Inception (Michael Maddock)

Inception

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VXkUzf1et4

The opening sequence in inception shows the conventions of the thriller film is that it asks the questions that gets answered in the rest of the film.

Its starts looking out at the rough see and then cuts to a man lying on the beach, at this point we the audience no nothing so this is a very confusing opening.

The editing on the beach bit is very nice; They way they have slowed down the children playing very slightly and made them sound out of time makes the man seem very out of focus. So with out telling us we gather enough information to figure out that he isn’t in his write mind.

Until the armed man finds the gun on him we think he is very innocent but with the clever use on mise en scène we then see the gun we change are minds and now we don’t know who is the antagonist or protagonist. This also works later on when we see the very wrinkly man, just because he is wrinkly we think he is wise and think he is going to try to over power the man who was on the beach just because he is old and clearly powerful.

When we first hear the people we cant understand what they are saying so its clearly not important, but as soon as we get into the house the langue is subtitled showing that this man is going to be important.

As a hole the opening was ok but doesn’t really make me jump at watching the rest of the film. In are film I would hope are opening wouldn’t be as confusing but still confuse are viewer a little to make people finish watching and wonder what happened next.

James Bond - Goldeneye (Michael Maddock)

James Bond - Goldeneye Opening

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGPBFvDz_HM

This really has to be one of my favourite thriller openings. Although you never really get introduced to the main characters and there is no real dialog it still works well. The song fits the on screen action amazingly, for example when the words “golden eye” is song an eye appears in shot. This shows nice editing. Also the way the girls dance almost in a sexual nature fits with the Bond stereo type and this kind of shows that this film will be no different.

Right at the start a bullet if fired and from then on all the shots involve fire really shows that this is going to be a true action film, and although there is no dialog there is text. The text isn’t massively relevant to the film it just shows who made the film.

The song is similar to a narration as it is telling a story if you listen to the words, although I wouldn’t want this in my opening I do like how different it is and thing it works well in this kind of opening.

Final destination (Michael Maddock)

Final destination 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KrbzTxTaJk

This opening is very different from most thriller openings, for a start it is in black and white this could be because the real story hasn’t started yet and its almost like a flash back to the other final destination films. It also has no dialog this backs up my first idea that it is a flash back, showing you all the past deaths and blood to get you in the mood for the film you are about to watch.

The only characters in this opening are people who are dying in almost comical ways. This also could be to inform you that the film you are about to watch isn’t the most serious thriller you will see.

I like how this opening shot has been edited. It is fast and upbeat creating the feel of an action film. It also a cut from a real person acting to some cleaver computer work witch shows the person almost like an x-ray.

Although there is no speaking in the opening there is text. It doesn’t really add to the overall feel on the start but gives me the idea that in are opening we might not have to have talking and we would have writing explaining the events or telling the story.

Sin City (Michael Maddock)

Sin City

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm4YTs_Mr5M&feature=player_embedded#

Straight away we are drawn into this film as it is all black and white except the woman’s dress; This is a very interesting technique and the fact it is very uncommon buts the film into a different mindset of your average thriller.

How the characters talk would suggest they know one another witch is strange because the film has only just started and we haven’t even been introduced to the characters.

Most of the speaking in the scene comes from the male character, The way in witch he speaker makes him seem very cold in my opinion this is then backed up when he says “I didn’t come hire for the party I came hire for you”. Narration is also used at the very start of the shot, explaining his mind. We can also tell he fills very much in control at this point as he says “She only goes still for a moment” suggesting he is almost planning to do something as he knows she is scared of him.

Also the use of editing and mise en scène is very nice, for example when her eyes turn green.

I think the way that effects have been played with in this is brilliant and is a concept that could look great in are thriller opening, maybe playing with the saturation to try and create a tensor feel.

No Country For Old Men (Michael Maddock)

No Country For Old Men - Opening scene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSyC45584jM

The opening to this film if very different to most thriller openings. It starts with a shot looking out into the darkness when a voice kicks in. With the way the man talks and the words he says making us feel this is a old film, This could have been done to create a false sense of security as when we think of thrillers we don’t typically think of western film and this first shot looked very much like the start of a western. Then sutely we start to notice modern icons like telephone polls until the camera eventually pans and we see the talker clearly. He is a sheriff putting a man in the back of his car, at this point we don’t know this but the man under arrest it the main subject in the film.

When we eventually get round to seeing the sheriff he looks like a typical American sheriff and because he looks normal we then turn and look at the other man.

The way this scene is shot is also not like most other thrillers. It doesn’t have fast cuts or lots of exciting camera movement it is very slow and controlled and in doing this we almost want to keep watching to find out why a thriller is so carmly shot.

I like how the director has chosen to do a voice over explaining the sheriff’s mind but still not explaining every think like who the criminal is so this is left for us to decide. And although I really like the opening and the voice over I don’t think I would chose to do my opening scene this way.

Adam Marshall Thriller research- Casino Royale

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/324089/casino_royale/
The opening to this film is very interesting as it is all in black and white. This could have been done to make it look like it is from his past, he states in this scene that this is the first man he kills so it is obviously has some sort of importance to him. It is a look into his past to see how different he was to the more aged Bond he grows into.
The black and white effect also creates a vast amount of darkness in the room he goes to, the first shot of Bond, low key lighting is being used, we can see this because one side of his face is visible, and one side is in the dark.  This room is a complete contrast to the bathroom he fights in, which is very bright. I think this is so we can see the fast paced action and the vast amounts of fast paced shots used in the scene.
As with all other thrillers, the action withing the scene involves lots of shots being taken at loads of different angles, they are all very short takes. The jump from watching the scene in the office, to the scene in the bathroom shows the huge different in shot numbers.As the enemy is being drowned by Bond, the takes seem to be longer, this could be to show his life draining away and the mood calming down again.
There is ambient music in the scene. This is used for a number of reasons, it could be to show a certain emotion or perhaps it could be to build tension. When it cuts to the fight scene in the bathroom the music greatly increases in dynamics and there is a whole ensemble of instruments playing.

Adam Marshall Thriller research- Deja Vu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BFPLNdv9-Q

As in most Thrillers the main problem/ dilemma happens in the first five minutes of the film. This is to get the audience on the edge of their seats and making the atmosphere very tense. The rest of the film i mainly solving the main problem or mystery in the film, then there is an ending that puts us in the same position we were in at the beginning of the film.

There is minimal dialogue in this scene. this is done to create even more suspense. The diagetic music within the scene is contrapuntal, this is also done to make us think that something in the scene is wrong or out of place, or perhaps dangerous. This music builds a lot of tension as it is a relatively happy song, we know that the film has lots of action in it and something is bound to happen that will affect a lot of peoples lives for the worse.

In aspects of  mise en scene the ferry that most of the scene is set on seems to be a ferry with lots of sailors from the Navy, they are all wearing the same outfit. The families of the sailors are obviously wearing normal clothes.

The shots in the opening are relatively drawn out and are around the same time length, this shows that the mood is relaxed and nothing that would cause distress is happening. The shots during the explosion and after are of a much quicker pace and a lot more shots.

I think this is a brilliant start to a thriller film because it is so tense the whole time the man is investigating the car and immediately has us on the edge of our seat, it also crates mystery because of the ELS looking up to the bridge seeing a silhouette of the man looking down on what was happening. People watching immediately know that this man is behind it and they want to find out who it is.   

Adam Marshall Thriller research- The Dissapearance of Alice Creed

In the opening to this film there is very little dialogue, it is almost as if the men (most likely antagonists) have planned what they are doing, and know exactly what to do at the time. They don't need to talk about it or question one another, they just need to do their work as efficiently as possible. They don't seem to have any morals either, they show no regret when stealing a van, and don't seem to think what they're planning is wrong. they are like machines who have been programmed to do something and won't let anything stop them.

The music in the couple of shots that pan around the flat showing the surrounding seems to create yet more tension in this scene, along with the robotic movements of the men and the places they show they are planning something very sinister. This is a different type of ending to The Matrix because it is at a lot slower pace and seems to be a lot more relaxed.

There are at least five settings in this opening, as they plan out the kidnapping. This means that for our thriller work we won't have to stick to one setting, we can have many more than that if we wish. The settings are mostly run down or unused places, a place where something that they won't want anyone seeing to happen, this is obviously an ideal setting for a thriller film.

I really like this opening because it shows exactly how they plan the kidnapping and shows what the whole film is going to be based on. When i watched this clip I actually wanted to watch the rest of the film to see what happened. This is what a good thriller opening should do to the whole audience.

Josh Godlington - Thriller intro analysis; Signs

play until 4:29, turn off annotations

Signs
The introduction of Signs creates suspense and mystery with mise en scene and its look on classic family life and long running scenes that go with the missing sense of direction that are also apparent when the girl and the crows are screaming.

Mystery is first created by the main male character waking up randomly and suddenly and this may have something to do with any future antagonist within the film as their is no apparent reason for him waking up. The first sign of an antagonist is when he is disrupted by his daughters scream and to help build this sense of an antagonist is near by is helped by the setting which is a tall cornfield. This helps build the mystery and suspense around the antagonist as it further hidden by the tall cornfield.

The cornfield, i feel plays a great signifigance in creating tension as when Mel Gibsons character is running through and it makes you wonder if he ever gets there as he just runs fast in a straight line.

The antagonist or atleast the idea of one is shown towards the end of the intro when the camera zooms out slowly to reveal what they are standing in and what the girl was scared of which is a crop circle. this Reveals that the antagonist of the film are aliens.

This is more rare for a thriller as they usually have a human antagonist but in the film, the aliens are put into a more human role in the way they attack or are seen. Overall the suspense and mystery is conveyed less by an antagonist but more by a sense of mystery that it creates within the characters aswell as the audience.

Josh Godlington - Thriller intro analysis; Sin City

Sin City
The introduction of Sin City, straight away creates the essence of mystery through use of unknown characters that dont show that they are either an antagonist or a protagonist straight away, the implied knowing of each other and the use of a narrator.

Characters
The characters in the clip are shown to know each other which is odd for the beginning of a thriller film as they usually have a introduction that help us understand who the antagonist is or what problems the protagonists may face. The characters throughout the clip are calm around eachother which creates an enigma because of the tension the music creates which gives the idea that something may happen soon. With this you become unsure if the characters are both in threat from a common antagonist or they are a threat to each other.

Use Of Narration
The Narration of this clip is done by the male character and in the narration he uses analogies to describe the female character. The Narration in the clip is the male character describing the situation as he goes along. It is almost like it is his thoughts as he goes along. The first thing that is narated is "She shivers in the wind like the last leaf on a dying tree". This use of narration helps show that perhaps the female character is growing weak but has stayed on strong like the last leaf on a tree. The idea of length told by the naration may show that the female characters time is up. Thia naration may also help show that the male character is the antagonist.

Mise En Scene
The overall of the clip is meant to be a film noir style so it has an old style city look to it. The Open space on the building top that they are on, i believe helps show that either one of them could be the eventual antagonist that the idea of thriller introductions show. The open space of the set helps because it is an open space with just two characters so the emptiness helps with the mystery and tension. The costume is meant to have a classy style and although the male is wearing just a classic suit the female characters costume is more questionable. Although the female character is the protagonist/victim she is wearing a red dress in which the colour red is usually associated with danger that the character wearing it represents. In this case, the red may show that she is in danger but it still could show that she is/was a dangerous character and she was killed for perhaps a reason.

Overall, the sense of mystery and tension is created by the characters knowing of eachother which isnt usually seen in the beginning of a thriller. The narators use of analogies also helps us see who is the anatagonist and protagonist. Overall the intro Creates a lot of enigma.

Harry Buckle - Frist Thriller Reseach - The Dissapperance of Alice Creed

The opening five minutes of this movie shows so much about these two characters without showing as much as the spectator may want to see. It is clear at the start that these two men lack in morals, as they break into and steal a van from an airport parking lot. Yet, the removal of both dialogue and any clear actions of an antagonist makes the spectator continue to wonder what they are doing. As the scene goes on, they continue to show the spectator that they do not have a problem with stealing whatever - and, judging by the title of the film, whoever - as they steal a license plate from a broken down car. The spectator would, by now, put together the two acts of theft and figured out that these men don't want to be caught doing something illegal with the van. After a while, they are shown in an torn up flat and begin their make-over. As they nail, drill and remove broken furniture, the two men do it together in unison. accompanied with the continued, eerie silence between the two, shows that they are clearly very close. The preparation of the flat and the van is mundane to say the least, then, once they have seemed to have finished, their true objective is blindly clear, as one of them packs ski masks, masking tape, hand-cuffs and even a gun, into a bag. The display of items that would normally be seen in an evidence bag or scattered in a crime scene, reassures these two as the antagonists.

In conclusion, although this scene lacks in, a clear protagonist or antagonist , dialogue or even anything that could be considered "heart-pumping" excitement for the majority of it, all the actions of the two characters that we are following helps set the story up well enough to help the spectator establish their role in the film.

Adam Marshall- First thriller research- The Matrix opening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPtk7mweahY

The mise en scene in this first scene is used to show a lot of mystery and suspense, the use of low key lighting and extreme close ups on the SWAT teams eyes show their fear. the actual setting is dark itself, in an abandoned building that seems to have been out of use for years.From the way we can see the fear in the eyes of the police watching anyone watching the film for the first time would naturally think that Trinity is the antagonist, a clever piece of filing to deceive the audience.The black leather suit she wears also gives the impression that she is not a pleasant woman, as the film progresses we find out this is not the case.
The cuts in this scene vary a lot because the action also varies, like in all films, action scenes contain a lot of short cuts with long shots so we can see what is happening.
The Matrix is such a uniquely styled thriller film in both visual effects and storyline that it has become one of the thrillers that will be remembered for pushing boundaries in genre.  

Adam Marshall- First thriller research- Silence Of The Lambs opening.

http://s567.photobucket.com/albums/ss116/mickeytopdog/?action=view&current=SilenceOfTheLambsPart1.mp4

The opening to this thriller is quite different to the ones we have studied in class. There is a vast ammount of mise en scene that tells us more about the character and setting. The protagonist is obviously the female character who we are watching as she runs through the forest and through the FBI building. This building seems to be in the middle of the forest, this could be because a secret government building. one of the ways that shows that this film is under the thriller genre is the use of mise en scene in the mans office. The photos and newspaper articles about the serial killer. These murders are not shown in the plot but are part of the story. it is a restricted narrative, therefore it creates mystery and we want to know what's been happening.

The camera work when following the female protagonist is taken in quiter regular cuts, this show's that she is calm and in no danger. Even when she is running through the forest we can see by her expression and the limited camera movement that she is not in danger.When she is walking through the building the camera is on a dolly to show her movement, there is panning as well for when she walks past the camera.

All the editing is done as cuts between shots, the shots are generally around the same duration. There are are no fades or wipes because we are following the same character in the same time period

Editing- post by Adam Marshall

We edited our raw footage on Final Cut Pro as we thought that we would be able to get better results and a more flowing film. Michael and I put all the footage in the order we wanted and deleted the raw footage we didn't want. After this the whole group sat in the editing suite and put our ideas forward about different ways of making the film reach the criteria, for example when the main character walks through the door we had to cut the clips perfectly to make sure it worked well and had effective continuity. 

5th January 2011

We have started to do the final bits of editing and had to transfer across our footage across to another computer.