Research: Scream Analysis - Miss Begum

In the opening of Scream there are many moments where it portrays common conventions of an opening which I will be analyzing, cut into two sections, from the phone call to her locking the door showing her fear and discomfort. As a traditional thriller ‘Scream’ has a slow build-up of which there may be an act or piece of dialogue which may consist of a character saying a common antagonist phrase like ‘Hey Arnold’, the cheesy side of thrillers involving a classic line and the tension in the scene builds up with the use of several different micro-elements and Mise En Scene.

I will analyse the use of editing in this first section, the best use was the use of straight cuts. Straight cuts were used many times and was effective in the scene to create a fluent response from the audience as they witness the slow torture and horrible distress that this girl is being put through as she is forced to look on as her boyfriend is moments from his death. In the first half of the scene one can also see the damsel/protagonist on the phone followed by a straight cut to her moving to another part of the room here as she continually converses to the antagonist on the phone. This is conventional as it creates the momentum that it leading to the rising action as of described in Aristotle’s theory and is just building to the climax. Aswell as using straight cuts, they used close up and medium close up to send a message to the audience to understand more on the characters role and appearance, further leaning on the characters damsel in distress or victim role, this is conventional to a thriller opening as many thriller openings identify the opening characters struggle or journey in a short period of time for the audience to understand the situation even though the movie hasn’t finished yet.. The zoom was used several times to follow the character with a steady hand in order to capture her emotion as she tries to escape her current predicament. During her scene in the kitchen you see her walk around the table once without a single cut but having the camera following her close-by as if to show the audience that danger is lurking and following her which is conventional to that of a thriller opening to keep the camera set on the character. In the first section I think the director used editing very wisely here. A panning shot of the protagonist/victims house halfway through the first section is used to great effect to show the audience where this scene is taking place and to help us understand what kind of scene this may be, this is conventional as it is similar to that of other known thriller films in that it likes to establish the setting of the current scene.

In the opening sequence they use off-screen sound to make it clear to the audience that she is currently engaged in a phone call with the antagonist, so we can take from that part that the antagonist knows the protagonist but she doesn’t know the antagonist which makes the use of sound an even more effective use of the micro-elements to add sound and tension to the scene in order to gain a psychological response from the audience which is common among many other thriller films, e.g. Se7en. The use of Mise En Scene was effective in the first part of the opening sequence as they show her body language and facial expressions very clearly, through the use of close ups and medium close ups, this is important as it tells the audience that she is currently very relaxed, comfortable and in safety as nothing has happened yet, the scene is still calm an effect commonly used in thrillers to keep the scene at a constantly average level in order not to give away too much.

In the second part of the opening sequence the use of iconography shows us the popcorn cooking on the stove and she isn’t looking after it, this can be significant in terms of her current situation, it went from calm and normal to over-boiling because of the fact she isn’t looking after it. For her in the scene the use of settings and iconography shows her problems over-boiled like the popcorn and she couldn’t handle it. This is very good as the audience can understand what she is feeling, as a result of the drastic cutting of the scene from object to object. Also the use of body language is used to an effect as you can see her quicker body language represent her panic and emotion. She is distraught and worried for her safety, as the scene develops you see her start to breakdown and with the use of zoom we can see her current emotions allowing the audience to infer from this what is happening in the scene and how it affects the character.

The cinematography used in this scene was zoom, and was used to show us different aspects of the protagonist in different angles, but always an inferior figure in that scene. This is an effective use of editing as we can see as an audience that her situation just went from manageable to hopelessness, her boyfriend could die for their actions and she is forced to watch. Her facial expressions in this scene can give the audience the understanding that she is broken and stressed over what is going on.

Research: Typography - Mrs. Quinlan

Introduction
Typography is the text presented to the audience in this context in the opening credits of a film. Different films apply different effects and elements to the text of their opening credits which could help the audience understand more the film which I consider a good and productive idea.

In the opening credits from the thriller film The Number 23, they use various codes and cyphers to give into the prospect that the film has something to do with codes and mysteries and the idea that it has been thought through and written over several times. The blurry theme added towards the letters and numbers can suggest a few ideas towards the story-line, often referred to as manual typography.

In the opening credits of the action sci-fi film Transformers, they use massive writing and computerized text to give the indication that it is action packed with futuristic effects and. This helps the audience understand the complexity given to this film since it is a sub-genre and not just a lone genre so there may be two forms of typography added to the opening, the massive size to show that it is an action movie and there will be a lot of massive scenes and computerized font to show that there are bits and pieces that point towards the Sci-Fi side of the film and computers and gadgets used in the movie.

In the opening credits of the thriller movie Django: Unchained, they use classic typography to depict the classical theme behind the movie and opening. The red suggests that there will be emotional scenes and violence and a still image of the desert gives the audience the sense that maybe it has something to do with setting. Then as the opening moves on the camera is just placed and focused on the main character of the film to introduce us to this one main character and understand at first hand his trouble and his back story as the movie progresses.

Conclusion

The analysis of choices that I may consider when thinking about typography is the style I choose and how I may blend it into my opening credits, also the size in that it is not too small or not too big but averagely a natural size to fit the purpose of the story shown in the opening scene/credits, then the letter casing I may use is sentence case or leave all of the letters in lowercase to make sure I keep with the theme of my story-line or plot. With colour I may choose to keep it simple but add a bit of colouring effect to the scenes I will record to add that extra spice of excitement and leave the audience guessing. The order in which my roles will appear is Production Company, Studio Name, Producer, Music By, but then introduce the characters to fit the face so the audience know who is who but not give away their story role too much. (Character name next to face)

Research: Opening Credits - Mrs. Quinlan

What are opening credits?

Opening credits is written information presented to the audience about who produced the film, who stars in the film and various other production roles. The purpose of opening credits is to provide the audience with enough information so that they know more about the production who is in the film. They are effective in the form that with thrillers when accompanied by sounds it can create tension and fear and anticipation, and can be very effective when the images have no relation.

The chronological order of importance for many films and thrillers is first the studio name (e.g. Pixar), Production Company (e.g. Disney), Producer/s (e.g. Steven Spielberg), Director/s (e.g. James Cameron), Main Character/s (e.g. Tom Hardy), Film Title (e.g. Star Wars), Edited by then Music by and Writer, as in the maker of the script (e.g. Diablo Cody).

With opening credits they make the audience feel a sense of confusion through the use of little narrative and panning shots of a scene, also they use opening credits to distract us due to their use of lighting effects. They give the audience enough starter information for them to create an idea of what the film may be about and the themes behind it which is also a good thing as it links with the other aspects of media. They also create a sense of tension to the story-line as it depends on the progress of the opening credits and the elements of various themes applied to opening credits. Take the opening of the movie Se7en their opening varies from that of other thrillers opening credits this is possibly due to the nature of the film and the possible plot in the story whereas most other thrillers are similar to each-other or just don't choose to differentiate.

Conclusion

From the research I have conducted I will use data from my questionnaires I will take out further on in my planning and ideas from other openings I have seen to create an idea based on mixtures of various films and ideas. I will look at opening credits of different films to see what difference I can add to mine to make sure it stands out and amazes the audience. Basic ideas of my opening credit may be something where I show the Studio Name, Production Company, Director and Producer and I don’t reveal too much on the actors to give that element of mystery and lost identity for the audience to guess who is who and understand the story at their own accord.

Research: Narrative Themes and Plots - Miss Begum

Introduction

A theme is a subject which is applied to a film for the audience to understand at a length the motif behind the story line and what may be expected in the film, e.g. a Romantic film may include friendship, loyalty and love. Themes are important behind a film as they further audience understanding of the movie and supports the genre of film, as a romantic film with gore and death will not do well to the genre and turn away audiences. Themes are dependent on genres in many ways, this is because they are needed as a support for the story line and plot e.g. a Sci-Fi film would be nothing without it’s futuristic aurora, spacey element, travelling maybe it’s time travel and supernatural effects, these things help the audience to understand and develop further knowledge of the Sci-Fi genre and what it consists of. 

There are common themes in many thrillers today which play a part in why it is what it is today. Conventional themes in a thriller are conflict, betrayal, revenge and vengeance, supernatural. Thrillers also consist of scenes of lust, gambling, conspiracy, religion, legal, violence, political, mystery, psychological and many more other themes and elements in a thriller. 

Take the thriller film Batman vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice, even from watching the trailer you have that basic idea of what to expect in the film, like violence as they are both strong characters and the ‘vs’ in the title suggests it is a battle of some sort, conspiracy as they label Superman a false God, Supernatural as they are two comic book heroes with inhuman strength with the latter strength coming from the sun. Another example of a film with common themes in them is Parker, on the cover there is a female next to him which may suggest that it is his love interest and will further allow for the audience to gain a better understanding of the scenes within the film.

These things allow the audience to expect the unexpected and the expected and excites the audience by giving them what they want.

The impacts of these themes in films and on the audience are effectively obvious. It gives the audience a clearer cultural understanding of a film or scene and what to expect, for example a film with futuristic elements would be categorized as a Sci-Fi among many other genres. It also supports and is a basic foundation of the genre, a comedy film with no humor will not be supportive to the comedy genre as we are not getting what we expect.

Conclusively I will research further the different themes and find a way to mix them all together to make something productive, adding a bit of an element of crime to my thriller may influence my opening to follow down that path of common conventions of a crime thriller. Also, I may mix lust and violence not to promote but to show the consequence of temptation which is what is expected in a lustful thriller and will be expected as it is what the audience wants. 

Research: Age Certificates - Mrs. Quinlan

There is a company that are responsible for the age ratings and securing the recommended age for certain films.

The BBFC are a highly expertise and experienced group of regulators of the moving image, they serve as a social function in society which is to advise and formally protect viewers from moving images and provide public information that empowers them, and their parents, to make appropriate viewing decisions for themselves and those in their care. They also help to protect vulnerable viewers and society from the effects of viewing potentially harmful or unsuitable content while actually respecting the freedom of choice for adults. Age certificates are provided by the BBFC and this is judged by the content displayed what is suitable for that age barrier.

Different age ratings:

U: Starting from the lowest age rating, Universal at full, it is when it is necessarily impossible to predict what might upset any particular child but it should be suitable for audiences age four or over. Films of this category should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring alternatives to any threat, violence or horror.

PG: Parental Guidance needed for films where some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A PG film should not affect a child around the age of eight or older, however parents are commonly advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.

12: A 12 rated film is the point where they awarded this certificate if their material is suitable enough for those aged 12 or over. Films classified at this age cert may upset children under 12 or contain specific material of which a parent may not risk exposing their child to.

12A: This age certificate is only applied to cinema films in which no one younger than 12 can see the film unless accompanied by an adult.. which is rare in modern reality but anyway. An adult can take a younger child if in the parents opinion the film is suitable for that child, but in such circumstances the responsibility of allowing a child under 12 to watch such product lies with the accompanying adult.

15: This age cert is awarded to content which may have some controversial themes to it, but on the whole, should not be any discrimination, drugs should not be supported but can be used to demote. Violence can be shown but not go into injury and brutality. There may be use of frequents bad language and nudity can be shown, but only where it is appropriate.

18: This age cert is something the BBFC are concerned will normally override the principle that adults should be free to choose their own entertainment. For example material may touch upon criminal law and possibly display criminal offence, violent or dangerous acts, illegal drugs can be shown and used but should not be able to cause harm to public health or morals but instead show them the downsides of it.

The 12A rating is an usual one as it only applied to films in cinemas and video works or if shown on television as after a film is shown on screens it may be altered in terms of ratings to suit television viewers. Those under 12 are generally only allowed to watch such products if in the presence of an adult and or parental guardian.

Take the original Spiderman movie with Toby Maguire there are a minority of scenes where it may be unsuitable to viewers and an adult may be required to protect them from these scenes. 

Also with X-Men: The Days Of Future Past is a classic example of where there may be some scenes where an adult is needed but most scenes are suitable to children under 12 without an adult, everyone else can obviously watch this.

While making my thriller, from the scenes i conduct i will be considering who will be watching my opening and the type of content that may be suitable to the categorized in the age cert also considering what i do and how i do it. Even if i do use something such as drugs or money and nudity i will have to express it in a way of not revealing too much or not trying to support the act of actually taking part.

Research: Narrative Theory - Miss Begum

What is Narrative?

Narrative is usually the main storyline and plot set within the film. It is important to have a narrative for if there was none then the audience would be watching a film without any idea as to what may be going on which will leave them confused and clueless.

In terms of creating meaning in texts or films there are four elements which allow the audience to do so. There are Connotations and Denotations as in a movie take a knife, the denotation will be that it is a knife used for cutting food and etc., but a connotation will present it as being a weapon and it is associated with danger.

The next one is Characters, and with characters we can identify their roles and specifically look into the way they are adapted to suit their roles. Doesn’t really help as much but it is still a main factor.

As of Genres, with different genres there will always be a theme beneath them to give the audience identify the narrative and what may occur during the film, e.g. in a Comedy there will be scenes of laughter and joy as they may aim to pump up the audiences happiness.

The last one which in my opinion is the most important is the Structure of a narrative, and usually it will be commonality of having a start, middle then ending to top off the story. Modern day films may not be of good support as they have a start, middle, come to the ending and say “oh hey you know what will be a good idea? Making a sequel”, then there you go with an unfinished plot but an ending in progress.

There are four theories within media to follow on from the structural side of elements. The first theory is from that of Propp, in which he sees their structures as being that of a fairytale. Propp was mainly interested in narrative folk tales, and he strongly believed that folk tales were about the same basic struggles, therefore ended up with the same characters. Characters have a narrative function which provide a structure for the text.

Another theorist of media is that of Todorov, he believed that there was an order in which things happen. That there is a complication, Protagonist plans action against villain, then there’s the transference in which the protagonist reacts to the donor, and then there is the struggle of villain having to be overcome by the protagonist, subsequently the return in which the protagonist arrives home but is not recognized. The last stage is the recognition as the false hero or villain is unmasked and true identity revealed. Usually, it is another process called Equilibrium and it is how the characters appear stable at the beginning, the Disequilibrium in which something happens a change occurs which needs to be resolved. Finally there’s the New Equilibrium and usually the disruption is sorted and the narrative is closed.

A man called Aristotle centered his theories round themes and emotions. His structure consisted of it going from an Exposition in which the audience gets to know the character. The Rising Action when the protagonist understands his/her goal and starts to work towards it. It then reaches the Climax which is the point of the greatest overall tension; the phase in which everything goes mostly wrong. Then the climax ends and there comes the Falling Action which is the turning point of the story, where the main character makes the decision that defines the outcome of the story, then lastly comes the Denouement which is the resolution and all mysteries are solved.

The last theory is that of Barthes and it is pretty simple and easiest of the four in my personal opinion. The media theory of him was that a narrative can be defined through:

Symbolic – Connotation

Semic – Denotation

Cultural Understanding – Events which can be recognized as being part of a structure e.g. A pumpkin is associated with Halloween in most normal cases and that will be how the audience will see it on screen.

Take the mask from the famous 1978 movie Halloween, the denotation would be that it’s a mask. The connotation would be that the character uses it to hide his identity or to get away with actions without being recognized as such. The cultural understanding would be that because it is Halloween it will be dark thus allowing for them to create the effect with the mask.

Conclusion

From my study of the different elements and media theories I may take interest into using Barthes narrative structure idea to create my opening sequence as I am very intrigued into his narrative structure and theory.

Research: Thriller Openings - Mrs. Quinlan

Introduction

Film openings are important as they play a big part in helping the audience understand what could be going on within the film. Film openings are also good as they have a psychological impact on the audience through their possible narrative and connotations. The audience could respond to openings through the use of many techniques such as settings and iconography, which helps to empower the audiences understanding of the narrative. The purpose of film openings is to enable the creation of a films context and directive. This helps the audience understand how something in the film is happening and why it is happening. Common conventions of a thriller opening are that it includes a clear narrative and where apparent there are also opportunities for the audience to understand the theme/s, also it will be normal to produce something capable of gaining a response from the audience from the start through to the end. Taking some examples of thriller films we can see to what effect openings are important to a thriller film.

In the opening of the film Se7en a close up is used to show the protagonist/antagonists face up close for extra effect and for the audience to acknowledge current emotions and/or how they may be feeling. Another use in the film is Hand Held (cinematography) to portray the current situation and expectations around the character and follow them wherever they go. Another thing I extracted from this movie is the use of Parallel Sound, this is conventional as it creates tension and may follow the rising action to the climax.

Looking at some examples of thriller openings we can see that there are many common conventions which link them all together yet are so diverse they each create something unique about their opening. The opening of thriller film The Bourne Ultimatum is very vivid in the use of cinematography and editing. We see this guy, the character trying to get away from the police yet there is once again no known narrative but as an audience we are still intrigued and confused which is leading us to be more interested into his character role, why he is running and what the story is. Lowkey lighting is used to portray the dark situation he has found himself in followed by the light at the bottom of the stairs as if to say that after all his troubles he will be successful in whatever he is doing. The use of straight cuts here to show the character fixing his own wounds is very successful as they are used at a pace that gives us an idea of his current predicament and because of all that running it can suggest also that they are using the speed of straight cuts to explain his current heartbeat and rising tension in the scene after being chased by the police.

In the opening of The Watchmen, the use of back lighting creates a silhouette of the two characters currently engaged in their current conflict to produce the effect that their identities are hidden in that current moment. Another thing was the use of manual focus to point out the main things and forget about the not so important items in the scene like the smiley badge. Also I like the idea of using jazz music as it is a calm genre of music whereas the scene in the film was a total contradiction. 

From the opening of this film The Stepfather (1978) I believe the audience will look at this and think of it as a rather mysterious film. The use of straight cuts just adds to the effect of a mysterious vibe as they keep calm throughout the opening and there are no brutal or violent scenes in this. Also they just went straight into introducing this character as a rather peculiar one using contrapuntal sound to portray the character so he comes across as being weird. The use of an establishing shot is also used to introduce the environment of the scene and where it is based to help on our further understanding of the scene and film.

Conclusion

From looking into different effects added to make the opening of different films what they are I may intend on using non-diegetic sounds to give the effect that the scene is not what it seems and is instead something else. This will give the audience a good understanding of what to expect and/or what I may add to support the road I want to walk down with my opening.

Research: What is a Thriller? - Miss Begum

What are genres? Why is it important to know this?

A genre is any category of art or entertainment for example music, whether written or spoken, an audio or visual basic, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Different genres include Romance, Horror, Educational, Adventure and more. I find it important to know this as it helps the audience to differentiate the various aspects of art and entertainment.

Definition of a Thriller?

Thriller is a genre which consists of literature such as books, films, video game plots/story-lines and television programs that use loads of suspense and tension as its main elements in order to draw an audience. Thrillers are created to stimulate the viewer's moods/emotions, giving them a high level of ‘anticipation, surprise, curiosity and terror’.

Examples of thriller films

John Wick is an example of a thriller film as it has features of the genre such as fade cuts, tense moments, a hero vs villain moment and touching scenes of some romance. The narrative of John Wick is similar to a thriller film as it features common conventions of a stereotypical thriller. Movies such as Dark knight, John Wick and Paranormal Activity are part of a list of thriller movies due to their sensitive nature and curious situations. Some thriller films come away from the traditional conventions and try to bring up or add a new spice to thriller by including more anxiety and action.

Sub Genres in thriller

In thriller there are many genres that have so much of an impact in a thriller they create a sub-genre. Examples of these are The Purge as it is a crime thriller and has aspects of crime within the original thriller basis of the film. Sub-genres attract more audiences to the original film as they are just two genres mixed together to create a classical version of the original. Another example of a sub-genre is Prometheus which is a sci-fi thriller and consists of a mix of common conventions of the two genres.

Common conventions of thriller

One of the common conventions in thrillers is the use of dark lighting and humid scenes. This is used to emphasize the tension in scenes and the feeling that may be felt within the scene, it keeps the audience glued to their seats by not revealing too much yet making sure they are asking questions. Another common convention may be a first person shot of their experience in the movie such as every situation from their point of view e.g. a car chase or being chased in the woods. There will always be a main character in a thriller as that is one of several building blocks that hold up a thriller genre, whether it is a protagonist, antagonist, anti-hero or a group, they will always be centre of attention in a thriller.

The locations of thrillers are usually set in wide locations with cities or if a sub-genre then may take place in a house dependent on the sub just to add another affect to the film to increase the tension of the situation and make the audience anxious and feel the same fear as they are seeing through a screen.

Common Themes

One common theme in thriller is death and it normally occurs at the start or halfway through the movie to give off the whisper of a mysterious vibe in the film. If not a mystery then it will just be danger and risks throughout the entire film.

Another theme of thriller may be a potential love interest of the protagonist which is common in most other thrillers yet not all, the potential love interest may add extra spice as they could be included in the danger of the movie.

Response of the audience

The audience of a thriller film may have very different responses to a film, maybe as a group or individually, it varies. The first main response is a psychological response and can mean that the viewer or plural may have a mental response right after or during the film which means that the genre is making an impact on their target audiences. The other response is physiological response which is the feeling that a viewer or plural generates from watching thrillers, for example screaming, hairs on end, jumping from jump scares and goose bumps. The audience of a thriller could pretty much experience both a psychological and physiological response from the thriller genre of movies.

Why thriller is popular

Thriller is how it is because it came from something so little and is now one of the most sought after genres in the film industry because of the endless injection of new ideas and plots and mysterious events/situations. 

Films such as The Dark Knight is a popular example of a thriller as it delivers several plot twists and leaves the audience crawling at the screen for more as they are intrigued by the situation displayed in each scene, as if the producers spent their hard earned free time to put attention to detail. The emphasis used on thriller films are so amazing it is hard to predict most thriller films, I mean some are absolute... But the thriller films which are highly rated by critics are the suspects who help make thriller genre of films so popular.

Conclusion

Thriller in my opinion is something I never really could place movies into until I learnt of common conventions and the modern stereotypes within a thriller. Now it is relatively easy for me and many others alike to watch a thriller film and say yeah that is definitely thriller due to the aspects within the film. Thriller films such as John Wick and Kill Bill vol2 caught my eye by the way they went about the production of the movie.