Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Urban Legend
Camera: Close on individual character faces, switching from
Lighting:The lighting is very bright in the beginning, during the beginning of the opening of the trailer there is a shadow effect on their faces giving the feel of a dark and slightly twisted feeling present to the audience that this is a thriller. During the end of the trailer the lighting is dark and show the contrast between, telling us the suspense in the film will build up gradually.
Sound: dialogue and soundtrack
conventions: There is a contrast with the beginning and end of the trialer
mise-en-scene: In college with peers, bright lighting (in the beginning), then towrads the end they are in the house, vulnerable, dark lighting
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Hostage Opening
Camera: High angle shots showing that there is someone with higher status that the male holding the gun, also shots threw the sniper leading the audience to think that someone is going to get shot
Sound: Non diegetic
SFX: CGI
Conventions: Enigma codes,omniscient narration, this has a effect on the audience that they can see everything that is going on and lastly vouyerism as the character is being watched
Mise-en-scene: Cop cars, guns, swat team create tension
Editing: Bold fonts, brightly coloured. The two main colours are red a black, both very effective in a thriller as red reprsents passion, danger, blood, revange however black represents a dark gloomy negative atmosphere
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
JFK
Camera: black and white shots (although there is a coloured version posted onto the blog) this suggests that the clip is outdated and old.
Editing: Montage editing of the different clips put together this gives the audience the impression that they are going back in time then coming back to the present time; which sugest that clip is almost like a biography type.
Sound: Military (drums),explanation of the narrative, trumpits
as in a victorious theme tune.
Conventions: Death of JFK, the settings of the beginning to show it was a shot of rememberance day.
Mise-en-scene: Strong bold fonts and real news footage, voice over
Silence Of The Lambs
Camera: 180 degree shot used when climbing, establishing shot, tracking shot when female was running, close up of face to make us see she was young and training for something.
Lighting: Grey lighting, cloudy suggesting to the audience that something is unclear and it would be like a mystery and the movie will be very puzzling
Sound: Up tempo non-diegetic creating a heart raising audience
conventions: Location & Setting
mise-en-scene: Very foggy, mysterious and shes a takes a package from a man. whilst traning dor something I assume
Cape Fear (Original)
Sound: Very taunting music, non diegetic, sound is important as it tells you about the story,ocestral music used which is also very intense.
Editing: Samitanious action, had very heavy sound,
Camera: Long shot of camera focusing on character(tracking shots)creates impression of power.
Mise-en-scene: Studio cleonal buildings with the plants. Building seemed sophisticated, warm climate; character was wearing summer clothing
Conventions: Enigma codes open narrative creating
suspense and tension.
Cape Fear (Latest Verison)
Sound: orestral music Ver loud and intense, thunder and heavy rain, suggesting something bad is about to occur.
Camera: close up of eyes symbolising fear,mid restricted shot of a shadow showing that the body is masculine and an extreme close up.
Mise-en-scene: water was used to link to the name of film, Eagle flying over the river suggesting that they might be a living creature in the water or the river will cause sme death, the size (huge) of the males hands being used for intimidation, possibly abnormal.
Special Effects: The use of the water to link with the name of the film 'cape' is a river (CGI)
Key Concept Assignment
What makes a thriller and how is this evident in ‘Se7ev’. A macro/micro analysis of ‘Se7en’ (David Fincher 1995)
In this essay my aim is to provide a detailed examination of the thriller genre and what it entails. Therefore I will provide a synopsis of the 1995 thriller ‘Se7en’ directed by David Fincher, starring Brad Pitt (and other characters) also how the genre is portrayed by both the film and characters. In addition I will be looking at who this thriller is aimed at (the target audience), who funded the film, the narrative codes and conventions it has which relates it to the thriller genre and lastly background information on the producer.
The thriller ‘se7en’ was funded by ‘New Line Cinema’ which is subsidiary of ‘Warner Brothers’ which was funded in 1967. New Line Cinema also agreed to give David Fincher a budget of $30 million to create this movie, however the movie later on raised $300million worldwide. This was an industry of theatrical distribution marketing and home video, these facts have some impact on the success of the movie as does the wide range of directors, actors and publishers (New Line) chosen for this particular movie, this is because it may appeal to a certain target audience, also the strength and how effective the story is delivered to its audience. Moreover companies tend not to put their trade mark in any product that they don’t see as being a ‘hit’ simply because they want to keep their status in the film industry high, this also tells the audience that it is bound to be a great film, if the company funding it already has a reputation init the marketing world. This also includes the directors’ status in the industry for example David Fincher, despite being born in Denver Colorado in 1962; Fincher has directed films such as ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Zodiac’, he has a great reputation for making psychological thrillers this is shown by him being nominated for 10 awards which included a blue ribbon award in 1997. Furthermore celebrities such as; Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman and lastly Brad Pitt (who all act in this thriller) are all very successful actors which all have their own ‘fan clubs’ this increase the chances if the film being a success.
Never the less whilst analysing the thriller ‘Se7en’ we are able to assume that the target audience are more likely to be males between the ages of about 17- late 40’s,(however I think that the film could stretch to the target audience of males up to the age of 60 as they would be able to relate to Morgan Freemans character- a retiring detective) I believe that the film appeals to more male audience than female as most of the characters are male, there are a lot of weapons used such as guns and knives also there are dull, dark gruesome scenes such as dead bodies being found, heads being cut amputated which all stereotypically mostly seem to interest males for example the scene where the man murders the female whilst intercourse and the language used throughout the film. Also I get the impression that the target audience are more likely to be an educated and intellectual group this is because the story line is slightly twisted, which means the target audience would need to have an interest in solving complications and mysteries. However I feel that this particular thriller is able to appeal to a female audience between the ages of 18-early 40s this is because of the actors such as Brad Pitt who I think attract a female audience almost automatically draws females. A slightly older audience such as women in their late 30’s are also able to relate there lives to the lifestyle of Tracey (Mrs. Mills- Gwyneth Paltrow) who had just moved into a new city, newly pregnant with no friends or job.
In addition the narrative of this movie is a closed narrative, meaning that the events throughout the film have been explained for example; on every murder case discovered the detectives Mills and Sommerset (the main characters) have come to an conclusion at the end of every mystery also at the end of the thriller the villain of the movie was shot by detective Mills (after finishing his master piece murder of the 7 deadly sins) case of seven due to the fact that he had also murdered seven victims (two of which where detective Mills’ family – he’s wife and unborn baby)
I also think that another narrative in this thriller, has a lot to do with the characters and could effect the way the story is delivered to the audience; the main characters in this thriller (Sommerset-Morgan Freeman & Mills- Brad Pitt) also Tracey who plays detective Mills; wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) who are all protagonists throughout the film, well to a certain extent as at the ending of the film detective Mills up shooting the villain (Kevin Spacey) however before this event the Villain murders Mills’ wife and unborn baby (he amputates her head, however this is not shown to the audience- which I think in some ways is a lot more mysterious and suspense as your imagination could be a lot more scarier than just seeing a head in a box) . This shows that detective Mills, wife and unborn baby are the only characters who changed statuses throughout the film, by this I mean detective Sommerset and the team have been signified as protagonist throughout the whole movie where as Mrs Mills & baby have went from playing an ordinary wife roll, to being victims or a murder and detective Mills has gone from being an protagonist (whilst trying to capture the villain) to an victim (up to the point when he finds out that his wife and unborn child – who he didn’t know of have been murdered) into an antagonist (this is shown when he shots the villain when he could have just let him survived but suffered)
Devices such as camera movement where very effective in this thriller, it was used a lot whilst filming detective Mills’ personal life, outside of being a detective and also detective sommersets’ personal life. Another main effect was editing this mad a big difference throughout the film as it gives the audience a slight hint of what the film is going to be like; for example at the very beginning of the thriller there are a series of short cuts, this works very well with the film as it seems to be puzzled (gives the idea that the film is very mysterious and many things will happen in short bursts of time) a lot like the villains mind (also gives the audience the idea that this is a psychological thriller), although he does seem to know what he’s doing throughout the film. Another key element of the thriller is sound, as it can affect the audience emotionally as well as being able to bring up tension with its temp, for example the music would get louder and faster indicating to its audience that something dramatic may occur (or a cheap surprise) which could lead to the audiences stomachs in a twist or even if it was an emotional scene (wanting sympathy from the audience) you would be able to play slow music using instruments such as violins which would draw this sympathy wanted and cause them to cry.
The characters in this thriller are: Detective Sommerset who played a very humble and honest character, Detective Mills who played a young cocky, short-tempered individual, Tracey who played an average friendly, quiet life and lastly the villain who goes by the name of John Doe- a psycho attention seeking character who envied detective Mills, These characters where all represented as positive (to a certain point). All except for John Doe (played by Kevin Spacey) that was obviously a negative character in the thriller. I think the audience are also able to relate to these characters as the audience are intellectual people, which the detectives obviously are and also the personal life of the characters in the movie, for example a married couple who just recently moved into a new city for work and don’t know anyone, the man in the relationship spends a lot of time at work where as the woman is at home alone, has no current work or associates.
Throughout the thriller there have been many genre codes and conventions; such as: Enigma codes, Omniscient, and Action Codes where mostly used. This is all very affective to the audience as its the narrative of the story, for example enigma codes is a sequence in which the story is told to the audience, this may include omniscient, cross cut point of view camera shots, this is so that the story is being told in an almost chronological order (but not linear, linear was only shown in order of the days e.g. Monday, Tuesday etc) things only happen in order from the detectives view point, so that the audience is able to see and understand the movie in clarity. Another reason why genre codes and conventions are a key concept in any movie is because it is able to turn the movie from a boring, mind puzzling thriller to an exciting, heart racing movie.
Further more the miss-en-scene in this movie has a big impact, as the movie was set in a dirty, busy but lifeless city; this gives us the idea of everyday life for an average person (these appeal to the audience) also he lighting was very dark and dull with a few occasions of rainy weather which also indicates to the audience that this would not be a jolly film. Another key element was the dress code of the characters, as they say you can tell a lot about a person by there dress sense, for example the detectives wore long jackets and hats which indicated what occupation they where in and what character they are. Including the sound (non digetic music) suggested action whilst the detectives chase the murderer.
In conclusion I agree that the thriller ‘Se7en’ is a great example of a thriller as it includes many characteristics. I also think that the producers and directors have made a very wise choice of who they hired to take part in this movie and it makes a great difference of the success of the film and what type of audience it attracts. In addition I think the locations in the movie where extremely suitable for the film it also shows that the film wasn’t made on a tight budget. The movie is also clearly a psychological thriller as it plays many mind games with characters involved and also the audience
In this essay my aim is to provide a detailed examination of the thriller genre and what it entails. Therefore I will provide a synopsis of the 1995 thriller ‘Se7en’ directed by David Fincher, starring Brad Pitt (and other characters) also how the genre is portrayed by both the film and characters. In addition I will be looking at who this thriller is aimed at (the target audience), who funded the film, the narrative codes and conventions it has which relates it to the thriller genre and lastly background information on the producer.
The thriller ‘se7en’ was funded by ‘New Line Cinema’ which is subsidiary of ‘Warner Brothers’ which was funded in 1967. New Line Cinema also agreed to give David Fincher a budget of $30 million to create this movie, however the movie later on raised $300million worldwide. This was an industry of theatrical distribution marketing and home video, these facts have some impact on the success of the movie as does the wide range of directors, actors and publishers (New Line) chosen for this particular movie, this is because it may appeal to a certain target audience, also the strength and how effective the story is delivered to its audience. Moreover companies tend not to put their trade mark in any product that they don’t see as being a ‘hit’ simply because they want to keep their status in the film industry high, this also tells the audience that it is bound to be a great film, if the company funding it already has a reputation init the marketing world. This also includes the directors’ status in the industry for example David Fincher, despite being born in Denver Colorado in 1962; Fincher has directed films such as ‘Panic Room’ and ‘Zodiac’, he has a great reputation for making psychological thrillers this is shown by him being nominated for 10 awards which included a blue ribbon award in 1997. Furthermore celebrities such as; Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman and lastly Brad Pitt (who all act in this thriller) are all very successful actors which all have their own ‘fan clubs’ this increase the chances if the film being a success.
Never the less whilst analysing the thriller ‘Se7en’ we are able to assume that the target audience are more likely to be males between the ages of about 17- late 40’s,(however I think that the film could stretch to the target audience of males up to the age of 60 as they would be able to relate to Morgan Freemans character- a retiring detective) I believe that the film appeals to more male audience than female as most of the characters are male, there are a lot of weapons used such as guns and knives also there are dull, dark gruesome scenes such as dead bodies being found, heads being cut amputated which all stereotypically mostly seem to interest males for example the scene where the man murders the female whilst intercourse and the language used throughout the film. Also I get the impression that the target audience are more likely to be an educated and intellectual group this is because the story line is slightly twisted, which means the target audience would need to have an interest in solving complications and mysteries. However I feel that this particular thriller is able to appeal to a female audience between the ages of 18-early 40s this is because of the actors such as Brad Pitt who I think attract a female audience almost automatically draws females. A slightly older audience such as women in their late 30’s are also able to relate there lives to the lifestyle of Tracey (Mrs. Mills- Gwyneth Paltrow) who had just moved into a new city, newly pregnant with no friends or job.
In addition the narrative of this movie is a closed narrative, meaning that the events throughout the film have been explained for example; on every murder case discovered the detectives Mills and Sommerset (the main characters) have come to an conclusion at the end of every mystery also at the end of the thriller the villain of the movie was shot by detective Mills (after finishing his master piece murder of the 7 deadly sins) case of seven due to the fact that he had also murdered seven victims (two of which where detective Mills’ family – he’s wife and unborn baby)
I also think that another narrative in this thriller, has a lot to do with the characters and could effect the way the story is delivered to the audience; the main characters in this thriller (Sommerset-Morgan Freeman & Mills- Brad Pitt) also Tracey who plays detective Mills; wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) who are all protagonists throughout the film, well to a certain extent as at the ending of the film detective Mills up shooting the villain (Kevin Spacey) however before this event the Villain murders Mills’ wife and unborn baby (he amputates her head, however this is not shown to the audience- which I think in some ways is a lot more mysterious and suspense as your imagination could be a lot more scarier than just seeing a head in a box) . This shows that detective Mills, wife and unborn baby are the only characters who changed statuses throughout the film, by this I mean detective Sommerset and the team have been signified as protagonist throughout the whole movie where as Mrs Mills & baby have went from playing an ordinary wife roll, to being victims or a murder and detective Mills has gone from being an protagonist (whilst trying to capture the villain) to an victim (up to the point when he finds out that his wife and unborn child – who he didn’t know of have been murdered) into an antagonist (this is shown when he shots the villain when he could have just let him survived but suffered)
Devices such as camera movement where very effective in this thriller, it was used a lot whilst filming detective Mills’ personal life, outside of being a detective and also detective sommersets’ personal life. Another main effect was editing this mad a big difference throughout the film as it gives the audience a slight hint of what the film is going to be like; for example at the very beginning of the thriller there are a series of short cuts, this works very well with the film as it seems to be puzzled (gives the idea that the film is very mysterious and many things will happen in short bursts of time) a lot like the villains mind (also gives the audience the idea that this is a psychological thriller), although he does seem to know what he’s doing throughout the film. Another key element of the thriller is sound, as it can affect the audience emotionally as well as being able to bring up tension with its temp, for example the music would get louder and faster indicating to its audience that something dramatic may occur (or a cheap surprise) which could lead to the audiences stomachs in a twist or even if it was an emotional scene (wanting sympathy from the audience) you would be able to play slow music using instruments such as violins which would draw this sympathy wanted and cause them to cry.
The characters in this thriller are: Detective Sommerset who played a very humble and honest character, Detective Mills who played a young cocky, short-tempered individual, Tracey who played an average friendly, quiet life and lastly the villain who goes by the name of John Doe- a psycho attention seeking character who envied detective Mills, These characters where all represented as positive (to a certain point). All except for John Doe (played by Kevin Spacey) that was obviously a negative character in the thriller. I think the audience are also able to relate to these characters as the audience are intellectual people, which the detectives obviously are and also the personal life of the characters in the movie, for example a married couple who just recently moved into a new city for work and don’t know anyone, the man in the relationship spends a lot of time at work where as the woman is at home alone, has no current work or associates.
Throughout the thriller there have been many genre codes and conventions; such as: Enigma codes, Omniscient, and Action Codes where mostly used. This is all very affective to the audience as its the narrative of the story, for example enigma codes is a sequence in which the story is told to the audience, this may include omniscient, cross cut point of view camera shots, this is so that the story is being told in an almost chronological order (but not linear, linear was only shown in order of the days e.g. Monday, Tuesday etc) things only happen in order from the detectives view point, so that the audience is able to see and understand the movie in clarity. Another reason why genre codes and conventions are a key concept in any movie is because it is able to turn the movie from a boring, mind puzzling thriller to an exciting, heart racing movie.
Further more the miss-en-scene in this movie has a big impact, as the movie was set in a dirty, busy but lifeless city; this gives us the idea of everyday life for an average person (these appeal to the audience) also he lighting was very dark and dull with a few occasions of rainy weather which also indicates to the audience that this would not be a jolly film. Another key element was the dress code of the characters, as they say you can tell a lot about a person by there dress sense, for example the detectives wore long jackets and hats which indicated what occupation they where in and what character they are. Including the sound (non digetic music) suggested action whilst the detectives chase the murderer.
In conclusion I agree that the thriller ‘Se7en’ is a great example of a thriller as it includes many characteristics. I also think that the producers and directors have made a very wise choice of who they hired to take part in this movie and it makes a great difference of the success of the film and what type of audience it attracts. In addition I think the locations in the movie where extremely suitable for the film it also shows that the film wasn’t made on a tight budget. The movie is also clearly a psychological thriller as it plays many mind games with characters involved and also the audience
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