Devised version of Shot List for Thriller Opening

• Shot 1 - The film starts off with a Panning shot of the surrounding buildings around the area. I got this idea from Psycho in the beginning of the film where there was a panning shot of the tall buildings of Phoenix.
• Shot 2 - The film then cuts to a Medium Close up shot of Hollie while she is texting and crossing through the bridge. The use of the Medium close-up shot brings focus to the character. An example of this came from Jackie Brown when Jackie was walking through the terminal.
• Shot 3 - The film then cuts to a Over The Shoulder shot of Hollie as she walks through dimly lit wet streets. The use of a Over The Shoulder shot shows another presence and also puts the audience into the character's position.
• Shot 4 - The film then cuts to a Extreme Close Up shot of Hollie's friend lying on the wet floor while she has her phone on the other hand flashing.
• Shot 5 - The film then cuts to a Close up shot of Hollie's face which shows her emotions, how scared and terrified she is.
• Shot 6 - The film then cuts to a Tilt shot a mysterious figure in a doorway. The use of the Tilt shot shows disorientation and confusion. A example of this would be from The Third Man where Harry Lime was introduced.
• Shot 7 - The film ends a cliffhanger. So the opening would either end as a Close-up shot of Hollie's face being terrified or a Close-up shot of the mysterious figure.

Controlled Assessment - December 2011

Analysis of the 'Clubbed to Death Scene' of Heavenly Creatures

Director: Peter Jackson 
Writers:  Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson

Cast

Melanie Lynskey - Pauline Parker
Kate Winslet - Juliet Hulme
Sarah Peirse - Honora Parker
Diana Kent - Hilda Hulme
Clive Merrison - Dr. Henry Hulme

Simon O'Connor - Herbert Rieper

I am going to analyse the mise-en-scene of the 'Clubbed to death scene of Heavenly Creatures

Camera Angles and Movement

The scene first starts off with a Two Shot of of Pauline and Juliet sitting in the bus. The use of the two shot shows the difference of personality and characteristics between the two of them. Pauline looks like she is really eager and would want to go on and kill her mother while Juliet is seen having second thoughts about what she is about to do, with her seen as anxious and really scared.

The scene then cuts to a Long shot of all of the characters walking through the park. The use of the Long shot establishes location, which in this case would be a big open wide space of park, Juliet's facial expressions shows that she is anxious and should be careful with about they are going to do.

The scene then cuts to a close-up shot of the clock in the bakery. The use of the clock is a Thriller convention because of the chronological order of when things happen. Where and when were they at a specific time.

The scene then cuts to a Medium-close up of Pauline and Juliet. The use of the Medium close-up brings focus to the characters which in this case both Juliet and Pauline. They are both seen as being nervous and anxious about their plan because it is taking so long because Pauline's mother decided to go and have some dessert  and the time is ticking for them, whether or not they should kill Pauline's mother.

The scene then cuts to a Long shot of the scenery. The use of the Long shot establishes location, which in this case would be a very big park with them being isolated and away from prying eyes and no one seeing what it is that Juliet and Pauline would do.

Peter Jackson then repeatedly uses Close-up shots of the characters body parts, the bag of Pauline and the faces of all three characters. The use of the close-up shot was to identify with the character's emotions which shows that Juliet is scared and anxious while Pauline shows confusion and that she looks like she doesnt know what she is doing.

The scene then cuts to a Low Angle shot of Pauline standing with a brick and her Mother trying to pick up a Jewel that she saw on the ground. The use of the Low Angle shot shows Power/Status and that Honora who is the Parental figure for Pauline isn't powerful anymore and that she is much more vulnerable.

The scene then cuts to a Close-Up shot of Pauline crying after she had just hit her own Mother with a brick. The use of the Close-up shot was to allow the audience to see Pauline's emotions, which is that she is gonna regret what she is doing but she still continues on and do it.

The scene quickly to a High Angle shot of Honora on the floor in agony. The purpose of a High Angle shot is to show vulnerability of a character, which in this case shows Honora being weak and vulnerable. It also shows her begging for mercy for Pauline and Juliet to stop (which they won't).

The scene then cuts to a close-up shot of Pauline crying in the docks. The purpose of the close-up shot was to show what Pauline was feeling, which is that she didn't get the chance to get away with the only friend that she could've had, not only did she not get away, she has also lost her family. She killed her own Mother and her father doesn't wanna see her again after what she's done.

Lighting

In this scene, Peter Jackson uses Natural Ambient throughout this scene, the use of Natural Ambient light increases suspense in the scene.

Sound

In this scene Peter Jackson uses a variety of Diagetic and Non-Diagetic sound which includes the dialogue between the three characters (Pauline, Juliet and Honora) and the use of soundtrack from Madame Butterfly which is the Humming Chorus. (Feel free to listen below)

Costume

The characters are seen wearing big and long coats which were very popular in the early 50's. The use of the big coats buttoned up shows as if they're hiding their shame, what about they are going to do to Pauline's mother, trying to cover up their tracks.

Jackie Brown (1997) Part 3 - Don't Go Shopping with DeNiro

The final clip that I am going to asses is when Robert DeNiro's character is in a shopping mall.

The scene begins with a Two Shot of Melanie and Louis walking through the department store. The use of the Two Shot shows the difference between Melanie and Louis and it also puts into perspective the traditional representations of men and women, which is that Men are always dominant and strong and Women are undermined and weak. The shot uses diagetic sound of Louis and Melanie talking, the purpose of the use of diagetic sound is to allow the audience to hear what is going on between the both of them.

The Two Shot is mostly used throughout this scene, after they got the money the shot was then used again to show Louis's dominance.

The final shot is a two shot of Melanie and Louis getting into the car. This shot challenges Thriller Conventions as it takes place in broad daylight using natural ambient lighting and it is also set in a car park where a lot of people could see what is hapenning, it challenges the conventions because murders in Thriller Films such as Essex Boys are usually done in isolated places, while in Jackie Brown, it is done in a populated area. This shot also shows what type of character Louis is. A really powerful person, who isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty, which is why he murdered Melanie in a parking lot, where there could be a chance he could be seen doing his dirty act.

Jackie Brown (1997) Part 2 - The shooting of Beaumont Livingstone by Ordell Robbie

Another clip that I am going to analyse is the shooting of Beaumont Livingstone:

The first shot uses a Close Up of Ordell talking to Beaumont. The use of the close up shot allows the audience to identify with the character's emotions, which is he's angry at him because he had to get Beaumont out of prison. The lighting also shows what type of character Ordell is this dark and sinister person. 

The second shot used a Two Shot of Beaumont and Ordell talking. The use of the Two shot shows the difference between the two characters. Ordell is seen as powerful and much more successful than Beaumont; and as for him he is seen as this scum, who hasn't got his act together. This shot uses non-ambient lighting, which shows everything for what Beaumont is, a troubled person.

The scene then uses a Low Angle shot of Ordell and Beaumont looking into the boot of Ordell's Car. The use of the Low Angle Shot shows the power and status of both of the characters. This shot has been used by Quentin Tarantino in his previous films such as Inglorious Basterds and Resevoir Dogs

 Some of the Low Angle Shots from other Quentin Tarantino films.

The scene then cuts to a High Angle Shot of Beaumont on the trunk of the car. The use of the High Angle shot shows vulnerability which is from this shot, shows that Beaumont is the vulnerable one because he was easily persuaded by Ordell to get to the trunk.

The scene then cuts to another Close Up Shot of Beaumont in the car putting on some gloves, the purpose of the close up shot is to show Ordell's emotions, which is how he makes sure he doesn't get noticed killing Beaumont and not leave anything that traces back to him.

The scene then uses a Vanishing Point, to make it look like the car disappear from the distance, this shows that Beaumont is going somewhere dangerous and that he is not coming back.

The scene then ends with a Long Shot of the car entering a vacant land and then Ordell shoots Beaumont. The use of the Long Shot establishes the location of the shot, which shows that its isolated and empty and no one has seen what has happend to Beaumont.

Jackie Brown (1997) Part 1 - Title Sequence

Jackie Brown
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino, Elmore Leonard

Cast:
Pam Grier - Jackie Brown
Samuel L. Jackson - Ordell Robbie
Robert Foster - Max Cherry
Bridget Fonda - Melanie Ralston
Michael Keaton - Ray Nicolette
Robert DeNiro - Louis Gara

I am going to analyse three clips from the film Jackie Brown one these clips is the Opening Sequence.




The opening sequence introduces to the audience Pam Grier's character Jackie Brown. Quentin Tarantino establishes Pam  Grier's character by using a lot close up shots.

Camera Angle Shots and Movements

The scene first starts off by using a Medium Close up shot of Jackie as she walks through the airport terminal. The use of the medium close up shot brings focus to the character and no one else that is on the shot.

The scene then cuts to a Long shot. The use of the long shot establishes the location fo the scene (which is the Airport). This shot shows how stewardesses recieve special treatment and how they didn't even have to go through customs and security.

The scene then cuts to a Low Angle shot  which shows power, that Jackie has a much higher status than everyone else around her. Her clothing also illustrates this. Everyone is wearing ordinary clothing and she wears her uniform which makes her different from everyone else in the crowd.

The scene then cuts to a close up shot as Jackie is walking through the terminal. The use of Close Up shots enables the audience to see Jackie's emotions. Which shows that she is happy.

The scene then cuts to a Over the Shoulder shot of Jackie as she walks to the terminal gate. The use of the Over The Shoulder shot shows as if there is another presence following her. Also, the sue of the shoulder shot puts the audience into Jackie Brown's shoes. She's late  she didn't want to miss her flight so she runs.







Sound

Throughout this whole scene. Quentin Tarantino only used non-diagetic sound. Which comprimised the use of music.




Lighting

Throughout the scene Quentin Tarantino mostly used natural ambient lighting where possible. An example of this is when Jackie was walking through the  terminal, where windows can be seen because light could be possibly reflected. Quentin Tarantino used non-ambient lighting in the indoor scenes where there is not that much lighting.

Costumes

In this scene Jackie Brown wears her stewardess uniform. The use of her stewardess uniform shows her as this powerful and sophisticated person because she is different to the other people such as the passengers because it shows that she has power over them.













Intertextual References


There is a TV series which started in September 2011 called Pan Am which revolved around the Pilots and Stewardesses of Pan American World Airways .

One of the characters of the show named Kate Cameron played by Keli Garner works for the CIA which involves her smuggling documents or swapping them with anyone who flies Pan American. A Character which is nearly similar to Jackie Brown.

Another Intertextual that I have found is that the music used (Across the 110th Street) describes the women in Blaxploitation films such as Coffy and Foxy Brown. The lyrics said "Pimps trying to catch a woman that's weak" or "Woman trying to catch a trick on the street." these lyrics descirbes the characteristics of Foxy Brown or Coffy on the films that Pam Grier was in.

Shot List for Thriller Opening (The Next One)

The shot list that I am going to use for my Thriller Opening are:

Tilt Shot - The use of the Tilt shot in the opening of the thriller opening shows confusion and disorientation. The inspiration came from when we viewed The Third Man in class which featured a lot of Tilt Shots mixed with Close up shots which bought a lot of tension between the characters.

Panning Shot - The use of panning shot shows a movement of a character between two locations. It is used in all films. In the opening of my Thriller film. The panning shot would be a symbol of my main character Hollie as she crosses the bridge (the entrance to hell) and there would be no easy way out for her.

Over the Shoulder Shot - The use of over the shoulder shot shows another presence; as if there's someone following the character. Plus the use of Over the Shoulder shot puts the audience on the Character's position.

Close Up Shot - The use of close up shot  would enable the audience to identify with the character's emotion. The Third Man featured a lot of Close up shots throughout its duration.

Extreme Close Up Shot - The use of Extreme Cole Up shot would help the audience to identify the characters action. An example of this is in Psycho after Marion was stabbed it showed an Extreme close up shot of her eye.

The Third Man (1949) - Harry Lime Introduction

The Third Man (1949)
Director: Carol Reed
Writer: Graham Greene

Cast:
Joseph Cotten - Holly Martins
Alida Valli - Anna Schmidt
Orson Welles - Harry Lime
Trevor Howard - Major Colloway

In this post I am going to analyse the Mise-en-scene of The Third Man where Orson Welles's Character Harry Lime is first introduced

Here is the Clip:



Camera Angles and Movement

The scene first starts off with a Long Shot of Holly Martins walking through the streets of post-war Vienna. The use of the Long shot established his location to the audience.

The scene then cuts to a Tilt Shot of a mysterious person with their shoes shown standing right next to a cat. The purpose of the tilt shot in this scene is to show confusion and disorientation.

The scene then cuts to a Medium Close Up shot of the mysterious characters shoes. The purpose of the shot is to bring focus to the character. This shot also shows enigma because you couldn't see the face of the person til later on.

The scene then cuts to a close up shot of Harry Lime appearing in front of the shadow. The use of the close up shot enables the audience to see Harry Lime's emotions.

The scene then cuts to another  Tilt shot of Holly Martins trying to get to Harry Lime. The use of Tilt shot illustrates confusion because at the beginning of the film it has been said that Harry Lime was dead but it turns out that he wasn't.

The scene then cuts to another Tilt shot of Holly Martins trying to get to Harry Lime but couldn't. This shot suggests that it is a thriller film because of its conventions being shown. One of these is Bright Non-Ambient lighting. The use of we streets and the shadow of Harry Lime which suggests that there is another presence within the area.

The scene then cuts to a Long Shot of Holly Martins surrounded by buildings in a big open space. This shot establishes location but it also shows how vulnerable he is and how weak he is in such a big open space because he wasn't able to get to Harry Lime.








Lighting


Throughout this scene Carol Reed mostly uses Artificial Non-Ambient lighting to show fear within the setting of the scene,

Locations


This scene shows Generic conventions of a Thriller Location. The scene took place in a big empty space at night which shows isolation and that no one is there. With the use of Artificial lighting the floor is seen as wet shiny streets which increases suspense.

Sound


Throughout this scene, the film mostly uses Non-Diagetic sound, which is the same track that has been heard since the beginning of the film.



Costume


In this scene the characters where seen wearing Suits and Hats which is what people would wear in the 50's where they did not have the type of clothing that we would have in this time.

Harry Lime wears the same outfit throughout his appearance on the film.

Definition of a Femme Fatale

There two types of Femme Fatales:

• Classic Period 40/50's

In the 1940's/50's Femme Fatales were considered as Deviant women who is subdued by domesticity punished or killed off. An example of this is the clip shown above Gilda.

• Contemporary Representations (1990's - Present)

In the present times Femme Fatales  shows more attitude to women who are prepared to fight back and survive on their own.

Should Cinema City go Digital?

Yes, Cinema city should go Digital for a variety of reasons. By going digital Cinema City can cut costs of buying a film (using film prints costs Cinema City £2,000 per film) compared to using hard drives would cost only £50 meaning it is cheaper to go digital than using film prints. This also implicates that Independent films such as Animal Kingdom could afford to distribute the film to wider audiences. Also going digital have lots of benefits such as better picture and audio quality than film prints. If Cinema city goes digital there could be a proliferation of ways they could use digital cinemas. One of them would be that they could show alternative content other than films such as concerts or ballet.

Image Analysis of Thelma and Louise (1991) Ridley Scott

Explain the differences between Tinker Tailor and Animal Kingdom in terms of:

Production


Tinker Tailor was produced by Working Title Films, a production company that used to produced Independent films. The film was fully financed by Studio Canal who financed this movie at a budget of $30 million. The film also uses a variety of International/Well-known actors such as Gary Oldman and Colin Firth. They also used Domestic actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch.

On the other hand, Animal Kingdom had no backing of a major (The Big Six) production company. It also had a very low budget of A$5 million ($4million). The film was partially financed by the Australian government to promote Australia and bring in tourism to the country. Due to the low budget of the film, it was produced using Domestic actors but there are actors such as Guy Pearce who agreed to the film maybe because of the quality of the film (considering the acclaim the film got from critics).

Distribution and Exhibition


Tinker Tailor was distributed mostly by Studio Canal within Europe and will be distributed by Focus Features in United States. Firstly, the film was exhibited (to production crew, actors, and critics) at the 68th Venice Film Festival. It was then distributed in UK and Ireand where Optimum had a strategic distribution plan. The film was first distributed at a weekend where it grossed well. It was first distributed to 382 theatres and is then released to more theatres because of the increased demand to see the film. After a few weeks the number of theatres showing the film would then gradually decrease until the demand for the film would vanish.

Animal Kingdom was distributed by MadMan entertainment which only distributes the film domestically (within Australia and New Zealand). The film was noticed by an International Audience when it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival (Festival only for films made Independently). Also, due to no backing of a major distributor the film was mostly in Art Houses such as Cinema City in Norwich. Where it only had a limited release.

Marketing


Tinker Tailor has been marketed in a variety of ways, it uses  Trailers, TV spots and posters in Movie Theatres. Also Optimum has been taking advantage of the new technology that has been invented for the past few years. An example of this would be Optimum using iTunes to release podcasts about the directors, actors and also about the film. They also marketed the film in major social networking sites e.g. Facebook and Twitter which in turn would increase the knowledge about the film due to Word of Mouth.

Without any backing of a Major Distributor it was very difficult to Market Animal Kingdom one way the film was marketed is through film posters which include details that would make audiences want to see the film such as it was a winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and also it features Guy Pearce. They also used trailers as part of their marketing campaign (it was easy to gain audiences because of the use of the internet) which heavily features clips of Guy Pearce.

Independentness


With all of the key aspects above, Tinker Tailor wouldn't be considered as an Independent film, because the film:

• Has a budget of over $10 million
• Mainly uses well-known actors
• Uses well-known directors
• Large-scale release

Animal Kingdom is considered as an Independent film for a variety of reasons. These include:

• Low Budget (under $10 million) which is also funded by the Australian Government
• It uses the original vision of the director, so there is no corporate corruption
• It uses original and creative storytelling
• The film uses an unknown/unproven directors and actors
• It also covers an unusual topic (crime drama)
• It also went through the Film Festival Circuit (Sundance Film Festival)

Pitch for Opening to a New Thriller Film (The Next One)

Working Title

The Next One - It refers to the main character (Hollie) seeing her friend dead and another person seeing an onlooker. Whether he's the killer the audience wouldn't know.

Type of Thriller

The opening of our Thriller Film would be a Crime Thriller. The main character would be a witness to murders happening.

When Set

The opening of our Thriller Film is set in modern times. The locations have streetlamps, the characters are wearing modern clothes and using modern technology such as mobile phones.

Primary Locations

There are pictures of the locations we chose on the previous post of my Blog.

Narrative Structure

A girl walks through the pavements on the outskirts of the city at night. She receives a phone call to meet up with her friends in the City Centre. The only way to get to the City Centre is by taking a shortcut through a bridge and alleyways. Her friend calls her and says where they'll meet up and when. She rings her back and suddenly there's a ringing of a phone. She walks closer and she sees her friend lying on the floor dead with her phone on her hand flashing. She went hysterical and was shocked and horrified. She looks around and she sees a man in the shadow looking at her.

Characters

Character 1
Name : Mary
Age: 16-18
Gender: Female

Character 2
Name: Timothy
Age: 16-18
Gender: Male

Character 3
Name: Hollie
Age: 16-18
Gender: Female

Costume

The stalker would be wearing what any type of normal clothing that a man would wear in this modern day and age which would be Hoodie and Jeans. The female victim would be wearing a black dress, what would a typical young woman would wear on a night out on the city. The female witness would be wearing what a typical retail worker would wear. which could be Jeans and Shirt.

Soundtrack Ideas

I am going to use soundtrack which would be Diagetic sounds throughout the whole opening but there would also be Non-Diagetic sounds such as the girl screaming and the sound of the character's breath

Cliffhanger at the end of sequence

The cliffhanger at the end of the sequence would be Hollie seeing her friend dead and sees that there is an onlooker  looking at her with her being frightened and shocked.

Representation of the place

The bridge would represent the entrance of hell. An example of this would be Essex Boys when Billy was going through the tunnel and it shows that he is going somewhere bad and it shows that he might not be coming back.

Sources of Ideas

Our sources of Ideas originally generated from a mix of Independent and Mainstream films.

A few of these include:

• Witness (1985)
• The Strangers (2009)
• The Third Man (1949)

How the sequence establishes Thriller genre?

The sequences establishes the thriller genre because the characters shows the characteristics you would see in a Thriller film. These are:

• Innocent Victims
• Enigma (Couldn't see the Killer's face)

Location for the Opening to a Thriller Opening

This is the location I have chosen to shoot our Thriller opening to. We chose this location for a variety of reasons one of them being its much easier to film because it is less crowded, being in a less crowded location would help increase the suspense of our opening.