To find out what people think about thriller films, my group and I devised a couple of questions to ask and various methods of asking.
Monday, 30 January 2012
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy- Spy Thriller
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 2011 British espionage film directed by Tomas Alfredson, based on the 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. The film stars Gary Oldman as George Smiley, and co-stars Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch and Ciarán Hinds. Set in London in the 1970s, the story follows the hunt for a Soviet double agent at the British secret service.
The film was produced through the British company Working Title Films and financed by France's StudioCanal. It premiered in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. The film was the highest grossing film at the British box office for three consecutive weeks. In January 2012, the film received three Academy Award nominations including an acting nomination for Gary Oldman.
Inspiration
The main inspiration coming from this film is the opening sequence. I went on a trip with my Media class to the cinema to watch this film for our unit1 exam, ever since I kept it at the back of my mind knowing that unit2 consisted of a thriller opening. I absolutely love the simplicity of the opening. Not much is said but we manage to understand that their is something huge taking place. Furthermore I love the fact that the audience has to think for themselves and is not spoon fed every bit of information, this allows me personally to stay glued to the screen. I am really keen on maybe implamenting a similar style on our opening sequence.
Group meetings
This post will consist of updates from group meetings, filming and editing that takes place. I will discuss what took place and what we talked about.
Thursday 24th of January
Thursday the 2nd Feburary
Wednesday 7th March
First day of filming- Chelsea Academy. Me and Dauud collected the neccesary equipment to film our first couple of scenes. The equipment included a video camera, tripod and camera. The camera was used to record proof of working and filming as we took various pictures in on our set. We were working under time constraints and this seemed to make us highly effective as we filmed five minutes worth of film and had it uploaded in about two hours. Some of the problems we had to deal with was being quiet due to lessons taking place and children coming out for break. However when this was the case we took that oppurtunity to take picture and move on to our next location.
Saturday 10th March
Today me and Dauud filmed the bulk of our opening sequence. He arrived at my house early in the morning and we went straight to work trying to capture the vital shots. I had before hand made the fake blood we would be needing for the scene. We had learnt from our preliminary task that the importance of continuity and framing and we made sure everything we did stayed the same throught out each shot. It was tough and there were moments were we struggled such as making sure the blood looked like it was in the right place but also dry. However we worked much more effiecently and actually took less time then we had expected. We were lucky enough to use a lot of high tech material that had been given by the school. For todays filming we used a video camera, tripod, dolly and camera for set shots. We made sure to take more than one shot for each moment to make sure that we were able to change and edit anything we didnt like when we arrived in school on Monday.
Monday 12th March
Today was the first day of editing. We had completed all our preliminary filming we would need for the opening sequence and would only re-shoot if necessary. I started of by cutting any unwanted sections of the clip and arrange them in the order most appropriate to our vision. I made sure to cut out background noise. Editing was tougher than I thought and trying to piece together a two minute film is difficult as we had so much footage to cut out.
Thursday 24th of January
This was our first ever meeting in which we discussed and researched the conventions of thrillers and also came up with a name for our production company. Johnnie (on the left) researched typical camera angles used. While I (Right) and Daud (centre) researched contemporary examples of thrillers such as Memento. Below are a few more pictures of our first brainstorming session:
Thursday the 2nd Feburary
Today as a group we discussed what sort of research we would take in order to find out our audiences reaction to a spy thriller. We decided to create a questionnaire to ask to various people. We agreed that I would record my audience reaction through film, Johnnie would get his results through writing and Dauud would get a mixture of photos and comments. We came up with ten questions that we would ask our audiences. We believe that the results will allow us to find out what the best aspects of an opening sequence are of a spy thriller.
Tuesday 28th February
I decided to conduct some further research of my own in order to find out about shooting schedules and storyboarding. I wanted to grasp a stronger understanding of what they entailed before going ahead and creating one. I went on the internet and used some sheets and booklets(images below) to find some research and then i added it to my blog.
Thursday 1st March
The following images are from our session in which we completed our animatic. As a group we split up in to different sections. I took care of the visual side of the animatic. Dauud and Johnnnie recorded the exterior sounds that we needed such as the shower and the keyboard. We then came together as a group and collaborated on what we had collected. We pieced all the components together to complete our animatic. For animatic visit the post labelled Animatic.
Wednesday 7th March
First day of filming- Chelsea Academy. Me and Dauud collected the neccesary equipment to film our first couple of scenes. The equipment included a video camera, tripod and camera. The camera was used to record proof of working and filming as we took various pictures in on our set. We were working under time constraints and this seemed to make us highly effective as we filmed five minutes worth of film and had it uploaded in about two hours. Some of the problems we had to deal with was being quiet due to lessons taking place and children coming out for break. However when this was the case we took that oppurtunity to take picture and move on to our next location.
Saturday 10th March
Today me and Dauud filmed the bulk of our opening sequence. He arrived at my house early in the morning and we went straight to work trying to capture the vital shots. I had before hand made the fake blood we would be needing for the scene. We had learnt from our preliminary task that the importance of continuity and framing and we made sure everything we did stayed the same throught out each shot. It was tough and there were moments were we struggled such as making sure the blood looked like it was in the right place but also dry. However we worked much more effiecently and actually took less time then we had expected. We were lucky enough to use a lot of high tech material that had been given by the school. For todays filming we used a video camera, tripod, dolly and camera for set shots. We made sure to take more than one shot for each moment to make sure that we were able to change and edit anything we didnt like when we arrived in school on Monday.
Monday 12th March
Today was the first day of editing. We had completed all our preliminary filming we would need for the opening sequence and would only re-shoot if necessary. I started of by cutting any unwanted sections of the clip and arrange them in the order most appropriate to our vision. I made sure to cut out background noise. Editing was tougher than I thought and trying to piece together a two minute film is difficult as we had so much footage to cut out.
Analysis of opening sequences
On this post I will be analysing various opening sequences of thriller movies and seeing how they use the typical thriller conventions to create suspense.
MEMENTO OPENING SEQUENCE ANALYSIS
Camerawork
Close up. This camera angle allows us to see the protagonist’s emotions after killing someone. We can see that he is showing no remorse. This subsequently allows us to link the characters relationship with death. He seems to be used to it, we are now weary of him as a character. At this point the protagonist is seen as the antagonist and we believe him to have bad intentions. The fact he killed a bad puts him in a bad light. The opening is sending the wrong signals about the characters role; this confuses the audience thus creating some suspense.
Sound
Editing
DARK KNIGHT OPENING SEQUENCE ANALYSIS
Medium shot. This shot allows us to see the figure but not the face of the character. Seeing the figure should comfort us but the purposefully missing face leaves the audience both intrigued and scared. Questions start to pop up immediately. Who is he? What are his intentions? And what significance does he have on the rest of the film?
Mise-en-Scene
Non- Diegetic sound. There is a use of this type of music throughout the first two minutes. The song used is 'I’m not a hero' by Hans Zimmer. This orchestral sound is very ominous and scary. The fact that the narrative jumps straight to such a powerful song suggests straight away that the film is going have elements of danger. The song rises and lowers in volume depending on the intensity of the action and editing cuts. This is clever as the elements work well together to give a sense of trepidation.
MEMENTO OPENING SEQUENCE ANALYSIS
Camerawork
High angle shot including credits. This shot focuses solely on the picture for a minute while the credits role. The picture will play a huge part in the film so placing it behind credits seems to suggest unimportance. However this could be the editor's technique to adding suspense. As the audience we tend to switch of at the credits leaving us susceptible to missing a clue. Although further on into the film we find out that in fact the picture has a major clue. Furthermore the simple and sophisticated credits set the tone for the rest of the film. This lets the audience know the type of film they will be watching, leaving them in no doubt of the tone of the film.
Extreme Close-up. This shot allows us to denote the violent nature of the film. Furthermore the significance of the extreme close up means that we know this death will shape the rest of the film. That bullet could go to play huge significance in the film. It could be used as evidence for a murder. There is a strong indication that the movie will come back to this scene throughout the film, this is because there are many pieces of information that have been left out. Every time it goes back to this scene we think back to the bullet and what is symbolizes.
Mise-en-scene
Recurring Motif. We see this camera in the first 20 seconds. From then the audience are comfortable with the idea of it. During the film the camera is used to signal an important event that needs to keep as a memory and a reminder of Leonard's disability.
Sound
Editing
DARK KNIGHT OPENING SEQUENCE ANALYSIS
Camerawork
Establishing shot. This shot sets the scene extremely well. We fully understand that the film will be set in a cosmopolitan area. All the negative connotations that link with urban life spring straight to mind. Crime, violence, feeling trapped and technology come straight to mind. The tall buildings could also mirror the protagonists feeling of insignificance in the face of all the crime.
Medium shot. This shot allows us to see the figure but not the face of the character. Seeing the figure should comfort us but the purposefully missing face leaves the audience both intrigued and scared. Questions start to pop up immediately. Who is he? What are his intentions? And what significance does he have on the rest of the film?
Mise-en-Scene
Costume. The mask hides the true identity of the character. This gives the impression that the criminal has information to hide. We as an audience fear the unknown and already fear the intentions of the antagonist. The fact that it comes in the opening sequence could suggest that the director is trying to emphasise the importance of this character and that we might be seeing him often throughout the movie.
Mask. The use of this simple but yet terrifying mask is clever. The mask hides the identity of the villains. We have no idea which criminal is the joker. Anyone of the five villains could be the joker which leaves the audience with a feeling of uneasiness.
Sound
Non- Diegetic sound. There is a use of this type of music throughout the first two minutes. The song used is 'I’m not a hero' by Hans Zimmer. This orchestral sound is very ominous and scary. The fact that the narrative jumps straight to such a powerful song suggests straight away that the film is going have elements of danger. The song rises and lowers in volume depending on the intensity of the action and editing cuts. This is clever as the elements work well together to give a sense of trepidation.
Editing
Cuts. Similar to many opening sequences the editing cuts start out quite slow. This allows the audience to enter into a false sense of security. However it is soon clear that the narrative will get more intense. Throughout the robbery the pace in which the cuts appear increase. This is particularly effective in creating tension as the recurring orchestral sound works alongside the cuts. The cuts alone wouldn’t be enough to evoke a sense of fear but using the non-diegetic sound the audience immediately sense danger.
Famous Influences on the Thriller genre
In this post there will be information regarding famous influences on thriller movies.
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan was born July 30, 1970. He is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer. He received notice after directing Memento, which he wrote and directed. After directing Insomnia, Nolan came up with his latest film Inception. Inception was an original screenplay by Nolan, a heist film set in the world of "shared dreaming." Nolan co-founded Syncopy Films with his wife.
After the success of The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. contracted Nolan to direct Inception. Nolan wrote and directed the film which was described as "a contemporary sci-fi action set within the architecture of the mind".
Examples of his work
Inspiration
The main inspiration behind Nolan is that his entire thriller films treat the audience with respect by assuming with have the intelligence to un-pick his complicated storylines. Furthermore while being a contemporary director he chooses not to complicate his camera angles and seems to choose the most appropriate angle for each scene. In continuation while dialogue plays a crucial part in all films it seems like Nolan only uses speech when entirely necessary and in order to give the audience clues. It would be foolish to believe we could emulate anything close to a Nolan picture but we will try to implement some his director features to make our opening sequence.
Saul Bass
Saul Bass was born May 8. He was a graphic designer and filmmaker, best known for his design of film posters and film title sequences.
During the 1960s, Bass was asked by directors and producers not only to produce title sequences for their films, but also to create storyboards for key scenes.
However he is probably best known for his role in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, which has caused some controversy. Bass claimed that he participated in directing the highlight scene of Psycho, the tightly edited shower-murder sequence. The research of several film scholars on Hitchcock's production of Psycho validates the claim that Bass in his capacity as a graphic artist did indeed have a significant influence on the visual design and pacing of that famous scene. Hitchcock had asked Bass to produce storyboards for the shower-murder scene and for some other scenes in the film.
Examples of his work
This opening title sequence is my favourite of all time. I believe it holds all the great components to a thriller movie. The first two minutes tell the story but also leave some clues to be found out. Whilst it would be hard to match such a high level in our opening sequence I would love to take some inspirations from this piece. For examples while the titles roll I think it's possible to have a similar style to this by using software on the Mac computers.
Inspiration
As mentioned before Saul Bass had a great talent in telling you in the story in the first two minutes. Not only was it sophisticated but it included all the credits looking seamless. I would also love for our opening sequence to have the same effortless effect to the audience. Forcing credits will take all the tension away from the film as a thriller. I you have a massive swipe in the middle of an argument then audience won’t feel anxious. It is important to evoke as much emotion from the viewer as we can. By using Motion software on the MAC's we won’t to design and opening with both video footage but also graphic images to create a nice balance.
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, 13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980 was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood.
Over a career spanning more than half a century, Hitchcock fashioned for himself a distinctive and recognisable directorial style. He pioneered the use of a camera made to move in a way that mimics a person's gaze, forcing viewers to engage in a form of voyeurism. He framed shots to maximise anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative film editing.
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Inspiration
This man is a cinematic genius. This video sums up how much influence he had on future film makers. From Hitchcock I would absolutely love to match his talent in revealing enough information to keep the audience anxious and interested. As a group we must decide the best way to do this. I believe that the camera angles we use will be the most important factor. What frame we use, speed of zoom and angle will all play a major part in the quality of our final piece.
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan was born July 30, 1970. He is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer. He received notice after directing Memento, which he wrote and directed. After directing Insomnia, Nolan came up with his latest film Inception. Inception was an original screenplay by Nolan, a heist film set in the world of "shared dreaming." Nolan co-founded Syncopy Films with his wife.
After the success of The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. contracted Nolan to direct Inception. Nolan wrote and directed the film which was described as "a contemporary sci-fi action set within the architecture of the mind".
Examples of his work
Inspiration
The main inspiration behind Nolan is that his entire thriller films treat the audience with respect by assuming with have the intelligence to un-pick his complicated storylines. Furthermore while being a contemporary director he chooses not to complicate his camera angles and seems to choose the most appropriate angle for each scene. In continuation while dialogue plays a crucial part in all films it seems like Nolan only uses speech when entirely necessary and in order to give the audience clues. It would be foolish to believe we could emulate anything close to a Nolan picture but we will try to implement some his director features to make our opening sequence.
Saul Bass
Saul Bass was born May 8. He was a graphic designer and filmmaker, best known for his design of film posters and film title sequences.
During the 1960s, Bass was asked by directors and producers not only to produce title sequences for their films, but also to create storyboards for key scenes.
However he is probably best known for his role in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, which has caused some controversy. Bass claimed that he participated in directing the highlight scene of Psycho, the tightly edited shower-murder sequence. The research of several film scholars on Hitchcock's production of Psycho validates the claim that Bass in his capacity as a graphic artist did indeed have a significant influence on the visual design and pacing of that famous scene. Hitchcock had asked Bass to produce storyboards for the shower-murder scene and for some other scenes in the film.
Examples of his work
This opening title sequence is my favourite of all time. I believe it holds all the great components to a thriller movie. The first two minutes tell the story but also leave some clues to be found out. Whilst it would be hard to match such a high level in our opening sequence I would love to take some inspirations from this piece. For examples while the titles roll I think it's possible to have a similar style to this by using software on the Mac computers.
Inspiration
As mentioned before Saul Bass had a great talent in telling you in the story in the first two minutes. Not only was it sophisticated but it included all the credits looking seamless. I would also love for our opening sequence to have the same effortless effect to the audience. Forcing credits will take all the tension away from the film as a thriller. I you have a massive swipe in the middle of an argument then audience won’t feel anxious. It is important to evoke as much emotion from the viewer as we can. By using Motion software on the MAC's we won’t to design and opening with both video footage but also graphic images to create a nice balance.
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, 13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980 was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood.
Over a career spanning more than half a century, Hitchcock fashioned for himself a distinctive and recognisable directorial style. He pioneered the use of a camera made to move in a way that mimics a person's gaze, forcing viewers to engage in a form of voyeurism. He framed shots to maximise anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative film editing.
Inspiration
This man is a cinematic genius. This video sums up how much influence he had on future film makers. From Hitchcock I would absolutely love to match his talent in revealing enough information to keep the audience anxious and interested. As a group we must decide the best way to do this. I believe that the camera angles we use will be the most important factor. What frame we use, speed of zoom and angle will all play a major part in the quality of our final piece.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Initial tasks
Welcome to my blog. In this blog I will post the various tasks set by my teachers. Furthermore I will add any videos, photos and presentations that are to do with my final video.
Task: The Conventions of a Thriller presentation
Task: Choose a Thriller film as a case study write a 700 word essay: How does the film use conventions of the genre to create suspense?
Suspense is the feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen Thriller is a genre of film that uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements. Memento is the film I have analysed and taken examples from. Memento is a psychological thriller. It stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a man with anterograde amnesia, which impairs his ability to store new explicit memories. During the opening credit’s, which portrays the end of the story, it is shown that Leonard kills Teddy. The film suggests that this killing is vengeance for the rape and murder of his wife.
Establishing shots, long shots and close-ups are the most common camera angles used in the thriller genre. The absence of an establishing shot in the opening credits leaves the audience disorientated and not knowing what is happening. People fear the unknown so this technique is very useful in adding suspense. Instead we are given a close-up of the gun; this is an extremely poignant shot and doesn’t necessarily add to the suspense but allows for it to be built up in the following scenes. This is because we are eager to find out why Lenny shot this man. Long shots however are used during the film to set the scene, whether it is at the motel, Natalie’s house or the café. As the protagonist suffers from memory loss the long shots makes us feel as if we too cannot keep up with the action. This feeling of cluelessness permits the feeling of suspense.
It is common to use fast paced cuts in thrillers and memento is no different. While the majority of the movie adopts a calm feel there are occasional fights. When this is the case the cutting becomes much more intense and twined with a steadi cam adds to the feeling of suspense. We have no idea whether Lenny will be ok and if he will even remember the events. Furthermore the absence of important information happens throughout the film. This is done by hiding important information using cuts. This keeps the audience on a knife edge. Just when we feel like we might be gaining another clue the action cuts to the past.
Sound is used either diegetic ally or non-diegetic ally throughout the film. As the film is split up in to different time sequences the music changes in order to conform to what type of action is taking place. The audience denote this early on and expect each sound to play in the background. The colour scenes are "brooding and classical" while the black-and-white scenes are "oppressive and rumbly". These sounds tend to illustrate the past and present and keep the audience in the know. However there are occasions in which there is a use of asynchronous sound that destabilises the audience. This happens when Lenny is at Natalie’s bar. The diegetic sound of the radio tends to suggest a calm atmosphere however Natalie is speaking with Lenny with a violent tone. This sends the audience different signals and this disorientates us to the point where we feel quite anxious.
The mise-en-scene is set through various ways, either costumes, lighting or objects. The protagonist Lenny wears the same suit throughout the movie. We become used to him wearing the same outfit. This adds to any suspense when he isn’t wearing his typical clothing. We see this through the black and white sequences in which he is naked. This evokes vulnerability and the audience feel as if he is out of place. Thus the viewer’s feels like a horrible event could take place. Moving on there are a few motifs used. This is a reminder of Lenny’s vulnerability as it exposes the extent of his disability. We associate the Polaroid camera with a crucial occurrence and the need to remember what just took place. The importance of the camera is so great that the audience fear for Lenny’s safety without it. This is supported through the scene in which Lenny is scrambling for a pen to take note of Natalie’s lie. The audience become anxious as we know that Lenny will forget her true nature and be tricked.
To conclude while Memento uses many of the generic techniques to convey a sense of suspense, it also adds some unexpected method’s that are used precisely at creating a sense of unexpected surprise. The methods are used well and allow for an intriguing viewing sensation. It is little wonder it won rave reviews.
Task: The Conventions of a Thriller presentation
Task: Choose a Thriller film as a case study write a 700 word essay: How does the film use conventions of the genre to create suspense?
Suspense is the feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen Thriller is a genre of film that uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements. Memento is the film I have analysed and taken examples from. Memento is a psychological thriller. It stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a man with anterograde amnesia, which impairs his ability to store new explicit memories. During the opening credit’s, which portrays the end of the story, it is shown that Leonard kills Teddy. The film suggests that this killing is vengeance for the rape and murder of his wife.
Establishing shots, long shots and close-ups are the most common camera angles used in the thriller genre. The absence of an establishing shot in the opening credits leaves the audience disorientated and not knowing what is happening. People fear the unknown so this technique is very useful in adding suspense. Instead we are given a close-up of the gun; this is an extremely poignant shot and doesn’t necessarily add to the suspense but allows for it to be built up in the following scenes. This is because we are eager to find out why Lenny shot this man. Long shots however are used during the film to set the scene, whether it is at the motel, Natalie’s house or the café. As the protagonist suffers from memory loss the long shots makes us feel as if we too cannot keep up with the action. This feeling of cluelessness permits the feeling of suspense.
It is common to use fast paced cuts in thrillers and memento is no different. While the majority of the movie adopts a calm feel there are occasional fights. When this is the case the cutting becomes much more intense and twined with a steadi cam adds to the feeling of suspense. We have no idea whether Lenny will be ok and if he will even remember the events. Furthermore the absence of important information happens throughout the film. This is done by hiding important information using cuts. This keeps the audience on a knife edge. Just when we feel like we might be gaining another clue the action cuts to the past.
Sound is used either diegetic ally or non-diegetic ally throughout the film. As the film is split up in to different time sequences the music changes in order to conform to what type of action is taking place. The audience denote this early on and expect each sound to play in the background. The colour scenes are "brooding and classical" while the black-and-white scenes are "oppressive and rumbly". These sounds tend to illustrate the past and present and keep the audience in the know. However there are occasions in which there is a use of asynchronous sound that destabilises the audience. This happens when Lenny is at Natalie’s bar. The diegetic sound of the radio tends to suggest a calm atmosphere however Natalie is speaking with Lenny with a violent tone. This sends the audience different signals and this disorientates us to the point where we feel quite anxious.
The mise-en-scene is set through various ways, either costumes, lighting or objects. The protagonist Lenny wears the same suit throughout the movie. We become used to him wearing the same outfit. This adds to any suspense when he isn’t wearing his typical clothing. We see this through the black and white sequences in which he is naked. This evokes vulnerability and the audience feel as if he is out of place. Thus the viewer’s feels like a horrible event could take place. Moving on there are a few motifs used. This is a reminder of Lenny’s vulnerability as it exposes the extent of his disability. We associate the Polaroid camera with a crucial occurrence and the need to remember what just took place. The importance of the camera is so great that the audience fear for Lenny’s safety without it. This is supported through the scene in which Lenny is scrambling for a pen to take note of Natalie’s lie. The audience become anxious as we know that Lenny will forget her true nature and be tricked.
To conclude while Memento uses many of the generic techniques to convey a sense of suspense, it also adds some unexpected method’s that are used precisely at creating a sense of unexpected surprise. The methods are used well and allow for an intriguing viewing sensation. It is little wonder it won rave reviews.
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