Thriller Characters Research:
We completed some research on the characters of thrillers, to what they look like and wear (mise-en-scene), their personality and how they are generally presented. We first drew what each character would look like and then stuck down examples of each from two films. Face Off and Sin City.
Thriller Conventions Voice Over:
I Voiced over openings of thrillers to show how they used the codes and conventions of thrillers. A rough copy of my notes for this is shown below. Please note I added to this as I recorded so some information in the clip may not be on the image below. For example in the Bourne identity I included the association of the knifes in the clip.
The Dark Knight events timeline:
In the dark knight opening there are no cast titles shown. However there was much action and many cuts through the piece with cuts happening averagely every few seconds.
Kill Bill Events Timeline:
In Kill Bill I found that there was a time of two seconds with every name between it fading in and fading out. I also found that the names were consistently in the same font and had the same background to give the same effect. Kill Bill had no fonts over the action instead had separate time to show the names. I found the edits matched what was on screen along with the sounds heard. The soundtrack reflected on what action was just seen on screen.
Face/Off Events timeline:
Face Off I found the time between the names fading in and out was around three seconds consistently along with the font size and colour so it looked proffesional. I found the edits reflected the action on the screen.
Over all conclusion after looking at the openings of three films- Face/Off, Kill Bill and The Dark Knight:
Overall I found that different producers create the openings in different ways depending on how they wish their film to be portrayed. I found that when the titles ran they came up for a maximum of three seconds. Enough time to be read by the audience. I also found that the amount of action in an opening can change with film. For example the titles ran over the action in Face/Off so the audience were put right into the film. In Kill Bill the action was separate from the titles so the audience were concentrating on what was happening. The music allowed them to reflect on the action whilst the final titles ran. In the Dark Knight no titles of directors and cast ran in the first few minutes so the audience would be in the action from the beginning.
I did the research on the top ten thriller films found on the IMDb website. I did the research to find out more about thrillers, how they are made and the plot elements to help me with my short film opening.
To what extent are genre conventions adhered to in the opening of Face/Off?
Conventions of a thriller includes the mise-en-scene (lighting props and character) editing and the narrative elements. The most common conventions of a thriller include weapons, mirrors, shadows, chairs, stairs, windows and quick non continuity edits. The conventions of films help build mood and atmosphere in a film and therefore it links to the genre.
The opening may not include some of the more obvious convection but it does include some other important elements of thriller genres. For example the film is set in a normal location, a children’s carousel, as the main character is with his son. Thriller films are usually set in the day at normal locations like the suburbs but the location is picked to show the last intimate moment between the father and son. However although thrillers are usually set in daylight the lighting is kept low and darkened. This is associated to the bad things that are going to occur and makes it more thrilling to the audience.
The villain-played by Nicolas Cage- holds a gun. This is a convection of the thriller genre as it is a weapon which generally is associated with bad things. This builds more tension and affects the audiences’ mood. The gun’s target is used as a frame on the father and son on the carousel, which confirms to the audience that something bad will defiantly happen.
The main character in thrillers usually encounters death, and in the opening of Face/Off John Travolta encounters the death of his child. This is a convection of a thriller and changes the course of the characters life. Death of a loved one will usually cause the character to want revenge, which adds another dimension to the story line.
The diegetic sound and non diegetic sounds are used in the opening of Face/Off. Diegetic sounds like the child’s laugh and the gun shot and non digetic sounds like the background music which creates a mood and changes throughout the scene as the actions of the characters change. For example the music dramatically changes as the villain is show to be clearly recognized by the audience.
The editing of the opening isn't fast throughout most of it. The fast turning of the carousel is used to increase tension. The rest of the edits are slow to emphases the importance of the father and son relationship. The opening is continuity editing though is a non continuity part of the film.
Independent film research
Vertical Limit
We looked at a the vertical limit script. After reading it through I wrote down my initial ideas of how I think the film would be filmed. I looked at sound, camera shots, angles and movement and the mise-en-scene. After this we watched the actual scene and compared how the film had been put together to my initial ideas. It shows how things can be interpreted in different ways, and how different shots can be used to show different things. I learnt about how to stage the scenes differently to give more of an effect. I learnt how different camera angles are used to create an atmosphere and build a scene.
Editing
Editing is the way the film is put together post-production.
There are four main editing effects;
Cut, Dissolve, Fade and Wipe. The Pace of the edit is also very important as it can change the mood and atmosphere of the scene. For example in a car chase fast cuts are put in to build tension in the scene. Slow cuts wouldn't give the same effect.
There is two types of editing
Non continuity- where everything is in a illogical order.
Editing techniques used here are things like Flashbacks and Montages
Continuity- Where everything is in logical order
Techniques used here are things like; The 180 degree rule, Shot Reverse Shot, Cross Cutting, Insert Shot and Cutaway. All which are used to make it more realistic, make it easier for the audience to understand and to compress time.
Denotation- Literal meaning of something
Connotation- The suggested meaning of something
Editing in Face/Off
In the opening of Face/Off the editing is continual editing however, ironically the opening is a flash back so is non continual in the film as a whole piece. The opening only involves slow cuts.The editing is used to build tension, and prepare the audience for something bad without them realizing.
Mise-en-scene
Mise-en-scene is anything in the scene. There are five categories which are important when thinking about mise-en-scene.
Props and Setting- Where it is set and what things are helping to set the scene. For example a restaurant table with a candle would feel out of place on a beach.
Hair, costume and makeup- how a character is dressed and what connotations it brings off. A well dressed character compared to a dressed down character can show power over another. The way people are dressed can show characteristics of that particular character.
Facial Expressions- Characters feeling and emotion in the scene.
Lighting and Colours- The way the lighting is presented can change the way the character is represented. Lots of light on a character can show there power over others. Colour is important as every colour has different connotations. For example Black- Death, White- Purity.
Positioning of character and objects in the frame- If a object or character dominates the frame they are of importance to the scene.
Mise-en Scene in Face/Off
Props and Setting- The scene is set at a carousel, which is associated with children. The father has three primary coloured balloons in his hands also giving child connotations. The villain has a gun, and a drink.
Hair, costume and makeup- The villain is wearing black which gives connotations of evilness and death. He wears a mustache which makes him look more evil. The father and son are wearing clothes which appear normal, which shows that the scene isn't a special.
Facial Expressions- The father is at first happy, enjoying the moment with his little boy, his facial expression at the end of the scene is sad, angry and shocked. The boys face is happy throughout the majority of the scene. The villain's face shows concentration and thought when he sees the child. When he realizes the child is dead, he shows shock and realization on his face.
Lighting and Colours- The lighting is dark, shadows fall on the father and son as the carousel moves.
Positioning of character and objects in the frame- The characters are positioned in the rule of thirds in some points. The gun targets the character and frames them in the shot.
Face/Off- Rule of thirds and focus
The rule of thirds is used here to draw your attention to the Boy and the Father and the internment moment between them. The shallow focus draws our attention more and allows the audience to get closer to the characters.
The Rule of thirds is used on the gun here. It is used to draw attention to it, and to shock the audience.
The framing here is done to give the audience an insight into the characters actions and allow them to see the reality of the situation.
The rule of thirds is used on the Balloons, to show the reality what has just happened. The primary colours of the balloons show the loss of the child, though the audience may not realize this yet.
Certification in Film Presentation
Production Distribution and Exhibition in Face Off
Camera Angles show a character or objects at different levels. The three main angles are straight on, low and high, canted angle is another. Using a low shot for example can show the characters power over the audience or show height of an object.
High angle shot is used in the opening scene of Face Off. It is used to show the child's innocence as it looks down at him, this makes the audience feel sorry for him and worry for what may happen to him.
Face/ Off Camera Movement
Camera movements are used to give different points of view they give different effects. Some camera movements are pan, tilt, tracking, dolly, crane, steady cam, handheld, zoom. For example tilt could be used to show a characters viewpoint as they look up or down. I analysed different camera movements in Face Off and showed the effect on the audience
Zoom is used to show the blood on the carousel horse, this allows the audience to see the realization of what just happened and let them question who's blood it is.
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A pan shot is used to move from the wounded man to the body of his boy, to show the audience instantly what he is gasping at, and for them to be allowed to feel the shock as the character does.
The Dark Knight Rises- Shot Types
There are many different shot types;
Establishing Shot, Master shot, Close Up, Mid Shot, Long Shot, Wide Shot, Two Shot, Aerial Shot, Point of View Shot and Over the Shoulder Shot. For example a close up is used to show characters emotion in a scene. All shots are used for different purposes to give different effects, I analysed some shot types in The Dark Knight Rises and explained the effect they gave.
An aerial shot is used in the scene. This is when the character is zip wiring down from one building to another. This is used to show the height and danger of the character's actions and therefore will make the audience feel scared.
A long shot is used to show characters head to foot whilst keeping the setting in view. It is used in the start of the scene in the Dark Knight Rises when the characters are getting out of the car, showing a scene of city buildings. The character is particularly interested in the one which to the audience looks like a bank. This shot is used to show an insight into the characters mind and give the audience an idea of what may happen next.
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