Ella's three thriller textual analysis'

Inception

• The opening scene is of waves crashing against rocks, accompanied by a dramatic, diegetic, foile sound of crashing waves, the effect is quite overpowering. The few seconds of filming consists of two long takes, both using the filming method of Panning, this allows us to get a clear idea of the surroundings, in this case we may assume we are at sea. The lighting is very bright, this shows us that it could be morning, also as there is a slight fog. 

• The next shot is of a man, who has appeared to be washed up, his appearance has the audience overwhelmed with questions about the story behind this man. In this shot we hear the diegetic sounds of the waves in the background, however not as overpowering as the last scene, also there is a soft sound track playing in the background that is non-diegetic, this gives a sense of calm, almost dream like. We focus on him for quite a long take, shot in a close up shot so that we can see his expressions, this allows us to have a clear idea of his emotions. 

• We see the man look up, this shot is is taken so it appears like we are seeing what he see's, this very effective as they make the two children out of focus and then brings back into focus, this makes it appear quite dream like and distorts the perpective. It is shot from a slightly low angle and appears ever so slightly tilted, this also adds to the realism that the director is trying to capture. The takes are long in this scene, this makes it feel quite slowed down, to show he is hallucinating. As you can see it is still brightly lit

• However, once the man passes out again, we see that the children are in fact not there, and are on a totally different beach. The real beach he is on has more shadows, darker rocks and has another man dressed in black that is holding a gun, which is totally diverse from the last scene. 

• The next scene is taken inside a mans house, the interior suggests he is a wealthy man, not only the clean, large interior but the men in suits that obviously work for him. The room is very dark, so dark that at first they are almost silhouettes this suggests the unknown, the scene also appears to have a sepia colour filter, this is normally used to show something that is back in time. At first subtitles are overlaid onto the screen, as the people talk in another language, subtitles suggest mystery. 

• Next we we the two characters sitting at a table together, very far apart. When they are talking it is constantly shot at eye line level, this is unusual as normally they may have the wealthier man being looked up on slightly as he is more powerful, eye line level suggests they are equals. However throughout their conversation you get the close up shots of their shadowed faces. The lighting does not change throughout. At this point we cannot decipher, who is the antagonist and who is the protagonist, however towards the end of the clip it is more likely that the wealthier man is the victim as he is very elderly and is not armed, however the other man was armed and his appearance is very rugged. there is a lot of dialog in this scene, however in between the dialog all appears very silent, silence is a very powerful tool.

• Lastly i found it very interesting how they used a close up on the gun, but not only that but and extreme close up of the spinning top. this suggests the spinning top could be more important, this also suggests that the spinning top could be a plot point. Also when focusing in between the two shallow depth of field is used to draw attention to the object of significance.

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44Inch Chest

• The lighting is constant throughout. the lighting is very low key therefore creates lots of shadows.
• The first shot we see is of a focus pull on some broken glass, 

• Throughout this scene we see a wide range of camera work. Including Tracking/panning shots, close ups on specific objects such as the mans hand which is bruised, we also have a close up of the mans face, i believe this is so we can really see his facial expressions a Birdseye view is also used for this take. 

• This brings me onto the use of editing, the takes are extremely long, i believe they have done this to slow down the pace of the film making it have a more sollom edge. The longest take is of the man laying on the ground, perceived as a victim, we, as the audience will be under the impression that is is going to be a plot point and a main character. 

• We then see the setting is in a flat that appears to have been broken into, this is obvious because of everything that is smashed up. The flat looks like it is very modern and has lots of expensive objects inside, however nothing expensive looks as if it has been stolen, this instantly makes the audience ask lots of questions such as; what did the villain want ? is the villain still in there? etc.

• Throughout the whole opening there is no dialogue, we only hear a non-diegetic soundtrack, Harry Nilsson- without you, this was an interesting song choice as not only is it quite a contrapuntal kind of song, but the song lyrics play on the whole scene. 

• We then have the shot of the title of the film, i believe it is effective as it is easy to read and it gives you a few seconds to think about what '44Inch Chest' may be about and does the title give it away. 

• The next scene is a total contrast compared to the last scene. The scene we saw before was very shadowed, the house was modern however totally trashed, however in this next scene we are in a more realistic setting and reminds me of every day realism. this scene is also very different to the past as there is no soundtrack in the background only dialogue.

(paste screenshot of contrast between the two scenes) 

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The Dark Knight
(draft notes)

• track in to a character, get the audience asking whether this character is significant within the film. also focus' on the mask, so we know this character is part of the robbery.

• The costumes throughout add mystery, as they are in black suits with clown masks on
• Introduction: loud bass, Non-diegetic soundtrack, parallel music. music becomes louder and more evident, also picks up pace, increasing the overall tension and adds to suspense.
• dramatic irony is used to create tension in a two medium show. in the background we we a man about to shoot the other man in the foreground, however he is unaware, creating suspense. 

• close up of mans hand holding a grenade, shallow depth of field, means it is important. 

(not finished)

Tegan's textual analysis' of thrillers - number one

Shutter Island
At the very start, text is used just to set the scene and give the audience an idea of what is going on; it states the setting and the year of the film - "Boston Harbor Islands 1954".

The scene starts off with a long shot of a boat at sea emerging from a thick mist. This is not just a very effective shot but an important one, as it clearly shows all the information the viewers need to known in order to set the scene. The emerging of the boat is accompanied by a very effective use of non-diegectic sound. Not music as such, but a good use of instruments in a minor key to create a dramatic effect. One of the sounds used is a horn like sounds, this works as parallel sound because it sound a lot like a fog horn and the scene is set on a boat. However, it could be argued that the sound is contrapuntal as the instruments and the tone that is used is overly dramatic for the scene which only really consists of two men talking. In the next shot they have applied a very interesting use of diegectic sound, a combination of the character vomiting and the chains clanging together. I think this is effectual because it creates a creepy feel and it starts to show you what the chains are used for. The non-diegectic fog-horn like music continues fairly quietly in the back ground.

The two male character's are wearing long brown mac coats and trilby hats. the costume used here is significant because the characters need to be wearing authentic costumes. We already been told that the year is 1954 and we are very soon to find out that the characters are detectives. So it is important that they are dressed appropriately as 1950s detectives.
The lighting used is very significant. It needs to be brightly lit because it has to create the effect that there is a storm coming.

The first shot used is a long shot of the boat so this is important to set the scene. The scene goes on to show the lead vomiting, here they have used a combination of medium shots and close ups to show that the character is unwell and sweating. They camera work is also unsteady as to create the effect that they are on a boat. They go on to use a shot with very interesting depth of field, this is significant because it allows the shot to show the chains and hand cuffs. This creates questions for the audience. It also reflects the character's unwell feelings.

Jo's five Thriller textual analysis'

Abduction

The film opens with an extreme long shot overlooking nothing but tree tops and a mountain in the distance. A light source is coming from behind the tree's in the distance to act like natural sunlight that shadows slightly over the tree's. We don't know what the film is about as it doesn't reveal any characters, or obvious sources to expose what location we are in.

From this shot the camera uses tracking to reveal what is visible of a car below on a road using a high angle shot. The tree's still cover the majority of the frame but a new source is introduced. In the next couple of seconds it is obvious the camera is tracking this remote car as the tree's that were in focus before are not covering the road. From this point i have noticed a long take has been used to cover these identified shots, using no cuts. The pace relies on the subject we are drawn to: an accurate pace of a car. This may try to represent the cars pace, to give a sense of realism for the audience to have relation to the driver.

 
Now I can identify the first cut that has been used to jump closer to our subject. It uses a plain straight-in transition to emphasize our approach rather than using a fade which may create a slow reaction which will just drag the shot out. It is still filmed from an high angle shot, almost a birds eye view. 

As the camera wants to stay parallel with the fast pace coming from our subject, a shallow depth of field has naturally been created which makes the trees visible in the frame out of focus. It seems the light is

Still using the same take without any cuts in between but rather zooming in closer to our subject, a character has become visible on the bonnet of the car while the vehicle is still moving. We as an audience are immediately questioning the boundaries this character has as they seem they go the extreme to have a good time to rebel.

This is the second cut i can identify, again it uses a straight in transition to avoid dragging out the shot. It is filmed from a low angle directly facing the lower front of the car only, that then hovers over the subject into a high angle which reveals our newly introduced character in a more comforting shot to familiarise ourselves of the character.
to conclude the intro of 'Abduction', I believe the film producers want their audience to egstinguish the characters lifestyle and question why they have this attitude. Possibly rebelling against their free will, or putting on an act to cover up their damaged background?

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Hidden

The film opens with a frozen image of what looks like a quaint village with buildings built up on one another. Text starts to scroll in by letter, eventually filling almost the whole frame. It finishes, then fades out to reveal the whole background image again.
The text is in a white tone with basic typography  - it is calming, along with the background setting. I think if it were to be in black it would come across quite harsh and powerful as to layering over the still image.  There is no sound coming from the type appearing on screen to possibly portray a live typewriter, it just rather portrays a non - diegetic aspect.


Originally i suspected this was a still image but a distant character becomes visible crossing the frame at a fast pace. There is no dialogue but vague sound coming from their movement. From what i can see, this character is dressed in smart costume, a suit at that - which often suggests wealth and a good job. He may possibly live in this location.

More into this take, i can identify two more characters that separately enter then exit the frame.  The second character I cannot visualize as they are dressed in all black who then pass' a dark car which camouflages them before they exit the frame. They may be dressed in this way for the audience to suspect what they do for a living and do they really live in the building they came out of that is straight ahead of the camera? Moreover, the majority of this particular building is hidden by a large bush. 
Off-screen sound of loud 'thumps' and 'bangs' are vague in the background, that appear earry and echo at points. We as an audience cannot see what source is producing this sound which again creates suspicion, which contrasts with the peaceful setting. Hence this, I can recognize another off-screen sound of birds that occur throughout the scene to exaggerate its positive impression.

I believe this is a long take, although the film producers may have captured a still image then when the shot is altered with characters entering, the filming starts. To make this more realistic i think they used the off-screen sound throughout.                     

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Provoked

Lighting introduces the film by a match stick being lit with a naked flame to transfer onto a candle. The sound coming from the match stick being dragged across the box is exaggerated to possibly suggest the films 'plot point'.

This long take i have verified runs on a naked flame guiding us from wall to wall revealing possible memorial photographs hung, further leading us towards a destination.  A none-diegetic soundtrack is playing over the shot which sounds like a flute and light beat of a drum which produces a suspicious rhythm to create a little discomfort for the audience. It does not suggest a positive nor negative mood, but an approach of it to soon be discovered. 

 

 One of the revealed photographs is of a beautifully dressed Indian women which may possibly be a key aspect of the films settings referring to the culture it is set in. This may also relate to the non-diegetic soundtrack that is still playing against the shots. I believe all of the photographs that the camera views are purposely from a low angle to create realism in looking up at photographs in daily approach. This may try to suggest a character is looking up at them.

Later into the take, a door is opened which implies to the audience this may be a characters action and furthermore the camera may be encouraged to film from a characters perspective. So now we know the candle that occurs in every shot until now may be held by our suspected character. The candles light in this same take reveals what is visible of a bedroom. Back to the idea of our characters perspective, i think this shot is filmed from a slight high angle looking down at a subject in the room. It is had for the audience to verify what the subject is just yet due to the minimum light source that has been used in every shot other than our significant candle.


This long take stops suddenly on a close-up of another character asleep, then awakening by the convenient approaching light. This automatically raises questions from the audience. Who are they? Why are they there? Do they live there? 

Another cut directs us back to our original characters point of view looking straight onto the bed. This may show our new characters physical awakening using a medium close-up, which may suggest their discomfort. 



We still aren't familiar with our original characters appearance and who the may be as an individual. More questions are being raised on this other character such as 'are they breaking into the opposing characters home?' or 'are they actually a close relation just visiting?'



The next shot is from a low angle view of a row of semi-detached houses alongside an off-screen sound of a ghastly scream which we straight away think is coming from our previous exposed character. We know this as we are directed straight back to the scene of 'him' in the room who is now on fire rolling around on the bed. It is now adjusted to a long shot to reveal the whole room. It then focus' on a shot of only their feet and bottom of the bed in the frame. This appears an interesting shot the me as we cannot see our characters reaction through facial expression, although can still hear his screaming through a slight off-screen sound. We can rather only see his physical reaction.  




Another shot that still uses the previous off-screen sound is of a more detailed shot of the row of houses to identify the location we are in. As an audience we know the incident that has taken place is in one of these houses from the orange glowing window with smoke aggressively sieving out of it.  


The scene being set at night creates more realism to the shot as the fire is a significant on screen light source that catches the audiences attention.

Evaluation

I am now going to write a breif evalution of our final footage. We were pleased with out overall end product and thought that it came well together when editing. We used a range of short, medium and long shots edited well together. We also used a match-on-action technique to show the characters walking through a door: these are screenshots of them shown to the right. I think they flow well as we matched them up precisely to the particular movement. Overall i think we produced this section of continuity editing well as it shows our editing and filming techniques.

However we did expirence some difficulties, whilst most of our filming went well, we discovered it to be fairly difficult to film around the college. Some areas we tried to use were to busy and noisy. We therefore had to rethink some of out settings and locations. We also realised that when we came to edit our footage, some film was lost and we had ran out of time to re-film. However it was not a significant piece of footage and we worked around it well. This has taught us to be more careful next time, and has helped us to learn from our mistakes when we next film. But overall our filming and editing went well and we produced a good piece of film.

Using Sound effects

Our film isn't particually 'action packed' and therefore we do not need a mass amount of sounds effects. However we have included some. We did by using Garageband -example to the right. We added a sound effect in the scene using the telephone. The effect we added was to make the person on the other end of the phone sound like they were distant rather than clear. We were originally going to use a shot-reverse-shot of the two characters talking through the phone in their different locations, but found we had lost one part of the footage. Although after using this sound effect, we discovered it works better. The other effect we added was on the slap at the end of the film. We think using Garage band has really improved scenes in our footage, and will definitly consider using it in other film tasks.

Our finished video for our Preliminary task

Editing the film

This is Jo on the program final cut pro, we used this software to edit our clips together to make our short film. At first we found it rather challenging as it put us out of our comfort zone slightly. however with the help of Ollie and Andy, our editing technicians, we soon got the hang of it. 

We used final cut pro to edit our clips together as it is a fast and flexible way of editing, not only that but it gives a fluid finish if used properly. Below is a screen shot of us in the process of editing.

screen grabs of match on action

Match on action is a editing technique which is used to link two different angles of the same piece of movement. we will be including this in our latest footage to enable our clips to flow.

why mise en scene is important in our film footage

it is pretty vital for each shot to be chereographed. nothing within the frame will be accidental, we need to consider: lighting, costume, authenticity, body language, props, settings and positioning of the subject.

Setting white balance

Here is an example of altering the white balance in an image. It is important because if we do not check it is activated when we are about to take a photograph or start recording footage, it may pick up unwanted colour in the frame and make the image as a whole filtered in un-realistic tones. We must remember to check it is set each time we change in setting when filming. As you can see, in the example to the left, without the white balance being set the image appears a dirty less clear colour overall, however when the white balance is set, the whole image is how you would normally view the image in a realistic aspect.