Audience Research 2

1 ) When watching a thriller do you want it to ?






























3) When watching a thriller , which do you prefer ?

















4) Which colour do you think best suggests power ?

5) Which of these fonts best suit the thriller genre

Audience Research 1

Conventions of an opening sequence

The conventions of an opening sequence include : close ups which limits the audience to keep them guessings. This was we are not being given too much of the storyline away leaving us with questions we want to be answered , so we want to watch the rest of the film. An opening sequence should grab the audiences attention and keep them as involved as possible. If the opening is dull they won't watch the rest.

Another element which an openin sequence should have is the film titles. The film titles are obviously there to tell the audience who took part in the creation of the film and the title , but can also be used to drop subtle hints into what is going to happen in the film.

The background colours to the titles can connote certain things , such as the yellow background used during 'Wallander' which suggests danger. The white lettering 'Psycho' which changes to red also connotes death and danger.

Conventions of a Thriller

A thriller should provide the audience with thrills and keeps them of the 'edge of their seats'. Tension should arise when a character or characters are put in a life threatening situation, a mystery,or trap from which escaping seems impossible. All of these characteristics would leave the audience guessing how they are going to escape un-harmed.
Close ups should be used to give hints or to foreshadow what is going to happen later on in the film. The soundtrack or music used to accompany any shot should add to the tension leaving the audience to feel apprehensive

Location Research

Betchworth Castle - Derelict castle
This would be a good set as its very succluded with not much around , a perfect place to commit a crime and not be found or disturbed.






Cane Hill Asylum

Genre Research 'The disappearance of Alice Creed'

The setting and location to the film ' The Disappearance of Alice Creed' is revealed through the camera acting as our eyes inside a car . ( Technique often used by Alfred Hitchcock)
We automatically know that the film is taking place somewhere urban and busy. The only sound that we can hear is the noise of an aeroplane overhead , which suggests to us the place is very quiet , allowing them to easily steal the van.
The shot I chose to show costume and props , I particularly like , as the camera pans across all of the tools that they are going to use during their kidnap. All lined up along the floor ,the camera shows the audience through a close up , two at a time , making the audience guess which horrific tool is going to be revealed next.
During the opening shot we can see that the men are dressed as labourers trying to fit in when they go into the hardware store , ensuring that they don't stand out. Through watching this it has helped me and my group to realise that it is crucial to think of things like this during the creation of our opening scene.
Interesting camera work includes the shot where the camera shows a close up of the trolley wheels , and in the background slightly out of focus we can see the feet of the two criminals. I chose this shot as we can still tell what is going on but without the obvious shot of just showing their whole bodies pushing the trolley. It also adds a sense of mystery not being able to see their face. The opening sets the story up as straight away we see the two men breaking into a van . From this we can tell that they are criminals and planning to do something. Even though they are not going into the shop buying knives and guns , the soundproofing material that they buy makes the audience wonder and question why they are buying it and what they are planning to do with it.
The opening suggests the thriller genre , due to the focus that the two men have constantly . They do not talk to one an other at all , but the sound that accompanies them , such as the ticking clock as they are waiting in the van , adds tension to the scene causing the audience to feel anticipation. Reinforcing the focus that the two men hold , the last shot shows how much determination they have, they have no time to talk they just continue with the job they are doing. The shot which shows the two men sitting eating lunch reminds the audience that they are two average men , which makes them uneasy as we are reminded that anyone could do this.
The effect of not using any dialogue is that the audience believe that these men are so determined that they are definitely going to succeed in whatever crime they are going to commit. The exaggerated sounds such as the staple gun causes the simple action of stapling the wall to be a vicious action.

Genre Research 'Psycho IV'

The title of the film appears on screen in large ,bold ,red lettering. The colour red connotes blood and the large slit that cuts through the word 'Psycho IV' suggests that something is being cut.At the same time a sound which resembles bones breaking is played. The title changes from white lettering without any sound effects or cuts running through to the red lettering. This suggests that the letters resemble a person, when the white lettering appears they are alive , then the red lettering show them being killed.
We are first given an insight to the setting as a cake appears which suggests that they are in a house . Which are assured of this when we next see tomatoes being cut and a knife being removed from a stand. The blood which runs down the sink suggests to the audience that he has either cut himself or has injured someone else. There are many close ups used which restricts the audiences view but just shows important props in an effective way.
All of the props used are shown through close up, the effect of this is that the audience are told that these props are important to the film and make them question why?
As we have seen many times befor , the majority of the credits appear in a lare, white , bold font. This is so the audience are not given hints to any events which are going to happen in the film , but also everytime we see this font we associate it with the thriller genre.
Even if you had not heard of the well known thriller 'Psycho' the title would give the genre away. The cotinuous use of knives being shown through the opening sequence also suggests that this film is going to include death, blood and murders.

'Double Indemnity' (Wilder,1944,US)

The title of the film and the opening credits is what immediately gives the audience a hint that this film is going to be a thriller. We know this as the titles appear over the dark shadow of a man limping, on crutches.We automatically ask : 'who is this man ?' and 'why is he injured?'. By holding on to vital information and making the audience ask questions , the job of a thriller is done by leaving the audience wanting to watch more so the answers can be revealed. The large , white capital letters are a title font we have seen in many thriller genres.I believe that this is a very effective way of showing the audience the title as it is very plain and not informative. As the man walks closer and closer the the camera , his shadow takes more and more of the shot over and once his shadow is taken over by the camera , it cuts to the first shot. As he walks towards the screen the soundtrack gets louder and peaks which adds to the suspension. The music which accompanies the car as it speeds down the road adds to the pace of the frantic car.

The setting and location is revealed to us as a car races down a main road , leaving our attention on the sign labelled 'Los Angeles'. Our attention is taken to this as the positioning of the sign is at the front of the shot but slightly left. From this we know that the location that the film is taken place in is a busy urban area. We are told where exactly the film is taking place and do not need to think too much about it. Once knowing this our attention focuses on the car speeding down the road. We ask ourselves 'Why are they in such a rush?' and 'who is it that is driving the car?'. If we were not to ask questions we wouldn't feel the need to watch any more of the film as we wouldn't be left guessing , 'what's going to happen next?'.

From the way that the man has his arm positioned inside his coat we can tell that he has been injured , a gun shot wound maybe. The style of the costume lets us know the era , the wide rimmed hat that he wears lets us know the film takes place some time in the 1940's.

The opening sets up the rest as the story as we are told straight away with the title 'Double Indemnity' that the film is going to be about an insurance payout. Another way in which we are given an insight to the films storyline in when the male enters the building and the lettering on the door reads : ' Pacific all risk insurance C.O'.

Analysis of 'Wallander' (Firewall,MacCormick,2008,UK)

As this opening was a programme series it was slightly different to a film opening as we saw the opening sequence before we were shown the credits.
As the title appeared a sharp shape fell from the top of the screen down into the shot , this happened as soon as the girl dropped the knife to the ground . This was very effective as the shape represented the knife and it fell to the ground. The colours used were bright and powerful as the black lettering really stood out from the piercing yellow background. The colours connote danger as usually on danger signs the colours used are black and yellow.
Although at first we cannot see their faces , we can tell a lot about them through their clothing. We can tell that they are teenagers due to their hair , clothing and makeup . The girl on the right has red highlight , a leather jacket, piercings and heavy makeup.From this we get the feel that she is quite rebellious. Compared to the other girl , who seems less important due to the camera always focused on the other, who gives the impression of being less confident due to the way she walks and posture.
The location is revealed to us through the establishing shot showing us the countryside , letting us know this is taking place is somewhere secluded , where not many people will be. The sound of the wind is exaggerated whilst the camera pans over the countryside. By this being the only noise we here , we are reinforced that they are the only ones around.
Interesting camera work that is used includes the very opening shot where the camera is used to make the audience look specifically at the car , the camera then goes from an extreme long shot to a close up of behind the girls.This was effective as we were given the location then straight away introduced to two characters.
We are told immediately that this is going to be a thriller , we are shown a mid shot of the car and can see blood on the windows , this prepares us and lets us know that more surprises are to come.
An extreme close up on the taxi driver shows he has been brutally attacked . The audience is then left asking : did the two girls attack him ? And if so , how did they over power this man ?
A lot of hyperbolic sounds are used , an example of this is the exaggerated breather we hear from the girls , this lets us know that they are scared. Another hyperbolic sound includes their footsteps , this lets the audience know that they are not just slowly walking away from the scene but are trying to get away.
We are shown a close up of the taxi-drivers keys , they show a picture of him and his son which is covered in blood . The effect of showing this shot is that the audience are left to feel sorry for him even though they don't know why the attack happened.
At the end of the scene we make a definite decision that the two girls , or just the main girl killed the man , and some of our questions are answered. As she drops the knife we know for sure that she committed the crime . We also know now how she managed to overpower the man. The sequence is then linked to the credits through the knife dropping from the top of the screen.

Analysis of 'Brick', Johnson (2005) US

The title of the film 'Brick' appears on a black background with simple, bold white lettering. The word 'Brick' then fades into the background. I believe this way of presenting the title was chosen so not too much is given away by the title, and the audience are left guessing. I have seen similar titles appear for the thriller genre , and believe it is all for the same reason , to keep the audience wondering.
The setting is revealed with the establishing shot showing us a very minimal shot leaving us asking questions such as where are they? All we are shown is a black tunnel , with a girl lying in the opening. The mise en scene is very uninviting, due to the dark , dull colours used.
The teenage girl left laying on the ground is wearing bright blue plastic bangles suggest that she is young and this part of her costume is key throughout as we can identify her when we cannot see her face. We see a close up of her arm with the bangles on , this suggests that the director wanted the audience to focus and notice them as they will be significant during the film. The mud on her costume suggests she has been in a struggle , this leaves the audience asking many questions which is key in a successful thriller.
Many of the shots used in this film restrict the audiences view , which is very clever as during a thriller we don't want to be told too much. The camera is used to lead the audiences eyes to certain places , such as the close up of the cigarette. The director has used a close up instead of a long shot as they obviously want us to concentrate on the cigarette as it has further meaning. A shot which I think is effective is when the boy is in the phone booth and he realises the girl is somewhere close , the camera pans around to look for her . This is effective as the camera is mirroring the boys actions.
Another effective shot is during the opening when we get a close up of the girls feet , the camera then slowly moves up her body, but only letting us see so much . The effect of this is that the audience are left wanting to see that little bit more so that the questions we have are answered.
The opening sets up the story up by giving the audience small clues to what is going to happen throughout the rest of the film , but not giving away too much to ruin it. As soon as the audience are left with many questions , they feel like they need to watch the rest of the film to get the answers .
The opening suggests that the genre of the film is a thriller as one of the first shots we see are of a girl laying dead. The sounds used are also effective in portraying the thriller genre , even though the sound of a bell is simple , the time in which it is used ,,for example when the boy is in the phone booth , causes the tension to rise.
Characters are introduced in this film in a very clever way , we are introduced to them through cut up photos . The question which i then asked is: why have these photos been cut and who are the people in the photo , and why are they significant to this film ?

Analysis of 'Memento'

The opening sequence to 'Memento' lets the audience know what happens at the end of the film . The key element which makes thrillers succsesful is leaving the audience in suspense and making them guess. 'Memento' does this by asking us why he has killed this man? Another important element a thriller must have in the opening sequence is to grab the audiences attension and making to want them to watch the rest of the film.

Mise en scene-

Editing-

Cinematography-

Sound-

Analysis of 'Kiss me deadly' (Aldrich,1955,US)

The title of the film appears on screen in a bold , white font taking up the centre of the shot.The letters are in capitals and take up most of the shot . The affect of this on the audience is that the title takes all of their attention and we do not become distracted by anything else in the shot. I believe this was the chosen font as the title does not give away the genre or the storyline. The font is slightly fuzzy and faded giving the audience the illusion of mist or confusion.
The setting is firstly revealed as the women is running down a pitch black empty road. The affect of this is that we immediately begin asking questions such as : where is she ? Our vision is restricted by the camera , and we our only able to see what the director wants us to . By limiting our vision we again ask questions as we want to know more. As the setting is so bare we get the feel that the women is unsafe and running away from something or someone. The setting was chosen specifically for this effect as she is in a secluded area we feel unsafe.
The costumes tell us that the feel was set in the 1950's. The women is wearing a trench coat and we can see she isn't wearing any shoes. This automatically makes us think that she has left somewhere in a rush and hasn't came out dressed properly. I believe that this costume was chosen to make the audience guess , her costume plus the fact she's running and puffing make us believe she's in trouble or even possibly escaped from somewhere.
The costume of the male is very upper class , as he is wearing a suit , this also suggests that he may be quite successful in whatever job he has. The fast sports car also suggests that he is well off.
The short , quick shots of the women running down the road increases the pace and adds to the panic. The energy of the scene is very fast and upbeat as we are thrown from one scene to the next.The close up that we are shown of her face enforces the panic that she is feeling , which is also exaggerated by the loud breaths that we can hear. The sounds are used very effectively and add to the atmosphere making everything seem much more dramatic. Example of this include the exaggerated breaths she makes , and the loud trumpets which are played as she runs up the road. We expect something bad to happen as she runs towards the camera and the trumpets reach a climax , they then become quieter and we realise it was just a car.
The exaggerated 'screech' made by the car leaves the audience in suspense making us feel uneasy and that someone is going to get hurt.
A good thriller opening will always leave the audience guessing and wanting to know more . We automatically know that this opening to the film is going to be a thriller due to many things. The unsettling eering music which is played over the top of the credits lets us know that this film is defiantly a thriller. As the women gets into the strangers car , the audience immediately feel for the safety of the women leaving them feeling uneasy.

Analysis of 'The Sixth Sense' (1999,M.Night Shyamalan,USA)

The title of the film has been presented to the audience in bright white lettering contrasting to the black background . The title is also accompanied by sinister music , only played as the title hits the screen. This is where we are first given a slight hint into the genre of the film. The use of the music , and the title appearing , disappearing then reappearing tells us that this film is going to be a thriller!
The setting is revealed very slowly , as we are given an insight to where is may be and guess that she is in a house , as the camera peers through the frames of a wine rack . We can just see the stairs in the background , telling the audience that the location is inside someones house.
The props , such as the glass of wine and the lit fire suggest a calm atmosphere , leaving us to be even more surprised when something bad goes wrong . The dim lit light along with the fire suggests to the audience a romantic atmosphere.
A shot that I thought was very interesting , using clever camera shots , was where the couple were reading off a glass shield , and as this was happening we were shown their reflection through the shield. The effect this has on the audience is that we are not only hearing what the couple are saying but can also see their reactions in a very imaginative way.
The opening sequence keeps the audience guessing throughout , we are thrown from two different emotions . Beginning with the cold , weary feeling we get down in the cellar , compare to the warm , romantic feeling as the couple sit beside the fire. This again quickly changes from romantic to terrified as we see more crucial props, which we are focused upon as they take a close up on screen.
There are many ways in which the genre of the film is portrayed to the audience . The main element happens at the very beginning of the sequence. The music that is played whilst the title 'The 6th sense' appears , instantly tells us that the film is going to be a gripping thriller.
One character in particular who is introduced keeping the audience in suspense , as the camera tilts upwards starting with his feet and slowly up to his face . The audience are left wondering who this unexpected person could be , adding to the tension.
Finally , the shot in which i particulally liked was where the husband was laying on the bed accompanied by the wife , but instead of just showing the audience the two of them from the side , we see them from a birds eye view . This shows the audience the whole of the room and makes a bigger impact on us making us feel sorry for them both as we are able to see how upset the women is thrown over her husband , whilst we also see how much pain the man is in.

'Memento'- Analysis of an opening scene

As soon as the film begins , we notice something unexpected. We expected the title of the film to be shown after 'presentss yet the title does not appear until after the credits . The title 'Memento' isn't presented on screen at the very beginning of the opening sequence but the audience is shown this after the credits. The credits are a bright blue in colour attracting the audiences eye , the title of the film is then shown in the same colour but much larger , taking over the whole screen. 'Memento' then fades out , leaving us with a picture , making the audience believe that this picture will be important in the film.

The setting and location is revealed to the audience after the murder has taken place . We are being given information in reverse. The effect on the audience is that as the approach the abandoned building , we know what is about to come , leaving us feeling uneasy.

By using specific camera shots such as close up , the director has cleverly made the audience think and realise that the props which take the centre of the shot are important . Nothing else is in the shot that could distract the audience , so we are completely focused on these props.

The title and credits are shown upon a black background with a electric blue colour font . This makes the text jump out to the audience. The colour blue connotes cold and eeriness , and is also the predictable 'thriller' genre colour. The text is also placed cleverly , centre screen taking over the majority of the shot . The affect this has is that we are not looking any where else on screen but solely focusing on the text , forcing us to read it.

Screen Grabs of an opening sequence

I have chosen the opening sequence of the film ' Number 23' to take screen shots from , as i think the continuous use of the colour red throughout the opening sequence , and red being the only colour used gives the audience an insight to what genre the film is going to be , and prepares them for blood and gore. The audience are left wanting to know more , as the number '23' is included in many of the different shots , and having not seen the film I wanted to know why this number was so significant.

An opening sequence should draw in the audiences attention and make them want to watch the rest of the film . Its job is not to give away too much but just enough to leave the audience guessing. The opening sequence gives the audience an insight to the genre of the film and sets the overall atmosphere.

What are the roles ?

The Job roles of a :

Director of photography : Plans , directs and coordinates picture filming . They will confer with the director regarding interpretation of the scene and the desired effects.

Executive Producer : The executive producer is in charge of securing funding , finding talent and crew , and overseeing the final editing of the film.

Screenwriters: The screenwriter is the writer of the script of a film.They create the dialogue , characters and the story line of a movie script. The screenwriter is essential as no movie can start without some form of a script.

Producer: Producers work closely with directors . They need to have directing skills as often they are the director as well.Producers arrange fundings and are responsible for ensuring the budget doesn't go over.Typical work includes :Reading finished scripts , hiring key stagg and commissioning writers or securing the rihgts to noevels,plays or screenplays

Costumer Designer :Responsible for the design ,creation and purchase of the costume.Typical work includes : Sketching designs by hand or sometimes using the computer such as photoshop , eatablishing the look of a character , reading scripts , managing the costume budget and also cleaning and repairing costumes.

Screenplay : They are ususally approached by the director and asked if they can have their script turned into a film. The role of a screenplay writer is to : Study the story fully and understand the directors requirments

Understanding the difference between a trailer and a opening sequence

The difference between a trailer and a opening sequence is that a trailer needs to give the audience an overview of the plot , but not too much that all is revealed. The trailer should give the audience enough to engage them and want to go and watch the whole film.A trailer usually includes fast pace editing to get all of the best bits into a short trailer. By showing us short clips from the film , the audience wants to fill in the gaps. Whereas, the purpose of an opening sequence is to create interest and to draw the audience in so that they look forward to watching the rest of the film. The opening sequence establishes the atmosphere preparing the audience for what is to come.

The conventions of a trailer should include :

- main actors

- voice over

- energetic sound track

- words appear helping us show the genre

- the text has connotations

- fast pace clips

- release date

The conventions of a opening scene include :

- 'close ups' limits the audiences view and leaves them guessing

-titles

-sets the mood/atmosphere for the film

-soundtrack

I chose 'The Others' as an example to show the difference between trailers and a opening scene as this example follows the different conventions we expect to find . For example during the opening sequence we are limited to what we are shown , as the shot is shown as though we are using a candle to wander around the house. This draws the audience in and makes them look forward to watching the rest of the film. The trailer or 'The Others' gives us an overview of the plot and leaves the audience guessing and trying to fill in the gaps. The soundtrack sets the atmosphere and gives us an insight to what genre the film is.