up is used like above) and therefore raise the tension. Consequently, it seems that there is no remorse but only aggression on Rogerson's face. The mud we see on his cheeks could symbolise how he is ‘dirty,’ or that he is doing something that is lowering him to the level of Dolan. Rogerson is not centered in this shot, and we can see the road-works warning sign behind him. This is extremely significant, as it warns us of what has happened – it could also be a warning that he has become slightly insane.

For the rest of the movie, Dolan is stuck in an enclosed space, unable to get out – this is a big conventional signifier of a thriller movie, and is used by many great directors (such as Tarantino in Kill Bill 2 etc.) In this movie, it has been used to show that the ‘bad guy’ who normally holds all the power has now lost all control.

There is a mid shot of Dolan after the crash. This shot shows his vulnerability now that he is not in control. The blood on his forehead shows that he is not invincible – this is the first time we see any sign of weakness in his character. The fact he has his eyes closed is quite important, as, again, it shows vulnerability because he won’t be able to see what is happening, it is also a sign that he is giving up – however, the sign he is holding the gun close to him shows that he is trying to keep hold of any power he has left. The lighting in this shot is very dark, other than the lights on Dolan himself – this signifies that he is the ‘bad guy’ (compared to Rogerson who is in a wide open landscape with light colours), and that he is helplessly trapped as the details are hard to make out. This technique is used in many thriller films - the binary opposites of dark lighting for those that the director wants to be portrayed as the 'bad guy' against the open locations and light mise-en-scenes for the 'good guys.'

The camera tracks Rogerson as he jumps onto the car with a crowbar, asking Dolan to open the sun roof so he can ‘help him out.’ (pictured.) The smoke coming from the car (although it’s hard to see in the screen shot) helps to create tension and mystery, and also helps us to understand that Dolan still doesn’t know what is going on. This technique is used in other thriller films (such as Extreme Measures) to prevent clear vision and as I said earlier, raise the tension. The audience can see the area in which the car has fallen, compared to the fields in the background which shows the contrast between ‘good’ and ‘evil.’ Rogerson has stepped into the darker part of the mise-en-scene, which shows that his actions are bad. The audience, in this shot, can clearly see the costume of Rogerson. His t-shirt, both black and white, suggests that he is both good and evil – that he may be doing something for the right reasons, but it’s a bad thing to do. These colours are often used in thriller films, as it is simple to do but thanks to the binary opposition look effective and can help to create a certain mood in the scene.

Later in the film, there is a shot of Dolan inside the car, he has become slightly manic in his desperation to get out. I believe that the shot above is extremely powerful, as it shows how Dolan has been submerged with his sinful lifestyle of trafficking women and killing people. The complete darkness around Dolan suggests that he has become lost, and the chairoscuro lighting here is another thriller signifier.

In my opinion, the above shot is the best in the movie. The darkness surrounding the shot, again, portrays the dark side of humans, and it could also suggest here, the fact that Dolan is close to his death. The blue sky shows the expanse of freedom that Rogerson has, but also it is known that blue is commonly associated with sorrow – in this film, it could be the grievance of Rogerson when his wife was killed, or the devastation that Dolan shows when he realises he’s going to die. The mud on the window shows that neither of them are completely good, and that they don’t understand each other, and we see again how Rogerson has gone mad with the desire to get revenge. Again, this is a widely used method in thrillers, although variations are used. For example, in Urban Legend, heavy rainfall is used to prevent a clear view through the window and subsequently raise tension.

Overall, I believe that Jeff Beesley has used lighting and shots extremely effectively in the ending of Dolan's Cadillac to create a tense atmosphere and a brilliant ending to a good film.

Extreme Measures analysis (Scene 22), Independent Research. (REVISED)

2009-10-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Extreme Measures
Director: Michael Apted
1996
Company: Castle Rock Entertainment
User Comment:

“ ‘Extreme measures’ has a certain place in my top 10 of "the best suspense movies of the 90's". I think this movie has never received all the recognition it deserves. ‘Extreme measures’ delivers excellent acting, fascinating plot, cool action and lots of excitement and most important of all, it gives birth to a rather interesting ethical question.”

User Rating: 5.9/10

‘Extreme Measures’ is a film that many people would not immediately identify as a thriller movie. However, as the plot thickens the film shows an extraordinary amount of features usually related to a generic thriller. In the 22nd scene, we follow Guy (Hugh Grant) into a subway – which is a crucial convention of the thriller genre as it is a confined space – not only that, but it is isolated and dangerous. The lighting in this part of the film is noir, and matches the high emotion in the main characters and the plot.

There are places in the mise-en-scene that show smoke coming from somewhere in the railway, this suggests that it is broken – meaning it is abandoned. The smoke in itself creates tension as it is hard to see past or through the gas, and as it appears at random times throughout the scene, it has the ability to create a lot of suspense. The fact that the subway appears abandoned is a crucial detail, as it creates fear in the audience as they begin to wonder about the kind of people that live down there, and also that there would be nobody around to help if something went wrong.

Guy and the ‘mole’ he is following come to a crossroads in the underground. (pictured) This shot is important for many reasons. In the background, where the two tunnels disappear – one of the tunnels – the one that they have gone past – has a bright light which contrasts against the second which is completely dark. Similarly, the lights in the first tunnel are white, compared to the lights in the second tunnel that are red (the colour that connotates evil.) The two tunnels could represent the paths that Guy could take – the first one being if he turned back, and didn’t get involved with the mystery surrounding the plot, and the second being if he carried on in his path. It could represent ‘good’ and ‘evil.’ Also here we see the classic convention of the claustophobic space represented through the use of the underground. Similarly to how Essex Boys uses chairoscuro lighting in a similar style to that of The Third Man, the director here is paying tribute to Carol Reed (The Third Man) and similar directors by using similar ideas. The underground here also has a very confusing layout; a labyrinth - this is another representation of a convention to thriller films as they suggest both confusion and disorientation. T T Man also uses the idea of labyrinths in Vienna and add to the sense of a nightmare in the film.

The camera then pans down to a low mid-shot of Guy as he has to jump over a part of the track. (Pictured) This could represents the obstacles that stand in the way of the plot, or even things that are warning him (and the audience, alike) to turn back and follow the ‘good’ or ‘light’ route. The setting in the background of this photo is very plain, and as it goes further back it seems to become more and more blurred – which could represent the fact our main character could be losing his way or sense of direction. Thus, making this scene more tense as we are following them on the route to ‘the room’ and the audience can see how confusing it is, and how easily Guy could get lost or trapped within one of the various tunnels.

The audience follows Guy and ‘the mole’ down a set of stairs, leaving the light behind them and descending into more darkness. This could be another example of metaphor being used in this scene – saying that they are leaving the world of ‘good’ and descending into the dark and murky world that many people do not know about or mix with, or, on an even darker tone – it could be metaphorical for them descending into a hell. As the two characters go further down a set of stairs, the setting becomes darker, with wire fences and unappealing pipes (pictured.) In the photo, we see that ‘the mole’ has gone ahead to show Guy the way, and in doing so has walked behind the fence. This could be a method of showing the audience that ‘the mole’ is trapped in this lifestyle and has no choice, whereas our main character is free to do whatever he likes, however albeit having some hesitation, Guy follows him down representing the fact that he has gone too far now to turn back.

The roles within the two characters are then switched – the light now focusing on ‘the mole,’ and the darkness surrounding Guy. (pictured) This could signify the fact that ‘the mole’ knows where he is going and what the main character and the audience will find, and that Guy is completely ‘in the dark’ about the situation. The archway that ‘the mole’ has gone through in the picture could symbolise the change in lifestyles they are about to see – from Guy who is a wealthy doctor to people without a home that have been forced to live underground where they hope nobody will be able to hurt them.

The scene finishes with the two men standing together, both in light. This may suggest that Guy knows that they are near the end of their route, and is slightly more clear on what he has to do – however, ‘the mole’ is still the one holding the source of light, showing us that he is clearly in control.

The film is, overall, a lot better than I thought it would be and holds a lot of signifiers that make up the conventional thriller.

How Terry Winsor utlises the aspects of the Thriller genre in Essex Boys.(revised again)

2009-10-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

Essex Boys
Director: Terry Winsor
2000
Company: Granada Film Productions
User Comment:

“Winsor's film, it seems to me, brilliantly evokes both the drabness and cruelty of the criminal mindset. It does this partly through the choice of dull, flat Essex landscapes with their coastal marshes, grey motorway links, flash nouveau riche mansions and the tawdry glamour of seafront locations. The characters are both repellent and yet curiously mesmerising. This is not a film in which it is easy to lose interest.”

User Rating: 5.9/10

As the film starts, the credits are shown through binary opposites of black and white with a chalk board effect. There are non diagetic sounds that accompany various lines that appear on the screen. This appears to the viewer to be either somebody scraping their nails down a chalkboard - a sound that many people hate - or somebody scratching at something in an attempt to escape. The sounds are that of a car alarm going off - something that connotes danger immedietly, or at the very least a sense of unease.

The dramatic music being played over the top (the soundtrack) begins to give the viewer a sense of unease or suspense, and the non-diagetic sounds mentioned earlier raise the tension before the audience can see a picture. The black screen is noir - a common feature of the Thriller, and it connotes gloom, danger and sorrow amongst many other emotions.

The establishing shot is of Billy in the garage (pictured), being lit by chairoscuro lighting which suggests not only the genre, but also communicates nightmare, suspense and the feeling that there is something to hide, this could be an intertextual nod to the extremely infamous thriller: "The Third Man" - which uses chairoscuro lighting effectively - in paticular during the sewer sequences. The fact that it is in a claustophobic space (a garage of which the audience is looking from one of the corners) is another generic feature of the Thriller, and the cobwebs crowding the garage making it hard to see clearly what is around. The mise-en-scene here is a brilliant example of a convention of a thriller film- noir lighting, creaks amongst the silence suggesting that anything could be about to happen.

The dark in the scene could represent the corruption of the characters or the darker side of the human soul. The colours and various features of the mise-en-scene make it seem slightly Gothic and our suspense is heightened as the dank chill of the garage is visualised in Billy's breath; this suggests that the garage is as cold as a tomb. It could be that the director here has used this method to suggest that Billy's character is cold-hearted - which could be here being represented through the weather. The sudden P.O.V shot of Billy's face against the darkness adds to the suspense and connotes his demonic nature. The fact that he is here after it has obviously been a long time and at night time make his character seem shady.

The unglamourous location (as seen in the above photo) and the low key dreary lighting are generic conventions whilst the voice over and the grey tint of the mise-en-scene are British cultural references.

The voice-over of Billy (a young man of around 18-20) - 'I'll try anything once' - breaks the silence of the scene, and we hear that the narrator has quite a soft voice and that he is from Essex - as the title of the film suggests. This technique is used to engage the audience, as it is as if the driver is speaking directly to him. His voice is informal, friendly and jokey - as if the audience is his friend. From this, it is clear that the film is going to be his story.

Billy sits in the car and continues his story, and as he mentions 'Jason Locke', he turns on the windscreen wipers and through a P.O.V shot (through Billy's perspective), the audience can see a man standing in the headlights of the car. (pictured) This is extremely clever, as the viewer only sees him once the mud on the windscreen has been wiped away, although the screen is still quite grimy. This connotes that Jason is dirty or has a dirty past, and that although his slate has been wiped clean (as the viewer learns he has just left prison), there is still something not quite right about him.

Many more generic features of the Thriller genre are used in the next scene: Billy is driving along an empty road, it is raining extremely hard, there are walls on either side of the road making it seem slightly claustrophobic, the skies are dark and the location is unglamorous and industrial. The empty road connates danger, as anything could happen and everybody would be oblivious - this along with the weather that is used in horror and thriller movies alike both increase the suspense.

The scene where they are driving through a deserted tunnel also created a lot of tension. The shape of the tunnel slightly resembles the barrel of a gun (pictured), which could foreshadow later events in the film. This is also an extremely big metaphor showing the audience signs of danger and violence.

In the same way, we later see a close up of Billy driving the car through the tunnel, however the lights are shining down in strips across the face of Billy in the foreground and Jason who is in the background. (Pictured) This could either represent the fact that Jason has just got out of prison, the fact that they're about to do something that is against the law, the fact that they will go to jail or the fact that they - or mainly, Jason - are criminals. Looking at it in a different way, it could also represent the fact that Billy is trapped with Jason as he is too naive to know any different, or too scared to disobey him. It may also show that Billy has been blinded by lights that may come with being asked by somebody so well known around his town (despite it being for the fact that he is so violent) to help him and was too starstuck (for lack of a better word) to turn him down.

Here, the voice-over begins again, with Billy informing the audience that they have 'picked up this truck.' - the truck in question being a white, unmarked truck. This in itself is another generic feature as anything could be happening within it - from kidnappings, smuggling of drugs, smuggling of illegal immigrants and much more. The rest of the mise-en-scene is in dark colours such as greys and blacks, with the atmosphere in the film still being quite sinister.

Presentation on the Film Industry.

2009-10-06T02:05:00.000-07:00

This is the presentation I done that gives a little bit of information on the British films: London to Brighton, Red Road and This is England.

LONDON TO BRIGHTON

Production

The production for London to Brighton was done predominantly by Steel Mill Pictures. ‘London to Brighton’ was, in fact, the first ever film to be produced by Steel Mill Pictures and it was funded by ‘private equity’ and money from the UK Film Councils New Cinema Fund.

Producers: Alastair Clark, Rachel Robey and Ken Marshall.

Marketing

'London to Brighton’ was advertised using ‘below the line’ marketing – meaning that there had been no promotion or advertising planned (in this case, thanks to the lack of funding.) However, once released, the film was exhibited in many cinemas and screenings and ended up winning multiple awards – such as Best Achievement in Production (Raindance Awards), the Golden Hitchcock award, New Directors award, Most Promising Newcomer award, Festival Prize Best Feature Film and the July Prize UK Feature.

The film was also nominated for many more awards, including the Carl Foreman award for Most Promising Newcomer, British Actress of the Year, British Newcomer of the Year and British Producer of the Year amongst others.

Thanks to awards such as these, and positive reviews from many sources such as The Guardian (“a cracking debut feature with enough clout to kick the door in”) encouraged many to watch the film and played an enormous part in making the film a success.

Exhibition

On the official ‘London to Brighton’ website, they have listed the screenings of the movie. The film was shown in many parts of the country, being screened in Brixton, Brighton, Leeds, Southampton, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Manchester and Ipswich amongst many more.

There was an ‘Odeon Tour’ for the film in which the film was shown in various Odeon cinemas at varying times. Odeon showed the film in Norwich, Oxford, Port Solent, Preston, Rochdale and Salisbury on just the first leg of the ‘tour’ and ended up being exhibited in many other Odeon cinemas around the country. There were also many screenings that included Q&A sessions with the director to increase the interest in the movie.

RED ROAD

Production

The film was produced by Sigma Films in Glasgow and also by Zentropa in Denmark. Both the producers and directors had never filmed anything before. The casting process for this film was carried out whilst the script was still being written – this was to do with the fact that the producer wanted to ensure all of the directors were thinking along the same lines and wanted to head in the same direction so the film could be shot with little tension.

The directors then became deeply involved with the script writing, and changes such as the increase in number of characters were made.

Location was extremely important, and as none of the directors were familiar with the Glasgow area, they had no idea of any of the reputations. They ended up choosing the Red Road flats as a location as they believed the flats were visually striking and looked quite imposing – something that fit the theme of the film extremely well.

Executive Producers: Paul Trijbits, Claire Chapman, Lenny Crooks, David M. Thompson, Gillian Berrie and Sissie Graum Joergenson.

Producer: Carrie Comerford.

Marketing

In a similar way to 'London to Brighton,' 'Red Road' wasn't marketed much and were part of mostly below the line marketing. The film won 21 awards in total (including Most Promising Newcomer, Best Actor in a Scottish Film, Best Actress in a Scottish Film, Best Director, Best Film and Best Screenplay amonst many others.) On top of that, the film receieved anotehr seven nominations including the British Independent Film Award.

Reviews were another extremely important factor in the marketing of the film. The Guardian wrote that the film had " real and believable characters brought to life by very good actors: it's an undoubted success!"

Unfortunately, I couldn't find much on the exhibition of Red Road.

THIS IS ENGLAND

Production

During the casting of 'This Is England,' held auditions at special workshops designed to find the perfect actor for the lead role all over the country. The actor who plays the lead in This Is England was eventually found at The Space Project - in fact not one of the workshops set up for this purpose, but actually a scheme run for disadvantaged children with many of the members having been excluded from school.

To create the correct time period, those that worked on This Is England had to work within a very tight budget to create costume as well as decor and other props and parts of the set that would give away the time frame if not proeprly disguised. The actors for the film even had their hair cut and styled into Eighties styles (with one of the actresses having waist long hair shaved completely.)

Producer: Mark Herbert.

Marketing

This Is England is similar to the previous films studied - they had little above the line marketing (other than a trailer) and greatly depended on below the line advertising like the winning of awards and good reviews that would encourage people to watch the film.

In total, This Is England won eight awards including the BAFTA Film Award for Best British Film, British Independent Film Award and the Young Audiences award and were nominated for another 14 which included the BAFTA Film Award for Best Screenplay among many others.

Exhibition

This Is England has been exhibited throughout the country. The director of the film (Shane Meadows) has also attended many Question and Answer sessions in order to increase the popularity of the film.

The film has also been shown at many film festivals, including the British Independent Film Awards, and the Rome Film Festival (where it won awards in both.)

Panic Room Analysis - Scene Four (DRAFT)

2009-10-02T12:33:00.001-07:00

The Thriller movie that I will be watching and analysing will be Panic Room - starring Jared Leto, Kristen Stewart and Jodie Foster.

Panic Room
Director: David Fincher
2002
Company: Columbia Pictures Corporation
User Comment:

"The movie is fantastic, full of twists, turns and jolts. The performance of Jared Leto was awesome. His character was funny and seemed to hold the action together. Jodie Foster is great, as usual, and Kristen Stewart was very good as the Sarah."

User Rating: 6.9/10

Panic Room tells the story of a woman and her daughter that have recently moved into a new house. On their first night, the house becomes victim of a burglary forcing the two new residents (played by Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart) to take cover in the house’s panic room.

At the beginning of the scene (14.50 into the movie), we see a close up shot of a window in the house. There are diagetic sounds of the rain hitting the windows, which is the first sign of a generic thriller in the scene. Through the glass, we can see that there is a mist or fog outside, which connotates confusion and mystery – foreshadowing what begins to happen a few minutes later in the film.

As the film cuts to a mid shot of Meg (Jodie Foster) in bed, we notice that there is a shadow cast over her and the bed. This could be a warning that something bad is about to happen to them, which will take the ‘light’ out of moving house. Another significant fact here is that the costume Meg is wearing is a grey that blends in with the bed sheets and pillow, this could tell us that she is overwhelmed by the life change and seems to want to merge into the background or just settle down without a hassle.

There is then an amazing low angle shot (pictured above) of Meg’s wine glass that we have previously seen her drinking from in the film. In the foreground, the glass immediately grabs the attention of the audience – it follows the rule of thirds which means that our eyes are automatically drawn to the image where we then notice that the colour of the wine left is red – a colour that connotates danger and blood. A warning. Then, the audience notices the background – in which we see Meg’s arm hanging from the bed – however; it almost looks corpselike, which not only goes with the theme of the shot (the blood-coloured wine etc.) but again gives us more clues as to what will come later in the film.

The camera pans away from Meg and the bed, and the audience can notice that nothing has been unpacked. There seems to be an isolation, where she is the only thing in this huge room with nowhere to hide, this is another feature of the generic thriller movie. The floor of the bedroom (as stated earlier in the film) is wooden, and this fact – along with the fact nothing has been unpacked – makes the room seem cold. There is then the fact that almost everything in the scene is a beige or grey colour with even the radiators and the curtains merging with the rest of the scene. It makes the room look emotionless and it shows that she is a stranger to the room as she has not had time to add her own touches. It can make the audience feel that she could be in a lot of danger as she obviously wouldn’t know the house well enough to escape if something happened.

The camera pans further until we are looking at the sleeping figure of Meg through the doorway. This gives the audience the feeling that we are intruding or watching when they shouldn’t be – and a feeling that somebody else as well as them could be watching. It then pans even further to beyond the banister of the stairs (pictured). This gives the feeling that Meg is trapped in her house, and the fact we can still slightly see her could signify that she is being watched, and that she has a lack of control – almost like an animal in a cage. Throughout all of this, the only thing the audience can hear is the sound of the rain against the windows.

We then follow the camera as it pans down two flights of stairs (which illustrates to us the difficulty of escaping if needs be, which increases the tension). Again, this shot notifies us of how empty the house seems thanks to the fact nothing has been unpacked. The camera focuses on the window and a car pulls up outside – the first sound in the scene different to that of the rain. Tense music begins to play, and the audience begin to feel more suspicious and on edge about the situation. A man steps out of the car, and walks towards the window – closer to both the house and the audience. As he walks along the window, the camera begins to track him and the audience knows for definite that something is not right.

The tense music begins to get louder as there is an extreme close up of the lock on the door, and as the camera pans back to the window, we can see one of the burglars clearly for the first time as he leans up against it to try and see in (pictured.) He is wearing gloves, which many people will find suspicious as it means he cannot leave fingerprints – a fact that lets us know he is doing something against the law. The bars across the window also separates us from Junior (the burglar), and gives the audience connotations of jail. The mise-en-scene of this shot is crucial, as it gives the audience many hints about the personality of this character.

Overall, I believe that this film is a brilliant example of a generic thriller film as it holds many characteristics – such as noir lighting (used at the greatest when we meet the burglars), rain and isolation amongst many other signifiers.

Once Upon a Time in America Analysis

2009-09-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Once Upon a Time in America
Director: Sergio Leone (Italian)
1984
Companies: Embassy Internation Pictures and Warner
User Comment (from IMDB):

“Ennio Morricone, who is seen as the greatest writer of film music ever did a great job. Together with the images, the music speaks for itself in this movie. From time to time, there isn’t a word said but the music and images on their own tell a story.”

User Rating: 8.4/10

The film takes place the night that prohibition ends in America, 1930. While the credits are rolling, there is a soundbridge of ‘God Bless America.’ The purpose of this is to establish the fact that the film is set in the USA, it is also used as an ironic technique as in the first five minutes of the film, a woman is murdered, a man is tortured, one of the characters visits an opium den and we also see three other boys that have been murdered.

The film “The Deer Hunter” (1979) used this soundtrack to criticize America’s involvement in the Vietnam war (this movie also stars Robert De Niro). Therefore, it could be that Leone is using this song to open the movie to make a critical statement about the USA. Where The Deer Hunter used the music to criticize the war, in this film it is used ironically to point out gangs and police corruption.

Footsteps and the soundtrack are examples of non-diegetic sound. The footsteps add tension to the film and the sound of a door open increases suspense so the audience is involved even before there is a picture on screen.

The first image in the film is a silhouette in a doorway, the noir lighting is a generic character of the thriller movie and instantly adds tension as the audience don’t know who is there, what they’re doing or whether they play a good or bad part in the movie.

There is a high angle close-up of the girl and the audience can notice her pearls are shining – the director could have done this to highlight the girls wealth or social class,, it could also hint at the fact that she is a femme fatal – as the scene goes on we discover that she is also wearing diamonds and red nail varnish which add to the character of the ‘femme fatal’ that the audience have in their minds.

When Eve (the girl we have met) puts on the Tiffany lamp [Picture 1], her fact is revealed – this is the first shot in the movie where the audience is able to see properly and get a good idea of what is going on. It is important to note the Tiffany lamp, as they are still today extremely expensive, and at the time was a noted feature of high-class or wealth, it also plays a part in making an effective mise-en-scene later on.

The high angle shot of the bullet holes in the mattress that outline the shape of a body [Picture 2] reinforces the genre of the film - this visual device is also used in TV prime dramas such as CSI etc. when somebody has died, this increases suspense as the image immediately brings connotations of death to many people, and it is also used to foreshadow what is about to happen. The rule of thirds is also used in this shot, where she is in one third and the bullet holes in another.

When the gangsters are first introduced, they are wearing conventional gangster outfits. This increases the tension in the shot, as they are instantly recognisable and always hold connotations of danger. The gangsters make a big impression in the film, even in the first few minutes. Instantly, we see that all of them are wearing the same type of clothes, almost like a uniform which seems to make them more united. The dark of their clothes contrasts with the lighter colours that Eve is wearing, and this again reinforces them as the ‘bad guys.’

In the next shot [Picture 3], we see a clearer picture of the three men that have come into the room. The one in the middle is clearly the ‘alpha’ of the gang, and is holding the gun menacingly. The other two are both hiding their faces, one of them shading their eyes below their hat, and the other is turning away from the camera – so although at first it seems we are getting a clear view of the men, we in fact can’t see much about them or their facial features.

We soon see that Eve has been enclosed in a small space and is outnumbered [Picture 4], the audience begin to feel scared for her, as she has no means of escape, and we can tell that the men aren’t going to let her get away – it seems quite uncomfortable to watch as we can almost feel Eve’s fear and the menace and danger that the three men are bringing, although we’re not quite sure of the situation or what has happened previously.

We are reminded of the warning bullet-holes in the mattress as Eve is shot, and rolls straight onto the place it was [Picture 5]. It seemed that they had planned it, and they had laid it out for her to die on – this is extremely clever as although the audience has been forewarned about what was probably going to happen, they are still willing it not to. The audience can also see the particulate detail that has gone into planning the room and the outfits, as it seems that Eve is wearing a t-shirt that matches both the bed and the Tiffany lamp, which is ironic as she dies on the bed and almost blends into it. Ironically, after she has been killed the three men walk out – and the last stops to turn off the lamp, which could also signify the ending of her life.

There is a quick cut from the room where we have left Eve to the same men that now have a man tied up, beaten and bloodied [Picture 6]. The quick cut could signify the fact that the gang are in a hurry, or that they won’t stop until they have found whatever or whoever they are looking for (which we, as the audience, are still oblivious of). We also discover that the men always work as a group, which likens them to school bullies – too cowardly to fight on their own, this is also backed up by the fact that both people we have seen them fight or kill have been vulnerable. In the first shot, they killed an unarmed girl in an enclosed space, and in this shot we see them with a larger man that has been tied up, again, unarmed.

At this point, there is an extreme close up. This is extremely effective in the film as it shows both the vulnerability of the victim and the brutality of his attackers, this also draws much more emotion out of the audience as we feel extreme hatred for the gang and the helplessness and desperation of the victims.

The film then changes tone, from a violent to a more relaxed as we enter an opium den. The mise-en-scene shows Noodles (Robert De Niro) ‘off his face’ on drugs. This reinforces the ironic representation of God Bless America as so far we have not seen it as Blessed by God, but only corrupt and dangerous.

We hear a phone ringing, which is a non-diegetic sound. This is another sound-bridge which is used to link Noodles to a flashback of his murdered friends. We then cut to the scene of the flashback – a dark, rainy, almost eerie scene which holds many generic features of a thriller movie, these include the noir lighting, the chiaroscuro lighting when the streetlights are on fire, and the soaking streets which connate despair, death and mortality. There is also a photographer at the scene, which is one of the first hints that there has been a crime. [Picture 7] The shot of the corpses of the young boys represents the murder of innocents, although we learn later on in the film that they are not as innocent as the audience first presume. The shot of the corpses end with them being put into body bags and labelled, which is all the characters have been left with. [Picture 8] This, again, shows how corrupt this America has become. The camera pans, and we see Noodles in the crowd watching what is going on, this is our only indication so far that he is connected somehow.

So, in the first five minutes of the film, we see an opium den, a crime scene, a man being beaten and tortured and four murders.

God Bless America.

Calvin Klein Perfume Analysis

2009-09-28T04:10:00.001-07:00

Calvin Klein Perfume
Originally uploaded by Beth Wyer

(Click on the photo and hover over it for more information)

This advert appealed to me as one that I would like to analyse as it is simple and yet the message is clear and appealing. The three ideologies I can see from this advert are: security, love and happiness.

I believe that the theme of this advert is love and intimacy; it is unlike many of the adverts around that advertise half naked men or women and instead suggests that the perfume will bring you long lasting love and/or a steady relationship – which is also backed up by the title of the perfume which is: ‘Eternity’.

The photo in the advert is a close up of a couple that are cuddled up together, asleep. This shows that they are comfortable with each other and have a lot of trust in their partner. It may be significant that his face is close to hers, showing that even in his sleep he is reaching to be able to smell her fragrance. It also hints of the theory that a certain smell can bring comfort and security, as they both look secure with each other.

I believe that the black and white shows that the theme is timeless and classic and that it has always been what people look for and what they will always look for. It suggests that the relationship is perfect with no troubles or ‘grey areas’ and that the perfume being advertised is able to help you achieve such a perfect relationship.

The black and white also contrasts well with the photo of the perfume in the bottom right hand corner, this makes the bottle almost glow, and it makes the consumers eyes stray naturally to it. The colour makes it extremely appealing and also shows clearly what is being advertised.

The woman in the photo is not wearing a lot of make-up, which shows that the perfume can make you feel good whether you’re all dressed up to go out or just sitting at home, it also implies that with the perfume you will be attractive whatever.

There isn’t a lot of writing on the advert, which I believe is extremely important as it lets the photo speak for itself, and the audience come up with their own conclusions as to what it means instead of putting words into their head.

After researching the advert, I just discovered it was made in 1995, I thought that I would include this fact as it shows that some themes are timeless, as I think that this advert would still be successful today, as it shows the theme of love and intimacy.

I believe that this advertisement is extremely clever and would appeal to a wide audience of women as most women dream about having a perfect relationship and that is what the advert is portraying.

Rimmel 60 Second Advert Analysis

2009-09-28T03:57:00.001-07:00

(Click on the photo and hover over different points to find out more information)

Rimmel 60 Second Advert
Originally uploaded by Beth Wyer

This poster is advertising Rimmel’s ‘dry in 60 seconds’ nail varnish. The three ideologies I see here are beauty, creativity and speed.

I believe the concept of this advert is extremely clever and it gets the message across extremely well in multiple ways without overcrowding the page.

The model is wearing a helmet which insinuates that she is a racing driver or something similar- this in turn shows speed which illustrates the fact that the nail varnish dries in 60 seconds. The ‘60’ on the helmet also backs up this idea.
I believe the ‘60’ on the helmet is an important detail as professional racers have numbers on their helmets or cars, but the model has it in a font which is similar to fonts used by fashion magazines such as Vogue. This gives the reader the idea that although it’s a fast process, it’s extremely fashionable.

I believe that the helmet also plays another important factor in the advert. It not only implies speed, but also danger which gives the reader the idea that the model is being daring and adventurous in wearing this kind of nail varnish. This is significant as in the fashion world, people are always trying to pull off new ways of looking adventurous but fashionable, and this advert shows that using this brand of nail varnish is a way of pulling this off.

The way the model has positioned her hand on the helmet makes her look elegant and glamorous, she also looks calm and her make-up and nail varnish is perfect even though she’s meant to have been racing. This again illustrates the glamour and elegance of the nail varnish.

The colours are also important. The primary colour in the advert is white which is a pure, innocent colour; this contrasts against the black of the nail varnish which could show a darker, more daring side of the model – which goes along with the earlier idea of being adventurous.

The words underneath the photo: ‘play hard and fast’ imply that you can do anything and it won’t ruin your nails, and keep you looking elegant, and the phrase ‘make up your own language’ also go along with the earlier point about being adventurous with fashion, and showing that with all of the different colours available with the nail varnish you can be creative and come up with your own individual look.

Music Video.

2009-09-25T03:40:00.000-07:00

For our homework, we had to embed a music video from YouTube onto our blog. We could choose any music video, but I chose We Sleep Forever by Aiden.

I didn't only choose this as Aiden are my favourite band, but also because I thought it fit in with the theme of 'Thriller movies' rather well. The song was written for a horror/thriller movie called Dead Silence in which a woman is controlling a ventriloquist doll that attempts to kill everyone. Although I know that this movie is more of a horror, there are many thriller elements and this music video, I believe, tried to capture some of the Thriller elements by using the bit at the beginning of the video with the gravestones (with the names of members of the band) before the music even kicks in; I believe they done this bit to create a mysterious and tense atmosphere and then when the music kicks in, it could make the audience jump.

I believe that the way the video is shot also contributes to how it is like a Thriller movie. It is scened mostly in the dark with artificial light so we can see the band, this is often used in thriller movies to create tension as you can't see what is happening or who is in the dark. I think that they're all wearing white to contrast against the dark night and their actions are sometimes quite sudden which is another feature in most thriller movies.

2009-09-24T02:46:00.001-07:00

2009-09-24T02:43:00.000-07:00

Introduction.

2009-09-24T02:34:00.000-07:00

Hey,

My name is Beth Wyer, and this is my new blog for my Media AS level. I will use the blog regularly and upload various pieces of my work that will lead up to my coursework later on.

That's it for now...
Beth xo