Memento - Analysis

Memento

This thriller is called 'Memento' which is an object kept as a reminder or a keepsake of a person or event. There are no special effects used throughout the opening of 'Memento' except for the titles fading in and out. The non-diegetic sound is orchestral with violins and cello's to create a suspicious atmosphere as they usually represent mysterious moods and events. The only diegetic sound used is paper being moved to convey a character whom is lonely and acted alone as there are no other sounds in the background. If there were police or forensics, there would have been other diegetic sounds such as footsteps. This makes the audience feel more suspicious and think that it is the killer who has taken the photo of the murder as a 'memento'.

The opening 1:10 seconds we're shown the same photo of the crime scene held by what appears to be a male's hand. The opening titles are presented over the image of the murder scene. As we are unaware of who is looking at the picture, a point of view shot is used to make the audience feel anxious and want to know what will happen next. The photograph we are presented with in the opening is a picture of a murder, which doesn't show who has been murdered. The colour presented on the photo is red to show the blood which makes the audience feel uncomfortable as they are introduced to the theme of the film from the start. The character shakes the picture which makes the audience feel that they are about to discover who has been murdered however, it does the complete opposite and the photo becomes more blurry which shows the audience that the photo was developed using a polaroid camera. This creates an enigma of who has been murdered  and who by which engages the audience as they become aware that the picture has been developed very recently as it's still fresh. This would suggest that the murderer has taken the photo or the police. The fine details of the photo become less evident which implies that it is trying to go back in time to show that a crime too place. This helps to build suspense and curiosity, alerting the audience that the narrative for the film is to solve the murder. 

The opening sequence is in a very different order to most thrillers as it tells the audience that the film is going to be about whats happened before the climax of the murder has been shown to build the narrative. A close up shot of the blank photo being put into the camera is the complete opposite of how a camera is normally used. In this shot you are made aware that the first character introduced is male as he is wearing a blue shirt and grey suit jacket. The camera pans up towards the characters face, however he is blocked by the camera that he is using to take the photo we were first introduced to. Then rather quickly we are shown the mans face. The diegetic sound of the camera flash draws the audiences attention towards the fact that this is who has taken the picture. The close up shot of the mans face is used to portray a fight has previously taken place as he has a cut on his face with blood dripping off of him. This could make the audience see him as a victim who has just used self defence or on the contrary, it could make them view him as a suspect of murder which in this case seems more likely as he is photographing it. A close up shot of the character putting away his camera is used to explore the idea that the shots are being re-wound in order to show the audience what really happened. As we see what happened, an enigma is created as to why he shot the man and if it's a psychological thriller which is the reason why he did it because he is mentally ill.

This scene has a variety of close ups for example, the blood of the person that has been murdered is dripping down the wall. This makes the audience feel disgusted and creates a frightening atmosphere. This could make the audience feel more anxious as to how the person has been murdered. Another close up shown is of a bullet lying on the floor to make the audience aware that he has been shot. The third close up shot is of glasses suggesting that they belong to the person that has been murdered. The final close up shot is of the dead mans head at the back which hides his identity to leave a sense of suspense. This makes the audience question why he has been killed. 

An asynchronous soundtrack is playing while these shots are being shown and an eerie sound builds up to create tension. There is a diegetic sound of the character getting the gun which he had thrown on the floor in reverse. The 3 close ups tell the story of the process leading to the murder.  This informs the audience that the character holding the picture that we were introduced to at the beginning is the killer and he used a gun to murder the man. These shots let the audience know who is the killer from the beginning of the narrative, making the audience now more anxious about why he had done that and linking back to the title of the movie, whether the picture is his memento.

At 1:45 seconds the script begins with non-diegetic sounds of what sounds like heart beats. The script increases the suspense as it's the character asking himself questions such as "Where am I?" and answering his own questions for example "You're in some hotel room". This makes the audience feel tense as they imagine that they're in this characters situation. This confuses the audience as the he's talking to himself. Point of view close up shots of different areas of the room are used to show his confusion which we gather from his constant looking around with uncertainty. This creates unease for the audience as they try to work out what he's doing there. A high angled shot of the character lying on the bed suggests that he's being watched to create an eerie atmosphere. These scenes are shot in black and white which reflect his emotion of guilt after the murder. The mise-en-scene shows that he's got nothing as there are no clothes on the hangers and his desk is empty. This would suggest he doesn't live there or he just hasn't been for a long time.

The scene changes to a coloured setting in a completely different environment with bright lighting which creates a happy mood. A close up shot of money and a picture of a man being pointed at with the dialogue of "this guy", then a mid-shot of the "killer" character we were first introduced to. This could mean that the film is about how and why the man was killed. Being introduced to another character wearing the same glasses as we were shown a close up shot could suggest that he is the one that gets murdered. 

The Usual Suspects - Analysis

The Usual Suspects



The title of this thriller suggests that there is a suspect that is usually thought to be guilty. The first shot is a close up of matches being lit to create a ring of fire. There is only a diegetic sound of the matches being lit creating a sense of loneliness and danger. We get introduced to a character in the second shot, a medium close-up of a man. He is in the middle of the shot indicating his importance in the scene and the mise-en-scene of a cigarette could be to indicate to the audience that the matches were only there to light up his cigarette. However this builds an enigma as to why he has lit so many matches for one cigarette and why he's still got the matches inside the box. We acknowledge the fact that this character's posture and appearance implies that there is something suspicious about him. By stereotyping the character, we can make assumptions such as his all black clothing and casually lighting a cigarette as if nothings wrong suggests that he is a very laid back man even though someone is lying on the floor dead. We then get a medium close-up of a man who appears to be urinating on the fire to put it out. This is shown through a panning down shot. This makes the audience start to question and it builds tension as to who this man is and why the other male character doesn't mind him putting out a fire he just started.

A mid shot of the character sitting on the floor and the mise-en-scene suggests that he's in a warehouse as he's surrounded by wooden boxes. This allows the audience to think about why the character looks so fed up and  if he is the suspect. Diegetic sounds of water running and fire sounds in the background emphasise that he is alone. This is until he drops the lit matches on the floor and creates a trail of fire. This makes the audience eager to know where the trial of fire is leading to and why the character had done this. There is another close up of the fire trailing along and these continuity shots create tension. There is another continuity shot from a different angle of the fire trail, however this time the fire passes the dead body, which makes the audience forebode that the character we were first introduced to is the murderer or is going to be the suspect in the following narrative. This scene plays with the audience expectations, as the audience instantly assume that the fire is going to set the building alight.

A point of view shot of the character we were first introduced to, allows the audience to see what the character can see. There is a diegetic sound of the man urinating on the floor giving a real sense of what is happening in the scene, stopping the diegetic sound of flames. The camera pans up, as if it's the character raising his head and looking up to see where this is coming from. A non-diegetic soundtrack mainly orchestral suggesting danger's getting closer and something is not right. This is a high angled shot which suggests that the unknown character has more authority. The reaction of the first character informs the audience that the unknown character is not a stranger to him. While the camera pans down the unknown character walks down the stairs and  the mise-en-scene lets us know more about the surroundings of the rope and the metal stairs, showing us that they're on a boat. As the unknown character is walking closer to the first character a close up shot of the unknown characters feet walking past the dead person could mean that he knows all about the murder and is not concerned much about the dead person. The fire burning in the background suggests that danger is building up.

Non-diegetic sounds of calm and quiet orchestral instruments being played representing something dangerous about to happen. The sound track gradually increases in volume, building more tension as it makes you feel that the danger gradually getting closer while the man walks towards the first character. The man pulls out his lighter and lights it. This  plays with the audiences expectations of the narrative as the audience believe that he's going to start a fire with it. We then realise the lighter was actually to light his own cigarette. The unknown character remaining unknown, starts a conversation using shot reverse shot with the character asking him whether he's ready. The script builds an anxious atmosphere as the unknown man points the gun which is shown as a medium close up towards the camera to build suspense. Just as the unknown character shoots, a long shot of the location is shown, not showing the audience the characters death leaving the audience to use their imagination. This scene shows 6 different shots of the location including a boat. As the fire exploded a diegetic sound of a police siren sounded suggesting that the police are involved in this narrative.

Generic Conventions

Generic Conventions

Generic Conventions AS task

The Bourne Identity: Man on the run Thriller

Narrative: Car chases, gadgets and weapons.

Iconography: We expect to see some violence, guns, explosions and chase.

Characters: The spy is usually the main character. Appears as quite a strong and confident character able to solve missions. Usually seen as having authority and power.

Camerawork: over the shoulder shots, long shots, mid shots, close-ups

Settings: Mostly set outside or in the car, the bank



Blade Runner: Dystopian Science Fiction Thriller

Narrative: Classic investigation, chase. Reinforces an alpha male character as the detective.

Iconography: Stated where it was set at the very start. Eyes are used as a motif. Flying cars, projection onto buildings.

Characters: Typical detective, supernatural, clear protagonist, create suspense by playing deceptive games with each other.

Camerawork: Close-ups, mid shots, back tracking. Special effects.

Settings: Often based around reality. Normal everyday life however, tricks the audience into thinking they are living in a game. b
Urban environment, rundown areas, bars, hotel rooms, dark buildings or roof tops.

Silence of the Lambs - Analysis

Analysis of thriller opening - Silence of the Lambs

     

     The opening scene of 'The Silence of the Lambs' uses a long shot to establish the setting  of a desolated, foggy forest with dark trees covering the entire shot suggesting that it is set during the early morning. The opening engages the audience as we assume the woman will play the role of a victim, who through use of tracking from behind, is made out to be running away from someone. This immediately reels in the audience as it starts to build an enigma as to who she is being chased by and why. Without any other indication than the woman running through the woods, the audience assumes that she is being chased. This is due to the fact that in thrillers, it is usually women who are presented as the victim. The opening introduces a tense mood as it makes the audience curious. The woods is a typical place for a woman to be attacked as it is isolated and dark. This sets the scene for something intense about to happen, which is what the audience would be expecting. The narrative would be expected to be of a woman who may have been attacked, (and the steps she takes in identifying her attacker). The opening titles are displayed in a large black and white font in the centre of the screen, and they are all male names, which again is not unusual for a thriller.

    As the actress starts running forwards, it suggests that she isn't going to make it to the end of the film as she may be one of the disposable characters. As the character gets closer you see that she is struggling to pull herself up using a rope which suggests that she's running away from someone or something. This shot is taken from a high angle shot which could imply that someone is watching her. Diegetic sounds of her heavily breathing from running create a tense mood as heavy breathing can represent being frightened and out of breath. It could also mean that she doesn't have the energy to keep running which if she is being chased would be intense.

     As the camera tracks backwards, we get a closer look of the character introduced. A young woman wearing baggy clothing which will make the audience create an image in their head straight away about her low status. She then gets closer to the camera which develops into a mid shot. She starts to look around worried, which could mean that she is looking out for someone and getting away. At this point, the audience can see the 'FBI academy' that is written on her jumper which is not in full sight and obvious but could hint at the character's job and the reason why she is running and putting in so much effort. She is most likely to be training. 

     By showing an assault course, this use of mise-en-scene automatically tells us that in fact, our suspicions were wrong and the woman is not a victim. This is where we are made aware that she is the main actress in the film. Without anything being said, just seeing a deliberate prop, the narrative becomes a bit clearer as it would now appear the woman is training for something, not being chased. It is only later when she is approached by a man who calls out her surname 'Sterling' and who turns around revealing that the cap he wears bears the initials FBI, that we understand she is training for the FBI; we then see her as an equal to the other male members of the academy. The deliberate use of mise-en-scene is what makes it evident what her reasons are for being there. This confirms that we are probably watching a crime thriller.

     The non-diegetic sound of orchestral music in the background causes suspense and implies something bad is going to happen. There are diegetic sounds of helicopters, gunshots, heavy breathing while Starling is running and birds which creates a sense of a large, empty open space. When the assault course is shown, the music remains the same, which makes it vague and doesn't give too much away to the audience about what is going to happen next. The main elements of special effects and editing in the beginning are the titles. It is shown in a simple format that stands out as it is places above the moving image. The continuity editing is efficient and shows her easy progression through the course.

     The camera pans and tracks her as she moves through the building towards the office where she was told to go. The viewers carry on learning about the character before she speaks. Her clothing tells us that she is not a typical girl as she is tough and a protagonist by the way she walks with confidence and through the respect she is given by her boss. 

We see her walk into Crawford's office and look around while the camera tracks around her to encourage the audience to sympathise with her.  

We see what she sees from a point of view shot. We are shown newspaper articles of a murder, files and images on the wall of dead people with their skin ripped off. We see Crawford enter the office as the camera pans around Sterling to show him take a seat from behind her shoulder. The tone in which her boss talks to her shows that she is well respected and trusted to be given such a huge responsibility. Shot/reverse shots, point of view shots and over the shoulder shots are techniques used throughout the conversation to show that, despite the fact that he is her superior, the editing brings them together as mutually valued colleagues.

     Finally, the scene where the woman is in the lift shows she is in a male dominated environment which is stereotypical for the job of an FBI agent. There are a couple of women in the scene but they are severely outnumbered. Also the Jodie Foster is conspicuously small in comparison to all the tall and intimidating men. However, she is clearly not intimidated when she emerges from the lift it is clear that all the other men have disappeared having exited the lift on lower floors. In addition all the men are in red t-shirts whilst she is wearing a grey jumper which is dull and makes her look insignificant. This emphasises the fact that in thrillers, males are the dominant, strong, and heroic characters and that the females play a passive role and are predominately the victims in need of help. 

 

 

 

Thriller sub-genres

Thriller sub-genres

Thriller Genre

Thriller Genre

"The concept of a protagonist who is not in control thus seems virtually universal to the [suspense thriller] genre." - Charles Derry

• The protagonist is usually the victim in typical thrillers.

Considering conventions:

• The narrative centres around a crime for example, a theft or a murder.
• The protagonist is fallible and has an 'Achilles heel' that is exploited by the antagonist. The title of the thriller may relate to this weakness eg. Vertigo and Insomnia. 
• The protagonist will be seen 'in peril' in one or more scenes before the resolution.
• The antagonist ensnares the protagonist in an increasingly complex web, until the protagonist feels isolated and helpless. 
• The narrative presents ordinary situations in which extraordinary things happen.
• Micro elements combine in a build up of suspense. 
• Themes of identity are common: Mistaken identity, doubling/doppelgangers, amnesia.
• Themes of seeing, reflection and mirroring. Manipulation of perspectives and optical illusions are common. 
• The audience of a thriller is placed in the ambiguous position of voyeur. 
• Voyeurism can also be a theme and the objectification of female characters is common especially in earlier thrillers.
• A series of or one important enigma(s) are set up in the opening sequence of the film. It is further complicated during the first part of the film and only resolved at the very end. 

Genre Theory:

A "regulated variety" (Neale, 1980)

Genre theory is to do with a circulation of expectations between industries, media texts and audiences. This leads to a "regulated variety".

Hartley, 1999:

"A contract between producer and audience which 'disciplines' choices and reduces desires."

Genre is ideological

"The genre films offers a lesson in how to act within society and how to deal with current problems and anxieties. But it does not offer neutral ways of dealing with social problems; instead, it prescribes a preferred set of values."

An example of preferred sets of values in todays films are those of capitalist ideology with its emphasis on the individual.

All theorists agree about the 'slippery' and 'fluid' nature of labelling texts in this way. But the exception to the rule is the pure genre text and of course the Auteur film.

The Machinist Film Opening

The Machinist Film Opening

This appears to be a psychological thriller because of the many different shots used which although he should be seen as a murderer, we look at him as a victim. 

 This opening is very confusing due to the fact that although the main character appears to have killed someone as he is in the process of rolling the body up in a rug. The audience are positioned in such a way that we are made to feel sorry for him as he struggles to carry the body. The close-ups of his facial expressions also make us feel sympathy towards him as he shows a great deal of confusion and regret in his eyes as we see him through reflection of a window and mirror. Also, he looks as if he has been in a fight due to the marks on his face. This also makes us wonder what happened and we start to feel sorry for him as it could have just been self-defence.


 As he lifts the body to the river, we are once more made to feel as if he is the victim as there could have been a struggle which led to an accidental death. This makesthe audience feel more sympathy towards him as there is a possiblility he isn't the villain here.




When he sees a light coming towards him, he panics about dumping the body in time. We feel like he is the victim when the light gets closer showing us another close-up of his reaction to the person whom he appears to know.

We see a close-up of the light that was used on a table at his house as he washes his hands thoroughly which suggests that he has possibly killed the person and taken the torch with him to hide any evidence. This contradicts that victim sense as the audience are positioned differently here as the same object has been shown again and the type of shot used makes the audience realise that something significant must have happened in relation to the torch.

 

 

The image of the sticker on the wall raises a lot of questions about how it got there? Was it there before? Did he put it there? Is someone watching him?

It makes the audience curious as to what his reaction will be and could just be seen as a psychological sign of him asking himself who he is.

At the end of the clip we are shown exactly how skinny he is and it is mentioned by the woman he has just slept with whom he seems to know fairly well considering it has been implied that she is a prosititute as she tells him he still has half an hour and then he places money into a glass bowl. All of this gives the audience mixed messages about what kind of a character he is because although he is shown to be sleeping with a prostitute, they seem fairly close which could be due to his lonliness which again makes us feel sympathy towards him as if he is the innocent party in this film.

Preliminary Task 1

Preliminary Task of Camera Shots and Angles

     In this task we tried to create normal everyday scenes such as walking into a room, sitting an exam, walking up the stairs and tying shoelaces by shooting them in a creative way. This didn't go to plan however, we did use a variety of different shots for example, a close-up of the shoes, a mid-shot of the student in an exam and a long shot of the outside view of someone walking through the room. We used to cameras to capture the same image from different angles as shown with the shoelaces being tied here.

Continuity Task

Continuity Task

 In this task we were trying to get some continuity so that our shots would flow from one to another. This can also be called invisible editing. We also attempted something called match on action which is the cut between two shots without it looking like time has passed between the two shots taken. This is important when continuing the flow of a scene.
We also used the 180 degree rule which was whilst we were having a conversation.

This rule involves using a shot and reverse shot to capture both the characters in the scene and focus on one of them at a time.

This is an example of my use of match on action

This is what my timeline looked like on Final Cut

left it from the previous shot. This is important to continue the flow of the

Title Timeline

21 JUMP STREET

Title Timeline:

This shows the exact timings of when each title in the opening sequence would appear. This makes it easy to establish the order of the titles and for how long each one appears for. It also shows how many there are so it makes it easier when it comes to putting the titles into my own thriller opening. Although 21 Jump Street is not a thriller, most films use a similar structure for the title sequence.

Previous Thrillers Comments

Last Years Thrillers

This is an example of someones thriller from last year. Although I thought there were some really good close-ups that were significant to the genre of 'thriller', the shots that were used didn't give any indication as to what the story is about and it was slightly confusing. I did like the shot of her circling the picture of the man to symbolise him being a target but the rest of the shots were very random so I wasn't engaged from the start.





This is another example of someones thriller which is very different. I like the change in sound to create tension and a shot of both the watches to show the significance of time. The walking through the street towards each other also creates tension as the audience want to know what is going to happen. The title is also very clever as a word in Latin which means agent. This instantly tells us what the character is. The only thing I didn't think worked in this video was how set up it all seemed although the environment around them was casual. It looks as if everything has been set up and not just happened by chance.

A Level Student's Thriller - 59/60

This is a good thriller because there is an establishing shot to start with which automatically captures the audiences attention as it's a car park which is usually associated with a huge place where things can happen to someone. The costume of the two men in black suits shows their authority over a young teenage boy in a hoody on skates. Also, the titles being placed around on walls etc. as he skates away from them was very clever. The use of a lift creates tension because they usually take their time. The camera only focuses on the mens feet until the boy is right in front of them. This creates suspense by hiding their identity. They wear sunglasses to still remain undiscovered. There are many long shots used to capture the full image of the chase. Close-ups are used when they find each other to wait for a reaction shot before they start to chase after the boy. The last shot with the gun shows how serious it is and that there could be deaths in the film.

21 JUMP STREET

Title Timeline:

Thrillers I've seen

Thrillers I've seen recently:

This image symbolises a sense of being trapped without knowing it yet because of the prison like bars on the windows. This mid-shot shows the woman to be happy however something will happen to turn her life upside down.

This shot creates tension as it is giving a sense of suspense as a car pulls up outside their house. The fact it is being shown through the peep hole of the door. Also because it's dark, it tells us something bad is going to happen.

This mid-shot from the side symbolises the tense moment of having to make a decision. The fact he is leaning forward with his hands closer to the box shows that he is in control. She appears more wary of him and what is being said to her.

This long shot of the woman shows that she is being watched and is in danger. The high angle used here also conveys this due to the fact that someone is looking down on her especially in such a big open space yet he hasn't been shown on camera yet.

This close-up is used repeatedly throughout the trailer to show how significant it is as the more time they have on their arm, the longer they live. As soon as it reaches zero they die. It keeps the audience engaged in knowing how much time they have left.

This is a mid-shot which has a fence as a separation between the workers and the man in charge of payment. It symbolises a hierarchy which is their way of living in order to survive.

This is a long shot used to show the urgency of reaching each other in order to survive. The woman is about to die as her time has almost run out. This shots really captures the distance to make a more tense moment to show how much she wants more time to live.

 This is a long shot which is used to show the setting and create a sense of danger because something is about to happen. As we can see the lights of the vehicle we can guess there will be a car accident. Also, looking at the setting, it could be that they are about to drive the car off the cliff or hit something.

This close-up of the car is used to emphasise the sudden braking and swerve they have made in order to try and avoid hitting something in the road. The man poking his head through the roof shows that the whole situation is dangerous.

The close-up of this letter is extremely significant to the film because the letter states the title of the movie. It also shows that someone is after them and being a thriller, we know it's not a joke. The black writing also shows a sense of danger.

The low angle here shows that this is the man who is trying to kill them. The hook for a hand is most evident here to show he has control and he is on a mission to murder the people who ran over the man.