Tuesday 29 November 2011
Wednesday 23 November 2011
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:
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)
Monday 21 November 2011
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:
The sequences establishes the thriller genre because the characters shows the characteristics you would see in a Thriller film. These are:
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)
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)
Tuesday 15 November 2011
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.
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Today (November 9, 2011) as part of our research we watched Animal Kingdom. This critically aclaimed film which has won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Festival (a festival especially for Independent Movies) was directed by David Michod.
The Characteristics of the characters which would make this a Thriller Film include:
- Innocent Victims
- Characters on the Run
- People involved in twisted relationships
- Drug Addicts
The film also uses Generic Conventions that should be in a Thriller Film, these include:
- The film uses artificial and non-ambient lighting
- The film was also shot in locations such as small rooms and art galleries, which challenges thriller films because you barely see Thriller films that are shot in these locations.
- One good thing that is good about animal Kingdom is that it is unpredictable, unlike the Thriller Films released in the past, like the ending of the film, I myself didn't even believe that J would shoot the Pope.
An example to how Animal Kingdom uses Generic conventions is when Smurf was talking to the lawyers on getting Pope and Darren out of Jail.
Throughout this whole scene the film never breaks the 180 degree rule and it has the same continuinity in the mise-en-scene.
The scene also uses generic conventions of thriller films. Bright artificial non-ambient lighting and also the use of small and isolated places such as offices, shows that the film is following traditional conventions found in thriller films.
Tuesday 8 November 2011
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) Quentin Tarantino
On this post I am going to analyse the Mise-En-Scene of the opening to Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1.
Camera Angle and Movement
The film first start off with a High Angle Shot. This shot shows the vulnerability of The Bride and how weak she is.
The film then cuts to a Tracking Shot of a Man (who turns out to be Bill) walking to her. This shot shows mystery to the audience and also raises questions such as; What does Bill look like?.
The film cuts again to another High Angle Shot of The Bride and Bill walks to her with a handkerchief with his name on it trying to wipe off the blood on the face of The Bride. This shot again shows the vulnerability of The Bride and the higher power/status of Bill only wiping her face but not helping her in any other way whatsoever. This shot also shows how Quentin Tarentino is increasing the suspense because it's taking so long to change camera angles.
Using the High Angle shot one more time Tarantino shows The Bride weak and vulnerable and using the element of surprise Bill shoots The Bride in the head.
Lighting
The opening scene doesn't use a variety of lighting. It mostly uses ambient/natural lighting which is very hard to tell because the opening scene was filmed in Black and White so it would be very hard whether it was the reflection of the sun or if it was just lights from a light bulb. But the lighting shows just how vulnerable she is. With the blood stains on her face, on the wooden floor and the blood on Bill's Handkerchief.
Sound
Also the film doesn't use a variety of sound. It mainly uses Diagetic sounds with The Bride breathing and Bill talking but it also uses non-diagetic sounds one example would be the sound Bill's shoes as he is walking up to The Bride.
Characteristics
The scene also shows some Characteristics which would help the audiences identify that this is a Thriller film. Some of these Characteristics include:
- Innocent Victims
- Characters with Dark Pasts
- Twisted Relationships (between Bill and The Bride)
Storyboard for Thriller Planning (Draft)
Essex Boys (2000) Terry Winsor
Director: Terry Winsor
Writers: Jeff Pope, Terry Winsor
Cast
Charlie Creed-Miles - Billy Reynolds
Sean Bean - Jason Locke
Gareth Milne - Chippy
Alex Kingstone - Lisa Locke
Amelia Lowdell - Nicole
Scene analysed from : 1:24 to 5:38
On this Blog post I am going to analyse the Mise-En- Scene of the opening of the film Essex Boys. This would include everything. From camera shots to Ligting and Objects used in the scene.
The scene first starts off with a Long shot of Billy sliding a door open. The use of the Long shot allows the audience to Establish location which would be he is in a Garage, which shows isolation because there is no one else there other than him. This scene uses artificial non-ambient lighting, which shows chiaroscuro lighting. The use of artificial lighting in this scene shows fear because of the little light seen. The scene also uses Non-Diagetic sound, the door being slided open.
The scene then cuts to a Medium-Close-Up Shot of Billy trying to start the car. The use of the Medium-Close-Up shot brings focus to the character, enabling them to know who he is. This part of the scene uses Non-Ambient Lighting which is reflected from the street-lights outside the garage. This part of the opening scene starts the use of Diagetic sound, when Billy began speaking. This part of the scene is shot inside a car, which is a thriller convention because it shows Claustrophobia because it is such a small space. The casual sweater and watch Billy is wearing gives the audience thew first impression that he is just a simple guy.
The scene then cuts to a Medium Close-Up shot of Jason appearing on Billy's windscreen. The use of the Medium Close-Up shot brings the focus to Jason. The scene uses Non-Ambient lighting showing Jason's appearance what he's wearing from the top of his head and to the trousers that he is wearing. This part of the scene still continues on the use of Diagetic sound from the previous screenshot. The shirt and Jacket that he is wearing shows power that he has a much higher status than Billy.
The scene then cuts to a Long shot of the tunnel leading its way to Essex. The use of this Long shot suggest that the Tunnel is like the inside of a Handgun, that Billy and Jason are going to somewhere where terrible things would happen to them and that there is no way out. The scene uses Non-Diagetic sound, which is the Soundtrack. This part of the scene uses Artificial Non-Ambient Lighting which shows fear and shows exposure of the bad things that this could lead to.
The scene then cuts to a Close-Up Shot of Billy driving in the car with the light from the ceiling of the tunnel reflecting on his windscreen. The use of the close-up shots allows the audience to identify with Billy's emotion. He might be scared where this could end and shows uncertainty of what to do. The reflection of the light makes the windscreen look like it is a Jail Cell, which gives the audience a hint that if Billy doesn't stop now then this is where he might end up. This part of the scene uses Non-Ambient lighting from the reflection of the lights from the ceiling.
The scene then cuts into a Close-Up shot of Jason sitting in a Van waiting. The use of the Close-Up shots allows the audience to identify with his emotions, which shows that he is angry for some reason. In this part of the scene the sound changed back to Diagetic with Billy narrating what is happening in the scene.
The scene then cuts to a Long Shot of Jason beating the life out of his Friend. The use of this portrays the power of Jason over his "Friend" and that he is weaker than him. This scene uses Ambient lighting from the use of a lot of overhead lighting. The sound used in this part of this scene came from the workers from the surroundings probably encouraging the fight to go on, which goes on to the location, where this scene is taking place in a public surroundings where others can see which shows that it's challenging the thriller genre because thriller films mostly take place in dark, claustrophobic, isolated locations.
The scene then cuts to Long shot passing through a road. The use of this Long shot establishes location, this screenshot also shows where is this van going to go. This part of the scene also shows enigma, to the people in the film who might see the van because they don't know who or what is in the back that van. This part uses natural ambient lighting.
The scene then cuts to a Two Shot of Billy and Jason driving. The use of the two shot shows the different personalities between Billy and Jason. Billy is seen as this nice, and worrying person. On the other hand, Jason is seen as this Nasty and dangerous character. This part of the scene uses Diagetic sound, which is the interaction between Billy and Jason and the person that Jason hurt screaming for help in the back of the car.
Writers: Jeff Pope, Terry Winsor
Cast
Charlie Creed-Miles - Billy Reynolds
Sean Bean - Jason Locke
Gareth Milne - Chippy
Alex Kingstone - Lisa Locke
Amelia Lowdell - Nicole
Scene analysed from : 1:24 to 5:38
On this Blog post I am going to analyse the Mise-En- Scene of the opening of the film Essex Boys. This would include everything. From camera shots to Ligting and Objects used in the scene.
Opening Titles of Essex Boys
The scene first starts off with a Long shot of Billy sliding a door open. The use of the Long shot allows the audience to Establish location which would be he is in a Garage, which shows isolation because there is no one else there other than him. This scene uses artificial non-ambient lighting, which shows chiaroscuro lighting. The use of artificial lighting in this scene shows fear because of the little light seen. The scene also uses Non-Diagetic sound, the door being slided open.
The scene then cuts to a Medium-Close-Up Shot of Billy trying to start the car. The use of the Medium-Close-Up shot brings focus to the character, enabling them to know who he is. This part of the scene uses Non-Ambient Lighting which is reflected from the street-lights outside the garage. This part of the opening scene starts the use of Diagetic sound, when Billy began speaking. This part of the scene is shot inside a car, which is a thriller convention because it shows Claustrophobia because it is such a small space. The casual sweater and watch Billy is wearing gives the audience thew first impression that he is just a simple guy.
The scene then cuts to a Medium Close-Up shot of Jason appearing on Billy's windscreen. The use of the Medium Close-Up shot brings the focus to Jason. The scene uses Non-Ambient lighting showing Jason's appearance what he's wearing from the top of his head and to the trousers that he is wearing. This part of the scene still continues on the use of Diagetic sound from the previous screenshot. The shirt and Jacket that he is wearing shows power that he has a much higher status than Billy.
The scene then cuts to a Long shot of the tunnel leading its way to Essex. The use of this Long shot suggest that the Tunnel is like the inside of a Handgun, that Billy and Jason are going to somewhere where terrible things would happen to them and that there is no way out. The scene uses Non-Diagetic sound, which is the Soundtrack. This part of the scene uses Artificial Non-Ambient Lighting which shows fear and shows exposure of the bad things that this could lead to.
The scene then cuts to a Close-Up Shot of Billy driving in the car with the light from the ceiling of the tunnel reflecting on his windscreen. The use of the close-up shots allows the audience to identify with Billy's emotion. He might be scared where this could end and shows uncertainty of what to do. The reflection of the light makes the windscreen look like it is a Jail Cell, which gives the audience a hint that if Billy doesn't stop now then this is where he might end up. This part of the scene uses Non-Ambient lighting from the reflection of the lights from the ceiling.
The scene then cuts into a Close-Up shot of Jason sitting in a Van waiting. The use of the Close-Up shots allows the audience to identify with his emotions, which shows that he is angry for some reason. In this part of the scene the sound changed back to Diagetic with Billy narrating what is happening in the scene.
The scene then cuts to a Long Shot of Jason beating the life out of his Friend. The use of this portrays the power of Jason over his "Friend" and that he is weaker than him. This scene uses Ambient lighting from the use of a lot of overhead lighting. The sound used in this part of this scene came from the workers from the surroundings probably encouraging the fight to go on, which goes on to the location, where this scene is taking place in a public surroundings where others can see which shows that it's challenging the thriller genre because thriller films mostly take place in dark, claustrophobic, isolated locations.
The scene then cuts to Long shot passing through a road. The use of this Long shot establishes location, this screenshot also shows where is this van going to go. This part of the scene also shows enigma, to the people in the film who might see the van because they don't know who or what is in the back that van. This part uses natural ambient lighting.
The scene then cuts to a Two Shot of Billy and Jason driving. The use of the two shot shows the different personalities between Billy and Jason. Billy is seen as this nice, and worrying person. On the other hand, Jason is seen as this Nasty and dangerous character. This part of the scene uses Diagetic sound, which is the interaction between Billy and Jason and the person that Jason hurt screaming for help in the back of the car.
The scene then cuts to a Long shot of Jason still beating up his "Friend" this shows that whatever his friend does Jason will always have the higher status and power. This scene was shot at the Essex Marshes, which shows isolation and that no one is there for his friend to cry help for.
The scene ends with a shot of the white van leaving the marshes. The shot shows isolation and that no one is there just like the life Jason.
Sunday 6 November 2011
Witness (1985) Peter Weir
Director : Peter Weir
Writer: Pamela Wallace (Story) Earl W. Wallace (Story and Screenplay) William Kelley (Story and Screenplay)
Budget: $12,000,000
Box Office Gross: $65,000,000 (USA)
Cast
Harrison Ford - John Book
Kelly McGillis - Rachel
Josef Summer - Schaeffer
Lukas Haas - Samuel
Jan Rubes - Eli Lapp
One of the films I chose for my Thriller Research is the Film: Witness (1985). I am going to analyse the Mise-En-Scene, Camera Shots, Sounds and the Representation of the scene.
Camera Angles and Movement
At the start of the scene the camera shows a Low Angle shot of the statue. This shot shows the high status of the statue.
The camera then cuts to a High Angle shot of the boy standing and looking at the statue. This shot shows the vulnerability of the little boy. How weak he is, how small he is in such a big world.
The camera then cuts to a Medium Close Up shot. This shot establishes the location of the mother and the child which is that they are isolated from everyone else and that they are on their own.
Then the camera cuts to a Medium Close Up shot of a 25 year old white man on the lavatories. This medium close up shot of the man brings focus to the character which shows his importance to the scene.
The camera cuts into a head and shoulder shot of two gentlemen. They couldn't see their faces which creates suspense to make the audience think 'what are they going to do'.
The camera then cuts to an Close Up shot of the man being choked by a red jacket. This shot is used again while the child oversees what has been happening. It is used again to make the audience see the murders happen on the child's Point of View.
The shot is used again to show the unlocked lavatory stall and it is used again when the child tries to close the door. This close up shot shows how scared the child of the men were as he was trying to lock the stall so the men couldn't reach him.
The scene cuts to a Close up Shot of Samuel standing on the toilet as the man reaches the stall. The use of the close-up shot allows the audience to identify with his emotion, which shows he is just emotionally traumatized because he saw a person getting murdered and now in turn they are after him.
The camera then cuts to a Medium close up shot of the Police Officer (Protagonist) of the film. The use of the Medium Close-Up shot shows his dominance and power because he is a Police Officer and would do anything to keep Samuel and His Mother away from Harm.
Lighting
During this scene the film uses a variety of lighting. Throughout the murder Scene Weir mostly uses non-ambient lighting but as the scene goes to a close it uses a variety of Ambient lighting.
Props and Objects
The film also uses a variety of objects throughout the scenes. The best example in this scene would be at the start of the scene where the young boy was standing in front of the statue. The camera angle shows how big the statue is.
Locations
To increase the suspense of the film. The film was set in claustrophobic locations such as Toilets and Waiting rooms. This increases the suspense because the characters are away from the public eye so no one really sees what happens.
Costume
The costume used by the characters is what would a typical amish child would wear. A Hat, shirt, tie, trousers. The characters also speak German. Which is also part of their amish Identity.
Sound
The film also uses a variety of sounds. The film uses a lot of Diagetic sounds and some soundtrack. The diagetic sound is the dialogue and the soundtrack is the music is used when there is no dialogue in the scene. There are also some scenes where Diagetic and Soundtrack sounds are combined together. An example of this is when after the murder happened. The murderers were talking amongst themselves and they heard a noise which was the child in hiding.
Thriller Conventions
The Generic Conventions of the films include Assassins and Conspiracy. Another generic convention would be the fact that the film is set in claustrophobic locations.
Just the scene itself represents a variety of things. The scene shows a negative representation of the American culture because of the murders happening. The film also shows stereotyping because of its representations of the different races.
Writer: Pamela Wallace (Story) Earl W. Wallace (Story and Screenplay) William Kelley (Story and Screenplay)
Budget: $12,000,000
Box Office Gross: $65,000,000 (USA)
Cast
Harrison Ford - John Book
Kelly McGillis - Rachel
Josef Summer - Schaeffer
Lukas Haas - Samuel
Jan Rubes - Eli Lapp
One of the films I chose for my Thriller Research is the Film: Witness (1985). I am going to analyse the Mise-En-Scene, Camera Shots, Sounds and the Representation of the scene.
Camera Angles and Movement
At the start of the scene the camera shows a Low Angle shot of the statue. This shot shows the high status of the statue.
The camera then cuts to a High Angle shot of the boy standing and looking at the statue. This shot shows the vulnerability of the little boy. How weak he is, how small he is in such a big world.
The camera then cuts to a Medium Close Up shot. This shot establishes the location of the mother and the child which is that they are isolated from everyone else and that they are on their own.
Then the camera cuts to a Medium Close Up shot of a 25 year old white man on the lavatories. This medium close up shot of the man brings focus to the character which shows his importance to the scene.
The camera cuts into a head and shoulder shot of two gentlemen. They couldn't see their faces which creates suspense to make the audience think 'what are they going to do'.
The camera then cuts to an Close Up shot of the man being choked by a red jacket. This shot is used again while the child oversees what has been happening. It is used again to make the audience see the murders happen on the child's Point of View.
The shot is used again to show the unlocked lavatory stall and it is used again when the child tries to close the door. This close up shot shows how scared the child of the men were as he was trying to lock the stall so the men couldn't reach him.
The scene cuts to a Close up Shot of Samuel standing on the toilet as the man reaches the stall. The use of the close-up shot allows the audience to identify with his emotion, which shows he is just emotionally traumatized because he saw a person getting murdered and now in turn they are after him.
The camera then cuts to a Medium close up shot of the Police Officer (Protagonist) of the film. The use of the Medium Close-Up shot shows his dominance and power because he is a Police Officer and would do anything to keep Samuel and His Mother away from Harm.
Lighting
During this scene the film uses a variety of lighting. Throughout the murder Scene Weir mostly uses non-ambient lighting but as the scene goes to a close it uses a variety of Ambient lighting.
Props and Objects
The film also uses a variety of objects throughout the scenes. The best example in this scene would be at the start of the scene where the young boy was standing in front of the statue. The camera angle shows how big the statue is.
Locations
To increase the suspense of the film. The film was set in claustrophobic locations such as Toilets and Waiting rooms. This increases the suspense because the characters are away from the public eye so no one really sees what happens.
Costume
The costume used by the characters is what would a typical amish child would wear. A Hat, shirt, tie, trousers. The characters also speak German. Which is also part of their amish Identity.
Sound
The film also uses a variety of sounds. The film uses a lot of Diagetic sounds and some soundtrack. The diagetic sound is the dialogue and the soundtrack is the music is used when there is no dialogue in the scene. There are also some scenes where Diagetic and Soundtrack sounds are combined together. An example of this is when after the murder happened. The murderers were talking amongst themselves and they heard a noise which was the child in hiding.
Thriller Conventions
The Generic Conventions of the films include Assassins and Conspiracy. Another generic convention would be the fact that the film is set in claustrophobic locations.
Just the scene itself represents a variety of things. The scene shows a negative representation of the American culture because of the murders happening. The film also shows stereotyping because of its representations of the different races.
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